Foreward: To readers of my "Wild Horse Chase" collection, this story will be familiar, though some chapters have been re-ordered and other minor alterations made; it's reached the point where I fill comfortable declaring it a full-fledged story and seperating it off on its own - though the first five chapters will still be in "Wild Horse Chase" so those reviews aren't lost - and posting any new chapters as such. For those who aren't familiar with it, expect Ranma-with-a-spine, Nabiki in over her head, and plenty of jokes and references to the classic "Mission: Impossible" tv series.
In the immortal words of Samuel L. Clemens... "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.
-o0O0o-
"Stand By To Action"
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'
-o0O0o-
The tree shook and small animals scattered as Saotome Ranma hit and slid headfirst to the ground, sighing as he came to rest with his head and back on the ground and his legs against the tree. Casually Ranma looked around before commenting.
"Huh, must've been a bad hit, usually I land on the other side of the park," closing his eyes, Ranma knitted his fingers together behind his head, in no hurry to return to the Tendo house for another round of 'Ranma, you jerk!' and 'Marry Akane to make up for this insult!' from the Tendos and his father's usual 'What have I done to deserve so dishonorable a son?'
"Hmph," Ranma scoffed to himself, knowing who the honor really rested with in the Saotome family and that it wasn't his father, a man who was only kept out of the prison system by the fact that his son - by some unknown power - had a far greater sense of loyalty to others than Saotome Genma ever showed. It was ironic, but whereas before Ranma had merely been one of the best Martial Artists in Nerima Ward, now he was one of the most powerful people there; even if no one knew it. His power wasn't the physical arts that Genma held in such esteem or the mental games that Tendo Nabiki played against everyone with the large numbers of yen in her bank account proof of her string of victories... Ranma's power had become something far more dangerous; the power of someone with connections - the connections of someone who now lived a life not simply for martial arts, but for a purpose; connections with other people who lived their lives for the same purpose...
One of those people speaking drew Ranma from his eyes-closed half-nap, "You're a hard man to find sometimes, Saotome."
Ranma cracked an eye and looked up at the man standing over him, "Yeah, then gimme a GPS, Boss, and you can find me anytime."
"As long as you're attracting water," 'Boss' answered, "We can't afford to keep buying you new locators whenever one gets waterlogged. What did you say this time?"
Ranma twisted and squirmed around until he was now sitting up, his legs crossed and his back against the tree, "Why's everyone always got to think I said something?"
"Uh-huh," the other man nodded, "So what did you say?"
"I just asked if she'd tasted the food first before putting it in a bento box for me, that's all!" Ranma huffed, "Don't see why she got so upset, it's an honest question."
'Boss' looked down at Ranma and shook his head, "Saotome, I thought you'd have worked with us enough by now to have figured it out; honesty, contrary to what people say, is not always the best policy."
Ranma looked at his 'Boss' flatly, "When you realise that you were raised by a lying, cheating, thieving criminal, you learn the value of honesty, fairness and some other things the hard way."
The 'Boss' gave Ranma a cold smile, "I'm not here to argue the morality of what we do with you, Ranma, I'm here to recruit you."
Ranma perked up, "What's the mission?"
'Boss' frowned at him, "You know I can't tell you that here."
"Where and when?" Ranma demanded.
"Chiba safehouse, tomorrow at six. Try to get some rest before then, huh?" 'Boss' managed a quirky smile, "And, uh, maybe some asprin too if you're going to go around crashing into trees, okay, Ranma?"
Ranma scratched his cheek before commenting, "Maybe two bottles, just in case, huh, Boss?"
"Tomorrow, six," the 'Boss' answered before shaking his head and walking away.
