Chapter 33: Forever is Longer

I couldn't help myself from stealing a glance at A3. He looked liked he's enjoying himself habang napapakapit naman ako sa bawat pagliko at ikot na ginagawa namin sa Hummer. Sabay nito ang pag-iwas din sa dalawang sumusunod na FJ Cruiser na kanina pa kami pinupuntirya. There is an almost smile on his face and I swear there's a touch of madness mixed in there.

The thing that disturbed me the most is the fact that the car is flooded with classical music that blared out from its speakers. It's surreal to listen to Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 8 while the scenery outside of the windshield is literally flying before your eyes. Parang hindi ko alam kung ma-re-relax ba ako o masusuka sa nangyayari.

Yet A3 looks so sure and calm. Kahit na maya't-maya pakiramdam ko mapipisat kami ng Hummer na pinaglalaruan niya sa kalsada, he never lost control. Parang iisa sila ng kotse niya at bawat galaw niya sa kambiyo at pag-ikot sa manibela ay mayroon silang malalim na pagkakaintindihan.

Mabuti na lang at mabilis na nakahabol si A5 at Red at kasalukuyang nagsisilbing screen namin ni A3. Nakikipagpalitan nang putok sa dalawang sasakyan si Red and I could see from the side mirror ang galit na galit na mukha ni A5 habang pilit na umiiwas rin na mabaril ang kanilang gulong.

"Thank you," I heard A3 say and I was taken aback. Ako ba ang kausap niya? I looked around pero wala naman talaga kaming ibang kasama dito sa kotse, maliban na lang kung kinakausap nga niya itong kotse niya.

Waah, Trixie... ang lakas talaga ng saltik ng mga Zabala!

"Er, what was that?" I asked just to be sure that my ears weren't playing tricks on me.

He smiled, "Thanks because you guys upgraded my Lady. I think she approves of the new engine." Maygulay nasa langit na ba ako? Nakangiti siya... nakangiti si Alfredo Zabala...

"Uh, you're welcome. Boss' Ali's orders," I realized I'm grinning like an  idiot and wisely shut my mouth and straightened my face. Agents are supposed to behave better than this.

"3X you are approximately one kilometre away from the bridge. You have twenty seconds until impact," I heard Icen's voice over the transceiver.

"Sir, I need you to open the window," I told A3 at pinindot niya ang power button na nasa driver's side para bumukas ang bintana sa side ko. Biglang pumasok ang nakanginginig na hangin at nilipad ang lahat ng buhok ko.

"Alfredo," I turned to look at him. Malakas ang ambon sa labas at agad na nabasa ang gilid ng mukha ko. Ngayon ko naramdaman ang bilis ng aming pagtakbo nang dahil sa bukas na bintana. Parang liliparin ang lahat ng kalamnan ko mula sa aking buto.

"Ha?" I'm not sure if the wind is just playing with my senses.

"I'm Alfredo," Syete. Two words lang pero parang napatanga na naman ako sa kanya until I heard Icen's voice give me my final warning.

"Ten seconds before impact. 3X are you in position?"

"Yes," I replied as I climbed out of the window and sat on the edge to aim for the Hummer's tires. Shit, one wrong move and I'll fall and die from a broken neck. Every rain drop felt like I am being pelted by pebbles. I brought out my service firearm with the special bullets designed to penetrate even armoured vehicles.

"Steady!" I called out to A3 at naramdaman kong nag-sustain yung speed ng kotse. We reached the bridge and the road narrowed to three lanes. I could taste my own fear as I carefully aimed. The distant lights from the nearby buildings became rays of multi-colored light in my vision as I concentrated on my target. I need at least four shots to make it good. I fired all six shots in succession and the Hummer careened dangerously as it lost control and threatened to tip on its side. Five out of six, better than I expected.

Oh shit!

My breath caught in my throat as the vehicle slammed on the center island and broke through four lamp posts before it got caught with the high tension cables that Icen had Yhona and A6 install while we were setting up the trap. The Hummer's momentum is still strong and it continued to drag everything in its path. I saw Edge with A6 driving her Aprilia 600 Motard pass through the eastbound lane carrying two more cables with grapnels which they quickly attached to the flyover's metal railings. Yhona was perched on top of a billboard and she fired six similar shots to the other set of tires on her side.

