On the edge of the atmosphere, a new satellite received a microburst of data. The experimental computer that normally processed atmospheric information uncompressed the signal and directed optical scanners that had sat idle since North Korea moved everything worth hiding underground.
Now the spy satellite peered down upon a windswept Japanese peak, focused on the three figures well above the tree-line, and relayed the tops of their heads to a station which bounced a tightbeam into a gorge not fifty kilometers from the trio that had gained such attention.
#And she does not even notice. # Ifurita thought as her Voices derided the other Demon-God’s inattentiveness in their own emotionless manner.
None of the sentient war machines she had encountered during the wars of ancient El Hazard would have lasted more than a month without learning to detect and counter such crude remote surveillance, assuming the control systems were poorly coded enough to let them go unnoticed to begin with. Still, this was consistent with all she had seen of this new Demon-God.
#New in all senses of the word. # Ifurita decided as she saw the slenderest of the three teenagers pace impatiently and apparently talk to the shorter girl, #However she was transformed, she has no idea what she has become and little grasp of her abilities.
#It must have been sudden in that case, # the elder Demon God surmised as she observed the familiarity of posture and gesture among the three, #and she was known to them both beforehand. If either the girl or the boy controls her the Obedience Circuit’s hold is what my makers would have called foolishly light. #
She blinked at a sudden movement in response to an announcement from the boy, for all that the information was being fed directly into her mind.
“Quite foolishly light” she murmured aloud, fighting down a surge of satisfaction and a few fantasies about some past ‘masters’ she served.
******
Akane blinked.
As much as she hated it, she was quite used to Ranma moving faster than she could follow at this point. What surprised her was the sight of someone with speed and power enough to get within reach of her betrothed from three meters away, grab him by the neck with one hand, flip him upside down, and hold him fast despite any attempts on his part to break free. The part that had her jaw hanging open was the fact that it was Nabiki. If anything proved her claim of becoming some sort of android superweapon that was it.
“Now that I have your attention Saotome,” Nabiki said, genuine frustration and stress clear in her voice “let me explain why a testosterone addled musclehead like yourself going after this thing alone while we remain safe here is not a wise idea. Assuming this thing is no stronger or faster than this idiotic genie of yours has made me, it will laugh off your best shots and snap you in half if you are permitted to get close. Any exchange of ranged attacks is so not in your favor I would not bother taking bets on the outcome, and if you have any invisibility tricks up your sleeve then that would simply get everything for a kilometer or three in every direction vaporized. In short, since this thing in my head will not let me get you killed you are going to hide somewhere safe for the duration if I have to break both your legs.
“Am. I. Understood?”
“You made your point,” Ranma grumbled reluctantly as the reality of the situation penetrated his ego, “now leggoa me.”
*KLONK*
“I thought you said you had’ta protect me.” Ranma groused as he rolled upright from where Nabiki dropped him on the bare stone.
“Protect you being the operative word Saotome,” she shot back over her shoulder, “breaking the ground with your skull is quite permitted.”
# ‘Insure Ranma’s happiness’? # she asked the voices in her head as she rolled her eyes in disgust, #Let’s start with basic self-preservation and work our way up from there. #
“Nabiki,” Akane said as her older sister scanned the horizon, “do _you_ think you can take this thing on?”
“I doubt it.” Nabiki said with unusual frankness after zoning out momentarily, “it doesn’t seem to be coming after us at the moment, and if it’s just passing through I’m not going to stop it. Problem is, I still don’t know what I can do now since *sigh* I didn’t ask for instructions before that genie vanished. I’m at a real disadvantage if it has been up and running for more than a da- IT’S HERE!”
Two sets of eyes widened as Nabiki spun toward a nearby mountain from behind which a western looking woman with powder blue hair was levitating. The fashionable blouse and slacks would have turned a few heads on the street, but the giant wind-up key in her hands gained all the attention on the mountaintop.
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(Posted Mon, 22 Nov 2004 19:57)
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