After Hayate had left to meet up with the new member of their mission, that went by the name of Rig, Kasumi and the rest of Hayate's clan, alongside Ayane and Ryu have been sent by Helena to go and look for Donovan, once again... unfortunately, the search got up nothing and all of the ninjas returned with empty hands. And as the hunt became less and less reasonable, Ryu was the first to grow sick of this and so he made up a plan himself.
"We are wasting too much time." Ryu said.
"There was no need to say it, Master Hayabusa." Ayane responded.
Helena was sitting on her chair in front of her desk and placed her hand on her forehead while sighing in sadness and annoyance. The fact that she still didn't get news about Zack's conditions as the latter was still not available to assist her due to an accident...it made the situation even worse for Helena as she was concerned for the DJ.
"So...still nothing?" The French asked.
Ayane had to shake her head. "I hate to say it, I really do, but no."
"I should have expected as much... we barely have any clues, of course, we won't gain any success because of this." Helena said.
This was where Ryu had to say it. There was no better time than now.
"Hence why, why I have a Plan B... remember this old laboratory?" He asked.
Kasumi and Ayane were confused when Ryu made that question. They didn't know if he was talking about the one they just escaped...or the other one where Hayate was captured before he was eventually freed.
"Before you ask...I'm talking about the one where we finally took Alpha-152 down." Ryu added.
Now the two kunoichis raised their eyebrows in surprise. Bayman as well a little bit...as he remembered when he helped Hayate and Ayane getting inside. The Russian folded his arms as he looked serious as always.
"What about it? That place is destroyed." Bayman said with his trademark Russian accent.
Ryu returned his seriousness. He knew that the mercenary was right…however, there was still something inside the ninja that kept telling him to there.
"Even then, it's the ONLY place thus far, that could potentially lead us to where our destination lies... to Donovan. Even with low chances... it is still an opportunity." He said.
Ayane had to sigh in annoyance. "As if now worthless pieces of junk metal could prove to be of any value at this point... I don't even understand, what kind of business you have there."
"Again... do you have a better place to search in? Then let me hear it." Ryu countered.
Ayane remained in silence as she had to face reality. She really did not know any other place to look for, in order to try to find Donovan's true basement.
"Wait, what about the other one? Where you rescued the hood boy?" Helena asked.
Ryu had to think back of where he, Ayane and Hayate intervened with Kasumi's mission to find and defeat Donovan once and for all. They jumped in this other laboratory where they found her fighting off the hood boy, Rig. After a quick misunderstanding about the situation, everything was clear after it was revealed that Rig was actually cloned and it was the clone itself that imprisoned Hayate before they saved the latter the last time. But even so, Ryu shook his head.
"That was only a trap. We got false information that leaded us to go into that fake laboratory, only to then getting us trapped in there with everything about to explode. The only place, that could still spill some valuable info about Donovan's whereabouts, is that laboratory on the open sea." He stated.
"When will you set off?" Helena questioned.
Ryu turned around began walking away…before stopping at the exit and turning his head over to his allies. "The sooner, the better, so they say."
With that being said, Ryu left the room and walked outside in the ship. He was about to use his ninja skills to get off and heading over to the now destroyed laboratory. However, before he could do that...a voice from behind stopped him. That voice was female and it was way too familiar to him. He heard it yelling his name.
"Hayabusa!"
He turned around to see Kasumi approaching him and looking determined.
"If what you said is correct, then allow me to assist you."
"Kasumi..."
"You may need me in the process, should there be any secret traps left."
Ryu didn't mind her company, however... he now saw in a way, why Rig was so pissed off with her, the first time they really interacted... she was no longer being protective, and tended to be more likely paranoid. But still, he couldn't be mad with her.
"Listen, I appreciate your need to help me, but this time, you won't be needed. I can manage this on my own. Aside from that, I won't be out for long, so no need to worry."
