Volume 3
Debt of Honor
Prologue
The sudden sound of a grenade detonating brought the group up short. Phillip bit back on the sob that threatened to escape his throat. He turned to look at the others.
"Come on, let's go," he told the group and led them away.
"Goodbye my friend," Phillip said gently.
===============
"R-Ryoga?" Ranma said shakily to the figure in the clearing. He forced himself up from against the tree he had been leaning on. He was suddenly very tired.
Akari got up from where she had been sitting; she had collapsed there after she had sprinted into the forest while the PLA soldiers fired at them. Taking a few shaky steps toward Ryoga, Akari broke out into a full sprint and wrapped her arms around him.
Ryoga had been standing completely rigid before, so he was simply knocked to the ground when Akari jumped on him.
Akane turned to Ranma. "W-what's going on Ranma?"
"I don't know," Ranma answered tiredly. "Looks like there's now two victims of the Akanenichuan."
Akane looked over at Akari; she had collapsed in Ryoga's arms. Ryoga was now as tall as the girl that lay on her.
Ranma heard some shouts in Chinese and his head snapped up. "Oh no, they're coming!"
Ranma picked Akane up and ran over to Ryoga.
"C'mon man we got to go," he said as he hoisted Ryoga and Akari to their feet. Akari had collapsed from exhaustion and was now asleep in Ryoga's arms.
Ryoga looked at Ranma with a vacant stare. He was out of it.
Ranma backhanded Ryoga across the face. Something that was hard for him to do now that the lost boy had Akane's body.
"Dammit Ryoga! We need to go, now!" Ranma shouted. Ryoga looked at him with what Ranma decided to interpret as recognition. "Let's go."
Ranma, carrying Akane, and Ryoga, carrying Akari, ran back into the thick foliage, just as the PLA soldiers emerged from the other side of the clearing.
An order was barked out and one of the soldiers hoisted an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) onto his shoulder and fired at the escaping teenagers.
The shot went wide, but the round impacted on a tree as they ran past it. Ryoga jumped to avoid the shrapnel that flew in their direction. Ranma didn't jump and Ryoga was sure that he would be hit. But Ranma kept running so Ryoga concluded that the shrapnel had missed him.
They ran until Ranma nearly collapsed from exhaustion. They stopped underneath a large waterfall. Ryoga and Ranma were panting for breath. Akane went to the waterway to try and get some water that they could heat up somehow.
"Are you okay Ryoga?" Ranma asked in rasping breaths.
"Yeah," Ryoga responded.
"Ryoga?"
"I said I'm fine!" Ryoga snarled. He heard Ranma take in a very sharp intake of breath. He slowly turned and saw Ranma holding his side, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"I-I've been shot," Ranma managed to say before he collapsed.
===============
Yumi watched the two older men walk to their Dojo. It seemed like all they did was practice their martial arts.
He had been watching the house for over about four days now and he had his plan completely plotted out. After a meeting with the others, it had been decided that it would be best if the families were eliminated tonight. They would meet one more time today and then, when they had the cover of nightfall, they would attack. Not a single member expected any sort of resistance from them, and neither did Yumi.
It was a shame that the family had to be gotten rid of. They didn't seem like they were really that bad. But, they crossed the Yakuza. That was reason enough for their lives to be ended.
He slipped his car into gear and drove down the street.
===============
Zhisheng smiled politely at the other Politburo members. They had delayed the meeting for two days, much to his displeasure, and now they were talking about the political risks again.
"If any country were to find out what we are doing than it would be the end of us all. No country in the world will stand by while another one assassinates another leader of a country," Jingshu told them.
"Yes, but what about the consequences if we do not do this?" Wei Liang asked the group. He went on, not waiting for an answer. "If Lee is allowed to spread his propaganda across America, we will face far greater consequences if we do not rid ourselves of him."
Zhisheng saw everyone nod at that. So, he thought, these cowards are finally going to take some action.
