Debt of Honor
Chapter 5
Assassination
"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Akane asked.
"Sure," Ranma replied. "The guy just couldn't take the news I guess."
Akane looked down at Ryoga's prone form on the floor of the Tendo Dojo.
Ranma had taken Ryoga into the Dojo in order for him to inform Ryoga about what they inherited from Seiji Inafune.
The two combined inherited two multi-million dollar companies along with a large amount of real estate in the southern United States and Japan.
Ryoga had taken the news in a some-what undignified manner. He had fainted.
"You can't really blame the guy I guess," Ranma said as he placed the remoistened washcloth onto Ryoga's forehead.
"I don't think I would have done anything different if it had been me," Akari said as she ran her hand through Ryoga's thick hair.
Ranma was still trying to figure out what all this meant. Three months ago he was looking at a future of just being with Akane and working at the Dojo. Now he had part ownership over Seiji's restaurant chain and his American based investment banking company. He was just a little surprised he had not fainted either.
"My god," Ranma said, "I'm a millionaire."
Akane looked over at Ranma.
"Well duh," she said and smiled. "Did you just realize that Ranma?"
Ranma nodded his head. "Yeah," he said and paused. "I don't know anything about running a company and I'm pretty sure Ryoga doesn't either. How the hell are we supposed to run this company?"
"I'm sure Seiji thought of that Ranma," Akane said. "You'll remember that Ishii was also named as an owner of the investment banking group. I'm sure he has some idea about what to do."
Ranma was about to reply when Ryoga stirred.
The lost boy slowly opened his eyes and suddenly bolted upright.
"Jesus Christ!" Ryoga shouted out before he saw the others. He smiled sheepishly at them. "Sorry."
Ranma patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright man; I had just about the same reaction a minute ago."
Ryoga looked at the papers on the ground and shook his head.
"This has got to be some kind of dream," he said and sighed. "Why the hell would Seiji leave us all that. I'm only seventeen; I don't know a damn thing about running a company, let alone one that goddamned wealthy."
Ranma chuckled and smiled at Ryoga.
"You're preachin' to the quire man, I just said those same things."
"When is Ishii supposed to come back?" Akari asked.
Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, the guy will probably be back pretty soon. Maybe by tomorrow, he still needs those papers of Ryoga's signed. That reminds me, you still need to sign those Ryoga."
Ryoga looked at the papers for a moment then picked them up. He took the pen from Ranma's extended hand and signed his signature where it was indicated. He looked at Akari and took her hand in his.
"Do you think I should do this?" he asked her, and there was no doubt that he was going to do whatever Akari decided.
"Seiji wanted you to have this Ryoga, I believe it would be the greatest thing you could do in his memory if you were to take part ownership of his work."
Ryoga nodded and squeezed her hand and released it. He turned back to Ranma and smiled.
"Now that were both millionaires, why don't we go out and celebrate?"
"Now there's a suggestion," Ranma said as he got to his feet. "Do you think we should tell the others?"
He meant the other occupants of Nerima.
"I don't see why not," Ryoga said. "If Nabiki already knows than I'm sure that already half of Tokyo has heard about it."
Ranma laughed wrapped his arm around Ryoga's shoulder.
"Well buddy, we've solved just about all of our problems now haven't we?"
"Not yet," Ryoga said. "I still need to get married and so do you and Akane."
"Good point," Ranma acknowledged. "Though now that we have this money, I think the ladies will want a much larger wedding than just a simple ceremony in the Dojo."
"Your right Ranma," Ryoga said knowingly. "And I think maybe a western style will be the best type of wedding."
"I believe it will," Ranma smiled. He caught the surprised looks the girls were wearing. "Come now ladies, surely you did not expect Ryoga and I would be barbarians when it came to marriage."
The girls smiled and took the offered arms of the two gentlemen before them and left the Dojo.
===============
For the first day while they were in Taipei, Phillip and the other Green Berets scouted out the route that President Lee would take to his personal aircraft that would carry him to America. They quickly deduced that a simple team of Green Berets would not be enough to cover the large number of buildings that surrounded the area.
Their appeal to the President to change routes was squashed within minutes. The President merely said that he had faith in the team and if he were to change his usual route, than the people would have cause for concern.
Phillip ticked the Presidents reason to be that of a fool. If the Chinese did succeed in assassinating him, then the people would have more cause to be frightened than if he changed his route.
