[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 54
- Eagles Grow From Eggs
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I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1 / 2, Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these
stories.
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But How Many Ships Do you Reckon My Presense To Be Worth?
Antigonus
Send Me An Angel - Music: Rudolf Schenker
Lyrics: Klaus Meine
Wise Man Said Just Find Your Place, In The Eye Of The Storm
August 9, 1947
Nabiki looked around the bowels of the carrier. Among the
machines and pipes, the spirit of an element was waiting. Her legs
ached from the hard use, as did her underarms from the chaffing of the
crutches. Why hadn't it turned and attacked? she wondered as she
cautiously advanced, Why did it stop occasionally to make mischief,
allowing me to keep up? She heard several groups of men wandering
around, calling her name, searching for her. She ignored them.
Jeff ran to her, at the edge of the site. "Do I need to lecture
you on precautions?" He moved ahead gingerly, in and among the pipes
and machines.
"I saw you summon an element spirit to bind to the rune," Nabiki
admitted as she followed him, picking her way through, "It was so
easy, I thought I could do it, I took all the precautions to summon
one friendly to my cause," she explained. And he's barely listening,
she thought.
Jeff turned to glare at her, then sighed. " 'Every mage must
find his own path.' Now I know how the sorcerer felt with _his_
apprentice." He turned back before he could see her stick her tongue
out at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I might not have told you
absolutely _everything_?_" He extended a hand, guiding himself toward
the escaped elemental spirit.
"Her own path." She put one fist on her hip and one hand behind
her head, to show off her curves, "I am a girl you know."
Jeff didn't even look. " 'All mages are inherently male.' Which
was why they tossed me and the Scholarly Dragon out of the order.
Teaching human girls, just isn't done," he told her apathetically, "So
you aren't the only one who does dumb things for the best of reasons."
Nabiki was horrified. "I guess, I guess I really owe you, I
didn't mean for _that_ to happen."
"And I didn't count it for pay, or tell you beforehand, the
second reason they threw me out. Relax, since I can't get into the
Dreamlands and most of the order never leaves there, it really doesn't
mean much. Besides, they actually threw me out before the lessons
started," he told her as he looked around, waving his hand in front of
him., "For thirty bonus points, you can guess the third and final
reason they threw me out." He looked up. "It's up top. It hasn't
attacked, just run away?"
"Yes, and it never let me lose sight of it, until I got here.
It's really weird." Nabiki glanced at the huge machine, and at the
`ladders` that lead to the top. She considered climbing to the top.
Terrific, she thought, Ritsuko will kill us if she catches us up
there. She thought of the moving equipment and the steam. I don't
even know what this is, she thought as Jeff started climbing.
"You may have done a better job summoning it than you know. The
danger of summoning elements is they're uncontrolled, wild spirits,
that have a very restricted view of the universe, and everything in
it, very Elemental." Nabiki winced as she started following, Jeff
continued to talk as he climbed, "I think this one is trying to help
you, it just doesn't know how." Jeff headed up the ladders that
climbed the steel shell of the machine, Nabiki reluctantly followed,
wincing at the steam and watching the exposed moving parts.
"Why were you able to summon and bind the first element spirit
you gave me? I did everything you did, I even did all you said wasn't
really necessary, to summon a friendly spirit, and it ran away,"
Nabiki asked as she climbed.
"First." Jeff helped her onto the top, both had to duck to avoid
rapping their heads on the pipes and duct work overhead. "Mages,
fully-fledged mages, bind themselves to one or two elements as an
anchor. They usually pick elements similar in personality to their
own. This anchor allows them to summon any kind of elemental and bind
it." He looked around, seeking their target.
At least there's a solid floor, all fenced in up here, Nabiki
thought of the claustrophobic confines, I don't like the idea of
balancing on beams, dodging steam, while facing a skittish elemental.
The small tornado was visible at the far side of the machine, "Second,
if you were a friendly, conscientious sort of person and somebody
pulled you out of your world, dropped you in a powerful pentagram and
politely asked for help, wouldn't you think there was major trouble
about? It's a Wind spirit, probably fairly intelligent. That implies
a guardian or master sort. Not bad for your first attempt."
"Yes." Nabiki didn't want to tell him that was _exactly_ the
source of two of his comrades. "So it's trying to help?"
Jeff drew a rune in the air and motioned with his other hand,
another much smaller whirlwind appeared, and cautiously approached the
first, the one Nabiki had summoned. "What worries me, is that it
perceived a great enough danger, to break the pentagram I'm sure you
were using. Either it's very strong, or it was very agitated, or
both. We'll find out soon enough."
"What did you call up?" Nabiki asked, as the two seemed to be
conversing, "Another elemental?"
"Sort of, more like an elemental homonculus," he dropped into a
distracted, lecturing tone, "It will enhance my understanding of what
it's saying."
They waited and watched. It's like he's not there, she thought as
they waited. She couldn't hear the searchers anymore.
I wish he'd just yell at me, Nabiki thought, I hate waiting for
the other shoe to drop. Almost as much as I hate knowing how much I
owed, and he never mentioned one word of it!
The smaller whirlwind approached them, followed sheepishly by the
larger one. Nabiki tensed, not knowing what to expect. Jeff pulled a
parchment card from his vest pocket. "Use this, walk up to it, and
say the binding spell."
He didn't even look at me, kept staring at the elemental, she
thought as she took the card, I guess he really _is_ pissed or
worried. How badly did I screw up? Nabiki approached the larger
whirlwind, holding the square at arms length, she began the chants
when the whirlwind lunged forward. She retreated to the railing.
"Jeff help!"
---------------------------------------------------------
By the end of the lunch break, Jamie had shocked the others, who
were once of Nyogtha, to their core.
"The doomsday cultists that have nothing to do with the Mythos
remain a constant threat," Eriko, one of the Sixth's agents, said in a
wrung-out tone, "Our `master` often `hunted` monsters and sorcerous
enemies, but this . . . " her voice trailed off.
"Now Nabiki has joined the fraternity," another boy, one of
Nabiki's, said, "But as the Brothers, will she accompany him, or usurp
him?"
He wants to know how the god's relations influence ours, Jamie
thought. "Can we concentrate on the more mundane threats?" This is
not the time for such speculations, she thought.
"People who would lay poison in the trains they took, throw a
Molotov cocktail into the apartment or school," Mihiro, the girl who'd
been the first to join her, on the first day, commented in shock,
"They didn't act as inefficiently as this attack has seemed."
"Our enemies have only been lucky once," Jamie said, "But their
victory yielded nothing. Typically, arrests were made, yet nothing
has happened. Nobody knows, not us, not the `legitimate`
authorities."
"Security troops have `leaked` the identities of the attackers,"
Mihiro said, "To send people to look where and at what NERV and the
U.S. needed to look at/for. But no one has found anything. It is as
if the entire operations simply struck and vanished, like a lightning
bolt."
Jamie looked at Mihiro, wondering what was being held back. By
NERV and her uncertain allies. She and I will have to work out a few
modifications to our search plan, Jamie thought, Although even with
the plan worked out, what next? There has to be an inciting incident.
Something the Second did directly, or something that caused someone to
give the release order. But what? We're _all_ missing something.
"We shall just go out and see, don't take chances, don't try to
be a hero. We need information," Jamie told them, "Then we'll drop
the whole world on them." I'm warning the others, she thought, As
much as I'm warning myself. I _want_ to hurt them.
"So do we tell our yakuza `friends`?" Eriko asked, "Mirei is . .
. quite disturbed by events."
"No, let them come of their own free will. Let them be pricked
by their honor," Jamie said quietly, she looked at the people, her
allies.
"Rei and Shinji have stayed close to Asuka, as have many of her
friends," Mihiro said, "A few have wanted to know what they could do
to help, what to watch for." She smirked. "I am certain Nabiki would
tell them."
But she isn't here, Jamie thought, Nor is Davis. We must make
do. "Are you going to tell them what the threats were?" Jamie asked
neutrally, "Then explain how _we_ know?"
"They need to know what, but not how, also it will make them a
little angry, a little anger will go a long way, as will a touch of
shame," Mihiro answered confidently.
----------------------------------------
Jeff leaned over the railing. "Complete the binding ritual!"
Jeff shouted over the thunder and wind that emanated from the
whirlwind as Nabiki hung suspended within it, some 15 feet off the
deck. I suspect Miss Tendo has done a better job than she knows, he
thought as he watched, If it hadn't been for the elemental, I would
have noticed the real problem earlier.
"Can't breathe!" Nabiki gasped.
"The sounds are only a focus, the words and runes form in your
mind! Use them! It doesn't know it's hurting you." And it isn't, he
thought, You only think you're smothering because you're
hyperventilating. Keep your head, you can do this. Jeff prepared a
banishment, in case Nabiki panicked and had to be rescued. In a
moment, the winds died down noticeably and Nabiki's gasping became
easy breaths. He heard her chanting the words, then the whirlwind
vanished within the parchment and she dropped. Jeff's AT field caught
her and eased her to the ground. Her expression on contacting it was
completely unreadable. Probably going too many different ways, he
thought as he climbed down the ladder to the deck where Nabiki sat,
hugging her legs.
"I did it," she gasped, looked up at him as she held out the
parchment as part of it crumbled away to ashes, "The card! It's all
burned!" She peered at it.
Jeff turned her hand to see the burns in the cardboard, careful
not to touch the card itself. He noted how she froze when he touched
her. Worry about it later, he told himself. "It's enruned, not
burned. Wind burn not heat burn. The elemental bound itself as much
. . . " Jeff felt the cold under her sleeve, he rolled up the sleeve
of her blouse, there was an almost identical set of burns, much
smaller, on her upper forearm opposite the elbow. "I was going to say
'as much as you did it,' but it went further. It bound _you_ as you
bound it. Quite an honor."
"What?" Nabiki stared at the tiny, elaborate runes that formed
the burns. She rubbed at them as if to wipe them off. "What do we
do? I didn't intend for this to happen! How do I get rid of it?" the
questions came rapid fire.
"I'll let you figure out why," he said in his best `fatherly`
voice, "We're deep in the ship. What do you smell?"
Nabiki looked at him as if he'd lost his mind, then sniffed. Her
expression went from cross to frightened as she took a deep breath
through her nose. "I can't smell them! But this is where they
_should_ be."
Jeff walked underneath where the elemental had been waiting on
the machine, there was a dead straight line incised in the steel
bulkhead. Jeff peered into the gap and then motioned Nabiki over.
"What do you see?"
Nabiki lifted her eyes from the burns as she walked over, then
she peered into the slit in the metal at the containers within the
room beyond. "It looks like . . . scattered around," she said, then
it hit her, "They're all open! They escaped!"
"Right," Jeff agreed as he looked around, "Let's get to the
flight deck and see what we can see." They headed for the hatchway
leading to the ladders.
----------------------------------------
"It, the elemental, calls itself 'Coffee'," Nabiki explained, "I
think it wanted to 'wake me up', and that's what it took from my mind
as its name. It's offering to carry us both, and seems pleased we
were so eager to fight this abomination."
She saw Jeff nod as they climbed. "NERV business make a hole!"
he shouted at the base of each ladder, and troops got out of their
way.
My little wheelchair chase has probably got everybody talking,
Nabiki thought as she followed him, So they're already primed to
accept this. "What is the human name for these things? I know the
Chaugnaroid word, and . . . the Winds see it as totally inimical to
their race. Since humans generate little winds to stay alive, it
would be dangerous for us too."
"Something that prevents us from breathing?" Jeff wondered,
"Doesn't sound familiar. They're called the Flying Polyps. The Great
Race fought them endlessly. Cthulhu's people and The Elder Things
fought them off and on, so I can't imagine Ritsuko doesn't know about
them."
"Some genius. Two mages and I get twin lectures instead of a
two-word answer." She watched amazed as the burns on her arm
vanished. Don't go! she thought desperately, then felt amusement
coming from the seemingly vanished burns on her arm. "I guess these
are . . . wind burns, they don't hurt." She closed her eyes. "How am
I going to explain this to Ritsuko-sensei?"
"Branding. You got burned by something hot, or cold," he
explained as he climbed, "As for the pain, supposedly you can brand
cattle with an iron dipped in liquid nitrogen and it doesn't hurt. I
guess that's the same principle."
They climbed the steep ladders until they reached the flight
deck. Nabiki saw and reported, "A tornado or a typhoon, but it's just
sitting there, over one area. I've also never seen storm clouds that
color." She noted a few sailors walking around the deck, only a few
looked at the odd weather, and those were staring as intently as she
was.
"Describe them," Jeff said as he looked around, more at the
sailors than the storm.
Nabiki grimaced at Jeff's idea of a `lesson`. "The swirls are
oranges and reds, flashes of blue and green, like lightning within.
The top has a normal white to an odd pinkish-gray color."
"I can't see it," Jeff admitted to her, made some gestures as if
wiping his glasses, she recognized them as the true-seeing spell Jeff
had shown her. "That's what it detected." He handed her the glasses
to look through, the image through the plane of true-seeing was
different from what she saw with her naked eyes, more angry and
malevolent. She glanced back and forth, looking at the `normal` and
the `true` image.
"We've got to call the Captain, report this," Nabiki suggested
urgently.
A police car flipping end over end from the cross street, told
them that wasn't necessary anymore, the explosion punctuated it. "And
I was going to say, 'Captain we used magic to see something that isn't
there. The best we could hope for is the booby hatch, or would you
rather have Ikari-chan start treating us like Rei'? Somehow I think
they'll believe us now." More sailors and Marines were looking at the
disturbance by the minute.
"What _do_ we do?" Nabiki asked, her unease growing, partly
fueled by the revulsion emanating from her arm, she switched to
Japanese, "Not just the Polyps. What about this binding? What am I
going to do?"
"The elemental was not only friendly, and highly intelligent, it
is also a sorcerer in its own right. Definitely a Master Elemental.
I think your first element has been chosen for you, and you've got
another teacher," he replied in Japanese.
"What happened?" Nabiki demanded, forcing herself to keep her
hands at her sides so she wouldn't strangle her fellow pilot. Coffee
may not like me denying him air, she thought, Maybe I could just beat
him unconscious. If those things get much stronger, nobody will be
looking at us.
"You summoned it, it detected this and broke your containment
with a counter spell, and led you to it, then directed you where you
could see the problem. My wind homonculus told it what we were doing,
EVA pilots fighting the good fight and the like, when you offered
binding to help us fight, it put its brute strength in the element
card and its mind." He touched the invisible burns. "Here. You'll
have to be careful, Wind elementals are playful, that will probably
carry over to you. This one also wants to stop these enemies. Just
think of it as your own Flying Tiger or Eagle Squadron pilot, a
volunteer to the cause."
"So an exorcism is out of the question?" Nabiki said glumly.
This is too weird for one day's occurrences, she thought.
"Extremely bad manners. It hasn't and won't take command of you,
but it will expect to be used and consulted."
"What happens when it finds out how weak a wizard I really am?
And the other things?" Nabiki asked worriedly, as she looked around
for eavesdroppers.
"Probably put you to school, as I said, you pulled one in a
billion out this time. And it already knows about you being one of
the Children. But, let's prove our bona fides and go after that
thing." He held out his hand for his glasses.
"How?" she asked, reluctantly returning them.
"I think Brown Bess is called for." He smiled, she wanted to
punch him so badly she could taste it.
"You're enjoying this just a little _too_ much." Nabiki glared at
him.
"Knowing you'll always have a guardian angel, is that bad?
Believe me, having that kind of an ace up your sleeve - "
She winced. I'm going to kill him, she thought, For that joke
alone.
"- is going to get you out of more trouble than you know. It's
also going to get you into a lot more trouble, but you'll get out of
it."
"Terrific," Nabiki said sarcastically, "All Akane had was Mr.
Happy Mallet. I've got a fun-loving, guardian tornado."
She looked at the sailors and Marines. Some of them had noticed
that she and Jeff had been chatting, while they'd been looking at a
loathsome desecration of their homeport. Look at their faces, Nabiki
thought glumly, 'You're a pilot, you can fix this.' But I'm only a
kid from an open-air asylum for obsessive denial and brawling. She
glanced at Jeff. He'll back whatever I do, she thought angrily, But
he's going to make _me_ get the ball rolling. Okay, go out with
style.
`Coffee` suggested a spell that would change the characteristics
of the air to carry her voice clearly to all the men on this deck and
the hanger below. She cast it effortlessly. "Listen up!" she
commanded with more authority than she felt, "If you're expecting a
St. Crispian's Day speech - go read Shakespeare, that's not my style.
Get that EVA below armed and ready for immediate launch."
"Beggin' your pardon, but we got no orders," a chief, who hadn't
been with them on the Bennington, complained.
"We'll have'em soon. And I want to be out of the hanger and
halfway to the target by the time the echo dies. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," came the answer from many. It was lackluster, but
they responded.
"Then let's move!" Raccoon added as he headed for the aft
elevator. Nabiki scanned the faces, then imperiously turned on her
heel and marched after him. Act as if they wouldn't _dare_ not follow
my commands, she thought.
---------------------------------------------------------
Seek The Roses Along The Way
As school continued, a plan percolated through Asuka's mind.
It's a cliche, but cliches are generally true and people knew they
are, she thought. "Wondergirl, have you got some cash on you?" Asuka
asked.
"Yes. Why?" Wondergirl asked, staring at her in real confusion.
"I think it's time to get you and the Fourth some new clothes, I
think Shinji will be willing to help."
"I am needed to pay?" Wondergirl asked.
"For your own, yes, and we'll need your help to get the Fourth to
accompany us," Asuka commented.
"I may have a way," Rei said.
"Girls going shopping?" Hikari asked excitedly, "At the PX, I
think I can get some money from my mom, if I agree to pick up some
things for her!"
"Good, you can get _him_ to come with as a pack-mule," Asuka
said, nodded at Toji and smiled, "I bet Yumiwashi will be delighted to
come. And Ranko's friend Mirei."
Hikari considered, "I'll work on him."
"Oh, he'll come if we invite him," Asuka said, then turned to
Ranko, "But Ranko has to come too. A few new outfits, some new
underwear. A guy may be able to wear that tattered old stuff, but a
girl needs hers clean and pretty." She smiled at Horseface's panicked
expression.
---------------------------------------------------------
"I'll handle it," Asuka said to the other girls, smiling broadly
to them.
And with malice to me, Ranma thought, and felt as if his skin and
hair were three sizes too small. He ran from the room, away from
Asuka and the other girls, and straight into the boy's bathroom.
The bun holding his red hair felt as if it was stretching his
skin. He looked at the mirror to help unwind it, when he saw the
black-haired male staring back at him. Great, he thought as he
loosened his hair, Everything I do can't change me back. The mere
hint of going shopping, and I'm back as a guy. He rebraided his black
hair, then looked up and saw Rei-chan waiting just inside the bathroom
door, leaning against it to make sure they were alone.
