Disclaimer: I do not own Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden, they belong to Tecmo and Team Ninja.
Freedom Survivor
Middle of Ocean
12:12pm
"Ma'am, you have another visitor," said the loud-speaker on Helena's desk.
"Send him in," said Helena as she sipped at a cup of tea.
The doors opened and revealed Hayabusa, he walked in arms crossed.
"Mr. Hayabusa, what brings you here?" said Helena casually.
"I think we both know why I am here, you have already spoken to Ayane," said Hayabusa, maintaining his neutral stare.
"Right, well the matter is being handled," said Helena who took another sip of tea.
"They have taken Kasumi hostage,"
Helena winced lightly upon hearing the news, she was completely shocked by how far ahead of them Donovan was.
"So you saw Donovan do this?"
"Not Donovan, one of his men. Man is named Rig,"
Helena's eyes widened and she looked Hayabusa dead in the eye, "you are certain of this?"
Hayabusa gave a simple nod, obviously analyzing her reaction. She tried to soften her face a bit as she flagged her hand over her long golden hair.
"I thought he was dead?" said Helena.
"Apparently not," said Hayabusa, raising his eyebrow, "why do you seem so shocked by these events?"
"Because she knows the connection between Donovan and this Rig," said a voice from the elevator, Hayabusa calmly turned around while Helena gave another shocked look.
In the elevator stood both Archer and Zack, Zack looked tired while Archer looked angry holding a cup of coffee.
"How did you..." said Helena shocked.
"That does not matter, me and Zack here had a hell of a night, two men attacked us in my apartment," said Archer as he took a sip of coffee.
"What!?" shouted Helena as she stood.
"That's not all, I did some digging around and found out about this Rig character. Seems he is Donovan's son," said Archer.
Hayabusa's face remained neutral, but his mind was full of questions.
"Who is this?" said Hayabusa as he turned back to Helena.
"This is John Archer, he is a LAPD detective," said Helena as she sat back down, "He is also the one that I enlisted for help to find Donovan, and it seems he is focusing on others that are not apart of his mission."
"Why did you not tell me about this Rig character? I know you knew of the connection," said Archer annoyed.
"It was irrelevant, he was supposed to be dead," said Helena firmly.
"Irrelevant!? Next time, let me be the judge of what is relevant or not. This was a vital piece of evidence which should not have been swept under the rug!" shouted Archer.
"He was supposed to be dead!"
"Well then he has a funny way of showing it!"
"Calm yourselves, both of you," said Hayabusa calmly, "we all have a common enemy, arguing would be a waste of time."
Helena's brow furrowed, but she remained silent, giving Archer a scornful look. Archer on the other hand continued sipping his coffee, his attention on Hayabusa and his attire.
"So what now?" asked Helena to the both of them.
"I'm heading back to Downtown, I know a few people who might be able to help me locate this Rig character," said Archer as he headed for the elevator, leaving both Hayabusa, Helena, and a sleeping Zack.
"And you?" asked Helena to Hayabusa.
"I need to see Ayane," said Hayabusa as he disappeared.
Helena huffed in a deep breath and looked down into her now lukewarm tea. She kept trying to keep her mind focus, but it kept coming back to Archer and his rudeness.
'how dare he speak to me in such a way?' she thought as she picked up the tea glass and saw her reflection in the golden tea water. She lightly smiled at herself and took a large gulp of tea.
I guess he is a bit cute
Ayane stood on the deck of the ship looking towards the ocean, her mind was filled with thoughts. She tried to remain focused on the main objective, but she kept on thinking about Hayate. The scouts that she had sent to watch him were killed and the second batch of scouts she sent were unable to find Hayate or Hitomi.
'Where are you Hayate?' she thought to herself.
"Ayane, are you ok?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned and saw Eliot walking beside her, concern all over his face.
"I'm fine," she said as she turned back to the ocean.
"You don't look fine, in fact you looked worried," said Eliot.
"I said I'm fine," said Ayane annoyed.
Eliot faced hardened, he was tired of her attitude.
"Ayane, why do you push me away so much," asked Eliot trying to remain calm.
"Because I do not need your pity or help, I can do it myself!" she said before running off.
"Ayane!" shouted Eliot as he watched her leave, "damn it."
Eliot leaned over the rail and looked into the ocean, angered at everything.
"Women," said a voice behind him, he turned and saw Archer leaning on the wall, a lit cigarette in his mouth, " can't live with em, can't shoot em."
"Why would I want to shoot them?" asked Eliot seriously, causing Archer to roll his eyes.
"Cmon Eliot, you get any greener and I might want to smoke ya," said Archer with a laugh as he leaned on the railing next to Eliot.
"What?"
"Nevermind man, bad joke. Seems like you are having problems with the lady."
"I just don't get it, I try to be nice and understanding but she won't open up to me."
"Ya, that works for most women I guess," said Archer has he inhaled hard on his cigarette and exhaled, "but sometimes, a woman does not want that kind of attention."