But there was nothing Parker could do in the short amount of time he had been given. The team worked with Lee's protective detail, which mainly consisted of Polish guards that looked to be dressed in pajamas. There were only four men in the entire detail that carrier arms.
Despite the limitations that had been placed on the team, Phillip had deduced that he had set up a reasonable defense of the entire street. There was maybe a ten percent chance that an enemy force could get at the Taiwanese President from the buildings.
On the second day, when Lee was supposed to leave, two members of the team contracted food poison. Phillip at first thought it had been deliberate, but he later found out that the cause had been the exoticness of the food.
The two men that contracted the illness had originally been from Texas, where the most exotic food you could find would be spaghetti.
Phillip compromised and spread his already thin line of defense a little thinner in order to cover the route.
As the hour of Lee's departure neared, a crowd began to line the street. Parker and his team of Green Berets departed from the presidential house and went to their respective positions.
Parker would be the only man that would walk the streets, looking for any unusual activity. Once Lee's car and the car containing the other guards rolled by, Parker would get into Lee's car and go with them all the way to the airport, where he would then inform the Vice President of Lee's departure and then collect the other Green Berets and head back to the Carrier Independence.
Damn fool, Phillip thought as he observed the crowd. He was still a little pissed over Lee's foolish ambition to get himself blown away. The man was the only real chance Taiwan had to become fully independent from China, and he was willing to let himself die for his own personal thoughts of being named a martyr and placed into the history books.
Phillip had equipped the team with small radio frequency microphones that clipped onto the lapel of you shirt. The same kind the Secret Service used.
"Check in," he said without taking his eyes from the crowd.
"Six here."
"Eight here."
"Four's good."
"Three."
"Seven."
"Five here."
"Two is all accounted for."
"Alright," Parker said. "The cars leaving now, so keep your eyes peeled and your safeties off. Do not fire until you receive confirmation from One."
Parker heard the crowd begin to quiet down a little as the car first came into view. Once it was around the corner, they broke out into cheers and applause. The car slowly rolled by and that was when he heard the noise over the small receiver that was in place inside his inner ear.
"This is Six; I have enemies sighted at building located across from me. They are armed, repeat, armed."
Parker took one look at the building in front of him and immediately called out.
"Take them down Six!"
Two shots rang out and then a sudden whoosh as an RPG discharged. Six's shots were true and one man fell from the second floor window onto the pavement below. The grenade that was fired hit the ground in front of the crowd and exploded, sending civilians flying. The crowd instantly became panicked and people began running.
Parker was fighting his way through the crowd towards the street when another voice came over the radio.
"There are three guys on the street with what appears to be Uzi 9mm's. They are not in proper uniform and I suspect they are the enemy."
Parker was now throwing people aside so he could get to the street when he saw the men. They were loading magazines into their Uzi's and one of them had turned to face the now speeding car that contained President Lee.
"Stop them!" Parker yelled and almost immediately there was a burst from a CAR-15 from one of the buildings. The three men were taken down.
"This is Eight; I've got enemy forces standing in the road at the end of the street with RPG's."
"Shoot them!" Parker screamed as he ran down the street, already knowing that the mission was now a failure. He had seen the grenade go off earlier and the civilians that were standing near it had caught shrapnel all along their side and chest.
As Parker the car came back into view, he heard the distinct sound of several RPG's going off simultaneously just as Eight's high-powered rifle sent the three men to the afterlife.
One of the RPG's went wild and impacted the ground beside Parker. He felt himself being lifted off his feet and thrown across the street. Phillip hit the ground with a great amount of force and felt the air rush out of his lungs. There was a burning sensation in his leg but he ignored it and ordered himself to get up.
Slowly he got to his feet and jogged the distance to Lee's already flaming car. His leg was numb but the pain was now distant.
Once he got close enough, Parker saw that two of the RPG's had impacted right in front of the car, sending the shrapnel right through the car.
The fuel line had been ruptured and now the car was beginning to burn at an alarmingly fast rate. Parker had known enough about cars to tell that the car was moments away from becoming a large fireball.
Phillip ran to the flaming car and wrenched open the back side door. Flames licked at his body but he paid them no heed. He saw the prone form of President Lee. He reached into the car and grabbed the body in his massive arms and turned from the car. He had gone two steps when the car exploded. Parker was sent to the pavement once again, but he managed to cradle the body in his arms so he took most of the impact.