Ryu turned around to leave again, but Kasumi yelled his name again. He remained still and there was silence before he broke it with one simple sentence. "Don't make me repeat myself."
He then jumped off and with an incredible speed, he was immediately nowhere to be seen. Kasumi looked concerned before looking on the ground with a look that seemed like a depressing one...before she turned around to return back inside.
With his teleportation technique, Ryu had warped himself to the south coast of the US, where the previous laboratory was last seen. He speeded through the street with incredible velocity, he could be described as the silent, yet deadly wind... along the way, he had to think of someone, that has been involved with Donovan's affairs. It was no other than Lisa Hamilton. He remembered everything about her. Not just how they first met...but the fact that she used to work for Donovan. He remembered confronting her in Tokyo...fighting her, which resulted with her escaping. He could never forget the fact that DOATEC's and by extending her own actions, leaded the Mugen Tenshin Clan to suffer. Despite that, there was something that was kinda giving him second thoughts about her. And that was the fact that she was the one who saved Hayate from reactivating Project Epsilon. He also did remember that this act was not the first time she did it...as she also was the one who planned to stop the old DOATEC during the events of the 4th tournament. Maybe...Ryu might forgive her, if she would really prove her redemption. However...there was a problem. She was there when that laboratory was about to be destroyed. He was too focused in taking down Alpha-152, along with Hayate, Kasumi and Ayane. And after all that...he never heard from Lisa again. This totally gave him the impression that Lisa Hamilton was probably deceased due to the explosion. But despite this, he still had a mission to finish and so he decided to push her away from his mind for the meantime of this mission going on... but what he didn't realize... THAT will be a walk in the park compared to later.
"That lab isn't far anymore... all I need is a boat."
He took the one that was the nearest he could find. It didn't take long for him to arrive at destination. And there it was. The old lab...totally blown up. All the pieces of junk metal everywhere in the dirt. There was a still a bit of fire in there, but it wasn't that much of a problem. Ryu was a little bit surprised that the area was not cleaned yet since it has been more than two weeks after the battle. He remained serious while slowly making his way there. As he walked around, he could see, a few doors led inside the building, and despite them having suffered damage from the numbers of explosions... they still functioned for some reason.
"We might as well have a deeper look, while we are at it." Ryu said in his thoughts.
He went for his energy blast to destroy the door before him to pieces. What he witnessed after that, was more pieces of junk metal laid to the ground. Ryu knew that if he would go like this, then he would have probably waste time for nothing. He needed to find any clues in there...and so, without further ado, he began to walk carefully in there while keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it should something strange, or a sudden trap, occur. His eyes the widened a little after he saw something on the ground...it was something white-colored. He knelt down near it and took it on his hand. It was a piece of a lab coat...and it was pretty dirty. He inspected it and once smelled it at the neck area... the scent of a very specific perfume came to him and he remembered it a little too well, as there was only one, who would use such an exotic scent for a perfume.
"Lisa... it has to be her. "
He still thought that Lisa was dead...since there was no way that she could have survived an explosion like that. So, he thought to maybe find her body, and check, in her clothes, if she had something that could lead to Donovan's true hideout. Ryu didn't waste time if not to look anywhere there to find her. His search, though, revealed to be more simple than he would ever thought...because he heard something. It was a weak female moaning. Ryu turned quickly to the direction where that noise came from, as he approached it slowly while still feeling in alert. He didn't see anything yet...but he could still hear the noise getting closely as he was exactly where it came from. And the moaning became the loudest, once he reached a burnt and destroyed door, blocking his path... he flexed his right's arm's muscles to concentrate all his ki on that one arm, before punching the door to the side to enter. And once the dust settled... his surprise wasn't possible to be described in words, as his sight fell upon that severely injured, black woman in the center of the little destroyed hall.
"I should have known it... Lisa!"
He immediately ran over and kneeled beside her, before calming her down with him brushing across her forehead carefully and once she saw Ryu, she couldn't believe it herself.
