Avenging
Act IV
The Hate Monger and the Peacemaker
Chapter 8
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What happened before: Mesmero tried freeing himself from Biko's clutches by using Thor, Wasp, and the Hulk to kill her. After an inconclusive fight with her protector, the Super Adaptoid, Biko's hired assassin, Hitman, killed Mesmero.
And the reporter, Abe, was from Act 3 Chapter 8, so I didn't bother reintroducing him.
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Ranma leapt over the wall surrounding the backyard of the Tendou grounds, mindful that no one saw him. It was the dead of night, the street was dark, and he had doubled back on his route twice. One could never be too careful about a secret identity. Considering all the mishaps in his life, it was probably lucky that only Nabiki knew and was sympathetic to him. Or at least as sympathetic as Nabiki could manage.
Night patrols always carried a large degree of security. He'd leave with an oversized gym back with his equipment and headed for a park. He'd change in some bushes, then leave the bag with his normal clothing in the trees. Bird droppings were the only thing that could reach something that high. Now if that American hero, Squirrel Girl lived nearby, he might worry about its discovery, but otherwise it was a fine location. Upon his return it was a quick change in some bushes, exiting the park as a normal teenager who was out and about in the dead of night. Nothing suspicious about that at all.
Ranma made his way into the darkened house, slipping into the room he and his father shared. He stripped off his clothing, then caught a whiff of his body odor. While he had only taken down a couple of muggers, he was sweaty enough a bath would be a good idea before going to sleep. Luckily he had superior stamina and didn't need as much sleep as a normal person. Otherwise between school, feigning a normal life, training, and super heroing he would have been too burned out to do anything.
Since everyone would be asleep, he went about only in a pair of boxers. Now that he was 'off duty' he considered the meeting with the Avengers from a few days ago. Not only had they failed to find the hypnotist who had ensnared Thor, Wasp, and the Hulk, but they couldn't decide on what to do about Biko Stane. While it seemed certain she was up to something, they had no actual proof and couldn't do anything other than keep an eye on her. At least they'd talked about her emerald robotic companion in case they crossed paths with it again. Robots that were an amalgamation of super abilities that could hold off those three simultaneously was nothing to sneeze at.
Thoughts still distracted Ranma as he opened the door to the bathroom. As he entered, he wondered why the occupied sign hadn't been up since it held one Kasumi, which qualified it as 'occupied'. As she turned at the sound, he noted she sported a serious black eye. The kind that was so big, if one had a puppy with a mark like that, you were legally obligated to name it Spot. There were no other marks of any kind, though. He knew that for a fact since she was naked.
Kasumi stared dreamily at him. "Hello, Ranma. Did you need to use the bath?"
Ordinarily, Ranma couldn't move at near light speed- super soldier serums didn't bestow that- but naked Kasumi's could take him to a whole other level. It was all in the reflexes. He was out in the hall and shutting the door at the same time. He had nearly closed it on himself, he was so quick.
Kasumi stared at the door in confusion. Really, he hadn't needed to be so rude. She would have shared it with him.
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Ranma darted into his room and shot under covers. That was not his fault. The understanding was, either you put the occupied sign up, or what happened to you was your own fault. No sign; no foul.
At least Kasumi hadn't seemed angry. In fact, she had seemed pretty casual about him just popping in while she was naked. Clearly she was interested in him, just like the other girls. Perhaps she was upping the ante in the fiancée sweepstakes by offering to jump his bones. That made perfect sense. He just hadn't seen a move like that coming. Women were… kind of complicated. Sort of like a super-villain who was trying to steal all the cream cheese in Japan, but wouldn't explain why.
Damn that Baron Von Blimp anyway.
While Ranma couldn't blame Kasumi -he was a heck of a catch- the timing was just way off with his curse, his being a superhero, his mother hating him, his not actually wanting to be engaged. That was one full plate. Although thinking about it, Kasumi was definitely a very healthy girl. Not quite as healthy as his own cursed form, but who was? And if he married someday, he had nothing against someone that…healthy.
He shut his eyes, and drifted off to sleep, having some very…healthy dreams about one of his potential female suitors.
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The alarm went off and Kasumi rose from her bed. As she blinked a few times, she realized the cobwebs that had been in her head were now gone. That was a relief. She really had been sloppy letting some mere normal goon smash a chair into her face. The piece of furniture hadn't broken either, like they did in movies. Luckily, he had been the last opponent who she dispatched with a minimum of fuss, but she had probably been concussed. Everything that occurred afterward had taken a dreamlike quality. So much so she wasn't sure what had been awake and what had been a dream after the blow to the head.
It was a good thing she recovered from injuries at what was clearly superhuman speed. Not true regeneration like Tigra, but normal people wouldn't have been able to take the beatings she did and bounce back by the next day. She loved her super powers so.
As she yawned and stretched her arms, Kasumi realized she had slept naked. She'd never done that. It had always been very conservative pajamas for her, which her friends had made fun of by calling them, 'Granny wear'. There was a time she'd been defensive about it, but not so much she had changed her wardrobe. Now she had gone and slept in the buff. Then again, what difference did it make? It wasn't like she didn't go about in public in skin-tight outfits, some of the more colorful ones showing, well, certainly not Tigra like skin (or fur, in the felinoid's case), but an arm or leg cut out, sometimes they were a bit low and showed off the top of her bust. And she liked them. Once she considered it, she was amused at the change. There was a time she wouldn't have gone out in anything but an ankle-long dress, unless she was going out at the beach. And even then it would have been one pieces only. Now she was less inhibited, and it felt wonderful.
