… With Nightmares
"Do you want me to drop you off at the Chapel, Jude?" Tom asked as he pulled out onto the road. "No thanks, Hanson." "What about you, Doug?" Tom wondered. "Nah, I'm good. Wait, I thought you had a hot date tonight, Hoffs?" Doug questioned. "Yeah; with a book, Penhall. By the way, how's Dorothy?" Judy quipped. Doug smacked his forehead, groaning, "I forgot to tell her I was eating with you guys. I'll be lucky if she lets me back into my apartment."
Tom smirked at his best friend's outburst, "You better do some major begging, Doug; because you're not staying with me and Ninja." "Why not? You've let me stay with you before." Penhall whined with puppy-dog eyes. "I don't have room for three or four people to spend the night. I barely have room for two." Tom snapped, glaring at the older officer with the rear-view mirror, "And quit with the puppy eyes, you know those don't work on me." "I doubt that Hanson, but I take it you mean when you don't share the bed." Ninja asserted with a smirk as Tom pulled up to his apartment building. Blushing at the meaning of her words, the young cop hurried out of the vehicle and into the building.
Tom unlocked his door and they followed him inside. Looking around his living room that looked very lived in, Ninja walked toward the kitchen which was just behind the couch. She set her bag against the hallway wall, "Y'all thirsty?" "I'll get it, Ninja." Tom declared, hurrying toward her. "Relax Hanson. I need to learn your kitchen if I'm going to be staying here for any length of time." She bristled, turning back towards the fridge, "Now, who wants what?"
Doug walked to the phone on the counter, "I'll let ya know after I talk to Dorothy." "You can talk in the bedroom Doug. I'll take a beer." Tom said clasping Penhall's shoulder. Disappearing down the hall, Doug called over his shoulder, "Thanks, Hanson." Ninja smiled, He's a good friend. "What about you Judy?" she queried as she walked over to the fridge. Judy thought for a moment, "Soda, please. It doesn't matter what kind." "Okey-dokey." Ninja pulled out the requested drinks and handed them to Tom and Judy.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from Tom's bedroom, causing Ninja to jump. "What was that?" she asked with wide eyes, putting a hand over her heart. "Sounds like Doug lost. Again. I'll go see if he's o.k." Tom sighed, trudging down the hallway. Closing her eyes, Ninja forced herself to calm down, Easy Ninja, Doug probably just got upset and slammed the phone down. Why do sudden sounds still scare me like this? It's been months... "You've been in firefights before and haven't been this scared." She didn't realize that she had whispered that last thought aloud as Tom and Doug came back to the living room.
Glancing at Tom and Judy, Doug saw the same look that he, himself, had and voiced everyone's thought, "I guess there's always someone who has had a worse time than me." Ninja's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice and embraced Doug upon seeing the 23-year-old man's half-hearted smile. "Hope that helped." She said as she pulled away. "Thanks, Ninja, it did; but a drink will help too." Doug chuckled down at her five-foot frame.
"I have a bottle of scotch …" Tom started. "Where is it and who wants one?" Ninja asked, already in the kitchen searching through the cabinets for rock glasses. Tom smiled as he reached into the cabinet above the fridge, "You want one, Jude?" Judy shook her head, "I know better than to get in a drinking contest with you two." "O.k. Just two, Ninja," Tom answered giving Ninja the half-empty bottle. "Thanks, now get outa here." Ninja said playfully shoving him toward the living room.
"You two want ice?" She wondered, they shook their heads, causing her to mumble to herself, "Ok, then." Ninja gave Doug and Tom their glasses then went back to the kitchen and returned with a glass of her own. Tom's brow furrowed, "Ninja …" "Relax Hanson, it's just water. Besides, I'm more of a bourbon girl, myself." Ninja couldn't help but laugh as the officers gave her some strange looks. "Overseas there isn't an age limit for alcohol because it's often safer than water." She explained.
"I never thought you would drink bourbon. Why do you like it?" Judy wondered. "The taste." Ninja shrugged as she sat next to Tom on the couch. Then Doug took the chair facing the door and Judy sat down on the floor in front of the TV. "So, you ready to tell us your story or what?" Doug inquired, taking a sip. Darn, I was hoping they'd forget. Richter's going to kill me... Ninja downed half her glass of water before starting. "Guess I better start with the program. The CIA recruited 16 year-olds and trained them during the summer."
