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-nine
Tuesday, December 27
11:00 P.M.
Downtown Okashima
Thomas had finally gotten some time away from Smith and it was a rare occasion. That imbecile was so damn needy and Thomas figured it was time to celebrate his newfound freedom, so he decided to hit the clubs and see what was up in the shadier parts of town. After all, Smith can fix that mess by himself. It wasn't his problem that Jack had ripped that place a new one. Little did he know that this night was going to go in a very unpredictable manner very fast.
As Thomas walked into a well known club and hangout for many of Okashima's most powerful criminals, he noticed immediately that the atmosphere was much different than usual. Things were tense and the air was heavy like a thick blanket of lies.
The room was dark, except for the bright neon lights advertising certain brands of liquor and the colorful dance lights that flickered on every wall. There was a large dance floor and the booming bass of the loud techno music mix pounded the walls with thunderous force. When he walked into the room, everyone paused for a good three or four seconds before continuing about their business. He had definitely made his impression.
Thomas frequented the bar often and almost everyone knew who he was, and they also knew not to get on his bad side. His intimidating six foot stature and piercing green eyes were plenty enough to discourage anyone foolish enough to challenge him, but if that didn't do the job, his reputation certainly would.
But tonight was definitely different. Everyone was on edge and murmuring behind his back like he was some kind of cold blooded killer. It just so happens to be that he actually is one. As he took an empty seat at the bar, two or three men who had been sitting nearby immediately left, drunkenly stumbling over each other to get out of the doors as fast as possible.
"You want something?"
Thomas sighed and ran his fingers through his ruffled dirty blond hair. "Yeah, I want to know what the bloody hell is going on. Things are different tonight."
The bartender put down the slender glass she had been polishing and leaned forward, her face just inches from his. "Word's out, Tom," she whispered. "People are saying you took an Organization contract. Is that true?"
Thomas rolled his eyes. "What if it is, Ami?" His tone was menacing and he wasn't afraid to start a fight. In fact he had been spoiling for one ever since Jack Wallace had obliterated his men.
Ami backed away from Tom and resumed polishing her glass, even though it was already crystal clear. Thomas grinned. He had made her nervous and it was quite obvious.
"Um, it's just that the Organization isn't some small time crime syndicate, Tom. Rumors are that your new boss is onto something big. I know for a fact that-"
Thomas leaned forward and lowered his voice to a malicious hiss. "What exactly do you know, Ami? Hmm?"
Ami almost dropped her glass. "Uh, nothing. I just heard that-"
A strong hand grabbed Thomas's shoulder from behind and the room was suddenly silent as if someone had just pulled a gun on him. Thomas casually turned around and stared down the large form of Takashi Kato without fear or any other emotion showing in his cool calculating eyes. "Yeah, What do you want, Kato? I thought I taught you your lesson."
Kato simply snickered. "You were lucky, Wilson. Get out of my club. I don't want no stinking Organization goon scaring off my paying customers."
Thomas glared at Ami, who stood with her back against the wall gazing at the floor. "How typical. I expected no less from you, Ami. How'd you do it this time, eh? You have another magic button under that counter or did you get one of your buddies to alert this gorilla when I walked in?"
Ami shook her head nervously. "No, it's no like that, I swear! I wouldn't do that to you."
"Not bloody likely. You're so much different than before. I don't even know why I bother talking to you at all anymore."
Ami was fed up and shot a piercing glare from her dark brown eyes that could shatter mirrors. "What do you expect! Smith isn't exactly a popular name in this part of town."
Thomas simply ignored her and stood up, matching Kato's height with his own. "So what are you going to do if I refuse to go?" He laughed. "Are you going to 'show me who's boss' like last time."
Kato popped his knuckles, but Ami intervened. "Don't do it, Takashi!"
Kato laughed at his employee. "It's just a puny British pig." He leaned forward. "Oink, oink, oink."
