Point Zero:Romana

Chapters 3 and 4

Chapter 3
     January 3rd, 3120, Point Zero Marshals office, deck 4, 08:15, Pollard sat across from one of the men from the rebellion group.
The man like the others was very arrogant in his actions and facial expressions.
     Pollard glared at him for a moment.
"You think that not talking will help your friends, one of them had probably turned on you already," Pollard told him softly.
"They wouldn't dare turn on me," the man replied mockingly.
"You do realize that you could help me win the bet?", Pollard told him.
    The man eased back in his chair.
"I take it your win, loss record hasn't been what you'd hoped for," the man laughed.
Great Eagle knocked and stuck his head in the door with a grin on his face.
"I win, she turned," Great Eagle told him.
   The man eased forward in his chair.
"That's not true, I was about to talk," he chimed in.
Great Eagle looked at Pollard for a moment.
"Is that right?", he asked.
"As far as I know," Pollard answered.
"Dammit, I pay for dinner again," Great Eagle replied.
   They finished up and walked into the meeting room and joined the others.
Pollard looked at them.
"According to what we have gotten from those we have talked to, they are planning on a prison break," Pollard told them.
Hong glanced up at him for a moment.
"Anything on who they're planning to bust out?", she put in.
"Not sure yet, but they'll roll soon," Pollard answered.
      They finished up and walked out into the lobby.
Pollard looked up at the press coverage of the old hotel bust.
Great Eagle looked at Pollard.
"How long do you think they're gonna keep running that?", he asked.
"As long as they can, I guess," Pollard replied shaking his head.
   Pollard never had much good to say or much use for the press, he always saw them as a bunch of blood thirsty vultures circling for a kill.
Paramedical Captain Platax walked in.
Pollard looked at her.
"How can we help you?", Pollard asked.
"Balack went out on assignment a day ago and hasn't come back," she told them.
Pollard glared at her.
"Do you know what the assignment was?", Pollard questioned.
Platax shook her head and told them that he said that he couldn't tell her anything.
    Pollard called Captain's Reagan and Bush over and told them everything.
"We'll see what we can do," Reagan promised.
Pollard told them that the case was theirs.
    Reagan and Bush set out to find Balack.
They started by stopping by the associated press hq to see what he was working on.
A Blaebackian man met them at the door as they walked into the building.
   They asked the man what Platax was working on.
The man told him that he was working on a series of stories about The Blaebackian Mafia and how they were running things on the stations.
   Reagan looked at the man.
"How much had he gotten done, how long had he been working on it?", she pushed.
"He got the assignment three days ago, and still hasn't turned in anything," he retorted.
   Reagan and Bush looked at each other for a moment.
"Don't you find that a little odd?", she asked.
"Not in particular, they disappear all the time," he replied.
    Reagan glanced down at the floor.
"I can't believe that I'm hearing this," Reagan laughed softly.
Bush pulled her aside.
"You are letting your feelings get in the way," Bush warned.
"This guy only cares about the story, he's unethical," Reagan replied.
"Legally, there is nothing we can do, go wait outside," Bush replied.
    Reagan walked outside and lit a cigarette.
Bush walked out ten minutes later and lit up.
"I can't believe that we heard what we just heard," Reagan said between drags.
Bush blew out a drug with a smile.
"He did give me a sources list," Bush replied.
    They started getting with the people on the list, but most of them were too scared to anything.
They finally got someone who was willing to talk when they went to see the twelfth person on the list.
His name Ed Quitny and he didn't seem to be scared of anything.
     Ed sat across from them in the booth at the diner.
"Ed, you said that you talked with Platax a day ago, what about?", Reagan asked.
"I warned him that they were coming for him and to get the hell out of Dodge, but he said he wouldn't do it," he retorted lighting a cigarette.
   A young lady stood outside the place watching them.
Reagan excused herself and walked out to speak with the girl.
"You okay?", she asked her.
"Dad won't tell you anything that's true," she replied.
   Bush walked out a few minutes later.
"This guy is lying, let's go," he said.
They went back to headquarters.
    January 3rd, 3120, Point Zero Marshals office, deck 4, 08:45, Pollard looked at them as they walked into his office and sat down.
"How's the case?", Pollard asked.
"It's been incredibly long so far," Bush replied.
    Pollard leaned forward in his chair.
"I found out something that ties everything together," Pollard told them.
Bush leaned forward.
"What do you have?", he asked.
"Blaebackians are trying to strike a deal with The Red Fray to bust Jim Owen out of prison," Pollard replied.
Reagan and Bush looked at each other.
"When is this set to happen?", she asked.
"Not sure yet, my sources haven't gotten anything yet," Pollard answered.
    Reagan walked out of the office for a moment.
Pollard followed her out.
"What's bothering you?", Pollard questioned.
"The last person that we talked to said something about that under his breath," she told him.
"Did Bush hear it?", Pollard asked.
"I think he did that only so I could hear it," she responded.
"Did he say anything about when it was gonna happen?", Pollard asked.
"Not that I heard," she answered.
     January 3rd, 3120, Collenbach Penal Colony craft Marnier, 09:15, Owen sat in the back of the craft with an arrogant smirk on his face.
Captain's Gantry and Trailer kept their vigilance at the helm of the craft.
"We have six heavily armed crafts in pursuit of our craft!", Gantry called into Point Six.
"Stay your course and try to make it here, we will do all we can to help," Trivek ordered.
     A brilliant blast of light came from the back of the craft as nineteen armed men entered the craft and pulled Owen out and onto one of the other crafts, leaving one of the men standing over Gantry and Trailer.
Trailer reached for his weapon and was immediately hit between his eyes.
Trailer fell back to the ground knocked out.
The man told Gantry to stay his course, as the other crafts pulled away.

