"Texas Wildfire" - Chapter 25

Texas Wildfire

Chapter 25

By Dwayne MacInnes

General Lowell watched between Captain Richardson and Sergeant Wilcox's shoulders at the conversation between Watson and Cobb. He had Wilcox replay it again so that he could make sure he heard everything correctly. The room was deathly silent for a few minutes before General Lowell finally cleared his throat.

"Sergeant," Lowell said in a firm voice. "This may take us some time. Please, go get us some coffee."

The sergeant knew that the general wanted to speak to Richardson alone so he stood up and left the room to get three coffees. After the noncommissioned officer left the room, the general walked over towards the terminal. He looked toward the captain and motioned for her to take the chair recently vacated by Wilcox.

As the captain took the chair, General Lowell typed a code into the terminal. Displayed on the screen was "RK-1: Activate (Y) (N)". Captain Richardson looked at the general with surprise on her face. She had heard of RK-1 but did not know that it actually existed. The official title was for 'Remote Killer'; however, the true name was for Rimsky-Korsakov, a little black humor from the engineers.

General Lowell reached over and punched the 'Y' key. A new image came to replace the one transmitted by the fly on the screen. The images of a mob of people protesting and being contained by police. Also in the image were New Republican soldiers which keyed Richardson in to the fact that the RK-1 was located outdoors.

"I assume you know how to handle the controls," General Lowell stated.

"Yes sir," Captain Richardson replied. She wiped the sweat gathering on her palms onto her uniform before gripping the controls.

"The RK-1 is located outside the governor's office. You will wait until Watson leaves the capital building before you commence your attack," the general ordered.

The captain swallowed hard before issuing a, "yes sir."

Richardson sent the RK-1 into flight and had it maneuver around so that she could watch the front door to the governor's office. People were jostling and chanting while waving protest signs as police and soldiers kept the entryway to the governor's office clear. In all the chaos, Richardson thought she would miss catching Watson exiting the building.

However, Captain Richardson did not have to wait long before the vice president of the New Republic of Texas walked out with the aide still in tow. A police officer escorted the pair down the steps. Richardson flipped a switch and then activated the automatic targeting system. With the crosshairs locked in place, the captain only had to make minute adjustments as the RK-1 moved in.

* * * * *

The aide listened to Watson, as she again expounded on how weak President Tucker was. Further, she stated that if she were president, the United States would have already been negotiating a peace treaty. The aide only listened with half an ear for he had heard it all before. He knew that Watson tended to be egotistical and often over inflated her accomplishments.

As they exited the building and started to walk down the steps towards the sidewalk the aide noticed a large bumblebee float through the crowd of protesters. Suddenly it buzzed by him. As Watson made her way through the escorting soldiers, she absentmindedly brushed at the flying insect that headed towards her. She was in midsentence when the large bee landed on her neck and instantly stung her in the jugular. Before Watson could swat the bee, it was already flying away.

"Ouch!" Kimberly Watson exclaimed as she collapsed onto the sidewalk.

The aide and several soldiers quickly knelt down next to the vice president and noticed the large welt where the bee had stung her. The aide realized that Watson had stopped breathing.

"Get help!" the aide yelled towards the crowd gathering around the vice president. He immediately began to administer CPR. However, Kimberly Watson was already dead. The RK-1 contained a super-concentrated venom that it had injected into the vice president. She was dead before she hit the ground.

* * * * *

Captain Richardson's hands shook uncontrollably. She had never killed anyone in her life. She trained for it, but now that she did it, she felt cold and numb.

General Lowell then proceeded to shut down the RK-1. Immediately the screen and controls returned to the fly in the governor's office.

"Well, done soldier," the general said in a flat voice. "You did your country a service."

A few minutes later Sergeant Wilcox returned to the room with three hot cups of coffee. The general took one and sipped at it. However, Captain Richardson only stared at her cup. Wilcox noticed even in the dim light that she had lost her color and was slightly shaking.

"Captain, are you okay?" Wilcox asked.

"Captain you look ill," General Lowell stated noticing for the first time how faint she appear. "Return to you room and take the rest of the day off."

Without saying a word, Richardson left the room. As she slowly made her way to her quarters, she played and replayed the assassination she had committed only moments before through her mind.

Once she was in her room, Captain Richardson found a bottle of wine and proceeded to drink two glasses before she made her way into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and let the hot water steam up the small room.

Richardson looked down at her hands and noticed how they shook uncontrollably. She made them into fists and tried to will them to stop. However, they continued to shake.

As if in a trance, Richardson left the bathroom with the shower still running and proceeded to gather up her pajamas, a robe, towel and a few other things. She then returned to the bathroom.

She surveyed herself in the fog free mirror and barely recognized the wraithlike visage that returned her gaze. The captain then undressed. She neatly folded her uniform and placed it on the counter next to the sink alongside her large fluffy bath towel.

As if for the first time, Richardson noticed her small travel bag also on the countertop. She always took it with her and she kept all the necessities she needed because the military could send her on a trip in a moments notice.

The captain unzipped the bag and pulled out the .45 automatic Colt pistol. It used to belong to her grandfather and she always traveled with it. Like a salve it had always soothed away her fears and worries in the past.

Richardson looked at the black pistol and then looked at her naked form in the mirror once again. Then in one smooth motion, she pulled back the slide and placed the gun under her chin.

* * * * *

An alarm sounded in the barracks shortly after the pistol shot echoed down the hall. It took the security detail less than two minutes to have the door kicked in. The airmen found Captain Richardson's twitching body on the moist bathroom floor. The condensation in the room mingled with the blood pouring out the back of Richardson's head.