Ninjas And Dinosaurs By Kain Vinosec In certain lands it is not unheard of for there to still exist ninjas. Their motives and styles have changed from those mentioned in history books and legends but in the year 3255 they will return with a new purpose. Our story starts in the Republic Of Ashwian Affairs And Treaties. You would remember it as Texas and everything south of it. Though it has changed in the last thousand years or so. Once Japan invaded Zimbabwe everything changed. But that is another story. What we are going to focus on is a woman named Aske' (pronounced 'as-kay'). She is one of the last surviving ninjas of the Zeigatsuka clan. This clan was made famous in 2359 for being contracted to kill the American President and the Chinese Prime Minister within the same hour. They succeeded and the world fell into chaos for nearly five years. I digress... Aske' is a formidable opponent for sure. She's had her share of killings and never thinks twice about the victim. She usually works under contracts that earn her either untold wealth, or rights to various, extraneous activities such as hunting soldiers wearing biomechanical suits of armor and toting around laser guided shotguns. One day however she found herself a bit in over her head during a typical assassination job. It was one she would never forget and probably not live through. The Story Of Aske' The headset she was wearing blared into her ears with classic rock. Her helmet barely left enough room for the ear pieces of the headphones but she couldn't sacrifice the music for the pain. These long rides across desolate wastelands had little entertainment and the music helped the time pass by. Her motorcycle weaved in and out of dead vehicles lying on the road with broken glass and histories that would never be heard. The four wheels on the bike made balance less of a concern but it was a bit harder to control when turning the damn thing. She was heading straight for her next job. She recalled the message she had received on her handset; “We've got something out of control here. We think you might be able to handle it. We need to keep this secret and we need someone with your expertise to clean up a bit of a mess. Speed and silence are the keywords here...” The message was filled with encoded directions on how to get to the problem though it of course said nothing about what the problem might have been. Things had been kind of hectic in her life recently. She was single, and had been contracted to kill the last person she was involved with. Unfortunately for him she cannot turn down a job. After the gigantic wasp epidemic from a few years back she had been eager to get in some more kills for her next review with The Council. That may need some more detailed explaining... After the Last War back in the 2700s, scientists have lost their purpose. Technology is being invented by civilians with too much time on their hands and with the ability to communicate with each other via the internet, nothing is impossible for anyone anymore. So those with a higher intelligence are given money by various governments to keep themselves occupied with experiments that are aimed towards the betterment of mankind. Most of the time it results in studies from the various space flights launched in 3077 that were manned expeditions to find more resources and other alternatives to the way we live. The result of those expeditions essentially has been what the science fiction B movies of the mid-to-late 1900s were all about. All kinds of creatures and things have been created due to boredom, over-funding, and a lack of goals by today's official scientists. The gigantic wasp epidemic is a perfect example. One scientist believed that wasps, if modified correctly, would be able to survive the vacuum of space and travel to different worlds through trained actions for missions. In order for this to happen he reasoned that they'd need to be fast, and huge. He was not wrong... Anyway, that was all resolved by The Council under contract from the same governments that funded the scientist in the first place. This seems to happen a lot but generally on smaller scales. It is truly a viscous cycle. The Council, as you may be wondering, is a group of fifteen educated and skilled men and women that dominate and monitor all ninja activities and jobs within their area. When the gigantic wasp epidemic occurred, The Council sent wave after wave of thousands of ninja warriors out to defend the land. They made an insane amount of money and won without any real problems and a low casualty rate. Aske' was denied her chance to fight because of an injury. It caused her to fall behind in her kill ratio which is an important aspect as far as The Council is concerned. She has been working to rectify the problem ever since. She had finally reached her destination. The facility was absolutely immense. She rode her bike past the broken gates and parked right in front of the door to the main lobby. She pulled her helmet off and waved her hair around as if gasping for air from the ride. She put the helmet on the seat and pulled her headphones down around her neck. The air was cold but she paid it no real attention. Wearing tall black combat boots and sporting a various assortment of weapons hanging from her cloth-like suit, she put her traditional ninja mask on and walked up the stairs. After pushing through the doors she heard what sounded like a ruckus. Someone had been yelling and throwing things around the room to the left of the entrance. Without a single thought of hesitation she walked through the door and was greeted by a very unhappy scientist yelling at one of the government officials. She glanced at the scientist and shrugged him off with a turn to address