Here We Stand or Here we Fall, History Won't Care at All

[out_of_time]

WHO: The Dependables
WHERE: Iron Crown, North Pacific.
WHEN: Midnight August 1st [Dolvanian time].
WARNINGS: Absolute mayhem. Also violence.
SUMMARY: The raid on the terrorist gulag.
FORMAT: Paragraph to start, whatever works in the threads. Threads are posted for each objective, but the structure within them is completely open.

This year was the tenth anniversary of the terrible plague that had created Zero' Children in their hatred and anger. Within the Iron Crown fortress, it was another grim night. The prisoners moaned and wept within the dark, cold dungeon deep beneath the Earth. Above them, the day shift of their captors slept much more soundly. Outside, the soldiers currently on duty patrolled the ramparts with grim faces behind balaclavas. Searchlights swept the ground around the walls. To the north, below the castle, freezing men did the same on the decks of the big cargo ships that kept this place running.

The attack helicopter's rotors spun on its pad, warming up for night patrol. The armoured personnel carrier lurked in the vehicle depot like a guard dog waiting in a kennel. In the command centre at the top of the gulag's keep, the hardened older men who ran this base shuffled reports back and forth as they coordinated the group's global evildoing, counting narcotics trafficked, dissidents silenced, enemies crushed.

Whether hostage or terrorist, no one in the fortress suspected that they were in the crosshairs of the Dependables.

"We go loud when Seras drops the searchlights," Jack growled. He lowered his binoculars and stood up, machine gun slung across his shoulders. With his helmet, goggles, and black tactical gear, he looked downright sinister. "She'll engage the shooters on the wall while we get inside the base. Get past the wall any way you can, then split up and head for your objectives." It was a long, exposed run from the jumble of icy rocks that were the nearest concealment to the fortress. If they made it without getting shot, they would have to breach the gulag's outer defenses in their own ways: climbing over the wall, blasting a hole, or just old-fashioned trickery. After that, it would be into the maelstrom of the courtyard, the inevitable mayhem of crossfire and explosions.

Jack's own plan involved plastic explosives and the front gate. Once the alarms started to sound, the time for subtlety would be over. He could picture it now- all hell breaking loose with running guards, chattering machine guns, that helicopter lifting into the sky to rain death from above. No matter how much they could accomplish through stealth, he knew the team wouldn’t be getting through this without one hell of a fight.

"Hit your objectives, then push through the base to the far side. We rendezvous at the docks, then get us and the hostages out of there on a ship. Remember the lives of the people depending on you. Move fast, hit hard, stay focused, work together."

There was the click of his safety flipping off, and then there was nothing left to say. “Let’s do this.”

Comments

[trueltning_fury]

The rest of the guards down the line all looked toward the gruesome shock, ensuring that none of them saw Geddoe coming until it was too late. He lunged out of the shadows and around the corner, his shoulders low, the katana held so its blade wouldn't reflect the lights. He got through three of the guards before one of the others happened to glance and see that the black-clad mountain wasn't one of theirs. As they turned back toward him, torn between the shots coming from somewhere and the intruder in their midst, Geddoe ran his sword through one more and then whipped his hunting knife from under his shirt with his free hand, spinning to slash at another's throat. He went down gurgling, clawing at his neck. There were two more, though, and one had a radio in hand. Geddoe lunged after him, alarmed - if he got out a warning that there were intruders in the prison area, they would know one of the objectives and storm the place to stop them! Even if the others got clear of the courtyard and joined him, there would be too many for their small force to overcome.

[newbvampire]

Seras spotted the radio and her next shot slammed into it, scattering its parts all over the hallway along with chunks of the guards hand. It was dangerous firing that close to friendly, but like Geddoe she knew they couldn't allow them to raise the alarm.

[trueltning_fury]

That bought Geddoe just enough time to finish off the job, putting that guard out of his misery. The next shot he heard was not from Seras, however, judging by the way his body recoiled. It hit the bulletproof vest beneath his clothing and knocked him backwards, but didn't injure him. He regained his footing even as the last guard swore and shot again, twice, both bullets absorbed by the vest. Geddoe couldn't help his instinct, he knew he had promised but it just came out of him, a shock of lightning arcing across the space between and jolting the guard. Fortunately, he was the last one, no one would witness the brief, low-powered spell he had used like a taser before. It bought him a precious couple of seconds in which to recover and counter-attack, wasting no more time and simply decapitating the guard.

He was panting heavily when he turned to the radio once more. "Any more coming behind me, Sniper?"

[newbvampire]

"None. Wait! Two more. I can handle them." Two shots in rapid succession rang out, separated only by the briefest moment Seras needed to work the bolt. "Clear. Are you alright?"

