| From: | Team ODIN <jhary-a-conel@***.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | [V] Odin: Stepping up - and falling |
| Date: | Wed, 3 Jun 1998 20:11:17 +0200 |
>>>>>[ If I just knew how far I have to walk down this
road... How many
more deaths I will have to load on my conscious. How many
more eyes will stare into my dreams, how many faces
to remember there will be.
I don't think I can stand this much longer... more then a
year, in continuous engagements. Enemies, threats, death
where I look. I can't stand it... But it needs to be
done. Just a little longer...
+++++Begin Download: Meet42.mov
Canis blows into his steaming coffee pot. He sits at a
dirty table, in an unpersonal office room. Several weapon
part share the small table with used coffee mugs,
datareaders and -chips, fastfood wrapping. "Ok," he
sighs, and turns toward Fohdytoo. "Where are we now?"
The mercenary shoves a datapad on the table, which drops a
Stuffer Shack RealSoy burger wrapping from the other side,
and shortly checks it before answering. "Well... As you
know, with the last group we hit gold. We got both their
contact person to the next higher level, and the ..." The
mercenary hesitates, "/the lieutenant/," he obviously has
problems naming a CoT with a military rank, "who was
responsible for lower-level contacts. We" - he sends an
uneasy glance at Canis, "received all the data we needed
to go up.
"With our next step we leave the street level. The people
we have observed for the last few days are a wild mixture
of small business-men, low-level corpers, and two fixers.
Those dealers are probably our best lead to more low-level
street CoT'ers, and may even hint us to CoT's supply
lines. This public post held a lot of data, but there's
much more. Orion's still compiling the data to check who
moves in on the vacant positions, who gained most."
The elf nods. "whoever compiled that data probably had a
special idea who needed to be removed. I wonder if all
those targets were actually CoTs, I guess nobody will have
checked... Well, I have this search as secondary priority,
confirming our targets is more important. I'd even leave
it to hired help, but don't know anyone who's available
and whom we'd trust - apart from maybe NewzJunkie, and he
already decided not to get involved."
"Contact him anyway. After all, this is not /directly/ a
CoT thingy," Canis answers. "Sam?"
The mercenary continues. "Well, we are a bit further up,
at least. One of the suspects," Fohdytoo checks his pad
again, "a Heather W. Long, was probably" - he glances at
Orion - "hiding Abbadon's datatrail when he was still
posting publicly."
Jani picks up from here. "A change in group structure,
too. Rare meets, no clubhouse-turned-HQs, clever use of
Matrix, phone and EMail. Properly coded, I hear..."
Orion nods, the frustrated face he draws almost comical.
"What about that that GK... whatever character?" Canis
addresses Orion. "He or she is using an unregistered
matrix entry point, covered well. Standard trace programs
would be deflected, I assume, but I also assume there are
lots of people on his trail now who don't use anything
'standard' at all. With his open presence, and the CoT-
typical structure of his public posts, I assume there are
scores of law enforces on his trail already. I'd say we
wait a week, ten days and see who acts. If nothing
happens by then, we can still check it ourselves."
"Ok. Strategical analysis for cell at hand?" Canis asks.
"Take 'em one at a time, starting with Long, then one of
the fixers. Observe and see who Fredericks, the other
fixer, contacts, and especially, _how_ he contacts them.
Then get him, and gain whatever he knows."
Canis smiles his new, unhappy smile. "Sounds good. Who's
got the..."
+++++End Download: Meet42.mov
+++++Begin Download: HelmetCam08.mov
A small bedroom, the helmet bearing the camera probably
lying on the cushion. Canis sits on the bed, smoking, an
ashtray between his crossed legs, a glass of amber liquid
in his left. Face relaxed, but still tired, his beard
hiding his mouth. Steps, as he looks up, a wolf jumps up
onto the bed. Becomes a woman. "Master," Okami addresses
the shaman, "where you go?"
"Well," Canis answers, we'll move to the pre-planned
positions in about three hours, and..."
"No. You... you change. I see it. Even Odin-Orion-
Fohdytoo see it, and they can't see life. Where you go?"
There is a long pause. Finally, Canis sighs, turns toward
the spirit. "I don't know how long I can stand this
anymore. There were days, when we just did runs, small
scale most of the time. There were people dying even
then, but only a few. Now, there are enemies wherever I
look, and wherever I look, there are deaths. I am
responsible for so many good people who died... And
now,another one."
