| From: | "Brian E. Angliss" <ANGLISS@******.BITNET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | BIS raid--Berlin to Central |
| Date: | Sat, 5 Nov 1994 18:28:44 -0500 |
>>>>>[Sir, this is the download from the Berlin raid. Security
has been guaranteed.
+++++Include Organization Download, BIS raid+++++
A camera log, with chronological display added for detail and a
sense of timing, is taking shape before you, and you see certain
benchmarks appear in text as they happen.
"At T-30, Matrix support began assault of datavault"
"At T-9, Night gliders take up position"
"At T-7, ground transports disembarked from staging areas"
You see, on one of the cameras, now that the speed of the cameras
is around normal, several large vans and trucks pull up outside
the building that your perspective is coming from. People,
dressed in various outfits get out and wander around, but you
see:
"T-5, ground transports arrive"
And this automatically gives away their purpose. As a matter of
fact, they all appear to be at least partially shielded from the
building's cameras, and presumably its defenses as well, by other
buildings and cars. Camera speed again picks up, and you see:
"T-3, Air transport disembarks from staging area"
"T-3, Support disembarks staging areas"
And at T-2, the camera slows down again and stays slowed.
Internally, you see a large variety of defenses. You begin to
understand the placement of this data vault in an anarchistic
city. With all the heavy weaponry and armor and extreme security
you see evidence of in the camera's eyes, no other city would
permit this. And perhaps if the residents of Berlin knew it was
here, they wouldn't permit it either. You see every indication
of monowire, lasers, drop-doors, and sentry guns, in addition to
the military armor and machine guns being worn by at least half
the personnel, and the weapons ranging from customized Alpha
combat guns to HVARs to MMGs and rocket launchers. Here and
there you even notice a MET2000 insignia. There is no-one in
this building not wearing some kind of armor, and even the
individual that you see labeled HAMMER appears to be wearing
"soft" body armor.
The chrono display now reads:
"T-1, Night gliders in position, beginning assault."
"T-1, Astral support en route"
And you also see the vans, well disguised and hidden, begin to
move again, but at a speed that you suspect is very easy for
someone to exit a main door without hurting themself. Also, you
notice, from the roof cameras, a passenger zeppelin passing
almost directly overhead, but just before the camera's scanning
pattern takes it away from the zep, you see at least one glider
shaped spot darken the face of the zep.
Inside, you see as the chrono hit T-.5, the people in the
security section go nuts. Swearing in German becomes very
prevalent and someone calls out on a dedicated line to where, on
another camera, HAMMER picks up a red phone and then grabs a
custom pistol from the table as he runs out of the door. The
security people are even hitting what appears to be alarm
signals, but no klaxons or warnings are sounding. By the looks
of it, the Matrix assault unit has totally isolated the building
from everything and kept the guards and security system from
being activated. But the cameras are still active.
At T-.25, something happens outside. A flash, something that
shouldn't even appear on film and that you only catch in the
blindspot of your eye, signals the total collapse of a system of
powerful wards under relentless Astral attack. On other cameras
HAMMER is approaching the security room, pulling out a ring of
physical keys, and the roof cameras have tracked back to a point
where you see almost 20 Night Gliders carrying fully armored
assault troops, armed with a variety of weapons that most of you
haven't even heard rumors of before, never mind seen. They
appear to be approaching in three waves. The ground transports
show every indication of severe firepower, as concealed turrets
are popping up with miniguns and rotary cannons active, and the
access doors yawning open, with heavily armored troops inside
ready to exit instantly.
At T-0, HAMMER is now inside the security room, popping a key
into a case with the MET2000 insignia on it, opening the case,
and smacking the single switch inside. Finally, alarm klaxons
begin to sound, but the excellent automated security of the
building has already been totally disabled. You suspect that the
alarm is also broadcasting to the nearest MET base, calling in
for reinforcements and support. Outside 8 troops wearing armor
that seems to be a new form of military spec armor have exited
from two of the ground transports in leaps and at a speed that
indicates both the cybernetic or magical enhancement of the meat,
but also the strength and quickness of power assisted armor, the
first you've seen that wasn't worn by Lister. The roof shows a
more close-up picture of the same thing, but with only 8 troops
in the first wave. They appear to be carrying some unusual
rifles, SWAT pistols, and one of them has what could only be an
MP Laser 3. They look to be ready for Corp War, and the armor
looks even more unusual. It is definitely powered, though, as
the struts and bulges around joints indicate.
