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The Eighth Plane

Chapter 16, The Hunt

Grabbing a carefully rolled up map of the city, I hastily strutted my way toward the nearest available table. I slapped the paper along a nearby empty surface and unraveled its contents. Quickly my eyes began to move along it, tracing paths and shortcuts to predetermined locations. I pointed…

"This is the direction she went when you guys showed up. She could have found three different traditional pathways here, here, and here" I traced my finger along carefully.

"Right… She couldn't have headed this way; we had forces that would have cut her off. Our units were arriving from three different sectors of the city." I watched as the officer behind me placed three small nails into different areas on the map. I grumbled to myself. They weren't aware of the girl's abilities. She would have passed them unseen… Quickly, I spoke up.

"Uuh…! It was dark… We can't assume that these guys would have stopped her, she could have slipped past them easily." I looked over to Ayato, who stood in a corner scarfing down complementary donuts.

"Besides, they were busy responding to your distress call."

The officer nodded and looked back at the map. Scratching my head, I joined him.

We were in the local police department being questioned by on-duty officers, investigating the kidnapping of Kaori. They were taking any and all reports seriously. Any kid off the streets could wander in and suggest their own grandmothers. Little did they know, I was actually taking the initiative to assign their authoritative power towards a hunt of my own. I had begun the search for the scarred girl all over again, but this time I wouldn't fail.

"Do you know what she could have been doing at the school?" A cop's voice broke in. I shook my head.

"I figured she had no place to stay. I've seen her wandering around there before."

The cops moved away slightly as I began to twist and turn, looking for something to write with. A pen was handed to me and quickly I began to scribble.

"I've circled all the places I think she could have gone. These lines represent places that should be actively patrolled. If you use this plan you'll find her… given that she's still in the city."
I took a step back and smiled proudly at my work. I had worked on what to tell them back in my room, and remembered it just for this occasion.

"Uuhh… Nice work, kid. But we have analysts for that. Let them take care of it. They've been trained for this you know?"

I grumbled and growled as the man's hand ruffled my hair. I was a child among men, and they relished in reminding me.

Birds chirped and circled in flight as Ayato and I made our way out of the building and down its concrete steps. He could tell that I was pretty upset.

"What's wrong Ryoka? Didn't you get what you wanted?"

I chuckled in sarcasm.

"…No! They treated me like I was fresh out of preschool! They barely took my ideas into consideration…"

Ayato looked away slightly, apparently trying to define to himself the word "preschool".

"So it's time for plan B. Those 'analysts' barely know anything about tactical maneuvers. They won't know how to deal with her, because they know nothing about her!"

Ayato jumped ahead of me, sticking a landing from the steps.

"Furthermore, I know her real intentions. I know what she can do! ...They'll fail if they try to stick their noses into this."

"…So, cut off their noses!" Ayato joked, skipping backwards into the grass.

I merely laughed and smiled, looking back at the police station.

"That's exactly what I intend to do."
---

That night, I sat on my rooftop with a can of soda and my old binoculars. Trees, houses, and wooden poles passed my gaze as I carefully surveyed the area. The night was windy and dark. Leaves flung across the buildings below like schools of fish along coral. My eyes darted from one area to the next.
The game of chess was on; I just had to assemble my pieces.

I picked up the phone next to me and dialed the number to my cell. After a moment of ringing, Ayato buzzed in.

"What took you so long?" I flared.

"Sorry! I still can't figure out how to work this thing…"

I sighed.

"Are you in position?"

"Of course!" he came back. I smiled and hung up.

"Alright then."

Nervously, I picked up the phone and dialed 911. After a ring or so, a woman picked up with the typical operator accent.

"911, what's your emergency?"

My quaky voice burst into action.

"I-I think I just saw a kidnapping! There was this woman… and she grabbed a kid… and..!"

"Please state your current address and the address where you saw the kidnapping."

I rattled off the memorized address as if it were my own phone number. Smiling, I concluded with "I have to go…!" and hung up the phone. I stapled the binoculars to my face as I watched a few police units quickly disperse. Another kidnapping in the same area of the city would lead them to one conclusion: the girl was back.

"Here you go, nice and tight!" Kaori laughed, tightening the ropes restraining Ayato. Slapping the subdued victim on his back, Kaori ran to a hiding place beneath a nearby sink as sirens pulled up fast. The house was old and abandoned. It was empty apart from a few spiders and rats in the basement; the perfect place for a fugitive to hang out. I knew that they were certain that this was where they'd find Kaori's kidnapper.

