| From: | Chuck McKenzie <kilroy@**.WISC.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Star Raid |
| Date: | Fri, 10 Jan 1997 17:43:37 -0600 |
+++++ Begin: Smoke over water.3dv
The view is of a section of docks, dimly lit by the setting sun. It looks
to be from a drone, hovering several hundred meters overhead. The camera
sweeps across the docks and warehouses, and the words "Harbour Island, Pier 17"
display in green across the bottom. The camera settles on a warehouse
near the water, with a cluster of vehicles around it. A thermal overlay
shows that most of them are still running, and that there are people
custered around several of them. The camera zooms in, and shows that the
clusters of people are split into various factions, many wearing the colors
of local gangs, most heavily armed. There are also several larger groups,
the most notable surrounding a pair of limos and a large truck. They are
armed with assault rifles, and wear identical black windbreakers with
the word "MAFIA" across the back in blaze orange.
"Star command; begin final check. Are all units in position?"
"SWAT one, ready."
"SWAT two, ready."
"SWAT three, ready."
"SWAT four, ready."
"Jacket 1, all units in place."
"DEA, our checks are all clear."
"FBI snipers up."
"Serenity, ready."
"Star command; all access to the island has been blocked. We've got a demo
team in the sewers in case they try to go underground."
"Astral sweep done. Spotted four watchers and two elementals. We can take
them out without a problem. There are about twenty people inside, two are
mages, several are packing heavy wires. Thunda is not, repeat, not present."
"Damn. Ok, on my mark, hit them hard."
"Three, two, one, rock'n roll."
A bright flash blinds the camera for a moment, and when flare compensation
kicks in, all that remains of the front door to the warehouse and several
cars in front of it is a large crater. Chaos reigns around the groups in
front of the building, as they try to regroup and figure out where the
attack came from. It doesn't seem to help matters much when several of them
suddenly crumple with gaping holes in various places that they shouldn't be.
The Mafia seems to have faired the best, with only minor damage to one of the
limos. They've taken cover behind the vehicles, and are looking frantically
for the location of the snipers.
"This is the police. You are under arrest. Drop your weapons, and we might
not kill everyone. You have ten seconds."
"Astral support here; there's a firefight going on inside the building.
Looks like two of the cybergoons want to book out with the loot, they're
holed up behind some equipment."
Several of the gangs don't seem to be too hip on the idea of surrender, and
are trying to escape in various directions. For several blocks around the
warehouse, firefights break out. The Mafia seems to be staying where they are,
exchanging potshots with snipers on the roof. Suddenly, the roof of the
truck opens, and an armored turrent rises out. It sprays the upper floors
of a nearby building with what looks to be minigun fire, collapsing most of
the building into rubble.
"SHIT! Hit that thing with the choppers! SWAT one and two, move in for
cleanup."
Three yellowjackets rise up from behind buildings and fire streams of rockets
at the armored truck, putting several nasty holes in it. A bright fireball
lights up the sky, as one of the Yellowjackets is caught by tracer fire from
several blocks away.
"Serenity, we've got a sniper out there with a minigun. Find him, take him
out."
"Roger."
A heavily armored vehicle, resembling a Mobmaster, rolls into view around
three blocks from what used to be the front of the building. Another
follows, several meters behind it. The lead vehicle begins to exchange fire
with the Mafia truck, and they seem fairly evenly matched, until one
of the Mafia troops destroys the Mobmaster's front turrent with what
looks like a man-portable missile launcher. The other Mobmaster stops,
it's line of fire to the building blocked by the smoking vehicle.
"SWAT one, report! You guys alive?"
"SWAT one. Heavy damage, two down, one serious. We're playing dead."
In the midst of the Mafia circle, a flaming, man shaped figure fades into view,
appearing to be in considerable pain. Suddenly, it vanishes, to be replaced
almost instantly by a huge ball of ghostly fire. Mafia soldiers scream and
fall, several seeming to crumble into ash.
