Ricky : Look at us… how far can we go…? … I’m not getting shot in the back….
Ricky looked at Boon and they 2 of them exchanged a look.
Boon nodded.
That brief look communicated something that we would never understand.
Something that could not be expressed in words.
Boon got up and he grabbed James off the ground before shouting at Mohan and RIzwan to grab me.
James : FUCK!!..put me down… put me down… you chee bye !!! FUCK!!
We ran for the coast with James cursing at Boon.
Boon : Your time is not up yet James… you still have work to do back home… !
James : FUCK YOU!!!..FUCK all of you … put me down !!!..fuck !!!
We did not manage to get far before the firing started again.
Boon was hit and he fell, throwing James onto the jungle floor.
James scrambled up back to his friend as rapid machine gun fire erupted all around us.
There was a series of low rumbling explosions as the grenades went off a distance away behind us.
James : FUCK!!!
James wanted to run back but Boon held onto him.
Boon : We’re…. we’re almost there… we’re almost there…
James’ walkie crackled again and someone was speaking.
It was the same lady’s voice.
I could not make out what she was saying but I felt this sudden whoosh of air kicked up around us as the low rumble of the rotor blades of a helicopter filled my ears.
It sounded distant at first before it got louder.
Then James started laughing as he brought the walkie up.
James : hhahahahahahahaha,….. hahahaha….
The cool female voice from the walkie sounded again.
“ Coldbeer to Badboy…….. we’re here…”
I saw the glimpse of the underbelly of that magnificent beast overhead for a moment before it disappeared.
James looked up and spoke into his walkie.
James : I can’t believe they agreed to this Christine…..
The reply came almost immediately.
Christine : They didn’t….
James laughed even louder as the arrival of the apache helicopters changed the dynamics of the fight. The firing stopped as the mere intimidating presences of the flying beast caused the attackers to pause and rethink their strategy.
James pulled out his belt and did a improvised tourniquet for Boon’s calves as he asked us to continue heading for the coast.
Without warning, the firing started again.
I could see tracers reaching out to the skies towards our helicopter as it swerved and took evasive measures.
James : fuck ….
James shouted into the talkie.
James : are you going to start shooting them or what ??!!
There was no reply as the helicopter made a turn before circling back.
There was a sudden commotion to our front from the direction of the coast.
Someone shouted for James.
“ hold your fire, James !” …
I looked on in amazement as a column of armed men in jungle fatigues formed a circle around us.
They’re not our guys that’s for sure.
James took a look at them and laughed, looking around as if he was looking for someone.
James : Aadil !!! where are you ?? hahahaha…
That name. it sounded familiar.
I remember hearing it on TV or reading it on the news somewhere.
A figure stepped out , flanked by a couple more soldiers . He looked pissed as hell.
That’s it.
I recognised him.
He’s the crown prince of the state of Johor.
Aadil : You are nothing but trouble James ….!
James : hahaha… just helping you take out the trash…..
The crown prince took a look at us and asked his men to push on.
No other Malaysian state has their own army except for Johor. The royal Johor military force performs mainly ceremonial functions but they also protect security and protection to the royal family of Johor.
The hail of bullets started again, forcing everyone to sought cover.
Aadil : is your helicopter for show James .!!!… what the fuck is it doing circling above us….???
James : hahah… we don’t have permission to enter your airspace… hahahaha….
Aadil’s men returned fire and the exchanged lasted for almost 20 seconds before it stopped.
You could hear shouts as the confused attackers tried to regroup.
Then through the clearing came more men.
One in particular stood out.
Like the rebellious student in a class, it was easy to pick him out.
Mohan : woah… fuck…no way….
Aadil’s father, the sultan pushed his men aside. I have never seen a man with anger so evidently etched on his face. His signature moustache, twitched as he gripped the automatic rifle in his hand.
He wore a body armour over his batik shirt and he came into the clearing asking the same question Aadil just asked James.
Sultan : JAMES!!!.. is your fucking helicopter for show ??
James : Badboy to Coldbeer….. I have your air clearance right here…. Hahaha
The reply came quick and fast.
Christine : James…. our neighbours are demanding we leave their air space immediately…..it’s a fucking mass orgy over the airwaves right now…. I’m going to get thrown in jail when I get back….
The sultan grabbed the talkie just as another volley of gunfire smashed into the trees around us. Lying on the same muddy ground as all of us, the Sultan shouted into the device.
Sultan : This is the Sultan of the state of Johor…..
The helicopter pilot cut him off immediately.
Christine : Yes….and This is the queen of England flying above your head…….JAMES!!! stop joking right now you fucking piece of shit !!… I have to leave Malaysia’s air space right now or they will shoot me down….
James : That’s Christine for you… haha… she’s a hell of a pilot though….
James was chuckling as he told us that was ex-girlfriend.
We could all hear the rotor blades moving further away as the shooting started again.
The fighting was intense as the troops pushed to keep the attackers back while trying to keep their monarch safe at the same time. It’s not particularly an easy job with the pissed of Sultan and the Crown prince trying to fight their way to the front.
