Operation story: CR-7

Operation

Story

Previous CR-ST-2	Next CR-8
Characters
Ela Catapult Tequila Iana Doc Fuze Mateo Reynell Tecno Diaz Miłosz Community Hawker Community Resident Community Resident Community Artist Commanding Officer Cowardly Soldier Tired Soldier Worn-Out Soldier Ostracized Soldier Spooked Soldier Slacking Soldier Irate Soldier Newbie Investor Destitute Noble Voices from Behind Bunker Distant Soldiers Petrified Soldiers Voice on TV
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Before operation

Summary Team Rainbow, Rhodes Island and the community artists commence their joint operation to thwart the imaginary-turned-real terrorist attack at the Galería.
<Background 1>
Commanding Officer	Sir, all ceremony attendees are under our control now, and Reynell has been secured on his balcony.
Mateo	Good. Are our reinforcements in position?
Commanding Officer	Fifteen trucks are parked outside the gallery perimeter.
Mateo	You don't need me to tell you what to do next.
Commanding Officer	Sir!
Mateo	Remember, tell those huasos not to wreck the art as they load it on the trucks. If anyone damages a single piece, I'll take a finger off them.
Commanding Officer	Roger.
Mateo	Oh, also, don't forget to confiscate the terminals off those pampered shits.
Commanding Officer	And any belongings they have on them, I'm assuming we also...
Mateo	Hmph. You get it, I like that. I don't care how you handle the people, but the art, you use a feather touch on that. Go. I still need to see Señor Reynell about something.
<Background 2>
[Mateo cockily approaches Reynell.]
Mateo	Good morning. Nice view of the sunrise? Sorry, you're far too cultured for that. I should be asking you if it's "beautiful," no?
Reynell	...
Mateo	The silent treatment? If you think you're any safer for it, you're gravely mistaken. But let's get on topic, which is that I have no topic for you. All you need to do is sit here, behave, and act like you're a victim of a terror attack.
Reynell	—That's what you're casting me as?
Mateo	Oh, look at that. You do have a mouth.
Reynell	Sorry, my fault. I thought you'd seen through something or other, but then I thought a little more, and no, this is just the coincidental idiotic concoction of a man blinded by greed.
Mateo	How about that? Upstanding airs a moment ago, and now you're starting to lose your temper.
Reynell	No, I have no complaints at all regarding this coincidence. Because I've come to see it for what it is, simply the finishing touch on my final creation— And of course, because it was coincidence and not your intention, I thank Lady Luck before you, Captain.
Mateo	Excellent. Now shut up.
[Mateo's officer rushes over.]
Commanding Officer	Sir, Sir!
Mateo	What? Intruders?
Commanding Officer	No, actually, it's... We'd better talk inside.
<Background 3>
Tecno	Papá, did we get the date wrong or what?
Diaz	Impossible. Look at the scene—a crowd was here just moments ago. Something happened.
Tecno	So someone saw us, reported to Reynell, and he ran back inside the gallery?
Ela	This isn't Reynell's MO. Supposing he did know we were coming, he might be outraged, or excited, but he'd never turn tail and run.
Tecno	So what is this...?
[Someone's terminal buzzes.]
Catapult	Huh? A terminal? Is that mine?
[Catapult moves away from the group and answers.]
Catapult	Hello? Ernesto?
Tequila	Speaking.
Catapult	How's it going? Getting somewhere with your personal business?
Tequila	Arleta, notify the street art people not to go near the Galería, at least for today.
Catapult	What? Why?
Tequila	They've planted a huge amount of Originium explosives in there, ready to blow at any time.
Catapult	Originium what? Eheh... ahaha...
Tequila	Arleta, I don't like the sound of that laugh. Where are you?
Catapult	Me, Ela's gang, Tecno, Diaz, the artists... everyone's in the plaza in front of the gallery right now.
Tequila	So why don't you get out of there, fast?
