PART 6
What's happened so far: Jeff Anderson, 'retiring' super hero, has come to Nerima for reasons involving a dead colleague and Mishima Heavy Industries. He has arranged a cover as a student teacher at Furinkan High. He's met most of the Ranma cast. While he no longer things Ranma is a meta-human like himself, he thinks Ryoga definitely is. He's seen Ranma transform and immediately figured out Ryoga is P-Chan. Ranma convinces Jeff not to blab to Akane. Jeff learns about Jusenkyo. The next day, he manages to avoid most of the insanity that is Nerima. After sparring with, and losing to, Ranma, Jeff also finds out about chi. He calls home and finds that a back door into the Mishima Heavy Industries network has been accessed and a partial trace on the source of the hack has been made. Time to do a little recon.
-----
I check the surrounding area before I slip out the window. Then I fly up a few hundred meters. Cruising altitude for me is about 40 meters, but I need the extra height to get above the glare from the city lights. Of all the things I can do with my telekinesis, flying is what I love the best. It is the first time I've really flown since I got to Japan, so I fool around a bit, twisting and turning, making sure nothing will fall off by accident. My makeshift costume holds up well under the testing. After a bit, I head north east until I hit the Nanbu Line, and follow that north to the Nerima district. Even at cruising speed it's _much_ faster than bicycling.
The Mishima Heavy Industries building is lit up like a no fly zone. I find a convenient roof top and study the layout. Not that you can tell much. A fairly tall building with very little around it. Maybe I'll test their security after I plant this puppy. Just in case, I scout a couple of approach paths and a couple of escape routes as well. Note the location of the nearest train stations and subway entrances as back ups.
The apartment building that Monster says the hack originated from takes a while to find. A fairly modest six story building with a small playground in the front and a park next door. Probably costs a bundle to live there. Of course, it costs a bundle to live _anywhere_ in Japan. I hit the roof and look for the main phone box.
Finding it, I break out the spare broad cloth to cover my work. The flashlight allows me to see well enough so the tool kit and my TK can open the box. Now to figure out which circuit belongs to the hacker...
As I'm trying to figure out what to do next, I hear something that sounds like an approaching helicopter. I turn off the flashlight and remove the broad cloth so I can look around. Approaching the building is that weird aerodyne I saw Wednesday on my way home from school. Mishima must have traced the hack too. Wait. If they traced the hack, what took them so long to get here? Moving to use the phone box for cover, I hear an amplified female voice.
"Natsume Kyusaku, surrender Ryunosuke-kun at once or suffer Lady Akiko's wrath!" (Wait a sec, I know that name from somewhere...)
After a moment, an unamplified male voice shouting at the top of his lungs can be heard. "You morons, Ryu's not here! He went to the anime marathon with Yoshimi-chan and Nuku Nuku!" (Natsume... Natsume... Natsume...)
"Oh. Sorry," the amplified voice replies. (Son of a bitch! No wonder that name sounds familiar! Until a couple of years ago, he was Mishima Heavy Industries' top designer. He is (or was) married to the President of MHI too. It was in the material I dug up when I researched Mishima.)
A different amplified voice kicks in. "You're still going to suffer!"
I had already started to move to the edge of the roof so I could spot which balcony when I hear the new voice. So I clearly can see the two missiles fired from the aerodyne, straight toward the apartment building. My adrenal glands kick over with a near audible click and my TK strength increases by a factor of 8. I put the biggest, strongest repeller field I can make to cover the top floors of the building and hope it's enough. The missiles impact the field, but there is no explosion. Why, I can't guess. The repeller field knocks them away from the building and they fall harmlessly into the playground in front of the building.
I'm not about to let them get off another shot. I leap off the roof and fly toward the aerodyne as fast as I can, getting a speed boost as I pass through the repeller field. I've never clocked my flying speed when I've boosted, but it isn't fast enough. A second flight of missiles have launched. I can do two TK tricks at once with no problem, provided one of them is flying or the repeller field. More than that gets tricky and unreliable. I can't afford unreliable right now, so I stop flying. As I start to fall, I reach out with my mind for one of the missiles and slam it into the other. A small explosion ensues, but nothing breaches the repeller field. I start flying again, pulling up before I hit the ground.
The aerodyne has shifted position, turning towards me. Must have infrared or damn good eyesight. It's moving backwards as I fly toward it. If it weren't for the running lights, I'd never be able to keep it in sight. Before it can fire again, I manage to land on the canopy. The repeller field collapses as I've left it too far behind. Can't keep those things stable much beyond 60 meters.
The running lights show the craft has two women in flight gear in it. Pilot and Navigator I'm guessing. Although flight helmets cover most of their faces, the Pilot has an evil grin while the Navigator's mouth hangs open.
All of a sudden we are gaining altitude at a rapid pace. Fine by me. I unlimber the baseball bat and take a swing. Not even a scratch. Must be laminated polymer or even that "synthetic diamond" stuff. I use TK to back my next swing. The bat breaks, but at least I star the canopy. The climb stops suddenly and I manage to hang on. That's when they start running electricity though the airframe.
The next thing I know, I'm in free fall, wind is whistling in my ears and my boosted power is gone. I spread my arms to slow myself and get my bearings and start flying straight up as fast as I can. By the time I cancel my downward momentum I'm only 30 meters off the ground. I can hear the aerodyne above me so I can't stay here. I can't risk them shooting at another building, but staying in the open could get me very very dead. I spot a river and a bridge over it. Time to go.
I avoid two more missile attacks, but they're getting closer. None of the missiles have had warheads yet, but I still don't want to get hit by one. The explosion when I slammed two missiles together must have been their fuel supplies or something. I'm tiring now, the side effects of boosting are getting to me.
Finally, I make it under the bridge. There isn't enough room for the aerodyne to flank me and as long as all they are using are dummy warheads, the bridge should protect me. Wrong. They start firing some type of machine gun at the bridge. What is it with these people? Nothing penetrating from the top, but the sides of the bridge are getting chewed up pretty bad. Then I get an idea.
I use TK to gather up some chunks of concrete and a piece of railing. I pull off my t-shirt and wrap the stuff up in it. Then I fly across to the other side off the river where they won't see my next trick. I hope the bridge is blocking their sensors. The firing stops, but I can still hear the sounds of the engines. I pop up from the far side of the bridge and fly as fast as I can to the aerodyne. A couple of missiles are fired at me. I don't know how I manage to dodge them. As I cross over the top of the aerodyne, I see a look of triumph on the pilot's face. The ship starts to rise up to intercept me when I let go of my t-shirt and bank left at my best speed, something like 160-170 kph.
Concrete and metal meet turbine which then goes boom. An instant later, the shockwave knocks me end over end. A flash of pain tells me I've caught a piece of shrapnel in my right side. Without the repeller field, it could have cut me in half. I'm already reaching for the first aid kit as I settle to the ground. No time for anything fancy, so I yank the shrapnel out, let it bleed for a few seconds and slap some gauze on it. A few strips of tape later and I'm ready to investigate the downed aerodyne.
The blown turbine looks like it took the other one with it. Nothing burning that I can see. There is a mess of foam pouring out the back of the craft, and they'll probably need a haz-mat crew if any fuel reaches the river. Cautiously, I approach the canopy. No movement from either the Pilot or Navigator. I curse the fact the I left my flashlight on top of that apartment building. Valuable time is wasted finding out the canopy doesn't open. A quick check finds a door on the left hand side. Using an emergency crank, I winch the door open.
Entering, I don't smell anything burning, which is a good sign. Small emergency lights give the cockpit an eerie glow. Where the hell are the cops? Somebody has to have reported this by now. First, I check pulse and respiration on both of them. The Navigator is fine, but the Pilot is having trouble breathing. Sounds ragged, but not bubbly. That's when the radio comes to life.
"Kyouko, Arisa, please respond." Another woman's voice. With a touch of desperation in it. I trace down the Pilot's body the best I'm able without removing her harness. Arms and legs, o.k... Shoulders... Can't tell with the harness on. Ribs... At least two cracked or broken.
"Kyouko, Arisa, anyone, please respond." Knowing that this is against my better judgment, I pick up the mike.
"This is the downed airplane, to whom am I speaking." My accent, while getting better, still marks me as an American. Could make it easy to trace me, but I'm not leaving until help arrives. Even if these folks have shot at me.
Must have been more obvious than I thought. She answers me in English. "This is Mishima Akiko, President of Mishima Heavy Industries." Then she asks, "Who are you and what are you doing aboard my plane?"
Switching to English, "Who I am is not important. Your pilot has at least two cracked ribs and is having trouble breathing. If she punctures a lung, she'll die. I need two ambulances, a haz-mat team and a guarantee from you that I walk away from this."
"You are in no position to bargain."