Lights beamed into the old cabin and officers took their positions on the outside. After a moment's hesitation, the door exploded inward and two armed policemen moved in quickly. Ayato yelled from beneath his muffle and struggled in roped restraint. One officer swiftly stepped and began untying the ropes.

"You're safe now." He muttered, still vigilant for the suspect.

Ayato ripped off his mouth bound and struggled for air. Finally, in a startled howl, he pointed to the open window off to the side.

"She went out there!"

Officers were on it like a pack of wolves. They peered through and looked all around… But by then it was obvious: the "suspect" had escaped…
---

"Who did this to you?"

A beating silence had fallen over the police station that night. Officers rambled through files and notes pertaining solely to the Kaori kidnapping. Everyone believed that the same culprit had struck again. And now Ayato sat comfortably in a chair, surrounded by empathy, yet told only to speak my recited lines. And so he did.

"I don't know, I only remember a scar on her face…"

"And you say she was alone?"

Ayato nodded, sipping the hot chocolate they had provided. I sat in the next room, eagerly awaiting the report as if my own child was about to be born. They had dug up every resource pertaining to the case and the culprit. I was one of those resources, just as I assumed.

"Did she physically harm you?"

My words echoed in my head: "Remember Ayato, if they ask you anything that I haven't given you a response for, just say 'I don't remember…'"

I leaned in closer to the door with listening ears. Ayato muttered softly from inside…

"…I don't remember."

"Did she give you anything? Anything to eat, drink, or inhale?"

"I don't remember."

"What did she say to you? Did she say anything?"

"I don't remember."

I turned over in my seat. His responses were beginning to sound too mechanical, too 'made up'. I bit my lip in worry.

"Is there anything you do remember?"

"…I don't remember"

I slapped my forehead and hit my head back against the wall. What was he doing? He could at least put some 'effort' into lying!

Finally they escorted him out of the room and led him to a chair near mine. I watched them cautiously, reading them to see if they knew. Softly, one of them motioned me into the room. I took a small breath, stood from my seat, and made my way behind my escort.

Looking around, I sat down in a chair at a small lounge room table. A coffee steam pot sat along a nearby counter, and a cooler hummed silently beside it. Four cops joined me in the room, two of them circulating busily while the other two remained more attentive to me. I looked away and my heart began to race.

"What we want to know is this…" One cop started.

"Exactly how intimate are you with this case?"

"…Huh?" I played dumb.

"We know Kaori is your brother, and we know you had a small encounter with the suspect. But what we don't know is what you may be neglecting to tell us. Does anything come to mind?"

I inched around in my seat, pretending to think long and hard. Finally I shrugged my shoulders as a female officer brought out a raggedy piece of paper.

"We found this in the cabin with the victim. It was kind of hidden, but with thorough search and analysis, we'd found it and determined its purpose."

I looked carefully and examined the writing.

"These are resting points. Over here are possible trails, one of which was used to get to the cabin, and to and from the school. We believe it belongs to the girl who kidnapped your little brother, but one thing bothers us."

A second officer, just finishing de-nailing a map from the wall, brought it over to the table and laid it out in front of me.

"These are the plans you arranged for us before. If you compare these plans to her 'schedule' here, you'll see that they almost cover every route and resting point scribbled on the paper. In other words, you predicted in full accuracy where this girl would be and tactically assigned a unit to monitor each location, in full intent."

I stared at the map for a few moments, and then a few moments more. Slowly I stood up and began to point across my map, comparing the two papers.

"...Put yourself in her shoes. From this point of origin here, there are multiple routes to follow, but only a few have optimal spacing that provides access to even more routes, here. If you went from here, you'd be more hidden, sure, but you'd also have less room to maneuver in… you'd be cornering yourself with your own terrain. That's why I crossed that route off and plotted a trail along here, to here… These details are less noticeable on a map, but if you were there yourself, you'd see what I mean. I mean, look at this…"

An open hand flailed and stopped me mid-speech. The cop put up a finger and examined my reasoning.

"…So you're not more involved in this case?"

"Of course not" I laughed. I pointed again…

"Stop… We get it, your map works… Besides, it fits her schedule quite nicely. I figured you were in cahoots with her or something." He chuckled, still examining the map. I laughed with him, and turned toward the door.

"Well, thanks to you, we know where to set up patrols." He called, as I pushed open the door.

"Feel free to come back here any time for another consult, kid. We could use anything we can get. Great job."

I smiled his way and let the door shut behind me. Ayato rose as I passed and we both held back a chuckle.

Skipping down the steps and striding through the grass, I couldn't help but look up.

"Well Ayato, the board is set… Let the chess match begin."

…Next Time!

Sacrificing Pawns.

