The Return
A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.
By
Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer
Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.
Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.
http://jtemple.florestica.com/
Temporary Backup Site.
Other website
C&C as always is wanted.
Chapter 26 Replacements and Remembrance Part 2
Walking towards one of the Quonset
huts, the lavender-haired succubus split her attention between it and the
tree-line, where those nice soldiers and some of her girls were running down a
makeshift trail.
"So why didn't you
run?" Ranma asked her when they were just outside the building.
Blushing by an almost imperceptible tinge
Cecilia looked up at the clouds. "I didn't run."
Ranma flicked some dirt off
her leather pants. "Yes," she stated handing her canteen over to
Cecilia.
Blinking in surprise, Cecilia
took a drink. "The Black Devils would have killed us."
"Black Devils?"
Ranma asked taking her canteen back.
"That's the unit-name the
JTF2 boys got stuck with." Nabiki said, not looking up from her knives.
"Ah, neat."
Cecilia looked at the door.
"Still, why didn't you
run?" Ranma repeated. "I don't mean when we came, before that. You
had enough money to keep your girls comfortable. A bunch of bus tickets or even
hitchhiking couldn't have been out of your price range."
Leaning on the wall, Cecilia
looked down at her shoes. "What would running accomplish? If you wanted me
dead... what could I do?"
Nariko raised an eyebrow.
"You still left the city."
"They only went just far
enough to be out of Mom's territory." Nabiki closed her blade and
holstered it.
"So you left my...
territory and what... tried to make your girls as comfortable as possible?
That's it?"
Confused, Cecilia looked up.
"What else is there?"
Ranma smiled. "Good
answer."
Swallowing, Cecilia felt her
tension ease. "All we have is each other."
The redhead nodded. "So,
why Black Devils?" she asked, looking at her daughters and her first
cousin once removed.
A slight smile crossed
Cecilia's lips. "I'll show you," she said before leading them to an
adjacent Quonset hut. As she opened the door a trio of paint splattered
succubae turned and charged towards them.
The most youthful looking, a
tiny girl with a head full of tight white ringlets pounced onto Cecilia.
"Momma!"
Ranma smirked slightly.
Cecilia hugged her and the two
other girls. "Hi Hazel! How's it going, girls?"
"Good, I've got the logo
drawn out, and Hazel and Priscilla are helping me color." Desiree fingered
her brush.
"Can we see it?"
Cecilia asked, releasing the embrace. However, Hazel hung close to her.
Desiree blushed. "Uh...
yeah." She then led them to a cleared wall on the barracks.
A large upward-pointed
arrowhead was painted on the wall while a pair of incomplete black succubus
outlines lounged on either side of the arrow's tip. Inside the partially filled
red arrowhead were letters that ran from pencil sketches on guidelines, to
outlined, to fully painted in. The letters were shaped in a T, with JTF2
capping the top and
"Very nice," Ranma nodded.
Desiree and her sisters
beamed.
"So why Black
Devils?"
Nabiki chuckled. "It's a
name a similar unit earned in the last big war the humans had; First Special
Service Force I think. They specialized in stealth and tactics, so much so that
often their fights ended with out a shot being fired. Some few who got away
started calling them Black Devils. I heard Kasumi thought it was a fitting name
for this new group here."
"The last big war? World
War Two you mean?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow.
Nabiki nodded.
"Yup."
Nariko bowed her head slightly
before turning to the mural.
Cecilia blinked. She knew Yuki
was born on earth and DarkStar's history was obvious too. She shook her head at
the strange perspective. "Anyway... that's not right. My window got shot
out by that nice Sergeant Brummet." Cecilia pouted slightly.
"Really?" Nabiki's
tone was bone-dry.
"Oh yes, he apologized
very gentlemanly ."
"Cecilia, what was the
rule about Fraternization?" Ranma asked.
Nabiki chuckled. "Mom...
you really don't have a place to argue about that."
"Be discrete and don't
force the officers to do something about it?" Cecilia offered.
Ranma nodded. "That's
right."
"I do have experience
with discretion," Cecilia said a touch offended.
"But what about your
girls? You making sure they won't get in trouble?"
"They've paired up,
mostly." Cecilia added.
"Mostly?" Nabiki
looked at the three Cecilia broodlings.
"Yes, Priscilla and
Isabel are still single. Are you curious?" Cecilia asked, concealing her
hopeful eagerness. Strengthening ties would be very useful, and Yuki's
youthfulness was akin to that of her own broodlings.
A girl with a light green
ponytail tied behind one ear blushed. "Mom...."
"It's okay, Priss."
Cecilia assured.
Ranma turned to Nabiki.
"You wanna stay here?"
The pastel-blue-haired girl
looked Priscilla over. "Sure."
Looking across at the pink
pastel Cheongsam-glad demoness Priscilla smiled nervously. "Your hair's
nice. Those tiny ponytails are so cute. They really go great with that pageboy
of yours."
Nabiki smiled and fingered the
bows that held her mini-ponytails. "Thanks. I love how the ribbon holding
your ponytail matches your shoes, and that's an adorable little jumper you have
on."
"Well what about your
stockings? The embroidery on them goes perfectly with your heels."
Priscilla gushed.
"Don't forget your
knee-socks." Nabiki countered coyly.
"Have fun girls. I have
to talk with DarkStar." Cecilia looked down at Hazel who pouted and let go
of the lavender haired demon. The slight girl then darted over to Desiree who
had abandoned working on the mural and instead was watching Yuki and
Priscilla's feedback loop.
After a couple steps Cecilia turned to Ranma.
"Mother-Alexia was fond of that style."
"It shows," Ranma
dryly noted as they exited the building
. "Do you disapprove? Why
didn't you change her?"
"That's not Mommy's
way," Nariko crisply stated from behind the brood mothers.
"You didn't need a strong
hand to help your girls." Ranma smiled. "You've dealt with Alexia's
legacy too."
Cecilia sighed. "They're
good girls. That made it easier."
Ranma put her arm around the
lavender-haired demoness. "They all are."
For a moment Cecilia's tail
stiffened and pointed downward, but after sensing the warmth radiating from the
redhead she eased up and leaned into the hug.
"You've done good."
Cecilia raised an eyebrow.
"But you can still help me?"
Ranma rubbed Cecilia's arm.
"Sure."
The lavender-haired girl
looked over. "With... security?"
"It's a dangerous world.
You're lucky JTF2 found you first."
"Well, I was afraid you'd
find us," Cecilia sheepishly admitted.
"Awww, you were scared of
me." Ranma hugged her tighter.
"It wasn't cute! You're
very scary."
"I am?" Ranma
frowned.
"My nightmares, my
spawn's nightmares were all about you!" Cecilia wailed. "Do you know
how many nights I had to soothe my girls because they were afraid you'd be
coming for them?" Her knees weakened and she felt her weight being held by
the redhead. "The most I ever hoped for, the most I ever dreamed... was to
be left alone."
Adding her other arm, Ranma
lifted the girl up. Holding the girl close, the redhead stared into the other
demon's eyes. "Your brood will not need to fear me."
Cecilia blinked but those violet
eyes stayed locked on her. "But what do you want? My girls can make yours
very happy... I'm sure-"
Ranma loosened and arm and
tapped Cecilia's lips. "There's no need to force that. We're family, and
Alexia is gone. I promise your girls will be protected."
Cecilia looked down.
DarkStar's hold was comforting, but... "So, is that it then? Spoils of
war? Alexia lost; you won."
"Sure, why not?"
Ranma grinned. "Better than the alternative."
Cecilia's stomach tightened.
"Alternative?"
Ranma grinned and lifted the
girl back to her feet. "Well there's your nightmares."
"That's not funny."
Cecilia pouted.
"Now, now, you're doing
great," Ranma patted Cecilia's shoulder. "Don't worry I'm not the
beast Alexia made me out to be."
Relishing the contact, Cecilia
expanded her senses, making sure she could still feel the broodlings that were
out running with the Black Devils. "Thanks, I just... it's been so
hard."
Ranma's eyes flicked to Nariko
who gave a slight nod. "Oh?"
Cecilia automatically started
walking towards her brood's building. "You know what it's like, being a...
brood mother."
"You had a tougher time
of it than me."
Stopping, Cecilia turned and
broke out of Ranma's one-armed hug. "Huh?"
"I had my family and
friends supporting me. You, you were completely alone." Ranma's eyes again
went to Nariko.
Frowning, Cecilia turned to
look at the black-haired guileless demon "What's this about?"
Ranma chuckled. "Nariko
likes you."
"Really?" Cecilia
arched an eyebrow at the quiet demoness. "So what do you think of
me?"
"You remind me of
mother." Nariko's red eyes softened before she lovingly looked towards
Ranma, who stepped over to the teen.
Sensing the powerful
affection, Cecilia blinked. "Huh..."
"Something wrong?"
Ranma asked, embracing her daughter.
Looking over her shorter
mother's head, Nariko almost passively watched Cecilia.
"Familiar, that's
all," Cecilia muttered. Those red eyes were colored by experience, but
beneath that, at its core... was an eager little broodling, hungry for love. Cecilia
opened her mouth, but closed it after a moment's thought. Unlike the majority
of DarkStar's spawn, Nariko was never Mother Alexia's.
But she was DarkStar's eldest.
She was the first demon that DarkStar turned, which meant that any... damage...
Despite herself, Cecilia's eyes widened in shock, and she wondered just how
DarkStar could have failed. What had gone wrong with Nariko?
Ranma glanced at Cecilia's
tail. "You seem distracted."
Cecilia paused. "Well, my
family did get relocated by military force," she eventually said.
Ranma shrugged. "Yeah,
that'll happen."
"You're taking this
well." Cecilia stopped at the door to her brood's barracks.
"I've had time to get
used to this, and besides this gig isn't without benefits." Ranma smirked
showing her fangs.
Cecilia laughed. "So,
what are you two doing today?"
"We've got some training,
but that's not for a bit." Ranma looked to Nariko. "Why?"
"Really?" Cecilia
opened the door. "How long is a bit?"
***************
Serenity saw the pair of
demons glide to the table she and her Senshi sat at in the Mess Hall.
"There you two are."
Rei looked up at the clock on
the wall. "You're late, too."
Her mirth receding, Ranma idly
adjusted her vest. "Really?" She then made a production of looking at
her wrist. "Not by my watch."
"That clock is running
fast," Nariko's mirth deflated slightly as she looked at the wall-clock.
"Still, you two are
obviously disheveled." Kiri noted.
"Yeah, and you smell like
sex," the blonde who looked like Usagi blurted.
The redhead raised an eyebrow.
Kiri sighed. "Yes, that
was what I was alluding to."
Ranma crossed her arms.
"And what does that matter? We're on time and we're ready for
training."
Rei narrowed her eyes.
"There's no need for
hostility," Serenity said before turning to Rei.
"Maybe it's
jealousy." Nariko buoyantly said. "They excel at neither skill."
Rei bristled.
Serenity held up her hand.
"Yes, anyway. Back to today's training."
"Good." Ranma smiled
fractionally. "Today we'll be doing the basics. Various ready positions,
grips for those of you with weapons, 'trigger' management, various draws, and
clearing any malfunctions."
"Malfunctions? It's
magic." Makoto asked.
"Just because it's more
reliable than mechanical means doesn't make it foolproof," Kiri stated.
Ranma nodded. "Right.
Then we'll start with shooting on the move. You girls are way too static.
Following that is offhand casting, and the situations where you'll need to do
it. Then after lunch we have tactical skills with cover, concealment and the
difference between the two. Something else you're really lacking in."
Serenity sighed. "Yes,
yes. At least we're not giving those speeches anymore."
Ranma blinked. "Right,
we've also got structure clearing and shoot – no shoot decisions. We'll also see
what kind of rapid fire and precision limits your attacks have. From various
angles and positions."
Rei raised an eyebrow at the
list. "What happens when we finish with that?"
"Why you repeat it."
Ranma said, shocked. "Again and again."
"Most of training is
practice, repetition." Nariko added.
"Practice doesn't make
perfect. Practice makes permanent," Ranma explained.
"You won't have time to try to remember, try to recall this stuff. That's why we keep it simple."
"I'd hardly call your
combat style simple," Kiri noted.
"That's because you
haven't been trained." Ranma snickered. "It's all very simple."
"Not terribly reassuring.
How come simple is better than what we've been doing?"
"What you've been doing
is sloppy, slow and stupid. Simple doesn't mean easy. Simple just means
minimizing the chances to screw things up." Ranma shook her head and
before looking to Kiri. "That's what you don't get. Combat screws up
enough plans, enough schemes. Keep it simple, keep it flexible."
Serenity looked between the
demons and her Senshi. "Right, uh... sounds good."
***************
"So, who do you think is
worse?" Shest leaned back onto a tree trunk and looked at the valley that
spilled below them.
Desyat raised an eyebrow.
"It's a quick either or
question."
"Who are you talking
about?" Desyat sighed before switching to an inaudible transmission . "Magical girls versus mercenaries? A
hoard of shifty
"Perhaps I'm inviting a
comparison between nightmares, yours versus mine." Shest rose to her feet,
and kept rising. Levitation was a vital compliment to her other powers.
Desyat's hand snaked down to
one of her blades, concealed by her light jacket. "I didn't think yours could be described as a who," she
eventually said taking care to scan their surroundings.
After planting a surveillance
pod against a thick branch, Shest lowered herself and then her gaze.
"You did push very hard for Galina to accept the agreement Ryzhaya
bestiya offered Arisha," Shest transmitted back.
"I know what Ryzhaya
bestiya and her ilk can do to us, you know what they can do to us, what they
did to Vosem."
"And what you saw was worse?"
Shest chuckled, and adjusted
the plain backpack she wore. "You
don't get it. You weren't in the hotel room with us, and even if you were you
couldn't... see."
"Pardon?" Desyat
asked out loud.
This time Shest's laughter had
a more prolonged and pained termination. "Wrong question, wrong
question."
Desyat studied her companion's
face. Shest always was a bit... different. Alone, she was the only one who
could manage the Deep Diver system. "What's the right question?"
Shest chuckled as they walked
down the forest path.
Desyat stopped.
"Well?"
"Do I have to tell you
everything? Shest closed her eyes. "We've
been led to believe that the Zaika and her ilk have a weapon, but... You read Liza's
dossier?"
Desyat gave a resigned sigh. "The one she wrote before or after her
sockets rejected the first set of oculars?" She clarified.
"Yes, Ryzhaya bestiya really damaged the poor girl. It was
generous of Galina to assign her research duty," Shest's voice was
carefully even.
"At least we had enough spares to put in yet another set."
"Might have been best if we didn't," Shest muttered.
Desyat coughed.
"Hopefully she'll be a hundred percent... soon enough."
"It's those books... we don't know who we're dealing with."
"You're not talking about Ryzhaya bestiya." Desyat said
while Shest planted another device.
Giving a short bitter laugh,
Shest shook her head. "That much
should be obvious."
"Aren't you putting those a bit close?" Desyat asked,
referring to the surveillance pods.
"No, this is how Galina wanted them," Shest sighed. "I don't get this whole idea, we know
where they're training. Why are we bothering way out here?"
"Because any closer and they'd know we were watching."
Desyat shook her head. "Think about
it. Relocating to a more secluded area works to their advantage. They're the
ones that have to work with one hand behind their backs in an urban area."
Shest let herself fall to the
ground. "At least it's a nice hike."
"Yes," Desyat
adjusted her scanners. "Galina
thinks that they'll use a national park for training."
"Or maybe we're the ones
being trained," Shest's transmission had a sardonic undercurrent. "You have to admit, the risk of
discovery is good motivation."
"And yet here we are
chattering." Desyat pulled out a paper map and checked their
orientation, just like a normal girl on a hike.
Shest laughed. "They can't track our transmissions,
not at this range. If they were close enough to pick up signals this weak,
they'd be close enough for us to detect them."
"There's other means than technology." Desyat looked to
the west, the direction of the mercenary base.
Now, Shest stopped. "Yes, your... guest is a problem."
"I'm not the only one
he's bothered; remember the business card Galina found?" Despite
herself, Desyat smirked. Strategically, she knew it would have been better if
she had simply gone mad, the idea of yet another faction watching them by
ill-understood means was disquieting, to say the least.
However, confirmation that
this Murdock, as he called himself, existed shored up Desyat's sanity, at the
expense of increasing their risks and rote paranoia.
"Arisha and Dve'nadtsat found the tainted tools." Shest
gently reminded.
"I know, I'm the one that suggested they check them!" Desyat
venomously transmitted.