Her dreams were becoming more risqué as well. She'd just had one about Ranma, dressed only in his boxers, coming into the bath while she was washing and she had made him an offer to join her. Sadly it was not one of her… naughtier dreams, and he had refused. That made her smile. Had she done that in real life, she doubted he would have been able to refuse the invitation. While he was no Casanova, she was certain he was at least a little interested in her. Even if she really wasn't interested in him. Well, interested in the way the fathers were insisting she be interested in him.
Although, she had never lived under a roof so closely with a man that was so near her age. And he was, okay, hunky. She could admit that now. And quite pleasant, if a bit rough around the edges. But it was clear even if he was uncouth at times, he meant well. So he was sort of interesting in a way that was similar to what the fathers wanted, but not quite what they wanted. And there was nothing wrong with that. Actually there was a lot right with him, especially if her dream was any indication of her subconscious desires.
Kasumi shook her head free of the thoughts. It was time to make breakfast. She yawned and went out into the hall.
Then went back inside and got dressed.
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Nabiki came downstairs to the smell of sizzling meat. Her older sister had taken to making breakfast more protein laden than in the past, which was just fine with her. Practicing in the art always made her hungry, but now that she thought about it, her sister was packing down nearly as much food as her. She really needed to watch the caloric intake. If she wasn't careful, she might fatten up a bit, which would make pawning her off on Ranma all the more difficult. And she had to ditch his do-gooder posterior on one of her siblings. Although he was good in a jam and had her back on more than one occasion. And not even charged her for it. He was actually very tolerable for a guy.
Not that she was interested in him. But she had to admit that while she wasn't the least bit heroic, it wasn't to say she couldn't get along with someone like that. As long as they didn't try to make her uptight like they were. But there was the whole, "I'm a superhero and people try to vaporize me on a regular basis," which was a relationship killer as far as she was concerned. She still had occasional nightmares of her father finding out and making her become not just a fiancée, but also a superhero sidekick, despite him already having one in the form of Bucky. She had visions of being called something awful, like, Private Okinawa, The Terminatrix, or something ridiculously girly like, Starlight Shimmershine. She wouldn't do it even if she could become one of those 'Heroes for Hire' she heard about, and actually got paid for her good deeds. She would have chosen to become a cop if that was her sort of thing. Best to get him foisted off on Akane or Kasumi. Then they could sew his costume when it got slashed to ribbons by every nut with a set of claws.
But that one recurring image came back to her. That one time she had barged in the bathroom and seen he was generously endowed with more than a giving nature. Sometimes she wondered if she wouldn't like to at least sample the wares. It wasn't like she was a kid anymore. She could handle an adult relationship of that nature. And it wasn't like she'd even had a real boyfriend in her life.
Hormones were still giving advice to the higher processes of her mind as she entered the kitchen and greeted Kasumi. Her older sister turned and returned the greeting, which was when Nabiki spotted the slightly dark ring around one of Kasumi's eyes. "What happened to you?" she asked suspiciously.
"What happened to me what?" Kasumi asked.
"The black eye?" Nabiki pointed at it.
Kasumi was confused, then felt around the area. "Oh, yes, that. I opened a door into my face. Quite embarrassing, really."
"I see." Nabiki turned and headed towards Ranma's room. Without knocking, she threw open the door and just as he pulled up his pants, father already absent. In hindsight, had it been Genma in that position, it would have been nearly as unfortunate as seeing Fred J. Dukes in his G-string.
Well, no, nothing was as bad as that. But still a horrifying sight.
Getting back to the matter at hand, she said, "I'm calling in one of my markers, Cap."
Ranma crossed the room in near Speed Demon-like velocity. His hand slapped over her mouth as he looked nervously in every direction all at once. "Sure, you can marker up my cap any time."
Nabiki rolled her eyes. He had no ability to improvise. She removed his hand. "Something's seriously wrong with Kasumi. She's got a black eye and lying about it. Since the most physical thing she does is hang up laundry, something is going on."
Ranma scrunched his nose at that. Now that he'd seen Kasumi naked, she looked way too athletically fit for someone that supposedly never engaged in physical activity. Maybe her new job had a gym the employees could use and Nabiki didn't know her sister had a training regimen, which he then imagined. He tried really hard not to envision her jumping rope since, when he now thought of Kasumi, it only invoked clothing 50% of the time.
"She's been getting home pretty late the last week or so," Nabiki added. "Follow her around. Maybe she's got herself a boyfriend that plays rough. In any case, report back to me and I'll decide what to do."
If that was the bottom of the mystery, Ranma would take care of the matter himself. He didn't need to be a paragon of virtue to dislike guys who roughed up women. Unless the woman was a costumed lunatic that was trying to kill a guy, then you could beat the living heck out of them. He was big into equal rights that way.
At least this sounded like a simple task. He probably should have thought it himself since Kasumi had shown up with the shiner last night. But there had been some distracting distractions at the time. He wouldn't even need his costume or shield. No, what he needed was an impenetrable disguise, like when he was Kodachi Kunou's bodyguard at the party. That had been fun, except for Letha getting away. He so wanted a decisive rematch one of these days.
He began making a list of what to buy to make him unnoticeable.
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Kang was concerned. In a lesser man it might have been fear, but Kang was a greater being. He had to be to accomplish his goals. He had been so careful, or so he thought. This timeline was still intact for what he needed to accomplish. It was the only one he found that could do the job. She was still alive, and still on course to meet the 'him' of this timeline. When the version of him that already existed in this 'past', left, Kang could pop up and take his place in this timeline as the one and only 'him,' now and forever.
Until he discovered the anomaly that would prevent this version of him meeting his love.
