"Hold.
Herein a vast journey lies
in the span of an instant."
Seefra-One Chamber Inscription
Vedran
005-AT9
Tori Hanson gasped, hands instinctively reaching out meeting smooth metal not even an arm width away.
It was everywhere surrounding her like a coffin. She was trapped.
Forcing her body to relax, Tori took in her surroundings, panicking would not help.
It was dark not just nighttime dark but pitch can't see your hand in front of your face dark.
Worse, she couldn't remember anything. She knew who she was but memories of home and how she got here were distant and foggy.
Listening carefully Tori could not hear anything beyond her own rapid breathing. Focusing on that she used the calming technique normally reserved for bad sensi-ing moments.
Feeling calm and more like the ninja she tried to be Tori frantically punched and kicked the casket until drained she had to slump against the padding behind her in defeat.
That worked well. She thought irritably, blowing wisps of blonde hair off her forehead.
Holding her hands close together Tori felt the pulse of energy and expanded it until a ball of blue energy formed between her palms. Separating her hands quickly the energy ball flew at the coffin wall. The odour of melting metal made her eyes and nose itch.
Calling another ball Tori waved it above her head for light and peered at the wall. It was slightly scorched nothing more.
Time for more extreme tricks. She decided, extinguishing the light and leaning back, closing her eyes.
"I call on the power of the rising water."
Water rose quickly covering her completely. Eyes snapping open Tori motioned the water forward, like waves on a rock it eroded the metal. Slowly at first but then every wave ate a little more until there was nothing left.
Wheezing Tori fell onto the floor trying to remember how to breathe.
Feeling weak her limbs shaking Tori got to her feet.
Debris was everywhere. Twisted metal and…A crunch made Tori look down, crystals?
No they would not crack like that. Pick up the biggest piece Tori examined it carefully, It did not offer any clues to her situation but she briefly felt better for pretending she could figure this mystery out by a bit of crystal.
Cam could, give him a hair clip and bits of wool and he'd make you a megazord. This would have been a snap for him.
Sniffing Tori kicked at deformed floor tiles. So what if she was alone? Her memories where clearing up a little and she was as capable as any one of the guys, even Cam!
Driven onward by her pep talk Tori tossed away the crystal. Ducking under a fallen column, she was none the less comforted by the slosh of water against her feet dragging a hand through it, Tori borrowed it's strength.
Testing the sturdiness of a low beam Tori pulled herself up, leaning against the closest flat surface.
The come down from that much power was exhausting. She had to admit she had all the strength of a boiled noodle right now. But the water did help and after a few minutes Tori felt able to stand, a little longer and she would be able to spare the energy to summon the protection of her ninja uniform.
A menacing creek made her look upward, in the gloom Tori could not see far but then she did not need to when the ceiling was heading straight for her!
Screaming Tori rolled awkwardly under the beam she had just climbed over, curling into a tight ball, arms wrapped tightly around her vulnerable head.
It seemed to go on forever, heavy material crashed down endlessly.
Metal spears drove through the beam. From the outside it must have looked like a magicians magic trick. Swords being pushed in while the magician pretended to scream.
Terrified, staring at a pole that stopped inches from her face Tori had a whole new respect for a magician's nerves.
Eventually though it did stop.
Contorting her body Tori freed herself from beneath the beam. White dust drifting lazily trough the air coating everything in sight. Walking carefully away Tori did not dare look back.
An oblong tube now sat bolt upright in the centre of the room. Walking over Tori wiped a gloved hand over its surface. Its looked like something out of the 60's its phallic glossy surface cracked from the fall.
Spotting a keypad Tori hit a few areas randomly. It did not have any buttons as she knew them, its surface smooth and blank but some how Tori recognised it and knew where to touch.
The tube parted silently, slightly disappointed at the lack of theatrics Tori looked inside.
There was a girl, about her age, dressed head to toe in black and on her arm was a blue strip with small diagonal lines, a barcode?
Looking down at her own arm Tori saw the same thing.
Swallowing hard she reached out, hovering over the girl's mouth. No breath.
Resting two fingers against her throat Tori screwed her eyes shut and added a little pressure.
A gentle sucking sound made her eyes fly open just as the girl disintegrated.
Scrambling away Tori's gaze remained fixed on the now empty container. That poor girl, she thought, could that have been her if she had not got out? Or had she killed her by opening it?
Hands clenched and raised to her lips Tori walked back cautiously she closed the lid gingerly.
