by Caleb Karger
It wasn’t easy trying to find my squad again, especially in a crowd of people wearing masks. Eventually, I spotted Katherine and walked up to her, relieved.
“Hey,” she said. “What was all that about?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I said.
“And there they are!”
My shoulders slumped. Another stranger was coming up to talk to us. Then my eyes grew wide as I realized it was our jonin coming towards us. It was the same stern woman I’d seen in Katherine’s memory. Everyone in the atrium stopped talking and took a knee.
“Jonin Ahana.” Katherine bowed her head. When I didn’t copy her, she punched my arm. I bent over, and the rest of the team followed. “It’s been a long time.”
“Indeed, it has,” Ahana said. “Have you gotten taller?”
“No, ma’am. You’ve gotten shorter,” Katherine said in all seriousness.
The two women stared each other down. They didn’t move, breathe, or blink for a full minute. I thought Ahana was going to order the legion to behead Katherine. Then amusement filled her eyes, and the both of them laughed. Ahana touched Katherine’s cheek.
“It’s good to see you,” she said. Suddenly, the warmth and happiness left her eyes. “So, this is the best you could bring me, is it?”
Ahana jabbed my chest, so I stood up tall. I bit my tongue to hold back a grunt. She looked at me from head to toe. I couldn’t help feeling that I was inadequate. I was glad when she turned to inspect the others. “You think you’re ready for duty?”
“Y-yes.”
“I think so.”
Ahana shook her head. “You can’t even answer a simple question properly. Is this what I can expect out of you on the battlefield?” She stopped in front of Lily. Their faces were an inch apart.
Lily fought to sound confident. “No, ma’am.”
Ahana turned to Katherine. “You’ve got a lot of work cut out for you, but if anyone is capable of turning this bunch into a worthy team, it’s you. You hear that, you lot? You’ve got one of the finest commanders in the legion, don’t you dare tarnish her legacy. Now if everyone’s ready, I’d like to begin the ceremony.” Ahana disappeared into the crowd.
“Well, she seems pleasant,” I whispered.
The crowd collectively came to their feet and surged like water towards the other end of the atrium. They gathered their umbrellas and went outside into a garden. We were the last ones to head out.
The rain had found a way to pour even harder than before. I felt like I was taking a cold shower, but my attention was quickly drawn towards the garden’s beauty. Surrounding us were blooming cherry blossom trees.
The crowd had formed an aisle for us to pass through. At the end was a pagoda-like pavilion where Ahana and a man sat on wooden chairs. The man had black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. His skin was dark tan, and he wore no mask. He dressed in a traditional kimono. He had a peaceful expression; the kind depicted on immortals who understood something a person learns only after living a long time.
When we reached the gap between the crowd and the pavilion, Katherine and Hot Stuff peeled away from us to stand with the multitude. Wolf led us up the pavilion’s stairs, and we kneeled on the last step. It became so quiet and still that I could hear the water dripping from our clothes.
Ahana came to her feet. “We are not gathered here today to celebrate a graduation. We are here to witness an adoption. You, our lost brothers and sisters, have at last found your way home. You have proven your identity, not by your abilities, but by your courage and your compassion. We are honored to give you our name. We open our home to you, we will share our secrets with you, our privilege, and our burden,” she said. “I find your commander’s judgment to be sound. Therefore, I have no reason to disagree with her decision. She believes you are ready to face all that this family will ask of you. If you think otherwise, now is the time to say so.”
I cringed. This was my last chance to back out. I felt like a man on his wedding day. I was sure that this was what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to shut the door on all the other options. Before I could say something stupid, my window of opportunity disappeared…forever.
“The ninja do not have an oath because so often people speak words they do not mean. You will prove your loyalty and commitment through the blood you are willing to spill. When you receive your sword, make an incision on your left hand. Once you do, you will be one of us.”