Thomas took this opportunity to strike the tall Japanese man in the jaw with a bone shattering left hook, sending Kato to the floor. He snickered and glowered down at the fallen club manager at his feet. "How pathetic. At least last time you got one or two punches in."
Kato snarled and kicked at Tom's knees, hoping to break the English man's legs like twigs, but to his surprise Thomas dodged his furious kicks as if they were nothing.
"Pathetic," he muttered in his thick accent as he kicked Kato's ribs with his boots.
Kato coughed and sputtered on the floor for a few seconds and then he waited for Thomas to take another cheap shot. As soon as that happened, Takashi grabbed Tom's ankle and sharply twisted it sideways, making Tom gasp and fall to the floor right beside him.
With the speed of rabid wildcats, both men jumped to their feet and all the patrons stood entranced by their heated battle. They all openly cheered for Tom, but he knew that they would like nothing more than to see him fail. They were just sucking up, hoping that they weren't next on his list.
Kato gritted his teeth. "Leave, Tom. I don't want to fight you."
Tom laughed. "And who could blame you? I wouldn't want to fight me either."
He let out a savage yell as he launched his left fist forward like a bullet, but Kato had predicted Tom's direct attack and leaned backwards just in time to avoid the crippling blow. Before Tom had time to react, Kato grabbed his forearm and turned his back on the European mercenary. Then he used his momentum to swiftly toss Thomas over his shoulder in a single fluid movement, sending him flying towards the bar. Tom violently smashed into the wall, causing many bottles of booze to crash to the floor and shatter.
"Someone's been practicing..."
"You're weak, Tom," Kato sneered. "Have you had enough or are you ready for more?"
Thomas reached for a broken bottle and slowly climbed to his feet, making sure to keep the broken glass hidden behind his back. "Go to hell, Kato!"
He raised his arm high above his head and smashed the bottle over the manager's head with massive force, sending shards of clear amber glass everywhere. As Kato stumbled around and tried to regain his senses, Tomas roughly grabbed his broad shoulders and brutally jammed his right knee into the Japanese man's abdomen a few times, making Kato shout out in pain and double over.
"No! Takashi!" Ami yelled.
Thomas grinned as he forcefully jabbed his elbow downward into the man's back, which was the final blow that ultimately forced Kato to the hard floor at his feet once again. He was just about to kick his defeated opponent when Ami's nervous voice stopped him short.
"Stop it, Tom! Just go away! We don't want trouble with Smith," she shouted above the din, panic edging into her voice.
"Smith is the least of your problems, Ami," Thomas said darkly as he hauled Kato off the hardwood floor. "Now, listen here Kato. I came here to have a bloody drink and get pissed like any other swine in this dump you call a club. You're going to let me stay, or you're going to be eating all your meals through a plastic tube for the next six months. You got it?"
Kato gave a slight nod and unruffled his dark suit jacket.
Thomas grinned and let go of Takashi. "Good. Now go back to the hole you crawled out of."
Takashi muttered a few colorful curses and left, his hands balled into tight fists of rage. After all, it was better to be at the devil's right hand than in his path. And Thomas Wilson was much worse than any demon.
Thomas sat back down in his bar stool and ignored the quiet shocked murmurs of the patrons.
"You said you heard something, Ami? Tell me what it is you think you know about our project."
If looks could kill, Thomas would most certainly be dead. "Nothing. It was just a silly rumor."
"What kind of rumor?" Thomas asked as he stole a nice frosty beer from the person sitting next to him.
Ami watched in disgust as he guzzled the cold amber liquid. "Just something my friend at the hospital told me. She's the receptionist during the graveyard shift and she overheard something that some guy and one of the doctors were saying in the hall. It's nothing really."
Thomas nodded and remembered the girls. The Completion had probably ravaged their bodies in the most horrible way imaginable, but he felt no remorse for them. He finished the beer and tossed the empty bottle over his shoulder. "Right. I believe you, Ami."
Ami let out a relieved sigh and walked down towards the other end of the bar, her waist length black hair tied neatly behind her with a glossy red ribbon.
