Chapter Three: A Different Kind of Backup
Greg always appreciated the faster things in life during situations like this. For instance, the speed-dial on his phone that meant he connected that much faster with a crisp, "Detective Onasi speaking," from the other end.
"Detective, Greg Parker," he replied, his words clipped and swift. "We could use some backup on this call. We've got an active shooter at the Royal Ontario Museum…seven dead so far. My guys are already on it, but we could use some more manpower." If you're up for it.
A moment as Onasi absorbed that. Then Greg heard the sound of the Auror standing and moving. "On my way, Sergeant Parker," the Auror replied, "I think Simmons is still in the office…I'll see if he's up for coming along…where are we Apparating in?"
Greg turned and quickly signaled Lou; the tan-skinned cop nodded and disappeared towards the Command Truck. "If you focus in on Lou's phone, can you Apparate straight into the Command Truck?"
A thoughtful silence. "Apparate, no," Onasi admitted, "Portkey, yes. I'll ask Simmons and be there in two."
Ed, Wordy, Sam, and Jules advanced into the museum's usually magnificent entry hall. Now, the elegance was muted with the sight of broken glass, clothing, and shoes scattered everywhere. Sam glanced down at the shoes as they passed, puzzled by their presence. Jules noted his puzzlement and explained softly, "Easier to run without them."
They entered the atrium proper and immediately spied the first victim. Wordy fell back a bit, pulling one glove off as he shifted to a crouch and then knelt next to the still blonde woman laying in a widening pool of her own blood. Two fingers pressed against her neck, checking for a pulse. The constable's three teammates spread out, weapons up and their gazes watchful.
"No," Wordy reported grimly, shifting back to a standing position.
Onasi was better than his word; it was less than a minute later when he and Simmons arrived in the Command Truck. Spike stayed at his computer, not even looking up, but Lou immediately thrust radios and earpieces at the pair, hissing a quick explanation for how to put them on as his boss entered the truck and made a beeline for where the spare bullet-proof vests were stored. Spike stopped typing long enough to grab two spare sidearms and holsters out of the storage cabinet right above his head.
Onasi, slowly getting used to guns, took the weapon and holster, strapping the holster on his belt at the small of his back; Simmons was more dubious, but bowed to Team One's silent glares. He strapped his holster and gun to his leg, imitating Team One's style. Lou did a rapid double-check of both men's radios before he let them slip into the bullet-proof vests.
"Two more," Sam hissed. Team One moved past the pillar and got a good look at the second and third victims. Sam dove for the sprawled gray haired male while Jules knelt next to a silent brown-haired woman in a mini-skirt. Wordy and Ed stayed on their feet and back to back, watching for any signs of movement.
"Gone," Jules reported.
"Here, too," Sam remarked.
Both stood back up, ready to move again.
Greg took the Aurors' trenchcoats, silently approving of the 'tech-friendly' clothing both men wore beneath their trenchcoats. Simmons muttered as he worked his Auror badge free from his shirt; Onasi just grinned behind him, enjoying the all-too-brief moment.
"Okay," Greg began, "Spree shooting, which means, even if we do this perfectly, we've got a body count. Seven dead, just in the initial shooting. We're going to do our best to track this shooter down before they shoot anyone else, but this is a big building and we've got at least two hundred still inside." He paused, surveying both men. "Just…prepare for it," he finished grimly.
Ed's eyes narrowed as they moved past another pillar and found another pair of victims, both female. Gray and brown hair mixed, they were so close together; matching stunned expressions on their faces. Wordy and Sam knelt next to them, doing a quick check of their pulses.
"Nothing," Sam reported, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"No," Wordy confirmed, sorrow in the confirmation.
Lou led the two Aurors at a near run, racing to catch up with his team. The uniforms shifted forward, then stopped as Lou waved them off. The Aurors didn't even turn their heads as they ran, keeping up with Lou's pace without trouble. The trio hurried into the entrance and Lou slowed, shifting his weapon to the ready and turning into the main hallway with a quiet, "Guys, we're coming up behind you."
He took in the fallen woman, but didn't slow; the Aurors behind him gaped at the pool of blood surrounding the dead woman, before scrambling to catch up to their techie colleague. They caught up with the rest of Team One at the last two initial victims; two men who lay close to a doorway that went further into the museum. As Lou and the two Aurors drew even with their teammates, Ed remarked, "Here's the other two. This is ground zero; the first seven victims."
