October 19, 1940:
Randgriz, Gallia
9:30pm
Desmond was taking a 'nightly walk' along the dark alleys of the capital.
It didn't take long for a tall bulky man to stand in his way.
"Nils" the gang leader said with a hint of confidence "Been a while"
"Desmond" the man responded "You've been quite the talk of the town lately"
"Well…" Desmond responded "I am loving the popularity"
"You know. Normally, people are quite festive this time of year. I wonder why the mood's different now…"
"I know, right? Speaking of festivities, I was actually looking for you, Nils"
"Me?"
"Yeah! I have a pretty interesting 'business' deal for you!"
"Really now? What if I'm not interested?"
"Oh come on, Nils. Just hear me out. You won't regret it"
"Sorry, Desmond. I have no interest in doing any kind of business with you"
As the man finishes his statement, several armed men emerge from the nearby buildings.
"Nils" Desmond said "Can we talk about this?"
"Afraid not" the man replied as his men aim their submachine guns
"Last chance, Nils. Are we gonna settle this peacefully?"
With a squint, Nils orders his men to seize the gang leader who utters "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…"
"Taking the shot" Rain said, over the radio, as she fires a bolt-action rifle from a nearby rooftop, hitting one of the men in the leg.
Desmond then draws his revolver and proceeded to shoot the remaining gang members in the shoulder followed by a punch to the stomach.
He did it with such speed that all 6 men were unable to even react.
As Nils calls for reinforcements, who quickly arrive, Aria emerges from the darkness.
Using an umbrella, she engages the gangsters in melee combat and outmatches all of them including those armed with knives as her umbrella proved to be harder than it looked.
"Nice moves, Aria" Desmond said, standing next to the Darcsen assassin "You haven't rusted a bit"
Oh why thank you" Aria responded flirtatiously "I do make sure that I maintain my figure"
"Pretty good shooting too, Rain" Desmond added
"Heh" the twin responded "Was there any doubt?"
With a sinister smile, Desmond faces Nils. "So are you willing to talk now?"
Angry, Nils shouts a battle cry and charges towards the gang leader, armed with a bowie knife and a 45 caliber pistol.
In response, Desmond prepares himself for the fight.
Nils attempted to stab the gang leader in the shoulder but the gang leader paced his left arm next to Nils' right hand and redirects it elsewhere, causing him to miss.
Desmond then uses his right palm to hit Nils' stomach, causing him to recoil.
The gang leader quickly moves behind Nils and kicks the backside of his right knee.
Despite being bigger than Desmond, Nils is easily forced to his knees.
With a revolver to his head, Nils stares angrily at his soon-to-be murderer
"Rot in hell" he uttered as Desmond pulls the trigger
But no bullet came out as it seemed that the chamber was empty.
"My. My" Desmond said, putting his gun down "Looks like it's your lucky day! Despite your rather dude response to my proposition, I'm still willing to let you in on my 'business' deal. By the way, let me explain this time or else…"
Desmond pauses, aims his revolver at a nearby wall and pulls the trigger, this time a bullet came out. "… You may not be so lucky next time"
2 days later:
Randgriz Police HQ
4:30pm:
4 days to go before the anniversary and Edna was as restless as ever.
I understand how dire the situation was but come on, sitting in your office with a cigar on one hand and a cup of coffee on the other for days… That's just a recipe for a hospital trip.
"Edna…" Drifa said, entering the office "I think you should take a break"
"I can't" the Darcsen Officer replied "Crocker's planning something and I'm willing to bet a thousand ducat that he's gonna execute it by the 25th"
"You think he'll disrupt the celebration?"
"I don't know but people are getting scared. With several noblemen dead, not to mention other seemingly random victims, II wouldn't blame the people for creating such an atmosphere…"
"Yeah… Randgriz, alone, has been pretty gloomy lately"
"So we have to ctach him before the 25th!"
"Edna…" Drifa muttered as the room falls silent, which was quickly broken when a police officer bursts through the door. "Lieutenant!"
"What is it?" Drifa asked
"Desmond Crocker!" the officer replied "He's robbing the Randgriz National Bank!"
Drifa turns around and sees Edna squinting.
"We move. NOW!" she said as she stands up and grabs her service pistol
½ hour later:
Vicinity of Randgriz National Bank:
Police cars surround the bank as a standoff ensues between the officers and Desmond's gang.
"What's the situation?" Edna asked one of the officers
"5 shooters inside, all armed, with submachine guns. There are also about 3 hostages"
"Is Desmond Crocker in there?"
"Yes. We have confirmed Desmond Crocker is inside the building"
"Give me a room report on the shooters' positions"
It looked like history repeated itself as police officers once again surround Desmond and his gang at the exact same place he was caught 10 years before.
"The front, back, and sides are tightly guarded…" Drifa said, looking at the map
"Yes but…" Edna responded "They're scattered. A blitz should catch em off guard. Where are the hostages?"
"We're not same" the officer replied "But our scouts have narrowed their possible location to either the back offices or behind the teller counters"
"That means they're at the way back" Drifa said
"Where's Desmond Crocker?"
