Chapter 47: Hotel Hostages
3:57 PM
July 11th
Diana
I was glad to be out on patrol today, it was a necessary release from the mind-numbing case of Hiroyuki Mizuka’s prized chopsticks disappearing from his case. I’d already solved it, a case of his butler attending to his wife, the holo-tagged chopsticks being visible to my electrosensing eyes within the mansion’s plumbing.
He refused to believe it, naturally even with… analyzed fecal samples proving otherwise. I wondered sometimes why the rich were so depraved that they had to step out of the boundaries of what was sane, was it out of boredom or an excuse that they shouldn’t indulge on the matters of mortals?
Would I have eventually become like that, had I stayed with my father…? Probably not to their extent. Wouldn’t be… doing any of that. Ever. I’d grown up hunting, foresting and surviving, and the moment I had my life given to me on a platter was when I knew what it meant to be caged.
My radio finally kicked in. “This is dispatch to Intelligence Vehicle I13B7, we have a 10-79 here at Dalemar Avenue 1458, requesting immediate presence.”
A bomb threat, if the code was right.
“Third-Investigator Jones responding, en-route, any say who the bomb’s from?” I radioed in, pressing my car pedal down to a speedy start which caused my partner to jump up from his nap. Anthony grabbed his seat, looking at me like I’d personally dragged him to hell.
The voice returned. “Suspects appear to be from Muramasa Dynasty. Proceed with caution.”
“Bomb threat?” Anthony gasped, and I nodded which only made him groan. “It’s always either a fucking bomb or a hostage, did they ask for us specifically?”
“They probably asked for you specifically. Not in name but… you get the deal.” I smirked, not lying that there was a bitterness in me. Anthony might not have been the most physically capable Investigator, or even a good shot, but he had his family’s Mutation to manipulate others with his voice. That made him invaluable in a way I wasn’t.
“Well, let’s fucking do it then. The address… appears to be a banquet hosted for a Shandian Exec’s engagement. Oh! New info came in, they’ve got squad cars from Intelligence 11 and 6 there already, around twenty more officers close-by. Looks big.”
“Perfect.” My breath hitched, this is just what I needed after my shitty last weeks. A chance to boil my stress into action, to let that steam out. A message flashed in my view, from Yvette.
[Hey girl! Never going to believe this, but I’m going for a bomb threat! Let’s hope I don’t use Kinetic Absorption too much!]
Oh shit… Yvette was going too? I sped up, the alarm of the car doing little to clear the dense New California traffic, we were still ten minutes off. Ten minutes that would last too fucking long.
Anthony’s lenses faded between colors as he relayed the upcoming info while I drove. “Yup… Masa’s got the place locked down, letting some hostages free in exchange for the Police not charging in while they extract VIPs out… oh fuck!”
“What?” It was hard to stay focused on the road amidst all of this.
“They’re coming, the rest of squad 13. Pulling out half their forces but… the Special Investigator… Wickett’s coming.”
Maybe I let a little too much excitement flood into my voice. “Special Investigator Wickett?”
“Yeah, by air. She’ll reach around in around twenty minutes. Do we really need to go? She hates my guts!” He tensed in his seat, rubbing his hands all over his legs as anxiety overtook him.
I could only afford a glance. “You’re the one they really need for this mission… calm down… can’t you use your ability on yourself? Self-resonance?”
“Doesn’t work like that. Fucking hell… this is going to be shit.” He groaned in his face. “At least my aunt’s not here.”
“Not yet.” I tried to joke, but he only breathed out in response. “Sorry just, you won’t need to do much. Plug into the speakers, get them distracted.”
“No, Diana… this is really big! There’s around more than three hundred people they’re holding hostage, Diana… if I fuck up-“
“You won’t!” I swerved at the last second, some taxi stopped randomly to pick up their customers. “You’re in Tier II, you’ll outrank Wickett in no time.”
“That’s bold coming from you, miss Tier I in less than a month, how far you along anyway?”
“Less than 10% in all genes, they’re developing slower.”
“Needs Mutagen-Boosters probably, cost a kidney a vial though. Police hands them out during promotions though.”
