Ranma 1/2: Shadowrunner
By: James "Phoenix" Jones
Chapter 1: Prelude to the Run.
This story takes place in the year 2053.
< > Indicates thoughts.
**** Indicates Scene changes
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Tokyo. A dark patch of steel and concrete, sprawled unceremoniously across the land, its dark, foreboding buildings spreading over the earth as if it were a malignant cancer. Broken sunlight weakly forced its way through the polluted cloud cover to cast long shadows over the city and its inhabitants. In the streets, millions of humans and metahumans scurry like ants as they try to earn a living by enslaving themselves to the city's corporate overlords. Around the citizens, shadows cast by the monolithic buildings of the MegaCorporation, hide the seedier denizens that prey upon the corporate and common alike. For them, every day is a game of survival.
Each is a part of the unique dance of life that characterizes the cities of the Sixth World. In and out of dark buildings they move; most disappearing into the steel towers of the MegaCorporation, while others vanish into the shadows. From atop the towers, men and women contemplate the city and how to increase their already tight control on it and its resources. To them, the city is a means to make money and exert their power as self-appointed gods. Still, it is their home and, by some twisted logic, they loved it.
One man though, watched the city with contempt and loathing.
The man cared nothing for the city nor any of its inhabitants. To him, each person was either a usable pawn or an easily eliminated obstacle. Crossing his arms, he stared out the window at the rapidly fading sunlight and smiled maliciously.
<Someday,> he thought coldly. <Someday, I will find a use for this blasted place.> Turning from the window, he looked back into the visage of his gigantic office. A massive void, more space than any one person should need, stared back. Looking around, he settled his gaze on his desk monitor. Again, he smiled. Of all the commodities that one could acquire in this world, data was the most valuable, and the most dangerous. Sitting, he slowly began to read.
To: Director Herb
From: Security Chief Taro
Subject: Shadowrun Investigation
Director Herb, I regret to inform you that the investigation into the recent string of shadowruns directed at us has, unfortunately proceeded slowly and we have found very little in the way of information. On the attached file, I have included all security camera and data log information accumulated in the last time allotment. We have also compiled a listing of names of each person whom we have assigned to the areas who could possibly have aided the runner(s). However, I regret to inform you that it is still woefully incomplete. Please accept my apologies and please forgive the delay.
Staring coldly at the screen, Herb made a mental note to think of a suitable punishment for his security chief's tardiness. That, however, would wait until later. For the moment, he had more important matters with which to concern himself.
In the past three months, his Corporation had been targeted by over twenty shadowruns. In that time, he had lost more data than he would have liked to admit and the fact was infuriating. To say he was simply angry would have been a gross misconception.
The data itself did not worry him; the lost information was mostly minor accounts and research projects. Although it was a sizable loss, the data was insignificant and hardly worth his attention. The problem, resulted from the fact that the runners had skipped dangerously close to his more "sensitive" project. Even worse, they seemed to be getting closer each time.
Pressing the intercom, Herb said, "Miss Kurenai, tell Security Chief Taro meet me in my office immediately."
"Yes, Sir." The speaker chimed.
Standing, Herb turned to face the window. Crossing his arms, he focused his gaze on the now completely dark skyline. A moment later, he heard the door open.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?"
"That is correct, Taro. I have a matter of utmost urgency for you to attend to," Herb said without turning. "Of course, I believe you are already aware of the matter to which I am referring."
"Yes, Sir," Taro replied nervously.
Herb laughed inwardly; he could almost smell the fear emanating from his security chief. All of Herb's high ranking employees knew his secret, and the knowledge made them fear him even more. He could not suppress the feeling of joy that fear gave him.
"I am most displeased with your progress, Taro," he said, "or perhaps, I should say the lack thereof."
Taro gulped nervously and said, "I'm sorry, Sir. But with the lack of information, our search has gone slowly and...," he fell silent as Herb turned to face him. The look in Herb's eyes dared Taro to speak and promised consequences should he do so. Wisely, Taro refrained from speaking.
Herb stared coldly at Taro before speaking. Taro was, as usual, dressed in clothes that appeared more like combat fatigues than a business uniform; a sidearm hung on his right hip. The man's brown hair was messy and his face bore scars from numerous battles. Herb reluctantly admitted that Taro could be useful, but he did not have to look as if he was ready for a war! Of course, Herb could not exactly criticize his employee's dress code. After all, the brightly colored Kimono he himself wore gave the appearance that he had just walked out of a pre-awakened samurai movie. Still, now was not the time to dwell on fashion sense.
"I do not wish to hear excuses, Taro," Herb said, his deep voice echoing in the vast office.
"But, Sir!" Taro began, "I-I..."
Herb held up his hand for silence and fixed Taro with a malicious stare. "You are not unique, Taro," he said, "and if you cannot perform your duty as my security chief, I can and _will_ replace you!"
"S-Sir, you can't mean..." Taro began, his usually deep voice breaking from the nervousness.
"Oh, but I do," Herb replied, letting his voice drop several octaves to emphasize the point. He felt his eyes flash as Taro began to shake visibly. "Tell me, do you have any new information?"
"No, Sir," Taro began, trying to sound calm, "all we know is that each of the shadowruns has had the same method of operation. Thus, we can assume that it is the same runner or runners on all occasions."
"Never assume, Taro. That is the one way to truly frag _any_ operation!"
"Y-yes, Sir." Taro replied meekly.
"Is there anything else, Taro?"
Taro began to answer when his mobile phone suddenly rang. As if on automatic, Taro reached for the unit, but stopped suddenly to look at Herb. A moment later, as Herb nodded, Taro answered the call.
