C.N. - chapter 15

I thought helicopters that can air-lift cars are all in the movies, until the helicopter showed up, lifted the car into the air, and flew away with it and with us in it. The did that with a super-magnet suspended on a steel cable attached to the helicopter, which was surprisingly strong in grip. My pin flew from my suit pocket and stuck to the roof of the car. We (and especially I) were too occupied with the surprise of it all to get out while jumping could still be attempted, so by the time Heathcliff suggested that we ought to jump, we were flying at least one hundred meters over the city. It was quite nausea inducing, and Heathcliff vomited out the window (hopefully it didn't become an unpleasant rain for some poor fellow down below). I rolled down my window and poked my head out into the air to look at the helicopter, which has the logo 'D-Air Delivery', I thought it was a clever title.
'What did you see?' Theodora asked me.
'It's a big helicopter, with a logo on it. The logo says D-Air Delivery, clever, isn't it?' Momentarily I forgot about the situation and focused on thinking about the logo.
'Beside the point! I didn't escape one kidnapping just so I can be kidnapped all over again!' Theodora rolled down the window at her side and yelled at the helicopter. 'HEY! WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS? PUT US DOWN THIS INSTANT! DO YOU HEAR ME WHOEVER THE HELL YOU ARE!'
'PUT MY FIANCE DOWN THIS INSTANT, YOU HEARD HER!' Heathcliff joined in, having recovered from his air-sickness.
'YOU STOP THIS SILLINESS! HEATHCLIFF! I'VE ALREADY MADE MYSELF CLEAR AT TWELVE AND THAT HASN'T CHANGED! I'M NOT YOUR FIANCE!' Theodora screamed at Heathcliff. Heathcliff sulked. Despite the flapping beat of the chopper propellers, I heard laughter coming from within the cockpit.
'What's so funny?' I called to the cockpit.
'More laughter. 'Yo dude, even I wasn't expecting this when I signed up for the job.' Someone from the helicopter said.
'WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!' Theodora yelled.
'We're henchmen,' said another voice from the cockpit, 'tasked to retrieve Master Tiger's stolen vehicle.
'That stupid Tiger couldn't have called up a clever trick as this.' Theodora said plainly.
'Oh that, yes, we partially agree.' Said the henchmen, 'Good thing is, there was a higher authority on deck at the time, so we took orders from the smarter fellow.'
Theodora looked at me, puzzled. I looked at her, even more puzzled. Heathcliff looked between both of us, and declared, 'I shall save us from this dire situation! Here's what we'll do, the moment this helicopter lands us on the ground, we start the ignition and speed out! That will teach them to let us steal the Tiger's ride in the first place, we shan't give it back.'
'Hey! We heard that!' One of the henchmen said, and then they fell into a conversation between the two of them, discussing how to make sure we don't get away when the chopper touches down.
'Well done, Heath, well done.' Theodora facepalmed and shook her head.
'So,' I began on a new topic of introducing myself to Theodora, 'I'm Charlie by the way, Charlie North, and you're Theodora North, very nice to meet you, a few hours ago I thought I was in the only North family in the world! You've proved me wrong.' I extended a hand for her to shake with a smile on my face. 'And by the way, that's a great dress.' I added, complimenting her bride gown.
'HEY! I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT!' Heathcliff chimed in.

When the helicopter neared ground, the super-magnet dropped the car onto the flat pavement of an abandoned airfield that stretched for as far as the eye can see all around us. A few men in black suits were standing some way off beside two black cars, I recognized two to be in a deep discussion and paying no attention to the arrival of us in the air-lifted sports car. One of the two was the young man from the warehouse, whom Theodora had called the Tiger. This was only the second Tiger I've heard of next to Tiger Woods, I toyed with the idea whether this young man's name should also happen to be Tiger Woods. My day was full of strange, coincidental names.
Tiger and the other, older fellow came over as the car touched ground, and Theodora started the ignition, according to the last-resort escape plan. Nothing happened, the older man was pointing a remote control of some sort at the car, and the engine did not start. How odd.
Tiger's men escorted the three of us out of the car and stood us in line facing Tiger and the older guy. The older guy was old enough to be Tiger's father, with similar, crisp, but more seasoned facial features, which remain handsome despite my estimate that he's at least fifty years old. One look told me that this guy had a lot of money.
To everyone's apparent surprise, I spoke first. 'I didn't get your name last time, I'm quite sorry,' I said to Tiger, 'Your name is Tiger, if I'm correct, does your last name happen to be Woods?' I must say it was a good joke, but nobody laughed except for the older guy.
'Ha, ha! My dear boy, you see? Now this is what I call a pure human being.' The older guy said to Tiger, who looked a mix between shock and joy and fading anger. 'Such sincerity in his voice, such lack of comprehension to the evil around him, such genuine idiocy. I treasure such purity, I truly do.' He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head lightly. I didn't get what he said prior, I also scratched my head.
I looked at Heathcliff's and Theodora's reaction to all this, both of them are very white in the face, as if they've seen a gutted cow for the first time (which was what happened to me when I saw a gutted cow for the first time, I was five).
'Excuse me, father, we've not discussed the more pressing matters, I suggest we-' Tiger said to the older guy, he got interrupted midway by the man that turned out to be indeed his father.
'Slowly, my dear boy, take it one thing at a time. I was on my way to see you after such a long absence, and all of a sudden I was T-boned by a parade of motorcycles, and you were in one of them! What father in such a situation would not ask what in dollar's name was his son so urgently chasing. And now we know,' he turned to me, Heathcliff and Theodora, 'You felons stole my son's car, it was my last birthday present to him before I went on my really long trip from which I've just returned.'
'Yes father, let me explain...this three...well, her (pointing to Theodora), she's my fiance, who I took to be my own without consent as you had taught me, and these two (gesturing to me and Heathcliff)...they're friends of hers who've come to rescue her.' Tiger was tripping over some his his words.
Then I realized who the older man is apart from being Tiger's father. I spoke, interrupting everyone.
'I know you now!' I exclaimed, pointing to the older man, 'You're who Heathcliff called the Dragon, a world-famous terrorist who is believed to be hiding in the mountains with other terrorists after you blew up a prison!' I extended a hand for him to shake, 'So you're not hiding in the mountains with other terrorists!' I acknowledged.
The Dragon laughed a good, amused laugh. Heathcliff and Theodora both looked at me, in some form of horror, and Tiger was in some sort of shock.
'Oh, my boy,' the Dragon took my hand and shook it, laughing all the way, 'You've made my day. As a matter of fact, you've made my day so much that I can not possibly execute you right here, you're too valuable, I must keep you for a bit longer. Congratulations, I say, congratulations, boy, you've just bought you and your friend and my son's fiance some more time, well done.' He gave me a pat on the back
I smiled, for I could think of nothing else to do, I didn't fully understand him then, but he gave me no time to ask further questions.
'Now son, we ought to look into this fiance business here in a short while, in the meantime, what was that you wish to discuss with me again?' The Dragon said to Tiger.
Tiger was flushed in the cheeks and looked frustrated. 'Well, firstly father, where were you for the past-past six years! You died, did you not!'
'Died? Oh my dear boy, give your old man some credit, even in one man's death his relations ought to celebrate his life, not mourn his passing! Confucius' teacher said that. From what I gathered, there wasn't a lot of celebration after my supposed passing, you were in your room bawling your eyes out while gray suits from the justice department stripped our home bare!' The Dragon drew a breath, 'You failed even to acknowledge my legacy, no celebration whatsoever, and now, I'm back to take it back.'