“We’re not Second-Rank yet.” I was confident in that statement. “And I just got this rank less than a month ago.”
“Your mission performance is stellar though, my aunt’s curious about you. Thinking of talking to your dad to negotiate for more… control of you.”
“You guys talked about me?” We were nearly there now. “What did she say?”
“That you have a history of antagonizing your bosses, always got transferred from one squad to another since you were 19. Called you a stubborn idiot since you never killed until Tonguelasher, and now you’re… finally proving to be what this department needs.”
A deep swelling in my heart was just the courage I needed for one final push, and then we were there.
Police cars crowded the building, seven already present with around fifteen more enroute. This could end up a bloodbath — Muramasa wasn’t kind to hostages. Anthony stepped out first, taking the lead to my surprise as he introduced himself and his Mutation, requesting immediate access to the communications within the hotel.
“Diana!” A familiar voice called from behind me, and it only spiked up my adrenaline. Yvette.
A harsher voice shouted to her side, slapping Yvette’s shoulder. “That’s Investigator Jones to you, Ingrid!”
A smile leaped onto my face, it had been a long time since I saw my mentor back from when I was an Officer. Edward Peralez. “Second Investigator Peralez, it’s been a while! How’re the kids holding up?”
“Little boy’s started kindergarten.” He smiled, quickly sending me a series of snapshots of the mid-aged man with a smaller boy sitting on his lap… and a teenage girl scowling as he tries to pull her in for a hug. “Amanda’s… uh… she’s in her rebellious phase. Hoping she turns out more like you than Ingrid.”
“Hey!” Yvette started, but Peralez hushed her with a stern look.
I snapped them back into the case ahead of us, it was almost comforting to be back in this dynamic. “As it stands, reports are flooding in that they snuck in by taking over the identity of catering company employees, used the trucks to haul in cold-packed containers that were supposed to be filled with high-end meats and instead had Muramasa members. They’re concentrated around the Sapphire Heart ballroom, but have stations throughout the hotel.”
“You forgot to mention…” Investigator Peralez moved ahead of me, using his clearance and reputation to clear way and give us easy access to the entrance of the hotel. “That they seem to be out to kidnap… several Shandian Execs. They’ve sent out a list of who they want to take for a humble chat. We try and fight back, they blow up the ballroom and everyone in it. This is a real shitshow.”
“No clear way to win this, right.” I followed him down the corridor of the mezzanine of the Takamura Plaza, hotels like these were massive and took in only the richest.
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Peralez grunted in agreement. “Muramasa hasn’t attempted something like this in a year, they’re going to have mercenaries too. Probably a Silver or two somewhere in here. Gonna’ be stalling for time so they can disable any tracking systems on their target’s Frames then extract them… the question is, from where?”
Yvette gave a rare input of her opinion, taking Peralez by surprise. “Even if we intercept them, they could still have bombs planted around the building. Remotely deactivated… we could lose hundreds of people.”
Another voice joined from the side, a low-pitched voice I’d heard once-in-a-while throughout my stay at Squad 13. The corporal in charge of it’s management. Reiner Krauss, a man whose experience could be counted with the scars running across his face. “Jones, the Lieutenant’s nephew is asking for you. And… the Lieutenant herself.”
Annabelle Grazhe’s asking for me? I saluted the corporal, taking a second to give my regards to Peralez and Yvette before striding onto where the hotel’s mainframe was located. It had been turned into an operating center for the police’s activity, a bustle of their highest standing members all gathered around tables and shouting out in arguments as we patched into the system.
“Why should we entrust your nephew? Don’t you have the same Mutation?!” A bulky man shouted out to the air, Anthony standing small besides him.
A hologram responded, Anabelle Grazhe’s form appearing from a cluster of swarming blue light. “Mine doesn’t act through digital communication, as long as his voice remains unfiltered. He can manipulate them, I’ve trained him. Besides, they know what I can do.”