"Tom! What the hell are you doing here?"
Thomas turned around and nodded towards Bayman as he approached. "I could ask you the same question. You went AWOL on us after the shoot out. What was that all about?"
Bayman shrugged. "I did my job and got my money. I don't need to do any more of your dirty work unless you have another job for me."
"If you had nothing to do you wouldn't still be in Okashima. So why are you here? Revenge?"
Bayman chuckled. "You could say that."
Thomas nodded. "So is it the girl? What was her name again? Kasumi?"
"Yeah. That little bitch isn't getting off that easy. But she's only half the problem."
Thomas gestured for Ami to bring him another beer. "Oh yeah? You going after Ayane, too?"
Bayman was confused for a moment. "Ayane? No. Why the hell would I care about her? I want Jack."
Thomas furrowed his brow. "Jack Wallace? That makes both of us. That bastard killed all of my men saving that little red headed wench, and I want a piece of him."
Ami slammed the beer down in front of Thomas. "Anything else?" she asked, her voice heavy with a deep loathing. She mentally filed away his comments so she could do a little digging later.
Thomas waved her away like an annoying insect. "No, Ami."
Bayman grabbed her wrist roughly and jerked her towards him. "Give me a beer, doll. And make it quick."
Ami winced. "Let me go! Get you own damn beer, you ugly brute!"
Bayman didn't appreciate this remark and squeezed her delicate wrist hard, making her eyes water and her bones strain.
Thomas saw this gesture and grabbed Bayman's arm, clamping down on him with shocking force and causing Bayman to instantly release Ami from his vice grip. She immediately held her arm and massaged it tenderly as she walked away.
Thomas glared at Bayman. "Don't ever grab her again."
"Someone's got a soft spot."
Thomas took a swig out of his new beer. "Just leave her alone. She's had things pretty rough and I don't want you making life harder for her."
Bayman chuckled. "I see you have no problems making her miserable."
"That's different."
Bayman shrugged. "Whatever. I came here hoping to find something out about where Jack and Kasumi might be, not to start fights with beautiful bartenders. I tried to go to Kasumi's original torturer, but the man was weak and knew nothing. He didn't even know his victim's name."
Thomas laughed. "How pathetic. Of course you aren't much smarter are you? Why don't you just go back to the hospital and finish the job?"
"That would be the stupidest thing to do in a situation like this. They already know what I look like. I wouldn't make it halfway to her room before the cops would be all over the place."
"Well, if you had just listened to me earlier and waited until she was released, you wouldn't be in this mess. It was very foolish to attack someone in the hospital, Bayman."
"It worked didn't it? And I messed her up good too," he chuckled. "By the time I was through with her, she was begging for me to stop. You should have seen her cry."
Thomas put down his beer after he took another swig. "You find that amusing? Only barbarians find such things amusing. I'm in it only for the money and that's it."
"I didn't see you protesting while Smith was making her scream. You ain't getting soft are you?"
Thomas laughed. "Me? Hell no. Just because I don't condone torture, doesn't mean that I'm going soft. Her cries meant nothing to me, Bayman. Kasumi and Ayane can rot for all I care, as long as I get paid."
Bayman nodded. "Glad to hear it. So why are you here?"
"It's Smith. Ever since Jack tore up his precious base, all he's done is whine about DOA4 and how he doesn't have the supplies to make the deadline. We've tried to repair it, but it's going really slow. I had to take some time for myself so here I am."
"Deadline? What deadline?"
Thomas grinned. "It has something to do with his superior. The guy calls every so often wondering about our progress in finding the Shinobi. There must be something very valuable up there to be causing this much of a fuss. Whatever it is, it's not gold. It has to be something much more than that. Something mystical."
Bayman chuckled. "Mystical, huh? Well, I wouldn't go that far, Tom."
Thomas simply shook his head and took another drink of beer. "I would."
Wednesday, December 28
9:52 A.M.
