Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.
Around the living room table the next morning, Ranma was much more rested … apparently, the Diggers daughters were reluctant to engage in nightly activities with their parents only a few walls apart, so they had convinced the others to settle for cuddling, which was an activity that no one got mad at the man if he fell asleep while performing.
The women hadn't lost much sleep, either, but they were a little tenser than the morning before.
"What's that?" asked a groggy Nabiki, having spent a portion of the night trying to think of a few project ideas for the various Research Teams, if only to have the opportunity to one day boast of having had a hand in one of the inventions that made so and so many billions for the company.
Following the direction the brunette's finger was pointing before it was moved to join the others on its hand in politely shielding the others from seeing a yawn, the others in the living room saw the brown envelope sitting on the TV.
"Oh," Ranma realised. "It was delivered yesterday … forgot all about it what with the baby names being thrown around and the trip to the Office …"
Waving his hand, Ranma summoned the envelope to him with telekinesis. Strictly speaking, the waving wasn't necessary, but for some reason it helped placate those not capable of performing this technique.
"Wonder what's in it …"
"Only one way to find out," Nabiki grunted, tired, yet curious, and in no mood for playing games.
"Not true, but I'll open it anyway …" Ranma chuckled.
Pulling on the cord conveniently placed along the top end, the paper tore, allowing the content to spill out into Ranma's lap.
It was a letter.
Plain and simple … nothing more.
"Who would write you?" asked Nodoka curiously. "Almost everyone you know is in this room."
"It's from Happosai," said Ranma curiously.
"What does he have to say that he wouldn't come express in person?" asked Nodoka, knowing what the old lecher would do.
""Ranma-san"," Ranma read aloud. "I have done many things that I am not proud of, many of which I also did to you. I have of late come to realise that I had some problems controlling my temper and interests, and thus did many foolish things. I am glad to hear that you not only did not suffer lasting damage from our last encounter, but also started cleaning house … so to speak … I will see what can be done to squash your father's plans of escape. There is little I can say or do to prove myself worthy of forgiveness, but I ask nonetheless that you at least consider it. Humbly yours, Happosai. PS: Ask your mother if she's certain you are Genma's offspring, because from what I've heard of your recent success, I severely doubt it … though you could have gotten it from her side … PPS: Since it's your company, I'm sure I don't need to add this, but I will anyway, some inmates are talking about your success, money and such, and are as I'm writing this plotting how to go about stealing your money and any weapons your company may have laying about." The letter was dated three days ago …" Ranma commented, then his eyes widened. "And it is written on stationary from the prison Pops was sent to!"
"I wonder what would make them place the two most dangerous criminals of this country in the same prison, given their common history …" Nabiki pondered. "At least he won't be raiding my underwear drawer for a while …"
"Oh, that letter reminds me," Dr Diggers started. "We have brought a few messages of our own … Gina, the Shadow Elves sent a message stating that they wanted to have you visit … it was apparently very important, but they didn't want to say what it was other than having to do with history."
"The werewolves wanted to have an audience with Ranma at the closest convenient time," added Julia to the person in question. "So did the Kryn, actually. They didn't want to say what it was about, but I didn't get the impression that you've done anything to offend them …"
"I don't think I have time this week to squeeze in a meeting," sighed Ranma. "How about Friday in my dojo, around noon in this time zone? You can transport them from Gina's and Brianna's house through the Ring … just select the only other Ring from the menu on the console, and press enter, then step through … Could you relay the message to them?"
"I can stop by the Werewolf Clan when I drop Gina off on Jade," Dr Diggers agreed.
"And I can tell Stryyp when he comes to pick up Britanny from training," added Julia. "Which reminds me, we should get going … my students are probably tearing up the lawn trying to impress each other as we speak …"
"On that note, I think I should get ready to get Kim Possible," Ranma continued. "Now … how was I supposed to get in touch with Wade?"
"Leave a message on Kim's site, and he'll contact you," Beebee reminded him. "I'll do it right away."
Beebee got up from the table to get to the nearest computer, brushing off imaginary wrinkles from the pink bathrobe she wore over her borrowed undergarments.
"Be sure to ask for Kim's exact coordinates, so I can teleport there to pick her up," Ranma added. "Thank you!"
While Beebee was off contacting Wade, Ranma and his girlfriends said goodbye to the elder Diggers, and Gina before Dr Diggers teleported the three of them back to Atlanta to drop Julia off and proceed to Jade.
It was an emotional farewell, even if the possibility of Gina returning that very night was big. It would be the first time since the "Harem" was assembled that one of its members would be that far away from the others, and farewells were also given to Ranma, who was going to pick up Kim somewhere in America, and would proceed to go after Dr Drakken and Shego, not to mention that he would have to try and bring Ryoga and Akane to justice for freeing those criminals.
"I've got the coordinates!" declared Beebee as she stumbled into the living room. Though she had gotten used to walking, doing so quickly was still not in her grasp, leading to instability. "She's off on Cheerleading Camp in preparation for a contest this summer!"
"Great," Ranma replied, accepting the note Beebee had written the coordinates on.
"Wade did say that there was some disturbance with the reading because the Cheerleading Camp was so close to Telecommunications Camp, so the coordinates may be off by a hundred feet, but that shouldn't be a problem according to the map he sent," Beebee added.
"Okay," confirmed Ranma. "I'll be back as soon as I can … why don't you all go shopping or something? Maybe spend the day in our hot-spring?"
Beebee and the others nodded sadly before Ranma gave them all a kiss goodbye, and teleported, the coordinates of his destination in mind.
Apparently, Wade's calculations had been a little more off than he had thought.
Looking down, Ranma saw a lake directly below, about a hundred feet away, and approaching fast.
Flipping in the air from his diagonal position, which he had somehow ended up in during his journey, possibly because of lack of knowledge of the area or something similar, Ranma touched down on the surface of the water, making barely a ripple in his three-point landing.
He hadn't done this since he was in Jade, but he was luckily not as rusty in water-walking as he had thought he would be … but then, it was simply a matter of spreading his weight over a large area of water, as well as using similar principles to stilts to keep him from breaking the surface.
While this may not have been as strange in Jade, due to the countless magic-users and creatures that roamed it, the sight of a man walking on water was not a common one in America, or anywhere else on Earth for that matter.
It was therefore understandable that the scores of teenage girls on shore were shocked silent.
Approaching the shore, Ranma managed to find Kim rather quickly … she was the one that wasn't all that shocked, having lived a rather interesting life according to the stories she told when he had her and Ron as his guests.
"Ranma!" she called as he stepped onto the muddy shore before her Cheer Squad. "What are you doing here?"
"Didn't Wade tell you?" Ranma asked, only to be interrupted by the musical beeping from the Kimmunicator.
"What's the sitch, Wade?"
" Just calling to tell you that Ranma will come by some time today to pick you up, so you can both go after Dr Drakken, " said Wade.
"He's already here," Kim corrected.
"And your coordination calculations were a bit more off than you said," Ranma added seriously. "If I wasn't as skilled, I could have drowned when I teleported in over a hundred feet off the surface of the lake."
" Sorry, " grimaced Wade. " The disturbances from Telecommunications Camp on the other side of the lake must have been greater than first assumed … "
Ranma shook his head. He should have taken the time to more thoroughly examine his destination … used the Clairvoyance technique to scout out the terrain and verify his landing area before teleporting … if he hadn't been hesitant about using the technique because of invasion of privacy, he would have been able to get a smoother landing.
"No problem," Ranma assured. "I should have backed up your coordinates with some research of my own … I was in a rush, so I'm partially to blame … maybe you have more accurate information about Dr Drakken's whereabouts?"
