CHAPTER 06 . COUNTERATTACK
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Late at night on Nov. 23-24, TCTF HQ is raided by the Syndicate. Konoko manages to enter the building just before the lockdown.
Summary
The raid is led by Barabas and Muro's right hand Comms Trooper); they easily overwhelm the night shift of the TCTF, causing massive damage to computers and structural elements. As Konoko starts ascending through the building defeating Syndicate troops, Strikers shut down the power in order to disable the defense turrets. Before Konoko can reach the Command Chambers, Barabas kidnaps Shinatama. Konoko continues her ascent by cutting an elevator's cable so that the counterweight drags her up the shaft. Eventually Konoko reaches the roof, just in time to see Shinatama taken away in a helicopter. Waiting for her is Barabas, eager for a rematch. Upon defeating him, Konoko experiences an ecstatic surge of power, which is apparently not noticed by Griffin and not understood by Konoko herself. She promises to rescue Shinatama.
Added Value
- Konoko's diary and the initial mission objective note three important things about the raid: the attack is taking place during the graveyard shift; neither the helicopters nor the van were detected by the network of drones patrolling the city; the attackers quickly brought down the static defenses by deactivating the power substations. Apparently the lockdown triggered by the van was also part of the plan. All this intelligence can be explained by Muro having some informants/agents at the TCTF (or in other relevant branches of the WCG) and/or by the superior hacking skills of Muro's men, particularly since the raid seems to be coordinated by Muro's personal Comm Trooper.
- The attack starts simultaneously at the top and at the bottom of the building. A van crashes into the lobby, triggering the closure of the building's security shutters: from then on, neither side can expect external backup from the ground level. Meanwhile at the top, a Syndicate helicopter lands for Barabas to take Shinatama to it. It may also carry additional Strikers. Even still, it's hard to believe that a helicopter and a van carry enough troops for a raid on a multi-story police headquarters, but Konoko writes in her diary that there are (note the plural) "vans with troops" and "attack helicopters", so there is apparently more to the raid than what's depicted.
- The chronology and logistics of the raid are not totally clear. Shinatama seems to be the only target of the raid; her seat is a part of the Damocles supercomputer at the center of what seems to be the Command Chambers. She is eventually captured by Barabas and taken to the roof, but not before the "Syndicate Henchman" known by fans as Kojiro shuts down the power on the level below and orders "all units" to "converge". It would seem that the static defenses were holding off Barabas and most of the Strikers just above the Command Chambers and that Kojiro somehow made it through to the power substations with a few Strikers to cover him. It is not clear if Kojiro's team reached the substations from the top (through the Command Chambers and past Shinatama) or from the bottom (past active SMG and Mercury Bow turrets). Since several Strikers are seen wearing force shields, it is definitely not impossible for a team to break through either way.
- When Shinatama is taken away, the helicopter is apparently successfully tracked by the TCTF, even though they failed to be detected before the raid started, which is why Konoko knows where to go to rescue her in the next chapter.
- In this chapter, we see Konoko experiencing her first "power surge" upon beating Barabas, out of a total of three in the game. The second one will occur at the end of the next chapter.