Gabatrix: The Warrior of Silence

"What about the guns they are using?" Stone asked.

Lekan seemed to pause a little bit. "The footage makes it hard to identify all of them. The suspects' faces can't be seen too well with the gear they have on. However, most appear to be armed with sub-machine guns or pistols. Five staff members were working inside the building, but it sounded like from recordings that there was a gunfight inside. According to the owner Rimba, one of his workers was armed and might have tried to fight back."

"Is Rimba here?" Ioren typed.

"He is in one of the cars. He was outside when the whole event took place. From his explanation, the shutters were a recent install to help beef up his security. It is designed not to be opened up unless it has a code. Most of the workers didn't even know about it yet."

"It is possible that the suspect worker...." There was a brief pause as Ioren was hurriedly typing as fast as she could on her tilon. "Might not know about the new security measures."

"Exactly," Lekan remarked. "Suspects were most likely trying to do a quick in and out heist."

"But the fools didn't know they were going to get locked in either," Stone interrupted him as he folded up his arms. "Cornered, they only have hostages to save them."

"Yes. I have the codes to open up the shutters and launch a full-scale raid to apprehend them, but it risks hurting the workers."

"Have you contacted the suspects yet?"

"I have tried three different times. Last ten minutes, I spoke with one of them. They want free passage out with their stolen goods, and they will let the hostages go."

Stone lifted up his hands and momentarily stepped away before he almost slapped his hand on the vehicle hood. "They can't expect that they will get away with that," he iterated to the lieutenant. "I say we just go ahead and open the shutters. Full barrage of stun and gas grenades, and none of the hostages will be hurt."

Lekan shook his head. "The gear they have consists of filter masks and stun resistant armor. I will keep it in mind but only as a last resort. However, I won't bargain with them on their terms, and I'm trying to stall them for now, but our primary goal is to secure the workers before we go in. Any action on our part will endanger the hostages."

"Is this all that you have?" Ioren typed.

"I'm a little low on manpower. I summoned reinforcements, but it will take time. It's twenty of us against twelve of them. I have our main team here ready to launch the raid, but I will have you a part of the team with your partner, Gero, and Delu." He paused as a beeping sound came from the tablet. "Excuse me...."

Lekan gestured to Stone towards the car. The marine seemed more interested in the coming call directed at the commanding officer. Ioren, however, saw the vehicle that Lekan had pointed at. She looked and saw a man in the backseat. She proceeded to the car as Stone turned to see where she was heading to.

His augmented eye could easily distinguish a man with unique features on his face. Unlike most people of Oshun, the passenger in the backseat of the car was more mixed with former Chinese features and a dark complexion. Moreover, he was well dressed, like he was a manager of some sort. It was enough for Stone to follow suit and check the passenger. This had to be Rimba, the store owner, or at least what he thought it was.

Upon reaching the car, the older man turned his head to look at Ioren and Stone. With a hard tap, the marine's fingers made a preverbal thud on the car. It startled him as he hit the button to lower the window to talk to the two. Ioren noted that this person was well used to seeing Itreans by now but seemed more nervous with Stone's physical appearance.

"Are you Rimba?" the marine asked the older man.

"Yes, I am," Rimba replied with a hint of fear in his voice. His accent had a gentile tone sounding snobbish but professional at the same time. "This is my store."

"What can you tell me about the shutters you use?" Stone asked him.

"I don't know. I am just a jewelry store entrepreneur," Rimba explained. "I wanted to make sure that my store was ready against another heist."

"We have word that one of the workers might be a suspect. How many of your workers knew about the new security measures you installed?"

"A few did....." Rimba lifted his pointer finger and tapped his lips. "I did get a new worker last week. She wouldn't know about the new measures. Cindy Adamma is her name. Yes....she seemed interested in the non-branded gems and wanting to work there....."

"What is non-branded?" Ioren asked with her tilon.

"All my gems and metals carry a brand label etching to them," Rimba explained. "I think the suspects might be interested in those gems."

"Why would they be interested in them?"

