Act 1 Curtain Opens



At the local museum:

     On the rooftop, a black figure stood.  He  had a straight sword slung on his back, and a
rope slung on his shoulder.  He walked over to the part of the roof where there are glass windows
for the sun.  He took out a hand claw from inside his costume and put it on his right hand.  He put
down his rope and, from his belt, pulled out a metal tube.
     He took his hand with the hand claw and dug into the glass.  When he was done, he pulled
out the circular piece of glass.  He took the hollow tube and twisted the bottom.  Out from the
top popped four big hooks.  It was now a grappling hook tube.  
     He took the grappling hook and dug it deeply into the rooftop ground.  He pulled on the
rope to make sure it was tight.  He threw the rest of the rope into the museum through the hole he
made.  Then, he started climbing down the rope.  
     The night watchman was in some other part of the museum.  Because it was an old
building, there were no lasers to aid the guards.  There were lasers only around the pieces of art.
     The black figure landed quietly onto the main floor.  The main floor was a huge hallway
with ancient pieces of armor.  The armor lined both sides all the way to both ends.  There were
two or three other hallways branching into this one, all with art work.
     He walked over to a section of one of the walls.  There, in three different glass displays,
were three pieces of Japanese armor.  One was a beautifully decorated katana.  The second was
an elaborately decorated umbrella shaped helmet headpiece.  The third contained the rest of the
armor that belonged with the headpiece.  
     The figure walked over to the katana.  He took out a little pouch and poured its contents
onto his left hand.  He blew the powder from the pouch at the glass case containing the sword. 
The red lines of the lasers appeared.  They surrounded the whole case.
     The man took the straight katana off his back.  The scabbard was just skinny enough to fit
between the lasers.  He unscrewed the bottom of the scabbard and took it off.  Now, the scabbard
was a hollow tube.
     Just as the man was about to use it, the night watchman walked in.  He saw the man,
pointed his flashlight at him, and drew his gun.
     "Hey!  What're ye doin'!?!  Freeze!"  the watchman said as he walked toward the black
figure.
     The black figure stopped what he was doing and looked at the watchman.  He reached
into a pocket in his outfit and threw sharp jacks onto the ground.  He reached into another pocket
and threw small metal balls in front of the jacks.  When he was done with that, he threw the
scabbard at the watchman's flashlight.
     The flashlight flew out of the watchman's hand.  The black figure picked up his straight
katana and used its hilt to smash the glass case.  The alarms sounded.  
     The watchman ran at the man as he took the katana out of the broken case.  He was about
to shoot when he slipped on the metal balls and fell down with his face impaling on the sharp
jacks.  He screamed in pain as the jacks buried deeply into his face.
     The black figure ran.  He put the expensive katana in his belt, jumped over the watchman,
and picked up his hollow scabbard.  He ran toward the northern end of the hallway, which was
also the entrance.
     As he neared the doors, he pulled out from another one of his pockets more metal balls,
slightly bigger.  He threw them at one of the doors.  The balls exploded on contact and the door
flew away outside.  The figure ran through the opening and into the night.














                       Act 2  Stolen Props



Toshiro's store apartment:

     Toshiro had just finished taking a shower and dressed.  He watched his T.V. as he put on
his suit and tie for work downstairs.  The news was on.
     The reporter said, "And now, in local news, last night there was a robbery at the museum
of Modern History.  The Tokugawa family sword, one part of a three-part piece of the family's
armor, was stolen.  The night watchman was the only casualty.  Police still won't say how the
robbery was committed.  This is believed to be the tenth robbery in a chain of robberies that began
. . . "
     Just then the phone rang.  Toshiro walked over to his bedside table and picked it up.
     "Hello?"
     "Toshi.  It's Ben."
     "Hi!"
     "I need your help.  Did you hear about the robbery at the museum?"
     "Yes.  I just watched it on the news.  The Tokugawa family sword?" 
     "Yes.  It was at the museum for a special tour across the U.S. Toshi, I think we're dealing
with a ninja."
     "A ninja?"



