Wrong Decisions

"T-that is completely unacceptable!" Tanaka sputters through the holo call at the faceless man.

Faraday folds his arms, "I assure you, it will be acceptable or you will soon find other, more important things, less so." he drawls.

"I-I can't! Do you have any idea what would happen if I did as you asked?"

"Would it be worse than allowing your colleague's children to die? Perhaps I should send you pieces of them to express how serious the situation is. Maybe a castration to start, something you can't simply replace." he threatens. "Or should we start on your own progeny? I believe he's been rather, unruly, since his capture."

Tanaka scowls behind his steepled hands, grinding his teeth as he tries to figure out a solution that wouldn't end in his demise. These kidnappers were asking him for his private stock portfolio, seemingly aware that Arasaka directs its executives in what ventures they would be pushing in the near future.

If anyone knew he revealed this information he'd die faster than if he'd attempted to assassinate Saburo Arasaka. "My hands are tied, you will not force me in this." he scowls.

Faraday lets out an audible sigh and nods, allowing the camera to switch to a cell where Katsuo was being held. He was hugging his legs in a corner, his clothes torn and revealing his body, which had been covered in cuts and bruises.

"Son..." Tanaka growls, just as a large man pushes his way into the cell with a large knife. The guy takes one look at the camera before moving in on Katsuo, grabbing him by his filthy blue hair and beginning to dig it into his eye.

Tanaka can only watch in disgust as his son's Cybernetic eye is pried out of his skull, leaving him a sobbing mess as the kidnapper leaves with his prize. The camera flips again to Faraday, who simply stared into the camera.

"That is only a taste, if you continue to refuse you will not be missing just your son. So please, tell me you refuse again, allow my men to punish, say, the boy named Ishii?"

"N-no!" Tanaka blurts, Ishii was the son of one of his closest partners. The man loved his son far more than Tanaka did his own, and any harm caused to him would be repaid ten-fold, to both him and these kidnappers...

"Then, you will do as I ask. Now. My patience runs thin." Faraday glowers.

Tanaka smacks the desk with his fist and stands, "KUSO! MY PATIENCE IS ALSO LOW! I WILL NOT BE TERRORISED BY SOME COMMON SEWER RAT STREET PEDDLER!" he jabs an angry finger at the holocall, "DO NOT TEST ME, FIXER, OR YOU WILL SOON FIND YOURSELF BURIED! I WILL RAIN DOWN HELLFIRE UPON YOUR HEAD, I WILL MASSACRE YOUR PATHETIC MEN, AND HAVE THE ROAD PATHED WITH YOUR BLOOD! YOU ARE NOT IN CONTROL HERE! I AM! ME! ME!!" he roars.

...

Faraday crooks a smirk, "I see, let us see if Ishii feels the same." the camera switches.

"STOP! YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE DOING! ONCE YOU TOUCH HIM THERE IS NO ESCAPING YOUR FATE! YOU WILL BE HUNTED DOWN AND EXTERMINATED LIKE THE RATS YOUR ARE, DO YOU HEAR ME!?"

He goes unheard as a man approaches a shivering Ishii.

"N-n-no! Please! No more! PLEASE!"

"Sorry kid, Tanaka sends his regards." the kidnapper sneers and raises his knife.

"NO! NO-ARRGHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAGK!"

Tanaka drops his face into his hands, unable to watch as the boy gets castrated in the most visceral and horrific manner he'd ever had the misfortune to see. Even the XBD's he'd watched didn't come close, watching someone you knew and had looked after get brutalized in such a way caused bile to rise in his stomach.

"You have made your choice. You will regret it." Tanaka growls as he goes to end the call.

"No, you have made yours. The fault lies with you and you alone." Faraday remarks as the call ends.

*Bleep!*

...

After taking some time to compose himself, Tanaka calls his secretary, "Get me in contact with Yorinobu-sama immediately, there is an emergency that requires his personal intervention."

--------------------

"Enough. It appears our tactics aren't working." Faraday orders, prompting his subordinate to stop beating Ishii. "Now, it is only a matter of time before Arasaka retaliates with everything they can muster... A pyrrhic victory, Tanaka..." he sighs, realising the man had chosen death, or close to it for someone with an ego his size.

Shaking his head, he immediately sends inquiries to his friends in Militech, hoping for both support and protection in the upcoming trials. Judging by Tanaka's reaction, their hostages were only worth their potential as meat shields, and he highly doubted they'd be able to stop a missile or team of special operative ninjas.

Hm...

That brings up another issue. Should he alert the mercenaries who'd carried out the kidnapping? While they were very valuable and reliable, now was a good time to cut ties. At least then they would act as a distraction, buying him more time to prepare.

Still, keeping them out in the open would be even better... He had some unfinished jobs, so he'd hand them off to them and see how long it would take until Arasaka wiped them out. That should give him a good timeline.

"Execute Katsuo Tanaka and dump his body, have the others ready for transport. We are moving as soon as possible, unless you would rather experience a 'rain of hellfire' as Tanaka suggested."

"N-no, boss! Let's get the fuck outta here!"

Faraday's men hurriedly pack everything up, files, shards, even their digital footprints, then leave for a Militech bunker safe and unknown to Arasaka... For now at least.

[I have a job for you.] - Faraday

[Oh yeah?] - Maine