#21 Lost Treasures

Breathe in. Breathe out.

This was the meditation recitation Momakase was currently doing from within her prison cell. It currently had been a little over a month now since she had lost her mutant powers and was reincarcerated in the San Fransokyo prison, much to her displeasure. The sushi chef liked to keep to herself as she found the other inmates either annoying or too brutish for her taste. She usually did her own exercises in her highly secured cell when the guards weren't looking, then spent her free time either watching the other prisoners or instigating fights between them; seeing them brawl over something as trivial as a spilled drink or a missing item did bring her some pleasure. If someone did find out it was her, she would smile or act indifferent before giving her accuser a fast beating, which would then land Momakase in solitary for a few days. Beats being out there with those insufferable criminals, was typically her thought whenever she got tossed in to her self-imposed isolation.

The worst part of prison though had to be her run-ins with her former monster teammates from working for Diane Amara. After a brief stint in the hospital, Mr. Sparkles, Juniper and Barb had been sent to jail along with the black and blue ninja, although the mother-daughter duo protested their innocence and was pending a review. The High Voltage pair were friendly enough, but mainly kept to themselves after Momakase made it clear they weren't friends. Mr. Sparkles was another matter as she was well aware of the former game-show host and how he constantly annoyed her while they were in Diane Amara's facility; Momakase was actually sent to solitary the first time for punching him after he refused to stop asking questions/talking about himself.

There was however some common ground between them when they learned that Yama, the big-time crime boss, was also incarcerated in jail. With Yama's temper, anytime he saw either of them, he'd immediately growl and if given the chance, make a threat towards the two about the amount of pain he'd inflict on them. While Mr. Sparkles would be dismissive and say something about toxic masculinity, Momakase would smirk and hurl a sly insult at him, thus further fueling the large man's rage and subsequently leading to him being tased by the guards before he could attack her. This cycle kept things interesting for the master thief at least as she bided her time, plotting what next she was going to do.

Something that had given her immense joy (and hope as it were) during this time was when news that the police labeled Big Hero 6 and Globby as fugitives reached the prison; Momakase was grinning for days at this turn of events, mainly because of the petty revenge she felt, but also how things would be different once she was on the outside again.

Breathe in. Breath out, the deadly woman internally chanted again when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Within a couple seconds, her door screeched slightly as it was being unlocked, causing her to open her eyes and see a buff man with short black hair wearing a tan uniform and whose name read "Seiji" stood before her.

"Time to mingle with the other prisoners," he gruffly told Momakase.

"Oh, make sure you're around today. There may be a show later," she slyly taunted as she walked past him and garnering a scowl from the officer.

The blue and black-haired ninja calmly walked past the other cells, all either empty or containing some thugs she'd never bothered to get to know. She was escorted through a couple sets of security doors, making her pause for a minute each time until she finally stepped out into the sunlit courtyard of the prison, surrounded by tall cinder walls. In the large area, there was a workout section for lifting weights as well as a basketball court where a dozen guys were currently playing on; they also had several tables and chairs set up for those that just wanted to enjoy the fresh air without working up a sweat. Of course, the inmates were always being watched by the guards in the tower and those on the other side of the protective fence, ready to storm in should a fight break out.

Today, Momakase was feeling antsy as she walked over to an empty wooden table, fantasizing about her escape. Easy enough to incapacitate a guard, steal their keys and make a quick run, but those doors would cost me precious time without my knives. Maybe if I did it from here, I could scale the walls and avoid the barb wire on top; problem is they'd see me and it'd be hard to maneuver without a lot of material to grab onto. There's always the tried-and-true method of an injury, but...oh no. Not this idiot again. She stopped her plotting and switched to irritated mode as she caught sight of Mr. Sparkles. I swear the guards arranged it so I'd have to endure this annoying fool, she internally complained as the diminutive man started to walk over.

Normally, she'd easily beat him up with a good punch, but he still kept coming back despite her previous physical and verbal threats she made; there was just no sport in it at a certain point, which meant she now was resigned to avoid him as much as possible.

"Another glorious day in incarceration wouldn't you say?" Mr. Sparkles cheerfully greeted her as he sat down across from the chef, making her grimace.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I want nothing to do with you idiot?" she bitterly snapped at him.

"Probably more than the dozen or so other times you told me. Come on, I want to pick your brain, see what's going on with you. There's not much else to do around here," he simply replied, brushing off her insult.

"Then go read a book or crawl in a hole and die, either option is fine by me," Momakase snarkily told him as she got up to walk away.

The pink-haired man quickly followed after her as she began to traverse along the outer wall. "Actually, I've been doing plenty of reading thank you very much. I'm a big believer in continuous learning. Now, seriously, I know you've got to be "cooking" something up on the outside. With no heroes around, the scores are limitless," he eagerly stated, revealing more than he should have to the irritated woman.

Momakase stopped walking then and raised an eyebrow up in intrigue as the former gameshow host showed some of his true colors. "Oh, so you were hoping that if you tried to pump me for information or annoy me enough times, I'd tell you a potential escape plan/job?" she deduced as she crossed her arms, clearly not giving into his request.

