“War ruins everything,” Darcy said. “That’s what my main instructor always told me. She was right.”
Steve nodded. They were both a bit banged up from the fight and he was grateful for a chance to rest. It also gave him a chance to think. This was war. Real war. It was just getting started.
He had been on top of the mirror maze when it was destroyed. He wondered what else had been wrecked.
Steve didn’t feel anything close to the fear he had felt when he was little and scared that the Noogie Monster would be hiding in his closet, waiting to give him a noogie. No, this was a numb, churning kind of fear. It made him realize that some of the things he had been scared of doing weren’t anything to be scared of.
“So, Marcy, I…um…I was thinking…” Steve said.
She brushed some of the dirt from her shoulder. “Hm?”
“Once this war is over, I’d still like it if we could—“
Another announcement from President Ninja cut him off. “Ninja squadrons Bagel, Lox, and Cream Cheese all report to station thirty.”
Steve didn’t try to finish what he had started saying. Darcy didn’t ask him to, either. Nora came back. She waved them on, and they began a careful journey to the school grounds as the twilight turned into nighttime.
The fighting hadn’t made it that close to the school. They gathered on the soccer field, right by the trampoline section in the center of the field. Steve liked the non-stop chaos of ninja soccer, with its constant trampoline jumping and skateboarding, but this wasn’t a good time to play.
“Steve! Marcy! Over here.”
Steve ran to Samurai Sam and Ninja Arjun. Arjun’s seven-year-old sister was there, too.
Arjun’s sister looked at Darcy. “Hello, my name is Priya. My big brother is very tall and one day I am going to be taller than him.”
Darcy grinned. “I bet you will.”
Steve and Darcy told them about the mirror maze getting blown apart and watched as their happiness faded. But then Steve told them about spraying the mecha-mole with Berry Bash and that brought them back.
“How are you, Marcy?” Arjun asked.
“So far, so good,” she said. “Where have you guys been?”
Arjun talked about being at his dad’s house and how he and his little sister and his dad had met up with Samurai Sam along the way.
“Sam, what’s your dad up to? Did he come here with you?” Steve asked.
“Um…” said Samurai Sam. “Yeah.”
Steve knew there was more to the story. He was prevented from finding out because Sensei Chow ushered them into the cafeteria. All of the tables had been pushed aside and over a thousand ninja students formed a mob around their cafeteria master. His bushy eyebrows were dyed in a camouflage pattern and he had two large, wooden cooking spoons crossed over his back. Steve wondered if those were as heavy as the training spatula he had been forced to serve those hamburgers with a few months ago.
“Students, we’re at war,” he said. “The first war we’ve had in a long time. I want you to know, before anything else, that it is okay to feel scared. It is okay to cry.”
Steve let out a sigh of relief. He noticed that many other students did, too.
Sensei Chow continued. “I don’t want anyone here teasing anyone else about how they feel about this war. War takes strength and war takes fighting, yes, but war takes tears, too. So when you have the urge to tease someone because they’re upset, you need to check yourself. Being a ninja is not about being an unfeeling, brainless soldier. Being a ninja is about sticking together and protecting those who feel vulnerable, not shaming them. Don’t forget that.”
Steve felt his hands trembling. A few of the students nearby started to sniffle. There was a hand on Steve’s back, and it was Darcy’s.
Sensei Chow let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. “The laws set in place by Thane Ninja Mariah state that ninjas twelve and older can choose to become part of a war support squad, overseeing the creation or distribution of supplies. Those who wish to stay out of the war can stay here, where a squadron of ninjas is assigned to protect the area.”
Steve had already decided to join the support squad. He locked eyes with Darcy and he could tell she would be making the same choice. The rest of the students began to talk to their friends.
“I’m staying here,” said Ninja Arjun.
“What?” Steve asked.
Arjun narrowed his eyes. “I’m not taking part in a war, Steve. I’m twelve. I’m going to let the adults handle this one while I stay here with my sister.”
Steve pulled a breath in through his mouth. It was Arjun’s choice. Sensei Chow had told them to support each other, and Steve realized that it needed to start immediately.
“I respect that,” Steve said. “I’m joining the support squad.”
Darcy said, “Me, too.”
Steve looked at Samurai Sam, who pushed his glasses a little higher onto his face. His eyes bounced back and forth between Arjun and Steve.
“I’m going with Steve and Marcy,” said Sam.
Before Steve could say anything, he saw that Nora was making a beeline for Sensei Chow. There was fierce hand waving, and Nora looked more and more like she was in a fighting stance.
“Steve, I think we should go try to calm Nora down,” said Samurai Sam.
“I think we’re too late,” Steve said.
DARCY
Darcy saw Nora storming toward Sensei Chow.
That action alone would have gotten her suspended from the agency.
There was no stopping Nora, though. Steve and Sam and Arjun ran after her.
“Oh, look who it is,” said Ninja Steph, walking up from behind Darcy. “It’s the little ninja who can’t.”
Darcy clenched her jaw.
“Are you scared, Marshy?” she asked, with a smirk.
Ninja Kelly, who was two steps behind her, looked uncomfortable.
