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Post by Lieutenant Kei-teh Kintaru on May 27, 2005 16:36:50 GMT -5
Ben scurried away from the engulfing heat of the steam as it shot up out of the vent, our only apparent way in. Ben barked angrily into his microphone.
"Bishop-2 to Bishop-1 - I thought this vent was supposed to be inactive!"
"It is supposed to be, Bishop-2."
"Then somebody's intel was flawed...or the Blakists have decided to build a spa."
As Ben spoke words with Bishop-1 I searched around for anymore Blake subordinates. None could be seen, which brought relief to me; I didn’t want to have to hold off a platoon of those bastards while Maxwell and the others tried to figure out a way to get in. Turning around I saw melted micro computer begin to solidify as the intense blast faded away. The blast had lasted roughly twenty seconds.
“Captain, it appears the blasts of steam are intermittent. We didn’t notice the steam from the cliff or when we made our first moves here. Either the blast furnaces that conjure the steam have just been activated or they have long intervals. Let’s just wait and see if there are any intervals to begin with… and if there are, we will time them”<br> Maxwell nodded and spoke briefly into his mic to confirm the plan with the other team. We hid waiting until another thunderous blast of steam belched from the ventilation shaft. The interval lasted two minutes. As Ben turned to face me, he saw me remove several pieces of the “heavier” equipment from my suit which include my plasma pistol, several magazines for the weapon and various military issue grenades. I was now left with my light armour, “Ryu”, my communication equipment and my various “Kintaru home made concoctions”. With this added weight removed I was more than sure that i could out run the timer...
“Do you think two minutes should be enough?” I said grinning. Maxwell looked surprised that I had volunteered myself for such a crazy mission. We didn’t know the plans of the vent shaft, we didn’t know how long the shaft ran and we certainly didn’t know exactly where it would lead us.
“If I can manage to get in, I will find a way to grant you access from another point” ” I added, prepping myself with a variety of stretches.
I crouched awaiting the Captains approval…
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Post by Star Captain Killian Bekker on May 27, 2005 16:53:08 GMT -5
"Bishop-2 to Bishop-1 - I thought this vent was supposed to be inactive!"
"It is supposed to be, Bishop-2."
"Then somebody's intel was flawed...or the Blakists have decided to build a spa."
The fact that their seemed to be more and more obstacles in our way was beginning to cause some concern. Somehow, I was getting the impression that these were intentional and I intended to find out why.
Sgt. Zhukov? No, there's something else afoot here. Bigger than him, but he still need to be watched.
The General is awfully hard to read, even for me. Mamba could easily be his cohort and possible his fall "guy" if something went wrong.
Bishop-1 to all units. Rendevous at the Main HQ building. There has to be another way in and I'm willing to bet the HQ is it.
...and bet that I know why the mission is being sabotaged.
Understood. We're on our way.
The hallway that I was trapped previously in was a long and wide corridor that branched off in several directions. At least 2 led downward into what I assumed would be the heart of the base.
My first stop would be the upper levels of the structure to figure out the base's purpose and what they were hiding. If the steam was coming from a factory, it now meant that it had become operational and that wasn't acceptable.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on May 27, 2005 18:39:50 GMT -5
I didn't hesitate to take Kintaru up on his offer.
"Understood and approved. Though it goes against my better judgement...it would seem we're running out of options. Be careful. Report in as soon as you've reached the bottom."
Kintaru nodded, and set about removing the grating to begin his descent.
I stepped aside, and opened a channel to Captain Dillenger.
"Bishop-1, this is Bishop-2. Corporal Kintaru will be attempting an insertion through the steam vent. Can you advise your status?"
My comm unit hissed as as I awaited a response...
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Post by Star Captain Killian Bekker on May 28, 2005 10:01:22 GMT -5
"Bishop-1, this is Bishop-2. Corporal Kintaru will be attempting an insertion through the steam vent. Can you advise your status?"
My team is preparing to infiltrate the upper levels of the HQ building to decipher the purpose of the base. I've discovered several accessways to lower levels and that's where you come in.
While Cpl. Kintaru tries to find an access route for us to use, I'd like for your team to see what you can find on the lower levels.
