Cop Craft – Dragnet Mirage Reloaded

Her hands cuffed behind her back, Tilarna was taken to a garage. Almost as if it had been awaiting her all along, she was shoved into the back seat of a limousine. Elbajhi soon followed in after her. With a squeak of its tires, the vehicle bounded through the back entrance of the nightclub.

「Even the Milvoa Knights are after us now. I swear, this club can’t get any rest.」

Wrapping up several of his business negotiations on the phone, Elbajhi said.

「I’m a busy man. I’ve got an important deal coming up. They’ve got someone specialized in dealing with these types of things so I thought why not bring you along for the ride. There’s nothing to be scared of, missy! You didn’t really think we were gonna throw you off of Silver Bay with a block of concrete strapped to your feet, did ya? That woulda been such a waste!」

Laughing maniacally, he ran his fingers down her slender shoulders.

「I do not mind. To begin with, I did not have any intention of escaping with my life intact. If you do intend to end my life, it would be more prudent to do so quickly, no?」

「That’s right. You didn’t bring your krége¹ along, did ya? Renunciation, eh?」

「…………」

「Where’s your sword?」

「Back home. I entrusted it to my lord father.」

「Hmm……」

Elbajhi fiddled with Tilarna’s dynange² in the palm of his hand.

「Right now, your lord father is probably tearing his hair out praying for his daughter’s safety.」

「I wonder about that. His unworthy daughter has been captured by the likes of a ruffian such as yourself, after all.」

「Hahah. That’s true.」

It was there that a seed of doubt began to sprout in Tilarna’s mind.

This Elbajhi…… Has he not realized that I have been lying to him all this time? Perhaps he is unaware of my cooperation with the San Teresa Police Department?

She thought back to that Colombian smuggler. Albares. The assassin that took his life had seen Tilarna just before they committed their foul deed. Practitioners of necromancy, she had heard, are capable of seeing the world through the eyes of the ‘corpses’ they manipulate. In other words, the mildita³ should know her face. Of course, they would also be privy to Tilarna cutting down their puppet with her krėge.

Is this not odd?

If that mildita had truly been under Elbajhi’s employ, why have they not told him anything about her?

The limousine continued on its way, entering the parking lot of a restaurant close to the airport. There, they switched vehicles to a light van. Another thirty minutes passed by. Eventually, the buildings around them grew ever sparser. They had arrived at the outskirts of the city.

As they traveled across the meandering hillside, the van finally stopped in front of an old temple. It looked to be of Gravanian make, dating back hundreds of years. In the first place, Kariana Island had been transported from the Semanian world to sit atop the Pacific Ocean. Hidden among the modernities the Earthlings brought with them, one could find the ancient ruins and remains of Semanians left behind from ages past.

「I have been expecting you, my lord.」

A man clad all in red had come out to greet them, lowering his head. Beside him was a pale-faced Earthling. He was dressed in a suit.

「Zelada. Are the『goods』ready?」

「Yes. The final preparations have just been completed. Kalim-sama has seen to it. If you wish to see it yourself, I……」

「Good.」

Elbajhi entered the temple in stride.

「And this young lady is?」

The man named Zelada inquired. Although he had sunglasses on, it did not appear as though he could see. In fact, he had probably judged her to be a woman solely based on the sound of her footsteps and breathing.

「The Milvoa knight in question. Dunno how but she went sniffing about the place. I’ll tell you the details later.」

「Oh, please do. Now, allow me to take the floor from here. I shall guide you around.」

Tapping the ground under his feet with his staff, Zelada flashed his white teeth as he smiled.

「Why the hell am I at this temple again……?」

Having parked his car about 500 meters away from the temple, Matoba muttered to himself.

Tailing that van without any backup whatsoever had been nothing short of an ordeal.

As soon as he left headquarters, he had immediately gone through all the places Tilarna had likely gone. He had gotten off the phone with O’Neill just an hour ago. Finding him pleasantly drunk on scotch, Matoba strongly pressed him on the details. Eventually, O’Neill admitted that he had taken Tilarna to the club on her request. She must have been rather desperate to ask the ‘villain’ for help.

He would make sure O’Neill repaid this ‘favor’ later. By the time he got to the club, it was already late out. Luckily enough, he spotted them throwing Tilarna into the limousine by the garage at the back entrance.

