Forest of Fate

Tamotsu’s voice stirred us awake. The familiar cityscape was no longer visible, and darkness engulfed us. There was a few lights in the distance, but it wasn’t enough to see in front of us.

“We’re nearing the landing zone. You’ll have to walk a few kilometers until you get to the airfield,” said Tamotsu.

“We have to walk through the trees in the dark?” I said.

“It’ll be fine. I got flashlights for you two. Once you see a glimpse of light, make sure to turn them off. Anything happens, call me.”

The helicopter hovered over a small clearing in the forest. It lowered itself until a small bump rocked the aircraft. Tamotsu handed us two high powered flashlights. They were much stronger than the one I currently had. We stepped out the helicopter and felt the soft grass beneath us. The whirling of the blades died down, and the pilot gave us a thumbs up.

“If you go straight in that direction, you’ll get to the airfield. Good luck you two.”

We nodded and headed towards the trees, flashlights activated. The light beamed on the branches and trunks, and we saw the greenery surrounding us. I put a finger to my earpiece.

“Aimi, we just landed a few kilometers from the airfield. We’re heading there now,” I said.

“Understood. If you keep going that way, you’ll get to the storage area. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of people there.”

We continued towards the airfield, the branches scraping my face a little. It was humid in the forest, and we had to stop and take a water break every now and then. My body was sticky with sweat, and the body armor wasn’t helping. I thought of taking it off, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to sacrifice safety for comfort. I walked in front while Mana lagged behind a little, but not a word of complaint escaped her lips.

“You doing alright?” I said.

She nodded. “I’m just thinking of the camera footage that Aimi showed us.”

I remembered the innocent-looking Kamiko shown to us on that small laptop screen. She had looked like the average lady you’d find anywhere on the streets. This same person had built a massive criminal force and nearly taken over the city, all within the span of a month. Was it experience, luck, both, or something else that had given her so much power?

“I just feel that she can’t possibly commit all those crimes,” Mana said.

“She’s probably just really good at disguising herself.” I’d know a thing or two about that.

Silence resumed, and we continued on through the forest. A light from the airfield was still not in sight, and the rustling of the leaves bothered me as we trekked on. Out here in the dark, they sounded like gunshots even if we were the only ones that could hear it. At least it wasn’t autumn yet. I tried to avoid the fallen leaves at first, but after a while, I walked on normally. Our destination came to my mind.

“What do you think we’ll find at the air tower?” I said.

“I’m hoping for a mention of a place that isn’t the airport or wherever Kamiko originated from.”

“Think we’re close to finding her?”

“Who knows? This is our last lead so there has to be something here.”

I was getting bored of our surroundings at this point. The dark, trees, branches, leaves, and grass didn’t make for much entertainment. I wondered about the wildlife around here and wondered if we would come across a bear. Animals occupied my mind. I eventually though of creatures like mouses and rats.

“I know it’s stupid to ask this now, but why’d you trust the Rats?”

“I admit, it was a huge gamble on my part,” she paused, “But when I saw someone like Aimi being a part of them, I thought it wasn’t so bad. They even hired the pilot who used to work with the enemy.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you only trust things that are cute.”

Mana chuckled. “That’s not true. I trust you, after all.”

“Rude.”

We walked on, the air between us lightened. My thoughts wandered to our office, the place that had been ransacked by Kamiko’s men. For a short while, the place had acted as my safehouse. Even after this was all over, I hoped that it would continue its role as that, assuming Kamiko didn’t tell anyone about my general whereabouts. If she did, I’d have to move again, maybe this time out of the city. I’d be exposed and vulnerable, susceptible to any attacks. At that point, I might as well have forfeited my life. What’s worst, I would have to abandon the good people I already knew. I thought about the person who had been kind to be during my first day. My mind wandered to my chat with her during lunch, and I remembered something that was left untold.

“How’d you meet Kido? She said you saved her life or something and even called you ‘Lady.’”

Mana sighed, but it wasn’t one of exasperation or annoyance. “She’s always a bit overdramatic. All I did was give some food when I found her on the streets. Apparently, she ran away from home or something. I was starting up the office around that time too and gave her a job.”

“Kido is older than us, right?”

