Daniel Gibson
12th June 2006, 04:24 AM
52 - Filthy Gaijin Part 3 of 3
X-Original-Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2006 18:13:00 GMT
Followup-To: rec.arts.anime.fandom
Chapter 52 - Filthy Gaijin
[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 52 -
Filthy Gaijin
[Note to Moderator this is Part 3 of a 3 part posting, please combine it
with Part 1 and 2 for archiving]
The character Janice Berkley was created by Rory McLean, and is used with
his full permission.
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1 / 2, Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these stories.
C&C, MSTs are welcome
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
----------------------------------------
I Am Free Of All Prejudice
Asuka woke from a bad dream, into a nightmare. Wondergirl was leaning
close to Spineless, and blushing. Then they kissed. The pair simply
touched lips and stayed there.
Gott in Himmel. I've got to get a better class of nightmares, Asuka
thought of the two robots blushing and smiling at each other as they finally
broke off their kiss. She went back to sleep.
----------------------------------------
Asuka woke slowly. "Guten Morgan," she heard, more through her bones
than her ears. She suddenly realized what or who her `pillow` was. She sat
up and instantly regretted it. Wondergirl held her upright as the room spun
through all four dimensions around her. Asuka was mortified and nauseated.
"What - I didn't - Oh God!" Asuka buried her face in her hands.
"Are you well?" Wondergirl asked.
"No, I'm permanently disgraced."
"You do not appear damaged," Wondergirl told her, looking her over
carefully.
"I told Yuki . . . I'm not going to repeat what I told her," Asuka
said, "Then I slept with you."
"There was no sexual congress, you did not set the bedding aflame,"
Wondergirl said as Asuka's soul curdled, "You were wounded in body and
spirit, there are serious differences."
"That's not the _point_,_" Asuka whispered.
"Only you and I would know," Wondergirl quietly assured her, "I can
keep secrets."
"Then I want you to keep this secret." Asuka nodded at Wondergirl.
"Keep what secret?" Spineless asked as he walked in with breakfast:
eggs, sausage and toast.
"I'm doomed!" Asuka moaned and hung her head.
"You seemed to enjoy watching us kiss," Spineless said, blushed as he
glanced at Wondergirl.
Asuka felt sick. "That _wasn't_ a nightmare, this is!"
"You enjoyed watching," Wondergirl told her calmly, "You slept more
soundly afterwards. Perhaps, we both should have kissed you."
Asuka blanched and tried to pull away at that.
"Maybe you'd feel better sleeping with us, in the same room I mean,"
Spineless said shyly, taking Wondergirl's hand, who nodded.
Asuka's eyes narrowed. "This is more of that stupid 'Making me angry
so I can be happy' junk!" Spineless wilted slightly under her assault, she
turned to Wondergirl. "Improper dosing."
"It is not having the desired effect?" Wondergirl asked, staring at
Asuka.
"Of course not!" Asuka shouted in fury, "I feel worse than ever!"
Spineless and Wondergirl simply stared at her with matching blank
expressions.
Asuka sighed and `surrendered`. "Terrific, stupid through binoculars.
You two look exactly the same."
"Say! Is that breakfast I smell?"she-Horseface asked as she entered,
grinning ear to ear.
"God, just kill me now!" Asuka lamented, and hung her head again, "This
_can't_ get any worse."
"Would you like something to eat?" Spineless asked tentatively.
"Sure, shovel it up," Horseface answered before Asuka could.
"As you can see," Asuka told Spineless as he served, "Since you left
us, we haven't improved its manners. Despite elaborate - _HEY_!_"
Horseface had snatched a morsel off her plate with a pair of chopsticks.
"Where'd you learn your manners?" Asuka shouted, "In a ba - "
Horseface silenced her by flipping the food into Asuka's mouth. "I
think she's quieter with her mouth full," Horseface said sagely.
"I agree," Wondergirl said, nodded as she waited for Spineless to dole
things out.
Asuka glared at them, raised a fist. "I oughta - " A piece of sausage
silenced her.
Asuka chewed slowly on the sausage, and moved her plate out of
Horseface's reach, glaring at _IT_ the entire time.
"Oh, a challenge," Horseface said as she bounced from foot to foot,
chopsticks tapping out a rhythm like a telegraph key. Asuka took a large
forkful of the eggs and shoveled it into her mouth before Horseface could
move in. Asuka glared at Horseface's eagerness while she fed herself.
Spineless gave a plate to Horseface, a plate of toast to Wondergirl and
lastly served himself.
Sammi, Tomiyo and Juri entered. The obvious lack suddenly depressed
Asuka. "She died . . . didn't she?" Asuka asked.
Sammi's embarrassed silence told Asuka everything she needed to know.
She turned away.
"Are you going to school with us?" Spineless asked hopefully.
Asuka dropped her gaze to the floor. "No." It's cowardice, she
thought, If it were an Angel, I wouldn't hesitate. But going to that stupid
school wasn't worth Erin's life. I can't go back, it's pointless.
"We must go," Wondergirl said, "They will want medical tests before you
can return. And the Fourth and I must change our clothing."
"Aren't you afraid the same will happen to you?" Asuka asked Wondergirl
quietly.
"No, I would kill them, you would not," Wondergirl said flatly,
frowning slightly as she left. "Perhaps _that_ is why you were chosen,
because they would survive making the attack."
"Rest," Sammi told her, glancing worriedly at Wondergirl, "There are
Marines guarding this wing." Sammi added something vehement under her
breath. The spoke louder, "There was nothing you could do, none of this was
your fault."
"Then why is Erin dead?" Asuka asked.
"Because of _enemy_ action," Tomiyo told her as they led the other
pilots away.
"But if I'd run a different way . . . " Asuka said to the now empty
room, "It would have been different. I wouldn't have led her into an
ambush. I'm an experienced officer, I should have _seen_ it myself."
They might have been waiting there too, a voice told her, one she had
dreamed about, over and over, last night, the good times and the bad.
Momma, she thought back, she started as Juri entered the room.
"Pilot Langley. Pilot Ayanami plotted the possible ambush points in
the school, and in the vicinity. Somebody else did to, and they were
probably covering all your likely paths."
"I could have waited. It's still my fault."
"No," Juri corrected, "Not this time it wasn't. Not your fault at
all."
----------------------------------------
Outside the room, Rei heard Krasnyzamok's, then Juri's words, and
Asuka's replies. I did plot such a possibility, she thought, Security
should have held those positions in force. It would have controlled access
in and out. Yet they were not there. Were they covering _any_ of the
locations? Or they did not act as they should have at just that location,
she wondered about that, Perhaps it _is_ time to consider removal of the
'FUBENS', the Commander's plan does not include the negligent loss of any
pilot.
She walked through the medical wing, feeling the warmth of Shinji-kun's
return and feeling guilty she felt so good.
"Did you get the word on your tryout?" Krasnyzamok-san asked her.
"No, the alarm cry . . . I did not await the results."
"How well do you think you did," the Fourth pressed.
"I believe they would have allowed me in, if I simply expressed an
interest," Rei replied, trying to distance herself from the Fourth.
"Yeah, they were pretty taken with you. I'm just a little surprised
you didn't do that," the Fourth said. "Or do you feel the need to prove
yourself to them?" she added with an unusual tone and expression.
If the Fourth were Roku-kun or Nabiki-kun, I would say he/she is
analyzing my reply, she thought of the Fourth's expectant look, An odd
impression. My _words_ would not be part of the Fourth's interest, only my
actions and movements. "I would not do that," Rei said flatly, "I am
complete." Shinji-kun completes me, I have my function within the
Commander's plan and then what will come after, she thought, she found the
intensity of the Fourth's gaze disturbing, in its forcefulness and its
singularity to her experience.
She left Shinji-kun to the doctors, and continued to the vehicle that
would take them to their apartments to dress, then to school.
"I can't believe she didn't react to Shinji's return," the Fourth said
while slouching along.
Yes, she did, Rei thought, Just not that you knew of. She saw him and
slept peacefully without bad dreams for the rest of the night. If that is
not a reaction, I do not know reactions. Rei smiled briefly as she
considered the effect of Shinji-kun's return on the current situation.
----------------------------------------
The lunch had been quiet. The stewards brought our food to my cabin
without the usual byplay, Nabiki thought, They must have heard. They all
seemed as angry as the rest of us, strange.
Ritsuko read the report to the three of us, Maya, Raccoon and me. Rei
was still at NERV HQ, watching over Asuka. Who would have thought? she
thought, What was Ranma doing? Doing his katas, inhaling breakfast and
leaving for school? Because it was easier than dealing with the real
problem? Because he wanted to beat up whatever and whoever did this?
Nabiki remembered Maya making several attempts at conversation, with her and
Raccoon, They were met with desultory responses from Raccoon. It answers
the question of what it takes to shut him up, it's information I'd rather
not have. Of course none of us seemed eager to talk.
The city passing by the train windows was of only vague interest to
Nabiki. Only on the curves did the sight out of the window attract her
attention. Two carriers, she thought, What do we need _two_ carriers for?
The others were packing, she could hear them. Except me, she thought of the
neatly packed suitcases and parcels waiting to be transferred to the
carrier, Like I'm helpless. She frowned at being waited on hand and foot.
All I wanted back `home`, she thought, But it's no fun when they won't _let_
you do something. I'd like the right to do some things _myself_.
