Chapter 42:New Empereyeum Tank Cops
Raye and Mina (Unipuma and Anipuma) Darrien Shields (Al Southbell)
Steve (Buaku) Greg "Preacher" Thomson (Reverend)
Chief Oksua (The Chief) Melvin "Glasses" Oglethorpe (Specs)
Patterson (Lieutenant Berenten) Mayor Amy Anderson (The Mayor)
Serena Ozaki (Leona Ozaki)
It was dark in the city. A small layer of smog floated above the tall cylindrical buildings. Near the center of the city was the museum, where at this moment three figures were sneaking through it towards the room.
"Be careful, the wrong move could set off the alarm," Steve said.
"Got ya," Raye and Mina, two twin sisters with different colored hair, said in unison and smiled.
"Ehh...if you weren't experts in grand larceny, I wouldn't keep you around," Steve muttered. "You girls scare me."
"Oh come on, you know you love us," Raye said.
"So...where is this diamond anyway?" Mina asked.
"Should be around this corner," Steve said. The three turned the corner and there sure enough was a diamond larger than they had ever seen.
"Wow," Raye and Mina said in unison.
"Yeah..it's big, the world's most expensive diamond. But it's only worth something if we have it," Steve and moved forward. "The plan's simple from here on out girls..I take the diamond. That'll set off the alarm, you two keep the police busy while I escape. When you get the signal...run."
"Right," Raye and Mina said.
"Here I go!" Steve said and ran forward. The alarms went off even before he reached the diamond. Soon he had grabbed it and even more alarms went off.
"All right! Now we run!" he said.
Across town at the police department.
"What? A silent alarm at the diamond exhibit!" Chief Oksua said and slammed the phone down.
"Who would be daring enough to steal it and set off the alarms. It has to be Steve's gang!" the Chief shouted and picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Yeah chief," came a drowsy reply.
"PATTERSON! Get down to the museum quick. Steve's trying to steal the world's most expensive diamond!" Oksua shouted.
"Uh...sure..Chief...you don't have to yell," Patterson muttered.
"Of course I do! Now go!" Oksua said.
Several floors below in a garage, Lieutenant Patterson of the Police's Tank Division, known as the Tank Cops hung up the phone and turned to his troops.
"All right! We've got a robbery in progress the museum. It looks like Steve! Let's go!" Patterson shouted. The various Tank Cops hurried to their various tanks.
There was Serena Ozaki. The first woman to ever enter the Tank Cops. She had actually built her own tank and named it "Jim Boy" for some strange reason. It was a small thing, but it got the job done. Her partner was Darrien Shields who was sometimes a little too much of a party pooper when Lieutenant Patterson would "interogate" the prisoners. Shields didn't really think that the cattle prod was regulation.
In his own tank, the massive "Tigger Special", Patterson had Greg "the preacher" Thomson. The Preacher had sought peace and enlightement and so had gone to divinity school for a year before realizing it just wasn't that fun. So in an abrupt career change he joined the most violent and unenlightened outfit he could find. Also along for the ride was Melvin Oglethorpe, also know as "Glasses." Glasses was the necessary nerdy member of the outfit, and he was often conducting laboratory experiments, his most recent was the development of a drink that if taken along with a ham sandwich could convince you that you had mustard on the sandwich even though you didn't use any.
The third tank had Rick Furjimori, Lita Nelson, and Mike Leslie in it, but they're not in the story much. Then there was Lieutenant D.V. Patterson, twice promoted for valor, and three times demoted for misconduct, still since then he's behaved himself.
He jumped on top of his tank.
"Move out!" he shouted. With his tank in the lead, followed by Fujimori's, Serena's and a whole mess of others not containing any main characters, the Tank Cops rolled out of their HQ and towards the museum.
"Okay... here's the plan...when we get there, we blow up whoever's robbing the museum," Patterson said into an intercom.
"Good plan Lieutenant!" Rick said from his tank. "I especially like the strategy involved."
"Yeah..I like it," Serena said. "It's very well thought out."
"Glad you people approve," Patterson muttered.
"The lord will forgive these criminals for their sins, but not until after we have hurried their departure from this earth," Preacher said.
"Heck ya," Patterson said.
At the city museum, Raye and Mina stood on the front steps watching the tank cops race towards them.
"Here they come," Raye said.
"I see them," Mina said. The tanks rolled up towards the museum. The two girls each pulled the pin on a grenade and lobbed it at the approaching tanks. After a small explosion the tanks emerged unscathed. Patterson was still standing on top of his tank.
"Fire!" he shouted.
"Uh oh," Raye and Mina said and dived out of the way. The shells slammed into the museum smashing into all the supports. A few seconds later the whole building fell to the ground.
"Uh..Lieutenant, we just blew up the museum," Serena said.
"Was that the idea sir?" Darrien asked.
"You two have a lot to learn about tank cop procedure, sure we meant to do that...if we didn't why would it have happened?" Patterson replied.
"But Lieutenant, why did we do it?" Serena asked.
