NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: No massive army invasions please. If you want to bring down Sertaki, send an agent or two who will meet the mysterious man. On the other hand if you wish to support Sertaki, make it known here. Send some officers or agents to help him capture the man.

IC:

Night has fallen over the city of Dawn and once again the streets lay quiet like they have for the past few years. After the Cold Light virus had depleted the population, the surviving government declared an indefinite curfew. Anyone caught outside without Official Government permission would be arrested and sentenced.

From there evolved a totalitarian government, banning certain books, music, films and any dissenting voices. When it started people were too busy mourning to care, now they couldn't even visit their dead in the evening. It seems to be a normal evening until the Public Announcement System (P.A.S) crackles into life. The first unusual sign. For a while only the crackle is heard while in Government Offices officials try to shut it down. Then:

"People of Cold Light. We are free."

That was the voice of ex President Mathers, who was one of the last to succumb to the Cold Light virus. That was but an extract from his first speech. Confusion overcomes those in the Government buildings.

"What's is going on?!" exclaims Leader Harry Sertaki. "Who is doing this?"

However the problems for Harry do not end there. A new sound hits the P.A.S:

The Intruding Sound (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqkMsXcHQYg)

"A banned song! Playing over the P.A.S! Find the culprit! Anyone caught singing this or copying it is to be locked up."



On a hill overlooking Dawn, stands one man. He watches as the Government Enforcers (GE) go through the streets, destroying each PAS speaker. Slowly the volume of the PAS goes down as one by one the speakers die. This man only smiles. Phase 1 of his plan has come into action. He has unsettled Sertaki, he knows he has.

Phase 2 shall begin soon.

Sertaki's Quarters

I want the person or persons responsible for this. Denounce them as terrorists against the people! They are here to unsettle the people. Everyone is happier now. I shall speak to the people myself. Sertaki activates the private channel which automatically switches on all television sets in the nation.

"Nation, Dawn was under attack this evening. Those responsible will be punished and made examples of. These terrorists will destroy our way of life, our happiness, our freedoms. If you have any information please alert your GE's so they may take care of it. Good Night my friends."

OOC- what type of dictatorship are you? Communist?facist/corparate/raoylist/etc. Because that would decide wich side, if any, i'd support.

At the Alfegan Vaccination camp to the south of the capital, a shadow flickered between buildings. Since the changes in political stability, the camp had been guarded by a private security force. To make a show of the encampment being a serious installation, as the man passed the outer guard buildings he was confronted with a high earthen barricade. Atop it, a long concrete wall heavily enforced with steel buttresses left a very deep shadow over the camp below.

The man stopped at the gate, where a small dune buggy was awaiting. Painted in white with a large red cross, it showed itself to be a rapid response ambulance for cases of the Cold Light Virus: since it had stabilised, the Alfegans had been particularly careful in eliminating every last trace of it. Already in it were three doctors and an armed driver. The roof also bore an extremely visible heavy machinegun, a belt of rounds trailing down to a large bin below. They couldn't take any risks with the viruses.

The buggy soon left, leaving the walls behind it. Atop it, men slowly paced, around the large missile cells, towards the city. Whilst it would appear they were responding to a genuine outbreak, underneath their overcoats sub-machineguns were held in tight holsters. The medical boxes held underneath genuine supplies a small 1-shot missile launcher.

They had the difficult task of looking for the man behind the plot in the city: he was the person Alfegos needed in this nation. He had last been seen by a high-altitude airship 80km up, a jacked-on military infra-red camera sighting an individual outside during these times of curfew. The cameras had since tracked him, the intelligence office back at the Alfegan area was busy giving directions to the driver via radio. The vehicle passed from the city in towards the graveyards the Alfegans had tried digging: mass graves of tens of thousands, each name only recorded briefly on the walls of remembrance all around. Soon, the hills - and their prize, were minutes away.

OOC- what type of dictatorship are you? Communist?facist/corparate/raoylist/etc. Because that would decide wich side, if any, i'd support.

OOC: A Facist dictatorship.

At the Alfegan Vaccination camp to the south of the capital, a shadow flickered between buildings. Since the changes in political stability, the camp had been guarded by a private security force. To make a show of the encampment being a serious installation, as the man passed the outer guard buildings he was confronted with a high earthen barricade. Atop it, a long concrete wall heavily enforced with steel buttresses left a very deep shadow over the camp below.

The man stopped at the gate, where a small dune buggy was awaiting. Painted in white with a large red cross, it showed itself to be a rapid response ambulance for cases of the Cold Light Virus: since it had stabilised, the Alfegans had been particularly careful in eliminating every last trace of it. Already in it were three doctors and an armed driver. The roof also bore an extremely visible heavy machinegun, a belt of rounds trailing down to a large bin below. They couldn't take any risks with the viruses.

The buggy soon left, leaving the walls behind it. Atop it, men slowly paced, around the large missile cells, towards the city. Whilst it would appear they were responding to a genuine outbreak, underneath their overcoats sub-machineguns were held in tight holsters. The medical boxes held underneath genuine supplies a small 1-shot missile launcher.

They had the difficult task of looking for the man behind the plot in the city: he was the person Alfegos needed in this nation. He had last been seen by a high-altitude airship 80km up, a jacked-on military infra-red camera sighting an individual outside during these times of curfew. The cameras had since tracked him, the intelligence office back at the Alfegan area was busy giving directions to the driver via radio. The vehicle passed from the city in towards the graveyards the Alfegans had tried digging: mass graves of tens of thousands, each name only recorded briefly on the walls of remembrance all around. Soon, the hills - and their prize, were minutes away.

The man knew it was dangerous and had already left the hill. Staying in one position for too long would bring him unnecessary attention, attention that he didn't need from either the general population or the GE. He had seen Cold Light shine and then its light go out so quickly. He had also known that Sertaki wanted power, ever since they became acquaintances.

The man also knew that he could not do what he needed to do by himself. Of course he could get supporters if he looked hard enough but the citizens of Cold Light had lost all hope in the epidemic. The nation, former state, had been known for its hard nosed soldiers that were clever as well as dangerous. That spirit had died along with the Light.

An engine...he could hear an engine. A vehicle was approaching him. He had been foolish to wait so long. The GE were efficient and could find any one if they needed to. If this was the GE approaching him, he would be dead within minutes...he hid and pulled out a pistol. If he was to die, he would die defending Cold Light.

The buggy stopped, letting the men step off. Whilst one man stayed behind to scan the surroundings with binoculars, the others proceeded towards where the radio operator was instructing them. It appeared he was hiding. The head man switched off the radio, before he began to speak.

"Sir, we are not from the government. We wish to talk to you about matters we can help you with. We've had an eye on this country for a while now, and as you know there's the vaccination/hospital centre in the city which is fortified to hell. Not because of the mobs when we got the vaccine: because of this government.

We want to help you. If you want our help, you can put away that gun you're holding in your left hand, and stand up to come out here. We will smuggle you into the encampment, and there we will be safely able to discuss with you the next course of action. And before you think we will betray you, we can tell you what caused the plague. The Cold Light Virus was no natural virus. If you come with us, we will tell you what it was, and from there discuss what resources we can mobilise to help your effort.

You have no time to spare: the government could be here any minute. If you don't come, we will have to let them take you. Kill you. Come with us, and your dreams will be realised."

The head of the group gestured for the other two to move back to the buggy. Out of one of the large boxes, one man took out biochem warfare suits and a body bag.

"The way to salvation is not that comfortable, but know there is salvation at the end of the tunnel."

The buggy stopped, letting the men step off. Whilst one man stayed behind to scan the surroundings with binoculars, the others proceeded towards where the radio operator was instructing them. It appeared he was hiding. The head man switched off the radio, before he began to speak.

"Sir, we are not from the government. We wish to talk to you about matters we can help you with. We've had an eye on this country for a while now, and as you know there's the vaccination/hospital centre in the city which is fortified to hell. Not because of the mobs when we got the vaccine: because of this government.

We want to help you. If you want our help, you can put away that gun you're holding in your left hand, and stand up to come out here. We will smuggle you into the encampment, and there we will be safely able to discuss with you the next course of action. And before you think we will betray you, we can tell you what caused the plague. The Cold Light Virus was no natural virus. If you come with us, we will tell you what it was, and from there discuss what resources we can mobilise to help your effort.

You have no time to spare: the government could be here any minute. If you don't come, we will have to let them take you. Kill you. Come with us, and your dreams will be realised."

The head of the group gestured for the other two to move back to the buggy. Out of one of the large boxes, one man took out biochem warfare suits and a body bag.

"The way to salvation is not that comfortable, but know there is salvation at the end of the tunnel."

The man stood up though he did have a mask on his face now. He had to be anonymous until he was sure he was safe.

"You are representatives from Alfegos. I already know that it was an accidental release from one of your compounds and a lot more. I will speak to you and to the General in charge of the compound. However I will not tell you who I am or what I am doing until I am 100% certain to be in a safe zone. Also your trackers will become vital to this mission.

Shortly after the broadcast was heard across the P.A.S system, an uproar broke out inside the rundown Falkasian Safehouse in the industrial district of Dawn. Although it was still too early to be called morning role-call and only a small fringe of twilight had crested the sky and filled the warehouse floor, a shadowy figure quickly roused the listening post's operatives from their bunks and bid them to get ready. This shadowy figure was Dimitri Vornok, a tough, serious, and no-nonsense 25-year veteran of the Falkasian Intelligence Division. Moments after he flipped the lights on in the bunkroom, five pairs of feet slammed onto the concrete floor and scrambled for their gear, mostly plain clothes, small-concealed weapons, and forged government passes. How handy those passes had become in recent times, thought Dimitri, who, unlike his father before him, had inherited a great deal of luck. The agents gathered around him and listened. "We just received word," he said in Russian, “Command wants us to move on a tip from a local citizen. They've informed us that they will have a Special Forces Team near the border within 24 hours to escort back our prize... if of course... we get it. Any questions? "Sir," said one of the listening post's younger operatives as he tucked a white civilian work shirt inside his pants, "What's our prize?"
"You'll see. I'll tell you more about it once we clean this place up and get moving."

Minutes later, the industrial district of Dawn was racked by explosions as the Falkasian Safehouse went up in flames, taking any liabilities or connections with the Falkasian Government with it. By the time the Fire Department arrived, or what was left of it after the Cold Light Virus, the building was a blackened heap of smoking rubble and charred metal. The explosions were so intense, they damaged surrounding buildings as well. However, the agents were long gone by the time the building went up. They were all packed into two specially made "clean" cars that had been smuggled in during the chaos of the first outbreak. These cars looked no different from other civilian vehicles on the road, except they had special built in air scrubbers and filters inside the air-conditioning. The two automobiles trailed each other for twenty minutes, taking turns down side roads and alleys in an attempt to avoid cameras set up throughout the city. Eventually, the passengers decided on a briefing location, a remote parking lot on the outskirts of the industrial district.

The two cars pulled up, and six agents got out. They formed a circle around Dimitri and, with obvious signs of anxiety, listened as he started. "I will get straight to the point," he said in Russian. "We are here to kidnap a man named Sertaki and bring him to the border where our Special Forces team is waiting for him. After that, we are to remain here and protect a certain V.I.P so he can take over in the power void that will happen after Sertaki's disappearance. Don't ask me why we are to do this, because I have no idea and would cause a whole philosophical debate, of which we have no time for. Nevertheless, we must follow our orders."

With that, Dimitri began drawing a rough outline of the city with landmarks and the location of Sertaki's last known location. He began assigning roles. He pointed to himself, a middle aged man with blonde hair, and the younger agent he had talked to back at the safehouse. He then pointed toward the Capital Building. "Myself, Klaus, and Petr will infiltrate the Capital building as Salesmen, offering to sell them Cold Light Virus vaccine. Then, when we request a private audience with Sertaki, we'll chloroform him, pack him into one of the boxes, and carry him out to the car. The only problem is security. That's where you, Petr, come in. I need you to sneak down to the security office, and when you get asked, "This is a restricted area or whatnot," act like you have a case of Cold Light Virus. That should get security swarming enough. Don't worry, we'll come back to get you."
"Sir," said another agent, this one a middle-aged man with a slender build and graying brown hair, "How are we supposed to get the vaccine boxes and chloroform?"
"That's where you and Yuri come in." Dimitri pointed toward the Hospital. "The two of you will act as Maintenance Personnel at the hospital. You'll steal in, take a few empty boxes and a bottle, and then walk out the back gate."
"But sir, it's heavily fortified. We'll never make it inside without being shot! Even if we could, how are we supposed to get past them in these civilian work clothes?"
"Be creative...you always are."
"But... Bu…"
"Can it Alexei! I don't want to hear your worries. If I can't trust you, then I'll leave you here to die!"
"Yes sir, sorry sir," Alexei said with a tinge of hurt in his tone.
"Ok then... pack up, we're putting this plan into action," Dimitri said as he got up and mounted one of the cars.

Minutes later, the industrial district of Dawn was racked by explosions as the Falkasian Safehouse went up in flames, taking any liabilities or connections with the Falkasian Government with it. By the time the Fire Department arrived, or what was left of it after the Cold Light Virus, the building was a blackened heap of smoking rubble and charred metal. The explosions were so intense, they damaged surrounding buildings as well. However, the agents were long gone by the time the building went up. They were all packed into two specially made "clean" cars that had been smuggled in during the chaos of the first outbreak. These cars looked no different from other civilian vehicles on the road, except they had special built in air scrubbers and filters inside the air-conditioning. The two automobiles trailed each other for twenty minutes, taking turns down side roads and alleys in an attempt to avoid cameras set up throughout the city. Eventually, the passengers decided on a briefing location, a remote parking lot on the outskirts of the industrial district.

The two cars pulled up, and six agents got out. They formed a circle around Dimitri and, with obvious signs of anxiety, listened as he started. "I will get straight to the point," he said in Russian. "We are here to kidnap a man named Sertaki and bring him to the border where our Special Forces team is waiting for him. After that, we are to remain here and protect a certain V.I.P so he can take over in the power void that will happen after Sertaki's disappearance. Don't ask me why we are to do this, because I have no idea and would cause a whole philosophical debate, of which we have no time for. Nevertheless, we must follow our orders."