Understood. We'll be entering the HQ building shortly. I'm not sure how far we can go until we get there.
Affirmative Bishop-2. At least Kintaru will know which set of doors he would have to open if you get held up.
Understood. Bishop-2 out.
I turned to my team.
General, I want you to take Mamba and Zhukov and check out the 2nd Floor. Garland and myself will look on the 3rd floor and see what we can find.
The general shot a disapproving look. It seemed he didn't like the idea of not being chosen to head into the innards of the base first. The exact reason I didn't pick him.
Very well. We will report what we find.
As I made my way up to the 3rd floor, I saw a lone officer walking down the hall. He was distracted by something he was reading in his hand. He walked past and before he knew what was going on I grabbed him and snapped his neck.
I picked up the report he was reading and I smiled.
Bishop-1 to Bishop-2. I have some good news and some bad news.
Bad news first.
The bad news is, there seems to be a technology cache here. Both technology specs and a handful of actual vehicles and mechs.
That's no good. So what's the good news?
The good news is that according to a report that I just read from one of their officers, they are having trouble accessing the cache of equipment, though the report makes no mention of the technology specs.
Hmm, well let's hope they haven't sent the specs off the planet yet. I'm entering the first basement now, so I'll let you know if I find anything. Bishop-2 out.
Making my way down the hall I found what appeared to be the bases main communication room.
Upon entering I saw the lone radioman was half awake and nearly finished a salute before he realized I wasn't the officer he was expecting. As he reached for the alarm button, Garland shot him three times in the chest.
The guards lifeless body bled all over the radio desk. As a result the radio short circuited and was unusable.
Garland, start destroying the rest of the radios. Quietly of course, but I don't want anything going out or coming back in.
Bishop-1 reporting that we are disabling Blakist comms.
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Post by Lieutenant Kei-teh Kintaru on May 28, 2005 11:20:48 GMT -5
As the next blast of exceedingly hot steam finally dissipated I jumped down the vent shaft. The wrist watch I had on indicated how much time I had left. The vent shaft was vertical for about 10 metres and curved at the bottom until it was horizontal. Sliding down the hot and humid vent I could still feel how hot the metallic surface was from the last blast, a “friendly” reminder of what could happen if I mess this up. As I reached the bottom of the vent at the end of the apex of the curved metal piping I made my run into the darkness. The size of the shaft allowed me to half crouch, half stand, meaning I could keep up a steady jog. As I started my jog I whipped condensation off my watch to see how much time remained.
One minute and 47 seconds left… best pick up the pace
The deeper I went the more dark the shaft became, so I decided to use the flashlight that was imbedded into the side of the wrist watch. The two tiny LED’s emitted enough light for me to see approximately 12 metres in front of me.
1:38 remaining… and no clear sign of an exit
I still kept my calm, this shaft HAD to lead somewhere other than a set of furnaces. As I began to change my jog into a run, I didn’t notice how wet the floor of the shaft was. I slipped, with the resulting thunderous crash echoing down the vent. Picking myself up and shaking my head, a quick glance of my watch helped pull myself together.
1:00… Christ…
Without spending anymore time on cursing, I began rushed down the metallic corridor hoping I could find an exit.
Back at the entrance of the vent, Maxwell anxiously checked his watch while the others stood on guard.
“Common Kintaru…” he muttered to himself as the digital display showed “0:45”.
Shit… time is running out I said to myself, still in utter darkness and with no sign of an exit anywhere. As I carried on running through the hot humidity of the damp shaft, I again stumbled after unintentionally kicking something solid in the ground. Spinning over onto my back and shinning my torch onto what appeared to be a hatch door.
Great! Progress! … and 40 seconds remaining I franticly began to twist the hatch door, which was proving a huge struggle as it was both wet AND rusting. After one hard tug, the handle snapped off and crumbled in my hands.
“GODDAMMIT!!” I shouted, punching the hatch door which, ironically, hadn’t rusted at all.
Suddenly I heard running water and some faint laughter echo down the corridor.
0:31 remaining
I jumped off my feet and sprinted towards the area where the sound was coming from. The further I went the louder the sounds became. Finally I had reached a larger metallic area with a huge extractor fan in the middle of it and another section of venting directly above it. The extractor fan was roughly the size of a small car and was spinning furiously. It had enough force behind it to perhaps cut a man in two. However, although I could hear the sound of people talking and water running, I couldn’t actually see any of this.
