DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY DEAD OR ALIVE CHARACTER. THOSE CHARACTERS BELONG TO TECMO, LTD. AND TEAM NINJA. I AM IN NO WAY INTENDING ANY COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND I'M NOT MAKING A PROFIT FROM THE USE OF THESE CHARACTERS. ANY CHARACTER NOT A PART OF DEAD OR ALIVE IS MINE AND MINE ALONE.

Chapter Four

Wednesday, December 14

7:43 A.M.

Near Jack's Apartment

Hayabusa arrived in town early the following morning. He needed to find this Jack character and see what he knew. There was phone booth nearby, but the phone book was missing. He eventually found one that still had the page he was looking for, and after finding the address he decided to pay him a little visit.

Jack lived in an apartment by in the suburbs, a low-rent district. It should be pretty easy to get inside. He noticed that this guy lived in one of the more secure areas of the neighborhood, which meant that he probably wasn't a bad guy, supporting Ayane's statement. He would watch Jack for a while to see what he was up to and make his move tonight under the cover of darkness. Hayabusa climbed up to the roof of the adjacent building, hid his things and waited for Jack to come outside.

The hours creeped along until around ten thirty, when Ryu spotted a man matching Ayane's description exit the building he was watching. But he could've been mistaken, since her description was pretty vague. He decided to follow him anyway, and see where it took him. He stealthily went down to the street and walked casually behind Jack, far enough away to look inconspicuous.

Jack walked down to the corner of the street, his mind dwelling on the mysterious disk and Kasumi. He looked hopefully at the woods, but he knew that there was nothing there except for the bare trees and wild animals. He was worried that if Kasumi was out there all alone in the frigid forest, how was she staying warm? How was she finding food? Was she hurt and dying somewhere in the forsaken wilderness, or had she left on purpose? Was she even alive?

Jack knew she wouldn't have run away from him, not after the way she had asked for his help the other night. Then he thought about Ayane's harsh words.

'I'm glad she's gone.'

It was so sad that Ayane could care so little about her sister's life, but it seemed like there was nothing he could do to change that. Jack was positive that there was something Ayane hadn't told him. Something important. He sighed and walked on, tightening his warm leather jacket around his shoulders, shielding him from the harsh winter wind.

The data on the chip was virtually useless, and he was back at square one unless he could find a way to decrypt the other file he had found, but that seemed impossible. Maybe they left it there to lead him away from the real information he was after, guaranteeing that there could be no distractions while they did whatever they wanted with his best friend. It infuriated him that he was so helpless to save her in her time of dire need. But maybe the disk was their one mistake, and the path to where Kasumi's was lay right in the palm of his hand.

Jack didn't know what to believe. Maybe he should go to the police department, but for all he knew, Kasumi was a fugitive or something. She hadn't told him anything and maybe that was why. But the more he thought about that possibility, the more unlikely it seemed. Kasumi was the sweetest, kindest, and most compassionate person he had met, and there was no way she could commit a crime intentionally, at least not without a very good reason. But in the end, Jack decided against going to the cops. He didn't want to get her in any more trouble than she was already in, so he thought it would be best to keep looking by himself. The photos of the van hadn't shown anything new yet either, but he wasn't done enhancing them. But he was doubtful there was much there.

Suddenly, Jack noticed there was someone following him. Thinking quickly, he turned a corner and walked into the convenience store, acting like that was where he had been planning on going the entire time. The man behind him casually followed, and pretended to be interested in a magazine stand by the door. Jack went into the men's bathroom and locked the door behind him, trying to think of some way to evade the mysterious stranger. After a quick look around, he spotted a window and climbed stealthily out of it and into the back alley.

Whoever was following him must work for the guys that kidnapped Kasumi, and now they were probably after him too, to see if he knew what Kasumi had so earnestly tried to conceal. He decided to find one of his old international contacts, Myamoto, before he was taken as well. After all, what good could he do for Kasumi, if he couldn't help himself? Myamoto was an expert hacker and would make short work of the program on that disc. Jack dusted himself off and walked calmly toward the far end of the cold alley.

Hayabusa cursed himself for being so careless. He should have expected a move like that. He pushed through the doors of the store and ran around to the back of the building, hoping to catch the man before he disappeared for good. The bathroom window was open and the alley was empty.

Now there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that the man he had been following was Jack Wallace. Why else would he have tried to evade him like that? Ryu shrugged and decided to return to the apartments and wait for Jack to return, hoping that he would return soon.