" Count on it, " Wade affirmed. " Uploading GPS map to the Kimmunicator now … there, Dr Drakken has remained in position for the last three days, five kilometres off the Japanese Eastern coast, starting from Tokyo. The Coast Guard has been reluctant to approach it after a warning from Global Justice went out about the persons the ship contains, so they have not had reason to move. "
"Okay, then," interrupted Kim, before Wade could start a scientific discussion with Ranma. Listening to two geniuses having such a discussion would not be much fun, and could go on for ages once started. "I'll go change into my mission gear, and then we can get going!"
As Kim dashed off to her cabin, Ranma suddenly got a sense of dread, and looked over his shoulder, where several girls now held copies of girly magazines with his picture on them, proclaiming him to be the richest teen in the world that didn't inherit his fortune.
A large aura of greed and lust washed over Ranma as the teenage girls turned their eyes from his image to him and back again to confirm his identity.
Then they started approaching him, checking their equipment and outfits as they walked.
Granted, not all of the Cheerleaders were approaching, but a large portion was.
Seeing that the lake was no escape for him, and running inland would only delay him when Kim was done changing her clothes, Ranma took the only route he could … up.
Using telekinesis to levitate, Ranma rose into the air, stopping when he was about thirty feet above ground.
Below him, the gold digging cheerleaders were calling out their declarations of love for him, screaming at each other about seeing him first, and pulling each other's hair to prove their point … some even went to the extreme by tearing at others' uniform.
Had he not been the target of their lust, and had he not been in love with several other women, this sight would have been very tempting to accept and approach … however, he was not about to do what Akane had accused him of so many times. He would not cheat on his girlfriends, nor would he make it appear like it, so he remained stationary even as one or two of the Cheerleaders attempted to jump up to him, using one of their horizontal opponents as stepladders … they didn't come close enough to warrant concern.
For several minutes, Ranma floated above the girls, even as some became less than decently dressed in the brawl taking place. Some had even managed to roll into the mud along the water, and were making quite the spectacle of themselves.
Finally, Kim emerged from her cabin in the same clothes she wore the last time he saw her, as he was dropping her off in Middleton with Ron.
Not giving the girl time to ask questions, Ranma raised her to him, and teleported them away to the closest place he was familiar with … Gina's lab. They could take the Ring from there and save him some energy for the approaching conflict.
At Camp Gottagrin, formerly Camp Wannaweep, the brawling Cheerleaders were unaware of Ranma's departure, and that the boys at Telecommunications Camp had powerful telescopic lenses on their digital cameras, and a project of their own choice to complete this summer … most of them ended up making semi-pornographic films with titles in the vicinity of "Cheerleaders Gone Wild."
In Gina's lab, Ranma looked around for a moment before approaching the Ring.
Nothing had changed, and Dao even stood at the same monitor on the far side, running diagnostics on something … probably the two Beta-Hurtbots that were missing from the table …
Meanwhile on Jade, Gina found herself climbing a seemingly endless set of stairs with an old Shadow Elf called Ecko.
Gina was wearing more or less the same clothes she wore the last time she found herself in Jade, namely her jacket, hat and a green body suit … only this one was cut off mid-thigh and at the elbows, and had her initials printed vertically along her right hip.
At the moment, she was sorely regretting not taking her mother's training more seriously, because after the first three-thousand and forty steps she was sweating, gasping and panting profusely … but she wasn't going to complain about this, she was one of Ranma's girlfriends, and didn't want it to seem like she needed his help every step of the way. Besides, her loud panting and running sweat pretty much did her complaining for her … when she got home, she was definitely going to ask Ranma for lessons in keeping herself fit because this was not a situation she wanted to find herself in anymore …
"Just a little further, Ms Diggers," Ecko assured her from half a score steps ahead of her. "I assure you, you won't be disappointed …"
Gina was about to argue that she hardly thought anything would be worth the coronary she meant would arrive any moment, but then remembered her resolve to suffer in silence … except for her huffing and puffing … she wasn't able to hold those in no matter how stubborn she was.
That is, she thought nothing was worth it until she saw something a few hundred steps further … the mountain wall seemed to have fallen somewhat, revealing a metallic purple, horizontally curved structure beneath it, like an erect cylinder, but the exact shape it was could not be determined due to the small portion of it revealed.
A glow was visible where the stairs ended, showing a doorway with light on the inside of the structure. Along the walls of the structure, what little was visible, was a circuit-like band of colour similar to the inside of Bain.
"Jinkies!" Gina could not help but exclaim. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Truthfully, Gina, I'm not quite sure what you think it is …" Ecko confessed. "The ancestors of my people, the Shadow Elves first discovered this relic when Jade was settled during the last age of magic on Earth. Its purpose and origins are still an enigma to us, and yet this construct, and those like it scattered under the ground throughout the realm, sustain our way of life! You, Gina, are the first outsider to see this relic, our most guarded and protected secret. You were invited here because of your discoveries inside the artefact "Bain" … and your skill in decoding their meanings. We summoned you here, because you are our best hope of solving our oldest mystery …"
Pausing at the doorway, Ecko waited for Gina to catch up.
"So, Gina …" he started as soon as Gina was within a few steps of the doorway. "What do you think this place is? Our only use for it has been as an entrance to the Undercity …"
"A long time ago, I first heard of an Ancient race of builders called the Nomad Artificers," Gina explained as she paused to regain her breath at the last step. Maybe she hadn't been in as poor shape as she thought if she managed to get her second wind so quickly. "These guys existed a really long time ago … they were around just after the dawn of our universe … maybe even before … ever since I heard about them, I've searched for signs of their existence … clues to what happened to them and why they disappeared. I've learned two things so far … One: they were trying to build something … something big! So big they had to build a planet for a "workbench" and huge technical sites like this one for "tools" … Two: they had to keep on the move. Something kept interrupting them, something that caused them to abandon centuries of work when it showed up … forcing them to start all over from scratch somewhere else …"
Ecko nodded and entered through the doorway, motioning Gina to do the same.
On the other side, Gina nearly started crying as she saw another set of stairs, spiralling downwards along the wall, making it appear like the stairwell was a tube and leaving a large opening in the middle until they disappeared out of sight, in all probability continuing for a long while. The walls inside contained many more of the circuit-like lines, very similar to the interior of Bain.
Sighing at the injustice of it all, Gina turned to her guide.
"Would you mind if I take some photos?" she asked, pulling out the required device. "I may need to analyse some of the details around here later …"
Ecko paused in descending the steps for a moment.
"Photo …?" he pondered, trying to place the word. "Oh, yes .. a camera, pictures, technology … If you must, you may … but please keep them for your eyes only …"
"Master Ecko?" Gina could not help but ask. "Why all the secrecy? If I may ask …"
"We have our reasons," Ecko assured her. "Which you'll soon learn … but chief among those reasons is fear."
"Fear?" Gina asked, surprised. "My mother once said that the Shadow Elves are possibly the most powerful nation on Jade … Who could you be afraid of?"
"Everyone, Gina … and for very good reasons," Ecko chuckled grimly, and lowered the hood from his cloak. "If our enemies knew what you will know … But you are not our enemy, of that I'm sure. For I sense that we are kindred spirits … ever since I can remember, I've had a thirst to discover to explore, to seek out the unknown and make it known …"
"Yeah, me too," Gina agreed. "I guess you were right, then … we are two of a kind."
A pregnant pause followed as they continued to descend the stairs, Gina snapping photos every few steps for later study, and after a short while, Gina decided to end it.
"So, you're an archaeologist?"
"If that's the Earth-Born name for what I do … yes." Ecko confirmed.
"I- I thought you were a wizard," Gina commented, remembering having heard something like it about the Shadow Elf.
