-Room 105, the Makai-

Jin gave a tired sigh as he entered the room and all but collapsed on the bed, feeling drained. After making his point to Parker, he'd then promptly sought to find out where Natalie's coordinates led. It had taken him some time to find it, and by the time he'd arrived at the scene it was already filled with officers and forensics. No reporters were present, but he knew it wouldn't be long until they too got wind of the story unless government officials found a way to cover it up until further notice.

Reaching into his pocket, Jin fished out his prize: Natalie's cellphone, which he now held in front of him. Tied around the hinge of the flip-phone was her cross pendant, and from it dangled not only the cross, but also two rings. One was the Celtic symbol of devotion hed painstakingly tracked down for her that had once belonged to her grandmother; the other was her engagement ring. It wasnt lost on Jin that for her to be willing to take it off and leave it with the phone at such a place, it had to be a bad sign. It was disturbing that shed left it where she trusted he would get it back.

He'd been fortunate enough to arrive in time to see someone pick the items up, just as a black unmarked van was being pulled away, and placed it next to a collection of evidence. A minor distraction later and they had become his. After a brief glance over to see if there were any damages, Jin turned the phone on and proceeded to rummage through its contents.

Her call history was empty. So was her message inbox, other than the message report of the text she'd sent him with the coordinates. Jin frowned. He checked through the 'Pictures' section, but the only recent image he found was of him asleep, tousled hair and all, which she had even put as her wallpaper. He moved over to the 'Sounds' section, and that's when he saw it.

05-07-07_1755.mp3

Recognising the date to be the same date he last saw and spoke to Natalie, Jin scrolled down to the file, and pressed it to play. For a few seconds there was only the sound of static, but then the footage suddenly blared to life.

"I knew something was up. Shoulda went with my instincts and put one between your eyes in that basement, you son of a bitch"

Jin sat up attentively, instantly recognising Natalie's voice. It sounded like she was speaking to someone, a male. The other person's voice sounded faded, however, largely due to the background noise within the recording, yet Kushina couldn't help but have the nagging feeling that it was familiar to him somehow.

"You're giving me to them, aren't you? You're trading me to Umbrella."

The mention of Umbrella made Jin blink in surprise. He quickly recalled how Natalie had imparted to him her concerns about the company, how things with them weren't necessarily as they appeared on the surface.

"We all gotta make a living somehow, Wyn." Back to that same, faded-sounding voice again, only more garbled due to the background static, causing Jin to only catch out a few words. "And I don't really care for... if it wasn't for you and... Assistant Director... you again"

Then came the sound of a gunshot, and a shout of pain. After that came a second, different sound of gunfire, followed by the man cursing in pain. Then another burst. Had Natalie tried to kill him? It was just like her to refuse to yield so easily, he thought with an inward trace of pride. Her words soon confirmed his suspicions. "Eat this you c--k-munching-"

Jin heard no gunfire as he anticipated, but he instead heard the sound of something hitting the ground, just before the sound of flesh striking flesh followed it. Gold-coloured eyes narrowed angrily as each blow reached his ears. The man had dared to hurt his mien. He couldn't in fact, he swore he wouldn't take that lightly.

"Oh, come on, Wyn, it's not like I'm going to kill you." His voice was slightly clearer than before. He must have been closer to Natalie at this point, Jin surmised. "Although, when they're done with you, you might wish you were dead. And your fianc... looks like he might have been better off not getting mixed up with you after all."

"That's..." Jin trailed off, his face a mix of surprise and anger, as the reality of who the voice belonged to sank into his senses. He would certainly make sure that the bastard paid severely, and even beyond that.

"You're going to die for this, Parker"

Exactly, Jin thought. It's only a matter of when.

He was about to end the transcript, having heard all he needed to hear to take action, until he caught another voice entering the conversation.

"I'm told it's being taken care of now."

"Good. Now, go back and tell your bosses I want another eighty thousand."

"Let's get two things straight. One, I'm no messenger boy. Two, you get only what you deserve. I told you not to damage her..."

"I was shot!"

"I told you not to come yourself. Besides, it gives you a plausible alibi as the only survivor. And as I said, you damaged the package, you stupid f-ck."

So Parker had an accomplice, Kushina noted just as the footage ended. He replayed the closing part of the clip again, but was unable to pick up anything of note about the third figure apart from his apparent connection to Umbrella. He didn't sound like the guy he'd caught Natalie with at that restaurant almost a week ago, but then again he wasn't entirely sure. It didn't matter. He would simply get any information about the third party out of Parker's mouth himself.

