Chapter 47

“Treasure on floor number Seven”

Simon says as Val rolls her eyes whilst she exits the vehicle.

He was scanning the police HQ from where they parked across the street, tucking the car neatly between thickest bushes he could find on the sidewalk parking area. Sadly his efforts were in vain as Val casually ignored him and jumped straight out of the car and into cloaking mode before he could even give her a detailed report.

Luckily for Simon, these kinds of incidents are quite commonplace for him, already jumping into making a bite sized info package to send to the suit Val was wearing.

‘A little tidbit of intel since you’re in a rush.’

Simon quipped through Val’s earpiece, much to her annoyance.

‘Kay…’ She said plainly.

Val makes quick work of infiltrating the front gates, jumping over them effortlessly as she effectively makes use of the suit’s muscle enhancement functions, though she was still on the works on trying to stick the landing since the suit doesn’t completely nullify the sudden strain a body experiences when managing a fall from a considerable height as she grunts, feeling the sting of the fall from a ten meter high jump.

‘Did you forget to roll again?’

Simon gives her a gentle reminder through the radio but since Val was not in a jolly mood towards the droid. His helpful remark surely came across differently from what he meant.

‘No… your suit just sucks.’ She responds flatly once more.

She dusts off her knees and thighs as she gradually breaks into a sprint towards the service elevator lobby. “Gradually” since her lower half was still in pain after the fall, feeling slightly worried that she might’ve injured herself but thankfully the pain subsided as she continued to make a beeline towards her target.

Once there, she was pleasantly surprised that the whole lot outside the service elevator lobby was void of any human activity. The only entities surrounding her were the crippled police vehicles awaiting repairs, but as for the mechanics tasked to repair them and the guards who were supposed to keep watch;

They were all gone.

‘Interesting… I wonder what those two did when they left the area?’

Just as Val was about to step into the vicinity of the service area, Simon chimes in on her earpiece.

‘Warning! Ultrasonic emulators have been detected. I suggest activating noise cancelling on your suit.’

‘Ultra what?’

‘Ultrasonic emulators. Devices that emit high frequency soundwaves that normal human ears cannot physically hear. But the effects can still be felt by inflicting vertigo on the victims. The sound source is directly inside the elevator car. I suggest you proceed with caution.’

‘So that’s why no one’s here…’ Val muttered. ‘But wait, wouldn't this make me dizzy as well? I’, pretty sure Lor wasn’t counting on me having this protective suit on…’

‘Based on my calculations, the frequency used in the device is just under the devastating ultrasonic range. Meaning symptoms of dizziness and vertigo would only take effect through prolonged exposure.’

‘And how long is that prolonged exposure?’

‘2 hours.’

‘Oh… let’s go then… Do I still need noise cancelling?’

‘Yes. As a precaution.’

‘Copy.’

With the confirmation from Simon she continues her dash towards the steel doors of the elevator, pressing the call button to open its doors, before disappearing into the darkness of the lobby along with the light that shined from the interior of the car as the only brightness that appeared on the grounds.

…

…

Bert was thumbing through the documents that he was about to submit when he got a faint beep from his phone. It was a message from Miles telling him to get into position.

He calmly looks around his surroundings;

It was all chaos, with everyone frantically roaming around checking if everyone was done with their own compilation.

Sensing this to be an opportune time, he takes a deep breath, before standing up and handing in the papers he was holding to one of the superiors assigned to aggregate the documents concerning the raids. He makes a casual excuse to take a bathroom break before declaring his leave as he makes use of the last minute commotion around the office as a guise to slip into the evidence locker, unnoticed.

Once there he makes his way into one of the enclosures inside the evidence locker where the staff usually keeps the keys of the vehicles being stored for repair. This was of the parts of the mission that was considered “muddy” by the rest of the team but since Miles had insisted on an immediate date for action, he didn’t have time to confirm.

He locates the cabinet where the keys were stored, a flat metal box hanging at the corner of the room surrounded by discarded greasy car parts listed for repair. He unlatches the lock that seals it and prays to whatever god who was listening that his speculations were right.

