Sergeant Shizuno grumbled as he once again lost sight of his mark. His job was to find and observe a kid named Ranma Saotome. He wasn't told why the kid was important, he just knew to be discreet, make detailed reports, and to keep track of the kid until a VIP came to collect. His orders sounded easy when he first heard them; how hard could it be to keep an eye on just one kid? But now, he cursed ever agreeing to the job. The kid was fast, tended to travel by rooftop, and seemed to get into more scrapes than any of the scrappiest brawlers and scrappers he's ever seen, and considering he's in the army, he's seen a lot.
Sighing, he decided to walk to his car and drive by the Tendo dojo. Opening his car door and getting in, he buckled in before turning his key in the ignition. Once the motor purred into life, Shizuno was surprised by his quarry fading into view, from his passenger seat.
"What? How'd you get in here?" Shizuno also hated someone getting the drop on him, a soldier's tendency when most people surprising you are also the same ones trying to kill you.
Ranma smirked. "Same way you did, I used the door."
Shizuno stared in confusion. "But it was locked, wasn't it? What do you want? I don't have any money if you're thinking of robbing me." The Sergeant also knew he wasn't suppose to blow his cover, so he couldn't act like he knew the kid.
"Drop the act," Ranma growled as his frown deepened. "I want to know why you have been following me for the past week."
Shizuno blinked and thought. He wasn't sure he could play the coincidence card. However, the two way military radio installed in his dashboard decided his dilemma for him when it squawked to life. "Control to Hawkeyes. Hawkeyes, you there?"
Ranma smirked at him again. "You better answer that, it would be rude otherwise."
Shizuno gulped. "Hawkeyes here. That's a ten-twelve, over."
"Roger. Calling to advise a ten-twenty-two Dr. Okinari. Don't forget to pick up the package. Be gentle, it is important. What's your twenty?" Control's even and monotone response did not waver.
Shizuno replied, "Corner of Main, near the Furinkan High School. Over."
"Roger that. Proceed to Tokyo Hilton on Main. ETA, five minutes. This is a ten-seventeen. Over."
"Roger Wilco. Over and out." Shizuno set his handset carefully back on its clip. "Well, kid. Looks like you get to find out."
"Huh?" Ranma looked confused.
This time, it was Shizuno's turn to smirk. "I was just the babysitter. Someone really important wants to meet you. Your country is interested in you, Ranma. They think you can do great things."
Ranma smirked with confidence. "Dam straight! I'm the best."
Sergeant Shizuno laughed. "Well, come on kid. Let's go get your questions answered."
"OK, but what about this package you need to get?"
"You're it." Shizuno pulled away from the curb and sped off.
"Please, have a seat." The well dressed, elderly man indicated with a gesture to Ranma which seat to take. "I am sure you are wondering that you are doing here," the man continued once Ranma was sitting.
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, and why was I being followed?"
"First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Okinari. I was the lead investigator for a project that has been shut down for nearly sixteen years, now." Okinari got up and paced to the window, looking out while holding his arms behind his back. "It was the goal of the project to produce a human being so capable, who pushes the envelope of human performance, that he would be the ideal pinnacle of mankind."
Ranma frowned. "What does this have to do with me? You don't want to use me as breeding stock, do you?"
Okinari laughed, though not unkindly. "No, no. It'll all become clear in a minute." Turning to face Ranma once more, Okinari smiled in a grandfatherly manner. "You should know, we were not trying to play God. We wanted to create something that could better society by protecting it. Soldiers to fight crime and enemies. People who would stand for the ideals of peace and justice. We created you."
"Me?" Ranma was having trouble believing the man. "Look, I don't know what you want or what Pops did to you, but this is too crazy for me to accept."
Dr. Okinari sighed as he sat down across from Ranma. "Yes, I know. I been trying to figure out the best way to explain it. Ranma, you are a Saotome by adoption. When the program was canceled all those years ago, we were told to destroy the children. There was only a few, having had only freshly succeeded when the word got out. We hadn't yet scaled up the process. There was only a few, and we could not bring ourselves to kill any of them. The sin was ours; why should the babies pay for it? So we discreetly and carefully inserted them into normal adoption channels. To hopefully enjoy life and all it had to offer.
"Ranma, if you don't believe me, ask your parents. We may have not kept an eye on you, lost track of all the children, but investigators have chased the paper trail to you."