Oh yes, him and Kyle Bradford Parker would definitely have a lot to talk about the next time they met.

==

-Lahaina, Maui, 6:30PM-

In Meliza's opinion, dinner had gone very well. They talked about all kinds of topics. She was the perfect companion. She had used the name Wailele Kawena as a cover, not willing to give the man anything remotely close to her real name. After dinner, Keenan had his driver and assistant, Sam, take them to one of his properties that bordered the most southern part of Lahaina. He had simple, but elegant taste. The hotel was several stories high, and the majority of the rooms that faced the ocean had wide balconies.

His suite was on the eighth floor, with a complete view of the ocean. From the living room, and the kitchen, all had views of the water.

They were in the bedroom, where Keenan would receive his hour of relaxation. When they had entered, even she was impressed by his taste in dcor. One item didn't seem to fit, though the pink bag perched on the nightstand.

"That's for you. Open it," he encouraged.

Steeling herself with a neutral expression, she pushed the tissue aside and pulled out an ankle-length spaghetti strap emerald green nightgown with a slit up to one side.

"Nice color," she commented.

"I wish I put a camera on you," Locke muttered in her ear.

She bit back a grin before turning to her companion. "Do you always buy lingerie for girls?"

"I always prefer my massages by women dressed in fine silk and satin," Keenan declared with a mischievous smile.

"I had a feeling you were in over your head," Locke's voice in her ear.

"It's going to cost extra," Meliza responded.

"You're not really going to put that on, are you?" Locke's voice came through the earpiece again.

"I know the routine," Keenan assured with a grin. He moved to the dresser in his room.

"Mind if I call room service?" Meliza asked. It was getting a little exhausting hearing two men talk at the same time.

"Help yourself."

Meliza picked up the handset and checked to see that he wasn't watching her. "Hi, I'd like to order a bottle of champagne...What do you recommend?"

"You can order some desserts, too," Keenan offered.

"And one of your fruit, cracker cheese trays," Meliza added to the non-existent room service. "How long will that take?"

"Fifteen minutes," Locke answered. "So stall as long as you can."

"They shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes," Keenan informed. "They know better."

"Thanks." Meliza hung up.

Keenan placed a few hundred-dollar bills on the desk. Meliza picked them up and headed to the bathroom just outside the bedroom, nightgown in one hand, and her purse in the other. Sam was sitting just outside, newspaper folded out so he could read.

Sam eyed her for a few moments as she opened the door to the bathroom. "Is this your first time on the job?"

"Excuse me?" Meliza stared at him, wide-eyed.

"You seem tense, that's all."

"Well...let's just say that I never imagined this kind of life for myself," she said quietly.

"I could understand that." He gave her a rueful smile. "He won't try anything, Miss Kawena."

Meliza nodded. "If he had, I think the agency wouldn't keep sending women to him." She opened the bathroom door, closing it behind her. She took a deep breath before letting it out.

"You all right?" Locke asked.

"Yeah," she said in a low voice. "Where are you?"

"Downstairs. You?"

"Eighth floor. Room eight-oh-one."

"I'll be up soon."

"This is some nice stuff," she commented idly. "Not that I'm saying I'd do it, but Panaloa's girls sure got it made. Three hundred just to talk to a man, two-fifty to give him a massage and another two-fifty just to put this on while giving a massage." She sighed. "I shouldn't stall too long...or he'll start wondering what's going on..."

"Be careful. I'm on my way."
 

-*-
 

Locke rapped his knuckles against the door of the suite number Meliza had given him. He was dressed in room service's uniform, a pair of black slacks, gold vest, white gloves, and a white dress shirt. Personally, he thought the outfit was a little too formal considering the location. Most personnel he'd seen at hotels on Hawaii wore aloha shirts, or short-sleeved outfits. Maybe as the owner, Keenan had higher standards.

The door opened a crack. The man standing behind the door took one look at him, then at the cart with a tray perched on top. He opened the door wider to let him in.

Locke pushed the cart inside and glanced at the two men who were watching him like hawks. He produced two glasses from the bottom of the cart as well as a champagne bucket.

He began to uncork the bottle under the watchful eyes of the two men, quickly formulating in his head how to take both down with as little noise as possible.

"The lady who placed the order requested that I serve champagne to everyone here. How many glasses did you need?" Locke asked casually when he finished uncorking the bottle.

"What?" the man closest to him looked at him with a doubtful expression.

