Reckoning - Chapter 13

“Kaibara must be on the bridge!” Ryo roared and jumped onto the hardtop of the main deck, ran over it, and vaulted over the railing of the upper deck, Umibozu hot on his heels.

“Men.” Kaori shook her head. “Always making it complicated.” Then she gingerly stepped over one hapless goon and took the stairs up to the bridge deck like a normal person. Nice and easy, there was no rush.

She ended up being correct, because the bridge was empty.

“You know, guys,” she said calmly, “there was no need to go all macho with a perfectly adequate set of stairs just around the corner. There are other ways to measure your equipment, you know?”

Umibozu gulped, his face turning crimson, while Ryo gave her a mean side-eye.

“What?” She blinked, indicating the empty room. “It’s not my fault he’s not here.”

Ryo sighed. “He’s rigged up some sort of autopilot.

Kaori nodded. “I can see that.”

“So he can pilot the ship from anywhere on the ship,” Umibozu explained as if she were a child, apparently quickly moving on from his embarrassment.

“Or,” she offered, “from somewhere else entirely.”

“What do you mean?” Ryo snapped.

“Veritable professionals you two are.” She rolled her eyes. Was he, were they both, so dense they didn’t think of the possibility? “He’s probably somewhere on the shore, watching us on cameras, drinking a freaking cocktail and having a laugh at our expense.”

Suddenly, the outside door to the bridge thudded closed. The dull thud was followed by others.

“What the—” Umibozu slammed his shoulder against the door, but it didn’t budge. “Shit, he locked us in. He controls every function of the ship.”

Kaori huffed. “He is definitely laughing at our expense.”

“My apologies,” came Kaibara’s voice over the speaker system, “but I had to close all outside doors. There’s no use in trying to break them down. They’re made from special reinforced steel, and all the windows are bulletproof. You’re mere mice in a cage.” A cackle. “The ship is set to blow up in an hour. Now do you see why I said her destination is hell? Your fate is to go down with her!”

Ryo scratched his chin. “He’s here,” he said. “He wouldn’t trust a remote uplink from such a distance. He’s here. And he wants to make sure we die.”

Kaori looked at him. If there was someone who knew Kaibara, it was Ryo. “What do you suggest we do, then? Currently we’re at his mercy.”

He nodded. “Unfortunately you went and blew all your ammo,” he said, looking at Umibozu. “We could’ve used it right about now.”

“Yeah, well…” Umibozu looked at her. “You don’t happen to have any explosives on you, do you?”

“Sorry, I left the C-4 in my other pants,” she answered drily.

“It was just a question,” Umibozu mumbled sheepishly.

“A stupid one,” she snapped. “You’re the trap expert, why don’t you have any?”

He opened his mouth on a gasp, his expression affronted. But before he could make any sound, the door behind her, leading to an inside corridor, opened with a bang.

“My dear friends. I bet it’s boring being locked on the bridge awaiting death.” Kaibara chuckled. “Not much fun, don’t you think? So I have a proposition.” A dramatic pause. “If you can reach me in the allotted hour, I’ll disarm the bomb. Though there’s no guarantee you’ll get to me in one piece.” Another pause. “So, what do you say?”

“I guess the corridor is booby trapped up the wazoo.” Kaori shrugged. “But I’m game. I always wanted to go out with a bang.”

Ryo glared at her and gingerly stepped over the threshold.

“Oh, you bring me such joy,” Kaibara cackled. “I’m counting on you to entertain me.”

“He never used to be so annoying before,” Ryo mumbled.

“It’s been a while,” Kaori countered. “You’ve probably forgotten.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The route took them down a short flight of curved stairs.

“I don’t like this game of his,” Umibozu growled at the back. “Ryo, if we go together, we risk making the same mistake as before.”

At the bottom of the steps, Ryo glanced behind, but all the doors were closed, so he moved down the corridor in front. “Are you suggesting we split up? You won’t last long without my help.”

Umibozu tsked. “Shut it, moron. You won’t make it without me.”

Kaori sighed. “Do grow up.” Skirting Ryo, she stepped into the lead of their little group. “You’re bickering like an old married couple.”

