He was sitting at his usual table with a pen in one hand and a dry martini in the other. There were four olives in it, but he would never eat them until the glass was empty. With his pen he was crunching a few numbers and doing business in the last place where anyone would want to do business. Since he was the owner of establishment, it was impossible for him to avoid work. This place was his business. Everyone was content and behaving themselves. Several months ago the bar and the hotel had hit a bit of a dry spell. Someone had violated the rules and as a result one of his customers was found in his room, murdered.

The person who did it was swiftly dealt with but that didn't change what happened. Many clients cancelled reservations and kept their distance for a while. It wasn't the first time someone had crossed the Continental and Winston knew Ms. Perkins was not likely going to be the last. The best Winston could do was go out of his way to assure his clients that efforts were being made to make sure something like this would never happen again.

He had been protesting the move for over a decade but electronic key cards were now installed for every room to prevent someone from picking the lock like Ms. Perkins had easily done the night she attacked John Wick. Another move that was made was the installation of bulletproof glass on every window in the building. That was a costly upgrade but it was one that quickly paid itself off as more clients began to return once they were installed. Winston didn't want to think about it, but for some reason fate had other plans.

One of the bartenders walked up with a message folded up in her hand. "You need to see this."

"Thank you, Addy." Winston said as he took a sip of his martini as he took the small slip from her. He opened it and read what it said. Upon seeing the contents, he finished his drink and took the olives to go.

The moment Winston left his seat, one of the guards at the door spoke into a com that was attached to the collar on his right wrist. He walked through the kitchen and made his way to the lobby of the hotel. He took his own personal entrance that led him to the back door to the main desk at the Continental. The moment he opened the door he was greeted by Cheron, the hotel manager was there waiting for him to arrive.

"Where is he?" Winston asked.

"In the lobby." Cheron replied.

Winston paused for a second. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth." The manger answered. "Only you could open the vault."

"Very good." Winston said as he patted his manager on the shoulder. "I'll take care of this myself."

"Yes, Sir." Cheron said as he watched Winston walk towards the lobby.

"Jonathan." Winston called out as he walked into the lobby.

"Winston." John Wick replied as he stood up.

"I came as soon as I heard." Winston said as he walked over and took a seat in front of the chair John had been occupying. "Please sit down."

John seemed impatient but did so anyway. "I don't mean to sound rude but I have a plane that is waiting for me."

"You're going somewhere?" Winston asked.

"I am." John answered, "Once I get what I'm here for. It's still here, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." Winston replied, "I'm here because I'm the only one who can open the vault. There are things in there that can topple governments. I am the only one certain people can trust it with. No one gets in there with my approval."

"Do I need your approval?" John asked, somewhat frustrated.

"No." Winston answered, "But I need you to tell me why you need it. You didn't even ask for it when you went after Iosef."

"You don't bring a blade to a gunfight." John explained to him. "But this time I'm going to need my sword."

"Do you mind if I ask where you're going to take it?" Winston asked.

John paused for a moment. "Tokyo."

"Are you sure you want to do this." Winston asked, somewhat concerned. "You haven't been there in quite some time. Why go after Hashimoto now after all this time?"

John's response took Winston by surprised as he laughed. "You're not going to believe this, but Hashimoto is the one waiting for me at the airport."

Winston's eyebrow shot up as he seemed taken by that statement. "He told you to never come back to Japan. What's changed?"

"This." John said as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it onto the coffee table between them.

Winston opened it to see the severed finger that was inside it. "Whose finger is this? Is this Natsuki's?"

"No, it belongs to her daughter." John answered. "My daughter."

Winston looked back up at John. "Your daughter?"

"Yes." John answered. "She's in danger and Hashimoto has asked for my help."

For the first time in a very long time, Winston was speechless. He stood up and walked back to the desk. The manager watched as Winston walked to the backroom behind the main desk and then removed a large painting from the wall.

It wasn't a very big vault but it was quite secure. Winston put his hand onto a scanner and then after his prints were verified, he entered an eleven letter or digit password that only he knew. Seconds later the door opened for what was the first time in a while.

Winston took a deep breath and removed a long katana from the vault. It didn't look very impressive. It had a black hilt that was mildly decorated but was very simple. It was not made to win any points for style. It was created to bring death upon whoever came across its path. Winston unsheathed a few inches to take a look at the metal.

"I've never seen anything like it." Cheron said as he looked at it. The blade was as a dark blackish-gray material. There was a hint of blue if you looked at it closely. "What is it?"

"It's Tungsten Carbide." Winston replied as he looked at it. "It's a man made metal compound. It's created by heating Tungsten with carbon and cementing that mixture with other metals such as nickel and cobalt. It's used in a wide variety of uses such as jewelry and drilling equipment. This is the only sword ever made out of the material. It took one of the finest bladesmith in Japan almost a year to make it. John Wick used this weapon during his years in Japan. This blade has killed many people to the point where it has a name."

"What do they call it?" Cheron asked.

"The Black Death." Winston answered. He sheathed the sword and tucked it under his arm. Without saying another word, he casually strolled back into the lobby.

John stood back up when he saw Winston approach with his sword. "Thank you."

"We've taken good care of it. Not a scratch, Jonathan." Winston said as he handed the katana over to John. "I hope that if you ever need to put that away, you'll consider the Continental again."

"I will." John said as he stared at the sword for a moment. "Thank you."

"I hope like your indestructible sword." Winston started, "That you will return to us in one piece."

"I make no promises." John said as he tucked the sheathed sword under his arm. "But I will try my best."

"Will you be needing accommodation in Tokyo?" Winston asked. "We actually have a place over there if you'd like me to call ahead."

"That won't be necessary for now." John answered, "But I will keep that in mind."

"Good luck, Jonathan." Winston said as he watched John walk away.

John never replied and was out the front door in less than a few seconds. Winston had a chill run up his spine as he thought about Wick welding that might sword again for the first time in a very long time. Heaven help the man that angered him enough to bring it out of retirement, Winston thought to himself. Whoever it was, that person was going to die very soon. That much the old man knew as he started to walk back to his bar.