"How many glasses did you need?" Locke asked again, bending slightly to retrieve more.

"Just...three." The man studied him carefully. "I don't drink."

"Too bad. It's a good brand," Locke assured him, pouring a glass for the other one before pouring two more glasses for Meliza and Keenan.

"Shoot, I'll take some," the other man said. "This is the first time we've gotten any room service during the boss' massages..."

As he took up the glass and began to drink, Locke pushed the cart forward, jostling the man, running over his foot, causing him to spill on himself.

"I'll just leave this here...whoa! Sorry about that!" Locke reached for a napkin.

"No, it's okay, I got it." He waved him away and went to the bathroom.

The second the faucet turned on, Locke's fist headed straight for the first guard's jaw, the hit so strong he could hear the other man's teeth chatter.

"What the-!"

And he didn't have a chance to say anything else because Locke kicked his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. As the man fell to his knees, Locke hit the back of his head, causing him to black out. Locke quietly crept near the bathroom door, waiting for the second guard. He pressed himself against the wall, keeping out of view. When the second guard stepped out, the man hadn't even had time to register that no one else was in the room. A blow to the back of the head knocked him out, and he fell to the carpet. Locke dragged both men to the living room and tied them up to two chairs so they couldn't move. He searched them, emptying them out of anything they could use to escape. The first guard had a cell phone that indicated a missed call. Time was about two minutes ago. Locke frowned and pushed the voice mail button.

"Hey Sam, it's Ace. We'll be there in about twenty minutes. The boss' massage will be done by then, right? We'll call you when we're downstairs."

Locke hung up, shaking his head before heading in the direction of the bedroom. Looked like he and Meliza had to make this quick. He knocked on the bedroom door.

"Come in," a woman's voice called out.

He opened the door cautiously to see Keenan passed out on the bed, Meliza sitting by his back wearing a green nightgown.

His girlfriend greeted him with a smile. "I had to render him unconscious."

"Good. It'll make this next part easier. Get dressed and wipe off everything you touched here."

She rose from the bed to retrieve her dress and headed to the bathroom. Locke rolled the man over and tied his feet together before tying his wrists together in front of him. After getting a glass of water from the kitchen, he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

Meliza entered, standing close to the door. "Now what?"

"We don't have much time. More of his staff are on the way." Locke poured the water all over the man's face.

Keenan woke up, coughing and sputtering. "What the hell?!" He looked at Meliza first, then Locke. "Who the hell are you?"

Instead of answering, Locke pulled out a snapshot of Sasha Wentworth. "Did you hire this woman yesterday?"

Keenan shook his head. "I don't have any idea who she is. Who are you people?"

"She said you hired her for a hit at West Maui Hospital," Locke continued, ignoring his question.

"I'm not saying sh_t," Keenan retorted.

Locke crossed his arms. "She said you hired her to take out RJ Rinaldo. So who hired you?"

"Like I said. I'm not saying anything. At least until I get a lawyer."

"A lawyer isn't going to help you," Locke warned.

Keenan's eyes widened with uncertainty. "You're not cops or anything?"

"You wish." Locke sat back in his chair.

Keenan looked at him, then at Meliza. He then looked away.

Locke waited for a few seconds, stood up, then kicked his thigh followed with a kick to the gut.

"Ow! What the-?!"

"Feel like talking yet?" Locke asked calmly.

"Who the hell are you people?!" Keenan asked, doubling over in pain.

Locke grabbed Keenan and tossed him onto the hotel floor. Just as Keenan struggled to get up, Locke stomped on his upper back, bending slightly to turn him over.

"Well?"

Keenan coughed, swiping his tied hands across his mouth, his eyes darting between them. Locke's sharp gaze didn't waver from their prisoner.

"Make sure that his guards are still unconscious," Locke told her, his eyes still on Keenan.

"What?"

"Now."

Meliza clenched her fists before whirling around, quickly leaving the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

Keenan grinned evilly. "Can't do anything with her watching?"

"No. I just spared her eardrums." Locke reached out and dislocated Keenan's left index finger.

Sure enough, a loud cry of pain erupted from Keenan's throat. He then clenched his teeth in pain, staring at his finger in horror.

"Start talking," Locke ordered.

"He'd...make sure I never work in this town if I told on him," Keenan whispered.

Locke moved to sit on the bed and patiently waited, staring down at his prisoner.

"Jerry...Dennison," Keenan answered the unspoken question. "He works for Umbrella's security division on Oahu."

