Jungle Fever

Back at the Shika Clan Compound, Morotsuka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan…

With some leads going into the investigation on Cain's whereabouts, Urenna and Omani returned to Japan so they could inform Hide (Crow) on their findings. The children were happy to see the women again. It looked like Hide was working out Santi really hard with his ninja training. Bryce was still with Omani inside the compound. At some point during the day, the boys had to be left alone so the other three ninjas could speak privately in a meeting. Hide was relieved to see the women survive that ordeal, but Omani still had to heal up her shoulder, which caught Hide by surprise.

Hide: "How is the shoulder Omani?"

Omani: "It's been a while since I got hurt like this, but in time I should be fine."

Hide: "So…what did you both find out in Saigon?"

Omani: "Well…it took some time to ask around, but we eventually found out about a Black Arms Market at the city's harbor. Locals had heard about Cain making deals in this place. And when we got there, we found a bunch of drug dealers talking amongst themselves, but he was not there. However, we did run into a family member of Dragunovs."

Hide: "What? A Dragunov you say?"

Omani: "Yeah. The guy was crazy, but Urenna managed to kill him when he tried to attack me after I got hurt."

Hide: "Oh…it would have better if he were alive so I could interrogate him. What about the other dealers present at that warehouse? Who are they?"

Urenna: "Some of them ran off while the others stayed but…only to get killed by the Dragunov who sprayed the place with his poison."

Hide: "Damn…that guy was crazy then."

Urenna: "However…we did overhear that Cain might be in Laos. Do you know where that is?"

Hide: "Laos? Yes it is a country bordering Vietnam to the West."

Urenna: "Yes…that's where he traveled to recently. I'm positive on this! So can I go there Master?"

Hide (After thinking for a bit.): "I will let you travel there, but you have to promise not to engage him."

Urenna: "Really? How come?"

Hide: "There is a possibly that his base could be filled with traps, not to mention he may have good protection, especially with the Dragunovs by his side. Now that one of them is dead, Cain is likely to step up his defenses. You must be very careful Urenna. Are we clear?"

Urenna: "Hai…I do master."

Hide: "Alright…I will notify Kari that you will partake in this infiltration mission. While you guys were gone, Kari managed to pinpoint Cain's whereabouts in Southeast Asia with Laos being one of the 4 possible locations. She will fax me the details in about 2 hours. So Urenna do not go anywhere until then. Understood?"

Urenna: "Yes Master!" (Salutes.) "Excuse me while I prepare my things."

Urenna leaves out of the kitchen to enter her room…

Omani: "Wow!"

Hide: "Huh?"

Omani: "I didn't think you would let her leave so soon to head back out of Japan all by herself."

Hide: "It needed to happen sooner or later. I probably would have went with her for this task, but Kari says there is another mission I must do back in America. There is not enough time for me to be in opposite sides of the globe you know."

Omani: "Fair enough and my shoulder is still busted. So I guess our future successor will need to do her best to stay alive. But I do worry that her emotions might get the better of her yet again."

Hide: "Ahh…like with her jonin exam back in Detroit."

Omani: "And even when I went with her in Saigon. She was very eager to fight those drug dealers to find out more about Cain."

Hide: "It would appear she needs more time on her meditations. A worrisome head is bound to make mistakes."

Omani (Nodding.): "If only we could be there to just watch her you know. Not interfere with her mission at hand."

Hide (Thinking.): "Well…since I have my other mission to do. Maybe there is someone who can monitor her movements on our behalf."

Omani: "Like who? Kari?"

Hide: "No…she has her hands full already. I'm thinking more of the mercenary type. Let me see if I can reach out to him. Hang on."

Ten minutes later…

Hide: "Omani. I think we can trust this guy."

Omani: "What guy? Who did you call?"

Hide: "A mercenary I met two years ago. Like us, he has some kids he's training to follow in his footsteps. He is currently on vacation in Malaysia, but he did say he would make it to Laos to find Urenna. I even gave him the coordinates to the compound that Cain could be in."

Omani: "A mercenary huh. What's his name?"