Suddenly a gigantic booming sound was heard erupting from the bottom of the shaft. The floor below me rumbled violently and carried on doing so as the horrific sound grew louder and louder. My wrist watch frantically began beeping, indicating I had five seconds left. With out any other choice I dived into the very centre of the spinning blades which were connected to a round ball. As I pounced onto the round ball, the entire fan structure gave into my weight and collapsed. I plummeted down into darkness into another shaft that was getting smaller and smaller by the metre. As I hit the bottom of this new shaft with the boiling steam now in hot pursuit. This shaft collapsed and I landed on hot, wet ground. On my back, I stared directly into the blackness of the collapsed shaft. I rolled out of the way just in time as boiling hot steam shot out of it. My nerves were lost as an ear piercing scream shattered my hearing. The steam filled the room, making it hard to see. As the steam slowly disappeared, I realised where I was. I was in the men’s showing room. I was also shearing this large room with four other people. This was four, excluding the gentleman that had been boiled alive by the steam that vomited from the vent and directly into him. The four men stared at their fallen comrade, who was now looking like a boiled, plucked turkey in a wig. They then looked at me as I climbed to my feet. The room was a long and rectangular in shape. Each of the four men were in their own corner, butt naked and were looking VERY angry. One of the men who was nearest to the exit ran towards it.
“HAY SOME-----“ he shouted before 6 throwing daggers pierced his flabby body. Four in the torso and two in his head. The man fell down to his knees as his blood trickled into the shallow pool of water. The man opposite came charging towards me, one arm outstretched, the other raised high, his fists clenched. Without wasting anytime I dashed towards him, catching him off guard. I unsheathed “Ryu” and in an instant, plunged the sword into his chest. I brought the katana up, cutting him until the sword left the top of his skull. The third Blakist bastard began throwing bars of soap and shampoo at my back, hoping for the best. Unfortunately for him it didn’t. I charged towards him, spinning my katana vertically and finally severing his arm off. Before he could scream, I span my body around and decapitated him and coated myself in blood in the possess. The fourth Blakist I decided to leave momentarily. Walking to the shower exit and locking it, I asked for his name.
“W-W-W-Wilks… sir” he said, crumbling to the floor in tears. I bet he would be enjoying this if he was in my position.
“Wilks huh? Tell me Wilks what is your reason to live?” I asked, briefly showering off the blood from my face and hair. Wilks blubbered some more.
“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!” I shouted, throwing a ninja star that narrowly avoided his groin.
“To-to-to-to…”
“The next one won’t miss you stuttering waste of flesh!”
“To-to-to….” I had enough of this fanatic’s blubbering.
“Where are the changing rooms?”<br> “Straight through that door…” Wilks replied, still blubbering. Could he have been an asset? I didn’t care. Sprinting towards him faster than his eyes could detect, I pounded his head into the tiles behind him, leaving a spatter of blood and brain tissue.
Exiting the shower room and locking it behind me, I quickly gather a discarded Blake uniform and informed Maxwell that I had entered the facility. I wore the uniform over my gear and hid “Ryu” under the long coat of the uniform. It wasn’t long before I found a security room. After dispatching two guards that were stationed there, I established where I was and where the teams were. I had managed to enter the security depot that was directly opposite the Drop Ship pad and right near Maxwell’s team. After a few key strokes, the computer terminal sprang to life, prompting me for a user name and password.
"Damnit. Spectre-2, I'm in the facility, but I'm having trouble overriding the security lockouts. I'll keep at it.
“Good job, let us know as soon as you've made any progress.” Maxwell replied
I smiled to myself and realised the level professionalism my fellow team mates worked at.
“Right, lets do what we came to do…” I said grinning lightly…
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Post by Commander Garrett Garland on May 31, 2005 0:02:23 GMT -5
The radioman stood, his hand coming up in a lazy salute fit for a friend or perhaps an only slightly senior officer. I wondered, as the gyroslugs tore through his body, as to weather or not he realized what an amusing predicament he was in. He nearly managed to finish his salute before crashing into the radio table and spilling is bodily fluids over the only active radio.
