Disclaimer - Despite my growing collection of Lupin III merchandise, I still do not legally own the rights to Lupin III or any related characters. This is just the way I envision Monkey Punch's characters.

True-angel7 - Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're still reading this. It gave me some extra motivation to hurry up and write another chapter.


The two members of Fumio Machii's personal team of flight attendants that Lupin and Jigen managed to corner resembled them well enough.

One seemed partial to the same chin curtain style beard as Jigen. The other's facial hair, on the other hand, wasn't exactly identical to Lupin's, consisting of a thin mustache in addition to the long sideburns. A false mustache from Lupin's disguise kit fixed that. The men's outfits fit Lupin and Jigen well enough, a little too large to be exactly perfect, but that fit in just fine with Lupin's plan. With their caps pulled low to draw attention away from their faces, Lupin and Jigen left Machii's flight attendants unconscious, undressed, and bound and gagged.

Fujiko's disguise wasn't quite as perfect, being a costume she'd purchased rather than a uniform she ripped off an unconscious victim, but she didn't seem to be drawing too much attention at the airfield, other than the backward glances of men staring at her legs in her skirt as they made their way to their flights.

She had no problem seeing through the disguises.

"You'll be expecting to see us, so you'll be able to," Lupin had explained while outlining his plan. "Machii and everyone else on his private jet will be expecting to see the usual two members of the flight staff, so that's exactly who they'll see when they look at us."

"This wasn't so hard to slip past security," Fujiko said, handing Lupin a small vial. "Just like you said."

"Sure you won't come with us? Machii's private plane should be plenty luxurious."

"Can't. Machii's seen my face. There's no way he won't recognize it."

"We could put you in a wig."

Fujiko struck a flattering pose with her hand on her hip.

"There's still no way he'd forget this body."

Lupin looked her up and down, licking his lips.

"I suppose that's true."

Fujiko put a hand under his chin and forced his gaze back to eye level.

"See you boys in Boston."

She started to walk away. Lupin watched her hips sway from side to side.

"We still have a few minutes. Want to help fulfill my naughty flight attendant fantasies?"

Fujiko looked over her shoulder.

"Sorry, babe," she said. "In those fantasies, flight attendants never hook up with other flight attendants. Now, if you were a pilot . . ."

Lupin waited for her to walk from sight and then said, "Maybe if I take the pilot's place instead . . ."

"Forget it," Daisuke Jigen said. "Not part of the plan. Let's go."


On board Machii's jet, none of the other flight attendants questioned Lupin's or Jigen's presence. The two easily slipped into the routines the rest of the attendants were performing, waiting on Machii and his squad of bodyguards. They avoided speaking as much as possible, preferring to answer anyone's questions with nods and gestures.

There were awkward moments during the flight, but whenever another attendant tried to be friendly during the rare moments they weren't kept busy, Lupin and Jigen were able to keep them at arm's length by coughing or clearing their throats.

Thirteen hours into the flight and Lupin finally approached Machii.

"Excuse me, Mr. Machii," he said, intentionally speaking in a lower voice than usual. "But the staff has a gift for you, to thank you for allowing us to serve you. Two bottles of 1963 Maclaffin Blue."

He showed Machii one of the bottles of single-malt scotch.

"If we could go ahead and pour for you and your men?"

Machii stared intensely at Lupin and the bottle for a second before finally nodding consent.

Lupin briskly made his way to the back of the plane, then stepped over the feet of the unconscious attendants he and Jigen had already drugged.

"Waste of good Scotch," Jigen said, shaking his head sadly.

"I thought of switching the bottles with some cheap stuff, but I can't risk Machii or any of his men turning out to be a connoisseur."

"Still, to waste a bottle on these lowlifes when it should be . . ."

"Enjoyed by two honest, hard-working lowlifes like us?"

That made Jigen chuckle a little bit.

The two prepared glasses of ice and pushed their beverage carts down the plane's aisle.


The men eagerly accepted their drinks. Except for one.

Goemon Ishikawa, still looking out-of-place in his samurai garb, pushed the proffered bottle away.

"I'll just stick to my herbal tea, thank you."

He swished the hot liquid in his ceramic cup.

"Sure?" Jigen asked, intentionally speaking in a voice higher than usual. "Fifty years old, single malt."

"Just the tea. Thank you."

After everyone had their glasses, Lupin and Jigen returned to the back of the plane.

"Now we wait. The drug should take effect within the next fifteen minutes."

"Our samurai friend might be a problem," Jigen said. "Refused to take a sip. We may have to . . ."

Lupin pushed aside the curtain enough for Jigen and himself to peak out into the cabin. Goemon's graceful, gliding strides were moving straight for the bathroom.

"Must have had too much tea."


When the door closed, Jigen moved to it and broke the handle off, then left the beverage cart in front of the door for good measure.

He and Lupin strolled down the aisle, stepping over the tumblers that had tumbled from the hands of Machii and his men when the drug took hold. There were splashes of liquor where lightweights hadn't been able to drain the whole glass before passing out, and ice cubes were melting on the floor.

Jigen paused to look at the man in the cream colored suit. That's when he noticed Vitti's glass was still full.

Slowly, the head tilted back, and a wicked grin crossed his face.

"Thought something might be up with the Scotch," he said. "Nice to see you again, Daisuke Jigen."

Vitti slowly stood up. Jigen quickly flicked his wrist.

A spring launched a hypodermic needle from the cuff of Jigen's sleeve, and the needle found its way into Vitti's neck.

"Good night, Vick."

