Chapter 6
Two days later at nine am in Manhattan; Snake Eyes along with Jinx and Stormshadow were trying to find an address for Ian Nottingham.
"The address on the letter is for the security department of Vorschlag International; the corporate domain of Kenneth Irons."
"Why send letters to and from a corporate address?" Stormshadow asked.
"That's easy," someone answered behind them, "because Ian Nottingham has the same home address as Kenneth Irons."
"Who are you and how did you sneak up on us?" Jinx asked.
"You can call me Dan. I know who you are and I know why you're here." The man; clearly of Chinese descent, said.
He had straight black hair which he wore long, dark eyes and light skintone. He was wearing Chinese robes in red and gold, elaborate designs covered the robe in different shades of red and yellow-gold.
"Ian's not at work today; something came up last night, but Sara should be able to take you to him. She's at work right now, but she is going that way in a little less than an hour."
'Thank you' Snake Eyes signed.
"You're welcome." Dan said with a nod.
The three ninjas started to walk away when Dan suddenly said;
"Catch!"
He tossed something small and shiny in Snake Eyes's direction. Snake Eyes caught it and looked at it closely. It was a necklace, a gold bird pendent hanging off of a simple silken cord.
"You have to keep it with you at all times; it'll bring you luck, Shana would want you to have it." Dan paused before continuing;
"You have to believe in Shana. Trust in her and her abilities. She won't let you down,"
Snake Eyes looked at the necklace again then turned back towards Dan to find no one there.
"I was expecting you," Ian said, greeting them at the door to the mansion.
"How?"
"When Blair made his broadcast; I anticipated that Shana would come here, so did Blair. What neither of us knew was that Shana predicted that Blair would come for her and set herself up accordingly," Ian explained.
"Why didn't Blair come after you?"
"Despite how the chain of command is supposed to read; Shana is the one the men will follow. Blair wishes to wage a war and she is the biggest threat; not because she kept herself in fighting shape, but for the unique abilities she possesses."
"You see, the men followed Shana and she followed me. She can inspire incredible loyalty among many; especially the Dragons, for you see we were all in love with her in some way."
*Even Blair?* Snake Eyes signed.
"Yes. While most of us contented ourselves to friendship, Blair refused to stand for it. He took his love to an obsession; the type when brought to it, he'd kill her to make sure that none would have her. Blair is cruel and malicious, and the phoenix; her spirit animal, sensed it and spurned his every advance."
"Phoenix spirit?"
"It was Daniel's nickname for her, that eventually became her name among us. She was always different from the rest of us; it wasn't innocence she knew the horrors of life, we could only define it as purity. She could look beyond the darkness of the world to see the light. Phoenixes were representative of life and hope; while Black Dragons were representative of destruction and despair. It made a certain amount of sense to us that while there would always be a certain amount of love and kinship between all of us; that there would never be anything more, because dragons and phoenixes would always exist on opposite sides of a spectrum."
As Ian spoke; Snake Eyes attention fell on a painting hanging on the wall. Noticing this Ian had to smile; he had wondered who would notice it first. He turned to the painting behind him;
"She is captivating, isn't she?" he asked, drawing the attention of the other two to the painting.
In the painting of a magnificent looking room; on a stool sat a young woman in a golden gown. Her long red hair fell loose about her shoulders; a pair of elegant looking, sleek golden-red wings at her back gave her the appearance of some bright angel. Painstakingly detailed tail feathers of the same hue curved around the stool to drape to the floor from near the top of her skirt. But it was the sorrowful look in her expression that held the most attention. The sadness in the depths of those sapphire eyes seemed beyond human understanding.
*It's Scarlett.*
"I call it 'Hope restricted' she held that pose for near three hours before I finished that sketch. This is my favorite one. I seem to have drifted from the matters at hand," Ian said;
"Shana was taken not far from where she left the bus. The only signs that she left was a green duffle bag and the pin that was attached to it was enough identification for me. The pin is extremely rare craft; it's a dragon carved of obsidian and detailed in silver that I designed myself, only three of that make are in existence: mine, Hector's and Shana's. The contents of her bag are also familiar to me; her journal, some choice weaponry, and a note that is addressed to you." He finished, handing Snake Eyes a plain white envelope.
As Snake Eyes opened the envelope, Ian left them in the hallway heading to some other part of the house. The note read;
'I knew you'd come eventually, by now Ian's told you what happened. I did intend for it to be this way, please understand that I have to do this alone, don't come after me or follow me. Don't even try to; Blair will make good on his threats believe me, that's why I was so adamant about coming here alone.
Blair must be brought down; it has to be done from the inside, and I'm the only one who can do it. I do what I must to achieve the needed ends. I understand and know what I'm doing; it's the only way.
Please forgive me.'
The note ended there; Ian returned with a small black leather bound book, a phoenix had been embossed in gold on the cover.
"Am I correct in thinking that you'll go after her?" Ian asked.
Snake Eyes nodded.
"Good." Ian replied, "They've holed up in the Canadian wilderness about 15 kilometers northeast of the mountains. Trust nothing in Blair's presence; he knows her mind and how it works. He's used that knowledge to trap her. Failure is not an option, if given the chance he will destroy her."
"You said he would dare kill her." Jinx said.
"I'm not speaking of her life; but of her spirit; the very thing that defines her. It's the source of her abilities; strange things happen around her, unusual forces are at work. Compared to Blair breaking her, killing her would be a kindness." Ian finished softly, concern evident in his tone.
"The best place for entering the surrounding area is 40 miles to the south of the base in the early morning hours. There's a small clearing outside of their range of vision. The terrain is harsh and uneven; so anyone who goes has to walk."
*Anything else?"*
"Yes. This is a very deadly game you're entering; and in this game everyone does as they must."
Ian's last comment served only to confound them; but the way he's said it left no doubt that it was a warning. But what exactly he was warning them about was a mystery.