Ahana grabbed a box from the stack behind her chair. She went to Wolf first and opened the lid. Wolf’s hands were shaking as he pulled out a sword. The scabbard was a dark blue, the hilt wrapped in navy silk, and the cross guard was silver. It sang a metallic song when he unsheathed it. Engraved on the curving blade was a picture of a sea serpent in the waves.
Wolf removed his glove and cut his palm, a streak of crimson coated his hand. Ahana wrapped his palm in a red cloth. “May you serve with honor,” she said and helped Wolf to his feet.
She raised his hand so the crowd behind us could see. The sound of cheering and clapping drowned out the rain. Tears gathered in Wolf’s eyes. Weeks of effort and pain had all culminated into this one moment. Someone hauled him into the throng where he got swarmed with hugs and congratulations.
The crowd’s mood seemed to put us at ease. Kavi wasn’t so nervous to be the next one to cut his hand. As Ahana went down the line, I saw that each sword was made to fit the unique ability someone had. I was relieved that I’d finally figured out what my gift was. I didn’t have to worry about getting a generic sword.
Someone stepped in front of me and opened the last box. When I looked up, I was surprised to see the man presenting my sword instead of Ahana. I figured that meant something really special was in the box, but when I looked, I frowned.
The sword inside wasn’t new like the others; it was a hand-me-down. The red silk on the hilt was faded and stained. The gold cross guard had been polished, but it was still badly worn. The scabbard was dented. The sword needed to be in a museum, not taken out on missions.
A little less than enthusiastic, I took it out of the box and unsheathed it. The blade was black with a gold dragon wrapping around it. At this point, I was just happy I couldn’t see any rust.
Ahana gasped in awe. “Sensei, you’re really going to let a boy use the Tatara?” He didn’t say anything to her but seemed to be waiting for my response. Was I supposed to be happy?
“You seem disappointed,” the man whispered.
I lowered my head and pictured the cool swords my teammates had received. “Why don’t I get a new sword?” I asked.
“You should be honored to hold this sword!” Ahana said, and the man held up his hand to silence her. She mumbled to herself.
“Sometimes old things are better than new things,” the man said. “This is the only weapon strong enough to withstand your fire.” I tried to look content and accept that the sword given to me was the best fit.
I took a deep breath. This was it, the big moment, from now on I would have a new life. No more getting teased at school. No more being invisible. I’d never have to see my mom crying over bills she couldn’t pay again.
I pressed my palm against the blade, and warm blood trickled down my arm. Ahana wrapped my hand and presented me to the crowd. I couldn’t resist smiling at the thunderous screaming.
There was no time for an after party. The squads had quickly dispersed. Katherine led us out of the rain and down a long tunnel. After twenty minutes we entered what looked like a deserted train station. It looked like something out of a horror movie; the tiles on the floor and the walls were grungy, the overhead lights flickered, and a man in a black cloak leaned against a dark corner—no doubt watching us.
As we waited, I stared at my sword. “Lily, do you know who that man was? The one who gave this to me?” I asked.
“Master Enki,” she said as if it should’ve been obvious. I felt my stomach drop. The guy who ran the entire organization had presented my
sword to me, and I had complained. Then I wondered why he thought he had to hand it to me personally. Wasn’t he busier with more important things?
I heard a whistle, and a moment later, a sleek bullet train pulled into the station. The doors popped open with a hiss like a freshly opened soda. The interior was the opposite of the outside. Bolted to the carpeted floor were Victorian armchairs with velvet cushions, the walls had wood paneling, and old music played softly. Sitting in the back was a man dressed in an elegant suit. He was hiding his face behind a newspaper.
We fell into our seats as the train shot forward into an unlit tunnel. For a minute the windows were black until they flickered to life with images of passing countryside. As the darkness lit up, I saw the train entering another station. It seemed like we were going to zip right through, then abruptly the train screeched to a halt.
“You have arrived at Sakura Circle, location of the Exotic and Extinct Animal Zoo, the Jasmine Stadium, and the Ninja Network headquarters,” a cheerful voice announced. No one boarded the train. Once more we were whisked away into a tunnel.
