Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, any of the characters or concepts depicted here, or anything associated with them. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.
The Shikigami Ranger and the Monster Mashers
Chapter 2: The Shandor Connection
When Kirara had first bonded with the magical Saber-Toothed Tiger coin Michiru had found and modified with his magic, she had been amazed by the way it had so effortlessly interacted with her demonic powers. Not just granting her the lush humanoid form that she currently wore, but even augmenting her ultra-keen senses. Her night-vision was greatly augmented, her ears could discern a single conversation taking place on the other side of a big city, and her nose could ferret out the weakest of scents.
As a result, Kirara had distinguished herself as one of their team's trackers. She could effortlessly hunt down anyone, as long as she either had something to track them by or she already knew them. Which was why Michiru had sent her and Angela to find their wayward comrades, for even before they had left the Command Bridge, she had already honed in on their location.
"This way," Kirara declared tersely as she flew down one of the hallways, flames leaping from her legs, forearms, and tail. Angela was not far behind, the gargoyle having worked with the two-tail in the past and well accustomed to tracking down illusive quarry.
In this case, there was nothing illusive about the friends they were looking for. In almost no time at all, they found Nefertina staggering somewhat, the formerly undead woman's face creased with frustration and pain. Restored to true life, her skin was tan and healthy, and her hair was long and dark as night. She was clad in Ranger suit that mixed navy-blue with some gold and black, with a dark, cat-like helmet under her arm. The suit as a whole bore some resemblance to the magical armor she had once worn when she had been an undead guardian.
"Nefertina!" Angela called out, some alarm in her voice as she and Kirara approached. "Lena, is she okay?!"
A concerned hand on Nefertina's shoulder, Lena looked up. The southern woman looked much like a normal human, with black curly hair and brown eyes. And aside from the silver-blue Ranger uniform she wore, looked much like an ordinary woman. So much so that none would realize just by looking at her that, at one time, she had been cursed to turn into a monstrous were-cat on the night of the harvest moon, and compelled to drain the life from the living, turning them into undead horrors.
"I think so," Lena reported with a faint southern accent. "Tina just had another false alarm on the way in, that's all."
Kirara issued a mental groan at this. As Nefertina came closer to the day her children would enter the world, she had suffered several rounds of false labor pains that had resulted in both quick examinations from their resident medic, and angry exclamations from the mother-to-be. "Contractions?" Angela gaped in worry even as she gazed down at the mummy's bulging belly and the precious cargo within. "Are you sure that they were false?"
"I sure hope so!" Nefertina returned, sweat marking her features as she put on a brave face. "I don't care how badly these two bundles of joy want into this crazy world of ours, now is not a good time for it!"
"I know," Angela concurred as she moved up to their teammate's side. "Here, let me carry you. We need to get you back to the Command Bridge right away."
Not bothering to protest, the mummy allowed the gargoyle to pick her up bridal-style. "You never should have come with us, Nefertina," Kirara mildly scolded their comrade even as Angela started forward. "Your condition not only puts your life at risk, but those of the innocents who have yet to be born."
Darting a glance at Kirara, Nefertina retorted, "Look, I told you all once, and I'm gonna tell you again! There was no way I was gonna sit around at home, doing nothing, while the rest of you were putting your lives on the line for everyone here!"
"While I appreciate your devotion and determination, they may have been misplaced in this case," Kirara countered. "In your state -"
"In my state, I'm still the best driver and pilot you've got! So even if I can't fight, I can still do that!" Nefertina broke in, refusing to be deterred. "I became a guardian of the pharaoh, knowing that I might die for it! And even if I don't have a pharaoh to serve, I still have the rest of you! So if there's anything I can do to help you all and this world, then that's what I'm gonna do!"
Kirara was unable to argue with this. In their own world, 3500 years ago, Nefertina had disguised herself as a man and had become both driver of the pharaoh's chariot and guardian of his son, knowing full well the dangers inherent to the job. And in the end, she had given her life in a vain attempt to save that son, and had been condemned to thousands of years of undead sleep, to being trapped in a time not her own, with no hope for a normal life. And still, she had never let anything get in the way of her duty.
"We all know that, Tina!" Lena assured her as she ran alongside of the rest of them. "But that doesn't mean we want you or your kids to get killed doing it!" Then a dark shadow appeared on her face, her eyes falling to the floor. "I've caused enough death in my life without it happening to you as well..."
This was painfully true, Kirara knew. In their own world, Lena had once been a settler on Moonscar Island in Louisiana, living with Simone Lenoir and the rest of a group worshippers of a cat god, when the pirate Morgan Moonscar had come to their island, and had forced all of the settlers, save for Lena and Simone, into the bayou where they had instantly been set upon by alligators. Driven mad by grief and the need for vengeance, Lena and Simone had invoked the power of the cat god, transforming them both into were-cats. Only to later find out that, in doing so, they had cursed themselves as well. Cursed themselves with animalistic need and hunger for the life energy of others that would come at the time of the harvest moon, condemning them to a life of horror, surrounded by the zombies that had been their victims.
That horror came to an end when Michiru's quest to return to Japan had taken him to Louisiana, where he had encountered the Mystery, Inc team. Hearing of Daphne's desire to find and film a house that was genuinely haunted, and tired and wanting for some company, he decided to take a break from his wandering and joined them for a time. And when the time came when Simone and Lena had tried to feed upon them, thanks to a timely distraction by Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, Michiru had been able to use his Shikigami and the magical knowledge he had gained previously to break the hold the cat god had upon the two women, enabling them to reclaim their lives and their souls.
Freed of the hunger inflicted upon them by the curse, both women had very nearly collapsed with relief, as well as sorrow and repulsion for what she had been for those past centuries, with Lena especially affected. And so, she had vowed to make amends for all the lives she had ended, and was making good on that vow as a member of their team.
"I hear you. Getting killed is pretty hard to live with," Nefertina replied in good humor. Then her expression sobered as she added, "But so is sitting around, knowing that the people you love could die while you do nothing. I know what it's like to fail someone I cared for. I know what it's like to be helpless to do anything to help my friends. And that's something I never want to feel again!"
As the four women continued their sprint, Kirara sighed inwardly. I know that feeling all too well, Nefertina, she thought, recalling her own long life, the many human friends and companions she had had before becoming Sango's partner. The many times she had been helpless to prevent one from getting killed in the line of duty as a Demon Slayer, unable to even tell them how much she had loved each and every one of them before they died. Believe me...I understand...
"So that's the situation, huh?" Misato grumbled, her image relayed to Ranma via the hologram being projected by his computerized bracelet. "Not only do we have someone or something on Earth wearing down the walls that keep this crazy world apart from everything else, but they've also invited guests from multiple dimensions to party here?"
"That's what Ilyssa and Char- I mean, Hope, tell me," Ranma reported, glancing back at the two women, noting the unhappy look that his almost mentioning the name 'Charmcaster' had gotten him. "And if they're right, it won't be long before we start getting some very unwelcome guests." Not wanting to even think of the absolute disaster such an occurrence would be, the pigtailed man looked squarely at his wife. "How are things on your end, Misa-chan? Any news?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, it's all bad," Misato reported with furrowed brows. "PKE readings are still going up. We've got massive temporal and dimensional warping at the Bermuda Triangle and so on, supernatural activity at lei line convergences is rising fast." Then her eyes narrowed with dangerous intensity. "On top of that, we've been reports from other Champions in the field, as well as other super teams. And while some of them are being a little hesitant...so far, most of them are falling in line with what you've just told me."
"Oh, great," Ranma groaned heavily. "So what exactly are we looking at? Any indication of what kind of party crashers we're looking at?"
