Light and Shadows: A Kaitlyn Strong Story

by Art DeForest

  “They have a trap planned for you and the Chew Toy.” She replied immediately. “Antonella knows you won’t be able to resist attempting a rescue. It will also be a wake-up call to the lycan’s, showing them not to interfere with their betters.” she said with a innocent smile on her face.

  “Thank you dear.” Said Sara softly. “But let’s not call Kaitlyn by that filthy name anymore, shall we?”

  Lila’s face immediately crumpled in despair over disappointing her master. “I’m sorry Master. It won’t happen again.” She said with unshed tears shining in her eyes.

  “I’m sure it won’t, just be polite to those around you from now on.” Said Sara patting Lila on the head like she was a pet. “Now dear, please tell us where they are keeping our friend and how they plan to trap us.”

  “Well, I was supposed to point you in the direction of an abandoned office building in the Bronx.” Said Lila, staring adoringly at Sara. “But they’re actually keeping her in the family compound, upstate.”

  “So, they have a trap in place for the office building?” Asked Sara.

  “Oh yes, They have a small army ready and waiting. They even have combat trained human servants in place to watch during the day.” She replied.

  “They probably think we wouldn’t dare take on a target as big as their family compound, even if we found out about it.”

  3

  “Does anyone else feel like this is some kind of double blind trap?” I said, looking around the conference room table at the others. “I’m not sure we can trust what Lila’s telling us, even if she is being truthful.”

  Deacon nodded at the comment. “I suspect the same.” He said with a troubled gaze in my direction. “Antonella is many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. She had to suspect that we would get all the information out of Lila. Even if she doesn’t know how.”

  “One thing has been bothering me also,” said Viktor. “How did they get Trish out of Sasha’s? We’ve had the place under surveillance almost since the attack.”

  We all looked around at each other for a moment, wondering how we’d missed that point. Finally Lila’s voice spoke up tentatively from the corner. “They took her down through the old subway tunnel.”

  Marcus stared at her for a moment before he started looking through the blueprints scattered haphazardly on the table. “I didn’t see anything like that shown on these.” he said in bafflement.

  Lila shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know about that.” she said. “All I know is that it’s been there for years. It’s how we get into Sasha’s to feed if we don’t want to be seen.

  “Does this subway tunnel lead to other Abandonado holdings?” Asked Viktor seriously.

  “Sure.” Said Lila brightly. “I can take it straight from the basement of my apartment building.”

  “You live in Sky Tower, do you not?” Asked Viktor, nodding along with her. Sky Tower was a Manhattan high rise owned by Antonella’s family. It wasn’t too far from the bombed out remains of Vampire headquarters.

  Lila nodded her head in confirmation and Viktor continued. “Have you been anywhere else via this underground system?

  “I’ve been to a couple other feeding clubs, using the tunnels, but that’s it. I’ve heard they lead to a bunch of other places. Really, most of the city, if you know where you’re going.”

  I nodded at that. The subway and sewer tunnels underneath New York City were the stuff of urban legend. Walled off subway tunnels and even stations were the least of what I’d heard about them over the years.

  “Great, just great!” growled Marcus. “How the hell are we going to find her. We can’t search the whole city.” He said, his voice sinking into despair.

  Sara snorted at his remark. “You are so distraught, you are thinking like a human.” She said with a small grin. “You have a nose afterall. Perhaps you should consider using it?”

  Marcus just stared at her for a moment with his mouth hanging open. “Wow, I really am losing it.” He mumbled as his face turned bright red.

  “Fangs could probably be of some use in that area as well.” I said, reaching down to stroke my companion’s head as he lay, curled up on my lap. He was getting so big, I wondered how much longer he was going to be able to fit.

  At the mention of Fang’s name, Kangee, Sara’s raven familiar squawked from his perch on a nearby coat rack. “Stupid cat, stupid cat.” Fang’s gazed briefly in Kangee’s direction before sniffing audibly and laying his head back down to receive more stroking.

  “We will need access to that particular tunnel as well as the best maps we can find of those subterranean spaces.” Said Deacon speculatively.

  “Where in Sasha’s is the entrance to the tunnel?” I asked.

  “It’s in the storeroom, across from the club manager’s office.” Replied Lila

  “So, not that hard to get to, but if we have to kill more guards to get in the place, they’re going to know that we’re up to something.” I replied, contemplatively.

  “I’ll have our people access the city records.” Said Deacon. “Perhaps we can gain access from a nearby building without drawing attention.”

  “How is that tunnel accessed in Sasha’s?” Asked Marcus as he continued to peruse the plans.

  “There’s a small elevator that leads down to the platform.” Lila replied.

  “How long does it take to travel between the two levels” Continued Marcus.

  “Not long, maybe ten or fifteen seconds.” She said.