Charity Medical Complex
Kasumi woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and slightly better than before, although her head ached with a dull throb, and her hip and shoulders still felt utterly awful. But her body no longer burned or hurt when she moved, which was a very good sign.
But the physical pain wasn't what was bothering her. Ayane's earlier remarks had still left quite a large scar on her broken heart and it affected her even now. Did she really mean all those terrible things she had said yesterday? Did Ayane truly wish she had been tortured to death? Such questions made Kasumi hurt inside, and it was not a feeling she wanted to relive again. So she did what she always did and pushed her pain aside to be reckoned with while she was alone and no one could see her cry.
"...my head..." Ayane moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.
Kasumi forgot about her questions and turned her head towards her sister who was just now waking up. "My head hurts too. Are you okay?"
Ayane considered hurling more hurtful insults, but she stopped herself. Instead she settled for a cold and bitter glare filled with contempt.
Kasumi caught this glare and knew deep down that nothing had changed overnight, contrary to her inner most wishes. "Sorry," she muttered sadly. "I was just concerned."
Ayane's piercing stare softened and she looked away from her half sister. She wanted so much to devastate Kasumi, but what was the point? To crush her? When Ayane looked at her sister, she realized that there wasn't much more she could say to make things worse. Kasumi was already crushed. "Why are you doing this? Why won't you just give up?"
Kasumi looked surprised that Ayane even had to ask. "Because you're my friend. I still care, Ayane. I always have."
Ayane wanted to curl up and forget everything bad she had ever said to her sister. Kasumi was like an abused pet dog that never seemed to want to bite back, no matter how much you strike and whip her. She would just sit there and whimper until things got better. But things never got better, and Kasumi had to realize that sooner or later. The fact that she continued to show concern just made Ayane feel even worse. "I'm not your friend, Kasumi. Friends would never do what I've done. You're better off without me."
Kasumi watched curiously as Ayane rolled onto her side and turned away from her. "Do you want to talk about it? I'll listen."
Ayane allowed herself a resentful smile, but knew Kasumi couldn't see her. "Jack said the exact same thing. You guys really shouldn't bother with me. I'm nothing but trouble."
"But I want to help. Besides..." Kasumi hesitated as she thought of her captivity and the horrifying pangs of misery it had wrought upon her. "...I need to talk about it."
Ayane rolled over at the almost musical sound of her sister's voice. It was tinted with heartache and Ayane wondered why she didn't go to Jack and unleash her woes.
"Why me? Can't you spill your guts to Jack? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to listen to your sob stories." Her voice was like a sharp blade, even though she didn't mean to sound hostile. She thought about adding the statement "I could care less," but the truth was she did care to a small extent and she couldn't bring herself to do any more harm. Not now anyway.
Kasumi closed her beautiful eyes and sighed, softly massaging her sore hip to relieve some of the throbbing pain that was shooting through her leg. "He wasn't there. I just want to talk to someone who knows what it was like. I want to talk to you."
"Well maybe I don't want to talk about it. Did you ever think of that, or are you too busy feeling sorry for yourself!"
Kasumi flinched at her sister's abrasive statement and hung her head in shame. "I-I never considered... I wasn't trying to..." she struggled to find the right words. After a few seconds of silence, she responded in a clear compassionate tone. "I'm sorry, Ayane."
"Don't you remember any of your training? Find inner peace and stop dwelling on the pain. That's what I did."
Kasumi smiled softly, raising her face so that their eyes met evenly. "No, you buried it. Just like you always do. It would be good for both of us if-"
"If we what? Had a nice long chat about how some small weakling tied us up and tortured us for days without food and water! How would that change anything?" Ayane's eyes were tearful and her tone was harsh.
Kasumi's expression became apologetic. "I didn't mean to-"
"Too late."
Kasumi looked down at the floor. "Please, Ayane?" she pleaded. "I can't hide it anymore."
"What is it that you want to say?" Ayane asked. "Whatever it is, it isn't going to change anything."