At T+.08, the second wave from the air arrives, another 10
troops, and all the air assault units appear to have arrived on
the roof. On the ground, 2 really large blatantly military ACV
transports have arrived. From previous films, you recognize the
design as the Maxim Heavy Hovertransport, specifically the ones
that the MET2000 reported stolen. They look like standard ACVs,
but with a medium turret mounted in the rear and two CF of
unguided rockets on side hardpoints. As they arrive, before they
even begin to lower to the pavement for disgorging the troops
contained within, two missiles leave the turrets and streak over
the assaulting quads to strike the armored access doors and
explode, blowing clear through and providing access to the troops
on the ground. Referring to the roof cameras you see several
large choppers approaching as well, darkened and heavily armed.
Audio sensors also seem to be registering the approach of
numerous combat craft, from whose side you do not know.
At T+.17, troops begin to vacate the hovertransports. These,
however, appear to be standard military units, wearing sealed
non-powered milspec armor and carrying a variety of armament,
from assault rifles to HVARs to Enfield Assault shotguns to HMGs
and an automatic grenade launcher. A full platoon, probably
equipped with lots of cyber and the BattleTac system, exits from
each transport while enough choppers arrive at the roof to dump
another two platoons. The first units on the ground have already
entered the building, and the roof units are planting a large
number of explosives around what appears to be stairway and
ladder roof access doors, as well as an elevator shaft. In the
building people on the ground floor are just recovering from
being rocked by four missile explosions when suddenly there are
almost impossibly fast troops firing on them with weapons that
are literally burning through their armor or somehow shorting out
every electrical device in the armor itself. If that effect
carries through to the body, then any cyber the guards have will
have to be hardened or replaced. In the building itself, on the
third floor, HAMMER is running back to the room he was in to
start with, while guards, equipped in a variety of ways, are
starting to rush back and forth on all the floors.
At T+.25, three more large explosions rack the roof of the
building and the special assault units begin to descend down the
roof access and the elevator shafts, gripping ropes with
specially designed harnesses that attach to their armor and leave
their hands free. By this point all the troops have vacated the
ground units and they are moving into support positions, fully
prepared for anything that comes in at them. Even in this city
of arms and anarchy, you seriously doubt that anyone would attack
a unit so obviously well prepared without either a death wish or
an ace in the hole. You also notice that half the guards on the
ground floor are unmoving, usually lying on the ground or propped
up against the wall. But you notice no blood nor any wounds on
the armor besides scorch marks from something that is probably
not a laser. The two quads that entered the ground floor first
appear to be splitting apart and heading down via two stairways,
down into the garage and the sub-basement where there is one of
the two data vaults on the premises. They didn't even bother to
subdue the whole ground floor.
At T+.32, the first platoon from the choppers is disappearing
into the elevator shaft while the second platoon is descending
into the roof access stairway. The transport choppers, armed
with cannons and unguided rocket pods, vacate the roof and take
up support positions themselves, and you see more vehicles
approaching from several directions. They look like two RPVs,
three combat ultralights, and several rotodrones. The ground
troops are all nearing the explosively opened entrances to the
ground floor, and the guards inside are finally getting some
sense of organization, but probably not soon enough. Not without
the rest of the security system up and operational, anyway. Deep
within the core of the building, two more explosions rock the
building, showing up on the third and fourth floors, Security and
Computing, and Command/Control and Vault. For the first time,
the guards are actually finding the presence of mind to fire back
to the attackers. However, here is where the troops are the most
prepared and for the first time, you hear broadcast something
over a secure, scrambled channel, added to the video afterward.
"Encountering lethal force. Off Status?" "Accepted. Limit it."
One of the voices is the standard clipped mercenary and
professional soldier type, but the other is one you know. Action
Jackson. He hasn't shown up yet, but that may just be the fact
that he likes wearing armor and suits that are nearly impossible
to notice except by astral sight.
After his response, though, gunfire on the side of the attackers
begins as well. Those of you with mercenary or military
experience have never heard the sound of these rounds firing.
New kinds of bullets fired from a new type of assault rifle. And
as you hear the gunfire start, you also see something that you
never thought you'd see. Assault rifle rounds that are somehow
shredding heavy military armor as if it was paper rather than
hardened ballistic composite ceramic. And the bullets that are
doing it seem to be doing more damage rather than less as the
distance from the firer increases. And flashes from MP Lasers
appear and disappear with a regularity that is almost
devastating, as beams of light cut through smoke and dust to
seemingly drop one guard for every pulse of raw energy.