"What do you mean?" asked Eliot genuinely interested.
"Think about her character, is she kind-hearted and sweet or is she stubborn and independent?"
"Stubborn and independent I guess,"
"Well then there is the problem, you are never gonna win her over by being all over her. Do your thing and let her do hers, during the course of this mission you guys will have plenty of time to see one another."
"So your saying to not do anything? Wouldn't she think then I'm not interested?"
"Trust me buddy, the way she looks body wise has probably gotten her more attention than she ever wanted. I get this feeling she wants a man to look after himself more than her. Show her that you are independent and not just trying to get brownie points from her."
Eliot looked back into the ocean and thought on what was said. Archer took one last hit from his cigarette before tossing it into the sea.
"If you know so much about women, why don't you have a girlfriend?" asked Eliot.
"Take a look at me Eliot, you place me next to any of these dudes that I have seen on this ship and you're gonna notice the difference."
"What?"
"I'm fucking ugly Eliot, I'm also stubborn and absorbed in my work. I mean I have been working on various cases even on my down time. You think any woman is going to put up with that?"
"What about Gina, you and her always hit it off in school,"
Archer's once happy face turned completely serious, Eliot noticed immediately, "Whats wrong?"
"Nothing man, just remember what I said. Independence not pity," with that, Archer walked away quickly.
'what was that about?' thought Eliot briefly before thinking about what was said. He wanted Ayane to see him as a man, so he needed to show he was one.
But how do I do that?
Ayane went to the front of the ship and looked back out to the ocean, her mind was full of questions.
"Ayane," said a voice she instantly recognized, she spun around and looked at Hayabusa who stood there with his arms crossed.
"Master Ryu, I knew you were not dead!" said Ayane confidently.
"Any news of Hayate?" asked Hayabusa calmly.
"No sir, I sent scouts to find him."
"I sent someone as well, I'm sure he is ok." Said Hayabusa remaining neutral.
"Did you speak to Helena?"
"Yes, seems she hired someone to help find Donovan, a man named John Archer."
"I don't know what you think of him, but I do not trust him. All we know he could be working with Donovan."
"I don't sense that, he has already uncovered a pretty good piece of information. A piece of information that Helena knew and did not mention. If anyone is to not be trusted, its her."
"What information?"
"Seems Rig is Donovan's son,"
"What!?" shouted Ayane loudly.
"Indeed, we need to tread carefully, we do not know who to trust in this quite yet," said Hayabusa.
Ayane nodded and looked down, "what should we do next?"
"We need remain here for a while, see what else unfolds with Helena and this Detective. Also, Hayate if informed, could be heading this way as well."
Ayane nodded again and looked back towards the ocean,
Get here soon Hayate
Unknown place
7:30am
Kasumi stared at the large plate of food in front of her, three pieces of bacon and sausage with scrambled eggs and toast covering hash browns. A tall glass of orange juice stood on the side.
She looked up and saw that Both children were eating contently, not noticing her stares. She then looked at Ryu who was getting his plate together and sitting down to eat as well.
"Whats wrong mommy?" said the one of the girls with a frown. She had long brown hair with large brown eyes. Her face was slender and smooth, but she was also very young.
"Nothing at all," she said calmly smiling.
"You haven't touched your food, are you sure your ok?" asked Hayabusa, genuine concern on his face. Something Kasumi was not used to seeing at all.
"Really I'm fine," she said as she began eating her food, Hayabusa smiled and began eating as well.
"So mom, can you braid my hair today?" asked the other girl, this one favored Kasumi heavily. She had long Auburn hair like her and an almost similar face. The only difference was her eye color, which was green.
"Sure," said Kasumi with a smile, "How do you want it braided?"
"Just like yours!" she said happily.
Kasumi grabbed her hair and smiled, "after breakfast then."
"I need to get to the shop and open up, oh and Hayate called and said he was coming over to visit today," said Hayabusa.
Kasumi's face shifted slightly, thankfully no one noticed. She was still not used to being on good terms with her brother. She was still a runaway ninja after all and none of the events that happened within the M.I.S.T facility could change that.
Then again, she still did not know what was going on or where she was. Was this heaven? Or was it just a dream? She did not like the idea of it being a dream.
"That's good to hear, it would be nice to have him over."
"Expect Ayane to show as well, she has talked about wanting to see her nieces,"
Kasumi nodded, trying to keep her face straight.
Hayabusa took one large gulp of orange juice before rising up, "well I'm off then."
He walked to the two girls and gave them kisses on their foreheads then her circled around and gave Kasumi a kiss on her lips, she felt still tingly whenever their lips made contact.
He left and she was left with her two daughters, daughters that she did not even know. She looked around the kitchen and saw a drawing on the refrigerator. It was a stick figure drawing of their family, two larger stick figures stood on the left while the smaller ones stood on the right. The most pivotal information was the names on the bottom of the girls.
Kasumi rose from her seat and walked to the drawing, the stick figure with brown hair was Atsuko and the auburn colored hair was named Kiyoko.
