A Bank Robbery in Progress

The police scanner had picked up the reports of a robbery in progress at the First National Bank, the largest bank in the city and one of the few where large deposits of physical wealth were stored. The reports included mentions of shots fired and an unknown number of hostages inside, which meant that the van had to hurry to the scene before police could establish a perimeter and keep them at a distance.

In Mackenzie's mind, if she could get footage of the interior of the bank before police arrived, she'd be all but immortalized in modern journalism. It was dangerous, sure, but the search for the full story in major events always came with hurdles to be overcome. If wartime reporters were expected to cover active war zones, surely any proper journalist shouldn't be afraid of a handful of criminals. At least that was Mackenzie's logic.

Amazingly, the van came to a halt in the bank parking lot, and while police sirens could be heard, they had yet to actually arrive and secure the scene.

"Okay, we've got to move!" Mackenzie shouted as she hopped out of the van, urging Stephanie, her camerawoman, to follow. "There's no telling how long we have before the cops get here and yank us behind some barricade!"

Mackenzie rushed across the parking lot, though Stephanie followed behind at a generous distance. The petite brunette was considerably more hesitant about rushing into a dangerous situation, but following Mackenzie and recording her was what the studio paid her for, so...

Reaching the front of the building, Mackenzie sidled up against the wall and edged her way towards the glass doors, Stephanie trailing behind. Once beside the doors, the redhead gave a nod to Stephanie to turn on her camera and begin the broadcast. Stephanie silently counted down the seconds to live airing with her fingers, giving Mackenzie time to prepare.

Three. Two. One.

"This is Mackenzie Fairbairn, coming to you live from First National, where an unidentified gunman or potentially gunmen have taken hostages in what appears to be an attempted robbery." Mackenzie began in a loud whisper, careful not to use her normal tone and possibly alert those inside to her presence. "In just a moment, we are going to be showing you exactly what is happening within. It may be dangerous, but you, the public, have the right to know what is going on."

With considerable hesitation, Stephanie carefully stepped past Mackenzie and closer to the doors, angling her camera to point into the building. Mackenzie followed suit, poking her head out so she could properly report on whatever the camera was seeing. What the redhead and the camera both saw was a masked figure with a gun. Staring right at them.