The Dragons of Men (The Sons of Liberty Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

quickly said. “Kids, you’re with me. We’re all going to rock the vehicle and shout on the count of three. Okay, Sarah, pull when you hear us yell!”
    Sarah took a deep breath and ducked under the water, pulling herself down toward Eric. His gaze had grown tired and his struggle seemed to have lessened. She moved in close and wrapped her lips around his mouth—breathing air into his lungs as the vehicle began to slightly rock back and forth. She grabbed his arm, gave him a nod, and pulled just as soon as she heard everyone shout from outside.
                 
     
    How had it come to this?
    Tracers pierced the wide window to the left, snapping above as they snapped Gene Smith back to reality. He dove to the ground as the red-hot lead struck both polished stone and American soldiers behind him. The battle-tested General raised his magnetically enhanced shotty pack and fired at the sudden onset of retrofitted FODs that darted about the airport’s terminal, happy to see he was not the only one who had maintained discipline. The twenty-something carbon fiber birds melted before the onslaught of both incendiary rounds and concentrated electromagnetic pulses. But to Gene Smith, their destruction was nothing more than another insignificant victory. As they fell from the skies, Gene saw the countless other shadows that raced through the distant, dark skies over Washington DC—the burning capital of a fallen nation.
    “Lev! Do we have comms back up?”
    “No sir,” Lev replied as he worked furiously. “I left an encrypted transmitter plugged into the terminal. I can work remotely if we need to move.”
    “Just get it done and radio Bond. Tell him he’s got to book it! I want the Capitol Building brought down on Lukas’ head. If Bond wants to take his time then it’s his own damn fault!”
    Five warthogs passed overhead, shaking the glass walls and screaming through the night as they raced toward the heart of the battle.
    “General!” Marc yelled as he ran up to Gene.
    “What is it, Marc?”
    “We can finally see Mobile,” Marc said.
    “Where the hell are they?”
    “Scouts upstairs said they’re off the Potomac now and spearheading—”
    A rush of abnormally bright blasts raced across the horizon—illuminating the silhouettes of DC’s stone carved buildings in front of what Gene knew had to be the National Mall and Mobile’s column of advancing armor. At least twenty MIG fighter jets screeched through the night at full afterburner—splitting formation and parting ways as they passed the Washington Monument—a stone spire well-lit by the fires that engulfed Gene’s main advance.
    No, Gene thought as the fireballs grew and an eerie silence reigned. Please, God. No!
    Lev—oblivious to what had just happened as he began swiping through the air in front of him, guiding the unseen virtual control map on his nVision display—broke the odd silence.
    “Comms up in three, two, one…we’re live!”
    Gene grabbed his radio and began barking his orders.
    “All units, this is General Gene Smith requesting an immediate SITREP from anyone near Mobile HQ.” Gene paused, staring blankly at the glowing horizon as he inwardly begged for a response. However, all he heard in return was the unorganized chatter from the rapidly crumbling attacking force that was scattered about Washington. “I repeat, this is General Gene Smith. Please, someone tell me we have Lukas in custody.”
    “Damn it,” Lev said. “Something’s not right. They must be jamming us from somewhere else.”
    “Then how the hell can we hear them?”
    “How the hell should I know? This is all one big fiery shit-storm and we’re the only ones without an umbrella!”
    “Can they hear me?”
    “Not sure,” Lev replied as he began moving his hands about the air again. “Keep talking, I’ll see if I can locate—”
    Static broke through the radio and a familiar voice began to speak.
    “This is Bravo team leader William Bond. HQ and