As Taro talked, Herb considered which of his opposing corporations could be behind the runs. Dealings in the past had made him many enemies and any one of them could be the instigator of the runs. The obvious answer was Saffron Metaphysical Research Inc., one of his long standing competitors. In the past, Saffron had cost him nearly one billion nuyen by crashing the datastore on a project he had under development; however, he immediately dismissed the thought. Saffron dedicated nearly all of its time to magical research; unlike Jusenkyo Cybernetics Development that, legally, dealt in scientific research and development. Since the stolen data had nothing to do with magical research, it made no sense for Saffron to want it.
The next thought was the Togenkyo Meditech Corporation; but, again, he dismissed the thought. Togenkyo had recently come under very bad publicity by marketing a new drug without proper testing first. It was true that finding out some of Jusenkyo's secrets would take the heat off Togenkyo for a while at least. Still, with Shadowbeat breathing down his neck nearly twenty-four seven, Herb doubted that Togenkyo's director could do more than turn around without attracting attention.
He turned the list over and over in his mind, however, none of the choices seemed logical. It could be one of the MegaCorporations, but they had their own problems to deal with. Of course, he also had enough security locks on the project to patrol half of Japan; thus the event of a competitor finding the project was very unlikely. Then again, it was highly probable the stolen data's proximity to the project had been coincidence; but Herb did not believe in coincidence. Thus, as a precaution, he had moved all the files to a secure area. Experience, after all, was a very harsh teacher.
Finally, after several minutes of deliberation, Herb decided that it did not matter which corporation or MegaCorporation was funding the runners. All that mattered was that the runners were a thorn in his side. A thorn he would take great pleasure in removing.
"Sir?"
Herb suddenly snapped back to reality at Taro's word. "Yes?" He asked.
"That was one of my men down at the security station," Taro said, "I've had them analyzing the matrix logs from the areas that were targeted."
"Your point?" Herb asked impatiently.
"They finally managed to unscramble an unauthorized name in the files."
At the words, Herb's eyes brightened noticeably. In his mind, he was already rending the person limb from limb. "The name!" He commanded.
"Nabiki," Taro answered, "we haven't been able to get a last name yet."
Taking a seat, Herb rested his chin on his hands and said, "It would appear that you have just lengthened your life expectancy, Taro." He paused as Taro let out a relieved sigh. "It does not matter that you do not have this person's last name. I want you to find out everything you can though. I believe we may have found our runner."
"I'll get to work on it immediately," Taro announced.
"You have three hours, Taro," Herb said coldly.
"S-sir," Taro stammered, "I'm afraid that that will be impossible!"
Herb made no response immediately; instead, he let out a low, guttural laugh. Suddenly, he shot to his feet, toppling the chair, as he slammed his fist into the desk. A crack resonated through the office. Taro took an involuntary step backwards as Herb's eyes flash bright red.
"I did not give you a choice," Herb said, his voice cold enough to freeze blood. Looking forward, he watched Taro slowly backing away and he laughed again. Raising his arm, Herb muttered a few words as his eyes blazed with an inhuman glow.
A moment later, Taro screamed in pain and doubled over, clutching at his stomach. Straightening his chair, Herb resumed sitting as he watched Taro writhe in pain. <The Agonizing Pain spell is always a useful way of making a point.> He thought as Taro slowly dragged himself back into a standing position.
"Have I made my point clear, Taro?" Herb asked.
"P-p-perfectly," Taro said through clenched teeth.
"Excellent," Herb replied. Looking at his desk clock, he said, "You now have two hours and fifty-seven minutes, Taro. I suggest you hurry."
Without a word, Taro vacated the room as quickly as his legs would carry him. As he watched the retreating form, Herb began to laugh maliciously. Soon, very soon, he would have the information he needed to eliminate the shadowrunners that had been plaguing him. After that... well... time was not truly against him. A few more days meant nothing.
****
Dark streets moved by in a blur as gunshots rang in her ears. She was running; running faster than she had ever run in her life. Her lungs burned from exertion, and her legs felt like lead. Still, she kept running. Behind her, she could hear the shouts of the Lone Stars chasing her.
Mentally, she screamed at herself for having lost her pistol during the fire-fight; but that was a worry for another time. When they had split, one of her team was already down - probably dead - and two more were wounded. What in heaven's name had possessed them to take a run in gang territory?
As she moved, she tried to answer her question. The obvious answer was that Mr. Johnson had offered them thirty-thousand nuyen for the job; a sizable sum. She, however, could not keep herself from thinking about the real reason. The whole team, herself included, wanted to find out just how good they really were.
<Guess we found out, didn't we?> She thought to herself.
They had expected chop but, surprisingly, the only conflict they had run into had been two metahumans spoiling for a fight. That conflict, however, died quickly and the rest of the gangs where shying away from them. Then, the Lone Stars arrived.
The rent-a-cops had seen her team, figured they were out to cause trouble, and decided to open fire. This, of course, had started an all out territory war with every gang in the neighborhood. Vincent went down in the first minute and she had just barely missed being blind-sided by an Ork.
What had kept her alive at the time, was Kinnosuke telling them to scramble. Without looking back, she had obeyed the order.
Scrambling out of a fire fight half-cocked was always a mistake. In her haste, she had dropped her palm pistol and knife. She still had her Mono-whip, but that was not much good in close quarters. Her second mistake had been running into the alleyway. Everyone knew the alleys in Tokyo were a maze that would make Daedalus jealous!
Suddenly, she stopped as a wall appeared before her. Frag it all! She had taken a wrong turn, somewhere. Spinning on her heal, she prepared to double back but stopped abruptly as the Lone Star ran out of the alleyway and turned to face her. The Lone Star had her trapped and she new it.
Flicking her wrist, she revealed her mono-whip and unwound it. The gesture, however, proved fruitless as the Lone Star raised his weapon and fired. She had no time to dodge as searing pain erupted in her chest.
