Ranma 1/2 property of Rumiko Takahashi=09
Spider-Man property of Marvel Comics
Both used without permission.

	Special Thanks go out to Gary Kleppe and Arthur Edwards for their =
pre-reading and support.

-----------------------------------------------------------
	Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Issue Seventeen
	Innocent Victims
--------------------------------------------------------------


	The Nekohanten's food was even good when eaten cold, a fact that Hikaru =
barely
noticed as he sat in his bedroom with an empty styrofoam bowl beside him.=
 His conversation
with Cologne replayed itself on an endless loop. Triads, he thought. =
Chinese gangsters, of all
things!
	"Focus, Gos," he muttered. Everything he had discovered - while not much=
 - seemed
eerily connected somehow. Those Black Lotus people had to be in Japan. =
The Yakuza, he
knew, wasn't overly friendly with foreigners on their turf, especially =
Chinese.
	Japanese men were wearing fake Black Lotus rings. They had to be Yakuza.
	The Yakuza was trying to set up a Triad organization. Why?
	Could this tie into the whole thing with that kidnapped girl?
	At first, Hikaru didn't want to believe it. It seemed like a totally =
separate thing. What
would one girl have to do with the Yakuza and the Triad? Likely nothing. =
But maybe everything.
	One crisis at a time, he thought. He looked over to his costume, which =
lay across his
bed. The sun had set a half hour ago. He had to find the girl he had =
managed to rescue from that
night. She was his only link to the missing Yukio. Gosunkugi groaned in =
frustration. He was
running around in circles! Swinging around blindly wouldn't accomplish =
anything - good luck was
a capricious thing - but he couldn't think of anything new. All he had =
was a memory of the one
girl and the name of...
	"Hey, wait a second..." Yukio. He at least had her name. Hikaru suddenly=
 got an idea.
	His computer was already on, and his web browser took only a couple of =
seconds to
load and log on.

----------------------------------------------

	Miku replaced the phone after hearing the busy signal from Gosunkugi's =
number. She'd
try again later.

----------------------------------------------

	One custom that Japanese law enforcement had adopted from its American =
counterpart
was to distribute flyers of missing people; showing a picture, name, =
birthday, age, and any other relevant
information. Since the advent of the World Wide Web, this information was=
 available to any
concerned party with an internet connection.
	Hikaru Gosunkugi was counting on that while the Missing Person's =
Database loaded
onto the monitor's screen. He scrolled past the text which stated that =
anyone with information
should contact local Koban preceints immediately, down to the dialog =
boxes for a search of the
files.
	"Let's see... Name: Yukio." He typed in an asterisk immediately =
afterward. Gosunkugi
didn't know her family name, so the wildcard character would have to do. =
"Sex: Female..." He
skipped the Age and DOB fields, inputting "Odaiba Ward" in the location =
field. With slight
trepidation over what he might - or might not - find, he clicked the =
Search button. He could have
kicked himself for not thinking of this approach sooner.
	"Ah, here we are," Gosunkugi muttered when the file came up. It was the =
only hit from
his search. Hikaru dared to hope that it was the right one.
	The file read:

	Name: Yukio Segawa
	Sex: Female
	Age: Sixteen
	DOB: 04-18-1982
	Date Missing: 10-22-1998

	"What the hell? Yukio Segawa had been missing for over four damn =
*years*!? Hikaru's
heart sank. She couldn't possibly be the girl he was searching for. =
Nonetheless, he read on.

	Status: Found Deceased.

	"Poor girl," he whispered. And then he read the date beneath that line. =
Gosunkugi read it
three times, just to make certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.=
 She had been found dead
two days ago, and merely one day after he had rescued the girl who had =
given him the name.
	There was no way this could be a coincidence.
	"Damnit," Gosunkugi hissed. Yukio was dead, and he had been powerless to=
 do much
of anything. He couldn't help but feel that he had failed her somehow. =
Hikaru burned her face
into his memory. If nothing else, he would find whomever had murdered =
her. He had never met
Yukio Segawa, but he owed her and her family at least that. And what =
about the one he had
managed to save? She had to be in danger still. Other than a description,=
 he had nothing on her.
	No, he thought, I am not going back to square one. But, he couldn't =
interrogate every
lowlife in Odaiba, either.
	Hikaru logged off and - after powering down his computer - walked over =
to the bed and
began to don his costume. His previously discarded idea of breaking into =
the Odaiba Koban
building was now his only choice. He had to do it tonight.
	Gosunkugi slid the mask over his head last. There might still be a =
chance of finding that
unnamed woman before Yukio's killers could, but only if he moved quickly.=
 Pausing only to slide
an empty CD-R into the belt hidden benath the waist of his costume, he =
was out the window and
swinging into the night before his telephone began to ring.=20
-------------------------------------

	"Hello. You have reached the Gosunkugi residence," an unfamilar male =
voice said. "We
are unable to answer the phone, but if you leave your name and number =
we'll get back to you."
	"Hi, Hikaru, it's Miku. Listen, I want to talk to you about... well... =
we just need to talk.
Call me back. Bye."
	Miku hung up after leaving her number. She leaned back into the cushions=
 of the sofa
and tried not to be irritated. First, she had ignored him - a thing which=
 had been surprisingly easy to
do - and now that she wanted to talk she couldn't catch him.
	"Boy trouble?" Akemi asked.
	"Kinda, Auntie," Miku replied. An awkward silence stretched between the =
two. They
both knew first hand just what boy trouble could lead to. It had been =
scarcely a month since her
ex, Shigeru Katsuo, had wounded Akemi and kidnapped Miku. She still =
hadn't told her aunt all
of what had really happened in Juuban Ward that night.
	"Miku-chan," Akemi said softly as she eased down onto the couch next to =
her. "Talk to
me."
	"His name's Hikaru Gosunkugi," Miku began. "I met him at Furinkan."
	"Does he seem nice?"
	"Yeah, I guess..."
	"You don't sound certain about that."
	Miku didn't reply right away. How much should she tell Auntie Akemi? =
There was so
much that Miku didn't understand about Gosunkugi, and what she felt for =
him. Maybe a fresh
perspective could help straighten things out.
	"It started just before Shigeru kidnapped me."
	"Oh?"
	"I asked Hikaru to come over so I could ask him about someone."
	"Who was that?"
	"You won't believe me..."
	"Try me."
	"I wanted to ask him about Spiderman."
	Akemi stared at her in open-mouted shock for a moment before replying.
	"Spiderman? Why on earth would you want to ask this Hikaru boy about =
that... freak?"
	"Remember the message Shigeru left on our answering machine?"
	"Yes..."
	"Well..." The  words began to clog her windpipe. Miku hadn't realized =
just how much
she had needed to talk to someone about this. "I found out that Hikaru =
had been taking all those
Spiderman photos for the newspapers, and I..."
	"Thought he might know the man," Akemi finished.
	"Yeah."
	"So, did he?"
	"I never got to ask, but I think so. When I asked him to come over, I =
had told him that I
had questions about Spiderman."
	"He must have come by just after Shigeru's thugs attacked." Akemi had =
wondered who
had reported the entire thing. A faint memory began to stir in the back =
of her mind as Miku
related the events of those few horrible days. "Miku. I want you to tell =
me what happened. All of
it."
	Miku did so at length, ending with her preventing Spiderman from =
murdering her captor.
Akemi, for her part, merely stared at the floor. She nervously wrung her =
hands, her face
unreadable.
	"I had no idea..."
	"I still have a little trouble believing it, but that's the whole story,=
 Auntie."
	"Spiderman saved you?"
	"Pretty much." Neither spoke for a moment.
	"Why did you stop him?"
	"Auntie!"
	"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that..."
	"No, it's okay," Miku said as she placed a hand on her aunt's shoulder. =
"For a while I
wondered that, too." Sometimes, in the darkest hours of night, Miku =
Tachibana would ask
herself why she hadn't let Spiderman kill Shigeru. There was no doubt he =
deserved it, and
equally less doubt that Spiderman had fully intended to carry it out. It =
would have been wrong -
murder was still murder - but at times she couldn't help feeling that she=
 should have kept her
mouth shut regardless.
	"Miku, I want you to stay away from Hikaru Gosunkugi."
	"What?!"
	"Girl, listen to me!" Akemi hissed. "From what you told me, he's =
dangerous. Especially if
he's involved with Spiderman!"
	"But, Auntie..."
	"No buts, girl."
	Miku couldn't believe what she was hearing! "Spiderman *saved* me!"
	"I know that," Akemi said. Her brown eyes locked onto Miku's own with =
smoldering
intensity. "I know that, and I'm grateful, but Spiderman is just too =
dangerous! You saw him
against that big robot on TV, and those bombers last night!"
	"But..."
	"No, Miku, I won't hear it!" Akemi was practically shouting now.
	"Hikaru's not..."
	"Spiderman is more dangerous than Shigeru ever was, and this Gosunkugi =
boy knows
him. Hell, he even takes pictures of what that man does. You said so =
yourself!"
	"I..." Miku rose and ran to her room, all the while fighting against =
tears that seemed hell
bent for leather on falling. She finally let them go once the door to her=
 bedroom slammed shut
behind her.
	All she had wanted was to talk to someone, and it had turned into a =
shouting match.
Why couldn't she just meet a normal man for once? Miku flopped onto her =
bed and sobbed into
her pillow. The words hurt more than any blow. All because of Hikaru =
Gosunkugi. No, because
of Spiderman. Hikaru had little to do with it. Right?