"Neither are you lady." I begin to hear sirens in the distance. They sound different from home so I'm not sure if they are police or fire or what.
"Very well."
"First off, nothing is burning, but I think you may be leaking fuel into the river. Second, the navigator seems to be fine, she's just unconscious. Could be half a dozen things wrong though, that's why I want the second ambulance."
"I see," the voice from the radio replies.
"Third, keep any other aircraft you may be tempted to send away." Downing this one was hard enough. "Last, I have no intentions of dealing with the police. If you think it through, you might realize this is in your best interests too. So if you have any influence at all, keep them away from me." The sirens are getting closer. I'm sure she can hear them when I key the mike.
"ohhh..." the Navigator moans from behind me.
"Are you all right?" I ask over my shoulder.
"I think... YOU!!!" She starts scrambling for her harness release. Before she can get out, I push her back into her seat.
"Don't be stupid. Your friend is hurt."
"What did you do to Arisa!?"
My Japanese anatomy is sketchy at best, so I point to my ribs and say, "Arisa broke two..."
"Abara bone?"
"Yes. Maybe a bad lung." The only reason I know the word for 'lung' is because it is spelled the same as the word for 'yes'. Just accented differently. The siren comes to a stop and I can see flashing lights in the distance. "You stay and help Arisa. If she wakes up, don't let her move." When I let her get back up, she bolts for the radio mike. By the time she gets her first sentence out, I'm out the door and flying just above the surface of the river. I've got to get the stuff off the apartment roof.
At least I'm morally certain that the hack came from Natsume Kyusaku. Finding out which apartment is his should be a snap. Heck, I'm tempted to ask him for his help directly. He can't be too thrilled about having missiles fired at him. I just might not be able to do it tonight. Gotta get the stuff I left behind and get out. Gotta do something about this wound too. Am I tired because of the side effects of the power boost, or am I tired because of the blood loss?
The police are out in force in front of the apartment building. Everything is roped off and people are milling around everywhere. I just take on a little more altitude, circle around and land on the roof from the back side. Once I'm down, I stagger over to the phone box and do my best to eliminate any signs that I'd been here. After everything is closed up, I lay the broadcloth down as a tarp and look under the gauze that I'm using as a patch. Looks like that piece of whatever it was sliced skin, but not muscle. Lucky lucky lucky, that's me. It's still bleeding a bit when I change bandages. I'm gonna look a mess when I get home.
I rest for bit, trying to catch my breath. The adrenaline haze my body produced is wearing off and this wound is starting to hurt. I dry swallow a bunch of aspirin and wish they were codeine. The pain is making it hard to concentrate and I'm low on power anyway. I don't think I can fly back to my room. Can't stay here either. Left my wallet in my room, so I can't check into a hotel. I don't know if Natsume saw me come off the roof or not, but I have to assume he did. If he did, he might mention it to the cops, or come up himself. That's why I came to clean things up in the first place.
Finally, my brain comes up with a viable option. I'm close enough to Furinkan High School to make it there in one piece. I'm sure I can open a window or something and then crash out in the nurse's office after I sew this thing up.
On the way there, I fly high over the crash site. It's been half an hour since I left and I'm curious as to what's happened. I see one ambulance, a couple of fire trucks, half a dozen police cars, three news trucks, a whole slew of Japan Defense Force trucks and some others. Hope they throw the book at Mishima. Lots of people at the wreck itself, but I can't tell who they are from up here. Memo to self, listen to the news if I can for the next few days.
I reach the school and enter by unlocking a third story window with the dregs of my TK. I hope they don't have a custodian in here right now. Down two flights of stairs and a couple corridors later, I reach the nurse's office. Lots of bandages are available, but I have to pick a lock with a paper clip to get a suture kit. I peel off the blood soaked gauze and clean the wound with iodine and peroxide. The worst of the bleeding has stopped, but the peroxide burns like hell.
This isn't the first time I've sewn myself up, but it's never a pleasant experience. Eleven stitches. A doctor would have probably used more, but this ought to do it for me. It'll heal up in few days, and I won't even have a scar in a month. I re-bandage the wound and realize that I've done every thing I can do right now. I head to the gym, specifically the coach's office. After propping a chair against to door to block it, I crash out on the couch.
------
I awake with a start. It takes me a moment to remember where I am and how I got here. The chair I propped against the door is undisturbed. The pain in my side is down to a dull roar, and I could eat a horse. I unblock the door and do a little careful looking around. No signs of a janitor, so I take a shower and put on another new bandage. Very little blood on the old one, which is a good sign.
I realize I left a mess in the nurse's office and go clean it up. Must not have been thinking too clearly last night. Glancing at a clock, I see that it's 2 in the afternoon. Must have slept for 9 or 10 hours. I'll send a money order for the cost of the supplies I used later. Right now I have to figure out how to get back to my rented room while dressed like a ninja.
Going back to the coach's office, I search until I find what I'm looking for. Soccer uniforms. I put on the largest shirt I can find. I tie the top of my ninja costume and the hood into a bundle with the rest of the stuff I brought with me. Before leaving, I go over every place I've been in the school and make sure I've left no avoidable signs of my visit. Can't do much about the missing bandages and the suture kit though. I can bring the shirt back with me tomorrow.
I go out the way I came in and lightly land on the ground. A quick trip to the dumpster takes care of the bloody bandages. A leap over the fence surrounding the school, and I'm ready to head back to my room.
-----
I don't recommend making a 25 kilometer trip by foot under most circumstances. Doing so with eleven fresh stitches in your side when you haven't eaten anything in fourteen hours is even worse. I actually think about stopping at Ucchan's for some food, but decide against it for two reasons. One, I don't have any cash on me. Two, I'm sure she'd notice what I was wearing and ask questions I don't feel like answering.
As it is, I do get some odd looks as I go home. Especially when my stomach growls loud enough to be heard 5 meters away. There are enough water fountains in parks that I don't get thirsty and can take a few aspirin when I want to, but by the time I get 'home', I am in a raging hunger.
Three cans of tuna fish, two liters of milk, half a dozen energy bars and four packages of instant ramen take the edge off my appetite. I always eat more when I'm healing up after an injury. By now, it's 8:00 PM and I'm still hungry. I'm tempted to call for take out, but decide against it. Fortunately, there are McDonald's in Japan. I blow 3000 yen over the course of the next two hours, but at least I'm not hungry any more.
I stroll back home, turn on the TV and check the latest data from Monster. The back door was used last night, right after the incident with the aerodyne. This time, Monster was able to trace the signal to Natsume Kyusaku's apartment. Unfortunately, the encryption keys seem to have changed. Back not quite to square one, but close enough on that front. I have Monster check a couple of internet Japanese news sites and translate what he finds to English.
Cover up all the way. The crashed aerodyne is too big to ignore, so they change every other detail they can. According the MHI press release, the aerodyne was stolen by terrorists. The attack against the apartment building is listed as an attack against Natsume Kyusaku, "former employee of MHI". Well they got that part right. Pilot and Navigator are listed as two MHI employees who were conducting systems checks at the time of the incident. Yeah, right. Crash was due to valiant efforts of said employees to stop the terrorists, who got away after the crash. No mention of a flying man. MHI to cover all costs involved in cleaning up the mess. Valiant statement about not giving into the threat of terrorism. The spin doctors here are just as good as the ones in DC.
I stay up until the nightly news comes on. Maybe they have a different perspective. Indeed they do. It's the lead story. They aren't buying MHI's line about a terrorist attack. Why? Because of some interviews with other residents of the apartment building. Even worse, there is a video clip that clearly silhouettes me against the background of the aerodyne. Fortunately, it's only a few seconds long, there's nothing to give a sense of scale and I'm in black from head to toe. Seems I've forgotten the Japanese fascination with photography and video cameras. A brief panel discussion brings up the possibility of aliens returning to Japan, youma attacks and ESPer's running loose in the city. Well, the last one is true after a fashion.
As interesting as it is, it's not enough to prevent me from falling asleep with the TV still on.
-----
I awake to the sound of a children's program theme song blaring from the TV. Turning it off, I do my 100 push ups, perhaps a little slower than usual. There is a bit of tightness where the stitches are, but no sign of infection. I'm not up to riding to school, so I shower, grab my stuff and head straight for the nearest train station. It'll be the same route I used last Monday before I bought the bicycle. I catch a lucky break when I transfer, so I get to the Nerima district in time to stop at Ucchan's for breakfast.
Ukyo smiles when I walk in and greets me with "Irasshaimase, what can I get for you Jeff?"
"Double beef okonomiyaki please," I request. It arrives in short order, and as I'm finishing it, Ukyo orders everyone out so she can get ready for school. Not having my bike and not wanting to run, I simply walk alone to the school. I see Nabiki talking to one of her cronies as I arrive on the school grounds. She either doesn't see me, or chooses to ignore me as she heads into the school proper.
