>>988646
Call out Contact and Man Down and start scanning. Sounds like the shooter is where the other sniper team was. Either they got fucked up and enemies appropriated their gear, or they are the ones firing. The guys inside should pop smoke inside and get in rooms without windows. The building seems big enough that it should have some.

It looks like Dane's rangefinder was hit, so she may be fine. If someone got hit by a claymore though... they are fucked. They are a directional mine that use C-4 to launch several hundred steel balls in a cone. More like a shotgun but worse. Given how many projectiles there are, and how they have the potential to ricochet, these guys are absolutely nuts to use them indoors.

Raise the other team on comms, and advise them that you seem to be taking fire from Aaron's position. Let them verify.

If we start shooting back and forth, things are not going to go well.

1/2 BAN 2021/02/26(Fri)01:25 No. 989187 ID: e30795
File 161433152133.jpg - (614.49KB , 1000x624 , cop170.jpg )

"Shit," you hiss. You set the rifle down, get low and rush for your fallen partner.

>"Motherfucker!!" Dane screams, writhing on the floor. "Fucking asshole! You fucking asshole!!" Much to your dismay, she's already trying to stand up again. Coming closer, you can see that the bullet hit high enough to pass through her shoulder pad without contacting flesh. Even if she's technically unharmed, though, she's still seriously dazed.

You manage to reach her and yank her back to the ground before another shot is fired. "Stay down," you order. When she protests, you start to forcibly drag your partner back toward cover.

You radio in the situation as you move. "This is Dunce 1, we've got a man down, they have snipers. Hammer team, stay away from the windows until we handle this."

>Dane punches your leg and struggles to get free. "Fuck you, I'm alright! I'm fine, goddammit!!"

>The radio's speaker distorts as gunfire gets picked up by someone's mic. "Do it fast, Dunce! We've got a man dying in here, we need to finish this!!"

>"Basement's clear, we're coming back up."

>"Hurry up, Dunce!" STEVE sounds haggard. More gunshots blow up the speaker. "We're moving soon!"

You turn back to Dane. She's trying to pull herself together, but she's clearly still rattled. "You okay?" you ask seriously. "What did you see?"

>She screws her eyes shut in pain. "Get off of me already, I said I'm fine, shithead. That fucking shit wasn't even facing the fucking traphouse anymore," she grunts. "He's dialed in on us, BAN. And his fucking spotter's nowhere to be seen."

2/2 BAN 2021/02/26(Fri)01:37 No. 989188 ID: e30795
File 161433223062.jpg - (627.12KB , 1286x680 , cop171.jpg )

Your stomach's turning as you grab your rifle and go for the radio again. You have an idea of what you have to do, but you want to be sure...

"The sniper fire appears to be coming from Dunce 5 and 6's position, can anyone confirm?" you ask warily.

>"We'll try to get eyes on it," KYLE says. "Stay low and I'll--"

>"Dunce 5 here," Aaron cuts in. "No need for that, don't strain yourselves. I can confirm that, I've been the one firing."

The voices of the team that went in through the garage start to interject.

>"What?!!"

>"Ronnie, what the fuck? You shot me and Ethan, you dipshit! Who the fuck is designating targets, is Chase blind?!"

>Aaron chuckles. "Well he does have a .308 through his eye at the moment, so I'd say so, yes..."

>"You son of a--!!" Another exchange of gunfire inside the building cuts radio chatter short.

>"Guys, it's been a fun few years. I really mean that," Aaron says. "But it's time for me to go, now. 'Dunce 5,' out."

The raid team blows up the comms, but there's no further response from Aaron.

There's no time to hesitate. You snap up and try to get a shot off at his position.

Aaron's faster. You instinctively duck again, and a round zips past your ear. A couple more suppressing shots follow shortly, each within centimeters of the spot where your head used to be. Pieces of the roof's wall are coming off with every shot.

>"Fuck this!" Dane yells. She pulls the brim of her hat lower and picks up her rangefinder again. "How are we gonna nail that son of a bitch?!"

