Takeover

I jerked awake, whipping my head back and forth. The room looked exactly the same as it was yesterday. I couldn’t tell the time as there were no clock or windows. I rubbed my eyes and fell back onto the futon, letting go of my conscious.

“Don’t you dare go back to sleep.”

I jerked awake once again, and this time, I noticed a girl was at the table, laptop in front with papers around her. There were also a few canned coffees and bread. Her hood and mask were off, revealing her short pigtails and face. In my grogginess, I thought she seemed familiar somehow.

“It’s eleven o’clock for goodness sake. How long do you and that girl plan on sleeping?” said Aimi, scowling.

I looked at the girl in the futon next to me, sleeping soundly.

“The tour is at 12. You guys need to get going.”

I put my hands on Mana’s shoulders and shook her awake. She rubbed her eyes and rose from the futon, yawning.

“C’mon. Get your supplies and go.” She pointed at the table.

I noticed there were also two earpieces on the table. She handed one to each of us as well as some papers.

“Once you’re in the skies, tell me anything that stands out.”

We ate the bread and drank the coffee before leaving. She shouted from behind us.

“Use the car outside. There’s some stuff in the glove compartment too. Also, put on the earpieces.”

We stepped into the summer sunlight, sweat almost immediately flowing down my head. Upon entering the car, we blasted the air conditioning and put on the earpieces.

“Hello, can you hear me?” said Aimi.

I yawned then said, “loud and clear.”

Aimi had set up a reservation for our tour. We were to give them the papers we received from her and prepare to fly in the skies. I opened the glove compartment and saw some ammo for Mana’s revolver and my pistol. There was also a brown, leather holster. At a red light, Mana gave me her gun, and I reloaded it before handing it back.

We drove through the scorching afternoon road, and the coolness of the air conditioner slowed my accelerated heart. The travel agency building came into view, but I didn’t see any helicopters. Mana parked across the street, and we approached the building, doing our best not to mind the summer heat. Just as I grabbed the handle, we heard a buzz in the sky. We looked up, and a small, black helicopter was descending onto the roof. The wind picked up and blew, rustling the trees and blowing away any loose paper and trash on the floor, providing us some relief from the heat. It died down, and we heard a couple from above. giggle as they made their way down. I made sure that both our holsters were hidden under our clothes, and we entered. A woman bowed to us when we stepped inside.

“Welcome! You must be Yamada Maru and Okazaki Mika.”

We hesitated for a few seconds, not quite understanding the names she was saying. We could only nod when the realization hit. She stepped behind the front desk, and we handed her our papers. She looked them over before beckoning us to follow her. As she was about to open the door to the roof, the couple from earlier emerged, talking to each other in hushed voices as they left. The receptionist bid them farewell before taking us to the roof where the helicopter awaited.

The pilot was still in his seat as we bid the receptionist farewell and boarded the aircraft. She gave us a bow, and the helicopter rose into the skies. I felt my stomach drop as it did. I wasn’t afraid of heights. In fact, I even knew the basics of piloting a helicopter thanks to my old life. Mana peered out the window, looking at the cityscape below shrinking. The pilot introduced himself as Tamotsu, and he was to be our tour guide as well.

“Wow, we’re flying!” said Mana.

“Alright, good. Tell me when you see anything interesting,” said Aimi over the earpiece.

As we flew past interesting landmarks like monument, towers, shrines, or temples, the pilot would give us details of them.

“Now you see that building over there,” he pointed at a house in a residential area. “That’s my house! If you guys live anywhere in the city, just tell me and we can fly over it. Maybe even surprise your folks!”

We smiled, and I thought about what it would be like to visit the old, shabby apartment where I lived and shot my partner in my old life.

“Actually, I’d like to visit my house,” I said, giving him the address.

“Sure thing!”

He flew overhead an apartment complex I knew all too well. It looked the same as ever. Of course it would. A year wouldn’t change anything. I spied the agency building nearby. Something tugged at my heart, and I wasn’t sure if it was hatred, melancholy, or a mixture of both.

“Anywhere you want to go, ma’am?”

