In the Dragon's Tail

Chapter 3 - Instincts

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that the flight booked for me was business class with in-flight service. The flight attendant escorted me to my window seat and after making sure I was in a good order, she offered me a drink, which I gladly accepted.

"A cup of coffee. Black with two sugars, please."

"Certainly. It will just be a moment."

She left for the galley, and no more than five minutes later I smelled the enticing aroma of coffee, presented in an expensive china cup accompanied by complementary biscuits and cream cheese. I thanked her, and when she left again I slowly sipped the coffee, hot and strong, but with a gentle kiss of sweetness. I looked out the window. It's only nine o'clock, but even behind the thick plexiglass, the heat of the sun already stung. A few moments later, another one of the beautiful flight attendants began the in-flight safety demonstration, signaling that the plane was about to take off. The pilot briefly communicated the details of the journey, and shortly after, the huge engines began to whirr.

Thirty-four thousand feet above Manila, to a luxurious place via travel class that is worth more than I could ever manage as a government official. I just laughed at myself, and how I got into this situation: not just this one case, but because of all of this - the strange, risky, and deadly field of espionage. A crazy life full of ups and downs and twists and turns.

However, a strange sensation blanketed me in this particular mission. First of all, the location. I have been to many places in this side of Asia: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but never in Macau. I didn't know what to expect, so in the back of my mind I made it a priority to contact Macau Station. How private, secretive, or remarkable would my stay be in this place? Maybe I won't know until I get there myself.

Second, the case itself. What kind of special i***t has Bonilla got to be for him to go anywhere while belonging to a government-provided security program? And how did it happen? Are consular officials also monitoring him? Based on my experience, consular officers are more effective than your ordinary grunt. In fact, I remembered one of my earliest missions in the Executive Branch, where I was assigned to tail and apprehend a suspected Egyptian arms dealer from entering Manila via Changi Airport. When I put my arm around the subject's shoulder to let him know that we were taking him, he pressed something inside his jacket and from a distance I saw three large men running towards us. They came from different directions, and at that very moment I was fairly certain that it was game over for me. But, to my shock and awe, I noticed that they were falling one by one as if they were tripping. In the midst of the commotions from their respective falls, there were men pulling them by their feet and leading them away, all the while beckoning for me to continue. When that particular extraction mission was over, I found out that they were personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Singapore who were assigned to support me, and I was amazed at their quick and silent disposal of the enemies, as well as their alertness to the situation.

If these kinds of people are watching over you, disciplined professionals intently listening and watching every creak and move you make, how could a large-scale loss slip through from this small island of southeastern China? Unless, of course, Hunter knew exactly what he was doing, and that's what bothers me.

I started to feel sleepy just before the two and a half hour flight was coming to an end. I looked out the window and below I could see the large island of Macau. Three long bridges connect her two southern districts; Taipa and Coloane, to the Macau Peninsula which in turn is attached to Mainland China. As we descended, I could see the huge skyscrapers more and more clearly. I have long heard that in here you can be richer than God. I don't have the right mind, nor lack of the right mind, to determine if that's true.

Our plane circled a few more moments over Macau airspace to prepare for landing and a few moments later it dived down at the Aeroporto Internacional de Macau, which is by the water east of Taipa. Once I got off the plane and went through customs, I rested for a while in a coffee shop while watching the peaceful waterfront.

I exited the airport, and the moment I stepped into the humid Macau air, I caught the scent of seawater and diesel. Then came the voice-sharp, too cheery for the occasion. It was from a lanky Chinese man with a full smile. An insulting smile, I thought, because the width of his smile completely covered his small eyes with his cheeks.

"Welcome to Macau, Major. You are the Major, yes?"

"One and only. Who are you with?"

He pointed to a black Toyota Grandia where sharp black eyes were staring out of the window slit; a dark, hard gaze, as if two cold balls of black marble were gazing at you. I walked slowly towards it to take a closer look, and as I walked closer, the window immediately lowered to reveal a set of sparkling pearly teeth.

"Maj! Jesus, long time!"

"Son-of-a-gun. Sergeant! What are you doing here?"

"This is where I am assigned! The embassies and consulates rotate staff here, in Singapore and then in Kuala Lumpur. What a coincidence!"

The person I am talking to is Sergeant Luinel Arquiza. He was Head of Security of the Singapore Embassy at the time I had a mission there. He has not changed in appearance from the last time I saw him: a large man with broad shoulders, arms like tree trunks, and a huge chest and stomach. Despite that, his legs are short and slim that they didn't really look proportionate with his upper body. Every time I look at him I remember Johnny Bravo.

He opened the door to let me in and before I could even sit he immediately pulled me to shake my hand. "By the way, sir," he said to me while introducing our Chinese driver. That's Deng. Our all around guy at the consulate. Deng, have you introduced yourself?"

Deng turned around from the driver's seat. "Yes, Sergeant. Pleasure to be working with the Major."

"Likewise, Mister Deng, looking forward to it," I told him before talking to Arquiza. "It's good to have you here with me again, Nel," I told him. "I literally know nothing about this place, so my life is in your hands."

"Just like when you first went to Singapore, right? I was the one who toured you to the place."

"Right? If not for you, I probably would've used up a month's salary just paying fines."

"When it comes to wandering around small places in the water, I'm your man."

"I'm in good hands then. But you know we have a lot to talk about, and I have a lot to ask."

"Ah, Christ. As expected. I will explain to you when I arrive at the consul."

"Good. I need to talk to the NICA attache. Who is the Head-of-Station here?"

Arquiza smiled as he stared outside. "Somebody's friend of a friend within Foreign Affairs. Name's Julian Mariano. Captain in the Navy, former Secretary to the Ambassador in Brunei before being transferred. He just looks grumpy but is easy to talk to. You'll like him. Cowboy, just like you."

From the airport, Deng took us across the long bridge that connects Taipa to the Macau peninsula, the Ponte de Amizade. I peered out and marveled at the enormous body of water below us and found it incredible when I realized that to my left, all the way to the horizon, was the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. I looked out the windshield. From a distance I could already see the towering buildings behind the thin clouds, and Deng took advantage of the long drive across to act as our tour guide.

"See that, Mister Major, on your left? 'Doca de Pescadores' sir. Good for morning shopping. Also there is casino near it. And then-"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Mister Deng and I'm sorry to interrupt. But maybe you can tell me more about them later when you take me to visit them?"

"Oh yes yes yes, Mister Major! I'll show you good places where we can eat! Good prices, best tasting. Masarap lasa! Sergeant here say always!"

Arquiza nodded at me and the three of us laughed. After a while we turned left onto the Avenida da Amizade, a long street that leads to the center of the peninsula. I looked out the window to survey the area and get my first impressions. I was wrong in my assumption that the buildings were corporate offices. Both sides of the road were lined with casinos, hotels and restaurants. Some of them are still under construction, and I suddenly noticed that some of them are even bigger than the largest casinos that we have in Pasay. Despite this, they are only placed in the common traffic lane which considerably lowers their display value. Instead of each of them looking different, they looked more like the same.

I also thought that if these big hotels and casinos are located in a busy district like this, what else could the ones in the center be like? I just laughed to myself. Maybe my salary for two years is just the price of a glass of iced tea here.

We turned right and immediately understood that what we saw was just a taste of what I would see next. It was noon, but on both sides I seemed to be bathed in light, not because of the different lights, but because of the reflections of the towering buildings that stood at either side. There is a building on my left that has a Baroque style while the one next to it is modern, but they all match together to give this place more life. We halted at a stop light and turned right to a large lake, Nam Van Lake, which is opposite one of the tallest buildings here, the AIA Tower, where the Philippine Consulate is located. Our car stopped in front of the entrance and Deng immediately opened the car door for Arquiza and me. Arquiza was the first to come out, instructing me on my way out.

"Let's go Maj. Just follow me. And leave your things with Deng, he'll take care of them."

Arquiza and I entered the building and after introducing ourselves to the security, we went up to the fourteenth floor where the consulate was. After exiting the elevator and entering the door, I saw a large number of people: Filipino workers and migrants, as well as a few foreigners, sitting in a row opposite the consular officers. We quickly walked in front of them so that they wouldn't see me too much: as much as possible I didn't want anyone to notice my face. We entered a hallway that led to a corridor with offices in both rows, and went straight to the farthest door on the right which had an iron plate that said: "Capt. Julian Mariano, Defense and Intelligence Attache". Arquiza knocked on the door, and a narrow gap opened where a woman peeked out.

"Afternoon, Mona." Arquiza said. The woman smiled and peeked at me, who was behind Arquiza.

"Oh God, it's true!" said the woman. She opened the door wide and let us both in. Even after I entered, the woman could not hide her glee. Her round cheeks paled and she swept back her curly red hair as she retreated to the nearest corner. I went inside the room, a small room that looked like a doctor's clinic. Two large steel cabinet drawers are positioned along the white, lifeless walls. Miraculously, the two tables fit in between. The first table closest to the door was a typical office desk, large enough to fit a desktop computer and a laptop, and topped with a picture frame and a small Funko Pop - Merida. It won't take two glances to understand that it's a woman's desk.

The next desk, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the previous one. It was long, wide, but on top of it the only things that rested were a laptop computer and a leather-bound notebook. Behind it sat - and stood up when I entered - a tall man who was dressed very finely. His gray blazer was paired with trousers that accentuated his unnaturally long legs. He came towards me to shake my hand.

"Extraordinary," he said. I gave him a strong grip but it hurt me more because from the large signet ring on his ring finger. "I never thought a day would come when an agent from the Executive Branch would visit."

"Can hardly believe it myself," I said. "What often happens here, anyway? Most of the news that comes from here are about migrant affairs."

"Mostly, yes, but this little part of this world, oh! It has more hidden secrets, more than we can ever know. Do you see how unlucky I am to be placed here?"

"On the contrary, I think."

"Really? I hope what you say with your mouth goes straight to God's ear." He coughed modestly to clear his throat. "I'm glad you're here. Captain Julian Mariano. Just call me Jules. Eyes and hands of the Motherland from this part of Asia." He introduced me to the girl. "She is my deputy. The Honorable Miss Ramona Pauline Galicia."

The woman shook my hand. "Forget my full name, sir, especially the one with 'Honorable' attached. Just call me Mona. How are you, sir? Major? EX-"

"I'm fine, Mona, thank you. A bit battered from the flight but I can just brush this off as the day progresses."

She laughed, while Jules asked me worriedly. "Is that so? Have you had lunch already?"

"Just a croissant at the airport coffee shop."

"Ah!" Jules exclaimed. "I was planning to have lunch before you got here, but had the intuition that you would be arriving with an empty stomach. Instincts, Major. I rarely rely on instinct. But when I do, I'm never wrong. Come on, let's all eat out. I know a good place to eat."

"Good idea," I said. "And you're going to explain to me about Bonilla's case? Sorry, Jules, but I don't want to be too... lenient, when it comes to this."

Jules' eyebrows met. "Pfft. That's why we're going to eat. So that I can explain it to you properly. The head cannot be filled if the stomach is empty."

He had a point. It seems that I will not be able to overcome hunger any longer, nor can I just rely on coffee for my rumbling stomach. Jules took a folder from his desk drawer, while Mona pulled another folder from one of the large steel cabinet drawers to her left.