>Sniper is a mole
You know his exact location, wait for a squad to storm the building he's in and use a drone to distract him.

>>989190
Yep. dude kinda fucked up here, I see no way for him to get out of this unless that building has some secret exit bullshit.

Okay, so the enemy had a headsup we were coming, hence the traps and the ambush. STEVE's gut instinct that there's still something to gain here had better be right given the blender it's turning into - and Aaron IS sacrificing his cover here, so maybe there's something to that. At least even if it's not there's less to lose to the actual loyal 2Ps (bit of a weeding process this, actually, since any survivors here are far less likely to be infil-traitors).

You just gotta... deal on the fly.

>>989191
Well, his 'way out' is to go out in a blaze of glory, giving someone else the chance to escape and carry the day - and to do the most damage to the 2Ps on his way out. That seems to be the MO of these mooks at least. When the chips are down they don't seem afraid to do and die. Which is one reason to refuse them that pleasure and get their asses cuffed and secured.

>How are we gonna nail this son of a bitch
Do some rapid-fire leadershippening.

Tell Hammer to shut up and link up ASAP or this could get even more FUBAR.

Tell STEVE comms are compromised. He needs to take local command and keep low until Dunce-5 eats shit.

Tell KYLE to start suppressing fire at Dunce 5 now now now (since compro-comms and Aaron was currently aimed at you).

Tell Dane to keep her head down and get her flashbangs out.

(Unless you can get a direct line to KYLE through the 1P network and bypass anything Aaron could listen in to?)

Then, crawl to the farthest point away on the roof from KYLE's direction, so if Aaron shifts to pop shots after KYLE you can try to get him in turn before he can reposition his aim. Count bullets - that's, what, six shots so far? No wait, seven shots - he shot his partner too. Once he's out of clip (however large that is) you've got a moment's breathing space to do A Thing in the open somewhat safely, whether it's dashing for his building, moving to a better position or throwing flashes at him.

Speaking of, could you BLIND THROW a flashbang onto his roof? Building's adjacent and the human dumbass doesn't wear his muffs. Between you and Dane you've got four flashbangs, so make 'em count. If her arm's good for a blind throw, she could pepper him while you leave the building and run for his. If not, you should throw when you feel you've got room for it and want to spoil his aim.

If Dunce 5 gets flashed and/or suppressed by KYLE, he is a shotgun shot - or a decent punch - away from being taken out of the picture. Consider ways of getting over to him. It's too far to jump, right?

If you pop your head up, it's going to come off.
What we need to do is distract him.
Get Dane to pass you her hat, then get on the radio and start distracting him. Question motive, question how many moles are in 2P, stuff like that. His responses don't really matter- we just need to break his concentration.
At some point poke the hat up over the railing so he keeps his eyes on you (and probably shoots the hat, keep your fingers safe!)
We just need to keep him shooting at us until KYLE can get an angle and put him down.

>>989202
This is a workable plan.

Proceed with the assault. He can't cover you and the entry team at the same time, so make him pick and get distracted.

>>989188
You need to find a way to change frequencies. We can't react over comms until our mole isn't listening. Assuming the 1P uses a different frequency for their radios internally, and that you are using the 2P frequency now, you could tell your guys to switch to that one and then on the new frequency, give them an arbitrary frequency to tell everyone near them to switch to.

>>989195
We don't know when he killed his spotter. Six bullets is a safer estimate.

--

Not really the time, but for better or worse, 2P is done. There is no coming back from this now that everyone here knows that they are compromised. Unlike one security camera, there is no way we can (or in good conscience, should) keep this covered up.

>>989235
SIG will probably have to send in a force to act as an interim police force while 2P is thoroughly interviewed and shaken down.

1/2 BAN 2021/02/28(Sun)17:07 No. 989520 ID: e30795
File 161456084192.jpg - (463.53KB , 1535x680 , cop172.jpg )

You duck a bit lower and get back on the radio. "Hammer team, go to radio silence immediately," you order rapidly. "This channel's compromised. Switch to local comms only and continue the assault."

