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.
Author's Note: Hey guys, I just wanted to tell you that I'm trying to post more frequently so expect another chapter sooner than last time. And a special thanks goes to Wolf for showing his support for every update that I've posted. Thanks a lot Wolf and I hope you like this next addition. And for everyone else: don't forget to R&R! Thanks!
Chapter Thirty-four
Sunday, January 7
6:30 A.M.
Outer Road
Hayabusa placed his deadly dragon blade back in its scabbard as the colorful lights of Okashima danced in his emerald green eyes. He quietly turned to the side and looked at his long time friend, who had also put away his sacred weapon. "You made sure they were safe before you left, didn't you? Those scrolls have the power--"
Hayate nodded. "Smith shall never have them. Besides, we'll be back long before he could ever cause trouble. We need to hurry, Ryu."
Hayabusa turned onto the crumbling outer road that wrapped itself around the city like a snake, still slightly concerned about the treasured item in the village that Ayane had hinted Smith was after. But he shook it from his busy mind and kept his focus on the cracked road before him. No one used it anymore and the city had forgotten about it long ago with the development of the freeway, which made it an ideal route for any of the Shinobi to come and go as they pleased, be it a trip for supplies or something much more important. And as an added bonus it lead right into the commercial district where Smith's warehouse was located. He only hoped that the man hadn't abandoned the place or caused any more trouble while he was gone.
About thirty minutes later, the two warriors set foot in the quiet commercial district. The large loading cranes sat dormant on the docks, as if they were slumbering monsters ready to awaken at the slightest sound. Old rusted metal containers creaked behind them and the gentle sound of ocean waves sloshing against the concrete dock supports filled their ears. But not a voice was heard which meant that they were most likely alone. Most likely, but not positively.
"Something isn't right here."
"I know, I feel it too. I think we should go find the others and come out here with full numbers."
Hayate looked at Ryu with irritation. "I will not have that blundering American fool getting in the way of our mission. We are here to finish Smith and bring Ayane home and that's it. You said back in the village that this was going to be solo operation, and I'm holding you to those words. Besides, if we bring him into this, he'll drag Kasumi into it as well, and I will not see him blindly hurt her again."
Hayabusa nodded. "Your words have some truth to them, my friend, but Jack has his uses. Last I heard he was being imprisoned by the city, so there isn't much point in looking for him. However, I have the feeling that we are facing more than just Smith out here and we'll need all the help we can get. Besides, I wasn't referring to Jack when I mentioned the others."
He really only wanted to find Ayane because he knew she could fight anything if you pissed her off enough. And though he hated to admit it, Kasumi had her uses as well. But the more he thought about the idea, the more he found himself disliking it because he knew that Kasumi was in no condition to fight at the moment and Ayane would be too stubborn to follow his directions, so even if he had managed to get them together, they would be too busy bickering to actually be of any help. Hayate was right. They were better off alone.
Smith watched his surveillance equipment like a child watches his favorite television programming. "Ah, so they've finally come back to play, have they? Well let's see how they like my new toys."
He smiled darkly and flipped open a small flat panel on the console in front of him, revealing many complex controls for some unknown killing machine. Possibly more than one.
He pressed a large green button in the far right corner of the console and laughed as one of the warehouse doors, warehouse twelve to be exact, opened up behind the unsuspecting intruders and two lumbering mech destroyers came stomping out. Each one of the massive killing machines was almost four times as big as one of the ninja warriors and equipped with two shoulder mounted chain guns and in their right arms, a flamethrower equipped with a nucleonic plasma core. But that was only the obvious weapons. The true strength of his new machines was all under the surface, as these two morons were about to learn…
Hayabusa noticed the movement from the dark depths of the abandoned warehouse almost as soon as the doors opened and rolled behind a stack of crates immediately, drawing his sword as he came up in a crouched position. He assumed Hayate had also taken precautions against the surprise attack, but wasn't sure where he was.
He didn't have time to look because as soon as he moved his head, a blast of superheated fire shot out from one of the machine's 'arms' and almost completely melted the steel containers he was hiding behind, leaving him completely exposed to the metal behemoth before him. And as soon as it got a lock on his heat signature, which stood out sharply compared to the cold winter air around him, the massive robot started to spray the area before it with a shower of machine gun bullets.
