by S. C. Stokes
“How did you get out of that?” Vida asked, rocking on his seat.
“At great cost,” Kasey replied, scratching at the nape of her neck. “Sanders came through for me. He slipped me a key for my cuffs and during the trial I ditched them and went after Akihiro. I shattered his illusion in the middle of the crowded court room. The world saw him for who he truly was, and they turned on him. During the carnage, he killed a number of members of the Arcane Council and ran for his life.”
Bishop’s eyes widened. “So, you dislodged him from the Council. Nice work. Without the ADI backing him, it will be easier to bring him down.”
“That’s what we thought,” Kasey said, her eyes starting to water at the memory. “Turns out, he still has plenty of acolytes willing to do his bidding. We hunted him through the Underpass but when we confronted him, his minions were there. There was a firefight, and during it he…” Kasey took a shuddering breath. “He killed John and made his escape.”
“John is dead?” Bishop whispered. “Kasey, I’m so sorry.”
Kasey shook her head. Thinking of John made her heart ache in so many ways. “I can’t talk about that, please. Not now.”
“Okay, Kasey, what happened next?” Bishop rested her hand on Kasey’s knee and gave her a small smile.
“Akihiro made it out and butchered his way through lower Manhattan. I’m sure you’ve seen the footage. That was him and his cronies. With his identity revealed, he wanted to plunge the city into as much chaos as possible, so he outed the World of Magic in an effort to tie up the council’s resources while he destroys the city.”
“It’s proved effective,” Bishop replied. “We’ve been flat out trying to keep people in check. The footage of Akihiro attacking innocent bystanders was everywhere. It played on every channel, and it’s all over the web. People don't’ know how to respond to it. Some think he’s a one of a kind, some sort of government engineered super soldier. Others swear its magic. One thing is clear though—he murdered a dozen innocents on prime-time TV. The city knows it’s a threat. Anyone displaying extra-normal abilities is being hunted. You need to make sure that your people lay low, Kasey. This may yet blow over.”
“We can’t keep doing that, Bishop,” Kasey shook her head. “We only have hours to stop them, and there’s not going to be anything discreet about the fight that is to come. The Arcane Council knows the game is up. Too much has happened, and soon the world is going to understand the truth. The council is done hiding. If they don’t deal with Akihiro, he’ll destroy the city. What do you think that will do? A wizard taking out the Tristate area. It will plunge us into a civil war. Normals versus wizards. It will be a bloodbath.”
“Okay, so what’s their plan?” Vida asked.
“Direct assault, and they want the precinct’s help. We need to talk to West.”
Bishop rose from her chair. “No time like the present. What are you going to tell him?”
Kasey got to her feet and stretched both arms. “The truth, and as much of it as it takes to convince him how dire the threat is.”
“I’m coming with you,” Vida said, standing up. “We’ve seen the Shinigami’s work close up, and I know what’s going on at Park Avenue. I’m sure that together, we can get him on our side.”
The tears brimming in Kasey’s eyes slid down her cheeks. She dabbed them away. “It is good to see you both again. In the past few weeks, there were days when I didn’t think I would.”
Bishop wrapped her arm around Kasey’s shoulder. “Us, too. I’m glad we were wrong. Now, let’s go see the chief.”
Chapter Five
Kasey studied Chief West. He sat back in his chair; his arms crossed firmly across his chest. His lips were drawn tight. Black bags were visible beneath his eyes, his expression utterly unreadable.
Across the desk from West sat Bishop and Vida, occupying the two chairs. Kasey stood behind them, leaning on the chair backs.
Chief West frowned. “So, what you're telling me is that the reason you've been absent the past few weeks is, you have been working to take down a mad wizard that is trying to destroy the city? Your stint on the FBI's most wanted list was as a result of a misinformation campaign they had run against you, and that if I don't rally the forces of the Ninth Precinct behind you and perform a direct assault on a luxury residential tower, then the entire city is going to be destroyed by the end of the day? Does that about sum things up?”
