"Youre surrounded, there is nowhere for you to run. Come out with your hands behind your back. Oh wait, I mean on top of your head, cause obviously then you would be hiding something!!"
New York, Empire state building, 0100am.
The news headlines read, "Caught, the architects behind the largest international crimes ever recorded in history."
It was a hectic hour, as many would later recall this day to be. The building, the tallest in all the United States, was completely surrounded by uniformed forces. It was an historical hour. All of the police from the NYPD, even the ones who had been on leave, had been called back and were now surrounding the tallest building in the country with their helicopters, police vans, swat teams. The top brass had received a tip off that that's where the most wanted man in the world, known only by the moniker "The Commander", would be in America for about hours or so. Official business the tip off said.
"Damnit, weve been betrayed! Damn, I should have known that he was an undercover agent."
At the apex of the empire state, in the last room before the roof, a man was cursing even the day he was born. He was an old Asian man, clearly of japanes decent, who looked like he was nearing the end of his days. He was none other than Satoshi Hirawaki, the leader of the largest criminal enterprise in the world responsible for various high level criminal offences. He was the man they called "The Commander". He was also the man of the hour. A tv that displayed the news was at the very end of the office room he was in. his face, his creased old face, was displayed all over the news. No he was sure even the international community had turned on the news due to social media outrage. A teenager was awake at 1am in the morning watching porn on his mobile when the news just started to trickle in. that kid then alerted everyone in the house and he turned on his tv. That stupid kid, where are the morals these days. Kids shouldn't be awake at…
"No damnit. Its not the kid's fault!"
Shouted Satoshi at the top of his voice.
"I seriously messed up. I seriously, seriously messed up this time. No, damnit, I cant find an angle."
His head, was totally a mess in that moment. He had received an invitation to a top level meeting of some of the international underworld's best, an invitation he had been willing to turn down if not…
"Mr. Hiroaki, please calm down. Im sure there is a way we can get out of this. Weve been in worse situations right? It will be fin…"
A voice, a young male voice, spoke from besides Satoshi. The sweat from his body had soaked his grey suit to its last black shade, and yet that voice seemed calm. "Calm" was far from the words that were in Satoshi's words right now. He was not calmn, and yet that KID was. That kid, the one who had convinced him to attend the meeting, was the cause of all of this….
"You idiot!!!!!!"
Satoshi stood from where he crouched, behind an office table while approaching the kid with his bloodlust at its peak. He wrapped his hands around the boy and started strangling him with all his might. It felt as if all of his rage and fear left his body and entered the boy's instead. But he kept on tightening his hold on him none the less. He had both his hands around his neck, the boy choked, hit his hands against his in a flurry to loosen the hold. Satoshi looked into the boy's eyes. Soft, warm blue eyes. They were not the eyes of a criminal. He saw his own reflection in the boy's eyes. His face looked a bit more calmer, sweaty and a large red vein bulging on his left temple, but calmer none the less. He was also not a killer. Hed never killed a man before. As the boy's breath started to dissipate under his hold, he looked at the boy's face one last time, as was the courtesy of every killer, or so hed heard.
He kept on looking at the boy, whose face was now red from the blood gathering in his head. He kept on looking, deeper, deeper, and then…
"That's it!"
His face suddenly brightened up with hope. He also loosened his grip from the boy's throat and started pacing up and down the room. The boy breathed a deep and heavy sigh that was an acclamation to him not having had a long time with no air. He coughed loudly and vigorously, tears forming in his eyes from the pain.
"Mr. Satoshi, for a moment there I thought you were gonna kill…"
"Silence, Miyazaki. Im trying to think."
The boy, whose name was Miyazaki Miyamura. He was a blonde first year freshman who wore a basketball jersey from his days as a highschool student, probably. He wore jean shorts and a pair of sneakers. Despite how they sounded, they both looked to be of high quality. Even Satoshi wore an expensive suit, a testament to their lives as wanted, but rich criminals. He was young and he was old. It was a combination that many would least expect to see, but it was a very true notion. This notion was that "The commander" was not one man, but two. It was a silly notion, but it would explain why they never caught the man for nearly ten years.
