V .01
Neo Genus Jusenkyo
By Kevin D. Hammel
My attempt at a Ranma/EVA blend. Shaken, not stirred.
Episode 04 From Russia with Love! Nabiki Takes Her JAVA Black.
Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publishing Rights are held by
Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. Neon Genesis Evangelion is
property of Hideaki Anno. Video rights held by GAINAX in Japan and ADV
Films in the US. My purpose is to honor these creators and their works.
No infringement intended.
----
Nabiki got up earlier than normal, especially for a day with no school.
Akane had still not gone to the multi-purpose room downstairs for
training with Ranma, so maybe she could tag along with her little
sister.
"So, Nabiki, now that you're getting a JAVA unit, you think it would be
a good idea to train, right?"
"Yeah, I guess I have a lot of work ahead of me to catch you two."
"You'll NEVER catch us, but you can become a good martial artist, if you
work on it." Akane held Nabiki's shoulders in her hands, looking
straight into her eyes. "Out there, lives, OUR lives depend on combat
readiness. You'd better start working out with us EVERY day."
"Sure, sis. I'm sorry I didn't earlier."
There was a knock at the door. Nabiki opened it, revealing Ranma.
"Welcome aboard, Nabiki. Will you train with us?"
"Yeah, Ranma."
"Good, thank you! Let's go, you two."
"Sure, " both responded.
The three girls headed downstairs.
----
It had been a good training session. Three sweaty girls talked on their
way upstairs to the bathroom.
"Hey, Nabiki, you're in a lot better shape than I'd thought you'd be!"
"Well, I work out whenever I can, I just don't practice the Art much,
Ranma."
"Even in the Art, you're no beginner. I think you'll be valuable with
the skills you have right now."
"Don't get cocky, big sister, you still need to work out."
"I know that, Akane." She turned to look at Ranma, "thanks for the
encouragement, sensei."
"No problem." Ranma struck quickly at Nabiki, and was gratified by her
equally quick block. "Always be prepared Nabiki... always."
Nabiki smiled at Ranma "Da"
Reaching the bathroom, Ranma waited outside for the other two to finish.
----
Soon, the three young martial artists were cleaned up and ready to face
the challenges this day would bring. Ranma wore her usual sleeveless
Azure blue silk top and black silk ankle-tied pants. She was surprised
to see that the two Tendovskis were dressed in a similar manner to
herself, Akane had a yellow silk shirt and black silk ankle-tied pants,
while Nabiki had a black silk shirt and black silk shorts. They were
soon joined by a bleary eyed Shampoo. "OK..." yawn "...lets get down to
the landing pad, the transport is on final approach." The four left the
apartment.
----
When they reached the landing pad, they were greeted with the sight of
Kasumi, dressed in her school uniform. Kasumi turned and walked over to
Nabiki. "congratulations, nabiki. today you will have a java to pilot."
"Thanks, Kasumi." Nabiki said with a smile. She had already decided she
would do all she could to be kind to her sister, this was just the
start. "How's Unit 0?"
"it should be ready in just a few days. i look forward to joining you,
akane, and ranma in battle."
"So do I, Kasumi, so do I."
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a jet engine. A
gigantic delta-wing transport was nearing the landing pad. Its engines
had been rotated to landing position to cushion its descent. A pure
black vaguely humanoid shape could clearly be seen suspended below it.
Nabiki smiled as she watched the aircraft descended. Soon she would...
Alarms sounded. It seemed some zoomorphs had decided to crash Nabiki's
party.
"Let's go!" Akane shouted, then looked at Nabiki, "you too, big sister,
both of you!"
Nabiki and Akane ran off in pursuit of Ranma, who was already nearing
the entrance of the base.
"oh my!" Kasumi replied, trotting off after them.
----
The four girls were now in main hanger. Ranma in her red plug suit, and
Akane in yellow talked to Shampoo. Kasumi in white and Nabiki in black
were talking to Ukyou.
"Ranma and Akane, prepare for launch. Nabiki should be able to lend you
a hand today. We'll probably put Kasumi in to help her."
"Hai"
"Da"
The two girls scurried off to board their units.
Meanwhile, Ukyou talked to Nabiki and Kasumi. "We'll try to get you into
Unit 3, Nabiki. We can send Kasumi along to help, if you'd like."
Nabiki turned to her big sister, "Kasumi, would like to help me on my
first mission?"
"da" Kasumi said with a little smile.
"OK, Ukyou, we'll board it together."
"Good. Get back topside, you two..."
It was time for Shampoo to issue her command, "JAVA1, JAVA2 launch!"
Units 1 and 2 were catapulted upward.
