Day of Reckoning
9. Snatched Away
The military cargo plane touched down on US soil, in a private airfield in Fremont County, Colorado. A waiting black SUV with tinted windows was waiting by the airstrip. The SUV contained 2 people. One was Chief Raylan Givens of the Texas FBI Branch and his companion was Dusty, the US Delta Force operator. They were awaiting the arrival of their British contact known as Ghost and Dusty's protégé, Zacky Vengeance, who had called in with the news that the fugitives and long-time enemies, Matthew Sanders and Arin Elijay had been arrested.
Both Givens and Dusty sat up in the SUV and took notice as the hooded, gagged forms of Matt and Arin were wrestled from the plane by Ghost and Vengeance. Arin was escorted to Dusty's and Givens' car, thrown in the back. Arin stared at his captors with wide, desparate eyes as the 2 men drove away from the airfield. He struggled against his bonds but it was useless- all he could do was thrash around like an eel on the backseat and moan, muffled, in frustration.
Matt, for his part, was being escorted by Ghost and Zacky. Ghost and Matt were up front, Matt staring ahead with dead eyes... his gag and hood had been removed. Matt knew that an escape attempt was futile and would end in certain death, as Zacky had a .45 Colt pressed to his head. Ghost was driving.
The 2 SUVs pulled up at an old warehouse which was about 10 miles north of ADX Florence, one of America's most secure and toughest prisons. That was their final destination, but the 4 operatives wanted to have a few hours with Matt and Arin, to find out whether they had formed a terror cell... and punish them in their own way for what they had done to the scores of innocent people left dead by their hand.
Both captives were led by the operatives to the warehouse, where they were marched at gunpoint to the office- Dusty had bribed the owner to take the day off work, and all of his staff too, to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed. The captives were bound to chairs drilled into the floor, and the four operatives stood in front of them, varying degrees of triumph and hatred across their faces.
Givens was seated behind the desk, with Dusty lolling in the corner, Ghost standing rigid beside Givens. Zacky stayed behind the prisoners, with his .45 in a position that would instantly be able to point up and kill the prisoners should they make an escape attempt.
"It's been a while, gents" Givens said drolly, smiling with menace at the prisoners. Arin was by now sobbing, while Matt looked at him in disgust. "Well, here we are" Givens continued, "you guys are caught. And neither of you will ever get out of jail... maybe executed for your crimes. You will be tried before Federal Court at approximately 1 month from now, until then, both of you will be detained at ADX Florence, and that is where you'll both die if found guilty... either by the quick needle or the slow ageing process. Now before we do that, we need to know about any other cells you guys might have." Arin was useless; he continued to sob, while Matt looked at Givens coldly. "Why the fuck would I tell you if I have?" Matt sneered. His sneer became a twisted mask of pain as Ghost stomped over and laid a solid fist into the size of his head, effectively splitting it open. "Keep tellin' fibs scumbag, and there'll be more of that" Ghost snapped, grabbing Matt by the collar. Matt continued to sneer, unconcerned for who he perceived as a clown. Dusty threw Ghost a pair of pliers, who then proceeded to tear Matt's ear piercings out.Zacky stared, unsympathetic, as Matt howled in pain and rage, his eyes blackening with pure hatred. “Those were over 300 innocent people in that church Sanders! Over 300 fucking innocent people!” Ghost roared over Matt’s growls. Matt spat in his face, only to earn a punch in the face from Ghost. “Let ‘em stew a bit” Zacky said; all 4 operatives exited the room, convening outside for a smoke. “Maybe these guys are flyin’ solo” Givens said gravely. “I don’t think so” Zacky argued, “how the hell did they manage to kidnap my wife?” “Apparently a big-shit Mexican drug lord took them under his wing” Dusty stated, “from what my man in Mexico, Vegas, tells me. He seen them face-on after he infiltrated the mansion that the guy had down there.” “What do you mean ‘had’?” Ghost asked. “Well the Mexican Army moved in about 20 hours ago around the same time you and Zack apprehended those 2 shitheads in there” Dusty said, “everyone was arrested without a fuss. They got the drug lord on his way back to the mansion… who here has heard of Oscar Guerra?”
3 hours later did the men see results. After many beatings administered to Matt via Ghost, Dusty and Zacky did Matt finally break. For 2 hours the operatives listened, recorded and took notes as Matt outlined everything he ever did since Val’s murder. He tried fully to implicate Johnny Christ as the ringleader, but Zacky reminded him that there was evidence of Johnny being held hostage in his own home all of those years ago by Matt and Syn, excluding Johnny from any responsibilities in the crimes. As Matt was winding down on his evidence giving, Givens had arranged to have the authorities come and transport Matt and Arin to ADX Florence for holding until their day in court.
