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  John pulled out his phone to call Mole. He looked at Masami, indicated she should keep an eye on Mikaela. He went to the bedroom, to avoid being overheard.

  “Mole.” said John

  “Hey, what’s up - is everything OK?”

  “As OK as can be expected. I need you to do a search on the Fujita family specifically if any are running a martial arts school. It would be obscure, off the beaten path and almost impossible to find.” said John.

  “You mean impossible for mere mortals, not me, right?”

  “Let me know when you find something.”

  “Got it.” said Mole as he hung up.

  John came back to the main room to find Mikaela gone and Masami on the floor unconscious.

  Going after her would be pointless; it was obvious she was skilled and determined. He gently lifted Masami from the floor and placed her on the sofa. She came to slowly.

  “Masami, what happened?” John asked as he handed her a glass of water.

  “I underestimated her skill. I turned for a moment. That’s the last thing I remember.” said Masami.

  “She must be quite skilled.” said John.

  “Indeed.” said Masami. She was rubbing her neck and massaging parts of her shoulder.

  “We need to leave, now.” Masami nodded and tried to stand. She was a little shaky on her feet.

  “Do you think you can make it to the car?” said Masami.

  “I’ll be fine, give me two minutes.”

  “That’s going to be a literal two minutes. We are gone in 120.” John went to retrieve the rapid deploy bags he kept in every safe location. The set up was costly but it made leaving a location under stress easy. He checked the contents of both bags and checked his watch. One minute left. He swung by the kitchen, picked up the laptop and placed it in one of the bags. Then he picked up the phone and dialed Mole.

  “What’s the deal –”

  “Cleaning crew, now.” said John.

  “No, what, are you kidding? I just got that place for you!” said Mole.

  “Mikaela is gone. I’ll give you details later.”

  John hung up on Mole, who was getting quite creative with the curses, John noted.

  “Time to go, Masami.” said John.

  “I’m ready,” she said as she grabbed the backpack he handed her and slung it over her shoulders.

  “Are you sure you’re ok?”

  She nodded and looked him in the eyes.

  “Hai, we don’t have time in any case. We must assume this location is compromised.” said Masami.

  They made it to the car without difficulty. John pressed his finger to the handle and the door opened. John threw his bag in the back seat. He would have to sweep the car for any tracking devices, but time was against him. He pulled out of the garage and headed towards the BQE. He drove assuming he was being followed.

  Inside the Essex restaurant Mikaela sat watching as they left.

  “You got them?” said Mikaela.

  “Copy that, we got them.” A voice answered in her earpiece.

  “A simple yes or no will do.”

  Mikaela hated these gung ho types.

  “Yes ma’am, picking up their signal clearly.”

  “Good.” she said.

  Mikaela was in a foul mood, first having to engineer her own escape and then being sent a second string squad. David was going to hear about this right after she made sure someone paid for this incompetence.

  “Um, Ma’am?” said the voice.

  “Yes?” she said losing her patience.

  “Won’t they sweep the car for any tracking device you may have placed?”

  “If he has any skill, yes. Keep me updated on their location.” she said.

  She anticipated his sweeping the car which is why she reconfigured the laptop to be the tracking device. As long as he kept it with him she would know where he was.

  I am going to burn you John Kane, she thought as she watched the car pull away.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Kei shifted her weight onto her right leg and snapped a side kick at Lea. Lea slid back just out of range, the kick missing by an inch.

  “Nice kick,” said Lea

  Before Kei could react Lea turned her body, snapping her hips. As she completed the turn, she extended her arm, driving a spinning back fist at Kei’s head. Kei ducked at the last possible second, the strike barely registered on her radar. If it wasn’t for her training, she would be unconscious now, wondering what happened.

  “I almost connected. Are you distracted?” said Lea.

  What the hell? How can she be so fast? thought Kei.

  “Fine, you want pain, I have plenty for you.” said Kei.

  “All I hear are words, but not much action backing them up.” said Lea.

  Kei’s face reddened. Lea smiled as she took a step back.

  “Whenever you are ready, please bring me the pain, if you think you can,” said Lea.

  Kei inhaled sharply and attacked. She launched a driving front thrust kick that Lea side stepped. She followed that with a devastating low kick designed to break the femur. Lea stepped inside the kick and jammed it, taking the energy of the kick and continuing its circular path by sweeping Kei and throwing her off feet. Kei recovered instantly, planting her feet and unleashing an elbow at Lea’s head. Lea ducked and shot an arm into the elbow strike, effectively locking Kei’s arm mid-strike. With her free hand, she punched Kei in the solar plexus, forcing the air from her body. Lea retracted the fist and struck Kei along the temple with a knife hand. Kei stood dazed for a second. Lea chambered her hand to strike again, not believing that Kei was still standing, when Kei collapsed in her arms.

  “Yame-Stop!” said a voice from the corner of the dojo. It was Himara Sensei.

  “Hai Sensei.” Lea carried Kei over to the side of the dojo and laid her down. She stepped over to the where Himara Sensei had just sat.