****
Nabiki bolted upright with a strangled gasp. Reflexively, her hand went to her chest to make sure she was still in one piece. Her touch brushed the slap patches the covered most of her torso and she winced. Even after all the healing time and slap patches, there was still pain. Her breath came in short, painful rasps, aggravating the fire that already burned in her lungs. It almost felt as if she were trying to breathe through water.
Finally, after a few moments, Nabiki managed to bring her breathing under control. Immediately, she began to shiver. Wiping her hand across her forehead, she found herself bathed in cold sweat. Sliding out from under her sheet, she stood up shakily.
Moving slowly through the sparsely furnished apartment, Nabiki silently made her way to the bathroom. Turning on the light, she blinked quickly as light stung her eyes; however, she still managed to stumble to the sink and turn on the water.
Scooping some of the icy liquid into her hands, she splashed it across her face; the contact causing the shivers to increase dramatically. She could feel her legs growing weak and quickly grabbed the sides of the sink to steady herself. Raising her head, she stared at the mirror; she looked terrible. Her skin was almost dead white and she could just barely make out the trickles of water running down her face.
"Just a dream," she said to herself. "That's all it was."
Every night. It had been two weeks and every night she had had the same dream; or was it a memory. In the back of her mind, she was no longer sure what to call it. She had not had a good night's sleep since it happened and fatigue was beginning to take its toll. Over and over, she told herself it was a dream.
Only it _wasn't_ a dream. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, the dream had been real. She knew it, the bandages on her chest were the proof. Slowly, she released her grip on the sink and dropped to the floor. Leaning heavily against the wall, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her head chin on her arms, she slowly rocked back and forth as the shivers began to die.
After her last run, she had been having the same nightmare. Even now, two weeks later, she could still feel her organs being shredded by the white hot metal of over a dozen bullets. She began to cry at the thought and silently cursed herself for doing so. Losing control of her emotions always made her feel weak.
Ever since she was ten years old, Nabiki had always kept a tight grip on her emotions. Her cold-hearted nature had lost her numerous friends who, at the time, started calling her "Ice Queen." The memory made her cry even more.
"Nabiki?"
At the sound of her name, Nabiki looked up to face the speaker. "I-in here," she said softly when she did not see anyone.
Immediately, Kinnosuke entered the bathroom; through her tears, Nabiki could just barely see his worried expression. Taking the initiative, she jumped up quickly and ran to him. As she wrapped her arms around him, she buried her head in his chest and continued to cry. A moment later, she felt his strong arms wrap around her as he returned her embrace.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his deep voice filled with concern.
Unable to answer, Nabiki simply shook her head and let the tears continue to flow. Normally, she would be cursing herself for showing so much weakness. However, this _was_ Kinnosuke, the one person with whom she could let down her defenses. Wordlessly, she tightened her embrace, hoping to absorb some of the warmth from his bare torso.
Tightening his grip, Kinnosuke rested his chin on her head and stroked her hair soothingly. He knew that something was wrong; Nabiki rarely, if ever, showed this much emotion. He loved her dearly, but he always felt helpless at times like these.
"Bad dreams again?" He asked.
She nodded slowly and Kinnosuke kissed her lightly on the top of her head. Stepping back a little, he looked at the loose T-shirt Nabiki wore. Smiling, he said, "Come on, lets get you out of here before you freeze."
Loosening her grip, Nabiki stepped back and allowed him to lead her back to the bedroom. Once there, Kinnosuke took the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her. Sitting down, Nabiki again latched onto him as they leaned against the headboard. As she felt his arms encircle her, she tightened her embrace.
"Come on Nab-chan," he said, his voice calm and soothing. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"
Despite herself, Nabiki grinned and choked out, "Kinn?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't call me that," she said, a laugh mixing with her sobs. "I hate that name."
Kinnosuke smiled and patted her shoulder. "I always could make you laugh," he said.
Nabiki nodded slightly and pulled a little away from him, wrapping the sheet tighter around herself as the chill set in again. "I-I'm sorry," she said.
"What for?"
"T-this," she said, "I- I- don't mean to be...."
"Shhh, it's okay," Kinnosuke replied. "It's okay... shhh, you're safe. I'm here."
Nabiki smiled and leaned against him. As his arm encircled her again, she rested her head on his shoulder. Of all the inconsistencies in her life over the last few years, Kinnosuke was the one person who was always there for her. The two had been together for over three years and she could say, honestly, that she loved him; even though he could be stubborn at times.
"You were thinking about the run, weren't you?" Kinnosuke asked.
"Uh-huh," Nabiki replied.
"Don't worry about it, Nabiki," he said. "You'll be fine, Doc already said there's no permanent damage."
Nabiki did not answer immediately. Slowly, she rubbed her left arm and rolled up her sleeve; beneath it, a large tear in the synthetic skin revealed the metallic gleam of a cyber-arm. "Even if the damage was permanent," she said, "I don't think I could take much more cyberware in me. This arm and my datajack are enough."
Kinnosuke nodded. "Don't worry," he said.
"I can't help it," Nabiki replied shakily. "I- I'm scared! I mean, what if you hadn't gotten there when you did? What if one of those shots was an inch farther to the left? What if...." She trailed off as Kinnosuke put a finger to her lips, silencing her.
"That's all in the past," he said, "but these dreams aren't. Nabiki, you're really beginning to worry me."
"I- I know."
"Nabiki," he said, "you can't keep this up much longer. I know a couple of shamans downtown who might be able to...."
"NO!" Nabiki screamed, pushing away from him. "No shamans! No mages! You know that!"