The authorities showed up in full force, FBI SWAT teams, Colorado State Police and prison authorities all heavily armed. They were here to escort the captives away before the news crews got word of it. Matt and Arin were quickly bundled into a specially-built armoured van under heavy guard. Zacky observed his old brothers for what would hopefully be one of the many last times before they were locked away for good… or executed. By now, he was having mixed feelings. He couldn’t help but remember the old days, when they were all in a band and life was great. But it was like remembering the dead. Those days were gone, people had changed… Zacky settled on a time in high school when Matt was just a big, soft-hearted jock, who got up to all sorts of shit with The Rev, a big goofball who would always be sorely missed. He remembered Syn and Johnny as well; he couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered Syn as having a long line of girls always following him, and Johnny being an annoying, yet loveable little bastard who they had all bashed up for fun and games. He couldn’t believe it had come to this.
The armoured van rolled along the highway lazily. 4 FBI SWAT policemen were staring grimly at Matt and Arin; Arin was red-eyed and tired. Matt stared back grimly. Suddenly, the van stopped. Sudden explosions rocked the van, startling the SWAT men; throwing open the doors, rifles at the ready, they were confronted with a devastating scene; the cars backing up the van with its dangerous cargo had been blown up simultaneously, twisted hunks of metal and fire… and blood. Cautiously, the SWAT men started looking around for possible perpetrators. They didn’t see the 3 young men creep up stealthily behind them, shotguns at the ready. 4 loud gunshots ended the lives of the 4 SWAT men. “Get our boys out the back, we gotta bounce” whispered one of them, who was clearly the leader, dressed and looking much the same as his 2 cohorts: wearing gang colours.
“V!” Dusty shouted over the headset, “our boys have escaped!” Zacky immediately filled with fear and anger. “Where are you?” Zacky shouted. “At the attack site on the highway 5 minutes away from the ADX, get over here pronto!” Dusty shouted back. Spinning his rental car around, Zacky sped back towards the bad news.
It was a mess. The van transporting Matt and Arin was the only thing untouched, apart from the 2 dead bodies inside, shot to death. 4 more SWAT officers were to be seen lying in a mess of blood and gore; Zacky could immediately tell that these guys were killed with shotguns. Gun at the ready, fury pumping through him, Zacky made his way amongst the various policemen, paramedics and military personnel to where Dusty was talking with a man from the Coroner’s office. “What do we know so far?” Zacky shot it straight out. Dusty smiled despite the carnage and beckoned Zacky to a patch of blood, where a simple purple rag lay on the ground. Pointing to the rag, Dusty said “our enemies are gettin’ dumber every time kid. Now we know EXACTLY where to reapprehend our boys”. Zacky bent down to take a look… he knew that purple rag. “What the fuck are the Crips doing getting’ themselves mixed up in this shit?!” Zacky snarled.
Both Givens and Dusty sat up in the SUV and took notice as the hooded, gagged forms of Matt and Arin were wrestled from the plane by Ghost and Vengeance. Arin was escorted to Dusty's and Givens' car, thrown in the back. Arin stared at his captors with wide, desparate eyes as the 2 men drove away from the airfield. He struggled against his bonds but it was useless- all he could do was thrash around like an eel on the backseat and moan, muffled, in frustration.
Matt, for his part, was being escorted by Ghost and Zacky. Ghost and Matt were up front, Matt staring ahead with dead eyes... his gag and hood had been removed. Matt knew that an escape attempt was futile and would end in certain death, as Zacky had a .45 Colt pressed to his head. Ghost was driving.
The 2 SUVs pulled up at an old warehouse which was about 10 miles north of ADX Florence, one of America's most secure and toughest prisons. That was their final destination, but the 4 operatives wanted to have a few hours with Matt and Arin, to find out whether they had formed a terror cell... and punish them in their own way for what they had done to the scores of innocent people left dead by their hand.
Both captives were led by the operatives to the warehouse, where they were marched at gunpoint to the office- Dusty had bribed the owner to take the day off work, and all of his staff too, to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed. The captives were bound to chairs drilled into the floor, and the four operatives stood in front of them, varying degrees of triumph and hatred across their faces.
Givens was seated behind the desk, with Dusty lolling in the corner, Ghost standing rigid beside Givens. Zacky stayed behind the prisoners, with his .45 in a position that would instantly be able to point up and kill the prisoners should they make an escape attempt.