"Branded gems that are reported as stolen can be picked out in any jewelry or pawnshop easily. It is designed to help stop these sorts of heists and revelry unless they have re-branding machines, but the non-branded gems are easier to pawn off in time. We always have my workers branding the gems around the clock when new shipments arrive."

"How much value do you have in there?" Stone asked.

"About seven million mard with a quarter of that is in the uncut and non-branded gem shipments."

"Did you happen to make out the suspects?"

"They were.....thugs dressed in riot gear.....masks, gas masks, gloves. I saw the vans come rushing in unison and pull off the road. All at once, they came running, going straight in. Honestly, if I were there, I would have just surrendered to them. Never had I seen so many rousers in my life."

"Well, it seems you caught them perfectly in something they didn't prepare for," Stone remarked.

"Not like this....." Rimba put his hand to his head. "I have the codes to have it disabled at any time, but I have been instructed not to yet. My workers and livelihood are in danger....."

"We will save your people," Ioren typed.

"Thank you. I fear for my associate. The gunshots.....I think Oyoo might have fought back...." He closed his eyes as he paused. A great sense of regret filled his emotions.

"What can you tell me about the back of the store?" Stone asked.

"Offices mostly, with the lounge in the middle rear. The branding and cutting machines are in the right rear section of the store. Storage is further past that. No doubt the thugs have already pillaged the storage area."

Stone backed away from the car without giving any further attention to Rimba. He tried to look into the store's interior, but it was proving to be challenging. His augmented eye simply couldn't penetrate through the thick walls due to either the range or the density of the materials. As a result, his vision was merely obscured. Only very faint thin red outlines would appear but disappear before he could make anything out.

Ioren watched as the marine gave a mean look towards the store. He turned his head towards Lekan that was still busy talking with someone else. He stepped forward as the Itrean woman followed him.

"I think it would prove beneficial if you released one of the hostages as a sign of good faith if you wish to have any leeway," Lekan said towards his tablet. The projection indicated an audio-only communication that was made between him and the store's interior.

"No!" an angry man called out on the comms. "We have made our demands, and you must follow it. In fifteen minutes, we will execute one of the hostages. Let us go, and we will release them!"

"Listen! Whoever you are!" Stone jumped in on the conversation. It caused Lekan to cringe, knowing that the marine might make things worse. "My name is Master Sergeant Stone of the police force. You attempted to rob a store, and now you hold the workers as hostages. If you want this to go peacefully, then I suggest that you let them go."

"We are the ones with guns aimed at their foreheads, cop. You have fourteen minutes to comply. Joe, patch them in. I want them to hear how serious they are in."

There was a brief pause as they could hear a channel change. Suddenly the sound of a woman came through the line. It sounded severe and distraught. The woman was apparently crying as the microphone was most likely brought to her face.

"Tell them your name," another male voice could be heard.

"Sa.....Samantha Ife....." a female voice. It was apparent that Lekan, Stone, and Ioren were listening to one of the hostages talking.

"Ife.....would you like to go home today?"

"Ye......yes..."

"You can tell them what I am holding. What am I holding in my hand?"

"A.....gun......he has gun......aimed at me.....please.....please let me go."

There was another channel click as the original male voice returned. Stone and Ioren were carefully noting everything that was happening.

"You have thirteen minutes, or that woman dies first," the man said. "No more negotiations. No more warnings."

"You......." But Stone could hear the channel be disconnected entirely. Lekan gave a dirty look at the marine but eyed the vicinity again.

"There was a clicking sound," Ioren typed on her tilon.

"Yes," Lekan remarked. "The hostages are in a different location than the place that the leader was calling from. Hmmm....."

"The rear section of the store consists of offices, cutting and branding room, and storage," Stone noted as his eyes were narrowed. "According to Rimba, he feels that the storage areas are fully cleaned out."

Lekan pulled up the diagram. "Here is what I propose. I can't abide with their demands."

"I agree," Stone sternly replied. "We will just invite more of this in the coming weeks if we let them escape."

"What about the hostages?" Ioren typed.