Catapult	Sorry, bro, but I've got a few questions for you too. Ernesto, why are you this clued in? Where are you?
Tequila	...
Catapult	Cool, got it. Tell me every last piece of information you have, Ernesto.
Tequila	Arleta!
Catapult	Or else I'm going in to save you like I don't know a damned thing.
<Background 4>
Mateo	Pelotudo! I tell you to make sure your men don't wreck the artwork, and you proceed to ruin one personally!
Commanding Officer	Sir, just hear me out! Inside that pitcher I broke, there was a... a... ...An Originium bomb.
Mateo	A what?
Commanding Officer	And it's—it's not even the only one! I spotted a suspicious wall in the stairwell, like it was freshly plastered over, which didn't seem right...
Mateo	So you broke the wall down? And there were bombs there too?
Commanding Officer	Not bombs, they were... detonation controller nodes... which means there's more than one detonator, and there could be more explosives than we know.
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 2>
Reynell	—That's what you're casting me as? I thought you'd seen through something or other, but then I thought a little more, and no, this is just the coincidental idiotic concoction of a man blinded by greed.
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 4>
Mateo	(Deep breath)
Commanding Officer	Sir, these things could level the whole gallery! And we don't even know how they detonate! It could be manual or timed! Let's load everything as fast as we can, take the cash of the rich guys, and call it here!
Mateo	You're ready to just walk away?
Commanding Officer	The bombs are inside the Galería! Ready or not isn't the question here, sir!
Mateo	If we don't pull this off, we'll be public enemies of the Coalition government and Dossoles!
Commanding Officer	All we have to do is run! They won't catch us!
Mateo	Run where? Into the wilds? Hand a couple hundred gold certificates to each man and disband? What have we been risking our lives for?
Commanding Officer	No—Sir, I'm serious, if worst comes to worst we can ditch the country as mercenaries—or bandits!
Mateo	Bandits?
Commanding Officer	I... I'm just supposing, my point is we don't have to play along with Reynell's insanity.
Mateo	... Fine, I get it. Who else knows of this?
Commanding Officer	Only me—I haven't dared tell anyone else. I was worried the news would panic the men, so I came straight to you.
Mateo	Very well done. Go. Tell them they can stop hauling. Clean the cuicos downstairs of every last drop of their grease, then we evac immediately.
Commanding Officer	Thank you!
Mateo	Oh, also, stop losing your head. Speak calm, walk slow, and don't let them see a single crack. You hear me?
The soldier about-faces, then breaks into a run for the stairs. Suddenly comes the sound of a bowstring. He has no time to look back before a heavy bolt pieces straight through his back and protrudes from his chest.
<Background flashes red>
[The soldier crumples lifelessly onto the ground.]
Mateo	My boy, after so much loyalty, so much preparation, so many decisions, so many points of no return... you go off to be a bandit? I lost my chance to turn back. So did you.
<Background 3>
Ela	A terrorist attack "collage?"
Catapult	Reynell set up the bombs, the Captain took the crowd hostage, and neither seemed to know what the other was up to. That's what Ernesto tells me, anyway.
Iana	...They're both insane.
Ela	Yeah, both of them are crazy. We need to prep for the worst-case scenario, with the hostages prioritized above all else on all counts. Let's hash out a concrete plan of action. We've got five names to our side. Iana, Doc, Fuze, me, and Rhodes Island's Catapult...
[Diaz approaches the group.]
Diaz	Count me in too.
Doc	You sure?
Diaz	Don't forget my past life. Besides, it's not just that Reynell bastard trapped in there, and not just the investors either—many are ordinary folk. I have to go.
Tecno	Papá...
Diaz	Don't try talking me out of it, I'm going.
Tecno	Who's talking out? I'm going too!
