Note: Once again Tyroth Darkstorm's fanfic 'A Sister's Plight' is referenced in this chapter. Again if you haven't read it, do so or you won't understand certain keypoints here.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Tribal Saviour
Pandora ran across the rooftops determined not to let that limousine out of her sight.
She didn't know who those hostages were as she hadn't been able to see clearly from where she had observed, but she was not going to let them be the victims of those thugs or whoever was in that limousine.
"Don't panic." She thought "I won't let them hurt you!" she ran faster, even though sweat was forming on her body and her legs were aching she didn't stop.
"I got you in my sight!" she thought "I won't let you escape! I've got you in my sights!"
After five minutes, Pandora saw the limousine turn down towards a dark area of town near where some work was being done on the roads nearby.
She was glad they had stopped, both so she could catch her breath but also so she could catch up with where the limousine was going.
She watched it go around a corner into a dark street and she jumped down a fire escape to follow it, yet she crept in the shadows to make sure no-one could see her.
The Hybrid, even though she was ready to use any trick in the book to fight and save those victims, she still remembered her ninja training and she knew the darkness was her friend, so she made sure she kept that mindset, no matter what she did.
Pandora soon made it around the corner, and she saw the limousine had parked in a narrow lane and was outside what she thought were some small warehouses.
Keeping to the shadows she crept closer until she saw the doors open and she quickly pressed herself against the wall in the darkness.
As they opened, some people clambered out, some willing yet there were two individuals being dragged out.
"Move it! Come on!"
Pandora watched, yet as she did, her eyes widened as she saw the two individuals, two very well-known and close to her family.
"No fucking way!" she thought in horror "No! Richard! Erica! Tyroth and Amber's parents!"
As the limousine had parked, the driver got out and opened the back door and Boss Kodama stepped out and handed the driver a hundred-dollar bill before standing up and beckoning before a couple of individuals dressed in black followed him, then Richard and Erica were forced out with their hands bound in front of them and the last three followed suit.
"This way! And move quickly!"
Richard and Erica said nothing as they were forced ahead into a house and Boss Kodama smirked and watched.
"Get in touch with Hanako!" he said to the driver "She is going to love this!"
"At once boss!" the driver agreed as he took out a phone and started to dial whilst Boss Kodama followed the others into the building.
Meanwhile Pandora glared as she watched having gotten over the shock that Richard and Erica being the hostages, she shook her head and focused on thinking about how to save them.
"Shit," she thought "I have to find a way to get them out of there, but how?" she watched the driver text then get back into the limousine and drive a little further away.
That gave Pandora the chance to check her surroundings and she saw a ladder leading up to the roof.
Narrowing her eyes, Pandora climbed the ladder and up onto the top of the building then she saw a window in the roof where she believed she could see everything taking place.
As stealthily as she could, she climbed onto the roof and looked in the window to watch.
Down inside the building which was one dirty room with some broken down furniture, Richard and Erica were dragged inside then seated on some old wooden chairs before being bound tightly with ropes.
Richard struggled as he was tied up, but he was soon shocked into ceasing his movements when a thug brought a gun to his head.
Erica watched and a few tears fell both from her husband being threatened to the pain as the ropes rubbed against her wrists and ankles as she was bound.
Boss Kodama watched as the couple were tied up then he walked over.
"Hope you're comfortable." He said as he puffed at his cigarette "because you're going to be here for a while!"
He leaned close to Richard and blew smoke in his face making him cough.
"Get away from him!" Erica shouted yet she recoiled as she felt her face get slapped.
"Shut up bitch! You only speak when spoken to!"
"Ease up!" Boss Kodama snapped "Don't want to damage the goods!" he turned to the couple.
"Now, as you both are aware, I am Boss Kodama, I am stationed her with my Yakuza Clan in Chicago, I do so well with my crimes of drugs and counter fitting money, yet some certain vermin do keep sticking their noses in where they don't belong!"
Richard and Erica looked at each other as they listened, and they started to piece together what Kodama was talking about.
"At first this was supposed to be a straight up robbery, but then a little bird told me that you are not just average Chicago citizens, but rather, some important individuals, and when my partner arrives, she's going to be very pleased!"
He looked at the figure in black who had been whispering to him in the car and it removed his hood to reveal a male Asian man, yet as he smiled, Richard and Erica recoiled to see that he had snake eyes, and his teeth were sharp like a snake's fangs!