"Aren't you going to say something?" Ranma asked.
Rei raised an eyebrow, effectively saying 'Why should I? It is a
waste of effort.'
"You're right," he admitted as he finished the braid, "I don't
know why I'm back."
She intensified her stare, telling him she was displeased by his
lack of effort. "Okay, I don't like shopping, I don't want any of the
stuff Asuka would brow-beat `Ranko` into getting." He smirked. "So
now they can't force me to get anything," he said proudly.
Rei's expression was truly unreadable. She opened the door.
"Mirei, we will need you to model clothes for Ranko, pretty and
feminine."
"Of course, Ayanami-san," Mirei said from behind the door, "I'll
help any way I can."
Rei-chan looked at him with an upraised eyebrow, indicating her
victory. "You must learn chess or draughts, to think several moves
ahead. You depend on personal superiority to win the battle, when you
should consider winning the war." Rei-chan walked out.
Ranma stared into the mirror, and cried. "Why can't I ever
win?!"
"Because you don't plan!" Asuka and Rei shouted/said to him
through the door.
Ranma frowned. "Okay, I'm supposed to play the clown," he said
quietly to his reflection, "I might as well embrace the role."
Mirei was waiting for him outside the bathroom. She gave him a
friendly hug. "I'm glad to see you! Where's Ranko-chan?" Rei and
Asuka had departed back into the classroom.
"Uh . . . ," Ranma said.
"NERV business, Top Secret, can't talk about it. I get it," she
said, she hugged him again, then stepped away and bowed. "The
shopping trip after school, I agree that Ranko-chan needs some decent
clothes." She glanced around worriedly, stepped close to him and
whispered, "But she won't be happy with the frills and bows the others
are talking about. But girls like pretty clothes, don't try to
understand, it's a girl thing. I'll need your help Ranma-san, to pick
out some outfits she'll actually wear and enjoy wearing."
Ranma thought desperately. "She . . . she only wears my clothes.
Don't ask, it's a `Ranko-thing`."
Mirei brightened. "Then we'll get her a couple of suits and
shirts, and we'll get you a couple just like them. Maybe a tie. Even
though hers won't fit you, and yours won't fit her, she can't say
they're a not like yours." Mirei beamed at him.
Ranma couldn't find a single thing wrong with her argument. He
couldn't deny that happy face or the warmth it brought him. "Okay, I
guess," he admitted, which earned him another hug. This one he
returned, very carefully.
He kept glancing over his shoulder with anxiety. Why does this
feel so strange? he wondered, Why do I keep expecting somebody will
hurt me? He broke off the hug as Mirei happily took his hand and led
him back into the classroom.
Hikari was saying to Toji, "I thought it was a good idea, you
_are_ going to help."
"I got him to agree," Mirei told the others, then added to Asuka,
"But you are _not_ going to embarrass Ranko-chan."
"Ha," Asuka replied.
Mirei's expression darkened as she marched over to confront the
redhead. "You - will - not!"
Asuka glared back at her. "I'll - do - what - I - want."
"You - will - _not_!_" Mirei snarled at Asuka.
Tomiyo grabbed Shinji, while Sammi collected Ranma and took them
outside.
"We'll just let them decide among themselves," Sammi said, then
into her collar, "Volunteer, Sunshine, fire mission, fire mission."
"You aren't really going to use those battleships against them?"
Ranma asked.
"Too much?" Sammi asked.
"Not enough," Ranma replied.
"There you are," Hikari told them as she stuck her head out the
door, "Ayanami-san sided with Mirei-chan, so the argument is over.
What is with you boys?"
"I don't want to die," Ranma replied, "Shinji, what about you?"
"I had confidence in Ayanami-san. She'd solve the problem."
"How did you know she'd do that?" Hikari asked.
Shinji looked around, as Raccoon used to. "Evil magic."
Hikari chuckled and nodded.
----------------------------------------
Captain Miller marched onto the bridge. "Sound General Quarters,
no drill," he ordered as he raised the handset and stared out the
bridge windows at the disturbance.
"Yes, sir."
The klaxon sounded. 'General Quarters, General Quarters, all
hands man you battle stations, all hands man your battle stations.'
"Pilots, man the Eva and launch immediately," Captain Miller
said, "I say again, Pilots - "
Unit 04 leapt out of the open rear elevator well, as if fired
from a cannon. In the air, it twisted until it caught its own tail in
its mouth. When it landed in the harbor, it rolled like a wheel
towards the enemy. "Very well, all hands, make all preparations to
get underway, I say again, make all preparations to get underway."
"Sir, what about the EVA?" the officer of the deck asked.
"They have 6 hours of power," Captain Miller explained, "They can
catch up to us, or we can come back to get them."
"Yes, sir."
---------------------------------------------------------
"I think I'm going to be sick!" Nabiki complained from her seat
as they rolled along.
"Just be ready to slice and dice," Raccoon replied from his
position floating at the `bottom` of the plug, as the EVA rolled
between two ships and headed towards the shoreline, "We won't be
rolling for long."
"Do you think 14 prog knives and 6 sonic glaives are enough?"
Nabiki asked sarcastically.
"Sure, you'll get to do your Asura impersonation," Raccoon
replied, "Get ready."
"Lock S-Foils in attack position!" Nabiki unlooped the EVA and
extended the `armed` legs, ready to attack. She got an impression of
murderous rage from her `armmate`. Calm down, we'll kill them all,
she replied silently.
The EVA landed and the nearest Polyps hurled hurricane force
winds against them. Means nothing! Nabiki thought as she snarled and
slashed at the tightly packed mass with many of the prog knives.
"I've got the rear," Raccoon told her as he took over 2 knives
and a sonic glaive.
Nabiki drove a prog knife into one of the collections of eyes,
fanged mouths and tentacles as it phased into visibility. The thing
dissolved into the gray dust she'd seen before. Suddenly she had to
deal with her new companion's utter revulsion at what came with such a
death. "Hey, you knew what you were getting into!" she shouted at
Coffee as its repugnance translated into her nausea.
Raccoon swung a glaive around to stab a polyp that was closing on
the EVA's eyes. "You need to swap jobs?" he asked.
"No, got it," she answered, concentrating through the fading
odium, and stabbing several Polyps in quick succession. The remaining
Polyps all faded into invisibility, while the disruption before them
continued. "They are . . . unpacking, expanding," she explained,
"That was how they were stuffed into those boxes."
"Now they're scattering," Raccoon said, "Don't look, listen, use
your ears and your wind-based senses."
Nabiki focused, seeing the faint disruptions the creatures made
as they directed the winds against the EVA. She smiled as several
targets were immediately available. And they aren't dodging, she
thought as she attacked them simultaneously, feeling their deaths.
The disruption faded, as the last of the Polyps `unzipped` and
fled.
"Now we go hunting?" Nabiki asked, "Of course we do!" she
answered her own question. She moved the EVA towards where the
machine's ears heard the loudest whistling.
---------------------------------------------------------
"You aren't doing this." Mirei planted her feet firmly on the
PX's floor, folded her arms defiantly, and tried again to stare Asuka
down.
"Mirei." Yumiwashi tried to play peacemaker. "It _is_ very
pretty."
"It's _cute_," Mirei said, as if denouncing a cardinal sin, "Not
pretty."
Yumiwashi looked to her brother for help. Toji held up his
hands. Coward, traitor, she thought. "Ranma, say something!"
The martial artist looked around worriedly. "Uh, Ranko would
never wear that."
"It's something only Sour Kraut would wear," Toji offered, "All
those bows and ribbons, might finally manage to make her look cute."
"What was that?" Asuka advanced on him.
Yumiwashi grabbed Mirei's hand and nodded to Ranma. The trio
plunged into the boys' section of the clothing area with Sammi moving
in behind them, to cut off Asuka's advance.
"Leaving your brother to Asuka-san?" Mirei said approvingly,
"Nasty."
"He wouldn't help," Yumiwashi said primly, "He paid the price."
"What's so funny Sammi-san?" Yumiwashi asked.
"Nothing, nothing," the guard replied, hiding her smile.
"How's this one?" Mirei asked Ranma as she pulled a suit coat and
slacks from a rack, holding them in front of her. It looked like they
would fit Mirei well.
"Well, Ranko's - "
Yumiwashi's kick in the ankle served warning to Ranma.
Ayanami-san warned me he speaks . . . unfortunately, she thought as
Ranma glared at her. "She's built differently," she said as much to
Ranma as to Mirei.
"Yeah, she - " Ranma glanced worriedly at Yumi, "She's real . . .
active, so the clothes have to be a little . . . loose."
Yumi gave him an approving nod. Good, don't hurt her feelings,
just because Ranko has a figure most adult women would kill for, Yumi
thought, Gently. The truth doesn't _have_ to hurt.
Mirei held up the pants in front of Ranma. "So, are her hips
wider than yours?"
Yumi thought Ranma was going to hit the roof from that question.
"Ah, wider, ah, ah lot wider," Ranma managed.
Mirei pulled his arm out and hung the slacks on it. "Okay, _you_
try these on. Make sure they fit _you_."
"Thanks," Ranma said despondently.
"What's wrong?" Mirei asked crossly, then caught Yumi's warning
glare. She softened her tone, "Ranko-chan will appreciate all your
work. Don't you want her to be happy?"
"Of course," Ranma replied hotly. "But I -"
"She's going to realize she's a girl," Mirei explained, taking
Ranma's hand, "And a _very_ pretty one. She's going to grow into a
beautiful woman. She's going to want to be a pretty girl
occasionally."
"Especially for Raccoon," Yumi teased, Mirei giggled, Ranma
turned bright red.
"Don't be angry," Yumi chided, "He's a gentleman. He won't do
anything to hurt her. That's why she likes him so much. He doesn't
act like he wants to rip her clothes off and . . . well, you're a guy,
you know."
Ranma had gone from bright red to white as a sheet. He looks
like he's going to fall over any second, Yumi thought.
"Well, the way she looks at Ayanami-san - " Mirei said, "She
might have a crush on her."
"Ranko has a crush on Rei-chan?" Ranma sounded horrified.
"Don't tease him," Yumi accused, "Ranko's just envious."
"About what?" Ranma strangled on the sentence.
Yumi turned to Ranma. "But in a good way. Ayanami-san has
always been calm, imperturbable, I think that's the word, unbothered
by events. Isn't that what martial artist try to be like? That's
what she admires in Ayanami-san."
"Yeah," Ranma said brightly, then muttered, "Not that we get it."
"That's why Ranko-san admires Ayanami-san. She _can_ maintain
it," Mirei explained, "It's just a school-girl crush, 'Oh I wish I
could be like her! She's so wonderful!'" Mirei said with her hands
clasped and dewy eyes blinking, "It's not like a boy-girl crush."
"Oh," Ranma said quietly.
"We'll go check these," Sammi said, "You see if you two can find
a couple of shirts and a few long ties to go with the coat."
"Okay," Yumi said as she and Mirei began searching.
---------------------------------------------------------
"They don't know, do they?" Ranma asked Sammi in terror.
"No," Sammi assured him, "They have a bit of a crush on Ranko,
like Ranko's on Rei. Someone strong and confident to look up to."
Ranma wished Sammi would just stab him, instead of saying things
like that. Why do I keep thinking girls being nice to me is a prelude
to pain, he wondered. He glanced over to where Asuka and Hikari were
talking to Rei.
Shinji was people watching. The three girls weren't quite having
an argument, but it was verging on it. Ranma had overheard Rei make
it clear she didn't like red, and Asuka had taken that in stride. I
guess Rei isn't as much fun to tease as I am, Ranma thought as he
wandered towards them.
---------------------------------------------------------
Just Beware Of The Thorns
Asuka was irritated by the number of times Rei had flipped her
hair out of her face. But the barrettes, hair clips, and headbands
that I suggested, and the style of haircut that Hikari suggested,
aren't making an impression on Wondergirl, she thought as she noted
Horseface wandering over, Too bad water doesn't seem to work on him
anymore, a three-way argument would be better. And Wondergirl
couldn't keep insisting she 'doesn't see the purpose of useless
accessories.'
"Undoing all your hard work?" Horseface asked politely, enjoying
her dismay. Wondergirl was having none of it.
"Excuse me." Horseface carefully pulled off Asuka's A10 nerve
clip.
"Hey!" she protested.
"I ain't gonna break it." Horseface fitted the clip on
Wondergirl. Hikari stepped up, slipping the blue hair under the clip.
"There," Asuka said, "You wear one in the EVA all the time,
Wondergirl, you can't say _that_ serves no purpose."
Wondergirl looked at her reflection in the mirror, "I do not like
red," she said quietly, but made no move to remove it..
Her other objections seemed to have vanished, Asuka thought, At
least that was something. Asuka realized she was nervously shifting
from foot to foot.
"I think you'd better give it back," Horseface whispered to
Wondergirl, grinning at Asuka, "Or Langley's going to melt."
Asuka frowned at the pair as Wondergirl took it off, and stared
at Asuka, examining her, rather than returning it. Horseface and the
two Stooges all burst out laughing.
"Lingerie!" Asuka suggested as revenge on Horseface. The look on
Hikari's face suggested she was going to look forward to heaping the
embarrassment to its very limit.
"Done!" Mirei spoiled the fun, handing a pile of boxers to
Horseface, and smiled _so_ sweetly at Asuka. Horseface sighed
happily.
"But Ranko does need some bras," Mirei said, and Horseface's
countenance fell.
Asuka smiled at Horseface. "Yes, that was one thing we agreed
on," she told Horseface, making him realize there would be no escape.
"She can't keep borrowing yours, they'll get all stretched out of
shape, and must be uncomfortably tight on the poor girl," Mirei added,
smiling brightly at Asuka, who was considering homicide.
----------------------------------------
"You dirty, rotten, evil - " Nabiki ran out of insults. None of
them are . . . comprehensive enough, she thought as the EVA peered
into the middle floor of the three story building, where a group of
Polyps had surrounded themselves with a pack of kids.
Poor kids, she thought, imagining how she and the others would
have reacted to being captured and touched by these warped, horrifying
things that oozed and glided among them. She glanced at the floor
above and below where the Polyps' winds held other groups of kids as
shields in those directions. Those kids know I'm in here, and they're
calling my name, she thought, Each time they do, it's like a stake in
the heart, when I can't save them.
"Quit thinking literally and start thinking laterally," Raccoon
told her, "You bring your pistol?"
"Ah, no," she admitted.
"Start," he told her crossly as he passed her in the plug, "Pop
the top, time for combined arms."
"What are you - ?" she demanded, but he was already disconnected
and outside.
Raccoon, his pistol at his side, walked across the building's
middle floor. The Polyps seemed uncertain.
If they were the Nerimaniacs, Nabiki thought, They'd be trying to
watch both of us.
"Frrreeeessssh - mmmeeeeeatt!" Raccoon shouted at them, eliciting
giggles from the terrified kids, then added, "Miss Tendo, if they move
out of there, squash them!"
"Covering it," she replied, found herself snarling. She saw the
expressions on the kids change. Some started shouting her name, or
Raccoon's. From scared to spectators, she thought, Something to tell
their own kids. She winced as a wind blast slammed into Raccoon's AT
field, to no effect. I wish I . . . she remembered touching the
field herself, All the feelings and emotions; fire, ice, loneliness,
resignation, rage; mine and his, I . . . I wonder if that's what
`Ranko` sees in him.
"They're just hunching down," she warned Raccoon as the Polyps
all faded out. I see you, she thought as the disturbances the Polyps
were making in the winds pointed back to them. She felt herself
coiling to spring.
Raccoon emptied his pistol over the kids' heads. Just firing
into the center of mass, she thought as two, then all three of the
Polyps were hurled across the floor.
"Move! Run!" Raccoon shouted at the kids, as Nabiki reached in
to squash the writhing Polyps. Raccoon guided the kids out of the
room.
"Not so clever now?" she said as she crushed them, giving in to
her rage, "Why didn't you just run away? No, you had to be clever!
Are you clever now?"
---------------------------------------------------------
Misato had expected a lot of things when she returned to Miss
Kraznyzamok's home after work, the sound of laughter wasn't one of
them. Asuka, Rei, Ranko, and Shinji were having an impromptu fashion
show, to the delighted applause of Mirei, Toji and his little sister,
the guards and Hiro. The last was taking pictures.
Why do I feel I'm intruding? she wondered as the laughter
subsided as she walked among them and up the stairs.
"What about you?" Misato asked Hikari, who was upstairs cooking
dinner, with Penpen on the counter `supervising`.
"I'm enjoying myself, Major," she said happily.
Major, Misato felt like someone was twisting a knife in her guts.
She returned to the fashion show, she noted the diminution of the
noise as she rejoined them. Rei and Hiro had disappeared. "You all
look so good," she said cheerily, "You'll put Daibusu to shame."
"My suits are hand tailored," Ran_ma_ said as he exited his room,
closing the door behind him, a good facsimile of Raccoon in tone and
posture, "I haven't found a new tailor of the requisite quality, skill
and discretion." He brushed his `lapels`. "So I could have my
measurements taken and sent to Boston, besides I have five suits, I'll
wait for another growth spurt before I replace them."
The performance got some mild applause. Ranma bowed.
"So who paid for all of this?" Misato asked, "I know you didn't
ask for an advance." She sat down in a chair across from the others.
"Wondergirl did, some of it," Asuka replied nervously.
"She ran out of money." Toji indicated Asuka.
"I did not," Rei added as she exited her room with Hiro, "I was
carrying $500, I still have over half."
"You carry $500!" Misato was shaken.
"I should carry a reserve," Rei explained, "It is how much
Roku-kun carries. Some in various currencies, some in gold."
Rei stepped up to Shinji, "Is this correct?"
Shinji stood, and tried to speak.
Rei's wearing make up! she thought as she glanced at Hiro, who
was looking nonchalant. Misato looked closer and could understand
Shinji's, and the others', stunned expressions. She really _is_ very
pretty, Misato thought as she stared at the transformed girl.
"Hikari-chan insisted on buying Rei some cosmetics," Hiro told
her quietly, "I know how to apply them. By the way, lose the jacket,
the rank and the attitude, and they'll quit snubbing you, Katsu-sama."
He moved off before she could respond without yelling.
"Asuka had little talent," Rei said quietly, "Hiro-san is very
good, and Roku-kun left his college theater make-up."
"I've got to admit Wondergirl," Asuka said, "The difference is
startling."
"Rei." Misato was tongue-tied, the different clothes and make-up
changed Rei completely. "Ah, yes, it's, ah, very good job, it suits
you."
Rei nodded to Hiro, who bowed theatrically.
"We even bought Ranko some new clothes," Shinji added, earning a
low growl from Ranma, Shinji ignored him and continued,"If you could
get her to come out and try some of them on for the Major, we'll
promise to be nice."
Misato winced at that, but no one seemed to notice.
All eyes were on Ranma looking around like a trapped animal, from
one face to another, seeing salvation nowhere.