“Physically, yeah,” Mana continued, “She’s been helpful and has helped me so much when I was down. I owe her.”

“I hope she’s ok.”

“Me too.”

The aroma of nature wafted through my nostrils. The grass, trees, and soil emanated a fragrance that wasn’t found in the city, and I preferred it to the exhaust gas and oily smell in the place I called home. Actually, I’m not even sure if I can call the city my home. Was the office I called my safehouse considered a home? If it wasn’t, then I didn’t have a home, but if it was, then I guess Kido and Mana were considered family. I thought back to the first question I had asked Mana, and it came to my attention that the question was left unanswered.

“How you holding up?” I said.

“You already asked that.”

“Didn’t get a proper answer that time.”

She held her tongue, and for a second, I thought she wasn’t breathing with how quiet it was behind me. I craned my neck and saw that she was only in silence.

“I’m doing alright. It’s just,” she paused, “I never expected to be thrown into this like my father.”

When I had copied her father’s notebooks onto a word document, I noticed that most of the cases were as intense as the one we were doing now. While there were smaller cases such as investigating infidelity, scams, and fraud, there were also big cases like solving murders or even thievery of expensive jewelry. The largest ones involved him delving into the underworld.

“I’ll get used to it, I’m sure.”

“While keeping your emotions, right?”

“Of course, and with your help.”

We pushed through the branches and shrubbery, smiles on our faces. My nervousness I didn’t know I had faded. The forest began to open up, and less nature was in our way. We saw an orange glint in the short distance and turned off our flashlights. Darkness enveloped us as we inched closer to the glint, our hands in front, making sure we didn’t hit a tree. There was a slope we had to climbed. I grabbed onto the grass and pulled myself up. Turning around, I held out my hand for Mana then pulled her up.

“We’re at the airfield,” I said into the earpiece.

“Ok. According to the pilot, most of the guards here don’t know each other that well, so it shouldn’t be too hard to sneak in. Good luck, guys.”

We reached even ground and turned to look at the glint, now in full view. It belonged to a streetlamp standing over us. It beamed light onto us, and we ducked into the shadows. There were wooden crates around us in a neat, organized pile. Away from the piles of crates, there was a short, flat building. Near it were a few parked cars. The airstrip was a little while away, and there were a few hangers around it. The air tower was in sight, and it was a lot shorter than I expected. A few flashlight beam were moving about, revealing the asphalt underneath. Several guards were patrolling, and a few of them were heading in our direction.

We crept through the storage area, hiding behind the crates. The guards who were nearing us stopped at the center of the area, opting to chat instead. We stayed for a while, hoping for something worthwhile to appear in their conversation, but they talked only about breakfast. There was a forklift at the edge of the storage, and we hid behind it, examining the guards’ movement and air tower. Many of them were standing around, chatting. They held rifles and had body armor on over their t-shirts. Two guards were stationed outside the entrance to the air tower, and there was no cover we could take from the forklift to it.

“I got an idea,” said Mana, whispering into my ears. I nodded, unholstered my pistol, and attached the suppressor.

We returned to the two guards who discussed breakfast. Mana withdrew her revolver, and together, we charged the two. I wrapped my arm around a guard’s neck and hit him in the head with the butt of my pistol before he could make a sound. Mana was successful as well, and we dragged the bodies behind the crates. We took their baseball caps, rifles, flashlight, and radio. Mana made sure her hair went under the cap and lowered it to hide her eyes. We left the area where the guards had come from and walked towards the air tower.

As we walked, a shout resounded throughout the dark airfield. Everyone turned their heads, looking at the voice which came from the hangers behind the air tower. They returned their attention back to talking, and we resumed our walk. Just as we were about to reach the entrance, footsteps ran towards us and rounded the air tower. A bearded, burly man showed himself holding a wrench.

“Didn’t any of you idiots hear me?! I need some help!”

His shout rang my ears, and I had to focus on my balance. All the guards looked at him for a second then looked away. We continued for the air tower, but he pointed at us.

“You two will do. Come with me.”

“We have more important matters to attend to,” I said.

“Who cares?! Now come with me or I’ll drag you two with me.”

