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, I'm sorry it took me so long to get this up, but I've been busy with shcool and plus I wanted to write a few chapters ahead before posting this one. Anyways, it was mentioned in an earlier review that I was making Kasumi look incompetent or weak, and I would like to point out a few things regarding that. I just want to say that I view Kasumi as one of the strongest characters of the game, even if she isn't physically as strong as some others. I have a very high respect for her as a fighter and a woman. Also, she is stillin the process of recoveringfrom seriousinjuries sustained earlier, so she won't be as resilient until later. Afterall, she is only human.
Anyways, just enjoy the story and know that I'm not making Kasumi weak and I don't view her as such. Oh, and thanks a ton for sticking with me guys! I can't wait to hear what you all think!
Chapter Thirty-five
Sunday, January 7
6:53 A.M.
Organization Compound 32
Hayabusa nodded once. "Let's go."
Before Hayate could even nod back, the super ninja rushed out into the open, not towards the still active machine but towards the damaged one. He went and struggled to lift the robotic arm still possessing the active flamethrower. "Let it see you, Hayate!"
Hayate, trusting his friend completely, jumped out in front of the dying destroyer until it's red eye slowly locked onto him. But it's motor skills were gone so all it could do was send the order to fire to its arm, but it couldn't aim at all. That's where Hayabusa came in. He managed to somehow aim the plasma at the other machine, melting into it almost immediately. And just as he had planned the other machine, immediately prior to exploding, aimed it's own flamethrower at its disabled partner.
"Move!" Hayabusa shouted.
As Hayate disappeared into a swirling cloud of black feathers, Hayabusa vanished into his own cloud of leaves. Then the explosions started. The first one was, of course, the still active destroyer. It sent shrapnel flying with such force that it penetrated the walls of warehouse twelve and collapsed the building into a pile of rubble. The plasma core didn't explode, as was to be expected considering it's think titanium shielding, but it did crack, leaking gallons of superheated liquid into the ground, the rain making the air dense with steam. The other machine's explosion wasn't nearly as grand because of the loss of its flammable fluids due to Hayabusa's attack. However, it still created enough of an explosion on one side that it flipped the massive machine as if it were nothing more than a toy, taking out half of the upper part of Smith's warehouse and cracking the eastern wall of warehouse thirteen as well.
Not two minutes ago the docks were in pristine condition and the façade of commerce did well to mask the evil that festered below. But now, the place was bathed in the flames of destruction and rubble was scattered everywhere. However, the deed still wasn't done. Smith was still alive and his organization would continue to be a threat the to Shinobi people for the time being.
Hayate and Hayabusa reappeared on a hillside about twenty feet away from their prior location, staring down at the fires that raged below, the rain causing clouds of steam to rise with the smoke.
"He's still in there, you know. We aren't finished yet."
Hayate looked over at his friend and nodded. "Yes, I know. But there's not much we can do now. We've given away our presence and there's no telling what that madman has in the other warehouses." He paused to think about the village, the scrolls, and….his sisters. "But that's not going to stop me from finishing what I've started."
Hayabusa shook his head. "Sorry, my friend, but I don't think there's much we can do now. We've given up our advantage of surprise and we've clearly underestimated his capabilities. It is best to know exactly what you are fighting before you enter the arena."
"We cannot allow him to--"
"And we won't. We just need too think of a better plan."
Hayate crossed his arms, clearly disapproving of having to wait.
"We need the others, even if all they can do is provide a distraction."
Hayabusa's tone struck a thought in Hayate's mind that he wasn't quite willing to accept. "Wait a minute, Ryu. You sound as if you mean to use my sisters as bait. Tell me you're joking…"
Hayabusa looked at the Shinobi leader with unflinching eyes. "I'm afraid not. You said so yourself that you wanted to get rid of Jack after his usefulness had reached its end and Kasumi is a runaway. It is only a matter of time before she slips up and I cannot watch her all the time. If something were to happen, wouldn't you rather it be on her terms rather than yours? Besides, I doubt our friend will be defeated so easily."
Hayate shook his head. "No. It's true that Jack is now expendable, but not Kasumi."
"I know you asked me to look after her in the beginning because you were worried that she might not be able to adapt so quickly. But that was a long time ago, Hayate, and now she's had a chance to adjust. I'll keep my promise to you. She will not die while I still live, however she no longer needs me. She already has a guardian, even if he isn't Shinobi."
Hayate scoffed. "Jack? You mean to tell me that American idiot is more capable of protecting her than a well trained ninja?"
"Love is a stronger tie than you give it credit for. He loves her, I don't. That alone makes him that much more devoted to keeping her safe." Hayabusa relaxed a moment. "No, he's not a warrior. But even a small animal can become formidable when you corner it."
