Bystanders

by Phillip Murrell

  The remaining bodyguards charge Votary. They have to know they can’t escape and most likely hope to take him at the same time. As they rush toward Votary they jump at him. Votary kneels and ejects Alpha and Bravo from his shoulders into the path of the two men. As the drones expand, they slam into both men with destructive force. The two crumple to the floor as Alpha and Bravo complete their transformations.

  Votary stands with Alpha, and Bravo. The screams of the “lucky” living bodyguard follow the trio as they walk toward the back door.

  The five vehicles of Yuri’s convoy expertly weave through evening traffic as they try to make it to Tina’s hospital.

  Inside his limo, Yuri has buckled himself in and grunts with each swerve and shift.

  “If you don’t ease off a bit, I’m going to die en route!”

  The driver’s voice conveys a combination of apology and fear. “Sorry, sir. I’m just trying to get you there quickly.”

  “Obviously,” Yuri painfully forces the word, “but we need to obey traffic laws.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir,” Jerry protests.

  “Why not?”

  “Sir, the alpha element hasn’t checked in. It sounded like they were having trouble during our last conversation.”

  “I see.”

  “Who’s doing this?” the driver asks. “They’re way too organized.”

  Yuri feels his suspicions are confirmed. “It’s The Speaker. I believe Miss Tress is attempting to force my retirement.”

  “Why?” asks Jerry. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  The cars weave their way through traffic.

  Yuri slams against the window after another erratic maneuver. “Slow down!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The driver becomes more in control of the limousine.

  Yuri continues his explanation. “Miss Tress feels I’m wasting The Enterprise’s resources. She’s executing a hostile takeover.”

  Jerry looks bewildered. “That explains the excellent shot, but shouldn’t you be dead?”

  Yuri glares.

  “No offense,” the man belatedly adds.

  “She probably didn’t have a head shot,” Yuri answers. “She doesn’t know how good my armor is. It’s expensive and durable. Not many have one like this.”

  Yuri lightly taps his chest for emphasis. “She was smart enough to have a vehicle sabotaged. It was a wise secondary attempt.”

  “She didn’t know you would change vehicles from the one planned,” Jerry adds.

  Yuri nods. “I make it a point to change things up when someone tries to take my life. Not even The Speaker has my full trust.”

  The driver speaks up. “We’re approaching the hospital. We should be there in ten mikes.”

  “Good,” Yuri comments. “Make sure they’re ready to receive me.”

  “We already coordinated for it, sir,” Jerry informs.

  Yuri nods, mostly pleased with the professionalism of his security detail.

  Gunfire erupts from outside the vehicle.

  “What was that?” Yuri inquires.

  Jerry speaks into his radio. “What’s going on?”

  A bodyguard from another vehicle answers in a less than confident voice. “The Opposition is airborne!”

  “Damn it!” Yuri curses.

  He leans against his window to search the sky.

  The five vehicles start to speed up again with The Opposition, Alpha, and Bravo flying overhead. Many bullets are fired from the vehicles without any impact on any member of The Opposition team.

  Bravo swoops down and pushes one vehicle off the road. It’s wrapped around a nearby telephone pole. The driver is crushed.

  “Damn it!” Yuri curses again after witnessing the ease that Bravo destroyed part of his escort. “Go! Go!”

  The driver floors the accelerator. “Yes, sir. We’re at max speed.”

  The four remaining vehicles drive even faster. The sounds of sirens are heard as several red and blue flashes converge on the high-speed chase.

  Yuri hears the sirens and frowns. “Great, that’s all we need. How long until we get to the hospital?”

  “Three minutes, sir,” his driver frantically answers. “I’ll get you there.”

  Yuri knows his driver is only telling him what he wants to hear. He doubts the man is confident in his abilities.

  An explosion lights up the windshield. The driver covers his eyes with one hand while he swerves with the other.

  One vehicle in front of Yuri’s limo explodes after The Opposition slams down on the hood of it. He then flips it into the air and punches it. This twisted metal missile flies toward Yuri’s limo.

