An Ancient Evil! - Part II
He couldn't believe what had just happened. Never in his dealings with the spirit realm did he experience such a powerful encounter. What the hell was that? Were his thoughts.
His back pressed against the wall in the corridor opposite his quarters he slowly calmed himself. His muscles ached with cold and he started to shiver. "I must tell Cobra Commander." But then decided against it. "No. He'd just think I was crazy." But there had to be a logical explanation for this. Yes, he was just assaulted by a ghost! That's the explanation. He told himself.
Half naked he stood there mesmerized at the door to his room. He had to get back in there for his clothes. He couldn't wander around in just a towel. And he had a reputation to uphold. He was seen as a strong warrior. If anyone saw him like this it would seriously compromise his integrity, and he'd loose some of that respect and fear that came with his nature as the infamous Storm Shadow. He didn't want to go, but he knew he had to. If not for his clothes, but to conquer his fear. The spirit had spooked him and he was rarely ever frightened easy.
He touched the finger print scanner and the door opened. He took a quick glance inside before stepping into the room. What he saw was nothing. Everything was as it should be. Even the lights were on as they appeared before the spirit zapped their energy. Even the temperature was back to normal. And he wondered for a moment whether he'd dreamt the whole thing.
When he was a kid he had nightmares that scared him so much that he ran into his parents bedroom. He was an adult now and nothing really scared him anymore. But his encounter with the spirit, whatever its purpose, put a fear in him that he hadn't felt since he was a child. And he didn't like it. He was Storm Shadow and he didn't succumb to fear. But he was also a human being and had fears like everyone else. He didn't like how this spirit made him feel uneasy.
Tommy Arashikage was trained and disciplined not to feel fear ever since he started training with his uncle, the Hard Master, at his ninja academy. Before he started he had seen horrors no man should see in 'the war' and even today those images jumped around in his mind from time to time giving him nightmares that woke him up at night in a cold sweat. Then there was the guilt he felt when he thought about Snake Eyes and how he betrayed his blood brother to hunt down the killer of his uncle. Snake Eyes chose not to help him and thus he left Snake Eyes behind alone to fed for himself when the chaos of the Arashikage Clan started. He thought Snake Eyes had died when the compound was set ablaze, but years later he turned up and had joined America's elite anti-terrorist organization G.I.Joe. And everyday he feared going into battle and meeting Snake Eyes on the battlefield, wondering whether it would be his last coo da grace.
But he pushed his fears aside, and ignored the story that the ancient book telling of the Staff of Power foretold. The book described whoever disturbed the staff from its eternal resting would suffer a horrible fate. But he had nothing to do with the project so why would the spirit be visiting him? He was here strictly as an observer. Cobra Commander requested his presence for whatever reason on known to him and no one said no to him. Tommy had no interested in it.
However, maybe being a ninja, he could tune into different energies and thus also attract them. That could've been the reason for the spirit's visit to him. It had sensed his powerful energy. But he wasn't a spiritualologist or whatever they were called and was only speculating why.
But would it be back?
He began to get dressed into his ninja attire and pondered his experience with the spirit. Something bothered him about it, but he didn't know what. From its actions the spirit was sexually attracted to him. But could a spirit be like that? Could the afterlife have an emotional attachment to the living? But he didn't know this spirit. Why would it be after him?
He wanted to leave but something persuaded him to stay. He sat on the bed again and crossed his legs, getting into the same position he was when the spirit first visited him, and made himself appear to be meditating. This had brought the spirit before and he wondered if he could conjure its presence again. He wanted to speak with it, if that was possible, and ask it some questions, if it could communicate with him. First and foremost he wanted to know why it was here.
He closed his eyes, and like before, the temperature in the room quickly dropped, but he had prepared for it and wasn't caught off guard. He lowered his heart rate to compensate for the drop in temperature, slowing the flow of blood through his body. Thus his breathing slowed, but he could still feel his hot breath on the inside of his mask. He then opened his eyes.
Tommy looked around, but didn't see anything. And yet he knew there was a presence in the room. He felt it. And his ninja sixth sense told it was very close to him.
He felt it touch his arm, a whisk of cold air brushing against his skin. It touched him like before, caressing his chest with what felt like a hand, but this time he wasn't startled. He remained seated and allowed it to continue with its actions. Its intentions were sexual in nature and for all intended purposes he should not have allowed it to continue, but Tommy Arashikage did. When it began to untie his belt he then summoned a spiritual barrier to stop it, an ancient technique he learned from his uncle, the Hard Master. He had never used it before.
Apparently the spirit didn't like that and the room began to get very cold as if he had angered it. He felt a blizzard of coldness surround him and he summoned all his strength to combat the spirit and while in mediation muttered an ancient chant under his breath. He felt his hot breath turn cold the instant it left his mouth, but despite the intense cold he focused on the words.
The temperature rose. The spirit lost its power. His chant worked.
