TRTSS44: Tales of Ranma Who! – By Ocramed
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, Trek, DW and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story. C&C are welcomed.
Special Note: This story takes place during the events of the Seventh Series of "Doctor Who".
Part 6: "The Power of Three!"
London, England: Modern Times.
"You know, I really wish there was a big enough reason to pull me from my other obligations, Kate," Ranma said, as he is driven, by car, to the Williams Residence. He then turned towards the driver.
"Your dad knew to respect that, you know," Ranma replied.
"My father is not here, and I would really expect you to respect my reasons for not telling the Doctor about who my father is, Colonel Saotome," Kate Stewart said. "I really worked hard to get where I am now, as the head of the Scientific Division at UNIT."
"Whatever," Ranma scoffed. "And why do you need me anyway? You got that scanner of yours to locate and find the Doctor."
"I need you because you are the liaison to UNIT, and you know the Doctor more than anyone," Kate replied. "If there is anyone the Doctor trusts, it's you."
"Fair enough," Ranma replied with a yawn. "But, heads up, he's not the same man your father knew."
"I am aware that he has had many regenerations since my father worked with him," Kate said. "And that is why I am glad that you will be on hand to, as they say, keep the peace?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
A short time later…
"I can't believe you would have soldiers storming the Ponds' flat," the Doctor said.
"I didn't call in UNIT on this," Ranma replied. "But it is funny to see Rory in his underwear."
"Very funny," Rory replied.
"So, who did call in these…goons?" Amy asked.
"That would be me, Doctor," said Kate, as she stepped forth. "My name is 'Kate Stewart', the head of the Science Division at UNIT, and I am looking for the Doctor…"
Kate performs an X-Ray scan, which enabled her to see the Doctor's two hearts.
"And I've found him," Kate said with a smile.
"Told you," Ranma said.
"Okay, Kate Stewart, head of the Science Division at UNIT," the Doctor said coyly. "What can I do?"
"Well, it should be obvious," Kate said, as she presents one of numerous small, black boxes that have popped up all over the world. "Colonel Saotome is here as SHIELD's liaison to UNIT, which makes this matter a global concern."
"And you want the Doctor for…?" Amy began to ask.
"Simple: solve the mystery of these boxes," Kate replied.
"I was already trying to figure this mystery, Ms. Stewart," the Doctor said. "Now, since there is no apparent reason for these boxes, but that does not mean that there will not be."
"What do you suggest we should do, Doctor?" Kate asked.
"YOU can go back to your office," the Doctor said. "I'll contact you when I have come up with anything."
"Actually, Colonel Saotome will be assigned to you," Kate said. "Not that he wouldn't have anyway…"
"Fine," Ranma said. "Ruined my weekend plans, why not?"
"You had plans?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, I was going to take the missus to the Pleasure Palace at Balador, on Saturday," Ranma said. "Will have to postpone that trip…"
"I never heard of it," Amy asked. "Where is it?"
"On one of the moons at Saturn…"
"Huh."
"Ah," the Doctor said with a smile. "And how is Mistress Marianna these days?"
"She's fine, I guess. She is always trying out new sexual techniques on me, every time Usagi and I show up."
"Is that a…good thing?" Rory asked.
"It is, if you have your room and board 'comped'…"
Over the next few days, a bored Doctor is frustrated by the fact that the mysterious black cubes have yet to do anything.
"Oh, come on!" the Doctor yelled at the cube. "DO something!"
"Good thing we don't have to deal with the Doctor's ADHD," Ranma said, as he sat in the middle of the Pond's living room, steeped in meditation, while sitting in a lotus position.
"Was the Doctor always like this?" Amy asked.
"Depending upon the regeneration," Ranma replied. "I know that is 2nd guise was just as manic as his present one…"
Pause.
"Which is why the Time Lords had banished him on Earth for his 3rd guise," Ranma said.
"You were banished to Earth?" Rory asked.
