by Luis Samways
‘I want a nice wide view. This shot is too crammed. Not all of the hostages will be in the shot. Someone move the camera back a few meters so we can get a better scene.’
One of his men obeys the command and moves the bulky tripod with the camera attached a few meters back. He bends down and looks in the viewfinder. His head snaps back into view and he gives Connor a thumbs up. Connor nods and moves over to the mass of hostages. He looks down at the twenty something people kneeling with their heads down as white sacks get put on their heads. The rustling of the material is loud as the men and women on the floor struggle to come to terms with the situation.
‘If everyone does what I say and keeps quiet no one is going to get hurt. I promise you that.’ Says Connor as he watches the last hostage get bagged.
Connor moves over to the camera. He turns around and faces it. He starts to pace from side to side as he counts the number of hostages in the foreground. He breaths in deep and exhales as his nerves start to make their presence known. He turns back to the hostages.
‘We are going live in ten minutes. I want complete silence. If I hear any one scream or say a damn word then we will have problems.’
Connor turns back to the camera and stares into the lens. The reflection captures the eeriness of the room as a sea of bodies behind him remains still in anticipation of the events to come.
Ninety Six
‘What do you mean you don’t know where they are?’ Asks Shaw as he stares daggers at the officer in front of him.
‘I don’t know Sir; I went down there earlier to see what’s happening and the convoy was nowhere to be seen. Not one patrol car or squad truck was there.’ Says the mundane looking officer as he brushes his hands to his sides
‘I find it hard to believe that a parking lot full of officers can just go missing. Not to mention our SWAT vans.’
‘I don’t know sir.’
‘What do you mean you don’t know?’
‘I just don’t sir’
‘Fuck it, get me Frank’
‘I tried locating him as well; Sargent Powel wanted to talk to him earlier. I can’t find him either sir.’
‘How in the hell can you not know where he is. I mean just follow the destruction and misery, I’m sure if you did, Frank would not be too far from it all!’
‘I’m sure your right Sir’
‘It doesn’t matter. Just get me the DA. I need to figure this out with someone who has half a brain.’
‘Sir…’ Stutters the Officer
‘Let me fucking guess, no DA either. Fucking beautiful!’ shouts Shaw as he thumps his desk.
Ninety Seven
‘Are you sure this is a good idea Frank?’ Asks Mullins as he pulls hard on the steering wheel, turning it franticly as he swerves around a corner
‘I’m pretty sure’ States Frank as he casually looks on as the traffic parts way.
‘And you don’t think we are going to get fired for this?’
Frank smiles as looks at Mullins struggle to keep the patrol car at their current speed.
‘Look kid, I’m an expert on getting fired. Truth is if you do a good job, they can’t fire you. You need to be one in a million.’
‘Well we are definitely that Frank. I mean there aren’t a million officers of the law who disobey orders and take matters in to their own hands. Not to mention convince thirty odd officers to fall in line to the fast track to early retirement.’
‘Who needs a pension ay kid?’
‘Who needs freedom?’ Laughs Mullins as he pushes hard on the accelerator.
Frank watches on as they speed through Boston’s midtown district. The lights from the patrol car light up the night traffic. Rays of blues and reds hit the horizon as Frank checks the rear view mirror. The convoy of four SWAT trucks struggle to keep up as Mullins pushes down on the gas. Their radio cracks as an urgent voice shouts over the CB.
‘Were coming up on the building in a few minutes, be prepared for heavy resistance. Remember that they have RPG’s on the roof.’
Frank’s face lights up as he sees the M.I.T building in the distance.
‘Time to end this shit once and for all.’ Says Frank as he takes one last drag on his cigarette, He unwinds the window and flicks the butt out.
Ninety Eight
‘So here we are once again. I say that in the nicest manner possible. It’s no secret; you’re all probably fed up of hearing from me. Truth is I’m fed up of addressing all of you. I still haven’t gotten what I want. The authorities are yet to take me seriously. I mean what does a guy have to do? Murder the DA’s daughter? Check… Blow up a train? Check… Kill my family and friends? Check… Hold three hundred people hostage? Check… Kill a few dozen hostages live on TV? Check…Kill an undercover cop? Check… Have twenty five people bound and gagged and take a machine gun to them? Well wouldn’t that be a good way to end the proceedings. The thing is I don’t want to be known as a senseless killer. A guy that murdered a lot of people and did not get what I wanted. That would be a travesty. To know that all those people died just so the government can put me to death. Not one of them died for something worthy. Do you know why they didn’t die for something worthy? Because I have not gotten what I wanted, would it have been so terrible to change the laws of privacy? To protect our people from mass marketing efforts they do not wish to partake in, to protect them from black market sales of their information, to protect them from the all seeing all knowing man? Yes it would have been pretty poetic if they died for a good reason. They could have died for a good reason but the powers that be made sure they did not. I’m not to blame here. I will not take responsibility for the lost souls that have perished this week. It’s not in my control whether the world accepts the consequences of the events. I know I won’t be accepting them, so someone has to.’
The camera pans to the hostages who remain silent and still. Chief Shaw looks on as Connor Chase pulls out his cell phone. He dials some numbers in. Silence fills the room in anticipation. The office phone next to Shaw rings as the officers cautiously look on. Shaw’s hands tremble as he reaches for the handle. He quickly clicks the phone out of place and raises it to his ear.
‘Hello?’ He says as sweat drops down his brow, floating down his cheek and off his face.
‘Ah hello, May I speak to Detective Frank McKenzie. Make it quick, we are live across the nation after all.’ Says Chase as he paces the screen, his white Tux shining bright in the harsh light.
‘I’m sorry but I can’t get a hold of him, he left the station a while ago’
‘I suggest you do so soon as possible or this little piggy is going to reign down hell fire like a ton of bricks.’ The phone goes dead. Before Shaw can breathe in the TV echoes gun shots.
Two guards to the right of Connor hit the deck as an assortment of bullets chase them down. Connor ducks for cover and hits the floor as armed men in flak jackets burst into the scene. The camera is knocked to the ground as a whooshing sound penetrates the room. A smoke screen bellows out as it covers the shot. The visibility is down to zero as the officers in the incident room look on in amazement. The sound of gun fire remains for a further few minutes as the smoke screen clears. The clearing smoke reveals an array of shell casings on the floor. Hostages scatter to the floor as they duck for cover. Connor is nowhere to be seen. Connors men clamour in pain as a few of them grip their gunshot wounds. A few surviving guards rush to the men’s aide.
Shaw grabs the phone and dials a number. He gets no answer. He slams the phone down in frustration. Almost immediately the phone rings. He quickly picks it up.
‘Hello?’ Says Shaw
‘Hey Chief it’s Frank.’
‘That’s some ballsy move Detective.’
‘I know sir, I’m sorry for taking the trucks’
‘That’s the least of my worries. You just shot up a room full of terrorists while hostages were present. By the looks of it none of them are hurt, but there are still some armed men that remain in the room.’
‘What are you on about? We haven’t gone in yet’
Shaw’s eyes widen in fear as he looks at the TV screen. His concentration is ripped back to reality as the sound of gunshots echo through the phone.
Frank rushes behind the patrol car’s door as he takes his weapon out. He cocks the hammer and peers through the window. A shot reigns above his head as the glass shatters above him. The sound of gun shots echoes the area as the police return fire. Frank peers through the side of the door and sees seven armed men in flack jackets. He aims his 9mm towards one of them in the distance. He presses the trigger. The shot hits the man in the chest. He doesn’t move as he casually peels the bullet off of his flack jacket. He returns fire and pierces a few holes into the squad car’s door. Rays of light trickle through the holes as Frank hugs the ground for cover. Shards of glass cake the ground and cut Frank’s palms as he pushes himself back up against the door. Officer Mullins is on the other side of the car imitating Frank as he shoots from cover. Mullins Fires blindly as he winks at Frank.
‘Crazy Fucker’ Frank laughs to himself
Frank reloads a mag into his gun. He hears it click into place as he stands up and leans on the car door. He fires a few shots at the men at the entrance to the building. Chase is hiding behind a pillar as the men in flak jackets return fire in front of him. They line up like a roman wall of soldiers as they fire back at the officers. Bullets ricochet off their jackets as officer’s fire blindly in frustration. One of the men bends down and rummages through a larger bag. He pulls out a heavy looking light machine gun. He wraps the ammo around his shoulder and braces the gun in his tight grip. The men to his side disperse as they retreat back to the pillars near chase. The man sports a wide position as he lets loose and fires the heavy gun. The massive rounds pierce the nearby patrol cars as Frank see’s the carnage unfold. The man focuses his fire onto a few officers in front of Frank as they duck for cover behind a car. The police car pings with bullets as hundreds of holes pierce the sheet metal. The two officers in the distance remain grounded as the onslaught continues. Frank nervously looks on in amazement. One of the officers behind the car raises his head fractionally as the suppressing fire continues. A hole pierces wide in front of the officer as his head explodes in a mist of red. Frank screams as he watches the second officer get mowed down by the LMG. Frank bolts out from behind the door and walks towards the maniac with the gun, continuously firing his 9MM. The man turns his attention to Frank as he jolts the gun towards his position. Frank screams as his finger pushes the trigger and nothing comes out.
Ninety Nine
‘I’ve tried contacting him but I can’t get an answer…Are you sure you did not send any one in?,,, I understand Sir…Okay’ Shaw hangs up the phone.
He looks on at the officers staring back at him in curiosity. He takes a swig of coffee as he braces himself.
‘I’ve just talked to Washington. They don’t have any ideas on who those men were that shot up the M.I.T building. The only thing they know is that is wasn’t anything to do with them. Now what we need to do is figure out who was behind it and get to Frank and the boys. Washington has sent the FBI down to the building to secure it and hopefully give some back up. I know it’s been a hell of a ride people but we can’t rest until we secure the safety of our men and the hostages. No questions asked.’
Shaw takes another long sip on his coffee as he ponders through his thoughts.
‘I want a few units to go down to the M.I.T building and assist the FBI. It’s likely that you will have to fire your weapons. Judging from the phone call I had from Frank when all this shit kicked off, it sounded as if they were getting some heavy resistance. Whatever happens make sure you protect your selves and the hostages. Give it to them hard gentleman.’
The crowd of officers erupt in cheers as Shaw finishes addresses them. An officer rushes into the room and up to Shaw.
‘Sir the FBI has secured the area. They said there are no signs of Connor or his men. They report five causalities, all of which are Boston PD. Frank was hit pretty badly. He was rushed to hospital. He suffered some gunshot wounds to his chest.’
‘Is he going to make it?’
‘They don’t know. Apparently it’s pretty bad. He’s in surgery now.’
One Hundred
Connor Chase is sat down on a crate looking down at his hands. He turns his right hand palm facing up. He stares at them intently as he runs his finger across the groves.
‘No amount of water will get the blood off those hands’ a voice says in the distance.
Connor looks up as Eddie Smith walks out of the shadows, his daughter Crystal by his side. Connor smiles as he gets himself up, patting the dust of his suit.
‘Good to see you Eddie.’ Says Chase as he shakes the DA’s hand
‘Likewise, I take it you’ve met my daughter Crystal’ Says Eddie as he solemnly pats her on the shoulder. Her face is riddled with confusion.
‘Yes we’ve met’ Says Connor
‘Any way, please sit. We have business to discuss’
Crystal looks on in shock as she watches her dad sit down next to Connor
‘What’s going on Dad? You said that you already paid him off. That’s why he let me go right?’
Chase smiles as he watches the distraught crystal breath heavily.
‘Haven’t you told her yet?’ Asks Connor as he licks his lips.
‘Told me what?’ Asks Crystal
‘Well me and your daddy came to an arrangement a long time ago. This isn’t about ransom money dear. This is about something a whole lot meatier.’
Crystal begins to shake as her breathing clouds the air with warm condensation.
‘What arrangement?’ She stutters
‘Shut up and sit the fuck down’ Screams Eddie
Crystal begins to cry. She nervously sits down next to him obeying her father. The crate cracks at the combined weight of the three of them. The dark warehouse looms as Crystal quietly sobs.
‘So did it work?’ Asks Eddie
‘Yeah of course it did. Your half has been wired to you. The idiots did not see it coming.’
‘I told you they wouldn’t. Stick a few catastrophes in front of America and they forget about everything else that’s happening.’
‘You said it Mr DA. The FBI did not even pick up on the hack.’
‘Too busy worrying about whether or not you were going to kill anybody else.’
Crystal shakes her head in disbelief
‘Are you saying that you had something to do with what happened dad?’
He turns his head to look at her.
‘If by that you mean we just walked away with half a billion each then yeah, guilty.’
Connor laughs hysterically.
‘One billion dollars taken from the Federal Reserve, we took it from right under their noses. Stupid bastards did not even see it coming’
‘What about all those people that died? What about Jenifer dad?’
‘What about her?’
Crystal starts crying uncontrollably. The tears on her face glisten in the dim light.
‘Pull yourself together. You can have anything you want. You can buy everything you ever wanted. You can be who you want. Sometimes in a war you lose people, sometimes a lot of people. Collateral damage is just that, nothing less, nothing more.’
‘I don’t want anything from you. You can’t seriously think that I would go along with this dad?’
‘Who said you had a choice?’ Says Eddie
‘Oh I forgot. Kidnapping your daughter and holding her at gun point is model fathering’
Eddie bolts up to his feet and gives Crystal a back handed slap.
‘Don’t you talk to me about what a good father is, I have secured a future for me and you, a future that you would never have if it wasn’t for the sacrifices I have made.’
‘Maybe I don’t want the money’
‘That’s too bad then’ Says Eddie
He pulls a gun out and presses
it against Crystal’s head. She looks at him in shock as he pulls the hammer back.
‘Dad don’t!’ She screams
Eddie pulls the trigger. The sound echoes through the desolate building as Eddie holsters his weapon back. He turns to Connor who is smiling ear to ear.
‘That won’t win you father of the year’ He says
‘Well I am not going to be dragging her everywhere I go. She made her decision. So did I.’
‘I can see. Well it’s been a pleasure doing business with you Eddie. I’m sure our paths will cross again someday’
‘I’m sure they will. Don’t spend all of it at once. There’s a world of opportunity out there.’
One Hundred & One
The beeping sound wakes Frank up as he tries to focus his vision. He turns his head slightly and see’s the monitor next to him.
“87 BPM” it reads as it sounds of every second. The beeping drills deep into his psyche as he tries to concentrate.
He looks to his right and sees the oxygen. He breaths in deep, inhaling the clean air through his lungs. His vision clears as he sees the tubes across his chest. His pulse rises as he realizes where he is. The fear soon turns to relief as he remembers what got him there. The pain in his side is gnawing at him as he reaches for the bandages. He turns his head again, surveying the dark hospital room as he tries to get his baring’s. His arms are taped heavily as he tries to remove the heart monitoring clips on his chest.
‘I wouldn’t do that if I was you. You’ll only attract the attention of the nurses. And I want this conversation to be private.’ Says a rusty male voice at the door
Frank squints hard to see if he can make out who’s standing in the doorway. All he can see is a shadowy figure as it remains out of the light. The shadowy silhouette starts to tap his finger on the door frame. The sound bores into Frank’s mind as he tries to regain concentration. Frank tries to sit up, pushing his tiered arms to his sides, pushing himself to a seated position.