[Fiction] Kidnapped

[Walker]

Excerpt from N! Prime News.

Police sources looking into the illegal drug trade in South East Asia, say they have been baffled by a string of raids carried out on drug plantations in the area in the past few days. The raids have struck at several well protected opium plantations deep in the jungles of Thailand and Burma leaving scores dead. No evidence of the attackers has been recovered from the scene, though Thai police say they suspect Nova involvement from the suddenness of the attacks and the lack of vehicle tracks. A spokes person from the DEA has said that they have been, for some time monitoring violent clashes between members of the Camparelli Zukhov and Heaven Thunder Triads cartels, over the heroin trade. The source said that this marks an alarming escalation over the activity of recent months and that the DEA would be looking into this development. All the attacks have so far involved attacks on the Heaven Thunder cartel. And in an N! Prime exclusive, we have learned that in the last hour two prominent members of the Heaven Thunder Triads have been gunned down in their homes, an eye witness account spoke of the involvement of a glowing Nova along with several armed men. Who is this mystery Nova and what is there role in this affair? Are we seeing the actions of a Nova vigilante with a grudge against the drug trade or is this Nova involved with the drug trade? We’ll be bringing you more on this story as it breaks.

[Walker]

Security camera footage dated 23rd August 2012, recovered from Vijaya Hotel, in the Oude Zijds Achterburgwal district, Central Amsterdam.

Start Footage.

A thin, tall man in a dark long-coat, his head looking oddly domed, walks down a deserted alleyway as paper blows across the entrance. The camera picks up a strange glow around him, though in shades of green it’s impossible to say what colour it is. The 24 hour time display in the bottom right shows 03.21, well after the local business has cooled down for the night. The man seems to start in his progress and look around. A second later the glow of a few brightly lit booths, still open for business further down the alleyway, illuminates two bulky figures. Blocking the narrow alley they advance towards the thin man. The air seems to ripple around him briefly and almost solidify, the glow expanding outwards from his body slightly, as the thin man steps back into some kind of martial arts stance. The two bulky figures, now visible as men and probably habitual Mite users pause, unexpectedly the thin man spins round, holding his head and collapses to the cobbles of the alleyway. Another short, well dressed, balding man appears in the alleyway, apparently stepping out of thin air. The fourth man says something to the two bulky men who pick up the thin man and supporting him between them, as if he were drunk, or had indulged too much during a stay at one of the local coffee shops, carry him out of the alleyway and turn right, heading down Oude Zijds Voorburgwal, out of camera shot. The short man looks up and down the alley and apparently satisfied, follows the two men and the captive, thin man.

End Footage.

Head hurts, bright light, I blink, opening my eyes cautiously and suddenly remembering my last thoughts and feeling my hands manacled behind me, close my eyes and try to open a gate, nothing happens.

"Oh I wouldn’t try that," a smooth melodious voice says, "you’re not going anywhere". As my eyes adjust to the light, not as quickly as they should I think, I notice a small balding man and the two goons from the alleyway, seeing them now it’s obvious they are Mitoids, barrel chested and arms bulging, one of them cradles an automatic shotgun, SPAS 12, easily recognised. Damn how did they catch me?

"More easily than you think" answers the balding man. I freeze in pure panic, then carefully blank my mind using the meditation techniques I picked up when first learning to control my powers. I look around in pure observation mode, no Eufiber, small room, hand cuffs with a solid bar chained to chair, metal chair bolted to the floor, surrounded by what, for all the world, look like giant bass cones, strange hum in my head.

Having no other option, I shrug as best as the handcuffs will allow and say, "So what, exactly, do you want me to do?"

[Walker]

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DIRECTIVE INTERUPT OPNET PROTOCOLS OBSERVED

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Message intercepted by independent hacking company Richard Smith, currently believed to be in the employ of Camparelli Zukhov Megasyndicate.

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REDIRECTED TO DIRECTIVE MAINFRAME ******

CODE - ORPHEUS WHITEBOX SYMBOLIC ANALYSIS AND DEDUCTION WORM PROGRAM - IDENT OWSAADWP 005

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99% PROBABLE TRANSLATION OF CODE WORDS OVERLAID. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TRAWLED FROM PRIVATE ACCOUNTS VIA LEGACY SOFTWARE IMPLANT - CODE *******

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-Beginning log excerpt---------------------------

-OPIP: *BLOCKED*---------------------------------

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loading operating system... Successful.

loading GUI... Yggdrasil interface online.

Weaving tapestries and rendering rapids...

And on the seventh day, the kernel rested.

Yggdrasil Alcove CPU activity log...

{magic_wand=1}

OPIP: Block magic successful!

{traceguard_protocol=1}

Using random seed pi sattelite protocols.

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00:00:02 - Log begins - Boot successful

00:00:03 - Username: Hino, Sakurako

Mode: Driver's seat

00:01:33 - Search initiated;

keyword: "Amsterdam"

00:02:05 - Search Completed; 14322 articles found

00:03:15 - Search parameters appended

keyword: +"Security camera footage"

00:04:00 - Search Completed; no articles matched.

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01:00:00 - New Search; multiple engines employed.

01:01:02 - 15 engines active, 4 keyword query

"Amsterdam"

+"Zhurkhov-Camperelli"

+"Heaven's Thunder"

+"Walker"

01:02:00 - Search complete: 1 article

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02:40:00 - Logging on to; ontp://www.nprime.net/

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{traceguard_protocol=2}

Passive mode activated.

{magic_wand=2}

Dynamic OPIP disguise magic... Activated!

{interface_code=0}

Standard QWERTY interface... Activated!

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-End of log excerpt------------------------------

-Exerpt made using syslogprn v2.34 Linux Edition-

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Okay fellas, here's the low-down

A few days ago, Walker seems to have dissapeared.

I have begun the hunt with a few other un-named novas to

discover the whereabouts of Walker, and the whys of his

dissapearance. You all by now have seen the security

camera footage recently publicized on a hidden corner of

the opnet. The information has been linked to here for

ease of analysis. Here is what I have gathered.

ADDITIONAL OPNET ACCOUNT INTERUPT OBSERVED ACCOUNTS:- JAGER TEKNOKAT DAMPNER ENDEAVOR PRESCOT:

I found that recently, 4 of I guess you'd say attacks,

have been made on several triad held locations. These

areas are known for their Opium trade. Walker's

situation may be tied in to a recent slew of threatening

messages sent to his personal message inbox.

I'm not going to go into the massive file I've discovered

just yet. I have to ensure that my source is correct on

this matter. But, this may involve the Z/C mob and their

recent and ongoing war with the Heaven's Thunder triad.

This article I've discovered I'm about have run through a

B.S. filter, then after I discern the info, then I can

let you guys know about this file.

Until then, you know where you can reach me.

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ADDITIONAL ORDERS REQUESTED FROM HUMAN MODERATOR ********

start phrase - new line @

THIS MAY BE ONE TO WATCH

@ - end phrase: set flag opwatch true

[Walker]

Having no other option, I shrug as best as the handcuffs will allow and say, "So what exactly, do you want me to do?" and I try not to think, as soon as I’m free I’m outa here.

So the small man goes into history mode, he talks earnestly and it’s hard not to like what he’s saying, his voice is so soothing… I learn that he knows that years ago I helped out a few friends smuggling cannabis from Holland to make some fast and easy cash. He tells me that I can be useful to him and his friends, there’s a lot I can do for them, moving tons of smack through my gates, transporting it all around the world. They’ve been having trouble with the Triads. He spits and I feel his hatred of them seeping into my bones, how I despise those foreign bastards. When he suggests opening a gate so that enforcers can kill them right in their beds, I break into a feral grin. If I prove useful, it’s going to earn them big kudos with their bosses, and I swell with pride at the thought of being helpful to my new friend.