Parker watched in horror as Lee's body suddenly burst into flames and that his own body was now on fire. He desperately ripped his clothes from his body and then quickly put out the flames that covered Lee's body.
The smell of burning flesh and fuel was quite evident and Parker retched. He emptied his stomach onto the sidewalk and then began to heave. His stomach had nothing else to give but his body still wanted to throw up.
When the ambulance team arrived, they found Colonel Phillip S. Parker IV passed out in the middle of the street dressed only in his boxers.
===============
A TWX was sent out immediately following the confirmed reports from the station Taiwan.
To: Chief of Staff, Army.
The assassination attempt on Taiwanese President Lee was a failure. President Lee was transferred to a hospital where he was pronounced alive and in stable condition.
Station Taiwan
To: Commander and Chief, White House.
Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Parker was taken to hospital where he was put into the burn ward. He received third degree burns to twenty percent of his body. Colonel Parker also received shrapnel to his left leg during the assassination attempt of Taiwanese President Lee.
Recommended Colonel Parker, receive the Special Service Medal for actions.
===============
Colonel Parker was, at the moment, inside his hospital room, attempting to turn the pages of a magazine.
The task proved difficult due to the large bandages wrapped around his hands.
The door to the room opened and a nurse stepped in. Parker watched her out of the corner of his eye as she walked over to the bed and put the wash basin and the sponge.
Parker placed the magazine onto his bedside table and looked up at the nurse.
"I have the feeling that you are not going to use that sponge to clean the windows," Parker said in English.
The nurse, a tall black woman, smiled at Parker.
"You guessed right bucko," she said.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" Parker asked. "Surely you are not an enlisted woman."
"Right again," she replied. "Now take off your clothes."
"I was sort of hoping that we could get to know each other first," Parker replied.
The nurse laughed and went to the bathroom and filled the basin with water and returned to the room. Phillip had removed his hospital gown but could not hook his thumbs on the strap for his underwear.
"At the risk of sounding like a sex-starved soldier, I must ask you to help me remove my undergarments."
The nurse shook her head and went to Phillip and grabbed the ends of his boxers and slipped them off his waist.
"I do believe your blushing," Phillip said as he turned on his side.
"Listen Romeo, just try and keep your mouth shut and then I can finish washing you."
"Ah, a woman who knows what she wants, truly a diamond in the rough," he said and shivered a little when the sponge first contacted his chest. "Maybe using the hot water would have been better."
The nurse smiled at him. "I thought that maybe a cold shower would help keep whatever sexual urges you may have at bay."
Phillip looked at the nurse's face and saw the blush that was spreading on her face as she worked her way down his chest.
"Am I permitted to ask what your name is?"
"Antoinette Albright."
"Phillip S. Parker," Phillip replied and smiled at Antoinette. She smiled back.
"I know who you are Colonel," she said. "Or did you wonder why the army seemed fit to send a full staff of Americans to Taiwan just to keep you healthy."
"The thought did happen to affront itself in my mind. If you know who I am, does that mean you know the reasons for my visit to this wonderful hospital?"
"You were with the Green Berets when President Lee was attacked. After his car was hit, you pulled Lee from his burning car and saved is life," Antoinette said.
Parker smiled at her. "Does this mean my heroics have won over your heart and made you believe that this crazy soldier must be the ideal man for you?"
"Actually the only thought that passed through my mind was, this man is a fool for doing the things that I troubled myself to find out."
Parker didn't reply and Antoinette didn't say anything else.
Phillip remained silent as she finished his sponge bath and by the time she had finished, he had the World's Prize Winning Number One Hard-On.
"Turn over," Antoinette said.
"That would be very embarrassing for the both of us," Phillip said. Antoinette laughed and jokingly covered her eyes with the sponge.
"I'll work around it," she said as Parker turned over.
"I will go out on a limb and presume that you have no husband Miss Albright, and in doing so I must ask if you may consider me appropriate material for a date."
Antoinette looked at him for a moment and then walked to the door. She locked it and made her way back to the bed. She placed her hand on Phillip's chest.
"Does this answer your question?" she asked and took his hand and placed it on her chest. She then used her other hand to undue the buttons on her nurse's uniform.
===============
Ishii walked into the Inafune Ryoutei and smiled at the woman standing by the door waiting to greet customers.
