Kat spread the ancient maps and blueprints on the table and very carefully examined each for wear and other visible deterioration.
Finding none, she photographed each even though Saki discouraged the practice. It's a force of habit even though she agrees with Saki that digitizing some of the maps will do no good.
Kat found it really fascinating that some of these ancient documents possess technology far ahead of our time.
Like the pair that will only show complete details when put side by side like there are magnetic inks used that seemed to pull on each other when in close proximity. They tried photographing these as they lay side by side but the new lines never registered on any digital machines.
It is because of these supernatural properties that Saki insisted on putting these on especially made containers rather than making duplicates or digital copies.
She looked out the window from their office located in one of the high rise buildings in the city.
She can see all the way to the coast and she wished that things were as peaceful as the horizon.
She looked at the point where the sky and the water seemed to merge and images of Hunter and Saki came to her mind.
She sighed and put away the maps and other documents.
It would have been convenient if their vault was in the same building but she can also see some problems that come with it if it were.
She called Milo and prepared to take the items to their vault near the Homura estate. When Milo answered in the affirmative, she took the elevator to the basement where Milo was waiting in the car.
Milo Drakos looked imposing inside the supercar. If not for his businesslike demeanor, one could say that he is a man undergoing midlife crisis by buying an expensive car that is too small for his considerable frame.
Kat considered teasing him about it.
When Milo looked at her and immediately got down to help her, she decided against it.
"How are the guys?" Kat asked him as soon as she got inside the car.
"We had one real casualty but I guess the one who took the brunt of it was Saki," Milo started the car.
"I know Hunter's betrayal was hard to take. But tell me, Milo...what do you see in all these?" Kat looked out the window as the car started moving out of the garage.
"There is definitely something that doesn't add up. If Tam wanted to attack Sadao like Saki thought, why would he stop? I've seen Tam move and that guy is as smooth as an oil slick. Not that I doubt Saki's judgment. Plus, the attack came in broad daylight. There was no reason for him to stop even if he was seen. The other guys wanted to be seen. That is my take."
Milo signaled for Earl and Frank to follow as soon as they passed the two on their motorcycle near the entrance of the garage.
Earl tipped his fingers to them and immediately followed.
"But Saki doesn't want to listen to reason at this point. I understand your explanation but the presence of Hunter's men at the scenes do not put them in a favorable light. Twice can still be a coincidence but a third time would be…"
Kat never finished her sentence.
The car swerved and rocked as a masked man jumped into the hood of the car and stabbed the windshield on Milo's side.
Earl sped up and leapt from his bike to kick the attacker.
Frank drew a short assault rifle from his side and got ready if any other attacker showed up.
Duren suddenly appeared on Frank's left side and before Frank could point the weapon at him, Duren pointed at a truck ahead of Milo and Kat.
Frank did not wait for the truck's door to fully open. He can clearly see men in full battle armor and guns inside. He riddled the truck with bullets even as he glanced to where Earl rolled beside the road.
Earl nodded and ran to get back on his bike.
This all happened in a space of a few seconds. When Frank turned his attention back to the truck, the door was fully open and one of the men was pointing an anti-tank cannon at the car.
Duren did not waste any second. He somehow managed to draw a big sword and to Frank's surprise swung at the empty air in front of them.
The air generated by the mighty swing was enough to knock the artilleryman backwards even as he was firing the cannon. The artillery hit the roof of the truck and the explosion was enough to send it careening off the road, hit some of the parked cars and rolled to a stop near a roadside shop.
Earl has caught up to them and the three motorcycles approached the supercar which is slowing down.
Milo parked the car on the side of the road and looked inquiringly at Duren.
"I was following those people for a while now. I didn't have enough time to warn you," he answered the unspoken question.
There were survivors from the explosion and some of them are coming out of the truck.
Milo looked ahead in the road and slammed his hands on the steering wheel when he saw that traffic was starting to build up.
