OP MK: Lights Out
The Dominion guards having been safeguarding one of their empire's most important assets were sure quite accommodating to the point of ushering their assignment without much questioning except at the door. It was quite a remarkable revelation, to see the inefficiency and lack of caution demonstrated by the empire itself.
A true combination of their fragility and their loud ignorantly confident emperor perhaps, Baesili thought. The service elevator with everyone inside climbed each floor with speed, a significantly quicker way to get from where they were to where they were going, but it was without any checkpoints or security measures except a CCTV camera stationed in the corner protected by reinforced concealment glass. The elevator began slowing down in speed as it lifted near the top floor. A small jerk occurred as the elevator leveled signaling to everyone for departure. The doors opened with a Dominion security team ready for escorting them to their ship. Sgt. Donovan followed the team and their primary escort who nudged prisoner Williams forward. Down the long corridor, everyone walked with CO Tobias Jones at the gate.
When arriving at the gate, just before their ship's entrance, Tobias Jones held his fist up with his elbow at 90 degrees to gesture a "halt" order. His security team fell right in place as the two holding Mr. Williams took one more step forward. Tobias Jones approached Mr. Williams with a demeaning look in his eyes, "May they put you somewhere even darker than here, better yet, may our fearless emperor find it best to execute you from our line altogether." The prisoner for the first time looked up and began chuckling under his breath which evolved into strong overt laughter. Tobias annoyed and confused stepped aside motioning his men to continue moving him into the ship. Major Baesili and her team followed suit, Tobias placing his shoulder as Sgt. Donovan walked by, "show no mercy to that one, and let our commander-in-chief know what good work we've done here." Donovan was in slight disbelief as to how much trust this Tobias Jones gave them, he didn't really understand the best way to respond but he did, "he already knows." The light in Tobias' eyes glowed, he nodded Donovan off and took his leave down the corridor with his security team following.
The Bloodhounds all mounted ensuring their captive was strapped to his seat, the primary Dominion escorts disembarked and Major Baesili shut the door, pinging the intercom, "Alright boys, get us home!" Helios 4 disengaged connections from the port they were docked on shifting their transmission as they began gaining speed.
"Sir!" One of the security guards of Tobias Jones called out, "What is it, Pvt. Lovingstones?" The private extended his arm which in the palm had an envelope sealed with the Dominion's crest at the center. It was addressed specifically to Tobias Jones, "What is this?" Tobias questioned before pulling it from the private's hands. The private responded, "The female who was apart of that team who just picked up the prisoner, she gave it to me when we were strapping the prisoner into his seat, she said it was from Octo Smith himself!" Tobias Jones' face lit up a bit more,
maybe he was recognizing his faithfulness, at last, he thought! Tobias had his doubts when this strange unannounced visit began, but he decided to trust in his empire and emperor, was it a reward for not questioning deeper than he had? Was it a promotion due to his ability to maintain and produce quality security professionals at their orbital maximum prison? Tobias was ready, he had been here longer than he wanted, but regardless of the sentiment, he would serve his leader faithfully.
"Thank you, back to your posts everyone, the field trip visit is over." Tobias retreated to his quarters.
Tobias walked into his office and over to his cold steel desk, a large dome window overlooked the nothingness of space to his right, "Ok Stewart, play my favorites." The A.I. pinged on confirming the request as a melodic score flooded into his office. He sat down and placed the letter on his desk, picking up his envelope cutter, he slid the blade from right to left. His fingers tucking between the cut, a thin piece of paper revealed itself as he captured it between his fingers. His heart was beating with excitation. The front was without any words, flipping the letter over, two words were printed neatly at the center, "Thank you." Tobias looked over at a picture of Octo Smith located on his desk, slightly disappointed, yet slightly relieved as well, "You are welcome." Tobias leaned back in his seat to take a minute, "At least I was recognized for a job well done," Tobias said out loud to himself before a call screamed over his personal comm at the corner of his desk.
"Commander! We have a problem!" The caller screamed with panic, Tobias confused leaned forward from the chair pressing the button to respond, "And?" The caller taking a few moments before responding, "The transfer documents you handed over to me..." Tobias listening to the sound in the caller's voice told him it wasn't - "They didn't clear sir, we were tricked." Tobias' face dropped into shock, "Sir, what do we do?" Tobias knew the ship had more than found its way to safety by now, the letter was to ensure his mind was preoccupied, and someone in their department when running the screening of those documents failed at being urgent. There was nothing to do, "Thank you, I will let you know." Tobias clicked off the communication device stationed on his desk, he reached down pulling a drawer open drawing out a large cigar. The sounds of his favorite score filled his ears, he slowly inhaled the sweetness of his cigar. He thought of his life, his decisions, his loved ones, and those he believed he had served faithfully, a tear escaping his eyes he looked at the picture of Octo Smith, "You will not let this one go..." Tobias whispered. Leaning forward he placed the picture face down, leaning back once more closing his eyes, once again sifting through memories of his forgotten lives.
