Chapter II: The Swing Bar

Author's Note: I think I had to rewrite more than half of this chapter... I'm procrastinating so hard on life right now... Anyways, made the cover!! The unit patch is new though, so I'll try incorporating it into the chapters later. (Yes, this chapter does ramble on a bit, but I'm trying to worldbuild, so hush!) Ok enjoy! (More notes and vocab/definitions at the bottom)

Disclaimer: This story contains profanity, violence, bloodshed, death and many modern world issues. These harsh and complex topics are covered in a fictional sense. This story contains only original characters. Any resemblance to any real person, alive or deceased is a coincidence.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: The world learns about what happened that night, and Cockney is reprimanded for allowing this to happen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The radio softly crackled as it tuned into a channel, the soft whirring of aircon fans gently permeating the room. Suddenly, a booming voice exploded from the speakers, occasionally punctured by a soft jingle.

 "Good morning Alstgovia! This is radio Alsto with your host, Nik Harris. It is currently 9:57am local time, and this is; The Daily. The date is March 1st, 2183, horoscopes and predictions will come out on our Bluebird feed in a bit. The weather is quite balmy today, we got some low lying clouds, a low chance of rain, humidity is at 58%, so make sure you stay hydrated people! 

Now for some public service announcements. Local community centers in district 9 to 13 will be giving out free lunch and service packages, so if you are eligible for these, as stated in your CCS booklets, please head over and collect! Prime Minister Sonorin will be giving her Alstgovia day speech at 6:00 pm local, or 10:00 am zulu and 3:00pm eastern. Tune in to radio Alsto or any other radio stations at those times to catch the speech. 

Alright, now onto recent news. Last night, a nightclub in district eight was violently assaulted by several armed suspects, resulting in many casualties. Here is the chief of police, Zaposte Garlan." A short jingle played, and a gruff voice slowly filled the room. "Citizens of Alstgovia, last night in the capital, Zauricht, a nightclub in district eight was brutally attacked by several armed suspects. Their motives are unknown, and no arrests have been made. The interior of the club was totally destroyed and most people in the club were killed." He coughed, clearing his throat.

 "A total of three survivors were found inside the club and one was mortally wounded. As of right now, all three are safe and are retrieving medical assistance in an undisclosed location for their safety. As a safety precaution, and to assist civil guard and police units during the manhunt, we will be locking down districts 6 to 10 for three nights. Please do not go out alone and please remain in public areas. Anyone near the location of the crime last night, please report to your local police station for witness interviews and statements when called upon. Thank you for your time." A barrage of questions followed, quickly cut short as the host began speaking again. 

"That was chief of police Zaposte Garlan. Again, districts 6 to 10 will be under lockdown for three nights, everyone please exercise caution when going into unsupervised spaces, that is all from me. I'll pass it on to-" 

Click! A man quickly hit the switch, cutting the audio off. "I think that's mission accomplished." Wearing a dark blue jacket over a khaki shirt and tan cargo pants, he smiled. The other man spoke, quietly sighing: "John. They found out that there were four assailants. I count that as failure. Why were there survivors?" John shot back: "They didn't bloody see them, Messor, and even if they did, the human body works in wondrous ways to keep us alive. Lay off Messor." Cockney stood at attention, silently watching the exchange. He cursed himself, lamenting the fact that he forgot to check the bodies. Messor suddenly turned his attention away from John and spoke: "Cockney!" He snapped to attention: "Sir!"

"What were your mission parameters?"

John interjected: "Messor-"

"Shut it Alstove. Cockney. What were your mission parameters?" Cockney grimaced, bracing himself for the verbal onslaught that was about to hit him: "Breach the objective, eliminate all suspects inside and exfiltrate."

"Correct. So why were there survivors?"

"I'm not sure sir."

"You're not sure?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir, what."

"Yes sir, I'm not sure."

"Then so be it. Prepare for drills tomorrow. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir." Cockney saluted, and pivoted on his heel, walking out of the tiny office. John sighed, gently shutting the door behind him. He walked over to a small fridge and yanked it open, grabbing two cans of beer. "You didn't have to be that damn harsh Messor." Placing a can on the desk, John sat in a chair and opened his. The satisfying hiss of pressurised gas escaping echoed throughout. Messor quietly grabbed a can and opened it, taking a long swig. "Ugh. This Zaurichtian stuff sucks." John nodded: "It does. But what other choice do we have?"

"None."

"Exactly. So deal with it. At least the whiskey is half alright."

"Yep." Both men took swigs of their beers again, quietly sighing as the liquid flowed down their throats. "Disgusting."

"Yeah. John?"

"Yeah?"

"Go check on our ammo. I think we'll need to make an order soon."

"Roger." John tossed his empty can into the bin and left, leaving Messor alone. He quickly finished his beer and turned on his computer, drafting an email.

Send to: @Gladii_latini

Subject: Operatio Verre

—

Hoc est Messor. Statim exsequi parate. |

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

More notes: Yeah, I included latin. Since i'm using google translate, most of this stuff is probably not going to be accurate, but regardless, it's an important plot point, so my apologies for butchering this beautiful language. Also the word "tuned" is marked as grammatically wrong, so uh... Yep. Until next time! -Genpatz4

Vocab and Definitions:

-Translations (contains translations from last time):

-Pugio: dagger

-Messor: reaper

-Gladii Latini: Swords of Rome

-Operatio Verre: Operation Slice

-Hoc est Messor. Statim exsequi parate: This is Messor (reaper). Prepare to execute immediately.

Next Time...

The history behind Alstgovia. How and why humanity is back where we started. Under the sea. More will be revealed next time, in: CHAPTER III: Langley.