  Yuri’s driver swerves, but the limo gets hit on the back portion of the passenger side. It puts Yuri’s limousine into a spin several rotations long. The driver slams on the brakes and regains control.

  Yuri sits inside his limousine in disbelief. He can see the hospital just a short way in the distance. He looks out his window and sees The Opposition dispatching one more of his escort vehicles. The two drones that The Opposition referred to as Alpha and Bravo are likewise impervious to his detail’s gunfire.

  Yuri looks out the other window and sees police cruisers catching up. Following close behind is the SWAT van. He doesn’t believe he can explain this one away.

  Yuri looks longingly one last time at the hospital. “Sorry, Tina. I don’t think I’ll be able to see you anymore tonight. I tried.”

  He closes his eyes and sighs. When he opens his eyes again, the fierce determination of a criminal boss is present. He looks to Jerry.

  “He won’t let us get to the hospital. Take me home. Lockdown the compound.”

  Jerry nods. “Yes, sir. Locking it down.”

  The driver begins turning the vehicle and heading toward Yuri’s mansion.

  Jerry speaks into his radio again. “All remaining units, Lockdown Protocol is a go.”

  Over the radio, Yuri hears the responses from the last escort vehicle and the units still at his mansion.

  Jerry addresses Yuri. “Hold on, sir. This is going to be rough on you.”

  Yuri grants permission. “Do what you have to do.”

  The two remaining vehicles start to speed in a new direction. The police and SWAT pursue them and blare their lights and sirens.

  The last security detail armored limousine opens the sun roof and two men emerge. They fire fully automatic assault rifles at The Opposition in the sky. The success of this tactic hasn’t increased.

  Tina stands, still in her cocktail dress, in front of the hospital. She witnesses the carnage as Villain and his cronies strike limo after limo. She wrings her hands as she fears for Yuri.

  Mike stands next to her. “Are you alright?”

  Tina shakes her head. “What is Villain doing back here? Why couldn’t he stay away? Why is he after Yuri?”

  Mike frowns, but he quickly turns it into a half-smile. “Mr. Osaka has a reputation. You have to know that.”

  “I looked into him, sure, but nothing is out there to make me think he’s anything but the sweet man he presents himself to be. They’re vicious rumors spread by the jealous.”

  Mike stands by silently, but puts his arm around Tina’s shoulder for comfort. “I’m sure he’ll be alright. If a man as rich as Yuri Osaka can’t afford high quality security, nobody can. His team must rival the president’s or the pope’s.”

  Tina starts to tear up. “I hope you’re right.”

  Ambulances start to bring in the various injured from the gala stampede and traffic nightmare.

  Tina sighs. “Well, I’m here. I might as well help out.”

  “Are you sure? You don’t have to stay.”

  Tina is emotionally drained. “I need to take my mind off tonight. Work will help. Just give me a moment to call my son, and I’ll change and be available.”

  “Okay. It looks like we’ll need all the help we can get.”

  Mike starts to run back into the hospital, an
d Tina realizes that she still needs him.

  “Mike, wait.”

  Mike stops and turns. “What?”

  “Can I borrow your phone for a second?”

  Mike reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He tosses it to Tina. “Here. What happened to your phone?”

  Tina slowly shakes her head. “I had it in my clutch. I lost my clutch in the commotion. I’m sure it’s in a thousand pieces now.”

  Mike chuckles. “Well, if that’s the worst thing that happens to you tonight, consider it a good night.”

  “This will just be a moment. I just want to make sure Keith is safe at home and not trying to film a high-speed chase again.”

  Mike smiles knowingly. “I completely understand. Just keep the phone, for now. I know where you work and live. I can get it back.”

  “Thanks, Mike.”

  “No problem.”

  Now Mike does turn around and run inside the hospital.

  Tina dials Keith’s phone number and waits while it rings.

  “Hello?” Keith answers.