"So you think this Murdock infiltrated a precision instrument
company to dope a traceable impurity as a... distraction?"
"Sure, we don't give our
tools the same scrutiny as our parts, that's what the tools are for, but our
tools always have to be close at hand. Makes for an appetizing explanation for
his ability to locate us doesn't it?"
"And this is a convenient
way for us to stop eh? Is there no end to your paranoia?"
"I'm still alive." Desyat shook her head and the two
resumed their silent walk.
"I agree, we need to be vigilant and expand our knowledge."
Desyat sniffed. "Murdock's not alone as a problem. So, back
to Zaika. She has something? Some... pet?"
"Look at Dve'nadtsat's
reports. Does that seem so far fetched?"
"It should be. I can
accept that non-human creatures exist. That's just aliens but... the world is
logical, it's scientific. It's all physics. Even Murdock's work ultimately has
an explanation."
"Physics." Shest snorted. "Physics explains what I can do, that doesn't make it sane. Face
it, the physical world is merely a worm-eaten deck nailed to rotted pilings
sunk into quicksand. Just because we can walk on it doesn't mean it's
stable."
She shook her head. "Look at us. Do you know why it never
went past us? Why we were the only prototypes that worked? Our cybernetics
aren't that special, hell, we can make most of them ourselves."
Desyat prepared another
device and scanned for a suitable emplacement. "It's our flesh. A unique genetic quirk."
"Then how come clones
didn't work? You remember the twins from
Desyat shivered. The other
subjects were... she paused and blocked off her memories. "What's your point?"
"Comrade Scaglietti's shortcut."
"Yes, he found a way to
get our cybernetics to interface with our bodies, but that's just magic."
Shest raised an eyebrow. "Just magic? Weren't you just trying to
defend the rational nature of the universe?"
"Magic is any sufficiently advanced technology."
"No, it's not. Magic is something worse. It's the worms; it's the
rot. You can use it to eat away at the rules, the structure of things but....
it comes at the cost of your footing. Don't you see!" Shest slammed her hand down and it slipped
through the ground. "Magic is how we
cheat. Using bits of it we can cut corners and stay safe but what I did... that
pulse. There's a reason that... thing was there."
"I though you triggered the pulse in response to... what did you
see?"
Shest gave a wan smile. "The truth."
Desyat kept her expression
neutral; those words were never good.
"The truth." Shest repeated. "The truth is... We thought we could make politics rational; we
thought that we could have a scientific technocracy; we believed that in the
end we could make humanity better; we believed that we had the knowledge make a
better world a world that would be steered by our hands." The cyborg
laughed. "Why shouldn't our understanding of the how the universe works be
any less flawed than our understanding of humanity?"
"If Arisha heard you..."
Shest snorted. "She'd yell at me until Galina shut her
up."
"So... is there a match? Between what you saw and what
Dve'nadtsat's research dug up?" Desyat stepped back and circled around
slightly. The forest was quite scenic, worthy of being a park or a wilderness
training facility.
"It doesn't make sense." Shest looked down. "If the Zaika and her flunkies can
control..."
"They've got something real bad up their sleeves don't they?"
Desyat sighed.
"And that's wrong. People that can enslave a cosmic horror to use
as a panopticon shouldn't be so... incompetent. Dve'nadtsat's reports are
clear, fools don't deal with these creatures and survive. Do you think your
Murdock is a fool?"
Desyat's eyebrow raised. "Yes, but where is this going?"
"Someone that can inslave
what I saw, and use it as a reconnaissance and surveillance tool, they can't be
dumb, not if they want to stay sane."
"And yet Zaika is..."
"A spoiled moron," Shest
smirked. "But we knew that."
"Yes, yes, you've deduced that an empty headed princess is being
led around by her nose. Maybe they're just too dumb to succumb." Desyat
eyed their path.
"Ignorance is bliss, but there are limits. There's more at work
here than we think."
Desyat smirked. "Really? Did the demons, magic, or the
global conspiracy clue you in?"
"Being a pawn is delightful," Shest moved a few rocks to
place on a device.
Desyat knelt down and studied
a pile of beer cans and other debris. Rising from the potential shrapnel pile
she looked around the forest floor. The capitalist's decadence did make for
strange behaviors.
"You'd expect more,"
Shest noted moving to Desyat's side.
"I'd blame our friends
but..."
"What do you expect from
people that think they can own everything? They don't want to wreck their
property," Shest said... mechanically. In the motherland the people owned
everything, everything. Thus things were disposed in whichever way served the
greatest good, mostly leaving equipment out to slowly rust back into the earth.
Desyat raised an eyebrow.
"You okay?"
"I don't like it
here," Shest nearly snapped. "Sorry, it's just..." she shook her
head.
"We're still well away from the fences and their sensors. This is
an area hunters still use, we're... okay." Desyat reassured.
Shest chuckled. "Yes hunters do use this forest."
"Poor choice of words." Desyat cracked a smile, and led
her partner back down the path. "Come
on. The sooner we get done here the sooner we can get..."
"Yes, back to our
plotting and squabbling
"Would you rather deal with Murdock? Or maybe help
Dve'nadtsat."
Shest sighed, the Deep Diver
system was hers and hers alone. "I
don't have a choice now do I?"
"So it goes." Desyat
shrugged.
***************
As the wind blew through heavy
pine trees, the queen sighed, lifted herself up, and hit her head on the bunk
above her. She grumbled, rubbed her head, and slipped off of the bed.
"Too tall," she
muttered. Stretching her spine she shifted over to the beds and smiled at her
sleeping Senshi. After a few seconds she turned to her staff, running her hand
down the polished wood.
Her armored gown hung on a peg
from the bunk's vertical support, shorts and a Lycra top were on top of her
case, but... she was already wearing a silver bodice under a gauzy white
chemise. She stretched her shoulders, wincing slightly at the light, and not so
light, bruises from the previous days training. Shrugging, she slipped a
leather belt over her shoulder, holstered her wand, and slipped on her armored
boots. She walked to the heavy door and disengaged the lock. The door swung
open and the agents on the other side snickered.
The queen looked down and
chuckled at the incongruity herself.
"There a problem?"
Andrea politely asked. She was not a fan of this operation, nor being stuck out
in the middle of nowhere, but at least things were more... controlled.
"No just stretching my
legs and using the restroom."
"Right, Steve, Jared
escort," Andrea drawled.
Agents Deschain and Dirac
nodded and flanked the silver-haired young woman.
The queen turned to the more
lanky of the two agents guarding the hallway. "So you're the one that
adapted our jamming crystals."
Jared shifted his rifle.
"I'm on the team yes."
"So who did you piss off
to get stuck babysitting?" Her levity crashed when she noticed the
exasperation on the men's faces. "Sorry, I was just trying to make
conversation... I didn't... I know you're short handed and watching me
is...."
Jared sighed at the babbling
woman. "No, it's not that. This is just part of the job."
"Miss your operations
rotation?" Deschain chuckled.
"Kinda." Jared
shrugged.
Stopping in front of the
bathroom, the queen raised a silver eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Jared's got an inter-dim
rating, which means he's often brought in when things start getting...
screwy."
"Yeah. Anytime there's
weird stuff with teleporting or phasing, they call in inter-dimensional
specialists." Jared nodded to Deschain who then stepped into the bathroom.
The queen nodded. "So,
with all the stuff going on here..."
"We thought we had more
time, then those Russians started their games."
"Hopefully they won't do
that again," she said stepping towards the bathroom door.
The door opened and Steven
stepped out. "It's clear."
"Uh... thanks." The
queen stepped into the large bathroom. Bearing marks of recent repair, it was a
plain affair; with bare concrete flooring, a few stalls, several urinals, and
row of sinks on a countertop. She eyed a stall, but instead turned to the
mirror.
Gasping, she looked at her
body. Despite not being tied very tight, her bodice was very... supportive and
her camisole only provided minimal concealment of her wiry, but endowed form.
Rotating her forearms she
arched her head and back, causing her spine and slender neck to crack. Man... no wonder Mom liked those tight
gowns. Anything to help with support, she thought to herself.
She looked down and truly
understood the agents' mirth. Her camisole barely reached her thighs and below
her waist all she had on was a pair of gray panties and her boots.
"Great... way to look regal," she sighed and pulled at her hair,
causing her bun to disintegrate, spilling her hair down her back.
Sighing, she picked up a few
silver strands of her newly shortened hair. and ran them between her fingers.
She shrugged and went to one of the stalls. Recalling Eve's advice, she
adjusted her belt to keep her wand holster stable.
After finishing, she got up
and readjusted her clothes. Exiting the stall, the queen halted. By the sink a
blonde with twin pigtails stood stone still, her eyes casually resting on the
queen.
"Uh... can you at least
blink?" Serenity hesitantly suggested as she began to wash her hands.
The princess closed her eyes
and then slowly opened them; part of her wondered if her plan was worth it, and
if this were the best time to tell the queen.
"I didn't think... I
mean..." The queen turned to her "daughter". "Do you need
to be here?"
The blonde frowned. "You
were gone."
"Awww... Mina.... you
don't have to do that."
Smiling the younger teen's
features animated, she wondered if her queen really knew what she would have to
do to protect her. "Mother, don't be silly. I'm the one they're
after."
Serenity narrowed her
pale-blue eyes. "Mina don't be this way."
"What do you expect me to
say?"
The queen looked down. "I
don't know. I don't know how I feel, this body..." she looked at the
mirror.
The blonde shrugged.
"It's just a body." If her queen had body issues now...
"Yeah... I guess you've
been through worse."
The faux-princess stared,
wondering if her plan was the right thing to do. It seemed basic enough but...
"This is a new hairdo and
face. Not like what..."
"You mean Ami?" The
blonde smirked. "Yes, this is nothing. This isn't the first time I've done
this." She turned to look at her reflection. "But how are you
handling things?"
"I feel like an
imposter."
The princess chuckled.
"Though that's not true, is it."
Petulant eye rolling was
jarringly inconsistent with the silver-haired woman's lean regal frame.
"Yes, again with the succession. It's just such a mess. First Luna doesn't
tell us who the princess is, then she forgets that the princess is actually the
queen."
The blonde's eyes flashed red.
"At least you have the option to ignore your stupid feline advisor."
Serenity watched the crimson
quickly retreat from the other girl's irises. "I'm sorry."
The blonde turned away;
perhaps tomorrow would be a better time to propose her plan. "You should
be trying to get sleep."
"I'll be ready."
Minako-as-Usagi looked her
queen over. "Yes, unless DarkStar decides to wake you up early."
Serenity sighed. "She
would surprise me like that."
"Could be worse. The
Russians could be the ones that wake you up early."
"We're on a Company
base." Serenity's eyes darted to the door.
"Yes, they've shown a
great reluctance on attacking WIC," the blonde dryly remarked.
"Are you okay?"
At the end of her rope, the
blonde looked up. "Well, you've reminded me that my cat was killed, that
I've been mutilated and transformed by an insane, wannabe dominatrix, and that
I'm pretending to be you. I guess being killed once by the Russians isn't
enough. All this while you've also complained and whined about how people
expect you to be a queen and leader."
Serenity lowered her head.
"Uh..."
Minako narrowed her eyes.
"You're supposed to rule the world one day, and this is what you complain
about."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize."
She had made her decision. Her queen needed her help; Serenity needed the most
protection she could give her.
Looking up, Serenity saw a
facsimile of herself spread her arms. She stepped forward and let the shorter
girl embrace her. She then gasped when the blonde tightened her arms.
"The more you do
something the cheaper it gets." Resting her head on Serenity's chest,
Minako increased the pressure, crushing herself into the taller, more developed
women.
"Breathing..."
Serenity tried to expand her diaphragm. After managing to inhale, she felt the
pressure lessen, but that was only because the force had spread over a larger
area. Even the blonde's legs were pressed against the queen and felt...
embracing. Looking down she saw Minako's form turn golden and begin to... run.
The warm pressure spread and
soon Serenity found her vision cutoff, her mouth and nose were also covered
though she still found air being eased in though some type of valve system.
Completely enveloped, she was momentarily pressed down by Minako's full mass.
Soon however her encasement went rigid and she found her weight supported. Not
just her limbs or her curves, but her entire body was being lifted and held.
The covers over her eyes
snapped off and Serenity let out a shocked gasp. Reflected in the mirror was
what would happen if a battleship and a Victorian queen mated. Tons of metallic
armor had been shaped into a widely female form.
Looking down she saw that she
was much higher off the ground than before, at least eight feet. Emerging from
a solid annular anchor around her waist, rings of interlocking heavy golden
plates descended until they hovered just above the ground. Internal buttresses
supported each baroquely engraved plate while still leaving room for her legs
to move.
Stepping forward, Serenity
could tell that her feet had a slight heel and were thickly encased in some
type of boot-like footwear. She looked around, concerned at how much... smaller
the room was. She expected the ceiling to be a bit lower, but not become
oppressively claustrophobic, and as for the walls, she had crossed the room in
less than a single stride and risked hitting the walls, let alone fitting
through that tiny doorway.
She looked back down at her
dress. Unseen by her, structural armor needed to support the weight was so
massive that it added a several inches in diameter to her legs, bulking her
thighs out to where they distorted and spread out her armored skirt,
exaggerating her legs and buttocks.
Atop the skirting anchor ring,
the armor continued. Gold over an inch thick ran from her waist to her chest,
which had grown in apparent size to a disbelieving degree. This armored bodice
was polished to a mirror shine and flexed with high liquidity. The only
adornment was an upper "hem" engraved in a scalloped pattern that
consisted of dozens of crescent moons.
Above this hem which came down
in a gentle "U", her armor thinned to a mere quarter an inch. The
"skin tight" silver ran up and around her neck and over a face that
was recognizable as Serenity's, if severely rounded by a thick silver coating.
Over her eyelids and lips the armor thinned, though was still about an eight of
an inch. Between engraved eyebrows a crescent moon nearly glowed with golden
light. Her gray-silver Serenity eyes were right at home behind the armored
mask.
Her ears, the back of her
neck, and the rest of her head were all protected by several inches of armor
that was sculpted into a tightly bound golden bun, reminiscent of a redoubled
French braid. A silver crown with elegant arches nestled into her helmet hair;
its ruby crescent moon centerpiece a pale sister of the one on the queen's
forehead.
Stoutly armored, but long,
arms descended from layered shoulder plates; the uppermost of which came even
with the queen's eyebrows. A five inch mirror-silver crescent moon adorned each
hulking shoulder mount. Coming out of a series of articulated elbow pieces were
massively engraved and simply massive forearm guards that added at least two
inches of material on each side.
Emerging from her forearm
guards were not hands but weapons. Her left arm terminated Minako's silvery
sword, while her right now sported a bulked version of her wand. Bearing two
brutally heavy scalloped crystal crescents, the shaft was flush with her forearm
armor. Runes sullenly glowed along the shaft of the wand. Serenity could still
feel her hands, but they were buried under layers of armor and could only
manipulate her weapons.
"What do you think of my gift?" Minako's voice whispered
into Serenity's ear, and it was Minako's voice not the Usagi voice she had been
using.
Serenity lifted her left arm;
that is to say she twitched the muscles and the Venus armor responded by moving
the armor around her right arm. "What?" she asked, more surprised
that her mouth actually opened than that it had deepened to countertenor, a bit
too deep for a normal female voice
"Putting me inside golden exo-armor was the first thing Ami did to
me." Minako's whisper chuckled. "Then
she turned me into the armor."
"Is... is this what Ami
planned?"
The whispering laugh repeated.
"My, no. Ami simply thought the
armor was a neat way to transform me, but I was thinking of a way to protect
you and... the armor does that."
"Why is it so... heavy? I
look like a fertility statue."
Within the armor, warm
pressure pulsed up and down Serenity's form. The pressure was even to the point
of cutting down gravity, and she felt like she was floating in warm steadily
pulsing water. It took her a moment to realize that she was feeling Minako's
heartbeat.
"That's
not me, I simply accentuate your curves. As for the thickness, those Russians
have some heavy firepower. This is the best I can do to protect you."
Serenity continued to stare at
her armor... her Senshi. "Wow... that's really some protection."
"Thanks," Minako said shyly.
***************
Agent Dirac blinked at the
feed on the portable display to his pattern scanner. "That's the stupidest
thing I've ever seen," he said checking his rifle. "And I've worked
on these girl's magic trinkets."
"Explains the scanner
jump," Deschain muttered going through his gear. "I've got a couple
charges, we could rig the door up, pull back" he suggested glancing
forward and to the left.
