Chapter Thirteen: Skies of Vengeance

The airship Vigilance cruised through the air above the Bald Eagle. Spotlights shone down upon it through the pelting rain. They swayed as gusts hit the Vigilance from the side. Doing this in a storm was an unfortunate risk. But it wouldn't be Gamov's problem soon.

The men were rushing through the halls. They were donning weaponry and preparing for the descent. Gamov looked at his reports with satisfaction.

"We've received reports of a hostile malefactor, crossing the Vigoor Border," said Ensign Naomi through the intercom. "A search will be conducted immediately. Maintain current course and velocity. I repeat, maintain current course and velocity." The dark-haired ensign's voice was filtered through the speaker to sound male. From there, she turned and made her way up to him. "Chief Gamov, we're about to descend."

Gamov nodded. "Good."

"Chief," said another, "we've got a transmission coming from the vessel."

Gamov paused. "Patch it through."

A pretty long-haired woman appeared on the screen. She wore glasses, but Gamov noticed that they were too far down on her nose to be of much use. Though they did add a bookish charm to her prestine features. Which meant she likely used them as part of a disguise. Nice to look at, if nothing else, particularly the way her business outfit clung to that bust. Not that he was even slightly interested in what she had to say.

"Attention Vigoor vessel." said the woman. "This ship is the domain of the United States of America. Sending troops onto it could be considered an act of war."

Gamov wasn't even going to dignify that with a response. "Send in Dynamo."

"Yes, sir," said Naomi.

The channel was cut. Gamov observed as dozens of elite operatives rappeled down onto the blimp. These ones' had had excellent training. Landing on top of the balloon, they blew the hatches and surged down. Others swung lower and smashed through windows. And Dynamo, the metal giant, landed as well.

"Sir, we're getting reports from the troops," said Naomi. "The first teams are in, but we're not finding any passengers. It's like they all bailed during the night."

"Someone made them aware of our presence," said Gamov. "Still, there is no sense in not finishing the job."

He adjusted his own very real spectacles and walked to the window to watch the show.

Ryu was sitting at the edge of his bed. The Dragon Sword was laid over his knees, and his armor had been donned. Now he was waiting for Ayane.

Very soon he would meet the enemy in battle on their own ground. And he would not be merciful. The memory of his slaughtered clan played before his eyes even now. Of Kureha's bloodied form, looking down at him. Of the grave that marked where she had been put into the cold earth.

The door opened, and Ayane entered. "Master Ryu, they are coming."

"I am aware," said Ryu, rising up. "Have you played your own part?"

"Yes, I have planted explosives on the appropriate locations," said Ayane. "We can turn this vessel into a fireball at any time. Now we only need an escape."

"Good," said Ryu.

Then he set his hand to his sword and looked up. Irene Lew was at the door and was loading two handguns. "Well, I'd say this is where I get off. The Vigoor Empire is boarding as we speak. I hope you managed to find a way off because everyone way we know of is going to be watched. I've rigged the controls so they'll take you to Tairon. It shouldn't be more than a few minutes now.

"Whatever you have planned, you should land near where you need to go. Assuming the descent doesn't crush every bone in your body."

"You need not worry about us," said Ayane flatly.

"I'm not worrying," said Irene. Then she walked away down the hall and through a sealed door. No doubt to the secondary escape crafts they had prepared for this very event. Ryu opened the door and walked out, drawing his sword as he did so.

"Ayane, it's time to act," said Ryu. "Go on ahead. I will deal with the engine."

"Very well," said Ayane. She bowed and then darted away.

Ryu walked into a separate room and looked at the luxurious place around him. A day ago, it had been occupied, filled with people. Now they had all fled, and the only ones' that remained were heavily armed murderers. It was eerie, in a way. Outside the windows, a storm was brewing, and lightning was flashing across the sky. Yet no sound came through the windows.

Then a shadow blocked the light.

The windows were smashed, and the wind filled the room as black-masked soldiers landed around him. They raised guns and pointed them at him from multiple directions. Guns. Ryu hated guns. The coming of guns had heralded the end of skill in combat. Everything became about technology, rather than the will behind it. He closed his eyes.

Mankind had forgotten the ways of the heroes of old. The world had become an endless parade of hedonists. Spiritual enlightenment had been abandoned. And for what? An endless search for fast cars and women. But there were some who remembered.

"Drop your weapon!" shouted the soldier. "You're under arrest in the name of the Vigoor-"

The Dragon Sword gleamed as he moved it in a blur. A kunai was hurled that landed in a throat as he cleaved off a head, then two hands. Spinning round, he ducked under the guns firing lines before the triggers were pulled. He drove his blade into a heart and kicked a pair of legs out from under another man. Drawing out his blade, he beheaded the fallen man, then turned to slash off the head of the screaming, armless man.

Five corpses were now around him — five men he had killed.

It wasn't enough.

He heard footfalls coming from another room and went back into the hall. Leaping upward he supported himself above the hall, looking down. The doors opened, and more of the men moved in, checking their corners.

"Fan out!" said the leader. "The intruder couldn't have gone far!"

Ryu dropped down and split his skull. From there, he slashed off a head and surged forward to stab another one through the heart. Another kunai caught a forth through the heart. As Ryu disengaged, he retrieved it. The last one raised what appeared to be an electrified rod and stared as his friends fell dead.