"Everyone needs a hobby," Ecko replied in a friendly chuckle. "Yours is technology, I believe …"
"Good point," Gina agreed, not noticing the distortion of air along the wall above her.
"Now, let's continue," Ecko interrupted. "If we go this way, we'll be retracing the steps of the first elf to venture down here …"
"Wait, did you hear som- GAH!" Gina's question was interrupted as a red creature pounced on her, knocking her back on her behind rather unexpectedly.
Recovering from her fall, Gina noticed a white face hovering close to hers, sniffing her scent. It almost looked like a fox … had it not been equipped with a head shaped like an arrow's head when seen from above, an extra set of front paws, and a rather angular design between the white face, feet and tail tip, the body, including most of the slim, cat-like tail, and pointy head, was red … it was almost as though it was a creature of artificial design, not natural …
And it was rather friendly.
"Ack!" Gina exclaimed as it seemed the creature was trying to kiss her, knocking her glasses askew. "What in the world? What is this thing?"
"Ah … I was wondering when one of them would come to "investigate" you, Gina …" Ecko chuckled. "This fellow is a Pau, one of our landlords … although I am a bit surprised that it's not as shy to you as they tend to be with my people … but, then again …"
"Wait-wait …" Gina interrupted, getting up and holding the Pau a bit from her body, but it was apparently not enough, as the creature proved by licking Gina's face as she spoke, much like an affectionate puppy. "Back up … landlords? What are you talking about?"
Master Ecko smiled kindly and continued walking down the stairs. "When the first elf ventured down into these caverns, he was greeted by a Pau … much in the same way you were …"
"Oh," said Gina in understanding, even as the Pau in her arms had managed to get closer and snuggled against her chest, to which Gina could not help but object to in a whisper, telling it to not get too friendly, before she continued to voice her train of thought on the subject at hand. "Then they were here first … I guess that would make the Pau your "landlords," then … Hold it, you said "first elf" … didn't you mean "first shadow elf"?"
"No," Ecko disagreed. "No mistake … I meant elf. You see, Gina, before we made these caverns our home, before this Great Undercity was built …" at this point, the two entered a huge cavern, as dark as night, with a few select lights here and there to show where dwellings were, and a bright light near the ceiling of the cavern. All over the walls, Circuit bands were shown in the dim light. It was an awe-inspiring sight that would have left Gina speechless, if not for her dedication to the subject Ecko was approaching, and the creature that still refused to leave her arms. "… before the Great Invasion of the legendary Shadows eons ago … my people and our cousins, the elves, were one."
"Jinkies!" Gina gasped in surprise. "What happened to you, then?"
"You shall see," Ecko assured her. "It's better if I show you …"
"Okay," Gina agreed. "But after we're done, I wonder if I could explore your city? As far as underground dwellings go, this one's titanic!"
"Indeed, the Undercity is a wonder …"agreed Ecko, and gestured up to the white light up near the ceiling of the cavern. "For example, that light … it nourishes everything it touches with energy. While in its glow, you will never grow tired or sick. You will never grow hungry or thirst … We call it the Infinity Engine …"
"Good Hoopty Doopty," Gina couldn't help but gasp in awe. Taking a closer look at the light, Gina discovered something … several small shapes hovering around it on fairy wings. "Master Ecko, look! There are Pau all around it!"
"Yes," Ecko confirmed. "They seem to be responsible for maintaining the engine … When the first elf came here, he knew he had discovered paradise! But this paradise also had its "forbidden fruit" … You see, this area is only the first chamber …"
"You mean … there's a second Undercity?" Gina asked, feeling silly for doing so … at least the Pau had allowed her to deposit it on the ground, where it was rubbing against her leg like a cat.
"Not quite," Ecko corrected. "The second chamber was found shortly after the Undercity was built and settled. It's much smaller, but much more significant … Inside this second chamber, our "Pandora's Box" was found … the gem of the Dark Ones … "Dain" … the summoner of the Shadows."
In the middle of the small room stood two tapered square pedestals, extending like stalagmites and stalactites towards each other, leaving a gap of a foot. Between them, suspended in a beam of energy, was a familiar shape.
"Hey!" exclaimed Gina as she saw it. "Isn't that the gem Tirant had? The one that contained the ruins of the Nomad Artificers?" she then noticed the difference. "But … it's blue … Tirant's gem was red!"
"Very observant," commented Ecko. "This gem doesn't belong to the Artificers, Gina … it belongs to their enemies, the Shadows, and when we activated it all those many years ago, the Shadows felt it … and came here to find it! It is my guess that the Nomads had stolen this and another gem from their enemies, hoping to unlock secrets that their single gem could not. The Artificers abandoned this place when they sensed the Shadows entering this dimension …"
"Of course!" Gina exclaimed, catching on to how things had transpired. "And when you activated "Dain," you set off a beacon that guided the Shadows straight to you!"
"Thus beginning the darkest chapter of Jade's history," Ecko finished. "The Shadows enslaved every living and unliving soul on Jade … forcing everyone to dig … to search for the exact location of "Dain" … and only we knew why." Ecko walked up to the stone wall, and placed his hand against what looked like a crack. "The Shadows were getting closer to "Dain" and to us … our fate was sealed … for even if the Shadows spared us after finding "Dain," the rest of Jade would surely condemn us for bringing the Shadows' wrath in the first place … That is, until we found the third chamber … and the Shadow imprisoned therein …" pressing his weight against the slab of rock, it moved, and a section of the wall opened up, revealing a stasis field with a slumped creature in the middle.
"Wh- What?" Gina gasped, eyes widening as she saw the creature. It looked like a thick stick figure, only its legs were missing, torn off if the jagged end at the waist was any indication. "I've seen one of those before! That's a Betaphantom!"
"… interesting," commented Ecko. "For this Shadow has been suspended in this prison since before Jade was settled, captured by the Artificers no doubt … For you to recognise it can only mean that your Betaphantoms and the Shadows are one in the same …"
Gina didn't say so, but she was starting to get an unsettling feeling in her stomach. This series of revelations now seemed to be building up to something bigger.
"When our people found this Shadow, we were desperate," Ecko continued, staring sightlessly at the Shadow, his sights aimed more on the mind's eye than his physical ones. "Our beautiful Undercity would be invaded and we were helpless. The Shadows were immune to all forms of magic … no dragon, mage or power we knew of could hinder them …
"But we knew a spell …" said Ecko. "A spell that would grant us the properties of whatever we sampled … we sampled the Shadow … we gained its protective immunities … our time as "Rock Elves" had perished, and from that moment on, we had become … "Shadowed". As Shadow Elves we lost our talent for magic, but gained the enigmatic abilities of the Shadows. Nothing can hide from our eyes … and yet, we can hide anything inside impenetrable darkness … To the slaves of Jade searching for us, we were beyond reach. We were safe, but the Shadows persisted. They drove their slaves harder …
"And so, while Jade suffered for our mistakes, we hid in the safety of the darkness," continued Ecko, fully immersed in memories. "… An unforgivable crime … but what made it worse is that we had the means to repel the Shadows all along … if only we had asked for them …"
"Asked for what?" Gina wondered aloud. "Asked who?"
-Paf-
From somewhere around her ankles, Gina heard the sound, and looked down to see the red creature that had followed them from the stairs.
"The Pau?" Gina asked, and got a nod from it. Feeling slightly silly for speaking to what could appear to be a dumb creature, Gina crouched down to be closer to its eye-level. "You guys know everything about this place, don't you?" the Pau nodded again, slightly more energetic than before, almost waiting for something. "Including where the Artificers kept their defences?"
The Pau nodded again, and darted off to the side, where a crack came down diagonally along the wall, ending at what looked like a pebble barely a foot off the ground.