Hide: "Richard Williams."

Urenna returns with her duffle bag completely filled…

Urenna: "Master! Omani! I'm all set!"

Urenna surprised her superiors with how quickly she was prepared to leave so soon. Nevertheless, Hide allowed Urenna to take his hovercraft. Hide would use another chopper the next day to get ready for his mission back in the United States. Omani would continue monitoring the two other male disciples at home base. Going well into the night, Urenna took off in the hovercraft and flew right for the direction to Laos.

Early morning, the next day, In Laos…

As the sun rose from behind the hovercraft in midair, the alarm sounded off inside Urenna's cockpit seat. Waking up, Urenna quickly located the monitor screen to shut off the alarm. Then she proceeded to check her coordinates. It looks like she made it into the Loatian airspace. The area in question should not be too far from her radar screen. Once she got a closer look at the monitor, the white dot sounded off pinpointing the location of the alleged base that Cain was said to be using. Descending closer to land, Urenna managed to find a grassy meadow to place the hovercraft down very gently to avoid crashing by accident.

Urenna: "Looks like I made it. But…I don't like that this field is so open. Someone could spot this plane and try to break in. Well, at least no one is around."

Urenna looks at her watch with the radar scanner mode turned on right after locking the hovercraft hatch…

Urenna: "So I'm not too far from the resort city of Vang Vieng, but the compound in question is just past this mountain valley. Only 3 kilometers. Alright Cain! You better be there because I got a sharp present with your name on it!"

Meanwhile, on the highway towards Vang Vieng…

Private Cab Driver: "We are almost there Mr. Williams! I hope you enjoy your stay here at Vang Vieng!"

Mr. Williams: "Yes…I'm hoping for the same thing. However, I have one other question."

Private Cab Driver: "Sure! Lay it on me!"

Mr. Williams: "Is there another cab I can take to get near the village of Naka?"

Private Cab Driver: "Yes. There are other cab drivers in Vang Vieng. Can they take you to Naka? I haven't been there before, so I don't know."

Mr. Williams: "I see…thanks for the input."

About 80 minutes later…

After a long trek around the thick jungles of this valley, Urenna finally found a vantage point where she could see the compound that Cain was privately running. It appeared to be a labor camp of some kind. An open farm labor camp to be more specific. There were many local men (likely prisoners) who were working out in the fields. Then Urenna could see watchtowers, at least five on them covered the entire area of the farm compound.

Urenna: "He thinks his base is so secure. Just watch me sneak right on in the premises. They don't even have barbed wire fences. This will be easy."

Feeling confident, Urenna began her infiltration towards the agricultural compound. She uses the tall crops as cover while sneaking past the workers and the security guards who were minding their own business. Stopping for a moment, Urenna wondered what to do next. Should she go to the warehouses first to her left or check the assembly building to her right?

Urenna: "Hmmm…I guess I'll check the assembly line. Someone must know where Cain is."

Inside the Assembly Crop Production Building…

This part of the compound is where much of the narcotic production was taken place. It was very smelly due to the mixing of chemicals and plants, but Urenna had to endure it. Naturally, she took to the rafters, but of course they were several workers below her doing their daily duties of work. Safe to say, the workers looked miserable. Then she noticed some men in military style outfits were gathering at a partition style office from the south side of the plant. It looked to be a conference room of sorts. So, Urenna carefully walked on top of the rafters to stay above their heads and listen in closely.

The men inside looked to be military officers of the Laotian government. They were waiting for more people to show up. It didn't take long for the man Urenna was looking for to finally show himself. A tall, rugged looking Nigerian man dressed in combat gear. He had about nine bodyguards around him. Once he entered inside the makeshift room, he gleefully smiled at the officers. Urenna got a good look at him and nearly fell off the rafters from the moment she got a better look at his face. It was Cain!

Cain: "Greetings! I take it you like the hospitality! Yeah?"

One Laotian General: "We are honored…to be here."

Cain (Sitting at the front seat.): "Ah yes… that's what I like to hear! So, let's get right to it! Show me the loot! We had a deal see? 78 million Russian Rubles? Or 20 billion Kip? Yeah?"

