Part 1 – The Raid
It began in 2018 with the successful creation of fully-robotic prosthetic limbs.
At first it was just used for the injured, and people with disabilities, like former soldiers with spinal injuries or children with limbs missing from birth.
An amendment passed in 2020 gives augmented veterans the right to reenlist in the military.
In 2024, cybernetic limbs start becoming the norm for paramilitary police and Special Forces military outfits across the world, stronger, faster, and more deadly than ever.
2030, the Sibyl System, a criminal-monitoring system goes into place in America.
The System works like this: every home in America from the billion-dollar mansions to the dollar-a-day-no-questions-asked rent homes have at least four hidden cameras that capture a person's facial features, eye-color, hair-color, height, weight, and posture.
Using this, a sophisticated computer system can track your movements.
Save of course if you have someone in bed.
If someone were to be murdered in their own bedroom in a robbery, the police would start looking at someone close, and it would take maybe years before the case was solved.
The Sibyl System goes into effect, and the number of criminals incarcerated rises 20% in the U.S. but the crime rate across the entire country drops by 60% in just one year.
The system is such a resounding success the British Government becomes the second country in the world to employ the system by 2032.
By 2034, 20 additional countries, including Canada and Mexico employ the Sibyl system, and soon the entire continent of Europe follows.
In 2036, a new kind of industry branches off from the Sibyl System called the Debt System, making the Sibyl System a way to keep the population in check.
If you are caught doing committing a crime, and depending on the seriousness of the crime you have up to two days to report to the nearest Debt station, and pay back your 'Debt to Society' for your crime/crimes, or the Police aren't going to come, they're going to send something much worse after you.
A new breed of Law-Enforcement is ushered in around 2039 called the Debt Collectors who have the authority to enter houses without warrants, carry concealed weapons off duty without a permit, and use deadly force.
In 2041, the Debt Collectors are given the authority, power, and privileges of a Police Officer, a Mercenary soldier, and a Federal Agent all in one.
If a man commits a crime, and he doesn't pay his debt, the Debt Collector that comes after him, and either takes him down or brings him in is paid a royalty, if he has a team, the same amount of royalty is given to his teammates.
In 2043, Debt Collectors are named by Time Magazine as the Number One highest paying jobs in the world.
If you're a decent Debt Collector you can make at least $1,000 a day by simply taking a man with a $500 debt to and from the Debt Center to pay his Debt to Society which is $365,000 a year.
Of course with this system comes problems, ordinary humans usually don't cut it in the Debt Collectors, at least one cybernetic prosthetic is required to become a Debt Collector, and it doesn't matter what kind of cybernetic: you can have to cybernetic eyes, a cybernetic voice-box, a cybernetic arm, leg, shoulder, whatever.
If you have a cybernetic-anything, you can become a Debt Collector.
Of course there are dangers: for every one criminal the Debt Collectors put down it seemed another two would arise to take their place.
Now onto the story…
Chicago, 2044:
Akane Tsunemori rushed through the crowd to see the perimeter bots had already set up a line to keep the crowd back.
The robot asked for identification, and held a small hand-scanner appeared inside his belly, Akane placed her hand on the scanner, and it let her through.
Akane approached one of the Chicago SWAT officers, "Akane Tsunemori," she said, "I'm looking for the CO of Division 1."
"A Debt Collector," the SWAT officer said before pointing his shotgun toward a small tent where several people were preparing their weapons.
Akane walked up to the man that appeared to be the team leader, "You Akane?" he asked.
"Yes sir," Akane said as she saluted him.
The man had two augments over his eyes that out-folded into a pair of golden-lens sunglasses, and by the looks of it, his index, middle, and fourth fingers on his left hand had been replaced with synthetic fingers.
"You're late," he said as he was preparing his weapon, an HK M27 Battle Rifle, "I'm the team leader, Nobuchika Ginoza," Ginoza fixed the scope on his M27, "I think we need to assign someone to oversee your first mission," he then turned to the second tallest man on his team, "Kougami!"
Six-foot-four Japanese/Caucasian male Shinya Kougami walked over to Ginoza, "Yes sir." he said.
"Kougami," Ginoza said before turning to Akane, "This is our new member, Akane Tsunemori. I want you to be her Guardian Angel until further notice."
