Chapter Fifty One
September 6th, 2077
Night City, Northern California
NCPD Headquarters, City Center
Remember, remember the 6th of September.
This rhyme would go down in the annals of NCPD history because of the crimes and transgressions committed by the officers within the ranks.
Tonight a beacon would be shined upon the corrupt institutions that afflicted Night City's finest and force the hand of its City Council.
But before the NCPD could be purified, the groundwork needed to be laid by breaking Cypher out of one of Night City's most heavily guarded prisons.
The very concept of escaping the impregnable walls of NCPD HQ was supposed to be a near-impossible feat, but its architects weren't prepared for their fortress to be torn asunder by an AI that could turn their defenses against them.
It was fortunate that they had Chamber in their corner.
The UNSC AI was in the familiar confines of an MJOLNIR data shard, but this time she wasn't sharing a headspace with Cyrus.
"How does it feel?" Eliza flexed her fingers, her nerves recalling the essence of her MJOLNIR and the sensation of her flesh encapsulated in her skinsuit. It was a forlorn feeling that she missed more than she could ever realize.
"Fit's like a glove." The former Spartan curled her hands into a fist and let out a content sigh. "Are we ready to begin?"
"Everything is in place." Chamber updated her tactical HUD with several callsigns belonging to Cyrus's Bloodhounds. If it was not already so, their devotion to him was almost fanatical in nature.
Even the new recruits were willing to lay everything on the line for Cyrus, even if they had never once fought alongside him.
He was lucky in that regard. Eliza used to have the same fanatical followers before a few thought better of their loyalties and nearly tore her people apart. She prayed Cyrus would never have to go through the same feelings of treachery she still felt today.
"Disciple Six, this is Fury." Eliza savored the taste of her former callsign upon her lips. "Begin operation."
"Disciple Six copies all rolling out now." Two confiscated NCPD cruisers and a prisoner transport wagon slid out of a dark alleyway and proceeded directly towards the police headquarters.
Disciple One was commanded by Tsutsumi 'Falcon' Shiko and consisted of Motozawa 'Vulture' Shoji, Hattori 'Sparrow' Yukinaga, and Dominic 'Dusty' Wright. Dusty was one of the new bloods and was immediately transferred to Disciple One to act as their Long Range Specialist.
Falcon and his fireteam were in the prisoner transport alongside the members of Disciple Two, led by Yokono 'Jaguar' Kazutoshi, a CQC specialist with a penchant for crushing skulls with his Gorilla Arms.
In Umeki's opinion, Disciple Two was the most well-rounded team, with two new members, Pavlenko 'Nightowl' Denisovich and Josef 'Weaver' Heitler, adding new perspectives and fresh talent to the fireteam. Inoshishi 'Ocelot' Yoson was the most veteran member, and both he and Tiger got along well with the newcomers.
The final Bloodhound squad was commanded by Fujima 'Tiger' Seiesnsui, a tech expert who could qualify as a Netrunner, led the most inexperienced team in terms of age.
Disciple Three ironically contained three new bloods of varying backgrounds. Mya 'Micro' Hastings was a seasoned cyberwarfare expert local to Watson. She had a close bond with Jaycee 'Fever' Moss since both grew up in the same neighborhood. The outlier in the fireteam was Draven 'Hatcher' Price, a quiet man who spoke with his actions more than words.
Chamber devised a detailed plan to free Cyrus from the isolation chambers by masquerading as an NCPD convoy transporting a violent criminal awaiting internment within the confines of the Heavy Containment Zone.
Acadia volunteered for the assignment, much to Eliza's chagrin, but no one was going to convince her otherwise.
Disciple Two and Three would hitch a ride inside the prisoner transport alongside Acadia. Disciple One was assigned to escort the infiltrators through the security checkpoints via an underground tunnel at the south end of the HQ.
All prisoners were shuttled through this tunnel under heavy guard and had to pass several security checkpoints in the process to reach their designated holding.
