The Unceasing Path
Ch 11: 暗花
Marked for Death – wherein the die is cast
[Mamoru's Office, 2 days later]
Well, well. Today was certainly not going the way that he expected. Luckily, one does not become the a high profile Chief Superintendent of the in the HKPD without being able to deal with the unexpected. Mamoru tightened his lips to stop himself from frowning. Now was not the time.
Today should have been an easy day. Breakfast and paperwork in the morning, followed by a pleasant little interview with some reporter from the Apple Daily News after lunch. She had emailed him two days ago looking to interview him for some fluff piece hot powerful bachelors in Hong Kong. Sure, why not. She sounded nice enough and Mamoru was happy to oblige. An appointment was made accordingly: 2pm, Thursday, in his office. He had even looked forward to it. He put on his nice tie and everything.
What he got instead was his deep cover mole waiting for him inside his office. Mamoru sighed. It was goign to be a long day..
"Ah, Sergeant Mizuno. Sorry I kept you waiting. You're looking well." That much was true. He didn't see her face to face very often for obvious reasons, but this was actually the first time in recent memory that Mizuno looked clean and well dressed. "Do I want to know how you got past security?"
Mizuno put down the trophy she was playing with back on the filing cabinet and jabbed an official looking press pass in the air. "Don't call me that." she hissed. "Also, tell your boy at the front desk that any idiot can fake one of these in 10 minutes. Check ID cards next time if if you actually give a shit about 'security'. Enough small talk. We've got a problem."
Of course there was a problem. Mizuno brought him nothing but problems. Why else would she be here? Mamoru sighed.
"So that was you? Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to that interview. Ah well. Since you're here, please, take a seat." He sat at his desk, gesturing for Mizuno to do the same. "What can I do for you? "
"I'm done. I want out. Give me back my identity."
"Really? I'm surprised, You of all people."
"It's been 6 years. I don't see how you're fucking shocked. You have any idea what it's like being out there alone?"
"You have Kino." Mamoru offered, trying to placate his number one asset. He reached out a hand. "And me. You have me. We've been together since the beginning. You know that. Come on. Look at me. I'm here for you."
Mizuno didn't listen, nor did she seem to notice his out reached hand, leaving him hanging there awkwardly. Her eyes flicked around the room before settling on a fixed point somewhere on the ceiling. Her thumb and forefinger twitched erratically. The way her knee was bouncing up and down shook the whole desk.
"I don't trust her. Can't trust her. She and Haruka attacked me the other day. Almost died. She could have fucking warned me you know, but she didn't. Can't trust anyone."
Mamoru started to feel nervous as well. Having Mizuno unravel on him again could seriously jeopardize everything.
"Ami, stay strong. Hang in there, just a little while longer. You can't quit now."
"Chief. I'm begging you. End this op. Let me come home. I'm about to lose it. I feel like I'm about to snap."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. We've just made a huge breakthrough in the case. Thanks to you and Kino, we know who the Boss of the Hung Fa Boys is! It's just a matter of time before we get enough to build a case. I get that you're stressed, but we're so close to nailing the big fish. Maybe I can refer you to the police psychiatrist in the meantime?"
"Yeah, that'll help! I can lie on a couch and tell some over-educated idealist about all my problems. Oh wait! I can't! Because I can't say shit without getting us both thrown in jail for the rest of our lives!"
Mamoru smiled reassuringly.
"So like I said, we're in this together. This will all be over soon. I promise. I can't do this without you. After we take down Katze, I'll let you retire. "
"You're going to LET me?" Mizuno jumped to her feet, eyes blazing as she leaned over the desk. "Who the fuck are you? Chiba Mamoru - Legendary for his tireless efforts against organized crime in Hong Kong. Youngest man to ever make Chief Inspector, then Superintendent, Senior Superintendent, and now Chief again. You got all that off my work. You think you could have made all those big busts on your own!? You owe me. Admit it."