"No. They'll take the
door." Kasumi pointed to the two demons. "Steve keep on the feed and
the scanners, if they go funny we’ll act. Tell me if the jamming system goes
funny."
"Running green,"
Misako and Nariko echoed confirming their personal jammers were on.
"Until then we wait for Ranma or Captain
Jarvis to takeover."
"Some extra oomph would
be good," Misako suggested, shouldering "Sasha".
"No, Mining the door will
force us to withdraw a bit, and I want you two to be close if things go bad,
and if things go real bad we've got a 'chopper on route and orange has a couple AT4's."
Deschain nodded. "Good
missiles, and if this thing has main-battle tank grade armor?"
"A javelin team is on
it's way too, and if that's not enough, there's our the MRLS system, or the
Canadians can use one of their Copperheads." Kasumi said, referring to the
155mm laser guided artillery shell.
"The Black Devils have an
M77 now?" Deschain chuckled.
"Good for them."
"It looks big, maybe
slow, clumsy." Nariko said, fingering her sword's hilt.
"Right," Kasumi
exhaled. She could see why Ranma found this girl so... frustrating.
***************
Staring at the armor's... at
her reflection, Serenity frowned... causing metallic lips to shift. "How
are you talking anyway?"
"Same way I talked in my metal form. I've got speaking crystals near
your ears. This can patch in other commutations and audio input. I can even
give a visual overlay."
Serenity blinked and found
translucent blue lenses slide over her eyes. Displays formed and a few icons
and text appeared before the lenses vanished. "But how..."
Minako laughed again. "I told you, Ami already built the
suit. I just adapted her systems. I don't recommend talking in battle; an open
mouth isn't armored. Don't worry, we can still talk in a fight. but I can filter
in air for us if needed. It's totally self contained, and powered by my Senshi
magic. Your magic can power it too, right now it's hooked up to your wand, but
there's other systems that can use that extra power."
Serenity lifted up her arms,
bearing a broadsword the other an artillery-class wand. "How can I
eat?"
Minako chuckled. It was good
that Serenity did not ask about external speakers, even through there were
obviously internal ones by her ears. She wished that she could have started
with full containment, but knew her queen could not take being mute... yet.
"I'll teach you how to use my blade," Minako assured as
the sword shrank in length, becoming thinner. When it was only eight inches
long the center of its tip retreated forming two tines backed by a razor sharp
edge on one side. "Though this is a
battle form. Fine manipulation isn't the point." Minako's vocal
assurance was followed by another warm massage.
"
"You've been moving just fine. We're enormously strong and can
move rather quick."
"We..." Serenity
rolled the word around in her mouth. "Still... we are a giant armored...
queen."
"This is where your power helps. DarkStar's suggestion that we
look into Wraith Raider cloaks got me thinking and..." Minako chuckled
as all of their armor became more and more polished. After becoming mirror-like
shine, it shifted.
Once again Serenity gasped. It
was not total invisibility, but it was like being covered in a roughly
translucent paint. Within the room, her shape was obvious, but at a distance she
would blend into the background.
"Of course I've also got a jammer and teleportation spells," Minako
chuckled, returning them to visibility.
"It's a start,"
Serenity allowed. Watching her, currently, fork-ish limb she started moving her
encased left fingers.
"Oh, suppose we start training you on your new appendages,"
Venus chuckled as the lenses reappeared and went from blue to clear. Several
simple displays popped up, virtually hovering a foot or so in front of
Serenity's eyes. "First, I'm sorry,
but it will help you learn."
There was a slight pain in
Serenity's hands and a headache as a modified version of one of Mercury's
spells triggered.
"Now just lean back and let your fingers move," Minako
said before the blade grew out. Each time it changed lengths one finger moved a
certain way; thickness caused another finger to move, length another. The
changes were accompanied with a heads up display showing the changes.
Serrations, tines, curves, tips and other changes popped up as well.
The demonstration cycle
completed, Serenity then started moving her fingers and was rewarded with a
vast array of blades and even a couple axe-like shapes.
"Now for a tutorial," Venus said, as a sword shape
appeared on the "display".
Serenity nodded, her headache
lessening and her hand feeling somewhat but not really numb. A simple
broadsword appeared before her. Smirking, she adjusted her fingers to match her
blade to the display. Once that happened the image was replaced with a thicker
and curved saber. She then fiddled around until she got a match and the display
changed once again. It rewarded points for speed and detracted points for
errors.
With practice it took her less time and fewer
mistakes to get a match. As puzzles grew in complexity, it took less thought about
the fine motions. "Pretty fun game." she said after completing a
dozen "levels."
"You're doing great!" Minako proudly said.
After a couple dozen more
quick levels, Serenity stopped thinking in terms of fingers and started simply
thinking in shapes, and letting her hands respond to the controls. As such, her
score started spiraling up. "Good idea. It's just like a videogame."
"I knew you'd like it. Now let's get your other arm into it."
Minako smoothly said as the display became a split screen. The left half
had the sword game, while the right showed her giant wand cannon. "Your wand has less visible
flexibility, but there's still a few spells you can use with it. I'm sure we
can think up more too."
Serenity nodded and started
playing the new game. Minako was right, her wand was not that complicated.
Especially since she could not fire it, not in the bathroom. However, it did
just enough to split her attention to further reduce the amount she thought
about it.
"Hey Mina... this thing's
got your attacks too."
"Why yes," Minako chuckled. "It'd be very silly if we went from two to one and lost
firepower."
Serenity paused the game and
zoomed in on the wand display. "Okay... but there's this little bar chart
that says its like twice the power of before," she said, not wondering how
the chart knew what her unsuited power was.
"Yes, it'd be only slightly silly if we went from two to one and
merely maintained firepower." Minako gave Serenity another full
massage. "Not only can we tap into
both of our powers, but this is a heavy duty wand that can channel a lot more
strength and give even more control. Sure it weighs sixty pounds but that's not
a problem anymore."
"Oh.... nice."
Serenity leaned back and savored the sensation of having her back unknotted, her
curves caressed, and her stress melt away. She then shrugged causing almost
seismic scale motion in her shoulder plate. She un-paused and returned to
playing her game. After a good ten minutes she laughed and exited the program.
"Okay, Mina... you're right. I can see these being useful in battle,"
she said idly waving her sword arm. It came down on the counter and feeling the
edge begin to bite, Serenity shrieked and retracted the blade, preventing
further damage.
Serenity looked at the sword.
"I could feel that!"
"Of course," Minako gently said. "What good is a blade if you can't sense it."
"How?" Serenity said
as she gingerly placed the blade on the sink and could feel the cool metal.
"Once the game mapped your motions, I was able to tap the blade's
a sensor array in. Similarly, if someone touches the armor, you'll be able to
feel it." Minako said a bit smugly.
"Another one of Ami's
tricks?" Serenity said as she stepped over to the hand dryer. She made a
blunt-tip blade and feeling the activation button, she pressed it.
"The armor was; the sword was a quick mod on my part,"
Minako said as Serenity held the blade under the jet of warm air.
Putting the blade across the
blower Serenity laughed. "Ooooh, feels nice," she said, picking up
the air's warmth and force.
"I'm glad you like it. Your arms will be very important in
battle."
"Great game."
Serenity nodded. The blower stopped and she drew back her sword and gave a few
swings. Knowing what air felt like she could now feel the wind as her blade cut
through the air with each stroke.
"Having fun?" Minako drawled.
The door clicked open and
Serenity automatically spun, heaving her bulk towards it. Her sword grew and
came up in a defensive position while her wand leveled at the intruder.
The petite form of Kiri Meiou
blinked. She leaned back into the hall at the mixture of tense and amused
agents, demons, and demonic agents. She pulled herself back into the room, and
for a brief moment her eyes flashed with iridescence.
Serenity paused, unsure if the
smaller girl was annoyed, amused, or angry. In the brief moment where it looked
like Meiou was deciding what to be, Serenity was reminded that "Kiri"
was simply a fresh body that Pluto was inhabiting.
Kiri blinked again and stepped
into the room, closing the door behind her. Walking around the titanic armored
form, Kiri hummed to herself.
"Well?" Serenity
said after the green-haired girl had completed a couple laps. "Aren’t you
going to say something."
"I could make a pun about
not thinking Minako had it in her to be a princess." Kiri then leaned
forward and ran her hand over Serenity's right gauntlet.
Awed as she felt the contact,
Serenity then gasped when Kiri ran her hands over the prongs of her wand. It
felt almost as good when Kiri switched hands and placed her palm over the
immense curve of her chest.
"I knew Minako was up to
something, but this..." Kiri gave a single laugh. "It figures. This
was what Mercury did to her after all." Her tone turned flat as she gave a
mental note to place a call in the morning.
"Oh? You know? Of course
you'd know. You're all knowing on stuff like this, but not anything important.
Like preventing Mamoru from dying, or finding where the Russians are. How come
you don't know that?" Serenity demanded, the armor further deepening her
voice from countertenor to tenor and gaining a bit more reverb.
Kiri pursed her lips.
"Did you two really think you could spend three quarters of an hour in the
bathroom and not be noticed? At first I thought you two were relieving stress.
Turns out I was right, and explains why the agents laughed when I suggested you
two were simply having sex." Kiri sighed. "Anyway Ranma's coming in.
Should be... interesting." Pondering ruined plans, Meiou kept her face
even. She knew the other demons were waiting for their Mother, which suited
Kiri fine, the less she had to repeat meetings like this, the better.
"Ranma?" Serenity
looked down at the vast expanse of amour. "What'll she think?"
Kiri thought of the sight in
the hallway and laughed. "That you and Minako went and turned yourselves
into a war behemoth." she patted the back of the anchor ring where it
rested above Serenity's back armor and gargantuan thigh supports. She chuckled
at the queen's reaction. "You could always take Minako off."
With shocking speed, Serenity
rotated 180 degrees. Her silver visage looked down on the short girl. "No.
That demon's been on my case about not taking things seriously, not being a
real warrior. Let her see me now. Let her see what Minako's done for me."
Kiri smiled, partially at the
view that loomed above her. "Oh, and what does Minako think of this?"
Serenity tilted her head.
"Minako promised to do her best to protect and serve me. This is what she
wants."
"Well, it's an
interesting try," Kiri admitted as she circled back around. She then
stretched up and ran a hand over the eight foot tall queen's "hair".
"Man, I'm not sure what
Puu's looking for, Mina," Serenity muttered. Unfortunately even mutter
carried when it was rather deep and slightly reverb.
Kiri smirked and stepped back.
"You know, you don't have to talk to me," Minako
chuckled.
"Really?"
Shaking her head, Kiri stepped
to the sink and gave her hands a quick wash.
"Yes you can just think to me, I've been mapping your thoughts
every time you speak. I'll show you."
Serenity felt the armor on her
face constrict as her jaw was pulled closed and her armored lips sealed. She
tried to talk but with her jaw frozen a more echoed version of her deep voice
bounded to her ears. "What
the?" Serenity blinked. "How...
I can't move my mouth."
"It's simple." Minako assured. "Every time you talked spells monitored your surface thoughts.
After a half hour they've got enough to simulate your speaking."
"Oh another of Mercury's things But... you can read my mind?"
"Only what you're 'saying' " Minako chuckled.
Kiri looked at the still
armored queen. "Are you okay?"
"Just nod," Minako whispered.
Watching the huge rounded face
give a mechanical nod, Kiri sighed.
"What should I say?" Serenity asked.
"Do you need to speak?" Minako gently asked.
Serenity turned and looked at
the perplexed young woman. "Well
yeah!" She tried to open her mouth but found the armor holding her jaw
in place.
"Let her ask a question." Minako assured.
Serenity frowned, and was
surprised that her armor let her lips do that, but not open.
"So... any reason for the
silent treatment? Or is this just a nice little gift?" Kiri patted
Serenity's skirting.
"Well?" Serenity impatiently asked.
"Now you think about your answer."
"You tell me, you're the one that wanted to show this to me."
"As you wish my
Queen," Minako's voice was bemused.
Kiri tapped her foot as the
armored figure not only went silent but still.
A couple seconds later the
Queen's mouth opened. "Apologies Puu, Minako was merely showing how my
internal communications eliminate the need for me to vocalize with her,"
her deep resonant voice recited, as if reading off a display.
Kiri looked up and saw a blue
glow around the queen's eyes, confirming her suspicions.
Serenity tried to reopen her
mouth, but found the armor had once again locked. "Did I do good?" she confusingly asked.
"Perfect," Minako allowed a massage. "See how much better that was?"
Giving a silent moan at
Minako's "magic fingers" Serenity thanked the discretion the sealed
mask afforded her. Not only could Kiri not hear her, but Serenity knew that her
flushed cheeks were also concealed.
"See, privacy can be fun," Minako giggled, increasing the
frequency of her kneading.
"So, it's some
training?" Kiri asked.
Serenity nodded.
"That's good, no need to risk breaching your armor just to say
yes," Minako whispered.
"Well, good enough."
Kiri shrugged. "I'll get the others. May as well have them see you before
Ranma arrives."
Serenity raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Rei's gonna have
fun with this," Kiri snickered as she stepped out of the bathroom.
After the door closed,
Serenity turned back to the mirror. "You
seem happy." Minako tracked the big, closed lipped of course, grin on
her queen's face
"I don't think anyone can say I'm not being serious about battle,
now." Serenity snickered, looking at her arms in the mirror.
"Well, we've still got a lot of training. You still have to learn
how to use the armor."
Serenity nodded. Hearing the
door open she turned and smirked at the three Senshi and one Mau.
The cobwebs of sleep were
immediately banished by the sight before Makoto. She had gotten used to heavily
armed demons and soldiers, but this...
Starting, she looked up, and up. Dominating
the room, towering above her and Rei was a riot of polished and engraved metal
and silver. Her eyes traced up the ranks of interlocking armored plates that
marched up and in. Then they went over the solid girth of some sort of flared
heavy ring. Above that convex and hugely concave curves reflected a distorted
image of the room and the Senshi.
On either side of that were
reinforced gauntlets. In place of hands were two partially recessed mounts, one
bore a shimmering sword that lazily changed shape, while the other held a
giant, stumpy wand eight inches long, six inches in diameter. The wand was
covered in even more intricate runes and tipped with a pair of heavy crescent
shaped crystals. The figure's arms went up into set of oversized golden pauldrons.
The uppermost section of each was emblazoned with a giant mirrored crescent
moon.
Relatively speaking, the armor
thinned for the figure's upper chest and face. It turned silver and consisted
of a faithful if rounded rendition of Serenity's face. The back of her head
bore a solid mass of silver sculpted into a braided bun. Her ears were covered
by the hair sculpture, her nostrils looked sealed, her lips were held together
and armored, and her eyes were solid deep blue framed by silver eyelids. A thin
silver crown with a single ruby crescent moon as its center piece was built
into the armored hairpiece.
The ruby moon was overshadowed
by the golden moon that dominated the giant figure's forehead. Smoothly the
golden queen turned her head towards the Senshi and her face shifted into a close-lipped
smile. Her arms went down to her sides, or at least rested her weapons on the
flared bell of her skirting armor.
Now completely still, the
eight foot tall figure looked even more statuesque.
Cradled in Kiri's arms, Luna
blinked and nodded with recognition.
"What the hell's going
on?" Arms enflaming, Rei turned from the queen to Puu. "Don't tell me
Mercury actually got Usagi? Mina's just been a trap... again?"
"Do not speak ill of
Minako," Serenity intoned, leveling her blade in Rei's direction.
Spine tingling, Rei turned
towards the sonorous but still female voice. Swallowing, she looked past the
blade to Serenity's impassive, silver visage. "So what is this all
about?"
"What should I say?" Serenity asked Minako.
"Why do you need to say anything? Delegate." Minako
displayed an arrow pointing to Kiri.
"Right." Serenity transmitted before turning to Meiou and
giving a nod.
"Oh? Okay then."
Kiri raised an eyebrow. "Remember how Ami turned Minako into that gold
armor? Mina adapted that form into-" she gestured at the queen. "-
this."
"That's some heavy
armor." Makoto stared at gold globes, each seemingly bigger than her
torso.
Serenity smirked and shifted
her angle to give Makoto a front-on view.
"This is crazy!" Rei
glared. "Without telling anyone, Minako decides to scrap the decoy plan to
turn herself into... this? What even is this?"
"It's imperial
armor," Luna said squirming out of Kiri's grip. Leaping onto the armored
skirting, she grinned smugly before bounding up over the golden chest.
"Not a bad version," she said examining the armored face before lying
down on the space between the shoulder guards and neck.
"You know of this?"