"So Kiyoko, are you ready for your hair to be braided?" asked Kasumi, hoping to be right.
"Yes mom I'm ready," said Kiyoko as she stood up and walked with Kasumi.
They entered the living room and Kasumi looked around. The furniture was comfortable looking, a brown sofa and love seat with a recliner, wood floors and various pictures covering the walls and shelves. Across from the sofa was a flat screen television set.
Kasumi sat on the couch while Kiyoko sat on the floor in front of her. Kasumi placed her hands on her daughter's hair, feeling the silkiness. Light tears formed in her eye as she continued to feel Kiyoko's hair.
Kasumi remembered when she was younger and her mother would do her hair. She always wanted to have her own children to bond with just as her mother bonded with her. Now she had that chance, she was not going to lose it.
"You hair is lovely Kiyoko, I'm glad you want me to braid it," said Kasumi happily.
"Of course mom, I love when you braid my hair," said Kiyoko.
Kasumi began preparing her hair for the braid, immersed in her work. A nock at the door broke her concentration.
"I'll get it," shouted Atsuko from the kitchen.
Kasumi panicked and jumped up.
"Mom whats wrong?" asked Kiyoko worried.
"Atsuko stop!" shouted Kasumi to Atsuko who was already at the door. Kasumi rushed over to Atsuko trying to maintain a smile, "sorry sweetheart, let me see who it is."
Kasumi looked out the window next to the door and saw Hayate and Ayane at the door waiting. They were not in ninja attire, but instead in regular clothes. Ayane wore a blue summer dress with white sandles while Hayate wore a brown jacket with a white undershirt, blue jeans, and black boots. They looked normal enough, she slowly unlocked the door and opened it.
"Hey Kasumi," said Hayate with a smile, Ayane's smiled at Kasumi wide.
"Hello brother," said Kasumi nervously. She moved to the side and allowed them in. Atsuko rushed over to Ayane and gave her a big hug.
"Wow you are getting so big!" said Ayane as she hugged the little girl, "what are you feeding her Kasumi to make her grow so much!"
Kasumi just smiled and looked back at Hayate.
"You look good brother," said Kasumi calmly.
"Jeez Kasumi, you act like you haven't seen me in ages," said Hayate with a laugh.
Kasumi returned the laugh with a heart felt one. She was finally at ease and happy to see everyone.
She was home
"You think she realizes anything? I mean I tried to make it as homey as possible but I only know American homey, not Japanese. Do you think she is aware she is in an illusion?" asked a man in a white lab coat and glasses.
"Oh she knows, she knows but she does not care. We got her right where we want her." said another man who was not in a lab coat, but instead was in a sleeveless shirt exposing his many tattoos.
The men stood in a large room with several computers hooked into a large tube. Inside the large tube was Kasumi immersed in green liquid. She was naked and in a sleep like state, several wires were connected to her body monitoring her vitals.
"This is pure genius Rig, induce them into a dreamlike state that we control." said the scientist excitedly.
"Yep, give them what they want in the dream and they will remain docile as we perform are test. After all, if it looks and feels real, it must be. I love how simple humans minds work." said Rig confidently, "all the rest of them will come and then we will put them in the same state."
"What about this John Archer, Douglas hired him to find us."
"They are still looking for my father, they have no idea that its me pulling the strings, besides, dad will still be working on the rest of the clones and base them on the information we can get from all the rest of the fighters of DOA. This John Archer is nothing to worry about."
"How will we find the others?"
"Due time Harold, all in due time."
Freedom Survivor
Front deck
6:37 pm
White feathers appeared suddenly all around the deck of the ship, from the feathers appeared Hayate. He stood straight and looked towards Helena's office area.
He did not want to ever return to this ship, his business with Helena was strictly the destruction of Victor Donovan. Yet he knew that anyone involved with her would be automatically involved in much more.
And yet his thoughts lingered back to an injured Hitomi who was harmed by Donovan's men. He vowed to himself before he left her side that he would destroy Donovan and anyone involved with him.
As soon as he hit the deck of Helena's ship, he sealed his oath to Hitomi and would not turn back.
"There you are," said a voice which came from his side, it was Hayabusa.
"Its been a while Ryu, how is everything," said Hayate as he turned to Hayabusa.
"Not good, Donovan is up to his old tricks. He has destroyed my curio shop and kidnapped Kasumi,"
"What! How?"
"There is much to speak on, but I am sure you want to first speak to Helena."
Hayate nodded and looked back at Helena's office.
I'm going to kill you Donovan if its the last thing I do
Helena sipped at her tea contently as she stared at the file on her table. She tried to be as respectful as she could when in came to any of her employees by respecting their personal lives, but he was interesting to her.
She placed her tea on the desk and picked up the file examining the front cover. A simple yellow with no words, but along the side was a name in bold.
Johnathan Wells Archer
Well that took a while to update, had to get the first of the year started off right by getting my school assignments done. Hope you enjoy this chapter, see ya next time!