  Marcus’ face became grim once more as he assembled the information. “We don’t have time to dig our own elevator shaft.” He growled. “If that”s a sealed off tunnel or station, I doubt very seriously that the surrounding structures are going to have access to it. We have to go in through Sasha’s now and we have to go in hard. Trish’s life might depend on it.”

  Marcus’ point struck home with all of us. We sat mutley around the conference table, mentally balancing Trish’s life and pain against the need to have a solid plan going in. Detailed plans had never been my strong suit and my mind kept flashing back to my own captivity at the hands of the Abandonados.

  “Marcus is right.” I piped up. The gazes around the table went from contemplative staring too focused on my face as I spoke up. “We don’t know what is happening to Trish or how much longer she has.” Going in now, when the sun is coming up is going to give us the advantage over most vampires. In all likelihood, if we meet anyone, it’s going to be a human servant or just some city maintenance worker.”

  “I don’t like it.” replied Viktor. “At the very least, we should gather reinforcements before going in.”

  “A few specialists can often get into more places than an army.” Countered Marcus. “And if Trish is being held somewhere other than the two places the Abandonados are expecting attack, then it is likely to be less heavily guarded.”

  Sara had been sitting silently during the discussion, weighing both sides. “In this case, I think that Marcus is correct. We have a small window of advantage here, thanks to Lila’s assistance.” Lila smiled sleepily at the compliment. It was pretty obvious that the rising sun would soon have her dead to the world.

  Sara stared at Lila’s sleepy countenance before continuing. “We can also take advantage of having skilled operators who can walk the day.” She continued on speculatively. The Abandonado family has never been known for it’s great supply of daywalkers and they would never ally themselves with lycans or any of the other magical species. Vampire superiority has always been one of their mainstays.”

  Viktor opened his mouth to, no doubt raise further objections, but Deacon spoke first. “I have to agree with Sara.” He said, nodding to himself. “There has never been outdoor guards on Sasha’s during the day. That leaves us with a thirty foot hallway as a potential danger zone within the club.”

  “You still don’t know what you will find in the tunnels.” Replied Viktor quickly. “This could all be a set up and there could be an army waiting for you dow
n there.”

  “If that is the case, an army of our own would be of limited utility anyway.” Replied Deacon. “They know the tunnel system and if they are waiting for us, they will undoubtedly have superior ambush positions.” If we take a small skilled team down, we will at the very least limit the casualties.”

  Viktor stared around the table for a moment, taking in our expressions. Finally, he sighed in resignation. “I can see that I am being overruled in this. Also, I don’t have the ability to give our lycan allies orders at any rate. Just, try to come back alive, yes?”

  ++++

  With that argument concluded, another one ensued almost immediately when Sara informed us that she would be going on the mission as well. Marcus started sputtering arguments almost immediately. “You’re far too important to risk in something this dangerous!” He said, staring daggers at her.

  “Trish is my head of security and one of my best friends.” Sara returned calmly. “I will not sit back and wait while others see to her rescue.”

  “You have more than one lycan to think about.” Riposted Marcus. “The welfare of all the lycans, not to mention the alliance of the lycans and vampires, hinges on your presence.”

  Fire sparked in Sara’s eyes at Marcus’ continued objections. “The lycans are very capable of taking care of themselves and assigning a new ambassador to the vampire council.” She said coldly. “I will not be kept back from this, Marcus.”

  Marcus looked over at Deacon and me. “Help me out here guys.” He asked plaintively.

  “Sorry Marcus.” I said shaking my head in sympathy. “The fact is, we stand a much better chance of success with her along than if she’s left cooling her heels her at headquarters.”

  Marcus looked at me in hurt betrayal for a moment before looking over at Deacon in supplication. “I’m sorry Marcus.” Said Deacon somberly. “Sara’s involvement could well be vital to this operation.”

  Marcus stood glaring at all of us in anger for a moment, before his expression crumpled and his gaze dropped to the floor. “I just don’t want to lose someone else.” He muttered.

  His expression tore at my heart. You could clearly see why he was the pack second. Protecting and taking care of the pack weighed heavily on his shoulders.

  Sara rose and embraced Marcus briefly. “I am very hard to kill, Marcus. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Marcus took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, I know when I’m beaten. Now, Let’s go get our girl back.”

  4

  It was about 8:00 am when we finally reached Sasha’s once more. As expected, The back door to Sasha’s was unguarded from the outside. Deacon and I took up guard positions watching both ends of the alley while Marcus slid a camera probe under the door to make sure the hallway was empty.

  After a few seconds of regarding the small screen, he moved to a small keycard slot beside the door. He slid what looked like a credit card attached by a ribbon cable to a small hand held device, into the card slot. After scrutinizing the display on the unit briefly, he input some numbers. There was an audible click as the electronic lock snapped open.

