Author's Note: A little bit about myself even though I doubt you guys care, lol. I am a sixteen year old Afro-Brazilian Native-American Arab pot chain-smoker who lives in Inglewood, California and spends most of her time smoking weed, playing video games, kissing women, watching/playing sports, terrorizing the neighborhood, and gets arrested at least once a month.
Hi, I'm Indicaa. :)
"Temptation crept by her name. She couldn't even look away. Never had the chance to change. Until salvation it it rose. And looked her right in the eyes. It looked her right in the eyes. The cold light of morning, brought her its warning, calling her home. She walked through the daylight, silent but inside, heavy like stone."
"Cold Light," ~ Tarver/Williams
36
She dodged the killing blow intended for her left temple, rounding on her opponent and slamming the butt of her pistol into his esophagus. He staggered and dropped his weapon, his hands clutching at his throat to try and regain the breath he had lost.
She rammed her knee into his solar-plexus. He fell to his knees, tears in his eyes and blood leaking from the corners of his lips. Her foot came to rest on his chest, pinning him to the floor as she aimed her pistol right between his eyes.
"Another one bites the dust," She said, to herself more than anything, and to him, "Who sent you?"
He sneered, baring his crooked yellow teeth like a wild animal. "The Yakuza will fall. You are no match for the Red Lotus."
He pointed to the insignia on his chest. "Lord Kruger will die, and Japan will be ours for the taking."
Miyu fought the urge to roll her eyes. In all of her years serving as the makeshift general for the Yakuza, under both Namikaze and Lord Kruger, she had never heard of this so called Red Lotus.
She knew the man would provide nothing valuable or worth hearing. She pulled the trigger. The perfect little hole right in the center of his forehead was like a grotesque lense that allowed one to peer into his skull. Contrary to belief, there was nothing in there anyway.
"Greer, we were able to regain control of the Northern Gate. Our agents forced them back. Only a few remain." A faceless squad leader informed her as she made her way into the new War Room of the Supreme Court building.
Lord Kruger had drove out the gang who had previously occupied it over a decade ago. It was bigger than their former stronghold and located on the outskirts of the city rather than the very center.
"Good, make sure there are no stragglers. Bring the remaining members to the interrogation room. Any who refuse questioning will be terminated."
"Understood."
Miyu sighed as she looked at the dozen or so bodies littering the place. It had been the third attack this week by the mysterious Red Lotus syndicate. So far, there had been no leads as to who was leading the group of idiots or where they came from.
She would have to inform Lord Kruger immediately.
She didn't particularly enjoy bothering the woman while she was spending time with her family, but the situation could potentially turn dangerous. Miyu stalked through the halls, her hardened red eyes cold and unreadable.
Upon seeing her, agents stood at attention and bowed respectfully like frightened, obedient soldiers. She took the elevator down to the ground floor. Below it was a secret bunker that served as a place of sanctuary for court members if there was any act of terrorism while they were in the building.
It was dark and gloomy. Its walls were ice cold and made of reinforced steel. A hanging light swayed back and forth, casting dark shadows in irregular patterns. A man sat bound and gagged in a chair in the very center of the room.
A few veteran Yakuza agents and the occasional rookie were lined up against the far wall, each holding a respective White Lotus member captive. Miyu handed her pistol to an agent guarding the door.
She cleared her throat. "I am Agent Greer, and you are all my prisoners. I will ask you questions and you will answer them swiftly and honestly. I will not hesitate to force them out of you. Cooperate and you may leave this room alive. If you don't, you will leave in a body bag."
"Greer?" The man in the chair scoffed. "Where's Kruger? Isn't she the one in charge?"
Miyu accepted the sledge hammer that was offered by another agent. She rammed it into the man's exposed knee cap on his left leg, feeling a surge of satisfaction as the sound of breaking bones and screams of agony filled the room.
