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 Twenty-five
Monday, December 26
3:45 P.M.
Jack's Apartment
Jack put down the file he was holding and leaned back on the couch. "Is anyone else tired of doing this?"
Shark raised his hand. "I am. This is obviously getting us nowhere."
Myamoto continued to rummage through the papers and take notes. Jack grabbed the last slice of pizza and looked at him. "Relax for a few seconds. We'll get back to the information later. Right now there's no real rush. Both Kasumi and Ayane are safe and sound. For once we can be the ones to cause Smith some pain."
Myamoto nodded and put down his notepad. "Yeah, I guess we should take a short break."
Jack glanced at Shark as he took another bite of his pizza. "So where in the States did you come from? Let me guess. Missouri?"
Shark shook his head. "Nope. I was a city boy, just like you. I was raised in New York City."
Myamoto grinned. "I don't think I've ever worked with so many Americans. So why did you leave?"
Shark shrugged. "Job offer."
Jack finished the last bite of his pizza and washed it down with the rest of his soda. "New York, huh? California is way better than that freezer."
Shark nodded. "You don't have to tell me that. I always wanted to go to California, but I never found the time."
"So now that we're being honest, you mind telling me who's blood you're wearing and why it's there?"
Shark grinned. "Nice try, but no chance. I'll tell you when I'm ready, so quit pushing me."
Jack shrugged and stared at the box on the floor, knowing that eventually he would find out everything. Then something occurred to him. "Hey, Myamoto, take another look at the blueprints of the Forest Park facility."
Shark remembered that place. That was the same compound that he had kept Kasumi in dark cold room, tormenting her. That was the same place that still haunted his conscience. If he showed any outside signs of regret or any other emotion, Jack might get suspicious, so he remained stoic.
As Myamoto retrieved the requested blueprints, he questioned Jack's newfound interest. "What are you looking for? We've already been all over these maps."
Jack grabbed one of the pages from Myamoto and pointed to a small rectangular room. "That's where Kasumi was being kept." His finger glided down the hall and towards the stairs that lead to the upper rooms. Then he stopped in the big building. "I want to know what was in this place. Why would Smith need so much room?"
"He didn't. That was a storage area, but a few years back he found a better place to keep his junk. That room's been empty ever since. Where are you going with this?" Shark asked.
Jack looked at Shark. It felt weird to be working with someone who used to be the enemy. "What kind of junk?"
Shark shrugged. "Safes, gold, computers, and a bunch of other crap. Nothing real great. Why?"
Jack pressed on. "Where is this 'junk?'?"
"How the hell should I know? Smith never told me anything important like that. But I'm telling you there's nothing important that you're missing."
Jack sighed. "I thought that maybe....never mind. My idea probably wouldn't have worked anyway. We'd be better off going back to the warehouse compound if we want anything else to work with. Maybe Shark could show us something we missed."
"Sorry, but that's gonna be a little hard. I only worked in Installation 21. I don't know anything about his place on the docks."
"Great," Jack muttered. "More good news."
Myamoto looked at Shark, then at Jack. "Hold on a second. We could go back to the forest facility and look there for clues. With Shark working with us, we might be able to find something that could actually help."
Jack nodded. "I suppose that might work. What do you remember about that place, Shark?"
Shark thought a moment and sighed. "I remember that hole in the ground like the back of my hand. But before we go through all that trouble, I think we should make sure that there's nothing in the box that we can use. Installation 21 isn't my favorite place in the world and I'm not anxious to make a trip back."
Just then something else occurred to Jack. "Hey, you said you worked there. Do you know who hurt Kasumi?"
Shark pretended not to recognize the name. "Kasumi?"
Jack nodded. "You remember the girl I told you about that Duncan shot in the park? Her name is Kasumi."
"Oh, yes, I remember that. I'm sorry I can't tell you who the actual interrogator was, but I remember Smith wanted something very valuable that she knew about. I don't think he ever got it though. More than that, I can't tell you."
