[Norway] The Collapse of Kapital Tower

[Odinson]

"Well Prime Minister, what do you think of the view?" asked Mathias Anker, President of Krone Kapital. Felix Frost, the Prime Minister of Norway, stepped forward and looked down at Oslo's capital which was before, and below him. From where he was looking, Dr. Frost could see everything from the Royal Palace, to the Storting Building, Oslofjord, and virtually all of the city that was west of the train station. Frost put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, "This is incredible, Mister Anker. I've never been up here before... I don't quite understand, though. You think that Krone Kapital could get office space up here? I mean..." Frost turned to the room that was behind him and motioned at it, "we're standing in hotel. A bit difficult to operate a company worth billions of kroners in a hotel, don't you think?"

Mathias Anker smiled, as if he had been waiting all week for the Prime Minister to ask him that question. "I know the owner," he said proudly, "and I think we can work out a deal where I could get Krone Kapital a few floors. If we make enough money... well... maybe we'll have our own tower eventually."

Frost stepped up to one of the massive glass panels which was the only thing keeping him from falling over one-hundred meters down to the Earth. He casually tested the glass with one of his knuckles, and knocked a few times.

"That's quite ambitious of you... I'm sure the Mayor will try to have you shot for wanting to build another skyscraper here. The city hates those things, and I'm pretty sure the Mayor doesn't care for you either," Frost remarked as he thought back when Oslo Plaza - the hotel they were in at the moment - was built back in the late 1980s.

"The Mayor is just jealous that he isn't Mayor of Trondheim," Anker stated. Momentarily, he thought about how he already missed being in his homecity. Whenever he left Trondheim, it was because he was on some work duty - he already felt that he was starting to get too old for thins like this, but he would never actually admit something like that to another human being.

"Well, Mister Anker, if you choose to do this the government of course wont interfere. The Ministry of Finance will take its office-space back, but I think you'd certainly have a commanding view of the city from here. I think it's a good choice," Frost said. He took out a small disposable camera from his pocket and took a picture of downtown Oslo so that he could show his wife later.

"Actually... would you mind if we took one together? It'd be nice to have, but maybe in the future we could use it for media purposes?" Anker asked with raised eyebrows. Dr. Frost smiled and shook his head, "You can never just enjoy a moment, can you?"

"You sound like my wife... and my daughter... and my other daughter too, actually," he said with a chuckle. Holt handed his camera to Anker who then handed it to one of Anker's men.
"James, make sure you get my good side," Anker noted. They stood still and both smiled.

The man rolled the small dial on the disposable camera and pressed down on a button. Click!

The man's face frowned, and he set down the camera.
"James, what's the matter?" Anker asked. He looked to his right and saw Dr. Frost staring out the window. Anker was able to see the end of what the Prime Minister had seen part of, and what Anker's staff had seen all of unfold before them - Kapital Tower, the third tallest building in Norway standing at 25 floors, just collapsed before their eyes. Standing in its place was a rugged heap of concrete and steel - engulfing that part of Oslo was a sickening cloud of white, powdery smoke.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"KRIPOS COMMAND KRIPOS COMMAND. HELLO! HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Markus yelled into his portable radio. "SOMEONE COME IN! OVER."
"Hello? This is central command, identify yourself again. You're not coming in well. Over," a crisp male voice replied.

Markus started running with radio in hand. "This is special agent Markus Johansen, 0219 - there has been some kind of explosion at Kapital Tower! I am running north on Stenersgata! I think-" he caught his breath and kept running up the street, dressed in his two-piece suit and tie. "I think the building has collapsed! Over!"

Johansen continued to run north on Stenersgata. He didn't feel tired or weak at all, adrenaline was now coursing through his veins as he turned a corner onto Brugata street and looked about a block down. A wall of white dust was coming directly at him. People were running away from it. He had just enough time to run over to a nearby fountain, take out his handkerchief, and douse it in the water to cover some of his face and, most importantly, his nose and mouth as he continued to run into the dust. As he ran closer, he could hear the bending of steal, and perhaps secondary collapses as what remained of the building continued to crumble. That, however, was overpowered by the sounds of death - groaning, confused people.

Johansen was a junior agent in Norway's national investigate police force, Kripos. On him were his gun, his badge and identification, a small portable radio, and his useless cell phone. Agent Johansen continued to run into the dust until he tripped on a piece of rubble and landed on his stomach. He rolled onto his side and regretted his carelessness. He was trying to breath through the handkerchief as much as he could, but that's when the smell hit him. It was even stronger than the dust. The rich, iron-like smell that everyone in the world had some level of experience with. Directly to the left of him was a piece of concrete the size of a small car, and beneath it he could partially see the remains of a man that had been crushed to death. Johansen scrambled back to his radio as he started to get up.

"Kripos Command! This is agent Johansen, many casualties down here. There is rubble on the road, and visibility is near-zero. We need-" he started coughing, so he covered his mouth with the handkerchief again for a few seconds.
"Agent Johansen your last transmission was not complete. You're our only man there on the ground right now. What do you need? What's going on?" the command center asked.
"We need eyes in the air, helicopters! I can't see anything here. I'm pretty sure the building is gone. We need rescue workers right away - we need equipment to move this rubble. I need whoever you can send here, I don't care who they are. We need pickaxes, we need shovels - I can hear people, we need to get them out!"

The Kripos agent at their command center in Oslo confirmed to Agent Johansen that help was on the way. He called his superior who made a call to the Minister of Defense who just so happened to be in Akershus Fortress, the military headquarters of Norway.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The 9^th Infantry Company of the Special Operations Command was already "Mobilized", meaning that they were ready for deployment within a fifteen minute notice. Akershus Fortress issued orders for them to become airborne immediately and head for Oslo to assist with a "major disaster". No other information was provided, as to avoid wasting time. They would be briefed while they were inbound for their mission - in reality, they were not briefed because of the incredible confusion on the ground. The members of the High Command assembled at Akershus Fortress had fallen victim to a number of false reports and bad intelligence which led some of them to believe that Norway was under attack. Standard operating procedure called for the Valkyries to be dressed in their full combat gear, and armed. With them they brought rescue equipment and other special items, but their most valuable assets were their training in Search and Rescue. The Valkyries were the first all-female special forces team in modern warfare, and this was the first time they were deployed.

All one-hundred of the 9^th Company were deployed. The 10^th Company, which was already activated, was mobilized and deployed twenty-five minutes after them. As the Valkyries approached Oslo, they could see smoke billowing from the capital. A number of other helicopters were already circling the area, and they could see that there were also the flashing lights of emergency vehicles near the city's center, perhaps somewhere around Oslo Central Station. The officers on-board relayed to their soldiers that a major office tower in downtown Oslo had collapsed, and that there was believed to be a large number of injured survives in the rubble. They would be landing somewhere near the collapsed building, and were proceed directly to it to assist in rescue missions. Their expertise, medical training, knowledge of collapsed structures, and special training were why they were sent.