"Oh my God!" Erica gasped then her heart beat even faster as she saw the man come over and open his mouth showing it could stretch like that of a viper and she saw the long sharp fangs and dripping venom.
"Get away from her!" Richard shouted as he pulled against his bounds, yet the snake man stepped closer and started hissing as he got close to Erica, and she tried to move but she couldn't due to her bounds.
She grimaced as the mutated man hissed and got closer and she could smell it's vile breath.
"Cease!" Boss Kodama said and the snake man stopped before stepping back with the others.
Boss Kodama then chuckled.
"Heh! Made you squirm!" he smirked.
Meanwhile, Pandora watched from the roof window and glared.
"Arden's mutated Ninja! I should have known! And it was one of them that bit Kate!" she narrowed her eyes then studied where Richard and Erica were along with how many people were in the building.
Including Boss Kodama, she could see there were six of them and they all carried weapons consisting of blades, bats and even guns.
"Okay, how am I going to do this?" she bit her lip and screwed her eyes shut as she thought hard "Come on Pandora…think!"
She was used to taking down gangs of Purple Dragons as well as criminals in Chicago when on patrol with her family and the knights, but this was a first for her, taking down a gang without a partner.
She analysed the area then she looked around for another way in rather than dropping in through the roof.
"I've got to be really careful about how I do this." She thought as she looked at her tribal attire and touched her painted face.
"Even if Richard and Erica don't recognise me in this outfit, they might hear my voice and put the two and two together."
The hybrid pondered then she thought of a plan.
"Okay, we'll do this the way we always do." She thought "Work in the shadows!"
She narrowed her eyes and brandished her claws.
"Let's do this!" she thought and quickly moved away from the window.
Completely oblivious to the fact Pandora was outside, Boss Kodama stood there smoking his cigarette as he observed his prisoners when his phone rang.
He answered it and he smirked.
"Ah yes, Hanako-Chan, they're all wrapped up and ready." He murmured and smirked as he looked at Richard and Erica who both looked terrified.
"Yes, of course, when you arrive, the fun really starts!" he growled as he smirked dangerously, and Richard and Erica looked at each other and tears erupted from Erica's eyes.
"Oh my children." She prayed "If only we could call you to us."
Boss Kodama smirked then hung up the phone, then he was about to say something when suddenly the lights went out!
At once everyone was on edge and pulled out their weapons.
"What the hell?"
"Who turned out the lights?"
"Power-cut?"
Richard and Erica were equally scared as they weren't sure what was happening, either it was a bigger threat than Boss Kodama and his goons, or and they were grasping at straws here, it was someone come to save them.
Just then a scratching noise was heard, like nails being dragged over metal and the thugs, Boss Kodama, Richard, and Erica's blood ran cold.
"What's that?" Boss Kodama demanded "Who's there? Show yourself!"
One of the thugs quickly pulled out a torch and shone it around the place, yet as he did, he caught sight of something moving when he flashed the light towards it.
"Oh crap! Someone's in here with us!"
He tried to follow the figure but each time he did, the individual moved out the light quick as a flash.
Just then, there was a slashing sound and a gurgle followed by a thump!
Everyone tensed and Boss Kodama took out his gun.
At the same time, the torch was shone on where the sound had come from, and everyone recoiled in horror to see one of the thugs laying on his front with his throat slashed and a pool of blood forming around his head.
"Oh fuck!" he turned the torch and as he did, he saw Pandora's tribal face appear in front of him!
The thug was so shocked he didn't scream, but a trickling sound was heard as he wet himself in pure terror and alarm.
Pandora smirked and held up her claws showing they were bloody.
"Holy fuck!" a voice was heard from the darkness as the other thugs became aware of Pandora in the torch light and Boss Kodama instantly lifted his gun.
"The Huntress!" he growled as he remembered Pandora's image from the information given to him provided by Hanako's spy-ninjas.
Pandora licked her lips and was about to pounce on the thug holding the torch, but she wasn't aware of Boss Kodama about to fire at her!
Meanwhile, Richard and Erica had been watching as well as listening and they were beside themselves with fear as well as frustration not knowing who was in the room with them and their kidnappers, but when they saw the body on the ground in the torchlight as well as Pandora in her tribal wear, they were shocked.
"Who's that?" Richard murmured as he looked, not recognising Pandora in her attire.
