Thursday, June 24, 2004

   Cream Filling & Nougat: Third Helping (Chapter XXI)
[Quick warning: this is gonna be a LONG chapter of mindless action. Try to enjoy it, and hopefully I don't start getting boring as I describe it. Ta!]


"Alright everyone, ears up!" Nougat said into the radio, "Going by the GPS locater in his phone, it hasn't moved for a while, so it's safe to guess that our boy's in it deep, one way or another. Obviously, we don't really know any more than that there are a lotta guys with lots of guns . . ." Nougat stopped for a moment as he caught his tongue up in his words. ". . . anyway, it's gonna be dangerous, but we're not comin' out without the detective. Ya dig?!"
"We dig, lieutenant!" Ruit radioed back. Nougat smiled, feeling confident that they would be able to get Cream out safely.
"Alright, last thing," he added, ". . . obviously, I'm not supposed to be out riding and commanding like I am right now, so this is gonna be a bit of a maverick operation . . . . . I'm willing to take full responsibility for anything that comes up after this, but if anyone has any last-minute concerns, do get 'em out now before we get there." After a brief pause, Ruit clicked back in.
"Sir, I think I speak for everyone sporting all our borrowed equipment that we know damn well that we're gonna be in a load of it once we're done . . . but we all want the sarge back too, so we're with ya!" Upon hearing the words, Nougat felt a sense of concern leave him entirely. Throughout everything that had happened in the past week, he definitely did not regret the team he had chosen.

"Lieutenant," Pastille said from behind the car's wheel, "we're almost at the park gate . . ."
"Alright!" Nougat shouted into the radio, "Raute, we're almost at the side gate! Get around us . . . I believe you have the key, correct?"
"We definitely have the key, sir," Ruit responded. "Unlocking the gate now . . ."

Raute steered the armoured van around Nougat's car and accelerated towards the chained gate. With but a single flare of sparks, the chain broke and the van exploded into the fair grounds while Pastille drove the car directly behind them. In the van, Ruit lowered the passenger window and stuck his submachine gun out at the startled gunmen. He fired a burst as they passed the men while they dove out of the way or dropped to the ground.

As the men disappeared from his sight, Ruit poked his head into the back of the van.
"Go time!" he shouted excitedly to the two officers in the back. Losanje and Schotse looked at each other.
"Ready to rock, bad-hand?" Schotse asked. Losanje smirked.
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same, legless . . ." The two of them tightened their harnesses one last time, and Losanje kicked the rear doors of the van wide open. Both of them were tightly restrained into sitting positions facing out the doors of the van, with bands of rifle magazines lining the inside walls within arm's reach. As Pastille drifted the car towards the left to clear the van occupants' line of sight, automatic rifle fire tore out from the speeding vehicle, dropping several more gunmen.

As the borrowed van swung around the park's large carousel blazing, Nougat and Pastille drove in a slightly different direction, towards the Tilt-a-Whirl ride. Nougat had readied his own submachine gun and was already leaning out the car's window, playing the part of the gunner as Pastille moved them towards Cream's last known location.

Just as they arrived that the park attraction, an incoming bullet pierced the car's windshield and forced Pastille to stop and cover his face. The sudden stop jarred Nougat, so he pulled himself back into the car before reloading.
"Okay 'Stille," he said as he handed the compact weapon to the younger officer, "you hang here and cover my ass . . . I'm goin' huntin' . . ." Nougat drew his pistol and quickly pulled out Pastille's from his holster as well. Before the driver could object, the older detective was already out of the car. Pastille swore to himself and got out of the car to suppress the various different points of danger.

Nougat charged up the metal ramp leading to the ride, ducking as gunfire sparked the platform. To close the gap, Nougat dove and rolled into the nearest circular ride car, taking cover from wherever the shooting was coming from. As he pressed himself against the high back of the car, a funny thought crept into Nougat's mind: Cream and he had already established that the cars weren't bullet-proof, yet he still hid behind them. Sure enough, three bullets broke through the plastic car, startling the veteran officer and sending him running towards a different ride car. He turned around and fired a volley of shots into the direction of the last muzzle flash he saw and ended up slamming his back into the next car, forcing out a grunt as he dropped to his knee.

Catching his breath quickly, Nougat looked up along the ground and saw it: it was Cream's cell phone lodged somewhat between the moving platform and the walkway surrounding it. He took another deep breath before running out, shooting, to get to it. Ignoring the rain of bullets, Nougat scooped the phone off the ground and ran back into one of the Tilt-a-Whirl cars. The phone itself was completely intact, so Nougat inferred that Cream must have dropped it earlier in the night. Cream called for Pastille to cover him so he could get back to the car and started running back down the ramp. Once back down, Cream and Pastille re-entered their shot-up car and drove.

"Okay, new plan . . ." Nougat said as they started driving randomly around the park. ". . . we need to ask someone where to go . . . . . that one!" Nougat pointed out a single man peering from around a line of stands. "Run 'im down!" Pastille laughed and hollered as he accelerated towards the lone thug, who understood and was already running away. The man foolishly ran out into an open area, allowing for the car to drive and slide around in front of him. As the car stopped in front of the frightened gangster, Nougat sprung out from the car and tackled the man down, dropping a heavy fist into the man's head in the process.

Nougat sat on the man's chest and dug both pistols under the man's chin while Pastille drove the car around in an effort to shield his lieutenant from harm as best he could. The lieutenant, meanwhile, had already started his impulse-interrogation.
"Alright dude, I'll make it quick," he said as the man under him struggled, "I don't think you get paid enough to not tell me where that detective is . . . you've got until the count of two . . ." The man tightened his lips for a moment as Nougat called out the first count.
". . . he's in the carnival game booth," he finally stated, defeated.
"Which one?!" Nougat pressed the pistols in harder.
". . . . . Next to the wooden coaster, farthest on the left." Nougat took the guns away from the man's head and moved off the man's torso.
"Thank you for your cooperation . . . good night." With that, he slammed the butt of one of his pistols into the man's head, knocking him out quickly.

"Head towards The Coaster," Nougat said to Pastille after getting back into the car and closing the door. Nougat radioed back to the van. "Guys! I need your services at The Coaster!"
"We'll be there in two secs, lieutenant!" Ruit replied while gunfire echoed around him. Nougat clicked off and switched radio channels.
"Alright, let's get this over with . . . . ." he said as he clicked back to the precinct. ". . . yo! It's Lieutnant Nougat! We need all available officers to come to the Playland amusement park immediately! Whip's life is at stake!"

The opposing gunfire had ebbed away dramatically since the two vehicles originally entered the park. Now, the car and van were outside the locked away carnival game booth where Cream was apparently being kept.
"Alright, here's the plan," Nougat said to the van's occupants, "I don't wanna risk anyone, so I'll be the only one on foot out there with the toys . . . everyone else come back me up afterwards . . . . . meantimes, we need an entrance . . . R-Team, am I safe in assuming that you still have a key to get in to this thing?"
"A key we have, sir!" Ruit answered, his voice still full with excitement.
"Open 'er up!" Nougat shouted.

Raute put the van into drive and accelerated towards the corner of the stand . . .


[As I finish up, I feel a little off right now . . . maybe it's late, maybe I'm tired, I dunno . . . . . but if this chapter suffered for it, I'm sorry. But, we're almost done!]
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