Arisugawa's Locket Vs S.H.I.E.L.D.
Part One
Ranma Saotome smiled as the busty redheaded woman waved the three women inside. "I hope you have a fun night," she added as the three headed down the hall. 'Army types visiting from as base?' Ranma guessed as she took in the woman's close cropped hair and slightly stiff bearing, then she decided not to worry about it.
The three women stuck close together as they were greeted by Excel Excel, then moved through the press of the crowd to a unoccupied table. They got water and ordered soda from a waitress in a maid outfit as the three took in the chaos around them. Women wore outfits from several different eras, including a few from the future, there was a riot of hair and skin tones and several people practically radiated physical, mental or spiritual power.
"I guess the tips we heard about this place were right," the youngest of the three admitted, her blond hair a almost honey gold.
"It certainly looks like it," Erica Swensen agreed, the lead agent's brown hair falling a bit messily into her eyes. She casually took out what looked like a MP3 player and touched the front, "Helicarrier, do you read me?"
High above Japan the Hellicarrier flew, looking like the love child of a aircraft carrier, a swarm of helicopters and a rocket. Maria Hill, second in command of S.H.I.E.L.D., listened as the tech teams confirmed the dimensional shift that the bar used as a cloak was inactive.
"Using portable scanners we've confirmed multiple super-humans," Erica said seriously, "all unregistered. Also, there's some pretty odd readings down here, so I'd suggest sending in the armored cape-hunters."
Maria made a face, knowing the call to deploy them was her's alone. "Cape-killers are a go," she agreed.
"Cape-killers go," the tech said, "agents, stay on site but do not act unless necessary or if the operation is completely blown. Understood?"
"Confirmed," Erica nodded.
"Put me through to the cape-killer launch bay," Maria ordered the communication's system. "Ladies and gentlemen," she addressed the agents, "we have been invited here by Japan's government to investigate a possible superhuman underground base. We've found it, and you are being deployed to deal with it."
As a rumble of conversation started Maria continued, "Remember that we are here as guests of Japan. I want minimum damage and casualties, people, this is a capture rather than kill op." She finished with, "Do your job, like the professionals you are."
"Cape-killers launched," the computer reported a few moments later, "suit based power dampers running normally. Anyone who takes a shot at them is getting a big surprise."
'Whoever is running that bar down there,' Maria thought to herself, 'I hope like hell you're smart and surrender immediately.'
Ranma Saotome enjoyed being the door woman and sometimes bouncer at Arisugawa's Locket. Not only did she get to stand out here chatting with the ladies, but she could do it without being pounded on by her girlfriend Akane. But no matter how much fun this was it hadn't dulled her battle instinct and she was getting a bad feeling about those army women she let in....
Looking up Ranma's eyes widened as she took in about twenty faceless battle armored figures flying down out of the night sky, practically radiating menace. "Ladies, better get out of here, trouble's coming, " she warned the women waiting in line then touched the keypad by the door, "Juri!"
"Yes?" Juri answered, faintly surprised to hear a bit of strain in Ranma's voice. 'Trouble,' she thought grimly as she stood seemingly calmly by the bar.
"Military forces, incoming," Ranma said seriously, "armored and carrying weapons. I'll...." She started to add something else when a burst of feedback made Ranma wince. She tried the communication button again and just got static before letting it go. "Jamming?" Ranma murmured as the first few touched down, "Now I know you're unfriendly."
The leader of the armored figures stepped forward, his heavy rifle like weapon hanging at his side. "I am Ken Scarborough of Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate," he announced.
"Eh?" Ranma blinked while still moving to put herself between them and the door.
"S.H.I.E.L.D." Ken gave the shortened version. "We're here by invitation of the Japanese government to investigate super-human activities on this location. Step aside."
"Where's your warrant?" Ranma asked, folding her arms.
"Don't joke around, Miss," Ken said quietly, "we don't need a warrant. Now move, before someone gets hurt."
"No," Ranma said, "so unless you storm troopers wanna shoot me, buzz off."
Apparently one trooper did, bringing up his electromagnetic stun gun to drop the stubborn young lady. However Ranma saw the motion and moved, a blur of speed that disarmed the man before he could fire a second shot, his first zipping through where Ranma had been. The 'chestnuts from fire' speed punches sent the trooper reeling, then Ranma delivered a kick that sent him flying.
'That tears it,' Ken grimaced as he ordered his team to restrain the girl.
Nearly five minutes later up on the Hellicarrier Maria Hill listened with disbelief to a update. "One woman is holding off twenty cape-killers?" she demanded.
"One woman and several ladies who were trying to get in the club," the commander reported glumly. "the closest equivilent to her power signature is the martial artist Iron Fist. She had apparently fully disabled five suits and seriously damaged six more. The rest are using ranged weapons and trying to stay out of her reach."
"Damn" Maria cursed softly.
"Should we send the second squad of cape-killer suits in?" the commander asked.
"Hmm," Maria frowned. She had reviewed the confrontation, and while S.H.I.E.L.D units had the authority to go in without a warrant, the woman's demanding to see one wasn't that unreasonable. If someone had told her about the request before the shooting started, she would have put the squad on standby and gone get one! But now that weapons were fired, they were committed....
"Sir?" the commander pressed.
"Send them in," Maria ordered, "but not to subdue the door woman. Have units on the spot draw her away and have the new team get inside the building itself."