Hayabusa had a split second to react, but a split second was all he needed as he rolled to the side and threw an explosive kunai into the mounting that held one of the weapons in place, blowing that gun apart and rocking the monster to the side from the force of the explosion. And as it was thrown off balance, Hayabusa jumped high into the air and slashed through the other gun's ammunition belt and hydraulic fluid lines in a single blow, cutting off it's supply of bullets and seizing up it's capability to move rendering the gun a useless dead weight.
But the machine was still very fast for it's size, something Hayabusa hadn't counted on. A nearly fatal mistake as it slammed one if it's solid titanium plated legs into his back, causing the super ninja to be hurled through the air and slam into the brick wall of warehouse twelve.
As he climbed to his feet, Hayabusa wasn't without a few surprises of his own and he began to chant an ancient spell of inner strength, all the while feeling his body temperature steadily rising. The air around him began to burn and as he finished the spell, and he thrust out his palms, sending a wave of intense flame at the monster. The blast inflicted no damage, but blinded the destroyer's heat sensors just as Hayabusa had planned.
Then he did a back flip and wall jumped off of the wall behind him, sailing over the machine and landing safely on the other side, out of the range of the flamethrower that had attacked him before. But there were other weapons inside the metal beast, as Hayabusa was soon going to see.
Sunday, January 7
6:38 A.M.
Okashima Square
"Ayane?" Kasumi shouted over the roaring of the waterfall behind her, sparkling drops of water dripping from her glossy hair. She scanned the murky surface of the water around her trying to find any sign that her dearest friend might be okay. Maybe it had been too early to teach her how to catch fish. Maybe this was too dangerous…
"Here!" Came an ecstatic voice from behind her.
Kasumi whirled around to see her best friend holding a fish in her hands, trying desperately to keep from dropping the writhing creature back into the water. The smile of sheer triumph Ayane wore on her face was unforgettable and it warmed Kasumi's heart that she could help put it there.
The young red head smiled and laughed, jumping up and down with joy. "You did it! You caught one!"
Ayane laughed as well and then gave Kasumi a tight hug. "Thanks, Kasumi! Now we can go fishing together all the time, just like you and Hayate."
Kasumi nodded and laughed once again just as two of the villagers approached where they were standing. "We've been looking for you, Miss Kasumi."
Dark clouds gathered in the early morning sky as a solitary figure sat on a peeling park bench in central Okashima, her hands in her lap holding a tattered blue umbrella with a scarred tip. She stood up slowly leaning on the umbrella as she did so, wiping a single tear from her cheek as the rain began to fall down around her.
People milled about the square of town, rushing to or from work or back to their homes, shouting curses as they got soaked with the cold water falling from the morning sky, but all Kasumi could think about was what to do next. Jack was missing and Ayane--
"Don't move!" an irritated voice called out from behind her.
'Does he mean me?'
Kasumi shook her head and ignored the angry voice from behind the wall of people surrounding her and began to walk away, dismissing it as an irritated father yelling at one of the many kids who were racing through the sheets of rain on their bicycles or a dissatisfied market customer who had gotten a bad product from one of the sly old street vendors.
Wanting to find her sister and set things straight, Kasumi decided that maybe it would be best if she went looking in the forest outside of town. The woods had always seemed to provide Ayane with a place to hide when she didn't want the world to see her, so that was her best option. But after only a single step the voice called out from the crowd once again, this time solid and confident as if his words would freeze in her tracks. "I said don't move!"
Kasumi stopped and swallowed hard, not wishing to fight and doubting that she even could manage such a feat in her current state Slowly she turned around to see where the voice had originated, but the crowd hid the man from view.
"Who are you? Please reveal yourself." Her soft voice showed no traces of fear, but more curiosity. A few random businessmen and women looked at her as they passed, briefly interested and then once more no longer caring about who the young women had addressed. Despite Kasumi's inquiry, the person in the crowd took no measures to reveal themselves.
