Ranma and Jet Moto are used without permission.
========================
"What's with that diesel dyke?" Ranma asked himself as he gazed at
his reflection.The room was small, and exceptionally tidy. The furniture
consisted of a bed, a chair, and a chest of drawers with a mirror atop it.
The walls were peach colored, with a hardwood floor and western-style
door. The whole room, in fact, was done in western style.
All things considered, it was MUCH better than the sleazy dives
he'd been in before. Ranma lightly traced the prize-winning shiner that
adorned his left eye. He had to admit, that girl had a mean right.
The eye was swollen nearly shut, and still dully throbbed with his
heartbeat.
"And I've gotta race with her?" he asked his reflection. Heaving
an irratible sigh, Ranma shrugged out of his pilot suit. He wasn't in the
mood for a bath at the moment, preferring to take one in the morning. In
his boxers, he strode over to a nearby wall. On the wall was a
twenty-by-twenty centimeter panel, which slid open when Ranma pressed a
white button above it. Dumping his suit, gloves, and boots, he pressed
the button again, closing the panel. The suit would be taken to the
laundry room, where it would be clean and pressed by the next morning.
On his way to the bed he stopped by the chest, picking up his wallet.
His wallet was rather thin, having little to no money in it at
any given time. All he ever had was his ID, which doubled as his pilot's
license, and a picture.
Collapsing on the bed, Ranma opened the wallet, taking out the
one thing in it that held any significance for him.
Her mop of red hair was tied back in a tail, a style she had adopted
from him. The pilot suit she wore as also the same design as his own, as if
she were trying to imitate him. He looked into the image's deep blue eyes,
and could almost feel them looking back at him, as if he had failed. In many
ways, he had.
A lone tear ran down his cheek as the memories flooded his mind.
She was so healthy, so vibrant. A few hours later, she was dead. It all
came back so vivdly... The flames, the scream.... Ranma violently pushed
the memories out of his head. That was in the past. Ranko was dead, and
nothing could change it.
Still clutching the picture, Ranma drifted off to sleep.
===================
"So he's pretty good, huh?" Nabiki asked. She was seated behind
her desk, Akane on the other side.
Nabiki was dressed in one of her more flattering skirt suits. The
charcoal gray skirt and double-breasted jacket hugged her hips and
enhanced her shoulders nicely. Akane, dressed in
simply a jogging suit,
glared at her sister.
"He cheated!" Akane barked. "Letting me do all the hard work, then
STEALING the win!"
Nabiki supressed a chuckle, and replied, "Tactics nonwithstanding,
he DID take first place. Just how many people have beaten you on the
track in the past six months, Hmmm?" Akane's hot glare met with Nabiki's
cool gaze. Finally, Akane broke the stare.
"Ok, so he's not quite so bad a racer..." she conceded, "but he's
still a jerk!"
Nabiki chalked up another victory. The whole purpose of calling
her younger sister in had been to get across the point that she had to at
least be civil to Ranma. "Akane, you can hate his damn guts for all I
care, just try to refrain from sending him to the infirmary." Nabiki said.
"Kasumi may be a paramedic as well as a mechanic, but we really can't have
her tending to Ranma every time you get pissed off at him."
Akane looked on the verge of saying something, but thought better
of it. Nabiki smiled inwardly. It looked as though she had been successful.
"Why haven't you gotten on dad's case about going over your head
on Ranma?" asked Akane.
Oh-HO! Nabiki thought. Akane was learning something after all.
She knew that was a sensitive subject, and was going for it. Supressing a
smile, Nabiki answered, "For starters, he's a good racer..." Akane's face
darkened a little at that. "..and Daddy got his contract for next to
nothing."
"So, you're not going to say anything?" Akane asked.
"I didn't say that..." Nabiki trailed off as she cast a glance at
her watch. "Oops, gotta go." She rose from her chair, circled the desk,
and stopped outside the door awaiting Akane. Once her younger sister was
clear, Nabiki shut the door. "See ya tonight." Akane watched her sister
retreat down the hall and disappear around a corner.
===================
"Ranma, who designed this Moto?"
Kasumi had his Moto on the stand, access port open. She wore her
standard mechanic's garb, blue coveralls with the team logo on the back.
Kasumi was on her knees, peering into the guts of the machine.
