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  “I see, every time she or anyone with this ability used it, they would have the side effect of self-healing, like anti-aging.” said John.

  Sensei Fujita nodded.

  John remained silent a moment, thinking about several people he knew personally who never seemed to age.

  “That explains a lot actually,” said John.

  “I am certain that it does. That is also Masami’s ability and I have a feeling it will serve you well in the future as it has me.”

  That explained Fujita Sensei’s advanced age despite his illness.

  “The illness you have, Sensei?” asked John.

  “Cannot be reversed by Masami, it can only be kept at bay for so long.” He sipped some more tea.

  “The next ability is one of the most difficult to stand against.” said Fujita.

  “Why? I would think the others you have mentioned would be quite a challenge.”

  “Imagine an ability that, once you have shown what you can do, can counter you flawlessly?” said Fujita.

  “That would certainly pose a problem.” said John.

  “It is the ability of mirroring. To a limited degree, this practitioner can mimic any ability, any technique, any fighting style it’s exposed to after seeing it once.”

  “That’s all it takes? Seeing it once?” said John.

  “Yes. This does not mean the practitioner can execute with the same flawless ability as someone who has been training their entire life. If the practitioner lacks the conditioning, they will be severely limited. What this ability does is impart the understanding and counters to whatever it faces. It is quite formidable to see in action.” said Fujita.

  “How would you combat something like that?” asked John.

  “I hope you never have to find out Kane-san, truly. My advice would be not to be who I am.” said Fujita.

  “Be someone else?” asked John not quite understanding.

  “Exactly, Then at the right moment, be yourself. The next ability is the most fearsome of the five and it is the one most shrouded in mystery.

  “Let me guess, invisibility?” said John.

  Fujita Sensei looked at John for a long moment before responding.

  “Thirty years ago that remark would have earned you much pain. I have since mellowed with age, and you have been watching too many movies.” said Fujita.

  John remained silent, embarrassed at his levity.

  “You have heard of Death touch arts?” asked Fujita Sensei.

  “Sure. Dim Mak and the like, yes.”

  “The last ability is where those distorted versions derive from. The last ability is the death touch.”

  “Impossible,” whispered John to himself.

  “Surely by now, you have seen enough to know that many things you thought impossible are very possible indeed.”

  John nodded.

  “This ability allows the practitioner to affect various points on the body as well as certain organs, causing death instantly or over a period of days.”

  “So basically don’t get touched.” said John.

  “If you were to face this practitioner that would be the wisest course of action.” said Fujita

  “Fujita Sensei, why are you telling me all this, If it’s not supposed to be known?” said John.

  “That, we will discuss tomorrow. It is getting late and I must rest.” As if on cue, Masami appeared and stood by Fujita Sensei as he rose from the cushion.

  “You will stay here tonight Kane-san. We will finish our discussion in the morning. Masami will show you to your room, please wait here.” said Fujita.

  John rose and bowed to the old man as he left the room. He sat down and remained seated on the cushion until Masami returned.

  “Please follow me,” she said in a quiet voice.

  John stood and was about to speak when she stood still. John almost bumped into her. Masami looked around and for a moment John thought she was losing it.

  “Someone is here.” John didn’t follow.

  “What do you mean, someone is here?” said John.

  Masami turned to face John, her face serene, her eyes deadly.

  “Do not lose your zanshin Kane-san. Someone has come to this place to harm Fujita Sensei or you, most likely both,” she said this matter of factly as she made her way to a panel in the room.

  Placing her hand on it, caused it to slide back to reveal a number pad. Masami punched in a code and a section of the wall recessed and moved to the side revealing a hidden room.

  “This is for Fujita Sensei, he will insist on fighting. You must not let him. Once he is inside, you and I will greet our guests.” said Masami.

  Fujita Sensei appeared behind them, silent as a cat.

  “I will not be hiding, like some frail old man, Masami.”

  Masami jumped, startled by his presence.

  “Fujita Sensei!” she exhaled.

  “I’m old and ill but I will not be hiding in there.” he pointed as he spoke.

  Masami looked at John, pleading with her eyes.

  “Fujita Sensei –” started John as the old man cut him off.

  “Don’t even begin; I was dispatching men to hell before you were off your mother’s breast.” said Fujita.

  John opened his mouth in surprise, shut it again and then smiled, defeated.

  “Ok I give up. Can we see who is trying to enter?” said John

  Masami nodded and stepped over to a computer display console. Above it was a bank of monitors laid out in a grid- three by three. Each of the monitors showed a view of the exterior property in addition to sections of the interior. John could see a two man team at the door, two more figures on the roof and one person by the back door.

  “Looks like five people, kind of small for an insertion team.” said John

  Fujita Sensei looked at the monitor.

  “That is not an insertion team.” said Fujita.

  “How do you know?” said John.

  “Because their purpose is clear.” said Fujita as he stepped back.

  “You mean besides breaking in.”

  Fujita Sensei turned and looked at John.

  “Yes John, besides gaining entry, their purpose is to kill me.