“Watch it, missy!” Umibozu snapped.

Before she could reply, there was a screech and a groan above them.

“Kaori, watch out!”

Suddenly, Ryo’s arms were around her waist, and she experienced a moment of levitation, only to land on something hard, yet warm. She opened her eyes—she had no recollection of closing them—and saw she’d landed on Ryo. He must’ve turned in midair, cushioning her fall.

She placed one hand on his rapidly rising and falling chest, feeling his heartbeat thud under her palm, and rolled off him and onto her knees as his arms reluctantly fell off her waist.

“You okay?” he asked, kneeling beside her.

She nodded, staring at the metal barrier closing off the corridor from where they’ve come. “And they say chivalry is dead.”

He scowled at her, then rose and knocked on the metal barrier. “Umi, everything okay back there?”

There was a bang and Umibozu’s muffled voice: “The bastard took it upon himself to separate us.”

Ryo took a step back, inspecting the barrier, and Kaori arched her eyebrow. The thing was solid steel; did he think he could kick it down?

“Can’t be helped,” Ryo said loudly. “You’re on your own, Umi. Try not to get killed.”

“Hey!” came the behemoth’s muffled reply. “As your girl said before, I’m the trap expert, I’ll be just fine. You, on the other hand, better watch your six. And hurry up. If I get to him first, I’m not waiting for your sorry ass.”

Ryo smirked. “Cocky bastard.”

“Takes one to know one,” Umibozu shot back.

“You’re still there?”

“Asshole.” The sound of retreating footsteps indicated he’d gone in search of another route.

“You’re such a child,” Kaori admonished, and Ryo grinned.

X Y Z

Kaori hung back as Ryo kicked open yet another door in a labyrinth of corridors that seemed to go on forever.

Python in hand, barrel pointed toward the ceiling, he peeked around the corner into the darkened room. “Not in here either.”

Kaori leaned back against the bulkhead. “We’ve been searching for over half an hour, Ryo. I’m telling you, he’s not here. He’s watching us waste our time, waiting to press the red button.”

He shot her a sideways glance.

“I mean, why would he be on the ship he claims is rigged to blow up? He’s a megalomaniac, not suicidal.”

Ryo shrugged. “I never said I was looking for him. I’m looking for the bomb.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s probably closed off somewhere below us, snug against the hull. And even if we do find it, who says we can disable it?”

“We?”

She waved her left hand absentmindedly. “I’m not Umibozu, but I can cut a wire or two. As I was saying, even if we do find something, who says it’s not rigged to blow by motion detection or sound…Maybe the bomb itself is booby trapped.”

He flicked a bullet inside the room he’d just cleared, and the previously dark interior was illuminated by bluish zaps of electricity. He quickly turned away.

Kaori huffed. “See.”

“As you said before, it’s booby trapped up the wazoo,” he said. “It certainly reflects the personality of the owner.” Then he calmly aimed at the rather large camera in the corner. “You better enjoy the show while you can, you bastard,” he growled. “Soon you’ll be an active participant.”

He took the shot, and the camera disintegrated.

“A waste of a good bullet,” Kaori muttered.

A crashing sound came from somewhere above, and she frowned as she glanced down at her watch. “It’s not been an hour yet, either Kaibara got bored—”

“Or Umibozu is trying to take the ship apart.”

More crashing sounds, as if something was being thrown around.

Ryo met her wide-eyed gaze. “What the hell is going on?”

She shrugged. “No idea, but I’m also not planning on finding out.” She swept her arm in front of her. “After you.”

He smirked. “After me? What happened to gender equality? Female emancipation?”

She grinned. “See, I also like the view. And I’m not afraid to say it.” The tips of his ears went crimson, and she winked. “Come on, Saeba, move your tight, sexy butt, we don’t have much time.”

He pouted. “I feel objectified.”

“Now you know how it feels,” she told him.

There was only the door at the end of the corridor left. End of the road. Kaori drew her SIG, positioning herself at the right side of the door as Rao stood right in front of it. He glanced at her, waited for her nod, then kicked the door in and darted to the left.