Jack nodded. "That's fine. I'm sure I'll find out eventually and when I do, I'll kill him."
Shark gulped involuntarily and took a drink of soda. "Why do you care so much?"
Jack looked at Shark as if he were a moron. "I thought I made it clear when I told the story the first time. I love Kasumi more than anything or anyone. Seeing her get hurt like this....I can't stand it. Did you know she cries in her sleep because of what happened? She can't even walk anymore because of those bastards, and she probably won't be able to for a few more weeks. You were smart to quit Shark, or I might've had to kill you."
Shark laughed uneasily. "Yeah, good thing. I guess we should hurry up and finish sorting through this box."
As they began looking at the files once again, Shark sighed. How was he going to keep form getting himself killed? If Jack learned that he was the one who had done this to her, he was as good as dead. But if he could get Kasumi to forgive him, which was a very long shot, maybe Jack would do the same. Besides, his expertise on The Organization was something Jack and his group couldn't afford to lose.
But the thought that because of what he did, Kasumi couldn't even sleep peacefully or walk anymore, only compounded his guilt. He hoped that she would wake up soon, because he needed to clear his mind. He needed her to know he was sorry. But would that be enough? Shark didn't think so.
Monday, December 26
4:10 P.M.
Streets of Downtown
Hayabusa had been looking for Hayate, but having no luck in finding his longtime friend. After a few hours of strenuous searching, he was finally rewarded for his efforts. Hayate was sitting on a park bench near the Okashima square, clearly lost deep in his own thoughts. Ryu took a seat next to him.
"Jack told me to tell you that the girls will be fine. He expects them to be out of the hospital by the end of the week."
Hayate looked doubtful. "The end of the week? You saw how bad they had been treated. You saw how much blood they had coughed up. That seems a little soon to me."
Hayabusa shrugged. "Kasumi made a remarkably fast recovery the first time she was in the hospital. There's no reason to believe she won't do the same this time."
Hayate remained quiet.
Ryu sighed. "Stop worrying about them."
Hayate shook his head. "It's not the girls that I'm thinking about. It's Jack. He knows everything."
Hayabusa thought this over for a second. "You sure?"
"Positive. There was a file on his kitchen table about all kinds of Shinobi in the village."
Ryu muttered a silent curse. "There's only one thing to do."
Hayate shook his head. "I know what needs to be done, but I don't think I can do it. After seeing Kasumi's pain and Jack's courage and sheer will to save her, I don't think I can bring myself to kill them."
Hayabusa looked at the afternoon sky. "Kasumi made her decision when she left and Jack was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." But the more Hayabusa thought about Jack, the more he hated the Shinobi's code. Not to mention that Kasumi would have to die for doing nothing more than caring about her family. "We'll discuss this later, but right now there are more important things to worry about than Kasumi's and Jack's fates. I'm sure we'll find a way to resolve that matter later. What I really wanted to discuss is the fact that Jack has now made a former Organization employee our ally. But I don't trust the man."
Hayate was intrigued. "Really? What's his name?"
"Shark."
Hayate muttered something under his breath and sighed. "Well at least we have someone who knows a thing or two about what makes Smith tick. We may actually be able to beat this guy."
Hayabusa nodded. "Unless Shark isn't what he appears to be. I think we should go back to Jack's place. There's nothing we can do sitting around here."
Hayate nodded and stood up. "Okay. You lead the way. I usually send Ayane to town for supplies so I don't quite know my way around yet."
Hayabusa stood up as well and gestured for Hayate to follow him. About two hours later they were knocking on Jack's door and Shark once again answered, wearing his bloody shirt and dusty pants. Hayate's face showed no outward signs of surprise or any other emotion, but he was caught off guard by the man's appearance to say the least. Hayabusa stepped inside and Hayate followed. After Shark closed the door he pointed to Hayabusa.
"Hey, you're that guy who climbed through the window this morning. I guess you must be Hayabusa?" He moved his finger to indicate Hayate. "And that would make you Hayate, right?"
