Kaplan Trial Ch.3 –Shinobi of Darkness
[4:02am]
Startled awake, Amara jumped for the phone. Her heart pounded almost as loud as the phone that rang on the nightstand beside her bed. She reached over a stack of books and picked up the handset, pulling it to her ear. Her voice then came out thick with sleep.
"H-Hello?"
"He's not dead, is he?"
She sighed tiredly, running a hand over her face and hair. She knew exactly who was calling.
"Can you call back later? I'm really exhausted." She listened to the heavy sigh on the other end.
"Your time expired four hours and two minutes ago."
"Ok," she said trying to not sound so confused. She reached for the glass of water beside the lamp and brought it to her lips. She took a sip. "…What are my consequences for that?"
Click!
The line went dead. Amara made a face toward the phone and slammed it back against the receiver. Damn, she thought moving to replace the glass where it sat. She turned over on her back and stared at the ceiling above her and listened to the whirring noise of the rotating fan. She looked to her left and dawned at the window. It was raining heavily outside. The rain relentlessly pounded against her windowpane and the thunder crackled behind the rusty night sky. The lightning flashed her interior walls, briefly lighting up the room.
She sighed.
"…He clicked on me." She mumbled seemingly to herself as she recalled the caller's behavior. She grunted, turning on her side with her back facing the window. She shut her eyes and the phone rang again.
She reached for it.
"Snake-sama, look, I—oh, it's you." She nervously chuckled. She winced to Cora's harsh remark about how she had greeted her. Cora explained that she didn't think it was right to assume who's calling without at least saying hello. Kaplan sighed, decreasing her grumble to a low remark.
"Now," started Cora, resuming her normal monotonous tone. "I did you a favor."
"What favor? I didn't ask you fo—"
"You didn't have to ask." Answered Cora, cutting her off. "Lets just say you're going to be emptying all of your bank accounts for me."
"What? Cora, what are you talki—"
"I ransomed your guy. And his family will be paying me to get him back. Don't worry, you'll get your money back."
"What guy?"
"The ol' man on the picture." Kaplan could hear a man's muffled screams in the back followed by Cora ordering his silence. She returned to the phone. "Richard Daniels, I believe."
"Cora! Who told you to take my kills?!"
"No one. I did this on my own. Besides, he's not even dead. …Yet."
Kaplan swore into the phone causing Cora to laugh. "Don't worry. I never said I'd kill him. You'll take it from there."
"Then why must I empty my accounts?"
"To reimburse me for the trouble I'm about to cause with his family."
"What? I have to pay you for messing with them?"
"That's right. Unless you want me to tell the wussie that you couldn't take out a man thrice his age."
"Cora…" Kaplan groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Leave them out of it."
"Sorry, comrade. I tried making easy deals with them, but they wouldn't follow through. Now I'm going to handle the situation my way."
"But—"
"Don't even think of trying to stop me. Talking me out of it won't work either, so just save it."
"…Fine. Where do I find this guy?"
"Stop here by the Saito HQ to pick him up. He'll be in the holding facility in the sublevel."
"Stop…there?" Kaplan asked raising a voice as if Cora's lost her mind. Cora snorted.
"Don't tell me the Kuno's afraid of some Saito elitists."
"Please, I'm not afraid of some flap-jawed punks who wears a snake as a symbol, on their socks. I've fought worse."
"Good. Then I'll see you around."
"Hey, Cora," called Kaplan, catching her before she hung up. "You haven't talk to Snake-sama by any chance, have you?" Cora scoffed.
"Do I ever? I believe that was a stupid question." She received a sigh from Kaplan. "I'm out."
"Bye."
Kaplan dropped the phone onto the receiver and climbed out of bed. It was nearing 4:30 in the morning and any attempt at a few more hours of sleep would be a waste of time. She decided to go to work early and on her way, maybe stop by the enemy's headquarters to pick up her prize. She found herself in the bathroom brushing her teeth and straightening her hair; setting the water temperature to a warm degree for an early morning shower. She shut the bathroom door behind her and undid the lace to her garments.
[5:48am – Saito X Headquarters]
Twin see-through glass doors slid aside as the Kunoichi stepped up to them. The large corporation located south of an open terrain was restless due to the many workers that flowed in and out of each room and office. She stopped within the center of the lobby-like hall and looked around at all of the masked faces that watched her. A few were men, leaned against a wall with their arms crossed and hard eyes upon her. The others were women sitting Indian-style near a wall or smoking opium at a table. And to Kaplan, it seemed the room fell silent. She took a step forward.
She arched back as a shuriken flew past her face and wedged into the concrete wall. She withdrew her kaiken from the sheath along her lower back, and stepped back into her fighting stance. She eyed everyone, not totally sure where the object came from but settled on a selected few. One ninja stepped forward with his arms crossed and a katana on his back. He stopped in front of her.
"You. A Kunoichi, ne?"
