God...its hard editing something you haven't touched since two years ago...
ІІІ. Death
At five to four, Jin and William walked to the elementary school Jin had passed through. She told William about everything, including the truth of her parents' death, the appearance of the Tracker Jacker, the story of Colonel Zach Newon, the talk with Matter, the fire in New York that involved Janey as one of the victims, and the horrible situation with Jerupi. After she finished, William suggested that she could secretly load her luggage into the hotel he was living in and moved in, as "friends".
"I think I should tell Zach about you," Jin said. She borrowed Will's cell phone.
"Do you know his number, though?" he asked, handing over his Blackberry.
"Yup," she replied, showing the ten-digit number written across her arm. She dialed in the numbers.
"Hello?" Zach's voice appeared after a few rings.
"It's me, Jin," she said.
"What's up?"
"Well," Jin began. "You know that glittering creature you told me about..."
"Go on."
"It's called Matter. And I saw it last night. It said God created the Jacker and it can travel around in search of perfect human. It said that the Jacker disappears if the person proves to be imperfect. And it also said that Jerupi's an enemy of my parents. But then when Jerupi was coming to my room, it told me to find a boy who can help me, called William Douglas..."
"Hold on," Zach interrupted. There was tapping on the other side of the phone, as if Zach was typing on a keyboard. "William Douglas, you say?"
"Hey," Jin called. "What are you doing?"
"I'm finding your guardian angel."
"Well, you see...I already found him." The tapping of keyboards stopped suddenly.
"Why didn't you say so?" Zach sighed.
"You were the one who interrupted me, sir," Jin exclaimed, laughing to herself. "Anyway, I have him here..."
Will's head moved in so close to Jin's face that she could feel him breathing. "Hi," he said to the speaker. "I'm Will, nice to meet you."
Jin swore and sighed. She pushed Will's head away. "That was William."
"I can tell," Zach replied. "He sounds kindda cool, doesn't he? He's a lot nicer than someone...who throws in a rude question for a greeting..."
"Hey!" Jin protested. "That wasn't my fault. You scared me, that's all."
Zach chuckled in the phone. "You got scared? Who am I kiddin?"
"Shut up," Jin scowled. "Anyway, I was thinking maybe you two wanna meet each other? Tomorrow would be a nice day, if you don't mind."
"Great idea," he said, a touch of sarcasm in his answer. "Will's not Canadian, is he?"
"No."
"Good. I will take you to Stanley Park. You haven't been to Vancouver if you haven't been to Stanley Park."
Honk! Honk!
Jin quickly said goodbye to Jerupi and ran outside, a white and black messenger bag hanging from her shoulder. Outside, she ran down the stairs, three steps at once, and stopped in front of a black Mercedes Maybach. Zach was waving at her in the driver's seat. Will was at the shotgun. Jin didn't have time to be cross at Will for taking her shotgun, for she was too shock at the beauty of the car.
She got in the back. "Why do you have such a nice car?"
Zach looked at Will and said, "See, she never says 'Hi, how are you'." He turned to Jin. "Why? There's no why. Why don't I?"
"But..." she stopped, cursing herself for such a stupid question. "This car is so expensive!"
Zach shook his head and started the engine. Will smiled at her in the rear mirror. She didn't smile back. The whole thing about them being engaged was still lurking at the back of her mind.
A short time later, they entered Vancouver's Downtown. It was crowded on a weekend morning. People went about their businesses. The traffic was unbearable. They were moving like a snail. Along the road, they saw shops in many languages, people pushing their way around the crowd, and cars parked everywhere.
"This is more like New York," Jin said, delighted.
Finally, Zach turned onto an avenue. Trees surrounded them. There were still many cars, but not as much as in the city.
"Welcome to Stanley Park," he said with a smile.
Five minutes later, they were walking down the pavement to the harbor, where they plan to have a picnic. The air smelled fresh and relaxing. The three of them walked side by side, with Zach in between the two teenagers. Trees loomed above them, shading the sun. There weren't much people around in a Friday morning like this one. The entire park was nearly deserted.
"I don't see why we're spending a day at some national park when we have something better to do," Jin commented.
