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Where Legal Eagles Dare: An Opco Boone Adventure: Difference between revisions
Where Legal Eagles Dare: An Opco Boone Adventure (view source)
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{{a|opcoboone|}}{{smallcaps|As a blood-red sun}} dipped to | {{a|opcoboone|}}{{smallcaps|As a blood-red sun}} dipped to the rim of the world, they watched the procession thunder across the desert, a mile below. | ||
<div style="text-indent: 20px;">An eighteen-wheeler operations battle-truck, flanked by a pair of [[COO]] picket gunships, kicked up a wide pillar of dust that billowed and hung over the desert. Ahead of it, a dirt track snaked ten flat miles through desiccated scrubland to a low-lying, dusty settlement ringed by observation towers. | <div style="text-indent: 20px;">An eighteen-wheeler operations battle-truck, flanked by a pair of [[COO]] picket gunships, kicked up a wide pillar of dust that billowed and hung over the desert. Ahead of it, a dirt track snaked ten flat miles through desiccated scrubland to a low-lying, dusty settlement ringed by observation towers. | ||
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Bugsy whooped. “[[SOX]] attest ''that'' my little paisan! Ha-ha!” | Bugsy whooped. “[[SOX]] attest ''that'' my little paisan! Ha-ha!” | ||
Bugsy blammed out a second: a lame-ass two-way [[confi]] flare. It was a weak round — not usually fatal at such a distance but enough to pacify a lightweight aggressor. But Bugsy was a true shot. He caught the [[futures]] guy square on an ops schedule. He squealed. He turned tight circles. His [[escalation]] circuits crackled, popped and smoked out. The jockster conked out and crashed, face-down in the sand, little green flames licking around | Bugsy blammed out a second: a lame-ass two-way [[confi]] flare. It was a weak round — not usually fatal at such a distance but enough to pacify a lightweight aggressor. But Bugsy was a true shot. He caught the [[futures]] guy square on an ops schedule. He squealed. He turned tight circles. His [[escalation]] circuits crackled, popped and smoked out. The jockster conked out and crashed, face-down in the sand, little green flames licking around his annex. | ||
“Yee-hah!” Bugsy’s turret retracted. | “Yee-hah!” Bugsy’s turret retracted. | ||
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“On it, boss.” | “On it, boss.” | ||
Bugsy called them into to [[Chief double-oh|C double-oh]] on the encrypted two-way comlink. He rocked the sing-song ham radio chit-chat idiom: | Bugsy called them into to [[Chief double-oh|C double-oh]] on the encrypted two-way comlink. He rocked the sing-song ham radio chit-chat idiom: “Capcom, this is KPI-Delta-One-Niner filing our hourly [[stakeholder]] check-in, do you copy, over?” | ||
Cadet Maxine Blitzer staffed the mic at the double-oh HQ. She was a regular scone-doer, so they kept her away from active engagement. The Capsule Command role suited her well. “KPI-Delta-One-Niner, this is | Cadet Maxine Blitzer staffed the mic at the double-oh HQ. She was a regular scone-doer, so they kept her away from active engagement. The Capsule Command role suited her well. “KPI-Delta-One-Niner, this is Capcom: we read you loud and clear, Bugsy-boy. Go ahead, over.” | ||
A static burst shook the set. Bugsy punched in. | A static burst shook the set. Bugsy punched in. “Capcom, this is KPI-Delta-One-Niner: top of the morning to you, Blitzy. We are reporting the coast is clear. Repeat: The coast is clear.” | ||
“Ten-four, Bugsy. You seeing any action?” | “Ten-four, Bugsy. You seeing any action?” | ||
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“Stand by, KPI-Delta-One-Niner.” There was a pause while Blitzer ran a launch status check. | “Stand by, KPI-Delta-One-Niner.” There was a pause while Blitzer ran a launch status check. | ||
“KPI-Delta-One-Niner, you are confirmed go for Operation [[Playbook]],” Blitzer’s tone turned familiar. “Rock that house, Kurzweil, you crazy sumbitch. | “KPI-Delta-One-Niner, you are confirmed go for Operation [[Playbook]],” Blitzer’s tone turned familiar. “Rock that house, Kurzweil, you crazy sumbitch. Capcom — out.” | ||
Kurzweil punched in. “That’s an A.O.K., Blitzer, my man. We are gunning in for final approach. We’ll be home by five: put those beers on ice. This KPI-Delta-One-Niner — over and out.” | Kurzweil punched in. “That’s an A.O.K., Blitzer, my man. We are gunning in for final approach. We’ll be home by five: put those beers on ice. This KPI-Delta-One-Niner — over and out.” | ||
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''Wonder who?'' “Poor bastard,” Kurzweil murmured, slipping into a Kevlar responsibility diffusion sheaf in preparation for his own upcoming fire-fight. He wondered whereabouts on the plain the unfortunate animal was. | ''Wonder who?'' “Poor bastard,” Kurzweil murmured, slipping into a Kevlar responsibility diffusion sheaf in preparation for his own upcoming fire-fight. He wondered whereabouts on the plain the unfortunate animal was. | ||