NCPD HQ's prison section was a massive kilometer-long corridor that was separated into three zones. The Isolation Chambers, Heavy Containment Zone, and Light Containment Zone were all divided into sections and monitored by a pair of heavily guarded security checkpoints at either end.
To get through the Heavy Containment Zone, Acadia and her hitchhikers would have to pass through three security checkpoints that monitored all traffic in and out of the penitentiary.
Trying to fool the security protocols at the gates was impossible for their infiltrators to accomplish from their end. A detection scanner was stationed at each checkpoint, screening approaching vehicles for foreign radio transmissions and heat signatures.
The transport could clear the first and second checkpoints without unloading if it passed the screening checks without tripping off any alarms.
The only way to bypass this defense was going to require a Spartans touch although, Eliza didn't just have Chamber along for the journey.
"You two ready?" The Spartan inquired to her partners in this operation, one of whom Liana had a deep history.
"Fuck yeah." The Aldecaldo responded, adjusting the kinks in her Nemesis suit before grabbing the handle of her silenced Nue with one hand. "Let's get this party started. I wanna crack some MAXTAC skulls."
"You and me both." V slid the hood over her face and secured the tight fabric before donning the Nemesis' advanced helmet. The segmented plating connected with the synthetic hood, and once again, her vision was consumed by familiar darkness and the smell of fresh oxygen.
She didn't mind it as much this time around.
Eliza intended to enlist the help of her Sirens on this mission, but her people were still figuring out where they belonged on the surface. Due to their isolationist stance over the previous few years, their doctrine was not geared for aggressive action of this magnitude.
They simply weren't prepared for a return to the limits of Night City in their current form.
For now.
Eliza and her team were loitering on the roof of NCPD HQ, eyeing their convoy of Bloodhounds as they inched ever closer to their target building. The Spartan glanced towards Merc and Nomad alike with a subtle nod.
"Follow me." The rooftop access swung open, and all three descended into the corridors of NCPD HQ. Their minds were clear of any doubt and completely focused on their current objective.
The security scanners were monitored by a control room on the HQ's twenty-first floor. Eliza, Panam, and V were entrusted with displacing the operators inside and seizing control of the security room so that their infiltration team could enter unimpeded.
Once the control room was secured, the trio would then make their way towards the NCPD server room and inject Chamber directly into the HQ's isolated telecommunication network. This building was one of the few places in Night City that the AI had zero access to, and now they had the opportunity to rectify this issue.
If they could get Chamber into the network, the entire HQ would fall under her control, and Cyrus's rescue would be that much easier. Once all objectives were fulfilled, Eliza would escort Panam and V to the Isolation Chambers via an elevator connected to Checkpoint 1-Delta.
In Eliza's opinion, Acadia and the Bloodhounds had the hardest job, trying to thread the needle and enter the containment zones without being discovered.
On the other hand, they would have the opportunity to establish first contact with the MAXTAC platoon responsible for Cyrus's capture.
Eliza envied her daughter.
Draven 'Hatcher' Price was nervous.
The new blood was not accustomed to experiencing such emotions, but he could feel it coursing through his veins like a tidal wave. His partner Jaycee 'Fever' Moss was aware of his affliction as his index finger twitched uncontrollably.
"Hatcher?" A pair of captivating hazel eyes turned towards Draven in concern, jolting him out of his contemplation. "Are you ok?"
"I'm good." Draven hastily replied, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves and drawing a knowing glance from Mya 'Micro' Hastings.
"You got the 'jitters,' Hatcher?"
The marksman reluctantly nodded at her inquiry. "Never felt anything like this before."
Draven knew the so-called combat jitters well. He'd seen it in the eyes of NUSA privates fresh out of basic moments before a combat drop. He spent eight years in the army, serving with the storied and elite 75th Ranger Regiment before being discharged following a reduction in military spending.
The NUSA still had a standing army, but nowadays, they took to utilizing Militech security forces to do their dirty work out in the periphery.
After striking out a few security gigs on the east coast, Draven came to Night City. There was plenty of business opportunities to work as a Mercenary for hire. He also needed a change of scenery after his mother died of a heart attack, leaving him to care for his sister Cora.