I could hear them cursing as they spoke about the poor children that were lost in the mindless attack.
I thought my eardrums had erupted by then when everything went silent.
Like the orchestra reaching it’s climatic moment with a burst of energy in it’s score, the 30mm M230 chain gun of our helicopter fired up above our heads without warning, raining metal casings all over the forest floor.
The grinding vibrations of the air above us shook me right down to my testicles as I watched the muzzle flash of the chain gun came on and go off in a matter of seconds.
The sultan shouted into talkie at the critical moment the conductor of a orchestra waves his baton to warp up the performance.
Sultan : Hit those motherfu…..
The whoosh of couple of hydra 70 rockets charged towards what I would assume to be the parked vehicles by the side of the roads.
The explosions chewed up the metal carcass of the vehicles and after that, everything went quiet.
My heart was beating so fast that I thought I had forgotten to breathe.
I must have zoned out for a brief moment and when I came to, I saw the soldiers rounded up a couple of the attackers on their knees.
They were scared shitless seeing their crown prince and Sultan in front of them.
Begging had no effect at all as I watch the crown prince executed the man on the spot.
I don’t know how much time has passed when I was loaded up onto the boats by the coast.
The skies was overcast and it looked like it was about to rain.
I could see Tekong right in front of me as the boats bounced above the rough channel dividing the 2 countries.
I looked at James who was in the same boat as me.
He had just hung up the phone.
Our eyes met for a good 5 seconds before I asked if Ricky and they rest are ok.
James nodded.
James : They’ll be out of action for a while… but they’ll live….
The boats slowed down as we approached a small jetty on Tekong.
Jim : So….. I guess the crown prince is your facebook friend as well ??
James took a moment to react before he burst out laughing.
James : hahahah.. of course not…..
Then he added with a grin.
James : His father is…
………………………………………………………………………….
My boat was one of the 1st to reach the jetty at Tekong but I was not the first one off the boats. My injury can wait.
I was expecting a line of vehicles to ferry us to the medical centre but instead of ambulances or trucks, there was a line of helicopters waiting at a nearby field.
I watched quietly as James’ injured men were whisked off into the waiting helicopters. Some of them were in critical conditions.
Just a slight tilt of my head I came face to face with another boat bobbing up and down the waves as the coxswain tried to keep it steady. Several bodies were in the boat.
A couple of flies had started to buzz around them.
I watched as the hand of one of the dead soldier dipped into the sea when the boat took a wave before dipping down. The sea water washed away dried blood, revealing the mark of a wedding band.
The ring was not there of course, but that band. That slight discolouration of the skin, you could tell. That this man wore his ring right up to the moment he put on this uniform, right up to the moment he picked up his weapon.
The 1st wave of helicopters had taken off, those that remained were guys that were either lucky to be alive or not that badly injured.
My foot still hurt but it was starting to feel a little numb.
I saw Vince kneeling down beside a body, a bloodied sniper rifle laid by the side.
That man.
That man whose name I don’t even know saved us countless times.
Vince’s eyes were pressed shut tightly and his fist were clenched.
I dragged myself on my good side over to Vince.
I wanted to know who is the man that saved our lives more than once.
Who is this man that gave up his life fighting for his country ?
Jim : what….. what is his name….
Vince took a deep breath before releasing it slowly, trying to control his emotions.
Vince : Guowei….. he’s my buddy since BMT…..
I looked at Guowei whose eyes were closed but his mouth remained opened slightly. It was as if he had something to say.
That the needed to tell someone , something, a last word perhaps before he leaves this world.
Vince : His daughter…. Just turned 3 last week….. his wife…. Is expecting another son in a month….
My eyelids trembled for a brief moment before they closed as well.
I sucked in a deep breath of air as I turned and looked at the rest of the guys remaining on the ground.
I saw Yogi holding the hands of his dead friend as he said a prayer for him.
I saw another breaking down as he grabbed onto the shirt of the man with the wedding band mark on his finger.
“buddy…… wake up…. Buddy………what…. What do I tell your wife… buddy…..”
He was shaking and jerking the lifeless body as he continued to talk to his dead friend.
“brother….. not like this…not like this…..wake up….”
Another stray streak of tear rolled down my face as the soldier finally broke down.
“wake up you hear me ?!!! wake up !!! you don’t just go and leave your buddy behind you hear me !!! .. AHHHHHH…. What about our trips… our family trips…. We were supposed to self drive across Australia……with our wife and kids…..how can you go now !!??? “
Yogi ran over and supported his friend.
I looked at RIzwan and Mohan. Their eyes were red as well.
I was suddenly hit with this strong scent.
I’m not sure why I did not realised it before.
Theirs is this stench, this horrible stench of blood, sweat and death. It was a smell that I could never forget. It was a depressing smell, made worst by the flood of emotions that was running through my head.
I turned to look at James who for the past 20 minutes had been shouting over his phone a distance away. He hung up and I watched his hand hung by the sides of his body as he squat down, half disappearing into the tall lalang grass.
He may think he’s hidden but I could still see him.