He closed his eyes until he had fully opened the cover. When he finally opens it, he is greeted with a plethora of keys stacked together on a single hook for all of the available hooks inside the box. Rolling his eyes, he knew he was in for another tedious job ahead but he takes a deep breath and pushes on with his task, still with the hope that his speculation was correct.

It was at this time when he heard a door suddenly open.

…

…

Val walks in still fully cloaked as she enters the dimly lit evidence locker. She had a clear idea of what to expect when entering but Bert’s description of the place felt understated as finally saw the vastness and verticality of the space before her. It was true that her perception might be skewered by the lack of lighting but from what she can see, the room felt far more grandiose than what she had imagined during the mission brief.

She shakes her head to clear her mind as she recalls the layout introduced to her during the brief. She made sure to memorize the essential changes in direction in the path towards the car. Which is why she had to retrace her steps back to the elevator after losing herself in thought, as the vast amount of vertical shelves and dim lighting turns the area into a maze as the objects tend to blend their features in the dark.

Upon getting back she starts pacing her moves and counting the landmarks she set for herself.

‘Elevator, follow wide hallway.

Pass two upright shelves, left. Hall width should be the same.

Wood crates on the left side turn right, should arrive at an open space.

Car should be thirty steps ahead near a supply shed.’

Just as she turns the final right hand corner the lights in the area suddenly open. Every nerve in her body suddenly jolts her into a random direction due to being startled, but before her body could fully activate her fight or flight response, she suddenly remembers she was still fully cloaked and thus invisible, calming herself down as she finds a shelf to latch on to regain her balance.

‘You there Val?’ Bert’s voice echoes from where she perceived, as her car’s general direction.

She wasn’t quick to trust and kept the cloaking on, seeing this as an opportunity to rush to where the car is, using the gained visibility as a crutch to propel her smoothly towards the covers of her beloved GTR.

Once beside it she peeks from behind the covers to confirm if the person was Bert, and sure enough, a man with a confused look on his face was on the other side, turning his gaze around the room trying to spot her.

Though it was not time for tricks, Val felt the urge to pull one off.

…

…

‘Val?’ Bert calls out once again, his tone a bit more cautious as the growing silence around the room continues to diminish his confidence. He was starting to doubt his action to call her out, being sure that it was certainly Val who had arrived from the elevator lobby but since no one has been able to return his silence, his mind was now wandering into different thoughts.

‘Shit what if that was some guard goin round his shift? -- I mean it’s not impossible but --

Damn it! -- I’m pretty sure the first thing he’s gonna ask is who’s Val… fuck…

I think I might’ve compromised myself--

Stupid Bert--

STUPID!’

- - - -‘Boo.’- - - -

A sudden dark figure materializes out of nowhere.

The incident was so out of normal common sense that Bert didn’t even need to exercise common sense as the skill is inapplicable to what had just happened.

The only action he could do after facing such an abnormal phenomena was to:

-jump back

-stumble

-and scream.

It was a good thing Bert was able to catch himself, only letting out a brief -AH- before his training took over and he was able to identify Val wearing the exosuit.

Sadly he wasn’t able to break his fall and as the adrenaline subsided, he slowly started to feel the sting on his backside.

‘In all my years of seeing Miles wear that suit. I never got used to that cloaking…’ Bert complains from the floor, still unable to get himself up from the pain.

‘True. Even I think I’ll never get used to this, hell I can’t even see my own hands when I’m cloaked.’ Val responds as she reaches out her hand towards Bert to help him back up. He extends his hand in return but what she had grabbed was different from what she expected.

It was a cold, prickly feeling.

She looks down to see that Bert had just handed her the keys to her car.

Val looked confused but still pleasantly surprised that the events had turned out this way as Bert giver her a pained chuckle before nodding his head towards the car behind her, still under the covers.

‘Don’t mind me here, I’m just old I’ll get up eventually. Just go.’ Bert said with an encouraging grin written on his face. Mixed in with the cold sweat from his pained backside as he tries to send Val on her way.

Val gets the message but grabs his hand anyways, using a bit of the suit’s power to get him up to his feet effortlessly.

‘I know… Thanks! I’d give you an ice pack since I was the one who got you in pain but… got none on me.’

