New World ~Shadowhunters~

Morning Star

Once Toni managed to get Ripley to fall asleep, she carefully slipped out of bed making her way towards he kitchen for a glass of water. She stopped when she saw Alec, Izzy, Jace, and Clary crowded around a computer, deciding she wanted in on the action she approached them.

"Maybe he was attacked, too." She heard Izzy say defensively.

"Who was attacked?"

They all turned toward her, "Lydia." Alec said.

"Is she okay."

He nodded, "Magnus is with her now."

"Maybe he's the one who attacked her." Clary said.

"Hodge? No way. We've known him our entire lives. He would never do that to us." Izzy defended while rewinding the video.

She stopped the video and it clearly showed that it was Hodge who attacked Lydia before picking the cup up.

"I led him right to the Cup." Jace said.

"We treated him like family. How could he do this to us?" Alec stated feeling betrayed.

Izzy fast-forwarded he video, Hodge was in the room with Clary's mom, "That's how. What is that ring?" Clary asked.

"Looks like he's talking to someone." Izzy said.

"And I can bet who it is. Valentine," Jace added.

"Well, that explains how he deactivated the Punishment rune, but it doesn't explain where he got the ring." Alec said as they continued to watch the video.

"Someone smuggled it past the wards?" Toni added.

"Maybe. Hodge wasn't the only ex-Circle member around here." Jace said with an accusatory tone.

Izzy turned in her chair and faced Jace, "Look, I know I don't always see eye to eye with my parents, but I know they're not traitors."

"Really? Isn't that what you just said about Hodge?" Jace said.

"It'd have to be someone we trusted, but if there was an intruder inside the Institute, we would have found them by now." Alec explained.

"What about the Forsaken attack?" Clary questioned.

"No. We killed that thing, and I didn't see a ring."

"He didn't have one during the autopsy." Toni said.

"Maybe there's something in the footage." Izzy said as she fast-forwarded the video.

Izzy paused the video when Hodge had taken the man down.

"Go to the other camera." Alec said.

"There," Izzy zoomed in and they all watched as Hodge slipped he ring off the man and pocketed it.

"So, it wasn't a random attack." Clary stated.

"He was just the delivery boy." Toni added.

"If he gives that Cup to Valentine, he'll create an army of Shadowhunters." Jace said.

"With that kind of power behind him, he'll kill thousands." Alec said.

"He'll kill thousands just creating the army. Most mundanes won't survive that."

"We won't let that happen." Clary determinately said.

"I'm gonna make sure of it." Jace clenched through his teeth.

Then it dawned on Toni, she gasped, "Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" Izzy asked.

"After Alec finally kissed Magnus, Ripley was tired so we went and said goodnight to Luke and on the way back to my room Hodge offered to take Ripley and watch her."