Suddenly, the door burst open, causing both men to look up.

"We need to leave," Meliza announced.

Locke arched a brow.

"Someone named Ace called Sam," Meliza declared. "He's downstairs and on his way up."

Locke turned to Keenan, seeing the man's smug grin.

"How much time?" Locke's eyes shot to Meliza's.

"Five...ten minutes, max. He's got friends," Meliza informed.

"You can't escape from Ace. He and Sam are the best," Keenan said gleefully.

"Right. And we know how well Sam protected you."

Meliza stifled a laugh before the sound of a door opening caught her attention.

"Boss?" a voice entered the suite.

Keenan opened his mouth to reply but Locke hit him so he became unconscious.

"Boss?" the voice called out again. "Sam?!"

She turned and closed the door as quickly and quietly as she could. "Locke!" Meliza hissed as her boyfriend dove for her purse, apparently digging around for something.

"Twenty seconds," he muttered.

"We don't have twenty seconds!"

Locke pulled out a tubular shaped item, simultaneously tossing her purse to her while dumping out several small silver balls on the bed. Meliza took a deep breath, yanking out a few cards, her fingers glowing pale blue, the energy transferring to the cards.

There were no sounds beyond the bedroom door, indicating that Keenan's men knew something was wrong.

She followed Locke to duck behind the bed.

The door was the only way out. And they pretty much had to force their way through. The two of them were trapped.

He handed her a small mask to cover her nose and mouth, putting one on himself before he tossed the silver balls towards the door. Smoke began to fill the room. Their eyes met, and he pointed at her lighted cards, still ready, before pointing to the door.

She nodded.

"Boss!" someone's voice cried out, apparently seeing the smoke from the bottom of the door.

The door was kicked down after several hits, and Meliza quickly hurled three exploding cards, causing three men to fly back. Locke vaulted over the bed and peered around the door to make sure they were alone. A bullet hit the doorframe above him, and he moved to hide out of the line of fire. The last man made his way towards the room, gun pointed and ready. He took two steps in the room before Locke came from the side, struck his wrist, causing him to loosen his grip on his weapon, followed up with a hit on the bridge of the nose. The man fell to his knees, his eyes tearing up. Meliza followed Locke out of the room, kicking the gun aside. He headed to the front door, and she followed as he opened the door's suite. They began running in the direction of the stairs. A bullet hit the wall above their heads.

"Crap!" someone exclaimed. "Robert! Boss was targeted! Two people one man, one woman, both dark hair..."

One of Keenan's men was radioing for help.

Locke and Meliza ran down two flights before the door opened above them to indicate that they were being chased. He yanked the door to the hotel hallway open, pulling her along, dumping their masks and turning a few corridors before taking another set of stairs. They emerged on the bottom of the lobby area, just in time to see two men enter the front with purposeful stride. Their outfits were similar to what Keenan's guards upstairs were wearing. The couple headed to the back, near the pool area, seeing two more appear around the corner. Thinking quickly, Meliza dragged Locke down with her into the bushes and grass.

"What ar-?"

She clapped a hand over his mouth and placed a finger over her lips.

Hurried footsteps rushed past them, just three feet away. When she felt the coast was clear, she pulled her hand back, looking up at him.

"We should get to the car fast otherwise they'll start searching the parking lot," she murmured.

"Good idea," he said wryly. "You get a prize."

"Okay. How about I collect that now." She shifted so that one leg hooked around him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, pulling his head down for a kiss.

He broke away after a few seconds, lifting his head above hers. He was so close all she could see were his eyes.

"Now isn't the time for this," he chided.

"That's why it's fun."

"This is why I never had female partners on assignments."

"Because they're too distracting?" she quipped. She couldn't help but grin. In spite of their situation, he didn't seem all that anxious to move off her.

"Because women are crazy."

Suddenly, the sprinklers went off, effectively dousing them with water, causing their clothing to stick to their skin. She smothered a giggle while he pressed his lips into a grim line.

Apparently it was going to be that kind of day. At least they had gotten a name from Keenan.

==

-Level 6-

It could have been minutes it was probably a few hours in actuality - yet it felt like days.

For all the pain inflicted on her, Natalie could see only a few small drops of blood collected on the floor. As dazed eyes stared at the droplets, Natalie tried to remember if she had ever ached so intensely in so many areas. She'd underwent her interrogator's nightmarish version of acupuncture, short spans of electrocution via a car battery he'd had in his case, and various other painful but non-life-threatening measures.

