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A General Time Paradox
Chapter 2: A New Class of Evil
Later that afternoon, five girls and two cats gathered in the living
quarters of the Cherry Hill shrine to discuss the events of the day. The
meeting was originally designed to be a study-group meeting to help
Serena pass her classes, but none of the girls felt like studying after
their tough battle, even the usually bookish Ami. Rei had brought in a
tray of cookies, hoping to cheer everyone up, but only Mina had any high
spirits left. Even the usually relatively cheerful Lita was down in the
dumps. "I can't believe we had to run away," she moaned.
"What choice did we have?" asked Rei. "They were way too powerful
for us!"
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," Artemis apologized. Mina stroked
his back, but the cat didn't purr. "This situation sounds very serious."
"The opponents we fought today were simply not the same type of
monsters that we've been fighting all this time," explained Ami. "Our
powers won't work against them the way they work against
Negaverse-spawned monsters."
"Even Darien couldn't beat them," whined Serena. "I've never had to
work so hard! I usually just throw my Moon Tiara or wave my crystal wand
and everything goes back to normal!"
"Working hard certainly isn't a skill you've had to practice,"
agreed Luna from Serena's lap.
"Hard work or not, there has to be a way to beat them," said Mina.
"Everyone has a weakness."
"The problem is," put in Artemis, "your powers were designed for
fighting the creatures of the Negaverse. If Ami's right about these new
opponents not being from the Negaverse, you could very well be in over
your heads with this fight!"
"But we have to try!" argued Serena. "More innocent people will
suffer if we don't keep fighting!"
"If we do keep fighting, the people who suffer will be us," said Rei
glumly. "We're going to need some kind of plan to defeat them." Six
pairs of eyes turned to stare at Ami.
"What?" asked Ami, sweatdropping. "I haven't got a plan!"
"We're sunk, then," said Serena. "We might as well give up now. If
even Ami can't think of a plan..."
"Now wait just a minute!" shouted Ami. "Who says I can't come up
with a plan? I haven't had any time to think of one!"
Lita clenched her fists. "Well, if our powers are useless, we'll
just have to find some new powers!"
"New powers?" asked Serena. "Where do we find those?"
"I think there's a way to rise to a higher level of Sailor Scout
power," offered Luna, "but I can't seem to remember what it is."
"Neither can I," said Artemis. "I wish I could... I've forgotten far
too much."
"Well, you're a lot of help," groaned Serena. "'Oh, there's a way
you can beat them... but I don't remember what it is!' When are you
going to remember?"
"Don't yell at them, Serena," warned Rei. "They're trying their
hardest to help us. But it looks like we're on our own for now."
"And meanwhile, this homework isn't going to do itself," said Mina,
staring at her workbook.
"Worry about homework later!" snapped Lita. "They could come back at
any time!"
"I think Mina's right, Lita," said Ami. "We're probably better off
doing something else to take our minds off of our problems for a while.
Maybe some of this homework will inspire us."
"You think so?" asked Serena, picking up her workbook. "I've never
gotten any ideas from homework before... but I might as well give it a
try!"
Lita tapped Serena on the shoulder. "You're holding the book upside
down, doofus!"
"Really?" Serena sweatdropped and turned the book over. "Hey, you're
right! It does make more sense this way around!" She put her hand behind
her head and laughed out loud.
"Oh well," grumbled Rei. "Maybe one of the rest of us will come up
with something."
*************************************************
Even though they'd seen it before, the Negaverse still amazed Lina,
Ranma, and Ryoko after spending time in the real world again. They
marveled anew at the sights - such as they were - as they made their way
to Beryl's throne. Ryoko was still staring at Ranma from head to toe.
"You're really a girl?"
"I'm really a GUY in a girl's body," replied Ranma. "There's a
difference!"
"Doesn't feel any different," said Ryoko, prodding Ranma's chest.
Ranma reminded herself that hitting Ryoko would not be conducive to
Akane's safety. "Don't touch me there. The body is real, but I'm still a
guy on the inside."
"So, do you sneak into girls' bathrooms a lot back home?" asked
Lina. "I bet any guy would kill for the ability to turn into a girl."
"It's not as much fun as you'd think," said Ranma. "I'd give
anything to be rid of this curse."
