“Great work, Nowak!”
Kaufman once more hit the intercom to put him through with the ship.
“This is Diaz.”
“Sergeant, we have tied it down to two banks. I have just dispatched Sergeant Denver to Citicorp, I want you to join him there. Send Lin’s team to set up around Marsbank, I’ll meet them there. These are the two targets most likely to be hit, so be well armed and ready for a fight.”
“Sir, we’ll have no one left on duty here.”
“Lopez is still on his feet, get him up to the bridge and leave him in charge.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Barski, get your team, we’re moving!”
An hour later the teams had been sitting in their cars outside the two banks for what seemed like all afternoon. All the teams were making use of the adaptive skin of their cars to blend in with the other civilian and commercial vehicles. Two black saloons parked outside a bank were always suspicious, so they were glad of the technology.
“Denver, any news?” asked Kaufman.
“No, Sir.”
“Eric, that car?”
“What about it, Max?”
“It’s passed us three times in the last ten minutes.”
“You think they’re scoping the place out?”
“Maybe.”
“Lin, come in.”
“I’m here, Sir,” he replied.
“That silver Ford with black windows, its passed us three times, they may be our guys. If they are scoping the place out, the attack may come anytime now, be ready.”
The teams waited another few minutes. Kaufman clutched the WARB rifle in his hands, slung low and out of sight of passing traffic. He could feel his hands were clammy on the ABS plastic body of the weapon. Stakeouts were nothing new to the detective, but never with such risks involved. Moments later the same car passed them again and pulled up ten metres from the bank, shutting its engine off and parking in a bay.
Kaufman lifted a pair of binoculars to look at the vehicle a little closer up. He couldn’t see anything of the occupants, every window being completely blackened with privacy glass. It did not resemble any of the vehicles Barski had seen at the previous heist, but they expected that different models would be used each time.
“Nowak, can you read that plate?”
“Already doing a search on it, Sir.”
“Good. All teams, we have a possible suspect in sight. Lin, I want you ready to move at the first sign of trouble, everyone else stay put and keep an eye out, we still don’t have confirmation.”
“Sir, vehicle is registered to a Richard Gagnon, he has a record for domestic violence, theft, attempted robbery and several weapon offences.”
“He’s a Mars resident?” asked Kaufman.
“Lives here in the city, Sir.”
“I don’t like this, seems too easy.”
“Eric, check it out.”
Kaufman looked over to the bank where a car had pulled up right outside the entrance, three men stepped out. They looked suspicious, staring up and down the street, but they wore short coats and no weapons were visible.
“They don’t fit the profile,” said Barski.
“No, but they still look like they’re here to stir up trouble.”
The two teams watched as the three men walked into the bank, the silver car was still parked down the street with no sign of anyone getting out. Moments later they heard two gunshots from inside the bank, followed by what was now a familiar sound to Barski.
“Shit! Team A, you’re with me me, Lin, keep an eye on that first car!”
The five men of Team A rushed across the street, keeping low as to maintain as much cover as possible. Nowak followed with them, equipped with his police issue shotgun. They crouched down behind parked cars and a nearby wall. Kaufman tapped his intercom.
“Nobody moves until I give the word, I don’t want a hostage situation. Lin, keep that car in your sights.”
A few moments later the doors to the bank burst open as the three suspects stormed out onto the street, they each had bags slung across their shoulders, presumably holding cash they had just stolen. Two of the men had handguns held close to their sides, the other a short shotgun. They were striding quickly towards their car that had a man sat ready in the driving seat.
“Alright, Lin, don’t lose that car, we’re going to take these bastards down, everyone ready?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Barski and Nowak nodded, they were spread out about ten metres around the vehicles and sidewall. If the silver car was a lookout for the thieves then they had done a poor job of it, Barski’s team easily being able to move into position unnoticed. Kaufman leapt up from behind the car he was sheltering behind.
“Freeze, hold it right there!”
The three suspects stopped in panic, the man at the front quickly raised his handgun and fired towards Kaufman. The bullet ricocheted off the car next to him as he fired back with a short burst from the WARB railgun, the three high-speed bullets smashing into the target as his two friends responded with their own guns. The five officers around Kaufman opened fire, riddling the two other men with bullets.
An engine fired up on the street as the two bodies of the robbers collapsed to the ground. Kaufman turned to see Sergeant Lin lift her shotgun as she shouted at the driver to stop, but he kept going. She opened fire as the vehicle stormed towards her, her shotgun firing as fast as she could manage. The thick Perspex windscreen cracked as it was riddled with metal. The rest of her team opened fire on the vehicle, hitting it in the crossfire with countless rounds.
Just a couple of metres before it would hit Sergeant Lin the vehicle veered off and smashed into a parked city cab, spinning wildly back into the road.