Kang had been probing the secrets of the Citadel of Time he resided in. He thought there was a chance he could kill the Avengers here while leaving the timeline perfectly intact. During his calculations he stumbled onto something dire. He wasn't sure why it was about to happen: it didn't even involve the Avengers. It was some minor detail, yet it represented a single domino in a chain that, if toppled, would ruin everything.
This was another issue. Kang knew he should have studied time more thoroughly, but there was a damning problem. No matter how much time travel he did, he continued to age normally. Even in places like this 'Limbo' where the Citadel resided, where the universal laws were different, every minute he existed was another minute he aged. Eight years had passed since his arrival, and soon he'd be too old to ever be accepted by her. He had to do this now, or lose the opportunity to be together forever.
While he could intervene directly to solve the matter, his mere proximity to the anomaly might worsen it, or create more until everything spiraled out of control. Best to operate through intermediaries and maintain a safe distance. Once back in the timestream he had to move fast.
His holographic disguise in place, he entered time at the exact moment his 'Senator Timely' robot vanished back to the Limbo he had been in.
In his guise, Kang entered the waiting area of the office of John Smith. While officially John was a lower echelon advisor, Kang was one of the few that knew the difference. Being a confidant of the president, thanks to his well-timed advice on getting him elected, he knew Smith was the 'go to guy' for difficult problems. The kind the president happen to mention in Smith's presence without officially telling him to do anything. Plausible deniability was a plus when called upon to testify, should the need arise.
Kang strode past the secretary, who stopped in mid-greeting and moved to intercept him before entering the office proper.
Kang said, "You have a tracking app on your husband's phone. Use it to find out where he's spending his afternoons."
By all rights she should have ignored him, but the confidence in his voice made her hesitate only a moment before doing so. Just as Kang's hand fell on the door handle he heard her screech, "That bastard!" and stormed out. Kang had looked ahead. Her husband would be surprised when he went home and his wife initiated their divorce with twenty stab wounds to the chest. Smith would have to hire a new secretary, but that wouldn't change anything important.
As Kang entered he heard Smith stop talking mid-sentence. Kang didn't see anyone in the office nor a phone or earpiece. Perhaps he had been using a recording device out of sight.
Smith was disconcerted but collected himself instantly. Smiling, he rose and walked over to Kang. "Senator, this is a surprise. I didn't think you had an appointment."
"I didn't, but it's very important or I wouldn't have barged in here like this."
"Well, you've certainly earned a barge in or two." Smith indicated he should take a seat. Kang did so.
"This involves an issue with one of our overseas associates. The one we were hoping might start up certain initiatives which we could point to when the time came for us to start our own programs. In a nutshell, if this is not taken care of, they won't start. And without them, it would make things that much harder for us." And Kang told him the problem.
Smith brought out one of those long cigarette holders popular in the 50's. Surprisingly, he didn't bother lighting the cigarette in it. Kang wouldn't have objected. He still smoked, a holdover from his pre-time traveling days.
After several moments of consideration, Smith nodded. "You were right in coming here. Don't bother anyone else with this information. I'll deal with it personally."
"My lips are sealed." And his eyes watching from above.
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Ranma followed Kasumi at a good distance, though he probably could have been right behind her and she'd never notice. His disguise was that perfect. He had a beret and false goatee along with thick, black plastic framed glasses. His buttoned up yellow striped shirt was tight across his chest, but it was all the store had that would fit him. He wore a vest with a clip on bow tie and bell-bottomed acid washed jeans which the clerk assure him was quite fashionable. He thought he had this 'hipster' look down. He'd blend in to any crowd.
The surveillance had gone off without a hitch thus far. He'd waited at home until Kasumi departed to supposedly meet some co-workers, and wouldn't be back until very late. Nabiki delayed her long enough for Ranma to don his disguise and slip out. He then followed his target at a discrete distance. Though curiously he had caught the eye of a number of people. He couldn't imagine why since his disguise was impenetrable. Perhaps they hadn't seen someone who worked out like him.
Kasumi walked a direct course, determined and with no side trips. It was as if she had to be somewhere promptly. Ranma followed as she entered a tram station, but then finally veered off course to a coin operated locker. She pulled out a key and removed a bag, then entered a women's restroom.
Minutes passed by. Ranma became impatient as Kasumi took forever. Surely if she had to use the facilities for this long she would have used the ones at home. Unless she had mistakenly eaten some of Akane's cooking. That could mess up the digestive track for days, as he found out firsthand. She had even gone so far as to say if they were ever officially engaged, she'd make every meal for him herself.
He'd rather go ten rounds with the Battling Bantam and the Gamecock again than subject himself to that torture.
Finally the door opened as Ranma prepared to take up the chase once again. Except it was some other woman dressed in a revealing top that simultaneously showed off a lot of cleavage and a lot of midriff. Her skirt made it past the curve of her bottom, though not by much. Thigh high leather boots were the only piece of clothing that covered more instead of way less than average. Given how little her clothing covered, he noted she was in great shape. She even had an angel tattoo on one shoulder, and a devil on the opposite one.
As he returned his attention to the door, something nagged at him. That girl had been familiar. Yet he was certain he'd remember someone who looked like that. But the feeling worsened. He examined her again (like most of the men she passed). Definitely familiar. It wasn't the clothing, it was that body…
Of course! He pictured the girl naked and it was a dead ringer for Kasumi. And since the odds of her doppelganger using the same bathroom at the same time she did were astronomical, that meant it was her in disguise. Clearly she was on some surveillance mission herself. Or was it something more sordid?