"Waters of Life," she intoned, " retreat, clear a path to the other side join with the Waters of Death, bring peace and light to this passing. See her safely to her ancestors."
Drawing a water symbol in the air. Tori watched it shimmer and fade.
A ninja blessing was pitiful penance for murder.
However much her rational mind argued Tori felt guilt settle in her stomach like lead.
Closing her eyes Tori bowed in respected feeling a fleeting touch of the girl's soul as it passed.
A familiar high pitched scream broke the solemn silence.
"KIRA!" Shouting Tori looked desperately for the scream's source. "KIRA!" She chanted loudly until the ptera scream stopped.
Tori yelled the other girl's name at the top of her lungs.
"TORI?"
Excitedly Tori turned around on the spot trying to find the right direction.
"YES!"
"WHERE ARE YOU!" They bellowed simultaneously.
"HERE!" Tori called.
"NO IDEA!" Kira answered
Bowing to what was truly now a casket Tori touched her left shoulder and tugged at the material there but nothing happened. Staring in disbelief Tori tried again.
Nothing.
Her uniform was magically bonded to her. Sensei had tied it himself when she had graduated to ninja master 1st class. There was nothing in the world that could remove that bond except Sensei himself
Exhausted and approaching her limit Tori briefly wondered what would happen if she simply stayed here. Ignored everything and waited for the world to right it self.
"HEY ARE YOU STILL THERE?"
Staring into the darkness in the direction Kira's voice was coming from Tori's gaze returned to the plastic coffin and pushed away the why of her uniform into the same box as the other why's of this situation.
'Answers will come, be patient.' Recalling Sensei Wannabe's favourite platitude brought his powerful presence to mind like a cosy blanket.
"KEEP SHOUTING I'LL FIND YOU!"
It took a while, poor Kira was nearly hoarse by the time Tori manoeuvred herself past and sometimes through the wreckage. Repeating Sensei's words to herself Tori followed Kira's voice.
In a room filled with broken glass and crystals Kira leant against a staircase which was blocked off by still falling debris. Blinking to adjust to the brighter light. Tori raced over to the dark blonde and despite meeting only once and half of that time one of them being evil, the two girls hugged fiercely.
"Ow." Kira whimpered softly. Tori gave her a questioning look.
"That," Kira spat pointing to a mass of smoking circuits, "fell on top of me."
"You're okay though no broken bones or anything?" mutely Kira shook her head.
"Concision?" Again Kira nodded negatively.
"How many fingers." Tori demanded holding up three digits.
"Twelve." She snapped irritably and then sighed, "Three."
Tori sat down heavily.
"Who ever did this is going to pay. Nobody sticks me in a box." Kira muttered Tori nodded in agreement feeling Kira glaring at her she raised her eyebrows and looked at her questioningly. "I work hard at being an individual my outfits don't just happen you know."
Smothering a laugh Tori pointed to Kira's right arm. "Well you do have a yellow barcode." Turning to show her blue one.
"Clone." Kira muttered. "When I find who did this-"
"Something tells me their long gone."
"Or dead." Kira added looking around the room.
"There was another girl back there she was dressed like us." Involuntary Tori's voice cracked. "There was this tube thing and I wanted to see inside…I killed her." She whispered brokenly.
Kira's eyes went wide.
"No you didn't." She said firmly.
"You weren't there I should never of touched the thing!"
"Did you kill her deliberately?"
"N..no but-"
"Nothing. We're in a weird situation trying to unweird it, you had no way of knowing."
"She was fine alright not fine she wasn't breathing but you can't tell me being reduced to a pile of dust was a good thing!"
"Tori," Kira sighed twisting a curl through her fingers. "I don't know what to say. I would have done the same thing probably. All I do know is we're in something and we need to keep it together right now."
"Watch the tiger and follow."
"Huh?"
Tori stood up. "Old ninja saying. Let's see what's out there grasshopper." The guilt was still there gnawing at her insides but Kira had a point. They had immediate concerns.
'Grasshopper?' Kira mouthed. Catching her out the corner of her eye Tori's lips twitched.
"Even older ninja saying, I'll rent you the movie when we get out of this." Her tone bland Tori helped Kira up and wrapped an arm around her back. Ignoring the musician's rolling eyes and protests that she was fine.
Every instinct Tori had was screaming to stay in shadows, be silent and unseen, escape quickly but at least she was no longer in this alone.