A/N: Summer break!...for you guys. For me, it's my internship. Work without pay! I'm living the life! At least the stuff I write gets published. Working at a newspaper. But I have to write boring stuff like city meetings and…well that's pretty much it. Still got time to write for myself. So, just putting that out there.
Disclaimer: DMC owned by Capcom. DOA and NG owned by Team Ninja and Tecmo.
Chapter 28. Know any good 360 games I should try? Seems like a dry spell at the moment.
Dead or Alive 4: The Devil Factor
Chapter 28: The Fortress's Guardians
DOATEC Paris Air Pad 038
France
Wednesday-10:16 p.m.
"Ok, people, we got a situation down at the Paris DOATEC Executive Building. Terrorists have attacked and are engaging our forces with heavy weapons. We need to secure the skies, boys."
Nicolas began the pre-flight warm-up. The DOATEC TX3000 turboshaft engines' wine grew louder and the chopper blades rotated faster, making the helicopter's distinct thwacking sound. The battle-comp booted up and a pair of crosshairs flickered onto his visor. The battle-comp went through its checklist in seconds, all readings green.
Nicolas had been in the DOATEC air security force since he was drummed out of the France air force after a nasty incident in the Middle East five years ago. The matter was swept aside, as was he and four other pilots. The only place that would take a pilot with a black mark was DOATEC.
At first, he felt humiliated, taking a job as a corporation's security drone instead of being a military helicopter ace like he was born to be. He pictured his DOATEC career as sitting in an employee lounge with other washouts, watching television, and eating frozen dinners, only taking to the skies to ferry old, stuck up executives from one meeting to another.
He was quickly proven wrong as on his first day he was blowing up buildings in Eastern Europe. He was told that he was killing terrorists, but he had heard the rumors of the contrary from other DOATEC pilots who were at the game longer than he was.
Oh well, as long as the paychecks kept coming, he would invade hell itself if so ordered.
And to put the icing on the cake, he was piloting one of the deadliest machines that could fly, the Griffon. They were modeled after Soviet gunships: large, heavily armored, and loaded to the gills with things that were designed to turn live people dead and buildings into their basic components.
Unlike the Soviet machines that experienced troubles in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, these machines were virtually unbeatable. Anti-Stinger defense systems, bulletproof windows, and enough firepower to level a city block in one volley.
Why things that could level buildings were needed to handle a handful of crazed gunmen was lost on Nicolas, but he was not the one calling the shots.
"We are locked and loaded, Nick." Jean said from the gunner's position in front of him. "Ready when you are."
Jean was an excellent gunner, but he was the most annoying little shit he ever came across. "My name is Nicolas."
"Whatever, Nick." Jean flipped a few switches. "Just keep this bird level and I'll do most of the work."
Nicolas gripped the control stick tighter. He was not going to lose his temper.
A request for him to open his unit's cargo bay came on his comm-station. He opened the bomb-loading doors located on the side of his chopper, near the base of the tail. Each Griffon could carry bombs, usually bunker-busters for those nasty triple-layered underground hideouts. The lemon-colored automatic loading machine hoisted a thick cylinder into the doors, like a person shoveling an entire roll into their mouth. Another was on the machine's back, waiting its turn. The cylinders did not look like any of the usual ordinance he was given. In fact, it did not look like any form of ordinance at all.
"What the hell is this?"
"Special cargo." Jean replied, typing away at his screen. "Beyond that I keep getting 'classified' warnings."
Something else was coming through on the comm-link. A secure line. Nicolas almost gasped when Donovan's face appeared on his screen.
"Lieutenant Giroud." Donovan's voice crackled on the speakers.
"M…Mr. Donovan." Nicolas stuttered.
"I am tasking you and your gunner with an important assignment. You are to deliver your payload to the tower, but only when I give you the order. Until than, you are to stay out of the fighting. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Nicolas almost saluted, but his hands clung to the controls like his life depended on it.
"Very good. Donovan out." The screen flipped to the standard tactical readout.
"Whoa. The big guy himself." Jean whistled. "Whatever he's got us towing, I bet it'll be awesome."
"Yeah." Nicolas said breathlessly. "No doubt."
He tried to access the information of the 'special cargo'. If it was a nuclear device or something, he wanted to know so he could plan a course to get the hell out of the hot zone before it went off. But like his gunner said, classified warnings kept popping up.
There was a name for the devices, not that it helped since it was a rather generic name.
Project Beta: Units Beta-1 and Beta-2.
DOATEC Tower/Helena's penthouse
France
Wednesday-10:23 p.m.
"Well, if I'm your enemy." Dante pointed Ivory and Ebony out and held them in a cool fashion. "Come and get me."