"And whats that Mr. Satoshi?"
Asked Miyazaki harmlessly while rubbing his throat. Atoshi looked at him intensly..,
"Whatcho looking at me for?"
He asked while trying to hide his face.
"I now get why you are so calm. Its because im the main culprit. In other words, they don't know you exist. And I plan to keep it that way."
"Whaaaa? Hey, that's my get out of jail free card. You cant take that away."
"Im not taking it away. I just need you to do exactly as I say…"
"You have an interesting idea, but it wont work."
"Of course it will. It's a long shot but…"
Satoshi paused mid sentence upon a sudden realisation. This boy Miyazaki Miyamura, was incapable of refuting him, at least not intelligibly. The voice that did, however, was a totally different one. Satoshi trace his head to its origins. And there, a masked man sat on achair with his head bobbed upwards. He looked exceedingly bored. When did he, no, Satoshi knew better than to ask that. He had noticed the man from the moment the entire State police surrounded the building, but he must have been so nervous that he didn't pay him much thought. No, that's not it. The correct analysis would be that it looked so natural to have him in the room, as if they were long time aquaintances. The feeling was an odd one, it was unnatural.
"No really, who are you?"
"Mr. Satoshi, please, that's… wait who are you?"
Even Miyazaki, who was oddly dense, asked the masked man that question. Satoshi payed no mind to Miyazaki, but instead focused his all on this stranger. The masked man spun his chair around until he was facing the pair. His mask had a clownish design to it, but it was rather creepy.
"Im a friend. Youre friend to be exact. And im hear to help. Lets see, call me Pal, ill consider it and treasure it as a name my friends gave me."
The masked man, Pal, said while jokingly but menacingly waving his hands. It was an odd trick, wielded by an odd man who wore an odd mask. Satoshi concluded as such, and it was therefore that he concluded that odd people could not be trusted. However, he felt somewhat moved by his words to help them. He was seriously considering Pal's help.
"Okay, ill call you Pal. So, Pal, why exactly did you say my plan wont work again?"
Pal stood out from his chair. His clown mask, maybe by the trick of the light from the numerous helicopters flying outside the building, looked as if it perfectly mimicked Pal's facial expressions. When he was seriously thinking about something for example, like he was doing now, his face turned serious but retained the dumb looking visuals of a clow. It was odd, and Satoshi found himself mesmerised by this unique phenomena. And then Pal spoke…
"Well for starters, id like to commend your ability to think of something so clever in such a situation, Satoshi Hirawaki. You are as I envisioned you to be, a perfect specimen."
"Specimen? What? And how in the hell do you know my name…"
Satoshi was clearly perplexed. His voice was ridden with confusion.
"That's not important for now."
The clown faced Pal interrupted Satoshi, but then started speaking again after clearing his throat.
"As I was saying, youre plan, though I acknowledge that it's the only way out of this rather stickey situation you find yourselves in, wont work. "The commander" is wanted for various, MISHAPS, should I boldly state."
Pal started to walk to the left side of where the pair stood, while explaining things to the pair, as if like a teacher in a classroom. He looked ridiculous with his white suit on and pink shoes and a pink tie, but again, what was with that menacing air about him. It was inhuman. The sound of helicopters and police sirens reverberated from behind them under the watchful silence of Pal.
"You are both wanted for money laundering, human trafficking, DRUG trafficking, unsanctioned assassinations, money laundering, oh and what about that time you helped that one African dictator ascend to power. That was quite something. Oh, by the way I hear you friend is doing quite well for himself. He even committed mass genocide against a tribe of Hulus. Lets all clap hands fo him."
Pal started clapping his hands loudly, louder than the sounds from outside the building that were drowned by the closing of the windows. It was probably more hectic than it sounded from inside.
