Chapter 8 – The Hurt Locker
Previously - "A few bruises but I'll live", Jenny added, "that's the third time your piloting skills have gotten us into trouble", she groaned, "are you sure you still remember how to fly your own ship?"
"Extenuating circumstances Jenny", The Doctor tried to brush her concerns off, "I think the subtle approach has failed, so be prepared for trouble the moment we step outside". The others nodded grimly and extracted themselves from the floor.
Leading the way, The Doctor paused at the door and placed her fingertips on the handle. She paused and thought about the group behind her, was she leading them all into danger? This was no time to second guess herself though, the exiled villagers needed their help. With a deep breath she pulled the door open and stepped outside.
Taking a few tentative steps into the Pagoda, The Doctor carefully pulled out her sonic screwdriver and scanned the immediate vicinity. She frowned and double checked the readings to make sure they were accurate , "Nothing", she tapped the device against her hand, "not a single soul in the building". She tucked the screwdriver back into the pocket of her jacket, pushing the poorly fitting sleeves out the way.
"Not sure if that a good thing", Jenny added, stepping out the TARDIS with the three sisters close behind.
"It's different from what I'm used to", the older Time Lady replied. She turned slowly on the spot reaching out with her senses to try and locate any defenders, "We're definitely alone but I'm not sure how long that'll last". She turned back towards the teens, pressing her fingers together in a pointing motion, "We need to find the source of the energy field", she continued, "you three have been in here before, what's the most secure place you can think of?"
The teens looked amongst themselves, racking their brains for an answer to the Time Lady's question, "The armoury", Akira answered, "its where all the weapons are stored. The last time the invaders struck we hid in there for safety".
"Sounds perfect", The Doctor began, "fancy accompanying me on a little trip?" she asked Akira. The middle sibling hesitated before nodding slowly, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that no harm comes to you", she tried to reassure not only Akira but her sisters too.
"I will hold you to that Doctor", Suzuka said firmly, "what about the three of us, shall we stay here and guard your ship?"
The Doctor waived her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about the old girl", she pulled her out her TARDIS key out and quickly locked the doors, "nothing will break through her defences". Stuffing the key back into her pocket, she turned her attention back to her daughter and the other two Kunoichi, "As well as destroying the source of the energy field we will also need to neutralise the transmitter". She noticed Jenny frowning, clearly attempting to think of a solution, "Any idea where that would be?" she asked her daughter.
"Somewhere high", Jenny replied, "probably either in or on the roof".
"Precisely what I was thinking", The Doctor smiled with pride, "reckon you can keep these two out of trouble?"
"I think so", she rubbed the shoulders of the oldest and youngster siblings, "I'm sure that Akira will keep you out of trouble". Jenny smirked at The Doctor and didn't wait for her indignant response. She could see the ornately decorated central staircase straight in front of them. Without waiting for further instructions, she led her team towards the staircase and began the climb. "How many levels does this place have?" she asked the sisters.
"Five", Kiko answered confidently, "the top level is Lord Masato's private quarters, what you seek is probably there".
Jenny nodded in appreciation and the climb continued in silence for another couple of floors. The central staircase was covered with a red velvet carpet and from what Jenny could see through the gaps in the wall, the level of opulence rose the higher they got. She could feel the annoyance of Suzuka rising, the oldest sibling must've seen the decoration too, "You never came to the upper levels before?" she asked.
Suzuka shook her head, "The young are restricted to the ground and lower levels", she said bitterly. On level four she could clearly see some of the door frames lined with gold leaf. At the far end of the corridor she spied a couple of golden idols outside a larger set of doors, "The bedroom of Masato's mistress no doubt", Suzuka spat, "our village is hardly struggling but how can Masato afford this stuff?"
Jenny thought about this statement but she had no immediate answer for the teen. She wasn't an expert on the culture of the time like her mother was. To her it did seem rather ostentatious to have all this elaborate decoration when the normal villagers lived in simpler accommodation. That didn't mean that it was wrong of Masato, he had acquired the wealth to lavishly decorate his home. Jenny didn't feel like it was her place to judge, "Careful sister", Kiko warned, "this is treasonous talk". The red haired Time Lady smiled at the youngster sibling, she had a wise head on those young shoulders.