Hayate charged with his blade aimed at Dante's throat. Dante fired a shot, forcing Hayate to deflect the attack by slicing the projectile in two. Dante dropped Ebony and grabbed Rebellion's hilt. He batted the wind ninja away, like he was swatting away a pesky mosquito. Hayate was tossed into the wall by the force of the attack. Jann Lee came at him with a flying kick aimed for his head. He emptied his lungs into a battle yell. Dante spun out of the way on his heels, his sword across his shoulders.
"Nice scream, pal." Dante turned to watch the man land. "Does Bruce Lee know yer rippin' him off?"
Something struck Dante from behind powerful enough to throw him past Hayate and Jann Lee and into Helena's armored door, face first.
"Ow." Dante said, annoyed. He turned back to see the brown-haired chick with a raised fist.
"Don't overlook me because I'm a woman."
"Woman?" Dante chuckled and spat blood on the ground. "More like I ignored ya cause yer just a punk kid."
"A punk kid that laid you out." Hitomi shifted into a karate stance.
"More like sucker punched me." Dante wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Well c'mon, babe, or are ya a one trick pony?"
Jann Lee stepped between them. "Ya wanna fight? I'll give ya a real fight."
"Oh, isn't this rich? First the skirt accuses me of being sexist and now bird-call man here does a macho-chauvinistic bullshit move on me." Dante shook his head. He took stock of his opponents. A guy with spiky hair and kung fu pants, a chick wearing almost all denim, a Canadian Tuxedo, and a guy prancing around in a ninja costume. "Why do I get put against the crazies?"
Hitomi shoved Jann Lee out of the way. "No way, he's mine. I can handle him."
"Think again, this fight has my name written all over it." Jann Lee pushed back, albeit gentler.
"I can't believe you." Hitomi said with fists on her hips. "You think that just because I'm a girl I can't fight him."
"No, I think you can't beat him."
"And you can?" Hitomi huffed and crossed her arms. "This is the DOATEC Experimental Playground dinosaur thing all over again."
Jann Lee hissed and rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe yer bringin' that up right now."
"Well guess what? I am!" Hitomi yelled. "You beat up that poor dinosaur for no reason."
"I beat him up 'cause you were in trouble 'cause that 'poor dinosaur' was a Goddamn T-rex!" Jann Lee imitated Hitomi's high pitched voice when he said 'poor dinosaur'. "You were messin' with its baby. If I didn't come along, you woulda enjoyed a nice tour of its digestive tract!"
"There you go again. Always about women being unable to defend themselves! I don't know what she sees in you."
"Yo!" Dante called out, snapping the two out of their bickering. "Remember me? Guy with guns and sword keeping you away from Frenchy? You two gonna fight me or do I have time to take a leak or sumthin'?"
"We'll sort this shit out later." Jann Lee faced Dante and began bouncing around in his energetic fighting mojo. "Let's take down this clown first."
"Fine." Hitomi said in the trademark female fashion to let him know that it was not fine. She reassumed her karate stance.
"Glad I brought you two together for the time…" Dante trailed off than looked around the room. "Hey, where'd ninja boy go?"
His question was answered when Hayate appeared next to him in a shower of black feathers. Dante lashed out with his sword. Hayate parried the blade with his own, this time anticipating the force behind Dante's attack. His katana slid off the Devil's Arm and came at the devil hunter's face. Dante arched his head back to avoid getting his face sliced off than snapped forward for a punishing head butt. Hayate stumbled back, his hand grasping his face. Dante brought up Ivory.
His shot was ruined when he jumped back to avoid a fist. Jann Lee kept the heat on him. Dante retreated from the frenzy of punches and pulled off a shot. The Jeet Kune Do fighter blocked Dante's gun by hitting his wrist with his forearm, cutting off his aim. The bullet hit the wall harmlessly. Jann Lee pulled on Dante's arm and unleashed a frenzy of open palm strikes to his face. The attack ended with the Chinese man ramming a foot into the side of Dante's head, causing the man in red to slam into the armored door. Again, he did the annoying bird-call yell.
Dante slowly pushed himself off the wall. Jann Lee rushed in to finish his work. Dante snapped Ivory behind him and fired. Jann Lee saw the movement and twisted out of the way. He felt the hot claw of pain when the bullet grazed his chest. The bouncer/bodyguard for hire stumbled away, grasping his chest.
Dante turned back into the fray. He put Ivory away and switched Rebellion to his right hand. Hitomi ran at him than leapt into a flying kick. Her foot became enveloped in Dante's gloved hand, stopping her cold. He pushed and twisted her foot causing her to fall back in a corkscrew. Hayate appeared again, this time coming in from below. He had his sword in motion, ready to literally cut the legs out from Dante. The devil hunter planted Rebellion in front of his foot. The katana careened off the metal pillar. A black, leather boot connected with Hayate's face, resulting in the ninja doing a flip to correct his fall.