The next few days are a blur, I’m being shown maps and told plans, I’m opening gates into jungle estates on the Burmese/Thailand border and watching one bunch of people kill another bunch of people in drug factories and fields, before loading up with white powder and warping back. Then it’s right, smack, bang into the front room of some fancy oriental house and more killing goes on. A hot mountainous place, Afghanistan? Kashmir? people are pushing cart loads of white powder through the shimmer of my gates. Some of the things I’m doing bother me, but my new friend is always ready to talk, and after I have talked to him, I always feel a lot better. He couldn’t be a better friend, why he’s even given me a new house.

I step through a gate for another raid on the hated Triads, something is not right. Glancing round, the estate is long abandoned, primary jungle growth overflowing the fields, the goons who went through first are milling about in confusion spreading out and watching the surrounding forest. Something else is not right either, my mind feels clear for the first time in days. What am I doing here? The man with the melodious voice (my friend?) is looking confused as well, "Get us out of here" he says, but his words no longer carry any weight. As I turn to face him, I catch sight of a familiar pink haired figure, someone flying in behind him, fast and low over the tree tops just beyond the edge of the abandoned fields. Mr Melodious looks at me and concentrates, then his eyes widen in shock as I raise the automatic pistol I’ve been given and fire three shots at pointblank range into my new "friend" BANG. BANG. BANG. He goes down and I feel only a twinge of regret at seriously hurting him. His goons spin round leveling their shotguns and SMGs but I simply smile and raise my hands as if in surrender. The familiar figure, the name comes back to me, Endeavor, grasp’s my outstretched hands and pulls me into the air as the goons shoot the space I was occupying.

A short while later we land below the canopy, there’s another familiar figure wearing a headset radio, Twist. She breaks into a warm grin and says she’s glad we’re both all right. Twist cock’s her head and listens to something on the radio, she says "Roger, I’ve got that" and begins opening a gate similar to, but subtly different from one of mine. Someones else in camouflage fatigues and also wearing a headset, comes running into the area. I recognise her as Dampner, the elite I hired to protect my family, she nods at me in a business like manner. As all four of us step through the gate, a part of me can't help thinking of Mr Melodious, wondering if he's going to be all right. By the time I've shaken my head, I'm somewhere else.

[Walker]

DIRECTIVE FILE 0459/CZ/W/009

Transcript of phone conversation; 09/09/12; between public phones in New York and Shanghai

Voice 1: Believed to be Luciano Camparelli, important junior member of the Camparelli-Zukhov Megasyndicate

Voice 2: Unknown individual, identified only as Chang, probably a high ranking individual in the Heaven Thunder Triad

Start of phone conversation

Voice 1: Chang, it’s me Luciano.

Voice 2: Excellent, I was told you wished to discuss terms. Would you kindly explain the recent actions your newest, gifted employee?

Voice 1: Look Chang, what did happen, never should have happened, you catch my drift? Geslar was acting without any official sanction from the syndicate. He and his hackers were affiliates only, understand? Now I know we were having a friendly little disagreement, but that stupid Pole should never have been taking things so far.

Voice 2: That may be, but there is a debt of blood to be paid…

Voice 1: From what I understand, you didn’t do too badly from Wu’s death.

,,

Voice 2: Inaudible

Voice 1: Yeah I thought so. Look, we’re both businessmen, we both can see how this would interrupt the flow of profitable commerce, right? I’ve personally taken care of Geslar’s little mob. He’s disappeared right now but when he shows his face I will personally see to it that he is delivered to you alive. We’ll keep our fingers out of the Burma/Thai operations in future, and cede you the happy trade through your traditional territory … as well as blueprints for the new strains.

Voice 2: A most generous offer favored son, this will go some way to repaying the debt of dishonor incured …

Voice 1: And like I say Geslar’s all yours.

Voice 2: Very well.

Inaudible third voice talking to Voice 2

Voice 2: Ahh, I believe we should end this phone call now. Loose lips sink ships my friend. (CODE: this phone call is being bugged).

Voice 1: So we’re agreed for now?

Voice 2: For now.

End of phone conversation