Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma or Terminator. In addition if you aren't allowed to watch 'R' rated movies you probably ought to avoid this story…

Baba Yaga's Curse: Friction with the machine

Chapter 6

Ranma, Hotaru and Beryl stepped out into the sunshine intending to do some more searching for hints of Terminators in the area. Beryl was holding a map and saying, "They attacked the Trinity Towers taking mostly clothing and we found a single one out near the farm. Unfortunately neither one is going to be very good for triangulating a position at all, and at the farms we searched no one else mentioned a girl looking for Sarah or John Conner."

Beryl sighed and said, "From what you mentioned about the use of magic it is entirely possible that the unit we fought used magic to find Sarah, just like we did. That leaves us with our map and not much else."

Ranma nodded, "Yeah I know, but maybe something in the local papers might give us a clue, maybe some sort of strange occurrence or something else?"

Hotaru shook her head and said, "As much as I enjoy reading about this time period I am getting very tired of staring at newspapers Ranma-san. Is there not some other way that we could proceed? Perhaps using the power of the time gate within us?"

"I don't know Hotaru, I'm pretty sure Sailor Pluto was able use the gate to show other places, maybe there is some way we could as well," Ranma stood up and said, "Alright I like that idea it gives us some practice using this gate and might help find the Terminators, so I say let's try it."

Ranma and friends walked out of the building and towards a park. As they walked a black van pulled out and followed them. Another followed close behind that one as well.

Sometime later they were at Griffith park staring at the Hollywood sign. Beryl pointed to some trees and bushes and said, "That looks like a secluded spot and I feel a great connection to the Earth here."

Ranma nodded and the three proceeded to the spot. Once there they sat in a semi circle and Beryl said, "Alright let's concentrate on seeing fluctuations in the time stream first. We should be able to proceed from there."

The three meditated for a few moments and then Hotaru said, "I feel three disruptions very close. That must be us right Beryl."

Beryl whispered quietly, "Yes, that's us I feel it as well."

Ranma's voice said, "I don't know I must be doing this wrong, because I feel about fourteen things. Maybe I'm not tuning it right?"

Hotaru gasped, "No I feel them as well. Saturn Eternal Makeup!" She transformed and so did Ranma and Beryl. As they did a shimmering silver disk formed in front of them showing 11 forms coming towards their location. Sol stared at the image and said, "It looks like a group of T-800's coming right this way."

Saturn stepped towards the image and said, "It looks just like the gate, but without its supports are we doing that?"

Earth said, "I think so, let's try to make it go away."

Moments after she spoke the image faded and Sol said, "Incoming fire!" A Silence Wall appeared around the group as eleven identical men wearing different outfits came charging at the group firing an assortment of weapons.

The bullets ricocheted off the wall and then one of the group pulled out a strange looking shotgun. It was blood red in color and covered with strange mystical symbols. When he fired the shot passed directly through the Silence wall.

Saturn took the blast in her shoulder and the Silence Wall fell. At the same time Earth rushed to her aid and Sol rushed the creature with the gun. She smashed through four of his men to get to him and hit him with a plasma enhanced Amaguriken.

The move sent his weapon flying and streams of boiling silver metal as well. A sharp blade formed and he tried to strike Sol with it. The girl ducked the blow and powered a kick through his midsection. As she did so others in his force opened fire. A bullet grazed her shoulder and she felt another hit her thigh. She flew into the air and pumped more power into her own plasma shield and the rest of the shots were then avoided or ignored.

At the same time Earth used her power to heal Hotaru and sent up a column of stone spears that smashed at least three machines that had taken the two of them as targets. The black haired sailor upon being healed stared at the group of Terminators and leveled her Glaive. Pointing it at the group she swung it quickly and said, "Silence Glaive Surprise revised Silence Grenade!"

The area became almost completely quiet as the Silence exited her weapon and dropped into the middle of the group of machines. When it hit it consumed everything within a thirty foot area and then it was gone. Three or four machines were scrambling around and a swath of liquid silver metal was spread out on the ground.