Under the sheer force of the sledge hammer, the tibia and femur collapsed in on themselves, completely severing the lateral meniscus and the anterior cruciate ligament. Shards of bone sliced through the skin of his shattered knee-cap.
She pulled him up by his hair when he doubled over. "I am the one asking the questions. Now, who sent you?"
His lip quivered and sweat began to form on his temple. Intent on keeping up his brave bravado, he said, "Go to hell." And pointedly spat on a spot on the ground that was dangerously close to her foot.
Miyu twirled the sledge hammer effortlessly in the palm of her hand. She turned and inspected the various weapons and objects lined up on the table behind her. They were tools used to… coax information out of their captives.
She set the sledge hammer on the floor near the table and picked up a pair of pliers. She glided back over to the whimpering man and tilted his head back. She forced his jaw open with a well-placed punch to the gut, and latched the teeth of the pliers onto his front tooth.
He panicked, and tried to move his face out of her hands, but her grip was like steel.
"I won't ask you again. Who sent you?" Miyu hummed, slightly applying pressure.
"Yakuza scum!" He snarled recklessly.
Miyu frowned. She dug the teeth of the pliers into the root of the tooth, all the way up to his gums and yanked her arm back as hard as she possibly could. The man howled in pain as blood spurted from the hole where his tooth had been.
"Resistance is futile," Miyu said as she held the tooth up to the light and inspected it. "This won't end well for you. You have exactly ten seconds to provide me with suitable information or I will pour gasoline on your crotch and watch you burn."
"Ten."
He was terrified now. She could practically smell the fear radiating off of him. She walked over to the table and retrieved the pitcher of gasoline.
"Nine."
She emptied the pitcher onto his lap. The entire room was filled with the scent of it afterwards. She pulled out a lighter from her pocket, sparking it and un-sparking it dangerously close to his face so that he knew that she wasn't bluffing.
"Eight."
"Alright, alright!" He whimpered, his resolve cracking. Snot mixed with tears and blood, rolling of off his sharp features in a disgusting display of ultimate fear. Miyu couldn't help but smirk. She hadn't even got to the fun part before he cracked.
The smell of urine suddenly penetrated the air, mixing with the musky smell of sweat and gasoline. Miyu snapped the bandana off of the man's face and stared intently into his dark eyes. She broke him down with sheer force of her glare, promising hell if she didn't like what he had to say.
He took a deep breath and whispered, "It was him."
"I don't think you understand me when I say this isn't a game." Miyu mused as she reached for a menacing looking steel bat that was littered with nails.
"NO! Wait! I don't know who the guy is! I've never seen him before. No one's ever seen him before. All I know is that he's some big shot CEO and he wears a suit! That's all I know, you have to believe me." He barked, tears in the bottomless dark pits of his eyes.
Miyu tilted her head to the side curiously as she tried to form a decent picture of the man to go by in her head. She frowned. The only person she could come up with disappeared over a decade ago. He murdered his nephews and was never seen again.
"Get him out of here. And see if his companions have anything worth saying. If not, do as you please with them, but make sure they regret it." Miyu said as she carefully rested the bat against her shoulder and stepped out of the room.
A familiar red-head was waiting for her near the elevator. Lime green eyes sparkled in greeting.
"Heard you needed a hand."
"Zhang." Miyu greeted respectfully.
Nao hadn't changed much over the years. She was still very short and her eyes still carried that same childish, mischievous smirk they always had. But her hair was much longer now, reaching about mid-back, and still as fiery and straight as it had always been.
"So what's up, found anything on these guys?"
"Apparently none of his agents have ever actually seen him before. All they know is that he's rich, wears expensive suits, and has a fetish for crime." Miyu explained.
Nao rolled her eyes. "Wow, that really narrows it down. Seriously, who joins a gang they know nothing about?"
"Think about it Zhang. There's only one person who fits that description. He was responsible for the murder of Hideki Marguerite's sons."