I replace the Soccer uniform I had borrowed and head upstairs. I wonder who will collect the 2000 yen I put up for grabs. If I were to bet, I'd bet on Nabiki. Girl knows numbers. That's if she felt like putting any effort into it. Serizawa-sensei gives me five minutes at the start of the day to collect the entries. Of the 24 students in the class, 16 turn in something, 7 do not and Kuno hasn't shown up yet.
I glance through the papers and inform the class. "Provisionally, the winner of the 2000 yen is Matsuda Kosaka. If the answers check out, the money will be yours this afternoon." The announcement puts a ripple through the classroom. Several people look at Nabiki as if they expected her to win. Gotta admit I did too, but Nabiki stopped at 156 while Kosaka took it to 162. A few of his friends slap Kosaka on the back, and he looks both embarrassed and triumphant.
My five minutes are up and Serizawa-sensei begins class for the day. Kuno shows up with a few lumps on his head about 15 minutes into class. He gives me a solid glare but doesn't do anything stupid. Well, stupider than usual.
While Serizawa-sensei drones on, I look at the papers I received. Most of them got stuck at 72 or less, some at 112, and only Nabiki and Kosaka got past that. It takes a couple of minutes to verify all his answers, but they check out making him the winner. Just for the heck of it, I go through the rest of the entries looking for errors. I don't find many though.
Lunch rolls around and Serizawa-sensei calls me to his desk after all the students leave.
"What do you think of the results of your 'learn and win' experiment?" he asks me.
"Disappointing. I expected more of the students to participate," I tell him. True too, as some of the people who did not participate are some of the better math students. "From the reactions I saw, most of the students thought Tendo Nabiki would win easily."
"Matsuda-kun is an excellent student, I am not surprised by the results. However, I agree that many students would believe Tendo-chan would win. Some of those students believed it to the point where they did not even compete."
"Amazing what a reputation will let you get away with," I say.
"Do you see why I did not approve of this experiment?"
"To an extent Serizawa-sensei."
He frowns at me before speaking. "My goal is to prepare these students for what may lie ahead. Bribing them to work is not a situation they should be expecting once they leave here."
"Everyone gets bribed to work. They call it a pay check."
"Do not interrupt. While you have been handling the classes you teach well enough, you are far too involved with the student body. Your familiarity with them is disruptive to say the least." I wait for a few seconds before speaking.
"Serizawa-sensei, I have some things to say. First, the four fours problem isn't about mathematics, it's about lateral thinking and problem solving. I believe you have confused the medicine with the spoon." Before he can answer, I continue, "Second, what I do on my own time is my own business. Third, Tendo Nabiki instigated Kuno-san's challenge of me to a duel. Kuno attacked me twice after I disarmed him. With what some might call deadly intent. I could care less who his father is or how rich his family is. He tries anything again and I won't hold back."
He doesn't say anything for a bit, so I ask to be excused. He waves me off with a perturbed expression on his face. As I head down to the cafeteria, I figure out why Ranma eats outside whenever possible. It saves wear and tear on the building. Actually, the hole in the stairwell helps me figure it out.
Looking through said hole, I see male Ranma being hugged by Shampoo, Akane fuming nearby, Kuno ranting with bokken in hand and Ukyo keeping herself between Ranma and Kuno, giant spatula at the ready. Sigh. I duck onto the second floor and grab a water bucket from a surprised student before going through the hole to the outdoors.
Kuno is still ranting, but is closer to Ranma and Shampoo, Ukyo looks nervous, but ready to start swinging, Akane is nowhere to be seen and Ranma has a clearly visible hand print on his left cheek. Shampoo is still holding on tightly to Ranma. It looks like she's saying something to him, but I can't tell what from here. Ranma sees me jump from the hole with bucket in hand and his eyes go wide. As I land, the water sloshes around a bit.
Shampoo hears this and jerks in shock. She lets go of Ranma and dodges the water that I slosh at her. Ranma dodges in the opposite direction. Well, at least they're separated. Kuno notices my arrival and stops in mid-rant. Ukyo looks somewhat relieved at this. I've never seen her fight, so I don't know if she could take Kuno or not. Doubtful if Kuno goes all out.
Shampoo pops up in front of me in a martial arts stance. "Who is you?" she asks me.
"I am student teacher Jeffery Anderson. You must be Shampoo."
"How foreign man know Shampoo name?"
"Your fame precedes you," I answer. Shampoo looks confused. I get a lock on her with my TK. While I'm busy here, Ranma is making quick work of Kuno and Ukyo switches her attention to me and Shampoo.
"You interfere with Shampoo and airen. Obstacles is for killing!"
"Whatever." The rest of the water from the bucket flies straight and true. She tries to dodge out of the way but can't. A look of shock appears on her face just as the water hits her, transforming her into a cat. I lose my TK grip when she shifts forms. A few seconds later, a small white cat with purple trim pokes her head out of a pile of clothing.
Ukyo shouts, "Get Shampoo out of here! Ranma's deathly afraid of cats!"
Upon hearing the word "cats" Ranma turns around to see Shampoo racing towards him. He screams in terror, turns again and runs. Straight through Kuno, knocking Kuno out. It's almost funny to watch, Ranma running for his life from a small cat. I run after them, still carrying the bucket. A little TK stops Shampoo in her tracks. Well, her feet keep moving, but she's not getting anywhere. With her mass reduced this low, she's easy to handle. Ranma keeps right on going, smashing into the wall surrounding the school. I flip the bucket upside down and slam it over Shampoo. This breaks my TK hold on her, but I doubt she's strong enough to knock me off the bucket.
Ukyo comes running up carrying Shampoo's clothes. I give serious thought to keeping a loaded squirt gun on my person at all times. I should get one for Ranma too. And Ukyo.
"I can heat some water on my portable grill to change her back," Ukyo says.
"I'm not sure I want to change her back. She'd probably just attack again." From the way the bucket is shaking, I'd damn near guarantee it.
"Uh... right... I'm going to check on Ran-chan." She leaves the pile of clothes.
I rap the top of the bucket a few times to get Shampoo's attention. Should sound like being in the middle of boom box in there. At least the bucket stops shaking. "Are you going to settle down, or do I ship you someplace without running water?" A loud meow is the only response I get. Maybe I should ship her to Robert the Talking Cat. He's always wanted another sentient cat to play with. Nah. Too much like kidnapping.
Ukyo gets Ranma back to his feet and they both come over to me.
"Any suggestions?" I ask. Both of them visibly bite their tongues.
Eventually Ranma says, "Take her back ta the old ghoul at the Nekohanten." Ukyo nods agreement.
"I don't know how to get there." The warning bell rings. "Besides, we are all due back in class in five minutes."
"Ooh. Sensei, wait right here," Ukyo says before running off around the corner of the building.
"What was that about?" I ask Ranma.
"Dunno."
"You get back to class, I can wait a little longer."
"Sure thing sensei." Soon after Ranma heads in, Ukyo comes back with a small cage.
"Where did you... Nevermind, I don't want to know." Ukyo just gives me a small smile and heads for the front door. No one else is around so this should be safe to try now. I put a repeller field facing inwards in a dome about me, the cage and the bucket before I flip over the bucket. As expected, Shampoo takes off running as soon as she's able. She bounds right into the repeller field which knocks her back a bit. A quick snatch on my part gets her into the cage with only a couple claw marks on my hands to show for it.
I drop the field, grab the loose clothes and head, cage in hand, for the front doors. "I'll take you home after classes. In the mean time, please remain quiet." I don't have time to do anything else with her, so I take her with me back to class. Most of the students' eyes go wide when we enter. I place the cage on top of my desk.
Serizawa-sensei asks the most rhetorical and useless question in all history. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I think someone on staff should have told me about Jusenkyo curses when I started here. As you can see, I've found out the hard way."
"Oh. Very well." Serizawa-sensei replies guardedly before starting the afternoon session.
When math rolls around, I hand Matsuda Kosaka his winnings. Shampoo pays attention during the math class, and is being a model prisoner overall, but I'm not about to let her out of the cage. After classes, I ask the students how to get to the Nekohanten. Nabiki offers to sell me the information, but I get directions from another student. Just to piss off Nabiki, I'm tempted to pay him, but decide it isn't worth it.
-----
The sign above the door translates roughly as "Cat Cafe". It's not too far from Ucchan's. I enter, carrying Shampoo-cat in a cage in one hand, and Shampoo's clothes in the other. A young Chinese man wearing thick glasses on top of his head greets me. Mousse, if I remember right from Ranma's description and from what happened Saturday.
"Welcome to the Nekohanten. How may I help you?" As far as I can tell, he actually directed that to the door frame, but close enough.
"Is this yours?" I ask holding up the cage.
Mousse peers at the cage and says, "No, we haven't lost a ferret." Shampoo drops her little cat jaw.
A bowl bounces off the back of his head, knocking his glasses to where they belong.
"Shampoo!" I let him grab the cage and toss the clothes on top of it. As he rushes off to the back of the restaurant, I'm confronted with an odd sight. A very short woman balancing on a staff that is taller than she is. This HAS to be Cologne. Ranma wasn't kidding when he said she was old, and I can even see why her calls her "ghoul". _Scary_ looking old woman.
"Thank you for returning my great-granddaughter," Cologne says in a voice much more pleasant than her appearance. Before anything else can be said, a scream of rage is heard from the back and Shampoo, human again, is charging me with two maces that have large spherical heads. Wish she'd have put her clothes on first though.
The distraction proves almost fatal, as I dodge her swing at my head by millimeters. I'm sure the male patrons are enjoying the view, but I've got other things to worry about. I dash through the still open door and hope she won't come outside. I'm backing away and she hasn't come outside yet... Wait, here she comes. At least she's dressed now. With the number of potential witness, I don't want to use my TK if I can avoid it. I shouldn't have used it on her at school, but it's too late to worry about that now.
I lead a merry chase, heading toward the canal that runs through the Nerima district. I try not to let her get within striking range, but it isn't easy. The stitches in my side are slowing me down a step, and Shampoo is pretty quick. Cologne is following behind, I've caught a couple of glimpses of her. No sign of Mousse though.
Finally, I get her where I want her. She is aware of where I've led her and gets cautious. So I goad her a bit. "Come and get me," I say while motioning her toward me. I also leap up onto the concrete retaining wall, making it certain that if she charges me from where she is and misses, she's going in the drink. I reach for a lock with my TK, but don't get one by the time she makes her move.
She throws one of the maces and while I'm busy ducking, charges me. It's a good try, but I'm fast enough to jump over her strike and counter with a kick. She takes it and lands a blow to my stomach with the remaining mace. It hurts, but I've taken a lot worse. At least she doesn't burst the stitches. I recover before she can follow up and raise my repeller field to protect me from future strikes. We trade another set of blows, but the repeller field makes her impact negligible. Shampoo connects again, but still with no real effect. That's when I notice her starting to glow.
Shampoo's entire body and her remaining mace are surrounded with a blue aura. This is the first battle aura I've seen since Ranma described the phenomenon to me. If the rest of what he said is true, Shampoo just got much more dangerous. Her next swing connects, knocking me over the retaining wall and off the bridge. Without my repeller field, I might not have survived it. Still hurts.
I don't hit the water, because I start using my TK to fly. A nasty idea comes to mind. Aw, the heck with it. I drop the repeller field around me and place a new one 10 centimeters under the water then crank it up to full blast. Shampoo looks over the retaining wall just in time to catch her part of 150 liters of water in the face. I drop the field before any more water can flow in.
I climb out of the canal on the far side of the bridge and take a look at the damage. Nothing too severe, just some broken concrete. At least it's not a 2 meter hole in a stairwell. Cologne uses her staff like a pogo stick and bounces over to where Shampoo is shaking out her fur. Cologne glances at Shampoo and then gives me a look I find very uncomfortable.
"Very impressive, young man. You do not fight as well as son-in-law, but it seems you have other abilities," she says in a serious tone. Son-in-law? Oh yeah, according to the customs of her tribe, Shampoo considers Ranma her husband. I thought it was a very stupid custom when Ranma mentioned it while we had dinner at Ucchan's last week.
I walk toward the pair and ask, "Is Shampoo all right? I didn't want to hurt her." A half-truth. I was ready to keep fighting, but she was too dangerous an opponent with those maces. If I hadn't used TK, she could have beat me. Lots of powerful martial artists here in Nerima.
"Perhaps I should have Shampoo marry you instead." I see an intrigued look on her face. Whatever Cologne is thinking, it can't be good for me.
I stop walking before I say, "I'm already married." What is it about arranged marriages in this town? Ranma, Ukyo, Akane, Shampoo, who knows who else.
Cologne looks a bit crestfallen at my response. "I can see you speak the truth. Pity. Such blood would be welcome in our tribe."
While there are many things I might say about that, starting with "Not bloody likely", I keep my mouth shut by sheer force of will. I know some people who might enjoy this marriage by combat thing, but I doubt they would make good Amazons. If what Ranma told me is true anyway. Heck, even if it's only half true.
"Tell me, why did my great-granddaughter attack you?" Cologne asks.
"I'm not really sure. I separated her from Ranma and..."
"Heh heh heh. That explains much young man," she interrupts.
I notice Shampoo glaring at me. At some point she and Cologne are going to talk about what happened today and soon after that, I'm going to be in a world of trouble. And from what Ranma said, Cologne is _serious_ trouble.
When in doubt, change the subject. "If Shampoo has to visit Ranma at school, is there any reason she can't use doors?"
"When an Amazon maiden is tracking down a reluctant spouse, obstacles are of no consequence." Cologne says this as if it were the most logical thing in the world. It scares me to think that she might actually believe that statement.
I try again, "She can't go around the obstacles instead of through the obstacles?" With the Amazon logic I've been exposed to so far, I expect one of two answers.
"Shampoo prefers the direct approach. Also, the most direct route _is_ a straight line."
And she hits them both. As far as I can tell, Cologne and Shampoo are religious fanatics and being an Amazon is their religion. As fanatics, there is no logical way to deal with them. They are intrinsically incapable of doubt or admitting error. To do either would force them to completely reexamine their belief system. From prior experience, I also know it's something no fanatic voluntarily does. But it isn't my place to get these two to deal with reality.
"And Ranma gets no say in this... situation?" I ask, trying for some verification of my theories.
Cologne responds in a haughty tone, "Of course not. Son-in-law, while a fine warrior, is merely a man. He cannot stand against 3000 years of Amazon tradition." Left unsaid is "And neither can you."
Give Ranma a couple years and I bet he throws Amazon tradition on it's ear. I desperately need a way to end this conversation. I'm tired and Amazon logic is giving me a headache.
Cologne looks at me like a side of beef for a moment, smiles (if you can call it that), and then says, "Come along Shampoo, you have work to do." She gathers up Shampoo's clothes and gives me a small nod before turning to go.
I watch the two of them leave, Cologne bouncing on her walking stick, Shampoo walking quietly behind. After they are out of sight, I grab the two maces that they left behind. Things must weigh 12 kilos each. Well, any weapons they don't have are ones they can't use against me, so I toss them in the first dumpster I find.
As I walk to the train station, I think about my conversation with Cologne. Ranma is a good kid. Well... young man. (Who am I to talk? I was his age when I got into the hero biz.) From what I've seen, what he needs most is to be left alone. By everyone. He needs space, but I think he may be too nice to actually try and get it.
The poor kid is everyone's doormat. Akane clobbers him for things he does and doesn't do. Ryoga attacks him for reasons that seem mostly imaginary, or for things that are his own fault. Nabiki treats him as a income source, but to be fair, she treats everyone as an income source. His father and Tendo-san think he'll support them in their old ages. Cologne, Shampoo, Kodachi and even Ukyo to an extent treat him as a prize to be won. Kuno treats his girl side the same way. I don't think Kasumi has any ulterior motives, but then I haven't dealt with her enough to tell.
Boarding the train, my mind continues to wander. Memo to self, purchase three squirt guns. I'm betting Shampoo shows sometime tomorrow. I give it a 50-50 chance that she'll be after me as well as Ranma. Also, I have to tell Ukyo what I did with the cage so she can get it back from the Nekohanten. If it's still in one piece.
-----
I get back to my room with no further incidents. I check Monster and find although the backdoor is still sealed with that new encryption pattern, a window past the firewall and into the accounting department has been found. Although I can't transfer funds, I can look around a bit.
I'm no accountant, but it looks as if the submarine was refurbished for an external client. There are records of payments for the work, but when I try to follow the money trail, I hit a security wall. No real details on exactly what was done, but a cross reference with some purchase orders gives some information on that. Hmm. Nasty markup these guys charge. There are also records of payment for half a dozen power suits made three months prior to Fastball's death, but the source of the payments is not listed, just the fact that payment was made. Following that trail leads to another security wall. I try to get into the Accounts Receivable ledger, but that too requires a password that I don't have. Odd, we only fought five suits. What happened to the sixth one? Could it have been on the sub?
I rummage around the parts of the system I do have access to, looking for passwords to other parts of the system. Security is pretty tight. I find some personal files, but they are mostly porn, game files and e-mail.
I stretch and notice that five hours have passed since I sat down. I set up a program for Monster to run. He'll leach all the files he can and scan them for key words that might be helpful, like Power Suit or weapon or password. I also double check the usual anti-backtrace programs on both Monster and the portable before I crash out.
END PART 6
In Part 7: Revelations.