-Klch!-
The Pau pressed a paw against the pebble, and suddenly the entire section of wall split apart in a roaring rumble that shook the remaining walls, revealing a gaping red abyss stretching far beyond sight both up and down, the only signs of walls being glowing yellow streaks along them.
Just before the Pau, a path of rock remained, reaching for a glowing circle of yellow energy nearly in the middle of the gigantic opening.
"Jinkies …" Gina gasped, but it was mostly drowned out by the sound of the suddenly shifting stone starting to settle.
"And so it was eons ago," Ecko explained as the noise died down. "When the Pau opened this same portal for us … leading us to the fourth chamber … the workbench of the Artificers … at that moment, we realised that the Pau weren't merely pets left behind by the Artificers, but, perchance, helpers … or more …"
"A-amazing," Gina stuttered, starting to feel overwhelmed at the amount of information she had been given about the people she had searched for clues about for most of her career. "… but … familiar … Why is it that every time I see their technology, I always feel like I've seen it before?"
Master Ecko walked out on the path, and stopped in front of the glowing ring. Gina followed him until she could start to make out shapes in the light, hovering just above the ground. The shapes were very familiar … she had seen many people carry them around, especially on Jade.
"Those are weapons!" she gasped in recognition. Master Ecko nodded in confirmation.
"We crafted them with the Pau's help, using the most simple tools in this chamber," he explained. "Weapons which obliterate the ether of magic on contact … weapons that no Shadow could possibly resist … weapons that no Shadow, or Shadow Elf, could possibly wield …"
They were magnificent, the weapons floating just above the ground … intricate, yet simple in design, glowing in a nearly supernatural light … swords, spears and naginata of several types …
""The Artefact-Weapons of Jade" …" Gina muttered, looking at the weapons in awe. "You made them with Artificer technology!"
"We gave a few of these weapons to the Shadows' slaves," Ecko elaborated on Gina's deduction. "Resulting in Jade's liberation, and the start of everyone's fear of our Artefact-Weapons."
"So that's the reason why my mom said you were the most powerful people in the realm," Gina realised. "But if everyone knew you guys can't use those weapons, every evil-doer on the planet would try to raid you for those devices …"
"… And a few good-doers as well, Gina," Ecko added.
"So that's why …" Gina muttered to herself. "But why did you tell me about all this? When you first invited me, I thought you wanted to show me a few clay pots or something, not reveal the quintessential skeleton in your people's closet … and one more thing, if the Nomad Artificers had such powerful weapons-making gear, why didn't they use it?"
Turning away from Gina, Ecko sighed. "Gina, when we first opened the fourth chamber we found more than an artefact forge. We found the owner. She was suspended in sleep … a sleep no magic could possibly awaken her from … she slept for centuries only to awaken this year … Just before the Tournament of Arms."
"A- an Artificer?" Gina asked, voice trembling with shock and emotion. "Alive?"
"When the Ancient One awoke," Ecko continued. "She asked me to find you …"
""Ancient One"?" asked a new mirthful voice from the side. Looking to the side, Gina saw a woman standing on a small, round platform of nearly transparent energy. She was wearing very pale blue robes with purple lower edge and sash, and a wide hooded cloak of the same colour that covered the upper part of her face. Under the robes and cloak, a purple body-suit was seen, merging with purple boots. Her hair was white, and though no wrinkles were visible, her face was still aged.
Standing on another such platform next to her, was what looked like a Pau, only this one had no visible eyes on its face, just ram-like horns curling out from just above them. Its eyes were located on its stomach. Hovering at shoulder height on the other side, was a metal orb, similar both Subtracto, the companion of the Princess of Shangri-La, and to the Security Force of Bain.
"Come on, Master Ecko," the woman continued, well aware of Gina's surprised scrutiny. "I'm not that old … I'm –Uhm- Hmmm … Well, maybe I am … ancient …"
The platform came to a stop just before the stone path, and the woman lifted her head, revealing her face with a kind smile.
"Well, well," the woman started. "Hello, Gina … it's been a while …"
"You're … really … an Artificer?" Gina asked, not entirely caught up with the situation.
"Oh," smiled the elder woman mysteriously. "I'm that and a lot more, Gina … I'm one of the six that built this place! I'm – er – uhmm … maybe it would be better if I show you …" lowering her hood and lifting her cloak, the woman started rummaging around for something. "Ecko? Gina's going to need you in a second … could you stand behind her?"
The Shadow Elf complied.
Pulling out something brown, and something shiny, and slipped them on her head.
Looking back up at Gina, the young woman was shocked to see glasses like hers on the face of the elder woman, with a cracked lens, and on her head was a tattered hat otherwise identical to her own.
Realisation was close to there, when the elder woman added a comment in Gina's usual perky tone.
"Jinkies!"
The last thought Gina had before darkness overcame her, was, "I'm old!"
Stretching, Gina groggily pondered at the dream she had just had.
The bed was nice, warm and soft, but it wasn't as nice as she had gotten used to lately … not having another warm body next to her was almost strange.
But why had she gone to bed alone, and why was she still wearing her clothes?
Yawning, Gina stretched all limbs as far as they could, taking up all the space of the bed … that was the only thing that was good about being alone in the bed … more elbowroom … but it was lonely …
"Gina …?" a feminine voice called out gently. Still not completely awake, Gina didn't really place the voice, and went with the name with the biggest chance of being the right one.
"Brianna," she yawned. "Y- wouldn't believe th' dream I had …"
Opening up her eyes to see the expectant look on her sister's face, Gina was shocked to see herself, old.
"ZOINKS!" she accidentally gasped. "It wasn't a dream! It's the future "ME" from the past!"
"Good morning!" Elder Gina greeted, holding a green computer disk between her fingers. "Sleep well?"
"Where am I?" Gina asked, suddenly nervous. "W-what's going on? What do you want from me?"
"You're just full of questions, aren't you …" Elder Gina laughed. "Let's start with the one you haven't asked … "Am I really you forty years from the future?" … well, how about this? Number One on "The List": That time in Atlantis with Garen … and Tanis …"
"GREAT GOOGLY MCMOOGLY!" Gina exclaimed, blushing bright red and covering herself up even whiles fully dressed. "Sh-she is me!"
The disk the Elder Gina had been holding suddenly landed on the sheets before the shocked Gina.
Curious, Gina picked it up.
"A present," Elder Gina added for explanation.
"Wh-what's this?"
"Just a little harmless gift from me to me …" Elder Gina said cryptically, but then decided against remaining mysterious. "It's a new kernel and operating system for your warp field computers. If I could pass one thing to my young me … that would be … it!"
"Wait …" Gina interrupted, confused. "A new OS and kernel? On a 3.5 Floppy?"
"Sorry," apologised Elder Gina. "I couldn't remember if we switched to gravatomic disc-bubble media yet … so I decided to play it safe and stick it on a 720 kilobyte disk."
"But …" stuttered Gina. "My kernel and OS takes up 900 terrabytes!"
"Bloated code, dear," giggled Elder Gina. "Bug-ridden, too …"
"Wait, you mean to tell me …"
"Don't feel so shocked, Gina …" Elder Gina giggled. "After all … if you went back just a few years … you'd code circles around your fifteen-year old self …"
"Good point …" Gina agreed. "But … but, jinkies! There are so many other questions I want to ask you! What happens to me? How did I end up becoming a Nomad Artificer millions of years in the past? How in the world did I manage to keep my figure?"
Elder Gina sat down on the bed, and casually turned to her younger self.
"You can't honestly expect me to endanger us by revealing to you info that you shouldn't know, can you?" asked the Elder Gina before leaning in conspiratorially. "Well, except us keeping our physique … you did that with our continual regen-cell therapy … But you already guessed that, didn't you … you still need to get more calcium, girl … not that you'll listen, anyway …"
"Can you at least tell me about Ranma, then?" Gina asked desperately. "Will we be happy together? Who will get his next baby after the egg hatches?"
"Ranma?" the Elder Gina asked, puzzled. "Who on Earth is that?"
"Ranma, a weredinictis, recently appointed Weapons-Master of Jade, the man I love and share with six other women!" Gina exclaimed. "It's not something you just forget, you know …"
"I can honestly say I've never heard the name Ranma," Elder Gina confessed, perplexed. "And I would never have shared my man with anyone else …"
"How is that possible?" pondered Gina.
"Perhaps something happened during one of our adventures with time and space …" the Elder Gina theorised.
"That's it!" Gina exclaimed. "On at least two separate occasions, we've sent someone or something very far back into the past! Either of them could have caused a shift in the timelines that changed the universe as you knew it! It could even have merged several other timelines after we performed the banishments, which would explain how you knew of the … incident … but nothing concerning Ranma …"
"We could spend the next decades discussing this," the Elder Gina interrupted. "But we don't have the time, Master Ecko was here moments before you awoke to remind me of as much. Do you have any other questions not concerning the deviations from the world I knew?"
"Did you sleep in suspended animation all that time just to give me this disk?" asked Gina, holding up the object in question.
"No, silly," corrected Gina. "I slept so I could go home … though that may no longer be an option … this was just a short wake-up to stretch my legs a bit … after you leave, I'm going back to sleep … in forty years, I wake up, and try to go home … I hope … and if there is no home for me, then prepare yourself for a permanent houseguest!"
The last comment caused the two Diggers to giggle some.
"Well, then I guess it's time I leave," Gina concluded and got up from the bed, pulling on her jacket and hat, then as a joke added. "Wish me luck!"
"Gina, don't worry about the future too much," the Elder Gina assured. "Our life of adventure is just beginning … if that too hasn't changed … if you'll still go on the "big trip", it won't be for a long time … what you've seen so far will only have been the tip of the iceberg … but as with all things, it will be rough before it gets better … No matter how hopeless it seems … it isn't. Whatever you do, don't give up!"
Sighing and adjusting the cracked glasses, the Elder Gina smiled in an assuring manner.
"Well," she started. "This is good-bye … Master Ecko is waiting to take you back home … if we're lucky, the next time we meet, you'll be me …"
What Gina never heard as she left, was the Elder Gina conversing with the metal orb, expressing her wish that her own future never comes to pass.
Stepping through the Ring after Kim, Ranma was satisfied to find the girl admiring his dojo and the garden visible through the open sliding doors.
A quick scan showed that there was no one home, which would allow the two to leave without insulting anyone by ignoring them.
Stepping outside, Ranma pulled the car from stuff space.
"This place has improved since last time," Kim commented as she opened the passenger door.
"I can't take credit for it," Ranma commented. "It was my mother, Nabiki and Kasumi who were responsible for the gardening work while I went on a trip with my girlfriends and my sensei … I just supplied the money and instructions for where they could plant trees and flowers, they improvised the rest of the work."
Ranma climbed into the car, and booted up the onboard computer. Kim sat down as well, and closed the door more or less the same time as him.
"Do you have a cable on that thing?" Ranma asked, indicating the pocket on Kim's pants that held the Kimmunicator. "I need to have the coordinates uploaded for the global positioning device to work."
Bringing out the Kimmunicator from her pocket, Kim pressed a button at the top, and a cable extended from it, and connected to the Onboard computer's Universal Serial Bus port. The screen on the Kimmunicator showed the image of a sheet of paper moving from one computer to another through a line, with a percentage count below rapidly approaching one hundred.
With a beep, Ranma's computer displayed the new coordinates uploaded from the Kimmunicator.
"Then let's get going," Ranma announced. "I'll show you what this thing can really do!"
With a whine from the jet engines, the car took to the skies, but soon returned to the same height of the street lights and following the streets at speeds that would make a jet look like a tortoise-drawn cart in comparison. The only reason the sound barrier was not broken, despite the extreme velocity, was the chi-shield surrounding the car dampening the effects around it.
Those that managed to catch sight of the car lost it before they could follow its path, and those that didn't catch sight of the car wondered what that sound was and why loose pieces of loose garbage started blowing down the street.
To Ranma, it was a very fun experience, both because of the thrill of going fast and because it was a great way to test his reflexes and the manoeuvrability of the car.
Kim was not as thrilled, clinging to her seat and praying that they wouldn't crash with the next high-rise they came to.
This was how the trek through Tokyo went, even as they crossed the bay and continued the pattern on the other side before they got out of town and onto the ocean.
But even open water was no comfort to Kim, as Ranma made it a game to trace the water surface, barely touching it with his car, even as the water rose and fell. Had they taken the time to look back, they would have seen the vacuum created by the car sucking water into the air in their wake.
There was another purpose for Ranma's low altitude, other than fun … he wouldn't be detected by radar by staying that close to the ground … or water … Ranma was certain that Dr Drakken had radar on his ship, and the less warning he had of their arrival, the less time he would have to mount a defence, because this time the megalomaniac knew someone would come and would be better prepared, such as having manned weapons, unlike last time.
After a while of flying, a spot appeared on the horizon.
The spot quickly grew and grew until an aircraft carrier was visible … with more weapons on it than normal ones carried airplanes. Missile launchers, torpedo launchers, 380 millimetre gun turrets … ooh, laser turrets and racks for depth charges had been added since the last time!
There was no danger of the boat trying to move away, not only because of the speed Ranma was using, but also because all anchors were lowered into the water, even if there was no chance of them reaching the bottom this far out.
Unfortunately, Ranma had not taken into account that there might be a lookout somewhere on the ship specifically looking for objects that did not show up on radar, and it was fortunate for him that he noticed the fire behind one of the missile launchers, giving him enough time to steer clear of the incoming missile that harmlessly crashed into the ocean a nautical mile behind where Ranma and Kim had been.
This was the starting gun for the rest of the weapons, and soon Ranma found that he had to use a great deal of concentration to manage avoiding the hail of projectiles aimed at them.
As they had passed over the runway of the ship, Ranma flipped open the plastic covering of a button, and pressed it while plunging the car towards the surface of the ocean.
Kim did not find this funny at all, not having seen Ranma's action and thinking that they had gotten hit. Luckily, she wasn't in hysterics, merely frozen up while clinging to her seat.
"Keep your panties on," Ranma sighed just a moment before impact.
-Sploosh!-
Instead of the tragedy Kim had imagined, nothing happened, apart from the outside suddenly getting a very deep blue-grey hue and less objects to see.
The car tilted back to what passed for the correct, horizontal angle, and turned, letting Kim see the keel and anchors of the ship.
They were under the water …
"Relax," Ranma assured, checking the Onboard computer. "I've got enough air in this car to last us at least two days … we should be done long before then …"
-Blip!-
"Incoming torpedo," stated Ranma amusedly. Swerving the steering wheel, the approaching streak of bubbles zoomed past to disappear in the darkness below. "Checking for life-signs … five hundred and four … though the five hundred seem weak … almost fake …"
"Drones!" Kim gasped, still not entirely comfortable with their current situation. "Dr Drakken can make synthetic henchmen called Synthodrones!"
"They're copies?" asked Ranma. "No real consciousness? Not really alive?"
"Right, and not very resilient to punctures," Kim added.
"That changes a few things," smirked Ranma.
Pressing a button on the back of the steering wheel, two shapes rose on the front of the car … and fired blue blasts of energy towards the surface.
Fire blossomed from the top of the ship, but very little sound filtered down through the water, and even less through the shield surrounding the car, making it nearly completely silent within the car, except the sound of Kim's slowly calming breath.