Jann Lee snapped a kick that broke Dante's hold on his sword. The Chinese man connected with two hooks and an uppercut to Dante's stomach, forcing him into the wall again. Jann Lee did not have time to gloat as Dante immediately retaliated with a hook of his own. He moved back and felt the fist brush his nose. He felt it but barely saw the strike. Dante spun around with the momentum of the right hook and backhanded Jann Lee with his left fist. Jann Lee did his own flip, one that he had no control over.
Hitomi rushed in while Jann Lee was still airborne and grabbed Dante's coat by his lapels. She hit Dante twice in his stomach and finished with a knee to Dante's face. She darted behind Dante to continue her assault, give her teammates a chance to recover and join in. Dante whipped around and thrust his fist out. The German/Japanese teen avoided the attack and watched as he put a huge dent into a metal door. Hitomi pulled him to the door, elbowed him in the back of his head, and delivered a back kick. She kept up her assault and unleashed a straight. Somehow, Dante had gotten to his feet and moved aside as she threw her fist. He was to the side of her extended arm and crossed it with an elbow to her nose followed by a full-body hook that sent her flying back.
Grasping her face she stood with almost numb legs. She fought off the feeling when Jann Lee and Hayate took flanking positions beside her.
"Jesus. It's like we're not even hurting him." Jann Lee hissed.
"It's because we're not." Hayate muttered and rearranged his grip on his blade. "We can't treat him like he's one of us, we need to go further."
"You mean use lethal moves?" Jann Lee shot a glance at the ninja.
"If we use anything less, we might as well just toss marshmallows at him." Hayate explained.
"I dunno." Jann Lee shook his head. "I love a good fight, but I'm no killer."
"It has to be done." Hitomi wiped the blood from her nose. "I'm with you, Ein."
"Congrats, ninja boy." Dante yanked Rebellion free and slugged it on his shoulder. "Ya got yerself a groupie. Bet she's a little pistol in the sack."
Hitomi fought off the blush. Dante smirked.
"By the way." Dante pointed at Hayate's feet. "Little help?"
Ebony lay in front of Hayate.
"You're joking." Hayate said bluntly.
"Hey, I gave you back your sword, man." Dante shrugged. "I scratch your back…" He trailed off.
Hayate looked at the gun again, this time longer.
"Hayate." Jann Lee spoke slowly, like his friend would not understand if he did not. "This isn't just me talkin', this is also common sense. When yer fightin' a guy, you do not give him back his gun."
A moment passed. Hayate put the tip of his sword into the gun's trigger guard and flicked his sword at Dante, like he was batting at a rock on the ground. Ebony came flying at Dante who reached out to grab it. The power behind the throw caused Dante's arm to snap across his face and obstructed his field of vision.
Hayate had already moved. He would attack from above, where Dante's vision was blocked. His sword was ready to pierce Dante's chest. Normal killing moves were not working so he decided to aim for the more vital organs. And what was more vital than a heart?
Something was wrong though. Dante's movements were too exaggerated when he caught his gun. His arm almost went around his entire head. He saw something in Dante's right hand. It was not his sword because it was falling away from him at his side. The white gun? No, the thing her had now was larger. Whatever it was it was aimed right at him.
Dante fired his shotgun at the ninja. No surprise, the man became black feathers that scattered when it was hit by the shot. He reappeared beside his friends.
"Damn, that was close." Jann Lee said. "What is he, a walking arsenal?"
Dante leveled Ebony and his shotgun at the trio. "Who wants their daily dose of lead?"
The trio took a step back, but did not flee.
"So what now?" Jann Lee whispered.
"I can try to disarm him." Hayate said in an equally hushed tone. "Or at least draw his fire."
"I would like to point out that I was all for not giving this guy his gun back. For the record."
"Not…now…Jann Lee." Hitomi hissed.
"I'll go in first. You two come in…"
A gunshot cut off the Mugen Tenshin Clan leader, a shot that did not come from Dante. The bullet hit Hayate in the shoulder where Kevlar pads absorbed the damage. He and the others fell back further. Hitomi was instantly at his side. Two men stormed the hallway, guns drawn. At first, Dante thought they were some of Helena's goons, but he recognized the two from earlier when Helena chewed out Tina and her pop. The military guys.
They came in with pistols drawn. The silver haired man held a gun with a laser sight on the bottom. The man with black hair had a gun with a silencer attached. They came up next to Dante, guns still on the other three.
"I see you're still alive." The man with dark hair said in English with a thick Russian accent. "Helena was right about you."
Dante kept his guns raised. "So, I take it you're on the Frenchy's payroll too, eh, comrade?" Dante faked a Russian accent.
"In a sense." The black haired man replied. "And don't roll your 'r's so much. You sound like a Spaniard."
"I thought he was spot on." The silver haired man said with an accent of his own. Italian if Dante had to guess.