Someone keys their radio once in acknowledgement, and the line goes quiet immediately.

"Dunce 3, switch frequencies now."

>KYLE picks up on what you're saying, and he's on the line when you switch to the 1P frequency. "What's the plan?"

"Suppress him, now," you say. You beckon Dane, and the two of you start shifting to the left corner of the roof. "We're going to keep him distracted, if his hands are full with us he can't shoot our guys."

>"We've got your back," KYLE says.

You hear KYLE fire once. There's no return fire--Aaron's probably trying to get into a safer position. You try to recall how many times he's fired so far--you're sure there have been six or seven shots, total. These rifles hold five rounds per magazine, so he's already reloaded at least once. How much extra ammunition did he bring with him though, you wonder...

>Dane shakes your shoulder roughly. "You still with me, motherfucker?" She asks, checking your eyes. "No daydreaming!"

"I'm still here," you say. You switch your radio back to the 2P frequency and hold out a hand. "Let me see your hat."

>Your partner touches the brim of her cap defensively. "Why...?"

"Just do it!" You key your radio. "Aaron, why are you doing this? I know you can hear me."

There's no response. You hear KYLE fire again.

"How many of you are there in the 2P?" You slowly raise Dane's cap until it's peeking over the top of the roof's wall. "Why move now, when you're in such a shitty position? Who could possibly be worth betraying your--!!"

Aaron puts a hole straight through Dane's cap. It falls to the floor a short distance from you.

2/2 BAN 2021/02/28(Sun)17:21 No. 989522 ID: e30795
File 161456171623.jpg - (614.53KB , 860x1001 , cop173.jpg )

>Dane makes an annoyed noise as she carefully retrieves the cap. "Dick," she grumbles. "This was my lucky one."

"It still is," you say, looking over your unscathed hand. You realize in hindsight just how easily you could have lost a finger, there...

You try to get Aaron's attention a few more times, but he either doesn't have his radio on or refuses to respond. Eventually, you switch back to your own frequency.

>KYLE sends several more rounds. "Reloading now. C'mon, look at me... Give me something...."

Another shot comes from Aaron's position, but it sounds a little different--that familiar snap of a bullet passing overhead is missing.

>"Oh he's looking, alright!!!" Devin's talking into his mic a little too loudly, and it keeps peaking. "He's shooting at us now, captain!!"

>"Dammit, I almost had a bead on him, too."

Another shot, and a round goes flying over your head again. Trying to cover both you and KYLE at the same time... He's putting up one hell of a fight, you think to yourself. You realize that there's probably no real 'way out' in Aaron's mind--the fucker's trying to go out swinging, like those vets from earlier. You have half a mind to deny him the pleasure, if you can just find an opening.

You glance above the parapet for a moment and try to judge the distance. "How's your throwing arm?" you ask Dane. "Think we could reach him with the flashbangs?"

>Your partner shakes her head. "Not from here, their fuses are too short. We'd have to get a lot closer."

You glance at the shotgun sitting at the other end of the roof. The distance is too long for you to jump to Aaron's position, but if you went off the side of the building and ran for it, maybe you could--!

All sniper fire stops for a moment as the traphouse erupts with gunfire. Much louder bangs are heard in between a cacophony of sustained small arms fire--some sound like flashbangs, others like claymores or other kinds of ordnance. Jesus, it really sounds like a warzone... STEVE's team must be making their move on the upper floors. Whether you want to take Aaron alive or dead, it's time to act fast.

>KYLE breaks the stalemate first, taking another potshot. He radios in when no fire gets sent back. "Hey, did I get him? He's crawling out from the corner... Devin, what do you think?"

>"No, look!! He's moving toward that body!!!"

>"He must need more ammo! I've got his head lined up, BAN, should I drop him?"

>>989522
Team action!
Grab the shotty and make like you're going charge. That should draw him out, making him a ripe target for KYLE.

"Aim for center mass! Use half your clip! Now!"
Throw a grenade or whatever you can, then quickly return to cover.

Can Kyle aim to cripple?