Rei eyed the prone cat.
Luna looked up from her
sprawl. "A certain blonde did ask me about the Wraith cloaks and anything
else I could remember."
"Great, is this another
upgrade you've pulled out of your butt?" Rei demanded.
"Not really. The queen
never bothered with such armor. She had enough control and experience with the
crystal to make it moot. Members of the extended family did use such devices,
but their construction was expensive, complicated, and not something that fit
the Senshi. So, neither they, nor their designs were sent forward. "
"Really?" Makoto
asked. "And now you remember what wasn't preserved?"
Luna hesitated. "Fine...
I don't quite remember what was stored, but I know that stuff was stored... and
there's got to be plenty of military hardware that the Queen didn't preserve.
She was a bit pressed for time, what with the major defeat and all."
Luna looked up at the silver face.
"But... that didn't mean one of you couldn't make an approximation."
"This... this is
artillery, while the Sailor Senshi are... a scalpel?" Makoto asked.
Kiri nodded. "And when a
pro-Unification, political message needs to be sent."
"This is still insane.
The queen had the right idea." Pausing, Rei floundered, trying to wrap her
mind around the glimmering immensity that dominated the room. "We don't
need this type of... weapon."
"They can separate,"
Kiri mildly reminded.
"So? Unless you manage to
hide every single time they fusion,
merge, or whatever, the Numbers will wise up, but that's moot as even if... IF
this is kept a secret you've still got a giant lumbering target with crescent
moons!"
"Yes, that much is
obvious." Kiri gave a wry smile.
"The point of this decoy
princess plan was to reduce the firepower concentrated on Usagi."
"That's a real problem.
First of all we have to see just how well this suit works, before scrapping the
whole decoy idea."
"Good, at least someone's
thinking." After Rei sighed, a shadow fell over her. Mute, Rei was
transfixed as the queen closed in. Unfortunately for Rei, Serenity's dress
stuck out furthest.
The armored edge of the
skirting pushed Rei and knocked her forward. As Rei tipped over, Serenity bent
at the knees, causing the interlocking layers of her skirt to telescope
slightly.
Rei found her head landing in
the V where Serenity's chest armor shifted from thick gold to less-thick
silver. Shocked at the relative softness of the armor, Rei felt herself being
pinned back by the flat of a currently dulled blade and the wand-barrel. Still
digesting the embrace, Rei hardly noticed her feet being lifted off the ground
as Serenity returned to her full height.
"Don't be a bad
girl," Serenity's deep voice crooned, cradling Rei.
Rei flushed both at the
mortifying embarrassment of her position and the disturbing warmth emanating
from the armor.
"A bit simplistic, but to the point," Minako noted, her
voice almost... distant. Part of her did miss having hands, if only to pet
Luna. Though it was nice to have a cat again. "How's it feel?"
Serenity looked down at
the almost... drowsy Rei. "She's
angry, but calming down. This energy transfer works!"
"We've got power to
spare."
Serenity gave a mental nod
before her mouth opened. "Minako put a lot of work into this, and we are
going to try it out. Right?"
Rei gave a dazed nod.
Makoto tilted her head at the
tableau before her. "Are you using the power of love?"
Serenity turned her head up
and gave Makoto a little smile.
"Only you would find
yourself turned into a giant magical war machine and still think to use
love." Makoto chuckled while taking a discrete step back.
"We do have both of 'em
working in there," Kiri added.
"I promise, I will do my
best to protect you all. You serve me and you deserve a better Queen." As
Serenity spoke her wand rose up and the crystal crescents cupped the back of
Rei's head. A silver flash enveloped the girl, then darkened and turned to a red
aura. Broadly smiling, Serenity lowered Sailor Mars back to the ground.
"I look like Venus."
Mars stared at her uniform, the seifuku style was the same, but the bodysuit
and skirting had changed from silk to polished bronze. Her dark purple bows and
ribbons were still fabric, as was her red collar. Instead of white gloves, she
had finely articulated metal armor over her finger. However, her shoes had
transformed into molded bronze high heeled boots and leg guards emblazoned with
her symbol.
"Our queen is biased to
that style," Kiri noted while Luna smirked.
"Oh, I remember,"
Mars shrugged her shoulders. The metal bodice was disturbingly form fitting,
even taking into account her belly button. At least the magic was adaptive
enough to let the material shift with her body's motions.
"That's really
cool!" Makoto appraised, stepping around Mars' new uniform.
"If you're such a fan,
why don't you do it?" Mars groused.
"Well.."
"No, I insist." Rei
smirked.
Finding her wrist grabbed by a
vise of bronze, Makoto found herself flung in the direction of the queen, who
moved shockingly quick to catch her. Makoto sighed happily; the embrace should
not have been comfortable, it should not have been warm, but...
There was a flash from the
wand and Sailor Jupiter stood in a twin to Mars' uniform. Save she had pink
bows and green collar over sea green patina copper armor. Fingering her skirt,
Jupiter looked up to see Serenity's proud smile.
"Damn, I'm next,"
Kiri sighed. Running and jumping up to hug her queen, she concentrated and felt
both Usagi's rushing love and Minako's smug satisfaction. The queen's power
flooded her and as Kiri's clothing transformed something knocked... loose.
Armor went from metal to
shaped sheets of obsidian that wrapped her young frame. Holding the long shaft
of the Garnet Rod, Sailor Pluto looked down at her black armor. Fleeting
iridescent whirls danced its surface.
"Why don’t you have
metal?" Mars asked.
"This fits my theme
better." Pluto stated, making sure that she was stabilized. It would be
embarrassing if she had to get a new body, after less than a week in this one..
"I dunno, all those
rainbows and reflections are rather cute."
Pluto's pout underscored her
apparent age.
"What is it supposed to
show, infinity and time?" Rei asked.
The green-haired girl gave Rei
a long glance. "Whatever, let's go with that," she said, looking at
her watch.
***************
Waking up, Cecilia untangled
herself from her brood. Smiling she stood up and walked over to the bathroom at
the end of their barracks. The now familiar sound of an overhead helicopter
greeted her. Afterwards she opened a trunk and started getting dressed. She was
nearly done when an explosion went off in the distance.
Her ears perked and as she
scrambled over to her radio there was another more distant explosion. The door
opened and after recognizing the visitor, relief flooded the young demon.
"Sorry, there's some
heavy... weapons testing going on today," Lieutenant Hanna Hill said, her
eyes darting to the stirring brood. Eating habits were one thing, but Hill
found something strange about communal sleeping.
"There wasn't any
live-fire training scheduled at this time." Cecilia had checked out the
schedule, if there had been she would have woken up earlier.
"This is... sudden."
Hill stepped back into the pre-dawn gloom. "Maybe you see it."
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, and
a second later a wide lance of light shot out in the distance behind the
officer. Blinking she walked up to Hill and... stared.
At the far end of the joint training
camp a golden figure steadily lumbered across the clearing. It was only when
Cecilia saw DarkStar running several meters behind that she realized just how
big and just how fast the metallic figure was.
The thing was three feet
taller than DarkStar and over twice as wide, if that giant skirting was
counted. However, despite a plodding lope, the thing managed to stay ahead of a
running demon. Idly, the demoness wondered how friendly this giant was.
Cecilia saw DarkStar sprint up
and point towards the mountaintop ruins. Raising an arm, the golden thing
obliged. There was another burst of light which was followed by an explosion
that further pulverized the concrete and stone wreckage. The redhead shouted
something and the figure nodded, before running a few paces, lowering itself,
and then... leaping.
Cecilia stared as the figure
arced skyward, though nowhere near the altitude of the orbiting helicopter. Her
eyes went down to see the crater the giant had pounded into the ground with its
oversized legs. As such, Cecilia missed the ignition. Darting her eyes back up,
the demoness' jaw went slack at the sight before her. For a couple more seconds
a pulsing plume of light blasted from the bell-like nozzle that was the
figure's skirting.
Further boosted the giant
reached an apex of at least a hundred feet before falling towards the ground.
This time Cecilia saw the... engine ignite and retard the giant's fall. Despite
the retrorocket's deceleration the gold figure thudded into the hillock, but
not before its other arm lashed out forming a twelve foot long blade that
sliced clean through one of the broken-down target cars.
Almost smugly, the figure
retracted its blade and took a step out of the flattened crater. As it turned
one foot sunk into a bit of mud and the figure tilted over. The edge of the
armored skirting caught on the hillside twisting it and hastening the golden
giant's fall. This time the thud was less impressive, though there was more
damage as angular baroque armor churned through the turf as it rolled down the
hill.
Cecilia watched DarkStar
saunter over to the fallen figure and rap it on the head with the butt of her
sidearm. "Huh."
"Yeah... that was...
" Lieutenant Hill sighed; she could deal with the demons. They might be
alien but at least they were more grounded, unlike these other girls.
"Some sort of magical
thing the Silvers are testing?"
"That's what we were
told." Hill watched the contraption slowly right itself. "As a heavy
weapons platform, it's powerful enough, until the damn thing falls over."
"It's all shiny."
Hill sighed again. "Those
girls are adverse to camouflage."
"At least they're testing
it here first, and not just dropping it into battle."
"Small favors."
Raising an eyebrow, Hill reminded herself that the bowed demoness was older and
more experienced than she looked.
"I should get the girls
ready and start warming up the Mess."
"Any problems with KP?
"Nah." Cecilia
watched as the demons resumed herding the disconcertingly quick behemoth.
"Cooking for eight, cooking for fifty, once you get to a certain size it
scales pretty easily."
"And it gives your girls
something to do."
"There's more for them to
do here than at the house, Lieutenant." Cecilia chuckled. "They
brought their books, toys, movies, and games, but out here they can actually
play outside and meet new people."
"Good. Keep an eye out
for these Silvers. They could start trouble."
"Told to the sex
demon." Cecilia smiled.
Hill watched as the golden
figure made another rocket-assisted leap. "I have some idea what you and
your girls can do, but I don't know what these... Magical Girls are about, and
neither does WIC. That worries me."
***************
Using a blunted blade,
Serenity reached out and slid a chair away from the table. She stepped forward,
nearly bumping into the table edge with her skirting. She lowered herself
slightly so that the bottom of armored skirt touched the floor.
The mess hall had been driven to silence by
her sheer size and plodding footsteps and now the brushing sound of her skirt's
interlocking segments sliding against each other rang out. Each layer of the
skirt telescoped a bit into the layer below, steadily pulling her forward and
lowering her height. Laying on the table, Luna passively watched.
As that happened she folded
her knees under her until she was in a double kneel. Soon Serenity's elbows
were about even with the tabletop, and she inched forward on her knees.
Serenity put her wand arm on her lap and shifted her blade to the twin-tined,
knife configuration.
"Yes, much easier than
simply getting out of the... suit." Mars dryly noted pulling out her chair
and sitting down across from her queen. Feeling her legs bump up against
Serenity's skirting, she immediately regretted her choice in seating.
Luna rose to her feet, jumped,
and then climbed to the armor's shoulder.
"It's good...
practice?" Makoto asked, taking a position next to her queen, but still
offset by a couple feet by the skirting.
"What should I say?" Serenity asked.
"Why should you say anything?" Minako's voice was amused.
"But I'm just here because I'm hungry."
"I'm hungry too. That training did wear you out, but I think
they'll figure out you're hungry," Minako shifted their head and
highlighted Kiri.
Her nostrils opening to the
outside, Serenity was suddenly hit by the scent of frying bacon, sausage, ham,
and dough. Mouth watering, Serenity watched as Kiri approached with a loaded
platter.
Sword arm quivering, she
looked at the stack of sugar-sprinkled pancakes, the pile of fried dough
fritters, the shimmering links of sausages, the heaping bowl of cut fruit, and
a full carafe of juice.
"Enjoy," Minako whispered, unlocking Serenity's mouth.
Reaching down, Serenity
managed to cut a pancake but then stumbled trying to fork it with the end of
her arm. After giving a whine that only Minako could hear, Serenity found her
arm being guided and a steady supply of morsels began arriving at her mouth.
Each one coming just after she had finished swallowing.
"That's... weird,"
Rei picked at her cereal, but was transfixed by the conveyor-like motions of
Serenity's left arm.
Makoto raised an eyebrow.
"Why? This is normal volume for her, if anything she's being a bit
slow."
Rei nodded. "And
neater... did the armor come with table manners?"
From her seat next to Rei,
Kiri looked over. "Yes, Rei. Yes it did."
"Yeah... that's
true," Rei winced. She looked over to see their giant queen pause, midway
through her consumption. The sword arm went out and caught one tine inside the
handle of the juice carafe and another outside it. Another tine grew out and
all three thickened forming a strong grip over the handle.
The pitcher was raised to her
lips and the blade twisted just enough to being a steady pour. The progressive
inclination paused a once in the middle to allow Serenity to catch her breath,
but soon the entire carafe was drained and placed back on the platter. Serenity
reconfigured her blade and resumed her meal.
"Great throat control. No
wonder DarkStar's been so friendly with her," Makoto commented.
"Mako!" Rei
exclaimed.
"What? Minako'd make that
comment if she could."
"Given Mina's
location..." Kiri looked over to Serenity's platter and seeing it
three-quarters done got to her feet.
"Well, this is quite the
show," Rei leaned back and looked around the Mess.
"They're not staring that
much are they?" Makoto looked over her shoulder and saw the collected
soldiers, agents, and demons. "They're not all..."
"There's a two-ton,
two-meter tall, silver and gold queen chowing down in front of them. Of course
they'll stare."
"At least our queen's
more eye-catching than the demons," Makoto offered.
"Yeah, at least."
Rei watched Kiri return with another platter. "So, where's she putting it
all?"
Makoto glanced at the
protrusions on the queen's chest armor. "Internal storage?"
Rei sighed. "You're
really trying to fill Mina's shoes aren't you?"
Makoto shrugged.
"Well, enjoy it while you
can," Kiri noted. "There's no guarantee that the Company will agree
to this little plan."
"You mean someone sane
may actually put their foot down? Thank heaven for scary secret agents,"
Rei snorted.
"I'd put a stop to this
if I really thought it was harming the Queen," Kiri noted.
"Reassuring," Rei
said, dryly.
On the other side of the Mess,
the two ranking succubae observed the Senshi. "What are your
thoughts?" Eve filled her cup of coffee and nodded to Hazel, who was
setting up a fresh pot.
"I think you can
guess," Ranma glanced over at the golden queen.
"I don't know, you seemed
to enjoy teasing that sword of hers." Eve smirked.
"That armor's not...
all... bad, but..." Ranma shook her head. "I didn't expect them to
screw up things quite this quick."
Eve nodded slightly. Given
what they knew of Minako's "changes", they had a scenario similar to
this outlined.
"The plan barely lasted a
full twenty-four hours."
Eve eyed the queen. "We
can scrap it. Force them to abandon this silly armor idea."
"Yes, we can." Ranma
said, thoughtfully.
"You're not recommending
that we give the order now?" Eve asked.
"When push comes to shove
can we keep Serenity out of armor?"
"Really, we cut our
losses then?"
Ranma poured herself a glass
of juice. "We're supposed to be training them, something they badly
need."
"That armor will require
even more time in training, time we may not have."
"And we would have to
abandon our decoy plan."
"Even if we still had a
decoy, a giant armored suit would be a prime target," Eve noted.
"Yes, though that's not
exactly a bad thing."
Eve chuckled lightly before
taking a sip.
"Oh, not that way,"
Ranma rolled her eyes. "That suit certainly looks impressive."
"Really? From what I saw,
all you needed was the right tool and she'd open up like a canned ham."
"That goes without
saying. We'd really have to bring in Mom to run some tests. See how good that stuff
really is but..."
Eve raised an eyebrow.
"But the armor's not the
weak link is it?"
Eve nodded. "The weak
part's the same as it always was."
"Yeah," Ranma
agreed, thinking of Usagi. "Maybe requiring constant training isn't such a
bad thing."
"I thought that was your
plan, before the armor."
"Sure but now Serenity's
got a shiny new toy to try out, and someone real close to her giving moral
support."
"Yes.... her." Eve
sighed. "Do you think Mercury is clever enough to pull this off?"
"Whatever do you
mean?" Ranma asked, guilelessly. "Yes, her stated goal is to upgrade
the Senshi to serve and improve Queen Serenity. And yes, she's transformed
people into suits of magical armor." Ranma's innocence evaporated.
"What do you take me for?"
"That doesn't answer my
question."
"I don't think Akumi is
competent enough to put such a plan into motion. However, a successful
operative will ensure that her opponents underestimate her."