Sol and Earth quickly waded in and dispatched the remaining machines and then stared at the silvery metal. Little drops were slowly coming towards each other and merging creating larger and larger drops until a silver man was looking at them with a smile on his face. "I am impressed, but the battle is not over." It raised its arms and a pentagram formed in the crater that Saturn had created. The few remnants of the destroyed Terminators suddenly joined together and created a misshapen lumbering beast.

Saturn hit it with another Silence Grenade, but the Silence was broken by the creature's horrible roar and then it was upon them. Metal arms, bladed arms and serrated metal pieces all attacked Saturn and Earth at the same time. Sol was about to jump into the fray when she saw the metallic man hold up the same blood red shotgun and aim it at her friends.

She landed next to him and grabbed the weapon saying, "I don't know where or how you got this, but it is gone." Her handed flared white hot and the gun exploded, then she attacked. Punches, kicks, and white hot plasma blasts sent the metal streaming, but he just continued to re-form again and again, never giving her a chance to help Earth and Saturn with their foe.

Sol fought on concerned for her friends and suddenly had an idea for using one of her old maneuvers. She dropped her plasma shield and cooled herself down and then she hit the metal creature again and again with tiny plasma blasts. It just mocked her and said, "Can't you do more little girl. Soon your friends will be dead."

She ignored it and kept pumping blasts of plasma into the creature and holding onto the Soul of Ice. She led the creature into a spiral pattern and when she finally reached the center she could see it literally boiling. With a shout of, "Hiryu Shouten Ha!" she sent it into a whirlwind that ripped it apart.

Meanwhile Earth and Saturn had been hard pressed by the behemoth at the beginning of the battle, each getting some cuts and scrapes from the sharp metal blades. Soon enough though they were dodging the creature's attacks and hitting it with their own.

The strange thing seemed to be almost completely immune to Saturn's main magical attack and Earth's magics were not harming it much either. The two fought on using the martial arts that Ranma had taught them. Saturn dodged a sharp blade and cut it in two with her glaive while Earth shattered one of the creature's legs. It fell down, but another protrusion filled in and it was walking again. Earth growled in anger and flew up into the air from her high perch she shouted, "Kinjin Raishu Dan!"

Ranma turned from the end of her own battle to see her friends and saw the culmination of their own battle. Powerful Vacuum blades tore through the mechanical conglomeration reducing it to scraps and then Earth showered those scraps with a flow of magma.

Sol pointed to a few droplets of the creature she had fought and said, "Direct some over there too okay Earth?"

Earth obliged and the battle was complete. The three girls joined up and as they panted they could hear thunderous applause. Sol glanced around the area and saw that a large crowd had formed on the outskirts of their fight. "What the heck is that?"

Saturn answered by saying, "I do believe we have just gained what is called celebrity status."

A park ranger and police officer were approaching the group. The ranger arrived first saying, "Alright where's your permit, we don't have a shoot scheduled for today."

Sol stared at the man and said, "A permit what permit?"

The police officer arrived next and said, "So what's the excuse Joe?"

"Don't know yet, Bill," He pointed to Sol and said, "That one there just looked at me strange and asked me what a permit was?

The officer looked at the group and said, "Playing dumb won't get you out of this one girl. The fine for filming without a license is quite steep and you were doing it with dangerous effects that could have hurt any bystanders. Now come with me and I'll bring you downtown."

The man held out some handcuffs to Sol and she stared at them for a moment, then she said, "Sorry, but I think we need to go home now," she gestured to her friends and then teleported to her house. Saturn and Earth followed her lead and all three were gone.

The police officer looked at the empty space in front of him and said, "You know what Joe, I hate it when they do that."

The park ranger nodded and said, "Me too Bill, me too, now come on let's go fill out our paperwork and maybe disburse the spectators."

The officer grumbled and walked off with the ranger towards the crowd.

NSA agent Carson stormed through the Las Angeles forensics department and demanded everything. The head of the lab stared at him and said, "Standard movie without a permit why do you need it?"

Carson just bored his ice cold blue eyes into the man and said, "National Security and that's all you need to know, now give me everything you have."

The head of the lab gathered all the items that had been recovered at the scene and handed them over to Carson. The last item he handed over was a VHS tape and he said, "Look about the video it's the original, but I'm more than willing to bet that the TV station kept a copy."

