8:00PM, Bloody Valentines Day, -Let the Bodies Hit the Floor-
Billie brought Hope a mug of coffee after turning on a few lamps. The Captain had taken to sitting on a desk just staring out the windows as if she felt something, saw something like a growing pressure. He reached her and handed her coffee and then pulled out a bottle and dolled out some aspirin.
"Here you go boss, figured you'd need some joe and aspirin. Had a feeling you were up here with a 'head-ache'. You know, the boys and girls bellow would feel a bit less edgy if you'd come down, chat with them, give them a talk, take some calls, be a presence of calm. Pins and needles bellow. Swear someone about started a fight over the difference between sugar and aspartame." Billie said.
Hope accepted the coffee and the aspirin from Billie. She knocked back the pills and swallowed the warm coffee. The deep sense of dread and malice was so heavy in her it made it hard to think but the man had a point. Her crew needed a moral boost. She swung her legs down and stood up. That's when everything stopped. She no longer felt pressure, dread or malice. She felt like the presence that hummed in her for several months now was gone, just a silent, eerie quiet was left to her. That unsettled her more that than the dread or malice. It felt like the calm before the storm.
"Bill, put the alert out... something is going do-" Hope's word were cut off as lead chewed through the upper glass windows spraying glass all over the large room.
Hope pulled Billie down with her, then crawled through the sea of glass slivers for the stair well and shouted down. "Red Alert Everyone! Hostiles!" She pulled away from the stairwell, got up into a crouch, and ran to her office and grabbed her radio and sidearms, she could hear chanting and yelling through the broken windows.
"The Cleansing Has Come! The Cleansing Has Come! Repent All Who Share And Dwell With The Unclean! Repent And Be Cleansed In Righteous Pain And Death!" A megaphone bellowed.
Hope face palmed and groaned. Bloody hell, a protest was attacking the 27th? She flicked on her radio. *Captain, check. Sound in and report. What the hell is going on out there? Patrols, what's the situation?*
*Floor 1, check. Hostiles firing in through the windows. Multiple officers taking cover. Minor casualties. Some leg and arm wounds. Nothing we can't patch. Dispensing armory ASAP! - Watch Tower, check. Eyes on the situation, firefights in the the Market Place near us, we have ragged teams of hostiles forming up on the south, east and northern sides. All appear to be packing automatic rifles, possible bladed implements and side arms. Some are starting chants possibly. - Patrol 1, we are pinned down by active fire in the Market Place. At best four or five assailants, automatic weaponry all crying out that we need to die for not being human. - Patrol 2, we are pinned outside by the ATV Buggie. It's looking nasty out here quick Captain. They are shooting at anything moving and oh hell! -*
The whole building shook as the smell of fire and brimstone hit the building. It shook again as if a giant was trying to batter the building with its hands. Another blast rocked the building as the scent of ozone filled the air after a thunder strike. Hope cursed. The protestors had mages that were caught up in this idiocy. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Her command for a few days on the beach and a cold drink in her hand. She moved to her office window and peaked over it, only to duck back down as the chatter of gun fire showered glass down on her.
*Watch Tower, you have eyes on any goggles? They can see really well out there.*
*Negative Captain. No high tech gear on them. Could be the mages doing spells to see us. ATV Buggie has been hit by Lightning. Patrol 2 looks okay. Orders?*
Hope considered her options. They had mages out there attacking their head quarters along with normies with fire arms and other weapons. The few mages the 27th had were out on dispatch helping around the city right now. The had no magical fire power to fight back with. She left her window in a crouch and headed for the stairwell and saw Billie still lying there not moving. She checked for his pulse at the side of his neck. Nothing. She checked his chest and found it slick with blood and cursed.
*Fatality. Officer down. 2nd floor. Standing orders are as follow. Patrol 1 & 2 use your best judgement, if you can pull back, pull back safely. If not, and sitting tight is not an option, I authorize lethal force. These idiots show lethal intent to kill and murder and have killed one officer already. Those of you that are here, grab Shocker Rounds and every spare shotgun we have. If someone can get a chance to drop one of these idiots intact, do so. I want answers! Someone also get to R&D and break out the Disco Balls that we were gifted by the Alchemist's Fire Complex and any other goodies they are saving for a rainy day. No better time to field test things like now. Watch Tower, you have free range. Incapacitate or Execute at your discretion. Buy us time. I'm heading down.* She moved past Billie, taking his badge as she went.
