Breakwall - 6.5 - Forces
A PERFECT STORM
Breakwall - Episode 6.5 - Forces begin to culminate in a perfect storm and life is tough as a security contractor. Follow us on Twitter for news and updates. Join us on discord to hang out with cast and crew! Want to support the show? Please check out our Patreon as Cybernautica is 100% Fan Supported!
Cybernautica is intended for mature audiences on account of mature language, theme and violence. Please be advised.
CREDITS:
Bobby Frankenberger as Hightower Security 1
Scrimerva as Hightower Security 2
Dan Boud as the Narrator
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Written, Designed and Edited by Damian Szydlo
Script Editing by Jupiter Sanders
Music and Sound Effects from Syrinscape & Audioblocks
Transcript
FADE IN
[Starts in the dimly lit security docking bay of Intra-Call - Security lines from Episode 6.0]
SECURITY 1
“Not our concern. You’re drifting within critical proximity to our structure. Get your vehicle under control immediately or we will be required to respond with force granted under permissions in Article 1906B, protection of contracted property.”
The call ended. A rude finale to an annoying experience, but one Officer X5-329 was more than used to in his daily routine. His position was one part traffic control and another part routine zone enforcement. Everyday was exactly the same, he mused while sipping at a cold coffee as he sat within the worn cockpit of his Caldwell Interceptor. Scanners continued to clock the loitering vehicle as divergent from regulated flight paths and idle. Unbidden but not unwelcome, a fleeting, cynical thought entered his mind and encouraged a smirk to grow across his face. He could engage building defenses; blow that flightcar out of the sky. It’d be a simple swipe to the holo-interface that he was monitoring. That’d teach them, he thought. There’d be nothing left of the insolent trespasser but shrapnel. By the time morning rolled around everyone in the district would see it splashed all over the Megaris news ticker. Oh yes, all commuters would think twice about loitering around the Intra-Call building without a permit to diverge from established flight-paths. Well… At least for a couple of days they would.
With a sigh and an uncomfortable wince he took another sip at the bitter, off-temperature drink he’d been nursing on and off for the last few hours. The thing about swiping ‘engage’ on the defense matrix was that he’d be spending the next day filling out near endless reports. Hightower would need to file a number of forms from damage assessment to risk analysis and of course the all-mighty possibility of lost assets. It would be his luck, afterall, that the passenger in this skycab would turn out to be someone important. The kid of some Caprican engineer or artist or maybe a Caldwell executive’s grandmother. Even if he managed to get clear of all fault, it’d be a nightmare. He’d be tagged ‘reckless’ by command and inevitably be sent to a worse gig then the one he was currently on… but damn if it wasn’t fun to daydream about it.
Returning his concentration to the task at hand, his brow furrowed at the out of place blip on his display. They should have moved on by now. Placing his coffee back in it’s holder with gritted teeth he felt his nerves begin to fray. If they didn’t move on soon he’d be forced to kick the interceptor into gear and physically get an eye on the situation. That’d be just great. He’d already spent the last three shifts working overtime to help the company in keeping up with a fortuitous over abundance of law enforcement contracts it’d fallen into over the past six months. If only that ‘help’ had been voluntary.
SECURITY 1
“Come on. COME ON! Just move along…”
Seconds continued to tick down as his display began to flash red. This was NOT how one might get home and watch ‘The Harbingers’ live instead of by rerun. Again. Stalling one last second he flipped down the viser of his helmet, cursing as he reached down to the ignition with the intent of lurching his fighter-craft into motion... then it happened. The blip was suddenly moving and fortune had finally shone it’s lucky light down upon him. Slowly and to his great relief the offender rejoined the flow of traffic as the flashing alert de-escalated. Within moments after that, everything had returned to the peace of orderly transit. Everything was in its place again.
SECURITY 2
“Officer X5-329. This is X5-212. I’m responding to a call at the Lux. Hightower is short handed over there tonight. Looks like you’re working overtime, muffin.”
SECURITY 1
“Hey! That’s a god-damned negative, Tracy. You’re the only other interceptor up here. Protocol says we need two officers on hand at all times.”
SECURITY 2
“What don’t you get about short handed, 329? Hightower orders, we obey. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Pounding his fist on his steering wheel he cursed for the second time in the last few minutes as the grav-engines on his partner’s ship engaged and the fighter lifted off from it’s docking pad before dropping the lever and flying out of the bay at top speed. It wasn’t long before the blip representing the vehicle was gone, much like his chances of getting home at a reasonable time.
Shaking his head he was nearly startled out of his skin at a sudden knock on his window. With a scowl he opened the door, his frustration getting the better of him in the moment, his training forgotten as he stepped out of the car.
SECURITY 1
“Hey! This area is off limits” - [panicked/pained sound as he gets run through with a katana]
The katana had sprung out of what had seemed like thin air and shadow. Officer X5-329 was no longer concerned by the streak of unfortunate events that insisted on infecting his life. All these worries were all so small as a sense of vertigo filled him; his body sliding off the blade to tumble down upon the metal surface of the docking pad. His last thought was one that was thankful for pain suppression technology.
Stepping over the officer’s body with long legs and silent grace, Derby Bell slid into the weathered drivers seat before reaching down to snatch the holo-com up from the downed officer’s body… the sliding door closing behind her.
[Grav-Engines start]