Kaori lifted her SIG, index finger extended along the trigger guard, and entered the door, feeling Ryo enter behind her, watching her six as if they’d done it a million times before. They methodically checked blind spots on opposite sides of the spacious room, clearing it quickly and efficiently.

Not that it contained much.

A large, comfortable-looking sofa set before a wall of monitors showing images of the yacht’s interior, exterior, and surroundings; a staircase leading to a short mezzanine gallery with a handleless door—it could obviously only be opened from the outside—and nothing else. No other way in. Or out.

Kaori tucked her gun back into her thigh holster and walked toward the wall of computers. “Looks like this is the situation room. No Kaibara, though. Still saying he’s close by?” she asked with a look at Ryo.

“The monitors are on, why bother if he’s not here?”

She rolled her eyes. Like the bastard cared about energy consumption; he planned on blowing it all to bits anyway. Still, silver lining and all that. “Worth a try.” She cracked her knuckles and walked to the wall of monitors, eyeballing the ancient-looking keyboard at the base of the array with distrust.

Ryo peered over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” he asked, as she hesitated, finger hovering over the keys.

“Either I blow us up or manage to somehow circumvent whatever the bastard did to the doors.” She circled her palm above the keyboard. “This looks like a relic from the eighties, who knows what might happen. Or maybe it’s just a decoy.”

He stepped even closer, their bodies brushing. “What makes you think you can undo…” He waved at the monitors. “I don’t know, whatever he did?”

She looked over her shoulder at him archly. “Child, please. Just because you can barely manage the basics of a smartphone doesn’t mean we’re all equally inept.”

He huffed. “There’s no need to get personal.”

She turned and glared at him. “You started it!”

He stepped back, lifting his hands in surrender. “I profusely apologize, my lady. I prostrate myself before you and beg for forgiveness.”

Her glare turned murderous. “Pity I don’t have any of my mallets handy. You’d see forgiveness then.”

His face lit up. “Hey, those might’ve proven handy in getting us out of here. Why didn’t you bring any? What happened to always being prepared?” He looked her up and down. “Where did you keep them anyway?”

She punched him in the stomach. “Shut up, go sit over there, and wait for Kaibara in case he does show up.”

He grinned and saluted. “Yes, ma’am.” Her facial expression must’ve conveyed her sudden desire to strangle him, because his grin was instantly gone as he nodded. “Right…I’ll be over there…”

Kaori glared at him until he parked his tight, sexy butt on the sofa set, then turned back to the keyboard. She might as well try and see what happened. She pressed the bulky enter key, and the monitor directly in front of her, the only one that had been dark, flashed to life. Happy that she hadn’t blown them all to bits—yet—she got to work.

Until he started spinning the cylinder on the Python. She tried to ignore it but realized the room was more or less soundproof—the sound of the yacht’s engines just a distant hum—and the only sound that could be heard was the incessant spinning of the cylinder.

“Ryo!”

He turned. “What?”

“Knock it off!”

He blinked. “What?”

“Stop playing with your gun. It’s annoying!”

He looked down and deliberately spun the cylinder. “Huh, to me it sounds soothing.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, it doesn’t to me. Stop it.”

“But I’m bored,” he whined.

“Jesus, you’re not twelve.”

“Nope, but I am only twenty.”

She snorted.

“Right. Forgot you know everything.” Ryo stood, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Why did you blur that in my file?”

She shrugged. “Figured it wasn’t time.”

“Will you ever tell me?”

She nodded. “When you want to know. If you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”

“Nah, I’m good.” He grinned. “I like being younger than you.”

She chuckled. “Moron.”

He nodded toward the monitor with line after line of code in a large green font in front of her. “Any luck?”

“Well, I was just about to start on the door locks when you decided to start playing with your gun.”

He flashed her a boyish grin. “If it took you that long, maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.”

Kaori smirked. “Or maybe it took me that long to start on the locks, because I was trying to stop this timer, here.” She pointed at what looked like an old alarm clock.