When Hayabusa returned to the apartments, he decided to check out the building so he could determine which apartment Jack lived in. That kind of information would prove useful when he actually decided to speak to the man. The mailboxes listed the name Wallace next to number 305. Hayabusa reviewed his plan for tonight and walked across the street, to the vacant building where his things were. This was going to be a very long day.


Wednesday, December 14

3:27 P.M.

Myamoto's Apartment

When Jack arrived at Myamoto's it was close to three-thirty in the afternoon. He would have taken his Jeep, but by going back to it, he would be taking unnecessary risks. After knocking for what seemed like hours Myamoto finally opened the door. His dark hair was a mess and he looked like he had just gotten out of bed.

"Did I wake you up?" Jack asked.

"No, I was going to get up soon anyway."

"You do realize it's almost three thirty, right?"

"Really?! Whoa, I guess I did sleep in a little late. What's up?"

Jack took a small plastic case out of his pocket. "I need help with this."

Myamoto grinned. "I thought you'd have a challenge for me, Jack. Come on in."

Myamoto's place was a battlefield. Old magazines and newspapers were strewn everywhere and the floor was covered with clothes, both clean and dirty. The blinds were all closed and his desk was illuminated with the faint glow of his computer's monitor. The TV was muted in the background, sending its ghostly light dancing on the darkened walls.

Myamoto picked up an old pizza box. "Want some?" he asked.

Jack grimaced at the stale pizza. "No thanks."

He shrugged and took a bite. "Your loss. What do you have?"

"Maybe you can tell me." Jack handed the disk to Myamoto and took a seat on the couch.

Myamoto inserted the disk into his computer's drive and started typing.

"What exactly am I looking for?"

Jack got up and walked over to the messy desk. "There's something hidden in the map, but it's in a code of some sort. I want to know what it says."

Myamoto nodded and accessed the map, finding the hidden file almost immediately. To his surprise, the file wasn't actually accessed through an icon, but rather a small symbol hidden in the menu bar.

"Where the hell did you get this?!" Myamoto exclaimed.

"I found it laying around," Jack said casually. "What is it?"

"It looks like...no, it can't be."

"What does it look like?" Jack asked.

"It looks like an old government code. After it was cracked a few years ago they changed it."

"Well, if it's been cracked, than it should be easy to decode, right?"

"That's the problem. This code is mutated. The original pattern is completely distorted. I don't know where you found this, but it's definitely important. This is gonna take a while. I'd be a little more inclined to help if you told me what this was all about."

Jack thought about Kasumi and the secret she had refused to tell. "You're just gonna have to trust me on this one. All I'm saying is that this is a life and death situation and time's an important factor."


Wednesday, December 14

3:45 P.M.

Organization Compound 21

Shark had been meticulously 'questioning' Kasumi for almost eight hours straight, only stopping to let her rest when her body was at risk of serious permanent muscle damage. He had determined without fail that the yellow drug wasn't being an effective tool, and it was time to switch to a different method.

It had been one in the morning when Kasumi had passed out from the pain, and she hadn't even twitched a muscle since. At around three fifty, Smith entered the frigid room, noticing that Kasumi was very cold, but still not awake.

"Well, what have you learned?" he asked Shark.

Shark let out an exasperated sigh. "Nothing yet. She won't say anything. I've never seen such a strong spirit in someone before, but eventually everyone breaks. It's only a matter of time."

Smith grabbed Shark by the collar and hauled him out of the chair. "Better sooner than later, for both your sakes. I want that money."

"Get your hands off me," Shark said coldly. He wasn't afraid of Smith. Smith was just a small time shrimp compared with the people he had worked with in the past. The fact that Smith was offering him so much for this job was the only reason he was here.

Smith let go of Shark's shirt and gestured towards Kasumi's quivering body. "Why aren't you questioning her?"

"Do you want me to kill her? She can't handle any more right now. Her body is too weak right now."

"We'll see about that..." Smith said, glaring fiercely at Shark. He walked over to Kasumi's side, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his sharp knife.

"What do you think your doing?" Shark demanded.

"Getting answers."

Smith took some smelling salt off of Shark's cart, and waved it in front of Kasumi's nose. Her head jolted sharply as she snapped awake. Shark could see that she was obviously dazed, confused, fatigued and suffering. She barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. She tried to say something, but all that came out was a pathetic slur of syllables. Then she recognized Smith standing over her with his knife and panicked, trying to move her body, immediately letting out a sharp cry of pain as her weak torn muscles failed to respond.

