by B.A. Savage
Chapter Two
Only dim lights illuminate the empty hallway. A thin periscope-like device slides out of the vent on the ceiling. It peers in all directions, surveying the hallway, then slides back into the vent. The cover of the vent slides back slowly until it’s completely removed. A dark figure in complete black, sporting a ski mask and black lensed goggles drops like a shadow, while making a barely noticeable sound. Staying low, Archan surveys the hall. Once he’s determined it’s clear and safe to proceed, he does.
“Man, this is way too easy. I thought being a Japanese company, they would have better security than this. That’s what I get for stereotyping.” He continues down the hallway until he arrives at a door with a name bar titled “Katsuya Sr.”
“So this is the room.” He opens the door and peeks inside. He looks around. No cameras, no noticeable security devices, nothing.
“Just like he said, ‘piece of cake’. Now all I got to do is pick his desk lock, get the stuff and I’m outta here.”
Archan heads around the desk and scoots the office chair out of the way. He kneels down and starts to work on the lock. Unnoticeable to Archan, who’s hard at work at the desk drawer, a doll sized figure creeps out from behind some books on the top of a high bookshelf behind the desk. It leaps onto the ceiling fan above the desk and starts to lower itself by its tail. Archan cracks the lock, “Open sesame.”
“How about ‘Busted Criminal’?” asks the figure hanging.
This comment startled Archan, who looks up into the darkness to find what appears to be a talking teddy bear. The room’s unexpected occupant pulls the chain on the ceiling fan causing the room’s main lights to come on, lighting the whole room.
Archan can’t believe his eyes, “What in the world are you?”
Visibly upset and insulted, the hanging creature replies, “What am I? What are you? Let me tell you. Me, The Imperial Chee-Chee. You? Idiot!”
“Why you little…” says Archan until he is cut short by a man clearing his throat at the doorway. Archan turns his attention away from Chee-Chee to the men in the doorway. There are two men standing side by side, both Japanese; one slender and younger, the other huskier and older, but both are obviously related. The younger of the men draws a gun and aims it at Archan. Chee-Chee swings from the ceiling fan over to the doorway where the men are standing. “No stray bullets for me, gentlemen. Chee-Chee will pass.” Once stationed between the two men, Chee-Chee looks back at Archan and sticks his tongue out, then yells, “Idiot!”
“Enough!” says the older man. “Caught in my office. So, you were right, son, to suspect this.”
“I assured you, father, I was correct” says the younger one.
Archan is kneeled down behind the desk but in path of a clear shot from the gun.
Katsuya Sr. says, “You’re probably wondering how you got caught, as most thieves do when they are, as you American’s say, ‘nabbed’. Well, you were caught because of a not so silent alarm; well, at least not so silent after we almost beat the life out of him.”
A third man, a black male in a well-tailored suit, throws effortlessly a bound, blindfolded and gagged man into the room in front of Archan. Archan recognizes that this half-naked and less than half conscious man as his friend’s friend. Archan mumbles in disbelief.
Katsuya Sr. continues, “Don’t blame yourself. You’re nothing but a common criminal who happened to be hired by the wrong person. You should’ve come to us for employment. The skills you used to gain access to the building were quite remarkable.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“It’s gonna make for good watching; we got it all on tape. Too bad you won’t be around to see it. Can I kill him now father?” asks Katsuya Jr.
“No! How many times do I have to tell you? No killing inside. Leave’s too much of a mess. Remember son, we have a team for the mess if it’s done properly. Understand?”
“Yes, father.”
Katsuya Sr. motions for the black man to go attain Archan. Realizing that he’s probably minutes from his death, Archan decides that his best chance of getting out of here alive is taking this approaching man hostage and using him as leverage or a shield at worst. He figures it’s time to put his second-degree black belt to work. As the man blocks the aim of the gun and extends his had to grab Archan, Archan delivers a thrust punch to the oncoming man’s throat. Even though he used maximum force, the man is unaffected by the punch as if it never happened. Archan, on the other hand, let’s out a loud scream of pain. It feels like he broke his hand on this man’s neck. The man easily takes him captive. Katsuya Sr. asks, “Brick, why do they always try something like that?”
Brick replies, “Don’t know, Mr. Katsuya.”
“I know! ‘Cause they’re all idiots! All idiots! What am I? What are they? Idiots!” says Chee-Chee. Once Brick has Archan tied up, Katsuya Sr. says, “Well, I have more pressing issues. I'll see you in the morning son."
"Yes, father."
Katsuya Sr. leaves the room.
Chee-Chee leaps up onto the shoulder of Brick, who asks, "What now, Jin-Jun? To the roof?"
Jin Jun Katsuya answers, “No, not yet. I want to see his face. I like seeing the face of a dead man." He snatches the mask off his head.
Chee-Chee yells "Idiot and ugly! No wonder you're such a loser! Idiot! What am I? What are you? Idiot!"
Archan thinks to himself, "He's starting to sound like my stupid bird. If I have to listen to this Chee-Chee thing much longer, I might volunteer to throw myself off the roof."
Jin-Jun still frustrated at what he perceived as disrespect by his father, rolls up his sleeves, "I'm tired of my father disrespecting me in front of others. Even if you two don't work directly for the company, it still bothers me. One day, just wait and see I'll get the respect I deserve, but right now I'm gonna let out some of my frustrations on your face buddy."
Archan quietly regrets taking this job more and more by the minute. While Katsuya beats a tied up Archan, Brick calls on the office phone to downstairs.
"Yes." answers a voice on the other side.
"Get the SDCC ready."
"Again? It's the third time this week."
"Get the SDCC ready,” repeats Brick.
"Okay." then both parties hang up. Brick turns around toward the haggard Jin-Jun and asks, "What does SDCC stand for?"
"Swan Dive Cleanup Crew. My father enjoys watching the videos of the impacts."
Chee-Chee says, "Clever name. I like, I like."
Archan is almost out; his body is trying to shut itself down because the pain has become unbearable. Katsuya had even taken off his belt and was hitting Archan in the head and the face with the buckle end.
Trying to catch his breath, Katsuya tells Brick to carry both men to the roof. Chee-Chee jumps off Brick's shoulder to the ground and Brick effortlessly tosses each man on separate shoulders. Archan blacks out as they head down the hallway toward the elevators.