Death From Above

One of the greatest sins is to promote your own fiction, fan fiction. This is one of my efforts, shared for fun. It is set in the Destroyer universe, where the assassins of Sinanju, are the continuing story.
Be warned.

Chapter One

(No bees were harmed by this tale)

The air was clear and fresh this late spring morning. The Sun shone bright.

Most of winter’s snow was gone, and  the bees were visiting the blooming flowers in the field behind the mansion in the France’s Grenoble countryside.

As French mansions go, it was a pleasant place. It was outside of L’Alpe de Huez. The Alps set in the background.

It was Saturday Morning, the children were watching a Jerry Lewis movie on television. Mother was preparing the morning breakfast, father, Hercule Gineve,  was in the bathroom shaving. Beginning of a typical Saturday Day for family skiing. Hercule Gineve was Chairman of the Board of “Veien Environnement S.A.”, the leading environmental concern in France.

One did not notice the laser beam that framed the Mansion.

Suddenly out of the sky a bird seemed to fall towards the house. One who had notices would eventually see that it was not a bird, rather a small vehicle, somewhat resembling a large toy plane.

But no one saw.

The plane seemed to be in a power dive. Then it struck the mansion.

There was a huge explosion and nothing remained of the mansion.

The Chairman was no more,  his family but collateral damage.

The bees  remains visiting the new spring blooms.

Chapter Two

His name was Remo.

He was now responsible for the North Korean village of Sinanju. Also he had become responsible for the Sunjo Tribe in Arizona though his father Sunny Joe Rome was still alive and protecting the village. Besides that he was the Chairman of the Bank of Sinju in Switzerland and it’s many subsidiaries. These responsibilities didn’t take much of his time but the burden that they might require effort wore heavy on his mind.

He was also the premier assassin for CURE, an extra-legal  entity which existed to protect the US  Constitution from all enemies.  But things had been quiet of late. Dr. Smith had no new assignments for Remo  lately.

Even Chiun, had gone off to visit Sinanju, leaving Remo alone.  Alone and bored.

The last few assignments from Smith were quite simple, little challenge for him. The bread and butter kind of assignments that kept the gold flowing. But without challenge. It seemed so to Remo, after all

Being the Master of Sinanju was not exactly what Remo thought it was.

With things so slow, Remo decided he would go on vacation, take a trip to visit his Bank, the Geneva  based “Bank of Sinju”, in his role of CEO and find out more of what it represented.

Telling Smith he was taking time off for a vacation, and then agreeing to call in every three days to see if there was a need to return, Smith agreed to provide the transportation.

Remo was off.

Chapter Three

Hercule Gineve was Chairman of the Board of “Veien Environnement S.A.” was not his real family name. His line was in deep cover, hiding their identity through  marriages over thousands of years. Most properly the family name should be Gong. Last remaining descendent of the Night Tigers of Sinanju.

When the Great Wang discovered a different source of power he first slaughtered the remaining Night Tigers of Sinanju including the youngest Dae Jung Kim. His younger brother , Dae Hyun Kim, who was next in line to begin training with the suddenly deceased Master Huang, had completed training in the Mothers Arms and other beginning training for the arts, but he had the extensive family archives that the other Night Tigers knew not.

Dae Hyun changed his family name to that of his mother, Gong. Gathered his possessions and quietly left Sinanju.  Hr journeyed  to remote  areas of the world where Sinanju had not worked and slowly worked at his training from his family’s notes.  It took 40 years but he recovered the arts of the Night Tigers. Which had grown incredibly complex with 2.000 years development behind them, though whatever Wang had developed on his own was unknown. Only then did he take 3 wives, as was the local custom, and proceed to have many sons which he raised to also be Night Tigers. Though theirs was not a martial tradition but that of the assassin, Carefully they sought local clients and plied their art.

Every three generations they moved the family and began a new home, watching for the Signs of Sinanju near their area, and slowly re-established their traditions. All of their research did not show them how Wang became successful, but they did succeed in following the trail of Sinanju’s clients. After  all they were from the same traditions, and Sinanju for all of it’s newer secrets were established on the prior experiences of the same shared tradition.

