CH 6.1

He felt hazy and disoriented in the core of his head.

Although half-awake, Yuto knew that he was not in the best condition. He wondered absently if he had really drunk enough with Rob to get a hangover, but soon his mind wandered lazily here and there, and he found himself unable to focus. Yuto gave himself a shake and willed himself to concentrate, but it felt as futile as gathering a pile of coins that he had dropped and scattered all over the floor.

He finally remembered what had happened. Corvus had injected some kind of drug into him in the Huey. He had gone unconscious within minutes, and his memories after that were fuzzy. In a hazy state between dreams and reality, he had only been able to sense that he was being carried somewhere.

Yuto opened his eyes and first took in his surroundings. He was laid on a bed alone in a room with bright sunlight streaming through the window. His hands and feet were not bound. For a moment he thought he was in a hotel room, but something felt off.

It was only when he felt his whole body swaying that he realized the reason why it felt different. He was on a boat. He tried to bolt upright, but the drugs were evidently still in his system, for he was unable to move quickly. Once he managed to slowly get up and off the bed, the door opened to reveal Corvus.

“Hey, Yuto. Awake now?”

Corvus had changed from a tuxedo into a camouflage combat uniform. Behind him, two subordinates stood holding machine guns.

“Good timing. I want you to change. Just your top is fine. Your outfit draws too much attention,” Corvus said, throwing a black T-shirt at him. Yuto silently glared back.

“What’s wrong? Can’t even get changed without help?”

Yuto angrily took off his jacket and threw the cummerbund and suspenders onto the bed. He stripped off his shirt until he was naked on top, took the T-shirt that was handed to him, and pulled it over his head.

He made a mental note to give CJ an apology and to pay him back for the tuxedo he had borrowed. Of course, that was if he ever made it back.

“Change into these shoes. You’ll be walking on uneven ground. Those stylish pumps aren’t going to get you anywhere.”

Yuto was handed a pair of lace-up army boots. He felt uneasy as he wondered where he was being taken.

“Alright. Put on the shackles.”

On Corvus’ orders, one of his subordinates stepped up holding a sturdy-looking leather belt. Attached on either side were loops from the same material that resembled wristbands.

“It’ll be uncomfortable and restrictive, but you’ll have to bear with it. You tend to be pretty reckless, after all.”

Yuto knew that resisting would be futile. If he struggled and ended up hurting himself, he wouldn’t be able to escape when the time came. Although it angered him, he had no choice but to go along with Corvus’ orders and play it by ear.

Yuto lost the last of his freedom once the shackles on his wrists were locked. When he stepped out of the room, he was hit by a wave of heat that nearly made him choke. He had never encountered such sticky humidity that seemed to cling to his skin.

He figured they must have covered significant ground southward overnight. Yuto stood on the deck and raised his head, taking in his surroundings.

“This place…”

Yuto was speechless. A wall of green spread before his eyes which seemed to go on forever. A little ways ahead of the boat, he could even see a flock of pelicans resting as they bobbed in the waves.

“You’ll transfer onto that speedboat next. Careful you don’t bite your tongue by mistake. The boat can go up to 100 kilometres per hour.”

There was a speedboat anchored beside the larger boat that Yuto was on, with a simple plank joining the two.

Once Yuto and his group crossed the plank and entered the speedboat, he was met with a group of armed men sitting on the benches. There were perhaps a dozen or so men in total, including the operator, of all backgrounds including white, black, and Latino. All of them still looked young, but were sturdily built and radiated a tough, masculine air.

Apparently Yuto’s group was the last one to board. Once the plank was taken away, the speedboat engine rumbled to life as it began to glide across the water. The startled flock of pelicans scattered and took flight.

A while later, the speedboat changed course to turn into a cove and continued to move through the mangroves. It looked like they were heading inland through the waterways.

“Where are we?” Yuto asked Corvus, who was sitting beside him.

“The Republic of Colombia,” Corvus said simply. Yuto wasn’t very surprised, as the possibility had already been on his mind. In his head, he drew a mental map of Colombia’s geography.

