Ranma 1/2: Shadowrunner
By: James "Phoenix" Jones
Chapter 2: The Way of the Run
This story takes place in the year 2053.
< > Indicates thoughts.
**** Indicates Scene changes
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"So it is all set up then?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent."
Hanging up the phone, Herb looked back at the chessboard. Reaching out, he moved one of the black pawns into a white tower, representing the Rook. Being careful, he forced the tower out of its square and replaced it with the pawn.
"Pawn takes Rook," he said calmly.
****
The group had convened at Nabiki and Kinnosuke's apartment shortly after Nabiki's meeting with Akiko. For nearly and hour, she had told them about the job and listened to their complaints and curses. Like herself, the group had more than a few misgivings about the run; especially the part about breaking into Jusenkyo's main complex.
Indigo, always one to champion impossible causes, had agreed almost immediately. The others, however, where not so easily swayed and Nabiki could hardly blame them for being so; especially when she herself still had misgivings. Nabiki had, of course, gone to the bar Akiko had mentioned and, by some twisted miracle or strange coincidence, the girl had been telling the truth. The bartender had indeed known Akiko and had spoken highly of her, he had also told Nabiki a few rumors circulating about her and her team. Still, the whole team had misgivings and it was only after Nabiki had reminded Kinnosuke and Wolf of certain aspects of their past that they had agreed to go along. Jasper and Remote acquiesced soon after.
It took the better part of the afternoon to analyze the data from Akiko's diskette, but the analysis paid off handsomely. As she continued to check the readouts on her portable computer, Nabiki could not help marvel at the completeness of the information. Turning to one side, Nabiki refastened the top of her cyberdeck. That had been the tedious part; re-configuring the Identification chips on her cyberdeck. The task, however, had not been as difficult, just very was sensitive.
The government issued a special ID chip in every registered cyberdeck, and since it was illegal to modify the chip, a special circuit would fry the board if you weren't careful. After spending
forty-thousand nuyen on her deck, Nabiki was sure to be extra careful. Nabiki wasn't thrilled at taking the chance, but according to the data, it was a necessary precaution.
As Nabiki worked, the group worked over the details of how they would go about the run. Each of them agreed that getting it done as soon as possible was in order. By the time they were finished with the plan, each of them was more than ready for some action.
Now, the group sat impatiently in an unmarked freight van across from the main entrance to Jusenkyo Cybernetics Development. The inside had been converted into a small situation room, complete with a laptop computer, some rigger equipment and a small rack of weapons. A black cloth stretched behind the front seats hid the occupants from view. Remote sat in the driver's seat, gazing at his watch and doing his best to look annoyed; like a delivery man running late. Across from the van, the last few workaholics slowly filed out the door.
"Okay," Kinnosuke began, "let's go over this one last time. I want this to go smooth and with a zero body count."
A murmur of agreement ran through the van.
"Lets go by position," Kinnosuke continued. "Remote?"
Without turning, Remote answered. "I g-get out, j-jack in and c-crash the Slave N-Nodes in that c-control the security c-cameras. Then a g-get back h-here and drop some r-rigs to w-watch the street."
"Indigo?"
Looking down in disgust, Indigo motioned to the tacky business suit she was wearing. "I go in and give the guard the stun gas," she answered. Finished, she began to tug at the tight bun her hair had been styled in.
"Don't mess with that! It'll come undone!" Kinnosuke chided as Indigo shot him a cold glance. "Wolf?"
"I take the guards place," Wolf replied, matter-of-factly. Taking his hand, he carefully brushed a speck of lint from the false security uniform he wore.
"Good," Kinnosuke replied. "Then, Nabiki, Jasper and I get up to Thirteen and get to the main computer store."
Again, the group murmured their agreements.
"One more thing," Kinnosuke added. "If this goes to drek, walk away and meet at the usual spot."
"Right."
"Alright then... everybody ready?"
Slowly panning around, Kinnosuke took in the sight of his group, he could not see Remote, but he knew the young rigger was already psyched for the run. Turning to Jasper, he noted the ork busily checking his weapons. Sparing a glance at the Uzi III and Aries Predator at his side and hip, Kinnosuke continued the inspection. Turning to Nabiki, he smiled coolly at her choice of clothing; a one piece black bodysuit that looked like something out of an assassin flick. As he watched, Nabiki turned to him and gave a thumbs-up sign along with an enticing smile.