Description
The Eighth Plane

Chapter 16, The Hunt

Grabbing a carefully rolled up map of the city, I hastily strutted my way toward the nearest available table. I slapped the paper along a nearby empty surface and unraveled its contents. Quickly my eyes began to move along it, tracing paths and shortcuts to predetermined locations. I pointed…

"This is the direction she went when you guys showed up. She could have found three different traditional pathways here, here, and here" I traced my finger along carefully.

"Right… She couldn't have headed this way; we had forces that would have cut her off. Our units were arriving from three different sectors of the city." I watched as the officer behind me placed three small nails into different areas on the map. I grumbled to myself. They weren't aware of the girl's abilities. She would have passed them unseen… Quickly, I spoke up.

"Uuh…! It was dark… We can't assume that these guys would have stopped her, she could have slipped past them easily." I looked over to Ayato, who stood in a corner scarfing down complementary donuts.

"Besides, they were busy responding to your distress call."

The officer nodded and looked back at the map. Scratching my head, I joined him.

We were in the local police department being questioned by on-duty officers, investigating the kidnapping of Kaori. They were taking any and all reports seriously. Any kid off the streets could wander in and suggest their own grandmothers. Little did they know, I was actually taking the initiative to assign their authoritative power towards a hunt of my own. I had begun the search for the scarred girl all over again, but this time I wouldn't fail.

"Do you know what she could have been doing at the school?" A cop's voice broke in. I shook my head.

"I figured she had no place to stay. I've seen her wandering around there before."

The cops moved away slightly as I began to twist and turn, looking for something to write with. A pen was handed to me and quickly I began to scribble.

"I've circled all the places I think she could have gone. These lines represent places that should be actively patrolled. If you use this plan you'll find her… given that she's still in the city."
I took a step back and smiled proudly at my work. I had worked on what to tell them back in my room, and remembered it just for this occasion.

"Uuhh… Nice work, kid. But we have analysts for that. Let them take care of it. They've been trained for this you know?"

I grumbled and growled as the man's hand ruffled my hair. I was a child among men, and they relished in reminding me.

Birds chirped and circled in flight as Ayato and I made our way out of the building and down its concrete steps. He could tell that I was pretty upset.

"What's wrong Ryoka? Didn't you get what you wanted?"

I chuckled in sarcasm.

"…No! They treated me like I was fresh out of preschool! They barely took my ideas into consideration…"

Ayato looked away slightly, apparently trying to define to himself the word "preschool".

"So it's time for plan B. Those 'analysts' barely know anything about tactical maneuvers. They won't know how to deal with her, because they know nothing about her!"

Ayato jumped ahead of me, sticking a landing from the steps.

"Furthermore, I know her real intentions. I know what she can do! ...They'll fail if they try to stick their noses into this."

"…So, cut off their noses!" Ayato joked, skipping backwards into the grass.

I merely laughed and smiled, looking back at the police station.

"That's exactly what I intend to do."
---

That night, I sat on my rooftop with a can of soda and my old binoculars. Trees, houses, and wooden poles passed my gaze as I carefully surveyed the area. The night was windy and dark. Leaves flung across the buildings below like schools of fish along coral. My eyes darted from one area to the next.
The game of chess was on; I just had to assemble my pieces.

I picked up the phone next to me and dialed the number to my cell. After a moment of ringing, Ayato buzzed in.

"What took you so long?" I flared.

"Sorry! I still can't figure out how to work this thing…"

I sighed.

"Are you in position?"

"Of course!" he came back. I smiled and hung up.

"Alright then."

Nervously, I picked up the phone and dialed 911. After a ring or so, a woman picked up with the typical operator accent.

"911, what's your emergency?"

My quaky voice burst into action.

"I-I think I just saw a kidnapping! There was this woman… and she grabbed a kid… and..!"

"Please state your current address and the address where you saw the kidnapping."

I rattled off the memorized address as if it were my own phone number. Smiling, I concluded with "I have to go…!" and hung up the phone. I stapled the binoculars to my face as I watched a few police units quickly disperse. Another kidnapping in the same area of the city would lead them to one conclusion: the girl was back.

"Here you go, nice and tight!" Kaori laughed, tightening the ropes restraining Ayato. Slapping the subdued victim on his back, Kaori ran to a hiding place beneath a nearby sink as sirens pulled up fast. The house was old and abandoned. It was empty apart from a few spiders and rats in the basement; the perfect place for a fugitive to hang out. I knew that they were certain that this was where they'd find Kaori's kidnapper.