-------------------------------------------------

	Bless whoever invented ventilation ducts, Hikaru thought as he shimmied =
quietly across
the cool, smooth metal. These things were truly a Spiderman's best friend=
 when sneaking into a
building full of cops. The fact that he didn't really know where in the =
building they kept records
of cases didn't matter all that much. These things went everywhere. He'd =
find it sooner or later.
	Manoman, I cannot *believe* I am doing this, he thought as he eased =
around a bend in
the duct. Somehow, sneaking into a Koban building in search of records =
about a murdered
woman he had never seen before had never crossed his mind before he had =
gotten his powers.
Gosunkugi could feel the vibrations in the metal from the pumps which =
circulated air throughout
the building. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why metal vents=
 which carried warm air
would feel so damn cold! Hikaru crawled down at a four-way junction of =
bolted aluminum for a
few meters before hearing the clacks of fingers on a keyboard. He slowed =
his descent as he
approached a grilled vent and peered down.
	He saw a lone man sitting before a computer terminal, looking bored as =
all hell. Could
this be the data room? Could he be so lucky? He waited up there for a few=
 moments, pondering
his next move. He really didn't want to knock the guy out...
	The cop manning the workstation solved the problem for him by getting up=
 and moving
rather quickly for the door. Nature seemed to be calling, and the man =
didn't even bother to lock
the computer.
	Hikaru popped the vent out of the way and dropped to the floor, braced =
for the tingle of
his spider sense which never came. He was alone in this place, and that =
was just fine. Gosunkugi
looked about the space which was enclosed in metal screens. Beyond those =
were boxes lined
on shelves which were lit only by evenly spaced shaded bulbs which hung =
from the ceiling.
	"Is this some kinda evidence locker?" Could he find the case file he was=
 looking for in
here? Hikaru took a step forward and froze when his spider sense went on =
alert. He followed
the mental signal toward a camera that was pointed directly at the =
terminal he had fully intended
to investigate.
	If there was one thing Hikaru Gosunkugi knew inside and out, it was =
cameras of all
shapes and uses. It was digital, stationary, and hadn't spotted him yet. =
There had to be someone
in the building who was looking at the image it transmitted, and it would=
 not do at all to have that
someone see Spiderman accessing a Koban computer in the Evidence Room, =
would it?
	A shot of webbing solved the problem of the camera, and another made =
sure that the
door would stay shut for a little while. Satisfied that all was in order,=
 Gosunkugi approached the
terminal and deactivated the screensaver. He was happy to discover that =
the terminal was still
logged into the server.
	"Schweeet...." he whispered as he brought up a search program. How long =
before
whomever was at the other end of that camera's cable would look at a =
blank screen, or that
skinny guy would come back? Hikaru pulled the CD-R case out of his belt =
and loaded it into the
burner.
	Okay... Search: Yukio Segawa. Go fetch, boy!
	The terminal obediently retrieved the case file, a process that took =
about ten seconds. It
must have been a big file. Hikaru then accessed an options menu and - =
after a few seconds
worth of looking - ordered the machine to copy said file to the CD-R.
	"So far, so good," he muttered while the burner etched the files onto =
the CD. Gosunkugi
shifted his weight from one foot to the other while waiting for the =
process to complete itself. Only
then, did thoughts of what could go wrong cross his mind. Finding the =
terminal logged in and
unoccupied had been a stroke of pure luck. And what would happen once the=
 cops found the
webbing he'd left? Breaking and entering - especially into the Koban - =
had to be a major
offense. Spiderman, a criminal. Just freaking wonderful...
	"Uh-oh," Gosunkugi said. The distinct whir of the CD Burner showed no =
sign of ending,
and the cop who called this desk home was trying to open the webbed-up =
door. He knew that
his webbing was pretty strong and would hold against one guy, but that =
one guy would go get
more.  Hikaru glared at the burner as if it would make the damn thing =
speed up.
	"Go baby, go baby, go baby..."
	The door shook a few more times and then stopped.
	Gosunkugi ejected the CD-R and resisted the urge to kiss it as he =
replaced it in its case.
He had gotten what he had come for. Time to leave. After securing the =
case in his belt and
pulling the costume back in place, he leapt up into the vents. Hikaru =
didn't bother to shut the
grate behind him.