Kasey stood up a little straighter and ran her hand through a hair. “When you say it like that, it does sound a little crazy. But the thing is, it’s also the truth. So, let’s get specific, which part are you having trouble with?”
“Let's try all of it,” West replied.
Kasey went to open her mouth, but Bishop cut her off. “Chief, I know it sounds far-fetched, but you've seen the footage of the Broadway attack. How can you explain that, if not for magic? Those poor souls were suspended in the air and tortured, before being brutally murdered. That man is a wizard. The same powers he was using to hurt all those innocent people, are the same powers he's going to use to level the city by the end of the day. He is the man responsible for the attack on our precinct. He’s responsible for the death of our officers. Everything that has happened has been a part of his plot to destroy the city.”
West let out a deep breath. “Let's say I believe you, Bishop, and I want to. As much as I would love to get my hands around the neck of the man responsible for hitting our precinct, how do we know this wizard was the mind behind it? How do we know that he is holed up in that apartment tower? The whole city is on edge. The last thing we need is for the police to ram-raid a private property. It would only serve to further heighten everyone's state of alarm. People could be injured or killed—not to mention my officers. There's just not enough actionable evidence to support an assault of that magnitude. Call me a skeptic, but the notion that these witches and wizards exist right under our very nose is a little difficult for me to believe.”
“You say that, Chief, but I've been under your nose for months and you're still having trouble believing that witches exist and magic is real,” Kasey said. “There's nothing else I can do but show you.” She took a step back and raised both of her palms outstretched before her. “Pêl Tân.”
A ball of flame flickered to life over each of her outstretched hands. Each ball of fire whirled and turned in the air as wisps of flame flickered toward the ceiling.
West's eyes went wide. The fire reflected on his glasses.
He inched away from the blaze, pressing himself back into the leather of his chair.
The room began to heat. Sweat trickled down Vida's brow as he watched in awe.
Kasey closed her left hand and the ball of fire hovering above it wisped out of existence. Still controlling the ball of fire above her right hand, she made it dance.
West’s eyes followed the ball of fire as it bounced around the room as if on an invisible string.
With a flick of her wrist, Kasey extinguished the blaze. “As you can see, Chief, I am a witch, magic is very real, and so is the threat to this city. If we don't do something now, by nightfall there will be nothing left of the New York City you know and love.”
West shuffled in his chair. “Now that was a more compelling argument. You're a witch, you say? Well, I'll be damned. I've seen a lot in my time, but I never would have guessed. I always figured magic is the stuff of books and movies. To see it, in my face. It's something else.”
“I can only imagine, Chief,” Kasey replied. “I'd love to stand here and banter about it all day, but frankly, we just don't have the time. The man you saw murder those innocent people is right now, as we speak, putting into action a plan that will destroy the city.”
“She's right, sir,” Vida chimed in. “If he succeeds in detonating a device deep enough beneath the city, he'll create enough seismic activity to destroy much of New York. Whatever isn't wiped out by the earthquake will surely be destroyed by the tsunami that will inevitably follow. He must be stopped, no matter
the cost.”
“Do you have a plan?” West asked.
“Somewhat,” Kasey answered. “To be honest, we know little of what will greet us once we breach the building. We know that we will have to split up into two forces, with one clearing toward the basement and another working their way up the building, scouring floor by floor to ensure no one is able to escape. We have two objectives. We need to both stop the weapon and kill Akihiro, the wizard responsible for the plot. If he survives or, worse yet, escapes, he will simply contrive a new plan to carry out his murderous intentions. You cannot underestimate him. He was willing to kill a high-ranking member of the magical community and assume his identity for an entire year in order to bring this plan to fruition. There is nothing he won't do, no price he will not pay to achieve his objective.”
Chief West drummed his fingers on the table. “What, precisely, would you have us do?”
