Topic: Lost...

 Thom Dunn

Quick salvation credit actually goes to Kaiser, the SNIFFER. He had
been 20 feet away from C3 and had no trouble following the gunpowder
trail to the door. A single bark from this German Shepherd had then
alerted Phyllis, the WATCHER at the C bank of doors.
      Phyllis in turn needed less than a glance to show her the
miserable figure of Theo, the potential SHOOTER approaching the school
diffidently with a long bulge under his great coat. A slam on the C3
button had trapped Theo in a bullet-proof cage. The press of a second
button had activated the school lockjdown protocol causing kids and
teachers to barricade themselves behind specially constructed
classroom doors. A third button had called out the RESPONDERS to whom
now she spoke: " Potential SHOOTER contained at C3. Very likely has
concealed long gun under grey greatcoat."
       The situation was anything but dramatic. Poor Theo had gone to
ground, weeping, shoulders heaving, gun (an AK 47) now visible, the
entire tableau sprawled on the floor of C3, a sad figure in early
defeat.
       Meanwhile, all RESPONDERs , all five of them, had now made it
to several of the gun safes left hanging open while they proceeded to
C3 on the dead run. Against policy, several PARENTs had made their way
to cars and were now gunning their engines.
       And now, Sean reached the scene first to act as NEGOTIATOR, the
only priority left after Theo had been neutralized and the police
notified by Phillis on a special 911 channel.

    Everywhere people were in a flurry of activity, running fumbling,
hiding, heart-pounding unwary of how quietened Theo had been, how
bereft of any ability to take even his own life and how thwarted in
his attempt to achieve suicide-by-cop.

    Theo had had vague hopes of being a SHOOTER but presented himself
now simply as LOST.