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 Seven

Thursday, December 15

11:45 P.M.

Jack's Apartment

Hayabusa had left Jack's place at around three that afternoon, leaving Jack alone to think about his offer. He needed to think about how he was going to help without compromising any of the Shinobi.

Jack, however, wasn't concerned at all about Hayabusa. In fact he welcomed the extra help, although he didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him. Especially with Kasumi's life at stake, but Jack would keep a very close eye on the stranger.

He grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and wrote down everything he had found out so far, which wasn't a lot. But it was better than nothing. He scribbled down a few things about the scene of Kasumi's capture and where he had found her sweater in relation to the van and the footprints. He then moved on to the disc, but when he tried to write down what he knew, he drew a complete blank. There was nothing on the disc that had really given him any clues. But he was still hopeful.

He sighed and lay down on the couch, taking out his wallet. He retrieved the old photograph he had found in Kasumi's duffel bag and looked at it carefully.

"Where are you, Kasumi?" he asked into the darkness of his living room.

He fell asleep on the couch, with the picture in his hand. This is how Hayabusa found Jack when he reentered the apartment late that night. He walked over to his sleeping frame, noticing the pad of paper and the picture.

"Wake up."

Jack groggily opened his brown eyes. "You're back? Again? Can't you wait until morning?"

Hayabusa shook his head and took a seat in the recliner next to the couch. "The more time we waste, the harder it will be to find Kasumi."

Hayabusa wasn't actually concerned about finding Kasumi, but he was more concerned about helping Hayate defend the village from this new foe. Kasumi made her choice when she ran away, and she must now accept the consequences of that choice, however dire they may be.

Jack looked at Hayabusa carefully. He was apparently a Shinobi, but he didn't understand why he didn't just kill him.

"Why do you want to help me find a regular person? Shouldn't you be off doing whatever the legendary Shinobi do?" Jack asked mockingly.

"What makes you think I'm a Shinobi? And what makes you think Kasumi is a normal person?" Hayabusa asked.

"Why do I think you're a Shinobi?" Jack tried to look deeply puzzled. "I don't know. Maybe because you're on the list you nearly killed me for!" he yelled.

Hayabusa nodded. "I wasn't going to actually kill you, but that's beside the point. Do you want my help or not? You've had plenty of time to think about it."

Jack thought a moment. It did look like a good idea and he needed the extra help. "Okay, but if you try anything funny..." he let the sentence trail off.

"You have nothing to worry--" Hayabusa started, but was interrupted by the phone ringing in Jack's coat.

"Hello?" Jack asked.

"Jack, the disc you gave me had a fail-safe!" Myamoto said.

"What are you talking about? What happened?!" Jack did not like where this was going. He needed the data on that disc to find Kasumi. And unless Hayabusa was some kind of super-ninja, which was doubtful, he was out of luck.

"It destroyed itself. I'm lucky it didn't take my computer with it. Fortunately, I made a copy of the information I found including the pictures, but anything I didn't decode is gone for good."

"Damn," Jack said, "Did you get any locations or anything like I asked?"

"No. There was a long, and I mean long list of descriptions, though. You only got a tiny piece of it. There are even a few names."

Jack sighed. "Are you sure there weren't any locations?"

"Sure as--"

"Just say yes, or no, Myamoto," Jack interrupted.

"Yes, I'm sure. Why are you so bent on locations anyway? We have a list of actual Shinobi!" There was a pause. "Speaking of locations, where did you get this disc?"

"It's a long story." Jack said. "Listen, it's late. Why don't you go to sleep. That's what I'm gonna do."

"Okay. If I find anything in the photos when I'm done enhancing them, I'll call you."

"I appreciate it," Jack said with a yawn.

He hung up the phone and thrust it back into his coat pocket. He turned to Hayabusa, who had opened the window Jack presumed he used to gain entry to his apartment.

"Are you leaving?" Jack asked, relieved.

"Yes. Tomorrow will be a big day. I will meet you downstairs in the morning." Hayabusa said as he climbed deftly out of the window.