With his left hand balance on his kneecap, I saw his right went to his forehead, before sliding down to his face and he remained still for a good minute before he turned away, looking towards the horizon.
I could hear the approach of helicopters a distance away. The rotor blades whipped up the loose sand and gravels, sending a few flying into my face. My friends and I were directed to enter one of the waiting helicopter while several other injured soldiers were loaded into the other.
As I was lifted up onto the stretcher and into the helicopter, I looked back at the field where we were at moments ago.
I looked at the boats stained blood and seawater.
I looked at bodies on the ground.
We lifted off, I looked at the island where so many of us had trained. A journey that so many of us had taken. My ride circled around the quadrant of the island we were at moments ago.
I looked down and saw James with a couple of his men. They were standing at attention at the foot of their fallen brothers. Suddenly the noise of the helicopter was drowned out by this deafening silence.
I blinked a couple of times as time seemed to slow as we passed by James and his men.
Their heads were bowed slightly as they stood, unwavering and upright as they air around them whipped the long grass into a frenzy.
Would the world ever know the names of these men lying on the ground ?
The tune from a popular hymn, Amazing grace just played in my head. It just happened, I don’t know why either. Perhaps it just seemed apt at that point of time.
I watched as we passed by the military schools and the parade square where recruits were doing their drills. I see columns of troops having their road march.
I’ve been on this journey before many years ago.
Thousands and thousands have gone through it……….and thousands and thousands more will go through after us.
At the end of the day, there may not be anything to be proud of but it’s still a wonderful moment to remember.
The island grew smaller from view and we were back over the mainland.
The expressways, the high rise buildings, million dollar homes with priceless view of the Marina bay. It looked like we just entered a different world.
How many would ever understand the significance of what men like us had gone through ?
Perhaps what they say is true, those that truly understand would just acknowledge it with a smile, because no explanation is necessary . Those who don’t, no explanation will ever be enough.
I don’t remember which hospital I was air lifted to.
I only remember doctors asking my name, trying to make sure I’m conscious. I had my blood pressure taken several times, my temperature as well.
Jim : No I have no drug allergies that I know off….. No I have never been under GA….
I answered those questions a dozen times.
I had my xrays taken.
A doctor tried to explain to me my situation but I was still in a daze. I could not really focus on what was being said. I just felt so tired.
I remembered being wheeled into the operating theatre. While waiting with the curtains drawn at the holding area, I could hear voices talking.
Interns probably.
One of them exclaiming that you don’t get gunshot wounds often in Singapore.
Several of them had turned up to see their Prof operate on me.
Everything went dark after that.
When I woke up, I broke into a smile when I saw the familiar faces in front of me.
Tommy was there on a wheelchair. Soh was in the hospital gown as well and he looked a lot better. Rizwan, Nelson, Derrick, they were all there.
Tommy : So… painful or not… hahah…
I tried to laugh but groan in pain the moment I tried to move my leg.
Mohan entered the room and I felt my heart jumped to life as I saw my daughter Tricia enter the ward together with my ex wife Anna.
I hugged the both of them without a word until my daughter got impatient and struggled to break free. Within seconds, she was running around the ward trying to open every cupboard and pull out every drawer laughing and trying to play with my friends.
Anna : what happened to you Jim ??
I just smiled and shook my head.
Jim : Just an accident… I’m fine….
My friends left and I spent a while talking to Anna. She didn’t stay long, Tricia needed her afternoon nap and I reluctantly said my goodbyes.
I was taking my afternoon nap when I was woken up by a hard smack on my injured side. Someone had smacked me on my thigh.
Jim : aHHH!
I opened my eyes to see Denise standing beside me.
Her arms were folded and she looked absolutely pissed.
Denise : You just went MIA on me for a few days…. Do you know how worried I am ??
I looked at her and as much as I wanted to tell her everything, I could not bring myself to say anything.
She hugged me and asked if I’m ok.
Jim : I’m fine… I’m fine….
Dressed all in black, Denise just attended the wake of a former classmate. She took her life when her both her twins did not make it after being in intensive care for a week.
Denise was sobbing as she related to me that her friend’s kids, a boy and a girl, survived the initial attack but were critically hurt.
Denise started sobbing hard as she recounted the story of the close siblings.
The sobbing grew to an all out brawl within seconds.
Denise : ,….. the brother…. Ahhhhh… sobzz… the brother was hanging on…. saahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. Sobzz…. The brother was hanging on all the while for his sister…. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh….
My eyes shut and I hugged onto Denise as she screamed into my chest.
Denise : but… ahhhhhhhhhhh.. but… ahhhh.. the sister left….the sister left first…..sobzzz… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..then… then…. The brother who was in the next bed stopped fighting…. Anhhhhhhhhhh… sobz…. The brother stopped fighting….
Denise shouted as she let all her emotions go.
Denise : they were only 4 years old Jim…!!!aHHHHHHHHHHHHH.. they were only 4…!!! aHHHHH
She cried so hard that her entire body shook.
