Chapter #4 - Between the scythe and the six rats PT.1

The pursuit began, Miguel ran as fast as he could, and Elias followed suit, both on the tail of one of the suspects among the six recently escaped fugitives. The alleys were narrow, and the lighting was poor. Miguel leaped over a heap of garbage too quickly for Elias to follow, causing him to tumble into the trash. He quickly composed himself and resumed the chase.

Miguel was about 13 meters away, the best opportunity he had since the start of the operation, and there could be no mistakes.

"If he gets too close to the commercial center, we might have a problem. We'll be exposed, and beyond the insecurity it will cause, we'll lose the advantage of five of them not knowing about us. I have to run faster!"

Miguel increased his speed, even with his legs already at their limit, but this shortened the distance, startling the fugitive, who stumbled and fell, aiding in the approach.

"Now you won't escape me!"

Miguel unsheathed his scythe and propelled himself using the terrain, delivering a blow with the scythe's staff to the back of the criminal, who hit the ground unconscious. Elias arrived a minute later.

- Are you getting slower over time, my friend Elias? - Miguel laughed.

- No, sir, hahaha.

Elias handcuffed the shadow-inhibiting cuffs, and a car quickly came to pick them up. Miguel felt some discomfort throughout the journey, unsure if something was wrong because the capture had been too easy or because of what he had done to Lucas.

"Staying alert will be the solution in case my discomfort is related to the investigation. I can't afford to be careless. Maybe apologize and explain things to Lucas when I get back. Focus, Miguel, focus!"

At the New Force facility, Miguel took Ivo Reis straight to a temporary prison and interrogation, while Elias handled the bureaucratic part.

- Do you think a brat like you will make me talk? - grumbled Ivo when Miguel threw him to the cell floor abruptly.

- I don't expect you to talk, but that's why I left my partner outside - Miguel took off his overcoat and threw it at the camera.

Ivo stared at the scene and smiled as if unimpressed.

- Aaaaaah! You're a wicked little soldier... Now it makes sense to leave the other one outside. - Ivo mocked.

- Let's go! First, the basics, okay? - Miguel began speaking, pulling out an envelope from the overcoat he had thrown - Ivo Reis Ferrari, 36 years old, former Class B soldier, blades class, Dagger.

Ivo remained unsurprised.

- Did I get it right so far? - Miguel asked, and Ivo laughed in agreement. - So, your criminal record is a ton of paperwork, let's put it that way: You messed up big time. Okay? But now I don't want to talk about the criminal Ivo anymore. After all, your old clothes with the smell of bleach give away that the clothes have been freshly washed and well-ironed. A maid? No, you'd be rich and not a criminal. A light theft from some random clothesline? No, after all, this outfit looks too perfect for the occasion, not drawing attention. So, a woman close enough to take care of your things even after being arrested, showing great love.

Ivo quickly inhaled and, with small tension movements in his shoulders and a slight widening of his eyes, conveyed the certainty that Miguel's deduction was close.

- A wife? No, your ring fingers don't show marks of recent use of any kind of ring, so a mother, who, judging by your apparent age, must be around 70 something.

- What kind of lame joke is this? - Ivo leaped to the bars.

- Sweat on the forehead, a drastic change in posture. So it would be correct to assume that if I go to Antares Avenue, Alley 12, House 5, I'll find a poor old lady..."

- Wait, wait, Lúcio will kill me if I say anything, man!

At that moment, Miguel gave a chilling smile and step by step approached the bars, coolly saying:

- And what do you think I'll do with your mother if you don't speak?

- You're with the law, you won't do that!

- Do you really think they'll incriminate a soldier who had to defend himself from a crazy lady because he heard that her son was torn apart by an Azek?

Miguel had a psychopathic expression at that moment, and Ivo was as cornered and trapped as a rabbit pursued by its predator, and at that moment, the predator was Miguel.

- I can't, man, please!

- I don't know, Ivinho, I think your old lady will die either way, especially now that I imagine the alleys have already delivered the message to him and his gang that you didn't go to the meeting point. He might think of betrayal, and your mother may be in danger right now as we speak.

- It's impossible, they're not by the standard point.

Ivo realized he spoke too much, and Miguel left Ivo there, grabbing his overcoat as he left to talk to Elias.

- Next time, you stay here filling out this boring stuff. - Elias exclaimed, leaning on the counter, handing over the capture report - Did you get anything inside with that guy?

- How many locations do we have information about, cataloged as hiding places or stays for Lúcio?

Elias went up the installation stairs and arrived in the file room. He and Miguel walked through the corridors until they reached the L corridor. After some rummaging and searching, Elias found a spreadsheet with eight cataloged locations.