"Your party is waiting for you upstairs Mr. Inafune," she said and bowed to him.
Ishii thanked her and walked through the restaurant and climbed the stairs to the second floor and made his way down the hallway to the office that used to belong to his father.
He opened the door and smiled at the room's occupants.
"Good evening," Ishii said and went to the table. He shook hands with the two young men and nodded once towards the older American sitting at the end of the table.
Ranma and Ryoga were a little uneasy about the situation and Ishii could notice.
"Be at ease my friends, this meeting is to clear up whatever questions you may have about the inheritance Seiji left you."
"Ryoga and I have been talking about this Ishii," Ranma stated. "And we both agree that we both have no clue how to run a company like what Seiji's will left us."
Ishii smiled tolerantly at the two.
"I am going to let Mr. Howard explain the finer details now."
The man at the end of the table cleared his throat before speaking.
"Seiji Inafune left the two of you with part control over the seven restaurants by the name of Inafune Ryoutei and with part ownership of the American Investment Banking firm, Seiji, Kimiko, and Portet. The name has been since changed to that of Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet," the man said.
"The restaurants will be divided between you," he said pointing at Ranma, "and you," pointing at Ryoga. "The investment banking firm is controlled by a board of directors. You two," he said, indicating Ranma and Ryoga, "will be the Presidents of the company, meaning you have the most clout. That does not mean that you have to attend meetings or anything, but it does mean you will carry over fifty percent of the voting power on the board. You will receive monthly funds from the companies, and you will also have control over the two company's assets."
Ranma and Ryoga looked very much like two confused six year olds. Ishii decided to try and simplify what Mr. Howard had just said.
"What he means my friends is that, you will be named as owners of the Inafune Ryoutei food chain and as part-owners of Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet. You will have no real obligations unless you want to become active in the running of either the restaurants or the investment banking. You will receive money every month from both companies. You will also receive along with the money, a bunch of documents stating both, the annual income, and the annual profits that each company earns. I know that this must seem a little surreal to you, but this is what Seiji wanted for the both of you. I ask that you honor his wishes and take the positions that have been made vacant for you."
Ranma and Ryoga looked at each other briefly and then turned to Ishii.
"We'll do it," Ranma said with Ryoga nodding. "But we do have a few questions."
"Go ahead," Mr. Howard said.
"Does this mean that Ryoga and I are going to have to do a lot of traveling?"
"No," Ishii shook his head. "I will be sitting in as the President of the company and I will call or come over and tell you everything that is going on. This way we do not have to have either of you ferrying here and there from the States while you're in school."
Ranma nodded. "Okay and Ryoga wanted to ask you the other thing."
Ryoga cleared his throat. "I was also wondering if I would be able to add the option that if I were to pass on, I could name Akari as my dependant, meaning she would take my position on the board."
Ishii raised his eyebrows in question. "You expect to be doing something dangerous Ryoga?"
"No, but I do know that because of my lifestyle, there will always be the chance that I may die."
Ishii nodded. "Alright, and I take it the same will go for you eh Ranma?"
"Yes," Ranma nodded. "If you can do that, then I'll take the position."
"Is there any specific reason why you want to have that done?" Mr. Howard asked.
Ranma decided to answer after a moment's hesitation.
"I want to make sure that Akane is doesn't have to worry about money or anything if I do pass away."
Ishii nodded his understanding and stuck his hand out to the two young teenagers sitting across from him.
Ranma shook it and so did Ryoga.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, how about we have a little celebration?" Ishii asked them with a warm smile.
He pulled a tall bottle of wine from a bag underneath the table and Mr. Howard placed some glasses beside the bottle. Ishii poured the wine into the glasses and handed them to each man.
He raised his glass. "Absent companions."
"Absent companions," the others parroted.
Ranma and Ryoga shook hands with Ishii and Mr. Howard one more time before leaving. They were each feeling much better than either had in a very long time.
===============
Author's Notes: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. The banter between Parker and the nurse was particularly fun because that is about the first time I've been able to use the clever sort of conversations that I haven't been able to use except maybe between Seiji and Parker.
I have just received word that my new assignment will be a UN assignment. Any number of you can probably guess what that is, considering what you have seen in the news. I will be leaving in a month, just enough time to release the first chapter of Until the End and see what kind of reception it receives.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story and I hope that everyone has been writing reviews.