----
When Nabiki made it to the surface, Unit 3 was lying, 'face down', with
its entry plug exposed. A truck with a ladder unit was positioned for
the pilots to clamber up to the plug hatch, which they did. The power
cable was already attached. Nabiki and Kasumi took their places inside
the plug.
"Push the flashing button, Nabiki...good." Shampoo said as the hatch
closed, and the plug was inserted.
Ukyou came on "Now we'll inject the LCL." Nabiki had heard Ranma and
Akane talk about the strange liquid. Now, SHE would have to breathe it.
"don't worry nabiki." Kasumi tried to reassure her.
Nabiki finally invited the substance into her lungs. It WASN'T that bad,
after all.
Shampoo spoke again. "OK We need to check your synchronization ratio.
Very good. See if you can stand up."
"just think what you want the unit to do, nabiki. it will do whatever
you think of."
Nabiki thought of the unit standing up, so it stood up. Video Images of
Ranma and Akane appeared in her field of view, as the VR system came
online.
"Hey, Nabiki, how about grabbing a rifle & providing us some support?"
Ranma asked.
One of the stone buildings on the surface opened up, revealing a large
rifle, which Nabiki picked up.
"Watch our backs, big sister, but PLEASE don't use them as targets!"
"Sure!" Nabiki replied. On the horizon, the zoomorphs had begun to
resolve themselves.
----
From the Control Center, the three attacking forms could be clearly
seen. "Well Tendovski, it seems that multiple Phyla are attacking us,
this time."
"Da, Saotome. I would have expected Nemertinea, but it would seem
Entoprocta and Bryozoa have joined in the assault, I think out pilots
and JAVA units are up to it, but... how soon will Unit 0 be ready?"
"If we push, and I think we should, Unit 0 should be available
tomorrow." Ukyou replied.
"Excellent!" Soun exclaimed.
----
On the battlefield, Ranma, as senior pilot, had taken charge.
"Nabiki, see if you can hit the worm on the left. Akane, try to after
the smaller plant-like thing on the right. I'll go after the bigger one
in the center."
"Da!" The Tendovskis replied in unison.
Nabiki fired repeatedly at the worm, but couldn't seem to affect it
though all her shots were on target. Shampoo's voice entered her
headset. "Just keep shooting. It takes several hits to penetrate the JT
field."
"Okay, I'll keep it up. What's a JT field?"
"We'll talk later. LOOK OUT!" Shampoo shouted.
"duck, nabiki," Kasumi added.
Nabiki pictured a ducking maneuver and the JAVA complied. The unit
rolled to its feet and Nabiki resumed firing.
Akane had begun on her opponent, which she recognized as a Bryozoan. Her
hammer was already making good progress...
Ranma's opponent looked like several GIANT flowers on stalks, though the
'petals' where more like tentacles. They were connected by a tube, and
Ranma knew if she could just get up on that tube, the attack would be
child's play.
Ranma visualized the JAVA backflipping so it would be standing on the
tube connecting the stalks, giving her a better position to attack the
Pedicellina she faced. The JAVA began the backflip, but behaved like it
had slipped on a giant banana peal and landed amidst several tentacle-
bearing 'blooms'. Ranma screamed as a pronounced crunching noise
indicated Unit 1's JT field buckling under the strain. There was nothing
she could do, but wait for a better pilot to bail her out.
...Nabiki's worm exploded with a satisfying splat. "Hey, 'biki, try to
shoot over here. I need to help Ranma." Akane easily backflipped over
her opponent touched the ground, then easily completed the maneuver
Ranma had attempted. She landed on the tube connecting the stems, and
began to hit the bloom which held the bulk of Ranma's JAVA.
"A... Akane, that you?"
"Yeah, Ranma. Let a REAL pilot bail you out!" Akane winked at her
friend, as the stalk gave way, freeing Ranma's Java, which dropped to
the ground with a gigantic thud.
'A real pilot, but what kind of pilot am I?' Ranma asked herself. 'What
indeed?' she answered.
Nabiki soon notched a Bryozoan on her rifle to go with the Nemertinea
worm.
She then trained her sight on one of the Pedicellina stalks away from
Akane. With two attackers, the JT field soon gave way, then the Zoomorph
itself. Unit 2 was dumped unceremoniously in the goo which had been
their opponent, an ignominy Unit 2 shared with Unit 1.
Nabiki laughed at the goo-covered JAVA units. "Boy, don't you two look
cute!
Akane responded with laughter.
"i'm so proud of you, nabiki." Kasumi stated with all the enthusiasm she
could muster.
Ranma heard none of the banter between her teammates, she was engaged in
a much more personal struggle.
