Owen Able and the Two-Headed Dragon

Chapter 12

The sun sits low on the horizon to the west, bathing the ocean water in colors of orange and yellow as Owen pulls into the fishing port. He parks the Lexus on the boat ramp leading into the water. There is hardly a soul to be seen with the fishing boats all still out at sea. He climbs out and removes all his gear from the car's boot and transfers it to the back seat. Sliding in behind the wheel again, he slowly rolls the car down the boat ramp. Muffled thudding and splashing sounds fill the cabin as the Lexus makes its slow descent into the ocean water. Gradually, the car is swallowed by the ocean until it is fully submerged and disappears from view, leaving only soft ripples on its surface.

With the flick of a switch on the dashboard, a section of the center console slides open accompanied by the soft whirr of servo motors, revealing two rows of brightly white-lit buttons. High-pitched sounds form a melody as Owen presses a combination of them in quick succession. On the outside of the car, two short fins gradually extend from its nose, one on each side, followed by two longer fins above the back wheel arches. Moments later two caged propellers slowly tilt down from below the car's boot until they vertically click into place while, at the same time, the wheels turn inside and disappear beneath the car's undercarriage. It is dark and quiet below the water's surface. Owen turns on the headlights. Two bright beams of light shoot through the murky water. He punches in the coordinates for the Northern side of Kojima Island on the navigational display, then slams down on the gas pedal. The car slightly hesitates for a beat before it is propelled forward in a sudden burst of power, gleaming through the ocean depths like a torpedo.

The water starts to stir with growing intensity until the Lexus's roof breaks through its surface with a soft splash. Progressively the full body of the car emerges, bobbing on the calm aquatic expanse like a boat. Through night vision goggles, Owen sees an entrance to his right – a mysterious cave opening in the shape of an exclamation mark beneath the island's edge. Confident he has found the entrance to the Yakuza's lair, he steers the car further north past the entrance. Owen anchors the car to the island's rocky surface with a harpoon shot from the car's body. The harpoon forms a solid metal arm between the island and the car to prevent it from crashing into the rocks. He presses a button on the center console. Electric motors hum as the roof of the Lexus folds up and gets swallowed by the boot. Owen throws the duffle bag with tactical gear onto the island before jumping onto dry land himself. From the duffle bag, he retrieves and dons a long-sleeved silk armor vest and a light Kevlar vest over it. He carefully unpacks the rest of the bag and places the items on the ground in a neat row.

A box with the name "Predator" painted on the lid in jagged red capital letters, catches his eye. Opening the box reveals a miniature helicopter with an oversized remote control nestled in Styrofoam. Five minutes later the drone is airborne. Owen flies the drone to the cave entrance and switches on night vision mode. The remote control's LED display gives a few lines of static before flickering to life, displaying live footage in an eerie green color from the helicopter's perspective. With a sound no louder than a whisper, the drone enters the cave. The cave is dark and damp with the occasional drip of water hitting its ocean floor. Owen taps the "Explore" menu option on the remote's display. Like magic, the helicopter drone has a life of its own, quietly venturing into the heart of the cavern while plotting a meticulous map of its route in the top-left corner of the remote control's LED display. A warning prompt flashes on the remote's screen. Two men on a raised platform patrolling the area are spotted. Flashlights on their sub-machine guns light their path. The drone hovers silently in the air, not moving, but only observing the patrolling men.

"Bingo," Owen says aloud.

Owen zooms in on the live image. He patiently waits until each of the two men passes the viewpoint of the helicopter drone. A clear view of the first target comes into focus. Skillfully, Owen paints a red cross on the first target's neck and minutes later he does the same for the second target. He will let artificial intelligence take over this precision attack. Tapping the 'Execute" button on the screen, the drone calculates its angle of attack and moves into position. Two tranquilizer darts hit their mark seconds apart. Clutching their necks, the two men slump to the ground with a groan. It takes the drone another few minutes of exploring before it reaches a closed wooden gate.