- Well, we know they're not in Antares, so we know they're sharp, and they'll position themselves in different places than usual to avoid the spotlight. We'll go to one only, and we can't make a mistake. There are likely contacts watching each of them, and since there are many loopholes, we need to hit since we only have one chance. - Miguel explained his mental line to Elias, who could barely keep up.

"How would a rat escape its predator?"

Miguel began to think, looking at the map and considering the information along with the possibilities present in each of them.

- First, think about the basics. Besides being the beginning of their illegal activities, why was the hideout in Antares the standard? - asked Miguel.

- Out of the spotlight! - replied Elias.

- A simple community where crime ruled, typical, but there must be more, there has to be more to this why. - Miguel said, looking at the map and flipping through some pages of the dossier on Lúcio.

"A man who spent his entire life in the New Force to climb the ranks, left the services right after failing to get a promotion to S, continuing to use his knowledge to carry out mercenary and hitman jobs."

- Earth to Miguel! - Elias spoke, but in vain.

Miguel was in a state of mindfulness, deeply focused.

"Discreet location, materialistic person, small neighborhood, few patrols, wealth, poverty. Checkmate!"

Miguel expressed joy, quickly flipped through the files, saw the information he needed.

- Miguel?

- As a standard, he tends to choose opposite things when it comes to hideouts or locations for smuggling deposits. - said Miguel, picking up a pen.

- Right!

- Think that he has always been a person with good finances, and then, where is his standard hideout? In a poor and needy community without the basics to live, small streets, humble houses, and, as you said, 'Out of the spotlight.'

- By default, he will always choose hideouts that follow the opposite pattern of his life. So, when cornered or in a situation of imminent danger, he will choose the opposite of that, a place...

- In the spotlight! Exactly, Elias. - Miguel affirmed.

- But in which of these remaining 7? - Elias asked, still feeling a bit lost.

- Connecting the dots, the deposit in Rocinha is out of the question, the same hideout pattern as Antares. There's one in the Recreio region, but it's close to the 'terreirão' – standard area, so minus 3 in total.

Elias quickly looked and observed that of the remaining 5, 3 were in upscale areas or inhabited by people with a better quality of life.

- I eliminate these two, despite slightly better areas, both have simple constructions, the lighting from the photos seems precarious, so these are intentionally camouflaged locations. So, we're left with 3.

Elias stared at Miguel, who was considered a prodigy of the New Force of Brazil by many, due to his great combat prowess with his scythe and his investigative deductive skills.

"In what ways do these locations differ from each other? All have the patterns to be considered potential locations."

Miguel looked at three photos, one of each place. The first was a resort hotel in Ipanema, but it was very close to a newly erected community of illegal residents in the country.

"So, the choice was made to confuse anyone chasing him, making them believe it would be there. However, if we don't ignore the pattern of the other main locations, this place is eliminated because it's very likely it was never used, just to mislead."

Miguel crossed it out, and now there were two locations left, a 50% chance of success and a 50% chance of error. Elias was still stagnant because his superior was showing skills he never possessed, and it frustrated him a bit, but he remained attentive.

"Miguel is simply alone in this thinking; to say that someone could simply follow his reasoning is somewhat laughable."

Miguel stood still, staring at Elias, who was lost in thought and didn't notice.

- Don't beat yourself up for not being able to keep up with me in certain things. You weren't raised like I was, and you didn't have to go through what I did. - Miguel said, acknowledging the difference in investigative ability between them.

- Yes, sir! - Elias said somewhat subdued.

Miguel turned to the map and noticed something in one of the locations.

- How many times, and what was cataloged from this place here, Elias? - Miguel asked, pointing on the map.

- Two raids by the New Force, never found anything except games like illegal mini-casinos.

- A casino, surrounded by buildings and several streets, basically anyone leaving the apartment could escape in any direction. Whoever investigates could be surrounded from all exposed positions and angles, and finally, this block was considered for purchase by a company linked to Lúcio's name before he left the New Force, but the purchase was not advanced. Still, nothing prevents him from using illicit methods to take over the location. - Miguel shared his thoughts.

- Basically, this is a place made to be a rat hole, multiple paths for escape, and because it has various surveillance possibilities, he would never be caught off guard.

- Correct, Elias! There's only one problem in all of this; this area has reports of blackouts.

Elias found this strange but quickly understood; depending on the time of a blackout, Zeks could appear, turning the mission into a tremendous disaster not only for the gang's arrest but also for the surrounding residents.

- Do you think it's worth calling in a small contingent to do this mission? - Elias asked.

- No, we'll have to go undercover! - Miguel informed.

A few hours later...