 I could hear the roar of a helicopter nearby and breathed a sigh of relief when the Hummer finally slowed down and stopped a few inches before the crash barricades; our last resort if the plan didn't work.    

Thank Gahd tama ang calculations ni Boss. Alam kong genius siya but still, one can't help but be nervous lalo na't ang daming factors na pwedeng mag-fail lalo na sa hindi field-tested na theories

Just when I thought we were all clear, binangga ng FJ Cruiser ang likod ng Navara ni A5 at tumilapon si Red mula sa posisyon niya sa truckbed. Her back smacked against the back of the vehicle at nakita kong dumukwang ang isa sa mga tauhan ni Tiu para barilin siya.  Just as he fired his shot, A5 changed direction and something metallic whipped past the air and embedded itself on the man's throat. I glanced up and saw Boss Ali holding on to the rope ladder of the Bird with his other throwing knife poised in the air.  

Nakalampas ang pangalawang FJ Cruiser at huminto sa tabi ng Hummer na na-trap sa mga kable. Agad na nagbabaan ang mga tauhan ni Tiu and I had to duck back inside the car nang magpaulan sila ng bala gamit ang armalite. Naririnig ko ang malakas na wangwang ng mga humahabol na unit ng pinagsamang puwersa ng Police, PDEA at NBI.

"Okay ka lang?" Alfredo asked me and I nodded. He quickly reversed at napakapit ako dahil sa kami ang pinuntirya ng mga tauhan ni Tiu. Pabaliktad niyang binaybay ang flyover at halos mapugto ang aking hininga ng mabasag ang windshield sa tama ng mga bala. Glass chips rained on the two of us and the cold rain made everything hazy. Alam ko ang tactic nila ay i-disable si Lady para walang makahabol.

"Fuckin' assholes," malutong na mura ang nanggaling kay Alfredo at nakita kong nagtagis ang kanyang bagang. "Tarantado 'to ah. Walang paggalang kay Lady..." he murmured to himself and I gulped loudly when he suddenly floored the accelerator and the car surged to top speed in less than four seconds. Walang nagawa ang mga alipores ni Tiu kung hindi magtakbuhan out of the way sa rumaragasang Skyline na sumalpok sa likuran ng FJ Cruiser. The guy with the armalite barely made it and he flew a few feet away from the force of the impact.

Hindi ko napigilan si Alfredo nang bigla siyang lumabas at dinampot ang nakabulagtang tauhan na bumaril sa amin.

"Tangina ka!" He punched the guy senseless and the latter fell bloodied on the concrete.

Then all hell broke loose.

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"If there was one thing na sinuwerte tayo, ito yung ulan ngayong gabi," Yelle whispered back to us as we crouched by the doorway of the apartment. Nasa kitchen si Rin at handang magsilbing screen sa rear para makalabas kami ng apartment ni Prince. Liningon ko sila Sab at Kiko na parehong tahimik bagamat bakas ang takot sa kanilang mga mukha. Lahat kami ay kumuha ng pantakip sa ilong at bibig.

"Sabi mo padala kayo ni Kuya Ali, tauhan niya kayo?" I coudn't help but ask. She nodded at me.

"Yup, we are agents," Wait lang, nakakaloka naman 'tong mga 'to. What the heck, ano ba talagang trabaho ni kuya? Akala ko ba umalis na siya sa work niya sa FBI? Why do I feel like he's been lying to us this whole time?

"Kakaiba namang call center yan, " I tried to joke and Rin barked a laugh.

"Yeah, we have unique accounts there," she caught on to my joke and I couldn't help but smile. For some reason I felt better knowing that my Kuya sent these people to watch over me.

Love mo talaga ako Kuya Ali.

"Here," Yelle handed over a small pistol to me, "aim and pull the trigger. Magaling ang aim mo,  did you take lessons?"

"Si Kuya Alphonse was a senior member of the Rifle-Pistol Team back in college. Lagi silang naglalaro ng mga kuya ko ng airsoft at sinasama nila ako kahit hindi ako sinasali kasi yung environmental allergies ko daw. Pag lasertag lang daw ako."

