The alert had the unintended but predictable effect of causing everyone on the expressway to first slow down and then get out of YF’s way when they realized his vehicle was the “unauthorized vehicle”. The unstated assumption of such alerts was that people would somehow assist in stopping the suspects. But with almost everyone afraid of sectarians and nobody middle class or below able to afford totaling a car that was eating into their life savings monthly, the majority of motorists made way for both the cops and the criminals.

By now, Reina was hugging the handlebars with both arms and her face dug as far below the windshield as she possibly could be. There was a pair of far forward leg bracers originally meant for long distance riding like the highway bars of old; but YF had activated them to hold Reina in place so that she would not fall off.

YF surged through the shoulder of the expressway, cars on the far left lane parting like a wave to the right. He then rode a few li before rising to the seventh and eighth levels at the next ascending ramps. By now, multiple Nishida Ward Police cars and cycles were making their way toward him from the east, some of them having already made U-turns behind him on the lower levels. To the center of the expressway on his side, two police cycles followed by two cars charged down the descent ramp and merged just nine lanes from his position. YF waited for the cars on the eighth level to get out of the way as the ones on the sixth level had done before; he then pulled the throttle as he pushed on the right handlebar to lean right, his chin hitting Reina’s shoulder.

YF squinted to see through Reina’s untied hair as it flailed through the wind and blocked his vision. With the bike moving at a diagonal across multiple lanes at a speed that would allow him to overtake the cops, YF could only pray that everyone would get out of the way.

Reina’s hair flew to the left for one second, allowing YF to see just enough for him to right the bike and activate the hover thrust to the front side only. He pulled as hard as he could on the handlebars. “Hold tighter!”

The bottom of the bike scraped the top of a car with an ear-piercing screech, launching them through the air and into the same lane ahead of the police vehicles.

A notification beep followed by a robotic female voice resounded in his helmet. “Scanning vehicle for high occupancy or special access permit. Warning: if you are unauthorized to use the high occupancy lanes, you will have five minutes to exit or risk a fine of five hundred DTKs per li of road traveled under violation…”

YF pulled on a throttle a bit harder, the lack of vehicles ahead making it easier to avoid them.

“Scan complete. Three occupants are using a two occupant vehicle, which matches the threshold for high occupancy…”

YF tried to ignore the annoying voice which he did not have the time nor freedom to turn off in the moment.

“…please be advised that you are using your vehicle over capacity which may cause serious injury or death…”

YF pulled on the throttle yet harder, the wind muffling some of the sound.

“…have a safe trip.”

A blip indicated the voice was finished.

“Navigation.”

“Navigation On,” said his helmet.

“Check conditions from current location to Nishida Ward Office.”

“Calculating, please wait…partial exit blocks have been set up eastbound on National Road 5 from current location to Exit 8-2001. Levels ground and 10 are blocked. Exit 8-2000 to the Ward Office is under full comprehensive…”

“Off.”

“Navigation Off.”

As he approached closer to the main districts of Nishida, more and more police cruisers descended from the upper levels, though he could outpace or swerve around them until the expressway narrowed to five lanes each approximately 150 li from the Ward Office. At that point even the HOV lane had ground to a halt, and the police vehicles behind him were stuck behind rows of traffic. YF could hear them use their PA systems and Sentinel Network Receivers to tell people to clear the road. “By national law, all vehicles are to pull to the side of the road for…”

YF stopped when he saw two cruisers descend from the next exit, forming up with more cruisers across the lanes to block him in. “Hold on tight!” he yelled loud enough that Erika could hear through her helmet and Reina could hear from the front. After feeling a grip on his back and seeing Reina hug the handlebars, YF pushed thrust through the hovering mechanism to launch himself up and over the median. Cars on the opposing side either froze or accelerated as his bike descended toward them, causing multiple crashes. He landed on the roof of a car and accelerated out toward the westbound side’s exit ramp, bumping over multiple roofs until he reached it. He then descended, slowly from the eighth to fourth levels and increasingly faster as the traffic thinned out.

