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> Link to Part 1
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> Adventures in Parodyverse - The Negotiators Part 2
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> Chiaki Bushido switched the television in her penthouse to a special closed circuit channel which showed her views of a few security cameras in her building.  They were arranged to show her a progression from the ground floor to her place - the exterior, the garage, the interior of the express elevator to the penthouse, the hallway outside her door, and the stairway and roof.
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> Paired with that was a gentle chime from a security system in the penthouse that notified her of someone entering the express elevator.  That’s the camera she was watching at the moment.  There were two men in white Zoot Suits and one in a black one.
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> “Hmm.”  she whispered.  They were either there to deliver a message or kill her.  The former more likely, because Frankie wouldn’t underestimate her enough to send only three people to end her life...and besides, they would probably outsource a task like that to avoid friction with the Lair Legion and Akiko.
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> In an effort to unnerve them a bit, Chiaki met them just as the elevator doors opened on her floor.  She was holding her sheathed sword, and wearing slippers with the same clothing she was wearing earlier.  
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> “May I help you?”  she asked, trying to keep her voice as calm and non-threatening as possible.
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> Bobby V handed her an envelope as the two men in white suits remained in the elevator, holding open the door.  Then he stepped back in, and they released the door so it closed, and they headed back down.
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> Chiaki smelled the envelope gingerly.  It didn’t smell powdery, or like almonds, so it was most likely not poisoned.  It was un-sealed, she opened it slowly in the hallway.
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> The letter was from Frankie, of course, which made sense since one of his henchmen delivered it.  The wording confirmed Chiaki’s worst suspicions.  Frankie’s power was growing, in association with Vendredi’s.  He had become cocky, and was, in a roundabout way, implying that either Chiaki join his organization or be banished from GMY like Akiko.
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> After finishing the letter, she angrily fed the letter to the shredder in her office.  Then she felt relieved that she lived in Paradopolis, and the property she owned in GMY was registered to a shell company, so Frankie or Vendredi wouldn’t think to try and seize it.
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> Then another realization came to her.  If Frankie was making her an offer, knowing that she was retired...she must be in danger somehow.  Either through her association with Akiko or the Lair Legion.  But Frankie allowed her to secretly eavesdrop on the meeting with Vendredi.  She knew Frankie entertained thoughts of her death when she became obnoxious to him...but did it make sense for him to become a real threat after all?  No...it had to be Vendredi.  
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> And Vendredi is a genuine threat, she thought to herself.  There was nothing organized about his organized crime.  He was, quite simply, like a common street thug working his way up the ranks through murder.  And he cared little about collateral damage, as at least did Frankie or Akiko, or even the Lynchpin to some extent.
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> She walked back into the living room and stared at the closed circuit channel again.  Her eyes scanned the camera feeds, most notably the exterior one.  There was a simple black 1930’s Model B parked outside.  Not Vendredi, in something without creature comforts, but likely someone from his organization.  They were probably keeping tabs on why Frankie was communicating with her.  No matter the reason, they knew where she lived now, and that was dangerous.  It was time for a change of scenery.
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> That thought became much more urgent when she spotted a package on the camera, sitting outside her front door.  She went outside to check it carefully - first using a device loaned to her by Al B Harper to make sure it wasn’t explosive or dangerous.  When she finally opened it, it was something much more frightening, for someone experienced in her world.
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> A bruised and severed human head.
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> ---
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> “That hot Samurai chick is here to see you.”
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> Hatman looked up from his desk, and frowned at the interruption by Flapjack.  “Chiaki is here?  Did she say why?”
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> The response was a roll of the eyes.  The hunchback simply left his office without replying.
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> “May I come in?”  Chiaki asked, polite as usual, as she stuck her head in the doorway.  She sounded a little different, though, like she was less sure of herself than usual.
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> “Sure, um..”  Hatman stood and picked up a pile of files he left in his guest chair, tossing them on the floor nearby.  “Have a seat, please.”
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> “Are you sure you aren’t busy?”  she asked as she looked around the office overwhelmed by overdue paperwork.
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> Hatman smiled, and then said, “Let me just--”  He picked up another pile of papers on his desk and shoved them aside.  “--Get these out of here quickly and then we’ll talk.”  He collected them and raced out of the room quickly.
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> Chiaki nodded and sat patiently to wait for him to return, placing the sword alongside herself, balanced carefully against the chair.
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> Once he did, he noticed something that he was sure he shouldn’t have noticed.  Chiaki was sitting leaning forward slightly, her left hand pressed against her forehead.  When she noticed his return she looked up and returned her hand to her lap.
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> “What’s the matter?”  he asked.  Instead of returning to his desk chair, he sat on the desk instead, directly in front of Chiaki, displacing more papers to do so.  She didn’t respond right away, so he quickly added, “You know, when we broke up, Chiaki, it was because we were hiding too much from each other.  You told me that.”
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> “You’re right.”  she replied truthfully with a slight nod.  “Jay, I received a message.”  Her eyes met his, and conveyed the seriousness of what she was trying to say.  “A very special kind of message.  The kind that comes in a box, and needs to be buried afterward.”
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> “I’m going to have to have another talk with him,”  Hatman growled, implying Vendredi but not saying his name.
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> “No, Jay.”  Chiaki shook her head, and there was a kind of exhaustion registered on her face.  “I realized something when I saw the contents of that box.  All the careful watching and the negotiating I’ve been doing...it’s been to protect myself from my own past, and to protect my allies out of a sense of responsibility.”
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> Hatman nodded, and waited through a pause from Chiaki.
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> She sighed and shook her head, lowering her eyes as she continued.  “I don’t want to do it anymore,”  she said, sounding almost ashamed to admit it.  “I retired from this business.  I thwarted much bloodshed in the streets.  But this...I can’t do anything about.  Vendredi is more bloodthirsty than anyone I’ve ever seen before.  A bloodbath is inevitable.”
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> “I came to the same conclusion,”  Hatman replied reluctantly.
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> Chiaki looked at him, and seemed a little chilled to hear that from him.  But then she simply nodded.  “Jay, I don’t want to be the casualty that spurs the Lair Legion into action.  It’s starting to seem that I will be.”
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> “If you need a safe place to stay,”  he began.  He noticed Chiaki starting to object, so he strengthened his suggestion.  “I want you to stay here, Chiaki, if you’re in any danger at all.  I know you take pride in being able to protect yourself but you deserve to feel safe.”
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> She continued to shake her head, and began to speak again, but she was interrupted.
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> Hatman leaned closer to her and said, “I want you to be safe.”  He emphasized the ‘I’.  There was no response, so he went further.  “I won’t be able to sleep at night if I think I’m going to wake up and see your apartment building on the morning news.”
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> Chiaki looked downward and after a long pause, finally relented.  “I will stay here,”  she whispered, sounding defeated.  “And Jay...I’m sorry.  I feel somewhat responsible.”
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> “You have nothing to apologize for.”  He said, waving off the apology.  He sighed deeply and added, “You know you can’t be on top of things all the time, Chiaki.  You can always depend on me...on us...to help when you get in over your head.”
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> She nodded and stood slowly.  “I’ll get a few of my things and return shortly.”  She noted another worried look from Jay as she rose, and interpreted that as him worrying about what detours she might possibly take on the way.  So to reassure him she added, “I could possibly take Liu Xi with me.  She needs to get out.”
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> That seemed to cheer Jay up.  He didn’t really want her to be alone, but he didn’t want to say so.  “I’ll be glad to have you here.  So will everyone else.”  That last part was added hurriedly.
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> “If you don’t mind, I would like to work for my stay here.”  Chiaki insisted.  “Anything you might have for me to do.  I don’t wish to abuse the hospitality of the Lair Legion.”
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> “I might just have something.”  Jay replied with a slight smile.  “I’ll talk to you about it when you return.”
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> Chiaki nodded, and quietly slipped out of his office.
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> TO BE CONTINUED?
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> -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
> --    reprinted without permission.  
> -- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
> --  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
> --  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin
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