"R-Ryu... i-is that you...?" She said weakly.
Her voice sounded like as if she was about to die. Her entire uniform was ruined, dirtied full of dust. Even her face was little bit dirtied with dust...and she was bit bleeding.
"How did you survive that...?"
Lisa panted a lot as she was doing her best in trying to speak. "I-I...I was trapped...after everything was collapsing...I thought I was ready to die...until I thought again...I could not just l-let myself get killed...like this...I...s-succeeded...in trying to e-escape...but...I was not far away from here...I g-got hurled d-down...u-until...I ended u-up like this. I d-don't even know...h-how am I...s-still a-alive..."
On the inside, Ryu felt much more relieved than ever... probably because it made him glad to see someone he still had so much to ask... he calmed her down, by softly brushing across her hair.
"I will get you out of here. Hold on tight." He told her.
That comment made her surprised a little. Despite her past actions as well as the hostility he showed to her...she thought, for a moment, that he would leave her like this as a sort of 'punishment'. She never really knew about how Ryu really was, though. He gently grabbed her, despite making her moan in pain a little because of her injuries, before she gave a very weak chuckle.
"F-For once...no hard feelings...?" She questioned.
Ryu remained silent though, as he lifted her up... but then, as he was about to leave, his eyes swiftly moved to the side, as he sensed something abnormally powerful behind him rising.
"I can't let you go..." That sudden voice was somehow very familiar to Ryu. It sounded just like...Kasumi. He quickly teleported, along with Lisa, to avoid an incoming kunai that was flying in his direction. Ryu reappeared again in the middle of the fully damaged area, with Lisa on his arms who looked alarmed.
"R-Ryu...what's going on...!?" Lisa weakly and desperately said.
Ryu still remained in silence...before he quickly dodged an incoming flying kick from the sudden attacker. Ryu could not handle the figure that was just attacking, with the female scientist in his arms. So he had to teleport again to keep a fair distance from the attacker. It was a girl...but her eyes were being covered by a hood along with a black coat.
"Fighting with her would be a waste of time... and with Lisa being at the brink of death, losing time will shorten her life span anyways... I have to go for a hasty retreat this time." He thought.
And with that, he barely managed to dodge an incoming jumping kick from the female-voiced enemy... before running out of the hall with Lisa holding on tightly to him, as best as she could. He could sense her dashing towards him in order to attack him, but Ryu simply jumped forward to avoid her attacks. The attacker went for other kunai that almost reached the female scientist. Luckily for her, Ryu's speed prevented her from feeling steel on her flesh. The two thought they finally escaped in time...before the attacker appeared right in front of the two.
"You won't escape." The voice, that sounded like Kasumi, said.
Ryu was in a really tough situation now. Should he try to attack her now, it would only cause problems, since Lisa might get hit too and losing her would be a HUGE failure, as she had plenty of personal information about Donovan... but should he run, it won't be any better.
"I can't let this woman in your arms live." The female attacker said.
Ryu knew that the attacker must be another Kasumi's clone judging by the voice. And most likely she was created by Donovan. The only way to discover more about this...was through Lisa's information since she was possibly involved when this clone was created. All that Ryu had to do now was finding quickly a way to disappear an make sure that the clone would lose his sight. He noticed her charging at him, in way similar to how Kasumi normally did, and prepared to attack. Just as she was close...Ryu crouched at the last second to avoid a high kick, before Ryu countered with a swift kick against the face of the attacker. That attack was hard...and it made the clone crash against the ground, with her hood lowered. Her, stunned face, was revealed...it was so much like Kasumi's.
"I cannot believe it..." Ryu whispered almost in shock.
But then Ryu ignored this and used this as his chance to escape, succeeding. And once the clone recovered from the attack, she noticed that her targets were gone. She looked with a depressed look.
"I had to do it...and I failed. Why must I fight? Is it my sole reason to live?" The clone said to herself. That was a question that made two huge tears ran down her cheeks.