"I think the term 'troublesome nuisance' was the reason for the reason for being here?" Ranma replied.
"THAT was all politics," the Doctor said, as he suddenly gets up. "I got to do SOMETHING..."
"Look, Doctor, if you really have to go, I'll take care of things," Ranma replied.
"Really?" the Doctor replied with a wide grin. "You mean, I don't have to be here?"
"No. Besides, if the cubes DO something, I am sure that it'll be something that I can't handle."
"Don't you mean 'we'?" Amy asked.
"Heh," Ranma said with a chuckle.
"What? You don't think I can handle myself around the strange and unusual?"
"Let's just say that, more times than not, no, you can't," Ranma said, as he opens his eyes. "That doesn't mean that you haven't improved since you had been swallowed up by a space whale…"
"Humph."
"Wait, you were swallowed by a space whale?" Rory asked.
"It was a long time ago, Rory," Amy replied. "And that was when I was much younger. And for goodness sake, I was a special service agent for MI-5, as well as a police officer in Leedsworth."
"Wait, you were in MI-5?" Rory asked.
"Okay, I'll give you that much, but, for the record, you were both of those things in an alternate timeline, when you were married to 'Gino', who we ALL know is a male version of Usagi."
"Ah, so NOW we get the real story," Amy said. "You're just jealous."
"For what? For you having a relationship with Usagi, in an alternate timeline? Please…"
"If you two are done, I'll be going now," the Doctor said, as he hurried into his TARDIS. A moment later, Brian Williams, Rory's father, was ushered out of the TARDIS.
"But…you said to observe these cubes for four days!" Brian said. "Sheesh…"
A year later…
"We really have to decide on whether or not we should settle down," Rory said, as he ate his morning breakfast with his coffee. "I mean, Usagi did offer to help us on our…problem."
"Well, I suppose you're right," Amy said with a sigh. She then turned towards her and Rory's house guest.
"What do you think, Ranma?" Amy asked, before she sipped her juice.
"Look, it's always a good thing to take a break from traveling with the Doctor," Ranma said, as he ate his miso soup. "Why do you think Usagi and I haven't been traveling with him lately, other than the occasional romp?"
"I thought it was because you were uncomfortable with the notion that a part of you married the Doctor," Rory said.
"That, too," Ranma said uncomfortably. What was even more uncomfortable was that River was also in love with Usagi, who, in another timeline, was another version of herself that was the daughter of Usagi and Amy, when Usagi, as the male "Gino Moon", was with the other Amy…
Needless to say, Amy, who remembered the other timeline, had mixed feelings on the issue, as did her husband Rory.
"I thought it was because you knew that the Doctor would be running into your other past selves, thereby risking temporal paradox?" Amy asked.
"That, and the fact that, well, let's be honest, traveling with the Doctor can be…trying," Ranma said, as he sipped his beer.
"Well, pardon me," the Doctor said, as he walked into the living room, from the kitchen.
"How much did you hear?" Rory said with a grin.
"Enough," the Doctor replied.
"Doc, it's not a personal criticism of you being you," Ranma said. "But, let's face it, when you show up, something happens."
"Like what?"
"Well, how about when you, Amy and Rory visited the year 1890 CE, so that Amy and Rory could have a proper honeymoon/anniversary at the Savoy?" Ranma asked.
"How was I suppose to know that the Zygons had staked a spot there?" the Doctor replied. "I'm just glad that you and your 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' were on hand to help."
"I bet," Ranma replied. "Oh, about when you asked me and Usagi to distract Henry VIII, so that you and the Ponds can make an escape, all because Amy had gotten herself married to him?"
"You know, I still can't understand how THAT happened," Rory said. He then turned towards Ranma. "And it's 'Williams'."
"Whatever. The fact of the matter is that Usagi ended up marrying Henry in order to protect you three."
"Really?" the Doctor said in surprise. Amy and Rory were also surprised by this information.