‘Well you owe me one then.’ Bert wittingly replies to Val as she chuckles before turning her back, approaching the car with a sparkle in her eye.

‘It’s been a loooong, loooong time.’ She said with a wide grin as she pulls the covers off in one swishing motion.

And underneath, after months of being held under the shadow of its covers, the shifting fushia and marmalade shades of paint finally gets to shine under the lights of the giant room as Val proceeds to throw the cover away from its beautiful body, revealing the paint, the shine and the car in full view.

And on it’s windshield, a paper stuck in between the wipers said:

2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II N1 (BNR34)

‘So it’s actually 2002? I’m impressed.’ Val said towards Bert, who still propped himself up on one of the shelves. ‘You did thorough research on my baby.’

‘Well we had to since the bureau was planning to sell the car, so you can guess the shock when the mechanics had posted that sheet of paper on the windshield saying that it’s worth more than a regular R34.’

‘Well yeah… the old man said they only made a handful.’ Val replies as she breaks into a chuckle. ‘And that’s the only one left.’

‘And yet I was wondering why Mister Asia wanted it so badly that he’d stir up a geopolitical and economic war out of nowhere.’ Bert responds as he chuckles as well, thinking about all the trouble they were going through for the pink machine that sat in front of them.

In all its glamour and beauty all they could think of was that at the end of the day, after all the planning and coordinating that led them to this moment, it was just a pink colored car.

…

…

Val wanted to wait for Bert to recover so they could push the car out the locker together. They said their goodlucks and farewells before he sent her down the elevator shaft, all tense and excited to roll out of the suffocating box that they were currently in.

She sees the numbers counting down from seven, six then five.

She plugs in the keys and turns it on its axis.

Immediately the car purrs, the same purr she felt the last time she left it.

She checks her dials and gauges and rolls down the window since the air conditioning never existed.

Three, two, one, pause.

Then finally the doors part open.

Val smiles a dozen miles wide, stepping on the clutch, shifting to first, as she prepares to go for a launch.

‘Mine.

All Mine.’

She jovially mutters, releasing the clutch and peeling out into the darkness and towards certain oblivion.

A few moments later, the whole headquarters was under alert.

…

...

‘Fuckin Tanuki…’

Miles complains at her screen while she plays a relaxing game inside a certain vehicle.

Or at least it was supposed to be relaxing.

-creek-- ‘Madam Owner -- - Driver lead has left the vicinity - -- -’ - crr--

Simon radioes over as his gentle voice seeps through the car speakers, grabbing Miles’ attention.

‘Took her long enough…’ She responds, not batting an eyelash to the news. ‘Keep me posted, I still have stuff to do…’ She orders Simon, as he replies with a single ‘Acknowledged’ before signing off. Leaving Miles to her own devices.

She takes a deep breath as she returns back to playing her game, muttering countless unspeakable words at the screen.

Suddenly the radio crackles once more.

-crra--crack- -- ‘Madam?’

‘What?’

‘I suggest you try fishing during rainy weather. Based on my datamined info on the game, chances of rare drops increase in the ocean biome during wet weather. And rare aquatic creatures sell for a high price at the cranny.’

‘Are you logging into the car’s CPU again?’ Miles responds annoyingly.

‘Oh no, not at all. I am simply interconnected to it… visually per se. I don’t have any control over the vehicle, unless of course, when granted permission by you; Madam Owner.’

‘So you’re peeking? Seeing my activity and then mining the data on whatever activity I am doing?’

‘Only if I see it might help you in your struggles, Madam Owner.’

Miles takes a brief pause and looks up from her screen, contemplating what Simon had said to her as she nods with a -hmmph- before replying a stern ‘Fuck off.’

--

And then taking it back with a: ‘But thanks for the tip anyways.’

‘No problem Madam Owner.’

--

-- --

-- -- --

‘What is it?! I have debts to pay! I’m busy! Stop hanging around the line and report everything!’

‘Sorry Madam Owner but it’s in line with the Driver Lead’s mode of operation.’

‘What about?’ She responds raspily as she adjusts the date and time on her onboard clock.

‘Right before retrieving the package one of her business establishments was hit by misfortune.’

‘So?’