Kasey stepped forward and sat on the edge of West's desk. We need police to isolate the target. Establish a perimeter three blocks in every direction. Then, we need your help tightening the noose until we can choke the life out of him.”
“And your positive he's in there?” West asked.
“Absolutely. We'd also like to borrow a number of tactical vehicles to help us breach the perimeter.”
West nodded. “Who, exactly, is we?”
“Akihiro is a wizard. He will be met in kind. My people are preparing a strike force as we speak. We’ll have a division of almost fifty of our most experienced combat mages. If we can secure armored transport to assist in safely reaching the target, we will dig him out of his hole.”
West stood up. “We can do a lot better than simply providing transport and a perimeter. If the city is going to be destroyed, it’s all or nothing. I’ll reach out to the other precincts. With the additional manpower, we can lock down Park Avenue and provide close air support. I think we should consider to attempt an airborne insertion via helicopter. With tactical teams sweeping down from the rooftop, we can pincer anyone in between.”
“I like the sound of that,” Bishop said.
“Chief,” Kasey began, “we have every reason to believe the building has been heavily fortified. The Shinigami have both magic and munitions. Anyone you send into that building is likely to die in there.”
“In there, out here. If you are right about their plan for the city, it won’t matter. If we fail, we’re all going to die. At least in there we’ll be making a difference. Besides, we’re the NYPD, Kasey. We don’t back down from a fight.”
Kasey rose from her chair. Things were coming together, and not a moment too soon. The clock on the rear wall of the office read 10:50 am. Time was running out. The strike teams still needed to be mustered. With the NYPD providing the transportation, the Ninth Precinct made a natural rally point.
“Chief, time is of the essence. With your permission, can we rally the strike teams here at the Precinct? The city is not a safe place for our kind right now. Gathering anywhere else will draw unwanted attention.”
West was silent for a moment, then he replied, “Fifty wizards, here in the precinct…I guess there has to be a first time for everything. In the meantime, I’ll make a few calls to our other station chiefs. We’ll bring the combined might of the NYPD down on this Akihiro.”
“I’ll call Sanders.” Kasey reached into her jacket for her phone “He’ll have them here within the hour.”
The ground shook, knocking Kasey off her feet. She fell to the ground with a thud.
The sound of the blast followed.
The office windows shattered, showering the office with shards of glass. Kasey turned away as the deadly rain descended. Her leather jacket protected her from the worst of it.
It’s too early. This can’t be happening now. We still have hours.
Reaching for the chair for support, Kasey pulled herself to her feet.
“What the hell was that?” West demanded bracing against the desk. “I thought you said we had time.”
Kasey shook her head. “I don’t know. This isn’t right. This can’t be happening now.”
She darted to the window and, careful to avoid the shards of glass on the sill, searched the skyline. It was clear. No emerald green tinged smoke as she had expected. In her visions, it had always wafted up through the cracks in the shattered street.
Then it came. A thick plume of dust rose into the air.
Searching for the source of the blast, Kasey turned her gaze to the street below.
The dust was rising from the station below.
If it’s not the attack on the city, then what?
The street was devoid of police officers, but a dozen vehicles blocked the street before the station. Men were piling out of the vans and trucks and drawing weapons. Vida appeared beside her at the window.
A cold tingle ran up Kasey’s spine. It was déjà vu. She’d seen the same sight from the fourth floor of the Night Crew stash house as their reinforcements had arrived.
What are they doing here? Are they in league with Akihiro?
It made no sense. Their hit man had been left for dead and Kasey had long since ditched the money that they had been using to track her. How had the Night Crew found her?
“What is it, Kasey? What’s going on?” Bishop asked, getting to her feet.
Kasey glanced over her shoulder at Bishop. “We have company and not the good kind.”
“Akihiro?” West asked, reaching into his desk for his pistol.