"The end-of-the-world variety, of course," Misato muttered before looking at their Vision amalgam. "Yui? Give Ranma a quick rundown."
Nodding, the android variant of Yui Ikari intoned, "A division of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense report activity that would indicate the presence of the Ogdru Jahad. Dr. Stephen Strange at the Academy of Higher Magic reports that portals to the Dark Dimension are beginning to open, with Mindless Ones gathering to invade. Agent Venom Joey Wheeler reports sightings of creatures from the Shadow Realm. Miss Terrific of the Justice Society of America reports having fought a Shuggoth, a creature associated with Cthulu. Captain America Mari Illustrious Makinami and Thunderstrike Maria -"
"Okay, okay! I'm getting the big idea here!" Ranma groaned even more heavily. "Aw, dammit! If even half those creeps make their way here -!"
"It'll be the end of the world. And we won't be feeling fine," Misato declared with a heavy scowl.
Knowing this to be a major understatement, Ranma looked at the Vision amalgam and asked, "Yui, Hope said that the energy wearing down the barriers is coming from somewhere on Earth. Is there any chance you can get a lock on the source? Narrow down the places it might be? Give us some clue where to look?!"
"Unfortunately, no," Yui returned in a solemn manner. "According to the data we're getting and the BPRD's satellite surveillance, there is no single source of the PKE activity responsible for the dimensional breakdown. It is manifesting in equal amounts at every location."
"Ranma, given the circumstances, I'm ordering you and all other Champions to initiate a systematic search of your assigned sectors," Misato ordered in a no-nonsense manner. "We have to find whatever force is weakening the dimensional walls and destroy it! Cut this off before it even starts!"
"Michiru's already getting his team and gear together to go to work on that, but I'll tell him," Ranma replied. "Listen, Misato - what about containment protocols? How are those going?"
"So far, so good. Reports indicate successful evacuation of several of the affected regions, and we're deploying teams to establish containment fields, mystical barriers, force fields, anything we can think of to keep anything that might get through penned up." But then Misato frowned sourly. "But I'm going to be honest with you, Ranma. Containment would be a temporary solution at best. And if these things come through en masse -"
"I know, I know. End of the world," Ranma assured her, finding himself longing for the good old days when the worst thing he had to worry about was Happosai and his dirty old man antics. "But...well, you said this team has Zords, right?" Misato gave a quick nod to this. "Well, if things start going south here, we might need to use them. And I'd feel a lot happier about that -"
"- if the civilian population was completely evacuated. Understood," Misato tersely nodded. "I'll have the other teams pick up the pace on the evacuation, and I'll be sure to let you know when it's been completed." Smiling his gratitude, Ranma listened as his wife added, "In the meantime, get that team mobilized and searching for the source of the trouble. I don't know how long we have before things start going to hell, but I'm betting it isn't long!"
"Ain't nobody stupid enough to take that bet! Ranma, out." As the hologram disappeared, the martial artist sighed before turning towards the women that remained with him. "Okay, I'm guessing you heard all that."
"It was kind of hard not to," Charmcaster informed him with a snarky smile.
"I'll contact Mitch, let him know our orders," Ilyssa stated from her station at the computer. "And see if he and the others have everything ready to go."
Nodding this, Ranma was about to say something more when the door to the Command Bridge opened, revealing a quartet of women. Two of them were Kirara and Angela, but the other two were unfamiliar. "Here you go, Nefertina," the gargoyle spoke in a soft voice even as she assisted the visibly pregnant woman she carried to a nearby chair. "Might as well as make yourself comfortable."
"Might as well," replied the woman who, aside from her Egyptian-styled costume, bore absolutely no resemblance at all to a living mummy. "But, uh...would you mind pushing me over to the control console we rigged up? So I can...?"
"Of course," Angela returned in a pleasant manner.
Even as Angela wheeled the chair and the woman towards a nearby computer station, Ranma gave her a thoughtful look. "So that's Nefertina, huh?" he gathered, shaking his head in amazement. "She sure don't look old enough to be a mommy, let alone a mummy!"
"Why, thank you!" Nefertina retorted in a playful manner resembling Misato's. "But I'm not a mommy - not quite yet, anyway!"
Chuckling despite the situation, Ranma looked at the other stranger of this crew. "And I'm guessing you're Lena."
"That's right," Lena nodded with a pleasant smile. "You must be Mr. Saotome. Kirara mentioned that you'd arrived."
"She also mentioned how bad this mess has gotten!" Nefertina added from her seat. "So what's the plan?"
"I'll tell you as soon as somebody patches me into Michiru. I'm sure the leader of this team would like to know what his orders are," Ranma decided, giving Ilyssa a look.
Nodding, Ilyssa quickly worked the keyboard of her computer. "Mitch? Can you hear me?"
"Sure, Ilyssa," Michiru's voice sounded over an intercom. "What is it?"
"Mr. Saotome told Headquarters about what's going on," Ilyssa tersely replied. Then she looked back at Ranma said, "Go ahead."
Nodding, Ranma hurriedly explained just how bad things were getting, and how fast it was happening. As the girls that were late in arriving looked on, their faces falling in concerned horror, the martial artist concluded with, "So we have to find whatever's causing the problem, but unfortunately, Headquarters can't give us any leads. Meaning that we're gonna have to search Manhattan, maybe even all of New York, if we're gonna find what's causing this. And we're gonna have to look fast!"
"I see," Michiru returned, his voice grave. "Well, we've got all our gear ready. We've equipped all our vehicles with PKE meters and some other sensory equipment, and we've got similar equipment integrated into our uniforms. And we've already made adjustments to our weapons, upgrading them with Ghostbusters-based equipment and extra magic to make them more effective on supernatural threats. So I guess we're as ready to move out as we'll ever be."
"Then you better move out soon! And by that, I mean right now!" Ranma ordered the Shikigami Ranger.
"Okay. Then listen up, team; this is what we're gonna do," Michiru ordered, his voice hardening with authority. "Nefertina, you're staying here with Mr. Saotome. You two will be mission control. Stay in contact with everyone, and keep us up to date on anything that happens." A beat passed before the Shikigami Ranger made a sheepish noise in his throat. "That is, sir...if you don't..."
Chuckling over Michiru's humiliation at belatedly realizing that he was trying to order around his boss, Ranma replied, "I don't mind, Mitch. I sure ain't cut out for picking a fight with ghosts and whatever, so I might as well make myself useful some other way."
A sigh of relief was heard just before Michiru said, "Thank you, sir. Anyway, Ilyssa, Hope? You two are best suited to tracking down the source of this thing, so you're going to be working with Bigfoot as our main search unit. I'm counting on you to coordinate all the information we get from the rest of the team. PKE spikes, energy anomalies, mana levels, all of it. Anything we can use to help find whatever's causing this."
"Of course. We'll do everything can, Mitch," Ilyssa assured him even as Charmcaster nodded.
"Everyone else, I need you to get out there and start tracking this thing down," Michiru ordered them. "Everyone who can fly will search from the air. The rest of you, take the Jet Cycles. They're already fitted with PKE meters and have had their systems upgraded for fighting ghosts and more."
"Understood, Michiru," Kirara nodded along with the other girls.
"Nefertina, I need you to contact everyone that's already out in the field. Tell them their new orders," Michiru informed her. "And Mr. Saotome...be sure to let us know as soon as the evacuation is complete. If things get bad..."
"Then you'll want to be ready for it. No problem," Ranma assured him.
"Thanks." A beat passed, then Michiru added in a solemn voice, "Just...everyone? Whatever happens...please stay safe."
As the girls nodded somewhat, Ranma sighed. I wish I could be sure that staying safe was an option...
