3/3 BAN 2021/03/28(Sun)18:00 No. 993613 ID: e30795
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You've got a bad feeling in your gut. Your eyes are drawn to the boiler in the corner of the room. "Are we sure that thing's real?" you ask one of the other cops.

>"Looks like it to me, I've got the same model in my house."

Then what is that...?

You look up at the strange cylinder clinging to the ceiling. It's been bothering you since you first entered this space. If it isn't a boiler, and it isn't a stash box...! Outwardly you keep your cool, but alarm bells are starting to ring in your head. An IED...?!

You glance at your watch, then back to the cylinder. 8:55. Two hours...? When could they have armed it? When the raid started? Before that? How long before? How powerful could it be?

>Dane follows your gaze. You can see her quickly coming to similar conclusions. "Tell me what you're thinking, boss," she says levelly, not taking her eyes off of the object...

>>993613
Grab everything important and/or incriminating and evacuate everyone.
Call the bomb squad as soon as you're clear.

>>993613
IED, call in bomb squad immediately THEN start moving shit.

>Red liquid
>glows
>ozone smell

Aw fuck, Ionising radiation. Hopefully not enough to give anyone in the room a serious dose yet. Plus the timed bomb, this whole place is going to end up a superfund site. Won't even be able to sift through the wreckage anytime soon.

Grab everything you can carry on the workbench and run.
Call the bomb squad as you retreat, tell them to bring hazmat suits.

Yeah, smells like dirty bomb in here. Call the bomb squad and get everybody out.

We either have a radioactive hole in the middle of the city or they defuse and we can continue to explore. I don't feel comfortable risking further exploration while an unknown timer counts.

>>993642
I doubt it will be enough to cause serious damage in the short time we have been here. That being said, yeah, bomb squad now. Fuck the evidence. If you have a phone, snap pics quickly and then book it out. Just pray that the damn thing isn't a nuke.

BAN 2021/04/03(Sat)16:08 No. 994665 ID: e30795
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You key your radio. "Everyone, we've got an IED down here," you announce quickly. "Clear out of the building ASAP, and get the bomb squad on the line. Tell them to bring hazmat suits."

>"Dammit...!" STEVE cuts out for a moment, then comes on again. "Roger, we're heading out."

Seconds later, you can hear the rumble of boots upstairs. Everyone else should be outside, shortly. You turn to Dane and the two worried-looking cops. "Grab whatever you can, we're out of here!"

>"Yes, sir!!" Each cop shoots one more uneasy glance up to the ceiling before getting to work...

You pull out your phone and snap pictures of the workbench tools, the other crates and the shrine. You hesitate in front of the crystal ball. You pray that the slight glow coming from it isn't radioactive, and that this bomb isn't dirty. You don't even want to think about the shitshow that would cause--a superfund site popping up in the middle of the city is the last thing that you need right now...

The two raid team cops manage to drag one of the weapons crates upstairs with them. You run back over to the workbench and quickly pocket the photos, the note and the pistol.

>"Hey, what about this shit?" Dane calls. You turn to see that she's draped the leather case over her shoulder, and is standing over by the spear. "This thing and that ball, should I grab them?"

I don't trust them hanging in the breeze.
Grab them and get moving. We'll lock them down once we're out.

"It's radioactive evidence. Grab it and throw it into the empty street the instant we're out."

>>994665
Fuck no, don't grab the weird potentially hazardous shit. Just take pictures of them from multiple angles and get the fuck out.

Ideally, the bomb squad will get here and deal with the thing before it goes off.

I'm thinking not, until we get some idea what the trigger is.

Grab anything lose, but don't touch the fixtures.

>>994665
pictures, no touching. Last thing you need is direct radiation burns on top of a concussion.

1/2 BAN 2021/04/11(Sun)17:18 No. 995717 ID: e30795
File 161818668306.jpg - (622.31KB , 1200x759 , cop184.jpg )

You contemplate trying to grab them, but ultimately you shake your head. "They might be hazardous," you say. "Get some pictures and let's get the hell out of here!"

>"Got it!"