"Astral one here; Martin just took out one of the elementals, and as it was
going down he managed to ground a big ass fireball through it. He's down
though, we've got a med squad working on him, he'll be ok. We're gonna
be at two thirds astral power now though."
"Ok, good job. Gotta buy Martin a beer when he's back up. SWAT two, move
in and clear out the warehouse. Pick up what's left of SWAT one and send the
wounded back with it on auto. Astral, do a quick scout."
The second Mobmaster pulls alongside the first, and several figures in heavy
black armor jump out of the first and into the second. The damaged vehicle
turns and moves away from the warehouse.
"Astral one; warehouse astral clear. There's two groups trading shots across
the warehouse, but it looks like the wireboys grabbed the cases and a lot of
the cred and dropped through a manhole."
"Damn. SWAT one, clear the warehouse and follow them down. Demo one, take
out the tunnels and flood the sewers."
+++++Pause: 10 seconds
"Demo one, report."
+++++Pause: 15 seconds
"Frag! Something got to demo one. Murray, Clayton, grab the FBI boys and
come with me. We're going down there. Send in both of the Lynxes to scout."
The Mobmaster rolls through the crater in front of the door and up the other
side, with half a dozen black armored troops following close behind in
combat formation. As the vehicle rolls through the door, it stops and fires
several shots from a weapons port.
"Gas down, hold five. <<pause>> Ok, they're down. Move it, hit the
sewers."
Another four SWAT troops climb out of the back of the Mobmaster and follow
the first six to a manhole. They climb down and vanish from site.
"Ready with the drones."
"Send them in."
The view changes, apparently to a low to the ground drone. It's being
lowered into an open sewer drain. It touches down, and it's camera changes
to thermographic, with a superimposed map of the surrounding sewers and
glowing stars representing the positions of the SWAT troops, the Star personel
and the other drone. It looks like there are four people with each drone,
two Star and two FBI.
"Star one, down and ready. Looks like there were only a couple possible
ways for them to go once they hit the sewers. SWAT, any idea which way they
went?"
"SWAT one; they're headed up the main shaft in your direction."
Lines on the heads up map light up and show the paths through the sewers that
that Thunda's fleeing henchmen could have taken.
"Ok, Star two, head forward to the first junction, take a left, then hold
position at the next junction. We're going to block the other passage. Then
SWAT can sweep through and either take them out or flush them to us. SWAT,
move through the main tunnel and BE CAREFULL."
"Yes sir."
+++++Pause: 38 seconds
"Sir, we found them."
"Take them down."
"Um...looks like someone beat us to it."
"What?!"
"Make that something. They're pretty badly chewed up. Looks like it might
be bugs."
"Jesus fragging Christ...did you get the stuff that they took?"
"No sign of it."
There is the sound of gunfire over the radio, and an explosion.
"SWAT! Report!"
"Bugs. Big fragging roaches. Took out two, we've got four down. One isn't
getting back up."
"FRAG! Get magical backup down here right now!"
A warning light on the drone lights up, and the screen shows
"Danger: explosive gas detected. Concentration rising; will be at
critical sparkpoint in 23 seconds."
"FRAG! They broke open gas mains! Get the hell out!"
There is the sound of gunfire and screaming over the radio, then a single,
colossal explosion that fades out with the crackle of white noise as the
camera flashes to static.
The image from the Condor drone snaps into view again, but the whole picture
seems to be shaking. Bits of street and building crumble and are blown into
the air as flames shoot from cracks in the ground and blown open sewers.
+++++ End: Smoke over water.3dv
The national guard has been called out to handle the mess, and several fire
crews are on the scene. There's no sign of either the money or the stolen
Lone Star contraband. The total death toll is still unknown, but at least
a hundred gangers, 34 Star officers, 12 SWAT troops and 4 FBI agents
are dead or missing. The very little that was left of Thunda's goons
was recovered and turned over to the FBI. More when I get it.]<<<<<
-- Mr. Bill <17:38:08/01-10-58>