Matoba immediately turned his car around, going after the limo. Just in case, he requested a police chopper track his path from high above in the air. Perhaps Elbajhi was being cautious, for he switched vehicles close to the airport. Unable to spot the exchange in detail, the helicopter could not pinpoint its target any further. As such, it was forced to give up its pursuit.

Matoba being Matoba, he changed his ride as well. At this rate, they would have noticed the same car tailing them from the start. Confirming that Elbajhi and his men had gotten on the green minivan, Matoba parked his Cooper⁴ quite a ways away. He had no choice but to ‘commandeer’ a sedan passing by.

By a stroke of luck, Matoba managed to catch sight of the van once again, immediately resuming his pursuit. Tailing them had been nothing short of a miracle. Normally, he would have lost track of them long ago.

And that was how he now found himself at this temple in the mountainous outskirts of San Teresa.

「Something from before the『Great Arrival』, huh……」

Two olive towers built upon steep slopes of red clay. The huge clumps of mud forming its exterior reminded Matoba of an anthill. Once covered in brilliant white tiles, the windowsills were filled with clear glass, though it was apparent the lack of ornaments betrayed their age.

Long before Kariana Island mysteriously appeared on Earth fifteen years ago, this temple had already been abandoned for quite some time in the Semanian world. Perhaps the long years of war and famine left it forgotten in the eyes of its former lord.

Even the poor Semanian refugees did not attempt to settle here. Instead, they took to the cemeteries, establishing their lodgings in the center of the graveyards. The Earthlings would probably not pay heed to these signs, wondering if that temple hid riches of some sort.

Or something equally valuable.

Most likely, this place was one of the magic catalyst facilities harnessed by the Goldsmith ⸺ the magician Tilarna had described. Oftentimes, ancient catacombs lay underneath these historical Semanian temples. By using that space, it would be easy enough to set up a makeshift factory of sorts, complete with a production line and a warehouse.

Shortly thereafter, a call to headquarters corroborated his theory. One of his colleagues, Detective Tony McBee, had traced down a supplier of Elbajhi’s, discovering that a shipment of industrial machinery had indeed been delivered to the area after some careful observation.

There was no mistaking it. This was the place.

Matoba zoomed in further with his Tasco binoculars.

Tilarna was being dragged helplessly inside the temple. He spotted a man clad in a red cloak. Seeing his back, Matoba could not help but sense something familiar from the man. Even so, he did not think much of it.

「……Dammit, the hell has she gotten herself into this time? That idiot!」

Taking his eyes off of his binoculars, Matoba cursed.

Sure, the fairy’s important and all, but is it really worth getting yourself captured in the first place? This might’ve been normal back in your world, but we’ve got a more complicated, delicate way of doing things over here. That brat just doesn’t get it.

But, well, at least I know you’re safe.

Before I can bash your head in, first I’ve gotta save your sorry ass. No way about it ⸺ gotta be careful. At the very least, we know where their base is now.

Matoba got inside his car once more, making a call to Chief Roth as he drove along. He told him of the temple’s whereabouts, and explained the matter regarding the industrial machinery.

「Continue your reconnaissance. I’m sending SWAT over to your position.」

The Chief said. Hearing news that the vanguard was to arrive, Matoba felt a great weight lifted off his chest.

「My thanks. For a second there, I thought I’d have to go at this alone like in one of them Martin Riggs⁵ movies. Really wasn’t looking forward to that. When will they be arriving, sir?」

Busting out the name of the protagonist from the『Lethal Weapon』film series, he felt a tinge of irony. Riggs was a detective who had been a veteran of the Vietnam war, serving in the United States Army Special Forces. He was much like Matoba in that sense, though Tilarna definitely took after his recklessness and general disregard for his own life.

「I’m taking care of it right now. They should be there in about thirty minutes or so.」

「That long!? Any chance you could hurry it up, sir?」

「Of course. If Exedilika’s been taken captive, I’m sure we could charge them with an extra kidnapping or two. And if that temple is truly a narcotics facility, Elbajhi could be looking at thirty plus years.」

「Right.」

The Chief was being cut off by static. The same went for the call he made to HQ earlier; his phone was barely getting any signal out here. Looking at the display, it was constantly switching between two bars and none at all.

