Story 3 of 7 More Detail 

03 The Big Chase
Zawadi AkinyiA few years after the fall of the Fisi Corporation, Kenya was slowly returning to a life of peace and prosperity. Starting from scratch and regaining her freedom and happiness. Throughout the country, people were working to establish a society that had equal rights for all, and the new government was trying to rebuild everything that the Corporation destroyed.
In Kangemi, there was still much to be done. Insecurity, hunger and extreme poverty were still the order of the day. In one of the elevated apartments, a young man named Anza prepared to leave his room and make his way to his new job. After the events of recent years, he was glad to be getting a chance to make something of himself.
Despite the excitement of a new job, Anza was filled with doubt as to whether he would be able to do his job well. He was anxious and questioning his ability to face the new challenge that awaited him, and he left his room with a heavy heart. His thoughts clubbing around the worst scenarios possible. Even a walk through the streets which generally left cheerful did not warm the cold expression on his face. He had not yet found the strength or courage to begin this new chapter of his life.
Suddenly a commotion nearby snapped him back from his grey prison, and he turned towards the kiosks lining the street. There he saw two men holding weapons threatening one of the shopkeepers, They forced shopkeeper to hand over the little money he had, and some merchandise then took off from the scene.
Immediately, Anza rushed over to the kiosks.
“Is everybody ok?” he asked.
“Those criminals stole everything!” the keeper replied.
As people gathered to help, Anza looked up and down the street, trying to figure out what to do. After spotting something, he turned to the shopkeeper again.
“I’ll go for help,” said Anza “don’t worry”.
“Thank you, Anza! You’re a good man.”
Anza ran up the street towards where the thugs had vanished and quickly managed to locate them in an alley counting the loot they had stolen from the shops. Trying to stroll casually into the lane so as not to alert the thugs he started manoeuvring himself into a position to attack, but they thugs grew suspicious and took off again before he could get to them.
Unable to hide his intentions anymore, Anza chased after the evil-doers, hoping he was fast enough to catch them. But he was forced to hide behind a wall when they started shooting. As they got to edge of Kangemi, he saw them boarding an anti-gravity slider and rapidly pull away heading towards Westlands. So, he had no choice but to commandeer a G-bike that was parked nearby.
The thug’s slider was a stolen old-model anti-gravity racer, which made things really tough for Anza’s G-bike. As the thugs took the highway, Anza was forced to floor his accelerator in a bid to catch up. At some point in the chase, one of the men begun to shoot at Anza again, who deftly evaded the rounds and continued his pursuit.
After a good while without let up, the sound of sirens joined the racers. And the thugs no longer had the advantage of speed or even firepower. The police with state-of-the-art G-bikes had joined the pursuit near an area known as Museum Hill. Realizing they were about to go into a populated, Anza had to come up with a plan real quick. He veered off into a narrow alley in an attempt to get ahead of the thugs and cut them off.
After crossing several blocks, Anza turned back on the main road where he risked his life and accelerated his G-bike to slid right in front of the thugs, who were barrelling down on him at full speed. This made their stolen vehicle lose control as it tried to dodge his bike and they ended up crashing into a wall.
Anza then had to quickly get off the G-bike and duck behind a wall as the thugs started shooting which bought them enough time to take off on foot before the patrol vehicles arrived at the scene.
Just as Anza was preparing to get back on the G-bike and resume the chase, the police officers arrived at the scene, Ordering him off the bike at gunpoint. He quickly established that he was not one of the thugs and explained what had happened since the robbery in Kangemi and the race that followed through the city. As he was talking, the police captain arrived, and immediately recognised him.
“Anza?” asked the captain.
“Captain Ebuya sir, it’s been so long” replied Anza.
“I see you couldn’t wait to get in on the action…” said Captain Ebuya, an old friend of Anza and his trainer at the Police Academy some time back. The job that Anza was on his way to start was that of a police officer in Nairobi.
“Well, sir”, said Anza, “I think I will take this experience as an excellent start to my new job…”
The rest of the police officers turned to Anza in surprise. They now knew that civilian they had stopped was one of theirs, and if there were any doubt about this guy’s skills, they already had their answer with his act of bravery. They, however, did not have time for introductions because the thieves were still loose, and they had to move quickly.
The Captain allowed Anza to organise the rest of the officers and using traffic cameras for facial recognition they were able to start a scan of the city in search of the thugs. Soon they had a location as the thugs tried to leave the town.
Anza was again in pursuit of the thugs, this time with the cooperation of the police force. Riding with a lot more confidence, Anza had never been this high above the city, and it looked so beautiful that it took his mind off the job for a moment until he remembered his promise to help the shopkeeper to recover his money and merchandise.
As soon as Anza and the police patrols arrived at the city’s outskirts, they were able to spot a vehicle similar to the one that the thieves destroyed in the town during the chase. Although this one was a slightly older model and a bit more worn out. After escaping from the police, the criminals had stolen another vehicle to be able to leave the city, and according to the police scanners, this was the vehicle they had taken.
It didn’t take long for the thugs realised that the police had caught up with them and they tried to accelerate, but it was too late. They were already surrounded, and they had no choice but to surrender. As Anza and Captain Ebuya approached the thugs. The captain pointed at them while speaking to Anza.
“Anza, because it is your first day and you took the initiative from the beginning, I give you the honour of formally arresting them.”
“Thank you, sir,” replied Anza, as he proceeded to arrest the thugs while reading them their rights.
At the end of the day, Anza went home satisfied that he had carried out his duties to the best of his ability. He had not only returned the G-bike to its original place and also brought back the shopkeepers belongings, but he had also learnt that no matter what tomorrow brings, he had to be willing to do his best to fulfil his duty. Always aiming to surpass himself and improve his performance. And as a new chapter in his life began, he felt he was ready for the challenges to come.