by Alex Ko
“Follow me,” Granny said, and she stepped gracefully into the hole and disappeared.
Josh and Jessica exchanged shrugs and jumped. Cold air whipped past Josh and it all went dark for a few seconds before suddenly space opened up all around them and they found themselves falling through a huge underground chamber and onto a large, bouncy blue crash mat. Jessica giggled as she rolled off the crash mat. Josh got to his feet and jumped after her.
Granny Murata was standing beside the mat with her arms folded, waiting for them to join her. Josh looked around, and found they were in a cavernous room that had the crash mat at its centre and four corridors leading off in different directions. But unlike Team O’s control room, this space was filled with people. Men and women in suits, martial arts uniforms and even riot gear bustled about, crossing the room from doorway to doorway.
“They don’t seem bothered that there are two kids down here,” Jessica observed, as Granny led them down one of the corridors.
“This is a top secret government facility, of which Team O is only a small part,” said Granny smoothly. “My grandchildren dropping in are the least of their worries.”
Everyone who passed bowed respectfully to Granny, even the giant man in anime-style mecha battle gear with what looked like a rocket launcher strapped to each arm.
“Ohayō gozaimasu, Murata-san,” he said, his huge suit of armour clanking.
Finally they reached a double door at the end of the corridor, and Granny threw it open. Josh gasped. He’d expected more screens and dials, gleaming high-tech robotics – instead they seemed to be transported back into the samurai dojos of ancient Japan, but on a massive scale. There were tatami mats on the floor, kanji paintings on the walls, and martial artists practising their skills. As Granny led them across the room, they passed two black belts sparring, aiming swift kicks to each other’s heads. Their high-kicking style told Josh they were probably tae-kwon-do experts.
“This is so cool,” Jessica whispered to Josh. “Imagine if Sensei Neil could see this? He’d have a fit!”
“Through here,” said Granny, gesturing to a sliding door to their right, “you will find uniforms to fit you. You have five minutes to get changed. And then,” she said, “your training will begin.”
“So, can we learn to fight with any of these?” Josh asked, glancing at the racks of weapons laid out along the side of the dojo. There were staffs, daggers, pairs of nunchakus and wooden tonfa with their polished handles, even a row of gleaming katanas.
“No,” said Granny Murata. “Hand-to-hand only. Weapons are only tools – it is no use picking up a weapon if your body is not absolutely under your control. Now, I believe you have had some training in London.”
“Yes, obaasan,” Jessica said. “We attend classes...once a week.”
“Hmm,” said Granny, unimpressed. “I am going to teach you ways to escape an attacker. Remember, the first thing you should do if you are in danger is run away and call for help. If you cannot do that, perhaps this will be useful. Josh, stand there. Don’t move. I will be your attacker.” She started to walk around him, moving slowly and silently, graceful and catlike. Josh planted his feet as firmly on the floor as he could and didn’t move his head to follow her. He could sense her moving, was aware of the distance between them. He followed the shift of Jessica’s eyes as she watched where Granny was going. He judged he had a few more seconds until she was—
Ack!
Suddenly Granny’s arm was around his throat. He felt her arm pressing against his windpipe and had to concentrate not to start hyperventilating. He twisted his head to one side, to ease some of the pressure.
“Good,” Granny said. “Now, try to free yourself.” Josh kicked back with one leg and then the other, but Granny neatly sidestepped. He put his hands up to try to pull her arm away, and then hesitated. “Do not hold back, Josh, you cannot possibly hurt me,” she said. He grabbed her arm and pulled. It was like iron, totally immovable. He could feel the muscles beneath her sleeve. How could his frail grandmother have body tone like this?
Finally, she let him go.
“Now,” she said, “look at my arm.” Josh turned as she held her arm up, rolling the sleeve up to her elbow. “Somewhere in my grip there is a slack point,” she said, clenching and unclenching her fist. “There is always some place in a person’s grip that you can exploit. In almost all cases, grabbing an attacker’s little finger will trigger their slack point and cause their grip to fail.” She moved like lightning and then she suddenly had Josh by the throat again. “Try it,” she said. Josh reached for the little finger of Granny’s hand and pulled. To his amazement, he felt the muscles in her arm twitch and then relax, and he stepped out of her grip as easily as if he was shrugging off his jacket.