"It's been a while, gents" Givens said drolly, smiling with menace at the prisoners. Arin was by now sobbing, while Matt looked at him in disgust. "Well, here we are" Givens continued, "you guys are caught. And neither of you will ever get out of jail... maybe executed for your crimes. You will be tried before Federal Court at approximately 1 month from now, until then, both of you will be detained at ADX Florence, and that is where you'll both die if found guilty... either by the quick needle or the slow ageing process. Now before we do that, we need to know about any other cells you guys might have." Arin was useless; he continued to sob, while Matt looked at Givens coldly. "Why the fuck would I tell you if I have?" Matt sneered. His sneer became a twisted mask of pain as Ghost stomped over and laid a solid fist into the size of his head, effectively splitting it open. "Keep tellin' fibs scumbag, and there'll be more of that" Ghost snapped, grabbing Matt by the collar. Matt continued to sneer, unconcerned for who he perceived as a clown. Dusty threw Ghost a pair of pliers, who then proceeded to tear Matt's ear piercings out.Zacky stared, unsympathetic, as Matt howled in pain and rage, his eyes blackening with pure hatred. “Those were over 300 innocent people in that church Sanders! Over 300 fucking innocent people!” Ghost roared over Matt’s growls. Matt spat in his face, only to earn a punch in the face from Ghost. “Let ‘em stew a bit” Zacky said; all 4 operatives exited the room, convening outside for a smoke. “Maybe these guys are flyin’ solo” Givens said gravely. “I don’t think so” Zacky argued, “how the hell did they manage to kidnap my wife?” “Apparently a big-shit Mexican drug lord took them under his wing” Dusty stated, “from what my man in Mexico, Vegas, tells me. He seen them face-on after he infiltrated the mansion that the guy had down there.” “What do you mean ‘had’?” Ghost asked. “Well the Mexican Army moved in about 20 hours ago around the same time you and Zack apprehended those 2 shitheads in there” Dusty said, “everyone was arrested without a fuss. They got the drug lord on his way back to the mansion… who here has heard of Oscar Guerra?”
3 hours later did the men see results. After many beatings administered to Matt via Ghost, Dusty and Zacky did Matt finally break. For 2 hours the operatives listened, recorded and took notes as Matt outlined everything he ever did since Val’s murder. He tried fully to implicate Johnny Christ as the ringleader, but Zacky reminded him that there was evidence of Johnny being held hostage in his own home all of those years ago by Matt and Syn, excluding Johnny from any responsibilities in the crimes. As Matt was winding down on his evidence giving, Givens had arranged to have the authorities come and transport Matt and Arin to ADX Florence for holding until their day in court.
The authorities showed up in full force, FBI SWAT teams, Colorado State Police and prison authorities all heavily armed. They were here to escort the captives away before the news crews got word of it. Matt and Arin were quickly bundled into a specially-built armoured van under heavy guard. Zacky observed his old brothers for what would hopefully be one of the many last times before they were locked away for good… or executed. By now, he was having mixed feelings. He couldn’t help but remember the old days, when they were all in a band and life was great. But it was like remembering the dead. Those days were gone, people had changed… Zacky settled on a time in high school when Matt was just a big, soft-hearted jock, who got up to all sorts of shit with The Rev, a big goofball who would always be sorely missed. He remembered Syn and Johnny as well; he couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered Syn as having a long line of girls always following him, and Johnny being an annoying, yet loveable little bastard who they had all bashed up for fun and games. He couldn’t believe it had come to this.
The armoured van rolled along the highway lazily. 4 FBI SWAT policemen were staring grimly at Matt and Arin; Arin was red-eyed and tired. Matt stared back grimly. Suddenly, the van stopped. Sudden explosions rocked the van, startling the SWAT men; throwing open the doors, rifles at the ready, they were confronted with a devastating scene; the cars backing up the van with its dangerous cargo had been blown up simultaneously, twisted hunks of metal and fire… and blood. Cautiously, the SWAT men started looking around for possible perpetrators. They didn’t see the 3 young men creep up stealthily behind them, shotguns at the ready. 4 loud gunshots ended the lives of the 4 SWAT men. “Get our boys out the back, we gotta bounce” whispered one of them, who was clearly the leader, dressed and looking much the same as his 2 cohorts: wearing gang colours.
“V!” Dusty shouted over the headset, “our boys have escaped!” Zacky immediately filled with fear and anger. “Where are you?” Zacky shouted. “At the attack site on the highway 5 minutes away from the ADX, get over here pronto!” Dusty shouted back. Spinning his rental car around, Zacky sped back towards the bad news.
It was a mess. The van transporting Matt and Arin was the only thing untouched, apart from the 2 dead bodies inside, shot to death. 4 more SWAT officers were to be seen lying in a mess of blood and gore; Zacky could immediately tell that these guys were killed with shotguns. Gun at the ready, fury pumping through him, Zacky made his way amongst the various policemen, paramedics and military personnel to where Dusty was talking with a man from the Coroner’s office. “What do we know so far?” Zacky shot it straight out. Dusty smiled despite the carnage and beckoned Zacky to a patch of blood, where a simple purple rag lay on the ground. Pointing to the rag, Dusty said “our enemies are gettin’ dumber every time kid. Now we know EXACTLY where to reapprehend our boys”. Zacky bent down to take a look… he knew that purple rag. “What the fuck are the Crips doing getting’ themselves mixed up in this shit?!” Zacky snarled.
Holy shit!!!
3/18/14