Colombia was adjacent to the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Ocean to the north. It could be divided roughly into three areas based on their geography: the mountainous region of the Andes, the coastal lowlands, and the eastern plains. There were many marshes in the costal lowlands, and the forests were still mostly undeveloped. This was probably where they were right now.

“Travelling by boat is the safest these days, just like when smuggling cocaine.”

“I’ve heard that ninety-percent of Colombia’s cocaine is smuggled into the US by sea. These are the types of boats you use, huh?”

Colombia was the biggest producer of cocaine in the world, and the US was the biggest consumer. Every day, enormous amounts of cocaine were brought into the US from Colombia.

“That’s right. Some people sink the boat once the goods are delivered and take a leisurely flight back. One shipment yields a few hundred million dollars in profit, so the cost of one boat doesn’t even make a dent.”

The speedboat continued upstream at a brisk pace. Somewhere along the way, the mangroves had given way to a dense jungle, with lush trees of all species lining both sides of the riverbank.

“Once the coca leaves are harvested from the fields, they’re processed into cocaine in a factory in the jungle before being loaded onto a speedboat. From there, it’ll be transferred to a bigger ship on the water, or onto a vehicle at a port before it’s taken across the borders of Mexico and the US. Only a tiny fraction of the volume is actually intercepted.”

“White Heaven is making money off cocaine, too, isn’t it?” Yuto said. “Do you guys handle the entire process from production and smuggling to distribution in the US?”

“Oh, I wonder,” Corvus shrugged, avoiding a straight answer. Coruvs seemed to have deep ties with Colombia. Yuto’s guess was that he probably did manage the entire operation from production to distribution. Usually, it was common for smugglers to sell their cocaine in bulk in places like Mexico, where there were drug cartels that dominated the cocaine market in the US. But if White Heaven was doing everything on their own, they were probably pocketing a lot more of the profit.

About two years ago, Yuto remembered seeing in the news that Colombia’s coast guard had discovered a small submarine in the jungle. It was proof of how much money drug smugglers had at their disposal.

Yuto found himself even more confounded about Corvus. He was already successful at running a cocaine business; wasn’t that enough? What was making him commit acts of terrorism as well? What was his true purpose?

Yuto stared perplexedly at Corvus’ profile. Corvus sensed Yuto’s gaze, but pretended not to notice as he gazed out at the jungle with a look of amusement.

Once the group disembarked from the speedboat, they began the rest of the journey on foot, to Yuto’s disbelief. The group was silent as it waded through the jungle along a nonexistent path. It was so difficult to walk that they had to take several breaks in between.

“Yuto, drink some water. You need to keep hydrated or you’ll pass out.”

Corvus offered him a water bottle, and Yuto took it with a sigh.

“How much more walking are we going to do? The sun is about to set.”

“There’s a military training camp up ahead that I’m using for personal purposes now. You can get there by land, but only from the city. I chose this route because I don’t want anyone to locate the place.”

“You don’t want who to locate the place? The police? The government army?”

“Neither, of course. The Colombian police and military are all great people. They’ll do you any favour as long as you give them money.”

Yuto rolled his eyes inwardly as he shoved the empty bottle back at Corvus.

“Well, let’s get going then,” Corvus said. “I’d rather not spend the night in the jungle.”

The group wrapped up their break and began walking again. Once they were out of the jungle, they began climbing up a steep mountain path that seemed to wind on forever. Yuto couldn’t help but feel grateful to Corvus for providing him with combat boots. In smooth-soled shoes, he would probably have slipped and gone tumbling down the mountain.

Yuto could feel the air cooling down as they advanced. About an hour later, the scenery abruptly opened up before his eyes. Apparently this was the camp that Corvus was talking about. A few military Jeeps were parked in the open space, and in the back there were several buildings that looked like barracks. It was a bonafide military camp – much more sophisticated than he had imagined.