"I get what your aiming at, no need for the sarcasm. Though ill tell you this, some of those crimes were not actually perpetuated by us. The ones who did them are long dead by…"
"Can you prove it. Can you prove that it was not you who committed those crimes?"
Pals voice became increasingly serious. It was the tone of dangerous Yakuza boss, or maybe a Russian dictator but without the accent. Was he bipolar or something? Satoshi had that kind of feeling. He couldn't answer Pal's question, but the clown was right. Some of the crimes mentioned were what gained them notoriety as the men they were today after all.
"I figured. Im guessing the least youll get is life, but that's only if youre lucky. Were looking at a death sentence you know. They are calling those crimes against humanity these days after all."
"Then what do you suppose we do. Sorry, Pal, but I guess im going to have to gamble on that one shot. You sayed it yourself, no other option. Miyazaki, so here's the plan…"
Satoshi called to Miyazaki who stood motionless before Pal. He looked like he was atleast following the conversation so he had an inkling of what Satoshi was on to. However, Pal interrupted them.
"There is a way, a way you can escape. It's a rather effective method, and not a trace of you having been in the States will remain. Youll be free men, for the most part."
"Reallly? Oh man, and here I thought you were just some freak. So a way like that exists huh, lets take it, Mr. Satoshi."
The enthusiastic Miyazaki responded to Pal almost immediately though after having given it it more thought. Or maybe after a long time processing what that meant.
"You fool!!"
Retorted Satoshi…
"You don't even know what that is. Anyway, lets talk about this "for the most part"." Are you suggesting we sell ourselves to some devil or something?"
"Exactly. Youre going to surrender your souls to me. It's the only way out."
"Sounds like an ominous deal. Are you really the devil or something?"
"No, not really. Though I like to think I am. Does this mean you agree with what im suggesting?"
Satoshi brought his fingers to his chin I deep thought. The plan he was going to suggest would sacrifice Miyazaki. He had no other choice, but even then its success rate was a meager 0.1%. it was more than risky, and not to mention he would be sacrificing his oldest partner. The boy was a fool, but he was rather fond of him. At least if he took Pal's deal, hed have better chances.
However, time was in no way on his side. It was faint, but the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard coming from below the floor of the room they were in. the footsteps were heavy, probably a swat team. He was low on time.
"It seems we have company. 2 minutes, from the pace they are moving at. Its you have. After that, your on your own, Satoshi."
"Two minutes. Fine, ill take your request, but on the condition that this fool comes along with me. Do we have a deal?"
Satoshi looked tensly at Pal, who looked back. The intensities of both men, one who was an old and experienced criminal and the other who had a hidden but supposedly deadly secret, was too much to bear for Miyazaki. He looked stressed under the pressure. But it was Pal who yielded first.
"Fine, though that would make the odds of this succeeding very much lower."
"I don't care, the boy comes."
Satoshi looked at the boy who was taller than him. He looked back at Pal.
"I see. So you really cant work well without this boy. He is infinitely ignorant and has a talent for stupidity. I wonder what sort of worth you see in him. Though I don't care much for that, theres no more time. Here, take these. They are the key to us getting out of this place."
Pal took out two rusty looking daggers from the inner pockt of his white suit. The daggers looked ominous.
"I see, suicide eyy. A nice plan, but I want one that clearly ends with me being alive and at home with my granddaughter."
Satoshi remarked sarcastically. However, Pal was unrelenting. He looked even more serious than he did when he brought out the suggestion, or atleast the mask did. Satoshi was dumbstruck.
"You manical clown. So you really are a devil. A demon worshipper maybe?"
Shouted Satoshi.
"I assure you, im something much worse."
Remarked Pal with a joking tone that sent both guys a shiver. He was demonic, but the situation transcended human bounds. Satoshi was known as "demon", but even he couldn't get both he and Miayazaki out of this. There needed to be something greater than a demon, greater than himself, so perhaps Pal was the answer.
