**KEEP COOL**
It's all come to this. It may have [[cost you your badge and your chance to ever go back to the department|No choice]], but you've finally found the exact warehouse the Papas Fritas have been moving their dope.
This is the only moonless night for the next month, and they may well clear out of here in a couple days. Tonight is your only chance.
You stand outside the door to the back office. Your blood feels like fire. [[You're not giving them any mercy.|Not after what they did to Franco.]]
• [[Kick in the door.]]
(set: $shotgun to 0, $dualpistols to 0, $cigarette to 0, $oneliner to 0, $coolpoints to 0)
Your leg slams into the door, smashing the deadbolt through the frame.
There is a large man wearing a heavy coat sitting at a table with a pack of cards, playing solitaire. A dark pump action shotgun lay in front of him. He raises his eyes with surprising coolness, and stands up.
"You're a lucky man," he growls. "I would blow your brains out right now, but we're trying to do this operation with as little blood as possible."
With surprising grace for a man of his size, he picks up the shotgun and points it at you. [["If I were you..."]]Your gun is in your holster. It probably would have been a good idea to have it in your hand when you came in.
Your quick-draw is pretty good, but this ain't the movies. You reach as fast as you can, but you only see a flash as the man pulls the trigger.
Hindsight's always 20/20.
• [[Try again.|"If I were you..."]]You smirk, staring right into his heavy gaze.
"If you were me..."
• [[Finish your line.]]
• [[Dive to the crates.]]
(set: $oneliner to 1)"You'd be good look-"
A flash of red fills your eyes as you fall to the ground, buckshot riddling your body. You try to scream, but only blood comes to your throat. You die writhing on the floor.
You would have looked pretty cool if you finished it, though.
• [[Try again.|"If I were you..."]]You realize you're probably not going to have enough time to finish that thought. Maybe it'd be smarter to follow it up when you don't have a loaded gun in your face.
You dive behind the boxes almost simultaneously as he shoots, the pellets whistling past you. You hear a thud. He's probably knocked his table over for cover. You pull your pistol out, ready to fire. You hear the sliding metal as he cocks another shell into the chamber.
• [[Wait behind the cover for an opening.|Wait.]]
• [[Vault over the crate and dive at him.]]
• [[Fire blindly at him from behind cover.]]A blast shatters the crate you're behind, filling you with splinters and pellets. You fall to the floor and bleed to death, your final thought being a line from your instructor at the academy:
"Concealment isn't cover."
• [[Try again.|"If I were you..."]]With a sudden bout of daring, you leap out from behind the crate, hoping the element of surprise will give you the edge.
Unfortunately, this puts your face right in front of his barrel. You don't even have time to blink as the buckshot punches a hole through your skull. That would have been a pretty cool move, though.
• [[Try again.|"If I were you..."]]It's not exactly protocol, but you need to suppress this guy. You raise your hand over the box and start firing wildly in his general direction.
"Fuck!" he shouts, as another blast rings out from his gun, the pellets flying nowhere near you. You've got a split second to press your advantage before he gets his bearings back.
• [[Stand up and shoot him directly.]]
• [[Go for the dive.]]In the span of a second, you manage to stand up, take aim, and put two rounds into the man's skull. In the span of another second, he rolls his eyes back and collapses to the floor.
You always were a crack shot when you had to be.
• [[Examine the body.]]With a sharp inhale, you launch yourself over the top of the crate. Time slows around you, and you're almost certain you can see his eyes widen in shock as you move your gun's sight onto him. A single crack puts a hole into his skull, and he falls lifelessly to the floor.
That was cool.
• [[Examine the body.]]
(set: $coolpoints to 1)In a way, you're glad you've been kicked off the force: with the mayor in the cartel's pocket, there's no way you'd have been able to take these guys down by the book.
[[Back.|Outside]]Franco was just a week from retirement. These bastards deserve everything that's coming to them.
[[Back.|Outside]]With a quick scan, you see some boxes of their "merchandise" nearby. You throw yourself behind them as the blast rings out, pellets whizzing past your shadow. You draw your [[pistol|Trusty sidearm]], and consider your next move as you hear him cock another shell into the barrel.
• [[Wait behind the cover for an opening.|Wait.]]
• [[Vault over the crate and dive at him.]]
• [[Fire blindly at him from behind cover.]]The chief took your badge, but you kept the gun. Regulations are pretty lax.
[[Back.|Dive behind some crates to your left.]]He was a pretty big guy. Even without a gun, he'd be dangerous.
His hands are still holding the shotgun, a small amount of smoke rising from the barrel. Under his jacket, it looks like he's carrying another pistol. You don't have another holster, so if you're taking anything, you'll have to choose.
• [[Leave the guns and head into the warehouse.|Head into the warehouse.]]