"Like the part you
play?" Eve smirked.
Ranma smirked. "However,
if Akumi had been planning to use Minako this way... well..."
"She would have done it
already."
"Right after the Soviets'
attack, by my guess. The offer for protection is made and..." Ranma waved
her arm to the opposite end of the Mess.
"Before they had to come to
us for protection."
"Back when the Princess
still believed she could handle this on her own."
Eve nodded.
"No, while this is
Akumi's style... she wouldn't stand for this."
Following her sister's gaze,
Eve watched as Kiri ferried yet another platter of food. "An excellent
point; more-so than you, she fears Meiou's influence."
"And she's impatient. No,
if this were Akumi's work, Serenity would have already blasted her way out of
here, run out of jammer range and teleported to God-knows-where."
"That doesn't preclude
Akumi from being behind this. It's entirely possible her plan derailed with
Venus following someone else's agenda," Eve noted.
"That goes without
saying." Ranma kept her eyes on the golden figure. "That's pretty
much what Meiou and the Queen told me. Venus took advantage of what Akumi did
to her and made herself into a protective suit. So Akumi had a hand in
this."
"But it's a question of
degree," Eve sighed.
"Right, we can't dismiss
Akumi." Violet eyes narrowed. "This chain of control here is getting
a bit too long for my taste."
"Right, and then there's how much
influence little Kiri has in all this," Eve added.
"We've been watching Puu,
what you're forgetting is the new influence here, someone that literally has
the Queen's ear."
Eve chuckled. Minako was the
gatekeeper, controlling everything that the Queen saw and did. "Clever
girl."
"Yes, a gatekeeper that's
about as big of a bimbo you can get and still be able to breathe and walk at
the same time."
"This is the same girl
that managed to operate alone in
"Doesn't keep her from
being a bimbo."
Eve chuckled. "Still,
this does mean that Meiou has been usurped. The Queen's new advisor has
complete knowledge and privacy. You've seen how she talks now. The hesitations,
the scripted lines."
"On the upside, there's
no whining and less babble."
"That alone should raise
your paranoia, if it's still a bimbo leading a bigger bimbo, as you
presume." Sipping, Eve looked out at the Senshi. "This does
complicate our contingencies."
"Then it's fortunate that
we're learning as much as we can."
"That's what Meiou's
doing."
"Her being caught
flat-footed has lost its novelty," Ranma dryly remarked.
"That shiny new uniform
is amusing."
"Yes...." Ranma
narrowed her eyes as she looked across the room.
"No comment about a
creepy 'little girl' wearing black armor and red eyes?"
The redheaded demon gave Eve a
sideways glance.
"It's still understated
compared to what the others are wearing. Polished metal." Eve shook her
head.
"We knew they'd cause
problems."
"Them gaining metallic
power-suits was something we considered, but... we didn't think it'd go this
far."
"The queen is lacking in
understatement." Ranma remarked she turned and exited the mess hall.
"Your plans?" Eve
asked as they stepped outside.
Ranma scanned the forest to
spot the barely visible innermost line of fencing. "We train them; we
learn. We don't have much time to make our decision."
Eve frowned. "The queen's
armor?"
"Decoy plan aside. This
adds new layers of control."
"You think we've been
conned."
"Of course. Meiou's got
her plans, but... Venus. That's a new one."
"We could be
overestimating her. She is a bimbo," Eve proposed.
"That makes the perfect
cover. People don't suspect halfwits."
Eve smirked and wrapped an arm
around the smaller woman's shoulder. "I've taught you well."
Ranma purred.
"Complacency kills."
"So you're not ruling out
Mercury?"
"Not entirely, no. If I
were her, I'd simply use Venus to bring the queen back to me, but we know she's
not one for simple plans."
"A mole?"
"Sure," Ranma
shrugged. "Have the queen built in power then take all the Senshi and then
us. It's crazy, but this is Akumi we're talking about."
"It could also be a case
of defective control. Maybe Venus is following a holding pattern due to a lack
of fresh orders. Maybe our jammers interfere with such transmissions. Which
means if we let the Queen get in range of Akumi..."
Ranma sighed. "We'd have
the queen transform into... what?"
"Really? You wonder what
a deluded dominatrix with queen issues would do once she gets her prize,
conveniently encased in liquid precious metals?" Eve asked with mock
innocence.
***************
Kiri stepped into the bunkroom
and sighed slightly. Sitting, or at least resting on partially telescoped
skirting was the queen. Looking away from the room-dominating golden figure,
Meiou checked the beds; they were empty.
"Well... this is
new."
Eyes closed, the queen turned
to Kiri.
Meiou stepped forward.
"Serenity?"
"The queen is
asleep," Minako's voice emitted from the crown's crescent ruby
centerpiece.
Meiou eyed the flashing gem.
"So you've decided to talk."
"Does the Queen need to
be disturbed?" Minako became a bit more atonal.
"Does she?" Kiri
raised an eyebrow as she started pacing in front of the auric armor. "I
was under the impression that you were both being given some time to sleep,
given the early morning training."
"She is asleep."
Meiou smirked. "Of course
she is. What better place for her to sleep."
"What do you want?"
Minako asked, with just enough inflection to be icily terse.
"You can talk, to her,
but not with this little speaker." Kiri leaned forward and looked up at
the looming figure. "So, what are you whispering in her ears? How are her
dreams?"
The armored head tilted
slightly.
"Yes." Kiri narrowed
her eyes. "I can see it now: her on a raised dais in a shimmering court as
courtesans lovingly polish her, polish you." Kiri's eyes went to the
queen's left arm. "Or maybe it's more visceral. Maybe you have her out
conquering. Introducing her to imperial pleasures?"
"Oh! good idea. I was
just giving her a massage."
Meiou sighed. "Very
cute."
The mask bearing Serenity's
face smirked.
"You're going to have to
let her out sometime."
Venus straightened her head.
"If you don't want to talk to the queen, then why are you here?"
"You're the one I want to
talk to."
"Really?"
"There is a great
opportunity before us."
Minako laughed. "And you
worry about what I'm saying to the Queen."
"Of course!" Kiri
glared. "I'm supposed to be the manipulative advisor. Though we can work
together. It's a good start, but with my help..."
"Aw, how cute,"
Minako's gushing clashed with the golden form's gravitas.
Kiri pouted. "What? You
want to cuddle next? Maybe some petting?"
"You didn't mind petting
earlier in the morning." Minako countered. "It would help."
Kiri sniffed. "The queen does like affection."
The armor's serene face looked
smug.
Running a finger along the
waist-armor's anchor ring, Kiri looked up. "You're right, but do you
realize the dangers? Look at Ami, if you break her heart...."
Minako nodded. "She'll
remake me."
***************
"Yes Cecilia," Ranma
said as she watched Sergeant Olsen Brummet and Corporal Cordell Giddings unpack
a crate of Canadian variant FN FAL's.
"Nineteen-eighty-one?"
Cecilia asked looking at the date on the large crate.
"It's a good year,"
Olsen noted as he stripped the packing material off one of the rifles and started
removing a thick grease-like coating.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow at
Ranma.
"Weapons don't go bad. As
long as they're stored properly," Ranma added, eyeing the seals and
coatings on the weapons.
"Yeah, Cosmoline does the
job, it's just a pain," Cordell noted, fingering the anti-rust grease that
coated the weapons.
Giving a thoughtful hum,
Cecilia eyed Ranma.
The redhead eyed the two
troopers. "If you'll give me a moment." She turned to Cecilia and led
her a couple paces away. "Yes?"
"It's just...."
Cecilia's eyes went to the guns.
"Don't worry. Your girls
won't actually be using those rifles. Not at the start. The Black Devils have
some spares for your first lessons. Then once these are checked out and
upgraded to modern spec, you can have them."
Cecilia's cheeks pinked
slightly. "It's not that."
"Oh." Ranma frowned.
"Would you prefer something WIC-make? It's far too early to use a full
HOG, and the lower section fires the same round as those Canadian guns."
"No..."
Ranma tilted her head.
"Then what's the problem."
"It's all this."
Cecilia waved at the weapons. "I'm not exactly comfortable with my girls
using assault weapons."
"Assault rifles."
Ranma corrected. "An assault weapon is just a political term. Basically
any gun that looks scary. An assault rifle
is an actual combat weapon, one with select fire. So they can work as a
semi-auto carbine or a burst fire or a full-auto light machine gun or some
combination."
"That's... not what I
meant."
Ranma blinked. "Why? Your
girls will get the best and safest training."
Cecilia looked down.
"You're a demon that can
lob fireballs, cut through steel, and seduce just about anyone. Your girls
could already hurt a lot of people if they were irresponsible."
"I've just never used...
I mean I never really hunted..."
Ranma chuckled. "I'm
Japanese, and spent a lot of time wandering
The demoness bit her lip, her
curls obscuring he face.
"You'd be apprehensive
about the physical training too. Any of the marital arts."
Cecilia nodded.
The redhead sighed.
"Cecilia... Sissy," Ranma's voice softened. "You still have a
choice. You can go back to having a quiet life. The Company can relocate you.
You can go back to just having a family and raising your girls, but... if you
want to stay. This is how it's going to be."
"We're not... well, not
fighters."
"And yet you still want
to help."
Blushing slightly, Cecilia
looked down.
"Yes, you agreed to be
support staff, and that's vital, but... that doesn't matter." Ranma gave a
charitable smile. "Our enemies don't care. In a crisis you can't panic,
you can't freeze. If you want to help, this is a part of it. Training reduces
the risk."
"I know." Cecilia
raised her head and met the brood mother's soft eyes. "How do you handle
it? Knowing the risks, knowing what could happen to your broodlings?"
Ranma gave a wan smile.
"I try to do the best job I can. I give them the love and support they
need. That includes training. It can be hard on them, but life is hard."
"Well, that’s
reassuring." Cecilia sighed.
'That's life." Ranma eyed
the other demoness.
"Right. I agreed to the
training, let's do it." Cecilia steeled herself.
Ranma leaned in an hugged her.
"I can't promise that nothing bad will happen to your girls, but I can
promise that they'll be able to fight back."
***************
Galina smiled as the tall man
entered the hotel room; Desyat closed the door behind him. "Why hello Zhivkov."
She stood up.
"Really? Was Cherverkov
too obvious?" de Veste groused from his seat.
The apparent Zhivkov bristled,
while his clothes were not terribly well-tailored, they did not clash. "At
least you know your history."
"It's nothing." Mal shrugged.
"Former prime ministers do make for obvious pseudonyms. Really it's not
like any of us are using our... Christian names," he said with a
chuckle."
Zhivkov inclined his head.
"And what might I call you?"
Mal looked over to Galina who nodded. "Mal.
Mal de Veste," he said flatly.
"I... see." Zhivkov
turned to Galina and, facing away from Mal, raised an eyebrow.
Galina eyed the plaid-suited
man. "Todor, I assure you Mal's skills will come in handy. He has already
proven his usefulness."
"Oh?"
"I showed them how to
sweep for some... exotic bugs," Mal explained.
Zhivkov nodded. "Yes,
well there are questions. Comrade Kolarov was quite... colorful on the
information you've furnished us so far."
"Todor, we've worked
together before. That's why I knew I could trust your men. Can you not trust
us?"
Zhivkov frowned. "This is
different than your... enhancements."
"If the work is too much
you can go home." Mal played with his pinky ring. "Go east until you
find a general that needs some... cleaning. Plenty of work, if you can keep
quiet about it."
At first, Zhivkov reddened at
man's suggestion, but there was no disparagement in his suggestion. Worse, he
was right. In a pinch it was relatively easy and fairly profitable work.
"Do you have a problem with
the terms?" Galina idly asked.
"That is not what worries
"No!" Galina yelled.
After a moment she motioned for Desyat to stay her hand. "What are the
three teams used in a basic ambush?"
Zhivkov blinked.
"Pardon?"
"This is basic."
Galina turned away from the former soldier. "What are the components of an
ambush?"
"Uh," Zhivkov's
memory went back to the balmy summer days in a barracks on the steppes learning
from the Red Army. "Assault, security, and support."
"Indeed. An attack goes
so much better when flanks are secured and supporting fire can be called upon.
The capitalists so love their force multipliers." Galina chuckled.
"Not that simplicity doesn't have its own virtues."
Controlling the growing dread
in his chest, Zhivkov nodded. "Then that is our role? We counter their
support?"
"It's for the best. You
wouldn't last if you got in close with these girls," Mal stated in the
same even voice.
"And your team
would?" Zhivkov made sure to keep his tone free of accusation.
Galina faced the Bulgarian.
"Slightly."
Zhivkov swallowed, no longer able to fully
contain himself. "So the events in the news..."
"A spectacular
failure." Mal levelly looked to Galina. "Casualties? KIAs?"
Zhivkov clasped his hands
behind his back. "Casualties," he repeated. He heard rumors that one
of the Galina's team had been killed, once, when an ammunition dump went up
but...
"Yes. We are
under-strength."
Straightening his ring, Mal
leaned back in his chair. "Now we lift the veil of ignorance."
"I see." Zhivkov
tightened his grip. "And if I may ask what... specialty does your team
have?"
"Team?" Mal
chuckled. "Tell me comrade, are you a religious man?" He adjusted his
pinky ring, amused.
Pain shot up Zhivkov's wrist.
"What kind of question is that?"
Mal nodded.
"Interesting."
"Not going to call me a
mercenary?"
"Why?" Mal tilted
his head. "We all kill people for money. I really can't begrudge you for
that."
"Then why?"
Mal smiled, oily. "Sorry
for the distraction."
A'deen eyed the suited-man.
"Comrade de Veste works alone, normally."
"I see." Zhivkov
shifted his grip on his wrist.
Zhivkov sighed. He could understand the value of his men. This was not the first time he had worked with the Numbers. As A'deen implied, even... superior troops could benefit from additional support and security. A single man however...
"No, you don't. That's
the problem with your kind, when faced with something that doesn't fit your
little world view you ignore it, you lie, you deny. Normally, that's a plus, it
makes my job easier, but now... Fortunately, I'm not that worried. With your
revolutionary remnants that'll just make for a nice distraction. These demons
like to take their time with their kills, and you're bringing a lot of warm
bodies." Mal said, his voice returning to its flat almost disengaged tone
Galina glared.
Zhivkov's eyes widened
slightly as he watched Galina open her mouth then stop and turn away from de
Veste. Aside from Red Army superiors, from way back, he knew of nothing that
would stay her acid-tongue. Especially with an impertinent... hireling.
Galina paused. "Mal is
correct. Zhivkov, if you fail, if you underestimate this enemy, your men will
be devoured by monsters."
"Have you shown them
battle footage?" Mal mildly asked.
Zhivkov raised an eyebrow,
while Galina and Desyat went still.
"Ladies, it's in your
eyes. Now maybe your optics don't have a record capability, but I doubt it.
It's your prerogative how much you want to share, but... you, Todor, should
know what your men could go up against."
Galina pursed her lips.
"The footage you sent me
was... minimal. More would be helpful," Zhivkov allowed.
Mal adjusted his glasses.
"Apologizes if that was too presumptive."
"It's a fair point."
Sighing, Galina's eyes flicked to Desyat, who still stood silently near the
door. "We'll get you the footage."
"Thank you," Zhivkov
nodded.
"If you come up against
these creatures, don't hesitate, don't let them get close, and don't let up
your fire." Mal leveled his gaze at the Bulgarian.
"Right." Zhivkov
wondered if he would get advice that was not applicable to both the demons and
Galina's team. "What of the other girls, these... magic users?"
"Poorly led, poorly
trained, poorly organized. However, their offensive capability is not to be
trifled with. Unfortunately, we have even less detail on their weapons than we
do on the demons'."
Zhivkov nodded. "Though
this is the group with the primary... client."
"Yes, our 'client's'
inner circle are useful targets of opportunity. From our information they
provide key support and we've already whittled down their numbers."
"Wouldn't eroding her
human support push her further into the hands of the demons and the
Company?" Mal asked. "Seems to me, that's having her trade up in
terms or protection."
"An unfortunate
consequence of her continued survival."
Zhivkov restrained a frown.
Clearly, the situation had gotten worse. Otherwise A'deen would have no need to
hire them. "And where have your losses come from?"
"The demons,
exclusively."
Galina glared at the brutish
man.
"Your caution of them is
obvious. It seems to me, that they are your enemy. That these human girls...
are just a way of keeping score."
"We aim to complete this
mission." Galina narrowed her eyes. "Killing our target is what
counts."
***************
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Minako's voice
transmitted.