"It will have to wait," Hikari called from upstairs, "Dinner's
ready, if someone will - " Ranma zipped up the stairs and past her
before she finished. " - set the table." At the loud clattering,
Hikari turned around. "How did you do that!?"
They walked up the stairs. The table was set, and all the
serving dishes had gone from the stove to the table. Ranma was
sittingat his place, chopsticks at the ready.
"How did he do that?!" Hikari demanded of the pilots, "My back
was only turned for a second!"
"Hypergeometric superpowers absorbed from our foes, enabling him
to be several places simultaneously, as she took her seat, " Asuka
said, "Right, Wondergirl?"
"He is always eager to eat," Rei replied as Shinji held the chair
for her to sit down.
Hiro blocked Misato's way out of the stairwell. "Civilians
_only_," he said flatly. She removed her jacket and tossed it,
one-handed, on the couch downstairs before he let her pass. She
frowned at him for her entire walk up the stairs and to the table.
"You didn't seem happy about your promotion when you got it,"
Shinji said innocently, "Now you wear your collar tabs almost
everywhere. I don't understand."
Misato grimaced at the seemingly harmless comment as she sat down
to dinner. Why are they all picking at that particular scab, she
didn't ask aloud.
"I should have Ritsuko draft you," Misato said as she dug into
the food, "This is great." She noticed Rei, Sammi and Asuka had pause
to bow their heads, and Ranma restrained himself until they finished.
She frowned at that. Since when did _he_ learn manners? she wondered.
"Hey!" Toji protested at his suddenly empty plate, "What's goin'
on."
"Just showing Hikari-chan how I set the table," Ranma said,
digging in to the food he'd stolen from Toji.
"I'd like to see you try that again, when I'm ready."
"Not really," Asuka warned, "It took Ice Princess, Raccoon and
Ritsuko a lot of effort to train him out of that. They'll be very
angry if we let him fall back into the habit."
"I can control myself. Besides," Ranma said, pointing at the
single dumpling sitting in the middle of Toji's plate.
"Gahh! Ghosts!" Toji set his plate down. Yumiwashi removed the
dumpling more slowly but no less thoroughly than Ranma had.
"Talk or eat, I'm not wasting Hikari-san's wonderful food."
"Roku-kun's is superior," Rei said as she sampled her white rice.
"And you don't even come close, Asuka," Ranma countered Asuka's
unsaid protest.
"Hold it," Sammi interjected, "You can fight it out later. Let's
first enjoy the food."
"Rei-san can't," Shinji said as he excused himself, Yumiwashi
followed.
Hikari looked around worriedly. "Is there something wrong?" She
faced Rei. "Are you allergic?"
"I dislike meat," Rei said, "You did not know."
Hikari stammered an apology.
"Rice is fine," Rei replied as Shinji assembled something in the
kitchen.
"What about those people," Hikari asked quietly, "Have you caught
them yet?"
"They won't," Asuka said glumly.
"They can't stay hidden forever," Misato assured them, Rei and
Ranma exchanged a glance and raised eyebrows. Asuka glared at Misato,
then kept eating, staring at her food. Hikari too concentrated on her
meal. They know the truth, she realized, And they are getting as
tired of being constantly lied to as I am about this. In this case,
someone is hiding the attackers from NERV Security, that means a _lot_
of muscle.
Shinji and Yumiwashi returned to the table with a plate of
lightly stir-fried vegetables. He gave them to Rei and took his seat.
"There _are_ other avenues, enquiries are proceeding." Shinji
steepled his fingers and intoned, "We'll court-martial anyone who does
not cooperate."
"He wouldn't say it that way," Asuka sat up, steepling her
fingers, "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
"That's not right," Sammi countered, doing her own Gendo Ikari.
Rei abruptly left the table, and shocked everyone when she
returned with a pair of Gendo's glasses, perched them on the tip of
her nose as she sat down, then she sat up straight, adjusted the
glasses one handed then steepled her fingers as she leaned forward.
"The activity here is eating, this levity serves no purpose. Return
to your tasks," she intoned. Even Hikari was shocked by the
transformation. Rei slipped the glasses in her pocket and continued
her meal.
"You _had_ to teach her to tell jokes," Asuka stage whispered to
Shinji.
"Don't worry, you're next," Shinji stage-whispered back.
----------------------------------------
The EVA dodged around the corner as the two four plane elements
laid down their cargoes of napalm. The screams that followed were
clearly not human, but within the flaming box, more Polyps waited.
Last ones, Nabiki thought as she screamed some ancient
Chaugnaroid warcry and leapt over the fires to engage her targets.
Prog knives and sonic glaives flickered around her as she lost herself
to the fight. Suddenly, it was over, the fires and gray powder
remained.
"That wasn't shooting fish in a barrel, that was dropping a
chainsaw on them," Jeff told her, "You seem to have a great deal of
repressed anger."
"It's not repressed anymore," she warned, breathing heavily as
the toll for her frenetic actions of the last few hours demanded
redress.
He glanced back around the corner. The company of riflemen were
looking for their now cubed and deep-fried quarry, and beginning to
call for help to fight the fires. "Well, that's all of them. A quick
lesson -"
Nabiki shook her head. "No, this thing's on fumes," she
explained, "We get it back aboard the carrier now." She looked
around. "Now _where_ the Hell is the carrier?"
"You could summon a spirit to guide you," Raccoon suggested.
"I won't do that again," she promised tiredly, "Until I'm ready."
"Good. There's the carrier." Jeff pointed the EVA towards the
harbor.
"No hoop snake tricks," Nabiki warned, "I'll alert the carrier
we're coming in, and we'll need the power take off as soon as we land.
As if they don't know about this." She began broadcasting. "Hello,
hello . . . Moshi moshi! Can I speak to Dr. Akagi, Analyst Ibuki,
Captain Miller?" She paused, fumed. "Those things that sound like a
bent flute, toss armored cars around like leaves and likes threatening
kids are all gone _SO_WE'RE_HEADING_BACK_THERE_AND_I_MEAN_NOW_!_"
"Well at least they can see us." Nabiki sagged. "Oh Mighty
Chaugnar Faugn, how does your magnificence keep from falling asleep,
I'm exhausted."
"I'm not gonna say 'I told you so,'" Jeff grumbled he as drove
the EVA through the harbor, rowing with the arms like a giant galley,
"I'm gonna save my strength to yell for a cab once we're aboard.
Besides, you did most of the actual fighting. I just disrupted their
spells and watched our backs."
They arrived at the carrier, the rear elevator was down, making
the hanger park accessible. "And I'm tired too. The concrete's not
out, but I think I can help, can you get this thing through the
elevator?"
"Anything that lets me get some sleep," she said as she took
command, "What are those things?"
"AT field," Jeff said distractedly, "Step down on them, no bent
deck."
"Got it." The EVA stepped down on the AT field projections.
Nabiki felt the same odd resonance. Like when I landed on the AT
field - Raccoon's AT field - back aboard the carrier, she thought
guiltily, Nobody should know that much about somebody else's innermost
being.
Inside the hanger the lights were on, men were working on
Corsairs and Avengers near the front. Nothing was parked in the EVA's
resting spot near the stern. "They must have decided to mix air-ops
with EVAs," Jeff suggested, "At least they have a spare battery in the
charging rack." Jeff indicated the long box.
Men were scattering everywhere, hiding behind the little tractors
and the huge tool boxes.
"_REAL_FUNNY_!_" Nabiki had the EVA shout at them, then on
internals to Jeff, "I lost my temper, sue me."
"I'd rather go to sleep," he replied, as he quit floating and
sagged to the deck of the plug, "The battery's fitted."
"Switching over to emergency life support." She looked at him as
the plug went dark. I don't know if I'm more angry and worried he's
over there and I'm over here, than I would be if he'd joined me, or
asked me to join him, she thought, Has Ranko ever felt it? I think
Asuka has. But . . . I need sleep. I am just _not_ thinking
straight. "Let them come get us," she said, "I don't care if sleeping
in an EVA gives you weird dreams."
---------------------------------------------------------
The guards had a driver take Hikari, Mirei and the Suzuharas
home. Hiro had wanted to walk home to think. The pilots stood around
the lower floor. "So Horseface, you are stuck as a he for a while?
She-Horseface was better company," Asuka complained, "I guess all it
takes is a mention of shopping and you change back. Maybe your curse
mutated. We say 'shopping' and you turn into a boy, all we have to do
is figure out the code-word to turn you into a girl."
"Asuka is your wife," Misato offered, trying to sound reasonable,
actually she was glad Asuka was back to fighting and arguing. Ranma
took the opportunity of Asuka's distraction to slip into his room and
close the door.
"Hey! Baka! Don't run away! I was winning!" She charged in
and let out a shriek to match Ranma's squawk. "Dummkoft! Baka!
Hentai!" she shouted as she retreated, "How come you never show any
_feminine_ modesty?!"
"Is it true he has so much to be modest about?" Shinji asked
Asuka innocently.
"Who asked you?" Asuka shot back.
Rei walked out of her room, wearing only the cold cream on her
face to remove the make up. "Is it proper to argue, rather than
sleep?" She glanced around at the stunned faces. Ranma exited his
room and immediately retreated back in, slamming the door behind him.
Rei turned to face Shinji. "Asuka has suggested I give you each a
good night kiss." Asuka walked into her room and slammed the door
behind her. Shinji escaped into his room and closed the door quietly.
Rei looked at Misato.
Misato backed up a step, expecting the naked girl to try to kiss
her.
"Tactics, Major, achieving objectives." Rei returned to her
room, and quietly closed the door.
"Our children," Sammi sighed, "They grow up so fast." She headed
up the stairs.
"Of all the places to have no beer . . . " Misato sighed as she
stretched out on the couch again.
----------------------------------------
Wise Man Said Just Raise Your Hand, and Reach Out For The Spell
Usagi looked down at Yuki as her rival/subordinate lay tied and
gagged on the ground. "Your plan not only failed," Usagi said, "But
they took my parents away to question them. It will take considerable
luck that they don't reveal our activities, despite the spells I have
on them. You have fallen from the service of the Goddess into service
of yourself." Or getting yourself serviced, she thought sardonically.
"You have endangered the chances we have of bringing them to the
Goddess." She sighed, honestly saddened by her colleague's fall from
grace. "I _have_ tried to be patient, to make you understand the
greater vision that the Goddess has for us, for the `Children`, for
the entire world. I don't blame _you_ for not understanding." She
knelt next to the writhing girl. "It is my fault for being a poor
advocate, I apologize. So, I've taken steps to make things right."
She smiled and patted Yuki's head.
Usagi saw Yuki's eyes focus on the cloud forming behind her.
"What are you afraid of?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful, instead
of jealous, "You will be one with the Goddess, and then return to us
better and deeper in understanding," Usagi happily explained to the
thrashing girl as the smoky tendrils wrapped around Yuki, and drew her
into the nebulous mass, which vanished a moment later.
Usagi bowed her head. "Please seek to understand your errant
daughter, and use her to increase your power and glory. And if you
see fit to return her to us as one of your Blessed or your children,
we would be eternally grateful. Your will be done." Usagi clapped
her hands and began her walk home.
I do feel bad about her parents, but without their deaths . . .
how could I have generated the power to cast the spell, and convince
the Goddess not to remain and test her powers against the EVAs? With
Ikari's return, things can be different, she thought as she walked,
For all its briefness, the Goddess's visit was a transcendent
experience. I am glad of its briefness. She watched the lights of
the NERV compound knifing through the darkness.
---------------------------------------------------------
"What do you mean it's gone?" Ikari asked. Shigeru gulped,
"Commander. It _was_ there, a signal at least as strong as the one
generated by Tulzscha. The signal held steady for 19.3 seconds, then
vanished completely." He waited, the Commander's eyes bored into his.
"I have dispatched troops to the area and maintenance teams to the
sensors. Other than that, I have no explanations."
Ikari stared at him for several long moments, Shigeru felt his
own sweat like an alien thing, crawling along under his uniform. Then
the Commander turned and walked away.
Shigeru relaxed. "I'm glad _I_ didn't get promoted. I'd hate to
have to deal with that every day." He turned back to prepare the
reports of the situation, while it was still fresh in his mind. He
glanced around. "Where's my guitar?" He looked at the departed
Commander. "Would he have ?? Naw!"
----------------------------------------
Jeff saw the EVAs, all five of them, Units 00, 01, 02, 03 and 04,
lit by the guttering fires scattered about and the first light of the
moon. He stared at the black form of Unit 03. "Okay, _this_ is why
you don't sleep in an EVA."
"Hello," came a voice from behind him, "I guess this is why I
fell asleep. Although the train ride wasn't very interesting."
"Sarah," Jeff said, smiling at his ally, "How are things going?
We got your telegram, unfortunately we were in San Diego and the plans
were set. We have to return to Tokyo. I'm sorry. What are the
chances of you getting Unit 03 operational? It alone should be able
to clear out any of those things."
He saw Sarah shudder, her conversation block was pure fear. "I'd
rather not," she said, "Its reputation is very bad."
"You certainly have mastered the British art of understatement.
'Oh please don't order me to get eaten by that monster.'" Jeff
returned to staring at Unit 03.
Sarah chuckled at his antics, then sobered. "My dad really is
sorry about . . . events." She stepped up to him and stared at Unit
03, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Sorry that he was ready to kill me, or sorry he got duped into
going after the wrong target?" Jeff asked, then he turned to her, "I
apologize. Sharon's death still has me shaken up. What he did for
you . . . I have to wonder if he could have saved her. If a few days,
or a couple weeks would have made a difference. The attack on Langley
just reminded me that she's the last one . . . from the old days."
"Feeling old?" she asked.
"Feeling positively _ancient_," he told her, "Already started
training a potential replacement. She's got every sign of surpassing
me, in case your dad has to do the job for real. Shinji's coming
along well also, he's just got to realize his powers don't define who
he is."
"How . . . how are he and Rei getting along?" Sarah asked shyly,
staring at her feet.
"They are doing well, and you have every right to be jealous.
You might start looking for someone of your own."
"Do you have to know _everything_?_ So when are _you_ going to
find 'someone of your own.'" She stared at him.
"There is one thing I don't know," Jeff admitted as he walked
towards the row of EVAs, "Displacing someone from someone else who - I
assume - would be a better match than with me. Is it because I don't
really like _me_, or I just don't trust everybody else, or both.
Despite being able to see their intentions and emotions by the color
of their words. I see the truth they don't even know they're
speaking, and I still can't trust sufficiently. When I get the answer
to that dilemma, maybe I can understand more. Then I'll be able to
answer your question."
"What was it Sartre said, 'Nothing exists just slightly'?"
" 'Nothing can exist only slightly', how does that apply?" Jeff
asked.
"I surprised or confused you," she said, "Amazing. When have you
ever been with someone who needed you, not as a pilot, a mage, a
warrior, but just because you are warm and alive, and out of those
objects with just those characteristics, chooses you. That you are a
mage, a warrior, a pilot, a teacher, etc. is just icing on the cake,
an extra side of chips with the meal, nice but not absolutely
necessary." She looked around, spotted the others walking towards
them. Two Reis, Shinji, Langley, Ranma walking side-by-side with
Ranko, and Nabiki approached.
"Maybe your real problem is you are darkness. You haven't
understood that darkness not only implies evil, but it also implies
rest for the effort and concerns of the day. Cheese it, the cops,"
Sarah told him as she walked towards the Reis as they approached
Shinji.
"Gott im Himmel," Langley announced, "What a rotten nightmare
this is! Who is she and what's she doing here?"
"Good to see you too, Langley," Jeff called, "Hear you got into a
little bother. I was teaching Nabiki a scrying spell. We saw the
whole thing."
"Did you see where they went?" Ranma demanded, changing
directions from towards Nabiki to towards Jeff.
"That answers whether he'd rather have a girlfriend or a fight,"
Langley said, glanced at Shinji and the twin Reis, "So are you going
to make a thousand copies of her, so you can have a harem?"
"Over four thousand," Rei replied.
"And too scared to make a move on any of them," Langley teased.
"It seems the malady is more widespread than I thought," Sarah
commented.
"What malady is that?" Langley demanded, fists on her hips,
glaring at Sarah, "And who are you anyway?"
"Not being able to get a boy or girlfriend," Sarah replied, "I'm
Major Alfred ggreg's daughter, Sarah."
"Ha, look at Horseface, he and she, they aren't careful they're
going to wind up being alone with each other," Langley replied, "So
why are you here?"
"The Severn Valley situation," Shinji said, "Is it really that
bad?"
"How do _you_ know about it?" Sarah asked, stunned.
"I . . . looked in to it," Shinji admitted, staring at his feet,
"It looked pretty bad."
"It still is," Sarah explained, "We are sending another team in,
I'm part of that team. I was hoping to get an EVA, or a pilot for
Unit 03. It hasn't worked out."
"If the situation is that bad," Rei said.
"The Commander will send forces," the other Rei completed the
sentence.
"Great, two and twice as boring," Langley said as she brushed off
a chair she formed from nothing and sat down.
Shinji's face screwed up in concentration and chairs appeared for
the others, as well as a small campfire in a ring of stones.
"What?" Nabiki asked as she sat down, "No marshmallows?"
"Sorry," Shinji said.
"When are you gonna quit apologizing for _EVERYTHING_!_?_"
Langley shouted at him, "She was making a joke."
"Isn't it good Asuka's back to normal, yelling and screaming at
the slightest provocation?" Ranko asked, pulling Jeff's arm so she
could sit between him and Nabiki.
"Yes," Rei said, "It is comforting."
"Older sisters are like that," Sarah added.
"Yes," the other Rei said, "Asuka's raging at Heaven, and all's
right with the World."
All Langley could do was glare at the Reis, and Sarah as she sat
down.
"Maestro, if you would," Jeff said to Shinji as he gestured at
the still standing Ranma.
Shinji nodded and concentrated. Nabiki's chair became a
cane-backed loveseat, all the unoccupied chairs vanished. Ranma
looked around in surprise, extended his hands and concentrated,
straining every sinew.
"Against all - what - five of us?" Jeff asked, turned to Ranko,
"Or is it six?"
"All in favor of hurting Ranma if he doesn't sit down in the
chair provided," Ranko announced, "Please signify by saying 'Hai'."
'Hai!' came the chorus.
"Iie?"
"You're supposed to be me!" Ranma protested.
"I'm sitting down," Ranko told him, put one arm around Nabiki's
waist and the other around Jeff's, "I kind of like the idea of a
harem. Shinji gets the Reis, I get everyone else, to admire and
flatter me."
Ranma stared at her, utterly mortified.
"With one 'Nay' - "
"Neigh," Langley quipped, "It _is_ Horseface after all."
" - and Miss Tendo abstaining, the 'hai's have it," Ranko said,
smiled at Ranma, who dropped into the loveseat next to Nabiki
Nabiki smiled at him with a 'mine!' look, but only took his hands
in hers.