The Valkyries left their weapons behind and instead brought with them medical supplies, shovels, rope, and other rescue equipment. A decision was quickly made to start using the helicopters to ferry injured people from the site to various hospitals in Norway. In the meantime, a field-hospital was being erected in a row of buildings just down the street from the collapsed office tower.

Kripos received building plans for the structure from city hall, which would surely be closely studied later. For now, it was determined what businesses were on what floor and approximately how many people worked in the structure. This information trickled down to the Valkyrie officers, who were told that a nursery was located in the building. This was shortly confirmed by the "muffled" sounds of crying babies at some part in the rubble.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


"GET YOUR FUCKING ASSES IN THE TRUCK! GO GO GO!" screeched a Lieutenant at his men who were darting toward a number of armored vehicles waiting beside their barracks. The 1^st Company of the King's Guard presently held the title of the "King's Guard Battle Group". They were mobilized at all times and were thus prepared to deploy anywhere in Oslo on a moment's notice. Orders came directly from the head of the Guard - Lieutenant Colonel Vegard Flom - that they were to "mount up" and start heading towards Oslo Central Station until further orders were given. The Battle Group were fully armed and ready to respond to any kind of threat. Most of the soldiers assumed that some kind of terrorist attack was underway, or that a high-ranking member of the government was in serious danger.

"Holy shit, where's Kapital Tower?!" one of the soldiers in the lead car remarked as he pointed to the sky. Captain Johan Fredriksen, who had command of the company, radioed to Akershus Fortress to find out what the hell was going on. Eventually he got through to Lieutenant Colonel Flom who ordered him to proceed onto Brugata Street and to the east side of Kapital Tower, which had collapsed. They were ordered to secure their weapons in their vehicles, and to obtain "shovels and pickaxes", even if they had to confiscate them from a store or local business. On the way to the site, they did indeed stop at a local hardware store where the soldiers obtained pickaxes, shovels, and flashlights. The store manager was informed that they were participating in disaster relief and that the tools were "being confiscated by the Crown."

The west side of the building was already seeing a build-up of first-responder presence, however the east side of the rubble remained largely desolate. As they approached the rubble, they put on breathing masks and continued into the powdery air. Once the rubble was covering parts of the road, the soldiers got out and deployed onto the street. The building was so large, at least by Norwegian standards, and had collapsed so totally, that they had trouble finding where exactly the building use to be located. Eventually they did. Captain Fredriksen set up a command center at a bar across the street. A radio up-link was made to Akershus Fortress, and with the primary field-hospital that was being set up by responding medical staff and the Valkyries on the west side of the rubble. Several officers began leading their men to the rubble with the mission to recover any living person, or bodies, and bring them out into an empty section of the street. Sheets were confiscated from a nearby hotel to cover bodies, or body parts, that were recovered. Shouts for help were given first priority, especially if they were caught under the rubble.

After the command center was set up, Captain Fredriksen set out on foot into the rubble with a squad of soldiers to asses the damage. They climbed a precarious mountain of rubble, and that's when they heard a broken shout for help. Fredriksen turned on his flashlight and removed his face mask as he looked down into a hole.
"Hello? Hello is anyone there?!" he shouted.
"Hey! Hey help us, we are here! We are here!" a feminine voice shouted.
Captain Fredriksen adjusted his flashlight until he saw the youthful face of a receptionist. She had a gash on her forehead, but Fredriksen could just barely make out the blue of her eyes.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you. Just hang on!" he shouted down to her.
"Hey! Please, please don't leave us! We've been stuck down here, please don't leave!" she responded desperately.
Captain Fredriksen's radio man called for backup while he continued to communicate with the young lady, "We're not leaving you ma'am, we're the King's Guard - you are our mission!"

The receptionist, who was partially stuck under twisted metal and chunks of concrete, started laughing and crying at the same time. She turned her head and said to her barely concious coworker, "Lucas, the King's Guard! They sent the King's Guard for us! Can you believe that?" she said as the crying started to overpower the laughter.

 

[Moe]

The Oslo correspondent of Le Monde would quickly hear of the news and grab a taxi and his photographer and speed to the site. Along the way he calls his editor on his satellite phone.

"Something major has happened in Oslo, sir. Sounds like Belfast. Big explosion. A small plume of smoke is already wafting into the air. I'll be there in less than a minute."

"Good DuPont, get good coverage and make sure you are first on the scene."

"Sir, I think you should call the President's office. This could be major."

"Just get the coverage DuPont."

The editor then slams down the phone. He takes a drag of a cigarette and jabs a finger at a pre-dialed button.

"Yes, this is Bisset at Le Monde. I think you should notify the President. Looks like something major is happening in Oslo........I don't know yet. I will get back to you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several minutes later President Jean Le-Pen, in the air over an undisclosed location answers his encrypted phone call. His eyes squint as he listens.

"Get me the Prime Minister of Norway's number. Make sure the call is encrypted."

About a minute or so later, the line is open.

"Hello, this is President Jean Le-Pen of France. I would like to speak to the Prime Minister if I could."

@Odinson

 

[Connor]

Norwegian Embassy, Sweden​

04 June 1995 - 1114hrs
Whilst the news was still scarce and the true happenings within the Norwegian capital city of Oslo were completely unknown to the outside world, one thing was for certain; absolute devastation had hit a country out of the blue whilst the region has been free of disaster for a number of years. The Norwegian news outlet Aftenposten being the first organisation to broadcast the carnage that's occurred right in the centre of Oslo, footage of the Kapital Towel laying as nothing more than a mound of rubble in the otherwise thriving city centre, hundreds or even thousands of innocent civilians presumed dead or seriously injured laying mangled as the dust begins to settle.

Naturally, in the modern age, the question is asked - how can a tower block of this size, otherwise of sound structural strength just collapse? Terror is the first word that comes to mind and it's certainly the first concern that danced across several desks and offices within the Swedish Security Service - since the establishment of Löfven Administration the cooperation and well being of a Scandinavian brother comes right are the forefront of any political campaign. The Executive Office of the Prime Minister had already made contact with the Norwegian's as soon as the news break, not only to provide support to the efforts continuing across the border but also in order to gain intelligence on the ongoing and developing situation.

Swedish Security Service Director General Klas Friberg leans back in his tall leather office chair, hooking both his hands onto the top of his head, one word falls from the tip of his tongue... "Fuck."