Waving her hands, Judy interrupted worriedly, "Two months is all the training those kids get! Are they trying to get them killed?" Calmly, Ninja held her hand up, "Let me finish. The CIA recruits teams of six and trains them in spycraft. Some are better at gathering information and blending in, while others more proficient in weapons but the team leader is the happy medium." "And you were a leader." Tom surmised.
She nodded, "Yes. I was 15 when Richter came to my hospital room and told me about the program." Doug started to say something but Ninja silenced him. "I'm getting to that. About a week before my 15th birthday, I helped stop an armed robbery. As me and the guy struggled for the gun, it got pointed at my head and he was about to pull the trigger. So I jerked it down toward my right shoulder just as the gun went off. Being one of those new hollow-point bullets, it fragmented; and the doctors missed a piece that had wedged itself just behind the joint." Ninja shed her flannel and pulled her right sleeve up to show the jagged circular, ivory-colored scar set against her tan skin.
Continuing with her story, Ninja added, "Three months later, I had almost complete use of my right arm back and by the end of training I was hitting harder than the instructors." Doug finished his drink, wondering, "Why Jumpstreet?" "Because I'm the only CIA agent who can work within U.S. borders due to my age and y'all are the closest thing to what I was doing." She declared, adding under her breath as she yawned, "At least I don't have to worry about being tortured anymore." Before she could fight it, Ninja was enthralled in sleep which led to her usual nightmare for the past several months.
The chains clanked and clattered as her left arm was jerked above her head. She groaned as the men forced her to stand up and chained her right hand beside her left as she faced the wall. "Please, I don't know anything!" She exclaimed before a cry of pain escapes her lips as the whip bit into her already torn skin. Her shirt, which had been shredded from earlier whippings, hung uselessly from her shoulders, offering little protection from the leather strips assaulting her back. "Ahhh!" She cried as it strikes her back again and wraps around her ribcage.
Doug noticed Ninja flinching, he had nightmares too; heck, they all did for one reason or another. So he got up and lightly touched her arm, whispering, "Ninja. Wake up." No sooner did Penhall touched her, Ninja had flipped the nearly 200lb man over the back of the couch. Seeing what was happening, Tom managed to get her on the floor. It took every ounce of strength the 165lb cop had to keep Ninja on the floor as he soothed in her ear, "Wake up, Ninja. It's just a nightmare. It's not real!"
Ninja's eyes fluttered open as she quit struggling, remembering where she was. Then the fear hit her full force, "I…I didn't hurt anybody, did I?" Hazel eyes reflecting the worry in her voice. Doug shook his head as he appeared from behind the couch. "No; well, maybe my pride. Where'd you learn that?" "Training. We learned more than Marines in much less time." Ninja replied, accepting Tom's hand as he pulled her to her feet.
Once everyone had settled back into their seats, Ninja on the opposite end of the couch away from everybody, Judy spoke up breaking the silence, "That must have been some nightmare for you to flip Doug the way you did. Do you want to tell us about it? All of us have nightmares and sometimes they're so bad, I have to call someone to talk about 'em." Ninja shook her head, trying to sink farther down into the corner of the couch. Scanning the room, she saw pain and hurt in every pair of eyes, noticing the intensity in Tom's. I guess I better tell them why I can't talk about it. Ninja sighed, "It's from my last mission and I'm not allowed to talk about it until our grandkids retire. If you don't want me staying here Tom, I can stay in the Chapel."
Tom moved closer and drew Ninja into an embrace, saying, "I'll sleep better knowing you're here with friends than an empty Chapel." Instead of pulling away, Ninja shifted so her head was on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered as Tom's slow, steady breathing lulled her into a dreamless sleep for the first time in months.
Smiling at the sleeping warrior, Tom whispered within his mind, Sweet dreams, Ninja. "You can take my bed, Jude." "Thanks, Hanson. Good night boys. Don't stay up too late, it is a school night after all." Judy yawned. Doug waited until he heard Judy close the door before speaking, "Be careful, Hanson. I know you're still hurting from Amy but I don't want anything to happen to you." "I know Doug, but I can't help it. She's so mysterious, I want to know more about her." Tom sighed, stroking her hair. Doug exhaled, running a hand through his hair, "I know Tommy, I know. Just be careful, because if she loses it I might not be able to help. She proved that tonight."
Minutes later Tom could see his 'older brother' sleeping some-what peacefully. Hopefully anyway. Tom hoped that he wouldn't be plagued by those 3.3 seconds again tonight, "Good night, Doug. Sleep well, Ninja. Good night, Amy." He whispered, holding Ninja as he closed his eyes.