Carson waved it off and walked out of the lab with all of the recovered materials. From there he took his car to his apartment and unpacked everything. While he unpacked he placed the tape into his VCR and watched the clip over and over again. The clip itself was from an amateur with a camera, but he could see clearly enough to know that the three women associated with Ranma Taya were on the screen and using their powers. Each time he watched the one they had dubbed Plasma literally boil some type of metallic creature and then rip it apart by creating a tornado his pulse quickened and the other two girls were rather scary as well.

He picked up one of the pieces of metal that had been recovered and stared at it, then he started doing a few tests of his own before sending it to an NSA lab. He then picked up his phone and called Edwards Air force base. "General Tanner, this is agent Carson from the NSA, I'm sure my superior has spoken with you."

He paused and then smiled, "Good, I'm glad to hear you have orders from the Vice President as well. Look, General I'm going to need a team of men to come out to Griffith Park tomorrow and pick up a few items that were missed by the police."

The voice on the other line responded and Carson said, "Yes, the so called new movie that George Lucas is filming. Look, just send some people over, I want to recover as much of the magma as possible."

Carson nodded as the voice spoke again, then he said, "Oh and one more thing sir, I'll need complete access to one of the materials research labs tonight, preferably with the scientists in it."

Another response and Carson said, "Very well I'll call Lockheed Martin and inform them right away."

Carson hung up and then contacted Lockheed Martin. In response an entire scientific team was at his door only an hour or two later. He gave the group the materials from the scene and said, "I want to know what these are and I want to know as soon as possible."

The scientists voiced their agreement and took the items off his hands and away to a materials research lab at Lockheed Martin. When that was done Carson made another call. "Agent Franks, this is agent Carson what is your progress?"

In another room at the Trinity towers a short black haired woman sat on a chair staring at a number of computer monitor stations. Tech's sat at each station trying to figure out what was wrong with it. She sighed at all the static and said, "Sir, we bugged the entire apartment with video and audio, but a short time ago a small magnetic pulse went through the room and everything shorted out. We've got longer range audio and video, but it doesn't have much on it either sir. Still we know the subjects have returned to their apartment and are still there right now."

Back in his room Carson nodded and said, "Alright, keep on it. I'll be in touch." He hung up the phone and played the VHS tape one more time.

At his warehouse Gusoin screamed in rage. "Jurgen! If you were not already destroyed I would rip you apart myself!"

The large hulking demon smashed his fist through a wall and then stared at Lorycia, "Are you done repairing that hunk of junk you call a body!"

The succubus looked back at him and said, "Master Gusoin you gave me 24 hours to complete the repairs. I still have five or so hours left, but I fear even that will not be enough. Ranma and his allies are most inventive foes."

Gusoin seemed to calm a bit and said, "Hmm perhaps, just perhaps you might have a point Lorycia. Instead of facing them in a direct confrontation perhaps we should stack the deck in our favor."

"Amnar!"

The merged human wreck that was Amnar shuffled forward its two heads staring forward with loss and pain. In a sad depressed voice the creature almost begged, "Will you kill me now?"

Gusoin felt the depression roll off the creature and enjoyed it, then in a soft voice he said, "Why Amnar if you were dead I wouldn't get to enjoy your company. Now come on over here and touch the ruby heart."

The creature shuffled forward and stood over the ruby heart that was suspended over a bowl of blood. The creature pressed its hands onto the thing and screamed in pain as the heart drew in the creature's blood and pumped it through its corrupt self. As that happened Gusoin stood over the bowl and said, "Show me, where will be the best place to ambush Ranma."

The blood formed the image of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado and then it panned in through the building and toward a lab. Inside of that was forming the computer that would soon become Skynet"

Gusoin stared at it and said, "How, how are we going to be able to gain access to such a facility."

The blood showed a very distinct image it was that of a balding black haired man wearing an Air force general's uniform. The name on it said, "General Landry."

Gusoin Smiled and said, "Enough."

Amnar pulled its hands away and Gusoin smiled at the creature. "You have been very useful and so now I will give you a small reward."