Whatever he wanted us to do, I hope it was quick. I didn’t know how long those two would remain unconscious for.

We entered the hanger he led us to, and we had to shield our eyes from the light beaming from above. There was a small helicopter in the center, and we followed him closer. Mana stood behind me somewhat distanced from the man, and I was standing right in front of him. He took out a toolbox and rotated his positions around the aircraft. He’d ask me to bring him a certain tool from the box, and I obeyed in silence for he might not have recognized my voice.

“Get in here,” said the man.

I climbed inside the cockpit, and he had me hold a few wires for him while he fixed something underneath. Mana was called to handle the passing of tools. When he connected the wires, he ordered me out. He pressed a few buttons, and the blades whirled. He pumped his fists which touched the ceiling and gave a shout of joy. Even from inside, we had to cover my ears as his shout echoed through the hangar. He climbed out of the helicopter with a thumbs up.

“Thanks for the help, you two,” he said.

Our radios cackled and a voice spoke through.

“Attention all personnel, we have reports of unarmed intruders in the storage.” It repeated its message a few times.

Without waiting for the mechanic, we dashed out the hangar and ran for the air tower. It seemed like all of the guards at the airfield were at the storage we had arrived at earlier. I spotted a glimpse of the men we knocked out. They had their hands in the air while being held at gunpoint, shouting and defending their innocence. It was only a matter of time when people would realize they were the real guards and not us.

The two guards who had stood at the air tower entrance were now gone. I twisted the knob and sighed with relief, thankful that it was unlocked. We ran up the stairs, the metal clanging beneath us. I threw open the door to the control room and was met with a few stares. Two men were sitting at the control panel, looking up from their phones at us. Pistols were at their waist, but they wore no body armor. Instead, it was hanging on the wall behind them.

“Didn’t you guys hear? There’s an intruder at the storage. Everyone has to report there,” I said, trying to deepen my voice as best as I could.

The two guards glanced at one another. “You don’t have to. Everyone’s already there anyways.”

“There might be more of them. It must be an invasion or something.”

The two laughed. “Are you new, kid? Probably got this job just to see some action. Hate to disappoint, but this right here is the most boring job you can get.”

I wracked my brain trying to find another way to force them out, but only one solution came to mind. There wasn’t enough time to worry about the morality of it all. I unholstered the suppressed pistol and took aim at the two. Mana raised her rifle and aimed the barrel at their faces.

“Drop your guns and face the wall, and no one gets hurt,” I said.

They stood up, chuckling. “So you’re just two stupid kids who’s playing with toy guns.”

Their hands went for the grip, and I managed to shoot one before the other raised his pistol and fired. He hit me, straight in the chest, and the gunshot deafened us for a few seconds. Pain soared through my body as I took aim at his heart and fired before he could pull the trigger again. He fell to the ground next to his partner, blood gushing from their wounds.

“Masa, are you ok?” said Mana.

“I’m fine,” I said. At worst, there was just going to be a big bruise.

With no time to waste, I ran to the control panel and connected the USB flash drive.

“Aimi, we’re in, but it’s about to get hot.”

“Understood. The download should take a few minutes. The pilot’s coming to help.”

We heard shouting from below the air tower. Thunderous footsteps were rushing towards the air tower. From below, the door was flung open, and guards rushed up the stairs. I looked around the room, trying to find anything that could be used to block the door, but there was none. We aimed our rifles at the door, waiting for them to come through. Instead, the door was opened slightly, and they threw a flashbang in.

“Cover your eyes and ears!” I said, using shutting my eyes to and fingers plugged into my ears.

The flashbang exploded, shattering the windows. Multiple guards kicked down the door, and they rushed in. I fired at them as they did, and many fell, piling on top of one another, blocking the doorway. They stopped the assault, and footsteps retreated back downstairs. The engine of a car grew louder then stopped. The trunk was popped open, and a commanding officer barked orders to his men.

I peered out the broken window, seeing several men running at the base of the air tower. A car’s trunk was open, and guards were carrying something out and bringing it to the air tower. I took aim with the rifle and shot as many of them as I could. They fell to the ground, the others fixing their rifles at me and firing. I ducked as the hail of bullets assaulted me, crumbling the air tower.