"Understood sir," Kougami said then turned to Akane, and bowed his head, "Please, this way."
Akane followed Kougami over to the table where a cache of weapons were resting.
Kougami had a fully-synthetic and rather ornately designed synthetic right-hand with gold-plated knuckles, it was obvious he had implants in his eyes because they were unnaturally grey, almost white that had a slightly gold hue, and he had the connection on his left hand replaced with a small gold band.
"Alright," Kougami said, "I suppose you're wondering what Guardian Angel means."
"Yea," Akane said, "Kind of."
"Guardian Angel is just Debt Collector talk for Training Officer," Kougami said as he picked up a small handgun about the size of a Walther PPK but with the slide of a Sig Sauer P228, and a barrel that extended one inch beyond the slide, "I think we should start you off with something small," Kogami handed the pistol to Akane, "Sig Sauer PS6. 10mm hallow-point full-metal-jacket."
Akane held the pistol in her hands, and the safety on the gun flashed red, "User not authorized." The voice in the gun said.
"Biometric I.D.," Kougami said, "Only works for Debt Collectors. Anyone else picks up this gun it will lock, and be completely unable to fire."
Kougami then pulled out a small chip, touched Akane's finger with it, plugged it into the small computer on the table, and punched in some information.
The gun then beeped three times very rapidly, three small green lights sprang to life in a straight line along the grip, "User I.D., Debt-Collector Akane Tsunemori," the gun said, "Gun unlocked."
"There you go," Kougami said as he handed Akane four seven-round magazines, "Now any weapons the Debt-Collectors can use, you can use."
Akane slid the magazine into the PS6, and engaged the safety before sliding the three magazines into her belt, "Now what?" Akane asked.
"Now we get you a primary weapon," Kougami said as he walked down to the other half of the table that had shotguns, assault rifles, and SMGs covering the table.
Akane picked up a Remington R5 assault rifle, and as she was checking the sights, Kougami grabbed it from her, "Easy there Speedy," Kougami said before picking up an SMG, "I think it would be best if you used something a bit more your size," Kougami picked up a Smith & Wesson M76 with a telescopic M4-like stock, "M76," he handed the SMG to Akane, "10mm hallow-point," he then handed Akane a 40-round curved magazine, "40-round magazine," Akane loaded the magazine into the M76, "A 10mm might not have enough kick to punch through body armor, but when you have this spitting out bullets at 750 rounds a minute, you put enough into their armor, you're going to knock them on their ass, and it'll leave enough of an opportunity to finish them off."
"What are you using?" Akane asked.
"A classic," Kougami said as he reached onto the table and picked up a .440 car-bon six-shot top-break revolver styled after the Webley Mark 6 called a Sabertooth, "Sabertooth," Kougami then attached a small red-dot sight with a custom blue illuminated duplex reticle, Kogami slid the bullets into the Sabertooth, engaged the safety, and slid the revolver into his side-arm holster, "I've used one since my first days as a Debt-Collector. Bad boy has made me a bit of money."
"What about your primary weapon?" Akane asked.
Kougami picked up something Akane hadn't seen in her life, a five-shot revolving lever-action shotgun that was about twenty five and a half inches long with no stock with a small computer screen on the side
"I call it the Breaker," Kougami said as he flipped open the cylinder, and loaded all five chambers, "Had it custom-made. Takes five .410 armor-piercing slug rounds," Kougami flipped the shotgun closed, flipped it around in his hand, and aimed it off into the distance to check the sights, "The lever cocks the shotgun, and rotates the cylinder. Computer on the side gives me a technical advantage over the person I'm shooting at."
"Keep talking Terminator," five foot nine Japanese/Caucasian male Shusei Kagari said as he prepared his Desert Tactical Arms SRS-A1 bolt-action bull-pup 6.5x47 sniper rifle, "Your charms aren't working on the new girl."
"Thanks for that Shusei." Kougami said.
"Terminator?" Akane asked.
"That's what they call me," Kougami said as he attached a weapon-strap to the shotgun, and slung the strap around his shoulder, "Sort of a code-name, and a nick-name they gave me. We call Shusei over there Rusty. Ginoza over there is Shades," he then turned his attention to the woman on the opposite side of the table from the both of them, "We call Yayoi here Pop Star."