“Nowak, Barski, secure those three!” shouted Kaufman.
He rushed down the street towards Lin and her team. They were approaching the smashed vehicle with caution, weapons still raised. There were more bullet holes in the vehicle than could easily be counted. He reached Lin’s side just as she reached the vehicle and peered inside. The interior of the vehicle was a bloody mess, both occupants having been hit by multiple shots. A shotgun lay on the passenger’s lap, but he’d had no chance to use it.
Lin looked over the bullet-ridden bodies and then to Kaufman, it was the first time she’d ever killed anyone. Her face was pale, her mouth dry.
“Good job, Lin, you did the right thing.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He stepped back to the entrance to the bank where he’d shot the first suspect. Nowak and Barski checked the bodies as their team secured the area. Nowak looked up to Kaufman as he stood over them.
“They’re all dead, Sir,” he said.
“What does this mean?” asked Barski.
“It means that we got the job done,” said Kaufman.
“Five dead, they’ll be a major investigation after this, we’ll be up to our ears in bureaucracy for months.”
“No, we won’t. This isn’t the police force Max. We were given the authority to do whatever is necessary to bring this crime epidemic to its knees, we’ll be rewarded for this.”
“For killing five men? Are we soldiers or policemen?” asked Max.
“We are whatever it takes to get the job done. Barski, stay here with your team, hand over the scene to the locals, I’ll be at the ship. Denton will want this news asap.”
* * *
Commander Denton sat back in his new office that was only completed the day before. All around him was a translucent plastic wall that looked out onto the office of the IBI. Six analysts were working on research and admin. His office was intended to work on actively helping the field team, but he already knew that its biggest effort would be in handling the political flak they would take from both their own government, as well as the other colonies.
Police and military officials infringing on personal freedom and liberty had been a core issue over the last hundred years. Denton hated the way in which the freedom movements had r
estricted his work, making it ever more difficult to enforce the very laws which kept society safe. The recent rise of crime was the perfect excuse for him to return to a more hard-line approach, and the politicians would not only support it, they would demand it.
All that Denton could think about at that time was how desperately they needed a success story. The Senator was hounding him every few hours but at that moment he knew there was nothing to do but sit and wait. The light flashed on his intercom. His heart raced, knowing that ninety per cent of the calls he received were from politicians and officials who he had no answers for. He reached forward and cautiously hit the open channel button.
“Denton.”
“Sir, I have Lieutenant Kaufman for you.”
“Put him through.”
“Lieutenant, I assume you have called to give me an update?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Go on.”
“Two of our teams have just been involved in an attempted robbery at the Marsbank.”
“By attempted you mean they did not succeed?”
“Affirmative, Sir. We ambushed the gang as they left the building. All five of the suspects were killed as they opened fire on our officers. I am glad to report there were no further casualties.”
Denton slammed his hand down on the table beside the intercom in sheer excitement.
“Bloody well done, Kaufman! This is exactly the news we needed. I can take this to Senator Wilks who will be all too keen to pass on the good news to the President, this will ensure out agency continues to receive the resources we need!”
“Thank you, Sir. Just one thing, a few of our team are concerned about the repercussions for such a violent intervention.”
“Lieutenant, give them my personal guarantee that they have done exactly what was expected of them. They have done a damn fine job, continue like this and there will be commendations for all of you.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Also, I don’t want you wasting time on paperwork, leave that to the locals. Have your men make a short log of the events, but nothing more than ten minutes work, and then move on. This is a long way from typical police work, your job is that of a strike team, and you have shown your worth. You’ll have to leave me now. I want to get this to the Senator before it reaches the news. Thank you again, Lieutenant, and congratulations. Keep up the good work!”
Kaufman switched off the comms and stood up, walking out of his quarters. He wanted to keep his communication with the Commander private. It was a huge relief to know they had won their first victory. He continued on to the mess hall where he knew the teams would all be getting their well overdue lunch. He stepped in to a rowdy and cheerful room full of discussion that was instantly silenced by his presence.
He looked around the room as all of them waited for news from their leader. As he was about to open his mouth the door to the kitchen burst open as Fletcher came in with several huge plates balanced across his arms filled with food. He stopped quickly in surprise at the silence, realising that they were awaiting a speech. Slowly and quietly he placed the plates down at the end of the table, nobody even thinking of touching the plates.
“I have just spoken with Commander Denton. He has asked that everyone involved complete a short report for the ship’s log of today’s action, but has insisted you waste no more than a few minutes on doing so. The Commander has asked me to convey his gratitude to you all, and congratulate you on a job well done.”
“So this is what was asked of us?” asked Lin.
