‘Now we have that out of the way I look forward to some phone calls from the people in charge of this show. I will continue to do things my way until I get what I want. The authorities know where I am and how to contact me. I expect them to get in touch me in the next hour or I will kill every single person in this building. Then I’ll be out of here and the government will have to explain why over three hundred people had to die at the hands of Connor Chase, looks like the whole “Not negotiating with terrorists” thing hasn’t panned out so far. What makes you think it’s going to get any better? You’ll be hearing from me soon’
The TV goes black as the broadcast ends. The room remains in shock as officers look on as Eddie stares at the screen. Shaw pats Eddie on the shoulder snapping him out of his daze. He looks at Shaw with dead eyes as he gets up from his chair and swigs the flask dry. He tosses the empty tin flask on the desk. It clangs as it swivels on the wooden surface. Eddie slowly walks out towards the door of the incident room as a sea of officer’s part way for him. He stops at the door and turns around. He gives Shaw an apologetic look. He turns back to face the door and disappears through it. The room goes sour with silence as the officers look on in dismay.
Ninety Four
Officer Mullins hears another knock on the passenger window as he taps his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. He turns his head slowly, expecting to see his partner on his right standing woefully at the window. To his shock he sees Frank McKenzie waiting patiently. Mullins quickly unlocks the door allowing Frank in.
‘What are you doing here?’ Asks Mullins as he eye balls Frank’s serious domineer.
‘I was going to ask you the same thing’
‘Well don’t bother; I’m just sitting here doing nothing while the world goes to shit’
Frank laughs as he lights up a cigarette.
‘I feel your pain Officer Mullins.’
Frank clicks the ashtray open on the dashboard. He taps the cigarette’s end, shedding ash into the receptacle.
‘Truth is I don’t like sitting on my ass doing nothing.’ Says Mullins
‘We don’t have to’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m sure you have noticed how I may sway from given orders in some situations.’
Mullins smiles while checking his rear view mirror.
‘I can’t say I have noticed Frank’
‘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.’