Mizuno punctuated each word of her last sentence with an accusing jab. Mamoru bristled at the insinuation but bit his tongue. It would be counter productive to antagonize his agent any further, not when she was already so close to the edge.
"I do, and Hong Kong owes you, but don't forget. You owe me. Do you remember the last time you felt like this? Remember that night after the Bo Foy incident? You wanted to quit -to turn yourself in, but I stopped you. I covered for you. I made all that go away. Don't forget, I'm the only man in the world who knows the truth." Mamoru changed tactics midstream. Honey sweet to offset the sour vinegar. "Don't worry. You're still a good cop Mizuno. Think of the trash we've taken off the streets since that day. Tell me that it wasn't all worth it.
Mizuno's phone beeped, but she didn't seem to hear it. Her shoulders dropped and she slumped back, falling into her chair. "What more you need from me?"
"Just more convictions and more criminals off the streets of Hong Kong. Isn't that something worth fighting for? You have anything for me right now?"
"Yeah..." Mizuno sighed, defeated. "There's a meeting tonight. 01:00, in Aberdeen. Pier 49 on the promenade. The Yuet To Tong are meeting with a fence to move those diamonds we stole the other day. Some guy named Ah Ming. I've given you a report about him before. Come in, make the bust. Solve the case of that gangland highway shootout and recover a fuck ton of stolen goods all in one swoop. Sound good? You'll catch everyone red-handed. Get another fucking promotion and then that's it. Let me out. Throw me in jail, do whatever you have to do. I don't even care anymore. I can't keep going like this!"
"We'll see. If your information checks out, we'll talk about this again. I promise."
"Fuck you. Just end it ok?! "
With those choice words, Mizuno stood up and stormed out of the room.
Mamoru let out a sigh of relief. The sergeant was going to be a problem in the long run. He'd come to far, and done too much to let everything unravel at the seams now. Not when everything he'd ever wanted was within reach. An idea began to take shape. He knew something Mizuno didn't know. He knew how badly Artemis wanted those diamonds back, and he knew how far he was willing to go to get them.
Two can play at this extortion game...
With one manoeuvre, he could be free. Free from lies and blackmail and free from the man he now knew as Artemis Katze. He could stand in the sun and be the honourable upstanding police officer he'd always wanted to be. The pieces were all there. All it would cost would be the life of one officer that no one would ever miss. Mizuno wanted out; she had all but given him permission to do this. "Just end it" she said? This was perfect. No one would ever be able to trace it back to him in the end. All he had to do was set Artemis up to take the shot and that would be it.
Mamoru would then have evidence that Katze ordered the murder of a HKPD officer.
That would be all the leverage he needed to get himself out. They bury their respective secrets and go on their respective ways. Artemis was a businessman. He knew the price and value of silence. The old cat was going to get his whiskers burned.
Mamoru picked up the phone and put his plan into action.
[Tin Hau and Kwun Yam Shrine, Repulse Bay. Nightfall...]
Tonight's the night.
Ami was mildly surprised to find that she was scared. Terrified.
Maybe that's why she was here at a shrine. It wasn't like she had time to spare. There were hundreds of things that she should be doing. Checking her logs, checking her recording devices, checking her weapons. Checking something. Anything. She should be working right now. There had to be something that she missed, and that something could mean the difference between success and failure tonight.
Instead, she was here, lighting a stick of incense and watching it burn to ashes.
Ami looked up at the giant statue of Kwun Yam. The Goddess of Mercy gazed back impassively as statues do.
There was nothing for her here.
Ami bowed, then stuck her incense into the censer. The lone red glow stood tall among the dead gray forest of past offerings. Ami idly wondered what other, more deserving people had come here to pray for. She wondered if the Goddess ever heard them.
"Hmm. Never thought I'd see you praying? Didn't know you were the religious sort." Ami jumped, startled by Minako's sudden comment. She hadn't heard her approach and mentally rebuked herself for her carelessness. Minako giggled as she pointed downwards. "You got a little something there."