"I know, but-"
The door swung open and both doctor Nikata and Makita walked into the room, cutting Kasumi's sentence short.
"Are you guys feeling any better today?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, but my arms and hip still hurt. When is that going to go away?"
Karei consulted her clipboard and thumbed through the various pages. "Your muscles will take some time to heal so those areas will stay pretty tender for at least the next week. Maybe a few days longer."
Ayane's shoulders hurt as well, but she was very grateful that her hip hadn't been abused as badly as Kasumi's. At that moment Ayane realized that her sister had bravely endured twice as many atrocities as herself and still hadn't given in to the pain. Maybe she really did need to take a load off. But now wasn't the time for such things.
Karei turned to Ayane, clearly expecting her to be stubborn and difficult. "And what about you?"
Ayane looked down at the sky blue sheets. I've burned so many bridges...
"I'm okay."
Karei nodded and turned to Nikata. "See, Mitsuo, I told you they were going to be fine."
Nikata still had a look of doubtfulness on his face. He looked at Kasumi. "What about the nightmares? Have they returned?"
She gazed at the ceiling and shook her head. "No, not yet."
Karei left the room and Nikata was about to follow when he noticed Kasumi gingerly rubbing her leg. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. It will only make the joint more irritated. A nurse should be by in a few seconds to change your bandages. I'll tell her to bring you an electric blanket that you can bunch up next to it. That should help."
Kasumi smiled in appreciation and nodded. 'Thank you."
Nikata sighed and left the room.
Glancing at Kasumi after the doctors left, Ayane still felt a deep sense of malice for her sister. But those thoughts were like a wildfire that was running dangerously low on fuel. Ayane couldn't deny that Kasumi's pain far outweighed her own and maybe it would be okay to let her release some of that burden. Such things obviously weren't meant to be contained, and she finally resigned herself the building guilt inside her heart. "Okay, Kasumi, we can talk," she muttered dejectedly. "I'll listen."
Wednesday, December 28
10:36 A.M.
Organization HQ, Tokyo
Annulus sat behind his heavy walnut desk and read the email over and over again, not quite absorbing the information.
Jack Wallace is the son of a man named James Wallace who was murdered almost five years ago in his apartment. After that, the man started a private investigation firm in downtown Los Angeles, presumably to find his father's killer. But when that business went under he moved to Japan. I think you can figure out the rest. He has only one living relative and she's residing somewhere in Chino. Do you want me to check it out?
-Corso
Annulus angrily slammed his PDA down on the desk and muttered a few choice words that would make a sailor blush. James Wallace? That was a name he hadn't heard in a very long time, and he had hoped to never hear it again. If Jack really was his son, things could get very complicated.
One question plagued his mind. How did the son of James Wallace get involved with the Shinobi and survive? And how was it that the name Wallace had always harassed his business? It was like some kind of damn curse that wouldn't just leave him be. This kid must be something special. It didn't matter now though.
There was a few options he could take to simplify things. He could either send someone to pay Jack off, hire him, or kill him. The choice would be Jack's to make, of course. But what of the relative? Hmmm...
Annulus brushed his silver hair from before his slate gray eyes and picked up the PDA. He opened his email account and began typing up a response message.
Go to Chino and get as much information from the relative as possible, without being conspicuous. We don't need any trouble with the law, Corso. After you retrieve the information, email me with it and we'll go from there.
-Annulus
He smiled darkly as he pushed down on the send button. He pondered sending an assassin to find Jack and make an offer or finish him off, but he decided to wait until things were clearer about the son of James Wallace. There was no need to reveal himself before DOA4 unless absolutely necessary. And if Jack was anything like his old man, he could prove very useful...
Wednesday, December 28
11:15 A.M.
Myamoto's Apartment
Jack tossed a jumbo breakfast burrito to his friend and took a large bite out of his own. "Sorry I'm late, man, but I had to take care of a few chores before I could come over. My place is really starting to look like a dump and when Kasumi comes back I want things to be at least halfway decent."
Myamoto laughed. "Then you should probably go check into renting a different apartment."
