Rain pelted the front of the windshield, before being swept soon off due to the velocity of the car. Switching lanes, they continued forward on the highway, passing through the business district of the city. A few cars displayed their displeasure by honking at the black sedan, but the driver paid no mind. Akira pushed down on the pedal slightly, bringing the car up to 70 mph.
The car increased in speed, along with the rain which threatened to break through the windshield. Skyscrapers to either side of them were a blur, offering only small glimpses of the harbor beyond. The water's surface was agitated, waved rose and broke on the distant docks. Another gust of wind blew into the car, sending a watery spray across the road surface. Akira's steady hands corrected their course, before swerving into another lane.
The five of them filled the car out to its max occupancy, and Miki appeared to be slightly miffed that she had to be squeezed in between Thom and Kenji. Thom was holding a small tablet, using his finger to flip through something. Hisao had seen the screen earlier, he had pulled up a map of the convoy's route. How he had gotten that information was another matter. He was helping, for the time being that was all Hisao needed.
He sat in the passenger seat, gun in hand. He reached into his pocket, trying to find something that had become very familiar to him. Finding it, he brought it out to examine it. It was a small coin, crudely made through hammer and fire. A small embossment of roman numerals ran along the edge. What made it unique however, was the weight. Any time one would flip it, it would only land on one side. Only Hisao knew with certainty what side it would always land on. He quickly slipped it back into his pocket.
Thom made another swipe with his tablet, before speaking up. "Change of plans." This comment turned the heads of everyone in the car, including Akira. She quickly realized her mistake, snapping her head back to the front of the car.
"What do you mean, 'change of plans'? I thought you said they were solid!" Kenji exclaimed, obviously quite on edge. It didn't help that he showed the team not 2 hours prior his apparent lack of marksman skills.
Thom turned towards Kenji. "What I mean, is that at our speed we have no chance to intercept them in the industrial area." He pointed it out on the map. Thom was right, the convoy was already well ahead of them, and moving fast.
"…Then what?" Kenji continued.
"I was getting to that. You see, we need a spot that's both a choke point, and before their destination." Thom replied, looking at the tablet once more. "So, you know, we can get her."
"Thom, I can't see shit from up here." Akira said, accentuated with yet another frantic lane change. Another honking commuter made its presence known, complete with a not-so silent curse from her.
"Osaka Bay bridge."
Seconds of silence resounded through the small interior of the vehicle. Finally, a voice uncomfortably close to Thom spoke up.
"You can't be serious." Miki said, still in shock from the revelation. She rubbed her wrist a little heavier.
"The bridge spanning the entire harbor? Jesus Thom, I thought you wanted to keep this quiet." Akira chuckled as she forced the car to go faster and faster. Her point was agreed with by practically everyone else in the car.
"We'd be crazy to even try." Kenji nodded. "Are there seriously no other points?" He asked. Another gust of wind sent a lone traffic cone careening across the road, Akira swerved to avoid it.
"Believe me, I've checked. Right where the bridge ends the whole industrial maze begins, we won't be able to block them there." Thom said, looking down at the tablet once more. He made an expanding motion with his fingers, zooming into the bridge. "Look here, we'll take a position at the middle of the bridge."
"This isn't a question of 'if we can do it', Thom." Miki piped up. "We're bringing civilians into this." Of course, she had her own reasons for being reluctant to put uninvolved people in the crossfire. Reasons that she probably wouldn't talk about.
"Hey." Akira got the attention of everyone in the car. "The off-ramp's coming up, you guys need to make a decision now." A sign up ahead informed them that the exit was in 0.2 km, before the car swiftly zoomed past it.
Thom sighed, trying to relieve the pressure of the situation. He looked toward a man who had stayed quiet for the majority of the discussion. "You've been quiet Hisao, what do you think?"
Hisao continued his stare out the passenger-side window, watching the rain impact the world around him. Another burst of wind sent a chunk of rain into his window, snapping him back to his senses. His brow was slightly furrowed, the sign of a man deep in thought.
"If this is a chance to save her, then we need to take it." The car remained silent for a few solid moments. How could they argue that? Either knowingly or unwillingly, Hisao had guilt-tripped the rest of them into complying.
"…I guess that's a yes then." Akira steered the car into the right lane, taking the next exit, emerging on one of the main bolevards. Even here, the streets remained empty save for a few cars.