"Great. Three guys with guns." Jann Lee said.
"Don't tell me you're scared?" Hitomi smirked.
"Don't be stupid. Just makes things more interesting."
"I highly suggest you surrender." Bayman said. "But I doubt you will. So…"
Bayman fired.
-----
Breaking through a wall might seem like an impossible feat, but for Bass it was simple mathematics. He plus wall equals new hole.
Oh sure, there could be other ways to calculate it. He plus sledgehammer plus wall equals new hole. He plus his motorcycle plus wall equals new hole. And his favorite, he plus somebody else plus wall equals new hole. Why was it his favorite? Because it meant that someone else was acting as the hole maker.
Bass rammed through his fourth wall of the night with the Tai Ji Quan Genius as his tool of destruction. He slowed his paces and tossed her like a sack of feed. He girl rolled once and quickly got to her feet in a sort of martial arts style by swinging her legs around like a stripper flashing her undergarments for all to see. Teenagers these days, no modesty.
"Had 'nough, brat?" Bass did his best 'tough guy' pose with hands on hips and head held high. "Or do I gotta take off my belt?"
Lei Fang brushed off her dress. "Are you kidding? I've been on roller coaters more punishing this."
"Good." Bass limbered up. "Cause I got an entire amusemen' park full o' fun things I'm gonna lay on ya."
The Chinese woman sighed, shook her head, and smiled the way someone usually humors someone else.
And she charged him. Bass swung his arm in bear swiping at a beehive. Lei Fang ducked the attack, kneed him in the stomach, than did a strike with both hands that sent him back through the hole. She jumped after him…into his awaiting arms. Bass's hold was like a trash compactor, she tried to escape but squirming was not working. He tossed her away again.
Lei Fang unsteadily got up, but Bass yanked her by the arm to him and T-boned her with his forearm. She flipped and landed on her back. She rolled away before Bass's giant boot crushed her skull and stood. Bass rushed her with a knee aimed for her midsection. She snatched his leg and slammed him to the ground, face first.
Bass was back on his feet and his face filled with a smile. "Not bad, lil' lady."
A fist came at him. In a second, he had her over his shoulder and fell backward, using her to cushion the fall.
"Far from perfect, though." Bass stood with folded arms.
A quick leg sweep put Bass on his rear.
"Right back'atcha, tons of fun." Lei Fang smiled victoriously. "Naughty, naughty."
Bass's body became a bullet as he tackled her and rammed her through, yet another wall, in less than a second. However, something was keeping him from enjoying the moment. It took him a full second to realize that they had not hit ground yet. Another little something that was bugging him was that the last wall they broke through made a crunching sound of metal instead of the dull boom of plaster and wood. He opened his eyes and discovered, aside that he lost his sunglasses in the scuffle, that they were in free fall inside a shaft, an elevator shaft.
"Ah, damn."Bass muttered.
Lei Fang was pounding on his back with her fists while yelling, "Idiot!" as they fell.
-----
Normally, Tina was a woman of flair, passion, and style. She loved to put on a show both in and out of the ring. But in the DOA, it was all business, do or die. Well, sort of, no need to make it too drab. She had to win, but there was always room for some pizzazz.
At least that was how she liked it to be.
Tina swung at the woman in black who whist away like the wind. The woman moved with precision, inhuman precision. Whenever she came within a hairsbreadth of meeting the goth's face with her fist, she was gone. It was not a vanishing act, Tina could see the woman move, but it was a blur, a literal blur like her eyes could not keep up with the goth's movements.
And that damn smile. It was like the goth was just messing with her. It explained why she left her oversized novelty item of a sword by the elevators.
After a failed left hook, Tina backed off. The woman in black stood with a single hand on her hip.
"Tired already?" The woman said. Jann Lee called her Trish, right?
"Me? Please?" Tina stood straight. She wanted to play mind game? Tina could play mind games. "I can go all night." Time to deliver the bomb. "Jus' ask yer boyfriend."
Trish arched an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"
"I love his red coat. Looks good in it" Tina crossed her arms. "But he also looks good without anythin' on at all."
Tina chalked up a win for her when Trish's face showed surprise. "Dante?"
"Righty-O." It was Tina's turn to smile. "Claimed 'im for myself. Yer fault, ya know, not keepin' an eye on 'im." She moved closer, slowly, like she was doing it as part of her speech. "The opera chick was tryin' t' get his hooks in 'im and the psycho-killer almost snagged 'im." Closer. Closer. "But ya can't beat a good ol' supa-star girl like me."
"Who?" Trish was genuinely confused. "Opera chick? Psycho-killer? Who are you…?"
There! An opening! Tina lunged at Trish and got her in a hold. She turned Trish upside down, put the goth's head between her thighs, and jumped. Tina brought her legs up in a sitting position and piled-drove Trish's head into the marble floor. The crack of stone was sweeter than any music she ever heard.