Laotion General: "Yes…in agreement with the Russian government. Here is our payment of 20 billion Kip for the production of this farm."

Gives a bodyguard two suitcases of the money…

Cain: "Open it!"

The bodyguard unlocks both cases as Cain sees the money paid in full…

Cain (Examining the money): "Good! Thanks for the payment! I'm sure the Dragunovs will be pleased with this transaction! Take the money away into the main office!"

Bodyguard behind Cain: "Yes sir!"

Cain (Breaking the silence): "Why the long faces gentlemen? In 2 years or so your country will benefit immensely with the production of opium at this facility. At this rate, all of you will be living in mansions overlooking the Mekong River! Surely you all will be happy with this!"

None of them said a word…

Cain: (Sighs.): "If you have no problems with this. Then this short meeting is over. See to it that they come out without a fuss." (Standing up to leave.)

The six generals reluctantly got out of the seats as they were being closely watched by the remaining bodyguards of Cain. They were all heading out of the assembly plant. Urenna had just witnessed a forced bribery, in which by United Nations law, is an international crime. Urenna carefully went back to where she came from. Now back outside, she hid under a parked truck to see where Cain was going. He was going towards the main office. The main office was simply an ordinary house about a quarter of a kilometer away from the assembly plant. Urenna used the cover of the opium plants and navigate closer to the house. And so, she carefully follows Cain and the bodyguards, until all of them entered the building. Urenna had to plan out which way should she get inside.

Urenna: "I see some windows, but once I get in will they hear me drop in? Can't use the front door for obvious reasons. What about the roof?"

Urenna luckily found some crates she could use to jump on top of the roof unnoticed. The vent in which she used to get inside lead into the attic part of the house. From there she could hear the voices of Cain and his allies. Only five people this time. Could she take them all on by herself? Cain looked older obviously but was he skilled in close quarter combat? The moment Urenna waited for has finally come after all of these years. No more doubting, the time for payback is now!

SLASH!...

Bodyguard 1: "Did you all hear something?"

Bodyguard 2: "Look!"

Cain (Turning around.): "Huh?"

Urenna: "Cain! You're mine!"

Urenna used her kunai to attempt a slash cut to Cain's throat…but one of the bodyguards managed to tackle her before she could reach him. Urenna was briefly pinned down, but due to the bodyguard's lack of experience in wrestling, Urenna slipped out of the hold and kicked the guy's face. She stood back up only to find pistols drawn at her in three different directions.

Cain: "Damn! What the fuck! Just who the fuck are you?!"

Urenna: "Cain! You will pay for my family's death!"

Bodyguard 3: "Family? What is she saying?"

Cain: "You will need to do better than that! I have taken many lives! Some willingly, others not so much. So, forgive me if memory is not crystal clear!" (Smirking.)

Urenna: "Tch."

Cain : "Judging by your look, you must be an assassin or a mercenary? With the United Nations yes?"

Urenna: "You can tell?"

Cain: "I was informed back in China of a pair of mercenaries who were in the Five Elder tournament. One of them was a woman who nearly killed Kang Yingjie. That was you wasn't it?"

Urenna: "So what if it was me?"

Cain: "Then that means I can't let you out of here alive."

Sirens ring off outside…

Cain: "Those are the sirens! What's going on now?!"

Bodyguard 5: "The opium! Look outside! It's catching fire!"

Cain: "What?"

Urenna took that distraction to her advantage as she saw an open door to her right side. It was the bathroom with a window! This was her change to get out!

Bodyguard 2: "She's getting away!"

Cain: "Shoot! Shoot!"

Shots fired…

Urenna was fast enough to avoid the rapid pistol fire from the three bodyguards as she ran inside the bathroom. Jumping on top of the sink for a boost, Urenna would jump dive into the window using her arms to smash down the entire window frame. She ended up falling in a rolling style over the dirt outside. Some glass punctured her skin from behind her back, but she had to tough it out. The adrenaline rush gave her enough will power to continue running away.