「Don’t do anything stupid. Sit there and wait for backup.」

「Got it. Matoba, signing off.」

Matoba sank into his seat as he ended the phone call.

Five minutes passed; he was starting to get lonely. Thinking that he should at least get a smoke in before things get busy, Matoba retrieved a pack of Marlboro cigars out of his suit pocket.

The car he had pilfered was an Audi ‘18. Ashtray looked brand new; its lighter had never been used. No matter how one looked at it, it was clear its owner was a non-smoker. He was almost sure he would be severely reprimanded when he returned it.

「For the love of……」

Matoba groaned, stepping out of the vehicle. It was a habit from his time in the Rangers to lean his body in the shade of his car for concealment; he no longer felt like starting a fire. Fortunately, it did not appear as though the flame would be visible to the guards by the temple at this distance.

Getting out his Zippo lighter, Matoba lit his cigar. Taking in a deep breath, he fully immersed himself in the smoke as he exhaled.

The outskirts were nice. At the very least, he did not have to deal with any ‘no-smoking’ fascists in this neck of the woods.

It was there that Matoba realized.

Under the chilly embrace of the night sky, there was smoke coming out of the windows in the temple. And it wasn’t just one or two of them. Every single window. Every single entrance.

「?」

In an instant, he brushed away the foolish idea that his smoking had been the source of all the smoke. No, there was no way that was possible. Smashing the butt of his cigar to the ground, Matoba returned to the driver’s seat, peeking at the temple with his binoculars. Men were dashing out of the front entrance, yelling loudly as they did so.

It was a fire.

「What the hell……?」

Something had definitely happened. The circumstances were not clear. Was it really just a simple fire? Or was it man-made?

It was hard to believe that this was mere coincidence. Something strange was going on over there.

「A fire’s just started, sir.」

「What?」

「A fire, sir. Is SWAT still not here?」

「I’m working on it. Keep monitoring the situation.」

「But Tilarna’s in danger. The evidence, the fairy, all up in smokes. Elbajhi and his men are running away as we speak.」

「True enough. But what exactly do you think you can do by yourself?」

「Fuck, I can’t just sit still and do nothing!」

「Don’t do anything stupid. That’s an order.」

「Then hurry the hell up, will ya?」

Hanging up in anger, Matoba once again lifted up his binoculars to continue his observation. The amount of smoke coming out of the temple windows was slowly but surely increasing.

（This is bad……）

Should he just sit there and wait for SWAT to arrive? Or should he head straight for the temple?

At this rate, not only would Elbajhi escape with ease, he would be able to destroy any shreds of evidence linking him to his crimes. These criminals would scatter like rats; it may take years to uncover another lead in this case.

And that was not all. This fire posed a grave threat to Tilarna’s safety. If he were Elbajhi ⸺ a clever guy, by all accounts ⸺ what would he do given the choice of saving his goods or saving the detective who had tried to bring him in?

There was no doubt about it. He would leave her to die in the flames.

（What should I do?）

He hadn’t a second left to spare. Alone and helpless. He was all by himself here. Matoba instinctively checked the weapons he had on hand.

A shotgun with six shells left in the barrel. Five magazines. 16 rounds inside his 9mm pistol. Two magazines.

「Ahh, what have I done……」

For whatever reason, he had become increasingly reckless these past few days.

Normally, the best and most rational action to take here is to wait. He was even ordered to do so. As a veteran of the military, he had always been subscribed to the following philosophy: 『There’s nothing that can’t be done.』

Risking his life for an alien he just met three days ago was nothing short of a fool’s errand.

However, his cat Kuroi had grown attached to Tilarna. If he were to turn tail and abandon her now, his cat would surely hold a grudge against him for the rest of its life. And if that happened, he’d never be able to live with himself.

I sure as hell won’t let that happen.

「What am I? Fucking Don Quixote⁶ now?」

With his shotgun and Tilarna’s longsword strapped to his back, Matoba stepped forth into the darkness.

Translator’s Notes:

1. The Farbanian word for ‘longsword.’
2. The Farbanian word for ‘shortsword.’
3. The Farbanian word for ‘magician.’
4. Also known as a ‘frog’ car. See here.
5. Protagonist of Lethal Weapon film series. A buddy-cop comedy.
6. See here.