------------------------------------------------------

	The clock read four in the morning, but Hikaru Gosunkugi paid it no =
heed. School was
out tomorrow. He popped a Staind CD into his stereo and selected track =
eleven. He had always
liked that song.
	"Okay, let's see what the cops have on you, Yukio-san." Hikaru accessed =
his D drive in
the web browser and began to read.
	Yukio Segawa had been a known prostitute, Gosunkugi was shocked to =
discover. Even
more disturbing was that she had picked up the trade only a scant few =
months after her sixteenth
birthday. This girl had been younger than him!
	The police had reported to her parents on finding this, yet she hadn't =
gone home. Had
that been Yukio's decision, or had her parents not wanted her back? =
Gosunkugi stopped
thinking about that. Yukio was dead now. What had happened between her =
and her parents
didn't matter.
	"Jeez. I never knew any of this." Hikaru had never considered the darker=
 side of Japan,
of what those who lived on that side of normality were capable of. It was=
 quite a wake-up call.
And then he found the autopsy report...
	"God..." Hikaru stopped halfway through. How could *anyone* do something=
 like that
to another person? He felt tears well up at the corners of his eyes at =
what he had just read.
Yukio had led a truly hard life, harder by several orders of magnitude =
than what Gosunkugi
knew as suffering.
	"I thought I had problems," he whispered to the screen. The lonliness, =
the isolation, the
ridicule, it was nothing next to Yukio having no choice but to sell her =
body to anyone with
enough yen to partake. It was enough to make him sick. This was even =
worse than a few
assholes who thought that rape was a good pasttime.
	He remembered that girl sobbing that they had taken Yukio. Had she been =
in the same
boat? If so, then she was definitely in danger. Hikaru searched for any =
mention of that woman,
any at all. This was worse than he had ever imagined.
	The last mention of Yukio Segawa being alive was a statement given by =
one Sachiko
Tanemura on the night Gosunkugi had rescued her. The information was =
limited, save that she
was also a prostitute. Hikaru pulled up a photo of her.
	Yep, he thought, that's her. Gosunkugi read through Sachiko's statement =
twice, then
twice more. There had to be something in there. His eyes caught the words=
 "Silver Fox", a club
she had said the two were visiting. He doubted that the two had been =
there just for dancing.
There was someting bigger behind all of it, and Hikaru had to find out =
what.
	There were a few entries on the Silver Fox nightclub. It was owned by =
one Tatsu
Ishikawa, who owned a few other such places in Odaiba Ward. In fact, it =
was noted that
Ishikawa was known to have several Yakuza connections.
	Man, it always comes back to them, doesn't it? Gosunkugi thought as he =
brought up
information on Tatsu Ishikawa. It was a good thing that Koban files were =
so neatly indexed and
cross-referenced.
	Tatsu Ishikawa's name came up more than a few times in the report. Could=
 he have
something to do with Sachiko and Yukio? Apparently someone in the Koban =
seemed to think
so, but no concrete evidence had been found, save rumors of illegal =
prostitution.
	Hikaru backed out of the file and read up on Sachiko Tanemura. She had =
several
known hangouts in Odaiba Ward. Even more interesting, she had been a =
student at Furinkan
High. She had been there while he was still in junior high, back in =
Kyoto.
	He rose from his chair, deactivated the computer, and went into the =
kitchen for a snack.
He would need some serious food before swinging out again. He would try =
to find Sachiko
tonight - the files he had seen told him that time was of the essence - =
and hope to find some
answers. Sleep could wait.
	Sufficiently fortified, Hikaru crept out the window and swung into the =
darkness which
would soon change to light. He hadn't even bothered to check his =
answering machine.

-------------------------------------------

	Nabiki stood outside the motel, already counting the hours until she =
could sleep in her
own bed. Her own room, her own bed, no having to worry about using =
Nonoxynol-9 on the
sheets and mattresses. She knew all too well what usually went on in =
motel rooms.
	She still had trouble looking at herself in the mirror every morning, =
and that disturbed
Nabiki Tendo. Even stranger was that she had no real desire to collect on=
 loans owed her by
=46urinkan's student body of late. At least Nabiki didn't have to wonder =
what was wrong with her.
She knew full well.
	Squeezing people for money had brought much-needed funds into the Tendo =
Dojo.
While true it was an excuse Nabiki had often used to justify her greed to=
 herself, backed up by
thoughts that her enterprises had never really harmed anyone. And they =
hadn't until very recently.
	Nabiki could now admit - to herself if no one else - that she had bitten=
 off far more than
she could chew with Spiderman.
	Now admit it? she thought with a bitter chuckle. She had known it months=
 ago when she
had been kidnapped as bait for Spiderman the first time. It hadn't been =
like the time on
Togenkyo, when the juvenile Toma had taken her along with over a hundred =
other girls as bridal
candidates. Doctor Octopus and whomever had been backing him had meant =
business. They
had fully intended for her to die alongside the wallcrawler. That both of=
 them had made it out
qualified as at least a minor miracle.
	Then there came the Black Widows just a scant week ago. Nabiki had been =
certain that
she would die then, as would her sisters, her father, Ranma...
	Nabiki still cringed at the memory of female Ranma leaping back over the=
 fence of what
had been the Yamaguchi Industrial Complex to help Spiderman. Then there =
was the thought that
the two of them had died.
	Back in the motel room, seeing her sister awaken to the news that Ranma =
had died in
the massive explosion, Nabiki had realized what it meant to truly hate =
herself. Had she been
capable, she would have unleashed a Shi Shi Hokodan blast that would have=
 made Ryoga
envious.
	"Nabiki."
	"GAH!" She whirled to find Akane, clad in a pair of pajamas, standing =
next to her. "Y-
yeah?"
	"We need to talk. Just you and me."
	Nabiki didn't reply. However much anger Akane wanted to vent on her, she=
 deserved it.
Akane had almost died because of her greed.
	"Nabiki..."
	"Just go ahead, Akane," Nabiki replied, absolutely miserable. "Hit me."
	"What?"
	"Hit me, yell at me, do something. I know it's all my fault, and I =
know..." Nabiki
promptly shut up when Akane's arms encircled her waist. Nabiki, at a =
total loss for words, could
only embrace her younger sister in return.
	"I'm not going to yell, or hit you, no matter how much you deserve it," =
Akane said into
the crook of her neck. "You've tortured yourself enough."
	"I..." Nabiki pulled away, guilt and self-loathing chewing at her guts. =
"Akane, you..."
	"Nabiki..."
	"Damnit, you and Ranma almost died because of me!" Nabiki shouted. The =
tears fell
freely, and Nabiki did not try to stop them. "You heard that Wu Long guy!=
 He wouldn't have
stopped at just us!"
	"But he's dead now," Akane said, her own voice strained. "It's over..."
	"No, it isn't. They'll try again, I know it!"
	"And next time, we'll be ready," Akane stated simply.
	"But..."
	"Damnit, Nabiki, shut up and listen!" Akane shouted. "How all this =
started doesn't
matter! You've been beating yourself up over it for days now!"
	"Akane, do you have any idea how much I love you?"
	"What? Of course..."
	"No, Akane, listen to me." It had been years since Nabiki had told her =
younger sister
how much she meant to her. There was no time like the present to let her =
know again. "I love
you, Kasumi, and Daddy so goddamned much that it hurts!"
	"N...Nabiki...?"
	"And I almost lost all of you, because I couldn't see past my own =
fucking pocketbook!"
	"That ain't true."
	Nabiki received her second rude shock of the night when Ranma seemed to =
materialize
out of the shadows nearby. How long had he been there? She cast a glance =
at Akane, who
showed no reaction at all. So, the two of them had planned this little =
meeting? Akane could be
rather slick when she wanted to be.
	"Nabiki, you didn't know any of this was gonna happen."
	"We talked about this in that place, remember?" Akane said.=20
	"Yeah."
	"Sis, I know how much you like having all the information and I know how=
 much you
hate it when something seems out of your reach."
	Nabiki nodded wordlessly. Akane really did know a bit about her, after =
all. It didn't
come as that much of a shock.
	"I know what you mean, Akane," Nabiki said at length. "I never thought =
I'd say this, but
I'm going to let it drop."
	"Y..."
	Nabiki saw the intense glare that Akane sent Ranma's way the second he =
began to
speak. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had almost come out of =
his mouth. Nabiki
couldn't begrudge him the comment. Not this time. She thought better of =
saying that she no
longer wanted to know Spiderman's true identity, for all three of them =
would have known it to
be a lie. Nabiki still wanted to know, but she had realized that some =
things came at too high a
price.
	"I wonder what Spiderman's doing now?"
	"Who knows?" Ranma replied. "Far as I'm concerned, he's okay."
	"You never did tell us what you know about him," Akane said. She =
couldn't hide the
curiosity in her voice.
	"It doesn't matter now, does it?"
	"No, Nabiki, I guess not."
	Nabiki followed Akane and Ranma back into the motel. Neither one had =
said "I forgive
you" outright, but she knew it just the same. She was satisfied with =
that. Maybe words were
sometimes not all that important.