At T+.43, HAMMER has disappeared of every camera you can find.
Just gone, as if he wasn't there to begin with. But so is a
certain sword that was in the room where he was when the assault
began. On the ground floor, the rest of the troops have entered.
20 more troops, swarming up the stairs to the first floor
barracks
and the second floor living and rec area. Furthermore, the first
troops from the roof, the specially armored platoon, has taken
moved into the computing and communication center on the fifth
floor, meeting only limited resistance and heading toward the
stairway down to the fourth floor and the vault. The standard
military troops descending down the stairs also swarm all over
the fifth floor, but stop as they start to consolidate control
over the systems and the people there. Down in the garage, the
first special quad is rapidly spreading out and forcing the
guards back into a corner, away from the military vehicles that
could provide them safe haven. And down in the sub-basement, the
second quad has already taken total control over the 5 personnel
who were there. The barracks level, however, is providing more
resistance, as is the living and rec floor. The assaulters are
beginning to take some casualties, but only in the standard
military platoons. As of now, you see NO special troop with any
wound whatsoever. Armor damage, yes, but nothing that would
indicate real damage to the person within the armor. You hear
over the commlink the following:
"B2 secure." "B1 engaged" "F1 in contact, taking damage"
"F2 in contact, taking damage" "F3 in contact, Platoon
arriving. Heavy resistance." "F4 in contact, platoon arriving,
heavy resistance." "F5 secure"
From AJ you hear this: "Begin planting charges. MET notified,
be prepared for air assault within 2. Hitting F3 myself."
At T+.5, something else turns the tide even further in the
attacker's favor. Where before it was obvious that they had
crashed whatever magical defenses the building and the BIS had
instituted, nothing had happened otherwise until now.
Apparently, all Astral resistance has now been quenched by the
raiders and elementals and spirits and spells explode out of
Astral space into the physical plane, attacking and engulfing the
guards on the third and fourth floors. Guards begin to fall in
large numbers, and suddenly it becomes apparent that even the
platoons are heavily magically oriented as at least two or three
members of the platoon begin to cast spells, knowing that they
cannot be harmed as they open themselves up to astral energies.
And outside, something new is approaching on the ground, passing
through the transports. Two tall walkers, definitely military in
origin, and appearing to be even more of a cross between vehicle
and armor than the powered armor that the special units are
wearing. They both appear to have twin missile packs on their
shoulders, carrying some kind of large bore pistol, and while one
has what appears to be two more small missile packs on the arms,
the other has some kind of shield and an extended 2 meter blade,
glinting of dikoting. For some reason, over their shoulders rise
what appear to be two wheels, mounted to their back. One of them
crouches down and then leaps upward, with a new twist to the
armor appearing as sudden jets of flame, looking like
afterburners, fire downward and carry the armor aloft to the
third floor, where the armor hovers in place while the pistol
fires rounds that react upon impacting the armored glass as if
they were assault cannon rounds. The other, however, while also
leaping upward, is headed toward the roof.
Inside the building, on the third floor, the sudden addition of
cannon fire from outside the building, as well as spells and
additional troops from inside, spells doom for the guards as
confusion and panic sets in. Up on the fourth floor, the second
platoon, being aided by magic and the addition of more troops,
plus gun and rocketfire from rotodrones hovering outside, also
indicates the eventual defeat of the guards.
Over the next thirty seconds, the attackers consolidate control
until, by T+1, the entire building, minus HAMMER who has still
not reappeared, is under control. AJ appeared as combat was
winding down on the third floor, wearing another of his sneak-
suits and carrying his Ranger-X bow, with a quiver slung at his
hip. He shouts "Status!"
"B1 secure, charges set" "B2 secure, charges set" "F1
secure"
"F2 secure, guards disarmed, all accounted for" "F3 secure,
guards disarmed, one unaccounted for" "F4 secure, guards
disarmed, two unaccounted for" "F5 secure, charges set"
AJ: "Casualties?"
"None" "None" "None" "One dead, 3 injured"
"1 dead" "2
dead, 1 injured" "None"
AJ: "MET arrival?"
"ETA 32 seconds. Two choppers, one LAV. Support is in control"
AJ: "Unaccounted?"
