Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier
Gouki: Can you recommend how long each chapter of my fic should be?
Clutch'd: Where are you? L
Chapter 9: The Runaway Takes On The Whole World
I sure made too many mistakes. First, I wasn't able to grab my pack silently. I was still wondering how she managed to notice my presence. Second, the interrogation, if you can call it that, was very pathetic. I wasn't able to take charge of the situation. And finally, she kicked my ass and got away with my stuff. This was the first time I got manhandled by a chick. It was very damaging to my psyche. Well, it's time to recover.
I was able to easily follow her because of her footprints. I was afraid that because of her light weight, she might not leave any footprints, but she was carrying my backpack, which weighed around 50 to 80 pounds at the very least. The weight of the pack showed on her footprints. I was surprised that she was able to carry something that heavy, but one thing's for sure: she'll get tired eventually.
She tried to throw me off her trail by making bogus footprints here and there, but I could tell easily which ones will lead me to her and which ones will lead to a dead end.
It was now afternoon, and the sun was slowly sinking. I've been chasing her since morning. I wasn't tired yet, but I think that I still have a long way to go. Her footprints led to a stream, but I easily spotted the rest of the set at the other end. I slowly placed my left foot in the water, and checked for any signs of dangerous animals hanging around. Seeing none, I continued moving, the water reaching my knees. Suddenly, I heard loud splashes from a distance.
"Hmmm?" I said. I located the source, which was to my left. I turned in the general direction, and continued hearing splashes. "Definitely made by several people, or animals."
Suddenly, I could make out figures moving through the stream, and they were coming straight for me. "Wolves!" I said. I quickly took out my AK and fired my weapon at the incoming pack of hostile puppies.
"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!" The AK bellowed. I held the trigger, and continued firing non-stop, ignoring the recoil of the weapon. Bullets were flying everywhere, as the bullets made the water splatter all over the place. I managed to take out several of them, but the survivors weren't deterred by my attack, and they continued coming towards me at full speed.
"CLICK!"
"Ugghh!" I grunted. The mag was dry, and I didn't bother reloading as they were almost upon me.
"FUCK…THIS!" I then turned around and ran as fast as I could. The water made it somewhat difficult for me, and I did my best to avoid slipping and becoming a meal for these hungry wolves.
I ran and ran, not looking back at all, when I reached the end of the stream. I was on top of a waterfall, and I didn't think twice about what I was going to do. I took two powerful steps, and jumped as high as I could. I took a dive, and saw how far the bottom of the waterfall was.
"AAAHHHHHHH!" I yelled. Who gives a shit if someone heard me? I'll yell if I want to. Hopefully, the depth isn't shallow, or I'll end up dead.
It seemed to take forever, but I finally reached the bottom. I made a loud splash, and I did hit the soil below the water, but the water absorbed most of my impact, and I didn't take as much damage. I rested there for a few seconds, and then I moved up. I looked at my surroundings, and the wolves were nowhere to be found. I guess they didn't have the guts to jump after me. Well, that was a nice dive.
**********
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than be skilled. By jumping off the waterfall, I was able to take a shortcut, and found fresh tracks, definitely made by her. I continued my hunt. It was now night time.
I knew that I was very close to her. I could feel it. Plus, I could smell her scent in the air. It smelled really nice.
Suddenly, I heard gunshots straight ahead.
"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!"
"BRATATATAT!"
AK and Uzi sounds filled the air. "Oh great, it's them," I said, referring to the terrorists, but who where they shooting at? The radio chatter intercepted by the enemy radio that I picked up earlier answered my question.
"We're under attack!" The terrorist said. I could barely make out what he said because of the gunfire in the background.
"…Ninja!" Well, I heard that one clearly. I think the ninjas were attacking the terrorists, but this terrorist only said "Ninja", so maybe it's just that girl? After all, her tracks lead to the sounds.
The rest of the radio chatter was very hard to understand, as gunfire erupted. I ran towards the source of the sounds, but as I got closer, the sounds were slowly fading, until everything went silent.
When I reached the source, I was very surprised. Lying in front of me were the remains of a five-man patrol team. They were messed up pretty bad. One terrorist had an ugly wound just under his chest; the other had lost his right arm, and the arm was just nearby, still clutching the AK; the other had his throat slit. The other two were bleeding non-stop, their hearts obviously stabbed by a sharp weapon. One of the terrorists was still alive.
I moved towards him, and kneeled down. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at me. "Zdravstyeh (Hello)," I said.
"Who are you?" he asked.
I dodged the question. "Who did this?" I countered.
He was near death, and it took him time to answer. "A zhenshchina (woman) attacked us. She seemed normal at first, but we quickly identified her as a ninja. She…slaughtered all of us. We were careless…"
"I can see that," I replied, looking back at his dead buddies. What really happened here? Was this just a case of carelessness, because they encountered a hot chick and let their guards down, or was she really that good? She easily demolished a five-man patrol team too quickly, although she didn't really eliminate them silently because she let them make too much noise. Will I be able to match up to her when I face her?
