9:45 Am
(OB, LB, this is Pops. Do you read me…over.) accompanied by a bit of static, my father’s voice entered the earpiece I was wearing on my left ear as he used all three code names I had designated for the operation.
(OB, I read you, but there’s a bit of interference; it’s the distance. I have positioned myself in the designated spot with overwatch in effect, LB sign-off…over.)
(Krrrssst)
(LB Sign off, do you copy) I wore a slight smirk as I lay prone on the roof of Columbine High School, looking out over the parking lot. I poked at Brenden over the comms but only got static back in response.
(Krrrrssst)
(LB Respond to OB) That is until my father, code-named Pops, came over the coms again; only then did Brenden speak.
(This is bullshit, I fucking hate my Callsign, Seriously, LB, for Little Brother, why couldn’t I just be YB or something….over.)
(Get over yourself, you are Little Brother, deal with it, now status report) Having none of my brother’s tantrum, Dad immediately responded in a scolding tone.)
(Fine, fine, LB check-in, on location, all clear HMPH) Brenden, who was on the opposite side of the school from me, was on the lookout for several of the preplaced bombs, and when the time came, and he received the signal, he would act to remove them before they could be detonated.
’Kelvin and Harvy already placed the bombs in the field. I watched them earlier, and from what I could sense, there wasn’t a single trace of particles on them, meaning we are still dealing with regular homemade pipebombs.’
Glancing up at my Status display and checking the time, I frowned because the uneasy feeling had grown in my chest, so much so that I kept my head on a swivel and my perception expanded to the maximum, which was enough to cover a little over a 100-foot radius around me.
(Still no indication from overwatch; what about you two…over.)
Overwatch was the callsign we had designated for Arkadia, and saying there was no indication was my father’s way of stating he still hadn’t been informed that we were dealing with an FPIT yet.
(Nothing on OB’s end…over)
(Overwatch is still silent on my…sigh…on LB’s side)
(There’s still time; keep on guard over there, LB. That feeling I was talking about is only growing worse as the clock ticks down….over.)
---
With all three of us in different positions scattered around the campus, me on the roof of the Cafeteria, Brenden on the opposite side of the building, and our father a little bit down the road, we waited, watching for any signs of anything out of the ordinary, or at least off script from the Origin Timeline. 10:00 came and went, then 10:15, and then finally, at 10:49 am, less than an hour before everything was supposed to kick off, Kelvin and Harvy made their grand entry.
(I have eyes on Sub1 and Sub2; they just pulled into the parking lot and appeared nervous.) getting up from my prone position, I crouched, walked to the edge of the cafeteria roof, and peered across the parking lot as the two shooters got out of their vehicle and walked around the back of the car.
From my position, I watched as Kelvin and Harvy equipped several shoulder holsters to their body, with Harvy even putting on a military-style bandolier.
When he turned around, I couldn’t help but smile as I read softly the words on Harvy’s white t-shirt and the Red letters on Kelvin’s black shirt.
"Natural Selection and Wrath, heh, couldn’t be more right; they have no idea that they are not the hunters but instead the small mouse caught in the deadly game of jungle cats."
(OB, I have eyes on two males, one 6 foot 1 Hispanic and the other 5 foot 9 Caucasian. They are carefully placing down bags, duffles, and backpacks.)
Hearing the call out from Brenden, I tore my eyes away from Harvy and Kelvin and instantly noticed over a dozen black bags hidden under tables or chairs scattered around the Cafeteria.
(I got them.) shifting my body around so that I could keep the shooters and these two new people in my perception range, I monitored the actions of the two UNSUBS (Unknown Subjects).
This had been a running theory of mine ever since we arrived this morning. With the two of us in position since 9 am and there being no sign of the bombs, I had a sneaking suspicion a third party was involved and probably had been since the beginning.
Oddly enough, these two had never been on any of the records, and scanning through my memories, they seemed to not exist at all as friends or colleagues of the shooters.
(LB, I have no information on the UNSUBS; they either were under deep cover or don’t belong here. Standby for further instructions.) With a frown, I rattled off multiple command prompts to Arkadia but didn’t receive any information.
Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.
I had tried it earlier, finding out whether or not this event was considered an FPIT, but Arkadia had stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying the thought.
’When in doubt, the simplest idea is always the best. Arkadia, Will there be any Fixed points in time on April 20th, 1999, anywhere in the world?’
[There is....]
BOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM
(OB LB, multiple explosions were registered in the field south of the high school.)
’What the fuck,’ snapping my head in the direction of the sounds, I completely ignored the notification which came in just now from Arkadia and found a massive mushroom cloud billowing toward the sky in the direction of the field.
(What’s going on OB?) Brenden’s voice cut through the static as my eyes darted from the smoke to Kelvin and Harvy, and that was when I saw it.
As Harvy pulled on his black trenchcoat to cover his weapons, I saw not only the machine pistol and a shotgun but also ten hockey puck-sized devices.
That wasn’t all either; in the hands of Kelvin was a high-powered weapon that shouldn’t exist right now, let alone ever be in the hands of civilians.
(LB, THEY HAVE PARTICLE GRENADES AND M27 IAR’S)
BAPBAP BAPBAPBAP BAPBAPBAP