“Steph, maybe this isn’t—” Kelly started.
“Kelly, if you’re my friend, you’ll stop talking. I’m talking to Marshy,” Steph said, then looked back at Darcy. “I hope you’re staying put with the little ones. We don’t need anyone out in the field who can’t do what’s needed.”
Darcy said, “You’ll need my help.”
“With what?” Steph said. “There’s nothing you can do that I can’t. I have years of ninja training. What do you have? A few weeks? Trust me, Marsh, I’m worth at least five of you.”
“You have no idea who I am and what I’m capable of,” Darcy said.
Darcy felt like embers were burning inside her palms. That creeping anger was coming back and she knew that she needed to get away from Steph before the anger consumed her.
“We can beat her in a fight, no problem,” Toran said, stirring to life in her mind. “It would be over in five seconds.”
Steph rolled her eyes and walked away just as Steve and Sam and Arjun were coming back.
“Marcy, you look angry,” Steve said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Darcy said.
She didn’t see much of a point in telling Steve or his friends about Steph and Kelly. What would they be able to do, anyway?
Sensei Chow’s discussion with Nora had come to a close. Nora came back, silent.
“Students,” Sensei Chow said, “we have drop points where our supplies need to be. If you choose to take part, your only job will be delivering supplies to those locations. Ordinarily, that would be able to keep you clear of most enemy encounters. The reality, though, is that the mecha-moles could be tunneling anywhere they want. Be prepared for fights. Remember their weaknesses: if you encounter a scout, your most effective attack is a kick to the butt. If you encounter a brute mecha-mole, my best advice is to get away from it. Use smoke bombs, oil slicks, whatever you have.”
Darcy cleared her throat. “What about royal mecha-moles?”
Sensei Chow’s eyebrows went up. “There are only four royal mecha-moles: Empress Dee-Dee,
Princess Drogar, Prince Eldin, and Prince Elom. None of them will be part of these attack squads. I guarantee it.”
Darcy nodded. Bureau training had taught her that most people performed a certain action when they lied, called a “tic.” She had already figured out that Sensei Chow’s tic was raising his eyebrows. It made her sad to see a teacher lie, and she wondered why he thought it was necessary.
It was foolish to guarantee anything about those royals, especially since Prince Eldin was looking for revenge for his father, and Drogar would never be one to shy away from combat.
“Now,” said Sensei Chow, “If you stay with me, we’ll get to the supply depot and hold there until we receive requests from our battle squads.”
The supply depot wasn’t far from the school. Darcy had passed the small house many times and had never taken notice of it. She supposed that was the point: a rectangular, one-floor, black-roofed house that looked just like any other ninja’s house.
There were fifty students who traveled with Sensei Chow and they had to go in the front door of the supply house one at a time. When Darcy got in, she saw that it was anything but an ordinary house.
There was no floor, only a set of stairs going down. A series of pulleys and platforms were there, too, acting as elevators. She walked next to Steve. Sam was right behind them.
When they reached the bottom, they found row after row of oversized lockers with clear front panels so that they could all see inside. At the front and back of every row was a cart. Not a shopping cart, but a long, wide wooden platform on wheels.
Sensei Chow divided them into two teams. Team one was on first response and members of team two were given bedrolls so that they could sleep for three hours. Team one would be on patrol until midnight, then they’d get to rest for three hours while team two took the lead.
Steve, Sam, Darcy, and Nora were on team one.
“I need four ninjas at each end of each row,” Sensei Chow instructed. “You’ll quickly figure out what items are in your row.”
Darcy fell in with Steve and Sam and Nora. They had to occupy the very last row.
The lockers in their aisle were filled with things on wheels. The skateboards were easy to recognize, as were the bicycles. When Darcy came across the unicycles, she stopped in pure puzzlement. How would these be necessary for any situation, ever?
In the very center of the aisle, there was a single locker that was empty. Darcy opened it up. For an empty locker, it was impossibly clean, not a speck of dust anywhere. She touched the side walls and then the back wall. The back wall felt different. When she pushed against it, it started to turn.
It was a hidden door.
There was a hallway behind it, short enough that it only took three steps to cross it, and it led to another locker. This one was at least five times wider than the others. Its front panel was solid black. Darcy knocked on it and immediately suspected it was made of ultimite. It reminded her of her fight with General Kadek.
There was no lock, no handle, no way of getting it open. It wouldn’t take a trained agent to figure out that something very important was being kept here.
But what was it?
STEVE
“Sam,” said Steve. “What is the ambassador policy during a war? Are you allowed to be doing this?”
Sam narrowed his eyes. “Well, we are supposed to lock down our residence and flee the country. But I can’t see my dad ever doing something like that. We’ve been in Ninjastoria for years and we’re happy here.”
Steve let out a sigh of relief. “Good. It makes me feel better knowing that you’re around.”
Then Steve noticed that Darcy wasn’t there.
He looked, spotted the open locker, and poked his head inside.
“Sam,” Steve whispered. “Get over here.”
The two of them went into the locker and stood beside Darcy. They stared at the black storage locker that was definitely keeping a big secret.
“Marcy, what do you think is in there?” Steve asked.
