Chapter 21
Sesshomaru and Koga arrived at the gates of the DDC HQ. Sesshomaru pressed the intercom and no one responded. He pressed it again and looked at Koga.
"No one is at the post."
Koga shrugged. "Well, most of the sentry are back at the manor protecting the clans. I think I overheard Haji saying there were about twenty men here."
"Twenty men? Is that including the penitentiary? " Sesshomaru repeated in disbelief.
"I believe so."
Sesshomaru shook his head and grabbed his Berreta M9 from his hip holster, he released the clip to check how many bullets he had. "They are advised to never leave the post. Something is wrong."
Koga eyed him warily, watching him grab a few more magazines from the glove compartment.
"Going to war?" Koga teased followed by a nervous chuckle.
Sesshomaru's expression remained stiff. "Something doesn't feel right. The post is never left unattended, not even for a second. Someone has to relieve the other of their duties before they leave their post. Try calling them."
Koga nodded as he pulled out his cell phone and did so. The call dropped as soon as he hit send. He tried again, it dropped.
"That's so strange, I have no bars. How is that possible?"
Sesshomaru pulled out his phone and tried to call but he wasn't able to get a signal as well.
"Signal jammers." Sesshomaru cursed under his breath. He got out of his car and went into his trunk. He came back and handed Koga another berretta and a Kevlar vest. He attached a silencer to his gun and then grabbed Koga's gun and added a silencer to it. "Looks like it's just me and you."
Koga laughed, but when Sesshomaru's face remained stoic, Koga's smile faded.
"W-w-what do you mean just me and you?" Koga looked at him and out the window. "Maybe the guy had to take a piss? Dude…let's not get ahead of ourselves, I'm no soldier."
"Tonight you are." Sesshomaru shrugged and started to drive away from the headquarters.
"Dude, I know I've been hounding you for a gun but I never planned on ever using it, I'm like the worst shot in the history of shooters. I'll aim opposite of you and the bullet will still manage to hit you. I'm not comfortable with this. You don't remember when we went paintball shooting with the girls and Kagome?"
"We have been infiltrated, we have no way of contacting anyone out here. There is no other option, so man up."
Koga was taken aback, pressed his hand against his chest slightly offended. "Man up? Psh, I'll man up, just you watch."
"Great." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"What if I tap into the cameras to see what's going on inside to see what we are up against?"
"We are out of range by now, but if they did use signal jammers, it'll block Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Unless you're running through an actual Ethernet, I don't think you'll get in. We are going to drive across the bridge and enter through an underground tunnel. No one knows about it except my father and I. It leads straight to my office without anyone having to see us."
"What if these trespassers are in your office?"
Sesshomaru drove down the bridge and did a sharp right turn down a dirt road once they got off. He drove a little further and came to a stop. "I can't imagine them bypassing the retinal scanner."
Sesshomaru paused, his mind racing with possibilities. He looked at Koga. "We will have to go on foot from here on. If we make haste, we can get across in fifteen minutes. Once we get into the office, we can tap into the surveillance through the hardwire and get a look at what we're facing."
"Do you think they're trying to rob the treasury?" Koga whispered.
"No, this is way too personal to be about money." Sesshomaru shook his head, mentally going over all of his notes, interrogation with Kagura, speculation of Kimora's sketchbook, remembering how Lady Luciana said she had a gift.
The both of them grabbed whatever weapons they could carry and treaded carefully down a ditch. The ditch led to a sewer grate near the river that divided the city and DDC. The grate had been covered in fake shrubbery mixed with natural debris. He removed it and it revealed a digital scanner imbedded into it. Sesshomaru ran his index finger across it and it flashed red. Wiping the soil and debris off the scanner, he tried again. This time it flashed green and unlocked. He opened the grate and they both went down a 25 ft. ladder.
Once they reached the bottom, Sesshomaru drew out his gun. Although it was very unlikely anyone would know about this tunnel, he couldn't be caught off guard. Koga followed suit. They reached a steel enforced door with another fingerprint scanner. This door, however, had to be opened with a retinal and vocal activator simultaneously.
Sesshomaru pressed his index against the panel, while his eye scanned and spoke "Access" into the receiver. The door unlocked and they got in.
"So why is this tunnel here?" Koga whispered.
"When Inuyasha's mother died, my father didn't want to speak to anyone, so he had it made to come and go without being bothered."
Koga nodded and gave his friend a side look.
"I'm sorry I lied to you. I just remembered how you reacted a long time ago when you saw Kagome with another guy, and I couldn't stop you. I just needed your father's help in case…you went off."