"Break!" He called.
Immediately, Jasper and Wolf snapped open the back doors and moved out, Nabiki and Indigo followed close behind. As he exited, Kinnosuke yelled, "Remember! Five minutes!"
****
Indigo strode confidently into the main lobby of Jusenkyo Cybernetics Development. Although she had seen the entrance to corporations before, the beauty of the architecture was not lost on her. Elegant, synthetic-wooden paneling covered the walls and real marble columns stretched from floor to ceiling, giving the entire lobby a western-style gothic appearance. Looking to the far end, she saw what had to be the only guard on duty.
<ZZZZ>
At the sound of her internal comm-link, Indigo gathered up her nerves and walked toward the guard. Halfway there, she called out, "Excuse me, sir?"
Surprised, the guard stood up quickly as his hand reflexively reached for his weapon. Indigo, acting slightly shaken walked forward slowly and stretched her arms wide. "I'm not armed!" She called.
"Who are you?" The guard responded.
"My name is Noriko Doji," she replied as she stepped up to the desk. Looking down, she noted the guard was wearing a brown uniform that could only be described as tacky. In the back of her mind, Indigo joked that she would be doing the guard a favor in a moment.
"What do you want?"
"My sister works here and she gave me a call saying her car broke down. She asked me to come down and pick her up."
The guard eyed Indigo suspiciously but lowered his arm and holstered his weapon. Reaching for the information pad, he asked, "What's your sister's name?"
"Kaede Doji," Indigo replied. It was a real name, and Indigo knew the guard would have no trouble finding it. Leaning forward, Indigo pressed her chest down against the top of the counter and clicked the safety off of the gas cylinder.
"According to this, your sister already..." the guard trailed off as he looked up, only to get a good view of Indigo's ample bosom, "... left, Miss Doji."
"Damn!" Indigo said in mock anger. "Guess life's just a bitch sometimes ain't it?" Before the guard could answer, Indigo raised her arm and shot off a spray of sleep gas directly into his face. He fell to the floor a second later.
"I'm in," Indigo said quietly, making sure to hold her throat so the transmitter would pick up her words. A moment later, the rest of the group entered. With speed born of practice and necessity, Kinnosuke and Jasper folded the incapacitated guards arms and dragged him out of sight behind a column. In the same instance, Nabiki moved behind the desk to unlock the elevator doors. As Wolf grabbed the guards weapons and fastened them to his waist, he passed a small black bag to Indigo who immediately disappeared behind the column. She reappeared a moment later wearing tight black pants which reached mid-thigh and a dark red shirt underneath a chain-mail vest. Taking her combat knife and SMG as Jasper passed them to her, she ducked into one of the alcoves behind the columns. The entire exchange took less than two minutes.
As the elevator doors closed, Kinnosuke shouted, "Shift change in one hour, if we aren't done, get ready for trouble."
****
The elevator reached the thirteenth floor quickly and the trio moved out in perfect precision. Jasper covered the left flank and Kinnosuke the right as Nabiki ran up the middle. Upon reaching the security door, Nabiki tapped the code Akiko had indicated and the sealed door swung open. As it did so, Nabiki let out a breath she was not aware of holding. It amazed her that the code had been genuine.
Momentarily awestruck, the trio could do nothing but stare at the scene before them. The inside of the data vault was enormous and each walls were lined with computers and data-disks; Kinnosuke knew that the room alone was probably worth a hundred-billion nuyen. The sterile, metallic walls stared back at them and seemed to echo with their footsteps and breathing. The pristine, medical smell of the room indicated that people did not get admitted to if very often. At the far end, positioned below and enormous screen, sat the main terminal.
Running forward, Nabiki pulled back the chair and sat down. Opening the case at her side, she removed her cyberdeck and placed in the connection alcove at the terminal's base. "Time?" She asked quickly as she checked the connections
"Seven minutes, thirty-two seconds," Kinnosuke replied, as he and Jasper took up positions beside the door.
Nodding absently, Nabiki brushed back the locks of hair covering her forehead and exposed the connection node for her datajack. Pulling the connection cable from the base of her deck, she snapped it into place with a sound click. As she set the system, she felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think <This is too easy!>
Pushing the thoughts into the back of her mind, Nabiki concentrated on the task at hand. Taking a few quick, deep breaths, she positioned her fingers above the keys.