Wordy, walking backwards and covering the rear, remarked, "Not a lot of stray bullet holes."
"The shooter knows guns," Ed concluded.
Jules, checking one of the men as Sam checked the other, put in, "They were heading west."
"Away from the exits."
"Shooter was probably following them, driving them further into the building," Sam pointed out.
The two Aurors gaped at the carnage around them, shocked by the level of violence and the fact that their tech colleagues seemed to be taking it in stride. Parker hadn't been kidding…regardless of how quickly things were resolved, it wouldn't matter one whit to the men and women who'd died before anyone had even known something was wrong. With a grim look between them, the two Aurors drew their wands. With so many lives on the line…the Statute of Secrecy hardly mattered.
"All right, let's move," Ed declared. "Spike, main atrium clear. We're heading west."
"Got it," Spike called back, "Boss, I'm gonna send in uniforms and EMTs to follow up, recover the bodies." His hands flew over his keyboard as he pulled in museum cameras and marked the main atrium off on the blueprints the security guard had helped him pull.
Outside the truck, Greg turned from his latest witness to reply, "Copy that, Spike, but only the areas we've cleared." Shifting back to the man on the stretcher, his arm already in a sling, he asked, "Remember any other details, sir?"
"I don't know," the man admitted, "It happened really fast. I was talking to an investor."
The men spoke quietly, musing on various company matters, when the gunshots rang out. Both men snapped around, looking towards the shots.
"Angela!"
More gunshots rang out and the man found himself on the ground, getting stepped on as people fled. He struggled to move as people flowed by overhead, still stepping on him and causing pain to shoot up his arms and body.
"Angela! Angela!"
Abruptly, someone grabbed the man, hauling him up and helping him get away.
"Thank you very much," Greg thanked the witness, before turning and walking away. As he spoke, he hid a smile at the startled reactions from the two Aurors as they got their first experience with Team One's comms. "Okay, team, we're getting conflicting stories from all the witnesses, but none of them mention overlapping gunfire, so…shots all came from one location."
Inside, the rest of Team One was hard put to keep from a snicker or two at the looks on the Aurors' faces. Ed stayed on task, though. "One gun, lone shooter- fits a spree profile. We got a description?"
"Nah, no one really got a good look," Sarge replied.
"Any of the witnesses have guesses about who they ticked off?" Ed questioned, sarcasm leaking out.
Spike's voice was dry and just as sarcastic. "Brenton, Inc. is a multinational conglomerate. People love to hate multinational conglomerates."
"Number of potentially disgruntled just got bigger. Eddie, how you guys doing? You doing okay?" Worry lurked behind the words; the Sarge looking out for his team as best he could.
"Yeah," Ed replied, short and on task.
There was a moment, then Parker added, "Just please be careful."
"Always," Jules promised.
Author note: I thank each and every one of you who is praying for me. Thanks be to God, so far my evaluations this week have gone much better than last week. I still have room for improvement (don't we all), but I'm not trembling and shaking behind my computer this week. I still have one more evaluation today, so please pray for that to go smoothly.
So: prayer needs thus far this week:
1. Today, Tuesday, March 12th, 2018, I have to demo my Week Two assignment in front of a group.
2. The job's first project (individual) is due next Monday, with a list of requirements, due dates, etc, that I'm not completely sure of how to do yet.
3. My first immediate (as in the same room) roommate moved out last week; she decided not to stay with the company. I may or may not get a new one this week as new people arrive to fill vacancies and start their own careers at this company.
4. The client that we may be going to after we finish training is coming this Wednesday. Please pray that that meeting goes well for all concerned.
5. One of my coworkers was cut yesterday, so please also pray for those of us who remain to do well and not get cut.
Please keep praying. As you can see, I've got quite a lot of work ahead and only a week to do it in. Despite the 'individual' part, I do hope to get help from my coworkers/classmates and give them help in return, so, Lord Willing, that will fill the gaps on for both 'sides' if you will.
Hope you're enjoying the story thus far, my online anchors in this storm (That would be you, yes, you, who's reading this author's note) and I'll strive to update as per usual.
Happy Reading and Aslan Bless,
sunstarunicorn