CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
by
Mark Graham
Published by Gelastic Press at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 by Mark Graham
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CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
Sir Jasper Arkin unlocked the door of his hotel room and stepped into the arms of a ninja. He sensed the threat even as he pushed the door open, before he'd actually seen anything--but still far too late avoid the threat. Steely fingers seized Jasper's wrist, yanking him into the room.
A hot spikes of adrenaline lanced into the base of his skull, and his belly tightened. Reflexes he'd thought buried beneath the weight of years and countless injuries pushed his conscious mind out of the driver's seat. Jasper watched himself react by driving forward, folding into the attacker's space. His free hand slashed at the man's eyes with the sharp edge of the card key. He yanked his wrist free as the man reacted, pulling him into a knee strike.
The ninja countered instantly. They traded blows at a furious pace as the door swung closed behind Jasper. He deflected, blocked or evaded strikes he couldn't consciously follow. The ninja was insubstantial as a ghost, untouchable save when his blows bruised Jasper's forearms, elbows or shins.
Stalemate.
It couldn't last. It didn't.
Jasper knew it even as the strike was launched: the ninja had won. In a moment of heart-stopping clarity, he could see that he was responding fractionally too late. The ninja's stiffed fingers flashed past his guard to spear his solar plexus. Paralyzed by the blow, Jasper helplessly watched the follow-up blow arc toward his temple. At least it will be quick.
* * *
The acrid stink of ammonia clawed at Jasper's nostrils. He gagged and coughed, turning his head to escape it. The noxious cloud was inescapable. Jasper coughed again and opened his eyes.
A stout, heavily-muscled Japanese was leaning over Jasper, a crushed capsule in his hand. Seeing Jasper's eyes open and tracking him, he withdrew. Jasper coughed once more and drew a breath of clear air.
He looked around, recognizing his own hotel suite. They hadn't moved him. He was still alive. That was surprising. He was equally surprised to realize that he felt faintly disappointed. After his recent medical revelation, dying with his boots on had not been an entirely unwelcome prospect.
He was sitting up, stripped naked, in a hardwood armchair in the middle of the floor facing the window. Zip ties around his wrists and elbows bound him to the chair. When he tried moving his legs, he was unsurprised to discover that his ankles and knees were similarly bound. His captors were taking no chances with him, which was both flattering and frustrating.
Jasper lifted his head, craning his neck to survey the room. He was alone with two ninja. One of them stood watching him. The other picked up the phone and tapped out a number. Four digits, Jasper noted. Another room in the hotel.
Who was behind this?
Jasper's threat file was remarkably thin. He'd outlived most of the men and women who might have wanted revenge on him. The remainder frankly had bigger fish to fry than a retired intelligence operative ten years out of date. Jasper pondered the possibility that someone on his own side was behind this as he tested his bonds.
The sharp plastic edges of the zip ties bit into his skin. They were tough and flexible. With enough effort he might be able to snap one, but he'd never get free of them with the ninjas right there to restrain him.
The phone call was depressingly uninformative. The man listened for a moment, then nodded fractionally. "Hai," he said. And then he hung up. Jasper could fill in the other side of the conversation for himself.
Is Sir Jasper under control? Yes, says the ninja.
So Jasper can expect a visitor very shortly. The question was, what can he do about it?
The two ninja reacted as if he'd spoken the thought aloud. He froze as both focused their attention on him, obviously prepared to subdue him. Again, he reminded himself. If I couldn't take one of them at the door, I haven't a prayer against two when I'm bound.
A faint knock at the door sent tendrils of ice into Jasper's belly. He resumed trying to free himself slowly and stealthily. One ninja watched him with soulless eyes while the other answered the knock. Jasper heard the door open and close, but no footsteps or voices.
"I don't suppose you'd like to turn me around," Jasper asked his stone faced guardian, "so I can see who has arrived?"