“Nope. From the look of them, I’d say Night Crew, and their timing couldn’t be worse.” Kasey stepped away from the window. “Chief, you’re going to need a much bigger gun.”
“Why are they here?” West demanded.
Kasey glanced out the window in time to see a number of the Night Crew turn their weapons on the shattered window of West’s office.
“They’re likely here for me,” Kasey replied. “Get down!”
She grabbed Vida and pulled him away from the window.
Gun shots rang out from the street as a deadly fusillade bracketed the window frame and office ceiling.
When the gunfire ceased, West turned to Kasey. “Why is it that everyone wants to kill you?”
“In my defense, it’s not always my fault,” Kasey replied, her mind racing as she thought of the Night Crew swarming on the street below.
“How about this time, Kasey?” Bishop asked pointing to the street.
Kasey nodded. “I’m not going to lie, Bishop, it’s definitely a possibility. It seems I stirred up quite the hornet’s nest. The Night Crew must have ID’d me from the FBI’s broadcasts. I may have got off their most wanted list, but it seems like the Night Crew aren’t the forgive and forget type.”
As the four of them hunkered on the floor of West’s office, a phone rang loudly, puncturing the momentary silence.
“It’s mine,” West said, reaching for the desk. Picking it up, he answered it and then put it on speaker. “This is West.”
“Chief West, we have a call coming through the switchboard. It’s the men outside. They want to speak to you,” the voice announced.
“Put them through., West replied.
“West?” a voice on the line asked in a thick accent. Kasey couldn’t quite place it, but she knew it was Eastern European.
“This is West. Who is this?”
“My name is not important. What is important, is what I want. There is a young woman in your station. She’s been a tremendous inconvenience to our organization. Her name is Kasey Chase. We’ve come to collect her.”
“You can’t seriously believe I would hand one of my own over to you,” West replied.
“Consider carefully, West. That blast was just the first. Consider it my warning. The Ninth Precinct can lose many lives today, or it can lose just the one. Send out the woman or we’ll come in and fetch her out ourselves. If it’s the latter, the blood of your officers will be on your hands.”
West clenched the receiver so hard his knuckles turned
white. “You want her, come and get her.”
Chapter Six
Kasey looked at Chief West. His brow furrowed as he clenched his fist. In similar situations, most men might have traded one life for many. Particularly when that one life was someone else’s life. There was no way on Earth that Chief West was ever going to make that trade. His quiet courage was one of the things that Kasey respected most about him.
Unfortunately, he was about to pay a terrible price for that courage, and Kasey just couldn't let that happen. The Ninth Precinct had suffered too many losses already.
She grabbed her phone and tossed it to Vida. “Call Sanders. Tell him the precinct is under attack. It’s the Night Crew. We need reinforcements, and we need them as soon as possible.”
“Kasey, where are you going?” Bishop asked.
“To deal with the Night Crew. This is our house. They have no place here. Chief, pull back your men. They are heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Have them beat a fighting retreat and direct them to fall back to the fourth floor. All we have to do is survive. Reinforcements will be here before you know it. In the meantime, I'll give them something to think about.”
“You can't go out there alone,” Bishop replied, almost pleading. “I’ll come with you.”
“I can, and I will,” Kasey answered. “I need you all alive for our plan to succeed. If the Night Crew were to catch and kill any of you as retaliation for what I've done, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Stay here, rally the precinct, and reach out to the surrounding stations. I'm going to drive these mongrels from our house.”
She bolted from the room, leaving West, Bishop, and Vida huddled together in the battered office.
Every moment mattered. The floors beneath were full of officers who would resist the Night Crew. Kasey needed to put herself between them and the encroaching thugs. If she failed, at least the Night Crew would leave with what they came for, keeping the rest of the Precinct safe.
There was no way of knowing exactly how many men the Night Crew had brought, but there could be as many as a hundred of them, in and around the precinct. She needed to ensure the officers survived and fell back as they were instructed.