Lights beamed into the old cabin and officers took their positions on the outside. After a moment's hesitation, the door exploded inward and two armed policemen moved in quickly. Ayato yelled from beneath his muffle and struggled in roped restraint. One officer swiftly stepped and began untying the ropes.

"You're safe now." He muttered, still vigilant for the suspect.

Ayato ripped off his mouth bound and struggled for air. Finally, in a startled howl, he pointed to the open window off to the side.

"She went out there!"

Officers were on it like a pack of wolves. They peered through and looked all around… But by then it was obvious: the "suspect" had escaped…
---

"Who did this to you?"

A beating silence had fallen over the police station that night. Officers rambled through files and notes pertaining solely to the Kaori kidnapping. Everyone believed that the same culprit had struck again. And now Ayato sat comfortably in a chair, surrounded by empathy, yet told only to speak my recited lines. And so he did.

"I don't know, I only remember a scar on her face…"

"And you say she was alone?"

Ayato nodded, sipping the hot chocolate they had provided. I sat in the next room, eagerly awaiting the report as if my own child was about to be born. They had dug up every resource pertaining to the case and the culprit. I was one of those resources, just as I assumed.

"Did she physically harm you?"

My words echoed in my head: "Remember Ayato, if they ask you anything that I haven't given you a response for, just say 'I don't remember…'"

I leaned in closer to the door with listening ears. Ayato muttered softly from inside…

"…I don't remember."

"Did she give you anything? Anything to eat, drink, or inhale?"

"I don't remember."

"What did she say to you? Did she say anything?"

"I don't remember."

I turned over in my seat. His responses were beginning to sound too mechanical, too 'made up'. I bit my lip in worry.

"Is there anything you do remember?"

"…I don't remember"

I slapped my forehead and hit my head back against the wall. What was he doing? He could at least put some 'effort' into lying!

Finally they escorted him out of the room and led him to a chair near mine. I watched them cautiously, reading them to see if they knew. Softly, one of them motioned me into the room. I took a small breath, stood from my seat, and made my way behind my escort.

Looking around, I sat down in a chair at a small lounge room table. A coffee steam pot sat along a nearby counter, and a cooler hummed silently beside it. Four cops joined me in the room, two of them circulating busily while the other two remained more attentive to me. I looked away and my heart began to race.

"What we want to know is this…" One cop started.

"Exactly how intimate are you with this case?"

"…Huh?" I played dumb.

"We know Kaori is your brother, and we know you had a small encounter with the suspect. But what we don't know is what you may be neglecting to tell us. Does anything come to mind?"

I inched around in my seat, pretending to think long and hard. Finally I shrugged my shoulders as a female officer brought out a raggedy piece of paper.

"We found this in the cabin with the victim. It was kind of hidden, but with thorough search and analysis, we'd found it and determined its purpose."

I looked carefully and examined the writing.

"These are resting points. Over here are possible trails, one of which was used to get to the cabin, and to and from the school. We believe it belongs to the girl who kidnapped your little brother, but one thing bothers us."

A second officer, just finishing de-nailing a map from the wall, brought it over to the table and laid it out in front of me.

"These are the plans you arranged for us before. If you compare these plans to her 'schedule' here, you'll see that they almost cover every route and resting point scribbled on the paper. In other words, you predicted in full accuracy where this girl would be and tactically assigned a unit to monitor each location, in full intent."

I stared at the map for a few moments, and then a few moments more. Slowly I stood up and began to point across my map, comparing the two papers.

"...Put yourself in her shoes. From this point of origin here, there are multiple routes to follow, but only a few have optimal spacing that provides access to even more routes, here. If you went from here, you'd be more hidden, sure, but you'd also have less room to maneuver in… you'd be cornering yourself with your own terrain. That's why I crossed that route off and plotted a trail along here, to here… These details are less noticeable on a map, but if you were there yourself, you'd see what I mean. I mean, look at this…"

An open hand flailed and stopped me mid-speech. The cop put up a finger and examined my reasoning.

"…So you're not more involved in this case?"

"Of course not" I laughed. I pointed again…

"Stop… We get it, your map works… Besides, it fits her schedule quite nicely. I figured you were in cahoots with her or something." He chuckled, still examining the map. I laughed with him, and turned toward the door.

"Well, thanks to you, we know where to set up patrols." He called, as I pushed open the door.

"Feel free to come back here any time for another consult, kid. We could use anything we can get. Great job."

I smiled his way and let the door shut behind me. Ayato rose as I passed and we both held back a chuckle.

Skipping down the steps and striding through the grass, I couldn't help but look up.

"Well Ayato, the board is set… Let the chess match begin."

…Next Time!

Sacrificing Pawns.