"Just chill, okay?" Zach shook his head. "Enjoy."
The three of them arrived at the harbor. Cool breeze blew from the sea, whipping their hair around. Sail boats and fishing boats were floating by the walkway, tied to wooden poles. Seagulls flew in the sky and hopped on the beach. The whole place smelled like seafood. Zach led them uphill, away from the smell. They stopped at a grass field and sat down, looking out to the water.
"It's warm here," Will commented.
"Yeah," Zach replied. "Although at this time of year, it's hard to have a sunny day like this."
"Don't we have a better place to be in?" Jin asked. She never liked parks with a bunch of trees, although they were fun to climb.
"Does she ever shut up and enjoy the calm atmosphere?" Zach asked Will.
Will shrugged.
"Whatever." Jin rolled her eyes and got up. She grabbed a sandwich from the bag and started walking toward the woods.
"Where are you going?" Will asked.
"Off for a walk, nothing special," she said without looking back. She could tell that the guys didn't follow her. They were too busy chatting.
Jin found a small trail, looking wanted wear. She walked down the trail.
Will is a cute type of guy that Janey might like, she thought. But the thought of Janey sent a pang to her heart. Her brown eyes grew cold with hatred. She leaned against a wide tree trunk. I'll kill them. Just you wait and see, Jane.
Jin took out the Jacker in her collar. She span it around, feeling its smooth surface and rough edge. Her vision stayed on the elegant pattern on the disk. The hatred was gone. To other's eyes, she might look vulnerable.
She'd decided. I'll figure out the Tracker and your murderer, Jane.
Jin unwrapped the sandwich and began to eat.
After a while, she started to walk back. The two guys were still on the bench, babbling like girls. As they saw her walking toward them, they stopped. Jin suspected they were talking about her.
"Well, how was your walk?" Zach asked.
Jin shrugged. "Not bad. How was your little talk?"
"Good," Zach replied. "Anyone want ice cream?"
"I do," Will said eagerly. He's so childish. So unlike the guys I know... Jin thought.
"Nah, I think we should go to the aquarium. How's that sound?" Zach suggested.
"Ew!" Jin exclaimed, making a face.
Zach frowned. "What's so ew about that?"
"Nothing..." Jin started. "Can we go have ice cream?"
"Hey, Jin! Will!" Zach waved. Beside him was a thin man with golden hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and a pair of sunglasses. The man was carrying two suitcases. "This is Dr. Wilson."
Before they left home from Stanley Park last week, Zach told them he would contact the headquarters and asked them to send a scientist as soon as possible. Just this morning, Zach called and notified both of them to the city centre. And here they were, outside of an office building in the twilight.
Jin shook hands with the doctor, and Will did the same.
The doctor was a good-looking guy. As they shook hands, the doctor took off his sunglasses. Behind the sunglasses was a pair of sea-blue eyes that made him looked even more handsome.
"Dr. Wilson specializes in physics and space. He's one of the few people who know about the Jacker's existence. Speaking of the Jacker, where is it?" Zach asked.
"Uh...I forgot to bring it. Sorry," Jin lied. She couldn't trust anyone but her two male friends. And that doctor, not because of his looks, gave her an uneasy feeling.
Will shot her a look, but didn't say a word. She nodded back in thanks, also warning him not to talk.
"Well, that's too sad. We can meet tomorrow, can't we?" the doctor said with a smile.
"Yeah...I'm really sorry. I really am," Jin said, trying to sound sorry.
"That's okay. I'll find a hotel for tonight, then."
"Do you want us to help you with your suitcases?" Newon asked caringly.
"No, thank you. I only have two bags, so...."
"Okay, so we will see each other tomorrow at lunch, then. Is it fine?"
"Yes, yes. After lunch will be fine." He turned and hauled a cab as it passed by. Doctor Wilson waved goodbye to the others, and the cab sped away.
"Why, Jin?" Zach asked after the cab turned a street. "I know you have it."
Jin shrugged. "I don't trust him," she said straightforwardly.
"He's trustworthy. He's from the government, for God's sake."
"Whatever," Jin said.