"Where is everyone?" Miki said, looking out one of the windows.
"They might've used the storm as cover. They're not going to take a hostage across a city during rush hour." Thom said, thumbing the bolt of his submachine-gun.
The storm was picking up, blowing the trees dividing the road to and fro. Another burst of watery spray blew across the road, before colliding with Akira's car. The rain continued its unrelenting assault against the window, barely being beat back by the windshield wipers. Hisao recalled hearing something about a typhoon back in the safehouse, someone had tuned the hilariously small TV to one of the news channels.
This might get worse before it gets better.
Akira sped through the empty intersections, passing only a few vehicles as she went through a residential district. She certainly ran through more than one red-light, but that wasn't going to be the biggest crime they'd all commit today.
"How are we doing on time?" Akira asked as she turned onto a side-street, trying to save as much time as possible. A few bits of trash blew across the asphalt, caught in the gale.
"We have about a five minute window." Thom said, redirecting his attention back to the driver. He made a few taps on his tablet. "Yeah, make that 4 minutes and 30 seconds."
Hisao didn't need to look at her to see Akira roll her eyes. She pulled away from the street, heading back onto another main road. There were a few pedestrians milling about on the sidewalk, they lazily turned their heads in the direction of the speeding car.
Kenji sighed, obviously still not comfortable with this new plan. No one really was, he was just the most vocal about it. "How are we going to ambush them on the bridge? It's not like we'll be concealed at all." Kenji raised a point, making even Thom pause for thought. In the end, it was Hisao that spoke.
"The bridge is slightly raised, so we'll be hidden from them when the enter the bridge. They won't be suspicious about one car parked on the side of the bridge, when they get close Akira will drive the car to block both lanes. When she does this we all burst out of cover and give them hell." He spoke this all with one breath, as if he had been considering and revising this plan from the moment he stepped into the car.
Thom smiled, he was certainly surprised at the sudden show of tactics in his associate. He soon noticed the eyes of his two companions in the backseat fixated on him, however. "What?" He asked. "It is a good plan."
Akira turned the car onto the highway ramp, the bridge was in sight now. Fifteen thousand tons of steel stretched over the harbor, a stalwart structure in the face of the impending storm. Made only recently, in the closing days of 2016, the modern bridge was designed to link the both sides of the harbor.
A flashing yellow light warned them to be careful for conditions on the road, which was on the least of their worries right now. There were a few cars ahead and behind them, even though it wasn't rush hour, it never seemed as if the city was quiet. Akira passed yet another car, speeding ahead to keep the time bubble.
"They're coming from the opposite lane, right?" Kenji asked, double-checking his gun. The short clicks echoed around the enclosed interior of the car.
"Looks like it, yeah." Thom breathed out, following suit with Kenji and examining his gun, dropping the tablet on the floor of the car. Miki followed suit, though she had been given a pistol instead of a submachine-gun. Hisao lazily examined his own weapon. It'd work, that's all he needed from it.
Akira grinded her teeth as she neared the precipice of the bridge, she pulled into the left lane. The divider separating the two lanes had a gap in the center of the bridge, and Akira pulled off the main road right before it. They were right underneath a large overhanding metal structure, the main support of the bridge.
Miki winced as more and more cars passed them by. Were they being examined by them? God forbid a police car pass them by. "Thom, this is a lot of people."
"It's fine." Thom replied, slipping his extra magazines into his vest.
"Yeah, but-"
"It's fine, Miki. No one's getting caught in the crossfire." This time Hisao replied, trying his best to soothe Miki's nerves. Even he doubted that his cool voice could comfort anyone. Miki leant back in her seat, thumbing the hammer of her gun half-mindedly.
As soon as the car was stopped, Akira took the chance to ready herself with the gun she had thrown on the floor. A myriad of clicks and clacks emerged from the front seat as she got herself oriented, her flat cap sat crooked on her head. She hummed softly, seemingly satisfied with her setup.
"Time." Hisao muttered into the backseat, his white knuckled grasped the gun even harder.
Thom reached for the tablet on the floor, turning it on quickly. His expression kept cool as he read the screen. "One minute."
Hisao had often asked himself in the past few days if he was ready. Sometimes, he felt that he wasn't. Sometimes he felt that he was. But he was so close now.
He had to be ready. He couldn't fail.