the official. He looked past her at the scientist and then forcefully redirected his attention to the deadly woman before him. “You made it. Glad to see that...” “Let's get this over with. What am I here to do?” “Listen Aske'. This one is going to be a bitch.” “Just tell me what the damn job is.” “Okay okay. Mr. Edmondson back here has taken it upon himself to resurrect the dinosaurs.” The official pointed towards the scientist who was now backed into the corner and trying to blend in with the room. “You mean like the legends of Jurassic Park?” “Fortunately no.” “So what then?” “Unlike the legends, Mr. Edmondson here failed. What he created are abominations unto mankind.” “And you want me to take them out?” “Well, first we want you to take out Mr. Edmondson for being a dumb ass.” Instantly she turned, pulled out some random pistol and shot a cartridge through his left eye. He fell to the ground leaving a blood trail on the wall behind him as well as seeping out of the new cavity in his skull. The official looked shocked. “For fuck's sake. I was JOKING.” “Too late for that. I'm a ninja. What did you think I would do?” “Good point.” “Okay next up we need someone to take care of the shit he created.” “Can't you just bomb the facility like last time?*” “We could but we need this facility for other uses we have implemented in future plans.” “Okay, so you want me to clean house. How quaint.” “Pretty much. There are three of them. One of them is small, fast, and likes to run. The other two are large, work as a team, and will want to eat you.” “Fair enough. Send The Council the bill and I'll get to work.” “Its already done. Good luck.” “Yeah.” The official slowly faded out as the holographic image powered down. She holstered her pistol and walked out the door. As if the official's “good luck” imposition had been implemented into her life already, the smaller of the monsters was staring at her. Probably curious from the noise and the gun shot but now it stared death in the face. She thanked the official for making it easy in the back of her mind and looked over the creature as if sizing up its capabilities. It was virtually impossible to tell what the creature was supposed to be but it looked like a green undead baby dragon with broken arms and three wings. She looked directly into its eyes as if testing its soul. Before she had a chance to blink it took flight and began retreating into the depths of the facility. In her mind she could only think of one highly cliche'd phrase; “Oh no you don't.” She immediately gave chase and drew her largest pistol which was designed specifically for its explosive mid range bullets. She held off firing until she was close enough to it, however the little freak did not make it easy. It flew through lab after lab as she continuously gave chase. She started to fall behind it but it didn't seem to matter as she barreled her way into a large open area filled with all three of her targets. The smaller one flew past the larger two which looked like insane Godzilla clones on crack. She stopped dead in her pursuit as they looked at her and paused for a moment. She put away the pistol and unslung a large sniper rifle that had been hanging around her back. The death craving flesh machines both charged her. She ran towards the wall to her right and began firing the gun randomly towards them to evaluate how much damage the gun would do. Unfortunately it wasn't even enough to make them slow down. She decided it would be a good idea to continue running until she could come up with a better plan. She pushed her way through endless hallways and smaller passages within the structure until she was moderately confident that she had lost them. She pulled her ninja hood off to catch her breath and threw it into a random corner within the small room she had found herself in. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was a very dark natural purple. Her eyes shone with hope and dismay as they glowed with a very dull green from ancestral radiation poisoning which had become more and more common in modern times. She examined the weapons that she had at her disposal and opted to leave a few behind. The sniper rifle was the first to be put down. Followed by a small knife. She then lay a larger knife on the table and checked the number of explosive cartridges in her handgun. “Five left. Great.” At that moment her handset came to life in one of her pockets. She pulled it out and flipped open the holographic receiver. It was the government official. He looked at her a bit curious, but shrugged it off and continued with the message. “How is your work going so far?” “Could be better. What do you want?” “I forgot to mention that these creatures you're fighting cannot leave the facility.” “You also forgot to mention that the little one could fly.” “Yeah. Sorry about that. Anyway... Shouldn't you be working?” “Whatever. I'll be done in a bit.” “Great. Contact this number when you are through and we'll discuss further operations.” “Looking forward to it.” She closed the handset and placed it back inside her pocket. She shook her head and looked at the ground with contemplating thought. “Not.” She decided to get back to work. The monsters had been rampaging through the facility but the walls around the outside had kept them from escaping and would continue to do so. Aside from the small one, she didn't expect much trouble with the containment. The small one would be her first task. She began walking through the facility towards the room she had escaped from earlier. She didn't make it far before she found what she was looking for. From the room she was standing in, she could see another room across the hall. The door had been bashed in and the grim gray hallway's lights flickered on and off reoccuringly illuminating the smaller dragon-like beast. She stood perfectly still as it foraged for food in the room through the doorway. She wouldn't hesitate any longer and pulled the handgun out of its holster. She aimed it directly at the beast and fired two shots. The both penetrated its skin and the force from the shots caused it to fly back into the wall. Its wings flapped desperately for a moment as it tried to take off but the bullets were buried deep inside its body and its time was up. The bullets exploded one after another, distorting the creature and ripping its flesh apart. Aske' had hidden behind the wall nearest her and listened to the beast's cries in its last moments of life. After the explosion she stepped back around the corner and saw its remains splattered on walls, floor and ceiling alike. A disgusting sight, but no more so than when it was alive and well. She then heard a noise that made her mechanical heart sink. One of the larger ones let out a large cry. They both knew what had happened and now they were desperately out to get Aske' for what she had done. She took off running throughout the halls towards the cry she had heard previously. She kept a large shotgun-type weapon in her hands and had holstered her pistol for the time being. She always felt lighter when running with the blast gun as opposed to keeping it attached to her left leg. It helped her to run faster when it was in her hands but unfortunately she wasn't exactly eager to get where she was going. One of the monsters was there and was waiting for her. As she charged back into the room she had fled from earlier the beast whipped its tail around at her and took out half the wall. She had tried to dodge it to the best of her abilities but ended up getting knocked across the room. The blast gun had fallen from her hands and now she was wishing it was still attached to her leg. She willed herself up but it wasn't fast enough. The demon before her had swung his tail around the room again but this time hitting the walkway above her. It began crashing down and she had to leap out from under it. A few stray rocks managed to find her head but nothing too damaging. She got back up much quicker this time and instantly took off running towards the gun she had dropped previously. The thing would not make it easy for her as she grabbed the gun its massive foot came crashing down where she had just been. She was tired of running now and decided to strike back. Her first target was the foot that almost crushed her. The monster felt every single piece of the bullet go into its foot and it withdrew quickly. She took off running towards the last standing flight of stairs in the room and made her way up them as quickly as possible. Once at the top she realized that the monster had lost track of her and was searching the ground frantically. She pulled out her handgun and waited for her chance to attack. The monster deduced that she was not on the ground and began looking over at the stairway. Their eyes met for one instant as she pulled the trigger. The bullet went in through the monster's pupil and lodged itself where one would assume a brain would be. She smirked and breathed deeply as she waited for the time to run out. With a heavy explosion that didn't even escape the monster's skull she relaxed a little at last whilst the monster collapsed onto the ground in a dead heap. “Good night, my King.” She spoke softly as if giving a proper goodbye to her opponent. “I've got one left... Now where could he be?” It was only then that she realized there was a huge freakin' hole in the wall of the room that led to the outside. She nearly panicked and as fast as she could ran back down the stairs and through it like an old lady trying to chase a house cat. She barged into the open and saw her target. It was smashing itself against the outer wall in a mad effort to escape. It was beginning to succeed as well and she knew that it had to be stopped before it made it outside. She checked her handgun before engaging the monster. “Two bullets left. No problem.” She walked up behind the monster and aimed for the back of its head. It either didn't notice her or didn't care as it kept trying to flee the facility. She fired off one round and as she did the monster jump-charged the wall. The bullet hit the thing in the middle of its back and barely went into the skin. When it exploded the monster felt it, but all it did was pressure the beast to get away faster and it left a huge burn mark on its back. She stopped and watched as the monster was trying to get away. She had killed so many things in her past and she was more than destined to continue killing things in her future. Naturally she was beginning to tire of the repetitiveness of her day-to-day lifestyle. This monster on the other hand was forced to live a similar life and was now being hunted for being unique. Was the monster all that different from her? Her hesitation brought about a massive problem however. The monster had won. It had bashed through the wall and with a quick glance back to its pursuer it bounded off into the desolate wasteland outlying the facility. She watched as it began to run away and held up her pistol. She fired the round but it missed and exploded in dead air a good forty feet in front of the beast. She let the handgun drop to the ground as she turned and walked back towards her motorcycle which still remained outside the front door as if waiting on her. By the time she had reached her ride her handset began to go off again. She answered it and mentally prepared herself for the conversation she was about to have. The official's holographic image resumed as before and began to speak. “Have the targets been destroyed and is the facility secure?” “Negative. Two targets down, one escaped the facility.” “The Council is not going to appreciate your failure Aske'.” “I really just don't care. Tell The Council that I quit.” “What do you mean you quit? I didn't know you could just quit being a ninja.” “You can't. But that's what I'm doing. I'm tired of it all. I just don't...” “Hey, shut up. I'm not here to listen to your life story. Where is my target?” “It bashed through the south wall and ran off.” “That's fucking lovely. And you're not going to pursue it?” “No. I'm done thanks. Find someone else.” “Alright alright. I guess there is nothing left to do but wish you good luck with your new life.” “Yeah. I'll need it.” “You know The Council isn't going to let you get away with a failure like this right?” “Yeah, I know. I'll take my chances.” “Your call. Thanks for trying.” “Yeah. See you around.” “No, you won't.” She shut off the handset and smashed it on the ground into a number of pieces. She felt as if renewed by her actions and that was worth whatever trouble The Council would bring down upon her. She put her headphones back around her ears and cranked the music up. The Dis Stressed came through loudly into her speakers as she put her helmet on and started up the bike. She gave a last look at the facility and bid it farewell with a nod, then she fled down the road as fast as her bike could carry her. The end to this story is not a pretty one. All of the ninjas employed by The Council wear a thin band around their wrists. Whenever they are declared “obsolete” or “rogue” the bands are remote detonated and the ninja in question is pronounced deceased by termination. Aske' knew what would happen and still she accepted her fate for what it was. An unfathomable life of servitude and a few moments of realistic freedom. But those few moments at the end made everything worth it. Though the end of Aske' is not really where this story ends. The monster that Aske' had let run loose was infectious. Viral even. It spread through the animal kingdom devouring and corrupting everything in its wake. Eventually The Council took care of the monster itself, but the damage had been done. The disease would spread from one animal to the next, and eventually to humans, across nations, throughout the water-life left on the planet... This disease was unlike anything we had ever seen. It was as if the living were being tormented by dead souls inhabiting their bodies. Death, murder, anger, hatred, rage... It all runs rampant on the planet now. So much so that we've had to relocate to other words since its initialization. This one disease began wars amongst the infected that would be told of for thousands of years to come. But it also brought the uninfected together in a way that nothing else ever could have. Through Aske's actions the entire world (the healthy side at least) was united as one. Even if that was not her original intent I think she would be honored in knowing that now. It was a hard time for The Council after the disease began to spread. The governments blamed The Council for what had happened and they directed the people to blame The Council too. Eventually The Council was thrown into the war against the infected. This war sparked a lot of controversy in history as it was a war that engulfed the entire world and several worlds outside of our own. This was the very first and so far the only Universal War in which The People, as we came to be called, fought against The Council and The Infected. Every side was fighting for dominance and every side had their own motivation for doing so. But in the end The Infected would lose to The Council and then they too would fall to The People. Thanks to those times and the lessons we have learned, we now have no form of government or leaders. We live peacefully on three planets in a galaxy entirely distant but not entirely different from where Earth once was. We've established a trade-based society and no one wants or needs anything. It is truly paradise and it is all because of Aske'. May she rest in peace. *”Can't you just bomb the facility like last time?” - This line refers to the incident in which Aske' was injured before the gigantic wasp epidemic. She had been ordered to infiltrate a facility that was designed towards biomechanical weapon development and had created legions of soldiers fused with mechanical armaments that felt like they should rule the world with their new power. Unfortunately Aske' was unable to stop them and was ordered to flee the building whilst the governments passed an order to blow it up. She escaped but nearly died in the process (this is why she enjoyed hunting biomech soldiers as a past-time in her last few years). The Council deemed her worthy of revival and spent several years bringing her back to her full potential. Afterwards she was put through a virtual testing minefield in which they were searching for some kind of error in her technique so that they could discontinue her and not risk losing any contracts. She made it through everything flawlessly and began to receive contracts from government officials who had heard of her incredible level of expertise personally. This led to her commissioned job of eradicating her former lover and also to her requisitioning of the job detailed in this story. After her termination and the Universal War had ended she was given a pardon for her actions with the original beast and declared a planetary hero for her actions. Though the governments wouldn't allow her fame to be widespread until after the governments themselves had been abolished. That is the full story of Aske', the hero. I have told you this story for one reason: to keep her memory alive throughout time.