Jack started to reply, but his new ally had vanished.

What a long day, he thought. It was just now that he realized how tired he really was. He put the photo back in his wallet, took off his black boots, and plopped down on his couch. He was asleep as soon as he landed.


Friday, December 16

8:12 A.M.

Organization Compound 21

Friday morning was darkened by black storm clouds, and as Kasumi listened to the thunder boom outside, she again thought of her home. She recalled that many years ago she and Ayane would play happily in the rain, without a care in the world. But those days were gone forever and she would soon be relieved of her sorrow.

She looked over to the door as she heard approaching footsteps, dreading the hours of torment that were to come. Kasumi sighed as the door opened and the fluorescent lights were turned on. She saw Shark's frame filling the doorway. He was carrying a large black box in one hand and some cables in the other.

"Today I'm not stopping until I get some answers or you're dead," Shark said in an icy tone.

Kasumi blinked her eyes as the tears she was holding back threatened to spill over. Shark walked reluctantly into the room followed by Smith. He set the black box down and connected the red and black cables to it. The other end of the cables ended in long copper spikes.

Smith thought of the words the girl had said on the second day of her captivity. I'll die before I tell you anything. It looked as though she were going to do just that. He had gathered a long list of Shinobi to go after, when this one died. Her continued resistance angered him and he no longer cared for an answer. He wanted to see this come to a painful end.

Shark looked at the grinning figure of Smith standing behind him as he powered up the small electric generator he had carried in. Smith was a man who had been accustomed to getting whatever he wanted. He just couldn't take failure. Shark had a plan in mind that would show him how to lose. But that would be a last resort, because he still wanted the money. He picked up the ends of the sparking wires and slowly walked approached Kasumi. He noticed that she had regained some mobility in her muscles, because she was fighting her restraints with every fiber of her body.

He took the pointed spikes and stabbed them into strategic locations of her body, avoiding all major internal organs. She wailed in excruciating anguish as the current pumped through her. Again, all of her muscles contracted, but this time it wasn't voluntary.

As Smith watched Shark electrocute the young Shinobi, his phone rang in his shirt pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the ID

"Right on time," he said to himself. He walked outside and shut the door behind him. He would need another one, soon.

"Smith," he said into the receiver. He had to yell over the loud agonized cries from the room that penetrated even the thick wooden door.

"What's all that racket?" Duncan asked from the other end of the line. "Is that the same girl you had me capture earlier?"

"Yes, but it should end soon, which is why I called last night. Are you ready for another job?"


­­Kasumi had never felt such pain as electrocution. It felt like she was being pulled apart from the inside out. It was unbearable, and she knew Shark was right when he had told her she would die. There was no way her frail, weakened body could take any more damage. But it had to end soon, didn't it? All she had to do was wait.

"Don't you want to live?!" Shark yelled at her. "Tell me!"

Kasumi cried loudly. "How can I?" she sobbed. "I would rather die than threaten the lives of my friends and family."

Shark shook his head as he thought about Kasumi's answer. Now instead of being some easy, but not so easy, money, this girl was someone's daughter, sister, or friend. There were people out there who cared about her, and he was going to destroy her for some quick cash. Shark quickly shook the thoughts out of his mind and stabbed her with the spikes again.

She screamed a horrible cry of pain, and her body was going numb. It was finally ending. She could actually feel her strength ebbing away. Through her tears the room darkened, and after a few long seconds, Shark finally jerked the metal spikes from her skin. Her wounds leaked blood over her sweating skin, but the intense throbbing pain the spikes had left behind felt so much better than having the electricity flow through her.

"You will die this way? You would lose everything for them?"

"Yes...I...would," Kasumi panted.


Friday, December 16

10:31 A.M.

Jack's Apartment

Jack awoke on the floor the next morning with a kink in his neck. The usual rays of morning sunlight had been replaced with bright, violent bursts of lightning. He put on his boots and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast when he remembered Hayabusa, who was probably waiting downstairs for him. Jack rushed to the door and walked down to the lobby, where he spotted Hayabusa. He wore the usual serious expression and stared outside at the freezing rain through the glass doors.