Sesshomaru sighed, he could feel his fingers trembling around the gun, trying to suppress the fear he felt wondering what Kagome and Kimora's outcome would be. "I understand why you did." He stopped, and glowered over his shoulder at him. "But don't do it again."
Koga faltered a nod. He would make no such promise. They walked for over ten minutes before they reached an elevator. They took the elevator up to the 30th floor and walked down a long hallway toward one last door.
"Get ready to shoot if we have to. We won't be able to tell if anyone is in the room until the door opens."
Koga drew his gun as Sesshomaru went ahead with the same identification process. The light blinked green and the door opened. Sesshomaru forced through, drawing his gun around the office, Koga right behind him.
The office was empty, the lights off. Koga looked behind him to see the door they came in through was a bookcase on the other side. He never even thought anything of it. When the door closed, the bookcase was no longer attached to it.
"What the-" Koga blurted, amazed.
Sesshomaru immediately leaped toward his laptop, quickly tapping the keys to get into the surveillance. Once he got in, he started to look through each department. The first camera he checked was the post by the entrance. Focusing deeply into the screen, he could see a pair of boots peeking from underneath the desk. The camera could only pan so far but he could confirm that one of the officers had been compromised. He rubbed his face and went back to the cameras and started switching to other rooms. The weapons department was empty, the laboratories were empty, and the treasury was empty. Finally he went to the penitentiary. There were five figures in masks surrounding the control room.
Sesshomaru's amber eyes narrowed then darted left and right as he tried to figure out the motives of these trespassers.
"They're trying to break someone out." Koga said, hovering over his shoulder.
"I think it's more than just one person."
Sesshomaru took a deep breath and looked toward the window. He rested his hands on his desk and bowed his head, taking a moment to recount every bit of information. He opened his eyes and looked at Koga.
"When my mother first started the Jade Order, there were but fifty or so members, including your father and Tsuyoko, Shurran's father. I remember her now."
"Right." Koga nodded.
"When my mother promised them I would lead, word spread and our followers increased to thousands. Shurran was promised to me as a mate so I could lead them but that obviously didn't happen when I chose Kagome. Though a large following denounced the order, there were still about three to four hundred that we have in our custody over the years. Something tells me they're trying to reunite."
"So kidnapping Lord Modo Kai and Kagome was a decoy to get everyone at the manor so the DDC would be vulnerable?"
"I don't know, I think there are multiple factors. This definitely feels like an attempt to restore the Jade Order but I'm drawing a blank as to how the Angelos are affiliated with this matter, unless…" Sesshomaru frowned. "If it's only Hiten, Shurran, and possibly Yura following the path of the Jade Order, then they were powerless and perhaps needed the help of the human gang."
"Wait, remember when Kagura said that a human helped invest in Halo, what was his name, Shinji, you think he's the connection?"
Sesshomaru pressed his lips tightly and shook his head as he did quick search in the database for anyone named Shinji. Three results appeared with priors. A Shinji Lee resided in Green point Brooklyn, 48 years old, professor at Kings Community College. He was arrested for a DUI. No, that can't be him. The next Shinji Zhao lived in Flushing, Queens, he was fifteen years old, arrested for graffiti, not him either. The last one, Shinji Yoko, 29 years old, Chinatown resident with five priors; two for gambling, money laundering, two assaults and he was on the FBI watch list for potential bombing of Demon institutions.Sesshomaru quickly clicked on his file and it showed a picture of him. Nothing shocking of what a degenerate would look like. A rugged meathead on steroids, his face scarred and blemished with an expression that showed a massive disdain for life.
"I think…" Sesshomaru paused noticing a tattoo in the mug shot, on his forearm, the tattoo of a crescent moon with a sword impaled into it. "This is our guy."
"Who is this dude?" Koga leaned in closer to the screen. "He doesn't look familiar at all, why would this guy have beef with you?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling he has a major role in this."
"Ok, but what are we going to do about this?" Koga pointed to the camera screens. Two more figures joined the five in the control room, wearing white masks. One of them took off their mask and pulled a woman who was struggling to free herself from their grasp, a sack over her head as she flailed her arms. When they removed the sack, they saw it was Sara. One of the trespassers was holding her neck while another one forced her hand across the scanner.
"Oh shit, isn't that the psycho secretary?"
Sesshomaru's eyes zoned in on the screen. "Please tell me you deactivated her employee status from our system, including her codes?"
"Yeah, the second I told her to get out, I don't play that."