Kinnosuke stared at her, stunned. In never ceased to amaze him how quickly Nabiki could change emotions. That's when it hit him. "Oh, drek, Nabiki!" He said. "I'm sorry! I- I forgot all about that!"
Shaking her head, Nabiki said, "That's okay, Kinn. But, you... you know how I feel about magic." She paused and motioned to her cyber-arm. A moment later, she leaned back against him and said, "These dreams are worrying me. But no matter what, no magic. Okay?"
Kinnosuke hugged her tightly and said, "Okay, Nabiki. I promise, no magic."
Nabiki exhaled in relief and snuggled closer. As she did, she went over the words of what she was about to say. There were numerous ways to sugarcoat her decision, but she decided the direct approach was best. "Kinn?" She said, apprehensively.
Kinnosuke did not answer. Nabiki moved away and, pulling the sheet tighter to her chest, turned to face him. "I want out," she said.
"What?" Kinnosuke asked, not fully comprehending.
"I can't take this anymore," she said, "no more runs, Kinn!"
"Nabiki..., why?"
Wordlessly, Nabiki unwrapped the sheet and lifted her shirt. Putting the garment to one side she indicated her chest, blushing slightly. Her right breast, shoulder and midriff were each covered in dozens of bandages and slap patches. From under the bandages, ugly black bruises marred her skin. "This is why," she said.
Kinnosuke nodded silently.
"We have enough money to live for a while, Kinn," she said. "Plus, we both have degrees, it can't be that hard to find legit jobs again. I mean... that's why we became runners in the first place."
"I understand," Kinnosuke replied. As he did, he could not help smiling as he realized how much Nabiki had changed. When he met her, she had been a materialistic mercenary that cared little for anything other than money. Over the years though, she had lost that ignoble trait and it made him happy. He also knew that he was the only person with whom she would let her emotions show and that made her change even better.
"We have to tell the team," he said calmly.
"You aren't mad?" Nabiki asked.
Without answering, Kinnosuke moved forward and kissed her. "Never," he said as he broke the kiss.
Retrieving her shirt, Nabiki kissed him back and curled up next to him. In her heart, she knew she had made the right choice; she also knew she was safe with Kinnosuke by her side. That night, for the first time in two weeks, her dreams were peaceful.
****
A wise man once said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the Sixth World, this saying could not have been more perfectly applied. The dawn heralded a day that promised to be dark and dismal as polluted rain weakly fell against the glass window overlooking the city. Even before the awakening, Japan had always seemed to attract rain like a magnet. The intervening years had done nothing to change that fact.
Herb watched the rain silently. Although he was loath to admit it, the rain was the one thing that made him feel at ease with the world. Of all the evils that he had done and endured, the rain was always there with its soft, ever-changing melody.
Turning to one side, he lifted an ancient teapot and proceeded to fill a mug with a steaming green liquid. Replacing the teapot, he gently lifted the cup to his lips. As he drank, he allowed a warm smile to spread across his face.
<Why can days not be like this more often,> he mused. <Polluted or not, rain is always a beautiful thing.> Herb leaned back in his chair calmly, surprised at how philosophical he sounded. Behind him, he heard the door slowly creep open and briefly considered turning around. Immediately, he dismissed the thought; he already knew who had entered the office.
Replacing the tea cup on the tray, he folded his arms across his chest and said, "The report, Taro."
Behind him, he heard Taro clear his throat before speaking. "We were able to find
fifteen persons with the name Nabiki. We already eliminated seven due to age; four of them where less than eight years old and the three others are all in their late eighties. Three more where listed on coroners' reports, the latest of which is dated ten days ago. Two more are in high standing positions at various MegaCorporations and are unlikely do to... um... delicate positions they hold."
"What about the other three?"
"Sir?"
"Seven, plus three, plus two equals twelve, Taro," Herb chided. "You are missing three candidates."
"I- I was just getting to that," said Taro, apprehensively. He swallowed nervously as Herb chuckled slightly.
"Then, by all means, continue," Herb commanded.
"Two of the remaining Nabikis do not seem likely candidates because they live in places that are too far from any of the targets to make effective escapes in time without drawing attention. The last one, however, is the one I believe to be the target. Her name is Nabiki Tendo and, according to her records, she is an expert computer programmer formerly employed by the Fuchi MegaCorporation. The information also states that she lost her job when they made some cutbacks four years ago. Also, according to the information, she currently has no legitimate job. At least, none that anyone knows of."
"A very likely candidate indeed, Taro," Herb responded. "Very well, continue with this lead and take whatever steps necessary. Do not, however, presume to eliminate her outright. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly."
"You know what to do then?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then, you are dismissed, Taro."
As he heard Taro run from the office, Herb refilled the teacup and began to drink. The liquid was beginning to cool and thus was acquiring a slightly bitter taste. Still, it soothed his mind and let him think of other things. Things like the suffering he was about to inflict on another hapless pawn.
<Pawns,> he thought. <Hmm... why not?>
Replacing the teacup, he turned to one side and reached for the bottom drawer of the desk. Opening it revealed a beautiful chessboard made of black and white marble. Removing it, he marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship and wondered about the skill required to form a piece of art so flawlessly. Each piece of marble was perfectly square and fit with the others so that there was not a single joining line visible on the entire board.
Pivoting in the chair, Herb placed the board reverently on the desk. Every person who saw the board said he gave the ancient game more reverence than it deserved, but he did not care. Reaching back into his desk, he withdrew a medium size box formed of solid rosewood. As he set the box down, Herb leaned back to acknowledge its beauty; namely, the smooth, elegantly carved dragons covering the box's surface.
Opening the box, he stared at its contents. Inside, thirty-two chess pieces rested on a lining of red velvet. Reaching into the box cautiously, Herb selected one of the pieces and lifted it out for inspection.