He held out his metallic hand and Amnar recoiled in fear. Gusoin just laughed and grabbed the creature's shoulder. He pulled it close and whispered in its ear, "It won't hurt, not at all." A sudden jolt of extreme pleasure shot through Amnar, when it was over the creature slumped to the floor in exhaustion. Gusoin laughed and said, "See obey me and gain pleasure."

The large metallic minotaur stalked over to Lorycia and said, "You have a new mission my dear. You will take over Gorge's unit and lead them into Cheyenne mountain after he kills the head of the base and takes his place."

The succubus nodded and said, "I understand master. Is there anything else you require from me?"

She had thrust her body towards him, but Gusoin just snorted and said, "Certainly not that. However, you will use your power on all the people stationed at that base. I want them to be your willing and obedient slaves."

After a day or so of research Agent Carson had sent all of his information and a report to NSA Director Tonsberry. He was sitting in a hotel room with the six agents assigned to his team and talking on the phone. "Sir, I'd like to know what route to take now."

The voice on the other line spoke and agent Carson said, "Yes sir, I understand," he hung up the phone and looked at his team saying, "Operation Red Alpha is a go we will get into position tonight and eliminate the target."

Ranma, Hotaru, and Beryl continued to search for Terminators in the area, but after days of fruitless searching they sat in the living room after finishing another try as scouts and Ranma said, "I don't get it we felt them at the park right, so why not anymore?"

Beryl said, "Perhaps that was all of them?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. Something just tells me there's more of them out there."

Hotaru said, "We could try again, but this time with you in your male form Ranma-san."

Ranma shook her head and said, "No, when we're like that it's even worse especially for me. It's like this gate was designed specifically to work with a girl and even more specifically for a magical girl. In my other form I just get feelings, not the images."

Beryl said, "Yes, but we have not actually tried it with one or more of us in different forms, perhaps there could be something to it."

He sighed and said, "I don't know, maybe," He paused and stood up saying, "I'm just feeling really agitated, like someone is out there right now trying to kill me."

At that same moment the team of snipers was indeed not far from Ranma's position. Agent Carson was in a Black Hawk helicopter rigged for silent running, looking through his pair of binoculars, and speaking into a radio, "I see all targets through the window, units one through six please respond."

Six people checked in and noted that they had their target sighted. Carson heard them and then said, "Alright on my mark, three…two…one…"

Ranma walked away from his spot and towards the sink in order to grab a glass of hot water. "Target has been lost sir!"

Carson cursed and said, "Alright hold fire and hold positions we want to get as many of those girls as possible."

A now male Ranma walked back into the room and said, "Let's try this one more time tonight and then we're done."

Hotaru and Beryl transformed. Out on the roof the radio squawked, "All three contacts gone sir. Now there are two new girls in the room and one male."

Carson gritted his teeth and said, "The girls are the same two from earlier and the man is Ranma Taya. Agents focusing on target Red Alpha One are now to concentrate on him, those targeting Red Alpha two are to concentrate on the black haired girl and those focusing on Red Alpha three are to focus on the fairy girl is that understood?"

Multiple voices answered in the affirmative and then everyone once again confirmed that their targets were in sights. Carson said, "Alright one more time on my mark three…two…one...Fire!"

Ranma sat on the floor next to Saturn and Terra staring at the large silvery disk hanging in the air in front of their window, suddenly the disk made six snapping sounds and vibrated as if hit by an impact. Saturn said, "What was that?"

The silver image showed them six camouflaged forms holding high powered rifles and shooting directly at their window. Ranma transformed and then rushed over to the window, opened it and leapt out into the night. Her two companions quickly followed on her heels.

Sol arrived at the location of the assassins first and began the battle by hitting the first one she saw with a full power Solar Flare. That man was rendered into his component atoms by the flare and the girl yelled into a communicator, "The targets are human! Let's try our best not to kill any more!"

Saturn and Earth heeded Sol's warning and took out the rest of the snipers while Sol stared at the spot she had just torched momentarily and then she took the sixth sniper down.

Earth and Saturn came close and put their hands on Sol's back. The red haired girl responded to the unasked question by saying, "I'm alright. He was trying to kill us, I just prefer not to kill people these days. I guess that's not the same as I used to be, but after fighting for so long against the enemies we've faced I know that sometimes killing is necessary."