"I'm not going to argue with you about him," Hayate said sharply. "And what about Ayane? Don't tell me that you don't care if she dies. I know you better than that."
A very slight grin crossed Hayabusa's serious face like a shadow before vanishing once again. "No. Ayane is too stubborn to die. If there's a fight, she'll be with us, not them."
"I see…" Hayate gazed back down at the flames below. "I'm not agreeing with your plan, but it might be useful to regroup and see what the others have found. Maybe they've discovered a weakness we aren't aware of."
Hayabusa nodded. "I'll lead the way back to Jack's apartment."
Sunday January 7
7:02 A.M.
Nozome's Burger Hut
"You're late, dude."
Jack walked over towards the small table where Myamoto was sitting and shook the rain from his leather jacket. "Shut up. It's early and pouring outside. I know I drive fast, but I'm not suicidal. Now, we need to think of a plan."
Myamoto took a bite out of a ham and egg bagel he had been holding and shook his head. "Dude, If there's one thing I know it's that when a Shinobi doesn't want to be found then we aren't going to have any luck in finding them. Then add the fact that she's incredibly persistent into the mix and--"
"Less talking, more thinking."
Myamoto nodded and swallowed his food. "Okay, well like I said on the phone I think she's looking for Ayane. Has Kasumi ever said anything to you that might suggest where to go?"
Jack shook his head. "Nope. But I have a pretty good feeling that Forest Park is where we need to start. It seems like everything always happens out there anyways."
"All right. Let's get moving then."
On the way back to the woods, Jack thought long and hard about Kasumi's brother, Hayate. It wasn't just him, but almost everything about Kaz seemed to be shrouded in a mystery thicker than any fog. And just when you discover one answer a thousand more seem to crop up in its place. Why didn't she live with her family in the village? What did Ayane mean when she had said 'let Hayate win?' And what about--
"Jack, is something bothering you?"
"It's nothing."
Myamoto shook his head and adjusted his wire framed glasses. "I'll tell you what's bothering me. It's all this Ayane-Kasumi business. When you told me to keep her safe until you got back, I assumed it would be easy. But you didn't warn me about her sister."
"I never told you to look after Ayane and I never said it was going to be easy. I figured that as soon as she got out of the hospital she would try to get as far away from Kaz as she could. Why the hell did you take her back to your place?"
Myamoto looked at Jack as if he had said something incredibly stupid. "Dude, she was in a friggin' wheelchair. Did you just want me to leave her at the hospital by herself?"
"Of course not! As much as I dislike her attitude, Ayane is our ally. But she wasn't hurt as bad as Kasumi. She could've easily left to go home without a problem. Her leg was fine."
"You know, it wasn't my idea anyways. That Hayabusa guy said that he was going to pay her brother a visit and she started whining about getting stuck with us." Myamoto paused. "But if she could've left, then why'd she stick around at all?"
Jack smiled as the answer slammed itself into his head. 'So maybe she does have a heart after all…"
Myamoto saw his grin and knew Jack wasn't saying something. "What are you thinking?"
Jack shook his head. "Nothing important. The woods are coming up soon so we need to think of where to start. What time did you say Ayane left?"
"She bolted about an hour before Kasumi did. So if she made a beeline for the woods as you suspect then she could be in pretty deep by now. And knowing what I do about Shinobi tactics, she will stay pretty far from the gravel roads the rangers use, but still close enough to hear us. She won't be easily accessible.."
Jack grinned. "That's the beauty of a Jeep. I don't need roads."
"Whatever, dude. But I'm going to suggest that you take the road as far as you can though so we can catch up to her faster."
As he made his way down the muddy gravel road, Jack remembered that this was the exact same road that led towards Smith's old compound. The one that had something still inside. "Hey, do you remember our little trip with Shark and the ninja guys back to Smith's old base of operations?"
Myamoto nodded. "How could I forget? Getting locked in that place isn't exactly a sleep aid."
"I know we're supposed to be looking for Ayane and Kaz, but I just have this strange urge to go do some digging. We never did find that room you said you found on the map."
"Jack, are you crazy! There's still something down there! Hell, we don't even know what it is and you want to go back? What about Kasumi?"
"Like you said, Ayane's probably long gone, or at least too far gone to be found by a random search. But Kaz… she needs to be found," Jack paused and made an unsure expression with his dark eyes. "I still feel like there's something we need to find in there though. I've been curious about it ever since we left, but it's always been pushed aside by all the other crap that's been going on. Now we finally have a chance to dig up some more answers on the Organization. This could be our ticket to taking that bastard down."