"Don't you ever smile?" Jack asked casually.

Hayabusa got up from the bench he had been sitting on. "Hello, Jack. I need to know everything you know about Kasumi's disappearance."

"And then...?" Jack asked.

"We'll figure out what to do next." Hayabusa answered. "What do you know?"

Jack took a seat on the bench. "I know that someone had been hunting her down for a long time. She called me from a pay phone three or four days ago asking for help. She said that she couldn't stay in the garage she had been living in, and needed my assistance. I asked her to come stay with me, and she reluctantly agreed, but when she went for a walk the next evening, she vanished. I found her pink sweater near a forest trail not too far from here. There was also a van, but it had been ditched. I think they used another vehicle to carry her the rest of the way to wherever they took her."

Hayabusa nodded. "Is that all?"

Jack glared up at him. "No, I found a disc in the van, but it was destroyed before I could get anything really useful out of it. I have a associate of mine working on the information I do have, but he said it would take awhile. The pictures he's clearing up for me should be ready by noon." Jack looked at his watch. It read ten-forty.

He got up and faced Hayabusa. "Now, do you have any ideas?"

Hayabusa thought a moment before answering. "I would say we should check out the scene of the kidnapping, but the rain has probably washed everything away. What about the garage you said she was staying at?"

Jack shook his head. "No good. I've been all over that place and I didn't find a thing."

"Shouldn't we check anyway?" Hayabusa asked.

"I told you there's nothing there." Jack said stubbornly.

"I'm going to the garage with, or without you. Maybe I'll find something you missed." Hayabusa argued .

Jack grinned. This guy even argued calmly, he thought. "Fine, but I still don't think you'll find anything. I've been there twice, and never found anything."

After about fifteen minutes in the unpleasant silence, Jack finally pulled the Jeep into the now familiar road that led to the garage. Ice was gathering on the cracked pavement and he made sure to drive slow. He was getting tired of running in circles. This must be how a dog feels when he can't catch his tail, he thought bitterly.

After they had crawled through the hole in the wall, Jack turned on his small black flashlight and handed Hayabusa the large yellow one he grabbed from the apartment before they left.

Jack pointed his flashlight at the ramp that led up to the second level. "Kasumi was staying on the second level. You go check up there, while I look around down here. And watch out for holes in the floor."

Hayabusa nodded and walked slowly towards the area bathed in the beam of Jack's light. After he had left the first floor, he activated his own light and looked around. Water was forming icicles on the rusted frame of the building and the rain poured through the roof making small waterfalls.

The place was empty at first glance. Hayabusa turned and spotted a small black object in the corner. As he drew closer, he recognized it as one of the picture frames that were common in the Shinobi village. The glass had been broken and the picture was missing. He picked up the frame and moved on to the opposite side of the room. He knew that Kasumi wouldn't leave anything obvious, and that's why he had insisted on returning to the garage. Hayabusa looked carefully at the roof as the thunder roared outside. There didn't appear to be any clues or hidden areas he could find. It looked like Jack was right.

As he was walking down the ramp Jack called over to him. "Hey, come check this out."

Hayabusa looked down at the symbol painted on the ground. It was a symbol that the Shinobi assassins used to mark an area after they cleared it. They must have painted this after Kasumi went to stay with Jack, which meant that 'the people hunting her down' as Jack had put it, worked for the mysterious third party.

"It's probably graffiti. I think we should check in the larger ruins." Hayabusa pointed at the remains of the refinery. If the people that were watching Kasumi were staking out the place, he suspected that would be where they camped.

"Yeah sure. I haven't checked there yet. You lead the way, I'll be right behind you," Jack said.

He waited until Hayabusa had walked back to the Jeep, before retrieving his small digital camera from his jacket pocket. Jack snapped several photos of the mysterious symbol painted on the floor.

He still didn't trust Hayabusa and Jack's experience as a detective told him that the man had something to hide. Myamoto would know if this wasn't average graffiti, but he would have to wait awhile before he could show him the pictures.