After a few seconds of standing in the icy rain, Kasumi shrugged and once again made a move to walk away when out of the corner of her eye she saw a sudden movement behind her. It was sharp and aggressive and it left her with no other option than to retaliate before something bad happened.
She spun around as fast as she could, whipping the soaked umbrella up to shoulder level, wielding the device much like she would her kodaichi. Then she took a step forward and swung the umbrella in a downward diagonal angle, smacking the arm that had tried to grab her with a loud thud and causing the man to which it belonged to howl in pain.
However, Kasumi had managed to catch sight of him for only a split second before he managed to disappear into the people around him once again so she really could not make an accurate identification of her opponent, which was something she was used to as a runaway, but also something that had never ceased to get under her skin.
"Please, do not force me to fight you. I just want to be left alone!"
"I'm afraid," the voice muttered, "that isn't such a good idea, my dear. I only want to talk."
Kasumi spun around as the voice poured from behind her, almost crashing to the rain soaked concrete as her hip flared with pain. After letting out a short gasp, she steadied herself and again looked at the wall of people before her, still clutching the umbrella as if it were a weapon. "It doesn't seem that way to me."
Apparently the man had seen her near collapse and said something that surprised her. "You're hurt, aren't you? Are you all right, Miss Kasumi?"
The way the voice had addressed her caused her to take a step back. No one had addressed her that way since she was a child. But this man had an accent that gave him away as a man from the States, far from anyone that knew her when she was small. "Who are you?"
"That is not of your concern." There was a slight pause as a lightning bolt split the sky with it's brilliant white light. Then the voice returned in a much more solemn tone. "It seems that I have missed my opportunity to speak with you for now. Since you seem to be injured I advise that you run as fast as your legs can carry you. If you survive, we shall speak again."
"What are you talking about?" Kasumi said, her voice slightly trembling, not from fear, but rather the cold water drenching her body. There was no response as she again leaned in the umbrella to ease her pain. "Please, don't ignore me."
"I am sorry you chose not to run. Goodbye, Miss Kasumi."
Sunday, January 7
6:41 A.M.
Myamoto's Apartment
Jack stumbled into the darkened apartment and shook off his soaked leather jacket, scanning the room for any sign of Kaz or Myamoto. Hell, even Ayane would be a welcome sight after this mess.
But there was no one. The couch was empty, not even a blanket and pillows were left to show that there had been someone sleeping there.
"Hey, I'm back guys. You can come out now. It's just me; Jack."
Silence was the only thing that greeted him from the depths of the darkened room.
"This isn't funny anymore, guys. Kaz? Are you there?"
Jack got out his Beretta. Had he been too late? Had that Russian mercenary gotten to them first? Or maybe they went out to breakfast?
Jack shook his head and allowed himself a slight grin. No, Myamoto didn't even know that six in the morning existed and both Kaz and her sister would be too worn out by their injuries to want to go anywhere without a car.
After checking to make sure that his friend's apartment was indeed empty, Jack walked over to Myamoto's phone and dialed his cell. It took about three rings before the man answered.
"Who is this? How did you get this number?"
Jack laughed. "It's only me, man. You don't know how good it is to hear your voice. I was beginning to think you guys were in trouble or something."
There was an uneasy laugh and a slight tinge of surprise in his friend's voice. "Oh, hey, Jack. Um, no there's no problem here."
"Great. So where are you guys?"
"I," he cleared his throat. "I mean we are out getting some breakfast."
"Why so early?" Jack knew by now that something wasn't right, but he decided to let this play out and see what was going on.
"Well, your Shinobi friends decided to wake me up because they were sick of stale leftovers. It was mostly Ayane's fault."
Jack smiled. "Uh-huh. Nice try. Care to tell me the truth now?"
Myamoto sighed. "I keep forgetting that you used to be a detective. Was I that obvious?"
"Enough stalling. Let me talk to Kasumi really quick. I have to warn her about something."
"I….can't. She's…uh…in the bathroom. Yeah. And you know how girls are so it might be a while."
"Okay, then let me talk to Ayane," Jack said with a grin, "Or is she also in the bathroom?"
"All right, Jack. You win, but you're going to wish you hadn't."
"Something tells me I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear. Where are the girls?"