The selected piece, a queen, presented itself before him. Unlike western chess-sets, which used faceless pieces, this set had a different face carved onto each piece. The queen, hand carved from single piece of white marble, bore the likeness of a young woman in flowing Chinese robes. In the half light of the office, the shadows over the figurine almost made it seem alive.
Smiling coldly, Herb placed the figure on the side of the board farthest from him. A moment later, he retrieved the remaining pieces and placed each one in its proper square. The set was a masterpiece to behold. The white pieces, each hand carved, resembled members of one of the ancient Chinese dynasties. By contrast, the black pieces each resembled fanciful creature from Chinese mythology. In a rare moment of weakness, he gazed at the board and smiled warmly.
Shaking his head, he angrily cursed himself. Although the board was beautiful, it held the dark side of those who had invented the game. Chess was a game designed upon the principle of war. A principle Herb knew well; far _too_ well.
Resting his chin on his hand, Herb looked closely at the black pieces before him. In place of the king, the imposing visage of a wingless dragon hovered ominously above the other pieces. Herb laughed maliciously. He did not know what had caused the set's maker to use a dragon, but he could think of no piece more appropriate. Reaching out, he took hold of a pawn, carved to resemble a grinning oni, and slowly slid it forward one space.
"First move," he said calmly.
The game had begun.
****
Nabiki looked around the room with apprehension. Kinnosuke sat beside her with his arm held protectively on her shoulders. Around her, the remaining four members of her Shadowrunner Team sat in nervous silence.
Looking over them, Nabiki could not help but smile. <How am I gonna do this?> She asked herself nervously. Although she had already resolved to quit running, she was not sure what the reactions of her friends would be. She had known them each for a long time, and did not want to lose them. Cautiously, she looked them over.
Jennifer "Indigo" Star, sat in the lotus position at on the floor. As usual, the young samurai dressed in a pair of tight black pants and a white shirt, with her long hair thrown over one shoulder. Next to Jennifer, sat Jubei "Wolf" Akodo, a former security guard and a long time friend of Kinnosuke. As usual, he wore a modest suit composed of beige slacks and a blue, button-up shirt. Idly, he twirled a combat knife as he waited for the announcement.
On the counter above him, Hanzo "Remote" Shiba, nervously typed numbers into his wrist computer. Nabiki could tell that he was thinking because the young rigger's arms shook constantly.
Standing behind Remote, an ork known only as Jasper stared nervously out the apartment's front window.
"So what's the deal, Nabiki?" Indigo asked, breaking the ice. "You call us over here without word one of explanation, what's up? You gonna kill us all with suspense?"
Casting a nervous glance at Kinnosuke, Nabiki quickly mused over her word choice. In response, Kinnosuke squeezed her hand affectionately. "We... that is... Kinn and I have an announcement," she said a length.
"When's the wedding?" Wolf asked, his face breaking into a cheeky smile.
"Wedding! Ha!" Jasper retorted. "Those two are already joined at the hip! Why do they need to be married?"
"Oh, shut up, Jasper!" Indigo shouted. "Let the girl talk." Turning back to Nabiki, Indigo's face broke out into a feral grin as she asked, "So... when is the wedding?"
Rolling her eyes, Nabiki said "Um... that isn't what we were talking about."
"So what are you t-talking a-about?" Remote stuttered.
Taking a deep breath, Nabiki answered, "Kinn and I... well... we've decided that..."
"Yes?" Asked the group.
"Well... we're retiring!" Nabiki shouted at length. The announcement, of course, had the desired effect.
"Retiring!?" Shouted the group in perfect unison.
Nabiki and Kinnosuke nodded.
"What... when... why...?" Wolf stammered.
Before Nabiki could answer, Kinnosuke spoke up. "Nabiki and I got into this so that we could get enough money to get by till we managed to find new jobs. We've got enough money for a while so... well... we're just getting out."
"Rakk that," said Jasper. Immediately, all eyes turned to him. "You lost your nerve Nabiki," he said. "You take few slugs in the chest and you freeze. That ain't no reason to quite."
"Hey, frag off Jasper!" Shouted Indigo. "Nabiki ain't built like you, drek for brains! It ain't like she's got steel for skin or nothin'!"
"And who says I do!?" Jasper retorted.
"Don't feed me that, Jasper! You've got three levels of dermal under your ugly mug!"
"Why you little..."
"Both of you shut up!" Shouted Kinnosuke. "The reasons don't matter. The fact is that we're leaving and that is that!"
The room fell silent at Kinnosuke's words. Nabiki, still refusing to show anger, looked at them all in quiet disdain.
"Well... if that's the way you want it, Nabiki," said Indigo, "then I guess all I can say is good luck."
"I'll second that," Jasper added. "Sorry I jumped on your case."
Nabiki nodded and smiled. Finally, Remote spoke up. "I-I wish you l-luck too Nabiki-chan, but before you d-do, are y-you up for one l-last run?"
Nabiki shook her head.
"Even if the pay off is at least six million?"
"You're kidding right?" Asked Wolf.
"N-no, I g-got a call today f-from our f-fixer... a girl w-wants to h-hire us for s-six m-million."
Again, Nabiki shook her head. Six million was a tempting offer, but she had to keep her resolve. "I- I can't," she said at length.
"Nabiki..." said Indigo. "Six million! That's a million apiece! With yours and Kinnosuke's share, the two of you can live like royalty for years!"
Nabiki continued to shake her head, she didn't dare speak for fear of her voice breaking.
"What's the particulars?" Asked Wolf.
"Damn it, Wolf!" Nabiki shouted. "I said I'm not doing it!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Wolf looked at her and said "It can't hurt just to hear about it.
"But..."