Denise : my…. My friend’s last words….,,, sobzz…. Her … her husband told me …..that in the ward when the kids were gone…… my friend said …..” Meimei….. it’s ok…. Kor Kor is there with you….. sobzz.. sobzzz……. Hold korkor’s hand….. Mummy will be there soon….” AHHHHHHHHHH ….sobz….
Denise cursed and screamed into my chest.
Denise : How could such a thing happen !!? aHHH…
I was discharged after 2 days in the hospital.
I can only walk with the aid of crutches. I needed some screws in my foot but other than that, I was expected to make a full recovery after a few months and that I needed physiotherapy.
A whole week went by in a blur. I stay at home, watching the news, trying to follow all the updates.
I checked news sites, the papers, both locally and from Malaysia. There was no mention of anything that happened. There was mention of an explosion near an oil palm plantation in Pengarang, the news said it was the result of a driver hitting another vehicle.
A small column mentioned a local pub was burned to the ground, an act of mischief by kids playing with firecrackers. Hardly even worth mentioning.
The headlines were focusing on the attack on the school which killed so many children.
It did not take long for the blame game to start.
Memes appeared, people were writing angry post on social media.
Why did this happen ?
Who should we blame ?
Why is the government not doing anything ?
Several arrests were made in connection with the attacks but they looked like all the small fry. Smugglers, those that possess contraband items and so on.
A detailed organisation chart for the extremist group LFO, has been released.
Led by Edward Fernando Chan, it was believed to have cells present in multiple cities in the region.
A task force has been formed together with our counterparts in Malaysia.
“The people responsible for this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law “
That was the headline that accompanied a tired picture of our prime minister.
2nd May 2017
More than a month has passed since the incident and I have been following the news closely.
There seemed to be quite a few freak accidents lately. I would not have noticed it if I had not read the article in detail and realised a similarity.
A car crash in an industrial area, steel pipe perforated the driver’s chin , into his neck.
Another incident, a falling tree, branches perforated the victims neck.
One more died while sunbathing on the beach. Hit by a falling coconut and suffered a stroke at the same time while he choked and drown in his own blood. Several of his teeth were found in his stomach.
These were all small columns, appearing on different days. I checked the obituaries , several were former top civil servants.
One killed by the wife who accused him of adultery, she drove a steak knife into his chin before slicing his neck open. Then she committed sucide.
One drowned in his own poo.
Yeah, poo, without a L behind.
Poo, not pool.
How do you drown in your own shit ?
Well, article says he was trying to clear a choke in the inspection chamber within his own estate grounds when he fell, hit his head and drowned.
Perhaps on a normal day, news like this would be sensational, but it was not. They were all tucked away on small columns with hardly a picture. The front pages were all about the aftermath of the attack and it’s impact on the country.
One really takes the cake though and it made me wonder how James and his men pulled it off.
Marathon runner slips and fall while taking a short cut, impales his chin upon a fence, suffered in agony for an hour before choking and drowning in his own blood.
I actually laughed as I read that article.
Everyday, someone dies.
Everyday and yet no one bat an eyelid. This is just life, people die.
One particular death made the news though.
The owner of a leading defence contractor that supplies to our armed forces choked and died while eating fishball noodles.
Wow.
I looked at his smiling picture on TV. Fit as a fiddle, and choked on a fishball.
It happened while he was having supper at a famous joint, that place was usually crowded. The newscaster expressed surprise that no one had offered help.
I too choked on my sandwich them I saw the reporter interviewing a man at the coffee shop. The words on the screen said he’s a stall assistant at another stall selling popiah.
That man is Boon.
How the fuck is he selling popiah in a coffee shop.
The reporter had to stretch out her hand as she tried to put the mic close to Boon who was grinning wide on TV.
Boon : I…err… I don’t know… I helping my boss make the… the popiah skin…. I got see people gathering…. I thought he drunk….. a lot of people come and eat supper after drinking you know…. Party…. Always drunk…. I just start work few days ago… everyday got people drunk…
I caught a glimpse of Vince in the background having coffee and the camera went back to the news studio.
I shook my head and turned off the TV.
4th July 2017
Tuesday.
It’s been a couple of months since the incident. Life has pretty much gone back to normal for all of us. There has been a surge in request for our services. After the incident, more people are engaging us to escort them from point to point.
True to his word, Soh made sure Eric’s pay went straight to his daughter every month.
On the last weekend of the month, all of us would visit Claire, we would take her out for meals, perhaps part of us wanted to play the role Eric would have been playing if not for the fact that he’s no longer around.
Claire is still sad given how close she was to Eric. Some nights she still cries herself to sleep.
We told her we will be there for her whenever she needs us to be.
She’s a smart girl, she deserved a loving family and a wonderful childhood like many of us, but this is life, she just drew the short end of the straw.
Work aside, I could also see the impact the incident had on everyone of us.
Soh quit smoking the moment he was discharge.
3 months back when were first came back to work, Soh started working out on the threadmill. After 2 weeks, he decided to go for a run. Since we were worried about his state of health, Mohan and RIzwan took turns accompanying Soh.
By middle of June, all of us were joining Soh on his daily run around the Senoko industrial estate. It got longer, 2km,3km,5km.