  “What do you see?” asked Himara. Lea sat in the formal posture called seiza and bowed.

  “May I speak freely Sensei?” said Lea.

  “Of course.” said Himara.

  Lea exhaled slowly as the Sensei sat at a right angle to her.

  “She is skilled, highly skilled. Yet she has not mastered her ability. She is not of the bloodline but exhibits one of the five skills of our clan. She is immature and was easily goaded by my remarks into making a fatal error. I would say her training is halfway completed if I had to assess her skill. Whoever trained her knew what they were doing, but left the task incomplete.”

  Lea bowed when she finished speaking.

  The Sensei appeared to have his eyes closed.

  “You had several opportunities to end the exchange before this. Why did you not take them?” said Himara.

  Lea bowed again. “Each of those opportunities would have caused irreparable harm or a catastrophic failure in one or more of her body’s systems. I was under the impression this was a training and assessment exercise.”

  Sensei Himara nodded slightly.

  “Very well, take her to one of the rooms while I consider her future.” said Himara.

  Lea bowed and paused wanting to speak.

  “Sensei?” said Lea.

  “Yes?” said Himara.

  Himara appeared distracted by thought. He turned to face Lea.

  “May I inquire what you intend to do with her?”

  The Sensei looked at her for a few moments. Lea felt the full weight of his presence. She was about to apologize when he looked away, his face unreadable.

  “As of this moment, my instinct says to wait and see what ripples she has set in motion. This Kei is quite the paradox. On occasion, situations like this do not have immediate answers and it is best to allow them to present us with the solution.” said Himara.

  “So you don’t know,” said Lea.

  The Sensei laughed then.

  “In all your years, you were always the direct one. No, I do not know, daughter. Please take her to a room and see to her
injuries.” said Himara.

  “Hai Sensei.”

  Lea lifted Kei and made her way to the living quarters. She looked back to see the Sensei, her father still sitting in seiza as immobile as a statue, his presence filling the dojo floor until she felt him everywhere. She looked down at the unconscious Kei and wondered what brought her to their lives and who had taught her the skill she had. An uneasy feeling gripped her stomach. Somehow she knew this was not going to end well.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Failure was not an option. It never was. Most who knew him or of him thought his name was Kage, not realizing that it was an honorific, a title. To become the Kage meant he was the most ruthless, skilled and determined of the Shadow Blades. It meant he had fought and killed his way to the top. It also meant he was a prime target. Any blade could challenge the Kage as long as they accepted the terms of the challenge.

  Every challenge was a fight to the death. The more skilled the Kage, the less challengers he faced. This Kage had only received one challenge in his two years as leader of the Shadow Blades. He remembered it vividly. The challenge was issued in the traditional manner through a second. It was early in his leadership. The challenger felt that he had ascended to the leadership of the Blades because of his name.

  Keiji Fujita realized that to maintain his position he would have to answer the challenge. His challenger was Masato, one of the most skilled Blades.

  Masato felt he had a legitimate claim to the leadership of the Blades. Keiji did not question the challenge. He knew he had to beat Masato decisively to firmly establish his leadership. Masato, ten years Keiji’s senior had the reputation of being fearsome with the katana. All the arrangements had been made and on the appointed day, they stood before each other. All of the Blades were in attendance as well as three of the clan heads. Masato stood, sword in hand, ready for the victory he knew was assured him. Keiji stood before Masato, calm and serene. Keiji was prepared to die, Masato was not and this made all the difference.

  In the end, Keiji dealt honorably with Masato, executing the killing blow with such velocity that Masato didn’t register the cut until he tried to move and his head slid off his neck. That was the last challenge Keiji had encountered, until now.

  The Blade never left witnesses or survivors, until today. Today two had escaped him. It was a sign of weakness he would not, could not tolerate. This brought him to the present moment. The Blades assigned the task of sanitizing the property stood before him.

  “You were instructed to sanitize the location.” said Kage.

  “Yes, but –” began the first Blade.

  The action was too fast to follow. With a flick of his wrist, Kage cut across the Blade’s neck. A thin line formed as the blade reached up to his neck in a futile motion. Moments later, he collapsed, dead, blood pooling around the body.

  “As I was saying, you were instructed to sanitize the location and you failed.” said Kage.

  “Yes, Sir, my life is forfeit.” His arm had stopped bleeding long before but he knew his life could end in any moment.

  The Blade dropped to one knee, head bowed, exposing his neck.

  “Your life has always been forfeit, but you will do one last task for me before I claim what is mine.” said Kage.

  He reached into his shirt pocket and took out two pictures.

  “Find them and kill them, then I will give you the death you deserve.”

  The Blade bowed deeper.

  “Thank you Kage.”

  Kage tossed the pictures on the floor. Even in the low light conditions, the images of Masami and John holding Mikaela as they escaped the burning property were clear.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  John headed into Queens, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Mikaela’s escape worked in his favor. It allowed him greater freedom. In the long term, having her out there, hunting him was not acceptable. At some point they would cross paths again. She would have to be neutralized somehow.

  “She will need to be dealt with.” said Masami.