Hayabusa ignored the man and sat down on the couch, not making any effort to hide his dislike for the former Organization thug. Hayate did the same and leaned against the back of the door, not even acknowledging Shark with a glance.
Jack and Myamoto came out of the kitchen where they had been discussing some information that was stored on the laptop about Installation 32. They had been comparing that information with the photos Jack had taken of Installation 21 in an effort to spot some similarities in Smith's habits and the layout of the two bases.
Shark pointed towards the ninjas. "You're friends are being a pain in the ass."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, they do that sometimes, but it grows on you. I see you found Hayate."
Hayabusa nodded. "We came to see if there's anything we could do to help."
"Perfect timing, guys. The three of us were just going to go check out Smith's facility in the woods and see if there's anything useful there."
Hayate furrowed his brow in confusion. "In the woods? But Kasumi was being held at the docks. Why do we need to go in the woods?"
Shark scoffed at Hayate's ignorance, but quickly stifled his attitude when the Shinobi leader shot him a fierce glare. It was immediately obvious that Shark wasn't going to be getting along with the ninjas for a while.
Jack sat down in his recliner and explained to Hayate the entire story. "Before you joined the show, Kasumi was taken to a facility in Forest Park to be tortured for some reason I have yet to figure out. But she escaped somehow and I managed to get her to the hospital before she died from her wounds. Barely. Anyway, during her recovery a slime ball by the name of Bayman took her to the docks so her questioning could be continued. Therefore, we are going to the woods, where Kasumi was initially being held captive."
Hayate nodded, now understanding the reasoning. "But why go there? The most recent information would be at the harbor, wouldn't it?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, but Shark never worked at the docks. He only worked at Installation 21 in Forest Park. So that's where he'd be most helpful."
Shark was the one to ask the next question. "I 'm curious about something. I know who you are," he said pointing to Jack, "and I also know who Hayate, Hayabusa, Kasumi, and Myamoto are. But earlier, I overheard the name Ayane while I was helping you clean this dump. Who is she?"
Jack sighed. "Kasumi's half sister. Smith wasn't satisfied with terrorizing Kasumi alone, so he must've figured he'd take her sister too. They're both in the hospital right now."
Shark nodded. "And you say Smith hired someone to take Kasumi from the hospital while she was still recovering? That bastard is even more stupid than I thought."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know. So are we ready to leave, or are we going to sit here and talk all day?"
Myamoto grabbed the laptop from off the kitchen table and gave Jack a thumbs up gesture. Hayate nodded as did Hayabusa. Shark simply sighed and muttered a reluctant affirmative as he put on his ruffled suit jacket.
The main reason he wasn't looking forward to the trip was that it might expose what he did to Kasumi. But if he played his cards right, he might get out of this alive, and with a few new allies. But he had to be extremely careful.
They all walked outside and piled into Jack's Jeep, making space very limited. On the way to the forest, Jack thought about Kasumi and wondered if she was doing any better. He hoped that she would wake up soon. He desperately wanted to talk to her and see if he could do anything to ease her pain, or at least make her forget it for a while. It hurt to see her suffering, but if he could do anything to alleviate it, he would do so without hesitation.
Jack also wondered how she would react to Shark, an ex-Organization employee. He knew it probably wouldn't be a big problem, since Kasumi was such a kind and gentle person, prone to forgiveness. It was likely she didn't even know the man at all. But the experience of being tortured without mercy or compassion would leave its scars on her mind and Jack wasn't sure she would ever recover from it.
After about four miles of slowly navigating through the dense woods outside the Okashima city limits, Jack spotted the abandoned compound, the door still wide open the way he had left it.
It was nearly eight o'clock that night and it was hard to see through the thick winter darkness shrouding the old underground building. The only light they had to work with was Jack's black pen light, and that wasn't much help.
"Isn't there some sort of back up power supply?" Myamoto asked.
Shark nodded. "Yeah, but it's in the far back of the lower half of the base. I suggest we head down there first and then we can get down to business."