As what looked like several kegs fell into the water all around the ship, Ranma pressed another button on the steering wheel, and the car accelerated greatly, bringing them closer to the ship, and under it.
Just as several white, frothing fountains of water blossomed into the air around the ship, a black shape joined it, firing a storm of blue blasts of energy, each one striking a weapon of some sort and destroyed them or incapacitated them.
A few passes around the ship without being fired upon proved to Ranma that it was at least safe to land, and did so on an undamaged bit of the flight deck.
When Kim came out of the car, she collapsed to the ground and looked like she was about to kiss it until she realised how filthy it was.
"Come on," Ranma laughed as he stowed away the car. "I'm not that bad a driver! We got away from a war-zone without as much as a scratch on us!"
"Never fly like that again!" Kim threatened, but then noticed something missing. "Where'd the car-"
"No time to dawdle," Ranma interrupted. "There are still over four hundred and fifty drones left, and a chief portion of them are directly below …"
What was left unsaid, was that some were at that moment climbing the stairs to get onto the flight deck.
"Down we go!" declared Ranma just before punching a large hole in the ground with little effort.
Grabbing Kim about the waist, Ranma dropped down the hole, and crashed down amid a horde of Synthodrones, several of which burst from the pressure created by the impact between Ranma and the floor, leaking their green slime oozing all around their deflating balloon-like shells.
"Well, well, look who decided to drop in," sneered a male voice from behind the drones. Rising into the air just high enough to be seen over the seven-foot tall, bulky drones on an airplane elevator was Dr Drakken, and next to him was Shego. "Wait a minute, where's the buffoon that usually follows you around, Kim Possible? Grr … I can't ever seem remember his name … Oh, never mind … I really must thank you for leaving us alone for long enough to build this army, it will be most helpful in taking over the world once we've gotten rid of you …"
"Sorry," replied Ranma. "I have other things to do than chase after colour-coordinated brats trying to get attention … I have a business to run, and a love-life to keep track of, you know … and I need to keep fit to keep up with my girlfriends, so I need to train … then there's a baby on the way and we're trying to figure out names-"
"Enough of this banter!" interrupted an irate male voice from behind Ranma. "FOR ABANDONING AKANE, DIE!"
The synthodrones parted way to let Ranma see Ryoga and Akane standing along the wall of the airplane hangar inside the ship, where they all were at the time. The two were chained to the wall with chains long enough to reach all over the hangar, seemingly, and sleeping bags had been laid out beneath the attachments to the wall.
The bandana-clad young man rushed in, dragging the chain behind him without thinking about it, intent on killing Ranma where he stood.
"Ranma, you perverted thief!" screamed Akane just before rushing in herself, mallet raised in the air. "Stealing the designs of Shego-san and claiming them as your own while making billions on them! I bet you seduced her into telling you about them, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Ranma as he ducked under one of Ryoga's fists. "I met those people months after thinking up my inventions, and I've got video evidence of Shego breaking into my safety deposit box to steal my plans!"
"Save some for me!" declared Shego, and leapt over the drones to join the chain-duo in their fight against Ranma. "Synthodrones, take care of Kim Possible!"
"Hey!" interrupted Dr Drakken indignantly. "I'm the evil genius, here! I give the orders! Synthodrones, attack Kim Possible!"
And so the entire hangar of the ship became one big battlefield, with Ranma, Ryoga, Akane and Shego fighting each other, and Kim fighting the hordes of drones. To make things even more interesting, Dr Drakken pressed a button on a remote control, making several drone-operated laser turrets drop from the ceiling.
As Ranma ducked a green-glowing fist, he was forced to twist somewhat more to the right than normal to avoid the laser burst that would have struck him otherwise.
Taking advantage of his prone position, Akane brought down her mallet, the mallet that never failed to hit him when she was angry, aiming for his stomach. She was very surprised to find Ryoga under her now splintered mallet instead … Ryoga was also surprised for that matter.
"I can't believe I need to resort to this to keep up with all of you …" commented Ranma grudgingly as he swept Shego's feet from under her, while at the same time dodging laser blasts fired from several turrets. Suddenly, Ranma started to shrink, and grew fur … a tail popped out of a hole in the back of his pants, his ears moved slightly higher and changed into those of a cat, and his hair shrunk in to blend with the rest of the fur, apart from a tuft just above his forehead. "Okay, bring it on!"
"What the-"
"I'm a werecreature," Ranma explained shortly, and kicked Ryoga in the stomach before the pig-boy could even register his approach, sending him crashing into the hard metal wall. "All thanks to Happosai and his former short temper …"
"Monster!" Akane gasped, flinching as she saw the difference between the man she once knew and the one before her.
"I'm the monster?" asked Ranma, raising his brow and leaning his head aside to avoid a blast of laser. "You were the ones to free two notorious criminals from a High Security Prison. You run around hitting people who disagree with you, using a mallet to get your point across rather than words. And you are apparently in a relationship with a man who turns into a pig with the application of cold water, which would make your relationship with him illegal in most countries half the time."
"PERVERT!" screamed Akane, not at all pleased to have her own faults aired like so much dirty laundry. That Ranma may be right or that she had broken the law made no difference … he had insinuated something perverted about her and Ryoga, and he – would – pay!
Another mallet, larger and sturdier than her normal one, appeared in Akane's hands, and rapidly swung at Ranma.
From the side, Ranma felt Shego rushing in, fists blazing, seeking to take advantage of Ranma's distraction.
From behind, the thundering steps of Ryoga approached rapidly, clinking of chains on the floor adding to the noise.
From the upper left side, Ranma could feel the power of a laser blast being charged up.
There was no reason for Ranma to resort to extreme measures, and to use some of his more exotic techniques in that situation was not necessary.
Instead, Ranma stopped the mallet with one hand, and stepped back so Shego's glowing hand got caught in the mallet. With his other hand, Ranma swatted the laser blast into the throng of drones surrounding the struggling Kim, easing her burden a little. Dropping to the ground at the appropriate time, Ranma scissored his legs, and thus removed Ryoga's balance, sending him flying into Akane, and onward into a puddle of what used to be a syntodrone.
Kim was not having an easy time. Sure, her mastery of twenty different styles of kung-fu helped, but when fighting hundreds of opponents at once, with blasts going off all around her, it made things all the more difficult. The only thing that really made any difference was where she aimed her opponents while throwing them … if she got lucky, the drone she threw would either tear holes through some more, or her actions would have caused a laser blast to miss her and take out a few drones instead.
She got lucky at one point, when she managed to lure a big chunk of the drones onto an airplane lift just as one of the laser blasts ruined the controls for that lift, sending the drones to their end at the closed hatch up top. It rained green slime for several minutes after, and Kim made sure to stay away from there, lest she slip in a puddle.
Oh, how she wished she had brought her suit to Cheerleading Camp … that thing would have come in very handy in catching laser blasts and throwing them away where she wanted … and it came equipped with a shield! Sigh … she shouldn't have packed in a hurry … haste makes waste … sure did …
Things had gotten slightly out of hand where Ryoga was concerned. He was standing still, very sombre, and head lowered so his face was hidden in the shadows of his bangs.
Ranma recognised this stance, and did not look forward to what he knew would come.
"SHISHI HOKODAN!"
There it was, rising into the air, a giant ball of energy blew a hole in the deck of the boat, and parts of the sides.
The sight of it was enough to halt all fighting for a moment, before Akane dragged Shego away from the point of impact.
Ranma, being the logical in this situation, knew that a blast of that size would cut the boat completely in half when it impacted … not including the pressure effects it would cause, which would no doubt scatter the remains of the ship over the entire area.
He could not let that attack land.