It occurred that anything bigger than a rabbit | It occurred that anything bigger than a rabbit should show up on the dash. Kurzweil checked the HUD: the RAG system still flat-lined. | ||
He checked the LIDAR feed. ''Zilch''. | He checked the LIDAR feed. ''Zilch''. | ||
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Chip still babbled in his comlink. ''Dammit''. He cursed his own error: he left the link back to GCHQ open when he jumped. It was too late to do anything about that: at three-twenty knots he could hardly flip it to silent now: any arm-shift would bugger his trajectory and put him into an aerodynamic stall or some kind of flat spin. He had to let the GC run. But she wouldn’t let it go. The old girl was really busting his balls. | Chip still babbled in his comlink. ''Dammit''. He cursed his own error: he left the link back to GCHQ open when he jumped. It was too late to do anything about that: at three-twenty knots he could hardly flip it to silent now: any arm-shift would bugger his trajectory and put him into an aerodynamic stall or some kind of flat spin. He had to let the GC run. But she wouldn’t let it go. The old girl was really busting his balls. | ||
Boone was zooming. The ambient | Boone was zooming. The ambient buffeting was off the charts. The suit was shaking like a bastard. The GC was yakking like a rabbit. Boone kept the rig bottom left in the viewfinder. “Steady ... steady ...” | ||
The suit’s digital voice assistant kicked in his earpiece. The DVA was a gas: it had a west-country drawl. Boone spent hours customising it. “GROUNDSPEED READOUT: 145 KNOTS ACROSS THE GROUND.” | The suit’s digital voice assistant kicked in his earpiece. The DVA was a gas: it had a west-country drawl. Boone spent hours customising it. “GROUNDSPEED READOUT: 145 KNOTS ACROSS THE GROUND.” | ||
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''The timer ticked past 5:00.'' | ''The timer ticked past 5:00.'' | ||
''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE.'' — A bloodied fist grabbed the running board. Kurzweil hung on for his life, for his cause, for his ''honour''. At first, it was all he could do, just to keep his hold and stop being swept beneath the monstrous wheels as they pounded the dirt, inches from his ear. He clenched his buttocks as the roadway grated and | ''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE.'' — A bloodied fist grabbed the running board. Kurzweil hung on for his life, for his cause, for his ''honour''. At first, it was all he could do, just to keep his hold and stop being swept beneath the monstrous wheels as they pounded the dirt, inches from his ear. He clenched his buttocks as the roadway grated and pummelled him all over. | ||
Slowly, he hauled himself back into the game. He got a second hold. He fist-jammed in the wheel-arch. He executed a switch-grip, squirrel-jumped onto the grille, dragged himself up onto the hood, heel-hooked and got a firm boot-hold on the chassis. He clambered up. He clung like a limpet. He edged around the towards cabin door. ''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE.'' | Slowly, he hauled himself back into the game. He got a second hold. He fist-jammed in the wheel-arch. He executed a switch-grip, squirrel-jumped onto the grille, dragged himself up onto the hood, heel-hooked and got a firm boot-hold on the chassis. He clambered up. He clung like a limpet. He edged around the towards cabin door. ''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE.'' | ||
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Georgie’s dirt-bike burst into view off a low ridge, exploding through scrubland and she pulled wheelie. | Georgie’s dirt-bike burst into view off a low ridge, exploding through scrubland and she pulled wheelie. | ||
Boone | Boone punched the dash “Yo! Georgie! Where you ''been'' all my life!” | ||
“Not now, Boone, you got work to do — eyes right.” | “Not now, Boone, you got work to do — eyes right.” | ||
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Boone looked right, but too late. With a single fluid motion Kurzweil vaulted up, leant through the window, baffed Boone across the jaw, and grabbed the wheel. | Boone looked right, but too late. With a single fluid motion Kurzweil vaulted up, leant through the window, baffed Boone across the jaw, and grabbed the wheel. | ||
Boone spat a | Boone spat a jewelled string of blood. A copper taste filled his mouth. | ||