"Oh good, you're all packed," Maya said as she poked her head into
Nabiki's cabin.
"Are you sure you don't want to pack me in batting so I won't get
chipped or broken during moving?" Nabiki asked archly.
"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Maya chirped, "I'll get on it!" She
turned to leave.
"NO!" Nabiki shouted, practically lunging out of her bunk.
Maya looked back sheepishly. "No?" she asked innocently.
If I _could_ get at you . . . Nabiki thought angrily. "Can't I do
_something_?_"
"I'm afraid not . . . " Maya said quietly, then brightened, "I could
pile all the luggage in here and you could guard it with your life. But . .
... I don't think Dr. Akagi would approve at all, so no I can't do that."
Maya shook her head sadly.
"I can't even be an inventory clerk," Nabiki complained, "How
wonderful. Raccoon of course is turning handsprings and taking care of
everything himself."
"No, he's still in bed, grousing about it almost as much as you are,"
Maya said chirpily, "He's just a better sport about it than you are." Maya
caught the thrown pillow and ignored Nabiki's warning growl as she began
fluffing it up, with every appearance that she was going to put it behind
Nabiki's head. "Well, you can't have everything."
"Yes I could," she complained, "I just have to ask for it and half a
dozen people will trip over themselves to get it for me." Nabiki frowned
and shook her head.
"Don't you like being pampered?" Maya teased.
Nabiki sighed, tired of the game. "A little is good," she admitted,
"But this . . . what have I done to earn it? How many others died in that
fight, and how many were hurt worse than I was?"
"Most of those hurt worse than you were - they all died," Maya said
seriously, "And most of them would have sacrificed their lives to keep a
pilot safe. The mood on this train is ugly. Everybody has heard about
Tokyo. If the Brothers attacked now, everybody would be in on the fight.
If you are getting angry at being cooped up and being treated as a Tang
dynasty porcelain vase, your colleague has been getting lectures about not
putting himself in danger. From soldiers to the conductors to the stewards
bringing him tea and orange juice. The implication is that he should have
turned his pistol and yours over to a heavy weapon's team and let them fight
it out. Keep stacking bodies between yourselves and the enemy until they
were all killed," Maya told her harshly. "I think you can imagine how _he_
feels about those lectures."
Nabiki nodded, subdued for a moment. "What about the transfer to the
carrier, and why are there two carriers?"
"The second is carrying the families, a reverse of Operation Magic
Carpet," Maya explained, "It's fast enough, and it can keep everyone safe.
There's a third to provide air cover."
"And after what we saw, that we weren't supposed to," Nabiki said,
"They are in a hurry to get us back to Tokyo."
"I think they're also eager to get more U.S. troops over there," Maya
said, "Especially security troops. I thing Kaji-san and the FUBENS have
made their last allowable mistake." She glanced from side-to-side. "I've
had more than three dozen men asking me for a recommendation to be Security.
If I wanted to raise a personal regiment, I bet I could. It isn't any
easier for me, or for them. Nobody on this train doesn't understand the
odds, and what the Angels are capable of. None of them understand why only
pilots can fight them, yet they had proof that it is so. So, if bringing
you two tea and juice is all they can do, that's what they'll do. It scares
me too, with my broken English I can only understand about half of what
they're saying to me, but I recognize a salute, and respect. I didn't do
anything to deserve it either, except my job."
Nabiki had felt like squirming during Maya's entire lecture. She
changed the subject, "So our carrier isn't going to be crawling with kids?"
"_Our_ Carrier?" Maya asked impishly, "My, how proprietary!"
"Oh shut up!" Nabiki threw her pillow at Maya again. Again Maya caught
it, fluffed it, and approached. Maya let Nabiki lunge, before she slipped
it behind her. "All better. I doubt they'll have _our_ carrier for
anything other than combat troops. We'll be training them in EVA support
and other operations. Frankly, the Navy isn't overjoyed at using
Essex-class carriers as transports, but it is the fastest, largest ship they
have. Also, as I said, there will be a third Essex-class carrying aircraft
to protect us, as well as surface ships and submarines. Quite a battle
fleet," Maya said, then pointed out the window, "Oh look, a crowd."
Maya slipped out of the cabin while Nabiki stared in open-mouthed shock
at the people, the crowd, the throng, all standing there waving U.S. and
NERV flags, some carrying placards. The signs ranged from professions of
love and respect, for her, for Jeff, for the EVA, to marriage proposals for
the pilots. The onlookers were universally screaming their lungs out.
Me . . . Nabiki thought with a bee in the pit of her stomach. She
happily noted that the train rolled on, so the crowd was there and gone.
Except there was another, larger one further on, and another, and another
growing steadily in size and ardor as they approached the Navy Yard. She
dropped back in her bunk. "Oh GOD!" she murmured, "All those people.
What's gotten into them? It was mostly kids, shouldn't they be in school?
No, it's still summer vacation in the U.S., isn't it?" She considered the
tableau in fear. Ranma is the one who gets the screaming hordes, she thought
anxiously, Not me. I'm on the sidelines!
The train entered and continued through the Navy Yard, the
double-tracked road led right to the edge of the docks.
A knock on her door brought her around. "Enter!" she shouted, shook
herself out of the apprehension and shock that had gripped her.
"I hope you're ready to suit up. We'll need to move the EVA to the
carrier, and traveling by EVA is going to be less embarrassing than having
the wheelchair winched up to the carrier deck," Raccoon said, smiling
broadly but leaning heavily on his cane.
And hiding something, Nabiki thought, Probably several somethings.
"Did you see the crowds?" she asked, managing to keep her voice level.
"I saw them," he replied as nonchalantly as she tried to sound.
"I hope you understand that despite my hairstyle, I'm no singing
Liverpudlian," Nabiki said.
He shrugged. "True, but doesn't this outpouring of love and adoration
from people you've never met fill you with adulation? Doesn't the idea of
throngs waiting hours to possibly get a glimpse of you just buoy your
spirits to the stars? Doesn't the fact that the only reason they didn't
shower your path with cherry blossoms and rose petals is that it would have
knocked the train off the track, and that they wouldn't have feared the
resulting capital sentence for a moment of being near you, but they didn't
want to slow your appointed rounds? Doesn't it just elate you without
limit?"
"No, no and - no!" Nabiki said quietly. With each of his assertions, I
could feel my spirit curdle a little more, she thought as she glared at him.
Anyone from Nerima would be cowering and begging my forgiveness, and you
just stand there, immune.
"You shouldn't feel bad," Raccoon told her with a smile, "Everybody in
Jerusalem turned out to cheer Jesus. A little while later, he was flogged
and crucified. People are fickle that way." He dropped her plugsuit on her
bunk. "Put that on over your cast, and wear a jacket, it's breezy out
there. I'll meet you at the EVA in 10 minutes." He left her alone with her
thoughts and fears.
She glanced outside at the knots of cheering servicemen and their
families. As the train sat, and all the preparations needed to move the EVA
were underway. Nabiki sat up and looked out the window. Someone pointed
and the crowd went completely nuts. Nabiki nervously smiled and waved, the
crowd went even crazier: chanting, jumping up and down, screaming love and
her name and waving their flags furiously. She watched them pass by as the
train moved slowly into position. Once through the security fence, the
crowds were left behind. Oh crap! she thought, What have I gotten myself
into?
----------------------------------------
She had gotten `dressed`. I never thought a shipyard would be so noisy,
she thought of the noises of repairs to the ships and the unloading of the
train, Just have to ignore it.
She'd peeked out of her window and saw only the trucks bringing food
and other supplies to the carriers. She glanced at the jacket she'd gotten
out. It's the middle of August, I'm not wearing a jacket, she thought as
she headed out of her cabin. She hobbled on crutches through the now-empty
barracks and stores cars towards the last car before the double-wide EVA
flat car. She paused and steadied herself. This cast keeps throwing off my
balance, she thought, And the sprained wrists makes using the crutches
awkward and painful. She took a deep breath and thought defiantly, But I am
_not_ going to show weakness in front of _him_!_ She exited through the
door, and froze in shock and dismay.
The wall of sound that struck her was the first surprise. The second
was seeing Raccoon sitting on the edge of the flatcar, in NERV SAR
coveralls, while she was standing there in just her plugsuit. That _fink_!_
she thought angrily, as the noise of the crowd washed over her. Raccoon
pointed at her and said something, and the force of the noise doubled. She
smiled to the crowd and shot Raccoon a LOOK, because she didn't have her
pistol. Oh . . . I am going to _KILL_ you! she thought as she waved weakly,
All those sailors and Marines, and I come charging out in a plugsuit. She
kept her temper as dozens if not hundreds of flashbulbs went off. It covers
more than a swimsuit, but its not how I'd like to be remembered. She
considered retreating. No, I can't move fast enough with my injuries.
Besides, he probably had someone lock the door once I got out here, she
thought angrily as she struggled to keep her look determined, rather than
pained.
Raccoon hobbled over, leaning heavily on his cane.
"The only reason I can't kill you, is all these witnesses," she told
him, smiling broadly.
"I did tell you to wear a jacket," he whispered pleasantly. He turned
to the crowd and announced in a loud voice, "Miss Tendo is delighted you all
turned out to see her. She wishes her injuries didn't prevent her from
shaking hands and signing autographs, but she assures you that you have her
profound thanks and affection."
