"Captain, we have two simultaneous crossfires going. One with the first set of suspects in a corner street of the estates. They have gunmen shooting from several windows and the roof. LAPD confirms five suspects in two houses. The other crime scene is just outside of the area, as part of the original crew busted part of the cement wall that divides the neighborhoods. They met with the Rolling 40's and part of the Mexican Mafia. DEA says those two are rivals, so they're not backing down until they eliminate the competition, sir. That's where the kids are hiding out behind wooden pallets and other materials." reported Deputy Brown as Captain Tiberius came in with General Sims and Sergeant Alonso.
GASP
Chris recognized the area very well, but needed to keep her composure.
It took some convincing, but she was able to get reinstated in the mission with the condition that she did not let the events cloud her judgement. Johnson made it clear that she needed to portray herself as a public servant and not a parent. He told her that he was aware that most of the kids in the group were from poor neighborhoods and undocumented. Then, there was the long haired kid that had the cameo on the local news! He was adamant about executing to perfection, as he knew the had the eyes of Congress looking over their shoulders. They needed to demonstrate true excellence.
"Sir, Commander Hicks, LADP SWAT Metro Division! Sergeant Harrelson, leader of 20 squad" called Commander Hicks entering the Mobile Unit. Both nodded their heads once and went towards the acting captain to shake hands.
"Commander, welcome. General Sims" he said gesturing to the man on his right, who answered with a nod of the head, "..and you may know, Sergeant Alonso." She nodded her head as well, holding on to the excitement. Hicks nodded as a slight grin sneaked up on the corner of his lips. Hondo made a gesture of placing his fist over his heart, to what she responded with a nod and a slight grin.
"Sir, we have all of our units ready and geared up. We await your orders. What's the plan?" Hondo reported
"Ok, so the map shows that the houses are located to one closed corner of the area, which means the assailants blew up the wall as their only escape form. The problem was that they encountered two rival gangs as they tried to escape. We must devise a plan that guarantees the best possible result with the less amount of casualties, if any." the captain stated, turning to the side.
In the walls next to them were two big screens. One showed the map of the area, while the other presented pertinent police information.
"Captain, the first team can work on disarming the suspects in the first residence." said the general
"That's good. Plan to breach without exposing anybody in or the officers outside. Sergeant Alonso? Intervene with the second residence in attack. Make sure to retrieve safely any hostages."
Chris was confused, showing a puzzled frown. None of the men noticed her as the captain continued explaining and presenting orders.
"Uh...Captain? What about the kids?" Chris interrupted
Everyone turned to her, as both candidates frowned. "Sergeant, we have to secure first the residential area. The open space helps to delude the attack. We already have enough patrols holding ground."
"With all due respect, captain" she said moving towards the screen that reflected police information. She clicked on the side of it and the broadcast of the air coverage was shown, "That is containment? Those kids are in the middle of a cross fire!" she complained, trying to remain calmed
The acting captain took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Sergeant, we need to take control of the original source of the alteration and then move successively. There needs to be control first, as is dictated by the protocol of this task force."
Chris couldn't believe what she was hearing. Unbelievable how protocol was more important than saving the lives of those kids.
She was stunned and as she tried understanding what was going on, the captain turned and continued his orders. Turns out her team was in charge of the second house that was broken into by the assailants.
But...Chris couldn't agree. She grabbed the map, the documents and the walkie and headed towards her assigned crew. She stood in front of them repeating the same commands provided by the captain, feeling in her heart it wasn't right. It just wasn't right. All the attention going to one side, while the other was in imminent great danger!
She finished reciting and as the faces of those men stared at her, waiting for her command to begin their march, she froze. She took a deep breath, then turned back to the command center.
"Captain, sir" she called. Inside there was only Deputy Brown, Hicks, Hondo and three officers. They were all in charge of the phones, documentation and aerial coverage information distribution. As soon as she walked in, Hondo and Hicks turned their attention to her even without moving.
"Sergeant, why aren't you in position?" Tiberius asked annoyed
She took a deep breath, bowed her head for some microseconds, then pulled herself together taking a defiant stance against the man. "Sir, I can't go forward thinking we are putting all of our manpower on one side alone. The shoot out can be leveled if we pull the gang members to one side, while removing the victims from the other. SWAT has extensive training in attacks, hostage handle and removals. If we take one squad and one of our crews we can move now and have a better chance at less casualties...especially if those casualties are minors! Our city has already had its share of tragedies and enough school shootings have happened in this country for us to wait for protocol to get those kids to safety!"
"Is this a mother talking or the leader in a specialized task force?" Tiberius asked stepping in front of her, crossing his arms defiantly
"It's a human being that understands the fear those kids must be going through right now. Sir, again, with all due respect, we can argue back and forth all you want, but the matter of fact is they need as much help as the families trapped in those houses, maybe even more!" Chris pleaded
Captain squinted his eyes, took a breather and crossed his arms. "What do you suggest, sergeant?"
Hicks and Hondo exchanged looks, as both were now engulfed in the leaders' conversation.
"We work with LAPD to create a close perimeter, removing anyone within proximity of the scene. Then, we use gas bombs and neutralizers with the shooters. If they engage in fire power, then we go in with all we've got. My crew will create a cover for a separate group to go in with several shields and guards to remove the kids to safety." she explained quickly
"Alright, move over here." he instructed as they moved closer to the map shown int he screen. They went over the area and design a plan of breath and control. After some minutes, they were in the same page!
"Ok, Second Response Crew, be advised 20 Squad is right behind you. Do not deviate from the original route. Hanson, start your march." called Chris over the talkie
"Copy that, sergeant!" Hanson responded
YOU ARE READING
Unexpected 8: Stand Proud
Fiksi PenggemarStory #8 An attack has the force divided between ranks as Chris must make a decision that could cost her everything she's worked so hard to achieve, professionally and personally. SWAT witnesses as one of their own grows and takes charge, against al...