Captain Dillenger waited for the radioman's body to settle before giving me my orders.
Garland, start destroying the rest of the radios. Quietly of course, but I don't want anything going out or coming back in.
I removed my thermite bombs, perfect for destroying equipment. A simple mix of rust and aluminum, these babies could burn through anything. I prepped the bombs, igniting their magnesium fuses with the pull of a pin. I watched as they burned through the radios, my vision plagued by a bright white spot in the middle for several seconds after.
As the radios finished melting I wondered about our situation; it seemed that things were not well, especially between the MRBC and the Legionnaires. I chuckled as the thermite finished with the radios and then continued to burn through the desks and then into the floor. It would be another meter before the thermite was completely stopped; hopefully the floor was thick enough so that it didn’t land on Zhukov’s head below. Zhukov was an interesting character, but even more interesting was the relationship between the three below me, Zhukov, Mamba, and especially Aegis. He was the true mystery, what was he really here for? Captain Dillenger had mentioned that there was lostech here-- perhaps it really was a Brian Cache. Did Aegis want to get his hands on lost technology? What would he need of it though, didn’t Comstar have a plethora of mothballed ‘mechs in hangers back on terra? Perhaps I could acquire some lostech myself… I had lost my ‘mech when the jihadists glassed Tau Ceti IV. Captain Dillenger motioned me to follow him as we proceeded with further discerning the innards of the base.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on May 31, 2005 8:02:37 GMT -5
I clicked on my infra-read flashlight as I entered, commando-style, into the basement of the headquarters facility. It was dark, and wet, and smelled havily of must. Evidently, this was a building that hadn't been freshly placed. Sergeant Holms Net and Captain Gunman followed behind me, their flashlights casting eerie shadows that could only be seen through a set of highly advanced night-vision lenses such as the ones we currently sported. To the naked eye, it was completely dark.
We swung left, around a corner, and found ourselves faced with a stairway leading up, into darkness. To the right, the corridor continued for a few meters, before hooking a sharp right, where a few clouds of steam drifted out across the ceiling. There was also a fluid, greenish in color against my night-vision lenses, that seemed to be slowly trickling across the walkway from that same general area. It definitely wasn't water - it was too thick - and given our current predicament with the steam vent, and the presence of it here, I was compelled to check it out.
I signalled a "wait here" to my team before advancing down the hall, plasma pistol drawn and braced against my flashlight arm. The air grew much thicker as I approached the right-hand turn, and I felt humidity condensing against my skin. The gentle hiss of a steam leak filled the air, and as I rounded the corner, I was greeted by a shocking, though not entirely horrific sight.
A Word of Blake guard lay face-down, in a rapidly-spreading pool of blood, which originated from the gaping bolt planted firmly in the base of his skull. The position he was laying in indicated that he had been shot from above and to the rear, but the only way that was possible was...
...through the vent. Damnit!
It was becoming all too clear how this had played out. Whoever had been behind the various acts of sabotage which had impeded us thus far had come in through the steam vent, killed the guard, and, somehow, managed to activate the system. Given that the amount of blood which had pooled was still wet, the intruder hadn't gotten far. I began backtracking along the corridor, sweeping my flashlight against the walls, the floor, the ceiling - any surface which might yield a clue as to where the saboteur had gone from here.
"Bishop-2 to Bishop-1...we have a problem."
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Nicholas Schuster
Regular
DECEASED
"Blakists are like a virus. And WE are the cure."
Posts: 139
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Post by Nicholas Schuster on May 31, 2005 8:13:36 GMT -5
I could see them - the man and the woman - sweeping through the break room with their flashlights. The man mumbled something to the woman concerning his distaste for being relegated to 'second fiddle,' while the woman didn't have much at all to reply with.
I was going to have to get to the man when he was alone. Although I had been trained in some of the most lethal forms of combat known to the Inner Sphere, two heavily-armed mercenaries versus one lightly-armed combatant still weren't very favorable odds.
I crawled along the ceiling, looking down through the vents. The two were splitting up - the man headed into the storeroom directly behind the break area, while the woman stepped into a corner to murmer something quietly into her communicator. This was my opportunity.