"It didn't seem like a good idea," Darrien said.
"Well..there's a time and place for everything," Patterson said.
"What?" all the tanks cops asked.
"Ehh..." Patterson said and sighed.
"Lord, forgive him for he has sinned," Preacher said.
"Cut that out!" Patterson said.
"So let me get this straight Chief Oksua...." Mayor Amy Anderson said, her ire rising. "You not only didn't get the diamond back, or catch any of the criminals, but did succeed in destroying everything in the museum as well as the building itself?" she asked.
"Well...yeah...." Oksua said.
"What is wrong with you!"
"Um...well...we're just..thorough," Oksua said.
"What?"
"Well..sure..we had to be sure that the crooks couldn't hide in the museum and we weren't sure that they had all gone out...so...we..destroyed the building to make sure..."
"But they all got away!"
"Unfortunately these things happen occasionally."
"Ocassionally! Need I remind you about the incident with the new years parade?"
"So..we destroyed seventeen floats and put the grand marshal in the hospital...but that time we caught that crook."
"Well..what about the time you ignited a hydrogen bomb off shore."
"Excessive force was needed."
"You were after a person wanted for tax evasion!"
"He was tough!"
"Ehh..."
"So I said..hey...buddy..I've got this revolver pointed at your head, and then I said..." Patterson was saying to the Tank Cops gathered around him in the garage.
"PATTERSON!" Oksua said walking in.
"Uh oh," the rest of the Tank Cops said and hurried away.
"Uh...hey...Chief...how..ya..doing?" Patterson asked a bit nervously.
"Why don't you come up to my office and I'll tell you," Oksua said.
"Hmm...sure..sure, I'll be right up," Patterson said.
Oksua walked into the elevator and it began to rise. Patterson waited until he was out of view then ran for his tank.
"No way I'm going up there right now," he said. "I've gotta find Steve and bring him in!" he said. The rest of the tank cops emerged and also got into their tanks.
"Isn't this a breach of protocol sir?" Darrien asked.
"Shut up cape boy," Patterson said.
"Sir..why do you keep bringing up that time I dressed in a tuxedo and started throwing roses at people in a drunken rage?" Darrien asked.
"Because it's hilarious!" Patterson said and most of the cops started laughing.
"Ehh.." Darrien said.
"But where do we start?" Serena asked.
"The heck if I know," Patterson muttered.
Meanwhile in a sewer somewhere under the city.
"Steve! You're alive!" Mina and Raye shouted as their gang leader emerged from the shadows.
"Of course I'm alive. Whatdy'a think, that I would let a building falling on top of me ruin my day?" Steve asked. "And look what I've got," he said showing them the diamond.
"Oooo! You still have it," the twins said.
"You bet I do and we're going to be rich girls, rich," Steve said.
"We'd better be after what we went through," Raye said.
"Yeah," Mina said.
"Lieutenant, just where exactly are we going?" Serena asked over the radio.
"Well...they didn't find Steve's body or the remains of that crystal in the rubble of the building, so I'm betting both he and it got out before it collapsed, now we just have to find him," Patterson said.
"That's not exactly easy," Darrien said.
"Well of course it ain't easy," Patterson said. "But as god as my witness..I'll find that guy!"
"God smiles upon you my son," Greg said.
"Well that's um...great," Patterson said.
"Hmm...for him to get out of that building without us seeing him probably would have required him to escape either up or down...and since we didn't see a helicopter or something..he must have gone down," Melvin said.
"Down..huh...like the sewers," Patterson said.
"Right," Melvin said.
"Well we can't take a tank into the sewers," Patterson said.
"My tank can go in," Serena said.
"Hmm..she's right," Melvin said.
"I know that...that's awfully convenient don't you think?" Patterson said. "Serena, get into the sewers."
"Glasses, get them a sewer map," Patterson said to Melvin.
"Sure thing boss," Melvin said. "I always keep one handy."
"I noticed. You don't have much of a social life do you Glasses?"
The small tank sped along the sewer, squirting water left and right under it's tank treads.
"Are we under the museum yet?" Serena asked.
"Yeah...according to the map," Darrien said.
Serena stuck her head out of the tank's hatch and found herself looking at a small rat.
"Ah..." she shouted and closed the hatch again.
"What is it?" Darrien asked.
"Um...it was a rat," Serena said.
"Jeez..just a rat. You girls are so timid," he said and stuck his head out his own hatch and found himself looking at a much bigger rat.
"Aw..." he said and shut it.
"Timid huh?" Serena asked.
"Well...that's a big rat," Darrien said. "Still the tunnel forks in two directions. Assuming Steve didn't go the way we came, which is highly unlikely since it leads right to Police Headquarters...then....he must have gone one of two ways.."
"Well..how are we supposed to know which one?" Serena asked.
"Maybe we'll just have to check both of them," Darrien said.
"Maybe the map will help...." Serena said and looked at it. It was a mass network of tunnels and conduits. "Hmm...maybe it won't," she muttered.