Everyday, without fail, all of us would run together without a word after work.
A quiet dinner would follow before we head for home.
September 2017
We told no one of what we did, and no one came to us either. I did not hear from James, and there were no mention of the men that died that day in Pengarang.
Soh lost 15kg, all of us shed off the extra pounds we piled on. I lost 7kg. More gym equipment were ordered for the office and during days when we were not needed for projects, instead of staying home like in the past.
The lot of us would gather and work out together.
October 2017
Soh had engaged a Muay thai instructor to come down twice a week to our office. It’s a good sport and it really worked up a sweat. At the end of each session, most of us would be lying on the ground panting and groaning in pain.
We were surprised one evening in October when a man arrived at our office just as we came back from the run.
He said he is with the prime minister’s office.
Soh : What ?
Soh almost blew his top when the man said that the group of us are under investigations for attempting to procure weapons, discharging them on foreign soil and for murder,
Soh : What the fuck are you talking about !
The man calmly handed Soh a letter and said the prime minister would like to meet us.
Man : I’m sure all these…. Allegations….. will go away after you clarified your side of the story with the prime minister in person….
The man left after that as we gathered around to read the letter.
It was an invitation alright.
For all of us.
Mohan : fuck… is this real ?? the prime minister wants to see us ??
Rizwan : wah…. Special leh… meet the MP session….
Tommy : eh…. Doesn’t look right leh…. You see… the time and venue…
Tommy directed us to the location. It’s at Istana but the time.
The time was stated as 11.45pm.
Jim : Typo error is it….??
Soh : cannot be… you see….. hand written here….. see you guys in the evening…. signed by him….
Nelson : Maybe he want to treat us supper la…
I looked at Nelson when the word supper brought up images of Boon wrapping popiah and a man choking on fishball noodle.
Derrick : You think they are trying to …. Kill us… keep us quiet or something ??
Soh : Don’t be stupid la…. Think so much for what… just go and see what the fuck he wants….
Mohan : what are we going to say to him man ??
Soh : I don know…. Fix the fucking trains or something….
Everyone laughed as we parted ways for the day.
I went back to Denise’s place and was well rewarded with a round of mind blowing sex. The recent workout and all really drove up my sex drive and Denise was pretty blown away when my abs started showing.
She would literally beg me to take her in whatever way possible when I stayed over.
We’re no longer fuck buddies in case you are wondering. Denise and I sort of progressed. We’re in a relationship now. Given the age difference, you would think it’s a sugar daddy and sugar babe relationship but you are wrong.
She’s more like my sugar mummy. Denise started selling some jewelleries and watches that Herman got for her and she used the money to buy a 3bedroom condo in Pasir ris. It’s not enough to pay it all though according to her.
Still, she was taking less than 200k in mortgage loan. It came with existing tenants and the rent alone would more than cover her mortgage payment.
Denise bought everything I wore for me. Clothes, underwear, everything. It’s all simple and cheap stuff, not that I can’t afford to pay for them, it’s just that when she sees it, finds it suitable, she’ll just buy it.
Toothbrushes, tooth pastes, everything right down to the condoms we seemed to burn through every week.
20th November 2017
Monday
11.30pm
This has to be the weirdest meeting ever.
My friends and I gathered at the front gate of Istana right in the middle of town.
It’s late on the Monday evening, there were still quite a few cars on the road.
Other than a couple of curious tourist, we were pretty much alone.
I could see the guards eyeing us suspiciously as we looked at Soh who was holding the letter in hand.
Mohan : How ah…. Show the police the letter ah ??
Soh : How I know….??
Tommy : Eh… wait they think we trying to be funny then how ??
Rizwan : yah la…. Who the fuck would walk up to Istana with a letter say the prime minister wants to meet us ….. siao bo ??
Soh : quiet… quiet…. Diam la… I go and ask….
Soh walked towards the guards at the gate and spoke to the officer.
He took a look at the letter before radioing his colleague.
A side gate opened up and someone was there to meet us.
The man pointed us to a shelter at the side where we walked though those portals and the machine will detect if you are carrying stuff you are not supposed to carry.
After we’re done, the man pointed to the slope in front of us.
Man : walk up the slope…. About 500m or so…. Someone will wait for you there…
We started walking the vast ground of the Istana. I have never been inside this place before. Yeah I know… all the new year and open house where you can come in for your picnic and shit, but seriously, the thought of coming all the way here so I can eat snacks on the grass, no thank you.
It was a quiet walk and as we did, we can see guards spread out along the expansive ground. I could not help but feel our every move was monitored.
We continued our walk until we came to a guardpost.
The officer gestured to a small structure on the right and we continued our way towards it.
It’s a standalone building on it’s own. Not big, much like the size of those toilets you see along east coast parks.
Single storey structure, not much to it except concrete and paint.
Mohan : ehh…. Scary leh….horror movie ah….
Soh : Diam la!!… KNN… you eat so big, scare of monster ah…
It was awfully quiet as we got to the structure.
Doesn’t look like someplace for the prime minister to host us if he’s thinking of thanking us for what we did.