Erica too was curious until she saw Boss Kodama holding up the gun to the hybrid's head!
"LOOK OUT!" she screamed, and Pandora was quick to notice and ducked just as Boss Kodama fired and the hybrid used her tail blade to swipe the gun out of the Asian man's hand.
As the gun went off, Richard and Erica screamed and as Erica moved in shock from the noise, she fell sideways on her chair! As the chair hit the ground it broke the legs, and her bounds on her ankles got loose.
Erica struggled to get back up now her legs were free in the hope to free herself whilst the thugs were distracted.
Meanwhile Pandora took the chance to strike at the thugs and she spun on her right foot like a ballerina doing a pirouette and used her tail to knock down the remaining thugs like skittles as well as make the torch drop.
She then took the chance to grab the torch and ran over to Richard and Erica.
The couple were scared, and Erica tried to kick at Pandora, but the Hybrid moved out of the way and used her claws to cut Erica's bounds much to the woman's surprise.
Pandora then did the same to Richard and he quickly got himself free before going over to his wife.
"Run!" Pandora said in a hoarse growling voice so the couple couldn't tell it was her "Go!"
Richard helped Erica up and held her close.
"You alright darling?" he asked to which Erica nodded and they looked at Pandora who gestured at them to run before turning back to the thugs and Boss Kodama who were getting back on their feet.
"Okay then." The Hybrid thought as she looked at the three thugs, the mutated ninja and Boss Kodama and brandished her claws "Let's dance!"
"Come on!" Richard encouraged his wife pulling her with him to the door "Let's get out of here!"
Erica was only too happy to agree, and she willingly followed her husband to the door which Richard kicked open and they hurried outside.
Pandora watched them escape then looked at the remaining thugs and Boss Kodama and started to move her arms and tail ready to strike, at the same time the lights were turned on and Boss Kodama and his goons saw Pandora clearly.
"You!" Boss Kodama snarled as he narrowed his eyes "You're that creature who attacked the 95th Street thugs!"
"Bingo!" Pandora snarled as she licked her lips.
"You made a big mistake coming here, little girl!" Boss Kodama hissed as he took out a short katana blade "There's only one of you and five of us!"
"And I took down one of you already!" Pandora smirked defiantly "So…who's next?" she purred as her eyes wandered over her opponents.
Meanwhile, Richard and Erica, as soon as they got outside the building, they started to run down the alleyway to get to the streets yet as they did, another limousine rounded the corner and as it approached the couple it stopped sharply!
In the moment it took for the car to stop and the couple to get a fright, they saw the red Foot symbol on the Bonnet, and they went pale as they remembered that symbol of the enemy who had captured them and their daughter Jennifer/Amber so long ago.
It was then the door opened on the side and a tall willowy woman with long ebony hair and wearing a feminine black suit appeared and saw them!
"What!?" she demanded pointing at them "How did you get out!?"
Richard and Erica gasped in fear then they heard a sound as the door of the building opened and Boss Kodama ran out of the building.
"Stop them Hanako!" he shouted.
Richard and Erica looked between the woman in the car and Boss Kodama, and they looked at each other and nodded with determined looks on their faces.
There was only one thing to do, and they were ready to do it!
"Now!" Richard yelled and he and Erica ran towards the car and jumped onto the bonnet before running over the top of it and jumping off the back!
As that happened, Boss Kodama and Hanako were shocked, but they reacted quickly, and Boss Kodama fired his gun at them whilst Hanako jumped onto the top of the car followed by a small group of ninjas.
"Get them!" she shouted, and ninja quickly went after Richard and Erica who ran into the street.
"Oh shit, Richard!" Erica cried as she saw the ninjas running after them "They're gaining on us!"
Richard glowered then took out his phone that Tyroth had given him and hit a button to send out a distress signal.
"Keep running Eri!" he shouted, "Hopefully we can buy ourselves some time before Tyroth arrives!"
"I hope so!" Erica cried "Even with what we know in self-defence, we can't hold these guys off!"
So Pandora or rather 'The Huntress' has managed to free Richard and Erica, but the couple aren't out of the woods yet and they've alerted Tyroth! Will he get the message and get to them before the Foot do?
Also what happened in the space between Pandora facing Boss Kodama and the thugs before Boss Kodama ran out of the building to chase Richard and Erica? Well thats for me as the writer to know, and you dear readers to find out!