"She needs to rest before we can get anything out of her. She's in too much pain right now," Shark argued.

Smith ignored him, and cruelly grabbed Kasumi's wrist in his vice-like grip, causing her to gasp.

"Where is it!?" he yelled at her. "Tell me!"

Kasumi flinched at his booming voice and tried desperately to repeat whatever she had said before, praying that this time he would understand her. But he obviously didn't understand, or he didn't care.

Angrily Smith placed the point of his steel blade in the center of her restrained hand. Applying just enough pressure to pierce her skin, Smith yelled his question again.

Kasumi felt the warm blood ooze out of her hand and flow onto her skin, and begged for him to stop, but Smith ignored her pleas.

"I want an answer!"

Shark stepped forward. "She can't talk, dammit! Let her rest!"

"Shut up! She's going to tell me."

But when Kasumi didn't say anything, Smith became infuriated. He raised the gleaming blade about two feet above her bleeding hand and then he brought it down on her as hard as he could, forcing the knife completely through her hand and against the cold metal table underneath. "I asked where the village was. Now tell me!"

Kasumi screamed loudly as the sharp excruciating pain shot through her tender arm and cried so hard that she soon passed out once again, sinking back into unconsciousness. Smith reached for more smelling salt, but Shark grabbed his arm before he could use it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You'll kill her!" Shark yelled.

"At this point I'm beginning not to care."

"Just give her 'til the end of the week. I'm sure she'll talk eventually." Shark glared at Smith. "Leave this up to me, Smith. If you interfere again, I won't be responsible for my actions. This is my subject. You'll get what you want."

Smith yanked his knife from the gaping hole in Kasumi's right hand, which was now gushing with blood. After he had stormed out of the room, Shark leaned over Kasumi to check the deep wound. It was bleeding profusely, but he determined that it wouldn't need any stitches, if it was bound up right away with some bandages. Luckily, none of her fragile bones had been fractured.

He used the smelling salt that he had taken from Smith and placed it under her nose, causing her to lurch awake once again. When he was sure she was as aware as a person in her condition could be, he grabbed a glass of cold water he had set on the cart and doused her hand with it, then he poured the rest of it into her mouth. She coughed a couple of times but quickly started gulping it down like she had been trapped in the desert for three days. He wondered if Smith had given her any water before he arrived, and he doubted that he had. She was probably starving as well.

He ripped a large strip of white cloth from the cover on his cart and wrapped it tightly around her impaled hand, making Kasumi cry out from the pain. After he was done, she slowly closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep again, still exhausted from the abuse the yellow drug had wrought on her muscles.

Shark shut down all the lights and walked out of the room.


Wednesday, December 14

6:18 P.M.

Organization Compound 21

The first thing Kasumi noticed when she awoke, was the horrible piercing pain she felt in her right hand when she tried to move it. The burning feeling she had gotten from the mysterious yellow drug Shark had used on her seemed to have been reduced to a sharp prickly sensation, although her muscles were still wracked with pain. The lights were all off so there was no light in the room, relieving her awful headache to a dull throb. She didn't know if there was anyone else in the room, so she decided to sit perfectly still, so she wouldn't be heard.

After about five minutes of laying perfectly still, Kasumi heard the door open and Shark switched on the soft fluorescent lights. The lights weren't bright, but she squinted anyway. She was grateful he didn't turn on the spotlight, knowing exactly what it would have done to her headache.

"What happened to my hand?" she demanded.

"You don't remember?" Shark asked.

"Apparently not."

Shark cleared his throat. "Does it really matter? What's done is done."

She watched him sit down and looked away at the opposite wall. "Not again. Please, don't start again. I-I...can't..." she said, her sentence trailing off as she began to cry.

Shark looked at Kasumi with is emotionless blue eyes. "That's not why I'm here. You're much to frail to work on right now. You still need to recover."

He reached under the sheet covering his cart and retrieved a white plastic box.

Kasumi managed to stop crying and looked at Shark, both curious and frightened. "What's that then?"

"You'll need to eat to recover. I snuck this down here about an hour ago." He reached into the box and retrieved a stale, dry ham sandwich. He cut it into small pieces and gave Kasumi a little at a time. She consumed the small amount of food faster than he could tear it up. Soon, the sandwich was gone.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked after she had swallowed the last of the food, still feeling hungry.