Nao's eyes widened.
"Nagi."
...
A man in a red suit sneezed. He reached into his pocket and dabbed at his nose with a handkerchief.
"Someone is talking about me." Nagi said with a slight upturning of his brow.
Skye froze, wondering if Nagi knew she had been calling him vulgar things in her head for the last five minutes.
They were currently at an airport in Alaska waiting on the first plane to LA. From LAX they would fly out to New York, which Nagi hadn't shut up about for the last few days. But every time she would ask about it he would just tell her the same thing.
"I told you. A family reunion!"
"You said you had no family. Your sister died and your nephews were murdered."
"An extended family, then."
Skye was beginning to get fed up, honestly. She was eternally grateful to Nagi. He was the one who found her and took her in after she got out of the hospital with nowhere to go. He offered her work with pay, a roof to live under, and a warm meal before bed every night.
Much like Natsuki had done before.
Just thinking of the Krugers made her heart burn. Her especially. There wasn't a single night where she didn't think of her, dream of her. Her betrayal had pierced her deep. The wounds had been sealed but they were in no way healed.
Skye and Nagi been travelling the world together for the past sixteen years, never staying in one place for too long. They were two souls that didn't belong anywhere. Without family or friends, accustomed to being alone.
Though odd and secretive, she liked the man very much. He was clever and intelligent, kind in his own sadistic way, and relatively easy to get along with, if you could get pass his whiny, over compulsive nature and his childish persona.
At times it was like he was trapped in the mental state of a twelve year-old. He threw tantrums when he didn't get his way. He didn't like being told what to do, and he especially didn't like people looking down on him.
He was like the grown little brother she never had.
"They've just had a baby," Nagi said suddenly as he tapped his chin in thought, "Well, she isn't a baby anymore. She's probably around sixteen or seventeen. I remember when she was this high!"
He gestured to his thigh. "And the girls, how beautiful they must be knowing who their parents are. I just can't wait to see them. Should we bring gifts?"
Skye shrugged as she watched the twinkling, iridescent lights of the aurors above. She sighed. She would miss Alaska's beautiful landscape and silence. It was like living in a dream world where everything was perfect, and the arrival of the sun was something to look forward to after six long months of twilight.
"Do you really need me to go to New York?" Skye asked. "I mean, they're not my family. I wouldn't want to impose."
Nagi's eyes twinkled, but he managed to hold his tongue. "You're practically family, Miss Valentino. Besides, if you were to stay, who would fix my tie in the morning. You'd think after all my years of constantly wearing suits I'd have gotten the hang of it by now."
Skye's lips quirked into a smile and she buried her face into the soft fur of the winter coat she was wearing. "Of course. You're hopeless without me."
Nagi stuck out his tongue and leaned back in his chair. His blue eyes were alight with excitement. He just couldn't wait to get to New York. The suspense was killing him.
Over a decade later and the Krugers are still going strong, he mused to himself. But how long can one juggle the responsibilities of being a parent and the leader of an international criminal organization? Something has to give sooner or later.
A little push in the right direction wouldn't hurt.
Nagi brushed off a speck of dust from his suit. He loved the color red. It was always so bright and strong, full of fire and passion, but also wild and dangerous.
Much like Lord Kruger herself. She got her happy ending once, I wonder if she will get it again? She never ceases to amaze me, but like Tomoe and Hideki said, she is only one woman.
Nagi smiled as he thought of all the possible outcomes of his latest scheme. He hoped everything fell according to plan. He would hate if something were to go awry. It would ruin everything. But if everything did go according to plan then everyone would be happy.
Contrary to belief, Homura Nagi loved happy endings.
...
Keira frowned as she observed Namiko's chart.
Name: Kruger, Namiko.
Age: 16
Gender: Female.
Height: 5'11
Weight: 132 lbs.
Hair color: Black.
Eye Color: Grey.
Mode of Arrival: Ambulance/Emergency Services.
