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Written by Christopher 'Ratiko' Willmore. / \ \ /
4cw6@qlink.queensu.ca / / \/
Based on a story by Rumiko Takahashi and /
Developed by C. Michael Schumacher / /
[Kensu: cschumac@waun.tdsnet.com], \ /
with the aid of Animax Enterprises \/(Logo:Armakuni)
[formerly TAAC].
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RANMA 2096 EPISODE V: Death and the Maidens
==========================================================================
'While yet a boy I sought for ghosts, and sped
Through many a listening chamber, cave and ruin,
And starlight wood, with fearful steps pursuing
Hope of high talk with the departed dead.
...
I was not heard - I saw them not -
When musing deeply on the lot
Of life, at that sweet time when things are wooing
All vital things that wake to bring
News of birds and blossoming, -
Sudden, thy shadow fell on me;
I shrieked, and clasped my hands in ecstasy!'
-Percy Bysshe Shelley
From 'Hymn to Intellectual Beauty'
==========================================================================
[Church of Kodachi Headquarters, Main Auditorium]
Ranma looked at his watch. At KIM'S watch. It'd been almost eight
hours since he'd gotten here, and he'd still not been able to SEE Akane
for more than a few seconds, much less SPEAK to her. After he'd spilled
boiling water on himself, so he could see her spirit, he'd had to change
back in a hurry, before Lepi had a chance to kill Thompson. Seemed those
friggin' Kodachi-worshippers could hide their weapons ANYWHERE... Must've
been quite uncomfortable to keep that piano wire in a bra...
Bra? Of course! _That's_ what felt so tight around his chest...
Kim may call HIM hentai, but SHE'S the one who slept in the rubber-and-
lace. No sense in takin' it off NOW, though. If all went well, he'd be
back in spirit form soon, and Kim would need it when she took the body.
Not much left to do - everything seemed more or less taken care of.
He'd manage to convince the High Priestess that Akane's rampage had been
the result of their trying to hurt Rat against his direct orders. She
swallowed it without a single question. <Guess they really DO think I'm a
god...> It wasn't too difficult to add a cover story for Kim. Instead of
bein' 'Ranma Satana', she was now his avy... ava.. Whatever the heck that
word was for the human representative of a god. She'd kindly offered her
body so that he could manifest his 'divine essence' on Earth. They still
despised her, but now the Kodachettes were jealous of her, instead of just
hatin' her. At least they wouldn't try to bump 'er off, now. After that
little scene, Ratiko and Childra had left in a hurry for Shampoo's. She'd
be upset that he wasn't there, but she'd have to live with that. Catching
up with Akane (and finding out why the heck she was a ghost!) was more
important.
He turned to Kim.
"Did we forget anythin'?" he asked.
*Just Batya. He wanted me to see if they could get her permission to
visit once a week, or something.*
"Got it."
The spirit turned away for a moment, then nodded, and spun back to
face Ranma.
*Akane says to find a private room where you two can talk.*
"Hai." That was ONE thing he DIDN'T need to be reminded of. Now,
where was Lepi? He looked around.
The meeting hall had been repaired in a jiffy. Just like their
mistress, the acolytes healed pretty quickly. Then again, they hadn't been
ki-blasted. Ranma rubbed his sore jaw. Where'd that pip-squeak LEARN that,
anyway? Cologne was gone, and Shampoo had been at Jusenkyo... That attack
of his was just as strong as any of Ryouga's. <Must run in the family,>
thought Ranma. In true Hibiki style, the explosion had turned about a
third of the place into rubble, even though most of the building was made
of marble and granite. It'd taken a few hours, even with organised
streams of leotarded girls methodically carting debris away, but
eventually the place had been cleared, and the only remnant of Rat's
little outburst was a gaping void where a side-room used to be. Now the
acolytes were all in rows again, bowing in front of him, but their leader
didn't seem to be among them... Maybe...
A tap on his shoulder.
"Ranma-sama?"
"Huh?" He turned around. Sure enough. There was Lepi Kodachi Demie, in
full regalia and with a huge smile on her face. "Oh. It's you. Look, I
have to..."
"I have something for you."
"What?"
"I know you are eager to leave us, but before you do, there is
something I must give you."
<Uh-oh...> The last time Ranma had heard a phrase like that, it had
come from the mouth of Kunou Tatewaki, and had been the start of all the
troubles with the 'pig-tailed goddess'. If Lepi pulled out a bouquet of
roses...
"Whaddya wanna give me?"
"We are the Church of Kodachi in name, but it is YOU we worship. Now
that you have returned, you are, of course, our rightful leader."
"Leader? But... Lepi... I..." Ranma sighed. "Look; I'd love to stay
and take place in all your ceremonies, but I really must be going. I
have... uh... CLASSES! Yeah, that's it! I have to study... Physics,
with... uh... numbers and stuff..."
From the corner of his eye, Ranma could see Kim burying her face in
her hands.
"No need to worry, Ranma-sama. We know that even the divine have
mundane needs when in mortal guise, and we would never DREAM of
interfering with your worldly affairs." Lepi paused for a moment, then
grinned. "Well, maybe we would DREAM of it, but..." Ranma blushed.
*I thought you'd be USED to girls chasing after you,* said Kim.
"But... Then what..."
"We simply want you to remember that we are all under your command.
And, for that, we wish to give you THIS." <Please. Let it not be roses.
Anything but roses.>
What Lepi pulled out was a rather nice-looking wristwatch.
"A watch?" Ranma was puzzled.
"Not just ANY watch. It's also an A/V link to the Church's main
computer. Simply press this button," Lepi pointed at a small red button
on the side of the watch, "and an alarm will ring in the control centre.
Whoever's on duty will answer at once, and fulfil your request."
"What kinda requests?"
"Anything..." said the High Priestess, in a sultry voice. Ranma
decided to ignore it. Kim was already looking angry enough, which meant
Akane was probably close to exploding. If he went on any further, he'd
probably have another 'Roaring Lion Bullet' and mallet rampage to deal
with.
"Anything, as in, 'I'd like some Ramen but I don't have cash, could
you bring me some' anything, or anything, like 'I'm in danger, please send
a squad of fighters' anything?"
"Either, or both."
"Ok... I just press this button, right?"
"Correct. Shall I put it on?"
Kim looked at the pair angrily.
"Er... I'll put it on myself."
Lepi bowed, and handed him the timepiece.
"As you wish, Ranma-sama." He took the black plastic watch from her,
and put it on his right hand, since Kim's own was already on his left
wrist. As he did, he noticed the Kodachettes. All seven hundred were
still assembled, silent and kneeling.
"Lepi?"
"Yes?"
"The... The acolytes..." Ranma gestured at the meeting hall floor.
"What about them?"
"How long will they stay like that?"
"For as long as you remain here, or until you order them to do
otherwise."
"Oh." A pause. "That reminds me. I have two favours to ask of you..."
"Anything for you, Ranma-sama."
"First, there's this acolyte... An ex-girlfriend of Ratiko's."
"What is her name?"
Ranma looked at Kim.
*Batya. Batya Ono.* Ranma blinked. Ono? Then she was... Oh, well.
That was to be expected, he supposed. Kasumi and the Doc were on the
brink of marriage anyway, when he... When he died. He shook his head.
Better not think of that.
"Is something wrong?" asked Lepi.
"No. Nothing's wrong. It's just..." Lepi raised an eyebrow. "Never
mind. The name's Ono. Ono Batya."
"Oh; HER. Yes... She's one of our success stories. A member of one of
the most important families in Tokyo. One of our missionaries recruited
her in Ethiopia."
"Ethiopia?!?"
"Long story," said Kim and Lepi simultaneously.
"Hm... Wasn't she the one that received the brunt of the blast?" asked
the High Priestess.
"That's her."
"If you wish to lie with her, I suppose that can be arranged, but
you'll have to wait until she recovers from her wounds."
"What?!? But I..."
"Oh, don't worry! We have EXCELLENT doctors! It shouldn't take more
than half a day.'
"That's NOT what I meant!"
"Oh?" Lepi smiled. "So you PREFER blood?"
"NO!!!"
*Ranma, is there something you're not telling me?* Kim began to
develop a battle aura. For the moment, Ranma was GLAD he couldn't see
Akane.
"Look, I just want to get permission for her to visit the University
once a week."
"I see," Lepi nodded. "You wish this to be a regular affair. If I may
be so bold, however, I recommend you take ME rather than her. Her past
involvement with Ratiko could lead to some complications, seeing as to how
you're both on the same campus..."
Ranma face-faulted.
"I WANT her to see Ratiko!" Wait a minute. That didn't sound right,
either. "I mean... I want her to be able to visit the university ONLY so
that she can see Ratiko. Not me!" The shimmering blue glow around Kim
subsided, and Ranma relaxed his tensed muscles.
"I think I understand now." Lepi paused thoughtfully for a moment.
"Yes; that can be arranged. Normally we wouldn't let an acolyte out
before her training was completed, but seeing how YOU are the one that
wishes it... How could we deny you?" <One down, one to go...> "You had
another request?"
"Yes... Um... I need to be alone for a while. Would you..."
"Oh, of course!" Lepi nodded. "It must be horribly emotional to return
and see how faithful our foundress was to you. Naturally, I will leave you
two alone. Take all the time you need."
*You two?* asked Kim. *She can't see me, or Akane, so...* Her eyes
grew wide. *Ranma, she'd better not be talking about that TANK...*
"Here," said Lepi, pulling a keycard out of her pocket and giving it
to Ranma. "This will open the panels hiding the storage tank, and will
also give you access to the computer. Just stick it in the slot and follow
the directions on-screen."
*It IS the tank,* grumbled Kim. She turned for a minute, and listened.
*You don't know about it yet,* she told the invisible Akane, *and
believe me, it's best to keep it that way. Heck, I didn't know the person
involved, and even _I_ was in danger of losing my lunch!*
"Thank-you. Just one more thing..."