"This is what I want both of you to do," Lekan said as he pointed at the building. "In about twelve minutes, I will have no choice but to use the codes and open the shutters. There we will engage them. We will fight the criminals if we have to, but I need you, Ioren, Delu, and Gero to go into the side left entrance. Your goal is to rescue and secure the hostages. I have to take the gamble that they are back there. Do this silently and get them out of the building. Once the hostages are secured, then we will take the next step and deal with the criminals."

It could have been considered a desperate action, but one that still seemed to make sense to Stone.

"Understood," Ioren replied through her tilon.

"And here I thought you didn't have a backbone, Lieutenant," the marine scolded him. "Fine, it sounds like a plan."

"I try....." the lead officer replied as his eyes narrowed at him. He tossed a small ear mike piece to the marine and Ioren. "Go!"

Stone and Ioren didn't have to hear it twice as they began to run towards the left side of the building. Ioren closed her tilon momentarily while she kept one hand on her sidearm holster. She was fast in how she moved. Compared to the towering human, the smaller Itrean was capable of running at much faster speeds than most typical humans. Her tail would straighten out a little bit like a running raptor. The feet would cut into the concrete hard, propelling her to impressive speeds. She ran ahead of the marine as Stone was shuffling to pull out hearing protection to fit in one of his ears. Ioren already worked the piece over her right ear hole. He knew that the possibility of armed conflict was getting closer.

The marine was indifferent to the scene while he made it to the left side of the building. He placed the hearing protection in one ear and the headpiece microphone in the other. It would have to do. With Ioren, he already knew enough that Itrean physiology was relatively resilient to any damage to their hearing. He could see that Gero and Delu were already in position by the door.

The back alley area had a fence that prevented individuals from walking to the buildings behind the jewelry store. The entrance to the store had a similar shutter to the ones in front. Delu was already preparing her plasma torches while Ioren was the first to reach them. Stone was not that far behind her.

"Sarge..." Gero responded to his arrival.

"Have you already been informed of the plan?" Stone asked them.

"Lieutenant has briefed us on the layout and operation," Delu explained.

"Our time is short," Stone explained. "Delu, begin cutting through the door. In less than ten minutes, the leader inside is going to start executing hostages. As soon as the door is cut, you will move the door and place it to the side. We have to be as silent as possible while we try to find the hostages and get them out. Once the entrance is open, Delu and Ioren will remain out here to keep the location secure. Gero, you will be with me when I go in."

"Roger," Delu replied.

Ioren was not pleased with the idea of Gero and Stone going in. She gave an angered look at Stone as he could see her facial reactions. She even hissed at him to get his attention. Delu stepped forward and pulled out her twin plasma cutters. She stretched them outward as the faint sound of metal being burnt could be heard.

"You have an issue with the plan?" Stone asked her. Seeing her reactions even caused him to narrow his eyes at her.

She waved her hands at him but then reactivated her tilon. She began typing again as the system translated for her.

"Why am I staying?" the tilon stated.

"Because you are useless in there," Stone said, almost snapping at her. He kept his voice down but showed his anger at the same time.

"I am your partner."

"You won't even fucking talk. I can't have someone in there that won't respond to my commands. Besides, I gave you an order."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't overrule me."

He almost stabbed his finger into her chest. "I don't give a shit about how you feel about this. Too many people are going in and will alert them. So stay the fuck here."

Ioren almost snarled when she finally relented. "I will stay, but I should be with you."

Gero gave a disturbing look at both of them while at the same time trying to keep away from it. He himself already seemed to know the mean streak of the marine, and if an argument came into play, it was probably best to stay out of it. Delu remained focused on her work.

The plasma torches were slowly cutting the walls of the shutters. Unlike the first door of the day before, the tools had to work a little bit harder than before. The material was denser, but Delu was making steady progress. In less than a minute, she had made a clean precision.