The Moto had been re-painted in the team's colors, with the logo
on the front. A logo had also been emblazoned on the back of Ranma's suit,
which he now wore.
"If I'm not mistaken," Kasumi said, "this is a Sakae Mark VI power
plant with triple-thruster output." Her voice was thick with wonder, it
was obvious what her passion was.
The Moto was small, only two meters long and weighing in at 170
kilograms. The front swept back in the standard aerodynamic design
employed by Mitsubishi, but the body was reminiscent of the mid-sized
Kawasaki models.
"Isn't this engine a little too big for a Moto this light?" Kasumi
asked.
"Nah." Ranma replied. "It just takes more skill to handle."
"It's not that, Ranma." Kasumi replied. "This type of engine is
meant for larger Motos. It's barely within regulations."
"Don't worry about it." Ranma said, full of confidence. "This old
Moto's never let me down before." He patted the front partition fondly.
"In any event, let's get the Motos loaded up." Kasumi said. "We
want to get to the track before noon."
================================
The Mitsubishi Fuso roared through the ruined ward on its way to
the stadium. Unlike the buildings and streets, the large truck was in
excellent shape. It was painted black, a wide purple stripe running
around its midsection. Inside the snub-nosed cab sat three members of Team
Ryu-Ken.
Kasumi sat behind the large steering wheel, guiding the speeding
truck through the streets. She took a turn a little too fast, flinging
Akane into Ranma, who was seated by the passenger door. Once the truck had
levelled off, Akane pulled herself off Ranma and faced straight ahead, her
face unreadable.
"You ever consider a career on the track?" Ranma asked as Kasumi
rounded yet another turn at nearly 90 KpH.
"Not really." Kasumi replied as she downshifted, causing the
engine to howl in protest. The truck lurched ahead, rapidly picking up
speed. After a few moments, Kasumi shifted the transmission back into top
gear. "I really don't like to race." Ranma gaped at her, while Akane
rolled her eyes and grinned. Ranma reached up to grab the hell-handle
above his door as Kasumi swerved to dodge a squatter with an old shopping cart.
This is gonna be a long ride... Ranma thought.
=============================
Stadium security was, at best, a joke. The sec-force basically
consisted of a bent stick of a man who looked to be a few years older
than sand. Kasumi swerved through the parking garage, dodging what few cars
were there as they approached a large roll-up door. The three were thrown
forward
as she slammed on the brakes, leaving black tire marks on the cracked
concrete and causing the wheels to scream in protest. The door slowly rolled
upward toward the ceiling, allowing the lights from the stadium proper to
spill into the dimly lit garage. Once the door was above the truck, Kasumi
threw the truck into first and stomped the gas. The rear tires screamed once
more as she
mercilessly peeled the rubber from them in clouds of smoke.
The truck shot out into the light like a bat out of hell, hurtling
across the track to the concrete island in the center of the oval. Aiming
for a vacant space, Kasumi hit the brakes and cranked the wheel. The
truck's rear end swung around, the cab facing the door they just entered
from.
"Ranma? Are you OK?" Ranma held the hell-handle in a white-knuckled
grip, his teeth tightly clenched and his face slightly pale. Akane grinned
at him, and said, "I thought you liked moving at insane speeds."
Ranma simply gave Akane a dirty look, and said, "Yeah, but only
when I'm doin' the drivin'."
Akane looked at the fading purple bruise over Ranma's left eye,
and felt a twinge of conscience. "C'mon, fraidy cat." Akane teased. "Let's
go." Without waiting for Ranma's retort, she slid across the seat and out
the driver's door. Ranma un-fastened his seatbelt and followed thorugh
his door.
Kasumi already had the back of the truck opened and the ramp down
when Ranma reached the back. Akane had climbed into the back, and after a
few moments, Ranma heard the sound of a Moto's engine cycling up.
It was a sort of deep whine that increased only slightly in pitch
but dramatically in intensity. The sound grew closer as Akane slowly
guided her large Moto backward toward the ramp. Lifting her feet, the
Moto quickly slid down the ramp, and glided backward a couple of meters
before Akane stopped it. The Moto looked ponderously large beneath her,
and for a moment Ranma wondered why she didn't opt for a Moto meant for
someone more her size.
He dismissed the thought as he walked up the ramp to his Moto. He
quit trying to understand women a long time ago. He mounted his machine,
which was a good deal smaller and lighter than his new partner's. Activating
the engine, he gazed at the displays as the engine cycled to full capacity.
