| From: | Avenger <Avenger@*******.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Detention |
| Date: | Tue, 28 Apr 1998 03:11:34 +0100 |
>>>>>[
+++++Internal Security cam A193.23
Four men and a woman sit manacled on a bolted steel bench, wrists tied
with elaborate cuffs, restraining manacles on the upperarms, connected
at the neck and ankle restraints. Two of the men nevertheless show the
strain that comes with attempting to break free.
Agent Justine Bates takes a deep drag on a Marlboro and blows smoke at
the screen. "Unbelievable. They're caught, they're stuck into
restriants Houdini couldn't have got off, yet look at 'em. Don't they
ever stop?"
Agent Johnson looks at Bates. "Of course not, they don't understand
what the word means. Drugs, BTL programming, deprivation techniques,
whatever. They don't understand anything except 'kill and kill again'.
How can you expect such mindlessness to understand something as
fundamental as 'these will hurt you if you try to escape'? I mean it's
not like they're thinking people any more. Why the hell are you smoking
those bloody things?"
"A habit I picked up in Miami, blame Barnie."
"Hey, I didn't do a damn thing. You started all on your own." Barnes
manages to look offended while grinning at the same time. "Anyway, you
were just trying to impress Lynch." His face falls as he realises what
he said. "I... err.."
"It's OK Barnie, we all miss him." Bates turns back to the window and
stares at the inmates, something akin to hatred on her face.
Two more agents, Henderson, Barnes and Cooper sit at a table,
monitoring two system screens. Bio readouts on the prisoners are
incredible. Adrenalin and lower agression brain functions are
increased, areas of the brains glowing with an orange and yellow colour.
Other areas are not so much passive as black from inactivity. Pulse
rate is up, chemical agents course through the blood streams to muscles
in the two men, centring around the cranial area in the woman.
Barnes taps the screen showing an image of the woman. "There's
something wrong here guys. She's not showing the same responses and
control functions as the rest. It's all in the wrong area..." The
camera inside the cell explodes in a sheet of flame and sparks.
Bates and Johnson leaping back from the viewscreen looking into the
cell. "What the...?"
Gas immediately floods into the cell, knocking the inmates out, they
slump forward, held up by the chains connecting their restraints to the
wall, a thin cable attached to a power outlet snakes around the
restraints. Donaldson, switches the air filters on and walks to the
screen, watching the unit scrubbing the cell air.
"Mage," he says fatalistically, shaking his head. "Must have missed it,
she was so hopped up on junk when they brought her in, nobody suspected
anything. Jeezus that must have hurt like hell to do that. These
people scare me Barnie. She can call magic, in the condition she's in,
with that shit in her veins and whatever that plug is in her head?
Christ, how the hell do we stop people like this?"
A loud kerchunk from behind makes him spin. Barnes places an L-7 assault
rifle on the desk. "With these."
"What the fuck are you doing with that in here?" Bates stomps to the
desk, and grabs the weapon. "Are you nuts?"
"Nope, just cautious."
"For crying out loud Barnie, you know what IAD will do to you if they
catch you with this in a holding cell." Justine removes the magazine
and firing ring.
Agent Barnes pulls another magazine from his jacket, and places a second
firing actuator into the socket on the weapon. "Those are CoT fanatics
Justine, this is here for /my/ safety."
"They're awake, they ain't fucking down... SHIT...! Johnson scrambles
away from the screen, clawing for his sidearm.
"Oh fuck this. I've resigned anyway." Bernie stands up, the L-7
swinging round to the screen. The first round detonates on the screen,
shattering the thick armoured glass, fragments spraying everywhere, the
second and third rounds hit the inmates. The result is, messy. "SIT
THE FUCK DOWN!"
The woman turns to the shattered screen, agony, sweat and strain all
over her face, a shimmer forms in front of her... A fourth round rips
her almost in half, the fifth round impacts on the remaining male,
decapitating him.
Barnes pats the L-7, "Gotta love 'em." Barnes dumps the rifle onto the
desk, and walks into the corridor, situation alarms ringing, emergency
lights creating an interesting red and amber strobe in the corridor.
Johnson follows him rapidly. "Barnie, you stay where you are, your
under arrest for..." The sentence remains unfinished.