"In what else may I be of service, Ranma-sama?"
"I'm a bit tired after all this. Do you happen to have any tea, or
coffee?"
*Good thinking,* said Kim. Ranma nodded.
"Of course!" Lepi snapped her fingers. "Marie! Ranma-sama wishes for
coffee!" One of the girls on the floor stood up, nodded, and went into an
adjoining room.
"Could I just take a pot in with me?" asked Ranma.
"That is what I assumed you would want," replied Lepi.
In less than a minute, Marie returned with a silver coffee service.
"I apologise for not serving you in our gold set, but it's out for
re-plating."
"That's all right. Really!"
"If you say so, Ranma-sama."
"Now I... Uh... I think I'll go in, now."
"Of course."
Ranma took the tray from the Kodachette, and walked towards the door
leading to the sanctum. As he opened the portal with the keycard, he could
hear the sound of fourteen hundred slippered feet scuffling out of the
meeting hall.
* * * * *
[The Kunou Foundation, Nerima Control Centre]
That Ranma clone was better than she'd realised, thought Perdita.
Even the C-Kos couldn't tell him from the real thing. As far as the last
available security tapes were concerned, the Kodachettes were worshipping
him as if he were a minor deity. Annoying, though. The recordings just...
stopped... when those two figures broke down the door. She looked at the
screen captures again. No use. There was too much dust in those few frames
to make out any features clearly, even with computer enhancement.
Perdita frowned at the other readouts. There'd been some sort of
explosion at C-Ko HQ; that much was for certain. No matter how much they
tried to hide any DIRECT evidence, the air ionisation readings, sound
levels, and other less direct measurements were all quite tell-tale.
There was NO WAY that the air temperature outside the Church's west wing
could keep itself above 373 K for more than thirty milliseconds on its
own. However, anytime she tried to get a direct statement of what had
happened from the computer, it'd jam on her. She tried again.
"Computer; access C-Ko feed for time interval 6820-6825."
THAT INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE.
"Of COURSE it's available! That's how we get most of our information
on that group! Spit it out!"
THAT INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE.
"Guess I'll have to be more specific. Computer, access C-Ko security
camera readings, sector 12, units 4 and 5, for time interval 6820-6825."
THE REQUESTED INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE
"Why not?"
ACCESS DENIED.
"WHAT?!?!?"
ACCESS DENIED.
"I heard, but WHY? Who has more access than I do?"
DIRECTOR TANARO ONO.
"Get him on for me, then. I want him to get this information."
DIRECTOR ONO IS ALREADY RECEIVING THE REQUESTED TRANSMISSIONS.
Perdita blinked. So he WAS, was he? Her fingers raced across the
keyboard. Better do this the old-fashioned way, since she hadn't been
having any luck with the neural link. Let's see... File transfers, data
flux... Here it was. Sure enough. He was getting all the information she
wanted dumped directly onto his hard drive, while it was simultaneously
erased from everywhere else. Bastard.
"Computer, why is Director Ono interested in this data?"
THAT INFORMATION IS CLASSIFIED.
Hmm... There might be a way to get around the security programming...
"Really? Considering who I am, I should have clearance for it."
TENDO PERDITA DOES NOT HAVE CLEARANCE FOR THE REQUESTED INFORMATION.
ACCESS DENIED.
"I have clearance for everything ELSE I've run across. Why not THIS?"
INFORMATION PERTAINS TO PROJECT R.
TENDO PERDITA DOES NOT HAVE CLEARANCE FOR PROJECT R INFORMATION.
ACCESS DENIED.
"Let me guess. Only Director Ono has clearance, ne?"
NEGATIVE.
"Oh?" She arched an eyebrow. "Director Ono and SOMEONE ELSE have
clearance?"
AFFIRMATIVE.
"Computer; list people with clearance for project R information."
ACCESS DENIED.
Better try a roundabout route.
"Computer, what level clearance is needed for Project R?"
SECURITY LEVEL ALPHA, SPECIAL GRANT, IS REQUIRED.
Good. Now they were getting somewhere.
"Computer, what projects for which I am responsible require security
level alpha?"
SEARCHING...
RESULTS OF SEARCH: MILITARY OPERATIONS DATABASE MAINTENANCE; MILITARY
OPERATIONS SUPPLIERS LIST; MILITARY OPERATIONS...
"I get the point. Stop."
QUERY RESULT LIST PRINTOUT HALTED.
"Computer, I've decided to send out an update on Nerima's military
operations. Kindly assemble a recipient list."
LIST ASSEMBLED.
"Print it out, please. On-screen only."
RECIPIENT LIST: ONO TANARO, HIBIKI PENELOPE, PROJECT R MAILER.
"List recipients in Project R mailer."
ACCESS DENIED.
Figures... This should be enough, though. Project 'R'. The R
obviously stood for Ranma, so it must have something to do with the clone.
Now, what were an Ono and a Hibiki doing with a SAOTOME clone?
"Computer, list information on Hibiki Penelope."
The standard social security file came on-screen. Picture, personal
data... Not much of interest, apart from the family name. Married for
over twenty years, had a son in pre-med at U of Tokyo and a twelve-year-
-old daughter, lived in a nice area of town in a spacious mansion... All
in all, her profile looked like that of the perfect society housewife.
Why'd she have alpha clearance, then? And what did she have to do with
project R?
Perdita sighed. Seemed the only way she'd find out anything more about
this would be to check it out herself. There was NO way she'd let this
pass. If that explosion had destroyed the Ranma duplicate, she wanted to
know, and she also needed to find out exactly WHY her employer was so hot
on keeping all this info to himself.
"Computer, how long have I been working today?"
YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE TERMINAL FOR FOURTEEN HOURS, SIX MINUTES AND
TWENTY-FIVE SECONDS.
"Good enough. I'm taking my break now; I'll be back in time to finish
off the work schedule."
ACCESS DENIED.
"To my break?"
CONTRACT FOR TENDO PERDITA, PARAGRAPH FIVE, CLAUSE THREE.
"Refresh my memory, will you?"
BEGIN QUOTE. TENDO PERDITA WILL TAKE AN EIGHT-HOUR BREAK FOR EVERY
SIXTEEN HOURS OF WORK. THIS BREAK SHALL BE AWARDED UPON COMPLETION OF
SAID WORK PERIOD. END QUOTE.
"You're kidding. I have to stay here for another two hours?"
NEGATIVE.
"Oh? I can go, then?"
YOU MAY GO IN ONE HOUR, FIFTY-TWO MINUTES AND SIX SECONDS.
"Gee, thanks."
YOU ARE WELCOME.
She could swear that this machine was developing a sense of humour.
"Have my hover-car waiting for me outside the main gate at one minute
past that time, will you?"
HOVERCAR PROGRAM COMPLETE.
Now all she had to do was wait. She glanced at her readouts. The fun
must've stopped, because the C-Ko camera readings were available again.
Let's see...
Whoa. That had been SOME explosion. They'd cleaned up, but a huge
chunk of the west wing was missing, like it had never existed. To her
dismay, the fake Ranma was still alive, and looking quite well.
Chikusho. He was walking into that blasted sanctum of theirs. The C-Kos
might not guard their OTHER transmissions that closely, but those two
rooms had security tighter'n the Kunou Foundation's special conference
room. No use in watching any further.
"Computer, I'm going back to normal monitoring and maintenance
functions until my break. Alert me of any entrances or exits into C-Ko
HQ."
AFFIRMATIVE. NOTIFICATION WILL BE GIVEN OF ANY INGRESS OR EGRESS FROM THE
BUILDING.
"Thanks."
YOU ARE WELCOME.
Nabiki sighed, and went back to work.
* * * * *
[Church of Kodachi Headquarters, Inner Sanctum]
The door to the sanctum closed behind the trio, and electric lights
came on automatically. Thankfully, the panels to the formaldehyde tank
were closed. Ranma didn't think his stomach could put up with another
viewing of the two corpses. He'd barely avoided retching last time, as it
was.
"Did Akane come with you?" he asked.
*Of course,* answered Kim. *She's right next to me.*
He couldn't believe it. He was finally going to see her again, after
all this... After all he'd been through... He picked up the pitcher of
coffee, and prepared to pour some over his hand, before thinking of
something.
"Kim?"
*Yes?*
"Will you be all right? I mean, it's just going to be the two of us
talking, and..."
Kim snickered.
*Don't pretend you're worried about my getting bored. I know you just
want to be alone with your _girl-friend_.* Ranma blushed. *It's not like
you can hide it, you know. If it's any consolation, Akane's blushing,
too.* Suddenly, Kim reeled from an invisible blow. *Ow! What was THAT
for?* A pause. *Ok, ok! No more teasing, I promise!* She turned to Ranma.
*Anyway, I'll just keep myself busy reading files off the C-Ko database.
Gotta admit, there's no better way to learn about your past.*
"Well, you could always try ASKING me!"
*I stand corrected. There's no more RELIABLE way to learn about your
past.*
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!?"
Kim sighed.
*Don't worry about it. Just go on and spill that stuff on yourself.*
"Hai." He tipped the pitcher over his left hand. As soon as the hot
liquid touched his skin, he was transported out of the body and into
spirit form where Kim had been standing. Next to Akane.
She looked exactly like she had a century ago, down to the clothes she
was wearing. Akane wore a knee-length pastel blue dress with soft yellow
accents, while a sky-blue diadem kept her close-cropped hair in place.
*Ranma!* she shouted, with arms outstretched, and rushed forward to
meet him. Unfortunately, she went right through him, and had to float off
the ground and spin herself around to avoid leaving the room altogether.
*I... I forgot.* Ranma grinned, and they both began to laugh. They
laughed not so much because of the accident, but more because of the
general situation. It was the laugh of those who have feared danger and
lived through it (well... more or less...) with a bit of a nervous titter
for uncertainty about the future mixed in with it.