Jack grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I bet I've lost my deposit for sure. So you ready to get going?"
Myamoto held up a small strip of paper as he put on a faded denim jacket. "Actually I wrote down all the questions I thought would be relevant. Take a look and see if you can come up with anything else."
Jack took the list and looked it over. "Hmm... I don't really see anything you left off. You sure you want to ask her these?"
Myamoto took back the list and crammed into his pocket. "Sure. Why? Are they unreasonable?"
Jack shook his head. "No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I think you covered everything pretty well. I just hope she can answer them. Let's go before we run into the rush hour traffic."
Myamoto nodded. "Right."
As they drove to the hospital, Jack thought more and more about yesterday and what Ayane had done. Something big must've happened when they were kids and he had been thinking about what it might be all morning long. But he couldn't find anything that would justify how Ayane had treated her. There was nothing he could think of that Kasumi could've done to evoke such blinding hatred. Maybe he just wasn't looking hard enough. Or maybe he was looking too hard. The mystery was making his head spin.
He shrugged and abandoned the idea, knowing that he would probably spend all evening contemplating it whether he felt like it or not. Any sort of mystery always did this to him and he never usually got any peace until they were solved. That's one of the reasons he had made such a great private eye. And after he mastered his ability with the Beretta and developed his instincts, Jack was one of the best in downtown L.A.
In a mater of minutes, Jack had driven to the hospital and parked the Jeep, barely avoiding the heavy midday traffic. He shut off the car he turned to Myamoto. "Be tactful. She's in a very precarious spot right now and one wrong word could send her toppling over the edge."
"I know. Don't worry about her, Jack. Everything's under control."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I think you'll do good. And I'm sure she can handle it. After all, she's made it this far, right?"
They entered the hospital and started down the hall that led to Kasumi's room, but Karei stopped them before they were even halfway there. "Where did you guys run off to last night? I told the cops that you would be here when they arrived."
Jack sighed. "I had something that needed to be taken care of," he lied. "Maybe if they had been here earlier things would've been different."
"Fine, but they still want to speak with you. It sounded pretty urgent."
"I'll be sure to remember that, doc. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see Kasumi. Is that all right?"
Karei stepped out of their path. "Of course. I have other patients to check up on anyway."
Myamoto watched her leave and then faced Jack. "Dude, you need to talk to the police. Things will only get worse if you keep avoiding them."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, especially since I'm on their radar now."
"Well, let's go talk to Kasumi first and then we'll figure out what to do from there."
Jack hesitated for a split second and then nodded. "Right. Her room is just around the corner."
He smiled as he approached 23A, because instead of hearing arguments and angry insults, he heard Kasumi and her sister speaking softly and he even thought he heard a gentle giggle.
He stopped Myamoto right before he pushed through the door. "You hear that? Did we just enter the Twilight Zone or something?"
Myamoto grinned. "Is it so hard to believe, Jack? I knew Ayane wasn't that heartless."
Jack smiled. "It's about time. It looks like things are finally starting to look up."
Myamoto opened the door and stepped inside, followed closely by Jack. He noticed right away that Ayane didn't look too well. Her expression was sad and she definitely had something on her mind. Maybe she was feeling bad for what she had said earlier? Her sister, on the other hand, was beaming like the morning sun.
Kasumi immediately noticed as they entered the room and parted her lips in a radiant smile. "Hey, guys! Come on in."
Jack winked at her. "Don't mind if I do. So how are you feeling?"
Kasumi gestured towards a bunched up blanket wrapped around her slightly swollen right hip. "Much better. I almost can't feel it at all."
"That sounds great, Kasumi. You'll be outta here before you know it." He shifted his weight uneasily. "Myamoto wants to ask you a few questions that might help us take care of Smith for good. You willing to give it a shot?"
Kasumi nodded, her face still lit up in a bright expression. Jack was relieved to see that Ayane had decided to make a change. Even one small act of kindness from her sister, lifted Kasumi's spirits sky high. Hopefully, the trend would continue. Maybe Jack could even get a civil answer out of her now.