Zach sighed. Before they dismissed the meeting, Zach gave the teenagers each a walkie-talkie, in case of emergency. The batteries could last for five days and nights.
"Walkie-talkies?" Jin stared at them in disbelief. "We do have something called cell phones, you know."
"You have to dial the numbers in..." Zach started.
"There's also something called speed dial," Jin kept on, emphasizing the two words.
"Jin," Zach looked at her, impatient and annoyed. "Shut up. Walkie-talkies are useful in a way cell phones aren't. Besides, nobody can eavesdrop on us. Not easily, anyway, since this is straight from the army."
Jin and Will's eyes widened. Nobody argued further. The teens were asked to turn the talkies on and bring them whenever and wherever they go. There was even a charger for each. The walkie-talkies were small enough to fit in both teens' pockets.
"You can contact me by pressing this button," the colonel said, pointing at the button on the side of his talkie.
"Got that, Sir!" Jin said and raised her hands and saluted as if she were a soldier. Suddenly, she felt cheerful. It was as if, even though she knew her family was gone, she had found a new one.
Newon chuckled at her humorous face and Will instantly copied her.
"Don't copy me, man!" Jin said, casting a glare at Will. Newon laughed harder, "I wish I had kids like you, Jin. And you, too, Will." Then they started for their residences, whether they were dangerous or peaceful.
That night, after the dinner with Jerupi, Jin was fast asleep as soon as she jumped onto her over-sized bed. Still, she had nightmares about the man killing people she loved and cared. Fortunately, Matter came along and ended the nightmares.
"I have another message to you," it said.
"What's that?"Jin asked, still panting from the horrible dream.
"The runes on the Tracker answer questions stored in your mind. You'll somehow sometime learn how to read this ancient language. Perhaps right now."
"You mean...the runes change when my question changes? Well, that solved one mystery." She took off the disk she wore all day and stared at it.
"You've done it before," Matter said, reminding Jin the "wish" she had seen. "Try again."
"How do I...uh, I mean, is there like a rule I should follow in order to understand this language?"
"Concentrate is all you need to do."
Jin thought for a moment before asking, "Does the Jacker know everything?"
"Yes," Matter answered simply.
Jin looked at the magical disk. She concentrated all her mind and eyesight on the beautiful carvings before her. What am I suppose to do? she asked.
Matter, reading her mind, said, "Don't ask that kind of question. What you do is what you choose."
Jin rolled her eyes, and asked another question: What's my favorite animal? It was really hard for her to keep the thought of her family being killed away from her mind, but she did her best. Suddenly, the carvings no longer looked like carvings! They looked like English letters! Cat, it said, bringing amazement to Jin's eyes. She turned and stared at the glittering figure. "I did it!" she said, totally amazed.
Behind the shining light, a smile seemed to loom, bringing more marvel to Jin's eyes. "My mission is over," Matter said, and vanished into the thin air.
Jin was happy, and proud. She threw all the worries over to the farthest side of her brains and filled the rest of the space with the delight of knowing a forgotten language. She re-hid the Jacker and closed her eyes. No more nightmares occurred; only peaceful dreams. She felt safe. At least for now....
Ï Ï Ï
"Jin, can you hear me?" A voice coming from somewhere near woke Jin. She sleepily got up, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the clock. 11:36! She had overslept!
"Jin, do you copy?" It was Zachary. Is there some problem going on? she thought. She reached for the black talkie hidden in the transparent box on the table. The voice sounded more like a mumble inside that box. She pulled out the talkie and pressed the side button.
"'Morning," she whispered, and groaned.
"Oh! For God's sake! What were you doing? Where have you been? What took you so long?" the colonel poured out the questions at once.
What? Are you expecting me to answer your questions when I just got up? Give me a break! Although Jin's mind was complaining, her mouth wasn't. Three questions with a simple answer: "I overslept." She yawned deeply. Buzzing sounds switched back and forth every time the two of them pressed the speak button.
"Sorry to disturb you, but I wanna tell you something. Will is feeling pretty bad. He said he won't be able to make it to the meeting we have today with the doc."
"Oh. So, what, you two are best friends now?" Jin said sarcastically.