Bates, shaking her hand from the impact steps over the prone body.
"They won't like this much Barnie."
"I know, but you can't deal with these people. They only understand
death. They only understand violence. How can you reason with that?
I'm out of here. I'm sick of the smell of those fucks, and I need a
drink."
Henderson and Cooper exit and follow Bates. "Barnie, hold up, we're
coming along."
"They won't like you walking out without filing a report Barnie," Bates
dusts the glass fragments from her jacket and slips it over her
shoulders, hiding the monstrous SIG under her arm.
"They can fucking sue me." Barnes continues to stomp up the corridor
towards the elevators. He pauses, and slams his fist into the wall
hard, kicking the wall he slams into it again, in frustrated fury.
Henderson runs up to Barnes, grabbing him around the shoulders and
shoving him hard against a wall. "We all feel it Barnie, Lynch is gone,
he's dead, you can't bring him back with hatred. You can't go on like
this. Do you seriously think Coppinger's going to be any different? He
won't allow this lunacy either."
Barnes struggles in the grip of the stronger man, before slumping
against the wall. "It ain't just Lynch is it. They got Chris, the
fuckers beat him death, they ... " sobs wrack Barnes, his shoulders
collapsing under an incredible weight. "They /beat/ him to death... He
was my friend Dan, he was... And Jase..." Barnes slumps to the floor,
his head in his hands, choking on his tears.
Bates kneels beside him, her own cheeks wet. "He was _our_ friend
John. All of us, even that asshole Johnson. Don't do this to yourself
Barnie. Killing won't make you feel better, it'll just make you like
/them/. You're better than that. The idiots upstairs might have put
you behind a desk, but SIGA won't. But they won't let you onto the
streets like this. You're too dangerous. We're supposed to _help_ Obi
Wan, not get her killed." Justine begins to sing lightly under her
breath as she helps Barnie to his feet. "C'mon without, c'mon within,
you ain't seen nuthin' like..." Barnes joins in, his sobs cracking the
verse.
Justine looks up as armed squads burst through the elevator and
stairwell doors, charging down the hall towards the agents. Cooper
directs them to the cell, passing comments about attempted escape and
spells. One of the squad stoops to check Johnson, finds him alive, and
follows his buddies into the cell. "C'mon Barnie, let's get the others
and go get shit-faced somewhere. I think we all need something to help
remember - and forget." She nods to Henderson, who pulls a cell phone
out of his jacket. Making a dozen calls before they reach the elevator.
As the elevator doors open, Barnes takes in a huge lungful of air,
wiping his face, and swallowing hard. He shrugs off Henderson's
supporting arm. "I'm OK Danny, I'm OK." His voice is grim. He walks
into the elevator and turns back to look down the corridor. His
normally grinning face a block of stone, his eyes pure ice. "I'm going
after 'em Justine, with or without backing, and I'm gonna fuck 'em and
fuck 'em, and I'm gonna..." His voice shakes with the force of the
emotion behind them.
Bates presses two fingers on his lips. "We all are Barnie, we /all/
are. Everyone makes enemies, but no-one, /no one/ makes an enemy of the
Achilles Project. We'll all..." The elvator doors cut her off.
+++++End SecCam
I believe we have a vigilante gang forming from former Achilles agents.
How do you want this dealt with?]<<<<<
-- Agent Shelly Crince <02:46:33/04-28-59>
FBI Headquarters
Seneca Street, Seattle
*****INTERNAL: FBI Headquarters, IAD - Security; Agent Crince
>>>>>[Leave it for now. The agents in question handed in their
resignation twenty four hours ago, they are simply wasting their expiry
time. If it becomes a problem we will prosecute through normal means,
until then, they are SIGA's problem, not ours.]<<<<<
-- IAD SAC David Shroener <02:52:04/04-28-59>
*****PRIVATE: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[We have been assigned to assist you in your investigation, Obi
Wan. Unfortunately a series of events has resulted in the Miami
Marauders needing to get shitfaced - we're at Shagger's Bar. Please,
please join us. I think we all have something to share, and a
need.]<<<<<
-- Justine Bates <03:10:22/04-28-59>