"Really. Henry needed to save face, so Usagi, as courtesan, became his wife. Her marriage had ended when Henry found out about me, and, well, had her executed."
"What?" the Doctor said. "But…how?"
"Relax, Doc. It wasn't a 'real' execution, you know. But Henry had to make a convincing case as to why his marriage to Usagi had to…end."
"Um, how long was this marriage?" Rory asked.
"A few years," Ranma said with a shrug. "She didn't want to end the marriage, especially after the birth of her daughter, but, Henry did. So, whatever."
"Wait," Amy said. "So, Usagi was…Anne Boylin?"
"Well, yes and no," Ranma said. "It wasn't uncommon in those days that children died at or close to birth, and, thanks to long distances and lack of infrastructure, it wasn't uncommon for either me or Usagi to disguise ourselves and pass off as other people. So, in this case, Usagi took the place of the real Anne Boylin, who died years before of a childhood illness."
"So, then…I ended up marrying…Usagi's daughter 'Bess'?" the Doctor asked.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "Surprise, huh?"
"Just how many…aliases do you have, Ranma?" Rory asked.
"Lots, I guess," Ranma replied. "I've been a martial artist, a knight, a warrior, a soldier, a gladiator, and expeditionary…"
"I think I sense a theme here," Amy said.
"Anyway, I've been fighting for much of my life, particularly during times of war," Ranma said. "But, I've been many things in between, including a Royal Kitchen Lady that became the mother of an heir to one of the Korean Royal Dynasties."
"…What?" Rory said.
Suddenly, Brian comes running out of the kitchen from his "laboratory", which was really the car port to the Ponds house.
"Everyone, the cubes!" Brian yelled. "They're active!"
"FINALLY," the Doctor replied, as he straightens his coat and tie. "Now, we can get to something that is more important, rather than the usual 'drama' amongst friends and family…"
Sure enough, all the black cubes from around the world were active. However, each one acted differently, and in strange ways, with some being more hostile to people than other cubes. Naturally, UNIT was on the case…
"Welcome to UNIT HQ, here at the Tower of London," Director Kate Stewart said, as she escorted the Doctor, Ranma and Amy inside. Rory and his father Brian went to the local hospital, where Rory worked, due to the emergency caused by the chaos coming from the cubes.
"I like what you've done with the place, Ms. Stewart," the Doctor said. He then sees a portrait of a very familiar face.
"So, THAT is why that was here," the Doctor said.
"Who would have thought that the Royal Consort would have created a 'tesseract' within these very walls?" Stewart replied. "Then again, the Moon Princess was well-versed in both high-science and mysticism."
"Wait, is that-?" Amy asked. In spite of the different style of hair and state of dress, it was indeed Usagi.
"Yep," Ranma said. "That's Usagi, alright. I am surprised that she hasn't charge UNIT rent for her space."
"Actually, when UNIT was first formed back in the 1960s, the Moon Princess was kind enough to donate this part of the building," Kate said. "Though, the organization was surprised about the tesseract part."
"Frankly, I am not sure what to be surprised more about," the Doctor said. "That your father did not know of this place, or that your mother Fiona is someone that I know personally."
Kate frowns, and then turns towards Ranma.
"You promised not tell anyone of who my father and mother were…are," Kate said.
"I haven't told anyone that your father was Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, or that Usagi was your mother," Ranma said flatly.
"What?" Amy replied. She then turned towards the Doctor.
"How did you know about Ms. Stewart's…parents?" Amy asked.
"I've worked with Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart during my earlier years, so I can see a bit of him in Ms. Stewart," the Doctor said. "And, I know that only a member of the House of Serenity could have access to a tesseract formed by its heir…"
Pause.
"Besides, I know Kate's half-sister Rose," the Doctor replied.
"See?" Ranma replied. "Blame her for that."
"I…I wanted to gain the respect of my peers, and you, on my own merits," Kate said with a sigh. "And not for whom my parents are…were, especially considering the kind of reputation my mother has."