"Wait a minute...the left tunnel goes straight to the river. The other one goes in a variety of different directions. We'll take that one and see where it leads us," Darrien said reading it.
"Hmm..probably to more forks in the road," Serena muttered.
"Most likely."
"How's it going down there?" Patterson asked.
"We're still working on it Lieutenant," Darrien said.
"Well work faster. The men are getting bored up here," Patterson said.
"Why don't you have them do something to pass the time?" Serena asked.
"Not a bad idea there," Patterson said.
"Chief! Why didn't you tell me there was a chance that the diamond was saved!" Mayor Anderson said storming into the Chief's office.
"Umm...I was just going to call you," Chief Oksua said.
"I'll bet. So what are you doing about this?"
"I've got my best men on it right now," Oksua said trying to make the best
out of a bad situation.
"Okay...red foot green!" Patterson shouted. Lita, Rick, and Melvin tried to move on the twister board they had set out in the street and all fell down instead.
"Idiots," Patterson muttered and picked up the radio.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"Not yet," Serena said.
"You'd better hurry, we've played parchesse, twister, monopoly, and several touch football games in this time," Patterson said.
"Better break out the deck of cards," Darrien said.
"Ehh...I guess," Patterson said.
"Wait a minute....there's light up ahead," Serena said as the tank moved along with her sticking her head once agin out of a hatch.
"Hey...yeah, this is where the map says the tunnel ends," Darrien said.
"I wonder where we are."
"Map doesn't say."
They piloted the tank out into the light.
"It's some sort of generator room," Serena said.
"Yeah.." Darrien said.
It looked like the inside of the power plant, but all the equipment was rusty.
"Hmm...we must be at the old generator plant," Darrien said.
"The perfect place for a hideout," Serena said. And out of every corner of the room a goon appeared holding some sort of high powered rifle. In the center of it all, flanked my Mina and Raye, was Steve.
"So...the Tank Cops have found me...well..not for long," Steve said.
"Umm...Lieutenant...we found them," Serena said and gulped.
"Really..where?" Patterson asked.
"Um..the old generator..um...you better hurry..there are about ten thousand of them," Serena said.
"Oh...okay...we'll be there in a few minutes. In the meantime have fun," Patterson said.
"Have fun?" Darrien and Serena asked looking at each other.
"Okay...now..I suggest you give up before I have to shoot you," Serena said.
"Hmm...we were about to suggest the same thing," Mina said.
"Of course...we'd actually mean it," Raye added.
"Well?" Steve asked.
"Here's your answer!" Serena shouted and fired a shell. It slammed into the generator and caused it to explode showering the area with debris and the building caught fire.
"Hmm...maybe this wasn't the best place to have a hideout!" Steve shouted and ran for the door. The two sisters following after him. They jumped into a motorcycle and went racing off down a side tunnel.
"Follow them!" Serena shouted and their tank burst through a wall after the motorbike.
"We're in pursuit of them Lieutenant," Darrien said.
"Ah..good...where are you now?" Patterson said.
"The interstate," Darrien said as they raced out onto the street.
"Ahh..then..you're right in front of us then...I thought that was you," Patterson said.
"What?" Serena said and popped the hatch. She looked behind her to see the rest of the tank cops following.
"Well..isn't that nice?" she muttered.
"Heh heh, they'll never catch us," Mina said.
"This bike was built for speed," Raye said.
The engine coughed and sputtered.
"Apparently it wasn't built for gas mileage," Steve muttered as they slowed to a stop and were surrounded by tanks.
"Hey! We surrender!" Steve shouted.
"Yeah!" Mina and Raye said.
"Well isn't that nice..they surrender," Patterson muttered. The rest of the cops all nodded their heads and let very menacing grins form on their faces.
"Somehow I don't think this is going to end peacefully," Steve muttered.
"Uh...say..could we at least have a blindfold?" Mina asked.
"Uh..no," Patterson said.
"Just asking," Mina muttered.
"Fire!" Patterson shouted and the tank police opened up with a barrage.
"We always get out man," Chief Oksua said proudly.
"Without millions of dollars of damage first though," Mayor Anderson replied.
"Ehh...they're all ugly buildings anyway," Oksua said.
"You had the criminals in custody, but you instead decided to use...ahem....ninety eight rounds of ammunition causing the destruction of eleven miles of the interstate!" Anderson shouted.
"Uhm...well...you had to be there," Oksua said.
CHAPTER 38.5:NEXUS CHAPTER 39:PROJECT RAYE-KO
CHAPTER 40:SCOUT TREK CHAPTER 41:THE S-FILES
CHAPTER 42:NEW EMPEREYEUM TANK COPS CHAPTER 43:SAILORTRON
CHAPTER 44:NEO GEO EVANGELIST CHAPTER 45:SHIELDS, DARRIEN SHIELDS
CHAPTER 46:SAILOR MOTOCROSS CHAPTER 47:RUROUNI MELVIN
CHAPTER 48:LABORPATS CHAPTER
49:SERENAFELD