"Crash and Burn, Nabiki!" Jasper yelled.
Smiling, Nabiki tapped the activation key. Immediately, her body jerked and her vision began to blur. The world before her elongated rapidly, resembling the lines of warp speed out of Star Trek. A moment later, her senses went black as the real world fell away.
****
As the disorientation of the jack-in passed, Nabiki felt the simulated senses of the matrix replace her real world senses. Around her, the glittering light filled world of the matrix presented itself before her. Sight presented itself as glittering impulses of light, while her hearing amplified to a sonar-like echo. She was in the matrix now and felt predatory. Through the sim-senses, Nabiki found herself in a white room resembling an elevator. To one side, stood a System Access Node in the shape of a giant Tori Gate, in front of it, stood two barrier IC.
The IC where programmed to resemble two women in full battle armor armed with halberds. Each one had an angular, block-like look to them and flashed in a multitude of colors. Although she could not see herself, Nabiki knew the two IC where seeing a silver Geisha dressed in a green kimono adorned with dollars signs; potent attack programs concealed as decoration. Around her, her sensor utility took the form of a sparkling Will-O' the Wisp floating around her. Moving forward, Nabiki approached the IC.
Immediately, the two women constructs crossed their halberds before the Tori Gate.
"What business you have in valley of springs?" Asked the left construct.
Nabiki felt her real world fingers moving quickly over the keys of the cyberdeck and she began to speak. As she did, a small screen appeared before her printing out the words. In bright red letters, Nabiki's response printed out, "I seek the knowledge of the ancients."
Feeling her body smile, Nabiki laughed inwardly; she had heard kids passwords with more class. The information Akiko provided was accurate, however, as the guards uncrossed their weapons. "Enter the Valley of Springs," commanded the right construct.
Moving forward, Nabiki pushed against the doors. Touch in the matrix always felt strange, almost like pushing against a solid sponge. Although not real, Nabiki still felt the pressure because of her sim-sense. A moment later, she entered the so-called "Valley of Springs." Immediately, she realized why it was called such.
Before her, surround by silver mountains, ran a long, lush valley. Neon green trees, growing up like artificial crystals surrounded the area. On her right, a large village dominated the landscape of the hillside. Even from the entrance, Nabiki could see the constructs of IC moving slowly around the village. Like the barrier IC, each one seemed to resemble ancient amazon warriors. The most impressive sight though, was the floor of the valley. Thousands of pools, glowing with silver-blue liquid constructs covered the valley floor. A single pole stretched up from each pool and crisscrossed strands of white light connected each pool to all the others.
Nabiki felt her real world body whistle at the sight; whoever ran Jusenkyo had taste at least. The landscaping programs were beautifully done and if she had not been in a hurry, Nabiki would have loved to copy the image constructs for her own use. That however, would wait for another day and another system. Launching a browse program, Nabiki stretched out her hands as a notebook construct appeared before her. Leafing through the pages, she searched for the program she was hired to steal. After about a minute, she found it.
Jumping up, Nabiki rested her toe on one of the light beams and sped of toward her target. For several minutes, she crisscrossed numerous beams and passed over dozens of pools. Beside each, sat a strange animal construct. Although the constructs appeared harmless, Nabiki recognized them as trace and report IC and she desperately wondered what secrets they might be guarding. Nabiki, however, knew her etiquette, and was not going to tempt fate more so the necessary. Finally, she reached her objective.
The File marker was in place, but something wasn't right. Re-launching her browse program, Nabiki searched for the file again. Again, the persona icon told her she was in the right place. Canceling the program, she swore loudly.
****
"RAKK IT ALL!!!"
Upon hearing the exclamation, Kinnosuke moved from his post by the door and ran to Nabiki's side. According to the cyberdeck readouts, Nabiki was still okay, but Kinnosuke didn't want to take chances. Slinging his Uzi over his shoulder, he pulled out a secondary hitcherjack cord and snapped it onto the node behind his year. Taping the key, he entered the matrix with Nabiki.
"What's going on?" He asked.
As he watched, Nabiki's persona turned quickly and motioned to area around her. "The file is what's wrong!" She screamed. "It should be here and it isn't."
"You double checked?"
"And triple checked. It just isn't here!"