She sighed and said, "Come on let's get out of here," the three started to fly back towards the apartment complex and Saturn said, "I guess we'll have to break the lease."

Sol nodded and said, "Yeah let's get our stuff and go. We'll break it tomorrow, but tonight we'll stay in a hotel."

The three landed in their apartment and packed their things. They put all the items into their car and drove off. While on the way to the hotel Earth said, "Sol, before we redirected it I thought I saw a glimpse of something in the gate. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I think it was the computer that will become Skynet. Perhaps our best course of action is to destroy it?"

From his place in the back seat Ranma put a hand on the driver's shoulder and said, "What do you think Saturn?"

Saturn thought for a moment and said, "I would prefer to just use the silence to destroy the entire mountain and leave only a crater. That would assuredly ensure Skynet could not use it for a base."

Sol gulped and said, "I didn't think you could do that?"

Saturn shook her head and said, "No, you are right Sol-san I can not do that. It is just fanciful dreaming, I could destroy the entire planet, but not that. Perhaps I should work on revisions to the Death Reborn Revolution as I have been doing for my other attack."

Sol was struck silent until Hotaru continued by saying, "Unfortunately I do not believe there are any planets that we can go to and just destroy in order for me to practice a revision. So I suppose that I will have to agree with Beryl's idea. Let us destroy Sky net at Cheyenne Mountain and then worry about these additional Terminators."

At that same moment a black haw helicopter was flying above their car. Agent Carson was inside and talking on the radio. "Targets are outbound in their vehicle. Operation backup is a go, I repeat operation backup is a go."

A few minutes after that a police vehicle came behind the car with its lights flashing. Saturn said, "I have been obeying every local law, why would they pull us over?"

Earth said, "It's them whoever these people are they are probably the same as earlier. Perhaps they know of the map of perhaps it is from Ranma's interrogation either way I think we can safely assume that the Police car behind us does not have friendly intent."

The police car sped up towards them and Saturn said, "I believe their vehicle is faster than ours," the Police car hit their rear tires and sent them into a spin that crashed the car into a wall. Saturn shook her head to clear it and said, "Their driver also surpasses my skill level."

Sol just grimaced and said, "Right everyone pick up essential items and then we Teleport somewhere safe."

"Where?"

Sol said, " Tokyo, Japan the Tokyo Tower!"

In the helicopter Agent Carson said, "They should be rattled and that building is abandoned, fire a missile at their location, now!"

One of the men piloting the helicopter acknowledged the order and pressed a button on his stick. The missile detached itself from the helicopter and streaked towards the car. It went up in a ball of fire and Carson cheered. Then he said, "Alright boys mission accomplished I repeat mission accomplished."

The pilot of the helicopter said, "Is there anything else sir?"

"Just set me down somewhere and I'll regroup with my team."

"Very well, will do." The helicopter touched down in a parking lot and Carson walked out waving goodbye to the pilot. Once on the ground he regrouped with his team and picked up a phone.

At NSA headquarters in Washington NSA Director Tonsberry picked up the phone and said, "Ah, agent Carson. Do you have good news."

Carson gave him a detailed report of the mission and Tonsberry said, "Congratulations then, one man killed defeating such powerful opponents is to be commended. Check the wreck for remains and then keep surveillance on the area for a few days. After that I think we can safely put this mission down as a complete success."

Sol and her allies appeared near the Tokyo tower. It was bright daylight and the red haired senshi said, "Good thing it exists here, huh?"

Saturn nodded and said, "Perhaps some things are multi universal Sol-san?"

"Yeah, well I don't expect we'll be heading over to Nerima to check and see. Let's just transform, find a bank to exchange some money and then get a hotel room. I'm sick and tired of being attacked for one day."

The others nodded in agreement and soon after that the three were in their civilian forms and headed off to find a place to stay for a day or two. A black haired man watched them pass and said, "Verily I do believe that was the pig-tailed girl, but what is she doing here in this section of town and who are her lovely companions? Hmm, perhaps it is some undertaking for the vile sorcerer Saotome. I will have to follow her and perchance I can remove the black spell that has been placed upon her…"