A luminous blue bar stretched from one end of the central display
to the other, bending down sharply at the left end and stopping near the
middle of the display. Several numbers appeared on the central and
secondary displays as well, telling him the condition of the power plant
and various sub-systems in the complex machine. The Moto rose as the
magnetic field increased in strength.
Finally satisfied that everything was in working order, Ranma
began walking it to the ramp. On the ground, Ranma looked around for
Akane, who had disappeared. He quickly found her, though. Apparently not
willing to wait for him, She had donned her helmet and started taking her
practice laps. Gunning the engine, Ranma took off in pursuit.
=================================
The stadium walls shot past in a blur as Akane guided the Moto
around the track. So far, everything was running smoothly. The Suzuki
1500 Series power plant was cycling nicely, the Magnetic field and
stabilizers functioning well within normal parameters.
Consulting her HUD, she saw Ranma behind her, right where he
should be. She turned her gaze back to the track, taking a curve a
little too wide for her liking. The next curve of the oval came up
quickly, which she shot through much closer to the inside. She spared
another glance at the rear-view image.
Huh? Ranma had completely disappeared. He hadn't gotten ahead of
her, and her proximity sensors didn't register him to either side. Where
the hell is he?
A window opened in Akane's HUD, revealing Kasumi's smiling face.
"Akane, I just found out that there's going to be a stunt race
later today on this track, and configurations are being made." Kasumi said.
"What's this got to do with me?" Akane asked.
"The stadium owners may be testing the ramps while you're on the
track. You may want to get off and go to the Holotrainer back home."
"No way, sis," Akane replied. "A few random jumps here and there
isn't much to worry about."
"Ok, Akane. Just be careful." The window closed, Kasumi severing
the connection. Another quick check of the rearview and proximity sensors
still revealed no trace of Ranma. Had she left him THAT far beihnd? Was he
having trouble? Or was he just goofing off somewhere?
Akane's train of thought was shattered when a ramp suddenly popped
up ahead of her and to the left. Akane easily dodged the ramp and went into
the first turn of the oval again. So far, this was...
WHAT THE...?
From out of the blue, Ranma appeared before her, streaking around
the turn on the inside, close enough to cause the track barrier to glow
pink. His Moto was turned almost completely sideways, his three thrusters
glowing with a turbo-boost. In an instant, Akane realized where he had
been all this time.
Her rearview image is pitifuly small, showing usually only those
directly behind her. She depended more on her proximity sensors to
register those to the side and behind at odd angles. The sensors, however,
only had a range of about four meters. He was hanging back out of range of
the sensors and out of the rearview, waiting for his chance to blow past
her. The ramp had appeared, and Ranma had engaged a turbo-boost, gaining air
and distance while not setting off her sensors.
"You dirty little sneak," Akane growled. Ranma whipped around turn
two at an insane speed, and a voice sounded in her helmet.
"Racing ain't just about who goes the fastest," he said arrogantly.
"It's also about knowing how your opponent handles his ride."
"Spare me the lessons, Ranma," Akane snarled. "I've been racing
for this team a lot longer than you have, and I know what I'm doing."
"Just trying to help."
"I don't need your help!" The communication line went dead, Ranma
still out in front. He was no longer gaining ground, but he wasn't losing
any, either. Once in the straightaway, Akane engaged her first turbo-boost,
the G-forces instantly doubling, slamming into her like a battering ram.
She began gaining ground on Ranma, and would overtake him in a matter of
seconds.
Without warning a ramp popped up, and at the worst possible time.
The rising ramp caught the rear end of Ranma's Moto, flinging it up in
the air in an end-over-end tumble. Akane's heart caught in her throat as
Ranma tumbled helplessly in the air. It would take a miracle for him to
even survive, much less escape injury!
"RANMA!" His Moto continued its end-over-end spiral, coming down to the
pavment at an almost sickening speed. Akane cut the throttle,
applying the braking systems as her eyes remained locked on Ranmna's out of
control fall.
Before the Moto hit the ground, Ranma managed to pull it out of
the spiral. The Moto landed rightside up, with Ranma still astride it. The
bottom scraped the track, the magnetic field generators straining to
generate the power needed to keep the Moto off the ground. Sparks flew
from the bottom as it hit once, twice, three times before keeping the
Moto aloft.
