Chuckg

"You will tell me where this 'studio ball thing' is. You will provide me with Mr. Kirk's cell phone #. You will, for that matter, volunteer any other information you think might interest me."

"Should you /not/... well, if you truly are /that/ stupid, then I should be talking to someone else anyway."

Satori looks at the knife in the man's hand with contemptuous dismissal. With a single smooth motion, he nudges one of the unconscious women with his foot, rolling her over on to her back, and then places the heel of his shoe directly on her Adam's apple.

And then he smiles.

"Where is Adam Kirk?" he speaks, softly, almost whispering. "Tell me /now/," he says, accompanying his words with the slightest motion of his foot, "or this woman dies."

Satori looks at the knife in the man's hand with contemptuous dismissal. With a single smooth motion, he nudges one of the unconscious women with his foot, rolling her over on to her back, and then places the heel of his shoe directly on her Adam's apple.

And then he smiles.

"Where is Adam Kirk?" he speaks, softly, almost whispering. "Tell me /now/," he says, accompanying his words with the slightest motion of his foot, "or this woman dies."

Satori looks at the knife in the man's hand with contemptuous dismissal. With a single smooth motion, he nudges one of the unconscious women with his foot, rolling her over on to her back, and then places the heel of his shoe directly on her Adam's apple.

And then he smiles.

"Where is Adam Kirk?" he speaks, softly, almost whispering. "Tell me /now/," he says, accompanying his words with the slightest motion of his foot, "or this woman dies."

And as the two women step through the doorway into the kitchen, they walk straight into a merciless precision assault by the highly-trained fist and foot of Satori, master assassin.

And as the two women step through the doorway into the kitchen, they walk straight into a merciless precision assault by the highly-trained fist and foot of Satori, master assassin.

And as the two women step through the doorway into the kitchen, they walk straight into a merciless precision assault by the highly-trained fist and foot of Satori, master assassin.

"That man you saw had the power to manipulate probability. His good fortune was... appalling and ridiculous. If it took such a one this long to find the house, it is still possible that we were the first here.

Of course, whether we were or not, the point is moot. Whether we find our quarry or someone else does, in all instances the path leads back to the original site of the meeting, as that is where whoever has found Mr. Kirk was instructed to take him.

So, we can either continue our search from here, or go back to the abandoned shop in Southside and take up a new path as hijackers... assuming that suitably few of our competitors decide to adopt the same strategy.

And while you ponder the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative, I will have a short look around the mansion to hopefully answer the question of whether we were first or not at all."

And on that note, Satori departs.

"That man you saw had the power to manipulate probability. His good fortune was... appalling and ridiculous. If it took such a one this long to find the house, it is still possible that we were the first here.

Of course, whether we were or not, the point is moot. Whether we find our quarry or someone else does, in all instances the path leads back to the original site of the meeting, as that is where whoever has found Mr. Kirk was instructed to take him.

So, we can either continue our search from here, or go back to the abandoned shop in Southside and take up a new path as hijackers... assuming that suitably few of our competitors decide to adopt the same strategy.

And while you ponder the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative, I will have a short look around the mansion to hopefully answer the question of whether we were first or not at all."

And on that note, Satori departs.

"That man you saw had the power to manipulate probability. His good fortune was... appalling and ridiculous. If it took such a one this long to find the house, it is still possible that we were the first here.

Of course, whether we were or not, the point is moot. Whether we find our quarry or someone else does, in all instances the path leads back to the original site of the meeting, as that is where whoever has found Mr. Kirk was instructed to take him.

So, we can either continue our search from here, or go back to the abandoned shop in Southside and take up a new path as hijackers... assuming that suitably few of our competitors decide to adopt the same strategy.

And while you ponder the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative, I will have a short look around the mansion to hopefully answer the question of whether we were first or not at all."

And on that note, Satori departs.

Satori doesn't even dignify his foe's latest sally with a reply before firing again.

Satori doesn't even dignify his foe's latest sally with a reply before firing again.

Satori doesn't even dignify his foe's latest sally with a reply before firing again.

Satori rapidly pads down the hallway after the arrogant fool who has so challenged him, and the instant he turns the corner of the hallway and regains sight of his target, he raises his bow and fires, attempting to fix his opponent in place by nailing the cuff of his pants leg to the floor.

Satori rapidly pads down the hallway after the arrogant fool who has so challenged him, and the instant he turns the corner of the hallway and regains sight of his target, he raises his bow and fires, attempting to fix his opponent in place by nailing the cuff of his pants leg to the floor.

Satori rapidly pads down the hallway after the arrogant fool who has so challenged him, and the instant he turns the corner of the hallway and regains sight of his target, he raises his bow and fires, attempting to fix his opponent in place by nailing the cuff of his pants leg to the floor.

Satori feels the biting pain of the blast of heated gas as he's literally blown off the ceiling to crash into the floor, momentarily stunned. Rising to his feet, Satori turns in the direction that the man ran off in...

Satori feels the biting pain of the blast of heated gas as he's literally blown off the ceiling to crash into the floor, momentarily stunned. Rising to his feet, Satori turns in the direction that the man ran off in...

Satori feels the biting pain of the blast of heated gas as he's literally blown off the ceiling to crash into the floor, momentarily stunned. Rising to his feet, Satori turns in the direction that the man ran off in...

A probability manipulator. No skill. No dedication. Success unearned, but delivered to him anyway by the universe solely because of genetic fluke or random accident.

How... /offensive/. Removing such as this from existence will be a genuine /pleasure/.

Satori calmly replies "A world where skill cannot triumph over fortune is a world without purpose."

A probability manipulator. No skill. No dedication. Success unearned, but delivered to him anyway by the universe solely because of genetic fluke or random accident.

How... /offensive/. Removing such as this from existence will be a genuine /pleasure/.

Satori calmly replies "A world where skill cannot triumph over fortune is a world without purpose."

A probability manipulator. No skill. No dedication. Success unearned, but delivered to him anyway by the universe solely because of genetic fluke or random accident.

How... /offensive/. Removing such as this from existence will be a genuine /pleasure/.

Satori calmly replies "A world where skill cannot triumph over fortune is a world without purpose."

Satori nods to himself.

Commendably fast. We flew here and yet he is very swiftly behind us. And soon, he will be forever behind us.

Placing the blunt-tipped arrow back in the quiver, Satori withdraws a much more lethal razor-tip arrow. Taking careful aim at the back of the young man's head, he fires, and then immediately withdraws back into cover, hiding carefully on the ceiling.

Satori nods to himself.

Commendably fast. We flew here and yet he is very swiftly behind us. And soon, he will be forever behind us.

Placing the blunt-tipped arrow back in the quiver, Satori withdraws a much more lethal razor-tip arrow. Taking careful aim at the back of the young man's head, he fires, and then immediately withdraws back into cover, hiding carefully on the ceiling.

Satori nods to himself.

Commendably fast. We flew here and yet he is very swiftly behind us. And soon, he will be forever behind us.

Placing the blunt-tipped arrow back in the quiver, Satori withdraws a much more lethal razor-tip arrow. Taking careful aim at the back of the young man's head, he fires, and then immediately withdraws back into cover, hiding carefully on the ceiling.