[trueltning_fury]

"More or less."

Geddoe was now faced with a row of cell doors and a minefield of dead bodies who couldn't tell him how to open the mechanism. He assumed it was more complex then just padlocked bars, anyway. "Any idea how these doors work? Should I be waiting for the other team to take down the main controls?"

[newbvampire]

"If it's anything like a normal prison the doors should release with a lose of power. Fire safety measure, but I kind of doubt that gave a damn about things like that here. So there should be a switch, or a button nearby that controls the doors. Probably in a central security point. Somewhere they could lock down and control things from in case the prisoners rioted." She was probably right, but still this wasn't a normal prison and who knows what the gang might have done to change the system from whatever it was originally.

It probably didn't help everything was most likely going to be labeled in Russian either.

[trueltning_fury]

There were definitely controls, all flashing lights and switches and computer screens, but Geddoe certainly didn't understand Russian on top of not innately understanding technology. He looked over the security station warily. "I wouldn't want to accidentally lock these people in, instead of letting them out," he muttered into the collar mic. "Or else I would destroy this entire bank of machinery." Well, there was nothing else for it - time to start pressing buttons at random.

Or he would have, if there hadn't suddenly been a burst of shouting and a gunshot behind him. Someone had come up through one of the underground passageways, rather unexpectedly and for no discernable reason. Geddoe startled and dodged to the side, but he wasn't fast enough. The shot caught him squarely in the left arm, the momentum spinning him around. At least now he could see the random guard who had decided of his own volition to check on the prisoners, and charged him with the sword already swinging. One intruder, down, and one Dependable now leaning against a wall, cursing viciously under his breath.

[newbvampire]

"Damn it!" How did that bastard get past her? There must be some passage she couldn't see from her current position. Still she should have noticed something and been able to warn Geddoe.

At least if he was cursing it meant he was still alive. "How bad are you hit?"

[trueltning_fury]

It took Geddoe a moment to catch his breath enough to form a sentence not riddled with cursing. "Just the arm," he growled. "Off arm, not my sword arm. It means I'm taking too long. I have to get these people out of here, now!"

[newbvampire]

"Try looking for numbers. They have to have numbered the cells. Hit those buttons and see what happens." Well, actually they didn't. The cells might be tagged with letters instead, but Seras doubted that. This place was too big. There had to be so many cells they'd have to use numbers.

[trueltning_fury]

Grunting an affirmation, Geddoe headed off to do just that. Luckily, numbers were exactly how this place operated. Some of the labels were worn or damaged, but it was easy enough to find them and connect the information one to the other. He toggled a switch and heard a whoosh behind him of a door opening, and then rapidly flicked all of the ones in that same row.

For a few moments, no one came out. Geddoe had to go to the first one to be sure he wasn't opening empty cells - or worse - but the prisoners were merely huddled back in each one, perhaps fearing what usually came when the doors were opened for them. They certainly weren't expecting a tall man with a massive scar where his right eye used to be, dripping blood from a gunshot wound to the left arm. He didn't know what language they spoke, so he shifted the katana to his useless arm for the moment and gestured with sharp, insistent waves of his hand. Come on. Come with me. Get out of here.

Into his radio, he muttered, "What I wouldn't give for someone who speaks foreign languages right about now."

[newbvampire]

"We probably should have learned a few phrases before we left, huh?" There hadn't been time though. It didn't matter though. She could see through her scope that the prisoners were slowly starting to creep out of their cells. "Can they walk, or are we going to need to get more of the team in there to help?

[trueltning_fury]

"If I was uninjured I could probably manage," Geddoe sighed, his eye on the wary faces slowly peeping out and regarding him in turn. "Spread the message. I have this area under control but will require assistance to get the civilians out of here." He paused, and then added, less sternly, "...they look weak. And they are entirely unequipped for the weather outside. I'll strip anything useful and not soaked in blood from the guards I killed, but beyond that..."

For a moment, Seras might have heard a muffled snatch of conversation. One of the prisoners approached Geddoe and spoke to him in extremely broken English, but it was enough to get the point across that he was there to help - that he was, in fact, the one who killed their tormenters. That was enough to get the message spread to the others and get them moving. But most of them were, indeed, sickly and weakened, and there were children among them. Geddoe was not going to be able to do this alone.

Yo more people in this thread please

[newbvampire]

Seras cursed under her breath that she couldn't go down to help Geddoe get those people out of there. She'd do her part though and make sure no more of those bastards got the drop on him. "All units, Sword requires assistance with prisoner evacuation. Area is secure.