The last few years in Night City had been hard, and no matter what he tried, his sister kept getting into trouble with the local gangs.
Cora had a run-in with a Scavenger clan in Watson several weeks ago, and the only reason her kidneys weren't served to some corporate hotshot was because Iwasaki and his Bloodhounds inadvertently saved her sorry ass while on assignment.
Draven owed a debt to Cypher and his Bloodhounds, and paying off that debt was one of the only things he had going for him.
So when Iwasaki approached Draven with the opportunity to write the wrongs that tormented his neighborhood and be a part of something more than just himself, Draven didn't hesitate to take up the mantle of Bloodhound.
Mya rustled through one of her pockets and retrieved a spherical container. She popped open the lid, and a small mound of grated leaves was outstretched towards Draven.
"Take a dip of this," Micro ignored his questioning look. "It'll take the edge off."
Draven regarded the smokeless tobacco with some apprehension. He was not a big smoker, but he needed to take his mind off the absurdity of their current situation.
It wasn't every day you had the chance to throw down against the most elite branch of the NCPD. MAXTAC had spent the last two decades running roughshod over everyone in Night City, and it only got worse when Commander Enyala took command.
As far as Draven was concerned, this was the chance of a lifetime to start getting some much-needed payback.
Too bad their current ROE kept the Bloodhounds from dropping MAXTAC corpses.
For now.
Draven dug his fingers into the dip, taking a hefty chunk and depositing it into his mouth. The wintergreen flavor overwhelmed his taste buds in a flash, and he had to fight back the desire to spit it out.
Mya looked on with a proud grin as Draven swallowed the tobacco with a final struggling gulp. "Atta boy. I knew you could do it."
"You don't have anything to worry about, kid," Jaguar pipped up from Micro's left. "Cypher trained us well, and Eagle's is as good a commander as anyone in this godforsaken city."
"It also helps that there is another supped super soldier and a hyper-advanced AI that scares the living shit out of me watching our backs," Micro's skin crawled at the prospect of an unshackled AI roaming free in their backyard.
Micro surrendered herself to an erratic and near-suicidal lifestyle when she agreed to be one of Cypher's Bloodhounds. Working for the Headhunter required a certain level of insanity, given the adversaries he was making in and around Night City.
She wouldn't be shocked if Cypher declared war on Militech and Arasaka at the pace he was destroying gangs and enterprises.
"I've heard of ONI during my time in the army," Draven noted. "You would think that illegal AI and human experimentation would be beyond a naval intelligence corps."
"I wouldn't put its past the NUSA," Nightowl, Disciple Two's CQC expert, remarked. "If the Soviet Union were willing to do it, then so would they."
Tiger pointedly tuned out the new bloods as they exchanged ghost stories and urban myths that surrounded Cypher's legend over the last few weeks. Even Bloodhounds weren't exempt from the stigma of soldiers gossiping about their Commander.
He shared an exasperated glance with Ocelot, who shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head against the carriage walls. Ocelot was less concerned than the rest of them about their enigmatic Commander and Iwasaki's hallucinations. He was the type to take things in stride, and this situation was no exception to his laid-back demeanor.
Tiger was disturbed by Iwasaki's response to their master's recollections, and he remained mute whenever any of his subordinates inquired about his experience. Still, his loyalty to Cypher remained unquestioned, and it didn't matter to Tiger if the speculations were true or not; all that mattered was that Cypher was someone worth following.
And that was good enough for him and the rest of the Bloodhounds.
"Let's be thankful she's in our corner tonight," Tiger interrupted the new bloods gossiping as he adjusted his combat pack's strap with a firm tug. "Not sure we could do this without her, but I'll be happy enough to get Cypher out of this hell hole."
"Speaking of," Fever began. "Has anyone here been to the Isolation Chambers? Closest I've gotten was getting tagged in the LCZ."
"I spent a few years in Heavy Containment," Weaver let on with a slight Russian accent, his dark bright green eyes shining in the low light. "MAXTAC runs the Isolations Chambers, and there are a lot of rumors surrounding that place, none of them pretty."