It took a while, before Ryu arrived at a nearby hospital to let the doctors take care of Lisa's critical condition. And after that, he left to head back at the ship as he met up with Helena again to inform her about the mission having been a success thus far AND that he has discovered the only survivor that entire incident. While heading and spoke with her at the same time. After Hayabusa explained what happened so far and who was the survivor he found...Helena widened her eyes in absolute shock.
"Are you sure? Lisa Hamilton?!"
"Yes...she wasn't lasting much longer, though. I had to bring her to an hospital. But before that...I first had to deal with something that must be Donovan's new creation."
That made Helena really feel shocked. "What? Another weapon?!"
"Correct, and this one weapon looked like a clone of one of the most loyal members of our group... Kasumi." Ryu said.
Helena had to remember the other Kasumi's clone that only cared about putting a stop to Alpha-152, before it was eventually killed by Hayate and Ayane.
"Another Kasumi's clone..." Helena murmured.
"Lisa could possibly be our only clue about where Donovan could be...and what he is currently planning. Unfortunately, she won't be telling us answers, as long as she hasn't cured one bit... until then, we might have to wait." Ryu told her.
"At least, she is now at a much safer place..." Helena said while feeling a bit relieved.
However that didn't make Ryu feel the same as well. "As long as this clone is on the loose... NO ONE is safe. I will guard over her, until she has fully regained her health." He said.
Helena agreed to that decision. Ayane, on the other hand, felt more annoyed right now...first it was Hayate to leave to watch over someone...and now master Hayabusa had to do the same. At least, in her view, it was for a understandable reason. Bayman, upon hearing the fact that a clone attacked Ryu all of sudden, began to feel suspicious.
"Wait a second there. How did the attacker look like?" The Russian asked.
"She looked exactly like Kasumi. She even sounded like her." Ryu responded.
Once Bayman heard that, he began balling his fists tightly together and heart began racing like crazy on the inside. He was almost at the verge of raging. But since this was untypical for him to do as he would always keep his composure, he did so. But even that didn't stop him from being angry. Helena noticed this and looked at the mercenary with a slight concern.
"What is it, Bayman?"
The mercenary panted a little as he looked extremely serious. He closed his eyes as he remembered that day when he lost his comrades...because of one person...that looked like Kasumi, only clothed with a black coat.
"If his description fits with the same person that I had to watch slay all of my fellow comrades..." Bayman said as he looked at his open palm, before clenching it together painfully into a fist, which concerned Helena further. "...then we NEED to track this monster down and exterminate it ONCE AND FOR ALL."
Ayane scoffed at this as she simply leaned her back on the wall as she folded her arms.
"That's very easy for you to say. We don't even know where this thing is. It was already hard to find and track down that other clone of Kasumi." She said.
"But I don't think, I need to repeat myself about Lisa first having to recover, before giving us answers, do I?" Ryu said.
Hearing them all talk like that about the clone, which was at this point revealed as Donovan's new weapon 'Phase-4', made Kasumi's blood boil. She was the only one, that felt sorry for her and seeing them all act like she was the problem of everything was making her sick.
"So she is just a weapon to you all, isn't she...?" Kasumi said as she interrupted the conversation.
Everyone looked at her in seriousness, before Ryu broke the sudden silence and began asking to the kunoichi. "What are you trying to say?"
Kasumi looked elsewhere in what seemed like a depressing look before glancing at all her allies and speaking in an almost desperate tone.
"Don't you think that maybe she's forced to do all this? Maybe we can find her and try to question her actions. We could help her to be freed from Donovan." Kasumi said.
That suggestion made Ayane looked very annoyed as she always disliked her sister being always this soft. Helena was feeling with some doubts. Ryu remained neutral...while Bayman was starting to get angry before keeping his eyes focused on Kasumi.