“You didn’t make it, I see,” he pointed out the obvious since the thing was still ticking down.

She sighed. “Because it’s not connected to anything. At least not to the bomb. There is no timer, Ryo, nothing to indicate there is a timed bomb on board.” She tucked her thumbs into her belt loops. “Either he’s bluffing about the bomb, or it’s not on a timer, but on an old-fashioned manual switch. Preferably portable. I don’t know about you, but my bet is on the latter. You said it yourself, he wouldn’t trust a remote uplink and he most certainly wouldn’t trust a timer. Those can be stopped, wires cut, whatever.”

Ryo sighed. “So our best bet is—”

“Try to get out of here.”

He looked around. “If he is, as you suspect, somewhere else, can’t he see us?”

She shrugged. “If he did, we’d already be dead when I started poking around. If he meant it about the bomb, that is.”

“So?”

“So, I guess you’re right. He’s somewhere on the boat with us and doesn’t yet know we made it down here.”

Ryo turned his head toward the still-open door. “He’s about to find out. Someone’s coming. Someone with a limp.”

She went for her gun, but he shook his head. “Ryo?”

He winked at her. “You said it yourself, he doesn’t know. Hide,” he ordered and leisurely sat back onto the sofa, crossing his legs comfortably, Python firmly in grip.

Kaori rolled her eyes and was about to protest that she wasn’t a damsel when Kaibara’s silhouette filled the doorway. She quickly ducked behind the sofa, crawling against the wall to the other side of the set. She might as well get into an optimal position to offer Ryo assistance if he needed it.

“You got careless, Kaibara,” Ryo said, and Kaibara’s limping shuffle stopped. “If you leave your house empty in such crucial circumstances, someone uninvited could enter whenever they please. What happened? Did you need to take a leak? Prostate acting up?”

Kaibara chuckled. “I’m impressed. You got here sooner than expected.”

“Game over, Kaibara.”

Another chuckle, evil this time. “Not at all, the game starts now. And the two players will be you and my other guest.”

“What guest?”

“Patience is a virtue,” Kaibara huffed. “Why don’t you come out from behind the sofa, Kaori-chan? You wouldn’t want to miss this one.”

She rolled her eyes and slowly stood. “I was never any good at playing the damsel, anyway.” She looked down at her hands, grimaced, and wiped them against the fabric of the sofa. “You might want to have a word with your cleaning lady. It’s a mess back there.”

Kaibara opened his mouth but was interrupted by a distant rat-ta-ta-tat of gunfire. They all looked at the monitors to see a Coast Guard patrol boat riddled with bullets and two helicopters moving away.

Kaibara snorted. “Falcon went a little overboard today. His little fire has attracted the flies. Not a problem, though.” He turned back to the two of them, waving his hand theatrically. “As you can see, this yacht has a state-of-the-art defense system. Once it’s turned on, anything that approaches ends up in shreds.”

“What did you do to Umibozu?” Ryo asked.

Kaibara smirked and turned toward the stairs leading down from the mezzanine gallery. The door at the top opened and a large shadow—too large to be a man, not even Umibozu was that big—filled the opening.

“Jesus,” Kaori whispered.

It was Umibozu, but he wasn’t standing; he was slumped over someone’s shoulders. Someone big, large and incredibly strong, since they were holding Umibozu with only one arm. The entity started slowly moving down the stairs, still holding Umibozu’s slumped figure with ease. What could be seen of Umibozu’s obvious attacker—the sounds they’d heard earlier must’ve been Umibozu being thrown around like a rag doll—they were barefoot, their calf and thigh muscles bulging unnaturally. The arm holding Umibozu steady was bandaged, yet bulging with muscle, crisscrossed with veins, standing out in ridges.

Having finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, the figure easily dislodged Umibozu off their shoulder and threw him on the floor as if he weighed nothing, and Kaori gasped, then let out a choked sob as Ryo cursed.

In front of them, taller than they’d remembered him, his entire frame bulging with unnatural muscles, pulsing, dark-red veins standing out in terrifying contrast to his sallow skin, his eyes dead and empty, stood Makimura Hideyuki.