I could hear footsteps approaching from behind and I turned to see James coming out of nowhere.
James : evening….. glad you could make it….
Soh ; what the fuck…. What are we doing here ??
James went right up to the building’s door, he slid down a metal panel to reveal a keypad lit by the glowing LED panel.
He keyed in his password and the bolt snapped back.
James : Come….. inside…
The door opened and when we stepped in, I was surprised to see 2 guards sitting in front of a row of monitors. There were 2 lifts inside the structure and they were being guarded as well by a pair of Gurkhas.
Rizwan : woah….
We waited for close to 30 minutes in the small space before James said we are ready to go.
This is really some sci fi shit as James called up the lift.
A lift.
Yeah, a fucking lift in the middle of the Istana, guarded by Gurkhas ?
Since it’s a single storey structure, it can only go one way.
Down.
We stepped into the spacious lift and James hit the ‘B’ button.
It’s huge, I mean its like those large cargo lifts in industrial area. With the lot of us inside there, there’s still plenty of room.
Jim : Where are we going ??
James : To see Welly of course…. You got his letter right…?
Jim : What is he doing here ??
James smiled but did not answer me.
It was then I realised that he was in his fatigues. He’s armed, as if he was going somewhere.
When the lift door opened, I saw a lobby of sort. Not those fancy lobbies in hotels but it’s a large concrete space about the size of your 5 room flat.
Standing around were more familiar faces. Ricky, Boon, Vince, Yogi and many more.
There were all armed. Their guns were even bigger than the ones I saw them carry back in Pengarang.
I exchanged nods with a couple of them before finally coming face to face to Welly Chin.
Our prime minister.
He too was dressed in tactical gear and he had his own sidearm.
Welly : gentlemen….. thank you for coming…. We’re a bit behind schedule…come…. We’ll talk along the way.
We fell into step with Welly as he started to walk towards the tunnel of sort led by Boon and James up front.
The tunnel looked like the train tunnels except it had no tracks. It’s wide enough for 4 man to walk abreast if needed to.
Welly : I know it’s been a while but I just want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude … for your assistance back when the country needs it most.
He went on saying he is very thankful for us and our service, pretty much patronising stuff if you get what I mean.
Welly : alright… now that I got everything that was scripted out of the way…..
He stopped and turned towards us.
Welly : what the fuck were you guys thinking…?
That took all of us by surprised and we just kept quiet
Welly : seriously….just call us if you have information… we’ll take care of it..
He continued walking as he spoke.
Welly : I wish I could give you a medal or something… GST vouchers perhaps but sorry I can’t…. thanking you guys in person is the best I can do….
We had walked a good 100 metres or before coming to another lobby of sort. It had no lifts but there were stairs.
We climb a couple of flights before coming to another smaller tunnel.
After another 100 meters or so, we entered a large room without any columns, about the size of a basketball court. There was double leaf door at the end of the room and we all walked towards it.
Welly stopped by the door and turned to face us.
Welly : Jokes aside…. The country hopes that you can keep a secret… and from what we have seen the past few months…. You guys surely can keep one.
Rizwan : You’ve been monitoring us ??
Welly : Of course…. Every call… every message…. Everyday….
Soh ; What the fuck….
Welly : we would have stopped you… thrown you in jail if you dare breathed a word about what happen but thankfully, you kept your mouth shut….. really appreciate that.
Jim : You could have just told us upfront….!
Welly : it was a difficult period for all of us…you all needed time and space to heal….
That wasn’t something nice to hear in my opinion and I sort of snapped at him.
Jim : well… it’s going to be a difficult period for you and your government at the next election that’s for sure….
Soh jabbed me in my ribs as Welly turned to look at me.
Welly : You’re not voting for my party ???
Jim : Unlikely I will…. You don’t need it anyway… look at the stellar result that got you elected in 2015…
Welly laughed and he nodded his head.
Welly : well… compared to the lousiest result in 2011…. I would say 2015 is pretty good…. But…. Do you know why ???
Welly spread his hands apart and opened the discussion to everyone in the room.
Welly : why ?? … someone tell me… why ?? why did we get such shitty election results in 2011…?? Anyone ??
Welly turned back to face us and answered his own question.
Welly : you know… you watch those period dramas…. Where the emperor …listens to his eunuchs… listen… listen…listen…then boom !
He hammers his fist onto his palm to stress his point.
Welly : the empire collapse….
Jim : errr…..what’s your point… ?
Welly : you see.. the mistake we made in 2011 was that we listened to the wrong people…. You see….those…grassroots…voices on the ground….tell me…
Welly pointed a finger at me in his typical gangster demeanour.
Welly : Would you take advice…. From people whose sole purpose in life….. is to say things that make you happy…. ???
Welly repeated his statement to the group, louder this time, stressing his point.
Welly : sole…. Sole purpose….. is to say things… that make you happy…
No one said a word as Welly went on.
Welly : let’s… let’s be honest with ourselves…. This.. all this… bullshit…I’m tired of it… but I have no choice… I have to play the game…. This is how the game is played….i’m not saying all grassroots leaders and all are bad but come on la… come on….. use the singaporean in you to think…
He tapped his head with a grin.