With that, Dimitri began drawing a rough outline of the city with landmarks and the location of Sertaki's last known location. He began assigning roles. He pointed to himself, a middle aged man with blonde hair, and the younger agent he had talked to back at the safehouse. He then pointed toward the Capital Building. "Myself, Klaus, and Petr will infiltrate the Capital building as Salesmen, offering to sell them Cold Light Virus vaccine. Then, when we request a private audience with Sertaki, we'll chloroform him, pack him into one of the boxes, and carry him out to the car. The only problem is security. That's where you, Petr, come in. I need you to sneak down to the security office, and when you get asked, "This is a restricted area or whatnot," act like you have a case of Cold Light Virus. That should get security swarming enough. Don't worry, we'll come back to get you."
"Sir," said another agent, this one a middle-aged man with a slender build and graying brown hair, "How are we supposed to get the vaccine boxes and chloroform?"
"That's where you and Yuri come in." Dimitri pointed toward the Hospital. "The two of you will act as Maintenance Personnel at the hospital. You'll steal in, take a few empty boxes and a bottle, and then walk out the back gate."
"But sir, it's heavily fortified. We'll never make it inside without being shot! Even if we could, how are we supposed to get past them in these civilian work clothes?"
"Be creative...you always are."
"But... Bu…"
"Can it Alexei! I don't want to hear your worries. If I can't trust you, then I'll leave you here to die!"
"Yes sir, sorry sir," Alexei said with a tinge of hurt in his tone.
"Ok then... pack up, we're putting this plan into action," Dimitri said as he got up and mounted one of the cars.

Sertaki was very anxious. First the music, then the explosion. He knew whoever it was, was coming for him and it seemed they were after his life. Since the explosion he had doubled his bodyguard team, so he was protected 24/7 even when sleeping. He would not see anyone he did not trust unless they were very close friends or acquaintances of his trusted people. He would leave the Government House for fear of an attempt on his life.

He still commanded power however. He had fought in the Cold Light military and though he had been shot at on numerous occasions during battle he had always told himself he was not the main focus of the enemy. However in this situation, someone had placed a target on him.

He had commanded the GE to search every house within Dawn but so far they had found nothing significant, a few illegal immigrants and some dissenting voices, but nothing that led them to those that blew up the building and those that first caused disruption.

For the first time in his life, Dimitri felt exposed. There were few cars on the streets, and even fewer were of civilian ownership. He felt exposed, very exposed. He knew that he would have no trouble getting to the Hospital and the Capitol building with the passes, but still, he felt like he stood out. They drove for ten minutes after leaving the parking lot beofre arriving at the first checkpoint, which was on the outskirts of the industrial district, right before entering the town's center. The security presence here was as Dimitri had predicted. The car pulled up to the electric gate along the road and Dimitri rolled down the window.
"Identification Please?" Asked the uniformed and gas-masked guard.
Dimitri gathered up the passengers' IDs and handed them over, making sure to hold his breath outside the car. The Guard quickly glanced over each before handing them back.
"You may pass," the guard said nonchalantly.
Dimitri drove through as the guard signaled the gate to be opened. The same routine happened to the other car, and both passed through undetected.

After ten minutes of driving, they encountered another checkpoint. At this point, Dimitri began to get worried. Security here was much higher than he or the Intelligence Division had expected. It was more than just a few lackeys on guard duty and an electric gate. Here, it was a full-blown barricade, complete with sandbag emplacements, barbed wire trusses, more guards who were incredibly well armed, and a tank. As they pulled up, the checkpoint went silent. The clicking of guns was heard as they all pointed them at the car. The sound of hydraulics filled the air as the tank turret rotated toward the car as well. Dimitri's heart was in his throat.
"Identification Please?' Asked the guard, knocking on the window.
Dimitri quickly rolled it down, gathered the IDs and handed them over. The guard looked each one over much more scrupulously, attempting to find the slightest defects. Apparently, he found none, handed each one back, and signaled them to pass. The other guards relaxed, and brought their guns into a more comfortable slung position. After a few moments, the other car was signaled through as well. Dimitri let out a sigh of relief. The passes had held up. Dimitri knew from experience that sometimes even the best forgeries could be found out and get people killed.

By the third and final checkpoint before the Hospital, Dimitri knew that the chances of his plan working would be a long shot. That's exactly how Dimitri liked it however. The third checkpoint was the same routine, although it was much more heavily armed. The two vehicles passed through unscathed, and turned toward the Hospital. As they neared it, Dimitri soon realized that there was absolutely no way he, or any of his men could get in using the front or back door. The thing was a fortress, all concrete and no hospital. Even the relatively unguarded loading dock was fortified. It had not the usually one, but two different gates, both of which were electrified and barbed wired, as well as several machinegun turrets along the wall. The average person would have mistaken the Hospital for an impenetrable fortress, but Dimitri knew that even the best operations have a fatal flaw. The only matter now was to find it.

"Well then... if you are coming, you will have to pass through the checkpoint system on no passes. We wouldn't kill you, but you must look as if you are so."
He put on the large biochem warfare suit, fully white, the plastic rustling as placed on a face mask. Pulling over the hood and tightly securing it, he nodded to the colleagues who had unravelled a black bodybag, now undone and lying on the ground.
"It won't be comfortable my friend. But the time you'll be in there is insignificant, and we hopefully will not be stopped - no-one will stop us if we have a disease victim in the back, even vaccinated. Now come on."

The machinegunner on the roof cocked the gun and swivelled around as he heard a distant explosion. A cloud of smoke and flame angrily rose up as a rolled fist into the sky from a distant blast area, alarms in the distance starting up. His radio crackled as he began chatting away to the men back at the command station.
"What the hell was that? Some accident?"
"Negative - suspicion is that it was a bomb. Though I don't know why it was there. We're sending a field hospital over along with armed escorts: remain vigilant."

The head turned away from the distant smoke cloud.
"Was that your planning mate? Because I really do not want to have a third party trying to topple things."

________________________________________________

15 minutes later, and the hospital defences were on full alert. Men swarmed over the walls, setting up extra machinegun nests. There came a loud shuddering as the concrete/steel gates opened, letting out a convoy of vehicles: a large truck painted with a red cross on the side led the motorcade, soon to be overtaken by a pair of Ironheart IFVs. There was literally a small army stationed in the hospital that was the Alfegan outpost in the land, all hidden underground with the hospital above.

The only other entrance to the fortress was the maintenance area: another steel bulkhead, surrounded by inorganic waste that was non-recyclable. The hospital itself was powered from methane generated far below inside the large earthen mounds, the anaerobic digestors pumping out enough of the gas to both produce energy for the entire compound, and tap off surplus into store tanks for airship fuel, should any ever come to restock the place.

On that note, a transport was coming with more vaccines, supplies and personnel to relieve those at the outpost. An Aerofreighter as it was known in Alfegos, though most nations would be unable to distinguish it from any Zeppelin-like craft. At 450m long, it was a midget compared to some, even though it was twice the size of some of the largest other nations had ever built. Hovering over the runway, it cast a long shadow as it came down to a slow. Four trucks raced over, grasping cables thrown down from the sides to hook around tow rings. The backs were filled with concrete and rubble, to weigh them down and act as an effective mooring convoy for the group.

The underside opened up, to the whine of the unloading machinery concealed within. Crates were slowly lowered onto a waiting convoy vehicle, which then drove off towards the hospital. More crates were unloaded as about 52 doctors clambered down from the front of one of the gondolas on the underside, mingling with those relieved to be getting away from here. A short 48 hour journey, and they'd be back to take jet aircraft to their homes. Most of those disembarking looked unhappy; the conditions aboard the airship were cramped to say the least, with minimal space spared for comforts in exchange for machinery, controls and empty weight.

As the convoy of lorries arrived, the bulkhead at the loading bay opened, to allow the crates to be rolled off into the interior. Guards stood around, guns aimed outwards, as the bus arrived filed with doctors. The vehicle stopped by the side of the bay, leaving the people aboard to depart slowly and make their move towards the side of the bay, to enter whilst the next lorry backed in.

"Well then... if you are coming, you will have to pass through the checkpoint system on no passes. We wouldn't kill you, but you must look as if you are so."
He put on the large biochem warfare suit, fully white, the plastic rustling as placed on a face mask. Pulling over the hood and tightly securing it, he nodded to the colleagues who had unravelled a black bodybag, now undone and lying on the ground.
"It won't be comfortable my friend. But the time you'll be in there is insignificant, and we hopefully will not be stopped - no-one will stop us if we have a disease victim in the back, even vaccinated. Now come on."

The machinegunner on the roof cocked the gun and swivelled around as he heard a distant explosion. A cloud of smoke and flame angrily rose up as a rolled fist into the sky from a distant blast area, alarms in the distance starting up. His radio crackled as he began chatting away to the men back at the command station.
"What the hell was that? Some accident?"
"Negative - suspicion is that it was a bomb. Though I don't know why it was there. We're sending a field hospital over along with armed escorts: remain vigilant."

The head turned away from the distant smoke cloud.
"Was that your planning mate? Because I really do not want to have a third party trying to topple things."

________________________________________________

15 minutes later, and the hospital defences were on full alert. Men swarmed over the walls, setting up extra machinegun nests. There came a loud shuddering as the concrete/steel gates opened, letting out a convoy of vehicles: a large truck painted with a red cross on the side led the motorcade, soon to be overtaken by a pair of Ironheart IFVs. There was literally a small army stationed in the hospital that was the Alfegan outpost in the land, all hidden underground with the hospital above.

The only other entrance to the fortress was the maintenance area: another steel bulkhead, surrounded by inorganic waste that was non-recyclable. The hospital itself was powered from methane generated far below inside the large earthen mounds, the anaerobic digestors pumping out enough of the gas to both produce energy for the entire compound, and tap off surplus into store tanks for airship fuel, should any ever come to restock the place.

On that note, a transport was coming with more vaccines, supplies and personnel to relieve those at the outpost. An Aerofreighter as it was known in Alfegos, though most nations would be unable to distinguish it from any Zeppelin-like craft. At 450m long, it was a midget compared to some, even though it was twice the size of some of the largest other nations had ever built. Hovering over the runway, it cast a long shadow as it came down to a slow. Four trucks raced over, grasping cables thrown down from the sides to hook around tow rings. The backs were filled with concrete and rubble, to weigh them down and act as an effective mooring convoy for the group.

The underside opened up, to the whine of the unloading machinery concealed within. Crates were slowly lowered onto a waiting convoy vehicle, which then drove off towards the hospital. More crates were unloaded as about 52 doctors clambered down from the front of one of the gondolas on the underside, mingling with those relieved to be getting away from here. A short 48 hour journey, and they'd be back to take jet aircraft to their homes. Most of those disembarking looked unhappy; the conditions aboard the airship were cramped to say the least, with minimal space spared for comforts in exchange for machinery, controls and empty weight.

As the convoy of lorries arrived, the bulkhead at the loading bay opened, to allow the crates to be rolled off into the interior. Guards stood around, guns aimed outwards, as the bus arrived filed with doctors. The vehicle stopped by the side of the bay, leaving the people aboard to depart slowly and make their move towards the side of the bay, to enter whilst the next lorry backed in.

The man looked towards the explosion and the cloud of smoke that rose.

" I had nothing to do with that. It seems like there are a lot of other forces that seem to be unhappy with Sertaki but I shall not contact them until we know of who it was responsible. As far as I know any group against Sertaki as been taken in for questioning. I do not mind the bodybag. I have been in one before...All the details will be released once I am safely in your compound."

In the end, Dimitri did find a flaw in the hospital's security, but it was found too late. His plan was completed changed when he recieved a call from HQ on his secure satellite phone. The Special Forces team that had assembled at the border had recieved orders to move into Dawn and assist Dimitri and his team in any way they needed. They would arrive within the hour inside a Red Cross van packed full of crates of vaccine, which would allow them to pass through the checkpoints. On the outside they looked like ordinary medical crates, but just like the many great deceptions of the world, they packed a sinister secret. Inside were enough grenades, ammunition, and weapons to supply an army.

Although Dimitri liked doing things as silently and anonomously as possible, he wasn't about to give up an opportunity like this to make his job easier. His new plan was altered some, but stayed generally the same.

While on the phone, Dimitri had requested that the team fill up a handful of grenades with knockout gas before they left the border. His new plan centered around these grenades, instead of direct intervention by one of his agents. His new plan would play out like this; The Special Forces Team would take out the Maintence Crew and maintenance entrance guards, steal their uniforms to get them inside, and plant the gas grenades inside the air-conditioning system of the Capitol building. Once the gas was circulated throughout the building, Dimitri and his team would run in and take the unconscience Sertaki and put him inside the van, which would be waiting outside. From there, he would hopefully be as good as gone. The only problem would be the exterior guard, which is where the other Special Forces came in. Using the equipment in the van, they would start a firefight outside the building as cover while the gas inside the building was being circulated. If all went well, they would have Sertaki in Falkasian custody by the afternoon.

The bodybag, now filled, was lifted up onto the roof and tied down with bungees. So far, the contents had not complained about his rough handling, but it was necessary if he was to survive.

The men hopped back onto the vehicle, starting the engine to the shudder of the entire vehicle. The buggy roared off, flying over bumps before hitting the road and speeding off towards the city. The road was potholed from poor maintenance, meaning the driver had to swerve to prevent his axles from being snapped. Those they passed backed off in terror, knowing what the virus meant to all of them, intimidated by the faceless forms of these harbingers of death.

Soon, the vehicle was in sight of the hospital-fortress, the building that protruded from the ground near to the airport. Security checkpoints provided by the remainders of the Cold Light military let them pass effortlessly, no passes ever needing to be shown to the frightful figures. Eventually, the vehicle finished its transit, underneath the main gate. Signals flickered across the air invisibly, before the door began to open. A painful, arthritic grinding started up as motors concealed underground began to heave the metal slab aside, just enough to allow the vehicle to enter the compound. No-one obstructed it as it shot across the compound, entering one of the many underground areas. Heaving the body bag off of the vehicle, they proceeded to move forwards through a steriliser, finally entering the main hospital area. Water from the condensed steam unit dripped from the suits as they continued through to this section of the hospital - the morgue. It was a quiet place, with nobody present for longer than needed, and in full suits. Passing through another steriliser, they entered one of the morgue cells, passing through another air-lock device into the room.

This one was set out differently: there were no mass refrigeration units, autopsy tables or paraphernalia associated with that: instead, a large computer unit graced the wall alongside a long metal table and metal chairs. The body bag was placed on the ground as the men unsuited, leaving them to be placed upon a rack on the wall. The head man took off his gas mask, before unzipping the body bag.
"Welcome to Station Ice I. This is a recently set-up hub for Alfegan secret service operations. Ever heard of the Orange Service? You are now one of the very few people outside the service who've ever heard of them. We conduct special operations outside of Alfegos, or at least the ones with the Infinite Silence Orders on them. There are multiple branches of this service.