The two of you make a quick escape from the basement. You step outside and immediately catch sight of your fellow cops. Some of the raid team have put up road blocks, creating a large perimeter around the house. The rest are hunkered down behind the Battle Van on the other end of the street. Parked beside the van is an ambulance, and parked a little closer to the house is a SWAT armored car. Looks like the bomb squad is already here.

A fully kitted-out bomb technician climbs out of the SWAT car, followed by several other specialists. He lifts his helmet's visor and approaches you while his guys handle setting up equipment.

>"I don't think I've met you before," he says, extending a large hand. "You're The Dunce, right? They call me Crab. The Hammer said there was something scary in the basement?"

It's The Dunce, now...? You mask your disappointment, shake his hand and nod. "It's big, on a timer, and it might be dirty, we're not certain. Be careful down there."

>Crab doesn't look concerned. "Whatever it is, we can turn it into a dud, I guarantee it. Me and my boys used to be EOD, you know--Wartown bombs are like firecrackers compared to the shit that the Canardi could build."

>One of Crab's men comes closer, laden with wires and tools. "We're ready, sarge," he says.

>"The game's afoot, then." Crab lowers his visor and faces the doorway. "Let's do it. Keep your radio on, Dunce, I'll keep you posted."

2/2 BAN 2021/04/11(Sun)17:43 No. 995722 ID: e30795
File 161818822691.jpg - (861.16KB , 950x870 , cop185.jpg )

You and Dane pull back to the Battle Van. Your guys look happy to see you in one piece. STEVE briefly acknowledges your presence, then returns to speaking with a pair of medics. They must be dealing with KEN and the other wounded... You turn back to the house and turn on your radio.

>"Dunce 1, Crab 1," Crab reports. You can hear that he's got his game face on, and his transmissions are brief. "You there?"

"Go ahead."

>"We're in the basement. There's nothing on our detectors, no radiation down here. We're getting to work, now. Out."

An uncomfortable amount of time passes. Before you hear from the bomb squad again, the medics finish their work and the ambulance speeds off, carrying KEN and a couple of the more heavily-injured officers. Your watch reads 9:05. The sun's already completely set, and it's not helping anyone's mood.

Sudden movement puts all of you on edge. One of Crab's men dashes outside, reaches their vehicle and starts frantically digging around. He heaves out what looks like a large RC vehicle and disappears back inside.

>Devin inches up behind you for a moment. "Hey, I don't like this," he says under his breath. "Are we back far enough if that thing goes off? What if--"

>"We'll be fine," Dane snaps, rolling her eyes. When the journalist isn't looking, she shoots an uneasy glance your way...

>The radio's static eventually cuts out once more. "Dunce 1, this is Crab 1 again. This is tough. Tough..." Crab is breathing heavily. "This is well-made. Really well-made. Shit, I owe whoever put this together a drink..."

You share a quick look with STEVE. Something in his eyes tells you that this isn't usually how things go for the bomb squad.

Bomb squad members run in and out of the building at breakneck speed several more times, sometimes carrying tools, sometimes operating something from the back of their car. 9:15...

>"We're investigating further, now." Crab lets out a shaky breath. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay... No, we can't risk that. Check upstairs... The fucker thought of everything... No, this is even better than that one. Way better... Yeah, I feel it too. Like being in the room with a ghost...."

>You hear more panting, and some metal clangs. "Ah, shit. Disregard, I left my radio on. Sonya, can we get a phone line going? I can't deal with this thing right now..."

>Crab's radio suddenly cuts off. Shortly after, a bomb squad member comes tearing out of the traphouse. She sprints up to your position and hands STEVE a cell phone. Before she leaves, she quickly eyes the distance between you and the house. "You may want to pull back a little further, sirs," she says breathlessly.

>STEVE puts the phone on speaker as he watches the specialist disappear back inside. "Situation, Crab?" he asks tersely.

>There's a beat of silence before the specialist responds. "Okay. It's... It's okay. But we've got to act fast. Hey, pass me more of those those charges!"