None of them had made her talk.

He favoured taking hold of her hair when he was talking, she noticed. More and more his gaze became leering and increasingly uncomfortable to hold, though she never looked away. He dropped the biggest hint now, after he had secretly exhausted all his other options.

"Natalya... there are ways to make women talk. Ways that men like myself enjoy immensely," he said, further suggestion in his cold eyes.

She had gall enough to smirk at him. "I'm not your type. You like girls who are scared of you," she said, matter-of-factly. Ploughing ahead in her observations, Wynshire kept an air of doubtfulness about her, unwilling to be brought down by pain or threats. "I'm not one of them. Hell, you're the type who gets off on power, and I'm betting that you'd just as soon jack it to a man's screams as a woman's."

One of his brows lifted slightly, but her rude remarks weren't nearly over. They went on and on, ever more insulting, until Rez finally struck her in the mouth just to stop her chuckling. Even that didn't seem to help. He frowned slightly, watching her head slouch forward and her shoulders shake with laughter. She had done in just a couple of hours what few under torture ever managed... she'd hardened herself with a lapse in sanity. Of course, he thought to himself. She has no hope, believes that the worst will happen to her no matter what. She needs to have something to hope for... so there will be something she fears to lose.

He recalled a particular detail of her background, and decided that would be the only option. "I'm sure your fianc would be more cooperative."

The laughter stopped, but she did not look up.

"I'm certain you know... he will be brought in eventually. Sooner, rather than later, if you fail to provide us with information. And while the scientists turn him into a monster, I would be sure to arrange a seat for you to watch..."

Blue embers burned within the eyes that levelled on him now, hidden by thin veils of control. "He has nothing to do with this. I took care to tell him nothing of my job... you'd be wasting your time."

Rez leaned forward with both hands on the armrests of her chair. "Unless you give me what I want, I just might go after him for the fun of it. I'll let you in on a little secret... Mr. Kushina isn't scheduled to be brought in until after his match, but it's inevitable either way. The time he arrives, the condition he arrives in, and the extent of the experiments performed are entirely up to you." He was lying on the last, of course, but she didn't know that. He counted on her biggest weakness being her love for her fianc... and it paid off. He watched the minute changes in her eyes, the traces of anger and fear that only someone like him could detect.

Natalie listened to his words, all the while trying to tell herself he was lying. Yet she had known all along that any fighter in the tournament was likely to be a target... and Jin was an exceptional fighter. It was only natural that he would be a target. In her mind she bitterly cursed her decision to come here, but made up her mind not to give them anything. Once she did, they would go after Jin anyway, so it wouldn't matter.

"There's nothing for me to tell you that you don't already know."

Straightening up again, Sergei smiled. "You know, that's the exact line that your co-conspirator gave me..."

Natalie was struck with the sudden realization that they hadn't even bothered asking who she'd spoken to. They already knew. Dread coiled low in her stomach as Rez opened the door and said something to one of the guards.

"You see," he went on, "the only reason we even bothered asking you was that he wouldn't tell us much of anything, either. So you can thank him for the pain you suffered today."

Moments later, the door to her cell opened again, with the guard wheeling in a metal chair strapped to a dolly. The dread Natalie had been feeling seeped into her expression as she saw a figure strapped into the chair, bound in a reinforced straight jacket with its head covered. It moved now and then, thrashing its head back and forth while emitting the snarls of a hungry beast. A mild but rancid odour accompanied it as the guard situated the chair in the corner farthest from them. Rez watched all this with an impassive smile.

"I'm going to leave you with a little something to consider, Natalya," he spoke as she guard waited by the door. "Whether or not you tell us where the information you received is matters little in the long run. Umbrella ultimately rewards cooperation, if you cooperate and show that you can be trusted, you'll retain some of your former self. Otherwise, you may end up like this fellow. Now, I'll let you sit here and think on the fate of you and your lover as you converse with an old friend."

He moved just close enough to rip the covering from the man's head, satisfied in the subdued gag from the woman as she saw the mutilated, dead yet still animated face of Jack Carter. Upon seeing them, the formerly friendly agent snarled and rattled his restraints, but was unable to get any closer to the living flesh he craved.

Smirking in triumph, Rez excused himself from the room. "Take care, Natalya."

As the door closed, Agent Wynshire bit her lower lip and watched the undead body of her comrade fight its restraints. "Oh Jack," she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

Her head hung as she listened to the growls. She tried her best not to wonder what would happen to her and, more importantly, to Jin.