----
Ranma was literally beside herself, the two warring factions of her/his
psyche arrayed against each other, preparing for battle.
Akane was BETTER than she was. But Akane was a GIRL.
'So are you!' A small voice, a girl's voice said within her mind.
But if she couldn't be the best, what good was she? What was the
sacrifice worth? Did it matter? Would she ever REALLY be a boy again?
No...'THEN WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?' a boy's voice shouted within her
mind.
'Because father and the world needed me to be like this.' The girl's
voice replied.
She felt tears coming on, 'boys don't cry,' the boy's voice said. Then,
it launched a new assault...'But you're a girl, just a little girl
playing at being a pilot!'
'that's...what...you...say' the girl's voice choked back a sob. She
regained her composure. 'You're just a clerical error which father
fixed. My birth certificate says FEMALE, so you're right! I'm a girl,
I'm a darn good pilot, an Amazon warrior, AND I'm the best martial
artist in Joketsuzoku 3! And don't forget, if I wasn't a girl, you
wouldn't even get a chance to pilot a JAVA.' If she had a tongue, she
would have stuck it out at him.
The boy continued his assault 'If you're a girl, why do you love Akane?
You're not really a girl, what are you?'
The girl's voice replied 'I don't know.'
'At least we agree on something.' The competing voices faded, leaving
only the painful question...'What am I?'
Ranma began to cry, but tears don't fall in LCL...
----
Akane stared at the display. She had just save Ranma's life, and there
she was, crying like a baby. "Ranma pull yourself
together...please...for me..."
Ranma lashed out blindly at the person who had caused her pain. "I HATE
YOU AKANE!" Ranma shouted at her teammate, her face straining to match
her hair color. "I gave up all I was to find out a GIRL is better than
me!" She began to cry again.
Akane stared at the VR display for a few moments. "Nabiki"
"Yeah, sis."
"Let's head back. Maybe we can get a BABYSITTER for Ranma." The insult
had the desired effect, Ranma's sobs faded, and Unit 1 slowly followed
the others from the battlefield.
----
Unit 1 was the last back to the hanger. Ranma took the elevator down,
then started to storm out of the hanger. "Ranma!," Shan Pu shouted,
"come back here, that's an order!"
The redhead turned abruptly and walked up to Shampoo, carefully avoiding
the eyes of her teammates. "Sorry, Captain!" Ranma replied, spitting the
last word out as if it was an insult.
"I thought we were trying to build a team here. Your teammate helped
you, just as you've helped her. What's wrong with that?"
"You don't understand!"
"I know it's tough. You kids should be enjoying yourselves right now,
but instead you have to face death every time you suit up. Please, try
to make the best of it. Do you have anything to say to Akane?"
"You KIDS? I should be a BOY right now, Shampoo! But look at me, I loved
being a JAVA pilot, but I loved being THE BEST JAVA PILOT, not a wimpy
girl who THINKS she's a JAVA pilot!" Ranma turned to face her fiancee.
"Thanks Akane, I wish I was half the man you are!"
"RRRRRRRanma!" Akane's anger and aura flared at the insult.
Ranma gave her a sardonic smile. "Sorry, I should have said uncute
tomboy!"
Akane didn't know what to say, so her tears spoke for her. SHE could
still see the boy, no the MAN, in Ranma, she loved him...
Nabiki saw her chance and grabbed it. SHE wanted her shot at the fiancee
game, too. The middle Tendovski walked over to Ranma and gave her a big
hug. "Everything's gonna be OK, Ranma, you were great out there today."
Ranma turned to Nabiki and smiled, leaning into the larger girl.
Akane looked at Nabiki and Ranma with a hurt expression. She then
pivoted smartly and stomped out of the hanger.
Ranma wondered if she was making a big mistake...nah! Nabiki was cuter
AND smarter than that uncute...beautiful...tomboy. Besides she was
engaged to Nabiki, too.
----
Nabiki had been delegated to fetch Kasumi for the meeting, and brought
Ranma along. " I hope this is the right place, this LOOKS like an
ABANDONED apartment building."
"Well, the address is right, besides your sister has an abandoned brain,
so this place is PERFECT for her!"
Nabiki didn't think much of the tasteless joke, but she had heard worse
from her own lips, so she refrained from pounding Ranma. They went up to
the appropriate room number and knocked.
Kasumi opened the door. "hello, nabiki and ranma, please come in." She
was wearing her uniform with a white apron over it. On the chest of the
apron was a large fishcake appliqe.
----
"please make yourselves comfortable. i'll bring some snacks." Kasumi
returned with a beautifully arranged tray of sushi.
"Should we dig in?" Ranma asked her friend.