“What sort of animals do they have at the zoo?” Lily asked.
“Oh, it’s a zoo for prehistoric animals,” Katherine said.
“Dinosaurs?!” Spaz asked. “Live ones?”
“Yeah.”
The images on the windows shut off and white light spilled into the tunnel. The train went up a steep ramp. This time we didn’t stop at another station, we pulled directly into a building. Katherine stood up.
“You have arrived at the Central Plaza, location of City Hall, the Courthouse, the Archive, and the divisions’ headquarter offices.”
When we exited the train, we found ourselves in a beautiful futuristic building. The floors were polished marble, and the walls were whiter than clouds. All around were steel columns and glass windows. Scattered along the corridor were openings into endless hallways. Signs marked each passageway; a few read Caution Hazardous Material; No Access Beyond this Point; Archives. Blending in seamlessly to the white dream-like building were ninja dressed head-to-toe in white uniforms. They carried folders, clipboards, and stacks of paper.
At the end of the grand hall, there was a wide staircase that had to be at least a good twenty flights of stairs. It brought us outside to a circular enclosure. Surrounding us were several enormous buildings. Each one was easily the size of the Burj Khalifa. We crossed to the building in front of us. Posted over the entrance was PRESERVATION.
The interior was the opposite of the building we just came from. It had depressing gray concrete on every surface and no windows. Holographs littered the ceiling with the latest news. People stood around like turkeys in the rain staring upwards.
We moved to the fleet of elevators on the back wall. We were crammed in with a bunch of ninja in business attire. They all seemed glued to an electronic device. Someone was talking about the stock exchange while someone else was going on about the national security of some country I’d never heard of before.
The elevator stopped on various floors. People poured in, and they poured out. One floor was like an office, another looked like a call center, and one appeared to be a meeting hall. As the people with suits exited, people dressed like janitors, construction workers, and police officers stepped in.
We rode all the way to the basement level. By that time, there were only three other people in the elevator. The doors opened up to a warehouse drenched in fluorescent light. It looked like we’d just walked into a super store. Aisles seemed to stretch on forever. There were clothing racks a mile long.
A ninja with a dull look in his eyes wearing a blue vest that declared I CAN HELP on the back, wandered by with a cart full of discarded items. Mindlessly, he put things back on the shelves.
“Welcome to the Depot,” he said without bothering to look at us. “We strive to meet your every need.”
Katherine led us straight ahead through the sea of clothes. I saw military uniforms for every country, team mascot costumes, pizza delivery uniforms, kimonos, kilts, and ordinary street clothes from the modern day all the way back to ancient Egypt. Some clothes were stained and torn to look like they’d been used for years, while others looked brand new. It wasn’t just clothes, either; wigs, sunglasses, masks, and hats were sold as well.
We passed by a lady who dressed like she was going to hike Mount Everest, a man dressed as an African tribal leader, and a group of people in full biohazard outfits. Halloween stores wished they had this many options.
It took a while to cross, but once on the other side, confronting us was a maze of random items. Lamps and dressers surrounded rows of couches. Pianos and vacuums were buried in with tables and chairs. Wedged between everything were telescopes, plants, globes, pool noodles, umbrellas, refrigerators, and any other item I could think of and some I couldn’t.
“What is all this?” Wolf asked.
Spaz jumped onto a reclining chair. He flipped the lever, but instead of reclining the chair tossed him onto the floor. The butt cushion propped open, and a case of razor sharp knives rose up.
“Sweet!” Spaz said. He then proceeded to flip all of the reclining chairs’ levers. Each opened up differently, and each hid different weapons. Castile went to pick up a lamp, but the top popped off to reveal a spear hiding inside.
“Can no one here read the ‘Do Not Touch’ sign?!” another man in a blue vest said. Everyone stared at him. He had wild cave-man hair and wore a purple pointed hat. His name tag read: MERLIN. He pushed the secret cases back into the chairs and reconnected the top of the lamp to the base. “Now, what is it you people want?”