"You're all picking on me," Ranma complained, glancing nervously
at the mixed messages Nabiki was sending.
"We pick on everybody," Jeff replied, "Get used to it."
"Case in point," Langley began, "So, Raccoon, you tell your new
student that you got thrown out of the Camilenn Order before you even
_started_ teaching her?"
Nabiki squirmed at that.
"Yes, Langley," Jeff said in irritation.
"How do you win against Angels?" Sarah asked.
"This is _all_ turned against the Angel," Rei said.
"Ah, makes sense now," Sarah said, nodded.
"Can we get to the point?" Langley asked.
One Rei peered at the top of Langley's head. "Not as quickly as
you can."
"You did this to her!" Langley accused Jeff, "I preferred her
boring!"
"Ranko, did you teach Rei to tell jokes?" Jeff asked.
"No, he did," Ranko said and pointed to Ranma.
"You're supposed to be on _my_side_!_" Ranma complained.
"Well, I _was_ expecting Nabiki to ride to your rescue, but she's
just been sitting there," Ranko replied, giggling, "Wives should stick
up for their husbands."
"Can't you do something about her?" Nabiki asked.
"Not in front of all these witnesses," Jeff admitted.
"Can't we go pick on those girls who've been picking on us?"
Ranma asked.
"You are more entertaining," the other Rei said.
"Besides, after chasing them with fish all last night," Langley
said dryly, "I'd think you'd want a _real_ challenge."
"I will have to settle for the Fourth," the Reis suggested in
chorus. Langley nodded sagely.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?" Ranma turned to Nabiki.
Before Nabiki could, Sarah said, "If they didn't love you, they
wouldn't tease you."
"I agree," Nabiki added leaned into Ranma, leaving him stricken
and looking for an escape route.
------------------------------
Shinji decided to change the subject. I don't want to, but I
think I have to, he considered the laughing people, The _friends_
around me. But I _don't_ want to be like my father, keeping the
unpleasant truths to myself. Maybe he's trying to protect them, maybe
he doesn't care, but _I_ think they need to know.
"When I was out walking - " Shinji began.
"One morning for pleasure, I spied a young Horseface a riding
along," Asuka-san sang, then glanced around at the silent `audience`,
"What?"
"Continue," the Rei-sans urged Shinji.
"I discovered something, many things . . . about the pilots."
"So?" Asuka-san asked, "We know a lot of stuff. We're monsters
for one, able to do things humans can't." She glanced around, as if
challenging anyone to disagree.
"They are also developing equipment and techniques to destroy
us," Nabiki-san said, "If they think they need to. Of course so is
_he_." She pointed at Raccoon.
"I said they'll _think_ the new powder will work. Give me a
little credit for brains," Raccoon turned and replied.
"That makes sense, we aren't supposed to survive this," Shinji
said, and all the arguments among the others ground to a halt,
everyone stared at him. Shinji shifted uncomfortably, then one
Rei-san took his hand and he continued. "The war, all of it, the
Outer Gods versus the Elder Gods, and the Great Old Ones on their own
side, it's all over the secrets of all Creation." He looked at his
fellow pilots. "Not just this universe, but _all_ the universes, now,
in the past, in the future. They came here to hide and fight, but
they also built this place, not just this planet, but this whole
universe to fight in."
"So this is just a battlefield?" Asuka-san asked, sitting back in
her chair, "Maybe they should rename it Poland, or Belgium."
"What's the point?" Ranma-san asked, looking from face to face,
"And what does that have to do with us?"
"They're fighting over whatever allowed them to build this,"
Shinji explained, "If they get it . . . we all lose."
"So we find it first and use it ourselves," Asuka said
offhandedly, looked around at the stunned expressions, "What, we set
it up so all of us have to agree, like a committee, that way none of
us can go completely powermad." She rocked back in her chair.
"I think you're missing Shinji's point," Raccoon said.
"Then if he - would - make - it - " Asuka-san said and set the
chair back with a thump, glaring at Shinji.
Shinji squirmed under that gaze, but persevered, "We will get it.
Raccoon showed me where it was hidden."
"If you know then the others know," Ranko-san squawked, she shook
Raccoon's arm, "They'll come and take it."
"No," Raccoon said quietly, "That's what Shinji is trying to
explain."
"The only way to open the chamber . . . " Shinji began, paused
and looked at the faces. I don't want to tell them this, he thought,
I wish _I_ didn't know. But they deserve to know. And . . . I want
someone else . . . anyone . . . to tell me what to _do_ with knowing.
" - is to chain a Great Old One to each of the four great posts, and
spill their life's blood on it."
Ranma-san exploded, leaping to his feet, "How the heck are we
supposed to _chain_ a Great Old One to a post and . . . and . . . ,"
he ended with a whisper and fell back into his chair, "We'll be Great
Old Ones then . . . right?"
"I think he's got it," Asuka-san said bitterly, "Now that _he's_
figured it out. Who at NERV knows?"
"The Commanders," the Rei-sans volunteered in chorus, "Probably
Admiral Simson."
"Dr. Akagi," Raccoon said, "Definitely." He glanced around
disgustedly. "I doubt Major Katsuragi would, she doesn't pay
attention to important things."
"Not Maya," Nabiki-san added sadly, "At least I hope . . . " She
accepted Ranko-san's hug.
"You're missing the point," Shinji said quietly, "I . . . I think
they'll be doing the right thing."
"_WHAT_!_" Ranko-san was out of her chair and screaming in
Shinji's face, "They're gonna _KILL_ us!! And _YOU_ think it's the
right thing to do?!"
"If we are a threat to humanity," one Rei-san countered gently,
"We - should - be destroyed."
"Can't fault the logic," Raccoon said despondently, "How many
Great Old Ones, Elder Gods and Outer Gods will we have killed and
absorbed by that time? How insane by human standards will we be? Or,
how will we perceive our `fellow` humans? If we're half as nuts or
half as alien as most of our enemies. Getting the chop would be a
relief, not a threat," he added hopelessly.
"But what if we _aren't_?!" Ranko-san countered, marching over to
confront Raccoon, "You want to just roll over and die?" She grabbed
his shirt with both hands and seemed on the verge of either slugging
him or bursting into tears.
"No," Shinji said, "It makes _sense_." He bowed his head and
glanced at Ayanami-san. "I didn't say I agreed with it. I saw the
future, for me, for you, for the rest of us. I saw huge, crowds of
people. Stretching from horizon to horizon. Chanting, singing,
talking about . . . well, us."
"Worshipers," Ranma-san said with distaste.
"Our victims," Shinji said with fear.
"This is . . . " Ranma-san began, "Just because . . . there's a
chance . . . that's no excuse for letting them kill us."
Shinji was on his feet, along with all the others, only the Reis
and Ranko prevented him from charging. "You keep talking about honor!
Where's the honor in slaughtering people, _our_ people. We're
supposed to protect them. I don't want to suddenly . . . _be_ the
threat."
"Only you could manage an enraged whine, Spineless," Asuka-san
said, as she sat down, "But he's right, we are monsters." Asuka-san
paused to glare Ranma-san into silence. "When we start _acting_ like
monsters, what do you suggests, Horseface, hope we'll wake up and be
nice people again? Each time we absorb one of those things, we
change. Spineless grows a backbone, Wondergirl starts thinking about
starting a family with Spineless, and _you_ aren't nearly as
irritating as you once were. My point is, how deep do those changes
go? Are they just on the surface, or will they change how we react to
everything? Are the changes cumulative, so if we absorb several will
we be able to shrug it off as easily? Spineless is saying the effects
are chronic, each change doesn't simply fade. Eventually - eventually
the change will prove too great." During her speech, the others took
their seats again.
"There . . . has to be another way," Nabiki-san said worriedly.
"Your friends, fat chance," Raccoon said angrily, "They hate what
we are, they'll really hate what we'll become. They'll be of zero
help when we most need them."
"That's not what I meant," Nabiki-san said, bowed her head, "You
said Cthulhu would wait, patiently, for humanity to . . . catch up
with him. Couldn't we . . . make a deal to - put us to sleep until
then?"
"At what cost?" Sarah-san asked, shocked at the direction the
conversation had taken.
"So our only hope, is to do our job, and then - " Ranma-san
couldn't complete his sentence.
"You're forgetting," Raccoon pointed out, "Four of us will have
to die to _do_ our job. We can select those who are worst off."
"You sound like you're volunteering!" Ranko-san was aghast.
"Look, the reason I can _do_ the things I can do, is I _started_
further along," Raccoon replied.
"That proves my point," Ranko-san argued, "That you have
survived, and are still as human - "
"Quite a vote of confidence," Asuka-san interjected.
"Maybe things will be different with us," Ranma-san said,
completely out of his element, "Has there _ever_ been a group who did
this?" He looked at Asuka-san, who didn't know, then at Raccoon, who
did.
"No," he said, "Not in my research, and not in any of the stolen
memories." He looked at Nabiki-san, who shook her head.
"So there's a chance!" Ranma-san shouted as he turned to face
each of them in turn.
"There has to be a chance," Ranko-san echoed his sentiment,
concentrating on Nabiki-san and Raccoon.
"The Great Old Ones were a result of the Outer Gods and the Elder
Gods coming here," Shinji said, "Like . . . disease fighters?"
"Antibodies." Asuka-san rocked back in her chair and stared at
the sky, presumably to ignore Ranma-san and Ranko-san, who both
continued to look at the other pilots with a searching gaze. No one
could meet that gaze.
"Is that why they went mad!?" Nabiki-san asked, "They went
looking for the secrets of the universe, and the first piece of
enlightenment is that all they were, was a glorified iodine swab? No
wonder they went nuts." She shook her head.
"But we understand that - is - our raison dre," a Rei-san
commented.
"See," Ranma-san shouted, slapping the flat of his hand, "That's
what I'm talking about."
Asuka-san shot to her feet. "You don't even know _WHAT_ we're
talking about!!" she shouted at him.
"But," Ranma-san said more quietly, "I can hear the _way_ you're
talking about it."
"Why can't I just kill him?" Asuka-san turned to Raccoon and
Nabiki-san.
"You kill him, you eat him," Raccoon said.
"I will not lend you my ketchup," the Rei-sans added.
"Traitors. Wait a second!" Asuka-san turned to face Nabiki-san.
"How does Ice Princess know about this, all she did was kill some
servants."
"Who were assembling themselves into a single entity," Raccoon
added.
"And what did she do? Look into each and every one of their
dreams?" Asuka-san fell silent when Nabiki-san nodded. "How? That's
totally impossible."
"_I_KNOW_!_" Nabiki-san shot to her feet and roared so fiercely,
Asuka-san sat down and remained silent. "I know," she said quietly as
she sat down, pulling her legs in under her chin.
Raccoon reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. "I taught
her - taught her how to infiltrate dreams," Raccoon admitted, "She
used the ability to look inside the thoughts of those Brothers of
Chaugnar Faugn who comprised the creature she killed."
"What a fun way to spend an evening," Asuka-san commented,
earning a glare from Nabiki-san.
"The point is, we don't _have_ to give up!" Ranma-san insisted,
"We aren't all doomed."
"We _are_ doomed," Raccoon replied, "Humanity is the one we're
supposed to be saving." He stared at Ranma-san. "We're expendable."
"Now _you're_ starting to talk like that beer-hound," Asuka-san
replied.
"I didn't say thrown away to be replaced," Raccoon countered
hotly, "But if I go from protector to ravager, I hope somebody puts a
bullet in my head."
"I shall," Rei-san volunteered, "If you will do likewise."
Raccoon nodded.
"You people are _real_ fun," Sarah-san said as she looked around,
"I'd hoped to get some advice about dealing with the Severn Valley
situation."
"Get a good pair of running shoes," Asuka-san said, "There's no
way any conventional defense can defeat a Great Old One. The Jap -
panese - tried everything from spirit wards to heavy artillery. Then
the Americans added a couple of atom bombs."
"Which had been blessed by every major religious person they
could get their hands on, on short notice," Raccoon added, "No
effect."
"A banishment might be attempted with ceremonial magic," Rei
offered.
"Ceremonial magic isn't portable, and the power requirements are
immense for the banishment to work. The other problem is you said
they were waking up," Raccoon pointed out, "Banishments only send them
`home`, if they are home, you're out of luck."
"Brilliant," Sarah-san said sarcastically.
------------------------------
Find The Door To The Promised Land
Ranma walked along the gravel path, thick fog walling it in. He
was furious at his only traveling companion. "You could have stood up
for me," he berated her, "You could have helped me."
"Are you saying you _LOST_?_" Ranko teased, covering her mouth in
shock, "Why the end of the world must be coming."
"I didn't say I lost," Ranma shot back angrily, "I said you
should have helped me." He stopped and shook his head. "I can't
believe I'm having this conversation."
"It's an argument, and you're losing this one too," Ranko replied
as they were walking, "Where does it say I have to agree? Especially
when you're so afraid it's pitiful. You're pitiful."
"I thought you were me," Ranma countered and drew himself up,
"And I'm not pitiful."
"You're me, and a lot more," Ranko said.
"See."
"All I got was your sense of fun and adventure. All the stupid
fears you have, you kept them all for yourself. Selfish really," she
added disdainfully, she smiled as Ranma threateningly towered over
her. Then Ranma smiled.
"So you aren't afraid of c - " Ranma couldn't say it, and from
Ranko's terrified expression, she didn't want to hear it.
"Of course I am," Ranko replied, shaking herself to drive away
the fear, "But that's not what you are _really_ scared of."
Ranma turned his back on her and stared at his other self over
his shoulder. "So what am I afraid of?"
"Your friends," Ranko said with derision, "You are _terrified_ of
letting them get close to you. _I'm_ not. I like getting them close,
Raccoon and Nab-chan, preferably both together." She giggled at
Ranma's disgusted expression.
"You're nuts," Ranma said, looked ahead and started walking down
the path. Suddenly he was face down in the gravel, with his arm
twisted uncomfortably, preventing his escape.
"You keep forgetting you can't hit girls," Ranko told him cutely,
"And you keep underestimating me. How 'bout I put this - " She
twisted his trapped arm. "- In a few places you're terrified of
anybody touching when you're in this body . . . or when you're in your
own body."
"I don't like gettin' grabbed!" Ranma shouted back as he twisted,
only to have Ranko counter, and remain in control, "You don't like it
either!" Ranma tried to break the hold, but only received a twinge
from his shoulder to the elbow indicating not only would he dislocate
both joints, but also give himself a spiral fracture if he tried to
press.
"That's right, but there's a difference between being grabbed and
being touched," she said as Ranma leapt into the air, trying to shake
her off. She maneuvered in the air so Ranma came down first,
face-first. She continued as he grumbled. "Do really think that a
hug from Rit-chan is the same as getting groped by one of the kids in
school?" She waited while the grumbling died down a little. "And
that being touched outside of a fight will turn you to stone?"
Ranma freed himself with a shout and when rolling away, landing
in a crouch ready to continue the fight. His snarl died as he stared
at Ranko smirking at him, he read the truth in her expression. "So
you _let_ me escape."
"You would have hurt yourself if I hadn't, and hurting you wasn't
what I wanted. I wanted to _win_._ By doing what you did, you proved
my point entirely. Your move let you escape, but _I_ won."
Ranma stared at her in shock. Then hung his head.
Ranko proved she was Ranma by rubbing it in. "Oh a little,
helpless girl against big strong, male you, how could I ever hope to
survive," Ranko teased him, nearly galling him to try to charge.
"You're just a silly, little girl who cheats to win," Ranma
replied, "I don't know why I'm even talkin' to you."
"Oh, I am wounded, boo hoo," Ranko replied, sniffed, "_I_ cheat,
that's rich coming from you. The only reason you quit trying that
crap, is you kept getting caught and punished. And you _really_
couldn't handle the way Rit-chan and Nab-chan looked at you. You
cheat _all_the_time_, calling them _Rit_-chan and _Nab_-chan is a
cheat against the rules of Japanese, you found out English doesn't
follow the same rules, and you incorporated that into your bag of
tricks." Ranko walked over to Ranma. He massaged his arm as he
glared at her smiling face. "You've been looking for a cheat, a
simple, easy way to deal with Nab-chan and Raccoon, their feelings,
their love." She let him shudder at that before continuing, "Instead
of coming out and saying what you feel, or just asking for time to
figure out what you feel. That's the only _honorable_ option in this
case, and you refuse to do it. You, are a coward."
"Take that back." Ranma towered over her, his fist clenched in
her face.
"You can't hit girls," Ranko replied, a wide smile on her face,
secure in her invulnerability.
Ranma turned away in frustration.
"Since you won't share your fears, I can't imagine what you're
scared of. The only one of the pilots who really hates you, damn near
died to protect you, or have you forgotten Rei with that steel rod
shoved through her . . . and all that blood." Ranko lost her
composure, shuddered at the memory. "Her blood. What is it the
Christians say? 'This is my blood shed for you.' That was hers, shed
for _you_, and me."
"I remember," Ranma replied distantly, shuddering himself, "I
remember how she looked at me, with that pole shoved through her."
"So if _Nab_-chan cries out in her sleep, it's okay to comfort
the sleeping, _naked_ girl, but if she's awake, you can't talk to her,
can't smile at her, can't say she looks nice. You like her with the
longer hair, makes her more soft and feminine. More approachable, but
you never did approach. What is it you're so afraid of? That if you
want her as your girlfriend, you might lose her as part of your
adoring fans? Are you that self-centered that you'd keep hurting her
just so she'll keep fluttering around you?"
"Is that why you hug him at every chance? You want him to - " A
slap interrupted, it stung and surprised him.
"_I'm_ not the one who was willing to offer seppuku or marriage
vows to regain my honor," Ranko screamed at him. Ranma wisely backed
up. "You did that, and yes it hurt when he said no," Ranko continued
in a calmer tone, "But he at least gave reasons, and he's still with
me. And unlike you, I can see how scared he is. Maybe you ought to
use all that combat expertise to read the people around you."
"All right, I'm scared!" Ranma shouted back, barely restraining
himself from hitting her, his other self, "Is that what you wanted,
you got it. I'm scared." Ranma felt as if something broke inside
him. "I don't want to be alone." He squatted in the middle of the
road, running his fingers through the gravel. "I couldn't live with
it."
Ranko squatted in front of him. She took him into her arms.
"You won't be. All of them are just as scared, of exactly the same
thing. You were the only one assuming you'll get through this. How
much of that was you being afraid you were going to be the _only_ one
who got through it alive? If you're going to keep any of them, you
have to let them get closer. Sometimes it will hurt, but you don't
mind getting hurt in training or a fight. Why are you so worried
about getting hurt like that?"
"I . . . I don't know," Ranma said softly, "I . . . I keep
expecting that if . . . if I let them get close . . . they'll hurt me,
and keep hurting me. I couldn't fight them then. I don't know why
I'm sure, but I am."