The noise, including a huge number of wolf-whistles, drown out the
noise of the shipyard.
"You - you - you -!" she murmured in Japanese, her rage and frustration
growing.
"Careful, they might understand that much, and isn't 'you' what wives
call their husbands?" he said as he smiled and waved to the crowd, "Just
play the good soldier and remember, it isn't every day that people see a
bona fide hero." He stepped out of range before she could clobber him with
her crutches.
He walked to the edge of the railcar, "Miss Tendo apologizes for not
speaking with you, but her injuries prevent it," Jeff told them, the sounds
of disappointed understanding were manifest. "And she asks you to step
back. We'll be moving the EVA soon and we don't want anyone injured."
There were murmurs as the Shore Patrol troops got between the crowd and
the railcars, and pushed the crowd back.
"And I thought _I_ was a skilled liar," Nabiki told him in Japanese as
he helped her up to the entryplug.
"Just anticipating what you would say."
"I guess that's why one side, _my_ side of the train was empty. Did
you plan it that way?"
"Oh no, I didn't see them either, the other line of cars blocks my
view. You should feel privileged, all I got to look at during the trip was
the outside of another railcar," he told her with a smile.
That didn't answer my question, she fumed silently. Once they were
both in the plug and floating in the L.C.L., she could confront him. "Do
you think this is funny?" she asked angrily, once they were both hooked into
the EVA.
"You need to learn that saying 'I love you' isn't a bad thing," he told
her seriously, all joking aside, "Unlike the people of Nerima, they will not
use a show of affection on your part as a licence to hurt you."
The impact of her fists against his chest reminded her that her wrists
were still very tender. "You rotten bastard, you unfeeling, selfish,
self-absorbed, brutish, callous - " She stopped as she realized she was
yelling at him in a language she couldn't possibly know. "Oh my God!"
"You rang?"
"That's not funny," Nabiki shouted, "That's not funny at all." She
shivered at the resonance that went through her as he said it. He's just
using that to tease me! she rallied and faced him.
"Now you understand a little," he told her calmly.
"Yes, I killed one - sort of."
"I'm glad you are able to handle it. I wanted to throw up, but you
also see the problem."
" 'Problem'? You call it a 'problem'? I have memories, thoughts,
feelings . . . _that_aren't_mine_!_ I want to tear your heart out . . . or
I want to . . . " She centered herself, put the roiling emotions aside as
best she could. "The Brothers of Chaugnar Faugn wanted to either kill him
and take his place, or return to a more balanced rule before he ascended
from first-among-equals to absolute-god-king. They loved him, they hated
him, they wanted things to be better between them. Now _you're_ Chaugnar
Faugn and I'm the Brothers, _all_of_them_, and I can't - I don't - " She
struggled not to give in to the ferocity that was only partially hers.
She found herself in his arms, being held, and felt the alien rightness
of it. Now I'm betraying Ranma, she thought as she returned the hug, I
should be wanting to do this with _him_. But does Ranma want to do this? I
know Ranko does, but not with _me_.
"It's all right," Raccoon soothed, stroking her hair, "All of us went
through it. All of us survived and recovered. You're as strong as any of
us. You'll hold on to who you are."
She gently pushed him away. "I don't _know_ who I am. Everything on
this trip has undermined who I am," she insisted firmly.
"No, it's stripped off the outer layers." He put his hands on her
shoulders. "Do you honestly think the 'Ice Queen of Furinkan' would have
survived around here? Asuka, or me, or even Rei would have torn her to
pieces and scattered the ashes to the four winds. Nabiki Tendo is no
quitter, you're caught between whom you thought you had to be, for your
sisters, your father, your family and its honorable survival; and who you
really are. Now who you need to be, is more like who you are, with all the
brakes off. And it scares you, that you would be so admired for doing
things that in peacetime you would be ashamed of. All of us went through
it, and all of us had our doubts about ourselves. Whether we could do what
is necessary for humanity to survive, and that we were still good people.
Even Asuka."
"Yeah? When did you go through it?" Nabiki asked archly.
"When Jason, Sharon and I, and 27 others, decided we had to slaughter
our 770 brethren. We faced a choice. Were we to stand with our 'people',
or our creators? We understood it might mean our deaths, it also meant we'd
be killing mercilessly, perhaps killing the innocent along with the guilty.
We were . . . different then. My talk with what was left of Sharon . . .
helped remind me, brought up old memories, old ways of thinking that we, and
the Project's doctors and scientists, buried as deeply as they could be.
Now I have them again, but like absorbing Chaugnar Faugn, and the rest, they
are available to me, but they _aren't_ me. That's your problem. Brown Bess
and the Ice Queen are available to you, but they aren't you. The difference
is that you never liked Nabiki Tendo, she was never enough to get the
attention, and dare I say it, love you needed. Suddenly, Nabiki Tendo is
all you've got left, and people you've never met, people who don't know you
love you, automatically and completely."
He threw up his hands. "Maybe like Saotome, you were born for another
time, a time when someone hard-edged and cold-hearted would make them a
hero, rather than a villain."
"When did you become such an expert on Tendo Nabiki?" Nabiki asked, her
anger gone, instead she felt very small and vulnerable.
"Several months in a single dream, watching you cry yourself to sleep
in the arms of a boy or girl you clung to as if someone would steal one of
you away. Listening to the soft cries as you faced your nightmares, crying
out to your mother, or Kasumi, crying out against Akane, or your father.
Watching a socially-inept, slightly-petrified martial artist tell you that
he and I were there and we would stay with and uphold you. Then you'd quiet
down and slip into a restful sleep. There were nights we literally slept in
shifts, so we could keep an eye on you the entire night," Raccoon explained.
"Terrific, make me feel real good and useful," Nabiki lamented, "So I
cried myself to sleep every night, clinging to my Ranma/Ranko cuddle toy."
"What makes you think I am complaining? Neither Ranma nor Ranko had a
problem with it either. None of the three of us begrudged the effort," he
said as he smiled, "If you must put this in a negative light, all three of
us deeply resented that we couldn't get at whatever was causing it.
Assuming it wasn't Nerima as a whole, both your memories and the current
realities of the place. Ranko especially hated that none of us could fix
it, she took it as a _personal_ affront. But none of us _blamed_ you, Ranko
just wanted to help you."
Nabiki felt like curling up in a ball, it was the only way to retreat.
"Sorry." She felt Raccoon grab her shoulders and shake her.
"Would you kindly listen to what I _actually_ said, instead of assuming
I was complaining!?" he asked angrily. "Part of the reason I `nuked`
Saffron and his worshipers was because I had proof that they didn't listen,
never changed from their preconceptions. Are you the same, or can you
learn? Like Ranko and Ranma can?"
She glared at him, her anger returned, shoving away her
self-consciousness. "Rotten - "
"Good," he said happily, "Back to normal. Neither Ranma, nor Ranko,
nor I minded looking out for you. The only thing we didn't like was we
couldn't really help you. Someone important to us was being hurt, and we
were standing around - helpless." He jerked his thumb at the outside. "The
others out there, the ones we're are supposed to protect, they saw the
newsreel footage, they heard about the battle. They heard about a
14-year-old Japanese girl getting torn up and then charging back into the
fight to protect and defend United States territory, and you don't think
that's worth some respect?"
"I just wanted to hurt them back." She considered punching him in the
chest, then remembered the pain in her wrists last time. "Like somebody
else. You know I'm getting tired of this lecture."
"Oh, others have said the same thing? And you haven't listened to them
either? I'm honored."
Nabiki remembered her teeth were undamaged. No, I don't want to _bite_
him, she thought. "You tell me," she firmly `requested.`
"Like I said, Nabiki Tendo has never been valuable to anyone. You
weren't the heir to either your father's or your mother's way of thinking
and skills. Don't frown, Shinji felt the same way. There are only a
handful of people who can pilot. Do you have _any_ idea what we could
demand?" He smiled at her. "None of us have, not even you. We just do the
job. You think that doesn't earn respect?"
Nabiki looked away. I've got no answers. I'm getting more money than
I ever wanted or could dream of, and less to spend it on. But I never even
considered _asking_ for more, she thought, Why does it bother me so much?
There was a buzz and Raccoon looked up. "Davis here."
"Why are you just sitting there, and the EVA is growling."
"Miss Tendo and I are both chewed up, we're trying to smooth out the
interface to ignore our injuries."
"Oh, okay."
"External phone." Raccoon cut the connections. "And you also speak a
language you share with only one other person alive."
"Great," Nabiki said, remembered she was still speaking a language she
hadn't been able to speak a short time ago. "Crap," Nabiki exclaimed, in
frustration at the reminder.
"See, nobody knew you were being unladylike, except me."
If I tear his heart out and eat it . . . she thought, Would anyone
notice, or could I blame it on an accident? "Oh, let's get moving!" Nabiki
said in English, and saw warning signs going off all over the interior of
the entry plug.
"We have to both use the same language," Jeff said in English as he
adjusted some settings, "Anything to avoid dealing with the problem. As you
wish."
She shook her head. I'm my father's daughter all right, avoid, and run
away, Nabiki thought disgustedly, I haven't learned his demon-head/river of
tears techniques to force someone else to deal with it, but I have mastered
'you fix it, I can't be bothered.' Not the wisest course when I want
something. She put that thought aside as Jeff drove the EVA after the jeep
with the flashing lights.