"Your mother is a good woman, Ms. Stewart," the Doctor said. "Don't sell her short…"
Pause.
"Now, let's see what we have here," the Doctor said, as he clapped his hands while looking around. "Now, what's first…?"
Forty-seven minutes later, all of the cubes go dormant, save for one thing…
"Why is there a seven on these cubes?" Amy asked.
Then, there was a six on all the cubes.
"It has to be a countdown of sorts," Kate said. "And if that is the case, then we have six minutes until…whatever."
"The question is why the cubes stopped their individual activities to begin the countdown, in the first place," the Doctor said.
"Trojan Horse," said Ranma simply.
"Pardon?" Kate asked.
"Think about it. We did nothing about the cubes because they seemed harmless, and did nothing for an entire year…until NOW."
"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed. "And the cubes' sudden outburst for 47 minutes was to test the reaction of the people of Earth."
"For what purpose?" Amy asked.
"I don't know," the Doctor said, as he stared at one of the cubes that were within the holding chamber. "We know that humans are being categorized for something."
"For our enslavement or destruction?" Kate asked.
"I don't KNOW," the Doctor said. "Nothing about this makes any sense…"
"Doctor, I rather not wait for the answer," Ranma said.
"I agree," Kate said, as she glanced at Ranma. "Surely, the first thing we should do is get these things away from people."
"How can you do that?" Amy said. "There has to be at least a billion of these cubes scattered about in the world."
"Yes, yes there are," the Doctor said, as he began to look at the incoming information on the monitors….
"Doctor?" Kate asked.
"Ranma, are you still in contact with your…special friends?" the Doctor asked.
"It depends," Ranma replied. "What are you going for?"
"I believe I've found the signal that is connected to all these boxes," the Doctor said, as he brings up the map of the world. "It's a good thing UNIT has everything monitored, so that we could discover…this."
All eyes turned towards the map of the world. In seven locations, there was a strong signal being transmitted.
"That energy source," Kate said, as she points to the map of the United Kingdom. "Technician?"
"Aye, mum," said the technician, as he went in for a closer look at the location of one of the cubes…
"THERE," the Doctor said. "One of the signal sources is at this…location…?"
"A hospital," Ranma replied.
"Rory's hospital," Amy said with concern.
"So, we found the signal source, which is actively transmitting the countdown to these cubes," Kate said, as she noticed that the time was down to two minutes. "What shall we do?"
"Ranma?" the Doctor said.
"I'm on it," Ranma replied, as he activates his SHIELD badge, which doubled as a transponder.
"What are you doing?" Kate asked.
"I asked Ranma to develop a strategy that could allow us to act at a moment's notice," the Doctor said. "The problem was locking in on the location of every cube around the planet, which we can now do, thanks to the active signal."
"So?" Amy asked. "You have to be pretty fast to not only find these cubes, but also to collect them."
"I know," the Doctor said with a grin. He then turned towards Ranma.
"Ranma?"
"I'm on it," Ranma said, as he suddenly seemed to blur out o existence.
"Where did he go?" Kate said, as she whirled her head about, in order to find Ranma.
"I'll tell you on the way to where Rory works," the Doctor said. "We don't have much time for this…"
"Very well," Kate said. "I just hope that your plan of action works."
"Half the time they do not, but we try," Amy said.
"I heard that Amelia!" the Doctor called out.
Ranma reappeared on the banks on the Thames River, where two old friends were. However, Ranma was in his superhero costumed, which made him look like something that was a hybrid of a shinobi and a commando.
"Spitfire, Whizzer," Ranma said, aka "Ronin".
"Saotome," Whizzer said with a nod.
"Really, Ranma," Spitfire said. "You finally asked me out on a date, and it is this."
"Hey, I've been busy," Ronin replied. He was glad that his old friends from the World War II superhero team, known as the "Invaders", were still active in modern day, thanks to their connection to the mysterious energy field, known as "The Speed Force".
