Sora stood in the cave entrance with her ancient grandfather and retinue of robot ninja. Lightning lit up the walls and the wind blew rain in. The rain drenched her, making her shiver, but it was time to finish this.
The old man looked at her and said, “It is time, to finish this.”
Sora nodded. He had a tendency to state the obvious. He was old.
She took his arm and guided him deeper into the cave. There was a sleek black obelisk in the center of the chamber they entered. The old man hobbled to it, placing his hand on the surface.
He spoke to it, “I am Shiro, master of the Robot Ninjas.”
Sora placed her hand on the obelisk, stating, “I am Sora.”
The old man spoke again, “Transfer command functions to Sora.”
The robot ninjas behind them spoke in unison, “Command Acknowledged.” Sora grew up around these protectors, and only now as their LED eyes changed to blue, did she notice they had been green all this time.
The old man removed his hand from the obelisk and said, “Well, that’s it, Sora. I know we tell people there’s a huge ritual and all, but you are now in charge of the defense of this island.”
“You honor me, grandfather. I will defend our island with my life.”
“Don’t take it so serious. We haven’t needed defending since before my time. It’s a ceremonial job. Try not to play pranks with the ninjas.”
“Hai!”, she bowed, “I will not let you down.”
“I planned to head to the retirement village after the transfer, but I didn’t foresee this storm. Let us camp here for the night and we can return home in the morning.”
“Hai, Grandfather. Would you like an escort tomorrow?”
“No, I’ll be fine. Nothing ever happens on Ninja Island.”
Sora dreamt of fire and destruction and the chance to show her worth to her people. It might have been a good dream. Or not.
Morning came as a bright new day full of promise. Sora bid her grandfather well on his walk to the retirement village to the north. She sent a few ninjas with him to keep him safe. Then she took the path heading south with the rest of the ninjas. They walked making no sound through the jungle, as was their way, but Ninja 42 tried to strike up a conversation in super secret ninja hand signals.
“Do you think the old master will be happy at Retirement Village”
Sora replied from her perch on a tree branch, “Of course he will, they have pina coladas with the little umbrellas.”
She leaped to another tree, while 42 kept nattering from the ground, “Who will tuck him in at bedtime?”
Sora rolled her eyes and swung from a vine to cross the wide chasm. “He was the master of the Ninja Robot Guard, he doesn’t need tucking in,” her hands snapping in rapid signal.
She missed 42’s response as she landed on the ledge and looked out from her high perch.
She saw a plume of black smoke in the distance.
“Hurry,” she signed, “the people need us!”
Sora pulled her face mask up, hiding her identity, and the team of ninjas following her raced after her in silence, leaping tree to tree. They arrived just in time to see a strange scaled creatures dragging sacks toward the beach, to a waiting row boat.
“Stop them!” Sora cried, and the ninjas sprang into action, leaping rooftop to rooftop as it was the most expedient way to travel without villagers getting in the way. Three archer ninjas halted and launched arrows, while the others advanced. One struck the largest of the marauders wearing a strange hat and coat in the rear as he bent over to pick up something.
He roared. The sound was unlike anything Sora had ever heard. She imagined a cement block dragged across concrete and mixed with a lion’s roar while being over-driven through a strong bass speaker in a Hollywood sound studio. She didn’t know what a Hollywood sound studio was, but based on the horrifying noise, she never wanted to find out.
The behemoth stood up and ripped the arrow out. He turned back to glare at the village as shuriken flew past, striking crew but not slowing them down. When the rest of his raiders were in the boat, he turned and pushed it off into the surf and it rowed away, to the sailing ship waiting for it in the sea.
The ninjas stopped pursuit, there was no point. They could not enter the sea. Sora caught up to them, watching her new enemy row away. Then she turned back to see her burning village and the villagers racing to save the remains.
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