The Museum of Modern History:

     Det... Ben Sproat led his friend, Toshiro, through the media crowd, under the yellow tape
surrounding the entrance, and through the doorway where the robber blew the door away.
The two walked toward the wall containing the Tokugawa family armor.  Toshiro looked around
at the various pieces of armor.  He looked up and saw the hole in the sunroof where the robber
came in. 
     Just as Toshiro and Ben neared the broken case, a short man with glasses approached
them.
     Ben stopped and said, "Toshi, this is the museum's curator, Jeff Cramer.  Jeff Cramer, this
is Toshiro Obata.  He is our local Japanese culture and history expert."
     Toshiro shook Jeff Cramer's hand and said, "Pleased to meet you."
     Jeff Cramer replied, "A Japanese expert?  Great!  Then you know the value of the
Tokugawa family's armor."
     "Yes, I do."
     "The case where the katana was kept is over here."
     Jeff Cramer led the two men to the broken glass case.  There were men taking pictures of
the crime scene that they had to walk through.
     Jeff said, "As you can see, the helmet and body armor weren't touched.  The robber just
got the family katana."
     Toshiro looked at the glass case.  The top of the case was smashed into pieces that fell
inside the case.  Why didn't this ninja do it cleanly?
     Mr. Cramer then left Toshiro and Ben.  He walked over to a few members of the press
and began answering questions while Ben and Toshiro continued with their investigation.
     Ben called a man over who brought him several plastic bags.  In the bags were the jacks,
balls, rope, and grappling hook.
     Ben said, "The ninja left these behind.  These are ninja, right?" 
     Toshiro nodded.
     Ben continued, "The watchman tripped over these balls and his face impaled on these
jacks.  The ninja used this grappling hook to anchor the rope on the roof.  He just left all of these
things."
     Toshiro said, "Only because he didn't have time to get his equipment.  What did the
watchman say?"
     "He saw a man dressed in black and told him to freeze.  The man threw something at his
flashlight and smashed the case.  He then ran to stop him, but tripped and fell on the jacks."
     "Anything else?"
     "He said there was an explosion he heard over the alarm."
     "That must've been the bomb that removed the door."
     "We found some residue on the door.  It looks like a chemical bomb."
     Toshiro thought for a second.  He then said, "What  would a ninja want with the
Tokugawa sword?"
     Mr. Cramer then returned to the group with a disgusted look on his face.  It was obvious
that he really didn't like the press.
     Jeff Cramer pleaded to Ben, "Please, find the sword.  I don't want the Japanese to find out
about this.  It would give our museum a bad name."
     "We'll do the best we can, Mr. Cramer." answered Ben.
     Toshiro pulled Ben aside for a minute and said, "I think the ninja will come back for the
rest of the armor."
     "So do I.  I'll send some policemen to watch the place tonight."
     "Okay. By the way, does Mr. Cramer know about the ninja as the robber?"
     "Nope."
     "Good.  Keep it that way, at least for now."
     Toshiro and Ben walked out and Toshiro went back to his store.













                     Act 3  Yin and Yang Meet



Toshiro's store: 

     It is late night, when nocturnals come out and robbers rob.
     Toshiro locked his office and said to Christina, "Chris, can you lock up the rest for me? 
I'm going to quit early."
     "Okay, Toshi."
     Toshiro walked up the stairs to his apartment and put on his Kabuki outfit.


At the museum:

     The two cops in the cop car parked right in front of the museum were just sitting doing
nothing.  They talked about the case.  
     One cop said, "A ninja?  Ha!  Can you imagine one of those in this city?"
     The other responded, "Really!  Remember those movies about ninjas?  Talk about
unrealistic!"
     They both laughed.  Just then, they saw a man in a black trenchcoat walking toward them. 
He walked up to the car and tapped on the window.
     As the cop closest to him rolled down his window, the man in the trenchcoat pulled out a
gun and shot it into the car.  A white gas filled the car.  It was sleeping gas.  The cops were
knocked out instantly.
     The man threw off  his trenchcoat to reveal the straight katana and black outfit of a ninja. 
He ran silently to the doorway of the door he blew away the night before and peered in.  There
were several cops, about three, standing and guarding the helmet and body pieces of the armor. 
Out of a pocket, the ninja pulled out a softball-sized metal sphere.  He rolled it right to the guards. 
The ball exploded, releasing more of the white sleeping powder.  The cops were again knocked
out.  
     He then reenacted the events of the night before, only in reverse order.  He broke the case
for the helmet open with a miniature bomb.  Then, he attached a grappling hook with a rope to his
gas gun and fired it through the hole he made before.  He pulled the rope tight as he took the
helmet out of the case.  He put it in a shoulder bag and slung it over his shoulder.  The alarm went
off again.
     As cop cars arrived, the ninja already started climbing the rope.  With amazing speed, he
reached the top before the cops were able to draw and beed on him.  He climbed through the
window hole and ran across the roof.  He jumped to the next roof and stopped immediately by
what he saw.
     "Stop!" said Toshiro as he stood and faced the ninja.
     The ninja answered, "A Kabuki sohei?  I am honored."  as he bowed to Toshiro.
     "Where is the katana?"
     "I am not obliged to tell you.  Besides, I'm in quite a hurry, so if you'll excuse me?"
     The ninja stepped to his side, but Toshiro followed suit.  He didn't intend to let the ninja
get away.
     "Who are you working for?" asked Toshiro.
     The ninja crossed his arms.  "Since you insist.  I don't work for anybody but myself. 
Pieces of art are worth a fortune on the black market.  But now, I really have to go."
     The ninja pulled out the gas gun and fired it at Toshiro.  The Kabuki sohei pulled out a fan
and fanned the smoke away.  He pulled out his naginata and extended the handle.  The ninja threw
shurikens at Toshiro through the smoke.  Toshiro hit the shurikens away with his naginata.  Then
he ran at the ninja.
     The ninja threw down a smoke bomb in front of himself.  Toshiro ran through the smoke
and swung horizontally.  He sliced nothing.  As the smoke cleared,  The ninja was nowhere to be
found.
     Toshiro walked back and looked at the ground for clues.  He saw one of the shurikens the
ninja threw.  He picked it up and studied it while he returned home.










Act 4  Benkai's Failure



Toshiro's store apartment:

     The doorbell rang.  Toshiro looked at his clock.  It was 11:00 a.m., well past the time his
store was supposed to be open.  He slowly got up and walked toward the door.  He undid his
deadbolt but left the chain linked.
     "Yes?" he said lazily.
     "Toshi, are you okay?" It was Christina.  "I was worried when I had to open up the store
and I didn't see you inside."
     "I'm sorry, Chris.  I had a bad night.  I probably won't work today.  You can have the day
off, if you want."
     "I'll keep it open today, Tosh."
     "If that's your choice."
     Toshiro was about to close the door when Christina interrupted, "Oh yeah, Ben Sproat
called."
     "Thanks Chrissy."
     He closed the door and walked to his bedside phone.  He picked up the receiver and dialed
the police station.  He then picked up the shuriken he picked up the night before and looked at it. 
The design looked familiar.
     "Hello?" said the officer who picked up the call.
     "May I speak with Detective Ben Sproat?"
     "Just a minute."
     There was a short pause.
     "Hello?"
     "Ben, it's Tosh."
     "Tosh, the second piece of armor has been stolen.  The ninja came back last night and was
able to break through the guards."
     "No offense, but I'm not surprised."
     "None taken.  There was more evidence found.  Could you come over and take a look?"
     "Sure.  I'll be there in an hour."
     He hung up and did his morning routine.  As he left, he told Christina to close early.



At the police station:

     "He used tranquilizer gas on our officers." said Ben to Toshiro.  "We weren't even aware
until the alarm went off again.  By then, it was too late."
     Toshiro listened as Ben told him about the details.  He described the chemical residue on
the broken case from a miniature bomb and what made up the tranquilizer gas.  It was all quite
boring, to say the least.
     "There was something weird that we found on the rooftop next building over.  There was 
a smoke bomb and some throwing stars found.  Here're some pictures."  
     Ben Handed pictures of the shurikens and smoke bomb residue to Toshiro.  As he looked
at them, he remembered what happened.
     "It looks like the ninja was defending himself from someone."
     Toshiro asked, "Who?" as if he didn't know.
     "I don't know.  Whoever he was, he was someone the ninja didn't want to meet."  He took
the pictures off of Toshiro's hand.  "Well that's all we have.  Any thoughts?"
     "He'll be coming back for the rest of the armor."
     "I know.  I'll be putting even more guards with gas masks in the museum."
     "That's good.  Well, I'll be going."
     "Call me if anything comes up."
     "I will."
     With that, Toshiro left the station.