Welly : all this fucking nonsense…. You take a stick… throw it into the crowd at these so call grassroot committee… and you tell me the person you hit is not there because he is serving some self interest of his….. come on….
Entry to schools, free parking, business opportunities…..a star in your resume if you are in the civil service.
Welly : look into my eye and tell me I’m wrong…. I’ve seen it all…. PRs waiting for citizenship applications….hor ?? what else…. Citizen with foreigner wife waiting for visit passes…..hor ?? what else….err…people wanting to get kids into schools… somemore…money… ? tio bo ??
Welly took a deep breath and went on.
Welly : business opportunity… hor? … RC need to print this…print that….hor ? … help to open what… tution centre… hor? Do banner… hor? Funfair…. Balloons…..What else…simi lan jiao pattern also have….you think these people are really there because they want to ??? come on….. Seriously guys.. come on….
He added that to be fair, he has met his fair share of willing volunteers, but they are far and few.
Welly : out of 10…. I can safely say 9 are there because of their own interest…. it’s not wrong you know…. This is just us being who we are….
He clapped his hands and apologised for going out of point for moment and said that in the 2015 election, his party decided to stop listening to these so call voices from the ground.
Welly : what does that tell you ?? … see…… we listen to people…. We’re fucked… we don’t listen to people…. People say we don’t listen….
Jim : perhaps you are not listening to the right people ??
Welly : point to me please… point to me who….the fuck in the country….should I talk to that can best represent the interest of everyone here… ??? please… point to me…
Jim : errrr…. Me ? hahaha…
Welly laughed and said he liked my sense of humour.
Welly : You see… this is just the way things are…. you cannot please everybody…. If the day comes when I have to implement something that pisses off 49% of the people on this island…. I will do it…. I will do it if it makes things easier for the other 51%….
Welly sighed and looked up at the ceiling before asking for a bottle of water.
Welly : fuck this…. I think I said enough…. Anyway…. You tell anyone what you heard here…. James will pay you a visit…. Won’t you James ??? JAMES !!
James : yes sir… yes…
Welly turned to me again as he finished his water.
Welly : So… genius… can you give me a solution ?? …
I nodded my head and pointed to James.
Jim : Just tell him where are the people who is out to say nice things to please you…
The prime minister took a second longer to react before bursting out into laugher.
Welly : fuck man… I like your sense of humour….ahhahaha… remember to vote me… election is coming…..
Welly turned and walked towards the double door but stopped just before opening it.
Welly : Before I go… is there anything else you would like to say… it’s not everyday you get to meet the PM you know….
RIzwan : Yes sir… can you fix the fucking trains…?
Everyone turned to look at Rizwan who shrugged his shoulders.
Rizwan : the breakdowns…. You know…
Welly smiled and nodded his head.
Welly : you want to help with that ??
Rizwan : Make me the CEO ah ??hahahaha… I don’t mind ah… ahhaa…
Welly nodded and gestured to James before opened the door.
Light spilled into the dim room we were in and I felt my breathe being taken away from me.
We were no longer on Istana ground.
Fuck it was a familiar sight.
I’ve walked through that place countless times. It was a train station.
Dhoby gaut station. A major interchange for 3 train lines.
We stepped out onto the quiet corridor. I looked at the travellators that were not moving and turned my head about just to be sure it was the same station I think it is.
It really is the station.
The tunnels were walked through, it connected the Istana to the train station.
Jim : what the fuck…? ….
Welly started walking towards the northeast line and we followed closely.
I was in for another shock when we descended the long escalator towards the platform. Instead of an empty platform , it was filled men dressed in full tactical gear.
I looked at the time on the clock, it was 1am in the morning.
What is this ?
What the fuck are there so many armed men on the platform.
Someone handed Welly a helmet and a rifle.
Welly : you want to know the real reason why our trains keep breaking down ? hhahahaha….
Soh : What is this ?? …
Welly shouted to the waiting men to open the platform door.
Weapons were raised as 2 men slid apart one of the platform door.
There was this screeching sound. Loud screeching sound that sounded like someone dragging their nails along the blackboard before it changed to a low guttural growl.
Mohan’s eyes widened as he struggled to get the words out of his mouth.
Mohan : what… the fuck..!!…what the fuck!!!
Welly laughed as he pulled the charging handle of his rifle.
Jim : what are you doing ??!!
Welly replied with a smirk
Welly : gentlemen… I would like to reassure you that…. I’m taking a personal interest in this train issue….in time to come… we will fix it…. So….. remember to vote for me….
Boon came over and started ushering us backwards onto the upriding escalator.
Jim : wait.. wait… what the fuck…
As we got higher up, I bent down to look at them men. They were jumping one after another onto the train tracks.
Rizwan : wait… wait !!
We got higher and higher until we got up to the station level.
Boon made sure all of us leave the train station and into a corridor that led to the outside. We stepped out into the cool morning air and Boon gave us a final word of advice.
