The door slams, the light goes, and Kipeli turns to swing the weighted end of the chain straight. He’s actually paying it out, link by link; it’s far too fast for him to count, but easy for his fingers. They’ll tell him when it’s far enough.

Half a second later, they do. Kipeli stops the pay of chain, snaps a wrist and sends a spiral wave down its length. The spinning weight hits something with terrifying speed, and there’s a muffled scream. He jerks it back: another one.

One ninja down, he thinks, smiling in the dark. Probably six to go.