"Because you haven't eaten for at least one day, probably longer, and you're going to need the strength later."

Shark put the box back in the cart and got up from his chair. Kasumi looked back at the wall opposite the door and closed her tearful eyes, wishing for a way out.


Wednesday, December 14

6:30 P.M.

Myamoto's Apartment

Myamoto stared at the seemingly unbreakable code on the screen. He had been trying to break it for hours now, and he was just about to give up, when he noticed a glitch in the program.

"Jack, come here. I think I've got something," Myamoto said.

Jack walked over to the computer and looked blankly at the screen. "What am I supposed to be seeing here?"

Myamoto pointed at a series of symbols on the monitor. "Right here. It looks like two codes overlapping each other. If I can separate them and decode them separately, I can run the results over the entire file. Maybe then we could read some of it."
"Some of it? You mean you can't decode all of it?" Jack asked.

"Well...not exactly. I'll get all of the information eventually, but it will probably take me until the end of the week, at least."

"The end of the week?! What part of life and death situation did you not understand?"

"Chill out, man. These things take a little time."

Jack sighed. "How soon can you get the information from the double code?"

"Not long. If I run it through my decryption--"

"How long, Myamoto?" Jack repeated impatiently.

"I'll have what you want by midnight tonight," Myamoto said.

"Good. I'll be back at midnight then." Jack said as he reached for his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"To a friend's place."

The sun was setting behind him when he arrived at the burnt shell of the refinery. Jack hiked up to the hole in the wall of the garage where he had entered the structure two days earlier, sadness weighing heavy in his heart. The end of the week could be too late for her, but he really had no other option. Unless he was right about the garage.

He figured that Kasumi might have hidden something there, like a notebook or a map. Anything to give him an idea of who might be after her, or what information she had been hiding.

The place looked much different this time. The waning light from the setting sun cast long shadows and accented the cracks in the walls and floor. There were still small puddles of water that had frozen into ice spread across the cracked concrete floor.

Jack walked up to where Kasumi had been staying, scanning for any kind of clue that could help him. The old chair she had been sleeping in was leaning neatly up against the wall where he had left it and the solitary washing basin sat in the far corner of the room like a silent guardian. He pulled his small flashlight from his pocket and looked closely at the walls for a hole or a loose brick that Kasumi might have hid something in, but there was nothing he could find. Suddenly, he felt something crunch under his boot. As he lifted his foot off the damaged item, Jack recognized it as an empty iron picture frame. He lifted it up to examine it further, hoping that maybe there was a picture hidden in the back, but it was completely empty. He continued to look around, but there were no good hiding spots to be found. There wasn't even an old vent or anything. It seemed that all of Kasumi's possessions were sitting in his closet at home.

It was late when Jack decided to give up. Maybe she hid the picture that was in the frame among her things before he arrived that night. He hoped that the man that had been following him earlier had left, or that he was just being paranoid, but he had a feeling that he was still around, waiting for him to return.

Switching off his pen light, Jack walked out onto the road leading back into town. There were still a few street lights that worked but they were dim and flickered on and off frequently. He glanced at his watch and decided to see if Myamoto had cracked the code yet.

The walk to Myamoto's seemed to last for hours, but Jack knew it hadn't been that long since he left the ruins. He walked into Myamoto's without knocking, and found the lanky Japanese man sitting faithfully at his computer, chewing on stale pizza.

"Have you got anything?" Jack asked.

Myamoto jumped and turned around. "Back already? You shouldn't walk in without knocking."

"Sorry, but you shouldn't leave your door unlocked if you don't want me to barge in. What have you got?" Jack asked.

Myamoto shrugged and looked back at the monitor. "Well it looks like some sort of list and part of a picture."

"A picture of what?"

"I can't really tell. It looks like it was taken in the forest, but I still have to decode most of it."

"What about the list?"

"Well, from what I can tell it looks like a small segment of a sort of identification database. There are descriptions, but I can't find any names." Myamoto handed Jack a copy of the list he had printed off earlier.

Jack looked at the list. There were at least five pages here but a lot of it was still scrambled with numbers. He could still read it, but it would be a lot easier if he crossed out all the useless stuff with a permanent marker.

"What's this word mean?" Jack asked.

"Which one?" Myamoto turned his chair to face Jack.

Jack paused a moment. "Shinobi."