At the moment, this nation is lucky enough to only have two of these branches inside. Project Overwatch is the part we are in. We are the eyes and ears of Alfegos inside this country, and have been here ever since that release...

If you would take a seat, we will go straight to business."

________________________

NB - Falkasia, I don't think that Serataki is in the hospital - he's in whatever government building it is. Plus the guards at the back of the hospital... anyhow, be careful, and try not to assume that you can just waltz in without experiencing a wall of firepower.

The man looked around the room, mask still on.

" I want to thank you all for helping me in this endeavour. For all you knew I could have been a mad man. I assure you I am not. You have trusted me and it is time I have trusted you with my identity."

The man removed the mask.

"Gentleman, I am Nathan Mathers, Former President of Cold Light."

The bodybag, now filled, was lifted up onto the roof and tied down with bungees. So far, the contents had not complained about his rough handling, but it was necessary if he was to survive.

The men hopped back onto the vehicle, starting the engine to the shudder of the entire vehicle. The buggy roared off, flying over bumps before hitting the road and speeding off towards the city. The road was potholed from poor maintenance, meaning the driver had to swerve to prevent his axles from being snapped. Those they passed backed off in terror, knowing what the virus meant to all of them, intimidated by the faceless forms of these harbingers of death.

Soon, the vehicle was in sight of the hospital-fortress, the building that protruded from the ground near to the airport. Security checkpoints provided by the remainders of the Cold Light military let them pass effortlessly, no passes ever needing to be shown to the frightful figures. Eventually, the vehicle finished its transit, underneath the main gate. Signals flickered across the air invisibly, before the door began to open. A painful, arthritic grinding started up as motors concealed underground began to heave the metal slab aside, just enough to allow the vehicle to enter the compound. No-one obstructed it as it shot across the compound, entering one of the many underground areas. Heaving the body bag off of the vehicle, they proceeded to move forwards through a steriliser, finally entering the main hospital area. Water from the condensed steam unit dripped from the suits as they continued through to this section of the hospital - the morgue. It was a quiet place, with nobody present for longer than needed, and in full suits. Passing through another steriliser, they entered one of the morgue cells, passing through another air-lock device into the room.

This one was set out differently: there were no mass refrigeration units, autopsy tables or paraphernalia associated with that: instead, a large computer unit graced the wall alongside a long metal table and metal chairs. The body bag was placed on the ground as the men unsuited, leaving them to be placed upon a rack on the wall. The head man took off his gas mask, before unzipping the body bag.
"Welcome to Station Ice I. This is a recently set-up hub for Alfegan secret service operations. Ever heard of the Orange Service? You are now one of the very few people outside the service who've ever heard of them. We conduct special operations outside of Alfegos, or at least the ones with the Infinite Silence Orders on them. There are multiple branches of this service.

At the moment, this nation is lucky enough to only have two of these branches inside. Project Overwatch is the part we are in. We are the eyes and ears of Alfegos inside this country, and have been here ever since that release...

If you would take a seat, we will go straight to business."

________________________

NB - Falkasia, I don't think that Serataki is in the hospital - he's in whatever government building it is. Plus the guards at the back of the hospital... anyhow, be careful, and try not to assume that you can just waltz in without experiencing a wall of firepower.

OOC: Yes, I know that. They aren't going to be attacking the hospital. We're going to the Government building. Yes, now that I'm reading what I wrote, it is kind of mis-leading, but I was tired and typed it at 11:30 last night. Didn't cover all the ends and will edit accordingly.

Dawn broke over Slicisgrad.

In silence, a man at a desk read the paper, shafts of early light coming in through the windows, motes of dust suspended in them.

He rubbed his chin and adjusted his wire-rimmed spectacles in thought, and then pressed a small button on his desk.

"Miss Jacobson? Get the minister of defense."

"Right away, Mister President."

Shortly afterwards, the double-doors of the office opened and a balding, grizzled-looking man in a gray suit entered.

"Ethan, sit down. So, I assume you have the news already."

"Then you assume correct, Will. So, what's the plan?"

"Well seeing as those power-crazies in charge of Cold Light have been someone we've wanted to take down for quite a while, this is an opportunity. They've got a revolution on their hands, and maybe we could help it along a bit. Outright invasion isn't a very smart idea, we both know that, so I propose we send in a few special ops teams and some weaponry. Of course we'll scrub off all the markings, first."

"Sounds good to me, sir. We already have had a few spies over there, but their hierarchy is nigh impenetrable. The plus side is we already have someone who can find and hopefully negotiate with whoever's running the show over there."

"Alright, mobilize the teams. Put it on the black budget, eyes only, level 2 security clearance."

--------

In a back alley, someone answered a cell phone and heard two words.

"Do it."

---------

A deer stood on a hillside, hearing the loud sound of rotor blades slicing through the air. If it had been able to comprehend what the large metal birds were, and had any knowledge about them, it would have noticed they were five UH/S4-62 Greyhawk helicopters, three of which were carrying heavily armed men and the other two burdened with guns, ammunition, and other supplies, all of which were on orders to fly to a remote dirt landing strip on the Stabistani border where an AH/S-72 gunship was waiting to escort them. and await confirmation of revolutionary support and where to deliver the cargo.

From there, if all went right in the way of cooperation, they would fly low as possible and make short stops at pre-arranged, highly-camouflaged clearings to refuel on the long flight to Cold Light.

Lt. Joseph Nichols cocked his S/FM-14A6, affixed his gasmask, and smiled as he watched the countryside fly by.

(OOC: I have a feeling this is going to be a great RP.)

(OOC: Thanks - don't worry about it though. I'm often too overly complex, so confuse people...)

"It's an honour to play host to you, President."
The men at the table bowed their heads, before continuing. The room darkened slightly as the main screen lit up, a large map of Cold Light appearing.
"This is as we see your country, sir. A beautiful, once prosperous landscape, infected by that calamity we're still trying to get to the bottom of. Anyhow, we've been watching the country. Conducting a survey of how many people are actually left.
That virus killed approximately 70% of the population. After that, we were left with swathes of areas completely empty, the occasional isolated town who managed to put a quarantine up being the only survivors. All those still alive we know are discontent. They want answers. And they want a leader who will not shut them away as if they weren't there.
This, sir, is where a mutual arrangement between our two nations is critical. We are proposing to supply you with weaponry, armaments, vehicles and tactical strikes. With this country so crippled, it is unlikely that the RADAR system still operable would detect our high-altitude attack vehicles.
In exchange, we want you to use these resources we can supply you to the best of your ability to ensure there is fair rule.
But time is running out. Already we have reports of foreign interests moving towards this country. And most are unlikely to share good intent. They will likely bring their own candidates to power, and form a puppet government to rule."

He flicked a switch, the map slightly changing shape before stabilising.
"This is live footage from one of our stratellites in the region. A stratellite is basically an airship about 80km up, which the civilian sector launch for TV and telecommunications broadcasting. We strap a couple of sensors on just before launch, which allow us to get a cheap, uninterrupted view of most of the world.
We'll send you the footage whenever you need it. Now, pay attention."

The map started showing 5 pulsating red icons, located about the city.
"These are safehouses we have set up. Each is marked with a palm tree. But don't go looking in visible light."
He passed over a pair of infra-red goggles.
"You'll need those to see the symbols. Each safehouse is equipped with good security, enough weaponry to take on a small battalion, and a few fast-attack vehicles like the one you were transported here on, albeit without the red cross markings.
Is there anything you want to ask? Any help you want with forces? Because as we speak, I have it on good authority the Alfegan government is preparing an official response. That will arrive in 32 hours, in the form of a small Air Taskforce of airships. I sadly have little influence, so if you don't get a move on, in 36 hours the capitol will be a smoking wreck. I have been in the middle of one of their attacks, and that was one of the most fearful moments I have experienced."

It was 11 in the morning. Dimitri and his team had assembled in one of the few remaining unwatched parking lots near the Capitol Building. Only a few hours earlier, the Special Forces Team had driven into town, undetected and relatively unscathed. Over his satellite phone, Dimitri ran his plan over the Team as they were driving through the city. The attack would happen at 11:30.

(OOC: Sorry about the relative shortness. I'm just really tired today.)

"Thank you. As we all know Sertaki is key to this. He has brought his friends into power, displacing the legitimate government, imprisoning and killing them. I managed to escape, with a few men, faking my own death with the official response being the Cold Light virus killed me. Sadly the men who helped me were later found, planning an assault. They were all killed on the spot. Sertaki inadvertently has started a civil war but the people are too weak, too distraught to fight.

I do not know how but Sertaki now has the military Generals on his side. Generals who once said they were loyal to me. Sure a few fought back but they ended up dead.For the moment I have been acting alone trying to find allies, but with such security it is almost impossible."

Mathers paused for a moment looking around the room at the faces of his new allies.

"However a war is not what this nation needs. We cannot call in an airstrike upon Dawn killing numbers of innocents. I will not allow it. Instead we need Spec Op teams to infiltrate and get to Sertaki. However Sertaki must be kept alive and be brought in front of an international court. Now we also know of this explosion occuring moments after you found me. It was not my doing so this leads me to believe there is another party out to get Sertaki. I don't know what their aims are but we need to establish contact with them. We need all the allies we can get. Sertaki may be a coward but he is a clever man. Do not underestimate him."

"Well, good sir, you wont really have a say in the destruction that will come soon. By the time the government is forced to change its mind, it will be regrettably far too late.
So, hearing this news that you have few supporters, we will need to change these plans. Radically.

As I said, there are two branches in operation in Cold Light. The Silent Eyes, and Gaea. Now, I know the people don't come up with the most imaginative names all the time, but the different branches do their jobs. Gaea is our armed first, as it were. They are the ones who'll be carrying out our action on Serataki. We'll extract him, and once that's done we'll 'process' him before letting him out for trial. We can guarantee you though that he will have a free trial.

What we need you to do are to rally as many supporters as possible. Your mastery of the PAS system is original, and as we can not be bothered to hack them now that they are being monitored more closely. Once you've rallied these supporters, they will act as a distraction. We don't want them to be used as cannon fodder - we will provide you with as much in the way of delaying tactics and information as possible. But once you've started the initial diversion near the capitol, we'll need you to try and get out as quickly as possible.
If we are to fail, then heed me well: make sure as many people as you can are moved to the safehouses. If we cant get him, then the capital will burn."

The door-steriliser device opened, allowing through a group of 8 men. All took off their biochem warfare suits, before moving over in an orderly line to stand to attention.

"These are the team who are currently active. The first four, all don't exist. All are highly trained ghost operatives, and all have participated in multiple theatres. The others are support operatives. Satellite, resources, equipment, transport... all of that.
What I'm telling you are Alpha-2 level secrets. Only a few people have permission to know about the existence of these forces, let alone their purpose and the like. If you were less trustworthy, we would mind-wipe you. But that being such a crude technology of the moment, we will not do that. Instead, you will keep silent about this to all. Am I right?"

The team slowly began to prepare themselves. A side room held row after row of devices in large racks, each neatly labelled. Starting with the bullet-proof kevlar vests, they soon added plates, and equipment holding. After that, they began taking equipment. In addition to a few grenades and device holsters, they took large AF-07P rifles with under-barrel pneumatic launchers and a few sachets of hypodermic syringes. Each was filled with knock-out juice, a mix of potent anaesthetics and painkillers. Just what they were needing.

The rest convened around a planning computer, where images flickered past: security rotas, building schematics, satellite images.

"We will start the operation after the briefing finishes. That will be in about an hour or so. After that... we'll see how it pans out. As for looking for our mysterious extra faction... looks like we're already onto that."

______________________________________________

One of the IFVs broke off from the hospital formation where any injured from the blast were being treated. It was headed towards another group obviously breaking the curfew - the ones who were the perpetrators? A car park unwatched by all except the Stratellite. Glowing heat signatures of people had convened there. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too spooked by the IFV turning up. The engines came to an idle as it cruised along the road, turret moving to aim on the group as it rolled into the parking lot. Over the loudspeaker, a voice called out.

"Do not panic! Do not attract attention! If you do, we will take this as a hostile response and return fire. Please remain stationary and try not to appear hostile until our cargo has been unloaded."

The vehicle ramp at the rear clanged down as 4 men left the vehicle. 2 were heavily armed soldiers, the other two suited men. All wore gas masks, the lead man giving a thumbs-up to the IFV which slowly began to back off.

"Well, good sir, you wont really have a say in the destruction that will come soon. By the time the government is forced to change its mind, it will be regrettably far too late.
So, hearing this news that you have few supporters, we will need to change these plans. Radically.

As I said, there are two branches in operation in Cold Light. The Silent Eyes, and Gaea. Now, I know the people don't come up with the most imaginative names all the time, but the different branches do their jobs. Gaea is our armed first, as it were. They are the ones who'll be carrying out our action on Serataki. We'll extract him, and once that's done we'll 'process' him before letting him out for trial. We can guarantee you though that he will have a free trial.

What we need you to do are to rally as many supporters as possible. Your mastery of the PAS system is original, and as we can not be bothered to hack them now that they are being monitored more closely. Once you've rallied these supporters, they will act as a distraction. We don't want them to be used as cannon fodder - we will provide you with as much in the way of delaying tactics and information as possible. But once you've started the initial diversion near the capitol, we'll need you to try and get out as quickly as possible.
If we are to fail, then heed me well: make sure as many people as you can are moved to the safehouses. If we cant get him, then the capital will burn."

The door-steriliser device opened, allowing through a group of 8 men. All took off their biochem warfare suits, before moving over in an orderly line to stand to attention.

"These are the team who are currently active. The first four, all don't exist. All are highly trained ghost operatives, and all have participated in multiple theatres. The others are support operatives. Satellite, resources, equipment, transport... all of that.
What I'm telling you are Alpha-2 level secrets. Only a few people have permission to know about the existence of these forces, let alone their purpose and the like. If you were less trustworthy, we would mind-wipe you. But that being such a crude technology of the moment, we will not do that. Instead, you will keep silent about this to all. Am I right?"

The team slowly began to prepare themselves. A side room held row after row of devices in large racks, each neatly labelled. Starting with the bullet-proof kevlar vests, they soon added plates, and equipment holding. After that, they began taking equipment. In addition to a few grenades and device holsters, they took large AF-07P rifles with under-barrel pneumatic launchers and a few sachets of hypodermic syringes. Each was filled with knock-out juice, a mix of potent anaesthetics and painkillers. Just what they were needing.