Kurzweil came again, but this time Boone was braced for him. A sharp elbow to the cheek knocked Kurzweil back, cracking his head against the stanchion. He grunted. Boone clamped him, but the Operations man clamped back. He grabbed Boone by the throat: ''chokehold''. Kurzweil had a grip like a vice, but so did Boone: he squeezed back, harder, and shunted up. ''Mutually assured destruction''. Kurzweil gagged. His eyes bulged. His spittle flew. Still, he cracked out a demonic beetroot grin and mouthed, “''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE … BOONE''” and shanked Boone with his [[Runbook]]. | Kurzweil came again, but this time Boone was braced for him. A sharp elbow to the cheek knocked Kurzweil back, cracking his head against the stanchion. He grunted. Boone clamped him, but the Operations man clamped back. He grabbed Boone by the throat: ''chokehold''. Kurzweil had a grip like a vice, but so did Boone: he squeezed back, harder, and shunted up. ''Mutually assured destruction''. Kurzweil gagged. His eyes bulged. His spittle flew. Still, he cracked out a demonic beetroot grin and mouthed, “''NOT … WHILE … I … BREATHE … BOONE''” and shanked Boone with his [[Runbook]]. | ||
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''The counter ticked past 3:42.'' | ''The counter ticked past 3:42.'' | ||
Boone collapsed into glamour-glow visions of Georgie and Algernon, holding hands, astride pink unicorns, in a forest of hyper-rainbows, floating joyfully amongst a flock of cute, fluffy green chatbots that were nibbling delicately and licking at their glistening faces. '' | Boone collapsed into glamour-glow visions of Georgie and Algernon, holding hands, astride pink unicorns, in a forest of hyper-rainbows, floating joyfully amongst a flock of cute, fluffy green chatbots that were nibbling delicately and licking at their glistening faces. ''“It’s fine, Opco! Come on over! You will never look back! Everything is — so beautiful!” Operations Officer Kurzweil walked serenely towards him in a silken toga, with a ball of pearlescent light before him. “It is all true, Opco.” Behind him Georgie and Algernon nodded blissfully. “We have solved it. Everything. There is enough management information to satisfy every [[stakeholder]]. You don’t need to worry. There’s an app for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g...”'' | ||
The last thing Boone remembered was trying to move his arms and his legs, but he could not. His tongue lolled. He dribbled into the carpet in the footwell. Then everything went black. | The last thing Boone remembered was trying to move his arms and his legs, but he could not. His tongue lolled. He dribbled into the carpet in the footwell. Then everything went black. | ||
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Algy inspected one of the KPI arrays. It was fitted with a crypto-locked switch marked “ARM”. He looked down the row. Every bank was crypto-locked. ''Every single switch was armed''. Over the transom, a digital display carried the detonator count-down. | Algy inspected one of the KPI arrays. It was fitted with a crypto-locked switch marked “ARM”. He looked down the row. Every bank was crypto-locked. ''Every single switch was armed''. Over the transom, a digital display carried the detonator count-down. | ||
Algy clicked into his wrist comm, “Georgie, this is bad. There must be 40,000 [[KPI]]s here. More, probably. They’re all armed. We’ve got three minutes. I couldn’t switch that many off in that time even if they weren’t | Algy clicked into his wrist comm, “Georgie, this is bad. There must be 40,000 [[KPI]]s here. More, probably. They’re all armed. We’ve got three minutes. I couldn’t switch that many off in that time even if they weren’t encrypted. But they are blockchain hashed.” | ||
Georgie said, “Copy that, Algy. We have to turn this truck around. It is the only way. And it’s what Boone would have wanted. Remember, you have the element of surprise. There’s no time. You can do this, Algy. Oh! ''LOOK OUT!''” | Georgie said, “Copy that, Algy. We have to turn this truck around. It is the only way. And it’s what Boone would have wanted. Remember, you have the element of surprise. There’s no time. You can do this, Algy. Oh! ''LOOK OUT!''” | ||
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Outside, Georgie gunned his Kawasaki | Outside, Georgie gunned his Kawasaki | ||
Kurzweil unlatched the rear door and peered out. Light flooded into the trailer. | Kurzweil unlatched the rear door and peered out. Light flooded into the trailer. Kurzweil was dazzled for a moment, then saw Georgie rolling twenty yards back. He levelled his Gantt. Georgie looped a fat slalom on the bike to throw off his aim. Kurzweil matched her cadence. Georgie carved wider. Kurzweil cocked his piece. Georgie fishtailed. Kurzweil fired — missed. | ||
Algy stepped out of the shadow to Kurzweil’s right, cold-cocked him with a five-point cost projection, and said, cool as you like, “business case ''this''.” Kurzweil collapsed to his knees and Algy hoofed him off the back of the truck. | Algy stepped out of the shadow to Kurzweil’s right, cold-cocked him with a five-point cost projection, and said, cool as you like, “business case ''this''.” Kurzweil collapsed to his knees and Algy hoofed him off the back of the truck. | ||