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From:	Fire and Ice <maxim@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	Last post
Date:	Mon, 23 May 1994 21:09:56 -0500

Message no. 1 Ingnor that last post. I hit the X instead of the C to cancel the letter.

--
Ahern T. Stephan
maxim@*******.mankato.msus.edu

AKA: Threl McAllister BTech 3056 (mccool.cbi.msstate.edu 3056)
Orlando Trillian " " " " "
Darwin " " " " "

***********************************************************
* Arthur: "But can we trust him?" *
* Ford: "Myself I'd trust him to the end of the Earth." *
* Arthur: "Oh yes, and how far is that?" *
* Ford: "About twelve minutes away." *
***********************************************************

From:	A Taylor <ATaylor@********.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject:	Last Post
Date:	Mon, 13 Jan 1997 23:52:04 +0000

Message no. 2 >>>>>[

+++++BEGIN TRID FEED:
+++++Engaging Matrix feed:
+++++BEGIN BRODACAST

Good evening, Amanda Taylor, Channel 54 - Moon Views. On the scene of
what can only be the relieved end of one of the most intensive manhunts
in recent years. Behind me you can see the last remnants of the
destruction wrought here in Redmond, today by the terrorist Thunda, as
FBI, Lone Star and security forces battled valiantly against this ex-
military monster.

Everywhere I look, are bodies, injured and slain, men and women cut down
by the psychopathic rage of Thunda. Those left alive all have relief on
their faces that this section of history is ended, all are grateful to
have survived the conflict. I have tried to get an interview with the
officer commanding Lone Star forces, Captain Millhouse, but it would
appear he is under arrest in intensive care at Seattle Memorial
Hospital, after being shot by Special Agent D'Arkan of the FBI. I have
tried to get a comment from Special Agent D'Arkan, but he is said to be
heavily involved in the investigation of this situation, and is too
busy. I have tried tracking down the agent who actually killed Thunda,
but everywhere ranks are closed, and nobody is talking.

It is apparently all over. The death, the terror, the random
destruction has been brought to an end. Here in a dismal deserted steel
works, in a desperately poverty stricken area of Seattle. Here, in the
filth and blood smeared concrete Thunda lies dead, his reign of horror
brought to a final close.

Terrorism is not new. The destruction of property, murder and
assassination, kidnap and hostage taking have long been the tools of
those who believe that violence is a means of achieving political and
criminal goals. What makes modern terrorists distinct from their
historical ancestors is the technology at their disposal and the greater
range of opportunities for terrorism which modern life provides,
aeroplane hijackings, and car bombs being the most obvious examples.
More value is now placed on the lives of ordinary people and it is they
- not just the rich and powerful - who have become targets.

The global nature of media coverage and the publicity it offers has also
fuelled terrorism, There is no doubt that some nations finance and
support the activities of terrorists in other countries with which they
have political differences, it is also a fact that corporations utilise
these same procedures during their jockeying for position on the world
stock markets, utilising a new form of terrorism, a form that is all the
more terrible for its insidious nature.

The more innocent the victim, the better for terrorism. The reality is
that we are ALL potential targets and that we are all vulnerable as a
result.

We have recently seen the activities of one Jaxon T. Goldsmith, also
known as Thunda. We have seen the extremes this person will go to, to
achieve what was to him, a deluded dream, the destruction of metahumans.
He brutally attacked a childrens school in Puyallup, near the edges of
the metahuman settlement. He savagely set incendiary devices and
explosives into a hospital also near the borders of the metahuman
settlement. Several other bombs placed throughout Seattle over New
Years Eve and the Christmas period claimed yet more lives. He reputedly
placed a thermo nuclear device under the very foundations of this city's
government, and organised a vicious firebomb attack on a fuel station in
Puyallup, knowing that the fire would spread from the explosion of the
tanks, to the neighbouring shanty town. Bombs placed in Redmond,
Renton, Puyallup and Tacoma. For the past few weeks he has apparently
run rings around Seattles' law enforcement departments. Lone Star
themselves were powerless to prevent the theft of several million on
goods from their evidence rooms in the basement of their building. The
FBI, were unable to track the murderer and keep a line on the bombs.

Utilising city wide resources, including the skills and personnel of
three major corporations, Thunda was finally brought to bay in a
deserted steelworks in the infamous Hells Kitchen of Redmond. An epic
battle of unprincipled proportions followed, leaving hundreds dead and
wounded scattered all over the site. A rival news team, desperate for a
story, and to expose the supposed corruption of federal forces, was shot
out of the sky, killing all on board.

And in the end, what became of Thunda. Shot like a dog, as he grovelled
on his knees in front of an avenging FBI agent. Should Thunda have been
brought to justice. Was his execution justified.

Some people in city hall are crying out for the name and badge of that
anonymous agent. Screaming lawbreaker at the agent, the focus of their
frustration at having lost their glorious prosecution of the terrrorist.

Hundreds of civilians are praising him for carrying out the vengeance
they themselves were incapable of achieving. Personally I say, let the
agent be. It was, as he so adequately put it

+++++Include VCR clip

"Sit up and listen to me."

The FBI agents voice is firm, and Thunda does so, his face wet. In slow
motion the Smith & Wesson 357 Python is raised by the agent, who thumbs
back the hammer in one smooth movement.

"For the children."

The frame stills on the terrified expression of Thunda, as the back of
his head explodes in a red mist.

+++++End VCR clip

That was the doom that greeted Thunda, the terror he so gleefully caused
thousands of people across the Seattle metroplex, experienced in his
last instant of life. Finally he realised what it was to be scared, to
have met something that could not be predicted, something that
ultimately was beyond his control. Was it an execution? Or a justified
killing of a rabid animal?

City Ordnance hunts and kills devil rats without recourse, they are paid
to do it. They are congratulated on each one of the hateful creatures
that they destroy. Yet the same people who pay others to hunt these
foul creatures are screaming for the blood of an agent who did something
very similar, he destroyed a foul creature that was running amok,
killing hundreds, seemingly on a whim, and tormenting his pursuers at
every opportunity. It is the opinion of this reporter that the agent
should receive a commendation for what he did, not a reprimand.

It is plain from the film that Thunda was helpless, bleeding from
several wounds, and plainly kept alive by the drugs and cyberware in his
system, the agent did this city a great service, and I believe he did
the only thing he could in the situation. It was after all, for the
children....

If you have an opinion on this. You can dial 800 555 3434 to agree or
800 555 3535 to disagree. Remember, your opinion counts. Lines will
be open after this broadcast. But before you make a judgement, watch
the following sequences carefully.

+++++Include: PuySchlhse.vid

The scene inside the school is one of a slaughter house. Blood
splattered up the corridor walls, children mangled by heavy calibre
bullets sprawled in the unnatural positions of painful death everywhere.
The main assembly hall, is a scene of utter horror, the teachers of the
school crucified, obscene messages hung around their necks, denoting
them as meta lovers. 20 or 30 small forms lie huddled together behind
them, massacred as they hid behind their brave tutors.

+++++End: PuySchlhse.vid

The terror they must have felt in their last moments can only be guessed
at, but the agony is obvious.

The frailty of children and the impact their death has on the masses, is
fast becomming the terrorists favoured method of attack. Lunatics
shooting up school yards with automatic weapons, destroying afternoons
in shopping malls and family restaurants with assault rifles and machine
pistols. And scenes of incredible brutality, like this, something that
should be seared into the minds of all who look at this scene. Never
ever forget this sight. Thunda was one of literrally thousands of
similar people across the globe. He is not unique, he is one example of
the terrible disease that plagues our world.

+++++Include: PuyHosp.vid

Emergency services battle fierce flames with no apparent success, as
rescue service and Doc Wagon drones move in and out of the hospital
carrying casualties, people horribly burned, mangled by the force of
the bombs.

<cut to>

Childrens ward.

A scene of desolation, the maternity wing a gutted ruin, twisted cots
and sealed units with tiny disfigured blackened corpses within litter
the area, other wards show the same scene, over and over.

+++++End: PuyHosp.vid

Is this the honour of the terrorist? Distraut families, mourning their
loss for the rest of their lives, some of them never to recover, never
again to hold their loved ones, or see them grow up and become a part of
their life.

+++++Include: JaneDoe.vid

Police stand gathered around a storm drain as an FBI agent staggers out
of the entrance, his face white, and horrified, stretcher bearers
behind him, carrying a covered body, the blankets soaked with blood.

+++++End: JaneDoe.vid

We have recently received confirmation that this little girl was the one
and only survivor of the school house massacre. She was 13 years old,
and brutally raped by Thunda or his cohorts. The autopsy report states
that after the rape, they poured what appears to be phosphorous over her
skin. One cannot imagine what that poor young child went through before
death finally gave her peace.

+++++Include clip: SeaTacMal.vid
+++++Include clip: HarbourIsl.vid
+++++Include clip: NewYrbombs.vid

And here is where the real horror story starts. In the end, when all is
said and done, the FBI and Lone Star have cleared away the debris, the
dead and wounded are removed and eventually buried by friends and
family, or incinerated by the city government if no immediate relatives
are found. The smears of blood, the greasy stains of burned bodies, the
smell and the carnage covered up by time. The world continues turning,
the corporations continue bickering, the government continues it's power
struggle and in fighting. And all the while, slowly, another Thunda
grows out of the mire. The twisted and ruined lives of the survivors of
these incidents will eventually grow into two people, the normal child
who spends the rest of his or her life fighting against the nightmares
and terror, attempting valiantly to continue with their lives in as
normal a manner as possible. And the second type, the one who embraces
the nightmares and horror, clutching them tight to their hearts as a
wall against society, a defence against the horrors that society throws
at it's people every waking day, eventually it becomes a weapon to be
used against the society that spawned the nightmares, and another Thunda
walks the streets, killing and maiming randomly, out of hatred for a
system that allows such creatures to exist.

Injury, torture and murder have been tools of terrorists both to
destabilise a community through fear and to deter opposition - whether
the perpetrators are acting against an established government or in the
name of some political or racist cause. Bomb attacks and assassination,
however, tend to bring the greatest publicity. They draw attention to a
cause and seek to weaken authority. By the taking of hostages or the
planting of timed bombs, the terrorists may bargain for political
concessions or the release from prison of fellow terrorists and
sympathisers. Bank raids, kidnap, blackmail and robbery are employed to
raise funds to finance their activities.

Not all terrorists are motivated by political aims, the same tactics may
be used for direct financial gain, or personal revengs. Terrorism has
also been adopted by certain "extremist" groups, who feel a need to use
violence, as opposed to peaceful demonstration and political pressure,
to further their cause. But high on the list of motivation remains
racial or religious hatred and intollerence. So intimately personified
in the figure of Thunda. A confirmed racist, who was dishonourably
discharged from military service several years ago.

We all know that Lone Star are a corporate business, and as such must
justify their expenditure and costs to a board of governors and
shareholders. The FBI are limited in manpower and abilities, strangled
by a government desperately fighting against incredible inflation and
economic strife. Can the city afford to allow this situation to
continue. Should our government sit back and wait for the time when the
Children of Thunda rise up. The children he brought the horror and
nightmares to, the very children that this society is sworn to protect,
and so badly failed in their hour of need.

Will they act in a way similar to their creator, or will they hunt the
shadows of the night, looking for other perpetrators, becoming like the
mystical vigilantes who haunt our cities? Adopting names that state
their purpose and attitude: Punisher, The Judge, Avenger, Executioner,
the Shado, and others. It is _now_ that these children need the support
of social services, it is now that they need the stable environment that
a family life can offer them, not slapped into some orphanage in a dark
part of town and forgotten about. But offered the love and attention
that they so desperately crave now, before their minds are forever
warped by the terrible experiences they have suffered.