"T-the girl d-didn't say," Remote said, cutting off Nabiki. "S-she contacted m-me through a f-fixer. Her only r-request was t-that Nabiki m-meet with her p-personally."
"Why me?" Nabiki asked.
"D-didn't say f-for sure. The f-fixer just s-said the girl h-had heard of your r-reputation."
"No way," Nabiki retorted.
"Just make the deal, Nabiki!" Said Jasper. "The rest of us can do the run... it's cake!"
Turning to Jasper, Remote shook his head and said, "N-no can do, J-Jasper. W-what if w-we need a d-decker?"
"I can do it."
Immediately, every eye in the room turned to Kinnosuke.
"You?" Wolf asked.
"Hey! Don't forget, I used to be programmer way back when. I still know how to run through the Matrix without getting myself iced," Kinn replied, casting a dark glance at Wolf.
Nabiki, clearly shocked, grabbed Kinn's hand and said, "I need to talk to you, now!"
Without waiting for the group to protest, Nabiki dragged Kinnosuke off the couch and into the bedroom.
****
As the door to the bedroom slammed shut, Nabiki turned on her lover. Had a mirror been close, Nabiki would have been shocked at how demonic her face seemed. Kinnosuke, unaccustomed to Nabiki being _this_ angry, stared in shock as she grabbed his shirt and pushed him against the wall.
"I thought we discussed this!" Nabiki said through clenched teeth.
"Nabiki, with two million nuyen in our pockets we can live for even longer while we look for jobs." Said Kinnosuke. "Its the opportunity of a lifetime!"
"But you promised!"
Kinnosuke looked away from her in shame. He had gone along with the Nabiki and he had given her his word. The only problem, was that he hadn't expected this to come up. Even though he was confident that the two of them could find new jobs, a little insurance never hurt.
"Nabiki... I know I promised you, but this is just security blanket for us," he said. "Just go and talk to the girl. Listen to her and then decide."
"You'll do it anyway!" Nabiki said dejectedly. Despite herself, she was intrigued. She too had been worried about jobs in case there money ran out, and this would give them some extra time. Although she hated it, her resolve was fading quickly
"You talk to the girl, and I'll do the run," Kinnosuke retorted. "Okay? After that... no more, nothing... I swear on every holy object you can think of I'll never bring up Shadowrunning again."
"You promise?"
"No...," he said, "I swear."
Nabiki stared into Kinnosuke's eyes for a long time. She couldn't see anything other than love and determination in them, and her resolve melted. "I've got too much time invested in you, Kinn. If we do this, we do it together."
Kinnosuke smiled. Wrapping his arms around Nabiki, he hugged her tightly. Abruptly, the interlude ended as Nabiki pushed away. Taking a few steps back, she pointed her finger at Kinnosuke accusingly.
"But this is it!" She yelled. "After this, we live normal lives, got it? You so much as mention shadowrunning and you'll be lucky if I kill you!"
"Yes ma'am," Kinnosuke replied in a military-like pose. Smiling, Nabiki moved back and hugged him again.
"You damn well better mean that," she said mockingly as Kinnosuke laughed.
Releasing the hug, Nabiki and Kinnosuke walked back into the living room. To their surprise, no one had moved.
"Well?" Asked Jasper.
Nabiki nodded.
****
Herb looked closely at the chessboard as he contemplated his next move. Before him, Taro stood ramrod straight as he waited for his employer's instructions.
"Did the fixer deliver the information to Miss Tendo's associate?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Excellent," Herb replied. Looking at the chessboard, he finally saw his next move. Raising his head, he said, "You know what to do."
Bowing, Taro turned quickly and left the room. As he did so, Herb reached out and took hold of a black bishop carved in the semblance of a pointing demon. Sliding it to the left, he moved it into a white pawn. The pawn, carved to resemble a messenger in royal livery moved easily from the path of the demon. As the bishop took its place, Herb carefully removed the pawn and placed it back in the box.
"Bishop takes pawn," he said. "First blood."
****
For the first time in a month, the day promised to be bright and cheerful. The overhead pollution level had dropped dramatically and, for once, people could see the sun itself; not just the rays that managed to push through the smog. For most of the citizens of Tokyo, today would be a day to get out and enjoy the semi-rare sight for as long as possible.
The beauty, however, was lost on Nabiki. She sat quietly near the window of a small teahouse, quietly mulling over her thoughts. For the thousandth time, Nabiki cursed herself silently for letting her resolve go and becoming involved in another Shadowrun.
"One day!" She said, lightly. "One day I'm gonna learn not to listen when money talks. No, means 'no' and will always mean _no!_"
As Nabiki continued to silently berate herself, she casually began looking around the teahouse. She was not expecting trouble, but figuring out an avenue of escape was always an advisable course of action. You didn't have to find trouble because, in the Sixth World, trouble, usually found you.
The interior of the teahouse sported simple, but elegant decorations, with low tables and cushions upon which the patrons sat. Decorative wall scrolls sat in the alcoves gave it a comfortable atmosphere while small vases containing real flowers sat on each table. All around her, people sat while conducting business or simply relaxing.
Looking at her watch, Nabiki realized her would-be employer was a little behind schedule.
<Rakk it all!> She thought. <I knew this was too good to be true.>
"Excuse me?"
Snapping her head around, Nabiki reflexively reached for the mono-whip at her belt, but stop as she saw the speaker. Before her, stood a young girl, probably in her early twenties. She wore a deep red business suit and had black hair tied up in a ponytail. From the expression of nervousness, Nabiki sensed she was her client.
"Are you Nabiki Tendo?" The girl asked.
Nodding, Nabiki motioned to the cushion across from her and the girl gratefully took her seat. Motioning to the waitress, she ordered a cup of tea and Nabiki did the same. As the waitress left, the girl immediately launched into a nervous speech.
"Miss, Tendo," she began, "I can't tell you how glad I am that you've decided to accept my job offer. I really need your..." She stopped as Nabiki held up her hand.
"Ice up, sister," Nabiki said. "Slow down, I haven't accepted this job yet."
With a quick intake of air, the girl's eyes widened and she immediately began to scan the surrounding area. From the expression on her face, Nabiki could tell she was looking for someone with a gun. Seeing this, Nabiki could not help snickering.
"Calm down, no one's after you," Nabiki assured her. "Let's start again, I'm Nabiki. And you are?"
"Huh? Oh... sorry, I'm Akiko Shinjo."
"Pleased to meet you Akiko," Nabiki replied. Reaching forward, Nabiki took Akiko's hand and shook it solidly. "Now, why exactly did you call me here?"
Before Akiko could answer, the waitress returned with their tea which both women gratefully accepted. Picking up the cup, Akiko held it gently in trembling hands. "I... I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just that... I'm nervous I guess."
"Don't be," Nabiki replied in mock annoyance. For some reason, this girl was nervous, and that made Nabiki nervous. People who hired runner where usually confident, or arrogant and played it cool. This girl was either a fraud trying to play a joke, or she was new to the game. Frauds where easily dealt with; a few threats and a little show of aggression and they usually disappeared. Rookies, where something else entirely. Rookies where people that had heard about runners, and who had seen others deal with runners; but they had never dealt with them personally. Rookies, could be dangerous.
Nabiki watched impassively as Akiko sipped at her tea. The warm liquid seamed to calm her down somewhat and Nabiki sipped at hers in reaction. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Akiko began to speak again.
"I... I'm sorry if I'm being paranoid, Miss Tendo, but I've never done this before, and I really do need you help."
<Rookie,> Nabiki thought to herself. <Just what I did not need.> "Well, what do you want?"
Hearing those words seemed to relax Akiko some and she leaned forward, motioning for Nabiki to do the same. "Have you ever heard of Jusenkyo Cybernetics Development?" She asked.
Nabiki's only answer was a nod.
"Well... I work for them and so did my dad," Akiko began. "My dad, was one of their leading
R&D Scientists. Back when I first started working, my dad loved to brag about his projects and how well they were going. The last couple of months though, he started getting very nervous about talking out of turn. I asked him what was wrong, and he would change the subject." Taking another sip of tea, Akiko continued. "Last month, he was at a party and let something slip... they... they found him a day later dead of a gunshot wound."
Nabiki listened impassively, but inside, she winced painfully. She could still remember what had happened to her own family and now she understood Akiko's nervousness. Although her emotions wanted her to say something, cold logic forced her to stay silent and listen.
"Which brings me to why I'm here. You see two other members of the research team my dad was a part of have also been reported missing and I'm afraid thatū"
"You might be next," Nabiki said, finishing the sentence.
Wordlessly, Akiko nodded.
"So, you want us to bodyguard you, right?"
"No," Akiko replied.
Cocking her eyebrow, Nabiki stared at the young girl but remained silent.
"What I want you to do, is to steal the data on the project."
Nabiki stared coldly at Akiko as she finished. All she could see on the girl's face was grim, albeit nervous determination. In the back of her mind, Nabiki felt suspicious, but she also new that losing a major project was enough to make a corporation look the other way, at least for a little while. In the end, Nabiki's suspicious nature won out.
"What do you want us to do with this data after we steal it?"
"I don't care," Akiko answered. "Bring it to me or sell it, it makes no difference."
"Let me ask you this, Akiko," Nabiki countered. "If you're worried, why not just disappear?"
"I... I know deep down that Jusenkyo is who had my dad killed."
"You want revenge?"
In answer, Akiko nodded meekly. Despite herself, Nabiki smiled; Akiko was exactly how she herself had been eight years earlier.
"I'll pay you well," Akiko continued. "I can give you three million nuyen right now and three million whenever you get the data."
"How did you get so rich?" Nabiki asked, again suspicious. Something was not right, but she could not figure out what.
"My dad inherited quite a bit of money from my grandfather. The only reason dad worked was because he enjoyed it." Akiko answered.
"What's the catch?"
"Catch?"
"Yeah, what do we have to do?" Nabiki asked. "And, while I'm at it, why did you want me specifically?"
Akiko blushed slightly and looked around nervously. "The word was, that you had done a lot of runs against Jusenkyo recently and that you were familiar with some of their systems. Also, they said you're one of the best deckers in Tokyo."
Again, Nabiki's suspicious nature picked up on the girl's words. "If you're new to this business, how do you know what 'the word on the street' is?" She asked.
"I- I usually go down to the bar on Isawa Street after work with some friends," Akiko answered. "We hear a lot of stuff down there and the bartender is one of my friends' uncle. He's the one that told me about shadowrunners to begin with."
"I see," Nabiki answered. What Akiko had said made sense; bars were an excellent place to pick up information. Likewise, bartenders usually talked to everybody, especially to women and they tended to blab about everything.
"So, is it true?" Akiko asked. "I mean, what they say about you breaking into the Jusenkyo Matrix system a few times? If it is, you must be really good because Jusenkyo has some of the best security around."
Nabiki could not help but smile. She was proud of her skills and enjoyed hearing flattery, direct or indirect. "Yeah, I've done a few runs against Jusenkyo," she said, "but that was a while back and they were mostly in branch offices where the security isn't as tight."
"Um... well then, I guess that's the... uh... 'catch' then," Akiko replied.
"Hmm?"
Casting a nervous glance over each shoulder, Akiko reached into her pocket and removed a small diskette. "The only way to get at the data is by going into Jusenkyo headquarters."
"WHAT!?!?" Nabiki shouted.
