Strangers in a Strange Land
Chapter 6
]] Hooray! Two, Two, Two chapters! Thanks again!
Ranma crashed through a paper wall, Panther and Bloodberry on top of
her. Using a leverage move, Ranma pinned one of Panther's arms and
slipped out from under her, using the tall blond to knock Bloodberry
aside as well. Bloodberry held on grimly, getting a firm hold in the
flowing material of Ranma's oversized shirt.
Ranma managed to get to her feet and spotted Lime running quickly
up. Improvising quickly, the petite red head shoved Panther in Lime's
direction and tore free of Bloodberry's grasp. The taller red haired
amazon fell back as Ranma escaped, once again running down the corridor.
]] Talk about being dumped into the middle of the action...
<...>
Ranma raced past a second pair of guards, and then a couple
spear-wielding marionettes that joined in the chase before she
recognized where she was. "I'm almost to the front door! A few more
seconds and I'm home free." Just as she turned into the last corridor
heading for the main entrance, a pair of arms shot out through a paper
wall and grabbed her. Ranma's momentum carried her and Cherry half a
dozen more yards down the corridor before they slid to a halt.
Before she could free herself from the small marionettes grasp, Lynx
]] marionette's
reached her, and then Bloodberry, Panther and Lime an instant after
that.
Cherry spoke up over the din of combat. "Otaru wants her captured!
We need information!" The marionettes struggled to pin their wildly
struggling captive down, each of the others grabbing a limb leaving
Cherry free. Hold her steady for just a few more seconds!" The purple
haired marionette tapped a few points on the back of Ranma's neck and
was rewarded when a small hole opened up. "I've almost got her...."
Cherry pulled a long pin out of her hair and stuck it in the opening.
An instant later the red head went motionless.
]] Cherry Final Attack! "Off Switch!" <click>
Bloodberry looked impressed, and poked the unresisting marionette in
the middle of the forehead. "Great! What did you do to her?"
Cherry blinked. "I hit her off switch, of course!"
Bloodberry and Panther both looked a bit shocked at that, while Lynx
just shrugged, having already known.
Lime just looked confused. "Cherry? What's an off switch?"
]] Hmmm... Is this really what would be said? She probably knows
]] what a switch is... Maybe "Cherry? Do we have an off switch?"
]] or "Gosh, Cherry! I never knew we had an off switch!"
]] or "Cherry? Do we have an off switch too?"
************************
Akane paced back and forth in front of the cooling ashes of the
fire. She had let the flames die unnoticed and now with only one
working arm, was unable to bring the fire back to life. A long trail of
smoke rose up from the dying fire unnoticed as Akane paced,
]] Hmm... to avoid unnoticed twice, how about:
]] Akane ignored the smoke from the dying fire as she paced,
]] (But... is that better? I'm not sure...)
trying to
think of a way to relight the fire with her good arm.
]] An interesting question here: Do Marionettes even NEED a fire,
]] except as a possible signal in this case? Of course, Akane's
]] human mind may well find comfort in the warmth her marionette
]] body may not need. (Again, I don't know SM J)
"What am I going to do?" She muttered to herself. "How will Ranma
find me if the fire goes out?" Akane glanced up the hill to the peak,
several dozen yards away. "I know! I can keep a lookout from up
there! That way if Ranma comes looking, I can spot him... her, first."
Decision made, Akane headed for the hilltop, quickly taking up a post
there. As the minutes passed, Akane went back to pacing. "Why did I
agree to wait here? What if something happens to Ranma?" She scanned
the horizon intently. "I don't know why I'm even looking. Ranma won't
be back for hours...." Akane's eyes widened slightly as she spotted
something moving between the trees below her and in the direction of the
city.
"Ranma?" Akane hesitated, staring. "No.... too big, and moving too
slowly." The injured marionette dropped to the ground on the top of the
hill, keeping an eye on the slowly moving form. It was quickly evident
that the thing approaching wasn't human, or even alive. It was a large
machine with a box supported by two large, slightly birdlike legs, oddly
reminiscent of the "Imperial Walkers" she had seen in a popular American
Science fiction movie. One major difference was the peculiar fact that
the strange walking machine, while unmistakably mechanical, seemed to be
made mostly of wood! Akane was able to determine its scale when she
]] Congratulations! 'its' correctly used!
noticed a man walking next to it, standing with his head parallel to the
machine's hip.
]] Kunou's device?