"What's that? All those posts laying across the carrier's deck?" she
asked as she turned to get a better view.
"I don't know, some kind of reinforcing, I hope," Jeff replied, clearly
curious himself, "Raise Doctor Akagi and ask."
The rest of the short walk was spent in finding out no one was
monitoring any of the EVA radio frequencies.
"'Up Simba, up!'," Jeff joked half-heartedly at the deck handler's
gestures, "Keep your mind quiet, I need to use the speakers."
"And who are - " The EVA blared before Nabiki caught herself.
"Do I step on or avoid the concrete pieces?" Jeff asked, cut the
connection, "Now you can tell me what you think of me. The concrete pieces
look like 1 by 4's on their wide edge."
"They're laid clear across the carrier's deck," Nabiki commented as she
examined them, "I think they're supports."
"On it is," Jeff responded to the man's orders.
"I've got a question," Nabiki said, "What are those things they're
loading on the foredeck? They looked like EVA-scaled knee mortars."
"The Little David, a 36.25 inch mortar. I thought there was only one,
I guess I was wrong. But you are right, an EVA could use those as small
mortars," Jeff replied as he climbed up on the carrier and down the rear
elevator opening into the hanger.
"Well, that concrete worked. I don't think we broke the deck this
time," Jeff said as he spotted Master Chief Cole in the hanger and waved him
over. "Should the EVA help with the loading?" he asked, "Standing like
this, we can pass the loads from hand to hand," then he added, "I'm off."
"So you stand while I play conveyer belt. Thanks," she joked.
Chief Cole picked up the external, ground-crew phone built into the
EVA. "Sorry, you two are to get this thing stowed below and proceed
directly to your cabins, and the bunks there in. Sorry, Dr. Akagi's
orders." He gestured to the teams standing by with stretchers.
"You have _got_ to be kidding?!" Nabiki exclaimed angrily the EVA's
speakers echoing her anger, and the troops drew back.
"You do realize we're _in_ this EVA, don't you?" Jeff asked warningly.
Chief Cole just stood there, staring defiantly.
"Very well," Jeff said, "We'll do it." He cut the connection.
"Are you out of your mind?" Nabiki asked angrily, turning him to face
her.
"They don't have the decontam shower set up," Jeff said with a smile,
"And we'll climb out of here, soaked in L.C.L., remember your first reaction
to that singular smell?"
Nabiki returned his evil smile. "Oh, it will be so wonderfully good to
let them get a good whiff. There is a time, a place, and a setting for
_proper_ negotiations."
----------------------------------------
I was _so_ nice asking them to get me some lemon juice, Nabiki thought
exultantly, Once they smelled L.C.L. they would have agreed to _anything_._
Especially something that eliminated the stench. Nabiki quickly found the
room Jeff was in, after she'd thoroughly showered twice. Right across the
corridor, she thought as she peeked out of her room, How original, and
convenient. She pulled her head back inside her room and closed the door as
a patrol walked by in a cross passageway, but didn't walk towards her cabin.
Okay, time for a little subversion of authority, she thought as she hobbled
into his room and closed the door behind her. She was glad he seemed to be
awake, lying on his bunk and staring at the ceiling.
"You okay?" Jeff asked as he turned to look at her.
"Fell asleep after such strenuous exercise," she paused, "While you're
weak and drunk from fatigue, I'm going to point out a few things. How much
of what you were saying was you projecting your feelings, thoughts and
_fears_ onto me?"
"Interesting theory," he replied, "Maybe. Maybe it was just me talking
about how I have been able to look after somebody, and that I can't look
after someone else."
"You don't think Ranma - " She gritted her teeth. "And Ranko - can
look after her?"
"No, you don't intimidate Ranma or Ranko as much as Asuka does," he
told her as he sat up, "Who else is there?"
"Rei, Misato, Asuka's friend Hikari, a few others," Nabiki said, sagged
into a chair with a grimace.
"Possibly, unlikely, maybe. Including Shinji he woke up," Raccoon
replied.
"When did this happen?" She leaned forward, then painfully sat back as
her body complained.
"Today," Raccoon said, "He talked with me before he said he'd look
after her. Maybe with what he learned - maybe he can."
"What did he learn?" Nabiki asked eagerly, restrained herself from
reacting.
"Nothing that concerns you, yet," he replied, "You have other lessons I
believe. Unless you aren't interested."
"I'm interested, because you need a back up, magically, and even you
can't be in two places at once, and you'll need to be." She was glad he
smiled, she'd passed another test. "And if you aren't at least half as
bored as I am, you aren't half as smart as I think you are, and that isn't
anywhere near as smart as _you_ think you are."
"I don't think I'm that smart, I just think it's important for everyone
to think that I think I'm that smart."
"Now that I have a headache, I think I'm going to go take a nap,"
Nabiki teased, then grew serious, "Since I went looking around in your
memories, there's a few things you need to know. My sisters and my father
hurt Ranma, it's not important how, and 'why?' is too stupid to talk about.
That's why he doesn't remember. Suffice it to say, that weird Nerima we
found ourselves in, except for the people having faces - often several -
that's exactly where my home was, how it was. I pushed myself forward,
because I didn't want him to be alone. My younger sister . . . Akane . . .
I don't think she _meant_ to hurt him, but she's the Worlds' Champion for
jumping to conclusions, and then acting as if those conclusions were
reasonable. She could take two plus two and come up with nine, to the 47th
power."
"Yes, I lived with Maya as her, for longer than you lived with the
original. He isn't . . . I don't like him, but I wouldn't abandon him." He
sniffed, "It just isn't done, Honor of Harvard and all that." He gestured
loftily.
"Since I'm asking you to share secrets, I have to share one. I was
born in 1975, Ranma and I came from 1992, we'd never heard of the Great Old
Ones, or EVAs, or anything like that, before we came here." She stared at
him, he seemed to be digesting this.
"Another Universe," he murmured, "Different physical laws."
"I don't know. I never was much of a scientist. The people were
different in attitude, but we'd been at peace since 1945."
"I assume the technology was vastly different?"
"Jet aircraft, desktop computers, rockets to other planets, cures for
smallpox, measles, rubella, others. Just like the weird Nerima in the
dream, that _was_ the . . . future I guess, and my past or present."
"Then why would you want to learn my tricks? I can't match many of
those things."
"I'm _here_," Nabiki told him, leaning forward, and fighting to not
react to the pain. "I'm going to stay here until the job is done."
"Then go home?" A personal, rather than professional question, he was
asking.
Nabiki had no answer, "I don't know. Home is . . . " She shook her
head. "Home is home."
Jeff considered, "Have you ever seen the Sorcerer's Apprentice or heard
the story? From Fantasia or elsewhere?"
"Yes, and I get the message: 'Don't fool around with the Master's
tricks.' Or at least be careful enough that you don't get caught."
"The latter is by far the most accurate," he explained, "An incurious
mage is useless, mages _need_ to stick their noses where they shouldn't, and
where they aren't wanted." He got up and knelt next to her chair. "Here
more than anywhere else I've been." Jeff pulled out the collar of his
shirt, took her hand to trace her finger over the scar over his heart, it
was freezing cold to the touch. "I lied when I said someone tried to -
cut - my heart out. They tried to - rip - it out, after slicing me open.
Such may be the fate of an incautious mage."
"I've been good at watching my back," Nabiki told him earnestly, "And
other peoples." Leaving her hand where it was, feeling the difference in
body temperatures. Trying to ignore the implications, Nabiki told herself,
And you think this is a reason that proves you don't need back up, rather
than the exact opposite?
"Except this morning. God, was it all only this morning?" he asked,
staring at the bulkhead.
"Yes," Nabiki told him. "You still need someone to watch your back, I
... . . "
"I watch my own back," Jeff snapped, spinning away, breaking contact,
"That's the first lesson. Trust no one, not me, not Ranma. Illusion,
possession, domination, shape changing, are all possible," he said coldly,
"Leaving out simple coercion. Your enemies are vastly more flexible and
capable, and ruthless. Magic is selfishness, you are forcing _your_ view of
the world on the real universe and everything in it, to avoid walking
straight into evil, you have to be extremely careful. Those who don't care,
can descend to a depth of evil - It was widely speculated that his evil and
fascination with the occult . . . "
"Hitler was a fallen mage. He wasn't was he?" Nabiki gulped and
relaxed when Jeff shook his head 'no', "So bad mages aren't bad news,
they're the worst news."
"Ordinary humans can do things that would send most demons screaming
for their mommies. Mages scare even those people." Jeff paused, breaking
the darkening mood, "Avoiding _becoming_ a bad mage isn't as easy as it
sounds. That is also a major concern. Consider it, sleep on it, and ask me
again in the morning."
"I've already made up my mind," she told him.
"I'm too tired to teach you anything tonight, or is it early this
morning?" he joked, "Let me take a short nap. Then I'll start in on the
basic lessons."
"I'm not going far." She considered, he was fading. And so am I, she
thought as she struggled to stand up, Shampoo and the others alienated Ranma
by pushing too hard, I will not make that mistake. She walked over to the
other bunk in the cabin and settled in, covered herself with the pair of
coats.
He sighed, "Things were never easy, that remains." He frowned and
stared at the ceiling, "You are having too much fun on my account," he told
it.