Groups of men in camouflage streamed out of the barracks and surrounded the group. They let out joyous exclamations, hugging their comrades fiercely and welcoming them back. However, the men looked at Corvus with fear and reverence and none of them dared to approach him in the same casual manner.

“You can drink freely tonight,” Corvus said to them in Spanish, which elicited a roar of happiness from the crowd. “But — make sure the place remains secured against enemy attacks. Don’t let your guard down.”

After giving a strict warning to his giddy subordinates, Corvus took Yuto to a barracks at the very back of the camp.

“You can speak Spanish?”

“Of course. I grew up in Colombia.”

Back in prison, Corvus had pretended not to understand a word of Spanish. ‘Thorough’ was an understatement of how meticulously he kept up his act.

“You can take a shower in your room, and after that we’ll have something to eat. Ricky, Brian, I want you to keep watch on Yuto to make sure he doesn’t try to do anything. But treat him well – he’s a good friend of mine.”

Ricky was white, and Brian was black. Both of them looked to be in their mid-twenties. They were the men who had jumped out of the Huey on the roof of the Marquiladin.

Yuto was taken to a small room that was furnished with a bed and nothing else. A metal grate was fitted over the window. Ricky unfastened Yuto’s restraining device while Brian stood poised as still as a statue with his machine gun.

“Go take a shower. We’ll wait here.”

Yuto opened the door of the bathroom as the two men trained their guns on him. Inside was a toilet and shower, and there were no windows or vents through which he could potentially escape.

As he washed himself, Yuto wondered what was going to happen to him. From Corvus’ actions, it didn’t seem like he was planning to take Yuto’s life immediately. He wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of bringing Yuto here if he planned to kill him right away.

But that knowledge didn’t give him any reassurance. Corvus tended to do things on a whim. If he decided that Yuto was burdensome, he would probably finish him off without batting an eye.

Yuto decided it was best to bide his time and see how things went so he could take a more concrete chance at escaping. No one knew he was in Colombia. He had no hopes of receiving help, which meant he would have to get out somehow on his own.

I have to get back alive. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered Dick’s face, making his heart ache painfully. Even while he was bleeding profusely after being shot by Corvus, Dick had never stopped trying to come after Yuto. The gut-wrenching image had burned itself into Yuto’s memory permanently.

Had Dick been able to receive treatment at the hospital soon afterwards? Was his life in danger?

Yuto’s anxieties were countless, but he told himself it was best that he try not to think about Dick for now. Bad thoughts tended to spiral out of control. It would only increase his panic and mentally wear him down. He had to keep up his spirits and remain optimistic in order to make it back alive.

Yuto looked into the mirror and took a deep breath. As he was trying to calm himself, he recalled the words of Paul, who had been his closest partner in the DEA.

Never abandon hope in even the worst situations. But don’t get your hopes up too high.

“That’s the secret to getting out of any difficult situation,” he had said in mock profundity, with a laugh. At the time, Yuto had found his words contradictory, but now he knew that Paul was absolutely correct.

Just a small flame was enough, and he would protect and keep it alive deep in his heart.

As Yuto was drying himself off, there was an aggressive pounding on the door.

“Hey, are you done yet?”

Yuto hastily put his clothes on. Once he exited the bathroom, he was placed in shackles again, and taken to another room. He stepped into a room in the very back of the building to see Corvus, who had changed into his regular clothes and was standing at the window.

In the centre of the room was a rectangular table, and many photos decorated the walls. An old globe stood by the window, and the bookcase was filled with books. This was apparently Corvus’ private quarters.

Dinner had already been prepared: the table was laid with stewed dishes, roasted and grilled dishes, and soup. It was a luxurious dinner to be having in such a remote area.

Once they sat down at the table, Ricky took off Yuto’s shackles again. He, along with Brian, left the room on Corvus’ orders. Yuto felt relieved as he rubbed his wrists. It was unsettling having machine guns trained on him at all times.

“It’s not much, but it’s my way of welcoming you. Let’s have a toast first.”