The rest convened around a planning computer, where images flickered past: security rotas, building schematics, satellite images.

"We will start the operation after the briefing finishes. That will be in about an hour or so. After that... we'll see how it pans out. As for looking for our mysterious extra faction... looks like we're already onto that."

______________________________________________

One of the IFVs broke off from the hospital formation where any injured from the blast were being treated. It was headed towards another group obviously breaking the curfew - the ones who were the perpetrators? A car park unwatched by all except the Stratellite. Glowing heat signatures of people had convened there. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too spooked by the IFV turning up. The engines came to an idle as it cruised along the road, turret moving to aim on the group as it rolled into the parking lot. Over the loudspeaker, a voice called out.

"Do not panic! Do not attract attention! If you do, we will take this as a hostile response and return fire. Please remain stationary and try not to appear hostile until our cargo has been unloaded."

The vehicle ramp at the rear clanged down as 4 men left the vehicle. 2 were heavily armed soldiers, the other two suited men. All wore gas masks, the lead man giving a thumbs-up to the IFV which slowly began to back off.

Dimitri and his team were obviously spooked, as they didn't hear the IFV approaching until they saw it come around the corner. Once it did, instinct took hold and the men lunged for cover. Their guns were brought to bear and trained on the IFV. A amplified voice echoed out of the machine as the rear loading ramp collapsed to the ground. Although the IFV's markings weren't of Cold Light origin, Dimitri didn't want to take any chances. He knew that the probability of there being other powers in the area were high, but he didn't know if these were friends with a common goal, or enemies determined to uphold Sertaki.

As the helicopter swung east to land, the wind ripped at Nichols' black uniform, causing it to ripple and flap, the ammo cases and various pouches on his web gear bouncing slightly with the turbulence. They had flown in low to avoid radar, and the cover of night had fallen partway through the trip. With a beep, he heard the familiar, gruff voice of the SPEC-REC controller's voice.

"Alright, you know the drill. Our man on the inside has figured the resistance base is within 20 miles of here. Your mission is two-parted: One, to establish contact and relations with the opposition and see if they are willing to take our help." In the front of the helicopter, Joseph could see the pilot key his throat mic. "30 seconds!"

With this, Nichols could feel the whirlybird slow and descend, spinning 180 degrees counterclockwise to position itself better, and the controller continued.

"Part two is if the answer to one is yes, and that is to support them with both your expertise and supplies.

As the words were uttered, the helicopters drifted to a halt, as ropes were tossed over the side. "Stack up, men!" Joseph called out.

"You know what to do. Command out."

On the word "what", the first man from each chopper was already halfway down the rope. By "out" half of each of the 3 squads were already on the ground, forming a perimeter. The four enormous cases of supplies on pallets were slowly lowered by winch to the grass of the clearing below.

"Sitrep?" said Joseph.

"Target distance estimate: 10-13 miles, 20 at worst," replied his Sergeant, McPherson. "It's either somewhere in the city or out here. In the case it IS out here, we've narrowed it down to in the river caverns, or possibly somewhere in the hills. We'll break out plainclothes and fake IDs for squad 1 to wear as they go scout out the city. My squad, squad 3, will check out the hills. Squad 2 will check the caverns."


"Good thinking, Robert. White, orange, and blue, always true," quipped Joseph, reciting a common Stabistani military phrase, and subconciously registered the helicopters heading back to the Stabistani border.

He quickly replaced his BDUs and underclothing for untagged civvies, taking a S2K11A1 .45 pistol with a silencer and an S/FM-14-MCR, an extremely cut-down version of the standard Stabistani National Army assault rifle, with a tiny barrel length, and a collapsible stock, with simple circle-and-W iron sights instead of the sophisticated scope arrangement, many of 1st squad doing the same.

Joseph stood in a relaxed pose, leaning against a tree in the pale moonlight and recited the briefing he had prepared.
"To infiltrate the city all together would be to suspicious, we'll have to take separate modes of transport. Bowen, Junta, Haas, you take the train. Hoover, Murphy, and Freeman, you take a rental car. Me, Garrison, Dworkin and Carpenter will take the bus. Avoid confrontation by any means necessary, and try not to draw attention to yourselves." With a salute, he called out "Diiiiiiiiiiisssss-MISSED!" and watched his squad split up, each heading for a road that lead into the capital.

All that could be heard as all three squads crept off was the chirping of crickets and hooting of owls.

The 4 men audaciously paced across the car park, oblivious to the possible sudden death that could await them. By now, the IFV had retreated down the road, out of visible sight of these here who had taken cover.

"Good morning gentlemen. Since we've got little time, I'll have to be blunt: you wish to depose Serataki, don't you? We do as well. You will have seen our forces across this area quite a bit, since we are the only medical care these people can hope to receive after that epidemic. We have been watching for those breaking the curfew: those who want to resist. And you were flagged up quite quickly. So look up into the sky, and smile! You're on camera.

I reckon we've got 3 minutes left. So, I wish to make a proposal in this time: for the mutual benefit of this nation, we shall collect Serataki and try him for crimes against humanity in an international court. In his place, the rightful ruler of this country will be voted back in.
Time is pressing, and there is no halfway house: you can either be completely with us, or completely against us. The choice is yours. Just remind your group that soon, this country will be a full-blown warzone if this plan is not carried out effectively.

What will it be then?"

The 4 men audaciously paced across the car park, oblivious to the possible sudden death that could await them. By now, the IFV had retreated down the road, out of visible sight of these here who had taken cover.

"Good morning gentlemen. Since we've got little time, I'll have to be blunt: you wish to depose Serataki, don't you? We do as well. You will have seen our forces across this area quite a bit, since we are the only medical care these people can hope to receive after that epidemic. We have been watching for those breaking the curfew: those who want to resist. And you were flagged up quite quickly. So look up into the sky, and smile! You're on camera.

I reckon we've got 3 minutes left. So, I wish to make a proposal in this time: for the mutual benefit of this nation, we shall collect Serataki and try him for crimes against humanity in an international court. In his place, the rightful ruler of this country will be voted back in.
Time is pressing, and there is no halfway house: you can either be completely with us, or completely against us. The choice is yours. Just remind your group that soon, this country will be a full-blown warzone if this plan is not carried out effectively.

What will it be then?"

Dimitri ran it over with his team. After a considerable debate, they decided that it would be in their best interests to join the attack and take Sertaki out. However, they offered an ultimatium. "We would like to be the ones to take him across the border and hold him for trial."

After all the recent hostilities, Sertaki sent a message and a command. The command was sent to all military personnel. Kill all those that broke the curfew. And then he sent a message worldwide.

"It has come to my attention, people, I don't know who are trying to disrupt our mourning nation. Our country has just faced an epidemic where we have all lost someone and while we mourn someone is attacking us. Have you no shame? Unless you wish to face the condemnation of the global community I suggest all hostile activities stop."

After all the recent hostilities, Sertaki sent a message and a command. The command was sent to all military personnel. Kill all those that broke the curfew. And then he sent a message worldwide.

"It has come to my attention, people, I don't know who are trying to disrupt our mourning nation. Our country has just faced an epidemic where we have all lost someone and while we mourn someone is attacking us. Have you no shame? Unless you wish to face the condemnation of the global community I suggest all hostile activities stop."

It had been an hour-long trip, (due to the checkpoints at which, miraculously) they were only subjected to a cursory search of their false-bottomed bags and a slight pat-down) but the bus had finally arrived at the capital.

"Last stop," the portly, gray-haired driver announced.

The team filed off the bus, and as it pulled away Joe could hear the news drift out through the open windows. "President Sertaki's brave speech condemning the foreign aggressors is an example that all the people of our glorious nation should follow....." With a whoosh of air-brakes and the grumble of an ill-repaired engine, the bus pulled away.

"What's the plan, sir?" inquired Pvt. Carpenter.

"Don't call me sir, we're supposed to be civilians, remember?" Joe replied. "From what we know it's somewhere east of here. Let's try to stay out of sight, and spread out a bit."

An IFV rumbled past.

"Si-" Cpl. Garrison started, and the caught himself. "Joe, if we want to not attract attention, how about we go through that carpark over there?"

"Good thinking, let's go." As they walked through an entrance in the concrete edifice, Joe could barely make out voices, one with an accent. An accent that definitely wasn't native to Cold Light. If Joe recalled correctly, it was....

"Falkasian?" he uttered aloud.
Joe retrieved his pistol from the bag's false bottom and switched off the safety. "Stay here, I want to check this out."

He snuck from car to car, pausing each time to make sure he was still unseen, working his way to where the voice was coming from.

"...across the border and hold him for trial."

He peeked over the hood of a brown sedan and subvocalized into his concealed mic. "Squad, move up." Like wraiths, they all took positions behind columns and under vehicles, arming themselves.

Joe re-concealed his weapon slowly stood, putting his hands up to about head level, mentally crossed his fingers, and cleared his throat.

"I hate to crash the party, but I wouldn't suppose you gentlemen are someone as interested in getting rid of Sertaki as I am?"

He just hoped this gamble would work.

It had been an hour-long trip, (due to the checkpoints at which, miraculously) they were only subjected to a cursory search of their false-bottomed bags and a slight pat-down) but the bus had finally arrived at the capital.

"Last stop," the portly, gray-haired driver announced.

The team filed off the bus, and as it pulled away Joe could hear the news drift out through the open windows. "President Sertaki's brave speech condemning the foreign aggressors is an example that all the people of our glorious nation should follow....." With a whoosh of air-brakes and the grumble of an ill-repaired engine, the bus pulled away.

"What's the plan, sir?" inquired Pvt. Carpenter.

"Don't call me sir, we're supposed to be civilians, remember?" Joe replied. "From what we know it's somewhere east of here. Let's try to stay out of sight, and spread out a bit."

An IFV rumbled past.

"Si-" Cpl. Garrison started, and the caught himself. "Joe, if we want to not attract attention, how about we go through that carpark over there?"

"Good thinking, let's go." As they walked through an entrance in the concrete edifice, Joe could barely make out voices, one with an accent. An accent that definitely wasn't native to Cold Light. If Joe recalled correctly, it was....

"Falkasian?" he uttered aloud.
Joe retrieved his pistol from the bag's false bottom and switched off the safety. "Stay here, I want to check this out."

He snuck from car to car, pausing each time to make sure he was still unseen, working his way to where the voice was coming from.

"...across the border and hold him for trial."

He peeked over the hood of a brown sedan and subvocalized into his concealed mic. "Squad, move up." Like wraiths, they all took positions behind columns and under vehicles, arming themselves.

Joe re-concealed his weapon slowly stood, putting his hands up to about head level, mentally crossed his fingers, and cleared his throat.

"I hate to crash the party, but I wouldn't suppose you gentlemen are someone as interested in getting rid of Sertaki as I am?"

He just hoped this gamble would work.

Dimitri didn't like surprises, and was startled again by the appearence of yet another party. His team quickly and instinctively drew their guns and aimed them at the lone person, standing behind a beaten-up brown sedan. Dimitri recognized the man's accent as Stabistani almost immediately, and gave him his signature cold glare, before asking, "What if we are after Sertaki?"

Dimitri didn't like surprises, and was startled again by the appearence of yet another party. His team quickly and instinctively drew their guns and aimed them at the lone person, standing behind a beaten-up brown sedan. Dimitri recognized the man's accent as Stabistani almost immediately, and gave him his signature cold glare, before asking, "What if we are after Sertaki?"

Joseph leaned on the car as casually as possible for a person with a gun pointed at them. "Then we have a mutual objective. Sertaki's been a thorn in the world's side, and we hate his guts. If you want to take him out, we'll be glad to aid you." He then made a nigh-imperceptible gesture with his right hand, and his team melted out of the shadows into view, their weapons now half-slung back over their shoulders, but still easily accessible. "We didn't fly out here with weapons, supplies, and several special ops teams for nothing," he said, being careful enough to not mention their exact number.

He took a few steps forward at a calculated speed as to not surprise the Falkasians and extended his hand.

"Deal?"

Joseph leaned on the car as casually as possible for a person with a gun pointed at them. "Then we have a mutual objective. Sertaki's been a thorn in the world's side, and we hate his guts. If you want to take him out, we'll be glad to aid you." He then made a nigh-imperceptible gesture with his right hand, and his team melted out of the shadows into view, their weapons now half-slung back over their shoulders, but still easily accessible. "We didn't fly out here with weapons, supplies, and several special ops teams for nothing," he said, being careful enough to not mention their exact number.

He took a few steps forward at a calculated speed as to not surprise the Falkasians and extended his hand.

"Deal?"

Dimitri sized the man over for a moment. By Dimitri's standards, he was a pretty typical Stabistani soldier, although he had had few other interactions with the larger population base. "Deal," he responded, grasping the man's hand and shaking it. "But before we go, I need to know how the Alfregons feel about this, as well as sort out a new plan." Seeing considerable unease in the man's eyes, he motioned for the Falkasians to put their guns down, but just low enough to keep them within easy access.

Dimitri sized the man over for a moment. By Dimitri's standards, he was a pretty typical Stabistani soldier, although he had had few other interactions with the larger population base. "Deal," he responded, grasping the man's hand and shaking it. "But before we go, I need to know how the Alfregons feel about this, as well as sort out a new plan." Seeing considerable unease in the man's eyes, he motioned for the Falkasians to put their guns down, but just low enough to keep them within easy access.


Joe nodded. "That's fine by me. I've never really dealt with Alfregons before, but if they want Sertaki gone they're probably good people. So I assume you'll be able to put us in touch with the rebels?"

He paused and ran his hand through his hair in thought.

"Oh, and I almost forgot, since I assume we'll be working together, what's your name? 1st Lieutenant Joesph Nichols, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"We will agree to that, though with a slight alteration: we will allow you to take him to international trial, once we have 'processed' him. A team is posted at the Alfegan outpost, so the speed at which this can be done will be rapid and secure.

Now, as I said, we have not much time. 9 airships are coming this way, and are currently about 3100km away. 31 hours, maybe less if they're going at full speed. Within about 6 hours, they will begin preliminary strikes on the country's military facilities and governmental buildings. And I have it on good authority that Serataki's place will be high on the list."

He was interrupted as the other party broke through into their conversation. Stabistani, he judged by a quick glance noting choice of weaponry, accent, movement, race mix and other assorted oddities. He dropped his hand, signalling his two soldiers to hold fire, before listening to the ensuing conversation.

"Well, it's always nice to have extra help. Now, we do need distractions, which will be provided courtesy of the Resistance here. We have a team preparing to set out very soon, who will get to the Capitol. When they arrive, there will be an explosion. That is when the raid will start."

