The Wire Oracle

...for In a Wicked Age

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1,A coalition of drug dealers, at peace with each other, but willing to kill to defend their turf. 1,A corrupt state official, flush with ill-gotten gains and with his hand out for more. 1,A machine politician, bitter that her loyalty has not been rewarded with power. 1,A frustrated police commander's plan to reduce crime, that would end careers if discovered. 1,A young sociopath, who does not respect the established order of the streets. 1,A working-class neighborhood, whose jobs will never return. 1,Several blocks of brick townhouses, abandoned and boarded up. 1,A kid who would do anything to protect his brother from their abusive father. 1,An old street soldier, weary of The Game. 1,A drug dealer whose successful empire still leaves him naive about the ways of business and politics in the "straight" world. 1,A zealous cop with no respect for the chain of command. 1,A trail of money that leads places those in power fear. 1,A good police who promised her partner she'd never take on a dangerous case again. 1,An officer down in an undercover bust gone wrong. 1,A race against the clock, before a crime syndicate realizes their communications have been intercepted. 1,A stick-up man with a twisted code of honor. 1,A key witness face down in a pool of blood. 1,A drunken binge that ends badly. 1,A wake for a fallen comrade, at which ugly truths are revealed. 1,A dead body, missing its hands and face, found at the border of two jurisdictions. 1,An assassin from out of town, feared by all, but kept in the dark by his employers. 1,A corrupt developer who does not care where his backer's money comes from. 1,An idealistic politician with a tragic character flaw. 1,A corrupt police official who just wants to hold on to his job. 1,A junkie who can never quite break his addiction, but is desperate to do so. 1,A thuggish police, who only understands one way to deal with criminals. 1,A prisoner, questioning his loyalty and his silence. 1,A union official, desperate to protect his workers and his family, with dirty hands. 1,The long stretch of road to Washington, DC. 1,A rowdy classroom full of middle-school students, some of whom are dangerous players in the drug war. 1,A teen-aged murderer, with no remorse. 1,A pawn shop where questionable deals are made. 1,A politically-connected minister with a difficult choice. 1,A criminal from out of town, who acts with shocking brutality. 1,A womanizing cop with a good heart but no self-control. 1,A group of police sharing crude camraderie. 1,A beaten-down prosecutor looking for a win. 1,A conversation between enemies in a cheap Lake Trout restaurant. 1,A late night walk along the edge of the harbor. 1,A run-down strip club with a dangerous clientele. 1,An innocuous business where violent plans are laid. 1,Steadily rising crime statistics, with plenty of blame to go around. 1,A federal agent with his own agenda. 1,Boxes of paperwork that contain a hidden pattern, and the cop who has just sussed it out. 1,A group home for children, where violence is a way of life. 1,A sharp police, relegated to an obscure job for pushing things too far. 1,The specter of racial politics that stalks an important political decision. 1,A harried teacher with connections to a more violent world. 1,A child pressured to live up to his family's criminal success. 1,A snitch in fear for his life. 1,A dangerously adulterated package of heroin, distributed for obscure purposes. 1,A special investigative unit, set up to fail.
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