  “Keith, it’s Mom. Where are you?”

  “At home, why? How did your date go? He didn’t get handsy, did he?”

  Tina is flooded with relief. “Promise me you’ll stay home.”

  “Sure, Mom, why?”

  “Never mind. I’m sure you’ll find out pretty soon. You always do. I’ve got to stay at work now.”

  “Why?”

  “Just watch the news. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Okay, Mom. You’re scaring me.”

  “Nothing to be scared of. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Tina hangs up the phone. She takes a deep breath and walks into the hospital.

  Keith hangs up his phone. He immediately rushes into the living room and turns on the news. He sees the high-speed chase with helicopters following that show Beatdown and his team chasing Yuri.

  “Cool!”

  He grins as he sits in front of the TV for a long night of infotainment.

  Yuri and his last escort continue to weave through traffic.

  The Opposition, Alpha, and Bravo aren’t as aggressive now.

  “What are they waiting for?” the driver wonders.

  “I don’t know,” Jerry admits.

  Yuri feels the answer is obvious. “He doesn’t want to hurt the cops. He’s trying to prove something to me. To the public. That’s why he’s keeping us alive. His drones aren’t attacking because he’s saving us for last.”

  Yuri assesses that his driver is barely keeping it together.

  “What do we do?” the driver asks.

  Yuri’s answer is simple. “Keep driving to the mansion. It’s our only shot. We’ve got the tools there to stop him. Drive through the residential areas if you have to.”

  “What about Miss Tress?” Jerry asks.

  “Julie is now a secondary priority. We’ll deal with her if we survive tonight.” Yuri thinks for a second. “How convenient for The Opposition to return just after her failed forced retirement.”

  The last two vehicles are nearing the wealthy part of town. The houses grow larger while the streets become narrower.

  Karen drives behind a few other police cruisers that trail Yuri while attempting to keep up. “What the hell is going on tonight?”

  Carlos looks out his window at the vigilante trio. “I don’t know. What are they waiting for?”

  “I don’t know,” Karen admits. “They made a big enough mess of things by the hospital. I just know that they aren’t timid about hurting people.”

  “Mr. Osaka’s team is laying the lead out for them. I guarantee those aren’t legal weapons.”

  “You think?” Karen mocks Carlos. “Of course, they aren’t. I don’t think Yuri Osaka gives a damn right now. It makes those rumors about him sound a lot more credible now.”

  “I was just thinking that. I wish the vigilante would take them out. Those bullets have to fall somewhere, and we’re in a residential neighborhood.”

  Karen’s eyes light up. “Oh shit! I didn’t think of that.”

  Karen aggressively speeds up.

  Carlos holds onto his seat. “Whoa, Partner. We have two other units in front of us.”

  “We can’t wait for them.”

  Karen’s car hops the curb and guns it. She drives on the front lawns to avoid the wood mailboxes that line the sidewalk. She speeds up and passes the other two units. She quickly catches up to the armored car that shoots at the vigilante. One of the men looks at Karen. He seems bewildered.

  Karen pulls sharply on the wheel and tries to run the car off the road. Unfortunately, it’s an armored car.

  Karen and Carlos smash the front of their cruiser and bounce into a spin. The trailing two cars smash into them and cause a pile-up of police vehicles. Several are taken out of the chase entirely, and the rest must slam on the brakes and try to go around a different way to continue the pursuit.

  Thankfully, neither Karen nor Carlos is injured inside their car. They’re just extremely shook up. They look at each other with mutual concern.

  “I don’t think that was a good idea,” Carlos states.

  Karen realizes the trouble she’s in. “Why couldn’t we have been killed? It would have been easier.”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to have to talk to Sergeant No Love after this one.”

  The two hold their heads in their hands as other officers tap on their windows to see if they’re alright.

  Yuri’s driver observes the pile-up in his rearview mirror. “Damn! Did you see that?”