Weird, Nabiki thought,But what _hasn't_ been lately.
X-Original-Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2006 18:13:00 GMT
Followup-To: rec.arts.anime.fandom
Chapter 52 - Filthy Gaijin
[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 52 -
Filthy Gaijin
[Note to Moderator this is Part 3 of a 3 part posting, please combine it
with Part 1 and 2 for archiving]
The character Janice Berkley was created by Rory McLean, and is used with
his full permission.
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1 / 2, Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these stories.
C&C, MSTs are welcome
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
----------------------------------------
I Am Free Of All Prejudice
Asuka woke from a bad dream, into a nightmare. Wondergirl was leaning
close to Spineless, and blushing. Then they kissed. The pair simply
touched lips and stayed there.
Gott in Himmel. I've got to get a better class of nightmares, Asuka
thought of the two robots blushing and smiling at each other as they finally
broke off their kiss. She went back to sleep.
----------------------------------------
Asuka woke slowly. "Guten Morgan," she heard, more through her bones
than her ears. She suddenly realized what or who her `pillow` was. She sat
up and instantly regretted it. Wondergirl held her upright as the room spun
through all four dimensions around her. Asuka was mortified and nauseated.
"What - I didn't - Oh God!" Asuka buried her face in her hands.
"Are you well?" Wondergirl asked.
"No, I'm permanently disgraced."
"You do not appear damaged," Wondergirl told her, looking her over
carefully.
"I told Yuki . . . I'm not going to repeat what I told her," Asuka
said, "Then I slept with you."
"There was no sexual congress, you did not set the bedding aflame,"
Wondergirl said as Asuka's soul curdled, "You were wounded in body and
spirit, there are serious differences."
"That's not the _point_,_" Asuka whispered.
"Only you and I would know," Wondergirl quietly assured her, "I can
keep secrets."
"Then I want you to keep this secret." Asuka nodded at Wondergirl.
"Keep what secret?" Spineless asked as he walked in with breakfast:
eggs, sausage and toast.
"I'm doomed!" Asuka moaned and hung her head.
"You seemed to enjoy watching us kiss," Spineless said, blushed as he
glanced at Wondergirl.
Asuka felt sick. "That _wasn't_ a nightmare, this is!"
"You enjoyed watching," Wondergirl told her calmly, "You slept more
soundly afterwards. Perhaps, we both should have kissed you."
Asuka blanched and tried to pull away at that.
"Maybe you'd feel better sleeping with us, in the same room I mean,"
Spineless said shyly, taking Wondergirl's hand, who nodded.
Asuka's eyes narrowed. "This is more of that stupid 'Making me angry
so I can be happy' junk!" Spineless wilted slightly under her assault, she
turned to Wondergirl. "Improper dosing."
"It is not having the desired effect?" Wondergirl asked, staring at
Asuka.
"Of course not!" Asuka shouted in fury, "I feel worse than ever!"
Spineless and Wondergirl simply stared at her with matching blank
expressions.
Asuka sighed and `surrendered`. "Terrific, stupid through binoculars.
You two look exactly the same."
"Say! Is that breakfast I smell?"she-Horseface asked as she entered,
grinning ear to ear.
"God, just kill me now!" Asuka lamented, and hung her head again, "This
_can't_ get any worse."
"Would you like something to eat?" Spineless asked tentatively.
"Sure, shovel it up," Horseface answered before Asuka could.
"As you can see," Asuka told Spineless as he served, "Since you left
us, we haven't improved its manners. Despite elaborate - _HEY_!_"
Horseface had snatched a morsel off her plate with a pair of chopsticks.
"Where'd you learn your manners?" Asuka shouted, "In a ba - "
Horseface silenced her by flipping the food into Asuka's mouth. "I
think she's quieter with her mouth full," Horseface said sagely.
"I agree," Wondergirl said, nodded as she waited for Spineless to dole
things out.
Asuka glared at them, raised a fist. "I oughta - " A piece of sausage
silenced her.
Asuka chewed slowly on the sausage, and moved her plate out of
Horseface's reach, glaring at _IT_ the entire time.
"Oh, a challenge," Horseface said as she bounced from foot to foot,
chopsticks tapping out a rhythm like a telegraph key. Asuka took a large
forkful of the eggs and shoveled it into her mouth before Horseface could
move in. Asuka glared at Horseface's eagerness while she fed herself.
Spineless gave a plate to Horseface, a plate of toast to Wondergirl and
lastly served himself.
Sammi, Tomiyo and Juri entered. The obvious lack suddenly depressed
Asuka. "She died . . . didn't she?" Asuka asked.
Sammi's embarrassed silence told Asuka everything she needed to know.
She turned away.
"Are you going to school with us?" Spineless asked hopefully.
Asuka dropped her gaze to the floor. "No." It's cowardice, she
thought, If it were an Angel, I wouldn't hesitate. But going to that stupid
school wasn't worth Erin's life. I can't go back, it's pointless.
"We must go," Wondergirl said, "They will want medical tests before you
can return. And the Fourth and I must change our clothing."
"Aren't you afraid the same will happen to you?" Asuka asked Wondergirl
quietly.
"No, I would kill them, you would not," Wondergirl said flatly,
frowning slightly as she left. "Perhaps _that_ is why you were chosen,
because they would survive making the attack."
"Rest," Sammi told her, glancing worriedly at Wondergirl, "There are
Marines guarding this wing." Sammi added something vehement under her
breath. The spoke louder, "There was nothing you could do, none of this was
your fault."
"Then why is Erin dead?" Asuka asked.
"Because of _enemy_ action," Tomiyo told her as they led the other
pilots away.
"But if I'd run a different way . . . " Asuka said to the now empty
room, "It would have been different. I wouldn't have led her into an
ambush. I'm an experienced officer, I should have _seen_ it myself."
They might have been waiting there too, a voice told her, one she had
dreamed about, over and over, last night, the good times and the bad.
Momma, she thought back, she started as Juri entered the room.
"Pilot Langley. Pilot Ayanami plotted the possible ambush points in
the school, and in the vicinity. Somebody else did to, and they were
probably covering all your likely paths."
"I could have waited. It's still my fault."
"No," Juri corrected, "Not this time it wasn't. Not your fault at
all."
----------------------------------------
Outside the room, Rei heard Krasnyzamok's, then Juri's words, and
Asuka's replies. I did plot such a possibility, she thought, Security
should have held those positions in force. It would have controlled access
in and out. Yet they were not there. Were they covering _any_ of the
locations? Or they did not act as they should have at just that location,
she wondered about that, Perhaps it _is_ time to consider removal of the
'FUBENS', the Commander's plan does not include the negligent loss of any
pilot.
She walked through the medical wing, feeling the warmth of Shinji-kun's
return and feeling guilty she felt so good.
"Did you get the word on your tryout?" Krasnyzamok-san asked her.
"No, the alarm cry . . . I did not await the results."
"How well do you think you did," the Fourth pressed.
"I believe they would have allowed me in, if I simply expressed an
interest," Rei replied, trying to distance herself from the Fourth.
"Yeah, they were pretty taken with you. I'm just a little surprised
you didn't do that," the Fourth said. "Or do you feel the need to prove
yourself to them?" she added with an unusual tone and expression.
If the Fourth were Roku-kun or Nabiki-kun, I would say he/she is
analyzing my reply, she thought of the Fourth's expectant look, An odd
impression. My _words_ would not be part of the Fourth's interest, only my
actions and movements. "I would not do that," Rei said flatly, "I am
complete." Shinji-kun completes me, I have my function within the
Commander's plan and then what will come after, she thought, she found the
intensity of the Fourth's gaze disturbing, in its forcefulness and its
singularity to her experience.
She left Shinji-kun to the doctors, and continued to the vehicle that
would take them to their apartments to dress, then to school.
"I can't believe she didn't react to Shinji's return," the Fourth said
while slouching along.
Yes, she did, Rei thought, Just not that you knew of. She saw him and
slept peacefully without bad dreams for the rest of the night. If that is
not a reaction, I do not know reactions. Rei smiled briefly as she
considered the effect of Shinji-kun's return on the current situation.
----------------------------------------
The lunch had been quiet. The stewards brought our food to my cabin
without the usual byplay, Nabiki thought, They must have heard. They all
seemed as angry as the rest of us, strange.
Ritsuko read the report to the three of us, Maya, Raccoon and me. Rei
was still at NERV HQ, watching over Asuka. Who would have thought? she
thought, What was Ranma doing? Doing his katas, inhaling breakfast and
leaving for school? Because it was easier than dealing with the real
problem? Because he wanted to beat up whatever and whoever did this?
Nabiki remembered Maya making several attempts at conversation, with her and
Raccoon, They were met with desultory responses from Raccoon. It answers
the question of what it takes to shut him up, it's information I'd rather
not have. Of course none of us seemed eager to talk.
The city passing by the train windows was of only vague interest to
Nabiki. Only on the curves did the sight out of the window attract her
attention. Two carriers, she thought, What do we need _two_ carriers for?
The others were packing, she could hear them. Except me, she thought of the
neatly packed suitcases and parcels waiting to be transferred to the
carrier, Like I'm helpless. She frowned at being waited on hand and foot.
All I wanted back `home`, she thought, But it's no fun when they won't _let_
you do something. I'd like the right to do some things _myself_.
"Oh good, you're all packed," Maya said as she poked her head into
Nabiki's cabin.
"Are you sure you don't want to pack me in batting so I won't get
chipped or broken during moving?" Nabiki asked archly.
"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Maya chirped, "I'll get on it!" She
turned to leave.
"NO!" Nabiki shouted, practically lunging out of her bunk.
Maya looked back sheepishly. "No?" she asked innocently.
If I _could_ get at you . . . Nabiki thought angrily. "Can't I do
_something_?_"
"I'm afraid not . . . " Maya said quietly, then brightened, "I could
pile all the luggage in here and you could guard it with your life. But . .
... I don't think Dr. Akagi would approve at all, so no I can't do that."
Maya shook her head sadly.
"I can't even be an inventory clerk," Nabiki complained, "How
wonderful. Raccoon of course is turning handsprings and taking care of
everything himself."
"No, he's still in bed, grousing about it almost as much as you are,"
Maya said chirpily, "He's just a better sport about it than you are." Maya
caught the thrown pillow and ignored Nabiki's warning growl as she began
fluffing it up, with every appearance that she was going to put it behind
Nabiki's head. "Well, you can't have everything."
"Yes I could," she complained, "I just have to ask for it and half a
dozen people will trip over themselves to get it for me." Nabiki frowned
and shook her head.
"Don't you like being pampered?" Maya teased.
Nabiki sighed, tired of the game. "A little is good," she admitted,
"But this . . . what have I done to earn it? How many others died in that
fight, and how many were hurt worse than I was?"
"Most of those hurt worse than you were - they all died," Maya said
seriously, "And most of them would have sacrificed their lives to keep a
pilot safe. The mood on this train is ugly. Everybody has heard about
Tokyo. If the Brothers attacked now, everybody would be in on the fight.
If you are getting angry at being cooped up and being treated as a Tang
dynasty porcelain vase, your colleague has been getting lectures about not
putting himself in danger. From soldiers to the conductors to the stewards
bringing him tea and orange juice. The implication is that he should have
turned his pistol and yours over to a heavy weapon's team and let them fight
it out. Keep stacking bodies between yourselves and the enemy until they
were all killed," Maya told her harshly. "I think you can imagine how _he_
feels about those lectures."
Nabiki nodded, subdued for a moment. "What about the transfer to the
carrier, and why are there two carriers?"
"The second is carrying the families, a reverse of Operation Magic
Carpet," Maya explained, "It's fast enough, and it can keep everyone safe.
There's a third to provide air cover."
"And after what we saw, that we weren't supposed to," Nabiki said,
"They are in a hurry to get us back to Tokyo."
"I think they're also eager to get more U.S. troops over there," Maya
said, "Especially security troops. I thing Kaji-san and the FUBENS have
made their last allowable mistake." She glanced from side-to-side. "I've
had more than three dozen men asking me for a recommendation to be Security.
If I wanted to raise a personal regiment, I bet I could. It isn't any
easier for me, or for them. Nobody on this train doesn't understand the
odds, and what the Angels are capable of. None of them understand why only
pilots can fight them, yet they had proof that it is so. So, if bringing
you two tea and juice is all they can do, that's what they'll do. It scares
me too, with my broken English I can only understand about half of what
they're saying to me, but I recognize a salute, and respect. I didn't do
anything to deserve it either, except my job."
Nabiki had felt like squirming during Maya's entire lecture. She
changed the subject, "So our carrier isn't going to be crawling with kids?"
"_Our_ Carrier?" Maya asked impishly, "My, how proprietary!"
"Oh shut up!" Nabiki threw her pillow at Maya again. Again Maya caught
it, fluffed it, and approached. Maya let Nabiki lunge, before she slipped
it behind her. "All better. I doubt they'll have _our_ carrier for
anything other than combat troops. We'll be training them in EVA support
and other operations. Frankly, the Navy isn't overjoyed at using
Essex-class carriers as transports, but it is the fastest, largest ship they
have. Also, as I said, there will be a third Essex-class carrying aircraft
to protect us, as well as surface ships and submarines. Quite a battle
fleet," Maya said, then pointed out the window, "Oh look, a crowd."
Maya slipped out of the cabin while Nabiki stared in open-mouthed shock
at the people, the crowd, the throng, all standing there waving U.S. and
NERV flags, some carrying placards. The signs ranged from professions of
love and respect, for her, for Jeff, for the EVA, to marriage proposals for
the pilots. The onlookers were universally screaming their lungs out.
Me . . . Nabiki thought with a bee in the pit of her stomach. She
happily noted that the train rolled on, so the crowd was there and gone.
Except there was another, larger one further on, and another, and another
growing steadily in size and ardor as they approached the Navy Yard. She
dropped back in her bunk. "Oh GOD!" she murmured, "All those people.
What's gotten into them? It was mostly kids, shouldn't they be in school?
No, it's still summer vacation in the U.S., isn't it?" She considered the
tableau in fear. Ranma is the one who gets the screaming hordes, she thought
anxiously, Not me. I'm on the sidelines!
The train entered and continued through the Navy Yard, the
double-tracked road led right to the edge of the docks.
A knock on her door brought her around. "Enter!" she shouted, shook
herself out of the apprehension and shock that had gripped her.
"I hope you're ready to suit up. We'll need to move the EVA to the
carrier, and traveling by EVA is going to be less embarrassing than having
the wheelchair winched up to the carrier deck," Raccoon said, smiling
broadly but leaning heavily on his cane.
And hiding something, Nabiki thought, Probably several somethings.
"Did you see the crowds?" she asked, managing to keep her voice level.
"I saw them," he replied as nonchalantly as she tried to sound.
"I hope you understand that despite my hairstyle, I'm no singing
Liverpudlian," Nabiki said.
He shrugged. "True, but doesn't this outpouring of love and adoration
from people you've never met fill you with adulation? Doesn't the idea of
throngs waiting hours to possibly get a glimpse of you just buoy your
spirits to the stars? Doesn't the fact that the only reason they didn't
shower your path with cherry blossoms and rose petals is that it would have
knocked the train off the track, and that they wouldn't have feared the
resulting capital sentence for a moment of being near you, but they didn't
want to slow your appointed rounds? Doesn't it just elate you without
limit?"
"No, no and - no!" Nabiki said quietly. With each of his assertions, I
could feel my spirit curdle a little more, she thought as she glared at him.
Anyone from Nerima would be cowering and begging my forgiveness, and you
just stand there, immune.
"You shouldn't feel bad," Raccoon told her with a smile, "Everybody in
Jerusalem turned out to cheer Jesus. A little while later, he was flogged
and crucified. People are fickle that way." He dropped her plugsuit on her
bunk. "Put that on over your cast, and wear a jacket, it's breezy out
there. I'll meet you at the EVA in 10 minutes." He left her alone with her
thoughts and fears.
She glanced outside at the knots of cheering servicemen and their
families. As the train sat, and all the preparations needed to move the EVA
were underway. Nabiki sat up and looked out the window. Someone pointed
and the crowd went completely nuts. Nabiki nervously smiled and waved, the
crowd went even crazier: chanting, jumping up and down, screaming love and
her name and waving their flags furiously. She watched them pass by as the
train moved slowly into position. Once through the security fence, the
crowds were left behind. Oh crap! she thought, What have I gotten myself
into?
----------------------------------------
She had gotten `dressed`. I never thought a shipyard would be so noisy,
she thought of the noises of repairs to the ships and the unloading of the
train, Just have to ignore it.
She'd peeked out of her window and saw only the trucks bringing food
and other supplies to the carriers. She glanced at the jacket she'd gotten
out. It's the middle of August, I'm not wearing a jacket, she thought as
she headed out of her cabin. She hobbled on crutches through the now-empty
barracks and stores cars towards the last car before the double-wide EVA
flat car. She paused and steadied herself. This cast keeps throwing off my
balance, she thought, And the sprained wrists makes using the crutches
awkward and painful. She took a deep breath and thought defiantly, But I am
_not_ going to show weakness in front of _him_!_ She exited through the
door, and froze in shock and dismay.
The wall of sound that struck her was the first surprise. The second
was seeing Raccoon sitting on the edge of the flatcar, in NERV SAR
coveralls, while she was standing there in just her plugsuit. That _fink_!_
she thought angrily, as the noise of the crowd washed over her. Raccoon
pointed at her and said something, and the force of the noise doubled. She
smiled to the crowd and shot Raccoon a LOOK, because she didn't have her
pistol. Oh . . . I am going to _KILL_ you! she thought as she waved weakly,
All those sailors and Marines, and I come charging out in a plugsuit. She
kept her temper as dozens if not hundreds of flashbulbs went off. It covers
more than a swimsuit, but its not how I'd like to be remembered. She
considered retreating. No, I can't move fast enough with my injuries.
Besides, he probably had someone lock the door once I got out here, she
thought angrily as she struggled to keep her look determined, rather than
pained.
Raccoon hobbled over, leaning heavily on his cane.
"The only reason I can't kill you, is all these witnesses," she told
him, smiling broadly.
"I did tell you to wear a jacket," he whispered pleasantly. He turned
to the crowd and announced in a loud voice, "Miss Tendo is delighted you all
turned out to see her. She wishes her injuries didn't prevent her from
shaking hands and signing autographs, but she assures you that you have her
profound thanks and affection."