Ranma gazed thoughtfully out the window. "Why now?"
"Pardon me?"
"Why did you come find me now?" Ranma still didn't believe, but he was willing to hear the man out.
Dr. Okinari poured himself a glass of water. "Want one? ... no?" He took a gulp of water. "Yes, a very good question. We feel the world is in even more need of what we had once tried to offer. The Emperor has given us permission to a trial run. If things go well, we'll be allowed to restart program LEAD. So, we need to find our GOLD children, train them, and show that we can make a difference."
"Training?" Ranma's interest was piqued. "What kind of training?"
"I was told you have received martial arts training? Well, more of that if needed, but all kinds of schoolwork and lessons: law enforcement training, military style training, strategy and problem solving, criminology, crime scene investigation, and other things you will find useful to know in the line of work you'll be doing; that is if you agree."
Ranma frowned. "Sounds like a lot."
Dr. Okinari shrugged. "You don't have to master it all, though much will be needed. And for now, you can't afford to make many mistakes.
"Tell you what, go home and think about it. Ask your parents to confirm or deny you were adopted. If you want to make a difference in the world, call me. Only, there is one thing. This conversation we just had, keep it a secret. And if you join up, that's a secret too. You'll be working in secret. Not all the time, but as we need you. So you can't tell anyone, not even your family or friends. But, you do get some perks besides training and cool toys to play with.
"Here, take this packet. It has copies of the paperwork we used to track you down: adoption papers, school records, the works. I've also included my business card, call me if you have any questions."
Ranma sighed. "Right, I'll think about it." Ranma shook the man's hand and accepted the packet of papers from him.
Ranma returned home in a pensive mood. The story was just much too crazy, and he was suspicious of the old man. But, he did seem genuine, even if his story was nutty. Ranma knew that if pushed, Genma would tell the truth. He'd like to ask his mom too, but every time his mom visited he had to hide as Ranko. Ranma wasn't sure if he even wanted to know the truth.
"I'm home," he called out as he entered the house and removed his shoes.
He didn't hear a response, so he followed his stomach into the kitchen. "Hey, Kasumi," he greeted the girl as he rummaged through the fridge.
"Hello, Ranma. Don't spoil your appetite; your mother is coming over tonight."
Ranma groaned. Think of the devil and she appears. "Thank you, Kasumi."
"I thought you would be happy to spend time with your mom. You seem to miss her so." Kasumi looked at Ranma quizzically.
"Yeah," Ranma admitted, "but I have a lot on my mind now."
Kasumi nodded. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Ranma shook his head. "Not right now. Thanks, though."
"Does it have something to do with why Akane came home mad?" Kasumi frowned disapprovingly.
Ranma scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know why the tomboy is mad. But it doesn't have anything to do with her."
"She seemed upset that you disappeared. You know, you shouldn't lead on the other girls, Ranma."
"Huh," Ranma was really confused. "Me lead them on? What do they have to do with anything?"
Kasumi sighed. Looking patronizingly at Ranma. "You could've at least told Akane where you were going, or invited her along. I suppose it is none of my business who you decide to date, but ..." Kasumi trailed off at Ranma's confused expression. "Akane came home mad, saying you ran off to show one of your hussies a good time. Well, Akane used the word hussy. I don't like it much myself."
Ranma rolled his eyes, finally getting Kasumi's point. "Naw. It was nothing like that. I was just meeting with a man who claims I was adopted, that's all." Ranma mouth gaped when he realized he admitted too much; he wasn't planning on telling anyone yet.
"Oh my!" Kasumi's eyes widened in shock as she brought a hand to her own open mouth. "Are you?"
Ranma ground his big toe against the floor, looking aside for a moment. " I don't know. Not sure I want to."
"Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"I think he's crazy. But he did give me proof. Might be all fake though. I'm not sure what he wants from me or why, just yet."
Kasumi looked at Ranma with an expression of sympathy. "He said he was your father, didn't he?"
Close enough to the truth. Do people born from a science fair experiment gone wrong even have parents? Ranma nodded to affirm Kasumi's claim. "Yeah, something like that, just not in those words."
"Oh, Ranma! What will you do?"
Ranma shrugged. "Ask mom and pops about it, I suppose."