An email from the Executive Office of the Prime Minister of Sweden demanding the deployment of Diplomatic Protection Personnel to the Norwegian Embassy in Sweden graces the inbox of the Director General and without a second thought his hand immediately lands on the receiver of his office phone to call the SSS National Control Room, via an encrypted line, which after a short holding tune lands with a Contact Officer:-

"National Control, Gemma speaking, how can I help?"
"Morning Gemma, it's Sierra-Delta-Zero-One, can we have a perimeter team deployed to the Norwegian Embassy please?"
"Hello sir, absolutely, we were expecting your call to be honest... I will sort it and email you the collar numbers"

Gemma, already aware of the situation from a large television screen in the control room wouldn't hesitate after hanging up the phone, immediately landing her foot on a pedal beneath her desk which enables her headset to operation on the national radio talk group. Emergency service radio transmissions, especially that of the Swedish Security Service, are encrypted an inaccessible by the general public or other emergency service branches. She'd immediately begin speaking, her voice coming through the earpieces of officers on duty.

"Stockholm Control, Stockholm Control, any DP units available please to deploy to the Norwegian Embassy please respond."

After a short wait units start to respond...

"Delta-Papa-One-One, throw us on it."
"Delta-Papa-One-Eight, control, we'll head over there too."
"One-One, One-Eight, thank you, can you attend the Norwegian Embassy please for perimeter protection, no further details at this stage, standby for further"

Two double crewed units of fully armed personnel would immediately begin responding to the area, their Volvo S80, although unmarked and black, equipped with emergency lighting and sirens to enable their safe passage directly to the embassy. At this stage, purely precautionary until further information comes from the Norwegian government.

 

[Odinson]

Prime Minister Frost and Mister Anker took one of the express elevators down from the top floor of Oslo Plaza to the lobby. The windows of the lobby were caked with greyish-white powder, and people there were dozens of people inside who were covered in the substance, coughing in the lobby. Many of them had their eyes closed and were aimlessly walking around while people who belonged in the building were frozen from horror. Dr. Frost, who was indeed a medical doctor as well as having an honorary PhD in History, quickly walked over to the nearest dust-covered victim. He sat the man down next to one of the decorative fountains in the lobby and guided the man's hands to water.

"Hey Mister, you're going to be okay. Here, splash some water in your face," Frost said as he examined the man for any other injuries. The man splashed water in his face several times and winced as he rubbed his eyes. He finally opened them to see the Prime Minister, and thought that he was hallucinating. Frost got up and did the same for another man, and soon other people in the lobby were helping. One of the Prime Minister's security agents, who was himself also covered in the dust, shoved open one of the glass doors and stumbled into the building coughing. He had his hand on his gun and rubbed his eyes as he looked around, and saw Dr. Holt. Most of the security team had been outside waiting with the Prime Minister's motorcade.

"Prime Minister, we're under orders to take you to Akershus Fortress right now. I think Kapital Tower just collapsed, we need to get you out of here sir," the agent managed to say before he started coughing. Dr. Holt shook his head, "Absolutely not. I'm already here, we're going see if we can help."

"Sir, it's almost impossible to breathe out there. I would advise against it, we should just get you back," another agent who had stumbled in said. Frost grabbed a bath towel from a nearby bell cart that some bell boy had abandoned. He walked over to the fountain and dunked it into the water.
"You lot do the same thing and come with me," Holt said as he adjusted his glasses. The agents, including those that were lucky enough to be inside at the time of the collapse, did the same. The head of the security detail radioed back in to their command center and used the Prime Minister's codename: "No ETA to Asgard, no ETA to Asgard. Njord is on foot, we're going asses the damage. We're going to need back-up, over."

The Prime Minister, his security detail, Mr. Anker and some of his more dedicated staff went out into the hazy, dusty air with just towels covering their face. Some of them had flashlights from the hotel, which came in handy. Despite the fact that it was high noon, none of them could even see the sun. It felt like it was midnight. Outside it was incredibly quiet. There was no sound of birds or cars zooming by. Oslo Plaza, which was the hotel that they had just walked out of, was only about 200 meters as the crow flies from Kapital Tower. They walked down a side street, and approached what remained the tower. It was less than a ten minute walk, though it was made difficult by the intense dust constantly trying to clog their lungs and encase their eyes.

When they made it to Brugata street, the silence was interrupted the sound of distant shouts and groaning people. Holt carefully lead the party and shouted to them, "Watch where you step! Rocks!" On the ground they avoided crumbled concrete, pieces of metal, and rarely maybe even a body part. He wanted to help, but they needed a break to talk things over. He couldn't see the tower, but he knew they were just roughly across the street from it - assuming part of it was still there. He walked up to the glass window of a restaurant and slammed his fist on it.

"Come in, hurry!" a voice from the inside shouted. Frost felt around for a door handle until he found one, and pulled it open. He and his party rushed inside, finally able to remove the filthy towels from their faces. Dozens of well-dressed patrons were standing in the back of the restaurant and stared at the men, and their unrecognizable Prime Minister, as they came in gagging for air. Frost went over to the first table he saw, grabbed a cup of water, and drained it over his face. It was only then that some of the people recognized him and started murmur among each other. Frost walked over to a waiter and grabbed him by the shoulder, "Where's your kitchen? Take me to it."

The stunned water escorted the Prime Minister to the kitchen door. Some of the kitchen staff was in the dining room, while most of them had went back inside to watch a small TV that was showing a massive plume of smoke where they were, and the headline at the bottom, "DISASTER IN OSLO".

The chef, who looked like he was pulling a double-shift, rubbed his eyes and stood up when a very dusty Prime Minister walked in. Frost was doing his best to clean his glasses as he looked around.
"Hallo" the chef simply said.
"Hallo" Frost said in response, before coughing a few times. He walked up to the chef and offered his hand, "I'm Felix Frost... I think Kapital Tower just collapsed. We're going to need a lot of water and help.. Can we use your restaurant?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Outside, the dust was starting to clear. Frost and his men were directing blinded and yelling people into the restaurant that was now a makeshift triage center. A security agent was glued to Frost wherever he went. The two men stopped as they saw a with a bloodied dress shirt struggling to drag another man backwards from the rubble. Frost walked over to the man and started to help, when he noticed he recognized the man. It was the Minister of Finance, Bjorn Osland. He had a gash in his head that needed stitches, and he was bleeding from his abdomen. Frost and his security man took the two men back to the restaurant. They established secure radio contact with Akershus Fortress.