Jack nodded. "Good plan. Let's go."
Hayabusa and Hayate decided to watch the door in case there were still active cameras in the area. Jack shrugged and followed Shark into the depths of the facility, Myamoto trailing close behind him. Jack felt a strange weight of sorrow fall upon his shoulders as he once again walked down the halls that once echoed with the agonized screams of the girl he loved.
In just a few short minutes they had found the generator room, but to Jack's disappointment it would need some quick repairs and a fresh tank of gas.
Shark sighed and took a good look at the corroded machine. It looked like the generator had been broken long before Kasumi's questioning, which seemed odd to him. But there was no use wondering about it now.
"So can you fix it?" Jack asked.
Shark nodded. "Give me about half an hour and I think I can get the old girl up and running again."
Jack nodded as Shark opened a nearby toolbox and retrieved a wrench. "I'll go look for some gas."
"What am I supposed to do?"
Jack turned to Myamoto. "Power up the laptop and start analyzing the information we were looking at earlier. Maybe by the time we get power restored, you'll have found something new."
Myamoto shrugged. "I guess it's worth a look. There's nothing else to do."
Shark switched on an old flashlight he had found in the metal toolbox and started working on the outdated machine. There was a lot that needed to be done, but he was confident in his skills to repair the damage.
Jack tightened his leather jacket around his shoulders and returned to the dark empty hall. On the way towards the upper level, he passed the room where he had seen Kasumi's blood smeared on the metal table.
He glared at the door and noticed something was different, but he couldn't discern what it was. The door looked normal and was closed tightly, a large metal padlock securing the entrance. Nothing stood out of place, but it still bothered him. A few seconds later he shrugged of the feeling of uncertainty and proceeded up the stairs, not ever wanting to see the interior of that room again. Those walls still reverberated with Kasumi's pain and he couldn't stand to see the gore that was on the other side of that creaky wooden door.
Hayabusa heard Jack's approach before he actually saw the ex-detective emerge from the shadows. Hayate had also heard his distinct footsteps, but ignored the sound. Instead, he focused his thoughts on how he would deal with the immediate problem Jack presented. The truth was he disapproved of Jack and his relationship with his little sister. The Shinobi code prohibited any sort of relationship with anyone outside of the clan on penalty of death. But Kasumi had already lost so much, so he had decided to play along for the moment. He had absolutely no desire to tear away the last thing she held dear to her heart, knowing it would destroy her if Jack was killed on her account.
As he walked up behind the two ninjas, Jack was still scanning the area for the gas can that was so urgently needed down below. But he was also looking for clues about his mysterious new ally. Shark was being elusive and Jack knew that the man was hiding something big. Even though he was being civil to the man, Jack didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. Unless Shark found some way to prove his loyalty, Jack wasn't going to stop watching him.
"Hey guys, we need some gas before we can get any power flowing through the place, so we need to search that large room for anything that might be useful."
Hayabusa scanned the huge room right outside the double doors they were guarding. "It's empty in here."
"Thank you, captain obvious," Jack said sarcastically.
Hayabusa simply responded with a fierce glare.
Hayate, however, took a closer look at the room and saw something Ryu hadn't noticed. Alongside the exterior wall of the inner building, there was some old equipment piled up next to a barred window at ground level. He pointed this out to Jack. "There's something over there that might be of some use."
Pointing the narrow beam of his small pen light at the junk heap, Jack gave a slight nod. "Yeah, that might work."
Hayabusa reluctantly followed Jack towards the debris and helped him search for some fuel for the generator. Jack, however, had taken interest in the small barred window and peered inside. To his complete surprise, he was gazing at the chamber that contained the blood stained table and bare metal cart. He looked away immediately, clenching his hands into fists.
Hayabusa noticed this action and also looked through the small opening. He immediately recognized the bloody mess from Jack's photos, but said nothing. Instead he simply continued to search through the pile for gasoline.