"Why do I get the feeling that this won't be as easy as you're making it sound…"
Sunday, January 7
7:05 A.M.
Okashima Square
Close to fifteen or twenty minutes had passed since Kasumi's fight with Bayman, and although all she wanted was to get moving and continue her search for Ayane, the crowd wouldn't leave her alone. It started with the nervous, but polite woman named Ami and then another guy came along asking if she was okay. After he arrived three teenage boys who had been watching the fight stopped by and persuaded her into telling more of the whole story. Kasumi obviously left out some of the more sensitive details, but still she made the story interesting and soon, she was surrounded with people asking her if she needed to be taken to the hospital or needed a ride home. Obviously, nobody asked about calling the cops in light of recent events. Finally, she decided that she had to leave, before Ayane got any farther ahead of her.
"Please," she said loudly, throwing her hands in the air. "I am grateful for everyone's concern and I thank you for making sure I'm okay, but I really have to be going."
The crowd made a collective protest as she climbed to her feet, apparently wanting to hear more of the story than Kasumi had supplied to them.
"C'mon, lady!" A small boy asked as he tugged on the back of her pink blouse. "Tell us more about the bad guy. Why'd he wanna beat you up?"
His mother promptly scolded him, but Kasumi turned around a smiled down at the young child. "Sometimes, people feel that they need to do something that isn't really right, even if it means hurting someone else. This man is one of those people," she knew he wanted a more detailed answer by the look on his face. "I'm sorry, but I really have to get going now."
Ami stood up as well, noticing that the red head wasn't feeling all that well. "Um, I've got a scooter if you need a ride somewhere. It's a two-seater."
Kasumi shook her head. "No thanks. I have something to take care of and I hate to interrupt your busy schedule on my behalf."
"It's not any trouble. I just got off work at the club about an hour ago and I was heading towards the outskirts anyway.
"Well, the problem is I don't exactly know where I need to be. Besides, I'd rather take care of this problem without involving anyone else."
Ami looked puzzled, but handed Kasumi the now bent umbrella and nodded. "Well, that's okay. I guess I'll see you around then."
Kasumi nodded and smiled. "Thanks."
So as she hobbled forward, the crowd parted for her. Most of them continued about their day as soon as they saw her leaving and a few lingered on to ask the people who actually saw the fight what had happened, but no one else asked anything of Kasumi. Most of them figured that it would be best if she got as far away as possible from the now unconscious Bayman that was still lying in the rain.
When Kasumi made it clear of the crowd, she looked around and noticed that the town square was truly a beautiful place. The gigantic stone fountain in the far corner of the park showered it's glistening water into the air, making the buildings and trees around it seem to come alive and the beautiful cobblestone paths around it looked as if they were sparkling in the morning rain.
She limped along until she came close to the edge of the square, deciding that she needed some rest before continuing any further or else she would surely make her injuries worse. Maybe Jack's apartment would be a good place to recover?
However, the mere thought of going there hurt her heart because she knew that there could be a possibility Ayane wasn't lying. What if the man she loved really was gone forever? Maybe now she truly was alone…
'Get a grip on yourself! Ayane has done much worse only to try to hurt me so what makes this any different?'
But Kasumi knew that since Smith had tortured them, Ayane had been far less predictable than her usual self. She shook her head causing her long red bangs to fling water away from her eyes. She wiped the rain from her face on the soaked sleeve of her blouse and stumbled on. Even if Jack wasn't coming back, it would be nice to return to the only place where she ever felt welcome since she had left home. The one place where she had felt loved.
She turned around and blinked her eyes. "Ami?" she called out. "Um, I hate to ask this of you….but I changed my mind. I'd like a ride back to outskirts of town near Forest Park."
Ami, who had been walking away, stopped and looked at the girl who had addressed her. For some reason, she didn't feel so anxious around this one, even though strangers usually got under her skin. Especially since she had met Thomas.
However, this young woman seemed very honest in her actions. Naïve even. "Sure. Just let me go get it and we'll get you there in no time."
Kasumi smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but sneezed instead. "Excuse me. I'll wait over there by the fountain."
About thirty minutes later as they neared the edge of town, Kasumi was sitting on the back of Ami's small white scooter, blazing through the soaked streets of Okashima. She couldn't help it, but for some reason she felt the need to close her eyes as the buildings and cars rushed past them. Maybe it was the fact that there were no seat belts, even though the speed was relatively slow compared to Jack's large American vehicle. However, something else told her that it was what had happened in the square that was making her sick.
'Oh, Ayane, please be careful…please come back safe…'
"So where did you want me to drop you off?"