Law Enforcement needs greater funding and backing from local and
national government. The Seattle Police Department should be re-
instated in it's former position as guardian of this city, working
alongside Lone Star, Knight Errant, and the other smaller security
providers of this city, to clean up our streets, rid them of the
violence and murder, remove the shadows from the streets and replace
them with the light of Law. Concentrating on the centres of deprivation
first, funding the redevelopment programs suggested by five of the major
corporations, rebuilding the desolate areas of this city, freeing them
of the corruption that is a fundamental part of their very existence.
Finding housing, jobs and food for the homeless and downtrodden that
scrape for a living in these areas. Making available areas where these
people can congregate,in safety, and feel a part of mankind again. To
provide the less fortunate of this city with reason to respect
themselves again. Then, and only then will be able to fight the
corruption that is so prevelant in our lives. To defeat the corrupt
nature of the very corporations who drain this city of its life like
vampires in the night. To rid local government of it's corrupt facade,
and instigate the reforms that are so essential to the survival of this
city, before all of the areas of the Seattle Metroplex become like
Redmonds', Hells Kitchen, playgrounds for the Thunda's of this world,
battlegrounds between the forces of insanity and reason. Death beds for
hundreds of valiant warriors, who desperately and futilely, fight the
encroaching tide of anarchy. The very anarchy that produced the
creature we know as Thunda.

Let Thunda's favourite phrase be the rallying call for all the citizens
of Seattle to stand up and demand stricter legislation on the criminals
of this city, to demand that corruption in the corporations and
government be hunted and stamped out with the contempt it deserves, the
single cry of a people sickened by past events who want something to be
done about it, and to improve the lifestyle of those who have suffered
so heavily at the behest of the greed and ignorance that riddles city
hall like a termite mound.

Let there be light.

Take away the darkness of this horror, take away the nightmare's the
children will suffer the rest of their lives, take away the fouls stench
of the last residue of Thunda's presence and the others like him that
inhabit the shadows and combat zones of this city. Bring the light to
the dark, and let battle commence!

And yet, something still remains strange in this bizarre case of
destruction and death. In the beginning Thunda was rabidly racist,
attacking metahumans both verbally and physically. Later changing his
tactics, and individually attacking people via Seattle's matrix. His
bombs became more destructive, more adventurous, while taking fewer and
fewer metahuman lives in the settlements surrounding Seattle metroplex.
This is a situation I find very curious. There is no body, Thunda's
body apparently incinerated itself in the steel works behind me. There
is no evidence except a few charred bones, and a couple of items from
his cyber implants. The question remains. Why? Why would Thunda, in
his arrogance, make such a plan in the event of his death? Why would he
make arrangements to incinerate his body when he was firmly convinced of
his invincibility? It is not to my knowledge common practice for the
military to take these measures with their personnel, so it can't be a
throwback to his military service. And why did his focus change so
dramatically half way through his campaign, only to swing back onto it
towards the end?

I have heard questions fielded in many areas of Seattle regarding the
motives of Thunda, who his backers were, who was funding the operation
and why, who was providing him with his equipment, some of which, by
reports I have received, was pretty exotic, and beyond the reach of
"normal" terrorists. What was Thunda, and why was he here in Seattle?
These questions will probably remain unanswered, and no clues remain to
assist the Law Enforcement Agencies in their deductions.

One last word to Marian Tudor, and Special Agent D'Arkan of Seattle's
FBI. If you ever give that man up to city hall, or fail to protect him,
I, personally will come after you. I will haunt every waking day of
your lives, and publish the worst possible expose that I can muster, and
you can take that, to the bank.

+++++Include clip: Thu_death.still
<freeze frame of Thunda's head, with a bullet hole in forehead>

I leave you now with a last look at the face of a person, a person with
no soul, and no heart, and ask one question. Who really was Thunda?

This is Amanda Taylor, from Moon Views, Channel 54, saying Good night,
and a heart felt thank you, to whomever that FBI agent was, who finally
ended the rabid reign of Jaxon T. Goldsmith.

+++++END BROADCAST:
+++++Terminate Matrix connection:
+++++END TRID FEED:

]<<<<<
Amanda Taylor <21:47:51/01-13-58>
NSC NETC CIR, Investigate Reporter
Moon Views, Channel 54, Seattle.

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