Day 121 - Naxis

 NAXIS

 Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Rama had worked his way inside the gang over the past year, and recently it seemed as if he was on track for middle management of some sort, but after drawing the ire of Maliq, he was being shut out at every opportunity. Rama knew the smart thing to do was keep his head down, double down on hard work and ignore Maliq. But time was not on his side. His days consisted of walking the streets, collecting protection money and loan shark debts. He was small time and it would lead nowhere if he didn’t get better opportunities. It had been more than a year since Kris was killed. If anyone had suspected Kris was an undercover officer there would have been more death, and purges of anyone suspicious. If anyone knew the truth about Kris, Rama would have been on the list. Kris had vouched for him and trained him, both as an undercover office and as a member of the gang. Kris was gone, but Rama still worked the case, and was determined to bring the gang down.

It seemed as if the investigation had stalled and Rama was going nowhere, when fate intervened and a courier from Japan was killed before his arrival in Jakarta. Suddenly the gang was on high alert and it was all hands on deck. Maliq had his issues with Rama, but Rama was a fighter and his skills were suddenly in need. There were doors to be kicked in, rivals to question, answers to be beaten out of someone if necessary. Rama didn’t particularly like this part of the job, but to refuse anything would draw suspicion. And this was his chance to show management he was reliable. Rama didn’t know what the courier was supposed to deliver, but he knew it must have been important.

Answers were scarce, but Jakarta seemed quiet. One theory was that the courier never made it out of Japan. That was possible if they were making moves behind the backs of the Yakuza. Rama’s personal opinion was that there were new players on the board. He didn’t share his thoughts with Maliq or the bosses, but he was fairly confident. Every lead he followed, every person he questioned, seemed to lead to the same answer. There were new faces the streets. Territorial lines not being respected. Boundaries were being tested. They were a small outfit, barely associated with the families of the inner city. They ran a small dock and paid tributes, but mostly they were left alone. But not now. Something changed. Something was coming. If it came for them, they’d be wiped out. Rama knew it was time to turn to the families for protection. Better to give up half your power but survive, but no one asked him his opinions.

Rama knew he should get in touch with his police captain and share his suspicions, but Rama didn’t know how to get away unnoticed. Besides, if he started expressing danger, he’d probably be removed and then the whole last year would have gone to waste.

Late one night Maliq gathered some men and Rama was lucky enough to make the list. They were picking up a delivery up at the docks. That was all they needed to know.

The package was a cargo container, the cargo inside was a man with a briefcase. A new courier perhaps? A well-guarded one if that was the case, thought Rama. He called himself The Foreigner and he apologized for any problems caused with the previous courier’s death. Rama wasn’t spoken to nor was he in a position to speak. He was an escort, as were they all. Maliq might have had rank in the situation, but even he wasn’t speaking for the bosses. Their sole job was to the The Foreigner to a meeting, not to discuss what had come before or future plans.

Rama guarded a door at the warehouse. He didn’t know what was said in the meeting, or what had been in The Foreigner’s briefcase. Bagus asked him what was happening and Rama told him to keep his mouth shut.

Later though, while making his way to check in with his boss, Rama spotted the door to a money counting room was slightly ajar. He couldn’t be certain, but he was pretty sure that he spotted metal plates, the sort used in printing presses. As he inched closer, he heard someone say the name Naxis. It sounded like a tech company to him, but what he did know. It could have been an enemy, or ally, or anything.

Rama took another step towards the door, when a face appeared in the opening – Maliq. Rama opened his mouth to speak, but Maliq shut the door in his face. Whatever secrets were being shared, Rama wouldn’t be privy. And whatever headway he had made with Maliq in the past few weeks, was probably ruined in an instant. Still, he had a name – Naxis and a vague idea that they were involved in counterfeiting of some sort. There were still a million questions, but at least he had a place to start.