The Ninja Apprentice: The Lost Scrolls of Fudo Shin

by Jon F. Merz

  Still, he didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary.

  Ahead of him, he spotted a bus stop and saw the airport shuttle sign. As he approached, a green bus rolled up and Jimmy hopped on. The driver eyed him. "Two bucks."

  Jimmy put a fearful expression on his face. "Two guys back there just mugged me and took my wallet. I'm supposed to meet my mother at the airport."

  The driver sighed and then thumbed toward the back. "It's all right, kid. Sit down back there."

  Ten minutes later, they came into the airport proper. Jimmy kept an eye out for the long-term parking garage and when he saw it, he hopped off the bus, thanking the driver when he did so.

  Outside, the roar of jets taking off and landing was almost deafening. But he'd made it to the airport.

  Barely.

  He glanced around and then saw the entrance to the parking garage. Vanessa had mentioned that someone would be there to meet him, but where would that meeting take place?

  Jimmy frowned and thought about where he would have parked the bike if the Escalade hadn't tried to kill him.

  Upper level.

  He took the steps up to the first level and then caught the elevator to the roof level. When the door slid open, he stepped out onto the paved rooftop level and glanced around.

  Empty.

  He could hear more sirens in the distance and stepped closer to the railing, looking back over at the city. A thin tail of smoke curled up into the air and Jimmy knew that was from the explosion.

  "I thought you'd be driving a motorcycle."

  Jimmy turned and found himself facing a raven-haired Asian girl perhaps a few years older than he was. She was dressed in a black leather jacket and her eyes studied him as if he was a bug specimen.

  Jimmy tried to find his voice and after a moment, managed to stammer out, "I, uh...had some trouble on the way in."

  She pointed at the smoke. "That kind of trouble?"

  "Yeah."

  She nodded. "You think you're clean?"

  Jimmy frowned. He'd had a shower this morning. Of course, he was clean. Granted, he'd sweated a little during the whole Escalade thing, but-

  As if reading his mind, the girl sighed. "I mean, do you have anyone else following you?"

  "I don't think so."

  "Good." She reached behind her and brought out a small backpack. "Take this."

  Jimmy took the bag from her and brushed his hand over hers as he did so. He felt a rush of heat in his face and mumbled a quick, "thanks."

  She must have sensed his discomfort and smiled. "There's money, passport, and a ticket in there. Get yourself some stuff in the airport. The duty-free shop will sell some clothes. And new shoes. You've got to look like a legitimate traveler."

  "Are you, uh...coming with me?"

  She smirked. "Me? Hell, no. I've got my own work to do." She shrugged. "But I'm sure we'll see each other sooner or later."

  "Oh, good," said Jimmy. But he hated the way it sounded so eager, like he was a little puppy dog.

  "I'm Jimmy, by the way."

  She laughed. "I know who you are." She pointed at the smoke. "You think they'll looking for you because of that?"

  Jimmy turned and looked back at the city. The smoke seemed to have dissipated by now. Probably because the fire engines would have arrived and put out any flames. "I don't know, I was pretty careful to leave my helmet on, and-" he turned back around.

  But the raven-haired girl had vanished.

  Just like the smoke.

  Chapter Five

  Jimmy ducked down the stairway and opened the backpack. He fished out the passport first and opened it. His face stared back at him. When in the world did Vanessa take this picture?

  Last night while you slept.

  Jimmy frowned. The voice was back again. He studied the picture; his eyes were open in it, but he looked strange. Then he frowned and thought about how his eyelids felt a little sticky when he'd woken up.

  "She taped my eyelids open?"

  His voice echoed down the stairway and Jimmy blanched. He'd need to keep himself in check otherwise they'd plop him into the loony bin.

  Jimmy shook his head and looked back at the passport, reading his name for the first time.

  Terrence Livingston?

  “Makes me sound like a nerd.” Jimmy shut the passport and slid it into his pocket. The rest of the envelope contained some cash and a note.