"Besides, aren't you dating Blade or something, Jackie?"
"That relationship is…plutonic, now," Spitfire replied.
"So what is the plan?" Whizzer asked.
"We have less than a minute to collect all these cubes from this part of the world," Ronin said. "The Flash and the other 'speedsters' will do their part on their end."
"You know, I haven't run at my peak in years," Spitfire said, as she stretched her limbs. "But, I have to say, it beats running 'Falsworth Industries', for a least a day."
"Okay, everyone," Ronin said, as he mentally prepared himself. Truth to be told, he wasn't exactly sure if running around at super-speed was the best option. He, Spitfire and Whizzer had less than a minute to do their part, and that would mean push himself to the limit.
"Remember: once we 'tag' the cubes, SHIELD will use the trans-matter to 'collect' the cubes, which will be transported to the moon."
"You mean 'dumped'."
"Something like that. Are you two ready?"
"I am," Spitfire said.
"So am I," Whizzer replied.
"GO-!"
All over the world, men and women who possessed superhuman speed ran around the world, multiple times, in fact, to pick off the cubes. Some runners could run only at sonic speed, while others at hyper-sonic speed. Some runners could run near the speed of light, while others beyond it. Fortunately, thanks to the Doctor foresight, Ranma, thanks to his various contacts, was able to coordinate a plan of action that prevented a major crisis from occurring after all…
Later, back at the Pond Residence…
"So, the Shakri wanted to wipe out humanity, out of fear of it polluting the rest of the Universe?" Ranma asked over a pint of Guinness.
"Apparently, with so much focus on Earth by 'others' of late, the Shakri were afraid of the Universe going into a state of chaos, thanks to humans," the Doctor said.
"So, what happened?"
"Well, the Doctor shorted out the Shakri's ship somehow, and caused it to go boom," Amy said.
"That's…it?" Ranma asked.
"That's it," Rory said. "You sound disappointed."
"Well, considering that the human race was being targeted by aliens, no insult intended, Doc, I expected something…more," Ranma said.
"Perhaps, that is the lesson we all have to learn," said Brian, as he continued to read his paper.
"Pardon?" the Doctor asked.
"Think about how these Shakri tried to do away with humans," Brian said. "They used a simple approach, in a way that not even the Doctor was able to pick up right away."
"You really know how to wound me, Brian Williams," the Doctor replied in mock indignation.
"Humph," Brian said with a slight smile. "So, where to next for you three?"
"Us?" Amy asked.
"Dad?" Rory asked.
"You two and the Doctor deserve each other," Brian said, as he lowered his paper. "You three saved many lives…many worlds! That is something to strive for."
Amy and Rory turned to face each other, and then at Brian.
"Dad, as much as we do like traveling with the Doctor, we want to have a family of our own," Rory said. "And we can't do that on the road all the time."
"Ah," Brian said with a nod.
"So, that's it?" the Doctor said.
"Doctor, just because we're staying put, that does not mean that YOU can't drop by every now again," Amy said. "And, that doesn't mean we can't travel with you every now and again."
"Oh," the Doctor said in surprise. "Well, I guess you're right about that…"
Pause.
"But since you two want to start a family all over again, we should celebrate in style," the Doctor said. "How about…a weekend in New York, the city that never sleeps? We can catch some shows and dine on good food and what not."
"You know, I don't see why not," Rory said. He then turned towards Amy.
"Well? How about one last bit of fun before we settle down for good?"
"Sure," Amy said, as she gets up from her seat. "Just the three of us?"
"Just the three of us," the Doctor said, as he hugged Amy and Rory. He then turned towards Ranma.
"Coming?"
"I thought you said 'three of us', Doc?" Ranma said.
"I consider Amy and Rory as 'one'."
"I don't what to say about that," Rory replied in a confused manner.
"Just go with it, son," Brian replied, resulting in Amy giggling.
Tbc.
Next Time: "Angels Take Manhattan!"