"…Aran," said the man in a small tone, "you bastard!"

He charged forward and swung at him. The attack was not clumsy; it had training behind it and was made properly. But Ryu still moved aside from it with relative ease. Bringing around his sword, he cut through the man's stomach, splitting the man in two and kill him instantly. Walking onward without pause, Ryu spun the blade to shed the blood on it.

Should he go back for the kunai he threw earlier? No, he was on a timetable here. Why hadn't he thought to retrieve it before?

More footfalls. Ryu dodged behind a door frame as another squad came into view. He considered letting them live, then thought better of it. Stepping into their midst, he slashed with practiced ease. In a few moments, it was over, and they'd never known what hit them.

Soon Ryu came to a set of double doors and set a hand to them.

If he walked through these, he might end up in a crossfire. Best to take precautions then. He took a stance and summoning his ki. Raising his power, he unleashed a wave of flame. It blasted through the door in a wave and hit several unfortunate soldiers behind. They screamed in agony as the flames burned them alive, reducing their bodies to ashes in moments.

Ryu rushed through, weaving back and forth to evade the firing lines of his enemies until he fell on them. Once he got in close, it was all over. Their corpses were lining the floor in a moment.

He'd killed two squads here.

Moving on, he made his way into the next room, and then there was a clattering. A grenade landed near him. He quickly leaped away as it blew up. But instead of shrapnel, there was light and sound. His ears rang as he crashed against the wall, his vision going white.

Ryu could not fight like this. So he played dead falling very still as his senses recovered. A squad came through the door and pointed their guns at him. He could vaguely make out words, and they became more coherent over time.

"This one must have hit his head." said a man. "Take him, prisoner; Chief Gamov will want-"

Good enough.

Following the sound, Ryu launched himself and opened his eyes. In moments he tore through the surprised men, hacking and slashing them to pieces in moments. From there, he moved on to the next room.

And so on and so forth.

Eventually, he came to the elevator leading down to the bridge, and from there, the engine rooms. Ryu reflected that if he came out of that elevator and there were enemies at the base, he was a dead man. He wouldn't be able to kill Doku and all the rest if he was gunned down here. So he opened the elevator and closed the grating. From there, he pressed down and leaped up to support himself on the ceiling.

As it descended, he heard voices.

"So who is this guy we're going after?" asked a man.

"I heard it was one of the Hayabusa Ninjas." said a man. "Lord Doku nearly wiped them out, and this one wants revenge."

"Well," began one, "wait, the elevator just came down."

"Nothing there." said another.

Wait.

"Check it." said a man.

Several men came forward. Like lambs to the slaughter, Ryu descended and cut them down. He could their voices shouting, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Nothing save the way his blade carved through flesh and blood and bone how he ended lives, with speed beyond belief.

State of the art technology and-

What the hell was wrong with him?

Ryu came to and realized that he was standing on a bridge filled with corpses of men. Men with families and friends. Yes, they supported the Emperor, but that was all they knew. And yet he had cut them down, killed them.

He had liked it.

The Dark Dragon Blade.

Was it possible that it could drive him to this? He'd never felt like this in any other situation.

"My men!"

Ryu looked up and saw a soldier dressed as a commander coming at him. His shock rod swung and hit Ryu in the stomach. The pain was horrible, and he was sent flying back to hit the controls. Before he could recover the commander smashed him the face with his shield, flooring him.

Ryu landed hard and barely rolled away from a boot descending on his face. Standing, he tried to strike, but it was clumsy. The commander stepped past his guard, caught him from behind, and sent a knife toward his throat. Ryu barely held him in place. He struggled, and the command set his shock rod to Ryu's side. His hands shook as electricity surged through him.

Desperately working through the pain, Ryu grabbed a kunai from a pouch and stabbed it deep into his enemy's side. The man grunted in pain, and Ryu through him off before running him through the gut. His enemy slammed Ryu on the helm with the rod, and he lost his grip on the sword and fell.

The commander was on him, a knife in hand.

They grappled on the ground, kicking, slamming. Finally, Ryu turned the knife and drove it through his enemies face. For a moment, he lay there, groaning in pain. Finally, he pushed the dead man off him and realized he was covered in blood.

Ryu could not afford to lose control like that again. He had to remain focused.

As for those he had killed, they would have died anyway when the ship exploded. It didn't matter how it happened. He retrieved the Dragon Sword, and as he did, he thought it gleamed just a bit less. Drawing out an elixir of spiritual life, he limped over to a wall and sat down.

Drinking he felt his wounds disappear.

He had five left.

Now he had to go. If he failed here, the Dark Dragon Blade would never be retrieved.

Author's Note:

So yeah, this chapter was dark. My method for adapting Ninja Gaiden to a novel is simple. I take everything and think about how it came about. So, for instance, I had to justify Ryu fighting on an empty airship. So I had to think about how that happened.

I also tried to take minor references and construct a character arc for Ryu. Thus his resentment of Joe Hayabusa for never being home and his viewing Murai as a father figure.

Of course, by doing that I end up establishing that all those mooks Ryu slaughters are people. Have fun sleeping at night.