They very carefully kept their business small and never in conflict with that of Sinanju, ever slowly establishing a base clientele. Eventually they became a business, first textiles, then shipping, and others. Never worried about competitors, they practiced their tradition for themselves. Slowly accumulating great wealth. Observing those of Wang’s lineage and vowing to remain hidden until they found a way to destroy Sinanju.

Now Hercule Gineve felt his corporation may have found such a means, to regain the House from those unclean traditions. The night tigers would emerge again and regain Sinanju and the defeat of Wang’s heirs would result.

Chapter Four

His name was Chiun, and this was the first time he returned to Sinanju since Remo’s ascension to Master.  As he entered the village there were no adulations, merely pleasant nods from the older residents. Remo made clear to him there were to be no Caves, the Masters house was his home.

Hyunsil was waiting for him at Castle Sinanju. She began  "Hail, Master of Sinanju, who sustains the village and keeps the code faithfully, leader of the House of Sinanju. Our hearts cry a thousand greetings of love and adoration..”
“Stop child, this is reserved to greet the Master, now Remo. Your presence here is enough tribute to these old bones. I would appreciate a cup of tea and some time for peaceful meditation.”


“You will always be my Master, I will go and get the tea.”

It was the time to reflect that he needed most.

Days passed without end, and he had time to think on what the future might bring. No insight did he find.

Chiun did not see the infra red laser target the baker’s home. Nor did he feel the pressure of a drone circling on high. That small drone directed a larger drone towards the Baker’s house then destroyed itself in an explosion as the larger drone struck the home. The resulting explosion did shock his presence.

In a flash he moved into the village. There he found the devastated home of the Baker and his family, How this happened was a mystery. This was Sinanju, and it was inviolate. No presence would attack here. The government would not dare, but it had happened, this was a major sign of disrespect.

There were no spotters that he could find, no plane in the air. Who directed this to happen? Chiun started looking outside the village, but all he could find were a touring group of Chinese housewives miles away, chatting about their favorite dishes t make, no indication that the event had occurred.

Then back to the village and closer inspection. There were no recoverable sections of what had done this foul deed. But finally wedged in a nearby rooftop a small section of the thing. Unknown what it represented but barely having a sign. It was an old sign, that of the house of Kim, from the older Night Tigers of legend. This here now, no idea of it’s sign fence. A sign only he could understand;

The people of the village started muttering, “Chiun is feeble, the Master must correct this wrong, and ever growing insults,

Chiun made to leave, he would travel to Pyongang. Ascertain where Remo was, and get a flight as quickly as possible to take him there to consult with Remo. Taking the shred of the device he found Chiun made ready to leave.

Outside the village there was the driver on the Sinanju highway, waiting for him, as this was his only job. Chiun tweaked his ear and spoke “Drive oaf I need the airport now.”

The jeep began to race down the road. There was no traffic, by Government edict no one else was allowed to use this road. In short order Chiun was on the phone contacting Dr. Smith and discovering Remo was visiting Switzerland. He ordered a jet to take him there.

While walking out to the plane, deep in thought, he noticed but paid no mind to the approach of a young man, in his teens. His approach was of an angle where no attach was possible.

Then as the passed each other a hand snaked out and struck Chiun in the shoulder. A killing strike.”

Chapter Five

Remo went to leave on the large Swiss Air jet sent to him at the airport. It had been sent by the Bank of SinJu in Geneva. Remo felt funny but was seated in a private section of the plane and almost immediately offered fresh water and/or rice by the stewardess. The rest of the time he was left alone and the stewardesses stood silently waiting, head bowed. His slight continued uninterrupted.

While Remo was told by Chiun that the Bank of SinJu was his, now he was CEO and with it he had control of the CEO;s drawing account, the details were left murky, to be explained the first trip he took to Geneva. He really didn’t understand more. Now it was time to get the details.