‘Well she made a decision that exceeds my programming… I was hoping to consult with you even though the actions have been enacted already.’

‘Hmmm… So this means you can still do something about it if I said no right?’

‘Precisely.’

‘Go shoot.’

‘Driver Lead has enlisted some assistance from all car enthusiast clubs around the metro, hoping to hold an impromptu race at this exact moment.’

‘Is anyone coming?’

‘I’ve scanned the traffic cameras in a sample area. It was showing promising signs of attendance.’

Miles quiets down as she throws her back on the seat rest while she waits for the game to boot back on, pondering on her thoughts in silence.

‘Keep me posted on that. Meeting Location?’

‘The Coliseum parking area.’

Upon hearing, Miles completely bursts into laughter. Laughter that would last for more than a minute as Simon had to make himself wait for a proper response after she had calmed down.

Miles on the other hand knew exactly how things would go.

‘Did our Driver Lead jeopardize the operation?’ Simon asks while he prepares the exit strategy in the back of his functions, anticipating Miles’ negative order.

‘You know what Simon? I don’t really know… I just found it funny that she made a decision that might help us or break us depending on the execution.

As far as I’m concerned the plan went from a 75% win to a 50-50 win or lose.’

‘Shall I put a stop to this?’

‘No.

Let it happen Simon.

I wanna see.

She piqued my curiosity.’

‘But this increases the chances of failure, am I correct?’

‘Yes.

In such cases let me handle the unquantifiable.

For now…

Keep an eye on Gino.

Once alerted. Draw him to Eagle eye.’

‘Yes Madam Owner.’ Simon responds as he finally cuts off the radio comms to execute her orders.

Miles on the other hand tossed the controller aside as she slouched back on the bucket seat, deeply sighing, letting her body drape on the contours of the seat.

She looks at her game screen, which were nothing more than images being directly projected on the windshield glass, and moves her gaze back and forth between the controller and the game, seemingly contemplating on whether she should continue.

‘Looking forward to it.’ She chuckled. Quickly grabbing the controller she tossed on the passenger seat as she resumed playing.

‘Still have a debt to pay though…’ She thought.

…

…

[Dispatch this is unit six-two reporting in. I got eyes in the sky- locking into target.]

{Roger that six-two what’s the sit rep?}

[Grand Prize still on the move - Northbound through C4 just past the Megamall]

{Copy that - we’re also getting reports of a green car speeding around the area}

[Oooh weee another one?]

{Roger - keep an eye out for a speedy green thing also heading north}

[Make and model?]

{Still confirming. Not a lot of street lights here in the metro. Groundcrew could only report seeing a noisy green blur}

[Yeeshh… you think it’s connected to the illicit racers?]

{Hundred percent. But that’s an opinion not an order}

[Roger - requesting to include search of an elusive green Lamborghini Huracan]

{Request Granted.}

[Roger that - Pursuit elevated to code yellow]

{Copy - keep an eye six-two}

…

…

Val was weaving furiously through traffic, praying hard to whatever heavenly entity existed to keep the road clear enough to pass thru as she was under a strict time limit if she was ever going to pull this off.

Back at the briefing, the group discussed the time window when the car breaches what they called : “The Zero Dome” that indicates the maximum radius distance the car’s jammer signal can affect the Police HQ’s database before the jammer’s effects fade.

The time window they were discussing was the time it takes from when the car exits “The Zero Dome” to when Carbine receives the message that they’ve been duped, and thus prompting them to release a citywide search for their stolen goods.

Most specifically their latest prototype car.

Miles deduced that it would only take them 25 seconds before official data from the bureau’s servers reach Carbine and alert them of the issue. But she also states that since the political higher ups who are involved were so detached from their foot soldiers' situations, it might take them around an hour to compile the data to realize what exactly went wrong, before going to Carbine to report.

Lando also added that the higher ups would also demand to spin the blunder to make them look less incompetent to the Carbine’s which would add a bunch more time on top of the estimated one hour lead. Which gives Val, at the very least, an hour and a half to evade safely.

Val knew enough that at the moment she breaches the zero barrier, all hell would break loose. Give or take the response time of when said “hell” would break loose, it was still going towards the same conclusion:

If she doesn’t escape in time, she would lose everything.