"Somebody told me that's where MAXTAC holds the lucky few Cyberpsychos they take alive," Fever grunted, running a hand through her wavy blond hair. "I don't even want to think about what the fuck they do in that shit hole to make those maniacs work for them."
"Do you think, Cypher is still alive down there," Micro stated, her brown eyes taking in the body language of all her fellow Bloodhounds. She expected a reply from any of them, but their silent guest posing as a prisoner spoke up for the first time.
"He's still alive," Acadia declared with no small amount of confidence. "MAXTAC may be able to scar his body, but they will not alter his mind. Cypher's stronger than that."
"You know him better than I do, Acadia." The Bloodhounds didn't press upon the Siren's convictions, and Micro wisely surrendered the argument without much resistance.
The carriage remained silent for a time, with only the slight shuffling of feet and the deep breath of a Bloodhound calming their nerves. Weaver broke the silence as he leaned back into his seat with a wide grin.
"Wish we brought the dog with us." The Bloodhounds either snorted in amusement or gave out a hearty chuckle. Luna was… an exceptional member of their Company and the unbelievable reality that Cypher managed to get a pet War Hound.
"If we brought Luna along, she would have torn open everyone's throats in the HQ." Ocelot pipped up while rolling the kinks in his shoulders. "I doubt Cypher would have appreciated a rescue operation that left a couple of hundred dead cops."
"Shit, if Luna gave him her puppy dog look, I doubt he'd mind too much," Micro replied as Draven took another dip of her tobacco.
"Even with all the blood in her teeth?" His reply earned him a nonchalant shrug.
"Guess we'll never know now."
Fever gave her comrades a wry smile, but a resounding slam of a fist against the transport's carriage halted any more discussion. Iwasaki slid up the bulletproof glass separating the interior from the front of the truck.
"Thirty seconds, Bloodhounds." Their Commander warned, subtly eyeing his new bloods. "Fury is reporting a strong garrison of NCPD officers between us and the Heavy Containment Zone. Our orders remain unchanged. We must avoid any engagement inside the Light Containment Zone. If we are caught outside the HCZ then we're going to be swarmed by cops."
"Understood lead," Tiger replied, pulling the hem of his recon hood over his face. A pair of azure blue orbs bore into those under his command. "Masks on."
Draven gripped the Militech Recon hood in his right hand and pulled the synthetic material down his forehead. The experimental tactical hood was issued to Militech covert ops teams for deep infiltration missions requiring a certain degree of subtly.
This particular model possessed an optic display that interfaces directly into the user's neural uplink, providing up-to-date targeting software and improving accuracy by linking their optics and firearm through a series of electrical impulses.
The recon hood was topped off with a Ballistic-mesh fabric and a deeply laired composite ceramic plating. Draven privately noted that the old guard was delighted to be free of their ONI Masks, which served as a continuous reminder of their time as Tyger Claw enforcers.
When they abandoned the TC, Iwasaki intended to leave their old allegiances behind, but Cypher forced them to shoulder the burden of serving at the whims of fools and cowards under the guise of devotion to one another.
Loyalty does not absolve anyone of the heinous crimes, and the Bloodhounds were guilty of staining the streets of Night City with the blood of the innocent and guilty.
Cypher intended to make them pay for their sins by enforcing atonement or, if necessary, death.
Draven pounded his fist against his beautifully crafted chest piece, hearing the audible thud of polymer and kevlar as he went about the menial task of detailing his equipment. He gripped his D5 Copperhead and held the rifle loosely across his shoulders, crossing forearms with Micro and Fever in a silent exchange of good fortune to one another.
He noticed Arcadia, a quiet and terrifying figure fidgeting with a lighter possessing a black eagle engraved into its casing. She was an intimidating companion, and throughout their journey to NCPD HQ, the Siren held an expression of pure focus that put the Bloodhounds on edge.
Acadia was the one who desperately wanted Cypher back because she'd been fretting over every detail of their operation since Fury departed with the two Nomads. It wasn't full proof, but they were in the best position possible for success.