What's happened so far: Jeff Anderson, 'retiring' super hero, has come to Nerima for reasons involving a dead colleague and Mishima Heavy Industries. He has arranged a cover as a student teacher at Furinkan High. He's met most of the Ranma cast. While he no longer things Ranma is a meta-human like himself, he thinks Ryoga definitely is. He's seen Ranma transform and immediately figured out Ryoga is P-Chan. Ranma convinces Jeff not to blab to Akane. Jeff learns about Jusenkyo. The next day, he manages to avoid most of the insanity that is Nerima. After sparring with, and losing to, Ranma, Jeff also finds out about chi. He calls home and finds that a back door into the Mishima Heavy Industries network has been accessed and a partial trace on the source of the hack has been made. Time to do a little recon.
-----
I check the surrounding area before I slip out the window. Then I fly up a few hundred meters. Cruising altitude for me is about 40 meters, but I need the extra height to get above the glare from the city lights. Of all the things I can do with my telekinesis, flying is what I love the best. It is the first time I've really flown since I got to Japan, so I fool around a bit, twisting and turning, making sure nothing will fall off by accident. My makeshift costume holds up well under the testing. After a bit, I head north east until I hit the Nanbu Line, and follow that north to the Nerima district. Even at cruising speed it's _much_ faster than bicycling.
The Mishima Heavy Industries building is lit up like a no fly zone. I find a convenient roof top and study the layout. Not that you can tell much. A fairly tall building with very little around it. Maybe I'll test their security after I plant this puppy. Just in case, I scout a couple of approach paths and a couple of escape routes as well. Note the location of the nearest train stations and subway entrances as back ups.
The apartment building that Monster says the hack originated from takes a while to find. A fairly modest six story building with a small playground in the front and a park next door. Probably costs a bundle to live there. Of course, it costs a bundle to live _anywhere_ in Japan. I hit the roof and look for the main phone box.
Finding it, I break out the spare broad cloth to cover my work. The flashlight allows me to see well enough so the tool kit and my TK can open the box. Now to figure out which circuit belongs to the hacker...
As I'm trying to figure out what to do next, I hear something that sounds like an approaching helicopter. I turn off the flashlight and remove the broad cloth so I can look around. Approaching the building is that weird aerodyne I saw Wednesday on my way home from school. Mishima must have traced the hack too. Wait. If they traced the hack, what took them so long to get here? Moving to use the phone box for cover, I hear an amplified female voice.
"Natsume Kyusaku, surrender Ryunosuke-kun at once or suffer Lady Akiko's wrath!" (Wait a sec, I know that name from somewhere...)
After a moment, an unamplified male voice shouting at the top of his lungs can be heard. "You morons, Ryu's not here! He went to the anime marathon with Yoshimi-chan and Nuku Nuku!" (Natsume... Natsume... Natsume...)
"Oh. Sorry," the amplified voice replies. (Son of a bitch! No wonder that name sounds familiar! Until a couple of years ago, he was Mishima Heavy Industries' top designer. He is (or was) married to the President of MHI too. It was in the material I dug up when I researched Mishima.)
A different amplified voice kicks in. "You're still going to suffer!"
I had already started to move to the edge of the roof so I could spot which balcony when I hear the new voice. So I clearly can see the two missiles fired from the aerodyne, straight toward the apartment building. My adrenal glands kick over with a near audible click and my TK strength increases by a factor of 8. I put the biggest, strongest repeller field I can make to cover the top floors of the building and hope it's enough. The missiles impact the field, but there is no explosion. Why, I can't guess. The repeller field knocks them away from the building and they fall harmlessly into the playground in front of the building.
I'm not about to let them get off another shot. I leap off the roof and fly toward the aerodyne as fast as I can, getting a speed boost as I pass through the repeller field. I've never clocked my flying speed when I've boosted, but it isn't fast enough. A second flight of missiles have launched. I can do two TK tricks at once with no problem, provided one of them is flying or the repeller field. More than that gets tricky and unreliable. I can't afford unreliable right now, so I stop flying. As I start to fall, I reach out with my mind for one of the missiles and slam it into the other. A small explosion ensues, but nothing breaches the repeller field. I start flying again, pulling up before I hit the ground.
The aerodyne has shifted position, turning towards me. Must have infrared or damn good eyesight. It's moving backwards as I fly toward it. If it weren't for the running lights, I'd never be able to keep it in sight. Before it can fire again, I manage to land on the canopy. The repeller field collapses as I've left it too far behind. Can't keep those things stable much beyond 60 meters.
The running lights show the craft has two women in flight gear in it. Pilot and Navigator I'm guessing. Although flight helmets cover most of their faces, the Pilot has an evil grin while the Navigator's mouth hangs open.
All of a sudden we are gaining altitude at a rapid pace. Fine by me. I unlimber the baseball bat and take a swing. Not even a scratch. Must be laminated polymer or even that "synthetic diamond" stuff. I use TK to back my next swing. The bat breaks, but at least I star the canopy. The climb stops suddenly and I manage to hang on. That's when they start running electricity though the airframe.
The next thing I know, I'm in free fall, wind is whistling in my ears and my boosted power is gone. I spread my arms to slow myself and get my bearings and start flying straight up as fast as I can. By the time I cancel my downward momentum I'm only 30 meters off the ground. I can hear the aerodyne above me so I can't stay here. I can't risk them shooting at another building, but staying in the open could get me very very dead. I spot a river and a bridge over it. Time to go.
I avoid two more missile attacks, but they're getting closer. None of the missiles have had warheads yet, but I still don't want to get hit by one. The explosion when I slammed two missiles together must have been their fuel supplies or something. I'm tiring now, the side effects of boosting are getting to me.
Finally, I make it under the bridge. There isn't enough room for the aerodyne to flank me and as long as all they are using are dummy warheads, the bridge should protect me. Wrong. They start firing some type of machine gun at the bridge. What is it with these people? Nothing penetrating from the top, but the sides of the bridge are getting chewed up pretty bad. Then I get an idea.
I use TK to gather up some chunks of concrete and a piece of railing. I pull off my t-shirt and wrap the stuff up in it. Then I fly across to the other side off the river where they won't see my next trick. I hope the bridge is blocking their sensors. The firing stops, but I can still hear the sounds of the engines. I pop up from the far side of the bridge and fly as fast as I can to the aerodyne. A couple of missiles are fired at me. I don't know how I manage to dodge them. As I cross over the top of the aerodyne, I see a look of triumph on the pilot's face. The ship starts to rise up to intercept me when I let go of my t-shirt and bank left at my best speed, something like 160-170 kph.
Concrete and metal meet turbine which then goes boom. An instant later, the shockwave knocks me end over end. A flash of pain tells me I've caught a piece of shrapnel in my right side. Without the repeller field, it could have cut me in half. I'm already reaching for the first aid kit as I settle to the ground. No time for anything fancy, so I yank the shrapnel out, let it bleed for a few seconds and slap some gauze on it. A few strips of tape later and I'm ready to investigate the downed aerodyne.
The blown turbine looks like it took the other one with it. Nothing burning that I can see. There is a mess of foam pouring out the back of the craft, and they'll probably need a haz-mat crew if any fuel reaches the river. Cautiously, I approach the canopy. No movement from either the Pilot or Navigator. I curse the fact the I left my flashlight on top of that apartment building. Valuable time is wasted finding out the canopy doesn't open. A quick check finds a door on the left hand side. Using an emergency crank, I winch the door open.
Entering, I don't smell anything burning, which is a good sign. Small emergency lights give the cockpit an eerie glow. Where the hell are the cops? Somebody has to have reported this by now. First, I check pulse and respiration on both of them. The Navigator is fine, but the Pilot is having trouble breathing. Sounds ragged, but not bubbly. That's when the radio comes to life.
"Kyouko, Arisa, please respond." Another woman's voice. With a touch of desperation in it. I trace down the Pilot's body the best I'm able without removing her harness. Arms and legs, o.k... Shoulders... Can't tell with the harness on. Ribs... At least two cracked or broken.
"Kyouko, Arisa, anyone, please respond." Knowing that this is against my better judgment, I pick up the mike.
"This is the downed airplane, to whom am I speaking." My accent, while getting better, still marks me as an American. Could make it easy to trace me, but I'm not leaving until help arrives. Even if these folks have shot at me.
Must have been more obvious than I thought. She answers me in English. "This is Mishima Akiko, President of Mishima Heavy Industries." Then she asks, "Who are you and what are you doing aboard my plane?"
Switching to English, "Who I am is not important. Your pilot has at least two cracked ribs and is having trouble breathing. If she punctures a lung, she'll die. I need two ambulances, a haz-mat team and a guarantee from you that I walk away from this."
"You are in no position to bargain."