Swearing, Kinnosuke fervently wished he'd brought his own cyberdeck, but he couldn't do anything from the hitcherjack. Finally, he settled on a course of action.
"Stay with it and see what you come up with," he said, "I'll let the others know what's going on." That said, Kinnosuke felt his real world fingers close around the cord and give a sharp jerk. Immediately, the sim-senses died and he returned to reality.
"Trouble?" Jasper inquired.
"Yeah."
****
Outside, Remote continued to stare at the screen in front of him. So far the street had been empty and that made him nervous. Absentmindedly, he wiped his forehead and found it covered in sweat. Flinging his fingers to dry them, he punched some more keys and rotated his drones.
Suddenly, his phone rang and he jumped. Cursing, he flipped open the wrist monitor on his forearm. "R-Remote," he stammered.
"Remote," Kinnosuke replied. "We've run into a snag. Nabiki's in the right place, but the data file seems to have been moved. I don't know how long this is gonna go on, but be ready just in case. By the way, what's going on at your end?"
Looking back over his screens, Remote noted with satisfaction that they were still empty. "S-so far all c-clear, K-Kinn," he stammered. "P-pretty boring if y-you asked m-me."
Over the video link, Remote watched Kinnosuke's sour expression as he nodded. "Wolf's got things wrapped at the main entrance, so I'm gonna send Indigo out with you just in case."
"R-roger and out."
As he closed the video link, Remote stared at the monitors again. There were six of them in all, each black and white, but they showed the street in livid detail. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the back door. Immediately, he reached for his gun, but then he remembered Kinnosuke saying he was going to send out Indigo. Moving to the back door, Remote opened the latch and pushed it open.
"That was fast, Indigo."
****
Nabiki stared coldly at the simulated ground beneath her. The sensors and browser programs both indicated that she was in the correct area to find the file. However, all of her sim-senses told her the programs where wrong.
<Damn it!> She swore to herself. <Where the hell is that blasted file!?> As Nabiki scanned the area for the eleventh time, she fervently she possessed the sixth sense that her parents had been born with. Her elder sister had been born with a calming empathy, while her younger sister had been born with incredible physical prowess. Nabiki, however, had been born with a logical, clear-thinking mind. That being the case, she asked herself what logic would dictate.
<A barrier ice!> She thought.
Reaching into her Kimono, Nabiki removed an ornamental Kabuki Mask and pulled it over her face. The mask, a crystalline object crisscrossed by red and blue lines, marked a powerful deception and masking program, one of Nabiki's most potent utilities. Through the mask, she could just make out the edges of a pool beneath her and she smiled. Obviously, the program was not designed to fully conceal the data-store from a powerful masking utility.
Not removing the mask, Nabiki leapt from her perch and landed on the barrier. As she scanned the area for other, more lethal IC, she felt her real world fingers tapping the keyboard as she reconfigured her browse program. Finally, she finished. Launching the utility, Nabiki panned around the data-store.
An enormous lake, no longer hidden by the barrier IC presented itself and Nabiki realized why she had not seen it earlier. The bamboo pole, used to mark the file, was itself set into a small island in the center of a large lake concealed to numerous smaller lakes. Turning the pole, Nabiki found her browse program once again indicating it.
Wrapping her synthesized hands around the pole, Nabiki braced herself and pulled up sharply. Soundlessly, the pole leapt from the ground, revealing a cube of swirling color. Immediately, Nabiki identified the cube as a Scramble IC. Reaching behind her head, Nabiki pulled out a glowing blue hairpin and jammed it into the cube. Immediately, cracks appeared in the surface of the cube as the decryption program began to take effect.
****
Exiting through a maintenance door, Indigo silently moved out of the building and found herself in a dark, but spacious alley. Looking back and forth, she found it devoid of life, but not of muck. A tiny rivulet of polluted water ran down its center and garbage of many unidentifiable types lay strewn about in total disarray. Darkness had already fallen, and the long shadows from the streetlights made the alley seem that much darker.
In the back of her mind, Indigo could see where the term "shadowrunner" had originated. Dark alleys such as this characterized her unusual occupation and the shadows cast by the corporation headquarters above her gave off a frightening, almost demonic aura. It was no joke when people said only the bravest and most fool-hearty dared to run the shadows.
