Samurai Secrets

by Charlie Carter

  ‘Take a look at those guys,’ said Captain Smythe. They had landed right in front of a unit of samurai. Some were on horseback, others on foot, but all were decked out in the finest armour. ‘That's what I call dressed to kill.’

  Napoleon stood at once and moved among the warriors, collecting DNA as he went. ‘Recording mode in operation,’ said Skin. ‘Excellent images of late thirteenth-century samurai. Note the spiked kanabo clubs, yumi longbows and fighting staffs, and pay special attention to the early examples of prototype katana and wakizashi swords.’

  Napoleon and his father wandered among the ornately dressed warriors, mesmerised by the marvellous mix of finery and military might.

  ‘Look at this one,’ Napoleon said. He stared up at a giant samurai on horseback. ‘Dad?’

  When the captain didn't reply, Napoleon turned around. His father's face was white, as if he'd seen a ghost.

  ‘I know him.’ Captain Smythe spoke in a whisper. ‘I'm sure of it.’

  ‘What do you mean, Dad?’

  ‘My last visit. I met him. I can't recall exactly what happened, but I know I didn't like him.’

  The samurai wore a horned helmet of beaten gold and black lacquer, crested with a fire-red plume. His body armour was black and gold as well, and he wielded a huge silver sword above his head. ‘He's a prince,’ Captain Smythe continued. ‘But his behaviour was far from princely.’

  The warrior sent a shudder through Napoleon. He looked so cruel, and he seemed to be staring straight down at them through his fierce face mask.

  ‘His name. If only I could remember.’

  ‘Subject identified,’ said Skin. ‘He is Prince Najito, known for his ruthlessness.’

  Napoleon was about to tell his father this when his Battle Watch gave a loud warning beep, and Professor Perdu's voice crackled from it.

  ‘Epsilon Phase has turned seriously unstable. It could end at any moment.’

  ‘Hear that, Dad? We'd better move to a safe position at once.’

  ‘But —’

  ‘Dad! Once Kappa Phase kicks in we'll be trampled by —’

  But it was already too late. In the very next instant the roar of war filled the air. Men were shouting, horses whinnying, drums pounding out their battle beat. Prince Najito rose in his stirrups and gave a victory cry.

  ‘Katsu!’ he bellowed, and brought down his sword in a mighty blow.

  Just where Captain Smythe was standing.

  ‘Dad!’ Napoleon cried.

  The sword made a whistling sound as it streaked through the air.

  Napoleon dived at his father, knocking him sideways. The razor-sharp blade whipped past, just centimetres from the captain's head.

  ‘That's what I call a close shave,’ he said. ‘Thanks, Napoleon,’ he said, patting his son's shoulder.

  ‘That is a considerable understatement,’ said Skin. ‘A deviation of only 1.2 millimetres in the trajectory of the sword would have resulted in life-terminating consequences.’

  ‘And that's only the beginning,’ Napoleon added. ‘Look!’

  Several gates of the fort had opened and the Japanese army was surging forward, keen to do battle.

  ‘KATSU!’ they cried, thousands of samurai rattling their spears and battle clubs, and swishing their swords in the air. Napoleon and his father were caught up in the rush and swept along.

  ‘Stay close,’ Napoleon called above the din. But that was impossible. They were pulled in different ways, and were soon separated. The captain shouted something to his son and held up a clenched fist before being swallowed by the vast flood of soldiers.

  ‘DAD,’ cried Napoleon. But his father was nowhere to be seen.

  Napoleon had to use all his wits and strength to stay standing and not be trampled. He flowed with the crowd, through the gates and onto the beach where the samurai were lining up for battle.

  The Mongol ships had reached the shallows and were spilling their troops onto the shore. Any minute now and the fighting would begin.

  ‘I have to find my dad, Skin. What can we do?’

  ‘A higher position is required to enable a more expansive view. I recommend one of the towers in the fort.’

  ‘I have a better idea. Let's use the HoverVest.’

  ‘Not recommended,’ said Skin. ‘You would attract unnecessary attention and therefore suspicion.’

  ‘So what? My dad could be in big trouble. Please do as I say, Skin. At once!’