As much as she appreciated Michiru's kind sentiment, Nefertina knew all too well that, when you put your life on the line for others, staying safe was never really an option. And she had no doubt that he knew this as well.
But...still, I can't blame him for worrying, Nefertina thought as she geared up for the duty assigned to her. Ra knows I'm scared for...pretty much the entire world right now! Then the former undead looked about as her close friends left the Command Bridge, setting out to do the jobs that they had been tasked with, she sighed. Though to be honest...I'm scared for my team most of all...
It had been traumatic experience for everyone when they had been ripped from the world of their origins and deposited on this strange mish-mash of a world that was known as Coreline. Of being strangers in a strange place, with nothing of their previous lives but the clothes on their backs, a few odds and ends...and each other. Of being forced to rely on each other, depend on each other to survive and build new lives
It was an experience that Nefertina could well relate to...since she had already suffered it herself.
The day she had died had started out in such an ordinary fashion that Nefertina could never have foreseen what was about to happen to her. She had been driving Prince Rapses in the pharaoh's chariot, Rath had been teaching the prince his lessons with Armon training him in the way of the warrior. Ordinary, everyday stuff for her...that had quickly gone horribly rong when the beast known as Scarab had lured the prince away, to use his soul as fodder to grant him immortality, and to secure his position as the next pharaoh.
Led by Ja-Kal, she, Armon, and Rath had followed to protect Rapses, only to fall prey to Scarab's larger forces and the treachery of Ja-Kal's brother, Arakh. And in the end, they had failed to save the prince, failed to exact revenge on Scarab.
Failed...to save themselves.
Nefertina could still remember the thoughts she had had as she had lay dying on the sands of Egypt. She remembered saying goodbye to the life she had had, to the few friends she made. Cursing the fact that she had been forced to disguise herself as a boy, just to be a member of pharaoh's guardians. And preparing herself for the existence she knew she would be remade for; to protect Prince Rapses in his next incarnation...just before she fell into darkness.
For 3,500 years, Nefertina had slept in her sarcophagus, odd dreams pursuing her in her undead sleep. And when she had finally awoke in the modern age of her world, she found Scarab once again menacing her prince, reincarnated in Presley Carnovan. And once more, she had her duty to protect the prince. She had the chance to defeat Scarab. She had her fellow guardians.
She had had these things...and almost nothing else.
Though her body was animate, Nefertina had remained dead. She could never have any children of her own, no family, no nothing. She was an undead remnant of a fallen dynasty, a stranger in a strange land, who could not expect to have any form of relationship with anyone from the modern world. No other meaning to her existence than to protect a young boy. And though she was able to take some pleasure in her existence with wild driving and dancing and other pleasures, teasing and joking away her inner torment...those things persisted. Eating away at her soul, gnawing at her every day.
Then, one day, an odd young man from a far away land came to San Francisco in the midst of his journey home. He had been on a quest to return home with a deadly cursed sword that he could not risk leaving alone, lest it escape it's containment vessel. A young man by the name of Michiru Kururugi, who had gotten caught up one of the many battles the mummies had fought in their constant struggle with Scarab, and had immediately proven himself to be a formidable warrior in his own right.
After the battle, when Nefertina and the others had revealed their true natures to him, he had not been afraid or repulsed by the undead natures. Merely surprised and curious. And so, they had gotten to know each other, with Ja-Kal even allowing him to be brought back to their home. Presley had explained to Michiru about the mummies and his situation, while Michiru explained to them his quest to return home and have the Sounga destroyed. A quest that he agreed to put on hold, because he felt that there was a way that he could help the mummies in their own battle. Which turned out to be something of an understatement.
By the time he had met the mummies, Michiru had already greatly increased his own powers. During his adventure with the gargoyles of Manhattan, he had absorbed all the magical knowledge and power of the Grimorum Arcanorum. He had already gathered the Power Coins and had regenerated and improved the White Tiger Coin, allowing him to become the Shikigami Ranger. He had mastered the skills needed to travel through time and space, with only the subdued evil of the Sounga preventing him from using such magic to simply return home. He had done these things, mastered these skills, and more.
And it was these abilities that, with Rath's assistance, had allowed him to travel through space and time back to ancient Egypt, to covertly obtain blood samples from the four of them when they had still lived and breathed, blood samples that had become the catalyst for a spell that would bring them back to true life. It was these skills that had allowed Michiru to learn of what had happened to Ja-Kal's lost family, and even collect pictures and provide her friend with knowledge of their fates. And once she and her friends had been restored, once again felt their hearts beating in their chests, were truly alive once more, Michiru had given them further assistance by creating a new set of Power Coins that he and Rath used to augment their amulets. As a result, the former mummies obtained far greater powers and weapons. And with the help of the Shikigami Ranger, they had not only succeeded in banishing Scarab beyond the Western Gate for all time, but using their fallen foe's resources to give them new lives in the modern world.
I still remember how happy Ja-Kal looked when he and Presley's mother got hitched! Nefertina thought, recalling that joyous day when her friend had found a new life, and a new family to call his own. Of the news that Amanda was carrying Ja-Kal's child. Of how Rath and Armon had been building their own lives, even dating and more. Then she gave a soft, sad smile. Of course, the guy I'd fallen for was trying to get back to the girl he'd first fallen in love with...
"Nefertina?" came a voice, startling the former mummy out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Nefertina started, only to look about and see that Ranma was the one speaking. "Oh, sorry! Just...thinking, that's all." Knowing how lame an excuse this was even as she spoke it, the former mummy got to work. "Okay, time to get to work!" Rapidly working the control console, she contacted one of her closest friends in their crazy little family of Champions. "Come in, Bigfoot! Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, little darling!" an electronically distorted voice with a distinct southern drawl.
"I hope you're ready to get rolling, big guy!" Nefertina informed him. "Because it looks like we're in for some heavy action!"
"Hey, heavy action is my favorite kind, Tina girl!" Bigfoot returned in a jovial manner.
"Sounds like you two get along pretty well," Ranma noted from his position at Nefertina's side.
Glancing over at the pigtailed man, Nefertina considered him for a time, wondering if he had realized just what kind of monster Bigfoot was. "Oh, yeah, me and Bigfoot are real close," she replied, deciding to have some fun to distract herself a bit. "I have to say, out of all the folks who joined our little family of misfits since we landed here, he's definitely my favorite!"
"Aw, sweetheart! Back right 'atcha!" Bigfoot returned in a flattered manner. "Say, when are those little bundles of joy you're carrying gonna arrive? It feels like it's been for-ever since you've had your hands on me!"
"Soon, I hope!" Nefertina assured him. "Though I would prefer it if they at least wait until after we've saved the world!"
"I heard that!" Bigfoot sounded."I - oops! Here comes the rest of the gang now!"
Taking note of the way Ranma looked between her and the console that had carried Bigfoot's voice, Nefertina listened as he asked, "Whew...sounds like you two are more than friends..."
Noting the way Ranma said this, Nefertina gave him a coy look. "Tell me something; have you actually met Bigfoot yet?"
"Nope," Ranma returned. "Haven't had the chance."
Her hunch all but confirmed, Nefertina smiled in a teasing manner. "Well, let me tell you something; all the girls on this team love Bigfoot. Heck, if not for Mitch, we'd be all over him all the time..."
Smiling in a knowing manner, Ranma asked, "Well, I hope that Mitch isn't the jealous type."
"Oh, no. You don't have to worry about that." A beat passed before Nefertina added, "Say, I know! Why don't I bring up the exterior camera? That way, you'll be able to see Bigfoot and the others when they come out?"
"Sure, why not?" Ranma decided.