"Good," she smiled at me and I was taken aback by her beauty. Wow, ang gandang agent naman niya. 

"Okay, get ready," she motioned with her fingers and we huddled together. She unpinned three smoke bombs and threw it outside. The humidity from the rain caused the smoke to hang low instead of dissipate into the open air providing us with a thick smoggy screen. We heard loud cursing from the agents stationed at the garage at dali-dali kaming lumabas. 'Ramdam ko ang mahigpit na pagkapit ni Sab sa aking kamay habang halos magkandarapa kami para maabot ang garahe. Agad na tinungo namin si Shiro at parang anytime ay tatalon ang puso ko sa bawat putok ng baril na galing kay Rin at Yelle.

"Anak ng tortang tipaklong!" I heard Rin curse as her gun ran out of ammo. Mabuti na lamang at naubusan na rin ng bala ang nakasagupa niyang agent and she used the butt of the gun to render him senseless. He fell on a dead heap at her feet. Two men broke out into a dead run towards us and Yelle casually caught the wrist of one and kicked his legs from under him while firing her last shot on the other. Napasigaw si Sab ng bumagsak sa kanya ang nangingisay pang counter agent and Kiko pulled her arm to get her moving again.

"Sab bilisan mo," Kiko grimaced. Putlang-putla na siya at marami na ring dugo ang nawala sa kanya. Una ko silang pinapasok sa sasakyan. Bigla akong napasigaw nang hinablot ako sa buhok at nawala ang aking balanse. Siyang pag-slide ni Yelle galing sa passenger side diretso sa driver's at tinadyakan ang alulod ng aming kalaban. Bahagya niyang napakawalan ang aking buhok and I turned and fired my pistol at him. Dumaplis sa kanyang braso ang bala at nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na makapasok sa kotse.

Bago ko tuluyang maisara ang pinto ay iniharang niya ang kanyang mga kamay kaya isinalya ko ang pinto pabukas saka isinarado nang malakas. Napamura siya nang naipit ang kanyang mga daliri sa pinto. I didn't know where I got my strength pero mabilis kong nai-start ang kotse at nag-reverse sa garahe. Dalawang counter-agent ang nakaharang sa gate at tinapakan kong lalo ang accelerator. Seishirou's engine roared to life and the car surged forward to barrel down the two remaining enemies. I pushed the overdrive button and the car reached I40kph in a couple of seconds. They tried firing at us but it was useless dahil kinailangan nilang tumalon out of the way.

I wasted no time. Agad kong tinumbok ang highway dahil alam kong nasa peligro si Kiko. I could hear the distant sound of sirens. Kahit kailan talaga ang tagal dumating ng mga pulis. My eyes widened when I saw two black SUVs in hot pursuit.

"Fuck, pinaghandaan talaga tayo nila XH32!" Yelle cursed loudly while furiously typing on her palm computer. "Icen, we have extracted A7 but two units are in hot pursuit. Immediate back-up is needed, over."

"Anak ng..." Rin opened the car's window and flinched back when somebody shot at her. "Ako ba hinahamon nila? The eff--"

"Basta concentrate on getting us sa hospital. I think our best bet is East Avenue or Heart Center. Masyadong maliit yung ibang hospitals dito sa paligid." I nodded at her and caught Sab's eyes sa rearview mirror. She looked terribly shaken habang nakayakap siya kay Kiko na nakapikit na sa sakit.

"Guys, we'll get through this," I tried to give them some strength. "Tiwala lang okay? Di ko hahayaang masira yung loveteam niyo. Kakasimula pa nga lang eh."

"Aya baliw ka..." Kiko groaned softly but I saw a soft smile on his lips. "Di ko pa kayo nalilibre kaya di pa ko pwedeng mamatay."

"Kiko tumahimik ka nga!" Sab scolded him. "Kung anu-anong sinasabi..."

"Can you drive faster?" Yelle asked and I nodded before I floored the accelerator. Mabuti na lang at madaling araw kaya madalang ang sasakyan. Nakakatakot na may ibang madamay pa sa gulong ito.