This was a risky move. Nerves were a little high as Stone knew that anybody on the other side could see the cutting incisions in progress. If the criminals saw this, then it would bring full alert onto the four and possibly endanger the lives of the hostages inside. There was no going back on this. Silence was crucial, and even Stone tried to imagine everything that he needed to do. He pulled out his marine switchblade knife. With a simple click, the blade unsheathed itself with a slight metallic thud. Keeping it in his left hand, he wanted to be ready in case he needed to unholster his Desert Falcon. Ioren unholstered her pistol and gripped it with both of her scaly hands.

Stone's augmented eye could briefly show the interior section past the door of the building. The shutters blocked most of it and limited his sight range significantly, but he could see a small passageway that might have led to other rooms. There was no hint of red outlines that may indicate people on the other side. Of course, a two to three-meter range was not enough to see what lay deeper.

"Almost...." Delu whispered. Her torches made a perfect elliptical incision into the door. She almost dropped the torches as she pulled out a suction cup device from her belt. It made a soft clunk onto the neatly cut shutter and door. This would prevent the door from falling down inside to make any noise.

"Help me," Delu asked one of the team members as she tried to muster her strength. The device she was using was not meant for a multi-layered door and shutter combination. There was a threat of the metal sheet falling down as Ioren stepped forward and grabbed the remains of the shutter. Summoning her strength, she assisted Delu as they gently placed everything on the sidewall.

With one hand on the grip of his gun and a knife in the other hand, Stone was the first to enter. Gero was right behind him with his stun baton ready. There was barely any sound created as the two men were careful not to stomp their boots into the ground.

The interior had been confirmed to be some makeshift tool and equipment storage room. It had two enclosed sliding doors with one several meters to the right and another that went to another room ahead. Both of these doors were closed.

Unfortunately, both Stone and Gero would behold a man who lay on his stomach in the center of the floor. The well-lit room depicted that of a pool of blood on the marble-like tiles. A small OCP-3P lay beside him after it had been emptied. Gero was the first to step up to the body as he used his fingers to check for a pulse. Meanwhile, Stone walked up near the corner of the room to get his bearings and observe through the adjacent rooms. His left boot made contact with the pool of blood as it gently splashed, coating the bottom heel of the footwear. The marine had concluded in his mind that this might have been Oyoo that Rimba had mentioned earlier. Nothing could be done. He was already dead.

There was enough sight range that Ioren pointed her pistol at the right side interior door. Even from her position outside, she was trying to help provide cover just in case the door would open up. Her reptilian eyes were glued to it, waiting for any signs of trouble. Gero was quiet as he saw Stone gesture him with his head to come up to the door ahead. He stepped around the body and got on the other side adjacent to the marine.

Stone's augmented eye began to penetrate through the interior walls. Unlike the outside, the inside was less thick. It was much easier for his vision to penetrate the layers of adjacent rooms. He could see a brief dark outline layout that matched similar to the diagrams of the interior structure. It was enough that he could see the main store that led to the vast open area where the jewelry was typically sold. From here, he could see the red outlines of at least six people. His vision was still partially limited as he couldn't see more than half of the area. All these individuals had something on them and carried guns of various types. Each of them was not in a state of alert or alarm.

When the marine turned his attention to the closed room in front of him, his vision began to show a smaller layout. Unlike the vast interior of the storefront, he could see everything on the other side. There were also six people, but it was vastly different. This smaller room looked more like a lounge for people to sit down and take a break. Supposedly, there was a table in the center of the place and several chairs. Unfortunately, it had been upended and shoved to the sidewall. Four of the people were lying flat on the ground on the center floor. The silhouettes were not enough to display emotions, but Stone could quickly tell that these were the hostages. The other two people had to be criminals. They were shown to be in a similar gear layout and had guns in their hands.

Gero didn't have the same ability that Stone possessed, but there was something that he could do. He looked at the police officer and whispered the plan to him.

"Two hostiles and all the hostages are in there. Is it possible that you can mimic the leader's voice with your augmented vocal cords?"

"Yes," Gero quietly replied back. "It won't be perfect since I only heard him once."

"Good. I'm going to knock on the door quietly. There, you will ask them to report to the store. When they walk past us, I will take one down, and you get the other."