Breathing through her mouth to avoid the smell of rotting garbage, Indigo edged her way down to the mouth of the alley. Although her lungs screamed at her to leave the disgusting place behind, her senses told her to move slowly. Reaching the mouth, she pressed herself against the cold metal wall of the Jusenkyo Building and scanned the street before her.
Twenty yards of paved concrete stretched out before her. Large streetlights overhead gave off and eerie glow, while the dark windows of tiny businesses gave a foreboding feel to the empty expanse of the street.
Indigo knew something wasn't right. Glancing at her wrist watch, just barely visible in the darkness, she read the time to be nine-thirty. It wasn't that late and there should have been at least one or two cars on the street. A Lone Star if nothing else!
The street, however, stayed empty. Glancing at the alley across from her, Indigo could see the dark outline of the van, unmoved since she had left it a half-hour earlier. Steeling herself, she pushed off from the wall and dashed across the street.
****
Leaning back in his chair, Wolf sighed and did his best to look bored. Although he usual made a big deal out of guard duty, it didn't bother him much. After all, he had been a security guard for two years before he began to shadowrun. Casting his thoughts back, he realized why it was so easy to act bored. Simply stated, he was _not_ acting.
Graveyard shift at a corporation was always a complete fluke. But, then again, all guard shifts were a fluke; the corps had enough automatic weapons and defenses to supply a small army guarding their entrances. Guards, were retained solely for the purpose of making people feel at ease with the imposing visage of the corporations.
Even though he had a calm air about him, Wolf could feel his insides twisting around with nervousness. Glancing about, he saw the numerous security cameras pointing to various locations and he could not repress a shudder. Even though remote had crashed the cameras, one recognizable picture would mean a death warrant for the whole team.
Shaking his head to clear it, Wolf panned around the lobby quickly. Numerous alcoves lined it, more than enough to hid assassins, but he had already checked them all. Turning his head, he looked nervously over his shoulder. The ten foot span between the guard shack and the elevator worried Wolf greatly. If he played good guard and looked forward, the span was a blind spot. If he watched the elevator, the lobby became his blind spot.
Looking at his watch, Wolf swallowed nervously. Only twenty minutes remained before the shift change. Leaning back, Wolf shifted the chair in a forty five degree angle so he could watch both the lobby and the elevators.
It was a kludge, but better than nothing.
****
Nabiki held tightly onto the hairpin as the decryption program worked its magic. Before her, the cube cracked and splintered, sending tiny sparks of light as the IC slowly died. Looking closely, Nabiki could see only two colors remaining in the once sparkling cube.
<Any second now.> Nabiki thought.
Taking her eyes away from the cube, Nabiki re-activated her scanners. Panning the landscape, she watched impassively as the Will-O' The Wisp flashed blue and red, indicating she was being watched by passive alarm IC. Turning back to her work, Nabiki felt her head shake; so long as she was masked, nothing would happen; she hoped.
Finally, the decryption program finished its task. A moment later, the hairpin dissolved into a string of glittering bubbles as the cube became a solid silver block. Seconds later, the cube flattened and came to rest at Nabiki's feet. Looking down, Nabiki could just make out a gleam of silver water under the opening.
<Got it,> she thought triumphantly.
Stepping forward, Nabiki slowly slide into the glistening pool. Immediately, she felt the water rise to soak into her kimono as the data began to download into her datajack. Already, she could feel her breath rasping from the strain on her synaptic impulses.
Suddenly, Nabiki's sensors began to scream in warning; the Will-O' the Wisp flashing in alternating patterns of red, black and gray. Turning to one side, Nabiki watched in horror as a huge shape erupted from the ground near the edge of the large pool. As her sensors wailed, Nabiki felt herself gulp in fear.
Before her, larger than anything she had ever seen, hovered and enormous dragon construct. The glistening, almost transparent panels which formed the beast's scales cast odd shadows upon the pool as its mouth reared open, revealing row upon row of glowing red teeth. As Nabiki started, she realized she was seeing the greatest fear any decker had; A Black IC.
Feeling her real-world fingers flying over the keys of her cyberdeck, Nabiki launched her mirror program. Immediately, a wire-frame duplicate of her persona appeared beside her. Taping a few more keys, she sent the construct flying across the pool to distracted the Dragon. As the decoy moved, Nabiki checked the progress of her download. Eighty-two percent remained in the data-store.
Swearing, Nabiki could do nothing but watch and wait.