*Affirmative Captain!* She heard every area radio in.
Soon the retorting chatter of gun fire was heard as the snipers up in the Watch Tower of the 27th Head Quarters and the pinned down patrols started answering back on their assailants. Several more shudders went through the building as Hope caught sight of massive fire balls, a few scuttling clouds of debris moving to announce balls of concussive wind magic, and massive arcs of lightning lick out at the building. She reached the first floor and took cover by the reception desk. Injured officers had been pulled back behind the processing desks and bandaged as well as possible. They weren't out of it though. They took up cover and snapped off cover fire with with their .45 caliber pistols to keep the assailants at the front of the building facing south dodging and taking cover.
Hope heard glass breaking from the offices on the west side and smelled the greasy scent of Molotov's tossed in. She motioned to four officers nearest to her to follow and they moved to the west side. She grabbed fire extinguishers, passed them out to two of the following officers and began putting out the fires that started while the other two officers squeezed off shots, not being kind or polite dropping a few assailants that had tried to shoot at the fire control team.
*Watch Tower, a group is trying to ram it's way in through the north side bay.*
More sharp, heavy shots were heard as the snipers kept up their harassment. Three officers moved past them from the south of the building through the clouds of smoke and extinguant to head off and lock down the north from a breach. They only had so many bodies to disperse in the building, keeping things tight and secure was gonna get tight. The fires doused, Hope left three of the officers to pick off any more fire bugs as she moved to the north to assess the situation, with one officer in tow. A shuddering thump and crash was felt above them as they moved. Hope looked up knowing the Watch Tower was up there.
*Watch Tower, report.*
*Alive Captain. Saw the mages getting antsy about us sniping and bugged out just in time. A little singed but good. They sealed off the entry point up here. Moving to points on the second floor to continue harassment.*
Hope gave a small sigh of relief and reached the north bay where some of the motorcycles were kept. Sure enough the loud, jarring bangs of something heavy and metal was ramming into the roll down doors. If the protestors got through there, the opening would be too large to seal off with her overtaxed crew.
"Lex, Bary. Jumper cables from the carts, now." She said in a hurry.
Hope moved into the bay and grabbed four flat head screw drivers with rubber handles on them. She moved over to the outlets for the bay lights that were off. The sockets were near the bay door by the floor. Without a thought she jabbed the screw drivers into the electrical sockets and directed Lex and Bary to hook up the jumper cables from the screw drivers to the doors.
"Clear!" she called out softly and they all backed away.
As the battering continued, Hope moved for the bank of light switches to the bay door. She listened and timed the battering. The next moment of impact, she threw the switches on and covered her eyes. Sparks flew and the screams were horrifying as the assailants met electrocution. Fluorescent lights blew out in the bay and soon the breakers for the north bay flipped off, cutting power to that section of the build. The stench of singing hair rolled in from under the roll down bay door. Hope left the three officers to hold the north bay, taking her tailer with her still to check the west side briefly. No windows were there and it was where most of their lock up was for evidence, holding cells, empty at this point and the armory and R&D.
She didn't see anyone here as she'd asked, but given the fire fights she did a quick run into R&D with her help. They grabbed a wooden case marked with the 27th Division on it as well as stamped Alchemist's Fire Complex . Her assistant also found a rocket launcher with one round. They returned to an increasing firefight as the south of the building now had a burned hole in it opening up both the first and second story floor. She slid over to a couch near the front of the entry keeping low as both sides exchanged fire.
*Captain, check. I have something that'll run the mages day. Everyone, check in. Status and situation updates!*
*Snipers, check. Running low on Ammo, crowds are thinning out there. Think they realized they got more then they bargained for picking on us. - Patrol 1, check. We hooked up with Patrol 2. Trying to get the ATV running but it a nasty mess from that lightning strike. We'll try to assess the turret in a bit. - East Side, check. Still popping firebugs, stream is drying up some. - North Side, check. All quiet. -*
Hope had a good eye on the crew with her. They were getting ragged. A few more officers were bandaged. Two or three of them were in shelter, out of the fight, but alive. Lightning arced in through the large hole and scorched trails along the lobby walls making everyone duck and cover. Hope said a few very choice words and another useless prayer. They needed to level the playing field a bit and reduce the magic being tossed at them. Fire arms had only so much ammo and would negate themselves by attrition. Magic was fickle and harder to gauge how long some mages could last. She flipped open the wooden case. Inside were six silver spheres with a single glowing red button on them. She took two of them out and hoped the magic negating nethacite power would really work and not be some alchemist's quack theory. Depressing the red buttons she popped she tossed the spheres overhand over the couch and grabbed two more, activating and tossing again.