Toshiro's store that night:

     Christina closed the store early and she was nowhere to be found.  Toshiro unlocked his
office and turned on the light.  He walked over to his desk, put the shuriken on it, and turned on
his computer.  He brought up Windows, clicked on the heading "Weapons" and a program he
created came up.  It was basically a database that contained every kind of Japanese weapon and
the school it belonged to.  Several headings were Swords, Other Bladed Weapons, Throwing 
Weapons, Armor, and Early Guns/Archery.  He clicked on "Throwing Weapons."  Another screen
came up with more choices:  Knives, Shurikens, and Others.  He clicked Shurikens.  Then a
screen came up with  one window big enough to show a picture  and another smaller window
with the name of the weapon with its school and  a brief history posted on it.
     He pressed the left cursor arrow to scroll through the different images.  After a couple of
minutes, he came to the shuriken he had.  The school was the Koga school of ninjutsu.  It was
traditionally tipped with a poison of some sort to induce sleep or even death.
     Toshiro thought, "A Koga ninja.  No wonder he was skilled at what he did.  I must put an
end to his robbing."
     Toshiro turned off his computer, turned off the light, walked up to his apartment, and
once again put on his Kabuki costume.
     













                    Act 5  Benkai's Redemption



At the Museum of Modern History:

     The Koga climbed up the side of the building using his hand and foot claws.  As he neared
the top of the roof, he looked at the glass sunroof which  he had made the hole in.  there were two
guards with gas masks guarding the hole.  The Koga pulled out a shaft and blew darts from his
belt.  He blew one into one of the guard's neck.  The other guard turned around, but received a
dart in his chest.  The darts had sleeping poison on the tips.
     The ninja ran to the pane of glass which he had made the hole in.  He peered in.  there
were five guards around the body armor, and some new surveillance cameras.  He put five darts
into his blow gun and blew them at the five guards in  rapid succession.  The guards fell before
they knew what hit them.  He then took the blow gun apart, put it in his belt, and took a crossbow
off from his back.  He took out a couple small arrows and set one on the quiver.  He aimed at the
surveillance camera on the adjacent wall and shot it.  It sparked and its power light turned off.  He
shot another camera farther away pointing at the entrance.  That appeared to be all the cameras
that they installed.
     He attached a thin rope which he had brought along to an arrow.  He aimed for the
adjacent wall again, but low enough to land next to the body armor.   He shot it and it buried into
the wall.
     The ninja pulled it tight and put the crossbow away.  He then attached the end of the rope
to the window pane and was about to climb down it when a voice came from behind.
     "Hold it right there."  it was the Kabuki sohei.
     The ninja turned around and said, "Nice to see you again."
     "You are not going to steal the rest of the armor."
     "And you are going to stop me, right?"
     "I failed to stop you last time, but I won't fail this time."
     Toshiro ran at the ninja.  The ninja threw more miniature bombs at Toshiro.  Toshiro
jumped back to avoid them.  
     As Toshiro did this, the Koga slid down the rope using his katana.  Toshiro ran to the
window and followed using his naginata to slide down.  The Koga reached the bottom first, and
cut the rope with his katana.  Toshiro started to swing back when he just let go of the rope.  He
fell to the ground and did a roll on the floor to break his fall.  As he came out of the  roll, he
extended the naginata handle, stood up, and readied himself for anything.
     The Koga walked toward him saying, "You are very skilled.  You Kabuki soheis are quite
amazing."
     "I will stop you no matter what, Koga ninja." replied Toshiro.
     Toshiro sliced low at the ninja's feet.  The ninja jumped backwards and flipped.  He landed
and advanced quickly, slicing down toward Toshiro's head.  Toshiro raised his naginata to block. 
Then he swung the butt of the naginata at the Koga.  The Koga ducked.  Toshiro finished his
swing and immediately performed a lunge.  The ninja blocked and jumped back.  He threw
another smoke bomb down between him and the Kabuki sohei.
     Toshiro ran through the smoke into clear air.  He lost the Koga for a while.  He peered at
the armor, untouched, the unconscious guards, and then peered at the rope he slid down.  The
ninja was already half way up it.   Toshiro ran to the rope, retracting his naginata and putting it in
its holster as he ran, and started climbing the rope.
     When Toshiro was halfway, the ninja reached the top.  Toshiro looked up to see the ninja
climb through the hole and turn around.  He took out a knife and started cutting the rope, but
something stopped him.  The ninja disappeared.  Toshiro kept climbing.  As he neared the top, he
heard a struggle.  Must've been the guards on the roof.  The poison had worn off.
     Toshiro climbed through the hole and looked around the roof.  The two guards were
laying still with huge gashes in their chests.  Toshiro then saw the ninja running toward the back
of the roof.  Toshiro took out his naginata once again and chased him.  The ninja reached the edge
of the roof, but stopped there.  Behind the museum was a deep water flood duct which was full. 
It led to a huge fall into the water reservoir.  
     The Kabuki sohei yelled at the Koga, "You have no place else to go!  Turn and face me!"
     The ninja did so.  He pulled out his katana once again.  Toshiro swung at the ninja's waist. 
The ninja blocked, grabbed the naginata, and kicked Toshiro in the stomach.  Toshiro flew
backwards and hit the ground.  The ninja then dropped Toshiro's naginata.
     He said, "This is the end."
     The Koga jumped toward Toshiro, performing an airborne lunge.  Toshiro rolled to his side to
avoid it and stood up.  the ninja landed, and immediately sliced at Toshiro's neck.  Toshiro
stepped in, grabbed the handle of the katana, spun around, and disarmed the ninja.  He then
turned around, lunged, and planted the katana in the ninja's stomach.
     The ninja was stunned.  Toshiro let go of the katana as the ninja started wobbling
backwards.
     The ninja said, "I am defeated.  You were an honorable foe."
     Toshiro asked, "And it has been an honor fighting you.  Now tell me.  Where are the
katana and helmet?"
     The ninja stumbled back farther to the edge of the roof and then replied, "In the
abandoned warehouse two buildings over."
     With those words the ninja backed up until he had reached the edge of the roof.  He
bowed to Toshiro, and then jumped.  The ninja fell into the water duct, and disappeared.
     Toshiro looked over the edge.  Then, he picked up his naginata and faded into the dark.









                      Act 6  Curtain Closes



The Abandoned Warehouse:

     A man in a black suit and sport coat slammed  a gavel down and exclaimed, "Sold, to Mr.
Vanderwall for 800,000 dollars!  And now our next piece, the famous Tokugawa family sword. 
An exquisite piece from Japan.  And now, we'll start the budding at one million dollars.  Do I hear
one million?"
     At that moment, the doors to the underground auction room burst open.  A stream of
SWAT team members rushed in and surrounded the whole auction room.  The men covered all of
the wealthy buyers with their guns and made sure no one left.
     After the SWAT team had walked in detective Ben Sproat and Andy Baltes entered the
scene.
     Ben Sproat announced, "This is a bust! You're all under arrest!"
     The auctioneer asked, "What's the charge?"
     Andy Baltes replied, "Why, taking candy from a baby and selling it."

     

     Toshiro's store apartment:

     Toshiro's alarm went off, 9:00 a.m. another day of work.  He turned on the television. 
The news was on.
     A reporter was saying, "The Tokugawa family sword and helmet were found in the
abandoned warehouse on forty-second street.  Police were led there by an anonymous phone call.  
     As of right now, the police still won't comment on the identity of the robber or, for that
matter, the robberies.  
     And now, in national news . . . "
     Toshiro turned off the T.V. and then went back to sleep.  He deserved it.


                                             THE END