Leaping to the centre of the impact point, Ranma kicked Ryoga out of the way and pulled out his gun, firing a few times into the now descending ball of energy, but the impacts did nothing to stop it.
Seeing what little the weapon did, Ranma stowed it away, and focused his telekinesis on the blast that would kill most of the living persons onboard, forcing it to slow down.
It was slow-going, but just moments before returning to the altitude from where it had originated, the Shishi Hokodan stopped.
Ranma was sweating by now, straining to keep his focus on forcing back the ball with the impact weight of several tons.
"Ranma! DIE!"
Ryoga's war cry made Ranma do something he would rather not do … absorb the energy, because he would not have time to move the blast away far enough not to cause harm in the short time it would take for Ryoga to reach him, and he did not delude himself into thinking he would be able to keep focus on keeping the blast in place while he fought Ryoga.
With a cry of pain, Ranma took the foreign energy into himself, filtering out the depressing emotions it gave off.
But as his own reserves were mostly full already, Ranma could not contain the energy for long, and needed an outlet, fast!
Without really meaning it, Ranma released the energy in beam form, ploughing Ryoga through several synthodrones before he hit the wall and passed through it.
-Splosh!-
"Ryoga!" Akane, distress clear on her face, jumped out the hole after Ryoga, and as a second impact on the water could be heard, a stray laser blast, unintentionally fired after being shifted from the pressure caused by the various high energy emissions, severed her chain.
Ranma knew Akane couldn't swim, and Ryoga in pig form would not be able to save her, so he jumped over a few blasts and leaned out the hole to see if they were there.
Not even bubbles remained.
Not wanting to trust appearances alone, Ranma created a clone, and performed his Clairvoyance technique to seek out Ryoga and Akane.
His vision revealed the two, half buried in loose sand beside a pyramid, struggling to get out while cursing his name in high pitched squeals for cheating. And whatever Ryoga squealed was likely to be along those lines as well …
But at least they were safe … Kasumi would not have been pleased if he had inadvertently hurt or killed her sister …
Dropping the technique, Ranma noted that his clone had engaged Shego in battle, and that several laser turrets were missing from the broken ceiling.
Seeing Dr Drakken buried in a crater of technology along one wall, Ranma could only guess that one of the stray blasts of laser had set something off close to him, sending him into some equipment that gave way under the pressure of his body.
Spotting the remains of a jar at the blast's impact point, and some squares with small dots on them, Ranma knew what the man had been planning to do.
Based on description, those squares would be mind control chips. By placing them on the forehead of the victim, the one who put them there would be able to command the victim around with unquestioning loyalty. The mad doctor must have planned on placing one of those on Kim, and one on him when they were knocked out from the battle they had fought … apparently, Dr Drakken was very confident in the theory that quantity would overcome quality.
Deciding to at least make sure Dr Drakken wasn't severely injured, Ranma went to him instead of helping his clone, or ridding Kim of her problems.
On the alert for any sinister trap, Ranma almost laughed when a weak, shaking arm reached out from the crater, mind control chip between thumb and index finger, attempting to slap it onto Ranma's forehead … fortunately for Ranma, Dr Drakken was shaken from his flight, and not even close to Ranma's speeds even at full health, so Ranma intercepted the chip and returned it in retaliation. Kim had after all added that she had used chips like that to make her twin brothers more docile when she babysat them, so it wouldn't harm him unless he told the man to do something dangerous.
The dot on the black square started glowing red, meaning it was active.
"Drakken," Ranma commanded sternly. "You are to disengage the laser turrets, and call off the attack on Kim Possible! Immediately!"
"As you wish," replied Dr Drakken monotonously, and got out of the crater. As he wandered down to where the control had been placed when he was locating the chips, Ranma thought that because of his staggering gait it looked like the blue man was intoxicated.
Shortly after the blue man found the control, the turrets that remained returned to their hidden position, and ended their firing.
To end Kim's fight quickly, Ranma pulled out his gun, again, and fired it along the edges of the crowd surrounding the fighting cheerleader, splattering several synthodrones and easing her workload. Of course, just after this, Dr Drakken ordered the drones to halt their attacks.
By now, Ranma's clone had taken care of Shego, and bound her so she could not escape … a set of power suppressors attached to her forearms.
"Drakken," Ranma commanded, indicating his clone, who was standing over Shego. "Go to my clone, and allow him to tie you up … we will return you and your associate to the proper authorities, now."
"Okay," replied Dr Drakken.
Ranma couldn't help but wonder where the pep Kim told him about was … but, maybe that attitude had been Dr Drakken's orders at the time, for his slaves to be cheerful, and since Ranma had given no such order, mechanical behaviour was the standard setting.
"What did you do?"
Ranma turned to Kim, who was covered mostly in green slime, and sported one or two tears from close encounters with shrapnel during her fighting. She had approached him as he gave Dr Drakken orders, and so had not seen the glowing red dot on his forehead.
"Mind control chips," Ranma replied. "He planned on using one on me, and I placed it on him instead … he's a bit more cooperative now, don't you think?"
"You don't plan on keeping him that way, do you?" asked Kim dubiously.
"No," Ranma assured her. "Just until he's in custody of Global Justice, again."
"Alright, now, would you care to tell me why you grew fur and a tail?"
"I'm a species of lycanthrope called a Weredinictis," Ranma explained carefully. "I'm the only one there is, for now, and I only turned this way because of a spell gone wrong. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"What's this I heard about a baby?" asked Kim, glad to have the chance to question Ranma on friendly terms without Ron annoying them. "Last I heard, you didn't even have an official girlfriend, and that was only a few weeks ago."
"I don't think there's a delicate way to explain, so let's just say she found me asleep and asked me to impregnate her, and due to my dream at the time, she thought I agreed," Ranma rushed. "She's a Harpy, by the way, so the egg is already out and will probably hatch soon … we have no idea about the specifics around Harpy procreation, because she is the only one alive, and she was created by some time travelling dog as a guard …"
"You also mentioned girlfriends …" continued Kim. "Plural."
"Yes," confirmed Ranma. "I've got seven girlfriends … Beebee, who has turned into a real human since last you saw her. Lydia, who I believe you met during your last visit. Brianna and Gina Diggers, they are sisters, scientists and adventurers. Sheila, she's a Werejaguar, and a member of the Northern Edge Guard on Jade, which is a sort police in a parallel dimension. Then there's Charlotte, the Harpy, she is slightly child-like and sweet. And finally, Kasumi Tendo, the elder sister of one of my former arranged fiancées … and if you're wondering how this can legally proceed, there has been made a special exempt for me, because I performed a great service for Japan in capturing my father, and was given some privileges, legal polygamy being one of them … my girlfriends all, among themselves, agreed to share me, so I am not two-timing anyone, just in case you wondered …"
"Have you invented anything new since the last time?"
"Personally, I haven't invented much since then," Ranma confessed. "But my Research Teams have come up with several ideas that were being developed as we speak. I really think we can change the world for the better … I have a list and some product sketches back home that I can show you later …"
"Maybe you could convince Wade to help," Kim suggested.
"I think I'll keep that in mind for the cases where we aren't able to work things out ourselves," Ranma agreed. "Now, the question remains, what mode of transportation will we use to get the colourful duo to Global Justice?"
"I'll have Wade call them for a pickup," Kim suggested. "And we can do that teleport thing to shore, because I'm not riding in a car with you behind the wheel again!"
"What if I promise to not do anything fancy, and slow down when we get to dry land?"
"Promise?" Kim asked, scowling at Ranma for any signs of falseness. Ranma nodded. "Okay, but I'm telling your mother if you break your word!"