  The two at the front door will be the last to enter. The two above us pose the immediate threat.” Fujita Sensei said to John.

  “What about the rear, can’t we just take out the one in the back and leave that way?”

  Masami shook her head as John looked at her.

  “It is a trap, even though he appears to be alone, he isn’t.” said Masami.

  “So what’s the plan? We wait them out?” said John.

  “No they will not patiently wait. Their methods will grow more violent to gain entry. We are going to give them what they want, access. Masami, please open the access points.” said Fujita.

  Masami nodded. John was speechless for a second, then quickly recovered.

  “What? You mean let them in?” said John.

  “Yes, it’s the one thing they wouldn’t expect. In any case, this is not the real threat Kane-san.” said Fujita

  Masami punched in a code at the keyboard opening the front, rear and roof doors. Fujita Sensei made his way to the large living room as the assassins entered silently. Each of the five came into the living room. Two from the front entrance, two descending the stairs and one from the rear of the property. When they saw Fujita Sensei, they each drew short swords about two feet in length. Each of the swords was jet black and glistened.

  “Shadow blades,” whispered Masami.

  Each of the five bowed briefly. Fujita Sensei nodded his head slightly. The assassins were singular in their focus-Fujita was their target. John and Masami moved to the fringe of the living room. Fujita turned in a slow circle.

  “Please, whenever you are ready,” he beckoned to them.

  The next thirty seconds were frozen in time for John. He saw the two from the front begin to advance and in a split second, Fujita Sensei was between them. Their
surprised expressions told John that they didn’t expect the old man to move so fast. John couldn’t see what harm Fujita Sensei could inflict; they each wore black jumpsuits that seemed to contain some kind of body armor.

  They were trained and recovered from their surprise the next moment. Both sliced at Fujita Sensei, who ducked beneath the blades. He immediately rose, driving a spear hand into the throat of the one on the left. As the assassin crumpled to the floor dead, the one on the right lunged for the old man who was no longer there but behind the assassin. Using a knife hand, he snapped the neck of the assassin from behind.

  The other three who were now on the opposite side of the living room drew small throwing knives. John grabbed Masami and overturned one of the futons for cover. They crouched behind it as the knives sliced through the air. John turned to see each of the knives hit their target and bounce off, falling to the floor.

  Fujita Sensei picked up a few of the knives close to his feet. As the three closed the distance, Fujita Sensei threw the knives hitting two of the assassins in the neck and dropping them. The last assassin closed and began executing a downward slice with his short sword. Fujita Sensei sidestepped the slice and using a single point fist, struck the assassin three times, in three distinct areas.

  Fujita Sensei stepped back and watched the last assassin fall to the ground; arms still extended overhead, blood flowing from his mouth. John stood up slowly and took in the scene. In half a minute, Fujita Sensei had killed five trained men.

  John held a new respect and awe for him. Fujita Sensei turned to face John and Masami. He took a step forward and collapsed. Masami rushed to his side, with John beside her.

  “John, please close the doors.” said Masami. The urgency in her voice was clear as she told him the code to enter. As he made his way to the keyboard, he heard the screech of a vehicle braking outside.

  “Hurry, there will be more.” John punched in the code and all the doors slammed shut.

  Chapter Eight

  John looked around. The living room was mostly intact with the exception of the overturned futon, and the five dead bodies.

  “John, the safe room quickly! We don’t have much time.” said Masami.

  John made a motion to pick up Fujita Sensei.

  “No, Kane-san, please stop.” whispered Fujita.

  John felt compelled to obey. Fujita’s words were a rasp with steel.

  “Sensei, we must get you to safety.” said Masami.

  “Masami that time has passed. You must keep him safe now.” Fujita nodded in John’s direction. Masami tried to fight back tears and failed.

  “Fujita Sensei, I’m sure we can get you some help –” started John. Fujita held up his hand to stop John.

  “You must leave, now. My time is complete. Even with Masami’s skill, I am past that now. More will come and you must not be here when they arrive. Go to the safe room, inside you will find my journal. I hope it can be of use to you. I regret we did not get to know each other more.” said Fujita.

  “Sensei –” Masami whispered.

  “Go. Now. Before it is too late.” Fujita said as he stood.

  Masami stood transfixed at this display of inner fortitude.

  “Make haste Masami. Now!” Fujita yelled.

  Masami, galvanized by Fujita’s words, snapped into motion. She stood and grabbed John’s hand, moving quickly to the safe room.

  “I could try and force him –” said John.

  Masami shook her head.

  “You could try but you would fail. He is old, not powerless. He has chosen this to give us an opportunity; we will not waste his last gift.” she said.

  She punched in a code once they were in the safe room. The door that slid into place was easily two feet thick by John’s guess. No one was getting in without that code. The room was comfortably furnished and roughly the size of the living room. It had everything a person needed to deal with a crisis. There was a small room off in the corner that was a bathroom. On the adjacent wall was a small kitchen with stove and sink. The opposite wall was lined with shelves holding canned goods and gallons of water.

