Who's Really Behind all this?

“Time!”

I stared at my watch. ’43.86 seconds.’

“Great! 100 rounds a second, at about 1.85 at current market rate. Do the math for me. I want my expense report for Saito to be right.”

She handed a clipboard with a receipt form.

“Be a dear and sign it.”

"Were you in the military?"

"That's right. His Majesty’s Air Force Malaysia. The few, the proud.”

She gives a small salute before turning the music down.

“Married my childhood sweetheart, left me to go play piano with retired SPG named “Keyes.” “Got in after academy, KED-7 ‘88. ‘Ace with Grace and a Pretty Face.’ Took the King’s shilling. Fought the Latins in ‘92. Shot down by the Maoists in ‘93. Found Jesus, got saved in '94.”

Now, I know what your thinking, Mr Kente? Sweet little England girl like me? Fly Howie’s Helos, wah? Well, Mr Kente. Say what you will about those Latins - And believe me I’ve got a lot - But when Macau makes something you know exactly what you’re getting.”

The Chopper weaved between the ever-expanding canyon of high rises. The Chopped ducked to avoid a clothesline between the third and fifth floor of two buildings. Rioters and police alike ran out of the way as we moved mere meters above their heads.

“Which brings us to you, the mysterious Mr Kente.” Got the call from Saito, they talk cock about “picking up an important auditor,” I gave them some ridiculous number expecting them to negotiate me down. Taiko! Instead said, ‘Yes’ then offering me another 10% more if I got you out in 1 Hour - which we are on good track for by the way - And I was thinking to myself, 'Well, that's a little weird.'

The helicopter started to lean to the right. Two figures with a knife tried to climb on the feet.

“Quỷ Nhật Bản! Chết đi, tên khốn Saito!”

I didn’t have to know Vietnamese to guess he wasn’t a fan of my work. I froze as he tried to get on. Kristy barely looked before pressing a few switches on the dash and jerking the controls.

The helicopter leaned further to the right and now rose. One man already fell off as we climbed. The other man clearly struggled to get on boarded. I bided my time and waited to put one foot on craft before I gave him one well-placed kick in the chest. It was enough for him to lose his balance. He fell onto the glass roof of a yellow townhouse, which led him to the first floor. I grasped the handle and armrest tried to prevent myself from falling out as well. Kristy barely noticed the scuffle.

“And then to make it a little weirder, Mr. Watanabe, the invoice, which immediately cleared, feel very blessed by that, by the way.”

I strapped myself back in and gripped the armrests till my knuckles turned white.

“It wasn’t paid by Saito, SE Asia, but by The Office Aichi. So, you know what I think, Mr. Watanabe, I think Saito knows exactly why this riot is going on and you are here to either fix it or make sure Saito looks clean.”

She turns to me with a serious glare as she eyed me like a predator. Perhaps she choose to read my expression of nausea and terror as guilt. Her face breaks into a horse laugh and slaps my knees.

“It's okay. You don't have to say anything. You can neither confirm nor deny, yadayadaya.”

But, if you don't mind me saying: the roads, if you're speaking with Saito SE Asea, tell your executives that there's too many potholes on that bridge that connects District One to District Two. Plus that high-speed rail project continues to be delayed because the Archbishop's nephew keeps skimming 10% off of the construction project. So if you could roll some heads on that one too, that'd be great."

"Not sure why you are asking me that. Shouldn’t these be things to brought up to the actual city government?"

"I am talking to the city's government, ah"

Kristy responds, she gestures a hand towards the dark obelisk finally visible in the rainy skyline. "Well I’m sure you aren’t allowed to say that either. Eh, I'm sure you have enough on your plate anyways! Welcome to District 1! We will be passing the Cathedral soon, and the Magistrate’s Palace. Then we can get back to the actual seat of power. You know, It could be just a rumor, but I heard the start of the riot was not too far from there.”

The Wide lanes surrounding the Cathedral and gardens were lined with Tanks, and columns of troops. All of Portuguese make. More HICE troops. Spotlights were turned on, which the helicopter immediately evaded.

“Got to tell you though, there's something about this one that doesn't feel like just a riot. That's what the TVs are saying. Religious tensions, ah? I don't know.

“You’re not a believing man are you, Mr. Watanabe?"

I froze at the question. I’ve only ever been asked that question twice. First by a street preacher in Philadelphia, then by a Macanese Triad boss with a submachine gun pressed against at my back.

"Well, maybe, maybe you should be. Look, there is a lot more going on here. And I think a lot of us know who's really behind all of this."

She then reached into a satchel next to her clipboard, next to her seat and hands it to Ken across from her. I accept it with etiquette and stop to read it like a business card. It's a black and white color cartoon. On it says, "The Jesuits vs Jesus: The Romish plot to restore the antichrist."

"I don't want to sound crazy, but I know what I've seen. And I know what I've heard, And this whole Buddhist Catholic fight thing.

She gestures her hands towards the scenery below us. The Last few rioters in district 1 were being squeezed out. Holding up in makeshift barricades. A mall had been turned by rioters into their fortress as columns of men and tanks marched to surround the makeshift furniture barricades.

“This is a front. They're both in league with each other. And this is all a plot by the Jesuits against you.”

Molotov cocktails and rocks bounced off the riot shields in tortoise formation. Then I saw like clockwork the formations split. The last stand had begun, as calvary anti rioters charged and jumped the barricades. The routed rioters were trapped, fleeing as the clouds of gas swirled around the nightstick armed calvary men.

“What do you mean?”

“They're doing something to your cars, sir. They're putting demons in your cars and they're blaming it on you. This is all part of the Jesuit and the Vatican's plot to bring about one world government.”

I tried to hide my mix of disappointment and laughter by flipping through the book. We were a few thousand feet up, and mere seconds from my destination. Plenty of time to throw me out of the chopper.

“That's why God had to punish them by sending those monsters to destroy the Vatican. But they're still out there. They're still acting."

Ken tries to nod politely.

The features of the large Square Saito Corp tower lit up the sky with searchlights. A show of defiance against the chaos and smoke surrounding it. The tower resembles some that I recognize from Tokyo. Japanese minimalism and simplicity daring the city of yellow ornate French buildings and decorative pagodas to shape up. At the top of the tower was the “Crown” of wavy glass that opened to a well-lit crevice for helicopters to land. In the dark of the tower, and the purple haze of the Saigon sky it resembled a dark figure with an opening maw.

"All right let's get you a smooth landing into the Saito tower. Now that we're finally here," She easily threaded the chopper into position and prepared to enter the glowing tower.

"This is why you guys need pilots like me, not just for my charming personality, of course, but me thinks Saito Corp made their landing pad a little too small for their pilots to fly on, especially without their little Robo-Girlfriends to help them. But you know what they say, it's easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than it is for a Cytocorp greenhorn to land on their own landing pad.”

We entered the mouth the helicopter was greeted by Saito Corp employees flagging down the craft. Various repair teams and crews came by with parts and fuel.

“Anyways, you have a safe trip in Saigon and I would be happy to fly you around if you need any more trips and your company's paying."