Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
For Love and Money, the War of the Horse. A Y3 story.
Chapter 2. Preparations for Battle.
Ranma checked his phone as he climbed off his motorcycle, and nodded to himself at the message. The Teahouse had made pickup, and Konatsu had gotten herself involved in the situation. That was good, it was one less thing that Ranma had to worry about now. Knowing that his family in Japan was safe took a weight off of him. It meant that he could take care of his other responsibilities without that worry hanging over him.
He walked into the compound through the inner gate that rolled open for him even as the exterior one closed. He could feel the cameras and eyes on him, but it gave him a sense of comfort. Douglas's compound was still secure. Ranma looked at the open door to the hangar, and spied the old American expatriate leaning on his cane.
Douglas had always been a good person to work with, even if he was questionable. The rumors about him were wide and varied. Former military, ex or active CIA, a fugitive, the list went on and on. All that really mattered was he was reliable and didn't ever give up his clients. And best yet, he didn't ask questions about why you were going where you needed him to take you.
"Are you needing anywhere in particular in China, or can we just deliver you to the nearest strip on the mainland?" Douglas asked as he fell in alongside Ranma.
"I need to head into the mountains, so as close as possible on this side of them." Ranma answered without giving too much away.
"Ah, I see. I can't drop you off at the usual place when we have guests of Madam Konatsu, though." Douglas said as he looked over a few of the planes that they walked past.
Ranma stiffened for a moment, then chuckled and looked aside at Douglas. "Why can't we stop there?" Ranma asked without confirming anything.
"We haven't heard from our man there for a few weeks, maybe a month or so. Our last flight there has not returned, so we figure that someone might have taken it over, or taken it out. We will keep our ears open and let interested parties know when it reopens." Douglas said as he stopped in front of a twin-turboprop plane.
A head popped out of the open door, and the young woman attached to it soon stepped out and wiped her hands off on a rag. Her dark hair was tied back in a severe bun, and her blue eyes looked as out of place with her distinctly Japanese features as Ranma's did. She hopped down and walked over to look up at Douglas, then over at Ranma with an appraising look. She looked back at Douglas and cocked her to the side.
"What can I do for you, pops?" The young woman asked Douglas.
Douglas looked between the two. "Rei, this is Ranma. Ranma, this is Rei, one of our best pilots. She's going to fly you in."
Rei turned back to Ranma and bowed to him, and Ranma returned the bow. Douglas chuckled and shook his head. "You Japanese and your formality." He said as he placed one hand over the other on his cane.
Rei eyed the older man and rolled her eyes. "It's good to have someone around that can play nice with people that don't run in the usual circles, you know." she said as she wagged her finger at him, then sighed and turned to Ranma. "Please, just ignore my father. The rest of us do." She said with a cheeky grin.
Ranma just smiled and nodded as he filed that fact away. He hadn't been aware that Douglas had a daughter, and like his wife always reminded him, knowledge is the best weapon. He smiled as Douglas glared at his daughter, then sighed. Ranma decided to hurry this along, and break the awkwardness a bit. "So, how soon can we leave? I want to get there as soon as possible."
The father and daughter exchanged looks, then Rei nodded. "Thirty minutes. I need to do one last pre-flight check on her, then we should be good to go."
Ranma nodded as he pulled out his satellite phone and started to make calls. He had things to arrange on the other end, anyhow. He wasn't going to walk to Jusenkyo, not this time. He needed transport and supplies on the other end, and he knew just the shady person for it. He smiled a grim smile as the phone picked up. "Hello Wong. Nice of you to answer. It's time to call in your chit. Yeah, I'm going to need some stuff." Ranma said, then started to rattle off everything he was going to need. He would be traveling as light and fast as possible, but there were some things that were unavoidable.
A jeep or other off-road vehicle, enough fuel for there and back again. A pair of Glocks with 200 rounds, a scoped rifle, a selection of knives and a compound bow with a couple dozen arrows. Rations and water, along with camping gear and a few outfits for either form. Everything that he would need to find out what had happened, and resolve issues as they came up.
Someone was going to pay for what had happened to his daughter, and they would learn the cost of going after his family, extended or otherwise. Blood begat blood. And Ranma had always subscribed to the school of thought that violence should only be used as necessary, but when it was needed, it should be used in a manner that was severe enough to deter the need to use it in the future.
