While undoing the other bonds, Ranma thought that she didn't want to run away, and frankly wanted the real challenge. From what she heard, Tanya and the others were risking their lives fighting this war all over again, so that that Yuri creepazoid wouldn't pull whatever he was going to again.
She banged her head against the wall a bit as she muttered to herself "Pull whatever he was going to again? Man! This time travel stuff can make you blow a fuse.." She raised her head in mild surprise as the voice of Professor Albert Einstein came into the room immediately before the man himself did with food. She was halfway thru the impressive Reuben the good Professor had constructed before the man's comment actually registered: A crooked smile accompanying the words "I rather suspect we all think so, young lady."
Ranma sheepishly looked up and said "Sorry about that. I was.. hungry?" She was a little surprised at the smile the old scientist could hang on a person.
"It's perfectly all right. Besides, it's a fine day for a man to see a proper appreciation for a fine Rye bread." Einstein sat in the chair Ranma had so recently vacated, as the feeling of motion began. "Ah, we're on our way! There's a very disturbing trend of people leaving their homes in Los Angeles and Hollywood. Yuri's mind control is suspected."
"Thanks for explaining, I would probably have freaked out if you hadn't told me. By the way: I'm Ranma Saotome. It's a pleasure." She offered her hand and shook hands heartily. For his part, Einstein seemed quite content at Ranma's relative calm.
"Likewise, likewise, young lady! I thought you might need some answers as well as the lunch you so skillfully demolished. Do you have any questions you need to ask immediately?"
Ranma thought about it. This whole world and its history had gone far astray from what she dimly recalled from History classes, but then given the divergence point.. that brought up a point, so she asked "One thing I should ask before Agent Tanya returns, seeing as it torques her so.. Did you deliver this force to the middle of the war on purpose?" She was not surprised at all to see the esteemed German genius snort and give a sad smile.
He replied in a flat tone "Ranma, there was no way in Hell I was going to repeat my.. predecessor's mistake. I delivered us to the point I did quite deliberately, so that the records of our first run may be used against the Soviets, while all the new technology we have developed and any freed up forces get used to subvert Yuri at every turn. That way we get that lunatic, but the war itself goes unchanged. I do not wish to unleash a completely unknown threat, and I am doing my best to respect the law on unintended consequences from one's actions. Tanya is a fine woman, and a finer soldier. I believe she will understand."
Ranma smiled her own somewhat sad smile, then says "She's glorious, Prof. And I bet she understands already. Why else do you think she's so pissed off, pardon my language?" She couldn't help but smile a bit broader at the patent look of conversation induced pain that comment produced, then settled down as he replied.
"No, Ranma, that term is probably about right. And now that you likely will not vomit up that sandwich again, I'll explain Romanov, Yuri, and what it is we are here to prevent.." He went into detail on the latest thinking about the causes of the war and that which followed. "..Alexander Romanov knew he was a 'safe' choice in the eyes of President Duggan of the United States. Even when he started I suspect there was a certain gall in being considered such after his family had had to hide out in a dingy collective farm. Romanov is a distant relation of the last Russian Czar, you understand, and rising up in the Soviet Union was a very difficult life for him. It has become something of a pet theory that Yuri enhanced that anger and resentment into the driving rage that began this war. In any event, Yuri's psionic corps and technologies further augmented the Soviet arsenal when he appeared at Romanov's right hand, and relations steadily got worse and worse until he threw everything he had at the United States. Yuri's psychic prototypes crippled Duggan's fast reaction options, and the invasion raged on.."
After some questions on specifics (and a near vomiting upon hearing of the nuclear bombing of Chicago) Einstein went on with what happened after the war. "After Agent Tanya captured Romanov in the Kremlin building, the war unraveled quickly. However, no sign of Yuri was found until quite some time later. He had taken his psychic troopers and began developing a psionics based battle plan that works to dominate and corrupt targets, using their resources and techniques in further conquest. The epitome of this is what we are truly here to prevent the development of: The Psychic Dominator.."
As Ranma heard of the horrid toll inflicted when the network flared over everything except the west coastal region of the United States and Canada, she was amazed at how well and how quickly they managed to mobilise. "I feel for you, Prof, and that's a stone fact. If there's any way I can be of help, just ask." She would have gone on, but Agent Tanya came in, a bit harried from (no doubt) planning the next campaign. "Professor! I'm glad you're debriefing her, but did you have to untie.."
"Ranma Saotome, and I got myself loose." At the nod from Professor Einstein, Tanya muttered to herself softly about kicking the next Boy Scout she sees. Then she shook herself out of her funk and said "Professor, I need some of your time, no pun intended. Seems Yuri's.." while she raced the Professor elsewhere. Ranma couldn't help but shake her head at how lovely lively Agent Tanya was. She focused on business, angrily telling herself Forget it, clod! You don't have time for that, and you've been beat up by enough tomboys as it is! Though she sure ain't uncute.. don't go there, Saotome!
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by CrystalBlaze
(Posted Tue, 24 May 2005 05:02)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.