Smiling as she anticipated the surprise that she suspected Ranma was about to get, Nefertina worked the console, bringing up a holographic display of a view from outside their temporary headquarters. With a little adjustment, she was able to focus on the main garage. "Okay, Tina, Mitch is just about to hit the Game Start for this mission!" Bigfoot enthusiastically announced. "So why don't you take control and set us into hyperdrive?"
"My pleasure, big guy!" Nefertina declared, already reaching for a nearby joystick.
"Huh?" Ranma started, plainly confused by Bigfoot's words. "Take control? Hyperdrive?"
"You'll see," Nefertina assured him as she brought up a feed from a different camera on her central monitor, this tone situated in the garage. From there, she could see Michiru and some of the girls standing by, while others were mounted on their Jet Cycles. And most importantly, she could see it when the garage door opened. "Okay, big guy! It's game time!"
"Music to my ears, sweetheart!" Bigfoot replied, his voice echoed by the sound of a powerful engine revving. As Nefertina worked the joystick, watching the main monitor, the holographic display showed several members of her strange band of friends and family spilling out of the building, followed by...
"What the -?!" Ranma started, his eyes bulging at what he saw. "Is that - a monster truck?!"
"Nope! That's the monster truck!" Nefertina teasingly informed him. "Ranma Saotome, meet Bigfoot!"
Even as Nefertina watched, Bigfoot rolled out of the garage on his massive tires, his blue paint job showing cleanly even as the day slowly shifted to night, with his name spelled out clearly on his doors. Having originated from a world where video game characters had somehow emerged into the real world, this version of the famous monster truck was not only alive in his own right, but fully sentient, and capable of astonishing things, especially since he had been thoroughly upgraded by the Foundation, who had plenty of experience with intelligent vehicles. And the moment, Bigfoot was also sporting a massive proton cannon and a version of the Ghostbuster's Super Slammer in his flatbed.
"Bigfoot is a monster truck?!" Ranma demanded, having plainly been caught flatfooted. "Seriously?!"
"Well, sure!" Nefertina replied in a jovial way. "What, don't tell me you never heard of him?"
"I - well, I've heard of the truck Bigfoot!" Ranma intoned, clearly realizing that he had been taken for a ride and not liking it. "But - well, I thought that when people told me that there was a Bigfoot on your team...!"
"You thought they were talking about some big, hairy guy? Is that it?" Nefertina asked in a dangerously sweet manner, milking this for everything she could.
Flustered with embarrassment and annoyance, Ranma was clearly struggling to respond, but before either of them could say anything, Michiru's voice was again. "Okay, everyone! Hope and Ilyssa have assigned all of us a section of Manhattan to search!" announced the Shikigami Ranger as he took the front position. "Stay in contact at all times, and stay on the alert! We're liable to have a fight on our hands before this night's done!"
"Don't worry about us, Michiru," came Sango's voice even as the gamma-powered Demon Slayer approached him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We know what we have to do."
A beat passed as Michiru looked at Sango, his helmet obscuring his face, but his voice conveying his concern as he said, "But that's the thing, Sango; I always worry. About all of you." Pausing to survey everyone present, the Shikigami Ranger sighed. "Alright, let's do it. Phoenix Battlizer, activate!"
"Huh?!" Ranma started at this, staring in surprise as the pentagram inscribed on the golden disk in her armor glowed a brilliant crimson, releasing crimson light that washed over his Ranger outfit. And as he watched, that light solidified, encasing Michiru's chest in mechanical armor of crimson and gold. Gauntlets and boots of a similar nature appeared on his lower legs and forearms, as well as golden armbands about her biceps. Mechanical wings of fiery red with golden feathers spread forth from his back, and a crest like the head of a bird appeared on top of his helmet.
As Ranma tried to digest what had happened, Michiru gave one final look at the group of misfits that was his loved ones. "Good luck, all of you." And with that, the Shikigami Ranger launched himself into the air, followed shortly by the other flight-capable members of his team.
"Wait a second...I thought that Michiru only had the powers of the first White Ranger..." Ranma muttered, not liking the fact that he had again taken by surprise.
"Sure, he did. At first," Nefertina confirmed. "But when he figured out how to make Power Coins of his own, he made three more for himself."
Glancing over at the former mummy, Ranma repeated, "Three more?!"
"Sure. He was still hauling the Sounga around at the time, and when he realized that his White Tiger coin gave him added resistance to it, he decided to make more for himself," Nefertina explained in a tone like this was something anybody should know. "So he made the Crimson Phoenix, Azure Dragon, and Black Tortoise Power Coins to go with the White Tiger Coin."
"Crimson Phoenix, Azure Dragon, and...hey! As in Suzaku, Seiryu, and Genbu?! The celestial beasts?!" Ranma demanded.
"That's right. Mitch originally took the White Tiger Coin because, as it turns out, those celestial beasts are powerful elements in his Shikigami magic," Nefertina explained. "He had repowered the White Tiger Coin by using the power of Byakko, so he created the other three Coins by using the magic of the other three celestial beasts."
Pausing to consider this, Ranma then asked, "So...while the White Tiger Coin gives him his costume and stuff..."
"He can access the other three Coins for extra powers, armor, and weapons. You got it." Nefertina then gave Ranma a teasing look. "What's wrong? You did read our files...didn't you?"
Making a face like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Ranma finally folded his arms across his chest and scowled, "Hey, in case you haven't noticed, we've had a major crisis on our hands! So I've been kinda busy, okay?!"
"Whatever you say, sir," Nefertina replied even as she returned her focus to the situation outside. As she watched, the rest of their team either flew up into the air or took off on their Jet Cycles. "Okay, Bigfoot, it's your turn! Time to roll!"
"My pleasure, sweetheart!" Bigfoot responded. "Nobody jams the joystick of this monster truck like you do, Tina!"
Glancing over at Ranma, who was groaning over the implications of that statement, Nefertina remarked, "You say such sweet things!" Pausing to chuckle at this, the former mummy asked, "Just be sure to kick some serious Tut for me, okay?"
"You got it, Tina!" Bigfoot promised as she worked the controls and sent him rolling off into the big city.
As Michiru soared through the air, born on the wings of his Phoenix Battlizer Armor, he was constantly reaching out with his Shikigami to the forces of nature and supernatural forces surrounding him, while at the same time consulting the PKE readout displayed via his helmet's HUD. Searching the rapidly darkening island of Manhattan for any significant rise in the destructive powers tearing down the membranes between the worlds, all the while wondering if he would ever become accustomed to the constant insanity that was the world he and his loved ones had been deposited in.
I knew I could pretty much forget about ever having a truly normal life when I discovered my Shikigami powers, Michiru knew, shaking his head slightly as he tried to make sense of the sensations and readings he was picking up. But...this place...it's beyond insane! Beyond anything I could have imagined!
This was true enough. And after everything Michiru had been through, he could imagine a great deal.
After his first adventure in the Feudal Era, Michiru had focused on studying his family's legacy, on developing his Shikigami powers so that he could return to the Feudal Era and once again be with his friends, and most especially Sango, the woman he had first fallen in love with. And in a very real way, he honestly thought that would what his life would be like from then on. Studying magic, using that power to help others, be with his friends, and so on. Maybe even take on a costume or do something of that nature. Use his powers to help others. And perhaps, if he had been truly fortunate...become Sango's husband.
But life had not been nearly so accommodating. During his reunion with InuYasha and Kagome after they had returned from the Feudal Era, Michiru had been luckless enough to take hold of the cursed sword after Kagome's grandfather found it. The evil sword Sounga had tried to take over Michiru's mind, and through an incredible fluke that he still wasn't sure he understood, had teleported himself all the way from Japan to New York City, landing right in front of the Ghostbusters' Headquarters of his world. And as strange as that had been, it had only been the start of an unbelievable adventure.