"What about him," Akane said as she gestured her gun toward Tomomi Masaoka.
"That's Masaoka," Kougami said as he fixed his Kevlar leg and arm plates, "We call him Grandpa."
"What do we know about the hostiles?" Akane asked.
"There are nine," Ginoza said as he walked over, carrying his M27, "Each of them have at least a five grand price-tag hovering above their heads. Their leader however, a man called Nobuo Okura is what we call 'known to the police'. Break and enter, armed robbery, grand theft auto… the list goes on, but taking hostages is a new low, even for him. The Chief's said if we can put a bullet through the son of a bitch's head we each get fifty grand on top of the rest of the bounties."
"Any synthetics?" Yayoi asked.
"We know Okura is," Ginoza said, "It's how he pulled out his previous three robberies, and we know another member of the gang is. We need to assume that they know we're coming. It's no rules in there aside from no civilian casualties."
"Good," Kougami said as he placed his hand on top of his Breaker, "What's the plan."
Ginoza threw out a small cube on the table which opened to reveal a three-dimensional layout of the seven-story building they were about to assault, "Using the cameras we managed to get a reading on the hostiles," Ginoza pointed to the fourth level, "We believe that two hostiles are guarding the hall on the second floor," he then moved to the six, "One providing over watch from the sixth," he then moved to the last, "The final three including Okura are on the seventh. We'll split into two teams," he looked at Yayoi and Masaoka, "Pop Star, Grandpa, you two are with me."
"Nice," Yayoi said as she raised her KRISS Vector SMG.
he then looked at Shusei, "Rusty," he pointed to the top of the seventh floor of the building overlooking the building they were going to assault, "You go up to the seventh floor, and find a good sniping position."
"Yes sir." Shusei said.
"Terminator," Ginoza said, "Akane's with you. Take care of her, and keep her by your side."
"Don't worry sir," Kougami said, "I've never left a rookie in the fray before while I've been training them."
"Good," Ginoza said, "Rusty, that sniper's the first target. Once you take him down SWAT will create a diversion via a wall-banger against the back of the building. Kougami, that's when you and Akane will hit the two on the fourth floor. Use extreme prejudice and reasonable caution. Aim low and squeeze, shoot to kill."
"That's when we hit the seventh floor," Ginoza said, "And hopefully free the hostages and take down Okura."
"Alright," Kougami said, "Although I don't want anyone calling anybody by their names in case someone else is listening in."
"What are we going to call the new girl then?" Shusei asked.
"How about Inspector?" Kougami asked.
"I like it," Ginoza said, "Inspector it is. Rusty get into position. We move as soon as the sniper is taken down."
Shusei ran toward the building he would be providing over-watch from as the rest of the team moved toward the building from the east side, the sniper's blind-spot.
Shusei set up his SRS on the roof, and as he flipped the safety on his gun off, a single lens covered his left eye, and it showed him where to put the bullet.
Adjusting for wind, elevation, bullet drop, he held above and just to the right of the target, his entirely synthetic right arm holding steady, he held his breath to hear his heartbeat, and squeezed off the round.
The sniper saw the flash from Shusei's scope, he managed to get his scope on Shusei but the bullet went straight through the sniper's left arm, and then went straight into his chest, grazing his heart, ripping it open, and then destroying his right lung.
"Sniper down," Shusei said as he re-bolted his rifle.
"Roger that," Ginoza said as Yayoi scanned the wall with her eyes which had a special synthetic implant that allowed her to see weaknesses in structures and humans, and her synthetic left hand before finding a small structural weakness in the wall.
Yayoi pointed at the wall, and as she moved aside, Masaoka walked up, planted his fist through the wall, and then tore the weakened section of the wall clean off.
"Nice one," Akane said as Ginoza entered first, and then signaled the team in after him.
As they entered, Akane realized they were entering into the main elevator shaft, "Terminator, Inspector," Ginoza said then pointed to the second set of cables, "Take those to the fourth," we'll take the others."
Kougami and Akane walked up to the set of cables they would be using, and as soon as Akane stood in front of them, she looked at Kougami and asked, "What do we do now?"
"We climb," Kougami said as he jumped onto the cable, and started climbing.
