NationStates Jolt Archive

Location: Luclan Ocean, TESC Exclusion Zone

"You've got it?" came the excited voice of the International NewsMedia Network reporter from the boat?

"It's definitely a Dominion container! From around the Second Wailing War, I imagine," the diver replied as he hauled himself aboard the boat, holding the large metal cube. The boathands rushed to take it from him, murmuring excitedly, as others rushed to grab tools for taking it apart...

"Excellent," breathed Annette Epsilon, the reporter. "Corey! Start the stream...this is the find of the *century!* Actual history from the Exclusion Zone...."

Corey, the cameraman, nodded eagerly as he tapped in a sequence on his camera to do just that...

"All right, composed, composed, Anette," the journalist breathed. "Hey, any word on what's in there?"

"Looks biological, whatever it is...ugh! Smells biological, too! Shit!"

"Watch the language, we're on!"

"We're on?! OH! I mean, uh, this is Anette Epsilon, streamviewers! I'm live from the Luclan Ocean in the TESC Exclusion Zone, and we've just been present for the modern archaeological find of the century! We've just recovered a container from a ship that seems to date back to the time of the Wailing Wars, and--"

The sudden shriek of jet engines came overhead, and a pair of black, crescent-shaped aircraft shot by, Corey's camera moving to track...

"Hey! Those are Dominion Predator-GXs...and they're...look! They're circling back, and one of them just...cycled...a missile!" The note of fear in Corey's voice was unmistakable.

"What?! Why? We have permission, express from the Executor of Foreign Affairs, to be out here! What are they doing? I'll--"

Anette never got the chance to say another word. In fact, she never got any further on her exclusive as a Falcon missile struck the research ship they traveled on amidships, sending a massive fireball into the air. The second Predator followed up with its lasers, dancing blue lines of death that ensured none of the fleeing crew members survived...

Though a few got into the water, one with the container, the Predators made a second pass. This time they rotated slow, and fired their pulse cannons...the bullets tore apart the survivors and the container alike...

As the Predator-GXs ignited their rockets and boosted away, the camera, still streaming, was the only thing that remained what had formerly been a research ship and crew....

--------------------

"...That won't be recieved well. A great deal of nations watch INMN streams, you know...."

"It was *necessary*, Gar. It's your fault we're in this situation now anyhow."

The shadowy figures speaking shifted, the rightmost crossing his arms, as the central, tallest figure turned his head to the left, speaking again.

"Other INMN members will have been watching. Havarran, dispatch agents to all INMN personnel's known location. Tell them to shoot on sight."

"If citizenry get in the way?"

"They're expendable. The important thing is that no one asks any more questions about the Ocean. We can't afford to let go of what's down there..."

Bump. ^^;

*Taggage*

OCC:I'll post when i have more time. What could i join as?

OOC: 's fine, 's fine...I understand time demands all too well. ^^;

Well...a government representative watching the stream who then sees the explosion....an INMN rep from your country who's hiding from the ISA...a government head getting INMN complaints...all sorts of things.

TESC=?
Exclusion Zone=?
Dominion=?
Tech Level=?
ISA=?

If you'd be so kind as to define these terms, I'd have a better idea of what kind of situation you're setting up & which character would be most appropriate for the given scenario.

OOC: Certainly. Apologies on not putting them in before...

TESC Exclusion Zone: The nuclear wastelands which Necros-Vacuia borders (being a very large island and all.) No one knows where the acronym "TESC" comes from. The Exclusion Zone has little history, on account of having been through several wars.

Dominion: Shorthand reference to the Dominion of Necros-Vacuia; it's variously referred to either by its national name or simply "the Dominion".

ISA: Internal Security Agency. The Dominion homeland security and secret police force. Very efficient, with a tendency to shoot first and ask questions when they have you drugged. Headed by Havarran Dzerrin.

As for the Necros-Vacuian tech level...somewhat modern with future tech thrown in, though nothing big enough to make it ridiculous. For examples, think the tech level in the "Aliens" movie, with even less spaceships and no colonies. Also, the Necros-Vacuian Air Force is the pride of their armed forces, and has a wide variety of aircraft at its disposal...

OOC: I'm seeing a more clandestine, spy-like character... Is this open-ended, or will the character have to fit with the plot somehow?

Quite open-ended. ^^;

OOC: Okay.