He opened his eyes and the spirit stood before him. It was a woman of remarkable beauty with long flowing black hair and she was wearing a long white dress, and he could see her as clearly as he could see person who was alive. He stared at her for a moment and said, "Hello," quite plainly. She suddenly became very frightened and backed away. "Don't be frightened," he said, taking off his mask. "I'm not going to hurt you." She stopped. "What's your name?"
She shook her head not wanting to answer. She looked frightened. If Tommy had not placed a barrier around the room with his chant the spirit would have vanished through a wall. But she could not and perhaps that's why she was frightened, she couldn't escape. It was probably something she never would've expected from a human. She started to cry, and Tommy got to his feet. "Don't cry. I only want to help you."
She muttered something under her breath, but she said it so softly that he couldn't understand it. He knelt down beside her but she inched away from him moving on the balls of her hands and backed herself into a corner, and she knew it. Tommy gave her a friendly smile. "Please," he said in a gentle tone. "I'm not going to harm you. I've generated an energy barrier around this room so you won't run away and so I can see you. Trust me you're safe here."
He extended a hand to her, but the instant he did she turned and tried to crawl her way through the barrier, her nails scratching the energy surrounding the room. It was then that she became violent and leap towards him, scratching at his chest, ripping his clothes and slicing his skin. Tommy threw her off him and she landed on the floor rolling a few feet next to the bed.
Tommy touched his chest and felt warm blood on his hand. She must have been a form of poltergeist that could manifest her attacks into intense strikes. The woman then looked at him with angry red eyes. And Tommy immediately recalled the old axiom, "A trapped animal always attacks." This spirit felt trapped and she was going to kill him or die trying to escape.
She attacked like a wild animal and Tommy immediately utilized his martial arts to combat her strike, lifting himself on hand and leaping over her as she ran at him. He landed on his feet and then repeated that action as ran at him again, a pair of razor sharp claws swiping through the air at him. It was like she was possessed like some demonic spirit, or maybe she was one, and her intentions earlier were her way of be subtle. "Stop this!" he said. "I can help you."
But it looked like she only wanted one thing and that was to kill him. He cart wheeled onto the bed as she attacked again, and then jumped off as she leapt for him again. She landed on the mattress and then hopped off. She then picked up his bed using a telekinesis of some kind and threw it at him. It smashed against the wall just as he shifted his weight away from it.
Tommy looked at it and then back at her. She leapt at him again and the only place left he could go was in the bathroom. So he backed in and at the door she was stopped by his barrier. He had placed it around his room, but it didn't include the bathroom which was outside the immediate area. She scratched at the barrier screaming horrifically. She wanted out of the barrier.
It was like looking through a window at her. She couldn't penetrate the barrier and he couldn't pass through it either or get attacked again. But why was she so upset and scared enough to attack him when he told her he was a friend? Something about her told him she didn't like being cooped up. Perhaps being trapped in the barrier brought out some terrifying memory in her past and that's why she was going crazy. But how could he convince her to calm down?
Suddenly she stopped her attack. She collapsed to her knees and wept, putting her hands to her face. He watched her cry and was unsure of whether the tears were real or for show. She could be putting on a show so he'd lower his guard and take down the barrier. But something told him she wasn't faking. He didn't sense evil in her. He never did. She was only frightened and reacted accordingly when any creature was faced with the same situation. Attack the trapper.
Tommy was sympathetic. He looked down at her and sighed deeply. He was torn between taking down the barrier or leaving it up. He didn't want her to attack him again. He wanted to learn more about her. He had never encountered a spirit like this before. But if she was going to trust him he would have to make the first gesture of friendship. He'd have to make a leap of faith that she wouldn't attack him.
He was taking a big chance, but he put his hands together and spoke the release for the barrier.
She looked up from her hands, tears streaming down her face. "I've released you," he said. "You may go if you'd like, or you can stay with me. I told you I won't hurt you. But please don't go."
He wanted to extend his hand in a gesture of friendship, but that's what triggered her last time to go berserk and stopped himself. Instead he just stood there and let her make the first move. He could now see right through her unlike before when his barrier made her solid.
Moments passed without either one of them saying or doing anything. She looked at him and he looked at her. Each one looking into the other's eyes as if trying to determine their true nature. But in the blink of an eye the spirit vanished before Tommy's eyes, and he frowned. He stood there for a couple of seconds and didn't do anything. Did he get through to her or was she going to attack him again when and if she reappeared? He wouldn't know until the next time came.
He stepped out of the bathroom and looked around his room. He thought to call maintenance do clean it up, but what would be his excuse be for the mess, a ghost did it? They'd think he was nuts. No. He'd clean it up and not say a word to anyone. But later He now knew there was a spiritual presence on this base, but was it the only one? And could there be more? A place like this was often home to more than one spirit. But again he was only speculating.
He looked at his watch under his glove and remembered he had to report to Cobra Commander after his duty shift was over.
After he had changed into his spare uniform he then left his room and headed for the elevator. And as soon as he entered he felt a cold breeze blow across his left cheek and what felt like a kiss bathed itself onto his skin. He touched his cheek and it felt cold to the touch. He smiled. He had gotten through to her.
He then put on his mask and made his way to the command centre.
TO BE CONTINUED.