"So, is that why you offered to help kill the Sailor Scouts?" asked
Ryoko. "Beryl said that one of us was in it for herself."
"That's not the reason!" snapped Ranma.
"Tou-CHY!" said Lina. "But you really should leave him alone,
Ryoko."
"I can't help it," replied Ryoko. "It's the way I am. I can't get my
thrills by teasing Ayeka anymore, so I have to find another outlet for
my extra energy."
"Save it for the Sailor Scouts," advised Lina. "Next time, we're
going to have to finish them off for good."
"It might not be that easy," said Ryoko. "They're like cockroaches -
annoying, ugly, and impossible to squash no matter how big a shoe you
use."
"They're probably a lot weaker when they're not in uniform," said
Ranma. "Remember how Beryl said that they have secret identities? If we
could discover who the Sailor Scouts really are, we'd be able to catch
them when they don't have their powers." She paused. "On second thought,
maybe that's not such a hot idea. If I do have to fight girls, I
definitely don't want to do it when they're totally helpless."
"Great," fumed Lina. "He's not only flightless, he's chivalrous as
well."
"Well, if you don't want to fight them, then that's your business,"
said Ryoko. "More action for the rest of us."
"I'm afraid you won't be seeing any action for a while, Ryoko," said
Queen Beryl's voice.
"What?" shouted Ryoko furiously. "Why not?"
Beryl appeared before them. "Because I've been listening in to your
conversation, and your plan is sound. Your next mission will be
reconnaissance. You will have to move around in human society and find
the true identities of the Sailor Scouts."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" demanded Lina. "They already
know who we are!"
"Just as they disguise themselves, so shall you." She pointed to
Ranma. "They have not yet seen Ranma in this form. She will be
registered as a transfer student at Crossroads Junior High School."
"Who's going to check out the other schools?" asked Lina.
"You will," replied Beryl. "A simple spell should be enough to
obscure your bangles from mortal eyes and give you the appearance of a
common schoolgirl at Grass Valley Junior High School. We are quite sure
that most of the Sailor Scouts attend one of those two schools."
"Then what do I get to do?" asked Ryoko.
"Your part of the plan will become clear in time. You will have the
most important part of all."
"All right!" cheered Ryoko, slamming her fist into her palm. "Now
THAT sounds more like it!"
Beryl waved her arm, and a portal opened behind them. "Ranma, Lina,
go. Keep your powers in check until you can discover a likely candidate.
Once you think you have discovered a Sailor Scout, isolate her from the
rest and confront her. Ryoko will assist you in forcing her to reveal
her identity, and then you can destroy her."
"What happens if the girl we find isn't a Sailor Scout?" asked
Ranma.
Beryl considered this. "Remove her from future consideration."
"What the heck's that supposed to mean?" asked Ranma.
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Lina. "Once she knows who you really are,
we can't let her tell anyone else."
"We're supposed to kill innocent girls? That wasn't part of the
deal!"
"The deal is anything I choose to make it," said Beryl. "If you
value what the crystal holds, you will do as I say!"
Ranma growled, but managed to keep her anger in check. She whirled
and stormed into the portal. Lina followed close behind.
"Do you think those two can do the job?" asked Ryoko.
"If they can't, you'll do it," replied Beryl. "That's why I have
four generals."
"What is the deal with that fourth girl?" asked Ryoko. "Who is she?"
"An element of chaos. If things start to go wrong for us, her power
will turn the tide in our favor."
"Why don't you use her now?"
"I have my reasons. I suggest that you do not question them again."
With that, Beryl turned and walked toward the throne room, leaving
behind a confused and slightly irate Ryoko.
*************************************************
"Good morning, class," said the teacher, waiting for the class to
settle down before continuing. "We have a new student joining us today."
"Hi," said the red-haired girl standing next to him. "My name is
Ranko Tendo." She smiled sweetly and waved to the class. The boys
goggled at her, provoking any girls who were near enough to their
boyfriends to jealously poke them with pencils or other sharp objects.
"Why don't you sit next to Serena?" suggested the teacher, pointing
to an empty desk next to a blonde girl whose hair was set into two long
tails topped with what appeared to be yellow meatballs.
Ranko took her seat and turned to Serena. "That's quite an
interesting hairstyle," she complimented the blonde.
