Recently, I saw a trailer for an upcoming film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger called The Last Stand. I admit, this fic has been heavily inspired by that film. Obviously, I don't own anything, but the original characters used in this story. All brand names belong to their respective companies. This fic is written for enjoyment, not profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Anyway, I will be uploading this prologue chapter as a test to see if I should continue writing this story, and as a sneak peek should I decide to continue.
It was an eerie night. The police cruisers were lined up, forming a wall of steel across the highway. A group of police officers were standing behind the parked cars. The highway was closed, so no traffic was on this road. About 10 kilometers (6 miles) in front of them was a glow caused by the lights in the city of Osaka.
"So Akio." One of the officers asked. "Is it really true?"
"What is true Keiji?" Akio replied.
"Is... He... Really here?"
"Unfortunately." The elder Senior Officer sighed. "Yes."
They'd all heard the news. Takashi Fujima was a major crime boss, who had been wanted for drug smuggling, kidnapping, rape and even murder. He had been caught in Osaka after a long operation, and was due to stand trial, but had somehow escaped from the convoy that was transporting him. Now, the police had cordoned the city off, and had set up roadblocks such as the one Akio and Keiji were manning in the hopes of catching Fujima if he tried to run. No-one knew what he was up to right now. No-one knew what would happen. He already had a ridiculous charge sheet, and he had reportedly had ties to the Yakuza. This man would be desperate to escape custody, and with every city in Japan being issued wanted notices, that would mean that Fujima would have to escape Japan and head for another country. No-one in Japan would be able to touch him if he left the country, and there would be no guarantee that wherever he escaped to would even have an extradition policy with Japan. That's why they had to catch Fujima before he got out of Japan.
"Sir! Sir! We have incoming!" Akio heard a female officer shouting and took a look through some binoculars. Two SUVs were rolling towards the roadblock. They were running together, lights off, making them difficult to see in the blackout.
"Blacked-out American jeeps. Suspicious. This road is closed. Got any reports from the others Rena?"
"Yes. Roadblock 2 reported two vehicles matching the description ran the roadblock. The officers came under fire and were unable to pursue." Rena delivered the news.
"Did they see Fujima in one of the vehicles?"
"No. The windows were blacked-out, and the officers were taking cover from gunfire."
Gunfire. This was definitely Fujima.
"This is it." Akio ordered. "Keiji, get on the PA and order them to stop. The rest of you, get ready. Remember, we need Fujima alive to stand trial."
"Roger." The officers reached for their handguns, while Keiji reached inside a police car and grabbed the handset.
"Drivers." Keiji's voice echoed down the highway. "Pull over to the side of the road and stop. Continuing to drive will be seen as an act of resisting arrest, and you will be fired upon."
The SUVs did not stop, and the lights were switched on. The vehicles were definitely American, modified with lifted suspension, chunky tires and ram bars.
"Did that work?" Keiji asked as he marched back to Akio's side.
"No. That worked as well as spitting at them. Wait... What is that?" Several figures dressed in black were leaning out of the windows and sunroofs. "What, is that military grade weapons?"
Keij's danger instincts kicked in and the young officer dove for cover as the figures opened fire with automatic rifles and shotguns. The sound of glass shattering and bullets hitting metal mixed with the clicking and banging of the sound of the gunmen firing. Akio wasn't so fast to react and was hit with several rounds, falling to the ground. A few other officers were also hit.
"Akio! No!" Keiji yelled at his fallen commanding officer. The firing seemed to stop for a moment, and Keiji dared to peek over the hood of the car. The SUVs had moved aside to allow another vehicle to move through. It was a massive semi-truck, bearing down rapidly on the roadblock and with a massive plow to clear the way. Keiji knew that nothing short of another truck would be able to stop the big rig. With its current speed, there was less than ten seconds to react. There was no use in helping Akio, he was likely already dead. However, there was another officer who was still alive, and crouching behind a shot-up cruiser directly in the path of the truck.
"RENA!" Keiji yelled as he shoved the female rookie out of the way. He was just in time as the truck slammed into the two police cars at the center of the roadblock, tossing them out of the way. Another two seconds and Rena Mitsubishi would've been another name on the list of officers lost in the line of duty.