  ‘Affirmative. Activating HoverVest with initial turbo boost.’

  Napoleon took off with a gut-wrenching surge of power. One moment he was crammed in among a sea of soldiers. A second later he was rocketing upwards, the whole battlefield laid out below.

  ‘Excellent position for conflict observation.’ Skin's many nano-computers whirred into action.

  ‘No way! We're here to look for my dad.’

  ‘Operating in Multifunction Mode at present. Scanning for XBB005's chrono-global positioning chip while simultaneously recording, analysing and processing combat data.’

  The two vast armies were locked in battle, and already it was clear that the Mongols were winning.

  ‘They are overpowering the samurai with larger numbers, better organised fighting units, and superior weapons,’ Skin continued. ‘Their bows are stronger, with a longer range, and they are using poisoned arrows as well.’

  Huge clouds of these deadly arrows rained down on the samurai, wreaking havoc. But there was much worse to come. Bombs began exploding.

  ‘The Mongols have used Chinese technology to create ceramic projectile bombs known as tetsuhau,’ Skin explained. ‘They were an early type of grenade, filled with gunpowder and pieces of iron. The effect, as you can see, is both terrifying and deadly.’

  Men and horses fell as tetsuhau exploded all around them. Others panicked and fled.

  ‘But what about my dad?’ Napoleon shouted. ‘He could be in there.’

  ‘That is one possibility, BB005. But we can eliminate it. Target subject located in Sector 31 Y.’

  A grid pattern materialised in front of Napoleon's eyes. Skin directed his vision to that sector and then zoomed in for a closer view. Captain Smythe had broken free from the crowd and was making his way to a deserted hilltop, overlooking the beach.

  ‘I suspect his intention is to use the vantage point to search for you, BB005.’

  ‘I guess. Thanks, Skin.’ Napoleon sighed. ‘Let's get over there.’

  His Boot Boosters surged and he headed straight for the hill where his father was. But then Skin gave a loud warning beep.

  ‘Two potentially serious problems have been identified that may impact upon our progress.’

  ‘Spell it out, Skin.’

  ‘First, as I predicted, you have been observed. The prince who almost removed XBB005's head has seen you and has dispatched a cohort of warriors to track your every move.’

  Napoleon looked down. Some samurai on horseback were following him. ‘I see what you mean. But we'll easily reach Dad before them, won't we?’

  ‘Under normal circumstances, I would answer in the affirmative.’

  ‘I get it. We don't have normal circumstances here. And that's problem number two, isn't it?’

  ‘Correct, BB005.’

  Before Skin could finish, the HoverVest spluttered, the Boot Boosters stopped, and Napoleon dropped out of the sky like a stone.

  ‘HELP!’ he screamed as he plummeted towards the earth. ‘What's going on?’

  ‘Inexplicable malfunction of FliteRite Software system.’

  ‘Can you fix it?’

  ‘Affirmative, but not before we impact with the ground.’

  ‘You mean, CRASH?!’

  ‘Precisely. Be reminded, however, that there is an alternative to the present situation.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’ Napoleon wailed as the ground drew terrifyingly close. ‘And what's that?’

  ‘The CamoCape. It can also operate as a kite. Activating now.’

  Almost at once the cl
oak stopped flapping in the wind. It stiffened into a mini-parasail and quickly filled with air, turning Napoleon's fall into a fast but controllable glide.

  Napoleon was too low to touchdown on the top of the hill where his father was. But Captain Smythe had spotted his son and was already running down the hill to join him.

  Unfortunately he wasn't the only person rushing towards Napoleon. Some horsemen were thundering his way as well.

  ‘Look out!’ Captain Smythe shouted as Napoleon landed at the foot of the hill. ‘Behind you!’

  Napoleon turned to see two samurai warriors bearing down on him at full gallop. They split and rode either side of him, scooping him up in their arms and racing off.

  Napoleon watched his father run after him, but he was too slow – he would never catch up with them.

  ‘Admit it. You're a spy – a ninja spy.’

  ‘No. I'm a simple peasant, that's all.’

  Napoleon was being interrogated by the fierce Prince Najito in a room of his palace.