The Minister of Defense was on the line.
"Kristoffer," Frost said to the minister, "we need saline here, we need doctors and nurses, we need all the staff we can get. There's a lot of survivors. Where the hell is the police? Send the God damn Army if we have to, a lot of these people can't have much longer left!"
"Prime Minister, you want me to deploy the Army, into Oslo? I don't think that's even legal in peacetime, sir," Kristoffer responded with hesitation as he looked over to one of the generals in the High Command for clarity.
"I don't give a damn, do it. Send our rapid reaction forces. No guns, make them bring shovels and.. and pickaxes I guess," Frost said. While he was talking to the Minister, he took off his belt and wrapped it around a man's mangled leg, tightly.
"Sir, we need to get you to the Fortress. We need you to coordinate the relief efforts. The King's Guard is already en route, they're going to pick you up and take you somewhere that has less smoke, and we'll take you to the fortress by helicopter."

Frost sat back and tried not to cry when he noticed that the man in front of him was dead, "Bjorn Osland is here to. He told me he was going to the tower for a meeting... Have the police make a perimeter if they haven't already. I can smell the press through this dust. Make sure my wife is safe.. I'll see you soon, Kristoffer."
"See you soon, Dr. Frost. Over and out."

Ten minutes later, some of Captain Fredriksen's men picked up the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance who only had a broken rib and the blood of another man on his shirt. Soon, they were out of the dust and in the sun. They could hear the sound of helicopters and military vehicles approaching their area, along with the sirens of fire trucks and police cars. Frost and Osland made it to Akershus Fortress via Royal Air Force helicopter. Holt could see snipers on the roof of the ancient castle and heavily armed police and soldiers standing outside.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After a brief shower and a change of clothes, the Prime Minister walked into the command center of the Fortress. The generals and admirals of the High Command were seated around a large oval table with maps of Oslo taken out. Around them were screens showing the news, as well as video of other events happening around the city and Norway. The commanders of Norway's armed forces stood at attention as Frost waked inside. The Minister of Defense escorted the Prime Minister to the head of the table. Frost looked to Admiral Agnar Thorsen, his newly appointed Chief of Defense.

"What's our response so far?" he briefly questioned.
"Prime Minister, we've deployed the 9^th and 10^th companies of the Special Operations Command - the Valkyries - to conduct search and rescue. The 1^st Company of the King's Guard is also at the site, as you know. Police and fire from around the city are responding to help, and we're bringing in doctors and nurses to the site. Everyone is being given breathing masks. Under your orders, we've mobilized the 1^st and 2^nd Infantry Regiment of the Army. They are in route and should arrive to the area in the next fifteen minutes. They're going to help the police make a perimeter around the site. Once more police show up, they'r going to start digging to try to get people out. Word from the King's Guard is that there appears to be many survivors trapped under the rubble. We... we frankly don't know how that's possible, sir, but it appears to be. We think that a large portion of the lobby, and possibly the first and second floor may still be in-tact." The Chief of Defense stopped talking and allowed Dr. Frost to digest the information.

The Minister of Justice, Christopher Hall, was sitting next to the Minister of Defense. He was remarkably good at staying hidden, when he wanted to. Frost hadn't even noticed him until he started speaking. "Prime Minister, you were right next to the tower when it collapsed. Did you hear any kind of explosion before-hand?" he asked.
Dr. Frost thought for a few moments, "It happened so fast... the sound of the building collapsing was almost deafening but... yes, I think we heard an explosion. It sounded more like it was... the echo of an explosion, if that makes any sense?"

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Sir," Hall said, "I think you should send some of the Royal Navy's Combat Divers to the site. They're trained in handling explosives... right, Grand Admiral?"
Grand Admiral Johansen nodded, "That would probably be a smart thing to do. They also know how to weld - if you need someone to cut through steel, they'd be the ones to get the job done.."
Frost looked at the general for a moment and then said, "Yeah, send them now."

"Christopher," Frost said. "What does Kripos think? Was this an accident?"
"Prime Minister," Christopher responded, "steel-framed buildings don't just fall down."


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Dozens of the Valkyries were directly in the rubble, trying to pull people out, while the rest were attending to the wounded and taking people off the streets and into nearby buildings where the air was less dusty. Living up to their name, they pulled out many dead people from the rubble, but there were also live ones. The nursery, though, had at least been partially destroyed. Major Mary Magnus, who was the highest-ranking Valkyrie, was also on the ground. She was mostly supervising the entire Valkyrie operation, but could tell when they started to go through the nursery. Her beautiful subordinates were well-trained and professional. They remained stoic and didn't sob as the young women started pulling dead babies and children from the rubble, and carried them down to the street. Their motherly and human instincts were overpowering, though. Most of them had tears rolling down their faces as they carried the dead out.

Major Magnus radioed to Akershus Fortress and informed them that dead children were being pulled from the rubble. She requested for additional police to keep the press away. Spirits were lifted, though, as they started to find unconscious children, and then even concious children in the rubble. A large portion of the rubble had not collapsed. There was a cavity, where many people were stranded. Major Magnus and her team started pulling back rubble as quickly as possible, and did their best to reinforce the opening. There were at least twenty living people inside the cavity, most of them children and employees of the nursery.

The Royal Navy's Combat Divers soon arrived, and started cutting steel with their blow-torches. Some of them were ordered to different parts of the building to look for any signs of explosions or ordinance.

Several undetonated packs of C-4 were found by a Lieutenant. They were wrapped around a steal beam which had been weakened by being partially cut through with a torch. This information was securely passed on to Akershus Fortress, and the team began carefully gathering any remnants. Shortly thereafter, the Prime Minister was made aware of this. When asked if the search should continue or not since there may still be more unexplored ordinance, this was his written order.

"Civilian responders are to be kept at least 100 meters away from the rubble. Military forces are to continue to search for survivors and remains. Senior officers are to be informed that there may be remaining ordinance, and that they are to take special care."

In less than an hour, he knew the story would be leaked to the press. He had no choice be to organize a press briefing. He did so in the press room of Akershus Fortress.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Dr. Frost stepped out in front of a podium to dozens of Norwegian and foreign reporters. Television cameras flicked on to live and photographers began taking pictures.
"Hello... At 12:32 this afternoon, Kapital Tower suffered a full structural failure and collapsed. The government has credible evidence that this was done intentionally. We are not sure yet who it was, or why they did it, but we will find them, and we will bring them to justice... Kapital Tower is... was twenty-five stories tall. Over one-thousand people worked in that tower, with many more commuters in it every day. I have ordered the deployment of military forces into Oslo to assist with the recovery efforts. I've been to the site myself, and I can confirm there are survivors.. This is a highly sensitive area, and I highly discourage anyone from trying to approach it. If you would like to help, however, I've been told that the Bishop of Oslo is organizing a blood drive at Oslo Cathedral. Please donate blood, there are many injured people.. and children.