There was a muffled whumpf that came as the four spheres exploded out, rolling thick, metallic gray powder over the crowds. Shouts of confusion and erratic gun fire was heard as the powder obscured vision and surprised many into thinking it was tear gas or poison. Hope took the last two spheres, activated them and threw them over the couch to bounce and roll into the crowd dousing them all in more of that powder. Soon there were moving, living statues of gray metallic powder as the groups began to rally again.
"Shocker rounds! Everyone press forward! Balls to the walls time people! Light them up!" Hope shouted out.
The battered officers rallied giving war shouts as the moved from their cover to surge to the front of the building and mount up at the makeshift couches. Several officers soon joined her at the windows and entry doors all bearing shot guns. One officer brought a spare for Hope and soon the staccato of shot gun rounds going off was heard as custom made taser darts flew from the barrels into the crowd. Several of the people that were identified as the ones slinging spells were in hysterics as it seemed their magic wasn't working any more. They were now on the ground writhing in the twisting limbs of over stimulated muscles from the shocker rounds. Others in the crowd met the same shocking fate though many started to return fire as as the metallic gray powder settled again. Everyone took cover as rounds chewed into the building. A few of the officers dressed new wounds as they took a breather.
"Whatever happened to dropping off a complaint in a drop box? Now it's just violence night and day. Jeeze, people need more hugs." She said with a bite in her words.
"Maybe the can't read or write Captain and want to address their grievances in a verbal, violent manner?" chuckled a pure black Minotaur.
They all laughed with a bit of nervous tension. The laugh of people unsure if they'd live through the night or not.
"Maybe they just wanted to see if we had any steak to sell. Go strut your stuff Alphons. Show them your flank steak!" A female orc gave a laugh to the black Minotaur.
"Nah. They are probably all vegan and upset that their fries are cooked in the same oil as the burgers." He rumbled a laugh.
*Snipers, check. Head count. Captain we've whittled them down good, but they just won't admit defeat. The need a good fonging or they wont stop this Cleanse nonsense. - Patrol 1, check. ATV is a no go. Whole bloody thing is shot. Lightning bolt fried all the circuits. Gun is melted too. Sorry. -*
Hope cursed under her breath and sighed. She looked at her tired and ragged crew.
"Survey time boys and girls. The way I see it, we can do two options. Keep going until we run out of ammo and then get to do the stupid 'fight with sword and fist to the end' debacle we are facing. Or I can have Alphons over there light up their happy, kool-aid drinking butts with a tank busting rocket and see how high we can make their bodies fly? Let's here it, Sword and Fist?" Hope asked as she scrunched down more as a few rounds ate into the couch.
Only one man, with one arm, an eye patch, and one leg holding a Tommy gun said aye.
"I admire the courage Lucky. Let's let here the other side. Alphons make them go boom?"
Everyone said aye to that option. Hope nodded and made a signal they all new. Suppression fire and she pointed to Alphons to prep and signal with ready. Soon the Minotaur had the rocket launcher prepped and read. She gave the officers on either side of her a nod. They all popped up together and fired, shouting defiance at the protestors, more shocker rounds swarmed in to momentarily cow the assailants. Alphons sighted on center mass of the group and fired the rocket with no remorse. The ground shook as bodies flew from the impact and explosion. Most of the fight had gone now from the assailants as what was left of the assaulting group was too dazed to fight. Hope lead her team out of the battered building and it was a boiling mass of handcuffs and batons where violent struggle and resistance erupted.
Half an hour past midnight, the 27th Division of the Watch had the assault on their headquarters under wraps with about three captives that were alive, sleeping off their beat down and some shock from the tazer rounds and rocket blast, each one in a sturdy holding cells. Hope stood in the courtyard and looked at the disaster from the miniature war on her people. This was going to take some time for repair and she didn't want to have to think about the red that would start flooding in soon with all the death. She sighed and rubbed her head as he pounded with a numbing buzz again. A feeling of malice and dread just slightly sifting through her.
