From the Front Lines Pt.5

October 28th, 2041:
A Newswire Exclusive - From the Front Lines - Part 5
By: Terri Maeanya Kopp
This is the fifth in a five part live blog by Investigative Journalist for the Newswire, Terri Kopp, as her and Consortium officers Rook 12, Bishop 10, and Knight 18 board the Guardian Church Sanctum Station. This article was created via transcription from the audio and video feed captured by Terri via her remote equipment. It has been edited down from several hours of footage. If you wish to obtain a full recording, please contact me with your requests.
Rook12: Found- Andrelia, do you know how we get into Engineering?
Andrelia: We will need to go down through the Utilities Building. I assume you mean to go to the reactor?
Rook12: Yes. We're going to need to find a way to disable that bomb in the next forty or so minutes, if by any chance that lunatic was telling the truth about the "stars aligning." 
Terri: But the Knight said that was a load of B.S. 
Rook12: It is. Unfortunately, the person with his finger on the trigger doesn't agree with us.
Terri: Oh.
Rook12: We're going to need to disarm that... shit. My access code doesn't let us into--
Computer Voice: Access Denied. Access Denied. Access Denied.
Rook12: Godamnit!
Computer Voice: Access Granted. Welcome, Founder Cody.
Andrelia: Done.
Rook12: Why do you have a--
Andrelia: All Founders have unlimited access to all Church facilities. These cultists thankfully never took that into account.
Terri: An all access pass? If I were a suicidal terrorist bomber, that's the first thing I'd take away!
Terri: If I were a suicidal terrorist bomber.
Terri: Which I'm not.
Rook12: We know that, Terri.
Terri: Just wanted to get that out there. 
Andrelia: I'm aware who you are, Miss Kopp. I was quite partial to your investigative segment on the Government Monitoring system implemented by the joint efforts of the Guardian Church and the Global Senate.
Terri: Oh. Thanks. I won an award for that.
Andrelia: Yes. From the Church. 
Terri: Oh. Right. Oh!
Andrelia: Indeed.
Rook12: I think we're almost there. Pretty high tech looking down here. I sort of thought we'd be suspended on gangplanks and such.
Andrelia: We spared no expense for the Sanctum. I believe Engineering is just up this way.
Rook12: Andrelia... if you don't mind?
Andrelia: Of course.
Computer Voice: Access Granted. Welcome to Engineering, Founder Cody.
Rook12: Thanks.
Terri: I expected there would be cultists down here. Wouldn't, uh, guarding their means of ascending to be with the Guardians be high on their list of priorities?
Rook12: Maybe. Depends if they thought it was fool proof or not. A while back we took down an apparent Liberty's Children cell - not that they'd ever admit it - where the bomber set a bomb and went out for coffee. Guess he thought no one could disarm the thing in the time it took for him to shoot down a latte. 
Terri: Where was that?
Rook12: Chicago, about a year ago.
Terri: I didn't hear about any terrorist activities in Chicago last year.
Rook12: I know, nobody did. O.K. I'm going to need to crawl down this hatch. Terri, can you direct me through the vents? Last thing I need is to get turned around in there. Just use the loudspeaker.
Terri: OK. CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Rook12: Turn it down.
Terri: Sorry. Ok. Um. Andrelia, can you read this map?
Andrelia: Take a left, dear. Up at the junction. Now a right. Another right. Down the ladder there, and... there you go.
Terri: She's in the main reactor room now?
Andrelia: Yes. See? There on the display. She's--
Computer Voice: ALERT. ALERT. CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION OCCURING IN PRIMARY HALL. FIVE MINUTES TO DECOMPRESSION IN ENGINEER SECTION.
*VWOOOOOOOOOSH*
Terri: What's going on?
Andrelia: Either someone has intentionally vented the main hall, or structural damage has weakened the whole area. Or the Bishop managed to blow a hole in the side of the station. Engineering is a part of that section, so we'd better hurry.
Terri: LISA! HANG ON! THE ATMOPSHERE IS VENTING!
Andrelia: The station's atmos-shielding should seal up the problem in about 30 seconds.
Terri: Why do you--
Andrelia: I know because of fire safety protocols. Vent most of the oxygen and a fire will go out.
Terri: Something's wrong. She's not moving.
Andrelia: She's working, dear. Let her.
Terri: I'm going in after her. Left, down, right, right, down?
Andrelia: I would not advise that. But if you must, I will direct you.
Terri: Ok, it's really tight in here.
Andrelia: Make a left, Terri. Now go up at the junction.
Computer Voice: THREE MINUTES TO CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION.
Andrelia: Take a right, and another right.
Terri: It's... really not fun in here. Getting hard to breathe.
Andrelia: Down the ladder. You'll be at the main reactor.
Terri: Lisa! Lisa, wake up! Andrelia, she's unconscious!
Andrelia: What do you see, Terri?
Terri: Crap, she can't hear me.
Computer Voice: TWO MINUTES TO CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION.
Rook12: Terri... *cough*... what are you doing here?
Terri: Saving your ass! Where's the bomb?
Rook12: There *cough*... isn't one. It was a hoax. That's just a *cough* empty box.
Terri: What the hell?
Rook12: I don't know. We need to get out of here before the air runs out.
Terri: Ok, up the ladder.
Rook12: This has been a real bad day.
Terri: Your face looks better at least!
Rook12: Thanks.
Terri: Do you remember which way to go?
Andrelia: Make a left, then another left.
Computer Voice: CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION IN ONE MINUTE.
Terri: Hurry up, Lisa!
Andrelia: Make a right at the end of the passage.
Rook12: Ugh, my head. Maybe I can just sit down for one moment and--
Andrelia: You grab her arm, Terri. I'll support her. We can't stop.
Computer Voice: COMPLETE CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION IN TEN SECONDS.
Terri: The door! It's--
Andrelia: Closed. The computer must have sealed it.
Terri: It was all for nothing! There wasn't even a bomb.
Andrelia: We didn't know that, Terri. We had to try. 
Computer Voice: CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION IN ENGINEERING. ALERT. CRITICAL DECOMPRESSION IN ENGINEERING. THREE LIFE SIGNS PRESENT. ALERT. 
Terri: Guess... I'll... *cough* get a Pulitzer for sure now.
Andrelia: The Church will make sure of it.
Terri: Just make sure they... edit that *cough* last part... out.
*static*
*static*
*static*
*HISSSSSSSSSS*
Knight 18: In here! They're in here! 
*static*
*static*
Terri: This is Terri Kopp, reporting live from the Sanctum where a hostage situation has recently been defused by members of the Consortium vessel Stormbird. With me now is Guardian Church Founder Andrelia: Cody and Knight 18, with statements on the situation.
Knight 18: A small group of non-affiliated radicals took over the station using weaponry and a bluff that they had a mass disintegration bomb attached to the reactor. Despite some minor bumps and bruises, no civilians were injured and the radicals have been dealt with.
Andrelia Cody: We will get to the bottom of this right away. The Guardian Church maintains that the only acceptable Earth is a peaceful Earth, and any other radicals like these will pay, to the full extent of the law, for their crimes. The full resources of the Church will be behind the Orbital Authorities investigative committee when they look into this potentially tragic event. 
Terri: Thank you Founder, and Knight 18. We'll have a full report from the Consortium Queen, exclusive to Newswire, on these events later tonight. After one very hectic day, this is Terri Kopp, signing off.
Category:Andrelia Cody
Category:Colin Wheats
Category:Daimon Arcos
Category:Lisa Conibear
Category:Transcripts
Category:Sanctum Station