[Episode 231649] [Episode 231649]Nabiki gave off a low, satirical chuckle. “So they duped you into protecting their hides, or did you really turn over a new leaf?”
Ranma looked at Nabiki. She was in obvious pain, probably feeling about as much as he did, though that just meant he was hurt more. Sure, he had worked to make himself bullet proof, but so far he was only so to a 9 mm or .20 cal at about fifty metres. Nabiki was holding an old Colt .45 in her good hand. It may not have the penetrating power of a 9 mm against body armour but it sure as hell did more damage to a body.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
Nabiki’s laughter picked up a bit more, the pain obvious in her eyes but she apparently couldn’t help herself. “Oh, come on, Saotome. Do you really think that this thing is here just because there are a couple people unhappy with Central? They wouldn’t waste their time or precious P.R. on a group of mere malcontents with a few helicopters and tanks.”
Ranma glared at her now, wishing she would just get to the damned point.
She returned the stare. “Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. They…”
”Captain, come in. We detected gunfire in the control centre. Is there anything wrong?”
Nabiki sighed as she was interrupted. She glared hard at Ranma as she stood up, as if daring him to do anything. Without taking her eyes off of him, showing that determination that had old Pineapple hire her as his Evil Queen, she turned the communications systems on. “This is Control, Central. Just had a run in with an old acquaintance of mine.” She looked at Ranma, as if recalling something. He knew exactly what. “In fact I think you know him, Walker. Come on, Ranma, say hi.”
Ranma just kept glaring at her but responded. “Hey, you prick. Air getting thin in your city of clouds yet?”
”Saotome? What in God’s name are you doing there?”
Ranma’s attention turned to the microphone set into the panel. “Exactly the same thing as when I left, trying to reclaim the life you stole from me.”
”But why them, Saotome? What happened to you? Why would you join up with those maniacs?” Walker’s voice seemed almost pleading.
Ranma looked at Nabiki. The soft face he once had now grizzled with age and signs of a constant moody disposition not revealing any confusion but rather contempt. “What’s he talking about, Nabiki?”
Nabiki lowered her head as if expecting this. She turned around and set the gun down, typing with her one good arm as she spoke. “Walker, send a medical team up here now. The battle’s over and we’re both injured. Don’t worry, though, it’s nothing a quick nano-injection won’t fix. I’m going to show him some news clips in the meantime.”
”Alright, Captain. Good luck. And Saotome, if you didn’t know about all this, I hope you’ll help us. We could really use it.”
Ranma decided that he liked hearing Walker sound needy and helpless. That arrogant bastard had cost him his livelihood twenty years ago and now he was practically scraping at Ranma’s feet for favours and help.
The only thing is Ranma’s help didn’t come cheap anymore.
Nabiki finished typing and turned around, glaring once again. Her eyes were hard with anger and… pain? “Now you listen the fuck up, Saotome. This…” she said, pointing at the screen showing one of the pristine cities of this ‘new world’, “…was south-eastern London yesterday at 10:40 am local time.”
Ranma looked at the screen, having seen such things before. He just looked in disgust as everyone went about their day as if everything was perfect in the world. Then he saw something move down from above and a massive flash. He watched as the nearly sky borne streets and buildings began to topple and people were thrown into the abyss that was likely a three hundred metre drop. It would be like skydiving without a chute. He turned his eyes to Nabiki, complete shock on his face.
“This…” she said, pressing a button, showing another city. This one appeared to be a factory area. “…was Berlin, two ago.” He watched again in horror as a volley of missiles crashed into the city area, likely killing every soul there. These people were sheep, but even they didn’t deserve to be slaughtered for just living.
“This…” Nabiki’s voice choked up as she said that last word. She showed another city, this one in the more traditional residential style built on the ground. “This was Tokyo’s north-western districts, three days ago.” Ranma watched the screen, seeing the missiles destroy everything. No one could have survived all that. Nabiki’s voice came back to her with more than a touch of rage. “They bombed north-west Tokyo, Ranma. They bombed Nerima! Daddy, and Kasumi, and…”
She dissolved into sobbing at this point, choking words out almost randomly. “Dead… they all died… and you’re working for them…” A hard glint returned to her eyes as she picked her gun up once more, pointing it at him. “Unless you swear to me on your honour that you had no idea of all this, Ranma, I swear to all the kami I’ll kill you right here.”
Ranma looked up at Nabiki; she was manic. She wasn’t here just for justice. This was personal. Justice would be served, but she wanted revenge. At this point she didn’t seem to care who got it.
But all he could manage to do was stare at her in horror. Was all this real? “They’re dead? She’s dead?”
Nabiki stepped forward, pain forgotten in her rage, though her arm was still limply clutching at her side. “Yes, Ranma, they’re dead. They’re all dead! Even Akane! Everyone who didn’t leave with you died three days ago, so you better say you didn’t know, or so help me, I’ll redecorate this floor with your brain!”
He was silent for just a second. “I swear I didn’t know. I swear. Oh, kami, what happened? Akane?”
Nabiki watched as the greatest of the old Nerima gang dissolved into tears for a woman he hadn’t seen in almost twenty years, one that she knew he had feelings for. Ranma never had a good Poker face, and while she knew he could have picked one up, there was no doubting the grief she heard in his voice. It was the same grief she had wailed three days ago, the day the cruiser came online, when she found out.
She put her sidearm back in its holster and pressed the comm. Button once more. “Walker, where’s that medic?”
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(Posted Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:04)
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