>More background noise. Crab takes another breath. "Listen. I have good reason to believe that this thing is housing between 1000 and 2000 pounds of explosives. I also have good reason to believe that besides the timer, there are several anti-tamper measures in place that could set it off as well. If it goes off, I believe that its encasement will work to shape the blast in a way that would fully destroy the house and anything inside. The shockwave might rough up the nearby shops too, but they shouldn't go down. Shit, I wish we had a clearer timetable, but the display for the bomb's timer is likely inside the encasement--we can't see it without risking that anti-tamper element. I'm just going to be optimistic and guess that we have still have enough time.

>"I only see a couple ways about this," he continues quickly. "If this bomb was constructed the way I think it was--and I'm pretty sure it was--then we may be able to disable it by using tiny shaped charges at specific points. That's the only way I can see this building and the evidence inside it surviving the next thirty minutes or less. I have to warn you though, it'd be risky--I'd have to handle it personally, and I'd need to stay pretty close to the house to trigger the charges. I'll highball it and say that I'd have a 65 percent chance of success. Maybe."

"What's the other way?" you ask.

>"Try to set up structures to contain the blast, use some remote measures and just detonate the damned thing ourselves. I can't guarantee that whatever you wanted from this place will survive, but at least nobody else will get blown up--nobody who's still alive, anyway." Crab hesitates for a moment. "This is my ego talking, but if this crime scene means something to you then we're willing to try the disarm. We've lived through worse dice rolls than this..."

Shit... You weigh the options carefully. You do already have the few pieces of evidence and the photos that you took from the basement, but not much else. You're certain that the upper levels of the house have to be hiding something important. But is a chance at the rest of the evidence worth the danger to personnel...?

>"Hey, are you still there?" Crab asks, a little more urgency creeping into his voice. "It's your call to make, but make it quick!"

>>995722
well, we already have EVERYONE that was in that building dead to rights on terrorism charges for the bomb alone, but I feel certain that this isn't the end of the rabbit hole. There's more besides this place involved in this, and we're going to need to know who.

Still, I'm not down with risking good men on one case. There will be other bombs.

Set up the detonation, and send in a squad to pull any papers and photos they can while that's being set up, we'll have to make do with what we can grab.

>>995722
65% is poor odds, especially when you’re up against an enemy who knew who’d be called in to deal with this. You’re not happy, but your gut says not to risk it.

... how long will it take to set up the safe detonation? You can make a run for the upstairs and flash more photos / grab more stuff. Volunteers only, one run only.

Paranoia check - put Dane on seeing whether anyone from the bomb group’s smuggling something out.

Your job is public safety and a tricky bomb that could kill your best bomb squad is just not worth the risk of finding more evidence.

Have your bomb crew get any evidence they can grab and get there people to safety.

"33 percent risk of mass destruction is unacceptable. Detonate this thing, and grab all the obvious stuff on your way out. Be sure to throw it into whatever you guys use for dirty bombs."

>>995722
I'm not taking any chances with this crap.
Set up for the detonation, and pull back.
Don't bother grabbing anything on the way out. It might be wired to the bomb.

ERIK knows exactly who'd get called in for this.

ERIK knows exactly what call STEVE would make here. Maybe he'd have been counting on it.

Conclusion; don't play chicken with a psychopath, especially not with odds only somewhat better than a coin flip.

Ask Crab's advice on whether you can sweep the upstairs while they set up.

No, we can't risk it. Set up the controlled det and grab anything you think might be of value on your way back up.

>>995722
Set up the structures regardless. If he is feeling lucky, have him try to disarm the bomb. This is his call though since he is not only the one that this is riding on, but also the only one that will probably get hurt if it goes wrong. He does have his suit though, which should protect him completely save for his hands, but that is what they signed up for.

If he does manage to disarm the bomb, we can just take down the structures once he is done.

1/2 BAN 2021/04/25(Sun)10:21 No. 997684 ID: e30795
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You consider everything, but your gut's telling you not to risk the bomb squad's lives. "Set up for the detonation, then pull back," you order. "Do you think we'd have time to sweep the upstairs while you work?"

>"You want to come back into this death trap...?" Crab lets out a desperate laugh. "If you can get anything done in ten minutes, go ahead. We'll be in here for fifteen more, at most."