He observed her return the bag to her locker and board a train. Ranma followed as well. They traveled a good distance before she finally disembarked. The section of town there were in was not the nicest, and to his surprise she went into the most not nicest part of the not nice section of town. Either she had developed Ryouga's direction sense on her way to the market, or something else was going on. What had she gotten herself into?
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Kasumi wondered when her tail would make his move. She was more than a touch delighted someone, probably a molester, was stalking her. Life had gotten so boring lately she had taken it upon herself to seek out excitement. She knew where 'bad people' tended to congregate in Tokyo, so she decided to dress like a girl looking to show a guy a good time, the kind that received monetary compensation for it. She had even gotten some press on fake tattoos, and pierced her belly button in addition to the risqué clothing. That look gained her entry into seedy establishments where seedy men would buy her very alcoholic drinks and offer her money, sometimes considerable amounts, to show them a good time.
Instead she convinced the men she wanted to go out for a good time, preferably the illegal type. She always implied the better the time he showed her, the better a time she'd show him. And that was how Kasumi had found herself in a number of places run by the criminal element. Gambling dens, fighting pits, bootleg video shows (some guys tried to impress women the wrong way). One man took her to a brothel with a floor show involving two very flexible people who, if contortionism was a super power, would have given the entire Avengers roster a run for the money.
Of course she never did anything with the men afterwards, other than thank them for a good time. The smart ones simply complained. The dumb ones tried to do something about it, and Kasumi ended up having an exciting night. The guys, not so much. Except the one who had enjoyed it. He even thanked her for the freebie.
Not all weird people dressed up in spandex.
The last few nights the Wasp paid a visit to the operations. None of them had super-powered muscle, but she was flying solo and there were enough hired guns to get her blood flowing. All had gone well until last night, when she had gotten sloppy and someone had landed a shot on her. She'd have to be more careful.
Now it was time for more reconnaissance, so she was hitting the 'Harpooned Man', which was the name of a bar that had come up often on her previous missions. To her delight she had someone following her, and she hoped for a hors d'oeuvre to whet her appetite. Most guys would have hit on her by now, but occasionally she hooked one who was up to no good and he received a sound thrashing. But this one was acting really oddly, and not just his bizarre fashion sense. He was making no effort to close the distance, content to remain well away.
Ultimately, it didn't matter. If he tried anything, she'd deal with it. In the meantime she had business to attend.
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"Councilwoman Ariyoshi, thank you for meeting me on such short notice."
"It's my pleasure." Arjuna had to admit, this John Smith did cut a dashing figure in his suit. But then again, as one of her ex's was fond of saying, 'Armani makes everything look better.' Rolex on the wrist, manicured hands, flawless complexion, all spoke of large sums of money spent on impressing people who took note of such things. While she cared little on a personal level, she knew how the game was played.
And now it was a volley to her. "I must say, your Japanese is quite good," she said in near-flawless English.
Smith smiled. "It could be better. Now I am fluent in German, Italian, French, and Romansh. I learned the last just so I could talk to anyone in Switzerland and ask them if they understand what the concept of 'sides' are."
Juna laughed, not because she thought it amusing, but because it was expected. Fine, he won the pissing contest. Time to move on to important matters.
"I admit, I was surprised when you were insistent on meeting on such short notice. But when you say it's vital to my political future, well, let's just say I hope you didn't use that term lightly."
"'Hyperbole is a refuge for the intellectually dishonest,' is what I would like to say, but let's admit it's useful come campaign time. And no, it's not hyperbole." He pulled out a long cigarette holder and put one inside it.
"There's no smoking here," Juna informed him.
"Don't worry. It's not a real cigarette. I don't even smoke. It's an oral fixation I have. I used to chew through pens before I took up this. There's little more undignified than having something that looks like an animal chewed on it on your desk. This at least looks a bit more distinguished."
She had to admit, it almost looked natural there, even if she was a staunch anti-smoker.
"Now, I'll cut to the chase since we both understand the stakes involved in this business. We hold the future of everything in our hands, or seek to, and when things jeopardize that, decisions must be made. Character making decisions.
"I have it on good authority that your campaign manager is about to go to the press regarding a certain government program you're planning on instituting eventually. The one the American ambassador suggested given Japan's recent issues, which also plague my country. We want to see it carried out, but there is the matter of timing."
Juna's mind barely took note of the words after the first sentence. "That can't be. Ayako would never betray me. She's been with me from the beginning. I wouldn't have won my first local election if not for her. A lot of what I am I learned from her."
Smith remained unmoved. "Is there any reason she'd turn on you? Think. It might be something you regard as insignificant but is important to her."
Juna suddenly felt chilled. "We've had arguments over that project you mentioned. Normally she's as much a visionary as me, but for some reason she's been reluctant to embrace it. I just assumed she'd get over it. She knows everything I do is to improve this country and its people. She's been on board with everything else. It was just a matter of time."
Smith took the holder in his hand and sighed. "I'm afraid some people remain irrational when it comes to certain things. Disagreement is fine, even healthy from time to time, but outright betrayal to the cause, as well as those who have helped you attain what you have, is quite another."
Juna could feel her insides shifting. It was obvious Smith was being manipulative, but she was being manipulated in the direction she was naturally gravitating toward. Perhaps he knew it too, and was simply reinforcing the thought. It depended on how shrewd he was. Given the position he held, it would probably be best to assume the latter in large quantities.