“Yes, Sergeant. When we formed this unit I told you all that it would be a dangerous occupation, and one that demanded a lot of you, this is just an introduction to that life. I will continue to demand the very best from all of you, so please, keep doing what you’re doing. On that note, well done to all of you, lets dig in!”
The room erupted into a cheer, thankful of a day of success as much as they were to receive a much needed meal. Kaufman sat down between Barski and Nowak, the two men who had become his closest colleagues.
“So what now, we just move on to tracking the next gang?” asked Max.
“Yeah, this was just one of many, we could be many months or years before we get it cleaned up. We need to drive fear into the hearts of these gangs. Once they know that they will pay for their crimes with their lives, it will soon discourage them.”
“And what of the ones who are already condemned by such a system? Will they not just keep thieving, not having anything left to lose?” asked Nowak.
“Possibly, but those few hardened criminals will do so no matter what, in which case they’ll soon pay the ultimate price.”
“We are being asked to be judge and jury, isn’t that an extreme measure?”
“Yes, Max, I agree it is, but then when everything else is failing, what else do you suggest?”
Barski lowered his head, picking some food from the bowls before him, having nothing left to say.
“And when we have hunted down and caught or killed all of these gangs? What job will be left for us?” asked Nowak.
Kaufman looked at the sergeant as he bit into some food.
“We both know that a cross colony organisation like this has been needed for a long time, there will never be an end to crime across the System, there will always be work for us.”
Nowak nodded, he only wished that the work would eventually become less dangerous. For all his years in the police service, he knew too well the price to be paid for being at the front line of the law.
Chapter 6
Kaufman sat back in the chair of his office that was just off to the side of the bridge on the ship. It was nearly identical to the size of his office back at his old precinct, and ideal for getting some peace and quiet when involved in a case. It was mid morning, his teams were working hard to uncover any further information on any other gangs which were currently operational. He watched the news on a screen inset on the wall in front of him.
The story was about the foiled heist and showed the blood strewn street and bullet ridden vehicle which was all too familiar for him. He watched the images, but had the sound muted, knowing exactly what they would be saying. The leftist media would almost certainly be ‘asking serious questions’ about the brutality shown by the mysterious task force. And yet, just days before they were asking what was being done to solve the crime problem.
The chime of the door buzzer rang for his office. He suddenly awoke from the almost day dream daze in which he was watching the silent images flicker. Pressing the button for the door to open, Barski walked in to greet him.
“Max, what’s up?” he asked.
His old friend sat down at the desk. Any other of their crew would have asked before taking a seat in his office, but that formality had never existed between the two friends and never would.
“Too many things about that heist yesterday bother me,” he said.
“Go on.”
“Only two cars, not three. One vehicle owned by a known felon. They carried relatively little hardware compared to the guys we encountered the day before. I’m not convinced it was the same group.”
Kaufman thought about it, the same thoughts had crossed his mind, but it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with right then. Despite this, he nodded in agreement as he sadly knew that his friend was almost certainly right.
“Who else have you discussed this with?” asked Eric.
“Nowak shares the same feelings, he was the one that first made me think of it.”
Kaufman reached for the intercom.
“Sergeant Nowak, please report to my office.”
The door buzzer rang before Barski could say anything else, Nowak must have been on the bridge at the time. He walked in and waited for Kaufman’s command.
“Sergeant, please sit. Max has come to me regarding yesterday’s heist, he feels that it may not have been the same gang he encountered the previous day.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Well go on, we have no time for
formalities here, I need to know your thoughts.”
“Sir, everything I have seen would suggest to me that the gang we took down were far less organised than the groups who have become so feared in the last few months.”
“You suspect they were opportunists? Attracted to the idea by the media frenzy?”
“Yes, Sir. The media has painted a dire picture, a state of lawlessness where criminals can walk free.”
“I have to say, similar thoughts have crossed my mind, but this doesn’t change the fact that we prevented a heist, stopped a crime gang and sent out a warning message to all the others.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Look, I know those guys may well have not been the ones we sent out here to stop, but it was a vital push forward for both the colonies’ security as well as our own morale. As far as Commander Denton is concerned we made a great leap forward yesterday, and the President agrees. It needs to stay that way, to continue to allow us to operate, and to act as a warning to others.”
The two men nodded, they could both see the value of keeping quiet.
“Now, onto the task at hand. What are our predictions on the next heist, and any ideas yet on the locations of these gangs? Commander Denton is following a few leads regarding where these gang hideouts may be, but to be honest, they are farfetched at best. There are an endless numbers of colonies, mining districts, asteroids and stations which they could be on. Trouble is, without co-operation between regions their crimes will go unnoticed, unless they commit those crimes close to home, which they are unlikely to do.”
“Isn’t that a lead in itself?”
“What do you mean, Nowak?” asked Barski.
Starforce Ganymede Page 10