"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Akane asked.
"Sure," Ranma replied. "The guy just couldn't take the news I guess."
Akane looked down at Ryoga's prone form on the floor of the Tendo Dojo.
Ranma had taken Ryoga into the Dojo in order for him to inform Ryoga about what they inherited from Seiji Inafune.
The two combined inherited two multi-million dollar companies along with a large amount of real estate in the southern United States and Japan.
Ryoga had taken the news in a some-what undignified manner. He had fainted.
"You can't really blame the guy I guess," Ranma said as he placed the remoistened washcloth onto Ryoga's forehead.
"I don't think I would have done anything different if it had been me," Akari said as she ran her hand through Ryoga's thick hair.
Ranma was still trying to figure out what all this meant. Three months ago he was looking at a future of just being with Akane and working at the Dojo. Now he had part ownership over Seiji's restaurant chain and his American based investment banking company. He was just a little surprised he had not fainted either.
"My god," Ranma said, "I'm a millionaire."
Akane looked over at Ranma.
"Well duh," she said and smiled. "Did you just realize that Ranma?"
Ranma nodded his head. "Yeah," he said and paused. "I don't know anything about running a company and I'm pretty sure Ryoga doesn't either. How the hell are we supposed to run this company?"
"I'm sure Seiji thought of that Ranma," Akane said. "You'll remember that Ishii was also named as an owner of the investment banking group. I'm sure he has some idea about what to do."
Ranma was about to reply when Ryoga stirred.
The lost boy slowly opened his eyes and suddenly bolted upright.
"Jesus Christ!" Ryoga shouted out before he saw the others. He smiled sheepishly at them. "Sorry."
Ranma patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright man; I had just about the same reaction a minute ago."
Ryoga looked at the papers on the ground and shook his head.
"This has got to be some kind of dream," he said and sighed. "Why the hell would Seiji leave us all that. I'm only seventeen; I don't know a damn thing about running a company, let alone one that goddamned wealthy."
Ranma chuckled and smiled at Ryoga.
"You're preachin' to the quire man, I just said those same things."
"When is Ishii supposed to come back?" Akari asked.
Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, the guy will probably be back pretty soon. Maybe by tomorrow, he still needs those papers of Ryoga's signed. That reminds me, you still need to sign those Ryoga."
Ryoga looked at the papers for a moment then picked them up. He took the pen from Ranma's extended hand and signed his signature where it was indicated. He looked at Akari and took her hand in his.
"Do you think I should do this?" he asked her, and there was no doubt that he was going to do whatever Akari decided.
"Seiji wanted you to have this Ryoga, I believe it would be the greatest thing you could do in his memory if you were to take part ownership of his work."
Ryoga nodded and squeezed her hand and released it. He turned back to Ranma and smiled.
"Now that were both millionaires, why don't we go out and celebrate?"
"Now there's a suggestion," Ranma said as he got to his feet. "Do you think we should tell the others?"
He meant the other occupants of Nerima.
"I don't see why not," Ryoga said. "If Nabiki already knows than I'm sure that already half of Tokyo has heard about it."
Ranma laughed wrapped his arm around Ryoga's shoulder.
"Well buddy, we've solved just about all of our problems now haven't we?"
"Not yet," Ryoga said. "I still need to get married and so do you and Akane."
"Good point," Ranma acknowledged. "Though now that we have this money, I think the ladies will want a much larger wedding than just a simple ceremony in the Dojo."
"Your right Ranma," Ryoga said knowingly. "And I think maybe a western style will be the best type of wedding."
"I believe it will," Ranma smiled. He caught the surprised looks the girls were wearing. "Come now ladies, surely you did not expect Ryoga and I would be barbarians when it came to marriage."
The girls smiled and took the offered arms of the two gentlemen before them and left the Dojo.
===============
For the first day while they were in Taipei, Phillip and the other Green Berets scouted out the route that President Lee would take to his personal aircraft that would carry him to America. They quickly deduced that a simple team of Green Berets would not be enough to cover the large number of buildings that surrounded the area.
Their appeal to the President to change routes was squashed within minutes. The President merely said that he had faith in the team and if he were to change his usual route, than the people would have cause for concern.
Phillip ticked the Presidents reason to be that of a fool. If the Chinese did succeed in assassinating him, then the people would have more cause to be frightened than if he changed his route.