He would hold onto hope, but plan for the worst. He would get there as fast as safely possible, and help out in any way he could.
And if he was truly too late, he would make those responsible pay, and pay dearly. It was the least he could do for all that they had done for him and his, for the friends he had made at the Teahouse. He knew that if he had delayed just a bit, at least one of the ladies would have come with him.
But he didn't want to involve them. He didn't want to draw the Teahouse into this any more than needed. They needed to maintain their neutrality, people needed to know there was one place that remained above the petty power struggles that were rife in the underworld.
He would protect them from themselves, if need be. Involving them in protecting his family was enough. Even if he suspected that Konatsu would take action on her own.
Ranma was snapped out of his ruminations as Rei walked over. She finished wiping off her hands and smiled at him as she looked him over. "We are good to go when you are. Flight plan out of Japan has been filed, and we should be good to go on the other end. We will be landing at an old airfield out in the sticks, if that works for you. Do you want to update your contact now, or are you planning to head to a town to collect your things?" She asked.
Ranma nodded. "Give me the name of the place, or the coordinates at least, and I will update my ground person. I hope it's somewhere near the other field? I need to get to my destination ASAP."
She nodded as she pulled a map out of one of her vest pockets and unfolded it. "This is the old field here, I am going to do a fly by once I drop you off, see if it's still there. And no, I won't try to land there, nor will I get any closer than needed." h pointed at another spot on the map, and the nearby village. "This is the closest strip we have that we still have contact with. The coordinates are marked under it, if that helps." She said and waited for Ranma to get the location and send it along to Wong, then folded it back up and stowed it away once more. "Are you ready to go?"
Ranma nodded, as he slung his go bag over his shoulder with the few things he had brought with him. "Let's go."
Rei nodded to Ranma, and waved at her father as she walked to the plane. Ranma and Douglas shared one last look before Ranma climbed in and buckled up. After they were in the air,Rei glanced over at Ranma, then looked back forward again.
"Must be important, whatever you have to sneak into China to take care of." Rei said.
"It is." Ranma answered as he settled in.
"Does it have anything to do with us losing contact with our people on the ground? Rei asked as she glanced back at him.
"You sure ask a lot of questions for a company that doesn't ask questions." Ranma said with a wry lift of his lip. Ranma thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "And, it might."
Rei nodded, a tense look on her face. "I had friends there. People I liked. People I trusted. If someone did do something… You're going to make them pay, aren't you."
Ranma hesitated, then nodded. "If they were responsible for what drew me back here… Then yes."
Rei nodded, then relaxed. "Thank you."
Ranma chuckled darkly. "Don't thank me yet. I haven't done anything."
"Dad trusts you, so I know you're going to make things right again." Rei said with utter conviction.
"And why do you think Douglas trusts me?" Ranma asked as he looked back at her.
"Simple." Rei said. "You're here with me."
Ranma thought about it for a minute, then nodded. As a father himself, he couldn't really argue the point. He just hoped that Wong pulled through for him on short notice.
Rei checked her readings over again, then looked back at him. "Get some rest if you need it, we've got six hours or so."
Ranma hesitated for a minute, then nodded and got up to head back to the passenger section and settled in to get some rest. His mind eventually settled down, and he slipped into a restless sleep.
He woke up several hours later when Rei called his name. "Ranma, we are getting close. We just passed into Chinese airspace. About two hours until we land. Didn't know if you needed to do anything before we touched down or not."
Ranma thought about it for a minute, then checked his phone. He saw the message he had been waiting for and breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like things are lining up on the ground. Wong will be there in an hour or so. So, I expect him about the time we land, honestly. The swindler has never been on time once in his life, but to his credit it sounds like that has saved his life a few times."
"Sounds like an interesting person. Might not be a bad idea to meet him, it's always good to make new potential clients when you can." Rei said as she checked over everything again.
"You should probably steer clear of people like Wong, honestly. But, if you insist, I will introduce you. Just… You have been warned." Ranma said cryptically.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Ranma." Rei Said as she settled back into the pilot's seat.
"See if you still want to thank me after meeting him." Ranma said as he got up, stretched, and made his way to the co-pilot's seat.
Rei gave a nervous little chuckle. "You're not filling me with confidence. He must be a scary guy."
Ranma chuckled as he buckled back in. "I will let you decide once you meet him. Just… Don't agree with anything he proposes. Honestly, he would try and scam his grandmother if she was still alive."