He was poured a glass of red wine, but Yuto took a drink without giving a toast. Corvus appeared unoffended as he smiled and raised his glass.

“Cheers.”

“—Why did you abduct me? What are you after?” Yuto asked quietly as he brought the food to his mouth.

“I wonder why,” Corvus said, tilting his head. “I don’t have a particular reason. I did it because I wanted to. You’re special to Dick, so I decided to take you away in front of his face. Hard to beat such an exciting twist in the game, wouldn’t you agree?”

Corvus looked mischievously at Yuto. His eyes simultaneously looked like those of an innocent child and a cunning devil.

“If your aim is to make Dick suffer, then you should just hurry up and finish me off.”

Corvus shrugged as he forked a piece of meat into his mouth.

“But if I kill you, it would all be over. I want all three of us to keep playing the game together. You and Dick fighting over me, Dick and I fighting over you, you and I fighting over Dick… we’re all facing off with each other, entangled in our own personal intentions. This love triangle is quite fun. —There’s also one more reason why I don’t want to kill you. I like you a lot. I still look back frequently to the days we spent in prison. I loved the tranquil, peaceful times we shared. I’d like to experience that again.”

Yuto was sick of Corvus’ nonsense. He had no idea about whether Corvus meant much of what he said. Even if he did mean it, Yuto found it hard to understand his mentality.

“I did some extensive research about you, but the more I investigated, the more confused I got. Everything you did – were they all on Manning’s orders?”

“I did some things on his orders, did other things of my own will. But a lot of the time it’s hard to differentiate between the two. There are some things I’ve done where I don’t understand why I did it.”

Yuto knitted his brow.

“You look perplexed,” Corvus said, raising his eyebrows. “It’s not such an unbelievable story, is it? It happens all the time in society. For example, a parent who is dedicated about their child’s education forces them to study. In their eyes, they think it’s for the good of their child. In reality, sometimes it’s just for their own appearances. Or a wealthy person who donates a large sum of money to a philanthropic cause. They might feel good about themselves for doing good, but in fact they’re only happy because it makes them look noble in character. The human psyche always has two sides – the outward-facing and the underlying.”

“Don’t make this more complicated than it has to be. I’m asking about your outward psychology. What’s your reason for lending a hand to Manning’s evil deeds? What is he to you?”

Corvus took a sip of wine and gazed at Yuto’s irritated face.

“That’s a very difficult question. I’m actually not quite sure about how I feel about Manning myself. A long time ago, I used to love him very deeply. You could even say I was living solely for him. Look at the photo hanging on that wall over there.”

Yuto glanced at the wall to his right. There were many framed photos showing a variety of people, but most of them were of men in army fatigues. The photos were most likely taken at this camp.

Upon closer examination, a few of the photos contained a child. He could be seen amongst adults, holding a rifle or maintaining weapons. Yuto found it strange to see a child at a military camp. He stared closely at the child’s face until he realized something.

“That kid… is that you?”

“Yeah. This camp was actually built with Manning’s own money, to begin with. With support from the Colombian and American governments, too, though. At the time, the American military didn’t want to be seen doing such things openly, so this was a disguise of sorts. Manning headhunted seasoned military men from the States and brought them here to train the Colombian military and right-wing militias. The trainees went on to become excellent soldiers who fought with the guerillas.”

“Why would Manning do that?”

“For the oil business run by his family. Manning worked closely with Colombian politicians and became powerful enough to be able to influence the decisions of their military. He decided to dabble in cocaine while he was at it, and gained enormous wealth from oil and drugs. He’s now the leading person when it comes to the USA’s plans for Colombia.”

It all made sense. This was probably what had led to Manning becoming a member of the board of directors at MSC. And with Manning’s influence, Corvus had been able to become an instructor at MSC.

“About ten years ago, Manning said he was shutting this place down, so I got him to give it to me. I thought it would come in useful, since the location makes it a great transfer point for transporting cocaine. Lately I’ve been using this place to train soldiers who will become my subordinates in the future. They’ll be the real White Heaven. The Americans that we brought in are nothing but pawns.”