"Now," Renyang began, "Zhisheng said that he could give us some of the finer details of his plan."
Zhisheng nodded at Renyang, "Thank you. Comrades, I have already contacted our assassin, Bai Pinghan, and told him that we had voted to go about this operation. He said that that was good news, but he was running into some problems over there. It turns out that the people the Yakuza was supplying to him were very inept, they couldn't even fire a rocket- propelled grenade, let alone keep their mouths closed afterwards."
"So what are we going to do now?" Premier Renyang asked.
"He told me that he was granted audience with the Oyabun and he would raise the issue there. Hopefully getting some competent men."
"He had better give him some competent men," Jingshu said, coldly furious. "With what were paying him he should be doing everything in his power to make sure his job is completed."
"I know," Zhisheng nodded. "But you must understand that beneath all the power this man holds, he is just a petty criminal. He is not to be trusted, and if this plan is completed, than I think it might be best if we conduct our own investigation, coming to the conclusion that it was the Yakuza who pulled of this operation."
Everyone nodded at that. They would agree to pretty much anything if it meant that they would not be fingered for any of the actual crimes that they committed.
"President Lee leaves for America in two weeks," Zhisheng told them. "Can I give Pinghan the go-ahead?"
"Yes," Renyang said. "But we will be holding daily meetings from now on so we can all stay up to date on everything. Tomorrow we will be discussing other things such as the economy and defense. Zhisheng and Jingshu will be the one's that will give us that information."
And that was that, Zhisheng thought, the plan had been put into action. Lee was as good as dead.
===============
Author's Notes: Here is the first chapter I wrote after I arrived home from India. It was short, as I was very tired after the very long flight, which I got no sleep on, due to the large amount of paperwork I needed to finish up on, relating on my time spent in India.
It is no secret now, but what I had been sent over there to do was rate the situation that might or might not be developing between Pakistan and India. I concluded that things would taper off, and so far it seems that I was right.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story and I hope that everyone has been reviewing.
The sudden sound of a grenade detonating brought the group up short. Phillip bit back on the sob that threatened to escape his throat. He turned to look at the others.
"Come on, let's go," he told the group and led them away.
"Goodbye my friend," Phillip said gently.
===============
"R-Ryoga?" Ranma said shakily to the figure in the clearing. He forced himself up from against the tree he had been leaning on. He was suddenly very tired.
Akari got up from where she had been sitting; she had collapsed there after she had sprinted into the forest while the PLA soldiers fired at them. Taking a few shaky steps toward Ryoga, Akari broke out into a full sprint and wrapped her arms around him.
Ryoga had been standing completely rigid before, so he was simply knocked to the ground when Akari jumped on him.
Akane turned to Ranma. "W-what's going on Ranma?"
"I don't know," Ranma answered tiredly. "Looks like there's now two victims of the Akanenichuan."
Akane looked over at Akari; she had collapsed in Ryoga's arms. Ryoga was now as tall as the girl that lay on her.
Ranma heard some shouts in Chinese and his head snapped up. "Oh no, they're coming!"
Ranma picked Akane up and ran over to Ryoga.
"C'mon man we got to go," he said as he hoisted Ryoga and Akari to their feet. Akari had collapsed from exhaustion and was now asleep in Ryoga's arms.
Ryoga looked at Ranma with a vacant stare. He was out of it.
Ranma backhanded Ryoga across the face. Something that was hard for him to do now that the lost boy had Akane's body.
"Dammit Ryoga! We need to go, now!" Ranma shouted. Ryoga looked at him with what Ranma decided to interpret as recognition. "Let's go."
Ranma, carrying Akane, and Ryoga, carrying Akari, ran back into the thick foliage, just as the PLA soldiers emerged from the other side of the clearing.
An order was barked out and one of the soldiers hoisted an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) onto his shoulder and fired at the escaping teenagers.
The shot went wide, but the round impacted on a tree as they ran past it. Ryoga jumped to avoid the shrapnel that flew in their direction. Ranma didn't jump and Ryoga was sure that he would be hit. But Ranma kept running so Ryoga concluded that the shrapnel had missed him.
They ran until Ranma nearly collapsed from exhaustion. They stopped underneath a large waterfall. Ryoga and Ranma were panting for breath. Akane went to the waterway to try and get some water that they could heat up somehow.
"Are you okay Ryoga?" Ranma asked in rasping breaths.
"Yeah," Ryoga responded.
"Ryoga?"
"I said I'm fine!" Ryoga snarled. He heard Ranma take in a very sharp intake of breath. He slowly turned and saw Ranma holding his side, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"I-I've been shot," Ranma managed to say before he collapsed.
===============
Yumi watched the two older men walk to their Dojo. It seemed like all they did was practice their martial arts.
He had been watching the house for over about four days now and he had his plan completely plotted out. After a meeting with the others, it had been decided that it would be best if the families were eliminated tonight. They would meet one more time today and then, when they had the cover of nightfall, they would attack. Not a single member expected any sort of resistance from them, and neither did Yumi.
It was a shame that the family had to be gotten rid of. They didn't seem like they were really that bad. But, they crossed the Yakuza. That was reason enough for their lives to be ended.
He slipped his car into gear and drove down the street.
===============
Zhisheng smiled politely at the other Politburo members. They had delayed the meeting for two days, much to his displeasure, and now they were talking about the political risks again.
"If any country were to find out what we are doing than it would be the end of us all. No country in the world will stand by while another one assassinates another leader of a country," Jingshu told them.
"Yes, but what about the consequences if we do not do this?" Wei Liang asked the group. He went on, not waiting for an answer. "If Lee is allowed to spread his propaganda across America, we will face far greater consequences if we do not rid ourselves of him."
Zhisheng saw everyone nod at that. So, he thought, these cowards are finally going to take some action.
"Now," Renyang began, "Zhisheng said that he could give us some of the finer details of his plan."
Zhisheng nodded at Renyang, "Thank you. Comrades, I have already contacted our assassin, Bai Pinghan, and told him that we had voted to go about this operation. He said that that was good news, but he was running into some problems over there. It turns out that the people the Yakuza was supplying to him were very inept, they couldn't even fire a rocket- propelled grenade, let alone keep their mouths closed afterwards."
"So what are we going to do now?" Premier Renyang asked.
"He told me that he was granted audience with the Oyabun and he would raise the issue there. Hopefully getting some competent men."
"He had better give him some competent men," Jingshu said, coldly furious. "With what were paying him he should be doing everything in his power to make sure his job is completed."
"I know," Zhisheng nodded. "But you must understand that beneath all the power this man holds, he is just a petty criminal. He is not to be trusted, and if this plan is completed, than I think it might be best if we conduct our own investigation, coming to the conclusion that it was the Yakuza who pulled of this operation."
Everyone nodded at that. They would agree to pretty much anything if it meant that they would not be fingered for any of the actual crimes that they committed.
"President Lee leaves for America in two weeks," Zhisheng told them. "Can I give Pinghan the go-ahead?"
"Yes," Renyang said. "But we will be holding daily meetings from now on so we can all stay up to date on everything. Tomorrow we will be discussing other things such as the economy and defense. Zhisheng and Jingshu will be the one's that will give us that information."
And that was that, Zhisheng thought, the plan had been put into action. Lee was as good as dead.
===============
Author's Notes: Here is the first chapter I wrote after I arrived home from India. It was short, as I was very tired after the very long flight, which I got no sleep on, due to the large amount of paperwork I needed to finish up on, relating on my time spent in India.
It is no secret now, but what I had been sent over there to do was rate the situation that might or might not be developing between Pakistan and India. I concluded that things would taper off, and so far it seems that I was right.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story and I hope that everyone has been reviewing.