- I need you because we'll make a reservation for each one with fake names and fake documents. Assign you to different buildings, and I will go as a casino player and infiltrate gradually. As a player, I'll try to win or lose, whatever attracts attention in the safest way and gather information. In case of a threat, you will act, but only on my order. - said Miguel, who was with his squadron mates in a briefing room at the New Force installation.

All three present agreed with the orders, but Elias felt something in himself as if something were alerting him to imminent danger, but he chose to ignore it at that moment and trust Miguel.

- The equipment sector is already putting together all the documents and providing false data in case they decide to verify the information from the network. - Explain Miguel 

It was already dawn when Miguel finished the meeting with the soldiers.

"Four in the morning? I think I need to rest even if it's just for a bit..."

Miguel was descending the stairs when he noticed a figure different from the usual there, a civilian who claimed to know the whereabouts of Lúcio and his subordinates. Immediately, Miguel began to listen to the civilian, who was thin and tall, had many tattoos, and wore a faded yellow T-shirt, checkered shorts, and a pair of black flip-flops.

- Could you accompany me, sir? - Miguel asked while shaking hands with the civilian - Firm grip! By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Miguel, in charge of the investigation into the criminal group you mentioned just now.

- Ple-pleasure, Mr. Miguel, I'm Rubens Dutra. - The civilian showed fear or nervousness.

Miguel indicated the location of the interrogation room and, to observe, let the civilian go first.

In the room, the civilian sat, and Miguel stood with crossed arms, looking at him.

- You make me scared - said the civilian, trembling a bit.

- I apologize, Mr. Rubens. Unfortunately, my job doesn't allow me to appear very friendly with my facial expressions.

The civilian pulled a small towel from his shoulder and wiped his face, even though the room was well air-conditioned, which caught Miguel's attention.

- You came running, must have been seen by them or something, right? - Miguel asked, starting his game.

- Yeah, yeah... that's right. - The civilian swallowed hard and began to speak - Earlier today, where I live, Terreirão was a mess, and I didn't know why, no commercial activity even happened, but I stayed there in my tent until 7 guys showed up to chat and have a typical Carioca beer on the side.

Miguel paid attention and began to assimilate and analyze the scenario for the possibility that the gang is in the Terreirão hideout.

- One of them seemed very strong, and the others seemed to obey him. But what caught my attention was that they were very attentive to everything, as if something could happen at any moment.

A few moments later, Miguel saw a weak ray of sunlight hover over the tiny window on the left side of the room. His body felt heavy, and his head ached a bit.

- You said they left one by one from the place, each going in a different direction, leaving only two of them. The one who seemed to be Lúcio and another who was hiding his face.

- Did they stay talking for a long time? - Miguel asked, looking attentively for signs of lies in the civilian, using his perception.

- A long time, I dare say they stayed almost 2 hours longer talking.

"He doesn't seem to be lying, so I must discard the possibility that he came here sent to plant false information and disrupt the flow of the investigation. But there's still this factor, a seventh suspect. An informant, a mediator, just a friend? No! Why would a friend of the person be so focused on hiding their identity?"

Miguel was so focused on thinking that he didn't notice his partner Elias entering the room with two cups of coffee.

- Miguel? - Elias said.

- Good morning, my friend, did you manage to sleep? - Miguel asked while taking a good sip of his hot coffee.

- If you consider 2:30 hours of sleep as sleeping, then yes, I slept well, too well.

Miguel laughed and turned to the civilian, who seemed calmer than before.

- This is Elias, my partner in the investigation.

- Isn't this Crazy Rubinho? - Elias asked.

The civilian seemed nervous after the statement.

- Crazy Rubinho? - Miguel repeated, not understanding.

- He's a drunk and kind of crazy guy who lives around Terreirão, he usually does everything for money as far as his fame goes. - Elias informed, showing incredulity with the situation.

- Hey! I'm not crazy, sir! - Rubens exclaimed.

- That's not what people keep saying about you, Crazy Rubinho. - Elias emphasized.

Suddenly, with anger, Rubens stood up and leaned forward, hitting the table hard with such indignation he felt for what he was hearing.

- Hey! Enough, Rubens, thank you. You can go home or wherever. - Miguel shouted, irritated.

- But, sir... - Rubens tried to speak.

- You heard, right? - Elias said, opening the door and facing the civilian.

The civilian left, angered, stomping and with a stern face.

- Are we leaving, or do you want to rest? - Elias asked.

- Is it time to go already? - Miguel asked, disconnected even from time.

Before Elias could respond, a noise was heard in the corridor followed by a scream from the civilian. Miguel looked and ran quickly toward the civilian, who fell with an unidentified shadow dissipating quickly from a left chest full of blood.

