“Authorities are baffled as to how five young men were kidnapped the other day, after they were with their family the entire night, the police speculate-” I click off the TV in disgust.

“While they’re speculating my brothers are gone,” I slammed the remote down on the coffee table, “And they tell me to keep calm, HOW THE HE-,” I breathe deep trying to get myself under control, “How the heck do I keep calm, when they are out there alone?” I stare at a picture with all of us in a group taken when we were kids, I was holding my youngest brother in my arms, “They tell me not to do anything rash or stupid... well I’ll give them rash and stupid,” I say to the photo, and then run to my closet pulling out a sheathed sword.

I stare at the leather bound metal sheath, then pulled out the sword. I never thought that it would come in handy until now, it had been a gift from a friend after I had taken fencing lessons, but after I gave up on that, and started getting more serious about my current profession, it had just collected dust.

Even though it had been years since I had fenced, using that sword was like a second language to me, and I felt satisfied I could hold my own.

“I’m coming for you,” I knew exactly where to get my first clue as to where to find them.

~

“I told you, going after them is a no go, they will tear you apart, and then kill your brothers, if they aren’t already dead,” my friend sat across the table from me, trying to convince me not to go when I was trying to convince him to go with me. The restaurant we were at was small and quiet so no one would overhear us.

“Look, I’ll I am trying to do is get you to come with me, and I am going to do this, with or without you, I can’t leave them out there.”

He rubs his forehead knowing he was defeated, “You are too much like your father was,” he muttered, “Go on with my blessing, I just can’t get involved. If something happens I am not going to be able to save you.”

I stuck out my hand for him to shake, “Deal, you weren’t involved, now tell me what I need to know.”

“As far as I know they were taken by a group that bases themselves at the south end of the city, no one knows their name, no one knows where they came from, and no one truly knows what they want. However I know that they like traditional methods of fighting, but will resort to guns,” he looks at my sword skeptically, “So if you are still going after them, you need to make sure you kill them before they get to whatever modern weapon they have up their sleeve, literally,” he gave me an address, “This is where they usually base,”

“Got it, now I’m going, if you want to follow, be my guest,” I stood up and walked out, he never followed, “Thanks abuji,” I said sadly.

~

I drove my car across the city, all the way up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse... a heavily guarded, abandoned warehouse.

I parked my car in some trees just outside the entrance, and unsheathed my sword, “You don’t have a name yet, but I promise if I get out of this alive I will name you, just help me get my brothers,” I whispered to it as I walked up to the main gate.

“Are you lost miss?” a man in sunglasses and a dark coat, looking like he was from The Matrix walked up to me, “Do you need directions?”

I gave him a sweet smile, “Oh no, I just used to play here as a little girl, and I wanted to relive the memories,” it was possible, they had only just recently been here, plenty of kids could have played here before they came.

“Well this is private property now, I’m sorry you will have to leave,” he waved me back down the road.

I pretended to pout, “What a pity,” I quickly unsheathed my sword and cut him down, “What a pity for you I mean,” I removed my coat that I had worn for the ride, no sense in wearing it when it would probably get beat up anyway, and stalked toward the entrance.

I hid in the shadows, sneaking from room to room trying to find one of them, taking down two guys before I was at the end of the first hall.

I saw my youngest brother Jun first, tied to a chair, his lip cut and bleeding. He looked beaten in every sense of the word, I could only imagine what my other brothers looked like.