Mana had pressed her forehead against the window, feeling the coolness against her skin. Her eyes were lowered on the city, and she thought for a few minutes before she said, “Yes, I’d like to visit my old house.”

If we weren’t in the helicopter, her old house would’ve been a ways from here. The buildings blurred past until we reached our destination, and we hovered in midair looking at the ground. Mana was staring at a specific house in a residential area. The single-homes were small, and from the house she was staring at, a few people emerged, smiles, and laughs on their faces.

“Thanks, Tamotsu. I want to see the rest of the city.”

He grinned, continuing on with the air tour. We neared massive skyscrapers and famous areas, and he would hover at each one for a few minutes, allowing us to take in the sights.

We were close to a skyscraper when the helicopter rose further into the skies. The city was shrinking, and its residents were becoming smaller than ants. We climbed to the top of the tallest skyscraper in the city, and on it, I could see a helipad on it. He hovered over it then lowered the aircraft. A little bump shook us and stopped.

“The view is beautiful up here. Step out, and you’ll see,” said Tamotsu, exiting the aircraft.

We stepped outside, feeling the breeze weaken the summer rays. We walked to the perimeter of the helipad and saw the entire city from up here. The sky was cloudless and blue. The gray city sat below, and in the distance, I could see a bit of greenery from the outskirts.

“Lovely up here, isn’t it? Nice thing is, I get to go here pretty much every day,” said Tamotsu.

I was the curious about the man who hadn’t told us anything about himself. I wondered what sort of man could work for Kamiko.

“Where’d you learn to fly a helicopter?” I said.

“I was in the defense force. Drove attack helicopters and the like.”

I nodded, listening to him as he spoke about his past.

“I drove helicopters much bigger than this one,” he said, pointing at it. “I trained to shoot too, but I was never a big fan of it. Loved flying though, and I decided to keep doing it after I left.”

“You got a family?”

“Sure do. Take a look.” He took out a photograph in his wallet of his two daughters and wife.

“They look wonderful.”

“They’re the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me.”

We continued our gaze at the scenery until Tamotsu stood and beckoned us back to the helicopter. We rose, leaving the helipad and picturesque scenery behind.

He flew us to where we came from, back to the tourist office. My body grew tense, and a weight pressed over my shoulders. There was still someplace we hadn’t yet gone, but he was already returning. If Aimi’s information was right, this guy should’ve been one of Kamiko’s pilot. Wouldn’t he get suspicious of us if we said that we wanted to go somewhere that was close to this secret base?

“Tamotsu, this tour has been too fun, and I don’t want it to end yet,” said Mana.

“I feel the same way. Where would you like to go, ma’am?”

“We’ve been in the city for too long and haven’t left it yet. With all the gray buildings and concrete, it can get tiring. Do you mind going a bit out of the city just to see some real nature?”

He grinned, dimples showing. “I get how you feel all too well. Alright, I’ll take you there.”

The helicopter moved away from the tourist office and headed to the land outside of the city. The densely packed, gray buildings gave way to trees and farmland. An elevated railway ran outside the city and through the farms. It was much more noticeable thanks to not being surrounded by gray. In the distance, there was something in the dense forest that we could barely make out. Other than that, there wasn’t anything that would stand out to the Rats.

“Wow, I’ve never seen that many trees before! Do you think you can go there?” said Mana, pointed to the distant forest.

Tamotsu hesitated. “W, well, I’m not so sure.”

“Oh, is the helicopter out of gas already?” Mana’s voice came out almost like a whimper, and she frowned.

“Not at all!” We hovered above the farmlands for a few seconds, the pilot staring at the forest.

“You know what? It’s probably fine. Wouldn’t want to end this tour on a sad note,” said Tamotsu, pitching the aircraft forward. As the distance closed, we saw something in the distance. It looked like a small airfield right in the middle of the forest.

“What is that? An airport?” said Mana, pointing at what laid in the dense forest.

“I, I don’t know,” said the pilot. “Look, it’s getting late. We have to turn back.”

Silence except for the buzz of the helicopter emanated throughout as we returned. It was broken when Tamotsu curiosity got the better of him. He gulped his saliva and spoke.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but I get the feeling you two aren’t here for a normal tour.”

