Furiously Fast

I don't know how many guns are pointed at me, or us two.

Surrounding both me and Sasha and making a perfect siege with nowhere to run. They're even heavily equipped just to greet us. I feel like other tourists looking this way would be questioning our existence, like what crime do we do to deserve this?

Well, same, same here, people. I'm asking myself if simply taking a breath is counted as a war crime at this point. If not, surely it'll be a JoJo refe-

Ahem…

As time passes, their harsh voices are becoming louder and slowly come closer. No doubt, I'm sure this is the work of Father hastily contacting everyone in his circle to drag my ass back to the meeting.

This couldn't be worst than it gets.

I step back and hold the brim of my hat tightly. Keeping my distance from them, glancing left and right. By then, my sleeve is already tugged by Sasha. I turn my eyes at her, she doesn't say a word. Biting her lips instead while scowling at the surrounding.

I thought she would all panic and start throwing questions at me. Yet from a glance, she seems to be collected enough about the entire situation. Considering this is in another people's country.

What's going on inside her head? What is she thinking? What should I do to get her out of this mess? Wish I could read her mind though.

Yeah, no way in hell I can do that.

Wait, wait, mind reading?

Ah, I see…

"So that's how it is…" I scoffed. Sasha looked at me with a wistful gaze.

"W-What should we do? They're getting closer, Dani!"

Oh, don't you dare to look at me like that. Surely, you could do a better act than this, Sasha!

There's absolutely no way Father took such a haphazard method by contacting every single one of his acquaintances abroad. That's not like him at all, so inefficient. Years of business experience must've taught him that, I'm sure of it

Instead, this brain chip of mine must've given him my coordinate and made a countermeasure based on the prediction. Setting up a force in Dubai, my transit point. That must be the case here.

I completely miscalculated.

That freak of a Father, I swear to God…

I clicked my tongue, "You, what a nuisance!"

One of them forced his way toward us. Dashing forward and extending his hand. I yanked Sasha's body closer right before she got grabbed, staring back at that man with a death stare.

However, like a ripple in the water, his initiative action pushes the others to follow him.

"Decoy."

<Decoy module initiated>

I clutch Sasha's hand tightly. As soon as I said it, my right arm started to become transparent, spreading to my whole body and Sasha's after. A glitched mirage of us formed in the same place we're standing. After this, I only have five seconds, before the effect has to be cooled down for five minutes.

In one blink, I warp behind their siege along with Sasha still on my clutch, away from their vision. Seeing our still mirage, they swiftly reach their hands out to apprehend us. A mirage is a mirage, of course, they go past it.

It put a big question mark on their head. Each whips their gaze left and right looking for us.

"Quick. Outside." I whispered to her with a decisive stare. Pulling her hand. Running together

"Huh? How?" However, she seems to be more confused with the mechanic of the decoy.

"Just some Ravager things!"

"Over there! We have visual!"

"Standby units, proceed!"

Crap, the effect faded away as soon as we reached the outside. Footsteps are tailing our back, along with the sound of guns fired. They even don't hesitate a single bit to shoot us. I impulsively cover Sasha from the incoming paralyzing shot, that ends up making me grit my teeth from a bullet homed at my right arm.

The electrocuting sensation crawls all over my body while I force my feet to move forward.

"Are you okay?!" She stopped for a bit as soon as my nerve is getting all fuzzy. "Taxi! Where's the Taxi?!"

"Just keep moving, will you?!"

I immediately shove her body away to one of the cars parked, in the same color as others lined up in front of the terminal, white and black. Sasha opens the door and hurriedly gets in with me rapidly sliding onto the back seat. Closing the door to keep those noise out. My breath is panting heavily enduring the shock.

By the time I remove the bullet from my arm, it had already gone numb. The suit sticking to my right arm slowly begins to recover itself, patching up the wound. This will take a while.