"He's most likely inside the vault, bagging the money" the officer answered
"The book…" Edna said, looking at the blueprint "Is it tightly guarded?"
"Not so much. Save for one shooter is on the roof" the officer answered
"One shooter… I have you now, Desmond"
"So what's your plan?" Drifa asked
"There's a vent at the back of the building. It leads to the back offices. All I need is a small elite team"
Drifa smiles as she meets Edna's gaze.
Nightfall and the situation remained unchanged.
Under the cover of darkness, Edna, Drifa, and a small team of elite officers slowly towards their objective.
They leaned at the wall as the guard emerges from the roof.
The officers stood there silent for a good 5 minutes before the guard moves away.
Acting fast, Edna boosts Drifa up, who opens a vent and proceeds to crawl inside.
Minutes later, Drifa quietly opens the back door, enabling the officers to enter.
"Where are the hostages?" Edma whispered
"Not in the back offices" Drifa answered "I spotted one by the teller counters"
"Shit… That complicates things. How about the guards?"
"2 by the entrance and 1 in the teller counters"
"They're awfully few in number"
"I know… But this is Desmond"
"True… Alright, we slowly move to the teller counters. On my go, I want all 3 shooters restrained. Me and Drifa will go for the hostages, the rest of you go for the 2 guards by the entrance"
"Right" Everyone responded as they slowly made their way to the teller counters.
With everyone in position, Edna brings out her radio
"Do it" she whispered
"Hey!" One of the shooters by the entrance shouted "Don't come any closer!"
"Now!" Edna shouted as she and her squad emerge from cover.
She quickly tackles the lone hostage taker to the ground as other officers swarm in
Drifa and Edna then made their way to the vault
"Desmond!" Edna shouted pointing her gun
"Well if it isn't the rookie" the gang leader said with a smirk
"It's over, you bastard!"
"Over? You think all because you manage to surround me, I'll give up just that?"
Edna narrows her eyes and with an itchy trigger finger, inches closer to the criminal.
Without warning, Desmond throws a grenade.
"Shit!" Drifa and Edna exclaimed as they jumped out of the vault
The duo quickly realize that it was a dud.
"Child's play" Desmond said as he quickly closes the distance to the duo
He punches Edna in the stomach as he blocks an attack from Drifa.
He redirects Drifa's fist and attempts to punch her
The police officer grabs his fist and throws the gang leader.
Desmond quickly recovers and resumes his assault.
The fight did not last long as more officers enter the room.
Seeing the vast number of adversaries, Desmond surrenders.
To the surprise and relief of the country, Desmond, the infamous serial murderer and gang leader, was finally under police custody.
News of his arrest spread like wildfire and it seemed Gallia was rejuvenated as the streets were filled with people once again.
Randgriz Police Department; Interrogation room
Immediately after his arrest, Desmond was interrogated by none other than Edna, herself.
But days have passed and the gang leader has yet to speak a word… until that fateful day
"Damn it Desmond!" Edna shouted slamming the table "For how long are you gonna keep quiet?!"
Desmond smirks, staring at her, Drifa, and 2 officers in the room.
Annoyed, Edna sighs as she slides a folder to Desmond. "Let's do this again"
"You're wasting your breath, 'lieutenant'" the gang leader defiantly said "Even if I do talk, your pretty little brain won't be able to comprehend it. So I'll save you the headaches"
"You think you're funny, don't you?! Even if you don't talk, we can still-"
"Edna…" Drifa said, grabbing the officer's shoulder
The Darcsen officer quickly calms down and proceeded to the door
"Hey!" Desmond said before the officer exits the room "What day is it?"
"What?"
"What's the date?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Well being cooped up in a jail cell for days makes you lose your sense of time, you know…"
Walking a bit closer, Edna stares at the criminal before saying "October 25"
"Ah. So I reckon people are on a festive mood?"
"Huh?"
"And with everyone so merry right now, the streets should be filled with them. Our little archduchess isn't scared of going outside anymore, right?"
"What are you-"
"So we can expect that she'll be making a speech near the castle?"
Edna's eyes widen as she slowly realizes something. "You're a diversion…"
Desmond gives a sinister smile
"Shit… Shit!" Edna shouted as she quickly turns to the door "We have to hurry and warn-"
But before she could finish, the 2 officers in the room point their pistols at Edna and Drifa.
"You see, officer" Desmond said as he stands up and walks to the 2 officers "In chess, one of the winning strategies involves either sacrificing a piece or 2 or simply using them as bait to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. Once that happens… checkmate"
One of the 2 officers then undoes the gang leader's cuffs
"Rain. Aria" He said "Thank you"
The 2 officers then remove their caps, revealing their identities.
Desmond then puts handcuffs on Edna's and Drifa's legs then used another to cuff them to a wall.
"I hope you enjoy the show" the gang leader said as he approaches an angry Edna "It's one that the people of Gallia will never forget"
Desmond then pistol whips both women, knocking them unconscious.
With that, Desmond and his cohorts made their escape.