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	Hikaru Gosunkugi awoke to find the sun near the middle of the sky. By =
habit he reached
up to rub his eyes only to find the mask in his way. He briefly wondered =
why the hell he had
slept outside.
	Sachiko Tanemura. The name came to his brain at once, along with the =
fact that she was
in mortal danger. Gosunkugi shot to his feet - any weariness forgotten - =
and quickly scanned the
rooftop. He had stopped for a moment to get his bearings...
	"I fell *asleep*!" Gah, that was humiliating! "I gotta find her!"
	Hikaru had checked every single place Sachiko Tanemura had been known to=
 frequent,
even that Silver Fox nightclub, with no success. He hated to think the =
worst, even though he
knew it to be a very real possibility.
	Gosunkugi walked to the edge and looked at the world below. It was so =
easy to put
things in perspective up here, yet today it yielded nothing good. Despite=
 what he now knew, he
was searching for one woman in a sea of millions. The odds were =
astronomical.
	"I'm never gonna find her like this," he muttered to the daylight. "What=
 if they've already
got her?" Hikaru didn't allow the thought that two lives would be lost =
due to him form itself.
	"I dunno, maybe I'm goin' about this all wrong," he said to himself as =
he leaned against
an air conditioner. "This needle-in-a-haystack shit isn't working, that's=
 for sure."
	Yukio Segawa, he thought.
	Sachiko Tanemura.
	What other names do I know?
	It came to him then, and Gosunkugi immediately slapped himself on the =
forehead. Tatsu
Ishikawa.
	He had connections with the Yakuza.
	He was rumored to be involved with illegal prostituion, not the =
semi-legal brothels that
Tokyo's red-light district was famous for.
	He owned the Silver Fox Nightclub, which Gosunkugi had staked out just a=
 few hours
before.
	Maybe he should pay that place another visit.

---------------------------------------------

	William Pate paced about the office he shared with Keiko Megumi. For the=
 first time in
months, he noticed exactly how cramped the space was. There was no point =
in commenting on
Chief Toju's mood. To be honest, he was surprised that his tirade that =
morning hadn't been
heard all across Japan, as loud as the man had been yelling.
	"At least we know who was responsible," Keiko said.
	"Yeah." Goddamnit, what did Spiderman of all people want with *his* =
casefile?!
	"William, sit down, will you?"
	"Sorry." Pate crashed down into the chair which let out an outraged =
groan at the sudden
impact. "Spiderman's definitely in on this. I want him in here."
	"Good luck," Keiko said sourly. "Chief Toju wants this kept under =
wraps." It had been
said - not in so many words - that it simply would not do to have the =
public find out about how a
costumed weirdo had snuck into a Koban Headquarters, stole a case file, =
and swung away
before anyone could so much as raise alarm and all without being seen. =
The embarrassment
would stay in the papers for weeks at the least. He had also made it =
clear - again, not in so many
words - that *any* officer who let *any* detail slip to the media would =
be harshly dealt with.
	"The most we can expect is an increase in patrols." Not that beat cops =
on the ground
could really do much against the Spiderman. Keiko wished suddenly that =
Odaiba Koban had a
helicopter or two.
	"It's up to us," Pate growled. "It's our case."
	"Yes," Keiko agreed. "Spiderman managed to steal the entire file, so he =
now knows
everything you and I do about the Segawa murder."
	"And he doesn't operate within the law, either." William Pate didn't =
have to state that
such was one of a cop's nightmares. A vigilante with classified police =
information was every bit
as dangerous as any psychopath out in the Big Bad World. The fact that =
Spiderman had
superhuman abilities made the situation even worse. "We have to figure =
out his next move."
	"I see two options," Keiko said, raising her left forefinger into the =
air. "First: he could
look for Sachiko Tanemura. "Second," another finger joined the first, "he=
 could check out Tatsu
Ishikawa. Aside from Yukio, those are the only names we have at present."
	"Yeah. If I were him, what would I do?"
	"I think he'll try to check out Ishikawa. He would be far easier to =
locate."
	"Good point. Hell, if Spiderman's got balls enough to sneak into a =
police station, what's
to stop him from doing it to an office or a private residence?"
	"I agree."
	"The question now is, what asset of Tatsu Ishikawa is Spiderman gonna =
visit? There's
the man's house, and the nightclubs he owns."
	"The Silver Fox, The Pink Room, Tech Noir, and Outer Heaven," Keiko =
said, ticking
off the names of each club on her fingers. "A total of five targets, =
including Ishikawa's home."
	"Hmmm... not good at all... Any ideas, Keiko?"
	"We have to remember that Spiderman is not a cop. In fact, I know that =
people are
more afraid of him than of us. He likely knows that, and will use it."
	"Maybe, but he doesn't know who our informants are." At least I hope he =
doesn't,
William thought. "We'll have to stake out all of them."
	"You know what the chief will say."
	"Yeah." Even if it could mean bringing in Spiderman, Toju wouldn't =
dedicate his already
tight assets to staking out all of Ishikawa's nightclubs. Even if it =
seemed like an excuse, neither of
them could countermand his decisions. "Keiko, you got any plans for =
tonight?"
	"Not really," she replied coyly, knowing what he was suggesting. "Should=
 I get out my
evening wear?"
	"Yep. I was thinking about The Silver Fox tonight."
	"Why that one?"
	"It's the club Sachiko gave us. It's as good a place to start as any. =
So, meet at nine?"
	"I can do that."

-------------------------------------

	Raizo Yamata could hardly believe it. Such was impossible, a coincidence=
 of the most
improbable magnitude. But it had still happened.
	"Spiderman, you are making a very annoying habit of this," he growled. =
The names Yukio
Segawa and Sachiko Tanemura were familiar to him. A quick check had =
revealed that the two
had once belonged to Tatsu Ishikawa's "stable", for lack of a better =
term. Both young, both
attractive, and both known - to him at least - as mules, girls who =
carried the Paradise Powder
from supplier to dealer.
	Cocaine - as it was more commonly called - had brought the Yakuza more =
than enough
profit to allow them to ignore any ethical issues about selling drugs. =
Foreign or not, evil or not,
the white powder was a gold mine. Many a success-crazed businessman =
craved the rush of
energy that coke provided, regardless of how expensive it got. As time =
went on, they needed
more and more to get the same effect. It was truly a vile substance, =
insidious in nature, but it
made the Yakuza a fucking mint so such things were overlooked.
	Yukio was dead, Raizo knew, and Sachiko was still missing. Spiderman had=
 intervened
in the attempt to deal with the latter. Apparently, he wanted to find out=
 what was really going on.
	There was a connection somwhere in this tangled mess, one crucial idea =
that would
make it all coherent. Raizo knew he was close to it.

------------------------------------------------

	Pao Leung was also close to the core of the matter. Spiderman's rather =
audacious entry
into Odaiba Koban - which he knew to be more or less under Raizo Yamata's=
 control - had
sparked his own imagination. The most obvious reason for Spiderman to =
steal a casefile would
be to gain more information about whatever it was he did when not mucking=
 about with Leung's
own plans. Granted, such an approach would only work once if at all, but =
such was irrelevant.
	The one piece slid into place. Leung's eyes widened involuntarily at the=
 epiphany which
struck his brain like a shaft of ligtning. All the pieces finally fit =
together. The men - Japanese men
- wearing forgeries of the Black Lotus Society's ring. The bombing of one=
 of Raizo Yamata's
businesses. The gang war that was merely hours from erupting into full-on=
 conflict. The one
constant awash in an ocean of variables was Tatsu Ishikawa.
	Leung shook his head, thoroughly impressed. He hadn't thought the little=
 toad capable of
such a deception. Tatsu Ishikawa had been Wu Long's means to enter the =
facility which had
once housed the Black Widows. In order to save his own skin, he had =
initiated a battle between
his own former employer and Leung himself.
	It was a scheme worthy of me, Pao Leung thought. The only question left =
was if Yamata
had yet to arrive at the same conclusion.
	Leung began making calls. Tatsu Ishikawa was obviously going to skip the=
 country. Pao
Leung would not give him the chance.

-----------------------------------------------------

	"Yes, what is it?" Otto Octavius said, thoroughly annoyed at having been=
 taken from his
research. He was close...
	"I have an assignment for you," said the voice he heard only when it was=
 time to give a
report.
	"I cannot, Mr. Leung," Otto replied tersely. "The research...."
	"Can get along without you for one night."
	"Bah, as if I would trust any lab rat to run any of..."
	"Doctor Octavius," Leung's voice said over the digital connection, "this=
 is not a request.
Have you forgotten the terms of our agreement?"
	"No, I have not," Otto said. So far, Pao Leung had more than come =
through on his
promises. Otto Octavius could at least respect that. Besides, it had been=
 months since the man
had called for more than a status report.
	I am so close, he thought. I cannot endanger my work now.
	"Doctor Octopus, how would you like another chance to get even with =
Spiderman?"
	"Keep talking." Perhaps this would be a worthy diversion after all...
	"Come to my office. I will explain everything."
	"Very well. I will be there in two hours."
	"Good enough."
	Otto replaced the phone, and grinned. He still wanted a piece of that =
irritating
Spiderman. Even now, that defeat in the warehouse stuck in his pride like=
 a thorn. A chance to
settle the score with the webhead was likely the only thing which could =
persuade him to take a
break from the project, even when it was so close to completion.
	Sanzaki, he thought, how could you have possibly missed this? I thought =
you were my
brightest student. Or, perhaps you didn't?
	The potetntial of recombinant genetics were staggering. Whatever Ryo =
Sanzaki had
done, it had opened up new realms of science. Cross-breeding could be =
taken to new heights
with this! With the recombinator system - a thing based almost soley on =
Octavius' own research
- it was likely possible to cross the DNA of an animal with a human in =
such a way as to give the
subject enormous power. To think what a government could do with such an =
innovation!
	And that led to the subject of Spiderman. On discovering what Sanzaki's =
research had
uncovered, Otto Octavius had begun to wonder if perhaps the wallcrawler =
was indeed a subject
of the research. Tokyo University would never have authorized human =
trials, but what if Ryo
Sanzaki had decided to conduct such an experiment anyway?
	It was mind-boggling. Ryo Sanzaki was simply not capable of taking his =
science that far,
not at such an early stage. Unlike himself, the Japanese man had his =
limits. But what if that were
not the case?
	No. The man's character simply would not allow him to pursue science in =
that way, and
more was the pity. But that didn't dispell the creeping certainty that =
Spiderman was a product of
this process, however crude Sanzaki's methods had been.
	Doctor Octopus set about giving instructions and making last-minute =
checks of the
equipment. There were many exciting possibilites racing through his =
brain. Perhaps a night out of
the lab would be for the best...

---------------------------------------------

	Tatsu was ready. All the evidence had been gathered for elimination. =
Just a few
keystrokes, and judicious destruction of computers afterward for good =
measure would erase
any paper trail. There was merely one last thing.
	"Ayame, have they all been gathered?"
	"Yes," she replied as she cuddled next to him. "They'll be loaded within=
 the hour."
	"Excellent." Tatsu glanced about the spacious office he held in the =
upper floor of The
Silver Fox nightclub. The oak and leather furniture alone had cost him a =
mint, almost as much as
the security in the sub-basement which only a select few people anywhere =
knew about. "I'm
surprised to say that I'm going to miss this place."
	"You won't for long," Ayame purred. "A few days in the Bahamas will take=
 care of that."
	"Perhaps you're right." Tatsu still couldn't believe that he was =
actually going to pull this
off. "I think I'll get out of this business. Slavery is simply too =
dangerous."
	"It's not like you didn't make enough money from it."
	"Once those girls are taken care of, there will be nothing to tie me to =
any of this." Some
part of Tatsu Ishikawa railed at the fate he had determined for the =
fifteen young women who
unwillingly had been in the lower holds. Some he had trained to be sold, =
others he had used to
carry the Paradise Powder. Some were simply for the pleasure of his =
business associates.
	Not that it mattered. In ten hours he would be far away from Japan and =
out of the world
of vices. He had taken far too many risks already in the criminal set.

------------------------------------------------------------

	Keiko Megumi found herself casting furtive glances upward at every wall =
and shadow as
she and William Pate walked up to the entrance of The Silver Fox. Already=
 a line was forming at
the entrance.
	The Silver Fox was hardly remarkable on the outside, much the same as =
any other
building in Downtown Odaiba save for the line of people and the purple =
neon sign. Keiko had
never been inside before, yet she had heard that the interior of the club=
 was as wild as anything
could get.
	"Wonder if he'll be here," she heard Pate mutter. The tall gaijin's =
dress was conservative,
a white button-down shirt and black slacks which hinted at the powerful =
muscle beneath. The
thought that nobody would try to mess with her with such a big man around=
 gave Keiko a slight
fit of the giggles.
	"What's so funny?" Pate asked.
	"Oh, nothing much." There were some things a woman simply didn't tell a =
man.

	William Pate had a difficult time keeping his eyes off of Keiko. The =
shimmering black
miniskirt hugged her hips in a way to make most men go slightly mad. A =
light blue silk coat
covered her arms and shoulders, which set off the china-doll face and =
wavy black hair.
	To be honest, he had never thought his partner could look so sexy.
	Ahem. Back to the matter at hand, Pate admonished himself.

	Hikaru Gosunkugi crouched in the shadows above the entrance, watching =
for any sign
of... well... anything. He had always wanted to go to a nightclub before,=
 just never in spandex
tights while clinging to walls and ceilings. Oh, well, at least he was =
going for once. Perhaps one
night he would visit a club as himself and just relax. After the past few=
 weeks, he definitely felt
the need for a little R&R.=20
	He spied the woman next to one of the largest men he had ever seen. She =
was a
knockout, that was for sure. That gaijin had to be one of the luckiest =
guys in the world to go out
with a woman like her...
	"Uh-oh..." Gosunkugi cringed as the spider sense began to buzz. =
Something was
wrong...
	Oh, no. No way. This has gotta be a joke!
	Hikaru saw five men clad in black suits climb out of a sedan across the =
street. The tallest
wore an equally dark overcoat over his bulky frame. Gosunkugi blinked his=
 eyes a few times,
but the brown hair and wrap-around glasses remained on his head.
	"What in the hell is Doctor Octopus doing here?!" Hikaru nearly lost his=
 grip on the wall
as the five strode purposefully toward the entrance to The Silver Fox. =
Whatever it was,
Gosunkugi doubted that dancing and mixed drinks were involved.
	"I think I may have hit a gold mine here," he said as he searched for a =
way in.