Right after Michiru had helped the Ghostbusters defeat Ivo Shandor and had started trying to make his way back home, he had encountered a strange knight wearing armor that made him look like a gargoyle. Though this had been bizarre in and of itself, this encounter had resulted in Michiru winding up with the mighty gargoyle warrior Goliath, his human love Elisa Maza, and his bestial pet Bronx on a journey that took them to the mystical island of Avalon. There he had helped the Avalon clan of gargoyles fight against the Weird Sisters and the malicious Archmage. During the climactic battle, Michiru had managed to get hold of the magical Phoenix Gate, a window through time and space which he had used to travel back to the year 975 to Castle Wyvern, where he had had the opportunity to copy an intact version of the Grimorum Arcanorum, the most comprehensive book of mortal spells in existence, and then, through the power of his Shikigami, absorb all of the magical knowledge contained within.
The instant he had done so, Michiru felt like he was would explode through the shear amount of magical power that the knowledge contained within the Grimorum had unleashed within him. It had increased the power of his Shikigami tenfold, and had given him access to magical knowledge that was beyond his wildest dreams. And with this newfound might and the aide of the Phoenix Gate, Michiru had been able to return to the Isle of Avalon, help Goliath in defeating the Archmage once and for all, and even save the life of the critically injured and dying Magus.
For a short time after that, Michiru had journeyed together with Goliath, Elisa, Bronx, and Goliath's daughter, Angela, in an amazing adventure that took them across the world, but never back home. It wasn't until they had returned to New York that Michiru had been able to continue his own quest to get back to Japan, a quest that soon after had resulted in him encountering the uncanny X-Men.
From then on, Michiru's journey had been one extraordinary adventure after another. Each one of them pushing his limits in some form or another, and at the same time, demanding that he develop his power, physical, mental, and magical, to new levels for him to have any hope of returning to Japan. He had used the Power Coins and knowledge left behind by Zordon to become the Shikigami Ranger, battled alongside the likes of the Optimus Prime of his world, worked with Ben 10 and his friends and even an enemy to save another world, crushed the evil Scarab alongside the mummies, and had helped topple despots, tyrants, murderers, and other evils, all in his quest to get back home.
And it felt like every single step along the way...I ran into a girl that fell in a love with me! Sometimes more than one! Michiru thought, still recalling how he had been effectively double-teamed by Jubilee and X-23, among others. I don't think I'll ever figure out how that happened. I...all I ever did was try and help people. Be kind to them, help them with...whatever problems they had. Treat them the way I'd want to be treated. Giving a slow shake of his head, he then thought, Is compassion and kindness...are those things so rare that...just me doing that was enough?
Apparently, it was, because to Michiru's considerable dismay, he had wound up leaving a trail of broken hearts all along the way, racking up a serious case of guilt in the process. And in the end, it had been a considerable relief when he had finally been able to return home to Japan, and once again be in Sango's arms.
Of course, even then, his troubles had not been over. Michiru and his friends had soon become embroiled in one of the mad schemes of the criminal genius, the Leader, resulting in Sango becoming a hulk-like gamma mutant and forcing him and his friends to work with modern heroes to take him down, while returning Sango to the Feudal Era, lest she be taken into custody on account of how dangerous she had become. And just when he and his friends helped the Demon Slayer tame the beast within, Naraku had announced his resurrection, forcing them to kill their demonic foe all over again.
To be honest, though, I think Naraku might have stayed dead if he'd known what he'd be in for when we found him! Michiru thought, suffering a moment of satisfaction as he recalled what had happened when the gamma-mutated Sango, her considerable might increased even more by the Green Dragon Power Coin, wrapped her hands around him and used his spine as a squeeze toy. I don't think I'd ever heard InuYasha laugh as hard as he did then!
With Naraku finally banished to the depths of hell by their combined efforts, with not even the slightest chance of him ever coming back to torment them, and Sango having declared that Michiru was the one she loved, the Shikigami Ranger had really and truly thought the chaos of his life would soon be a thing of the past. And to celebrate Sango accepting his engagement ring, Michiru had decided to throw an engagement party, and invited the friends he had encountered along his incredible journey.
The result had been a gala event beyond anything Japan had ever seen, filled with good food and cheer, marred only by some lingering sadness by the women that had fallen for him over the course of his journey, as well a hint of good-natured jealousy over Sango's good fortune. But Michiru had been heartened by how well all of those women had gotten along with the Demon Slayer, so well that they had decided throw her their own celebration. A kind of bachelorette party in anticipation of her eventual union with Michiru.
It had all been so perfect. Sango and all of the others had had a great time. Michiru was relieved and delighted that they held no ill will and were wishing them well. And when Sango had invited him over to see them and accept their kindness, he had been so certain the chaos of his life was at an end, and that he could move on to being a happily married man with Sango. Perhaps forming a crime-fighting duo with her as they built their future.
And it had been at that exact moment that they had somehow been ripped away from their world, their entire reality, and deposited in the world that was Coreline. Michiru, along with Sango and all of the rest of the women that still loved him.
When they had arrived in the Coreline, they had all had next to nothing. They had had the clothes on their backs, and thanks to the pocket dimensions that Michiru had been able to create with the Power Coins, those with Morphers still had their Zords. But aside from that, they had been left with nothing, and had been forced to start over from scratch. And save for some support from the world government in dealing with such situations, all they had had to depend on...was each other.
And the rest, as they say, is history, Michiru thought, recalling the many trials and tribulations they had all been through ever since. Starting with how they had come to become a branch of the superhero team known as the Champions.
On one level, Michiru knew that they had been very fortunate, even in their misfortune in being brought to this world. When they had been processed by the government shortly after their arrival, like so many others that had been somehow dragged to the bizarre world that was the Core Timeline, the people in charge of their registration had been quick to take notice of the extraordinary special abilities wielded by both the Shikigami Ranger and the women that had come with him, and notify Stingray Industries of this particular bunch of newcomers to their world. Even as they were being assigned temporary lodgings, Sylvia Stingray had sent a representative to tell them about the Champions, a group of superheroes that were sponsored and funded by Stingray Industries. All they had to do was sign up with them, and they would not only have paying jobs and a proper home to live in, but Stingray Industries would also upgrade the Zords and maintain them, give Michiru and the others full financial support, and the opportunity to build a future and to make use of the unique gifts each and every one of them had for the benefit of others.
It hadn't taken long for Michiru and the others to agree to this. They had nothing and nowhere else to go, and this was a chance to make new lives for themselves in this bizarre new reality. And while there were things about Sylvia Stingray and her company that they weren't particularly pleased with, like being contractually obligated to protect Stingray Industries' holdings first and foremost, it had been a good life. And in a way, what Michiru had hoped for back in their previous world.
But even though they had a form of income and a new home in the form of a good-sized apartment building, that didn't mean that there weren't other challenges. Michiru and the others still carried with them the grief and pain of losing so much, the knowledge that there were so many people that they would never see again. And as they dealt with these things and the challenges of Coreline, their own lives continued to change and evolve. The way their relationships had changed and developed, all of them forced by necessity to become even closer than ever, even meeting new friends and incorporating other lost souls that had suffered the same fate as they into their little group.
So now, instead of relatively normal life and marriage back home, Michiru thought, I've got a harem that would make Miroku split himself in envy, and I'm living in a world that is the definition of Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.
Pausing in his search to indulge in a somewhat self-pitying sigh, Michiru paused to think of the many difficulties this existence presented with him. Keeping up with the many loves of his life was far from easy, and had required no small effort on his part. And though he had found a way of using low levels of continuous power from the Power Coins to permanently increase his physical and magical potential, as well as techniques and magical spells that had increased his strength, speed, endurance, stamina, and more far beyond a normal human, it was still hard to give each and every one of his loves the time and attention that they deserved.