Kasumi leaned forward to pat Ranma on the shoulder. "Even if it is true, you're still a Saotome, and that is all that matters."
Ranma nodded.
Akane came in just then, fresh from the dojo where she was working out her anger. "As if you don't have enough girls, now you're flirting with my sister? So who was it this time? Shampoo? Ukyo? Kodachi? Maybe someone new? I saw the look you gave that woman the other day."
Ranma rolled his eyes and shrugged apologetically to Kasumi. "It wasn't like that Akane. Sheesh, you are such an uncute tomboy. If you don't mind, I am going to go take a bath and get ready for Mom."
Akane glared at Ranma's retreating back. "He didn't do anything to you, did he, Kasumi?"
"No, little sister. He just has a lot on his mind, that's all. Just give him some space to think."
Akane snorted. "Him? Think? That's rich."
Dinner was a subdue affair, as it usually is with Nodoka visiting. But more so, as Ranma was brooding and not really taking part in any conversation.
"Ranko, dear, what's wrong? Oh, I know. You must miss Ranma." Nodoka noticed Ranma's pensive mood.
Ranma blinked and looked over to his mom. "Naw, not quite. There's something Ranma wanted me to ask you, but I'm unsure how."
"Oh?" Nodoka mind was awhirled with possible questions that might be asked.
"Yeah," Ranma replied in a resigned, soprano voice. "He wanted to know if he was adopted."
Nodoka was not expecting that question. Even Genma, in panda form, looked up from his plate of bamboo in surprise. "Why would he want to know a silly thing like that?"
Ranma looked at his mother sadly before unfolding a piece of paper he had in his pocket. "Because he met a guy who gave him this." Ranma handed over the sheet of paper to his mom. It was a xerox of his adoption form, showing both his father's and mother's signatures.
Nodoka's face fell when she saw the paper. "So he knows, then? Is that why he won't see me?" Nodoka looked sadly down at her plate.
"What? No, no," Ranma said in a panic. "I, er, he knows about the seppuku contract. No one is really sure what 'Man among Men' means. And Pops, er I mean Uncle Genma, thinks he won't measure up."
"What?" Nodoka looked furious. "He has been hiding from me because his father is afraid of the contract?"
Ranma shrunk back from his mother's fury. "Something like that."
Nodoka sadly shook her head. "Another complication to clear up then. Boy, tonight is turning into a mess."
"Wait, so Ranma is adopted?" Nabiki finally found her voice after that bombshell had been laid.
Nodoka looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah. But Ranma is my son just the same; I just wish I could tell him that."
"Ranma's adopted?" Akane was still processing the news. Kasumi was the only one not shocked, but she had prior warning.
"Do you think he'll see me? Between this and the contract, I'm afraid I might lose him."
Ranma felt bad for his mother, so he put his arms around her. "I wouldn't worry about losing him. He's looking forward to meeting you, finally." With my own face and name, preferably.
Nodoka looked at Ranma in gratitude. "Thank you, Ranko. Will you let him know I'm not going to make him kill himself. He's still too young; He has plenty of time to grow into a real man among men."
Ranma giggled sheepishly. "Uh, what if he's afraid that he's so unmanly that you don't think he has any hope of meeting your approval?"
Nodoka looked at Ranma in shock. "Why would he think that? More of my husband's foolishness, I expect?"
Ranma and the Tendos shared a significant look. Ranma made up his mind, mostly, and hesitantly reached for his mother's cup of tea. No one else at the table would risk a hot drink, but they couldn't refuse a guest either. However, Genma tackled Ranma to the ground before he could grab the cup. Tossing the girl over his shoulder, he ran off.
Nodoka blinked. She stared at where the two disappeared. "Why does Ranko keep such a randy pet? She isn't some kind of deviant, is she?"
Akane snorted, nearly saying, "If you only knew."
Nabiki covered for the duo. "It's nothing like that. The panda is just brain damaged."
From outside, sounds of fighting could be heard. Ranko's voice rang clear. "Leggo ol' man. You didn't even tell me I was adopted ... What do you mean it doesn't matter? ... OK, fine, it doesn't matter. But what about Ma? ..."
"Such a lively girl, but a confusing one too," Nodoka summed up before returning to a subdued dinner.
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See other episodes by Errol Peregrinus
(Posted Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:50)
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