Ten hours, overnight, eyes strained from staring directly at 50 screens with no sleep. Nothing ever happens, the halls are filled with motion sensors. The watchers job is literally to just write down why the alarm went off it the event that someone was stupid enough to trigger the thing. No one ever does. The head dispatcher of the place was supposed to open three minutes ago so that the watcher can finally leave.

He shows up two minutes later, taking his sweet old time, fumbling with his key card. All he has to do is swipe the thing start up the main computer. Everything else is automatic, the sensors will be disabled, and the watcher can just go.
uhv vcw ylu ephu cydpgv
At last, the light on the desk turns green. The watcher gets up from his seat and walks to the door.

And then, blackness.

The light return with an unwelcoming voice speaking through the speakers.

*Emergency lockdown. Do not attempt to change rooms. This is not a drill.*
*Emergency lockdown. Do not attempt to change rooms. This is not a drill.*

The watcher dropped his head, as if to see how far his heart sank. He turned back to the screens to see what could have possibly gone awry. Taking out a security breach report form, he found what he believed could have caused the alarm.

The nation's No.6 most wanted, Tsukiko Katsuo, was in the building. Her smile mocked the camera, her face showing itself just to show that she bested them. She lifted a breathing mask to her face as she mouthed a clear message to Hideki.

“A really appreciate the recipe. If you send me any other gifts, I want you to know...”

She walked closer to the camera, stepping on a table to meet it face to face.

“...I will use them.”

Her face got covered by the mask, and a mist blocked the screen. The watcher started to panic from the decrease in oxygen. He tried to reach for the phone to inform the response of the bio-hazardous gas, but he found himself dropping to the floor. The fumes showed mercy in letting his mind see peace, and he stayed on the floor.

November 2200

A young Hal wrapped is hand around the first weapon he'd ever touched. It was slightly heavier then he expected, though most of it was at the handle. He touched the side of the blade, having never touched one made of steel before.

“Yes, yes, can you be ready in some reasonable amount of time?” his instructor said.

Hal ran back to the hard wood and meet the world-class duelist face-to-face. He recalled the stance he was taught sense day one; step your right foot forward, grip your weapon with both hands, hold up at a sixty degree angle.

“Right,” the instructor said, “first contact, you can leave when you win, last ten seconds, or one of us does something daft and needs to go to the hospital.” He entered the same pose, his end of the sword touching Hal's.

“When do we start?” the boy asked.

“We start when we're both ready.”

Hal swung his sword down at his opponents torso. He pushed the blade aside and went right to Hal's upper arm, creating a deep slit and causing Hal to jump back, startled by the sudden surge of pain.

“I thought you said these weren't real!” he yelled, gripping his arm.

“Settle down, sunshine, I just said they wouldn't leave permanent damage.” he replied, grabbing the first-aid spray.

“Can we take a break?”

“Of course not, we just started.”

“But why does it have to be sharp?” The spray caused a slight sting as the outside layer hardened.

“Well now, if it were dull, then it'd be too easy now would it.”

“What do you mean?” Hal asked, not sure what blade sharpness had to do with his question.

“You've heard the story's people make up about vikings forcing there sons to battle to the death and only keeping whoever survives. Of course, that didn't really happen, but they certainly didn't use any bandage-spray.”

“That's because they didn't have it,” Hal argued “and viking combat training was actually practical.”

“Are you saying I'm impractical? You do realize there's a difference between practical and easy, don't you?”

“Well...”

“You weren't sent here too impress you're friends with a little stick-flicking, there's going to be a time when you'll need to defend yourself. Maybe even kill to protect someone else if things get-”

“Kill?” Hal was more surprised then disturbed, being raised by to drill-sargents. “But we're at peace. Why would I need to actually fight someone?”

“Ah, yes, the very same question people asked before Overtel came around. And when the Cold War ended. And the end of the first world war. Every truce during the 100 year war... My point is that peace is a very unstable state; ninety-nine point nine-thousand nine-hundred ninety-nine percent of everyone in the world could be game, it's that one person that cocks it up for the rest of us, and at some point, you will meet them.

“By the way, how's that arm holding up?” the instructor asked.

“Well it-”

“Fantastic!” he thrust forward...

Police HQ

Hal awoke from the memory, a slight mist around him. It was the same color as the spray that took him out in the mansion. It was enough to motivate him to stay awake, whatever good that did him. A sharp light seemed to come from the handle of the door, melting it of. It flew open and Katsuo came rushing in. She reached into her bag and grabbed bolt cutters. It was over.

Kat pushed against her ear, “He's awake, this stuff isn't wearing of already, is it?”

“The ventilation is weaker in the basement,” Hacker responded from the other end, “and the stuff seem to work based on the body's adrenalin. You're guy's only able to fight it because he's low on energy.”

Kat broke off the chain holding his left leg. Remained remained limp while Hal gasped in pain. Kat cringed a bit, not prepared to learn how badly he'd been beaten.

“God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Please, just, don't be in so much pain.”

“Kat...” his voice was dry and weak. There was a lot he wanted to say, but couldn't find the strength. “...thank...you.”

She felt a slight relief and put a mask over his face, then made quick work of the other shackles up to his left hand, which held him up while the rest of his body hung toward the ground.

“Tell me you can support some of your weight...” She said, slightly worried.

Hal tried to lift himself with his good leg, the other one being shattered the day before. Kat positioned herself to get as much leverage as possible, and broke the final chain. Hal's leg fought his own intentions of staying up, pushing Kat down to the side, barely able to stay standing.

“Can you maybe speed it up a bit!” Hacker yelled, “The response team has already arrived.”

“Yeah, like you could do any better.” Kat responded, frustrated and already panting. “They're just going to drop anyway, I hid some of the stuff in the bushes.”

They pulled each other up the stairs. Gravity tried to bring them back down at each step. Hal's left leg kept bending at every one, tempting him to go under again and again. At the top was a glass door; a fire exit. Kat hit it several times to make it break.

The shards formed and fell to reveal the outside world. Patrol cars scattered around the building, surrounded by dropped officers who barely made it out of their cars. Kat went to the closest one there and dropped Hal in the passenger seat. He removed the mask, finally free and able to have some form of peace.

Kat entered the driver side and floored it to the hill where she left her car.

“See, Hacker,” she said, tired, but still glad, “no problem. I was even able to send a message. Maybe they'll lay off you, even if you get caught to begin with.”

“Yeah, sure.” Hacker had to collect himself after seeing the blip move so slowly out of the building. “When all of this blows over, I was hoping to arrange a deal where you can help me with this little thing you brought in. I hadn't tried to repair it yet. It's wireless capabilities are a bit, uh, intimidating.”

“Я знаю.”

Kat heard a loud shot come from the other end, followed by static.



Don't know what took me so long to get this one done, other then just plain old writers block. Guess Snake will have more time to finish his school stuff...

Trip-hop, Violen/Piano, SNES Soundtrack. My choice of music has devolved to pretty much whatever at this point. I'll try to keep it on the EDM side when the F12000 starts. This is just what feels right to me at this point.