I LOVE BRAY WYATT AND HATE JOHN CENA***

I LOVE REAL MADRID AND HATE BARCA***

I LOVE YAKUBU AND HATE MESSI***

I LOVE SHEKAU AND HATE GEJ***

Now you must be thinking is this guy crazy, no, is there anything wrong with being a bad guy, no. This thread contains an uploaded virus, you should receive a message requesting to flash ur phone nw.

Jst kidding. So I'm Shadowbean and nnt new. I've decided to write an Action/asaasin thriller which is fast becoming popular on NLL kudos to Asaasin creed by therock, AEWE and TCA by kayemjay and maybe HITMAN by yours truly. More Kudos to other senior writers

Royver
MaziOmenuko
Larrysun

etc

I should be writing more names but i'm doing the updates with a java phone that can't copy or paste. So everyone's invited.

You keep loving the villains and hating the heroes.

Let's hear the story your narratives speak. Bring them on.

Register my presence

[b]Its happening live this weekend. Catch the
conversation live on Nairaland as our
popular programme 'Nairaland celebrity
interview' kicks off with more force.
Guess who we are bringing this weekend.
She is not story writer, neither is she a
poet. She is a Queen, our Queen. A beauty to behold.
I present to you, the most beautiful girl on
Nairaland. Miss Jennimma, winner Miss
Nairaland beauty contest 2014.
Do you have questions for the damsel?
Do you want to know the secret behind
her breathtaking beauty?
Do you want to know more about her? The phases of listening in which we enjoy the beauty
of God's handiwork on the beauty queen, her response to such factors as the
simplicity, balance, and proportion of her speeches,
and the eloquence of their her pure heart, then why don't u all fall or rather troop in and let's bombard the beauty pageant with questions. And the observable characteristics of her personalities including age, gender, educational level, group
affiliations, and socio-cultural background we ought to take not of when adapting to our interviewee.... Let's make it lively and I'm sure you all have a lot of questions
This weekend, join us and ask your
questions. Everything will be answered by
our guest.
Date: Saturday 15-11-2014
Time: 2pm-3pm
Venue: http://
www.nairaland.com/1952165/weekly-
interview-thread-subsidiary-
dammysammytv/9#27964171.
Missing the action is like carrying over a
course! Lol.... U can't afford to miss it like "Papa AJasco"[/b]

PROLOGUE

There was pain written over his face, he tried hard to swallow it. This tall muscular man sitting on a frail rocking chair could only hope for it to stop, it didn't. The needle kept zigzaging, tearing the skin raw and bloody as it applied ink. This was a ritual he had to bear, He had to take it as the latest member of the gang, it was one of the most torturing body art ever. A man wearing a loincloth and thrusting a spear into the belly of a dragon began to come alive on his chest region. Macho man's skin was beginning to shift uncomfortably with the needlework.
He couldn't help cursing under his breath as the Artist kept on working.

The Tattoo parlour was a parade of designer furniture, beautiful girls were seating on benches scattered around the place clutching towels around their big bums, some were smoking cigarettes with dark mist filing out of their mouth noses and all. There were a dozen other gangsters sitting on another bench, their shirts were all rolled up, flashing the tatoos on their torsos. Macho man quickly grabbed a bottle of gin and suckled on it like a baby.

"Watch it, old man!" he puffed out rather. recklessly, his target was old enough to father him. The Artist tapped the needle in a little harder, he regretted why he had allowed these goons in. He knew he would be treading on slippery ground if he tried to call the police or walk them out.

"What the fvck? You're doing it wrong" accused Macho man, the Artist was itching to speak his mind out, he shouldn't have done so.

"Maybe you are just a mannerless fool and should get out!" Before the Artist could move an inch, Macho man dipped his hand into a bulging pocket and jammed the cold nozzle of a gun under the old man's jaw.

The other gangsters were displeased with his action and were about to retrieve their weaponry when Macho man got the message.

"You're lucky. I can't kill you until you finish this thing" said Macho with an evil looking grin, the old man was shaken with fear when the door rattled open and a animalistic looking gangster entered carrying a kalashnikov rifle on one hand and an envelope on the other.

"Hey, new boss, this just came for you"

"What is it?"

"A letter"

"So open it, dumb a$$" The gangster opened the envelope, and hesitated at what he saw. Macho man was curious now, he took the envelope and poured the contents into his hand, he tasted it, it was black sand.

Immediately the Artist began to shiver, the tatoo needle leaving his hand and falling to the floor, "No..."

The room erupted in laughter as hands pointed to the old man, some couldn't help choking or rolling on the floor.

"So You know what this is?" asked Macho man mockingly, the Artist nodded slowly like a lizard with neck pain.

"Years ago, I watched a man open an envelope like that one" said the Artist, his eyes pooled with enigma as he recollected the memory of a close shave with death. The other occupants of the tatoo parlour began to cluster together with their ears well open, there was no way they were going to miss the stupid and obnoxious tale this old man was about to tell.

"There were many with him and they laughed like you laugh now. Then it came from the shadows and their laughter was drowned in blood. You cannot bargain with what is coming. Because it is not a human being. It is a demon sent straight from hell that will never stop until you are dead" said the Artist almost whispering. The parlour immediately became silent as a graveyard, Macho man was eager to hear more.

"What came out of the shadows?"

"I cannot say the word"

"What word?"

The Artist answered by removing his babariga shirt revealing the hauntingly beautiful tatoo of a masked being thrusting its blade into a lump of scar tissue at the center of his heart.

"That night, one of their blades struck here. I should have died, but for an accident of birth. My heart is here, on the other side" the Artist stamped his hand on the tatoo as macho man peered closer at the dark figure of the being.

"What the fvck is that?" asked Macho man directing the question at the gangster who fetched the envelope.

"Looks like a Hitman, boss" he replied trying to hide the snide that was forming on his face.

"A Hitman? Are you kiddimg me? That's the word you're afraid to say? Hitman?" Macho man started to laugh as a shadow flashed across the room. Suprisingly the rest of the gang didn't join him.

"You old fvck! You had me going! I was getting..." Sadly Macho man was interrupted when the top of a gangster's head disappeared, sliced off from his jaw up, leaving his tongue wagging in space.