Chapter 4
     January 3rd, 3120, Point Zero, deck 21, berth 6, 09:23, Pollard and his crew met Rhodinian and his people as they exited The Craft Aurelius.
President Burns shook his hand and told him that their quarters on deck 15 were ready.
   Once they got to their quarters, Rhodinian's protection crew started looking around the spacious room.
Saul smiled and remarked that it seemed like they were searching for bugs.
Rhodinian glared back at him.
"It is merely a precaution, you know this Saul," Rhodinian assured him.
"I already checked the place," Saul replied.
    The crew finished up and walked out into the hall.
Rhodinian sat down and offered Pollard a seat.
"I do wish to ask your forgiveness for my crew, they are only doing as they're trained," Rhodinian told him.
"No need, they did their job," Pollard answered.
     Pollard looked at him for a moment.
"Lunch will be brought in soon, what would you like to eat?", Pollard asked.
"I highly doubt that you all have the ingredients to make what I want," Rhodinian replied.
    Pollard and his crew walked out, leaving President Burns to go over everything for the summit.
Great Eagle glanced down the long corridor.
Things seemed to be getting busier, people walked up and down.
    January 3rd, 3120, Point Zero Marshals office, deck 4, 10:05, Pollard walked into his office, followed by Flaws.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.
"What's up?", Pollard asked.
"Jim Owen was broken out of transport an hour ago," she told him.
"Was anyone killed, where did the craft dock?", Pollard replied.
"Craft is docked at six, Trailer was badly damaged, Gantry is fine," she answered.
Pollard looked at her.
"Who orchestrated the break?", Pollard asked.
"Not sure yet, a team headed by Walsh and Carnegie are on their way there now," she told him.
    Pollard looked at her.
He told her to get whatever she could on the break and keep it from the press.
Flaws looked up at him.
"The press might be able to help here," she told him.
"They will create more trouble than they're worth," Pollard answered.
Flaws understood and left.
     January 3rd, 3120, Romanassian craft Nero, 10:35, Owen watched as the craft hovered in at Point four for maintenance.
"I shant be able to figure out what's next," Owen said.
Fray member Gregorian of Bale looked at him.
"We will be on our way to Point Zero to help take down Rhodinian, while he is at the summit," he retorted.
    Owen glared at them.
"I have promised myself not to kill again," Owen protested.
"You will only be there to promote "good will and set him up for the kill," Gregorian assured him.
Owen understood and they prepared to go.