He looked at Kat and she immediately understood the situation. She took the containers and got out of the car.
She looked at the size of the men driving the bikes and made a quick tactical decision. She rode with Duren while Milo went with Earl.
Even as they sped off, they could hear the angry whine of motorcycle engines from behind them.
They quickly moved in between vehicles. If they can get ahead in time, they would have a better chance of getting away. The traffic is starting to slow down considerably.
"Hunter, more of the fake foxes are coming out of the woods. Have our men wipe out the ones in the truck. I am going to try to lose these ones on our tail," said Duren on his headset mic.
Kat held on to the maps even as one hand is clasped tightly on Duren's waist. They weaved between cars at a speed no one in their right mind would take.
Her breasts were uncomfortably pressed on Duren's back but the motorcycle's design didn't allow for a more comfortable position. She pressed her teeth together and held even tighter.
The three motorcycles successfully beat the traffic jam and were now speeding along the highway ahead of everyone.
Whether it was luck or Duren's amazing reflexes, they avoided the incoming projectile and it exploded harmlessly behind them. The highway, however, was damaged enough to halt all incoming traffic.
Not far ahead of them was another truck and several cars parked perpendicularly on the road to prevent them from going through.
Trapped!
Behind them were their pursuers temporarily stopped by the debris and flame caused by the explosion
Duren stopped and alighted from the motorcycle.
He calmly and casually walked towards the barricade.
"Get out of the way, gentlemen. It would be better for you to let me keep going than keep me here and get me really mad," he warned the men who simultaneously pointed their guns at him.
"Unlike my good friend Damos, I was not instructed to be gentle with anyone who crossed us. Remove yourselves or I remove you. Either way makes no difference to me but one could very likely inconvenience you," he said mildly.
The answering barrage of bullets was almost deafening.
Duren only deflected those that went directly towards him and those that could endanger Kat. The other bullets almost hit Milo, Frank and Earl and they scrambled to safety.
"If you could do that, could you please not let any bullet go my way, my friend?" Earl asked from behind his bike.
Duren glanced at them and managed to smile sheepishly.
Without any warning, he swung his sword at their enemies and the resulting blast pushed the smaller cars aside and created a hole that almost tore the truck in two.
When he winded up for another swing, the men at the barricade decided to live for another day and fled.
Duren went back to his bike and gestured for the others to go on riding.
With wide-eyed amazement, the three guys quickly rode their bikes but in that instant, they did not notice that their pursuers managed to get over the debris. They were still trapped in a surreal sense of suspended belief at what they just witnessed.
Earl's eyes were fixed on Duren and did not see the explosive projectile coming to his unprotected back.
Duren acted as fast as he could but was not fast enough to swing his sword. He could only use it as a shield.
The explosion knocked them all back.
Kat was horrified to see the maps' containers catching fire. Those are worth more than the million dollars they spent to get them.
She shouted at Milo to protect them.
Earl, Frank and Milo simultaneously dove for the containers. They, too, know how valuable they are.
The dazed Duren shook his head. His ears were still ringing. He looked for his sword which got knocked from his hand by the explosion and found it near Kat.
He rolled towards it when he heard another shot fired. He turned to the direction of the attack and saw that another shell was coming. This time towards Kat who was still transfixed on the maps.
He could not reach his sword in time. He made a quick decision; something he made not as a warrior but as a human being. He used his body to shield Kat from the explosion.
In the aftermath, Kat was seen staring in horror at the catastrophe before her.
Her three friends lay bloody near the burning maps. Duren was almost charred by the explosion, his clothes still burning as he lay immobile near his sword.
Kat removed her jacket and used it to extinguish the flames on Duren. She vaguely noticed some men attacking their pursuers.
One of them was Hunter who ran towards Duren.
The last thing Kat remembered before fainting were Hunter's eyes as he carried Duren away.
It was full of pain and regret. Kat closed her eyes and the darkness took her.