Diaz	You? You and the others can forget it. It's dangerous in there—
Tecno	Come on, Papá, think about it. Sure we've never been firefighters, but otherwise, we're thinking everything you're thinking, no? Guys, listen to me! We're about to rescue everyone in the Galería! This is entirely voluntary! Everyone who's in, step forward and listen to Ela! If you don't want to go, no pressure! Head back to the neighborhood, in case Mateo makes a move on our community and screws us before he's down for good!
[The crowd start discussing.]
Community Hawker	What do you think? You going?
Community Resident	Don't wanna die, I'll be real. I'm not going. Think of all the pictures still waiting for me to take them.
Community Hawker	(Shrug) I kinda want to see those art investors piss their pants in fear.
Community Artist	That's tasteless.
Community Hawker	Tasteless?
Community Artist	Pant-pissing's no good show. What I wanna see is the art Reynell bought. I thought you'd have to cough up for tickets from Reynell to see the goods, but it changes things if we're going in to save them anyway—
Community Resident	I—I—I mean, if you're gonna...
[The resident pulls out a pamphlet]
Community Hawker	What are you pulling out Reynell's pamphlet for?
Community Resident	...This. Galería Krysztauowa Exhibition Hall 2, Exhibit 14. An anonymous Minoan bard's manuscript from the night before Sargon annexed Minos. How could such a beautiful poem, such a precious manuscript, end up bought by Reynell... I learned Minoan just for this one poem! I'll recite it for you right now—
Community Artist	Don't bother. It's all Minoan to me.
Community Resident	Ugh...
Community Artist	*sigh* What the heck are you crying for?
Community Resident	When I just think about that bard's bitter fate, and then I think about that manuscript, and then I think about me, I just—I just... I'm going, is what I am! Even if the bombs blow me up when I see it, it'll be worth it! I have to go!!
Ela	Considering the number of hostages, we can have the majority of our people evac the ones we rescue. Best leave HVT suppression and explosive disposal work to us. Catapult, is Tequila on comms right now?
Catapult	I got him.
[Catapult hands the transceiver to Ela.]
Ela	Mr. Tequila?
Tequila	Miss Ela? Don't tell me you're crashing the Galería with Arleta. It's dangerous in here—
Ela	We're the ones you hire to deal with this sort of thing, sir.
Tequila	...
Ela	Catapult says you're trapped in a darkroom on the east wing third floor of the gallery, and the room is filled with explosives. Seeing how lively it is downstairs, there should be plenty of people shut in there, correct?
Tequila	Yes.
Ela	Are the Captain's men in there? Have they noticed the bombs?
Tequila	They should be there, but it's too noisy. I can't quite make anything out... hold on—
[The transmission suddenly cuts off...]
Ela	Tequila?!
[...then reconnects.]
Tequila	(Whisper) Two soldiers passed by the darkroom entrance just now. They were discussing how to load the art onto their trucks.
Ela	Good. That's what we'll build our plans around.
<Background black>
Catapult	(Whisper) Say, is something this small really gonna blow up whoever's in there? (Whisper) Blowing up the galería's glass walls is one thing, but we're talking about the warehouse that Mateo used as his command node. Who knows if he has patched up the walls here...
Fuze	(Whisper) Of course it will.
Catapult	(Whisper) But... okay, you're rappelled outside the second floor, but you're still standing against a wall... Shouldn't you bust a window, and throw these things in?
Voices from Behind Bunker	Did you hear something just now? It was like... donk, donk, donk? Well, except it was five donks. Three. Who gives a damn if it was three or five? Doesn't matter, we can die of old age holding this bunker if we want. All those idiots in the plaza can do is stand around drooling—
Fuze	Deployed! Time to pull back!
A string of explosions rings out of the building. Catapult's jaw hangs slack as she stares at Fuze. About to offer a word of admiration, Fuze shakes his head at her.
<Background shakes violently>
And then from inside the room, an even more violent explosion. The Cluster Charge has ignited the explosives cache within.