He was interrupted as a man next to him whispered in his ear.

"Guys, we have a problem. They've just announced that they are going to kill all curfew breakers. We, the Alfegans, are immune to this since we are providing medical aid to all those who need it: Serataki's not that much of an idiot to let any remaining pockets of Cold Light become rampant again. We'll go our separate ways now, and hopefully the teams will be able to meet up quickly. As for help on the road, this is all I can give you."

He dropped two palmtop units behind him as the group rushed off towards the waiting IFV that had rolled back in, before moving away. Each one had been memory wiped, save for one single application: an uplink to the stratellite. The Infra-red image currently showed a warm IFV moving away from a carpark filled with warm bodies.

___________________________________________

The Gaea team left via a secret exit near the centre of the city. A small, nondescript cellar underneath an empty apartment building, acting as a current safe-house for anyone who needed it. Crates of water and rations stacked against the wall shadowed the weapons crates, and ammunition dump. None was necessary for this operation.

They left via the back entrance, two wooden boards over the stairwell, before locating the manhole in the overgrown garden. Amongst the dried weeds, a rusted metal panel lay thrown to the side, exposing a black hole. The men dropped into the sewer, before moving off towards the capitol.

Mathers was currently alone. He was well aware enough that every nation who was involved in this had some motive of their own for political gain. They all had their secrets and so did he. He pulled out a phone and dialled...

Mathers had not been totally honest with the allied forces for both the security of them and his own people. There was already an underground resistance group in the city, called ReLight, and they had been working against Sertaki's forces and bribing them.

While the Alfegan forces where slowly approaching through the sky, ReLight was moving under the city towards Capital Building, Sertaki's headquarters. Mathers could not risk Sertaki being killed in the air raid so had ordered ReLight to take him from the palace alive and take him underground until such a time that he could be brought safely to the allied forces.

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

General Michaels was leading ReLight. He had once been one of the top serving Generals of the Cold Light Military and had escaped with Mathers and a band of loyal soldiers. These loyal soldiers were now moving towards the palace to take Sertaki.

"Right lads. Since Sertaki took power we've all seen this country fall into disrepair. The order is to take him alive and even though we all have a hatred for him I will not tolerate any unnecessary violence against him. Understood?"

"Yes Sir."

Joe nodded. "That's fine by me. I've never really dealt with Alfregons before, but if they want Sertaki gone they're probably good people. So I assume you'll be able to put us in touch with the rebels?"

He paused and ran his hand through his hair in thought.

"Oh, and I almost forgot, since I assume we'll be working together, what's your name? 1st Lieutenant Joesph Nichols, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I am Major Dimitri Vornok, Falkasian Intelligence Division," he responed in a thick accent. "Now that we have all our formalities down, let's get to business. We need to develop a new plan to take Sertaki down. I'm willing to listen to all ideas, no matter how crazy they may sound."

"I am Major Dimitri Vornok, Falkasian Intelligence Division," he responed in a thick accent. "Now that we have all our formalities down, let's get to business. We need to develop a new plan to take Sertaki down. I'm willing to listen to all ideas, no matter how crazy they may sound."

"Our plan so far is to assist the rebels in the ways of training them and supply necessities such as guns and ammunition. However, with your help perhaps we could form an ad-hoc strike team. Stabistan has a few stealth bombers that could, in the case that everything goes wrong, provide precision airstrikes, but that's a last resort. With the rebels providing a distraction, and my other teams supporting them, your men and mine could slip past the defenses and get him. We also have a couple of attack and transport helicopters to get us out of there once things start to get hairy."

He scratched his ear absentmindedly. "So, that's our plan. What's yours?"

"Our plan so far is to assist the rebels in the ways of training them and supply necessities such as guns and ammunition. However, with your help perhaps we could form an ad-hoc strike team. Stabistan has a few stealth bombers that could, in the case that everything goes wrong, provide precision airstrikes, but that's a last resort. With the rebels providing a distraction, and my other teams supporting them, your men and mine could slip past the defenses and get him. We also have a couple of attack and transport helicopters to get us out of there once things start to get hairy."

He scratched his ear absentmindedly. "So, that's our plan. What's yours?"

"Well, I'm considering sticking to my original plan, or close to it." Dimitri responded.

While on the phone, Dimitri had requested that the team fill up a handful of grenades with knockout gas before they left the border. His new plan centered around these grenades, instead of direct intervention by one of his agents. His new plan would play out like this; The Special Forces Team would take out the Maintence Crew and maintenance entrance guards, steal their uniforms to get them inside, and plant the gas grenades inside the air-conditioning system of the Capitol building. Once the gas was circulated throughout the building, Dimitri and his team would run in and take the unconscience Sertaki and put him inside the van, which would be waiting outside. From there, he would hopefully be as good as gone. The only problem would be the exterior guard, which is where the other Special Forces came in. Using the equipment in the van, they would start a firefight outside the building as cover while the gas inside the building was being circulated.

"Well, I'm considering sticking to my original plan, or close to it." Dimitri responded.

Joseph leaned on a concrete pillar, mused for a moment, and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me. We'll gladly provide cover when it's time to extract Sertaki, and we will be more than happy to provide helicopter close support and transportation. I'll get to a good place to radio the other squads and I'll tell them to set up just outside the city. If you can tell us where the rebels are dug in, we'll deliver the supplies to them. In the meantime, is there anything else you could use us for?" He stood up and adjusted his coat.

(NB - Check out my previous posts guys - the Alfegans have scarpered, and left presents. Plus you've got the recommendation to move out quickly, before the police find you.)

Inside the sewers, the team were busy leaving a present underneath one of the streets: 20kg of RDX explosive, aimed upwards to blast a hole in the road. Hopefully a large enough signal for those on the ground to know the revolution was starting. Once the timer had been set to 25 minutes, the group began moving quickly away from the area, the tubes of explosive linked up to a digital counter slowly clicking down the numbers. They'd chosen this for the retro-style. Nobody used a visible display any more, not only because it was so cheesy but it was also obvious to whoever was in the area that it was a bomb.

They soon found themselves near the government square on the maps displayed on small palmtop computers. Making a final check of their weapons, they proceeded towards the entrance to the capitol building they were told he was in, 10 minutes left until the bomb blew.

(NB - Check out my previous posts guys - the Alfegans have scarpered, and left presents. Plus you've got the recommendation to move out quickly, before the police find you.)

Inside the sewers, the team were busy leaving a present underneath one of the streets: 20kg of RDX explosive, aimed upwards to blast a hole in the road. Hopefully a large enough signal for those on the ground to know the revolution was starting. Once the timer had been set to 25 minutes, the group began moving quickly away from the area, the tubes of explosive linked up to a digital counter slowly clicking down the numbers. They'd chosen this for the retro-style. Nobody used a visible display any more, not only because it was so cheesy but it was also obvious to whoever was in the area that it was a bomb.

They soon found themselves near the government square on the maps displayed on small palmtop computers. Making a final check of their weapons, they proceeded towards the entrance to the capitol building they were told he was in, 10 minutes left until the bomb blew.

"Let's get moving," Dimitri said aloud as he and his team scrambled into the cars. "We'll make our way to the Capitol Building and meet you guys there! Joseph, call those helicopters and get them ready!" And with that, the two cars pulled out of the lot and sped towards the Capitol.

"Let's get moving," Dimitri said aloud as he and his team scrambled into the cars. "We'll make our way to the Capitol Building and meet you guys there! Joseph, call those helicopters and get them ready!" And with that, the two cars pulled out of the lot and sped towards the Capitol.

Joeseph watched the cars recede into the distance, and nodded to Pvt. Dworkin, who produced the radio parts out of his false-bottomed bag and assembled them. Dworkin fiddled with the knobs until he found the right frequency, and handed the headset to Joe.

"Alpha, hotel, sierra. Alpha sierra alpha papa. Scalpel to Sparrow, requesting waltzing blades, open wing, and ready talons. Scalpels 2 and 3, meet at designated point. Romeo members are friendlies. It's about to happen, boys. Get ready."

"All units acknowledging, Scalpel 1. See you soon."

With that, the radio was repacked and weapons hidden again. "Okay, we need transport to meet up with the most of the rest of our squad, I've ordered Hoover, Freeman, and Murphy to suit back up in their uniforms and head into an abandoned office building down the street from the capitol to provide sniper cover from. Squads two and three are waiting, and the helicopters are warming up with room for extraction and weapons ready in case the E.Z. is hot. The rendezvous with the rest of squad one is in the park a couple blocks from here. After that we can probably get a car of some sort. Keep on your toes and your weapons ready."

They set out at a brisk pace and re-united with their squad. Seeing as a full-scale civil war was about to happen, being noticed in a group by the Cold Light military was one of the least of their worries.

Joe gathered his men up and scanned the area. "Okay, what do we have in the means of transport?"

"I managed to get us a car, sir," replied Bowen, renowned for his skill to procure just about anything (it was a good idea, however, to never ask EXACTLY how he got it beyond his vague answers, seeing as nearly 100 per cent of the time you wouldn't like it). "The man was selling it on the cheap, he had gotten a new car and although the old one isn't very luxurious, at least not anymore, but it has some decent power under the hood and looks durable. It's an old E32-era 7-series BMW." Bowen gestured across the street.

The car was jet-black, but it had faded slightly and the paint wasn't as glossy as it had been. It had a few dings and scratches, and the old leather seating was worn and heavily cracked. However, it started up on the first try, and with a little coaxing they could squeeze five men into the interior, with the sixth (Junta) running down side alleys to actually reach the Capitol first. The throaty engine picked up and smoothed off as they gained speed. They made a short stop at another parking garage to have everyone except Bowen and Garrison put their black BDUs over their clothes, so the driver and passenger, at first glance, would look like normal citizens.

With a throaty vroom, which quickly leveled off with their speed, the car was off towards the Capitol, Junta giving them updates on where the roadblocks were. As the sedan pulled up they noticed him leaning as nonchalantly as possible up against a light-pole. Occasionally a car or IFV passed along the damp streets, under the gray-but-still-light sky. They parked the car about 100 yards away from him, across the road from the imposing government buildings, and waited for the Falkasians to arrive, weapons ready but hidden by the tinted windows.

(OOC: I hope you don't mind me taking liberties with the weather, it's just the way I've imagined it. Damp and gray, and a recent stopping of the rain, the sort of weather that fits the mood.)

Underneath the capitol, the team began to slowly climb up a service conduit towards the centre of the building. Around them, telephone wires tangled with electrical links and water piping as they climbed up the shaft towards the surface. Soon, under whatever service cover there was, the team leader checked his watch. Any minute now, the attack would start...

In the distance came a loud rumble as the charges blew, ripping up into the street and blasting a wide hole in the road. Fragments of concrete and tarmac rained down across the city as an ugly dust cloud cut upwards towards the surface. Emergency sirens began ringing as the IFVs closed in. But to the Orange Service, they knew that it was time.

Back at the hospital-citadel, the Orange Service head smiled. If this went all to plan, he'd have the satisfaction of another safe country under his belt. And if he could nurture strong Cold Light-Alfegos relations... that would be even more in his bonus packet. Turning away from the operations screen network, he saw that the processing team had arrived. Four men, since they liked to work that way. Around them, large boxes lay concealing whatever items were in them.
"So, we have a separate chamber for our work?"
"Indeed. Just through there."
He gestured to a room that had just appeared, concealed by a false wall.
"Go get it set up, and fired up. We'll need it to be a quick job."
"Alright."

Inside the room, the boxes were opened. A chair unfolded to sit at the back of the room, around which the boxes were placed and slowly taken apart. One man took out a large sprawl of white wires, sharp needles on the end. He linked up to a computer, and began typing in commands, different wires glowing as he checked connections in 3D. It was working fine for now, though they had brought it as a last resort, in case anyone needed it. If any of Serataki's military advisers were captured, then the device would be perfect for them.

Another was busy on a complicated machine, again with spikes. This one though had danger signs for high voltage across it, and a small dial labelled from 1 to 10. Around him, thick power cables charged capacitors inside the unit, which bore no insignia and little in the way of colour. For the service head, looking inside was still a nightmare, even with training. But morbid as it was, he was looking forward to watching the interrogation.

Joeseph watched the cars recede into the distance, and nodded to Pvt. Dworkin, who produced the radio parts out of his false-bottomed bag and assembled them. Dworkin fiddled with the knobs until he found the right frequency, and handed the headset to Joe.

"Alpha, hotel, sierra. Alpha sierra alpha papa. Scalpel to Sparrow, requesting waltzing blades, open wing, and ready talons. Scalpels 2 and 3, meet at designated point. Romeo members are friendlies. It's about to happen, boys. Get ready."

"All units acknowledging, Scalpel 1. See you soon."

With that, the radio was repacked and weapons hidden again. "Okay, we need transport to meet up with the most of the rest of our squad, I've ordered Hoover, Freeman, and Murphy to suit back up in their uniforms and head into an abandoned office building down the street from the capitol to provide sniper cover from. Squads two and three are waiting, and the helicopters are warming up with room for extraction and weapons ready in case the E.Z. is hot. The rendezvous with the rest of squad one is in the park a couple blocks from here. After that we can probably get a car of some sort. Keep on your toes and your weapons ready."

They set out at a brisk pace and re-united with their squad. Seeing as a full-scale civil war was about to happen, being noticed in a group by the Cold Light military was one of the least of their worries.

Joe gathered his men up and scanned the area. "Okay, what do we have in the means of transport?"

"I managed to get us a car, sir," replied Bowen, renowned for his skill to procure just about anything (it was a good idea, however, to never ask EXACTLY how he got it beyond his vague answers, seeing as nearly 100 per cent of the time you wouldn't like it). "The man was selling it on the cheap, he had gotten a new car and although the old one isn't very luxurious, at least not anymore, but it has some decent power under the hood and looks durable. It's an old E32-era 7-series BMW." Bowen gestured across the street.

The car was jet-black, but it had faded slightly and the paint wasn't as glossy as it had been. It had a few dings and scratches, and the old leather seating was worn and heavily cracked. However, it started up on the first try, and with a little coaxing they could squeeze five men into the interior, with the sixth (Junta) running down side alleys to actually reach the Capitol first. The throaty engine picked up and smoothed off as they gained speed. They made a short stop at another parking garage to have everyone except Bowen and Garrison put their black BDUs over their clothes, so the driver and passenger, at first glance, would look like normal citizens.

