Ink Portals

Tokyo heist

20

Outside on the roof the morning sky was overcast with looming rain clouds. Jack and Pierre strode out onto the helipad with their futuristic samurai helmets tucked under their arms. Arthur followed a few steps behind them. For the first time they looked like an organized team of mercenaries, rather than a group of thieves-for-hire. Abby stayed behind, she stood by the rooftop door and waved at Arthur when he glanced back at her. She nodded at Mei and Hiroko as they came up the stairwell and joined the team in the helicopter.

The chopper lifted off from the helipad with everyone strapped in along the sides of the cabin, like soldiers being deployed to the battlefield. Hiroko's gaze caught Arthur's, he looked away, afraid his eyes might give away his fear of heights. Arthur's stomach turned as the chopper banked sharply and sped up, traveling low over the rooftops of skyscrapers. He fixed his sight on the horizon in the distance, trying to distract himself from how high up they were. Up ahead the roadways of the sprawling Tokyo metropolis lay crisscrossed, like a network of ridged, concrete veins.

"The van is currently headed west," Mei said, speaking into her headset so that everyone could hear over the drone of the engine. "The scout says it's an armored vehicle, disguised as an animal transport van."

"Ms. Ming," Pierre's voice crackled over the headsets, "you crafty old wench."

Jack scoffed into his headset, "This reeks of a fucking ambush if you ask me."

"Even if that is the case," Mei said, "we are capable of dealing with whatever arises."

"So where do we find this 'animal transport van?'" Jack said, making quotation marks with his fingers. "Especially in Tokyo traffic."

"We are headed to its last known location," Hiroko said. "The scout lost the van in traffic. We need to pinpoint it."

Arthur felt the chopper slowing down until it was hovering in place, then the pilot spoke to Hiroko in Japanese over her headset.

"This is it," she said. "Somewhere within a three-block radius. Arthur, send out your ravens and scout the area."

"Alright, you're up, kiddo," Jack said.

Pierre leaned forward and pulled open the chopper's cabin door. A whirlwind of air rushed in, making everyone's hair fly up as if they were suddenly in free fall. Arthur took off his headset and unbuckled the seat belt, then scooted closer to the door. Again, he tried to avert his fear by looking off into the distance, instead of straight down.

"Don't worry," Jack shouted over the noise of the rotors while grabbing a hold of Arthur's belt. "I'm gonna hang on to you."

Arthur edged forward until his sneakers were on the landing gear. His heart jumped in his chest when the chopper dipped slightly in a cross-wind and the pilot corrected it. Jack was right there with him, holding on to the handle next to the door.

Dark clouds were rolling in, creeping up on the skyline. The scent of rain came to Arthur's nostrils on the breeze, along with hints of exhaust fumes, wafting up from the cars far below them. He breathed in and out deeply, trying to get his heart rate under control. His feet were planted firmly on the landing skids, while the wind whipped and tugged at his hair. Then he leaned forward, tentatively, and peaked over his knees at the city streets below. The tops of the skyscrapers pointed up at him like the tips of blunt, concrete spears, ready to impale him should he slip and fall.

Time to man-up, Arthur thought.

The rhythmic churning of the helicopter engine sent vibrations through Arthur's back and up into his throat. A wave of nausea washed over him. It could've been the previous night's drinks, or his fear of heights. It was probably both. Arthur lurched forward, but instead of vomiting he managed to keep his dinner down. His eyes blackened and ravens poured out from the neckline of his shirt. He felt pressure on his hips as Jack's grip tightened on his belt. Arthur watched the birds glide down like black ink-blots sailing through the air. Down and down they went. A few stories above the street the ravens jutted out their wings and darted out in different directions, each one taking its own course through the maze of skyscrapers, scanning the traffic beneath them with their keen little eyes. The birds zigzagged in between traffic-lights, up and over giant, flashing billboards. One dropped down and glided along in between rows of cars, then flapped its wings wildly, veering off to avoid a bus crossing an intersection.