"First, you have to tell me if the police station actually exploded or if it was all just a cruel joke."
Jack was taken by surprise. "What! How did you know about that?"
"Oh crap, she was actually telling the truth…."
"Myamoto, what aren't you telling me? Who was telling the truth?"
"Jack, it's a long story, but I'll try to make it fast. Ayane saw your little feat on the five o'clock news, and might I add that it was a little on the side of overkill, but I guess you had to do what--"
"You think I blew up the police station? Hell, Myamoto, even I'm not that crazy. But I'm not going to let you get sidetracked here. Tell me what happened."
"Just once, I'd like for someone not to be stubborn. Here's the story, Jack…"
Then Myamoto explained everything from the point where the two girls started arguing about the news report up until Ayane stormed out of the apartment in a fit of anger, being sure to recall every little detail of what the two said to each other, including their slip about Kasumi's secret. Jack took a deep breath his mind racing with questions.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rewind, Myamoto," he said, interrupting the story. "Aren't you supposed to be some kind of Shinobi expert? Is there some kind of internal war going on up there or something? You mentioned that Ayane said someone had been trying to kill Kaz for protecting her family. Are you sure you heard that?"
"Hey, I may know a lot of things, but when it comes down to specifics, it's all just best guess. It could mean anything but you'll just have to ask her yourself. It turns out that I'm not the expert you think I am, Jack. But now that you mention it, Ayane did say something like 'if you can't handle being alone, just let Hayate win.' It made no sense to me."
"Hayate? You mean her brother? That's odd…" Jack paused to think a moment before filing the information away in his memory. He wanted to hurry up and get back to why everyone was still gone "Anyway, you haven't told me where Kaz is. You said Ayane left, not her."
"Well, if you hadn't interrupted me--"
"Spit it out."
"Right. Well after I left looking for Ayane, it seems that Kasumi went out looking for her as well, using one of my umbrellas as a crutch. When I finally found Ayane she was standing in front of Kasumi, who was crying and holding onto her arm as if she were never going to see her again. Then we all argued for a minute before Ayane stormed off in a fit of rage. After that Kasumi and I went back home to eat something and try take a load off, but she wouldn't eat anything. Finally she just left. So I followed, trying to keep my promise. You need to tell her not to be so damn stubborn! Did you know she wouldn't even let us help her up the flight of stairs in my building?"
"You mean you let her climb all those stairs--! Never mind. I know how she can be when she feels she has to do something."
I've been searching all night but--"
"All night! How long has she been missing!"
Myamoto sighed. "Since ten or eleven o'clock last night. Sorry, Jack. But I'm not as good at this as you are."
"No, it looks like we're about the same at it. Tell me where I can find you and I'll help you search."
There was a slight pause. "I'm waiting at Nozome's Burger Hut, near the hospital."
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Sunday, January 7
6:45 A.M.
Organization Compound 32
The machine's sonic blast wasn't a violent attack, but more like the byproduct of something to come. Something very deadly. It drew back on two of its massive metal legs as one of it's thick titanium armor chest plates opened and revealed the large barrel of an electromagnetic pulse beam. Blinding violet energy crackled in the air around its receptor spikes as the machine took aim at the solitary figure of Ryu Hayabusa that stood before it, sucking more energy out of the air every second. But the ninja was not afraid, nor was he worried. Even so, all the man did was stand there, his sword raised and waiting.
Ten it came, a blast so powerful that it compacted four of the giant steel cargo containers behind him into nothing more than a piece of metal the size of a soda can, and the ninja in himself had vanished, presumably crushed into oblivion by the devastating weapon.
Target eliminated…Confirming…Processing…
Whatever had happened to his friend, Hayate had hardly taken notice because he was distracted with his own problems. He had long since taken out the machine guns with stunning longbow shots to the mountings and motor. But then the plasma powered flamethrower on the monster's forearm had incinerated his bow and nearly gotten him, if he hadn't reacted like he did. But now, the machine was doing something different.
But Hayate had an idea that whatever was about to happen probably wouldn't hurt him if he was on the machine itself so he did a high jump using on of the cargo crates to gain some height. As he landed on the smooth surface of the monster, he plunged his sword though a gap in the armor plating to anchor himself for what he knew was coming, severing a few of the wires that controlled its scanners and AI programming, unknowingly helping him even more.