Binuksan muli ni Rin ang bintana at may ibinato siya sa labas. Makalipas ang ilang segundo ay may narinig kaming pagsabog and I saw from my side mirror how one of the SUVs spun out of control when its tires exploded one by one upon contact with whatever it is that Rin threw.

"Anak ng wag nila akong hahamunin," she snorted as she readied a second bomb.

"Anong nilagay mo?" Yelle asked.

"Pako, yung gamit na saka shrapnel. Mas madaling ipaliwanag kapag usual items lang ang ginagamit." She giggled as she leaned back out and threw the second bomb. Yelle held up her hand habang nakikinig sa kanyang transceiver.

"YES!" Napasigaw si Yelle, "we're clear. Andiyan na yung back-up." She high-fived with Rin. I breathed a sigh of relief nang makasalubong namin ang sinasabi niyang clean-up squad at bumaba siya ng sasakyan para lumipat sa kabila at sumama sa pag-round-up nung natitirang alipores ni Hernandez.

I drove Kiko and Sab sa hospital at nang ma-admit na sila Kiko ay si Rin ang nakipag-usap sa nurses at doctors. She adamantly told us not to talk and let her handle things para walang masyadong tanong.

"Rin," I walked up to her and she nodded her head in acknowledgment. "I need to see my brothers."

Her expression was priceless.

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I stopped the car and immediately got out to check on Red. Sa kakamadali ko at sobrang alala nakalimutan kong buhay pa nga pala ang laman ng FJ Cruiser at bigla silang nagpaulan ng bala. I had to duck behind Barney's door. Ah shit, nasabi na ni Kuya Ali kanina na ang matamaan tanga and I freakin' don't want to be the first casualty.

Hold on baby cake, akong bahala sa'yo.

I pulled out the assault rifle Red left at the backseat of my car and took a good look at my quarry. Three targets. I didn't have long to admire her taste in weapons dahil mabilis na lumabas ng sasakyan ang tatlo at mukhang balak na i-hi-jack itong pick-up ko.

Ulul, as if I'd let you touch my Barney.

I heard a groan from the truckbed and saw Red stir from where she lay curled. "Fuck, someone's gonna be visited by nightmares." I smiled softly. Ayos, dark din ang humor ng isang 'to.

I aimed and fired a series of shots which caught two of the guys and they fell down before they were able to reach the truck bed. Nakita kong kinalas ni Red yung baril niya sa mount at hinampas ito sa mukha nung panghuling kalaban. I put down the gun I'm holding at sumampa sa truck bed to check on her.

"Okay ka lang baby cake?" She scowled at me and tried to shove me away when I scooped her up.

"Baby cake?" Oh man, ang epic ng mukha niya. I grinned at her. What the hell, I have to admit that she looked really good earlier while she fired at our pursuers. Parang si Angelina Jolie lang sa Lara Croft.

"Red velvet," I flashed her a grin and she looked confused before her eyes widened.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," she muttered, "that's the cheesiest pick-up line I've ever heard."

I shrugged, "Are you okay? Ang lakas nung paghampas mo kanina." I ran my hand tentatively along her spine to check for injuries. Napangiwi siya sa ginawa ko. "Sorry."

"I'm fine. Get your hands off me." She tried to stand and I tried to stop her nang biglang may nag-landing na bagay sa truckbed.

What the fuck?!

I barely had time to think as I pulled her into my arms and jumped just as the grenade went off. I felt searing pain behind my back and then there was darkness.  

Shit, sige na... ako na ang tanga. 

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"Kuya!" I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Aidan jump off from the back of his truck with his partner agent just as an explosion happened on his vehicle. Parang manikang tumalsik silang dalawa at nagpagulong-gulong sa kalsada. I wasted no time and drove Edge's bike to get to him.

The smell of burning flesh assailed my nostrils and I bit back a curse as I searched the area for any more of Tiu's men. Gusto kong magwala. Gusto kong manunog ng kung sino man ang nagtapon ng granada kay kuya.

I crouched down where he landed at nakita kong chi-ne-check ni Red yung pulso niya. Kahit siya ay halatang shaken sa mga pangyayari.