If so, we have a chance to interrogate him after this mess is over.

BAN, how're you at skeet?
If Dane could underhand a flashbang most of the way, and you could tag it with your shotgun, you could send it towards the roof before it blows.

It's a slim chance, but with buckshot, you might just do it.

Guys, the issue with the grenades isn't whether we could throw something that far - it's that the flashbang will go off in mid-air long before it arrives.

"Take the shot."

Capturing Aaron alive would guarantee that this mission is a technical "success." Still, it's more important for us to get back to supporting the raid as soon as possible, and there is the danger of countersnipers appearing in the building itself.

>>989522
take him out, shooting to injure just means he'll plug himself or keep going through the pain.

We have an entire traphouse to focus on right now, we don't need our sniper support out of commission for this.

>>989522
Kill him. There's no point trying to spare him. We've got bigger fish to fry with the raid. Besides, he's dirty and a copkiller. Won't survive the week tops.

Pop him, KYLE. The situation is too precarious to go for anything fancier. We need to get back to supporting the raid team.

>>989543
The chances of this going bad are way too high. I wouldn't trust the flashbang to survive the hit. It could go off on impact or, more likely, it just won't go off.

>>989527
Don't use more bullets than necessary. Keep it clean.

>>989545
To be honest, even if we capture them, they probably have a cyanide capsule or something in a fake tooth. These guys are too professional not to.

Take it.

He has both overwatch teams pinned, and already seems resigned to death. There's a good chance even if you can wing him he'd suicide before you had the chance to interrogate him. Not worth losing the chance to take him out.

1/2 BAN 2021/03/05(Fri)04:28 No. 989984 ID: 88966b
File 161494729844.jpg - (686.98KB , 1660x700 , cop174.jpg )

You weigh all of your options in a splitsecond. You struggle to find an outcome where the bastard doesn't end up dead, by his own hand if not by yours. Ultimately, you have bigger fish to fry... "Take the shot," you order tersely. "Keep it clean."

KYLE fires once.

>Devin takes a deep, shaky breath before making his report. "He's down, captain! H-his head popped, I saw it myself...!"

"Good work, you two." You raise your rifle to confirm it yourself. Damn, KYLE really is a great marksman...

You don't have long to celebrate the victory, though--the gunfire still hasn't let up inside the building. The larger explosions are becoming more sporadic, but the firefight appears to be far from over. You and Dane hurry back to your original firing position and resume overwatch.

2/2 BAN 2021/03/05(Fri)04:34 No. 989986 ID: 88966b
File 161494768105.jpg - (340.23KB , 800x796 , cop175.jpg )

>Dane tsks as she scans the traphouse with her binoculars. "I can't see jack shit," she growls. "Whatever's happening in there, they're not staying in the windows for long."

You can't see anything of note through your scope, either. The longer you go without seeing a clear target, the more concerned you become.

This uneasy holding pattern continues for several grueling minutes. You watch empty windows as the sounds of combat become more and more spaced-out. Eventually, the gunfire stops altogether.

>You crouch in silence for a moment longer. Eventually, Dane glances at you. "Is it over...?"

Movement on the first floor catches your eye. You aim at the front door and pray...

You catch sight of a battered-looking STEVE for just a moment. He pokes his head outside, then ducks back in. You think you could see him talking--you switch back to the raid team's frequency on your radio.

>"--hear me? Dunce, what's the situation out there?" STEVE risks one more peek out the front door. "Dammit, somebody answer me! Is it safe to come out?!"

Yeah, you had a mole infestation, but KYLE fixed it.

Tell us what you found.

It's safe. Give us the bad news, Steve.

Should be safe, but proceed with caution.
What's the story on their end? Did we win?

"Steve, our Sniper was a sleeper agent. We took heavy losses but at least he's dead."

"Had to deal with a mole there, but it should be safe now. How are things on your end?"

>>989986
Tell them your scope is clear, but keep their heads on a swivel.
To be clear, we are probably out of the woods, but we don't want to get killed just cuz we let our guard down once the hard part was over.
Don't talk about moles or spys unless you are directly asked. Save it for the debriefing.