  Buy a one-way first class ticket to Tokyo with a layover in Los Angeles.

  Seems easy enough, thought Jimmy. He hefted his hanbo. But what was he going to do about the stick? He didn't think security would be too keen on him waltzing through with a polished piece of wood.

  Look in the bag.

  Jimmy sighed and felt around the backpack. He took out a handle and a piece of rubber. What are these for?

  The rubber tip goes on the bottom of the hanbo and the handle atop it. Once done, it will look like an ordinary cane for someone with a leg injury.

  I don't have a leg injury, thought Jimmy.

  Pretend. In my day, it was often necessary for operatives to be able to assume an alternate identity in order to complete a mission. You must learn how to do this as well.

  Operative? Like a spy?

  Like a ninja.

  Jimmy felt his heart jump slightly. Ninja?

  You need to get moving. You have successfully evaded the enemy for a short time only. Soon they will redouble their efforts and locate you again.

  Jimmy got to his feet and took the stairway down to the overpass that connected the parking garage to the main terminal. Once inside, he made his way up to the ticket counter and purchased his ticket.

  As the ticket agent punched in his request, Jimmy glanced around the airport, trying to figure out if the raven-haired girl might still be around. God, she was hot-

  You are supposed to be nursing a leg injury.

  Right, thought Jimmy. Sorry. He leaned on the hanbo as if it was the cane it appeared to be.

  Do not allow yourself to be distracted. You must maintain awareness at all times, even when you give the impression that you are not.

  The ticket agent handed him his ticket with a smile. "All set, sir. Are you going for long?"

  Jimmy swallowed. "Uh, yeah. My father is stationed over there. I'm spending the next year with him."

  "Well, have a pleasant flight."

  Jimmy's face felt hot. "Thanks." He turned away and took a deep breath.

  That was close.

  You did well. In the future, try not to blush.

  Easier said than done, thought Jimmy.

  On the terminal concourse he spotted a number of stores. Inside one of the clothing shops, he grabbed a few pairs of jeans and shirts. If he was going to be on the run until he reconnected with Vanessa, casual seemed a good way to go. He added a few packs of underwear and socks and felt like he had enough stuff.

  He picked up a new pair of Nike sneakers at the sporting goods store. He ditched the soft-soled shoes outside and checked himself out in the store's window.

  Not bad, he thought.

  On the concourse, he saw a newsstand and wandered over. Nestled in the back next to the magazines, he found a small sketchbook and a package of pencils with a sharpener. He grinned. After losing his sketchbook back at the house, he'd almost forgotten how good it would be to simply draw again.

  Outside, he bundled all of his new purchases into the backpack and made sure to practice walking with the cane far away from the security gate. When he felt better about how he appeared, he headed down toward the gate, taking his time as he did so.

  This will be your first real test. Do not be too self-conscious about trying to pretend you are someone else. It must be natural.

  Easy for you to say, thought Jimmy. You're not about to get interrogated by a couple of rent-a-cops.

  Just keep your breathing under control and you will be fine.

  It's not my breathing I'm worried about, thought Jimmy. It's the jackhammer insi
de my chest.

  The TSA agent nodded as Jimmy limped up to the checkpoint. "Good morning."

  Jimmy handed him his documents and the TSA agent nodded toward the conveyor belt leading to the X-ray machine. "Put your bag there, please."

  Jimmy put the backpack on to the belt and watched it go through. Another TSA agent eyeballed it as it rolled through.

  Jimmy was about to step through the metal detector when the first TSA agent stopped him. “Just a moment, please.”

  Jimmy gulped and looked at the guard. “Yes, sir?”

  He pointed at the hanbo. “I’ll need to examine that, please.”

  Jimmy leaned against the X-ray machine and handed the cane over. The security guard looked at the handle and the rubber tip and then passed the entire hanbo through the machine, peering closely at the screen as he did. Jimmy’s heartbeat thundered in his chest as the guard’s eyes narrowed. Finally, he leaned back away from the screen.