****
Indigo moved cautiously as she approached the van.
Out of necessity for defense, the vehicle had been parked a fair distance from the mouth of the alley, but Indigo was already regretting the decision. The black freight van, almost hidden by the dark void of the shadows, caused her nerves to stand on end. Blinking twice, she activated the thermal imaging cybernetics concealed within her eyes. The van itself was cold, attesting that it's engine had been off for an hour at least. Also, the walls prevented her from reading any heat on the inside.
Unconsciously, Indigo gripped the handle of her combat knife and silently slide it from its sheath. Flipping it blade up, she held it before her like a shield as she raised her SMG with her left hand. The young samurai knew she was being paranoid, but in her line of work, paranoia kept
you alive; hopefully.
Inching her way along the side of the alley nearest the driver's side, Indigo strained her ears for any sounds. Hearing nothing, she continued on her way until she reached the rear door. Putting her back against the cold metal surface, she raised her SMG and rapped on the door with the butt of her knife.
No answer.
Cursing, Indigo rapped on the door again.
Again, no answer.
Looking around, Indigo noted the alley contained no heat signature other than a small billow of steam raising from a storm drain. Taking a deep breath, Indigo spun to face the door and pushed the open key with her knuckle. To her surprise, the door was unlocked.
As a jolt of fear ran up her spine, Indigo gripped the door handle and jerked it open quickly.
"Oh god...!" She stammered.
Indigo's grip on her knife failed as she reflexively brought her hand up to her mouth. She could hardly believe a human body could contain so much blood. All through the interior, blood ran in tiny rivulets and the shattered remains of Remote's body lay strewn about at random. Snapping her head up, Indigo dodged left just as a enormous explosion rang out behind her. A second later, the van exploded as the assault cannon shell slammed into it.
Spinning round, Indigo fired her SMG in a full spray. Barely visible white trails followed the projectiles as the sped forward. In the distance, Indigo heard someone scream in pain. Taking a chance, she bent down to retrieve her combat knife, only to find it was no longer there. In a single beat, Indigo jumped back to her feet and dodged again as an enormous troll sent an ax into the ground where her head hand been a second earlier.
Raising her weapon, Indigo squeezed the trigger hard and sprayed the troll before her. As the enormous metahuman reared back, Indigo felt a sharp pain flare up in her chest. The last thing she saw was the tip of a her combat knife, covered in blood, protruding from the center of her chest.
****
Nabiki could do nothing but stare in grim fascination as the dragon reared back upon sighting her decoy. Opening its mouth, the beast roared and sent a shower of silicon lightning crashing into the wire-frame. As she watched, huge chunks of glistening light flew from the mirror.
<Come on!> Nabiki screamed to herself.
Checking again, she found she still had thirty percent remaining for the file. As the marker flashed, she looked up just in time to see the dragon shatter her mirror program under its massive claw.
As the dragon neared her, Nabiki inhaled sharply, terror running through her system. She could not move; all of the data collected thus far would be lost if she did that. Quickly, she tried to launch her attack program, but it was not in time to stop the dragons attack.
Nabiki screamed as the white hot tendrils of silicon lighting crashed against her persona. She had never before fought a black IC and the strength of its attack was worse than any rumors could suggest. Finally, the end of file marker flashed by her sensors and Nabiki leapt from the now empty pool. Seconds later, the dragon again spewed lightning into the spring, effectively crashing the datastore.
Spinning, Nabiki had just enough time to reach into her sleeve and remove a fan; activating her shield. The lightening crashed against her, but the shield held and, closing it, Nabiki launched her attack program. As she watched, the dollar signs on her kimono launched themselves against the dragon, slicing deeply into it.
Enraged, the dragon slashed at Nabiki with its massive claws. She had no time to dodge as the claws raked her persona, tearing it and leaving glowing trails across her torso. She felt blood begin to drip from her nose as the lethal bio-feedback flowed from her cyberdeck and into her datajack. Without stopping, she attacked again.
****
Hearing Nabiki's scream, Kinnosuke again left his post at the door and ran to her side. From the readouts on the cyberdeck, he knew what was happening. Flipping a control switch on the side of the deck, Kinnosuke opened Nabiki's viewer and stared at the scene before him.