1/3 BAN 2021/03/13(Sat)14:03 No. 991062 ID: 88966b
File 161567301880.jpg - (429.52KB , 1354x650 , cop176.jpg )

"My scope's clear," you respond. You decide to save the mole talk for the debriefing... "Proceed with caution, but it should be safe. How are things on your end?"

>STEVE staggers out of the doorway and into view, flanked by Hugo. "Half of our guys are injured, and my sergeant.... It doesn't look good for him. They had mines set up right on top of that first stairway. We've already got paramedics on the way."

Jesus... You feel a little callous about asking this, but you need to know. "Did we win?"

>You see STEVE glance back inside. "Oh, we won alright," he says darkly. "You're gonna want to come see this."

2/3 BAN 2021/03/13(Sat)14:23 No. 991064 ID: 88966b
File 161567419486.jpg - (680.04KB , 1053x800 , cop177.jpg )

You and Dane climb down from your firing position and cautiously approach the scene. As you cross the street, HALE's group pulls up in their SUVs.

>STEVE meets you on the front lawn. He looks like shit, and his helmet is missing. The right sleeve of his shirt is torn up, and you can't tell if the blood staining it is his or someone else's. "Just in time for the parade," he remarks.

Several men come shuffling outside, hands cuffed behind their backs. They're escorted by a few haggard raid team members. It looks like every arrest was someone like yourself. They're hurried over to HALE's SUVs. You see her injecting something into each of their arms before loading them into the vehicles...

>"Five grunts taken alive. There's twelve more of these fucks lying dead in there," STEVE says as he watches two more prisoners get brought out. "There were a few guys on the first floor, but the rest made their stand on the second. It was bad in there, BAN, even for this part of town... Thank god that your guys held up, because it took all of us just to get through it."

"Was there anyone on the third floor?" you ask.

STEVE's expression sours. He crosses his arms and stares at the ruined doorway.

ERIK strides out, with SABA close behind. They're quickly followed by the rest of your guys, and a couple more of STEVE's.

>"They were waiting on the top floor, unarmed. Just fucking sitting there like they were villains out of some cartoon." STEVE narrows his eyes as he looks at ERIK. "I clocked that son of a bitch with my helmet. In self defense, of course..."

>"You should've gotten them both," Dane growls. She's recognized SABA from this morning's skirmish. Her glare doesn't come off of him until he's shoved into the back of an SUV.

When he sees you, ERIK approaches without hesitation. The other cops scream at him to keep moving but he ignores them, instead planting his feet a short distance from you. He's handcuffed and sporting a huge bruise on his face, but he somehow feels even more threatening than before.

>"I murdered Jonathan Durst," he says flatly. "And you've just killed or arrested all of my accomplices. Case closed, lieutenant."

"Captain," you correct, bristling.

>"Shut the fuck up," STEVE snaps at his ex-partner. He turns back to you. "That's all he's felt like saying since we put the cuffs on him. I'm sure you'll have fun picking his brain, later."

>"I'm sure I will," ERIK says. He doesn't even acknowledge the glare that STEVE shoots him. "We've got plenty to catch up on, LT."

Before either of you can respond, he turns and walks calmly toward HALE.

Every 2P cop's eyes follow ERIK as he joins the line of perps. They're hiding their emotions well, but you get the feeling that they're all holding back the urge to jump him. So much for keeping the reputation of STEVE's precinct out of the dirt, you think grimly. There's no coming back from what's happened, here--for better or worse, the 2P might be out of commission for a long time.

>STEVE notices that he's been holding his pistol in a vicegrip this entire time. He roughly jams it into its holster. "Piece of shit," he hisses. "I don't fucking understand him..."

Vincent, Walker and Pete move to load into the SUVs as well. They'll assist HALE's group in processing the arrests and getting them into cells. As they pass by you, you catch a glimpse of their faces. You see a little too much of yourself in those expressions...

>"Come on," STEVE says. He heaves a sigh and walks back inside. "You two should check this place out."