But she looked like a wilting flower in the sweltering desert heat. Ayane had rolled onto her side and faced the wall, turning her back on all of them and breathing a deep sigh. Something was wrong and he felt a need to try to make things better. But maybe he should just leave well enough alone for the moment. Trying to reach out only made things worse with her. Ayane was complicated that way.
Myamoto cleared his throat and took out his very short list. "Um, this shouldn't take too long. If it gets uncomfortable for you, just say the words and this interview is over, okay?"
Kasumi nodded and sat up straight. "Go ahead."
Ayane also took notice, but she made no move to indicate she was paying any attention.
"Okay. My first question mainly refers to your time with Shark. Did you notice any sort of habits that Smith may have had? Any sort of weakness?"
Kasumi's smile slowly faded as she thought deeply about that first week. She remembered that Smith had often taken things to the next level, like when he had dumped the water on her and the time he had punched her in the hip, which was still paining her. She even had a vague fuzzy memory of the short man plunging his hunting knife through her right hand. "He...was impatient, I guess. Um, he often liked to keep hurting me even after Shark had wanted to stop and let me rest for a few hours. He wanted his answers, or he wanted me unconscious."
Jack shook his head sadly. "Are there any specific examples you could give us?"
Kasumi closed her brilliant honey eyes and sighed. "Um, there were so many instances when he would lose control that I can't really recall any exact details." She paused a moment to think and then opened her eyes. "There were the beatings. I remember the beatings well. At first it was only a few hard slaps, which was something I could've handled. But after a few days, the punches came and everything would just melt into one long painful blur. I'm sorry, but it's all so foggy."
Jack nodded to her. "No, that's fine. What's next, Myamoto?"
Myamoto looked at Kasumi and he knew how hard it had been for her to answer that question. Maybe Jack was right. Maybe it was too early to be talking about these things.
Kasumi noticed him pause a moment and she raised her eyes to look at him. "Please continue. I'm fine."
"Okay, after you were kidnapped from the hospital, were there any changes in his attitude the second time?"
Kasumi sighed and lowered her eyes once again, trying to fight through the blinding emotional pain and remember any details. "After Shark was out of the picture, Smith became much more aggressive. Before, I would at least get a few hours sleep and a couple bites to eat, but in the warehouse I got nothing. The only rest we got was if we had passed out, but he only let us rest for about fifteen minutes before waking us with a violent blow or smelling salts."
Ayane rolled over and gazed at her sister with renewed respect. It was time she contributed to the conversation. "Don't forget that twisted game he made us play."
Jack was surprised to see Ayane had actually positioned herself to face the group, but he hid it from view. He wanted to include Ayane as much as possible. "Game? What kind of game?"
Ayane scoffed. "It wasn't a game. It was just some sick way that he could make me think it was my fault Kasumi was getting hurt. Too bad it worked."
Jack knew that feeling all too well. "Ayane, it wasn't your fault, I'm sure. Don't beat yourself up over this."
Kasumi agreed. "Yeah. You did what was necessary. I had to do the same thing."
Ayane was afraid to admit it, but at first she almost felt good about how Kasumi was getting tortured. But after a few hours of that, things began to change.
Jack turned back to Kasumi. "So all he did was get more impatient. Is that what you're saying?"
Ayane remembered the instance where Smith had almost stabbed her in the waist after she had accused him of being afraid. "He didn't just get more aggressive, Jack. He became desperate."
Jack was intrigued. "Desperate? You mean like scared or something?"
Ayane nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. He almost..." Ayane paused a short moment to compose herself. "He almost killed me because I accused him of being afraid."
Kasumi gasped. "When did that happen!"
Ayane sighed. "When you were passed out. I think it was right after he electrocuted you that first couple of times."
Jack took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. "What do you think he was afraid of?"