The lights shattered around the room as blood spilled everywhere. Chaos ensued. The panicked screams of the fleeing entourage co-mingle in chorus with the gruesome death rattles of the gangsters as one by one, they are viscerated.

There's a rush of movement, more felt than seen. The whistle of swords been worked through the air...

Wow bloddy update mehn yu are good

stuff46:
Wow bloddy update mehn yu are good

thanks man. This is a collab with AMENBABY

Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The party is in full swing and the decorations
border on the tacky side this Christmas.
Bond usually didn't bother with these office
functions but he was in country and M more or
less ordered him by phone to have some fun
after his last mission.
Tanner is dancing with one of the attractive
nurses from medical...Bond knows her...a little
too well for him to strike up a conversation with
them as they head to the bar.
Q moves to stand beside him as he leans
against a pillar. "Ah...Bond so nice to see you
this year."
"Yes well usually I would be gone or just not
here...you always find some fun in these
occasions Q?"
"Yes well after working here for over 20 years
there are a lot of changes in staff. It is nice to
meet the new people in a more relaxed setting. I
have 5 new employees in Q branch...all young
and nervous but incredibly smart with
computers."
"I bet...is that them all over at that table
huddled around the laptop."
"Yes...well this generation...they can't seem to
unplug themselves even for a moment. I should
go lecture…"
Q's voice drops off as he stares across the
room. Bond follows his eyes as he takes in a
vision in a deep red evening gown.
"Age touches that woman lightly, eh Bond?"
Bond soaks in the contrast of pale ivory skin and
deep red velvet gown that dusts the floor and
clings to her body. The v-neck plunges to the
centre of her chest and down her back showing
far more skin than her normal professional suits.
"Or not at all, Q. Who is she dancing with?"
"Blake...the new head of MI5."
"Doesn't he get a letter?"
"We could call him N...that follows M."
"They are dancing rather close aren't they?"
Q looks at Bond and smiles. "For a 00 agent you
don't pick up on much office gossip do you
Bond?"
James frowns wondering what it is that he has
missed about M and...N...Blake.
"Well, as you know...I am out of country for
work...how can I keep tabs on her while away?
So am I to understand that M is dating?"
Q chuckles. "Yes...yes you could call it that.
Nigel has been gone now...10 months. Do you
think a woman like her would remain single?"
Bond shifts on his feet suddenly uncomfortable
and warm. He begins to fidget with his tie as he
watches M's interaction with Blake more closely.
"I take it this has been going on a while?"
"Two months...I think. Lunch dates became
dinner and...well you know how it works."
"No...no actually I don't."
Q looks shocked at the young agent. "You...quit
pulling an old man's leg. I think you know how it
works."
"I don't date...and I certainly would not let...well
she was in mourning...it is...this is soon isn't
it?"
"Bond this is not the Victorian era...she doesn't
have to wait two years in black what with the
way she can pull off red…"
Tanner comes and joins them with a drink.
"What are we talking about?"
"Bond here seems a bit flustered about M dating
so soon after the loss of her husband."
Tanner pulls back with a shocked expression on
his face. "You didn't know?"
Bond is getting testy now. "NO apparently I
missed the inter-office MEMO!"
"Sorry Bond...I thought you get paid to be
observant. They have been an item for 2 months
now...I don't know if she has taken him to bed
yet and I'm not about to ask but they do go out
often."
Bond shakes his head. "I don't like it."
Tanner nods. "I know...I felt uncomfortable about
it at first also. Kind of like your mother beginning
to date again after a divorce...it is just strange
at first."
"No...I have never considered her remotely
motherly and I know that she has children
somewhere. I don't like the look of him...Tanner
what do we know about him?"
"Thomas Blake is 59 years old and just took over
the position at MI5, half a year ago. He has an
excellent military background, as did his father
and grandfather before him. Educated well and
divorced with two children. There is no need to
fear for her safety as it goes without saying that
he's been vetted by the top levels of government
and officially appointed by the Queen just as M
was almost 20 years ago."
Bond listens to Tanner while keeping his eyes
riveted across the dance floor at M. She is
smiling and laughing with the man.
Blake is about 5 foot 10 with silver hair and a
muscular frame. He has a bit of a thickness in
the middle denoting his desk job and enjoyment
of good meals. The man has an easy smile that
lends to his harmless and dashing appearance.
If he is harmless no one notified Bond's stomach
that feels somewhat twisted at the moment. He
attempts to loosen his tie again as his
temperature increases and a pounding in his
head amplifies. Suddenly he hears Tanner ask
him something.
"Bond are you feeling alright?"
"Not sure...I am going to step outside for a bit."
Bond walks purposely across the middle of the
dance floor with his eyes on M until he passes
her and walks out on to the balcony. There is a
couple braving the cold December temperatures
to have a smoke but they hurry in when they
look at the intense look on Bond's features.
Bond puts his hands on the cold stone railing as
he looks out over London. He breathes in deep
the cold air as he feels the sting in his lungs and
the cooling of the sweat on his brow and neck.
Bond hears the door open behind him but he
stares out into the crisp night sky rather that
acknowledge the intruder.
"You will catch your death out here if you stay
too long 007."
Bond closes his eyes and swallows when he
hears her voice. He turns his head to look at her
as she moves to his right side.
"I saw you charge out here...you did not look
well. We have not had the opportunity to debrief
yet, what with the holidays...did something
happen that makes you need to freeze yourself
to death."
M is smiling at him but he can see she is cold.
Instinctively he removes his suit jacket and
places it on her bare shoulders, his hands
lingering there not moving for a moment as the
familiar green and red above the exit catches his
eye.
"No...and you should not be out here in the cold
dressed like that. I hear congratulations are in
order...did your man see you disappear to chase
me down out here?"
"No...he needed to make a call and visit the
gents and what's wrong with my dress?"
"Nothing other than there is too little of it?"
M frowns looking confused. "Out with it
Bond...What's wrong and since when do you
care what I wear?"
"I have always cared M."
"About what I wear?"
M looks up at him confused and Bond wipes a
hand over his face in exasperation.
"About everything to do with you."
Bond grasps her arm and moves them to the
entrance way more to escape the wind than to
maneuver them under the mistletoe but they are
there.
"Are you feeling unwell because of drink 007?"
"No...I've only had 1 since I arrived."
"But how many before that...you're clammy."
M's hand rests on his forehead as she would do
for a child with a fever. Bond has always seemed
more like a son to her than an agent...he has a
blasted skill at worming his way into her good
graces just like her son too.
"I was too hot in there...I needed the air. Why
are you out here?"
"I saw you tear out here and the song ended so I
came to check to see if you were alright.
Contrary to popular belief I am not the shrew
many think I am."
Bond sees her begin to shiver and he places his
hands on her shoulders rubbing them up and
down to warm her.
"I have never thought that about you."