  ‘Stop lying!’

  ‘My name is Takeshi,’ Napoleon said. ‘I am travelling with my father, Hatano, searching for work.’

  ‘Since when can peasants fly? Oh no, you're a ninja all right, and you're working for the Mongols.’

  The prince leaned over Napoleon. ‘Look. Your miserable life is worth nothing. But tell me about the Mongols’ battle plans and I might let you keep it.’

  ‘Please believe me. I'm not with the Mongols. I have no idea about their plans.’

  ‘As you wish.’ The prince called his guards over. ‘Perhaps my spiders will make him talk.’

  The guards dragged Napoleon into the palace grounds, to a pit filled with hundreds of spiders.

  ‘They're huge!’ he gasped as the guards began lowering him into the pit.

  ‘Correct,’ said Skin. ‘There are several arachnid varieties represented here, from the very large Goliath Bird-eater to the truly enormous —’

  ‘Stop it, Skin! Their fangs are sharp enough to gnaw through you.’

  ‘Correct as well.’

  ‘Which means they'll sink their poison into me!’

  ‘Also correct.’

  Napoleon was hanging less than a metre above the spiders now. The biggest ones were preparing to pounce.

  ‘And you're doing nothing about it!’

  ‘Incorrect, BB005. High pitch electromagnetic radiation is being activated as we speak. The arachnids will not touch you. Please observe their behaviour.’

  Napoleon stared in horror as he sank in among the spiders. He expected to be bitten at any moment. But he wasn't. The spiders screeched and clacked their fangs and spat poison at him. But not one came near. And when he stepped towards them, they recoiled.

  Prince Najito was furious. ‘The boy uses some kind of magic, further proof that he's a ninja. Pull him up. I'll drag the secrets from him yet. Take him to the Dragon's Lair.’

  Napoleon was hauled from the pit and taken to a mysterious place hidden deep within the vast grounds of the prince's castle. Steam was hissing from the ground, along with smoke and flames, and the air was heavy with strong-smelling gases.

  ‘Phew. It's stinky in here,’ Napoleon said.

  ‘We have entered a hydrothermal region. The smells emanate from volcanic gases.’

  ‘Volcanic? That's why it's so hot.’

  ‘Excessively hot would be more accurate. Underground fractures allow lava to bubble to the surface through cracks in the Earth known as fissure vents. We are coming to one now.’

  They stood beside a large crack in the ground. A steady stream of steam and gases spluttered from it.

  Prince Najito rubbed his hands together. ‘That is the dragon's breath,’ he said with wicked glee.

  Napoleon gulped. ‘You're not going to throw me in there, are you?’

  ‘Not yet,’ the prince sneered. ‘We will wait for the dragon's tongue; it is red and deadly hot.’

  ‘He means lava,’ Skin explained. ‘At some stage molten lava will ooze from the vent.’

  ‘And when it does, we'll be history, right?’

  ‘That is one way of describing our demise, yes. Burned to a crisp would be another.’

  The guards chained Napoleon to a boulder so tightly that he couldn't move.

  ‘We'll be back soon – to watch the dragon lick away your life,’ Prince Najito laughed.

  After they'd gone, Napoleon wriggled and twisted, trying to struggle free. But it was no good.

  ‘Do something, Skin. That dragon could be here at any moment.’

  ‘It is difficult to decide upon appropriate corrective action in the present situation.’

  ‘You mean you don't know what to do?’

  ‘Correct, BB005. But we are not alone. A person with positive personal vibrations approaches.’

  Out of the mist and steam stepped a girl. She was about the same size as Napoleon. She stared at him for a moment, and then smiled.

  ‘Hatano,’ she cried. ‘You've come back at last.’

  ‘Sorry, but I'm not Hat—’

  ‘It's so good to see you again.’

  ‘You're making a mis—’ Napoleon stopped himself, and spoke to Skin via a thought channel instead. She said Hatano. Does she mean Dad?

  That is a distinct possibility. Skin's nano-computers hummed. Archival images reveal that XBB005 looked very like you as a boy.

  So who is she, Skin?

  She is Princess Akinawa from the Mongol royal family, held hostage by Prince Najito.

