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Osaka, Japan, inside of Saito Tech, at approximately 1:00 P.M.
A gloomy, rainy day. Even though Jack liked such days, he just wanted to finish the work he had to do quickly and return home. He wasn’t feeling up to doing anything except rest. Thankfully, it wasn’t a cold or anything else like that but he seriously just needed to rest. A refresher.
Sora knocks and announces her arrival, setting down a stack of papers for him to review. He smiles and thanks her. That should be the last batch for him to do. He gets through only a handful before his phone rings. He recognizes the soft, optimistic and cheerful voice of Sora.
“Saito-san, there’s a call waiting for you. They specifically asked for you by name,” she says.
“Oh? Who is it? Did they give a name?”
“No,” she responds. “They… sounded grumpy, and was rather rude. Just be prepared for that,” she warns.
“Fine with me. I’ve dealt with worse.”
Sora hangs up and Jack looks at the red blinking light, indicating a call on hold. For some reason, something didn’t seem right about this. Jack did get the occasional customer who bitched so much they were given the number to his direct office, but from what Sora said– specifically asking for him, which most customers didn’t do. It was always “let me speak to corporate!” this and that. To speak his name was something different.
Something isn’t right.
There was no need to record most phone conversations at Saito Tech, just because Jack was so adamant on making sure no one insignificant called him. He disliked partnerships. He built his business from the ground and he’ll be the one to fix it or end it on his own. That would be his burden to bear. He also didn’t worry too much about annoyed customers as his HR team was rather skilled with customer satisfaction. All reasons why he felt something wasn’t right, and a valid reason to hit the record button which did it’s work as he picked up the phone.
“Ayumu Saito. How can I help you?”
“I was beginning to think… You wouldn’t pick up, so called… Corporate Lord.”
Jack’s eyes widened, his teeth grit. So he was right.
“Who are you? What do you want? Answer me.”
“In due time, Saito-san,” he mocks. “In due time. First, allow me to begin by saying one truth: there is no way you will be able to win in this situation. No matter what you do, or what you will try, you will not win. It is best to listen to my demands, especially if you do not want to lose your loved one.”
Lose my loved one?
Jack’s anger seethed. Clearly, this man was taking him for a fool and he didn’t like it. He would love to see the bastard’s eyes roll back as he takes his last breath.
“Elaborate. Now.”
“It would be a real shame,” the man mused, “If the heir to the Byrd fortune suddenly wound up dead, you know. As a result of your actions.”
The wave of anger diminishes. Jack’s breath becomes uneven. His hand shakes as he reaches for his smartphone, unlocks it slowly, and looks for Webb’s number. This man couldn’t have taken Webb. Webb was always careful not to let something like this happen.
“I wouldn’t bother calling. To do so will only increase the pain he’s going through.”
“Alright,” Jack growled. “What the hell do you want?”
“Three billion dollars wired to an untracked bank account. Nothing less. I will be watching your every move. One slip up, and he dies and his blood will be on your hands. You have three days.”
For once, Jack couldn’t think of an elaborate plan. He was cornered.
“I want proof that Webster is alive. You’ll get your money after that,” Jack spat.
“Oh, trust me, he is alive-”
“Words are nothing to me. I want proof.”
The man chuckled darkly. “Very well. 9:00PM. You’ll get your proof.”
Jack would have said more, but the man hung up. His heart was beating fast, even as he saved the audio recording under a restricted area only he could access. His confidant, his lover was kidnapped all for the sake of money, and Jack is near powerless, unable to do anything except follow the kidnapper’s words.
He needed a breakthrough, and fast. But he guaranteed one thing to himself. Once he found out who this ‘kidnapper’ was…
…They wouldn’t be living once he was done with them.
When Webb wakes, blindfolded and bound to a chair, he is terrified. His first thought is that his uncle has found him, looking for revenge, which is silly, really, because his uncle is still in prison. For now anyway. Webb has always taken his uncle for the type to do his own dirty work so, even if his reach extended out from prison ---which is most certainly did--- Webb doubts Aeschylus Kent would hire someone to kill his nephew.
If it isn’t his uncle, then he’s been kidnapped for ransom. At least, that’s Webb’s best guess. He’d been given a class in handling these situations along with a bunch of other rich kids when he was in middle school. Most of that had been about how to avoid being kidnapped though. Webb had failed step one. The hostage negotiator who’d taught him had said most people kidnapped for ransom would be treated pretty well. This doesn’t feel like a treated well sort of situation that Webb is in. Was this something other than a ransom?
Fuck, Webb hopes its nothing more than a well organised kidnapping. He hopes his father pays and he’s out of here soon. He’s not the type of person who can survive dangerous situations. He’s fragile and soft and has never been challenged in his life.
“Hello?” Webb asks when he hears someone moving near him. “Why am I here? If its a ransom, my father---” Webb shuts his mouth. You weren’t supposed to tell your captors anything they didn’t ask for. Its amazing how fear makes you forget something so obvious.
Webb’s captor, some invisible man, laughs. “Its not your father we’re after.” He has an accent, Asian, maybe.
Webb frown beneath his blindfold. It seems unlikely they’d be demanding money from his mother, she had little to do with her family business. Fuck, don’t let this be something more dangerous than a ransom.
“You’re special to a lot of people, Webster Byrd. Powerful people.”
Jack. Fuck. These people were targeting Jack. Webb was in more danger than he first thought but, also, these people were in more danger than they ever dreamt of.