He stared blankly for a second before quickly recovering and saying, "So, is that a "yes?""

The sushi chef just gave an annoyed look and replied, "You really are a fool," as she began walking again.

Mr. Sparkles caught up to her a moment later and got ahead as he cautiously walked backwards. "Hey now, everyone knows you're the proverbial expert when it comes to breaking in and out of places. Plus, doesn't our time as teammates count for anything?" the short man beseeched her while constantly looking behind him to make sure he didn't trip over anything.

Momakase gave an incredulous laugh and told him, "I told you, our time working for that devious blonde does not constitute you receiving any favors from me; besides, everyone knows you're a conniving backstabber, or does Yama want to crush you for a different reason?"

Mr. Sparkles did look to his right for a second in an attempt to think up of a way to deny the accusation before replying, "But that was for the money. I'd be more of an accomplice than a partner in this scenario. Come on, I know I can get you to change your mind. I managed to convince Yama, didn't I?"

The ninja woman now stopped walking as she scowled at the insinuation. She then bent down to Mr. Sparkles's level and grabbed his orange outfit before angrily stating, "Listen here has-been, don't you ever compare me to that tracksuit-wearing odious thug ever again. We are not the same."

Despite initially being scared when Momakase grabbed him, the gleeful man replied, "Well, you at least have some similarities; you're criminals, you steal things, blue is a big part of your outfits, oh and you're both a big fan of swords. He even told me he planned on using his half of the racing money to get a pair of ancient Kyoto katanas to go with his blue koi ones."

"What?" the black and blue-haired woman asked with a look of disbelief.

"Yama collect old weapons and stuff, and one of them is a set of blades with some koi on them," he answered again with a shrug.

Upon hearing his words, Momakase released Mr. Sparkles, dropping him to the ground with a thud as a sort of numbing feeling began to wash over her. It can't be. Did this idiot just tell me something I've wanted to know for over 30 years? How? the professional thief puzzled and not yet allowing herself to believe his story could be true. She proceeded to pick the former gameshow host back up, making him give a slight yelp at this turn of events. "The koi swords. Tell me, what all did Yama say?" she ordered in her most authoritative tone.

"Not much I swear! Just he got them from this other gang leader he forced out, a Nagakura I think," he frantically answered.

Momakase's eyes grew wide at hearing the old criminal's name as she softly whispered, "The Kin'iro no Koi. It must be them." She then dropped the small man again, who was still confused as she slowly walked away practically in a daze.

"So, I guess that's a "no" for today then?" he called out before dismissively going, "Eh, I can try again tomorrow."

Everything around the agile woman started to drift away from her focus as this new information guided her towards her new mission. He has them! That giant bully's been holding onto my family swords for years and I never knew. Ugh, she groaned internally. To think, all this time I thought they were destroyed when that old gangster's hideout burnt to the ground. Well, I guess I have Yama to thank for that. She then altered course as she realized what she'd have to do. I must strike his place soon while he's still in jail. He may be running things from the inside, but there's no way he can relay orders quickly enough. Now, how do I get out?

Momakase journeyed to the edge of the yard and leaned against the wall as she began to commit to an escape plan. The guards. The walls. Security doors. Without the help of her graphene blades to cut her way out of prison, she knew there was only one way that would give her the best chance. She stared down at her left arm before clenching her fist in determination. Tonight. That's when I'll go.

"Light's out!" the guards announced as they began doing their rounds through the prison. Mr. Sparkles was present and already on his bed, Juniper and Barb were still talking but stopped when the uniformed man knocked on their bars. The tall officer with short brown hair named "Ivan" walked past a few more cells until he heard the sound of coughing. He quickly rushed past the next 5 cells, finally stopping on the one containing Momakase. He could see she was having a violent fit and had blood coming out of her mouth.

Ivan proceeded to frantically reach for his walkie talkie and call out, "Emergency! Code 4! I've got a prisoner profusely coughing up blood. Call ambulance immediately." At that point, Momakase collapsed onto the ground, where she continued to heave.

The security guard unlocked the cell to examine her, trying his best to avoid the blood spatter as he went to check her pulse; had he not been in such a panic, he would have observed the sushi chef covertly keeping her left forearm out of his view. About a minute and a half later, two other officers arrived with a gurney to load Momakase up onto and then proceeding to handcuff her right arm to the bars to keep her from escaping. The overhead lights rapidly washed over the seemingly ailing woman as they wheeled her to the loading bay to be transported to the nearest hospital. Outside, it was dark and the lights from the city kept most of the stars from being seen, but it was at least in the mild upper 60s, so it prevented anyone there from feeling chilly.

Upon receiving the call from the guards, the ambulance that was kept on standby came to life, already flashing its beams and turning its sirens on; all the while, Momakase still was coughing, although the blood amount that came out was decreasing.

Damn. Almost out. Just need to keep at it a little longer, she plotted as they finally hoisted her in and shut the doors with a slam. Once the driver began to pull away, the two EMTs in back started getting to work on their diagnosis. At this point, the professional thief appeared to be passed out and only giving a weak cough. They were taking her temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, all coming back normal. It wasn't until one of them, a short woman with black hair in her late 30s went to insert an IV line in Momakase's left arm that she noticed the cloth wrapping around it, like it was from bandaging a wound.