“Something that no one is supposed to know about, probably,” she said.
“Or maybe something that isn’t even supposed to exist,” said Sam. “Like level four scrolls.”
Steve felt it in his bones, then. It had to be a collection of level four scrolls, containing instructions for how to perform dangerous, forbidden techniques. What else would need to be locked away in a secret safe?
“We should get back into the aisle before anyone notices that we’re gone,” said Sam. “I don’t want to have to go to ninja court for being where I don’t belong a second time.”
They left the secret locker behind and returned to their assigned spot. When Sensei Chow saw what row they were stationed in, his big eyebrows furrowed. He moved the four of them and appointed them as the first supply delivery team.
“Sorry,” he said, raising his eyebrows, “I forgot that we don’t need anything from this aisle.”
The student teams waited as patiently as they could. Steve could tell that many of them, like himself, were feeling a wobbling sense of dread. What made it worse was the possibility that any second, a bunch of mecha-moles could burst out from the ground.
“Steve, how will we know what supplies need to go where? I would have figured that people would communicate by cell phone or radio, but I don’t see Sensei Chow using either of those,” she said.
“Well,” Steve said, “our most reliable method of fast, long-distance communication in a war is our network of ninja crows and cats. Look, there’s one.”
A sleek, purplish-black cat darted down the stairs and made its way to Sensei Chow. The cat leaped onto Sensei Chow’s shoulder.
“You handwrite little messages and give them to animals?” Darcy asked Steve. “I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but that is very inefficient. You have phones and computers. They send messages instantly.”
“Those can be intercepted. Ninja cats and crows are totally loyal to us. One thing, though: we don’t write down any messages.”
“Then how could the cats and crows possibly relay any information?” she asked.
Steve pointed at the cat perched on Sensei Chow’s shoulder.
“The northern border team is requesting twelve more pairs of extra-large nunchakus,” said the cat, in a baritone voice.
DARCY
The cat leaped off of Sensei Chow’s shoulder and scampered away. Sensei Chow relayed the supply order and a bunch of students scrambled to get the extra-large nunchakus.
Darcy’s jaw dropped. She shook her head.
“I’ve clearly lost my mind,” she said.
“Steve, I don’t think she knows,” said Sam. “I didn’t know the full story until I moved here.”
“What story?” Darcy asked.
Steve cleared his throat. “This is one of my favorite bedtime stories from when I was a kid. You see, cats came from the moon thousands of years ago. When they still lived on the moon, many of them drank from the hidden magical fountain at the base of Mount Mee-Wow, and the magical water gave them the ability to talk. Then, one day, here on our world, all of the crows decided to take a vacation to the moon. When they got there, they became friends with the cats, so the cats led them to the fountain and gave them the ability to talk, too.”
Darcy nodded. Animal vacations. Sudden friendships. Flying to the moon. Like so many things in Ninjastoria, it seemed too far-fetched to be true, which meant that it was probably completely true.
The students in charge of gathering all of the nunchakus returned and placed them in a backpack. They flung it to Nora and then Sensei Chow gave them directions.
“Okay, team, stick together and get these to the northern border barracks,” Sensei Chow said, addressing Nora. “If you encounter the enemy, do whatever you need to get away and make the delivery.”
Nora didn’t say anything. She accepted the backpack, four hoverboard coins, and led the way out. Steve was right behind her, trying to keep up.
“Nora?” Steve asked. “Please
stop being like this. It’s a war. We need to work together.”
“Whatever,” Nora said, handing them their hoverboard coins so that they could summon their boards.
STEVE
Night had fallen. Steve saw a few crows circling above. A half-moon hung low in the sky.
They passed two other ninja squads as they zoomed toward their destination. Other than that, the streets were clear.
Steve tried asking Sam about his favorite new cell phone game, Vegetable Samurai. The conversation quickly fell apart because they had to keep an eye out for mecha-moles.
“How far is it until the northern border?” Darcy asked him.
“Thirty minutes,” Steve said. “Unless Nora knows a shortcut or something.”
Nora was ahead of them by a good twenty feet.
“Is she going to be okay?” Samurai Sam asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Steve said. “Let’s just get this done and maybe she’ll snap out of it.”
Soon enough, they left the city behind. They zipped through the woods, sticking to some of the main hiking trails. Steve was about to tell Darcy that they were making good time when he saw movement in the trees.
“Nora! Wait!” Steve called.
The entire party came to a halt.
“Look up there,” Steve said.
Gathered in the high branches of an old, thick-trunked tree, were three ninjas: his mom, his dad, and President Ninja. It was hard to see President Ninja at first, because he was wearing his camouflage uniform and his camouflage moustache.
Without a second thought, Steve flew his hoverboard right over to them. Their conversation, which had been too quiet to hear, came to a complete halt.
“Hello, son,” said his dad. “This is a good surprise.”
“Hey, honey,” said his mom. “You doing okay?”
“For now, yeah,” Steve said.
“Hello, Ninja Steve,” said President Ninja. “I see that you have joined one of the student supply squads. Thank you for your bravery.”
Agent Darcy and Ninja Steve in...Mecha-Mole Mayhem! Page 5