  Since I didn’t have to play decoy this time, I was outfitted in my tactical gear. My gladius hung over the back of my bullet proof vest. My Kimber 1911A1 was on my right hip, balanced by a pouch carrying several Hawthorne stakes on my left. The kukri was strapped across my chest for easy access.

  The sound of the lock opening was all the signal we needed to move into position behind Sara and Marcus. Kanjee leapt from Sara’s shoulder and took off into the sky to keep overwatch. He wouldn’t be much help in the close confines of the tunnels. Fang’s watched him fly away momentarily before once more staring intently at the door as Marcus eased it open.

  We entered quietly and moved directly to the door of the store room. Marcus was on point, followed by Sara and Deacon. Fangs and I brought up the rear. The door to the storeroom was open and I breathed a sigh of relief as we all made it silently into the room.

  Marcus lead the way toward the back of the room, weaving his way between boxes and shelves, containing everything from bottles of alcohol to cleaning supplies. When we caught up to him, he was examining a shelf that Lila told us was fake. After another moment he reached up behind the shelf and flipped a hidden switch.

  The shelf slid sideways on silent rollers, revealing a narrow elevator door. A pad next to the door, had a single button with an arrow pointing down. He looked over his shoulder at us briefly before raising the silenced MP5 in his hand to ready position and pressing the button.

  Nothing happened immediately, but my vampire hearing told me that the elevator car had started its ascent from the depths below. There was no “ding” signal of an arriving car. The door just slid silently aside giving us a view of the, thankfully, empty interior.

  Upon considering it for a moment, I was glad we didn’t have any more people on this op than we had. The car was pleasant. Carpeted with mirrored walls to give the illusion of size, but it was very small. Fangs tail was in very real danger of being stepped on as we crowded into the cramped confines of the elevator. That never ended well for whoever was unfortunate enough to perpetrate such a heinous act, even if it was by accident. Several people had been in need of first aid after such an occasion. I was just lucky I healed quickly.

  True to Lila’s report, the car traveled down for about fifteen seconds before easing to a stop at it’s destination. The door slid quietly open to reveal, what looked to be, an old subway platform. For all it’s age however, it seemed to be clean and well maintained. Vampires can be terribly fussy about getting dust on their party clothes.

  After assuring himself that the immediate area was clear, Marcus started to remove his gear in preparation for changing forms. “Hold on a sec.” I said quietly. Let’s see if Fangs can pick up anything first.”

  Marcus glanced our way before shrugging and resuming a ready position, eyes scanning the surrounding area constantly.

  I crouched down to face Fangs. He met my gaze, head tilted slightly in curiosity as I built as detailed a mental image of Trish that I could in my mind and sent it to my tawny companion. “Find Trish, Fangs.” I said out loud and mentally at the same time. Fangs’ head tilted to the other side as he considered the information I’d given him.

  After a brief moment, he looked around the area before raising his nose to sniff the air. Rising up from his haunches he strode back to the elevator door with his nose to the ground. After sniffing along the bottom of the door briefly, he turned and headed towards the subway tunnel to our left. He took a somewhat meandering course all the way to the tunnel entrance before looking over his shoulder in our direction as if asking, “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  “I guess he’s got the scent” I said. I walked past Marcus to take point then, mentally admonishing Fangs to be cautious and stay within sight of me. I got a distinctive, Yes Mom, vibe from him then, maybe with a good old teenager eye roll thrown in for good measure. I scowled down at him as I got close but he just sniffed slightly before resuming the track.

  Although there had actually been some lighting on the station platform itself, the tunnel was dark. This didn’t pose any problem for us. Having night vision was awesome! Fangs jumped lithely down from the platform itself and started walking along beside the old, disused tracks. We quickly followed suit and Fangs picked up his pace slightly as we moved along. I was eternally grateful that this line was no longer in service or the moving air currents of repeated train passage would have defeated us immediately.

  The tunnel continued on with no break for about three blocks before opening out into yet another platform. The entrances of this one were walled off however and the dust and grime of decades littered the floors and walls. Fangs showed no interest in investigating the platform and after looking around briefly we continued on our way.

  The longer we were down there the more amazed I became at the unseen underground world that lay beneath Manhattan. Other tunnels led off in various dire
ctions. More abandoned stations spaced here and there along the route. It was a good thing we had a scent trail to follow or we’d have had no hope of finding anything relevant in the winding maze.

  Fangs was a trooper though and led us confidently through it all with single minded intensity. He was stopped after what felt like several miles of trekking through the dark. He circled in place several times before sitting down on his haunches and looking around. I could sense his confusion at the sudden loss of the scent.

  I walked up and crouched beside him, and scratched between his ears. “Disappeared did it?” I asked quietly. Hearing this, the rest of the team started to look around for any evidence of where Trish’s captors may have taken her. It took awhile but finally Deacon pointed up at the ceiling. “There,” he said. “There is a hatch of some kind in the ceiling.”