Draven could only hope that their strike team could get them through the Light Containment Zone without any resistance.
Iwasaki leaned back into his sear, eyes scanning the gargantuan structure with the massive blue banners of the NCPD waving in the wind. The streets were chock full of protestors, all of whom were vying for Cypher's release.
The demonstrations had managed to pull a decent proportion of patrol officers and riot police out into the streets to contain the potential for violence and looting.
The Outcasts were responsible for stoking the fires of these demonstrations, and he appreciated the determination because it gave the Bloodhounds the unique opportunity of infiltrating NCPD HQ while it was understaffed. They wouldn't get another shot like this, and it's not like any of them wanted to wait any longer.
Still, there was an underlying tension of doubt that burrowed in the deepest parts of his mind. They were gambling everything they worked for into this rescue, and failure would ensure another century of governments serving the bidding of their corporate masters.
That could no longer continue.
"You sure they're ready for this?" Umeki inquired from her driver's seat. She was right to worry about their new bloods. This operation would be the ultimate trial by fire for their new recruits, and it could not come at a more critical time.
"Doesn't matter if they're ready or not," Iwasaki responded. His focus peeled away from the NCPD banners towards her second in command. "Without Cypher, none of this matters. We can't instill fear or respect as he can, and all our allies and assets will disappear in a blink if he is gone."
Already there were signs of fracturing within the Astral Claws and Sixth Street Gang. Colonel Decker's entire command structure depended on Cypher's support, especially because of the tenuous nature of her leadership.
The Astral Claws were likewise unsure of their continued role as Charter Hill's leading gang. Kenmochi kept things stable on her end, but if Cypher didn't return to command, she and her followers would isolate themselves in their sprawling district.
Everything hinged on his survival.
Everything.
"Disciple One, approaching Checkpoint 1-Alpha," Falcon said over their comm frequency as the convoy came to a sudden halt in front of the LCZ's massive set of steel doors. "Really hope you're in position, Fury."
Iwasaki felt the blue hue of the checkpoint scanner crawl over every inch of their transport, and only when it flashed green and the steel doors swung wide did he breathe again.
"We're in. Prepare to engage!" He smashed his fist into the carriage two times, eliciting a resounding slam of relief from Jaguar in return.
Iwasaki eyed the correctional officers preparing to meet their convoy outside the gates of Checkpoint 1-Charlie for the prisoner transfer. He was thankful that the tinted windows kept any curious eyes from deducing they weren't typical NCPD officers.
The CO's were in for a nasty surprise, and Iwasaki activated his commlink
"Disciple Six to Fury…"
"… Fury. We're crossing checkpoint Alpha and proceeding to the Heavy Containment Zone."
Eliza hard-locked the security station scanners allowing their strike team an unimpeded path towards the HCZ. A squad of NCPD correctional officers would halt their transport just outside the gates, and it would be up to Acadia and the Bloodhounds from there.
"Roger that, Disciple Six." The Spartan replied, phasing into the shadows and stalking a pair of NCPD officers as they traversed down the dimly lit corridor. "Good luck, out."
Eliza missed the silence before the storm, and a part of her was fairly content by the surge of adrenaline that preceded a Spartan operation.
One never really stops being a Spartan in the first place.
It was difficult, if not impossible, for Eliza to forget her past to live out a brighter future, no matter how hard she tried. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't take to the cushy life of a well-off civilian with no worries in sight.
It's hard to break away from old habits, and her nerves constantly fought against her anytime she had a moment of peace. Spartans are creatures of habit, almost finely tuned to specific tendencies such as waking up at four in the morning and sleeping for no more than four hours at a time.
Those were her less violent tendencies, but the more hazardous instincts were triggered by the tiniest unrecognized stride or an out-of-place boom that sent her militant mind racing for an immediate response.
It sickened Eliza that there were many instances where she nearly broke the hand of someone she loved because they forgot not to lay a hand on her right shoulder. Cyrus and Casey used that particular gesture to signal an all-clear to push forward. It was just one of many physical reminders that the loss of her Spartan team had left her psychologically scarred.
