Chapter Nine

Colonel Brewster and Hannibal Smith awaken early the next morning and go about rousing the rest of their group. The Dukes and Danny Percell are all easy to get to wake up as they all have been living on a farm for most of their lives, as are the members of the A-Team, Sergeant Anderson, and Captain Goldman for they still live with military discipline. McAllister and Max too were already awake and ready to meet the day. The rest of Team Viking however, and the other members of the group, have all been living as civilians for too long. Luckily the food scavenged from the supermarket by the A-Team and company included a case of instant pancake mix, which only requires it be mixed with water. Daisy and her cousins take it upon themselves to be the cooks for their community. They mix up a gigantic batch of pancake batter and start cooking up pancakes for everyone. Soon, with a couple of pancakes in their bellies, even B.A. is a little less grumpy.

Once they've eaten breakfast, everyone is divided into different work details. B.A. and Danny Percell are put in charge of building the greenhouses. Bo and Luke are put in charge of planting the fruit trees. Doug and Shana Mayers are put in charge of setting lobster traps around the island. And Face Man is put in charge of scavenging building materials from the remains of the warden's house and the officer's club. Once the team leaders have been established, the rest of the survivors are divided amongst them. Only a handful of people aren't assigned to help with the fishing, the building, the planting, or the scavenging. Doogie Howser, his dad, Nurse Susanna, Doc Hock, and Doctor Seymour-Anderson spend much of that first day setting up the infirmary and taking inventory of the medical supplies that the newcomers had provided them with. John McKay, Roger Horn, and Howling Mad Murdock take the scavenged radio parts up to the lighthouse and begin assembling them there. They build the antenna on the very top of the lighthouse so that the signal will reach as far as possible.

Max Keller walks into the prison cafeteria to find The Master coating lengths of heavy wooden doweling with wood stain. "What are you doing?" Max asks the old ninja master.

"If I'm going to be training people how to fight," replies The Master, "They're going to need weapons. I'm staining these pieces of doweling to use them as Bo staffs. I've already cut several lengths of doweling in half to form Hanbo sticks."

"Can I help?" asks Max.

"Please do."

So Max sits down next to his mentor and picks up a paint brush and begins brushing the wood stain onto the wooden rods. Outside, there are several trenches approximately twelve inches deep dug into the ground in the recreation yard forming several large rectangles along the north wall. The frames for the walls are built and placed inside these trenches. Once all four sides are connected at the corners, buckets of cement are mixed up using sea water and cement mix and poured into the trenches, cementing the frames into the ground and ensuring that these structures will be able to stand up to some of the most brutal weather imaginable. By the end of the first day they have the frames of several greenhouse walls built, complete with the frames for the doors built into the front of each structure. The frames for the roofs haven't been built yet, but the frames for the doors are designed with both a doorknob with a security lock and a deadbolt. The idea being that if the dead were to breach the compound, one could find refuge inside one of the greenhouses.

The next day the work continues on the greenhouses. The frames for the greenhouse roofs are built, as are the troughs for planting the crops. As all of the fruit trees were successfully planted the day before, Bo and Luke Duke and their group are now churning up the earth on the parade grounds in hope of growing more crops out there. While the greenhouses will provide them with fresh fruits and vegetables year round, the restrictions of the amount of food that can be produced due to the size of the buildings is a bit of a concern. The parade grounds are spacious enough to provide much more food than all of the greenhouses being built put together. They just have to hope that the birds which nest on the island shores don't eat the crops before they can be harvested.

With the radio built, Murdock, Horn, and McKay are now going about stringing chicken wire up on the cell bars of all of the prison cells in Cell Block A. They remove the bunks from some of the cells and move them into others, and then build ramps that go from one bunk to the next. They leave empty buckets in each of the cells as well. By the time they're done the cell block has been converted into a barn, with some cells to be used as chicken coups, while others are to be used as pens for larger animals.

Face and his team had managed to scavenge enough raw materials from the crumbling buildings to make several smaller structures. The first thing on the agenda is security. Loose bricks are hauled up to the guard towers where, once there are enough of them, they are used to build a wall just inside the safety rail, as the guard towers were not intended to provide the guards with adequate cover should they be caught in a fire fight. As it was a prison, the odds of escaping inmates having firearms were very low, making bullet proof cover not a high priority. They also hauled several loads of bricks into the prison's kitchen. There they dismantled the griddle and the oven, and used the parts to build a wood burning stove. They shot out a window and built the stove right below it so that the chimney could be built to direct the smoke out the open window. And finally, they built a large outdoor wood burning barbeque grill which would allow them to cook for nearly the entire community outside without having to man multiple smaller barbeques.

By the third day, the Plexiglas has been cut to size and installed on all of the greenhouses. The wood framed, Plexiglas doors have been installed, complete with deadbolt and security locks. And grouting has been installed into all of the cracks, sealing in the humidity. B.A. even does something rather innovative with the greenhouses. He bores four large holes in the greenhouse walls just below the rafters, two in the front, two in the back, and all four positioned in line with the plant troughs. He then suspends four plastic drainage pipes from the rafters, with one end capped off, the open end placed through the holes in the greenhouse walls, and small holes drilled into the pipes at regular intervals. Then he installs rain gutters onto the exteriors of the greenhouses. But instead of gathering the rain water in rain barrels, the gutters feed the water into the drain pipes, which will in turn drizzle the rain water onto the plants below. Once everything is in place, he seals up the gaps between the pipes and the Plexiglas with grout. This will allow the rain to water the crops without the colony having to sacrifice their precious drinking water.

Now that the rebuilding has finished, Zeke Anderson and John Peter McAllister begin whipping the people into shape. They begin with a run along the beach of the island, traversing the entire circumference. They then gather in the recreation yard for push ups, sit ups, pull ups, squat thrusts, and jumping jacks. Some of the people were in better shape than others and were better at keeping up, while others struggled with doing even a single pull up. From there they move on to firearm use and maintenance. Those with police and military training require less instruction than the civilians, although many members of Team Viking hadn't fired a rifle since Vietnam. They also found a language barrier with the Japanese whalers, as only a few of them spoke any English. Fortunately McAllister elected to take over their basic training, as he speaks fluent Japanese after thirty years living in Japan. Those who were learning how to shoot from scratch were taught to shoot using empty guns, in order to get them used to aiming and pulling the trigger without wasting ammunition on target practice. Then in order to get them to pull the trigger without flinching, those with firearms experience would stand behind those without as they practiced shooting with empty guns and clap two bricks together right behind their heads to simulate the startling noise of the firearm. Then when they can keep from flinching from the sound of the bricks, they move on to live ammunition.

Empty cans from their meals of the previous several days were used as the targets. As expected, those with military or police training have very little trouble hitting what they aim at. Even some of the civilians, like Daisy and Luke Duke, are remarkably good shots. Of course, with their rural upbringing out in the country they likely did plenty of hunting. One pleasant surprise was Johnathan and Jennifer Hart, who hit every target with ease.

"Very nice," says Zeke.

"Skeet shooting," Johnathan says with a shrug.

"You any good?"

"Not as good as I am," replies Jennifer with a sly grin.

"I believe you." replies the sergeant.

Some of the other civilians are far less capable with a gun, however. Doogie Howser and his friends all seem to have difficulty getting the bullet anywhere near their targets. His mom and dad aren't much better. Zeke Anderson's daughter Katie apparently never inherited her father's aptitude for firearms either. Susana Ruiz, Doc Hockenbury, and a few other civilians also prove to be not very proficient with firearms. But for the most part, the firearms training was a huge success.

As the calisthenics began to take effect and the community became more physically fit, McAllister began with their ninjitsu training. One morning, after their morning run, the entire community lines up in formation in the recreation yard. The Master and Max stand in front of the gathered group. McAllister is dressed in his ninja uniform, while Max is dressed in black sweat pants and a white tank top. "My friend, Hannibal Smith, has asked me to teach you all how to fight!" begins McAllister, "With both your bare hands, and with weapons! Some of you may already have some experience in this area! Some of you do not! As such, we will begin with the basics!"

McAllister then picks up a pair of bo staffs and hands one to Max. "This is a bo staff!" he says, "Some also call this a quarterstaff! It is a wooden pole, approximately six feet in length and one and a half inches thick! It has been treated to be waterproof and is capable of taking an incredible pounding!"