After a time, guffaws subsided into quiet giggles, and then into
silence, as the dead looked each other in the eye. The Tendo girl's eyes
twinkled with spiritual tears, and her mouth twitched up into a smile.
Ranma noticed, and lowered his gaze.
*Thanks for takin' out those girls,* he said. *We really owe you on
that one... How'd ya manage it, anyway?*
*Oh, THAT.* Akane closed her eyes and concentrated, while raising her
right hand. In moments, what looked for all the world like her old two-
foot wooden mallet materialised within her grip. Ranma stared, bug-eyed.
*Can you actually HIT people with that thing?*
*Only when I'm angry. Ghosts have a lot of ki, but we need strong
emotions to focus it enough to affect the physical world. I was pretty
angry, after what Childra told me, about you and...* She turned her face
away, and lowered the mallet. It disappeared.
*Akane...*
*It's been a long hundred years,* she said softly. *Very long.*
Ranma opened his mouth to speak, but he could say nothing. For him it
hadn't been a hundred years, but the blinking of an eye. One moment he'd
been walking to school, and the next...
He looked at Kim through Akane's translucent body.
*Does everyone who dies become a ghost?* he asked.
Akane smiled weakly.
*No. Only a few.* She grinned, but her eyes betrayed her sadness. *The
chosen few.*
*So, why'd ya end up... Like this?*
Silence.
"Um... I... Think I'll take a look at the computers... Now..." said
Kim, who up until then had been listening to the exchange. Trying to be
inconspicuous, she walked over to one of the monitors and began the
process of figuring out the database management system.
*Did ya have any of that 'unfinished business' everyone keeps talkin'
about?*
*I... I suppose you could say that. Yeah. I guess I DID.* She looked
at him, and Ranma could swear that her eyes were watering, even as a
ghost. *But now...*
<Uh-oh.> He had to change the topic, quickly, before things got
serious.
*Anou... Nice dress, Akane.*
The spirit beamed.
*You like it?* She raised an eyebrow. *That wasn't what you said a
century ago...*
*What?*
*It's the same dress I was wearing when...* A pause. *When you had
that fight with Chia.*
*Oh, yeah... I remember...*
*You'd said it looked too feminine for an 'uncute tomboy' like me.*
*Well... I... That's changed. I mean...*
Akane giggled. _Giggled?_ THAT was new. And worrying. Death had not
been kind to her, it seemed. Maybe she'd gone senile?
*Akane... Just curious. How old were you when you... Well... You
know...*
*I'm still a virgin, Ranma.* She sighed. *And that's not going to
change now, is it?*
Ranma face-faulted.
Wait a minute. A virgin. You mean she'd... She'd never married?
*That WASN'T what I was asking about!* <But thanks for telling me.
It's nice to know you didn't get hitched to anyone else.> *I wanted ta
know how long ya lived to!*
Akane froze.
*Somethin' wrong, Akane?*
*No... It's just that...*
*Well? How long? Fifty, sixty, seventy?*
*No!*
*Eighty? Come on, I can deal with it! We're both dead now, and you can
look like anythin' ya like, so it doesn't really matter.*
Akane closed her eyes and turned away.
*Sixteen,* she said softly.
*What?*
*Sixteen.* Firm, this time.
*SIXTEEN? Whaddya mean, sixteen?!?*
Ranma's late fiance spun around and glared at him.
*I JUMPED OFF A BRIDGE, OK?!?*
Wait a minute... She'd... She'd what???
*You killed yourself?*
*I CAN'T SWIM. _REMEMBER_???*
*Why?*
*Maybe I actually CARED for you! Ever thought of THAT?*
Ranma felt a chill. He'd been avoiding this for over a century, and
NOW she 'fessed up? She had to be joking. Beads of sweat formed on his
forehead.
*You'd died, and I was ALONE. Did you ever think of that, Ranma? I
couldn't take that loneliness... Not with the memory of how FULL I'd
been, while you were around. Once you left, everything seemed empty, like
one of those painted eggshells after you've drained the insides out.*
*You didn't need ME! You had so much goin' for ya! Every guy at school
was after you, since you're pretty an' all, and...*
*Oh, so NOW you admit I'm CUTE?* A green battle aura began to form
around her. This was bad. Very bad. Ranma gulped as he remembered what
had happened to the seven hundred Kodachettes.
*That's NOT what I MEANT!*
*So you STILL think I'm an UNCUTE TOMBOY?* She stood and raised her
hand, her mallet once again materialising in it. This time, it was
glowing green. *Then take THIS!* Akane began the downward swing.
*Um... It IS! It IS what I meant! I...* Ranma began to apologise, but
it was too late. The ki-object connected, and sent him flying across the
room, through the plastic panels at the far end.
*Ranma!* Akane let go of the mallet as she ran in the direction she'd
sent him. As soon as it fell from her fist, the wooden hammer dissolved
into nothingness. The ghost ran through the wall and into the room where
Ranma had landed.
Inside, it was dark. That wasn't a problem, though, since both their
spirit forms glowed a soft white.
Slowly, as to not to go through him, Akane took the prone Ranma's head
and cradled it in her arms.
*I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me...* she whispered. *Are...
Are you all right?*
Ranma groaned and slowly opened his eyes. It seemed even spirits could
feel pain, if hit the right way. He looked up. With that dim light coming
from her, she looked almost...
*Tenshi...* he mumbled.
Akane's eyes widened. Had she heard?
*Ranma?* she asked, puzzled. He smiled at her.
*I love you too, Akane.*
Suddenly, the lights were switched on and the panels opened. It was
Kim.
"Sorry to bust your bubble, but we have to leave. NOW." she said.
*What?* asked Ranma, as he stood up and released himself from Akane's
grip. *Why? It's not like the C-Ko's gonna hurt us, or anythin'...*
Akane just stared in shock, motionless, at the now-illuminated
formaldehyde tank.
"Someone's awfully interested in Rat's ki-blast. I just found out
they've been draining the info from C-Ko security and piping it directly
to some mainframe in the Kunou Foundation. If they find out about you,
there could be trouble."
*What kind of trouble?*
"Let's just say the Kunou Foundation is big. Very big. You DON'T want
to get involved with them, if you can possibly help it."
*Ranma, is that...* Akane pointed at the bodies floating in the pale
yellow fluid.
*Long story,* said Ranma.
"You bet," said Kim. "They basically took over most of the legal
functions of the government after-"
*I was talkin' to Akane.*
"Oh."
He turned to the ghost. *Don't worry 'bout it. Makes ME sick, too, but
there's nothin' we can do 'bout it. I'll explain it all later.*
*I can't believe that... That PERVERT! I'd always known she was bad,
but THIS!* Akane was shaking with rage, a crimson aura forming around
her.
*Don't WORRY 'bout it!*
"That's right... Akane hadn't seen the corpses before, had she?"
Ranma shook his head.
"Oh, dear," said Kim. "Well, tell your girlfriend that we really
should get going. Shamps is waiting for us at the Nekohanten, I want to
stop off at res to shower and get changed, and we've gotta be out of here
before some KF agent comes snoopin' around the place."
*My... My GIRLFRIEND?* Both spirits began to glow a bright red.
Kim shrugged.
"Call 'er what you like," she said. "It's all the same to me. In any
case, let's hurry. Say your goodbyes."
*Goodbyes? Why?*
"I can't exactly walk out of here in THIS form, unless you want them
to think I'm Ranma Satana again."
*Oh, yeah.* Ranma and Akane looked each other in the eyes. *It's
just 'til we get out,* he said.
*I know.*
Kim tapped her foot impatiently.
*Ok, ok! I'm COMING! Geeze...*
Thompson took the pitcher of water, still there from her
'interrogation', and tipped it over her right hand. Ranma put down the
pitcher and walked back into the meeting hall.
Outside, Lepi was waiting for him.
"I trust your time with the Foundress was satisfactory?" she asked.
"Yeah. Swell. Now, I've really got to get going..."
*No kidding. I've already missed what? Five lectures? If things like
this keep on happening, I won't pass the year!*
"I see..." replied the Priestess. "Do you require transportation?"
*Rat and Childra took the 'mech with them.*
"Yeah. We'll need something to ride in. Um... Could you help?"
Lepi grinned.
"ALREADY using the royal 'WE'? Seems you're more used to us than you
care to admit..."
*Baka!*
"Sorry 'bout that." Ranma rubbed the back of his head with his hand.
"Slip of the tongue."
"I think it suits you," said Lepi. "In any case, we'll be DELIGHTED
to drive you to your residence. We WILL provide you with a PERSONAL
vehicle, of course, but since we only learned of your reappearance
recently, the hover-car can't be here before tomorrow afternoon."
*Well, well...* said Kim. *Looks like being the object of the C-Ko's
worship mightn't be THAT bad, after all.*
Ranma nodded.
"Are you ready, Ranma-sama?"
"Hai."
"This way, please."
[Author's note: 'Tenshi' = 'Angel', in Japanese.]
* * * * *
[The Kunou Foundation, Nerima Control Centre]
ALERT: VEHICLE HAS EMERGED FROM CHURCH OF KODACHI HEADQUARTERS, NORTH
GARAGE.
"What?" Perdita looked up from her calculations. Oh. Someone had left
C-Ko HQ. "What kind of vehicle? Helicopter, jeep, tank..."
LIMOUSINE. COMPOSITION: TEN-KARAT GOLD FRAME WITH LAPIS LAZULI DETAILING.
REGISTRATION NUMBER: 5K1-0728. FURTHER DETAILS?
"No... That's all right. Just give me their general direction."
If this was who she thought it was...
THE CURRENT HEADING OF THE LIMOUSINE IS KUNOU HALL, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO.
<Bingo.>
"Computer, how much longer do I need to work?"
YOU HAVE FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LEFT IN YOUR WORK SCHEDULE.
Chikusho. She'd have to sit it out. Hopefully they'd stay put. If
not... Well, she could always track them again. Perdita smiled to
herself. This was beginning to be... Interesting. A gold limo? The C-Ko
must have REALLY been impressed by the Ranma clone. Then again, it seemed
that Onocorp WAS involved with Project R, and they WERE the world leaders
in that kind of thing. How ironic, to think that the technology developed
in trying to revive her would be used to bring Saotome back to life.
"Computer, confirm programming of my hover-car. It's still set to pick
me up at a minute after the end of my work schedule, right?"
PROGRAMMING CONFIRMED.
"Good. Feed it the Kunou Hall co-ordinates, and pre-program the
quickest route between here and there into the navmap. Include traffic
variables. Download the latest ones from TRAFCON, if you need to."
PLEASE WAIT.
DOWNLOADING VARIABLES.
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE.
ASSEMBLING MATRICES...
CALCULATIONS COMPLETE.
COURSE COMPUTED.
DATA TRANSMITTED.
YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN PROCESSED.
"Thanks."
YOU ARE WELCOME.
"Oh, and Computer?"
PLEASE INPUT QUERY.
"Kindly set your politeness protocol flag to 'off'."
PROPERTY SET.
<There. Much better.>
* * * * *
[University of Tokyo, Kunou Hall]
Ranma slipped the keycard into the door to Kim's room, and it slipped
open with a hiss.
"Welcome back," he said.
Kim nodded to someone next to her.
*Thanks!* She turned to Ranma. *Akane likes my room. She wonders
whether you'll be able to live with someone as tidy as I am, though.*
"Hey! I'M neat! When was I ever messy?"
Kim sighed.
*Never mind. Hurry up and get some hot water.*
"You want to shower already?"
*It's not that. I have some messages.*
"Huh?"
*The red blinking light on the desk. Someone called while we were
out.*
"Oh."
*It's probably Childra, or Shampoo wondering why we didn't show, so I
kind of want to answer it as soon as possible.*
"Gotcha."
Ranma left, and went into the washroom across the hall. A few seconds
later, Kim Thompson walked back into the room, where Ranma was now in
spirit form.
*This is going to get annoying,* said Akane. *It was bad enough when
you turned into a GIRL, but NOW you go in between being a ghost like me,
and not being ABLE to notice me at ALL!*
Ranma shrugged.
*Could be worse,* he said.
*What?!? You LIKE being bonded to that... To that... To that
GAIJIN???*
*Of course not! It's not like I CHOSE to be, or anything! I was DEAD,
and Shampoo put my soul IN that stupid body!*
"I happen to LIKE this body," said Kim, with poison in her voice. "Is
there anything WRONG with it?"
*Kim! I didn't see you come in...*
"Don't worry. As soon as I find out about some way to split us
without killing me, I'll go through with it. You won't have to ENDURE this
'stupid body' any longer than you HAVE to."
*Good!*
"WHAT?!?"
*Er... I mean... Oh, boy.*
"I'll check my messages now," Kim said coldly. "Enjoy your
GIRLFRIEND."
*You still haven't learned to keep that big mouth of yours shut,* said
Akane, shaking her head. *Do you PRACTICE making girls unhappy, or is it
just a talent of yours?*
*Akane...*
*Not that I MIND that she dislikes you...* The ghost winked, then
whispered, *Less competition.*
*You never used to be this... Friendly...*
*Try a hundred years of loneliness. It'll work wonders. After that
much time, one gets to be fond of even a hentai, like you.* She smiled,
and bent over to ruffle his hair. Unfortunately, she did so a little too
vigorously, and her hand went through his head.
They began to laugh, but were interrupted by a sound coming from the
speakerphone on the desk.
'Voice-check.'
"Kim Thompson."
'Authorised voice confirmed. You have. Two. New messages.'
"Play first message," said Kim, calmly and crisply so the computer
would understand.
'First unheard message. Broadcast from. Nekohanten Restaurant. At.
Ten. Fifty. Two. P. M. *Click* End of message.'
"Delete message."
'Message deleted.'
*Must've been Shampoo,* said Ranma. *She's not used to all these
electronics yet, so she probably didn't want to leave a message.*
Kim nodded.
"Next message."
'Second unheard message. Broadcast from. Unknown Location. Long-
Distance. At. Eleven. Oh. One. P. M.'
A woman's voice - soprano - came from the speaker.
'Hello, Darling! It's Mom. Thought we'd forgotten all about your
birthday, didn't you? Well, surprise! The company's sending me to Japan
next week, and I'm going two days early so that I can meet you on your
birthday. We can go out to a restaurant, and you can introduce me to all
those friends you keep telling me about. Especially that Hibiki boy you
always mention. When are you going to get SERIOUS with him? Listen to me,
honey, if you don't nab him NOW, another gal WILL, and it's not often you
come across someone so good-looking, and RICH. I'll have more to say
about that when I see you next week. Good luck with your studies! Oh,
yes. Dad and P-bar say hi.'
'End of message. Delete or Save message?'
Silence.
'Delete or Save message?'
Nothing.
*Kim? You gonna do somethin' bout that machine?*
"Delete message," she said quietly.
'Message deleted. End of new messages.'
"Disconnect."
'Goodbye!'
*Polite machine...* Kim wasn't looking very well. Her face had
suddenly become drawn and pale, her eyes were watering, and her fists were
clenched and trembling. *What's wrong? If it's about Ratiko, that's all
right. I suspected you had somethin' for him, and Akane would've found out
soon enough...*
"It's not about Ratiko."
*Then what? C'mon! Tell me!*
Kim paused, closed her eyes, then took a deep breath.
"My mother is coming to see me."
*I heard.*
"Next week."
*Yes...*
"HOW am I going to explain this to her? How am I going to explain YOU
to her? Do I just say, 'Sorry, Mom, I haven't taken any cold showers
because that'll make me turn into a male Japanese jock'?"
*Uh-oh. Well... It's all right, I think. Just so long as you don't
get near any cold water for the visit. It's only a day or two, right?*
"She's here on company business. Could be a week."
Ranma was still for a moment, then blushed.
*Akane wants me to tell you that it's all right with her if you keep
the body for the week.* After a while, he added, *That goes for me, too.*
Thompson shook her head.
"It's still no good. As soon as she comes, she'll hear about you from
any female worth her estrogen on campus, and of COURSE she'll ask
questions, starting with, 'If he lives with you, where IS he?' And did you
hear the way she went on about RAT? Geeze; when she finds out about you,
she'll probably think we're SERIOUS!"
*Don't laugh, Akane!*
"Heh. I can see why she'd find it funny. 'Why, yes, mother. I guess
you COULD say that we are one of body'..."
*Couldn't that be a way out, though?*
"What?"
*Well, we could pretend that... You know...* A mallet-shaped
impression formed quite suddenly on Ranma's skull. *Only for that week!
Just to get her out of hot water.*
"Poor choice of words, Ranma."
*Sorry.*
"That MIGHT work... Except I've already told everyone here you're my
cousin."
*Your mother KNOWS that's not true.*
"Right. My cover'd be blown anyway. Well... Looks like we're stuck as
an item for the week, jock. Hey, who knows? Something good might come out
of it all. Maybe she'll give up that obsession of hers of trying to hitch
me to Rat..."
*Um... Just one problem.*
"What is it?"
*We can't appear together at the same time.*
"No big deal. We can find excuses. I hope."
Outside, a clock tolled the hour.
"Oh, shoot!" said Kim. "It's one already! We'd better get to the
Nekohanten, pronto!"
*What about your shower?*
"It can wait."
*Isn't it a bit late... I mean... Early, to go?*
Kim sighed.
"Lemme put it this way, Brainiac. After seeing that ki-blast, are you
sure you want to leave Rat and Shampoo alone for that long?"
*Good point.*
"He was bitter-boy BEFORE the C-Ko incident, and THAT was bad enough.
NOW when he gets mad, he REALLY blows up."
*You're sure he's never done that before?*
Kim shook her head.
"Apart from that lousy sense of direction of his, he's always been a
pretty standard guy. Well, ok. He's cuter than most, and he's awfully
weird, but he's certainly no nuclear reactor." Ranma nodded. "Besides, I
have lectures starting at eight, and they won't end till five in the
afternoon, so this is our only chance to see 'er for at least the next day
or so."
*Let's go!*
"Just a sec." Kim opened a drawer in her desk, and pulled out a brush,
which she ran through her hair. She then put it back, smoothed her
eyebrows with her forefingers, and straightened her jacket. "I'm still
wearing Rat's clothes," she said. "Guess that's all right. At least
they're tasteful."
*How will we get there? The C-Ko's not getting my car 'til late
afternoon, and Rat took the motorcycle.*
"Motomech."
*Whatever.*
"We can walk. It's only ten blocks, or so."
*I'm not worried about Akane and I. We can float. Are you sure you're
fine walking?*
"Yes."
*Let's leave, then.* Ranma grinned.
As Kim was locking the door to the room, they were greeted by a
shadowy figure coming down the Hall.
"Hi there, Kim!" said a cheery female voice.
"Oh, great," said Thompson. "It's Squirrel Girl."
*I don't like this...* mumbled Akane.
The newcomer stopped in front of the group. She was about five-
foot nine, amazingly thin, and had skin as pale as typewriter paper. Dark
rings surrounded her eyes, which were jet-black. Besides the ubiquitous
university jacket, the only thing she wore was a red-and-black skin-tight
body-suit.
*I can't believe it!* said Ranma. *She looks just like a female
Gosunkugi!*
"That's probably because I AM a female Gosunkugi," she said. "Hi.
Gosunkugi Skeride. Pleased to meetcha. You must be Ranma! I've heard
lots about you..." Skeride waved shyly, with a tight-lipped smile on her
face.
Ranma blinked. Exactly HOW many people here could see him? He looked
at Kim, but it was of no use. She looked just as puzzled as he did.
"Akane! Haven't seen YOU in a while! You never told me you knew
Thompson!"
Akane was looking very troubled, but managed a nervous grin, and a
small hand-wave.
*Hi, Nutkin. Fancy meeting you here...*
Kim's eyes had grown to double their size when the girl-Gos had
addressed Ranma. NOW they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets.
"Akane," she said, her face pointing in the wrong direction, "you
never told me you knew Squirrel Girl!"
"Strange, that," said Skeride. "I met her through Childra. She used to
come to my history lectures, but she dropped them a couple of weeks after
I joined." She turned to Akane. "So, you gonna join again?"
*I don't think so...*
"Oh, well... You're missing out on some great stuff. The prof this
term's wonderful." She looked at Ranma, blushing slightly. "Are YOU
taking history?"
*Er... No...* he said. *Theoretical Physics.* Skeride's eyes lit up.
"Really?" she asked excitedly.
"He'll be in my class," said Kim.
"GREAT!!! Can't wait to see you there!"
*See me there?*
"I'm in Kim's class. Double major. Theoretical Physics, and
Exploratory History. Well... It's Archaeological Anthropology right now,
but I hope to get into the other one EVENTUALLY..." Her eyes narrowed, as
she looked first at Kim, then at Ranma. "Are... Are you two thinking
of... Ah... Going out?"
*What??? ME go out with that uncute gai-*
"YES!" interrupted Kim. "I... Ah... Made up the story about Ranma
being my cousin. I just didn't want the other girls to... Um... Be
jealous..."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Thompson," Skeride's grin spread from ear
to ear. "I can spot your lies a mile off. Still, this IS the 21st
century... No big deal if you're cousins." A wink. "Trust me. I know."
Pause. "So... About you and Rat..."
"What about me and Rat?"
"You two aren't..."
"WHAT?"
"You're always with him, and you DID go on that trip with him, and he
ALWAYS... Talks about you, so I thought-"
"THERE IS *NOTHING* BETWEEN ME AND BANDANNA-BOY!"
"Glad to hear it," she chimed. "You're sure about that?"
"Look, SG," said Kim, "I'd love to keep on chatting, but we have to go
somewhere right now... We were just on our way out."
"Oh, that's all right. I have to keep looking for Reiraku, anyway."
"At ONE A.M.???"
Skeride shrugged.
"I haven't sen... Heard from him in a while, so I thought I'd check
to make sure he was all right. Do you know where he is right now?"
All three shook their heads.
"Oh, well. With his sense of direction, it'd probably take me DAYS to
find him. Off to bed, then, I suppose... I've got a five AM lab to go to.
G'night!"
*Good night, Nutkin!*
"Bye!"
*Nice meeting you!* said Ranma.
After nodding an acknowledgement to the farewells, Skeride scurried
down the hall, eventually disappearing down a staircase.
*What... Was THAT?* asked Ranma.
"THAT was big trouble," answered Kim. "It's Skeride, brightest student
in my physics class, and sickeningly modest about it. I had NO idea she
could see spirits, though... And how the heck does she know Akane? Hm?"
Ranma turned to his late fiance.
*Can y'explain all this?*
*Well... Skeride has a little problem... You see... She...* She took
a deep breath. *Childra sees spirits like half-transparent things. Nutkin
is a lot more powerful that way, though, so she can't tell the difference
between the dead and the living unless she actually touches them to find
out whether they're solid.*
*Uh-oh. You mean...* Akane nodded.
*It gets worse. You remember how she said I dropped those lectures?*
Ranma nodded. *That's because she has this little obsession with putting
ghosts 'to rest'. If she ever found out I wasn't alive...*
*She can't do that! Can she?*
*I'm afraid so. She's known as the 'Killer of the Dead'. Think of
what Hikaru would've been if his magic had actually worked.*
*Now THERE'S a scary thought.*
"What is it?" asked Kim.
*Akane says that Gos-Girl there can't tell real people from stiffs
unless she touches them.*
*STIFFS?!? STIFFS?!?*
True to style, Ranma ignored Akane and kept on going.
*Not only that, but she gets here kicks outta sendin' ghosts to the
otherworld. Guess it's gonna be interesting to have classes with
her...*
"If she sees you when no one else can..."
*But _I_ can't be exorcised. Right?*
"I don't know! I'm a SCIENTIST, not a WITCH, for Pete's sake, and I'm
not even Japanese! Heck, I didn't even BELIEVE in ghosts before all this
began!"
*All the more reason to get to the Nekohanten pronto. If anyone can
help us, it's Shampoo. She spent all that time studyin' magic an'
spirits an' stuff. She must know SOME way we can protect ourselves...*
"Good point. Let's go!"
* * * * *
[The Kunou Foundation, Nerima Control Centre]
Perdita frowned at the monitor before her.
Heat-sigs inside the room that Ranma had entered were minimal, just
the usual appliances and climactic ducts. It seemed he'd left without
her...
<Unless he's not a clone?> Nabiki KNEW what wonders the KF could do
with cybernetics. It was a definite possibility, and one that DID make
her feel a lot more comfortable. Nonetheless-
"Computer, access front door security camera information for Kunou
Hall, tonight, between twelve forty and one twenty A.M."
ACCESSED. INPUT QUERY.
"Did anyone leave the building?"
AFFIRMATIVE.
"Who?"
SEARCHING VISUAL DATABASE...
SEARCH COMPLETE.
SEARCH RESULTS: SAOTOME RANMA, GOSUNKUGI SKERIDE.
He'd left, then, late at night... <And with a Gos descendant?
Curiouser and curiouser...>
"Did they leave together?"
NEGATIVE.
<Just a coincidence, then.>
Or was it?
"Computer, estimated whereabouts of Gosunkugi Skeride."
IN MOTION
ESTIMATING DESTINATION
PLEASE WAIT...
CALCULATION COMPLETED.
DESTINATION: HIBIKI MANSION
<Oh, what a tangled web we weave...> Perdita was willing to bet that
there was yet another family with their finger in the Onocorp pie.
"Computer, cross-reference 'Gosunkugi' 'genetics' and 'cloning'.
ASSEMBLING LIST...
LIST COMPLETE.
229374024 ITEMS FOUND MATCHING CRITERIA. PRINT/DISPLAY #?
"Ah... Let's leave it at that." It was all she needed to know.
<'If the springe holds, the cock's mine,'> she grinned, quoting the
Shakespearean play from which Tanaro had lifted her new name.
This was a time of political unrest, and any embarrassment to the
Kunou Foundation, or to Onocorp, could prove fatal - AND her ticket out of
her indenture.
She'd have to look at this 'Ranma' closely. Chances were he was going
back to home base. A clone this good was either an Onocorp job or
illegal... Maybe both? And if he wasn't quite a clone, he was certainly
worth watching.
If she set the Executioner on the scent of the two girls; the gaijin
and the Gosunkugi...
"Hoisted by their own petard," she grinned.
SYNTAX ERROR. REPEAT QUERY.
"I wasn't talking to YOU," said Perdita icily.
This 'Skeride' should be easy enough, but as for the other one...
Deliberately boycotting the KF 'DataFind' programming in her head,
Perdita flipped back a few screens, until she found the social security
file she was looking for.
"Computer, give me the best estimate as to the current whereabouts
of subject Thompson Kimberley."
PROBABLE LOCATION: ERROR
"What? Computer, explain."
ERROR: DIVIDE BY ZERO
"You're not making any sense. Last known location?"
KUNOU HALL, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
PROBABILITY: 100 % (POSITIVE VISUAL IDENTIFICATION).
"Where in Kunou Hall?"
SUBJECT SIGHTED AT LOBBY: FRONT ENTRANCE.
<All right...>
"Last STABLE location?"
SEARCHING...
SEARCH COMPLETE.
ROOM A-323 KUNOU HALL.
<Bingo. Now, to see the connection...>
"That room belongs to..."
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO HOLDINGS, INC.
"I meant, who rooms in it?"
THOMPSON, KIMBERLEY
"Interesting. Single room?"
AFFIRMATIVE.
"You're SURE Thompson didn't leave with Ranma?" She was going over
the heat-sig records now, and that was the only option left open. Ranma's
exit marked the only increase in temperature, and since it was a rather
cool and rainy night, anyone else would have left a trace visible for
miles...
<Wait a minute...>
Yes. It WAS a cool night... And Kunou Hall was notorious for its lack
of amenities. A quick check confirmed her suspicions - there was little
heating of most rooms.
Which meant, of course, that anyone sensible would be wearing
thermally retentive clothing,
<Which would cloak their heat-sigs, especially with those outdated
climactic control sensors...>
PROBABILITY: 90% (DEDUCTION FOR NIGHT-TIME VISUALS)
<Touche.>
The solution was binary. Either Miss Thompson had left with the
clone, or she hadn't. Either way, she'd be found, be it by herself or
Sable.
The cyborg cracked her knuckles and started typing a small intra-
office memo. She chided herself for not having thought of it before, but
at least it wasn't a fatal error... One tended to forget such things as
'heat' and 'cold' when one's body temperature was electronically regulated
to a perfect level.
She clicked the send button.
CONFIRM PRIORITY 1 MESSAGE STATUS:
RE: INVESTIGATION REQUESTED - U OF TOKYO / ILLEGAL CLONING LINK?
TO: SE-1B-Y-L, HEAD EXECUTIONER, NERIMA DISTRICT
"Confirmed."
PRIORITY 1 MESSAGE SENT.
Now that THAT was done...
"Computer, calculate current whereabouts of subject Saotome Ranma."
SUBJECT IS IN GRID 180.
