Starcross

Chapter Twenty- Two

Bethel Park, Pennsylvania

20 minutes earlier

 

            Oh sure, Spinnaker thought. Make the Marine handle flammable liquids. He stuffed an old rag in the mouth of a Jack Daniels bottle now filled with gasoline and set it in the crate. Then he pulled another empty bottle, this one a glass Coke bottle, and used a measuring cup to pour in a gasoline/alcohol mixture from a five gallon bucket. When it was full he stuffed another rag into the opening and flicked his wrist several times to ensure the rag was in and get the liquid to soak into it.

            Reaching for another, Spinnaker saw that he was out of bottles. Considering his task complete he stood, working the knots out of his back, and hefted the half full milk crate filled with Molotovs instead of milk.

            “I’m finished over here,” He called to Prichard who nodded.

            Prichard stood as well and kicked the map of the compound into dust before waving his hand, showing that Spinnaker should follow. Before they left, Prichard took a candle to light their way and blew out the other. Following the barely existing light, and praying Prichard knew these tunnels as well as he said he did, Spinnaker followed him all the way back to the main entrance.

            There were times when he had to crouch through low pipes and times where he had to crawl; the crawling wasn’t so bad but the crouching was. Spinnaker was a no longer a young man, pushing middle age and having jumped from too many helicopters he felt he should be behind a desk these days. And he probably would have been if it hadn’t been for a few incidents and this new war.

            Finally they reached the covered storm drain, dim light coming from around the sides, and Prichard snuffed the remaining candle. “Your men in position?” He asked.

            Spinnaker nodded. “Yes, Sir. Esposito said everyone was ready before I came down.”

            Prichard grunted, “Good. If we pull this off it’ll only be a pin-prick for the damn Druidth.”

            “But it will also show them they can’t fully take us out of the fight unless they kill us all.”

            Together they left the lean-to and before parting ways, Prichard took the crate of Molotovs. “Let’s hope they don’t figure that one out, Captain.”

            Spinnaker nodded and the two parted ways, Prichard vanishing in the quasi darkness.

            As for the Marine, he made his way back to the square, the place where the statue of My-Nok stood watch over all of his subjects. There, resting behind the leg, sat Esposito who waited for Spinnaker. A simple nod to one another told each other that everything was ready.

            A pair of guards dressed in their military tunics came strolling through the camp just then, as they had every night at this time, and Spinnakers heart rate increased. The next few moments would be the catalyst and whether it was volatile enough would mean the difference between the riot working or not.