"Sure." Each picked a piece and quickly ate it, then another, then ...
A few minutes later, Kasumi was back, her apron gone. "i guess i made
too much. i'm ready to leave now."
"The food was excellent Kasumi."
"thank you nabiki."
"Yeah, it was really good."
"thanks ranma." Kasumi gave her fiancee a shy smile.
Kasumi took the tray back to the kitchen, placed it in the refrigerator,
then returned. "let's go."
The three left.
----
At 18:00, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi met Akane outside the Council
chambers. The door opened a crack, and the four walked in, the door
swiftly closing behind them.
The foyer had a polished stone floor which reflected the doors to the
Chambers proper. Waiting for them by the doors were two familiar,
smiling faces, Ukyou and Shan Pu.
The silence of the temple of governance was soon broken by conversation.
"Hello, Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi. I hope you are and will be alright,
Ranma." Shan Pu said with a bit of concern.
"Sure Shampoo, I just was a little surprised by what happened out there
today."
"You know, Ranma, you train Akane and Nabiki in martial arts, why don't
you work out with Akane to improve your JAVA piloting skills?" Ukyou
suggested.
"Oh yeah, like I can learn ANYTHING from her."
Akane walked up to Ranma. "Ranma, you've helped me SO much in the Art,
now let me help you apply it to the JAVA. If we have TWO people who can
do what I needed to do today, we'd be a lot better off, don't you
think?"
Ranma thought for a few moments. If she hadn't trained Akane, she would
be dead right now. All Akane wanted to do was help her, to help the
team. Each of them was an important part, each was essential. Ranma felt
a LOT better. She bowed, "I would be honored to learn from you, sensei,
just as you have learned from me." Was this how, a MAN would act? Yes,
if he wanted to live...if he was smart. Ranma knew SHE was smart...
Akane smiled at Ranma, whose face TRIED to be impassive. Oh well, she
would play along with her fiancee's game, but the redhead's face
couldn't hide the answer Akane sought.
"So you will train?" Shan Pu asked Ranma.
"Of course!"
"Let's go in," Ukyou said,opening the door to the council chamber.
----
Cologne alone sat at the table at the chamber's head. "I heard that you
wanted to attack your fathers directly yesterday, Tendovski Akane. I am
here to assure you will not be necessary. All around you, there are
others monitoring the situation. If you prove worthy, perhaps you too
will join in our struggle against them."
"What others?"
"As I said, all will be revealed in time, if you are observed to be
trustworthy. The last person who joined us was observed for well over a
year..."
A Courier came in and whispered something in Ukyou's ear. "Yes, I'll
come," Ukyou whispered back.
----
She left the chamber, going to a room behind Cologne. Descending a long
spiral staircase, she was at last at the true heart of Joketsuzoku 3,
built entirely by herself and her sisters, this is where the real battle
was being conducted, the war against the fathers. She went to her office
and picked up a phone, which was off the hook.
"Hello...Speaking...Tomorrow...See you then." She hung up the phone and
walked back upstairs.
----
The meeting was breaking up.
"Thank you, Cologne!" Akane said to the Amazon leader.
"You are welcome, warrior, perhaps you will join us one day." The
elderly woman smiled warmly at the girl.
Ukyou entered the room again. "I have a special invitation for the four
of you. Tomorrow, after school, could you come by my place?"
"Sure, Ucchan!" Ranma responded.
"I'll come," Nabiki would have to keep her eyes on Ranma.
"So will I!" Akane would have to keep her eyes on Ranma and Nabiki.
"i will come, too. thank you dr. kuonji." Kasumi would have to keep her
eyes on okonomiyaki. Perhaps she would learn how to cook it.
The members of the group all went their separate ways.
----
"Well, it seems that the Amazons are observing you, waiting for you to
make a move...or a mistake."
"Who was at the meeting?"
"The pilots, Shan Pu, Dr. Kuonji and Cologne."
"Our other operatives already provided us with that information. It is
quite healthy for you that the facts match up."
"Did they discuss anything specific?"
"No, but you can be sure I'll keep you posted."
"Thank you, daughter. Take this for your troubles." He pushed a pile of
currency toward her.
Tendovski Nabiki took the large wad of unmarked bills and left the room.
After she had closed the door, two men remained.
"At least one of our children cares about her family. As long as we can
trust one of them, 'Happy Acres' can be delayed"
"Da, Saotome. I am proud of that one."
Nabiki, who had stopped by the door to check the bills, walked smartly
down the hall, her face darkened by a smile.
Next on Neo Genus Jusenkyo...
Episode 05 Matters of Honor. Of Course I'm a Boy, Really!
(END)
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