- FIRST AID! - Miguel shouted - Elias, window, now!

- Yes, sir! - Elias replied, running and jumping out the window while spinning.

Rubens already seemed to be in a case of difficult recovery, but he grabbed Miguel's shirt and tried to say something.

- Car fat, car fat...

- Car fat? - Miguel questioned, pressing the wound to gain time until the paramedics arrived. "What do you mean?"

- Se... seventh and car fat.

These were Rubens Dutra's last words in Miguel's arms, who was trying to stay lucid while the paramedics arrived late.

"Seventh and car fat, he wasn't crazy after all. I think 'car fat' is the body of a vehicle, and 'seventh' was the seventh element he mentioned. This information can help us a lot, but it cost a person's life. His blood is on my hands. How is Elias's pursuit?"

Suddenly, a soldier called for Miguel, who quickly ran toward the temporary cells and, upon arriving, realized that Ivo was also dead.

- What the hell is going on?

Miguel punched the wall hard out of anger because he had lost two lives right before his eyes. Meanwhile, Elias arrived running, out of breath and all scraped up, saying he hadn't been able to find the culprit because he was at a great distance.

- We have to go after Lúcio now, or this could get worse. I don't know what this guy's deal is and his plans. Call everyone right now; we're going to have a different approach than planned! - Miguel ordered, showing anger in his gaze and tone of voice.

Elias immediately ran to the barracks, woke up the other two soldiers, and soon descended with them straight to the garage where Miguel awaited everyone with his overcoat and a deep look.

- We're all here, sir! - Elias reported.

- The plan is to draw attention! - Miguel exclaimed while unfolding a map on the hood of a black car - He expects our caution, but since our caution cost us two lives, we'll make him understand that you don't mess with the New Force. I don't care if he used to be one of us!

Miguel showed the interception locations and the potentially used locations for escape routes, confrontations, or cornering. A few minutes later, everyone was ready to leave, and the team split into two cars.

Miguel and Elias were in one, while Mauro and Pedro were in another. Inside the car, Miguel seemed restless, and Elias had noticed. He asked,

- Miguel, did the death of those guys shake you? Would you like to reconsider whether we should proceed with the mission today? We can gather a larger contingent and review your condition.

- No time for that now! - replied Miguel, sinking into his thoughts.

- Okay! What can I do then to get so many things off your mind?

- Sorry, Elias, I'm just trying to focus on understanding some information, that's all. - replied the soldier sharply.

- Understood.

Elias focused on driving while Miguel, looking out the window, thought about everything that had happened in the last few hours.

"Two victims, both involved in the case. One was, or rather, used to be one of the fugitives, while the other was an unfortunate informant. They were killed by something capable of traversing a good distance, something like a bow? No, it would take too long to dissipate. Something small and throwable, but what?"

Miguel turned to Elias and asked about his shadow.

- Elias, as a trained marksman, how would you shoot an arrow from a long distance?

- What kind of question is that, man? - Elias laughed.

- Didn't you want to help? - Miguel retorted.

- Alright, long distance then? - Elias, while driving, scratched his scalp and turned to Miguel, saying. - I would consider the six variables: wind, distance, bow size, arrow size, angle, and positioning.

- So, to shoot from a long distance, I would need to consider these 6 factors? - asked Miguel.

- Yes! Not always all of them are necessary, but on average, it's good to think about all of them, as one wrong arrow can mess up everything.

Miguel began to think again, but this time he simulated the entire geographical structure surrounding the facility, and there it was, a being floating like a deity.

"Thinking that this place was supposed to be safe. The open window faced to the right, and the cell floor's window was on the right too. Taking into account the 6 factors Elias mentioned, he should be in a place that optimizes calmness to think about them and their precision. On top of a tree? Too unstable; a breaking or cracking branch could jeopardize his entire mission. That leaves shrubs and rocks. The shrubs would make him totally safe but greatly hinder the vision. Considering the wind factor, a swaying leaf at the wrong time would mean a missed shot and, again, failure. So, only rocks remain, even if exposed. If it's someone well-trained, a basic change in arm position would make all the difference, so the location was this!"

In his mind, Miguel had already pre-established the potential location and, plotting a possible route, realized that even by walking, he could get there faster.

- I need you to speed up, Elias. The faster we get there, the better. Step on it!

- Yes, sir, let's see what this fat car is capable of!

That phrase sent a chill down Miguel's spine, and he slowly turned his face to Elias, incredulously asking him:

- What did you call this car, Elias?

- Well, a fat car. After all, it's a round and slow car.

At that moment, Miguel could only hear Rubens's voice:

"Fat car... Seventh, fat car..."