The Picadilly Incident

"Garrick, roger up."

"Go for Garrick."

"Terror threat is now critical, possible multiple attackers. Bombers or something worse. Drones should be nearby."

"Got any snipers in position?"

"Negative, can't alarm the public."

"Terrorists know that too sir?"

"Garrick, don't turn London into a warzone, especially with the drones. Clear?"

"Crystal. Out."

"Looks like we're on our own, huh?" N says, walking away from the crowd of humans and drones along with V and Uzi, leaning on the van, as the rain patters down.

"We'll handle it. Let's get it done, yeah?" Brooks says.

"Heads up, white van." V says, not that far off, seemingly scrolling through the AR feed on her visor. To the average person/drone.

"Weapons in view. That's them." Uzi says, blending in with the small crowd a ways off.

"Sabre to Raven, white van, multiple military age males, moving to intercept." Kyle says, coming out of the van, stopping traffic as they move up, drawing their sidearms.

"Unless an attack is imminent, do NOT ENGAGE."

"White van left side." V said, making her way through the crowd.

"Go, go!" Uzi whispers-shouts to N.

"They're here! They're here brothers! Go!"

"Don't you fucking move!" Kyle snarls.

"Police, freeze!" Brooks yells, as the van back doors open.

The gas.

The van sped off, turning the block. It was a miracle the gas didn't fall out.

"They're taking off!"

A huge explosion rocked the whole block, knocking all of them off of their feet, as bystanders and pedestrians run away.

"Oh fuck!" N yells, changing his arm for an MP5, shooting one of the terrorists down.

"Clear!" Kyle yells.

"Brooks' gone, they fucking got 'im!" Crowley yells.

"Serial Designation N, the hell's going on down there?!" Raven radioed.

"Detonation at Piccadilly Circus, reason to believe it was a suicide bomber, shots fired, we got officers down. We need medics down here, now." N said, moving through the decimated block, past flaming cars and overturned telephone booths.

"They're not done yet, let's move!" Kyle said, running to cover, managing to dodge some stray shots.

"That's AK fire!" V said, returning fire through the black smoke, albeit blindly.

"Yeah, and we got fuckin' sidearms!" Crowley barked.

"Get to safety, run!" Uzi yells to the other peds who were frozen in fear, looting a Smith and Wesson from a dead terrorist's body, shooting one of the terrorists before they could press the detonator.

"Where the hell are they coming from?!" Uzi shouts, as more UK officers pull up to assist them.

"Moving up!" Kyle yells.

"Roger!" Barkley affirms.

"All units, ongoing attack at Piccadilly Circus, multiple IC1 shooters on site." Raven radioed, as Kyle picks up an AK47, returning fire, advancing into the book store alone, sprinting up the steps, shooting down the two terrorists positioned by the windows.

"This is Sabre 2. Book shop secure." Kyle says, taking a book for safekeeping. Sun Tzu: The Art of War.

"They're firing on civs!" V yells, returning fire, eliminating 2 terrorists holding hostages.

"Shit, shit, shit. We got hostages!" N yells, killing another one of those sick fucks, but he didn't manage to get the other.

The man pushed the detonator.

"FUCK! HE JUST FUCKIN' BLEW THEM TO BITS!" N yells, barely managing to dodge a stray bullet from a terrorist, only for the latter to get a bullet to the head.

"Where's that fire coming from?" N frantically questions.

"Sabre 2 in the book store!" Crowley says.

"Sarge, Civs at the bus need our help!"

Kyle aims at the civilians, tracking them. An especially crazed terrorist takes out his pistol and shoots 2 of them, shooting a third time, but N dashes in, catching, and throwing the bullet right back at the man.

"Christ, he just fuckin' executed them! RUN!" N yells to the stunned bystanders.

"Raven, this is Sabre-2, where's the bloody army?!"

"2-6, Army assault team has been deployed, no ETA at this time."

"Tanto building, they're holed up there, let's move!" Uzi says, stopping in her tracks as a car flips over, and a Range Rover skids to a stop near it.

"More of them!" Uzi yells, Shooting the first one that came out, moving up to the Tanto Building.

"Copy Sergeant, suspects are retreating into the Tanto building to the northwest. We need all units covering the Tanto, now!" Raven barked.

Two other bombs went off by the Tanto, as N rushes past officers helping injured civilians, as a suicide bomber tackles him, N quickly punched the man, kicking away the detonator, then picking him up, grabbing the detonator, and kicking him into a car, where N knew 1 or 2 of those fuckers were hiding, and he pushed the button.

"Officers down near the Tanto building, I repeat, officers down!" Kyle yells, running to the entrance of the Tanto, only finding it completely wrecked, the steel door leaning sideways, blocking the entrance.

"V! Help me with this!" Kyle yelled, as the two push the door, just enough to fit through, but one of the terrorists inside the building runs up to V, trying to stab her, but she catches his wrist, and shoots him twice in the abdomen.

"Blue, Blue!" Kyle yells, as Price approaches the two.

"I see you, you armed up?" Price says, as N jogs up to them, pushing the door away.

"Yes, sir." Kyle says.

"Captain Price."

"Sergeant Garrick."

"I was told 3 drones would be here, where's the other?" Price questions, but an AbsoluteSolver symbol appears on one of the surviving madmen, and as if an invisible force was there, the man's neck snapped.

Uzi teleports in, landing not that far off from Price.

"Sorry, got occupied."

"You all are with me." Price said, as they advance into the wrecked Tanto building.

"SOMEONE! SOMEONE HELP!"

"Hostages, up top." Price said, and a beeping noise was heard.

"Crap, they got a bomber." N said, quickly dashing up the steps along with Price.

"Help me! Help me, I'm not one of them!" The hostage with the bomb shrieked.

"All stations, we got a man with a bomb strapped to 'im, keep your distance."

"Please, get it off me, I just wanna see my girls, please!"

The beeping got quicker.

"It's gonna go off!" N screamed, as Price pushed the stunned drone away, shoving the man over the edge

"What are you doing- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The man screamed, as Price dived away as the bomb went off. The explosion rocked the whole building, knocking everyone down.

System scans indicate building integrity at: 64%.

"All stations.... Bomber's clear-- prep medical, we're comin' out. Everybody stay calm, we're gonna get you outta here."

"You 4 broken?" Price asks

"I'm good." V said, albeit shocked, as she picked herself up.

Police were everywhere. Bodies everywhere, covered in a white blanket.

"You 4 saved lives today."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place, sir." V said.

"Sent us in half-assed, so everyone'd keep pretending we're not at war. Lie of the fucking century."

"Didn't recall AI being this sentient." Price snarked.

"If this is you trying to lighten the mood, you're failing miserably." V said, as Price raised up his hands in a 'whatever you say' gesture.

"Why do we have our hands tied? Let's just take off the bloody gloves and fight." Kyle said, standing next to a body.

"Sir, we don't stand a chance in hell with these rules of engagement, Captain. They tell us where, they tell us when, but they don't tell us fucking how." N added, sitting on the stair to the monument.

"My men were tracking that cell for weeks." Kyle said.

"You had actionable intel on this?" Price questions

"Quite a bit, sir." Kyle answers.

"Alright, you all are with me."