Chapter 22, Page 25
ARDUS DISTRICT UNDER SIEGE
Karin Ivers, Pallad City Post
[Archived Article: Published 8 Days Ago]
The Ardus District has become ground zero in Pallad City’s escalating war on drugs. Two days ago, an apartment building was the epicenter of conflict as three individuals, each reportedly under the influence of Afterlife, took hostages and held the Pallad City Police at bay for nearly two hours. The tense situation resulted in multiple arrests and property damage, but no reported casualties.
Afterlife is the latest in an increasing deadly lineup of drugs to make headlines. Nearly 700 reported deaths have already been attributed to the drug within the last two months. Unlike Sydust and Euphoria, which have a global presence, Afterlife has remained nearly exclusive to Pallad City, with only several recent cases reported in Nu Metropol.
Where Afterlife originated from is still a mystery, and analyzing the substance has yielded few answers. Dr. Werner Ingrem at the Pallad City Medical Institute has been studying the new drug with little success, despite working around the clock with his staff. “It’s not like anything we’ve ever seen,” Ingrem claimed. “We know that Afterlife is highly addictive and can result in the user having severe psychotic episodes. Many individuals have also displayed incredible feats of physical strength while using the substance. We’ve been analyzing the chemical components, but it’s incredibly complex and, while progress has been made, identifying certain ingredients have proven to be difficult. This is obviously not by accident, but designed with calculated intent and insidious design.”
Ingrem believes that Afterlife may be one of the most intricately engineered drugs he has encountered. “In my opinion, the mind that put this together could do much scientific good in the world, a shame they’re using their knowledge and expertise to achieve the opposite.”
The Pallad City Police Department’s limited efforts to get Afterlife off the streets has been met with criticism. Over the last week, community leaders have been calling for a stronger police presence in the Ardus District, with some praising Mayor Hynden Neville’s rumored proposal for a privatized police force. Mayor Neville has not yet issued a statement regarding the rumor, but his initiative to hire Vivid Defense, which currently has Tactical Armored Units deployed in the city, already has a vocal number of citizens concerned over potential abuse of authority. Currently the Armored Units are only used for emergencies “beyond what the Pallad City Police Department can handle.”
Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Salaiix.
Oh, yeah! You didn’t expect to suddenly get busted by a hot bar so soon, huh? Looks your grimy dirty drug-smuggling bar business is over, IS IT, Wilkos?!?!?!?!?!😏😎 Or…………………maybe it’s not?!
One last thing. To any couples or lovebirds who may or may not be reading this series right about now? I just one thing to say: HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
He doesn’t look particularly intimidated. More like someone with a trump card up his sleeve. Like someone who slipped some nasty stuff into Madison’s drink.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking, too.
Such a badass last panel. So glad we get to see Madison in action.
Bit disapointed with Madison here. For someone who is supposed to be a supercop, she is making several rookie mistakes (even making allowances for her mental health).
1 – She didn’t ler her suspect speak. He could be giving out more information (what does Novok needs to do?), but she interrupted him for… what? A chance of a punchline, to sound badass?
2 – Even if everything goes as she expects – her drink is not drugged, the cloaked guy that dissapeared won’t interfere, the other patrons won’t interfere – she’ll… what? Take him back to the precint in the back of her superbike?
3 – On the above: sure, she can call the precint and request a car to take him in. Except… this is not her investigation, she was ordered out, other cops don’t really like her and there’s possible corruption on the force. It’s unlikely for this to end well for her. It’s more likely for the chief to order her to release the guy because she’s not acting on official capacity than actually sending backup.
My guess is that things will take a turn for the worse real quick and the doctor (that noticed Madison was about to do something stupid and seemingly followed her) will save her ass – maybe literally. Which would be good, Madison is in need of a humbling reality check.
Completely agree with everything you said. The only thing, I might categorize Madison’s actions here as less rookie mistakes and more on par with her usual cowboy cop antics. Recklessness and overconfidence tend to get the better of her. I’d even go so far to say she has some form of self-destructive personality disorder, since she rarely gives herself time to recover between cases and always throws herself into situations that, while dangerous, are often MORE dangerous because she either rushed into them or never seeks help.
Being put on what’s basically desk duty while Reena’s undercover, finding out Gripps now heads the drug task force, and hearing that he’s fumbling it, probably only made Madison more impatient to “get out there and do something.” I think her impulsive approach here won’t end well, either.
In Madi’s defense, now that she has the physical evidence in front of her, this suspect’s been caught red handed. She’ll have time to hear this bartender creep speak and spill the beans during the eventual interrogation. Of course, assuming this all goes according to her plan.
Let’s see…
Backup ? check
Target in an indefensible position ? check
Bystanders accounted for and controlled ? check
Coordination with HQ ? check
Comms active ? check
Transport and support ? check
All pre-operation criteria checked and found absent.
Green light, go !!
I suspect that the dark cloaked guy is her backup and that at some point she took something that neutralizes common knockout drugs.