"I apologise Kiko", Suzuka said with a tone that implied she wasn't sorry at all, "but the last few months have opened my eyes to several things".
"But The Doctor said that the men had no control over their actions", Kiko tilted her head slightly.
"Oh Kiko", Suzuka sighed at the naivety of her youngest sister. She tried to remember if she was ever that ignorant of her surroundings, "This is not a new development, Lord Masato has been living like this since before we were born". Jenny had to shake her head at the cynicism of the teen ninja. Sure this system wasn't perfect but until recently, everyone had lived harmoniously. The way Suzuka was talking it was like she wanted to start a revolution as well as releasing the men from their mental impairment, "What do you think Jenny?"
The Time Lady was dreading that question and silently winced. She wanted to keep the teen onside but at the same time, she didn't want to kick start a revolution that wasn't meant to happen. Quite how her mother had walked this temporal tightrope for hundreds of years she had no idea, "I think you should be careful about rushing into changes", Jenny finally replied, "I was in a similar situation to you once", her voice trailed off as she recalled the memories of those few days.
The silence form Jenny continued until Kiko nervously asked, "What happened?"
"Let's just say the result wasn't what everyone was hoping for", Jenny replied bitterly. She had lived an entire life before meeting The Doctor again, some things she did needed to stay in the past and this was one of them, "We're here", Jenny changed the subject and pointed at the door.
The top floor of the Pagoda wasn't quite what they were expecting. Gone were the gold and jewel lined walls and in their place was something much simpler. The personal quarters of Lord Masato were more in keeping with the common villagers, traditional paper walls with light orange coloured floor and ceilings. "Perhaps there is some hope for the old man after all", Suzuka commented, her eyes scanning the floor.
"You are too quick to judge Suki-sama", Kiko chuckled, "even before our eviction, you were always the cynical one". Her older sister glared harshly but chose not to chastise the young teen. On reflection Kiko was probably right. With the death of their mother when the sisters were still young, Suzuka had taken on a parent role to the youngsters. This had only increased when their father died, leaving her as the sole parental figure to her younger sisters. She had given up her own childhood to make sure Akira and Kiko kept their. It was enough to drive anyone to cynicism.
Whilst this conversation was going on, Jenny too was casting her critical eye around the room. Unlike the Kunoichi she was looking for something that didn't belong in the personal quarters of a seventeenth century Japanese nobleman. Nothing obvious was standing out until she glanced up at the ceiling. There was a faint outline of a square in the roof which in her mind, looked like an access hatch, "Which one of these things is not like the other?" she chuckled softly and retrieved her sonic pen. A quick scan of the ceiling revealed that it wasn't made of stone or wood but metal.
"Find something?" Suzuka asked, looking up at the roof.
Jenny smirked and activated her sonic device, releasing the locks on the hatch. It swung downward on a hinge at the same time a metal ladder dropped down to the floor, "I think this can be classified as unusual", she stated, "I suspect it leads to the roof itself so space will be limited". She looked at Kiko and a bright smile appeared on the young girl, "If it's alright with big sister, you can come with me".
Suzuka spent a couple of seconds thinking about Jenny's request before reluctantly agreeing. Her temporary student had shown great aptitude and skill in the brief time they had known each other. If there was anyone who could keep her baby sister safe it was the red haired woman. She nodded slowly and the most she did, Kiko leapt onto the ladder and began to climb swiftly, "Hey come back, we don't know if it's safe", Jenny called out and raced to catch up with the young teen.
The young Time Lady's assessment of the space had been correct, it was extremely cramped. There would barely be enough space for her and Kiko to stand up. The young kunoichi hauled herself up into the room with Jenny very close behind, "Next time don't go running off", the Time Lady scolded the youngster, "anything could've been lurking in this room".
"But there was not", Kiko chuckled, "so I fail to see what the problem is", she added defiantly. Jenny grumbled under her breath, Kiko's natural skills had given her confidence, perhaps a little too much confidence. She didn't envy Suzuka, who would have to temper that youthful enthusiasm in the next couple of years. Charging into situations without knowing what dangers lurked around the corner was a recipe for disaster.