And it's only going to get harder, Michiru knew painfully well. Sango's twins are less than a year old! And I know she wants to have more children of her own! Grateful beyond belief that they had been able to suppress the gamma mutation that had been passed on to the twins, thus sparing them from dealing with a couple gamma-powered babies and the potential destruction they could unwittingly unleash, he then thought of some of his other loves. And Angela, she already has a couple eggs in the rookery we built for her at home! Nefertina's going to give birth any day now, and all of the others, they've made it clear that they want children of their own as well! And - even after learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu and adapting it to my Shikigami magic, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up with all of that!
Again, Michiru, wondering how it had come to that, for there had been a time when Sango would have been disgusted by the notion of being part of a harem, and would never have gone along with what she was doing now. And though there had never been any doubt that he had cared for all of the women that had fallen for him, and had even been attracted to them, Michiru had still thought of them as friends. But now...
But it was easy to think of them as friends back then, Michiru reminded himself. After all, I never stayed in one place very long. I was able to build friendships with them, but I knew I would have to leave, sooner or later. Knew nothing could come of what of it beyond friendship, and besides, I'd already fallen in love with Sango. Then he scowled as he thought of another factor. Besides, after doing everything I'd done - buying an engagement ring for Sango, telling her my feelings...I'd have been cheating on her!
Things had changed drastically once they had arrived in the world of Coreline, and on more than one level. No longer was he under pressure to continue a journey and leave any of the girls behind; now they were all under pressure to rebuild their lives, and he knew that he would not abandon any of them. Where before there wasn't much time to build on their friendships, every day in Coreline had resulted in his relationships with them deepening, becoming stronger, bringing him closer to each and every one of them. And before he knew it, innocent attractions became serious temptations, and formerly minor incidents became serious threats to his fidelity. And more and more, his sense of right and wrong was tested.
Michiru had never stopped loving Sango. If anything, he had come to love her even more since their arrival in this world. But that wasn't stopping his weak heart from also falling for all of the other women he had met both back home and the few that had joined their strange family after arriving in Coreline. And it was only his sense of morality, awareness of how serious being in a loving relationship was, refusal to treat these all-too precious people like objects of pleasure, and the knowledge that he would be betraying the trust that everyone had placed in him that kept him from succumbing to temptation.
And then, one day, Sango asks me to meet with her and the rest of the girls, and tells me that they decided that they would be willing to share, and asking me if I would be alright dating and loving all of them! Michiru thought, a part of him unable to believe that Sango, the shy, reserved, and proper Sango he had come to love, that had been outraged every single time Miroku had demonstrated his infidelity in her presence, would ever even consider such a thing. Of actually encouraging him to be with other women.
Then again...it's not like we weren't having problems... Michiru reminded himself, recalling how he had been struggling with his own feelings, his own temptations. And...I know the others...none of them were having any luck...finding boyfriends or with dating or with any of that. And I know that...they still loved me, so...
But even then, Michiru hadn't realized that things had gotten serious enough that the woman that he lived and worked with and cared so deeply for were willing to try something like that. And he certainly never had expected for her to ask if he would be willing to try.
What came then had been one of the most difficult decisions Michiru had ever had to make; to keep his love only for Sango, to keep himself only for her, all the while rejecting the love of all the others, trying to keep things as they were, or share himself with all of them. And it had been a decision that he had agonized over considerably, one that had forced him to speak with Sango in private, to ask her if she had really wanted this.
Sango had been honest and true with him, and made it clear that she didn't want to share Michiru, that she wanted him all for herself. But at the same time, she was aware of things that he wasn't, of how serious the problem with the others was. She had experienced the jealous glares and shortened tempers of the others, things that they had done their best to keep in check, especially around Michiru, but were more likely to let slip around the woman he had given himself to. The more short-tempered ones or those with serious problems that exacerbated their frustrations like Jubilee, Laura, Angela, and others, were already snapping at her, their jealousy compounded by the many frustrations brought on by their arrival in Coreline. And she could already see the strain and jealousy taking its toll on the rest of them.
Michiru had been quick to understand Sango's concerns. In his time with his Feudal Era friends, he had seen how jealousy, frustration, and desire could eat away at a relationship. Kagome's jealous rants, InuYasha's being caught between his desire for both Kagome and Kikyo, and the anger and frustration that this gave rise to in the both of them, those had been bad enough. But the situation he was dealing with was far worse. So many good people he was coming to love nearly as much as Sango, and their relationships were being frayed by their own demons. The seeds of infighting and anger were being sown, and he knew that, if there was something he could do to help, and if Sango was genuinely willing to try something like that...
So I decided to try, Michiru thought, recall how difficult and daunting and awkward it had been for him. And at first, he had been certain it would never work. But on his first date with Ilyssa, who had proven to be a source of compassion and wisdom when he had first met her, she had helped him understand that he wasn't like Miroku. That he had remained faithful to Sango, that he was doing this because he loved them all, not as simple objects as pleasure, but as people. Very different people that he loved in very different ways.
It still hadn't been easy. After that date with Ilyssa, Michiru had gone to the other girls and made it clear that they couldn't fight amongst themselves, that they had to trust him and each other, just as he did with all of them. But he had told them that, if they truly did want this, if they loved him enough to try, then he would try just as hard for them to make it work.
And to Michiru's considerable surprise, it did work. The women he loved had been thrilled that he was willing to try this. And so they had accommodated him, and they had been able to organize things for the most part so they he could pay equal attention to all of them. Dates were scheduled, they were planning out pregnancies and who would be next to have a child as best as they could so they wouldn't have too much to deal with at one time. And with the aid of his ability to use doppelgangers, Michiru had been able to give them more attention, even physical pleasure, be with many and not just one. It had worked. In a very real way, it worked.
But even as the pressure to avoid giving into temptation had disappeared, it had soon been replaced by the pressure to care for them all equally. To give them all the caring and love each and every one of them deserved. To tend to them all, take care of their needs as best as he could.
And sometimes I wonder if I'm really up to that, Michiru sighed inwardly as he continued to fly onward. I love them all, I really do! And the last thing I want to do is abandon any of them! But I can really give them what they need? Can I -?
A sudden increase in the specific PKE energies, a rise in the dimension-destroying mana, he had been hunting for caught Michiru's attention. Halting in mid-air, the Shikigami Ranger hurriedly reached out with his senses, began scanning his surroundings as thoroughly as he could. Hoping that he'd finally picked up on the source of the problem.
Only to growl in frustration when the spike disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.
"Dammit!" Michiru swore as vehemently and loudly if InuYasha would have had he been there. "I just don't get it! We've checked Shandor's mandala, we've covered almost all of New York by now, and we've still got nothing! There's no sign of where the energy is coming from! How is that even possible?!"
"Michiru, please, calm down!" Saba advised him in a soothing tone. "I realize that the situation is dire, but you won't be able to help anyone if you give into frustration!"
For a long, ugly moment, Michiru was sorely tempted to yell at the magical short sword. But even as this temptation struck, he recognized it for the ugly, unpleasant thing that it was, and so he throttled it down, taking deep breaths, tried to cool down, to clear his thinking. "I...I know, Saba," he finally replied, shaking his head slowly. "I...I just want to...to protect them. I want to..." Hovering in mid-air, the Shikigami Ranger looked over the city, filled with people and creatures and so much more. All of them whom were counting on him. All of whom he needed to protect.
All of whom he felt he was failing.
"But...I'm not sure I can...if I even..." Michiru began, not sure if he was referring to the woman he loved, this city, the world, or all of the above. "I just - huh?"