McAllister and Max then turn and bow to one another. "Kogeki!" he says (Translated from Japanese, "Attack!"). Max attacks The Master with the bo staff. McAllister parries and counters with an attack of his own. Max dodges the strike and counters it in return. The Master ducks under the attack and retaliates with a strike which Max parries. "Yameru!" says McAllister (Translated from Japanese, "Stop!") and Max freezes in place. "The benefit of the bo staff is that if you have an aversion to taking a human life, you can use this weapon in a nonlethal fashion by striking your opponent like this," and he swings the bo staff with his hand gripping the weapon close to the end that is to make contact with Max's face, only to pull up short an inch from his pupil's jaw, "or this," and he makes a similar swing aimed at Max's knee, which also pulls up short. "However! If you are fighting the dead, and you need to strike a killing blow to the skull, then all you have to do is change your grip and strike the ghoul like so!" And McAllister changes his grip on the staff so that both hands are holding it closer to one end as he swings the other end at Max's head, stopping just an inch away from his temple. Then The Master holds his bo staff next to him and bows to Max, who follows his teacher's example. Max then hands McAllister his bo staff and The Master puts them away and grabs a couple of pairs of hanbo sticks. He hands one pair to Max, and then addresses his audience.

"These are called hanbo sticks!" he says. "They are the smaller cousins of the bo staff! Usually used in pairs, they are sometimes called Filipino sticks! They are usually two and a half feet long and an inch and a half thick! Like the bo staff, they have been treated for durability! They have many advantages over their larger cousin, but just as many disadvantages!"

McAllister and Max turn to face each other once again and bow to one another. "Kogeki!" shouts The Master. Max immediately comes at his mentor with a flurry of strikes with his hanbo sticks, which the ninja master parries with ease. McAllister then goes on the offense, forcing Max onto his heels but failing to get through the younger man's defenses. Then McAllister shouts "Yameru!" just as he's bringing a hanbo stick down in an overhand downward strike. Max freezes in place with his one hanbo stick held up to parry the incoming attack. "The advantage of the hanbo is that it is a quicker weapon than the bo staff! Also, when using two, if you drop one hanbo you still have one to defend yourself with! It can be used to disarm," he brings his hanbo across to stop only an inch away from Max's wrist, which would certainly had forced him to drop the weapon had it connected, "Disable," and he brings a hanbo stick down to stop it just an inch away from Max's knee, "and drop your opponent!" and he swings the hanbo at Max's head, stopping just short of connecting. "The disadvantage of this weapon is that, being smaller and lighter than the bo staff, it may take multiple strikes to the skull to bring down a ghoul!"

Once again McAllister and Max stand at attention and bow to each other, after which Max hands his weapons over to his teacher. McAllister sets the hanbo sticks aside and then grabs a pair of machetes, handing one to Max. "The machete!" he says, "You've all probably seen them in slasher movies and the like! Originally designed as an agricultural tool, due to its sword-like size, weight, and design, it also makes a handy melee weapon!" The Master and Max face each other and bow once more. Then McAllister shouts "Kogeki!" Max attacks his teacher with a flurry of strikes, wielding the machete as though it were a ninjato sword. McAllister ducks, dodges, parries, and counters with his own machete, which Max in turn ducks, dodges, and parries. Suddenly, The Master manages to sweep Max's legs out from under him, sending him falling flat on his back, and then brings his machete down towards Max's skull, stopping only an inch away from splitting his pupil's head in two like a melon. McAllister looks out at his audience, "There are no half measures with the machete! Do not take up this weapon unless you are prepared to take a life!"

With that, he helps his student back up to his feet. He and Max face each other and bow. Then McAllister takes the two machetes and sets them aside. He then picks up a pair of hatchets and hands one to Max. He then turns and addresses the crowd. "The hatchet!" he says, "A favored weapon for many years! Like the machete, a common household tool which can have very lethal applications! While intended to be used to split wood, it can easily be used to split someone's skull! The North American Indians had a weapon very similar to this called a tomahawk! There are many designs of hatchet! Often times it's a small ax head set on a wooden handle! Sometimes the ax head and the handle are all one solid piece of metal, with a wooden or heavy duty plastic grip riveted onto the handle! If being used for combat, I personally would prefer the solid metal variation, as the handle is less likely to break due to extensive use! Like the machete, there are no half measures with the hatchet! Do not take this weapon if you are not prepared to take another's life!"

The Master and Max once again bow to each other. Once again The Master shouts "Kogeki!" and Max attacks him with the hatchet. McAllister parries and dodges his student's attacks, and then kicks the weapon out of Max's hand. As the hatchet flies end over end up in the air, McAllister kicks Max three times in rapid succession. Once to the gut, once to the chest, and once to the face. Then he quickly sweeps Max's legs out from under him, and as the younger man is falling to his back McAllister snatches the hatchet out of the air, crosses the two weapons, and then kneels down upon Max's chest with the edges of the two blades resting on either side of the student's neck. He then stands up and helps Max to his feet. The two men bow to each other and McAllister puts the hatchets away. He then picks up an army bayonet and holds it up.