3/3 BAN 2021/03/13(Sat)14:40 No. 991065 ID: 88966b
File 161567521571.jpg - (660.22KB , 1490x800 , cop178.jpg )

You hand the sniper rifle to one of STEVE's men and enter the traphouse.

The entryway to the building is an utter mess. You gingerly step over the remains of the door that Hugo burst through. You hear pained cries coming from upstairs, interrupted occasionally by someone talking softly. To your right and further down the hall, you can already see a couple of corpses...

>STEVE makes his way through the sea of bullet casings toward the stairway. "I'm gonna stick with KEN until the medics get here," he says. He gestures in a few different directions. "This floor's just full of stock trap trash, but the basement... You should just see it, I don't know how to describe it. There's some strange things on the third floor, too. The second floor's gruesome, but there might be something there if you check under enough bodies..."

Out of habit, you check your watch. Only 8:48... The battle had felt longer, out on the roof.

>"I'll stick with you, boss," Dane says, warily taking off her ear protection. "What should we do first...?"

Trust HALE to follow up on whether ERIK is lying about being completely foiled, at least for now.

> Hiding his pre-army past.
> Manipulating soldiers long before 'The Operation.'
> Still seems fixated on what happened in the war.

"Shit... I think I've already figured out what ERIK's deal is."

Do make a note to have Agent HALE look into that missing history - specifically, how he entered the army, or whether he even officially did in any capacity besides official records... My new theory is that ERIK isn't mad about what happened to the soldiers on the winning side; he's mad about who the winning side even was. It... perfectly explains why he seemed to be planning a massacre of some kind. It's not to make noise or further some occult plot; it's to take revenge. It was just his good fortune that his cover wasn't blown at the war's end.

Do head to the third floor, though; that's probably where the high concept records and other evidence lies.

>LT
Maybe that was supposed to be army LT, as opposed to police?

>>991065
...Is that a fucking bong back there? Weird thing to notice considering everything else, but what the fuck? What were these people doing?

Detective Calliou, you are not wrong:
>>984080

Let us check the third floor first. ERIK was up there planning his move, after all.

>>991064 Haha, looks like we caught ourselves a volto, guys.

>>991077
Like he said, stock trap trash.
I'm assuming that's KEN making that noise, in which case I doubt there's anything we can do for him. We ought check out the other floors. Let's go from the bottom up, start with the basement.

We start from the bottom up, I think. We don't have any time pressure right now, so we can take our time and get a full catalog of weird militia bullshit. We're gonna need it when we go after the billionaire.

>>991077
Fucking chilling, bro!

>>991074
Almost definitely, however that rank most likely carried over to the police, and if it ever came to that, BAN's new rank would most likely carry back over to the military. Just one of those things with a police force that is technically part of the military.

This seemed a bit anticlimactic (which it sometimes is). You would think that the group would be smarter than put all of their eggs in one basket. Especially when they had all of those connections. Something seems a bit sus. Also, before you start exploring the basement, you may want to grab a gas mask, just in case. Someone here probably has one you can use, and if not, there are probably at least a few in one of the trucks.

Watch out for mines and wires that may not have been triggered earlier.

--

>2p
The 2p is probably pretty fucked right now. That being said, they have a lot of equipment and the 1p has good people. I wonder if we couldn't suggest a merger (even if only temporary) to higher command.

--
Do I spy Muschio fucking Malto being loaded into the middle vehicle? :D

>>991064
>unarmed
>openly admitting his crimes
>they were just sitting there and let themselves get arrested after a token fight

I have a very bad feeling that getting caught was part of the plan. make sure we get them locked up at 1p, we don't want them on familiar ground.

Chances the organisation was set up with a top-down command structure rather than with independent cells? Damn near zero. Arresting ERIK is going to do pretty much nothing in stopping whatever shit they intend to pull.
Priorities:
- Any group photos or other items that could help identify members of other cells (too much to hope they're dumb enough to keep a roster list, but finding phones with contact lists, letters with return addresses, anything that could point towards other parts of the network)
- Potential targets. Tourist pamphlets, photos of buildings, travel guides, bus timetables, event posters, anything that indicates they have been scouting a location and/or event.
- Goals. While not much use in the near term, figuring out what they hell they want may give hints as to potential future moves.