Ranko took his face in her hands, raised it so he was looking at
her amused smile. "Did you see how Raccoon and `Langley` carried on?
If someone said those things to you, they'd be picking their teeth out
of the walls. But what would have happened if Raccoon had been with
us when we rescued Asuka?"
Ranma shuddered. "Even Rei wouldn't have been able to keep him
from taking them apart." Ranma paused, shuddered again. "No, he
would have hurt them bad enough they couldn't get away, but they'd be
eager to answer questions. As long as they kept him out of the room."
"Okay, what about Raccoon and Nab-chan? Same thing, all claws,
fangs and flying fur," Ranko shuddered at the image, as did Ranma, she
continued, "But no blood, and they enjoyed it. Once you quit trying
to out-insult them and played at the `safe`-level, they quit trying to
tear a strip out of your hide."
"Don't get near me, don't leave me," Ranma `quoted` them, "How
stupid is that?"
"That's the 'Hedgehog's Dilemma'," Ranko said as she released his
face, "Do you remember the cure Asuka mentioned?" She gently ran the
back of her hand down his sleeve.
"The spines go back down when they relax," Ranma said, "I'm not
_completely_ stupid." He pulled his arm away from her.
"Not _completely_," Ranko replied with a smile, "See, it didn't
kill you. Are you going to tell me you didn't like Nab-chan depending
on you, or being able to crawl into Raccoon's arms and feel safe and
needed?"
Ranma looked like he'd just swallowed a live cat, whole.
"Okay, you _had_ to see how Shinji and Rei were acting. He was
doing almost all the talking for both of them, but he was depending on
her supporting him while he spoke. He was willing to take Asuka on
directly, as long as Rei was with him. You can have that, you can
have that as Ranma _and_ Ranko, all you have to do is let them need
you, and let you need them." Ranko smirked. "Then maybe we won't
have to have these conversations. And I love you too, I can't stand
you hurting yourself." Ranko wrapped her arms around his neck and
before he could pull away, gave him a very passionate kiss.
Ranma blinked and now sat alone in the middle of the gravel road,
his lips and cheeks still burning from the intensity of the kiss. He
shook his head as he stood. "I lost an argument to myself," he said
as he stood, "How weird is that?" He sighed sadly. "But it was me,
and she - I - whatever, was right. I'm just like the others, get
close, but not too close." He clenched his hands together, stared at
them. "I _do_ want Nab-chan with me, in some ways, I want Raccoon
with me." He laughed. "I even want `Sour Kraut` and `Wondergirl`
around, but I can't see that I need them." He yelped and leapt into
the air. On landing, he whirled around to see how he had received a
kick in the seat of the pants. The laughter in his head told him the
source of the `kick`. "Okay, maybe I need them, but I haven't figured
out _how_, is that better?" The sense of another impending kick
forced him to think fast. "Okay,
IneededAsukatoteachmehowtoteachtheothersmartialarts!" he shouted
rapidfire at the surroundings, "Geez, does _everybody_ have to pick on
me?"
"Only because you love you," came the disembodied answer from
Ranko.
"Isn't that supposed to be 'only because _we_ love you'?!" Ranma
shouted back.
"I'm glad you see that."
The laughter continued all the way down the road until Ranma
found himself back in bed asleep. He remembered having Nab-chan
leaning against him in the loveseat, and Raccoon and Ranko holding
hands. Yes, he admitted, I kinda liked it.
------------------------------
Jeff shifted Nabiki's dazed form and knocked on the cottage's
door. The meeting was fun, she thought sarcastically, Especially
seeing Ranma again. He's just so _cute_ when he's not so sure of
himself. But it was also exhausting, and for whatever reason we can't
get back `home` to sleep. We must have argued for _hours_, about
everything. But it is good to get that all out in the open, I suspect
there was a lot Shinji and Raccoon _didn't_ tell us, but I bet they
covered everything that directly touched on us. I'll have to go look
at those chairs on Yuggoth myself.
He knocked again and announced, "I know the rules of hospitality
as well as you do," he said in the dragon's tongue, "I also know
you're in there."
How do I know that's the dragon tongue? she wondered, And how do
I know what he said in it?
An old, silver-haired woman wearing a house coat of almost the
same color opened the door, "You might be patient and let a body get
some clothes on, first." She helped Jeff carry Nabiki to a day bed
near the kitchen, and lay her down. "What in the name of all the
ancient fathers have you been doin'?"
" 'Blessings and peace on all within'," Jeff gave the ritual
salute, "Killing Flying Polyps with hand-to-hand and magic. Then
discussing the plan to set the universe to rights." Jeff let her
guide him to a chair at the kitchen table, "Having received
hospitality. I ask what payment is required. As in the ancient
codes."
"At least you remember your manners. From the look of you, an
explanation is all I could really expect. Orderless vagabond like
you." She rested a hand on his shoulder to forestall his protest,
"The explanation will do, the truth. Starting with the girl, she's
the one, isn't she."
Nabiki despised being talked about, when she was right there.
But I can barely move, let alone talk, she thought exhaustedly, I
guess that's part of 'touching the world lightly', it means
maintaining my own existence in a dream versus `riding` in someone
else's is exhausting.
"Yes." Jeff crossed his arms and laid them on the table, he put
his head on his arms, "She's the one. Pilot first alternate Tendo
Nabiki, Fifth Children, martial artist, marketeer, mage, and friend."
The old woman stared down at Nabiki who opened her eyes, and
massed her energy to speak, "Wha, is Jeff?" I sound like I'm drunk or
stoned, she silently complained, Instead of wrung out by the effort.
"He's fine, child. Not much better than you I'd wager."
"What odds?" Nabiki replied, tried to sit up, fell back down as
the world did a slow roll. "Mind 'f I jus' lie here a while?"
"Kids today," the old woman grumped, heading to the kitchen, "No
sense of honor, no sense period." She looked at Jeff pillowing his
head on his arms at the table, "Don't you agree?"
"I'll agree to anything that keeps my head from exploding."
"Used up all your powers, the both of you. Didn't Alwyk teach
you better than that?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jeff raised his head. "Just before he saved you
from El Nureenen using up all of his. I thought it an especially
effective lesson in rules, and when to ignore them."
The old woman laughed as she walked through her kitchen, mixing
and preparing something that smelled wonderful.
"I'll have tea in a moment. I take it you killed all of them?"
"Deader'n hell on a Friday night." Jeff said, resting his head
down again.
Concerned, the woman selected an incense stick, lit it and placed
it in a vase near Jeff. He raised his head to protest.
"No charge, I suspect the story will be more than worth it." She
rounded up some crackers and honey while she heated water for tea.
"How many?"
"Sixty, real big, biggest I've ever heard of. Glad it was night,
the jeeps' machineguns had tracers, hurt the things. Let Nabiki and I
finish off the big ones with the EVA. Littlest one fell to the
soldiers, flame throwers and satchel charges. Lots of screaming kids,
still hear it." He dropped his head back down.
"Your friends at NERV couldn't help? I thought that was what
they were for."
"It was San Diego, clear across the ocean. Still, sometimes NERV
can't find their butt with both hands and a proctologist," Nabiki
commented, "I just haven't figured out why. Stupidity, sabotage . . .
" She tried and failed to sit up again. "Or too much politics."
"Oh, I wouldn't know about politics, not poor little old me," the
woman laughed, Jeff joined her. "Does your friend know about the
order?"
"I know they tossed him out." Nabiki sat up, finally managed to
stay that way, put her feet on the floor, decided against standing up.
"Because of me."
"Not entirely true. The order is for dragons, and a few
respected wizards, the wizards are all men, human males. I don't
think they realize two-thirds of the council are female dragons. The
hearing on your teacher was one of the most acrimonious I've ever
participated in, despite the fact they were yelling at and around the
Scholarly Dragon. Good thing he either expected it, or was amused by
it. Teaching a human is bad enough, losing his connection to
dragonkind and the Dreamlands was bad enough, but teaching a woman for
free, oh the scandal and the outrage." Now she really laughed. "I
thought poor Alwyk would have apoplexy when he heard the dragons
weren't going to support the humans decision to throw him out."
"From what you've said." Nabiki got unsteadily to her feet. "I
thought this Alwyk was a friend." I guess Coffee gives me the
strength to stand and move, she thought, After a little rest, and a
willingness to accept a `helping hand`.
"No, he's my teacher," Jeff replied, his head still down on the
table.
"Oh, a mortal enemy and an annoyance." Nabiki sat down heavily in
a kitchen chair, breathing deeply the incense fumes, exhaustion being
replaced by relaxation.
"I see you've learned selection of apprentices and teaching from
him too," the woman continued, "Alwyk is a dear soul, who'd rather do
what needs to be done, instead of what's `right` or what's civil.
He's been thrown out of the order five times. All his best students
have been thrown out of the order at least once, 'They aren't really
seasoned until they've been tossed out,'" she chuckled as she set down
a plate of crackers and a jar of honey, "He was rather disappointed in
young Jeffrey here, until recently."
"What she's not telling you," Jeff sat up, partially revived, "Is
that the council comes crawling to Alwyk or his students offering not
only reinstatement, but usually the ArchChancellorship or the
Dictatorship. Now the sight of a dozen ancient dragons groveling is
rare enough, Alwyk has managed to be there every time a student was
reinstated. It makes his decade."
"So he `arranged` to have you thrown out, so the punishment
exceeds the crime, so they'll ignore you, us, sneaky," Nabiki
concluded, "If the Scholarly Dragon was tossed out, why hasn't Asuka
been crowing about it?"
"He was never a member, and getting tossed out was the
alternative to censuring _you_, Miss Tendo, and all of this happened
before he was officially teaching you. The Scholarly Dragon is not
teaching, and he's still only sort of a Dreamlands' dragon," the woman
said, "But he did help Alwyk, and he had the waking world portion of
Kovaak's staff delivered to Mr. Davis here, months ago. Imagine, the
staff of the late ArchChancellor Emeritus in the hands of a
fully-human renegade." The woman laughed again. "One more shock like
that, and half the moribund members of the council and the teaching
order will die, go into the mystic, or on permanent sabbatical."
"I hope you realize you aren't making much sense." Nabiki
sampled the crackers and honey.
"That's for the tea, dear. And it will all make sense, in time."
She stared at Nabiki as a thought crossed her mind. "Jeff, she isn't
a Dreamer is she?"
"No, but I'm not anymore either."
Nabiki calmed down, her secret still safe. I think I can trust
her, she thought, But I don't want it broadcast all over.
"Well, I've got something in that case." The woman got up and
put the tea bags in the pot, then vanished up stairs Nabiki hadn't
spotted before. Jeff laid his head back on his arms.
"Are we safe here? I understand she's your friend, but she seems
a little, off."
"Like Rei?" Jeff asked, "That's because she isn't human. Like
Rei, and me, she's wearing humanity, without being human."
"A dragon," Nabiki said. Okay, Raccoon said that the dreams of
humans created dragons, but why would a couple of fairly senior
dragons put up with him and his antics. Or because he knew they were
the ones called in when everything went to hell, did he go after them?
she wondered, I doubt similarity of personality would be all of it.
What do they know, and what do they want?
The woman returned carrying a set of massive books, "These are
some basic spells, incantations, blessings and the like. You do know
the true seeing cantrip?"
Nabiki nodded.
"Otherwise they just look like an old woman's photo albums. I
got them at an auction a few years ago, had to make up a family
history, so I could bore the neighbors into leaving me alone."
"That slide viewer still works?" Jeff asked.
"Wait a second," Nabiki said, "I thought we were in the
Dreamlands!"
"We are in my Dreamscape," the woman explained, "I sensed you
didn't have the strength to make the transition to the Waking World on
your own. And the slide viewer, works wonderfully. Best present you
could have given me." She spoke conspiratorially to Nabiki, "Some
neighbor watches my house too much. Nice lady shows up on his or her
doorstep with the viewer and five boxes of vacation pictures. Those
who peep to peep quit, those who are just plain lonely, well, I have a
whole circle who play cards together and spy out the neighborhood."
"That's why we have those weirdos looking into everything,"
Nabiki realized, "An early warning system. Learned behavior."
"All you have to do is separate the wheat from the chaff of their
reports, and you have a bunch of loyal agents," the woman said, "But
you already knew that."
"I hate to be rude," Nabiki said.
"She does, she really does," Jeff said, Nabiki mimed hitting him.
"What should we call you? Thinking of you as `the old woman`
seems faintly ill-mannered."
"Aratara," she replied, "It's as close as Japanese can get to
what I'm commonly called." She smiled. "Taught her about Names huh?"
Jeff raised his head and nodded. "Same reason I call you `Dear` or
`child`, some names have no power, others, they'll get you killed if
you aren't strong enough." Her hand suddenly darted forward and
rolled up Nabiki's sleeve. "Maybe I should call you Wind Angel."
Nabiki pulled free and nervously rolled her sleeve back. "It was
an accident." I've got enough people thinking I'm just a bag of hot
air, Nabiki thought.
"No, child, the summoning may have been an accident, but that was
a gift beyond all price. And its tale must not leave this room." For
once the woman seemed frightened.
"I understand that, why the urgency?" Nabiki asked.
"When you can read the elemental tongue, you'll understand fully.
Tea." She got up.
Nabiki's head was spinning, the day was rapidly becoming too much
to handle. Too many secrets revealed, too many new concerns and
responsibilities, and too much power added and then used all at once.
She felt dizzy.
----------------------------------------
Just Believe In Yourself
The cold cloth on her forehead and the clear view of the ceiling
told her she's fainted. Stupid, like some silly girl in a romance
novel, Nabiki thought, I really need the sleep.
"Rest easy, child." Aratara sat her up, held the tea cup to her
lips. "You've had a hard day. That dizziness you feel is Wind's
natural state, always moving, always changing. If you weren't
exhausted, you'd probably be exhilarated by it."
Nabiki swallowed the tea, it seemed to take the edge off. "You
were worried about the mark?"
"Wind is a good element, playful, but not malicious. Powerful
enough, without being hard to control. I don't know what price that
elemental demanded for this, but pay it and be glad. That's a trick
most mages would kill to know, literally."
"It didn't ask a price, not one of me."
"Then be yourself child, that's the price. Fight your war, love
your friends, and that pays for all. You've got the devil's own luck
to strike a deal like that, and an angel's character to carry it out."
Nabiki's instant denial died on her lips and she felt her eyelids
closing.
"Be at ease, I drugged the tea. Only enough to make you sleep."
She eased Nabiki back down on the bed. "I know this one," jerking a
finger at Jeff who was asleep at the table, "And his friend the
Knight."
"Sister," Nabiki slurred, overcome by the world becoming warm and
fluffy.
"Proof you're probably the same: too stubborn by half." She
picked up the youth and set him next to her in the bed, "You two watch
over each other, I'm afraid no one else can any more."
---------------------------------------------------------
August 10,1947
Misato woke after midnight, again. This time it is a definite
sound, not a suspicious absence, she thought, Someone opened the
screen door to the patio upstairs. She pulled her pistol and draped a
sheet around her. The patio door was closed and the rest was a solid
wall, preventing her from looking out onto it. But someone is out
there, she thought as she concealed the pistol in the folds of the
sheet.
Rei sat on the balcony, holding a book to catch the light of a
nearby streetlight. She looked up as Misato approached.
That red glow from her eyes, Misato thought, Must have been a
trick of the light.
"Major, I apologize, I was attempting not to disturb anyone."
"You should be asleep. How can anyone read in this light?"
"I cannot and it is easy," Rei replied, "Respectively."
Misato put Rei's answers with the correct parts of her question.
"You should try to get more sleep. Go on." She opened the screen
door.
Rei showed no expression as she picked up her book and walked
back to her room.
Misato glanced around, wondering where Penpen had gotten to.
Probably sleeping in one of the pilot's rooms, she thought.
----------------------------------------
Ritsuko looked over the pilot's shoulder through the Avenger's
windscreen to the deck of the U.S.S. Boxer, the huge '21' proclaiming
it's identity as CV-21. Once she'd seen the empty flight deck, she
sat back down in the rear gunner's seat. I hate flying in these dinky
planes, she thought, For more than two people, two should be the
minimum number of engines. Not one. Not that I mind crashing. I'd
probably survive, but _explaining_ my survival, that would take a lot
of talking. She waited until the plane caught the wire and stopped
completely before unstrapping herself. She didn't wait for the
ladder, using the toe and finger holds on the plane to climb down to
the deck.
She was marching across the flight deck, to the ladder she knew
led down to the hanger deck, before the `welcoming committee` could
catch up with her. The wind over the deck rippling her lab coat and
slacks.
"Dr. Akagi! The Captain would like to offer his thanks and
profound apologies -"
"Thank you, ensign," Ritsuko said without turning to face him, or
slowing down.
"Ma'am, I'm to lead you - "
"I _know_ where they are," Ritsuko said sharply, "I only had to
skim the briefing documents to know _exactly_ where they'd be. Plus,
talking to an overly polite toady who's trying to calm me down is not
what I want, she thought as she reached the bottom of the ladder and
marched across the hanger deck, I want a full head of steam when I
deal with them. So I won't have to do anything rash. Maya's
unspoken 'I told you so's were even louder for all their silence. I
don't need to be 'thanked and apologized' into quiescence. Ritsuko
completed the thought as she received confirmation of her suspicions,
and sighted the hatch, beyond which she _knew_ her quarry lurked.
" 'We are poor little lambs, who have lost our way, baa, baa,
baa,'" came through the door in harmony, accompanied by the sound of
an accordion, " 'We're little black sheep who've gone astray,
Baa-aa-aa!'"
"You certainly are," Ritsuko said crossly, glaring at the fighter
pilots and the EVA pilots equally. Jeff and Nabiki were both wearing
VMF-214 flight suits, Nabiki had a leather jacket with the squadron
insignia on the shoulder. The pilots seemed a little subdued,
especially, the two EVA pilots.
"Um, hi Rit - Doctor Akagi," Nabiki said as she and Jeff stood to
face her, "We were almost out of power, nobody would answer the radio,
and we found this carrier . . . " Nabiki glanced around guiltily.
"It did have a battery pack, and they cobbled together a power take
off for the EVA."
"I saw it," she said as neutrally as she could, simply staring at
the pair, drawing the answers out by her silence.
"Well, if it wasn't the correct carrier," Jeff continued the
defense, "Better to board an available ship, than the difficulty of an
EVA recovery. As well as the cost in time and money."
"What of the problem of the squadrons which were _supposed_ to
land here, and instead had to divert to the Bunker Hill?" Ritsuko
asked, as if discussing something of no importance, "They will have to
be transferred again. The Bunker Hill does not carry large supplies
of aviation fuel, as it was never to carry large numbers of aircraft."
"I don't have the figures to make a comparison," Jeff replied,
"We did discover a way to allow the EVAs to use Essex-class carriers
without destroying the flight deck."