  The princess ran to Napoleon's side. ‘Quickly,’ she said, struggling with the heavy iron clamps that held the chain tight. ‘We must free you without delay. The dragon's tongue draws closer.’

  That is an accurate assessment of the situation, said Skin. Thermal and seismic sensors indicate the approach of a significant laval flow.

  Napoleon could feel the ground rumbling beneath him. He could hear the lava spewing and bubbling in the vent, and feel the temperature climbing by the second.

  ‘Yes, Princess Akinawa,’ Napoleon said as one of the clamps fell free. ‘It's good to see you, too. You have no idea how good!’

  The princess immediately began working on the other clamp. But a familiar voice made her freeze.

  ‘Hold it right there!’

  Prince Najito appeared from the mist and steam.

  ‘I knew I couldn't trust you,’ he said to the princess. ‘I let you out of your cell for the morning, and what do you do? Try to free a dangerous enemy.’

  ‘Please forgive me, oh mighty prince.’ Princess Akinawa bowed low to Najito. But she had her hands behind her back still trying to release the clamp. ‘I did not realise he was your enemy.’

  ‘A likely story. You're always up to tricks. But this time I'm going to lock you up for good. Take her to the North Tower and lock her in the topmost cell. Our little princess can end her days there.’

  ‘She meant no harm,’ Napoleon shouted. ‘She was only trying to give me a drink. Let her go.’

  But the guards seized the princess and lead her away.

  ‘Enough, ninja. Either you reveal Kublai Khan's battle plans now or you die by the dragon's tongue.’

  Napoleon was dripping with sweat. He glanced at the volcanic vent. Molten lava was beginning to ooze over the edge.

  ‘I told you; I don't know anything about the emperor's plans.’

  ‘Have it your way.’ The prince folded his arms. ‘My men and I will enjoy watching you burn.’

  Napoleon tried to wriggle free as the lava crept closer. The chains were a little looser since the princess had released one of the clamps. But they were still too tight. The molten liquid would soon be cooking him alive.

  But then ...

  ‘Let my son go!’

  Captain Smythe appeared on a rock above the volcanic fissure. He carried a long fighting staff covered in steel rings. He waved it in the air. ‘Let him go at once.’

  The captain leaped from the rock, landing squarely in front of the prin
ce. ‘I challenge you, Najito,’ he said. ‘A duel. One on one.’

  The prince laughed. ‘I would not foul my sword with the blood of a mere peasant,’ he sneered, and then turned to his men. ‘Destroy him.’

  Seven samurai sprang at the captain. Napoleon stared in horror. His father wouldn't stand a chance; he was outnumbered, and they were all skilled warriors.

  But to Napoleon's amazement, the captain twirled his staff in one hand like a propeller, making the samurai jump back. Then, he knocked the sword from one warrior's hand, cracked another over the head, whacked a third on the backside, and made a fourth run for his life.

  But the samurai regrouped and, with Prince Najito joining them, they circled Captain Smythe, slowly wearing him down. Napoleon could see that they would eventually get the better of his father.

  ‘We've got to help him, Skin, before it's too late.’

  ‘Reposition your right hand if possible.’

  ‘My what?’ Napoleon thought for a moment. ‘Of course. The Helping Hand.’

  He twisted and squirmed and eventually managed to free his right hand enough so that he could point towards the samurai. Just as well, for Captain Smythe was exhausted and his attackers were closing in on him.

  ‘Okay, Skin. Let's give my dad a real helping hand.’

  ‘Activating multiple tasers in tickle mode.’

  Thin blue streamers zapped from Napoleon's hand and latched onto each of the samurai just as they were about to attack the captain. They dropped their knives and swords at once and began laughing. Soon they were rolling on the ground hooting, Prince Najito loudest of all.

  Captain Smythe gave his son the thumbs up. ‘Thanks, Napoleon. I couldn't have lasted much longer.’

  ‘I don't think I can last much longer either.’ The lava was only centimetres away from Napoleon.

  The captain rushed to his side, loosened the chain, and dragged him to safety.

  ‘Thanks, Dad. That was close. But where did you learn to fight like that?’