• [[Take the shotgun.]]
• [[Take the extra pistol.]]
• [[Light a cigarette.]]
(if: $oneliner is 1)[• [[Finish your one liner.]]](else:)[• [[Give a clever one liner.]]]"...you'd be good looking."
(if: $oneliner is 1)[Maybe that would have made more sense if you didn't try to say it earlier. But at least the attempt was there, and it still sounded cool.](else:)[In his current state, he's not exactly able to appreciate your wit, but you still feel pretty cool.](set: $coolpoints to it + 1, $oneliner to 2)
• [[Head into the warehouse.]]
(if: $dualpistols is 0 and $shotgun is 0)[• [[Take the extra pistol.]]
• [[Take the shotgun.]]]
(if: $cigarette is 0)[• [[Light a cigarette.]]]
A sly grin grows across your cheek. You know just what to say.
"If you were me..."
(if: $shotgun is 1)[• [[Cock the shotgun.]]]
• [[Finish your one liner.]]You pry the gun out of his cold, dead hands. It's heavy, but familiar; you've spent a lot of time on the range with hardware like this. You holster your pistol and hold the shotgun close, examining it.(set: $shotgun to 1)
• [[Head into the warehouse.]]
(if: $oneliner is 1)[• [[Finish your one liner.]]
• [[Cock the shotgun, then finish your one liner.|Cock the shotgun.]]]
(if: $oneliner is 0)[• [[Give a clever one liner.]]]
(if: $cigarette is 0)[• [[Light a cigarette.]]]
Everybody says it's impossible to shoot two guns accurately. Everybody says it's impractical and strictly movie stuff, and only idiots try it in real life.
But in their hearts, everybody knows that having two guns is real cool.
• [[Head into the warehouse.]]
(if: $cigarette is 0)[• [[Light a cigarette.]]]
(if: $oneliner is 0)[• [[Give a clever one liner.]]](if: $oneliner is 1)[• [[Finish your one liner.]]]
(set: $dualpistols to 1)
(set: $coolpoints to it + 1)You always keep a pack with you. Whether you're in stakeout or a shootout, nothing feels better than a smoke.(set: $cigarette to 1)
(if: $shotgun is 1)[You hold the shotgun in one hand, resting it on your shoulder while you pull out the pack with your other hand. ](if: $dualpistols is 1)[You holster one of your guns and pull out the pack with your free hand. ]You take a stick(if: $shotgun is 1 or $dualpistols is 1)[ with your mouth], rest it in your lips, and light it.
That's cool.(set: $coolpoints to it + 1)
• [[Head into the warehouse.]]
(if: $dualpistols is 0 and $shotgun is 0)[• [[Take the extra pistol.]]
• [[Take the shotgun.]]]
(if: $oneliner is 0)[• [[Give a clever one liner.]]](if: $oneliner is 1)[• [[Finish your one liner.]]][[Chk-chk.|Finish your one liner.]]
(set: $coolpoints to it + 1)You look at the door ahead of you. Behind there is going to be the fight of your life. If you make it out of here, you'll finally be able to put all the Papas Fritas down for good. If you don't, God only knows what they'll do to you and everyone you love.
(if: $coolpoints > 2)[But you feel cool as a cucumber. If anybody's gonna take every last one of these sons of bitches down, it's gonna be you.](if: $coolpoints < 3)[The thought gets you hot under the collar. You wish you could've been cooler than this, but you just aren't that kind of guy.]
(if: $dualpistols is 1)[You grip your guns tight. Two should be enough for all of them, right?](if: $shotgun is 1)[You cock your shotgun. Locked, loaded, and open for business.](if: $shotgun is 0 and $dualpistols is 0)[You check your magazine. You've gotten this far with your trusty sidearm. Why doubt it now?]
You take a deep breath, and smash down the door with all your might.
"Freeze!"
(if: $dualpistols is 1)[//Give a man a gun, and he thinks he's Superman. Give a man two, and he thinks he's God.//](if: $shotgun is 1)[//Hallowed be thy name, oh Lord -- and shotgun do your stuff.//](if:$shotgun is 0 and $dualpistols is 0)[//Well, we're not just gonna let you walk outta here. Smith, Wesson, and me.//]
The End.
You got $coolpoints (if: $coolpoints is 1)[cool](else:)[cools] out of 4. [[Try again?|Outside]][[Chk-chk.]]"...I'd run."
For someone threatening [[a cop]] with murder, you can't deny that that looked pretty cool.
• [[Draw your gun as fast as you can.]]
• [[Dive behind some crates to your left.]]
• [[Give a clever one-liner.]]Well, a loose cannon ex-cop, but he doesn't know that.
[[Back.|Chk-chk.]]