As we started to drive up the mountain road, we occasionally saw a helicopter in the sky. I checked Sagara in the driver’s seat. She did not seem to have looked at the sky yet.
“A helicopter is flying.” I pointed my finger at it. It was quite far away.
After a while, she noticed it too.
“Oh, you are right. Do you have any idea of what organization the helicopter belongs?”
“I don’t. It’s too far away for me to read the number.”
“Number?” She laughed. “No one can see it in the distance. Can you recognize the color?”
“A white body with navy blue stripes.”
“What? Can you see them?”
“The number is four digits, and I think the first digit is 4.”
“That’s not the police, is it?”
“Not the police. It does not seem to recognize us.”
“It is the direction of my home. They might be watching the station.”
The truck drove up the hill and entered a short tunnel.
“I should have disguised myself, too.”
Few cars were on the road. There was no sign of being followed by a car. When we crossed the bridge over the valley, we got off the highway. From there, it was an uphill road. The sky was getting narrower and narrower because of the tall coniferous trees around us. I could no longer see the helicopter.
“As long as I am with you, they’re not going to attack us. At least I am a civilian.”
“Attack?”
“Yes. If you are by yourself, then they can kill you. Since you are still an employee of the company, it would be regarded as the act of combat.”
“I think they cannot recognize me from such a high altitude.”
“You are right. I am left with no option but to enter my cabin. If we get in there, they will notice it. The garage has a roof. So, I want you to get on the airplane immediately.”
“Airplane?”
“Yes, in the front seat. There is a cover on it, so hide inside. It would take me, well, about five minutes to clean up the cabin. If the chopper lands by then and someone comes out of the craft, I will let the truck dart out. As the helicopter chases me, you make an escape.”
“To where?”
“Umm, I have no idea. Maybe, to the direction of the rocky stretches. Anyway, stay away from my cabin. I will be back again. Then, let’s escape together by truck. The helicopter cannot fly for that long, can it?”
“Why do we need to stay away from the cabin?”
“I will blow it up.”
“Oh ... You mean, the cabin?”
“Yes. It is the reason why I bought the extra cans of gasoline.”
“But if you do that, you might be disadvantaged in the upcoming court.”
“I might be.” She looked at me and smiled. “You have become a quick thinker.”
“It is inadvisable.”
“I knew it from the beginning. That’s not what you need to worry about.”
“Isn’t there any other option?”
“No such thing. So, please, just do as I say. We don’t have time to argue.”
“Understood.” I nodded.
We made sure that we were on the same page. If the helicopter does not come down, then the two of us will flee in the truck after the chopper leaves.
Our truck took a couple of curves, and we were reaching a straight slope. I could see the sky. I saw the helicopter still hovering at a high altitude. She replaced her car with this truck, so they are not expecting us to be in this vehicle.
“How about not going home and waiting for the chopper to leave?” I asked.
“Right, that may work well, but time is running out. Someone may visit my cabin while we are doing so. Don’t worry. I will take care of this.”
Her hut came into view. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be happening there. No car or people in sight.
The truck veered off from the road, and pulled into the driveway. Along the way, she exited the vehicle once to open the gate. Then she got back to the truck and went deeper into the premises. She did not close the gate, probably because she decided to leave it open in case of emergency.
I sat deep in the seat, careful not to be seen from above. I tried not to look at the sky. Still, I could hear the helicopter’s rotor sound clearly.
“They’re watching us.” She warned.
Our truck was entering her garage.
“Hide in the place. Got it?” She said before getting out of the truck.
“Is the biplane fueled?” I asked.
“Sorry?”
“We had better run away by airplane.”
She gazed at me.
“Look.” She pointed toward the backside. “There is a tank at the back over there.”
“I’ll fuel it,” I said. “Is the plane maintained?”
“What do you mean by ‘maintained’?”
She got off the truck, closed the door, and walked out of the garage. She was looking up at the sky. Soon she was out of sight. I heard the faint sound of her opening the cabin door.
I got off the truck and went to the plane to check the fuel storage tank. The fuel caddy was a manually operated type. Fortunately, it had wheels on it. I pulled it out and put it next to the plane. The airplane fuel tank was placed above the cockpit. I held the fuel pump nozzle attached to the end of the tube, climbed onto the plane’s main wing, stepped my foot into the cockpit, and removed the lid of the fuel tank. I inserted the pump nozzle into the filler neck. There was a short rope attached to the pump nozzle, so I tied it to the bracing wire on the wings so that it would not come off.
I got off the main wing, loosened the valve, and then moved the lever on the caddy pump up and down. I eventually started feeling a good response, and I could see the fuel going up the tube. This fueling procedure would have been easier, if the fuel caddy storage tank were positioned up higher than this. Thinking so, I kept on pumping the lever.
I felt the rotor sound was getting closer. But it’s not like it’s coming down yet. Is it watching the vicinity?