"Anyway, I'm not feeling well, either." There, he coughed falsely. "So, I think I won't be able to make it there. Sorry, Jin. The wind yesterday has brought me a cold. I guess I wore too little yesterday."
There wasn't any wind yesterday, Jin thought. "You're lying."
There was a long pause before the colonel spoke again. "Fine, I'm going to visit a girlfriend this afternoon, that's all. You happy now?"
"Yeah, sure. Have a great afternoon."
"Hey, you still going to the meeting?" he asked.
"Yeah! Why not?"
"Gotta be careful."
"Always am!"
"Sorry I can't go with ya."
"No problem! Take care of your cold," Jin teased.
"Thanks. Oh, I better go. See ya. And be careful," the colonel warned once more.
"You don't need to tell me twice! Have a wonderful date!"
The conversation ended, and the room was quiet again.
Jin heard footsteps echoing in the hallway, then a knock. "Jin, are you awake?" It was Jerupi. Her voice must have called his attention.
"Yes, Mr. Jerupi. I'll be down in a minute," Jin, speaking with her fake kindness, replied.
She waited until the spy's footsteps were far away. She then took off the stringed Tracker Jacker and asked, Am I gonna die? What a question? Immediately she regretted.
Your choice, replied the carvings.
Nice answer, she thought. She changed into her black T-shirt and jeans, tied her long hair as usual, and went downstairs. With the walkie-talkie and some other things in her pocket and the Jacker tied around her neck, she had a silent lunch, or brunch, with the person she hated. She asked if she could visit a friend she met the day before, and Baldman agreed. That was a lie, of course, but he didn't seem to know that.
In front of the tall modern glass architect, Jin found a man standing, waiting for someone-her.
"Hi! Where are the others?" Dr. Wilson asked straightforwardly.
"They have appointments." Just like that, a brief answer came out Jin's mouth.
"Did you bring it?" the guy asked, as if he were asking for money.
"Yes."
"Come with me." A grin was drawn on his face.
An alarm instantly turned on in her. Nevertheless, she followed.
The guy led her into a small and dirty alley. Piles and piles of garbage were thrown onto the ground. A few trees stood diagonally, creating shades that stretched across the ground. A white Highlander was parked beside a fence. Some crows were jumping around, hoping to find themselves a delicious lunch. When they saw the two walking figures, they flew away. That place stunk!
First time to see Canada's dirty side, she thought. She had imagined Canada to be a totally green place. Apparently, she was wrong.
The doc stopped and blew out a loud whistle. Instantly, a guy stepped out behind some trees. That guy was strong with muscles on his arms. He was wearing a no-sleeve tank top and black pants, so long that they covered his entire feet. He walked toward Jin.
"What do you want?" she asked fearlessly, but was also cautiously backing away.
"Nothing, just wanna bring you to a wonderful place," the doctor replied with his uncomfortable grin.
The strong guy grabbed her arm. Jin twisted away, but without much success. That guy, seeming annoyed, bent her arm to her back. She cried out. The guy pushed her toward the white car and opened the trunk with his spare hand. He dumped her inside as if she were nothing but a bag of garbage. He tied her hands and feet together and taped her mouth.
Ouch! Be gentle with me! I'm a lady! A part of her wanted to shout. Although she never was impressed of the idea of calling herself a lady, that idea sometimes came in handy.
Both villains sat at the front, leaving Jin in the unbreathably smelly trunk. What the hell do they put in here? It stinks! I must have a shower as soon as I get back! The smell of that stinky trunk really seemed to stick on her! She heard the two men talking quietly. Nothing could escape Jin's ears. Desperately, she reached for the walkie-talkie, and pressed the side button.
Ï Ï Ï
In the hotel Will was living in, Zach sat by a table in the lobby. A few people came and went, not paying their least attention to this man sitting relaxingly on the soft sofa. It wasn't the time for holiday. Then, a boy approached with two Pepsis.
"Let's go to my room," William said energetically, and handed the colonel one of the drinks.
"Thanks," the colonel said and followed the boy to the elevator. Weren't they supposed to be sick and out on a date?
Inside Will's room on the 6th floor, they sat on the brown couches in the living room and drank their pops. His room was big, just like ordinary apartment, but too big for a hotel room. There was a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. Philip, the secretary, was standing behind Will. Both of their talkies were on the glass table.
"I still don't think it's a good idea to leave Jin alone with that doc," Will said, concerned.
"Don't worry. She'll handle it. And anyway, there's nothing wrong with that scientist," Zach said comfortingly, and took a sip from his can.
"Yeah, but..."
"Jin can handle it," he said another time. "Are you sure it's Saturday?"
"Yeah. Right, Phil?"
The secretary nodded. "That's right, sir. That's what your father's notebook wrote."
October 27th. What was so special about that day?
Just then, the talkies began to buzz.
"What the..." Will was just about to pick them up when the buzzes stopped.
"Go get a piece of paper and something to write with!" the colonel commanded, eyes shining. Philip quickly went and got them, just as the talkies began to buzz again. Buzz, buzz, buzz.... Four times, then they stopped for two seconds, and buzzed again. Newon wrote the numbers of buzzes down: 4, 1, 14, 7, 5, 18, 7, 15, 12, 4, 13, 9. The talkies stopped, and never began again.
"It must be Jin," the colonel said, brushing sweat off his forehead. "What do those numbers mean?"
Will took over the pencil and wrote letters underneath the numbers: D, A, N, G, E, R, G, O, L, D, M, I.
Zach stared at the paper, then at Will. "Where d'you learn that?"
"I read it somewhere. I guess Jin's read that before," Will replied. "Danger gold mi...?"
"Danger must be the situation. Gold mi must be the place."
"Gold.... What place starts with gold?"Will murmured.
"Gold...? Gold mine! That's it! The kidnappers must've realized she was sending a message to us so they stopped her before she could finish the 'NE'! Oh yeah! We're geniuses!" the colonel shouted excitedly.
"Hey, it's no time to be happy right now. Jin's in danger!"
Ï Ï Ï
The car finally stopped after 10 minutes of bumpy ride. Her butt hurt from all the jumping up and down. Before she could finish the secret message, Jin was pulled outside after the trunk was opened.
"Hey! What's this?" the scientist asked and snatched the walkie-talkie from her hand.
Dammit! Jin thought as she stared hopelessly at the talkie. The two men laughed. That strong guy ripped the tape off her lips. Ouch! It hurt when the sticky tape still stuck to her face and the guy was pulling it. Hard! Her skin seemed to be peeled. She hoped not.
"Untie the ropes, too. We want our guest to be at her best condition when she meets our boss," the doctor ordered.
Once free, Jin kicked hard at the muscular guy's crouch, making him scream and swing his arm. His stone fist hit Jin's cheek, drawing an immediate red. Jin spun around and fell knee first on the ground. Blood came out of her mouth as the guy got ready for another strike.
"Stop that! We don't want our lady to be dead or unconscious," Wilson scowled, holding the other guy's fist. "Young lady, you better behave." He reached into her pocket and took out a red, rune-covered necklace. "Ah! Finally! This is it, right? Of course. A necklace. How could I have not thought of that?"
Jin tried hard not to laugh. She turned away to hide her smile.
The strong guy helped Jin up, or rather, pulled Jin up by her ponytail. She couldn't disobey, though she strongly wanted to. Now, she looked around, and realized that she had been too busy planning escape to look at this place. She was in the middle of a forest. She could hear water rustling from far away. The tall trees that surrounded them rose high up in the sky, too high for anyone to see their tops. Millions of birds sang their song and flew around, as if welcoming her. One thing that was odd was the black hole in front of her. The gold mine entrance.
"There are only two entrances, right?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, sir," the big guy replied with a face, as if the doc had asked that question a thousand times already. He probably had.
"The passage connecting the second entrance and the rail was destroyed, aye?"
"Yes, sir."
Poor guy! Well, he deserves it, Jin thought. They went on without another word.
Inside the mine was pitch dark with the only light shining from the entrance. It took a few seconds before Jin's eyes adjusted the dark environment. But then, everything went bright light again. The doctor had turned on the lights. Her eyes hurt when the sharp light shone in them. When her eyes could finally see things, she was amazed.
Before her, mine carts lined up in three rows. Some were rusted, some looked new. They all stood with small wheels on rails. Those rail tracks led far away into the cave, to nowhere in sight. It was magnificent!
"Welcome to our secret hide-out. You are the only guest we had invited in the history. But I can't say for sure that you'll leave here alive. Take a look outside, it might be your last time to see the Sun," the doc said with a laugh.
"You will never know," Jin whispered, too softly for anyone else to hear.
Far away, she could see the sunlight shining through what looked like the second entrance the two other men had talked about. The walls were rough and stony, just like the wall of stone she and Janey had climbed in rock-climbing, except the stones in that mine were not colorful. Right now, instead of thinking about the great events she had with her sister, Jin's mind was racing.
That big guy clutched Jin's arm and pushed her into the second cart in the first row. A sharp piece of metal scratched her skin when she hit the bottom with a thump. She felt her blood ran down her arm.
The doctor sat in the front cart while the other guy stood at the back one. The third cart appeared to be the one to do the speeding-up job. That muscular guy pushed at the speed-up pole and went up and down. The dangerous ride began.
The carts went really fast. Wind picked up as the speed picked up. The wind blew furiously at Jin's face, making sour tears blurring her eyes. Sometimes, when the carts suddenly turned, Jin almost fell over. Looking over her cart, she gasped. Down below was an endless pit with electric lights shining on the wall. Thousands of rail tracks webbed down into the endless space. Not that she was afraid of height, but this was incredible. She poked her head back.
"Don't we have to hold on to her? She might run away," the guy at the back said.
"Don't worry. She's not dumb enough to commit suicide," the doctor said without looking back.
By then, the second entrance was close in sight. And their carts were about to hit an almost-straight-down roller-coaster-like fall! An idea popped into Jin's mind.
"We'll see," Jin said, facing the entrance.
"Say what?" the doctor asked, turning around. The strong guy looked astonished, for what he was seeing brought an unbelievable sight to him.
Jin's right foot was on the edge of her cart. She leaned forward and put her hands on either side of her foot, as if she were ready to jump. In fact, she was.
"S...stop her," the doctor called. The big guy dashed toward at reached for her foot. But he was too late. Jin was already in the air, hands wide spread and ready for the cliff wall.
Jin hit the stone wall and instantly seized the protruding stones. Her feet stepped on two other stones and balanced her. Her knees rubbed against the rough wall, making holes on her jeans. Her skin was peeled off and her blood was flowing out, soaking the blue material. She heard the doctor shouting: "Stop the cart!" and the big guy's deep voice saying, "We can't. The carts are too fast." Jin smiled with triumph. But the matter was, could she make it to the top?
It was a long way to the surface, about a little less than fifty feet. Jin climbed with sweat and fear. Climbing this stone cliff was just like climbing any cliff back home in New York, except this time there wasn't any safety rope to prevent her from falling. As she climbed, she thought of falling down and dying. But she pushed aside her fear, although it came back to her, anyway. Within minutes, she was only a few feet from her destiny.
Then, she reached for her last stone. She felt herself trembling. Making sure the stone was stable, she stepped her feet onto the stones above the previous ones. But, as she put her weight on the stones, they cracked and fell. Feeling Death touching her fast-pounding heart, she put her last hope on the stones she was clutching. Her arms shook violently at the stress. Her feet dangled in the air; there were no more steady stoned for her to stand on. The only ones had just fallen into the groundless mine. The others had also fallen when she set foot on them.
One hand on the final solid stone, she reached for the top. Jin felt herself trembled with despair for the first time in so many years. "Almost there," she cheered, but that didn't help, for where her fate was leading her was too horrible to think of. She closed her eyes and stretched her free hand.
Just as she was about to grasp the floor, the stone she was holding on to cracked, and fell, bringing her with it for its journey to the stony death. Jin let go of it and opened her eyes helplessly, as if they could pull her up to the surface. Staring at the final light shining through the entrance, she saw the brightness disappeared behind a big chunk of rock....