But in one fell swoop, all these worries, all these fears, were wiped away by a deadly fury aimed at some poor NCPD police officers going about their shift with a coffee in hand.
Behind her was V, brandishing a pair of silenced Unity's with a PAX modification attached to each barrel. Panam was lugging around an M2038 Tactician that was sure to give some poor bastard a nasty headache when they woke up. Cyrus made it clear that killing police officers would only make matters worse.
Hopefully, he'd change his mind about MAXTAC after all this.
Eliza motioned for V to take the one on the left after their quarry passed their digitally camouflaged forms. The Merc nodded sharply and silently holstered her two Unity's and trailed behind her target.
The Spartan emerged from the shadows and savagely chopped the officer in the back of the neck. Ignoring the crash of his coffee in favor of dragging his limp body into the adjacent office space.
Eliza produced a pair of zip ties from her waist and secured him to a desk on the far side of the room. While doing so, she looked over to V and found the cop's companion being dragged into a common room before being dumped out of sight.
In the meantime, Panam scanned to ensure no lingering cops snuck up on them while they dealt with the unconscious officers. Eliza dug into the vest of her comatose prey and dismantled his JKE-X2 Kenshin pistol, ejecting the magazine and taking it apart piece by piece before exiting the room.
V sent as she gripped one of her Unity's and slid behind Panam. "How far are we from the server room?"
"It's two stories down," Eliza responded. "Chamber, how's my motion tracker looking?"
Her MJOLNIR was still suffering from a few hiccups that couldn't be solved in a single maintenance session. One of the critical issues with her HUD was the lack of accurate readings from her motion tracker.
"Well." Chamber's ethereal voice echoed in her helmet. "It's lit up like a Christmas tree. I can't get an accurate assessment but what I can tell you is that there is a whole lot of contacts between us and the server room."
"Give me your best tactical assessment." Eliza pushed down the corridor, sliding past Panam and V while her eyes kept a vigilant watch for even the slightest hint of NCPD.
Panam brought up their rear, flashing her Tactician down every hallway they passed by on their way to the server room. V kept her focus downrange, staying to the left of Eliza to prevent a nasty crossfire should they make contact.
The trio we're forced back into cover when a team of NCPD SWAT officers rambled down their corridor.
"Christ, is the fucking heater off on this floor?" One of the officers griped while clutching his arms.
"Knowing this fucking city and its shit budget, probably." A grey-haired Corporal responded, earning a light snort from his companion. "What you think, Murph?"
"I'd rather be in here than freezing my ass off out in the streets," Murph replied with a shuddering breath. "Those demonstrations for Cypher have gotten out of hand. 615 had to arrest twenty kids that were barely even teenagers after they doused their squad car in flames."
"That's not even close to the worse thing I've heard so fa-Urgh." A hand wrapped around the Corporal's throat, choking the oxygen from his lungs. He was dragged into the darkness just as his companions turned back towards him.
"Hernandez?" Murph stepped forward to search for his companion, missing the cry of alarm from Specialist Gabriel as he was dragged out of sight. He shined his torch into the adjacent office rooms when a shimmering hand reached for his throat. "What the fu-Aargh."
V pulled the cop forward and delivered a devastating haymaker to his temple and sending into the blissful jaws of sleep. She was much less worried about hiding the unconscious body this time around, tossing the officer behind a set of unfinished plywood.
"This is taking too long," V griped as she rejoined Eliza and Panam. "We're never going to make it to the server room in time to get Cyrus out with this many cops in our way."
"What does the fucking AI think?" Panam said as she crouched next to the pair of women. "She's got more brainpower than everyone in this building. If she can't figure this out, we're fucked."
The Spartan turned her attention to her AI companion. "Chamber, we could really use some ideas right about now?"
"I got one, but it really depends on a few things." V shared an uncertain glance with Eliza.
"Like what?" Chamber's strategy caused Eliza to let an exasperated sigh fall from her lips.