The once pristine landscape of the main data area was dotted with black welts and shattered construct remains. As he watched, he inhaled in shock. Like Nabiki, he had heard the talk of black IC, but had never actually seen one. As he watched Nabiki's duel dragon construct, Kinnosuke cursed loudly.
"Damn it, Nabiki!" He screamed "All that data's worthless if you get yourself killed! Hurry up and jack out!"
Taking his eyes of the screen, Kinnosuke stared at the hitcherjack, desperately wanting to help Nabiki. He knew, however, that by jacking in, he would take valuable power from the cyberdeck. Power Nabiki desperately needed. Looking at Nabiki's temple, Kinnosuke thought about breaking her connection, but shook his head; Nabiki knew what she was doing.
Opening his communicator, Kinnosuke shouted, "Wolf, Nabiki just ran into a major IC. She's working on getting out but it may take a few minutes."
"Kinn, we got trouble here too!"
"What kind?"
"I don't know, I just heard something that sounded like an assault..."
"Wolf?" Kinnosuke asked. "Wolf!?"
****
"Kinn? Kinnosuke!?"
Wolf screamed as his communicator went dead. Looking up he saw the flare of light as it exploded from across the street; he didn't need to be told what _that_ was. Cursing under his breath, Wolf drew his weapon and ran around the desk toward the entrance. Immediately, he realized his mistake.
From the alcoves appeared dozens of miniature weaponry, machine guns and even a few laser packs dotted the view before him. With a loud scream, he activated his wired reflexes and leapt backwards as they opened fire. Bullets sprayed widely around the room, shattering vases and columns in a vain attempt to locate their intended target.
Wolf, however, had no intention of being that target. Running as fast as his leg augmentations would allow, he skidded around the desk and ducked behind it. Bullets rained against the re-enforced metal.
<Never worry about the bullet with your name on it,> Wolf mused. <Worry about the others labeled "occupant.">
Risking a peek, Wolf leaned up to the desk computer and punched in a few keys, praying he could shut down the weapons in time to help Indigo and Remote. He was so intent of the spray of the weapons, that he never noticed the elevator door slide open.
****
Kinnosuke cursed loudly and slammed his communicator into the wall. Reaching to his side, he unsnapped the holster around his sidearm and drew it.
"What's going on?" Jasper asked quickly.
In answer, Kinnosuke snapped his head up and glared at Jasper demonically. "Don't ask," he said, ice dripping from the words. "Just get ready."
"Yahhhhh!!!!"
Hearing the scream, Kinnosuke spun round just in time to see Nabiki rear back in pain. A second later, she toppled out of her chair, hands pressed tightly against her head. Immediately, Kinnosuke was by her side.
Laying down his weapon, Kinnosuke cradled Nabiki's head in his lap. Upon close inspection, he could see her eyes blinking rapidly and blood running out of her nose in a rivulet. She was still in the Matrix! Wrapping his hand around the link cable at her Temple, Kinnosuke jerked the cord hard, severing the connection.
Immediately, Nabiki shot bolt upright as the sim-senses vanished, causing her muscles to contract rapidly. All her senses became flooded as reality made itself known and she clapped her hand over her mouth. The sour taste of bile rose in her throat as fought the effects of a sudden jack out.
"I... I g-got it," she choked out, fighting to keep from vomiting.
"You almost got yourself killed!" Kinnosuke shouted.
Breaking from the stupor, Nabiki was about to retort when something in the room crackled. Looking up, both Kinnosuke and Nabiki saw a thin trail of gray smoke emanating from the cyberdeck. As the smell of ozone filled there nostrils, both knew the deck had been lost.
Swearing, Nabiki pulled herself to her feet and braced herself against the wall as the nausea threatened her again.
"You can be sick later, Nabiki!" Shouted Jasper. "Lets get the hell out of here!"
Pushing away from the desk, Nabiki reached for her cyberdeck reflexively. Grabbing her wrist, Kinnosuke shook his head. Reluctantly, Nabiki nodded.
"Lets go," she said.
Kneeling, Kinnosuke retrieved his weapon and the two headed for the door. As they neared it, Jasper pulled hard on the handle. The door refused to open.
"What the...?" He began.
Looking over the frame, Jasper spied a small keypad with a message window. Although considered of average intelligence for his race, the ork did not need to be told the pad's function. Especially since the keypad was identical to the one Nabiki had used to get into the room.