After hours, when the plane landed he was met by a discrete Rolls which took him to the center of Geneva.

Through his trip people stood at the side of the road, their heads bowed.

Finally Remo arrived at a large building near a mountain outside of town. There he was met by a a man who just introduces himself as Alphonse. Each employee  present then threw themselves on the floor, prostrating themselves before his presence. A very quiet “Sinju, Sinju Reigns” began to be chanted.

Remo was very confused.

“ If you will please follow me, I will take you to your office and explain all of this for you.” Alphonse said.

Remo followed the man inside and was ushered to the top floor. There he discovered an entire floor that duplicated the Master’s home in Sinanju.

“Please sir, please would your eminence please take a seat. I will have some fresh tea brought up immediately. Please consider this your home, all of this building.”

“Master. I as the President of the Bank of SinJu. It was founded as a result of the actions of Master Gi, the minor in 1275. Nothing is written, even in the scrolls of Sinanju and except when there is a direct bloodline transmission, the new Master is only told the bare outline of this responsibility by the President. Thus no one else knows this.”

“Master Gi was concerned that the wealth of his House was too tempting a target for the most nefarious people of the world. Distancing himself far from his home decided the mountains of the Alps would be a good place to hide the wealth of Sinanju. This land was between other kingdoms so he assisted Switzerland to become free from other lands, had a great fortress built inside a mountain and established this place, the Bank of SinJu.”

“The ever present Master of Sinanju was enough to guarantee Swiss freedom. And for when he was away,  in turn he created the Swiss Army to provide additional protection to his kingdom. This was why he was not Gi the Major or Gi the Minor, for Sinanju knew the army made one lesser.  But he prevailed and in turn taught only one minor skill from the art of the Night Tigers of Sinanju.  That of Night Tiger targeting.

“As a result each Master is cherished by the people and is considered the secret “King” of the country. But each Swiss patriot keep this secret and never mentions it.”

“The Bank of SinJin,  has 4 functions.  The first being the public Bank, which is very private, there are no numbered accounts for those permitted to deposit. This generates the wealth behind the Chairman’s drawing account. Any request will be fulfilled. The other Christmas was the first time it was used in 200 years and then only represented a days interest.”

The 2^nd function, and the original purpose, is the vault of your wealth. There in lie the gold reserves of Sinanju, never has there been a withdrawl. In total it represents the greatest wealth in the world, perhaps easiest understood as trillions.”

“The 3^rd function, is the repository of the copied scrolls of Sinanju  so they cannot be lost. Each master sends us their scrolls and in turn our copyists preserve one copy and then the original is sent to Sinanju.”

The 4^th function represents the research of your Assassins News Bureau. Following assassinations around the world, seeking trends subtle, tracking other assassins, and providing information when requested.

“All is always open to your inspection, but the overall responsibility is my role.”

“First I have to take you to the Board Room. There ypu will be formally  invested with the Bank.”

 The board room, all in shining red and grey marble was unadorned with chair or table. There was only the mark of Sinaju on the floor, one cut by hand by a Master.

In the center of the room rested a very large boulder, with one flattened side.

The room was large and round, and a single ridge of stone circled the room with pieces of stone set on it.

The Board didn’t elect the CEO. Sinanju just proved itself by a very old tradition.  Starting with Gi, the minor, the new Reigning Masters hand would slice a piece off the bolder and set it on the shelf, then inscribe the sign of Sinanju into the stone below with their hand.

Remo saw  Gi’s presence, then Kang’s, Hun Tup’s, Yowin, Kim, Chen, Cho, Wang the lesser, Lee-Piy, Suo-Lok and subsequent Masters. At the end he felt Hwa’s and then Nunic  Chiun’father and finally that of Chiun. He felt ,himself, awed to be in their sign’s presence.

He also noted the technique of separation with each rock memento. How subsequent generations after Gi   demonstrated their slicing technique.  Eventually when it became father to son succession the subsequent rock was created with higher technique. When another line was entered, that tradition was gone and just the rock was sliced.