The buzz of a helicopter sounded from above. Its silhouette and spotlight shined on the tower, and we gazed at it. It flew over the airstrip where It hovered. A voice spoke through our earpieces.

“I’m here, and I got eyes on the two of you. The bad news is that it looks like they’re putting explosives around the tower. I’ll keep them as busy as I can,” said Tamotsu.

In the sky, something whirled and roared, and a flash of bullets escaped from the helicopter and landed near the soldiers at the storage and buildings. Dust kicked up, and the ground rumbled. The guards at the air tower ran for their lives towards the buildings nearby where the cars were. A few emptied their magazine firing at the helicopter, the bullets clanging against the metal aircraft.

“We got the data. Get out of there!” said Aimi.

I retrieved the flash drive, we rushed out the control room, ran down the stairs, and threw open the door to the outside. Around the tower were set explosives glued to the wall. We ran for the car whose trunk was opened. It was empty inside, and I shut the trunk before entering with Mana at the wheel.

“Tamotsu, we’re in a car. Should we wait for you to land or get out of here?” I said.

“Get out of here. I got this under control.”

The helicopter aimed its guns towards the fleeing guards who had got in their cars. Instead of heading for the exit, they drove to the opposite end of the airfield.

Mana slammed on the gas and headed for the exit, hoping that none would be able to identify us. As we gained some distance from the air tower, a few guards in the distance noticed our escape and shot at us. We ducked, and the windshield shattered. A few bullets whizzed past and hit the air tower behind us. The ground below us shook, and I thought an earthquake was happening. From the rearview mirror, a blast of orange, red, and yellow light nearly blinded me. A cloud of smoke was left behind, and the impact of the explosion broke all of the windows on the car. What had been the air tower was now reduced to a pile of rubble, debris flying in all directions.

The helicopter swerved from the explosion, and Tamotsu lost his aim on the car heading for the other side of the airstrip. The car reached its destination, and four men got out, holding rifles. They aimed it at the helicopter’s rotors then fired. The muzzle flash revealed their location, and the aircraft moved to face them. From the other side in the building, several guards had broken the windows and aimed at the helicopter, firing. The aircraft fired at the group which had left their cars, eliminating it. As it turned to face the building, smoke rose from it, and it swerved. The helicopter was veering towards the airstrip.

“Mayday! Mayday! I’m going down!” said Tamotsu.

The aircraft slammed into the ground, but there wasn’t an explosion. The blades were bent and out of shape, and smoke wafted through the night sky. Mana changed her course and headed for the pilot.

“Tamotsu, are you ok? We’re coming to get you!” said Mana.

He coughed. “I’m ok, but don’t worry about me. Just go.”

Ignoring him, she speeded towards the crash site. The guards inside the building shifted their aim towards us. We ducked as some of the bullets hit the car. We closed the distance between us and Tamotsu at the center of the airstrip. Mana parked as close as she could to the cockpit while I got out. The pilot was inside, blood trickling down his temple. He gave me a faint smiled as I grabbed onto his vest and pulled him out. He was still able to walk, and I assisted him to the car. We entered, and Mana drove towards the exit, dodging the hail of bullets.

Tamotsu took the spare rifle, hugging it close. I did the same, watching the building behind fade away. The road leading out of the airfield was a straight one surrounded by trees, and Mana slammed on the gas.

“Aimi, tell me you got something out of that,” I said.

“I did. There were mentions of a huge wharf nearby.”

I glanced at Mana. She looked at the rear view mirror before firmly nodding.

“That’s where we’re going next, then,” I said.

“What? Are you insane? Just get back to the city, and we’ll plan our next move,” said Aimi.

“This is our only chance,” said Mana.

An exasperated sigh came from the other end. “I guess she was right. You can’t be stopped. Stay safe.”

The main road came into view as did four cars. The streetlamps illuminated the inside, revealing armed men with bulletproof vests. They gave us a single glance before pointing at our car. The car windows were rolling down, rifles at the ready. As our vehicle had no windows, I took the initiative, aiming my gun and firing at the approaching cars. I got the driver of one car, and as we drove past, his comrades kicked him out and commandeered the vehicle.