Next, Granny stood back and asked them to spar with each other.
“I wish to see what they teach in London,” she said. Josh and Jessica found a space on the floor and bowed to Granny, and then each other. Josh took up his ready stance and nodded.
For a second, neither of them moved. Then Jessica hit out with her right hand, aiming squarely for his chest. He dodged, grabbed her hand and tried to pull her into a throw. But too late, he realized she was going with it, throwing all her weight into it and holding onto his arm so that she rolled straight onto her feet and he was thrown over backwards. He hit the mat with a thud and all the breath rushed out of his lungs. He’d fallen badly. He risked a glance at Granny. Her face was almost blank but she gave Jessica a tiny nod.
Frustrated, Josh stood and dusted himself down, determined to get a hit in on Jessica. Sure enough, she came at him again, but she was just a bit too cocky, and when she threw a high kick to her left he ducked under it and placed a back kick solidly to the middle of her back. She stumbled forwards but didn’t go down. He followed it up with a low punch to the stomach but she turned and blocked and then he realized she’d grabbed his hands and she was trying to push them up so she could get a chest hit in. They struggled together for a moment, and then Josh saw Jessica’s eyes flicker over to Granny Murata.
Now’s my chance! He twisted his hands away to break her grip and got two good hits in on her chest with his elbow and the flat of his hand. Jessica backed off, gasping. Josh relaxed and shook out his shoulders, which was a bad idea because Jessica suddenly leaped into a jumping high kick. The sole of her shoe swept past Josh’s face, millimetres from his nose.
“That’s enough,” said Granny. They both turned to look at her. She wasn’t looking at them – she was reading the screen of a small gadget she had pulled out of a concealed pocket. “I have a message from Nana-san. I must go to work.” She looked up. “You both have much work to do to improve. But I must admit, your skills are...serviceable. For now.” Josh and Jessica grinned and then bowed to each other. “You both show promise. Indeed, together you could be a quite formidable team – in twenty to thirty years’ time, after some extensive training. For now, you’re good enough to look after yourselves if you need to.”
They got changed back into their normal clothes, and when they came out of the changing rooms they found Granny had also changed out of her black Team O uniform and into the traditional lilac kimono.
When they arrived back at the central space with the big blue crash mat, Granny opened a panel in the wall and pressed some buttons.
“Does that call an elevator to get us back up there?” Josh asked, squinting up at the square of blue sky opening up above him as the surface of the pond slid back again.
“No,” said Granny. As Josh watched, something dropped down the hole, twisting and uncoiling as it went. It was a rope.
“We’re going to climb back up?” Jessica asked.
“It will be good for your arms,” said Granny, in the same tone of voice as she always used to tell them to eat their vegetables. “And you know there is no danger.”
“Not unless Jess falls on top of me,” Josh muttered.
Granny was already nearly at the top of the rope
by the time Jessica had found a way to pull her weight off the floor. Josh looked up. The square of daylight seemed a very long way away. He grabbed hold and pulled his legs up. His arms started to ache almost straight away. Jessica wasn’t doing much better. She was only a couple of metres above and groaning with the effort. It wasn’t long before the muscles in Josh’s shoulders were trembling and his fingers burned with the strain of holding onto the rope. But he thought of Mr. Yoshida’s Yakuza goons coming up behind them with their samurai swords, and managed to make himself keep going.
Finally he came to the top, grabbed onto the handhold imbedded in the ground at the edge of the pond, and half-hauled, half-rolled himself onto the grass. By the time he’d made it Jessica was already standing up, massaging her forearms with a pained expression on her face.
“I will be performing reconnaissance,” Granny said, as Josh staggered to his feet. “My first step will be to follow that bodyguard. Nana-san has been examining his movements, and we think we know where he is going. You can return to my apartment. You will be safe there.”