  “Just a cane,” he said. He handed it back to Jimmy. “Hope you don’t need it for long.”

  “That would be nice,” said Jimmy. He limped through the detector and luckily, no alarms went off. On the other side, he put his backpack back on.

  The TSA agent smiled. “Have a nice trip.”

  “Thank you.” Jimmy returned his smile, aware that his heart had slowed down to its normal rate. Fifteen minutes later, he went on board the jet.

  At his row, Jimmy stowed his backpack in the overhead compartment, fished the sketchbook out of it, and then sat down in the window seat trying to relax. He couldn’t help it; he’d never been on a plane before and the thought of finally flying had his stomach jumping up and down. He watched as more passengers boarded the plane, filing past his seat back into the coach section.

  Finally, one of the flight attendants secured the main cabin door. Jimmy heard the turbine engines crank up.

  Here we go, he thought. My first plane ride.

  But just as it seemed the plane about to push back from the terminal, it suddenly stopped. One of the flight attendants opened the door.

  Jimmy strained to see what was going on, but couldn’t make anything out. He could only see part of the flight attendant.

  What was going on? Had the TSA agents known he wasn't really Terrence Livingston? Were they coming to arrest him.

  And then he saw a man come on to the plane. He only carried a small bag. He had short hair and a mean hard face. He seemed extremely interested in looking at the faces of the people sitting down. As his eyes swept over the rows of people, he suddenly turned and locked eyes with Jimmy.

  Jimmy felt a pain in his stomach and looked down. When he looked back up, the man was already on his way toward his seat back in the coach section.

  We have a problem.

  Jimmy sighed. You mean I have a problem, don't you? After all, you're just a voice in my head.

  The man who just boarded is an assassin.

  Jimmy frowned. How do you know that?

  Did you see his clothes?

  Yeah, they were dark. What about them?

  And what about the shoes he wore?

  I didn't notice.

  In time you will see everything. You must always see everything without giving the impression that you are looking. Do you understand?

  Yes.

  He will not try to kill you while the plane is in the air. But once it lands, you will be in grave danger.

  Great. Jimmy could already feel the ache in his stomach starting up again. If this kept up, he was going to have an ulcer before he was fifteen.

  Calm yourself. Once we land, you will get off the plane and head for the exit. Move quickly.

  Jimmy took a deep breath and exhaled it. If he couldn't do anything about the assassin right now, then he supposed there was no sense spending the entire flight worrying about it.

  The jet pushed back from the gate and Jimmy felt it lurch before finally rolling out on the runway. They slowly made their way to the end of the runway, turning this way and that before finally getting into preflight position.

  The engine whine cranked higher and higher and Jimmy felt like they might explode but then the plane lurched forward. Jimmy looked out of the window and saw the runway flashing by faster and faster.

  And then the nose of the plane lifted off the tarmac and the roar of the wheels on the ground vanished. Jimmy looked down and saw the ground falling away from them faster until they were into the clouds.

  He leaned back, aware then that he’d stopped breathing during take-off. He took another deep breath and exhaled it.

  He had no idea why so many people seemed to want to hurt him.

  But somehow, he was off on his own adventure. Despite the close calls, he was actually having a lot of fun.

  He only hoped it wouldn’t end too soon.

  Especially if that assassin on the plane got his hands on Jimmy.

  Chapter Six

  Jimmy felt himself being nudged awake by one of the flight attendants. He opened his eyes, unaware that he’d fallen asleep. “What time is it?’

  “After five, sir. We’re making our initial descent into Los Angeles.” She smiled. “Can I get you something to drink, sir?”

  Jimmy almost winced at being called “sir,” but figured it came with the first class ticket. “Can I get a Pepsi?”

  “Certainly.” She left and returned a minute later with an ice-cold can of Pepsi. She cracked it and poured it over ice in a cup.

  “You can leave the can,” said Jimmy. “I’m pretty thirsty.”