"Two MET and HAMMER"
AJ: "FUCK! Find him! The MET'll be with him. And complete the
C20 charge planting. Destroy traces, including the bodies."
"Yes sir."
In the cameras, things start happening again. Explosive charges
are being planted all over the building. Guards are being herded
down from upper floors to the lower ones, where they are all
forced into the barracks. But the magical troopers are doing
something to the bodies of their dead comrades, casting spells at
them that are destroying the bodies and armor in fire and acid.
It would take quite a state of mind to erase your old comrades to
nothing but a burn mark and plastic slag.
But at T+1.32, HAMMER reappears on a camera, dropping out of an
air shaft with two MET troopers carrying heavy weaponry but no
heavy armor. HAMMER has his sword and pistol out, and the MET
troopers have spurs extended and assault rifles at the ready.
HAMMER does something, but then suddenly is engulfed in a column
of elemental fire. Screaming in pain, he drops back to normal
perception, forcing the elemental to manifest, unfortunately for
the elemental since the sword cuts it in half, destroying its
coherence. But HAMMER is injured slightly, and it looks like
he's deactivating the sword focus so he can't be attacked through
it. Right about now an attacker, regular military trooper,
rounds a corner, see the three, and fires a grenade from his Ares
Alpha while ducking back behind the wall. The grenade detonates,
but the three are no longer there, with only one of them taking
damage. "FOUND 'EM!!! 5th floor, generator room!!!" And on
cameras, throughout the upper floors, movement begins again as
the troops move to capture or kill the three remaining people in
the building.
Rushing around on the fourth floor, HAMMER and the troopers run
into a full quad. HAMMER spins behind a wall just as the first
MET trooper gets blasted by the very weapon that shorted out the
guards on the ground floor. A pulse of light, followed by the
sound of "fzzZZAAAT!" hits the trooper. Something in that blast
causes the trooper to spasm violently, the strength of the
trooper's own muscles breaking several bones, and the sound and
sights of cyberware shorting out violently showing through the
skin. Probably not fatal, but certainly painful and very
dangerous. Even HAMMER looks down at the trooper amazed before
he dives across the hallway to the other trooper and the two of
them take off, with bullets stitching a pattern across the walls
behind them. They reach an area, where HAMMER tells the other
something in German, and the MET guy takes off toward the roof,
probably trying to escape.
"MET arrival in 10 seconds. Demanding contact. Silence
maintained......Engaging."
Up on the roof cameras, the choppers, rotodrones, and RPVs are
literally all facing a single direction, from which you see the
approach of three craft. Two Aguilar EX choppers, fully armed
and bearing the MET2000 insignia, and an LAV mounting a 120mm
cannon. Not an MBT, but still very dangerous. The RPVs and
drones begin a run, only to be targeted each by a chopper and
blown out of the air, just after releasing their missiles. One
of the Aguilars is hit with two AAMs and a ripple of missiles,
turning it into shredded pieces of metal falling out of the sky,
while the other is able to avoid the missiles. The support
transport choppers are firing full auto from their cannons, and
using the unguided ripples to take out the second Aguilar, but
the LAV continues coming, taking down one of the transport
choppers with the cannon. On the ground, the Maxim
Hovertransport has moved itself into position and is firing full
auto on both the minigun and the rotary cannon, as well as
launching four AVMs. Somehow, probably by using ECM and
excellent rigger skill, the LAV dodges most of the missiles,
taking only enough damage to slow it down and send it's first
cannon shot at the hovertransport wide and into the BIS building.
It appears that the LAV will arrive on time, until the weird
vehicle armor on the roof appears, hovering at exactly level with
the LAV, directly in front of it. You see both shoulder
launchers open, exposing a total of 12 small missiles, and then
firing at the LAV. 12 streaks, in a manner totally unexpected
from anything except unguided rockets, arc out from the hovering
armor toward the LAV, who doesn't even bother to dodge, since all
12 appear ready to miss it. Until all 12 arc back in, guided
somehow by something, and converge on the LAV, all striking. You
can almost hear the screams of terror from the crew as 12 small
guided missiles impact on the LAV, cutting it in to pieces that
impact and explode on the buildings around the road it was
following. Back in the building, HAMMER has made it down to the
second floor, heading to the nearest exit, when he gets engulfed
again. Luckily, this time, as a black aluminum shaft, dikoted
head, and black and blood red fletchings bounce off the body of
the elemental where just previously it would have penetrated
HAMMER's skull from behind. The elemental, wounded, is no match
for HAMMER and his willpower, but ducks behind cover to recover
from shock. Until he jerks in pain and surprise. Sticking
through the wall and into the back of his shoulder is one of AJ's
arrows. HAMMER takes off, wounded only lightly, with AJ in hot
pursuit. You hear AJ scream "HAMMER is MINE! Get the other MET
man, and get the guards out. Prepare for detonation on my mark!"
as he's running after HAMMER.