It was filled with the same sleeping drug the expensive Scotch had been laced with. The same vial Fujiko had smuggled past airport security.

Machii had a row of seats to himself. Lupin shoved the unconscious body into the next seat and reached under the chair, finding a hidden foot locker. Pulling out his smart phone and finding his safecracking app again, Lupin listened carefully to the clicking of the combination dial while Jigen went to guard the bathroom door.

Finally, the lock clicked open and Lupin removed his headphones. When he opened the locker he found . . .

Absolutely nothing.

Lupin looked at the sleeping Machii again, and this time he noticed that the goatee seemed to be folding back on itself. He tugged at one corner and the entire beard came off in his hand.

"It's a lookalike."

"What?" Jigen responded from his spot in front of the bathroom door.

"This guy's no more Fumio Machii than we are his flight attendants. Now I really do feel like we wasted that Scotch."

A victorious chuckle came from the front of the plane.

"Got you now, you little weasel."

Lupin turned towards the voice in surprise.

"Zenigata?"

"In the flesh."

The steely gray eyes and lantern chin were moving closer to Lupin, who bounced to his feet.

Lupin smiled gamely.

"You really think you can keep up with me, Old Man? I mean, you're practically old enough to be my Pops."

The pair of handcuffs seemed to come out of nowhere, one bracelet swinging around the tip of Zenigata's finger, making a silvery tinkling sound.

"You might as well give it up. I've got a small army of police officers all ready for you as soon as you get off the plane at the Boston airport."

"Good thinking, Inspector," Lupin said, stepping closer to the plane's hatch. "There's just one problem with your plan. I'm not getting off at the Boston airport."

He removed the jacket of his flight attendant uniform, revealing the parachute on his back.

Then he opened the hatch and dived.

Zenigata stepped back, got a running start, and then pounced, tackling Lupin in midair.

"Hey! Are you crazy?" Lupin shouted.

The only response was a fire burning in Zenigata's eyes.


Meanwhile, Jigen was leaning against the serving cart blocking the bathroom door with the broken handle, even as Goemon pounded on the door, rocking it against his back.

Then there was a lound splintering sound. Jigen jumped away as the blade of Goemon's sword slid through the door.

Goemon stuck his face through the new cut.

"You have once again made me cut something trivial!"

Jigen continued to back away as Goemon's face disappeared. The blade swiftly flew up and down through the door, and then both the door and the cart in front of it fell to pieces.

Goemon stepped from the restroom, face nearly red with anger, his sword still drawn.

"Any chance we can just talk this one out?" Jigen pleaded.

Goemon charged.


Lupin and Inspector Zenigata were wrestling while hurtling towards the ground, Zenigata's fingers digging into Lupin's shoulders, his eyes locked onto the thief's face. Lupin himself was scanning the sky ahead. They were moving towards a dense tangle of tall pine trees.

Lupin twisted in the air as Zenigata smacked into one of the pine branches.

He felt conflicting feelings of fear and concern when he lost sight of the Inspector, but then he saw Zenigata climbing on top of one of the branches.

The Inspector scurried through the branches like some kind of squirrel, (More like a nut, Lupin thought) then paused for only a second standing on top of a branch before getting another running start and leaping to a branch on the next tree.

Lupin was falling by as Zenigata leaped from another tree branch, catching Lupin in the air again.


Jigen dived between two rows of empty seats, seconds before Goemon's blade sliced the row behind him into pieces. As he rolled to another row across the aisle, he heard a grunt, and Goemon's blade passed just above his nose, slicing the two rows of seats he was hiding in between.

Jigen jumped up quickly, standing on top of another seat and then running across the tops of chairs as Goemon cut them down. He jumped across the aisle again, landing over one of Machii's unconscious men.

Another blow from the Zantetsu blade, and the three men in the aisle, and Jigen, collapsed, seatless but unharmed. There was a rip in the jacket of Jigen's flight attendant disguise.

Jigen tore the rest of the jacket off from the rip, revealing his own parachute to Goemon as he scrambled to the hatch and dived.

He watched Goemon as he dove, the samurai's kimono fluttering in the turbulent air.


"Let go of me! You've got to let go of me!" Lupin insisted.

They were plummeting with Zenigata's arms wrapped tightly around Lupin's chest, pinning his arms to his side, both twisting their bodies to try to miss the pine branches they were crashing through.

"No way! I finally got you right where I want you."

"Not afraid of heights, then, are you?"

"I'm terrified. It really helps when you don't look down."

"I just need one arm free. To pull the chute cord. Or we'll both splatter."

Zenigata growled, but then slid one hand up to Lupin's shoulder.

"All right. But don't try anything funny."

"Not in a funny mood right now."

Lupin pulled the chord. The parachute billowed beautifully above them. And then the spring on Lupin's wrist plunged the needle into Zenigata's arm.

Lupin quickly hooked his arms under Zenigata's before the Inspector could drop away from him.

"At least not a ha-ha funny," he said, gritting his teeth as he struggled to hold onto Zenigata's dead weight.


They landed softly, but not quite pleasantly, in the back of a parked manure truck.

Lupin laid Zenigata out in a reclining position on top of the stinky mound.

"Sweet dreams, sweet prince."

He jumped down just as Jigen appeared in their getaway car.

"How was your landing?"

Lupin shed the parachute, and was anxious to do the same for the rest of his disguise.

"It kinda stunk."


Lupin's Note - I hate getting pie in my face. Even if it is world famous Boston cream pie. Makes it kind of hard to see who your friends and enemies are, as I'll find out in "Zenigata-Da-Vida, Baby!" See you then.