He really didn’t know if he was too late or not, but he had to try something to stop and/or rescue his mother from stealing whatever it was from this Xavier guy. Still not knowing where he was going, he took a cab, since cabbies knew the lay of the land better than even the local townsfolk. He paid the cabbie who asked if he should wait, but took off without receiving an answer.
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Logan walked into the study of Charles Xavier carrying two mugs of steaming java. He handed one to the bald man in the wheelchair, who was still wearing a bathrobe, and looked at the monitor the Professor was studying. The monitor showed a pigtailed Japanese boy about 16 yrs old studying the gates and walls that surrounded the property.
“It really is too early in the morning for this kind of thing.” Logan commented. “He’s not really going to try and break in, is he?”
“That appears to be his intention.” The professor said.
The boy on the monitor seemed to come sort of conclusion then turned to face the camera, flashed a victory sign, and jumped, clearing the wall without touching it.
“A mutant?” asked Logan as the perimeter alarms started going off. They watched as the boy started dodging the security lasers and taking out the guns with his bare hands.
“No, he isn’t, at least he didn’t use his power to make that jump and it doesn’t look like the automated defenses can stop him.” The professor pressed a button on the panel, “X-men! Intruder alert. Suit up.”
“That’s a nasty wake up call. I’ll get ready as well.” Logan passed Ororro on his way out though he didn’t offer a greeting being deep in thought. Despite the time he spent in Japan, the boy just didn’t ring any bells.
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He really didn’t like this idea, but his mom was supposed to be in this place doing something illegal. It was not something you could ring the front doorbell on and try to explain. If he could find whatever it is she was suppose to steal and stop her, things would be all right. After all, he’s not a prisoner any more so they could leave together if he wasn’t already too late.
Ranma would have stayed in the forest, if it weren’t for the fact that some of the trees seemed to be fake and held either cameras or more laser guns, usually both.
As he cleared the trees, the guns stopped firing and he still had to dodge out of the way of a larger laser coming from a tall guy wearing a visor.
“Hold it right there. That was only a warning shot.” he said. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re tresspassing.”
“Don’t know what you talking about,” Ranma said in English, “but not try to stop me.”
Another beam shot from the stranger’s visor with deadly accuracy. Ranma barely dodged, earning a hole in his shirt for his trouble. “Stop it! No change of clothes.” Ranma said. The taller boy fired beam after beam seeming to get more frustrated that he couldn’t hit the elusive Asian.
Ranma was starting to get tired, the guy was too good a shot and too quick to try and get close, there really was no choice, “You try to hit what is not seen.” he taunted and cloaked himself in the Umi-senken.
“What?!” the boy looked around, “Where’d he go?” That was all before Ranma clocked him on the back of his head, knocking him out. He took of the visor and crushed it, no more fancy, high-accuracy weapons. To shoot exactly what you were looking at without relying on hand-eye co-ordination was the height of cheating, in Ranma’s book.
“Scott!!” a girl called in panic before Ranma felt himself lifted into the air. “I’ve got you. You aren’t going anywhere.”
Ranma looked down at a tall red-haired girl with her arms outstretched towards him. He could not feel anything that was grabbing him and he could still feel the effects of gravity, but he was hanging in mid air.
“He want I should leave, you want stay, but I already waste too much time.” He pulled his hands back, “Mouko Takashiba.” the girl seemed to pull back some power to block with, but his aim was for the ground in front of her. Clouding the area with dust to where she couldn’t see, she lost her grip on the martial artist. By the time it cleared, he was gone.
She activated her com link, “Jean here, Scott’s down and the intruder got passed me.”
“Roger that, Jean. Stay with him.”
Ranma continued to run among the trees. The guns were not firing now, which meant there were probably more of those people out there.
*Bamf* “Surprise.” A weight landed on Ranma’s back causing him to loose his footing and crashing headlong into a tree.
Shaking off the cobwebs, he looked around but didn’t see anything in the early morning forest. “Ha ha. Good landing, mein friend, but you might as well give up while you can.”
“Come out here and say that.” Ranma growled.
“If you say so.” a blue and red blur leapt at Ranma from the shadows, but Ranma was faster, shooting a fist out connecting dead center, but he could tell that it was a glancing blow as whatever it was disappeared in a puff of smoke smelling like brimstone.
“That hurt.” the voice sounded like it was trying to get it’s wind back. “I’m usually a lover, not a fighter, but if that’s the way you want to play it.”
*Bamf* a fist connected with Ranma’s cheek, he counter attacked but whatever it was was already gone. *Bamf* Another fist landed. *Bamf* Another.
“Arrgh.!” It wasn’t that these hits were really hurting him, but it was more frustrating that fighting a ghost. It had to be another mutant like his Mom, but one that could teleport. He jumped out of the area, high into the trees.
“Oh, no you don’t” *bamf*
“Gotcha.” Ranma expected the voice to follow him and appear behind him. He turned in mid air and grabbed onto the person who reappeared.
“Hey!” *Bamf*
Before Ranma could follow through, he felt himself in an uncontrolled fall. “Happy landings!” *Bamf*
He was alone now, though he could have corrected his fall, except for the fact there was no way he could dodge the pool below him. He swam to the edge and pulled himself out.
“Mein gott! Who are you? And where did the intruder go?”
The guy was too fast, Ranma had to use a different strategy to get passed this one.
“Why does it always end up this way?” Ranma-chan started to cry, “Everyone is always picking on me!”
The boy in blue seemed to waver for a moment, then slowly approached, “Er... don’t worry, miss, it’s going to be ok. I’m one of the good guys, despite what I look like. Are you hurt at all?”
“My leg.” Ranma-chan wailed, “You meanie! You hurt me.” Right on cue the mutant teleporter leaned in close to see what damage he might have done to this cute girl.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Sucker!” *Pow* Ranma-chan hit the guy in his furred jaw, knocking him out. Furred?? Yup, though the mutant was obviously a teenager, a light blue fur covered his body and he only had 2 fingers and a thumb on each hand. Ranma tore himself away from staring; it was impolite even if the guy was unconscious. He took just a moment to duck into a changing hut to find hot water.
Ranma was almost to the house now, but stopped short as a guy with a pointed mask jumped out the door, landing at the bottom of the steps.
“That’s as far as you go.” he growled.
“Are you one of those Pro Wrestlers with the fancy moves?”
“No, I ain’t no wrestler.” he said in a tone halfway between an angry pit bull and a school teacher who’s answered too many stupid question. “You may’ve got passed the kids, but playtime’s over, bub.”
Dressed funny or not, this guy was obviously a seasoned fighter. Not much taller than Ranma but more heavily muscled, and he carried it well. Ranma dropped back into a ready stance, “Bring it on, Old Man.”
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See other episodes by David L. Battley
(Posted Sun, 08 Aug 2004 02:28)
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