You turn to the nearby cops. They've heard your conversation, and their reactions are mixed... Your guys look willing to go, but the rest of the team is staring at you like you've gone insane.

"I only want volunteers," you say, already starting to move. "I'm making a run for the upstairs to grab what I can."

>Hugo gets to his feet and starts after you. "I'll go, sir!"

>KYLE and Devin set aside their sniping equipment and approach as well. "Do we get paid overtime for this...?" you hear Devin ask quietly.

>Dane puts on her ear protection and glares at you. "I'm coming too," she says stubbornly.

You definitely don't have time to argue with her... "Alright. You can cover the bomb squad while we go upstairs." You think that you can trust Crab and his men, but at this point a little paranoia is entirely justified.

>STEVE shakes his head and takes a step back. "Forgive me for not jumping at this golden opportunity, but I'll pass." He looks at you seriously. "Don't get yourself blown up, BAN..."

STEVE's men look relieved by his decision, and none of them move to join you... Looks like this is all the help you'll get. Without another word, you make a break for the traphouse.

2/2 BAN 2021/04/25(Sun)10:26 No. 997685 ID: e30795
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>You pass by one of Crab's runners on the way in. "Nine minutes!" she shouts at you as she sprints for the bomb squad's car. You check your watch--9:18. You'll make this quick.

You rush for the stairs, followed closely by your guys. Dane's lagging behind a bit, but you catch sight of her entering the house and heading for the basement as you make your ascent.

The second floor is gruesome. A makeshift barricade in the center of the space is strewn with bodies. The walls are covered in splatters of blood and bits of shrapnel, and shell casings are everywhere. By the stairway, you think you can guess where KEN got caught by that claymore... Besides this main area, there are also several connecting rooms. A stairway on the far wall leads up to the third floor.

>Devin drops to a knee and retches. "Christ...!! W-where do you want us looking, boss?" he asks, weakly getting back to his feet. "Somebody's got to check the other floors too, r-right...?"

Throw everything you can find that isn't fragile out the windows. Corpses, tables, anything and everything you can get your mitts on before the bomb explodes.

Put your least squeamish guy on searching the corpses, IDs, wallets, pictures, phones.

Assign someone with a camera snap images of each room and detail images of anything too large to be snagged - it'll be the only pictures you'll get out of the crime scene so make it count, but be fast.

Everyone else, up to the next floor and/or search the rooms on this floor.

Remember to watch out for more claymores, i.e. if you see a door, don't just open it without care. Spot for wires.

>>997699
this. Tossing the corpses isn't gonna be fast, they're cumbersome and heavy and awkward to move. Waste of time.
Wallets and dogtags are easy to frisk for, and easy to grab.

Reporter friend on camera duty with Dane and Hugo, he's used to seeing awfulness through a lens and Dane's reliable, she'll find something. Dunno much about hugo.

We take top-floors with KYLE, worst case we're the only ones here who could probably take a leap out a window and live.

Wasn't the supervillain lair on the top floor?
Leave two guys behind here and tell 'em to search. Doubt there's anything on the bodies myself- we want them scanning the rooms for anything that looks important or like a document. Move up yourself.

BAN 2021/05/15(Sat)11:32 No. 1000325 ID: 88966b
File 162110356138.jpg - (493.75KB , 950x730 , cop188.jpg )

"Hugo, check the bodies. I want wallets, phones, anything that'll give some ID. Devin, get as many pictures as you can, and try to find any documents. Keep an eye out for traps, search smart." You're already moving toward the stairs as you give the orders. "We're going up, KYLE!"

>"Got it!"

You run up to the third floor. Your watch reads 9:19...

This floor seems to have avoided collateral damage, and the scene is much less gory. In the center of the main room, two cushions sit on either side of what appears to be a map of the city. STEVE's bloodied helmet is lying near the map, as is a large book. Off to your right is a bookshelf. You scan the room for anything else notable, but the place seems to be disappointingly barren.

>KYLE peeks into the connecting room. "We've got some big vases and not much else," he reports quickly. He tsks as he looks around further. "Shit, couldn't they have just left an 'evil plans' binder lying around or something?"