"What the-" was all she managed to get out before the black and blue ninja gave her an uppercut, knocking her back against the cabinet-lined wall. Faster than the other EMT, a medium build man with brown hair in his 40s could react, Momakase righted herself up and punched him too. She then leaned and spun on her right hip so she could kick the medical attendee against the other wall, making him lose consciousness for good measure. The young woman was still awake but in a daze, so the chef finished the job by giving her a swift kick in the temple to incapacitate her.

Good thing they're on the way to the hospital, Momakase thought with a smirk. She then used her left sleeve to wipe the blood and saliva off her face before working to free herself from the handcuff.

"What's going on back there?" the driver called in back.

Gotta hurry, her mind raced. Fortunately for Momakase, she was well-versed in escaping such feeble handcuffs; in a few seconds, she was upright as she went to open the doors, causing the backdraft from the driving to start blowing everything around. She proceeded to grab the top edge of the frame as she swung herself onto the roof, where the wind was trying its best to knock her off as it whistled every which way. At this point, the lack of an answer from his partners in back and the sound of the back doors swinging caused the driver to pull over.

Fate seems to be smiling on me tonight, Momakase internally remarked as this was her cue to quickly jump off into the adjacent alley. She could hear the emergency crew attempt to chase after her, but she was already too far ahead and crafter than they were. The sushi chef ran past dumpsters, dodged over broken pallets and turned sharply around corners for about 10 minutes until she found a ladder to climb. She swiftly took the rungs and worked her way to the rooftop so she could get her bearings. Her heart was pumping in her chest as she took several breaths, overall satisfied with her escape.

Now, I just need to find Good Luck Alley, she plotted as she looked around. While she had been running, Momakase could see she was on the outskirts of the city and knew she'd need to head east. After another minute of rest, she proceeded to leap from one rooftop to the next in an effort to avoid detection. At one point, the expert thief heard the sound of police sirens and laid low until she was sure they were gone. Once she stood up, she decided to remove her prison jacket to both look less suspicious and to keep herself from being too hot. Momakase then resumed her journey for another four blocks until she noticed the characteristically eerie green neon signs of the seedy alley in the distance. She smirked in triumph as she neared closer to her old base; true, she had a few other locations where she stashed some of her knives and encrypted copies of invaluable information, but her cooking arena was the one with the best safes and security system.

The agile woman jumped through the cool night air one last time as she came upon the familiar alleyway and descended to the ground via fire escape. It was dark with trash strewn about and a couple rats were running along the wall, but the ninja smiled as she opened the door to her lair. She walked through the long, dark hallway while her footsteps echoed along until she came to the main arena. She flipped a massive switch and lit the place up, noticing it was still ruined from the time she sprouted graphene nails. She had thought about coming back a few times while she was under the employment of Diane Amara, but never acted on it as it might have increased the chances of her being spotted as well as there was really no reason to believe it wouldn't all still be here when she finished her job.

I'll get to cleaning that…eventually. For now though… She then continued to follow the passage to the left until she found the set of stairs that led to her office. With a brief 20 second walk, she was at the smooth purple doors and let herself in. Momakase gazed around the room, from the sleek brown tiles to the red-paneled desk near the giant vermilion windows with gold koi imprinted on them that overlooked the cooking stage.

She then stepped over to the wall on her right and began running a finger along the edge of one of the decorative mauve and gold abstract paintings until she felt a divot, where she proceeded to push in and prompting a hand scanner to slide out on the floor. She placed her left palm on the machine and after 5 seconds of keeping it there, another panel opened up a few feet to her left. Inside, a safe laid waiting as she hit the combination 7-2-8-3-0 to disengage the lock.

"At last," she said aloud while retrieving her black and blue spare outfit as well as her rolled-up pouch of spare knives and two scabbards. After a couple minutes, she was gowned up in her ninja best. Now, for the plan. If memory serves, Yama's no slouch when it comes to high-tech security. Who could help me crack it? Momakase then smiled wickedly as she pushed a button inside the safe and a flash drive popped out. In it, there was countless bits of information Obake had provided her with to complete her mission (along with some intel she obtained on her own).

"I think you'll do rather nicely in helping to persuaded a reluctant partner," she smirked before walking over to the window to look down at her cooking arena. Momakase then looked at the small device in her hand and gripped it tight. "I promise you mother and father, I will be reunited with my birthright; of that, you can be sure."

NOTES

Momakase's backstory in regard to her family swords I always found poignant just because it gave her more humanity and understanding than we've previously seen with her, given that she so far has really only been looking out after herself.

I'll be posting a FelonyGlob Valentine's Day story next week so there won't be a new "Cutscenes" until the week after, but hopefully you'll enjoy Felony Carl and Globby celebrating for first time as a couple since it seems they both have a busy day when they just want to be romantic/spend time together. ^_^ 3

The next story will be about Felony Carl's birthday. ^_^