Storymania - Project S.T.A.R. by Loki

Project S.T.A.R. (6)
Loki

After about 2 minutes I was walking down the familiar street towards my "school". No telling how my parents must be feeling not knowing where I was. They promised not to interfere with our individual lives! I thought frantically. But they also were planning to turn us all into mindless robots for their own greedy ambitions. I will tell the squad tonight. We can take them all down ourselves. I thought as I prepared to go down the main elevator towards the briefing room. Once down there I proceeded to the room. When I got there I found out that I had been the last one to arrive. Dr. Kraken looked pissed off. "About time. All of you make note that whenever you are called on, you asses better report here or you are going to get shocked!" He said angrily. I was angry too. "Well obviously you don't remember what you said! You said you would not interfere with our weekends!" I yelled. Before I could get through he punched me! I forced myself not to lung over to him and kill him. "You remember Felix. You remember the trial. You can never, EVER, talk back to me. If you weren't who you are, then I would have been summoned my operators to give you a Level 5 shock IMMEADIATELY." He said acidly. I sat down, jaw aching. "We don't have time for this. Right now in the Wall Street Centre at the Army base there are approximately 3 armored trucks carrying around 500 million dollars in U.S. and British currency. Around five heavily armed criminals are doing whatever it takes to break into the trucks. All army personnel are reporting to the satellite parade tonight. Go stop them quickly and you can go home." I lurched up quickly and stormed out of the room for the equipment room. Who gives a fuck if some criminals get rich? Good for them. I thought.

NASA base, Antopolis; 10 minutes earlier...

"Ok. Ignition is a go. Proceed with primary speeds." Spoke NASA satellite operational expert, Steve Brunner. Steve had been working with NASA for around 30 years, in that time finding out many things. Things like piloting satellites, guiding mission trips back and forth from settlements on the moon, and having the honor of maintaining the asteroid satellite. It was Steve's dream to be doing completing such a feat because, once he was done, he had enough experience to finally go up in the space shuttle in route for a year of study on one of Jupiter's moons, Io. "Activating laser beam." "We will be in position in 30 minutes sir." Spoke his colleagues. "Dropping satellite to a descent of 10,000 ft." said Steve as he momentarily glanced at his view screen aboard the satellite. What made this satellite so special was that it could operate by link-to-link microchips. The best kind in the world known to man. BAM! Before Steve could react to the noise, a group or dressed in black terrorists broke through the room of the control center! RATT-A-TATT-A-TATT! Machine gun fire cut through the air. Operators were suddenly being torn apart as the bullets plowed through their bodies. Steve fell to the floor in fear for his life. All around him his colleagues, friends, partners fell to the floor dead. Someone was on their knees pleading for their life as a terrorist aimed a shotgun at the man's head, point blank range. Steve closed his eyes as he heard the fatal blast. The man screamed no more. Steve could hear the moans and death cries of everyone around him. These people were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters. Now nothing more but bloodied corpses.

"ON YOUR FEET!" screamed on of the guards as he grabbed a hysterical Steve and jerked him to his feet. There were around 30 terrorists. Steve cowered in fear as a very big man stepped towards him menacingly. "Are you Steve Brunner?" he boomed. Steve slowly shook his head yes. "Good. Steve tonight you are going to operate the satellite for us. Once it is over Antopolis, we will give you further instructions." Said the big man. Steve nodded once again. "Oh and Steve, in case you are going to try to be a hero, we have prepared an insurance package for you." He said as he signaled five guards towards Steve. They started to restrain him. "Wait, I'll cooperate! What are you going to do to me!" Steve yelled as the men grabbed him and pinned him to the chair. All the men were more muscular than Steve, so he couldn't move. The big man watched as another guard walked towards Steve with a large tack hammer in hand. "We are going to make sure you cooperate, Steve. After every ten minutes we will break something. First your toes, then your knees, you nuts, so on and so on..." spoke the big man as the guard pulled off Steve's shoes. Steve screamed and struggled but he was immobilized. "No, NO PLEASE DON'T!!!" he screamed. Then the guard positioned himself and slammed the hammer down on Steve's little toe. Steve screamed. And screamed. And screamed. The guard slammed the hammer down again and again until Steve's whole left foot was looked like it had been shoved down a meat grinder. "How rude of me Steve! I forgot to introduce myself! My name...is of no concern to you. You may call me "the Minister"." He said as Steve continued to scream as his bones started to penetrate his skin. "the Minister" turned to one of his other guards. "This will cause a whole lot of attention once word gets out. That is why I have thought ahead. About 12 miles from here on Paxton St., I have five other guards posted inside some empty armored trucks. I want you to stake a fake heist on them, to draw away the police or Feds." He boomed to the guard. The guard hesitated. "But sir, what about the Anthrax agents? What if they show up?" he said. "the Minister" smiled. "No need to worry. They don't operate on weekends." He said with a smile.

Present time...

We pulled out of the headquarters and immediately proceeded towards the problem. When this is all over, I'm gonna tell the squad everything I heard. Then we can wage all World War III on those motherfuckers. I thought. Why not tell them now? Ok I will. Before I could utter a word Tim alerted us. "Guys, we are nearing the armored trucks. From the radar, they should be right around the corner." SKEEEEEEEER! BAM! VROOM! Just then the three armored trucks veered around the street corner, smashing into each other. Behind them, five armed thugs on motorcycles roared around, chasing the trucks with guns blazing. We were about a hundred feet from them, moving past traffic. "Ok guys, 5 of them, 5 of us. Let's see who gets introduced to Mr. Asphalt first!" I yelled as I pulled back on the gas. VROOOOM! VROOOM! We wheezed in and out of traffic like daredevils. We were closing in on them now. "No one dies." Said Ray. I didn't get mad. I respected that. Suddenly we were right behind the hoodlums. I picked my target and sped beside him. He finally noticed and tried to shoot me. But I shot first. POW! FWOOP! I had shot his front tire clean out. He teetered violently and toppled to the ground at 60 mph. "AGENTS! SMOKE 'EM!" screamed a guard. The turned and fired at us! BLAMBLAMBLAM! Ting, tink! The bullets ricocheted off us like gnats against a speeding car. "Speaking of smoke 'em." Alex replied as he launched two smoke bombs in front of the armored trucks. "Why did you throw them in front of the trucks?! They're not the enemy!" I asked demandingly. "Just watch and slow down everyone." Alex replied. We all slowed our vehicles to a stop. The smoke had made the armored trucks come to a screeching halt. The bikers didn't see this because they were so busy shooting at us. Then...BAM! Clatter, crunch. The bikers ran right into the armored trucks. They had to be going at least 50 mph. "Very smooth Alex." I nodded. We gained speed and caught up with the trucks. "Taylor, check their pulses. Forget the armored trucks, let's get these guys subdued before the Feds show up." I told the others as I could hear distant sirens already. Soon after, we had them all immobilized on the sidewalk. I was about to say let's go but I noticed something very strange. From the looks of it, a small torrent rose from the tops of each armored truck. Then I realized! Those were gun torrents! There bullets were so powerful, too many hits against us would pierce our armor! "GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!!!!" But I didn't have to warn them. They had seen them too. The guns started blazing before we could get out of range. But they weren't shooting us. They were eliminating the witnesses. The biker criminals sat helpless as the bullets tore through their bodies. Once the guns trained on us, we were long out of sight.

"What was the deal with that?!" cried Ray. "Something strange is going on. Let's just go around the block and surprise them on the other end. Everyone select your missiles. Once around, bombs away." I commanded. Once we were around the corner, the Feds and police were trying to engage the trucks. Guess who was winning. I signaled for the shot and we each sent off two speeding missiles towards the trucks. After about a second the missiles met their targets and all three trucks exploded. The Feds started looking around but by then we were gone, heading back to headquarters.

NASA base, Antopolis...

After Steve had stopped crying and screaming over his foot, "the Minister" put him to work piloting the satellite. "the Minister" had not heard any word from his outside team. And no one had noticed that the NASA station had suddenly been taken over. He looked at the television, viewing the footage about the satellite. The crowd in the Wall Street Centre had assembled and were now waiting for the satellite. The reporter said that an estimated total of about 100,000 people were assembled at the viewing point in hopes of getting a special look at the anticipated light show. And around 2 million Wall Street Centre pedestrians were watching from the tops of the many buildings and skyscrapers waiting for the show. He would give them a show, alright. "PREPARE the laser beam Steve. Target: the mass of humans in the viewing point." Said "the Minister". Steve looked at him horrified. "What do you want me to do? Shoot them?! That is totally inhumane! I will have nothing to do wit- BRACK! "AHHHHHHHH!" Steve suddenly stopped arguing when the hammer was slammed down on his left knee. Steve moved back and forth with his eyes closed, in a world of pain. "You will do it Steve. I won't just kill you. I'll keep you alive to see the torture I have planned for you. NOW DO IT!" roared "the Minister". Steve painfully input the necessary procedures. In a minute the satellite's laser beam was fully operational, just waiting for someone to fire it. The minister smiled.

Central Park...

"Anyone know what that was all about?" someone asked. "You know, who cares. We did our job, that's it. But guys, before we go home I really need to tell- But I was cut off by Taylor. "Look at the satellite. It's right overhead now." She said. I looked up and I saw a speck of metal posted high above Antopolis, probably a couple of hundred miles up. "They say it's going to be some kind of light show. Want to stay and watch?" Alex said. I shook my head. "The traffic would be hell. You can see the people from here." I said. About 3/4 fourths of a mile I could see an endless sea of people standing at the viewing point, a big mass of land that used to be Central Park before the trees were taken out. Then the satellite suddenly grew bright ruby red. We all slowed down and paused in awe. It was a breath taking sight. For a minute there I had forgotten all my problems. Then the ruby red color blew up to three times its size. Then ten! Twenty! Fifty! The red ball now looked as if someone had taken a basketball and blew it up until it was the size of Florida and plucked it in the air. Gigantic! Then, a very loud sparking sound popped from the satellite. KA-FLASSSSSSSSSH! The ruby red beam shot down so fast I could hardly keep up with it! It turned into a large beam and came down, straight for the viewing point. We were all frozen with fear. No, no, no. This cannot be happening. I thought I had seen it all, until now. The beam broke the atmosphere and flew down until it struck the heart of the viewing point. BOOOOOOOOOOM! A shockwave of fire rocketed from the landing spot. We were very far away from this but I could still feel the intense heat. The earth rocked violently, throwing us all to the ground. It was bad here, but God knows how bad it was at the viewing point. Buildings burst apart. Cars and trucks exploded before being tossed in the air like dirt crumbs. Debris as small as trash cans to as large as skyscrapers fell in and around the inferno. No telling how many people burned to death down there. No one could've something so bad as that. The blast triggered landslides, small earthquakes, and chaos in all the land. An unnatural phenomenon. A nightmare, straight out of a sci-fi novel. When it was done, all I could see was that speck of metal. Once it was a vision of beauty, now it was an emblem of pure evil.

NASA station; Antopolis...

"the Minister" smiled with glee. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people were being incinerated alive from the blast. His plan was all coming together nicely. Steve sat at the table and cried in silence. I'll let him be...for now. "the Minister" thought. Then the doors opened and four more armed guards approached him. They had brought the camera crew that "the Minister" had requested for. "When this rolls, I want EVERYONE to see this. I want it on all stations. If not, you die." He said to the camera crew.

Antopolis Police Department, Precinct 11; 2 min. later...

"Come on people! Do we not have anymore leads to this case!" gushed Captain Robert Fuller. Robert had the honors of being captain of the biggest precinct in Antopolis. His impressive background of police work had granted him such an honor as this. He had once been a forensic scientist, undercover cop, private eye, and even sergeant. He was a master of knowing the criminal mind. But he just couldn't crack this case about the mysterious "rogues" of Antopolis. His had joined forces with the FBI, Armed Forces, CIA, and even Internal Affairs to try to find at least SOMETHING about the rogues. But nothing. And he had been getting nothing for almost three years. Now his job was on the line. As he started to debate a solid strategy, his secretary interrupted his meeting with his head officials. "Bridgett, can't you see we are having a discussion DAMMIT!!!" he screamed, turning red. Bridgett, looked embarrassed but insisted. "Captain, there is a crisis. Someone from NASA wants to speak to you." She said. Awww fuck. Don't I already have too many fucking crisis' already?! He thought angrily as he strode to the desk. Before he picked up, he signaled some cops to record and trace the phone call. He then picked up. "Capt. Fuller speaking." He said. "Hello Capt. Fuller. Before I begin, let me ask you to turn you television on to the nearest news channel. I'm sure you will find something massively appealing." The person said with a low laugh. Their voice was warped, so he couldn't understand if it was a man or woman. Someone turned the television on to NBC, where a groundbreaking state of emergency report was being given. "Around ten minutes ago, the NASA defense satellite blasted a deadly laser beam into the crowd of an estimated 100,000 in the Central Park viewing point." Said an awestruck reporter. The screen cut to a live feed from a helicopter. What the screen showed, gave Robert the scare of his lifetime. Destruction everywhere. Buildings crushed and toppled over like blades of grass. Huge fires, reaching for the sky. And the people. Thousands upon thousands of them! Endless burning bodies of men, women, elderly, and children littered the streets like sand in a sandbox. "Do you like what you see, captain?" asked the voice. Robert didn't know what to say or do. "I...we...What the hell...is going on???" Robert gasped. "Antopolis's obituary, captain. If you want to know what is going on, I will gladly tell you. About 15 minutes ago, I and about 30 of my extremely armed guards have managed to take over the NASA space station here in the Wall Street Centre, Antopolis. We are in full control of that orb in the sky. Captain I want three things. I want 500 million dollars in United States currency delivered to the front lobby of this building in less than 30 minutes. No later." He said. Captain Fuller retorted, "But there is a catch." The person laughed. "Exactly. See captain, I am not stupid. If you look on you news station right now, in exactly five seconds, the satellite will produce a protective beam around the area we are in. No one can get in, no one can get out within a ten mile radius. Try getting in captain, you'll feel the burn that so many innocents have felt already." Genius. Pure genius. That was all the captain could think. "Listen here, don't do anything drastic. It will take hours to get that kind of money. Why don't we just slow down-" He was cut off sharply. "FUCK YOU Captain. You are not in a position to negotiate right now! I hold the power of God in my hands! I don't think you really want to see what a 500-mile range laser could do to you in just mini-seconds. So don't fuck around. I'll give you a minute to call the inner city banks of the Wall Street Centre. I want the money dropped by them, from the inside of the beam. If I don't have my money by exactly 30 minutes, millions will die." Click! "SHIT!" the captain yelled, snatching the phone from it's jack. "CALL THE FUCKING BANKS!" He yelled to the tellers. They started to protest. "DON'T ARGUE! WE HAVE 1 MINUTE! HURRY THE HELL UP!" He screamed. In all his years, Robert didn't know what to do. This was way over his head. He then thought of the rogues. He thought of all the times they thwarted impossible schemes and saved so many people's lives when all the police could do was just TRY to tag along. After all the good things they did, we still tried to persecute them. He thought. Now he wished more than ever that the rogues would step in to save Antopolis, and maybe even the world, once again.

Anthrax headquarters; Wall Street Centre...

Once the satellite had destroyed downtown Anthrax, Dr. Kraken immediately called upon his operators and head officials. He had even called the other four elders at the other Anthrax schools. Something like this demanded drastic action. Everyone was there at the headquarters except "the Minister", which was very unusual. He was Dr. Kraken's second in command. No time. We have to get this situation under control. He thought. "Operators #1-20, I want you to alert the other Anthrax agents! I want them all in uniform and setting up perimeters around that NASA station! Operator #8, I want you to contact the Green Dagger squad and let me speak to them." He said. In about a minute or two about 95 angry kids would be called upon just so Dr. Kraken could play with their lives. Who cares if they are angry. They will all be mindless by Monday anyways. He thought. Operator #8 signaled to Dr. Kraken. Kraken put on the earpiece and proceeded to talk to Agent #27, Felix.

Dr. Kraken: "Agent #27, I assume your group is aware of the satellite."

Felix: "Yes! Two minutes ago it fired into the crowd! I doubt there are any survivors."

Dr. Kraken: "Felix, I have called upon the other 20 squads to set up perimeters around the NASA building. It appears that an organized group of armed terrorists have taken over the building. They are going to keep firing until their demands are met. I want your group to meet up with the others by the building."

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