15 Kiwi Bird Street
Lynnberg
Conternia
23:30 hours
Between them, the four people sitting in wooden chairs in a warehouse in the seemier side of Conternia's capital had killed more people than the average person would meet in their lifetime. Sitting from right to left, they were Erika Larsson, a former member of a Skodenian anarchist cell, Robert Hardyng, notable for having been one of the longest-serving prisoners anywhere in the IDU, Joaquin Swanberg, a hitman (although his favoured term was 'interventionist for hire') with a cross around his neck and a hammer in his hand at seemingly all times, and Erin Blunt, a former Interpol agent who'd left the agency under 'complex circumstances' (her words). They were among those living in Conternia at the grace of SIA Director Donna Barrow's highly controversial (among those who knew about it - it was equally highly classified) 'Magpie Programme', which covertly granted Conternian citizenship under new identities to foreign fugitives who were deemed to posses useful or utilisable skills, under the condition that they carry out certain covert missions for the state, whenever asked and without question - the threat of extradition was implicit for any who didn't tow the line. They'd all been waiting in silence for fifteen minutes now for the sound they now heard, of a car pulling up outside the low-lit building. They all looked at each other, the first purposeful eye contact they'd made all night, as they waited out the last few seconds before the door to the warehouse swung open and Barrow entered, flanked by two armed guards. Taking her place at the rooms head, she pulled down a whiteboard that was hanging on the warehouse's wall. She nodded to her two guards, one of whom turned out the lights and the other of which proceeded to a small room at the warehouse's back and turned on a projector. A map of Lauchenoiria was soon projected on the whiteboard
'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen', she spoke at last. 'I'm sure it goes without saying by now, but what I am about to tell you will never leave this room. Publicly, Conternia has adopted a position of neutrality regarding the Lauchenoirian crisis. I'm sure you won't be surprised to discover that this is not quite accurate.'
At that, the gathered assassins cast their eyes down: they'd all known from the cryptic notes they received that they were most likely heading into the war-torn nation, but hearing it confirmed still held a certain gravity. "You", she continued, 'are our intervention. After this briefing you'll be escorted to the harbour, where a boat is waiting to take you to Lauchenoiria, loaded with all the tools you should need to do what you do best."
The slide on the projector changed, now showing the same map with a bright circles adorning a spot on the shore. Barrow pointed to it as she went on: "you'll arrive on the shore here, a few miles north of Butterfly Island. Once you're ashore, acquire whatever transportation you need to make your way to here" - the slide changed again, placing another orange circle on a sport further inland - "in Melissa City". At that, a slight snort of incredulity came from Hardyng. Barrow's eyes moved swiftly at the sound, quickly locking with the younger man's. "You find something amusing about this objective, Mr Hardyng?"
"Well", he began hesitatingly, laughing lightly, "it's just that, well, it's hardly the beating heart of the conflict, is it? The fighting's in Annatown, Summersea. Pardon my language' - Barrow had to suppress a laugh at Hardyng expressing concern for politeness - 'but there's fuck all going on in Melissa City.'
His irreverent tone didn't change Barrow's, as she spoke plainly: "You are not being sent to win this war, nor really even to fight it, but to make sure Chaher loses it. Melissa City is, so far as Chaher is concerned, completely within his grip. An attack there would disorient and panic his government. Therefore, it is because there is, as you put it, fuck all going on in Melissa City that you are needed there.". Hardyng nodded and tried to hide the schoolboy-ish embarrassment that registered on his face.
"Once there", she resumed, "your objective is quite simple: I want you to destroy the Melissa City Police Department headquarters."
That hung in the air for a moment, each person processing the information in their own way: Larsson with a slight smirk of recognition and a look of deep concentration, Hardyng with a grin and a nod, Swanberg with a veteran's taciturn resignation, and Blunt with an inscrutable gaze ahead, as if awaiting further instruction. It was the latter who spoke first.
"How?"
The answer came quickly: "That's up to you. As I said, guns and explosives are in the boat, as are records showing current police patrol routes in the city. If you are successful, this will throw the city into disarray, and cause one hell of a headache for Chaher: it's a blow in one of the few places he likely imagines he has locked down. Any rebel elements within the city will doubtless come out of the woodwork after this, and the authorities won't be able to hold them off long. And to rebels the country, we'll have sent a signal: look how you can hurt them."
Hardyng inquired next: "And afterwards? Once we've blown the place to hell, what then?"
Barrow paused for a moment to consider her words, then, thinking there was really no need not to be frank in a situation like, this, answered him: "Once you're in the city, I'll send word to you about a rendezvouz point. Whoever of you is left get there and I'll let you know where to burn down and who to kill next."
*
05:35 LCT
Melissa City
Lauchenoiria
'You all set?'
Blunt's voice on speakerphone resonated through the front compartment of the ambulance in which Hardyng and Larsson sat, dressed in the uniforms of first responders. The people to whom those uniforms had belonged where lying dead behind the vehicle in the narrow backstreet where it was parked. By the time they were discovered, the city would have bigger things on its mind.
"Set", responded Larsson. "And you?"
"In position. If we know the routes right patroller ought to be along here any minute"
"Alright. Let us know once it's done", Hardyng said, checking the ammunition of the assault rifle in his lap as Larsson did the same with her sub-machine gun, "we'll be there in 2 minutes, help clean the place out."