Akane gripped the cable, and as she started up, she noticed that Ginoza, Yayoi, and Masaoka had small devices that allowed them to climb the cables faster.
"Show offs," Akane mumbled as she followed Kougami up the cables.
Kougami and Akane made it to the fourth floor, Kougami swung himself around, and in one bound leapt onto the lip of the elevator door.
He then held his hand out to Akane who took it, and in one pull, Kougami had her standing on the edge of the lip with him.
"How'd you do that?" Akane asked.
"Cybernetics," Kougami whispered before pointing at the door.
Akane then nodded, and swung around her M76.
Kougami grabbed hold of the first half of the elevator door, and pulled it open.
Akane aimed her M76 into the area in front of them, and gave Kougami a nod.
Kougami signaled Akane inside, then bolted inside, and swung around his Breaker, "Stay Frosty Inspector," Kougami whispered, "I'm on point."
As they were moving through the hall, they heard a scream, "Oh shit," Akane said, "They've got a hostage."
"Keep you gun ready," Kougami said, "We're going to tear these motherfuckers to pieces."
Akane was a little nervous, she had never killed anyone before, but someone's life hanged in the balance.
As she started to contemplate, she heard Kougami humming something, she remembered, it was an old music used for a violin.
She didn't have time to ask him, Kougami grabbed her, and brought her into the alcove they walked passed, but before she could ask Kogami what he was he was doing she heard a door opening.
"I'm just going down the hall to get a soda," a man's voice said as he closed the door behind him.
Kougami reached into his side-arm holstered, and pulled out his Sabertooth, they heard the man walking their way.
He didn't turn to toward them, he went right by them, the man was wearing a full-body suit covered by only a pair of jeans and boots with a face mask that had a pair of night-vision goggles attached to them.
"Those are military surplus." Akane said.
"Let's get to the bottom of this." Kougami said.
The man walked down the hall to the vending machine, he then pulled out his side-arm which was a suppressed Sig Sauer P226, and fired one round into the lock.
This is actually a stupid move, not only could you destroy the machine, you can rebound shrapnel into yourself which can hurt you even worse than destroying the machine.
As the door swung open, the man holstered his pistol, and pulled out a Marline's Yellow-Line Soda, as he closed the door, he saw Akane who was holding her at gunpoint with her M76.
The man reached for his pistol, he realized it was missing when he felt the holster fall flat, "Think you could get me one," a voice said from behind him before hearing a click, and felt someone grab him by the back of his shirt and the cold press of a revolver against the back of his skull, "Move and you're dead. Where's your boss?"
"Okura," The man asked, "He's in the apartment with the girl."
"So he had a hostage?" Kougami asked.
"A girl," the man said, "You hurry you might be able to join in the fun."
"He's going to rape her." Akane said.
"Not on my watch," Kougami said as he holstered his revolver, grabbed the man around the neck, unsheathed his ten inch double-shadow knife, and sheathed the knife into the man's shoulder right to the hilt, and then into the side of the man's neck.
Stabbing a man in the shoulder might not seem like much of a kill-shot, but there's actually a major artery in the shoulder that carries blood from the heart to the arm, you cut that, and there's a 75% chance you're going to die.
Stabbing a man in the neck though… well you have the spine, the windpipe, the carotid, and various other important things to sustain life, one swipe, or stab, and there goes life.
Akane stood there, not believing what she just saw before Kougami seized her by the shoulder, "Akane," he said, "You ok?"
"Yea," Akane said before lowering her weapon.
"Come one," Kougami said, "We have a hostage to save," Kougami and Akane walked back toward the room, "X-ray down in four-Bravo," he said as he pressed to fingers to his ear, "Notification: the mark is here, and he has a hostage."
"We're ready to breach Olympus," Ginoza said, "Ready to breach on your go Terminator."
Kougami walked up to the room, and noticed a small structural weakness in the wall, "I have an idea," he said before pointing to the door, "Inspector, breach the door, I'm going in through here."
"This is Terminator," Kougami said as he pressed two fingers to his earpiece, "Storm Olympus."
The SWAT Team at the back of the building set off a set of stun-grenade set against the back of the building which sounded like someone had set off a grenade that could be heard across the entire building.
As Ginoza, Yayoi, and Masaoka breached the top-level where most of the hostages were being held, Kougami looked toward Akane, and nodded.
Akane kicked in the door as Okura grabbed his hostage around the neck, and held his weapon to his hostage's head, "Drop you're weapon," he exclaimed as he cocked his pistol, "Drop it or I'll kill this bitch!"
"Please," Chika Shimazu said, "Help me."
"Shut the fuck up bitch!" Okura exclaimed.
Akane could detect the heavy smell of flowers, Okura had been sniffing powered-heroin, which explained why his pupils were dilated.
Before Okura could say another word, Kougami busted into the room through the kitchen wall which crumbled like paper underneath his fist.
As Kougami entered, Okura raised his pistol which was a .410 Taurus Judge, and fired once.
The bullet penetrated the wall, and hit Kougami in the leg.
Kougami screamed in pain, and dropped.
"TERMINATOR!" Akane screamed.
"That's his name," Okura asked as he raised his pistol toward Akane, and pulled back on the lever, "Terminator? You know you're pretty hot, maybe we should spend some…" before he could say another word, Kougami had crawled out from behind the counter, and had his Breaker at the ready.
Kougami fired one through Okura's leg which took it off from the knee down.
As Okura dropped, Chika ran to the side as Akane raised her M76, and emptied the magazine into Okura's chest.
"X-ray down in Four-Alpha," Akane said as she ran over to Kougami as Chika knelt on the floor screaming, "Terminator's been hit, he's down."
"All X-rays down in Olympus," Ginoza said, "We're on our way."
"Kougami," Akane said as she slapped her partner to keep him awake, "You got to tell me what to do."
Kougami handed Akane his knife, "Cut open my jeans," Kougami said as he pinched the leg of his jeans, and pulled upwards, Akane placed the knife against the leg of Kougami's jeans, and cut a section of fabric off, Chika kept screaming, he then handed Akane a small syringe, "Give this to her so she'll stop screaming."
Akane walked over to Chika, grabbed her by the arm, and injected the syringe into her bicep.
The woman stopped screaming, and fell unconscious on the floor.
As Akane ran back to Kougami, she saw he was clinging onto consciousness, "What do I have to do?" Akane asked.
"It's not so bad," Kougami said, "Must have been using bird-shots. Pellets didn't hit anything important. Is there any alcohol in the cabinets?"
Akane went through the cabinets, and finally found some grain-alcohol, "How about this? Will this do?" she asked.
"Perfect." Kougami said.
Pouring alcohol onto and open wound is never a good idea unless in a desperate situation, a better solution would be either water or a saline solution which could clean the wound, but in a field situation when every second counts, and you don't have a lot of options, anything with alcohol in it works just as good, but it'll hurt like hell.
Akane uncorked the bottle, but before she could do anything, Kougami stopped her, and held out his hand, "Not yet," he said as he gestured toward the bottle, "Give me that," Akane handed the bottle to Kougami who took the bottle by the neck, and took a swig, "Ok," he said with a deep exhale and handed the bottle back.
Akane held Kougami's shoulder, and as she poured the alcohol onto the wound, Kougami flinched in pain, he was one tough son of a bitch.
"Ok," Akane said as she sealed the bottle, and placed it aside, "What now?"
"Bind it," Kougami said as he ripped off his right sleeve, "Wrap it around as tight as you can."
Akane wrapped the sleeve around Kougami's leg as tight as she could, and then tied the two ends together, "How's that?" Akane asked.
"Great," Kougami said, "You'd make one hell of a battlefield nurse. I think I'm gonna pass out."
"No," Akane exclaimed as she seized Kougami's shoulders, "Kougami, I need you to stay awake," as Kougami slipped into unconsciousness, he could hear Akane screaming his name.
Later…
The medics were taking away Kougami in an ambulance while Akane sat in a waiting ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her, it's never easy taking a life, but sometimes it's what's necessary.
"You did good today new girl," Ginoza said as he sat down next to Akane, "You first kill-shot went down perfectly."
"Yea," Akane said, "But Kougami's injured."
"Down worry about Terminator," Ginoza said, "He'll be fine. Besides we've netted $95,000 each."
"That's one upside." Akane said.
Guess what happens next…