Rei gave Ranma a dubious look, then nodded. "I will keep that in mind." She said before she turned her attention back to the sky before her.
Ranma nodded and settled back in, as he ran over the plans and counter plans in his head. He needed to be ready for anything once he hit the ground.
When they hit the ground, they noticed a couple of vehicles waiting for them. One of them was a Humvee with added chrome and bling to it. The other was a beat-up looking pickup with a covered bed. Once they stopped, two men in black suits stepped out of the Humvee, followed a moment later by a short, plump man wearing a business suit in creams and greys. He took off his sunglasses and waved at the plane as his bodyguards fell in beside him as he walked towards the plane.
"That's Wong?" Rei asked hesitantly.
"In the badly coordinated ensemble, yeah." Ranma confirmed as he got out of the plane and walked towards the trio, with Rei following a moment behind him. Ranma stopped in front of Wong, then smiled the best he could as he held his arms open. "It's good to see you again, Wong? It seems like it's been forever."
Wong grinned and hugged Ranma back as his goons took a step away and watched Rei. "It has! How have you been? You aren't still sore about that little misunderstanding, right?" He asked as he stepped back and looked Ranma over.
"No, I forgave you once the stitches came out. Next time, if you are going to sell me out, make sure I get a cut." Ranma said as he settled his hands behind his back.
Wong grinned and clapped Ranma on the back as he started to lead the two of them towards the pickup. "I got everything you needed right here, Ranma! Always good to my word." He said as he pulled back the cover on the bed to show the supplies that were neatly laid out.
Ranma nodded as he looked it over, then started to walk around the vehicle. After a moment, he stopped and sighed. "Wong, would you mind explaining?" Ranma said as he pointed.
Wong stepped around and stared blankly at the spot Ranma had pointed at. "I don't see anything, Ranma. Is something the matter?"
"The bullet holes, Wong. And the blood. Would you like to explain?" Ranma said as he watched the shifty fellow.
Wong shrugged and wiped his brow with an expensive handkerchief. "It was short notice, Ranma. I had to get a bit aggressive with my negotiations. Don't worry, we didn't hit anything important on the truck." Wong explained.
"That's not the point, and you know it. You know what, I'm feeling generous. Let me look it over, make sure the engine, or vehicle, will blow up once I'm down the road and then we can call this a deal." Ranma said, and waited until the smiling broker nodded and stepped back. "This is going to take a bit, you had best refuel so you can get heading back." Ranma told Rei before he started to check the truck over.
Wong turned to look Rei over, and she shivered a little at the appraising look he gave her. "And who is your pretty young friend, Ranma?" Wong asked as he took a step towards her.
"No one important. She works for Douglas, and flew me in." Ranma said before he popped the hood and started to check the engine over.
Wong stopped and took a step back. "Douglas, you said?"
"Yeah, I did." Ranma said as he started to check the wheel wells.
Wong gave Rei a bit of a strained smile and walked back towards his own vehicle.
Rei hesitated, then glanced over at the ground crew that had started to refuel her plane, then edged closer to Ranma. "I'd ask what that was about… But I really don't want to know. He seems… Different than I expected. Is he really a… Ummm…" Rei trailed off uncertainty.
"A drug runner? Arms dealer? Human trafficker? Yeah, he is. The story is that he used to be a used car dealer." Ranma moved to check another part of the engine. "Then, he got some vehicles on the cheap from a government sale. Turned out there were guns and drugs stashed inside of them. He made a lot more money off the contraband than the vehicles, so… Now here he is. Don't be alone around him. Let's not let him decide that you are worth the risk."
Rei swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah… Got it."
Ranma nodded and walked over to Wong as he pulled a roll of bills out, and gave them to Wong. He kept up the smalltalk with the fast-talking Chinese national until he saw Rei lift off again, then clapped Wong on the shoulder and walked back over to the pickup. As he started to climb in, he stopped and looked at Wong. "Oh? And Wong? Next time you try to sell me out, I'm going to take it personally. Very personally." Ranma said with a fake smile as Wong froze up and bobbed his head quickly before he scrambled back into his Humvee.
Ranma watched them go, then slid out and pulled the tracker from where it was hidden and looked at it and sighed. He snapped it in half and started to drive.
He would deal with Wong later, if it was needed.