A cruel, cold shriek pricked Michiru's ears, prompting him to look about. Only to pause for a moment when he saw several screaming horrors winging their way towards him. Several of them looked like gargoyles made of pure flames, while the rest resembled the Black Slime Ghosts he had fought during his time as a Ghostbuster.
"It appears we have company," Saba noted needlessly.
"So I noticed," Michiru replied, caught between annoyance at this interruption and a perverse pleasure at finally having an outlet for his frustration. Placing his right hand upon the pentagram on his chest, he called out, "Hakuoh! Appear!"
An instant later, a flash of red leaped from the pentagram into Michiru's hand, where it quickly resolved into an ornate crimson crossbow trimmed with white and gold. The arms of the bow resembled wings, and the front had the head of a phoenix at the front. "Ah, excellent!" the magical crossbow declared upon seeing the approaching foes. "It's been far too long since I've had a good fight!"
"We better make it fast, though! We don't have much time!" Michiru informed the crossbow even as he took aim at the ghosts, suspecting from experience that they would be the biggest problem. "Onslaught of Flame!"
Even as he invoked the power of his Fire Shikigami, channeling it into Hakuoh, he pulled the trigger, releasing an arrow of protonic energy laced with magical flames. A short distance after being fired, the arrow splintered into multiple projectiles, each of them streaking towards one of the ghosts with the precision of a guided missile before impacting mercilessly.
The horrid specters cried out in agony from the attack, tumbling backwards in seeming surprise. Glancing back at their injured comrades, the blazing gargoyles then screeched once more before shooting towards Michiru with greater speed.
"Saba! Go to it!" Michiru commanded, drawing and throwing the short sword in one quick motion before summoning the power of his Water Shikigami. "Great River Torrent!"
"Gladly!" Saba returned, spinning towards the gargoyles even as the water spell doused the lead gargoyle, reducing it to an ashen husk that immediately began plummeting to the Earth below.
Even as he took aim with Hakuoh for another shot, Michiru opened a channel to the Command Bridge. "Everyone! I've run into some trouble up here! Gargoyles made of fire and things that look like Black Slime Ghosts!"
"Are you alright?!" came Nefertina's concerned voice.
"So far!" Michiru quickly assured her even as Saba sliced through another of the blazing fiends. "But what about the others?!"
"They're okay," Nefertina assured him. "But - well, let's just say that you're not the only one who's run into some unwelcome guests!"
"Hey, you! Back off!" Bigfoot ordered even as his powerful front bumper shot out on two hydraulic cylinders, slamming hard into a monstrosity made of a mass of tentacles. "Don't you know I've got a pair of ladies onboard?!"
"Somehow, I don't think they care, big guy!" Charmcaster sarcastically remarked even as she leaned out passenger's side window and gestured at the monster before them, firing a withering blast of eldritch energy at the hideous aberration. Already stunned by Bigfoot's front bumper, the monster was unable to dodge the blast, and was quickly dissolved into a pool of goo by the deadly spell.
"Nice shot, Hope! But we're not out of the woods yet!" Ilyssa noted, glancing at Bigfoot's sideview mirrors and seeing several airborne ghosts floating their way. "Nefertina! Can you do something about those flyers?!"
"You mean aside from giving them a serious kick in the Tut?" Nefertina wondered playfully even as the proton cannon in Bigfoot's flatbed moved and took aim. "Watch and be amazed, everyone! I'm going for high score!"
An instant later, the massive proton cannon fired, unleashing a devastating stream of energy the ghoulish entities, causing them to screech in sheer agony. Within seconds, they were all ensnared by the highly-charged particle stream. "Consider yourselves slammed...!" the former mummy declared with considerable gusto, angling the proton beam so that all of the ghosts were smashed hard upon the streets just before angling them upwards over Bigfoot and the waiting Super Slammer, "...and dunked!"
An instant later, the proton stream drew the ghosts in like a magnet, drawing them into range of the massive muon trap. In a brilliant flash of light, the screaming horrors were drawn in and trapped with. "Oh, yeah!" Bigfoot enthusiastically declared. "Way to put the zap on those ghouls!"
"All part of the job, Bigfoot!" Nefertina replied even as she took aim at a bunch of vampiric wraiths with the monster truck's roll bar laser lamps. An instant later, beams of super-intense UV light burned from the lamps, instantly incinerating the new attackers. "And I just love my job!"
Even as Bigfoot chuckled jovially, Ilyssa sighed. "Speaking of jobs, we still have our own work to do," the scientist and resident expert on ghosts and similar activity announced, knowing that this was nothing compared to what would come if they didn't stop this nightmare. "Nefertina, any updates from the others? Have they found anything yet?"
"Not unless you count some low-level monsters slipping through the dimensional barriers," Nefertina reported, her tone less jovial now. "All we've got so far are spikes in PKE activity that disappear before we can get a lock on them!"
"We're getting nowhere fast, people," Ranma muttered grimly. "If anybody's got any brilliant suggestions, then I'm all ears! And you don't have to raise your hands before you speak!"
"Believe me, if I had any ideas, then I'd have told you about them," Charmcaster grumbled, sounding as frustrated as the rest of them. "Whoever's doing this has done a great job of covering their tracks!"
That's for sure, Ilyssa frowned unhappily, her brows furrowed with frustration. So a standard search pattern isn't working. Which means we've got to be smarter than whoever set this up. We have to analyze it, like a scientist!
And as a scientist herself, Ilyssa knew the first rule of solving a problem was to get as much information as possible. So she looked over at Charmcaster and asked, "Hope...you've studied a lot of magical artifacts and entities, right? Both here and in our old world?"
"Of course!" Charmcaster returned in a somewhat indignant manner. "It takes a lot of work to become a sorceress of my caliber!"
"Alright. Our problem is that, while we know of a great many things that are capable of weakening the dimensional barriers, what's going on now doesn't fit the profile of any of them," Ilyssa stated, sounding out her thoughts and confusion. "Any artifact like black slime, the Siege Perilous, anything of that nature puts out a definite energy signature that we could use to track it."
"Right," Charmcaster confirmed.
"And if someone wanted to break down the barriers, then there would be no way of shielding such an artifact completely, simply because the shielding would also negate the artifact's ability to breach the barriers," Ilyssa continued. "Which would render it completely useless."
"Exactly," Charmcaster nodded.
"And it would take a great deal of PKE energy or mana or whatever to create such a breach, making it impossible to hide," Ilyssa went on, warming to the subject. "Which means that we should be able to track it."
"Except, of course, for the fact that we can't," Charmcaster grumbled. "We've been all over this stupid city, and - Bigfoot!"
"I see it, Hope!" Bigfoot returned even as a monstrous face appeared in the street ahead, a face with a massively toothy mouth. Baleful eyes of deadly yellow light loomed at them just before the monstrous mouth opened wide to swallow them whole. "Hang on, girls!"
An instant later, Bigfoot accelerated even as he sent a surge of power through the hydraulic lifters that served as his shock absorbers, launching them into the air with his tires folding over onto to their sides, the mounted repulsor thrusters lifting them even higher. Within seconds, the monster truck was airborne and past the monstrosity that had tried to eat.
"Phew! You know it's bad when you can't even trust the road you're driving on!" Bigfoot muttered even as he placed his wheels on the street and began rolling once more.
"I'll say," Ilyssa sighed, still not used to this sort of thing, despite the craziness that was their lives. Pausing to take a few deep breaths, the scientist again looked over at Charmcaster. "Now, uh...as I was saying, normally, the only thing that could create a widespread PKE effect like the one we're seeing here would be a widespread distribution system for spiritual energy and mana. Like the mandala Ivo Shandor had created to supply Gozer with the energy needed for the Supreme Destructor Form."