Fuze	Ela, this is Fuze. We should have hostiles from perimeter defense coming out now. Get ready to engage. And Catapult, it's about time we move.
[Fuze ends the transmission.]
Catapult	Don't you think... the explosions already woulda knocked them out?
Fuze	Never assume your enemy's an idiot, even if he really is.
[The sound of gunfire rings out from inside the Galería.]
Distant Soldiers	Incoming, incoming!
Catapult	Are you... some kinda genius?
Fuze	Not in a million years. What I have is training, intel, synergy with my teammates, and just a little pinch of technology. It's that simple.

After operation

Summary After extracting a large number of imprisoned hostages, Miłosz actively pitches in with Team Rainbow's bomb disposal efforts. Despite hopes they can rescue Reynell from under El Capitán's watch, Diaz gets kidnapped himself by El Capitán during the disposal process.
<Background 3>
Ela	Fuze, sitrep?
Fuze	Clear. Defenders are pretty lazy. Zero guard against us storming them, and we didn't give them any time to notify their superiors.
Ela	Good work.
[The transmission ends.]
ElaTime to begin the siege. Everyone, we have to act quickly. Don't get sloppy, and don't give the defenders any time to react. Let's go.	{{{2}}}
<Background 1>
[A couple of Bolívarian soldiers are walking around.]
Cowardly Soldier	Did you hear something out there just now? An explosion?
Tired Soldier	Think so.
Cowardly Soldier	No way those lunatics actually came crashing in...
Tired Soldier	For what? To rescue Reynell?
[The soldier smashes a display case.]
Tired Soldier	No more hallucinating. Catch. This one's some sorta Yanese porcelain. Might smash with a single bump. Careful.
Cowardly Soldier	You almost smashed it along with the entire display case just now. You turn around and tell me...
[The soldiers bag the porcelain.]
Cowardly Soldier	By the way, didn't our leader break that vase thing, and say he was going upstairs to report to El Capitán? How come he's still not back?
Tired Soldier	Probably still climbing the stairs, just like the first time we came. Or he's talking with El Capitán about giving these things a home. Maybe they've even figured out how much each of them are pocketing—
[The windows suddenly smash open...]
Iana	Grenade out!
[...and a massive explosion rocks the room!]
<Background 5>
<Background fades out and in>
Iana	No hostages in the room! Take out the defenders!
Tired Soldier	The hell? You guys?
[The cowardly soldier tries to flee.]
Tired Soldier	Don't wimp out! Their rapid-fire doesn't pack enough punch!
Cowardly Soldier	I... I'm not scared, I just want to find somewhere safe to call for reinforcements—
[The soldier pulls out his transceiver, but a bullet destroys it before he gets a chance to use it.]
Ela	Don't even think about it.
Tired Soldier	Grr. Decent shot. Shame your charges just now were too weak. Took less from that than a slug bite—
[The soldier gets whacked from behind by Diaz.]
Diaz	And how about now?
Cowardly Soldier	Wait, you're the attackers? You must be crazy to seriously—
[Diaz knocks out the other soldier.]
Diaz	Of course we're serious. Ela, what's that thing you say... Clear?
Ela	Nice work, but give us a heads up next time. Doc, Iana, keep moving per Tequila's directions to the bulk of the hostages. Hostage safety is priority one. No rash action in a bad situation. I'll lead the others to sweep the first floor of defenders, then we'll rendezvous with you.
Iana	Copy.
Ela	Diaz, Tecno, let's go. Diaz?
Diaz	... Look at all this art. Palladulis Throwing a Javelin—a Minoan statue. This one's a pure gold, gilded enamel revolving vase from Yan... And a manuscript from the great Ursine author Sergei Katayev... let me see which one of his it is... ..."A Receiver Electrifying, or, In the Mire of the Heart." Damn it all. This is the one. Reynell has it in his collection. He and Mateo are two kinds of scoundrels. One's blowing it up, one's selling it all... nothing but... Whatever. We'll leave it to the next guys to sort out. Let's move.
<Background black>
A pulse. A pressing pulse. In a deathly silent room, there is but a rapidly, incessantly pounding heart, and naught else. Save for—
<Background 6>
Voice on TV	S—Stay back! I'm not letting you in! You come in and we'll take you with us— (Scratching noises about the door can be heard.) The—The noise is gone. She's gone...
Slacking Soldier	Tut-tut-tut. What a scary scene.
Worn-Out Soldier	What was this flick called...? Oh, Panic at the Museum: The Sankta Slaughter. This is the one by that Sarkaz director who lives in Columbia.
Slacking Soldier	Figures they made the villain a Sankta in this one then.
Worn-Out Soldier	Looks like Reynell's security isn't too busy most of the time. Guess all he can do is sit here watching tapes and fantasizing about murders taking place in his gallery.
Slacking Soldier	Good for them, though? The way El Capitán sees it, everyone worth anything is downstairs moving stuff already. Meanwhile you've got us, who don't really care two ways about him, and we get to sit here on cushy guard duty—
[A transmission suddenly cuts in.]
Mateo	There's trouble downstairs! I want a report from anyone who knows what, ASAP!
Slacking Soldier	Trouble?
Mateo	There's gunfire and explosions down there! People on the sixth floor heard it! What's going on with you?! Are you blind or deaf?!
Worn-Out Soldier	(Whisper) I told you to turn the volume down a little, but no you wouldn't.
Slacking Soldier	(Whisper) Shut up, you! I'll contact downstairs straight away!
[The soldier tries using he phone.]
Slacking Soldier	—Ugh, nope. Not getting through.
Mateo	Would I be asking you if I could?! I want you to figure out what happened downstairs immediately! If there are troublemakers, flatten them! If they're fighting their way in, I want them out! Getting the art into the trucks is our highest priority!
[The transmission ends.]
Voice on TV	Don't go, Scardullo, don't! Nobody who goes downstairs ever comes back! That Sankta woman's gone crazy! I saw her kill everyone in a public bathroom, and now she's after our lives!
As waves of screams and shrieks emanate from the TV, the seven or eight soldiers in the one cramped surveillance room all look at each other in dismay.
<Background 7>
Iana	Good news. Defenders in the surveillance room haven't noticed our drones. Most hostages inside are in shock, and it appears the defenders have robbed them too, but at least there are no casualties, and emotions seem manageable. Defenders have noticed something's not right downstairs. I assume they reported to their superiors just now, but clearly none are willing to leave what must seem like their safe little panopticon.
Doc	Good news indeed. You keep monitoring them, I'll contact Ela. We'll discuss countermeasures.
<Background 6>
[The soldier in the control room tries contacting someone.]
Slacking Soldier	Hey? Gabi, what's going on? What the hell was all the ruckus downstairs?
Ostracized Soldier	I... I... don't know...
Slacking Soldier	Don't know my ass! You've spent long enough, quit dawdling!
Ostracized Soldier	I'm—I'm just... minding my surroundings, I just got to the stairwell entrance!
Slacking Soldier	Your voice is trembling, huevón! What, did the spooky movie get to you? Hahaha!
Ostracized Soldier	Shut up! Be... Besides, I don't see you down here! It's always like this, you guys shove everything onto me—
[The transmission suddenly cuts off.]
Slacking Soldier	Huh? Gabi? Gabi??
Voice on TV	No! We can't let anyone else go downstairs! Weren't you watching in the surveillance room?! That Sankta madwoman didn't even have to touch her! She just unloaded into the receiver when Scardullo picked up, and turned her into a pile of... of... (The sobbing begins.)
[Mateo calls in.]
Mateo	What's the situation? Have you figured it out?
Slacking Soldier	Sir. We sent a man on recon... and he just suddenly stopped responding...
Mateo	You useless sacks!!
Slacking Soldier	S—Sir, how about you send someone else to the first floor? We... We really can't spare a single man...
Mateo	No response means you keep sending people down, or I stop on the second floor to shoot you all dead before heading down there myself!
[The transmission ends.]
<Background 7>
[A soldier kicks open the door.]
Spooked Soldier	Nobody move! Out! Phew... empty... Every scout we've sent has gone missing, one by one—maybe the first floor's h... haunted...?
???	What an imagination you have. Get a little sleep for now.
Spooked Soldier	Who th—
[The soldier gets knocked out.]
<Background 6>
Slacking Soldier	Hey? Ramon? Ramon—you—you gotta say something... Dropped again... That's... the fourth one... Four times, four men... every time, as soon as they get downstairs, they just...
No one picks up on that sentence. The terminals have all been tossed into one corner of the room. On occasion, the indistinct bellows of El Capitán emanate from the pile, but nobody is giving them a response anymore.
Worn-Out Soldier	Maybe it's because they went one at a time, so we were just feeding them one by one to—
Slacking Soldier	So how many do you want to doom each time?!
Worn-Out Soldier	...
Voice on TV	That Sankta madwoman, her mind's not right, she's a homicidal maniac, she, she... she's outside the door! She's smiling at us through the access surveillance cam! Mayo, just hang the intercom up. She can't get in— She's pointing her gun at me! She... She's pulling the trigger! All she can do is wreck the cam! Just calm down! (A gunshot rings out.) W—What the... Mayo... Dead? Is that a bullet hole?! EYAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!
Slacking Soldier	How... about... we... watch a different tape.
The two stare at each other with slackened gazes for a moment, before the worn-out soldier gets up, travels to another corner of the room, and grabs a random tape to shove into the recorder.
[The TV emits the sound of loud cheering.]
Voice on TV	...the"Art Investor" here from Kazimierz, let's welcome our guest today, Mr. Reynell Kowalski, the new star of Dossoles's art scene!
Slacking Soldier	What did you put on this for? Are you sick?!
Worn-Out Soldier	I didn't know they taped the TV on this one!
Slacking Soldier	Switch it out, switch it out!
[The soldier switches the tapes again.]
Voice on TV	Hello, hello~ Pleased to meet you, new faces! And it's been a whole day, old faces! It's me, your host for this program, Eure—
Slacking Soldier	I don't do this, but I'm begging you, switch it again. Listening to this presenter makes my brain hurt.
Worn-Out Soldier	...These three tapes are all we've got.
Slacking Soldier	The security guy just watches these three tapes on repeat?! What do you find if you open up his brain, soup?!
Voice on TV	Today's episode is a special for all you tourists here in Dossoles for the first time...
The worn-out soldier firmly punches the eject button.
Worn-Out Soldier	Let's just finish watching the movie.
Voice on TV	You heathenly... devils... Your day of reckoning... is come... I—I—I'm warning you, my grandpa's a big deal in Kazdel! You wouldn't wanna see his witchcraft, even in death! Heheh, HAHAHAhahaha... Don't you laugh so crooked— Hahaha... witchcraft... hahahaha...
When the firmament is filled by sunlight... when all dark across the land is disappeared without a trace... She that is the twin moons will fall upon your cagebeast cell... the dark will gush forth into your eyes... and there you will meet... Your demise!
<Background glitches>
Iana	Inhabiting Gemini.
Shuffling emits from the center of the room. A single soldier, biting his lip, shivering head to toe, hands clenched tight, turns his gaze away from the screen... and with a shudder, over his shoulder. He sees, inside the room, out of nowhere... a bizarre woman. He sees that woman's complexion and her hair, both just as pale. He sees that woman point at him with a tremendous firearm the likes of which he's never seen before. No surveillance cam needed now. Those etched bullets can pierce straight through his heart in an instant. He sees that woman standing there, and yet it is as though she's somewhere else entirely, as though she doesn't even draw breath. He sees that woman whose head is crowned... By a halo.