Jessica frowned at her shoes. Josh thought he could tell what she was thinking – with Team O on the case, it shouldn’t feel like abandoning Kiki if they just did as they were told. But it did feel like that.
“No,” he said.
“Excuse me?” Granny frowned at him.
“We can’t just hide in the apartment,” Josh went on. “We helped you before, by following that bodyguard – and you’ve seen we can look after ourselves. You have to let us help.”
“I cannot allow that,” Granny said. “I appreciate your passion, but—”
“We can be useful to you,” Jessica said. “We can be...Team O in training. The next generation of agents.”
“Out of the question!” Granny said. “I’m surprised you would even ask me. Imagine what your parents would say if you were hurt.”
“But we won’t go rushing into danger,” Jessica insisted. “I absolutely promise that we won’t do anything you don’t want us to do – but we have to do something.” She looked Granny in the eye. “I know we only met her yesterday, but Kiki’s our friend. We can’t abandon her to the Yakuza. And – and if you won’t let us help you where you can keep an eye on us, we will investigate on our own, and you can’t stop us.”
Josh nearly choked. Argh, Jess, he thought, did you have to make that sound so much like a challenge?
Granny stood very still for a moment. She looked at Jessica, and then at Josh. Then something happened that Josh was totally not expecting. She smiled.
“You would risk yourselves for the life of a friend you have only known for a few hours,” she said. “That is foolish. But it is also very honourable.” She nodded. “Perhaps we can find you some way to help us. Indeed,” she added to herself, “a family outing may be a good cover for this location. But you are only to go where I tell you, keep watch and listen for any suspicious conversations. And you must never tell your parents of any of this.”
“Hai!” Josh and Jessica chorused.
“Very well. Come with me.”
“Granny,” Josh asked, as they got back into the lift and Granny Murata pressed the button for the lobby. “Where are we going?”
He watched as a smile spread over his Granny’s face. “To sing some karaoke.”
An hour later, Josh found himself in a glass elevator zooming up the side of a skyscraper with Jessica, Granny, and three elderly ladies.
“These are my neighbours, Miou-san, Yoshiko-san and Hina-san,” Granny Murata had said, when they all met up in the Sakura Apartments. Then, while Miou, Yoshiko and Hina had their backs turned, Granny had continued. “They are ordinary ladies from the building, not members of Team O. They are karaoke enthusiasts,” she whispered. “Their singing should provide enough cover for me to slip out and look for the bodyguard. You two will stay with me – you may be able to sneak in somewhere where I would be noticed.”
Josh gazed out of the elevator at the centre of Tokyo spreading out beneath them, with its gleaming skyscrapers, crowded shops and ancient shrines all huddled together. The elevator finally reached the thirtieth floor and the doors swooshed open to reveal a reception area, with marble flooring and arty black and white photographs of singers hanging on the walls. Jessica looked at him and mouthed a silent “Oooh!” Josh nodded. This was one of those really swish karaoke lounges he’d heard about – very expensive, very serious, and a billion miles away from the raucous fun of the karaoke club the Murata family sometimes visited in London.
The receptionist ticked the group off on her list and gave them directions to their private room. They went through a pair of double doors and found themselves in a large, plush lobby with a deep maroon carpet and leather sofas next to massive flower arrangements in antique vases. There was no sign of the bodyguard.
The civilized atmosphere was shattered, though, by a loud wailing noise. It was coming from a teenage girl with bright pink pigtails, who was performing into a microphone on a small stage in the centre of the room. The wail eventually settled on a recognizable note, and the girls who surrounded the stage squealed and applauded madly.
“She’s not that good,” Josh muttered.
“That’s Yoko Yay,” Jessica told him under her breath.
Josh shrugged. “Don’t know that one.”
“You’re probably better off. She’s mega-rich, ultra-spoiled, and talentless! She’s top of her class in throwing diva tantrums and falling out of limousines, but her singing is horrid.”
They followed Granny down the corridor to their private room. Miou, Hina and Yoshiko immediately crowded around the two touch-screen displays that showed the song choices. Before Josh knew what was happening Hina was up on the miniature stage, giving a half-English, half-Japanese performance of “Fly Me to the Moon”.