"We need to go now." Sesshomaru walked over to a painting behind his desk and pressed a button. The wall opened up to reveal an arsenal. He grabbed push daggers from a wall mount and stuffed them into his chest pocket. He threw a couple at Koga and started to grab an assortment of rifles and hand grenades. "Quick, send an email out to my father saying where we are."
But as soon as he said that, the cameras went dark and the emergency lights came on followed by an alarm.
"Of course…" Sesshomaru sighed. "Let's go."
Opening the office door quietly, Sesshomaru signaled for Koga to stay behind him.
They crouched down making their way down the hallway, even with the emergency lights, it was dark but Sesshomaru could see at the end of the hallway, a shadow. He couldn't make it out, but he heard the cocking of a gun. Not waiting another second, he took his shot. The body fell to the ground.
They both rushed over, taking the white mask off the individual. Lifting the corpse's sleeve, he saw the symbol of his crest with the sword. One of the Angelos.
"Damn it!" Sesshomaru whispered tersely. Another figure came down the hallway followed by five more. Sesshomaru fired and hit each mark in the head. They all collapsed to the ground. Another one rushed out but before Sesshomaru could react, Koga fired. The bullet ricochet against a metal door and grazed Sesshomaru's ear. Wincing from the pain, he fired a bullet at the person lunging after them. They fell to the ground. Sesshomaru bristled behind him at Koga and pressed against his ear.
"I told you I sucked!" Koga groaned. "My bad, dude."
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"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't work here anymore, I was fired!" Sara cried as one of Shinji's men entered her code repeatedly only for it to be denied. He forced her finger against the scanner. "Please, I don't think any of it will work."
"You useless bitch." Shinji barked. "Yura, you said this was his secretary."
"She was! I didn't know she was fired! She came to his party weeks ago!"
"Yura, everything we have assigned you to do, you messed up. Your job was to get Dmitri's gun without him catching on to you, you failed at that, then we had to kill the kid once he was on to us. You were supposed to get this bitch here and use her code but you didn't know she was fired. The only thing you lucked out on was not knowing Kagome's daughter would be with her! Honestly, if it weren't for that, I'd put a bullet in your head right now."
"Hey, enough." Hiten snapped. "She got you Kagome which is what you wanted, now you help us break out the Jade members, that's the agreement!"
Shinji smirked. "Luckily I had a feeling your sister would fuck up so I had a backup plan."
He pouted at Sara. "Unfortunately you are not in it." He said and shot her in the head. Sara collapsed in front of Yura's feet. Yura gasped and turned her back against them.
"Oh my god, you lunatic! This was not part of the plan! No one is supposed to get killed!" Yura cried.
"What would you have proposed me to do? She's seen my face and yours." Shinji rolled his eyes and called one of his men over. "Don't worry, PJ will override the access code. It's just going to take longer than if we were to have an actual code" he snapped and then rolled his eyes at her.
Yura walked away and stood in the corner of the room. Hiten followed her.
"It'll be ok." He said.
Yura's eyes filled with tears. "Hiten, this isn't how we planned it. No one is supposed to get hurt. God, if anything happens to Kagome or her daughter, I couldn't live with myself."
"Nothing is going to happen to them."
"Hiten…" Yura whispered. "He's out of his mind. He's beyond crazy. Kagome told me about him. He used to model, they went on a couple of dates, that was it. It's been like over twelve or thirteen years and he's still hung up on her, what do you think he will do if he can't have her?"
"Yura, I know she was your friend, but sometimes we have to make tough calls. She's no longer our concern. Our concern is the Jade Order. Once we free the members, we will restore the strength of the Jade Order and take over the Shiro Inu. Remember the cause, we need this, this is for our father."
"I know… I know, but I have a bad feeling, Hiten. What if we are in over our heads, this is the Shiro Inu Clan! Even if we get Sesshomaru, his parents will come after us. What about the Elders?"
"Let them. The hell with the Elders, what can they do with one foot already in the grave?" Hiten scoffed. "With the Jade Order, we'll be ready for anything."
"Hiten, please…you and Shurran are acting as if we are ready to take on a clan of thousands. We don't even have someone to lead? It has to be royal blood."
"I'll be leading the clan." Shurran broke their private conversation.
"You? But you're a woman." Yura scoffed and politely grinned afterward.
"Your point being? I'm the only one of royal blood."
Yura looked confused, her crimson eyes flashed at her. "But what about your husband, Shurran? He's divorcing you, you cannot lead without a mate."