"The knife!" he says, "One of man's earliest weapons! There are many variations! This is the bayonet! The preferred knife of the US army! It can be used on its own, or it can be attached to the barrel of a rifle turning it into a kind of spear! Then there's the survival knife, which some of you might remember from the Rambo movies, which has a larger blade and a hollow handle which contains several survival tools, such as fish hooks, fishing line, needle, thread, matches, etc.! Of course, anyone who's ever seen John Wayne's The Alamo or Disney's Davey Crocket: King Of The Wild Frontier is likely familiar with the Bowie knife, named of course after the man who designed it, Colonel Jim Bowie! But for me, a sentimental favorite, is the Japanese tanto. Similar in design and construction to the katana or the ninjato, it might not be as intimidating as some of its western counterparts, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for with sharpness and durability!"

McAllister puts away the American bayonet and picks up a Japanese tanto. Max ops for a Bowie knife. They bow to each other and then McAllister shouts "Kogeki!" Max immediately attacks his master with the knife, thrusting and slashing at him as though he were really trying to kill the man. He also throws several punches and kicks, making the older man worry about more than just the weapon. McAllister blocks, dodges, and parries every strike, and counters with some of his own. Finally McAllister catches Max's weapon hand by the wrist, twists his arm until he drops the weapon, and then flips him over his shoulder to land hard on his back. Then, keeping Max in a painful wristlock, McAllister brings his tanto down towards his student's skull, stopping only an inch away from his head. He looks up at his audience. "There are no half measures with the knife! It is a weapon with one purpose and one purpose only! To kill! If you are not prepared to take a life, you should not train to knife fight!" With that, McAllister rises to his feet and helps Max to his. Then the two men face each other and bow. Then The Master faces his audience.

"These techniques are all more advanced, and will be taught to you at a later time!" he tells them, "For now, we will be working on unarmed techniques! Everyone pair up, and follow my instructions!"

Everybody buddies up in pairs and faces each other. Then McAllister demonstrates the techniques with Max, walking them through the motions. First kicks and punches. And then blocks and counters. The students follow their instructors' movements as best they can. As they're practicing, McAllister and Max walk among them and correct their form when necessary. For the next several days the training would alternate between Sergeant Anderson's military training and The Master's ninja training. Then, in order to save on ammunition, rifle training and maintenance is changed to archery training. John Peter McAllister and Max Keller get Bo, Luke, and Daisy Duke to help them teach everyone how to use a bow and arrow, or at least a crossbow. As with the rifles, some take to the bow and arrow more easily than others. For those who don't quite get the hang of shooting a bow, they get trained on the crossbow. Again, loading and shooting a crossbow is relatively simple. Actually hitting your target is another matter.

John Peter McAllister soon learns that some of his new students have a natural aptitude for the martial arts. Colonel Brewster's son and daughter prove to be especially talented. After talking with them, he learns that they have been studying Vovinam since they were both very young, and were both black belts in the art form. Doogie Howser also proved to be an exceptional student, as did his friends Wanda and Janine. Apparently, while more academically inclined than athletic, Doogie's eidetic memory allows him to memorize the maneuvers after only observing them once or twice. As for Wanda and Janine, they had taken ballet and gymnastics together. In fact, the girls first met in ballet class when they were very young. What is not commonly known is that many of the basic forms in ballet are nearly identical to the basic forms of kung fu, which makes learning martial arts far easier for those who have studied ballet. Another student who picked up the ninjitsu moves very easily is Jody Banks, likely due to her experience as a Hollywood stunt person. Zeke's daughter Katie Anderson also shows great potential as a possible ninja. So McAllister takes these students aside for advanced personal training. While the others are learning enough ninjitsu to hopefully keep them alive during a crisis situation, these select few might actually be able to call themselves ninja.

Author's Notes

Vovinam is a Vietnamese martial art, similar in many ways to Chinese kung fu. It consists of strikes using hands, feet, knees, and elbows, as well as throws and holds. It also includes the use of weapons, such as swords, knives, spears, and staves.

While I don't know 100% for sure about the similarities between ballet and kung fu, I have heard and read that it's true in movies, TV, and literature. However, as someone who has studied the martial arts I can say that it is certainly plausible. After all, capoera is taught in the form of a dance, although that's by design.

As for B.A.'s little innovation with the rain gutters on the green houses, that was just something I thought up once. A friend of my mom's came up with a far less well thought out plan for using rain water to water the plants in his greenhouse, which gave me the idea of using rain gutters and drain pipes. I've never tried it, but I think it would work.