Usagi lifted her arms and
leaned forward trying to look down past the immensity of her chest. She
succeeded but that only gave her a slightly better view of the belts of armor
that spread out and down in a bell-shape from the thick anchoring circlet
around her hips. "Please... humor me,"
Usagi eventually mentally commanded.
"As you wish," Minako replied.
Usagi gasped, her silver lips
parting. She felt her body split apart as her torso separated from a seam that
ran down the middle. Similarly, she felt her skirting decouple as the staggered
layers disconnected and separated, revealing immense golden legs, which then
began to peel apart.
While the undersides of her
arms popped open and her hair pulled back, her face melted away. And then... it
was no longer her body splitting and pulling apart, it was her armor.
Hesitantly, she pulled her arms and felt them slide out of their housings.
Goose-bumps formed on the suddenly exposed, suddenly chilled skin.
She stepped forward, almost
stumbling at the height difference between where the armor placed her feet and
the floor. Taking another half step she nearly stumbled again, this time at the
drastic width reduction of her foot-print.
"Weird," she
muttered, looking at her hands. There was no overlay display, no additional
information, just her eyes and ten naked slender digits, but most of all there
was no voice. She turned back to the armor. "Mina?"
Looming above the
silver-haired queen, the armor looked disemboweled, harvested for vitals.
Gently pulsing, silver veins and arteries ran throughout the cavity and she
could see the support structures that held her body within. Serenity shuddered
at the sight and unconsciously took a step back towards the armor.
Frowning, Luna scrambled off
of the armor just as clacks and metal rasping against metal resumed. The
hair-helmet flipped back, the arms resealed and the chest closed back up. For a
moment the armor looked almost normal and Serenity's heart sank at the sight of
the faceless suit.
But the closing continued, and
armored sections accelerated the pace with which they folded over each other.
Shoulder plates collapsed inward while chest armor peeled back and armored
skirting telescoped inward and upward. The blade rapidly receded into a more
traditional shape and the crystalline mountings of the heavy wand collapsed in
a domino-like cascade.
Gold and silver armor folded
into itself transitioning from hulking Imperial armor unto the relatively lithe
frame of Venus' golem form. Eyes flaring red, Venus sheathed her sword and
handed the crescent wand back to Serenity.
Serenity accepted the wand
with a bow. "Thank you, for everything."
A slight smile passed Venus'
golden lips.
"Well how sweet,"
Kiri said stepping into the bunk room. "But I don't think this getup will
work."
Venus nodded slightly.
"Well, what?"
Serenity crossed her hands over her chest, momentarily amazed that they were
small enough to allow such an action. "Do you think I shouldn't ever leave
the armor?"
Kiri sighed. "Maybe if
Mina... or Usagi or whatever we're calling her now, didn't have the Venus
symbol all over her armor. We kind of want those Russians to think that they've
actually killed three of us."
Serenity's eyes sparkled.
"A makeover then?"
"She's already made
herself into your armor." Kiri nodded after a moment. "Yes that will
do. Mina, can you do a more... toned down version of your big armor?"
Venus nodded and there was
more rasping of armor. Shoulder armor folded out and the skirting went from the
Senshi pleated to something a bit heavier, while still reaching just above the
knees. Her hair went from a centurion-like golden crest to the sculpted
metallic hair bun. Returning to the wrist mount, her sword once again became a
permanent fixture.
Kiri nodded as the Venus
symbols reverted back to crescent Moons. "That can work."
Minako smirked.
"Though it's still a bit
suspicious having an animated armor suit, but so is the big suit that you two
make." Kiri shrugged. "I presume you can still look human?"
Her expression turning to a
smirk, Minako had her armor collapse until it became golden skin which then
paled into a human tone.
Looking at... herself,
Serenity shook her head. "I still get weirded out by that."
"Not the first
time," Minako laughed with Usagi's voice.
Kiri nodded. "I suppose
the princess becoming –well- princess armor works."
"Especially since
everyone else has metallic armor. Other than you." Serenity turned to
Kiri.
"Hmm... and what will the
Russians think if they see the princess merging with the queen?"
The other two girls frowned.
"I'm not so sure they'd
take kindly to a bit of Lunar Love Queen," Luna muttered.
Serenity's eyes glinted.
"Oooh."
"Please don't give her
ideas," Meiou sighed.
"What? You're not amused
by the idea of a giant shiny Cupid?" Luna asked.
***************
Half of a hill had been
excavated and used to widen the remaining half and even bring in the far ends,
making a miniature box canyon. Standing before the several meter tall berm were
pairs of metal risers, with a sheet of cardboard straddling each. Three meters
in front of the earthen mound and the targets were four bundles. The precision
machinery gave a dull shine, the containers of high energy chemicals sat fat
and heavy, and the fabric harness and pouches rested in curled tangles.
In front of those were four
vaguely-teenage girls with loose green jumpsuits and chalk-white skin. A
vaguely sulfurous scent rose from them. Standing behind them were three older
women, in similar if more... ready clothes.
Nose flaring, the one with
green eyes smiled slightly. "Okay, you've all managed to use rifles
without killing yourselves, now we're going to see if you can handle the next
thing," Misako barked to the assembled succubae. "You, what's the first
rule?" Misako pointed to the succubus standing at the end of the firing
line.
Hazel's eyes widened as she
tried to recall. "Assume every firearm is loaded?"
"Right." Misako
smirked. "Always treat it like it is loaded, and related, when you start
carrying always keep it loaded, an empty gun is just a pricey club. You, next
rule." Misako said, pointing to the demon on the opposite end from Hazel.
Desiree's eyes looked to Hazel
and Auntie Ranma and that Company officer. "Well... Control the
muzzle?"
"When?" Misako's
voice was deceptively gentle.
"All the time?"
"And why is that?"
Desire's eyes darted down to
the handgun just ahead of her feet. "Because it's always loaded... and the
muzzle is where the bullets come out?"
"Heh. Not bad,"
Misako smirked and looked to one of the girls in the middle.
"Third one?"
Meredith asked. "Right. 'Trigger finger off the trigger and out of the
trigger guard.' " She quoted from memory.
"And when do you do
that?"
Meredith was about to say
'always' but stopped. "Until you're ready to... shoot?"
Misako nodded. "There's a
whole issue on when you're ready to shoot, but that's for later lessons. Right
now we're giving the basics. Prissy last rule?" She said without looking
at the girl.
Priscilla chewed her lip.
"See that it's unloaded. Prove its safe?"
"What does that mean?
Since the first rule says your gun is always loaded?"
"But it's not..."
Priscilla froze at Misako. "I mean we emptied our rifles when we cleaned
them this morning. That nice Sergeant had us check them."
"How?"
"Removed the magazine and
worked the action. Then looked inside. Then worked it again."
"Exactly," Misako
beamed. "It's good that you're being cautious. What's the saying
Lieutenant?"
Kasumi looked up.
"Complacency kills."
"That's right." Misako
nodded. "Obey these four rules and I'll guarantee you won't hurt yourself
or your family." The green eyed girl walked behind the four succubae.
"You might be wondering when you'd actually use these weapons. Right now
you're support staff, but more importantly you're demons. You can already call
up various attacks, but..." Misako smirked. "It's far better to have
a skill and never use it, than it is to need it and not have it. Isn't that
right Mother?"
Standing off to one side,
Ranma's eye went up and her hand went over the handle of the SSP she wore on
her hip. "Yes, Misa." She looked down the line of demons. "I've
had to use my weapon in battle, and I was glad I knew how to use it. In a fight
you won't have time to think, you'll just have your instincts and your
training. These weapons are no different than the other skills you're being
taught."
"Right, bend down and
pick up your guns. Do not load them." Misako's eyes glinted. "Hazel!
Your gun's drifting. Rule two! This is the SSP; it fires the five-hundred
S&W cartridge one of the only handgun rounds that are actually effective in
NH combat. Each magazine only holds seven rounds so reloading is vital."
Hazel blushed and angled the
weapon's muzzle back downrange.
Simultaneously Ranma and
Kasumi stepped in and made sure that fingers were off the trigger and out of
the trigger guards.
"You didn't forget
everything from this morning." Misako nodded. "Now take your fingers
and hold the grip with your middle and ring finger."
"Closer, get it right up
on the beaver tail," Kasumi adjusted Desiree's hand so that the beaver
tail guard on the back of the grip was flush with flesh between the demon's
pointer finger and thumb.
"Right. Now rack the
slide." Misako sighed at the younger girls. "No.. you don't ride the
slide. In a fight, fine motor control goes right out the window." She
pulled out her own weapon, released the magazine, and cleared the chamber.
"See, just get a good grab on the slide with your off hand. Then once you
have it take the hand holding the gun and push it forward. Then let go of the
slide. Right! That's it. See how much stronger that is."
"Ohhh, that is
simpler," Hazel nodded.
Misako smirked. "Right,
now use the slide lock and hold the slide back.
"Remember that is called a slide lock, not a slide release. Now if your magazine goes empty, it'll look like this. Now why don't we use the slide release?"
"Uh... it's a fine
motion?" Meredith asked.
"Yup, though the good
part of the slide lock is that you can use it one handed, but one handed
reloading is an advanced subject. But if you don't use the side release then
how do you work the action? "
Hazel blinked. "We just
rack it like before?"
"Right, keep it simple.
You're not going to have time to think about how to reload. Speaking of that,
place your weapons back into the holsters, and then pick up your belts."
The broodlings complied and
slipped their belts on. Kasumi and Ranma then helped them adjust the holsters
and magazine carriers.
"Good, good." Misako
smirked. "Now you'll learn how to draw and holster. Won't that be
fun?"
Hazel's heart-shaped face
turned quizzical. "Yay?"
"After that you'll get to
shoot."
"Oh." Hazel blinked.
"Yay!"
"Yay, indeed."
Gravely nodding, Misako turned to her mother and broke into a quick smile. Looking
over the redhead's shoulder, her grin broadened even more. "Oh, hi
grandma!"
Ranma turned and spotted her
mother approaching, lab coat incongruously draped over a set of WIC armor.
"Well, well, how's the
training?" Nodoka asked, stepping up to the range from behind the
firing-line.
"Just starting,"
Misako said.
"They're doing good
though."
"Of course, they're
family," Misako proclaimed.
"BlackSky would be
proud," Nodoka murmured, pensive.
"Yeah, especially since
they got away from the Alexia's influence." Ranma glanced at her mother.
"Family is important,
it's good that you're helping yours."
"It helps that they're
agreeable." Despite her smile, concern crossed Ranma's eyes. "You
complete the examination?"
Nodoka nodded.
"Misa-chan, can you spare her?"
Misako raised an eyebrow.
"Lieutenant Tendo's more than enough."
Ranma turned to Kasumi and
gave a slight nod. "Right, help Misa and the girls then. Good luck with
the lesson, Dear," she then said to her daughter.
After the officer and her daughter
had walked several paces back to the buildings, Nodoka turned slightly.
"Having her teach?"
"It's good for Misako;
she can use more responsibility," Ranma said as four shots barked in the
distance.
Nodoka nodded. "And the
rest of Cecilia's brood, where are they?"
"With Akane and Nariko
learning the basics of hand to hand. Sophie and Morgan are helping too, may as
well sharpen their training too."
"Quite the little school
you've got going here," Nodoka chuckled.
Ranma frowned. "Well it's
not like we're going to Furinkan anymore."
Nodoka patted her daughter on
the shoulder. "It's part of growing up. You girls have only so much
time."
"Yeah.... anyway, JTF2 is learning well
enough. It helps that they've seen some NHs and Cecilia's girls seem eager
enough. Apparently, they did good on rifle this morning."
"But you're not concerned
about them."
Ranma stopped walking.
"Mom, you examined her... them. What's the story?"
"It's... something
else." For a brief moment Nodoka tried to hold in a grin. "In truth,
it's actually not that bad... Well, if you ignore the gaudy embellishments.
While hands are a real pain to protect due to the articulation, simply covering
them up is... limiting, and permanently affixing a sword like that..."
Nodoka shook her head.
"It's pretty dumb. I
suppose having it become a big claw could be livable, but as it is, it's far
too hobbling." Eight shots, in four overlapping pairs interrupted Ranma's
response. "And that giant skirt?"
Nodoka chuckled. "It
isn't completely absurd. Really," she defended against her daughter's
skeptical expression. "Firstly, it gives protection. Sure her legs are
huge, but that's because they support all that mass, that's not all armor. The
skirt also acts as a screen barrier too. Explosives will detonate against that
first, not her legs."
"It's a giant metal ball
gown."
"And that shape allows
for fair leg mobility and allows it to act as a nozzle." Nodoka shook her
head in recollection of that pre-dawn video footage. "And an overlooked
thing that skirt does is stabilize. Not only does it lower her center of mass
but since it's spread out, the armor increases her moment of inertia. Not that
she still won't fall over due to absurd ground pressure."
"Yeah her footwork
really, really needs improvement."
"Not just footwork, but
wooden stairs, mud, decking, maybe even residential buildings are right out.
Which just nails home how worthless she'd be in urban combat. The skirt is an
interesting solution but... it's far too much. Its protection comes at too high
of a cost in bulk and weight."
Ranma nodded.
"But the weight overlooks
something else." Nodoka's eyes gleamed.
"Oh?"
"The whole armor weighs
far more than the sum of their masses. Even if you add her golden golem mass to
Serenity's. That's a real powerful summon right there."
"Expanding the brood's
capabilities?"
Nodoka nodded. "Being
able to 'dial-in' your level of armor in combat would be exceedingly useful.
Unfortunately, it's extremely energy intensive, though we might be able to get
a workaround via your demonic summoning."
"She's showing off,"
the redhead mumbled, looking out to the buildings. "Overall?"
Nodoka shrugged. "In a
vacuum, it's an impressive weapons system. Her main weapon is a much better
focus. That makes it easier to channel heavy energy blasts. However the sword
and armor are shiny enough to make her feel invincible and clunky enough to be
a real hindrance.."
"Oh, you checked them
out?" Ranma smirked.
"The sword is very
flexible. Which... mitigates the insanity of how it's mounted."
"I don't think that it's
a weapon."
Nodoka raised an eyebrow.
"The only reason the
sword's like that is to leave her without hands. It forces her to manipulate
the sword, forces her to lean on Mina."
Nodoka nodded. "I noticed
the pauses too. She's waiting for advice."
"Probably why the armor's
so thick, insulates her from anything Mina doesn't want her to know
about."
Frowning Nodoka nodded again.
"Yes, the armor that is quite resistant to small arms fire and many
smaller crew served weapons. Probably weak to HEAT though. Personally, there's
some room for improvement in her armor."
"Really? Do they know
it?"
"Daughter, I am an
agent." The scientist smirked. "I complimented them on their skill in
building various armor laminate, which allowed me to take some samples. It's...
creative work, and I can come up with some improvements, if you want."
"Let me rephrase. Do you
think Mina knows?"
"I think the armor does
the job it was designed to do." Nodoka gave a hollow chuckle. "The
armor itself is a rather interesting, if unoptimized, blend. Pure gold is a
rather pathetic armor, given its properties, but that's mostly an aesthetic
choice. Really it's a lamination of several materials charged with the expected
Silver energies. This is similar to the current metal armor the others wear, on
a larger scale of course, and fundamentally it’s the same as their cloth armor
as well, save for a different substrate.
"Now simply scaling up
the layer-count and replacing the matrix with something stronger is a brute
force way to improve protection, but it's hardly the most efficient. Though
when dealing with a design that seems... generous with issues of weight and
bulk, mass has an effectiveness of its own."
"Noted." Ranma
nodded. "Do you think it's usable?"
"Honestly? It doesn't
seem suited for this type of combat. That's being very generous." Major
Saotome smirked. "I suppose such a suit would fill the self-propelled
artillery TO&E of the Silver Empire. From that perspective it's not that
bad of a weapons system. As long as you keep to fields and away from built-up
areas. Still such a system would ideally have an escort to deal with anything
that got close. Technically, she is smaller, more mobile and less bulky than
our... vehicles."
"Which we don't use very
much and would get torn apart in close combat anyway."
"Right, we did fire a
GPS-HIMARS system, but that was in a specific situation. And it's curious she
hasn't gone for less armor in exchange for more mobility, while keeping the
same firepower. "
Ranma leaned on her mother.
"We could try that, but I think there's a specific reasons she's so bulky
and has fixed weapon mounts."
Nodoka hugged the shorter
woman. "Possession and fear of loss do seem to be quite apparent
here."
Ranma sighed happily. "Yeah,
her problem isn't a lack of protection, it's a lack of control, and well that's
her game."