You give the items in front of you another once-over. Your mind's racing, deciding what to immediately examine and what to just grab on the way out...

Wait big vases? Like big containers that could be full of explosives or liquid fuel?

Get map, book, and attache case on bookshelf.

>>1000325
Smash a window, hurl out as many of the books as you can (and the pillowcases, just in case). If the shaped charge is aimed upwards, that may keep them clear enough to survive. Moving the bookcase is too high a risk of it being booby-trapped. Don't touch the map, too obvious a trap too, but take a photo. Photos of the vases too, to reference the ones in Jo Durst's office. Grab the satchel on your way out.

Are they more of those religious vases? If so, we should investigate them, along with the large book.

>>1000325
chuck the whole-ass bookshelf out the window, wrap everything else up in that tarp thing, and get ready to jump.

1/5 BAN 2021/05/23(Sun)20:17 No. 1001574 ID: 88966b
File 162182622397.jpg - (353.52KB , 900x764 , cop189.jpg )

You take a look into the adjacent room. Sure enough, it looks like more pottery in the same style. "Is there anything in them?" you ask.

>KYLE sifts around the pots for a moment. "Doesn't look like it," he replies.

You examine the vases further. You're relieved to find them empty--they would have been the perfect houses for additional explosives, you think. You pull out your phone and snap several pictures of them before rushing back to the main room.

You move to the middle of the room and pick up the large book. It's ragged, and it looks like a bullet pierced the back of it at some point. There's no title, just a crude drawing of a man with a spear on the front...

>"Out! Everyone out!! Everyone out!!!" You hear Crab's subordinate well before you see her. After yelling at your guys on the second floor, she bounds upstairs. "The sarge is already finished! We've got six minutes to get clear!!" She disappears down the stairs again without waiting for a response.

2/5 BAN 2021/05/23(Sun)20:20 No. 1001575 ID: 88966b
File 162182645506.jpg - (646.32KB , 1827x680 , cop190.jpg )

>KYLE is about to take off after her when he notices you moving toward the bookshelf. "BAN, you heard the girl!" he exclaims, pointing at the stairway. "We need to get out of here!"

"We will," you say, eyeing the windows. You almost pick up the entire shelf, but you stop yourself--it could be booby-trapped, you muse. Instead, you use the butt of your shotgun to smash open the nearest window and begin slinging books out of it as far as you can.

>Your friend looks from you to the stairs and back again. "Goddammit...!" He shakes his head and moves to assist you in throwing books.

Your watch reads 9:22, now. You estimate that about half of the shelf's contents have been thrown into the front lawn or the street. You're cutting this close... You turn your attention to the map on the floor. Examining it further, you're almost certain that it's safe to move. You snatch it up and wrap STEVE's helmet and the large book in it. Finally, you return to the bookshelf and grab the satchel from underneath it.

>KYLE checks his own watch and grimaces. "This is it, buddy," he says. "We're fucked!"

You shake your head. You've just remembered one of your favorite scenes from Combat Cop. "Not yet... Get ready to jump."

>"To what?!!"

3/5 BAN 2021/05/23(Sun)20:25 No. 1001576 ID: 88966b
File 162182670375.jpg - (546.90KB , 913x960 , cop191.jpg )

You shoulder the satchel and grip your makeshift parcel tightly in one hand. With the other, you take your shotgun and widen the hole in the window further. You back up, get a running start and burst out into the night sky.

>"OH GOD, OH FUCK!! JESUS!!! JESUS FUCK!!!!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIIIIIIIISTTTTTT!!!!!!"

>"Holy--! BAN?!"

You hardly register whether the screaming's coming from yourself or KYLE. You hit the ground, roll awkwardly, and almost crash into Dane in the process. Shit, she's still this close...? Scrambling to your feet, you throw the shotgun to KYLE, scoop your partner up and break into a sprint, getting to the far end of the street and passing into the newly-repositioned police barricade in under a minute. Hugo and Devin are already here, it looks like. A still-screaming KYLE streaks past you a second later.

>"Everyone down!" Crab calls. He and his crew have all gotten out safe, too. Without further delay, he picks up a large remote and presses a button.