------------------------------------------------

	"Hey, pal, get in line," the bouncer, an muscular sort with all sorts of=
 piercings growled
as they drew near.
	"I believe you will let us through," Doctor Octopus replied.
	"Yeah? Well, I got two fists that say otherwise!"
	"Only two?"
	The bouncer's eyes grew wide as Otto drew open his coat to reveal the =
four metal
tentacles writhing beneath.
	"If you want to live, then stand aside!"
	"You think that scares me?!"

	"William?"
	"Keiko, I think we may have a problem," Pate replied, pointing toward =
the group of men
who had passed by them a few seconds ago. The guy in the center looked =
familiar. Where had
he..
	"HOLY SHIT!" The metal... thing... lashed out with incredible speed to =
wrap around the
bouncer's neck like a snake. The appendage squeezed and, with a horrible =
crunch, the bouncer
hit the ground in a dead heap.
	Could it be? Pate thought amidst the screams of people fleeing from what=
 had just
happened
	"William, who is that?!"
	"Keiko, go call for backup. NOW!"
	"But..."
	"Listen, the FBI has a file on that guy! If he's even half as tough as =
as they think he is,
then we've got a *huge* problem!"
	"What about you?"
	"I'll follow them," Pate said, knowing how stupid it sounded.
	"What?!"
	"Keiko, damnit, get some help here! Whatever's been going on, it's =
coming to a head
tonight! Tell them to mobilize every cop in the ward if they have to! =
Trust me!"
	"Okay," Keiko replied with great reluctance. "Be careful, Pate-san."
	"You, too."
	William didn't allow himself to look back as he fought through the =
fleeing people, nor did
he let himself think about what an idiotic thing he was doing.
	I didn't have a clue that Doctor Octopus was in Japan! he thought as he =
shoved past a
kid who was obviously too young to be at a nightclub. Man, I wish I had =
my gun right now!
Stupid Japanese firearms laws!!

	Otto strode into the room and was immediately assaulted with a barrage =
of lights and
thundering bass riffs. All four tentacles streaked out from his back and =
impaled the marshall
stacks with a spray of sparks and feedback. Nearly thrity pairs of eyes =
locked on him as he
retracted his extra arms, suprise in all of them. The silence grew =
thicker as each of the four men
behind him brandished an H&K MP10 semi-auto.
	"This little soiree is over," Doctor Octopus said. "Leave. Now!" The =
group stood clear
as the patrons of The Silver Fox double-timed it out the door and another=
 group of men came
charging in from the back.
	"No," Otto said as soon as one of his men lifted a weapon. "Allow me." =
The tentacles
lashed out like spears, catching two of the men in the face and sending =
another three sprawling.
"Spread out! I'll handle Ishikawa."
	Doctor Octopus stalked ahead toward the west side of the room, grumbling=
 all the
while. So far, there was nothing in this glitzy rathole that would have =
warranted his might! If
Spiderman didn't show up, then he would be sorely disappointed.
	"There they are!"
	"Jeez, what the hell are those?!"
	"Just shoot!"
	"More of Ishikawa's private guards, eh?" Otto said. "Too easy."

	Hikaru Gosunkugi slid into the office just as his spider sense went on =
high alert. He didn't
even have time to wonder what the hell was going on before the muted =
reports of gunfire
reached his ears.
	"Oboy. Doc Ock, missing girls, and now a gunfight," he groused. "What's =
next?"
	As if in answer, the door to the darkened office burst open.

	Tatsu was aghast. How could Yamata have found him out? What if it was =
Leung?
	"Sir! We can't hold him off!"
	"Him?!" asked the club's security chief into the small radio mic in his =
collar.
	"That six-armed guy! He's tearing us a new... Ah! AAAAHHHH!"
	"Report!" The chief barked.=20
	"Six-armed man?" Tatsu asked.=20
	"Tatsu-san, this way!" the chief shouted as he kicked in the door. "Hide=
 in here while..."
	"Spiderman!" Tatsu nearly screamed.

	Stunned, Gosunkugi could only stand there as he locked eyes with the man=
 named Tatsu
Ishikawa.
	"Well, how the hell do ya like THIS?!"
	"Die!"
	"Y'know," Gosunkugi said as he webbed up the man who was levelling a gun=
 at him. "If
I had a hundred yen for each time someone's tried to kill me..." A fierce=
 yank snatched the burly
man off his feet. "...I'd be a freakin' millionaire!" Hikaru finished as =
his fist impacted with the face
of the man flying toward him.
	"This is impossible!" Tatsu stammered as he took a few steps back into =
the hall.
	"You've got a lot to answer for, you murderer!" Hikaru stabbed a finger =
toward Tatsu's
chest at the remark. He let the anger grow, fueled with a sense of =
justice.
	No. Payback. That was the more appropriate term.
	"What are you..."
	"Did you think you could just use her and throw her away like garbage?!"
	"Who?"
	"Does the name Yukio Segawa ring any bells?" Gosunkugi stomped forward =
as Tatsu's
face went pale. Oh, yeah, he knew her.
	"WORTHLESS WORMS!" roared a voice that Hikaru Gosunkugi really didn't =
want to
hear, accompanied by the sounds of splintering wood and crumbling =
concrete.

	Otto Octavius was getting angrier by the second, as was evidenced by the=
 amount of
damage he did to any of Tatsu Ishikawa's men he happened to find. The =
nerve of those ingrates,
to stand in his way! He was truly beginning to hate this Ishikawa, if for=
 no more reason than he
had casued him to dirty his hands like a common criminal.
	With a bellowing insult, he smashed through one of the walls that was =
unlucky enough to
be in his path and was rewarded with the sight of Ishikawa cringing in =
fear. Good! Let the bastard
sweat.
	But Tatsu wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the costumed figure =
that stood
merely a meter in front.
	"Spiderman!"

	Oh, SHIT!
	Gosunkugi swallowed with an audible click as he beheld Doctor Octopus. =
Memories of
his previous two fights with the tentacled maniac flashed through his =
mind, and he didn't need his
spider sense to tell him that he was in deep crap.
	"Hey, Ock! I guess Armani really can suit anyone!"
	This is way past bad, he thought. This space is narrow, and he's got =
incredible reach
with those extra arms!
	"I see you've gotten some new clothes as well, wallcrawler," Ock =
snarled. "Not as if
they'll do you any good."
	"Okay, so you've got a more expensive tailor. So what?!" I've gotta hold=
 him off...
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!"
	Tatsu paid him no attention as he scampered off to safety.
	"Don't worry about him, Spiderman!" Hikaru dodged clear of a stabbing =
tentacle just
before the other man spoke. "Worry about me!"

	Keiko had no trouble getting backup. In fact, she had heard the sirens =
even before she
had dialed the emergency number.
	Good. That takes care of that.
	She stared at the entrance to the nightclub and felt a pang of worry =
about Pate. He was
in there, unarmed, and...
	"Keiko!" his voice shouted as the man came running toward her.
	"William!"
	"C'mon, let's go!"
	"Where?" she asked as she ran to meet him.

	Sachiko Tanemura felt eerily calm despite her situation. Even with what =
they had done to
Yukio, she could not bring herself to be afraid. She was dead inside. The=
 cold of the corrugated
metal beneath her was insignificant, as was the painful presence of the =
handcuffs on her wrists.
	She heard the whimpers of the other girls who sat in the van with her. =
Some were openly
crying out of fear. They had to be the new ones. There was only one =
reason why she was still
alive, and being transported with all the others.
	They were all going to die. Whomever was running this show had decided =
that he had
no more use for them.
	I tried to get freedom, she prayed to Yukio's spirit. I tried to get =
enough freedom for all
of us.
	I'm sorry...