The noise, including a huge number of wolf-whistles, drown out the
noise of the shipyard.
"You - you - you -!" she murmured in Japanese, her rage and frustration
growing.
"Careful, they might understand that much, and isn't 'you' what wives
call their husbands?" he said as he smiled and waved to the crowd, "Just
play the good soldier and remember, it isn't every day that people see a
bona fide hero." He stepped out of range before she could clobber him with
her crutches.
He walked to the edge of the railcar, "Miss Tendo apologizes for not
speaking with you, but her injuries prevent it," Jeff told them, the sounds
of disappointed understanding were manifest. "And she asks you to step
back. We'll be moving the EVA soon and we don't want anyone injured."
There were murmurs as the Shore Patrol troops got between the crowd and
the railcars, and pushed the crowd back.
"And I thought _I_ was a skilled liar," Nabiki told him in Japanese as
he helped her up to the entryplug.
"Just anticipating what you would say."
"I guess that's why one side, _my_ side of the train was empty. Did
you plan it that way?"
"Oh no, I didn't see them either, the other line of cars blocks my
view. You should feel privileged, all I got to look at during the trip was
the outside of another railcar," he told her with a smile.
That didn't answer my question, she fumed silently. Once they were
both in the plug and floating in the L.C.L., she could confront him. "Do
you think this is funny?" she asked angrily, once they were both hooked into
the EVA.
"You need to learn that saying 'I love you' isn't a bad thing," he told
her seriously, all joking aside, "Unlike the people of Nerima, they will not
use a show of affection on your part as a licence to hurt you."
The impact of her fists against his chest reminded her that her wrists
were still very tender. "You rotten bastard, you unfeeling, selfish,
self-absorbed, brutish, callous - " She stopped as she realized she was
yelling at him in a language she couldn't possibly know. "Oh my God!"
"You rang?"
"That's not funny," Nabiki shouted, "That's not funny at all." She
shivered at the resonance that went through her as he said it. He's just
using that to tease me! she rallied and faced him.
"Now you understand a little," he told her calmly.
"Yes, I killed one - sort of."
"I'm glad you are able to handle it. I wanted to throw up, but you
also see the problem."
" 'Problem'? You call it a 'problem'? I have memories, thoughts,
feelings . . . _that_aren't_mine_!_ I want to tear your heart out . . . or
I want to . . . " She centered herself, put the roiling emotions aside as
best she could. "The Brothers of Chaugnar Faugn wanted to either kill him
and take his place, or return to a more balanced rule before he ascended
from first-among-equals to absolute-god-king. They loved him, they hated
him, they wanted things to be better between them. Now _you're_ Chaugnar
Faugn and I'm the Brothers, _all_of_them_, and I can't - I don't - " She
struggled not to give in to the ferocity that was only partially hers.
She found herself in his arms, being held, and felt the alien rightness
of it. Now I'm betraying Ranma, she thought as she returned the hug, I
should be wanting to do this with _him_. But does Ranma want to do this? I
know Ranko does, but not with _me_.
"It's all right," Raccoon soothed, stroking her hair, "All of us went
through it. All of us survived and recovered. You're as strong as any of
us. You'll hold on to who you are."
She gently pushed him away. "I don't _know_ who I am. Everything on
this trip has undermined who I am," she insisted firmly.
"No, it's stripped off the outer layers." He put his hands on her
shoulders. "Do you honestly think the 'Ice Queen of Furinkan' would have
survived around here? Asuka, or me, or even Rei would have torn her to
pieces and scattered the ashes to the four winds. Nabiki Tendo is no
quitter, you're caught between whom you thought you had to be, for your
sisters, your father, your family and its honorable survival; and who you
really are. Now who you need to be, is more like who you are, with all the
brakes off. And it scares you, that you would be so admired for doing
things that in peacetime you would be ashamed of. All of us went through
it, and all of us had our doubts about ourselves. Whether we could do what
is necessary for humanity to survive, and that we were still good people.
Even Asuka."
"Yeah? When did you go through it?" Nabiki asked archly.
"When Jason, Sharon and I, and 27 others, decided we had to slaughter
our 770 brethren. We faced a choice. Were we to stand with our 'people',
or our creators? We understood it might mean our deaths, it also meant we'd
be killing mercilessly, perhaps killing the innocent along with the guilty.
We were . . . different then. My talk with what was left of Sharon . . .
helped remind me, brought up old memories, old ways of thinking that we, and
the Project's doctors and scientists, buried as deeply as they could be.
Now I have them again, but like absorbing Chaugnar Faugn, and the rest, they
are available to me, but they _aren't_ me. That's your problem. Brown Bess
and the Ice Queen are available to you, but they aren't you. The difference
is that you never liked Nabiki Tendo, she was never enough to get the
attention, and dare I say it, love you needed. Suddenly, Nabiki Tendo is
all you've got left, and people you've never met, people who don't know you
love you, automatically and completely."
He threw up his hands. "Maybe like Saotome, you were born for another
time, a time when someone hard-edged and cold-hearted would make them a
hero, rather than a villain."
"When did you become such an expert on Tendo Nabiki?" Nabiki asked, her
anger gone, instead she felt very small and vulnerable.
"Several months in a single dream, watching you cry yourself to sleep
in the arms of a boy or girl you clung to as if someone would steal one of
you away. Listening to the soft cries as you faced your nightmares, crying
out to your mother, or Kasumi, crying out against Akane, or your father.
Watching a socially-inept, slightly-petrified martial artist tell you that
he and I were there and we would stay with and uphold you. Then you'd quiet
down and slip into a restful sleep. There were nights we literally slept in
shifts, so we could keep an eye on you the entire night," Raccoon explained.
"Terrific, make me feel real good and useful," Nabiki lamented, "So I
cried myself to sleep every night, clinging to my Ranma/Ranko cuddle toy."
"What makes you think I am complaining? Neither Ranma nor Ranko had a
problem with it either. None of the three of us begrudged the effort," he
said as he smiled, "If you must put this in a negative light, all three of
us deeply resented that we couldn't get at whatever was causing it.
Assuming it wasn't Nerima as a whole, both your memories and the current
realities of the place. Ranko especially hated that none of us could fix
it, she took it as a _personal_ affront. But none of us _blamed_ you, Ranko
just wanted to help you."
Nabiki felt like curling up in a ball, it was the only way to retreat.
"Sorry." She felt Raccoon grab her shoulders and shake her.
"Would you kindly listen to what I _actually_ said, instead of assuming
I was complaining!?" he asked angrily. "Part of the reason I `nuked`
Saffron and his worshipers was because I had proof that they didn't listen,
never changed from their preconceptions. Are you the same, or can you
learn? Like Ranko and Ranma can?"
She glared at him, her anger returned, shoving away her
self-consciousness. "Rotten - "
"Good," he said happily, "Back to normal. Neither Ranma, nor Ranko,
nor I minded looking out for you. The only thing we didn't like was we
couldn't really help you. Someone important to us was being hurt, and we
were standing around - helpless." He jerked his thumb at the outside. "The
others out there, the ones we're are supposed to protect, they saw the
newsreel footage, they heard about the battle. They heard about a
14-year-old Japanese girl getting torn up and then charging back into the
fight to protect and defend United States territory, and you don't think
that's worth some respect?"
"I just wanted to hurt them back." She considered punching him in the
chest, then remembered the pain in her wrists last time. "Like somebody
else. You know I'm getting tired of this lecture."
"Oh, others have said the same thing? And you haven't listened to them
either? I'm honored."
Nabiki remembered her teeth were undamaged. No, I don't want to _bite_
him, she thought. "You tell me," she firmly `requested.`
"Like I said, Nabiki Tendo has never been valuable to anyone. You
weren't the heir to either your father's or your mother's way of thinking
and skills. Don't frown, Shinji felt the same way. There are only a
handful of people who can pilot. Do you have _any_ idea what we could
demand?" He smiled at her. "None of us have, not even you. We just do the
job. You think that doesn't earn respect?"
Nabiki looked away. I've got no answers. I'm getting more money than
I ever wanted or could dream of, and less to spend it on. But I never even
considered _asking_ for more, she thought, Why does it bother me so much?
There was a buzz and Raccoon looked up. "Davis here."
"Why are you just sitting there, and the EVA is growling."
"Miss Tendo and I are both chewed up, we're trying to smooth out the
interface to ignore our injuries."
"Oh, okay."
"External phone." Raccoon cut the connections. "And you also speak a
language you share with only one other person alive."
"Great," Nabiki said, remembered she was still speaking a language she
hadn't been able to speak a short time ago. "Crap," Nabiki exclaimed, in
frustration at the reminder.
"See, nobody knew you were being unladylike, except me."
If I tear his heart out and eat it . . . she thought, Would anyone
notice, or could I blame it on an accident? "Oh, let's get moving!" Nabiki
said in English, and saw warning signs going off all over the interior of
the entry plug.
"We have to both use the same language," Jeff said in English as he
adjusted some settings, "Anything to avoid dealing with the problem. As you
wish."
She shook her head. I'm my father's daughter all right, avoid, and run
away, Nabiki thought disgustedly, I haven't learned his demon-head/river of
tears techniques to force someone else to deal with it, but I have mastered
'you fix it, I can't be bothered.' Not the wisest course when I want
something. She put that thought aside as Jeff drove the EVA after the jeep
with the flashing lights.