<Grid 180?> Perdita frowned. That sounded... Familiar. She plugged
the co-ordinates into the Finder, and grinned.
If the clone wanted to impersonate Ranma, he was off to a good start.
"Computer, program hover-car for the Nekohanten, and bring it to
the main gate. I'm going to join him."
PROGRAMMING COMPLETE.
* * * * *
[The Nekohanten]
The Nekohanten's doorbell woke Shampoo from her slumber.
"I going, I going," she said to no one in particular, as she rose from
her bed.
Groggily, she unlocked the front door and slid the doors open. The
sight waiting for her brought her to full consciousness.
"Ranma! You come for Shampoo!"
"Uh... Yeah... Hi there, Shamps," said a soaked-to-the-bone Saotome.
"Listen you think I could... Uh... Go inside? It's rainin' kinda hard,
and..."
"O! Shampoo so sorry!" She stepped aside and let Ranma into the
restaurant. Along with someone else...
<He's brought the nasty girl, too. What about...>
"Ranma, Childra lie, yes?"
"What?"
"Akane still dead. She no ghost. Right?"
*Actually, she's right here,* said Kim. *But only another spirit can
see her.*
"Big mouth!" said Ranma.
Shampoo shook her head. She should have known that Jansen wasn't the
type to lie. Still... It didn't make her feel any better to have THAT bit
of history brought back. Having a competitor for Ranma's heart who could
change her appearance at will... <She WILL be put to rest.> The Amazon's
eyes narrowed. <Just wait until I get my hands on the right herbs...>
"Is OK," she lied.
"Shampoo, I'm..." Ranma paused. "Huh? It... It is???"
Shampoo nodded.
"Shampoo grow up now. No fight with Akane anymore." At least, not
until she found the right weapons. No use trying to hit a spirit with
bonbori, especially when you couldn't see it. <Better add ghost-sight
potion to list,> she thought.
During all her time in Jusenkyo, she'd always thought that when the
time came she'd be alone; she'd be the only one for her groom. Things
always turned out differently than planned, however, and now there was the
Church of Kodachi, and the violent demoness...
"I'm glad to hear that. REAL glad."
Kim inspected the interior of the restaurant.
*Don't seem to be any signs of structural damage. Everything LOOKS
okay...*
"What nasty girl talk about?"
"Oh, we was just wonderin' how you an' Rat would get along, bein'
cooped up for all these hours in the same buildin', an' all..." said
Ranma. "Where IS he, anyway?"
Shampoo blinked. It HAD been awfully quiet lately.
"Shampoo leave nice girl and Rat-bat in next room. Ranma wait here,
yes? Shampoo go check."
"Take your time."
* * * * *
[Exploratory History Building, University of Tokyo]
A very worried Hibiki Zannen took the first opportunity that came to
excuse herself from the emergency staff meeting and go to the ladies'
room.
Once in, she checked it was empty (not that it wouldn't be, this late
at night), locked the door with her master key and pulled a small black
card from her pocket.
A tap on its side and it split, revealing a speaker, and a button,
which the woman pressed.
'Zannen, is that you?' came the voice from the other end of the
communicator.
"Who else would be contacting you this way?"
'The KF?'
"Very funny."
'Not funny at all. Actually, we-'
"Tei, have you gone out of your mind?!?"
'What?'
"I've TOLD you never to use the Mirror without consulting me!"
'I don't understand...'
"The Mirror! You forgot to tell me you were going to use it, so EH
picked it up on their scans, and now the department is crawling over me
with questions that I CAN'T ANSWER! Do you realise how-"
'We haven't used the Mirror!'
"Don't give me that."
'Zannen, it's in the room with me, and it's been there for two weeks,
at LEAST.'
"Then do you care to explain the sudden tachyon flux in grid 180?"
'Grid 180?'
"I'm glad your hearing hasn't decayed with age. Yes. The tachyon
flux. Complete with residual visual energy in the 3 eV range. Sound
familiar?"
'I'm telling you, we haven't-' A pause. 'Grid 180, you said?'
"That's right."
'I... Hope I'm wrong, but-'
"But what?"
'Tendo headed towards there immediately after her shift - one of our
operatives caught the programming for the hover-car. That's what I was
trying to tell you.'
"How long ago was that?"
'About five minutes.'
"Deity..."
'Precisely. If the Kunou Foundation has discovered our little
secret...'
"Are you sure it's still a secret?"
'I'm sorry?'
"Your mirror. Is it real, or has it been switched with a replica?"
A banging on the door.
"Zannen, are you all right?" One of her subordinates was calling to
her from outside. Chikusho. Too much longer, and they'd suspect something
was up.
"Yes! Out in a minute!" She whispered at the card, "Sorry about
that... Is the mirror yours?"
'Unless you know of any others that have a tendency to glow.'
"Thankfully, the KF's about as subtle as a sledgehammer, so even if
they HAVE figured it out, there's no way they'll be able to use it."
'I'm not worried about the KF.'
"THAT'S a first."
'I'm worried about Perdita. She is the mistress of subtlety, and much
as I hate to say it, if its suits her purposes...' Silence. 'Can you send
your trouble-shooter?'
"Childra? I suppose so... Where... Where is it? I assume you have a
more precise fix than we do."
'The Nekohanten Restaurant.'
"The Nekoha- Tei! Why on Earth don't you just call up Antacid?"
'This matter's too important to be trusted to men.'
Zannen grinned.
"Good point. I'll check on Childra. Over and out."
* * * * *
[University of Tokyo Commerce Building, Basement]
Tei Buru sat at her desk, looking at her reflection in a mirror - in
THE Mirror. So many times he'd thanked the Fate that had placed it in her
hands, that had allowed her and her... Associates to help this world gone
insane in what little way they could...
She'd grown to associate blue with goodness, with purity... Every time
she saw the sparks around the frame, the crackling semi-electricity, she'd
feel her goal intensified, she'd feel her work justified, and hope of
fulfilment would grow within her.
But now... Now there seemed to be something BEYOND the blue. A shadow
of sorts, just out of sight, but nonetheless affecting her perception.
The image looking back at her was obviously not at ease. Now that it
seemed the Kunou foundation had acquired their OWN version of the
artefact-
She didn't want to think of it, but it all made sense.
Perdita, the high-energy research in Shirotori some years back...
She was a fool for not having seen it coming.
And it HAD come, there was no doubt of that, if half of what Zannen
had told her was true.
What would THEY do with the Power? Some years ago, she would have
said, 'not much'. After all, the altering of time is a delicate thing,
and trying to make too strong a change will result in nothing but a
useless temporal split. But NOW... NOW they had created their own perfect
controller - a cybernetic body capable of split-hair reactions, a soul of
subtlety and most of all - an electronic mind capable of making millions
of calculations, analysing billions of possible outcomes, and... And of
being programmed. That's what Perdita's 'job' was for - nothing but
training for a larger goal, towards which she'd been mobilised this night.
Tei reached for the scotch, ignoring the Mirror's pulsing ring of
cerulean flame.
As she was about to bring the first shot to her lips, a black card on
her desk beeped. She glared at it momentarily, then resumed her imbibing.
The card beeped again.
She gave up, set down the drink with a sigh, and tapped the
communicator.
"Tei here. What is it, Zannen?"
'Childra's gone. I can't find her anywhere.'
"What do you MEAN, you can't find her anywhere? I thought she had a
pager!"
'She must have turned it off.'
"Deity... Just what we needed."
'I can go myself, if you like. I can be there in ab-'
"No."
'No?'
"What excuse would you give? Listen, Zannen, it's PERDITA we're
dealing with. You've heard me speak of her?"
'It's kind of hard not to.'
"Then you know how insightful she is. What excuse would you give her
for appearing?"
'Well... It's a restaurant. I was hungry?'
"It's past midnight, and they close at eleven. Try again."
'I AM the head of EH, Tei. What could be more natural than the
Department investigating a tach burst?'
"Considering it's the KF, you should count yourself fortunate they
haven't thought of that yet. If they realise you're on to them, EH will be
shut down faster than you can say 'search warrant'. No, Zannen, it's too
risky for you to go. Childra might have pulled it off, with her... Past
experience, but you..."
'I understand, but is there really another option?'
Tei took a deep breath. She was very unwilling to do this; to
paraphrase the entrepreneur, a hand played was a hand lost - one should
always keep one's aces hidden until the last moment...
However, she was running short of moments.
"There is. I have... Someone I can send out."
'Who?'
"You'll find out soon enough. Join me in the commerce basement -
We can view the transmissions here."
'Understood. I'll be there in five minutes.'
The communicator went silent, and Tei sank back into her leather
chair, touching the tips of her fingers together and looking at the
ceiling, lost in thought.
The mirror's flame intensified, then subsided into a dull glow.
* * * * *
[Nekohanten]
Understanding Shampoo's broken Japanese was a difficult task, at the
best of times. When she was puzzled, flustered, and waving her arms about,
it was nearly impossible.
"What did you say?" asked Ranma.
"Nice girl and Rat. They not here! Shampoo leave them in room, they
say they wait for Ranma. They not there!"
*Childra and Ratiko are GONE?*
Shampoo nodded.
*I wouldn't worry too much.*
"Why on Earth not?!?!?"
*Rat's a Hibiki, right?*
"Oh."
*He probably went looking for the toilet and ended up in Polynesia.*
"What about nice girl?" asked Shampoo.
"Maybe he... um... dragged her with him?"
Kim smirked.
*Knowing Jansen, it's more likely that SHE dragged HIM off somewhere.
Like the University's Deep Forest Preserve.*
"Why would nice girl do thing like that? It late." Shampoo was
puzzled. She couldn't see any reason why anyone would want to take a
walk in the forest at one in the morning during the winter, especially
when they were waiting for someone.
*'Nice Girl' happens to be 'Miss Mega-Hentai'* explained Kim. *She's
MY friend, too, but she has a nasty habit of bedding anything with a
testosterone/estrogen ratio greater than one.*
"Huh?" asked Ranma and Shampoo together.
*She likes her men.*
"Oh."
*AND her women,* added Akane.
*And we WERE a bit late, so...*
Before Thompson could finish, a red hover-car landed in front of the
restaurant.
<Who THAT?> wondered Shampoo.
"Restaurant closed. Go away," shouted the Amazon.
In reply, the 'car's door opened, and a black-decked figure stepped
out and walked up the front steps, not waiting for acknowledgment to open
the main door. She was about Kim's height, with a thin build, and had her
dark brown hair done up in a bun. She looked once at Ranma, and smiled.
"I'm so glad," she said, "to finally meet you. You don't know how much
I've been looking forward to this."
"Who are you?" asked Ranma.
* * * * *
[Just outside the Nekohanten]
<A very good question, Mr. Saotome.> The girl tightened her grip
around the tree and adjusted the zoom on her recorder, running her tongue
habitually over her protruding canines. She took a glance at her charge-
meter. Still a good hour's use left in the machine. More than enough.
Her superiors should be... Pleased... With the information.
* * * * *
[Nekohanten]
Akane was shook her head rapidly, then pressed her hands against her
cheeks.
*This CAN'T be happening,* she said. *This REALLY can't be happening.*
*What IS it?* asked Kim. *Do you know her?*
*I would HOPE so. She's my sister.*
*WHAT?*
*Or, she WAS. She was killed in an explosion a long time ago.*
*Your family just never says 'DIE', does it?*
*Ha ha.*
*So, why's SHE a ghost? Did she also kill herself?*
*That's just it. She's not a ghost. We share a memorial; if she'd been
a ghost, I would've seen her.*
*Oh, dear. Then what...*
*I don't know.*
*Ranma doesn't look like he recognises her.*
*He wouldn't... She died twenty years after he did. Sis grew up quite
a bit in that time...*
*Should I tell him?*
*Do it. Her name's Nabiki. Tendo Nabiki.*
* * * * *
[University of Tokyo Commerce Building - Basement]
Zannen took a key out of her pocket, slipped it into the lock before
her, and opened the door. It was a full ten seconds before the grey-
haired Tei acknowledged her entrance.
"Take a seat, Zannen," said she, swivelling her own chair to face her.
"Drink?"
"You know I don't."
"You might, after tonight."
The Hibiki scowled, but said nothing. She was quite right. A lot of
things might change after tonight. If the KF had done what they feared
they'd done...
"There's always the chance it was someone else," said the other woman.
Tei had an unsettling habit of peeking into one's mind, and answering
unvoiced thoughts.
"Like who? Only a handful of organisations could have access to the
magic or the technology necessary for this."
"Someone we don't know about?"
Zannen took a seat on the couch, elbows on knees and hands clasped
before her as a chin-rest. Her mouth opened several times for speech, but
closed again just as quickly, as each thought was rejected in turn. There
were just so many variables, so many unknowns... And the things that WERE
known were things whose implications she didn't want to think about. In
time, she gave up, sat silently, looking at the gently-flickering Mirror.
Tei kept her aquamarine eyes on the Hibiki, all the while never
shifting her position by a millimetre.
"What can we do?" asked Zannen softly.
"Nothing more than we've done already, I'm afraid, at least for the
moment."
"We can't stop them."
"Not unless you've found a more effective method of time travel.
Unless your readings are completely off, the harm's already been done, my
dear. All we can do-"
"All we can do is mend."
"So you HAVE learned something from us, after all!"
"I'm just repeating it because I'm finding it difficult to think on my
own, right now. You haven't converted me YET, Buru." A pause. "Not
completely."
"Ah. Back to business, then."
"Isn't it always, with you?"
Tei smiled, but otherwise ignored the comment.
"My operative has been sent out, and is already getting into position.
We should start receiving her transmissions momentarily."
"Who did you say this operative was, again?"
Buru twitched slightly, and took a deep breath.
"That's... A bit of a long story."
* * * * *
[Just outside the Nekohanten]
The girl looked away from the recorder's eyepiece briefly to brush
away a brown lock of hair that'd been blown before her eyes, and noticed
the hover-car.
<Kunou Foundation markings? So... Either she's here on business, or
wants to make it look like she is.>
She checked her watch. It was past Perdita's shift for this day of
the week.
<Curiouser and curiouser,> she smirked. <'If I make not this cheat
bring out another, let me be unroll'd, and my name put in the book of
virtue!'>
* * * * *
[Nekohanten]
Shampoo stared at the newcomer. The same hair, the same general
features, but it couldn't be! She'd died... Hadn't she? All that fuss
Mousse had told her about... With Ryouga, and the explosions...
*Ranma?*
"Huh?"
*Akane wants to tell you something. That person there? It's...*
"NABIKI!!!" Shampoo hissed.
"Not anymore," said the woman. "It's Perdita now."
"WHAT?" asked Ranma. "Don't tell me YOU'VE been brought back to life,
as well!"
"As well?" Perdita raised an eyebrow.
"What you do here? You DEAD!"
"And you should be. Isn't a hundred and twenty a bit old to be
trying to get a husband? And to take the clone once the original's been
killed... My, my... Quite the sick-o YOU'VE turned out to be, Shampoo."
"CLONE?" Ranma looked at Shampoo, shock in his face. Her groom didn't
actually BELIEVE that, did he? Not after all the work she'd put into the
curse modification...
"Ranma NOT a clone! Ranma REAL!"
"Sorry to disappoint you," said Nabiki, "but Ranma died. About a
century ago. I was at his cremation."
<Cremation? Boy, will she be surprised if she ever bumps into the
Church of Kodachi,> thought Ranma.
"Shampoo bring him back to life!"
"You've gotten better at jigsaw puzzles, if you were able to piece
back dust into a man. But... I don't think you have. There's a little
something called 'Project R', and I've a feeling that this clone here,"
she pointed at Ranma, "has a great deal to do with it."
"Look, lady. I don't know WHO you are, but if Shampoo says you're
Nabiki, I'll take her word for it for now. I'm NOT a clone, and I've
never HEARD of this 'Project R'."
"Oh, no? Then perhaps it's just a coincidence that both the Onos and
the Hibikis are EXTREMELY interested in the details, you've been
consorting with a Gosunkugi-"
*CONSORTING??? CONSORTING???* Akane's voice verged on outrage, anger
having for the moment taken over from shock and grief.
"-and," concluded Perdita, "that they've been tapping information
about you DIRECTLY to themselves?"
*So THAT'S who was draining the C-Ko security info!* said Kim. *But
that means that THIS person's a KF agent. Be careful, Ranma. She's
DANGEROUS.*
*She's my SISTER!* pleaded Akane. *Nabiki! LOOK at me! It's RANMA!
Don't you see?*
"I'm not so sure about that," Ranma answered her.
"What?"
"If you're so sure I'm a clone, just 'cause I died a long time ago,
how can we be sure that YOU'RE not one, as well? I mean, you've ALSO been
dust for a while, right?"
Perdita smiled.
"As a matter of fact, I AM one. A certain group was kind enough to
put me back together. My organs are cloned, most of my limbs are
cybernetic, but all of my brain is my own." She smiled. A slight
exaggeration, but no need to let them know that.
"An' I'm supposed to give INFORMATION to a freak like YOU? NO WAY!"
"You don't have a choice, clone-boy. If you won't give me what I
want, I'll drag it out of you with the proper equipment. Why don't you
just come peacefully?"
"Ranma stay here!" said Shampoo.
"Only if he co-operates, my geriatric Amazon. Otherwise, I'm afraid
he'll have to accompany me to the Executioner's office."
"Now, wait a minute!"
Shampoo narrowed her eyes and crouched into a combat stance.
"Shampoo, you really don't need to..."
Too late. The Amazon slipped into full fighter mode and rushed at
Perdita, performing a new attack she'd taught herself - a variation on the
'flying chestnut fists' which was not as fast, but twice as powerful.
Nabiki blocked. Shampoo didn't know how she did it, but every one of
her blows was precisely countered. Not a single one of the hundreds she
attempted was able to connect.
"Give it up," said the self-proclaimed cyborg. "You're eighty years
too late to defeat me." Again, that unnerving smile. That awful grin made
Shampoo want to bash her teeth in. And she would have, too, if she'd been
able to hit.
Tired from a full minute of continuous performance of the special
attack, Shampoo fell into a crouch, and breathed heavily. Maybe Nabiki
was right. If she couldn't hit, even with THAT strike, maybe she WAS
getting too old.
The self-proclaimed cyborg stepped forward slowly.
"It was a mistake to lay your hands on me, Shampoo."
One leg in front of the other, methodically, mechanically...
"Normally I can't attack, but since you initiated combat..."
Almost as if fighting some invisible drag, she pressed onwards, while
the Amazon merely narrowed her eyes and tensed her muscles.
"I am being threatened by your actions, Shampoo. My existence is at
stake."
Perdita raised her arm and prepared to strike-
When she was herself struck down.
Every circuit in her seemed to burst at the same time, paralysing her
with agonising pain. Her limbs twitched violently, sending her into a
caricature of a waltz, while the others watched. She saw them with only
partly-functioning eyes, that flipped randomly through the spectra - first
the warm tones of infra-red, then the cold of UV scans, on to their bones
from the beta-scan, and more. But in all these modes, she was puzzled,
for though they were surprised, they seemed... They seemed to have
expected this...
Slowly, the bolts of pain began to fuse and expand, until they covered
her whole anatomy, supplanting all other sensory information. Her vision,
too, grew blurred, only to focus again, but...
<Within?>
She turned her head, trying to see... And she saw, but not what was
outside, not what was REAL...
Images floated past her, from her nightmares... Kasumi, Akane, the
Doctor, and Belladonna... Then images... Images that couldn't be, twisted
dreams that saw her guiltless, but worse than that, that cursed her to a
futile death, and to a meaningless, if blameless life-after.
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the tempting illusions,
but it only made it worse. It'd be so easy, it made such sense... But...
They changed. From her past, to the present. The Thompson girl, and
the Gosunkugi. They looked at her, the gaijin angrily and the pale one
with... With Evil?
<What... But I don't... What's happening to me?>
The girl with a white stripe through her hair pulled out a golden
dagger, and raised it high before sending it crashing down-
To be caught by Ranma. Thompson's image flickered, turning to
Saotome's, and back, furiously, violently, until one couldn't tell which
one was looking at...
And then there was Akane, in the dress she'd died in... Wet, just
dredged from the river, and beckoning... Beckoning her to join her,
teasing her, gesturing towards the Ranma half before her...
Nabiki Tendo raised her arm to touch her sister's hand...
"PERDITA!!!"
At the sound of her new name, there was a flash, and with it went the
pain, the memories - and the visions. The cyborg dropped to her knees and
breathed heavily, exhausted.
After a few seconds, she looked up.
"Pai? What are YOU doing here?"
"I... I was just here to visit uncle Antacid..."
"UNCLE Antacid?"
"He works here, and I thought I'd... Wait. Aren't YOU the one who
should be explaining? You were about to attack aunt Shampoo!"
"AUNT Shampoo? Listen, kiddo, I might buy the uncle Antacid (boy, the
Joketsuzoku must be desperate for names), but I doubt he's married to
that... To that..." She pointed at Shampoo, but her voice trailed off as
she noticed she and Ranma staring at her.
Clearing her throat, she stood up and smoothed her clothes.
"I just CALL them aunt and uncle; it's really just a title of
affection."
"Pai! You know crazy maniac woman?" Shampoo seemed indignant. Ranma
seemed confused.
"I work with her, at the- " Perdita glared at her. "I work with her."
"Care to tell me exactly why you came to the Nekohanten at one in the
morning?"
"You're not the only one who works odd hours, and I have to visit
family when I can. Care to tell me the same, 'Dita?"
Perdita grunted.
"I was... Hungry for ramen."
"Uh-huh. Whatever. Look, what do you say we forget about all this and
head back to the K-" Another glare. "To work?" She grinned. "I'm sure
Auntie can make us some ramen to take back. Right?"
Shampoo nodded in silence, but her eyes seemed less than amused.
* * * * *
[University of Tokyo Commerce Building - Basement]
'I was... Hungry for ramen.'
'Uh-huh. Whatever. Look, what do you say we forget about this and head
back to the K- ... To work? I'm sure Auntie can make us some ramen to take
back. Right?'
"That's enough for me Tei," said Zannen, a broad smile across her
face. "Set the rest on record and I'll watch it in the morning."
"It IS the morning."
"The afternoon, then. I need my beauty sleep."
"Very well." Tei tapped a few buttons and the view-screen went dark.
"I must admit," she said, "that it's quite a relief Perdita seems to know
nothing about the jump."
"A BIG relief. I'm afraid I'm not all that up on my genetics,
though. Any ideas about that clone?"
"Now that I know Shampoo is involved, it shouldn't be too difficult
to obtain the information we need." Buru placed her elbows on her desk
and cradled her chin in her hands.
"Something bothering you?"
"A lot of things."
"Like what? We don't know who or what jumped, true, but considering
it's the Nekohanten, it's probably some old Chinese artefact that caused
it, and if it's magical, there shouldn't be too much trouble correcting
the..."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"What, then?"
"It's... Nothing, really... Just... I'll be fine. I just need to be
alone."
"If you say so." Zannen got off the couch and walked to the door.
"If you need me, you know where to find me. I'm always there, if you want
someone to talk to."
"Thank-you, Zannen."
"And... I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier... I... Should have trusted
you more than that."
Buru waved the apology away.
"You did what you had to. It certainly LOOKED like the Mirror."
The Hibiki nodded.
"I'll send Childra to investigate later," she said, then stepped
through the door, and tapped it shut lightly.
Tei sat in the darkness for a few minutes, unmoving. There was a lot
to consider, a lot to analyse and work on. She didn't want to be hasty,
but now that she KNEW... She'd suspected, of course, and feared it, but...
Here was testimony from so many sources, so many UNDENIABLE sources...
Tendo Perdita was Tendo Nabiki.
Tendo Nabiki was Tendo Perdita.
Her fears, her hopes had both come to life, and in one and the same
body. It was difficult to deal with, but she'd try.
She'd try...
With a sigh, she turned on her desktop computer and began to scan the
databases. A new game was beginning, and she had to plan her strategy.
* * * * *
After making sure the hover-car was out of visual range - out of
ENHANCED visual range - the girl hopped down from her branch and dusted
herself off, wishing she'd worn something a bit more substantial than her
synthetic black body-suit to protect her from the cold. Oh, well.
Couldn't be helped; when stealth was required, one had to make do.
In any case, the information she had obtained was more than worth the
trouble. If nothing else, there seemed to be some way of disabling the
Onocorp cyborgs, or some fatal flaw in their programming. That had been
a grotesque spectacle to watch, but a fruitful one.
With a smile on her face, she started back uptown, singing an old tune
in a sweet alto voice:
"But shall I go mourn for that, my dear?
The pale moon shines by night;
And when I wander here and there,
I then do most go right.
If tinkers may have leave to live
And bear the sow-skin budget,
Then my account I well may give
And in the stocks avouch it."
==========================================================================
TO BE CONTINUED IN RANMA 2096, EPISODE VI: MORNING'S MINION
==========================================================================
Credits: First off, credit goes to Rogue1 for many, many plot ideas.
Secondly, Chris Davies pointed out some problems in the alpha draft with
Kim's voice mail, the title and various details of projects R and SE.
Reid Carson provided some useful nitpicking, while Rui Madeira had
invaluable information on the nocturnal habits of humanus muliebris, and
Wayne Pillion was very thorough in his critique of the piece, as usual. :)
The Converging Series crew is responsible for all the twists that grew out
of that collaboration. I'm afraid the only specific ones I can remember
are Zannen being head of EH, the name 'exploratory history' itself (Ross
McKenzie), hovercars and the Deep Forest Preserve in 2096 (RpM), and a
less than prudish Akane (Kunoichi). The character 'Pai' was created by
Jeff Hosmer, and all quotations are from William Shakespeare's 'The
Winter's Tale' (one of my favourite plays). Cpt Kangarooski changed
Zannen's communicator from a cube to a card. Elizabeth Christian taught
me that it IS possible to reduce the number of ellipses in a paragraph and
improve the narration, and Sable was suggested by Erin Mills.
Author's notes:
Usually, I put in a 'music listened to while writing' section, but
this episode has been written and revised in so many fits that I can't
even remember anymore... One thing's for certain - One of the main musical
influences on the piece was Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 in D minor,
D. 810 'Death and the Maiden', and that's where the title comes from. :)
Also important was Strauss's 'Tod und Verklarung' (Death and Trans-
figuration), op 24., and at present I am listening to Saint-Saens's
'Danse Macabre' and Gounod's 'Funeral March of a Marionette'. :)
About the quotations... The first one, from Shelley, I thought was
particularly apt, and is in fact my favorite piece of poetry, period. I
work hard to find appropriate introductory/closing quotes for my stories,
and this one fit in very well, since the C-Ko and Akane sought Ranma, and
found them, since we have Akane meet Nabiki again, and so on.
As for the quotes in the BODY of the story - 'The Winter's Tale',
apart from 'Hamlet', is my favourite play by the Bard, and all quotes,
including the final song, come from it. I strongly reccomend reading it,
if you haven't done so already. It's odd in that the first half is a
tragedy, and the second is a comedy, and it has some of the most wonderful
characters I've come across. Leontes, Autolycus, Perdita (yep, that's
where the name comes from), Florizel... Truly a wonderful story, and
much-neglected.
Well... That's enough ranting from me on the quotes. I have only one
other bit of house-keeping to do.
Each week, I get at least one request for episode IV. I would like to
point out, definitively, for the last time, that episode IV was a
'gagfic'. It was never meant to be complete, and I stuck in the 'ERR 101:
UNEXPECTED END-OF-FILE' line myself. I would think that two of my main
characters jumping into an alternate universe in the middle of a story
constitutes an unexpected EOF, ne? ;)
'Converging Series', which is being written by Ross McKenzie, Kevin
Eav, Kunoichi, RpM and myself among others, is the OFFICIAL continuation
of Rat and Childra's adventures. In other words, it falls into R2096
continuity and will affect the plot of the series drastically, so pay
close attention. There'll be a test afterwards. ;) A prelude (labeled as
'side-story') and two acts have already been released, and the third is
on its way. For those of you who missed them, or deleted them not
realising what they were, you may find them at the Converging Series web
page:
http://www.uh.edu/~rpm/converging_series
Also there are sketches of all the main characters - to wit, Ryo Muhoshin,
from RpM's 'The More Things Change', Ishido, from Kevin Eav's 'The Way
Things Are', Miyabi, from Kunoichi's 'Ranma Nibun no Ichi' lemon series,
Rat and Childra from R2096, and Ryo Saotome, from Ross McKenzie's superb
'Descents and Inversions', which is available on RAAC.
That's it for now...
As always, I jump up and joy with glee whenever I get feedback for my
tales... If you want to see how I type when I'm bouncing, send some e-mail
to:
4cw6@qlink.queensu.ca
Even flames will be welcome. :) [Come to think of it, it's flames that
have led to some of the most interesting R2096 stories... @.@]
On another note, I've had people ask where they can reach me online.
If you really want to talk to me real-time, I'm often on at RanmaMUCK
(ranma.muck.com 1212) as 'Ratiko'.
Yours,
Christopher Willmore
December 4th, 1996