	"Why..." duck, dodge...  "are you..." whoa, that was close!... "you =
here, anyway!" The
walls, floor, and ceiling were pitted and cracked from where Doc Ock's =
tentacles had smashed
in their attempt to kill him.
	"I was sent here for Tatsu Ishikawa..."
	"You let him get away!" Gosnkugi's breath was heavy in is burning lungs.=
 He couldn't go
after that bastard and take on Ock at the same time!
	"Who cares? You're the one I really want!"
	"Yeah?! Well....." The insult was cut short as a tentacle raced past =
only to bend back
and wrap around his torso. He could barely scream with pain as the metal =
appendage squeezed
with obscene strength
	"Allow me to re-introduce you to the crushing strength of my arms, =
Spiderman!" he
gloated as two more held Hikaru's arms at bay.
	Gosunkugi could feel his ribs groan and crack from the pressure. How =
long before they
broke? He struggled as best he was able, yet the tentacles held him fast.=
 His chest burned, his
muscles screamed, yet he could do nothing.
	"Tell me, Spiderman," Doc Ock said in a conversational tone, "how did =
you come about
your powers?"
	"What?!"
	"I would like to know."
	"Why?" He had to gasp for the breath to form that one word.
	"I am a scientist, Spiderman. You alone may have the answers I seek to =
complete my
research."
	"Research?" What was this loon talking about?
	"It appears you will be of far more use to me alive than dead..."
	"There they are!"
	"Kill them!"
	Hikaru could only watch as a trio of men emerged from around a bend in =
the hall and
began to open fire. The rounds smacked against Doc Ock's wide armored =
back, to which the
man howled with rage.
	"Attack me, will you?!" he bellowed. "Take this!"
	Gosunkugi gasped for breath as the tentalces released him. He knelt on =
the floor for a
few moments while the mad scientist whirled and set his arms about them. =
The sickening sounds
of bones being crushed reached his ears even above the gunfire. He had to=
 get out into the open.
His only chance to beat Doc Ock was to have room to move. He rose just =
before his spider
sense blared of an attack.
	It came too late as the metal smacked against his head and sent him =
through the window.

	Pate rounded the alley with Keiko to his right. In the shadowed =
distance, they saw the
Toyota panel truck sitting idle in the narrow space.
	"The girls," Keiko breathed, ignoring the pain of her stockinged feet =
against the
pavement.
	"Bingo!" They had to be in there. As he and his partner ran, a pair of =
headlights shone
behind the truck with the screech of peeling rubber. "He's getting away!"
	"It's the cops!" shouted a male voice near the waiting truck.
	"Kill them!" replied a feminine voice just as the two came up alongside.
	"You're under arrest!" Pate yelled as his meaty fist collided with the =
jaw of a man who
was just drawing his gun.
	"Bitch!"
	Pate saw Keiko slug the daylights out of a woman who had made the =
mistake of trying
to stop her. He almost complimented her swing when the sound of =
shattering glass drew their
eyes upward.
	The form fell on top of the truck with a hollow thud before rolling off =
to the cold asphalt.
Even in the dim lights, Pate and Keiko knew who it was.
	"I knew you'd be here, Spiderman," William said as the costumed man rose=
 shakily to
his knees.
	"Wh... who are you?"
	"Koban," Keiko replied. "You're under arrest, Spiderman."
	"Listen to me," Spiderman said. "Run away. Now!"
	"You think you can escape me?!"
	William and Keiko looked up as the speaker descended. From his back were=
 four
tentacles which grappled onto the walls of the alley. His feet touched =
the top of the van, tentacles
disengaged from the walls and waving menacingly about.
	"Otto Octavius!" Pate shouted.
	"You know me?"
	"The FBI's got a rap sheet on you a mile long!"
	"FBI, eh? So, little man, you think you can arrest the great Doctor =
Octopus?"
	William didn't get the chance to reply. A tentacle slammed into his =
chest like a rocket,
lifting him off his feet and forcing the breath from his lungs. He felt =
himself hit the ground a good
four meters away, torso burning from the blow.
	"William!" Keiko cried as she raced to his side.
	"Hmph. It appears I shall have to kill the two of you before I deal with=
 Spiderman,"
Doctor Octopus mocked as his tentacles drug him closer.
	"Kei...ko..." William managed as the maniac drew closer, a tentacle =
ready to kill them
both.

	Hikaru forced himself to his feet. Doc Ock was going to kill those two, =
and he couldn't
let it happen. Disregarding the pain in his ribs, he thrust both hands =
out and focused on knocking
the hell out of the six-armed villian.
	Twin streams of spider silk shot out and converged before they could hit=
 him. Gosunkugi
nearly cursed until he saw them form a tight ball of webbing and rocket =
toward the back of Doc
Ock's unprotected head.
	He leapt up just after the impact, which left Doctor Octopus dazed. =
Gosunkugi's arms
wrapped about his throat while his legs encircled his waist.
	"Get out! Now!"

	Keiko half-dragged William to his feet, the latter still gasping for =
breath, while
Spiderman kept Doctor Octopus busy. Pate seemed to know him. She'd have =
to find out who
that guy was.
	"William!" she shouted. "Are you okay?"
	"Peachy," he managed. "Those girls..."
	"They're in the truck. Come on, I have an idea." Ignoring Spiderman's =
battle with the
strange gaijin above, she helped Pate over to the passenger side of the =
van.
	"What are you doing?"
	"I won't just leave them here," Keiko said as she helped him in. She =
climbed into the
driver's seat and blessed any deity she could think of that the keys were=
 in the ignition.

	Sachiko felt the thrum of the engine through the metal, powerless to do =
anything about it.
She only hoped it would be quick...

	"Get off of me!" Doc Ock bellowed. Gosunkugi held on tighter as the two =
bobbed and
weaved about.
	I can't wrestle this guy down, he thought, not with all those arms =
holding him up! At least
they're occupied...
	"YEOW!" Three sharp pincers from one of the tentacles sunk into his =
back.
	"I said GET OFF!"
	Hikaru was thrown skyward as if he were a limp doll. He didn't even =
bother to right
himself, merely shooting out a webline and hoping that he could gain some=
 distance.
	"You will never escape me!"
	"Who said I was running away!" Gosunkugi returned hotly as he released =
the web and
anchored himself to the side of another building. Two of Doc Ock's =
tentacles were holding the
man aloft, the others undulating like steel snakes. Hikaru ignored the =
blood that was running
down the back of his costume and the stabbing pain that accompanied it.
	Wow, that's a lot of cops, Gosunkugi thought as he glanced downward at =
the crazy
display of red and blue lights. The truck he had landed on earlier came =
charging out of the alley,
turning with the scream of peeling tires toward the cops.
	"YIKES!" he shouted as he leapt up. A metal tentacle was embedded in the=
 wall where
he had once crouched.
	"Ignore me, will you?" Doc Ock shouted. "And now, young wallcrawler, you=
 *will*
die!"
	"Aw, jeez, could you have made that rip-off any more obvious?" Okay, he =
thought, I've
got a lot more room here, and Ock needs at least two arms to keep him in =
the air. Let's see just
how he is with the other two. He leapt forward as soon as the spider =
sense blared and balled
both his fists ahead of him. He'd seen this move in a video game once, =
and grinned when both
fists struck home right in Doc Ock's kisser.