Bond is staring down at her crooked smile, so
small and cute in his much too large jacket. She
looks up at him just about to make a snide
remark he's sure and he leans down and kisses
her on the lips.
It's not just a peck...its a real kiss. M
instinctively tries to pull away but Bond has a
grip on her shoulders. She's shocked even more
so when he attempts to seek entrance to her
mouth with his tongue.
M brings her hand up to his chest and pushes
him away looking flustered and a little angry for
his presumption.
Bond smirks down at her and points up at the
mistletoe. "Merry Christmas M."
Bond guides her inside and she hands him back
his dark blue jacket. He puts it on and grasps
her small hand in his and takes her out to the
dance floor.
"Would you share at least one dance with your
best agent M?"
"Best at what...infuriating me and then kissing
me in the cold."
"You have to admit the cold seemed to go away
in that moment."
"Could you possibly be more full of yourself
007?"
"No...but I could be anything you want me to be
tonight M. I have never seen a more attractive
woman in my life."
"Bond...what did you destroy on that mission
that has you turning that flattery on me?"
"Nothing...the mission was fine...I just think you
look stunningly beautiful tonight...so much so
that I got overheated and needed air."
"Bond...cut the act."
"I couldn't take my eyes off me and you know
it's true because you saw me watching you from
across the dance floor and noticed when I took
to the balcony."
"So why glare at me all night...there are a lot of
attractive single…"
"M...none hold a candle to you tonight. It is as if
I am truly seeing you for the first time."
"What?"
"You have always been so untouchable...I never
expected you too…"
"Too what Bond?"
"I expected the mourning would last longer...I
was an idiot to think…"
"I don't understand...my morning for my
husband?"
"Yes...Tanner told me about Blake."
"Thomas...is this why you are acting so
strangely tonight? Thomas is a lovely man and I
don't need to prescribe to a length of time to
mourn my husband...really Bond it is none of
your concern anyway."
"M...like it or not, you are my business."
"What?"
"You have always been my business...I am your
agent and I need to protect you. Remember
Mitchell?"
"How could I forget and I have guards
Bond...00's are to protect Queen and country
not the head of the organization."
"You are my queen and country." Bond said it so
quietly that M almost believed she imagined it.
"Don't be ridiculous…"
"I'm not...are you sleeping with him?"
"BOND! This is none of your business...what is
wrong with you tonight?"
"Sanity and clarity."
"Could you get more offensive or be more cryptic
tonight Bond? What are you on tonight, if not the
drink?"
"I stood across the bloody room at a party you
ordered me to come, to have someone pierce my
heart with a bloody dagger!"
"Seriously...Bond...what are you on about?"
"I stood over there and watched a woman I have
always admired and found attractive who is
finally free of marital obligations in the arms of
another man and it all just snapped into place."
"Something in you bloody well snapped that's for
certain…"
Bond pulls her closer to his body as he gently
glides her about the dance floor. Suddenly his
face changes to one of utter joy and happiness.
"What in hell are you grinning about? Do I need
to have you committed by the new year?"
"I finally understand."
"Christ Bond what the hell are you on about? I
think we have danced enough...two songs is
uncharacteristic for you and I do not want to
start the gossips tongues wagging."
"I have a problem in letting you go ma'am before
I explain."
M sighs. "I'm waiting Bond. What is your
problem this evening?"
"My problem is love M."
"Love? What?"
"I have finally figured out what the problem has
been all along. I am in love."
"Fantastic Bond...now let me get back to my
date so you can go call this woman and explain
your revelation to her."
"I don't need to call her."
"Fine now let me…"
"It's you."
"What?"
"You are the most important woman in my life
and I love you M."
"That is...that is sweet of you to say Bond. It
makes up for my children's inability to join me
for Christmas yet again this year."
Now it's Bond's turn to look confused. "You
don't understand."
"What is it that I don't understand."
"What we've been discussing."
"I've been discussing your instability and
possible drug confusion...you have been asking
me inappropriate questions about my date and
how long I should have mourned my husband as
if this were 1867."
"M...come on...you must feel something...I mean
you never fired me...I know I'm your favourite."
M's face is still confused and dismayed at the
lack of coherence in Bond's discussion. Maybe
she has had too much champagne.
"I must be drunker than I thought because you...
dear boy are making absolutely no sense to me
this evening."
"I see that words are useless between us tonight
but as you know I have always been a man of
action anyway."
Bond leans down and kisses M with abandon.
M's eyes go wide and those dancing around
them all gasp in shock at the sight before them.
A deep voice sounds behind Bond and taps him
on the shoulder. "Excuse me sir but you seem to
have your lips on my date and I can't help but
notice that there is no mistletoe above you."
M breaks away from Bond and grasps Blake's
arm stumbling on an excuse for her wayward
agents behavior.
"Bond has had a little too much."
Bond frowns as Blake looks him up and down. M
turns him away and begins to dance with him.
Bond see her shoot a glare at him over the
man's shoulder.
"What was that really about M?"
"I have no idea but I think the lad is ill."
"I hope he doesn't pass it along with you my
dear. I was hoping to take you home tonight."
M forces a smile as a pit of unease migrates to
her stomach when he mentions home. "I could
use a drink, would you be a dear. I am going to
the ladies and will see you in a few minutes."
Bond continues to watch them from the bar. He
has just consumed two martini's and is on his
third. Tanner walks up to him with a frown on
his face. Bond had seen M have a word with Bill
as she headed for the facilities.
"What in hell has gotten into you Bond? The
entire room is abuzz with you kissing the boss
on the bloody dance floor in front of her date the
bloody head of MI5!"
"Don't get your knickers in a twist Tanner...I
wanted her to know how I felt, now that it all
makes sense."
"You're bloody well not making sense...M said
that your conversation skills had diminished as
though you were on a bender or drugged for
Christ sake."
"It's simple and I will explain it to you just
because I know you are the trustworthy sort
Tanner. I looked at her across the dance floor
and it all came into focus and the knot in my
stomach and pain in my chest diminished as the
realization hit me."
"You were overheated and headed outside...I
remember that."
"M followed me and we spoke and kissed on the
balcony."
"KISSED!"
"Yes...I realized that I had given her enough
time."
"Time? Would you start making some sense
Bond or I will have you committed like she
suggested."
"For years I've had a crush on her that I barely
acknowledged and since Nigel died I've been on
edge lately not understanding the reason until
tonight."
"AND?"
"I am in love with M."
"WHAT!?"
"I was staying back...partially because of
work...I held myself back from breaking into her
flat to visit since he passed...usually I would
pop in to piss her off and give a report. Now I
understand that I need to move because of
Blake."
"Let me see if I understand this. You, James
Bond, 007 are in love with M our 60-year-old
boss who is dating another man...her own age."
"Yes."
"You told her this?"
"She would not give me time to explain but I will
tonight."
"Tonight...what are you going to do….BOND
DON'T YOU DARE!"
"Try to stop me."