Ayane shrugged. "I don't know. All I remember is that he walked into the room and yelled that he was just going to keep doing stuff to us until we told him..." Her sentence trailed off as she took a few more seconds to maintain stability. "And that's when he started choking me."
Jack didn't bother asking her what she was being asked because Myamoto had already cleared that up for him. And since he promised Kasumi that he wouldn't tell anyone he knew about the Shinobi, he wasn't going to give Ayane any hints.
"I'm so sorry, Ayane," Kasumi whispered sadly. "If only I-"
Ayane shook her head. "What's done is done. What's the next question?"
Myamoto finished scribbling down a few notes based on the girls' responses and then read his final question. "This is the last one, guys, so just bear with me for a few more seconds. Was there anything that stuck out in any of his conversations or phone calls?"
Kasumi couldn't recall Smith ever having any conversations in the white room, unless it was with the English man. What was his name again? Thomas? She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, guys, but I just can't remember anything like that. There was only one other man Smith talked to and he never said anything important. They always made sure to leave the room when they discussed something important."
Jack turned to Ayane. "What about you?"
Ayane responded only by shaking her head. "No. Nothing comes to mind."
Myamoto pocketed the piece of paper once again and took a seat in one of the blue hospital chairs. "That's it. Thanks for your time. I know it was hard for the both of you to go through that."
Kasumi lay back down against the pillow and nodded. "I just hope that we can help you catch him."
Jack sat down as well and took off his leather jacket. "You did great."
Myamoto faced Jack and nodded. "So it looks like we have a weakness. The man is after," Myamoto paused a moment, barely catching himself before he blurted out the Shinobi village. "He's after something and he wants it bad. All we need to do is lure him out with some false info. And then-"
Jack placed his right fist into his left hand and popped his knuckles. "And then we take him down."
"Hey, I want a piece of him too. That bastard isn't getting away with what he did to me," Ayane said darkly.
Kasumi nodded slightly. "And I want to help. Don't do this alone, Jack."
Jack got up. "Actually, I don't think I could if I wanted to. We're going to need both of you."
Kasumi was just about to reply when Ayane sat up and stared at the door. "Ryu!"
Jack whirled around. "Ryu Hayabusa? That's your first name? No wonder you didn't tell me. If I had a name like that-"
"Shut up," Ayane said with a glare. "What kind of name is Jack Wallace, anyway!"
Hayabusa held up his hand. "No need to fight. I just stopped by to see how you were doing, Ayane." Hayabusa was careful to leave Kasumi out of his statement. She was a runaway and had to be treated accordingly.
Of course he hadn't expected Jack, so he couldn't reveal the true reason he had paid this visit. It was true that he wanted to see Ayane again and make sure she wasn't hurting, but another reason was ask her what Smith was really after. But since Jack was present, he couldn't mention anything. That would contradict the advice to wait that he had given earlier, and the last thing he needed was some nosy American messing things up. Jack had been a great man to have in that gunfight, but right now it was best that he worked alone. At least until matters were made clearer.
"I will be fine, Ryu. Where's Hayate?"
Hayabusa took a seat in the last chair in the room. "He went back home. He told me that there were things that needed to be watched."
Jack wondered why the man hadn't stuck around to see his sisters pull through this mess. It was very odd that Kasumi's brother would just turn around and run home-
At that exact moment, Jack's cell phone rang loudly, making both Kasumi and Ayane flinch, but only slightly. It was then clear to him that both of them were still shaken up quite a bit.
He sighed and answered his phone. "What's up?"
Absolute quiet was the only response. In the background was the sound of rain and thunder, which told him this call was coming far from where he was now. But that was all he could deduce from the first few seconds of eerie silence.
"Hey if you're going to bother calling me, you should at least have the guts to speak up when-"
There was the unmistakable sound of a sharp gasp and then line went dead.
"Who was that?" Kasumi asked.
Jack narrowed his deep brown eyes and glanced at the display for a second. ID blocked.
He put the small silver flip phone into his pocket and glanced at Kasumi. "I don't know."