Ami glanced down. A black spot marked the back of her hand. Must be ashes from the incense. Ami rubbed it absently, but only succeeded in spread it around. No matter. She had more important things to worry about. Minako had insisted on coming along to the exchange tonight 'just in case' because of course she did. Of course she would never ask Ami to do something she wasn't willing to do herself. Ami protested, but couldn't push too hard without being suspicious.
Tonight was going to be a setup, and it was all her fault.
Ami looked at her best friend and couldn't stand what she saw. She turned back to the statue.
"Kwun Yam, the Goddess of Mercy."she mused "She who saw all the suffering in the world and then vowed to help. Seems like a hopeless task doesn't it? Do you thinks she ever regrets it?"
"Who knows? I couldn't imagine. She's a goddess. She doesn't think like a normal person."
"I wonder what she thinks of the people that cause the suffering. Do you think she forgives?"
Minako walked into the shrine and lit a stick of incense for herself. Ami watched as she took a rare quiet moment to think before answering.
"No. I don't believe in forgiveness. You fuck someone over, you fuck them over. No amount of feeling bad about it afterwards will change that. All we can do is look ahead and move on." Minako placed her incense next to Ami's and bowed. "Heh. All this temple shit brings me back. Remember when Boss Luna swore us into the Tong? 36 oaths, and they all said the same thing. 'If I mess with the family, may I be killed horribly by swords or thunderbolts or whatever'. Nothing about forgiveness there. I hold to that."
Ami gave voice to her masochistic urge to know.
"So? Swords or thunderbolts. Which would you prefer?"
It seemed fair that Minako would get to choose, given the circumstances.
"Neither. Whip. I'm a hands on kinda gal." Minako smirked. "Yeesh. You're all dark and broody today. What's on your mind?"
Fuck. Minako was giving her a weird look. Of course Minako would notice something odd – her normally cocksure and fancy-free buddy just went on a bizarre tangent about religion. Ami cursed herself internally for her lack of control. Indulging in her her emotions when she should have been more careful. This is how people get killed.
Ami gave her head a quick shake and tried to remember who she was.
"Ahhhh, it's nothing. Just thinking about the future and shit."
Minako snorted. "Really? Mizuno "I-live-for-the-moment" Ami thinking about the future? That's unlikely. Praying for something in particular?"
"Sure. Good luck, good fortune, hot chicks and plenty of them. The usual."
"Hah! There's the Ami I know and love – except I know that you're lying through your teeth."
Ami froze, Minako's words shot liquid nitrogen cold through her veins. Her hand tensed, automatically ready to draw her gun. Of course Minako knew she was lying. What the hell was she thinking going on about mercy and forgiveness? Where did that come from? she might as well have stamped the word "traitor" on her face.
Unexpectedly, Minako started laughing. "Fine, keep your little secrets then." she gave Ami a knowing wink. "Y'know. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love."
"Love!?" Ami spluttered, equal parts relief, shock and dread at the quick change of topic. "Where are do you even get these crazy ideas from?"
"Moping around, thinking about the future, praying for luck? You're in love. I've known you for almost 7 years now. We've been through everything together. This is the first time I've ever seen you with your head in the clouds. Trust me. What else could get a person all googly eyed and mopey like this? It's got to be love."
The ever perceptive Aino Minako, goddess of love. Someone should erect a statue in her honour.
"Sorry. Give me a minute. I'll re-focus."
"Ah, don't worry about it. It's not like this is the first time we've moved stolen goods around. Should be a piece of cake." Minako narrowed her eyes as she did whenever she got to talking business. "Unless you know something I don't? Think something's up?"
"I always think something's up. That's what you keep me around." Ami seized on the opportunity "I don't like the location the buyer chose for the exchange. It's a dead end road surrounded by higher ground. Too exposed, not enough exit routes. Maybe one of us should hang back and keep the engine running in case we need a quick getaway." she paused, pretending to weigh the options. "You're the better driver. You take the wheel, I'll handle the goods."