And more.

Since she had willingly stored the car inside the warehouse that Mr. Asia granted her.

Even if on paper the property wasn’t yet hers, she still had full control on what should and shouldn't be stored inside the facility, since she has the keys to the property.

And if what she had gotten from the briefing was correct, she could become an international fugitive.

‘Come on… Come on… please don’t let there be a traffic jam…’ She murmurs as she slaloms around live traffic like they were stationary cones in the road. Throwing the car frantically in both directions, giving most of the people inside the traffic cars a quick and sudden fright as Val blitzes pass at greater speeds. She glances briefly on her rearview to check if the helicopter was still tailing her, and to her surprise the spot light was off her back, but then she figured she was nearing the Coliseum and that the pilots might’ve been alerted to the group she had forced to gather earlier thru the call with an unsuspecting Gregory Rubio, who was greatly inconvenienced by Val’s sudden command.

Nonetheless, she figured the gathering was huge enough to trail the spotlight off her back, which is supposed to be a welcomed sight, but then again the plan calls for her to be the frontman of the band, and even though she can use this split second chance to get away, she does what she must as she swerves her car to the right most lane and takes the exit towards Araneta Center.

---Araneta Coliseum---

---Araneta Center, Cubao---

[West Parking Area]

8:30PM

‘Ohh is that a chopper?’ Greg said as the helicopter above shone its spotlight directly at him and the people gathered at the parking area just in front of the large Coliseum.

-[Everyone gathered at the parking area we are monitoring you for suspected illicit street racing]-

-[You are under observation for the next two hours and anyone leaving the premises will be arrested for instigating illicit activities in a shared public area.]-

-[Are we understood?]

Everyone standing at the gathering were looking at each other with a wide eyed expression of shock. All of a sudden everybody was thinking that they were betrayed by Val by gathering everyone in a single spot for the police to capture.

This was spelling bad news for Greg who was the one of convinced them to gather there in the first place as the different club members were starting to turn their piercing gazes towards him, with some of the leaders of the clubs already blazing their way towards his position, eager to tear his skin apart from his body for offering them up to the police on a silver platter.

‘What the fuck is this Greg?!’ One of the club leaders gets within striking distance and violently grabs Greg by the collar looking at him with a face that was trying its hardest not to chew out his eyeballs in rage.

‘Yeah Greg what the fuck man?

‘You fucking traitor!’

‘Loser fucker!

‘Traitor!’

‘Why’d you fucking betray us man?!’

Goddammit Greg you Traitor!'

‘Wait no-- guys..’

‘Seriously what the fuck man??!’

‘I fucking trusted you and you fuck me like this?

‘No I didn’t! I swear!’

‘FUCK YOU GREG!’

‘You just wanted a chance to be chummy with Val you dickwad!’

‘Yeah you just wanna be her lap dog that’s why!’

‘Guys !--

‘Just stop it Greg, You fucked it up.’

‘Yeah don’t explain it, we’re all fucked now.’

‘Just admit it! You’re embarrassing yourself.’

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A loud rumbling noise that was all too familiar to all who have raced her before suddenly echoes in the midst of their bickering. Instantly grabbing everybody’s attention inside the parking area; and as everyone turned their gazes towards the powerful noise, the all too familiar paint scheme shone under the spotlight from the chopper above. A beautiful sunset hue, with an equally striking driver emerging from within.

‘You grumpy motherfuckers, line the fuck up. Race is starting when I get back.’

Val nonchalantly said as she casually walked past the commotion happening around Greg.

‘Wait whaddya mean when you get back?’ Greg asked while everyone around him looks just as confused as he was.

‘I gotta buy electrolytes. I’m thirsty.

‘Hah?’ Everyone exhaled as they collectively stared at Val, walking away from them and into a convenience store just across from the parking area.

Everybody including Greg went silent for a few moments trying to process what Val had casually blurted out to them until the point suddenly hit them when they saw Val lining up by the cashier, looking back at them with a raised eyebrow.

---’The fuck are you people staring at? GO!’---

Is what they thought she thought.

And as soon as Val steps out everybody who brought their street machines to the meetup were racing back towards their vehicles to get ready to anticipate the start of the race.

