‘Well start taking notice. You can either be with me or against me on this. I came to you because I trust you. You’re a good kid with a bright future in front of you, a future that won’t exist if we don’t stop this madness at once. If I was you I’d start the ignition and get out of here’
Ninety Five
‘I don’t care how long you think it’s going to take, just do what I tell you’ Screams Connor as he looks on at his men while they move some hostages over to the make shift studio. One of the guards is placing the familiar white sacks on the hostage’s heads as Connor moves over to the camera and looks through the viewfinder.
‘I want a nice wide view. This shot is too crammed. Not all of the hostages will be in the shot. Someone move the camera back a few meters so we can get a better scene.’
One of his men obeys the command and moves the bulky tripod with the camera attached a few meters back. He bends down and looks in the viewfinder. His head snaps back into view and he gives Connor a thumbs up. Connor nods and moves over to the mass of hostages. He looks down at the twenty something people kneeling with their heads down as white sacks get put on their heads. The rustling of the material is loud as the men and women on the floor struggle to come to terms with the situation.
‘If everyone does what I say and keeps quiet no one is going to get hurt. I promise you that.’ Says Connor as he watches the last hostage get bagged.
Connor moves over to the camera. He turns around and faces it. He starts to pace from side to side as he counts the number of hostages in the foreground. He breaths in deep and exhales as his nerves start to make their presence known. He turns back to the hostages.
‘We are going live in ten minutes. I want complete silence. If I hear any one scream or say a damn word then we will have problems.’
Connor turns back to the camera and stares into the lens. The reflection captures the eeriness of the room as a sea of bodies behind him remains still in anticipation of the events to come.
Ninety Six
‘What do you mean you don’t know where they are?’ Asks Shaw as he stares daggers at the officer in front of him.
‘I don’t know Sir; I went down there earlier to see what’s happening and the convoy was nowhere to be seen. Not one patrol car or squad truck was there.’ Says the mundane looking officer as he brushes his hands to his sides
‘I find it hard to believe that a parking lot full of officers can just go missing. Not to mention our SWAT vans.’
‘I don’t know sir.’
‘What do you mean you don’t know?’
‘I just don’t sir’
‘Fuck it, get me Frank’
‘I tried locating him as well; Sargent Powel wanted to talk to him earlier. I can’t find him either sir.’
‘How in the hell can you not know where he is. I mean just follow the destruction and misery, I’m sure if you did, Frank would not be too far from it all!’
‘I’m sure your right Sir’
‘It doesn’t matter. Just get me the DA. I need to figure this out with someone who has half a brain.’
‘Sir…’ Stutters the Officer
‘Let me fucking guess, no DA either. Fucking beautiful!’ shouts Shaw as he thumps his desk.
Ninety Seven
‘Are you sure this is a good idea Frank?’ Asks Mullins as he pulls hard on the steering wheel, turning it franticly as he swerves around a corner
‘I’m pretty sure’ States Frank as he casually looks on as the traffic parts way.
‘And you don’t think we are going to get fired for this?’
Frank smiles as looks at Mullins struggle to keep the patrol car at their current speed.
‘Look kid, I’m an expert on getting fired. Truth is if you do a good job, they can’t fire you. You need to be one in a million.’
‘Well we are definitely that Frank. I mean there aren’t a million officers of the law who disobey orders and take matters in to their own hands. Not to mention convince thirty odd officers to fall in line to the fast track to early retirement.’
‘Who needs a pension ay kid?’
‘Who needs freedom?’ Laughs Mullins as he pushes hard on the accelerator.
Frank watches on as they speed through Boston’s midtown district. The lights from the patrol car light up the night traffic. Rays of blues and reds hit the horizon as Frank checks the rear view mirror. The convoy of four SWAT trucks struggle to keep up as Mullins pushes down on the gas. Their radio cracks as an urgent voice shouts over the CB.
‘Were coming up on the building in a few minutes, be prepared for heavy resistance. Remember that they have RPG’s on the roof.’
Frank’s face lights up as he sees the M.I.T building in the distance.
‘Time to end this shit once and for all.’ Says Frank as he takes one last drag on his cigarette, He unwinds the window and flicks the butt out.
Ninety Eight
‘So here we are once again. I say that in the nicest manner possible. It’s no secret; you’re all probably fed up of hearing from me. Truth is I’m fed up of addressing all of you. I still haven’t gotten what I want. The authorities are yet to take me seriously. I mean what does a guy have to do? Murder the DA’s daughter? Check… Blow up a train? Check… Kill my family and friends? Check… Hold three hundred people hostage? Check… Kill a few dozen hostages live on TV? Check…Kill an undercover cop? Check… Have twenty five people bound and gagged and take a machine gun to them? Well wouldn’t that be a good way to end the proceedings. The thing is I don’t want to be known as a senseless killer. A guy that murdered a lot of people and did not get what I wanted. That would be a travesty. To know that all those people died just so the government can put me to death. Not one of them died for something worthy. Do you know why they didn’t die for something worthy? Because I have not gotten what I wanted, would it have been so terrible to change the laws of privacy? To protect our people from mass marketing efforts they do not wish to partake in, to protect them from black market sales of their information, to protect them from the all seeing all knowing man? Yes it would have been pretty poetic if they died for a good reason. They could have died for a good reason but the powers that be made sure they did not. I’m not to blame here. I will not take responsibility for the lost souls that have perished this week. It’s not in my control whether the world accepts the consequences of the events. I know I won’t be accepting them, so someone has to.’
The camera pans to the hostages who remain silent and still. Chief Shaw looks on as Connor Chase pulls out his cell phone. He dials some numbers in. Silence fills the room in anticipation. The office phone next to Shaw rings as the officers cautiously look on. Shaw’s hands tremble as he reaches for the handle. He quickly clicks the phone out of place and raises it to his ear.
‘Hello?’ He says as sweat drops down his brow, floating down his cheek and off his face.
‘Ah hello, May I speak to Detective Frank McKenzie. Make it quick, we are live across the nation after all.’ Says Chase as he paces the screen, his white Tux shining bright in the harsh light.
‘I’m sorry but I can’t get a hold of him, he left the station a while ago’
‘I suggest you do so soon as possible or this little piggy is going to reign down hell fire like a ton of bricks.’ The phone goes dead. Before Shaw can breathe in the TV echoes gun shots.
Two guards to the right of Connor hit the deck as an assortment of bullets chase them down. Connor ducks for cover and hits the floor as armed men in flak jackets burst into the scene. The camera is knocked to the ground as a whooshing sound penetrates the room. A smoke screen bellows out as it covers the shot. The visibility is down to zero as the officers in the incident room look on in amazement. The sound of gun fire remains for a further few minutes as the smoke screen clears. The clearing smoke reveals an array of shell casings on the floor. Hostages scatter to the floor as they duck for cover. Connor is nowhere to be seen. Connors men clamour in pain as a few of them grip their gunshot wounds. A few surviving guards rush to the men’s aide.