"Huh?" Kasumi muttered as she came out of her trance. "Oh, do you know where Kuromori is?"
Ami nodded. "I think so. Isn't that the street that runs by the old supermarket on the north end of town?"
"Uh-huh. There's an apartment building there near Fortune's Convenience Store. That's where I want to go."
"No problem. Give me about ten more minutes."
"Ah-choo!"
"Make that five."
"No!" Kasumi shouted, gripping onto Ami tighter. "This is fine. There's no need to speed up."
"All right, all right. Are you afraid or something?"
"No, it's just that the air is really cold and I don't have my sweater. That and going too fast in this weather seems a little dangerous on this thing."
Ami sighed and brushed her wet hair from in front of her face with one hand, easing off of the throttle with the other. "Fine, have it your way."
As promised, about ten minutes later, Kasumi and Ami arrived at the Okashima Heights apartment complex. The exhausted kunoichi got off of the small white vehicle and leaned on her umbrella, shivering from the cold. "Th-thanks for the r-r-ride…Ah-choo!"
"Are you going to be all right?"
Kasumi nodded and mustered up a smile. "Y-yeah, I'm f-f-ine. J-Just a little c-cold out here, th-that's all. Thanks again, Ami. S-s-sayonara."
"Sayonara."
As Ami drove away, Kasumi began her slow but persistent march towards Jack's building, which, fortunately for her, was one of the closest buildings to where Ami had dropped her off. It was odd seeing the large structure without any of the lights on, even if it was early in the morning. But his building remained shrouded in the dark, as if to spite Kasumi's vibrant optimism.
She walked inside the seemingly empty building and trudged over to the elevator, all of the sudden feeling utterly spent from the all night search she had conducted for her sister. She pressed the little round button once, then twice, then three times; but still the elevator did not respond. Then she saw the tattered piece of paper lying at her feet. 'Out of order. Please use stairs.'
"Awww… Achoo!"
After climbing up the stairs and entering Jack's darkened apartment, Kasumi couldn't help but take a deep breath and plop down onto the soft brown couch as she entered. After dropping the umbrella on the floor by her feet, she pulled the thick black blanket that was draped over the back of the couch around her shivering body, soaking it with her still dripping red hair. When she had warmed up a bit, Kasumi pulled off her dirty shoes and socks and spread herself out over the surface of the couch, letting out a sigh of comfort when she got settled. Her eyelids slowly began to droop and soon she was fast asleep, not even bothering to change out of her water logged clothing.
Sunday, January 7
7:51 A.M.
Organization Compound 23
Jack scanned the area carefully as he stepped out of his Jeep, his dark brown eyes sharp and alert. The primary entrance to the underground base was right in front of him, the large metal door wide open as if to welcome the two men inside. However, the scene was far from welcoming because both men knew that there was still something dark inside; something dangerous.
Jack retrieved his Beretta from beneath his leather jacket and looked at Myamoto. "There's no turning back now."
"Technically we can still get out of here so I'm just going to wait in the--"
"Stop whining and follow me."
Myamoto sighed. "Fine… but I still think this is a very bad idea."
"Noted."
Jack walked forward with both the Beretta and his small penlight raised before him, followed reluctantly by Myamoto. As they stepped inside the darkened hall, the sound of the rain falling outside formed an eerie echo. But there was another sound as well. It was almost like a growl, but so much more mechanical than any creature could sound.
"What was that!"
Jack shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered. "Do you remember where you said that storage room was?"
Myamoto thought a moment. "Yeah, I think it was branched off from the main control center. You remember how to get there, right?"
"Yeah."
After walking through the huge underground room with the abandoned equipment in it, the duo walked inside the secondary hallway that led down to Smith's old control center. Once they both arrived, Jack stopped a minute and washed all of the walls with his penlight, searching for anything they might've missed the first time.
"Wait! Jack come over here. I think I may have found something!"
"What?"
Myamoto laughed. "I was being such an idiot. It wasn't a doorway in the wall, it was a doorway in the floor!"
There was a pause as Myamoto bent down to examine the entrance he had found. It was a large silver panel with a mirror like finish and the words that had once been engraved on it's surface seemed to have been ground away with some kind of tool. Whatever was under there had to be either really important or really dangerous. Maybe both.
Jack walked over to him, lowering his gun and watching the door closely for any sign of what trapped them last time, which had probably been the origin of the sound they had heard. "Awesome work! But be careful; we don't know what's on the other side."
Myamoto heard the words ' be careful' but the sheer curiosity surging through his mind took over and he seized the handle within both hands and pulled as hard as he could, only budging it about a centimeter before having to let go. "It's too heavy for me to move. Maybe you could give it a shot?"