"I will have more information for you this evening. For now, I encourage everyone to stay home and report any suspicious information to the police, or Kripos, who have both set up hotlines that your networks will be showing at the bottom of your screen now... Please join me in a moment of silence for the victims and their families................ Acts of evil such as this will not be tolerated and will not go unanswered. God bless you all."

 

[Moe]

In Oslo and around Norway, upon seeing the news conference, French citizens begin inundating the embassy in Oslo with calls. All are told repeatedly to leave work or school immediately. They should pick a few days supplies of food, return home and to stay there until further notice. They are told to keep abreast of the news via television or radio.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Paris, the mayor after receiving word from the president sends, closes down the streets around the Norwegian Embassy. French military police are dispatched to escort Norwegian Embassy personnel to their homes.

A platoon of 25 of the GIGN are quickly assembled to secure the perimeter around the embassy.

Two teams of bomb sniffing dogs are also sent to the embassy building. Once there they methodically comb through the building. A bomb removal team is also sent to the Norwegian embassy.

 

[Odinson]

Essential embassy staff remained at the embassy, including the Ambassador and his family. They remained inside. The Ambassador himself thanked the police for protecting the embassy, and welcomed in the bomb-sniffing dogs. If nothing was found, however, there would be no need to have the bomb removal team enter inside. In fact, nothing was found. The Ambassador genuinely thanked the French police, and continued to accept any Norwegian citizens who could get through to the embassy.

@Moe

 

[John]

Corporal Kelvin Cooper, a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, would be on duty at the doorway to the main building of the US Embassy in Oslo. It had been a fairly quiet day, his hands cupped in front of his groin as he stands straight in his Dress Blues. Not long after the start of his shift, he would hear what he thinks to be a firecracker being set off. He turns his head a little, to look around. 'Huh, just some kids probably messin' around' he thinks to himself. Before he turns his head back, and would spy a large plume of smoke rising from the city. Putting two and two together, he picks up his radio and puts a call into the centre of the building, notifying others of the sound he heard and the plume of smoke.

After a short discussion between the Chief of Mission of the Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S Ambassador to Norway - Thomas A. Loftus, an authorisation to send two DSS Agents into Oslo to investigate what the sound and plume of smoke was. Special Agents Jerred Tyson and Nick Miller would mount their Black Chevrolet Tahoe, wearing no armour, just their civilian clothing. However, inside two specialised holsters on the centre console would sit two Glock 19s - which were there for a last resort incase this was an attack on Oslo. Inside the trunk of the car, would be a H&K MP5 inside a locked cage. Both of the agents would be carrying their Diplomatic Immunity certification in case stopped by police.

Leaving the gates from the Embassy, they would begin driving down the Sørkedalsveien, which was the most direct route into the city centre.

---

Upon arrival down the street from the scene, at the perimeter set by the Norwegian Military, the two men would leave the vehicle parked and locked. Before approaching a guard at the Perimeter and flashing the badges on their belts. Although not fluent, Agent Nick Miller would be coherent in Norwegian, enough to hold a small conversation. "Hello. We're US Diplomatic Security. Can we speak to someone in charge?"

 

[Odinson]

Norwegian Army soldiers in full combat gear had the road closed with barricades. They were both wielding automatic weapons. The U.S. diplomatic agents were in luck, as 90% of Norwegians spoke English fluently as a second-language.
"Can we see some more identification?" the more senior guard said as he approached the two men. One of the other soldiers at the perimeter checkpoint made a call over the radio. If the American agents could show them more valid identification, beyond their badges, someone of higher authority was called forward.

A man wearing a dark suit covered in dust approached the two American agents. It looked like he had abandoned his suit jacket long ago, and was now wearing a dark blue windbreaker that had "KRIPOS" written in gold capital letters on his back. He was covered in the thick, white, powdery dust that was only now dissipating and defusing into the rest of the city. It was getting easier to breathe in the area. He pulled out his identification, which also had a gold badge on it.

"I'm Special Agent Markus Johansen with Kripos. I was the first responder on the scene here... Can I help you gentlemen? I was told you're from the American embassy?" he asked.

@John

 

[John]

The two men pulled out their walleted badges, which also had a card above that read "Department of State" along with the DoS seal and the Agents Names. Hopefully this would be enough, surely it would be as the Agent approached them. The lead agent, Nick Miller, would extend his hand to quickly shake that of Johansen, before speaking. "Yes, we saw the plume of smoke and heard a crackle, we were tasked with coming to investigate to make sure that there would be no threat to the Embassy. However, we can see there is something more important now, if there's anything we can do to help. We're here now."

Whilst Nick Miller is speaking with the Kripos Agent, Agent Tyson steps aside and takes his Nokia 1610 out of his jeans pocket. Typing in a phone number and making a call out of earshot - before returning to the two agents.

@Odinson

 

[Odinson]

The Norwegian agent shook hands with the Americans. He sighed and thought for a moment. "Yeah, come with me... It's alright, let them in," he said to the soldiers. The two American agents were allowed into the perimeter. A female police officer walked with the two agents as they followed Johansen.

"The building collapsed very quickly, but there's a remarkable amount of survivors that are still being pulled from the rubble. We think parts of the first three floors largely survived, meaning that there could be anywhere from 50-300 people still alive down there. I haven't been in touch with the other side of the building for 30 minutes, I've been busy," he said as he pointed to the east, "but I know that the King's Guard is there. I think more soldiers and police will be here soon."

He pointed over to a young woman who was ordering other women that were armed with gauze and IV bags. "The Valkyries are here - they're our best search and rescue forces," he said as a few helicopters flew over them, "and more are showing up as we speak..."

By now they had made it well-into the perimeter and pointed out a sectioned-off part of the rubble in the distance. "Over there are the Royal Navy's Combat Divers. They can dismantle bombs, they're typically on-call with Oslo Police. They found ordinance on a steal beam. The beam itself appeared to have been weakened by being partially welded-through with a blow-torch. Some folks from city hall are on the way right now with the blueprints for the building so we can find out where that beam is from... I think the Prime Minister is about to give a press address, I'm not sure how much of this he is going to make public. But that's what we know for now. So... obviously, this was not an accident."

They were now in the midst of the collapsed building, on the road in front of it. They were standing in rubble, and soldiers were passing by carrying bodies or survivors.
"Once the divers can disable the explosive ordinance, we're going to be able to get a better look... In case that doesn't go well, we took a lot of pictures," he said coldly.

@John

 

[John]

"As we said, anything we can do to help. You need us to dig rubble? We'll dig. Tyson was a firefighter back in Orlando before he joined the Army and, I myself served as a pararescueman." Miller would go quiet for a second as Tyson once again picked up the phone, this time receiving a call. After a few moments, a single "Yes sir, I'll tell them" would be heard, before Tyson placed his phone back in his pocket and returned to the group. "The Ambassador has spoken directly to the President, and the President has authorised a deployment of Search and Rescue personnel, along with investigators. If you require this."

@Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Johansen brought the two men to the special agent in-charge at the scene. This information was relayed to the head of Kripos, who informed the Minister of Justice, who personally told the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister back at the Fortress. The Prime Minister ultimately decided that they had enough manual laborers, but if the United States wanted to send additional search and rescue personnel - 50 at most, plus investigators who were specialists in ordinance, sabotage, and terrorism, that would certainly be welcomed. The Foreign Minister called the American ambassador and told him this, in a secure manner.

@John

 

[Connor]

Norwegian Embassy, Sweden​

Norwegian Embassy
"Delta-Papa-One-One, can you code 6 us please, we'll start an area search."
"One-One, received thank you, confirm you're code 12?"
"Yes, yes..."

National Control would then initiate a point-to-point conversation via the national radio system, enabling the control room to speak exclusively to DP11 without other units, that may not have earpieces in, hearing the conversation. The following messages were still encrypted however between only two people.

"One-One, we've received intelligence to suggest that the events in Oslo are likely to be intentional, so far?"
"Oh... yes yes, so far"
"We have no intel to suggest there's any threat to the Norwegian Embassy however diplomatic protection protocols are now in effect, are you able to consult with the Ambassador?"
"Yeah, control, I'm happy to speak to the Ambassador but I think we need supervision rolled down here for this one"
"Yes, received, I was thinking the same, I'll open shout!"

Gemma cancels the call, returning to the national network and openly shouting accross the airwave:

"Stockholm Control, Stockholm Control, any Victor units available please respond"
"Victor-Nine"
"Victor-Nine thank you, can you attach to Log 649 of today please, Norwegian Embassy, at the request of Delta-Papa-One-One?"
"Yes yes, I'm not far away, I'll read the Log on my device"

The Norwegian Embassy was not beginning to develop high-visibility police presence, deterring any potential attacks from occurring, currently there was a single double crewed unit on scene with another rapidly approaching and a supervisor on the way to start talks with the embassy staff regarding their presence. It was important that the policing activities did not go against international agreements in place especially with consideration to the fact that no state of emergency has been declared. DP11 would immediately begin an area search, conducting basic checks of drainage systems, lamp posts, bins and other street furniture outside the embassy - stop and search powers are immediately enacted with officers searching members of the public giving any sense of suspicion to the law enforcement personnel on scene. In a sense the officers were beginning a basic secure perimeter as they waited for the Inspector to arrive.

One of the officers from DP11 would walk into the embassy, her weapon holstered, removing her warrant card as she walks in - immediately approaching the reception desk.
"Hello, I'm from the Security Service... is the Ambassador available?"

 

[Odinson]

Carl Froseth, the Norwegian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden, just so happened to be near the entrance of the embassy when the young policewoman was allowed inside by the embassy sentinels. He didn't have his jacket on, but was otherwise wearing his dark grey suit with a red and gold striped-tie. In his hand was a cup of fresh hot coco which had two recently placed marshmallows melting inside of the hot drink. Froseth had been injured in the line of duty while serving in the Norwegian Royal Navy - at least that was the official story. He had actually been a member of the same special forces team that the Crown Prince served in, the Nordic Rangers. His exceptional acts of heroism, his education, and his tactfulness led him managing to get one of - if not the best - ambassadorships in the Diplomatic Service. He would never admit it, but being the ambassador to a nation that Norway essentially saw as an autonomous region of the greater Scandinavian people meant that his job was at best boring, and at worst dull. For the past thirty minutes, he had been on a conference call with his staff in the room, and members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo to discuss what was going on. He had just stepped out to grab something to drink, and to kindly flirt with the receptionist who he had planned to ask on a date today, had this all not happened.

"Hallo" Carl said after the policewoman asked her question. "I am Ambassador Froseth. How can I help you miss?"

@Connor

 

[Odinson]

The collapse of Kapital Tower led to most businesses in Oslo closing early and letting their employees go home to be with their families, or search for loved ones that may have been victims. A few hours after the collapse of the tower, the Prime Minister gave a brief address to the country from Akershus Fortress. In this address, he noted that the Bishop of Oslo had organized a blood drive at Oslo Cathedral so that residents of the city could help in the relief efforts. Within thirty minutes, the cathedral was full and there was a line outside stretching two blocks. Norwegians outside quietly spoke to each other about what had happened, and occasionally looked to the northeast where - less than half a mile away - lay the rubble of the massive tower. Black smoke was beginning to billow from the pile as fires began to catch fire within it.

Citizens standing in line suddenly had their attention drawn away when number of police cars and motorcycles whisked past them. A limousine, which was taller than most others of its kind, zoomed by with them. On the front of the limousine were two small flags protruding from either side of the hood of the car. One of these was the State Flag of Norway, while the other was the mostly-red Royal Standard. The motorcade stopped short of the cathedral. A man stepped out of the front passenger-side of the door. He was wearing a dark suit and had black aviators covering his eyes. The man slyly spoke into his sleeve as he looked around for any potential threats - the man was now obviously a part of the Royal Police Escort, which was essentially Norway's version of the Secret Service for its royalty. Several other plain clothes agents were actually standing in the line to donate blood, but none of the citizens in the line had any idea of this.

The man then walked to the back passenger door of the limo. A young man with long legs stepped out, followed by an even younger woman.
"It's the Crown Prince!" someone shouted. Enoch was dressed in a stylish-90s suit and black tie, and had a royal red sash going over the front of his chest. The young woman who followed him was wearing a black, conservative dress that still managed to show her feminine features. Enoch and the young woman turned their backs to the crowd as the officer walked to the other side. It took a bit longer, but an even large man than Enoch stepped out of the limousine on the other side.
"King Oskar!" someone else shouted.

The Norwegian King was unmistakable. His white hair and neatly trimmed beard made him look as if he was an old admiral. He also had a red sash over his chest. King Oskar walked with a cane, but didn't have much of a limp at all. He walked up next to Enoch, who then turned to face the crowd, and the young woman next to Enoch followed suit. It was an incredible site to see - the King stood at 8 feet tall, his son stood at 7 feet tall, and Enoch's lady friend was 6 feet tall. The crowded line began cheering as the royals walked closer to them. The people approached the edge of the sidewalk, but didn't venture into the street. Oskar and Enoch dwarfed most of the people in the line, while the young lady - Lady Sophia Anker, Enoch's friend - was still taller than many of the men in the line. She stayed to the left of Oskar and Enoch as they greeted their people. The Royal Police Escort kept a watchful eye.