EUROPOL OFFICE - DAY
MIKA CORETTI, 30's, high-energy, a force of nature in
human form. She enters EUROPOL AGENT RYAN MASLOW's
office carrying an armful of reports.
MASLOW
What's all this for the Delgata *
case? *
MIKA *
No. This is Delgata- *
Sets her pile down and she hands him one folder from the *
ton. *
MASLOW *
And the rest? *
MIKA *
...evidence. *
MASLOW *
For? *
Her eyes tell him. *
MASLOW *
Oh no. Not again. *
MIKA *
You said you'd take it serious *
when I had serious evidence. *


MASLOW *
Does that evidence include photos *
of the Loch Ness monster as well? *
He chuckles. She's not laughing. *
MIKA *
You've trusted my research before, *
what's the problem now Ryan? *
MASLOW *
What's the problem? Come on Mika, *
it's like one of those questions *
on an IQ test, which of these *
doesn't belong; laptops, space *
shuttles, nanotechnology, ninjas. *
MIKA *
All I'm asking for is an hour. *
That's all. Give me an hour and *
if you still think I'm chasing *
UFO's, I'll walk out and you'll *
never hear another thing about *
them. *
He eyes her. *
MASLOW *
Why do I think I'm going to regret *
this? *
. ISTANBUL APARTMENT BUILDING - HALL
ON A DOOR LOCK as he inserts his key and HEARS:
LANDLADY
Oh, Mr. Nan, good, you're back.
Raizo turns to his LANDLADY, an older woman who looks up
at him from the top of the stairwell.
LANDLADY
We had a heating problem, and I
had to go into your apartment.
Raizo nods, his expression not betraying the sudden
tightness in his chest at this information.
RAIZO
Is everything all right?


LANDLADY
Yes, fine, it's all fixed. You
keep it very dark and spare in
there.
RAIZO
Ms. Ali, my privacy is very
important to me. If you enter my
apartment again without my
permission, I will leave your
building.
LANDLADY
I just --

RAIZO
Good day.
He closes the door behind him.
ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT -
He stands on the other side of the door, surveying the
room for a moment with severe, unforgiving eyes. The
place is monastic, nothing decorative, or comfortable.
Then, in a quick series of cuts, he checks all of the
secret places he hides things.
A drawer is flipped over and a hidden bottom opens
revealing weapons. A panel in the oven reveals his chain
and blade. A hidden compartment in his suitcase exposes
inky folds of fabric. He sifts through them as we hear-
OZUNU
You should have died.
FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE DOJO - DAY
Raizo, breathing hard, stands over another young boy that
he has just defeated in a fight. Both are sweaty, dirty,
scarred. The other children are lined up in perfect
rows, watching silently. Most are boys, but a few are
girls. One of them is KIRIKO, lithe and supple, a
child's eyes haunted by an adult's sorrows and knowledge.
Ozunu circles Raizo as he regards his fallen opponent.
OZUNU
On the street. Abandoned by your
parents. Without a home. Without
people to care for you. You
should have done as most children
do, and gone quietly from this
world, to the next.
(beat)
But, instead you fought. As you
did here today. You fought. And
you won.
As we TRACK with Ozunu, we see that Raizo's body is
covered in scars.
OZUNU
Scars are the calligraphy of
violence, Raizo. They inscribe
the story of one's life.

OZUNU (CONT'D)
You survived because you are
different. You are special. That
is why you are here. That is why
the Great Current, which flows
beneath all life, carried you to
me.

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udison

*********


BERLIN - DAY 9
Mid-day traffic, tourists strolling down wide avenues
past war monuments and street art.
EUROPOL - DAY 10
Just long enough to ESTABLISH UNDER:
MIKA (V.O.)
It's a pattern, like the currents
of the ocean.
11 INT. EUROPOL OFFICE - HALLWAY - DAY 11
Close on a mound of bank records; rivers of numbers
cascading neatly down perforated spread sheets. *
MIKA
Some people see money as the root
of all evil, but to me it looks
like a fingerprint. Whether we're
talking about 19th century Korea,
or 21st century Iraq, the game is
the same. If you want to
understand why certain things are
happening, you have to understand
the flow of money.
MASLOW
You're excited, Mika. You know I
get nervous when you're excited.
He would never admit it, but he enjoys watching her work,
almost as much as he likes poking her about it.
MIKA
You remember the Eulmi incident? *

MASLOW
Korean queen, late eighteen- *
hundred's. According to you, she
was off'd by one of these ninja
clans.
MIKA
Ozunu. I think. I've been going
through some of the original
transcripts of the trial of
Kunitomo Shigeaki. The prosecutor
questioned him about a payment of
100 pounds of gold. Shigeaki
answered that he didn't know what
the prosecutor was talking about.
The question was never brought up
again. But what pinged for me was
the amount- the exact same amount
rumored to be paid to the Hattori
Clan for the assassination of Lord
Sanda.
MASLOW
So you start to wonder, in this
ever changing world, if the cost
of a man's life has remained
constant.
MIKA
Exactly. I figure these clans are
like a thousand years old. They
probably don't change a lot.
She begins flipping through huge reams of bank records.
MIKA (CONT'D)
I started looking at international
wire transfers, targeting banks in
the regions of several high-
profile assassinations and bingo-
The proverbial needle in a haystack; a single wire
transfer circled in red.
MIKA (CONT'D)
Minister Zhang. The day before
the assassination $1,555,999.90
was transferred from the bank of
Shanghai. The exact market value
of one hundred pounds of gold.
MASLOW
Highly circumstantial. *

MIKA
I thought you might say that so I
checked how often this particular
bank transferred that market
equivalent to a hundred pounds of
gold in the last three years.
MASLOW
Let me guess.
MIKA
Not once.
He sifts through the report. *
MASLOW
Okay you got me. This is *
interesting. *
MIKA
The clans are real, Ryan. They *
steal children and turn them into *
assassins. They've been doing it *
for years and nobody's doing a *
damn thing to stop them. *
MASLOW
Look, no one's denying the
historical record, Mika. But the
whole idea just doesn't fit in
with a modern world. It's like
one of those questions on an IQ
test: which of these doesn't
belong in this sentence: laptops,
space shuttles, nanotechnology,
ninjas.
MIKA
They're real Ryan. You can call
them spooks, or assassins, or
whatever you want if it makes you
feel better, but they're out
there. They're killing people and
nobody is doing a damn thing to
stop them.

ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT

Close on tokens being rammed down the mechanical throat

of a washing machine. Overhead, the fluorescent lights

STROBE unevenly, the fixtures old and in need of new

bulbs.

Raizo steps back as the washer begins to cycle loudly, a

wheezbox instrument that rattles, gurgles and groans.

As he looks at the machine we hear:

OZUNU

Our enemies are everywhere.

FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE - DAY

Ozunu strides among his children who are bathing,

scrubbing themselves with evergreens.

OZUNU

You must move without trace or *

footprint.

Young Raizo pours water through evergreens onto clothes

he is scrubbing.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

You must become shadow; Your scent *

nothing but wind through trees.

*

BACK TO:

ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT - NIGHT

A pretty young Japanese woman, the only other customer,

calls to Raizo as she stands beside one of the dryers.

PRETTY WOMAN

Hi... excuse me...?

(catches his eye)

Would you mind?

RAIZO

...sorry?

She hands him one end of a freshly dried sheet.

PRETTY WOMAN

If it's not too much trouble,

could you help me with this?

He smiles and nods.



They begin to fold, corner to corner, end to end.

Silently. The fluorescent strobing above them.

We sense a strange tension between them as we realize

they are alone in the midnight cleaners. He looks at

her. She smiles. The uneven strobing on either side of

the Laundromat casts uneven shadows on her face... almost

as though she had two faces. One light, one shadow. We

EXTEND the silence for a long BEAT until he looks down at

the sheet and says:

RAIZO

What clan are you from?

She glances up sharply.

PRETTY WOMAN

I... don't understand...

RAIZO

You came alone. The Ozunu clan

would never make such a mistake.

Her eyes REACT as suddenly a blade flashes from beneath

the sheet, reaching for Raizo's throat.



He catches the blade in the sheet, twisting it in her

grip. She fights for control.

A fury of slashes and the sheet is shredded.



ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT OFFICE - NIGHT.

The night manager is half-asleep, watching a Korean soap

on Empress Min. When he hears a series of crashes, he

gets up.



ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT - NIGHT

He throws open the office door, wielding a fire iron.

MANAGER

What is going on-

The space is empty, glowing with fluorescent glare.

One machine is thumping loudly. He crosses to it.

As he nears it, bloody water begins bubbling up, flowing

over the top.



CURRY-WURST STAND BERLIN - DAY

Ketchup splatters the chopped meat.

MASLOW

And two cokes, please.

MIKA

How long have you been here? And

you can't say "zwei cola bitte"?

MASLOW

Course I can, but you tend to hear

more interesting things if people

don't know you can understand what

they're saying.

MIKA

Do you ever stop being a cop?

MASLOW

Not the way I was raised. My dad

always said, being a cop has

nothing to do with a clock. It's

a consequence of consciousness

often interpreted as desire.



MIKA

Desire?

MASLOW

For justice. And doughnuts.

He smiles as they move to one of the circular tables.

MASLOW (CONT'D)

So you got something else?

MIKA

I think so. Same template as

before. The transfer was made the

day before a multiple homicide in

Osaka. The police and newspapers

are calling it a gangland slaying.

MASLOW

How do you know what the police

report says? You're not still

requisitioning evidence with my

clearance codes, are you?

She shakes her head. Lying. Quickly sipping her coke.

MASLOW (CONT'D)

Good.

MIKA

What about the bank audit?

MASLOW

Denied. It was a long shot at

best.

MIKA

But you said you found something.

MASLOW

A report. A friend of mine in

Moscow, tipped me to it.

He slips an envelope from his briefcase and gives it to

her.

MASLOW (CONT'D)

It was written during the height

of the Cold War by a high ranking

KGB agent named Aleksei Sabatin.

In it, he raises the possibility

that several political

assassinations were conducted by

an ancient but very sophisticated

network he calls the Nine Clans.

(MORE)



MASLOW (CONT'D)

Mind you, he doesn't call them

ninjas.

MIKA

What happened to him?

MASLOW

Same thing that's going to happen

to me, if I keep hanging around

with you- booted out of the

service for mental instability.

MIKA

Is he still alive? We need to

find him.

MASLOW

Working on it.

MIKA

You believe it now, don't you?

He scoffs.

MASLOW

Ninjas? Are you kidding?

MIKA

Then why are you doing this?

MASLOW

No idea-

He finishes his soda and takes his garbage to the can.

MASLOW (CONT'D)

But I can guarantee you that it

has nothing to do with the fact

that you're the most attractive

researcher that I've ever worked

with.

He smiles and turns before she flushes a bright shade of

red.



ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY

A teapot begins to sing.

Raizo pours the boiling water into a plastic bowl of

noodles. He covers the bowl and waits a moment for the

soup to cook.

As he stares, we hear.



OZUNU

The body must obey the will. *

FLASHBACK -ORPHANAGE KITCHEN/DINING ROOM - DAY

Several of the younger members of the clan are sitting at

the table, about to eat.

Ozunu stands before them. He removes a small blade from

inside his robe. Places the blade against his palm.

OZUNU

Hunger and thirst, your bowels and *

breath, even the blood in your *

veins, are the body's weaknesses. *

The knife slices down along his palm, opening a split;

the flesh parts, yet no blood flows.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

Master them, and you master the

self.

He closes his fist.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

This is the power of the Ozunu

clan.

He concentrates, squeezing his hand tightly until he

opens it revealing that the wound has closed.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

This is the way of the ninja.

The children look at each other, except for Raizo who

stares at Ozunu.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

Eat tonight and you work twice as *

hard tomorrow.

Ozunu leaves.

The children look at the soup, their mouths watering.

All around, the older Ozunu clan members eat noisily.

One of the children can't resist any longer and begins

scooping up the noodles. In short order, others do the

same.

All except for Raizo, who sets down his chopsticks.

Willing himself not to be hungry.

The grown Raizo looks at his soup. We cannot tell if he

is going to eat or not.

OZUNU

The world feeds on the weak.

FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE - NIGHTINGALE

FLOOR - NIGHT

Young Raizo stands in the central chamber of the

compound. The floor beneath his bare feet is made of

thousands of carefully mitred pieces of gleaming wood

laid down in an intricate pattern. They are not,

however, glued down to the floor. The slightest wrong

move will make them shift noisily.

This is our first look at the Nightingale Floor.

OZUNU

Suffering exists only because *

weakness exists.

Ozunu watches from the far side of the room as Raizo

takes his first step. Carefully. Graceful as any

dancer.

He makes no sound.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

You must hate all weakness. Hate *

it in others, but most of hate it *

in yourself.

He takes another step, and another. Each soft as a

falling feather.

He is a third of the way across the floor - his body

gleaming with sweat - when he steps wrong and the floor

sings beneath him.

Raizo stops, a flash of panic in his eyes. Then he

subdues the emotion and obediently lifts the offending

foot, holds it out as Ozunu rises and approaches.

Ozunu lays open Raizo's foot with a bamboo rod. Slashing

blows that leave deep cuts.



Raizo's expression hardly changes. Ozunu returns to his

place, and Raizo starts walking again, making no noise,

and leaving no trace of his passage...

...except for a trail of small, bloody footprints.



FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT

The same evening. Most of the children in this place

sleep on mats in the same room. They are exhausted,

silent, motionless.



We FIND Raizo and though he makes no sound, his eyes show

silent tears of pain, his feet still bleeding and

bruised.

Kiriko looks on from her mat for a long, silent BEAT,

knowing the agony he is in. Then, as if coming to an

inner decision, she reaches under her mat for a leaf into

which a thick salve has been folded. She crosses the few

feet to Raizo's mat and, as he watches in silent agony,

she puts her finger to her lips, then kneels down --

-- and begins applying the salve to his feet. Within

moments, we can see the pain leaving his eyes. Finishing

quickly, she folds the remaining salve back into the

leaf, exchanges a quick, furtive glance with Raizo, then

heads back for her mat.

He lays there for a BEAT, confused as to whether his

diminishing pain is a good thing. Then he turns to look

at Kiriko, but she lays with her back to him, apparently

asleep.

He regards her silently for a moment, then rolls over

himself to sleep as we come around to --

-- the other side of Kiriko, and see that she is very

much awake, almost smiling. She closes her eyes.



MIKA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The apartment is dark as Mika ENTERS and turns on the

lights. She looks the place over, then goes room to

room, turning on every light in the place. The practiced

way she does it makes it clear she does this every night.

Satisfied she's alone, she goes into the bedroom to

change.



MIKA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Mika is curled up in a chair and with KGB report.

She turns a page and sees a photocopied drawing of a very

intricate floor that we now recognize as the Nightingale

Floor. She reads the caption beneath it.



SABATIN

(Russian accent)

Historical evidence suggests that

Ibn-Battuta's journey through the

far east brought him into contact

with what might be one of the

oldest of the Nine Clans. He

travels with a group of orphans

that are being taken from a city

devastated by war to the Shido of

the Ozunu clan. The people of the

surrounding province refer to the

Shido as "The Orphanage."



FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE DOJO

We see Battuta, the 14th century Muslim explorer sitting

among the original leaders of the Ozunu clan, watching

two children fight.

SABATIN

Battuta describes a ceremonial

dinner followed by a display of

martial skill. The combatants

were children neither beyond the

age of ten.

Battuta masks his revulsion as the battle continues until

one child beats the other to death. Small fists gleam

with blood as one boy pummels the other.

SABATIN (CONT'D)

His host explains that a man's

life must be made meaningless

compared to the life of the Clan.

Own the meaning of a man's life

and you own his heart.



BACK TO SCENE

Slowly the light in the bedroom hallway goes OUT.

She freezes, and the world seems to freeze with her. She

doesn't move, doesn't breathe.

She forces herself to sit slowly up, reaching under her

bed for a cricket bat. A car drives by outside. Could

be nothing. Could be everything.

Despite her fear, she edges toward the door. Slowly

peers around it. The darkened hall is empty.



There is a ticking sound, like someone tapping at a

window. Could be a tree in the wind. Could be something

else.

She moves slowly through her apartment. Every shadow

could conceal unseen eyes.

She comes to the end of the hall, where the overhead

light is out. She flicks the switch on and off.

Nothing. She reaches carefully toward the light bulb.

Taps it. The bulb rattles, it's just burned out. She

breathes a sigh of relief. Then she notices --

-- that the living room window is open, the blinds gently

swaying from the wind, tapping against the sash.

She closes it and locks it. Looks to her desk,

concerned. Did she leave the window open? Or is

something going on.

She goes to her desk, anxious, to check on something.

She opens a drawer, revealing a box of tampax. Pulls out

the tampax to reveal a key... a place no guy would think

to check.