This would be an incredibly reckless addendum to their plan, but the Spartan wasn't sure if they had much choice. It was time to draw some attention away from the server room, and Chamber had the perfect spot for Eliza to raise hell while Panam and V made for their objective.
The NCPD Bullpen.
Where about a hundred cops, we're about to get a nasty wake-up call.
It was time to raise hell.
NCPD Sergeant Amanda Graves drummed her fingers against her desk, trying to stave off the beckoning arms of sleep as her patrol squad was called in for another company meeting by their Captain.
The entirety of Echo Two, consisting of forty officers, were all crammed into the Bullpens briefing room for another nightly patrol. Too bad Night City was currently losing its fucking mind, and she was in the midst of hour number twelve on her shift.
Her squad was doing their best to maintain some form of composure, but exhaustion was starting to set in. Her three veterans officers in Alonso, Hamilton, and Rhodes were slumped in their chairs, either staring at the back of their eyelids.
Curtis and Hoyt, her two rookies, were attempting to give out a state of readiness for the next mission, but their red eyes gave away their fatigue.
"This fucking sucks." NCPD Sergeant Amanda Graves would usually tear into Alonso for his lack of etiquette, but his bitching did a fine job of summarizing her feelings right about now.
"I don't think I can feel my feet anymore." Officer Curtis slouched into her seat, earning an empathetic glance from her fellow rookie.
"You still have feet?" Officer Hoyt began with a grimace. "Think I left mine back on college street."
Echo two had just barely made it back to HQ after being assigned to riot duty at Heywood University. For four hours, they battled against an increasingly unhinged mass of protestors who were exceedingly pissed that the NCPD had managed to collar Cypher.
Graves was tempted to head down into the Isolation Chambers to cut him loose herself, and she had a feeling Echo Two wouldn't be far behind her. Commissioner Fawlter had severely underestimated Cypher's popularity, and now his ass was being held over the fire by the City Council.
They expected him to end the demonstrations, but in classic Fawlter fashion, he opted to add more fuel to the fire instead. MAXTAC and almost everyone with a badge was placed on riot duty, and no matter how many people they dragged off to jail, the crowds never waned.
Something had to give, and Graves put money on the NCPD breaking before anything else. Militech and Arasaka offered the city council their security forces to supplement their overstretched police department, but Councilor Peralez vetoed the order under the pretext that mercenaries would only escalate tensions.
The councilor wasn't wrong. Militech and Black Element Mercs lacked restraint and were more inclined to drop bodies than disperse a rowdy crowd.
"How much longer until I get to go home, Sarge?" Graves ignored Corporal Rhodes's bitching and buried her head into her arms while begging God for blissful silence. "Sarge?"
"Rhodes…" She bit out with a growl. "….Shut the fuck up."
"Commander on deck!" Echo Two's exhaustion was wiped away in an instant, and all 48 officers found their feet.
Jadiel West stormed into the briefing room with a purpose, followed by her XO Captain Wainwright. At ease, all of you. I'll make this quick."
The NCPD Commander ascended the podium and frowned at her officers' fatigued expressions and hunched shoulders. Echo Two wasn't the only Company running on fumes, but she needed every man and woman under her command to answer the call to duty.
Even if she exceedingly disagreed with the Commissioner's directives.
"I know everyone here isn't at their best." The Commander began, ignoring the deadpanned stares from her veteran officers. "But we need to stay focused on our jobs for one more night. So far, the rioters from the university have been processed, and we're bringing in more men from the Charter Hill precincts, but we have a ways to go before sunrise."
"Respectfully, Ma'am, we're not winning out there." West groaned as the hot-tempered Corporal Alonso Morris drew her attention. "This riot isn't like any other we've put down. People out there are pissed at us, and not even our riot squads are making a dent in their numbers."
"I'm well aware of the situation, Corporal." The Commander replied with an even tone. "But we don't get to choose the laws we enforce, our job is to ensure order, and right now, this city is tearing itself apart. We fix it by dispersing these crowds and forcing them to go home. If that includes some time in jail, then so be it."