‘Idiots..’ Val muttered as she witnessed the chaos starting to form around her.

‘Uhh.. Val? What’s the route?’ Greg intervenes Val as she was about to take a sip from her drink. To which she responds by sucker punching him on his shoulder.

‘Unordered checkpoint.’ She speaks.

‘Riverbanks, The Circle, The Cloverleaf then here. First one back here wins it all.

Dashcam rules. So anybody without onboard footage proof is disqualified. Got it?!’

Val said in a commanding tone as she went straight inside the signature Pink car with Greg frantically trying to keep pace with her.

‘Val wait!’

‘WhAt?!’

‘Uhh.. aren’t we gonna line up to start or something.’ Greg politely asks an obviously valid question that Val seemingly forgot. She chuckles as she takes a long awaited sip from her drinks bottle before giving Greg an answer.

‘Tell you what Greg.’ She paused as she put the car in gear and held the throttle in position, steadily revving the engine near the redline.

‘GO.’

And just like that Val drops the clutch as the GTR’s four wheel drive launches her like a rocket from a complete standstill and disappears into the distance. Everyone around the scene was caught off guard but begrudgingly followed as they knew what to expect knowing Val’s erratic personality. Launching their own cars up to speed following her tail out of the parking area.

The sudden start had also caught the helicopter pilots off guard as they suddenly see a plethora of cars flowing out of the parking area without the usual ceremonies. With one car leading the rest out of the Araneta Center, leading them all in her wake.

…

…

-crr--- - crak-- ‘ Madam Owner?’ -- - crr-

‘Yes Simon?’

- - -- - ‘I believe it’s time madam’ -- - --

- - - - - - - - - - O N E W E E K A G O - - - - - - - - - -

‘The plan is simple…’ Miles leans forward on the table, holding down a map of the Metropolitan area with two marks pasted on two locations, indicating Val’s warehouse and the police HQ.

‘You drive around here towards the mid north of the Metro…’

She explains as she circles her finger from the pink dot in the police HQ towards the entirety of the northern districts of the Metro.

‘And I drive from here and towards the edge along the bayshore, away from you and everyone else and down to the docks here.

That’s all of it.

As for how we’re gonna make that work… that’s up for discussion.’

Miles finishes her explanation with a smug smile on her face as the rest of the group looks at her feeling dumbfounded at how casual the plan sounded to them.

‘Really?’ Lando reacts.

‘Really really.’ Miles replied, keeping her smugness in full view of the room.

‘That’s it we’re all going to jail…’ Val replies as the rest of the room dispersed, collectively sighing in disbelief.

‘You know Simon, very few people understand the rules of K.I.S.S’

Miles radios in on Simon as she presses her thumbs on the middle of her palms to activate the install sequence on her exosuit.

-- - crr - -- ‘Well Madam, most people tend to be too smart… and overcomplicate things, thinking it would be better the more elaborate it is.’ -- - -

‘True…’ She replies as she checks her gauges and starts the engine inside the vehicle she was currently in. And as she does the car goes into a gentle rumble before settling itself to a soothing hum.

‘How fascinating this thing is. All that power and yet a cricket won’t even be disturbed by it…

Too bad it has the potential to kill us all.’ She said as she prepares to roll out of the place she was hiding in.

She rolls down the window and greets the security guard, politely asking him to open the gates.

The gates of Val’s warehouse, somewhere up in the abandoned factories up north.

She rolls out of the gates just as her suit has finally finished installing itself around her body, as she seals her face inside the suit via activating it’s optics functions and opting for the night vision option.

‘Good thing Carbine kept the carbon fiber unpainted. Helps it blend at night.’

-- - - ‘Driving blind again? Madam Owner?’ -- - --- -

‘What option do I have?’ She responds with a chuckle as she steps on the accelerator pedal, unleashing the power of the NEP Engine (Nuclear Electric Propulsion). Rolling away from the warehouse with the headlights closed and its engine on a cruise function.

Humming itself away quietly as the car gets swallowed by the infinite darkness of the city at night.

The perfect guise.

Only the full moon on this clear cloudless night dares to foil it.