With a throaty vroom, which quickly leveled off with their speed, the car was off towards the Capitol, Junta giving them updates on where the roadblocks were. As the sedan pulled up they noticed him leaning as nonchalantly as possible up against a light-pole. Occasionally a car or IFV passed along the damp streets, under the gray-but-still-light sky. They parked the car about 100 yards away from him, across the road from the imposing government buildings, and waited for the Falkasians to arrive, weapons ready but hidden by the tinted windows.

(OOC: I hope you don't mind me taking liberties with the weather, it's just the way I've imagined it. Damp and gray, and a recent stopping of the rain, the sort of weather that fits the mood.)

Underneath the capitol, the team began to slowly climb up a service conduit towards the centre of the building. Around them, telephone wires tangled with electrical links and water piping as they climbed up the shaft towards the surface. Soon, under whatever service cover there was, the team leader checked his watch. Any minute now, the attack would start...

In the distance came a loud rumble as the charges blew, ripping up into the street and blasting a wide hole in the road. Fragments of concrete and tarmac rained down across the city as an ugly dust cloud cut upwards towards the surface. Emergency sirens began ringing as the IFVs closed in. But to the Orange Service, they knew that it was time.

Back at the hospital-citadel, the Orange Service head smiled. If this went all to plan, he'd have the satisfaction of another safe country under his belt. And if he could nurture strong Cold Light-Alfegos relations... that would be even more in his bonus packet. Turning away from the operations screen network, he saw that the processing team had arrived. Four men, since they liked to work that way. Around them, large boxes lay concealing whatever items were in them.
"So, we have a separate chamber for our work?"
"Indeed. Just through there."
He gestured to a room that had just appeared, concealed by a false wall.
"Go get it set up, and fired up. We'll need it to be a quick job."
"Alright."

Inside the room, the boxes were opened. A chair unfolded to sit at the back of the room, around which the boxes were placed and slowly taken apart. One man took out a large sprawl of white wires, sharp needles on the end. He linked up to a computer, and began typing in commands, different wires glowing as he checked connections in 3D. It was working fine for now, though they had brought it as a last resort, in case anyone needed it. If any of Serataki's military advisers were captured, then the device would be perfect for them.

Another was busy on a complicated machine, again with spikes. This one though had danger signs for high voltage across it, and a small dial labelled from 1 to 10. Around him, thick power cables charged capacitors inside the unit, which bore no insignia and little in the way of colour. For the service head, looking inside was still a nightmare, even with training. But morbid as it was, he was looking forward to watching the interrogation.

Dimitri and his team pulled into the same parking lot in which the Stabistanis were in, only momentarily to nod that he was ready, before driving around the back of the building. The Special Forces Van pulled up to the front of the Capitol, finding a parking space quickly. The occupants disappeared into the back of the van as weapons and munitions were distributed. It was a cold, cloudy day, which fit the mood perfectly.

In the car, Dimitri, Petr, and Klaus checked over their weapons before they disembarked, each making sure to screw on silencers to their MAC-10s and pistols. When all was ready, they got out into with weapons drawn and ran toward the nearest wall. There had been a change of plans however. Dimitri would be the one dropping the grenade, as the Special Forces team had only brought one gasmask. The group ran along the wall, stopping only to check their time. They arrived at the end of the wall, which was the beginning of the back gate, checked their guns again, then whipped around and aimed at whatever moved.

Three clicks were heard as three guards fell from their posts, shot through the head or neck. Momentarily afterwards, two more clicks were fired off as two maintenance personnel fell dead. A small breaching charge was placed on the gate lock, which granted them access moments later. The team advanced into the maintenance yard and took cover near the dead workers. Quickly, under his comrades' cover, Dimitri put on one of the uniforms, hiding the gasmask and gun under it. Now was the make or break moment. Grabbing his phone, he called the Stabistani Joseph.
"I'm going in. Make sure everything is ready. Once you see me and my team running down the street, open fire."
With that, took position in front of an entry door and drew his gun before forcing the aluminium door in with his foot. Since his partners had no gasmasks of their own, they would keep watch outside. The door creaked as it swung open, held in place by only a few hinges. Dimitri advanced into considerable darkness. This hall was not well lit, but Dimitri had been in worse.

Moving as fast as he could without making noise, he arrived at what he hoped to find, an air-conditioning unit. Using brute force, and the help of a screwdriver in the front pocket of the stolen maintenance uniform, he managed to pry open a vent in which he would place the grenade for better circulation. He ripped out his gasmask and pulled it tight across his face before pulling the grenade's pin and placing it inside the vent. The air the was moving would push the gas away from him, so there was little need to re-insert the vent covering.

Now, with complete disregard for stealth, he ran down the hall toward the maintenance yard where is comrades were. Upon arriving there, they regrouped and ran further, turning at the open gate and then sprinting down a straight-away leading to the front of the building. Then, Dimitri was blown back by an explosion not to far off. The shockwave was immense, taking him down in mid-sprint. He and his partners quickly got up and rounded the corner toward the van. Once they came into sight, the back doors of the van burst open, revealing five heavily armed and armored men, who started hosing down the windows with their AK-74 Assault Rifles.

The attack had begun. All that mattered now was whether the other parties would follow their parts as well.

Dimitri and his team pulled into the same parking lot in which the Stabistanis were in, only momentarily to nod that he was ready, before driving around the back of the building. The Special Forces Van pulled up to the front of the Capitol, finding a parking space quickly. The occupants disappeared into the back of the van as weapons and munitions were distributed. It was a cold, cloudy day, which fit the mood perfectly.

In the car, Dimitri, Petr, and Klaus checked over their weapons before they disembarked, each making sure to screw on silencers to their MAC-10s and pistols. When all was ready, they got out into with weapons drawn and ran toward the nearest wall. There had been a change of plans however. Dimitri would be the one dropping the grenade, as the Special Forces team had only brought one gasmask. The group ran along the wall, stopping only to check their time. They arrived at the end of the wall, which was the beginning of the back gate, checked their guns again, then whipped around and aimed at whatever moved.

Three clicks were heard as three guards fell from their posts, shot through the head or neck. Momentarily afterwards, two more clicks were fired off as two maintenance personnel fell dead. A small breaching charge was placed on the gate lock, which granted them access moments later. The team advanced into the maintenance yard and took cover near the dead workers. Quickly, under his comrades' cover, Dimitri put on one of the uniforms, hiding the gasmask and gun under it. Now was the make or break moment. Grabbing his phone, he called the Stabistani Joseph.
"I'm going in. Make sure everything is ready. Once you see me and my team running down the street, open fire."
With that, took position in front of an entry door and drew his gun before forcing the aluminium door in with his foot. Since his partners had no gasmasks of their own, they would keep watch outside. The door creaked as it swung open, held in place by only a few hinges. Dimitri advanced into considerable darkness. This hall was not well lit, but Dimitri had been in worse.

Moving as fast as he could without making noise, he arrived at what he hoped to find, an air-conditioning unit. Using brute force, and the help of a screwdriver in the front pocket of the stolen maintenance uniform, he managed to pry open a vent in which he would place the grenade for better circulation. He ripped out his gasmask and pulled it tight across his face before pulling the grenade's pin and placing it inside the vent. The air the was moving would push the gas away from him, so there was little need to re-insert the vent covering.

Now, with complete disregard for stealth, he ran down the hall toward the maintenance yard where is comrades were. Upon arriving there, they regrouped and ran further, turning at the open gate and then sprinting down a straight-away leading to the front of the building. Then, Dimitri was blown back by an explosion not to far off. The shockwave was immense, taking him down in mid-sprint. He and his partners quickly got up and rounded the corner toward the van. Once they came into sight, the back doors of the van burst open, revealing five heavily armed and armored men, who started hosing down the windows with their AK-74 Assault Rifles.

The attack had begun. All that mattered now was whether the other parties would follow their parts as well.

"Weapons free."

The windows were quickly rolled down and a hail of 7.62 millimeter bullets flew out. The Black-clad Stabistanis leapt out of the car and fired accurate bursts into anything that wasn't their own or Falkasian. They let loose a volley of frag grenades, which flew through the shattered windows and exploded, destroying parts of the Cold Light defender's cover. They moved forward across the street at a pace not quit a jog yet not quite a walk, weapons shouldered and spitting out torrents of hot -full-metal-jacketed lead. A loud boom could be heard as an Arctic Warfare Magnum opened up from a rooftop, the sign that the 3 men Joe had assigned to sniper support were doing their job.

Joe quickly retrieved the radio back from the 7-series and since the place was now officially a warzone, there was no point in subterfuge.

"This is Squad one, it's hit the fan. I need the helicopters over my position at the capitol building ready to extract us, a team of Falkasians, and the big man himself. Keep your guns ready, the LZ is likely to be hot when you get here. Can I get a few Halberds (referring to the Stabistani stealth fighter-bomber) on station a klom (Stabistani slang for a kilometer) or two up?"

"We'll be there in 5, sir."

"Make it 3. Nichols out."

He quickly switched frequency to the other teams, ordering them to infiltrate the city and take out any SAM sites they could find, and harass any enemy reenforcement that were en route to their location. He handed the radio to Haas, who put it on his back.

While Bowen and the rest kept them pinned down, Joe and Garrison ran around to the left side of the building, finding a locked access door. They each stood to one side, placed a breaching charge, and swung around the doorframe, catching two defenders unaware and cutting them both down. With a bang, another frag from the rest of the team went off around the corner, and shortly afterwards they rushed in to meet up.

"Let's link with the Falkasians. The whirlybirds should be here soon. Check your corners." They set off down a hallway that would lead to stairs to the floor Sertaki was on, and from there they would find their allies then get the hell out of there. The radio crackled to life.

"This is Murphy. I can see several IFVs on their way from our sniping position. Be careful, sir. The Halberds just radioed us, they should be here in 4 minutes."

"Bugger. Keep an eye on the tanks, keep us updated."

The team rushed down the corridor and up the stairs, encountering a few scattered guards here and there who were easily dispatched, and a few terrified government flunkies and secretaries who posed no threat and were merely rendered unconscious. They came to a four-way intersection of the halls. "I'll go on point, sir," stated Haas. He rounded the corner and-

CLANG

- was hit directly in the helmet and went down. "Bloody hell!" exclaimed Carpenter. "He's down! We've got to help him!" Joe's response was to almost casually lob a flashbang down the corridor, almost as someone would toss a crumpled napkin into a rubbish bin. With an action that lived up to its namesake, it went off loudly and brightly, cuing a scream of pain from around the corner. Joe wheeled around and quickly shot both men, one in his chest and one in the other's head. "Take care of him, Bowen. It looks like the helmet took the worst of it." The rest of the team ran like Olympic athletes down the halls and up staircases, killing any defenders in their way.

Sertaki was going down.

Hard.

"Here we go - time to get a move on."
With all the guards rushing to the exterior of the building to obviously defend against the teams entering from outside, the team were free to slip in through the service pipes. The lead man rolled a camera through the top of the pipeline, viewing wirelessly the area around the top: a massive service room for the building, fuelling the infrastructure of the building. Completely clear, the man pulled himself up before picking up the camera and slotting it back into its holster. Splitting in two to cover the doorway, the head man flicked down his infra-red goggles. The door appeared as a translucent haze in his view, the hall behind cold and black. By the door, a white pipe snaked away, showing it held hot water.

Opening the door, they carried on to the next empty room, checking the stratellite footage being sent to them: where was Serataki?

"Weapons free."

The windows were quickly rolled down and a hail of 7.62 millimeter bullets flew out. The Black-clad Stabistanis leapt out of the car and fired accurate bursts into anything that wasn't their own or Falkasian. They let loose a volley of frag grenades, which flew through the shattered windows and exploded, destroying parts of the Cold Light defender's cover. They moved forward across the street at a pace not quit a jog yet not quite a walk, weapons shouldered and spitting out torrents of hot -full-metal-jacketed lead. A loud boom could be heard as an Arctic Warfare Magnum opened up from a rooftop, the sign that the 3 men Joe had assigned to sniper support were doing their job.

Joe quickly retrieved the radio back from the 7-series and since the place was now officially a warzone, there was no point in subterfuge.

"This is Squad one, it's hit the fan. I need the helicopters over my position at the capitol building ready to extract us, a team of Falkasians, and the big man himself. Keep your guns ready, the LZ is likely to be hot when you get here. Can I get a few Halberds (referring to the Stabistani stealth fighter-bomber) on station a klom (Stabistani slang for a kilometer) or two up?"

"We'll be there in 5, sir."

"Make it 3. Nichols out."

He quickly switched frequency to the other teams, ordering them to infiltrate the city and take out any SAM sites they could find, and harass any enemy reenforcement that were en route to their location. He handed the radio to Haas, who put it on his back.

While Bowen and the rest kept them pinned down, Joe and Garrison ran around to the left side of the building, finding a locked access door. They each stood to one side, placed a breaching charge, and swung around the doorframe, catching two defenders unaware and cutting them both down. With a bang, another frag from the rest of the team went off around the corner, and shortly afterwards they rushed in to meet up.

"Let's link with the Falkasians. The whirlybirds should be here soon. Check your corners." They set off down a hallway that would lead to stairs to the floor Sertaki was on, and from there they would find their allies then get the hell out of there. The radio crackled to life.

"This is Murphy. I can see several IFVs on their way from our sniping position. Be careful, sir. The Halberds just radioed us, they should be here in 4 minutes."

"Bugger. Keep an eye on the tanks, keep us updated."

The team rushed down the corridor and up the stairs, encountering a few scattered guards here and there who were easily dispatched, and a few terrified government flunkies and secretaries who posed no threat and were merely rendered unconscious. They came to a four-way intersection of the halls. "I'll go on point, sir," stated Haas. He rounded the corner and-

CLANG

- was hit directly in the helmet and went down. "Bloody hell!" exclaimed Carpenter. "He's down! We've got to help him!" Joe's response was to almost casually lob a flashbang down the corridor, almost as someone would toss a crumpled napkin into a rubbish bin. With an action that lived up to its namesake, it went off loudly and brightly, cuing a scream of pain from around the corner. Joe wheeled around and quickly shot both men, one in his chest and one in the other's head. "Take care of him, Bowen. It looks like the helmet took the worst of it." The rest of the team ran like Olympic athletes down the halls and up staircases, killing any defenders in their way.

Sertaki was going down.

Hard.

The Falkasian team followed shortly behind the Stabistani one, mopping up any resistance they may have missed. Up ahead, they saw one of the Stabistanis go down, and then the detonation of a flashbang. Still, they kept going, following the Stabistanis close behind, stopping only to offer some bandages to the wounded. The two teams kept going up the stairs, and hopefully, Sertaki would be behind the next door.

The Falkasian team followed shortly behind the Stabistani one, mopping up any resistance they may have missed. Up ahead, they saw one of the Stabistanis go down, and then the detonation of a flashbang. Still, they kept going, following the Stabistanis close behind, stopping only to offer some bandages to the wounded. The two teams kept going up the stairs, and hopefully, Sertaki would be behind the next door.

Joe nodded to the Falkasians. "Stack up." The men lined up on each side of the door, and Garrison placed a breaching charge onto the handle.

"Breaching in 5."
Everyone visibly held their breath and weapons were subconsciously gripped tighter.
"4."
Joe braced his knees and pressed hard against the wall.
"3."
Guns were cocked.
"2."
A mass inhalation of air.
"1."

Bang.

(OOC: Seeing as what Alfegos posted, I'm not going to make the assumption that Sertaki IS there, so I'll leave that up to Cold Light. Also, start reading from the part where the bomb goes off and have one of these playing, it adds quite a bit: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WICkKtUNTv0 or http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oXyR7Gt5_yk )

(OOC: It's not going to be that easy I'm afraid)

IC: The Capitol Building was a warzone, Sertaki's men holding back the invading forces. Of course this was little more than a show. Sertaki, being the paranoid man he was, had left along with his advisors to the Package. The Package was the codename for the military bunker which was used in an emergency to protect the life of the President in any event including war. The Capitol Building had of course been well defended but if and when the teams reached the Capitol Building would look like a walk in the park.

The Package had defences 10 miles out from the bunker where the President would be kept. These defences were made up of Cold Light Marines and Special Forces along with a battalion of Tanks. Should the teams get past this first defence, then 5 miles down the line would be pillboxes with the best machine gunners in the land.

These defences were nothing compared to the Package itself. Mines placed around the perimeter with walls reaching 70 feet. Then the defence towers manned 24/7 to armed with machine guns and if it called upon, RPG's. Inside was an infantry division. Cold Light soldiers would protect the President til the end, even if that President wasn't the legitimate one.

(OOC: Enjoy)

The team leader looked at the palmtop unit. Red bodies were running about across the building, picked up from the craft high above, but none were stationary. The presidential chambers appeared empty, and any of the cold areas had already been searched thoroughly.
"This is Gaea to hub, are you sure we are reading this correctly?"
"Hub to Gaea, there are no signs of the target. I repeat, no sign whatsoever."
"Please advise on course, over."
"Reverting to a secondary objective: processing team will arrive shortly at waypoint India."
"Affirmative. Gaea over and out."

He removed his finger from the side of his head where the sub-dermal radio implant was located, silencing the radio. Linked into his auditory nerve, it was completely silent when receiving. As of the present though, transmitting research was still under progress. He indicated out into the corridor, where the firefight was now moving towards. Taking out his TASERNET incapacitating sidearm, he flicked to infra-red as he prepared to leave the room, the rest of the team drawing their weapons. A group of enemy soldiers were backing away from enemy fire: about six men, all firing towards their allies. Nodding, there came 4 quiet hisses as the units deployed. From the head launcher exploded sticky web-like projectiles which unravelled as they began spinning, before impacting on the target. Behind the nets trailed pairs of fine wires, just visible in the light now streaming into the room. The four recipients began jerking uncontrollably as the small capacitors began discharging, collapsing and blacking out as the current continued. After exactly 2500 milliseconds, the current cut out, leaving the head containers on the units to eject. Slotting another into them, the men let rip on the last two.

Scooping up the ejected containers from the floor, the men moved out into the corridor, giving a thumbs-up to the allied forces in the hall: they were friendly. Each man grabbed either one or two of the unconscious bodies, dragging them across the hall quickly into cover, before slowly proceeding towards the way they had entered. Stacking the men up against the wall, the head of the team checked a small clock display at the top right of his goggle view: it had been 4 minutes since the men had been knocked out. Another 6 minutes, and they would be awake. But when awaking, they would find themselves moving towards a hellish experience none could imagine.

A pair of men guarded the doorway as the other two went through the enemy clothes, removing every single item these unfortunates had on their person before heaping them up in a pile against the wall: one of the guns and ammunition, the other of any items the men were wearing. Another pile was created as any armour plating and outer coats were removed, leaving the slowly waking men by the wall, two rifles trained on them at all times.

Joe nodded to the Falkasians. "Stack up." The men lined up on each side of the door, and Garrison placed a breaching charge onto the handle.

"Breaching in 5."
Everyone visibly held their breath and weapons were subconsciously gripped tighter.
"4."
Joe braced his knees and pressed hard against the wall.
"3."
Guns were cocked.
"2."
A mass inhalation of air.
"1."

Bang.

(OOC: Seeing as what Alfegos posted, I'm not going to make the assumption that Sertaki IS there, so I'll leave that up to Cold Light. Also, start reading from the part where the bomb goes off and have one of these playing, it adds quite a bit: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WICkKtUNTv0 or http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oXyR7Gt5_yk )

The door exploded inward, spraying Sertaki's office with wooden shards and splinters. The Falkasian team, well trained in the art of door breaching, chucked a flashbang inside, then filed in slowly, shooting at anything that moved. One of Sertaki's bodyguards had remained in the office, and was quickly blown out of a rear office window by Dimitri's MAC-10. No sign of Sertaki. "Damn," Dimitri said. Then he noticed the flaw in his plan. The air conditioning units in the office had scrubbers attached. No gas had gotten into the room at all. He turned back towards the Stabistanis who had breached the room with them. "He's not here. Any casualties?"

The door exploded inward, spraying Sertaki's office with wooden shards and splinters. The Falkasian team, well trained in the art of door breaching, chucked a flashbang inside, then filed in slowly, shooting at anything that moved. One of Sertaki's bodyguards had remained in the office, and was quickly blown out of a rear office window by Dimitri's MAC-10. No sign of Sertaki. "Damn," Dimitri said. Then he noticed the flaw in his plan. The air conditioning units in the office had scrubbers attached. No gas had gotten into the room at all. He turned back towards the Stabistanis who had breached the room with them. "He's not here. Any casualties?"

"Besides Haas, we're all okay. He's just concussed, give him a while and he'll be fine."

The radio crackled to life, Freeman's voice emanating from the headset."The whirlybirds have picked ourselves and teams 2 and 3 up, boss. Head to the rooftop and we'll extract you. I can't believe you got him!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Private, but he's not here. It's Al-Asad all over again."
"Bugger! We'll get him eventually, right sir?"

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"We're heading for the rooftops now. Make room for the Falkasians."

As his team ran around the corner and up the stairwell with the clatter of boots, he motioned to Dmitri to follow. "Staying here is probably a bad idea, mate. Come on!"

The choppers hovered about a meter off the ground, the men being pulled up into the passenger areas of the Grayhawks by their comrades. The rotor wash blew flotsam and jetsam around the concrete as they slowly lifted off.

"Besides Haas, we're all okay. He's just concussed, give him a while and he'll be fine."

The radio crackled to life, Freeman's voice emanating from the headset."The whirlybirds have picked ourselves and teams 2 and 3 up, boss. Head to the rooftop and we'll extract you. I can't believe you got him!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Private, but he's not here. It's Al-Asad all over again."
"Bugger! We'll get him eventually, right sir?"

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"We're heading for the rooftops now. Make room for the Falkasians."

As his team ran around the corner and up the stairwell with the clatter of boots, he motioned to Dmitri to follow. "Staying here is probably a bad idea, mate. Come on!"

The choppers hovered about a meter off the ground, the men being pulled up into the passenger areas of the Grayhawks by their comrades. The rotor wash blew flotsam and jetsam around the concrete as they slowly lifted off.

The Falkasians, after clearing it with command through Dmitiri's satellite phone, boarded the Stabistani Grayhawks and sat down as they began to lift up.

"Joseph, the Falkasian Special Forces Team has been recalled to perform other operations in the area, but will remain on standby if we need them."

After a short moment of silence, Petr asked "Where are we going?" This was directed at Joseph.

Dimitri answered however, "Where ever they take us. If they want to tell us, they will."

"Falkasians, please be advised: we are currently gaining intelligence of the whereabouts of Serataki. Await further orders, and be prepared to receive stratellite imagery of target."

A scream cut across the radio as the team leader cut out. Behind him, the first man had woken up, to see the processing team setting up equipment. He was the one now tied down to the metal chair, struggling as two needles were placed into the man's arm.

"Hello there. Today, we'll be asking you whether you know the whereabouts of Serataki, and can provide us with information as to help us capture him."

A small portable light lit the room from a corner as the wire hack into the electrical system took hold. Power coursed through a reel of black cable to capacitors in one of the boxes, which began to emit a strange hum. The box was small, rounded, and made from some sort of undulating plastic, scratched metal along the edges and at corners. From the top of the box came smaller cables linking to a control box inside another case, before finally reaching a fine needle in the man's arm.

"The first question I will ask you is where Serataki is. If you remain silent or lie, you will receive an electric charge that will propagate into a painful shock scoring one on the Service Pain Index scale. Each time you refuse to answer, the pain will increase, and the charge will last for longer. This unit goes up to forty, and most start talking at fifteen."

Silence came, followed by a loud crack and the smell of electricity. The man in the chair grimaced as the pain ran through his system, earthing in the ground. From the box operator came a click as the power was increased.

"Tell me quickly please."

A small laptop monitored the feed from the other needle in the man's arm, as well as taking account of the man's body language. Behind him, the rest of the captured men would be waking to see this strange, grotesque event.

"Falkasians, please be advised: we are currently gaining intelligence of the whereabouts of Serataki. Await further orders, and be prepared to receive stratellite imagery of target."

A scream cut across the radio as the team leader cut out. Behind him, the first man had woken up, to see the processing team setting up equipment. He was the one now tied down to the metal chair, struggling as two needles were placed into the man's arm.

"Hello there. Today, we'll be asking you whether you know the whereabouts of Serataki, and can provide us with information as to help us capture him."

A small portable light lit the room from a corner as the wire hack into the electrical system took hold. Power coursed through a reel of black cable to capacitors in one of the boxes, which began to emit a strange hum. The box was small, rounded, and made from some sort of undulating plastic, scratched metal along the edges and at corners. From the top of the box came smaller cables linking to a control box inside another case, before finally reaching a fine needle in the man's arm.

"The first question I will ask you is where Serataki is. If you remain silent or lie, you will receive an electric charge that will propagate into a painful shock scoring one on the Service Pain Index scale. Each time you refuse to answer, the pain will increase, and the charge will last for longer. This unit goes up to forty, and most start talking at fifteen."

Silence came, followed by a loud crack and the smell of electricity. The man in the chair grimaced as the pain ran through his system, earthing in the ground. From the box operator came a click as the power was increased.

"Tell me quickly please."

A small laptop monitored the feed from the other needle in the man's arm, as well as taking account of the man's body language. Behind him, the rest of the captured men would be waking to see this strange, grotesque event.

The four men were just soldiers, one of them was just 16. He had joined the army to protect the country but now was watching his Commanding Officer being tortured. The men next to him were more resilient but even they grimaced when they saw this treatment.

The man in the Chair was Lieutenant Trent of the 5th Para Regiment and had served for 20 years.

"You're keen aren't you? Most people don't even suggest anything like this until at least the 3rd date. I'll guess I'll have to try and break that record of 15 as well."

He was also not easily persuaded.

"Your arrogance is amusing to me, soldier. It's nice to see how you can keep your humour in a situation like this. But tell me, how well can you keep it up?"

There came another jolt of electricity down the wire, this time at twice the power, and for longer. The capacitors hummed as they recharged, the wire now quiet. Smirking, one of the four in the processing team gestured to one of the soldiers to bring the youngest over, and place him in front of the control. The team linked a small wire into the young man's arm, hooking it to the lie detector. The heart beat and blood pressure was much higher.

"If you wish for your commanding officer to survive, either you or him will have to give us what we want: where is Serataki? Each time you fail to answer or tell us a lie, the power you will put into your commanding officer will be doubled."

He moved the recruit to the control panel, and drew a small pistol which he placed on the soldier's neck. Unbeknownst to any in the room save for its wielder, it was loaded with a blank cartridge. He pulled back the silver slide, letting the round be loaded into the chamber. The power was flicked up to setting eight, before he nudged the young man in the neck with the pistol.

"So, are you going to tell us? Or is this man going to suffer quite a lot more pain than last time?"

To try and intimidate the man more, the mind erasure device was being prepared for fitting, the array of needles being quickly sterilised by a gamma-ray lamp and the set up being arranged on another computer. Small sparks of light jumped around the unit as the spikes were retracted into their sterile hole, awaiting fitting when necessary. Next to it, a box had been opened holding many sharp, painful instruments whose purpose could only be guessed.

"Your arrogance is amusing to me, soldier. It's nice to see how you can keep your humour in a situation like this. But tell me, how well can you keep it up?"

There came another jolt of electricity down the wire, this time at twice the power, and for longer. The capacitors hummed as they recharged, the wire now quiet. Smirking, one of the four in the processing team gestured to one of the soldiers to bring the youngest over, and place him in front of the control. The team linked a small wire into the young man's arm, hooking it to the lie detector. The heart beat and blood pressure was much higher.

"If you wish for your commanding officer to survive, either you or him will have to give us what we want: where is Serataki? Each time you fail to answer or tell us a lie, the power you will put into your commanding officer will be doubled."

He moved the recruit to the control panel, and drew a small pistol which he placed on the soldier's neck. Unbeknownst to any in the room save for its wielder, it was loaded with a blank cartridge. He pulled back the silver slide, letting the round be loaded into the chamber. The power was flicked up to setting eight, before he nudged the young man in the neck with the pistol.

"So, are you going to tell us? Or is this man going to suffer quite a lot more pain than last time?"

To try and intimidate the man more, the mind erasure device was being prepared for fitting, the array of needles being quickly sterilised by a gamma-ray lamp and the set up being arranged on another computer. Small sparks of light jumped around the unit as the spikes were retracted into their sterile hole, awaiting fitting when necessary. Next to it, a box had been opened holding many sharp, painful instruments whose purpose could only be guessed.

The young soldier was scared. He had not signed up for this. He was just following orders given to him, the last one was to protect the president.

" I don't know! I was just following orders, that order being to protect Sertaki. I thought he was in the Capitol building just like you did. The higher ups do not give any other information to us recruits other than the orders which we follow. Why would anyone tell me the real location of the President."

He spoke with genuine fear in his voice. In the eyes of many he was still just a child, and right now he wanted to be out of there and back home with his parents.