Ah, this is the part I wanted to hear, Ritsuko thought without
letting her expectations change her expression.
"The systems still has some bugs to work out. But we can work on
it during the trip back," Nabiki suggested.
Anything to get out of more target practice? Ritsuko thought,
noting that the fighter pilots looked on the verge of intervening.
Their very different, though equally nervous expressions told her
that.
"Any troubles?" Ritsuko asked as innocently as she could. And
both hide their shock and embarrassment, she considered.
"Nothing beyond normal parameters," Jeff said with an absolutely
straight face.
"Very well," Ritsuko said, "How did you confuse a '21' for a
'17'? It's only painted on the side of the island and on the flight
deck."
"We saw a carrier where one was supposed to be," Nabiki admitted,
"We - I didn't look for the number."
Ritsuko sighed, breaking the tension. "Only you two, only you
two." She shook her head. "What am I going to _do_ with you two?"
"If you don't want'em, we'll take'em!" some wit at the back
called.
"Where does a thousand ton EVA sleep?" someone else asked, "Any
place it f- wants!"
A pilot near the front nodded. "Gramps would be proud of them,"
he said.
"No, maybe when we're done with them," Ritsuko said, "What's the
matter `Raccoon`, couldn't get a jacket like 'Ice Princess'?"
"She's cuter than I am," Jeff admitted, getting whoops from the
fighter pilots.
----------------------------------------
"You two slept together in the plug all night?!" Maya teased
Nabiki and Jeff while they walked from the plug to the decontam
showers aboard the Bunker Hill.
Nabiki touched her sleeve, Jeff shook his head 'no'.
"Oh, the Ice Princess and Raccoon, I hope someone got pictures,"
Maya said, her hands clasped under her chin looking cute.
"Eight-by-tens and wallet-sized. Very good job, if I do say so,"
Jeff said dryly, "I doubt we'll let you in the auction though, it's a
silent auction, you can't meet the minimums."
Maya immediately seemed to tear up. "What is _that_ supposed to
mean? Oh boo hoo, I can be as quiet as the next person!"
"Provided the next person is an active volcano," Nabiki retorted.
"Or a howitzer barrage," Jeff added.
"Or Asuka Soryu Langley," Nabiki said. Maya acted mortified by
the last.
"Oh yeah, while you to were making a love-nest in the plug, we
were working," she told them, "Finding places for all the planes you
displaced."
"_We_ didn't move the carrier and not tell anybody." Jeff
brightened. He glanced at Nabiki and nodded, she nodded back. They
immediately both began shaking like dogs, spraying the area,
especially Maya, with L.C.L. drops.
"WAIT!! STOP!! DON'T!" She tried to block or dodge the
loathsome substance from falling on her.
"You only had to ask," Jeff said.
Nabiki smiled at that. "Jeff, coffee after school?"
"Why not, our ANALYST friends needs to clean up," Jeff said, he
waved a hand in front of his face, "She smells just _awful_."
Maya growled at the retreating pilots, trying to wipe off the
offending substance. "_YUCK!_"
----------------------------------------
Ritsuko watched the pair going over the reports on the action of
the previous evening, especially Air Close-support. She smirked that
Jeff was much more concerned with warning Nabiki about _not_ going
beyond her limits. Wonder about that, Ritsuko thought, I don't
understand why they had an additive effect, when all our tests
indicate two people in a plug had a deleterious effect on sync rate.
However, we never had _two_ pilots to check our theories. She watched
Maya hovering over the pair. I was _especially_ surprised about Maya
waking me up with breakfast before I could take off for the Boxer, she
thought, Although she seems to be returning to a more demure
personality, back to `normal`. That may be due to her own increased
confidence, rather than anything else.
Maya was also playing chess with one of the officers in the ready
room. She's actually moving the pieces herself, between looking at
the kids. 'More miracles', the poor officer studies the board for a
few minutes, makes his move, Maya glances back from the kids, makes
her move and immediately looks back at the kids. I think that poor
man may have an attack of apoplexy, Ritsuko thought.
"Atten' hut!" someone called. Everyone in the mess hall were on
their feet. Pilots and NERV personnel included.
"As you were," the Marine Major, who was the commander of the
ship's Marine detachment, stood at the lectern as the audience sat
back down.
"We've gone over the assembled reports from our Intelligence and
NERV security," the man said, "We have no additional information
beyond what we will report here. Additionally, we have no reason to
believe that your families will be in any danger from these people."
The briefing went on. Basically, the attackers existed before
the Security people were in place and Security had their jobs
_because_ of the attackers, he singled out a suspect that could pull
that off, SEELE, NERV's original parent organization.
Good Lord! Ritsuko thought in shock, I've never heard them
mentioned outloud before, and especially not as the chief suspect in
any nefarious dealings!
The rest of the data bore out no conclusions and no patterns,
just speculations, the briefer noted them as such.
Ritsuko glanced over at the two pilots' notes. On Jeff's, there
were a few doodles with a number 6 with various combinations or eyes,
smiles, glasses. Nabiki sketched a six with a raccoon eye mask and a
smile on her notes and circled it. When Jeff spotted it, he gave fair
recompense, a 'na' hirigana with a yen symbol replacing the upper
radical. Nabiki had gotten a multicolored pencil set and colored a
thatch of blue hair on a zero with red eyes. Nabiki had considered
giving it a ghostly halo, then scratched it out, abandoning that idea.
Other symbols, numbers, kanji to develop a `logo` for the other
pilots, Ritsuko realized, Most of them going nowhere. And they
already seem to know most of the elements of the briefing. How? I
didn't tell them. She wondered what the logos were about, and
considered that they might be experimenting with creating a rune
for/of each of them. I'm going to have to find out the implications
of that later, she thought as she assembled the data, and ran the
possible scenarios, and how to tip the game in their favor.
As the briefing ended and the troops were dismissed, Ritsuko
headed through the crowd to the Major. Jeff and Nabiki followed.
"Major, I think we need to talk to the Captain and the Admiral."
"Yes, ma'am," the Major said and saluted.
---------------------------------------------------------
Gendo sat, watching the readouts from the pilots as they
performed the sync test in the test plugs. He heard someone entering,
glanced over and saw it was Admiral Simons, who plugged into the Magi
feeds to see what Gendo was seeing. "I'd forgotten both how relaxing
and how tedious this was."
"I've heard you have to watch Saotome," Simson said as looked
over the virtual desks, "He tends to fall asleep."
The placid faces of the kids displayed from inside the test plugs
seemed to be at odds with what they were each trying to accomplish.
"Shinji is resisting saturation better than the other three,"
Simson commented, checking the output from the Magi against the strip
chart recorders.
"Better than previously as well," Gendo answered, "Have you ever
wanted to try?"
"I tested at Las Vegas. They gave me my third star and this job.
I'm also one of the few general officers who could stand contact with
L.C.L.." He chuckled. "You don't want to know what Bull Halsey
suggested they do when they tried to convince him to get into the
plug."
"I can imagine," Gendo said, "Our General and Naval Staff were -
unwilling to accept the need." He turned to face Simson. "You
suggested that I have become predictable."
"Sorry to say, but it's true," Simson spread his hands and
replied.
"I have an idea to break that certainty, but I need some help
with my plan."
"What do you need?"
"First, how's this for surprising and out of character?" Gendo
asked, smiled, "I want to reward the pilots for their service, they've
exceeded both projections and expectations."
"I think I hear the devil putting on his ice skates now. What do
you have in mind?" Simson asked. Gendo saw he was intrigued.
---------------------------------------------------------
Asuka let the hot water and lemon oil remove the awful smell of
L.C.L. from her hair and skin. "I miss my longer hair," she said
sadly.
"It is quicker to wash now," Wondergirl commented.
"Not _everything_ is about efficiency, Wondergirl," Asuka
replied, "Frankly, if you were _really_ interested in efficiency,
you'd be better off shampooing Spineless's hair and him yours -
_HOLD_IT_!_!_"
Wondergirl blinked, staring back from the doorway to the showers.
"When you're both dressed, Wondergirl," Asuka told her, "Not when
you're naked." "You'd give him a terminal nosebleed," Asuka muttered.
"Why should that matter?" Wondergirl asked, "He will be as well."
"Because it's . . . " Asuka's eyes narrowed as Wondergirl stared
back a little _too_ blankly. "Oh, ha ha, very funny, Wondergirl,"
Asuka told her as Wondergirl returned to the shower stall, "You had me
going."
"Good."
"No reason to be so smug."
"I beat you."
"You don't have to rub it in!" Asuka shouted.
"I do."
"AUGH!"
"A flat."
"I'm going to _kill_ you!" Asuka shouted and chased Wondergirl,
right into a naked Spineless and Horseface.
"Wagh! You did that on purpose!" Asuka shouted as she retreated
back into the shower.
"Yes," Wondergirl told her.
----------------------------------------
Hear This Voice From Deep Inside, It's The Call of Your Heart
August 11, 1947
"They _what?_" Ritsuko looked up from her paper work and asked
the head of the Bunker Hill's Marine detachment.
"I said 'they stood in the middle of one of the ready rooms and
sparred, in the dark, for three hours'." The man smiled. "Too bad
the people who attacked Pilot Langley didn't show up, they would have
chopped them into mincemeat."
"You didn't go stop them?" Ritsuko asked.
"Ma'am, I've taken some fencing, but I wouldn't have gone in
there last night without an armored brigade." The man shook his head.
"Scary doesn't even begin to describe it."
"Yeah," Ritsuko said quietly, "Scary. Where are they now?"
"Davis is in the engine shop," the man told her, "Miss Tendo was
arranging with some of the DI's to continue her shooting lessons."
Ritsuko headed out of her office, feeling none too secure of her
place at NERV or in the world. "Please ask Pilots Davis and Tendo to
join me in the ready room. Insist as necessary."
"Yes, Ma'am." The Marine headed in one direction while Ritsuko
headed in another.
The tension has been growing between those two, Ritsuko thought,
The use of the AT field with two pilots in the plug was bound to cause
problems. I should have realized that with _those_ two, it would
cause more serious problems. Jeff has all the characteristics that
draw Ran_ko_, yet despite having an example, Nabiki can't quite manage
to get around the roadblocks she and Ranma keep throwing up to prevent
them getting closer to each other. So where does Nabiki turn when she
gets frustrated and lonely, and then tears herself up because she's
'being unfaithful' to Ranma. Ritsuko snorted. It is better if Ranma
_has_ someone to learn from and compete against in pursuing Nabiki's
affections, Ritsuko thought, Of course at that age, they're sure that
being rejected is the end of the world. Odd, considering they all
have proof that it isn't true. They've already lost so much, and
survived.
Ritsuko stepped into the room, the various chairs and fittings
pulled to the walls, leaving a wide open area in the center. She sat
there in the dark, considering what she was going to do. It's not
fair, she thought, I can go through nearly every step of what Jeff
will say and do, Nabiki is more of a mystery. But I think Nabiki is
the one having the real problems, both transitioning into being a
`real` pilot, but also getting used to the differences of being
treated as one of the fraternity of warriors. I know both Maya and I
are having troubles doing it. At the same time, while Nabiki is
lionized by gaijin, Asuka was attacked, supposedly because she is a
foreigner. Except, I don't believe that. She was attacked to see
what would happen when a pilot was attacked, so someone else could see
how to beat Security, or how the _pilots_ would react. Bad data,
they'd be reacting differently if all of them were together. I'm just
glad the Captain and the Admiral agreed. We may only be able to shave
a day at most from our steaming time, but that might be enough. Three
carriers, two pilots, an independent EVA, and `Maya's Army` will make
a difference if we arrive unexpectedly.
She watched as Nabiki arrived, looking around the darkness and
spotting Ritsuko. Nabiki sat across the `clearing` from Ritsuko, the
girl said nothing, intent on studying the deck plates. Maya and Jeff
arrived a few minutes later. The Marines closed and bolted the doors,
leaving the `senior` NERV personnel in privacy.
"They posted the area," Maya said quietly as darkness closed
around her, the only one who couldn't see in the darkness of the room.
Jeff had taken a position across from Maya, between Ritsuko and
Nabiki.
"I heard about your sparring last night," Ritsuko said quietly
but firmly, "I've been watching you . . . both, and how you've been
reacting to things, ever since Sharon's death at your hands Jeff, and
your reaction to becoming a blooded pilot Nabiki." Ritsuko lamented
that there was no smoking. I could have used the effect of being the
only face in light, she thought, Good grief, I'm going to wind up as
manipulative as Gendo.
"I've been . . . angry lately," Nabiki admitted reluctantly.
"Lately?" Jeff asked.
Nabiki took a breath to launch an attack, instead she stood up
and began pacing in the darkness. Ritsuko watched Maya try to track
the sound of the girl's steps on the deck. "Okay, for longer than
that." She paused next to Maya, then sat down next to the analyst.
"I have been angry, angry at the whole world, and myself especially.
Since my mother left me, without any explanation, or my permission. I
never could figure out if I did it, or I was being punished."
Maya wrapped her arms around Nabiki. The girl's tension lessened
slightly.
"Ever since, I've been trying to figure out where I belong,"
Nabiki said quietly, settling in Maya's hug, "It turns out . . . it's
here. With that revelation, I find out I'm not so separate and
outlandish as I always desired and feared to be. All my best
characteristics, all my pains and trials, somebody, lots of
somebodies, had them first. I lost my mom, so did the rest of the
pilots; I was always the outsider, compared to what Rei, Asuka and
Jeff have to live through everyday . . . no comparison. So many
others have gone through it, and they aren't whining and moaning about
it. Or beating on everyone around them 'look at me, look at me! But
not too close.'" Nabiki looked up, looked first at Jeff, then looked
Ritsuko in the face. "I'm not fighting anymore because I'm ashamed of
who I am and what I do."
Her eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. "I'm doing what I
have to because I'm obstinate, calculating and vicious, because I'm
_me_, and I'm finally proud of Nabiki Tendo."
She looked around. "So I'm going to do what I have to."
Ritsuko nodded. Okay, part of the problem dealt with.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki sat in the middle of the ready room. The lights on, in
deference to Maya.
I'm as excited as I was during the first lessons, she thought,
glanced at Ritsuko who was prepared to intervene if something untoward
happened. "So what _is_ the answer?" Nabiki asked. Here comes the
gobblygook answer, like Cologne, Genma or Soun would give, she thought
sourly of Raccoon's smile, Something to highlight the student's
ignorance and the teacher's `wisdom`. From Genma and Soun, such
pronouncements had been lies and pretentious most of the time, only
Ranma and Akane were naive enough to believe them. From Cologne, they
were merely irritating.
"Magic is sending out a demand that the universe give us what we
want, and then being a passive conduit of the universe's reply," Jeff
told them. "Because magic is the mixture of willful selfishness and
absolute surrender."
Nabiki boggled at the simplicity of that. But it sounds like the
typical koan/mondo stuff that Zen masters spouted, Nabiki thought in
frustration, And that the martial artists of Nerima used to disguise
their ignorance.
"Simply put, you send a demand out to the universe. By knowing
the shape of the universe, the density and types of ambient energies,
you become the conduit of what is reflected back."
"Magic is a cross between a radar set and a signal?" Nabiki
asked, not bothering to hide her disappointment. It can't be _that_
easy, she thought, There has to be a catch.
"No, the magic _is_, it's everywhere and no where, anyone can do
magic, but the echoes they get are generally too weak to do anything,
or they don't let the echo flow through them."
"Then what's all this 'manipulate external energies' stuff?" Get
to the point, she silently urged.
"That's how you determine the shape of the universe , the density
and types of ambient energies," Ritsuko explained.
"Testing the waters before the spell is cast?" Maya asked, trying
to understand.
"Precisely," Raccoon said, bowed to her, "There are more ways to
'plumb' the waters than I can relate in a day. The junk Gosenkugi
used are some examples. Runes and inscription, incantations,
gestures, materials, all of it is little more than giving the
understanding of ambient conditions. Spell formulae are tried and
true ways of recreating the echo that delivers a certain effect under
most circumstances. An improvised casting takes much more power, time
and luck, but they allow those mages to do _anything_ they can
visualize and empower."
"So what's involved?" Nabiki asked impatiently.
Raccoon spread a deck of very strange cards, a collection of
stones, herbs and dried bugs, pages of diagrams and mathematical
formulae, rune carved rods of various lengths and colors, and a
collection of coins from across the world on the deck before them.
"Each one of these can be used to focus the mind, become receptive to
the subtle changes around you that will tell you precisely what to
send out to get the echo you want."
Don't touch, don't touch, don't touch, Nabiki urged her itching
fingers to stay right where they were.
Maya reached for one of the packets of herbs, turned it over in
her hands and set it back. "It, is safe?" She glanced around. "But
not for the rest of you, right?"
"Yes," Jeff told her, "You could use them as the focus of your
meditation, but not to cast a spell. If Nabiki or Ritsuko had tried
to pick one up, I would have stopped them."
"It's this submission to that echo I'm worried about." I'm not
sure I could `submit` to anything, she thought. "What does the energy
flowing through you . . . what do you do?"
"Nothing," Raccoon told her as he shrugged, "Which is not as easy
as it sounds. If you get out of its way, the spell is cast. If you
don't, that depends on the spell. It could do nothing, it could
vaporize you and turn your spirit into bitty pieces. That's why I
told you not to mess around with spellcasting."
Nabiki frowned and shifted. Okay, message received five by five,
she thought, and got a strong reinforcing impression from Coffee, And
no help from the peanut gallery!
"Like I said, the initial demand is where you get your control,
you can't change your order once it's been made. 'This is the day the
Lord hath made', you can't send it back for a refund."
Ritsuko guffawed once, apologized and tried to keep a straight
face.
"I take it you've never seen this technique," Raccoon commented.
"No. The Elder Things . . . they - sang - and things happened.
The language was different from the one they used for communications.
The idea that they would ever submit to anyone or anything seems . . .
alien to their nature."
Sounds like me, Nabiki thought.
"Arrogant doesn't even begin to describe them."
Ouch! Nabiki thought, Maybe not.
"They also weren't powerful spellcasters. The other powers that
_are_ - generally know the procedure. The ones that develop new
spells are even more adaptable."
"Humans have added spells?" Maya asked.
Beat me to the punch, Nabiki thought.
"Humans have nearly _doubled_ the number of spells available,"
Racoon said. Nabiki was amazed, Raccoon continued, "Other races just
aren't as interested in the research, or aren't as willing to brag
about what they found. Admittedly, most are combinations and
permutations of mightier works, but they are new ideas. A Master's
Thesis, rather than a Doctoral Dissertation."
I'd bet on braggarts, Nabiki thought, It's all I can do not to
burst out with what I've found, and with Coffee's existence. But I've
got to keep my mouth shut, not let them know my full capabilities.
Not that I _ever_ had to do that in Nerima.