It appears that Urenna was not alone in this infiltration of the opium compound. There were several fields of opium now burning to flames! The smoke was making the atmosphere very blurry. The workers were in a panic!

Urenna: "Incredible! Who could have done this?!"

More security personnel were aware of Urenna's prescene as Cain's voice could be heard from the intercoms along the warehouses. His order was simple. Shoot and kill the female intruder! Some guards tried shoot Urenna down, but she was too fast. The building smoke from the fires made that task even more difficult.

Urenna was running and running, but where was the way out of here? The smoke was getting worse. Suddenly from her left side, there was a jeep approaching her with big lights coming at a high speed. When the jeep drove past her, it came to a halting stop. Urenna thought it was more bad guys. So, she was ready to defend herself. However, an unexpected voice called out to her. Just who was this man?

Richard Williams: "I finally found you Urenna! Hop in! Quick!"

Urenna: "Huh? Do I know you!?"

Richard Williams: "No, but I know Crow alright! Come on!"

Urenna: "Say what?"

Richard Williams: "Let's go wean!"

Urenna (Putting her kunai back in her steath.) "Have it your way."

As the flames were intensifying, Urenna hopped into the jeep of this stranger. The fact that this man revealed to her that he knew about Crow piqued her curiosity. As the jeep drove away from the destroyed compound field, Richard Williams headed back towards the main road. After getting out of harms way, Richard took a left turn and drove the jeep into the jungle, out of sight from pursuers. From here, he asked Urenna how was she.

Richard: "That was a heck a show out there! So how are ya feelin'?"

Urenna: "I'm fine. I'm just angry at myself for not killing that bastard when I had the chance!"

Richard: "You were there to kill someone?"

Urenna: "Either that or capture him! But for what he has done, he doesn't deserve to see another day of life!"

Richard: "Hmmm…Crow didn't tell me this part of the mission."

Urenna: "Mission? Just how long have you known my master?"

Richard: "Oh Crow? For about 4 years now. He helped me bust down a crime syndicate in Haiti. We been buddies ever since." (Chuckling.)

Urenna: "Funny. He never mentioned you before. How did you cause that fire back there?"

Richard: "Simple, I used cigarette matches and poured in a little bit of the ol' granny's special fragrance oil and in no time the fires began to spark!"

Urenna: "Interesting. Us ninja don't use fires as a distraction tactic."

Richard: "In this world, ya have ta get as creative as possible in order to get the job done! Say how old are you?"

Urenna: "I'm 16."

Richard: "Oh you are a little bit older than my daughters! They are teenagers right now. One day I might have you meet them. They both could use a strong sparring partner."

Urenna (Thinking with a frown.): "Seriously?"

Richard: "Anyway, ya better let Crow know that ya safe. I'm gonna drive us back Vang Vieng. Let's get some food after all of this I'm starving!"

Sometime later into the the night…

Urenna: "Master?" (Calling from a paid telephone booth.)

Crow: "Urenna? I don't recognize this number. Where are you?"

Urenna: "I'm using a telephone booth. Don't worry, I'm in disguise. My headset is getting charged in the hotel room."

Crow: "I see. So you must have met Richard. I'm glad he got you out of there."

Urenna: "You sent him to rescue me didn't you?"

Crow: "Yes as an insurance policy. I see that it worked. Did you find Cain?"

Urenna: "Yes I did."

Crow: "You must have tried to kill him."

Urenna's silence was obvious…

Crow: "I asked you not to engage him Urenna. You still must master yourself before confronting the enemy. We told you this before."

Urenna: "Hai. I know. It has been so many years master I…I just…had to try."

Crow: "At the very least, Cain is going to be in a lot of trouble now that is secret compound has been destroyed thanks to Richard's efforts. Tomorrow you should fly back home. Resume your training. And don't worry about Cain now. It will be some time before he pops back around again."

Urenna: "Yes master. Forgive my impudence."

Crow: "Tell Omani that you are safe too. I'm sure she will be relieved."

Urenna: "Yes master. See you soon."

Crow: "Understood."