"Don't let yer guard down, honey." Tina said like a tune from a song. "Cause looky what happens."
Suddenly, the room seemed to sink a little. Wait, no, she became higher. Trish stood on her hands, hoisting them both into the air. She pushed off the floor like she was doing a push-up. The force shot them to the wall where Tina cracked her head on the decorative marble ceiling.
They crashed to the floor, but rolled to their feet in an instance. They squared off.
"Who let whose guard down?" Trish said with a hint of sultry on her face.
Tina's eye twitched. "Alright, ya got me that time, but th' fight's still on."
She charged and threw a straight. This time, it connected. She followed it with another straight, a surprise uppercut, and a back roundhouse kick. Trish smashed into the wall, creating a crater. Tina moved in for the kill. Trish reached out, grabbed Tina by the front of her top, and pulled her into the wall, making the crater into a full-fledged hole.
Tina tumbled and struggled to get up. She cursed and readjusted her top before something popped out.
"Did that hurt, Miss. 'super-star girl'?" Trish walked in, swishing her hips.
Tina growled and turned. They were in a room with a few simple plastic office desks with plasma screen computer monitors, a couple of plants, and a wall of windows that showed the Paris skyline.
"All show." Trish almost laughed. "No go."
Tina almost lost it until she realized they were still playing the game.
"I got more 'go' in my lil' finger than ya got in yer entire body, vamp."
"More like in yer chest." Trish leaned forward from her waist. "How much did those setcha back? Practically scream 'fake'." Her smile returned. "I think someone has some self-esteem issues."
"These are 100% all-natural!" Tina grasped the fore mentioned body parts. "I think sumone was bitten by the lil' green-eyed monster."
"Yeah. I'm jealous that I can't lug around those bowling balls you call breasts." Trish rolled her eyes. "You get a second spine put in to keep ya from snapping like a twig?"
Tina crossed her arms. "Is there a reason ya like talkin' about my chest?"
Trish shrugged. "Just makin' conversation."
Oh, yeah, she was too much like Dante for it to be a coincidence. Time to turn it up.
"Maybe he left ya fer me cause he knew ya weren't the 'take home t' met th' family' type o' girl." Tina gave a toothy smirk.
Trish still had her smile. "Maybe."
Nothing. She obviously had a thick skin, making the game a bit more difficult than she originally surmised.
"Maybe." Tina repeated.
A loud noise came from the elevator terminals in the other room. The two looked at each other, with less tension then before. Trish shrugged, turned, and left the room through the hole. Tina waited a few seconds and slowly followed after her.
The elevator terminal had five elevators, laid from end to end in a large hall whose walls were lined with thick padded benches and leather recliner-like chairs. The hall was massive, the size of a small house and the ceiling rose to stadium levels. The place was sterile white with polished marble floors that had swirling colors of black, pearl, and dull brown. One of the elevators doors, the one in the middle, was spitting out sparks from around the mirrored metal doors. Trish walked past her sword to the elevator and pressed the call button. The doors sputtered for second.
An elevator cab big enough to park a Honda in revealed itself when the doors slid open like the curtains at a movie theater. Inside the cab were two bodies entangled with one another with sparse amounts of debris surrounding them. A gaping hole in the roof of the cab, like a huge fist punched through cardboard, had live wires thrashing about. One body was a gargantuan man with the build of a grizzly bear and clad in black leather. The other body was of a petite woman in a long orange and gold dress. Trish could tell it was a woman as her fanny was high into the air with white panties and legs that hung on the elevator wall.
Groans came from the bodies as they tried to separate. The man's head popped up.
"Ok…that…hurt." He said and crawled forward.
"Daddy!" Tina squeaked and pushed past Trish. "What happened t' ya?"
"Well, afta suppa, you an' yer friends up an' disappeared on me." Bass said as his daughter pulled on his thick arm to help him up. "Than I came across this here girl an' her German-Oriental friend an' she tries t' take me on an'…"
"Asian!" The woman said as she dislodged herself from the man.
"Huh?" Bass and Tina said in unison.
"She's German-Asian. Asian!" Lei Fang stood and wobbled to the wall to regain her balance. "Oriental refers to things! Asian refers to people!"
"Whatever." Bass growled and stood. "I took the brunt o' th' fall t' save yer scrawny rear! Ya got no right hasslin' me!"
"You're the reason we fell in the first place!" Lei Fang's hairstyle on her left side came lose so she tore away her hair ornament to let her locks fall. "You can't think things through at all, can you?"
"Men tend to do that." Trish looked up the hole. "You guys were sure lucky that this elevator broke your fall. And a coincidence it was on this floor."
"Actually I think this thing was a few floors up at first." Bass stood and rubbed his head.
"That might explain the scraps in the shaft." Trish looked at the control panel. The plaque above it stated that the machine could carry up to a ton.