"Thanks. It takes a lot of work to set it this way."
"If only you applied that much effort to your schoolwork, you
wouldn't be failing," quipped the brunette behind Serena. Ranko stared
intently at her ponytail.
"That's not a very nice thing to say, Lita," returned Serena. The
two girls fumed, but they both turned their attention to the front of
the room, where the teacher was beginning the lesson.
Neither Ranko nor Serena seemed to be able to understand any of what
the teacher was saying, and Lita didn't have much more luck. It was a
girl with short blue hair at the front of the room who answered most of
the questions. Ranko studied her hair even more earnestly than she had
Lita's throughout the lesson. Unfortunately, this took even more of her
attention away from the teacher.
When the bell rang, Ranko was certain that she knew less about
fractions than she had at the start. What made this even more suspicious
was that she was quite sure it had been a geography lesson. Ranko
sighed. Having to kill innocent girls she could probably learn to deal
with. Going to school was another thing altogether.
*************************************************
"Class, this is our new student," said the teacher, pausing. "What
did you say your name was again?"
"Amelia Zelgadis," the new arrival said hastily. She'd forgotten to
choose a new name before registering, and had had to write down the
first thing that came to mind. Now she found herself regretting it, but
it was too late to say that she'd changed her mind and her name was
actually Martina Zangulus or some other combination of the names of
those she had traveled with in the past.
"Well, Amelia," said the teacher helpfully, "you can sit in the back
of the room. Try to keep up with the rest of the class."
"No problem," said Amelia, choosing an empty desk and sitting down.
She began to study the girls in the class, seeking any sign that one or
more of them might be Sailor Scouts in disguise.
"Hey, welcome to Grass Valley Junior High, Amelia!" whispered the
girl in the next desk. "My name's Stephanie!"
Amelia examined Stephanie's cheerful smile and long dark hair.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not a very friendly person."
"That's all right," whispered the blonde in front of Stephanie.
"She's that friendly with everyone. Ignore her for a few days and she'll
give up."
Stephanie smiled again and straightened up in her desk, her chest
jiggling slightly as she did so. "People say that I have a fiery heart
that simply burns with congeniality!"
Amelia scowled at the girl's uncanny resemblance to Naga, a chapter
of her life best left forgotten, and carefully considered the metaphor.
Was it a coincidence that the girl looked like Sailor Mars, minus the
jewelry, and compared herself to Mars' element? This search could turn
out to be easier than she'd thought.
*************************************************
Ranko didn't have much trouble finding her three suspects at lunch,
since they all sat together. Ranko joined them, eager to learn whether
these girls might in fact be the Sailor Scouts. Their closeness
certainly suggested some association between them outside of school.
"So, are you guys good friends?" she asked once the introductions had
been made.
"We're study buddies," replied Ami, the blue-haired girl. "Neither
Serena nor Lita is having much luck with classes, so we get together
with a few other friends after school and do our homework together."
"You might consider a study group, Ranko," suggested Serena through
a mouthful of food. "It looks like you could use some help."
"That was a very rude thing to say!" Ami admonished her. "And you
shouldn't talk with your mouth full in any case."
"Sorry," said Serena, swallowing her mouthful after the apology. Ami
wiped the moist crumbs from her face, provoking a chuckle from Lita and
Ranko.
"We'd invite you to join our group, but it's kind of private," said
Lita.
"That's all right," said Ranko. They would be easier to observe if
they weren't aware of her presence anyway. "This school's a lot easier
than my last one."
"Really?" asked Serena. She cast a quick glance at Ami and swallowed
the food in her mouth. "I can't imagine a school tougher than
Crossroads."
"Oh, you'd better believe it!" said Ranko. "The Principal of
Furinkan was a lunatic! He was always trying to cut everyone's hair and
made every day a living hell! And then there were the classes on top of
that, with teachers that he hired to drive everyone insane."
"How could you even learn anything in those conditions?" asked Lita.
"I couldn't, really," admitted Ranko. "But I did get plenty of
practice in the martial arts."
"Really?" Lita leaned forward, suddenly much more interested in her
new friend. "I study martial arts too! Maybe we could have a match
sometime!"
"I don't fight girls," said Ranko without thinking.