IC:
Stillwater's cellphone rode unsteadily under his left arm, usually the comforting weight of a Glock 19 replaced the wireless phone, the lack of which made him feel somewhat exposed... INMN Rep was not a cover story he'd have picked for himself. Mercutio Stillwater, former NSA clandestine operative & occasional assassin, rose from his seat on the five o'clock metro to depart for the boarding platform.

A client had recently hired him to recover a video feed from the Dominion INMN Headquarters, something concerning the sinking of some research vessel out in some sort of restricted area. The information packet hadn't had too many details, not that Stillwater needed much more than a location or a name to complete his task.

The INMN ID badge hanging from the left side of his beige trenchcoat said he was Derrick Syn, a camera-man from New York City. His right hand held a large case, large enough for a small video camera. The camera itself was a fake, hiding a highly modified Browning Woodsman (.22LR) & assorted tools of espionage he'd need for his assignment. Stillwater hoped his other items had arrived back at his hotel with the rest of his mundane luggage.

First, he'd need some information on the building itself. The mercenary spy entered the elevator that connected to the lobby of the INMN building.

It was time for work...

OOC: Fuckin' A, I forgot to check this. Many apologies. If you and anyone else are still willing to RP, I've actually got time now. @_x;

As Mercurio entered the lobby, a young man with a short red goatee, looking rather pale, ran up to him and attached his arm to the covert agent's.

"Sir, please, come with me. Please. There's no TIME to explain, just please follow me..."

The kid was pulling on his arm as hard as he could...and looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

Not too far away, he suddenly heard the sound of gunfire...

And a scream...

OOC:

Stillwater, the actual man, would have simply shrugged the man off & walked on. Gabriel Syn, however, would have offered aid...

"Alright, lead on..."

Stillwater allowed himself to be led towards the scene...

The young man pulled him, with surprising speed, towards one of the large sculptures in the lobby, then pushed them both down, gesturing towards the outside and frantically signing at the other man to remain silent, but to look around the sculpture...

Behind them, a group of tall men in gray trenchcoats fired their NM450-AR pulse rifles into screaming INMN personnel in a seemingly random, but completely lethal pattern...the sound of gunfire, thankfully, drowned out the constant screams of terror and desperate pleas to be spared.

Not a one of the network's staff escaped.

As soon as the last body fell, the fire ceased, and the trenchcoat-wearers came together, faces dispassionate and cold.

"That takes care of everything on this floor; Kain, you relay the data to Executor Dzerrin; then regroup at gamma location. Niven, you plant this floor's charge and do likewise. The rest of you are with me. We have thirty more floors to go."

Niven, a blonde man carrying a briefcase, nodded and moved off into a nearby stairwell...

Kain, a tall, dark-haired man, produced a portable device similar to a handheld computer, but with a few more functions; a portable terminal. Which, apart from government personnel, were supposed to be illegal in Necros-Vacuia.

"Predecessors," swore one of the group. "When is HQ gonna send the second company?"

"Support will arrive at 1516 and no later or earlier, Varras," snapped the leader. "You just keep doing your job."

A tap on Stillwater's shoulder brought his attention back to the young man.

"Th...they arrived...just as I got...he...here...I think...I think they're....government...but...why? Why...are they killing us...?"

Stillwater shurgged... Definitely a bad choice of a cover story. Those guys hated journalists about as much as he did...

"Don't know. We'd best keep a low profile. Any way out of here that will get us to the streets? An access tunnel, maybe?"

He toyed with the idea of pulling the surpressed .22 out of the false camera, but thought better of it. Besides, he could fire it from inside of its hiding place anyway. Stillwater would need a new identity, and some new identification. There was probably an RDPMC safehouse somewhere in the country... If he could get to his hotel he could tap into the internet & zero in on the location, then get himself a new identity & some more info on why g-men where wasting reporters with extreme prejudice...

"Th...there are the doors," whispered the young man hesitantly. "But I think they're wired with mines. The best way out would be the 6th floor skybridge, if we can get to it before they do...it moves from the studios into the storefront. They won't kill in front of citizenry, unless...."

The young man hesitated and bit his lip, looking at Stillwater. "You think they're Internal Security Agency?"

Stillwater dropped out of character for a moment...

"Does it f**kin' matter?"

He composed himself. D.G. Syn wasn't a person who swore, under any circumstances...

"Lead on, maybe we'll get lucky..."