Jack nodded and shined his flashlight down on the handle when all of the sudden a rumbling could be heard from the stairwell that led down into the holding cells and broken power generator. Before even touching the door, he looked at Myamoto and returned the light to the stairs. "What the hell did you just do?"
Myamoto took a step back and raised his hands. "Hey, I said I tried to lift the door, but it didn't open all the way."
Jack shook his head. "It moved though, didn't it?"
"Well--"
The rumble became progressively louder and strong enough that it began to rattle some of the chairs and computers set up around them. Jack whirled around and leveled his Beretta at a computer monitor as an invisible force shattered the glass screen, making a loud electric crackle. Then another monitor to his right followed suit as well as a few of the light fixtures over head.
"I knew this was a bad idea!"
Jack put the gun back in it's holster and took hold of the metal hatch handle. "Shut up and get down there! We don't have time to stand around and argue!"
The noise level was deafening and even though Jack was practically screaming, Myamoto could barely hear him, but as he bent down and forcefully yanked on the thick metal hatch, Myamoto got the picture. But even though Jack was much stronger than his hacker pal, the hatch would only barely move. However, the man was determined to get some answers for Kasumi. He was not going to leave here without something that could help her understand why.
Myamoto glanced over at the stairs, except for the fact that there now was no stairs to be seen. Only a thick sheet of complete darkness bubbling towards them. "Jack, HURRY UP!"
Jack strained hard, and soon there was an opening about a foot and on half wide. "Grab the other side and help me lift this thing!"
Myamoto latched onto the door and pulled with Jack, still working hard to lift the hatch enough to climb through, but eventually it was there.
"You first!"
"But--" Myamoto argued.
"Do it! I'll be right behind you."
Myamoto hesitated a split second.
"GO!"
The hacker jumped and rushed inside the opening, rolling down a long dark ramp until he hit the bottom. "C'mon Jack!"
There was no response but the roar of the seemingly unfathomable object attacking them.
"Jack! Stop fooling around up there and get your ass down here!"
The amazingly thick hatch dropped with a heavy thud that rattled the dark tunnel all the way to the large room where Myamoto now sat. The noise above was instantly silenced from the insulation of the heavy hatch. Only one sound echoed through the darkness as a small object rolled down the smooth metal ramp towards him. Myamoto felt around for it for a few seconds before finding it.
"Oh shit…Jack!"
It was the American's penlight, and on it was a tendril of blood.
Sunday, January 7
7:53 A.M.
Jack's Apartment
Hayate faced his longtime friend outside of Jack's building, a stern expression on his face. He had obviously not taken their failure at the docks well, but kept his mouth closed. It would do no good to focus on past disappointments, only learn from them.
Hayabusa walked around to the side of the building and away from the main entrance knowing that the window by the fire escape was almost always a good entry point. "This way," he said, gesturing upwards. "I broke the lock a few weeks ago, so the apartment is no longer secure."
Hayate nodded once and followed Ryu up the series of ladders and platforms that led to Jack's residence. Soon he was inside the dark apartment and looked around for any signs of occupation. But it seemed no one was there. The living room couch was empty, but there was a damp blanket on the floor that he assumed his sister had used at one time or another. The kitchen was empty as well and no lights could be seen from the back of the apartment--
"Achoo!"
Everyone froze at the sound. Then Ryu dived around the bar that split the kitchen area from the living room, easily tossing a kunai down the hall as he landed. He performed the feat all in one fluid movement, making sure to stay hidden by the shadows of the room.
There was a sharp gasp a half second later, and as soon as Hayate heard it, he had his sword out and ready.
But as he was about to approach, Ryu held up his hand and gestured that he would go in first and signal if it was important. Hayate nodded and decided to check the rest of the apartment carefully for hidden enemies.
Hayabusa inched into the hall seeing nothing as he went further towards the back. But as he was about to turn around, a drop of liquid landed on the back of his hand.
It was blood.
"Hai!" Came a small voice from the ceiling and soon there was a burst of sakura blossoms raining all around him. It took a few seconds but he finally broke through the cloud to see a retreating figure run towards the kitchen. Well, it looked more like a limp than a run. He shook his head and followed her towards the end of the hall.
"Don't attack--!" he called out.
But it was too late. Hayate lunged at the person darting out of the hall, not able to see who it was in the darkness of the apartment. He swung his katana downward at the foe's shoulder, but hit nothing. Just as he was about to turn around, he was hit from behind with a stunning kick, sending him into the back of the hall and his sword flying somewhere into the darkness.