Holes littered our car, and the wind was blowing inside. Despite the damages it had sustained, Mana was still able to handle it properly. She swerved and drifted, trying to dodge the bullets. Tamotsu and I aimed our guns at the pursuers, making sure we were targeting the driver. We hit one, and the car swerved then crashed.

An enemy vehicle reached our side and rammed us. They took aim at Mana, firing. A bullet grazed my cheeks and hit my abdomen, but I paid it no mind as I shot their driver. The car spun out of control, crashing into the barrier next to them. Mana let out a pained groan next to me. A hole was at her side where she’d been shot, and the vest had stopped it.

There were only two cars left. Instead of pushing up, they were lagging behind, opting to follow us until our ride broke down. An exit on the road presented itself, and Mana went in. They followed behind, turning on the high beam. I checked my rifle, realizing that it was empty. Tamotsu’s was also empty. I threw the gun aside, unholstering the suppressed pistol.

We came to a small street, buildings all around. Mana made constant turns, but the high beams of the cars behind still managed to tail us.

“Park the car. We’ll leave on foot,” I said.

We arrived at a small parking lot in a dark corner of the street. Before the high beams could reach us, we left and ran for the other side. We hid in the darkness as our pursuers spotted the damaged car, doors left open. They parked behind it and got out, pistols in hand. We retreated from them, ducking into an alley nearby. If they weren’t dealt with, we would never be able to get to the wharf in peace.

“I’ll deal with them. You two stay here,” I said.

“I can help,” said Mana.

I shook my head, holding up the suppressed pistol. With no choice, she nodded, and I made my way towards the two-car convoy.

There were eight of them, four in each car. They had checked our car, finding no one inside. The eight stood in a circle, one of them barking out orders to spread out and search. Each search team had two men, and they wandered off. I waited until each team was far enough apart then made my move.

Two men were slowly approaching the alley where Tamotsu and Mana hid. I stood a couple of meters from them, aimed my pistol at their heads, then pulled the trigger. They collapsed to the ground, only the impact of the bodies made a sound.

The next team was looking through shop windows, shining their flashlight inside. I waited for them to move a little further away from the shop, not wanting the owner to find two dead bodies in the morning. Once they moved away, I pulled the trigger, watching them collapse.

One team was in a parking lot, cars packed together. They peered inside, making sure it was empty. As they got to open ground away from the cars, their bodies fell onto the asphalt. Only one left.

I searched for the last team for a while, not knowing where they went. I only spotted them when I went back to the cars. They were sitting around, having one final smoke before they too fell. I dragged their bodies away into a dark corner, making sure they wouldn’t be visible when I regrouped with the other two.

My hands felt sicky, and I brushed it off against the bulletproof vest. I thought it was blood, but there wasn’t anything there besides sweat. Something squeezed inside me, and I knew it wasn’t guilt nor was it regret. It felt like a void would open up and suck me in at any time, forcing me back to the world I escaped from.

I returned to the alley, telling them that it was safe. We regrouped at the cars, scanning our surroundings. It’s high beams illuminated much of the area around us, and it gave me some relief from being surrounded by the dark.

“Aimi, I think we’re clear from danger for now,” I said.

“Ok good. I guess I can’t convince you to come back after all?”

Mana shook her head. “We’re going through with it.”

“Stay safe, guys.”

From where we were now, the wharf should’ve been close. We’ll investigate it and come back. As we were about to go, a voice came through the transceiver of our pursuer’s cars.

“Status report.”

We stopped, only staring at the cars. Tamotsu entered and spoke into the transceiver.

“We’re still looking for them.”

“Alright. When you’re done, head back to the wharf. You’re needed on the ship.”

Tamotsu shut the door then faced us.

“I’ll make my way to the city while keeping them busy on the radio. You two can go on ahead.”

“Are you sure?” said Mana.

“I’ll be fine. Take care.” Tamotsu gave us beaming smile then drove off into the night. We stood, watching him leave.

We nodded at each other, knowing it was time to go. The wharf was within walking distance, and we would only be revealing our location by driving a car. What could be at the wharf, I wondered. We only knew its location and not what we would find there. It would be revealed once we got there, I supposed. I heaved a sigh, once again walking into the unknown with the detective by my side.