Shaking off her concern for the moment, Jenny looked around the crawl space. There was no obvious transmitter but she did notice a bundle of electrical wires leading upwards to the roof itself. She couldn't see any further access points to get outside so the only way to deactivate the transmitter would be to cut itself power source. There were several ways to achieve her desired result but since time was of the essence, she decided to take the 'brute force' approach. Grabbing the wires in her hand, she pulled hard and severed the connections. Electrical sparks shot out of the cables, drawing a cry of shock from Kiko, "Is everything alright?" the panicked voice of Suzuka cried out.
"Yeah", Jenny tried to sound reassuring, "Kiko was just a little surprised by something, that's all". With the transmitter hopefully out of commission, it would hopefully neutralise some of the effects of the energy field. From what The Doctor had explained they still needed to deactivate the primary source for everything to go back to normal. The transmitter was just an amplifier, reaching out to the fringes of the village. Everyone in close proximity to the Pagoda would still be impacted until the source was eliminated.
With their mission over, the trio decided not to linger in the upper levels. Dashing down the stairs as quickly as they could, they intended to meet up with The Doctor and Akira to help with the generator. Their plan was quickly thwarted when they reached the ground floor. Blocking their escape was Lord Masato himself, flanked by Daigo. In addition there were several guards blocking the exits to the outside as well as the lower level, "Well what do we have here", Masato began, "two children and the mystery red haired woman". He took a couple of paces towards the trio, "Tell me, did you have anything to do with the escape of our prisoner?"
"I will not tell you anything", Suzuka spat defiantly.
Masato snorted softly, "Daigo, do teach your betrothed some manners".
A manic look flashed across Daigo's eyes and he marched towards Suzuka. Jenny immediately stepped in front of the young girl, her eyes blazing with anger, "Touch one hair on her head and I will finish the job that my mother started", she hissed. Daigo stopped in his tracks and instinctively bent forward, "Yeah, that's what I thought".
"You won't get away with this little incursion", Masato stated, "what can you possibly hope to achieve?"
"Freedom", Suzuka raised her head, "the women of this village will be free to return once you have been deposed like the tyrant you are".
Lord Masato paused and stared at the teen, his lip curled in anger at the manner that she had spoken to him, "You will learn your place girl", he growled.
"I will not", Suzuka countered and a small smirk appeared on her face, "it must be an embarrassment, having your warriors defeated by the animal demons constantly". She took a step closer, "They are closer than you think", she whispered and took a step back.
Putting two and two together Masato growled angrily at the group. In a flash a small dagger appeared in his hand and he lunged towards Suzuka with every intention of slicing her open. The teen braced herself for the impact but the blow never came. A small figure darted in front of her protectively, taking the attack that was intended for her.
Kiko let out a little whimper as the dagger lodged itself in her side, hunching over at the point of impact. Masato quickly withdrew the blade and for a brief moment, it looked like he was genuinely remorseful. The youngest Kunoichi staggered backwards and into the arms of her older sister, "I am sorry, Suki", she gargled before she slumped to the ground.
Suzuka stopped her sister from hitting the ground hard and inspected her body for the wound. There was a deep puncture mark on the right side of Kiko's abdomen that was bleeding profusely. She placed her hand over the wound to stem the flow of blood but it was bleeding too quickly, staining her hands red. Suzuka's took a couple of shallow breaths before crying out in rage and grief, "Monster", she cried, "for this crime I will end you". She took up and marked her face using her sister's blood with a couple of lines just under her eyes, "I will avenge my sister", she added and took a couple of steps towards Masato and Daigo.
Jenny thought about stopping her but instead dropped to her knees next to Kiko. Scanning her with her sonic pen she could tell that the young girl was losing a lot of blood but the blade had somehow missed everything vital. Using some her military field medic programming, she used the pen to quickly cauterize the wound. It was a temporary measure and wouldn't stop all of the internal bleeding but it would buy Kiko time. She had to hope that The Doctor closed down the generator quickly before Suzuka tore her way through Masato, Daigo and the other guards. It would be pointless saving the village if there was no one left to populate it.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N - Yeah another cliffhanger...sorry and I've threatened the life of the youngest ninja for a second time. Two chapters to go, next time it's the final battle but who will survive?