Nodoka nodded. "Right,
slower responses, fewer words; she was consulting."
"Sure, Serenity was
letting someone else do the thinking, having someone else make all the
decisions for her."
"Only now we can't see
her abdicating all her responsibility."
Ranma nodded. "Right! The
armor doesn't make her be more decisive, it makes her less. Eve and I were
talking about that this morning."
"That shifts the balance of
power."
"Yes," Ranma
narrowed her eyes. "Seems to me that it's just like Puu pulling her
strings."
"Puu doesn't completely
encase Serenity, nor does she control everything she sees, says, and
does."
"Clever girl."
"Don't be so sure of
that, Dear." Nodoka cautioned. "Be wary of her, yes, but don't fall
into the same trap your rivals do. Sometimes an airhead is just an
airhead."
***************
After watching the trio of
clay disks explode, Nariko absently looked at her watch. "Right, break
time."
Jupiter nodded and got up from
her crouch and rejoined Mars and Pluto.
Sophie nodded. "Good
work, fair accuracy and okay team tactics."
"Really?" Mars
flicked a bit of dirt of her bronze skirting.
"Oh yes, especially you
and Makoto." Sophie said as she secured the trap machine. "You've
worked together for years, it shows. You've got power and teamwork, you just
need more formal training."
Kiri smirked. "You should
have see them before I started working on their gunnery."
As the group started walking back,
Sophie appraised the armored girls. "That's only part of it, team skills
are critical. Without them you're just individuals in a big fight."
"So you expect us to run
about shouting 'Cover me' and 'Covering'? " Mars raised an eyebrow.
"That's a bit obvious isn't it?"
"That's where teamwork
comes in, when you work with someone long enough, you start to predict how
they're going to move," Sophie explained.
"Honestly, we expect you
to forget entirely, and die, and we'd expect you to use comm. gear and understand
that combat is a noisy place, but we're no longer even that hopeful," Nariko brightly added.
"They complained when I
trained them, too," Kiri noted as they walked across the base.
"Yes, they'd do
that," Sophie absently replied.
"Our meeting,"
Nariko reminded.
Rei blinked. "Hmm?"
Sophie nodded to Nariko.
"We'll be back, enjoy your break."
"Huh," Makoto said
watching them walk off.
"Suspicious?" Kiri
asked, as the two demons rejoined other demons.
"Let's see, scientists
are poking at the queen and... Usagi, and the demons are suddenly grouping up.
Yeah, I don't think DarkStar's up to anything," Rei grumbled.
Meiou's smile held traces of
condescension. "She's not human. Don't forget that, they don't think like
you do. A creature like her, her motives are either hopelessly complex or
dreadfully simple."
Looking at her distorted
reflection in Pluto's armor, Rei grimaced. "That's not reassuring."
"That's not my job."
Kiri smirked. "My job is to serve the Line of Serenity."
"It's Ranma, I'm betting
on dreadfully simple," Jupiter interjected.
"That's what she wants
you to think. No one who's done all this-" Rei snorted and waved her arms
to encompass the multi-national base, and the ruined AOM facility. "Could
be simple."
"You make a good point."
Kiri chuckled. "There is definitely more at work here."
"I liked it better when
we could just fry everything that wasn't human," Rei muttered.
Kiri raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Rei
demanded, glaring down at the shorter girl.
"Well, we are being trained
by demons, and our main enemies right now are human. Oh, and there's what our
blonde friend's been turned into," Jupiter stated.
"And things have gotten a
lot more complicated."
Pluto shook her head.
"They always were complicated."
"Really?"
"Remember the Black Moon
Clan? Time traveling insurrectionists under the thrall of an ancient horror. Or
there's the
"Yeah, but we still just
fried them all," Jupiter reminded. "Well, until we got killed."
Kiri chuckled. "Yes,
there was that."
***************
Adjusting her chest-rig, Ranma
looked up at the queen, but only slightly. "Not armored-up?" she
asked, absently nodding to Minako.
Currently in her Moon princess
guise, Minako nodded from her seat next to the Queen.
"Luna recommended that
I.... unwind," Serenity looked down at the cat luxuriating on her lap.
Ranma chuckled.
"Fine."
"This is about that?
You're deciding whether or not you'll let me... us fight how we want."
The redhead laughed as she
slumped down onto a bunk and looked across the room to the couch where the
"royalty" sat. "It's your choice. Fight how you want. It's your
choice."
Frowning, Serenity idly pushed
a lock of silver hair back into her bun. "Meaning that it's my choice
whether or not I'll get your protection."
The demon's smirk split,
revealing her teeth. "I'm under no obligation to cater to your every
whim."
Minako blinked, slowly
deliberately. "Meiou really should have gotten better terms on that
contract."
"Maybe she wanted to
minimize her queen's demonic entanglements." Ranma eyed the drowsy cat,
warily. "Maybe she was worried that a compromised Senshi would takeover
the queen."
Serenity glared. "Minako
is not compromised!"
"She was. And now her
little experiment has put our plans at risk. Has put you at risk." Ranma
spread her fingers. "My help depends on your obedience."
"Now I know how my mother
felt." Serenity sighed.
"Do you now?" Ranma
laughed. "If I recall, I wasn't terribly assertive back in that
life."
Serenity's eyes narrowed.
"Not you, BlackSky."
The redhead's lips curled into
a tight smile. "
Luna snickered.
"But you can?"
"You're right, look at
who you're working with now." Ranma then shook her head. "We're
family. Even I'm not going to foolishly deal with her."
"Oh? Mother...
Serenity... you know... There was that deal the Silver Millennium made with
her. That worked out well."
Ranma raised an eyebrow.
"BlackSky got her pick of Earth's mages, destroyed a rival, took all her
land, avenged her favored granddaughter's death, and got her back. Meanwhile
the Silver Empire started a troublesome occupation that planted the seeds of
the Fall."
Serenity – Usagi stared at the
demon. "That's...."
The redhead leaned back,
smiling broadly.
"You're not even
accounting the current situation." Luna rolled on her back. "We are
at your mercy."
"And yet you still screw
up" Ranma's grin floated merrily. "Now that's just too paranoid; even
eldritch demon queens have limits. Of course I could be lying to keep you
conveniently complacent."
Minako narrowed her eyes.
"I think we've drifted
from why I came here. Unless you want to talk with grandma BlackSky. There are
several ways she could solve your problem."
"The combat
cyborgs?"
Ranma sighed. "Where's
your imagination? I'm certain BlackSky can accommodate."
"Accommodate what?"
Frustration doubling, the
demon rubbed her head. "How blunt do I have to be? I'm trying to broker a
Faustian bargain here."
"I don't think that's
what mother had in mind when she sent me forward."
Still holding her forehead,
Ranma chuckled. "Yes, her deal with BlackSky went over so well."
"Why are you doing
this?"
"You brought her up and you decided to play mecha,"
Shifting her eyes to Minako, Ranma's voice was stern. "And don't you act
like you're too good for this. You've already made your
deal-with-a-demon."
"Are you trying to make
me regret my choices?"
Radiating the patronizing
warmth of mock contrition, Ranma bowed her head slightly. "Some degree of
self examination or self awareness would be nice, and it would at least make
saving your life from your own gross incompetence less of a chore," she
smoothly said, her eyes smoldering with amused contempt.
Serenity glared and gripped
Minako's hand. "I get it. I'm not as smart as you. We can't all be
eloquent and sophisticated"
Smug confidence shattering,
Ranma rolled to the side in fits of laughter. Laying halfway on the bed she
looked up. Battered by continual chuckles, Serenity had tightened her grip,
seemingly liquefying Minako's... compliant hand.
"Sorry...." Ranma
pulled herself back up. "I'm still getting used to..." She shook her
head and then ran her fingers through the tussled tresses, feathering further.
As that happened, her tail came out and curled around her hips and flopped over
the end of the bed where it lazily swung back and forth. Finally, she extended
her horns. "There, may as well play it to the hilt." Ranma then
leaned forward. "Now..." she purred, literally. "This is a bunk
room. We can even have Minako too. I really don't mind blondes."
Minako turned to Serenity and
gave a quick smile.
Door knocking open, two meters
of terse Teutonic shapeliness strode in. Eve's icy blue eyes scanned the room.
"Well, speak of the
devil." Ranma chuckled. "Are they set?"
"Yes, Major Sifton thinks
we're mad, but he does agree his artillery crews need the practice."
Ignoring Eve's words, Minako's
face brightened. "Oooh, you like puns too?"
"Don't get her
started," Eve said. "You didn't tell them?" she asked Ranma.
"Didn't get the chance.
Queenie over here started talking about Grandma."
Eve nodded.
"So, what, you figured
the conversation was going on too long and barged in to derail it?"
Serenity asked.
"Don't be silly."
Luna rolled back onto her belly. "She probably just watched the video
feed."
Turning to Serenity, the tall
demon chuckled. "Unless mein Schwesterchen wants to feed on you, we do
have a schedule to maintain."
Ranma smirked.
"Technically... you're the little sister here."
"So that's it. Not even
going to use the new armor Min- er... Usagi came up with?" Serenity
glared, her cheeks flush at the continued charade.
"Actually, we need you
two to get back together." Eve's eyes glinted.
Ranma stood up and rocked her
feet. "It really would have been better if command denied your little
suit, but Jacob's got a sense of humor. To bad for you."
"I don't understand where
you got this notion of Colonel Edwards possessing a sense of humor." Eve
deadpanned.
"Why is this so difficult
for you?" Serenity demanded. "If anyone should love big weapons and
heavy armor, it's you guys."
The demon sisters looked at
each other.
"At least she didn't say
we were compensating," Ranma swished her tail in thought.
"Penis envy? Really, must
we be so Freudian?" Her tail flicking back and forth, Eve glanced at her
SSP; its tip only a hair shorter than the dress uniform skirt it was holstered
to.. "I don't think envy is the right word. It's not like we're talking
about a difficult commodity for a succubus to acquire."
"Though Morgan is...
attached to her gun."
"Really? Need I bring up
Misako, or is that too obvious a retort?"
"True, Morgan hasn't
named hers."
"Oh? I've heard her
whisper a certain name around her gun," Ranma teased.
Eve chuckled. "Please,
Morgan didn't even kill that girl with her rifle."
"This... doesn't answer
my question." Serenity sighed.
"Oh, but it does,"
Ranma's voice was almost sing song. "Sure we could clank around in great
big shiny armor, and lumber around with mini-guns, but... why?"
Serenity blinked.
"Just because you can do
something doesn't mean you should."
"You're telling me to not
push the envelope? You?" Serenity's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"There's a difference
between equipment and performance. This thing is a careful balance between
protection and weight," the redhead tapped her vest armor. "Not
because an extra kilo will make it too heavy to carry, but because every bit
saved gives more... space, more maneuverability. I can do all those fancy moves
and do them that fast in spite of my armor not because of it."
"My armor's
different." Serenity squeezed Minako's hand again.
Ranma smirked. "No it's
not."
"Yes, it is a
wonder," Eve's voice was dry.
"That's not a complement,
is it."
"Wonder-weapons are
symptomatic of various State illnesses. Sometimes it's as benign as superpowers
with more money than sense. Other times its the perspiration-inspired
desperation of potentates, presidents, and tyrants gambling that grandiosity
trumps tactics. Either way it's a magnificent waste of resource."
Serenity sniffed at the
miniature lecture. "Then why are you helping me?"
Eve smiled. "Well, it's
not always a waste, at least in the long term. Such projects do provide rich
scavenging."
Ranma nodded and tapped the
jammer pinned to her chest.
Serenity paused. "You
don't care about it as a weapon."
"It's not a weapon. It's
an unpleasant surprise. If you insist on this foolishness, we'll get what we
can out of it. If you insist on fighting with it, we'll make sure it's not a
deathtrap, for us. If you continue to disobey we'll turn you out. If you
protest, I'll full-fill the terms of our first contract." The redhead
carefully lectured, her forced grin never leaving. "Are we clear."
Serenity patted Minako's
tensing hand. "These aren't new terms, are they?"
Ranma shook her head.
"And anyway, not all
wonder weapons are a waste," Serenity's hand went to the wand strapped to
her belt.
"Sure, two even managed
to end the last World War," Ranma flatly said.
"I am death destroyer of
worlds?" Eve quoted. "Though I'd call the
"Terrific?" Serenity
asked, helping Luna get back up to her shoulder.
"English is a funny
language." Eve opened the door. "In addition to being something good,
terrific can refer to something extraordinarily intense or something that
causes terror. I believe those two qualify."
"See! Not all wonder
weapons are failures." Ranma gushed. "Just look at what the wonder
you inherited has done.
Serenity narrowed her eyes.
"That's why I like the armor. It gives me more control. I don't like the
Silver Crystal. Do you have any idea what it can do? Do you realize how afraid
I am of losing control?"
Ranma paused and then nodded.
"So afraid that you hired a demon to kill you if you did."
"Yeah." Serenity
glared. "So maybe, it's not best to make fun of attempts to give me a bit
more control."
"Yes, more control."
The redhead tilted her head and nodded to her sister.
"Little Lunar leader,
what do you think this training is supposed to accomplish?" Eve asked with
mock gentleness.
"And is it really control
if you're depending on someone else?" Ranma's eyes went to the
"human" blonde next to Usagi.
Serenity inhaled. "So
what do you want me to do?"
***************
Hotaru blinked at the
spiky-brown-haired teen. "What makes you think she's Sailor Moon?"
She shot a glance to her companion who simply smirked and leaned back on the
park bench.
"Told you so,"
Shingo sighed from a nearby
bench that faced the two girls. "Our family name is Tsukino. Tsuki, moon. A bit obvious. And let's
not forget that the horrible pun Tsukino Usagi makes." He looked past them
at a pair of salary-men relaxing a few benches over.
Hotaru frowned. She had not
expected things to go this way. "Okay, it's an uncommon name, but its not
unique."
"You didn't seem that
fazed when I popped up?"
"Yeah, funny that."
Shingo narrowed his eyes. "I never seemed to question this new pink-haired
red eyed cousin that none of us ever heard of. Neither did my folks. Meat-ball
head did."
Hotaru smiled slightly.
"What clued you in?"
Glancing at a couple walking
down the part path, Shingo smirked. The woman's dress was nicely curved.
"Usagi's new
friends?" Hotaru asked.
Shingo shook his head.
"Nah, sure Usagi got her new friends when the weirdness started a few
years back, but.... I mean it's Usagi. Anyway, they left on the exchange trip,
and the weirdness stayed here. My suspicions, my questions went away. It was
all a coincidence."
"What happened?"
"Osa-P closed."
Hotaru tilted her head.
"What?"
"This have to do with
Naru?"
"Of course," Shingo
snorted. "Miss Monster-bait and her mom vanish. That got me
curious...." A splashing noise distracted him and he turned to see a bunch
of older girls easing a miniature boat into a nearby pond.
Hotaru gripped the bridge of
her nose. "And you started checking out the news."
"Terrorism, gas
explosions. It's almost as if something strange is going on in this
"But what about the strangeness
here?"
"You two are here,"
Shingo stated.
Hotaru nodded, understanding
the dual meaning of his words.
"So how come my sister's
a super-hero? And how come it took so much for me to see it?" Shingo
asked, his eyes going back to the salary-men.
"So, it seems you figured
it out." Hotaru frowned.
"Only after it beat me
over the head. It's like how I didn't think too much was strange with
"The spell wore off then.
Stupid Luna-P,"
"Maybe that's what
happened with the other stuff," Shingo shook his head.
"Anyway..."
Hesitating, Hotaru looked down; she was not sure of Setsuna-Mamma's idea, but
orders were orders. "Yes, your sister is Sailor Moon."
"And why are you telling
me this?" Shingo raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you two are on the same
team. Given
"How much do you know
about your sister's friends?" Hotaru looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"What to they all have in
common?"
"Not much. Height goes
from Makoto to Ami. Brains also goes from Ami to Mina or sis. Then there's
personality... I dunno... they're all female."
"What about their
families?" Hotaru pressed.
"Makoto's an orphan... I
think. Rei was at that shrine with her Grandfather. Doesn't Ami have a mother
that's a doctor? I don't know about Minako"
"What's missing?
Something they don't have but Usagi does."
"Fathers?" Shingo
guessed.
"So close."
"There's something else
they're missing." Hesitating, Hotaru glanced at
"Siblings." Shingo
frowned. "None of you have any brothers or sisters."
Hotaru nodded.
"Usagi's the only one.
The only one of ten of us."
"I'm the only one,
then?"