But there was nothing Parker could do in the short amount of time he had been given. The team worked with Lee's protective detail, which mainly consisted of Polish guards that looked to be dressed in pajamas. There were only four men in the entire detail that carrier arms.
Despite the limitations that had been placed on the team, Phillip had deduced that he had set up a reasonable defense of the entire street. There was maybe a ten percent chance that an enemy force could get at the Taiwanese President from the buildings.
On the second day, when Lee was supposed to leave, two members of the team contracted food poison. Phillip at first thought it had been deliberate, but he later found out that the cause had been the exoticness of the food.
The two men that contracted the illness had originally been from Texas, where the most exotic food you could find would be spaghetti.
Phillip compromised and spread his already thin line of defense a little thinner in order to cover the route.
As the hour of Lee's departure neared, a crowd began to line the street. Parker and his team of Green Berets departed from the presidential house and went to their respective positions.
Parker would be the only man that would walk the streets, looking for any unusual activity. Once Lee's car and the car containing the other guards rolled by, Parker would get into Lee's car and go with them all the way to the airport, where he would then inform the Vice President of Lee's departure and then collect the other Green Berets and head back to the Carrier Independence.
Damn fool, Phillip thought as he observed the crowd. He was still a little pissed over Lee's foolish ambition to get himself blown away. The man was the only real chance Taiwan had to become fully independent from China, and he was willing to let himself die for his own personal thoughts of being named a martyr and placed into the history books.
Phillip had equipped the team with small radio frequency microphones that clipped onto the lapel of you shirt. The same kind the Secret Service used.
"Check in," he said without taking his eyes from the crowd.
"Six here."
"Eight here."
"Four's good."
"Three."
"Seven."
"Five here."
"Two is all accounted for."
"Alright," Parker said. "The cars leaving now, so keep your eyes peeled and your safeties off. Do not fire until you receive confirmation from One."
Parker heard the crowd begin to quiet down a little as the car first came into view. Once it was around the corner, they broke out into cheers and applause. The car slowly rolled by and that was when he heard the noise over the small receiver that was in place inside his inner ear.
"This is Six; I have enemies sighted at building located across from me. They are armed, repeat, armed."
Parker took one look at the building in front of him and immediately called out.
"Take them down Six!"
Two shots rang out and then a sudden whoosh as an RPG discharged. Six's shots were true and one man fell from the second floor window onto the pavement below. The grenade that was fired hit the ground in front of the crowd and exploded, sending civilians flying. The crowd instantly became panicked and people began running.
Parker was fighting his way through the crowd towards the street when another voice came over the radio.
"There are three guys on the street with what appears to be Uzi 9mm's. They are not in proper uniform and I suspect they are the enemy."
Parker was now throwing people aside so he could get to the street when he saw the men. They were loading magazines into their Uzi's and one of them had turned to face the now speeding car that contained President Lee.
"Stop them!" Parker yelled and almost immediately there was a burst from a CAR-15 from one of the buildings. The three men were taken down.
"This is Eight; I've got enemy forces standing in the road at the end of the street with RPG's."
"Shoot them!" Parker screamed as he ran down the street, already knowing that the mission was now a failure. He had seen the grenade go off earlier and the civilians that were standing near it had caught shrapnel all along their side and chest.
As Parker the car came back into view, he heard the distinct sound of several RPG's going off simultaneously just as Eight's high-powered rifle sent the three men to the afterlife.
One of the RPG's went wild and impacted the ground beside Parker. He felt himself being lifted off his feet and thrown across the street. Phillip hit the ground with a great amount of force and felt the air rush out of his lungs. There was a burning sensation in his leg but he ignored it and ordered himself to get up.
Slowly he got to his feet and jogged the distance to Lee's already flaming car. His leg was numb but the pain was now distant.
Once he got close enough, Parker saw that two of the RPG's had impacted right in front of the car, sending the shrapnel right through the car.
The fuel line had been ruptured and now the car was beginning to burn at an alarmingly fast rate. Parker had known enough about cars to tell that the car was moments away from becoming a large fireball.
Phillip ran to the flaming car and wrenched open the back side door. Flames licked at his body but he paid them no heed. He saw the prone form of President Lee. He reached into the car and grabbed the body in his massive arms and turned from the car. He had gone two steps when the car exploded. Parker was sent to the pavement once again, but he managed to cradle the body in his arms so he took most of the impact.
Parker watched in horror as Lee's body suddenly burst into flames and that his own body was now on fire. He desperately ripped his clothes from his body and then quickly put out the flames that covered Lee's body.
The smell of burning flesh and fuel was quite evident and Parker retched. He emptied his stomach onto the sidewalk and then began to heave. His stomach had nothing else to give but his body still wanted to throw up.
When the ambulance team arrived, they found Colonel Phillip S. Parker IV passed out in the middle of the street dressed only in his boxers.
===============
A TWX was sent out immediately following the confirmed reports from the station Taiwan.
To: Chief of Staff, Army.
The assassination attempt on Taiwanese President Lee was a failure. President Lee was transferred to a hospital where he was pronounced alive and in stable condition.
Station Taiwan
To: Commander and Chief, White House.
Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Parker was taken to hospital where he was put into the burn ward. He received third degree burns to twenty percent of his body. Colonel Parker also received shrapnel to his left leg during the assassination attempt of Taiwanese President Lee.
Recommended Colonel Parker, receive the Special Service Medal for actions.
===============
Colonel Parker was, at the moment, inside his hospital room, attempting to turn the pages of a magazine.
The task proved difficult due to the large bandages wrapped around his hands.
The door to the room opened and a nurse stepped in. Parker watched her out of the corner of his eye as she walked over to the bed and put the wash basin and the sponge.
Parker placed the magazine onto his bedside table and looked up at the nurse.
"I have the feeling that you are not going to use that sponge to clean the windows," Parker said in English.
The nurse, a tall black woman, smiled at Parker.
"You guessed right bucko," she said.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" Parker asked. "Surely you are not an enlisted woman."
"Right again," she replied. "Now take off your clothes."
"I was sort of hoping that we could get to know each other first," Parker replied.
The nurse laughed and went to the bathroom and filled the basin with water and returned to the room. Phillip had removed his hospital gown but could not hook his thumbs on the strap for his underwear.
"At the risk of sounding like a sex-starved soldier, I must ask you to help me remove my undergarments."
The nurse shook her head and went to Phillip and grabbed the ends of his boxers and slipped them off his waist.
"I do believe your blushing," Phillip said as he turned on his side.
"Listen Romeo, just try and keep your mouth shut and then I can finish washing you."
"Ah, a woman who knows what she wants, truly a diamond in the rough," he said and shivered a little when the sponge first contacted his chest. "Maybe using the hot water would have been better."
The nurse smiled at him. "I thought that maybe a cold shower would help keep whatever sexual urges you may have at bay."
Phillip looked at the nurse's face and saw the blush that was spreading on her face as she worked her way down his chest.
"Am I permitted to ask what your name is?"
"Antoinette Albright."
"Phillip S. Parker," Phillip replied and smiled at Antoinette. She smiled back.
"I know who you are Colonel," she said. "Or did you wonder why the army seemed fit to send a full staff of Americans to Taiwan just to keep you healthy."
"The thought did happen to affront itself in my mind. If you know who I am, does that mean you know the reasons for my visit to this wonderful hospital?"
"You were with the Green Berets when President Lee was attacked. After his car was hit, you pulled Lee from his burning car and saved is life," Antoinette said.
Parker smiled at her. "Does this mean my heroics have won over your heart and made you believe that this crazy soldier must be the ideal man for you?"
"Actually the only thought that passed through my mind was, this man is a fool for doing the things that I troubled myself to find out."
Parker didn't reply and Antoinette didn't say anything else.
Phillip remained silent as she finished his sponge bath and by the time she had finished, he had the World's Prize Winning Number One Hard-On.
"Turn over," Antoinette said.
"That would be very embarrassing for the both of us," Phillip said. Antoinette laughed and jokingly covered her eyes with the sponge.
"I'll work around it," she said as Parker turned over.
"I will go out on a limb and presume that you have no husband Miss Albright, and in doing so I must ask if you may consider me appropriate material for a date."
Antoinette looked at him for a moment and then walked to the door. She locked it and made her way back to the bed. She placed her hand on Phillip's chest.
"Does this answer your question?" she asked and took his hand and placed it on her chest. She then used her other hand to undue the buttons on her nurse's uniform.
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Ishii walked into the Inafune Ryoutei and smiled at the woman standing by the door waiting to greet customers.
"Your party is waiting for you upstairs Mr. Inafune," she said and bowed to him.
Ishii thanked her and walked through the restaurant and climbed the stairs to the second floor and made his way down the hallway to the office that used to belong to his father.
He opened the door and smiled at the room's occupants.
"Good evening," Ishii said and went to the table. He shook hands with the two young men and nodded once towards the older American sitting at the end of the table.
Ranma and Ryoga were a little uneasy about the situation and Ishii could notice.
"Be at ease my friends, this meeting is to clear up whatever questions you may have about the inheritance Seiji left you."
"Ryoga and I have been talking about this Ishii," Ranma stated. "And we both agree that we both have no clue how to run a company like what Seiji's will left us."
Ishii smiled tolerantly at the two.
"I am going to let Mr. Howard explain the finer details now."
The man at the end of the table cleared his throat before speaking.
"Seiji Inafune left the two of you with part control over the seven restaurants by the name of Inafune Ryoutei and with part ownership of the American Investment Banking firm, Seiji, Kimiko, and Portet. The name has been since changed to that of Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet," the man said.
"The restaurants will be divided between you," he said pointing at Ranma, "and you," pointing at Ryoga. "The investment banking firm is controlled by a board of directors. You two," he said, indicating Ranma and Ryoga, "will be the Presidents of the company, meaning you have the most clout. That does not mean that you have to attend meetings or anything, but it does mean you will carry over fifty percent of the voting power on the board. You will receive monthly funds from the companies, and you will also have control over the two company's assets."
Ranma and Ryoga looked very much like two confused six year olds. Ishii decided to try and simplify what Mr. Howard had just said.
"What he means my friends is that, you will be named as owners of the Inafune Ryoutei food chain and as part-owners of Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet. You will have no real obligations unless you want to become active in the running of either the restaurants or the investment banking. You will receive money every month from both companies. You will also receive along with the money, a bunch of documents stating both, the annual income, and the annual profits that each company earns. I know that this must seem a little surreal to you, but this is what Seiji wanted for the both of you. I ask that you honor his wishes and take the positions that have been made vacant for you."
Ranma and Ryoga looked at each other briefly and then turned to Ishii.
"We'll do it," Ranma said with Ryoga nodding. "But we do have a few questions."
"Go ahead," Mr. Howard said.
"Does this mean that Ryoga and I are going to have to do a lot of traveling?"
"No," Ishii shook his head. "I will be sitting in as the President of the company and I will call or come over and tell you everything that is going on. This way we do not have to have either of you ferrying here and there from the States while you're in school."
Ranma nodded. "Okay and Ryoga wanted to ask you the other thing."
Ryoga cleared his throat. "I was also wondering if I would be able to add the option that if I were to pass on, I could name Akari as my dependant, meaning she would take my position on the board."
Ishii raised his eyebrows in question. "You expect to be doing something dangerous Ryoga?"
"No, but I do know that because of my lifestyle, there will always be the chance that I may die."
Ishii nodded. "Alright, and I take it the same will go for you eh Ranma?"
"Yes," Ranma nodded. "If you can do that, then I'll take the position."
"Is there any specific reason why you want to have that done?" Mr. Howard asked.
Ranma decided to answer after a moment's hesitation.
"I want to make sure that Akane is doesn't have to worry about money or anything if I do pass away."
Ishii nodded his understanding and stuck his hand out to the two young teenagers sitting across from him.
Ranma shook it and so did Ryoga.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, how about we have a little celebration?" Ishii asked them with a warm smile.
He pulled a tall bottle of wine from a bag underneath the table and Mr. Howard placed some glasses beside the bottle. Ishii poured the wine into the glasses and handed them to each man.
He raised his glass. "Absent companions."
"Absent companions," the others parroted.
Ranma and Ryoga shook hands with Ishii and Mr. Howard one more time before leaving. They were each feeling much better than either had in a very long time.
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Author's Notes: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. The banter between Parker and the nurse was particularly fun because that is about the first time I've been able to use the clever sort of conversations that I haven't been able to use except maybe between Seiji and Parker.
I have just received word that my new assignment will be a UN assignment. Any number of you can probably guess what that is, considering what you have seen in the news. I will be leaving in a month, just enough time to release the first chapter of Until the End and see what kind of reception it receives.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story and I hope that everyone has been writing reviews.