Ninja Programme

There's actually a "Ninja-A"?

-- Colin King^[src]

The Ninja Programme was brought to life by MI-6 during World War I and features a series of special ninja agents employed by England to protect the crown's interest.

History[]

MI-6's Ninja Programme stemmed from a man simply called The Ninja. The Ninja was an agent sent from the Empire of Japan to aid the United Kingdom during the first World War, and he was incredibly effective. The United Kingdom saw the usefulness of an extremely well-trained espionage agents, so they had the Ninja, now called "Ninja-A", train a successor, Ninja-B. B was a English instead of Japanese, and used technology alongside his traditional training. When Ninja-A returned to Japan before the start of World War II, the Ninja Programme was formally introduced, with B later taking his own knowledge about espionage and stealth and finding a successor. For the next half a century, there were many more Ninjas, with their own abilities and specializations, but the Programme became more and more controlling and cruel. The shady Acclimation Bureau was used to terminate the associates of its agents, to keep them in line.

Membership[]

Headmaster
- The Jonin (Instructor of agents D to I between 1950-1990; retired)
Ninja Agents
- Ninja-A (Deceased)
- Ninja-B (Deceased)
- Ninja-C (Deceased)
- Ninja-D (Deceased)
- Ninja-E (Rogue)
- Ninja-F (Retired with full honors; marked "deceased" for his own protection)
- Ninja-G (MIA; presumably deceased)
- Ninja-H (Deactivated)
- Ninja-I (Rogue)
- Ninja-J (Forced retirement)
- Ninja-K / Colin King (Rogue)
- Ninja-L (Deceased)
Ersatz Agents
- D-3 (Deceased)
- K-2 (Deceased)

Detailed History[]

(taken from the Pre-Order Editions of Ninja-K #11-14)

1917-1945[]

At the height of the First World War, the alliance between Britain and Japan was fruitful. The two countries shared intelligence, resources, and perhaps most notably–a soldier. The Ninja, as he was known back then, was Japan's greatest asset. A master spy and assassin, he was capable of carrying out orders and surviving missions that no one else could. He singlehandedly turned the tide of the war.

The Ninja's designation was changed to Ninja-A, and he was tasked with training the first British operative of the Programme, designated Ninja-B. B had already been a top agent at the Bureau, and responded quickly to A's teachings. But A withheld certain key practices, so B supplemented those unlearned skills with technological advancements of the era–melding A's traditional teachings with the modern world.

The two of them evolved over time, from teacher and pupil to partners. This made it all the more devastating when A disappeared one day in the 1930's, as the alliance between Britain and Japan began to deteriorate.

In 1918, following the Ninja's successful destruction of a German chemical weapons manufacturing plant, the Secret Service Bureau implemented a directive to train their own ninja agent. They knew that Japan would not remain their ally forever, and shuddered to think of what would happen should the Ninja be turned against them.

Over the next decade, A and B would find themselves on opposing sides of the same war. It was during this same time that B was tasked with training the next ninja agent–Ninja-C. An orphan brought into the Programme at a young age, C showed incredible promise. He was a sensitive lad, fueled by erratic emotions that he had little control over. The Programme was able to manipulate those emotions in order to keep him subservient. It was a well-known fact that the boy was desperate for a parental connection, and so the Programme positioned B to fill such a role. Although such a relationship was colder than what might have existed in a legitimate family, it served its purpose nonetheless.

Ninja-C was still quite young when B left on his final mission. Ninja-A had been dispatched to Hiroshima, Japan in order to stop the Americans from unleashing a devastating weapon. Ninja-B fought valiantly against his mentor, as both were caught in the blast radius of the so-called atomic bomb. Though neither of their remains were recovered, it is extremely unlikely that either agent survived the city's destruction.

With Ninja-B killed in action, Ninja-C was officially activated as the lead member of the Ninja Programme...

1945-1961[]

Ninja-C was young when he was activated. Unstable, but pointed toward a necessary purpose. The Programme was able to channel his adolescent anguish into a proper tool. It was during Ninja-C's tenure that the Acclimation Bureau was officially founded. The Programme had always used... less than legitimate tactics to control its assets, but the Bureau was a breakthrough in the way MI6 could control their top assassin.

It was no secret that Ninja-C had a penchant for human connection. He was desperate to find something that existed outside of his immediate world–a world of secrets, death, and silence. MI6 tried their best to provide him with what he was looking for–all he had to do was ask, and they'd bring in women, drinks, festivities to take his mind off of the disdain he held for his life. But none of that was good enough.

He kept trying to find connection on his own, but the Acclimation Bureau would abduct or relocate anyone that Ninja-C became too friendly with. Although, their desired effect was not achieved. Ninja-C blamed himself for these disappearances–unaware of the Bureau's actions, he assumed these people all just moved past him. The result of this unintended isolation was a mental fracture, which caused the Programme to commit Ninja-C to a secure institute in order to rehabilitate him. But Ninja-C would never return to the field‐as a fire destroyed the facility and claimed Ninja-C's life.

With Ninja-C incapacitated, and subsequently lost, Ninja-D was activated in the mid 1950's. But MI6 had changed their training protocols since C's day. They realized that having their top agent play headmaster was a poor allocation of resources, and instead searched for a proper instructor to teach their recruits. This search led them to the Jonin.

Not much is known about the mysterious sensei. It is rumored that he trained alongside great masters in order to unlock the secrets of mind, body, and spirit, but then abandoned them and their secluded way of life because of his love for the material world. Ninja-D was the first ninja agent to be trained by the Jonin. He bestowed upon D many of the ancient secrets he kept, including meditation practices to extend the natural life cycle.

D was a formidable agent. He took direction well and required virtually no interference from the Acclimation Bureau. Whereas C was pensive in regards to his activities for MI6, D took pride in his actions and never questioned the intent of the agency. He helped to save his country, and the world, several times from the likes of Doctor Silk and other nefarious foes. His greatest enemy was a woman by the name of Madame Charade. Charade and D had somewhat of a complicated relationship–often finding brief romantic interludes amidst their deadly encounters.

Ninja-D eventually retired from the Programme, but continued to serve MI6 as a key agent of the Acclimation Bureau. The early 1960's saw the activation of the next ninja agent, Ninja-E...

1961-1979[]

Ninja-E was activated at the height of the Cold War, when espionage and covert operations were the primary forms of warfare.

E held two records among the esteemed Ninja Programme operatives. The first record is for the most confirmed kills. Ninja-E was a master marksman and a dangerous martial artist, specializing in close-quarters combat. In the hands of Ninja-E, anything was a weapon.

The second record that E held was shortest term as a Ninja Programme agent. He only served as lead ninja agent for two years, from October of 1961 to September of 1963. This fact makes his kill count that much more impressive.

Aside from his training sessions with the Jonin Ninja-E's files are heavily redacted, a large part of his history wiped from existence altogether. After leaving the Programme, Ninja-E vanished entirely, becoming a ghost story whispered among Programme recruits. It is unclear whether he remained active in those years following his disappearance. All that can be said for sure is that MI6 spent a large amount of resources and effort trying to track down their most deadly agent, but failed to do so.

Meanwhile, with Ninja-E in the wind, Ninja-F was activated in 1963. E departing after just two years meant that Nirja-F was activated young–he was the youngest lead ninja in the Programme's history. F served the Programme for nearly a decade, from 1963 to 1972.

During the 1960's, MI6 experimented with the effects of psychedelic hallucinogens on the mind, believing there may be some way to use the drugs to unlock deeper levels of Ninja-F's ki. While the records on Ninja-F indicate proficiency and professionalism Ninja in the field, the status of him being entirely sober 100% of the time cannot be confirmed.

Further details pertaining to those drug trials are redacted. What can be stated however is that Ninja-F served valiantly during his tenure, and retired after a decade of work. The state his mind was left in cannot be confirmed.

In 1972, Ninja-G was activated. She was both the first female and first black ninja agent.

G developed a surprising bond with the Jonin during their training sessions, one largely unseen between the Jonin and his other pupils. It is largely believed he bestowed secrets and teachings upon her that he withheld from the other Programme recruits, although this is merely a rumor.

Ninja-G served Her Majesty's Secret Service up until the very end of the Cold War. By this point in history, the Soviets had attempted to utilize their own unique espionage school–though their programme only ever yielded one viable candidate for field work: a female agent codenamed Devotchka.

G and Devotchka were remarkably well-matched. Their rivalry escalated with each new assignment, with each new meeting out in the field. The two were different sides of the same coin.

Ninja-G was a proper agent, well dedicated to the cause, up until she met an MI6 analyst named Thomas. The two shared a brief but passionate romance, which inspired G to consider what her life outside of the Programme might be like. She was set to retire, but became the center of an unwitting conspiracy instead.

G's handler, desperate to use G's skills and reputation to further her own career, enlisted the Acclimation Bureau to kill Thomas –to keep Ninja-G compliant. Thomas was murdered, and the Programme pointed their finger at Devotchka. G's handler got exactly what she wanted, a reinvigorated G refocused on the mission at hand. But her intentions backfired when G finally got her hands on Devotchka and fought recklessly to avenge Thomas. Official MI6 reports show that Devotchka and Ninja-G both perished in the aftermath of that confrontation.

With Ninja-G deceased, Ninja-H was activated...

1979-Present[]

Ninja-H hailed from the bogs of Scotland. A young man with a problem controlling his rage, it was easy for the Programme to sink its hooks into him. H's very first mission was to dismantle an IRA cell, but his aggression got the better of him, and the fight became overly hostile. An explosive device was detonated, and Ninja-H was caught near the blast's epicenter.

Impressively, he survived. It is unclear whether or not it was thanks to the Jonin's teachings or H's very own willpower, but regardless the agent was somewhat intact. The Programme saw this as an opportunity. In the early 1980s, other governments around the world were beginning to enlist more than just the simple foot soldier. The United States, for example, had activated a division of technologically augmented soldiers known as the H.A.R.D. Corps. MI6's response to this was to rebuild Ninja-H using experimental technologies. And it worked, although the damage from the explosion and extensive surgeries caused Ninja-H's mind to fracture.

The agent had a desperate need to believe himself a good person, which fostered a division in his head between his conscience and his aggression. H began to hear a voice, which he attributed to the technological implants. He claimed it was capable of taking over his mechanical body, and could overwrite his conscience in pursuit of the goals of the mission. In actuality, this voice and its ability to control him was nothing more than a figment of his imagination, allowing him to separate the good man he wanted to be from the terrible things he was assigned to do.

MI6 believed this condition was an unforeseen effect of the trauma Ninja-H had been subjected to. With so many resources exhausted to fix him, and with his body housing experimental, top-secret weaponry and cybernetics, Ninja-H was forced into a cryogenic slumber until the day came when MI6 could better control him.

Following the Ninja-H debacle, Ninja-I was activated. An orphan taken off the streets of London, Ninja-I proved erratic and difficult to control. She was infamous for insubordination, and had a nasty habit of shaking off her Acclimation Bureau details. She vanished one day in the late 1990's, only the second Ninja agent to ever disappear entirely from MI6's radar, after Ninja-E.

At the turn of the century, Ninja-J was activated. He would be the final ninja agent traditionally trained by the Jonin. The mysterious teacher left MI6 of his own volition just after Ninja-J was operational, despite the agency's best wishes.

Nevertheless, J was a skilled agent. He followed direction and did not seem negatively impacted by his line of work, though his missions were complicated by the technological developments of the early 2000s. In an age when privacy became a luxury, J's ability to stay in the shadows was compromised on more than one occasion. The agent needed to relearn certain skills, to adapt to an age of transparency and exposure.

Due to these advances in technology and their application in the modern espionage field, and taking into account the departure of the Jonin, the future of the Ninja Programme was put in question with the departure of Ninja-J, who retired into a life of private contract work. There were discussions of shutting down the Programme indefinitely upon seeing the status of the Ninja-K recruits. One trainee was chosen, and activated, but it was painfully obvious the young man lacked the skill and finesse of his predecessors. The Programme was set to be dismantled, until the true Ninja-K arrived.

The man who would replace the original Ninja-K had been an MI6 operative in training, who watched his handler, and lover, die at the hands of a target he was meant to kill. Fueled by vengeance, he followed the killer to what he reported was a monastery in the East Asian mountains, although reconnaissance teams had not been able to confirm the existence of such a place. He was missing for some time, evidently receiving training from a monk who possessed knowledge similar to that of the Jonin. When he returned to London with this set of skills, MI6 brought him back into the fold, and retroactively indoctrinated him into the Programme–re-designating the former Ninja-K as this K's primary backup agent, K-2.

Of course, K was not as easy to control as his predecessors had been. He worked for MI6 as a freelance agent, bypassing certain agency protocols and maintaining a level of autonomy that other ninja agents lacked. This deficiency of control over K made MI6 wary, and so, for the first time since Ninjas A and B, two lead ninja agents were active during the same time. Or, so we're told. There are documents detailing the training and activation, and mission reports, of a Ninja-L, but all collective knowledge of the agent has seemingly been expunged from reality. Final records indicate L was sent to Russia, before any apparent memory of him was wiped from existence. It is unclear what happened to Ninja-L, or if he ever truly existed at all. But Ninja-K still serves Queen and country as a proud agent of Her Majesty's Secret Service.