"Damn." Trish thought. "Just how far did they fall? They should be paste."
"So, what now?" Trish turned around. "We keep fighting?"
"No…no." Bass pushed on his back. A loud crack came out. "The moment's passed. An' I think I need t' si'down."
"Yeah. I think we're done for…"
Trish was cut off when Tina somehow had Dante's partner sitting on her shoulders. Tina bent backwards, bashing Trish into the wall of the elevator and than tossed her out.
"Tina!" Bass yelled. "What in th' Sam hill are ya doin'?"
"Daddy!" Tina yelled back. "Didja forget why they're here? What Helena told us? They're here t' kill 'er!"
"Hey! Yeah!" Bass shot a look at Lei Fang.
"What?" She asked, still out of breath. Suddenly she caught on. "No! Stay back! Get away from me, you inbred yokels!"
Tina told her father the truth, technically. They were enemies to Helena, that part she got from the princess's rants, but she did not know if they wanted to kill her or kidnap her or whatever. Trish was still her enemy and no people falling into elevators were going to change that. Dante was hers. End of story.
Trish pushed herself up. "Well, so much for getting along." She turned around just in time to see Lei Fang tossed out the elevator like a Frisbee and crash into her.
"Alright, daddy, ya ready?" Tina limbered up.
"Right behind ya, darlin'!" Bass cracked his knuckles. "Let's show 'em th' power of th' Armstrong clan!" He let his head back and let out a cowboy call.
"Are these jokers for real?" Trish asked.
Tina and Bass ran at them, weaving back and forth to confuse their enemy as to who was going to attack whom.
"Sadly, yeah." Lei Fang answered.
The wrestling family performed a double drop-kick.
-----
"Why aren't our comm-links working?!" The commanding officer thumbed the comm-link over and over. No signal. Not even static. "There's no jamming system here. It's been over an hour since the first team went in and we've can't even talk to them!" The OC stopped playing with the comm-link. "This operation's been one fuck up after another."
Bernard shot a quick look to the commanding officer. He was expecting a man a head taller than everyone else with blaring red hair and biceps the size of cantaloupes. Instead the CO was a squat man with a graying goatee and barrel-chested. Rather disappointing.
"I got HQ on the line." Charles looked up from his laptop with a slim phone-like radio in his hand. "Still working on our system." Charles handed the OC the phone.
"This is Paris DOATEC Security Division C. Our comm-system is down. I need to know the status of my men inside the building and I need reinforcements here on the double!"
"I can't get a comm-signal from inside the building on my end, sir. Division B is gearing up as we speak. Air Squad Zeus is in the air and en-route." A voice crackled on the radio. "ETA ten min…"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THOSE OVERPAID FLYBOYS!" The CO roared into the radio causing feedback that hurt Bernard's ears. "I want to know what the hell happened to my men!"
There was a pause at the other end. "B…but you wanted them, sir."
The OC opened his mouth to say something. He looked away for a moment, shaking his head and muttering something, probably curse-laden. He returned to the radio.
"Yes, I did." He said in a light tone used for condescending people. "But they won't matter if we can't secure the building…" His tone suddenly changed back to its usual self. "...FROM THE INSIDE, MORON! Jesus, boy, were your parents related before they were married?"
"S…sorry, sir." The radio replied.
"I don't give a rat's ass about you being sorry! I want to know about my men and I want to know now!"
"Y…yes, sir!" A second passed as the man on the other line checked on the status of the other squads. Every DOATEC soldier's combat gear was equipped with a medical hook-up that was linked to the nearest DOATEC security center and monitored by computer jockeys. The man on the other line, a computer jockey, came back on the line.
"Squads 1 through 4 have low vital signs, sir. They're most likely unconscious. But there are some that have…crashed."
"Crashed?" You mean dead?" The OC asked without his agitation.
"Yes, sir."
The OC stood in a pose of thought, statuesque. His face held in a cross of grimace and concern.
"And squad 5?" He asked almost silently.
"Doing well. Vitals look good. Some tension and anxiety, but that's normal considering the environment they're in. Hmmm. One appears to have a heart murmur. I'll recommend that he see a cardiologist and…"
"I asked for squad 5's status. Not a physical." The CO said. "Keep me posted. And when I say 'keep me posted' I mean let me know if they're in trouble, not if one has to take a piss."
"Copy that, sir. I'll keep my eyes open. Still trying to get a sig…one moment." The sound of the computer jockey rattling away on his keyboard filled the radio. "Fuck. Man down! One of squad 5 is dow…shit, the commander's down, too! They're panicking! Vitals through the roof! Another down! Correction two others dow…" Another lapse of silence. "Shit…I don't believe. They're all down. Squad 5 is down."