She unlocks a drawer and takes out an unmarked DVD in a

slim plastic case. Relieved, she starts to put it

away...then stops. Is it the same DVD? She moves OS.

MOMENTS LATER... the TV is switched on, and an image

begins to play, revealing a time coded security camera,

recording an urban street corner in Japan. The tape is

riddled with digital noise and artifacting.

Then, slowly, the digital noise seems to coalesce, to

grow shapes. The shadows come to life.

Then with incredible speed two dark figures start

battling it out, their blades striking sparks that are

still descending after they've slipped back into the

shadows.

They emerge over and over, brief flashes of clarity like

the perfect arc of a calligrapher's brush describing the

wing of a bird. Fight. Retreat. Silence. Shadows.

Sparks.

Mika hits the pause button and moves closer to the

screen, examining the figures.

One of the figures is wearing a mask, but the face of the

other combatant is revealed, albeit somewhat obscured by

the dim light and digital noise.

we see that it's Raizo. But she doesn't

know that name yet.

MIKA

...who are you?

She stares at the fierce beauty of his face and touches

gently.



ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY

CLOSE on a bed of nails; sixteen penny nails arranged in

perfect rows pointing up, the sharp tips catching the

light.

As we REVEAL Raizo his breathing is rhythmic and deep,

but this is really the first time we have heard him sound

like he is straining.

As we continue to WIDEN, we discover the reason for this:

he is doing handstand push-ups. On the nails. Over and

over, with little apparent effort.

The hard edges and lines of his body catch the light,

like the tips of the nails, as we HEAR:

OZUNU

Strength is the only virtue that

nature respects.



FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE - DAY

Children are sharpening their weapons. Ozunu walks above

them.

OZUNU

Hone your body. Sharpen your mind.

Become the weapon you will need to

survive.

Young Raizo looks up and sees young Kiriko looking at

him. She smiles. He looks back to his weapon.



ISTANBUL - STREET - DAY

Raizo walks down a street where repair work is being

done. To keep cars from falling into the hole, they'vee

covered the street with big steel plates. As the cars

and trucks pass over the plates, they make a bump-thump

sound. Bump-thump, bump-thump, bump-thump.

on Raizo under that sound.



FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE BONSAI GARDEN - DAY

Kiriko is working in the bonsai garden. Raizo watches

her silently for a moment noticing that she is secretly

loosening the wires, letting the branches ease back into

their natural shape.

He whispers.

RAIZO

You shouldn't do that. It's

against the rules. If they catch

you --

KIRIKO

Then they catch me.

RAIZO

They'll put you in the box.

KIRIKO

Yes, they will.

She finishes releasing the branch.

KIRIKO (CONT'D)

I believe the heart of the tree

knows which way it needs to grow.

RAIZO

Trees don't have hearts.

KIRIKO

Everything has a heart.



RAIZO

I don't.

There's sadness and bitterness in his eyes. He's closing

off to the world, becoming what they want. She won't let

that happen.

KIRIKO

Really? Let me see.

He hesitates, then approaches. Kneels down beside her.

She reaches toward him. He flinches...a sword he can

handle, but kindness has become something foreign...then

allows her to undo the top button of his shirt. She

presses her ear to his chest. Listens.

Then she gently whispers to it.

KIRIKO (CONT'D)

Hello....hello, you in there.

She listens again.

KIRIKO (CONT'D)

It's saying hello back. And that

it's happy to meet me...but it

misses you.

Raizo smiles despite himself.

RAIZO

Liar.

KIRIKO

Listen to mine, I'm not lying.

I'll prove it.

Again, he hesitates. Then he leans in, and listens to

her heart. Bump-thump. Bump-thump. She smiles.

KIRIKO (CONT'D)

Hello.



He looks up at her, his ear still to her chest. And for

the first time, his face softens. Bump-thump. Bump-

thump. Bump-thump.



In the present as the traffic bounces past Raizo. Bump-

thump. Bump-thump. Bump-thump.

His eyes saddening with memory, he continues on his way.



MIKA'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Mika is at her computer doing what she does best:

intuitively sifting through interconnected threads of

information.

Searching through what is known about Ibu-Battuta, she

discovers information concerning the lost chapters of the

"Rihla," supposedly destroyed sometime in the 15th

century.

She remains immersed until a sound grows louderl and

louder.

A vacuum cleaner. She checks the time. Very late. She

looks up and finds two eyes watching her through the

crack in her open door.

Startled she gets up while the eyes quickly disappear.

In the hallway, an older Asian man is pushing the vacuum

cleaner.

MIKA

Excuse me? Excuse me?

He shuts it off, turns to her.

MIKA (CONT'D)

Where's Jona?

He seems not to understand her.

MIKA (CONT'D)

Jona. The usual cleaner. Jona.

ASIAN MAN

Ahh, Jona. Jona sick.

MIKA

Oh. Well, tell him I hope he

feels better



ASIAN MAN

Take care. You should take care.

MIKA

...What?

ASIAN MAN

Work so late. Not good for you.

She smiles sheepishly.

MIKA

True...Thanks.



BERLIN STREET - NIGHT.

Mika walks down the empty street, the sound of her heels

slap against the stone buildings.

The shadows seem to stalk her.

She hears a faint sound like metal claws against glass.

She stops and listens trying to see into the dark.

MIKA

...is someone there?



ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY

Raizo is practicing his chain form.

We begin to hear the sounds of another fight.



FLASHBACK - ORPHANAGE DOJO - NIGHT

Raizo, is fighting with TAKESHI, a few years older, in a

room lit by hundreds of hanging torches. Armed with

katanas, the boys duck, dodge and weave around the

burning obstacles as they fight.

They are both extremely agile, their bodies moving with

the impossible flexibility of youth.

Kiriko watches along with the other members of the clan.

If she feels anything as she watches the fight, we cannot

tell.

They perform a vicious series of combinations, then

Takeshi's sword cracks against Raizo's head, opening a

huge gash.

Raizo hits the ground hard, blood speckling the mats.

Takeshi backs away as Ozunu steps in.

As blood flows down the side of his face, Raizo looks

like the young boy that he is. Pain throbs from the

wound, and he begins to cry.

OZUNU

Did Takeshi's blow hurt you? You *

think this is pain? You are *

mistaken. *

He gouges three fingers into the boy's stomach and twists

something inside of him.

Raizo screams.

His screams smear into uncontrollable sobbing.

OZUNU (CONT'D)

That is true pain. You must learn *

to live with it.

He steps back, leaving Raizo writhing in agony.



OZUNU

This is your first test. Survive *

the night.

He signals to the rest of the clan and they all begin to

leave.

Kiriko is the last to turn away.



Later. Night.

Raizo is still where we left him, a twisted knot of pain,

his face stained with tears and crusted with snot.

He is trying to control his breath, at first without

success. Then slowly, finally, it begins to ease. His

hand, twisted into a kind of rigor mortis, slowly begins

to relax, opening like a lotus flower.



Dawn breaks over the wall, as Ozunu returns to the dojo

to find Raizo is sitting in a full lotus, completely

calm, the wound already beginning to heal.

Ozunu shows a hint of a smile.



OZUNU

Very good, Raizo. Very good.

RIVERSIDE PARK - DAY

They are walking. Maslow is nervous.

:

MASLOW

Last night I'm working late and I

get a visit. Guy named Zabranski.

Works upstairs for Internal

Affairs. Just drops by. In the

neighborhood- cup a sugar- how ya

doin- kinda thing. Asks what I'm

working on. Oh, this and that,

usual blibbity blab, I tell him.

Then he smiles and says-



FLASHBACK - MASLOW'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Zabranski is leaning against the door jam.

ZABRANSKI

...Very Good.

His faint smile reminds us of Ozunu.

RIVERSIDE PARK - DAY

MASLOW

I don't understand what is really

going on, but I'm smart enough to

recognize a warning when I see

one.

MIKA

But why?

MASLOW

Why? It's obvious. If your little

fantasy has even slightest chance

of being real, then these Nine

Clans would have some pretty major

juice protecting them.

MIKA

What are you going to do?

MASLOW

We are going to tip-toe, very

carefully from here on out. You

understand? You don't do anything

else without checking with me. Got

it?

She nods.

MIKA

Did you find Sabatin yet?



Maslow isn't sure he wants to answer her.

MIKA

You did.

MASLOW

Yeah...he's dead.

MIKA

How?

MASLOW

Heart attack.

MIKA

They killed him.

MASLOW

People die of heart attacks, Mika.

MIKA

Was he married? Did he have a

family?

MASLOW

God, you are relentless, aren't

you.

MIKA

I know you Ryan, you would have

checked.

MASLOW

A wife.

MIKA

Still in Russia?

MASLOW

Relocated.

MIKA

Where?

He pulls a folded piece of paper from his jacket.

MASLOW

Explain something to me first.

Where is this obsession coming

from? What started this whole

thing?

She thinks.

FLASH CUT.



We see Mika reaching out to touch Raizo's face.

CUT BACK.

She shrugs.

MIKA

Like your father said...It's a

consequence of consciousness often

interpreted as desire.

MASLOW

Desire for what?

MIKA

For the truth.

He shakes his head, handing her the paper.

MIKA

Potsdam. She's in Berlin.

Mika shoots off as Maslow calls-

MASLOW

Mika! Tip-toe!

She takes several exaggerated tip-toe steps.

CUT TO:

ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

A shuriken blade grinds against a whetstone as Raizo

sharpens the weapon with practiced grace...despite being

blindfolded.

Sunlight is held back by vertical blinds.

When he finishes, he stands, a Rodin sculpted out of

midnight.

We realize there are wooden blocks placed around the

room.

In his palm, a single shuriken abruptly fans into many

like a deck of cards.

Suddenly his arm whips around as the shurikens crack and

split the thick wooden targets.

He stands alone, still blindfolded.

OZUNU

These next five years will be the

most important of your training.



FLASHBACK - /EXT. ORPHANAGE DOJO/VERANDA - NIGHT

One of the OLDER NINJAS is wrapping Raizo's eyes with a

sticky gauze, like the tape used to wrap horse's legs.

MR. OZUNU

For an entire year, you shall live

without one of your senses,

beginning with the sense you rely

on the most: your sight.

FLASHBACK -. ORPHANAGE DOJO - NIGHT

Takeshi's sword slides from one position to another as

Ozunu looks on.

Raizo, blindfolded, reacts to the sound, matching his

posture a fraction of a second later.

OZUNU

A true Shinobi lives in darkness.

The night is his weapon. *

Takeshi attacks again. While Raizo eludes or blocks

several blows, for every two he manages to block, another

connects.

OZUNU

You must see with more than your *

eyes. *

Raizo gets up, slowly releasing the tension in his jaw.

He takes his position again, and this time the stance is

easy, his expression softer. This time, as Takeshi comes

at him, everything becomes clear.

The whistle of the blade.

The zip of the leg sweep against the tatami mat.

The sound of his robe.

Combined with Takeshi's unmistakable body odor Raizo has

everything he needs to dodge, slip and counter.





His chain strikes, wrapping an ankle, throwing a stunned

Takeshi to the wall.

Kiriko tries to hide her smile.

Ozunu nods in appreciation.

Raizo nods back, as if he can see without eyes.



FLASHBACK - . ORPHANAGE DORMITORY -

Young Raizo, still blindfolded is in bed. Trying to

sleep, but it's impossible. Takeshi's snoring doesn't

help.

He turns slightly towards Kiriko, as her chest rises and

falls, her breath as rhythmic as and gentle as the lap of

sea-water in a tidal pool. He begins to breathe in sync

with her, perhaps in hopes it will relax him.

Slowly, all the other sounds in the room go away, until

only her breathing, and his, remains. There is the

slight murmur of their hearts.

Then she opens her eyes...and smiles at him because he

cannot see her. But he hears her heart begin to beat

faster and that brings a faint smile to his lips.

They listen to each other's breathing growing heavier,

the sound of their hearts beating faster and faster.

Her lips part as she makes the tiniest movement...tilting

her pelvis up, rubbing her hips ever so slightly against

the blanket-

It's like tectonic plates shifting for Raizo.

Bump-thump, bump-thump, bump-thump their hearts growing

louder and louder as they become-