"Something worse he says. Fine, have at it then. Where exactly should I stab?"
A fearsome resolve came over Satoshi as he smiled maniacally at Pal while grabbing one of the rusty knives. However, his trusted partner did not do the same. He looked intensly at the last dagger. The footsteps were getting closer now. They were heavy, it was probably a lot of swat officers. Miyazaki froze at the sight of the daggers.
"Miyazaki!! Take the dagger."
Satoshi shouted angrily at Miyazaki. But then he realised what the boy was going through. Theyd been through a lot together. They almost died so many times that they became the only people they could trust to each other. He felt sorry for having put this boy through so much. But…
"Im willing to do anything it takes to save her. So, ill even make a deal with the devil himself if I have to. No, even something beyond that."
A past memory came over Satoshi. It was the memory of a boy, who in a bid to save the one person who he loved, and the one who loved him back, sought out his help. Him, the one they called demon. That boy, so innocent, had dirtied his hands beyond even what the gods could clean. An innocent boy, but that boy was no more. What stood before Satoshi was a shell. A shell had no will of its own. It needed to be guided…
"Listen to me, Miyazaki. You hate me, and I hate you. But that's the only reason you know you can trust me right?"
Miyazaki looked at Satoshi, a silver tear trickling from his left eye. It was one of pain. Miyazaki was human, and for all the things that Satoshi had made him do, the boy was still human. Why was he having a guilty conscience now of all times.
"Hey, listen. When heve I ever let you down. I promise, this is the only way out. It looks terrible, but it will be fine in the end. Weve come so far."
Satoshi, in a bid to convince the boy, used the words that he knew sounded most human. But there was nothing human behind their essence. However, in the next moment, Miyazaki grabbed the last dagger. Pal's mask looked as if it were smiling, albeit menacingly.
"Took you long enough. Now… the heart… and all… will make sense."
Pal's voice sounded oddly distant as he gave the directions to the pair. Behind the door, a group of men dressed in black made their way across the hall of the uppermost tower of the Empire State. At the end of that hall was the room where Satoshi, Miyazaki and Pal were having their conversation.
"Captain, status. Have you apprehended the commander yet. Report."
"This is the last room sir. He was not in any of the other rooms. Im sure its this one. Right?"
"Yes sir. Wait a minute?"
"Whats the matter? Is he not in that room? What is the machine saying?"
"No not that. Its odd, but im counting two more heat sources."
"What? That's, wait so this concludes the suspicions. The commander really is more than one person. But to think they were three of them. Captain, do not let your guard down. I heard he is a man of many tricks. However, if the target resists, you know what to do right."
"Yes sir!!"
The group of swat officers made their way across the hall until the door was just a hands distance away. The man in the lead, the captain, kicked down the door without a seconds hesitation.
"Hands where I can see them, you scumb…"
"What the hell? This doesn't make any sense, captain whats going on?"
One of the swat teams men, upon entering the room after the captain was just as shocked as his superior. But shocked abpve everyone there was the female swat officer who was recording the building's heat signature.
"This doesn't make sense. There were three dots on the map and now I cant even read anything apart from us. Its as if they were never there. The room is empty, whats going on here?"
Asked the girl with a shaking voice.
"Maybe the machine is malfunctioning…"
Suggested another officer, but he was interrupted by the man in front. The man who had seen it with his own eyes.
"No, that's not it. Three of them. There were three men in this very room when I kicked down the door. I even saw a blonde kid with a New York Knicks jersey. But then, its like, I didn't even see them at all after that. Its like…"
"They vanished…"
"Captain, report. Whats going on up there? Come in captain, captain Yam…"
The reiceiver in the captains ear made noise that was audible to everyone in the room. However, the confusion of these officers, would soon be the confusion of everyone else in the world. It would be remembered forever, the day that the worst criminal in history disappeared from the world itself without a trace.