The Hatsumi Brothers (Book 1: Vengeance and Forgiveness)

My name is Helena Kruger, and right now, I’m in some serious trouble. Unable to escape, I am forced to await my inevitable end. It all started when my daughter, Lucy, and I were walking home from Central Park. We spent the entire day at the zoo. We stopped by our preferred noodle shop to eat one of our favorite dishes, pizza gyoza. We know it’s on the turf of a local gang called the Green Vipers, but we’ve never had a problem before, and it was still early enough in the day that we felt safe. As we enjoyed our food, a group of three men and a young teenager walked in. The young kid, no older than fifteen or sixteen, casually strolled up to the counter and started harassing the shop owner for “protection money.” The other three men spread out in the shop. The unmistakable symbol of the Pit Viper, which happens to be green, was tattooed on each man’s body, except for the young teen. Things didn’t look good. My daughter and I avoided eye contact with the other three men, but it wasn’t enough. Two men walked over to our table and grabbed us each by the arm. The kid threatened the owner that if he didn’t pay them, they would start shooting customers, starting with us. My daughter is not one to mess with; she has taken karate since she was four years old. I wasn’t worried about her being able to escape, but I was concerned about the shop owner. The Green Vipers were not known for being merciful. The shop owner gave them as much money as was in the drawer, but the men were not satisfied with it. They demanded more, and while they were distracted, Lucy made her move. She took down the two men who had ahold of us and took their weapons. I had taught her how to handle a gun, and I owned a 380mm myself. Surprised, the other man and the kid retreated and ran out of the shop and down an alley. The police showed up a few minutes later, arrested the two men, and confiscated the weapons my daughter had taken from them. We thought that was the end of our unusual evening, but it wasn’t. It was just the beginning. Later that evening, as my daughter and I prepared for bed, there was a banging at our apartment door. Before either of us could move, the door was kicked in, and guns pointed at our heads. It was that same man and kid at the noodle shop, plus a few more men. The kid glared at Lucy and said, “You’re going to pay for ruining my initiation test.” Apparently, he wasn’t interested in me at all. I took that opportunity to secretly use an app on my phone to set off the burglar alarm equipped in the apartment. The loud noise startled them. In a panic, they scrambled out of the residence, and they took Lucy with them. I moved to chase them but was knocked unconscious from behind. When I awoke, a police officer was leaning over me, asking what happened. I told them everything that happened and who had taken my daughter. The look on his face was grim, as if he already considered her dead. I knew they were not going to attempt a rescue, even if they knew exactly where to find her. As I said, the Green Vipers were not known for being merciful. Anyone who was caught in their schemes was never seen again, at least not alive. So, I didn’t tell them that I had a tracking device on my daughter, or that I was going to find her and save her. I waited until the police finished their investigation and left before I prepared myself to go after the Green Vipers. I dressed in dark colors, grabbed a kunai knife I had special ordered from Japan, and set out into the night. Once outside, I opened the app on my phone for the tracking device and adjusted the screen light to as dark as I could but still see it. I didn’t want to be seen while looking at my phone. According to the device’s location, my daughter was down by the docks in Brooklyn. I set off in that direction determined to save my daughter, even if it killed me. If only I had known how true that statement would be. As I got closer to the docks, I kept checking my phone for a more specific location. The signal seemed to be coming from an abandoned warehouse by the river. This was it; I found where they had taken my daughter. Now I just had to rescue her before they hurt her, or worse. I put my phone in my pocket and took out my kunai knife. After surveying my surroundings, I planned out a route to the warehouse using the shadows and started to move. Little did I know I wasn’t the only one sneaking around the warehouse. I was being watched from somewhere in the shadows. I reached the side of the warehouse and carefully peeked inside through a broken window. Inside, I saw a large group of men opening crates and moving things around. The boxes seemed to be full of weapons and ammunition. I quickly scanned the room for any place they could be keeping my daughter. I noticed a light coming from an office at the top of some stairs in the far corner. A massive brute was just coming out of the office; he was with the same kid from our apartment and the noodle shop. Anger surged through my body like wildfire, and I clenched my teeth. That big brute must be the boss of this lovely bunch of misfits. He was a surly looking man with huge muscles, his eyes were as cold as ice and full of malice, and he was covered in scars and tattoos. I would have no chance if I had to face him to get to my daughter. Well, it turns out, I never had an opportunity to begin with. As I turned around to move to the other side of the building, I was met by two guards who had been out patrolling the perimeter. My eyes widened in surprise. I guess I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought I was. They grabbed me before I could move away and took me inside. The big brute looks down at me with eyes as dark and evil as the devil himself. He looks at his men with a bemused grin. “Well, well. What do we have here?” he asks, looking me up and down. He smirks when he notices my kunai knife. “It looks like we have a guest. Who sent you?