"Understood," the commander saluted as she hurried to relay the orders.
As soon as Ranma saw the second group of armored troops dropping from the sky she realized that they had deliberately sucked her out of position. She used a breaking point attack on the road, sending rock flying like shrapnel then hauled out her phone, hoping the jamming was down.
As the phone rang Juri and the others were watching the fight on security cameras, having bolted the doors on orders from Ranma herself when she first started the guard job. "Arisugawa," Juri picked it up.
"Saotome," Ranma grinned then went serious as she used a long range ki attack to shoot down a flier, "there's a second team coming, heading for the doors. I'm too out of position to stop 'em."
"You've done wonderfully, Ranma," Juri reassured her, "no one could have done better." She smiled a dangerous little smile as she added, "Besides, I want a shot at whoever decided that it was a good idea to attack my bar."
"Good luck," Ranma said as she hung up, punching at another as she noted how hard it was to really hurt them. 'Kinda like fighting a army of Ryouga's,' she thought, enjoying the challenge.
It was at that moment that three particular ladies ended-up getting distracted from their activities. "Huh? What the hell was that?" asked Irene 'Rally' Vincent, the dusky vampire setting down her glass of O-negative blood.
Seras Victoria also noticed, setting down her glass as well. "There seems to be some sort of commotion at the front door," she offered. The Draculina then turned to her former fledgling and added, "You don't suppose Juri's contending with some gate crasher, like what happened when Pip and his men tried to get in when the club appeared near us?"
"Maybe, Master," Rally said, again taking a sip of her blood, "just so long as it's notanother version of Goldie trying to push her drugs in here! Don't want to face HER if I have to!"
"Now you two stop that!" Moria Hedgley admonished, the young brunette sipping her tea. "Honestly, both of you are acting like my father, worrying like that! This is my first time here, after all, and we're supposed to be having fun, not like when you two ran-off that one girl that tried to pick me up!"
"I wouldn't exactly call 'Whirlwind' Solude Schfoltzer a proper lady to be around, Moria," Seras countered, taking note of a woman with short, spiky brown hair currently moping at the bar. "For all the times we've been here, she seems to have created her share of broken hearts here. I know we suggested that you would have a fling-or-two before we left, but me and Rally just didn't want to have you end-up as one of her conquests."
Moria nodded, taking note. She then turned her attention to Rally, her green eyes twinkling, "So, my lovely… have any plans of taking me to those…" she blushed slightly, "upstairs rooms you and Seras are always talking about?"
"Uh… maybe, let's not rush things too much, okay Moria?" Rally said, her attention returning to the commotion at the front door. Moria simply sighed discouragedily, but didn't say anything more.
The three just ignored the ruckus that seemed to be occurring at the front door, instead concentrating on their own celebration. Rally did take note, however, that Ryoko had left her position at the bar, changing out of her street clothes as she did. She also saw Juri leaving the back office in somewhat of a hurry. Deciding to ignore it, she turned her attention back to Seras and Moria.
"What's the plan?" Ryouko Hibiki asked Juri, the cyan haired space pirate having changed out of street clothes into her form fitting battle wear.
Juri drew out the handle of the Jurain energy blade that Ryouko and Minagi had given her, the one she practiced with daily. A burst of will and the blade ignited, a saber glowing in orange. "They're guests," she smiled, "we'll show them our best."
The second team of cape-killers dropped almost right on top of the bar, watching in shock as one woman and several apparently normal females beat the crap out of a full squad of twenty of their comrades. "All right," Commander Abby Chase said as her team set up by the doors, "we blast our way in, shock and awe style. We want to frighten them so bad they'll give up."
"If they're anything like that redhead, ain't gonna happen," one of her teammates muttered.
Wisely ignoring that, the team went to work. An attempt to kick the doors down, even with their powered armor, failed but a shaped C-4 charge blew up the outer doors with a satisfying boom. The team of soldiers advanced as best they could down the small hallway, only managing to fit three abreast. The lead squad broke into the bar itself with guns leveled, the smoke still blocking much of their vision.
Abby's eyes widened as three figures emerged from the gloom, hefting what looked like honest to god LIGHT SABERS and having remarkably vicious expressions on their faces. "Get the hell out of my bar," the orange haired woman ordered dangerously, "or suffer the consequences."
To be continued!
Our Cast: Ranma Saotome and Nabiki Tendo are from Ranma ½, Juri Arisugawa and Keiko are from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ryouko and Minagi are from Tenchi Muyo and May is from Hand Maid May.
Characters: Erica Swensen is from Spitfire and the Troubleshooters, Maria Hill is from Avengers and other books, and Abbey Chase and her team are based off Danger Girls. Rally Vincent is from Gunsmith Cats, Seres Victoria is from Hellsing, Schfoltzer is from Maze and Moria Hedgley is from a original fic by BigKwell, Night Angels.
Notes: Before the Ranma purists start yelling that Ranma should be kicking the asses of the SHIELD agents all on his/her own, there are two points to consider. The first is that the SHIELD agents are equipped with power damper fields. They don't entirely shut down Ranma's Ki abilities, but they do weaken them, weakening his/her blows and energy bursts. The other issue is that Ranma does not want to let loose with the BIG attacks because of the sort of property damage they do. And, of course, he doesn't want to kill the agents, too.
This is a tie in to Night Angels Version 2, and also contains text by BigKwell. You can read his fic on fanfiction dot net.