BAN 2021/03/20(Sat)19:17 No. 992324 ID: e30795
File 161629307491.jpg - (930.13KB , 1009x900 , cop179.jpg )

Before you investigate anywhere, you step outside and borrow two gas masks from a couple of STEVE's men. If there are any undiscovered traps in the house, it's better to be safe than sorry... You're already forming a plan of attack on your way back in. The time pressure is off, so you'll do your best to be thorough. You'll keep an eye out for anything that could help reveal more about ERIK's men, their goals or any of their potential targets.

You decide to go from the bottom and work your way up. With Dane close behind, you make your way through the mess on the first floor and descend the stairs toward the basement.

>Your partner sniffs the air and wrinkles her nose as you get close to the bottom. "Their stash is down here somewhere," she says. "Smells like a shitton of weed, and something else..."

You reach the basement. Multiple wooden crates are placed haphazardly near the stairs, and more are piled along the right wall. You see several bloodstains on the floor, but they don't look recent. In the center of the room is some kind of metal rod, jutting out of a pile of sand. You see a collection of tools and a workbench over to the left. Along the back wall, several familiar-looking vases sit on either side of a stone pedestal. A glass ball sits on top of it.

You sniff around a little. The air down here is thick with the scent that Dane picked up on. There's definitely a large amount of rather poorly-stored weed hiding down here, but this other scent...? You're not quite sure what it is. It reminds you of that smell that appears right before a heavy thunderstorm.

Two raid team members are down here already, poking around carefully. They seem to be doing fine without masks--whatever the strange smell is, it doesn't appear to be dangerous.

>The nearest cop nods to the two of you. He looks relieved when he notices the rank on Dane's hat. "Sarge! We were supposed to handle finding evidence down here but we can't make heads or tails of this shit," he says, looking embarrassed. "This might be out of our paygrade, ma'am. We can't even find their stash... Could you give us a hand?"

>"We'll handle it," Dane says. She jerks a thumb at you. "The captain's good at this kind of shit."

>The cop heaves a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. Check out whatever you want down here, we'll give you a hand if you need anything."

Suggestion 2021/03/20(Sat)19:33 No. 992328 ID: eb1fcc
File 161629401744.png - (1.11MB , 1009x900 , do these.png )

>>992324
Here's what leaps out at me. The hidden wall-panels or marks of something that got taken down seem mildly important, but I have no idea what that thing on the ceiling is. If it's a boiler, that means the other is fake and might be where the stash is.

The smell is... probably ozone, so we should be careful about electrical traps? make sure we're insulated before faffing about with anything.

Oookay, so the smell you can't quite placer might be ozone or humid air, and this Is obviously these people's death cult worship room.
Let's see if can get more insight on their mindset.

>>992324
Take a look inside the UCS box- that's military, right?
Check out the nature of the tools on the workbench. Woodworking, metalworking, electronic repair? It looks like there are notes posted to it as well.
Are the rest of the crates just full of weed? Make sure.
Finally, examine the pottery, crystal ball and eye mural. What kind of familiar are the vases? Nostalgic, something you saw in a documentary, something you saw in the military, something primal?

Oh, there was a safe behind the painting up on the first floor. Make a mental note to check that after we get out of this pit.

Remember to tell DANE about how they got U.C.S. goods in here; the feds are the ones who're best at following cross-jurisdiction clerical trails.

I got no input elsewise that others didn't already cover.

1/3 BAN 2021/03/28(Sun)17:48 No. 993610 ID: e30795
File 161697889209.jpg - (697.98KB , 980x757 , cop180.jpg )

You realize what that strange scent may be as you step further into the room. "It smells like ozone down here," you tell Dane. "Could there be some kind of electrical trap down here...?"