Seeing he had her attention, he continued. "Now I've discovered the location of the meeting. It's possible your career might survive the release of this information. We both know there's no chance it'll be favorably received now, and it would be a major setback—"
"An unacceptable one!" Juna was seething. Damn the woman! How dare she betray everything they had worked towards. Ayako was… had been her closest confident and friend. But to ruin all the plans Japan needed to ensure it would be perpetuated under the proper guidance that only Juna could give? And Smith was right. The timing would be disastrous. The public hadn't yet been enlightened to the necessity of it, though it was being encouraged in the right direction thanks to her and those like her in positions of power and influence. The events happening every day had to be cast in the proper light to be understood by the well-meaning, but all too linear thinking, people. Certain ideas that at one time might have worked no longer did, which meant it was time for change. Some people were reluctant to embrace change, clinging to antiquated notions and had to be guided by a strong hand for their own good. It wasn't their fault their vision was limited and they needed people like her to rule.
Juna intensely disliked the concept that calling people sheep was derogatory. Leaders were shepherds, and shepherds looked out for their flocks. It was an apt comparison. One she would never be stupid enough to give voice to, of course. Much like her plan, people wouldn't understand.
And now, one person threatened the future of all. "What can we do?"
"I have people in position to see to it you'll never have to worry about an exchange of information taking place. However, I will do nothing without your permission. It's up to you to decide how far you're willing to go."
So that was what it came down to. Did the ends justify the means, or did the means justify the end?
She shook her head. People whose lives revolved around pithy sayings deserved failure, and she was above such nonsense. To Smith, she said, "Traitors should never be angered at their fate when they are dealt with as such."
Smith made the call.
xxxxx
Abe Kosaka, journalist extraordinaire (okay, no one actually called him that. It was mostly just curse words added to his name) entered the drinking establishment. It was a dingy place, but when the campaign manager of Japan's fastest rising political star said they had a story for you, you'd show up at a PETA convention covered in animal pelts if that was what it took to meet them.
Luckily nothing so drastic was called for. In fact all she had asked for was a private place to meet. He had suggested the Harpooned Man. It was not the place the politically active hung out. Or even decent human beings for that matter. Most people didn't call him one of those either, at least the ones he did stories on.
The bar was called that due to the prop designed to look like a human skeleton that was impaled to the wall via harpoon. Oh, the bartender who owned the establishment claimed it was real, and that he was there the night someone named Creed got into a disagreement with another guy who called himself Harpoon (naturally) and the fight escalated until Creed ran Harpoon through with one of his own harpoons (because someone named that just had to carry them) and pinned him to the wall. Creed then told the bartender to leave the body there. Which he did.
It was so absurd, but at least it made a good conversation piece.
Now it was time to wait. Juna's campaign manager had the pedigree to go straight to the head of any media conglomerate for what she wanted to say. That she asked Abe privately, well that probably meant it was highly sensitive, and she was concerned about whatever she wanted to talk about being… sanitized. Or being buried outright.
Abe had never pulled any punches, which was why he had never moved beyond beat reporter. Higher ups always wanted someone who would play ball rather than being uncompromising. Or more appropriately being uncompromising toward the 'right' subject matter. In fact, his attitude rubbed some opinionated higher ups wrong. A couple of times said higher ups suggested it was time for Abe to retire, since he had been in the business for decades and was 'behind the times' (as though human beings hadn't always been human at any age). Abe responded by saying he could always freelance, and with his newly freed up time look into some company that was rumored to have questionable dealings with certain people in the media. He'd then name the company. Then the higher-up's let the matter drop, though Abe never was considered for either promotion or anything but the most minimal of raises.
The most hilarious thing was they were convinced he knew everything and only hadn't revealed it for leverage and job security. It was how they operated and they assumed everyone else was like that. Well, they did surround themselves with people like that. But it highlighted their inability to truly understand him. If he had anything worth publishing, he would have done it without hesitation. But all he had was rumor and innuendo. Sometimes that was enough to keep the dogs at bay.
Abe nodded at the bartender, who was not happy to see him. He knew Abe's profession and viewed reporters in the same vein as snitches. But a number of Abe's contacts and informants were of the shady variety, and liked the Harpooned Man since every kind of shady business was conducted there. So in order to be allowed into the bar, Abe had to give his word everything that happened there would be permanently off the record. He made the deal. As far as Abe was concerned, a reporter that couldn't keep his word wasn't one worth listening to.
He ordered a drink and waited for his contact to appear. She had sounded hesitant on the phone, and he only gave her half a chance of showing up. He was on his third glass of watered down swill (and considering how awful the drink was adding water made it taste less awful), when Ayako appeared. She was approaching middle age, a point he'd hit a decade ago. There was definitely a haunted look to her eyes. Years of interviews, that probably ran into the thousands now, had him peg it as her conscience drawing her here.
Ayako ordered hard liquor, then downed the drink in one gulp and ordered another. He wondered if the second would disappear as quickly as the first, but after one sip, she placed it down and became pensive. Being in no hurry, and knowing how best to deal with the matter, he waited for her to initiate the conversation.
Finally she spoke. "This isn't easy for me." Perhaps she waited for a response, but Abe said nothing. She had come because she had to, not because she wanted to. A wrong word might silence her: a perceived slight drive her away altogether. Any excuse could be jumped upon considering the shape she was in.
Eventually the silence gave way again. "Juna's a true visionary. She really does want to help everyone. She has a brilliant mind and is one of the most observant people I know. She has the pulse of the people. She's a once in a lifetime leader."
Abe wondered if she was one of those campaign managers that had no off button and gave their sales pitch to anyone that came into her line of sight, or if she was drinking the Kool Aid by the pitcher. Once in a lifetime? He'd heard Juna speak. Self-important elitists were not an endangered species. He considered himself lucky if he met less than a handful in the span of a day. The only special thing about the councilwoman was she was more charismatic than most.