Shingo frowned. "Well
shit."
"Don't want to be
a-" Hotaru paused for half a second. "Superhero?'
Shingo shot the girls a level
gaze. "I question the timing."
"So you're suspicious
that after years of being in the dark and sitting on the sidelines that now
you're suddenly being called up?"
"I'd also like to know
why there's two spooks watching us," Shingo asked his voice lowered.
"He didn't just see those
two," Hotaru corrected. "He noticed the pair that walked by, or at
least the 'wife'."
"Who wouldn't? That's a
great dress,"
"Still, and he also
noticed the girls by the pond."
Shingo sighed. "Those are
high school girls, they're playing with a little remote controlled boat, a pink
boat."
"It's a fair disguise.
Just get some youthful looking women, stick them in the right uniforms,"
"Odds that that the crate
they've got for the box has hidden compartments?" Hotaru asked.
"Who are they? And if
they've got subtle surveillance then why bother with two guys in suits? Isn't
that a bit obvious?"
"Want to be seen."
Shingo blinked. "But you don't mix obvious surveillance with subtle. That
there's obvious surveillance shows that someone's watching! Sure, it could
distract from the real surveillance, but it doesn't hide that surveillance is
going on. It makes no sense."
"Really now? Are you sure
there's no reason?"
"Fine" Shingo turned
again and frowned at the boat and the girls using it, one of them a blonde,
looked up at him and gave a little wave. "Wait... three groups A, B and C.
There's obvious group A. They're there to say 'You're being watched'. Then less
obvious B is there to say 'You're being watched, and we're letting you know
that you're being watched intentionally', meanwhile obvious C is there to up
the chances of spotting someone in the obvious B role."
"Also their actions
strongly imply there's at least a group D," Hotaru added.
"Unless there's more
'obvious teams' and they're doing a test to see how many we can spot."
"They would learn more
about our abilities, while also being good training."
"How do you two know all
this? Let alone notice the other two teams? Who's doing this? Isn't this a lot
of people to send, for what? What do they want with me?" Shingo demanded.
Hotaru arced an eyebrow.
"I didn't know the Company employed perverts."
"She dresses up as a
schoolgirl for undercover work."
"Well... she could be the
right age. Maybe that's a batch of cadets, or full agents that were just
recruited young."
"Great... so instead of
perverts, they're budding sociopaths harvested from society and given
paramilitary training."
"This isn't answering my
questions." Shingo glared.
"No, it's not."
"I'm not going to take
some magical trinket, not with unanswered questions."
"After all this time you
drop in and now call me? And it's because of my..." Shingo's eyes
narrowed. "What happened to her?"
"What happened to
her?" Shingo repeated.
"Nothing, yet."
"And there's something
only her or a blood relative can do?"
"What about you?"
Crimson eyes hardened as
"There is the family
resemblance. Maybe you're not a cousin, but you are something, and you're
already a part of this. Why not you? Why me?"
"Because I've already
been tapped. When the time comes... it'll be a two-man job,"
"Then why are you over
here? You needed to split up because there's still attacks in
"Now I'm starting to see
why Usagi was so empty headed," Hotaru smiled, showing her teeth.
"Nah, he's always been a
little wise-ass."
Hotaru's grin broadened.
"Good, he'll fit right in. Maybe then Puu will actually call us in."
"Maybe,"
"Hey! I haven't agreed to
this."
"Oh, but you will. After
all, if your sister can do it why can't you?"
Shingo glared. "You
haven't answered all of my questions."
"In other words you've
given us your terms for joining up," Hotaru proposed, her lips sliding
back over her teeth.
"It's better than what
Usagi demanded from Luna."
Shingo shook his head.
"Who are all the spies?"
"Mercenary organization
that hunts monsters using big guns,"
"That just happen be
watching two magical girls on a recruiting drive?"
"Well, we are on the same
side,"
"It's a start. Are they
hiring?"
"What, you want a
gun?"
"It'd be better than
roses."
"Don't worry about
it," Hotaru smirked.
"Right.... Wait...
Luna... the cat? That stupid thing was Sis' mascot?" Shingo rubbed his forehead
and looked out at all the... spooks. "That explains a lot. Fine, I'll do
it, not like I'd screw things up worse."
***************
An engine's roar reflected off
the thick road-flanking trees. The disturbance, a purple Harley Davidson Night
Rod flew down the meandering asphalt ribbon. Wearing shiny, black leathers the
driver raced down the darkened road. Slowing to go down a side road, the
motorcycle sprayed gravel behind it. The pressing trees suddenly abated,
revealing a homely brick building standing in the clearing.
Barely illuminated by a sliver
of moonlight, a handful of stars, and a single cigarette, a Dodge Charger sat
in front of the small building. After the motorcycle stopped, the driver got
off. Unzipping her leather jacket revealed a handgun her right hip.
"Well, it's been a while
hasn't it, Red?" the smoking man asked as he leaned on the hood.
Ranma's eyes tracked around
the forest. "What do you want Murdock?"
The mage laughed. "Oh, so
cold."
The redhead gave a flickering
violet glare and strode forward.
"Please, dispense with
the theatrics." Murdock flicked his cigarette away. "If you were here
for blood you wouldn't have simply driven up."
Stopping a few paces before
the man, the demoness sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Fine, to business."
Murdock rolled his eyes.
"Yes."
"It's about the combat
cyborgs."
Ranma's brows arched.
"Another of your clever ideas?"
Murdock chuckled. "Do you
really think I want our little queen dead?"
The crimson eyebrow lowered.
"So... are you just going to waste my time?"
"I got you away from the
helmet-haired nitwit and gave you an excuse to ride your bike. And really, it's
been a long time since we talked." Opening his coat, Murdock pulled out a
pack of cigarettes.
"Well, you've been busy.
Making friends and all."
Flames briefly illuminated
Murdock's smile as he lit a fresh cigarette. "And you've had family to
take care of. We've all been oh so busy."
"And how is Akumi?"
"She's got this new plan.
What you'd expect, really." Murdock sighed. "Standard villainous
stuff. Maybe I should have stopped with you."
"I'm not sure how
insulted I should be at that."
"You really were my best
work." Murdock looked the demoness up and down. "So, much potential.
So much being exercised. Refreshing really."
"I'm glad I meet your
standards, but compared to Akumi you hardly screwed up my life. At least you
never brainwashed and transformed one of my childhood friends... Wait... Naru
was Usagi's friend, and they were friends right up until she left
Murdock waved his hand.
"Details, details."
"Maybe Akumi's a screw-up
because you smothered her. She'd too single-minded."
"Giving advice on how to
build a better villain?"
"Weren't you just saying
that it was refreshing of me to exercise my potential?"
Chuckling, Murdock nodded.
"Strange, you don't like foreplay."
Ranma growled.
"Temper." Murdock
shook his head. "And you were doing so well."
The redhead narrowed her eyes.
"I think I'm allowed."
"Going to bemoan your
fate? Or perhaps segue into a threat?"
Chucking, Ranma shook her
head. "You really don't know me."
Smile breaking, Murdock's
cigarette nervously twitched. Then he regained his composure, oily smile
returning, but this time he held a hand up to steady his cigarette.
Ranma stepped forward.
"Really, you should know by now. I don't make threats. If something is a
threat to me, I kill it." Her lips curled up. "I am a simple
creature."
"And now you mention that
you don't see me as worthy of killing... yet." Murdock looked up at the
Moon. "How isn't that a threat?"
"Ask Akumi." Ranma
narrowed her eyes.
Murdock chuckled. "Trying
to blackmail my minion against me? Do you think I really care. Besides, you've
had ample opportunity to kill her, you haven't because our little Queen would
be upset."
The demoness froze, her eyes
slowly widening, her expression... sharpening. Her increasingly manic grin
spit, revealing gleaming white teeth, which themselves split as she began to
laugh.
Murdock patiently waited for
the demon's side-splitting mirth to die down. "Finished?"
"My... this has to be an
act." Ranma wiped a tear away. "You don't really think I'm holding
back because it would... offend her."
Murdock grinned. "Even
you play politics."
"And the Queen respects
my resolve. It's amazing how often idealists will admire someone who can 'Get
the job done,' and 'Make the tough choices.' "
"Don't underestimate her,
especially when she's pushed to her limit."
Ranma snorted. "Really,
isn't that your whole plan?" she dryly asked.
Murdock smirked.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"No... less is more. An
unreadable expression has better pressure. Get it right and you can really
unbalance someone."
"Please, use the
left-handed advice trick."
The redhead smiled and cocked
her hip. "Why? It worked when you did it."
Murdock raised an eyebrow at
the contents of her holster. "That's not an SSP you're wearing?"
Ranma's eyebrow moved in
response. "I didn't mention the runes you've got up."
"That's a 1911 with...
rosewood grips, those seem a bit fancy."
"They're cocobolo, and
they were a gift."
Murdock tapped his chin.
"You know... there are some succubus meeting rituals."
"Do tell," Ranma
dryly remarked.
"Palavers have always
been an opportunity for betrayal. That's why the tradition of disarmament came
up, but demons..."
Ranma chuckled. "Can't be
disarmed."
Murdock nodded. "Not
easily anyway. Still some Houses took to the practice, and since the action
itself was symbolic, so became the weapons. Thus members of those houses would
carry an ornamental, but functional weapon that represented their
aggression."
"You like talking don't
you? You going to give a Latin lesson next?"
"It's just that you're
carrying a very pretty and superfluous weapon, not even your normal one."
Murdock flashed a grin.
The demoness sighed.
"Totally wrong."
"Oh?"
"First, that's not all on
the ritual. It's an issue of trust, Mage. Yes, surrendering a weapon is a
pledge of non-aggression a symbol of trust. However, a greater sign of trust is
for both parties to keep their weapons."
Grey eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
"What better way to show
you trust someone than allowing them near you with a deadly weapon? That the
ritual is even conducted shows a lack of trust. Comrades...
comrades-in-arms....well look at the phrase itself. When my Grandmother visited
there was no exchange of weapons; she's family."
"So you either don't
trust me at all, or you consider me an ally." Murdock shook his head.
"You are a frustrating species."
"You presume too much
mage." Ranma smiled, flashing white. "I simply carried the smaller
gun because an SSP is too big to comfortably drive with, let alone conceal
properly."
Murdock dropped his cigarette.
"Okay then."
"What do you want to tell
me?"
"We can't keep
going?" Murdock joked.
"Must we play this
game?"
"No more foreplay
then?" Murdock's smile died when Ranma failed to smile.
"Galina's been a busy
girl."
The redhead stared levelly, a
violet flicker crossing her eyes.
"She's been doing some
reading."
"Learning then? Well the
military experience they had was of limited use. So, they're boning up on
non-humans and magic?"
Murdock nodded.
"Do you have a list of
books?" Ranma asked, interested.
"Worried about combat
cyborgs getting eldritch knowledge? Or perhaps you're more worried about the
reverse?"
"A little knowledge can
be a dangerous thing," Ranma stated. Which
was why Incognito turned informant. The book-dealer could handle –if barely-
someone with Mistress Mercury's skill dabbling with such wares, but a group of
magical neophytes... the redhead frowned, pushing those thoughts away.
"Yes, we're talking about
people that used a reality collapsing weapon as a jamming device." Murdock
shook his head, and drew into his coat. Under a steady purple gaze he slowly
withdrew a business card.
Ranma caught the tossed card
and gave it a light sniff. She then inspected the list of titles; it seemed to
match Incognito's "Can't have them ruining your plans. What else?"
Murdock smiled slightly.
"This could have been
sent. No face to face," Ranma waved the card.
The mage exhaled. "She'd
hired some assassins."
"I see she's not blinded
by pride." Ranma smirked.
"No she isn't. You
blindsided them last time; they learned. They know where they're weak against
you. Magic and manpower." Murdock pulled out yet another cigarette.
"The manpower, simply East-Bloc goons. Magic however..."
Ranma smiled internally. The
Numbers may have a blind-spot to magic, but Murdock had a blind-spot to
mundanes. Galina was not one to hire cheap rabble.
"For that, she found
something... special."
"Who'd she get?"
Ranma asked, still pondering the quantity and quality of mercenaries that
someone with Galina's connections could hire and transport.
"Someone that I can't get
a lock-on. Someone that's managed to counter my surveillance, stay ahead of
everything I've thrown at him. He's a real spook."
"Money well spent?"
Ranma asked.
"Too well spent. It
doesn't make sense..." Murdock looked away.
"So... a mysterious magic
man's come to give them handy advice on how to escape the scary demons? A bit
obvious, but you can't be that worried about them, since it sounds like they've
hired you. Kill 'em yourself."
Murdock narrowed his eyes.
"Don't you think I tried to worm my way into their good graces?"
"Really? So your winning
smile didn't sway them?"
"I thought they'd
appreciate a display of how vulnerable they really were. Turns out they
don't."
Ranma sighed and glanced at
the Moon. "You really don't get women. Do you?"
"Look, you can't count on
them being magically ignorant. They've closed up that blind spot." Murdock
fingered his tie clasp.
"And suddenly you care
that they can block you out?"
"Yes, hardly a unique
skill. I can name a few groups that can do that," Murdock's queasy smirk
sidled back.
"And?"
"Fine. He's a religious
man. I figured that much out."
Ranma cocked an eyebrow.
"Catholic or Protestant?"
"Oh nothing so simple as
that. Though the being he worships is no less powerful or unknowable."
Ranma frowned. "Great, so
a faith of the tentacled kind?"
"Not exactly."
Murdock took a drag on his cigarette. "Look, you haven't figured out who
hired these girls right?"
"You're not suggesting
that some monster from beyond hired the Russian cyborgs to kill Usagi, and then
after the hit failed, sent in some cultist to advise them?"
"Of course not, that's
just you reading into my needlessly cryptic ranting. I'd never actually reveal
something like that."
The redhead rubbed her
forehead. "And why do you care? This is your bread and butter ain't
it?"
"Because it doesn't make
sense!" Silver light briefly reflected in Murdock's eyes. "This being
shouldn't be working with them. It shouldn't be trying to kill Usagi."
Ranma's toothy grin returned.
"Did the little mage get tricked by some mind-breaking horror?"
Murdock chuckled.
"And of course you won't
name it."
The mage simply shook his
head. "One doesn't say the name of such things lightly, but you'll be able
to figure it out. The object of his worship... leaves a mark."
"Another of your messes
to clean up." Ranma's eyes sparkled. "You're starting to be more
troublesome alive than dead."
"Starting?'
After staring at the demon's
face, Murdock's shoulders sagged. "What do you want?"
"When Akumi isn't
gloating in an ice skirt she's plotting in her lab, and she's been awfully
quiet lately. I want to know what she's up to. I also want to know what you've
really found out about the cyborgs, not who they've hired, what you've learned
about them." Licking her lips, Ranma paused. "And I want to know why
Setsuna is hiding Usagi's daughter."
"And in return?"
Flipping her hand above her
head, Ranma's smile vanished.
Shock crossed Murdock's face
and the circle of runes around him flared to life. Behind him an explosion tore
apart the back half of the Dodge, spraying twisted metal and shattered glass.
Rising to his feet, he winced as his ward was peppered with shrapnel.
Turning back he caught sight
of the demon ramming straight into his ward. Claws flipping out, she dug
through the semi-translucent barrier and... heaved. Screaming, Murdock found
himself pulled off the ground by the warding and thrown onto shattered roof of
his car.
Violet eyes cold, Ranma
extended her hands and a pair of violet streams of fire shot out. Contained by
spiraling white beams, the napalm streams skittered off the warding, but easily
sliced through the car, which rapidly collapsed under Murdock's weight.
Ranma strode closer to the
scrap pyre that burned around Murdock's recumbent form. The gas tank ignited,
the exploding flames briefly mingled with the demon's violet aura. "Mage,
this isn't a deal, this isn't a game. My patience is at it's limit," she
stated after the inferno receded.
Shifting his back to keep a
particularly sharp bit of metal from poking the warding, Murdock groaned.
Cursing his complacently he looked up at the expected visage: deathly-pale
skin, wildly writhing hair, sinuous flames, and cold glowing eyes. "Fine,
I'll talk," he coughed.
"Of course you
will." Despite the corners of her lips rising, her expression chilled.
"But not to me."
Confused, Murdock blinked,
until he heard the sound of another motorcycle engine. This one the efficient
burr of a BMW.
End Ch 26
I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek.
Special thanks to PCHeintz72 for giving some corrections and ideas, especially on improving the tone to WIC and demonic reaction to Minako's little stunt.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheReturn