Chapter 35
"God Dammit!" Estel shouts, slamming the brown folder in her hand onto the desk below.
"Let me guess, they've revoked the warrant" Adam replies, folding his arms.
"With the conclusion that Skytrain was an accident! What about all those innocent people who were killed? We were right there when Mr Y shot that rocket. It's crystal clear that the CIA and government have made them a deal!"
Her demeanour is one of frustration and defeat. "Theres no fucking way we can get around this, they're just gonna get away with this without being brought to justice!" Estel angrily remarks.
"We can still bring them to justice….just not the traditional way we'd hoped for" Adam shrugs.
"Let's get one thing clear Hunter, I'm not one of your vigilanties and I don't plan to be any time soon. I uphold the law…"
"Yeah but can't you see the law is flawed in their favour? We tried going about this in that way and I'm sorry to say it but we have to go after them ourselves".
"And how do you plan to deal with the CIA in the meantime huh?" She says folding her arms abruptly.
"There has to be a way. But I'm not done with this! Either we switch strategy and go after them or they're gonna do this again then more innocent people will die. I could use your help Estel…"
"You don't need me Hunter. You're two vigilante friends with powers like yours will help you find them".
"Powers don't make a difference, you gotta be smart. Besides, it's in Leon's best interests that they leave the city at least until this problem is fixed. But even when they do, you and I can still catch these motherfuckers".
Estel shakes her head with disappointment. The fact that she and Adam are left here to pick up the pieces whilst Axel and Blaze are given a free escape pass infuriates her.
"Well if you change your mind, you know where I am." Adam remarks before he leaves her office.
"Your passports, plane tickets, money, documents…. all of that shit is here. Once you arrive over there, I'll deposit another 20K into the account from your stash".
"Thanks man," Axel replies, gratefully taking a folder from Adam.
"Oh, and before I forget, you need to sign this one. You too Blaze" he replies handing over another document to them.
"Marriage certificate?! You have to be kidding me!" She stares back at Adam in disbelief.
"Well put it this way, if you don't sign this paper, your fella here will get deported straight back. Choice is yours…."
"Exactly the way I envisioned getting married all my life!" She remarks with sarcasm as she takes the pen.
"Your turn, dearest…." Blaze gives him an evil stare as she hands Axel the pen.
"I'm sorry, I know this isn't ideal but.." he sighs.
"It's ok, I get it. The main thing is the three of us are safe and we got each other" she takes his hand after he signs, feeling a sense of guilt.
"I would love to stand here and congratulate you two but you have a flight to catch, let's get out of here".
"Thank you, for everything". Blaze says, wrapping her arms around Adam.
"I'll see you soon," he smiles back after hugging her.
"Could you do me a favour and give this to Max from me once he knows we're gone?" Axel requests.
"Yeah of course" Adam answers, taking a folded letter from his hand.
"I'll see you when this is over" Axel promises before they hug each other goodbye.
Their ride to the airport starts fairly uneventful in comparison to the last couple of days. The nighttime air is chilly and fresh as the three of them plus the dog sit at the back of an unmarked vehicle with blacked out windows.
"Do you reckon the CIA will be waiting for us at the airport when we get there?" Blaze quietly asks, trying her best not to wake up Leon.
"They're already following us" Axel answers, keeping his cool and trying not to look back.
"Three cars behind us right?" Blaze smirks.
"How'd you figure it out then?"
"Well, one car behind and it's too obvious. Two, then it's obvious when the one in front changes direction. More than three and they're likely to lose us" she confidently replies.
"So how are we planning to lose them?" She asks.
"You'll see…." he smirks back.
Fifteen minutes pass before their car reaches a winding road up ahead leading to the large bridge that crosses Wood Oak City river. Axel immediately reaches for his cell phone "we're less than a minute away, start moving! Look out for a black Land Rover tailing us".
He cautiously glances back as their car begins to speed up around the winding road before the large bridge.
"Hold on!" He orders. As soon as their car disappears from view around the bend, the driver forces it down a ten foot ditch beside the entrance to the bridge. It's a bumpy ride down where the 4x4 almost tips over after swerving aggressively off the road.
"Nice work! Are you guys ok?" Estel's voice echoes through Axel's phone.
There is a short pause as he catches his breath once the car abruptly brakes. They end up just a metre away from submerging into the cold river.
"Yeah, we're good. Did we lose them?" he finally replies after checking on Blaze, Leon and Charlie.
"They're on my tail now as normal. I don't think they've suspected anything yet".
"Good. You can send a big kiss from me to those CIA fuckers when they figure it out. I wish I was there to see the looks on their faces!" He grins.
"With pleasure! Good luck, and nice work!" Estel smiles as she drives off from the beginning of the bridge in an identical car to theirs with the same number plates.
"I gotta admit, that was one smart ass idea. Except for the fact we almost crashed into the river!" Blaze's tone quickly changes from relief to annoyance. "Are you ok?" She quickly checks up on Leon who is now awake next to the dog.
"That was awesome!" His response is not what she expected.
"So what now then?" Blaze asks with curiosity as they step out of the car alongside their driver. Just as they open the trunk, another car speeds up by the side of the road towards the entrance of the bridge.
"Sammy?!" She lets out a relieved smile before they transport their suitcases and jump into his jeep.
He immediately does a U-Turn then drives in a completely different direction.
"Sup? Bet you weren't expecting this!" He grins.
"Well it's better seeing you than those asshole agents….oops" she sighs, remembering Leon is awake in the car next to her.
"You just said a bad word mom…"
"Yeah...er get used to it kid!... Not that you should use swear words or anything….shit" Blaze rolls her eyes feeling embarrassed. The group can't help but burst out laughing after a short pause.
"Look, I'm still getting used to this whole parenting thing, I promise I'll try my best not to use those bad words again…I thought we were going to Wood Oak City Airport…?" Blaze immediately clears her throat, trying her best to change the subject.
"That's what those CIA assholes think and that's where Estel and that car are headed. In the meantime, we're catching our flight elsewhere" Axel replies winking back at her.
"Hey, does this mean I won't get grounded if I use a curse word?" Leon asks.
"NO!" His parents reply at the same time, leaving him disappointed.
"The airport is a long way from here, another three hour drive. Get some rest, our flight leaves at 1am" Axel informs them.
As Estel pulls over outside Wood Oak City Airport, three armed officers approach her window. Before one of them has the chance to ask for her license, she immediately flashes her police badge in the air, proudly displaying her authority and higher ranking compared to his.
"I'm sorry Ma'am, we've been under strict orders…"
"Oh I know!" She replies pissed off.
"You might be superior to them but you're not to us! Step aside…" Two agents, one male and one female in smart attire walk forward towards the car.
"I have no business with the CIA, what the hell do you want?" She stares annoyingly at them.
"It's not you we want. We have orders to take Leon Stone into our custody."
"You're telling me, all this fuss here is over some 8 year old schoolboy?" Estel laughs.
"Miss Aguirre, we can see you have passengers at the back of this vehicle. Either you cooperate and unlock the doors or we'll force our way in".
"Under whose orders? I want documentation right now, you have no warrant for this!"
The female agent then intevernes. "Miss Aguirre, we have reason to believe that this boy who is a passenger in your vehicle is a highly dangerous individual." She then hands Estel a document that she carefully examines signed off by Government officials including Senator Peters.
"Under whose recommendation?" She demands.
"We're not authorized to disclose that information. Now if you don't unlock these doors, you'll have no choice but to turn in your badge and your gun".
Estel sighs with defeat before following their orders.
A team of four officers immediately run forward with batons and shields. Two of them swiftly and carefully open the two back doors as well as the trunk whilst the other two sweep in with guns to force the passengers out of the car.
"Get your hands off my son!" Shiva angrily demands as Cesar is dragged aggressively out of the back of the car. He and Angelina are also forced out of the vehicle by the other officers. Passers by can't help but film on their phone in disbelief at these fully armed officers manhandling a young boy.
"It's not them. Fuck!" The female agent slams her palm down on the car bonnet with frustration.
"Where are they Aguirre?" The male agent angrily demands.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just giving a ride here to my friend and his family. They have a flight to catch…."
"Smile for the camera…" Lauren grins as she steps forward with her crew of reporters, keen to expose the CIA's wrong doings. As the agents try to snatch back the document from Estel, she steps out holding it high in the air right in front of the camera for the world to see.
"Give me that!" They demand.
"This is how the CIA decided to detain an eight year old child! Country of the free? My ass!"
"Maa'm please can we get a few words from you?" Lauren asks.
"Certainly." Estel replies as the two agents embarrassingly decide to retreat, covering their faces whilst rushing back to their vehicle.
"They fucking set us up! Briggs is gonna lose it!" The female agent curses once they are back inside their car. They speed away, wasting no further time at the scene.
"So what do you think will happen from here?" Lauren continues to probe.
Whilst Estel remains at the scene answering questions amongst the camera and police flashing lights, she stares down at the document in front of her carefully noticing further details. At the footer of the page on the back, something alarms her. Something that she has not seen in a long long time - the small print of an old emblem marked with an X.
"What do I think will happen from here? Well, the truth is I'm not so sure. But one thing I can promise is my team and I will work tirelessly to convict and bring to justice anybody who opposes the law, even if they pretend to be on our side. Those agents you saw tonight, they work for the Y-Twins who were responsible for shooting down SkyTrain. I was there and saw it with my own eyes! The government of Wood Oak City has proven tonight how corrupt they are and I refuse to stand here in silence! For nearly 20 years, I have worked under a system that is full of corruption and injustice. They can hide for as long as they want on their islands, behind their money and behind the attorneys. But I promise you, things are about to change around here!" She faces the camera, addressing the people with determination in her eyes.