The Pratt-Museum Corridor Skirmish

The unseasonably warm temperature that greeted the 19th of January stood in contrast to the cold feelings of betrayal that had befallen the warring parties of Assassins. VUSAC had turned upon herself, each warrior extracting the life of the other or acting as a mole until only the isolated President remained alive. The Cat’s Eye had seen her army dwindle to two, its livelihood teetering on the trusting coalition of two sergeants to remain to the last. The VCDS, too, had witnessed the fall of one prominent member shortly after the climactic Battle of the Birge. It was with a sense of confusion and disillusion that The Cat’s Eye set out after dusk had enclosed the land of Victoria.

Following a flurry of offensives, the Cat’s Eye Subcommittee had momentarily eased into their Fortress. Content to outlast the others in the war of attrition, the CES stood guard and rested. After the tactical elimination of the financial minister of Victoria’s government, Sgt. Pollak had acquired a target of Scarboroughian ancestry and of VCDS persuasion – Mr. Kelly. The likelihood of an encounter between these noble warriors was deemed slight, each vaguely acquainted but not privy to one another’s daily routine.

However, word was soon disseminated through the CES ranks as to the whereabouts of Mr. Kelly that evening. An intelligentsia of the Victorian community, Mr. Kelly had assumed a role at the neutral Victorian archival centre. Intelligence indicated his departure into the contested territories would be approximately 23:45. Outside of E.J. Pratt on the 19th of January, the CES decided, was the time and place to retake the offensive.

Trusting Col. Rubbini to defend Fortress Cat’s Eye, Sgt. Pollak and Manager Bailey assumed their observation posts inside the archives by 23:00. Hidden behind computer terminals, each exchanged shifts observing the movements of Mr. Kelly. At 23:35, Pollak proceeded outside to ready the ambush. “This staircase,” she declared, “shall mark his grave.”

Unbeknownst to Manager Bailey, Mr. Kelly’s intelligence network had alerted him of the impending threat. Without warning, Mr. Kelly burst out from behind the service counter and, to the confusion of dozens of civilians, sprinted through the gate. His bid to push through Sgt. Pollak was successful, and she and Manager Bailey were forced to dutifully give pursuit. Through the Pratt-Museum corridor, the CES gave chase to the alarmed VCDS associate. Weaving around the Registrar’s headquarters and the Theological centre, Sgt. Pollak witnessed Mr. Kelly escape into a bunker – “Museum Station.” The CES infiltrated the bunker, hastily paying a toll to gain privilege to its basement level.
Fortune was on the pursuers’ side – the network connecting various Toronto bunkers was as delayed as usual. At the far end of the platform stood Mr. Kelly, his transport having not yet arrived. Sgt. Pollak laid siege upon him. From Manager Bailey came the order to charge. Resigned to a corner, Mr. Kelly had nowhere to escape. As the CES lunged forward, a train approached. His salvation near, Mr. Kelly urged the conductor forward and readied to leap. With nary a moment remaining, Sgt Pollak reached her target and ruthlessly struck him down. Dying, Mr. Kelly staggered into the train that had approached a moment too late. As death washed over him, a look of helplessness in his eyes spoke to one self-evident fact: No corridor is safe, no bunker impenetrable, no combatant invincible. Assassins had claimed another life.

Manager Bailey