Mana and I glanced at each other.

“Why do you say that?” said Mana.

“Look, I know what this office does, ok? I don’t want anything to do with it. I just want to fly helicopters for a living.”

I glanced at Mana, trying to figure out her next words.

“Tamotsu, you’ve been a very good pilot and seem like a good man, so I’m going to offer you a deal.”

“I don’t want to do anything shady. I just want to do my job normally.”

“You got two choices. Tell us about whatever you know about that airfield, and we can help you keep this job. If not, the soon-to-be new owner of the officer will replace you.”

We still hovered in the air, unmoving. I couldn’t see his face from sitting behind him, but it looked like he was strangling the flight control stick. He drew in another breath and gulped

“All I know and do is drive this woman and her compatriots to that airfield. It’s small, and there usually isn’t a whole lot of people there unless the woman is coming. There’s also an air tower, and a refuel station. It’s not just helicopters. There are also small planes.”

“What does she look like?”

“I don’t know. Honest. I’ve never seen her face before, but she always wears a big hat and dresses.”

“Do you go anywhere else other than the airfield?”

“No. I only fly them to the airfield when they want me to.”

Mana patted him on the shoulder, and he flinched when she did.

“Thanks, Tamotsu. We’ll put in a good word for you, I promise.”

He turned the controlled stick, and we were making our way back at the tourist office.

“Just a heads up. Our guys just saw a couple of Kamiko’s men enter the office. We’d rather not destroy the building or use guns. Try to knock them out or something from the inside, and we’ll come in to help you out,” said Aimi.

Just as she ended her call, a voice resembling a gruff man’s came on the helicopter transceiver.

“All flights and reservations for today have been canceled. Please return to base.”

We held our breathes, palms beginning to sweat. The air conditioning inside the aircraft wasn’t doing much for the summer heat, it seemed. I stared at my feet. Nothing ever goes as planned.

“Tamotsu, when we land, stay up here. Don’t leave the plane,” said Mana.

“What? Why?”

“It’s for your own safety.”

He said nothing more as the helicopter pitched towards our destination. The tourist office came into sight as well as the helipad on its roof. We hovered above it for a while before it lowered, and it shook for a second when it landed.

We stepped out and headed for the door leading downstairs. I pushed it open and left it ajar, peering through the opening.

“We need more details on them. How many there are, their equipment, and anything that might be useful,” I said.

“There are six of them, and they don’t have any firearms. They’re all on the first floor scattered throughout,” said Aimi, giving us the position of each individual man.

“Any idea why they’re here suddenly?” said Mana.

“They might be transporting a VIP to that airport.”

“It could be Kamiko. If so, it would be better if we waited and attacked when she’s here.”

Only silence was heard on the other side. We waited for her reply while I made sure no one was going to come up.

“No can do. You guys can’t stay up there forever, and we don’t know when the VIP will arrive. The best thing we can do is to take these guys out without anyone know and disguise ourselves as them.”

Mana nodded at me, and I opened the door, walking downstairs and making my footsteps as quiet as I could. We made it down without anyone hearing us, and I pressed an ear against the door, trying to hear if anyone was outside.

“There are two guards standing inside at the front door. The receptionist is at the front desk right in front of the door to the roof. Either knock her out or convince her. I think the rest are in the break room at the back,” said Aimi.

I glanced at Mana who nodded. She stood up and opened the door. The receptionist turned around and was about to speak a voice of welcome when Mana put a finger to her lips. She stopped, tilting her head. Mana inched closer to her ear and whispered, “the pilot wants to talk to you.” She nodded, stood up, and went up the staircases.

We closed the door and took cover behind the front desk. Two guards were facing the doorway at the front. Nearby, the four men were chattering and laughing without a care.

“Hold up, it looks like a couple is trying to enter,” said Aimi.

The door at the front opened, letting the scorching heat enter the air conditioned office.

“Stop right there. No one is allowed here,” said a guard as the door closed.

“What about our helicopter tour?” said a woman.

“You should’ve received an email saying that they were canceled. You’ll get your money back.”