  Beside the entrance was a small desk, which looked out of place with the rest of the room. It was a deep rich mahogany and was bare of any personal effects except for a slim book sitting in the center.

  “Please take the journal. I’ll get the bags and change.” said Masami. She made her way into one of the other small rooms in the back.

  John made his way over to the desk. The journal was an old leather bound book tied in the center. John saw it was worn with age, the pages yellowed with use. Above the desk was a large monitor which flared to life as John neared the desk to pick up the journal. It showed a grid view of the interior and exterior of the property from several different angles. John touched the square that showed the living room. The square expanded to cover the whole screen. John noticed the icon in the corner, a small speaker and pressed it, engaging the audio function. Inside the safe room, John heard a muffled thump as he saw the front door come crashing in. John imagined the sound was deafening in the living room. Fujita stood unaffected by the explosion.

  The sound that came over the speakers was muted. The angle of the camera took in the entire living room. John could see figures entering the room through the haze of smoke. The camera resolution allowed John to make out faces, one in particular stood out. He seemed to be the leader of the group, judging from the way he stood.

  They paid no attention to the bodies on the floor. John counted three of them and heard the sharp intake of breath beside him. Masami stood beside him in a black one piece tactical suit. It was form fitting and had pockets spaced evenly on the arms and legs. A holster was attached to her right leg and short blade about two feet long was attached to the left. Her face was grim as she looked at the screen. She was looking at the leader of the group.

  “Hello Sensei.” The voice came over clearly through the speakers. It was the center figure who was speaking, the other two could have been statues for all the motion they exhibited. The speaker was the one that stood out. There was something about him, he looked familiar but John couldn’t place him.

  “I see not much has changed.” Fujita sounded tired.

  “Who is that?” John whispered to Masami, pointing at the speaker.

  “That,” she said with venom, “is what evil looks like. We must go Kane-san.”

  “But Fujita –” said John.

  “Fujita Sensei is finished.” she said. The finality in her voice surprised John.

  She placed her hand on a wall to reveal a staircase that led to a tunnel. John didn’t move.

  “The one you see there,” she said pointing at the figure in the center. “He is known as Kage – the shadow. He leads the Shadow Blades. If he is here, this is very bad.”

  John looked at the screen again. He looked so familiar.

  “I know him from somewhere, he looks so familiar.” said John. Masami looked at John and was about to speak when a voice came over the speakers.

  “It is time to end things Sensei.” Kage said

  For the first time Kage looked around as if seeing the bodies for the first time. “I see you still have some skill, but you are looking tired, Sensei.”

  “That title is no longer yours to use,” said Fujita.

  Two more figures entered and stood by the entrance to the living room.

  Kage bowed. “I understand.”

  In a split second he produced a katana, a three foot razor sharp sword with a slightly curved blade. It happened so fast John barely registered the movement. If it wasn’t for his ability to blur he would have missed it completely. One moment Kage was across the room, the next he was beside Fujita Sensei. The sword protruded through Fujita’s body. As he withdrew the blade, Fujita began to fall. Kage caught him, a look of sadness that was quickly masked, crossed his face. He laid the body on the floor and motioned to the men who came in with him.

  “Take the body. He will be honored as his position
deserves.” said Kage.

  When all four men left the room, Kage turned, his eyes wet. “Goodbye grandfather.” he said.

  As they headed for the stairs, John grabbed Masami’s arm.

  “That is one seriously screwed up family!” said John.

  “If he did not do this, he would have been killed. He had no choice.” said Masami.

  “There is always a choice!” said John.

  “No, John there is always the illusion of choice.” said Masami.

  She headed down the stairs.

  Chapter Nine

  Mikaela was livid. This was an uncommon state for her. She was always in control of her emotions. She stood beside one of her best computer operatives.

  “What do you mean, there is no trace?” she said in a measured voice.

  Her words became clipped when she was upset, and she had passed upset ten minutes ago. The computer operator kept typing as if he didn’t hear her. Mikaela drew a long breath and exhaled slowly.

  “Robert, explain to me how that is possible.” she said.

  Robert shrugged. He was the best hacker employed by the CATT – the Cyber Anti-Terrorism Taskforce. He had no fear for the ice queen, as Mikaela was known, because he worked directly for David Soros, the Director of CATT. This didn’t mean he aggravated her when she was clearly angry. He was oblivious, not suicidal.

  “Ms. Petrovich, this unit has no evidence of anyone using it for anything outside of normal routine activities. If you were alerted and someone was on this terminal, they are good.”

  “Better than you?” she goaded.

  “If they can vanish like this –” he said as he pointed at the monitor, “Then they can be part of TU – The Unknown.” said Robert.

  “Really.” Mikaela said as she gave it some thought. “That means he or she is at an elite level which narrows it down considerably. Names, Robert, I need names, yesterday.”

  “Guaranteed to be a short list,” said Robert as he typed at his terminal.

  “If this person is good enough to be part of The Unknown, it better be. You have one hour before I’m back for it. Make sure the information is relevant. You know where I’ll be.” she said.