Lieutenant Trent spoke:

"So this is what the Alfegans resort to. Torturing a boy to get information. Leave him alone or you will regret it. I don't care much for Sertaki but since the death of Mathers and the virus what else is there? I care for this nation and its people. I will not compromise the safety of my fellow citizens so you can start a war in a nation that has already suffered. Tell me, torturer, what charges do you levy against Sertaki?"

"So you don't know where Serataki is, soldier?`And before you man come along with your threats and accusations, just consider this: there is one question we are answering. You are going to the contrary of what we are asking, so avoiding the question. Thus, you will experience pain."

The torturer pulled his pistol from the recruits neck, before pressing the button. This time, when the capacitors discharged, there came a smell of ozone from the cooling fan on the back of the unit. This mingled with that of burning hair, as a charge racked through the man's body, lasting for three seconds. By the end, the Gaea soldiers were looking away, disgusted.

"If you do not answer again, we will stick it up to 13. At that point, you will lose control of your muscles along your right arm, torso and leg. We also wish to point out the risk of you developing neuropathy, where the nerves will be damaged so far to the point that you will continue to feel pain long after this is over. Not that you will remember any of it.

Think over to yourself our audacity so far in trying to pry an answer from you. Why would we do it, when you could go and tell the world. And we can't leave bodies here, with our marks on them. No, because we do not exist. As a result, you will undergo invasive cortex erasure therapy. I wont bore you with the technical details of it, but you see that headset unit? That, when it's activated, will send over 180 needle-electrodes through the skull and into the cortex of the brain. Clusters are around the frontal and parietal lobes, with the electrical deployment systems spreading throughout most of that region. Of course, whilst the technique has been refined, it still has its drawbacks. The first one is that it is very crude: the settings for neural links the device will destroy, based on the injection of marker chemicals into the cortex, mean that it works in months. But boy is it efficient. The second one is that if you struggle against it physically and mentally, there is the chance of irreparable damage: your mind will be shot to pieces. The third one is the chance of recall, which is minimal since we will be erasing it back 6 months. If you manage to in some way cause me to be irrational in my behaviour, maybe through constant threatening and diversion from the subject, I may be tempted to set it back further. Do you have any relatives you would mind forgetting?

Now, tell me what I want: where is Serataki? Whilst the soldier may not know, you will. You must have some idea."

Behind him, the young man had been walked over to where the man with the mind-wiping device was busy at work. Forcing the soldier to lie down at gunpoint, he took out a vial of chemical from a small side box, fitting it into a hypodermic syringe.

"I trust soldier you've had morphine before? Don't worry: you won't feel a thing once we've started properly. Just try to relax, and not struggle."

Counting on his watch for the morphine to take effect, he moved the macabre headset onto the soldier's skull, tightening leather straps around it before locking them in position under his chin and around the sides of his head. The pulse monitor was starting to increase in speed and pressure.

"Don't worry man. Keep calm and the chance this will badly affect you will be slim."

"So you don't know where Serataki is, soldier?`And before you man come along with your threats and accusations, just consider this: there is one question we are answering. You are going to the contrary of what we are asking, so avoiding the question. Thus, you will experience pain."

The torturer pulled his pistol from the recruits neck, before pressing the button. This time, when the capacitors discharged, there came a smell of ozone from the cooling fan on the back of the unit. This mingled with that of burning hair, as a charge racked through the man's body, lasting for three seconds. By the end, the Gaea soldiers were looking away, disgusted.

"If you do not answer again, we will stick it up to 13. At that point, you will lose control of your muscles along your right arm, torso and leg. We also wish to point out the risk of you developing neuropathy, where the nerves will be damaged so far to the point that you will continue to feel pain long after this is over. Not that you will remember any of it.

Think over to yourself our audacity so far in trying to pry an answer from you. Why would we do it, when you could go and tell the world. And we can't leave bodies here, with our marks on them. No, because we do not exist. As a result, you will undergo invasive cortex erasure therapy. I wont bore you with the technical details of it, but you see that headset unit? That, when it's activated, will send over 180 needle-electrodes through the skull and into the cortex of the brain. Clusters are around the frontal and parietal lobes, with the electrical deployment systems spreading throughout most of that region. Of course, whilst the technique has been refined, it still has its drawbacks. The first one is that it is very crude: the settings for neural links the device will destroy, based on the injection of marker chemicals into the cortex, mean that it works in months. But boy is it efficient. The second one is that if you struggle against it physically and mentally, there is the chance of irreparable damage: your mind will be shot to pieces. The third one is the chance of recall, which is minimal since we will be erasing it back 6 months. If you manage to in some way cause me to be irrational in my behaviour, maybe through constant threatening and diversion from the subject, I may be tempted to set it back further. Do you have any relatives you would mind forgetting?

Now, tell me what I want: where is Serataki? Whilst the soldier may not know, you will. You must have some idea."

Behind him, the young man had been walked over to where the man with the mind-wiping device was busy at work. Forcing the soldier to lie down at gunpoint, he took out a vial of chemical from a small side box, fitting it into a hypodermic syringe.

"I trust soldier you've had morphine before? Don't worry: you won't feel a thing once we've started properly. Just try to relax, and not struggle."

Counting on his watch for the morphine to take effect, he moved the macabre headset onto the soldier's skull, tightening leather straps around it before locking them in position under his chin and around the sides of his head. The pulse monitor was starting to increase in speed and pressure.

"Don't worry man. Keep calm and the chance this will badly affect you will be slim."

A radio crackled to life near the Alfregans.

"Falkasia 1 to the Alfregans, Falkasia 1 to the Alfregans. Come in! Over!"
"We've found out where Sertaki is, but we'll need your help in getting him. Please respond, over!"

"Gaea to Falkasia task force: thank you for information. Please direct requests to hub over. We will continue with information extraction, over."

He turned back to the soldiers.

"Change of question then people. This time, man, you will be telling me everything you know about... the package. Yes, we've just been told where your man is hiding out. Where we will be removing him from. Now tell me NOW! Otherwise, you'll be feeling it,"

"Gaea to Falkasia task force: thank you for information. Please direct requests to hub over. We will continue with information extraction, over."

He turned back to the soldiers.

"Change of question then people. This time, man, you will be telling me everything you know about... the package. Yes, we've just been told where your man is hiding out. Where we will be removing him from. Now tell me NOW! Otherwise, you'll be feeling it,"

"Hah. The Package. You think a small task force could break into one of the best defended locations in the nation, if not the world. Even an army would have trouble getting in there. That's if you even get near it. I assume you have been in a lot of battles before and seen all kinds of defences. Now put those defences together and multiply by 100 then you may have a clue as to what your getting into. I will give you some information and the coordinates for it.

Defences start 10 miles away from the core of the Package. You have tank battalions and heavily armed infantry here as well as anti aircraft units. These units are evenly spread out over each mile. Anything else?"

The Falkasians, after clearing it with command through Dmitiri's satellite phone, boarded the Stabistani Grayhawks and sat down as they began to lift up.

"Joseph, the Falkasian Special Forces Team has been recalled to perform other operations in the area, but will remain on standby if we need them."

After a short moment of silence, Petr asked "Where are we going?" This was directed at Joseph.

Dimitri answered however, "Where ever they take us. If they want to tell us, they will."

"Back to our original insertion point, some rebels have met us there. It's in the forest. From there we can rearm, possibly call in reinforcements, eat, and rest." Joseph stated, but failed to turn around to face Petr as he kept his attention out over the city staring at the rows upon rows of gray buildings that flew past. The men on the other 'copters occasionally shot down at anyone firing at them from the ground, with the pintle-mounted 50. Cals on the Grayhawks as well as with their rifles, while the gunships escorting them took care of any IFVs that opened up on them.

"So my question to you is, what do you think the plan is? Invasions probably aren't a good idea, but what the hell are we supposed to do to get Sertaki behind all those defenses? Perhaps we could both get in touch with our respective high commands and see what they could come up with."

The city slowly gave way to suburbs and then fields, regressing to woodland and then full-blown forest, the damp greenery passing by underneath in a blur.

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(OOC: Oops. Posted with the wrong account. The Londim account is my other account which I now mainly use in General. This account is my RP account.)

"Back to our original insertion point, some rebels have met us there. It's in the forest. From there we can rearm, possibly call in reinforcements, eat, and rest." Joseph stated, but failed to turn around to face Petr as he kept his attention out over the city staring at the rows upon rows of gray buildings that flew past. The men on the other 'copters occasionally shot down at anyone firing at them from the ground, with the pintle-mounted 50. Cals on the Grayhawks as well as with their rifles, while the gunships escorting them took care of any IFVs that opened up on them.

"So my question to you is, what do you think the plan is? Invasions probably aren't a good idea, but what the hell are we supposed to do to get Sertaki behind all those defenses? Perhaps we could both get in touch with our respective high commands and see what they could come up with."

The city slowly gave way to suburbs and then fields, regressing to woodland and then full-blown forest, the damp greenery passing by underneath in a blur.

"I'd say run it by your command first," Dimitri responded. "The only thing I can think of is a series if percision airstrikes, followed by a quick direct strike. Either that, or an invasion. I don't know. Any ideas on your half?"

"Thankyou for that outburst. Now please for some details that can help: any idea as to the extent of the missile defences around the bunker?"

Behind him, one of the soldiers began radioing back the co-ordinates, followed by all the details he had heard, before cutting off the radio. Near him, there came a loud buzz as electrical systems charged around the incapacitated youth. After the quiet hiss of the needles breaking through the skull and into the brain, leaving microscopic holes behind, there came a few clicks as the system locked into position. A small dial was turned by the controller, the setting moving onto six months. Getting a nod from the head of the 'processing' team, his finger flicked up the safety cover and rested on the button underneath. He took in a breath, and pushed it. In front of him, there came an inaudible hum followed by a jolt, as the subject lost his mind. Not loudly and spectacularly, as the films made out: silent and professional. In front of him, the man collapsed unconscious.

"He's blacked out as his brain has sensed our damage: he'll be awake in about eighteen hours. Once he's woken up, he'll be enjoying a migraine for a while, but after that should be alright. Anyone wanting to volunteer to be next? Save yourselves watching this?"

_______________________________________________

Back underneath the fortress-hospital, the commander of the service cell was busy accessing the satellite and stratellite imagery of the 'Package'. What appeared to be a small war zone flashed up onto his screens, with a small army patrolling the land around it.
"That's where they've taken him? I'm surprised we failed to map that. Still, I think we can at least soften the area a bit before the main attack begins."
It was normal for him to talk to himself, when he was sure nobody was about: someone finding out about that could be potentially compromising. His cold, pale face deprived of sunlight looked intently at the screen as he selected areas around and including the bunker, letting the co-ordinates float around on the display. In the meantime, he accessed the main radio transmitter of the base, sending a signal far across to the approaching airship taskforce.

"This is Alfegos Sancturary to Taskforce Ray. Do you receive me."
"Affirmative. This is AAS Helios, reading you loud and clear."
"Excellent. Please prepare computational systems for immediate receival of co-ordinates for ballistic strikes. What weaponry do you hold?"
"AAS Helios holds twelve Sledgehammers and a Luna IRBM. The AAS Frost is carrying 6 Luna IRBMs, two with bunker-busting capabilities."
"Excellent. On the bunker co-ordinates, set a one of the Luna missiles to destroy it. Concentrate fire from the sledgehammer cruise missiles at the co-ordinates from G1 to G9. Clear a path. Remember that you have no authorisation for non-conventionals. Is that understood?"
"Affirmative. We will be reaching safe targeting range in approximately 45 minutes."
"Thank you. Over and out."

"Thankyou for that outburst. Now please for some details that can help: any idea as to the extent of the missile defences around the bunker?"

Behind him, one of the soldiers began radioing back the co-ordinates, followed by all the details he had heard, before cutting off the radio. Near him, there came a loud buzz as electrical systems charged around the incapacitated youth. After the quiet hiss of the needles breaking through the skull and into the brain, leaving microscopic holes behind, there came a few clicks as the system locked into position. A small dial was turned by the controller, the setting moving onto six months. Getting a nod from the head of the 'processing' team, his finger flicked up the safety cover and rested on the button underneath. He took in a breath, and pushed it. In front of him, there came an inaudible hum followed by a jolt, as the subject lost his mind. Not loudly and spectacularly, as the films made out: silent and professional. In front of him, the man collapsed unconscious.

"He's blacked out as his brain has sensed our damage: he'll be awake in about eighteen hours. Once he's woken up, he'll be enjoying a migraine for a while, but after that should be alright. Anyone wanting to volunteer to be next? Save yourselves watching this?"

_______________________________________________

Back underneath the fortress-hospital, the commander of the service cell was busy accessing the satellite and stratellite imagery of the 'Package'. What appeared to be a small war zone flashed up onto his screens, with a small army patrolling the land around it.
"That's where they've taken him? I'm surprised we failed to map that. Still, I think we can at least soften the area a bit before the main attack begins."
It was normal for him to talk to himself, when he was sure nobody was about: someone finding out about that could be potentially compromising. His cold, pale face deprived of sunlight looked intently at the screen as he selected areas around and including the bunker, letting the co-ordinates float around on the display. In the meantime, he accessed the main radio transmitter of the base, sending a signal far across to the approaching airship taskforce.

"This is Alfegos Sancturary to Taskforce Ray. Do you receive me."
"Affirmative. This is AAS Helios, reading you loud and clear."
"Excellent. Please prepare computational systems for immediate receival of co-ordinates for ballistic strikes. What weaponry do you hold?"
"AAS Helios holds twelve Sledgehammers and a Luna IRBM. The AAS Frost is carrying 6 Luna IRBMs, two with bunker-busting capabilities."
"Excellent. On the bunker co-ordinates, set a one of the Luna missiles to destroy it. Concentrate fire from the sledgehammer cruise missiles at the co-ordinates from G1 to G9. Clear a path. Remember that you have no authorisation for non-conventionals. Is that understood?"
"Affirmative. We will be reaching safe targeting range in approximately 45 minutes."
"Thank you. Over and out."

"Those are the only things I know. I am not ranked high enough to have the details of such things. Only the Generals and above, upto and including the President know this. However if you are going to attack you better watch the skies..."

"Keep going then: what are we to watch the skies for? Once you've answered me that, I would like to know where we can find personnel of the like you have specified, outside of the 'package'. Once we have done that, we can leave you be."

Behind him, another man had been selected to go through with the mind erasure process, being prostrated on the floor as the device was quickly cleaned and reset.