-----
Ayane put a foot on the soldier's chest and wretched free her kunai from his skull. She wiped the blood and brain fluid off on the man's uniform.
"Is that all of them?" She asked, spun the kunai once, and placed it back on her body.
"Yes. He was the last." Kasumi slid her wakizashi into its scabbard. "Their communications are still disabled."
Ayane suppressed a smile. DOATEC had all the cutting edge technology in the world, borderline on science fiction sometimes. But a funny thing about their comm-links, hold down the button to talk and the others can't use the line until the button is released. So all one needs to do is use some strong packing tape laying around to hold down the button and, ta-da, the enemy's only form of intercommunication is down, their infra-structure is crippled and confused.
And DOATEC's security was most assuredly crippled. For the moment.
After that, all one needed to do next was to cram the radio somewhere inconspicuous, say a random office desk in the back rooms, and…well…all lines are currently busy for the next few hours.
"Ok, six squads is a standard size of a DOATEC security division." Ayane rattled off without pause. "And I'll bet they have one squad on crowd control duty, so we should be free of them for a while."
"Until another division shows up." Kasumi added.
"And they won't send them in one at a time for us to deal with at our leisure. Which means we don't have much time. Let's go."
-----
Kokoro was indeed a one in a million person, at least in Christie's eyes. Kokoro had the fighting skills to put her on the same level as some of the hardcore DOA fighters. What made her even more unique was her attitude: innocent, naïve, and genuinely compassionate. True, Lei Fang and Hitomi were basically in the same league, but the point was that such things were a bad mix. It was essentially giving a child a gun. Her sense of so-called morality and loving nature was going to get her killed if she ever faced someone of equal strength and more…flexible ideals, such as herself…or a certain super ninja.
Ironically, she was hoping Kokoro would survive against Ryu…for a little while at least.
The nausea and dizziness of Ryu's airborne sedative had faded, but the burning in her veins was still there which meant she was not back to her old self yet. If she tried anything at that moment she would probably fall on her ass and soil herself. She'd have to use the toilet soon anyway, when you flush your system, the stuff has to go somewhere.
Kokoro put both hands on Ryu's chest and pushed. Normally, pushing someone like Ryu would be as effective as flicking peas at a tank. Kokoro's 'push' was actually a Ba Ji Quan strike that propelled the ninja backward like a group of weightlifters yanked on a rope tied to his waist.
Ryu was engulfed in an explosive white cloud and green tree leaves shroud. He was suddenly in mid-air, flying at the geisha-in-training. He grabbed her by the shoulders, flipped over her, and with the momentum, flung her into a decorated pillar that was molded into the wall. Thin slabs of plaster and marble came off when she impacted.
Kokoro was on her feet without a hitch. Just in time to see a fist coming. Kokoro trapped the arm, pulled Ryu off-balance, and slammed her fist into his back like she was hitting a television set, planting him into the ground.
Ryu performed a spin move as he rose from the ground, lashing out with a low kick to push Kokoro back. She countered by hopping over the sweep move and performing a kick of her own when her shoes hit solid ground. She got her comeuppance when Ryu snatched her leg with his and snapped it down to knock her remaining leg out, spinning her in the air once like she was a windmill fan. Ryu brought his heel down on her back.
Christie put her weight to her back and used the wall to hold her up as she stood to test her legs. Her strength was slowly trickling back. She was still not fit to fight. Kokoro was a good fighter in her own right, but as she stated earlier, Ryu had an edge. And once he was done with the little girl, she doubted he would just forget about his earlier opponent.
She spotted her gun that she shot Ryu with earlier. Her eyes snapped to the two fighters and back to her gun. Ryu was still putting the heat on Kokoro. She inched closer to the gun. If she just jumped for the weapon, it would catch Ryu's eye and he might throw one of his sharp, pointy toys at her and she was in no condition to play dodge-the-ninja-stars.
Human eyes are attracted to quick and sudden movements. It's an inherited defense mechanism to detect predators. But move slowly and fluidly and someone can sneak past a person far more efficiently.
Ryu launched Kokoro like a rocket with a foot to her chin. He performed his little vanishing act and latched onto the girl from behind and cork-screwed down to slam her headfirst into the floor.
She slid back down to her bum with the gun between her legs. She reached for her gun with a slowness that made even her impatient. Her fingertips brushed the handle.
A kunai broke the gun apart like it was a cheap plastic squirt gun hit with a hammer.
"Did you really think I'd forget about you?" Ryu said. The fighting had taken a break as Ryu and Kokoro squared off. Kokoro leaned against the wall with a hand, breathing raggedly while Ryu stood unperturbed with crossed arms.
"Honestly? Not really, but a girl can dream." Christie forced a smile.
"I do not wish to harm any of you." Ryu turned back to Kokoro. "If you let me pass, I will bear you no ill will. But if you continue to stand against me, I will not hesitate to use lethal force."