  Yuri smiles. “Those glory seeking cops just made things a little easier for us. If my public persona survives this, I’ll make it a point to remind the citizens of Colberton that the police are becoming increasingly reckless.”

  Jerry seems doubtful. “Do you think you’ll get the chance?”

  “I don’t know,” Yuri admits. “I hope so, but I don’t know.”

  Votary witnesses the pile-up from his vantage point in the sky. He takes this opportunity to finally finish off the last escort vehicle. He flies past the Sanders’ residence as he sets up his attack.

  Keith hears the pile-up outside his home. He rushes to the window in his second-floor bedroom to get a good look. He sees Carlos and Karen trying to climb out of their smashed car.

  “Oh damn. This is intense!”

  He immediately pulls out his phone and starts to record the action. He sees Beatdown fly by and gets some video of him, with Brutal and another armored figure trailing.

  “Oh, hell yeah! There are three of them. They are friends! I need to start blogging again.”

  Keith is giddy as he watches the attack on the last escort car.

  Votary shoots one of his purple energy domes in front of the last escort. It acts as a ramp and launches the vehicle into the air.

  Alpha and Bravo are there to catch the armored limousine.

  They each take an end and push the two sides together. A vehicle that’s twenty-eight feet in length is crushed to a mere ten feet.

  The crumpled mess is dropped into the middle of the road in front of the police pile up. The impact creates a sizeable crater in the asphalt.

  Keith is awe-struck by what he just witnessed. “Whoa! What the hell? Kill tactics? No!”

  Keith becomes nauseous. He realizes that people just died in front of him. The violence has finally taken its toll on him.

  Jerry and Yuri look out the back of the limousine at the carnage that was their last escort.

  Jerry breaks the awe-struck silence. “This doesn’t look good for us.”

  Yuri is terrified, but he holds it together.

  His driver speaks the words they’ve been waiting to hear. “We’re almost there. We can make it.”

  Yuri’s limo leaves the residential area and pulls out into normal traffic again. They’re close to Yuri’s mansion. Police cruisers once again swarm Yuri.

  The driver informs his passengers, “Cops ar
e back.”

  “That’s probably a good thing,” Jerry admits. “It’ll get them back into a holding pattern.”

  Yuri is reticent. “Perhaps.”

  Yuri can now see the gated community that he resides in with his employees. There’s a road block of police vehicles preventing entrance into the compound.

  One of the patrol cars near Yuri starts to use its speakers to communicate with him. “Pull the limousine over. You can’t get away. We have the way blocked off. There’s nothing left to do.”

  “Watch me,” the driver arrogantly challenges.

  “Get me inside my compound.”

  “Not a problem, Mr. Osaka.”

  Yuri’s soldiers reveal themselves from hiding positions throughout the compound and begin to shoot at the police officers. The public servants scatter. Several cops are shot.

  The police quickly abandon their defensive positions by their vehicles blocking the gate due to the barrage of gunfire.

  Yuri’s limo plows through these cars as the gate remotely opens. The limo passes through, and the gate shuts behind them.

  Several police cars slam on the brakes and try to avoid the bullet storm. The Opposition, Alpha, and Bravo fly over the gate and head straight for Yuri’s limo.

  “They’re still on us,” Jerry informs.

  “It’s . . . grr . . . too late.” Yuri struggles out. He holds his busted ribs. “We made it. Look.”

  Yuri points at the windows on the upper floors of his mansion.

  Dozens of men and women stand on the roof and balconies with mini-guns. They open fire on The Opposition. The trio abort their attack on the limo and avoid the hail of bullets.

  Some of the police officers start to shoot at the roof, but they don’t have the same range with their weapons, and the shooting is more symbolic than effective.

  Yuri’s limo drives into a garage, and a large, armored door closes behind it.

  Votary and his drones land in the yard and immediately spread out. They suddenly multiply into dozens of armored duplicates. Guards shoot at these new foes and their bullets pass through them. Votary uses numerous holograms to confuse his prey while he, Alpha, and Bravo work through the guards and slaughter them.