"Basically. Except that, even with a system like his, you'd still see areas with heightened energy levels around the mandala nodes," Charmcaster corrected her. "And anyway, something like that mandala took years of work to set up! And these days, all construction blueprints and renovation plans have to be cleared through the Supernatural Oversight committee."
"To make sure that no one tries something like what Ivo did in the past," Ilyssa nodded, frowning in thought, trying to analyze what this left them.
It couldn't be someone simply using Ivo Shandor's mandala. Michiru and a few others had checked that right after they had gotten to New York, and found nothing. The nodes at the New York Public Library, the Museum, and the Sedgewick Hotel were closed and remained completely inactive, the ghosts having long since been extracted from it so they couldn't endanger anyone or be exploited. And Shandor Island had been sealed up tight since Genom's plot involving the enslavement of possessor ghosts and half-ghost clones to possess and control the Kryptonian population of Coreline had gone belly-up. And it couldn't be someone just using a massive power source, because they would have tracked that down by now.
So it had to be something different. Something...smaller, more subtle, Ilyssa reasoned, nodding thoughtfully. Hope said that a power source like this would be useless if it were completely shielded, but...what if small amounts of the energy being generated were transferred to remote areas, and then released?
Pausing to mull this over, Ilyssa soon decided that this would make sense. After all, the ecto-containment system did a great job of containing spirit energy, and with the proper shielding, it could be hidden every nicely from outside detection. And if someone were to slowly release ghosts from it, were to release a few of them at a time into traps and release them in a widespread pattern throughout the city...
Yes, something like that. Except not like that. Doing it that way would never be efficient enough to cause this kind of damage to the dimensional membrane, Ilyssa realized. But the basic principle, that could work. Then she pressed her lips together and thought. Now...how to make it work...?
Using and releasing ghosts themselves was out. It would draw far too much attention. Which meant that they were dealing with raw mana, pure PKE, being generated somewhere within the city, in a location that was so well shielded that it wouldn't show up on any sensory equipment, but at the same time, was set up to broadcast the energy in a way that wouldn't be tracked to its origin point.
Like...tight-beam radio communications. Or - wait! Like lasers! Ilyssa thought, her eyes bulging somewhat at the possibility. Yes! That could be it! PKE energy being broadcast like thin, focused laser beams throughout the city! That would explain why all we've seen so far are spikes! Because the energy is so focused that the only way we detect it is if we interrupt the beam! And by the time we realize what's happened, whoever broke the beam has already passed by it, and the spike disappears!
The more Ilyssa thought about it, the more her idea made sense. Everything about her theory fit in line with what they had been experiencing thus far. Yes...a central point in the city, broadcasting the PKE energy like laser beams to...some kind of remote receivers! Something small enough to avoid detection, but large enough to absorb the PKE beams and convert it so that it would be spread out to cover a wide area! With a large enough array of receivers and a powerful enough antenna...yes! It could work!
More and more, Ilyssa felt pleased with her theory. Everything fit the situation they were in perfectly. Which leaves just one question; namely, where is all of this energy coming from? As the lovely scientist considered the matter, she began checking off the logical requirements for such a location, one by one. It has to be capable of broadcasting energy across as much of Manhattan and the rest of New York City as possible, so we're looking at a tall building. The taller, the better, Ilyssa realized. It can't be the Infinite Avengers Tower or the New Four Freedoms Plaza, obviously. It has to be someplace where someone could install the necessary equipment to either receive or generate that much PKE energy to wear down the barriers. And ideally, it would be a place predisposed to generating and broadcasting that energy, preferably in a way that wouldn't be noticed. But where? Where could we find someplace like -?
Before Ilyssa even realized what was happening, the answer exploded into her mind with the force of an atomic bomb, and it was all she could do not to fall over. "Aw, damn! How could I not have seen it sooner?!" she demanded, wanting nothing more than to smash her head into the Bigfoot's steering wheel. "Listen, patch me into Mitch, will you, Bigfoot! There's something I need to ask him!"
"Right, darling!" Bigfoot promptly replied.
"What is it?" Charmcaster asked. She was about to speak again, but Ilyssa held out her hand to her friend.
"Mitch, come in! Can you hear me?!" Ilyssa cried out.
"I can hear you, Ilyssa, but - you better make it quick!" Michiru returned around grunts of efforts, as well as what could only be described as the wails of the dead and damned. "I've got my hands full right now!"
"Yeah? And how's that different from normal?" Bigfoot wondered with a touch of amusement.
"Easy," Charmcaster smiled deviously. "What he's got his hands full with isn't nearly as attractive as we are."
"Or as much fun to play with," Nefertina said in a teasing manner.
"Everyone, please!" Ilyssa urged them, despite finding a certain amusement in their well-intentioned gibes. "Listen, Mitch, there's something important I needed to ask you! I know you and some of the others checked out the nodes of Ivo Shandor's mandala, but did you check 55 Central Park West?"
"What?!" Michiru barked back, the sounds of battle prevalent in the background.
"55 Central Park West! The building that was originally used to summon Gozer!" Ilyssa urged the young man she loved so dearly. "Did you check it?!"
"I -!" Michiru hesitated, caught between whatever battle he was fighting and the struggle to remember. "I...we did a quick check on it, but we didn't find anything! Just the same levels of PKE we've been seeing all over the place!"
For a moment, Ilyssa frowned, wondering if she had been wrong. But then she pressed on with, "How did you check it?" she urged him. "Did you just take a reading of the building or did you actively inspect it?!"
"We - ow! - ran scans of the building and did a quick check of the roof! We found nothing!" Michiru replied around a grunt of effort. "The gateway was destroyed, and - Arrows of Ice! - everything looked to be in place!"
Nodding to this, Ilyssa mulled over what she had been told. 55 Central Park West was a logical place to check for the source of the problem, but at the same time, it was also easy to dismiss. The original Gozer incident had taken place years ago, and more importantly, the roofcap and temple that had allowed Gozer to breach the dimensions and reach this world had long since been destroyed. The current blueprints were all on record and had been cleared to be certain that there was no supernatural hanky-panky in the works.
But at the same time, the building's structure remained exactly as it was, made with cold-riveted girders with cores of pure selenium. The building as a whole was still perfectly capable of performing its original purpose; to pull in and concentrate spiritual turbulence, PKE activity, and mana. And if somebody's found a way of converting that energy into destructive PKE and then broadcasting it throughout the city...maybe with something small enough to avoid being detected by anything other than an in-depth inspection...yes, yes, it could all fit!
"Ilyssa, what is it?" Michiru wondered, still fighting against whatever assailants dogged him. "Have you got something?!"
"I just might!" Ilyssa hurriedly replied, hoping against hope that she was right. "Nefertina, I need you to patch me into anybody who's close to 55 Central Park West!"
"Already on it!" Nefertina immediately responded. "Uh, let's see...Kirara, Sonar, and Jubilee are the closest. X-23 and Scorpina are a bit further away, but they could get there fast enough."
"Then tell them to head there right away!" Ilyssa urged her friend. "And patch me into them while you're at it! I need to explain to them what they're looking for!"
"And what are they looking for?!" Charmcaster wondered, giving Ilyssa an annoyed look.
"The source of the trouble. Or at least something that will lead us to it," Ilyssa promptly replied, issuing a heavy, tired sigh. "I just hope that...we're not too late..."
Author's Notes: Well, another chapter done. I hope it succeeded in entertaining everyone. So please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories while I'm at it?
CandyMan53, we'll be meeting more of the gang in the next chapter.
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint, crazy is the name of the game in Coreline. I'm glad you're enjoying this thus far.