“But Ricky and Brian are American, aren’t they?”

“They’re different. We’re comrades who grew up together.”

“Here…?” Yuto asked dubiously.

“Yeah. We grew up in this camp. This place is like my hometown.”

“You were born in Colombia? What happened to your parents?”

“I don’t know,” Corvus shook his head.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“It’s exactly as I said. I’ve been living here for as long as I can remember. I don’t have any memories of the past before then. Apparently I was found in a shack by the trainees of this camp when they ambushed an anti-government guerilla base. The American who was commanding the trainees felt sorry for me and brought me back to this camp. On Manning’s orders, I was to be raised here.”

“What were you doing at a guerilla base in the first place? Were you kidnapped?”

In Colombia, there were several thousand cases of kidnapping per year, and most of them were for ransom. For this reason, wealthy foreigners were often targeted. In this country, some cases could even take more than a year to resolve because of stalling negotiations regarding the ransom money. During this time, the kidnappers would keep the hostage confined in a remote area like the mountains.

“I don’t know about that, either. Apparently there were no reported kidnappings of white children around that time. I might have been kidnapped, abandoned by my parents, or picked up by the guerilla. I have no idea.”

Yuto felt conflicted. If what Corvus said was true, that meant that not only did Corvus not know about his parents, he didn’t even know his real name, age, or nationality.

“Fortunately, the American serviceman who took me back was very smart. He believed that children needed an education, so he tutored me every day alongside training. He taught me a lot of things, not just what you learn from books. He was pretty much like a father to me.”

“—Are you talking about Fritz Bonaham, by any chance?”

Corvus nodded enthusiastically at Yuto’s question.

“Yeah, that’s right. Bonaham. I’m surprised you knew.”

“You were using Bonaham’s name when you were at MSC, weren’t you? What’s he doing now? Is he still at this camp?”

“No. He’s no longer with us. I killed him,” Corvus said in a casual, cheerful manner. Yuto felt his face tense up. “I think it was about twelve years ago,” Corvus continued. “Around that time, I’d started travelling to the USA frequently to Manning’s dirty work.”

“Dirty work? Like what?”

“Anything. Espionage, murder, abduction, extortion. Aiding fundamentalists. I did anything Manning wanted me to do. Bonaham never really liked Manning very much, so when he found out what I was doing, that was the last straw for him. He said he was leaving the camp and going back home. Bonaham knew about all the unsavoury things that Manning had been doing in Colombia, and Manning was afraid of his secrets being leaked. That’s why he tasked me with getting rid of him. I treated it like any job. I came here when Bonaham was packing to leave, the day before his departure. And I killed him. You see that brown stain on the column there? That’s a blood stain from when I shot him.”

Corvus continued his meal unfazed, apparently feeling no guilt for what he had done.

Perhaps Bonaham had been sitting in the very chair that Yuto was sitting in when he was killed. His skull would have shattered at being shot at such close range, splattering the column with blood and brains.

Yuto’s throat felt strangely dry. He took a drink of wine, which quenched his thirst, but it didn’t relieve the unpleasant feeling like something was lodged in his chest.

“—I can’t believe you murdered someone you considered your father.”

There was no way Manning would live in such a remote camp. The most he did was probably visit occasionally. However, Bonaham had remained with Corvus and taken care of him since a young age. Bonaham should have been dearer to his heart than Manning, no matter how you looked at it.

“Bonaham raised me that way. He said to me: listen to Manning’s orders no matter what. Your sole purpose of existence is to function as an extension of his body. Never question his orders, no matter what they may be. That’s what he taught me before I was even able to read. But it wasn’t out of Bonaham’s choice. He was also acting on Manning’s orders. It was Manning’s idea to instill absolute loyalty into children who were too young to know right from wrong, and at the same time train them thoroughly in battle. He thought that would help him create the strongest private army. It was a form of brainwashing. And so I grew up to be a robot of war that listened to Manning’s every beck and call, just as he intended.”

To be continued