Chuckling nervously, Ranma pulled his car from stuff space, and chucked the two prisoners in the back, grumbling about the mess his interior would be covered in by the time he got back … whatever that green slime was, it was probably not easy to clean … if only he had done to the interior of the car what he did to the exterior, and to his house …
After Kim had entered, Ranma started the change of modes, and the car rose into the air.
About five hundred metres from the ship, Ranma stopped the car, and turned it around, facing the ship. The two chi-cannons rose from the front of the car again.
"What are you doing?" asked Kim.
"Making sure Dr Drakken doesn't get the chance to use his ship again," stated Ranma conversationally. The cannons, for that's what they were, started glowing at the end, but didn't fire.
"Is something wrong? They aren't going to explode, are they?"
"No," Ranma assured Kim. "I'm just building a big enough charge to evaporate the ship in one round without letting the wreckage sink to the bottom of the ocean, where some of Dr Drakken's inventions may be salvaged, should they survive the explosions and the pressure from the bottom of the ocean."
-Fwoo-BOOOOM!-
The sight of two large blasts of energy striking the outer lengthwise thirds of the ship impacting was astounding … like watching shooting stars, if shooting stars caused explosions large enough to leave a three hundred metre radius gap in the surface of the water.
Nothing remained of the ship.
Kim was awed, and terrified.
The explosion had appeared to head straight for them, but had luckily receded before it got that close … but still … that such a harmless-looking vehicle had destructive capabilities of that magnitude without the help of proper explosives or nuclear devices was scary. And that it wasn't picked up by radar made it a very good vehicle for terrorism, which would have worried her if it hadn't been for the owner and driver.
And so, the car turned back around to head for land, while Kim contacted Wade, informing him of the success of their mission.
In Gina's lab, Dao was standing before one of the many supercomputers found there.
The doors opened with a hydraulic hiss, and Dao turned to see his crush and employer, Gina, enter.
"Hello, Dao," she greeted cheerfully. "Did anything happen while I was away?"
Thinking on his feet, Dao found this to be the perfect chance to make Ranma look bad, and perhaps have Gina leave him. "Ranma popped in to use the Ring …" he stated. "He had a redheaded girl with him that I don't know … but other than that, I finished the analysis on the soil sample from Aebra … I filed the report in the archive."
Seemingly not hearing the first part of his conversation, Gina smiled gratefully.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed. "I've been putting that off forever! Now, where did Ryan drop off that Relic Data he had when he was here last?"
"I think I saw it near your station monitor," Dao replied immediately, looking at his own monitor. Ryan had, before disappearing, complained about how the top minds in the field, using the best equipment money can buy hadn't even put a dent in the "puzzle" as it was called.
Looking over his shoulder, Dao saw how Gina solved the "puzzle" ten seconds after she put it and a disk into her computer.
The large holographic monitor before her flared to life with bright pink colours, showing a planet encircled with various squares with lines that ran to the side of the monitor, where text was found.
"Hotcha!" Gina exclaimed in celebration of her own genius. "It looks like a blueprint, design or plan …" she commented as she took a closer look. "I suspected as much when I first saw the data weeks ago, but there wasn't enough even for an educated guess of how all the pieces fit … Too many "leaps of faith" were needed to get from one point of the puzzle to another ... unless you truly knew the way the puzzle's designer thought … now, to figure out what it's supposed to be …"
"It's the Magic Sun, Gina," Dao interrupted, hoping to score some more points in her book by supplying her with information.
"Huh?"
"It's the Magic Sun of my home," explained Dao, coming closer to look at the design. "The realm of Yl'Dahjim … Just after the dawn of the universe, the Nomad Artificers created Yl'Dahjim and placed our ancestors there, or so the legends says … It was a Paradise! Their gift to us was the great and powerful Magic Sun! Sustaining us for eons … Thanks to the Magic Sun, we never needed food, water or warmth …"
As Dao explained about the Magic Sun, Gina couldn't help but think how similar this Magical Sun was to the "sun" in the Undercity. They both had the same properties, but sustained different people in different realms.
"… All Djinni powers came from the light of the Magic Sun," Dao finished, unaware of Gina's drifting thoughts.
Gina's thoughts were wandering around the possibility of some day in the distant future she would be going back in time, billions of years, and become one of the Nomad Artificers, the ones who did all those incredible things and created all that astounding technology.
However, her opinion of time-travel was that it was now limited to very short distances, because the incident with a certain evil time-travelling dog and his pet human had made such a mess out of the Chronospace … that incident might even be the reason she was in a relationship with Ranma … her elder self had never even heard of him, which would be very difficult to believe with the attention he was drawing from the world. It was possible that her time-travelling adventure had somehow caused a few dimensions or timelines to seamlessly merge, which meant that people who knew nothing of those in the other timeline could have suddenly become best friends or mortal enemies without ever having known anything was different.
She eventually came to the conclusion that she needed to take a look at this Magic Sun, and her best chances of doing so rested in Uhm Di Turrok, or as it translated into: the halls of the extremely dead … sure it had moved after she had visited it with Penny, but someone had to have found some trace of it since then, in which case, it would be posted on the Explorers' Society Database …
Doing a quick check on the Database, she found that it had indeed been discovered, and laid claim to. It was currently in India, the Horseshoe Cliffs of the Ajanta Temples. Team Elite had registered the site, but had as of yet been unable to get in.
"Well, it's decided," Gina declared to herself. "The Ajanta Temples are where my next Archaeological Expedition begins. Inside waits the Ancient Djinni who can take us to Yl'Dahjim … I hope … Wanna come with, Dao?"
"Er …" Dao stalled. "No thanks … I think I owe that guy money or some such …"
"You sure?" asked Gina. "We could use the powers of a Djinni in that death trap …"
"Gina," Dao started. "You should know that our Legendary Djinni Powers have been vastly exaggerated over eons … I'd be screaming for your help before long if I went … I am quite content to do my part here in the lab, where it's safe … Now, if you'd excuse me, I'll arrange for your flight and equipment for the trip … you'll start from Japan, I assume …"
Gina smiled and thanked Dao before dialling up the only other functional Ring on the one in her lab, and stepping through.
Author's Notes; I know I've taken a big chance by coming close to directly copying the events of the Gold Digger series in this chapter, but it is an important event in that series, and I can't ignore those even if Ranma is involved … at least I've taken a few artistic liberties in describing the scenery and such, even if the spoken part is almost directly copied, with a few modifications as the Author of the Comic can't seem to remain consistent with some names of characters, titles and places. And I know I could have shortened at least the first half of the adventures of Gina to more of a summary, but that wouldn't be half as entertaining.
Please realise that quantum mechanics is not my strong point … there most likely are flaws in my theories concerning them, but they will have to do for now, until I can get a better explanation for how the Ranma universe, the Kim Possible universe and Gold Digger universe merged into one without anyone noticing anything different.
Also note that I rarely use actual numbers in my story, but they do occur, such as the description of space available on the disk. On that subject, terabyte is, to my understanding, the level above gigabyte, which would make 900 terrabytes about nine billion kilobytes … or nine-hundred thousand gigabytes …
And for those that didn't get the joke Gina came up with before leaving her elder self, it was supposed to be funny, because they are the same person, and she was asking herself to wish her good luck … a dry joke, I know …
My vision of a three-point landing has nothing to do with how well it was executed, but rather that when the person lands, a hand touches the surface along with the feet, perhaps even a knee grazes the ground, but that's it … correct me if I'm wrong, so I may replace the expression with the correct one.
I know Ryoga's Shishi Hokodan is supposed to have the ō symbols instead of the o (if this symbol didn't manage the transition between text file and web, it is an o with a line going horizontally above it), but I didn't want to risk getting some unreadable squiggles instead of the desired symbol. If the symbol does come through the transition, I will change it for when I repost the chapter.