Then again, he never understood how people could get excited over politicians in the first place. It was like getting excited over fast food. You ate it out of necessity because you were hungry and the alternative was worse, not because it tasted great.
Politicians were the fast food of humanity.
Again Ayako continued. "But now she's fixated on this plan that's wrong on every level. It's the exact opposite of what we stand for. For god's sake, it's like something the Genoshans would come up with! She keeps saying it's not the same thing, uses different terminology, but it all boils down to the same thing." She took another sip, then said in a quieter voice. "My nephew has an Alice. He shouldn't… no one should be subjected to what she has planned."
Abe felt his heart race. This was going to be big. Ayako, despite her contention, was rebelling for personal reasons, but if the reason was bad enough she'd turn on her own boss, the public's reaction would be several magnitudes worse. And if it involved Genoshan-like plans and super powers, he might get a Pulitzer this time around.
He couldn't wait for her to get to the specifics.
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A cowboy, a dapper man, a sea captain, a ship's first mate, a guy dressed like he was from out of the 20's, and a guy that was as built as a gorilla were sitting at a table in a bar.
And it wasn't the beginning of a joke.
"I heard the Hood's dead."
"No kidding?"
"Fished his body out of the Hudson. Been there a while. Bullet to the back of the head."
"Ah thought that hood of his was magic and bulletproof."
"Maybe someone used a magic bullet?"
There were several moments of silence.
"You know, he was a real jerk."
"Yeah, he made everyone join his 'army' or he'd kill you. Then he'd threaten to kill you if you didn't do what he wanted. Or if you failed him. Or if you talked back."
"Indeed. What sort of boss treats you worse than your foes? They never go about killing you, except for the occasional accident."
"Yes, like Firestar killing Piranha Jones. How was she to know the experimental radioactive isotopes he was carrying would react that way to her radiation blasts? He could just as easily have turned into an actual piranha man instead of dying in a radioactive flash."
"Gyar. You shouldn't go playing with experimental radioactive isotopes anyway, unless you have radiation based powers, like Radioactive Man."
"Or y'all can absorb energy, like that Sapper fellow."
"Who's that?"
"Operates out of Seattle with that guy with the sword hand. Don't remember his name."
"Oh yeah, I heard about them. Not many heroes to deal with in Seattle. But then you'd have to relocate to Seattle to operate out of there."
"I don't like the Seahawks or their fans."
"Exactly my point. In any case, I say the Hood was a jerk and I'm happy he's dead. Here's a toast to whoever whacked him."
All six men drained their glasses and ordered another round.
"You know what else I hate? That song, 'Just Somebody That I Used to Know.' I can't feel any sympathy for the central character since, by his own admission, he's glad the relationship's over. Then he gets all worked up because his ex has the audacity to leave him in the past and move on. That's nothing more than hurt pride. I was glad for my ex-wife when she moved on and got remarried."
"Didn't know you used to be married there, Pinstripe"
"I confess a certain reluctance in talking about it."
"Gyar, three ex-wives. Lucky for me I don't have regular, I mean legal, employment and have to pay alimony."
"Well, you are a professional criminal. I'd say even if you did, skipping alimony payments is part of your career."
That made the sextet laugh.
"Hey, check out the babe that just came in."
"Gyar, I wouldn't mind her cleaning my bilge pumps."
"But that's my job, Cap'n Skragg."
"Sexual innuendo, Onionhead. Not literal."
"Oh. So I can still clean out the bilge pumps?"
"Always."
The largest of the sextet rose and interposed himself between the woman and her path to the bar. "Hey there, babe. Want to party with us? We're important guys back in the States. I'm Joe the Gorilla. That there's Cap'n Skragg." He pointed to the man wearing a sea captain's hat. "The fellow in the wool knit cap is Onionhead. The guy in the duster and chaps is Pecos. The guy in the pinstripe suit is Pinstripe. And-"
"-And I'm Sweet William. Named after a flower, which I am as gentle as." He rose, bowed, and then smiled at the girl.
Joe was a bit annoyed at being interrupted. "Anyway, we're known as the Split Second Squad."
The girl considered that. "I'm not sure that's something to brag about." And continued on her way.
That left Joe beyond surprised. It transcended mere astonishment. He went full tilt into flabbergasted.
But men of violence rarely stayed that way, since violence was sort of the go-to thing to reorient themselves. "Why I'll—, " Joe was prevented from going after the girl when Pecos laid a firm hand on his shoulder.
"We're heah on business, Joe, and business always comes first."
"Yeah." He sat down and went for simmering with accumulating violence underneath a thin veneer.
It was at that moment Cap'n Skragg's phone rang. He answered it, then hung up and rose to his feet. "We're on."
The Squad rose from their chairs and approached the woman whose picture they had been shown. And since she was with a man, he would be taken care of as well.
xxxxx
Abe became aware of their table being surrounded by a number foreigners, all of them with very intense looks directed at them. He was old enough, and had been in enough tight situations, to tell bodily harm was imminent. And his old bones didn't heal the way they used to. Actually, judging by the looks of the men, administering internal organ failure might be at the top of their list.
Ayako asked them what they wanted, but Abe already knew the situation had gone totally south. He gave an imploring look at the bartender, who shook his head. Great. The Harpooned Man's policy of, 'None of my damn business,' was in full effect. At least he had positive confirmation this story was big. Perhaps fatally so.
But the best ones always were.
Just as the fellow in the pinstripe suit placed a hand on Abe's shoulder, someone tapped his. A very attractive hooker, especially for this establishment.
"Excuse me. I wanted to test something," she said.