Boon : You say a word about this…… it won’t end well…. Please keep it to yourself…
With that, he shut the door and that was it.
We’re back out, a mere stone throw away from the open plaza in front of the shopping mall.
30th November 2017
Thursday
4.30pm
It was a slow day and we were working out in office when a landscaping lorry pulled into the compound.
I saw Boon and Yogi come out of the vehicle and they were trying to unload a large potted tree onto the ground.
Jim : hey… hey… what the fuck man ??what is this ??
Soh came out as well but Boon ignored us.
He literally just fucking dropped off the tree in the middle of the fucking patio, got back into his vehicle before driving off.
He didn’t even say hi.
Soh and I went to the potted tree and took a closer look.
Jim : It’s a bomb… they’re going to kill us…
Soh : don’t be cock la…
I pressed the soil it was on and dug into it, my fingers immediately came into contact with plastic.
I swept aside the soil and dug deeper. I grabbed onto the plastic and pulled out a bag full of money.
Jim :fuck ….
I quickly dropped it back as Soh stared on in shock.
The rest of the guys came running , curious to see what was happening.
Soh : don’t touch it… don’t touch it….!!… I’m calling the lawyer… they can’t just throw this here and try to frame us for something… fuck…. Leave it here… don’t touch it.. !!
We got back into the office and Soh was searching through his contacts when my phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
I answered it and it was James….
James : put me on speaker Jim….
Jim : what the fuck… how did you get my number ??
I put him on and gathered the guys.
James : Soh… I’ll keep this short…. The country requires your services and we will be willing to pay for them….
Soh : what the fuck is this…. stuffing money in the potted plant ??
James : this is all hush hush by the way… I’m sure you know what to do with the money in this case….
Soh : Take your money… we’re not interested….we
James interrupted Soh with a name.
James : Edward, Fernando. Chan..….the 3 fucking assholes….
Soh : What ?
James : we found Fernando…. He was the one who chose…. Which childcare to hit….you guys want in or not…..
Everyone went quiet as we exchanged looks. The raw feeling of losing Eric came back that instance to haunt us.
James : Edward’s captured men gave us a lot of information we can use…. Fernando just crossed the border into Malaysia from Thailand…… last chance.. you want in or out….
Soh gritted his teeth as he met each of us with his eye as we nodded.
Soh looked at the potted tree in the patio and said something we are all so familiar with.
Soh : Gentlemen…. You see that tree over there…. Bring it in……
………………………………………………………………………………….
The end
Thank you for reading my work.
I hope you enjoyed the roller coaster ride the past 2 months.
This is a work of fiction.
Appreciate the effort to all who logged in to leave me a comment. Thank you for the kind words of support.
I’m unable to reply each and every comment on the thread but i looked forward to reading each one after every update. Even after writing so many pieces, part of me would still be worried if people like what they are reading and if i’m doing it right.
Just to clarify, i am not affiliated with any agencies who does online propaganda.
I just write what i like.
I am not pro any political parties, i am only pro Singapore.
So to the bro who left a comment about me working for the government, haha. it’s a no.
I don’t get paid for writing, no one even offered me a $100 to promote budget 2018.
I bet i can do a better job. I’ll put on a bra and hot pants if needed too, get my photo taken with the sun in my face and add in the hashtag.
Sadly though, i am not a media influencer. I’m not good looking, i don’t have long fair legs , nice boobs and i cannot pose for shit in front of a camera.
Still, i believe with my hairy legs, my middle finger and the barely working camera on my phone, i should be able to get a decent picture up.
So, MOF, if you are reading this.
write me. I’ll share a secret with you.
half of the followers of these influencers are just fapping to their photos. The young chap that suggested this is probably doing it as well. Now he gets to talk to these girls he is stalking online and pay them, all at tax payers expenses. Sounds like something James would do.
There, wisdom you can only get from this forum.
And by the way……why are you even on this forum ?
Just kidding…… hahah
Happy CNY to all in advance.
May 2018 be a prosperous and bountiful year to all.
CHeers
James
Thank you for the kind words and compliment.
I’m glad you all enjoyed the read.
For the MRT station scene, i realised it’s not exactly clear what i’m trying to say. Should have elaborate a little more.
Anyway, i’m setting the stage for a possible sci -fi piece sometime in the future.
In short, perhaps while digging for the tunnels we let something out.
Something ancient.
That’s the reason for the train disruption. hahah.
nothing concrete yet, but it’s definitely an angle i’m looking at.
Cheers
James
Quote:
Originally Posted by
manneedmassage
Wow bro ILOCK, as a fellow member of the forum, I give you my utmost respect in your stories. Every single one of them that I read has made me unable to sleep through the night scrolling through each page till the end. You have a talent my friend and it’s gonna bring you somewhere, and I mean it. Great writings. Deep down from my heart.
Thank you for your kind words.
I’m glad you enjoyed the read.
Cheers
James
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SerflySGR
Thank you for putting in time to write.
Writing itself is already not easy; but to weave in twists and storylines like you do is an art.
Thank you for keeping us entertained, Bro
ILOCK
Thank you for the compliment