"Even if we know how to end it all?" Sergeant Graves intervened, drawing a few looks from her fellow officers. "Look, I'm not Cypher's biggest fan, and neither is Alonso, but we have played this wrong. Those crowds aren't our biggest concern; it's the gangs and mercenaries that follow Cypher. For all we know, they could be figuring out a way to break him out of the Iso Chambers, and I don't fancy our chances against trained killers. We're cops, not super soldie-."
Graves was interrupted by the building's intercom system, and a chilling warning echoed throughout the corridors of NCPD HQ.
"Priority One alert! All personnel be advised we have multiple 211's on the ground. I repeat 211's on the ground. We have a 622 inside the HQ. I repeat, a 622 has breached our security protocols!"
A pair of steel doors were torn off their hinges and thrown into the central corridor of the Bullpen. NCPD Officers who were seated at their workstations were forced to the ground or risk being bludgeoned.
To further emphasize the dire situation, barks of gunfire from NCPD service rifles filled the Bullpen's main corridor, and their local comms were overwhelmed by frantic voices.
"Officer down! Officer down!"
"Dispatch, this is Delta 211. We have a suspect engaging officers inside the Bullpen. Multiple casualties! We need backup now!"
"I can't fucking see them!"
The Echo Two officers shot to their feet and ran for the briefing room doors. Graves was the first to act, drawing her service weapon and kicking down the wooden doors.
"Graves, look out!" Alonso hauled her back into the briefing room, saving her from a barrage of bullets fired across their faces by a frantic SWAT officer.
"Check fire! Check fire!" Graves called out, but the SWAT officer refused to hold his gunfire until his rifle went empty. Echo two burst into the Bullpen in waves, ducking in between ripples of gunfire and finding shelter behind overturned desks and worksations wherever they could be found.
Graves and her squad managed to find their way amongst a dozen other officers firing blindly towards the Bullpen's south entrance, where several of their comrades were unconscious.
"Fuck me!" A veteran officer cursed in indignation when the officer to his right went down with a violent snap of his head. "Officer down!"
Alonso went over to the downed policeman, half expecting to see the top part of his skull leaking brain matter, but all he discovered was a decent-sized burn mark from a non-lethal PAX round.
"Graves!" Alonso dragged the unconscious officer into cover and turned his head towards the Sergeant. "Whoever these guys are, they ain't trying to kill us!"
"Those PAX still fucking hurt Alonso!" Hoyt heatedly retorted and popped out of cover. His cybernetic eyes scanned the room, ignoring the flash of muzzles and managing to pick out a black shadow dipping in and out of sight with incredible speed.
Hoyt had only seen this familiar and increasingly terrifying speed once before, but his mind refused to accept what his eyes had foreseen.
There was no fucking way that Cypher managed to break out of the Isolation Chambers.
*RUMBLE*
The foundations of NCPD HQ were shaking, causing a few officers to be thrown to the floor. Graves activated her communication module to raise a communications officer that was monitoring the carnage
"Slater, what the hell is going on?!" The NCPD comms officer was scrambling in her station, trying to pinpoint the exact cause of the sudden tremor.
"The penitentiary has been breached!" She cried out in trepidation. "Multiple suspects have breached the Heavy Containment Zone and are entering the Isolation Chambers!"
"They're going for Cypher," Alonso remarked with a grim expression. "All this noise up here is to keep us busy, and it's fucking working."
Graves couldn't agree more, but there was little anyone in the Bullpen could do until they dealt with whatever dickhead was tearing them a new one. "Slater, are there any more 622's in the station!"
"Charlie 213 reported officers down in the monitoring station and were sweeping the upper floors but there diverting for the Bullpen now!"
"Did they check the server room?!" Hamilton dropped back into cover and activated his commlink. "If they get access to the fucking servers, they can take control of the whole goddamn-"
The ceiling lights flashed ominously, and static consumed their communication lines. Graves and her team exchanged horrified expressions even as the sounds of combat intensified.
This entire night could suck a dick for all Graves cared for.
Next chapter will be released in an hour… Enjoy.