"Thank you for coming today," Enoch repeated as he shook hands and did his best to keep up his pace.
"Keeping our spirits up, are we?" Oskar asked as if he were a parent communicating to his children. His voice was deep and commanding - he really did seem like a giant in person, because he essentially was. Members of the crowd responded back enthusiastically to their King.
"Well don't give up, you're all almost to the front. The Palace will be supplying more medical staff to help make this go faster. Good on you for participating today, I couldn't be more proud!" he boomed as the wind briefly picked up his black tie in the breeze.

Oskar, Enoch, and Sophia matched the King's pace since he was the one with a cane. Enoch and Sophia had only recently returned from The Netherlands after a short vacation. The Crown Prince was happy that this didn't happen while he was away. Despite the King's strength and charisma, Enoch knew that his father didn't like performing public royal duties alone.

The three walked up the steps of the cathedral and continued to greet the people. Enoch casually walked alongside his father and allowed the giant man to use his son for balance if needed. News reporters who had been there covering the blood drive started taking pictures and going live to their local broadcasters as the three made it up the steps. Luckily, this was done without incident. Oskar bent down his head so that he could clear the entrance of the cathedral, while Enoch also had to duck. The cathedral boomed with excitement once everyone saw the royals.

The Bishop of Oslo - a surprisingly healthy man in his seventies - was wearing his black clerical clothing. The Bishop acted surprised to see the King and his son, but in reality knew that they were coming. An intelligent person would notice that there was a large chair that could accommodate someone of the King's size just waiting for him. Only a few members of the press had been allowed inside. One of them, from Aftenposten, took a number of pictures. That was the perfect environment for the Royals to interact with their people, since most of them were laying in pews of sitting in chairs with needles in their arms. They both greeted more people before finding their own places, along with Sophia, to donate blood. Oskar sat in the large chair, while Enoch and Sophia sat together in a pew.

Oskar never let a moment of silence arise. An exhausted nurse turned pale white when she realized that she was the one that would have to draw blood from the King.
"Your Majesty," she said sheepishly. Even when sitting down, Oskar was still taller than her.
"Ah hello dear," he said in a friendly voice, "my type is AB-... I see that you've been hard at work today?"
"Yes sir.. I was at the tower-site this morning. I was relieved, so I came here to help. It has been a long day," she said as she watched Oskar carefully take off his jacket and drape it over his lap. He rolled up his sleeve so that she could have a got at his arm.

"Thank you for your service.. I can't imagine what you saw, but... we all appreciate your service to your country," he noted in a softer tone. The young woman blushed as she tried to shake off the compliment and find a suitable vein in the King's arm.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Prime Minister Frost paced back and forth in one of Akershus Fortress's war rooms. He and the Minister of Defense waited for updates from the tower. A new problem had arisen: fire. A number of fires were reported throughout the rubble. Firemen were already on the scene with their trucks, but were seriously worried that they'd drown survivors in the rubble while trying to suppress the fires. However, if they didn't suppress the fires, then some of the other survivors would burn alive. Those in the fortress were informed that the decision on the ground was to suppress fires enough to contain them, but not enough to put them out if there were still stranded survivors that were at risk of drowning. The situation was anything but optimal.

Parkvein 45, the Residence of The Prime Minister of Norway

Problems like this continued to arise in the night. A number of surviving security personnel throughout the building were questioned by Kripos as were other people who had somehow managed to survive the collapse of the structure. Information was coming in, and some gains were being made. Also, the government figured out exactly who the tenants of the tower were. This information was passed along to the Prime Minister, who was scheduled to address the kingdom at 8:00 PM. Prime Minister Frost decided to give the speech from his private study in Parkveien 45, which was his official residence. The speech was given in Norwegian, but would have been quickly translated into English, German, French and other languages for the public of other countries to consume. Dr. Frost was wearing a suit with a black tie and had a small Norwegian lapel pen on his suit. His hands were folded on the desk before him as he began to speak to the camera.

"Good evening... Today, our country fell victim to the murder of close to a thousand innocent people. The skyline of our capital city has been permanently changed so quickly and without warning, that it is indeed striking to see empty sky where Kapital Tower once was. At this moment, thousands of people - including: military, police, firemen, doctors, nurses and other first-responders - are still pulling survivors from the rubble of the tower. On-site reports say that most of the lobby and parts of the first and second floor survived the collapse which is why there are so many survivors. We are still unaware of how many lives were lost today, but we are certain that the numbers will surpass five-hundred people. They were husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and even children and infants. Tenants of the building include various Norwegian companies, but also a number of foreign corporations from around Europe and the world.

"At this moment, we have recovered dead people from the tower of the following nationalities: Norwegian, Swedish, American, and some British. We will not be releasing names of the dead until first of kin have been directly informed by the Norwegian government...

"I understand that many in the media have jumped to assuming that this was an act of terrorism. While on the surface this appears to be a safe assumption to make, we have yet to have any organization claim responsibility for this attack. Also, the timing of the explosion was during lunch time, when there was luckily a reduced number of people in the tower itself. Hundreds of lives were definitely saved by this alone. Regardless of why this was done, we know that Kripos and Oslo police have obtained a large amount of evidence which unequivocally shows that this was done intentionally.

"I am working closely with the Minister of Justice to find those responsible for the collapse of Kapital Tower. These individuals have no where to hide, and will be pursued by the Kingdom of Norway wherever they may flee. To increase our chances of apprehending those suspected of this crime, I've mobilized various elements of the Norwegian armed forces and national police. Our borders with Sweden, Finland, and Russia are secure and agents there are vetting those who wish to leave our enter our country. This goes the same for other ports of entry to Norway. While this wont be permanent, I have authorized the Government to take extraordinary steps to find those involved. The help of our fellow citizens will be greatly appreciated.

"My office and that of the Foreign Minister have gotten a number of calls from countries around the world, ranging from our Nordic brothers in Sweden and Finland, to offers of assistance from The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States. I thank our neighbors and friends around the world for their statements of support.

"I can promise the Norwegian people that we will find who did this, we will bring them to justice, and we will make sure that this can never happen again. Keep strong and remember - All for Norway."

The live, televised speech concluded there, and the Prime Minister returned to Akershus Fortress. The Ministry of Justice did indeed have a number of good leads that they were pursuing.

 

[Odinson]

It was midnight. Search and rescue efforts were still underway at the rubble of Kapital Tower. Since shortly after the collapse, all 200 of the Valkyries - Norway's all-female search and rescue special forces - were deployed on-site. They had been going through the rubble for almost half a day now, and had freed many people who were trapped. Engineers from the city and the Army determined that the lobby and first two floors of the building had not collapsed, sparing hundreds of lives. In order to aide in the search efforts, the Valkyries had some of their newly-trained search and rescue dogs flown to Oslo. The dogs ranged from golden retrievers and labs to German Shepherds. Unfortunately for everyone, fires had begun to ignite in the evening. As previously mentioned, this left many difficult decisions to be made. Put the fires out and possibly drown survivors, or let the fires burn in some places and try to pull as many people out as possible? That was the question the leaders at the site had been trying to answer.