4/5 BAN 2021/05/23(Sun)20:26 No. 1001577 ID: 88966b
File 162182677850.jpg - (467.90KB , 788x900 , cop192.jpg )

It feels like the world is ending.

5/5 BAN 2021/05/23(Sun)20:35 No. 1001578 ID: 88966b
File 162182733985.jpg - (400.94KB , 800x900 , cop193.jpg )

You stay on top of the wounded soldier. Shrapnel, bricks and pieces of wood are falling from the sky like rain. You feel a piece of falling masonry clatter harmlessly off of your helmet. Jesus christ, the sentry tower was completely vaporized. VARGA and JOAN are dead, they have to be... You--

>"You okay?! That hit your head, BAN!"

The dust settles. More shells will be coming in, soon. You screw your eyes shut and pray. Damn it all, this is really it... To think that you'd go out like this right after living through--

>"Dammit, are you listening to me?! Move, let me see it! Move!!"

Something's pounding hard on your chest. Is that your heart? Are you dying? What time is it...?

>"Fucking hell...! I said move, dickhead!!"

Dane manages to shove you off of her. Your senses are still completely overloaded, and she seems to be faring only marginally better. Everything still sounds like it's underwater, but from where you lie you can make out someone cheering, confused yelling from the other cops, and what seems to be every security alarm on the block going off at once. You think you can hear sirens in the distance.

>Your partner crawls over to you and roughly grabs your face with both hands. She's trying to stare into your eyes, but her own can't seem to stay focused. She blinks hard for a second and tries again. "Fuck," she hisses. "I can't...!"

You eventually realize that she's trying to check you for a concussion. "I'm good," you say, struggling to your feet and giving her a thumbs-up. Dane doesn't look convinced, but she's too rattled to argue. You help her up and try to assess the situation.

The rest of the task force is slowly rising to their feet as well. It looks like nobody was seriously injured by the explosion or falling pieces of the house. Crab and his men seem to have recovered the quickest, and they're joking with each other on the other side of the barricade.

You're still a little unsteady, but the shock of the blast is already wearing off. You make your way over to the bomb squad.

>Crab's taken his helmet off. He grins at you and points to the massive pillar of smoke where the traphouse used to be. "A Canardi 'funeral pyre,'" he says, nodding confidently. "Back in the war, they'd put these things under anything that they didn't want us to get their hands on. Lots of unluckier EOD teams bit the dust trying to figure them out. We lived long enough to disarm a few of the shittier ones, but this is how we handled the rest. This was the biggest one we've ever seen."

>"And we fucking beat it," one of Crab's men says, pumping a fist in the air. "We win again, sarge!"

>Crab scowls and shakes his head at you. "There's no winning when one of those bastards get put together, Dunce. Unchecked, this whole block would've been screwed. Even when you successfully mitigate the damage, any assets that the enemy was trying to protect get cremated or vaporized. The only real 'win' here is coming out alive..."

You look around at the adjacent buildings near the blast site. You still see a lot of broken windows, and debris is strewn about everywhere. You'd hate to see what the 'unchecked' version of this scene would look like...

>The bomb squad sergeant claps his hands together. "Anyway, we've got a lot of cleanup to do. I'm sure the other departments will be collectively flipping their shit right about now... Thankfully you rank higher than me, so I'm gonna let you and Hammer do most of the heavy lifting in handling that whole mess."

Your heart sinks. Crab is right, you're going to be in for a logistical shitshow once Wartown locals start calling for police or the fire department... You don't know if you can just drive away from this one. You struggle to clear your head and start thinking about what your next steps should be...

Time to interrogate ERIK and his lackeys.

But not before we recall Canard.

ALL of it.

The fact of the matter is that we are dealing with a VERY REAL terrorist threat, and said terrorists rigged a ludicrously overkill amount of explosives that would have cost a horrific amount of lives had we not dealt with it. Add to it that we managed to capture multiple members of the group responsible as well as ERIK.
Honestly, this all went far better than expected.

You cannot let ERIK slip through your fingers again with more sleeper agents, but you can't execute him outright.