  John looked at her quickly.

  “It is the most prudent course of action.” said Masami.

  “I know, I know I was just thinking the same thing,” said John.

  Masami nodded.

  “That will happen soon enough. I don’t think she is going on vacation any time soon.” said John.

  “Do not make my mistake, John. Do not underestimate her.” said Masami.

  John was about to answer when his phone rang.

  “What’s the status?” said John.

  “Cleaning crew is on site and you were never there. You need to sweep the car, or better yet call Iris and get another vehicle.”

  “I will. Any more progress on CATT?”

  “That’s going to take some digging. This place makes a black ops outfit look like its advertising, that’s how deep they are. You sure you want me to go after them?” said Mole.

  “Can you do it without getting caught?”

  “Normally I would say, absolutely, with my eyes closed. But these guys aren’t the usual. There is a chance they can trace me.”

  John had never heard Mole be so cautious. If he was saying it was going to be difficult, it meant CATT had some very skilled people working for them.

  “Well, if you can’t –” started John.

  “Hold on a sec, I didn’t say I couldn’t. I said there is a chance, slim as it may be, it’s there.”

  John smiled; he knew Mole couldn’t back down from a challenge.

  “What are you telling me, Mole?”

  “I’ll get the info, you deal with any backlash.”

  “Don’t I always?” said John.

  “Yes you do.”

  “Anything else you have for me?” said John.

  “Yep, found a location for you regarding the Fujita martial arts school. They’re off the beaten path, hard to find, kind of exclusive. They don’t advertise or promote themselves.

  “If they are that hard to find, how did you find them?” asked John.

  “John, John, John. I’m insulted. I merely put my demi god powers to good use.” said Mole.

  “Right your lordship. Do you have an address?”

  “I’m getting the distinct impression that my near divinity is being questioned.”

  “The address?” said John.

  “I sent it to your phone.”

  “Good. Let me know when you make progress on CATT. Mikaela won’t hang back for too long. I want to be prepared.”

  “I’m on it. Be careful with the ice queen, John. I’ll put a folder together on her for you as well. It’s going to be thin though.”

  “Thanks, Mole.” John hung up.

  John looked at the address and saw it was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The area had recently been invaded by a wave of young professionals and the developers had capitalized on it. New construction was everywhere. Old industrial buildings were being converted into condos and lofts. The old neighborhood John recalled was a distant memory.

  “Where are we going?” asked Masami.

  “To see if we can get some answers,” John said as he headed for the exit that would lead him into the heart of Brooklyn.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Trevor was not prone to nervousness. He had faced situations that had undone many of his colleagues. It wasn’t that he was fearless. He knew better than that. Rather he accepted fear, embraced and expected it. To Trevor, fear was a comfortable garment, form fitting and snug. He had grown accustomed to it and it had lost its power over him. He was a highly trained asset and yet none of his training removed the unease he felt in the pit of his stomach.

  He told the director that involving Kane was an error. He still felt that John should have been eliminated while they had the opportunity. That window was all but closed. Now inadvertently or not, CATT was involved. He would have to deal with the team led by Petrovich who was like a dog with a bone. She would not relent until forced to. It was getting more complicated by the hour. Sooner rather
than later, he would have to take the necessary steps to ensure there was no blowback from this op. He was going to have to get his hands dirty.

  He hated getting his hands dirty.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Kei’s body approached consciousness cautiously. Her body ached everywhere and her return to awareness was reluctant as if her body knew what was waiting. She looked around; she was in someone’s bedroom.

  “Oh good, you’re awake. Sorry about the room. Sensei wanted you here so you wouldn’t attract too much attention. Are you feeling better?”

  The voice was familiar to Kei, but she still felt like she was in a dream state. Then it all came rushing back, the voice belonged to the woman who had put her in this state to begin with - Lea.

  Kei carefully took in the room, noticing the sparseness of furniture or personal items. Lea saw her looking around and answered her question.

  “This used to be my old bedroom, when I lived here. Now it’s given to visiting Sensei or guests of the school. We don’t really get many of either, so it goes mostly unused.” said Lea.

  Kei was upset and remained quiet. Lea picked up on her mood.

  “I can see you’re upset, what I don’t understand is why. It was your fault,” said Lea.

  “My fault – ow!” Kei tried sitting up.

  “I wouldn’t make any sudden moves if I were you.” said Lea.

  Kei settled back down into the bed.

  “How is what happened my fault?” said Kei.

  Kei moved slowly around the throbbing pain in her head.

  “Your first mistake was holding back in the beginning. In a life and death context, you would be dead. You never hold back when facing a superior enemy. Mistake one. You failed to recognize you were facing a superior enemy which would have been evident if emotion did not cloud your decision making process. Mistake Two. You let me goad you into making amateur errors. You were as easy to read as a book.

  I was able to use that and maneuver you where I wanted. You didn’t see the fight took place on several levels. The physical level was only the most apparent. Mistake three. If you add all that, had I been intent on killing you, would have been very dead. Frankly I’m surprised you have made it this far.”