But happened next was not what he expected at all. The machine stood perfectly still, it's red optical lens not even trying to find him. Maybe he had fooled it. Perhaps the device of destruction was completely oblivious to--
"Argh!"
The other machine, having eliminated Hayabusa had blasted a bolt of liquid fire at Hayate, which had missed hitting him dead on due to the way Hayabusa's flame attack had thrown off the accuracy of its sensors. But a jet of flame still got close enough to his forearm that it burned his skin, but it was not even a second degree burn so he swallowed the pain and his mistake, knowing that if both machines were attacking him Hayabusa had failed.
However, Hayabusa had not failed, as the cold winder winds carried on it drifting leaves; green leaves. Hayate, seeing this almost instantly, ignored it and gave no signs to give away his friend's presence, knowing that it he said or did anything to signify he wasn't alone the surprise would be ruined.
Then suddenly a battle cry was heard as Hayabusa flew out of nowhere like a deadly falcon and came down onto the machine which Hayate was riding, his sword aimed at a gap between the armor on its body and the plating on it's leg. As he passed beside it, Ryu plunged the blade through a series of conduits and hoses, spraying all kinds of fluids everywhere as if it were blood.
The destroyer faltered as pressure dropped in its internal systems and then fell to the ground to its right as its hydraulic and coolant pumps failed. Both ninja's leapt from the surface as it clattered to the ground. But then an intense beam of fire again shot out from the remaining destroyer. However, it wasn't aimed at the two ninjas but at the ground where they were about to land, melting the asphalt into molten slag.
Thinking reactively to the situation, both men used their legs to kick each other away while in the air, landing only feet away from the red hot pond that surely would've done them in.
"I have an idea," Hayabusa said as he got to his feet and took cover behind warehouse twelve's south wall.
Hayate winced as he approached. "I don't see any obvious weaknesses, Ryu. All you managed to do was sever one of its legs. But the thing is still active. We need to destroy them if we're going to get Smith."
Hayabusa nodded. "I know. Just trust me on this, Hayate, and follow my lead."
Sunday, January 7
7:02 A.M.
Okashima Square
She scanned her surroundings with her bright copper eyes, knowing that something bad was about to happen, but unsure of just what it was. "Who are you?" she shouted above the din of the storm and the people around her, hoping the man was still around. But no one answered and--
"Got you!"
Out of nowhere a hand seized the back of her shirt and hurled her down to the ground, the attacker immediately trying to crush her beneath his boot as she landed. But Kasumi was surprised to find that she had healed quite a bit since her return from the hospital and she managed to roll out of the way just as the heavy boot smashed the sidewalk where her head had just been.
She jumped to her feet, still feeling some pain in her hip as she took her unsteady stance. "You!"
Bayman laughed at the sight of her surprise, but more so at her shaking hands. He had scared her all right, and he was only getting started. He popped his knuckles. "This time, you won't be getting out alive."
Kasumi shook her head. "Look around you. Do you really think all of these people will let you hurt me?"
"I don't care. What's left of the police are not powerful enough to touch me and if anyone causes too much trouble, I'll kill them just like I'm about to kill you."
"You don't have to do this, Bayman! I've done nothing to hurt anyone. We can resolve this without a fight." Her voice was trembling, but as soon as she noticed it, Kasumi got a grip on her nerves and shook it off. This time she had to take care of things on her own. "Please, just let me leave. I only want to find my sister."
"Now where's the fun in that? Don't worry, after a while, you'll get used to the pain. They all do."
With those dark words Bayman rushed the unsteady girl, ready to break every bone in her body before actually killing her. No one got away from him and when he was hired to do a job, he made sure it got done and stayed done. And maybe have a little fun in the process.
But Kasumi wasn't ready to die and adrenaline almost killed the last of the soreness in her leg as she jumped to the side and avoided Bayman's lunge, striking him in the back of the head with the umbrella as he passed. The blow was so hard that it bent the umbrella and brought the tank of a man to the ground with a single hit. As soon as he hit the rain soaked earth, Kasumi dropped the umbrella and leapt into the air and came down on the small of his back with both her feet in an attempt to pin him down, but all he did after shrugging of the pain was roll over, forcing her to jump off of him or fall down.