The man got off a, "Not now," a moment before her fist met his jaw and he collapsed to the floor.
"You only last a split second, all right." Kasumi Tendou confirmed.
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"Pinstripe!" Pecos's surprise at the unusually violent hooker only lasted a moment as he went to lay her out. She might have gotten the drop on his partner, but she was just some cowpoke who got lucky. He wouldn't even need his gun.
He swung, only to have her dodge slightly to the right, then spin in a circle and unleash a thrust kick into his gut, doubling him over. A knee to the jaw finished him off.
"I do so detest violence," Sweet William bemoaned as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Kasumi.
"No firearms!" The bartender ducked behind the bar, which was so heavily reinforced it could (and had) take a stream of .50 caliber bullets fired at it. He hoped this guy was using a low caliber. Some spackle could fill in the holes. Larger ones would destroy wood paneling, and that always took time and cost a lot.
The sight of the firearm caused all the patrons to flee in a panic. But before Sweet William could pull the trigger, a piece of furniture slammed into him with the force of a relatively heavy wooden chair thrown by someone at peak human strength for his age. When the laws of gravity, force, and inertia were applied to the equation the result was: one unconscious human.
Ranma struck an intimidating pose as he pointed at Gorilla Joe. "All right, pal. You and the rest of the Village People need to settle it down."
"I hate their music!" And Joe lunged for Ranma.
Ranma swung at him, but despite his size, Joe moved well enough to only receive a glancing blow. He proved he could do more than evade a punch as he maneuvered behind Ranma and wrapped him up in a bear hug, pinning both arms and lifting Ranma off the ground. "No one gets out of Gorilla Joe's Killer Grip!"
Ranma found it difficult to breathe. This wasn't good. His foe had all the leverage and was even stronger than he looked. And he did look gorilla sized in the chest and arms. He probably could kill people with this grip, as well as his breath. Up this close, Ranma had gotten a whiff of it and it was lethal. He'd have said it to Joe but oxygen had to be consumed for things like talking, and he didn't really have any to spare.
But this was Ranma and he couldn't help himself. "Breath mints," he gasped, and was about to flex his chest to see if he could outmuscle his opponent when the grip faltered and Joe hit the ground. Ranma turned and saw Kasumi had dispatched his foe.
He was about to reassure her he didn't need any help when she released a stunned, "Ranma."
Shoot. She had somehow pierced his disguise. She was more perceptive than he had given her credit for. Further conversation was cut off as the two remaining members of the Split Second Squad confronted the duo, belaying pins in hand.
Ranma said, "I can handle the Skipper. You take Gilligan." But to his annoyance, even as he said it, she went after both men.
She deflected Onionhead's pin and used her other arm to catch Cap'n Skragg's wrist as he tried to swing at her. She followed up with a palm strike that sent him flying much farther than it should have. Ranma could have sworn he saw a flash of light as she connected with his jaw, but wrote it off as an optical illusion in the heat of battle. It wasn't like the lighting in here was worth a damn anyway.
Ranma ended the fight with a simple two hit combo on Onionhead. Seeing none of the participants were going to be vertical any time soon, he thought about the matter and became deeply concerned about what had happened.
How had Kasumi gotten four to his two? It defied rational explanation. The only good thing was he had figured out what was really going on thanks to Kasumi's behavior. But it had been inevitable. Once Ranma Saotome was on the job, no mystery went unsolved.
xxxxxxxxx
Once the euphoria of the fight was over, Kasumi felt panic return. Ranma had followed her in disguise. He had known something was wrong and was suspicious of her. In hindsight, it was obvious. How could she have been so blind?
As if reading her mind, Ranma said, "Okay, Kasumi. The jig is up. I know what you've been doing evenings, and why you're doing it. Really, how long did you think you could get away with it without someone noticing?
Kasumi felt her heart leap into her throat. She should have known. She had gone from mild-mannered housekeeper to kickass superhero and thought no one would put two and two together? Especially when she had added a 'sting' to the shot to the Captain's jaw. How naïve she had been. Now her dual life was blown. Ranma knew she was a superhero. All that was left was the pleading at keeping it a secret.
'Ranma, I—"
"Don't bother explaining. I get it. Nabiki's disgracing the Tendou School of Anything Goes by only using it for money. And as the eldest child, you couldn't live with the disgrace and practiced it in secret until you mastered it. Now you use your martial arts to help the weak and helpless as a form of redemption."
She stared at him in shock. How on Earth had he come to that conclusion? Wasn't her becoming a superhero more reasonable? Then again, it was better than anything she could come up with. "Um, yes. That's exactly it. You figured it out. You're so unbelievably… perceptive, Ranma. Nothing gets past you."
"You got that right."
Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. Kasumi actually trembled a bit since he was, well, quite masculine. And he had never been so physically familiar with her. There was her adrenaline high still affecting her. And she was dressed very risqué. And he was dressed very tacky, which did off set it a bit. Still, this was somewhat unfamiliar territory for her.
She suddenly discovered Ranma was extremely alluring.
He said, "I know better than to talk someone out of restoring family honor. But you got to do this sort of thing in safer places. These guys had guns. Go after smaller fish. Stick with pickpockets and molesters, like the butt pinchers on trains and stuff. These guys could have killed you."
Now she was annoyed, which finally countered her initial response. She had helped save Japan, the entire world, on a number of occasions, but since explaining she was probably a hundred times more capable of handling herself than Ranma, or just stinging him, would be counter-productive, she verbally agreed.
"And we'll keep it between the two of us. Nabiki was worried about you so I'll make up some other story so you can keep redeeming the family name and whatnot."
That was more than she dared hope. He would actually run cover for her and she could go out and have fun. Of course she had no intention of only stopping to pick such low hanging fruit. It was career criminals for her, the more dangerous, the better. But Ranma meant well. He was definitely a very nice guy. On impulse she hugged him.
Ranma froze when Kasumi hugged him. Mostly because it had caught him off-guard, but also because she wasn't wearing much, and he could feel her womanly attributes press against his body. He discovered certain parts of his anatomy reacted with a speed that put his super soldier serum reflexes to shame. He hoped Kasumi assumed he kept a large roll of coins in his pocket or he'd get hit with a 'pervert' faster than he could blink.
Luckily, she broke it off before she noticed anything. At least that was what he assumed since she didn't accuse him of being a pervert. Though she was giving him one heck of a smile.
"Let's get out of here." Besides, he needed time to come up with a story Nabiki would believe.
Then again, he was as imaginative as he was a master of disguise. It would be easy.
xxxxx
Earlier:
The moment the fight broke out, Ayako ran for it. Male pride made Abe hang back as concern for the young lady of the night interceding on his behalf made him want to reciprocate. Then his higher functions kicked in as the most he could do would be damaging one of the thugs knuckles with his face.
He saw Ayako dart toward the back, since the action was between them and the entryway. Abe fell behind as other panicked people evacuated the bar, getting between them until he lost sight of her. He followed a number of people out a back exit and into the area behind the bar.
He caught sight of Ayako when she suddenly fell to the ground. No one bothered to check on her, opting to run around her prone form and head to safety. As Abe got to her side, he saw she wasn't moving. He turned her over, and the sight caused even him to gasp.
There was a shuriken buried in her throat. Blood had already pooled beneath her, and her eyes looked upward to the sky, unblinking.
He let go of her body and continued running off, like all the other patrons and staff. The story wasn't going to die with Ayako. Oh no. He was getting to the bottom of it no matter what.
The biggest stories always had a few bodies in them. It was a reporter's responsibility to not become one of them.
xxxxxxxxx
"Let me get this straight." Nabiki looked Ranma right in the eye. "You're saying my sister is into Live Action Role Playing with a group of people pretending to be superheroes and villains. And she turned up with a black eye because someone inadvertently hit her with a prop?"
"Yeah. She's a Thor fangirl, of all things. Who would have guessed?"
Now Nabiki gave him a suspicious stare. "That sounds totally made up."
"Okay. I confess. She really dresses up like a hooker, goes to seedy bars, and beats up people that come on to her for kicks."
Two seconds of silence were followed by side-splitting laughter. "Point taken. I guess I was being incredulous there."
Ranma gave an inward sigh. No one ever believed him when he told the truth, which was why he had used it. "Anyway, she'd be really embarrassed if anyone found out."
"I'll say. That LARP stuff is for geeks. Never had sis figured for one. I thought she was more book club or knitting circle material. Ah well. You've put my mind at ease, Saotome, Thanks. I don't owe you anything, of course."
"Of course." Now that things with Nabiki had been settled, he reviewed the events of the night. To his surprise, he realized he now looked upon Kasumi in a new light. She had gone from 'just there' to interesting, and had far more depth than he realized. For the first time he felt an actual bond with her since they had shared an experience together, one that was just between the two of them, and quite enjoyable.
And he was also discovering that regular and naked Kasumi were now joined by hooker Kasumi when he envisioned her. He really needed a cold bath. Maybe as a girl he'd clear his head. At the very least the body parts reacting to her would be gone and that would surely calm him.
xxxxxxxx
John Smith was irritated. Not as badly as he could have been, but he had anticipated a happy outcome. Typically, the Split Second Squad could handle a simple 'disappearance' job, since they had done so before. And he had hired that Taiwanese assassin, Razorblade, as backup despite her costing four times as much as the entire Squad. But this had been very important to the plans and worth the investment. Clearly the Squad was losing its touch if two random strangers could take them out. At least Slasher had eliminated the primary target. But since she had been outside she had no idea events had picked up a secondary one and inadvertently let him go. Did the man Ayako had been talking to learn anything? The Squad had their eye on her from the moment she'd entered the bar, and claimed she hadn't the time to tell him much of anything. But if he were dead, there was nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, an 'older Japanese guy' was not much to go on. This was Juna's home turf, and she had the most to lose if the story leaked out, so she'd already swore to move heaven and earth to track the man down. Smith assured her if she needed help to conclude the matter, she could ask. He'd probably stick with Razorblade, though. The Squad was in the doghouse until they could prove their worth again.
Now it was time to get back to the States. There were plans there that needed his oversight, and miles to go before everything would be in place.
But he would do what it took to get the job done.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Limbo:
Kang looked over the information a third time. The anomaly was indeed gone. For the moment, time was as it should be. But it had to be monitored constantly. It shifted so. It was like trying to calculate a single wind during a typhoon, at times.
There was more good news as he was more convinced than ever that, if the Avengers could be lured to Limbo, they could be killed here with no repercussions. But to challenge them directly, alone, would be akin to folly. Allies would be needed, but special ones. A legion. Drawn from time and manipulated in such a manner that they would be beholden to Kang, for mind control was not in his inventory of weapons.
Perhaps plucked from time a moment from their actual deaths? Threatened to be sent back should they fail? A Legion that was almost dead, residing in timeless limbo where death was enigmatic.
A Legion of the Unliving.
Yes, the seeds of a plan took root. Perhaps, at last, the Incident itself could be stopped.
Time was wasting.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
End chapter:
I've gotten the writing bug back. Hopefully it stays for a while. And they'll be more Avengers.