As they got closer, Akane could judge the man to be a burly six feet
tall at least, which would put the walking machine at twice that. An
older man sat inside the body of the machine, his bald head and long
white beard sticking out of the cockpit. The two of them seemed to be
heading on a direct line for her and Ranma's campsite, and Akane slid
farther down the hill as they approached.
]] No, not Kunou's... (my lack of SM J knowledge may be a handicap
]] here.)
"Are they looking for us?" Akane glanced over at the campsite and
paled. The trail of smoke from the extinct fire was still clearly
visible, although it was just starting to fade out. "Oh no! That's how
they found me, the smoke!" Akane remembered camping with Ranma and his
father nearly a year before. <Or five hundred years, now. Ranma told
me that a hot fire, with dry wood, doesn't smoke.... Which is what he
built last night. I should have remembered to put it out once it
started to die!"
]] Paragraph break, perhaps? Also... Who is Akane talking to here?
The woodsman nodded soberly and turned away, walking in Akane's
general direction.
]] I walk in your general direction, marionette pig-dog!
The old man maneuvered his large machine after him. "Go ahead, take
me to them! I've made some new modifications. We'll have those tree's
]] Tree's is possessive, trees is plural. Use trees here.
cleared in minutes!"
<...>
Komatsu looked up in confusion and noticed a Marionette
standing above him, holding the trunk of the tree up with one arm. Her
arm trembled slightly from the weight, and her feet had been driven
several inches into the soft ground. Komatsu blinked twice then rolled
the rest of the way out from under the tree.
]] Cool! Akane's a heroine and no whiskers!
Akane strained to hold the trunk up. <What's happening? I
shouldn't be having this much trouble with this tree! Even with one arm
I was stronger than this yesterday... I know I was.> With a great
effort, Akane shoved the tree off to the left and let it fall. She
suddenly felt dizzy and tired, and very hot. <What's... what's wrong
with... me...." Akane barely noticed the vent in her right arm opening
up and sending out a jet of steam before she sank to the ground, barely
conscious. <I... I can barely keep my eyes open... am I... going to
turn off?>
The old man hopped down out of his walker. "Damn! How did that
happen? I did the stress calculations twice!" He looked down at the
strange Marionette that had come out of nowhere. "Well then, I suppose
we were lucky that you were here, eh?" Akane looked up at him, her eyes
slowly shutting. "Hmmm." The old man nodded to himself. "Out of
power? We'll have to do something about that...." Everything went
black and Akane lost consciousness.
]] Boy, things look grim. Ranma... captured. Nabiki 'improved'
]] (AKA enslaved) BUT Ranma doesn't know, and just saw Nabiki kidnap
]] a person she KNEW was good. Now Akane just conked out.
]] What will become of our intrepid mechanical heroines? Stay tuned,
]] but first, a word from our asterisks...
*******************************
<...>
Gennai raised an eyebrow at the response. "I did. It was the least
I could do after you saved Komatsu from that tree. I'd have never
forgiven myself if my mistake had injured him." He nodded to her left
arm. "The damage wasn't too bad. The control wires had been severed,
and you had a pretty serious short there, but it was easy enough to
repair." Gennai spoke almost to himself, not really expecting the
marionette in front of him to understand.
]] Ranma: Uh... even that tom... tombot's not that dumb!
]] Akane: TOMBOT! RRRanma! Why I'll...
Akane didn't really understand completely, but wanted too. "The
control wires? Like for a... a plane?" She frowned. "A short? Is
that why I got weaker... um... lost power?"
Gennai was staring at the marionette in front of him in
fascination. "A plane?" He looked very thoughtful. "Yes... I suppose
a plane would have a similar system...." He looked at Akane in
confusion. "But how would you know about planes? I myself have just
recently been researching various methods of flight... but no one has
built one on this planet in hundreds of years. The plasma storms make
flight entirely too risky. How would you have heard of them?"
]] Now that's a good question...
Akane swallowed nervously, trying to think of a good excuse. "Um...
I heard someone mention them...?"
Gennai quirked his head sideways, staring at her intently. "You're
no ordinary Marionette, are you? You have a maiden circuit!"
]] Busted! But then, the plane comment is something not even an
]] advanced marionette has any reason to make. In fact, 'plane' is
]] vernacular. I wonder if any technical reference material would
]] call an aircraft or airplane a plane? Of course, I don't know how
]] he's doing his research anyhow, so...
Akane froze. <Whoops! I forgot! Normal marionettes don't ask
questions like that!> She looked at the old man nervously, not daring
to speak.