"Yeah. It is kind of weird place to do a sale, but it's quiet enough without being too suspicious. If you're that worried, we can call this off. There are plenty of other fences in Hong Kong that would love the business."
"No, it's fine. Just stay sharp. Be ready to run."
"Alright. If you insist. We'll play it your way." Minako flung an arm around Ami's shoulder. "So! Enough about work. You're in love!"
"Are we back on that crack theory? Seriously?"
"Life's too short to ignore the important things Ami! Who's the lucky lady?"
"Oh, I don't know if you'd call her lucky." Ami's mouth quirked up unconsciously. "She was just in the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place. I haven't quite decided which."
"So you admit it! You ARE in love! That's amazing! Tell me everything!" Minako's enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. "Wait… lucky… oh holy crap, it's that casino hostess in Macau isn't it? Ami! No wonder you're embarrassed! You know she's pretty much paid to like you right?"
"Gah! Hell no!" Ami burst out laughing in spite of everything. She couldn't help it. Minako was ridiculous. "What do you take me for? Some sheltered high school punk? Please." They laughed together until the moment they didn't. "It's someone else. No one you'd know." Ami's voice dropped to a near whisper as reality caught up. "She doesn't know anything about me though. I don't think she'll approve. She's a good person."
That was true enough.
"I see. That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. How did you meet?"
"At a diner. That tea place on the south side of of Bailey with the hot pineapple buns. Anyways, it was lunch time, and it was crowded, so we split a table. She had this weird looking rice and egg omelet dish. She caught me looking at it so she gave me some. It was amazing. We got to talking, and yeah. She's pretty amazing too."
"Damn, you're a total sap. Good for you! You should go for it!"
"Nah, it'll never work." Ami shrugged as carelessly as she could. "We're triad, that's how it is."
"Sure we are, but there's got to be more to life than just...this. I for one, plan to have a long and fulfilling life of doing whatever the fuck I want. I've got a plan. I'm gonna make it big one day. Gonna start small, try to swing some some bitty acting gigs on a shitty TV show. Maybe something about triads? They can't say I don't fit the part right? I mean, aside from the part where I'm too gorgeous to be a real gangster. Irony!" Minako chortled and and pulled Ami into an impromptu hug. "Things will take off from there, just wait and see. We all have dreams Ami. That's what makes all this bullshit worth surviving." Minako turned serious, but she seemed to catch herself at the last minute. "Me? I'm gonna be an idol. And you? You're going to get your Omelet Girl. We can start tomorrow! We are going down to that restaurant and we are going start tracking down that girl. Got to be smart about this. Someone's got to know something. Like they say, it's brain power that adds oil to start the fire!"
"What the fuck? That makes no sense whatsoever. " Ami couldn't help laughing at her friend's enthusiasm. "Nah, don't worry about it. She's better off without me. She doesn't even know my name, and I don't know hers. Besides, there are plenty of fish in the sea." Ami waved at the other shrine in the temple. Tin Hau, Goddess of fishermen. "Maybe I should have been praying over there eh?"
Minako grinned.
"Cheer up! Who knows? Maybe the gods do answer prayers. Maybe one day, I'll make it big and you can go off and make a bunch of broody babies with that mystery woman of yours."
"Sure why not. And we all live happily ever after. That's what I love about you. You don't let reality stop you from doing your thing. Thanks for listening. I appreciate it." Her watch beeped. Ami's mood sobered abruptly. "Come on. The longer the night, the more dreams we dream. Let's focus. It's almost go time. We've got diamonds to sell."
A.N.
This isn't really a spoiler, but I think the temple scene is my favourite scene in this whole story. The Ami-Minako friendship gives me life.
Cheers,
-Drift.
Up Next:
Ch 12: 飛越危牆 - Flying Off the Rails - wherein nothing goes according to plan