Major Mary Magnus, the commander of the Valkyries, ordered all of her soldiers into the rubble and to search around areas that were likely to catch fire. She joined them to try to boost everyone's spirit. It wouldn't be long until large portions of the rubble were burning, and the fire department was trying to contain those festering infernos. Mary had with her a golden retriever by the name of "Njord". He was wearing an orange vest that had the insignia of the Valkyries on it, and was ready for action. Mary had with her a radio operator and two other Valkyries armed with tools and flashlights. Half past midnight, she and her small team were approaching the other side of the rubble. Manx the dog furiously sniffed around until he focused on a small pocket, and started barking at it. He turned around and looked for Mary, who carefully stepped through the twisted steel and crumbled concrete. The soldiers took out their flashlights and looked down to see what looked to be a cavity in the rubble below them. There were several people who were either dead, unconscious, or too injured to be upright. Nevertheless, they appeared to be alive.

"HALLO!" Mary shouted down to them. A few of the people stirred and looked up at the light, which a few of them hoped wasn't death. She looked to her radio operator who shook her head, "Ma'am my reserve batteries aren't working - I can't reach the command post."
Another office with Mary looked down and said in a quieter voice to her, "If we leave here we might never find our way back... Should we pop a flare?"
Mary considered it, but shook her head, "No. They said there's still broken gas lines here. We need-"
Speak of the devil, a ball of fire erupted from the rubble about 50 meters away. Screams and cries could be heard in the distance. The fire was quickly spreading.

"Can you at least give me our coordinates, Lieutenant?" Mary asked as she knelt down next to Manx and patted him on the head. She took out a piece of paper and began writing. In brief, neat writing she explained the tools she needed and how many people were trapped, as well as the situation. She also added the precise coordinates of their location. She tucked the piece of blue paper into his vest, and taped it in place.

"People!" she shouted at Njord, and made a hand gesture. The dog understood, and started running in another direction. Njord stepped over mangled metal and walked across steel beams. He looked in the dark for a humanoid. Eventually, he approached the edge of a fire. On the other side, he could see a group of men sitting on a large piece of concrete with their helmets off. He tried barking to get their attention, but they couldn't hear him. He whimpered and walked in circles for a minute or so while he tried to find another path to them. He considered going back to Mary, but his training told him that if he found someone in a scenario like this, he must bring them to his owner. Njord jumped into the fire, burning his paws on heated metal and catching one side of his fur on fire. The men noticed when he did this, and one of them quickly got up and came over to the dog who made it out of the inferno and to their side. Njord flapped around helplessly as he tried to put out the fire on him until one of the men doused him with a fire extinguisher. The dog looked thankful, but was now shaking as well as bleeding from his charred side.

Captain Fredriksen, the commander of the 1^st Company of The King's Guard, had been on-site with the King's Guard Battle Group even longer than the Valkyries. He and his men were exhausted, but were still putting forth their best effort. The site of a dog on fire quickly brought him to attention, though, which was when he sprayed the dog with the fire extinguisher.

"Poor boy, it'll be alright," he said. The dog looked terrible now, and was shaking painfully. Fredriksen put his hand on his firearm as he seriously considered taking the dog out of the unimaginable pain it must be in, when he saw a partly burned note on the side of the dog that hadn't been burned. His vest on that side said, "My name is Njord!"

"You're a good boy, Njord," Fredriksen said as he looked at the dog. Njord barked and looked back at the fire, before looking at Captain Fredriksen again. Fredriksen took the blue note off of the dog and read its contents. He called his team to follow him. He had seven other men with him who had welding equipment, the smaller version of the jaws-of-life, and fire extinguishers along with medical supplies. It only took about fifteen or twenty minutes for them to find the Valkyries, who were doing everything they could to make the hole wide enough so that they could lower a basket down to start pulling people out. The fire was getting close to them.

Captain Fredriksen was the first to make it to the scene. He recognized Major Mary Magnus, and saluted her. "Ma'am, we got your note! We're here to help!" he shouted to her. She turned to see the relief, and was finally able to sick back in relief. Her relief was only momentary once she saw Njord, who was half-burned and shaking. She dropped to her knees and examined her dog as she started to cry. The dog couldn't help but continue to whimper and shake as it stood there in pain, dripping blood onto the rubble below him.

Captain Fredriksen squatted down beside her and offered his sidearm to her. "GET AWAY!" she snapped at the soldier. She helped Njord lay down on a flat piece of concrete, on his good side, and gently petted his snout.
"You're the best boy," she said quietly to him. She made eye contact with her radiowoman who was carrying medical supplies with her.
"Give me the morphine," she ordered. The radiowoman understood, and passed it to Major Magnus. She comforted her dog as she carefully injected the needle into a vein in his left front-leg. She carefully overdosed her dog, and waited for him to stop breathing. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing as she embraced Njord in the dark. Magnus's radiowoman and another Valkyrie quietly stood in front of her so that none of the King's Guard would see her crying.

Njord saved the lives of 18 Norwegians, three Americans, two Swedes and their miniature poodle, Manx.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Royal Navy's Combat Divers were able to successfully disarm the remaining explosives that were still attached to a steal beam. Kripos took pictures of the device, as well as the explosives before the Divers carefully removed them for transport. The plastic explosives were sent to various labs for testing, while the images of the explosives were sent to Kripos's headquarters as well as the Diver's eggheads at the Royal Navy.

Nicolai Sommerfelt was the Deputy Director of Kripos, and was at the Kripos command center just outside of the rubble zone. He and his team of experts were piecing together what happened. Someone was making a list of high-profile people who had perished in the collapse. Since no one had yet to claim responsibility for the destruction of the tower, some of his agents were starting to believe that this was not an act of terrorism, but may indeed be something else. The Kripos agents worked through the night on site, as well as at their headquarters. They eventually uncovered that the owner of the tower, Mister Karl Geving, had ordered reconstruction on a portion of the tower near the top. The construction was specifically ordering for trusts to be reinforced. Other persons of interest included Mathis Anker, the President of Krone Kapital who was with the Prime Minister at the time of the collapse. Mister Anker did own a small amount of equity in the tower, and also knew Mister Geving personally.

Kripos sent agents out to request Karl Geving, Mathis Anker, and the owner of the construction company come in to Kripos's headquarters for questioning. Around this time - at two in the morning - the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance agreed to suspend trading on Oslo's Stock Exchange.