Jack drove the Jeep up to the factory, trying hard not to get stuck in the mud. It was in considerably worse shape than the smaller garage. The left side of the building had collapsed exposing the rusted and outdated machinery. The right side of the structure wasn't much better. It was scorched black from the fire, and looked like it could easily collapse at any given second. Vines covered the entire complex hiding it very well among the trees. Unlike the garage, the front doors were fine and they didn't have to search for an alternate entrance. Jack noticed that the vines that had been covering the door were cut, and laying on the ground. They were still a little green, so they must've been cut within the week. They walked inside, out of the rain and into the darkness.


Friday, December 16

11:57 A.M.

Organization Compound 21

It was almost noon when Shark decided to put the generator away, before Kasumi's heart stopped or exploded. He had expected to get an answer by now.

Smith entered the small cold room, wearing a drenched raincoat and an angry expression. He took off the bright yellow jacket and walked up to Kasumi. "Step aside, Shark. She will talk now, or she will be killed."

Kasumi whimpered weakly, a dark fear welling up inside her. The electricity had nearly destroyed her, and she felt numb from the cold. So she simply lay there, helpless and crying, as Smith beat her with brutal force. Every second, every breath, felt excruciating to her, but in some way she couldn't feel it. It was like she was somewhere else and this wasn't happening at all. It was simply a nightmare. Jack would wake her up soon, and then everything would be all right again.

Shark noticed her eyelids slowly droop and then close as she continued to take the violent blows that Smith was dishing out, and he knew that he had to act now, or she would never open her eyes again. It was time to move on to plan B. He wasn't ready to take her life, and she didn't deserve to die like this. No one did.

In just a few minutes, Smith had hit her so many times, and with such cruel force, that he could no longer raise his fist to strike her bleeding and battered body. He left the room to go get an ice pack for his exhausted muscles.

Kasumi wasn't moving, but Shark could see that she was breathing heavily and sobbing. Her lower lip was bloody and swollen and her nose was bleeding as well, but it wasn't broken. There were many large welts and bruises on her exposed waist and legs, and many of the gashes he had carved into her earlier were oozing with crimson fluid. Shark was sure she was in agonizing misery. Surprisingly enough, nothing seemed to be broken or dislocated, except for her hip. He shook her battered shoulder until her eyes slowly fluttered open, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Just finish me...," Kasumi moaned. "Please...end...the pain..."

Shark leaned close to her ear. "Lie. Make up something if you ever want to see the light of day again," he whispered.

"What?" She whispered. "Why?"

"Do you want to stay alive?!"

Kasumi flinched at his loud voice and nodded.

"Then do it. I'll explain later."

Just as he stood back up, Smith re-entered the room, and took a seat by the door. He was holding his shoulder, but he obviously was satisfied with the look of pure terror in Kasumi's copper eyes. He stared her directly in the eye and smirked.

Shark gave her a slight nod as she looked away from Smith, hoping she would understand.

Kasumi got the signal and quickly thought of a good lie, knowing that if she screwed this up, she was dead. Shark raised his fist and punched her in her beaten right hip, where Smith had brutally pounded her earlier. Her vision again blurred with tears as she cried out in anguish.

"All right! I'll tell you what you want to know. Just stop. Please!" she wailed.

Smith instantly took interest and got up from his chair to stand by Shark.

"Where is it?" Shark asked.

Kasumi paused to catch her breath and Smith slapped her to hasten her answer.

"It's in the Karasu Valley! Don't hurt me anymore! I-I can't..." Kasumi's sentence trailed off as she quietly sobbed.

The Karasu Valley was on the opposite side of the mountain, well away from any Shinobi territory. There was no way that Smith would find them way out there.

She winced as Smith gripped her impaled hand roughly and squeezed hard in a mock handshake. "Nice doing business with you."

He turned to face Shark with a satisfied grin. "Kill her anyway, and make it slow," he said as he walked out of the room.

Shark nodded.