Voice on TV	Don't look back, don't look back... because I am right... behind you...!!
The soldier that has looked back lets out a breathless wail, leading the others to nervously follow where his gaze has gone—
Slacking Soldier	TH—THERE'S NO SUCH THINGS AS GHOSTS!!
[The soldier fires his crowssbow at the woman.]
The soldier's senses tell him his shot landed, but the bolt meets no obstruction as it continues its trajectory, passing straight through the woman's body. Just like that, she vanishes, and only the afterimage of the halo above her head still—
<Background glitches and fades out>
[A single gunshot is fired.]
Petrified Soldiers	EYAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGH!
Slacking Soldier	Sir, report, it's a Sankta!! The enemy's a Sankta with spatial movement Arts, she's a homicidal maniac, her mind's not right, she can shoot people dead through surveillance cam— Urgh!
[The soldier gets knocked out.]
<Background 6>
Ela	Clear.
Doc	Clear.
Ela	I didn't think just turning the lights out when the Gemini got hit would be enough to spread that much panic...
Meanwhile, on the TV in the corner of the room, the Sankta continues the silver-screen massacre.
Voice on TV	Kill! Kill! Kill! I'll cut off your horns and hang them as chimes upon the Lateran itself!
<Background 5>
[The rescued hostages begin to flee the Galería.]
Newbie Investor	Thank you all so much! If you're after anything in terms of art investments, please be sure to let me—
Tecno	Stop wasting breath, beat those feet!
Newbie Investor	Right, right...
[The investor continues running.]
Community Musician	Hm? Who's that you're carrying?
Community Resident	He got beat up for resisting, and he's still concussed. Faster if I give him a ride.
Community Musician	Wow. Nice to see some tough stuff among these guys. By the way, we're in Exhibition Hall 2 of the Galería right now. Did you get to see that manuscript you wanted?
Community Resident	Ugh. Completely forgot about that, evacuating all these people.
Destitute Noble	Manuscript?
Community Resident	A Minoan bard's. Pamphlet says it's the 'highlight of the collection' for Hall 2. Know where it is?
Destitute Noble	I caught sight of it just now. It's on the other end of the hall; I can take you over if you'd like—
Community Resident	Lead the way, then!
Destitute Noble	Sir, you can put me down now!
Community Resident	You're concussed, aren't you?! Just point the way, it'll be faster!
<Background fades out and in>
Iana	Evac of Hall hostages almost complete.
Ela	Things went smoothly thanks to your Gemini Replicator.
Iana	(Shakes head) I didn't know we'd get a break that lucky—it was just meant to be bait, that's all. I was expecting they'd unload all their firepower on the replicate like the community people did.
Doc	All I can say is it took up a good position, and those defenders chose a good movie to pass the time.
Catapult	Defenders outside the gallery are all swept now. What do we do next? Head to the third floor and rescue Ernesto?
Community Artist	Wait up! You're that, um—that, er... whatever, you can't go any further that way!
Ela	What happened? Oh, Mr. Miłosz. Not with Reynell after all, then.
[Miłosz approaches the group.]
Miłosz	No.
Ela	Situation's urgent. Tell us anything surplus after the fact. You need to leave the Galería ASAP.
Miłosz	You're not going to interrogate me for any useful information?
Ela	We're out of time for that.
Miłosz	I want to make a deal. I'll give you some information, and I'm hoping that after you have this information...
Ela	We can rescue Reynell?
Miłosz	Yes...
Ela	Mr. Miłosz, if Reynell hadn't set up the bombs, this terrorist attack may never have come to fruition in the first place.
Miłosz	Reynell couldn't wire the entire Galería with bombs on his own. He suggested the idea, that's all. I imagine you know who carried the deed out. I know the timing on the bombs, and how to most efficiently disarm them.
Ela	And that's how you plan to coerce us?