It was clearly Remo’s turn, and he had to follow that of Chiun, perhaps the finest slice of all. He took his hand and drove it down. Cleanly slicing the boulder almost a duplicate of Chiun, as if father to son, then he took his finger and inscribed it with the sign of Sinanju. There was closer resemblance to that of Chiun, surely as if father to son.

He placed the rock slice next to his Chiun’sand completed the tradition.

Tradition fulfilled, Remo was now King, CEO of the Bank of SinJu and heir to tradition.

The other directors quietly departed leaving Alphonse with Remo. It was time for the Inventory.

Remo didn’t have much time to think about things, for he was now ushered to the secret passage from his office, deep into the mountain to, see the wealth of Sinanju for which be became now solely responsible.  Past innumerable vault doors, till he finally reaches the last, simply a door tied in the manner of his house back in Sinanju itself.

The room was more of a cavern filled with pallets of gold. On the wall was an electronic talley of the current weight in total and the current value in  Dollar, Poounds, Yen, Renembi Yaun,Won and other currencies. The total was staggering.

“As you can see Sinanju continues to prevail.” Alphonse  added.

Remo felt most burdened by this responsibility.

“However, you don’t have to worry about this, These funds are not traded, the commercial activities of the Bank are separate and fully overseen by the Directors and I. As Wu intended this is just a repository. Let us now proceed to the archives. There you will find the only copies of the scroll. Only you have this access.”

This chamber was a hall filled with trays and shelves containing the scrolls of the Masters. It was a duplicate of the room beneath Castle Sinanju, The full Histories of Sinanju. Off to the side was a reading room to use.

“When new scrolls arrive, the staff copies them by hand, as they don’t read Korean there is scruplious verification, then the copy is carried by I to this room, We keep a catalogue of whose scrolls there are, and also check for deterioration, where a different staff makes new copies when indicated. After processing the originals are returned to Sinanju.”

Remo felt the weight of this responsibility more fully.

“Br assured this is protected fully, the world does not know this exists, as Wu designed it. The section of the Bank that will most interest you is  your Assassins News Bureau.”

“Here we compile information about the assassinations that take place around the world for your knowledge about competitors. It was the idea of Master Wang the Lesser, as a result of having lost the Sword of Sinanju, saw the need for a source of information. Ever since those days we have labored to provide the most accurate information possible.”

Remo toured those offices, was handed a sheaf of papers on the current status of assassination in the world and returned to think alone in his office.

Alone Remo had a great deal on his mind. This SinJu stuff was a lot to digest. Great details involved becoming the Master. And being the ruler of Switzerland, Sinanju and the Sun Oh Jo wasn’t enough.  Lost in thought he began to rifle through the papers, absently minded glancing at a few of them.

One analysis caught his eye, a situation in Europe, someone had destroyed whole families children and parents, a Sinanju abomination, but curious there was not a clue as to the way it worked. No trace of the assassin. What could that mean? Remo read on. Apparently some how the individuals marked for death had no reason for the death’s.  So no reason presented itself,  And unknown methodology. It was something to ponder.

Suddenly Alphonse rang for admittance. “Master Chiun will be at the airport in ½ hour.”

Chapter Six

Remo was hurried to the airport by Alphonse, he realized this was unique in the history of the Bank.

They arrived just as the Korean plane was landing. The plane taxied to its area, the door flew open and there was Chiun appearing at the door. He was not his usual self, his appearance was disheveled, His robe torn at the shoulder, his face with an uncharasteric grimace.

Remo began to speak “Chiun…”

“No time to talk here, I will go to the office and hope it is not too late.” Chiun concluded.

Moving back to the Limo, Alphonse drove in silence, Chiun sitting still, Remo concerned.

After they entered the Chairman’s Office, and were alone Chiun began.

“Sinanju was attacked, I was attacked, and it was a perfect stroke. There are Night Tigers again, they are on the attack.”

Stunned Remo listened as Chiun related his tale.

“How could you be attacked?”