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes at me. I stared back at him, my eyes a mixture of fear and confusion. He scowls and orders his men to have me contained and questioned. My arms were bound between two posts, and one man took my kunai. I looked around the room for the kid, knowing he would recognize me from earlier. I’m relieved he is no longer there, that would put my daughter in danger, and they might find the tracking device. If I somehow manage to live and escape, I can track her again. However, it doesn’t seem I will be living very long. Some of the men gather around to carry out the big brute’s orders while the rest go back to unpacking the crates. The surrounding group argue a few minutes about who gets to be the first one to interrogate me. They finally draw straws, and my hell begins. I’m asked question after question, but I say nothing. I will not tell them who I am or why I was sneaking around outside their warehouse. They become irritated with my silence, and they threaten to make me talk. I still refuse to say a word. Their faces light up with anticipation and excitement as they all grab something to hit me with. They take turns asking me a question and beating me when I don’t answer. Their excitement grows with every demand and every hit. One guy becomes so excited that he slashes me with my own kunai knife. They cheer as blood oozes down my leg. They continue their torture for what seems like an eternity until I am too weak to stand on my own two feet. This is how I managed to get myself into a hopeless situation. My legs and arms are covered in my own blood, and my body is bruised from them hitting me. I’m sure I have a few broken ribs too. I am sure I am going to die tonight. Little did I know my life was about to be saved by four brothers and be changed forever. * My name is Caleb Hatsumi, but my code name is Yukio. My brothers and I use code names to keep our real identities a secret. We have been secretly keeping a watchful eye on an ever-increasingly dangerous gang in the Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn area. We’ve recorded them smuggling drugs and illegal weapons into the city. Patiently waiting to gather enough proof to anonymously tip the police and, of course, planning to capture the leader, Kane, and throw him on the doorstep of police headquarters. For months, we’ve been spying on the Green Vipers and have been sabotaging their efforts every chance we get. We’ve been trained in the art of ninjutsu; we go in, strike hard and fast, and get out. Tonight, my brother Matt, known as Hiroshi, learned that a massive shipment of heavy artillery and ammunition was being brought in. We planned to sneak in, secure evidence of the illegal cargo to turn in to the police, and then destroy the shipment before it could be used to terrorize the city. Hiroshi is a genius of all sorts. He can hack any computer, build all kinds of gear for spying, and create weapons for sabotage. He made a special remote-controlled spy camera that looked like a cockroach for tonight’s mission. My other brothers and I stood to watch as he maneuvered the spy roach around the warehouse where the shipment was being stored, taking pictures for evidence. We had to make sure we got a picture of Kane with the goods to prove he was involved in the illegal operation. Malachi, known as Tenchi, noticed a woman sneaking through the shadows towards the warehouse. We watched as she peeked inside a broken window, wondering what a woman was doing in such a dangerous place. Hiroshi had his roach climb up on her shoulder to get into the window. He snapped a picture of Kane coming out of an office; he followed him with the camera as he walked down the stairs and inspected some of the weapons being unpacked. We finally had evidence to connect Kane with the smuggled goods. It was time to make our move, we just needed a distraction. It was then that the woman was discovered by two guards patrolling the perimeter. When the guards took her into the warehouse, Tenchi used the opportunity to sneak past the warehouse; he hides among the shipping containers still on the docks and plants the explosives. Jason, known as Kenji, is always ready for a fight, and I got close to the warehouse, but stayed out of sight and waited for Hiroshi to shut off the power. In the meantime, we could hear cheering and shouting coming from inside. I can tell that some of the men are getting excited like they’re watching a fight. Perfect. They won’t know what hit them when we come barging in. I had no idea of the gruesome sight that awaited us.