]] A fun scene might be some number of the trio (or all three)
]] impersonating 'normal' marionettes.
<...>
Akane jumped down off the table. "I've got to go!" She walked
quickly toward the door and opened it. She looked around, noticing she
was somewhere inside the city, in some sort of apartment complex. Akane
turned back to Gennai. "Where am I?" She blushed, then covered her
mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm being awfully rude, and I haven't thanked you
for fixing me, but...."
Gennai put his hand on the back of his head and laughed. "Don't
worry about it! I've gotten used to it with Lime and the others'
antics. In comparison you're a model of politeness. You're about four
or five miles from the East Side of the city, where the road you met us
]] Would Side be capitalized? (just asking).
on begins." He pointed. "That way. You can't miss it, the first main
road to the wall, and you'll see the gate right away. It's the only
gate in that part of the wall."
Akane bowed. "Thank you very much, Gennai-san. I am in your
debt." She turned toward the road and started off quickly.
Gennai watched her go in bemusement. "Why do I get the feeling I'll
be seeing that marionette again?"
]] Well, if he can do repairs, it's likely.
******************************
<...>
Akane sighed in relief and sank down to her knees. "I haven't
missed him." Akane sat back, facing the cold fire pit. "Her. I've got
to remember that Ranma's stuck as a girl now." Akane sighed. "Poor
Ranma, this must be hardest of all for... her." She glanced around at
the small remaining pile of firewood. "Well. now that I have two
working arms again, I might as well get the fire restarted. Won't Ranma
be surprised that I've already gotten fixed!"
]] Perhaps, if Ranma hasn't been 'fixed' too.
********************************
Lorelei opened her eyes slowly and looked around, confused at first
by the unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" Even as she asked the
question she remembered. "I've been kidnapped... by Godai Kuno!"
Lorelei sat up, getting a better look at her surroundings. She was in a
large bedroom, lying on an ornate looking curtained bed. Her jeans and
sweater had been replaced with a short white silk robe that covered her
arms to the elbows and her legs only halfway down her hips.
]] Hips or thighs? (Or, more to the point... 'G' rating for the scene
]] 'R'?)
It was
belted loosely in front and Lorelei quickly took a peek to check....
"Eek!" Lorelei turned slightly pink as she realized that the robe
was the only thing she was wearing. She tightened the belt and got off
the bed, walking quietly over to the door. Lorelei tried the door
handle to no avail, it was apparently securely locked. There were no
other exits to the room and the door looked very solid. Lorelei looked
around the room for some idea of what to do next. Besides the bed the
only other piece of furniture in the room was a large wooden wardrobe.
Hoping to find something with more coverage, Lorelei went over and
pulled it open. A number of negligees and other silken undergarments
with even less coverage than what she wore hung in the wardrobe.
]] Hmmm... I guess Kunou's a lot like Happi, except he buys the stuff
]] instead of stealing it.
Lorelei picked out white lace bra and panties as the least embarrassing
and opened her robe to put them on. As she was slipping the panties on,
the door to her room suddenly opened.
Lorelei shut her robe quickly as Godai Kuno walked in, flanked by a
marionette she recognized as Nabiki Tendo. He shut the door behind him,
dashing any small hope of escape, although that hope was indeed small,
as the likelihood of her getting away from a combat marionette was slim
indeed.
]] Any speculation on her part on WHY Nabiki did what she did?
<...>
Lorelei swallowed slowly, trying not to show her nervousness.
"You're going to... what, sell me to the highest bidder?"
]] The plot sickens...
<...>
Godai shook his head. "As I said, I'll be in control of the
council... and as you have probably guessed, I can circumvent the
palaces security systems as well. In another day, you will be the only
]] palace's
one. Taking a cloning chamber from the palace would be exceedingly
difficult, but destroying them is not hard at all. Now that I have you,
I have everything I need to begin."
Lorelei gaped at him in horror. "That's... monstrous! What kind of
inhuman animal are you?"
Godai snorted. "I'm hardly inhuman, Dr. Lorelei, simply pragmatic.
As it was you were going about the destruction of Terra Two. The
introduction of the human female to this planet has to be conducted much
more carefully. I am simply performing an abortion... as distasteful as
that is, it is justified by the cause."
]] What a creep!
Lorelei shuddered, her hands going into claws before she could calm
herself. "You... you monster! I'll do whatever it takes to stop you!"