“It was delivered from an angle where no attack is possible according to our histories and our training. Then the attack was a perfect hand strike delivered at that angle. No one but you could have that training. Possessing the Sun Source, when the hand entered my robe, I reacted, immediately to the greatest opening and crushed his larynx. Thus I did prevail, but this is unknown. I did find a sign, there was a piece of metal with the symbol for House Kim but that house was destroyed by Wang when he destroyed the other night tigers. It cannot be for Wang is superior but it is in the end.”

“Well the Sun Source didn’t fail you, we’ll get through this Little Father.”

“Remo, think! They have 2,000 years of our shared history, then 3,000 years to find things to attack in our art. While the Sun Source gives us superior ability it surely is to be tested this time.”

Remo began to think in silence.

Chiun continued. “Sinanju isn’t safe, you are no beyond attack nor am I, the Bank should be safe for no one knows it exists, but you can’t stay here which could jeopardize the gold and scrolls, Sun On Joe may be safe but who can say, danger abounds. Following our traditions we should run, but that may be anticipated.”

“Little Father, what we need to do is protect our turf, our homes. You must go and protect Sinanju, but first you have to warn Suuny Joe of the threat, he must protect the village and the children for me, I in turn will have to find a way to go on the offensive. You must travel most circumspect, unseen.”

“I will do so Remo, like the Swallow I will fly home. Sunny Joe will be told. You have to prevail for you hold our future in your hands. IF you will call on me I will be there. Do not listen to our histories. Be something new!”

Remo sat back in his chair and thought. Chiun departed.

Chapter Seven

It was ironic that Hercule Gineve also held the position of Night Tiger Inc. CEO. Before him were the Board of Directors of the Night Tigers. There was no master but the group consisted of men that held the mantle and now were retired. To a man each one was committed to the destruction of Sinanju.

“Our initial efforts were less than desired. Yes the weapon performed magnificently and it’s future potential is great. Our man who was to deal the first blow of indignity from our heritage , however, was unsuccessful. Thousands of years of effort to discover the perfect  angle to attack undetected and then use of a perfect technique, to no result. All we know is his throat was crushed, and what means were used remains unknown. Apparently even the old Master is not in his dotage, that and Wang’s tricks are still effective. We must be more careful. What is our current status.

A average unremarkable looking man spoke up. “The training generations remain at work. The active Night Tigers remain prepared as needed. And those of us in the retired generation will always work for our past and future.”

“Again I pledge success or m death upon the failure of this project.”

“I propose we proceed. Starting with Contractors we will deliver attack after attack upon the old one and the Master. Then when tired the actual attacks will start working against the older Sinanju training, then subtlety from the source that was overlooked. Including I have released the Night Hunters to follow the old one and ferret out his secrets if any. Finally the Trump Card. We shall see if 3,000 years of Labor mean anything or not. The Night Tigers will rule again!

The crowd chanted “Night Tigers’ Rule!  Night Tiger’s Rule!”

Chapter Eight

Chiun settled into his window seat watching the wing. At one level it was a regular flight  for him. He had replaced his torn robe for a blood red travel robe with matching shoes.

He was traveling to Dallas Texas, there to travel afoot to the SunOnJo tribe, most carefully so as not to be followed. He planned this so he could not be followed. The plane landed and he disembarked. With the identity supplied by CURE, he had no difficulty with Customs or Security. Then he seemed to vanish from the face of the earth.

Calling upon the Sun Source, he efficiently ran to the west, a desert wind upon the land.

He did stop once in Arizona to take a rest, then continued westward.

In New Mexico he once crossed over to the Sun Oh Jo lands, to find Sunny Joe was waiting.

“Hail Old Chief, you are noticed being here.”

Surprised, “I was in sing Sun stepping, you could not have felt me. How unlikely to be observed.”

“I have my ways, though not Sunanju, the Sun Source flows with me, never doubt that.”

Chiun, immediately held out his arms, fists tightly forming balls.

“If it must be. “ Sunny Joe did the same.

