A Murder, Inc.

17: Salvage

Chapter 17

Salvage

08:43 am

Seattle, on the way back to St. Magoc

After restocking supplies in Vira’s Porsche and changing her clothes, before driving towards the school with her friends. She is now wearing a jumpsuit, combined with leather jacket and a pair of bondage boots in all black. She has the chance to replace the razor blade that she usually stores under her tongue, along with a new pair of silencers around her waist.

Aramis manages to hide a dozen of throwing knives in his jacket. He is wearing all leather, too, with a shirt under his unzipped jacket, a pair of pants and boots. An AK is stored right next to where he sits.

Ileong changes his jacket to match with his teammates. It is still oversized, but it fits him well with his pink stripes shirt and dark tight pants. His sport shoes has neon pink lines around the rims to match up the overall look. His super blonde hair is tied into a ponytail, leaving his bangs to fall over his eyes. Since he managed to steal back his shotgun, Ileong only needs to reload it, adding a belt of bullets around his waist all the while.

Kilometers before they reach St. Magoc, two cars speed past them continuously. First a dark blue sports car, and then a black intermediate.

When I grow up, I want to have a blue car! Seeing the car makes her remembers her little brother’s words. He was five and she was seven. Since she did not have enough money to buy a real car for him yet, Vira gave him a dark blue toy car for his fifth birthday. The one that looks similar to the car that just speed past them.

In three seconds, she twists the steering wheel and U-turns the aluminum car with her signature smooth glide. With no break, the Porsche speeds forward. She turns the gear and hits the gas, increasing its speed.

“Where are we going?” Aramis asks, looking at her like she just loses a screw.

“I think that’s him,” she responds, eyes locked with the cars ahead of them.

Typing furiously on the keyboards, Ileong clarifies, “It’s him alright. I just looked into the registration plate.”

“How did you know?” Aramis does not think that this is just a simple wild guess.

A smirk plays on one corner of her lips. “A sister always know,” is her simple reply.

Yeah right!

When her car gets close enough to alert the two cars ahead, they start increasing their speed. They must not realize that it is them, and think that they are enemies chasing. Using her car lights, Vira sends them a morse code message. V. I. R. A.

Noticing her message, the dark blue sport car honks back using the same code. Go away. If she is not preparing for a reply, there is no way that anyone would notice it.

She glances to her right for a second to see a black SUV closing in on them from a higher lane, separated by a few lines of trees. Further back, another yet similar SUV is picking up its pace on them.

Flashing the lights, Vira sends a longer message this time. I can help. Don’t be stubborn. Pause. Are you armed?

A few minutes pass with the three vehicles driving in tow. The honking starts again. Barely.

Three way ahead. Turn left in five minutes. Will distract them.

Rolling her window down, Vira grabs a silencer and shots. The bullet pierces through a series of trees that separate them, missing only a few inches, and breaks through the SUV’s window. The bigger car loses its control, telling her that her bullet hits its target. It hits the nearest tree and destroy the half front of the vehicle.

Ileong inputs orders to the computer screens from the backseat. The blank screens are replaced by a live footage from the camera installed at the back of the car. Able to see the target clearly, he waits until they drive align, before pressing ‘enter’.

A panel unfolds from the backdoor, displaying a mini rocket. It launches right at the black SUV behind them, causing it to explode with loud Boom! in about ten meters far.

Is that all? Will there be more pursuers coming for them? Just in time, they meet the three way road and all make a turn to the left.

The sport car decreases its speed after ten minutes of driving, before finally making a stop. The black intermediate follows closely behind. Vira slows down her car smoother this time. They all climb out of the cars in turns.

The dark blue drive’s door is pushed open, revealing a boy with silky blonde hair. Taller and leaner than the last time she met him, she can see the progress that her brother has made since the last they interact.

Beside him, a girl much shorter climbs out from his passenger seat. Three other boys follow from the backseat, looking almost as tall as Erik. The other car opens its doors as well, revealing four other males their age.

Aramis exist the car almost at the same time as her, while Ileong goes last. He seems rather reluctant and bored.

“Erik, long time no see,” she greets him.

He stares down at her hard, his jaws clenched tight. “Can’t say it’s nice to see you again,” Vira doesn’t miss the hatred vibrating in his tone.

“Who is she?” the girl asks, having walk up behind him now. Her presence causes Vira’s eyes to lid up in interest. Erik notices how a small smile is playing in her lips, and he doesn’t like it. It is a sign of mischief.

“Yavlyayetsya to, chto vashey podrugi?” she asks in Russian suddenly. Is that your girlfriend?

“Ne vashe delo,” he hisses, clearly doesn’t like her new interest on the girl. None of your business.

Vira notices that some of his friends know Russian, so she decides to switch to Latvian. “Ir apsveikums, lai?” Is a congratulation in order?

“Izslēgt savu seju!” Shut your face!

Vira begins circling the group. Each step she takes is full of confidence and calculation. She bombards Erik with different language for each question, and he matches her up with the same speed. They both seem to be very comfortable with any language they speak.

She starts by commenting in Hebrew, “שלי, הפס המפחיד כזה שלי. האם זה איך יש לך את תשומת הלב שלה? למרות סיכויים, אם יש לי לומר. במיוחד,” Vira pauses, intentionally gazing around the other boys, “מסתכל על התחרויות.” My, my, such terrifying streak. Is that how you got her attention? Though chances, if I have to say. Especially, looking at the competitions.

“ברצינות, אם אתה לא תפסיק עכשיו, אני הולך לוודא שאתה מתחרט על זה,” he snaps at her. Seriously, if you don't stop now, I'm gonna make sure you regret this.

“Igeos-i mueos? Hyeongje ssaum?” Ileong comments, sounding unimpressed. What is this? a sibling fight?

Bad move, though. Because that causes the two of them to turn to him. They both tell him off in sync.

“I jung Ileong sugbag,” Vira commands. Stay out of this, Ileong.

“Syupeo pyobaeg, i ppajisibsio,” Erik says in irritation. Stay out of this, super bleached.

“Okay. Fine,” Ileong backs off, raising his hands in defeat. “Jenjang , nae jasin-ui eon-eolo do anjeon haji anhda,” he adds, muttering under his breath when he thinks that none of them notice. Damn, not even safe in my own language.

Vira and Erik are back in their mouth fight. And here they are rushing in. Should have stayed back, Ileong tells himself at some point. Soon enough, the others are starting to look frustrated by the childish display. It is rather refreshing, seeing Vira reacts like this, but they are in a rush of time.

“They aren’t stopping soon, if that’s what you’re asking,” Aramis notices the looks his teammates are giving. Being around these two siblings made him realize the fact a long time ago. “Trust me on that.”

Surprisingly, though, Vira snaps out of it first. “Listen, they are coming in close. They’ll be here by any minute now. And if you want to get away, you better let me lead,” she says, switching back in English so that his friends can follow up the line of conversation as well.

“Like hell I will. I’m not gonna take help from you,” Erik rejects her without a second thought.

“Fierté.” Pride. Vira raises one palm. “Décéder.” Drop dead. She raises the other, then moves them up and down in turn like a scale. “Tu décides. Mais ne soyez pas stupide.” You decide. But don’t be stupid.

Erik hates this. She can see it in his eyes. But she knows that he will pick the wiser choice and swallows his pride.

“Fine. But I see as much as a wrong move from you,” he says in a hard tone.

“I get it, I get it. You can have a clear shot of my skull,” Vira cuts him as she walks towards one of their cars and opens the door.

“What are you doing?” Erik asks when her friends follow her suit one by one, each taking over a car except for Ileong.

“My team has more experience in this field more than you do. Let them take over. The rest can move to my car,” Vira says without looking at him, while at the same time staring to test the engine by stepping on the gas a few times.

“No, you go by your own car. We go by ours.”

“Don’t start with me, Rik. We’re rather short in time right now. Get in. You too, girl,” she turns towards her. The girl looks at her hesitantly, then glance at Erik. He does not want to do this, but he is running out of choices. In three short stride, he grabs her hand and guides her to the backseat. Erik tells his friends to comply, and they start moving as if on cue. Then he slides into the car, placing himself beside the girl. Another boy with dark hair climbs in, taking the passenger seat.

All car doors close at the same time. Vira does not wait around until the others are ready. They know that they have to move fast. She places her hands on the wheels and begins driving out from the woods and into the open road.

“I thought we’re planning to get away, not meet them halfway,” the boy beside her comments calmly.

“We are. We’re just doing this my way.”

A car not one of their own is closing in from behind. Uninterrupted, Vira speed dials Ileong, who connects the call to all Murder, Inc. members.

“We’re splitting up,” she tells them.

“An unknown car is following us,” Aramis says from the other line.

“Take care of them,” is all she says.

“Roger that,” Ileong answers, before turning the call off.

Aramis drives fast. The car behind him is quite persistent, trying to match up his speed. Aramis makes sure that he ventures the car away from the others first, before he starts pulling out a shotgun.

“Take over,” he says to the boy at the passage seat. The boy looks at him dumbfounded. Without as much as a second thought, Aramis slides down his window and twists his body out, shotgun in one hand. Aiming at the car behind, he fires.

One second. The bullet pierces the glass and hits the driver. The car loses its control and makes a turn outside the line. It hits a nearby tree and exploded.

“Holy s**t,” Aramis hears the boy curses when he twists back in, hands on the steering wheels.

At the same time, in Vira’s car, Ileong eyes the car following close behind them from the mirror. “Make sure that the car keeps a safe distance,” he tells the driver.

“Huh,” was the only response he gets, but he complies.

He watches closely at the car, like a predator stalking it’s prey. He presses a blank button from the dashboard panel, and a series of buttons flips out, replacing it. He waits until they get to the perfect distance, before pressing one of its buttons.

A mini torpedo launches itself from the back of the car, flying towards the car behind them. It looks into the car automatically, so even when the car tries to shake it off track by moving from one side of the other, the torpedo will still follow and hit it.

Seconds later, an explosion blows out.

Vira baits the car that is following them by making narrow turns occasionally. When she is positive that the car will not stop chasing them, she twists the wheel, causing the car to maneuver around. She opens the door while the car is still moving, walking towards the other car. The maneuvering car makes a spiral turn, going out of control. Its end moves closer towards Vira and misses her just by inches away.

Getting out of the car Frank Mosses style, she takes out her gun and shots the driver, as well as the passenger. Both in their eye.

“Now that’s a bull’s eye,” she says to herself.

The car behind her stops maneuvering just in time for her to get back in.

“I feel sick,” the boy beside her says, pressing a hand to his mouth and suppressing gagging sound.

“You’re sick,” Erik tells her, but his expression is calmer compared to the other two.

“It’s called practicality,” Vira mutters as she starts driving again.