"Little girl...you do realize that this thing is a machine created by Donovan and not a human being? These are created for one thing only...bring destruction and being a menace such as killing my own comrades. I will never forgive that thing for what she did." The mercenary said.
Kasumi's eyes then narrowed, as she began gritting her teeth in anger. She would never accept Phase-4 as a killer.
"Did I ask for your forgiveness? She won't need it!" She told him.
Bayman smashed his fist on the nearby desk. "How could you possibly be this limited in your mind to DEFEND a machine, that has been created for causing nothing but chaos everywhere? If you really feel like this in denial, let me ask you something: If she really didn't mean doing all this... why hasn't she freed herself from Donovan yet?"
Kasumi was getting angry too as she closed her eyes and then reopening them while glancing at the Russian while yelling a little bit.
"Because I know she's forced to do that! And I will not allow it to go on! I shall find her...and free her from being Donovan's slave!"
Bayman scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, you don't even have any proof, that she is forced to do all of this! Who is to say, that she is doing this in approval, because she sees no other reason to exist either way?"
Even Ryu was surprised at how quick his most loyal fighting partner lost control of herself this time. He had to admit, he almost never saw this bitter side of Kasumi before. The kunoichi just didn't stop being angry at the fact that Bayman was denying her expectations. Sure he had a point that she had no proof that Phase-4 was being forced to do these bad actions and the fact that he had a beef with the clone, due to him losing his partners...however, Kasumi knew that not all the clones that Donovan created could be this loyal to the latter. And sooner or later...she will prove that. In that moment, though, she had nothing to say to counter Bayman's remark and simply walked away. Ayane simply facepalmed and sighed in an almost desperate way.
"You simply can't argue with her... and I thought, I was as stubborn as a ramb..." Ayane said.
"We will deal with this too... but not now. She will have to accept it." Ryu added.
Bayman watched Kasumi leave as he returned in his composure before he folded his arms. Helena was still being concerned about the entire situation as she tried to fix any problem one by one.
"Right, let us first deal with our current situation. Hayabusa, so you will try to pay a visit to Lisa Hamilton at the hospital when it is the time, correct?" The French asked.
Ryu nodded at her. "Yes, So that maybe we could get more information about Donovan's whereabouts."
"Then better let us pray, that we will be lucky this time..." Ayane said.
Ryu had to think to himself. Since Lisa had survived the lab-explosion... despite the mission, he also had plenty of questions pointed at her... he still wanted to know her true motives. And he had to admit... he kind of missed her.
Ryu had to wait at least one week, to make sure that Lisa would get healed a little and have the strenght to talk. After that moment came, Ryu went to the hospital where he brought Lisa in order to have her recovered from her injuries. And to make sure the doctors or any pedestrians would not feel strange or alerted, Ryu made his way there with casual clothes, without his mask and with his ponytail revealed. He walked inside the hospital before asking for the room where Lisa was. The worker told him where and soon the ninja walked into the corridor to head to the room. After he arrived, he noticed a nurse exiting the room and closing the door before the latter noticed Ryu.
"Oh, good morning sir. Are you here to visit the patient?" She asked.
"Yes. Is she awake?"
"Yeah, she has woken up, but please, don't let her overstrain herself... the wounds aren't fully heal yet, but her consciousness has returned, so... get in, please."
Ryu nodded, before entering the room... only to see an exhausted-looking Lisa, staring in no particular direction in the room. And it was just then...that she heard footsteps coming closer to her bed. She really was not in a mood for visitors and so she turned her head to the one that just entered the room.
"Whoever you are, I'm not in th-" She stopped after seeing the person that just was there. All she saw was a man with a ponytail with a white 'business' uniform. She didn't know that it was Ryu...since she never saw him without wearing his black ninja suit.
"Who are you?" She questioned in confusion.
Ryu had to show a little grin before folding his arms. "You don't recognize this voice?"
And that made Lisa's eyes shot wide open... of course, she knew this voice and once she slowly and painfully turned around to take a closer look... the voice could only mean one thing.
"R-Ryu...?!"
"Who else did you expect?"
Lisa just didn't know how to react. She felt flattered that out of all the people...he would visit her like this. Sure, she remembered that it was him who saved her from the death...but still she was surprised. However, it slowly faded away as she could quickly understood why he was there.
"Are you here...to ask information...?" She said.
Ryu had to lean against the wall and look a little serious. "Unfortunately, yes, as sorry as I am to say this..."
She still was feeling a bit surprised that he was apologizing. "And let me guess... you'd like to know... where Donovan's potential whereabouts could be... right?"
Ryu raised his eyebrows after she guessed that he wanted to know. Although, he kind of predicted it since she knew that he was doing his best to stop Donovan. Sadly for the ninja, Lisa had some bad news as she looked a bit depressed.
"If so...then I'm sorry to say it. I never knew where Donovan really was. He, somehow, manages to predict your arrival. When you and the rest of the ninjas arrived in that laboratory...he probably must have escaped to go into his real location without me knowing it. And I've been foolish...I shouldn't have let my guard down...I could have stopped him."
That last part made Ryu curious as he narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Ryu...I might have worked for him the last time we met. But if you want to know the reason why I saved Hayate, thus preventing the recreation of that project...is because I was secretly working against Donovan."
This certainly was a huge surprise for the ninja... but it raised further questions for him.
"But... if that's true... why didn't you tell this before?"
"Well, think sharper... your presence might have uncovered my identity and our good old Donovan might have gone after me as well. Probably now...he must have seen, somehow, that I turned my back on him by saving Hayate. But I don't think he would be this surprised...he probably foresaw it."
Ryu was still confused. He still remembered that this good action was not the first time she did it. At this point he just could not understand her real reasons. But before he could question that...her voice took over once more.
"Hayabusa...I know you probably hate me due to my past actions...I know that what I was doing was wrong. I just...I just had to ''play along'' and pretend to be loyal to Donovan...just to make sure he would have been easy to me to track him down. But still...my actions really did something bad to Hayate and the rest of his clan. And that is why...all I ask now...is forgiveness."
Ryu was indeed in shock now, because that was also something he would have liked to mention in that moment. Lisa looked at him with melancholic eyes, indicating she was genuinely sorry about everything she has done. But considering what she did, gave him a hard time to believe her.
"If what you say is the truth...then how can I trust you?" Ryu said.
Lisa formed a very weak grin between her lips. She kinda knew that saying this wouldn't earn his trust just yet as she had to prove it.
"Because I can tell you more of Donovan's newest weapon: "Phase-4". I witnessed her creation, the way she behaved...how she was ordered to do Donovan's dirty work. I can easily figure out this clone's weaknesses. Plus...as soon as I get fully healed...I shall help you, Kasumi, Helena and the rest of your allies...to finally put a stop to Donovan." She responded.
Ryu noticed how serious Lisa was going…and maybe that could really be her redemption. But like he thought earlier, he still needed to see that to make sure that she confirmed it.
"This sounds about good to me." Ryu said.
What? What else should I do? Get on my knees and pray to you like a god for forgiveness? Yeah, like THAT'D ever happen..." Lisa told him as she cracked a weak chuckle.
"You're right, let's not get ahead of ourselves." He responded.
With that he took a chair nearby, placed it near to Lisa's bed and sat on it. That made her raise her eyebrows and she had to show a smile.
"Since you predict that Donovan might look for you due to your action...I guess I shall stay here to guard you, to prevent him from taking you out. Other than asking for your help for more information about his new weapon. See this as a sign of my gratitude...for saving Hayate and repenting your past actions." He said.
Hearing this, totally made Lisa happy on the inside. The fact that he was now about to watch over her in order to protect her. It made her remember of their first meeting on the ship years ago. She could only forget all the bad circumstances...and start it right over with him.
"Oh Ryu...for once, you're not argumentative."