Some bullets hit the car. The panic is seeping in as the driver yells at us both. Clanging metal, bouncing bullets, I can't understand a word from him other than those. What the hell is this language module doing at a time like this?

<Connect the external speaker to the voice chord>

Huh? A notification pops up on my OHD. I blink my eyes repeatedly and it's still there. Without much thought, I touch my neck with my left hand, following the instruction.

"Go, just go, sir! Eh?"

"Eh? Dani?"

Wait, what? My voice is different.

No rather, as I try to say it, the AI automatically translated my speech and used the Hand phone as a speaker. That caught me off guard.

"Go? You say go? Where to, Ya Akhi?" He slapped the empty front seat. Sasha was startled by it.

"Anywhere will do!" My answer didn't make him happy for a single bit. Scowling at me instead, "Fine, to any dealership now! Just move, mister!"

*CLANG!*

Another barrage of bullets pierced the windows and bounced on the car. I impulsively pushed Sasha's head down, with the driver stooping down on the steering wheel. Shattered glass scattered everywhere inside. They're getting closer.

"Ya Akhi, I won't go unless you swear to God you'll pay thrice the fare!" Again, he slapped the seat, furiously.

"Yeah, yeah. Got it! I'll even give you new cars for the entire five generations! Just MOVE IT, MOVE IT!"

"Aywa… that's more like it, Ya Akhi!" He slots in the gear and releases the handbrake. "Please sit back, put the seat belt on, and enjoy the ride!"

"What is he saying?" Sasha nudged my side with a frown. Not understanding a thing.

"Wear your seatbelt, we're going."

Sasha blinks her eyes and glances around, "But there's no-"

At that moment, both I and Sasha pushed to the back. The noise of tire screeching fills the cabin as the car struggles to get traction. Straight cutting the traffic lined up ahead with alarming car horns overlapping. Stopping rows of cars behind with the roaring engine.

Not even under a minute, the car is already on the highway out from the airport. However, the sight of enforcers, authorities, or whatever it is called, is tailing us. Dozens of them. Even drones are flying above our heads.

"Hey! Can't you be more gentle?! At least wait until we're done talking!" The driver is unfazed by Sasha. Well, not that he can grasp her words.

I shake my head, "There's no use, Sasha. He can't-" …And we hit our heads on the front headrest in unison suddenly. "CAN'T YOU SLOWLY USE THE BRAKES?!"

With one hand on the steering, he abruptly turns his entire body at us, "Slowly? What slowly? Ya Akhi, make up your mind. Do you need to run away like a desperate camel in mating season, or slowly enjoy the hereafter trip like the pharaoh in the coffin?"

"No way in hell I want this car as my coffin!?" I snapped back

"The road! The road!" Sasha's yelled as a delivery truck ahead is coming closer. But, the driver swiftly swerves it, still with his eyes on us.

"Relax, Ya Habibi. There's no need to worry about it."

No need? Bro, what do you mean? I got more to worry about than being dead now! Even if I were to die, surely Father wouldn't hesitate to dig my grave and drag my corpse outta the coffin.

"So relax and feast your eyes upon the city of Dubai. I'm your personal tour guide now." He changes the gear after, I can hear the sound of the engine getting louder. Sasha widens her eyes at me. "Sorry for the late intro, but, welcome to Arab, Ya Habibi!"

The pedal is stepped on, the rev is reaching the limit, and we're pushed all the way to the back.

Despite the wide lanes ahead, all of them are filled with vehicles, jam-packed. Even so, the driver slips between the gaps and honking noises.

Cutting from left to right, and right to left, scraping the sides during this rush hour. Braking in a fraction of a second before mashing us together with the vehicles in front several times, even speeding hastily as if he wants to show his family up there how messed up his driving is.

At this point, I can't count how many times I've been sandwiched between the door, the seat, the headrest in front, the roof, and Sasha. We're completely fudged up inside like canned sardines in a high tide of a sea shipment.

We're out of the highway, not even five minutes into the Dubai tour session.