"Neither are you lady." I begin to hear sirens in the distance. They sound different from home so I'm not sure if they are police or fire or what.
"Very well."
"First off, nothing is burning, but I think you may be leaking fuel into the river. Second, the navigator seems to be fine, she's just unconscious. Could be half a dozen things wrong though, that's why I want the second ambulance."
"I see," the voice from the radio replies.
"Third, keep any other aircraft you may be tempted to send away." Downing this one was hard enough. "Last, I have no intentions of dealing with the police. If you think it through, you might realize this is in your best interests too. So if you have any influence at all, keep them away from me." The sirens are getting closer. I'm sure she can hear them when I key the mike.
"ohhh..." the Navigator moans from behind me.
"Are you all right?" I ask over my shoulder.
"I think... YOU!!!" She starts scrambling for her harness release. Before she can get out, I push her back into her seat.
"Don't be stupid. Your friend is hurt."
"What did you do to Arisa!?"
My Japanese anatomy is sketchy at best, so I point to my ribs and say, "Arisa broke two..."
"Abara bone?"
"Yes. Maybe a bad lung." The only reason I know the word for 'lung' is because it is spelled the same as the word for 'yes'. Just accented differently. The siren comes to a stop and I can see flashing lights in the distance. "You stay and help Arisa. If she wakes up, don't let her move." When I let her get back up, she bolts for the radio mike. By the time she gets her first sentence out, I'm out the door and flying just above the surface of the river. I've got to get the stuff off the apartment roof.
At least I'm morally certain that the hack came from Natsume Kyusaku. Finding out which apartment is his should be a snap. Heck, I'm tempted to ask him for his help directly. He can't be too thrilled about having missiles fired at him. I just might not be able to do it tonight. Gotta get the stuff I left behind and get out. Gotta do something about this wound too. Am I tired because of the side effects of the power boost, or am I tired because of the blood loss?
The police are out in force in front of the apartment building. Everything is roped off and people are milling around everywhere. I just take on a little more altitude, circle around and land on the roof from the back side. Once I'm down, I stagger over to the phone box and do my best to eliminate any signs that I'd been here. After everything is closed up, I lay the broadcloth down as a tarp and look under the gauze that I'm using as a patch. Looks like that piece of whatever it was sliced skin, but not muscle. Lucky lucky lucky, that's me. It's still bleeding a bit when I change bandages. I'm gonna look a mess when I get home.
I rest for bit, trying to catch my breath. The adrenaline haze my body produced is wearing off and this wound is starting to hurt. I dry swallow a bunch of aspirin and wish they were codeine. The pain is making it hard to concentrate and I'm low on power anyway. I don't think I can fly back to my room. Can't stay here either. Left my wallet in my room, so I can't check into a hotel. I don't know if Natsume saw me come off the roof or not, but I have to assume he did. If he did, he might mention it to the cops, or come up himself. That's why I came to clean things up in the first place.
Finally, my brain comes up with a viable option. I'm close enough to Furinkan High School to make it there in one piece. I'm sure I can open a window or something and then crash out in the nurse's office after I sew this thing up.
On the way there, I fly high over the crash site. It's been half an hour since I left and I'm curious as to what's happened. I see one ambulance, a couple of fire trucks, half a dozen police cars, three news trucks, a whole slew of Japan Defense Force trucks and some others. Hope they throw the book at Mishima. Lots of people at the wreck itself, but I can't tell who they are from up here. Memo to self, listen to the news if I can for the next few days.
I reach the school and enter by unlocking a third story window with the dregs of my TK. I hope they don't have a custodian in here right now. Down two flights of stairs and a couple corridors later, I reach the nurse's office. Lots of bandages are available, but I have to pick a lock with a paper clip to get a suture kit. I peel off the blood soaked gauze and clean the wound with iodine and peroxide. The worst of the bleeding has stopped, but the peroxide burns like hell.
This isn't the first time I've sewn myself up, but it's never a pleasant experience. Eleven stitches. A doctor would have probably used more, but this ought to do it for me. It'll heal up in few days, and I won't even have a scar in a month. I re-bandage the wound and realize that I've done every thing I can do right now. I head to the gym, specifically the coach's office. After propping a chair against to door to block it, I crash out on the couch.
------
I awake with a start. It takes me a moment to remember where I am and how I got here. The chair I propped against the door is undisturbed. The pain in my side is down to a dull roar, and I could eat a horse. I unblock the door and do a little careful looking around. No signs of a janitor, so I take a shower and put on another new bandage. Very little blood on the old one, which is a good sign.
I realize I left a mess in the nurse's office and go clean it up. Must not have been thinking too clearly last night. Glancing at a clock, I see that it's 2 in the afternoon. Must have slept for 9 or 10 hours. I'll send a money order for the cost of the supplies I used later. Right now I have to figure out how to get back to my rented room while dressed like a ninja.
Going back to the coach's office, I search until I find what I'm looking for. Soccer uniforms. I put on the largest shirt I can find. I tie the top of my ninja costume and the hood into a bundle with the rest of the stuff I brought with me. Before leaving, I go over every place I've been in the school and make sure I've left no avoidable signs of my visit. Can't do much about the missing bandages and the suture kit though. I can bring the shirt back with me tomorrow.
I go out the way I came in and lightly land on the ground. A quick trip to the dumpster takes care of the bloody bandages. A leap over the fence surrounding the school, and I'm ready to head back to my room.
-----
I don't recommend making a 25 kilometer trip by foot under most circumstances. Doing so with eleven fresh stitches in your side when you haven't eaten anything in fourteen hours is even worse. I actually think about stopping at Ucchan's for some food, but decide against it for two reasons. One, I don't have any cash on me. Two, I'm sure she'd notice what I was wearing and ask questions I don't feel like answering.
As it is, I do get some odd looks as I go home. Especially when my stomach growls loud enough to be heard 5 meters away. There are enough water fountains in parks that I don't get thirsty and can take a few aspirin when I want to, but by the time I get 'home', I am in a raging hunger.
Three cans of tuna fish, two liters of milk, half a dozen energy bars and four packages of instant ramen take the edge off my appetite. I always eat more when I'm healing up after an injury. By now, it's 8:00 PM and I'm still hungry. I'm tempted to call for take out, but decide against it. Fortunately, there are McDonald's in Japan. I blow 3000 yen over the course of the next two hours, but at least I'm not hungry any more.
I stroll back home, turn on the TV and check the latest data from Monster. The back door was used last night, right after the incident with the aerodyne. This time, Monster was able to trace the signal to Natsume Kyusaku's apartment. Unfortunately, the encryption keys seem to have changed. Back not quite to square one, but close enough on that front. I have Monster check a couple of internet Japanese news sites and translate what he finds to English.
Cover up all the way. The crashed aerodyne is too big to ignore, so they change every other detail they can. According the MHI press release, the aerodyne was stolen by terrorists. The attack against the apartment building is listed as an attack against Natsume Kyusaku, "former employee of MHI". Well they got that part right. Pilot and Navigator are listed as two MHI employees who were conducting systems checks at the time of the incident. Yeah, right. Crash was due to valiant efforts of said employees to stop the terrorists, who got away after the crash. No mention of a flying man. MHI to cover all costs involved in cleaning up the mess. Valiant statement about not giving into the threat of terrorism. The spin doctors here are just as good as the ones in DC.
I stay up until the nightly news comes on. Maybe they have a different perspective. Indeed they do. It's the lead story. They aren't buying MHI's line about a terrorist attack. Why? Because of some interviews with other residents of the apartment building. Even worse, there is a video clip that clearly silhouettes me against the background of the aerodyne. Fortunately, it's only a few seconds long, there's nothing to give a sense of scale and I'm in black from head to toe. Seems I've forgotten the Japanese fascination with photography and video cameras. A brief panel discussion brings up the possibility of aliens returning to Japan, youma attacks and ESPer's running loose in the city. Well, the last one is true after a fashion.
As interesting as it is, it's not enough to prevent me from falling asleep with the TV still on.
-----
I awake to the sound of a children's program theme song blaring from the TV. Turning it off, I do my 100 push ups, perhaps a little slower than usual. There is a bit of tightness where the stitches are, but no sign of infection. I'm not up to riding to school, so I shower, grab my stuff and head straight for the nearest train station. It'll be the same route I used last Monday before I bought the bicycle. I catch a lucky break when I transfer, so I get to the Nerima district in time to stop at Ucchan's for breakfast.
Ukyo smiles when I walk in and greets me with "Irasshaimase, what can I get for you Jeff?"
"Double beef okonomiyaki please," I request. It arrives in short order, and as I'm finishing it, Ukyo orders everyone out so she can get ready for school. Not having my bike and not wanting to run, I simply walk alone to the school. I see Nabiki talking to one of her cronies as I arrive on the school grounds. She either doesn't see me, or chooses to ignore me as she heads into the school proper.
I replace the Soccer uniform I had borrowed and head upstairs. I wonder who will collect the 2000 yen I put up for grabs. If I were to bet, I'd bet on Nabiki. Girl knows numbers. That's if she felt like putting any effort into it. Serizawa-sensei gives me five minutes at the start of the day to collect the entries. Of the 24 students in the class, 16 turn in something, 7 do not and Kuno hasn't shown up yet.
I glance through the papers and inform the class. "Provisionally, the winner of the 2000 yen is Matsuda Kosaka. If the answers check out, the money will be yours this afternoon." The announcement puts a ripple through the classroom. Several people look at Nabiki as if they expected her to win. Gotta admit I did too, but Nabiki stopped at 156 while Kosaka took it to 162. A few of his friends slap Kosaka on the back, and he looks both embarrassed and triumphant.
My five minutes are up and Serizawa-sensei begins class for the day. Kuno shows up with a few lumps on his head about 15 minutes into class. He gives me a solid glare but doesn't do anything stupid. Well, stupider than usual.
While Serizawa-sensei drones on, I look at the papers I received. Most of them got stuck at 72 or less, some at 112, and only Nabiki and Kosaka got past that. It takes a couple of minutes to verify all his answers, but they check out making him the winner. Just for the heck of it, I go through the rest of the entries looking for errors. I don't find many though.
Lunch rolls around and Serizawa-sensei calls me to his desk after all the students leave.
"What do you think of the results of your 'learn and win' experiment?" he asks me.
"Disappointing. I expected more of the students to participate," I tell him. True too, as some of the people who did not participate are some of the better math students. "From the reactions I saw, most of the students thought Tendo Nabiki would win easily."
"Matsuda-kun is an excellent student, I am not surprised by the results. However, I agree that many students would believe Tendo-chan would win. Some of those students believed it to the point where they did not even compete."
"Amazing what a reputation will let you get away with," I say.
"Do you see why I did not approve of this experiment?"
"To an extent Serizawa-sensei."
He frowns at me before speaking. "My goal is to prepare these students for what may lie ahead. Bribing them to work is not a situation they should be expecting once they leave here."
"Everyone gets bribed to work. They call it a pay check."
"Do not interrupt. While you have been handling the classes you teach well enough, you are far too involved with the student body. Your familiarity with them is disruptive to say the least." I wait for a few seconds before speaking.
"Serizawa-sensei, I have some things to say. First, the four fours problem isn't about mathematics, it's about lateral thinking and problem solving. I believe you have confused the medicine with the spoon." Before he can answer, I continue, "Second, what I do on my own time is my own business. Third, Tendo Nabiki instigated Kuno-san's challenge of me to a duel. Kuno attacked me twice after I disarmed him. With what some might call deadly intent. I could care less who his father is or how rich his family is. He tries anything again and I won't hold back."
He doesn't say anything for a bit, so I ask to be excused. He waves me off with a perturbed expression on his face. As I head down to the cafeteria, I figure out why Ranma eats outside whenever possible. It saves wear and tear on the building. Actually, the hole in the stairwell helps me figure it out.
Looking through said hole, I see male Ranma being hugged by Shampoo, Akane fuming nearby, Kuno ranting with bokken in hand and Ukyo keeping herself between Ranma and Kuno, giant spatula at the ready. Sigh. I duck onto the second floor and grab a water bucket from a surprised student before going through the hole to the outdoors.
Kuno is still ranting, but is closer to Ranma and Shampoo, Ukyo looks nervous, but ready to start swinging, Akane is nowhere to be seen and Ranma has a clearly visible hand print on his left cheek. Shampoo is still holding on tightly to Ranma. It looks like she's saying something to him, but I can't tell what from here. Ranma sees me jump from the hole with bucket in hand and his eyes go wide. As I land, the water sloshes around a bit.
Shampoo hears this and jerks in shock. She lets go of Ranma and dodges the water that I slosh at her. Ranma dodges in the opposite direction. Well, at least they're separated. Kuno notices my arrival and stops in mid-rant. Ukyo looks somewhat relieved at this. I've never seen her fight, so I don't know if she could take Kuno or not. Doubtful if Kuno goes all out.
Shampoo pops up in front of me in a martial arts stance. "Who is you?" she asks me.
"I am student teacher Jeffery Anderson. You must be Shampoo."
"How foreign man know Shampoo name?"
"Your fame precedes you," I answer. Shampoo looks confused. I get a lock on her with my TK. While I'm busy here, Ranma is making quick work of Kuno and Ukyo switches her attention to me and Shampoo.
"You interfere with Shampoo and airen. Obstacles is for killing!"
"Whatever." The rest of the water from the bucket flies straight and true. She tries to dodge out of the way but can't. A look of shock appears on her face just as the water hits her, transforming her into a cat. I lose my TK grip when she shifts forms. A few seconds later, a small white cat with purple trim pokes her head out of a pile of clothing.
Ukyo shouts, "Get Shampoo out of here! Ranma's deathly afraid of cats!"
Upon hearing the word "cats" Ranma turns around to see Shampoo racing towards him. He screams in terror, turns again and runs. Straight through Kuno, knocking Kuno out. It's almost funny to watch, Ranma running for his life from a small cat. I run after them, still carrying the bucket. A little TK stops Shampoo in her tracks. Well, her feet keep moving, but she's not getting anywhere. With her mass reduced this low, she's easy to handle. Ranma keeps right on going, smashing into the wall surrounding the school. I flip the bucket upside down and slam it over Shampoo. This breaks my TK hold on her, but I doubt she's strong enough to knock me off the bucket.
Ukyo comes running up carrying Shampoo's clothes. I give serious thought to keeping a loaded squirt gun on my person at all times. I should get one for Ranma too. And Ukyo.
"I can heat some water on my portable grill to change her back," Ukyo says.
"I'm not sure I want to change her back. She'd probably just attack again." From the way the bucket is shaking, I'd damn near guarantee it.
"Uh... right... I'm going to check on Ran-chan." She leaves the pile of clothes.
I rap the top of the bucket a few times to get Shampoo's attention. Should sound like being in the middle of boom box in there. At least the bucket stops shaking. "Are you going to settle down, or do I ship you someplace without running water?" A loud meow is the only response I get. Maybe I should ship her to Robert the Talking Cat. He's always wanted another sentient cat to play with. Nah. Too much like kidnapping.
Ukyo gets Ranma back to his feet and they both come over to me.
"Any suggestions?" I ask. Both of them visibly bite their tongues.
Eventually Ranma says, "Take her back ta the old ghoul at the Nekohanten." Ukyo nods agreement.
"I don't know how to get there." The warning bell rings. "Besides, we are all due back in class in five minutes."
"Ooh. Sensei, wait right here," Ukyo says before running off around the corner of the building.
"What was that about?" I ask Ranma.
"Dunno."
"You get back to class, I can wait a little longer."
"Sure thing sensei." Soon after Ranma heads in, Ukyo comes back with a small cage.
"Where did you... Nevermind, I don't want to know." Ukyo just gives me a small smile and heads for the front door. No one else is around so this should be safe to try now. I put a repeller field facing inwards in a dome about me, the cage and the bucket before I flip over the bucket. As expected, Shampoo takes off running as soon as she's able. She bounds right into the repeller field which knocks her back a bit. A quick snatch on my part gets her into the cage with only a couple claw marks on my hands to show for it.
I drop the field, grab the loose clothes and head, cage in hand, for the front doors. "I'll take you home after classes. In the mean time, please remain quiet." I don't have time to do anything else with her, so I take her with me back to class. Most of the students' eyes go wide when we enter. I place the cage on top of my desk.
Serizawa-sensei asks the most rhetorical and useless question in all history. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I think someone on staff should have told me about Jusenkyo curses when I started here. As you can see, I've found out the hard way."
"Oh. Very well." Serizawa-sensei replies guardedly before starting the afternoon session.
When math rolls around, I hand Matsuda Kosaka his winnings. Shampoo pays attention during the math class, and is being a model prisoner overall, but I'm not about to let her out of the cage. After classes, I ask the students how to get to the Nekohanten. Nabiki offers to sell me the information, but I get directions from another student. Just to piss off Nabiki, I'm tempted to pay him, but decide it isn't worth it.
-----
The sign above the door translates roughly as "Cat Cafe". It's not too far from Ucchan's. I enter, carrying Shampoo-cat in a cage in one hand, and Shampoo's clothes in the other. A young Chinese man wearing thick glasses on top of his head greets me. Mousse, if I remember right from Ranma's description and from what happened Saturday.
"Welcome to the Nekohanten. How may I help you?" As far as I can tell, he actually directed that to the door frame, but close enough.
"Is this yours?" I ask holding up the cage.
Mousse peers at the cage and says, "No, we haven't lost a ferret." Shampoo drops her little cat jaw.