Kaplan refrained from answering. It was evident that she was by the gi that she possessed. Saito X was strictly a head to toe ensemble that consisted of the traditional ninja-sneaking outfit. The ninja took a hold of her with his eyes. He noticed the ankle length flaps that covered her front and behind and exposed the outline of her curvy hips and thighs. There was the thin obi that kept the gi secured at her middle, wrapped thrice around her waist and the deep neckline that draped over her breasts. Kaplan grunted, making his eyes move on from her chest area. He looked to her legs, smothered in cotton stalkings to her mid-thigh and the snow-painted tabi shoes that adorned her feet. Last, he took notice of the arm guards on her hands, the strings about her hips and the "Kage" kanji imprinted on the back of her gi. Those that crowded behind her noticed too. She stepped back, realizing that in that time, she had become surrounded. She glanced around at the faces.
"You're not welcome here!" A woman shouted.
"Leave before we kick your ass!" Another said. Kaplan held her kaiken close.
"She's welcomed here." Another woman announced from the back of the room. Murmurs arose as the ninja began clearing a path. Kaplan narrowed her eyes. It was another ninja, fully decked in black. The only thing exposed were a pair of eyes. She held up a hand with two digits causing the room to instantly fall to silence. Then reached for the mask that concealed her face. She pulled it off to let her shoulder-length, copper-brown hair fall. The ninja began murmuring again, seeing that she removed her mask for an enemy. The woman eyed them, calling some silence again. Her midnight olive eyes returned and stared coldly at the Kunoichi. Kaplan tilted her head and gently smiled.
"Took you long enough." She said, obviously not amused by Kaplan's lack of punctuality. Kaplan shrugged, sheathing her kaiken behind her. Cora motioned her to follow through the crowd of Saito Mercenaries.
"I had some things to attend to." Kaplan answered following after her. Cora pushed her way past the crowd of on-lookers as they all glared at the Kunoichi who trailed behind her.
"As always."
She stopped beside an elevator and pushed the control button, summoning it. "Have your credit cards ready?"
"I don't see the idea of giving you my money when you're using my prey as ransom. You're getting money for it, anyway." The elevator opened its mouth and they stepped through once again, pushing another button to descend floors.
"I have plans. And I need all the money I can get."
"What? Saito not paying you enough?"
"Of course. But why spend what's mine, when I can spend what's yours?"
"Why not?"
"Look, just get me the money and we'll settle the dispute later, okay?"
"Not until you tell me what you need it for."
"I'll tell you when I feel like it."
"Why not now?"
"Just because. Now shut up so we can rough up this P.O.M"
"Don't you mean P.O.W?"
"Are we at war? No. He's a Prisoner of Mine."
"Uh…. Ok. Whatever." Kaplan stepped forward after Cora who led the way down a semi-lit area and hall. Posted around each corner was a 2nd class ninja, the ones with acute sense of mobility who could most likely utilize their strengths in all cases of a break in or out. Cora stopped before a dark cell. Kaplan could see a figure curled up in a corner with its hands and legs bound. It was a weary old man who'd just started to gray on top of his unkempt and distorted hair. His bound wrists were red with loss of circulation and his dingy shirt was drenched with sweat. Another glance of him allowed her to see that he had soiled himself. Most likely from over excitement and fear that Cora must of put on him. She shook her head in pity.
"What? This isn't him?" Asked Cora narrowing her eyes on Kaplan. Kaplan nodded, matching his face with the vivid image of the man taken on the photo she received. She raised a hand in the man's direction.
"Alright. Open this thing up." And with that, Cora nodded to her comrade who was given the position of guarding the man for the night and early morning. He flipped a switch, igniting the power to the electric cell doors. Kaplan and Cora stood back and watched as it slid open. Kaplan stepped inside, followed by Cora.
"Get up, ol' man!" Cora shouted, kicking the fragile guy in the chest. He grunted, falling over and off the wall. Kaplan gasped, kneeling beside him.
"Damn, Core! You don't have to be so mean! He's tied up for Christ's sake!"
Cora scoffed crossing her arms. "You're politeness makes me sick, ya'know that? I was just making sure he wasn't dead. You should thank me for not killing him earlier!"
Kaplan rolled her eyes and reached for the man's arms. She moved to help him rise while Cora watched.
"You're Richard, right?" The man didn't answer. Instead, he asked:
"W-who are you?"
"Don't worry about that." Interrupted Cora. "She's taking you somewhere nice. Away from here."
"Oh, thank god!" He yelled raising his nose to the ceiling. Kaplan eyed Cora. The man continued. "You're a savior!"
"Hush up," Kaplan mumbled near his ear. "Where I'm taking you, isn't as nice as she makes it seem."
"Huh?" The man's excitement quickly died. Kaplan watched as his blindfolded face turned to her. "What do you mean?"
The rest of the way back to the lobby, Kaplan held it together, refraining from answering the talkative man's questions. She turned her eyes away from the ninja that remained in the lobby area and continued to carry the man through the sliding glass doors, in which she came. Cora stood before the door, watching as the two exited slowly and made their way to the transport of Kaplan's Porsche. She narrowed her eyes as a ninja neared her ear and began to whisper—his deep, wine-colored eyes staring hauntingly at the back of Kaplan and her captive. Cora nodded at his words.
"I'll see to it that it doesn't happen. I'll be there to supervise her every move."