Suppressing his grief and anger, Jack also began looking for vital fuel that would restore power to the old compound. But his mind wasn't on the task at hand. He was still preoccupied with Kasumi's condition and wondered once again how she was doing. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she got out of surgery and he didn't know how her recover was progressing. He wished he were at her side in this critical time of need.
Monday, December 26
8:38 P.M.
Charity Medical Complex
The first thing she noticed was the horrible pulsating pain tearing through her bandaged chest when she took a breath of fresh air, making her gasp loudly from the sheer agony. And as she tenderly licked her soft pink lips, she could still taste her blood upon them. Her throat was dry and irritable and her skin was moist with sweat.
Kasumi groggily opened her glistening amber eyes and tried with much effort to sit up, instantly crying out in pure anguish when she moved, tears rolling down her flushed cheeks. The pain was so immense that her body went weak on the hospital bed as all her joints turned to rubber. She immediately noticed that her arms were stiff and extremely sore. Her right hip also ached as if someone had pounded it with a heavy iron sledge hammer, crushing her bones to dust.
So she lay very still on the hospital bed, quietly sobbing, even though she had a steady dose of pain killers rushing through her bloodstream.
Ayane had been awake for nearly two hours and had been fuming the entire time. Her hate for Kasumi grew with every second as she thought about the last few days, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl out of bed and strangle her half sister until the last drop of spirit left her tattered and broken body. She hated Kasumi for getting her into this mess, and she hated her even more for stealing the life that could have been hers.
As a child, Genra had been her only family, but Kasumi had a brother, a mother, and father who loved her very much. She lived in a nicer house and had nicer things. Kasumi often shared her wealth with joy and kindness, and Ayane had happily accepted her generosity and played with her when they were children. After all, they had been best friends and had been totally inseparable at the time.
But now Ayane hated Kasumi's continued kindness and viewed it as an insult. Why did she deserve such a perfect life? It wasn't fair that she had been deprived of being part of a real family. No one had even given her a chance.
She recalled submitting to her guilt and feeling sorry for her sister during their captivity, but that time had passed quickly. Ayane was glad she was hurting, but was tired of hearing her pained cries.
"Would you shut up?! I'm so sick of hearing your voice!"
Kasumi stopped whimpering and tried to forget her pain. "S-sorry, Ayane," she sniffled. "I c-can't help it."
Ayane was hurting too, but she must have not been hurting as bad as Kasumi. Her mouth parted in a smile at the thought of Kasumi's misery. Good, she deserves it.
Closing her shimmering copper eyes, Kasumi thought about where Jack was and what he was doing. Was he still in the hospital waiting for her? Or was he somewhere else? She hoped that he wasn't too worried about her, but she knew that he probably was. She pushed these thoughts aside and opened her eyes once again, glancing over at Ayane.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, barely audible.
Ayane felt anger burn through her like a raging fire at Kasumi's gentle voice, disgusted by her concern. "Shove off, you little brat! I don't need any of your pity," she hissed.
Kasumi was stung by Ayane's harsh voice and she remained quiet, sorrow lurking in her tearful eyes. She looked away from Ayane and said no more, not wanting her sister to hurl any more painful insults her way. As she stared at the dull white ceiling above her, Kasumi felt a stray tear wander down her cheek.
Ayane smiled, but deep down inside she felt something that resembled guilt. But she quickly shrugged away the feeling and ignored Kasumi's sadness the way she ignored her own. She wanted to hurt Kasumi even more, but refrained from speaking due to the continued soreness she was feeling from her injuries.
Having no words strong enough to describe the degree of hurt that ravaged her delicate heart, Kasumi thought of old childhood memories so that she might find some way to ease her pain. But every happy memory she could recall, involved Ayane, her best friend. They would have so much fun playing around the village and exploring the woods together. One memory of when she and Ayane had been playing in the forest flashed through her mind....
Ayane laughed as she ran through the woods after Kasumi, feeling the wind blow back her long lavender bangs. They raced each other along the narrow dirt path, both their hearts racing with adrenaline as they skipped over small rocks and tree roots that littered the ground before them. The trees whizzed past them and Kasumi parted her lips in a bright smile.