He grunted and jumped up, pushing off of the wall with his feet and launching himself into the air above his foe. While he was hanging over the darkened silhouette, Hayate reached down and planted his hands on the shoulders and landed behind the intruder.
But to his surprise, his opponent did a lightning fast back flip and slammed both of her legs into his face. The attack caught him off guard and he ended up taking a serious fall. As he bounced upwards from the floor, the woman hit him four times with her fists in blazing succession and finished with two consecutive kicks which sent him rolling out of the hall and into the living room where Hayabusa was now standing with his arms crossed and slightly amused look in his eyes.
It was now obvious who he was fighting, but now Hayate was interested in just how capable she was in a fight where she thought her life was in true danger. He wanted to be sure Jack hadn't ruined her abilities completely, so he climbed up from the carpet and wiped the blood from his lips, staring into the darkened hall with a bit of curiosity. She wasn't coming out, so he would go back in.
As he rushed into the hall he did double kick in mid air to try and knock her out of his way. His first kick hit nothing, but his second one squarely caught her left shoulder as she spun away from him, clipping her and forcing her back into the wall next to the bedroom door. She yelped as her head slammed into the trim around the open door and Hayate could hear her body slowly slide down the wall and crumple onto the floor.
He shook his head sadly. 'Kasumi, you grow careless…'
He thought it was over, so he went to go see if he had seriously hurt his sister, slightly concerned because of what she had been going through. But was 'pleasantly' surprised as she launched herself off of the ground and hit him with her legs. Then as he was in the air she crouched and came up fast, rotating her body 180 degrees and hitting him with both arms as she did so. But before he she could continue with her predictable punches, he took advantage of the narrow passageway and jumped off of the wall behind him trying to tackle her and force her down into Jack's room. However, when he came down on her, he hit nothing but air and flower petals.
Hayate grunted as he landed on the ground with a muffled thud, rolling with the dive and coming up near the foot of the bed. Instinctively, he kicked behind him and turned around, knowing well the tactics his sister had just tried to employ. His attacks, though, hit nothing, which slightly confused him.
He paused and stood still a moment in the thick blackness of the room, letting the almost perfect silence fill his ears. After only a few seconds he heard Kasumi panting for sweet oxygen to his right near a closet door. Hayate whirled around in a swarm of black raven feathers and threw a sharp punch out into the darkness, but only felt her soft hair brushing his arm as she whipped her head aside to avoid the blow. By the time he realized what was about to happen he was already in the middle of throwing another punch. However, just as Kasumi whipped her leg upwards in a high kick, Hayate ducked to the side and stepped behind her, avoiding her leg and grabbing her arm, twisting it behind her back.
She struggled for a minute and tried to break free, but he only started applying more pressure until she stopped and gasped from the pain. Hayate also stopped at this point, not wanting to break his sister's arm, but show her that he easily could. He was about to reveal himself when she stomped on his foot as hard as she could, sending a sharp pain shooting up his leg. When his grip loosened from the surprise, she did an extremely low 360 degree propeller kick knocking him to the floor and stunning him. As soon as he had landed she was already in the air and about to come down on his chest. Hayate reacted with split second reflexes and rolled aside, then kicked her the place just above her injured right hip, not really remembering that that spot was still extremely tender.
"Ahhhh!" She shouted, almost crying when the blow made impact. Her leg screamed with pain and she reluctantly stumbled for a step or two before collapsing to the plush carpet floor on her hands and knees.
Hayate sighed as she moaned and tried to get up. "I--"
"Please, leave me alone." She cried. "I don't want to fight anymore!"
Hayate took a step towards his struggling sister, but apparently it was too sudden a move because even through her pain she came to her feet and rushed at him, hitting him hard in the side with her elbow as she passed. It was such a hard blow that it knocked the wind out of him, so he couldn't say anything. As she turned around behind him, he could hear her agonized sobs and it bothered him that it was his fault. Yet it impressed him that she would even fight while experiencing such hurt.
He coughed a few times and faced her in the darkness, barely able to make out her figure against the low light filtering through the closed blinds near Jack's bed. She held her hip and was doubled over from the intensity of what his kick had done. He could hear her trying not to cry through clenched teeth and it was then that he knew this fight had gone on long enough.
He simply turned and left the room, but paused at the doorway. "Come," he said, his voice nothing but a scratchy whisper as he continued to recover his breath.
Kasumi stood there though, unwilling to follow him out of Jack's room for fear of getting hurt when she least expected. So when he waved her forward she shook her head and limped backwards towards the wall opposite the door.
Hayate shrugged and bent down to retrieve his weapon. "It's all right. I'm done fighting, Kasumi," he said as he put away the sword. "I don't know how you manage to survive with a pitiful display like that."