His right hand moved to the side of his hip unholstering the weapon given to him on the day of his assigned position, little did he think it would be the tool of his demise. The pistol was gripped with heavy hands, shaking hands. Tobias took out the cigar from his mouth, dropped it on his desk, and before he could turn back, raised the pistol and hammer firing one round through the silence of his mind,
it was a good show...lights out my friends, were the last thoughts blown away from Tobias Jones and the tale of his life.
Denizen: Ignition
It had been two weeks after Lilith's visit from Neema. She was in a vulnerable position, stuck between two larger forces at play and she wasn't accustomed to feeling like a mouse in a science lab.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Rain poured from overhead on Lilith's black luxury sedan as her driver rolled up the privacy window before Lilith answered her call. Lilith a bit uneasy while also annoyed clicked the accept button, "Hello?" Gordon's voice emerged from the other end, "Good morning Lily my dear, are you ready?" Lilith had planned with her crew for weeks, now 600m from the location, "Yes, my crew moves in 5 minutes." There were two operations underway, the first was targetted at one of the central banks in the city, the second was a data center owned by a subsidiary company under Bastion Enterprise, whose headquarters had been bombed by the Martinet months ago. The bank would receive most of the response, with the data center receiving little at first until whoever owned this company realized what was stored there. This was what Neema wanted, the data, and this is what Dizzy wanted...the question for Lilith, what was in the data that was so important for both criminals and the OPAO? And why was the OPAO willing to deal with this criminally?
Gordon responded, "Good. I sent over the GPS coordinates for the drop, be there in exactly 1hr30min from kick-off. If you are not, we will assume you've been compromised and abort." The phone clicked and Lilith pulled it from her eat to view the coordinates, "The train yard." She grabbed a walkie-talkie sitting next to her on the black leather seats, "Bentley, Jax, and Kim, make your bank." The signal to execute the heist was confirmed.
Denizen: The Heist
Twelve people were accounted for by the security teams located in the CCTV monitoring rooms. Twelve people entered the Daedalous Central Bank storming the security checkpoints and holding the lobby hostage. Four more unidentified stormed from the rooftop after having been let in earlier that day as a third party contractor for site surveying new construction. Four more revealed themselves in different office areas of the bank as service workers. In total 20 criminals hi-jacked strategic points of contention quickly overthrowing any resistance from security personnel, all possible because of Neema's strings. Everyone was brought down into the lobby while high officials were used for opening secure doors to retrieve the money located in the basement vault. Security had achieved one successful feat of their job, notifying the authorities.
Only 5 minutes had passed, enough time for an organized crime syndicate to get its fortifications in order, but not enough to get them in and out without some of this ending in a shootout. The bank had been swarmed by police, helicopters were dispatched, and Daedolous' most elite tactical officers arrived on the scene for briefing.
Back at the data center, Kim, and three others of Lilith's crew were assigned to gain entry using employee ID cards pulled off workers while they slept cozily in their beds. They had gained incredible access up until a point, they were questioned when an ID pinged on the central system due to a denial of access. When an officer approached them about why they were trying to gain access, he was quickly dispatched with a bullet. His ID was then used to gain further entrance into the data center. The security was alarmed after one of their own went down, but by the time they alarmed the building, Kim and her crew had hostages while in the supercomputer room. Her crew began linking into the data center's supercomputer downloading all the information they were asked to retrieve. Security teams called for back-up by local authorities but their response time was slow due to the bank heist occupying much of their resources. By the time police arrived at the data center and security caught them up to speed for a tactical team to move in, Kim and her crew had rigged one of the walls with explosives. Blowing a hole through the wall, they exited after rigging the room with more explosives to detonate after escaping. The hole they exited from opened up into the warehouse of the data center, there were two trucks labeled Bastion Logistics.
Security informed the tactical team about the explosion and the criminals moving through their warehouse via CCTV monitoring. The tactical officers who already prepared to enter the supercomputer door rushed their response to move through and chase after them. One of the members of Kim's squad looked down at their forearm monitor, "They are inside." Kim stopped to look at the hole they'd just made and raised the detonator pushing the button as one of the officers began moving through the hole. The room shattered like glass throwing the officers and it's mechanical contents all over. The ceiling came crashing down in the room as it lost some of its structure sealing the hole as well.
Kim and her crew got into the two trucks, hot-wired their ignitions, and exited the warehouse. The security team monitoring the CCTV's were shocked as they reported to the tactical command center, and the mobile tactical command center also in disbelief reported to their authorities.
Meanwhile, the bank under siege became a blood bath, one of the vaults had been opened but there three more consecutive vaults within it that had to be opened before retrieving the money. One of the officials of the bank failed at disarming their captor and was shot in the head. During the conflict, a second official grew a pair and also tried to create confusion but was struck in the leg. The rest were tossed up against the wall after having been struck a couple of times to maintain order. Outside in the lobby, the shots could be heard which dropped hope for many of those bound together by their armed assailants. Eventually, the tactical teams made entry through a helicopter on the roof after negotiations failed and gunshots were heard. A brief shootout occurred on top of the roof with fire exchanging from three criminals and a team of officers. Losing only one officer in the fray to a shoulder shot, the criminals were neutralized. The team began clearing floor by floor moving to the lobby. The fourth vault was opened after two more officials were consecutively executed due to failures in cooperating. The last two saved themselves by forking over the last codes. Several hostages made a plan to overthrow their captives after hearing over the radio that tactical teams had successfully made entry from above. These hostages managed to kill an assailant but did not make it out with their lives.
The second tactical team used a ladder on the backside to move in on the middle floors after the top floors had been cleared. The second team met no resistance as they cleared the middle floors linking up with the first team who made entry minutes prior. The third and fourth teams were waiting to enter from the front of the lobby on opposite sides for the final showdown. The money in vault four was secured, packaged, and moved to the elevators located in the back of the lobby. Seconds later, four tactical teams popped smoke grenades from above and below quickly filling up the room. In the disorientation, officers were able to subdue several assailants, only having to shoot four, and chasing 4 who had escaped by elevators. Apparently, after the tactical teams cut the power to the bank to eliminate the use of utilities like elevators, the criminal masterminds had tapped into the back-up generator located inside the bank in its engineering room allowing them to use basic services including the elevator. Making their way to the roof with money bags, they began moving to the South West edge of the building. One of the police department helicopters intercepted with a marksman positioned inside of the hull. The marksman took their shots before each of the heisters leaped off the edge, one of the heisters feeling a piercing pain through the back of their leg which tripped them off the edge instead. The heister who was shot could not orient their equipment in time and hit the concrete floor below.
The other three heisters pulled chutes as they came down fast. They were going to land on Cantee Bridge which was under repairs with no traffic in sight. Upon landing, authorities had already assumed their LZ and caught up, the three tried escaping but were pinned down in a firefight. This was where Lilith was supposed to have more help and their escape vehicles. There were none...the three realized their roles and went out in a blaze of thieving glory.
Denizen: The Betrayer
Kim and her crew had lost the authorities, over the radio they were listening to the reports of chaos ensuing in the city around the Central Bank. Kim had switched the truck out for a low-profile sedan sitting underneath an overpass. Her crew had already split their own ways once the switch was completed. Kim drove up next to Lilith's vehicle as they both slid their windows down.
"Well done, Kim." Lilith looked across at Kim's eyes whose face remained stone cold. Kim extended her arm which contained a pack of USBs. The USBs contained all the important files asked to be retrieved by Lilith and all her different overlords. Lilith met Kim's hands embracing the pack pulling it into her car, then extended her hand once more to give Kim and her crew their dues. It was a code for accessing a large sum account of cryptocurrency, "May you choose a different path before this one swallows you up," Lilith said as she rolled up her window. Kim not yet processing the remark heard chattering over the radio about the Central Bank incident leading to the Cantee Bridge shootout where everyone apart of the heist had been killed. There were reports of at least 5 assailants apprehended, 4 shot and wounded, and 9 dead. Kim however remembered there were at least 20, two were unaccounted for.
Lilith's driver strolled her away to the GPS coordinates she gave to him. They were crossing to the other side of the city away from all the police activity. She was rather displeased that the bank heist had been set up to fail, to send her crews into a situation where there'd be no return, but as the criminal life cuts it, they'd have done the same. She arrived at the train yard with the pack in hand. A second car arriving at the other end of where Lilith was parked, her phone rang, she picked up, "Gordon?"
"Yes, drive to the open warehouse to our East." The phone clicked off, Lilith ordered her driver to follow the directions and they gradually rode into the warehouse where a second vehicle was stationed at the center with four armed men, including Gordon. The first vehicle kept its distance positioning 18 car lengths from the warehouse entrance. Lilith was blocked in, she wasn't sure if Gordon had intentions of letting her leave today. Lilith exited her vehicle with her driver gripping his rifle at the dash in case things went south. Approaching Gordon she stood face-to-face her heels clicking on the pavement echoing her masked confidence, "I have what you asked for, am I to assume you do too or are you planning to make sure I don't leave?" Lilith asked. Gordon chucked, "No Lily my dear, you are not to be harmed so long as everything I need is exactly where it should be." Lilith albeit disliked Gordon, he was a man who kept his word, a word that has been used for quite some evil deeds, but none the less he said exactly what he'd do without much coating. As she was about to hand over the pack to Gordon a shot split the moment, Gordon was shunned to the floor, and Lilith ducked for cover moving toward Gordon's armed men, "What the f***!" The armed men quickly secured Gordon pulling him into the vehicle while throwing Lilith in too, a second shot clipped one of the protection agents, a third clipping another. Gordon's courier pressed on the petal to escape as a fourth shot ended Lilith's driver's life as he attempted to exit the vehicle to support her.
"Who was that!" Lilith screamed as Gordon applied pressure to his wound, "I don't know." His breath was shallow, "Driver get us to Dizzy." Lilith was pinned by Gordon's security team unable to move as two agents occupied the vehicle with them. Gordon looked at Lilith, "Were you followed?" Lilith quickly responded, "No, I don't think so, we were careful about how we got here." Gordon crunched his teeth in pain, "Dammit it's cold." One of the agents interrupted, "7 minutes ETA!" One of the agents had been preparing a blood clotter, he injected the clotter into the wound releasing the foam which quickly expanded and hardened to shut the wound up. They laid him down on his back across the seat, an agent called out, "ETA 3 minutes!" Gordon looked at Lilith again as her face was shifting into all kinds of emotions, "It looks like you will be meeting Dizzy in the flesh then." Lilith collected herself, "I wish it had been on calmer terms." Gordon chuckled, "She doesn't like you Lily, but your ability to get things done impress her." Lilith smiled, "Yeah, she certainly won't be impressed you were shot over me." Gordon chuckled again, "Stop with the jokes, it hurts, I wasn't shot over you, this package you got, it's bigger than all of us, I got shot because of what is contained inside...we aren't the only ones after it."
The car stopped, Lilith was brought out onto an airstrip with a single jet. A well-dressed woman with blue slacks and a blue buttoned-up coat stood at the base of the jet's steps. A security team standing by with one of the agents holding a black umbrella over their client. The rain had been coming down all-day, a fitting atmosphere to the events from which just unfolded in Daedalous, then again it rained in Daedalous quite often, it wasn't really a rare occasion, but fitting nonetheless.
An injured Gordon and nervous Lilith were escorted from their car to the jet, the well-dressed woman waved one of her security members to fetch Gordon and bring him up the jet steps. She then introduced herself, "Lilith, I am Dizzy Martin, the principal of the Martinet, a pleasure to have finally made this opportunity to meet such a skilled woman as yourself. There just isn't enough of us out here really showing the world what a woman is capable of when unleashed from the coils of our indoctrinated roles, thank you for bringing Gordon home safely, and meeting our needs." The rain pouring down on Lilith's face as her makeup began dripping from the water mixing in, Dizzy thought Gordon had the package, he didn't since she never had the chance to hand it over, but here was the moment Neema said she had to decide on, "Of course, but what's next! We were attacked at the warehouse, I lost my driver, and I still haven't received my payment." Dizzy waved her hand again and a member of the security team from Gordon's crew walked over handing Lilith keys.
"Everything you need is in the trunk, the car is yours, and your services are no longer needed. After today, the Martinet will be in your hands, our accounts and dealings are all located in the back of that trunk, call Simon, he will be able to get it all set-up for you." Lilith was confused at what was being offered before she could ask as to why they were giving it all to her Dizzy continued, "Our time here is over, we appreciate all that you've done, I was never a fan of you and I am sure Gordon let you know, but your work speaks for itself, and I know what we've built here will be in the hands of someone who can keep most of the chaos we've summoned contained. Dizzy turned away from Lilith and began ascending the jet's staircase, Lilith turned to make her way back to the car, until a delayed sound of a jet passed overhead followed by an explosion from behind throwing Lilith into the side of the car door knocking her out.
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