Ink Portals

The brief

19

The next morning Chong was busy propping up a mannequin in front of his desk.

"It is made from interwoven layers of carbon fiber and Kevlar," Chong said, running his fingertips over a shingled suit of armor. It resembled a set of traditional samurai armor, but re-imagined in more durable, futuristic materials. "Stronger than steel, and bullet proof, even at close range, yet it weighs almost nothing."

"Morning," Arthur mumbled as he shuffled into the meeting. He was wearing the same hoodie and jeans he had dozed off in, and was clearly hung over. Abby and the twins were already seated in the chairs facing Chong's desk; they were doing notably better than Arthur at hiding their morning grogginess. Jack was pacing up and down behind the chairs, looking at the floor.

"You're late," Jack said, not looking up at Arthur, who shamefully walked across the room and sank into a chair next to Abby.

Chong acknowledged Arthur's tardiness with minor annoyance and said: "This is what will stand between you and a bullet in a few hours from now, so pay attention."

Mei sat with her head propped up on the palm of her hand, scrolling through her phone, only glancing up every now and then at the sound of Chong's voice.

"Do I bore you?" Chong said, glaring down at Mei. "Perhaps you would like to help me demonstrate?"

Mei looked up at Chong then glanced around the room. Everyone's eyes had now settled on her. Chong walked up to her and held out his hand, she reluctantly took it. He pulled her out of her chair and yanked her over to the mannequin. Chong unclasped the chest piece from the dummy, then spun Mei around and strapped it around her torso, tugging at the corset-like straps hard enough to make her grunt under her breath.

"How does that feel, my dear?" Chong said, affectionately brushing her hair back over her ear.

"It's a little too tight," Mei said softly with a trembling voice.

"Look, we know it's bulletproof," Jack sighed. "Can we get on with the briefing?"

"Do we really know that, Jack?" Chong said. Then, quicker than a western gunslinger, Chong reached into his jacket and pulled out a .45 Magnum.

He jabbed the muzzle into Mei's chest and pulled the trigger.

The thunder clap inside the walls of the penthouse was deafening. Arthur and Abby jolted in their seats as Mei was knocked back off her feet, like she had been punched in the gut by a behemoth. She flew back and hit her head on the marble floor.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jack shouted, but nobody really heard what he said over the ringing in their ears.

Mei was curling in pain. She rolled over on her side with her legs pulled up to her chest, then vomited on the floor. Hiroko jumped up and rushed to her sister's side.

"Jesus, was that really necessary?" Jack said.

"I am simply demonstrating the resilience of my armor," Chong shrugged, smiling his gruesome, scar-faced smile.

Hiroko pulled off the straps from Mei's armor and tossed aside the chest-plate then ripped open her shirt, exposing her bare chest; the bullet had not pierced the armor - at least Chong had been right about that. The pale, delicate skin between Mei's breasts seemed to be bruising black and blue right before Hiroko's eyes.

Chong shoved Hiroko away then grabbed a fist-full of Mei's hair and pulled her to her feet. She shuddered as Chong slapped one of her breasts, she screamed when he pinched and twisted her nipple.