“He’s a Third-Rank Investigator.” The man, a Sergeant of the STRIKE department from the First Precinct, based on his uniform, shouted. “I can’t entrust my squads in the hands of a-“
“You will. This is a command from your Lieutenant.” The Lieutenant’s voice was sharp, and carried an ethereal tone of her voice manipulation that failed to act in reality. It still made the Sergeant shrivel.
“Very well… I’m trusting you, Lieutenant. Just remember how this will reflect if things go wrong.” He saluted her, but not without some level of resistance to it.
The Lieutenant nodded. “STRIKE Sergeant Solamon, turn me to the Third-Rank Investigator who just entered. She’s Diana Ulrich.” The words made me clench my jaw, and the Sergeant’s eyes went wide at the mention of my last name. As he stared at me, I felt a pulse of connection in my subdermal Neuroframe. I accepted it.
The hologram now faced me directly, judging me with peering eyes. “Ulrich, my nephew says he trusts your ability, your judgement… can you keep him safe?”
“I- Yes, Lieutenant!”
“That isn’t an order, Ulrich. It’s a question, do you have faith in your own abilities to act out in a manner where this operation succeeds?” Her tall figure stared me down, making me feel tiny.
A pulse of my own Warp Energy spread confidence through me. “I… I do.”
The Sergeant spilled out his own opinions. “Reports says she’s Tier 0?! She may be a Silver but I hardly believe that-“
“Tier One.” I corrected, before coughing out in anxiety. “Pardon the interruption, but I’ve reached… Tier One. Since last week.”
“You failed to report on that…” The Lieutenant stared me down. “But it’s hardly the time to focus on that, a Tier One Silver is as good as a Tier II Iron or Bronze if they’re trained. She’ll have some use, I’m entrusting her under your command, Sergeant.”
“Understood.” He grinded his jaw, looking at me with eyes drenched in venom. As the Lieutenant’s image blurred out of reality, I was left alone in the room surrounded by nearly twenty staff all much higher ranked than me.
“Ulrich is good.” A lazier voice said from behind me, Risa Wickett. The Special Investigator in charge of Squad 13. “She’s outperformed her Rank. I’ve been tasked to act out in your command as well, Sergeant Solomon. Also, Staff Sergeant Brinks has just gotten access to the Plaza’s network… you should have a report of it.”
“Very well, Special Investigator.” The Sergeant clicked his tongue. “At least someone here who I know can actually perform.”
———
Special Intelligence Operations, STRIKE and the Intelligence Departments were all working in synchronous clockwork. Seven Special Investigators. Fifteen First-Ranks. Twenty-eight Second-Ranks. Fifty-two Third-Ranks. And Twenty-Two Officers.
And three Mercenaries on the Police Payroll.
124 Police staff all worked through the hotel for the last hour, scouting out or evacuating the rest of the Plaza’s vacuants. The last hour was spent planning, organizing and communicating. We didn’t have an exact count of our enemies, less than a hundred we presumed… but depending on how many Bronzes or Silvers they had, the number wouldn’t matter.
“Pssht.” One of the Mercenaries whispered to me as the Corporals, Sergeants and Special Investigators argued. She had dyed blue streaks in her brown hair, and equally oceanic depths in her eyes. “You’ve got electric mutations, right? So do I. They call me Stormspinner.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Diana Jones.” I nodded warily, before wondering how she knew about my Mutation. She laughed as the confusion visibly settled over my face.
“Don’t worry. I’m hired by SIO Sergeant Brinks, she gave me a list of the Investigators under this operation. You absorb and emit electricity from what I read… I’m a little different. I can control any metal charged with it, levitate or throw it at people. Just pointing it out since we synergize well.”
“Thank you.” I quietly whispered, not wanting to disturb the meeting going on.
“Third Investigator Grazhe.” Sergeant Solomon raised his voice. “‘Masa has agreed to negotiations, message came in a minute ago. You’ll need to plug in via a direct system jack into the Sapphire Heart’s subnet… which means we won’t be able to protect you if your Frame is attacked.”
I could see Anthony’s confidence shrink like a water balloon popping.
“Don’t worry.” Wickett grunted with a cigarette in her mouth, a light puff of smoke sneaking around her words. “You’re allowed to be guarded by two people…”
He flashed a smile towards me.
“That’ll be Rorsche and Harmony, they can directly shield you from any cyberhacks.” Wickett cited. Anthony’s smile cracked like a stick stepped in half.
Almost ashamedly, he asked about me. “Uh… what about Diana? I mean Investigator Jones?”
“The Third Investigator…” This came from the Sergeant. “Has scouting capabilities with her ability to detect electricity, it might be able to detect the bombs. Your girlfriend’s better used elsewhere.”
“We’re not-“ I began, but a flash of the reminder that in two day’s I’d be posing as one to get into his Aunt’s birthday froze my lips. “Just… keep him safe.”
“It’s you who’ll need protection.” The Sergeant snarked, shuffling out his fingers in a dizzying pattern of swishes. “Teams are out, I trust that you’re all satisfied with your assignments.
A scribble of words etched into my view.
Team Delta (Tertiary Extraction/Infiltration Group):-
* Team Leader: SI Risa Wickett (Intelligence 13)
* Deputy Leader: I-1 Sedmera Jakob (STRIKE 17)
* I-1 Josephina Riebeck (STRIKE 17)
* I-1 Dorian Mustel (STRIKE 14)
* I-2 Hermione Torien (STRIKE 14)
* I-2 Godrick Leopold (STRIKE 17)
* I-2 Lesley Trinto (STRIKE 14)
* I-2 Tluste Choirmen (Intelligence 13)
* I-3 Diana Jones (Intelligence 13)
I’m on an Infiltration team? That’s- no, it made sense. If they wanted me to use my scouting ability to detect the bombs I’d need to be there before things could get worse.
“Whatchu get?” Stormspinner peered over my shoulder as though she could see the screens directly projected into my eyeballs from beneath my eyelids.
“Extraction/Infiltration… Tertiary.” I whispered, anxiety clinging to my breath.
“That’s good! Means you’ll be close to me.” She patted my shoulder. “I’m in Alpha, Countermeasure Force. Just us three mercs, two Specials and a bunch more First Investigators from the SIO.”
“You’re going in first?” I stared at her warily.
“A fight is going to happen. A little tid-bit, Muramasa feeds on police casualties like pigs, even if they call you guys that. They’ve fended off Shandian Security by taking their bosses as hostages, and by now your own top brass are probably being screamed at by a snobby Yuzhou Gold or something like that.”
She scratched her chin with the barrel of a large pistol. “Masa’s playing a big move, trying to breach as many Frames as possible right now. Sooner or later, some exec will give the kill order and unleash hell with their private forces. They’d rather keep their information safe than their employees. From then on, it’ll be your job to secure the hostages left and disable the bombs. Hell, most of Muramasa aren’t planning on leaving alive today, I bet.”
“They’re here to die?” I couldn’t imagine anyone willingly surrendering their life like this.
“Maybe, maybe not. They’ve got good connections with prisons, enough clout that they’ll survive if they’re caught. Some of the big ones might even be let out sooner than you think. But Muramasa goons are fucked in the head, more than any other gang. They live and breathe the notion of an honorable death, to die fighting until they fall with a police heart clutched in their hands.”
“I’ve heard.” I stared at the meeting falling to an end, the time to act was upon us. “We’ve got to save the civilians first. That’s where my priority lies.”
“Tch.” She scoffed. “Not mine, not even the police’s really. Shandian’s a big investor into the NCPD’s inventory, more than the civvies… protect the corporates. That’s how you’ll get promoted from tonight.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then kill as many Muramasa as you can, because sure as hell, I ain’t saving a single suit. When shit gets rough, just charge up as much metal as possible. Any forks, knives, spoons… that’ll be enough for me.” Stormspinner latched on her helmet, a vague owl resemblance imprinted over the face-plate.
I breathed, in and out. This wasn’t my first big emergency, but it was the first time I was expected to play an active role and not just securing evacuation. That still fell on Yvette, I had other responsibilities now as an Investigator.
“ALL UNITS!” Sergeant Solamon roared. “TO STATIONS!”