YOU'RE UNDER ARREST: Armed and Dangerous
1
The plan is perfect. Shinji Arigami made sure of it, all of the tiniest detail scouted. Nothing is left to chance. If all goes well, he and his three comrades will be billions of yen richer.
Bank robberies are very rare in Japan, almost nonexistent. There are only five recorded bank robbery cases in Tokyo for the last couple of decades. This is the exact reason why Arigami planned the heist. No one would expect it, certainly not the police. And even if they do, Arigami is confident that he and his gang could deal with the lightly armed Tokyo police officers. However, he is sure the SWAT will arrive in a matter of minutes so the robbery should be quick. The time limit is two minutes. Arigami and his men synchronized their watches with military precision.
Arigami is sitting on the passenger seat of a gray Toyota Corolla. The chill of the autumn winds could be felt even inside the heated car. All four men are wearing thick overcoats, sunglasses and medical face masks – very common in Japan for cold-stricken citizens. The masks served a double purpose, it hide their identities. The coats are also useful because they hid all the weapons the four are packing.
Japan has very strict gun laws; no one could legally own a handgun and especially not rifles and submachine guns. The only guns that Japanese people could buy are sporting shotguns and these are regulated by very strict control. But Arigami has connections with the underworld, which had access to illegal firearms. Arigami is armed with a 9mm Mini-Uzi submachine gun and a Beretta 92F pistol, also in 9mm. Both are hidden under his coat. The driver, Kitazaki, is armed with a .12 gauge Stevens over-and-under shotgun. On the backset of the car, Miyagi is armed with a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, while Sato is packing a .12 gauge Mossberg 500 sawed-off pump action shotgun.
The Corolla stopped in front of the Nippon Bank, located in the center of the glitzy Ginza neighborhood. The doors opened and the three men stepped out, leaving Kitazaki as a look out. The automatic glass doors of the bank opened and the gang walked inside. A security guard smiled at them. "Good morning," he greeted.
The smiled vanished when Arigami whipped out his Uzi. "Get down!" he shouted, pointing the gun at the guard.
"This is a stickup!" Sato yelled, aiming his shotgun at the patrons. Shrieks of panic and terror ensued as the customers and employees dropped to the marble floor. Another guard tried to intervene but Miyagi aimed his revolver at him. The guards are armed only with pepper spray and batons.
Arigami whipped the butt of the Uzi at the face of the first guard. He fell, blood oozing from his broken nose. "Stay down!" Arigami shouted at the customers. "We are here for the bank's money. No one will get hurt if you cooperate!"
Sato kept his shotgun ready while Miyagi leaped to the counters and dumped the money on his pack. Arigami went to the manager's table. The man is scared shitless. "Open the vault!" Arigami ordered.
The manager was frozen in fear.
Arigami pulled the trigger. Bullets stitched on the wall, sending the manager cowering. The noise of the gunfire is deafening, the customers shrieked again. "The next one will be on your head!" Arigami warned.
The manager bolted towards the vault. He pressed the right combination and inserted the key. The huge steel door swung open. Arigami smiled as he saw walls of paper money stacked neatly.
Miyagi quickly entered the vault, stuffing stacks of cash on a large duffle bag. When the bag is full, he slid it on the floor to Arigami, who in turn slid it to Sato. The shotgun-wielding bandit slung the heavy bag on his shoulder. Miyagi filled another duffle bag and passed it to Arigami. He slung the strap on his shoulder. Finally, Miyagi filled a third duffle bag and carried it outside the vault.
"Lets go, we're out of time!" Arigami ordered.
With three duffle bags of cash, the robbers quickly hid their weapons under their coats and exited the bank. They walked casually on the sidewalk towards their getaway vehicle. Kitazaki kept a close eye on the road but smiled when he saw his comrades approaching.
Suddenly, a black Honda Civic roared on the street on the right of the bank. Kitazaki quickly saw the windows of the Civic are open, and sticking out are nozzles of firearms. Kitazaki quickly grabbed his shotgun and fired a shot at the car. The range was too great for his scattergun.
Captain Natsumi Tsujimoto didn't want to kill the man; she wanted to take all of them alive. But the situation has deteriorated; there is no time to ask for surrender. She aimed her Heckler and Koch MP5K submachine gun on the Toyota and pulled the trigger. The windshield of the car spiderwebed as 9mm slugs burst on the glass. Kitazaki convulsed on the driver seat as hollowpoint bullets tore through his head and body, filling the cab with blood and brains.
Arigami, Sato and Miyagi took cover as people around them screamed and ran for their lives. Officer Fujima on the back seat of the Civic fired his CAR-15 rifle in rapid semiauto burst, blasting more bullets on the car. Arigami returned fire with his Uzi. Tsujimoto's driver, Officer Takeo, quickly reversed the shifter and floored the gas pedal. The Civic hurled backwards. Bullets slammed on the hood.
"Go, go, go!" Tsujimoto shouted, opening the car door and jumping outside. The beautiful police captain is dressed in slacks and white blouse, covered with black Kevlar vest emblazoned with BLACKCAT on the back and large Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department ID hanging on her chest. Her men are also attired with the same gear. This is to make sure uniformed police officers won't mistake them for criminals with high-powered firearms. Fujima and Takeo both leaped out of the car as 9mm and .38 caliber rounds hit the vehicle. Arigami's gang moved to cover from behind another car, firing indiscriminately. Glass on store fronts melted in millions of shards are high-velocity lead busted them to oblivion.
Natsumi rolled on the asphalt, seeing the foot of Miyagi from under the car. She aimed her MP5K and fired a burst. At least one bullet hit Miyagi's left shin and he collapsed on the ground. He aimed his revolver at Tsujimoto but the captain's second burst finished him off with bullet to the skull.
Arigami barely glanced at his fallen comrade. He and Sato ran towards an alley. Suddenly, another car cut in front of them. Officer Watanabe and Officer Okui, another female cop, opened fire. Arigami quickly took cover but Sato was less lucky. .38 caliber and .12 gauge shot hit him on the torso; his corpse fell on his money bag.
Natsumi leaped on the cars as she chased Arigami on the narrow alley. She dropped the empty magazine and slammed the full one home, slapping the charging handle as she sees Arigami. "Give it up!" she yelled.
"Fuck you, bitch!" Arigami answered, firing his Uzi one-handed. Natsumi took cover behind a vending machine as bullets sparkled on metal and chipped concrete. She fired back, missing Arigami by millimeters as he ran towards a parking lot.
Arigami took cover behind a car and fired at the advancing Natsumi, sending her on the ground. Bullet broke glass and pierced metal. Natsumi stood up and fired. 9mm slugs pierced but didn't penetrate the heavy Mitsubishi Pajero SUV Arigami is using for cover.
"That bastard," Natsumi mumbled as she tossed her MP5K and drew her sidearm, a Smith and Wesson Model 686 revolver with a six inch barrel. Keeping an eye on the Arigami, she opened the cylinder and dumped the six .38 caliber bullets on the pavement. She reached for her pocket and withdrew a Safariland speed loader containing six powerful .357 Magnum ammunition, two are armor piercing. Natsumi loaded this on her revolver and closed the cylinder, making sure the AP round is the first one. She used the hood of a car as a bench rest, gripping the large revolver with two hands. Natsumi tripped the trigger. The 686 flew up due to the Magnum's massive recoil but the shot hit the Pajero square on the side.
Natsumi heard a grunt followed by a cry of pain and she knew she hit a bull's eye.
The captain cautiously approached the SUV, her revolver leading the way. She turned the corner and saw Arigami sprawled on the ground. Blood is pooling around him. He is still grunting in pain. Natsumi could clearly see the bullet wound on his shoulder. The .357 AP round passed through the SUV body cleanly, striking Arigami with enough energy to wound him severely.
Natsumi kicked the Uzi away from Arigami's grasped. "You're under arrest," she declared.
Arigami suddenly rolled. With his last bit of energy he swung a kick that caught Natsumi's S&W. The robber then quickly drew his Beretta and fired, but Natsumi is already moving. A 9mm bullet grazes Natsumi's brown hair as she triggered her revolver. Arigami's brains exploded from the back of his head as the 158-grain Magnum slug lobotomized him. The robber fell dead, his gun dropping from his grasp.
"You choose the hard way," Natsumi mused as she holstered her gun.