"That's one reason necromancy is so popular. Which I'm afraid we
may have to use on Maya if she nods off one more time, she may crack
her head on the deck."
Now she's awake, Nabiki thought. "You mentioned that, it's
summoning up the shade of a deceased wizard and torturing the shade
into giving up its secrets. Seems kind of tawdry, I mean, if you're
dead, can't they just leave you alone?"
"It's gruesome," Maya added, "Have you . . . ever . . . ?"
"Summoned up, yes; tortured, no. I've found that any really
skilled wizard left things undone. It's easy to make a deal. Torture
something and they'll tell you what they think you want to hear. Make
a deal, and they'll tell you what they think will make you do your
best to achieve goals not your own. Often only part of the payment is
received at first, the rest on `delivery`."
"I prefer the sound of that," Nabiki said. Ripping the secret
out of the dead is one thing, she thought, But helping them rest
easier, that's a whole other kettle of fish.
"So neither of you should try to take your secret to the grave,"
Ritsuko teased, "Because someone will just dig you up to get them."
"So what are Nabiki and Sempai supposed to do with all this
stuff." Maya indicated all the paraphernalia, then she looked at the
stunned faces. "I thought you were teaching _both_ of them."
"I am," Jeff said, "What they do, is select what best connects
them with the infinite, as flippant as that sounds, that's what this
stuff is for."
"What connects you?" Nabiki asked pointedly.
"The spirits, the ambient energy of the items around me, the
people, the memories, the forces around me. So I get a continuous
`background hum` which tells me the conditions."
"So you could toss a lightning bolt easily?" Nabiki asked.
"No." He shook his head. "My form of magic doesn't accommodate
itself to attack spells of that form, although I can deliver such an
attack with a touch, so I would not be someone you'd want to punch or
block, or get hit by. Enchantments are my specialty, making magic
items, temporarily or permanently. If I toss a fireball, it's
probably from a device I made, rather than from me."
"Isn't that the whole point of _being_ a mage?" Nabiki asked.
"What?" Raccoon asked disdainfully, "Blowing, people and things
up?" He stared at Nabiki until she looked away. "No, that's not the
point. Is that how _you_ operated in Nerima? That wasn't how I
operated."
I hate it when he's right, she thought, frowning, No, I never
operated like that.
"Touch�," Ritsuko said.
Good gang up on me, she thought. "So, let's begin," she said to
change the subject.
As important as money was to me, she thought as she felt the
coins and concentrated, then dropped them to the deck, They do nothing
for me. "I was just considering using coins for getting readings in
the I Ching," she commented. The cards are what keep drawing my eye,
she thought, Because of my earlier `experience`? Or the strange
kanji-like characters? She found herself reaching for them, then
restrained herself, No, those last.
She picked up and examined the stones. All different colors,
different textures, different weights, but nothing special about them,
she thought. She set down the stones and passed her hand over the
herbs and bugs. The bugs are something I don't want to handle even if
I do become a mage, she thought. She considered the pages of
mathematical formulae. "These are for Asuka," she said as she set
them aside, her head spinning.
"Those are real spells," Jeff said, sliding them away from Maya's
advancing hand, "Not for the uninitiated."
"I can tell," Nabiki said as she waited for the world to settle
down.
"You two may want to study them as a back up," Raccoon told
Nabiki and Ritsuko, "If they had that effect on both of you, they may
be usable. It's always good to have a back up."
"What's yours?" Ritsuko asked, taking the pages to study.
Nabiki noted the woman reeled slightly from just looking at the
pages.
"All of them," he told them with a Machiavellian grin.
The colored wands are next, Nabiki thought, Oh joy, I can be a
magical girl, spreading love and peace and justice to all the world
with a smile in my heart. I can kill Great Old Ones with sugar shock
and diabetes. She stared at the rods as she handled them, the runes
carved in them, the bright colored paints highlighting the carvings,
the tips. Some had stripes and spirals along their lengths. No
connection, she realized as she handled them, Thank God, no Pretty
Soldier Biki-chan and my pet rabbit who turns into a personal suit of
armor.
The cards at last, she thought, I was a good girl, I tried
everything else first. Now I try what's been drawing my eye and my
hands since we started. She glanced at Raccoon, who seemed to be
watching everything.
She picked up the cards. It feels . . . reasonable, I can see a
connection between me and among the cards, she thought as she felt the
patterns and ways of combining then to different effects. She set the
cards down with a stunned expression. "It all works . . . it almost
all made sense," she admitted.
"Typically, the students come slowly to their affinities. You've
pretty much jumped in at the deep end, I could suggest you go back to
the math and work that around, as a backup to the cards and their
runes. Each method has it's advantages and drawbacks. I'll explain
each and you can decide how to get around them or adapt to them."
------------------------------
Close Your Eyes And Your Will Find
Misato looked down at the corpse, very glad it had been found
after the kids were on their way to school. They'd bickered and
argued, laughed, ganged up on each other and complained. Misato
smiled and thought, About back to normal.
Before they removed the body, the medical examiner told something
to an officer of the Tokyo police, Minayo Tendo, who turned out to be
Tomiyo's father. He walked back to Misato.
"The rifle he had was pointed at the apartment, Major. They
don't think it was a coincidence considering that he was probably one
of the people who attacked Miss Langley." Minayo considered his next
words carefully. "The rifle grenade wouldn't have penetrated the
walls, and the patio doors are positioned and blocked so no such
attack would get through them. You'd be better off trying to simply
level the building."
"What killed him?" Misato had seen the reports on the attackers.
They were all ex-army, most were specially-trained: snipers,
explosives experts, the like, she thought, Yet someone or some_thing_
killed this one.
The cop was puzzled. "A single thrust through the skull, whoever
did it, knew enough to damage the bone around the wound to keep us
from knowing the shape of the weapon. There were no signs of a
struggle."
"So a community-minded citizen snuck up on an ex-commando armed
with a rifle and grenades, killed him with one stroke, destroying all
the evidence of how he or she did it, and left." Misato looked across
the busy street to Sammi's apartment building. "Could that rifle have
made an accurate shot from this distance?"
"You'd have to check with your own armament section. The rifle
is neither American, British, nor Japanese, so it's outside my area of
expertise. But the police officers who know about these things seem
to think so, especially with the telescopic sight. Would a rifle
grenade reach there? I'm not sure."
"Time of death?" Misato asked.
"Sometime between 11 and 1 last night. What worries me is the
case he had for the rifle, had space for another, smaller rifle in it,
that was empty. It could have been empty when he came up here, or . .
. " Minayo's voice trailed off.
"Or someone took home a souvenir," Misato concluded, "Our civil
friend, or the person who called in the body?"
"The woman who found the body is being questioned, the police are
taking a discreet look around," the cop told her.
Misato could almost hear the unasked question that had to be on
the minds of every cop and NERV investigator within earshot.
Especially Minayo, who is interested in his son's work. 'How were the
kids this morning?' she imagined someone, anyone, asking.
They were kids, she thought in reply, Loud, disorganized, picking
fights, you know, kids.
Must be your superior mothering skills, she nearly heard the
sarcastic reply, But from Ritsuko, Dafisu or Asuka, I don't know.
Misato returned to staring at the apartment
"Which room's windows face this way?" Minayo asked.
"Nothing, the only thing exposed is . . . the patio. Rei was out
on the patio, at around midnight," Misato breathed. Just when this
was going on! Did she hear something? Was she the target? Misato
growled to herself. "Why else would the sniper have to come up here?
He couldn't shoot down into the rooms from other floors, but to fire
up with a rifle grenade and have it hit inside the balcony he'd need
this location."
"Or he could have come to the only part of the building
accessible to the public with an expectation of privacy," Minayo
replied evenly, "Don't over think this, Major, it may be a
coincidence."
----------------------------------------
The entire school body had been assembled in the gymnasium.
Please, oh Merciful Goddess, not the principal's speech! Usagi prayed,
then she spotted the movie projector and the large screen.
Harumi sat next to Usagi. "Do you know what's going on?"
"No idea," Usagi admitted, "Never had a movie before."
The lights dimmed and the projector came on. The theme and logo
of Movietone News(tm) came up on the screen.
"Tinseltown and the Pentagon joined together to honor real
heroes. Pilots Nabiki Tendo and Jeffery Davis meet the elite of
Hollywood, in a strange twist, young Mister Davis was giving others
his autograph, and Miss Tendo with her casts being signed."
Usagi couldn't believe it. She _had_ to have planned this! she
thought angrily, But there she is, bigger than life, the picayune,
modern `gods` who sparkle through life all playing court to her. I
thought it couldn't get worse, but there she is! Charming those
fools, smiling and chatting. Usagi looked around at the rapt
expressions on the other faces around her. The light of their
adoration clear in the flickering light of the movie projector.
Suddenly it was over, the lights came up. But the mesmerized
expressions continue, Usagi thought in a fury, forcing herself not to
show it.
"Yes," the principal gushed as he stepped in front of the screen,
"And soon they will be attending our school. You saw how they were,
polite and poised, that is what we hope to instill in you. Miss Tendo
was speaking with such expertise, and such skill in English. Is the
next film ready? Oh, good!" He scurried out of the way.
The lights came down again. The Movietone News(tm) theme and
logo came upon the screen. Usagi felt as if someone, one Nabiki
Tendo, was dribbling acid on her heart.
"Pilot Nabiki Tendo at last night's soiree with the elite of
Hollywood - "
Usagi blanked out all but Nabiki Tendo, the wounded heroine. She
appeared bigger than life. She's staring oh so earnestly at the
entire class, Usagi thought, squirming under that gaze that seemed to
look right through her, And me in particular.
"Is there anything you particularly want to do here in the
'States?"
"As you know, we'll be sailing very soon," Nabiki said, looked
down shyly.
Charming all these idiots with how humble and thoughtful you are!
Usagi wanted to scream, What a load of _CRAP_!_ I know you know
_exactly_ what you're doing!
"But I'd like to lay a wreathe at the site of the U.S.S. Arizona,
to remember all the men lost there and in the year's following, who
saved their nation, and mine. We will be fierce rivals in the future,
with the Tokyo Tigers beating the Yankees in the series, and Japanese
cars and radios on the shelves with Philco, RCA, Ford and Chrysler,
each better for the intense competition, but we will never again wage
war _against_ each other."
Usagi ignored the yammering of the reporter and stared hatefully
at that smiling face, the superior yet seemingly humble face, the face
that had reduced all her classmates and teachers to mush. All right,
I lost, then you rub my nose in it, Usagi thought, I _will_ destroy
you. You couldn't just have left me hurt and confused, you had to
kick me too. Very well, I'm still standing, and I _will_ be ready for
you!
The lights came up and Usagi began planning her next move.
"It's so exciting!" the principal gushed, "Let's all see it
again!"
Usagi ground her teeth.
------------------------------
The comments from the boys on Hikari's and Wondergirl's
appearance, especially Wondergirl's new hairstyle, had Asuka smiling.
Just something subtle, a careful going over, Asuka thought, Then jock
stooge had to say 'She looked like a girl for once.' At least Hikari
learned another lesson. Rather than berate him, she'd correctly burst
into tears, standing there while Toji stammered comforting words.
Asuka considered her work and was pleased. Easier than thinking about
what Spineless said last night, she thought, Horseface is such a
pollyanna, of course with _his_ luck, he probably will come through
this all unchanged. Some of us aren't that lucky. She shook her head
and sighed, trying to break her bad mood.
Spineless is embarrassed by his treatment as a celebrity, Asuka
thought then glanced at Ranma, And Horseface is back as `sigh, Ranma`.
Strange, he doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as he used to.
Yes, things are shaping up nicely, she felt all was well with the
world, until Wondergirl motioned her over.
"A dead sniper on the building across from the apartment,"
Wondergirl whispered, "It could also mean a plumber had an accident
with a load of pipes, but the sniper seems more credible."
That's right, tell a joke, Asuka thought as she paled, she asked,
"Have you told the others?"
"Not until we can confirm this. There is no need. The guards
know."
"What about us?" Asuka asked, "Do we need to know?"
"You, and I, can observe. NERV Security must know, there may be
no danger."
Yeah I believe that, Asuka thought, glanced at Spineless and
Horseface. Asuka returned to her seat. Wondergirl had one insight in
that meeting, Asuka thought, She'd guessed the security people's
relatives hadn't been corrupted, the security people had been chosen
_BECAUSE_ their relatives were sleeper agents. I haven't shared that
bit of information, who could I trust it with? Neither have any of
the others. 'Let me get one brick out and I'll pull down the whole
wall', is a piece of advice I've never forgotten, it made up many of
my basic stratagems, now we have a brick to pull out, do I want to
know what is on the other side of this wall?
----------------------------------------
At lunch, Rei set up her chessboard next to Asuka, she moved one
of the pieces, without any prompting from anyone. She waited, staring
at Asuka.
More miracles, Asuka thought as she moved a piece. Wondergirl
studied the board. Asuka noticed some of the kids were quietly
watching them. Great now we're the lunchtime entertainment.
Asuka countered Wondergirl's move and continued munching her
lunch. "Spineless is quite a good cook," Asuka told Wondergirl, who
paused for a moment. Gotcha, Asuka thought.
"Yes." Wondergirl moved.
Okay, where to move, she thought as she studied the board, Where
to -
"Better than you," Wondergirl said.
Asuka blinked, glared at Wondergirl who continued with her placid
expression. Asuka tried to reorganize her strategy.
"Ranma is also better," Wondergirl said.
Asuka grimaced. "Okay," Asuka said, "I'll be quiet, if you'll be
quiet. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Wondergirl said.
Asuka thought she saw the ghost of a smile cross Wondergirl's
face. I'll make you pay for that later, Asuka thought as she returned
her concentration to the board.
----------------------------------------
P.E. is going to be an even more hectic time, Ranma thought as he
tentatively reached into the cold shower, and remained male as the
water hit his arm, although he felt a weird crawling feeling
throughout his body, Okay, I can contra - override the curse. But
something inside me controls whether I'm male or female. That I can't
control. _Yet_!_
As he stepped back into the locker room, more contacts, more
questions, more concerns descended on him and Shinji.
"Look," he announced, "The sniper was on the news, was there a
connection? We don't know. Our guards haven't pulled us out of here,
so it isn't a serious problem."
Soothing Asuka's fears while she completely denies having facts,
Ranma thought, I hope Hikari and Rei are up to doing it. I do _not_
want to become Ranko in the middle of the guys' locker room. He
smirked. I'd have to break too many fingers before I escaped, he
thought, glanced at Tomiyo who waited near Shinji. Okay, so Sammi's
over there with the girls, he realized, But what do we do on the way
home, now that the enemy - what's the word? Escalated - that's it,
escalated their actions. 'Ranma the Invincible!' is no good against
firearms.
------------------------------
The twin faces peered out of the shadows at the Children playing
with the children. The thing's sense of expectation was growing. It
knew the prey would soon be in reach, and would soon be destroyed.
------------------------------
Sammi had excused herself from the locker room, because of the
gender problem. She approached the other guards as they watched the
kids play football. She had a paper in hand when she rejoined the
waiting group. "Forget taking them straight home," she said, "I think
we need to go straight to Commander Ikari with this." She held up the
headline for others to read.
----------------------------------------
Usagi frantically searched under her bed. She heard Tomoe enter.
"Help me find her!"
"Find who?" Tomoe asked.
"The . . . gift," Usagi told her as she dug through the boxes
from under her bed.
Tomoe stared at her sister as the blood drained from her face.
"You don't think - they found it? Or maybe they - stole it, as
revenge."
Usagi's fear turned to fury. "How - dare -they!"
"We have to find - your pet. Or find out who took it, assuming
it didn't just wander off to go hunting."
"If they find - the gift, they'll have our finger prints," Usagi
warned, "They'll know who we are!"
Tomoe paled at that implication.
------------------------------
"I'm sorry," the security trooper told them, "The Commander is in
conference and not to be disturbed."
Rei looked at her fellow pilots worriedly, "Perhaps, if I went
alone." She knew they knew about her more cordial relations with the
Commander.
"I'm sorry, Ayanami-san, he said no one, no exceptions." That
seemed to shock Rei.
"Let's go see Fuyutsuki," the Fourth ordered the others, "
'Attacks made on NERV pilots,'" he quoted the headline, "He's got to
talk to us." The Fourth stormed off in that directions. The demeanor
of the pilots was more angry than frightened.
"Congratulation on being a gaijin," Asuka teased Rei, Rei was too
shocked by the Commander's behavior to reply.
----------------------------------------
"What is your take on this?" Ikari asked Fuyutsuki.
"The pilots assured me they told _no_one_ who would have revealed
the information. The author `Tam` is being investigated, but the only
people with this detailed knowledge of the attack were the pilots, the
perpetrators, and the eyewitnesses, and any of them would have talked
much earlier," Fuyutsuki said, remembering the angry invasion of his
office by the pilots and their guards. "Some of what was revealed in
the article wasn't even known by all the pilots, it is impossible that
anyone without contacts _within_ NERV could have assembled this story.
I can't believe the papers ran this story, all of the evening dailies
have it, decrying our coverup of the attack. Frankly, the Children
were furious about the lack of privacy and the security leaks
required. The guards said nothing, but they weren't any happier. No
one person should have had access to all the information involved,
except you. Even I didn't have it all. And I trust you didn't leak
this to the papers."
"I want the guards checked again," Gendo said quietly, "And the
technical people. We have a security leak, one of immense
proportions. And you're wrong, there is _one_ other person with
access to all this information. Kehl."
Fuyutsuki stared in disbelief, "If they're involved, openly
involving themselves . . . " he left the rest unspoken.
"Wrong, Professor. If they've decided to tip their hand here,
then what _are_ they hiding now?"
----------------------------------------
Kaji caught up with the Commander outside the conference room.
Who the heck was he arguing with, Kaji thought as he glanced around
the empty room, As if I didn't know. I bet you _love_ throwing a cat
among the Committee of pigeons. I _should_ tell them, but I want the
answers you're providing.
"The reporter is on his way to New Guinea, officially. The story
ran as intended. I don't think this will smoke out the attackers, or
get anyone to report them."
"That is not your concern," the Commander said, "Your job is to
see what this does shake out, and bring the information to me."
Yes ,sir, Kaji thought angrily as he walked along. "I already
have one other piece of information. Somebody else has been looking
into things. The organization is large, well-organized, and seems
able to dodge and twist around NERV Security, ONI, Army Intelligence,
etc. without being detected."
"Or they are ignored," the Commander said.
He won't say it, Kaji thought as he moved away, But I'm to look
into it.
------------------------------
The sound of the gunshot made Ranma flinch, Asuka set the
standard .45 down on the range table. "It's too big!" she complained.
Sammi considered, The other pilots aren't technically authorized
for weapons. But knowing how to shoot isn't the same. And their
weapons may be the only thing between them and another disaster. Like
what happened to Asuka, or what happened to Jeff and Nabiki.