"Lynch-Soldier-Policeman? Fohdytoo-Sam-Mercenary say,"
suddenly the spirit's voice is a good imitation of the
mercenary's, "He is not responsible for them. I mean,
they were professionals, they _knew_ where they were
going." Canis looks surprised.
"But they _were_ in my responsibility, Okami. I... I..."
he searches for words, finds none.
"Yes, Master, I know. You have a large pack. But you
have bad sleep-pictures. And you change. But this time,
the pack will help _you_, Master."
Canis stares at the spirit, mouth open. Finally, his face
distorts to a mask of pain, and he yells, "And I can't
even cry for the dead!"
+++++End Download: HelmetCam08.mov
+++++Begin Download: HelmetCam11.mov
"It'd be easier if we grabbed her inside her home," Orion
mutters. A parking deck, probably underground. "No,"
Canis answers, "had we gone there, we'd met her family.
The kid's probably already influenced to become a fanatic,
but even now I don't want to kill a ten-year old. Not if
I can avoid it. Status?" The request spoken to the radio.
"Team Beta clear." Fohdytoo's calm voice. "Target not
yet in sight."
"Team Gamma clear. No birdy." Mike Davids' voice sounds
almost bored.
"I still don't like it. We have not enough intel about
this setup. Hell, I barely know how to operate those
gates, if I need to!"
"Stop whining, Orion, alter Freund. We've been through
worse, and you know, and I know, we had no time to get
more infos on the target. Especially not without tipping
'em off. So, ..."
"Birdy coming." Still there's no emotion in Davids' voice.
"Great. Beta, ready the car," a double "click" on the
radio acknowledges Canis' command, "Alpha, secure
elevators." Another "click-click" on the radio, then Orion
announces, "Gates closed."
"Good," Canis looks at Orion who just unplugs a datacord
from his temple.
A blue Westwind comes to view, slowly cruising to the
residents' parking lots. Backs into the lot with it's
number-plate in one swift go, then the engine dies. The
passenger's side front door opens first, and Canis hits
the transmitter button on his radio once: Click. A male
human gets out, right hand stuck into his jacket.
Scanning the area. Both Canis and Orion take cover behind
the car they were waiting at. "What's..." Canis whispers,
but Orion shakes his head, raising his left index finger
first to his lips, then his ear. His right hand meanwhile
draws a beautiful katana, obviously an old, metallic one,
not one of the modern macroplast thingies.
The man states, "Clear," and both the driver's door and
one of the back doors open. Two women emerge, the driver
holding a large Ares Predator, the passenger is unarmed.
Orion shakes his head in disbelief, then gets out a
grenade, shows the coloured stripes to Canis. The image
shakes, as Canis nods, and as Orion counts down from five,
using his fingers to indicate, Canis sends out another
"click".
When Orion's left hand turns to a fist, both he and Canis
get up, the elf throwing the grenade. Unbelievable fast,
the man vanishes from sight behind the car, before the
grenade explodes on impact. Driver and passenger are
thrown to the sides by the shock grenade, as the
shadowrunners charge toward them.
Suddenly, a heavy pistol is fired somewhere. In a low
angle, a bullet riochets from the floor: The bodyguard
fired out from under the car. "Shit, curses Canis, and
drops, no, jumps prone from full run. The camera steadies
itself, and now is face-to-lens with the bodyguard, who
struggles to shift his aim from Orion to Canis. Not in
time, despite his reflexes, the shaman fires his own
weapon, and buckshot rips the guard's face and head apart.
The last round he fires hits the car's bottom.
Canis rolls around, just to see Orion who slashes at the
driver. She had re-gained her Predator after the
explosion, and just brings it to point at the elf in a
combat stance, as the katana severs both her hands, and
sends flesh, bone, and gun spiralling away. The driver
looks at her arms for half a second, and the blood
spouting from them, before dropping down screaming.
"Alpha comin'!" the radio states, and Canis rolls over to
trim his Roomsweeper at the passenger. In the background,
a car speeding up, and running footsteps can be heared.
The female passenger screams, her face a mask of horror,
as the shaman motions her to get up. An old Americar
swerves dangerously around a parking car, and comes to
stop with screaming tires. Orion, and the just arriving
Fohdytoo, grab the still-kneeing woman at the arms, and
haul her up violently, already pushing her towards the car.
"Ping."
An innocent sound, not even loud, just indicating the
arrival of an elevator. Orion gapes at Fohdytoo, the
mercenary turns around, the elevator's doors open. Inside
are a heavily built man, and a boy of about ten years.
Seeing the chaos in the parking deck, the man immediately
reaches for his gun, again someone faster then nature
meant humans to move, and gets his Ultra-Power halfway out
of its holster, before both the driver of the Americar -
Sgt Davids - and Ms Ellie open fire on him, hitting him
several times in chest, the heavy slugs punching through
his light armor, throwing him back inside the elevator.
He leaves a bloody trail as he slides down the elevator's
wall and his gun drops to the floor.
Everybody seems to freeze, even the woman stops screaming.
All eyes are fixed on the boy in the elevator, while he
looks down on the dead man, then back up again, at the
shadowrunners. Suddenly the boy yells, "Mommy! Mommy!"
"Ye spirits," Orion gasps, but even as the child goes for
the Ultra-Power on the floor, none of the shadowrunners
act. Not even, as as the boy points it at the group, and
yells under tears, "Leave my mommy alone!"
Precious seconds tick by. Then, the boy starts pulling
the trigger, with visible effort to gather the neccessary
two kilograms pulling power to trigger the weapon. In
horror, the runners stare at the child, but still, nobody
is able to move. Then, Canis thrusts out his right arm,
pointing at the boy, singing a strange song in a strange,
guttural language, droppng his Roomsweeper doing so. For
an instant, there seems to be a faint blue light,
connecting the shaman to the boy, then the child screams,
SCREAMS, as his eyes bursts from their sockets, and blood
comes from his mouth, nose and ears. An instant of
silence, then both drop down, the boy and the man.
This seems to break the spell on the shadowrunners, and
they start moving again, pushing woman, who screams again,
in the America. Fohdytoo charges toward Canis, his face
worryied, and picking the shaman up. "We gotta get
movin', security's probably on its way!"
+++++End Download: HelmetCam11.mov
+++++Begin Download: Meet66.mov
"We just can't go on like this!" Orion is nearly yelling
at the assembled members of ODIN. "This is... we... we
are becoming the very scum we intended to stop!"
"For you, hunting the beast, watch out, or become the
beast..." Canis' voice is calm, untouched, and yet
carries a power that instantly draws everybody's attention
to him. "No, we no longer are innocent. We use fire to
stop the hate burning down society. We kill, murder,
mindrape those we consider guilty. We kill even those who
might just be standng in the way, or don't understand what
they're supporting. We've becoming the walking death,
rather Thor carrying the war to everybody's doorstep then
Odin. No longer the ravens of wisdom accompany us, now
it's Mjolnier, the flying hammer of death."
Silence spans several seconds while the runners gape at
Canis. Finally, Orion speaks, "are you fucking mad?"
"Yes, maybe I am. You - all of you - looked at me,
wondering what I've done to little Johnny, back there in
the parking deck three days ago. If it was neccessary to
kill him. Why we couldn't take him. Or leave him.
"What if we took him? Who would have killed him here,
like we killed his mother? Who of you would have raised
his gun up to /his/ little head and pulled the trigger?
Like we did to his mother? Would you? Or you?" Canis
points at Orion and Fohdytoo, the former shaking his head
in horror, the later just becoming pale. "Leave him
there? How? We stopped all video transmissions, there
were no witnesses - none. Would _you_ leave a witness, Ms
Ellie?" The ork woman swallows, but doesn't answer.
"We are guilty of first degree murder. Killed two people
in the span of a moment. Kidnapped a person. Leave
witnesses? No."
"But..." It's not clear who throws this in, voice broken
beyond recognition.
"BUT? Now YOU have nightmares, don't you? Well, so have
I. Do you know, can you imagine, how it feels, to
synchronize your life energy with that of another person?"
Canis speaks fast, almost driven. "Feel the fragility of
that childs live, consciousness, his personality? You
become him, he becomes you. And then, just when you reach
perfect harmony, you lead power, pure, destroying, burning
power through that link, that oh so intimate link, and for
a second, just a split second, you feel the pain flare up,
flaring up in you, too, and you feel how that person, how
that LIFE IS DESTROYED!"
After yelling that out, Canis drops back in his chair.
"And I can't even cry anymore for him... These eyes don't
cry for me." He slowly gets up, looks around at the rest
of Team Odin, then slowly leaves the room.
Nearly a minute, nobody moves or says anything. Finally,
Orion clears his throat. "We stop that, now. This has
gone too far, and it doesn't even bring results. I
checked, the adress we got from Long was raided by law
enforcement nearly five days ago. Get ready, we move out
to Chicago tomorrow."
The others nod, then everybody gets up. In their faces,
you can see pain, and worry.
+++++End Download: Meet66.mov
]<<<<<
-- Canis <04:16:20/04-30-59>
