Raising Trouble [The Return Book 3 (SM, R.5)]

Ranma is settling into her life as demon mom to a brood of succubae. The senshi are dealing with a group of former Soviet Combat Cyborgs trying to assassinate Usagi. The the mercenary company WIC is now bringing in the Canadian Special forces and training them up.

And more skeletons in Usagi's and Ranma's families start to emerge.
(Book 2 can be found here)

The Return
Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 1: Client Demonstration
Chapter 2: Strike and Cleave
Chapter 3: The Cost of Failure
Chapter 4: Questions
Chapter 5; Leftovers
Chapter 6: Enveloping Armor
Chapter 7: Settling In
Chapter 8: Questionable Motives
Chapter 9: Flights of Lunacy
Interlude: Down Time
Chapter 10: Troubling Visitation
Chapter 11: Downsizing and Outsourcing
Chapter 12: Expert Authority
Chapter 13:Family Recruiting

 

The Return
A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.
By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.
http://jtemple.florestica.com/

Temporary Backup Site.
http://www.fukufics.com/fic/


Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku
http://fukufics.com

C&C is appreciated.

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 1: Client Demonstration
Formerly: Reequipped and Repulsed Part 1


"Alright, it's time; everyone get dressed," Ranma idly said, standing up inside the partially reconditioned Quonset hut. Most of the holes had been patched, and the blood had been washed out.

"You heard Mom," Nariko ordered before closing her eyes and shifting her own clothing. Her skirt and blouse morphed into a bodysuit reminiscent of their training clothes but a bit thicker with some rigid inserts on the arms and thighs. Heavy, armored, tall boots appeared, and fingerless gloves formed.

Over the bodysuit, which went from neck to wrists to calves, a vest with the inset plates on the front and back, which were modified slightly to allow for wings, shifted into sight and was followed by pleated skirting. Each mid-thigh pleat held another armored plate and was articulated to maintain mobility and coverage. Hair was pulled back and helmets appeared with connected headsets and radios.

"Check the electronics. I want to know if they... summoned properly," Major Saotome said as she walked among her granddaughters checking the fit of the armor. "How's the bodysuit? I want to know if they breathe enough."

"It's fine," Nabiki pouted.

"Normally Kevlar doesn't allow moisture out, but your..." Nodoka shook her head. "I just want to make sure this magic isn't messing things up."

"We've tested this. We trained in these; we ran in them; you made sure we got sweaty." She moved her hands to confirm that her knives had shifted back with her.

"I want to be sure," Nodoka stated. She had now turned to Misako and was checking the quick-release on that girl's vest. Nodding with satisfaction her eyes went down to the gun in the demon's hands.

"Is Sasha okay?" Misako asked, handing over the grenade launcher.

"At least we don't have to deal with ribbons anymore," Akane smirked as she stretched her shoulders a bit. "Is my tail clearing out the back fine?" she asked Nariko.

Her mate nodded.

"Well, those researchers keep saying that the Pattern-Y gate we captured over half a year ago is giving them lots of new ideas. If they can produce a teleport jammer that's compact then they would have antennae that need protecting," Nodoka explained.

Ranma blinked. "A reinforced Kevlar bow?"

Nodoka shrugged. "You're the one that insisted on skirting. Would a bodysuit be that much harder to transform into?"

"We're already cheating the Senshi magic enough," Ukyou said, adjusting her HSMG. After she finished she moved on to the sidearms mounted in their thigh holsters. "You look good in that," she smirked, noting Akane's annoyance at her own weapon.

"I'm just happy I finally qualified on the annoying thing."

"Blame Mother for coming up with the requirements, or would you rather be outshot by an old man?"

"I don't think Colonel Edwards would like that," Nodoka cautioned. She frowned and knelt down to check out Nariko's boots.

Ranma chuckled. "I think he'd laugh. The man was holding back. Don't worry Akane, it took me just as long to qualify for my handgun too. Now turn around." Ranma then checked Akane's wings, making sure they were clear of interference. "Any chafing?"

Akane sighed. "No, I'm fine. We've been training with these things for over a week."

"The improved plates only came in yesterday. Remember the trouble the extra weight gave you?"

"That was only when I landed," Akane growled.

"Yes, the extra weight is all up top," Nodoka warned. "It's heavy stuff. I wanted an armor to deal with knives, teeth, tails, claws, blunt trauma, rifle rounds, shrapnel, napalm, magical napalm, beam weapons of various types." She listed off. "The standard WIC insert plate was a great start, but you girls can handle more weight than any human, as long as it doesn't interfere with your flying."

"Yes, our legs can carry more than our wings," Nabiki reminded as she checked Misako's back.

"We can't make it too thick or it'd be too bulky, but still you girls should be happy sets came as fast as it did."

"Odd, I thought you already had those plates on order from my armor," Captain Jarvis noted as she entered the Quonset.

"Yes," Nodoka admitted. "And it's not bad for a prototype, but it is a bit weak in crotch protection and the extremities are a bit looser too." She looked Eve over with a critical eye. "And are you okay sitting this one out?"

"I kinda like my role in this demonstration," Eve said as she smoothed out the hem of her dress uniform's skirt.

"I'm afraid they want me to change too," Nodoka sighed.

"I think your helmet improvements have real potential," Eve countered. "It was a real pain to have it shift in flight. However, I'm not sure of using our horns to help stabilize them. Yes, the padding dampens most blows, but..."

"I could always use a stronger elastic." Nodoka frowned. "And why do you fight with your horns out? Isn't that just a big vulnerability?"

"They help with our senses," Ranma said. "Having your horns in is like going out with your ears muffled."

"Well, hearing damage is common on the battlefield," Nodoka said.


"It's harder to feel others without them," Eve added

"You would know if it's that important. Your senses do make Pattern Scanners and night vision systems superfluous," Nodoka admitted. "That reminds me, did your radios... summon correctly?"

The broodlings nodded.

"I'm still amazed that works," Eve noted.

"Why not? We can change our clothes at will, add in that Senshi transformation, and shifting our armor makes perfect sense."

"What about weapons?"

Ranma shrugged, "The pistols and ammunition come in fine; they fired on all the previous training sessions. We even got the summoning time down."

"Sasha didn't, but I'll work harder on it." Misako swore.

"Nothing wrong with my blades," Nabiki said, her hands once again going down to the knives at her hip. The possibility of losing them in the... wherever that her clothes went, was disconcerting.

"I couldn't get my sword to vanish with my uniform," Nariko sighed. "Though if I link it with my armor transformation, will I be able to summon it independently?"

"I can do that with my guns," Ukyou reminded. "Well, my pistols, not this guy," she said hefting her newest gun, a technically compact, bull pup semi-automatic that fired a custom 17mm by 65 mm round.

"Yes, Morgan can't make hers vanish either," Eve admitted.

"Well she does have the biggest gun," Ukyou said, giving a sideways smirk to Misako.

"By length, not caliber," Misako hissed under her breath.

Eve smiled thinly. "Are you ready?"

"Oh? Are our guests getting restless?" Ranma asked.

"Quite the opposite. They're getting bored. Perfect time to give them a bit of a show."

Ranma grinned. "Is Morgan in place then?"

Eve's eyes shined. "Oh yes."

***************


Sergeant Olsen Brummet, Joint Task Force 2 shifted in his seat. The serenity of being so close to Algonquin Park was mitigated by the... detail put into this training facility. The level of destruction in the various vehicles, buildings, and bunkers was realistic enough that he was certain they had actually been blown up.

On the upside, that meant a chance to do some actual live fire training was worth dealing with some Yankee defense contractor.

Another bit of... professionalism was the minefield that was marked out. An irregular section of churned dirt was marked out by several flags; there were even a few vehicles set inside the area. That would certainly pose an interesting challenge. He chuckled looking at one of the vehicles. "Looks like the Americans have a sense of humor," he said pointing to Corporal Green.

Lily Green looked out at the burned out vehicle. "Huh... they actually got the color right. Poorly done dummies though." She noted looking at the numerous mannequins in camouflage and holding prop weapons positioned in many of the vehicles and trenches.

"Well, it's not a big deal to know that blood dries brown, but splashing some around and then washing it off, that's a nice touch." Olsen chuckled.

"It sounds like you're looking forward to playing in this training setup, Sarge."

"They certainly put a lot of work in it, and it's a break from our normal training," Olsen looked forward to some of the officers in the front row. Their presence was expected, since this had to be an expensive project. "Heck, they actually burned down a building and destroyed a bunch of tunnels," he said pointing to the hill in the distance. "It looks like they've been training artillery before us."

"That's the rumor." Green nodded.

Olsen looked up to see a non-descript man in a grey uniform and sunglasses walk up to the lectern in front of the rows of seats. Olson raised an eyebrow.

A ghost of a smile crossed Stillwater's face as he looked at the military personnel before him and their rippling interest and curiosity. "I appreciate your patience in waiting. No doubt, I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Your superior officers were quite terse on describing this mission."

Stillwater's eyes darted to his watch. "You all volunteered for a pilot program centering on a new style of training. That is the truth. Now I'd like to show you what you'll be training for."

Olsen's attention focused as several of the vehicles were gutted by explosions, one after the other. The last of the flat blasts was followed by a series sharp cracks, and another group of explosions. These were larger and more frequent; he immediately recognized 40mm grenades, which fell around the trenches and the burning vehicles. For a split second, Olsen smirked.

Then his eyes widened and his jaw began to slowly lower at what happened next. Later on he would try to organize the events into a coherent timeline. A group of figures in battle dress darted out of a nearby forest. Then a helicopter flying at treetop appeared and dropped a group of what Olsen first assumed were paratroopers. However, they fired as they descended, were too low for parachutes, and had... wings.

After this, events degenerated into an orgy of precise violence. The troops landed and proceeded to literally tear into the targets. Some of the damage was being done by bullets of a ridiculous caliber, each round blasting heads and torsos apart. Some was done by claws and tails that seemed to slice through the dummies, and some by various blades and thick purple beams. In one moment, the attack ceased and the attackers spread wings, lifted off the ground and flew just over the trees before dropping out of sight.

For the first time since the initial shots, Olsen blinked.

Stillwater pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. "Ladies, Gentlemen, we are Willard International Consulting. Our mission is the protection of humanity from various non-human and paranormal threats. What you just saw was the Fifth Non-Human Task Force, and yes, they are demons."

The Commander of Canadian Special Forces Command got up from his front row seat. "Commander Stillwater is correct. Our government hired them to provide combat and training assistance with the ongoing troubles we have had recently."

Olsen stared. He had heard the rumors but this was... He looked around at the other soldiers in his platoon. There was the expected mix of shock, curiosity, and disbelief.

"You have all volunteered for the training part," the Canadian officer remarked. "You are the best we have. Your work in Iraq, Peru, Bolivia and Nepal have shown this. You know that the world is darker and more violent than your countrymen admit that it is. The mission hasn't changed, just the enemy. We need you."

Stillwater kept his face neutral. That was not his preferred style of encouragement, but it would do. "And now Captain Jarvis will tell you about one of the enemies you will face."

Olsen watched as the older WIC... officer stepped aside and a woman in a dress uniform consisting of a grey skirt and blouse stepped up to the lectern. Olsen's appreciation of her rather pale body was interrupted by him noticing several projection screens quickly being erected.

"After several years of research the Company found a way to classify non-human entities by the energy patterns they give off. What are considered demons fall under Pattern-D," Jarvis made a motion and another agent turned on the three projectors. "And this is what they can do in a real battle," she said as the screens filled with gouts of blood and torn bodies. The footage was grainy and often poorly shot, but it showed enough. The quick messy violence was occasionally interrupted by slower but more gruesome footage of screaming humans being slowly eaten. There had been decades of footage in the WIC archives to choose the best from.

"Why am I showing you soldiers, women and children being killed and worse? So, you'll remember. If you lose, being eaten alive is what happens if you're lucky." Captain Jarvis narrowed her eyes.

"Pattern D's have the physical advantage over humans; this variety included. They are stronger than you, faster than you, can see better in the dark than you can with NVGs, can smell you dozens of meters out, have claws that can slice through bone, tails that are like a chainsaw crossed with a blender, fangs that hopefully will just tear your throat out, and fully functional wings. And they can throw balls of self-igniting napalm."

Olsen tore his eyes away from one of the screens and looked at the blonde woman. She was quite the looker, and gave a nice distraction from the gore.

"Now comes the good news. Humanity learned long ago not to fight on purely physical terms. Weapons, intelligence, counter-intelligence, strategy. This is where we come in. We have the weapons, ammunition, armor, and equipment to fight Pattern-D's and other NH's. More importantly, we can teach you how to fight them. How to use humanity's advantages to beat them."

Olsen looked past the screen to the left to see a few people in grey uniforms wheel out some horizontal barrels mounted waist high on platforms and carrying a few unmarked crates. He turned back to the speaking blonde, still glancing over to see what kind of equipment was being setup. This whole presentation was getting a bit "cute".

"We'll be splitting up into modules and starting with a more one-on-one introduction. After some refreshments, we'll start familiarizing you with some equipment and give a brief overview of the global NH situation, and local threats," Captain Jarvis said as she stepped down from the lectern. "If you'll all get up, please."

After Olsen stood up, he froze. One second the Jarvis woman was standing there, the next wings, horns, and a tail appeared. As the demon smirked showing her sharp teeth, Olsen concentrated. Aside from the... extras she did not look very different.

It was simply that earlier, the chalk white skin, pointed teeth, and killer body did not seem... odd. It was only when all the demonic extras were added in did it look odd in retrospect.

"This is another important lesson," Eve said as she adjusted her wings slightly. "Many NH's can pass as human. You need to be careful that the pretty woman next to you won't disembowel you." Her face brightened. "We're going to fire up the grills; so get some refreshments while we assign your groups."

Olsen and Lily followed the rest of their platoon to the drums which turned out to be charcoal grills and the crates which were coolers. "That's a pretty sick sense of humor they have here," she said eyeing the large amount of meat being staged onto a table near the grills.

"We've seen stuff like that before. Remember that camp we found in Nepal? The bad guys' supplies were cut off and it's not like they planned on returning the hostages," Olsen causally said as he fished out a soda can.

"It also gave them some entertainment," Lily added. "Great, so we can cannibalize and rape right up there with the worst hell can offer. Go humanity."

"Damn straight! We can be total bastards because we want to. Not because we have to. That's what gives us the edge. If this is the worst they could show us..." Olsen took a sip, casually enjoying the caffeine. It was not as good as the medication used for missions when they had to stay awake, but it was not like he needed waking up.

"We are Special Forces. I'm pretty sure the spooky mercenaries know all about us," Lily said deliberately turning her gaze slightly in the direction of their superior officers chatting with the WIC officers.

"And we just wanted to make sure you knew all about us," a voice behind them stated.

Lily turned around. "Very quiet approach. I mean Olsen kept looking around. Demon right? There's the wings, but I don't want to assume." Green composed herself.

The demoness smiled.

Olsen's head simply threatened to split apart as he ginned madly. Want in his eyes, he stepped closer to the demon. "That's an Mk 19.. with a shoulder stock," he said almost reverently. It was amazing that she could even work the action on the thing. The statement drew the attention of most of the other Canadian troops who all turned to Misako and Olsen.

Misako beamed with pride. "Yes."

"And you shot that thing standing," Olsen said with ecstatic glee. "Damn, how do I sign up?"

"Are you sure about that?" Lily asked. "Isn't it odd how there's only female demons in the Fifth?"

Olsen shrugged.

"Look at her, her hair's perfect, too perfect for having just worn a helmet. She's got great makeup. Even her uniform is pretty!" Lily waved her arm around. "They're all beautiful. There's a word for demons like that."

One of the demons, with red hair and violet eyes, warmly chuckled as she cut her way through the crowd to them. "You're right. We're succubae. Physically, we're not the strongest Pattern D. Our real advantage is that we can easily pass as human, that and our adaptability."

Lily had to keep herself from stepping away from the redhead, despite the demon's diminutive height. "Mimicry. Sometimes predators evolve to look like its prey. That way the prey doesn't realize it's being hunted."

The redhead chuckled. "Good. Keep it up and you'll do well here." She held out her hand. "Ranma Saotome, Special Company Contractor."

Straightening her stance, Lily grabbed the demon's hand, with what she hoped was a lack of hesitation; it felt normal, if a bit smooth. "Corporal Lily Green, Joint Task Force Two."

"Sergeant Brummet," Olsen nodded, tearing his attention off of Misako's gun. Seeing the other succubae walk up, he let out a low whistle. They all carried some type of large sidearm strapped to their waist. Based on the magazine girth, they had to be double-stack, Olsen guessed some type of fifty caliber, possibly used in a Desert Eagle.

One of the new girls, like Ranma, carried just a sidearm, but the rest carried a very pleasing mix. Olsen was reminded of the chocolate samplers he would get as a child. There was a wide variety, but the boxes were too small to do anything but whet his appetite. It was one thing to see them in a demonstration; it was another to see them up close. There were a pair of giant knives, a sheathed sword, two guns that looked like the sullen, hulking older brothers of the FN P90, and lastly, being shouldered by another diminutive redhead, was a sniper rifle that looked like something Barrett engineers would make on a drunken dare.

It looked like it started out as a normal anti-materiel rifle, but, like the rest of the Fifth's weapons, it was increased in size and power. The barrel alone had been lengthened until the rifle was longer than its user was tall.

"I should be finding my team," Ranma said as she excused herself and walked around the crowd of special forces busily talking with the rest of the brood.

"She seems... " Brummet looked at Misako trying to gauge her reaction. "... in charge."

Misako chuckled. "Oh?"

"There were seven of you in the attack. Captain Jarvis was up here playing human. Your sniper was God-knows-how-far-out giving cover. Of the seven there, I recognize all your weapons. Now only two types of people just use sidearms. Officers not in the fight, and those that don't need 'em."

Lily nodded. "Given how she fought, and the way you defer to her, she's both, right?"

"Clever, clever humans. Shouldn't you be scared that we can eat you?"

"Nah, people don't give neat presentations and refreshments for their food." Brummet shrugged. "Besides, seeing these weapons makes up for it."

Misako looked at Brummet's eyes to make sure his lustful gaze was at her gun and not Morgan's. "Shouldn't you at least be looking for your demon instructor?"

Lily let out a slow sigh. "You're her, aren't you?"

Misako smiled. "The two of you being together just made my job too easy. So where's Giddings?"

"Cordell?" Lily looked around. "Oh, he's over there with Tahnee."

"So, how long have you been with WIC?" Lily eventually asked as they walked to the other side of the small crowd.

"Few months," Misako said as she got her own beverage and eyed one of the steaks that had just been tossed onto a grill. "Before that I was part of an 'evil' brood," Lily saw the demon roll her eyes, "and before that I was in the Assembly of Man."

"Assembly?"

"Bunch of losers who pretend they're knights and priests and fight demons. They thought that just because they had some powers they could take on WIC and us," Misako laughed to herself.

"They didn't like WIC working with demons." Lily slowly noted. Demons being real was a bit more believable than one of the most bland defense contractors actually being a premiere private military corporation. In retrospect, it made sense. The best cover for a spy was someone too dumb to be a spy. "What happened to them?"

Misako raised her arm and swept it over the destruction that surrounded them.

"You're holding our orientation at an enemy base. An enemy base in our country that you wiped out."

Nodding, Misako gave another little laugh. "And people say WIC doesn't have a sense of humor."

Olsen stopped. "And you were a part of this group of pretend knights and priests?"

Misako nodded before ducking aside to drag Corporal Cordell Giddings over to them. "Good, that's all three then."

Cordell's eyes widened at the demon's face but then took on a measured cast and eventually narrowed. "Oh, man I'm starting to wish I had flunked that psyche exam."

"I thought we were the failures." Olsen drummed his fingers. "I mean, it's like they picked the most unstable, amoral, anti-social, and just plain weird batch of JTF 2." Almost all of the of female soldiers in JTF2 were picked, constituting ten percent of the new unit. Women infantry, especially woman Special Operations personnel tended to be a bit ... strange.

Cordell looked at the burned out mountain top and shattered tunnel entrance and gave a slight cough.

"In other words, we were selected for being the least religious, the least attached to family, the unmarried, and those that have half a chance of accepting a world with demons and other freaky monsters."

"It's a good thing our military's not lacking oddballs then," Cordell noted. "So what did all this? I'm guessing there was artillery and something with sub-munitions dropped. Unless these... Assembly right? Unless these assembly were so stupid to put a minefield over their own line of retreat."

Misako tapped her chin. "Well, they are that dumb."

"Okay, blew the tunnel then? That concrete's pretty chewed up."

Misako simply smiled.

Olsen paused and recalled how the crowd parted for a certain demon, unconsciously "That Ranma Saotome lady."

Misako shifted the hand she was holding Sasha with. "Not by herself. Good eye, Cord. WIC opened the door with an MRLS strike. The AOM was staging their own attack and was caught off guard. Over a dozen vehicles and a hundred troops were killed right then."

She inhaled and closed her eyes as if savoring the memory of a pleasant meal. Disquieted, Olsen was certain that was exactly what she was doing.

"That killed half of them, everyone outside. Then WIC encircled the base and kept them bottled up. Sharpshooters picked off those that tried to escape," Misako said as they walked among the burnt-out wrecks.

"Then Ranma blew open the door and you girls went into the base to finish them off," Lily surmised.

Misako gave a frown and shook her head. "And you were doing so well," she said, disappointment dripping off her words. "No, we stayed out and intercepted anyone that got past Mother."

"One demon. One demon went into a bunker complex and killed a hundred people?" Cordell asked.

"It wasn't a hundred," Misako waved off. "Wasn't even eighty. I think they got it at seventy-eight before Forensics Section ran out of unique parts to count up."

"Wait? That redhead's your mother? Wow, you girls age great," Olsen added.

Misako paused, appearing to think things over. "Well yeah, but no. We're about same age."

"That's related to how you used to work for a... religious demon hunting group, but are obviously a demon?" Lily proposed.

"I'm a demon now," Misako stated.

"And that evil brood, that's different from the current thing you have, with Ranma," Olsen added.

"Fine, yes I was human," Misako sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"People can be turned to demons; like vampires?" Lily asked.

"Not like vampires!" Misako's eyes flashed. "Vampires are pitiful spirits that reanimate their old bodies. Little more than fancy flesh-golems that figured out how to build more of each other."

"So, vampires are real too." Olsen sighed. "Why don't you like them? They taste bad?"

Misako ignored the joking tone. "Yeah, they're a waste of perfectly good meat."

"Perfectly good meat... humans?" Cordell started to wish that he had pretended to be a bit more normal during that exam.

"You saw the videos," Misako sniffed.

"I thought that was demons in general, not like - you guys specifically."

"If it makes you feel better, Pattern D's taste way better than humans." Misako rolled her eyes.

Cordell stared at the demon.

"And, Ranma's your mother, in charge of the brood?" Lily asked. "So, WIC hires a group of demons and starts giving you armor and special weapons."

"Sounds like a good deal. You get food, money, and great toys." Olsen's eyes went to Sasha again. "How do we sign up?" he asked with a bit of a smirk.

Misako raised an eyebrow. "Don't disappoint in battle. Do that and Mother may make you a deal."

Olsen paused, both at the insult to his combat ability and by the apparent seriousness of Misako's statement. "That's what happened with Capitan Jarvis?"

Misako gave a slight nod.

"I guess... I mean if you can look great and use giant guns. I mean that'd appeal to a certain type of woman," Lily slowly allowed as they looped back around and returned to the... party. She saw everyone in the new platoon had split off with their demonic... instructors.

Chuckling, Misako shook her head as they walked. "It has a certain appeal, yes. WIC's smart too. They took in mother when she was alone and unsure. They did the one thing no one else did."

"Being?" Cordell asked.

"They didn't try to screw her. They played it straight, earned her respect and built up trust. Ruthless, clever bastards." Misako smiled smugly.

"And now her brood's the jewel in WIC's little demonstration," Lily noted.

"What about you?" Misako's gaze went between the three soldiers. "Can you handle this? Answer honestly, though I'm not sure what'll happen to you if you quit after hearing all this," she added, with a toothy grin.

Cordell was the first of the group to reply to the sudden question. "Well, we've got no idea what we're up against, but that's what the training is for. Someone obviously thinks we should be doing this, otherwise we wouldn't be here."

"Or we could be sacrificial lambs, set up to show that even the best our military has to offer just isn't good enough," Lily cautioned.

"Good." Olsen's grin threatened to split open his face. "Fighting monsters? That's pretty damn scary, but spite? I can get behind that; I'm all for proving someone wrong. We'll do it, and we'll pass your training."

Misako smirked. "Good enough."


***************


Her HSMG across her lap, Morrison leaned onto an oak at the periphery of the clearing. As she told her story, she looked at the troops that had somewhat reluctantly sat down facing her. "And then I was wounded in an ambush and turned. Since then, I've been training on how to use this new body. Questions?"

"There's actually a program to turn guys into female demons?" Sergeant Billy MacDowell asked.

"It was this or die," Morrison reminded, gently.

"It doesn't sound that reliable... in execution. You only get 'saved' if you get wounded and are dying and a... friendly demon finds you before you die," Willkie Bishop clarified.

Morrison gave a slight nod. "That's why there's just two of us."

"That sucks," Corporal Jon Jones said, finally speaking up. "I'm just glad you're normal. Some of the rest are pretty..."

"Intimidating?" Morrison asked with a raised eyebrow, once she got over the amusement of being called normal.

"Yeah, that redhead and the blonde of-" MacDowell froze, remembering who had turned Morrison.

"Yes, Mother can be quite scary."

"Ah," MacDowell looked at Morrison's gun. "what's the story with that gun?"

"Willard Munitions 17S. WIC custom Heavy Sub-Machine Gun. It fires a 17 by 65 mm cartridge developed specifically for this project. Double column horizontal magazine with a forty round capacity. It weighs nearly twenty kilograms loaded," she said handing the weapon to MacDowell.

The special forces trooper grunted a bit. "Damn, why don't you just use a fifty cal machine gun?"

"It was too long."

MacDowell looked down at the gun he was holding and then back up at Morrison. She did have a point, weight aside, it was a compact weapon. "Still... isn't this overkill?"

"Sounds pretty good to me," Bishop said.

"It's too heavy," MacDowell frowned at the gun and handed it to Bishop.

"And the kick is something else," Morrison said a bit of concern forming. As long as she could keep them talking, they'd at least start working through this.

"I can imagine. What're we going to use," Bishop asked.

"Depends, the 9 x 19mm of your MP5's is passable for some uses. As you know it's compact, good for inside buildings. Give the ammunition the right loads and you can do some real damage."

"A lot of what we're doing is counter-terrorism?" Bishop asked.

"Pretty-much. Most combat is fairly low intensity. Most NH's don't want anything to get too public. Their primary safety lies in anonymity."

"So, it's like spies and terrorists with them?"

"Yeah just like spies, but with fangs, regeneration, super strength and a taste for human flesh," MacDowell's grin died when he turned to Morrison.

The green-haired woman simply laughed. "Ain't it the truth. Course, I don't know what human tastes like," she warmly said. It was good that they were starting to make jokes.

"Really? So, you don't eat people?"

"I've only had one combat mission as a demon," Morrison shrugged before taking her gun back.

"Ah, so we got the green demon," Bishop stated, noting the color of her hair.

Morrison frowned. There were jokes and then there were bad jokes. "Now your C8 rifle has similar stopping power problems. The old debate between 5.56 and 7.62 mm is pretty settled for NH combat. Stopping power is what counts. I suppose if you were on a long deployment being able to carry more ammo for the same weight would start to be the main benefit but..."

"I get it; these things won't go down as easy as a person," Jones said.

Morrison nodded. "Larger bullets also allow for specialized payloads."

"What, like hollow points filled with holy water capsules?"

"Holy water is an unreliable agent."

"Really? What does work then?" Bishop asked.

"Depends on the Pattern. Certain types of iron work well. Part of why this thing is steel." Morrison said patting her gun.

Bishop's brow furrowed. "In... case you have to beat a... fairy to death?"

"Don't see many Pattern F's these days, but if you have to use your gun as a club it might as well be one that doesn't break." Morrison stated.

"I thought it was to keep a 17 mm shell from blowing up the chamber," Jones noted.

"That too," Morrison nodded. "Silver affects some, particularly Pattern L, lycanthropes. White oak is good, if properly treated. There's also a few more esoteric metals and some caustic chemicals."

Bishop eyed the barrel to Morrison's gun. "With bullets like that you could have a whole sampler pack."

A chuckling Morrison peeled a cartridge off of one of her extra magazines and tossed it at Bishop. "There's your party pack. Even if the NH isn't weak to that mix there's still plenty of trauma and shrapnel."

Bishop inspected the bullet and brass; it was the same rough dimensions as a 12 gauge shotgun shell, but with a pointed aerodynamic slug. "Must be nice to have all this special equipment."

"That load's actually a downsize of an existing 20 mm grenade round."

Jones raised an eyebrow. "None of you carried that. Closest was that sniper rifle, but that was 25 mm."

Morrison smirked. "That's because the 20 mm grenade is a human weapon. The Heavy Armament Optional Gun or HAOG is the main weapon for a WIC trooper, though the A is often dropped. It's two guns in one. The lower assembly is a 7.62 mm carbine and there's an upper attachment with a repeating 20 mm grenade launcher."

Bishop raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like the Objective Individual Combat Weapon boondoggle you Yanks tried a few years back, and the South Koreans are workin' on now.."

Morrison gave a sympathetic nod. "With an even heavier rifle round for the under barrel. We called it a Hog for a reason. The gun was a total pig. They made it as light as possible but..."

"It was still carrying two guns," MacDowell laughed. "That's what it takes for that weapon to be practical? Inhuman monsters."

"Yup, it's a good gun. That extra firepower is real handy."

"What about missiles and rockets?" Jones asked.

"You all know the problems of launching inside a structure, which depends on the weapon. In close quarters, you have to watch out for who's behind you, but it's really nice to be able to shoot a Pattern D out of the sky, or blow apart some Pattern G's, ghouls, while they're still far off." Morrison rubbed her chin.

"Those are pretty standard. Sometimes we tweak the warhead a bit, but most of the time they're fine as is. Your existing training should be good for a lot of that. You'll have to learn some new tactics and targeting," the demon evaluated. "Also having support teams with general purpose machine guns or anything belt-fed or vehicle mounted isn't a bad idea."

"How will we know someone's a target?" MacDowell coughed when his comrades looked at him. "I mean when they're not being belligerent. How do we tell the non-humans from the humans? Heck how do we tell the friendly non-humans from the ones that want to eat our brains?"

"That's ghouls. Most demons prefer the liver, followed by the heart and the rest of the muscles. Marrow's good too, but hard to get. Of course, the energy from the body is a major source of sustenance but that is taken at the moment of death."

"A hungry succubus can render a body down to bone splinters and entrails in under half an hour. A brood can do it in minutes."

"Sounds like something we'll be learning," Bishop noted.

"Yes, you probably won't be exposed to the more... visceral knowledge of it. You raise a good point. Our Pattern scanners are reliable at detecting most NH's. That's what should worry you. That's why learning how to watch people and how they act is important too."

"Yeah, like if a vampire hires some human goons," MacDowell said.

"Exactly!" Morrison nodded. "And when dealing with mixed NH's it can be a real pain to sort out the friendly from unfriendly. We have some restraining equipment that can help. It also helps to look at the local registry. That'll give you an idea if there should be any friendly NH's about."

"Registry?"

"Yes, WIC keeps tabs on the non-belligerent NH's in our operational areas. Most NH's are just trying to live out their lives, keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble. They remember when mobs with torches would come hunting for them."

"And some get hired by the Company?" Bishop asked.

"It's honest work. Especially if you have certain... dietary needs."

MacDowell inhaled. "Yeah about that, you're a succubus now. So... sex means..."

"Yes, we can feed during sex. That's why we look like this." Morrison chuckled.

"Ah, and the gender stuff..."

Morrison sighed. "I was male, but it was this or going home in a box."

"Tough choice," Bishop muttered.

"Still, can't go home again," Jones noted. "Your family would notice another daughter, I'd bet."

"Yeah, that's the hard part, but I have a new family now."

"That's kinda creepy," Bishop stated.

"I am a demon," Morrison dryly stated.

"Sorry, sorry. So... brood thing. Sounds good for teamwork. You girls really worked well out in the field." Jones looked at the perplexed expression on the demon's face. "Is that just the training or, uh, can you read minds?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow.

"Like they'd tell the truth if they could. I'd keep that ability secret," Bishop said.

"No, we don't do that. We're really good at reading body language and smelling pheromones. But that's a real good point. It's a bitch fighting someone that can read your mind."

"What do you do? In that case they'd know what you were planning to do before you do it," Jones said.

"Best way is to stay out of range and kill them at a distance, or rush in and box them, so it doesn't matter that they know what you're thinking. What's worse is teleportation."

"That can happen?"

Morrison nodded. "Yes, some Patterns can teleport from location to location, others can simply pass through matter. Less tangible ones can do that. The rules of teleportation differ. Common limits on teleportation include range and/or frequency, but either way..."

"It's a major advantage for the enemy to have." Bishop blinked.

"Yes it is, that's why WIC spent decades developing technology to jam teleportation and honing tactics to fight enemies that can do it. The biggest problem is that without jamming there are no safe zones, as the enemy could show up anywhere and bypass any defenses."

"Nasty ambushes then. Also a lot of tactical material and personnel targeting. Strategic too," MacDowell said.

"And you don't want an NH to suddenly pop up next to you." Morrison summoned the claws on her left hand and flexed the glowing blades that appeared along her fingers and extended past them several inches.

***************


"Not to be rude but... how old are you?" Master Corporal George John Pattison asked the short demoness.

Nabiki smirked. "That's a loaded question."

"This is why you English have such poor luck with women." Corporal Richard Bonhomme smirked.

"Then you must be a poor example of Quebequois romance," Private Sherrise Tahnee said laughing at Bonhomme.

Nabiki looked down at her watch. "So, you were recently transferred into the same unit?"

"It's that obvious?" Bonhomme asked.

"At least you don't seem to be too nervous."

"Oh please, arguing with each other is a way to diffuse the tension," Tahnee noted.

"You are half our age and can easily kill us." Pattison noted.

"And that's why you should always carry a gun," Nabiki dryly remarked.

"You weren't using yours." Bonhomme's eyes went down to the knives on Nabiki's hips.

"These?" Nabiki drew one of her knives and flipped out the foot long blade locking it in place. "Sixty centimeter reach, sharper than a razor, and when filled with demonic power can block energy blades and other insanity," she flatly recited from memory.

"Those aren't knives; they're short swords. That can fold" Tahnee added. "Better in close quarters then?

Nabiki nodded.

"And what are the blades made out of?" Bonhomme reached his hand out slightly, but then thought better. Trying to grab someone else's blade was not the wisest of moves. "The handles are... dense grain... nice glow... Cocobolo? That's used for fancy gun grips."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Right on the handles; no one else has guessed that. The blades are Dantite. The pair was built by Master Oskar Nishina and Major Nodoka Saotome PHD."

"Dantite?"

"Common name for a type of rare alloy of steel and something more... exotic. It's very good at channeling energy. It's toxic to humans. Especially when inhaled or exposed to blood," Nabiki explained with a cute smile as she closed the knife and slid it back into its holster.

"What's it going to do to us?" Richard asked.

Nabiki smirked. "Don't touch the blades and you'll be fine, and it'll only drive you insane if you try to channel energy through them."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It doesn't hurt my kind, and grandma and Master Nishina used glove boxes to make them." Nabiki shrugged.

"Wait... Major Saotome, she designed the other weapons too, and she's your grandmother?" Tahnee raised an eyebrow. "How long has WIC been planning this?"

"They are certainly well equipped," Bonhomme smoothly stated.

"Grandma was also behind our battle armor's design too," Nabiki gave an evil smile and went with it. "She's been a part of this project as long as mother's –well- been our mother, of course she's been training us since day one."

"And Willard?"

"Mother has their full support."

"See. That's what's wrong with our country. The Americans spend good money breeding demons, and what do we do? Try to bring back the green-eyed ferret. Merde." Bonhomme sighed.

Nabiki chuckled. "Canadians are known for their insanity too. Besides, Grandma and Mother are Japanese."

"WIC isn't some multi-national defense contractor but really a globe-spanning mercenary organization fighting creepy monsters?" Pattison asked.

"Sure."

"Just like all those movies and comics where secret agencies do just that. Ones that also just happen to have small teams of supernatural beings that also fight to protect humanity."

"I can think of worse marketing ideas," Nabiki noted as she frowned at one of her fingernails.

"You're saying WIC is behind a lot of the supernatural paranoia media out there?" Tahnee asked. "Conspiracies don't work that big."

"We would know; we've been part of enough," Pattison nodded.

"You don't need a conspiracy. There's a reason human myths have all these monsters. WIC just kept the ball rolling. Where do you think pulp horror got a lot of their ideas? Once this stuff is in the popular consciousness WIC had to do even less."

"I'm sure a swimsuit calendar would be a great way to raise funds," Bonhomme noted in a carefully neutral voice.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow.

"Just leak the right events? And assume people will read the subculture zeitgeist right? Huh... that's not a bad plan," Pattison admitted.

"It's also good cover whenever something unexpectedly leaks out." Nabiki smiled.

"Like how all those TV shows with US Air Force and Feds dealing with aliens coverup real alien encounters," Tahnee noted.

Pattison and Bonhomme looked at her.

"Oh come on. Aliens are real. Right there." Tahnee pointed to Nabiki.

"That's a demon, Private " Pattison stated slowly.

"No, being from another world: alien,"

"I guess Hell counts," Pattison admitted.

"She's right, we are from another place, but it's not Hell. It's the Succubus Homeplane. From what I've read Silvana, a big city over there, sounds like a pretty nice place, kinda like here. "

"The mangled earth of a battlefield that turned into a complete rout and slaughter?" Pattison asked.

"I meant the forest and trees."

"The succubus home world looks like Ontario?" Tahnee asked slowly drawing out each word.

"A bit, there's more trees, more mountains. There's a lot more wilderness, and some really big lakes."

"It's like planet Canada?"

"You haven't been there yourself?" Pattison asked.

Nabiki shook her head. "Born right here on Earth, mother and grandma too."

"Demons are... just another immigrant group?" Bonhomme asked.

"Well we're more violent, sexual, and aggressive."

"Eh, Quebequois then," Pattison said.

"Jealous," Richard smirked

"You were reading about this place?" Tahnee asked.

"Yes, our great grandmother sent us some books and a few other gifts when she visited."

"Like Dantite demon metal?"

"Good, perceptive." Nabiki allowed.

"And you're still in contact with your ancestors in the old-country," Pattison noted. "I'm betting demons don't have to deal with old age."

Nabiki smirked.

"What is WIC doing about that? Or are they chummy with elder demons too?"

"BlackSky found WIC to be rather impressive," Nabiki noted.

"Well, that's a nice feather for their hat," Pattison noted.

"The Company is feeling confident enough to show this project off," Tahnee said waving to the surroundings.

"It does show they know how to handle demons and the like," Bonhomme agreed.

"The Company is a business, so this must be good for business," Pattison said looking critically at Nabiki.

"It's not a coincidence that our official reveal is at the same event as your induction?" Nabiki asked.

"I don't think you guys are that sloppy," Tahnee noted. "No, this is just WIC showing that they've still got something we don't."

Nabiki shrugged.

"There is plenty of money to be made training and equipping the military," Pattison said.

"This is also a chance for you to prove you can handle this," Nabiki idly noted.

Pattison raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, a challenge," Bonhomme smiled.

"Great, why don't you get into an argument over who can make the biggest fireball," Tahnee sighed.

"Pyrokinetic?" Nabiki asked.

"Demolitions," Bonhomme stated.

"So you set bombs to kill unsuspecting people allowing the rest of your team to pick off the disoriented survivors."

"It's not our fault someone thought a fight was going to be fair."

Nabiki smiled "Good. So you are professionals. Remember that, NH's don't play fair, and if you try to fight by their rules you'll get eaten."

"All the non-humans eat people? Why?" Tahnee blinked.

"Well, some that don't need to eat don't. Really, it's because you guys are so plentiful, and have all sorts of good nutrients, muscle, energy, blood, souls. Very handy food source."

"What about other NH's? Or do they not have souls?"

Nabiki rubbed her chin. "Well some are just animated corpses, not very much energy there and the meat can be quite spoiled. Other species are edible enough but bland, and then there's the really tasty ones."

"Oh?" Bonhomme asked

Nabiki gave a wide smile. "Succubae are great. Amazing flavor and great nutrients and energy."

"But humans are the main food source." Pattison set his jaw in thought.

Her grin shifting to a more subdued expression, Nabiki gave a slight nod.

"And that's because we're more 'common' right? I guess eating your own kind is some kind of rare treat."

"Caliss," Bonhomme swore. "If you're gonna eat us at least enjoy it! Nom de dieu de bordel de merde!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "In the name of the god of the brothel of shit? I'm not sure an angel'd worship that."

"That's the literal translation. It's really just 'Goddamn fucking shit almighty!'" Bonhomme blinked. "Wait? Angels?"

Tahnee gave a slow wave at Nabiki. "Demons are real, why not angels?"

"If you're right, demons are less corrupting spawn from Hell and more aliens," Pattison reminded. "And what's the big deal Rich? If demons can be nice despite their reputation, why not angels?"

"Because demons make sense!" Bonhomme hissed. He paused and regained his composure. "They can manipulate our emotions, are stronger than us, live a lot longer, eat us, oh and they can turn us into more of them. So, it's perfectly logical that humans would make those myths around demons.

"Demons are corrupting, tormenting monsters. That's a perfectly normal reaction to a predator. What the hell are angels? Benevolent all powerful creatures that help humanity? In this world?"

"They're only a more better camouflaged predator then?" Nabiki idly asked. "If we're ignoring the idea that they're actual cosmological entities."

"Well are they?" Bonhomme asked. "You're the supernatural expert. Is there a species with feathery wings that cons humans into thinking they're here to save us?"

"At least a demon's honest," Tahnee agreed.

Nabiki chuckled and wondered exactly what test WIC had that measured skeptical cynicism so well.

"Honest to their true nature," Tahnee clarified. "Bonhomme's right. Angels sound way too good to be true."

"To the point, are there angels? And if so how dangerous are they?" Patterson asked.

"Biblically, angels, especially the arch angels are entities of considerable power and guile," Tahnee reminded.

"Planning a war on Heaven?" Bonhomme smirked. "Now there's a challenge worthy of our nation."

"We're already in a shadow war with demons. Isn't that WIC's stance?"

"Johan Willard's motivations when he founded WIC were simple. His family, his whole hometown was wiped out by monsters. Succubae understand vendetta."

"Is that why you fight on... our side?" Tahnee tried to hide her pause.

"Mother watched the various factions; she learned the history." Nabiki ran a hand over her blade's holster.

Bonhomme smiled. "She went with the winner?"

The demon tilted her head. "She realized why WIC, why humanity, will win. There's a reason why we're such powerful fighters."

"You're using our technology, our tactics, our support."

"Humans are weak, because of this you learned that 'fighting fair' was a loser's game. One fit only for the complacent, for those that wish to stay weak, and for those that foolishly think they're strong." Nabiki flexed her hands.

"Your mother sided with the humans that chose to fight?" Pattison raised an eyebrow

"That's what you all did. You know how the world works. This is just yet another ugly secret war."

"At least we get another batch of cool weapons," Bonhomme said, dryly.

"Are angels real?" Pattison asked. "You didn't answer us."

Nabiki frowned. "There's been... reports. Occasionally something will pop up that sounds angelic. Something doing something cryptic."

"But that doesn't mean they're working for God." Tahnee paused. "Or even a species. The angelic look could just be a disguise."

"At least one of the 'angelic' sightings did turn out to be a Pattern V with a dark sense of humor."

"You don't know what they are, how dangerous they are, or if they're even real," Bonhomme frowned.

"Not all NH's are as clear cut as the succubae," Nabiki smiled.

"Isn't your species split between those that want to exterminate, forcefully feed on, peacefully feed on, work with, or ignore humanity?" Bonhomme rhetorically asked. The videos seemed to make that fairly clear.

"Yeah, pretty straightforward."

"I guess your motivations are clear," Pattison allowed.

"Makes me wish we were back in the Commando Olympics," Bonhomme sighed.

"Ah, Afghanistan, plenty of bullets and bad guys," Tahnee smirked.

"You just liked showing them what a woman with a gun could do."

"And you liked blowing them up."

"The boys on the M77 did most of the work." Bonhomme gave a Gallic shrug. Artillery was nice, but it often lacked the personal touch of something hand-placed.

"You guys aren't going to lack targets, but they won't all be assaults," Nabiki cautioned.

Tahnee sighed. "Peacekeeping?" she asked with exasperation.

"Worse," Nabiki smiled, once again showing her teeth. "Immigration."

"How does that work? I mean NH's don't exactly come from 'official' countries." Pattison said.

"That makes it simpler. The standard procedure involves registration and surveillance. Make sure there's not a rash of missing persons or the like."

"And if there is, the law enforcement side is much simpler?" Bonhomme asked. "Sounds fair, the innocent would have nothing to hide," he chuckled.

"Of course, you guys being 'official' may have more regulations to deal with. You don't have quite the plausible deniability that we do."

"Yes, independent contractors hired by a consulting company working for the government," Tahnee noted.

"Still the work will vary. The fights will vary too."

"Swarms of minions versus one or two powerful guys?" Tahnee asked.

"And any combination of them. Mother fought a brood that had a few dozen minions, one demon in charge, and the rest of us."

"Us?" Pattison asked.

"It happens. Mother rescued us from Mother Alexia, after she ate her," Nabiki quietly said. It was hard to believe that, aside from her and Akane and Misako, everyone else was dead. There were just so many, but it looked like Mother got them all.

"I'm guessing the ways to kill NH's vary too."

"Broadly speaking, no" Nabiki shrugged. "Just about anything will die if you destroy the brain. Failing that, dismember it and burn it."

"But there are more... elegant solutions?" Pattison asked.

"Not really, some chemicals are more effective on certain NH's, and of course the regeneration abilities vary between the species. When in doubt do as much damage as you can," Nabiki said her mood brightening.

"A woman after my own heart," Bonhomme said.

"Learn all you can from us, keep your eyes open, don't hesitate," Nabiki advised.

***************


Jacob opened the lid and rotated some of the thick steaks. "You see, most people confuse grilling with barbecue. The difference is time and temperature." He looked over to a grill where Lieutenant Tendo was cooking some hamburgers and sausages. "Barbecue is much slower and a bit cooler. More work but it's worth it," he explained as he picked up a small container of spices and sprinkled them onto the slabs of beef.

"Not that there's anything wrong with grilling. Often it's the best way for a lot of meat," he closed the grill and looked up. "Oh, hello Miss Saotome. I was just talking with our guests."

Lieutenant Hanna Hill looked from the older man to the redhead. "It drifted off on a tangent though." She looked over to see the demons group a few feet away at a table where the cooked meat had been placed.

"Jacob will do that," Ranma said before taking a bite out of the hamburger in her hand. "So... how much longer?" she asked happily sniffing the smoke coming out of Jacob's grill.

Jacob grinned. "Not long."

"Good." Ranma's eyes went over the officers with Jacob before returning to her group.

"Intense," Major Wellwood Ellis Sifton noted.

"At least you maintained your composure," Jacob stated. "Though you'll need more than a poker face to deal with demons."

"They really can smell us?" Hanna asked.

"Yes, it's very well developed." Jacob opened a small ceramic container and stirred his sauce glaze. "Now I'm sure you've figured out why you're talking with me and not one of the 5th."

"There are more than twenty-seven of us," Hanna said.

"And we will have more people under our command than even Captain Jarvis," Sifton added.

"Jarvis' experience would have come close, that's why she's got your squad leaders, but you have a point. You and your auxiliary staff will have to learn the support, logistics, and command details of NH operations."

"And equipment which your organization can provide," Hanna noted.

"Yes," Jacob said, glancing at his watch. He still had a few more minutes before he could put on the finishing sauce.

"You're taking this rather well," Sifton noted, he looked out to the ravaged building at the summit of the charred hill. "You need us. What's... going on?"

"You think this isn't the status quo for us?" Jacob said with a ghost of a smile. "Perhaps."

"I think he's... happy," Hanna stated.

"I am cooking." After opening the lid he flipped the meat and started brushing the meat and ribs. "The D program and the 5th are doing well, too."

"Why is it the Fifth Non Human Task Force?"

"Why are you the Second Joint Task Force?" Jacob idly asked, closing the grill.

Sifton put his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Well, there never was a Joint Task Force One. We got the 'two' to add an air of mystery." Hanna sighed.

"My condolences. But it wouldn't have beent he first time a military has used a larger number to obfuscate force side. For the Company, this is the Fifth such unit, and two of the previous ones are still active."

"You have other Non-human teams?"

"Of course," Jacob mildly said. "But I wouldn't discount the psychological effects of your unit name. That's important."

"What are the key organizational differences?" Hanna asked.

"Our NH task forces tend to be more of a counter-terrorism role. Most of your operations will be within Canadian territory and short in duration," Jacob explained as he adjusted some vents on the grill.

"At least resupply will be easier," Sifton noted. "Though civilians will be a big problem."

"Secrecy's another concern," Jacob nodded.

Chewing her lip, Hanna looked around. "The steaks are almost done, right?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the demons are back, all of them."

"They like meat." Jacob shrugged before stepping over to get a platter.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Hanna asked.

"The only change to draw them is that the meat's being cooked. They didn't need to wait if they wanted raw," Sifton said in a carefully even voice.

"Just because you're a cannibal doesn't mean you can't appreciate good food," Jacob said as he started removing the steaks and ribs.

"What... kind of... meat is that?" Hanna reluctantly asked.

"Are you prepared for me to answer?"

Hanna blinked. "Well it's not like I've eaten any of it."

"Those steaks are too thick to be human," Sifton snorted. He grew up in rural Alberta. "The ribs are the wrong shape too."

Jacob smiled. "Yes, the shape is quite distinctive, and it's not like I'm cooking sausage. Good, fresh meat's difficult to find anyway, even harder to get experience in cooking it."

"A joke?" Hanna raised an eyebrow.

"No, that's the truth," Jacob shrugged.

"It's important to keep the troops happy?" Sifton's voice was strained.

"Morale is vital." Jacob stated.

***************


Vosem walked up behind Galina. When the older girl did not respond, Vosem coughed politely.

Closing her hand, Galina turned to her subordinate. "Have all the pods checked out?"

Frowning, Vosem nodded. "They're checked and ready."

Smirking, Shest looked up from her work. "The little chatterboxes still work?"

Vosem shot the diminutive girl a glare. "No shipping damage."

"Shame we can't do a full test," Shest muttered.

Galina looked over to Arisha with a raised eyebrow. "We'll see." Arisha allowed.

"Any progress on your side?" Galina asked Shest.

Shest pulled up her display. "I've got plenty of data," she bit her lip, "and the results aren't good."

"Their jammers work against our abilities?"

She gave a slight nod. "But the pulse idea does hold promise." Shest coughed. "Testing will be problematic, worse than Vosem's little friends."

"Don't blame those pods on me," Vosem glared. "Besides, they'll do their job."

"The pulse would alert the mercenaries... prematurely," Arisha frowned. "What are the chances of it working?"

Shest shrugged. "I can make the pulse powerful enough, but I don't know what kind of redundancy systems they have."

"If I were them I'd have a backup system powered off and ready to kick in," Arisha noted.

"I can deal with that," Shest assured. "The problem is this won't be subtle. They'll know about it."

"Keep up the work," Galina said, looking over Shest's notes. "See if you can find a less brute-force method."

"We're not a blunt instrument," Arisha noted.

Galina raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of blunt instruments..."

"I've made the calls."

"Got anyone interested?" Galina asked.

"Any Bulgarians?" Vosem chuckled.

"When will Dve'nadtsat, Sem, and Desyat be back from their recon?" Vosem asked.

"They were ordered to keep their distance?" Shest quietly asked.

"Just to look." Arisha reassured. " Zaika's up to something."

"You mean the Princess is actually planning something?" Vosem smirked. "That why you're making the calls?"

"It'll take time to make all the arrangements," Arisha said.

"Good," Galina looked at the girl's frowns. "We need to be prepared. We've been watching the demons and the Company. They're the real problem here, not Zaika."

"I wouldn't discount Zaika's green-haired guardian. I still haven't figured out what power she used to stop Svetlana," Shest stated.

"Magic," Vosem dryly noted.

"Yeah, but what kind?" Arisha asked.

"They have power," Galina warned. "But they lack training."

"Meiou is training them," Shest reminded.

"With mixed results." Arisha looked out the window.

Galina went back to looking at her fingers as they flexed. "In general they're getting better, but the magical girls are still keeping their distance from the demons. That makes me suspicious. It's too obvious."

"You think they're pretending to not get along? Make us underestimate their cooperation?" Vosem laughed. " The magical girls aren't that smart."

"Meiou is," Shest said.

"True, but Zaika's a good guy. That means playing fair, not tricking us."

"You really think we can count on her being that dumb?" Arisha raised an eyebrow.