Review of Systems.
General: fatigue, malaise, fever.
Eyes: blurring, bloodshot, moist, dilated pupils.
Ears/Nose/Throat: nasal obstruction, sore throat.
Cardiovascular: chest pain, palpitations, coughing, wheezing.
Gastrointestinal: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting,
Musculoskeletal: joint swelling, back pain.
She sighed and put the chart back on the examination table. It certainly wasn't just a case of the flu. She would have to wait for the results of the blood test to make a proper diagnoses. But she knew, whatever it was that was affecting the girl, it couldn't be good.
"Dr. Kruger, the results of the blood test are in." One of the interns barked from the doorway. Dr. Kruger picked up the chart, tucked it under her arm, and walked swiftly out of the room.
"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" The intern asked as they walked through the crowded, sterile white corridor that was littered with frantic nurses and exhausted doctors.
"The bad news."
"The patient is showing severe signs of viral pneumonia. The blood test only confirmed our suspicions."
"And the good news?"
"It isn't Tuberculosis."
Keira laughed humorlessly. "So there wasn't any good news to begin with."
The intern glanced at her. "Considering her condition, I consider anything that isn't directly related to TB or Ebola good news. She is very weak. For some reason the infection is spreading quicker than usual."
Keira grimaced. "Considering the fact that you can't catch pneumonia, I'm assuming she came in contact with someone who had it and neither of them were aware. The reason the infection is spreading so quickly is because it was already in its hyperactive state when she contracted it."
The young physician entered the room where her baby sister was being held for examination. Their parents and grandparents weren't allowed in the examination room. However, they would be able to soon her as soon as an official diagnosis was made and she was in a standard room.
Namiko's condition had worsened since she arrived. She could no longer truly breath on her own. Her organs needed as much oxygen as she could produce and with the pneumonia, she wasn't producing enough to properly sustain them.
The lower half of her face was covered by an oxygen mask. She was hooked up to about a dozen or so different machines. Keira felt her heart sink slightly. Namiko had always been so big and strong, but now she was nothing more than a frail, sickly teenager.
"Her fever has decreased slightly, but it's still much too high. The patient is also showing signs of neurological distress such as delirium and memory loss, most likely at the hands of the fever."
Keira brushed her sister's hair from her forehead lovingly while the nurse looked on with sympathetic eyes.
"Dr. Kruger, are you certain you wish to be assigned to this patient?" She asked softly, knowing how difficult and unwise it was to get attached to patients, especially family members.
"I am the only Dr. here who specializes in pulmonology," Keira snapped, "I'm well aware of the complications that may arise, but there is nothing stopping me from doing what's best for her, okay?"
The nurse dipped her head respectfully. "Yes, Dr. My apologies."
Keira sighed and reached out to touch the nurse's shoulder in reassurance. "I'm sorry. I know you were only looking out for me, but not only is she in my field of work, she is my family, my baby sister. Besides, she hates hospitals. She would fare better knowing someone she knows and trusts is looking after her."
"Of course." The nurse replied, smiling shyly.
Keira stapled the results of the blood test to Namiko's chart. "Viruses can't be treated with antibiotics. Get her on some ibuprofen and standard cough medicine to help with the fever and the coughs. Hopefully with a lot of rest and oxygen therapy, her immune system will be able to fight of the infection. Get her into a room."
As the nurse scurried away, Keira looked at the sick girl with sad eyes. She didn't like seeing her sister, or anyone for that matter, in pain. Namiko had been dangerously sick before when she was three with an infection called Scarlet Fever.
It took weeks for the infection to be cleared away, and it was safe to say it had been the worst few weeks in the Krugers' lives. And they had a lot of bad times. She hoped the medication would work. She couldn't bare to see anything happen to the young woman.
...
A few hours later, Namiko was situated in a normal room with her family all gathered around the bed. Shizuru's hands were wrapped tightly around Namiko's left, and Saeko's her right. Natsuki was leaning back in her chair with one arm wrapped around her wife and the other pinched the bridge of her nose tightly.
She had a lot on her mind.
Miyu and Nao had been bombarding her with calls and texts about all of the events going on in Japan involving the so called Red Lotus. And with everything that was going on with her family, she hadn't been able to get back to them.
"She's going to hate the food here." Regan mused as she glared at the cup of coffee in her hand. "It tastes like failure and depression."
"Then stop drinking it." Saeko replied.
Regan shook her head. "It's the closest thing to a drink I'll be getting for a while."
Shizuru couldn't take her eyes off the girl. It reminded her too much of the past. She could still remember holding a screaming, flushed Namiko in the halls of the hospital as the child was mercilessly attacked by a fever.
Natsuki rubbed her wife's shoulder soothingly. "She'll be alright, Shizuru. She's a fighter. You know that."
"She is not invincible, Natsuki," Shizuru forced herself not to whine, "She's only sixteen. Did you see the way she looked at me before we left? She reached for me, Natsuki, she needed me to hold her hand and I couldn't."
"She will understand."
Shizuru's eye narrowed slightly. "You give her too much credit."
"You don't give her enough." Natsuki replied.
"Guys, guys, please, not now." Kaiya snapped. Her parents offered each other apologetic smiles.
At that moment Keira walked in looking absolutely exhausted. The hospital had taken full advantage of her presence after her break was suddenly cut short due to the sickness of her sister. She'd been running around the place for the last two hours.
Kaiya winced and squeezed her twin's hand. "You could've chose an easier field of work."
"We're Krugers, we don't do anything even remotely easy." Keira replied as she moved over to check their baby sister's vitals. "Has there been any change at all?"
Natsuki spoke up. "No, just a few coughs."
Keira looked into the drawer near the bed and pulled out a small grey tube. "This should help clear her airways. It's like vix, but a hundred times more effective."
However, as soon as Keira pulled back her sister's hospital gown to spread the ointment on her chest, she frowned deeply. Namiko's chest was pale in most places, but discolored in others. The spot just above her left breast was a dark reddish purple.
"Shit," Keira cursed. "Has anyone said anything about this?"
"Uhm, no." Regan said. "Should they have? I think it's just a bruise. She did get punched."
"Bruises form under the pattern of which they were inflicted by. This has no definite pattern." Keira replied, growing more alarmed by the second. She quickly checked her sister's body for more discolorations, finding similar patches on her fingers, toes, legs, abdomen, and the beginnings on both of her cheeks.
I'm surrounded by idiots, Keira thought, referring to the nurses who were burdened with the heavy task of looking after patients due to the shortage of able doctors. She smashed her finger on the call button and quickly paged another doctor.
"Keira?" Shizuru asked as the young woman's ministrations grew frantic.
"Heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute. Respiratory rate higher than 20 breaths a minute. Body temperature over 101 degrees… Nurse!"
A male nurse popped his head in. "Ma'am?"
"I need a large amount of intravenous fluids and a heavy dose of antibiotics, stat!" Keira barked urgently. "She's well on her way to Septic Shock!"
To be Continued.
...
Septic Shock is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection that occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. More info next chapter via Doctor Keira.
Not a doctor by any means, but I have watched a lot of House!
Preview:
Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't leave, my daughter is sick!
"We all have our choices to make in the end." Miyu said, her voice like steel over the gunfire in the background. "It's time you made yours."
The line clicked. Natsuki threw her phone against the wall angrily. It shattered. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Layla visits her sick lover. Shizuru becomes suspicious. Kaiya experiences her first pregnancy symptoms and reveals the origin of the creation of her baby. Nagi likes to shoot people at point blank range, our favorite detectives make an appearance, and Miyu becomes accustomed to the power of leadership of the Yakuza.
Next time on Crooklyn.