"Keiji..." Rena was speechless as she took a moment to recover from her near-death experience. The sound of the tossed police cars crashing back down onto the tarmac brought her back to reality, as the SUVs passed through. Thankfully, the occupants somehow did not decide to gun down the remaining officers.
"That was close." Keiji Nakamura panted after his own experiences. "Fujima is definitely here. Question is though, which vehicle is he in?"
Almost exactly on cue, a new engine note pierced the air. It was a bassy roaring sound, like an American V8 engine, with the added shrieking whine of a supercharger. Seconds later, a dark gray supercar flew through the gap in the block.
"That's him." Keiji took a moment to memorize the plate number, before he dashed to the only intact car and reached for the radio. "This is Nakamura, Roadblock 3 has come under attack. Several heavily armed hostiles shot up the block, several officers including Sergeant Nakamoto are down. A truck plowed through the block leaving a gap. Yes sir, a gray sports car has just come through the block. An American sports car, I think it's a Corvette. Yokohama plate, 300, 32-71. I think it's him. Dispatch Highway Patrol, and tell them to be aware of any vehicle drawing alongside."
"This is Satoya and Miyoshi, we hear you, just hang in there." Miyoshi put down the radio. The pair were sitting in their Land Cruiser SUV waiting for any unauthorized vehicles that might've got through the roadblock.
"You ready?" Satoya asked as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Yes." Miyoshi braced himself for the upcoming pursuit.
"You hear that?" The familiar V8 engine note signified the arrival of the supercar which sped past at 150km/h (93mph).
"There it is, the American sports car that was called in."
"Let's go." Satoya fired up the SUV and flicked on the lights. The siren wailed as the SUV accelerated to meet the muscle car.
"This is fast." Miyoshi was right, the pair had accelerated to 180km/h (112mph) to catch up to the fleeing car. Within moments, their headlights illuminated the gray supercar.
"This is Satoya, we have the vehicle in sight. It's a gray Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 matching the description of the vehicle seen fleeing the roadblock."
However, upon drawing alongside, Miyoshi saw a person in the passenger seat. "Isn't that... Assistant Inspector Kinoshita of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?"
"It is." Satoya confirmed. "I heard she was on a trip to Osaka on some inter-department co-operation thing or something, until Fujima broke out and took her hostage."
"Damn. If Kinoshita's his hostage, the police will be certain to let him go. Come on, we have to catch him."
Suddenly, the Corvette accelerated. The tires squealed and the Chevy slipped and slid as a lot of horsepower was dumped on the road. The Corvette quickly found grip and shot forward, the American bullet reaching 230km/h (143mph) within a few seconds.
"Son of a... Drive!" Miyoshi urged.
"I'm trying! We're already at max speed!" Satoya reported, the Land Cruiser already maxing out at 180km/h (112mph). Miyoshi yelled in frustration and punched the dashboard as he stared helplessly at the Corvette's four circular taillights disappearing into the darkness.
"That's a Chevrolet Corvette, there's no way we'll be able to keep up with him. No car in Japan could keep up with that ZR1!"
"We are! Look!" Miyoshi pointed. Indeed, the Corvette was slowing down.
"What do you think? Think his speed is his undoing?"
"Whatever it is, I want to catch this guy. Get in front and slow him down."
The Corvette suddenly sped up as the Land Cruiser tried to overtake it. The American supercar had no problem keeping pace with the Japanese off-roader. With one big burst of speed, the Chevy opened a gap between it and the police SUV.
"Come on!" The Corvette spun around 180 degrees and drove backwards in front of the SUV. "Whoa!" The Land Cruiser was going at about the same speed as the Chevrolet. Miyoshi looked at the occupants of the car, seeing the faces of Kinoshita and Fujima. "Yep, he's Fuji... LOOK OUT!" The Corvette had been slowing down, and Satoya, heeding the warning, tried to stop. However, the Land Cruiser was unable to slow down in time, and the high-riding SUV ramped off the Corvette's aerodynamically-shaped front. The Land Cruiser did a barrel roll as it flew through the air. Both officers reached for something to grab onto as the SUV landed on its roof, scraping along before coming to rest upside-down.
Satoya coughed. "What the hell... Does the radio still work?"
"Hold on." Miyoshi reached for the radio. He could hear some police chatter, mainly about directing all available units to the scene of Roadblock 3. He exhaled, before he pressed the push-to-talk button. "This is Miyoshi, we tried to pursue the sports car. Fujima is driving the car, and he has a hostage. Send a tow truck to our position, we have wrecked while attempting to arrest the suspect. He's headed for Nagoya, inform local police. Approach with extreme caution, suspect has already resisted arrest. Also, inform the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that he has Lieutenant Kinoshita as a hostage. He'll probably try to escape on a boat from one of Tokyo's docks. Finally, do not expect to catch him in a pursuit. Vehicle is a Corvette ZR1, engineered for extreme high speeds and will outrun anything on the roads."
Within a couple of hours, word had been put out to nearly all of Tokyo's precincts, and the message was now being delivered to the last one.
"Yes, this is the Chief of the Traffic Department at the Bokuto Precinct. What is it? What? It's Fujima? Go on... My god... WHAT? OK, OK, I'll put word out. I'll recall my best officers. It's still 4 in the morning, but they should be rested enough. But how am I supposed to tell them? OK. I'll try not to let you down." Kachou put the phone down, his face very pale.
"What is it Kachou?" One of the officers on early morning desk duty asked.
After a few moments, Kachou replied, "Put word out to our officers. I want them here within the hour."
In 45 minutes, the officers in the Traffic Division had been assembled at the precinct. Kachou stood in front of the assembled officers. "You may be wondering why I called you here at this time. You may have heard of Takashi Fujima." A few murmurs from within the audience. "Thought so... Anyway, he broke out of police custody in Osaka. A few roadblocks were assaulted and Fujima made his escape with a powerful sports car, and several mercenaries with heavy firepower. Questions?"
One hand shot up. "Kachou, why are we being told about this?" That voice belonged to Natsumi Tsujimoto.
"Fujima is currently headed for Nagoya, but we believe that he will try to reach the docks here in Tokyo to make his escape."
Another voice, this time of Miyuki Kobayakawa. "Apart from armed hostiles like in the Hachi-Ichi-Go incident, how come highway patrol units haven't been able to catch Fujima?"
"It's simple. Fujima is driving a fast car, a "Chevrolet Corvette ZR1." Are you familiar with this car?"
"Yes. It is a sports car made in America." Miyuki rattled off the facts. "The engine is a 6.2 supercharged V8 making 638 horsepower. It is capable of getting to 100km/h (62mph) from rest in just 3.5 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 330km/h (205mph). A person with a car such as that would be able to outrun any car on the road in Japan. If he could maintain a speed of 320km/h (200mph), he could be in this city within 3-4 hours."
"Impressive." Kachou then turned back to the rest of the officers. "We are to prepare for Fujima's arrival. There's a strong chance he's headed our way. Law enforcement officials have been unable to capture him, this will likely be our last chance to get him before he escapes by boat. He has brought a hostage with him: Lieutenant Kinoshita." The officers gasped. "It is likely Fujima will have brought the mercenaries that broke through the roadblocks just outside Osaka. They were reported to have military grade assault weapons and a few officers have been killed." An even bigger gasp. "That's why I want everyone to watch each other's backs. Patrol in groups of at least two and do NOT attempt to stop any suspicious looking American automobile without calling for backup. Dismissed!"
And so, as the officers filed out of the room and began preparations for Fujima's all-guns-blazing arrival, another American car was pulling into a driveway in a different part of Tokyo. The occupant got out of the Chevrolet Camaro, an American standing 6'4 and with hair as black as the night. As he locked his pride and joy, he walked to the house, unaware that he would soon be heading for a meeting with the policemen and women of the precinct he once served in, and which he resigned from after one operation went bad.
So what do you think? Please tell me what you liked, what I could improve on and whether I should continue with this story.