Vosem nodded. "It's a safe bet."

"So? Zaika may be as pure as driven snow, but we know Miss Saotome and her Fascist Friend aren't," Shest stated as she got up from the couch and pulled a few bottles of juice out of the fridge.

"Unwitting bait?" Galina's eyes sparkled. "So, we're dealing with the kind of minds that'll use people like that?"

"Worthy?" Arisha asked.

"We'll see how the brood responds." Galina took the drink Shest offered her. "I'd be disappointed if they didn't make a good showing, but that would make the payoff that much easier."

***************


Hearing the sound of a throaty engine, Usagi looked up from her menu and out the window to her left. The blonde smiled a bit as she watched the motorcycle park across the street and the rider pull off her helmet, revealing a long mane of crimson tresses.

"You're early," Ranma said with an amused smirk as she sat down across from Usagi. The redhead's nose flared as she took in the scent of the restaurant.

"And you're not surprised," Usagi said with a bit of a sigh.

As she picked up a menu, Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"I guess it was foolish of me to think I could surprise you." Usagi's expression turned to a smile. "It was nice of you to invite me out to lunch."

"I see we have a chaperone," Ranma gave a respectful nod to Setsuna who sat one table over, appearing to read the paper.

"It's not safe; I can't pretend otherwise," Usagi's tone was of reluctant resignation.

"One can't do it alone," Ranma's voice was sympathetic.

Setsuna wondered how much of that sentiment came from the social nature of succubae. As a species they did not handle solitude well; forced isolation was a sure way to drive a succubus mad.

Usagi looked to her left and could not spot any other agents or demons in the restaurant or outside, but that did not mean they were not there.

Ranma smiled, at least Usagi was trying. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not at all," Usagi blushed a bit. "Setsuna wanted to be sure."

"If it helps, think of this as a working lunch," Ranma said giving Usagi a pat on the hand.

Usagi's reaction was cutoff by a waitress arriving and asking for their drinks. After asking about the specials Ranma turned to her companion. "Have you ever had BBQ ribs?"

The blonde froze, the cooking meat filling the small restaurant with a charred, primal scent, which only compounded the visuals in her head. At the very least, Ranma was eating ribs. Usagi was looking far off.

"We'll have two orders of pork short-ribs then." Ranma watched the waitress leave and almost immediately return with their drinks. "So why are you moving?" she asked after taking a sip of water.

The blonde's eyes went to Setsuna's. "I took your advice. I'm doing something," Usagi's expression hardened. "They think I'm spoiled, that I'm weak. Good."

"You're learning." Ranma chuckled. "Though they're going to know you've moved, and that it's to a better defended place, but you know they'll know that."

The blonde smiled. "I then remembered your plan in the helicopter."

Ranma blinked. Usagi had control over the one thing the assassins needed. "They'll be expecting something," she cautioned.

"At least it'll be where I'm in charge," Usagi stated.

Ranma leaned forward. "How can I help?" she quietly asked.

Usagi coughed at the eyes. "I'll still be going to school. Setsuna said staying in one spot all the time would be too suspicious and they'd probably try something else."

"They'd prefer to take you on the move," Ranma reminded.

Usagi hesitated. "Setsuna's planned for that."

Ranma slowly turned her head to the green-haired woman who just gave a curt nod. Smirking, the redhead blew a kiss and noted to get the details from Setsuna in a more... secure place.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at Setsuna, but quickly blushed when Ranma turned back to face her. "I... I can do this, but..."

Ranma tilted her head and wondered if Usagi's tenuous confidence would become problematic. "But you want some help?"

"I'm not staying on some Company base," the blonde stated, her eyes hardening again.

The redhead's emotions played out. She wanted Usagi to be someplace safer, but she also wanted to see Usagi taking responsibility for shelf.. "Safe house? At least we could integrate defenses," she offered.

Usagi turned to Setsuna who gave a slight shrug. "That... depends. I don't want to anyone else to get hurt."

"I think the Company can handle themselves," Ranma lightly noted.

"I'm not disputing that," Usagi countered. "I've been doing this longer than you, and I've faced enemies far more powerful."

"More powerful, certainly." Ranma raised an eyebrow. "But were they more skilled?" she eventually asked.

"I did defeat the woman that destroyed the Silver Millennium."

Holding her tongue at the almost... haughty remark, the demoness paused. It was true. Usagi had defeated the very foe that had destroyed Queen Serenity's Empire. However, during the Fall the attack originated from Earth, while Usagi had to face an enemy that had to climb over a strong dimensional barrier. That counted for a lot.

Usagi blinked at Ranma's lack of response. "Anyway, two of them have been killed. You gave us copies of those Vatican files. We know their powers, we know their weaknesses, we know what needs to be done to take them down."

"That was from a couple kilometers away, and those files... had gaps. It's very different reading what the enemy might do and actually preparing to fight them. How far from you will they be during your plan?" Her question hung in the air as the waitress came in and served them their ribs with coleslaw and mashed potatoes.

"There's one more thing," Usagi said after the waitress left.

Ranma made an inquisitive noise as she sniffed the aroma wafting from their food.

"From what we know about their operations, it sounds like they're inexperienced too."

The redhead gave a little smile. "Oh?"

"I mean against magical stuff. From what the Vatican said, it sounds like most of their targets have been military, business, and other mundane things." Usagi looked her in the eye. "They might be operating just as blind as we are."

"Perhaps," Ranma allowed. "It could be the Vatican simply doesn't know about their supernatural missions, but it's a valid point. That may be a weakness of theirs."

Rapt, Usagi watched as the redhead picked up one of the ribs and neatly tore it off the rack. Ranma bit her teeth into one and quickly stripped the flesh off with an experienced efficiency. She licked the bone clean and then grasping it with her long fingers snapped it in the middle and began to suck out the marrow.

Bone still sticking between her lips, Ranma paused and looked at the staring blonde. The demon bit down, spitting the rib with a sharp crack.

"How is it?" Usagi asked, suddenly studying her plate.

"Not as good as Jacob's stuff," Ranma slowly licked a couple fingers. "But, he uses a dry rub as well as a spicier sauce. This is more tangy and obviously," her tongue darted out and cleaned the back of her palm, "a thicker sauce."

Eyes on her plate, Usagi reached out and tore some meat off the bone, splattering some sauce across the table.

"Good?" Ranma playfully asked as Usagi took another bite and started devouring the meat. Once the blonde was down to the bone she bit down on one of the ends.

"Owww!" she whined dropping the rib and holding her jaw.

"Do you really want the marrow?" Ranma asked.

"Well you did it," the blonde pouted.

"I can bite through a femur," the redhead said before trying some of the potatoes. "And I broke it in half with my hands first," she added.

"Yeah... sorry. It's good." Usagi stared at the mess she had made.

Ranma glanced over to see Setsuna's face hidden by her newspaper. "Fine..." she reached out and holding Usagi's bone, slipped it into her mouth, and cracked it down the middle.

Usagi stared at the offering in front of her. "Uh... thanks," she said taking the split bone. Tasting some of the marrow, her eyes widened.

Looking at the blonde, Ranma kept her face neutral. "It's an acquired taste... will you be okay?"

Usagi took a long drink from her glass. "Are you laughing at me?"

Ranma's face broke into a wide grin. "Yeah."

The blonde pouted.

"It's funny."

"I can eat it," Usagi glared as she picked up the bone.

"Better?" Ranma asked as a slightly green-about-the-gills Usagi put down the finished rib.

"Very good," Usagi said starting to pull another rib loose. "So what have you been up to? You missed school a couple days ago."

"Training," Ranma shrugged. "How about you?"

"I'm sure you know." Usagi raised an eyebrow. "We've got that move we're finishing up. So just more training? Nothing special?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow before going back to her ribs. "Hinting that you know something?" she eventually stated.

Usagi sighed before she took a bite of her meat. "I'm trying to be subtle."

"What did you hear?" Ranma asked while looking over to Setsuna who had put down her newspaper and was sipping at a mug of coffee.

The green-haired woman put down the cup, smiled a bit, and added some sugar.

"Has she told you everything she knew? She's not keeping anything hidden from you?" Ranma asked.

Memories of a long low-ceilinged room full of... tubes and Setsuna standing in the middle looking vaguely ashamed hit Usagi. "Yes, she told me," the blonde slowly said.

Ranma arched a thin crimson eyebrow. "I was talking about what I was up to. Has Puu revealed some dark secret to you? Something personal?"

Usagi turned to Setsuna. The green-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Well... no... it's not about her," Usagi admitted.

"So, there is something about her?"

"Yeah, but it makes a lot of sense, she would-" Usagi quickly closed her mouth.

"Learning to keep secrets are we?" Ranma smiled.

Mirroring Ranma's expression, Setsuna smiled to herself.

"I'm trying," Usagi pouted.

"I suppose I should be encouraging this," Ranma shrugged. "So what do you know?"

"You were north of the city, in that base you destroyed. It looked like there were other soldiers there, different soldiers."

Ranma gave a theatrical sigh. "Willard International Consulting is a defense contractor. They're supposed to do business with the military."

"And you're a contractor for them," Usagi stated.

"What I do is legal," Ranma chuckled. "Loopholes are useful things, so are lawyers, and monster-fearing governments."

"Privateers are legal too," Setsuna muttered.

"What's that?" Usagi asked.

"Pirates that have state sponsors, it makes their operations legal... in the eyes of one country."

"That would make you more illegal pirates," Ranma said. "Course I get piracy, that makes sense. Magical girls on the other hand..."

"Are you going to mock me?" Usagi glared.

"Sorry, was just a tease."

Usagi looked down at her meal. "Anyway... so you're training the military here? In what?"

Ranma smirked. "I think you can figure it out."

"Fighting monsters and stuff?"

The redhead nodded.

"Why?"

"You tell me," Ranma purred.
"You need more men? There's money to be made? The government's forcing you too?"

"All very good reasons."

"You're not making this easier," Usagi sighed.

"I'm a demon; you've gotta let me have some fun." Ranma coyly leaned forward.

Usagi blushed at the thought of "fun". "Okay... so it was done for a lot of reasons. Do you need the extra people? Are things going to be that bad?"

Ranma shrugged. "It's better to have too many allies than too few."

"So, what is going on?"

The redhead blinked and started to chuckle which built into laughter that almost became maniacal. "Setsuna didn't tell you everything?" Ranma asked after she regained her composure.

Usagi turned to the older woman. "You said you didn't know!"

Setsuna glared at Ranma.

"You're either incompetent or keeping secrets," Ranma grinned.

"I'll sort that out later," Usagi's voice was firm, despite the redhead's expression.

"Going to punish her?" Ranma asked. "Want to borrow any toys?"

Once again the blonde's imagination caused her cheeks to flush.

"That's the spirit." Ranma picked up another rib. "So, what about this new place of yours? You going to have a housewarming party?"


***************


Saturn flipped the sharp end of her glaive near the ground. "What do you think these guys are up to Usa?"

The pink-haired girl peered around the apartment. "Black robes, black magic. Standard bad guys. Why don't you ask our friend?" the Sailor Senshi asked, pointing a pink glove at the man whose neck was millimeters below Saturn's blade.

Saturn narrowed her eyes at the prone man. "Are you going to be nice? Or are you scared of a couple of little girls?"

Hood pulled away from his face, the man's bloodshot eyes seemed to bulge from his head. "Monsters!"

Saturn flicked her wrists with a brief sigh.

"Huh, so their bodies disintegrate," Usa noted. "Guess I owe you lunch."

Flicking some blood off her blade, Saturn tilted her head. "Momma and Poppa are taking too long."

"Don't tell me they're having trouble? These guys are a joke."

"Yes, your attacks can kill them," Saturn lightly giggled. She turned and frowned at the kitchen where a pantry door was torn off, exposing a passageway with a set of darkened, descending stairs.

"Go on, help them," Usa insisted.

"But we're supposed to stay up here and watch their backs."

"Then I'll stay up here," Usa said waving the Moon Rod.

Saturn raised an eyebrow at the small sparkly cylinder. Her skepticism was cut off by a large and wet sounding explosion below them. The Senshi of Death and Rebirth gave a curt nod and then ran down the stairs.

Alone Usa walked around the living room of the apartment, and gave the bookcase a passing glance. It seemed to be the standard mix of paranoid tracts and dark magic. The self-help and motivational books were a new twist.

She looked up to see a group of men cloaked in hoods, robes and shadows rush into the apartment. They carried meter-long rods of metal covered in glowing runes, and surrounded her in a third of a circle within a few paces of the pink girl.

"Oh, please. You're not scared of me?" She asked in a high-pitched but bored voice. Their hesitation and frankly the entire group's... stylistic tactics spoke of inexperience, at least in anyone real combat. "I'm tiny, an annoyance. You can take me," she assured, her red eyes sparkling. Faces obscured by their hoods the men silently leveled their oversized wands.

Usa took a few steps and eyed back at the stairwell behind her.. "We're going to use magic then?" she asked holding her rod.

***************


By the time Saturn crossed the flooded basement to get to the room where her parents were, the fighting was all but over. At least she managed to get there in time to use her glaive to help in the finishing move, and release all the captured energy back to the hospitalized victims.

It was then that she heard the high pitched shrieking. In a dark blur Saturn ran out of the basement with Uranus and Neptune at her heels. Bounding up the steps, Saturn could hear several loud thuds and a gurgling squeal. Once she got into the kitchen she stopped, causing the other two Outers to bump into her.

Surrounded by fallen bodies was Sailor Chibi Moon. In her hands was a plain broadsword about her height in length. The pink girl easily held the two-handed sword by a, too large for her, blue-grey hilt with a simple brass guard and an unadorned, but obviously functional from the ichors staining it, pommel.

The blade itself was a steel that only stood out by how much the black liquid contrasted the silver-white metal. Pinning one of the hooded goons to the wall was a long grey scabbard, with a few somewhat ornate brass fittings on the top.

"That wasn't you screaming," Saturn noted.

Switching to a one handed grip, Usa tried to wipe some of the black goo from her skirt. "How come when you kill these things they turn to dust, but I get covered in gunk?" she whined.

"That sword looks familiar," Neptune noted.

"It's Endymion's," Uranus said eyeing the blade.

"About time I got it back," Chibi Moon muttered as she pulled the scabbard out of the wall, and the minion. With a yelp she jumped back to avoid the body, and tripped over one behind her.

Uranus had to keep from chuckling, at least that much was the same, but at least it looked like hanging out with "real" warriors was starting to help the girl.

"You used your father's blade in the future?" Neptune asked as she helped the girl back to her feet.

"Of course," Usa said as she used her back bow's ribbon to clean the blade. "It's not like he was... alive."

"I'm sorry," Hotaru said, giving the girl a hug.

"Least you've got another blade to sharpen," Usa said as she slid the sword into its scabbard. She then flipped it over where a strap formed and pinned it diagonally to her back. The angle allowed it to go from several inches above her head to even with her knees.

"That is too long to keep at your hip," Uranus noted.

"Maybe we can spar, Aunty," Usa offered, her eyes sparkling.

"You seem... happy," Neptune noted.

"She's always bubbly," Uranus shrugged.

"I did get my-" Usa reached up to hold the handle. "- father's sword back. I've had a lot of memories with this thing." Her hand lowered and she sighed.

"From a future that may not happen," Saturn gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Usa sighed.

Neptune pulled a hood off one of the bodies. A vaguely reptilian face peered back at her. In parts the human skin had peeled back to reveal scales and other... changes. "Looks like the thing in the basement."

"What? Pretending to be human?" Uranus asked. "Corrupted?"

Neptune looked back to the dust filled robes that Saturn had made and the dust saturated water of the basement. She turned back to the fresher body and groaned in revulsion. The corpse had started to run and break apart, but the goopy chunks quickly dried and began to crumble.

"That's... not normal," Usa took another step back, this time looking down to make sure she did not trip.

"At least their plan was," Neptune said literally dusting her hands. "Drain a bunch of people, put them in the hospital, and collect the energy."

"But why the delay in their disintegration?" Uranus asked turning to Usa. "Did you use any magic? Or just bash them with a sword?"

Usa looked down, to better hide the ghost of a smile. "With the sword."

"Her magic attacks are weak," Saturn helpfully added.

Uranus looked at the dust-filled cloaks littering the room, then back to her lover. "Yes, I suppose that's what happened. Saturn, be more careful next time, don't leave her alone. Chibi Moon's still... weak in... magic."

"I'm trying to get better," Usa whined.

Uranus raised an eyebrow. "You just took out half a dozen magic lizard-men, kid."

"And without crying," Saturn happily added.

"That's my mother's power," Usa sourly noted.

"She... can hurt enemies by crying?" Uranus asked.

Usa nodded. "Yup, can take out people under basic possession."

"That's so... expected." Neptune flatly ended. "Look, there anything else? I think it's time for us to go?"

Saturn looked out a window. "One of our escorts is pointing to his watch."

"What?" Neptune looked out and saw a pair of... salarymen in bland suits and windbreakers standing in front of a grey van. A pair of crates slowly getting wet in the light rain between them, they were having an animated conversation, one into a cell phone and with his companion who rudely gestured using a hand holding a cigarette. Then Neptune noticed that the non-smoker had his free-hand wrapped around his opposite wrist, just below his watch.

"Guess the police are coming," Saturn said stepping back from the window.

"Why didn't they help?" Uranus asked.

"Do you want the Company to? I think they'd just get in the way." Neptune shrugged.

"It's creepy; they're not even trying to hide," Uranus said as they exited the apartment and started running up the stairs.

"Why would they? They're working with the Inners and Puu," Saturn said as they reached the roof.

"So why aren't they doing anything more than watch?"

"You have to ask for their help," Usa said, after they had jumped to an adjacent roof.

Neptune swiveled on the concrete of the roof and looked down at the younger girl. "And should we? What do you think?"

"Well... Aunty Ranma really likes them, and Mom... she gets their help all the time, but she's too stubborn to say it."

"Usagi... stubborn?"

Usa raised an eyebrow. "She's a romantic with an-all powerful artifact that grants her heart's desire, and she knows she's going to rule the world."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "I can see what you mean."

Usa gave a nod. "Yeah, that's a problem."

***************


Akane gave a slight murmur and leaned on her mother, as they lay on the couch.

"Happy now?" Ranma asked, wrapping an arm around Akane.

"I just wanted to spar," Akane yawned.

"Just before bed?" The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"You said we should constantly hone our skills," Akane remarked.

"And I'm sure making Misa-chan jealous wasn't part of it," Nabiki remarked as she stepped in from the kitchen.

"If that were true I wouldn't have bugged Mom after Misa'd gone to sleep."

Nabiki took a contemplative sip of her drink. "Maybe you're just incompetent at revenge," she said before sitting down on Ranma's opposite side and nestling in.

Akane pouted.

Ranma's chuckle was cut off by a ringing from the leather jacket over her unitard. She answered and her eyes widened. "I see. Arrange transport then."

"Who is it?" Nabiki frowned.

"What happened?" Akane asked.

"Nabiki, go upstairs. Tell the others to get ready. It's Jacob. Something happened at Usagi's place, the cameras cut out too."

Akane frowned.

"Okay, so what surveillance teams are in the area?" Ranma asked as she mentally recalled the layout of the Sailor Senshi's new domicile. It was a light industrial complex that consisted of a short office building attached to a small warehouse. Ranma had gone on a small tour of the place and had seen the surveillance images of it.

The building was set back on its lot, with groomed grass expanses surrounding it. The wards setup around it seemed thorough. It was not... poorly defended, but it looked like Ranma's concerns were warranted.

The rest of the brood came down the stairs in their armor and checking out their weapons. "What's going on?" Genma asked, following the demons down.

"Work." Ranma closed her eyes and in a flash her clothing shifted to her new combat armor. She walked over to Akane and checked out her back armor.

Genma nodded. "Good luck, then."

"Thanks," Ranma, still juggling her phone, gave him a brief hug. "Okay, anyone short of equipment? Ammo?"

"I'm fine." Ukyou checked her HSMG.

"I could use a bit more," Misako said with a grin.

"Right. Jacob, make sure there's some extra 40mm for Misa," she said into the phone.

There was a knock at the door. Nariko looked out to see the idling vehicle and a pair of agents at the door. She gave a wave and the girls centered onto the door. The brood left and piled into a Company APC.

Still holding her phone, Ranma turned to her sister. "What's the story?"

"Red Team trying to get some long distance recon," Eve said as the vehicle shifted into gear.

"Don't want to tip our hand early," Ranma nodded.

"We could have brought a van and had it pull into your garage," Eve stated.

"Too slow," Ranma said as she hooked up her headset. "You see anything Kas?"

In another vehicle several blocks distant from them, Kasumi picked up the transmission. "It's real windy but the Raven we launched is giving us something," she said, referring to the micro UAV one of her men literally tossed out from the top of the vehicle past the ring-mounted machinegun. "There's a lot of interference but it looks like part of the building's on fire.."

"It's an attack," Ranma frowned.

"Better to assume that than a house fire," Akane noted.

"We can't get a better picture," Kasumi said over the connection. "We almost lost the bird, and I don't want it any closer."

"Do the same for your vehicle," Eve cautioned.

"We're actually driving away," Lieutenant Tendo said with a light chuckle. "Shit, we lost the Raven." There was a wave of static over the connection followed by an explosion. I's volume muffled by the transmission. "-Attack! We are under attack!" There was a grinding noise and a dull thud. "We have wounded-" Kasumi's voice was cut off by a squeal of static.

"We've lost the signal, unable to reconnect," Maya Iverson's voice, almost reproachfully, said over the channel.

Eve frowned. "Trap."

Ranma nodded and gripped her wrist with her right hand. "Yes, they could have blown up her vehicle instead of wounding it, or they could have jammed her out before the attack."

"Lt. Tendo was three miles away from the Senshi residence. It's a fair diversion," Eve looked and saw the smoldering looks from Akane and Nabiki. At least their anger seemed honed, contained.

"They want to split our force, delay us and upset the rescue mission." Ranma closed her eyes for a second. "Fine. They got their wish," she smiled thinly. "Colonel Edwards. The brood is yours. I only need Nariko. We'll go to Usagi, that leaves the rest of you free."

Over the encrypted link, Jacob gave a thin smile. "Ah, I see our style's finally started to rub off on you. Happy hunting."

"You too." Ranma turned to her sister. "Do I need to explain myself?"

Eve chuckled. More than being the eldest daughter, Nariko was a good choice for a "wingman" "Not at all."

"Good. Find them; kill them," Ranma said.

Feeling a nearly physical pressure from the brood mother's violet eyes, Eve gave a quick nod. "Yes. You'll be out of radio contact. When do you want backup?"

"When you're finished," Ranma stated before going up to the APC's turret. After moving the turret operator to the side, her senses unfolded and she scanned the area. It was some comfort, though the enemy could have defeated that. Behind her, Nariko was checking to make sure her sword and equipment were properly stowed for flight operations.

"Right," Eve said, and the redhead squeezed over to a rear ramp door, and after opening it a tiny bit, climbed out. Wind whipping the compartment, Nariko followed.

Ukyou sealed the door. "What now then?"

Eve paused briefly. "I believe we have four teams available tonight."

"Immediately," Jacob assured. "More are coming onto alert."

"Good, send them three km west of the second waypoint from last week." Eve said. "Turning off radios now, they won't be reliable as we get in." Eve looked to the brood and the two human agents crammed into the transport. "We have two tasks: Rescue and elimination. Two groups, both with human support.

"Myself, Akane, and Nabiki with Gold Team and Blue Team will get Lt. Tendo and Red Team. Ukyou you take the rest and position them as you see fit."

"They're going to attack you," Ukyou advised.

"Yes, but that gives you the ability to locate them and cover us," Eve explained. "They may still assume we've split our force."

"Unless they broke our encryption in addition to being able to jam us," Nabiki said.

"Then they think we're messing with them." Misako chuckled. "Saying we're sending only two to rescue Usagi and then immediately reducing communications."

"True there's probably more of them at the Senshi's place. They just want to delay us; they want to kill Usagi," Akane growled.

"Meanwhile they expect WIC to muster in strength, do recon to get an idea of what's going on, and then strike with overwhelming force," Misako gave her gun an affectionate rub. "At least they're right about the last part."


End Chapter 1

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Mike Koos. Special thanks to Terra for coming up with the chapter title and Nadrek for finely sifting through this chapter and giving notes on the next one

Revision Notes: And here's the start of book 3. Yes the JTF2 troops started getting their training only this late in the story. And we see a bit of what the Outers are up to back in Japan and how Chibi Usa is handling things. Oh and blame Ellf for the title.

 

The Return
A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.
By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.
http://jtemple.florestica.com/

Temporary Backup Site.
http://www.fukufics.com/fic/


Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku
http://fukufics.com

C&C is appreciated.

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 2: Strike and Cleave
Formerly: Reequipped and Repulsed Part 2 i

Glowering, Ranma felt the remnants of protective wards tickling her extended senses. The damage was severe – fires and collapsed walls, including one section where it looked like the building had been cleaved by a giant axe. She could feel several life forms, a handful of pattern Silvers and some others but even with the extra help all she had was a... smeared and fuzzy picture of who was alive. It looked like the enemy could jam do more than radios.

Her horns were pained by few objects with stronger electromagnetic fields that were placed around the building. They were similar to some of the military hardware she trained against, but they were not on Setsuna's map. Gliding along, near the edge of her sensory range, she frowned. It looked like subtle was out. She made a motion to Nariko who was flying at her wing and the two split up.

Buffeted by high winds and a smattering of rain, Ranma folded in her wings, and rapidly plummeted towards the earth. The gutted cinderblock and glass structure grew rapidly in her field of view. It was isolated and had wide expanses ideal for defense, this cut both ways. Several of the electronic objects to her sides seemed to move. Since stealth was not an option, she decided on something that better suited her straight-forward nature.

Prepositioned above the building, black and violet orbs suddenly raced towards the earth. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the feed from four of the DarkStar Bursts as each slammed into a different turret gun.

A pair of the auto-guns that had escaped targeting began taking out some of the Bursts. Three orbs homed in on them and the guns fell silent. While this was happening a quartet of orbs dropped into the gash across the building and raced towards a pair of warm bodies.

At the same time, Ranma continued her descent. When she was a hundred feet up and pushing her wings at max decent velocity, the cloak of shadows that concealed her seemed to ripple and boil as brilliant violet flames consumed it to announce her presence. Twin beams of light shot up from the building, attracting orbs to their source. After they hit her flaming aura's hottest point, the leading edge, which was several inches below where she was, the beam wobbled and blinked out when Ranma felt the burst explode. A moment later, the violet streak slammed into the ground.

***************


Kasumi pulled herself up and looked around the vehicle's interior. Her headset gave a distressing hiss, but more worryingly, they were upside-down and had wounded. She retrieved her weapon and righted herself, slipped on her night vision goggles, and looked out into the darkness. "Status?" she asked Gabriel who seemed to be in fair shape.

"Bruce's gone." Similarly equipped, Gabriel peered out of the windshield, looking past areas of spider-webbed glass, blood and the remnants of Bruce Trenton's jaws and teeth.

Kasumi briefly surveyed the scene. Trenton had been driving and took the brunt of it, next to him was Sophie Addison. Steven Deschain was over her and putting on clotting bandages and other first aid with a blank look; ironically Bruce was their medic. Lt. Tendo noted the chain Sophie's dogtags hung on; it was her decision, but time might take even that away from her.

"She's the worst off..." Gabriel said.

"Right, we'll go to that building, get in and hole up." Kasumi said pointing to a small factory close to where the vehicle had crashed. "Fritz and Steve take Sophie; the rest of us will cover."

Holding back her cries, Sophie was moved and her side door was manhandled open and Kasumi and Gabriel eased out with their weapons raised. It was ten meters to that door, and she doubted that the dark night would give much concealment, even if you added the rain.

Still, it was better than waiting to be killed in the vehicle. When they got to Agent Fritz Lang and the others, the two sprinted to the door which Gabriel broke down.

Kasumi turned around and faced back at the smoldering vehicle while Gabriel cleared what looked like a lobby. She frowned as Lang and Deschain crossed the distance to meet her. The enemy did not care to inflict further damage, for now.

After Sophie was put down on the relative comfort of the carpeted floor, Gabriel eased back over to Kasumi as she scanned the buildings that overlooked their damaged vehicle. "Honey pot?" he whispered.

She gave a curt nod. "I'd say so. The scanners aren't picking anything up, it looks like we're being jammed, and they didn't finish us off."

"They'll attack when backup shows up." Gabriel gestured with his off hand to the roof of a warehouse across the street and then to some of the trucks in a large depot next to it. "And behind the depot is that water tower; pretty good place to put a sniper. There's also the building we're in, and that's just if they'll attack close to this spot." As he spoke raindrops started to splash to the ground.

"Fritz, stay with Sophie and watch our backs." The enemy needed them alive, at least until any backup units were attacked, becoming the next round of bait.

There was the rumbling purr as a pair of armored vehicles in WIC gray raced down the street. Above that was came the whumping noise of helicopter blades. The vehicles started to slow down as they approached the flipped APC, and long silvery streaks flew towards them and exploded. The front of one was lightly damaged and the other hit the brakes hard and swerved.

Kasumi spotted the flashes originating from the warehouse above them and fired a few bursts from the rifle barrel of her HOG, while Gabriel supported with the 20mm grenade barrel. The helicopter's door guns added their fire to the barrage.

The turrets on the two armored personnel carriers opened up with 40mm grenades being marched over the roof, but soon enough there was a sequence of loud explosions and one of the gunners slumped over and was pulled inside.

"That's on our side," Gabriel hissed as he flashed a light at one of the vehicles, before being pulled back from the doorway by Kasumi.

One vehicle pulled to the same side as them and backed up to a small cinderblock wall. The ramp went down and a squad of agents rushed out. There was the familiar steady buzz of a mini-gun and a couple of the men went down but managed to be pulled back to the apparent safety just in the lee-side of the wall.

The helicopter's hull sparked as one of the mini-guns raised its aim. The flying machine twisted and dropped in altitude, its own guns returning fire until it dropped behind a building. From there, it pulled back and seemed to get out of range of the surprising ground weapons.

The enemy guns stopped. A couple of seconds later, Kasumi felt her tension ease, slightly.

The more damaged of the two APC's pulled forward, turned and then went straight back into the lobby door, which shattered when the door to the vehicle slammed down. Kasumi gave a slight of sigh relief. It was small consequence that the other agents were pointing guns at her. "The interior's secure, as it stands," Kasumi stated as Akane and Nabiki came out of the vehicle and gave her a reassuring smile before splitting up and checking the adjacent rooms.

"Casualties?" Captain Jarvis asked as she quickly stepped off the ramp, followed by the rest of the agents in the vehicle, save for a couple who, despite the obvious target it would be, were using it as a makeshift pillbox for just a bit longer.

"Addison's bad. Trenton's dead," Kasumi looked past to see that Speirs, the vehicle's original gunner was missing a portion of his skull just under the front of his helmet.

Eve nodded. "Akane, Smith, Lang, link up with what's left of Blue team. Get casualties back here first. Then you'll form our Southern flank," she said as she walked over to Sophie. Eve knew who had signed on to the D program and could sense the life fading.

Kasumi frowned. They seemed trapped and the Black Hawk sounded like it was pulling back. It probably had been damaged. All in all, things did not bode well. It looked like the trap would only grow, ensnaring more agents.. However, her men were still firing, and it sounded like there was still some life left in Blue Team.

Kneeling over Sophie, Eve turned to Kasumi. "I'm sorry but your ex-girlfriend couldn't make it Lieutenant, she's stuck with her eldest."

Shouldering her gun, Kasumi allowed herself a smile as she eased forward. So, that was that. It was nice to see the brass' priorities. Out of the corner of her eye she caught an explosion of napalm as Akane cleared an alleyway.

***************

As soon as the first turrets went offline, Galina modulated the jamming signal to alert the Diversionary Team. They had to finish the job. The jagged pain at her side reminded her that these enemies were not without teeth.

Dve'nadtsat called. It was redundant. Galina could still see and hear the small explosions, reminding her of mortars. She ran to help; she had not seen WIC use that weapon, which meant-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous crump that the Russian likened to the sound a tank makes when it falls off a bridge. Following that was a bright violet flame front shooting down the hallway. Galina leapt to the side and heat wave quickly washed past her. She ran into what was once a living room, judging by the shattered furniture. Much of the ceiling, and the opposite wall and the room behind it were taken out when Sem took out Zaika's guardian.

The first moves had gone well, then everything started to get worse and worse.

That damage was overshadowed by the absent roof, blown back walls and... crater in the floor. Rain pouring in from above fought with the violet tinged flames that smoldered throughout the room. The crater looked as if the concrete had been punched by the fist of an avenging god. Sem had caused similar devastation a couple rooms over during their initial assault.

"Liza, what happened?" Galina asked over their linkage as she edged into the room.

From the other side of the impromptu... courtyard, Lizaveta Dve'nadtsat gave a tight shake of her head. "Don't know, I saw the incoming and shot it, then the whole room blew." She winced ever so slightly. The damage had cut through her abdomen, aggravating the electrical damage to her chassis she had acquired earlier in the battle.

Galina looked over the crater; it was empty. To her left, a pair of purple beams shot out and sliced diagonally along Dve'nadtsat's side. She turned, raising her weapon and fired at a dark grey and violet figure as it closed the distance. Lizaveta dove at the figure, but the demon sidestepped and the beams burned through the armor on her side before the two collided.

Running to intercept, Galina saw the figure launching a black orb at her while she lunged towards Dve'nadtsat's side. Galina twisted in midair, the sphere responded, and was then pierced by a glowing blade that flicked out from Galina's wrist.

The intruder had knocked Dve'nadtsat to the ground and after a quick rake of her claws leapt back when Galina rushed her with her blades outstretched. "Ranma, eh?" Galina asked noting the red hair flowing down the demon's back.

Eyes going to the slash in the cyborg's side, the demon merely smiled and dodged as Galina thrust forward. The dark-haired Russian dropped down to avoid Ranma's gaze and jabbed a blade to block a set of purple claws.

Jumping back, Galina launched a volley of energy blades as she smirked slightly. The demon dodged most of them, but a couple went past and hit; two on the chest and one in the neck. The chest impacts seemed blunted, but the demon's neck sliced open, satisfactorily.

But, Galina's pleasure was more at Dve'nadtsat 's actions. She had gotten to her feet and shot a pair of beams right at Ranma. Blood gushing out and soaking the armor on her left side, the twin attacks hit Ranma as she raised her hand and a tight column of violet and white flames shot out. Running roughly parallel to Dve'nadtsat 's attack, the two inch wide cylinder of fire hit at the bridge of her nose. Violet flames grew and danced around the demon's form.

Burning skin, the flames failed to penetrate the armor built into her skull. But her eyes were another matter. Raising her hands to protect her face, Lizaveta screamed and dropped to the floor.

The bleeding from her neck abating, Ranma jumped back to avoid another barrage of blades from Galina. The demon managed to keep her hand roughly on target and burned off the vast majority of Dve'nadtsat's face, exposing gleaming metal and warped components.

In a blink, Galina had closed the distance and rammed two blades right into the holes Dve'nadtsat had burned through Ranma's chest armor.

Dve was still alive, if screaming incoherently over their communications channel

Similar to mechanical expanding broad-head arrows, four glowing razor-sharp edges scissored out of Galina's knives. Just as fast, she twisted her wrists to maximize the damage, withdrew the blades, and used them to block the demon's claws.

Hot, oddly-colored blood and entrails spilled out, much of it getting onto Galina. She bounded back when Ranma's tail shot out at the Russian's knee, but the cyborg dodged, causing the tail cut through a massive chuck of the cyborg's thigh. Galina was thankful that her pain receptors were off.

Launching another volley, this time from the blades that ran down the length of her legs, Galina roll-jumped to the side to avoid a set of eyebeams and as she came up barely dodged a black sphere that was launched right from the demon. The orb sped past Galina and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.

Just before taking another rush, Galina took note of the sticky visceral substance that covered them both and for the first time the demon's face showed an expression.

A satisfied little smile.

As Ranma's arms came up Galina raised her arms spreading the energy blades that ran down the length of them like feathers and used them to block the.... beam of napalm. Galina had faced flamethrowers before, and found them to be troublesome weapons. Their capacity was a weaknesses, which did not seem present here.

A pair of thin purple eye-beams drilled into the wound in her thigh, causing her to jump up and spread the blades that went down her legs. Going to a crouch, the demon kept adjusting her flames to try to bypass Galina's knives.

The cyborg landed on Ranma, toppling the demon to the floor, and tried to pierce the squirming redhead with her knives. She had cut her several times when something slammed into her back and embedded shards into her skin and framework, which then exploded. The missing DarkStar Burst had arrived.

Warnings flashing on her heads up display, Galina stabbed forward, embedding a set of blades into the demon's left shoulder and then jumped back to avoid the claws and tail. Rotating in midair she landed in a crouch. With a flick and twist of her forearm, she launched a salvo of blades at the rising redhead. Bleeding heavily from her back, Galina barely noticed as the blood poured down the waist of her bodysuit and splattered onto the floor.

Ranma noted that Galina's expression mirrored her own.

***************

Desyat blinked as the feed from another turret pod cut out in a group of explosions. Each rounded pod consisted of an actuated turret and sensors. She could only get a few seconds of use before they were destroyed, but that sufficed. The helicopter's continued presence was... vexing. It kept her from going out into the open, and in order to keep it from providing actual support she had to allocate a few pods, which caused them to get picked off quicker than otherwise.

Rain spattering down her back, she charged another few blades and fired them off into the distance. Running to a new position, she received footage from a currently unused pod. The metal shards flew onto an armored hull and exploded.

Giving a slight sigh, Desyat watched their response and dived down as explosions landed where she had been. She had to give these mercenaries credit; they managed to keep their heads about them and were making steady progress, nibbling at the positions she had prepared with Vosem.

"How's your mission?" she asked Vosem over their connection. Their jamming made it untenable over this range, but there were other ways of talking with Galina.

"Swimmingly," Vosem tersely transmitted back, looking down into darkness with her enhanced vision. "I really think you'd love these girls, Des. They like explosives too."

"How many?"

"A few squads of agents, two to four demons."

Desyat gave a slight nod and activated another pod. After firing a burst at a vehicle she pulled the turret up and swiveled the barrel around. She spotted a bit of movement in the distance before losing the signal. The sharp crack she heard later confirmed the weapon, and the reason that helicopter was still in the air. "Adding in their sniper, that means we've tied up a third to a half of the brood." Desyat paused as she and Vosem felt the jamming in the distance spike a couple times.

Vosem sighed. Galina still needed their diversion. "Lovely," She transmitted back as she stepped back to reload her 23 mm shotgun. It was based on the KS-23 "carbine", a roughly four gauge weapon with a variety of rounds available. There were several buckshot rounds for it with fair penetration with a drawback of a ten meter range limit. Instead of a pump, her weapon had a semi-automatic that allowed for a higher rate of fire and used a magazine instead of a tube.

Vosem reloaded and pulled around a corner. The first shot was a Star flashbang, followed by a tear gas grenade. She had hoped the large flash would ruin their night vision; it was certainly hell for human troops using light enhancement. However, neither slowed down the demons much.

The five round burst of shot cartridges that followed did. The taller of the two demons went down, with a regrettable shortage of blood. An inky, shadowlike appendage did arc out from the fallen demon and hit the wall Vosem was hiding behind.

Shattered brick shot across the cyborg, some of the pieces embedding into her flesh and frame. Her partner responded by releasing a spray of tiny shards, some of which cut through the corner of the alleyway and exploded. Vosem dropped a pair of grenades and ran. She went up to an adjacent building and ran through a series of alleys and corridors.

"Vosem?" Desyat asked.

"Got them distracted and pissed off," Vosem noted as she switched to Barricade rounds. Each consisted of a single steel projectile which exchanged damage spread for much greater penetration.

"We can't leave, not yet," Desyat transmitted, answering the unstated question.

"No, but I'm linking up with you. These clever mercs are trying a pincer," Vosem transmitted.

Desyat was prepared to launch another wave of explosives when she felt a taut chill in her gut. One group of mercenaries kept advancing towards those trapped in the warehouse to link up with them.

Launching the blades she watched their progress as they arced up and hit the upright base supports to a water tank. Two explosions sliced through each support. Vertical beams bucking, the tank collapsed and fell across the road. It left a small area to one side that a vehicle could barely pass. She had expected a total roadway blockage, but a choke point was good psychological warfare, too. Perhaps the mercenaries actually had some courage; they certainly had thrown enough men at this "rescue" mission.

Yes, perhaps, they've decided to go after us. She thought with a cynical chill. It's not like they really care about Zaika. She backed down into the warren of trucks and vehicles that made up the depot.

Dropping to the ground, she caught up with Vosem. Desyat frowned at the rips in her jumpsuit. Meanwhile Vosem just gave a labored glare. "Take out a few more vehicles?"

Desyat nodded with a frown. One group was about to enter an area that still had some functional turrets. Despite the intelligence their turrets offered the mercenaries were frustratingly difficult to count. She knew that a couple squads had linked up to the trapped team. The rest were flowing about, nibbling at the turrets and generally being harassing. She guessed there was a platoon's worth of men out there, not counting however many demons were about.

Cycling though the feeds, Desyat followed her partner. The two silently ran forward down the length of parked container trailers. Suddenly the alleyway they were in burst into a series of familiar explosions. The two dived down and scrambled under a trailer and into the next row.

Desyat looked up, and saw a grinning demon in the distance. Dread welled into the cyborg as the specter aimed her oversized weapon. Firing her shotgun, Vosem jumped up and bounced off one trailer wall and made it to the top of another in a crouch. As the explosions hit, Desyat darted back and launched a single blade which hit near the demon's feet.

Desyat doubled back and then jumped around as gunfire opened up from behind and to the side of her. She looked over and saw a pair of demons going up another alleyway in the depot. They both carried the large bullpup guns. Vosem was hit in the hip and went down in a roll and darted one passageway over.

Above them, Desyat did not see any body from the grenadier succubus, but the demon's firing had stopped. Knowing the demons expected it, but not quite willing to let her partner go alone, she maneuvered back to Vosem. Apprehension swirling about that succubus, Desyat charged a large block of steel and threw it at the two demons. As the improvised weapon flew, she turned to pick up Vosem who had already gotten her bearings, despite the bleeding wound in her hip.

"Go!" Desyat transmitted to Vosem while pushing her forward. Giving a quick look back, Desyat knocked her partner closer to the wall, and activated another turret. Anything to get that sniper's attention.

"Chto za huy'nya!" Vosem actually shouted when a sickly green cloud flowed up from the sides and behind them. It did not burn, but there was a slight tingle.

"We'll be okay, go!" Desyat transmitted. Their bodies had been built with immunity to all but the most caustic chemical agents. But you don't know that's what this is, a timorous part of her mind cautioned.

Gasping, Vosem stumbled on the wet pavement and fell into a trailer wall.

"Hurry!" Desyat pulled her back up and with her other hand pressed it on the side of the trailer. The charge spread out a couple meters across the thin metal wall. Desyat kept at Vosem's back but could feel them both slowing down. When the time was right, she pushed Vosem down and triggered the charged metal.

The explosion blasted out and the air momentarily cleared, at least, of green miasma. The rain seemed to help keep it down as well. Strength returning, Vosem and Desyat gained speed and jumped to the next row. Just as they landed, the grenadier succubus made herself known.

Broadly placed explosions hit in a wide area. At least they don't know exactly where we are. Desyat thought to herself.

"You go east, I'll go west," Vosem sent as she fired down one of the alleyways, before darting down another corridor at an oblique angle.

"Meet at Rally Three then," Desyat replied, as the 40 mm grenades joined the rain in falling towards the ground in a random but uniform distribution. She responded in kind. Firing at a high arc, she shot out two dozen slim fully-charged blades.

Vosem paused and listened. She then crept around the corner of a cargo container and fired. Two of the 23mm wide steel projectiles hit a succubus in the chest and ruptured her armor plating. A feeling of elation hit her as she moved in with another burst.

The reassurance died when that demoness got up and made eye contact. For a brief moment the cyborg's finger hesitated. The demon pulled the trigger. 17mm bullets provided motivation and significant damage. Vosem returned fire, but she was hit and pushed back. Screaming, the damage mounted. Her frame was warped, parts of her torso were cratered, spilling blood and other fluids.

"Desyat! I need support," Vosem silently cried, pulling back. She turned, shot, and then ducked around a corner. Then the green miasma started to curl around her feet.

From her position, Desyat ran towards her but was cutoff when grenades once again fell in front of her, and then the cyborg saw... her. Flicking out a blade, she stared at the grenadier girl's grinning form; coiling around her feet was a thick green cloud. The cyborg then heard two 17mm guns fire off in steady bursts before abruptly cutting off.

Launching the blades, Desyat held out some hope. Vosem was a strong girl. That hope died when Vosem started to broadcast panicked screams for help and pathetic mewling that seemed to go on for too long.

Her friend's incoherent begging scratching her mind, Desyat fired a sweep of blades at the succubus and slipped to the side. It was clear getting close to these girls in any way was suicidal.

At least Vosem... stopped. She thought with a shudder as she darted out of the depot and into a neighboring warehouse. The demons could be hurt, just not up close. She reassured herself that pulling back was the only sensible option for now.

You're scared because they found you. If you can see it you can hit it, if they can hit you they can disembowel you and eat you, a mental voice straining her composure insisted.

Controlling her shaking, Desyat pulsed her jamming signal three times, the emergency signal to discontinue the mission. There was no reply. Come on... they can't have run into much trouble. They had the Senshi by surprise and took two of them out and there couldn't have been more than two demons sent there.

A cynical chuckling welled up within her. She had yet to see the redheaded demon, their leader. Apparently WIC was quite happy to send her and only her. Desyat tried to assure herself that the rest of the team could handle just one demon, but the rest of her mind responded with simple dark laughter.

Back on the move, she tried to contact any remaining turrets, but the pickings were slim. At least that helicopter sounded like it had left, perhaps it finally succumbed to damage. She knew Shest would not fail in her mission, and Galina was sensible. She would not lose her head.

Her ears picked up the slight sounds: movement. She left a few charges and jumped to the other end of the narrow warehouse. Breaking down a door, she raced across a side street and came under fire from a six wheeled armored vehicle. Its brakes screamed as it slowed and turned through the intersection. The grenade launcher on the top turret made an all too familiar noise. Triggering the explosives behind her, she flicked a full brace of charged blades at the driver's viewing slit.

The first knives penetrated the armored glass with small blasts, allowing blades with a heavier charge free access. Explosions, including one that turned the insides of the vehicle into a torn, mangled pyre, knocked her down. Slowly, too slowly her internal voice insisted, Desyat got back up and resumed her sprint.

Gunfire erupted behind her. Inertia almost knocking her off-balance, the heavy rounds broke several components. Damaged in the shoulders and around the lower back, Desyat ran to the next building, a small factory. From the recon, she knew there would be lots of small steel parts she could charge up. At the moment, it looked like the demons were more focused on the burning personnel carrier. At least, the rainfall would keep the fires from spreading. She doubted anyone would have survived that, but she could respect their concern.

Unwilling to spend the time to catch her breath, she set a few more charges and broke through to a small office park that shared a back fence with the factory. She heard her pursuers had resumed their work.

Once in the offices, she used the remaining turrets, specifically placed in case of retreat to this location, to check out the rest of the building. Finally slowing down, she felt some relief form within her. She had gotten to the rally point, and had tied up at least two thirds of the brood and most of the human mercenary personnel.

Allowing a warm chuckle as she checked out the empty office she eventually made her way to the stairs. It was not her fault the others were having trouble. Standing on the first step she paused.... she felt... safe. Even... euphoric.

"Shit." Desyat checked the feed from the last remaining turret cameras and saw the WIC units positioning themselves a distance from the building.

Fighting the disturbingly pressing sense of safety, Desyat made her way down the stairs, setting more charges as she went. She could still make the mercenaries pay a steep price. Her determination was cut off by a series of explosions.

From its somewhat awkward position, the turret pod showed grenade and rocket launchers opening up onto the building. The footage was redundant. She heard and felt the building being hit herself. Giving a brief curse she had the turret open fire. At least she managed to hit enough people to distract the grenadier succubus. Albeit just enough to get her to destroy the final turret.

Running down the steps to the basement, she heard her own charges being prematurely set off by the mercenary's explosives. The sounds of falling walls and floors followed her, somewhat damping the unnatural feeling of safety. Once in the basement she went to the South wall and threw the knives, which exploded demolishing it.. Genuine relief filled her; Shest's reconnaissance was correct.

She ran into the storm water conduit with a backwards glance. At the very least the impending collapse kept anyone from following her... immediately. She was sure the demons could brute force their way through, the mercenaries could use some explosives to open up the storm drains, or even crowbar open some manholes, but that would take time, delaying them. She slipped into the water and slipped downstream as quietly as she could manage. She just hoped she had bought the others enough time.

***************


Lightning crackled from her fingers as Jupiter sharply exhaled. There was another report and she dove behind the corner as a set of green spheres shot towards her only to be incinerated by Mars.

"Cutting it close," Jupiter gasped, then loosed another electrical barrage. Magic hit the cyborg with a glancing blow that caused the assassin to add a twitching jerk to her inhuman grace.

"Moon! Is the garage safe?" Mars shouted without turning her head. Safety was a laughable concept; they had a "safe" room. It was one of the first places that had been hit. Still, it was good that her attention had to be focused on battle, she did not think she could stand to look at the blonde, not now.

"That's a no!" Moon raked the bright white beam from her wand across the expanse of the warehouse that their building butted into. Luna clung to her shoulder, the cat frozen with terror and grief. A shadowy figure danced between the support beams which were starting to char.

Their new broaches kept anything unpleasant from coming through the walls well... now. they did. They had not been activated during the start of the battle; everyone thought the building's defenses would buy them enough time.

She paused and with a flick of the wrist shot her wand to one side and caught the figure in the open. Shadows burned and the smell of molten metal bloomed in the garage as the figure writhed and sprinted away, albeit favoring one leg.

"I got her!" she said with a vicious spark of vengeance. The initial attack had been terrible, they only got out with the most desperate of sacrifices, but now it was a grinding slog as the cyborgs would try to close in to finish them off, but would retreat under the massed firepower of three Senshi.

"There's more?" Mars sighed while pushing herself to provide more covering fire for Jupiter. She then heard a few small explosions which she initially dismissed, until a couple of seconds later when a loud crump shook the building.

"The hell was that?" Jupiter demanded. Peering out past the corner for a split second, her bloodshot eyes widened before she pulled back, "Hey, some of them are leaving!"

"Oh? Well I got one and the way forward may be clear!" Moon said with a bit of triumph in her voice.

Jupiter leaned a bit closer to the black-haired girl. "Rei, go with Usagi... I'll..."

"No." Mars' eyes hardened and she jumped forward, filling the entire hallway with fire.

"What's happening?" Moon asked, the shadowy figure had vanished, but she had frozen at the edge of the room. Even to her it looked of a trap.

"Something's got them distracted, there's just two left," Jupiter said. She blinked, seeing another, finer arc of lightning shoot into the room. The brunette saw a demon wearing a surprising hybrid of modern battle armor and a Sailor Senshi uniform run into the room. In one hand was a red-tinted katana and in the other was a large handgun.

The lightning bolt that erupted from Nariko's sword. The bodysuit-clad cyborg nimbly dodged the demon's attack.

Summoning the last shreds of power, Jupiter fired an instant later. The Russian was unable to avoid both and the brunettes far stronger discharge hit the assassin full in the chest.

Firing her SSP at the other cyborg, the succubus rushed the assassin Jupiter had just electrocuted.

Sem's body spasmed and the spheres of energy she was about to launch vanished. She turned and raised a twitching arm to block the onrushing demon.

Her limbs were armored and strengthened. It should have blocked the blade, capturing it and allowing her to step into the demon's defenses. Instead, the blade sliced right through her arm and the jerking, weakened cyborg ended up stepping into the blade's path.

Jupiter had also charged and the tall brunette magical girl leveled a lighting-wreathed fist into Sem's back. There was a buckling creaking noise as the impact hit home.

Catching sight of Nariko's blade, Jupiter then grabbed the momentarily stunned, but still squirming cyborg her by the shoulders.

Drawing two glowing swords, Arisha shot forward, but it was too late. The demon swept the blade through Sem's immobilized body a few inches above the cyborg's hips. Stunned and still shaking, Sem fell into two bleeding, sparking pieces.

Nariko, briefly, eyed the body with a slight frown. It looked like this one had her power core positioned lower than the ones that her cousin had killed. Still, she had at least separated the power system from the control system.

She then gave the ill-looking brunette Senshi a warm smile.

Firing her gun, Nariko tried to slow down the other cyborg, but despite her shots hitting the neck and head, the damage seemed to be superficial. In the last couple seconds the distance shortened to where Nariko aimed at the assassin's left eye.

Arisha jerked her head and winced as the bullet flattened just on the orbital and scrapped down her temple, leaving a big gash and slightly reducing the effectiveness of that eye. She noted the empty slide configuration of the demon's shockingly-effective handgun but her attention was on the crackling electricity swirling furiously on the red-eyed girl's sword.