"What's that? All those posts laying across the carrier's deck?" she
asked as she turned to get a better view.
"I don't know, some kind of reinforcing, I hope," Jeff replied, clearly
curious himself, "Raise Doctor Akagi and ask."
The rest of the short walk was spent in finding out no one was
monitoring any of the EVA radio frequencies.
"'Up Simba, up!'," Jeff joked half-heartedly at the deck handler's
gestures, "Keep your mind quiet, I need to use the speakers."
"And who are - " The EVA blared before Nabiki caught herself.
"Do I step on or avoid the concrete pieces?" Jeff asked, cut the
connection, "Now you can tell me what you think of me. The concrete pieces
look like 1 by 4's on their wide edge."
"They're laid clear across the carrier's deck," Nabiki commented as she
examined them, "I think they're supports."
"On it is," Jeff responded to the man's orders.
"I've got a question," Nabiki said, "What are those things they're
loading on the foredeck? They looked like EVA-scaled knee mortars."
"The Little David, a 36.25 inch mortar. I thought there was only one,
I guess I was wrong. But you are right, an EVA could use those as small
mortars," Jeff replied as he climbed up on the carrier and down the rear
elevator opening into the hanger.
"Well, that concrete worked. I don't think we broke the deck this
time," Jeff said as he spotted Master Chief Cole in the hanger and waved him
over. "Should the EVA help with the loading?" he asked, "Standing like
this, we can pass the loads from hand to hand," then he added, "I'm off."
"So you stand while I play conveyer belt. Thanks," she joked.
Chief Cole picked up the external, ground-crew phone built into the
EVA. "Sorry, you two are to get this thing stowed below and proceed
directly to your cabins, and the bunks there in. Sorry, Dr. Akagi's
orders." He gestured to the teams standing by with stretchers.
"You have _got_ to be kidding?!" Nabiki exclaimed angrily the EVA's
speakers echoing her anger, and the troops drew back.
"You do realize we're _in_ this EVA, don't you?" Jeff asked warningly.
Chief Cole just stood there, staring defiantly.
"Very well," Jeff said, "We'll do it." He cut the connection.
"Are you out of your mind?" Nabiki asked angrily, turning him to face
her.
"They don't have the decontam shower set up," Jeff said with a smile,
"And we'll climb out of here, soaked in L.C.L., remember your first reaction
to that singular smell?"
Nabiki returned his evil smile. "Oh, it will be so wonderfully good to
let them get a good whiff. There is a time, a place, and a setting for
_proper_ negotiations."
----------------------------------------
I was _so_ nice asking them to get me some lemon juice, Nabiki thought
exultantly, Once they smelled L.C.L. they would have agreed to _anything_._
Especially something that eliminated the stench. Nabiki quickly found the
room Jeff was in, after she'd thoroughly showered twice. Right across the
corridor, she thought as she peeked out of her room, How original, and
convenient. She pulled her head back inside her room and closed the door as
a patrol walked by in a cross passageway, but didn't walk towards her cabin.
Okay, time for a little subversion of authority, she thought as she hobbled
into his room and closed the door behind her. She was glad he seemed to be
awake, lying on his bunk and staring at the ceiling.
"You okay?" Jeff asked as he turned to look at her.
"Fell asleep after such strenuous exercise," she paused, "While you're
weak and drunk from fatigue, I'm going to point out a few things. How much
of what you were saying was you projecting your feelings, thoughts and
_fears_ onto me?"
"Interesting theory," he replied, "Maybe. Maybe it was just me talking
about how I have been able to look after somebody, and that I can't look
after someone else."
"You don't think Ranma - " She gritted her teeth. "And Ranko - can
look after her?"
"No, you don't intimidate Ranma or Ranko as much as Asuka does," he
told her as he sat up, "Who else is there?"
"Rei, Misato, Asuka's friend Hikari, a few others," Nabiki said, sagged
into a chair with a grimace.
"Possibly, unlikely, maybe. Including Shinji he woke up," Raccoon
replied.
"When did this happen?" She leaned forward, then painfully sat back as
her body complained.
"Today," Raccoon said, "He talked with me before he said he'd look
after her. Maybe with what he learned - maybe he can."
"What did he learn?" Nabiki asked eagerly, restrained herself from
reacting.
"Nothing that concerns you, yet," he replied, "You have other lessons I
believe. Unless you aren't interested."
"I'm interested, because you need a back up, magically, and even you
can't be in two places at once, and you'll need to be." She was glad he
smiled, she'd passed another test. "And if you aren't at least half as
bored as I am, you aren't half as smart as I think you are, and that isn't
anywhere near as smart as _you_ think you are."
"I don't think I'm that smart, I just think it's important for everyone
to think that I think I'm that smart."
"Now that I have a headache, I think I'm going to go take a nap,"
Nabiki teased, then grew serious, "Since I went looking around in your
memories, there's a few things you need to know. My sisters and my father
hurt Ranma, it's not important how, and 'why?' is too stupid to talk about.
That's why he doesn't remember. Suffice it to say, that weird Nerima we
found ourselves in, except for the people having faces - often several -
that's exactly where my home was, how it was. I pushed myself forward,
because I didn't want him to be alone. My younger sister . . . Akane . . .
I don't think she _meant_ to hurt him, but she's the Worlds' Champion for
jumping to conclusions, and then acting as if those conclusions were
reasonable. She could take two plus two and come up with nine, to the 47th
power."
"Yes, I lived with Maya as her, for longer than you lived with the
original. He isn't . . . I don't like him, but I wouldn't abandon him." He
sniffed, "It just isn't done, Honor of Harvard and all that." He gestured
loftily.
"Since I'm asking you to share secrets, I have to share one. I was
born in 1975, Ranma and I came from 1992, we'd never heard of the Great Old
Ones, or EVAs, or anything like that, before we came here." She stared at
him, he seemed to be digesting this.
"Another Universe," he murmured, "Different physical laws."
"I don't know. I never was much of a scientist. The people were
different in attitude, but we'd been at peace since 1945."
"I assume the technology was vastly different?"
"Jet aircraft, desktop computers, rockets to other planets, cures for
smallpox, measles, rubella, others. Just like the weird Nerima in the
dream, that _was_ the . . . future I guess, and my past or present."
"Then why would you want to learn my tricks? I can't match many of
those things."
"I'm _here_," Nabiki told him, leaning forward, and fighting to not
react to the pain. "I'm going to stay here until the job is done."
"Then go home?" A personal, rather than professional question, he was
asking.
Nabiki had no answer, "I don't know. Home is . . . " She shook her
head. "Home is home."
Jeff considered, "Have you ever seen the Sorcerer's Apprentice or heard
the story? From Fantasia or elsewhere?"
"Yes, and I get the message: 'Don't fool around with the Master's
tricks.' Or at least be careful enough that you don't get caught."
"The latter is by far the most accurate," he explained, "An incurious
mage is useless, mages _need_ to stick their noses where they shouldn't, and
where they aren't wanted." He got up and knelt next to her chair. "Here
more than anywhere else I've been." Jeff pulled out the collar of his
shirt, took her hand to trace her finger over the scar over his heart, it
was freezing cold to the touch. "I lied when I said someone tried to -
cut - my heart out. They tried to - rip - it out, after slicing me open.
Such may be the fate of an incautious mage."
"I've been good at watching my back," Nabiki told him earnestly, "And
other peoples." Leaving her hand where it was, feeling the difference in
body temperatures. Trying to ignore the implications, Nabiki told herself,
And you think this is a reason that proves you don't need back up, rather
than the exact opposite?
"Except this morning. God, was it all only this morning?" he asked,
staring at the bulkhead.
"Yes," Nabiki told him. "You still need someone to watch your back, I
... . . "
"I watch my own back," Jeff snapped, spinning away, breaking contact,
"That's the first lesson. Trust no one, not me, not Ranma. Illusion,
possession, domination, shape changing, are all possible," he said coldly,
"Leaving out simple coercion. Your enemies are vastly more flexible and
capable, and ruthless. Magic is selfishness, you are forcing _your_ view of
the world on the real universe and everything in it, to avoid walking
straight into evil, you have to be extremely careful. Those who don't care,
can descend to a depth of evil - It was widely speculated that his evil and
fascination with the occult . . . "
"Hitler was a fallen mage. He wasn't was he?" Nabiki gulped and
relaxed when Jeff shook his head 'no', "So bad mages aren't bad news,
they're the worst news."
"Ordinary humans can do things that would send most demons screaming
for their mommies. Mages scare even those people." Jeff paused, breaking
the darkening mood, "Avoiding _becoming_ a bad mage isn't as easy as it
sounds. That is also a major concern. Consider it, sleep on it, and ask me
again in the morning."
"I've already made up my mind," she told him.
"I'm too tired to teach you anything tonight, or is it early this
morning?" he joked, "Let me take a short nap. Then I'll start in on the
basic lessons."
"I'm not going far." She considered, he was fading. And so am I, she
thought as she struggled to stand up, Shampoo and the others alienated Ranma
by pushing too hard, I will not make that mistake. She walked over to the
other bunk in the cabin and settled in, covered herself with the pair of
coats.
He sighed, "Things were never easy, that remains." He frowned and
stared at the ceiling, "You are having too much fun on my account," he told
it.
Weird, Nabiki thought,But what _hasn't_ been lately.