Tucking his shotgun under his arm, Jasper cracked his knuckles and punched in the code as he remembered it. Unfortunately, the pad had been designed for a human to use and the Japer's fingers, being almost twice as thick, could not punch the buttons correctly.
"Here, let me."
With a sigh of disgust, Jasper moved to one side as Nabiki walked to the door. Taping the keypad, she quickly entered the access code. A second later, the screen flashed "THIS CODE IS NO LONGER VALID."
Cursing softly, Nabiki punched in the code again. Again with the same results. Licking her lips, she prayed third time would be the charm.
Jasper watched nervously as Nabiki tried the code again. Although he could not hope to match wits with the woman, Jasper prided himself on being more street smart. He had seen the look in Kinnosuke's eyes and he heard the screams from the communicator. As the code was rejected once more, Jasper shoved Nabiki roughly against Kinnosuke.
"Rakk this," he said impassively. Raising the shotgun, he pointed it at the lock and pulled the trigger. The resulting explosion of sound echoed through the room as the lock exploded outwards, leaving the door open a crack.
"Safe bet they know we're here now," Nabiki deadpanned, casting a cold look at Jasper.
Jasper, on the other hand, did not give Nabiki a cold look in return. He had seen the expression she held many times before a look best described as "you damned ork, can't you do anything right!?" Eyes flaring, he lashed out at Nabiki.
"Wake up, Tendo!" He shouted. "They're dead, all of them and we're next! This was a set up, all of it! You get it, no glory in this one! They're dead and we'll be next!"
"We don't know that yet!" Kinnosuke retorted, interposing himself between Nabiki and Jasper.
Nabiki opened her mouth to ask what Jasper meant, but her voice caught in her throat as the implication set in. Her eyes wide, she shook her head from side to side, not wanting to believe. "It... it can't be." She stammered.
In reaction, Jasper shoved Kinnosuke out of the way and slapped Nabiki hard across her face. Immediately, Kinnosuke sent a heavy sidekick into the ork's hip, sending him to the ground. Eyes flaring, Jasper leapt back to his feet and brought his shotgun to bare.
"Keep your hands off of her, Jasper!" Kinnosuke shouted.
"The bitch can fall apart later!" Jasper retorted. "Our lives are more important right now!"
"Why you..." Kinnosuke began, but stopped as he heard Nabiki speak. Turning, the two males faced her. Her hand was pressed tightly against her face and the red mark from Jasper's slap could easily been seen under Nabiki's small hand.
"Let's go," Nabiki said, her voice dripping with barely contained rage.
Nodding, Jasper grinned sadistically and flung the door open. Surprisingly, the hallway was empty.
"Guess they haven't gotten past the systems Remote crashed," Jasper commented. Not hearing any protests, the ork moved into the hallway, two double-barreled shotguns held at the ready.
"Wait!" Kinnosuke shouted.
Nabiki and Jasper turned just in time to see Kinnosuke raise his Uzi III to the main data vault. Both watched in awe as he pulled the trigger and began to spray the room wildly. Even from outside, Nabiki could hear the data units explode.
After a moment, the Uzi ran out of ammunition and the clip ejected automatically. Reaching to his belt, Kinnosuke removed another clip and slapped it into place with a loud click. Turning, he said, "Now we can leave."
Running as fast as they could, the trio traversed the hallway to the elevator. As they reached it, however, Jasper shouted a warning for them to take the stairs instead. Nodding, Nabiki and Kinnosuke followed him. Upon reaching the stairs, Jasper kicked the door hard, nearly tearing it off its hinges and they made their way inside. Panning around with his weapons, Jasper found the stairwell to be empty.
Motioning to the others, he quickly moved down the stairs. "What floor, Nabiki?" He asked.
"There's an emergency fire-escape on eight," she answered. Reaching to her belt Nabiki grabbed her communicator and shouted, "Indigo! Wolf! Remote! It's gone to hell, get lost and meet at the usual!"
********************************************** End Chapter 2
A big thanks to the James Palmer, 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 the next part, 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.
***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 it panned out basically the same, but that this revision is much more in depth. The reason? Well... unlike my first Ranma story, I wanted to do a story with a lot of character development and some fairly good characterization. Upon numerous re-readings of my original part 1, I realized that my characterization amounted to almost nothing. That, and my description of the world and the city wasn't all that great. Thus, this re-write came into being.
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.
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."
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
.