And who is even right in their mind to join the city road while drifting?! Lord, please have mercy when Sasha screams at the top of her iron lung, right in my ears for a straight 27 seconds of my life.

This driver… sure is built different…

"Ughh… I'm so done, Dani. Can't he just?? Ughh…" Sasha flopped to my shoulder. Almost gagging up.

"You think I know?" I sigh, gently patting her back, "At least, we're safe."

I sweep my eyes to the outside. The street is empty, not as busy as the highway. And, there's no sight of the authorities chasing us. But that doesn't mean the noise of the drones hovering above is completely disappeared.

That's not good at all.

"Ack!"

A burning sensation suddenly engulfs my left ear. I glanced at Sasha, and she was already scowling in red. "Seriously, what did you do to your father this time?? Why do I have to get dragged into your daddy issue??"

"Why do you think I KNOW the answer? I didn't do anything except plan to laze around from the meeting!"

She pulls my ear harder, closer to her, "Exactly! That's the problem here! You never change at all! Running away when you don't feel like it!"

This is it, she's at her limit. The cat is out of the box.

This is Sasha that I know, ranting about everything. I know that she has been holding it back this entire time. From the sudden warm smile and the politeness, to avoiding eye contact, it's all adding up. Even her helpless and clueless girl act couldn't help her before we escape from the airport.

My guess is right. Father forced Sasha to monitor me, then put the entire force to greet me here.

Well, I'm not the one to say him a manipulative scum.

We're both same, in a way.

"Okay, okay, then I'm sorry for the trouble!" I begged while my ear is about to come off at this point, "If I lose my ear here, I can't translate things for you, you know!"

Sasha quickly released it. Oddly became amenable, with a pout on her face. Meanwhile, I rub my burning red left ear. I can hear the flashbang still echoing inside.

*BAM!*

The road next to us exploded all of a sudden. The driver hastily turned the steer and barely dodged it. Sasha's restrained scream overlapped with the loud explosion. I look outside immediately. Up there, two drones are charging up their next shots.

I swiftly put my head next to the driver's, "How much further left?"

"Next turn, then we will be close, Ya Akhi."

"Can we get there in 5 seconds?"

"You want to go faster?"

I shake my head, "Take another path. A more complicated one, or going around it, but way faster before given time."

The driver exhaled heavily, "Don't complain about any brain tremors or heavy trauma after this. By the name of God, as a driver, I love you two as my customers, but if you say so…"

"Yeah, it's fine." I take one more glance. This time, the drones' nozzles are lighting up. "Hold on to your seat, Sasha. This might be a rough one."

"Huh?"

I don't care with her puzzled look. All that we need to do, is to shake off these annoying drones.

<Decoy module initiated>

I place my right hand on the door handle. A holographic replica of our car appeared in front. Going faster while the driver is slowing down with this transparent car, taking a turn right after.

As expected, the drones are still after the mirage. Discharging the shot at the same time our car zoomed away, covering the roaring engine sound. Another turn, another drift. Sasha is holding the door handle and front headrest tightly, same with me. After similar two next turns, the car is finally stopped.

"Aywa… Ya Habibi, make sure to give five stars, okay?" He winked after an amount of money was paid digitally. Enough for him and generations to come.

"Six even, if it exists." I sneered following Sasha. Shoo-ing him away.

That abomination of a vehicle left, with some glasses still crumbling apart.

Entering the dealership, our eyes are presented with such lavish items upon stepping in. Miniatures, historical artifacts, and even custom-made vehicles are here.

Abruptly, Sasha stops and turns at me, "Now what?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

Ah… she's right…

After escaping the chase for now, even if we get under the radar of the authorities, even if we're able to kill five hours' worth of transit time, they'll be on our tail sooner or later. The security of the airport won't be so easy for anyone to pass for the next flight.

Now what…?

"I haven't thought that far…" I answered with a nervous giggle. Of course, she stabs me with a dreadful stare.