Archiver Manhunt

The Raid

Stained golden sunlight coats a worn down district as a pack of armored trucks speed down an urban road.

Turning left upon crossing an empty intersection, the first vehicle leads the others onto a fractured asphalt road.

Converging upon a decrepit apartment complex within the ruins of a financially abandoned neighborhood, the vehicles slow their speed as they enter the building's parking lot.

Through the radio, words of seizing a drug trafficking station fill the communications.

Nearing the building, the armored trucks park behind the already present police cruisers.

Swinging the rear doors open, dark fatigued policemen pour onto the broken concrete landscape.

Approaching one of the unloaded trucks, two heavily geared men pull open the rear doors, allowing a bulking droid to stumble out onto the pavement.

As these men systematically stack against the sides of the main entrance, they use their cybernetic eyes to calculate their placement and positioning. Tightening their grip, the men solidify their aim with the assistance of their machine augmented arms.

Taking point, a hulking, unarmed droid kicks the double door entrance in, initiating the breach.

Following the metal behemoth inside, the SWAT members raise their rifles, taking careful scans of the dark and eerily quiet interior.

Making its way up the staircase, the droid receives direction from a dispatcher, informing the machine the location of its target room, residing past the fourth right door on the third floor.

From behind the droid, the leading SWAT member sweeps past the rails of the upper floors with his camera functioning eye, finding the surrounding area desolate of inhabitants.

Proceeding onto the third flight of stairs, the men continue to follow the droid, tightly wrapping their hands around their firearms.

Within the interior of their apartment suite, a number of fox-human hybrids in street clothes, casually leaned against the wall, while others laid comfortably upon the scarce furniture across the room as urban music clouds the air.

Noticing his phone vibrate against the side of his table, a red furred fox deviates from his internet browsing to answer the call.

After a brief moment of listening to the other end, he abruptly hangs up, and races to the closet.

Taking notice of his panicking roommate, a blonde furred fox sets down his water pipe, inquiring, "What's wrong, Franklin?"

Tossing a number of compact assault rifles from behind the hanged clothing, onto the stained carpet floor the red furred fox answers, "Feds are here."

Scrambling towards him, Franklin's living associates grab the loosely distributed weapons.

As the occupants arm themselves, Franklin lifts a stuffed backpack from the farthest corner of the closet.

Leaning against the door, one of the foxes raises his ear, as he hears the growing sound of deep thumping, instantly recognizing the footsteps of their predators were close and converging.

Flipping the beer bottle and ashtray littered coffee table onto its side, a trio of the occupants aim their firearms towards their only entrance from behind the cover of their stained wooden furniture.

Delivering the backpack to his blonde furred associate Franklin grabs his snout sternly instructing "I need you to take this to the next station and get help"

"But... They'll... They'll kill me," he hesitantly whimpers in protest.

Thrusting the backpack into his fearful friend's chest, Franklin replies, "They won't touch you Frails. Now take this and run."

Fitting it to his back, Frails turns back to his roommate silently expressing concern.

Frustrated at his hesitation, Franklin points to the end of the apartment barking at his tear-shedding roommate, "Fire Exit.... GO!"

As Frails makes his way to the rear exit, Franklin turns his attention back to the front door.

The thumping sounds of deep metallic footsteps draw closer, bringing some of the defending foxes to a mild tremble.

A loud, yet slow pounding meets their door, followed by a deep digital voice ordering, "Police. Open the door. You have ten seconds"

Snapping himself from his fear induced trance, he pulls a handgun from his waist, aiming his weapon towards the door, alongside his armed associates.

A fleeting moment of still silence prevails through the room, as the foxes embrace themselves for the impending breach.

Breaking the still ambiance, the door flies from its hinges, crashing onto the living room floor.

In a reflex reaction, the entrenched residents open fire, sending down a rain of bullets.

Crossing past the doorway unphased by the gunfire, the large droid presents itself to the armed occupants, while their bullets ricocheted off its thick metallic skin.

Having depleted their cartilages, the hybrids cease firing as they gaze in fear upon the metal cased being before them.

Abruptly following the machine, the human SWAT members pour into the room, swiftly striking down the starstruck defenders.

Passing the numerous bleeding bodies, the SWAT members stack themselves onto an adjacent doorway.

As they prepare themselves for the next breach, the droid moves himself to the side of the room.

Taking a stationary stance, he quietly observes the men from across the living room.

He watches the men lean firmly against the wall with the exception of the front most of them. This man steps in front of the door and carefully raises his boot to the knob of the door, while the man behind him withdraws a thin cylinder shaped grenade.

Sending an abrupt and powerful stomp upon the door's knob, the leading policeman breaks the locked entry open while the man behind him tosses his grenade inside.

Returning to the wall, the leading policeman waits with his colleagues for the grenade to go off.

Soon a brief white flash temporarily engulfs the room, while a thunderous yet fleeting boom prevails from inside.

Taking these passing stimuli as their que, the men pour through the second broken entry, as the droid waits in the living room behind them.

The droid remains still while the SWAT members continue clearing the remaining rooms. A moment later the droid overhears one of the men hail via their digital headset radio, "Alpha to Shepherd, apartment has been cleared"

Following a short pause, a second deeper voice over the radio responds "Roger. I need you to set up and maintain security over the area. Intelligence wants a peek inside."