There was a gasp. "O-Oni-san!"
Hayabusa emerged from the hall where he had been listening ever since Hayate had charged back into the hall after her and flicked on the bedroom light. "What are you doing here alone, Kasumi?"
"Achoo!" Kasumi wiped her nose and inched over to Jack's bed, slowly sitting down to relieve some of the pressure being placed on her leg. "I was trying to get some rest so I could look for Ayane."
Hayate noticed how she has being careful not to let anything touch her left palm. "Let me see," he demanded, walking over to her side.
Kasumi reluctantly held out her open hand, a small cut from Hayabusa's kunai showing along its surface. "It's nothing."
Hayate shook his head. "It's not nothing. This cut is a sign that you are losing your focus! Just like during our fight."
Kasumi jerked her hand back. "No, it's a sign that you are too hasty with your attacks."
She sighed and looked away from her brother, grabbing one of Jack's pillows and hugging it tightly as she did so. "I'm sorry, Oni-san. Please, just let me sleep. I promise I won't interrupt whatever you two were planning."
Hayabusa shook his head. "Unfortunately, what we came here for involves everyone. Do you know where the others are?"
Kasumi stayed quiet for a long time.
"Kasumi?"
"I didn't mean to chase everyone away… It was an accident…"
Hayate furrowed his eyebrows and sat down next to his sister. Her voice had changed all of the sudden, and the tone it had taken on was far from a happy one. "What are you talking about?"
"Ayane's gone…" she muttered. "I…. I said some bad things and now I don't know where she is."
Hayabusa made no expression. "And what about Jack and that computer expert?"
"Myamoto is in his apartment, I think." She paused and steadied her voice. "Jack… I don't know what's happened but I'm scared that he's gone too."
Hayate gave Hayabusa an 'I told you so,' look and then returned his steel gaze back to Kasumi, who was now staring intently at the floor. "What is that supposed to mean? Did Wallace leave you when things go too tough for him! Did he abandon--"
"No! He would never do that, Oni-san! Never!"
Hayate crossed his arms. "Well, what is it then?"
"I don't know. Ayane told me he had been killed…"
Hayabusa stood motionless. "This is an inconvenience. We could've used him to distract those destroyers."
Kasumi instantly perked up, a fire in her tear glazed eyes. "Inconvenient? Is that all his death is to you?"
Hayabusa focused his sharp eyes on her, piercing her soft soul with his gaze. "To be perfectly honest, the man was a distraction. Now you can finally resume your life and stop living in a fantasy--"
"H-Hayabusa!"
"He's right. Jack wasn't doing you any favors, Kasumi."
Kasumi sat up and pushed the blanket away, no longer feeling tired. "But without him, I would be dead! Can't you see that? He saved my life… and Ayane's."
Hayate nodded. "Yes, and for that I am grateful. But what about the fact that you were captured at all? In my opinion it was the least he could do to bail you out of a mess that was his fault in the first place."
"His fault?" Kasumi made a mild glare. "Smith was not Jack's fault, it was my own."
Hayate scoffed. "So you mean to tell me that his influence isn't what's lulled you into a sense of false security? A true Shinobi wouldn't have made such a careless mistake…"
Kasumi was just about to respond when Hayabusa stepped forward. "We didn't come here to argue about Jack. We came here to think of a plan."
Kasumi crossed her arms. "But--"
Hayate shook his head. "Ryu's right. This is ridiculous. We came here from the warehouse district, however--"
"The warehouse district?" Hundreds of memories came flooding into her mind of the time she spent there and the pain she had felt. "You defeated Smith?"
The way she had said it sounded more like a hopeful statement than a question.
Hayabusa grunted. "We failed. He is more resourceful than we anticipated and came here looking to find everyone and formulate a plan."
Kasumi brushed away her bangs and pretended to be interested in something at her feet, hiding her disappointment from them. "Oh… May I ask what happened?"
"It doesn't matter what happened. In fact, I think it was a mistake to come here at all. C'mon, Ryu, let's go see if we can--"
"No. That is not a wise course of action. Like it or not, we do need Kasumi for the moment."
Kasumi was a little hurt at the fact she was being referred to as if she wasn't even there. But she was more concerned how a man like Smith could defeat two trained warriors like Hayabusa and her brother. "Please, tell me what happened."
Hayabusa crossed his arms. "He is resourceful. More so than we anticipated or believed possible. You have made a very powerful enemy, Kasumi. Maybe even more powerful than Donovan."
Her eyes widened. "What are you talking about? What did he do!
"He didn't do anything," Hayate muttered, "and that's what makes him dangerous. He didn't have to."