He's resorted to mass terrorism and genocide. If he lives, he is expected to attempt escape with more expendable, not-really-on-your-secret-side minions. If he dies, YAMA posts his image up as a martyr on social media and this gets even worse. So get extreme. Do what you have to do to keep him both alive and incapacitated.

Surgically disable the tendons in his limbs. Then keep him drugged 24-7 so he can't think straight.

I don't know about you but I think we need to report this to HALE, the Major and up. We cannot keep this as a shadow war or police action anymore. We need the Fed reinforcements immediately.

>>1001607
This is very much the case. Fuck standing and glory or whatever. We need to see a doctor asap to make sure we are fit for duty. Otherwise we just risk being a liability. We are not fit to lead in our current state. Make sure the EOD guys check everyone for concussions and such. They seem to be doing the best at the moment.

1/2 BAN 2021/05/31(Mon)12:45 No. 1002229 ID: e30795
File 162249031147.jpg - (371.26KB , 1000x604 , cop194.jpg )

You look up at the giant smoke cloud and take a deep breath. Random aches and pains are seeping into your body--it feels like everything that's happened today is finally catching up to you. Your pride as a 1P officer aside, your head's scrambled, your partner's injured and this terror situation is getting entirely out of hand for local law enforcement. You really don't think you're fit to lead like this...

"You and your men should check everyone for injuries or head trauma," you tell Crab. He glances up at your own head wound, but says nothing. "Captain STEVE's in charge of the rest. I've got to make a call..."

>"Got it, sir!" The bomb squad moves to check on the raid team.

You step outside of the barricade and walk a little closer to the wreckage. The smoke is reaching up past the clouds, now. The sight is eerily nostalgic. Some memories from before come floating to the surface, but you desperately squash them. How long can you keep living like this, you wonder, when everyone's trying so hard to dig up the past...?

You sigh heavily, pull out your phone and dial up the precinct. Within minutes, you're on the line with HALE.

>"Judging by the sound we just heard, something's already blown up in your face," the agent says.

"Yes," you say flatly.

>"My people have already been informed. I'll let your major know, as well. We'll be in position to take charge of the case within the next day.

"Alright..." Something about her tone is off-putting, but you let it slide. "Is ERIK secure? We can't risk losing him again."

>"He won't have an opportunity to escape, I assure you."

More and more sirens can be heard in the distance. You hear a chopper approaching, as well... "We can't keep this conflict a secret anymore," you say, more to yourself than to HALE.

>"That is yet another place where you're wrong, captain," HALE replies.

>STEVE jogs up to you. "BAN, we've got to get these streets blocked off before everyone and their dog gets down here," he says urgently. "We can report to the brass later!"

>"Is that STEVE?" HALE asks. "Perfect. Both of you stay where you are, will you? My associates have just arrived."

"What...?"

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An all-black SUV darts around the corner and onto the street. Unfazed by all of the debris in the road, it speeds past the wrecked traphouse and comes to a stop just a couple feet from the two of you. Two men step out with weapons drawn.

>"Special Agent OLLIE, SIG," the driver says, pulling out a badge with his free hand. He gestures at the other man. "Special Agent PAZ, of the same. We're here to pick you up, gentlemen."

>STEVE looks between the bombed building, the agents and his men. You watch him censor himself in realtime... "What exactly is this?" he finally asks.

>"A smooth transition," the second agent, PAZ says. "You're out, we're in."

Your heart's pounding again. Your left hand's searching for a gun you no longer carry...

>"You're crazy, do you see this scene?!" STEVE takes a step forward. "We're in charge of all the men here! We're busy, you can't just--!"

>OLLIE pockets his badge, pulls out a magazine and loads his pistol in a splitsecond. "Get in the car, or die in the street," he shouts.

STEVE stares wide-eyed at the agent. His face is twisting in a mix of shock and rage. For one terrifying second, you think he's going to draw his own pistol... Finally he looks at you, gives a faint nod and wordlessly walks toward the SUV.

You glance back at the barricade one more time. Dane's noticed what's happening, and she's desperately trying to get more cops' attention. You offer up a prayer to whoever's listening, and climb into the back seat.

>"I told you about Loginos cops, bud," PAZ says to his partner. "They're all this stubborn, every single one of them."

>"Christ, I hope not." OLLIE scoffs and lowers his pistol. "You stay here and make sure their underlings don't cock anything up, I'll handle these two."

>"Got it. We'll meet back at the First Precinct." PAZ waves at your men and walks toward them.

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>OLLIE closes your doors and gets back into the driver's seat. He looks at the two of you in his rear-view mirror and sighs. "Not a great first impression, huh," he says sheepishly. He still hasn't put down the gun. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't actually going to kill you when I shot you, captain."

You and STEVE glare back at him silently.

>"This really isn't as bad as it seems. We're just going to go for a drive and debrief a little bit--we want to make sure our intel lines up before we start working. If everything checks out, both of you will still be on the case, under us." OLLIE looks displeased at the lack of a response. "Guys, come on. Is this really how we're doing this?"

The two of you continue to stare.

The special agent starts the engine.


**** THREAD END ****



**** DEBRIEFING ****

DAYS ON THE JOB: 2

1P FORCES: 10
1P CASUALTIES: 0

2P FORCES: 9
2P CASUALTIES: 5

SIG FORCES: ???
SIG CASUALTIES: 0

PERPS ARRESTED: 5
PERPS KILLED: 14
??????: 15%


**** ACHIEVEMENTS ****

DAY 1:
**** IF YOU BUILD IT - Collected your first piece of evidence. A sack of bricks.....
**** SONGMASTER - Defused a situation with dance and song.
**** FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT - Stood up to STEVE for the first time. Maybe you have a chance, after all...
**** WEEPING WIDOW 1 - A grieving wife, or something more...? Interacted with ALICIA Durst for the first time.
**** DEVALLE WORKS - Money makes the world go round... Started investigating YAMA DeValle.
**** MONEY TALKS 1- ERIK's network is bigger than you thought... Started investigating Errata Corrige and the Anomaly Collective.
**** DAY OF THE JACKAL - Started living at the precinct. You saw it in a movie once...

DAY 2:
**** JUST LIKE OLD TIMES - Equipped the shotgun for the first time.
**** I'M A JOURNALIST!!! - Devin Fowler joined the 1P forces.
**** OUR DAILY BEAT - Entered combat in Wartown for the first time.
**** "LT" 1 - How close was the victim to his murderer? Investigated Joe Durst's office for the first time.
**** SOLDIER'S WAY 1 - Weird rituals...? Started investigating ERIK's mindset.
**** TAKE NO PRISONERS - Failed to keep Miles alive at Burg's.
**** ENEMY OF MY ENEMY - Allied with STEVE and his 2P forces.
**** STUCK IN DODGE - Took Sam Durst into 1P custody.
**** YOU NEED ME - Allowed Dane to return to duty.
**** MONEY TALKS 2 - It's all connected, and it doesn't look good... Made some progress investigating YAMA, EC and AC.
**** LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS - Trained with the 1P forces.
**** DEAL WITH THE DEMON 1 - Allied with the SIG forces...
**** BLITZ - Opted to raid the traphouse.
**** SNIPER BAN - Took down more than one target with the scoped rifle.
**** LAST MAN STANDING - Killed Ronnie at the traphouse.
**** SOLDIER'S WAY 2 - Ancient books, pottery, a spear, an orb...? Made some progress in investigating ERIK's mindset.
**** GRAVE MISTAKE - Arrested ERIK at the traphouse.
**** PAYBACK - Arrested SABA at the traphouse.
**** COMBAT COP 1 - Escaped the traphouse in style!
**** BOMB DEFEATED - Detonated the 'funeral pyre' without any casualties.
**** DEAL WITH THE DEMON 2 - Lost control of the case to the SIG forces.

>>Killed Ronnie in the traphouse.
>>Taking ERIK alive was a GRAVE MISTAKE.
Well, that sounds promising.

Thank you for this amazing adventure it was really a ton of fun!

>>1002258
Agreed!

Great story so far! For our first time out we kept a lot of people alive.