“We’re here for sword concealment,” Katherine said.
“I suggest a cloak would work well enough for most of you,” Merlin said. Katherine crossed her arms. “What? Did they stop wearing those, too?! I swear the humans are wearing less and less by the day! Next, I’ll be struggling to hide weapons in hose!” He turned around and led us through the piles and started mumbling to himself. “What did I do to deserve this? If I ever find Arthur, I swear I’ll kill him myself…ring his neck…cook his eyes.”
“Is he really…?” I whispered to Katherine.
“Yes, unfortunately,” she said. “He’s one of our many celebrities. Elvis works in gardening because he used his siren-like ability to sell records.”
“Alright, let me see what I’ve got to work with,” Merlin said. He took Spaz’s sword. He turned it over. “Mmm…yes. You see the sword mimics the wielder, my little lord.” Merlin tapped the sword, and it morphed into a bird. It flew to Spaz and sat on his shoulder.
“How’d you do that?!” Spaz said. Merlin had a look of mischief in his eye and turned to Lily.
“You can’t turn it into thoughts,” Lily said. “…can you?”
“This is where you must be clever, for thoughts can be made physical. Watch.” Merlin shook Lily’s sword. One moment it was a weapon, the next it was a book. “I believe it is a diary.” When Lily opened the book, everyone’s thoughts were filling up the pages.
Castille’s sword turned into a stun gun. Kavi’s changed into a flashlight, although I don’t know what that had to do with his powers. I was the last one Merlin approached. I gave him my sword assuming he’d be able to change it into a lighter or something.
Merlin took the sword from me like it was a precious artifact. “I never thought I’d live to see the day…”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’ve seen many great swords, my lord, swords that saved millions of lives; Excalibur, the Kusanagi, Durandal, Joyeuse, and the Honjo Masamune. Or, swords responsible for the worst destruction in history; the cursed blades of Muramasa. Of course, the swords are only as legendary as their wielders,” Merlin said. “It is very rare for a sword to have more than one owner and practically impossible for a legendary sword to be passed down.” He ran a finger down the dull side of the blade. “This sword once belonged to a master.”
“Really?”
“Indeed
. My boy, this blade is responsible for sinking Atlantis, it buried Pompeii, and has summoned fire and brimstone to annihilate entire cities, nay, entire cultures. Its name, Tatara, means forge, and in a forge, things can be created, repurposed, or destroyed.” He returned the sword to me. “I can only wonder what it will accomplish in your hands.” I gulped. He gave a black cylindrical container used to carry maps and blueprints to me.
“Uh, what’s this for?” I asked.
“The oldest swords don’t have the ability to morph, but this ought to hide it just fine,” he said. “Alright, I’ve done my job. Off you go.” Merlin shooed us away.
Katherine led us to the electronics department. Surrounding it were walls of tvs and display cases filled with all kinds of gadgets. Katherine didn’t bother to look around. She went straight to the counter and talked to the ninja posted there. The man nodded and retrieved six boxes from the back. She handed one to each of us.
“You need to keep these with you at all times. Every ninja is considered on duty whether you’re sleeping, or dining with the president,” she said.
I pried my box open. Waiting inside was a black cell phone. It looked to be a few models ahead of the latest model. It was thin but durable, the screen was wide, and it had two cameras on it. I pressed the power button. The lock screen appeared with a lovely scenery of some mountains. When I pressed my thumb to the screen, a loading bar popped up. Once it was completed; the phone unlocked.
“Welcome.” The phone chimed.
The home screen looked like any other phone. I could make calls and send messages. I opened an app that had an exclamation mark on it. When I pressed it, it opened up like a map and showed my location. Little blurbs would appear when something interesting happened nearby. For instance, there was an accident on the street twenty blocks away. Another app displayed wanted criminals and missing children. The numbers of my teammates were preprogrammed into the phone.
“So, if there’s like a trillion people on the planet, how do the ninja know when something goes wrong? That’s a lot of people to watch,” Spaz said.