Sunday, January 7
7:55 A.M.
Organization Compound 23
Jack climbed to his feet wiped the blood from his forehead, trying to see in the swirling darkness. The sounds launching themselves from the abyss were almost deafening and he couldn't tell where they were coming from. He retrieved his Beretta from it's holster and took a step towards the stairs, both angered and confused. That's where the sounds had first come from so it would be best to see what was down there.
"Jack…" a voce echoed from the blackness.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Kaz! What are you doing here?"
There was no response.
Something wasn't right about this mess. Even if Kasumi were lost looking for her sister, there was no way she would come to this place. The darkness had to be playing with his head. It had to be a machine with some kind on psychosis device. But still… it was convincing…
After taking his time feeling his way down the stairs, Jack raised his gun to the end of the hall and saw a small green light in the back. It focused on him for a second and increased in intensity before vanishing into the room that Kasumi had been tortured in. The door quickly slammed behind it and then a long pained scream pierced the air. It sounded eerily like the woman he loved, but Jack couldn't fall for the machine's tricks.
He ran for the door and grabbed the heavy iron handle with his left hand, using his weight to jerk the door off of the wall. He wasn't surprised when it came loose since they had removed the pins in the hinges last time they were down here.
"Nowhere to run now, you little piece of crap!"
The machine faced him, surprisingly small in its size. It was black and shaped like a tall trash can with a concave lid. On the top of the lid was a small panel with a green light and a few smaller red ones. Aside from is single robotic arm, there was no sort of irregularity in its smooth form. Everything else must've been contained within--
"Jack! Over here!"
Out of reflex, he turned towards Kasumi voice. The Psychosis Mech darted forward towards him and knocked him down. Then when he was on the ground it fired a pulse of dark energy at him, sending him flying into the hall.
Jack groaned and reached for his pistol, recovering it quickly and aiming it at the machine's green light. But before he could fire, there was an image of Kasumi, projected in the machine's place, delaying him just enough the it got a chance to fire another beam at him.
But Jack had learned since last time and instantly rolled to the right when he heard the sound of the blast coming, narrowly missing it by millimeters. Using the momentum from the rapid roll, he kicked himself off of the ground and before even beginning his descent towards the ground, he whipped his body sideways to face the machine and brought his Beretta down on it with laser like accuracy. He fired not once, but twice, hitting the little light head on and making it flash and then explode into a shower of sparks. After firing the shots, Jack stabilized his spinning motion and landed on the ground in a crouched position, the still smoking pistol aimed at the machine.
"What a disappointment…"
But as he was about to stand up and walk away the little green light flickered on and the machine came to life once again.
You will not escape.
"So now the junk heap can talk too? You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"
You will not escape.
Jack laughed. "Not much of a personality though…"
The machine again aimed the arm at his chest and fired, but Jack already expected this and simply sidestepped the shot as if it were only a harmless spit of water. Then he put his gun away and grinned. "I hope that tin shell of yours is fireproof, pal."
Then he began to sprint for the generator room. If he was correct in his guess, there was going to be one hell of a fireworks show in a few seconds. However, the machine hesitated, and did not move to follow him as he had hoped. Oh well, it didn't matter because soon--
Fool.
Jack ignored the drone's pixilated voice and continued into the darkened generator room, confident that he had the fight won already. He felt around for the broken generator, wishing that he hadn't lost that little black penlight, but instead of finding the old power device, he found something much different.
The true Psychosis Mech slammed him to the ground with a flick of it's massive plated arm and blasted the ceiling with an intense beam of pulsating purple energy so powerful and bright that it seemed like something that would be found at the heart of the sun.
Jack reacted with his instincts and rolled to the right just as the machine fired, coincidentally ending up underneath the very generator he had been scrambling to find. Chunks of concrete and rebar fell around him as the machine drilled a clean hole in the ceiling and into the larger room above. Then it simply climbed up and left him there.
"No you don't, you oversized trash can!"
Jack jumped up and clung onto one of the behemoth's legs as it climbed out of the darkness and into the some what brighter area in the large room. It was then that he realized just what he was messing with. This was not an ordinary oversized trash can.
The jet black monster shook him off and faced him with its solitary green eye as if curious why he was even alive. It had a total of three legs that were plated with at least a foot of some sort of super dense black metal and two monstrosities that could be called arms if it weren't for the twin ionic pulse beams at the end of each one. It also had something that looked like a energy sword at the end of some kind of rope like appendage that came out of the main body of the Mech. The actual body was plated with the black metal as well. It was almost dome shaped, but near the back there were two large fins that came out, probably for heat dispersion.
Jack grinned. "Finally, something worth fighting."