"Roger that", Blunt replied, before hanging up the call.
A few blocks away, Swanberg and Blunt were awaiting the arrival of a patrol car. Passing the time, Swanberg spoke.
"You ever attack an officer before?"
"Took out a few on getaways over the years, when it couldn't be helped." Swanberg nodded, clearly acknowledging and appreciating her sentiment of necessity. "You?"
"Once", Swanberg said, "but I didn't know it at the time."
"What? How"
"I was taking out this magazine proprietor", his eyes glazed over slightly, as if transported back to the moment, "real scumbag. And I had snuck into one of his exclusive parties at his mansion. While I was trying to get into the master bedroom, where he was, this big guy spots me, tells me I'm not supposed to be there, runs at me. So, of course, I had to defend myself, and all I had was a hammer, so..." He trailed off, the details clearly explaining themselves. "And the next day the whole thing is on the news, of course - 'magazine mogul slain at own soiree' - and, what do you know, turns out this guy's in charge of the Vice Squad.". They both laughed grimly, then went silent. The silence was broken by the rumble of a police car's engine as it rolled along the street - largely empty on account of both the early hour and the national climate of panic. They nodded at each other, Blunt quickly crossing the street and taking refuge in the alleyway on the other side. As the car drew closer, Swanberg reached into the black bag of supplies he'd carried with him from the boat, and took out his hammer. Waiting for the car to be mere feet away, he cried out:
"Fuck Chaher! Liberty to Lauchenoiria!"
And with that he swung the hammer into the shop window behind him, shattering the glass and sending it flying onto the ground. The smashing sound was almost immediately followed by the blare of a siren and the roar of an engine, as the car sped to a stop. Swanberg put up his hands as the two officers inside got out, guns trained on him.
"Put the weapon down and drop your bag! Get on your knees!"
He obeyed, put their advance toward him was interrupted by a flurry of bullets from the ally behind them, striking both officers in the legs and sending them collapsing to the ground. As they looked around for their assailant, they saw Blunt emerging from the shadows, rifle trained on them. They reached for the weapons that had fallen out of their hands, only to be disturbed by the sound of another weapon cocking behind them: they looked back in the direction of the broken window to see Swanberg now holding his own gun, having drawn it out of the bag. He gestured upwards with his weapon, beckoning them onto their knees. Once they were kneeling with their hands behind their heads, their wounded legs agonising against the hard street, the two assassins quickly advanced toward them and took their guns and handcuffs. Blunt's rifle made contact with one of their backs, beckoning them to their feet. Nobody spoke as Blunt and Swanberg lead the two men, limping, to their car at gunpoint. The officers were quickly stashed into the back while Blunt took the drivers seat and Swanberg sat next to her. The police officers made wary eye contact, breathing heavily, as Blunt pulled the car into the alleyway she had been hiding it. At this time of the morning there was little chance of their being disturbed there. Swanberg reached into the supply bag and pulled out two grey vests. Recognising what they were, one of the officers couldn't help but let out an involuntary
"Oh, shit"
As if he hadn't heard him, Swanberg gestured them out of the car with his weapon.
"Put those on under your clothes"
They gingerly exited the vehicle as Swanberg followed, his gun never lowering.
Watching the two men change at gunpoint through the rear-view mirror, Blunt sent a short message to Larsson as she saw Swanberg begin to walk the two men back towards the car
'We're about to move'.
*
18:00 Conternian Standard Time
Conternian National Broadcasting Service Headquarters
Lynnberg
Conternia
Theme music
Title card: CNBS News at six
"Good evening, welcome to CNBS News at Six, I'm your host, Wanda Ariall. Tonight's top story: the crisis in Lauchenoiria worsens as the Melissa City Police Department's headquarters are destroyed in an apparent bombing. At around quarter to six this morning, Lauchenoirian Centralised Time, the building was devastated by a huge explosion caused when two officers taken hostage, who remain unidentified, where forced into the building wearing suicide vests, which were then remotely detonated by their captors. Our foreign correspondent, Andrea Preston, is at the scene with more. Andrea, we're joining you live"
"Good evening, Andrea. There are horrific scenes in Melissa City tonight, as a city previously largely unaffected by the escalating violence in the country reels from a devastating attack. As you can see behind me in the distance, the blaze is not still fully extinguished, while a death toll has not yet been established - but reports suggest it numbers into the hundreds, and many more are currently in hospital in critical condition."
"Andrea, is there yet any word on who is responsible for this attack?"
"As yet, none of the factions in the on-going Lauchenoirian conflict have claimed responsibility for the attack, although the choice of target would seem to suggest that the perpetrators - who remain unidentified, unknown in numbers, and at large - are acting against Suleman Chaher's government. This was clearly a highly coordinated strike, whoever was responsible: mobile phone videos of the attack shared on social media seem to show two people dressed as first responders firing on people, many of them injured, as they flee the area."
"Thank you, Andrea. Whoever turns out to have been responsible for today's atrocity, one thing that is certain about this attack is that it is another sobering reminder that the violence in the troubled Lauchenoiria looks unlikely to deescalate any time soon."
A moment's silence
"And next tonight on CNBS News at Six...."
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