  She nodded and then left. Jimmy glanced back at the curtain; the assassin would be back there somewhere, no doubt planning his next move. Jimmy leaned back and tried to concentrate on drinking his soda. He was going to have to run off the plane and then try to lose the guy somewhere in the airport. But how would he do that? He didn't know this airport or where the exits were or any of the-

  Relax.

  He frowned. Easier said than done.

  Count your breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Start at one and count up to ten before once again starting at one.

  Jimmy forced himself to do as the voice said and when he reached the tenth breath, he actually felt calmer.

  Thanks.

  It is natural to feel this way prior to combat. You must learn to deal with the effects of such encounters such that they do not interfere with your focus. Counting your breath is one way to do this.

  Jimmy leaned back. He could feel the plane descending now. He glanced out of the window and saw the clouds parting. Beneath him, he could make out ocean and land as the plane navigated closer to Los Angeles. Buildings rose up to greet them as they flew lower and lower. And when Jimmy felt he vague lurch and heard the dull whine, he knew the landing gear had just come down.

  He felt nervous all of a sudden. He remembered this was his first fight and now he was about to experience his first plane landing. He peered out of the window, nervous and excited at the same time.

  The ground came toward them. Jimmy could see the tarmac now and other planes jockeying for position to take off. The plane banked and came in for its final approach. Jimmy imagined the co-pilot ticking off the altitude: 1000 feet, eight hundred, six hundred, five hundred, four hundred, three hundred, two hundred, one hundred, fifty feet…twenty feet…

  BUMP…

  They were down. Jimmy leaned back in his seat as the gravity pushed him back and then as the pilot applied the brakes, the plane slowed and he felt himself leaning forward again.

  They slowed and then taxied over to the gate. Jimmy exhaled.

  Time to go.

  He stood and grabbed his backpack from the overhead compartment. As he did so, he could see the curtains separating first class from the rest of the plane part as a flight attendant came through. In that brief moment, he caught the hard face of the assassin sitting several rows back staring right at him.

  He knows, thought Jimmy. He knows I know him.

  Yes. You will have
to leave the airport quickly.

  Jimmy smirked. Tell me something I don't know. He ducked up the aisle and smiled at the flight attendant before exiting the plane. As soon as his feet touched the interior of the terminal, he fast-walked toward the baggage claim area.

  He passed a throng of people clamoring for someone from Jimmy's flight. he resisted the urge to look back and see if the assassin was on to him or not.

  And then he felt the familiar urge in his bladder.

  Oh no.

  He veered toward the rest room.

  Why are you deviating from the direction you should be heading?

  Bathroom, thought Jimmy. Gotta use the can.

  This is not a good idea.

  “It was the Pepsi I had on the plane," Jimmy said quietly. "Went right through me.”

  You had better hurry.

  Jimmy limped over and pushed his way inside. The bank of urinals stood nearby and he leaned the hanbo against the tiled wall. He heard a whistle and saw a janitor enter pushing a bucket and mop over toward the sink area.

  Jimmy relaxed and relived himself quickly. He zipped up and flushed, limping over to the sinks.

  “Got yourself an injury there, buddy?”

  He looked up. The janitor stood with both of his hand on the mop handle. Jimmy shrugged. “Yeah, hurt it playing basketball.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  Jimmy ran his hands under the faucet and felt the water hit them a moment later. He glanced up but the janitor was still watching him.

  “Can I help you?”

  The janitor smiled. “I’m just here to clean things up. Take out the trash and all. Don’t mind me.”

  Jimmy grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and nodded. “Okay, cool.”

  Movement out of the corner of his eye made him flinch and in that second, the end of the mop handle shot right past his face and stabbed into the mirror, shattering the glass. If Jimmy hadn’t moved, his head would have been stuck to the wall.

  With a roar, the janitor yanked the spear out of the mirror and faced Jimmy again. “Give it up, kid. You’re finished.” The sharpened tip of the spear glinted under the fluorescent lights.