The three ladies were taking it all so seriously, and the setting was so cultured, that Josh started getting nervous – what if they wanted him to do a song? What if, even worse, they actually expected him to be able to sing?
Sure enough, a few minutes later he found a microphone thrust into his hand and everybody looking at him expectantly. He went over and stared at the song list, but it was no good – all the songs he had ever known had flown out of his head.
“I know!” said Jessica, leaning across him and tapping the screen. “Yellow Submarine!” The familiar chords started up and Jessica grabbed a microphone and launched into the first verse. Josh shot her a grateful look and joined in, and soon he realized he was actually having fun. The old ladies were nodding along happily, and he thought he even saw Granny Murata smile.
When they’d finished, Granny stood up.
“Josh, Jessica, will you come with me?” she asked. “We passed a window with a beautiful view of the city – I’d like to show you some temples we might visit later today.”
Josh and Jessica jumped to their feet. Time for ninja action!
“Please excuse us,” Josh said, bowing to the ladies.
“Have a nice time,” said Yoshiko cheerily. “Now whose turn was it?”
“Ooh, mine I think,” said Miou, belting out the opening bars of “What’s New Pussycat?”.
Josh and Jessica slipped out after Granny. Out in the corridor, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a gizmo with a small screen and a dial. She beckoned the twins closer, and they drew around her, watching as she switched the dial to “receive”. The screen filled with static, and then resolved into the smiling face of Nana, Team O’s youthful surveillance expert.
“Good afternoon, Mimi,” said Nana. “I’ve tapped into the CCTV in the karaoke bar. Yoshida must be rewarding the bodyguard handsomely for his treachery. He’s been living it up all afternoon.” Her face disappeared, replaced by grainy surveillance footage of the hulking shape of Kiki’s bodyguard disappearing into one of the other private rooms. “Unfortunately,” Nana’s voice went on, “we have no visual access inside the room, so we don’t know if he’s alone. Be careful.”
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br /> Granny nodded, and switched off the device.
“Stay here,” she told Josh and Jessica. “I will investigate.”
She shuffled slowly down the corridor, past all the doors to the private rooms, putting on an exaggerated old-lady walking speed so she had plenty of opportunity to look inside each room as she passed. As the twins watched, she suddenly turned around and strode back towards them.
“I have found him,” she said. “He is in room 1, the VIP room. Unfortunately, he has company – two more of Yoshida’s associates and a group of young ladies singing to them.”
“Are we gonna bust in and pull him out?” Josh asked.
“No,” Granny said. She gestured to her kimono. “It may have been a mistake to come here under cover. I cannot fight properly in this kimono – and I cannot risk changing into my Team O uniform in public.”
“Well – maybe you don’t have to go in there at all,” Josh said slowly. “If we can get him to follow us out of the building...there was that alley next door, right? Then we...”
“We?” Granny asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, okay,” Josh said. “You could tackle him on your own and get him to tell us where they’ve hidden Kiki.”
“Right – we could lure him out!” said Jessica, her eyes shining. “He knows us – and he really doesn’t like us. If we burst in on him and then run for it, I’m sure he’ll follow.”
“I do not like this plan,” said Granny. Josh’s face fell. But then Granny nodded. “But it will work. And we must find Kiki quickly. Go back inside and sing one more song. That will give me time to change in private and prepare to ambush the bodyguard. Try to get him downstairs as quickly as possible.” She hurried off.
Just as she was disappearing, a high-pitched squeal made Josh and Jessica turn.
“OH. My. GAAHD!” Yoko Yay and her gang of teenage girls were coming down the hall towards them. Yoko was waving her mobile phone madly. “It’s finally happened!” Yoko was skipping down the hall. “I just got the call! I have to go right now to get ready for my live studio recording. Banzai! Banzai!” She did a couple of dance moves on the spot, and then looked around at her entourage. “I guess some of you can come backstage...” she said. At once there was a commotion of chatter from the girls.