"We need to get him to the hospital. Third degree burns and a possible head concussion. " Halos hindi ko maintindihan yung sinasabi niya. Nanginginig ang kamay na binuhat ko si Kuya Aidan at naramdaman kong mayroong sumalo sa kabilang balikat niya. I glanced and saw Kuya Alfred with a grim expression.

 "You know what this means Adam," he told me and I nodded. No one dares to hurt a Zabala.

We put Kuya Aidan at the backseat of Lady and Red sat with him, cradling his body dahil hindi namin pwedeng ilapat ang kanyang likod. Kuya Alfred went to the driver's side and he threw me a glare.

"Maiwan ka dito, make 'em pay," he scowled and reversed. Umiyak ang gulong ni Lady at humampas sila muli sa nakabalandrang FJ Cruiser. I winced  and knew Aidan is going to go haywire paggising niya but somehow I also knew that he'd do the same thing kung siya ang nag-dri-drive.

"A6 do you really want to extract revenge?" Edge has a smile on her face and I jumped into the back of the Aprilla. She handed me the grapnel we used earlier.

"Hell, yeah," I returned her grin.

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"Sanada in pursuit of double agent Komova. I'm at the bridge, over." The chase has been going on far too long for me, but in reality it's only been five minutes since I started hunting Lana.

There's really something about this blond bitch that sets my teeth on edge but I've always tolerated her since we've worked in the same agency. She's been using her charms on the execs for far too long which gave her an unfair advantage over other agents.

"Well, that's going to change now."

"What is it Sanada?" I heard Icen over the communication line.

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud," I replied, "say you guys wouldn't mind if I returned Komova in pieces right?"

"As long as we can still get identifying marks, you're all-clear," I can imagine her grinning at the prospect. Matagal nang pinag-iinitan ni Icen si Lana for sticking her nose too much into Boss Ali's affairs. Frankly, she's one annoying, opportunistic leech na tino-tolerate ni Boss Ali since she has great connections.  

"Your wish is my command," Tiyak mamaya mag-papa-party na naman itong si Icen sa HQ. I hope Alistair's in a good mood. I heard over the communication line earlier na nagtagumpay sila Yelle sa pag-extract kay A7. Gahd, I can't imagine what the Jaguar would do kung masaktan si baby girl nila.

 Naiinip na ako sa ginagawa naming habulan so I changed tactics and fired at Lana's tires. The get-away vehicle lost momentum and crashed at the foot of the bridge. Nakita kong nagbukas at driver's side and Lana emerged from it. I got down from my Ducati and called up HQ to pick up my baby habang binabagtas ko ang kalsada in pursuit of the ostrich. Pasalamat ka Lana, mas mahaba ang legs mo but I'm way faster than you.

She made her way to the other side of the road at binagtas ang daan papasok sa Tiendecitas. She tried firing back at me and I had to duck out of the way.  

We continued the chase hanggang sa may makasalubong siyang grupo ng call center agents na nakaharang sa daan. No doubt kakatapos lang ng shift nila.

"Get out of my way!" she screamed at them pero hindi agad siya napansin so she fired at the girl who stood in her way. Nagsigawan at takbuhan ang mga kasamahan nito and the girl fell bloodied on the street. I immediately went to her aid and checked for her vitals. Humihinga pero matindi ang tama sa kanyang tagiliran.

"Fuck," I quickly called HQ, "Icen I need an ambulance at C5-Pasig Road, in-front of Transcom. There's a casualty. I repeat, I need an ambulance quickly."

I gestured to the people who ran to the other side of the road. Lahat sila takot na lumapit, "What the hell?! Kasamahan niyo 'to, padating na yung ambulance. Watch over her!" Hindi ko minsan maintindihan ang mga tao. Shit, parang mga sheep na nagtatakbuhan sa wolf.

I stood up and resumed my hunt. Gagang Lana 'to. Lalo lang niyang pinapabigat yung kaso niya.

"Icen I'm at C-5 corner Ortigas Ave." I called on to her, "I lost agent Komova."

"Well, it's your lucky day Sanada. I've got a CCTV footage of her and guess where our dear ostrich is hiding right now?"

"Icen, sabihin mo na. I don't like riddles," Minsan nakakabwisit din ang kalokohan nitong mga 'to.

"Hay naku Rika sa'n ba nakikita ang wild animals sa city?" She replied in an exasperated tone. I felt a smile grace my lips.

"Perfect. Thanks Icen," I closed the line just as I reached where Lana is hiding. Ark Avilon Zoo.

I scaled the perimeter wall and dropped down soundlessly inside the zoo's inner  sanctum. Time to hunt an ostrich. I tried to stay quiet in the shadows pero nag-ingay ang unggoy na nasa cage nang makita ako. I heard a gunshot and a felt a sting on my upper arm. Ah, shit.

"Give it up Sanada. My back-up is enroute in two minutes and you're alone." She emerged from where she is hiding behind the cages. I winced as I tried to halt the blood flow by applying pressure on the wound.

"Not yet, may legs pa ako," I bluffed as I ducked under an open awning and climbed up the stairs with no actual direction. I tried to think of ways to turn this thing around. I heard more gunshots at nagsimulang magwala ang mga hayop sa mga cage. I fired back at her and she dodged away. Shit, I'm out of ammo.

I heard several clicks from her and a few curses. Great wala na rin siyang ammo. I saw my opportunity when I looked down and read the sign. I turned to face her.

 "So it comes down to this. Just give it up Komova. It's over," She spat at me.

"You're crazy. Right now Tiu still has Maria and Alistair can't do anything," She looked so sure of herself. I wanted to smack her face with my gun.

"Crazy bitch. Patay na si Hernandez and Tiu is cornered at Kalayaan Bridge," I told her. Her eyes lit up with rage and she came at me. Great, I was counting on that.

I let her slam me on the ledge and used her momentum to overthrow her. I heard her land with a thud on the floor of the cage.

"Bring it on bitch. Come down here and let's fight fair and square," she taunted me. Baliw lang maniniwala sa'yo.

"I don't believe you know the meaning of 'fair and square' " I replied as I leaned down. She is smiling widely because she knows I have no more bullets and I can't possibly beat her in hand to hand combat.

"Accept it Sanada, I'm always gonna be one step ahead of all of you."

"Well Lana I hope you're a very good climber," I smirked at her just as a low growl emanated from the darkness. I saw her eyes widen as several pairs of leonine eyes shone from the shadows.

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I dropped down on top of the Hummer while Prince held on for dear life. Brian came out of the vehicle with Maria at gunpoint.

'Tangina.

Two of his underlings also came out and I jumped onto one and threw my remaining knife at the other. Shots were fired at us by Tiu and the Bird was forced to back off and land a hundred meters away or else it might crash.

"Back-off or she's dead," Fuckin' pig still had the audacity to smirk at me.

"Alistair," Maria shook her head. I could see a bruise forming on her cheek and had to bite back a curse as I let go of Tiu's injured underling. He walked backwards past the crash barricades.

"Tell your snipers to stop aiming at my head," he sneered at me. I held up a hand and the small red dots from Jem and Yhona's guns were immediately  withdrawn.

"You know you can't run forever," I reminded him.

"Well I think I can. And even if you catch me now, I have my ways of getting out of jail. Money can work wonders you know."

I clenched my teeth, "Hindi naman kita dito ipapakulong. I'm aiming for the international court to extradite you."

"Well, say goodbye to Maria then," he tightened his grip on her and I grimaced. What a coward. "Ano? Should we test how precious she is to you?"

"If you run, I'll follow you and if you hurt her, I'll kill you," I swore softly.

" Empty words. Ano bang meron dito sa babaeng 'to ha? You could have a hundred others if you let me go." He pointed the gun at her head.

"Asshole." I motioned for my remaining agents to lay down their weapons.

Don't try to follow us," he warned me just as an Escalade arrived and he boarded it together with his remaining underling.

"Hindi pa tayo tapos."

A/N:

Hindi pa ako nakakapasok sa Ark Avilon Zoo at wala akong alam sa lay-out. Pagbigyan niyo na kasi yun ang pinakamalapit na Zoo sa BGC at gusto ko lang talagang ipakain si Lana sa mga tigre. XD Bad author!