I crept along the ceiling until I was directly above the storeroom. Gently lifting the vent out of place, I dropped in silently behind the man. I reached forward, and threw a choke hold around him, pressing my pistol to his temple.
"One word...one move...out of you...and you die. Now tell me who you're working for!" I hissed.
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Post by General John "Aegis" Murlance on May 31, 2005 8:20:01 GMT -5
"...now tell me who you're working for!"
You have got to be kidding me...
I slammed my elbow backward into the youth's stomach, sending him staggering backwards while he attempted to level his pistol on me. I spun around, roundhousing the weapon out of his hand, which skittered across the floor until it came to rest under a freezer. I swept a leg out, catching the agent off-guard, knocking him to the floor. Before he could recover, I grabbed his arm, twisting him onto his stomach, and pinning him with my knees, my full weight being transferred into his back. I then shoved his arm a good distance up behind his head, putting him in a submission hold while I unholstered my pistol, pressing it to the back of his head, execution-style.
"You first."
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Post by Holms Net on May 31, 2005 13:07:48 GMT -5
(... ok, then.... lol)
It wasn't long after Captain Maxwell had told us to wait that he came back, in a sort of speed-walk, looking all over the room.
"Sir...?"
"We have a slight... problem. Lets just get back to business, but keep your eyes open for anything that seems... out of place.
Both myself and Captain Gunman gave a nod and fell behind Maxwell as he led us on to our objective. As we were walking, I thought I heard something on my comm, but figured that it would probably have been some interference from any nearby electronic systems.
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Post by Dr. Jessica Saturina on May 31, 2005 17:21:45 GMT -5
After meeting Captain Dillenger at the HQ, and when he was done talking on the radio to Captain Maxwell, he turned to us.
General, I want you to take Mamba and Zhukov and check out the 2nd Floor. Garland and myself will look on the 3rd floor and see what we can find.
I looked over at General Murlance knowing he was not going to be happy with this assignment, and I was right. The look on his face said everything, but there was nothing he could do, Captain Dillenger was in charge.
Very well. We will report what we find.
The General made a hand motion, myself and Zhukov fell in behind him, on our way to the 2nd floor. I wanted very much to try and talk to the General alone. I hoped this would give us an opportunity.
We reached the 2nd floor, it had various doors for us to check out. One was a double door. General Murlance motioned to Zhukov to checked out a single door at the opposite end. He then motioned to me to follow him. We moved towards the large double doors, entering caustiously. It was a fairly big room, it appeared to be a break room. I was assuming this due to the tables and refreshment machines scattered about. It was empty at this time, but we had to be very careful. People could come in at any time.
The General motioned to me that he was going into a room just behind the break room. I stepped off into a corner, keying my radio, quietly reporting to Captain Dillenger
Bishop-5, reporting to Bishop-1. We have entered a large room that appears to be a break room. There are no Blakists present at the time, this whole floor seems pretty quiet so far.
Bishop-1 Affirmative Bishop-5, continue to monitor the status of the rest of the floor.
Yes Sir, Bishop-5 out
Suddenly I heard some scuffling noises coming from the room the General had just went into. I ran over to the room the General had gone into. My pistol drawn, standing beside the door, my back to the wall, I jumped out quickly in a kind of low crouching movement with my pistol pointed forward. What I saw was General Murlance on top of a man, with his pistol to the back of the mans head. Pulling myself out of the crouching stance, still holding my pistol forward. I walked forward pointing the barrell of my pistol at this intruder. Looking at his clothing he did not look like one of the Blakist
Well .... I'm waiting, I'd suggest you talk and talk fast....
Whats going on Sir? Who is this?
Thats what I'm trying to find out Commander.
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Post by Captain Adam "Gunman" Wolf on May 31, 2005 21:32:51 GMT -5
As Maxwell headed back towards Holms and myself, I continued to sweep the infra-red flashlight mounted in my visor across the corridor in the direction we came and up the stairs to where it appeared to turn 180 degrees at a landing.
"Sir...?" Sargeant Holms asked more than a little curious.
"We have a slight... problem. Lets just get back to business, but keep your eyes open for anything that seems... out of place."
"Copy that Bishop-2, what's the situation?" I said over my armour's built in comm system, talking regularly through the damn visor was too difficult to understand for the most part.
"Not sure, we've got 1 body, Blakist guard. Recent death, execution style through the vent. No other signs of disturbance."
"Sounds like we're not alone in here. That would explain the mines on the Glacier as well as the recently activated steam vent. Should we treat them as hostile?"
"Yes, better safe than sorry. Unknown presence is to be considered hostile, threat level, moderate. If possible I want a non-lethal takedown in the case of an encounter. I want to know why they are here."
"Copy that, non-lethal takedown. Should we move up the stairs, or follow the vent looking for an exit point that our possible 'friend' may have taken?"
Continuing the wide sweeping motion with my head and rifle, I monitored the darkness for any signs of movement or disturbances. Not picking up anything at the moment, I relaxed slightly in my kneeling position by remained at alert.
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Post by General John "Aegis" Murlance on Jun 1, 2005 12:12:39 GMT -5
"What's going on, Sir? Who is this?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out, Commander. A RAT, by the looks of it!" I snarled, grabbing hold of the young agent's hair and jerking his head back, digging the barrel of my pistol into his scalp. He stifled a yell, and swore in German.
"Lyran. I should have known. Wie glaubt es, durch eins von Ihren Selbst verfangen zu werden, stravag?"
Mamba shifted uncomfortably. Evidently, my savage treatment of the saboteur was becoming...unsettling. I let go my grasp on his hair, shoving his head back down on the linoleum. As I did so, a set of dog tags, woven into the fabric beneath the collar of his jump suit, glinted in the light. I grabbed hold of them, tearing away a chunk of his collar as I did so.
"So, Mister...Schuster," I murmered, reading one of the tags, "it would appear you're not a Blakist. Which begs the question...what are you?"
Schuster glared defiantly at me over his shoulder.
"I will tell you nothing."
"Oh, really? We'll just see about that." I shot back at him, removing my gloves, and unwrapping a small syringe filled with sodium pentothal that I carried in my field pack.
"I think this will give you the proper motivation."
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Jun 1, 2005 12:18:44 GMT -5
"Copy that, non-lethal takedown. Should we move up the stairs, or follow the vent looking for an exit point that our possible 'friend' may have taken?"
My thoughts were cut short by the sound of crashing furnitrure and the unmistakable sound of General Murlance's raised voice piercing the darkness from a level above us. I heard Mamba reporting across the radio that the General was scuffling with an intruder, and my instincts told me that this was likely the saboteur who had made our life so difficult. Without bothering to respond to Gunman's inquiry on the comm, I charged past him, motioning for he and the rest of the squad to follow. We raced up a flight of service stairs that connected directly to the break room's kitchen, and burst onto the scene just in time to see the General sink a small syringe into the youth he had pinned against the linoleum. As he shoved the needle's plunger down, the young agent went limp.
"Captain Dillenger - you're needed in the break room - NOW. I think our mission's about to get a lot more complicated."
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Post by Dr. Jessica Saturina on Jun 1, 2005 14:10:35 GMT -5
Standing fairly close to the General and this intruder he had pinned on the floor, my pistol aimed right at the intruders head, should anything start to go wrong. General Murlance seemed to have things well taken care of though. I was thinking this person couldn't be a blakist, or he would be dead for sure already. I shifted my stance a little, watching the General try to get information out of this guy. I made a decision without really asking the General if I should. I keyed up my com.
Bishop-5 to Bishop-2 We have an intruder here. The General is scuffling with him, in the process of finding out who he is and his intentions here.
No response on the com, next thing I know, I hear footsteps, then Captain Maxwell and his group burst upon the scene. I had raised my pistol towards the door not knowing who was coming in, but lowered it as soon as I saw who it was. The General had just administered the Sodium Pentathol to the intruder he called Schuster. Now maybe we would find out what he was doing here. I was glad Captain Maxwell and his group were here as well. Then I heard Captain Maxwell, say on the radio.
"Captain Dillenger - you're needed in the break room - NOW. I think our mission's about to get a lot more complicated."
Soon the entire team would be here, things were about to take a very interesting turn of events.
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