	The truck stopped just before the line of gawking policemen, air brakes =
squealing from
the sudden pressure. Keiko Megumi and William Pate hopped down just as =
one of the cops did
a double take.
	"Megumi-san! Pate-san! What are you two doing here?" And dressed like =
that, he didn't
ask.
	"Come around back!" Keiko shouted. Three officers fell in behind as the =
two detectived
reached the door and pulled it open.
	"Good God..." Pate gasped. In the back of the truck were at least =
fifteen women; all
young, bruised, and chained. They looked at them with fear and confusion =
and, in a couple of
cases, detachment. What had Tatsu been doing to them?
	"Sachiko!" Keiko shouted.

	Sachiko Tanemura could hardly believe it. Standing in the wild lights =
and amidst the
noise of battle were the two detectives to whom she had spoken that =
night, along with a few
patrol officers of the Koban.
	For the first time in what felt like decades, hope began to bloom in her=
 chest.
	The cops entered the van and set about undoing the chains that held them=
 down.
	Free.
	They were all free.
	Tears began to fall from her eyes at the joy of it all, tinged with the =
regret that Yukio had
not lived to see it happen. It was finally over.

	Gosunkugi kept moving, constantly dodging the strikes from Doc Ock's two=
 free arms.
With each avoided blow, the stone and windows of surrounding buildings =
were shattered. Tiny
chunks of mortar and glass rained down to the pavement, and onto a =
rapdily growing crowd of
onlookers.
	Damnit, he thought, I can't let any of them get hurt! I gotta wrap this =
up *fast*!

--------------------------------------------------

	"Man," Ranma said as he watched Spiderman and the other guy duke it out =
on the
television, "and I thought *I* had enemies."
	"This is coming to you live from outside The Silver Fox nightclub in =
Odaiba Ward," the
reporter said excitedly. "The entire Odaiba Koban is out tonight, and it =
seems that none of them
know quite what to make of the battle that is raging on the streets =
tonight! Wait a moment..."
The camera shifted to a blue Toyota truck, from which several mostly nude=
 women were
emerging. "I have no idea what is going on here, but it appears that..." =
The camera zoomed in
closer.
	"Gods," Akane gasped when she noticed the bruises on them.
	"These women have been the victims of abuse." The reporter could not =
keep the hint of
anger out of his voice. "Police are not allowing us to come any closer." =
The women went around
the truck, outside the camera's view. The scene shifted back to =
Spiderman.
	Nabiki almost froze at the sight of Spiderman's opponent. She had hoped =
*never* to
see that man again.
	"Nabiki," Kasumi said, "is he the one?"
	She nodded.
	"So, that's Doctor Octopus," Akane snarled.
	"The name really fits," Ranma said coldly. Getting to Odaiba would take =
almost an hour
by train. By then, the fight would likely be over, anyway.
	Go get 'im, Spiderman, Ranma thought. This is your fight. Damn shame I =
ain't there to
get a piece of that freak, too.

	In the Nekohanten, Cologne watced the newsfeed with interest. Spiderman =
was indeed
fast, and stronger than he had a right to be. Ryoga would be jealous, =
even.
	She could hardly reconcile the image of Hikaru Gosunkugi with the image =
of Spiderman
on her TV. The dichotomy was almost mind-bending. But, she had felt his =
aura. She knew it to
be true.
	The man with the extra arms appeared tough. In fact, Gosunkugi was =
spending more
energy dodging around than actually fighting. Why? Two of those things =
were useless! Why
not...
	"Ah, there you go," she muttered as Spiderman launched himself off a =
wall to deliver a
double kick to the man's midsection. Get close, boy. The man took the =
blow fairly well. He had
to be wearing some sort of armor, then.
	Cologne watched as Hikaru landed two ferocious blows to the face.
	"That Spiderman is pretty strong, Great-grandmother," Shampoo said in =
Chinese from
her space on the sofa. Mousse was in his cage, unable to bother the girl =
for the night.
	"That he is, girl." If Ranma only knew, Cologne thought with a wry grin.

---------------------------------------------------

	"DAMN YOU!"
	Hikaru kicked off of Doc Ock's chest just before the two tentacles could=
 seize him,
performing a flawless somersault before swinging off another web to come =
around from the side.
	I'm doing it! he thought with no small sense of elation. I'm winning! =
Just a little more...

	"Bah, enough of this nonsense!" Otto Octavius swore after spitting out a=
 mouthful of
blood. He could feel his face swelling and the bruises forming beneath =
his body armor from
where Spiderman had managed to get close. It was time to end this!
	He sent his tentacles below and wrapped them about the truck that had =
parked beneath
them moments earlier.

	What in the world is he doing?!=20
	Gosukugi gaped as the two tentacles dragged the truck backward with =
ease.
	He wouldn't. No way.
	"Try this on for size, Spidrman!" Doc Ock roared as he sent the truck =
spiralling right at
him.
	Oh, no! he thought as he leapt clear. When that thing hits...
	The impact and subsequent explosion rocked the night. Hikaru spun in =
midair to see
flaming steel and smashed stone rain down right on a small group of =
people unfortunate enough
to have been there.
	"NO!"
	He was moving away, and the whole mass was falling down and they were =
all screaming
and andandand...
	Gosunkugi fired two streams of webbing over their heads. They were =
running, but not
fast enough!
	"GET OUTTA THERE!"
	The streams of silk began to grow, but Gosunkugi knew the webbing was =
too thin even
before the net formed...

--------------------------------------

	"Oh, no..." Ranma could hardly believe it.
	"Gods..."=20
	Ranma heard Akane's whisper, but closed his eyes against the sight of =
it.

	"Aiya..."
	In the Nekohanten, Cologne sent a silent prayer to the souls of those =
whom that attack
had killed.

-----------------------------------------------------------

	Nobody could speak. The entire force of Odaiba Koban stared in shock at =
the pile of
flaming debris which had claimed those lives, and at the forms of =
Spiderman and his strange
adversary.
	The six-armed man stared at what he had done and - after shouting =
something about
meeting Spiderman again, used his tentacles to escape into the night.

	No.
	Hikaru Gosunkugi kept trying to deny the sight of it. His world became =
silent, the
burning rubble which had become a funeral pyre the center of it all.
	They were dead.
	He couldn't save them. He wasn't strong enough.
	Doctor Octopus was getting away, but he didn't care. The cops were =
swarming below
him. Again, he didn't care.
	They were all dead.
	Some force within him made his arm lance out and shoot a webline across =
the street.
That same force carried him back to his apartment.

--------------------------------------------------------

	He stood above the city, staring down at the streets far below. The =
signal was getting
stronger. Just another second before visual contact, and another before =
Ishikawa got in range.
	Ah, there you are, he thought as the cursor on his helmet's Heads Up =
Display indicated
the vehicle in question and magnified it in the upper right corner of his=
 vision. Several streams of
data scrolled down the sides of the HUD as the suit's systems determined =
the best angle and
wattage.
	Three seconds, and all was ready.

	Tatsu Ishikawa never saw it coming. Just as he was congratulating =
himself for escaping
with his life, the world became filled with light and then nothing...

	"Yamata," came the voice over his suit's comm system.
	"It's done," he replied. "Tatsu Ishikawa is toast."
	"Excellent," Raizo Yamata's voice replied. "How did the suit work out?"
	"Like a charm, boss. The vibro-shock units worked just fine."
	"Good. Report back to the lab for debriefing and analysis."
	"Got it."
	He surveyed the burning remains of the BMW, and of the man Raizo Yamata =
had
ordered dealt with, from fifty stories up. The suit was even better than =
the man had promised.
He walked away, already having taken his pseudonym.
	The Shocker. That seemed appropriate...



             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'