While there was no blockade on the westbound side at ground level, the patrolmen on the east side across the street spotted him and pointed, a few of them doing something with their receivers while a pair of moto-cops were already mounting their cycles. YF turned left into the nearest local road, riding as fast as he could down the middle of the two lanes to avoid hitting any pedestrians.

“Halt! You are under arrest for reckless driving and unauthorized vehicle usage!” he could hear from behind him.

When the first light truck emerged on the oncoming lane, YF accelerated into its lane, riding straight toward it. The truck swerved into the lane YF had just occupied, crashing into the first cop who had emerged from the blind corner. YF rode back into the proper lane and continued on, making a right at the next intersection. He could still hear his pursuer behind him when he turned right into the next alley. YF continued at the same speed in the one lane alley, dodging the few homeless people and carts that were in his path. But when an old woman stepped out from the left, YF swerved to the right and smacked his extended elbow against a cart pole, yelling out in pain.

“Yasu!” Erika called out.

“I’m fine.”

But he slowed down considerably to avoid another incident.

“Halt! I am authorized to use live fire to stop you!”

YF stopped the bike and turned it to face the policeman. The policeman stopped as well, dismounting and pulling out his rifle from its sheath, which popped off the side of the reactor housing. The man pressed the butt of the rifle into his right shoulder and aimed the gun at YF’s head. YF could see the man’s visor target assistance crawling over the tinted glass as a red circle with crosshairs.

“Do not make a move!” said the man as he advanced.

YF activated the thrust to the hovering system on just the front half one more time. He heard a burst before a large hole suddenly formed in his windshield, its tendrils crawling all the way to the end of the glass. The thrust then shot YF’s bike diagonally backwards at high speed. A second burst and YF could feel a hard vibration through his legs when the bolt smacked into the bottom of the bike. The policeman then climbed back onto his vehicle and activated his own vertical thrusters, rising into the air after YF.

But after reaching a certain height, YF continued to fly backwards while the man’s bike hovered a few dozen shaku before descending, a clothesline eventually ripping him up off his seat while the bike crashed in a ball of fire in the alley. YF broke speed while descending to the nearest platform, which happened to be on the third level. He watched from above as the man got up and shook his head, the local residents of the ground level watching but none extending a hand to help him. YF turned and headed off toward the Black Hat Bar.

***

YF was able to make it to near the Black Hat Bar without a single overhead scan, using his memory of the local roads. They continued a little while forward until he turned into an alley still a while off from the bar’s back entrance, the bar itself disappearing from view. From the signage, the colors, the music, and the few employees coming in and out through the door, however, YF was sure that Erika and Reina knew what sort of place it was. Sure enough, when he dismounted and turned to them, he could feel Erika’s rage through the tinted helmet visor.

“Get off and stay in here,” he said, pointing down at the alley road.

Reina laid her head on the handlebars, then turned her head sideways to face YF. “Well this is unexpected, Sakai-san. We going in?”

YF shook his head, retracting the helmet and grabbing the neck band. He then placed it on her neck. “Please get off Hayashi-san,” he said in as politely a tone as he could muster. “I need to take this somewhere else.” He pointed at the bike.

Reina complied, rising slowly and then stepping off the bike.

“Good,” said YF. He took out his receiver and flipped to Fujii’s business card, magnifying the section with her picture. YF then held it up for both of them to see. “A woman looking like this will be riding in a taxi with plate N-2TX-1119. Get in only if you see the plate, and only if you see her. Use the helmets to cover your faces.”

Reina nodded. Erika didn’t move.

“You’re going to stay at her place for a while. It’ll be safe,” said YF.

Without waiting for them to respond, YF climbed back on the bike and rode it slightly further from the bar, dumping it in another alley. He then backtracked to the bar’s back entrance. When he drew nearer and more of the building came into view, a woman waved for him timidly, lowering her hand almost as quickly as she had raised it. She was wearing a form fitting white dress with matching leggings, a jacket, and pearl earrings, with her makeup simply done. It took YF a moment to realize that it was Fujii, in a getup that was a far cry from her normal office onee-san look. When he came within a few shaku of her, she smiled a forced smile.

“Good evening,” she said.

“I know I’m late,” he said.

“It’s all right,” she said tiredly.