A bowl bounces off the back of his head, knocking his glasses to where they belong.
"Shampoo!" I let him grab the cage and toss the clothes on top of it. As he rushes off to the back of the restaurant, I'm confronted with an odd sight. A very short woman balancing on a staff that is taller than she is. This HAS to be Cologne. Ranma wasn't kidding when he said she was old, and I can even see why her calls her "ghoul". _Scary_ looking old woman.
"Thank you for returning my great-granddaughter," Cologne says in a voice much more pleasant than her appearance. Before anything else can be said, a scream of rage is heard from the back and Shampoo, human again, is charging me with two maces that have large spherical heads. Wish she'd have put her clothes on first though.
The distraction proves almost fatal, as I dodge her swing at my head by millimeters. I'm sure the male patrons are enjoying the view, but I've got other things to worry about. I dash through the still open door and hope she won't come outside. I'm backing away and she hasn't come outside yet... Wait, here she comes. At least she's dressed now. With the number of potential witness, I don't want to use my TK if I can avoid it. I shouldn't have used it on her at school, but it's too late to worry about that now.
I lead a merry chase, heading toward the canal that runs through the Nerima district. I try not to let her get within striking range, but it isn't easy. The stitches in my side are slowing me down a step, and Shampoo is pretty quick. Cologne is following behind, I've caught a couple of glimpses of her. No sign of Mousse though.
Finally, I get her where I want her. She is aware of where I've led her and gets cautious. So I goad her a bit. "Come and get me," I say while motioning her toward me. I also leap up onto the concrete retaining wall, making it certain that if she charges me from where she is and misses, she's going in the drink. I reach for a lock with my TK, but don't get one by the time she makes her move.
She throws one of the maces and while I'm busy ducking, charges me. It's a good try, but I'm fast enough to jump over her strike and counter with a kick. She takes it and lands a blow to my stomach with the remaining mace. It hurts, but I've taken a lot worse. At least she doesn't burst the stitches. I recover before she can follow up and raise my repeller field to protect me from future strikes. We trade another set of blows, but the repeller field makes her impact negligible. Shampoo connects again, but still with no real effect. That's when I notice her starting to glow.
Shampoo's entire body and her remaining mace are surrounded with a blue aura. This is the first battle aura I've seen since Ranma described the phenomenon to me. If the rest of what he said is true, Shampoo just got much more dangerous. Her next swing connects, knocking me over the retaining wall and off the bridge. Without my repeller field, I might not have survived it. Still hurts.
I don't hit the water, because I start using my TK to fly. A nasty idea comes to mind. Aw, the heck with it. I drop the repeller field around me and place a new one 10 centimeters under the water then crank it up to full blast. Shampoo looks over the retaining wall just in time to catch her part of 150 liters of water in the face. I drop the field before any more water can flow in.
I climb out of the canal on the far side of the bridge and take a look at the damage. Nothing too severe, just some broken concrete. At least it's not a 2 meter hole in a stairwell. Cologne uses her staff like a pogo stick and bounces over to where Shampoo is shaking out her fur. Cologne glances at Shampoo and then gives me a look I find very uncomfortable.
"Very impressive, young man. You do not fight as well as son-in-law, but it seems you have other abilities," she says in a serious tone. Son-in-law? Oh yeah, according to the customs of her tribe, Shampoo considers Ranma her husband. I thought it was a very stupid custom when Ranma mentioned it while we had dinner at Ucchan's last week.
I walk toward the pair and ask, "Is Shampoo all right? I didn't want to hurt her." A half-truth. I was ready to keep fighting, but she was too dangerous an opponent with those maces. If I hadn't used TK, she could have beat me. Lots of powerful martial artists here in Nerima.
"Perhaps I should have Shampoo marry you instead." I see an intrigued look on her face. Whatever Cologne is thinking, it can't be good for me.
I stop walking before I say, "I'm already married." What is it about arranged marriages in this town? Ranma, Ukyo, Akane, Shampoo, who knows who else.
Cologne looks a bit crestfallen at my response. "I can see you speak the truth. Pity. Such blood would be welcome in our tribe."
While there are many things I might say about that, starting with "Not bloody likely", I keep my mouth shut by sheer force of will. I know some people who might enjoy this marriage by combat thing, but I doubt they would make good Amazons. If what Ranma told me is true anyway. Heck, even if it's only half true.
"Tell me, why did my great-granddaughter attack you?" Cologne asks.
"I'm not really sure. I separated her from Ranma and..."
"Heh heh heh. That explains much young man," she interrupts.
I notice Shampoo glaring at me. At some point she and Cologne are going to talk about what happened today and soon after that, I'm going to be in a world of trouble. And from what Ranma said, Cologne is _serious_ trouble.
When in doubt, change the subject. "If Shampoo has to visit Ranma at school, is there any reason she can't use doors?"
"When an Amazon maiden is tracking down a reluctant spouse, obstacles are of no consequence." Cologne says this as if it were the most logical thing in the world. It scares me to think that she might actually believe that statement.
I try again, "She can't go around the obstacles instead of through the obstacles?" With the Amazon logic I've been exposed to so far, I expect one of two answers.
"Shampoo prefers the direct approach. Also, the most direct route _is_ a straight line."
And she hits them both. As far as I can tell, Cologne and Shampoo are religious fanatics and being an Amazon is their religion. As fanatics, there is no logical way to deal with them. They are intrinsically incapable of doubt or admitting error. To do either would force them to completely reexamine their belief system. From prior experience, I also know it's something no fanatic voluntarily does. But it isn't my place to get these two to deal with reality.
"And Ranma gets no say in this... situation?" I ask, trying for some verification of my theories.
Cologne responds in a haughty tone, "Of course not. Son-in-law, while a fine warrior, is merely a man. He cannot stand against 3000 years of Amazon tradition." Left unsaid is "And neither can you."
Give Ranma a couple years and I bet he throws Amazon tradition on it's ear. I desperately need a way to end this conversation. I'm tired and Amazon logic is giving me a headache.
Cologne looks at me like a side of beef for a moment, smiles (if you can call it that), and then says, "Come along Shampoo, you have work to do." She gathers up Shampoo's clothes and gives me a small nod before turning to go.
I watch the two of them leave, Cologne bouncing on her walking stick, Shampoo walking quietly behind. After they are out of sight, I grab the two maces that they left behind. Things must weigh 12 kilos each. Well, any weapons they don't have are ones they can't use against me, so I toss them in the first dumpster I find.
As I walk to the train station, I think about my conversation with Cologne. Ranma is a good kid. Well... young man. (Who am I to talk? I was his age when I got into the hero biz.) From what I've seen, what he needs most is to be left alone. By everyone. He needs space, but I think he may be too nice to actually try and get it.
The poor kid is everyone's doormat. Akane clobbers him for things he does and doesn't do. Ryoga attacks him for reasons that seem mostly imaginary, or for things that are his own fault. Nabiki treats him as a income source, but to be fair, she treats everyone as an income source. His father and Tendo-san think he'll support them in their old ages. Cologne, Shampoo, Kodachi and even Ukyo to an extent treat him as a prize to be won. Kuno treats his girl side the same way. I don't think Kasumi has any ulterior motives, but then I haven't dealt with her enough to tell.
Boarding the train, my mind continues to wander. Memo to self, purchase three squirt guns. I'm betting Shampoo shows sometime tomorrow. I give it a 50-50 chance that she'll be after me as well as Ranma. Also, I have to tell Ukyo what I did with the cage so she can get it back from the Nekohanten. If it's still in one piece.
-----
I get back to my room with no further incidents. I check Monster and find although the backdoor is still sealed with that new encryption pattern, a window past the firewall and into the accounting department has been found. Although I can't transfer funds, I can look around a bit.
I'm no accountant, but it looks as if the submarine was refurbished for an external client. There are records of payments for the work, but when I try to follow the money trail, I hit a security wall. No real details on exactly what was done, but a cross reference with some purchase orders gives some information on that. Hmm. Nasty markup these guys charge. There are also records of payment for half a dozen power suits made three months prior to Fastball's death, but the source of the payments is not listed, just the fact that payment was made. Following that trail leads to another security wall. I try to get into the Accounts Receivable ledger, but that too requires a password that I don't have. Odd, we only fought five suits. What happened to the sixth one? Could it have been on the sub?
I rummage around the parts of the system I do have access to, looking for passwords to other parts of the system. Security is pretty tight. I find some personal files, but they are mostly porn, game files and e-mail.
I stretch and notice that five hours have passed since I sat down. I set up a program for Monster to run. He'll leach all the files he can and scan them for key words that might be helpful, like Power Suit or weapon or password. I also double check the usual anti-backtrace programs on both Monster and the portable before I crash out.
END PART 6
In Part 7: Revelations.