"Tovarich (Comrade)," The terrorist muttered. Great. He thinks that I'm one of them. Well, to some people, I look Russian, and to others, Japanese. It all varies, I guess. Blame that on my heritage. Besides, he was probably hallucinating already. "Find that bitch. Make her pay."
"Alright. I'll go get her," I replied, playing along. As I stood up, the terrorist grabbed my arm. Apparently, he had one more thing to say.
"Comrade, I don't want to die like this," He said. "I know that there is no way to save me anymore. I want a quick death. Please, do the honors." Did I hear him right?
"You want this?" I said, pointing my silenced handgun at his head. The silencer touched his head.
"Da (Yes), pozhaluista (please). But I have one more request besides that." He then took out something from his pocket. It was a picture of a beautiful girl with long, blonde hair. "This is my sestra (sister). Her name is Petra. I haven't seen her for a long time. Please give this picture to her. It has some writing in the back just for her."
"Uhh, I don't know how to fulfill your request."
"Just give the picture to Commander Bayman." Bayman? Who the hell is he? I think I've heard that name somewhere before… "He'll know what to do."
"OK. Is that it?" I said. I guess this Bayman is their field commander or something of that capacity. Or he may be the terrorist leader. I'll find out sooner or later.
"Da (Yes). And please, just make it quick."
I knew what he was talking about. My finger then touched the trigger. "Spasiba (Thank you), tovarich (comrade)," The terrorist said. He then closed his eyes.
"Pffttt," The Beretta said, as I pulled the trigger. Blood splattered all over the tree that he was leaning into. As I withdrew my weapon, I noticed his blood on the Beretta's silencer. He then collapsed on the ground with a thud, as he joined the rest of his teammates.
The girl sure did me a favor by getting rid of these terrorists, and I even got into the action by blowing this bastard's head off. Well, sometimes I'm a heartless bastard. I pretended to be nice to this guy, but I really hate scumbags like him. Well, let's have a look at the writing at the back of this picture.
Dear Aleksandra,
If you get this picture of you back, it means that something bad has happened to me. I'll never come home back to Russia ever again. I'll miss you, and you'll no doubt miss me. I remember you giving this picture when I left for this organization. The only thing I can say about this is that I believe in their goals. We all want Russia to rise again, and get rid of that democratic government by that fool Putin. We were great in numbers back then, operating all over Europe, but those NATO Forces, especially the United States of America, routed most of our forces, and we were forced to leave the continent of Europe. I cannot tell you where we are, but do not worry. My comrades will come back to Europe sooner or later, and you will see Russia rise once again. Even though I cannot join you when that happens, my comrades will. I will live on through their actions and deeds. Please don't cry. I did what I could, and once again, I believe in what we're trying to do. Good bye.
Your brother, Andrei
"What a saaad story," I said. Very typical of a mislead man. Terrorists always feed you bullshit like this one. So, they want Russia to become a Communist country again? Well, I remember Russia under Communist rule. I lived there back then. It was a harsh life, but I didn't give a damn. If I didn't give a damn back then, why would I give a damn about Russia right now? Well, it's not something to worry about right now.
I stowed the picture away in my pocket, and continued on. I saw her tracks again, but I noticed something else. There was blood splattered on every other step on the ground. "She's hurt. She should be close by."
********
I've found her! She was lying beside a tree, putting some bandage on her shoulder. She sustained a bullet wound, but she should be somewhat OK. Right now, I'm in the prone position behind some thick bushes, though the darkness pretty much covers my presence. The moon was out, and I can see her clearly from where I am. I've been formulating plans on how to get my pack back, but I've been hesitating too much.
"If I rush this, I could lose everything," yeah, everything pretty much means my life. This innocent looking girl was very dangerous. She may not seem like it, but I now believe that she's that runaway ninja. After all, she did demolish the patrol team earlier all by herself.
I was about to execute my plan, when I heard footsteps, made by many people running at a fast speed. She also heard them, as she stood up and scanned her surroundings. I stayed where I was, my Beretta in hand.
Suddenly, four figures came out of nowhere, and surrounded her. They all stood right in front of her, but they kept their distance. All of them were clad in black. One of them is a female ninja because she's wearing a skirt and showing some nice set of legs. I wasn't in the mood to stare at them.
"Kasumi," One of the ninjas said. So that's her name. Very cute name. "We've found you." I recognized the speaker. Well, well, well, if it isn't Middle-Aged Man. I guess that Boy Ninja is the one to his right. I did not know who the other two were.