So Kasumi jumped right as he began to move, now realizing that her weight wasn't enough to hold him down. When he climbed to his feet, she wiped the water from her face and looked at him through the rain falling around them. "Why are you doing this? Please just--"
"Shut up! This isn't a negotiation!"
His harsh voice rang in her ears as she took a step back. "Please, don't force me to do this, Bayman. I don't want to hurt anyone."
The mercenary ignored her as he rushed forward in a seemingly thoughtless attack, but instead of throwing a punch, like Kasumi had expected, he threw the entire weight of his body into his right shoulder, smashing it into her with full strength and connecting with such great force that the girl actually came off of the ground. That's when Bayman threw his punches, hitting her three times before she even fell to the ground.
At first it appeared that she wasn't doing anything. Kasumi was just lying there, face down with her arms wrapped around her midsection in an attempt to contain the pain that was flaring in her guts. But as Bayman reached down to grab her neck so that he could break it, she flew off of the ground and hit him in the face with a back flip style kick. And as he stumbled backwards clutching his face in his hands and cursing at her, Kasumi leapt forward in in a rapid front flip, and hit the assassin in the face with both legs as she drew closer to him.
Bayman went down so hard that it cracked a piece of the sidewalk they were fighting on. But even thought the force was great, the man didn't even seem to be hurt, although it did look like she might be leaving her mark. As he climbed to his feet, she tried to jump over him, but when she landed behind him it seemed that her luck had given up on her. The adrenaline that had masked her pain so well was beginning to wear thin because as she turned to face him her hip screamed with pain, causing her knees to buckle from its intensity. This is when he grabbed her and--
"Leave that poor girl alone!"
Through her tears, Kasumi noticed that the crowd hadn't just been ignoring her struggle. Many of them had stopped to watch, some placing bets, some getting very angry, but most just curious.
But she took the distraction that the woman had made for her and slipped from Bayman's grasp, crouching in front of him and rushing past his body, striking him in the ribs with her elbow. He fell to his knees and then from there face first onto the ground. Learning from her past mistake, Kasumi did two back flips in an attempt to gain some distance, but the crowd had closed in around them more than she had hoped and ended up landing on top of a woman and crashing both of them to the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" Kasumi gasped. "Are you all right?"
But before she could answer, Bayman had approached, smiling darkly at the two of them. "Well, it seems you've made a friend. Care to introduce us?"
Kasumi stood up, immediately crying out as her hip again told her to quit in a very painful way. "Leave her alone! It's me you want."
Seeing an opportunity in Kasumi's compassion for innocents, Bayman yanked the woman out into the open and proceeded to walk towards her. "I recognize you from somewhere. Where have we met before?"
The girl stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about! Get away from me!"
Kasumi limped forward, now wishing she hadn't lost that umbrella. "Bayman! Stop!"
The girl slowly stood up and brushed her waist length raven black hair behind her, a soaked red ribbon coming into view as she did so. She looked very nervous and Kasumi couldn't blame her. She attempted to run faster, but all she did was stumble and nearly fall. She wasn't going to make it. That girl was going to die because of her…
"Yes, I think I know you now! You're that b--ugh!"
Kasumi looked around as Bayman fell to the ground wondering just who had thrown the rock that brought the Russian to his knees. But she only spotted one man in the crowd that stood out from among the rest. As he was looking straight at her with his dark hazel eyes, he tipped his strange hat to her and walked away an odd smile on his face.
Bayman groaned, and it seemed like the chunk of concrete had done a lot of damage and he wasn't getting back up anytime soon. Kasumi took this opportunity to search for her umbrella, knowing that now that the adrenaline was gone, she would need it to continue her search for Ayane. She glanced at the girl though, who seemed pretty shaken up by her near death experience.
"I'm sorry for bringing you into that. Are you ok?"
The woman nodded and helped Kasumi to her feet. "Don't worry about it. My name's Ami. Who are you?"
"Kasumi. Nice to meet you, Ami."