"But you're a girl!" Serena pointed out.
"You don't find many female martial artists around here," added
Lita. "I can never find an opponent to practice with outside of the Judo
club."
"Judo, eh? I study mostly kempo myself. It might be interesting to
see how our styles interact." And to meet some of your other friends,
she didn't add aloud.
"All right!" cheered Lita. "I'm considering that a promise!"
The bell rang. "Geez!" shouted Serena. "Lunchtime's over already?"
She quickly crammed the rest of her lunch into her mouth at once and ran
for the school building, knocking the others' lunchboxes to the ground.
"What a ditz," said Lita. "We've got plenty of time."
"And the worst part is," added Ami, "she'll be late no matter how
fast she runs. Serena always is."
Ranko nodded thoughtfully as she packed up her belongings. Serena,
despite her uncanny resemblance to Sailor Moon, was obviously far too
clumsy to be a Sailor Scout. The other two, however, were very likely
candidates. Lita's martial arts skill would definitely be an asset to
the Sailor Scouts, and Ami's blue hair, which perfectly matched Sailor
Mercury's, was probably not a common color in this dimension; although,
having known a girl with purple hair, Ranko wasn't about to dismiss that
possibility out of hand. However suspicious she might be, Ranko still
had to be sure before she made her move. Beryl's words still hung over
her head. A wrong guess would cost an innocent girl her life... and
given the circumstances, that girl was quite likely to be Akane.
*************************************************
Stephanie looked up from her lunch to see the new girl approaching
her. "Hey! If it isn't Amelia! What's up?"
"Oh, nothing," said Amelia casually as she sat next to Stephanie. "I
was just thinking about what you said before first period. You know,
'fiery heart burning with friendliness' or whatever it was."
"Congeniality," replied Stephanie. "Close enough though. I just get
such a kick out of making new friends! You never know what sorts of
interesting things they'll have to talk about."
"Yeah, you never know," agreed Amelia. "It's always fun going to new
places and meeting interesting people. I hear this town even has super
heroes or something!"
"Super heroes? You must mean the Sailor Scouts! They're incredible!"
"You know anything about them?" asked Amelia hopefully. The best way
to get information that someone is trying to hide, she knew from
experience, is to ask for it and wait for them to slip up and tell you
what you want to know.
"Well, they're the most heroic girls I've ever met," said Stephanie
with stars in her eyes. "They always fight the monsters that attack
innocent people in the name of love and justice! Isn't that such a noble
cause?"
"Sure," said Amelia, remembering the "truth and justice" motto of
her psuedonymsake. "But who are they, really?"
"Their identities are secret," said Stephanie, making hush motions
with her finger. "They probably don't want admirers showering them with
gifts or anything hokey like that."
Amelia decided to overlook the similarity to Xellos and move in for
the kill. "Or maybe they're worried about their enemies discovering
their identities and striking when they're powerless."
Stephanie looked worried. "You think they'd actually try something
like that? That would be horrible! I sure hope the Sailor Scouts are
prepared for such a dirty scheme."
"Or that somebody thinks to tell them," put in Amelia.
Stephanie nodded, then looked at her watch. "Oh my! I'm late for
band practice!"
"Bingo," said Amelia as the dark-haired girl ran toward the school
building.
------------------------------------------------------------
Well... that's it. This chapter concludes my backlog of story chapters
to send to the list, unless anyone really wants to see the beginnings of
the Ranma stories that aren't going anywhere for the moment. From now
on, I'll be sending chapters whenever I can write them. Hopefully my
writing pace isn't too disappointingly slow (having seen how some people
react to authors who take a long time to turn out new chapters...). I
assure you that, while some stories may be temporarily pushed aside so
that I can work on the ideas that are moving along at the time, all of
my stories will be completed someday.
As for the next chapter of Paradox... it's proceeding well. If I haven't
finished it in a couple of weeks, I should hopefully have time over
Christmas break to work on it. You can always check my webpage for
recent story updates, past chapters, and stories that I haven't sent to
the FFML. And remember, I'm always interested in hearing what you think
of the stories!
- Nidoking
BURNS: What is this? Some kind of force field around these vegetables!
HOMER: That's the sneeze guard. You have to lean under it to get food or
sneeze on stuff.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp