NationStates Jolt Archive


Abaddon City: A Day In The Life

Kerberos LTD
18-03-2007, 16:05
Jerome Lynch's chest heaved as he hurried through the tunnel, water splashing against his boots. He had to double over to keep his head from banging on the pipes above him. Jerry looked back and hissed at his comrades to hurry up.

The eight of them hurried through the sewers of Abaddon City, in Sector No. 4, AKA Mephistophelese Sector, in the southeast of the city. They were just over two hundred meters away from their target, the precinct of the Fourth Civil Order Custodian Division (COCD-4). The sewer was shaking with noise: above them was one of the many nightly protests, which were usually tolerated; after all, they didn't harm the company at all, and the sapped the Abadonnians of their resolve to organise and take arms against Kerberos Ltd.

Not these ones, though. The Abaddonian Sovereignty Group (ASG) had deployed this squad of eight to bomb the COCD-4 precinct, in order to shake the resolve of the Corporate Enforcers of COCD-4. Even through the sounds of shouting and stomping from the protestors above them, the panting of the rebels reverberated in the hot, humid tunnel.

Jerry turned back again. "C'mon, boys. Only a few more meters. Henderson, you still got that package?" Everyone had to carry a weapon through the tunnel, but Henderson had an extra burden: twenty pounds of RDX plastic explosive (OOC: I have no idea how much force that would actually have, other than 'a lot'. I'm taking creative liberties with it).

"Got it, boss," said the big man, grunting a bit.

They continued forward. 60 metres... 40 metres... And Jerry heard a familiar noise behind him: the sound of a bolt clicking. And it definitely wasn't from one of the squad's FN FAL rifles. He turned back, and had his fears confirmed: a Corporate Silencer stood behind them, KAAR-21 assault rifle raised. Kelly Tearson spun around, raising her FAL.

She managed to fire a single burst. Most of the bullets cracked off the wall of the sewer, and two pinged off the blood-red armour of the Silencer. It, probably he, fired a single shot, and the High-Explosive Anti-Personnel (HEAP) round detonated in the base of Kelly's skull. Fragments of bone and gore splashed across the tunnel. The Silencer fired another pair of rounds, and the two men who had been walking a head of Kelly were hit. One's arm was detached when the round exploded in it. The limb sailed clear across the sewer and flopped into the waterway below them. The other man was nearly blown in half when he was shot in the left kidney.

Jerry shouted "C'mon," and grabbed Henderson by the collar. The remaining three followed, and were cut down, one by one. A final burst lit up the tunnel, and Henderson screamed. Jerry turned back, and saw that his leg was dismembered at the knee. Jerry tried to drag him, but Henderson just shook his head and drew the RDX towards his chest, his thumb on the detonator. They looked back and saw the Silencer slowly advancing. "Go on, boss. I'll take care of this."

Jerry nodded slowly, and turned away, sprinting down the tunnel. He quickly turned down a side-tunnel that led back and to the left. In the tunnel was a ladder, and an access hatch on top of it. Jerry climbed the tunnel, rammed his way through the hatch, and found himself in the basement of squat apartment building, near the perimeter of the COCD-4 Precinct. Jerry raced up the staircase and looked out the window, towards the busy street below.

To the south, a line of Abaddonian Riot Police held back a teeming mass of protestors, shouting for the usual things: livable wages, equal rights, freedom from fear. Good things, things all human beings deserved. Things the Abaddonians had lost when the Kerbers had come to the region.

To the north, the compound of the 4th COC Division stood, dark. Occasionally, movement could be seen, but the changes were so rare and faint that they were often dismissed as tricks of the eyes. When there was noticeable movement, the Abaddonians cowered in fear, for it meant that a Corporate Enforcer unit was being deployed.

For a second, it seemed that everything went silent, and the people on the street below froze in time. Then, the explosive charge detonated, cracking the street, making the world shake. The pavement seemed to bulge, like a bubble, then is shattered, and a wave of pure force crashed against everything in the street. People fell, buildings toppled... and the steel-reinforced concrete wall that formed the perimiter of the precinct shattered. The force continued into the compound, and broke the wall of a barracks within it.

Then it was over. The people in the street stood up slowly, mouths agape. Their protests were forgotten; the police milled about with everyone else. And then, sound returned: the sound of heavy boots thumping against the ground. Behind the gap in the wall, a phalanx of Corporate Enforcers formed, matte black armor reflecting the moonlight faintly. There was a faint whining noise, and the night vision goggles of the Enforcers were brought online, glowing red.

The phalanx advanced, MG88s leveled at the crowd in front of them. The people started backing away slowly, many of their legs shaking. The front two ranks of the phalanx fired a short burst, and the large crowd took off, racing down the street, screaming. They left behind them the casualties of the explosion and the retribution; some three hundred souls. Some of the protesters were unhurt, but stayed behind to help their fellows escape the Kerberos forces. Anyone that was still alive was rounded up for medical treatment, interrogation, and 'reprogramming' for military service or execution.

Jerome shook his head and turned away from the window. He exited the apartment, turned down a back alley, and made his way back to the ASA base. Mission complete... a Phyrric victory at best...

OOC:
Here's a map of Kerberos LTD territory for reference:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h297/Aenimus/AbaddonCityCapitalofKerberosLTD.gif