"Like our predecessors, whom you killed, we will offer you two choices. The first choice is for us to take you back, under your own free will, to our lair, and there, you will be executed for leaving our clan. With this option, you will die with honor and dignity. And for the second choice, you may die here, but it will be a dishonorable death, as your life will be taken away by lesser ninjas."
"Bullshit!" I thought. "You're better off going down with guns blazing, girl."
There was silence. Then she replied "And I also give you two choices. The first is for you to leave me alone, as I have done nothing wrong to our clan. The second choice is for all of you to die here. Your deaths would be meaningless." I like her attitude already.
"Yoroshii (Very well)," Middle Aged Man replied. The four ninjas suddenly drew out their weapons, the males drawing out their katanas, while the kunoichi (female ninja) drew out a pair of knives. Kasumi didn't draw out her short sword, but her right hand was holding on to the handle. She then dropped her, I mean, my pack, to the ground obviously to dump the weight and make her more mobile. The ninjas then started circling around her, looking for an opening.
Half of me wanted to help her, but half of me didn't give a damn. I didn't know who she was. All I wanted was my backpack back. Besides, I'm not allowed to kill any ninjas, so if I do fight them, I'll be fighting with one hand tied behind my back. I then decided to just stay out of this mess. She did get rid of those Russians all by herself, so I think she could handle this.
The battle started with one of the ninjas throwing some shurikens at her. She easily dodged them by jumping high into the air and disappearing into the darkness. "Shiku (Spread out)!" Middle Aged Man yelled. The four ninjas then walked stealthily in different directions, weapons ready.
"Great, someone's coming towards me…" I thought. The ninja with a nice set of legs was indeed going towards my hiding spot. "Shit. I think she's going to check the bushes."
Fortunately, she didn't get a chance to do so. As she was about to inspect the bushes, the rogue ninja suddenly came out from above and in one quick motion, landed on top of Leggy's shoulders without sending her to the ground, and shoved her short sword into her head. "Urrrgghh!" Leggy shouted. The sickening sound of flesh being torn was heard until the blade appeared just under her chin. It stayed there for a few seconds, before Kasumi took out her sword. Blood then started spurting out of the two holes.
Kasumi then jumped, letting Leggy fall into the bushes, actually just in front of me. Her eyes were moving frantically, but she noticed me. How could she still be alive? "Hi there, cutie," I whispered to her. She then stared at me with wide open eyes, then she expired. During this time, her blood splattered all over my face, but I didn't blink at all. I was focused on the action.
Another ninja darted towards Kasumi, but she easily knocked him down by giving him a flying kick to his head. The ninja fell to the ground with a thud, his stomach facing the ground. Before he could get up, Kasumi jumped towards him, landing right on top him. She kept him pinned down to the ground, and in one swift motion, used her sword to slit his throat. Blood then started pouring out of his neck, as he shook all over the place.
"Two more to go, babe," I thought. I should be thinking of what I should do next, but I was enjoying this battle. Yes, I'm a very, very sick man for enjoying all of these.
The last two ninjas then surrounded her. She faced both of them, and was ready to take them on. One of them suddenly rushed towards her with an upward strike from his katana, but she made an attack of her own by slashing from the bottom. Her attack connected first, and there was a nasty cut on his midsection. Blood spurted all over the place, as he went down for the count. The final ninja then charged towards her while her back was facing him. When he got close, all she did was shove the sword backwards directly into his chest. The sword penetrated through the skin, and it stayed there for a few seconds. She then twisted the sword around to magnify the wound, and the sickening sound of flesh being arranged was heard. She then took her sword out, and let the lifeless ninja fall into the ground. More blood appeared when he finally reached the soil. Kasumi then stood up and inspected her work. Damn! She kicked ass, alright.
Suddenly, she dropped her weapon and started crying. Crying? But why…
"Sniff…sniff…I killed all of you…because I had no choice. Please, forgive me…sniff…" She said out loud. So, she wasn't a killer after all. She was just defending herself. She took no pleasure in killing others. She and I were very different from each other. I had no choice but to kill people also, but I enjoyed the killing. I definitely admit that. Killing people makes me feel alive. That is my purpose in life.
She then stopped crying. That was too quick. She then shouted "Nukeru (Come out)! Show yourself! Were you enjoying the view or were you just waiting for me to get tired before attacking?"
I scanned my surroundings, but saw no one else. I guess she's referring to me. It's time to see if I live through this. "Just remember, she's a ninja. Even if she's a rogue ninja, she still counts as a ninja. Therefore, because of the orders given to me, I cannot kill her," I thought. I have to pull something out of my ass quickly, or I'll be joining her victims shortly.
I wiped the blood out of my face, and then stood up, clutching my Beretta. I just want my shit back, but I have to go through her first.
End of Chapter 9
Author's notes: Very, very long chapter. Was this long enough for you, Gouki? ^__^