That's when something goes wrong, and AJ gets tripped up by the
second MET man, who decided to disobey orders after seeing the
attacker's support up on the roof. HAMMER disappears around a
corner, while AJ comes to a screeching stop up against the wall
and get's riddled by assault rifle rounds. AJ looks dead. Very
dead, and apparently the MET trooper thinks so too, approaching
carefully just in case. But not carefully enough as AJ lashes
out with a kick, deflecting the nearly fast enough trooper's next
burst from AJ's head to the wall directly over his head. The
trooper, spinning from AJ's added momentum, flies off balance and
into the opposite wall, losing his grip on the rifle. AJ rises,
pops his spurs, and the two of them square off. But there is no
way that a normally augmented street samurai could even match AJ.
Most augmented troll street samurai couldn't match AJ for sheer
strength. Circling for an instant, AJ feints, successfully
drawing the MET trooper off guard for an attack and he drives his
right spur into his shoulder with enough force that it emerges
from the back after passing through the shoulderblade. The
trooper can't move his left arm, but tries vainly to attack with
his right, which AJ breaks. AJ, with his adrenaline pumping,
looks as if he's about to drive his left arm through the
trooper's head when he suddenly calms, removes his spur from the
trooper's right left shoulder, and knocks the trooper out. AJ
carries the trooper down to the barracks level, alive.
HAMMER, on the other hand, has made it down to the ground floor
by use of air ducts. The guards down there have somehow managed
to keep him in the building, however, and you see that HAMMER has
in fact taken a "hostage" and is holding him or her with a pistol
to the head. And the hostage is being held in such a manner that
the rest of the troopers can't take down HAMMER without hurting
the trooper too. Until you see something take shape behind
HAMMER, something he isn't aware of. AJ again, walking quietly
up to HAMMER and wearing nothing, taps him on the shoulder.
HAMMER spins, trying to catch whoever it is behind him in a wheel
kick, but misses as AJ throws him up against the wall, smiles and
says "It's a good thing I'm not hungry....." and then flat
punches HAMMER, stunning him. One of the attackers in armor
throws AJ some clothing while three others take hold of HAMMER.
AJ: "Status?"
"All charges set. All troopers totally disarmed and safely out
of the blast zone. Wounded included."
AJ: "Good. So you see, HAMMER, we're not all barbarians. You,
however, are a dead man. Tie him to one of the charges so it'll
kill him just as it does the building around him."
Just as AJ says this and takes his bow back after putting on his
new set of night urban camouflage, HAMMER kicks out at one of his
guards, somehow finding a weak point in the armor and breaking
the soldier's neck. His movement continues upward as he breaks
an arm loose from another's grasp and then he spins to punch into
the third's stomach. The punch connects just, but does
absolutely nothing. The powered armor is too strong.... But the
sheer force behind the blow drives the special forces member back
while another kick to the head opens up a corridor for HAMMER to
escape out to the street. AJ shouts "Get clear and blow it!
I'll find you!" as he tears after HAMMER, nocking another of his
arrows into the bow, giving chase into the night of Berlin.
You see all the rest of the soldiers exit the building in a very
rapid and highly organized manner, disappearing into the chopper
that remains and packing into whatever transport is still
available. The only thing you notice different is the fact that
the two vehicle armor or whatever they are have disappeared. But
you do notice something slightly different. Two bikes, with no
insignia, driven by power-armored troops. Some of the markings
look familiar, as do some of the weapons on the front wheels, but
you figure that they must have been stored nearby.
----static-----
+++++End download+++++
We succeeded, sir. The documents were totally destroyed.
However, HAMMER and the boss have not reappeared. All traces of
our being there were erased. Tracing back to us is not possible
at this time, nor at any foreseeable time in the future.]<<<<<
-- Berlin <17:33:52/11-05-55>