>Your partner pulls a heavy-looking pair of gloves out from the inside of her vest. "I've got it," she says, pulling them on over her usual pair. "Just tell me what you want moved."

You walk over to the open crate near the workbench. Three beaten-up assault rifles are sitting inside of it. They've seen better days, but they're definitely military-issue. 'U.C.S.' is printed on the underside of the lid in stock army font... You'll be sure to let HALE know about this.

With Dane taking point, you proceed to check inside the other crates. The ones closest to the stairs carry a number of frag grenades, pistols and SMGS. Underneath the lids are more UCS labels. The crates along the far wall house several battle rifles, a collection of small pots and some kind of long leather case.

>"Is this for that thing?" Dane muses, waving the case at the pole in the center of the room.

You examine the metal rod in the sand. It's a spear, buried blade-first. You can feel yourself becoming more on edge as you stare at it, although you're not sure why. The closer you get to it, the more uncomfortable you feel... It may just be your imagination, but the ozone smell seems to be stronger near it.

>"BAN...?" Your partner elbows you gently. "You there?"

"Er, yeah," you say, snapping out of your trance.

You turn away from the spear and shift your focus to the shrine on the back wall. This giant eye mural creeps you out... It seems to be a larger version of their company's insignia. Seeing it reminds you of the banner in Joe Durst's office, and the safe behind it--you make a note to check the banner on the first floor for similar secrets. Speaking of Joe's office, these vases look a lot like his as well. You look over the crystal ball last. It's partially filled with some sort of clear red liquid. It doesn't look like blood, you think, but you're not sure what else it could be... Now that you're up close, you realize that the substance seems to be letting off a very dim light.

2/3 BAN 2021/03/28(Sun)17:52 No. 993612 ID: e30795
File 161697916470.jpg - (450.02KB , 1200x679 , cop181.jpg )

You leave the obvious macguffins alone for now, and turn your attention back to the workbench. Sitting on top of its main table is a food scale, an officer-issue pistol and a metal file. A torn piece of paper near the file seems to detail the proper steps for getting rid of serial numbers. On the wall beside the table, several power tools and a toolbox are hanging on metal hooks. You notice what looks like a trap door on the floor beside the workbench--opening it reveals the source of the overpowering weed smell.

>One of the 2P cops lets out a hoarse laugh when he sees the stash. "They put up this much of a fight over a couple pounds of street grass? I thought STEVE had sicced us on a bunch of cartel guys, or something."

>"Bullshit, this is what KEN'S dying up there for?" The other cop looks around the basement, dismayed. "Whatever this shit is, some military surplus and some weed?"

You notice several things posted onto the workbench with thumb tacks--Dane pulls them off and hands them to you for closer inspection.

The first thing that catches your eye is a photograph. A squad of soldiers poses in front of their unit's flag. You recognize a few faces--that's definitely a much younger Sam, Miles and SABA in the front row. You have a feeling that you'd find more familiar faces if you went through the bodies upstairs...

Another photo features several of the same soldiers crowded around a rough-looking ERIK. A book is lying on the ground in front of him. Sam is holding what looks to be the same spear that's sitting in front of you now. Everyone looks a lot more serious in this photo...

A hastily-written note is attached to the bench, as well:

'- EMERGENCY PLANZ -'
'1. STASH THE WEED'
'2. ARM FUCK-YOU FUSE, 2 HRS'
'3. ARM THE SAFE (CODE IS DEPLOYMENT DATE)'
'4. TOKE UP'
'5. KISS YOUR AZZ GOODBYE'

>Dane's been reading along, too. She looks up at you, confused. "Arm a fuse...?"

3/3 BAN 2021/03/28(Sun)18:00 No. 993613 ID: e30795
File 161697960136.jpg - (396.05KB , 1200x649 , cop182.jpg )

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
File 161749128917.jpg - (574.76KB , 1100x731 , cop183.jpg )

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
File 161937128185.jpg - (426.20KB , 900x899 , cop186.jpg )

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
File 161937159756.jpg - (671.19KB , 1800x759 , cop187.jpg )

>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.

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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.