Miłosz	How could I? You aren't the type to suffer coercion. I'm just hoping my willingness to cooperate can pull together a lifeline for him.
Ela	Alright. Tell us what you know, then.
Miłosz	They're time bombs, set to go off this morning at 10 AM. If you want to stop them, you need to take care of four nodes along the detonator line. One of the four is in the basement, one's in a darkroom on the third floor, one's on the balcony on the sixth floor, and one is in the ventilation shaft in Reynell's own office.
Fuze	...Sounds almost true.
Miłosz	The one in the basement is most complicated. I suggest one of you go there with me—
Fuze	I will.
Ela	Good. Tecno, take the others. Keep searching for any more places where hostages might be hiding. Diaz, Catapult, you handle one each of the third and sixth floor nodes. Doc, Iana and I will keep heading for the top. We'll buy more time to disarm the penthouse node.
Miłosz	The third-floor darkroom's relatively hard to find. It's right above this hall, effectively, but getting there's a nightmare. I need pen and paper to draw a quick map of the route—
[A transmission cuts in.]
Tequila	No need, I'll take it.
Catapult	Ernesto!
Tequila	Leave the darkroom to me and Arleta.
Miłosz	The sixth floor node is in the stairwell. There's a wall that'll look suspicious, and be very easy to break down.
Diaz	Leave that to me.
<Background fades out and in>
Community Artist	Phew, I'm finally here, and it's just you two left. So, how do you feel seeing the manuscript— Uh, wait, why are you carrying him now?
Destitute Noble	Urk... As soon as he saw the manuscript, he cried so hard he couldn't even breathe, and eventually passed out from his tears. It was all I could do to bear him on my back instead.
Community Artist	He passed out? Doc, Doc! We need you! Someone's fainted here!
[Doc runs over.]
Doc	He's fine, he just cried himself out. His emotions likely overwhelmed him upon seeing the manuscript of his dreams. Let him rest for a while in fresh air and he'll be fine.
Community Artist	I—If you say so...
Miłosz	...Miss Ela, that's every card up my sleeve. It's all yours now.
Ela	Noted. What happens if we fail? What if we aren't able to rescue him?
Miłosz	In that case... I'll stay behind and keep him company.
Ela	...
Miłosz	I hope you can save the others before then, Miss Ela. I don't want any more people than necessary in here.
<Background 7>
[Diaz is talking on the transceiver.]
Diaz	Right, I've pulled the metal casing off. Inside, there's a total of— —Miłosz, you crackpot! There's twelve whole bomb wires here! What? The one in the basement has over forty connections?! Whatever, I'll settle this later. Right now, I just need to dewire one by one, right? Yeah. Yeah. Got it. Unscrew as fast as possible, half-connected states can send the explosives runaway easy. Understood. Ela, how's things on your side? Small band of resistance on the fourth floor still? Wow.
Diaz stops talking, wipes the sweat off his forehead, and focuses on dealing with the chaotic nest of wires at hand. He has to decouple fast, and unscrew the connectors right after, using an insulator to cover up the naked wires and avoid any short-circuits. In a trance, his days with the Singas army float through his mind, where his job was always to secure the connectors in— Diaz furrows his brows and smacks his lips, hands never stopping. What happened then has nothing to do with now. Now, he's no more than a firefighter in the middle of bomb disposal. The wires are more or less decoupled by now. Just two left, and all risk of explosion in this area is gone. He's gotten a handle of how to most quickly twist these connectors off. Push down for the first half, spin slowly, then start turning with all his might for the second half until it's off. He counts down the rotations on the second connector. Now just seven, six, five...
[A Bolívarian soldier suddenly appears.]
Irate Soldier	Seize that old man!
Two of El Capitán's men charge for the old firefighter with sabers in hand, while three crossbows are poised on the floor above. The old firefighter's hands freeze upon the connector, and for a spell, he's somehow not sure if he's meant to twist one way or the other.