They began Lodestones, a duel of masters of Sinanju.  Lodestones, the most complex test one Master can give to another.   So it began a Masters Duel through 27 distinct dimensions of time and space. The world would not see them move, but move they did, in un-patterned flow and focus across those dimensions. Should either of them touch the other the calamity of the mistake would range across Sinanju history in the world and beyond. The only acceptable performance was both to neutralize each other. And they did to perfection.

Chiun flexed right, and Sunny Jo did the same, Chiun spun left, as if he was adhered Sunny Jo did the same. It continued for hours and neither gave way, staying perfectly synchronized. Finally both stopped.

“Just because we choose not to become assassins does not mean the Sun Source dosen’t burn fully in our veins. Just we have a very different flow that we follow.”

“I accept you are Sinanju, we have a most serious problem, there is a return of the Night Tigers, and Remo and I are the targets.” There upon Chiun told the story, and relayed Romo’s concerns.

“So with so much in common Remo doesn’t know Sun Oh Jo is truly safe, he felt you should be warned.”

“I will keep us safe, be sure of that, I imagine they will be most subtle towards the attacks. Think on the variety of those arts they developed. They have had much time to perfect each in new ways as you have experienced. This I have in common with them, I will remain on guard.”

:And I am to return to Sinanju, Remo is taking the hunt to them by becoming the target.”

“Be with the Sun  Source!”

“And you.” Chiun sped forth again to the West.”

Chapter Nine

Hercule sat alone in his board room and remembered the tale of the Night Tigers

Dae Hyun lost all of his relatives from the Night Tigers. That Wang had unleashed a terrible force was given. He still had no idea of what happened. He reviewed the family histories of their past while he trained himself in the numerous arts the night tigers had developed.

Inconceivable  that any one man could best them all, but it had happened. He knew that a new line of Night Tigers was required, but one man could not improve on 2,000 years of history. He saw that a new line must be established, one not bound to old traditions. He would move and establish a family, then train new Night Tigers, but one free of old tradition. The new family would not protect Sinanju, for they were no longer of that village.

Foremost the tale ‘Along the Silk Trail’ including Chau Jee Chau ,Nuchi and especially the most talented  Rei. Especially as the most talented in those days was the female Rei.  He felt as most  night tiger skills began with these stories as a base, his successors might use those skills as a base to learn how to counter.

He thought, recreating the Night Tigers would never be enough, somehow Sinanju must be eliminated. It is beyond me to do so. I must have sons to carry on this work and find a weakness to Wang’s secret.

Hercule reminisced.

Chapter Ten

Remo felt the weight of the Master’s role. Someone somewhere was gunning for Sinanju. He was taught that an evasion program of running for 5 days was the appropriate answer, run and hide, and let the tiger pass for a better day. He knew why Chiun felt this way, for the Scrolls said so. Very wise advice from the past., and Remo believed this. But Chiun also identified the attacker as a Night Tiger. That meant they knew this advice, and they knew where Sinanju was.  Remo knew he had to do something different.

Evasion plain or complex did not appear to be the right response.

That left becoming the idea he played with in the past, becoming a counter-assassin. And that meant he would become the bait.  A most unnatural position for Sinanju. But where to start. Perhaps the wreckage if that house in France. And he would limit himself to the Night Tiger skills he possessed, and keep the Sun Source in reserve. Because his skills in those skills were limited, much of those skills were no longer studied as the Sun Source made them unnecessary with the sun source but he accepted this handicap.

Remo felt him wish Chiun was available.

Remo traveled to L’Alpe de Huez, France. Then he made his way to the wreckage of the house. He did not appear to be followed, but remains suspicious. There he searched the grounds. The meadows were gorgeous but of course he found no sign of the attack. The weapon left no trace of it’s deployment. Then he noticed a group of arab teens approaching. They  were French immigrants, France which had it’s own immigrant problems. They were very untrained, and they were armed with knives. Remo observed this by the tilt of their stance to accommodate weapons.

He was attacked from the front, did a slide stance to the side and disarmed the youth. Them two attacked from the side. This time not moving, windmilled his arms and threw the attackers to the ground.  The last attacker thrust towards Remo’s back, and missed as Remo stepped aside, again the attacker fell down.

Remo had performed the basic two step defense. This time he spoke, but in English.

“Boys you should be in school and get out of this line of business.” He didn’t respond further, this attack told him all he needed to know. He was being set up and being tested. He doubted this would be the last.

Chapter Eleven

Chiun stopped running to have a light meal in Oakland at a Korean restaurant.  He was unaware a member of the Night Tiger family had observed his presence. For after noting his presence, left the city. A call was made and a plan placed in motion.

Later unobserved Chiun appeared at the KAL ticket booth in Los Angeles. Not wanting to involve Smith, he booked a KAL Exclusive Business Jet to Seoul, Korea which was to leave the next day;

The following morning after walking through airport security, and after disrupting their rudeness of the security staff who wanted to give him a pat down before they all developed simultaneous ,abdominal cramps that were later attributed to food poisoning. At the ticket counter he was escorted to the jet. He had reserved the jet for himself, and KAL was most happy to provide this service for the fee involved.

Chiun settled into his customary preferred seat over the right wing, and entered a state of fugue, contemplating the problem before them. The plane departed Los Angeles.

That morning there were three departures for Seoul, flights 674, 582 and the one for Chiun which was A001.

10 hours later mid Pacific, a drone tracked each flight. ‘’The Night 1000 of “Veien Environnement S.A.” . It was accompanied with a wing of ‘the Night 1001’. Three of which were targeted at each KAL flight. The KAL airbus 674 was struck with the first drone and 301 died instantly at 30,000 feet. Then the KAL airbus 582 suffered the same fate, with 418 onboard. This included the North Korean girls field hockey team.

Finally the Night 1000 concluded tracking the A001. A Night 1001 was directed towards Chiun’s flight. It tore into the right wing and tearing it off.   The plane began to tumble towards the Pacific. Slitting apart the stewardess and Chiun were flung into the cold air at 25,000 feet. 

Chiun fell.

Chapter Twelve

Accepting he was being set up, Remo proceeded to the 2^nd site of an assassination. Here a business skyscraper had been blown up, the headquarters of a Brussels Candy Company. There was no apparent reason for this, While the building was struck mid-day by an unknown force and hundreds working there were Brussels by Eurorail, and then walked to the destroyed building. There he knowingly searched the premises. There was no apparent threat, then he felt someone zeroing in on him. He perceived a threat, a rifle bullet flying toward the left side of his face. Then a 2^nd bullet fired off to the right side.

Chiun taught him in the beginning, the normal person would try and dodge right into the 2^nd threat. He first taught this by trying to dodge pie plates, and no matter what he did he was struck.  Then he was shown the answer was to do nothing and both would miss. As his skills increased this became effortless. So this time he did nothing and both assassins missed. It was so right that guns ruined the art.

Then Remo used the old Crab walk and skated towards the guns. More shots moved in his direction and he simply wasn’t there. Ever closer he moved. Then the first assassin was before him, he just removed the gun from his hands with the older skills and thrust a knuckle into the first man’ temple.  One dead assassin.

As he was doing so the 2^nd gunman shifted and fired directly at his stomach.

Remo shifted to the left and of course it missed. He responded with a leap toward the gunman and drove a elbow into the gunman’s throat; The entire encounter with these men took seconds, and he never drew upon the Sun Source. Obviously he was being tested.  Pretty sloppy attacks.

Remo walked away back towards the train station.

Trying to reason this out who was behind this. There would likely be no reason to try and jump the chain, for there was little skill involved.

As Remo walked along lost in his musings, he passed a man walking the other way, When he passed Remo he swiftly turned around on his back and a knife appeared in his hand thrusting towards Remo’s back. He never lost his train of thought and just drove his left heel into the man’s stomach. Splat, and it was over, Remo didn’t notice this till later.

He boarded a train leaving for Lisbon, Portugal.