“That’s not fair! It’s our last day in the city. Can’t we at least get a flight?”

“No. We’re going to need you to leave.” They closed in on the two and started pushing them out of the door.

“Hey, hands off! You can’t do this!” said the man.

We looked up from the counter. The man hurled himself at a guard and slammed his fist into his face. He fell down, and it erupted a cheer from his partner.

“You go, babe!” She said as he prepared to defend himself against the other one.

From the back in the lounge, two guards emerged and looked at the scene. They rushed in to help and pushed the man to the floor. They stomped on his face, torso, and leg, and he could do nothing but cover himself with his hands. The women screamed and tried to lay on her partner to shield him from their attacks.

“Take the two in the lounge. We’ll deal with the front,” said Aimi.

We snuck to the back and faced the door to the lounge. We peered through the glass panel on the door and saw two men smoking a cigarette.

I unholstered my pistol, making sure the safety was on before I prepared to whacked them on the head. Mana did the same, emptying the bullets into her pocket. On a count of three, we charged inside the room. They craned their necks, barely seeing us in the smoke. One dropped his cigarette, preparing to grab the handheld transceiver clipped to his belt. As his hand grabbed the antenna, I ran up from behind and whacked him on the head. Mana had already taken care of the other man who was too much in a daze from his smoke break.

We collected their transceivers and hid them in a drawer. They didn’t have any firearms on them, and we found some cable ties which we used to tie their arms and legs together. The smoke entered our nostrils, and I felt suffocated as we left the room, leaving the door wide open.

The four suited guards were on the floor. The woman’s partner was also on the floor with her kneeling over him, nursing his wounds. There were another four people we didn’t recognize in the office, two searching the front desks and two standing guard at the door. They wore white tank tops and black pants. One man spotted us, put a finger on his earpiece, and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Those are our guys,” said Aimi through our earpieces.

“What now?” I said.

“Get back to the safehouse, and we’ll talk.”

“What about the receptionist and the pilot?” said Mana.

“If they want, they can continue their life here.”

As we headed for the door, a guard stirred at our feet. We paid it no mind as we left, entering the car, and heading back to the safehouse.

We parked in front, and as we approached the door, shouting was coming from inside. I gripped the pistol and wrapped my hand around the handle. We charged into the safe house, guns pointed at any enemy, but there were none. All we could see was Aimi at the table, shouting into the microphone hanging from her headset. We holstered our guns before she could look up.

“What do you mean one of them just woke up?!” She slammed her fist on the table, pursing her lips. “Whatever, just secure the area and make sure you don’t get surprised.”

She looked at us, anger vanished.

“Welcome back. You two did great, unlike those guys.”

“What was all that shouting about?” I said.

She sighed. “We won’t get to know who the VIP they wanted to transport will be since one of the guards used his walkie-talkie to alert the base that the helicopter was compromised.”

“Did you get anything out of the guards at least?” said Mana.

Aimi shook her head. “No. They’re just the common henchman who follows orders,” she continued, “this trip wasn’t a waste of time thanks to you two. We got a helicopter and a pilot.”

“So you’re going to hire him?”

“Of course. It’s not easy to find a pilot these days.”

“And the airfield?”

She slid a map to us, and we looked at the airfield surrounded by forests with only one road leading out. There was also a few buildings and an air tower. She pointed at the air tower near the runway.

“This air tower might have recordings of any incoming and outcoming flights. If we get our hands on them, we might find out if there are any other ways they would be able to enter the city. We might even get information about where her hideout is.”

“So I guess we don’t need to search the airport’s CCTV?” I said.

Aimi hesitated before she spoke. “We still need proper confirmation on Kamiko’s identity.”

“Our eyes aren’t enough?”

She shook her head. “The airport’s CCTV is the only known way for us to know what Kamiko actually looks like.”

The more information we had, the better our chances would be when we faced her. The airport was also the starting line for her in the city, and it would be interesting to see the sort of entourage she had brought.

“Fine. We’ll sneak in tonight, get the footage, and get to the airfield tomorrow,” said Mana.

We nodded. The faster we do this, the easier it will be to catch Kamiko. We waited for night to descend until it was time for us to go.