]] I think I can see who the 'good' and 'bad' guys are now!
<...>
"Stay
here and guard Lorelei, Nabiki. Let no one but Yusaku or myself in or
out of this room."
Nabiki nodded automatically. "Yes master."
]] Tragic even to picture this scene, but I'm sure Nabiki has no joy
]] in her response. I hope she hasn't had to pull concubine duty
]] yet.
Godai nodded and left,
the door shutting behind him. Lorelei flew to the door and pounded on
it, but it was again firmly shut. She slumped to the floor in defeat,
then glanced over at the impassive Nabiki.
]] Paragraph break?
"So...." Lorelei sighed, sitting with her back to the door. "I guess
it's just you and me, huh?"
Nabiki stood quietly several feet from the door while Lorelei got to
her feet. The petite scientist walked around slowly to look the short
haired marionette in the eyes.
"You're Nabiki Tendo, right?" Lorelei asked softly. "Ranma told me
about you and your sister. What's happened to you? Why are you obeying
the Kuno's?" Nabiki wanted to look away and it showed in her face.
]] Kunos (plural not possessive). Or it could be Kunou's orders
]] obeying Kunou's orders?"
Lorelei's eyes narrowed. "It is you. Why are you helping them?"
Nabiki shook her head, her face breaking finally from her
emotionless mask to one of sincere regret. "I have to do whatever they
say." She looked away from Lorelei to the far wall. "I... I have no
choice."
Lorelei moved to the side to interrupt Nabiki's line of sight.
"What do you mean, you have no choice? What kind of hold do they have
over you?"
]] Far more than he could possibly have over you...
Nabiki stared at the doctor in fustration. "I mean exactly that.
I... I... I can't do ANYTHING they don't tell me to do. I can only talk
to you now because Godai told me I can speak freely... as long as I
don't swear or insult him. I literally cannot do anything they do not
permit me to do."
]] Of course if he issues a new, more restrictive order...
Lorelei blinked. "A control program? Do you have any control at
all?"
Nabiki closed her eyes and shook her head. "If I try to do anything
I'm not ordered to do... I loose control of my body. I'm... cut off,
trapped inside this shell with no feelings, only my own thoughts...."
She shuddered in rememberance.
The only living human female on the planet paled in horror. "Oh my
god... Nabiki... I'm so sorry." Lorelei stepped forward and put her
arms around Nabiki impulsively, hugging her tightly.
Nabiki froze, then slowly hugged Lorelei back, trying not to break
down and cry. <I won't cry... I won't show weakness.... Damn it... I
won't give them the satisfaction!> Dispite her intentions Nabiki found
]] Despite
herself crying silently into Lorelei's shoulder while the peite
]] petite
scientist held her and stroked her hair.
"It'll be all right, Nabiki. You'll see. I'll fix you, I promise.
I won't let them hurt you anymore." Lorelei comforted her unwilling
kidnapper without hesitation. The fact that Nabiki was in the body of a
marionette powerful enough to bend steel was the furthest thing from her
mind. Right now, all she could see was a young woman terribly abused.
Nabiki sniffed back her tears and tried to collect herself. <All
right, Nabiki... I think thats about enough. Come on, where's that
]] that's (contraction of that is)
control you're so proud of?> She slowly pushed away from Lorelei and
stood apart, the only evidence of her tears the wet marks down her
cheeks. "I... thanks. I needed that." Nabiki took in a deep breath,
closed her eyes, then opened them, outwardly calm once more. "All
right. Now what? How are we going to get out of this?" She rolled her
eyes. "And if you're going to say that Ranma will save us I hope you
have something more concrete in mind."
Lorelei blinked, taking in the suddenly calm marionette with a bit
of confusion. "Ranma? Yes, I suppose she is quite competent.
]] That's one way of putting it.
<...>
Lorelei smiled slightly and sat down next to Nabiki. "All right.
I'll tell you about Otaru, and you can tell me something about Ranma,
all right?"
Nabiki nodded, her eyes twinkling. "Sounds like a deal.
]] Next time: Girl talk, or girl and robot talk, or scientist and
]] marionette talk, or...
]]
]] It will be fun to see exactly WHAT Nabiki says about Ranma.
]] Not to mention what Ranma says about her/his/it self...
Please C&C. I always appreciate good (or bad) feedback.
]] I pray this qualifies...
Kevin D. Hammel
========================================
khammel@anime.sobhrach.com
kevinsff@pacbell.net
http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
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