YF looked at the scantily clad girls smoking near the back entrance. “And I know what you must be thinking. But things are a lot more serious than they appear. And I really need your help.”

Fujii’s expression shifted, growing more alert. “Mr. Sakai?”

“First, you’re going to have to call me YF. Especially tonight.”

“O..okay...YF.”

“And people who know you normally won’t recognize the way you look now. Perfect.”

“So what’s going on?” she tried to sound informal.

YF swallowed and breathed in and out deeply once before bringing his face closer to hers. “My wife and her friend’s lives are in danger. I need them to stay with you for a while.”

“Mr.--” Fujii cleared her throat and squared her shoulders somewhat. “What are you talking about!” she shouted loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

YF raised his hands in feigned despair, trying to shift his eyes around less. “Good good,” he whispered under his breath. “Here’s the plan. They are staying with you for a while. My wife will tell you the details of what comes after I’m sure, but the official story is that the two of us had a fight and we need some space for a while.”

“Is that true?”

YF was about to get defensive before realizing she was still digging into the act. “But the best lies contain good chunks of the truth. That’s the only way they work.”

“Yeah, I swear!” he yelled out.

The strippers smoking nearby shuffled away instinctively to give them their privacy.

“Now, we need to find a woman named Ly—”

“YF!” he heard a woman’s voice yell out. “Hisashiburi-ne!”

He turned to the back door which was thrown completely ajar, with a silver haired, pale Reo standing inside. The woman smacked a cigarette out of a carton that likely cost his monthly salary and lit it with a lighter. She took a few puffs and then held it between her index and middle finger.

“Right, long time no see to you too,” said YF.

The woman drew a long, slow draw, then puffed out. “Well this is new,” she said.

YF climbed up the few steps to the door with Fujii following close behind. When he passed the woman, he whisper-shouted so that she could hear without him moving closer. “Lydia, we need to talk. Let’s go to the booth.”

YF led Fujii into the building and around the first few tables, finding the second booth from the back door and activating the sliding door. He sat down inside with her, the latter obviously uncomfortable with the tall golden pole on a platform in the center.

Lydia came in much later, shutting the door. “What is it?”

“You know the arrangements I make for you-know-who when I can’t give him a ride home?”

“Mmhmmm,” Lydia replied.

“I need you to do it for her.” He gestured to Fujii. “The rest of the night, no one is to come into this room. No one.”

YF pulled out his receiver and swiped more money than he cared to look at toward Lydia. He could see a flash of disappointment in Lydia’s eyes that she quickly, and professionally covered up. She didn’t even look at her receiver — her reaction was not about the money.

“Sure thing hon,” she said, opening the door and closing it.

YF and Fujii sat in dead silence for what seemed like an eternity, the music of the bar raging in the background.

“You come here often? YF?” asked Fujii.

“Once for my bachelor party. Every other time to pick up a friend,” he said.

Fujii’s eyes seemed to light up. “I see.”

“You bring the booze?” he asked.

Fujii looked at him as if pondering something, hesitated, then started fumbling with her purse.

YF moved closer to her and brought his face to the side of her head so close his lips almost touched her ear. “Fujii. You can rest assured this is not what you think this is. We’re going to drink and talk about high school and the weather until the sun comes up. Then we split ways.”

“Is all of this necessary?” she whispered in his ear back.

“We both know people are always watching. Always.”

YF backed up a bit and took her hand, bringing it palm up. He then drew his finger across it in the same pattern repeated several times.

He brought his face to hers again. “You remember?” he whispered.

Fujii smiled a much more genuine fake smile. “Yeah.”

“Good, that’s where they are. Stop there before going home.”

When YF scooted away from her once more, he suddenly felt an unexpected wash of relief pour over him like a spring rain. He sank into his seat. For the first time in what felt like days, YF felt as though every muscle in his body was relaxed. The wave of fatigue hit him in the head like a hammer, and all he wanted to do was to sleep on the couch until dawn. From his slouched position he stared up at the ceiling, wondering how long it would be before he could rest in his own bed.

Fujii took the bottle of hard liquor out and planted it on the platform. She then brushed the hair out of her face and held onto the side of her seat. “So...what was high school like for you?”