"And I told you," Kokoro said in their native language between breaths, "That I won't let you touch my sister."
"We have no intention of harming her either." Ryu replied in Japanese. "We just want answers. Nothing more."
"Do I look stupid to you?" Kokoro replied. "You break in, loaded with blades, start fights, and expect me to believe that you just want to ask her a few questions?"
"This…" Ryu said a little louder than he wanted to. He paused to calm himself. "This was not my idea. However, I assure you that we shall not injury your sister."
"A man with a sword trying to kill someone who works for my sister tells me that he's not going to do hurt her." Kokoro looked at him like he said something incredibly stupid. "If you were me, would you believe what you just said?"
Ryu sighed. "No, I would not."
"Thought so." Kokoro got her second wind. "So, are you going to hit the road? Or am I gonna have to hit you?"
Ryu tightened his fist. He could end the fight in an instance with his sword, but he did not want to kill the girl. He was not afraid to kill. He had killed before; many, many times in his life, but only those that he had to kill, those that deserved it; evil, wicked, greedy people. Not innocent girls that tried to defend their family. That would make him no different than the people he sent to the afterlife.
Christie felt the edge slowly leaving. Not long now. Back to the fray in a minute, give or take a second. She felt the knife in her back pocket, along with half a dozen other knives here and there.
Knives Ryu would soon meet.
-----
Eliot did not like what was happening. They left the building top and headed to an alleyway far from the building. He was in a different country, but an alleyway was an alleyway regardless of culture. The only difference was that he could not read graffiti on the walls and the labels on the boxes. Ayane was not going to be happy. Technically, he was doing what she asked him to: stay with Mrs. Ayame. Too bad it meant that wherever the mother of three went, he would have to follow, regardless of what she thought.
"I need to go somewhere to meet somebody." She told him when the ninja sisters left. "Will you come with me?"
He asked her where and whom she was meeting. She did not say, instead she just started walking. And he started following. It was weird. The city streets were half empty with most people either locking up their homes or rushing to see the spectacle at the DOATEC building. Only a few people seemed to take notice of a woman in a kimono leading a boy with an age difference between the two to confuse them as mother and child…well kind of.
Eliot fought off the claustrophobia of being sandwiched deep between ten-story buildings in an alleyway that had to be at least a half mile long. He was sure he was blowing the distance out of proportion, but again, claustrophobia. He was not going to freak out, but he was very uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Ayame." Eliot said wondering if his voice was shaking or if it was the acoustics of the alley. "Where are we going?"
"We're almost there. Please be patient." She replied without looking back.
Eliot looked up. He could not see where the buildings end and the night sky began. The bland lights that overhung stained metal doors were the only forms of illumination, at least the ones that were working, too many dark spots, too many shadows. They could be jumped by thugs anywhere. And since he did not know French, talking out of a fight would be rather complicated…if talking to guys that congealed in alleys like bacteria actually worked.
Thinking about a possible fight did not make him feel any better. He looked around again. His breathing became faster. His eyes darted around.
"Shit, it's kicking in harder. Alright, think of something else." He thought. "Uh, I'm back at the temple. I'm doing my exercises. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold…oh, who am I kidding? That never works."
He gasped and almost jumped back when a hand slipped into his.
"I know you're scared. Please bear with me for a while longer." She said with her motherly smile.
"I'm…" Eliot looked at her hand with his and yanked free. "I'm not afraid. I just don't like being blindly led around in a dangerous place. It is difficult enough for me to keep you safe if…"
"There won't be any trouble. We're here to meet someone then we will return…"
Something caught his eye. Movement in the shadows. He stepped around Ayame and became her shield.
"What's wrong?" She put her hands on his shoulders.
"Saw something. Over there." He nodded at the shadow. "We should go."
"No. It's alright. I know who it is." She walked around Eliot who looked at her dumbfounded.
"Come out, Gentleman. I know you're there."
Gentleman? Who the hell was that? Well, whatever was in the shadows did not come out.
"I received your message. I came here as you wanted. Despite my personal feelings." Ayame said forcefully, almost angrily. "What do you…?"
Eliot yanked Ayame away as a shuriken sliced through the air. He began to step back slowly.
Things came out from the shadows. Ninjas rose from the darkness like the dead rising from an oil graveyard. She did not recognize their clothing, so she had no idea which clan they were affiliated with. Of course ninjas do not wear emblems on their collars or write the name of their clan on their backs like biker gangs, but there were some subtle hints, the way they tucked their robes together or their color coordination. Black on dark brown meant a different clan than dark brown on black.
The glowing red eyes, however, ruled out everything she knew.
"We have to leave." Eliot said, instantly recognizing the creatures that attacked his master's temple. "Right now."
He tugged on Ayame's arm and ran off. The ninjas leaped after them like mutant grasshoppers.