When they reached the finish area a few minutes later Ayane had beat Kasumi by a few seconds, and she leaned up against a nearby tree to catch her breath.
As Kasumi crossed the goal line and entered a clearing, she lay down in the soft grass feeling the warm sun wash over her face as she laughed from the rush of the competition.
"Good race, Ayane," she said with a smile.
Ayane returned Kasumi's smile with one of her own. "You're pretty fast. Race you back."
Kasumi climbed to her feet and dusted herself off. "You're on."
When they arrived back at Kasumi's house, Ayame was waiting with a caring tender smile, reflecting her love for her daughter. Kasumi was the first to reach the door and Ayane laughed.
"I told you you were pretty fast."
Kasumi smiled. "You didn't let me win, did you?"
Ayane had a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, but denied the fact that she actually had held back. "I would never do that."
Ayame kneeled down to face her young child and dusted off her clothes. "You had better go clean up. It's almost time for dinner."
Kasumi nodded and gestured towards Ayane. "Okay, Mom. Can she stay for dinner tonight? Please?"
Ayame nodded warmly. "Of course she can. Ayane is always welcome in our home. As long as it's okay with Master Genra."
"He won't mind if I stay for a while."
Kasumi turned to her best friend. "Come on, Ayane! Let's go inside."
"Okay."
Kasumi walked back to her room and Ayane followed, deeply moved by Kasumi's hospitality. After they had washed their hands, Kasumi gave Ayane a tight affectionate hug and smiled. "I'm glad you'll be staying for dinner. Maybe we can play some more after we eat."
Ayane was caught off guard by her friend's embrace, but she returned Kasumi's warm hug and smiled. "I'm glad you invited me."
"We'll stay friends forever, won't we?" Kasumi asked.
Ayane nodded. "Sure, Kasumi. Friends Forever."
They both walked towards the dinner area and took a seat next to each other on the floor, and both of them were smiling.
Kasumi sighed sadly and gazed at Ayane wondering what happened to their bond. As she lay on the hospital bed, wrapped in blood soaked bandages and wracked with pain, Kasumi realized that forever wasn't very long. She couldn't help herself from feeling worry for her sister's condition, because she would never stop loving Ayane, no matter how bad things between them got. There was always hope to restore what they once had, and in her mind, they would always remain best friends. Friends forever.
She parted her lips to speak, but words failed her and she kept silent, misery weighing heavy in the air.
Monday, December 26
9:44 P.M.
Organization Compound 21
Triumphantly holding the red plastic container in his hand, Jack grinned. "Found some gas."
Hayabusa stopped rummaging through the pile. "Finally. Now maybe we can get something done around here."
Jack gave a slight nod and proceeded to enter the basement halls, leaving Hayate and Hayabusa to continue watching the door. When he arrived in the generator room, Shark gave him an irritated glance.
"It's about damn time! I've been done for almost an hour. You have no idea how tormenting it is to sit here and listen to this computer nerd babble on and on about binary decay and algorithms."
"Hey," Myamoto said. "You asked about how I managed to locate--"
Jack held up his hands, signaling for Myamoto to be quiet, and then he turned to Shark. "Consider it your punishment for working with Smith. I found some gas we can use."
Shark nodded and poured the volatile liquid into the generator's empty tank. When it was full, he yanked on the start up cord and the machine rumbled to life. Jack turned off his flashlight, as did Shark. The overhead lights slowly flickered on and wavered from dim to bright for a few seconds. Then finally they stabilized and power was restored. Shark laughed victoriously and climbed to his feet from where he had been sitting on the floor, dusting of his dirty suit pants.
Jack pocketed his flashlight and took a deep breath. "I guess we should start looking. Did you find anything interesting, Myamoto?"
The hacker nodded. "Yep. There's something that I think we should take a closer look at in the upstairs control room."
Jack nodded. "Let's go then."