Immediately, all eyes turned toward the two and Nabiki blushed furiously. Akiko, turned to one side and did her best to hide her face. After a moment, the stares died away and the two faced each other again.
"Are you insane?" Nabiki asked quietly. "Breaking into a branch office is bad enough. Breaking into a main office is suicide! Do you know how much security will be on that place!?"
"Yes I do," Akiko replied. "It's all on this disk; security clearance until midnight tomorrow, building layouts, guard rotations, security camera operations, matrix codes, and everything else."
Nabiki eyed the diskette in disbelief. "How the hell did you manage to get that?" She asked.
Akiko blushed furiously and answered, "I've... uh... go some 'influence' over a couple of people in security. All I really had to do was ask."
"You're serious?"
Akiko nodded. "The disk has everything you'll need. I promise."
"Sorry, sister," Nabiki replied. "But, you can count me out of this one."
Standing, Nabiki turned to leave, but stopped as Akiko latched onto her arm. "Don't go, please!" She pleaded.
"Let go!" Nabiki retorted, trying to pull her hand away. Out of the corner of her eye Nabiki could see several people casting bemused glances in her direction. She knew exactly what the people were thinking and, not wanting her public image questioned, she sat back down.
"Thank you," Akiko exclaimed.
"I haven't agreed yet," Nabiki retorted. Six million nuyen was a lot of money, but it would do any good if she got killed over it. Still, Akiko's genuine pleading was weakening Nabiki's resolve quickly. After all, it had not been that long ago when she was in a similar position, and she had been trying to get a runner for a whole lot less.
"Miss Tendo," Akiko began. "I need your help, if you don't, I'll be lucky to get through the week alive. If you get the data, I can just disappear while Jusenkyo tries to figure out what happened."
"You don't know what you're asking me, Akiko," Nabiki replied. "I can do it, I know I can. But, breaking into a Corporation's headquarters is like a suicide run. I... I just don't know."
"What do want me to do? Beg?" Akiko asked. "Okay, I'm begging you!"
<Keep up the resolve, Nabiki!> Nabiki told herself, but it was already fading quickly.
"Hasn't a stranger ever taken a risk for you?"
That did it. Nabiki felt her resolve crash down around her like a broken wall. Across from her, she was no longer seeing Akiko; Nabiki was seeing herself eight years ago. Tearing her gaze from Akiko's eyes, she stared at the diskette held in the girls outstretched hand.
"Please?"
Taking a deep breath, Nabiki reached out and slowly took the disk. "Okay," she said at length. "You've got some runners."
*******************************End Chapter 1
A big thanks to the Joseph "Ashira" Kohle, Francis Gilbert, PXDN and Will Kotas for being my pre-readers on this. If it wasn't for their help and prodding, I may have never gotten this finished.
I'm sorry if I'm keeping anybody in suspense waiting for part 4, but... well... something about the way I write won't let me work on a new part until I get all the kinks ironed out of a previous part. And when I do work on a new part without ironing out the previous part, I either end up with writer's block or with the new part sounding like trash.
***BEGIN DISCLAIMER***
--All Ranma 1/2 characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi and the company that published them.
--Shadowrun (an excellent game BTW) and all of its related, slang, equipment, races, etc. are the property of the FASA Corporation
--All of the above are used _WITHOUT_ permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
--Any other names that appear in this fanfic are made up and belong to no one in particular.
***END DISCLAIMER***
Well, for all of you who read the original copy of this, you'll notice that this version is a little shorter than the original, and that the ending is completely different (for now.>_<)
I have a good explanation why. Well... I think it's good at least. You see, my e-mail has been having a lot of trouble with sending out large pieces of mail, usually anything over fifteen or sixteen pages of MSword. Since I knew I couldn't finish this chapter in sixteen pages, I decided to split it and make two chapters. Life is funny like that sometimes.
Anyway, some of you may be asking why I'm doing a re-write of this before I actually finish the story, but I already explained the before the disclaimer. ^_^
Actually, the real reason is that I wanted to go into a lot more depth character wise than I did in Mechwarrior: Team Jusenkyo. After multiple re-readings of my original post, I realized that my characterization of the people in this chapter amounted to almost nil. So, I decided to re-write it and get some better characterization. Mostly, the stuff that changed in this was little bits of characterization, a revamp on the characters Nabiki and Herb, as well as some extensions on the supporting cast.
The major addition to this, is the scenes with Herb and the addition of his chess set. I'll be going back to that analogy quite often, BTW.
Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with Shadowrun, I've included a brief glossary of stuff you might have questions on.
MegaCorporation: The gigantic corporations that run the world of Shadowrun. Smaller versions of these are simply referred to as Corporations or just as Corps.
Sixth World: What most people refer to the world of Shadowrun as.
Awakening, The: The time when magic began to re-enter the world.
Metahumans: Any of Shadowruns humanoid races that are not actually humans. They are: Elves, Dwarves, Orks and Trolls.
Lone Stars: Often referred to as Rent-A-Cops, these are the police forces that try to keep order in the Sixth World. Most of the time, the are just corrupt vigilante-like people who do as much damage as non-cops. At least, that's how I always see them portrayed as. ^_^
Drek, Rakk, and Frag: The three all-purpose swears of Shadowrun. Use your imagination.
Thank you for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. C&C will be GREATLY appreciated, but please limit it to story content or the story itself. Please do _not_ comment on grammar or spelling. Also, if you feel the need to comment on anyone being OOC, you may do so, but please bare in mind this qualifies as an "Elseworlds" or Alternate Reality fic.
Flames, will be read, thought over, laughed at and promptly discarded. ^_^
Thanks again.
James C. Jones (AKA: Blood Phoenix)
Phoenix@citynet.net or jace@utkux.utcc.utk.edu