Phoenix

The city is warm. I like that. The temple is always so cold and dark. Most of my kind prefer it that way. The world is always so cold to me. We are meant to mirror our environment, cold and hard as the stone that encased us.

I find myself in an uninteresting hotel room. I'm on the outskirts of Phoenix reviewing what I know about my target before I decide how to strike. This is my first mission that involves our ancient way.

Aaron McCallen. The bane of my brother's life. Damn... I should quit thinking about him. My life must move on, he's made his choices. I take a moment to clear my head and get back to the topic. I go back over what I know. Aaron McCallen used to be a part of the Black Dragon clan. I don't know many details about them but I do know they out-date the Lin Kuei by a long shot. Much older than the Tengu as well. He was high ranking within the Black Dragon and they do not take defection lightly. The information given to me tells me McCallen join the Tengu clan. As to why I wasn't told.

The Tengu clan is much like the Lin Kuei. Their leader, a ninja called Scorpion. Scorpion is a damned soldier in charge of Hell Realm. In other words he's never really dead. I remember hearing the stories of my brother's victories against him. Killing him over and over again, but it seems it was only a method in which to slow him down. He harbors a blood feud against my family. Well I guess, against me. There are no others that carry our name.

What could Scorpion have offered McCallen to convince him to leave such a place of honor? Snap out of it! This is not my place... I am the assassin not the philosopher. The why should make no different to me. Back to my job.

Tomorrow McCallen is staying at this hotel. He's reserved the room directly across the hall. My plan is simple, I play the waiting game. There is nothing more I can possibly do tonight, I spent most of the day getting to the hotel. By the time I got here my limbs ached with fatigue. I claimed my preplanned reservation arranged by the Lin Kuei and went to my room. It was on the third story and almost to the end of the hall. To the left of my room there are two more rooms and then the fire escape. As I mentioned before across the hall will be McCallen's room and to the left of it is the janitors' closet. I only came across one person on the elevator to the third floor. A short, skinny, brunette girl not much older than twelve.

My room was as basic as it gets. You walk in and there is a window with ugly curtains opened across it revealing a three-story drop to the parking-lot. To my immediate right is a bathroom with a single toilet and a shower with the toiletries included. The next thing I noticed was the bed. It was a twin-sized bed between the bathroom and window with a flower comforter that only vaguely matched the curtains. Finally, there was a television sitting on a dresser in eye's-view of the bed.

I may have lived almost all of my life in the temple but we are well taught in human nature. I'm not sleeping on that disgusting bed. If I sleep at all tonight it will be on the floor. At least that'll be half-way cleaned.

I felt the thrust of hunger knock at my door. I reached for the hotel phone next to the bed and dialed room service. It rang twice.

"Front desk, this is Katie!" Damn... That girl is too excited about her job.

"I'd like something to eat." Doesn't get more simple than that.

"What would you like, Sir?" She replied, still way too excited... It was getting on my nerves.

"Surprise me." Maybe if I kept my sentences short and simple it'll knock her down a few notches.

"Would you like a menu, Sir?" I could almost hear that damn smile radiating through the phone. What the hell is she so happy about? Besides that I don't remember saying anything about a menu. Can't she follow some basic instructions?

"Sir?" She repeated into the receiver. Was she seriously trying to pressure me into making a decision? The pause was only about two seconds. This lady must have been hyped up on caffeine.

"No, I would not like a menu." I was laying it on in a pretty sarcastic tone. "But, I would like you to surprise me with something to eat in less than ten minutes."

"What do you actually mean by 'surprise you,' Sir?" Holy shit, I am going to lose it. She is the dumbest person I've ever had to encounter! I could feel the heat building up inside me. I heard a cracking noise way too close to my ear. I retracted my hand from the telephone receiver and watched the two separate pieces fall to the hotel's crappy red carpet. It was broken clean in half and both of them were petrified in ice. What in hell just happened?!

I quickly look at my hands just in time to see them blend back to the white/tan color of my natural skin. A second ago they must have been bright blue. I recognize where I've seen this before...

My brother was always considered special even among the Lin Kuei. Everything he touched turned to ice since before I could remember. His hands were always a few shades more blue than was normal. Am I becoming him? Did his death somehow trigger something inside of me? These are questions I must ask The Grandmaster when I return to the temple. Until then my plan is to keep my mind totally focused and avoid touching anything I might ever want to see again.

I remove my street clothes and change back into my robes, within the safety of my room I might as well be comfortable. I never really got used to the fit of jeans and a T-shirt. I kneel down to meditate until morning. I close my eyes and make a mental image of my surrounding in my head, attempting to pick out every single detail.

Knock, knock says the door. Shit... I should have heard the footsteps.

"Room serv-"

"Get over here!" The sound of flesh being mangled filled my head and I jumped to my feet. In my mind's eye I could see very clearly the yellow-hooded soldier that awaits outside my room.

The very head of the snake that calls itself the Tengu clan. I was always told that when you cut off the head of the snake the body dies. Such a pity, I had hoped to torture it by starting at the other end until it begged for death.

I have no other options, I would have to fight. I would call this a fight to the death, but I'm not stopping there.