"All right." Sammi approached, pulling a .22 revolver and pulling
the target closer on the wire. "Five shots, don't fan it." She
watched Asuka carefully aiming and firing, and Ranma who stood beside
her flinched with each report. The accuracy wasn't good, but she was
only out of practice. "Okay, reload the .22" She glanced over to
where Rei and Shinji were working with Rei's Schofield .45 revolver
under the careful watch of Juri and Tomiyo.
------------------------------
Tomiyo watched Rei step up to the firing line and empty the
cylinder, tearing a tight, accurate pattern in the target. She set
the gun down, broke open the action, slipped a speedloader into place,
and did it again. "I am trained," she said as she reloaded the pistol
again.
Tomiyo merely nodded. "Okay, you help Shinji with the .45, I'll
help Ranma and Asuka with the .22."
"And Asuka's own .45," Rei commented, Tomiyo nodded his
agreement.
"Is this really necessary?" Shinji asked.
"Are you more afraid of the gun," Rei asked as she put her arms
around Shinji, adjusting his posture, "Or me?" Shinji cocked the gun
as Rei instructed.
Shinji is a passable shot at best. Ranma refuses to even touch a
gun, he thought, I wish I could have brought my dad, he's taught all
kinds of people to shoot.
"It's not an honorable thing," Ranma announced.
"Langley, your witness." Sammi checked Ranma's ear protection
and handed the .45 to him. "Safety, grip safety. Good. Only point
it at something you intend to destroy."
Ranma set the pistol down. "No," he said, crossed his arms.
Tomiyo glanced over his shoulder as Asuka advanced and backed
Ranma into a corner by poking him angrily in the chest.
"You're going to do this," Asuka told him flatly as she gripped
his collar, "Because we aren't going to be your gunbearers, because
I'm bigger and meaner than you, and I will pummel you if you don't!"
she was shouting and waving her fist over his head.
Sammi led Ranma away from the fuming redhead. "Okay, just hold
the pistol, don't touch the trigger, just feel the weight. You aim
from here, to here, to the target." Sammi slid the clip in and
chambered a round. "Okay, remember, just _squeeze_ the trigger, you
never know when the gun will fire."
The bullet missed the target completely, even Shinji hadn't done
that badly. "I'll try -" Ranma began.
"Stop," Sammi ordered, "Just relax, you closed your eyes _before_
you fired. Just squeeze the trigger and relax. It won't bite you and
the bang is the worst part of it. If you can't get a good grip, tell
me, we'll switch to the .22 revolver."
"I can do this. But it is kinda big." He sighted again, fired,
hit the target, nowhere inside the rings, but the outer edge of the
paper.
"Again."
He fired, hitting the opposite corner of the paper. He set the
.45 down and shook his hands. "I think I need to try the smaller gun,
I can't control this one."
Sammi nodded, "Miss Langley, if you would." Asuka handed Ranma
her Peacemaker revolver and a box of shells. Ranma approached again,
still frightened by the pistol. He glanced back at Asuka who looked
_extremely_ angry. Ranma concentrated on the target and the pistol.
Tomiyo nodded to Asuka and she nodded back. Okay, use the fear,
he thought.
Ranma fired six shots only hitting the target twice. Asuka
slapped her face but said nothing.
----------------------------------------
They walked to the indoor rifle range, Rei had another five boxes
of .45 ammunition, she wanted to see if anyone was as good as she was.
At least the Fourth is taking my orders to play the clown seriously,
she thought, I hope he is not truly that inept.
"I just think it's funny," Asuka said, "All those reports about
Ice Princess's training on the carrier. The two indomitable, martial
artists can't hit the broad side of a barn with a real weapon. Maybe
I should get a pair of those repeating Chinese crossbows for you two."
"Shinji didn't do much better," Ranma growled.
"Shinji the Great Untrained, did do much better than either of
you two." Asuka defended Shinji, "I could have _thrown_ the bullets
more accurately than you shot them. You have to quit closing your
eyes and flinching, before the gun even goes off."
"How do you know that?!" Ranma asked.
"By how you shoot," Asuka replied.
Rei glanced at Shinji, both of them glanced away, blushing. It
was pleasant having him in my arms, she thought, feeling her blush
rising, Even if it was training.
"I can cure that," Tomiyo said, "I just need a different pistol,
a .357 double action revolver. Spent shell, .38 and .357 in the
cylinder, you're never sure what's going to fire next, it should help
both of them. Until then, Ranma -" Tomiyo patted Ranma's shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Take the bullets out and throw them at your opponent, then throw
the gun at them," Tomiyo said, "And no, I'm not kidding. You can
throw nearly as far and as accurately as any of us can shoot."
Shinji and Asuka laughed, Rei and the guards smiled. Ranma
flushed from anger and embarrassment.
At the range Rei set up a small bore rifle target at 50 yards,
and hit every target with her revolver.
"Whoa," Ranma said, "That's pretty good."
"Dummkoft! Baka!" Asuka yelled at him, "That's pretty good, if
she was using a rifle! That's impossible with a pistol, that's what
that is."
"I did it, it is not impossible. Roku-kun does the same at 75
yards."
"Somebody can get the target," Sammi told her, "I'll set up one
for both of us at 75 yards, Ayanami-sama. I'm a pretty good shot
myself." Sammi walked down the tunnel under the range.
"Nobody can shoot like that," Asuka assured them, "Wondergirl?
Can you shoot like that? At 75 yards I mean." Shinji was pulling
Rei's target in along the wire.
"I do not know." Rei loaded the cylinder and speedloaders and
awaited Sammi's reappearance. She didn't have long to wait.
"Go ahead," she told Rei as Shinji pulled the target down for the
others to examine.
"It was not my best, but it was good," Rei said as she
concentrated on the target.
Asuka snatched it out of Shinji's hands and paled.
She is no pistol marksman, Rei thought as she fired on the
distant targets.
Rei was having trouble with the targets, a few shots and she set
the pistol down. "I cannot use it at that range."
"I'll set a target on the wire, take it out 60 yards," Tomiyo
told them.
"Much better." Rei sighted at the target, she didn't hit all of
the small bull's-eyes, although Sammi did, but Rei was close to all of
them. "You win," Rei admitted.
"At least I'm good at something."
"Have you _always_ shot like that?" Shinji was incredulous, he'd
been happy to hit the foot-wide bull's-eye at 10 meters with every
shot.
"No," Sammi admitted, "It takes a lot of practice, and a good
teacher. Besides, this is just to keep it a challenge. A pistol
isn't good at much over 15 meters, you really need a rifle for much
better than that. A regular .45 wouldn't be able to reliably hit the
target at that range. All we were trying to do, is get you familiar
with firearms, if - when they hit us again. If you feel comfortable
with continuing, I'll get the Marines to provide professional
instructors."
"Guns are dumb," Ranma told them.
"Says the guy who can't hit a bull in the butt with a bass
fiddle," Asuka said.
----------------------------------------
The Passage Out Of The Dark
Hiro had come to Misato's apartment and found her passed out
drunk. Now she was wide awake and resented it mightily. "Wa's y'
POBLEN?" Misato shouted in his face.
Great, everybody else gets Misato the-happy-drunk, Hiro thought
as he pressed himself against the wall, "I have so many, which one in
particular?"
"Na just agree! You're up here 'gain. _Why?_"
"I wanted to check up on you, so I came by."
She practically fell against him. She hasn't been drinking beer,
he thought, That's whiskey I smell.
"Don' sleep her 't all!" she shouted, pulled the neck of her
dress down to expose her shoulder, "Wha'cha 'fraida?"
Drunken EVA commanding officers, he thought, but said, "We did
sleep together, in your jeep, remember. I was a soldier, remember?"
He hoped the joke would work, old instincts were howling that he was
in hostile territory and should run away. And it's getting harder to
ignore by the second, he thought.
"Was real reason?" she growled, punctuated it with a poke in the
chest with her chest.
"I'm sorry, I . . . "
"Don't start like Shiji!"
"I don't understand the question," he said desperately. The
howling voice is almost impossible to ignore now, he thought, Where
are the others?!
"Y' 'fraid now." Her brow furrowed, "Y' 'fraid me!"
What do you want? I should throw you on the floor and have my
way with you, he censored that thought. "I'm just worried about
what's happening." To you, he didn't add aloud.
"Nah, you 'fraid of _me_, right now."
"I just want to know what I did wrong." And why you're acting
like this, he thought, Shut up! I can get out of this.
"Nothing wrong," she said, "You gues' m'house, m'country, me,
feel welcome." She rubbed herself against him.
"Thank you. You've done a good job with both," he said
pleasantly, put his arms around her shoulders.
She smiled at him.
See, I told you if I kept my head I could get out of this with my
skin, he told his instincts.
"Don' change a subject!"
Whoo boy! he thought.
"Is _me_ ya 'fraid of, yur not 'fraid of Angels, or Gendo, yur
'fraid a me!"
"Well, my job never was to fight, and I'm not Shinji." Oops,
stupid, stupid, stupid! he thought.
"Was 'at suppose mean?!" she shouted again, slamming her palms
into the wall on either side of his head.
"Shinji seems afraid of his father, he's not my father, so I'm
not afraid. And I'm supposed to take pictures and make movies."
She stared owlishly at him. He forced himself to relax, he'd
been inching down the wall to duck under her arms and escape.
"Wha' about me?" she growled quietly, she repositioned her fists
to block his escape.
_HIT_HER_AND_RUN_AWAY!_, his instincts told him, Shut up! Why
don't you just _tell_ her, or do what she wants? Shut up and let me
think! "Excuse me?"
Two fists dented the wall on either side of his shoulders.
"Don't play dumb!"
Hiro pointedly stared at the dent in the wall, "Oh, I know you'd
never hurt me. That's so obvious right now."
"Right." But her arms didn't move.
"We should continue this at another time." Like when you're
sober, he thought, Even if you respected me after I took advantage of
you in this state, I wouldn't respect myself. He carefully put one
finger under her wrist and lifted to give him room to slip under.
The hand turned, grabbing his collar and slamming him into the
corner, "We discuss it _now_."
Fear and anger finally overcame reason, "Doesn't this qualify as
a good reason to be afraid? It's no wonder the kids are afraid of
you." He advanced pushing her back. "How many times has their
commanding officer beat them up in a drunken rage! Who are they
supposed to appeal to?! If one complains, _they_ get punished, if the
officers even believe them!" He knew he should have left it at that.
"One day you'll go too far and one of them is going to put a knife in
you, or maybe they'll just `accidently` step on you in their EVA, or
maybe they'll just let you drown in your own vomit or leave you in the
middle of the street to get run over. Would it have been better if
_I'd_ done that? You want to kill yourself, fine!" he shouted in her
face as he backed her against the opposite wall, "But you've got no
right to take anyone else with you. If you don't want the job
_resign_, the Army could use interpreters and secretaries, so you
won't starve, and nobody will care if you drink yourself to sleep
every night."
She was tearing up and collapsing in on herself, but he ignored
that as he walked away.
I shouldn't have turned my back on her, he thought, She may have
been drunk, but the Major had the element of surprise and is better
trained in hand-to-hand. Face down on the floor with his arm bent
almost to the breaking point, he remembered the old adage from Sun
Tzu, 'Don't fight a battle you don't have to win'. Take your lumps
and survive, he thought , he relaxed, waited as the seconds, then
minutes ticked by. The sound of snoring told him he could free his
arm and resume a sitting position.
"What am I going to do with you?" he asked the snoring woman,
"Would simply drowning you solve everyone's problem? Especially
yours? Do you hate somebody specific, is it yourself? Or do you hate
the rest of us? What do you want of me, to hate you as much as you
hate? Why do you do this to yourself? Because you lived and others
didn't? Or is it something else?"
Rei and Shinji walked in, both of them laughing, Rei saw his
expression, "What has happened?"
"Misato-chan jumped me, then fell asleep." He carefully set the
snoring woman in a sitting position against the wall. "Rei-san," he
said as he passed them, "Don't you do that, it's _very_ frustrating."
Rei blushed slightly as he put his shoes on.
Which means anybody else would melt from embarrassment, he
thought. "You two smell like gun smoke, what have you been doing?"
"Shooting," Rei said.
Hiro nodded and left.
------------------------------
Rei looked after the man as he walked rigidly away, she glanced
at Shinji-kun and felt her own embarrassment growing along with his
blush.
Misato remained against the wall, half-dressed and snoring
soundly.
"The Katsuragi Institute for the Mentally Unbalanced," the Fourth
said as he entered, then he stopped and stared at an object on the
floor, as if trying to fix something in his mind.
He picked it up, turned it over in his hand.
"One of the small buttons that held the collar tabs on the shirt
Hiro wore," she told him as she looked at it. The center section is
broken out, she thought, Curious, somehow the button broke before the
thread or the fabric gave way.
The Fourth dropped the button in her hand, and walked towards
where the Major lay snoring. At a particular point, the Fourth set
his feet apart and placed one fist in each of the dents in the wall.
He looked at her. "Can you step between?"
She glanced at Shinji, who stepped between the Fourth's arms,
looked at where the Fourth's arms were in relation to him. Shinji
slid down the wall until the Fourth's fists were on either side of his
head.
Rei held the button in the Fourth's view. "Terrific," the Fourth
said sarcastically, "Just what we needed. Misato beating up her
boyfriend," he said disgustedly, "She'll be lucky if he comes back. I
wouldn't stay with that." She nodded as the Fourth helped Shinji to
his feet.
"We go after him?" Ranma asked, perplexed by this.
"You? No way!" Shinji told him, the Fourth nodded, "Maybe
Ayanami?"
"You do not have to continue playing the clown," she advised the
Fourth, "Asuka is not here."
What am I supposed to do when I catch up to him? she wondered.
"Now who's crazy?" Ranma asked, frustrated at this turn of
events.
----------------------------------------
At dinner, Asuka and Shinji were arguing animatedly about using
firearms. The other Children and most of us seem content with
silence, Sammi thought as she kept dishing out the food, everyone
around the table seemed ravenous, All of us refuse to be drawn into
the conflict, despite sallies and provocations, from both sides.
Shinji's learning to hold his own against Asuka, with Rei's quiet
support. Although Asuka's trying to be more educational than
confrontational. Both to the good.
She noted that Misato kept up a string of questions about school,
how they were doing, favorite classes, friends, crushes, who was going
out with whom. She received the typical one-syllable non-answers
teenagers gave to such questions.
If I didn't know better, Sammi thought, I'd say she was _trying_
to embarrass the kids, only none of them are taking the bait. Sammi
decided not to intervene.
"So, Ranma," Misato began, "Now that you're a boy again, are you
going to take Mirei-chan out on a date?"
Ranma fixed Misato with a stare and dropped a broken button on
the table, "Would anyone care to explain that? Those don't break
easy, the cloth should tear first."
Misato's false joviality dropped away, she stared at the button
in stunned silence. Shinji and Asuka caught the change in mood
instantly, and fell silent. Ranma stared at Misato.
Don't keep picking a fight if you don't want to get hit, Sammi
thought as she picked it up and looked at it, You keep forgetting he's
ignorant, not stupid. Put things in terms he's used to, and he's
pretty clever, his and Rei's `sign language` for one. "He's right,"
she said, tossing it back in front of Misato.
"It looks like one of yours, Hiro," Ranma said, continuing to
stare at Misato, "Same color, same size."
Hiro turned, carefully displaying both of the buttons intact.
What do you want to bet that if I asked Rei, Sammi thought, She'd
tell me you changed your shirt before you got here, and there's a
damaged shirt in your closet?
"It must have been the same thing that put those two dents in the
wall opposite the bathroom," Shinji added pleasantly, "I guess we'll
have to go over there and fix them, along with cleaning the place up."
Misato blanched, Asuka simply kept eating. The sound of her
chopsticks the only sound as Shinji and Ranma stared at Misato, the
former smiling, the latter frowning.
Take on one pilot, and you take on them all, Sammi thought
approvingly, then caught Asuka's nonchalance, matching or exceeding
Rei's, Oh, you naughty girl. This wasn't happenstance, this was a
cleverly planned ambush. I wholeheartedly approve. She glanced at
her fellow guards, warning them to stay out of it.
"If you were attacked," Rei said, "We should inform Commander
Ikari directly."
Misato looked like she'd been stabbed, looked nervously at all
the pilots who were staring at her.
"An attack on a NERV employee should not be taken lightly," Asuka
added, sounding _so_ sympathetic.
"We're worried about you," Shinji practically whispered with an
earnest expression.
"Leave it alone," Hiro whispered finally, "My mistake."
Misato looked like she was going to say something, but thought
better of it as she stared at her lap.
Rei set down her bowl. "I am going walking." She tapped Hiro.
"Please." He nodded.
"What are he and Wondergirl going to do?" Asuka asked as they
left.
Ranma continued staring at Misato, an eyebrow raised. "He seems
to think the matter is closed. Is he mistaken?" Ranma said
pleasantly,"I can't imagine what he was fighting. Considering what
soldiers are taught."
----------------------------------------
"I desire to make Asuka feel more at home," Rei said as she
walked with Hiro, "You have some experience with British food. This
would be more familiar to her."
"I don't have a lot of experience," Hiro admitted, "They didn't
exactly feed the prisoners kippers and chips."
"You do know what they are," Rei countered.
"I can probably direct you to some better sources," Hiro said,
"Maybe some people who can direct you to authentic German sources and
information."
"I read German. Thank you," Rei said as they walked.
Rei stopped, looked around at the beginnings of dusk. There is
something out there! she worried, But I can see nothing.
"Problems?" Hiro asked, also scanning the area.
"Perhaps," Rei admitted, "Perhaps not."
"I don't think you're being paranoid. There _are_ things out to
get you," Hiro said.
------------------------------
"She saw us!" Mihiro hissed to Jamie.
"She saw two of her schoolmates," Jamie soothed, "That's all,
you're overreaction is more likely to draw her attention."
"But she's - "
"Not even looking in our direction," Jamie interrupted as she
continued walking.
------------------------------
"I know 'This is not a good idea', grandfather," Mirei said, "But
don't you think father would be interested in how many people are
watching?"
"Yes, granddaughter," the old man said, "However, it would be
better if you weren't involved."
"I'm more noticeable, but they'll think I'm mooning over
Ranma-san," Mirei said, she smiled as she raised the telescope to
watch the evening practice, and Ranma especially.
"Aren't you?" the old man teased his granddaughter.
"But _you_ aren't, honored and wise grandfather," Mirei said,
smiled.
------------------------------
Rei and Hiro came back later. Rei saw that the Fourth, Asuka and
Shinji were already asleep. Rather than disturb them, she went to her
room and sat with her back to the wall. She heard Hiro leaving
without speaking to Misato. She frowned at that. I know how
important Shinji-kun, and Asuka are to me, she thought, To fail to
even attempt to repair the relationship, is foolishness.
Rei sighed and walked to the bathroom to wash up.
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