Shurran smiled and looked at Hiten. Yura scowled and looked at her brother.
"Wait, what?"
Hiten faltered, looked cautiously at Shurran and bowed his head.
"Archangel, we have a problem." One of Shinji's guys entered the control room pressing his ear piece into his ear. "The others aren't responding. I was just talking to Kiharo and I heard, what sounded like a gun shot, and then silence-"
"We need to hurry, PJ." Shurran interrupted. "Kiharo was stationed by Sesshomaru's office, which gives us about fifteen minutes before whoever it was to get to us. How long is it going to take?"
PJ shook his head. "Five minutes? There's no bypass enabled so I'm hacking into the administrative account to override the authentication process and insert a dummy code, I can activate the emergency alarm, it'll get us in and open all cells, but the security breach will only last for so long, we need to get them and get out or we could all get locked in."
"Get it done." Shurran barked, waving her ARX160 at the door. She looked over at Shinji, Hiten and Yura. "When we get inside, our primary goal is to get Hakudoshi, Kanna and Renkotsu equipped with weapons. They are the strongest and we need them when the cavalry arrives. Hiten, you'll lead the rest of the members through the west wing and out the back, the busses are waiting there to take them to safety. "
Shurran and Shinji clutched onto their guns and aimed it down the hall where their opponents would be coming from.
Yura tugged on Hiten's sleeve and whispered vehemently. "Hiten, are you crazy? You cannot marry her."
"Yura, please. This is a bad time to discuss this. Help me unload the rifles, put these three around your back and I'll take the rest." Swinging the straps around her body, she took a glimpse at her reflection in the window. Looking like a female Rambo, she shook her head. What have I gotten myself into?
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Kagome sat in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees staring at Lord Modo Kai beside her. He didn't look too well. He fixed his gaze at her as he propped himself up with the bar. He groaned but rejected Kagome's help when she reached over to try and help him up.
"Don't let these wounds fool you, child. I do not succumb to weakness with my demon nature."
Kagome shook her head and dropped her gaze back at the ground, praying Kimora was alright. She didn't have time to be offended by a proud elder.
Lord Modo Kai made a poor attempt to pry the metal bars apart but Kagome could see he was weak. He coughed then panted and did his best to act unaffected. Silence befell them for quite some time until Kagome turned her head at him.
"Why you?" Kagome asked. "Out of all elders."
Lord Modo Kai grunted and looked away from her.
"I know you don't like me, but like it or not, we are in this together. We need to help each other out. I sent my ten year old," she paused when her voice cracked. "out alone in the streets to get help for the both of us. What is all this really about?"
Lord Modo Kai's face softened and he snuck a glance at her. He took a couple of deep breaths and nodded.
"It's about the Jade Order."
"That's the clan Sesshomaru was supposed to lead?" Kagome remembered. "I thought the clan dispersed?"
"They did…sort of." He sighed. "Lord Tsuyoko, Lord Kahuska and I were part of it. Our members were growing and would have increased significantly if Sesshomaru had married Shurran, Tsuyoko's daughter, but when he didn't, his mother motioned to deny him the throne when you came into the picture. Lord Kahuska and I followed Sesshomaru because our loyalty, essentially, is to the Shiro Inu Clan. Tsuyoko, however, didn't follow and was later on executed by Lord Sesshomaru and I, for reasons I cannot disclose."
"for reasons you can't disclose? Whatever happened then is coming to bite us in the ass now, Lord Modo Kai. Why did Sesshomaru execute Shurran's father?"
"I cannot tell you…" Lord Modo Kai snapped. "If it falls on the wrong ears, madness will ensue. So please, let it go." He stopped for a few seconds. "For the record," he broke the silence. "It's not that I don't like you, I just resent Lord Sesshomaru's decision to marry you."
"Yeah, like that's any better." Kagome murmured under her breath.
"Demons and humans cannot coexist, child. They shouldn't be friends…"he stopped. "And they definitely shouldn't be lovers, let alone marry. It just causes problems."
"You know, I'm getting sick and tired of hearing that from you demons. It's a matter of choice. It has nothing to do with what we are, it's about who we are and how we teach our children to be. I love my girls, I love Sesshomaru and I know he loves me. Us being together shouldn't cause problems."
"Lady Kagome, you destroyed one of the purest bloodlines with this 'love' of yours. Yes, Lord Sesshomaru is a respectable and formidable leader, that I'll admit, but it will always get overshadowed by your weak human nature. That is the truth, I do not intend to hurt you. For centuries, humans have tried to pollute the bloodline with their acts of carelessness and lack of honor. Humans lack discipline, respect and their cowardice knows no bounds whereas demons, we are taught from the minute we take our first breath, the importance of keeping our line pure, safe, and strong."
"With all due respect, Lord Modo Kai. That is the epitome of ignorance I've ever heard."
"Not to mention the lack of respect for titles." He glowered.
"Respect is earned." Kagome gritted. "Humans are capable of honor, being disciplined, being brave, keeping our family safe and yes, we may not be as strong as you demons but we do our best with what's given to us!"
Lord Modo Kai sighed. "This is what I mean, Lady Kagome. You talk back to me without an ounce of remorse. How can you expect the clan to accept you when you can't even follow our rules or our tradition?"
They were both quiet again. Footsteps sounded outside of their door and she prayed they wouldn't come in and see that Kimora was gone. She hoped Kimora found someone and they brought her to the manor safely with Sesshomaru and the family. Her heart ached not knowing whether it was a good idea to let her daughter go. But it had to be better than taking their chances with her staying in the cell. The thought of Shinji coming back to burn the building down with them in it frightened her to the core. It had to be the wisest choice. It had to be.
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Kimora reached the end of the park. Ignoring the cluster of homeless people hanging around the benches, she found a police trailer beside the ferry dock.
She knocked very loudly against the metal door but no one answered.
"Help me, please!" she pounded again.
"What's going on, kid?" she looked behind her at a girl, no older than fifteen, leaning against a light pole, shaking. Whether it was from the cold or drugs, she didn't know.
"I need a cop." Kimora frowned, looking around cautiously. "Is there a precinct nearby?"
"Closest one I know is ten blocks up Canal, but you'd be wasting your time. There's a riot going because of the shutdown. Most cops are by the bridges and tunnels or guarding the Federal Reserve because of threats. What's the matter, can't find your parents?"
"I need a cop." Kimora sighed. "Do you have a phone?"
The girl laughed. "If I could afford a phone, do you think I'd be on the streets?"
Kimora rolled her eyes. She did have a point but it was worth a shot. She tried to hold back the frustration from building up. Should she take her chances going to the precinct? She was about to cross the street when she saw a man coming out of Dunkin Donuts holding a cup of coffee and biting into a strawberry frosted donut. He wore a leather jacket over a white T shirt and faded blue jeans. His salt and pepper colored hair poke out of a black beanie. What caught her attention was the gold badge hanging from his neck
"Hey, Hey!" Kimora cried, running across the street without looking. "I need your help!"
The man dropped his coffee and donut as he lunged after her, pushing her out of the way from a passing car.
"Kid, come on!" he said, his Brooklyn accent laid on thick. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"
He paused, looked at her for a moment and tilted his head. "K-Kimora?"
"How do you know me?" Kimora backed up, staring at him suspiciously. She was about to turn around a make a run for it but he reached his hand out.
"Wait, Kimora, stop. Don't be afraid. I know you don't remember me." He chuckled. "You and your sister were probably five when we met."
Kimora still kept her distance, her hazel eyes probing his.
"I'm Elijah. I'm a detective and…uh, a friend of your grandmother."
"My grandmother?" Kimora cocked a brow. Her grandmother wouldn't be friends with a commoner, let alone a human one.
"Yes, Saya…or Lady Saya." He rolled his eyes and laughed. "You know, the one with the judgmental yellow eyes."
Kimora sighed with relief. He did know her.
"Kimora," his laugh ending quickly. "Where have you been? Where's your mother?"
"They kidnapped us!" Kimora started to cry. "My mother is inside a cell with Lord Modo Kai and the place is surrounded by men in white masks! I managed to escape so I can get help."
"Ok." Elijah took a deep breath. He went on his radio and called for dispatch but no one was answering. He tried again requesting a unit but still no response. He unlocked the police trailer and grabbed another gun. "I want you to stay inside this trailer. Tell me where this place is?"
"No, I'm coming with you." She crossed her arms.
"Kimora, it's dangerous enough for you to have been on these streets looking for help. I doubt your mother wants you to go back there, so please, don't argue with me and just tell me where it is!"
"Officer, Sir, Elijah, whatever! I am going! We do not have any time to waste so you quit arguing with me! Now let's go!"
Elijah shook his head. "Man, you are just like your grandmother!"
Knowing he wouldn't win, he locked the police trailer and followed Kimora down the path of the park.
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Author's note:
Almost there guys…Follow my new writing account on Instagram
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