"Incredible!" She had to admit, THAT was pretty good. The Moto
hovered much lower to the ground, and wasn't as steady as before. She
knew the severe landing had damaged the magnetic plates, and the Moto
wouldn't stay aloft much longer. Slamming his fist on the panel, Ranma
pulled the Moto off the track.
Akane engaged the throttle, pulling off the track along with him.
Taking off her helmet and killing the power plant, she dismounted and
walked over to where Ranma stood catching his breath. His face was a
little pale, but otherwise he showed no signs of injury.
"Ranma, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. His voice was steady and confident,
as though the accident never happened at all. Other racers that were
standing around the island stared and murmured. They'd never seen a
recovery like that, and were very impressed. Kasumi came running up,
taking Ranma's wrist in her hand and asking how he was feeling.
"Now, THAT was classic Saotome showmanship." a voice said. "Glad
to see you haven't lost your touch." Ranma stiffened and turned to face
the speaker.
He was Ranma's height, with a little more muscle. The yellow and
black jumpsuit outlined his powerful legs, arms and chest, giving him a
cut appearance. His black hair fell over a yellow tiger-striped bandanna,
brown eyes shining with a reckless light.
"Ryoga Hibiki," Ranma said as he began to circle the other man.
Ryoga began to circle the other way, the two never taking their eyes off
each other. A crowd began to gather around the two, expecting a fight.
Tension filled the air like a static charge, Akane and Kasumi staring as
intently as the others. Finally, the two stopped, yelled, and charged.
The crowds collective jaws hit the ground when the two embraced,
laughing like idiots.
"How are ya, ya sonuvabitch!" Ranma shouted.
"Howzabout you, ya reckless dumbass!" Akane was thoroughly confused.
She thought those two would start throwing down, not hugging and cursing
each other like old drinking buddies.
"You two know each other?" Akane asked.
"Whoa, Ranma, where'd you get the shiner?" Ranma's face darkened
a little as he jerked a thumb at Akane.
Ryoga looked at Akane, looked at Ranma, looked at Akane again,
and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" the two asked as one. Gales of laughter
continued to burst from his mouth as they glared at him.
"S...sorry...about...that. HAHAHA!" Ryoga gasped. "It's just
that... Ranma... let himself get pasted by... a GIRL!"
"HEY!" Ranma yelled. "You know I don't hit girls!"
"Looks like they don't have a problem hitting you!"
Ranma growled, staring daggers at Ryoga. "Aw, forget it." he
spat.
"How are you, Mr. Hibiki?" Kasumi asked. Ryoga, now done
laughing, looked at Kasumi.
"I'm fine."
"Oh, good." Kasumi said, smile firmly in place. "We haven't been
properly introduced. I'm Kasumi Tendo." Kasumi gave a short bow as she
finished her greeting.
"Pleased to meet you." Ryoga replied, returning the bow.
"Hi, I'm Akane Tendo." Ryoga looked to Akane, and smiled.
"The one who decked Ranma, huh?" Ryoga asked. "Honored to meet
you." Turning to Ranma, he asked, "So, Saotome, what've you been doing
with yourself?"
Ranma grinned a little. "I'll tell ya over a beer?"
"Deal." Ryoga said. "My treat."
Ranma's eyes widened a litle. "Since when can you pay for a round?"
"I've had a run of good luck lately." Ryoga replied.
"Hey," Akane interjected, "you two aren't old enough to drink!"
The two looked at each other, then back to Akane. "That's never
stopped him." they said in unison, pointing at each other. The two walked
over to Ranma's Moto, and pushed the ailing machine over to the team's
truck. The electro-magnetic plates were functional enough to keep the
Moto about twenty centimeters off the ground, more than enough to get it
up the ramp and into the truck. As they exited the truck, Ranma said,
"Hey, Kasumi, don't worry about fixing the Moto. I'll take care
of it."
"Oh, it's no trouble, Ranma." she replied.
"Where are you going?" Akane asked with more than a hint of
irritation in her voice. "We're not done here, yet!"
"I am." Ranma said. "What can I do with a busted Moto?" With that,
he turned and walked out of the stadium with Ryoga. Akane just glared at
his back.
What a JERK!
================================================
Questions? Comments? Love to hear 'em!
Jed