And then the brunette's electricity shot out. Jupiter gave a fierce grin as she tried to push herself further.

Arisha brought up one of her energized blades to block the oncoming bolts and immediately, overload warnings flashed on her heads-up display. More distressingly, the blade began to lose cohesion, the semi-liquid metal starting to ooze.. She then jabbed her other blade into the ground, stretching it through the concrete and a meter into the dirt below, the two blades flickered and started to dissipate but it held. Her weapons requiring a lot of power to change their shape, they and her body were built to channel and distribute the load.

Briefly glancing at Sem's stunned, but still alive, upper half, Arisha allowed a small measure of relief. As she slashed with one of her swords, the energy blade grew in length, forcing the demon to dodge out of its way. Arisha's blade now blocked Nariko's line of attack away from Sem.

Seeing that Jupiter had taken the initiative, Nariko ejected the spent magazine and pulled her sword away from Arisha's extended blade.

She flipped her gun upside down and then used her tail to slice open a magazine pouch, and pushed the firearm up to "help" the magazine fall in. Flipping the gun down she slammed the end against her thigh to seat the magazine in the gun. While depressing the slide release, she aimed the weapon at the cyborg who was still busy with Jupiter.

Nariko glanced down and forced herself to keep from frowning, somehow the casualty had vanished - both halves. There was still plenty of blood and various mechanical fluids, just no body.

Arisha gave a slight smile of relief, at least Shest was able to get Sem out. Arisha retracted her left blade to intercept the twin lighting attacks, while keeping her right blade as the ground.

As the lightning hit, Nariko opened fire, this time aiming at the hilt of Arisha's right-hand sword - the one that had ended up embedded through the flooring. The bullets hit and caused some surface damage. More importantly was the momentum they imparted; Arisha's hand was jarred and flexed open, disconnecting the grounding sword from the energy conduit in her palm. Arisha screamed as Nariko's electrical attack was forced to find a different route to ground.

Firing at Aisha's head while keeping the Lightning Devastation active, Nariko closed in and was surprised when Arisha shot up, still holding one of her swords in her right hand.

Thankful that her equipment warranted extra electronic shielding, Arisha stabbed diagonally cutting through the front of that irksome handgun and knocked aside that katana before slashing it up towards the demon's neck.

Nariko pushed back with her feet and arched her back. As she fell, Jupiter stepped in with another crackling punch.

The cyborg turned to block and jerked her right arm back down to the prone succubus who had raised her sword arm. Instead of a block of her own, Nariko stabbed forward with her left hand. Neither choosing to defend, the two arms passed each other. Nariko stabbing into Arisha's right elbow; Arisha's blade into Nariko's lung; and Jupiter's fist into Arisha's side.

Twitching, Arisha had a brief smirk as she drove the blade in deeper, but it died when Nariko's lightning shot up the katana. Arisha extended her blade through the demon and managed to ground the blast, but then the demon gave the barest ghost of a smile and flicked her blade down, rotated it, and then flicked it back up, severing Arisha's right arm at the elbow, which Makoto kicked aside. The cyborg screamed and jumped back.

Nariko used her katana to cut in half the unpowered sword pinning her. Some liquid metal dripped out of the cut ends as she pulled herself off the blade. The blood pouring out of the pierced armor slowed as the wound began to heal.

Arisha had grabbed her other blade with her left hand and advanced. Suddenly, she was engulfed in flames. Bodysuit charring, she turned around and her blade shot forward in length into the hallway the other two Senshi had gone down. She fell to her knees and screamed.

It was then that two sets of lightning hit Arisha. Twitching and groaning, the cyborg fell the ground and saw the demon's blade descending towards her... just as a pair of arms came up, gripped around her waist and pulled her though the floor.

Nariko's eyes flared red as she sliced at the body, the electrically-charged blade having no more effect on the cyborg than the floor did. Soon, the body had vanished, leaving only spots of blood and lubricant, and a carted and cut floor. "So that's what happened to the other one," Nariko muttered, looking up at the battered trio of Senshi that stepped out of the far hallway.

"Thanks for the help they're tricky," she winced flicking blood and other fluids off her sword.

"Our help? Aren't you here to rescue us?" Moon asked.

Nariko blinked. "I'm here to help you fight the enemy." She bowed her horns to Jupiter.

Favoring a fresh wound on her side, Mars bristled. "I'm so sorry that we pulled back. You tried to slice open a nuclear reactor! Were you trying to get us killed?" she shouted.

"I didn't pull back," Jupiter said.

Mars glacred.

Nariko seemed to ignore the complaint as she looked around the room, taking care to watch the floors, ceiling and walls. "They're combat cyborgs. Their power systems were built to withstand combat," she eventually said, not making eye contact with Mars.

"How did you know what would happen?"

"I asked Grandmother what would happen if I sliced through one of their power cores. She then examined the captured cores and the notes the Vatican gave us," Nariko explained as she continued to check the room and the hallways that connected to it. "Didn't you think up ways to kill them and what would happen if they got damaged?"

Mars glared.

"There's three of you, and I've taken out two cyborgs. Given at least one on the diversion and at least one with mother there's at most three left. and at the least, there's the one that can go ghost through floors."

"We've got magic that can block that," Mars said, staring at the floor where the... wounded had been pulled under. The devices seemed to work, but she was starting to question their range.

"That's good. Don't turn them off," Nariko concentrated on her senses. She could smell Mother and some more Pattern Silvers, now that the interference was gone. Also, the whole building did stink of blood. "Where are the rest of you?"

Moon's composure cracked and her wand almost slipped from her fingers.


***************

Cursing Setsuna's wards, Mistress Mercury stepped into the building. The shattered wall provided easy ingress. Orion and Virgo followed. The room.... was destroyed. Broken studs, smashed furniture, burned electronics, and shattered glass were scattered about. The walls were scorched, torn, and broken. The ceiling, where it was present, slumped ominously. Almost as an afterthought, rain poured into the room, adding to the damage.

Dread blooming within her, Mercury pushed forward. In one hallway, dark shadows moved in the flickering firelight. The fallen Senshi froze when two violet orbs appeared. A grim figure coalesced out of the darkness.

A torn Kevlar skirt hung onto the figure's hips. Many of the pleated armor segments were warped, their ceramic components shattered, exposing bent metal layers, and several more were simply missing. The vest had two large irregular holes exposing strangely gleaming flesh. She wore no helmet and her face and hair were streaked with gore.

The wings seemed to be fairly intact, though Mercury wondered if there was enough membrane to be able to fly. Her arms and legs were covered in slashes and gashes and blood still oozed from many of the cuts. To Mercury it looked like the demon's armor was held together by clotted blood. The biggest incongruity was the fresh bandage wrapped around a couple inches of the demon's tail.

Despite it all, the figure's pace was steady and controlled. Her eyes narrowed slightly at Mercury, who stared and began to step back, until her heel punctured something soft, something squelchy and she stumbled and fell. On her ass, Mercury looked to see what her foot had spiked. It was an arm. Most of the white glove and the skin under it had been burned off but the dark, tanned skin was still obvious.

Ranma stopped walking and laughed as she idly fingered one of her obsidian earrings. They had been quite useful, though it was a bit worrying that she needed all of the reserve stored within them. It was like her armor; both that and her earrings were resources that could be burned through in combat.

Using the other foot, Mercury pushed the arm off her heel. "That doesn't mean that they got her. It's only an arm."

The demon shrugged and held out her hand.

Mercury grabbed the blood-smeared, grimy appendage and was pulled roughly to her feet. "I mean, you can..."

Ranma raised an eyebrow and looked at the two Senshi behind Mercury.

"I know... Setsuna actually managed to ward this place pretty well. I didn't know something was wrong until the news started reporting all those explosions a few blocks away from here. I mean..." Mercury trailed off when she noticed interest flicker into Ranma's expression.

"Explosions?"

"Yes... the news was reporting... they didn't know. Some military thing and a bunch of buildings blowing up. Whole area's cordoned off. I figured someone might be attacking the Princess. Guess I was right."

Ranma cocked her head. "I didn't hear too much." It was too far to make out individual members of her family, other than Nariko, but she could feel a general sense of glee tempered by frustration and loss.

"I don't know, they didn't seem to have any idea. All their footage was really grainy, but there was a lot of impressive sounding blasts and gunfire, and some of the larger explosions lit up in the distance." Mercury shivered. "I guess that's why no one's here yet. This is just a burning building."

Ranma frowned and pushed past Mercury.

"It's over, right? So, what should I do?" she asked the demon's back.

"Stay out of the way."

"That's it?" Mercury glared. "You just want me to leave?"

"I didn't say that." Ranma growled, slowly turning around. "These are professionals. If they come back, help, otherwise don't get in the way."

Staring at the mangled succubus Mercury gave a slight nod. "Yeah... they even forced you to use that gun."

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"You're missing a magazine from your vest," Mercury stated, still trying to wonder just what kind of person DarkStar had faced.

The demoness smiled, this time her eyes joining in the mirth. "Emptied it into her crotch, she didn't feel any pain, but it fouled the joints there. Why she had to have her friend pull her out."

"Oh."

"Mistress, would the Princess even want to see us?" Orion quietly asked.

"True... she could be... rash."

"Nah, antagonize her." Ranma's grin grew. "Maybe all she needs is just another push. That's what you want, right?"

Mercury opened her mouth. "I... see your point."

Ranma shrugged. "It's your choice."

"We'll wait outside, keep an eye in case they come back," Mercury looked at Ranma again. "If that happens, we'll make sure you hear it."

The redhead nodded. "And I'll make sure the Senshi don't blindly stumble into you." She grinned thinly. "Oh by the way, one of them can phase right through the floors. I'd be careful if I were you."


***************


Climbing up a short ladder, Desyat pulled herself out of the flowing water. Walking down the access corridor, she would occasionally stop and simply listen. The building had collapsed behind her and running, often swimming through entirely flooded tunnels, should have broken up her scent...

But paranoia still ate at her. Better feeling that way, if I felt safe then I'd be... influenced by them, she thought. While, her emotions seemed... normal, she was still...

Desyat shook her head, flicking water from her short hair. She went down a long corridor, through a watertight doorway, and then up a flight of stairs. Her bodysuit had already wicked away the moisture and was almost dry. She stopped at a small alcove and reached behind a large electrical box withdrawing a duffle bag.

Pulling out some clothes, she frowned briefly. There were two sets. She slipped her harness off, its once massive collection of blades quite depleted. After taking a few minutes to dry herself off with a towel, she pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater over her bodysuit. Some slightly oversized boots covered up her bodysuit's footwear. Finally she pulled out a mirror and a medical kit out and tried to make her face as presentable as possible.

Staring at her eyes, she frowned. The redheaded demon was definitely not present. In all probability, the demon had sortied straight to Tsukino's position, likely bringing another spawn in the process. Apprehension and curiosity gnawed at her.

She shook her head again and shouldered the duffle bag. In time, she would know what happened. There was nothing more she could do now. Despite everything, Vosem and I succeeded, she reassured herself as she walked through the corridors. If Galina and the others couldn't do the job against just two demons... She sighed. Whatever happened, happened. Arriving at an access door, she popped the lock and walked down a small hallway to find herself in a nearly empty subway station.

It was half an hour past midnight, and the trains should still be running. Closing the door behind her, Desyat looked at a digital display above the platform for confirmation. The two other people in the station hardly noticed her; one was busy listening to music, the other was reading and having a snack. In an almost picturesque tableau a punk with a bright blue Mohawk and a guitar case stood a few yards away from a tired businessman in a rumpled suit. Briefcase open over his knees, he was sitting on a bench and slowly eating cookies from a plastic bag.

Allowing a small smile she walked a bit closer and sat down on another bench. It would be a wait, but it beat having to risk taking a cab. Though if the things lasted long enough that the subways closed... that's well over three hours of fighting... them.

She looked around the station. Her attention mostly focused on the stairway to the surface, the access doors, and the tunnel itself. At least the station was clean, better than most in Europe. It lacked the artist grandeur of the Metro stations of her home city, though. Eventually, a subway train arrived, but she sighed. It was going the wrong way. The businessman and the punk went onto the west-bound train, and a few minutes after they left another train arrived from the opposite direction. She pulled her bag and got on.

She eased into a seat and stared at the map. She was on the eastern end of the Bloor-Danforth line and only had a couple stops to go. At least the trains are pretty clean, she idly thought while looking around. She was the only occupant of this car. There was a lone old woman in the car ahead of her who seemed half asleep.

Eventually, the subway train slowed to a halt at her stop. Emerging into the night air, her ears were hit by the rich mix of sirens and alarms. Fat drops of water fell around her, she would get wet, but after her swim this was almost refreshing. She looked down to the South-east with a slight smile. At least they've got that mess to clean up, she thought, walking down the empty street.

She took her time getting to the safe house, attempting to make sure she had not been followed. Really? They can mess with my mind. Can I really be sure? She shrugged and entered the apartment building.

Once the apartment door was locked behind her, she slumped down onto a couch. Her diagnostics indicated the most vital repairs. Pulling out a case and a thick towel and plastic sheet, she gathered the parts. Then she spread the sheet and towel on the floor, sat down, and with familiar skill opened up her body and began replacing components.

It did not take long. There were more repairs, but they were not critical. After she cleaned up, she sat down on the couch. Staring at the wall, she checked the time on her internal clock. Part of her told her that she should move again, but it was glossed over. Eventually when the time was right, she would have to call in.

***************


Sophie slowly opened her eyes. "It happened," she whispered. The connection she felt... Morrison was next to her, holding the new demoness. They were both on a couch in Jarvis' office. "Mommy?"

Morrison pouted slightly. "She's in a meeting. She stayed with you as long as she could, but... there's still things that need to be done."

"Yes..." Sophie looked down.

"You can feel her," Morrison smiled.

"Not just her... I didn't think it would be this... connected," Sophie looked down. Her body figure seemed about the same, except the complete lack of melanin in her skin.

"They tried to explain it, but..." Morrison shrugged.

After licking her teeth, the new demon reached up and found the expected pair of horns. "Wow..." she nearly purred after running a finger over the inside edge of one. Her tail twitched in response too.

Morrison giggled. "Least you didn't play with anything else."

"I already had breasts," Sophie pouted. "So it's just me? How bad... I mean.. no one else? What about Fred?"

Morrison shook her head. "And Blue Team didn't work with Aunty as much as the other teams. Ramirez was the only D member and he died instantly. The rest... there were only two other D program members among the casualties. They hit hard."

"Damn... what about the rest? Sounds like mostly, dead or minor injuries then?"

"Yeah, only a handful of people in the middle, and they aren't D program." Morrison gave a slight nod. "And Speirs was the gunner on Mother's vehicle, he died."

"How bad was it? What happened to Blue Team?"

"The enemy had remote-activated mini-guns. Whipple and Stockton are in surgery now."

Feeling the regret surrounding Morrison, Sophie nodded. She could guess what happened to the other four members of the "heavy support" team. Morrison hesitated, and Sophie could feel her sister's apprehension eventually give way.

"It kept air support down too, not that they didn't try. The Black Hawk pretty much died on the way back. Hilbert and Lindemann had to put her down in someone's front yard."

"Are they okay?"

"They were lucky. Patterson got shot in the arm, but he'll be okay. The area's secured, and they're still repairing it. The whole thing's not very subtle." Morrison's quick laugh left a frown. "Bad luck, too. Orange team managed to spook one of them. Got off a few shots. Armor on the APC didn't do anything. Maybe we should upgrade to LAV's; at least we'd have more firepower."

"Anyone get out?"

Her face blank, Morrison shook her head.

Sophie felt the anger radiating off of her. "What's wrong?"

"Orange Team shouldn't have been in there. They would have stood a better chance on the move. Would have had more guns at least..." Morrison sighed. "Gold team lost Sherman, but they were outside of the vehicle. The others could regroup.."

"How'd he die?"

"One of the cyborgs had this heavy shotgun. Armor doesn't cover our faces."

Sophie nodded. Headshots with a shotgun were challenging, depending on the range, but were far easier for an enhanced super soldier... Like... us, Sophie added in realization. She then looked into Morrison's green eyes. "You got a kill."

Morrison smirked. "Ukyou helped flank, and Misako kept the other one away. It was good too; the bitch shot me." The demoness pointed to the hole in her chest armor.

"How bad?"

Morrison thought back to feeling her flesh knit itself together. "The armor kept it from penetrating much, body took care of the rest."

"Least we got one. Good job," Sophie leaned back with a tiny smile. "How'd she taste?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow before blushing. "It's...."

"I'm new at this, but I've seen the brood- I've seen us fight before."

"It felt good, real good. I can see why Red and Mom are so... into it." Morrison idly licked her teeth.

Sophie gave her a quick hug. "And the other one?" she felt Morrison's mood shift. "She got away then."

"Looks like the report was correct. She can make metal explosive, and can launch these charges with some real range and accuracy. She retreated to this building. Booby-trapped."

"So, Misako and the others simply blew it up," Sophie guessed.

"Safest way. We're betting she got out alive. She could have had an escape tunnel prepared, or made one. We swept the storm sewers and other tunnels. Found some debris and collapsed bits. So unless we find a body..."

Sophie nodded. "Uh... how's the Lieutenant doing?" she quietly asked.

"She's still out there. Organizing cleanup and containment," Morrison said. "Akane and Nabiki are still with her. Sis is with them, too."

"That's good... "

"The transfer was hard on me too," Morrison hugged her sister. "With Sherman gone, the old Gold team's..." Morrison shrugged. It was down to just Andrea.

Sophie shifted. At least she was still alive, though Lt. Tendo would need yet another replacement for her team. "We'll need some replacements."

Morrison nodded. "Blue and Orange will need all new agents. Even if Whipple and Stockton can recover quickly they'd just be moved to bulk up the others. Red, Gold and Green all lost people."

"There's not much of us left." Sophie blinked. "Green's already been restocked. Gold was already reorganized after Lieutenant Richards was court-martialed and Platt was transferred out."

"Yeah, and Red Team's changed too. The Assembly Ambush hit us hard too."

Sophie studied her sister's face... and scent. "That's what... Mommy- Mom's meeting's about?"

"Just like last time. Everyone's been called up, and I'm sure the standby teams will be put on full time Operations rotations."

"Will Topeka send anymore Operations people?" Sophie asked, referring to the North American Operations Centre in Kansas.

Morrison shrugged. "It'd be handy, but even experienced Operations people will take time to get used to... us. Agents already here may be a better fit." While everyone was trained for combat operations, most did not have it as their sole duty.

"I guess it depends on what Topeka can spare more of. Support staff or Operations." Sophie flipped her tail about. "What about... Aunty and Nariko?"

Morrison chuckled. "It was two to five."

"The Senshi helped. Miss Kino, practically took one out herself and held another down so Nariko could gut her."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "And look at the trouble two cyborgs gave us."

"Nariko was right about her and Kino's power. They did more damage than Red did."

"Oh?" Sophie's eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, Red only took out one, another fought her to a standstill. Where Nariko and Miss Kino heavily damaged two of them."

"And the fifth?" Sophie asked.

"Evacuated the other four by phasing through the floors," Eve said, stepping into the room. "But not before Moon and Mars almost fried her."

Sophie slipped out of Morrison's arms and ran to the tall blonde. Smiling, Eve hugged her. "It's okay. It's okay."

The newborn demoness made a slight mewling noise before beginning to purr.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't spend the whole night with you."

"How bad is it?"

Eve frowned, "Morrison told you about the casualties?"

Sophie nodded.

"There's other problems too. Public Relations is handling the media fallout," Eve said as she ran her hand through Sophie's glossy-black hair.

"I doubt all that gunfire can be covered up. So, terrorists?" Morrison asked.

Eve eased herself and her youngest to the couch. "That's the plan. JTF2 is being used to help with the cover story. They're a bit miffed they missed out on the fighting."

"Not like they got there in time," Morrison noted.

Eve smiled and positioned herself between her daughters. "That's what Stillwater is telling them, and they were called in as soon as things started up."

Leaning on her mother, Sophie felt an almost... warm flow from the older demon to her. "So if the battle had lasted longer they would have been brought in?"

"Training helps, but eventually you're going to be tossed into the deep end." Eve looked over to Sophie. "What's wrong?'

"You're upset," Sophie pouted.

"Yes, your aunt's stuck babysitting Miss Tsukino. And while it was the cyborgs that caused all this damage, Tsukino was the one who refused our help and created opportunity for this outcome."

"Worried, too..." Sophie stated quietly, leaning her head on Eve's chest.

"Ranma's been pretty badly mauled, and it's been a long time since she's come out of a fight without feeding. She's... quite... stressed," Eve cautiously stated.

"Oh dear," Morrison said.

Eve smiled faintly. "On the plus side, Sis being... impolite to her would solve a lot of problems."


***************


After refilling her glass, Ranma put the pitcher down. Twisting her head around, a few loud clicks and cracks came from her neck. She had stripped out of her vest and skirting and both of the soaked armored sections were slumped onto the seat next to hers. The redhead raised her glass and drank most of the milk inside in one long pull.

"I'm... sorry." Usagi said from under the blanket draped over her shoulders.

"Oh?" Ranma nodded before going back to her sandwich.

"How can you eat at a-" Rei stopped and looked at the quizzical demon. "Right..."

"The rest of you should eat something too."

Rei looked behind her to the blanket that was covering the... body in the corner. It was rather sad that Usagi insisted they bring the body here. At least the Princess let them take Meiou... away. "I'm not hungry."

Ranma shrugged and went back to her sandwich.

Makoto looked between Usagi and Rei and then at the sandwich. It was a baguette stuffed with pickled vegetables like carrots and daikon, onions, sliced peppers, chicken and ham. "It... does look good. What is it?"

"Banh mi," Ranma said taking one of the half baguettes off her plate and handing it to Makoto. "Vietnamese and French dish. Nice flavor. Quick to make and filling too."

Makoto bit into it. "Nice, crunchy," she said enjoying the various textures. Then the peppers kicked in.

"The cooks had some extra peppers from chili night," Ranma said pushing a second freshly-filled glass over.

"Real good and not too spicy," Makoto said accepting the drink. She doubted that Ranma was drinking milk because she had a weaker tolerance for spicy food.

"Are we just going to talk about cooking?" Rei asked.

"Better than other topics." Ranma started into another sandwich. "I know you girls..." she frowned saying "had a bad night" seemed rather pat.

Rei looked to Usagi who was staring at the table while she petted the cat that was lying in her lap. "She promised me they'd be back. She... showed me," Usagi mumbled without looking up.

"Setsuna and Minako?" Ranma asked as Usagi moved Luna to her shoulder, got up, and walked across the commissary. "They can regen?"

Instead of responding, Usagi summoned her rod.

"Ah," Ranma noted while motioning to the other agents in the room to pull back from the... body.

"This isn't good," Rei frowned. "At least Luna's just gone limp."

"She was close, to the other... cat?" Ranma was not fond of them, but even she was depressed by the pathetic sight of a white cat crushed by cinderblocks.

Makoto nodded. "And Minako.... well they just reuinted."

Eating, Ranma watched as the blonde cast her spell. "Have you called the ones back in Japan?"

"Not yet," Rei said, casting a cold glance towards Usagi.

With Luna limply lying over her shoulder, Usagi slowly walked back to the table. "I think it's helping," she said, sitting down.

Rei forced herself to give a charitable smile. "Are you sure?"

Usagi's eyes glared and then turned to Rei. "Setsuna would not lie to me!" she declared, her voice focused and hard.

Makoto put down her banh mi. "She knew; she knew how much trouble these cyborgs could be. She knew you wouldn't order anyone to stay and fight... unless."

"So, she volunteered Minako too?" Rei angrily asked. It would be nicer if she could move the blame to Setsuna. It was easy to see the Princess as being misled, instead of calculating. Sailor Senshi were supposed to die for their Princess, but not like this, she thought.

"We could have..." Ranma flexed her hands. After the initial shock the Senshi had rallied, and with Nariko's help the three Senshi had turned the tied. If the Ranma and her daughters had been there, if they had arrived faster....

She exhaled.

"You think that would have made things better?" Rei asked.

The demon nodded.

"Yeah... they bogged down we started to fight back; they knew they'd need surprise." Rei forced herself to drink. "What of the other fight? Wasn't that a diversion? They did it to tie up your forces."

"Rei..." Usagi started.

Ranma raised her hand. "No, she's right. Maybe we should have worked together."

"Mina and Puu bought us some time, but...." Makoto cleared her throat.

"How bad was it?" Usagi pulled Luna off her shoulder and put the sleeping cat in her lap. "How... bad was it for you?"

Her own emotions roiling, Ranma took a sip. "They were prepared. We got one of them, but lost two teams and more."

"I'm sorry," Usagi repeated.

Silence fell in the room. Ranma and Makoto continued to eat while everyone sat quietly. After several long minutes the doors suddenly burst open. The redhead had gotten up and the smile she had on her face was warm and happy.

"Hi Aunty!" Sophie said as she hugged Ranma. Behind her Eve and Morrison stepped into the room and briefly saluted the agents on guard.

"Are we in a race?" Ranma asked with a bittersweet grin while Eve gave a slight smile in return.

Usagi looked up. "So, you're.... new."

Sophie looked at the blonde teenager for a couple seconds, eventually she nodded.

Rei shook her head. "This is just great, you guys gain people while we lose-"

Glowering, Usagi slowly drew her hand back and stared down at the girl she had knocked out of her chair. "Don't."

"Mother had the right idea." Sophie glared at Rei.

Rei looked up at Usagi's stern face. "But..."

"No." Usagi picked Luna up and put the cat on the table. "You know why she's a demon, and if you keep this attitude, I'll get you before they do." She stood up.

Breaking eye contact, Rei's eyes went to the floor.

"I don't want to lose any, more people tonight." Usagi stated as she walked over to the gurney where Minako lay. She pulled off the sheet and stared at the still form. Her neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and there was a large furrow carved through her side. The rest of her body – face, arms, and legs – was slashed in multiple, deep cuts.

It looked like dozens of razor blades had been launched at her. The melted and refrozen golden armor from her seifuku was splattered over the giant wound and was as still as the rest of her. One of her eyes was open and stared lifelessly. Blood had pooled in the bottom of the bag as she had continued to... leak.

Frowning, Usagi picked up the sword that lay half hidden by Minako's bloody hair. Holding the blade, the princess stared at Minako. "Wake up," Usagi ordered as the blade began to glow.

"Uh... Usagi..." Makoto started. She looked over to the demons that were intently watching and... smelling the proceedings.

There was a golden flash, an almost filmy greasy feeling of a slick magic, and Minako's body began to twitch. The short armored gloves made clanking noises as they opened and closed, and her high heeled boots, leg guards, and metal skirting rattled. Then the body went still.

Usagi frowned, and the glowing increased. She then placed the sword in Venus' hand, which closed over it. The closed eye flipped open and began to turn red.

Using a free arm the metal-armored Senshi rose to a sitting position. Her eyes, now entirely a glowing crimson, looked straight to Usagi. There was a grinding snapping noise as the... body adjusted her neck and it popped back into place. Golden and crimson fluid leaked out of her various wounds.

"What did you do to her?" Rei cried, still on the floor.

Usagi sighed and reached a hand out and ran it over Minako's cold cheek. "Ami did this. She's the one that... changed Mina."

Makoto swallowed trying to keep her stomach under control. "You're not- I mean yeah... Ami tried to control Minako with that armor, but are you going to turn her corpse into some kind of ghoulish robot?"

More gold poured out from her wounds, beginning to form a thin coating. Venus turned and, while keeping an utterly blank expression, swept her feet off the gurney and onto the floor. "It is still me." Minako's voice said in a monotone, while her mouth remained still and closed, but the jewel on her chest pulsed brightly.

"What?"

"Her voice box must have been damaged when her neck was crushed," Eve observed. "We were right. She's not human anymore."

Usagi looked down. "Mina told me.... Puu convinced her. I was hoping...."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't restart without you doing that," Venus flatly stated, her eyes still glowing red.

"You didn't die?" Rei finally climbed back into her chair. "You're not dead?"

"Her head's still intact." Ranma shrugged as she handed a few banh mi to her sister and nieces.

"But... why did it take Usagi all those times to get her... back?" Makoto asked.

"It's like starting a bike on a cold day. You just keep at it until the engine turns over and starts up."

Minako's eyes briefly flashed on and off. "Yes. Fair explanation."

"Are you... okay?" Usagi asked.

"Repairs are proceeding." Venus said through the gem while the wound in her side slowly decreased. The golden coating over her arms began to flake-off revealing fresh, healed skin.

"Oh God, is this what Ami wanted when she said she would upgrade us?" Rei asked. She still felt a greasy... wrong sensation at this. She wanted to ignore the coldness of Minako's body, the staring open eye, that her friend was dead.

But... this was not the first time Usagi had brought one of them back.

Venus gingerly opened her mouth and after testing her jaw and voice began to speak. "Yes, Mistress Mercury was experimenting in the ways our Senshi magic could... modify our bodies."

"That's... creepy."

"But you're okay now." Usagi said hugging the stiff girl. "Right?"

Venus turned to Usagi, the red glow in her eyes fading. "I seem to be."

"You were dead." Makoto noted. "No breathing, no heart, no movement."

"As Ranma said, my brain was fine; my body, however, was not." Her eyes blue again, if a hair brighter than before, she looked around the room. Two were missing, Setsuna's absence was not surprising. "Artemis?"

Usagi inhaled. "I'm sorry."

Venus frowned and after a moment lowered her head onto Usagi's shoulder and the cold facade broke as she began to weep.

"If there's..."

"There's nothing to do." Venus paused in her sobbing, looking at Luna's sleeping form, and then turned to Usagi. "I take it Setsuna is no longer... intact?"

The princess nodded.

"You were there; she was blown apart," Rei quietly noted.

"I was taken out before she was," Venus crisply replied as she stood up. "You're the one that saved the Princess," she noted standing in front of Ranma and Makoto.

Ranma had let Eve take back Sophie. "Nariko too."

"Come on, Mina," Makoto glanced away avoiding the blonde's focused, tear-stained gaze.

A frown flicked across Venus' face. "Her sword was more use than mine, and your lightning."

Ranma looked down at the long steel and gold broadsword. "Too slow, right?"

Venus nodded. "The one with the two swords that could grow in length. Then the fast one with all the knives."

Ranma smiled faintly.

Venus tilted her head slightly. "I see, you failed to kill her as well."

The demoness chuckled. "I think we all can say that we managed to wound them."

"Yeah but they're like cockroaches. I mean I helped Nariko cut one in half!" Makoto cried.

"She did not like that," Nariko smiled.

Makoto snorted. "They didn't like your sword at all. Lightning and a blade sharp enough to cut through their armor? That's like their kryptonite."

"Isn't her blade red? Red kryptonite doesn't work that way," Minako idly noted.

"Whatever," Makoto rolled her eyes. "Some sort of red anathema or scarlet bane."

Nariko made a thoughtful noise. "I haven't name the my sword yet."

Rei opened her mouth, but then looked to see Usagi's frowning face.

"You fought their leader?"

"Long dark brown hair delicate but stern face, extremely fast wtih a lot of blades?" Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I met her."

Venus paused to recall the name. "Galina A'deen. What of the others? Other than the one Mako helped Nariko bisect."

"Four heavily damaged, but were all evacuated by the fifth," Eve stated. "Of the diversion: one was killed, the other escaped when the building she was in exploded."

"Impressive." Venus looked back to Usagi. "We underestimated them."

"There was a plan," Usagi stated. "It... it wasn't enough."

"But with Setsuna-" Venus stopped. "I see." She turned to the door as it opened and watched Nariko walk in. A small frown crossed the Senshi's face as she looked at the blade on the demon's right hip.

Nariko handed a slim folder to her mother, who opened it. "Is this right?" Ranma asked after reading the contents.

The eldest daughter gave a curt nod. "Kasumi reports things appear under control."

"Fine," Ranma handed the file to Eve and went back to the table and picked up the platter of sandwiches, offering one to Nariko.

"This isn't right," Eve frowned. "These two firemen shouldn't be on this list."

"Still civilians," Ranma shrugged.

Usagi blinked.

"They were doing their duty," Eve stated.

Ranma nodded. "Then tell the brass. I'm sure Jacob would change it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, it's not your problem," Nariko assured, warmly smiling, with one hand on Usagi's shoulder and the other just above her right hip. Noting Venus step closer, Nariko's smile grew.

"What happened?" Usagi asked.

"You would have figured it out, and better to hear it from us than from the media's lies," Eve handed the file over to Usagi. "It's amazing what they'll come up with on their own. PR really just needs to give them a nudge"

Having opened the folder, Usagi ignored the blonde demon. She saw lines of mostly neatly typed names. Several were just descriptions, disturbingly vague ones at that, some did not even give heights. Under each name or description, was information about the person's... condition. "What is this?" she asked, her body growing cold.

Usagi's hands trembled.

"They did fire that big beam right through our building. Who knows where it went afterwards," Venus said frowning at the preliminary report. "That many fires? Wouldn't the rain..."

"There were a lot of explosions," Nariko noted.

"But.... this many? It was night."

"There's security, people cleaning offices, night shifts, and anyone on the road," Eve explained.

"If the firemen had to do some stuff that cost them two men... what kind of nightmare was it out there?" Makoto asked.

Ranma sighed. "These are combat cyborgs. What did you expect them to do?"

"What did you expect them to do?" Usagi asked. "They were assassins, they could have been subtle. Or at least just attacked me with some precision."

"There's no police or paramedics on this list." Venus said after reading the list over Usagi's shoulder. "Did you lose anymore men? In the rescue?"

"The Fifth is quite hardy. Thankfully they were fine," Eve stated. It was also good for Misako to help with the search and rescue. Initial reports were promising, but her weapon did do a lot of damage.

Usagi turned to Ranma. "You wanted to be out there helping people? Instead of in here..."

"Yes, out there or in here helping our wounded," Nariko completed. "I was doing that with Ukyou," she stated, her voice almost sounding irritated.

"I'm sorry. Thank you... all of you for being with me," Usagi repeated.

Nariko studied the blonde for a moment. She smiled. "Accepted."

Looking at the demon's seemingly friendly face, Usagi frowned. "We... we did have a plan for... after an attack."

"You... did?" Rei asked

"What was it?" Ranma asked.

Usagi coughed. "Setsuna was going to track them... I mean Ami knows how to block their powers, but they don't know... right?"

"That is true," Ranma allowed.

"We thought we could drive them off. Then, when they retreated, she would use her powers to track them." Usagi looked down.

Nariko rubbed her chin. "Not bad... sounds like a plan my elder sister would come up with."

"Oh, Kodachi graduated? Did she make Operations? Where did she get stationed?" Sophie asked after decoding her niece's subtext.

Nariko nodded. "She's in Boston. Mostly been doing support and containment work." The demon's voice was slightly apprehensive.

"It's okay. She can handle it," Ranma reassured Nariko.

"Yes, she is an agent," Nariko noted.

Makoto empathized with the demon's worry. Tonight was illustrative of the risks. "So... we relied on Setsuna for everything?" she sighed. "We did that with Ami too. How well did that work out?"

"And when things got bad, you ordered Setsuna to stay and fight?" Rei tersely asked.

Usagi chewed her lip. "It wasn't... Even if she did... die; she said she could come back; she showed me."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "What did she show you?"

***************


The drab room was much longer than it was wide. This combined with the banks of angled containers that dominated the middle of the space made the ceiling feel lower than it really was. The reinforced metal tracking for an overhead crane did not help in this regard. A thick collection of cabling ran from the back of each tube to a socket in the floor.

Low lights running down the walls met the ceiling and illuminated the chamber. A constant even hum filled it with noise. Occasionally, a light would shift on top of one of the few full containers. Fans would periodically kick in and cycle and filter the air, keeping it from going stale. Beyond the large, essentially tubular containers were sets of lockers and kiosks that held rudimentary bathing and toiletry equipment. Bunks and other storage butted up to these walls; that equipment was sealed, unused.

At either end of the long room was a heavy-set door that was large enough to comfortably accommodate two of the containers. To allow for an airtight seal, the crane track hinged to the side just before this door. When the doors opened, the tracking would swing into place.

The sequence of noises, flashes, and pumping air was regular. There was no indication of age. The room seemed to simply exist. One moment fell into the next without altering character.

It changed.

A pleasant, but still jarring, chime came from one of the containers as the lights along its crystal display lit up. The container chimed again and the lights systematically went from red to green. When the final light turned over, the clear cover that dominated the front half of the container's length split down the middle and hissed open.

Within the tube a nude figure stirred. Red eyes stared up at the blank grey ceiling. With a sigh the female form pulled herself out. She shivered when her bare feet touched the cold floor. Once outside, she closed the tube's door and looked at its clear reflective surface. She chided herself for not keeping the stock... ripe, but this body would be suitable enough; there was work to be done. She flicked her wrist and a large red orb appeared in her hand.

A metal frame consisting of a smaller heart stacked on top of a larger heart which contained the red orb appeared. From the tip of that heart a long metal rod shot out, gaining detail and embellishments as it grew. Then the female, still nude, vanished in an iridescent flash.

The room returned to its regular cycle. The only sign of the change was one more empty tube. In the chamber below this one there were larger changes, specifically in the vast data crystals that linked to the tubes, but even those changes were not immediately apparent, just more patterns in row upon row of crystals.

End Chapter

Key to the Russian obscenities:
"Chto za huy'nya!" What the fuck!
"Tvar" A) Creature B) Vile, loathsome, foul person. Both meanings fit here.
"schelkat' ebalom." To be careless
"Chyort voz'mi!" Oh, shit! / Oh, damn!


Revision Notes: This chapter has had the most reworking since Book 1. I did a fair bit of work in this to adjust the performance of the Senshi. The Combat Cyborgs would have been a devastating surprise to them in their fist battle, but the Senshi would have not have performed ad badly as they did in the original version of this chapter. Especially given Nariko used lighting powers to great effect when Makoto was right there with her.

 

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 3: The Cost of Failure
Formerly: Reequipped and Repulsed Part 2 ii


"Lizaveta and Sem are stabilized," Arisha stated as she limped into the common room of their suite. A police scanner was on in the corner, blaring out emergency dispatches. Arisha's internal pickups had been damaged. There was also equipment to track the encrypted military and mercenary frequencies.

Galina looked up from the surgery on her knee and thigh. She had already stabilized the damage to her crotch and back. It was a quick fix. Her combat ability was... reduced. It was a novel experience. She had plenty of practice on both regular and emergency maintenance, but this was...

Arisha frowned as she waited for a response. Her superior's entire lower back had been gouged, torn apart, and turned into a bloody mess. When Galina had stripped out of her bodysuit, the clotting it provided was removed and a mess of blood, metal, cabling, and lubricant poured out. Only Scarlatti's brilliance had kept the wound from being immediately fatal, and only the collection of bypass relays and a large adhesive patch kept it from being mortal. It was still easier to repair than the wounds Dve'nadtsat or Sem had received, and was a bit worse than her own damage. Even Shest had been burned and battered by the battle.

"How long until they're operational?" Galina asked in an expectant voice with a weary grin.

Arisha frowned and picked at her arm. Around the point of reattachment, the flesh was discolored and irritated; she wondered if that demon coated her blade with something. "Shest reconnected Sem's power and control systems. She still needs some structural connections and some muscular and skin joining. Give it a few days on the outside."

Galina became fractionally more pleased. "And Dve'nadtsat?"

"You saw what that tvar did." Arisha spat.

Putting down the bloody forceps, Galina leaned forward. "Yes, dear Arisha, and how much non-cosmetic damage does she have?"

"She can see now, but we're running low on spares." Arisha frowned. Those were one of the few precious parts they could neither purchase nor build themselves. This one battle had burned through far more of their parts stockpile and medical supplies than they had expected.

"We've also lost most of our remote guns," Galina calmly observed.

"Vosem and Desyat's next check in window is coming."

"They performed quite well," Galina smiled.

"Yes, imagine if we faced more of those things or if the magical girls had forewarning."

Galina returned to repairing her thigh. "Their results are worrying. It was... fortunate that their diversion received as much attention as they did."

"The mercenaries care less about Zaika than we suspected?"

"You were concerned that the mercenaries might have simply fired artillery at Zaika's house when we attacked, or maybe that they put a few 2000lb bombs in the foundation or maybe even some 1500kg ones. It's not like they'd have trouble buying either."

"Perhaps, or maybe they felt Zaika and her girls did not need so much help."

Galina stopped her work. "We had them, a bit more time and we could have finished them."

"Or they might have slowed us down enough to turn the tables. A few solid hits and things would be very different. The mercenaries just two demons and that was enough to force us to flee."

Galina resumed repairing her leg. "We underestimated them, but we learned."

Arisha suppressed a sigh and scratched her arm. Galina's apparent contentment was... worrisome.

"Lizaveta will be operational soon?"

"For battle, sure. It'll take longer to get her face in an... acceptable state. There's still a lot of reconstruction." Arisha's frown deepened.

"Noted."

After waiting a few seconds, Arisha coughed. "I think we need to do something for Shest."

"I agree." Galina finished her work and began sealing up the wound in her thigh. "Her performance was exemplary. Though we'll need to be careful. Next time they'll be sure to finish us off."

"If either magical team can attack any faster than they were..." Arisha recalled the brunette's lighting fist and demon's sword cutting through her, just as Shest pulled her through the floor. "I don't like this."

Galina's eyebrow raised. "We accepted this out of a desire to be challenged. Perhaps victory over the blonde with the sword and Zaika's advisor made you complacent."

"You were the one wounded by that sword," Arisha reminded.

Galina's contemplative smile returned. "Yes, she had potential, but lacked the training or even the will to really press the advantage."

"I thought she was just slow," Arisha replied. "But once organized, Zaika's remaining bodyguards became a clear threat."

"Their firepower is impressive. Especially that brunette, rather like the red-eyed demon you faced."

"Not quite. The Kino girl was more powerful and her magic did more damage. That tvar's blade scythed through us." Arisha said.

Galina's smile remained but her eyes turned cold. "It was a mistake to send out Svetlana and Ivanova like that."

Arisha knew Galina was looking at the time. "Vosem and Desyat have the turrets, orders to retreat, and prepared routes."

"You were listening to the police radio. You heard the explosions. WIC sent two demons against us so they could send the rest against those two."

"Diving headfirst into a trap? What, did they intend to use brute force and blast through the diversion?"

"We merely tried to kill a schoolgirl." Galina laughed. It was a bitter noise. "And for our trouble they grievously wounded all of us."

"We killed two of them."

Arisha waved her hand. "Desyat and Vosem went up against trained military personnel. It is an issue of priorities."

"I suppose it's refreshing to have an enemy that doesn't even pretend to be the 'good guys'."

"Yes, our 'client' has that honor," Galina wryly noted.

"At least we made those arrangements ahead of time," Arisha noted.

"It cuts into our margins but after tonight-" Galina was cutoff by a phone ringing. She picked up the pre-paid cell phone that was specifically purchased for tonight and would be destroyed before sunrise. "Yes?"

"It's me," Desyat said from her own purpose-selected phone. "Did you... get your exam results?"

Galina frowned. Her subordinate's tone was disquieting. "Not well. C-Minus," she explained.

"I see." In the safe house across town, Desyat chewed her lip. The C meant serious casualties but at least no deaths. The minus was obvious, Zaika was still alive.

Galina felt tension increase. "And how was the concert?"

Desyat closed her eyes. "Vosem met some guy; she'll be spending the night at his place. I was hit on... a couple of the guys were cute."

"What's wrong, Nina? Did anyone try to... touch you?" Galina asked, feigning scandalous caution on the question.

Desyat laughed. "You could say that. Damn tvar raped my mind."

Galina froze, the breach in protocol secondary in her mind "What?"

"Didn't know they could do that?" Desyat's laugh was resigned. "To make you schelkat ebalom," she spat under her breath.

Controlling herself, to keep from tightening her grip on the phone, Galina pondered Desyat's punishment. "Careless, you say?"

Watching, Arisha sighed. Their numbers were slowly being whittled away.

"They can mess with our minds," Desyat slowly said, carefully enunciating each word. "That's how Vosem... she couldn't shoot straight."

"Nina... now is not the time to complain. You were just supposed to delay them, not get bogged down in a full engagement."

"Chto za huy'nya," Desyat swore. "I'm not here to bitch. I'm here to warn you! You don't know what you're dealing with here."

"Oh?" Galina's mind went back to a specific slightly smiling redhead

"We didn't get bogged down. They were the ones hunting us! They knew it was a trap; they knew we were setting up an ambush." Desyat paused to calm herself. "How sure are you that you weren't followed?"

"We followed the procedures and-"

"They're demons and magical girls. We don't know what they can do."

"There were some.. problems on our end," Galina admitted. In addition to their attacks being more powerful than expected, the human magical girls had some type of short-range jammer that kept Shest from really going on offense. Galina frowned. "Arisha, get Shest."

Arisha nodded.

"How serious of a threat is this?" Galina asked returning to the phone.

"How long have you been there?" Desyat asked, but continued on. "If it's been more than a few minutes... then you've got something worse on your hands."

"They'd be watching us to gather intelligence." Galina swore at herself for blurting the statement out.

"And you've got to ask why they'd do that?"

Instead of responding, Galina turned to Shest who had just entered the room. "Can you do a sweep of the suite again? Just to be safe."

Shest nodded and started adjusting her scanners. "It's.... " she frowned.

Galina's eyebrows widened slightly.

More puzzlement than shock on her face, Shest's form shifted ever so slightly and she activated her Deep Diver. With her body's state... questionable, her inter-dimensional senses unfolded. "There's no jammers..." Her eyes unfocused and she seemed to stare far off into the distance.

Her mouth opened slackly. "Chyort voz'mi!" she screamed clutching her head. "The walls. Oh God the walls! The threshold opens!"

Summoning her blades, Galina dropped the phone and ran to Shest. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of an iridescent shimmer. The walls started to twist and things began to pour into existence. The closest Galina could come to explaining it was a time-lapse video she once saw of mushrooms growing. The fungi would swell and expand with an... unnatural fluidity.

But at least those were things that grew from the ground. Now... things began to twist and form. It was different from Shest's phasing; she merely slid through matter. Things, the only appropriate word in Galina's mind, with vaguely spherical conglomerations possessing a rippling textured surface simply grew from nothingness.

A blade shot out and punctured one of the... malignant growths. Like a pool of oil floating on water, it burst apart in a filmy rainbow shimmer. And like an oil slick, iridescent reflections danced over the surface.

Screaming and clawing at her temples, Shest triggered the pulse sequence she had added to her Deep Diver system. Galina felt her insides churn and vibrate, her systems erupt in a massive communications fault, and finally her eyes overload. Suddenly feeling very heavy, she slumped to the floor.

***************


Adjusting her shoulders, Ranma stepped into the hallway. Behind her, a group of agents took up position around the elevator bank. Her nose picking up the scent, the demoness crossed the corridor in a sprint.

The figure at the other end dropped her phone and flipped her arms in a defensive posture, but her limbs were knocked aside. Ranma swept the girl's legs and pushed forward. The green-haired female slammed into the ground. Supporting herself with one arm, Ranma leaned over the slender figure.

Her other arm was pointed over the prone figure's face, claws extended to within millimeters.

"What the hell are you?" the redhead demanded, staring right into her captive's red eyes. Ranma's tail hovered over the red-eyed girl's sternum; its filaments extending

"Setsuna Meiou." The green-haired girl made sure to keep her head on the floor.

"She's dead, and she don't look fourteen," Ranma told the shorter girl.

Shivering slightly, the girl winced at the headache blooming in her mind. "You can smell me, and who else would actually call up WIC and announce they're wandering the basement hallways of the Toronto Trust Tower. We're only a few floors above the base here. Who else could I be?"

Ranma smiled. "You'd be surprised what those cyborgs can do."

"Believe me, I know," the girl sighed. "I know where they are."

"Oh? My, my. Usagi's plan worked?" Ranma's voice was pleasant but her eyes were hard.

"What will satisfy you? I smell like Setsuna; what else do you need?" Hearing the clunk of a heavy door open, her eyes darted to the side.

Ranma sprang up, rolling off the girl, who started to lift her head.

A blank-faced blonde stepped across the threshold. She aimed with a golden scepter and a burst of white light shot down the corridor enveloping the girl's chest and head.

After the beam gutted out, the green-haired figure stood. The jeans and blouse she had been wearing were gone, replaced by a Sailor Seifuku of familiar coloration.

"Interesting gambit," Sailor Pluto said, leaning on her staff. "I do wonder what exactly a purification spell would do to a combat cyborg."

"There's more enemies than just cyborgs," Ranma reminded.

"How'd you know I wasn't one of those?"

"You could have tricked my nose and the scanners, but... those girls are heavy," the demon smirked.

The newly diminutive Senshi narrowed her eyes. "That's why you tackled me."

"I'm so sorry," Usagi cried as she ran over to Pluto and hugged her. "I didn't... I mean you showed me the..."

"Where are they?" Ranma demanded.

Pluto gave the address of a hotel across the city. "Suite rooms 807 and 809. I've only seen the five that attacked us."

"Good." Ranma said repeating the information into her headset. "Let's go," she said, motioning for Pluto and Usagi to follow her back to the armored doorway Usagi had emerged from.

"You seem accepting," Pluto noted.

"Usagi explained it; your link to the Time Gates and some kind of clone bank. Point is, you found them," Ranma's tail swished with eagerness.

She could accept a device that allowed someone to follow a person, but it was interesting that the system was autonomous enough to run while the operator fought, died and... transferred into a new body.

"Yes, that's-" Pluto stopped at the door. "Damnation. They see me."

"They're onto the surveillance!" Ranma barked into her headset.

"How can they...." Usagi blinked as the doors closed and the crowded elevator began to move. "That ghost girl? She could move through stuff"

Pluto gave a smile; Usagi was getting sharper. "I'll buy you some time," she assured.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"How long until your troops-" Pluto stopped with an inhuman cry and crumpled bonelessly to the elevator floor.

A series of alarms blared.

"Inter-Dim spike," Maya Iverson's voice calmly said over Ranma's headset.

As that happened, a vast almost electric tingling went through Ranma, concentrating on her horns.

"What happened?" Usagi held Pluto's unconscious form.

"Some kind of attack, they tried stop Puu from spying," Ranma said both to Usagi and into her headset. Her voice was strained and had a hint of fear to it; her horns were still tingling, not a good sign. "Kas, how far out are you?" she asked as they left the elevator bank and made it to the motor pool.

"Minute out; we're driving in now," Lieutenant Tendo replied.


"Watch your ass, they know we're coming." Ranma walked over to a waiting vehicle.

"What about me?" Usagi asked her Senshi in tow. Though a medic was working on the girl and checking her for damage. Usagi saw one of the succubus agents waiting in the motor pool.

Pulling a new armored vest and skirt over her bodysuit, Ranma turned to look at the blonde. "You still need to be checked out."

"But..."

Ranma turned to her niece. "Morrison, take Miss Tsukino and Setsuna to Doc Covington. I'm sure Eve knows but tell her to keep an eye on them."

Usagi glared. "I'm okay-"

Stopping her climb into the armored vehicle, Ranma turned to the blonde. "Maybe not. You got hit hard and are still pulling together."

Usagi's expression softened.

"Puu needs you, Mina too. She just lost a long time friend. Think about your girls, first." With a small frown at Usagi, the redhead slipped inside, and the large vehicle drove off.

***************


Desyat lowered the phone and stared at it for a moment. Terrified screams still ringing in her ear, she flipped it over and pulled the battery out. Her eyes went to the table, looking past the disassembled electronics.

They'll make it out. They've planned for this. She sharply inhaled. Really? They planned to have things come through the walls?

Desyat clenched her fingers closed and listened. The building seemed quiet enough, and she did not detect... She shook her head. Of course we planned on that. Shest can go through walls.

Frowning, she got up and walked across the room. It sounded like... The walls. Oh God the walls! The threshold opens... like surveillance. Of course there could have been an attack, in that case...

They had some serious casualties, and it's not like you're out there to distract any of those demons. Two demons were enough to hurt them and scuttle the mission. What could thrice that do?

Desyat tried to keep herself from responding. She could tell her mind was just going in circles. I managed to survive, she thought walking to the kitchen and pulling out a glass.

Yes, but that's because I could run, and they were busy with Vosem, she reminded herself. After filling the glass with water she sat back down on the couch. After a few minutes, condensation started to form on the glass and drip down onto her fingers.

"I can't just sit here." Desyat blinked, almost shocked at her voice. What then? Run to the hotel? That'll be helpful. They've either already left or are being killed.

She moved the glass to the table in front of her. I guess the best I could hope for then would be to kill a bunch of mercenaries before dying. She frowned. It was a silly idea. Rushing in now would be a waste. If she really wanted to do some damage, she would have to plan her vengeance.

Looking at the table, her gaze drifted between the still-full glass of water and the disassembled phone. Suddenly, she bolted to her feet, slipped on a coat, and grabbed her duffle bag and another, smaller case. Shouldering the cases, she went to the door and waited for a split second.

After sensing that the hallway was clear, she went out into the corridor and started walking down the stairs. Once outside, she began walking down the sidewalk. She consoled herself that at least this time she remembered to slip on a raincoat. Why did it take so long for me to move? she asked herself as she crossed the street.

Hearing police, fire and ambulance sirens, she sighed and continued walking. After going down another block, she slipped into a motel complex and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. She carefully passed a man in a long coat shambling down past her. Fishing out a room key, she let herself into the dingy room, locked the door, and flopped onto the bed.

Well, now what? She frowned, looking up at the darkened ceiling. Eventually, she would have to see what happened. If this is it... then I've got to make some choices.

She closed her eyes. If she were alone, what then? What else was there for her?

I guess I could stay in the business, alone; I'll just avoid those protected by demons. She paused and started laughing.

Once you figure out what a joke everything is, laughing is the only thing that makes sense.

Desyat stopped laughing. "Our betrayal by the Politburo, the demons, their mouths full of my comrade's guts... these are part of the joke?" she whispered to herself.

Never said it was a good joke; just playing along with the gag... she thought grimly.

Returning to distantly staring she waited. When her clock hit the right time she reached into the smaller of her two cases and pulled out another cellular phone and after putting in the battery turned it on.

After a couple minutes the phone rang. She looked at the number, it was one of Arisha's. "Why, hello Nina," an amused male voice greeted.

Eyes widening, Desyat muted the microphone.

"Sorry about the caller ID. Sometimes electronics get their wires crossed. Magic, and technology, sufficiently advanced or not, don't always get along. Oh where are my manners.... you seem upset. Is something wrong?" the caller teased. "Well, you can't be too shocked; anyone can call, provided they have the number."

Desyat made sure she was recording the audio feed and the radio emissions and turned the microphone back on. "You realized the mistake you've made," she said, getting to her feet.

The man laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure this is Nina Desyat."

After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Do you need more time to reason out who this could be? Obviously, this isn't the Company's style. They're nowhere near this playful. We both know they'd have already shot out the window."

Desyat stepped away from the curtained window and out of direct sight of it.

"Probably would have used a few rockets, maybe a grenade gun, or just sent in the demons," he continued. "We're beyond worrying about civilian casualties anyway."

"Who do you work for, then? Desyat snapped, her impatience getting the better of her.

"What a funny question." He laughed, gratuitously. "You of all people should understand how valuable the answer to such a question would be. However, I will give you something. Go to the window."

Desyat inched to the front of the room. Instead of going to the window, she checked the cameras she had installed outside to cover the room. Both were suddenly out. She then took out a mirror and angled it so she could see through the door's fisheye lens. The walkway in front of the motel rooms was clear, as was the parking lot, except for the part directly below her which was obscured by the walkway. Across the street, a man in a fedora and a long coat, illuminated by a street lamp, started waving to her. He held a phone to his ear, the metal of his tie clasp reflecting the pale glow of the street lamps.

"You..." Desyat swore, her mind recalling the businessman in the subway and the man leaving the motel.

The man chuckled. "I'm a bit surprised, actually. You got here a bit quicker than I had expected. Oh well, we all make mistakes. After all, to err is to be... human."

Desyat flicked out one of her blades. He was out in the open and in easy range. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" she demanded.

"Let's play a little game. Pretend that I know exactly which room you're in, and you know I got here before you did. Now, let's pretend I got into the rooms on either side of you, behind you, and just to be thorough, the one right below you. We can even further our imaginations by pondering the roof's potential."

Desyat's grip on her blade tightened.

"Now, can we pretend that you won't do anything rash?" he smoothly asked.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, down to brass tacks. Well, you are a businesswoman so it's not shocking. I'll be blunt. Your mission to take out Miss Tsukino is... congruent with some of my own plans."

Desyat eyed the door wondering how powerful the explosives the man had claimed to have planted were. It was possible that she could leap out of the motel before they went off and only get minor damage. It was also possible that he had thought of that and either aimed or simply enlarged the charges. Similarly, he could be watching to make sure she did not go out through the back of the room.

"However, after tonight.... I'm disappointed." He leaned on a light pole. "The Company keeps its contracts based on its reputation. You know what happened the last time someone ambushed and killed their men? Tonight. you did even more damage. What do you think they'll do to you? What do you think they're doing to the rest of your team? Worse... you took a shot at the Queen and missed."

"What do you know?" Desyat coldly asked.

"You're not going to ask how I know this?" Shock oozed into his voice. "Fine, I'll make it simple: you plan ahead and that's good. You even plan for what happens if things screw up, that's even better. You've got all these contingencies. That makes you very effective, provided they stay secret."

"You've been watching us?"

"Finally, I've got a dialogue instead of a monologue. Yes, I think tonight's... events have shown a certain weakness to... well magic, and very high caliber ammunition. Those girls and their magic proved far more formidable than you assumed."

"And you're offering your services?" Desyat looked to her equipment. They had been cleaned for bugs... technological ones. She supposed someone could... enchant an object, or maybe use a creature. Something that could lurk in the distance, invisible. Like what attacked the others in the hotel? she thought to herself, running a hand down her thigh. With a growing horror, she wondered if he had tampered with their replacement parts. That would put the bug inside of her.

"I think I've proved my skills. I was able to track you here." Once again his laughter came over the lines. "Want me to give the Company a call? I'm sure they'd love a list of all of your safe houses."

"They're alive?"

"Ah... thanks for reminding me. Maybe it is just you. It'd certainly be rude of me to simply kill you. DarkStar would be most cross."

"And yet, you haven't done anything."

"Not to you, my Dear," he said, and Desyat could hear the greasy smile cross his face. "You girls really are marvels. Scaglietti was a brilliant artist; shame, he was a lousy politician."

Desyat fingered a blade, and went back to the fisheye via the mirror.

"Too soon? I'm sorry. It's just the irony..." He coughed slightly. "Anyway, you're really lost at this. Yes, you're very good at blowing things up and causing havoc, but for what?"

Desyat watched him fumble in his coat and pull out a pack of cigarettes. The lit ember dangling off his face made a tempting target.

"The problem... the problem of it all..." He took a drag on the cigarette. "... is that magical girls simply don't make sense. I don't just mean the magic. I've got magic; you've got magic. Hells bells, magic makes perfect sense, that's how it works. But..."

"Magical girls don't make sense," Desyat supplied, morbidly curious.

"Yes," he sighed. "They're what happens when you couple idealism with the power to enforce it. You think the machinations of the cynical are dangerous? Wait until you face the brute wrath of the naive."

"Oh?"

"Yes, once the White Queen makes up her mind, decides to take the gloves off. She'll come after you with more force than you can comprehend. Her history speaks for itself."

"She sounds dangerous. Is that why you're offering your 'help'?" Desyat asked with a sarcastic undercurrent.

"She has many enemies. One of which is paying you quite the sum." The man laughed. "Though, I wonder if that was money wisely spent."

Desyat frowned.

"Just look at the results. You're all that's left, and to be blunt...." He idly waved his cigarette.

"Get to your point."

"Fine." He sighed. "The supreme irony is that despite everything you're quite... How to say this? You're like a chess player, brilliant, fast, innovative, and able to predict the moves your opposition should make. Your record is impressive."

"But?"

"Not everyone plays chess."

Desyat's fingers twitched.

"The question you need to ask yourself is, 'What now?' Where do you go from here?" He dropped the half-burnt cigarette and stepped on it with his foot.

"Don't worry." he assured, as he pulled out the pack and a lighter. "I'm sure you'll come up with something. You're nothing if not adaptable."

"And that includes your services?"

"I do know more about what you're facing. Think about what I'm offering." The man briefly looked at a watch before pulling out another cigarette. "Be seeing you." He joined his index finger to his thumb and raised the circle to his eye and then tipped it forward in a salute. He then stepped off the sidewalk and walked to a large muscle-car and drove off.

Desyat pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. After a few seconds she disconnected it. Moving back to the bed she sat down and stared at the wall. Shortly after that, she got up and started digging through her equipment, looking for... something.

A minute into her examination, the phone rang. "What?" she angrily asked.

"Why didn't you answer?" Galina demanded.

"Thank goodness. You got out okay?" Desyat asked with relief.

"Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

"We have a major problem." Desyat sighed.

"Really, now?" Galina dryly remarked.

"Someone else called. Someone who's had us under surveillance, using magic somehow."

Galina hesitated. "Like what Shest and us saw?"

"I don't know what you saw," Desyat noted. "But after you saw that, weren't you attacked by the Company?"

"Yes... they came... but we had been gone by a few minutes."

"Then that wasn't this.. guy's doing. He's not with WIC. He knew where I was. If the Company had this information... we'd be dead." Desyat looked at the collection of machinery and parts she had spread out on the floor.

***************

Gripping the phone, Galina looked around the safe house she and the others were in. "What did he want?"

"He made it sound like he merely wanted to sell us something, but he didn't do too good of a job of that."

Galina rubbed her forehead and looked at Dve'nadtsat who was lying on a couch crying a bit. It had been difficult to move her, but it was required. She was worth far more than the parts they had to leave behind. "That's a... troubling addition."

"I believe that was his intent."

"Lovely."

"Are you certain that you weren't followed?" Desyat asked.

"Shest's pulse seemed to work. There hasn't been anything... crawling. As for the mercenaries, they would have attacked already."

"That gives us some time," Desyat allowed. "I've been going through my equipment, and I haven't found anything, but..."

"We'll need to check everything."

"And move to new locations. I mean all new. Every safe house, every route, every cache." Desyat rubbed her forehead. "I'm betting he's still watching us... somehow. We can't say anything until..."

"Until we figure out how to counter him," Galina frowned. Part of her wanted to believe that Desyat had... cracked. As disturbing as that concept was, it would be less disturbing than the idea that there was someone else. Someone who had been watching them for weeks and could easily burn them all. The worst part was that was still less disturbing than whatever Shest had managed to... frighten off.

***************


Ranma stepped into the room and eyed the green-haired girl. "What did they do?"

Pluto looked to Usagi for a moment. "It... hurt."

Keeping a carefully neutral expression, the demon watched the girl as she walked forward.

Usagi noticed the redhead's face change to one of pity.

Pulling a chair, Ranma sat down across the bed from Usagi. "That was a real big pulse they shot off. I mean, I felt it too."

Pluto nodded. "It... overloaded... the Time-Space Door." She winced as a flash of pain streaked across her mind. "That's not really the right term, but it's close enough." She turned to Usagi and gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Usagi assured giving the physically younger girl a hug.

"Been a while?" Ranma sympathetically asked.

Pluto blinked.

"You died and got knocked out by some dimensional feedback." Worry entered her voice at the last part.

Pluto looked worn. "No, a few years ago I... sacrificed myself." She looked to Usagi. "It was the helicopter, against the Black Moon, I saved Michiru and Haruka."

"You knew your body double system still worked." Ranma noted that Pluto seemed much more disturbed about the "overload" than having her body blown apart. Before entering, she had talked with Doctor Covington, and was not surprised to find that the officer had not found any physical damage.

"Yeah." Pluto turned to Ranma. "They got away, didn't they?"

Ranma nodded. "They must've left right after... zapping you. When we got there the place was already burning."

Usagi's face paled. "They didn't... they burned a whole hotel down?"

"Not really." Ranma arched her eyebrow. "They were simply covering their tracks. If they wanted to burn the hotel down or set a trap, they would have used different incendiary charges or spread around more gas."

"They destroyed their records and equipment?" Pluto asked.

"The rooms are being sifted through now; we'll find something," Ranma shrugged.

"What's the point of that?"

"Well, it'd be nice to know what equipment they had to destroy. We know what parts they use and can guess at how difficult they are to make."

"I don't think you can count on them stopping just because they've run out of spare batteries," Usagi noted.

Ranma gave a chuckle.

"How is Mina doing?" she asked, more seriously.

"Back in the commissary with Luna," Usagi frowned. "I'm worried."

"Give her time," Pluto said, quietly. "She's still getting used to it; what she is now."

"Ami's sick."

The redhead noted that Usagi's tone was plain, conversational. There was only a hint of anger in her voice; mostly, it was a statement of fact. "Still, you should be there for her. Make sure she knows you still see her as a friend and not some thing."

Usagi's eyes went to Pluto. "Yeah."

"Artemis was a close friend of hers. That's going to be tough," Ranma reminded

"But he died in such a stupid way," Usagi muttered, unnerved by the demon's steady gaze. "How can we tell her that?"

Ranma winced in sympathy to her pain. "It's... Battle's ugly and people can die for stupid, random reasons."

"That doesn't help."

"I know. It can feel even worse, the pointlessness of it.."

"So what? I should just accept that bad things will happen?" Usagi glared.

"Of course not!" Ranma's eyes flashed. "Life isn't fair. Bad people do bad things. The whole point is to do what you can. You know that. You're the one who tries to make a difference, to bring a measure of justice to this random world."

"Aren't you the one cautioning Usagi from too much idealism?" Pluto asked.

"There's idealism; there's hope. You can wish about how the world should be, or you can fight, because you realize that there's no alternative. You know why I fight. Why I put my own children on the line. It's just that simple."

Usagi chewed her lip. "You're worried about me?"

"They're dangerous." Ranma frowned. "That pulse the cyborgs set off... it's going to cause problems."

Inhaling sharply, Pluto's eyes widened.

"Why? Didn't they just overload the Gates? That sounds like Murdock's blocking trick."

"Shielding is a bit different than overloading." Ranma tapped her chin "You know why we're here... in Canada... that is. What effect do you think a giant dimensional pulse will have? You think it'll help things?" Ranma archly asked.

Usagi looked down. "Well... I don't really know why I'm here."

Ranma glared at Pluto. "You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't know... at first." Pluto choked a bit. "And by the time I figured it out..."

"You decided to keep it to yourself?" The demon shook her head.

"Wait... what?" Usagi balled her fists. "You knew! You figured out what was going on and didn't tell me? Will you tell me?" she asked Ranma.

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "First off, many things are... cyclic in nature. There's a certain rhythm to events. About a hundred and twenty years ago loggers observed what they thought was a strange version of the northern lights."

"Forty years after that, a mysterious explosion leveled several hundred acres of Montana forest. Roughly another forty years passed and the Company lost about two hundred men in a single operation."

"Which brings us to the present?" Usagi guessed. "So what is it? Aside from getting worse every time."

Ranma chuckled. "You of all people should know there's never just one threat, but yes, this is why WIC was needed to prepare and setup base here."

"The stars are right," Setsuna whispered.

Usagi nearly glared at the diminutive girl. "This doesn't say what's happening."

"It's nothing you haven't dealt with before," Ranma turned thoughtful. "Really, fighting invading eldritch horrors is your wheelhouse."

"Pharaoh 90? Metalia?" Usagi shivered.

The demon nodded. "I guess that's why Puu kept quiet about it. Inter-dimensional invasions are your thing after all."

"That's it?" Usagi blinked. "All this mystery for some repeat of the attacks I've been fighting since the start, since the Dark Kingdom?"

Ranma adjusted her gloves. "I don't know about that. There's no energy gathering or gloating figures in silly costumes, Mercury excluded. What we've got here is another dimension that's pressing against ours."

"Yes, and every forty years, the pressure...." Pluto swallowed.

Usagi recalled Ranma's bit of history. "If it keeps getting worse... the barrier's getting thinner?"

Ranma nodded.

"What is it? What's trying to get through?"

The demoness chuckled. "Well, technically, that's a theological question."

"Huh?"

"Which would be worse? An invasion from a place that could be described as Hell or one that could be described as Heaven?" Pluto quietly asked.

"Well... aren't the angels..." Usagi looked to Ranma and her horns. "So, who are the good guys?"

"I sincerely doubt it's the creatures writhing against a dimensional barrier eagerly anticipating for the stars to allow ingress." Pluto deadpanned.

"I'd be nice if we could count on celestial forces helping us but..." Ranma shrugged.

"You want me to have Rei give a few extra prayers?" Usagi lightly asked.

"Really I should have her bless the family shrine. If Amaterasu could help us..."

Pluto cleared her throat. "Just to be clear, this isn't like BlackSky's and Vephar's invasion. Demons are more... human than what we're dealing with."

Usagi almost smiled.

"This is more like what Tomoe dredged up," Pluto clarified. "Not in exact nature, mind you, but in that the barriers between dimensions had to be... adjusted to let Pharaoh 90 in. Beryl and Metalia were similar too," she added, her voice bitter and offended.

"How do you know this?" Usagi turned to Ranma.

The demon blinked. "I asked Jacob and Stillwater."

"And they told you?" Pluto's voice was disbelieving.

"Lying would just bring more trouble for them than the truth would."

"Really?"

"My relationship with them is built on trust. It'd be very... disappointing if they were foolish enough to lie to me about the very thing we've been preparing for."

"What are you and WIC doing about all this then?" Usagi asked.

Ranma tiled her head.. "What do you think we've been doing? The D program, the Fifth NH Task Force, special weapons development, inter-dimensional research, training Canadian special forces in NH combat."

"Well, there was the Assembly and those vampires and that cult. Plus Murdock," Usagi found herself leaning away from the redhead..

"We've been doing this before they popped up; we've been doing this before those cultists took those hostages." Ranma shook her head. "I don't think even WIC would run roughshod over an entire government, because some fanatics were trying to kill me." She raised her arms and waved them. "Do you think all this is necessary for that? This is bigger than either of us."

"But, those are all related to what's going on..."

"Of course, that's because they're symptoms. Non-humans and other sensitives can feel what's going on, and they're being attracted to this." Ranma leaned forward. "Now the Company's got some specialists looking at exactly what the cyborgs did... but what do you think? Given what's already happening to the dimensional barriers, what do you think a big pulse will do? What will it do to those that are... sensitive to such things?"

"It was strong enough to disrupt my... connection, and hurt me." Pluto shivered.

Ranma nodded. "The question is how much damage it does."

"Well... the barrier is still up, right?"

"Well, there's no tentacles creeping out of shadows, people aren't erupting into unthinking wails of madness, and of course the sky hasn't opened up with a rain of spores." The demon tilted her head. "Of course we're in an underground facility, hopefully, protected from such things."

Usagi cast a fearful glance at the ceiling.

"No, alarms would be going off in that case," Ranma assured.

"So... how much time is left?"

"That's the question isn't it," Ranma chuckled. "There's a window.... but the cyborgs may have sped things up." She turned to Pluto. "Especially if they keep using that pulse thing."

Usagi looked at the grinning demon. "So you don't know, then."

"It's a real pain. The old books are rather... interpretive, and despite all the talk about the stars-" Ranma glanced over at Pluto. "-things are apparently... fuzzy on that front too. Things don't seem like they're getting unglued, so we've got some time... maybe."

"You're getting ready, preparing for the worst?"

"That or I'm deliberately restricting just what information I'm giving you." Ranma's grin spread until it showed her teeth. "This could be my little way of keeping you in the dark, leaking just the right amount of information. All to keep leading you by the nose."

"You wouldn't... I mean we're..."

Ranma tilted her head. "If we'd been wroking together, maybe fewer people, both your s and mine would have died."

"Ranma, I..."

"You can hardly blame Usagi for the deaths of the agents. The cyborgs would have attacked them even if we had been working together."

"Maybe so," Ranma stated as the shadows below her chair darkened. "But Artemis might have lived, maybe you wouldn't be in that fresh new body. Maybe we could have had a better defense and have killed more than one of those mechanical things. We could have been on a Company base, not ambushed in transit."

Usagi looked down. "I tried...."

"You did, and it's not really your fault." Ranma then glared at Pluto. "I can see why Usagi trusted you. You're supposed to be experienced, you should have known better; this was your idea."

"This isn't our first time at this." Pluto's eyes hardened. "What experience do you have with invasions of inter-dimensional monsters?"

Ranma laughed. "I've been on both sides of that, Puu. I remember what it was like in the old days."

"Yes, but we've established that this is different. We're not dealing with cute demons," Pluto smirked. "I've been fighting the invaders, the real invaders since long, long before you were born, that including the little Terran prince used to make DarkStar. I remember the old, old days as you would put it."

"How could you of all people have gotten so soft? Why are you afraid of a guy like Murdock?" Ranma glanced down at her watch. "I mean, sure he's a good spook, but why would you care that he can run good surveillance and flip a few Senshi?"

"You don't understand the risk he poses. He's the reason you're sitting there. He's the reason WIC has that shiny new unit they can show off. He's been trying to get Usagi."

"Odd, I thought I was here because you paid me a lot of money. So, you've had people corrupted before, right?" Ranma asked.

"And people have been after me before, remember Prince Diamond?" Usagi reminded.

"This is different." Setsuna glared.

Ranma nodded. "So, he's an actual threat, then."

"Murdock wants me... is he involved with this... invasion?" Usagi asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. He could just be taking advantage of the situation. He knows you'd be here. He killed Mamoru and set me up to replace him."

"Why does Murdock want me? Who is he working for?"

Ranma shrugged.

"I liked things better when I had to face just one evil person and her flunkies and minions," Usagi pouted.

"Carl Sagan said: It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring," Pluto stated.

"Great, now you're quoting things at me too," Usagi sighed.

"Well, does that count with things beyond human understanding and sanity?" Ranma smirked.

"Though, perhaps, he's only saying that because he doesn't know the true nature of reality, because he thinks the truth won't drive him into jabbering madness." Pluto admitted.

Ranma chuckled, and turned back to Usagi. "Well..."

"Huh?"

"Where do you go from here?" Ranma repeated. "Your house was burnt down."

"Oh," Usagi chewed her lip. "Well, is it too late to ask for your help?"

"You're already in this base being protected," Ranma gently reminded.

"Yes, but I don't know if I can stay on base forever. There has to be more of a plan than that," Usagi sighed.

"Yes, yes there does."

Looking at the demon's quizzical gaze, Usagi coughed.

"What's your idea?"

"We are paying you," Pluto told Ranma.

"Yes, and what do you want me to do? We've got a lot of options. Especially, when they find out they didn't kill Puu and Minako."

Usagi laughed. "Why should we let them learn that?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Puu looks different, but they're gonna figure Mina's alive in the next fight.."

"Maybe not." Usagi rubbed her chin. "Maybe she won't be Venus."

Pluto's eyes widened. "You're thinking of doing... that, again?"

"It's worked before."

"We'll have to get Minako's approval." Pluto knew Minako would immediately volunteer for it.

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked.

"Minako pretends to be the Princess, and draws attention away from the real Princess," Pluto explained. "It was used against the Dark Kingdom."

"A body double?" Ranma asked. "I guess that makes some sense now. Mina is harder to hurt than you."

"I don't know... I mean, it makes her a target." Usagi sighed.

"There's also what you'll be doing while she pretends to be you," Ranma reminded. "And she's gotta pretend to be you all the time. Not just in fights. The Russians are smarter than that."

"There's also what I'll be covered as," Pluto noted.

"Oh?' Usagi asked.

"We can't have the cyborgs realize that we're harder to kill than they think," Pluto cautioned.

"They know your face. Can you girls change that?" Ranma asked.

Usagi chuckled. "We've got disguise pens."

"Ah, magic then." Ranma said as she wondered exactly what senses a disguise like that would fool, not to mention all the habits and gestures that were unique to each person "What will you disguise as?"

The blonde shrugged.

"Assuming Minako's for this idea, you could always go as the Princess' mother," Setsuna suggested.

Ranma gave a sharp laugh. "I don't think Usagi can play a convincing Serenity."

"Unlike you, these Soviet Assassins don't know Queen Serenity. Any information they have on her would be second hand."

"So what... you and the 'Queen' will be reinforcements? Sent in because the Princess couldn't handle things?"

"Lies work best when you dress them up with the truth," Usagi bitterly stated. "Do you think this would work?"

"Right now it's just dress up. You need more to make it an actual plan. At least... at least you're starting to think of what do to," Ranma allowed as she stood up. "I've got a meeting to get to."

"The cleanup?" Pluto asked.

Ranma gave a curt nod. "I suggest you get back with Minako, Doc Covington can give you some painkillers, but she thinks you're fine." She turned and exited the room. Once the door closed behind her she exhaled sharply.

"Andrea, Gabe. When they leave escort them back to the commissary. If they try anything... odd alert us," Ranma instructed to the two agents in the corridor.

"Sure thing, Red," Gabe drawled. He did not like babysitting the princess, but he had volunteered to go back on duty and this was where he was stuck.

"Morrison wants to go shopping with you," Ranma smirked at Andrea.

"Oh? Clothes I suppose," Andrea Lytle drawled.

"Maybe, it would be nice to have her socialize a bit. Later then." Ranma walked down the hallway. Shortly, she came to the door of a particular office and let herself in.

Jacob looked up from his desk, and Eve lifted Sophie and shifted to open a spot on the couch.

"What're your thoughts?" Ranma asked after closing the door. Obviously, they had been listening in on the medical room.

"Your methods could use some more refinement," Eve noted.

Picking up a glass of water, Jacob made a thoughtful noise. "I'm not sure about that, Captain. If Miss Saotome were too polished, then Meiou's suspicions may rise."

"Where's Stillwater?" Ranma asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Mending fences. The government got a few of their feathers ruffled tonight."

"It's not our fault JTF2 missed all the action," Ranma sighed.

"For the best, their training has just started," Eve noted.

"The Combat Cyborgs: capability?" Jacob asked.

"It's about what we thought it was," Eve stated. "They're very organized and professional. Their skill has grown since the Vatican's evaluation."

"They're especially weak against Nariko's and Makoto's abilities and sufficient damage can disable them," Ranma stated.

"The problem seems to lie in being able to damage them," Jacob noted. "They favor fire and maneuver. Their armor is a secondary defense; they concentrate more on avoiding being hit in the first place."

"Their speed and agility is impressive." Ranma stretched her neck. "In close quarters Galina A'deen is... dangerous."

"Indeed." Jacob refilled his glass with water. "Their use of remote guns was unexpected. We've got enough of them to study and be ready to jam them."

"They are weak at unconventional tactics. In addition to Nariko and Ranma's attacks, Ukyou and Misako's abilities were quite effective."

Jacob nodded. "Ranma, it would seem that your idea caught them off guard. Ideas?"

"After the initial surprise, they bogged down against the Senshi, they're inexperienced with magic. Also they were... hesitant when I broke in." Ranma rubbed her chin. "I'd guess they were expecting a military assault and the time that would take, not some demon smashing her way in before they can do anything. We got in before they could react."

"Their experience is with fighting conventional militaries. They assumed that the 5th would fight pretty much like they do."

"Unfortunately, they received a full lesson on NH combat and Pattern Silver capabilities; they're fast learners," Jacob frowned.

"Assigning one to medical evacuation shows they value their people," Eve noted. "This was expected, given their time together and the inability to get replacements."

Ranma frowned. "They know they're outnumbered. We should have expected them to do something to balance that factor out."

Jacob looked at a far wall. "It was a mistake to assume they'd continue stay with their own capabilities. This seems to be a more serious mission to them than the others."

"Their sniper did use an automated gun against Morgan," Eve noted. "So, automated turrets. They'll find other ways to augment their limited manpower."

Jacob nodded. "I'll have our people start shaking the bushes. We'll see if they've started looking for help."

"Watch the NH community, too." Ranma stated. "They're not the type to stay ignorant. They'll try to figure out what we can do."

"What about this pulse they're using? That's has the potential to go very bad for us all," Jacob stated.

"I'd guess they're doing it out of ignorance. They're certainly not suicidal," Ranma said.

"We need to talk to them. If we're right and they want to learn, then they'll could be convinced," Eve suggested. "They might not believe us, but telling them is better than doing nothing."

"Maybe we can work with that." Jacob looked into his glass. "There is an... asymmetry here. They've put everything on the line for this mission: pride, vengeance, their very purpose. All they've ever had was each other, and we're taking that away from them. And for us? It's all a distraction, one that weakens us."

"And what are their options? What's their end plan? They have to still think they can complete the mission and successfully hide. They can't think they can destroy the whole Company." Ranma took a sip of water.

Eve rubbed her chin. "They're not suicidal."

The redhead tilted her head. "What do they think we'll do when they attack again and it escalates further? Or they kill Usagi? It looks like we really want to keep her alive. What if things get to a point where they can't run? Why wouldn't they decide to fight to the end and do as much damage as possible?"

"You don't corner someone unless you're prepared to do what it takes to destroy them," Jacob made a couple notes. "We'll try to get a meeting with them. It could give us a chance to learn more about their personalities and what they're willing to do. At the very least we'll warn them about that pulse device of theirs. That technology is more dangerous than any damage they can do to Usagi or this command."

"Understood, Sir," Eve replied crisply.

"Right." Ranma gave a slight nod.

"And how did you do in combat?" Jacob asked Ranma.

"Personally? The armor worked great. It soaked up a lot of damage. Still, their attacks can cut it. I don't know if more weight's worth the mobility hit." Ranma looked down at her glass. "It's how I was able to hold my own against her. The SSP was handy too. The look on her face..."

"A'deen had to be evacuated from that fight. You walked away," Eve assured giving Ranma's hand a squeeze.

"Yes, I didn't pursue her," Ranma's eyes flashed. "Morrison, Ukyou, and Morgan showed what's gotta be done to take them out. Area effects are good, especially ones that are new to them."

"According to Agent Morrison's statements, the one she killed was significantly hampered by Misako's draining and Ukyou's mental effects."

"Sustained trauma?" Eve asked.

Ranma nodded. "Anything else they'll shrug off and then run. That's what makes the new guns so useful. They've got the punch." The demon paused. "And A'deen... I've talked with Nariko and the others. She's their trump. Next time nothing cute with her."

Jacob idly rubbed the scar on the back of his palm. "Where is our equipment lacking?"

"Jammers." Ranma said without any hesitation. "This Shest can cause some real damage. The only reason the Silvers didn't have their throats slit one by one was because they had personal teleportation jammers."

"That was a surprising development," Jacob flexed is hands. "Miniaturization of our jamming technology has been a constant goal."

"Then I suggest we procure some of the Silver's equipment," Eve stated

"It's limited," Ranma shrugged. "Their jammers have a range of only a couple meters. It's enough to keep someone from grabbing you or stabbing you in the back, but then she could appear just out of range and toss a satchel charge."

"What would be nice is having extra jammers you can attach to someone," Eve noted. "Block her phasing and you get an opening to kill her. With enough of them, we can stick them on walls, ceilings, throw them like rice at a wedding. Really give that girl a bad day. "

"Good idea," Jacob noted. "How come Shest didn't use satchel charges?"

"Sir, according to the Silvers, she did. The wards Setsuna had setup prevented her from getting too close to do anything easy, like pop in a canister of nerve gas or a fuel-air bomb, but Shest managed to breach their defenses. That's how the initial assault went off. After that the Silvers formed a defensive position but kept being hammered. Shest only shifted to medi-vac after Ranma and Nariko arrived." Eve explained.

"What about Usagi?"

"Do you think she's worth salvaging?" Jacob asked.

"Liquidating her would be the simplest move," Eve offered. "But we need the capability of the Pattern Silvers."

"Yes and such a plan would have to succeed. Betrayal from an unscrupulous corporation and Fallen Senshi would fit her narrative far too well," Jacob cautioned.

"There is no need for action on our part," the blonde demon reminded.

"Yes, all I'd have to do was make some demands Usagi would never accept. Then when she refuses we, regrettably of course, kick her out. Without us, the Russians...." Ranma's wry smile turned contemplative. "I'm not sure. Both would be in a desperate fight out of their comfort zones. Usagi may win, but it'd likely be an ugly win. And she'd feel we broke contract with her."

"That contract was to support her, when permitted, and assassinate her if she were to... fall," Eve agreed. "Yes, she knows we've been plotting on the best way to kill her, at her behest."

Jacob leaned back. "We pacify the Russians, prevent them from causing a dimensional collapse... only we've already scarified our best hope to stop the Stars from becoming right."

"Her powers would be useful. You want Pattern Silvers, she's the top one. Maybe she'll be motivated." Ranma gave the sleeping broodling a bit of a hug. "As for the Cyborgs, killing Usagi would be their big win. What they do after that depends on how much revenge they want on us, on the remaining Senshi."

"I'm surprised it took Miss Tsukino so long to just ask what this is all about," Eve chuckled as she adjusted her daughter.

Ranma shook her head. "She didn't even ask Puu."

"Lack of interest? Did she just assume this time would be like the others? Or does she simply not trust anyone? I recall she didn't ask you until tonight. Interesting." Jacob took a sip from his glass. "Can you work her?"

"I don't know," Ranma frowned. "She has heart, but she's stubborn."

"Isn't that how it goes?" Jacob smirked. "Still, it is useful for you to.... mentor her."

"Help her develop a persona for this Serenity she'll be pretending to be." Eve nodded.

"It could help, but... look at all she's gone through. I wouldn't expect great improvements," Ranma reached out to the coffee table and poured herself a glass of water. It was far too close to sunrise to have the Scotch she actually wanted.

Jacob put his own glass down. "Anything to make her less of a danger."

"She's a sentimentalist, use the civilian deaths, use the cat's death. Make her realize that failure comes with a cost, that she can't just wish it all better," Eve stated.

Ranma took a sip and frowned at the cut-glass. "That's the problem, she still thinks she can."

"Even after that cult started killing hostages in the toy store?" Jacob asked. "She couldn't bring them back."

Ranma looked over at Eve. "Denial is powerful," she sighed.

The blonde nodded. "That's the problem: how do you get someone who has the power to wish it all better to realize that it's best if she didn't let her delusions put her into such situations in the first place."

"What's her mental state then? How close is she to the edge?" Jacob asked. He noticed the Captain display an almost human sense of worry as she paused in recollection.

"Past history indicates rash action following harm of her closest friends. We'll know more once the shock from tonight wears off, but I would rate her mental state as... fragile."

"That's an understatement," Ranma dryly remarked as she took a sip. "That's the problem. She's waiting, she's stewing. If something like this happened to any of us, we'd do something. Hell, it did! We lost more people than the princess did."

Jacob noted the use of the word "we".

Ranma continued. "The point is, we're doing something. Tracking down leads, as we prepare for a response. What we're not doing is sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves."

"She wanted to come; she wanted to help you," Eve reminded.

"And she would have gotten in the way," Ranma said, her harsh tone almost waking up Sophie.

"That's why you told her to go back and comfort Minako," Jacob stated.

"Yeah, give her something to do, and have her help her team."

Sophie opened her eyes and slid between her aunt and mother on the couch. "Colonel Edwards," she saluted Jacob, sheepishly.

"Specialist Addison," Jacob replied returning the salute. "How much did you hear?"

"Problems with Tsukino," she leaned onto her mother. "You're worried she might crack. Well... hasn't she already? Her file speaks for itself."

"That seems to be what she does when the going gets tough, Sir." Eve agreed.

Jacob put his glass down. "I want our contingency plans updated and our surveillance on her maintained." He turned to Ranma. "Make sure she stays on base or in a safe house. We can't afford to let her go off on her own."

"At this point I think Moon would ask Auntie Red for any help before going it alone, Sir," Sophie sleepily said. "That's part of why she likes Red. They both lead teams; they're both queens."

"True, that crush you two have works both ways," Eve noted.

"Good, we can use that," Jacob leaned back. "Miss Tsukino's been alone for too long."

End Chapter

Key to the Russian obscenities:
"Chto za huy'nya!" What the fuck!
"Tvar" A) Creature B) Vile, loathsome, foul person. Both meanings fit here.
"schelkat' ebalom." To be careless
"Chyort voz'mi!" Oh, shit! / Oh, damn!

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Terra, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, Mike Koos, and Nadrek. Special thanks to Nadrek, who has joined my preading team, for being a great help in cleaning up the combat scenes.

Revision Notes: Once again some heavy tweaking of Usagi and Ranma's interactions. In retrospect I feel that Ranma was far too harsh with her.

 

The Return
A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.
By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.
http://jtemple.florestica.com/

Temporary Backup Site.
http://www.fukufics.com/fic/


Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku
http://fukufics.com

C&C is appreciated.

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 4: Questions
Formerly: Replacements and Remembrance Part 1i


Specialist Agent Sophie Addison frowned as a technician unpacked their equipment. She kept her arms crossed over her chest. Sweat beaded down her back.

Science and Technology Section Agent First Class Jared Dirac kept a level gaze at the demon. His orientation briefing was very clear, and he could see a prime warning sign: her tail was slowly swishing back and forth at a low angle. The specialist's increased hostility was strange, he had a much easier time working with the Brood Mother.

"Specialist, can you move your arms?" he respectfully asked.

Sophie complied. "Does it have to look... that way?"

"You're already wearing a skirt," Ukyou absently noted.

Looking past her armored vest, and the custom web gear to hold the oversize 17mm magazines, Sophie sighed. "At least these make some sense."

She tugged at one of the flexibly-mounted Kevlar pleats; each held an armor plate inset. The chest and back plates had been modified for succubus physiology. Overall, the armor's weight was somewhat heavy... by human standards at least.

Then add in a twenty kilogram rifle, six additional magazines, each weighing eight kilograms, a six kilogram sidearm and spare magazines for that, a helmet, a pair of reinforced boots, and various other equipment. It had taken a while to actually, feel the weight, but after the first couple kilometers she started to notice. It took double that for her to start sweating. Though Dirac's invention provided a nice distraction; it kept Sophie from thinking too deeply on what her body was capable of.

"Specialist!" Ukyou coughed.

"Sorry." Sophie shook her head. "I was just thinking."

"The change does that," Ukyou smiled. "That's why we're getting you trained now. Don't want you to get all introspective in battle."

"I can imagine, the gender change must do a lot," Dirac noted, running a diagnostic on the device.

Extending the antennae, he looked up. Both demons had still, straight tails. "Uh."

"Born female." Ukyou pointed to herself and Sophie. "Though in her case, her hair changed to a sane color."

"At least platinum blonde can pass as a natural shade." Sophie examined Dirac's device. "Do Pattern Silver devices require ribbons and bows?"

Dirac looked down at the device, which bore and unnatural similarity to a set of bows with trailing ribbons. "Ah, well, the Pattern Silver contribution is quite small, if... critical." He coughed. "The antennae was my doing."

Sophie rubbed her forehead. "How did this get past your CO?"

"The Silver devices have a major limitation. Their range is enough for personal defense. By adding in our own jamming antennas we can get a device that gives actual area denial."

"And they have to be half a meter long?" Sophie asked.

Dirac sighed. "Do you want it to work or to look good?"

"My concern is that you seem to want to make it look good."

"The antennas are delicate, sheathing them in Kevlar prevents damage."

"Maybe trying to merge WIC tech and Silver magic got to you," Ukyou smirked.

Dirac gave a slight nod. "That was a concern. We set a battery of tests, just to make sure the devices didn't have any adverse effects or transmissions. Another team then tested the testing equipment and the testers."

Ukyou blinked. "Let it be known I'm saying this as a former Acolyte of the Assembly of man: I bow to your paranoia," the blonde demon lowered her head.

"These devices are using a magical apparatus as a replacement generator. As a pure black box, it can power out inter-dim jamming equipment which is then broadcast with those antennas."

Dirac looked at the jamming rig. "However, a black box... allows for other features. Much of the delay came from our validation procedures. At the very least, this has given us more insight on how to miniaturize our own technology. They can create and manipulate the signals with far smaller equipment than our own."

"How is this thing powered?" Sophie asked. "I know that's a major size limitation of our jammers."

"That's the other advantage, but ultimately limitation, of the Silver system. Which is why I want to test it on you," Dirac stated.

"It needs magic to power?" Sophie was not sure she liked where this was going.

"Essentially." Dirac caught a glance at the agent's tail. It was curled just at the end in a slight hook and hung to one side. "It uses the power of a 'Sailor Senshi' to function. Both as an easy power source and as a security measure."

Tail dropping, a frown bloomed on Sophie's face.

"That's right. You're an honest-to-goodness magical girl," Ukyou smirked.

Rubbing her forehead, and one of her horns, the veteran Operations Agent sighed. "Fine. Just pin the damn thing on."

"Yes, Specialist." Dirac picked up the forward of the antennae sets and threaded it through some mounting slits on the armor behind her web-harness. After repeating the process on the back antennae he checked their wiring and put the slim control box next to Sophie's radio.

Sophie looked down at herself. She then moved her arms around and practiced moving her legs. "Well, they're not that in the way," she allowed.

"Sticking them out further away from your body would have better reception," Dirac said after returning to his equipment. "So would making them longer."

"Then just make them longer and have them run along my body," Sophie frowned.

"You're not tall enough, and it's not like we can shorten an antenna by folding it up a few times," Dirac explained.

"Mom spent a very frustrating afternoon with Agent Dirac," Ukyou noted.

Jared blinked. "She was annoyed?"

"Mom didn't want to scare you." Ukyou grinned broadly. "Also, she knew the testing was important."

"That's good." Dirac recalled the way the briefing described Special Contractor Ranma Saotome and the way the diminutive redheaded demoness confidently and professionally carried herself.

The briefing nailed it. WIC Toronto had a Brood Mother. One that not only enjoyed working with the Company but was actively and eagerly using and adapting WIC methods, training, and technology.

"To be fair, that getup-" Ukyou pointed to Sophie. "-is a lot better than Mom's old uniform."

"A micro-miniskirt and bikini top is still better than what the human Silvers wear." Sophie gave a slight sigh.

"Still the bows, I'm sorry, ribbons really make a statement," Ukyou smirked.

Dirac coughed. "The activation switch is the red one on the side. You'll see that the controls and indicators are those on the main panel on your basic Jammer. I kept the design as familiar as possible, but really you're going to use it as a black box in combat. Turn it on when you need it, off when you don't want to emit exotic fields."

Sophie flipped the switch and saw an orange LED light up followed shortly by a green one. A tingling grew in her horns and teeth. Similar to the background "fuzz" she now felt on base, but it was more immediate and close, somewhat like having an electronic toothbrush strapped to her breasts and another just above her butt.

The reverberating buzzing in her horns was even more distracting. It was then that Sophie felt the slight... draining sensation as the little box sipped power off of her and fed it into the Kevlar-sheathed antennae.

Dirac looked at his scanner. "Okay, stable generation. Good range."

Sophie bit her lip, the jammers gave an... odd sensation. "It's working?" she asked realizing the big downside to a body with enhanced senses; everything was so very... immersive.

"Yes, output is nearly identical to the measurements I got from Miss Saotome."

"My output is the same as hers?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"The device has limits on how much input it'll take. These tests are all on the default settings. You can increase it, but that'll be more draining."

"It's possible to increase the range?" Sophie put a hand up to a horn. The generator's vibrations did feel... odd.

"If you have the power for it," Dirac shrugged. "We'll need to do more testing to see how much you can put out."

Ukyou's face split into a broad smirk. "You're recommending some endurance testing?"

"That would be handy," Jarred admitted.

Sophie winced. "Shit."

Ukyou nodded. "Get your gun, we've got some more running."

The two Company agents sighed and started gathering their gear.

"You're coming too?" Ukyou asked Dirac. She had expected Sophie to, finally, start getting exasperated.

"I've got to monitor the jammer; so I've gotta keep up with you."

"Good luck," Sophie checked her rifle. "It feels like Blondie over here's been pushing me to my limit."

"Joy." Jared slipped his scanners on and followed the demons out of the room

"That's exactly what we're doing." Ukyou rolled her eyes. "You got this shiny new body, we need to show you exactly what that means."

"Like pushing me out of a helicopter," Sophie stated.

"Misako was there to catch you if you froze. And it's not like Mom kicked you off."

"That's how you learn how to fly?"

Sophie turned to the thin technician. "They're demons."

"You're a demon, too."

Sophie lifted her tail and swished it back and forth.

"Yes, yes." Ukyou noted. "You know it, but you don't know what that really means."

Outside in the pre-dawn light, Dirac watched as the blonde demoness fussed over the black-haired one's armor, weapons, and equipment.

"Okay, I guess that's enough weight. Now get going!" Ukyou prodded Sophie and the two started running down the training facility.

Dirac gave a light sigh and ran after the two demons. At least this was a relatively... normal assignment.

***************


Grumbling, Inspector Richard Rebus pushed his cabin's door open. A couple steps into the one-room building, the tackle box and rod dropped from his hands and he drew his sidearm, looked through the pre-dawn gloom, and aimed at his recliner.

A low chuckle came from the worn chair in the living room area. "I think your boss was right. You do need a vacation." The dark suited man paused to scratch behind the ears of a large Labrador retriever that was lying next to the chair. "Or was it Fred here?"

"Normally, he greets me," Rebus said keeping his gun aimed on the figure. The man was thin and dressed in a dark suit. His face was obscured in darkness. On his lapel, a silver maple-leaf pin reflected the meager light.

"He's a good dog," the man absently said.

"Who are you?" Rebus asked as he sidestepped and flicked on the lights. The additional light was not very... illuminating. The man's face and hair were in that carefully-tended non-descript style that Rebus found worrying. The suit was black; the tie was black; his glasses... were black.

"I apologize for the theatrics," the man said as he slipped off his sunglasses. "As for my name Gagnon will do."

"Who do you work for?"

Gagnon laughed. "You of all people know how... uninformative that answer would be. Who isn't working for the government these days?"

"Spook then?"

The black-suited man gave an approving smile and leaned back. "I am sorry about causing you that mess. Any luck?"

"Only a couple nibbles."

"This late in the season they're not really biting."

Never taking his eyes, or gun, off Gagnon, Rebus closed the door and sat down in the seat across from his. "Fred come."

Gagnon stopped petting, and let the dog return to his master.

"Are we going to continue using fishing as a metaphor?"

"Oh, nothing so tiresome."

"Brass tacks then? I get put on a bit of leave because of my interest in some government contractors and a rash of terrorism."

"And you were keeping your hobby so well concealed. No angry accusations, no paranoid rants, no trying to reveal the truth." Gagnon shook his head. "But next time, be more careful when looking at the exact time Joint Task Force Two arrives on scene."

Rebus sighed. "It's not a terribly good conspiracy. The uniforms don't even match."

"Trusting eyewitness reports now?"

"Dozens of explosions, several running gun battles, collapsed buildings, even more fire damage, and a helicopter crash. What happened that night?"

Gagnon folded his hands.

"This isn't like some weird cult taking hostages in a toy store, or a bunch of sociopaths cutting up bodies, or even like some running gun-battle in a building or two."

Looking out the window, Gagnon watched the sun begin to rise. "We're only a few kilometers from Algonquin Provincial Park."

"That was simply a training exercise. They even simulated a roadside bombing and an ambush." Rebus dryly stated. "You can't hide everything."

"No, but you'll be amazed at what one can hide. Especially when people... don't want to know." Gagnon sighed. "Look, you're bright. I'm sure you've figured out that there is an... oversight to all this."

"Yes, there's a war starting."

"There's always been a war. It's just most people don't want to deal with it. They can't accept it. They can't accept the wars they're told about."

"I'm a cop. You think I need convincing that people are panicky, lazy, self-centered nitwits?"

Gagnon chuckled.

"Why the cloak and dagger? I'm a little bit shocked you weren't smoking when I came in."

"Who do you think I work for?" Gagnon cheerfully asked.

Rebus coughed. "Right. You want me to give up my own theories, that way you can tailor your story to fit. No."

"Fine. I'm going to pull out my ID." Gagnon slowly opened his suit coat and pulled a leather wallet out of his shirt pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

Without taking his eyes off the spook, Rebus grabbed the wallet. "Huh, not bad quality. But could you have picked a more realistic name?"

"Bah, Andre's popularity has waned ever since he released 'Andre Gagnon au Centre Molson'."

"An obviously fake name does not reassure me that you're really a CSIS agent."

"For obvious reasons I can't take you to our Toronto, or even Ottawa, offices."

"Obvious?" Rebus sighed, though he made it a point to memorize the numbers on the identification badge. "Still trying to get me to reveal my conclusions to you."

"You're going to have to accept it. There's certain things I can't just tell you. That is something you should understand."

Rebus sighed. "Go on."

"Are you familiar with Faust?"

"The play or a metaphorical deal with the devil from the play?"

Gagnon made a bitter smile.

"Back to this game then?' Rebus petted his dog. "I note there's something we've both avoided saying. An organization."

"An organization that, publicly, is a defense contractor. One that had been hired to help train and provide new equipment for JTF2. One that conveniently happened to open business in Toronto just before the surge in violence. One that has a disturbing amount of latitude at various crime scenes. One that, of course, has to be operating with the permission of the government." Gagnon calmly stated.

"That leads to some... unpleasant conclusions."

"It's only the best among a whole slew of bad options," Gagnon assured.

"Yes, I took that into consideration."

"You have to wonder. Why is a spook bothering a nosy homicide detective?"

Rebus stared and when Gagnon did not continue; he sighed. "I'm alive. So you didn't want to kill me. If you were going to warn me to keep my nose out of things, you wouldn't have given me any hints."

"I thought you weren't going to tell me your theories?" Gagnon smiled.

"You're afraid. Which brings us to why you're here, and what you want from me."

Gagnon tapped the side of his nose.

"It comes down to what you want me to do." Rebus paused. "How paranoid are you? Are you worried what will happen if I change my behavior? If I change the style of my investigation?"

Rebus studied Gagnon's face. "If that were the case, you wouldn't expect me to change my methods, but if you simply wanted the status quo you would not be here. So you must want something from me."

Gagnon inclined his head slightly.

"You also want something that you can't simply take. If that were possible you'd just spy on me. No, you need me to do something, and you need to help me do it."

"Quite a lot of deduction. Sure you're not going to tell me your theories?"

Patting his dog, Rebus sighed. "Broadly speaking, if the name Andre Gagnon causes a stir at CSIS then you might be legit. As legit as a person in your... profession can be."

"Is that a Yes, then?"

"It's not a No." Rebus clarified. "What's really fascinating is that instead of your own black-suited goons, you decided to contact a local when he was far from the city."

Gagnon waited for a few seconds. "Oh? Not going to explain why you think that? The reason is obvious. I don't want to risk having me be seen with you in the city."

"The conclusion interests me less than the reasoning that prompted it."

"You were picked for your tenacity." Gagnon chuckled.

"I thought it was because I had enough interest in the events to start digging and was experienced enough to keep it discrete."

"Yes, people expect you to go out and try to piece it together. They already know your agenda."

"Again, what do you want from me and what can you give me?" Rebus leaned back, keeping his gun ready.

"You'll know what I want. Believe me, you'll know it if you find it."

"How do I separate the horrible secrets you know to be true from the ones you fear to be true?

"That's where my help comes in. I am... limited in what I can say, but I can put you on the right path."

"And that's why you're not just secretly watching me? You want to make sure I don't give up, don't fall into a blind alley."

"And make sure you're not shut up." Gagnon straightened a cuff. "There was talk of transferring you to Vancouver. Thankfully that was pushed aside. It would have been far too crude and wasteful."

"Subtle and efficiency minded? This really is a black bag operation."

Gagnon laughed. "Oh no, most secret programs crassly fritter away resources. Truth be told, it's not the lack of oversight that worries me, but the excess in competence."

"I see." Rebus paused and lowered his gun. "Start from the top. Tell me everything you can."

***************


Giving a slight smile, Ranma approached the waterfront. The sounds of the street rapidly diminished and were replaced by the sound of water hitting the seawall below the concrete wall that served as a railing.

Leaning on it was a woman of average height with her long brown hair tied above one ear and set so it spilled over her left cheek and shoulder. "Punctual," the woman stiffly noted.

"I'm actually several minutes late," Ranma noted, placing a small cooler between them, on the wall. "Nice coat," the redhead said, examining the long, brown oilskin garment.

"Must we suffer through pleasantries? I'm not like that inept poseur you delight in tormenting."

Ranma turned to the woman and gave a warm smile. "Don't think that way. She doesn't deserve to be tormented. I was with her because-" the demon tapped the cooler idly. "-well, because she was precious to someone I had a financial interest in not upsetting."

The brunette looked at the box.

"No, my dear, dear, Galina A'deen." Ranma's eyes twinkled. She wagered that the assassin would presume it was some kind of insurance, which was amusing. No doubt. the Russian had prepared for various contingencies. "You don't deserve to be brushed aside, you deserve my full attention."

Galina stared past the demon's violet eyes. "Why the meeting? We got your message."

"Yes, but you may not believe it, or you may think that it'll make great blackmail against us. Hand over the princess or we'll summon monsters from beyond," Ranma gave a cold laugh.

"Do you think we're suicidal?"

Ranma smirked.

"Do you think we'd doom all of humanity just to make the mission easier?"

Turning slightly to catch the scent coming from the water, the redhead shrugged. "We felt we needed to show you just how serious we are."

Galina frowned, waiting for the demon to give her big reveal.

"It's a question of priorities, and we have to do what we have to do." She gave the cooler-lid a slight tap.

"What's in the box?"

"A bribe," the redhead smiled and pushed it forward.

"You think we can be bought off?" Galina scoffed.

"I know you can be bought off. That's how mercenary assassins work. Personally, I'm torn. I'd like to be able to focus on important threats, but I'd also like to eat your liver."

"Fine, show me your offer." Galina mostly suppressed a sigh.

"Now, I know that you're not doing this just for the money but.." Ranma popped the lid off the cooler and tilted it so the contents faced the cyborg.

Galina stared. Surprising herself, she found herself shocked.

"I decided to go with something you'd recognize." The demon's smile nearly split her face. "Is your little optical scan complete? Take it, perform all the tests you want on it, on her."

"She trusted you." Galina stated, a mix of jealousy and admiration in her voice.

Ranma nodded. "Made the job very easy. You can still see the shock in her eyes."

Looking up from the decapitated head, Galina's face hardened.

"Sorry it had to end this way, but you weren't the only one being paid to kill her. This way we both win."

Galina looked up from the severed head to the demoness.

"Oh? Or is there more to this little mission of yours than money?" Ranma's wide grin broke into a series of deep chuckles. After a few seconds of laughing, she straightened herself back up. "If I'd have known you'd react like this, I'd have taken the time to wrap the box, maybe put on a nice bow and a card."

Ranma tilted her head slightly. "How much do you need to claim the money? If you need the rest tell us, before dinner."

"Shocked you haven't eaten her already." Galina dryly stated. "And the others?"

"Clueless, they think their princess was moved to a safe location." Ranma's broad grin returned. "Want 'em?"

"Why?"

"Because the princess thought she could wish it all better. She thought that things would work out, that she could wish away the bad people. She thought you and your friends weren't a real threat. She thought that my friends, my family would spill their blood, sacrifice their lives to appease her delusions." Ranma scoffed. "Did you expect me to keep protecting her?"

Her hand flexing, Galina looked at the head.

"Sure, it could be a trick. That's why I'm handing it over. Run your little tests, confirm that she's dead, then leave."

"You just want us gone? You think you can just kill our target and we'll leave?"

"Isn't that how hired killers work? Of course, you don't have to leave. We can use people like you, people like your team, or maybe we can just kill each other." Ranma purred.

"I'll run the tests," Galina said closing the lid on the cooler.

"You do that, then you call me with what you want to do." Ranma shrugged and started walking away. The demoness smiled, no matter what happened, things would be much simpler from now on. After a few paces she reached into her coat.

Frowning at the cooler Galina was blown back when the box exploded in a dull flash. She could tell from her sensors that the damage was minimal. Her attempt to get up was cutoff by the demoness landing on her chest.

The redhead's claws sunk into her chassis and started to carve. "Sorry, couldn't resist," she purred.

"Ranma!" a blonde woman shouted into the demon's ear.

The redhead lifted her head in irritation. "What?"

"Were you paying attention?" the blonde asked.

"No, I was napping," Ranma narrowed her eyes and looked at the blonde's head.

"And you berate me for being unprofessional," Usagi sighed.

"Well, you are." Ranma shrugged, still keeping her gaze skull-ward.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just wondering how big that brain of yours is."

"So, now I'm dumb?"

"It's not that, just thinking about how many explosives I could fit up there."

Usagi's laughter was killed by Ranma's direct, level stare. The blonde swallowed, and Setsuna shifted her stance. "You're serious?" the princess asked.

Ranma set her jaw and stared into Usagi's gaze.

The blonde swallowed, then noticed the demon's purple eyes twinkle with mirth. "You're a monster!" she chided, hitting her on the upper arm.

"You're still alive," Setsuna reminded. "DarkStar's not one to mince words." She crossed her thin arms over her reduced chest.

"Then why's she being all passive-aggressive and snotty?" Usagi gave a sideways glance at the, physically, younger Setsuna.

"You did just wake her up from her nap," Eve reminded.

"Well, isn't she supposed to be guarding me?" Usagi inquired.

"No, my daughter and myself have the shift now," Eve indicated Sophie who was sitting nearby with her 17mm Pug on the table next to the report she was skimming. Sophie found babysitting a pain, though it was a welcome relief from training.

"Oh." Usagi tilted her head. "You came in here to take a nap?"

Ranma shrugged. "I wanted to talk to my sister. But..." she looked a bit tired. And for a moment Usagi could have sworn the redhead looked guilty.

"But you were too tired." Eve supplemented.

"Tired?"

"There's been a lot of cleanup." Ranma's eyes were weary. "How's your work been going?" The redhead gave a brief glance to Eve.

Setsuna tapped a crystal on the table causing a translucent image of a silver-haired woman in a type of body-hugging metallic armor to appear. "I've been showing Usagi some images of the Queen's... campaigning clothes."

"Not going with formal, impossible to walk in gowns?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Shame, those look good, but they've gotta be a pain to fight in."

"She still needs a lot of work. Usagi still smells the same, her Pattern is still the same, and her body language is the same." Eve stated before turning to Usagi. "To pull off undercover work you can't pretend you're someone else, you have to be someone else."

"I can't do that cooped up in here." Usagi moaned. "I can't even go elsewhere on base."

Taking care not to show her teeth, Ranma gave a fatigued smile. "It's temporary, we're still figuring out exactly how much damage the cyborgs will do. But we're not keeping you here, you can leave any time you want."

"It's not like you could detain us if we wanted to leave," Setsuna stated.

The redhead gave a non-committal shrug. "On your own you might just beat them. You know how those girls fight, but they know how you fight too. Going alone is a risk."

"I should at least be able to see my friends," Usagi stated.

Ranma nodded. "Sure we can-"

"No." Setsuna's voice was firm. "If we can fool them then it should work, and we can't fool them if they see you dressing up."

"Minako should be here then, she's playing me after all."

Setsuna shook her head. "We get your role established first. Then she learns how to be you."

Usagi turned to Ranma and Eve.

"It's an acceptable plan," the blonde demoness allowed.

"Glad I meet your approval," Usagi sighed.

"Still have to see the costume," Ranma stretched her arms.

"We'll get it," Setsuna looked down, embarrassment crossing her young face..

"Really?" The demon's eyes narrowed at Usagi. "There's a risk in this. We're going to need to work together against these robotic assassins. It's really in your best interest"

"Blackmail?" Usagi's gaze hardened.

Idly adjusting her vest, Ranma chuckled. "Nah, blackmail would be if I threatened to call them right after kicking you out." Amusement laced the demon's words.

"It would be rather rude. You are using our equipment," Setsuna pointed to the jamming bows. "And that's not counting breach of contract."

"There's escape clauses." Ranma shrugged.

Usagi blinked. "Nice contract you got us, Puu."

Setsuna smirked. "What do you expect? They're demonic mercenaries."

The redhead studied the princess for several seconds. "Do you want to be treated like an adult or a child?"

Usagi blinked, there was something off about Ranma's venom, as if it were... forced. "But... I'm your age."

The demon looked thoughtful. "It's a shame Puu can't cram you into a little girl body."

"Well, her transformation pen could give a reasonable facsimile," Setsuna admitted.

Ranma's nodded. " Maybe Queen or princess is the better way to look at it. This isn't about us, it's about you and your Senshi.

Usagi exhaled slowly. "You don't know what we've gone through. The things... how my friends died for me... I don't deserve them."

Ranma put her hand on the girl's. "It sucks. You got a raw deal. You didn't get a choice. Some stupid cat comes in and ruins your life. In my case it was a guy in a rumpled suit and a tacky tie. We have to deal with it. It's not fair, but that's how it goes."

"I've been adapting!" Usagi stood up, her palms slamming onto the table. "You can't stand here and sneer at me. I've had my friends sacrifice themselves. For me! I've seen cities burn! What makes you think you can talk me like this?"

Out of Usagi's view. Ranma's tail straightened slightly and began to curve upward. "Good, have you had enough?"

"Enough? The only reason Minako's alive is because Ami violated her! I'm sick of the weirdness. I'm sick of people trying to kill me and I don't even know why. I've had aliens, demons, cults, assassins, even a circus after me."

"And?" Ranma's voice was low, almost curious.

"And I'm getting to my limit. I'm sick of living in my mother's shadow. In the queen's shadow. Of being measured against the first Serenity."

"The queen is dead." Setsuna murmured.

Usagi shivered, it almost sounded like Pluto was... relieved at that.

"She's been dead a long time," Ranma said.

"Still been screwing up my life."

"The queen is dead," Setsuna repeated. "Long live the queen."

"Oh no...." Ranma rubbed her face.

"What?" Usagi asked, before Setsuna's words sunk in. "You lied to me!"

"Technically it was Luna," Setsuna said, mildly.

"If I was the queen... wait... don't I need to be crowned?"

"That's just a formality. The true succession happens the instant the reigning queen dies."

"Okay, so I'm the Queen. I was gonna be one later, in Crystal Tokyo." Usagi paused. "So, is there a difference? Being a queen now?"

"Princess is just that: a princess. A diplomatic token, a spare in case of regicide, but the queen... The Queen is in charge," Setsuna explained.

"Not that you have a kingdom anymore," Ranma added.

"There's a few scattered facilities and bunkers on some moons. Mostly junk," Setsuna corrected.

Looking at her wristwatch, Ranma noted the use of the word "mostly".

"I guess that fits. I was planning on pretending to be Queen Serenity." Usagi sat back down. "I might as well be her for real."

"Oh? So you've made your decision?" Ranma asked.

"You're just like Ami. You all want me 'better'. You don't think I can handle things on my own. You don't think I'm ready for this. You think I need to be pushed, molded, forced. You think your way is the best way."

Ranma interlaced her fingers and let her hands rest on the table. "Your choices are yours."

"You make it sound simple," Usagi grumbled.

"I'm sure Puu has a place where she can hide you," Eve offered. "In all honesty that idea has a lot of merit."

Usagi turned and saw Setsuna contemplative. "We are paying them to kill the these assassins."

"It would keep you out of the way, and is the safest option," Ranma stated.

"I'd be kept hidden in some castle? A real fairytale princess," Usagi grumbled.

Eve chuckled. "Just sit back and trust Setsuna."

Usagi's eyes darted over and caught Setsuna still in a contemplative state, though with a hint of anxiety.

"Yes Puu, prove Akumi right and take Usagi and bend her to your dark will." Ranma chuckled.

"That would stop the whining," Eve added.

"I have been trying to help you," Setsuna turned from Usagi to the demons. "What do you propose?"

Ranma fixed her eyes onto Usagi. "We could both put on smart black dresses, and go door to door to and explain to all those families why their husbands and fathers aren't coming home anymore. We screwed up."

Feeling the demon's ire shift to a blend of shame and guilt, Usagi reached out and took the redhead's wrist. "And why aren't we doing that?" Usagi asked. "It could help us..."

Ranma's eyes flared. "Can't tell anyone what happened. At least, the firemen's families can be told something close to the truth, but they can't be told the reason: that some spoiled little princess... and an arrogant demoness did not take a threat seriously."

"You can't blame yourself, you've been harping on me, you lectured us about them," Usagi squeezed her arm.

Ranma stared at the, blonde. She shook her head. "I took out an Assembly of Man base, practically single-handed. They threw tier best at me, and I tore them apart. I was confident that some Soviet leftovers wouldn't be much more trouble. I got caught up in a one on one fight, on someone who was a... challenge. Focusing on personal glory instead of the mission."

"We were both complacent?" Usagi looked to Eve and Setsuna who were silent. "I guess we can both learn from this?"


Ranma chuckled. "I can start teaching. It won't be fun, but you will learn."

Usagi slowly nodded. "I understand."

The demon's smile became almost sympathetic. "Not yet." Glancing at her watch, she stood up. "I've got an appointment, but I am curious how this new body plan works out. "

Eve smirked. "I'll make sure they get with the program."

Usagi frowned at the demons' knowing expressions.

Setsuna leaned in. "Good, even you can smell the setup," she whispered.

Swallowing, Usagi looked at the redhead. "What do you want me to do?"

Ranma stopped at the door. "We need to both put our pride aside."

***************


Smelling the brisk nearly-winter air, Ranma held her disappointment. "I guess you're better than no one," she said walking up to the concrete wall.

Turning slow enough that her short black bangs did not even move, Arisha gave a cold glance at the demoness. "Do you want me to summon Galina?"

"Well upside, you'd be easier to kill than her." Ranma shrugged. "But, downside, you'd be easier to kill than her."

Arisha's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe I should have sent Nariko in my place," Ranma's lips pulled back in a simulacrum of a grin.

"We got your broadcast, we got the message the broadcast directed us to. We listened to what you told us." Arisha felt her body's tension rise.

"And Galina agreed to this meeting."

"What do you want to say?" At that moment, Arisha loathed the gratification her self control was denying her.

"The Princess is not our primary priority. I understand your desire to eliminate her, but your operations have the potential to cause great damage."

"More than killing one of your precious Pattern Silvers? More than killing the most powerful of the Pattern Silvers?"

Ranma blinked. "Don't insult me by feigning ignorance. You have the intelligence abilities to start digging around. Even the Princess was able to figure out what's really going on here."

Arisha held the immediate response. She would not rise to the demon's bait. "And that's your warning?"

"I doubt I can convince you to stop trying to kill her, but I can try to convince you to not cause an interdimensional collapse in the process. After all, it'd be hard to spend that money with the cities burned to slag and the countryside covered with giant brain-suckers from beyond space and time." Ranma leaned forward. "Maybe you can sell your services to them. Work out a deal, they can eat you last."

The cyborg's cheek gave a slight twitch, and she wondered if this was what Desyat felt like during her "meeting".

"Come on, you can have an emotional outburst, I don't care." Ranma's face turned serious. "I'm sure Shest has gone over the data, compared it to her own readings. She knows we're serious. She knows what her little device can do."

"She has studied the data." Arisha expected the demon to give a condescending smile of approval. Instead, the redhead gave an absent nod.

"Though just the term inter-dim collapse doesn't really explain what'll happen." Ranma tapped her lips. "I can recommend a few books."

"We've already done a literature survey." Arisha kept her voice level as she recalled the reports Dve'nadtsat wrote. The injured girl attacked the job with a grim gusto, despite certain... setbacks.

And the information was... useful after a fashion. They had been able to determine which of their components were... bugged, if such a descriptor applied to "magic". The rest was useful, if only to give vague boundaries to the yawning abyss before them.

"Good!" Ranma's face brightened. "Now you should be careful, a lot of what's in those old books is crap."

"I think we're bright enough to not try to summon things from eldritch tomes," Arisha eyed the demon.

Ranma gave the cyborg a measured look. "Right. Paranoid but pragmatic," she gave a curt nod. "Good."

"Is that all? Establish some face time to assure some limits? What assurances do we have about your end of the bargain?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be coy. We're not the only ones playing with reality. The Senshi did something, something that caused Shest to set off her pulse. You know that." Arisha sighed. "So, we're supposed to stop weakening reality barriers with our pulses and you're supposed to keep the Senshi from doing something stupid with whatever the hell they've been summoning.

Ranma put out a sigh. "They should know better, and what do you want from the Company?"

"Nothing that we could reasonably ask for. Well, other than you keeping those teenagers in line."

The redhead leaned in, conspiratorially. "Personally, I wouldn't trust the Senshi's word. They haven't exactly shown themselves receptive to Company policy."

"Maybe you need a tighter leash." Arisha smirked.

"Maybe I should just kick them out on the street and let you take care of them." Ranma offered with a bright smile.

Arisha chuckled.

"I'd recommend adapting the methods to block their powers, of course that could be a trap," Ranma shrugged.

"Yes and instead of blocking us from paranormal resistance the whole process tags us." Arisha shook her head. "Infuriating."

Ranma's grin grew showing more teeth. "If they're annoying you that much, just keep killin' 'em."

"We're almost halfway there, of course then she'll be even more dependent on you."

The demon chuckled.

"Not that that's a downside, I suppose."

"So, what do you want?" Ranma asked, keeping her grin.

"To complete the mission." Arisha glared.

"Not what the team wants, not what Galina wants. What do you want?"

Arisha raised an eyebrow, the demon's smile was believably warm, she managed to get her eyes to look friendly. "The mission."

The demon chuckled. "Is that it? Is that really all that you want?" She leaned forward and sniffed the air. The cyborg's scent was a delicate mix of light oils and sweat. "Tell me, there has to be more than that."

"This is silly," the cyborg stated. Looking past the surface amusement on the eyes she saw a familiar... depth. The creature was measuring her, evaluating her, sizing her up, like a weapon, a tool, a piece of meat.

Deliberately looking away, Ranma calmly repeated herself. "Yes, but still.. what do you want?"

Sensing the pointed undercurrent to the question, Arisha clenched her fist. "Alright. Fine. You really want to know what I want? You really want to know the truth?" Her voice rose. "I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the world. I want to see the Russians stretch forth their hand again and command the stars!"

Arisha almost growled. "I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through my life like a woman late for an appointment, afraid to look back or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be! I want..." she paused and smirked. "I want it all back the way that it was!”

Still looking at the water, the demoness pursed her lips slightly.

"There." Arisha sighed. "Does that answer your question?"

The demon returned and once again Arisha felt that heavy gaze fall on her again. Ranma smirked. "Yes... yes it does."

"Is this where you make your counter offer?" Arisha asked, her tone once again controlled.

"Do you think my associates can give you what you want?" the demon asked, her smirk in full bloom.

"I should have known you'd try to tempt me, but I didn't expect it to be so crude. I won't betray them. We were betrayed."

"What if you wouldn't be a traitor?" Ranma warmly asked as she looked out over the water.

"Galina would not accept that logic. She'd see me usurping her authority, rightfully so."

"Don't put her into the position then. Just tell her my offer."

"What is your offer?"

"You didn't know what you were getting into, did you? Despite your powers, the NH world is as alien to you as it is to a normal." Still grinning, Ranma turned back to the cyborg. "But now you've done the research, you know WIC's history, our history. Our organization was old when your dreams of technocratic utopia were young.

"We're more than a mercenary force. In the NH combat field, we're the premier R&D think tank, weapons supplier, and training organization. Government policy bends to our will. You've seen what we've done here, but do you know our history? What we did during the Great Patriotic War?"

"You asked me if I thought your associates could give you what I, what we, want," Arisha stated.

"Yes." Ranma's eyes shined slightly. "We even have the ear of the Seventh Directorate. Would you like to know what information the FSB has on you?"

Arisha set her jaw.

"It's fascinating seeing how their reports match up with the Vatican's, of course the Checkists always had an axe to grind against you girls, they always were jealous of the Red Army." Noticing the other woman's body language, Ranma's expression became more contemplative. It allowed her to recall more of the information Kasumi had drilled into her head in preparation for this meeting.

"How about revenge? Would you like to get back at the traitors that killed your creator? Would you like to bring down their whole corrupt system?"

"Your offers are extravagantly outlandish."

"Really? You don't think your sisters could change things? Moscow would be your playground. We would merely offer intelligence and logistics support."

Outwardly, Arisha scoffed; inwardly she considered. Many times she had brought this very issue up with Galina.

"You've got a lot of special parts. How's your supply of eyes holding out? What about your power systems? Do you have enough lubricants and field repair kits? How about your own dedicated machine shop?"

"And for all this we simply have to give up our current mission?"

"Nah." Ranma chuckled. "Talk with Galina, see what your terms are. If they're good, we'll give you Usagi alive, dead, free, bound, or any other way you prefer."

Arisha stared. Of course the demon would try to tempt her. But demons lied. "You'd abandon a contract so flippantly? Won't that hurt future business?"

The demon's smile died. "Strange words from a communist. Have the years surviving on your own taken that much of a toll? Have you forgotten what it means to fight for something? For something greater than monetary gain?"

Arisha's arms crackled with energy as she moved her hands towards her belt, and her sword hilts.

"Ah, so there's more to your group than exchanging violence for money?"

"Yes," Arisha hissed.

"So it goes with us. We'll take a job, but not when it threatens our existence, our further goals. The princess' stupid, arrogant delusions have cost us a lot of good men."

"They lost people too," Arisha relaxed slightly, fractionally.

Ranma's smile returned. "Shame you didn't kill more of them. Then we'd have less complaining children to deal with."

"We would have killed more, but then you came. You and that insane daughter of yours."

"Heh, well we all make mistakes," Ranma laughed.

"Cutting through a nuclear power cell is not a light matter."

Ranma took a step to the side. "Your fault for carrying something like that."

Arisha frowned. "Is that all?"

"We're done," Ranma turned back to the water. "Just pass along the warning and the offer."

"Would you really give her up? Betray her like that?" Arisha distantly asked, glaring at the demon's back.

"It's a part of doing business, you have to ask yourself if the job is worth it."

Arisha frowned. "I'll convey your message and offer." She waited for the demoness to acknowledge her with a slight nod. The cyborg then stepped back and briskly walked away from the water front. The demon alone with her thoughts began to happily hum.


***************


"This sucks," Makoto tossed a paper airplane against a drab wall.

"Usagi and Setsuna insisted," Rei flatly stated without lifting her head off the pillow.

"And you're okay with that? Them cooping us up in here? We can't hide forever."

"Sure we can." Rei kept her gaze at the ceiling . The steady humming from the vents drew her attention and she wondered how WIC secured them. She was certain that they had some scheme in place.

"If you're bored there's a TV. Or you can order some more clothes that we'll then buy for you." The diminutive redheaded demon narrowed her blue eyes slightly.

"There's nothing on." Makoto had her fill of the local media's "disaster coverage" and none of the cooking shows could keep her attention.

The demoness went back to her gun. "Dinner will be in an hour. Then you'll have something to do," she said without looking up.

"Oh, we're inconveniencing you?"

Morgan shrugged. "Being bored is part of the job. Hurry up and wait."

Makoto snickered.

Rei rolled over to face Makoto's bunk. "I don't like it. Setsuna giving Usagi all this special attention. She's different."

"Yes, Setsuna is," Makoto dryly stated.

"No, I mean after the Russians killed her. This pint-sized-Puu...." Rei trailed off.

"Maybe it's just shock. Mina's not the same either."

Rei shook her head. "Yeah, Mina's not."

Makoto looked at Rei for a few seconds. "What Ami did to her-"

"Changed her. That's why I'm worried about Setsuna. It's like she's gone around to Ranma's way of thinking; Ami's way of thinking."

The brunette frowned.

"You know I'm right." Rei stated.

The phone by the door rang a couple times before Morgan reached over and picked it up. "Graham here. Yes? Alright then." Hanging up, she turned to the two teens. "Get up, we're going to the commissary."

"Our dinner got moved up?" Rei asked.

Morgan shouldered her 25mm rifle, and opened the door. "Sure," she said before motioning to the two agents guarding outside the door.

"What do you think this is about?" Rei quietly asked.

"DarkStar finally snapped and took out Usagi?" Makoto laughed as they walked down the corridor.

"There'd be more noise..."

"And explosions," Rei added with a growl.

Morgan suppressed a grin and opened the door to a conference room.

Inside, was DarkStar, her sister, the young Setsuna, and a stiff-looking Usagi, and one other woman. She held the entirety of Rei and Makoto's attention.

Holding a cup of coffee she stood next to Eve and was only a few centimeters shorter. Glossy grey, almost silver, hair framed her face in short bangs while most of her hair was pulled back in a tight French braid that was folded back up forming a short, tight bun.

Hanging on her shoulder by a leather strap was a long length of wood. At first, Rei mistook it for an old bolt-action rifle, but then she noticed that instead of a metal barrel, a long shaft of blackened crystal was set in the wooden stock. It also lacked a trigger-guard, discernable action, or magazine. The whole device was shaped more like a staff that had one end modified for shouldering and had a pair of forward grips. A golden crescent moon was inset on one side of the staff.

Thin metal gauntlets covered the backs of the woman's hands and disappeared up her sleeves. The woman was dressed in a beige blouse with a high, thin collar. A restrained dark blue silk bow adorned her chest, bearing a closer resemblance to the brood's jamming antennae than the Senshi ribbon and bow.

A dark-navy-blue jacket with gold piping went over the blouse and nearly covered the matching back bow that tied down the woman's skirting. The inner layer was a simple cream, gold trimmed, ankle-length skirt which was mostly covered by overlapping pleats of heavy dark blue material.

Above that was a final layer of consisting of silver-grey armor. It was arranged in thick sections that resembled Venus' metallic armor, save longer, reaching past her knees, and thus more articulated. Heavy leather boots adorned her feet. Each had armored sections on the toes, heels, and tied over the shins.

The only jewelry she wore was above her pale-blue eyes. Unlike Rei's tiara, this one was silver and made thicker, heavier, and instead of a jewel simply had a golden crescent moon at its center.

A broad smiled crossed the woman's face, highlighting the tendons in her long, slender neck, and the slight lines on her... weary face. "Mars, Jupiter. It's good to see you," she stated in a resonant, even voice.

Rei blinked. "What the...."

"Okay, what's going on? Where's Mina?" Makoto looked over and saw Usagi lift herself out of her slouch..

The older woman's smile died. "You don't recognize me? Kiri did; DarkStar did; my daughter, of course, did."

Rei furrowed her brows. "No... you can't be Serenity."

The woman gave a wan smile. "Because no one's ever come back from the dead?"

"Wait, who's Kiri?"

"Kiri, the new Guardian, the late Guardian's sister," the apparent Serenity patiently stated

Makoto went to the teenage blonde. "Usagi what's going on here?"

The princess sighed. "DarkStar came back, should Mother's return really be that surprising?"

Ranma's violet eyes tracked the conversation for a moment and then went back to the slim folder in front of her. On the balance, there was more tangible progress on this front, not to dismiss the potential her earlier meeting could bring, especially if things fell through.

"Yes, there were certain... contingencies in place," Serenity allowed.

"Okay, where's Mina? This is all a bit too cute," Rei stole another glance at the silver-haired woman.

Serenity stepped forward. "Oh? Been a while since someone called me cute," her resonant voice held an amused edge.

"I didn't."

"Slip of the tongue," Standing before the miko, Serenity smirked and looked down at the shorter girl. "And you're still staring at me."

Rei kept herself from swallowing. "Who are you?"

A silver eyebrow raised slightly, and she spoke in that patient, amused voice. "Queen Serenity."

"Right. Setsuna didn't really die and Minako's conveniently absent. So there's obviously some kind of dress-up going on here."

"Really, now?"

"Well we know Setsuna didn't die," Makoto said.

"There was a body, or most of one," the blonde princess reminded.

"Yes, let's assume I'm a body double of some type." Kiri shrugged. "What about the Queen?"

Rei turned to the silent women in the room. "I'm sure the demons know who's who."

"It kept those two on their toes," Eve stated. "Do you think they know who's who?"

"Process of elimination makes it pretty obvious," Ranma replied. "A real test is to see how Akumi reacts to Serenity."

"Since Mina's not dead." Makoto looked between the queen and princess. "So... Serenity and Usagi are both-"

"Don't stray from the official line," Serenity cautioned. "It's for the best."

"Huh, and this getup?" Makoto stepped around the... queen. "It doesn't exactly look like the normal vacuum-tight gown."

"That's after the empire was secured. This –" Queen Serenity fingered her jacket. "is pre-Unification. Imperial Lunar Navy specifically."

"Okay... and the staff? Some sort of crystal... gun?"

Serenity smiled and unslung the weapon. "Mark Four Focus Projector. Standard weapon of the Royal Reconnaissance Commandos."

"Why not use your wand? Isn't that a good focus?"

Serenity pulled out her wand and slid it into a slot on the end of her staff. Once in place she pulled the crescent moon on the end, locking the wand in place and causing a pointed crystal arc to extend out from the weapon's end. "Unlike the Mark Three, the Mark Four can be fitted with nearly any personal focus artifact."

"I still think you should get a Wraith Raider cloak. That would really help things." Ranma leaned back and tapped on her folder.

The blonde princess tilted her head.

Serenity arched a silver eyebrow. "You just want one so your mother can reverse engineer the design."

"We're already working on our own adaptive cammo," Ranma shrugged.

"Really?" Kiri Meiou blinked. "Ah yes... you already can summon clothing of different materials and colors. So... it's just a matter of control?"

"You're talking about those not-really-invisible cloaks?" Rei asked.

"Don't underestimate the ability to have your cammo-pattern change to match local conditions." Ranma stated.

"Indeed." Serenity turned back to Rei and gestured to a chair. "Please. Sit."

Rei slowly sat down. "Right... this seems pretty weird." Watching Serenity nearly stumble as she tried to balance her armor and her staff, the miko gave a slight smile.

"The plan makes sense." Serenity stated, after taking a moment to regain her composure. "We have an intelligence advantage over the Combat Cyborgs."

Sitting next to Rei, Makoto looked around the table and was amazed to find not one smirk or snicker.

"Yea, they don't know Minako and Setsuna aren't dead." Rei said.

"Despite abilities, their experience has been limited to... mundane targets," Kiri explained. "This way they're in the dark about our true capabilities."

"You two had to get disguises, but why do the Princess swap?"

"I can survive the most damage," the girl wearing Usagi's form stated. Posing as the queen's double was the best way she could think to protect her... for now.

Ranma and Kiri both smiled thinly.

"The misdirection does have its limits. They're more than willing to kill all of us," Serenity admitted.

"And why were we kept in the dark?" Rei icily asked. "Didn't trust us? Were you worried about another Ami incident?"

"It was a test," Makoto looked into Serenity's pale eyes. "You wanted to see if you could fool us."

Serenity nodded. "I'm sorry but we had only one chance."

"You two can test your little dress-up against Ami."

Rei kept her face neutral. "Yeah, Ami'd love this. You're doing what she wants. Just look at yourself."

"I'm doing what needs to be done." For the first time, Serenity's reverberating voice gained a harsh edge.

"Dress-up?" Rei asked.

"We couldn't win against the Russians. I need the Company." Serenity tapped her armored hand on the table.

"You should have told us!"

The silver-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a democracy. I am your Queen. That is not pretend."

Reluctantly Rei broke eye contact and looked down.

"We might be able to win," Makoto allowed. "We do have some heavy attacks. Stuff that even they can't brush off."

"Hitting them would be a problem. They're rather agile and we haven't had a good track record at getting our attacks to connect," Kiri reminded.

Serenity raised her arm. "Enough, we've got work to do. DarkStar if you'll start."

A ghost of a smirk on her face Ranma opened her folder. "Okay, we've got a lot of work and not much time. Earlier today contact was made with a representative of the Combat Cyborgs."

"You talked with them?" Rei asked.

"Yes, Arisha Dva. I explained to her the devastating effects of their dimensional pulse device. She also stated the belief that they had killed several of you."

"So, they think Minako and Setsuna are dead?" Makoto asked.

"No, they said that they killed several of you," Ranma clarified. "She could have been lying to me. I know I was."

"You made the offer?" Serenity stopped as she worked through the best way to phrase her next statement. "You know I'm not comfortable with that... deal."

"It's a legitimate Psychological Operation. We want them to be unsure of what they're facing. What the rules are. Who their opponents are. We can feed them misinformation and make them doubt information they already have." Eve was firm but reassuring.

"It just seems so... wrong. Lying like that."

"Lying to people that want to kill your daughter." Ranma tapped her fingers on the table. "Interesting sense of fair play you've gotten."

"Really though, using me... her as bait?"

Ranma looked over the silver-haired woman. "You should talk with your daughter about the dangers of making deals with demons, then."

"But I-" Serenity winced and shut her mouth.

The princess turned to Serenity. "It's okay, Mother. I screwed up." Her voice was stiff and slightly mechanical. She knew there was no limit to what she would do to protect the Queen; she had already died for her.

Rei's tension abated somewhat. The disguise was far from perfect then.

Ranma looked to Kiri. "Yes I definitely think the Queen needs another session."

Serenity stiffened slightly.

"The meeting was enough of a success. We conveyed the information and avoided casualties. However, afterwards we lost track of Arisha and have yet to hear their response to our offer."

"Tell me when you hear what their response is." Serenity fingered her staff.

"Of course," Ranma smoothly assured.

"If they keep using that pulse we can have some real problems," Kiri added.

"Yes." Ranma flipped to a different page. "Okay, basic training plans."

"We've been trained." Rei stated.

The redhead chuckled.

***************


Inside one of the reconditioned Quonset huts on the opaquely-named Post-Incident Training Grounds a meeting began.
Major Sifton looked at his assembled men. Many were looking at the WIC personnel at the front of the room with slight apprehension. Company officers wearing battle-dress usually meant combat drills and war games, while dress uniforms meant lectures. It looked like tonight was another training mission; looks were deceiving.

Sifton's gaze checked out his platoon. At an initial glance they were all wearing their Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) uniforms, and had their equipment and weapons at hand. He cleared his throat. "Tonight we will not be training. Lieutenant Hill."

"Sir." At his side Lieutenant Hanna Hill activated the projector. "At sixteen hundred a 427 SOAS Heron UAV was on routine patrol. It was fitted with a Mark Seven Ostar Pattern Detector."

The room quieted. "Sir, what did they find?" Sergeant MacDowell asked.

"Peterborough. A cluster of Pattern D. Low emission. They're either not very powerful, or they're good, but not perfect, at masking their output." Hill gave a slight glance at the redhead that stood off to the side. "Local police have not recorded a spike in missing persons or murders," Hanna stated as the map of Peterborough, a town about a hundred kilometers Northeast of Toronto, was replaced by an aerial photo of a house.

"Now that means a couple things. They could be hunting somewhere else, or they're not killing their meals. Command has seen fit to send us in to investigate." Major Sifton explained, watching his troops stiffen slightly.

"Sir, this is not a Search and Destroy?" Master Corporal Pattison asked.

"Correct. As far as we know, these people have committed no crime. However, they are non-humans unknown to us or the Company. WIC will be sending a small team of observers." Sifton gestured to the side. "Lieutenant Tendo and Special Contractor Saotome, Ranma will head the observation tem. Hill and Tendo will explain our continued intelligence."

Lieutenant Tendo strode forward and began her presentation. "We do not know the intent of this NH group. Your government intends a policy of registration and monitoring. Any hostility on the part of the non-humans would warrant immediate action. And currently the government does not have suitable long term detention facilities."

Pausing, Kasumi gauged the soldier's reaction. They understood. "Keep in mind, the abilities Pattern Ds have. If they are to turn hostile, the situation can get very ugly very quickly. Keep your fields of fire clear and maintain trigger discipline. Be ready, especially in a close quarters situation. Inter-dim countermeasures will be operational, preventing enemy teleportation."

"Also remember the close range limitations of your C1A1's under-slung 40mm. You may decide that getting torn apart by shrapnel is preferable to getting torn apart by a Pattern D. However at close ranges 7.62 NATO should suffice." Tendo smirked slightly.

"Current over-flight has the Pattern-Ds being stationary. They may or may not be nocturnal," Hill explained. "The police have given us the information on who owns the house and the listed tenants. Reportedly, half a dozen young, attractive females. The location has fallen under some police attention for solicitation, but nothing stuck."

A couple minutes into the presentation Sifton cleared his throat to cut down the gradually growing muttering. "Settle down. I don't like the ambiguity either, I know you'd rather you were going after those cyborgs that tore up Toronto, but this is the job. We don't know what we're getting into or if they're even hostile. We've faced situations like this before, we've prepared for this mission and we will prevail. After the Lieutenants finish, the operation will commence."

Kasumi nodded and went back to her NH overview. JTF2 certainly had the skills and the spirit, but it remained to be seen how they would react to the unreality of NH combat.


End chapter

Author's Notes. Ranma's scene where she tempts Arisha has a sequence familiar to any Babylon 5 fans.

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek..


Revision notes; Well, this is the first time I actually had to cut a sequence from this story. Long time readers may note the scene with Usagi and Ranma, and Eve and Pluto is not a bit... different. This is more of my, albeit long delayed, realization that the critiques of Ranma's attitude towards Usagi was too harsh were, well, correct.

 

The Return
A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.
By Sunshine Temple

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at my fanfiction website.
http://jtemple.florestica.com/

Temporary Backup Site.
http://www.fukufics.com/fic/


Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku
http://fukufics.com

C&C is appreciated.

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 5: Finding Leftovers
Formerly: Replacements and Remembrance Part 1ii


Galina winced at the garish assault. The broad-shouldered figure before her reinforced Arisha's constant complaints. The Capitalists were clueless and decadent, eternally chasing material wealth. Shiny shoes of ray-skin peeked out of flared plaid pants. Somehow, the ironed creases and spotless condition underscored the... wrongness of the pattern. Regrettably, his suit-coat matched. It continued the same grey, green, and yellow pattern. Wide lapels and shoulder pads complimented, or at least were congruent with, the pinstripe cream-colored shirt and fat spotted and diagonally striped tie.

Smoked aviator style glasses obscured his eyes, and the rest of his craggy face kept a neutral expression. Given the strength of his chin and nose, his middle parted, ear covering, oiled hair seemed too... soft and... wet.

Galina sighed as the man sat down next to her. "Do you really have to do this? You look like a historical relic."

The man put his briefcase and suit-bag down next to him. As he ordered a gin and tonic, Galina noted his pinky ring. The plain silver band contained a single spherical iridescent stone.

The man took a sip and looked around the darkened bar. "Do you really want to get into an argument over who's equipment is more... dated?"

"No. I want minimal fuss. If you insist on playing cute games you can go back to New Caledonia."

After contemplating his drink, he drained his glass. "I came here didn't I?"

Galina stood up. "As long as you understand your place, Mal."

Placing a couple bills on the bar, Mal chuckled. "My place? Don't worry, I know my place."

The two exited the bar and crossed an alleyway. "Fine. We can go over protocols later, but I want to know-" Still speaking she flicked a pair of blades. As Galina drove her knives forward she saw that he had stepped back.

Instead of getting stabbed or clumsily attempting to block, he simply moved out of the blades' paths. She flipped one knife over and gave an upward thrust, and saw that he had already shifted his stance. Her other arm came in and in a feint stopped just in front of his neck. This time he held his ground. Her weapons still, she frowned slightly.

Mal simply put his sunglasses away and straightened his coat. "That was slower than I expected."

"You expected," Galina repeated, replaying the footage on her heads up display. His reaction... preceded her action. "Good. Nice to see you still have it de Veste." She slipped her knives out of sight.

Mal de Veste gave a slight bow. "As advertised."

"You understand why I had to be sure?" As they walked, Galina stressed the second word.

"Why? I can guess why you did it," de Veste shifted his suit-bag. "We've never... met and only have each other's reputations to go on."

"Kiev."

Mal nodded.

"Same time, but different... 'clients'." Galina looked up at the sky. She was reluctant to hire him, but they needed something... more. Something to compliment the areas they were weak in.

de Veste nodded. "Lovely euphemism."

"Impressions?"

"I was surprised." Smirking at his apparent joke, de Veste turned to the cyborg. "This isn't your normal style. Your little ballet company should be in its next city."

Galina cocked an eyebrow. "That we are even talking shows the strangeness of the situation we've come to."

"It's bad," Mal stated as they waited for the crosswalk light to change.

"Is that your... professional evaluation?"

Mal tapped his foot. "You know the situation on the ground better than I do. You're the one that thought I'd be worth the expense. Rumor has it, I'm not the only one you're courting. Combine that with recent events, and what conclusion am I supposed to reach?"

"Then I guess I don't need to brief you."

"Compartmentalization level is your prerogative." The man shrugged. "However..."

Galina slipped an arm into her coat. "Yes?"

"Do you know why you were hired?"

"That's not a question we ask," Galina automatically replied.

"Bullshit. Everyone worth their salt digs around. Insurance is just good business sense. It's important. We're hired to perform a task, and sometimes we need more information on how to perform it."

"And?"

"Compare the situation you're in, with the profile of your... benefactor."

The pair stopped in front of a hotel. "You don't need to worry about that," Galina crisply stated.

"Naturally. In this example, my benefactor is... you and my client..." Mal chuckled again. "The question becomes, how much of this is a problem for you? What are your terms?"

"Is this something you need to know?"

"Given events there seems to be some play in permitted... exuberance. I need to know how far I'm allowed to go."

Galina sighed and stepped into the building. "Fair point. A subcontractor's actions could reflect badly."

They crossed the lobby. "Then the latitude I'll be allowed?

"Do not concern yourself with... offending our benefactor." Galina cleared her throat as the two made it to the elevator bank. "That is not an issue. Completing your assigned tasks is far more important."

"I see." Mal blinked. "Well, that certainly makes things simpler." He watched the Russian girl summon the lift.

Stepping into the elevator, Galina gave a curt nod. "Just remember, while you don't have to answer to our benefactor, you do have to answer to me."

Following her, Mal gave an oily smile. "Not a problem."

***************


"So... the big bow... it's really a jammer?" Sergeant Brummet asked.

Across the cramped transport, Agent Sophie nodded.

"You really think they'd wear something if it didn't have a purpose, Sarge?" Corporal Giddings asked.

"I'm not too fond of the ribbon and skirt combination myself," Sophie noted.

"Then you really wouldn't have liked our old uniforms," Misako noted, cradling the bulk of her grenade launcher. Her horns tingled with an odd sense of... apprehension that felt familiar.

Sophie shook her head.

"I think they were good looking," Misako haughtily sniffed.

"Bare midriffs, miniskirts, and high heels do not mix with combat," Sophie replied.

"And to think you were born female," Misako shook her head.

"Really?" Corporal Lily Green turned to Sophie.

Sophie nodded.

"Figures."

"How so?" Brummet asked.

"Because there's two kinds of succubae. The normal ones and the 'I feel so pretty' ones."

Sophie chuckled. "Yes, it's like whenever a soldier trades in his penis he gets a makeup kit instead."

"It's not-" Brummet went between Misako's prim and Sophie's little smirk. "It is that bad?"

"Having second thoughts about getting to use one of these?" Sophie hefted her Pug.

Olsen stared at the thick bullpup rifle. "That does put a... damper on the appeal."

"Ma'am, anything else? Anything we should watch for?" Bishop asked from the back of the troop compartment.

Warrant Officer Jeff Pyke gave a silent nod. Curiosity was good, whatever could ease his squad's nerves. Every battle was different, but it had been a long time since his men had faced anything this different.

"Tails are a major sign of mood." Sophie said.

"Yes, watch to see when they go straight and start to rise up," Brummet nodded. "What else?"

"Assume everyone is hostile. Just because they're human doesn't mean they can't attack you. Some demons have humans serving them enthralled , employed, or willingly." Sophie shifted her bow. "Light discipline. That's a major issue."

"Oh?" Green raised her eyebrows.

Sophie's eyes flared in a quick glow.

"Ah, you always do that?"

"It's when we get emotional. Training can control it, like the glow on our claws, but a lot of Pattern D's don't bother with it," Sophie said, rubbing her eyes. "The real advantage is eventually, you can use the eyeglow as a weapon."

"Don't forget the flaming auras we can generate."

"Right, those shields." Brummet frowned. "You get small arms protection, at the cost of being lit up like a Christmas tree."

"That's why we wear these bulky things." Sophie lifted up one of her skirt's armored pleats.

"And a burst of 7.62 will go through those flames, correct?" Green knew what they had been told in the lectures but she wanted to hear it again.

"For all but the most powerful Pattern D's. Otherwise concentrated fire will pierce it, and remember to keep an eye on those you shoot."

"Regeneration, right," Brummet noted.

"What about the cyborgs? What if this is one of their ploys?"

"The blonde they're targeting isn't here," Misako grunted.

"She may not be, but four members of the Fifth NH are," Corporal Green explained.

"Lil, wouldn't they use the split forces to attack where WIC's holding the target?" Brummet asked.

"They could; they could also try to thin out the enemy a bit," Lilly Green stated.

"That's why you were briefed," Sophie reminded. "They are extremely armored. Small arms can be used to keep them from getting too close, but that's about it. Rockets, heavy machine guns, grenades. It takes a few bursts from this – " Sophie hefted her 17mm Pug. "- to crack their armor."

"Well, shit." Brummet sighed.

"Fight them like an armored vehicle, not a soldier. Go for the eyes and the joints or at least go at the same spot. Standard NH rules apply. If they close-in, that's it," Sophie shrugged. "Worse they're quick. They will try to close in."

"Speaking of armored vehicles-" Bishop looked around the compartment. "They blew up some of yours." His question about vehicle survivability hung unasked.

"We had more armor than this Rheinmetal YAK." Sophie gave a resigned shrug. "Still, if the brass thought the cyborgs were a risk we'd be going in by helicopter too or at least using LAV 3's."

"Unless they thought that would be too provocative," Bishop sighed.

"They're real fast little buggers. Area weapons may be your best bet," Misako added.

"We were briefed on this." Giddings opened an eye. "Do we have to spend the trip worrying about all the ways we can get killed?"

"There could be some Assembly remnants. They take a dim view on those that collaborate with demons," Misako smirked.

"And a smattering of Pattern V. Plus whatever cultist groups managed to smuggle themselves into the area."

"You've got a real mess here don'cha?" Giddings sighed.

"Now, now trooper, it's your mess now," Sophie dryly said.

"Think the Pattern Ds have moved?" Bishop asked.

"Nope, they'd have radioed us if the situation had changed. After all, officers do not make mistakes." Warrant Officer Pyke sagely assured.

Brummet laughed. "Of course Warrant."

"The thing that worries me is that you demons can smell each other, at a pretty good range," Pyke drawled. "You can smell them, they can smell you? What's to keep them from getting tipped off early?"

Sophie looked towards the senior non-com. "Like our light discipline there's emission training and some scent suppressants."

"Ah, deodorant. Jolly good then." Pyke leaned back.

"They'll hear the helicopter and these giant trucks first." Misako rolled her eyes; she had tried to explain to mother the redundancy of scent reduction, but she would not be swayed.

Sophie sighed. It was not an antiperspirant; it was not an odor blocker; it simply helped dampen the pattern emissions. However, she knew it would be pointless to argue the point.

"And I'm sure the timing is going to work out just fine," Brummet dryly noted.

"I think the helicopter will wait for us," Pyke noted.

"Unless things really go to hell. Then Red-"

"Red? That's –uh- Ranma right? The redheaded demon?" Green asked.

Sophie nodded. "Yes. Red, Morrison, and Lieutenant Tendo will go in themselves." Sophie said with a careful lack of guile. "I'm sure First Squad will deploy right with them."

"It will save us some trouble then," Brummet noted.

"You could have had the sense to not volunteer," Giddings sardonically noted.

"Sense? To not volunteer? What unit do you think this is?"

"Clam up," Pyke stated after checking with the driver and his radio. "We're four minutes out."

Sophie gave an appreciable nod as the troopers shifted to a more attentive position. With the fluid yet thorough motions of a familiar routine, they rechecked their equipment. One of the corporals stood up and manned the machine-gun in the custom-installed roof turret.

The YAK stopped on a quiet forest road. With the roof turret tracking the woods to the side, the doors opened and a trio of soldiers rushed out. They immediately went prone and trained their weapons. The next group to egress went past the first, and established themselves at the tree-line.

Controlling his breathing, Brummet ran through the evergreen grove. Taking cover by a lone tree he looked forward. The greenish light of his goggles revealed a mundane-looking house just ahead. Looking through the windows he could make out several people.

He briefly switched to the Pattern scanner and his grip tightened. Freeing his left hand he held it back, palm forward, then extended all his fingers, save his middle, and finally pulled in his ring and pinky finger.

Green put up her left hand, made a circle with her thumb and pointer, and extended her other fingers. After signaling that she understood, she repeated Olsen's hand signals. "Stop. Eight, D."

Hearing only the soft steps of his comrades, Olsen waited. They were prone and camouflaged, but that did not help much, not if one of the Pattern D's bothered to look outside. The helicopters should be here. The other squads should be in place. Keeping his weapon ready, he studied the house. There was a back porch that had several steps leading up to it. From there the kitchen could be reached.

"Third Squad is in position." Master Corporal Pattison's voice hissed over the radio.

"First Squad is on final approach," Lieutenant Hill stated.

"Pattern D recognized." Misako paused and sniffed the air. "Alexia's brood!" She added, the low volume belied the urgency in her tone.

Listening to the weighted silence, Brummet set his teeth. He knew the officers were deliberating; he had read the reports. Having turned at least a hundred people, Alexia felt that quantity had a quality all its own

"Second Squad. Plan Horse." Shifton's voice cut in.

Olsen turned just enough to see Lily and Cordell give affirmative responses to his latest hand signal. Looking further to the side he could tell the rest of the squad was ready. Heart steadily pounding, he burst from the tree-line. Pounding footsteps followed him.

He ran to the deck and vaulted over the low guardrail and fired a burst into the kitchen window. Catching a glimpse of a shocked woman with long, curly hair, Olsen rushed to the side, and out of a line of sight. He closed his eyes as Green threw a flash grenade. After the rumbling pop, he opened his eyes and went back to the window.

A split second judgment call was made. The woman was pale, but had no weapons drawn. "Down on the ground!" he shouted; gun sighted at her head.

Cord had breached the door and was followed into the room by Lilly. Their guns went up and the demon acquiesced, nearly tumbling to the floor. Shouts came from further in the house and the rest of Second Squad pushed though the kitchen. Olsen watched them assemble, then rush round a corner vanishing out of sight. There was more shouting followed by some bawling.

Making sure that Cord and Lilly had the first demon covered, Olsen entered the house. His weapon immediately trained on the weeping woman. Lifting up his goggles, he took quick stock of the room.

The kitchen was dominated by a worn, deeply scratched, but polished oak table. Several mismatched chairs encircled it. Broken glass from the blown window had covered the stovetop and collected on the stewpot's lid. The fridge displayed a vast spectrum of artistic quality. From fairly realistic landscape sketches to crude colorings.

"Kitchen secure. One Pattern D," Olsen radioed. "Cord, check the fridge and the stove." Somewhat distantly, Olsen heard the thumping of troopers upstairs, more glass breaking, and helicopters. The absence of gunfire loomed in his mind.

"Living room secure. Four Pattern D," Pyke radioed.

"Bedroom secure. Two Pattern D," Hill stated, breathing heavily. "Count match?"

"Confirmed, all patterns accounted for," Pyke replied his tone tight. "Commencing building search."

"Fridge looks clean," Giddings reported. "Looks like normal stuff from the supermarket." He then went over to the stove and shut off the burner. Using a gloved hand he swept the glass off the lid and carefully eased it up. "Not seeing anything here, but it's stew - could be anything."

"I think we got it," Olsen sighed in a measure of relief. "Cord get back here." Giddings resumed covering the demon and Olsen then made sure his attention was on the room's egress points and on their... prisoner.

The demon had long lavender hair with a slight curl. A plain white dress was rumpled by her prone position. Still crying, her body shivered slightly and her hands flexed occasionally.

"Don't." Lily coldly stated making sure that she was out of tail range.. "Extend your claws and we'll end you."

Keeping his C1A1 at the ready, Olsen sidestepped into the living room, and blinked. The room was crowded with a long sectional sofa, two loveseats, some beanbag chairs and a few thick blankets. Like in the kitchen, the furniture here was worn, especially the blocky pine coffee table, but well-cared for.

Olsen scanned the various end tables and nooks, looking for anything suspicious. House clearing was a nightmare. There were too many places a person could hide: in cabinets, under piles of laundry, behind appliances, in closets, under beds, in drop-ceilings. And smaller things could be stashed in even more places.

Still this was the job and he started to search. Instead of contraband he found a rather normal smattering of movies and games. Though they were more of the "little-princess" variety. Spilled on the table was a couple fashion magazines, some pornography and an open coloring book, with adjacent crayons.

Part of the room featured a sleek modernity that jarred with the rest. This wall was dominated by an immense TV which was hooked to a movie player and a couple videogame systems.

However, usurping all this was a curious tableau. The 'intimate' room was made even more cramped by the presence of over half a dozen armed, armored troopers, all of them cautiously covering four stunned girls, demons. The raw number of warm bodies was actually a major impediment to Olsen's search.

He noted that some of Third Squad had joined in the effort. Which fit the plan, their role was to support the assault by covering the front of the house and deploy inside, when needed.

The harsh scent of urine hung in the air and Olsen noted the telltale stain running from a loveseat to the floor where one of the demons, a petite delicate-looking thing with white hair curled into tight ringlets, lay. The shocked crying was much more intense than in the kitchen

"Any problems?" Olsen asked, feeling his blood pulsing through his face.

"So far so good," Pyke stated, a calculating expression forming. "Keep it up, men. The major's about here, then we'll get this all sorted out. Bonhomme, Tahnee, and Jones are checking out the basement."

Olsen held his tongue. Yes, they thought they had secured all the Pattern D's in the building, but even so sending three people to clear an entire floor, and a basement of all things seemed ill-advised.

One of the demons, a lanky girl with a pair of short black ponytails tried to slide to the little white-haired demon.

"Put your arm back. No touching." Pyke ordered as he shifted his gun to the offending target.

The tall demoness froze and then reluctantly withdrew her hand. Sensing the abandonment, the petite succubus renewed her sobbing.

"Yeah, the Major's gonna sort this all out," Pyke groused.

The demons' crying suddenly increased in volume and intensity. "He better get in here quick, or they'll make the decision for us." Olsen swore and returned to the kitchen.

"Please! Kill them now!" the demoness from the kitchen begged, her voice loud and panicked. "Don't let Her get them."

"What the hell's going on? She's freaking out." Lilly kept aim on the despondent demon.

"I don't know. LT, Major, yhe prisoners are getting mighty antsy," Olsen radioed.

"Yes, we have an idea why," Major Sifton replied as he stepped through the ajar front door. The demons immediately settled down, mute horror blanketing their emotions.

Feeling almost a cold... tightness, Olsen looked over and saw the redhead follow the officer into the room. Olsen did not need to look at his scanner. He could tell visually that the redhead was something else; she was far beyond the weeping examples they had captured. The room seemed to re-center, and focus on Her.

"Misako was right." She stepped into the living room, and gave a brisk nod to the JTF2 troopers. "Now, what are Alexia's spawn doing here?" She crouched down and studied the demons, who tried to slide away from the redhead.

"I was under the impression that they were all dead," Sifton noted.

"Credit your men's skill for the survival of this batch." Ranma returned to her full height. "Would have taken just one batch of nerves, one heavy trigger finger."

"So, we pass?"

Ranma chuckled. "On no, you still have the most difficult part. Figuring out what to do with them."

"Ah, interviews." Sifton turned to Pyke. "Jeff, Any... contraband found?"

Warrant Officer Jeff Pyke shook his head. "I've had the men search the rooms, the basement, even poke through the attic. So far, it's clean. Sure, they could be hiding something but we'll need dogs and start taking apart the walls to really be sure."

"Any idea who's the leader? Broods have matriarchs, or at least elder members."

"I think we've got her, Sir" Olsen interjected.

Major Sifton turned to the kitchen. "Oh?"

Olsen looked down at the woman, despite being tightly closed, her eyes still leaked tears "She was begging us to kill them, before Ranma came in," he added.

"Misako, get in here," Ranma radioed as she stepped towards the kitchen. "Hmm... good guess. She's the oldest."

"This about the runts?" Using the abused back door, Misako stepped into the kitchen. She looked down and saw the prone demoness shiver.

"You know 'em?"

Misako frowned and tilted her head. "They're Mother-Alexia's for sure." The coiffed demon sighed. "Huh, guess she didn't get us all killed."

"Mistress Aurora.... please... convince your... Mother to make it quick." the prone demoness pleaded.

Careful to give the Canadians a clear line of fire, Ranma knelt down by the demoness. "I only killed your sisters because they attacked me and mine. If you're not a threat, I won't hurt you."

The crying demoness twisted her head up, a sliver of hope entered her terror-filled lavender eyes.

"But if you are a threat, I'll eat your heart."

"And my dau- my sisters?" She lowered her head. "They don't deserve this. They pleased Mother. They behave. They're good girls."

"Green, Giddings, let her take a seat," Sifton turned to Ranma. "If you think that's prudent."

"We don't need the thumbscrews." Ranma reached out and took the demoness' arm. She squirmed at the redhead's grip but then calmed under the more powerful being's influence. Ranma then guided her towards the kitchen table and into a seat that Olsen had pulled out.

The older of Alexia's remnants, sat at the head of the long table, while Major Sifton and Ranma sat at the other. Flanking them was Corporal Lily Green and Corporal Cordell Giddings, both of whom had their guns leveled at the demoness.

"What's your name?" Sifton gently asked, discreetly activating his recorder.

The demoness bit her lip. " Cecilia, now. I... I was... Casey Kirchhoff."

"Why didn't Alexia use you in battle?"

Cecilia leaned so she could look into the living room. "We weren't fighters. Mother had us for her pleasure. We helped with... recruiting."

Sympathy colored Major Sifton's face, but he still made sure his troops had their weapons on target.

Misako shook her head. "No... I'm pretty sure you guys died in that office battle."

"Many of us did. After that..." Cecilia shrugged. It was a resigned, empty little gesture. "Mother kept us away. Kept us safe. That's when she started splitting up her brood. So you..." She glanced at Ranma, and lowered her head. "So you wouldn't get us."

"We know Alexia split up her brood, but we thought she threw all her cells at us. We certainly didn't detect any of them," Ranma stated.

"Not until we started scanning further out," Major Sifton corrected. "Are there any groups left?"

"I don't think so." Cecilia frowned. "Mother didn't tell us much, but at the end..." She sighed. "There just wasn't much left. She had heirs, she had some warriors, and she had... us."

Sifton turned to Ranma.

"She's telling the truth." The redhead sniffed. "But as she said, Alexia wouldn't tell these girls her plans."

"Why not? Yuki was her brain-trust," Misako smirked.

Wondering why DarkStar let Aurora have such a loose mouth, Cecilia held her tongue. The spark had caught and a tiny hope bloomed in her. Serving a new Mother would not be bad, especially compared to the alternative. Insubordinate as she was, Aurora had grown in strength and honed her edge, and had lost that garish false-tan she and Mother favored.

"It's just you and your seven sisters?" Sifton asked.

"Yes my sisters." The terrified young woman seemed to pause at that. "Christine, Meredith, Priscilla, Isabel, Kirsten. Hazel, and Desiree."

"And I thought I had to take care of a lot of broodlings. Your hands must be very full." Ranma said with a touch of admiration.

Cecilia stared a shocked blush creeping up her cheeks. "Uh... thanks. I didn't... I'm sure my girls will be good servants and mates."

Ranma blinked.

Wincing, Cecilia lowered her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean... I was just... hoping. If you're not going to kill my family, what are you going to do with them?" she asked, her eyes looking to the stew; it was sure to be cold by now. At least one of the soldiers had thought to turn off the stove.

The redhead leveled her gaze; dark purple eyes staring into light lavender. "Have you heard of the phrase 'No greater friend no worse enemy.' ?"

"You got that from Morrison," Misako drawled.

Ranma rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Still..." She turned back to Cecilia. "You have options. You can be our enemy, and be destroyed. Or you can be our ally and be protected."

"As cowboy as it sounds, it really is with us or against us," Sifton added. "If you've been killing people and treating them like cattle, we will learn of it."

Cecilia shook her head. "No, I never!"

"There are eight hungry mouths in this house. What do you do for food?" Sifton asked.

"There's a reason we have dinner so late," Cecilia chewed her lip. "I work... evenings."

"Ah." Ranma nodded.

"Is that how you get money too?" Sifton asked.

Cecilia nodded. "It's easy work. We don't need much money or energy, and it's low risk. Mother always created such a... mess. Without her, we couldn't risk the attention."

"How many work?" Ranma asked.

"Just me." Cecilia leaned back. "I thought it would be too much risk. The others are so... special. Meredith watches the house when I'm at work."

"Supporting a family of eight on your own?" Misako did some quick math in her head. "Your clients must love you."

"I am a succubus," Cecilia said, her pride hurt slightly.

"We do have a distinct advantage over our human competition," Ranma nodded. "You're independent right?"

Cecilia nodded.

Sifton turned slightly to Ranma. "How'd you make that guess?"

"WIC tries to watch all the organized prostitutes and brothels. It's a natural place for energy draining NH's to work." Ranma omitted that the Drake's... experience had helped fill out the Company dossiers on said organizations.

"I've got a few other girls I talk with, but my reputation..." Cecilia gave a little smirk. "I don't have a problem finding people willing to meet my rates. I suppose you'd want a client list."

"Yes, we'll need all your information. Everything." Sifton stated.

"Privacy is for humans," Ranma's sardonic tone had a sharp undercurrent.

Cecilia nodded her head. "I'll do whatever you say. But please, could you let my sisters have a bit more comfortable seating? And it smells like some of them got a bit... scared, can fresh clothes be arranged?"

"We can make those arrangements." Sifton noted Ranma's slight nod at his statement.

'Thank you," Cecilia bowed her head.

"Warrant Young. Have your two prisoners pick out four sets of clothing. Then escort them down. Take some men from Second Squad to help," Sifton radioed.

"Change of clothes, Sir?" Warrant Officer Francis Young asked. He looked around the bedroom and made sure his men had kept trigger discipline and clear lines of fire.

"That's correct. We've been having a nice chat with the elder Pattern D, been real civilized here," Sifton dryly remarked.

"Yes, Sir." Young turned to his men. "Billy, you and Pete help these.... girls get some clothes."

"What's going on?" One of the succubae asked. Her hair was a light green and was pulled in a short ponytail just above her left ear. She was laying on one of several large mattresses that took up two-thirds of the bedroom. The thick blankets that covered them had been tossed to one side when the troops cleared the room. The other third of the room had a few wardrobes and dressers. All were worn, but well-cared for, and were filled with clothing and other baubles and "toys".

"Meredith, that was Cecilia the eldest. She wants you and Desiree to get some clothes for the rest of your sisters," Young explained.

The demon with the side-ponytail blinked. "Ma- Cecilia did that?"

"We're gonna be okay?" the other succubus, Desiree asked.

"Maybe," Sergeant Billy MacDowell allowed with a cough. He looked over to see Young ordering for some more troops to come upstairs. The sergeant then turned to the other squad members.

"Thank goodness," Meredith sighed, leaning up a bit on the mattress. The longer they stayed alive the more... confident she felt. She knew some of Cecelia's worries and being taken by another powerful group seemed the best they could hope for.

"Come on guys, let's get something organized." Still keeping an eye on the demons, Billy shifted over to the dressers and wardrobes.

"From the Dress-up Trunk?" Desiree asked.

"Nothing too flashy," Meredith cautioned.

Young nodded his head and motioned for the smaller demoness to cross the room. Two soldiers stood to one side and tracked her movements. Momentarily distracted from the night's trials, she hummed the theme-song to a cheery children's show.

"Open it slowly," MacDowell cautioned as he angled himself. They had checked out the trunk before, but there could be a hidden compartment.

Desiree opened the trunk and slowly, carefully removed a top lid. On one side were colorful costumes, on the other side were plain clothes. She went for the latter and started slipping out blouses and undergarments.

"Better get some washcloths too," Tahnee said after she and Bonhomme entered the room. "Make things a bit easier for the girls."

"Keep your hands where I can see them," MacDowell warned Desiree.

"We're ready?" Young asked.

Desiree and Meredith nodded.

"Second Squad, we're going downstairs with two Pattern D's," Young radioed.

"Understood." Pyke replied. "Bishop, Jones, mind the stairs."

Nostrils flaring, Misako shook her head. It was strange.... seeing them alive.

Ranma leaned over and watched the procession. The troops peeled back and let Desiree and Meredith join their sisters. She smirked a bit at how crowded the living room had become.

Watching the succubae reunite and help clean themselves, a relieved smile formed on Cecelia's face. "Thank you."

Ranma gave a curt nod. She then turned to her apprehensive daughter. "Go get Kasumi."

"Right." Misako stepped out of the kitchen and into the night air. Tracking the tree-line, she inhaled the night air. While she could still sense her... relatives, at least the scent was no longer as... pungent. Giving a slight apathetic shrug, she reshouldered Sasha and went around the building.

Creeping in an oblique route she made it to Third squadron and the Company troops. A small smirk formed when one of the Canadians challenged her as she approached. "Hey, LT" the demon said, after getting to the loose position. Overlooking a cul-de-sac, it covered the house's forward approach.

"Yes?" Kasumi asked.

"Mother wants you in the house; I think she wants help on processing the... demons."

Kasumi noted Misako's tone. "She could have radioed."

"I think she was being clever," Misako's eyes darted to the side.

Looking up, Sophie kept her Pug at the ready. Despite her strength, and her training the weapon's weight pulled at her arms.

"Sounds like we burst into a bunch of nice little girls," Warrant Officer John A. Macdonald noted, skepticism entering his voice.

"Things can still go bad," Kasumi noted, having a fair idea why her former fiancee sent her daughter outside. "Good idea Misa, you stay here with Morrison and Third Squad. I'll take Sophie with me."

Sophie got to her feet and followed her former commanding officer.

"Bad blood between Misako and the old family?" Sophie whispered.

"That and she is a blunt instrument. Not exactly what you want for a polite interview."

"Better to send a newborn demon?" Sophie asked.

"You do need the experience."

Covering the lieutenant, Sophie crossed the threshold. Entering the brood's lair, their scents magnified and their presence grew much stronger. Reflexively her elbows tightened to her body, stabilizing her weapon further.

"How old do you think they are?" Kasumi asked, glancing at her scanner display

"They're too young. They had to have been made well after Alexia died." Sophie noted the JTF2 troopers part and reposition their weapons to let them pass. They gave her even more room than they gave Lieutenant Tendo. However, Sophie's wings, even folded up, did give her a bigger silhouette.

"You're forgetting diet. Not everyone eats as well as your family," Kasumi noted as they stepped into the kitchen. "Also, Alexia is the kind of monster to stunt her daughter's development," the officer bitterly added.

"Yeah..." Sophie looked at the broodlings huddled around the kitchen table. They had more power than her. One with a ponytail on the side of her head and another with long curly lavender hair comforting the others, who were nervously, slowly eating.

"That's not very diplomatic," Ranma noted from the far side of the kitchen.

Cecilia looked up as Kasumi and Sophie entered. "You have a sister?" she asked Ranma after taking in the new demon's scent and categorizing it as a niece.

Ranma nodded.

Pulling her right leg back and bending her knees slightly, Sophie shifted into a more natural stance. She tightened her wings and her tail hung loose and low. Her gun was pointed down but held at the ready. The demon before her was not as powerful as any of Red's spawn, but she was definitely brood mother material.

Cecilia looked up from the pot she was ladling out of. "Very confident for being so young. I can see why we lost."

Looking past the windowpane not covered with a piece of cardboard, Sophie noted more JTF2 soldiers. "It's a dangerous world," she reflexively said.

"You do this for all your brood?" Cecilia looked to Ranma.

"Yeah, only maternissima have minions instead of daughters."

If possible, Ceclia's face would have paled. "Mother called you that," she said handing the last bowl to a set of eager hands.

"Funny, she's the one that made her spawn into cannon fodder." Ranma felt the wary apprehension form the quietly eating demons, they were looking to their.... big sister for assurances. "Ironic, the ones Alexia left out to die from exposure were the ones to live."

"Correct use of irony." Kasumi noted.

"Maternissima?" Major Sifton asked.

"Demonic swear word. Refers to a horrible succubus who would turn her spawn into toys, monsters, and tools, betraying the maternal nature of the entire species," Sophie explained.

"Isn't it enough that you killed her?" Cecilia asked.

Despite her pleasant little smile, Ranma's tail twitched slightly.

"She's gone. You made sure of that." Cecilia filled her glass with apple juice from the pitcher on the table. "What are you going to do with us?"

"We've got a delightful interview and processing procedure lined up," Sifton stated, almost wishing the night had hostiles instead. Though he would gladly exchange more paperwork for a mission where all of his men came back, not to mention the possibility of avoiding civilian, such as they were, casualties..

Cecilia briefly looked around her sisters. "I understand."

"We're not doing anything bad," Ranma reassured. "We're just going to check you out, and keep you someplace safe."

"Safe?"

"You know that it's a dangerous world. Why else did you move your family out here?"

Cecilia nodded slowly, marveling at the spark of hope within her. "But why? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill us?"

"Easy's not the same as right," Sifton sighed slightly. "Do we have your cooperation?"

"Yes of course." Cecilia wondered if her family actually had a future.

***************


Before Sam or Naoko could knock, the front door to the Tendo-Saotome residence opened. "Good to see you two," the platinum blonde succubus greeted as she let the two teenage humans in.

"You don't have to show off that you knew we were coming," Naoko muttered as she bent down to take off her shoes.

Ukyou chuckled. "Oh, don't do that. Mom's not home."

Sam frowned. They had called ahead, but it made sense Ranma was called on a mission, especially given recent events.

The demoness smiled "She's just at a neighbor's house. Helping with the move."

"Oh?" Naoko asked.

"Come on," Ukyou lead the pair through the house, then out the kitchen door. The three crossed the patio and then were about to round the dojo when they stopped.

Sam boggled at the diminutive old man. Lounging in a wooden lawn-chair, he wore a worn gi and was happily sipping from a sake tumbler. A long, sturdy pipe was resting on the table.

Naoko had a bit more experience and bowed at the old man. "Honored Elder."

The old man lowered his ceramic cup onto a small side table. "Human girls? Civilians too. Ukyou?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "They're Mom's friends, Sensei . From school."

"Bah, don't be so formal." He turned to Naoko. "Though I do like that they're polite." His apprising gaze turned more lecherous. "And I must say, Ranma's got such wonderful taste."

"I'm Takeuchi, Naoko; this is Carter, Samantha; and you are?"

"Happosai, Grand Master of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu." The bald old man beamed

Samantha was reminded of habanero peppers. They might be tiny, wrinkly and funny looking but they were incredibly powerful. They also could be painfully irritating if not handled with the utmost care.

Naoko was more focused on what the man had said. "Indiscriminate Grappling? Some kind of mixed martial art?"

"Obviously, it's what Ranma and her kids do," Sam noted.

Happosai grinned at the blonde. "Right you are. My first two students were Genma and Soun. They wanted to join the houses; something that Ranma did beautifully."

Ukyou rolled her eyes at the pun. "Yes, well I'm taking them over to see Ranma at Eve's."

"Ah yes, now that's a woman." Happosai smiled and leaned back, eyes half closed in memory.

Ukyou shook her head. "Pervert."

"Said the sex demon. I seem to recall you and Misako getting so carried away that you broke a wall." Happosai's dreamy expression floated up as he refilled his tumbler.

"Exactly, sex demon." Ukyou crossed her arms over her chest. "I've got an excuse. What's yours?"

"Perverted old man that founded a martial arts school to help his hedonistic hunger."

"The more I learn about Red's family..." Sam trailed off.

"Yeah, between this and her Grandmother," Naoko shook her head.

"Don't forget Red's mother." Happosai shook his head. "Can't believe Genma let her get away."

"It's like she was born just to be a succubus." Sam said.

"Do we really have to go into genealogy?" Ukyou asked.

"I could give the girls a little demonstration." Happosai's lecherous grin shifted, focusing on the present, instead of fond memories of the recent past.

"Don't take their bras," Ukyou frowned then added. "Or grope them."

Tears welled in the old man's eyes. "I work so hard to train you girls, and this is the thanks I get? You won't allow an old man some simple pleasures? What next, will you take away my sake? My tobacco?"

Ukyou's eyes flared orange. "Don't ham it up old man."

"Awww, but you broodlings are so fun to tweak. Not like Red."

"You're just saying that because you've both got the same taste in lingerie."

Color drained from Sam's face.

"He doesn't wear it. He likes to look at women wearing it. He used to steal them too, but he stopped that."

"That's because you took the fun out of it," the old man pouted. "There's no thrill when there's no hunt, no chase."

"That hasn't stopped you from 'volunteering' to do our laundry."

Happosai chuckled. "I just want to pull my weight around the house. You girls are so busy, with all that physical activity. It's the least I can do."

"Uhg... this is like when my Uncle Jayne and Aunt Vera came over," Samantha shuddered.

"Strange family?" Ukyou raised an eyebrow.

Naoko coughed. "You have no idea."

The succubus looked between the two humans. "Yeah... let's go to Mom."

"Have fun." Happosai leaned back in his chair.

"Right..." Ukyou shrugged before they resumed crossing the yard.

As they entered a small path that ran through a small grove, Sam looked over her shoulder. "Nice guy."

"You never had a creepy grandpa." Naoko looked around. "So, where are we?"

"Auntie Eve's place, it's kitty-cornered from our house," Ukyou explained as they approached the back of a cedar-sided house.

"A house near yours just happened to go on the market?" Naoko flatly asked.

"You make it sound like the secret agent demons did something unethical, I'm sure they simply had Principal Drake lean dangle a carrot in front of a few mortgage holders," Sam stated.

"Such imagination," Ukyou snickered as she knocked on the back door.

The door opened, revealing another blonde demon. A starched white apron, tied in back with a big bow, covered a poured-on blue blouse with puffy shoulders and a skirt that flounced and bubbled over the blonde's generous hips before flaring in and stretching over her long legs. Shining white stockings peeked out of the shin-length hem and vanished into slim glossed cobalt pumps. "Oh, company," Eve smiled as she stepped back. "Please come in," she purred running a manicured hand through luxuriously long and teased tresses that had buoyant body rivaling the redhead's lofty locks.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Ranma looked up and smiled. "Hi guys!"

"Hey Red!" Naoko looked around the sparse kitchen. "How's things going?"

Ranma frowned briefly. "Busy."

The tall demoness' lips formed a pout. "Yes, work's been keeping her very busy."

"Must be nice to unwind," Ukyou said with a knowing smile.

"Subtle," Sam deadpanned, closing the door behind her.

"They are succubae," Naoko reminded.

Sam looked around the bare kitchen. "You just moving in?"

"Moving in was easy," Eve noted, straightening a seat.

"Don't have much furniture then," Naoko stepped into an empty room. Freshly painted walls gleamed. Containing only a few heavy duty plastic crates, she presumed it was a dining room. She noted that the narrow window frames looked freshly done. Turning she saw another pale redhead enter from the opposite end of the room.

Her hair was cut in a short pageboy and she wore a grey Lycra sports bra, running shorts, and light boots. A gleaming handgun was secured in a form-fitting nylon holster. "Friends of Red," the demon stated as she discretely sniffed the air.

"How?" Naoko sighed. "Oh, you can smell her on us, can't you?"

"Yes," the redhead extended her arm. "Morgan."

"Naoko, and that's Sam in the kitchen," she said gesturing behind herself. "So... you're one of Eve's kids?"

Morgan smiled slightly.

"And what do you do?"

The redhead's grin broadened. "Just a sec," she said before running back to the living room.

"Now you've got her started," Eve smirked as she opened a mostly bare cupboard. "So, how do you girls take your coffee?"

"Sugar, no cream," Sam said.

"Black," Ukyou stated.

"I don't like coffee, sorry," Naoko said.

"That's okay, neither does Ranma. Would you like some juice?" Eve asked.

"Sure." Hearing Morgan return, Naoko turned around and... stared. "That's a... big gun."

"Isn't it?" Morgan gushed, while cuddling her rifle to her chest.

Naoko continued to stare. She knew the girls were strong, but the effortless ease with which she hefted it was ridiculous. "So... does it have a name?"

"Name?" Running a hand down the barrel, Morgan frowned.

"Isn't that what you girls do? I know Misako named hers. Even Nariko named her sword."

Stroking her gun, Morgan slowly nodded.

"Well.... something to think about," Naoko said as she backed into the kitchen.

Sam chuckled. "One of yours?" she asked Eve.

"Is it that obvious?" Eve asked as she pulled a pitcher out or the refrigerator.

"Would you move into a house if it was just you?" Sam asked.

"More-so, you're Red's sister. Of course you're going to get kids."

"Really?" Smirking, Eve leaned on the counter and tapped the pitcher. "Perhaps you would know. You did manage to stay friends with Ranma and stay human."

Ukyou chuckled as she fiddled with the coffeemaker. "Tease."

"Naturally," Eve purred, before gliding over and resetting the coffeemaker and straightening it so it was square with the wall and counter.

"So how are... things?" Sam asked.

Ranma's satisfied little smile evaporated. "Stupid bubble-headed princesses."

"Oh?" Sam frowned. "Well, can you talk about it?"

"Is Misa-chan causing problems?" Naoko asked. "Wait... you said bubblehead not bimbo."

Ukyou snickered.

"Defining a bubblehead as a liability in combat, are we?" Eve smirked as she poured out the coffee and mixed in sugar.

"Sure," Ranma shrugged, accepting a glass of grapefruit-juice. "I mean it's... it could be worse."

Naoko chewed her lip. She was all but certain that the recent "troubles" were related to her friend's stress, but... "So why can't you... deal with her?"

Eve's crimson lips curled into a broad grin. "I've asked her the same question, Dear."

Ranma took a sip. "It'd be a mess. Unpredictable."

"You're talking about this Moon royalty right?"

"Yeah, the other group of recent transfers that haven't been in class," Sam added.

"That's correct, a great threat managed to get Queen Serenity to come back," Eve said, locking her gaze with Ranma.

The redhead nodded; she was adverse to lying, but omission was an easier pill, and Need to Know could not be ignored.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Really? So that imperial queen is back? What, did she have some sort of failsafe? If the others screw up enough she'll reincarnate too?"

Ranma smiled. "Something like that... just in case."

"Is the big old queen gonna try to take over the world again?" Naoko asked.

"That would certainly make matters simpler," Eve's voice was cold.

As the awkwardness of the following silence grew, Sam frowned into her coffee "So you've got Morgan... have any other daughters?"

Eve immediately smiled. "Yes two, Sophie and Morrison."

"Morrison?"

"Her first name's Richard," Morgan said in a sing-song voice.

"Ouch, she gonna pick a new name?" Naoko asked.

"She's still making up her mind," Eve said.

"Androgynous names are convenient for succubae," Ukyou stated.

"You would know," Morgan teased.

"I don't see what the problem is," the blonde human shrugged.

Naoko sipped her juice and turned to her friend "Of course you wouldn't, Samantha."

Sam glared.

Ranma laughed. "It's okay, my name's fairly gender neutral."

"Sunshine?" Sam asked.

The redhead sighed. Her school alias of Sunshine Saotome was far more trouble than it was worth. "No... not that one.

"DarkStar?"

"Don't go through all my names. You know what I'm talking about."

"But being obtuse is fun," Eve said as she adjusted her apron.

"Having work troubles?" Naoko asked.

"And you can't solve them the normal way?" Sam added.

Eve shook her head, and stepped over to Ranma. "I keep telling her there's a simple solution."

"Funny." Ranma crossed her arms. "It's a challenge but I think I'm getting through to them, to her."

Sam nodded in realization "You got roped into training this person didn't you?"

"That is the plan," Eve kneaded her sister's shoulders, generating a pouty purr. "We hope to take advantage of a little break."

Ranma arched her head back. "We're running against the clock here. There's gonna be another attack."

Eve let out a few crackling pops on the redhead's shoulder blades. "Yes, there's always another attack."

Ranma purred.

"And who knows, maybe your little Slavic friend will take up your offer." Eve pressed her thumbs to Ranma's neck. "I know you'd rather be playing with her than our little queen."

"You talking about Red finding a girlfriend?" Sam asked.

"Sounds more like a euphemism for battle," Naoko refilled her mug.

"Like there's that much of a difference," Sam scoffed.

Naoko pondered as she added sugar. "Depends. One sounds angrier than the other, though it sounds like this training's even more stressful."

"Some people are too stubborn to die," Morgan idly noted as she inspected the dials on her scope. "Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on where you stand."

Continuing her thinking, Naoko stirred her drink. "Now... if this problem of yours gets really.... bad, what then?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

Eve chuckled. "The simple solution."

"I see." Naoko tapped her chin. "And the status quo? In the long term I mean?"

Ranma sighed.

Sam chuckled. "So that's a no."

"Then why worry." Naoko chuckled. "Either things will get better or... you have that solution."

Ranma looked up. "That's... true."

"So don't get that wound up. It'll just drive you crazy, and it's not like you don't have a solution." Naoko suggested.

"It's not that simple."

Naoko smirked. "Sure, it is."

"It's only simple because we're not telling you everything," Ukyou insisted.

"Details, details. This is Red we're talking about." Naoko took a sip. "Good coffee.

"Thank you." Eve gave a slight blush. "And you're correct. Ranma is very direct."

"Yeah, you don't do complex, Red. If there's a problem you take care of it." Sam gave a thumbs up.

Ranma leaned back. "So, I should just ignore all the political intrigue, alliances, and strategic preparations, and instead just... barrel through."

"Direct action is your strength, Mom."

"Even at meetings you're blunt and straightforward." Eve looked the two humans over with a small smile. "I think they've got the right idea."

Ranma ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah... It's not really up to me, is it? If our little Princess doesn't want to grow up, well that'll just be the way it is."

"Don't worry the small stuff.

"This isn't really small," Ukyou dryly noted.

"Really? Has Red ever gone up against a real problem other than directly? She isn't exactly shy about these things," Sam reminded.

"Exactly, I mean you're a demon, Red. Slaughtering those that displease you is part of the deal," Naoko said.

"Yeah! Be whimsically homicidal." Sam added.

***************


"Do you know what makes you weak?" Mistress Mercury strode over to the kneeling purple-haired woman.

Sailor Virgo flexed her fingers and gauged the distance between herself and the evening-dress wearing dominatrix. "No."

"Not going to venture a guess?" Mercury chuckled and looked up at Sailor Orion. "How much time?"

Orion looked up from the series of runes she had been etching onto a silver block. Several glowing crystals were put into recessed slots around the circumference, while a thin silver crown sat in the middle of the circle. "I think we're almost ready," Orion ventured before consulting a nearby table containing a thick bound book and a thin computer screen.

"Excellent," Mercury purred before turning back to the former-Amazon. 'I believe we were discussing your weakness?"

"Yes," Virgo spat.

"I had been trying, trying to make us better. The Queen, you, myself, Orion, everyone." Mercury walked over to a little silver-inlaid ebony bookshelf that had been heavily bolted to an oak table. "At first I thought we all had different problems. Different things that made us all weak. A lack of experience, a lack of skills, a lack of power."

Mercury looked out the window and at the city sprawling before her. "But that's not really it. We all have the same weakness."

Virgo kept herself from sighing.

"Do you care to guess what it is? Either of you." Mercury's eyes flashed between the two Senshi.

"We're human?" Orion dryly asked, returning to her engraving.

"Oh, very good!" Mercury laughed. "That was what eluded me! It was such a simple thing. I had the answer in my hands; Venus showed me, showed us, the way."

Virgo frowned. "What of the Senshi, what of Queen Serenity?"

Flipping out her tessen, Mercury raked the edge of her ice-fan across Virgo's face.

With a heavy thud the purple-haired teen hit the floor. Bleeding lightly, she leapt to her feet and drew her swords.

"That blow would have snapped a human's neck, and here you are ready for more." Mercury chuckled. "It's time we stopped pretending. It's time our Queen stopped pretending."

Lowering her blades slightly, Virgo hesitated.

"Delusions of humanity will only hurt us. Our enemies, our allies," Mercury smirked. "do not suffer the same illusions. Why should we?"

"What of Setsuna?" Orion asked.

"She is our primary threat. She has used an external threat to justify... changing our Queen. Forcing her to her twisted will."

"And worse, she stole plans from you," Orion noted.

"Yes," Mercury frowned for a second. "Setsuna.... Setsuna has shown me the problems of being so limited, of thinking so small. Can you comprehend how long she's waited? The kind of patience it has taken for her to ensure that the proper opportunities will arise." Mercury stepped over to her chair and picked up a wineglass.

She studied the cut-crystal structure. "She has the Key. She is the Gate. Against a threat like that, anything...." Mercury opened a bottle. "For the briefest moment I had hoped... hoped that the Russians had killed her, and fate, sensing my desire, granted my wish.

"And in giving my wish, confirmed my deepest fears. We've seen that Setsuna lives, but in another body." Mercury steadied her hand as she filled her glass. "Do you realize what that means?" she turned, nearly spilling her glass.

Mercury sighed at the blank faces. "To her... bodies are nothing more than... this," she raised her glass. "They're something convenient she can pour herself into. Do I need to explain what that means? For her? For us? For the Queen?"

"And Usagi has no idea."

Mercury scowled. "Yes, Puu could tell the Queen exactly what she is, and poor, trusting Usagi would simply smile. The Queen can't live with such delusions; we can't live with such delusions. Action must be taken, we must realize what we are. All of us."

"That's why you changed Minako?" Orion asked.

Virgo sighed and sheathed her swords. Her Mistress tended towards these asides, though they normally would wrap up after about this much time.

"Venus was a prototype. Things have become more... refined."

"What's the next step, then?" Virgo asked.

Mercury sipped. "Oh, you'll see. Don't worry, we'll have our Queen back."


End chapter

Author's Notes. Also Ranma's scene where she tempts Arisha has a sequence familiar to any Babylon 5 fans.

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek..


Revision notes: And that's a... full chapter. Both Mal de Veste and Cecilia and her girls get introduced. And Eve gets her new house and Mistress Mercury is being creepy? The crazy part is that this is the chapter /after/ it was split in half. And yes, I take full blame for the chapter title.

 

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 6: Enveloping Armor
Formerly: Replacements and Remembrance Part 2i



Walking towards one of the Quonset huts, the lavender-haired succubus split her attention between it and the tree-line, where those nice soldiers and some of her girls were running down a makeshift trail.

"Why didn't you run?" Ranma asked her when they were just outside the building.

Blushing by an almost imperceptible tinge Cecilia looked up at the clouds. "I didn't run?"

Ranma flicked some dirt off her leather pants. "Yes," she stated handing her canteen over to Cecilia.

Blinking in surprise, Cecilia took a drink. "The Black Devils would have killed us."

"Black Devils?" Ranma asked taking her canteen back.

"That's the unit-name the JTF2 boys got stuck with." Nabiki said, not looking up from her knives.

"Ah, neat."

Cecilia looked at the door.

"Still, why didn't you run?" Ranma repeated. "I don't mean when we came, before that. You had enough money to keep your girls comfortable. A bunch of bus tickets or even hitchhiking couldn't have been out of your price range."

Leaning on the wall, Cecilia looked down at her shoes. "What would running accomplish? If you wanted me dead... what could I do?"

Nariko raised an eyebrow. "You still left the city."

"They only went just far enough to be out of Mom's territory." Nabiki closed her blade and holstered it.

"Okay, you left my... territory and what... tried to make your girls as comfortable as possible? That's it?"

Confused, Cecilia looked up. "What else is there?"

Ranma smiled. "Good answer."

Swallowing, Cecilia felt her tension ease. "All we have is each other."

The redhead nodded. "Why Black Devils?" she asked, looking at her daughters and her first cousin once removed.

A slight smile crossed Cecilia's lips. "I'll show you," she said before leading them to an adjacent Quonset hut. As she opened the door a trio of paint splattered succubae turned and charged towards them.

The most youthful looking, a tiny girl with a head full of tight white ringlets pounced onto Cecilia. "Momma!"

Ranma smirked slightly.

Cecilia hugged her and the two other girls. "Hi Hazel! How's it going, girls?"

"Good, I've got the logo drawn out, and Hazel and Priscilla are helping me color." Desiree fingered her brush.

"Can we see it?" Cecilia asked, releasing the embrace. However, Hazel hung close to her.

Desiree blushed. "Uh... yeah." She then led them to a cleared wall on the barracks.

A large upward-pointed arrowhead was painted on the wall while a pair of incomplete black succubus outlines lounged on either side of the arrow's tip. Inside the partially filled red arrowhead were letters that ran from pencil sketches on guidelines, to outlined, to fully painted in. The letters were shaped in a T, with JTF2 capping the top and CANADA running vertically. Straddling "Canada" was "Black Devils" in a looping script.

"Very nice," Ranma nodded.

Desiree and her sisters beamed.

"Black Devils, that have something to do with us?"

Nabiki chuckled. "It's a name a similar unit earned in the last big war the humans had; First Special Service Force I think. They specialized in stealth and tactics, so much so that often their fights ended with out a shot being fired. Some few who got away started calling them Black Devils. I heard Kasumi thought it was a fitting name for this new group here."

"The last big war? World War Two you mean?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

Nabiki nodded. "Yup."

Nariko bowed her head slightly before turning to the mural.

Cecilia blinked. She knew Yuki was born on earth and DarkStar's history was obvious too. She shook her head at the strange perspective. "Anyway... that's not right. My window got shot out by that nice Sergeant Brummet." Cecilia pouted slightly.

"Really?" Nabiki's tone was bone-dry.

"Oh yes, he apologized very gentlemanly ."

"Cecilia, what was the rule about Fraternization?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki chuckled. "Mom... you really don't have a place to argue about that."

"Be discrete and don't force the officers to do something about it?" Cecilia offered.

Ranma nodded. "That's right."

"I do have experience with discretion," Cecilia said, a touch offended.

"But what about your girls? You making sure they won't get in trouble?"

"They've paired up, mostly." Cecilia added.

"Mostly?" Nabiki looked at the three Cecilia broodlings.

"Yes, Priscilla and Isabel are still single. Are you curious?" Cecilia asked, concealing her hopeful eagerness. Strengthening ties would be very useful, and Yuki's youthfulness was akin to that of her own broodlings.

A girl with a light green ponytail tied behind one ear blushed. "Mom...."

"It's okay, Priss." Cecilia assured.

Ranma turned to Nabiki. "You wanna stay here?"

The pastel-blue-haired girl looked Priscilla over. "Sure."

Looking across at the pink pastel Cheongsam-glad demoness Priscilla smiled nervously. "Your hair's nice. Those tiny ponytails are so cute. They really go great with that pageboy of yours."

Nabiki smiled and fingered the bows that held her mini-ponytails. "Thanks. I love how the ribbon holding your ponytail matches your shoes, and that's an adorable little jumper you have on."

"Well what about your stockings? The embroidery on them goes perfectly with your heels." Priscilla gushed.

"Don't forget your knee-socks." Nabiki countered coyly.

"Have fun girls. I have to talk with DarkStar." Cecilia looked down at Hazel who pouted and let go of the lavender haired demon. The slight girl then darted over to Desiree who had abandoned working on the mural and instead was watching Yuki and Priscilla's feedback loop.

After a couple steps, Cecilia turned to Ranma. "Mother-Alexia was fond of that style."

"It shows," Ranma dryly noted as they exited the building

. "Do you disapprove? Why didn't you change her?"

"That's not Mommy's way," Nariko crisply stated from behind the brood mothers.

"You didn't need a strong hand to help your girls." Ranma smiled. "You've dealt with Alexia's legacy too."

Cecilia sighed. "They're good girls. That made it easier."

Ranma put her arm around the lavender-haired demoness. "They all are."

For a moment Cecilia's tail stiffened and pointed downward, but after sensing the warmth radiating from the redhead she eased up and leaned into the hug.

"You've done good."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "But you can still help me?"

Ranma rubbed Cecilia's arm. "Sure."

The lavender-haired girl looked over. "With... security?"

"It's dangerous out there. You're lucky JTF2 found you first."

"Well, I was afraid you'd find us," Cecilia sheepishly admitted.

"Awww, you were scared of me." Ranma hugged her tighter.

"It wasn't cute! You're very scary."

"I am?" Ranma frowned.

"My nightmares, my spawn's nightmares were all about you!" Cecilia wailed. "Do you know how many nights I had to soothe my girls because they were afraid you'd be coming for them?" Her knees weakened and she felt her weight being held by the redhead. "The most I ever hoped for, the most I ever dreamed... was to be left alone."

Adding her other arm, Ranma lifted the demon up. Holding the her close, the redhead stared into the other demon's eyes. "Your brood won't fear me."

Cecilia blinked but those violet eyes stayed locked on her. "But what do you want? My girls can make yours very happy... I'm sure-"

Ranma loosened and arm and tapped Cecilia's lips. "There's no need to force that. We're family, and Alexia is gone. I promise your girls will be protected."

Cecilia looked down. DarkStar's hold was comforting, but... "Is that it then? Spoils of war? Alexia lost; you won."

"Sure, why not?" Ranma grinned. "Better than the alternative."

Cecilia's stomach tightened. "Alternative?"

Ranma grinned and lifted the girl back to her feet. "Well, there's your nightmares."

"That's not funny." Cecilia pouted.

"Now, now, you're doing great," Ranma patted Cecilia's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not the beast Alexia made me out to be."

Relishing the contact, Cecilia expanded her senses, making sure she could still feel the broodlings that were out running with the Black Devils. "Thanks, I just... it's been so hard."

Ranma's eyes flicked to Nariko who gave a slight nod. "Oh?"

Cecilia automatically started walking towards her brood's building. "You know what it's like, being a... brood mother."

"You had a tougher time of it than me."

Stopping, Cecilia turned and broke out of Ranma's one-armed hug. "Huh?"

"I had my family and friends supporting me. You, you were completely alone." Ranma's eyes again went to Nariko.

Frowning, Cecilia turned to look at the black-haired guileless demon "What's this about?"

Ranma chuckled. "Nariko likes you."

"Really?" Cecilia arched an eyebrow at the quiet demoness. "What do you think of me?"

"You remind me of mother." Nariko's red eyes softened before she lovingly looked towards Ranma, who stepped over to the teen.

Sensing the powerful affection, Cecilia blinked. "Huh..."

"Something wrong?" Ranma asked, embracing her daughter.

Looking over her shorter mother's head, Nariko almost passively watched Cecilia.

"Familiar, that's all," Cecilia muttered. Those red eyes were colored by experience, but beneath that, at its core... was an eager little broodling, hungry for love. Cecilia opened her mouth, but closed it after a moment's thought. Unlike the majority of DarkStar's spawn, Nariko was never Mother Alexia's.

But she was DarkStar's eldest. She was the first demon that DarkStar turned, which meant that any... damage... Despite herself, Cecilia's eyes widened in shock, and she wondered just how DarkStar could have failed. What had gone wrong with Nariko?

Ranma glanced at Cecilia's tail. "You seem distracted."

Cecilia paused. "Well, my family did get relocated by military force," she eventually said.

Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, that'll happen."

"You're taking this well." Cecilia stopped at the door to her brood's barracks.

"I've had time to get used to this, and besides this gig isn't without benefits." Ranma smirked showing her fangs.

Cecilia laughed. "So, what are you two doing today?"

"We've got some training, but that's not for a bit." Ranma looked to Nariko. "Why?"

"Really?" Cecilia opened the door. "How long is a bit?"

***************


The pair of demons swept to the table Serenity and her Senshi sat at in the Mess Hall. "There you two are," she noted.

Rei looked up at the clock on the wall. "You're late, too."

Her mirth receding, Ranma idly adjusted her vest. "Really?" She then made a production of looking at her wrist. "Not by my watch."

"That clock is running fast," Nariko's mirth deflated slightly as she looked at the wall-clock.

"Still, you two are obviously disheveled." Kiri noted.

"Yeah, and you smell like sex," the blonde who looked like Usagi blurted.

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

Kiri sighed. "Yes, that was what I was alluding to."

"I do?" Ranma asked, amused.

"Not you, her," the blonde corrected pointing to Nariko.

Ranma blinked. "Right, we're on time and we're ready for training."

Rei narrowed her eyes.

"There's no need for hostility," Serenity said before turning to Rei.

"Maybe it's jealousy." Nariko buoyantly said. "Even before the Russians attacked, only two of them were in a relationship. And given what happened to Ami and Janet..."

Rei bristled.

Serenity held up her hand. "Yes, anyway. Back to today's training."

"Good." Ranma smiled and fell into a comfortable stance. "Today we'll be getting a baseline. Looking at the ready positions, grips for those of you with weapons, 'trigger' management, various draws, and clearing any malfunctions."

"Malfunctions? It's magic." Makoto asked.

"Just because it's more reliable than mechanical means doesn't make it foolproof," Kiri stated.

Ranma nodded. "Right. There will also be dedicated range time as we'll go over what your attacks do at full blast."

"I think we know what our attacks can do," Rei dryly noted.

The redhead spread her hands. "Certainly. But we don't, and that'll help us understand what you can do and how we can help you train better."

"And if you just happen to learn more about our weaknesses..." Kiri speculated.

Ranma ignored the comment. "Then we'll start with shooting on the move. You're a bit static. Following that is offhand casting, and the situations where you'll need to do it. Then after lunch we have tactical skills with cover, concealment and the difference between the two."

Serenity nodded. "What about working as a team?."

Ranma blinked. "Excellent! That's a big part. Maybe the biggest. We've got structure clearing and shoot – no shoot decisions. We'll also see what kind of rapid fire and precision limits your attacks have. From various angles and positions."

Rei raised an eyebrow at the list. "What happens when we finish with that?"

"You repeat it." Ranma said,. "Again and again. But as Serenity pointed out we'll start having you working in groups first with a partner then with more."

"We've worked together for years," Makoto reminded.

The redhead pointed merrily. "Exactly. And that's a real strength you have. You girls know how each other move and how to communicate with subtle movements and work as a team. Once we tighten up your basics you guys should really be humming... maybe after a few tries."

"Most of training is practice, repetition." Nariko added.

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent," Ranma explained.
"You won't have time to try to remember, try to recall this stuff. That's why we keep it simple."

"I'd hardly call your combat style simple," Kiri noted.

"Nah." Ranma snickered. "It's all very simple. It's just fast and done properly."

"Not terribly reassuring. How come 'simple' is better than what we've been doing?"

Ranma tapped the table and thought. "Honestly? I'm not exactly sure where you specifically need help. You have experience and power, but... you didn't have training so you could have gotten a lot of bad habits at the start, and you had enough power, enough natural skill to conceal the problems."

"That sounds like something you're familiar with," Serenity noted."

The redhead bowed her head a tiny bit. "If I'm right it's your ad-hoc 'sink or swim' nature that has you girls with a bunch of mixed habits. We can try to streamline ans amplify things. Simple doesn't mean easy. Simple just means minimizing the chances to screw things up."

Serenity looked between the demons and her Senshi. She nodded to herself. "Okay, let's see where we screwed up."

***************

"Who do you think is worse?" Shest leaned back onto a tree trunk and looked at the valley that spilled below them.

Desyat raised an eyebrow.

"It's a quick either or question."

"Who are you talking about?" Desyat sighed before switching to an inaudible transmission . "Magical girls versus mercenaries? A hoard of shifty South Slavs versus a cocky thug in an ugly suit? Or maybe this is your circular way of asking me about a certain de facto-realist versus her true-believer subordinate."

"Perhaps I'm inviting a comparison between nightmares, yours versus mine." Shest rose to her feet, and kept rising. Levitation was a vital compliment to her other powers.

Desyat's hand snaked down to one of her blades, concealed by her light jacket. "I didn't think yours could be described as a who," she eventually said taking care to scan their surroundings.

After planting a surveillance pod against a thick branch, Shest lowered herself and then her gaze.

"You did push very hard for Galina to accept the agreement Ryzhaya bestiya offered Arisha," Shest transmitted back.

"I know what Ryzhaya bestiya and her ilk can do to us, you know what they can do to us, what they did to Vosem. Zaika and her cadre are dangerous enough."

"And what you saw was worse?"

Shest chuckled, and adjusted the plain backpack over her shoulders. "You don't get it. You weren't in the hotel room with us, and even if you were you couldn't... see."

"Pardon?" Desyat asked out loud.

This time Shest's laughter had a more prolonged and pained termination. "Wrong question, wrong question."

Desyat studied her companion's face. Shest always was a bit... different. Alone, she was the only one who could manage the Deep Diver system. "What's the right question?"

Shest chuckled as they walked down the forest path.

Desyat stopped. "Well?"

"Do I have to tell you everything? Shest closed her eyes. "We've been led to believe that the Zaika and her ilk have a weapon, but... You read Liza's dossier?"

Desyat gave a resigned sigh. "The one she wrote before or after her sockets rejected the first set of oculars?" She clarified.

"Yes, Ryzhaya bestiya really damaged the poor girl. It was generous of Galina to assign her research duty," Shest's voice was carefully even.

"At least we had enough spares to put in yet another set."

"Might have been best if we didn't," Shest muttered.

Desyat coughed. "Hopefully she'll be a hundred percent... soon enough."

"It's those books... we don't know who we're dealing with."

"You're not talking about Ryzhaya bestiya." Desyat said while Shest planted another device.

Giving a short bitter laugh, Shest shook her head. "That much should be obvious."

"Aren't you putting those a bit close?" Desyat asked, referring to the surveillance pods.

"No, this is how Galina wanted them," Shest sighed. "I don't get this whole idea, we know where they're training. Why are we bothering way out here?"

"Because any closer and they'd know we were watching." Desyat shook her head. "Think about it. Relocating to a more secluded area works to their advantage. They're the ones that have to work with one hand behind their backs in an urban area."

Shest let herself fall to the ground. "At least it's a nice hike."

"Yes," Desyat adjusted her scanners. "Galina thinks that they'll use a national park for training."

"Or maybe we're the ones being trained," Shest's transmission had a sardonic undercurrent. "You have to admit, the risk of discovery is good motivation."

"And yet here we are chattering." Desyat pulled out a paper map and checked their orientation, just like a normal girl on a hike.

Shest laughed. "They can't track our transmissions, not at this range. If they were close enough to pick up signals this weak, they'd be close enough for us to detect them."

"There's other means than technology." Desyat looked to the west, the direction of the mercenary base.

Now, Shest stopped. "Yes, your... guest is a problem."

"I'm not the only one he's bothered; remember the business card Galina found?" Despite herself, Desyat smirked. Strategically, she knew it would have been better if she had simply gone mad, the idea of yet another faction watching them by ill-understood means was disquieting, to say the least.

However, confirmation that this Murdock, as he called himself, existed shored up Desyat's sanity, at the expense of increasing their risks and rote paranoia.

"Arisha and Dve'nadtsat found the tainted tools." Shest gently reminded.

"I know, I'm the one that suggested they check them!" Desyat venomously transmitted.

"You think this Murdock infiltrated a precision instrument company to dope a traceable impurity as a... distraction?"

"Sure, we don't give our tools the same scrutiny as our parts, that's what the tools are for, but our tools always have to be close at hand. Makes for an appetizing explanation for his ability to locate us doesn't it?"

"And this is a convenient way for us to stop eh? Is there no end to your paranoia?"

"I'm still alive." Desyat shook her head and the two resumed their silent walk.

"I agree, we need to be vigilant and expand our knowledge."

Desyat sniffed. "Murdock's not alone as a problem. Back to Zaika. She has something? Some... pet?"

"Look at Dve'nadtsat's reports. Does that seem so far fetched? They were more capable than we were led to believe. It we did not leverage the initial surprise to kill two of them the fight would have gone much worse. When organized, those... magical girls could keep us at bay and overwhelm our defenses."

"Yes, the client is better protected than we were told. So it goes. I can accept that non-human creatures exist. That's just aliens but... the world is logical, it's scientific. It's all physics. Even Murdock's work ultimately has an explanation."

"Physics." Shest snorted. "Physics explains what I can do, that doesn't make it sane. Face it, the physical world is merely a worm-eaten deck nailed to rotted pilings sunk into quicksand. Just because we can walk on it doesn't mean it's stable."

She shook her head. "Look at us. Do you know why it never went past us? Why we were the only prototypes that worked? Our cybernetics aren't that special, hell, we can make most of them ourselves."

Desyat prepared another device and scanned for a suitable emplacement. "It's our flesh. A unique genetic quirk."

"Then how come clones didn't work? You remember the twins from Vladivostok."

Desyat shivered. The other subjects were... she paused and blocked off her memories. "What's your point?"

"Comrade Scaglietti's shortcut."

"Yes, he found a way to get our cybernetics to interface with our bodies, but that's just magic."

Shest raised an eyebrow. "Just magic? Weren't you just trying to defend the rational nature of the universe?"

"Magic is any sufficiently advanced technology."

"No, it's not. Magic is something worse. It's the worms; it's the rot. You can use it to eat away at the rules, the structure of things but.... it comes at the cost of your footing. Don't you see!" Shest slammed her hand down and it slipped through the ground. "Magic is how we cheat. Using bits of it we can cut corners and stay safe but what I did... that pulse. There's a reason that... thing was there."

"I though you triggered the pulse in response to... what did you see?"

Shest gave a wan smile. "The truth."

Desyat kept her expression neutral; those words were never good.

"The truth." Shest repeated. "The truth is... We thought we could make politics rational; we thought that we could have a scientific technocracy; we believed that in the end we could make humanity better; we believed that we had the knowledge make a better world a world that would be steered by our hands." The cyborg laughed. "Why shouldn't our understanding of the how the universe works be any less flawed than our understanding of humanity?"

"If Arisha heard you..."

Shest snorted. "She'd yell at me until Galina shut her up."

"So... is there a match? Between what you saw and what Dve'nadtsat's research dug up?" Desyat stepped back and circled around slightly. The forest was quite scenic, worthy of being a park or a wilderness training facility.

"It doesn't make sense." Shest looked down. "If Zaika and her flunkies can control..."

"They've got something real bad up their sleeves don't they?" Desyat sighed the next fight they fought those.. magical girls they would be prepared, they would be ready.

"And that's wrong. People that can enslave a cosmic horror to use as a panopticon shouldn't be so... incompetent. Dve'nadtsat's reports are clear, fools don't deal with these creatures and survive. Do you think your Murdock is a fool?"

Desyat's eyebrow raised. "Yes, but where is this going?"

"Someone that can enslave what I saw, and use it as a reconnaissance and surveillance tool, they can't be dumb, not if they want to stay sane."

"And yet Zaika is..."

"A spoiled girl," Shest smirked. "Perhaps not."

"Yes, yes, you've deduced that an empty headed princess is being led around by her nose. Maybe they're just too dumb to succumb." Desyat eyed their path.

"Ignorance is bliss, but there are limits. There's more at work here than we think."

Desyat smirked. "Really? Did the demons, magic, or the global conspiracy clue you in?"

"Being a pawn is delightful," Shest moved a few rocks to place on a device.

Desyat knelt down and studied a pile of beer cans and other debris. Rising from the potential shrapnel pile she looked around the forest floor. The capitalist's decadence did make for strange behaviors.

"You'd expect more," Shest noted moving to Desyat's side.

"I'd blame our friends but..."

"What do you expect from people that think they can own everything? They don't want to wreck their property," Shest said... mechanically. In the motherland the people owned everything, everything. Thus things were disposed in whichever way served the greatest good, mostly leaving equipment out to slowly rust back into the earth.

Desyat raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"I don't like it here," Shest nearly snapped. "Sorry, it's just..." she shook her head.

"We're still well away from the fences and their sensors. This is an area hunters still use, we're... okay." Desyat reassured.

Shest chuckled. "Yes hunters do use this forest."

"Poor choice of words." Desyat cracked a smile, and led her partner back down the path. "Come on. The sooner we get done here the sooner we can get..."

"Yes, back to our plotting and squabbling South Slavs."

"Would you rather deal with Murdock? Or maybe help Dve'nadtsat."

Shest sighed, the Deep Diver system was hers and hers alone. "I don't have a choice now do I?"

"So it goes." Desyat shrugged.

***************

As the wind blew through heavy pine trees, the new queen sighed, lifted herself up, and hit her head on the bunk above her. She grumbled, rubbed her head, and slipped off of the bed.

"Too tall," she muttered. Stretching her spine she shifted over to the beds and smiled at her sleeping Senshi. After a few seconds she turned to her staff, running her hand down the polished wood.

Her armored gown hung on a peg from the bunk's vertical support, shorts and a Lycra top were on top of her case, but... she was already wearing a silver bodice under a gauzy white chemise. She stretched her shoulders, wincing slightly at the light, and not so light, bruises from the previous days training. Shrugging, she slipped a leather belt over her shoulder, holstered her wand, and slipped on her armored boots. She walked to the heavy door and disengaged the lock. The door swung open and the agents on the other side snickered.

The queen looked down and chuckled at the incongruity herself.

"There a problem?" Andrea politely asked. She had her reservations about this operation but at least out here things were more... controlled. And it allowed the Pattern Silvers to actually cut loose.

"No just stretching my legs and using the restroom."

Andrea nodded. "Steve, Jared."

Agents Deschain and Dirac separated at the door and let the silver-haired young woman pass

The queen turned to the more lanky of the two agents guarding the hallway. "You're the one that adapted our jamming crystals."

Jared shifted his rifle. "I'm on the team yes."

"Who did you piss off to get stuck babysitting?" Her levity grew when she noticed the rueful exasperation on the men's faces. "Sorry, it's still a bit funny."

Jared sighed. "No, it's not that. This is just part of the job."

"Miss your operations rotation?" Deschain chuckled.

"Kinda." Jared shrugged.

Stopping in front of the bathroom, the queen raised a silver eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Jared's got an inter-dim rating, which means he's often brought in when things start getting... screwy," Deschain held back that Driac was likely a Prime. For one he was not certain the lanky agent had any magical ability, but such affinities were common with inter-dim rated agents. Secondly, it might be for the best to not know more about the Company's internal magical capabilities, as meager as they were.

"Yeah. Anytime there's weird stuff with teleporting or phasing, they call in inter-dimensional specialists." Jared nodded to Deschain who then stepped into the bathroom.

The queen perked up. "So, with all the stuff going on here..."

"We thought we had more time, then those Russians started their games."

"Hopefully they won't do that again," she said stepping towards the bathroom door.

The door opened and Steven stepped out. "It's clear."

"Uh... thanks." The queen stepped into the large bathroom. Bearing marks of recent repair, it was a plain affair; with bare concrete flooring, a few stalls, several urinals, and row of sinks on a countertop. She eyed a stall, but instead turned to the mirror.

Gasping, she looked at her body. Despite not being tied very tight, her bodice was rather... supportive and her camisole only provided minimal concealment of her wiry, but endowed form.

Rotating her forearms, she arched her head and back, causing her spine and slender neck to crack. Man... no wonder Mom liked those tight gowns. Anything to help with support, she thought to herself.

She looked down and truly understood the agents' mirth. Her camisole barely reached her thighs and below her waist all she had on was a pair of gray panties and her boots. "Great... way to look regal," she sighed and pulled at her hair, causing her bun to disintegrate, spilling her hair down her back.

Sighing, she picked up a few silver strands of her newly shortened hair. and ran them between her fingers. She shrugged and went to one of the stalls. Recalling Eve's advice, she adjusted her belt to keep her wand holster stable.

After finishing, she got up and readjusted her clothes. Exiting the stall, the queen halted. By the sink a blonde with twin pigtails stood stone still, her eyes casually resting on the queen.

"Uh... can you at least blink?" Serenity hesitantly suggested as she began to wash her hands.

The princess closed her eyes and then slowly opened them; part of her wondered if her plan was worth it, and if this were the best time to tell the queen.

"I didn't think... I mean..." The queen turned to her "daughter". "Do you need to be here?"

The blonde frowned. "You were gone."

"Awww... Mina.... you don't have to do that."

Smiling the younger teen's features animated, she wondered if her queen really knew what she would have to do to protect her. "Mother, don't be silly. I'm the one they're after."

Serenity narrowed her pale-blue eyes. "Mina don't be this way."

"What do you expect me to say?"

The queen looked down. "I don't know. I don't know how I feel, this body..." she looked at the mirror.

The blonde shrugged. "It's just a body." If her queen had body issues now...

"Yeah... I guess you've been through worse."

The faux-princess stared, wondering if her plan was the right thing to do. It seemed basic enough but...

"This is a new hairdo and face. Not like what..."

"You mean Ami?" The blonde smirked. "Yes, this is nothing. This isn't the first time I've done this." She turned to look at her reflection. "But how are you handling things?"

"I feel like an imposter."

The blonde "princess" chuckled. "Though that's not true, is it."

Petulant eye rolling was jarringly inconsistent with the silver-haired woman's lean regal frame. "Yes, again with the succession. It's just such a mess. First Luna doesn't tell us who the princess is, then she forgets that the princess is actually the queen."

The blonde's eyes flashed red. "At least you have the option to ignore your stupid feline advisor."

Serenity watched the crimson quickly retreat from the other girl's irises. "I'm sorry."

The blonde turned away; perhaps tomorrow would be a better time to propose her plan. "You should be trying to get sleep."

"I'll be ready."

Minako-as-Usagi looked her queen over. "Yes, unless DarkStar decides to wake you up early."

Serenity sighed. "She would surprise me like that."

"Could be worse. The Russians could be the ones that wake you up early."

"We're on a Company base." Serenity's eyes darted to the door.

"Yes, they've shown a great reluctance on attacking WIC," the blonde dryly remarked.

"Are you okay?"

At the end of her rope, the blonde looked up. "One of my oldest friends was was killed by the Russians, I might as well have been, I've been mutilated and transformed by an insane, wannabe dominatrix, and now I'm pretending to be the Moon Princess. Again. All this while you've having a crisis of confidence about your identity and fitness to be our ruler. Again."

Serenity lowered her head. "Uh..."

Minako's eyes flashed red for a bare moment. "You're supposed to rule the world one day."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." She had made her decision. Her queen needed her help; Serenity needed the most protection she could give her.

Looking up, Serenity saw a facsimile of herself spread her arms. She stepped forward and let the shorter girl embrace her. She then gasped when the blonde tightened her arms.

"I can do more." Resting her head on Serenity's chest, Minako increased the pressure, crushing herself into the taller, more developed women.

"Breathing..." Serenity tried to expand her diaphragm. After managing to inhale, she felt the pressure lessen, but that was only because the force had spread over a larger area. Even the blonde's legs were pressed against the queen and felt... embracing. Looking down she saw Minako's form turn golden and begin to... run.

The warm pressure spread and soon Serenity found her vision cutoff, her mouth and nose were also covered though she still found air being eased in though some type of valve system. Completely enveloped, she was momentarily pressed down by Minako's full mass. Soon however her encasement went rigid and she found her weight supported. Not just her limbs or her curves, but her entire body was being lifted and held.

The covers over her eyes snapped off and Serenity let out a shocked gasp. Reflected in the mirror was what would happen if a battleship and a Victorian queen mated. Tons of metallic armor had been shaped into a widely female form.

Looking down she saw that she was much higher off the ground than before, at least eight feet. Emerging from a solid annular anchor around her waist, rings of interlocking heavy golden plates descended until they hovered just above the ground. Internal buttresses supported each baroquely engraved plate while still leaving room for her legs to move.

Stepping forward, Serenity could tell that her feet had a slight heel and were thickly encased in some type of boot-like footwear. She looked around, concerned at how much... smaller the room was. She expected the ceiling to be a bit lower, but not become oppressively claustrophobic, and as for the walls, she had crossed the room in less than a single stride and risked hitting the walls, let alone fitting through that tiny doorway.

She looked back down at her dress. Unseen by her, structural armor needed to support the weight was so massive that it added a several inches in diameter to her legs, bulking her thighs out to where they distorted and spread out her armored skirt, exaggerating her legs and buttocks.

Atop the skirting anchor ring, the armor continued. Gold over an inch thick ran from her waist to her chest, which had grown in apparent size to a disbelieving degree. This armored bodice was polished to a mirror shine and flexed with high liquidity. The only adornment was an upper "hem" engraved in a scalloped pattern that consisted of dozens of crescent moons.

Above this hem which came down in a gentle "U", her armor thinned to a mere quarter an inch. The "skin tight" silver ran up and around her neck and over a face that was recognizable as Serenity's, if severely rounded by a thick silver coating. Over her eyelids and lips the armor thinned, though was still about an eight of an inch. Between engraved eyebrows a crescent moon nearly glowed with golden light. Her gray-silver Serenity eyes were right at home behind the armored mask.

Her ears, the back of her neck, and the rest of her head were all protected by several inches of armor that was sculpted into a tightly bound golden bun, reminiscent of a redoubled French braid. A silver crown with elegant arches nestled into her helmet hair; its ruby crescent moon centerpiece a pale sister of the one on the queen's forehead.

Stoutly armored, but long, arms descended from layered shoulder plates; the uppermost of which came even with the queen's eyebrows. A five inch mirror-silver crescent moon adorned each hulking shoulder mount. Coming out of a series of articulated elbow pieces were massively engraved and simply massive forearm guards that added at least two inches of material on each side.

Her gauntleted left hand held Minako's silvery sword, while interlocking golden armored fingers clutched a bulked version of her wand. Runes sullenly glowed along the shaft of the wand.

"What do you think of my gift?" Minako's voice whispered into Serenity's ear, and it was Minako's voice not the Usagi voice she had been using.

Serenity lifted her left arm; that is to say she twitched the muscles and the Venus armor responded by moving the armor around her right arm. "What?" she asked, more surprised that her mouth actually opened than that it had deepened to countertenor, a bit too deep for a normal female voice

"Putting me inside golden exo-armor was the first thing Ami did to me." Minako's whisper chuckled. "Then she turned me into the armor."

"Is... is this what Ami planned?"

The whispering laugh repeated. "My, no. Ami simply thought the armor was a neat way to transform me, but I was thinking of a way to protect you and... the armor does that."

"Why is it so... heavy? I look like a fertility statue."

Within the armor, warm pressure pulsed up and down Serenity's form. The pressure was even to the point of cutting down gravity, and she felt like she was floating in warm steadily pulsing water. It took her a moment to realize that she was feeling Minako's heartbeat.

"That's not me, I simply accentuate your curves. As for the thickness, those Russians have some heavy firepower. This is the best I can do to protect you."

Serenity continued to stare at her armor... her Senshi. "Wow... that's really some protection."

"Thanks," Minako said shyly.

***************


Agent Dirac blinked at the feed on the portable display to his pattern scanner. "That's... a lot of magical power for a heavy suit of armor,"

"Explains the scanner jump," Deschain muttered going through his gear. "Do they do everything that way?"

The gangly agent frowned, checking his rifle. "I've examined some of their magical gear so... yes."

Deschain grunted. "Well, I've got a couple charges, we could rig the door up, pull back" he suggested glancing forward and to the left.

"No. They'll take the door." Kasumi pointed to the two demons. "Steve keep on the feed and the scanners, if they go funny we’ll act. Tell me if the jamming system goes funny."
"Running green," Misako and Nariko echoed confirming their personal jammers were on.

"Until then, we wait for Ranma or Captain Jarvis to takeover."

"Some extra oomph would be good," Misako suggested, shouldering Sasha. She looked over and saw her sister's hands playing over the hilt of ScarletBane.

"No. Mining the door will force us to withdraw a bit, and I want you two to be close if things go bad, and if things go real bad we've got a 'chopper on route and orange has a couple AT4's."

Deschain nodded. "Good missiles, and if this thing has main-battle tank grade armor?"

"A javelin team is on it's way too, and if that's not enough, there's our the MRLS system, or the Canadians can use one of their Copperheads." Kasumi said, referring to the 155mm laser guided artillery shell.

"The Black Devils have an M77 now?" Deschain chuckled. "Good for them."

"It looks big, maybe slow, clumsy." Nariko said, fingering her sword's hilt.

"Right," Kasumi exhaled. She could see why Ranma found this girl so... frustrating.

***************

Staring at the armor's... at her reflection, Serenity frowned... causing metallic lips to shift. "How are you talking, anyway?"

"Same way I talked in my metal form. I've got speaking crystals near your ears. This can patch in other commutations and audio input. I can even give a visual overlay."

Serenity blinked and found translucent blue lenses slide over her eyes. Displays formed and a few icons and text appeared before the lenses vanished. "But how..."

Minako laughed again. "I told you, Ami already built the suit. I just adapted her systems. I don't recommend talking in battle; an open mouth isn't armored. Don't worry, we can still talk in a fight. but I can filter in air for us if needed. It's totally self contained, and powered by my Senshi magic. Your magic can power it too, right now it's hooked up to your wand, but there's other systems that can use that extra power."

Serenity lifted up her hands, one with a broadsword the other an artillery-class wand. "How can I eat? And can I put these down? Like a scabbard or something." She was concerned, but Minako wanted to help.


Minako chuckled. It was good that Serenity did not ask about external speakers, even through there were obviously internal ones by her ears. She wished that she could have started with full containment, but knew her queen could not take being mute... yet.

"I'll teach you how to use my blade," Minako assured as she guided the sword to a gleaming scabbard that formed on her hip. Minako's vocal assurance was followed by another warm massage. Another holster-scabbard held her wand.

"Battle, how can I even move?" Serenity asked flexing her gauntleted fingers.

"You've been moving just fine. We're enormously strong and can move rather quick."

"We..." Serenity rolled the word around in her mouth. "Still... we are a giant armored... queen... thing."

"This is where your power helps. DarkStar's suggestion that we look into Wraith Raider cloaks got me thinking and..." Minako chuckled as all of their armor became more and more polished. After becoming mirror-like shine, it shifted.

Once again Serenity gasped. It was not total invisibility, but it was like being covered in a roughly translucent paint. Within the room, her shape was obvious, but at a distance she would blend into the background.

"Of course I've also got a jammer and teleportation spells," Minako assured, returning them to visibility.

"It's a start," Serenity allowed moving her encased left fingers. "But maybe the stealth stuff with less... heavy armor."

"Maybe, or we can start training you on your new weapons?" Venus offered as the lenses reappeared and went from blue to clear. Several simple displays popped up, virtually hovering a foot or so in front of Serenity's eyes. "First, I'm sorry, but it will help you learn."

There was a slight pain in Serenity's hands and a headache as a modified version of one of Mercury's spells triggered.

"Now just lean back. Now for a tutorial," Venus said, as a sword shape appeared on the "display".

Nodding, Serenity found her headache lessening and her hand feeling somewhat but not really numb. A simple broadsword appeared before her. Smirking, she adjusted her fingers to match her blade to the display. Once that happened the image was replaced with a thicker and curved saber. She then fiddled around until she got a match and the display changed once again. It rewarded points for speed and detracted points for errors.

With practice it took her less time and fewer mistakes to get a match. As puzzles grew in complexity, it took less thought about the fine motions. "Pretty fun game." she said after completing a dozen "levels."

"You're doing great!" Minako proudly said.

After a couple dozen more quick levels, Serenity stopped thinking in terms of fingers and started simply thinking in shapes, and letting her hands respond to the controls. As such, her score started spiraling up. "Good idea. It's just like a videogame."

"I knew you'd like it. Now let's get your other arm into it." Minako smoothly said as the display became a split screen. The left half had the sword game, while the right showed her giant wand cannon. "Your wand has less visible flexibility, but there's still a few spells you can use with it. I'm sure we can think up more too."

Serenity nodded and started playing the new game. Minako was right, her wand was not that complicated. Especially since she could not fire it, not in the bathroom. However, it did just enough to split her attention to further reduce the amount she thought about it.

"Hey Mina... this thing's got your attacks too."

"Why yes," Minako said with what was almost a purr. "It'd be very silly if we went from two to one and lost firepower."

Serenity paused the game and zoomed in on the wand display. "Okay... but there's this little bar chart that says its like twice the power of before," she said, not wondering how the chart knew what her unsuited power was.

"Yes, it'd be only slightly silly if we went from two to one and merely maintained firepower." Minako gave Serenity another full massage. "Not only can we tap into both of our powers, but this is a heavy duty wand that can channel a lot more strength and give even more control. Sure it weighs sixty pounds but that's not a problem anymore."

"Oh.... nice." Serenity leaned back and savored the sensation of having her back unknotted, her curves caressed, and her stress melt away. She then shrugged causing almost seismic scale motion in her shoulder plate. She un-paused and returned to playing her game. After a good ten minutes she laughed and exited the program. "Okay, Mina... you're right. I can see these being useful in battle," she said idly waving her sword arm. It came down on the counter and feeling the edge begin to bite, Serenity shrieked and retracted the blade, preventing further damage.

Serenity looked at the sword. "I could feel that!"

"Of course," Minako gently said. "What good is a blade if you can't sense it."

"How?" Serenity said as she gingerly placed the blade on the sink and could feel the cool metal.

"Once the game mapped your motions, I was able to tap the blade's a sensor array in. Similarly, if someone touches the armor, you'll be able to feel it." Minako said a bit smugly.

"Another one of Ami's tricks?" Serenity said as she stepped over to the hand dryer. She made a blunt-tip blade and feeling the activation button, she pressed it.

"The armor was; the sword was a quick mod on my part," Minako said as Serenity held the blade under the jet of warm air.

Putting the blade across the blower Serenity laughed. "Ooooh, feels nice," she said, picking up the air's warmth and force.

"I'm glad you like it. Your arms will be very important in battle."

"Great game." Serenity nodded. The blower stopped and she drew back her sword and gave a few swings. Knowing what air felt like she could now feel the wind as her blade cut through the air with each stroke.

"Having fun?" Minako drawled.

The door clicked open and Serenity automatically spun, heaving her bulk towards it. Se drew her sword and came up in a defensive position while her wand leveled at the intruder.

The petite form of Kiri Meiou blinked. She leaned back into the hall at the mixture of tense and amused agents, demons, and demonic agents. She pulled herself back into the room, and for a brief moment her eyes flashed with iridescence.

Serenity paused, unsure if the smaller girl was annoyed, amused, or angry. In the brief moment where it looked like Meiou was deciding what to be, Serenity was reminded that "Kiri" was simply a fresh body that Pluto was inhabiting.

Kiri blinked again and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Walking around the titanic armored form, the green-haired girl hummed to herself.

"Well?" Serenity said after the diminutive girl had completed a couple laps. "Aren’t you going to say something."

"I could make a pun about not thinking Minako had it in her to be a princess." Kiri then leaned forward and ran her hand over Serenity's right gauntlet.

Awed as she felt the contact, Serenity then gasped when Kiri ran her hands over her armored finger. It felt almost as good when Kiri switched hands and placed her palm over the immense curve of her chest.

"I knew Minako was up to something, but this..." Kiri gave a single laugh. "It figures. This was what Mercury did to her after all." Her tone turned flat as she gave a mental note to place a call in the morning.

"Oh? You know? Of course you'd know. You're all knowing on stuff like this, but not anything important. Like preventing Mamoru from dying, or finding where the Russians are. How come you don't know that?" Serenity demanded, the armor further deepening her voice from countertenor to tenor and gaining a bit more reverb.

Kiri pursed her lips. "Did you two really think you could spend three quarters of an hour in the bathroom and not be noticed? At first I thought you two were relieving stress. Turns out I was right, and explains why the agents laughed when I suggested you two were simply having sex." Kiri sighed.

"Ranma's coming in. It should be... interesting." Pondering delayed plans, Meiou kept her face even. She knew the other demons were waiting for their Mother, which suited Kiri fine, the less she had to repeat meetings like this, the better.

"Ranma?" Serenity looked down at the vast expanse of amour. "What'll she think?"

Kiri thought of the situation in the hallway and laughed. "That you and Minako went and turned yourselves into a war behemoth." she patted the back of the anchor ring where it rested above Serenity's back armor and gargantuan thigh supports. She chuckled at the queen's reaction. "You could always take Minako off."

With shocking speed, Serenity rotated 180 degrees. Her silver visage looked down on the short girl. "No. Not yet. That demon's been on my case about not taking things seriously, not being a real warrior. Let her see me now. Let her see what Minako's done for me."

Kiri smiled, partially at the view that loomed above her. "Oh, and what does Minako think of this?"

Serenity tilted her head. "Minako promised to do her best to protect and serve me. This is what she wants."

"Well, it's an interesting try," Kiri admitted as she circled back around. She then stretched up and ran a hand over the eight foot tall queen's "hair".

"I'm not sure what Puu's looking for, Mina," Serenity muttered. Unfortunately even mutter carried when it was rather deep and slightly reverb.

Kiri smirked and stepped back.

"You know, you don't have to talk to me," Minako chuckled.

"Really?"

Shaking her head, Kiri stepped to the sink and gave her hands a quick wash.

"Yes you can just think to me, I've been mapping your thoughts every time you speak. I'll show you."

Serenity felt the armor on her face constrict as her jaw was pulled closed and her armored lips sealed. She tried to talk but with her jaw frozen a more echoed version of her deep voice bounded to her ears. "What the?" Serenity blinked. "How... I can't move my mouth."

"It's simple." Minako assured. "Every time you talked spells monitored your surface thoughts. After a half hour they've got enough to simulate your speaking."

"Oh another of Mercury's things But... you can read my mind?"

"Only what you're 'saying' " Minako chuckled.

Kiri looked at the still armored queen. "Are you okay?"

"Just nod," Minako whispered.

Watching the huge rounded face give a mechanical nod, Kiri sighed.

"What should I say?" Serenity asked.

"Do you need to speak?" Minako gently asked.

Serenity turned and looked at the perplexed young woman. "Well yeah!" She tried to open her mouth but found the armor holding her jaw in place.

"Let her ask a question." Minako assured.

Serenity frowned, and was surprised that her armor let her lips do that, but not open.

"Any reason for the silent treatment? Or is this just a nice little gift?" Kiri patted Serenity's skirting.

"Well?" Serenity impatiently asked.

"Now you think about your answer."

"You tell me, you're the one that wanted to show this to me."

"As you wish my Queen," Minako's voice was bemused.

Kiri tapped her foot as the armored figure not only went silent but still.

A couple seconds later the Queen's mouth opened. "Apologies Puu, Minako was merely showing how my internal communications eliminate the need for me to vocalize with her," her deep resonant voice recited, as if reading off a display.

Kiri looked up and saw a blue glow around the queen's eyes, confirming her suspicions.

Serenity tried to reopen her mouth, but found the armor had once again locked. "Did I do good?" she confusingly asked.

"Perfect," Minako allowed a massage. "See how much better that was?"

Giving a silent moan at Minako's "magic fingers" Serenity thanked the discretion the sealed mask afforded her. Not only could Kiri not hear her, but Serenity knew that her flushed cheeks were also concealed.

"See, privacy can be fun," Minako giggled, increasing the frequency of her kneading.

"It's training?" Kiri asked.

Serenity nodded.

"That's good, no need to risk breaching your armor just to say yes," Minako whispered.

"Well, good enough." Kiri shrugged. "I'll get the others. May as well have them see you before Ranma arrives."

Serenity raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Rei's gonna have fun with this," Kiri snickered as she stepped out of the bathroom.

After the door closed, Serenity turned back to the mirror. "You seem happy." Minako tracked the big, closed lipped of course, grin on her queen's face

"I don't think anyone can say I'm not being serious about battle, now." Serenity snickered, looking at her arms in the mirror.

"Well, we've still got a lot of training. You still have to learn how to use the armor."

Serenity nodded. Hearing the door open she turned and smirked at the three Senshi and one Mau.

The cobwebs of sleep were immediately banished by the sight before Makoto. She had gotten used to heavily armed demons and soldiers, but this...

Starting, she looked up, and up. Dominating the room, towering above her and Rei was a riot of polished and engraved metal and silver. Her eyes traced up the ranks of interlocking armored plates that marched up and in. Then they went over the solid girth of some sort of flared heavy ring. Above that convex and hugely concave curves reflected a distorted image of the room and the Senshi.

On either side of that were reinforced gauntlets terminating in deceptively long-looking fingers. A large sword was belted on her hip with a big wand holstered on the opposite side. It was covered in even more intricate runes and tipped with a pair of heavy crescent shaped crystals. The figure's arms went up into set of oversized golden pauldrons. The uppermost section of each was emblazoned with a giant mirrored crescent moon.

Relatively speaking, the armor thinned for the figure's upper chest and face. It turned silver and consisted of a faithful if rounded rendition of Serenity's face. The back of her head bore a solid mass of silver sculpted into a braided bun. Her ears were covered by the hair sculpture, her nostrils looked sealed, her lips were held together and armored, and her eyes were solid deep blue framed by silver eyelids. A thin silver crown with a single ruby crescent moon as its center piece was built into the armored hairpiece.

The ruby moon was overshadowed by the golden moon that dominated the giant figure's forehead. Smoothly the golden queen turned her head towards the Senshi and her face shifted into a close-lipped smile. Her arms went down to her sides, or at least rested her weapons on the flared bell of her skirting armor.

Now completely still, the eight foot tall figure looked even more statuesque.

Cradled in Kiri's arms, Luna blinked and nodded with recognition. "Even in the biggest battles old Serenity rarely put on the... heavy armor," she murmured.

"What the hell's going on?" Arms enflaming, Rei turned from the queen to Puu. "Don't tell me Mercury actually got Usagi? Mina's just been a trap... again?"

"Do not speak ill of Minako," Serenity intoned her hand hovered over the hilt of her blade.

Spine tingling, Rei turned towards the sonorous but still female voice. Swallowing, she looked past the blade to Serenity's impassive, silver visage. "What is this all about?" she demanded.

"What should I say?" Serenity asked Minako.

"Why do you need to say anything? Delegate." Minako displayed an arrow pointing to Kiri.

"Right." Serenity transmitted before turning to Meiou and giving a nod.

"Oh? Okay then." Kiri raised an eyebrow. "Remember how Ami turned Minako into that gold armor? Mina adapted that form into-" she gestured at the queen. "- this."

"That's some heavy armor." Makoto stared at gold globes, each seemingly bigger than her torso.

Serenity smirked and shifted her angle to give Makoto a front-on view.

"This is crazy!" Rei glared. "Without telling anyone, Minako decides to scrap the decoy plan to turn herself into... this? What even is this?"

"It's imperial armor," Luna said squirming out of Kiri's grip. Leaping onto the armored skirting, she grinned smugly before bounding up over the golden chest. "Not a bad version," she said examining the armored face before lying down on the space between the shoulder guards and neck.

"You know of this?" Rei eyed the prone cat.

Luna looked up from her sprawl. "A certain blonde did ask me about the Wraith cloaks and anything else I could remember. There were situations, rare situations where Serenity I would use such heavy war-gear."

"Great, is this another upgrade you've pulled out of your butt?" Rei demanded.

"Not really. The queen rarely bothered with such armor. She had enough control and experience to use mobility over protection. Members of the extended family did use such devices, but their construction was expensive, complicated, and not something that fit the Senshi. So, neither they, nor their designs were put into general use. "

"Really?" Makoto asked. "And now you remember what wasn't preserved?"

Luna hesitated. "Fine... I don't quite remember what was stored, but I know that stuff was stored... and there's got to be plenty of military hardware that the Queen didn't preserve. She was a bit pressed for time, what with the major defeat and all."

Luna looked up at the silver face. "But... that didn't mean one of you couldn't make an approximation."

"This... this is artillery, while the Sailor Senshi are... a scalpel?" Makoto asked.

"More of a assault-tank." Kiri shrugged. "And when a pro-Unification, political message needs to be sent."

"This is still insane. The queen had the right idea." Pausing, Rei floundered, trying to wrap her mind around the glimmering immensity that dominated the room. "We don't need this type of... weapon."

"They can separate," Kiri mildly reminded.

"So? Unless you manage to hide every single time they fusion, merge, or whatever, the Numbers will wise up, but that's moot as even if... IF this is kept a secret you've still got a giant lumbering target with crescent moons!"

"Yes, that much is obvious." Kiri gave a wry smile.

"And it has us effect down a person. After Ami and Janet left we're already short handed," Makoto added.

Kiri nodded and pointedly looked to the golden and silver armor.

"The point of this decoy princess plan was to reduce the firepower concentrated on Usagi," Rei continued.

"That's a real problem. First of all we have to see just how well this suit works, before scrapping the whole decoy idea."

"Good, at least someone's thinking." After Rei sighed, a shadow fell over her. Mute, Rei was transfixed as the queen closed in. Unfortunately for Rei, Serenity's dress stuck out furthest.

The armored edge of the skirting pushed Rei and knocked her forward. As Rei tipped over, Serenity bent at the knees, causing the interlocking layers of her skirt to telescope slightly.

Rei found her head landing in the V where Serenity's chest armor shifted from thick gold to less-thick silver. Shocked at the relative softness of the armor, Rei felt herself being pinned back by the strong heavy hands. Still digesting the embrace, Rei hardly noticed her feet being lifted off the ground as Serenity returned to her full height.

"Don't be a bad girl," Serenity's deep voice crooned, cradling Rei.

Rei flushed both at the mortifying embarrassment of her position and the disturbing warmth emanating from the armor.

"A bit simplistic, but to the point," Minako noted, her voice almost... distant. Part of her did miss having hands, if only to pet Luna. Though it was nice to have a cat again. "How's it feel?"

Serenity looked down at the almost... drowsy Rei. "She's angry, but calming down. This energy transfer works!"

"We've got power to spare."

Serenity gave a mental nod before her mouth opened. "Minako put a lot of work into this, and we are going to try it out. Right?"

Rei gave a dazed nod.

Makoto tilted her head at the tableau before her. "Are you using the power of love?"

Serenity turned her head up and gave Makoto a little smile.

"Only you would find yourself turned into a giant magical war machine and still think to use love." Makoto chuckled while taking a discrete step back.

"We do have both of 'em working in there," Kiri added.

"I promise, I will do my best to protect you all. You serve me and you deserve a better Queen." As Serenity spoke her wand rose up and the crystal crescents cupped the back of Rei's head. A silver flash enveloped the girl, then darkened and turned to a red aura. Broadly smiling, Serenity lowered Sailor Mars back to the ground.

"I look like Venus." Mars stared at her uniform, the seifuku style was the same, but the bodysuit and skirting had changed from silk to polished bronze. Her dark purple bows and ribbons were still fabric, as was her red collar. Instead of white gloves, she had finely articulated metal armor over her finger. However, her shoes had transformed into molded bronze high heeled boots and leg guards emblazoned with her symbol.

"Our queen is biased to that style," Kiri noted while Luna smirked.

"Oh, I remember," Mars shrugged her shoulders. The metal bodice was disturbingly form fitting, even taking into account her belly button. At least the magic was adaptive enough to let the material shift with her body's motions.

"That's really cool!" Makoto appraised, stepping around Mars' new uniform.

"If you're such a fan, why don't you do it?" Mars groused.

"Well.."

"No, I insist." Rei smirked.

Finding her wrist grabbed by a vise of bronze, Makoto found herself flung in the direction of the queen, who moved shockingly quick to catch her. Makoto sighed happily; the embrace should not have been comfortable, it should not have been warm, but...

There was a flash from the wand and Sailor Jupiter stood in a twin to Mars' uniform. Save she had pink bows and green collar over sea green patina copper armor. Fingering her skirt, Jupiter looked up to see Serenity's proud smile.

"Damn, I'm next," Kiri sighed. Running and jumping up to hug her queen, she concentrated and felt both Usagi's rushing love and Minako's smug satisfaction. The queen's power flooded her and as Kiri's clothing transformed something knocked... loose.

Armor went from metal to shaped sheets of obsidian that wrapped her young frame. Holding the long shaft of the Garnet Rod, Sailor Pluto looked down at her black armor. Fleeting iridescent whirls danced its surface.

"Why don’t you have metal?" Mars asked.

"This fits my theme better." Pluto stated, making sure that she was stabilized. It would be embarrassing if she had to get a new body, after less than a week in this one..

"I dunno, all those rainbows and reflections are rather cute."

Pluto's pout underscored her apparent age.

"What is it supposed to show, infinity and time?" Rei asked.

The green-haired girl gave Rei a long glance. "Whatever, let's go with that," she said, looking at her watch.

***************

Waking up, Cecilia untangled herself from her brood. Smiling she stood up and walked over to the bathroom at the end of their barracks. The now familiar sound of an overhead helicopter greeted her. Afterwards she opened a trunk and started getting dressed. She was nearly done when an explosion went off in the distance.

Her ears perked and as she scrambled over to her radio there was another more distant explosion. The door opened and after recognizing the visitor, relief flooded the young demon.

"Sorry, there's some heavy... weapons testing going on today," Lieutenant Hanna Hill said, her eyes darting to the stirring brood. Eating habits were one thing, but Hill found something strange about communal sleeping.

"There wasn't any live-fire training scheduled at this time." Cecilia had checked out the schedule, if there had been she would have woken up earlier.

"This is... sudden." Hill stepped back into the pre-dawn gloom. "Maybe you see it."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow, and a second later a wide lance of light shot out in the distance behind the officer. Blinking she walked up to Hill and... stared.

At the far end of the joint training camp a golden figure steadily lumbered across the clearing. It was only when Cecilia saw DarkStar running several meters behind that she realized just how big and how fast the metallic figure was.

The thing was three feet taller than DarkStar and over twice as wide, if that giant skirting was counted. However, despite a plodding lope, the thing managed to stay ahead of a running demon. Idly, the demoness wondered how friendly this giant was.

Cecilia saw DarkStar sprint up and point towards the mountaintop ruins. Raising an arm, the golden thing obliged. There was another burst of light which was followed by an explosion that further pulverized the concrete and stone wreckage. The redhead shouted something and the figure nodded, before running a few paces, lowering itself, and then... leaping.

Cecilia stared as the figure arced skyward, though nowhere near the altitude of the orbiting helicopter. Her eyes went down to see the crater the giant had pounded into the ground with its oversized legs. As such, Cecilia missed the ignition. Darting her eyes back up, the demoness' jaw went slack at the sight before her. For a couple more seconds a pulsing plume of light blasted from the bell-like nozzle that was the figure's skirting.

Further boosted the giant reached an apex of at least a hundred feet before falling towards the ground. This time Cecilia saw the... engine ignite and retard the giant's fall. Despite the retrorocket's deceleration the gold figure thudded into the hillock, but not before its other arm lashed out forming a twelve foot long blade that sliced clean through one of the broken-down target cars.

Almost smugly, the figure retracted its blade and took a step out of the flattened crater. As it turned one foot sunk into a bit of mud and the figure tilted over. The edge of the armored skirting caught on the hillside twisting it and hastening the golden giant's fall. This time the thud was less impressive, though there was more damage as angular baroque armor churned through the turf as it rolled down the hill.

Cecilia watched DarkStar saunter over to the fallen figure and rap it on the head with the butt of her sidearm. "Huh."

"Yeah... that was... " Lieutenant Hill sighed; she could deal with the demons. They might be alien but at least they were more grounded, unlike these other girls.

"Some sort of magical thing the Silvers are testing?"

"That's what we were told." Hill watched the contraption slowly right itself. "As a heavy weapons platform, it's powerful enough, until the damn thing falls over."

"It's all shiny."

"Now it is, but it can get surprisingly stealthy." Hill shrugged. "For something that big."

"At least they're testing it here first, and not just dropping it into battle."

"Small favors." Raising an eyebrow, Hill reminded herself that the bowed demoness was older and more experienced than she looked.

"I should get the girls ready and start warming up the Mess."

"Any problems with KP?

"Nah." Cecilia watched as the demons resumed herding the disconcertingly quick behemoth. "Cooking for eight, cooking for fifty, once you get to a certain size it scales pretty easily."

"And it gives your girls something to do."

"There's more for them to do here than at the house, Lieutenant." Cecilia chuckled. "They brought their books, toys, movies, and games, but out here they can actually play outside and meet new people."

"Good. Keep an eye out for these Silvers. They could start trouble."

"Told to the sex demon." Cecilia smiled.

Hill watched as the golden figure made another rocket-assisted leap. "I have some idea what you and your girls can do, but I don't know what these... Magical Girls are about, and neither does WIC. That worries me."

End Chapter


Revision Notes : And here we have Cecilia starting to ease in and Minako doing something rather... .rash. Though her nature does mean she can do such armor and accenting stuff.

 

Book 3: Raising Trouble
Chapter 7: Settling In
Formerly: Replacements and Remembrance Part 2ii



Serenity reached out and slid a chair away from the table. She stepped forward, nearly bumping into the table edge with her skirting. She lowered herself slightly so that the bottom of armored skirt touched the floor.

The mess hall had been driven to silence by her sheer size and plodding footsteps and now the brushing sound of her skirt's interlocking segments sliding against each other rang out. Each layer of the skirt telescoped a bit into the layer below, steadily pulling her forward and lowering her height. Laying on the table, Luna passively watched.

As that happened she folded her knees under her until she was in a double kneel. Soon Serenity's elbows were about even with the tabletop, and she inched forward on her knees. Serenity put her left arm on her lap and shifted and picked up a large golden twin-tinned fork. It still looked small in her immense armored fingers.

"Yes, much easier than simply getting out of the... suit." Mars dryly noted pulling out her chair and sitting down across from her queen. Feeling her legs bump up against Serenity's skirting, she immediately regretted her choice in seating.

Luna rose to her feet, jumped, and then climbed to the armor's shoulder. There was plenty of space for her to sprawl out.

"It's good... practice?" Makoto asked, taking a position next to her queen, but still offset by a couple feet by the skirting.

"What should I say?" Serenity asked.

"Why should you say anything?" Minako's voice was amused.

"But I'm just here because I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too. That training did wear you out, but I think they'll figure out you're hungry," Minako shifted their head and highlighted Kiri.

Her nostrils opening to the outside, Serenity was suddenly hit by the scent of frying bacon, sausage, ham, and dough. Mouth watering, Serenity watched as Kiri approached with a loaded platter.

Arm quivering, she looked at the stack of sugar-sprinkled pancakes, the pile of fried dough fritters, the shimmering links of sausages, the heaping bowl of cut fruit, and a full carafe of juice.

"Enjoy," Minako whispered, unlocking Serenity's mouth.

Reaching down, Serenity cut a pancake and had to slowly fork it with her other hand. After giving a sigh that only Minako could hear, Serenity found her arm being guided and a steady supply of morsels began arriving at her mouth. Each one coming just after she had finished swallowing.

"That's... weird," Rei picked at her cereal, but was transfixed by the conveyor-like motions of Serenity's arms.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Why? This is normal volume for her, if anything she's being a bit slow."

Rei nodded. "And neater... did the armor come with table manners?"

From her seat next to Rei, Kiri looked over. "Yes, Rei. Yes it did."

"Yeah... that's true," Rei winced. She looked over to see their giant queen pause, midway through her consumption. The sword arm went out and caught one tine inside the handle of the juice carafe and another outside it. Another tine grew out and all three thickened forming a strong grip over the handle.

The pitcher was raised to her lips and the blade twisted just enough to being a steady pour. The progressive inclination paused a once in the middle to allow Serenity to catch her breath, but soon the entire carafe was drained and placed back on the platter. Serenity reconfigured her blade and resumed her meal.

"Great throat control. No wonder DarkStar's been so friendly with her," Makoto commented.

"Mako!" Rei exclaimed.

"What? Minako'd make that comment if she could. I'm just filling in."

"Given Mina's location..." Kiri looked over to Serenity's platter and seeing it three-quarters done got to her feet.

"Well, this is quite the show," Rei leaned back and looked around the Mess.

"They're not staring that much are they?" Makoto looked over her shoulder and saw the collected soldiers, agents, and demons. "They're not all..."

"There's a two-ton, two-meter tall, silver and gold queen chowing down in front of them. Of course they'll stare."

"At least our queen's more eye-catching than the demons," Makoto offered.

"Yeah, at least." Rei watched Kiri return with another platter. "So, where's she putting it all?"

Makoto glanced at the protrusions on the queen's chest armor. "Internal storage?"

Rei sighed. "You're really trying to fill Mina's shoes aren't you?"

Makoto shrugged.

"Well, enjoy it while you can," Kiri noted. "There's no guarantee that the Company will agree to this little plan."

"You mean someone sane may actually put their foot down? Thank heaven for scary secret agents," Rei snorted.

"I'd put a stop to this if I really thought it was harming the Queen," Kiri noted.

"Reassuring," Rei said, dryly.

***************

On the other side of the Mess, the two ranking succubae observed the Senshi. "Your thoughts?" Eve filled her cup of coffee and nodded to Hazel, who was setting up a fresh pot.

"I think you can guess," Ranma glanced over at the golden queen.

"I don't know, you seemed to enjoy teasing that sword of hers." Eve smirked.

"That armor's not... all... bad, but..." Ranma shook her head. "I didn't expect them to go off-plan quite this quick."

Eve nodded slightly. Given what they knew of Minako's "changes", they had a scenario similar to this outlined.

"Our training itinerary lasted a full twenty-four hours."

Eve eyed the queen. "We can insist they to abandon this silly armor idea."

"We can." Ranma said, thoughtfully.

"You're not recommending that we do it now?" Eve asked.

"When push comes to shove can we keep Serenity out of armor? She's sticking with it for a reason."

"True. Fear?"

"Partially." Ranma poured herself a glass of juice. "We're supposed to be training them, helping them. We can't just browbeat them."

"That armor will require even more time in training, time we may not have. It also would work in a role that may be... ill-suited."

"Heavy direct assault?" Ranma nodded. "And we would have to abandon our decoy plan."

"Even if we still had a decoy, a giant armored suit would be a prime target," Eve noted.

"Yes, though that's not exactly a bad thing. If she'll be on the spear-tip anyway."

Eve chuckled lightly before taking a sip.

"Oh, not that way," Ranma rolled her eyes. "That suit certainly looks impressive."

"Really? From what I saw, all you needed was the right tool and she'd open up like a canned ham."

"That goes without saying. But with the right support getting there with said tool could be very risky. We'd really have to bring in Mom to run some tests. See how good that stuff really is but..."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"But the armor's not the weak link is it?"

Eve nodded. "The weak part's the same as it always was."

"Yeah," Ranma agreed. "She's not weak, if anything her strength is making her stubborn."

Eve raised an eyebrow at that.

"Quiet you," Ranma groused. "Maybe requiring constant training isn't such a bad thing."

"I thought that was your plan, before the armor."

"Sure but now Serenity's got a shiny new toy to try out, and someone real close to her giving moral support. We can use that."


"Yes.... her." Eve frowned. "Do you think Mercury is behind this? Could she pull this off?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Ranma asked, guilelessly. "Yes, her stated goal is to upgrade the Senshi to serve and improve Queen Serenity. And yes, she's transformed people into suits of magical armor." Ranma's innocence evaporated. "What do you take me for?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I don't think Akumi is competent enough to put such a plan into motion. However, a successful operative will ensure that her opponents underestimate her."

"Like the part you play?" Eve smirked.

Ranma smirked. "However, if Akumi had been planning to use Minako this way... well..."

"She would have done it already."

"Right after the Soviets' attack, by my guess. The offer for protection is made and..." Ranma waved her arm to the opposite end of the Mess.

"Before they had to come to us for protection."

"Back when the Princess still believed she could handle this on her own."

Eve nodded.

"No, while this is Akumi's style... she wouldn't stand for this."

Following her sister's gaze, Eve watched as Kiri ferried yet another platter of food. "An excellent point; more-so than you, she fears Meiou's influence."

"And she's impatient. No, if this were Akumi's work, Serenity would have already blasted her way out of here, run out of jammer range and teleported to God-knows-where."

"That doesn't preclude Akumi from being behind this. It's entirely possible her plan derailed with Venus following someone else's agenda," Eve noted.

"That goes without saying." Ranma kept her eyes on the golden figure. "That's pretty much what Meiou and the Queen told me. Venus took advantage of what Akumi did to her and made herself into a protective suit. Yes, Akumi has a hand in this."

"But it's a question of degree," Eve sighed.

"Right, we can't dismiss Akumi." Violet eyes narrowed. "This chain of control here is getting a bit too long for my taste."

"Right, and then there's how much influence little Kiri has in all this," Eve added.

"We've been watching Puu, what you're forgetting is the new influence here, someone that literally has the Queen's ear."

Eve chuckled. Minako was the gatekeeper, controlling everything that the Queen saw and did. "Clever girl."

"Yes, a gatekeeper that's about as big of a bimbo you can get and still be able to breathe and walk at the same time."

"This is the same girl that managed to operate alone in England before joining the rest of the Senshi in Japan?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't keep her from playing the bimbo. There is a reason Akumi went after her first."

Eve chuckled. "Still, this does mean that Meiou has been usurped. The Queen's new advisor has complete knowledge and privacy. You've seen how she talks now. The hesitations, the scripted lines."

"On the upside, there's no whining and less babble."

"That alone should raise your paranoia, if it's still a bimbo leading a bigger bimbo, as you presume." Sipping, Eve looked out at the Senshi. "This does complicate our contingencies."

"Then it's fortunate that we're learning as much as we can."

"That's what Meiou's doing."

"Her being caught flat-footed has lost its novelty," Ranma dryly remarked.

"That shiny new uniform is amusing."

"Yes...." Ranma narrowed her eyes as she looked across the room.

"No comment about a creepy 'little girl' wearing black armor and red eyes?"

The redheaded demon gave Eve a sideways glance.

"It's still understated compared to what the others are wearing. Polished metal." Eve shook her head.

"We knew they'd cause problems."

"Them gaining metallic power-suits was something we considered, but... we didn't think it'd go this far."

"The queen is lacking in understatement." Ranma remarked she turned and exited the mess hall.

"Your plans?" Eve asked as they stepped outside.

Ranma scanned the forest to spot the barely visible innermost line of fencing. "We train them; we learn. We don't have much time to make our decision."

Eve frowned. "The queen's armor?"

"Decoy plan aside. This adds new layers of control."

"You think we've been conned."

"Of course. Meiou's got her plans, but... Venus. That's a new one."

"We could be overestimating her. She is a bimbo," Eve proposed.

"That makes the perfect cover. People don't suspect halfwits."

Eve smirked and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulder. "I've taught you well."

Ranma purred. "Complacency kills."

"You're not ruling out Mercury?"

"Not entirely, no. If I were her, I'd simply use Venus to bring the queen back to me, but we know she's not one for simple plans."

"A mole?"

"Sure," Ranma shrugged. "Have the queen built in power then take all the Senshi and then us. It's crazy, but this is Akumi we're talking about."

"It could also be a case of defective control. Maybe Venus is following a holding pattern due to a lack of fresh orders. Maybe our jammers interfere with such transmissions. Which means if we let the Queen get in range of Akumi..."

Ranma sighed. "We'd have the queen transform into... what?"

"Really? You wonder what a deluded dominatrix with queen issues would do once she gets her prize, conveniently encased in liquid precious metals?" Eve asked with mock innocence.


***************


Kiri stepped into the bunkroom and sighed slightly. Sitting, or at least resting on partially telescoped skirting was the queen. Looking away from the room-dominating golden figure, Meiou checked the beds; they were empty.

"Well... this is new."

Eyes closed, the queen turned to Kiri.

Meiou stepped forward. "Serenity?"

"The queen is asleep," Minako's voice emitted from the crown's crescent ruby centerpiece.

Meiou eyed the flashing gem. "You've decided to talk."

"Does the Queen need to be disturbed?" Minako became a bit more atonal.

"Does she?" Kiri raised an eyebrow as she started pacing in front of the auric armor. "I was under the impression that you were both being given some time to sleep, given the early morning training."

"She is asleep."

Meiou smirked. "Of course she is. What better place for her to sleep."

"What do you want?" Minako asked, with just enough inflection to be icily terse.

"You can talk, to her, but not with this little speaker." Kiri leaned forward and looked up at the looming figure. "What are you whispering in her ears? How are her dreams?"

The armored head tilted slightly.

"Yes." Kiri narrowed her eyes. "I can see it now: her on a raised dais in a shimmering court as courtesans lovingly polish her, polish you." Kiri's eyes went to the queen's left arm. "Or maybe it's more visceral. Maybe you have her out conquering. Introducing her to imperial pleasures?"

"Oh! good idea. I was just giving her a massage."

Meiou sighed. "Very cute."

The mask bearing Serenity's face smirked.

"You're going to have to let her out sometime."

Venus straightened her head. "If you don't want to talk to the queen, then why are you here?"

"You're the one I want to talk to."

"Really?"

"There is a great opportunity before us."

Minako laughed. "And you worry about what I'm saying to the Queen."

"Of course!" Kiri glared. "I'm supposed to be the manipulative advisor. Though we can work together. It's a good start, but with my help..."

"Aw, how cute," Minako's gushing clashed with the golden form's gravitas.

Kiri pouted. "What? You want to cuddle next? Maybe some petting?"

"You didn't mind petting earlier in the morning." Minako countered. "It would help."
Kiri sniffed. "The queen does like affection."

The armor's serene face looked smug.

Running a finger along the waist-armor's anchor ring, Kiri looked up. "You're right, but do you realize the dangers? Look at Ami, if you break her heart...."

Minako nodded. "She'll remake me."

***************


"Yes Cecilia," Ranma said as she watched Sergeant Olsen Brummet and Corporal Cordell Giddings unpack a crate of Canadian variant FN FAL's.

"Nineteen-eighty-one?" Cecilia asked looking at the date on the large crate.

"It's a good year," Olsen noted as he stripped the packing material off one of the rifles and started removing a thick grease-like coating.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow at Ranma.

"Weapons don't go bad. As long as they're stored properly," Ranma added, eyeing the seals and coatings on the weapons.

"Yeah, Cosmoline does the job, it's just a pain," Cordell noted, fingering the anti-rust grease that coated the weapons.

Giving a thoughtful hum, Cecilia eyed Ranma.

The redhead eyed the two troopers. "If you'll give me a moment." She turned to Cecilia and led her a couple paces away. "Yes?"

"It's just...." Cecilia's eyes went to the guns.

"Don't worry. Your girls won't be using those rifles. Not at the start. The Black Devils have some spares for your first lessons. Then once these are checked out and upgraded to modern spec, you can have them."

Cecilia's cheeks pinked slightly. "It's not that."

"Oh." Ranma frowned. "Would you prefer something WIC-made? It's far too early to use a full HOG, and the lower section fires the same round as those Canadian guns."

"No..."

Ranma tilted her head. "Then what's the problem."

"It's all this." Cecilia waved at the weapons. "I'm not exactly comfortable with my girls using assault weapons."

"Assault rifles." Ranma corrected. "An assault weapon is... not a real thing. Basically, its any gun that looks scary. An assault rifle has select fire. That is they can work as a semi-auto carbine or a burst fire or a full-auto light machine gun or some combination."

"That's... not what I meant."

Ranma blinked. "Why? Your girls will get the best and safest training."

Cecilia looked down.

"You're a demon that can lob fireballs, cut through steel, and seduce just about anyone. Your girls could already hurt a lot of people if they were irresponsible."

"I've just never used... I mean I never really hunted..."

Ranma chuckled. "I'm Japanese, and spent a lot of time wandering China learning martial arts. Guns were even more alien to me." The redhead frowned at Cecilia's expression. "This isn't about guns is it?"

The demoness bit her lip, her curls obscuring he face.

"You'd be apprehensive about the physical training too. Any of the marital arts."

Cecilia nodded.

The redhead sighed. "Cecilia... Sissy," Ranma's voice softened. "You still have a choice. You can go back to having a quiet life. The Company can relocate you. You can go back to just having a family and raising your girls, but... if you want to stay, this is how it's going to be."

"We're not... well, not fighters."

"And yet you still want to help."

Blushing slightly, Cecilia looked down.

"You agreed to be support staff, and that's vital, but... that doesn't matter." Ranma gave a charitable smile. "Our enemies don't care; they'll kill you just the same. In a crisis, you can't panic, you can't freeze. If you want to help, this is a part of it. Training reduces the risk."

"I know." Cecilia raised her head and met the brood mother's soft eyes. "How do you handle it? Knowing the risks, knowing what could happen to your broodlings?"

Ranma gave a wan smile. "I try to do the best job I can. I give them the love and support they need. That includes training. It can be hard on them, but life is hard."

"Well, that’s reassuring." Cecilia sighed.

'That's life." Ranma eyed the other demoness.

"Right. I agreed to the training, let's do it." Cecilia steeled herself.

Ranma leaned in an hugged her. "I can't promise that nothing bad will happen to your girls, but I can promise that they'll be able to fight back."

***************

Galina smiled as the tall man entered the hotel room; Desyat closed the door behind him. "Why hello Zhivkov." She stood up.

"Really? Was Cherverkov too obvious?" de Veste groused from his seat.

The apparent Zhivkov bristled. While his clothes were not terribly well-tailored, they did not clash; he had that much over the bulky, ill-dressed, man. "At least you know your history."

"It's nothing." Mal shrugged. "Former prime ministers do make for obvious pseudonyms. Really, it's not like any of us are using our... Christian names," he said with a chuckle."

Zhivkov inclined his head. "And what might I call you?"

Mal looked over to Galina who nodded. "Mal. Mal de Veste," he said flatly.

"I... see." Zhivkov turned to Galina and, facing away from Mal, raised an eyebrow.

Galina eyed the plaid-suited man. "Todor, I assure you Mal's skills will come in handy. He has already proven his usefulness."

"Oh?"

"I showed them how to sweep for some... exotic bugs," Mal explained.

Zhivkov nodded. "Yes, well there are questions. Comrade Kolarov was quite... colorful on the information you've furnished us so far."

"Todor, we've worked together before. That's why I knew I could trust your men. Can you not trust us?"

Zhivkov frowned. "This is different than your... enhancements."

"If the work is too much you can go home." Mal played with his pinky ring. "Go east until you find a general that needs some... cleaning. Plenty of work, if you can keep quiet about it."

At first, Zhivkov reddened at man's suggestion, but there was no disparagement in his suggestion. Worse, he was right. In a pinch it was relatively easy and fairly profitable work.

"Do you have a problem with the terms?" Galina idly asked.

"That is not what worries me." the Bulgarian narrowed his eyes. "These demons and all this magic, it's a bit much. At least the capitalist mercenaries are basic enough." He dared not ask why the likes of Galina even needed him and his men.

"No!" Galina yelled. After a moment she motioned for Desyat to stay her hand. "What are the three teams used in a basic ambush?"

Zhivkov blinked. "Pardon?"

"This is basic." Galina turned away from the former soldier. "What are the components of an ambush?"

"Uh," Zhivkov's memory went back to the balmy summer days in a barracks on the steppes learning from the Red Army. "Assault, security, and support."

"Indeed. An attack goes so much better when flanks are secured and supporting fire can be called upon. The capitalists so love their force multipliers." Galina chuckled. "Not that simplicity doesn't have its own virtues."

Controlling the growing dread in his chest, Zhivkov nodded. "Then that is our role? We counter their support?"

"It's for the best. You wouldn't last if you got in close with these girls," Mal stated in the same even voice.

"And your team would?" Zhivkov made sure to keep his tone free of accusation.

Galina faced the Bulgarian. "Slightly."

Zhivkov swallowed, no longer able to fully contain himself. "The events in the news..."

"A spectacular failure." Mal levelly looked to Galina. "Casualties? KIAs?"

Zhivkov clasped his hands behind his back. "Casualties," he repeated. He heard rumors that one of the Galina's team had been killed, once, when an ammunition dump went up but...

"Yes. We are under-strength."

Straightening his ring, Mal leaned back in his chair. "Now we lift the veil of ignorance."

"I see." Zhivkov tightened his grip. "And if I may ask what... specialty does your team have?"

"Team?" Mal chuckled. "Tell me comrade, are you a religious man?" He adjusted his pinky ring, amused.

Pain shot up Zhivkov's wrist. "What kind of question is that?"

Mal nodded. "Interesting."

"Not going to call me a mercenary?"

"Why?" Mal tilted his head. "We all kill people for money. I really can't begrudge you for that."

"Then why?"

Mal smiled, oily. "Sorry for the distraction."

A'deen eyed the suited-man. "Comrade de Veste works alone, normally."

"I see." Zhivkov shifted his grip on his wrist.

Sighing, he could understand the value of his men to Galina and her ilk. This was not the first time he had worked with the Numbers. As A'deen implied, even... superior troops could benefit from additional support and security. A single man however...

"No, you don't. That's the problem with your kind, when faced with something that doesn't fit your little world view you ignore it, you lie, you deny. Normally, that's a plus, it makes my job easier, but now... Fortunately, I'm not that worried. With your revolutionary remnants that'll just make for a nice distraction. These demons like to take their time with their kills, and you're bringing a lot of warm bodies." Mal said, his voice returning to its flat almost disengaged tone

Galina glared.

Zhivkov's eyes widened slightly as he watched Galina open her mouth then stop and turn away from de Veste. Aside from Red Army superiors, from way back, he knew of nothing that would stay her acid-tongue. Especially with an impertinent... hireling.

Galina paused. "Mal is correct. Zhivkov, if you fail, if you underestimate this enemy, your men will be devoured by monsters."

"Have you shown them battle footage?" Mal mildly asked.

Zhivkov raised an eyebrow, while Galina and Desyat went still.

"Ladies, it's in your eyes. Now maybe your optics don't have a record capability, but I doubt it. It's your prerogative how much you want to share, but... you, Todor, should know what your men could go up against."

Galina pursed her lips.

"The footage you sent me was... minimal. More would be helpful," Zhivkov allowed.

Mal adjusted his glasses. "Apologizes if that was too presumptive."

"It's a fair point." Sighing, Galina's eyes flicked to Desyat, who still stood silently near the door. "We'll get you the footage."

"Thank you," Zhivkov nodded.

"If you come up against these creatures, don't hesitate, don't let them get close, and don't let up your fire." Mal leveled his gaze at the Bulgarian.

"Right." Zhivkov wondered if he would get advice that was not applicable to both the demons and Galina's team. "What of the other girls, these... magic users?"

"Poorly led, poorly trained, poorly organized. However, their offensive capability is not to be trifled with. Unfortunately, we have even less detail on their weapons than we do on the demons'."

Zhivkov nodded. "Though this is the group with the primary... client."

"Yes, our 'client's' inner circle are useful targets of opportunity. From our information they provide key support and we've already whittled down their numbers."

"Wouldn't eroding her human support push her further into the hands of the demons and the Company?" Mal asked. "Seems to me, that's having her trade up in terms or protection."

"An unfortunate consequence of her continued survival."

Zhivkov restrained a frown. Clearly, the situation had gotten worse. Otherwise A'deen would have no need to hire them. "And where have your losses come from?"

"To date the demons. But I had a guess, the Princess' entourage will extract a price on your girls next time you fight."

Galina glared at the brutish man.

"Your caution of them is obvious. It seems to me, that they are your enemy. That these human girls... are just a way of keeping score."

"We aim to complete this mission." Galina narrowed her eyes. "Killing our target is what counts."

***************


"Are you sure you want to do this?" Minako's voice transmitted.

Usagi lifted her arms and leaned forward trying to look down past the immensity of her chest. She succeeded but that only gave her a slightly better view of the belts of armor that spread out and down in a bell-shape from the thick anchoring circlet around her hips. "Please... humor me," Usagi, eventually, mentally commanded.

"As you wish," Minako replied.

Usagi gasped, her silver lips parting. She felt her body split apart as her torso separated from a seam that ran down the middle. Similarly, she felt her skirting decouple as the staggered layers disconnected and separated, revealing immense golden legs, which then began to peel apart.

While the undersides of her arms popped open and her hair pulled back, her face melted away. And then... it was no longer her body splitting and pulling apart, it was her armor. Hesitantly, she pulled her arms and felt them slide out of their housings. Goose-bumps formed on the suddenly exposed, suddenly chilled skin.

She stepped forward, almost stumbling at the height difference between where the armor placed her feet and the floor. Taking another half step she nearly stumbled again, this time at the drastic width reduction of her foot-print.

"Weird," she muttered, looking at her hands. Her fingers seemed so... delicate without the articulated gold segments.

She blinked. There was no overlay display, no additional information, just her eyes and ten naked slender digits, but most of all there was no voice. She turned back to the armor. "Mina?"

Looming above the silver-haired queen, the armor looked disemboweled, harvested for vitals. Gently pulsing, silver tubes... veins... arteries ran throughout the cavity and she could see the support structures that held her body within. Serenity shuddered at the sight and unconsciously took a step back towards the armor.

Frowning, Luna scrambled off of the armor just as clacks and metal rasping against metal resumed. The hair-helmet flipped back, the arms resealed and the chest closed back up. For a moment the armor looked almost normal and Serenity's heart sank at the sight of the faceless suit.

But the closing continued, and armored sections accelerated the pace with which they folded over each other. Shoulder plates collapsed inward while chest armor peeled back and armored skirting telescoped inward and upward. The blade rapidly receded into a more traditional shape and the crystalline mountings of the heavy wand collapsed in a domino-like cascade.

Gold and silver armor folded into itself transitioning from hulking Imperial armor unto the relatively lithe frame of Venus' golem form. Eyes flaring red, Venus handed the crescent wand back to Serenity.

Serenity accepted the wand with a bow. "Thank you, for everything."

A slight smile passed Venus' golden lips.

"Well how sweet," Kiri said stepping into the bunk room. "But I don't think this getup will work."

Venus nodded slightly.

"Well, what?" Serenity crossed her hands over her chest, momentarily amazed that they were small enough to allow such an action. "Do you think I shouldn't ever leave the armor?"

Kiri sighed. "Maybe if Mina... or Usagi or whatever we're calling her now, didn't have the Venus symbol all over her armor. We kind of want those Russians to think that they've actually killed three of us."

Serenity's eyes sparkled. "A makeover then?"

"She's already made herself into your armor." Kiri nodded after a moment. "Yes that will do. Mina, can you do a more... toned down version of your big armor?"

Venus nodded and there was more rasping of armor. Shoulder armor folded out and the skirting went from the Senshi pleated to something a bit heavier, while still reaching just above the knees. Her hair went from a centurion-like golden crest to the sculpted metallic hair bun. Her sword grew though not to the immense two-handed size with the larger armor.

Kiri nodded as the Venus symbols reverted back to crescent Moons. "That can work."

Minako smirked.

"Though it's still a bit suspicious having an animated armor suit, but so is the big suit that you two make." Kiri shrugged. "I presume you can still look human?"

Her expression turning to a smirk, Minako had her armor collapse until it became golden skin which then paled into a human tone.

Looking at... herself, Serenity shook her head. "I still get weirded out by that."

"Not the first time," Minako laughed with Usagi's voice.

Kiri nodded. "I suppose the princess becoming –well- princess armor works."

"Especially since everyone else has metallic armor. Other than you." Serenity turned to Kiri.

"Hmm... and what will the Russians think if they see the princess merging with the queen?"

The other two girls frowned.

"I'm not so sure they'd take kindly to a bit of Lunar Love Queen," Luna muttered.

Serenity's eyes glinted. "Oooh."

"Please don't give her ideas," Meiou sighed.

"What? You're not amused by the idea of a giant shiny Cupid?" Luna asked.

***************


An excavation scooped out the front half of a hill with the fill piled upon the remainder of the hill and sides, making a miniature box canyon. Standing before the several meter tall berm were pairs of wood poles, with a sheet of cardboard straddling each. Three meters in front of the earthen mound and the targets were four bundles. The precision machinery gave a dull shine, the containers of high energy chemicals sat fat and heavy, and the fabric harness and pouches rested in curled tangles.

In front of those were four vaguely-teenage girls with loose green jumpsuits and chalk-white skin. A vaguely sulfurous scent rose from them. Standing behind them were three older women, in similar if more... ready clothes.

Nose flaring, the one with green eyes smiled slightly. "Okay, you've all managed to use rifles without killing yourselves, now we're going to see if you can handle the next thing," Misako barked to the assembled succubae. "You, what's the first rule?" Misako pointed to the succubus standing at the end of the firing line.

Hazel's eyes widened as she tried to recall. "Assume every firearm is loaded?"

"Right." Misako smirked. "Always treat it like it is loaded, and related, when you start carrying always keep it loaded, an empty gun is just a pricey club. You, next rule." Misako said, pointing to the demon on the opposite end from Hazel.

Desiree's eyes looked to Hazel and Auntie Ranma and that Company officer. "Well... Control the muzzle?"

"When?" Misako's voice was deceptively gentle.

"All the time?"

"And why is that?"

Desire's eyes darted down to the handgun just ahead of her feet. "Because it's always loaded... and the muzzle is where the bullets come out?"

"Heh. Not bad," Misako smirked and looked to one of the girls in the middle.

"Third one?" Meredith asked. "Right. 'Trigger finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard.' " She quoted from memory.

"And when do you do that?"

Meredith was about to say 'always' but stopped. "Until you're ready to... shoot?"

Misako nodded. "There's a whole issue on when you're ready to shoot, but that's for later lessons. Right now we're giving the basics. Prissy last rule?" She said without looking at the girl.

Priscilla chewed her lip. "See that it's unloaded. Prove its safe?"

"What does that mean? Since the first rule says your gun is always loaded?"

"But it's not..." Priscilla froze at Misako. "I mean we emptied our rifles when we cleaned them this morning. That nice Sergeant had us check them."

"How?"

"Removed the magazine and worked the action. Then looked inside. Then worked it again. Check both visually and by feel to ensure that the weapon is empty."

"Exactly," Misako beamed. "It's good that you're being cautious. What's the saying Lieutenant?"

Kasumi looked up. "Complacency kills."

"That's right." Misako nodded. "Obey these four rules and I'll guarantee you won't hurt yourself or your family." The green eyed girl walked behind the four succubae. "You might be wondering when you'd actually use these weapons. Right now, you're support staff, but more importantly you're demons. You can already call up various attacks, but..." Misako smirked. "It's far better to have a skill and never use it, than it is to need it and not have it. Isn't that right Mother?"

Standing off to one side, Ranma's eye went up and her hand went over the handle of the SSP she wore on her hip. "Yes, Misa." She looked down the line of demons. "I've had to use my weapon in battle, and I was glad I knew how to use it. In a fight you won't have time to think, you'll just have your instincts and your training. These weapons are no different than the other skills you're being taught."

"Right, put on your eye and ear protection," Misako said as she slipped on her own set of ear plugs and purple ballistic glasses. "Good, now bend down and pick up your guns. Do not load them." Misako's eyes glinted. "Hazel! Your gun's drifting. Rule two!"

She stepped over and made sure Hazel complied before complying. "This is the SSP. It fires the five-hundred S&W cartridge one of the only handgun rounds that are actually effective in NH combat.

"It bears a passing resemblance to the AMT Automag IV, but unlike those beasts, grandmother actually made a reliable weapon. Each magazine only holds seven rounds, which is a major limitation, and reloading is vital. Just be glad your fingers tend to be longer than human's."

Hazel blushed and studiously kept the weapon's muzzle downrange.

Simultaneously, Ranma and Kasumi stepped in and made sure that fingers were off the trigger and out of the trigger guards.

"You didn't forget everything from this morning." Misako nodded. "Now take your fingers and hold the grip with your middle, ring finger, and pinky. You want a good crush grip."

"Closer, get it right up on the beaver tail," Kasumi adjusted Desiree's hand so that the beaver tail guard on the back of the grip was flush with flesh between the demon's pointer finger and thumb.

"Right. Now rack the slide." Misako sighed at the younger girls. "No.. you don't ride the slide." She pulled out her own weapon, released the magazine, and cleared the chamber. "See, just get a good grab on the slide with your off hand. Then once you have it take the hand holding the gun and push it forward. Then let go of the slide. Right! That's it. See how much stronger that is."

"Ohhh, that is simpler," Hazel nodded.

Misako smirked. "Right, now use the slide lock and hold the slide back. Now if your magazine goes empty, it'll look like this. Now you can use the slide release or pull back on the slide but hitting the release has one key benefit."

"Uh... it's faster?" Meredith asked.

"Yup, tugging the slide is a whole extra motion, where your thumb is already there to hit the relapse. Also you can use it one handed, but one handed reloading is an advanced subject."

The young demons nodded, a bit dubiously.

"Place your weapons back into the holsters, and then pick up your belts."

The broodlings complied and slipped their belts on. Kasumi and Ranma then helped them adjust the holsters and magazine carriers.

"Good, good." Misako smirked. "Now you'll learn how to draw and holster. Won't that be fun?"

Hazel's heart-shaped face turned quizzical. "Yay?"

"After that you'll get to shoot."

"Oh." Hazel blinked. "Yay!"

"Yay, indeed." Gravely nodding, Misako turned to her mother and broke into a quick smile. " But first, we'll have to talk about stances. With a two-handed grip, it's just like your rifle stances. You're going to put the foot of your gun hand forward, bent knee and lean your weight as you move your shoulders forward. Good that's right. Your gun side foot will angle to the side and be bent a little bit. This is all to help absorb the recoil and give you a good stance. Think an italicized lower-case 'h'."

Ranma and Kasumi moved in to help the others with their legs and feet.

"Thanks! You'll be surprised at how much a little thing like stance will help your shooting," Misako said while the redhead rolled her eyes. Then Misako looked over her mother's shoulder and her grin broadened even more. "Oh, hi Grandma!"

Ranma turned and spotted her mother approaching, lab coat incongruously draped over a set of WIC armor.

"Well, well, how's the training?" Nodoka asked, stepping up to the range from behind the firing-line.

"Just starting," Misako said.

"They're doing good though."

"Of course, they're family," Misako proclaimed.

"BlackSky would be proud," Nodoka murmured, pensive.

"Yeah, especially since they got away from Alexia's influence." Ranma glanced at her mother.

"Family is important, it's good that you're helping yours."

"It helps that they're agreeable." Despite her smile, concern crossed Ranma's eyes. "You complete the examination?"

Nodoka nodded. "Misa-chan, can you spare her?"

Misako raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenant Tendo's more than enough."

Ranma turned to Kasumi and gave a slight nod. "Right, help Misa and the girls then. Good luck with the lesson, Dear," she then said to her daughter.

After the officer and her daughter had walked several paces back to the buildings, Nodoka turned slightly. "Having her teach?" she asked pulling off her own ear protection.

"It's good for Misako; she can use more responsibility," Ranma said as four shots barked in the distance. She had slipped of the ear-muffs and winced a bit. That was a downside to having enhanced senses.

Nodoka nodded. "And the rest of Cecilia's brood, where are they?"

"With Akane and Nariko learning the basics of hand to hand. Sophie and Morgan are helping, may as well sharpen their training too."

"Quite the little school you've got going here," Nodoka chuckled.

Ranma frowned. "Well, it's not like we're going to Furinkan anymore."

Nodoka patted her daughter on the shoulder. "It's part of growing up. You girls have only so much time."

"Yeah.... anyway, JTF2 is learning well enough. It helps that they've seen some NHs and Cecilia's girls seem eager enough. Apparently, they did good on rifle this morning."

"But you're not concerned about them."

Ranma stopped walking. "Mom, you examined her... them. What's the story?"

"It's... something else." For a brief moment Nodoka tried to hold in a grin. "In truth, it's actually not that bad... Well, if you ignore the gaudy embellishments." Nodoka shook her head.

"For a specific situation I could see it having a purpose." Eight shots, in four overlapping pairs interrupted Ranma's response. "And that giant skirt?"

Nodoka chuckled. "It isn't completely absurd. Really," she defended against her daughter's skeptical expression. "First, it gives protection. Sure her legs are huge, but that's because they support all that mass, that's not all armor. The skirt also acts as a screen barrier too. Explosives will detonate against that first, not her legs."

"It's a giant metal ball gown." Ranma frowned. Part of her could see the... she shook her head.

"And that shape allows for fair leg mobility and allows it to act as a nozzle." Nodoka shook her head in recollection of that pre-dawn video footage. "And an overlooked thing that skirt does is stabilize. Not only does it lower her center of mass but since it's spread out, the armor increases her moment of inertia. Not that she still won't fall over due to absurd ground pressure."

"Yeah her footwork really, really needs improvement."

"Not just footwork, but wooden stairs, mud, decking, maybe even residential buildings are right out. Which just nails home how worthless she'd be in urban combat. The skirt is an interesting solution but... it's far too much. Its protection comes at too high of a cost in bulk and weight."

Ranma nodded.

"But the weight overlooks something else." Nodoka's eyes gleamed.

"Oh?"

"The whole armor weighs far more than the sum of their masses. Even if you add her golden golem mass to Serenity's. That's a powerful summon right there."

"Expanding the brood's capabilities?"

Nodoka nodded. "Being able to 'dial-in' your level of armor in combat would be exceedingly useful. Unfortunately, it's extremely energy intensive, though we might be able to get a workaround via your demonic summoning."

"She's showing off," the redhead mumbled, looking out to the buildings. "Overall?"

Nodoka shrugged. "In a vacuum, it's an impressive weapons system. Her main weapon is a much better focus. That makes it easier to channel heavy energy blasts. But all that armor is a liability, unless it's needed, and unless her enemy doesn't have a massive mobility advantage."

"Which the Numbers have." The redhead rolled her shoulders. The combat cyborgs ranged between inhumanly fast and incomprehensibly fast.

"That said, the armor and sword are impressive from a materials standpoint. Again in a vacuum it's all impressive."

"Oh, you checked them out?" Ranma smirked.

"The sword is very flexible. Which."

"I don't think that it's a weapon."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow.

"The sword is big and pushes her to lean on Mina."

Nodoka nodded. "I noticed the pauses too. She's waiting for advice."

"Probably why the armor's so thick, insulates her from anything Mina doesn't want her to know about."

Frowning, Nodoka nodded again. "Yes, the armor that is quite resistant to small arms fire and many smaller crew served weapons. Probably weak to HEAT though. Personally, there's some room for improvement in her armor."

"Really? Do they know it?"

"Daughter, I am an agent." The scientist smirked. "I complimented them on their skill in building various armor laminates, which allowed me to take some samples. It's... creative work, and I can come up with some improvements, if you want."

"Let me rephrase. Do you think Mina knows?"

"I think the armor does the job it was designed to do." Nodoka gave a hollow chuckle. "The armor itself is a rather interesting, if unoptimized, blend. Pure gold is a rather pathetic armor, given its properties, but that's mostly an aesthetic choice. Really it's a lamination of several materials charged with the expected Silver energies. This is similar to the current metal armor the others wear, on a larger scale of course, and fundamentally it’s the same as their cloth armor as well, save for a different substrate.

"Now,simply scaling up the layer-count and replacing the matrix with something stronger is a brute force way to improve protection, but it's hardly the most efficient. Though when dealing with a design that seems... generous with issues of weight and bulk, mass has an effectiveness of its own."

"Right." Ranma said, understanding only most of what her mother said.. "Do you think it's usable?"

"Honestly? It doesn't seem suited for this type of combat. That's being very generous." Major Saotome smirked. "I suppose such a suit would fill the self-propelled artillery TO&E of the Silver Empire. From that perspective it's not that bad of a weapons system. As long as you keep to fields and away from built-up areas. Still such a system would ideally have an escort to deal with anything that got close. Technically, she is smaller, more mobile and less bulky than our... vehicles."

"Which we don't use very much and would get torn apart in close combat anyway."

"Right, we did fire a GPS-HIMARS system, but that was in a specific situation. And it's curious she hasn't gone for less armor in exchange for more mobility, while keeping the same firepower. "

Ranma leaned on her mother. "We could try that, but I think there's a specific reasons she's so bulky and has fixed weapon mounts."

Nodoka hugged the shorter woman. "Possession and fear of loss do seem to be quite apparent here."

Ranma sighed happily. "Yeah, her problem isn't a lack of protection, it's a lack of control, and well that's her game."

Nodoka nodded. "Right, slower responses, fewer words; she was consulting."

"Sure, Serenity was letting someone else do the thinking, having someone else make all the decisions for her."

"Only now, we can't see her abdicating all her responsibility."

Ranma nodded. "Right! The armor doesn't make her be more decisive, it makes her less. Eve and I were talking about that this morning."

"That shifts the balance of power."

"Yes," Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Seems to me that it's just like Puu pulling her strings."

"Puu doesn't completely encase Serenity, nor does she control everything she sees, says, and does."

"Clever girl."

"Don't be so sure of that, Dear." Nodoka cautioned. "Be wary of her, yes, but don't fall into the same trap your rivals do. Sometimes an airhead is just an airhead."

***************


After watching the trio of clay disks explode, Nariko checked her watch. "Break time! Nice work."

Jupiter nodded and got up from her crouch and rejoined Mars and Pluto.

Looking over her notes, Sophie nodded. "Yes, good job, fair accuracy, and strong team tactics."

"Really?" Mars flicked a bit of dirt of her bronze skirting.

"Oh yes, especially you and Makoto." Sophie said as she secured the trap machine. "You've worked together for a long time, it shows. You've got power and teamwork, some formal training should really pay off."

Kiri smirked. "You should have see them before I started working on their gunnery."

Rei gave the younger-looking woman a narrowed gaze.

As the group started walking back, Sophie appraised the armored girls. "That's part of it, your team skills are critical. Without them you're just individuals in a big fight."

"And you expect us to run about shouting 'Cover me' and 'Covering'? " Mars raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit obvious isn't it?"

"It can be exceptionally hard to hear your teammates in battle. But when you work with someone long enough, you start to predict how they're going to move. Which you two have shown," Sophie explained.

"We're honestly getting more reassured with your preformance," Nariko brightly added.

"They complained when I trained them, too," Kiri noted as they walked across the base.

"Yes, they'd do that," Sophie absently replied.

"Our meeting," Nariko reminded.

Rei blinked. "Hmm?"

Sophie nodded to Nariko. "We'll be back, enjoy your break."

"Huh," Makoto said watching them walk off.

"Suspicious?" Kiri asked, as the two demons rejoined other demons.

"Let's see, scientists are poking at the queen and... Usagi, and the demons are suddenly grouping up. Yeah, I don't think DarkStar's up to anything," Rei grumbled.

Meiou's smile held traces of condescension. "She's not human. Don't forget that, they don't think like you do. A creature like her, her motives are either hopelessly complex or dreadfully simple."

Looking at her distorted reflection in Pluto's armor, Rei grimaced. "That's not reassuring."

"That's not my job." Kiri smirked. "My job is to serve the Line of Serenity."

"It's Ranma, I'm betting on dreadfully simple," Jupiter interjected.

"That's what she wants you to think. No one who's done all this-" Rei snorted and waved her arms to encompass the multi-national base, and the ruined AOM facility. "Could be simple."

"You make a good point." Kiri chuckled. "There is definitely more at work here."

"I liked it better when we could just fry everything that wasn't human," Rei muttered.

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Rei demanded, glaring down at the shorter girl.

"Well, we are being trained by demons, and our main enemies right now are human. Oh, and there's what our blonde friend's been turned into," Jupiter stated.

"And things have gotten a lot more complicated."

Pluto shook her head. "They always were complicated."

"Really?"

"Remember the Black Moon Clan? Time traveling insurrectionists under the thrall of an ancient horror. Or there's the Dark Kingdom. Again, a rebellion to the Silver Empire under the thrall of yet another ancient horror, but this time the roots lay in the problems of the occupation and pacification of Earth."

"Yeah, but we still just fried them all," Jupiter reminded. "Well, until we got killed."

Kiri chuckled. "Yes, there was that."

***************


Adjusting her chest-rig, Ranma looked up at the queen, but only slightly. "Not armored-up?" she asked, absently nodding to Minako.

Currently in her Moon princess guise, Minako nodded from her seat next to the Queen.

"Luna recommended that I.... unwind," Serenity looked down at the cat luxuriating on her lap.

Ranma chuckled.

"This is about that? You're deciding whether or not you'll let me... us fight how we want."

The redhead laughed as she slumped down onto a bunk and looked across the room to the couch where the "royalty" sat. "It's your choice. Fight how you want. We have pointed out the limitations of such heavy armor, especially with your being short-handed. But you can choose it."

Frowning, Serenity idly pushed a lock of silver hair back into her bun. "Meaning that it's my choice whether or not I'll get your protection."

The demon's smirk split, revealing her teeth. "I wouldn't put it that bluntly. Really, you seem less rapt with the whole union thing." She glanced at the blonde.

Minako blinked, slowly deliberately. "Meiou really should have gotten better terms on that contract."

"Maybe she wanted to minimize her queen's demonic entanglements." Ranma eyed the drowsy cat, warily. "Maybe she was worried that a compromised Senshi would takeover the queen."

Serenity glared. "Minako is not compromised!"

"She was. And her little experiment could have put our plans at risk, could have put you at risk." Ranma spread her fingers. "

"Now I know how my mother felt." Serenity sighed.

"Oh?" Ranma laughed. "If I recall, I wasn't terribly assertive back in that life."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Not you, BlackSky."

The redhead's lips curled into a tight smile. "Usa.. Usa... Usa... Even you're not so wet-behind-the-ears that you'd blindly deal with the likes of my grandmother."

Luna snickered.

"But you can?"

"I've only met her the once, and she's Family," Ranma smiled.

"Gee, how reassuring," Serenity's tone was dry.

"You're right, look at who you're working with now." Ranma then shook her head. "But despite her being my grandma, even I'm not going to blindly deal with her."

"Oh? Mother... Serenity... you know... There was that deal the Silver Millennium made with her. That worked out well."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "BlackSky got her pick of Earth's eldritch lore, libraries, mages, destroyed a rival, took all her land, avenged her favored granddaughter's death, and got her back. Meanwhile the Silver Empire started a troublesome occupation that planted the seeds of the Fall."

Serenity – Usagi – stared at the demon. "That's...."

The redhead leaned back, smiling broadly.

"You're not even accounting the current situation." Luna rolled on her back. "We're at the demon's mercy. We could try to find the Cyborgs and attack them on our own, but that would be very risky."

"We've learned what they can do and how to fight them." Serenity frowned at the cat. "But so have they; they're preparing something."

"Yes, that's what I'm worried about, they have connections, they'll come up with something." Ranma's grin floated merrily. "Now you do have to wonder if you're being too paranoid about BlackSky; even eldritch demon queens have limits. Of course I could be lying to keep you conveniently complacent."

Minako narrowed her eyes.

"I think we've drifted from why I came here. Unless you want to talk with grandma BlackSky. There are several ways she could solve your problem."

"The combat cyborgs?"

Ranma pouted. "Where's your imagination? I'm certain BlackSky can accommodate."

"Accommodate what?"

The redhead pursed her lips. "How blunt do I have to be? I'm trying to broker a Faustian bargain here."

"I don't think that's what mother had in mind when she sent me forward."

Palming her chin, Ranma chuckled as she leaned forward. "I'm not complaining about her deal with BlackSky."

"Why are you doing this?"

"You brought her up and you decided to play mecha," Shifting her eyes to Minako, Ranma's voice was stern. "And don't you act like you're above this. You've already made your deal-with-a-demon."

Serenity glared and gripped Minako's hand. "And this is what I get for letting Puu make the terms of the deal. I should have been better off dealing with you personally."

Ranma rolled to the side in fits of laughter. Laying halfway on the bed she looked up. Battered by continual chuckles, Serenity had tightened her grip, seemingly liquefying Minako's... compliant hand.

"Sorry...." Ranma pulled herself back to sitting. "I'm still getting used to..." She shook her head and then ran her fingers through the tussled tresses, feathering further. As that happened, her tail came out and curled around her hips and flopped over the end of the bed where it lazily swung back and forth. Finally, she extended her horns. "There, may as well play it to the hilt." Ranma then leaned forward. "Now..." she purred, literally. "If you want to do thins personally... this is a bunk room. We can even have Minako too. I really don't mind blondes."

Minako turned to Serenity and gave a quick smile.

Door knocking open, two meters of terse Teutonic shapeliness strode in. Eve's icy blue eyes scanned the room.

"Well, speak of the devil." Ranma chuckled. "Are they set?"

"Yes, Major Sifton thinks we're mad, but he does agree his artillery crews need the practice."

Ignoring Eve's words, Minako's face brightened. "Oooh, you like puns too?"

"Don't get her started," Eve said. "You didn't tell them?" she asked Ranma.

"Didn't get the chance. Queenie over here started talking about Grandma."

Eve nodded.

"So, what, you figured the conversation was going on too long and barged in to derail it?" Serenity asked.

"Don't be silly." Luna rolled back onto her belly. "She probably just watched the camera feed."

Turning to Serenity, the tall demon chuckled. "Unless mein Schwesterchen wants to feed on you, we do have a schedule to maintain."

Ranma smirked. "You're the little sister here."

"Are we going to use the new armor Min- er... Usagi came up with?" Serenity glared, her cheeks flush at the continued charade.

"Correct, we need you two to get back together." Eve's eyes glinted.

Ranma stood up and rocked her feet. "It really would have been better if command denied your little suit, but Jacob's got a sense of humor. To bad for you."

"I don't understand where you got this notion of Colonel Edwards possessing a sense of humor." Eve deadpanned.

"Why is this so difficult for you?" Serenity demanded. "If anyone should love big weapons and heavy armor, it's you guys."

The demon sisters looked at each other.

"At least she didn't say we were compensating," Ranma swished her tail in thought.

"Penis envy? Really, must we be so Freudian?" Her tail flicking back and forth, Eve glanced at her SSP; its tip only a hair shorter than the dress uniform skirt it was holstered to.. "I don't think envy is the right word. It's not like we're talking about a difficult commodity for a succubus to acquire."

"Though Morgan is... attached to her gun."

"Really? Need I bring up Misako, or is that too obvious a retort?"

"True, Morgan hasn't named hers."

"Oh? I've heard her whisper a certain name around her gun," Ranma teased.

Eve chuckled. "Please, Morgan didn't even kill that girl with her rifle."

"This... doesn't answer my question." Serenity sighed.

"Oh, but it does," Ranma's voice was almost sing song. "Sure, we could clank around in great big shiny armor, and lumber around with mini-guns, but... why?"

Serenity blinked.

"Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should."

"You're telling me to not push the envelope? You?" Serenity's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"There's a difference between equipment and performance. This thing is a careful balance between protection and weight," the redhead tapped her vest armor. "Not because an extra kilo will make it too heavy to carry, but because every bit saved gives more... space, more maneuverability. I can do all those fancy moves and do them that fast in spite of my armor not because of it."

"My armor's different." Serenity squeezed Minako's hand again.

Ranma smirked. "Perhaps, but at a cost of reducing the side of your team."

"It is a wonder weapon," Eve's voice was dry.

Serenity nodded. "That's not a complement, is it."

"Wonder-weapons are symptomatic of various State illnesses. Sometimes, it's as benign as superpowers with more money than sense. Other times its the perspiration-inspired desperation of potentates, presidents, and tyrants gambling that grandiosity trumps tactics. Either way, it's a magnificent waste of resource."

Serenity sniffed at the miniature lecture. "Then why are you helping me?"

Eve smiled. "Well, it's not always a waste, at least in the long term. Such projects do provide technological break throughs."

Ranma nodded and tapped the jammer pinned to her chest.

Serenity paused. "You don't care about it as a weapon."

"The heavy armor has some narrow cases where it would excel. If you want to spend time being proficient in it's use, we should also get what we can out of it. If you insist on fighting in it, we'll make sure it's not a deathtrap. But per the terms of our contract I'll strongly recommend you use a better suited set of armor." The redhead carefully lectured, her toothy grin never leaving.

Serenity patted Minako's tensing hand. "These aren't new terms, are they?"

Ranma shook her head.

"And anyway, not all wonder weapons are a waste," Serenity's hand went to the wand strapped to her belt.

"Sure, two even managed to end the last World War," Ranma flatly said.

"I am death destroyer of worlds?" Eve quoted. "Though I'd call the Manhattan project more terrific than wondrous."

"Terrific?" Serenity asked, helping Luna get back up to her shoulder.

"English is a funny language." Eve opened the door. "In addition to being something good, terrific can refer to something extraordinarily intense or something that causes terror. I believe those two qualify."

"See! Not all wonder weapons are failures." Ranma gushed. "Just look at what the wonder you inherited has done.

Serenity narrowed her eyes. "That's why I like the armor. It gives me more control. I don't like the Silver Crystal. Do you have any idea what it can do? Do you realize how afraid I am of losing control?"

Ranma paused and then nodded. "So afraid that you hired a demon to kill you if you did."

"Yeah." For a moment, Serenity just looked tired. "So maybe, it's not best to make fun of attempts to give me a bit more control."

"Yes, more control." The redhead tilted her head and nodded to her sister.

"Little Lunar leader, what do you think this training is supposed to accomplish?" Eve asked with mock gentleness.

"And is it really control if you're depending on someone else?" Ranma's eyes went to the "human" blonde next to Usagi.

Serenity inhaled. "So what do you want me to do?"

***************


Hotaru stared at the spiky-brown-haired teen. "What makes you think she's Sailor Moon?" She shot a glance to her companion who simply smirked and leaned back on the park bench.

"Told you so." Chuckling, Usa looked up at the bare cheery tree above her. The leaves had fallen off months ago and it would be nearly half a year before the petals would be ready.

Shingo sighed from a nearby bench that faced the two girls. "Our family name is Tsukino. Tsuki: moon. A bit obvious. And let's not forget that the horrible pun Tsukino Usagi makes." He looked past them at a pair of salary-men relaxing a few benches over.

Usa nodded. "Rabbit of the Moon."

Hotaru frowned. She had not expected things to go this way. "Okay, it's an uncommon name, but its not unique."

"You didn't seem that fazed when I popped up?" Usa pointed out.

"Yeah, funny that." Shingo narrowed his eyes. "I never seemed to question this new pink-haired red eyed cousin that none of us ever heard of. Neither did my folks. But my meat-ball headed sister did."

Hotaru smiled slightly. "What clued you in?"

Glancing at a couple walking down the part path, Shingo smirked. The woman's dress was nicely curved.

"Usagi's new friends?" Hotaru asked.

Shingo shook his head. "Nah, sure Usagi got her new friends when the weirdness started a few years back, but.... I mean it's Usagi. Anyway, they left on the exchange trip, and the weirdness stayed here. My suspicions, my questions went away. It was all a coincidence."

"What happened?"

"Osa-P closed."

Hotaru tilted her head. "What?"

Usa chuckled. "Oh, you clever boy."

"This have to do with Naru?"

"Of course," Shingo snorted. "Miss Monster-bait and her mom vanish. That got me curious...." A splashing noise distracted him and he turned to see a bunch of older girls easing a miniature boat into a nearby pond.

Hotaru gripped the bridge of her nose. "And you started checking out the news."

"Terrorism, gas explosions. It's almost as if something strange is going on in Toronto. The very city where my sister and her friends are studying in."

"But what about the strangeness here?"

"You two are here," Shingo stated.

Hotaru nodded, understanding the dual meaning of his words.

"How come my sister's a super-hero? And how come it took so much for me to see it?" Shingo asked, his eyes going back to the salary-men.

"It seems you figured it out." Hotaru frowned.

"Only after it beat me over the head. It's like how I didn't think too much was strange with Usa there, but then without Usagi around..." Shingo waved at his "cousin".

"The spell wore off then. Stupid Luna-P," Usa grumbled.

"Maybe that's what happened with the other stuff," Shingo shook his head.

"Anyway..." Hesitating, Hotaru looked down; she was not sure of Setsuna-Mamma's idea, but orders were orders. "Yes, your sister is Sailor Moon."

"And why are you telling me this?" Shingo raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you two are on the same team. Given Usa's past history and what you're telling me, but why? You two didn't even know I'd figured it out, so you're not here to hush me up. You already know where she is. You also know that Naru's gone missing, so.... why, why me?"

"How much do you know about your sister's friends?" Hotaru looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"What to they all have in common?" Usa added.

"Not much. Height goes from Makoto to Ami. Brains also goes from Ami to Mina or sis. Then there's personality... I dunno... they're all female."

"What about their families?" Hotaru pressed.

"Makoto's an orphan... I think. Rei was at that shrine with her Grandfather. Doesn't Ami have a mother that's a doctor? I don't know about Minako"

"What's missing? Something they don't have but Usagi does."

"Fathers?" Shingo guessed.

"So close." Usa chuckled. "No Rei's father is in politics and Ami's is an artist. Both are a bit... estranged."

"There's something else they're missing." Hesitating, Hotaru glanced at Usa. "We're missing. All of us."

"Siblings." Shingo frowned. "None of you have any brothers or sisters."

Hotaru nodded.

"Usagi's the only one. The only one of ten of us."

"I'm the only one, then?" The young teen's stomach felt cold.

Usa smiled thinly. "And you were wondering why we're talking to you."

Shingo frowned. "Well shit."

"Don't want to be a-" Hotaru paused for half a second. "Superhero?'

Shingo shot the girls a level gaze. "I question the timing."

"You're suspicious that after years of being in the dark and sitting on the sidelines that now you're suddenly being called up?" Usa giggled. "Smart boy."

"I'd also like to know why there's two spooks watching us," Shingo asked his voice lowered.

Usa slowly, deliberately turned her head and looked at the two agents. "Shame you only just noticed them."

"He didn't just see those two," Hotaru corrected. "He noticed the pair that walked by, or at least the 'wife'."

"Who wouldn't? That's a great dress," Usa counted.

"Still, and he also noticed the girls by the pond."

Shingo sighed. "Those are high school girls, they're playing with a little remote controlled boat, a pink boat."

"It's a fair disguise. Just get some youthful looking women, stick them in the right uniforms," Usa nodded.

"Odds that that the crate they've got for the boat has hidden compartments?" Hotaru asked.

"Who are they? And if they've got subtle surveillance then why bother with two guys in suits? Isn't that a bit obvious?"

Usa smiled. "Clearly, they want to be seen."

"Want to be seen." Shingo blinked. "But you don't mix obvious surveillance with subtle. That there's obvious surveillance shows that someone's watching! Sure, it could distract from the real surveillance, but it doesn't hide that surveillance is going on. It makes no sense."

"Really now? Are you sure there's no reason?"

"Fine" Shingo turned again and frowned at the boat and the girls using it, one of them a blonde, looked up at him and gave a little wave. "Wait... three groups A, B and C. There's obvious group A. They're there to say 'You're being watched'. Then less obvious B is there to say 'You're being watched, and we're letting you know that you're being watched intentionally', meanwhile obvious C is there to up the chances of spotting someone in the obvious B role."

Usa beamed. "Yes, they're showing they can watch us, while also showing they can watch us without us knowing."

"Also their actions strongly imply there's at least a group D," Hotaru added.

"Unless there's more 'obvious teams' and they're doing a test to see how many we can spot."

Shingo groaned and clutched his head.

"They would learn more about our abilities, while also being good training." Usa smiled.

"How do you two know all this? Let alone notice the other two teams? Who's doing this? Isn't this a lot of people to send, for what? What do they want with me?" Shingo demanded.

Usa smiled and glanced at the waving brunette. "Well, I think that one's checking you out."

Hotaru arced an eyebrow. "I didn't know the Company employed perverts."

"She dresses up as a schoolgirl for undercover work."

"Well... she could be the right age. Maybe that's a batch of cadets, or full agents that were just recruited young."

"Great... so instead of perverts, they're budding sociopaths harvested from society and given paramilitary training." Usa gave a broad and disturbingly sincere grin. "That's much better!"

"This isn't answering my questions." Shingo glared.

"No, it's not." Usa smiled. "Besides you guessed why we're here."

"I'm not going to take some magical trinket, not with unanswered questions."

Usa tilted her head.

"After all this time you drop in and now call me? And it's because of my..." Shingo's eyes narrowed. "What happened to her?"

Usa turned to Hotaru. "He is clever."

"What happened to her?" Shingo repeated.

"Nothing, yet." Usa frowned. "But... it's getting desperate."

"And there's something only her or a blood relative can do?"

Usa gave a bitter little smile.

"What about you?"

Crimson eyes hardened as Usa's expression soured.

"There is the family resemblance. Maybe you're not a cousin, but you are something, and you're already a part of this. Why not you? Why me?"

"Because I've already been tapped. When the time comes... it'll be a two-man job," Usa smoothly lied.

"Then why are you over here? You needed to split up because there's still attacks in Japan?"

Usa inclined her head.

"Now, I'm starting to see why Usagi was so empty headed," Hotaru smiled, showing her teeth.

"Nah, he's always been a little wise-ass."

Hotaru's grin broadened. "Good, he'll fit right in. Maybe then Puu will actually call us in."

"Maybe," Usa frowned, looking at Shingo.

"Hey! I haven't agreed to this."

"Oh, but you will. After all, if your sister can do it why can't you?"

Shingo glared. "You haven't answered all of my questions."

"In other words you've given us your terms for joining up," Hotaru proposed, her lips sliding back over her teeth.

"It's better than what Usagi demanded from Luna."

Shingo shook his head. "Who are all the spies?"

"Mercenary organization that hunts monsters using big guns," Usa recited.

"That just happen be watching two magical girls on a recruiting drive?"

"Well, we are on the same side," Usa dryly stated.

"It's a start. Are they hiring?"

"What, you want a gun?" Usa teased.

"It'd be better than roses."

Usa nodded. "You figured that out?"

"Once the bit about my sister? Yeah. It all feel in. Shame about Mamoru, he wasn't a bad guy. He made her happy at least," Shingo shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," Hotaru smirked.

"Right.... Wait... Luna... the cat? That stupid thing was Sis' mascot?" Shingo rubbed his forehead and looked out at all the... spooks. "That explains a lot. Fine, I'll do it, not like I'd screw things up worse."

***************


An engine's roar reflected off the thick road-flanking trees. The disturbance, a purple Harley Davidson Night Rod flew down the meandering asphalt ribbon. Wearing shiny, black leathers the driver raced down the darkened road. Slowing to go down a side road, the motorcycle sprayed gravel behind it. The pressing trees suddenly abated, revealing a homely brick building standing in the clearing.

Barely illuminated by a sliver of moonlight, a handful of stars, and a single cigarette, a Dodge Charger sat in front of the small building. After the motorcycle stopped, the driver got off. Unzipping her leather jacket revealed a handgun her right hip.

"Well, it's been a while hasn't it, Red?" the smoking man asked as he leaned on the hood.

Ranma's eyes tracked around the forest. "What do you want Murdock?"

The mage laughed. "Oh, so cold."

The redhead gave a flickering violet glare and strode forward.

"Please, dispense with the theatrics." Murdock flicked his cigarette away. "If you were here for blood you wouldn't have simply driven up."

Stopping a few paces before the man, the demoness sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine, to business." Murdock rolled his eyes.

"Yes."

"It's about the combat cyborgs."

Ranma's brows arched. "Another of your clever ideas?"

Murdock chuckled. "Do you really think I want our little queen dead?"

The crimson eyebrow lowered. "So... are you just going to waste my time?"

"I got you away from the helmet-haired nitwit and gave you an excuse to ride your bike. And really, it's been a long time since we talked." Opening his coat, Murdock pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Well, you've been busy. Making friends and all."

Flames briefly illuminated Murdock's smile as he lit a fresh cigarette. "And you've had family to take care of. We've all been oh so busy."

"And how is Akumi?"

"She's got this new plan. What you'd expect, really." Murdock sighed. "Standard villainous stuff. Maybe I should have stopped with you."

"I'm not sure how insulted I should be at that."

"You really were my best work." Murdock looked the demoness up and down. "So much potential. So much being exercised. Refreshing really."

"I'm glad I meet your standards, but compared to Akumi you hardly screwed up my life. At least you never brainwashed and transformed one of my childhood friends... Wait... Naru was Usagi's friend, and they were friends right up until she left Japan."

Murdock waved his hand. "Details, details."

"Maybe Akumi's a screw-up because you smothered her. She'd too single-minded."

"Giving advice on how to build a better villain?"

"Weren't you just saying that it was refreshing of me to exercise my potential?"

Chuckling, Murdock nodded. "Strange, you don't like foreplay."

Ranma growled.

"Temper." Murdock shook his head. "And you were doing so well."

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "I think I'm allowed."

"Going to bemoan your fate? Or perhaps segue into a threat?"

Chucking, Ranma shook her head. "You really don't know me."

Smile breaking, Murdock's cigarette nervously twitched. Then he regained his composure, oily smile returning, but this time he held a hand up to steady his cigarette.

Ranma stepped forward. "Really, you should know by now. I don't make threats. If something is a threat to me, I kill it." Her lips curled up. "I am a simple creature."

"And now you mention that you don't see me as worthy of killing... yet." Murdock looked up at the Moon. "How isn't that a threat?"

"Ask Akumi." Ranma narrowed her eyes.

Murdock chuckled. "Trying to blackmail my minion against me? Do you think I really care. Besides, you've had ample opportunity to kill her, you haven't because our little Queen would be upset."

The demoness froze, her eyes slowly widening, her expression... sharpening. Her increasingly manic grin spit, revealing gleaming white teeth, which themselves split as she began to laugh.

Murdock patiently waited for the demon's side-splitting mirth to die down. "Finished?"

"My... this has to be an act." Ranma wiped a tear away. "You don't really think I'm holding back because it would... offend her."

Murdock grinned. "Even you play politics."

"And the Queen respects my resolve. It's amazing how often idealists will admire someone who can 'Get the job done,' and 'Make the tough choices.' "

"Don't underestimate her, especially when she's pushed to her limit."

"Believe me, I know." Ranma snorted. "But, isn't that your whole plan?" she dryly asked.

Murdock smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"No... less is more. An unreadable expression has better pressure. Get it right and you can really unbalance someone."

"Please, use the left-handed advice trick."

The redhead smiled and cocked her hip. "Why? It worked when you did it."

Murdock raised an eyebrow at the contents of her holster. "That's not an SSP you're wearing?"

Ranma's eyebrow moved in response. "I didn't mention the runes you've got up."

"That's a 1911 with... rosewood grips, those seem a bit fancy."

"They're cocobolo, and they were a gift."

Murdock tapped his chin. "You know... there are some succubus meeting rituals."

"Do tell," Ranma dryly remarked.

"Palavers have always been an opportunity for betrayal. That's why the tradition of disarmament came up, but demons..."

Ranma chuckled. "Can't be disarmed."

Murdock nodded. "Not easily anyway. Still some Houses took to the practice, and since the action itself was symbolic, so became the weapons. Thus members of those houses would carry an ornamental, but functional, weapon that represented their aggression."

"You like talking don't you? You going to give a Latin lesson next?"

"It's just that you're carrying a very pretty and superfluous weapon, not even your normal one." Murdock flashed a grin.

The demoness sighed. "Totally wrong."

"Oh?"

"First, that's not all on the ritual. It's an issue of trust, Mage. Yes, surrendering a weapon is a pledge of non-aggression a symbol of trust. However, a greater sign of trust is for both parties to keep their weapons."

Grey eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"What better way to show you trust someone than allowing them near you with a deadly weapon? That the ritual is even conducted shows a lack of trust. Comrades... comrades-in-arms....well look at the phrase itself. When my Grandmother visited there was no exchange of weapons; she's family."

"So, you either don't trust me at all, or you consider me an ally." Murdock shook his head. "You are a frustrating species."

"You presume too much mage." Ranma smiled, flashing white. "I simply carried the smaller gun because an SSP is too big to comfortably drive with, let alone conceal properly."

Murdock dropped his cigarette. "Okay then."

"What do you want to tell me?"

"We can't keep going?" Murdock joked.

"Must we play this game?"

"No more foreplay then?" Murdock's smile died when Ranma failed to smile.

"Galina's been a busy girl," he said, with some reluctance.

The redhead stared levelly, a violet flicker crossing her eyes.

"She's been doing some reading."

"Learning then? Well despite their own natures, most of their experience was against conventional targets. So, they're boning up on non-humans and magic?"

Murdock nodded.

"Do you have a list of books?" Ranma asked, interested.

"Worried about combat cyborgs getting eldritch knowledge? Or perhaps you're more worried about the reverse?"

"A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing," Ranma stated. Which was why Incognito turned informant. The book-dealer could handle –if barely- someone with Mistress Mercury's skill dabbling with such wares, but a group of magical neophytes... the redhead frowned, pushing those thoughts away.

"Yes, we're talking about people that used a reality-collapsing weapon as a jamming device." Murdock shook his head, and drew into his coat. Under a steady purple gaze he slowly withdrew a business card.

Ranma caught the tossed card and gave it a light sniff. She then inspected the list of titles; it seemed to match the list provided by the proprietor of East York Rare Books. "Can't have them ruining your plans. What else?"

Murdock smiled slightly.

"This could have been sent. No face to face," Ranma waved the card.

The mage exhaled. "She'd hired some assassins."

"I see she's not blinded by pride." Ranma smirked.

"No she isn't. You and our Queen blindsided them last time; they learned. They know where they're weak against you two: magic and manpower." Murdock pulled out yet another cigarette. "The manpower, simply East-Bloc goons. Magic however..."

Ranma smiled internally. The Numbers may have a blind-spot to magic, but Murdock had a blind-spot to mundanes. Galina was not one to hire cheap rabble.

"For that, she found something... special."

"Who'd she get?" Ranma asked, still pondering the quantity and quality of mercenaries that someone with Galina's connections could hire and transport.

"Someone that I can't get a lock-on. Someone that's managed to counter my surveillance, stay ahead of everything I've thrown at him. He's a real spook."

"Money well spent?" Ranma asked.

"Too well spent. It doesn't make sense..." Murdock looked away.

"So... a mysterious magic man's come to give them handy advice on how to escape the scary demons? A bit obvious, but you can't be that worried about them, since it sounds like they've hired you. Kill 'em yourself."

Murdock narrowed his eyes. "Don't you think I tried to worm my way into their good graces?"

"Really? So your winning smile didn't sway them?"

"I thought they'd appreciate a display of how vulnerable they really were. Turns out they don't."

Ranma sighed and glanced at the Moon. "You really don't get women. Do you?"

"Look, you can't count on them being magically ignorant. They've closed up that blind spot." Murdock fingered his tie clasp.

"And suddenly you care that they can block you out?"

"Yes, hardly a unique skill. I can name a few groups that can do that," Murdock's queasy smirk sidled back.

"And?"

"Fine. He's a religious man. I figured that much out."

Ranma cocked an eyebrow. "Catholic or Protestant?"

"Oh nothing so simple as that. Though the being he worships is no less powerful or unknowable."

Ranma frowned. "Great, so a faith of the tentacled kind?"

"Not exactly." Murdock took a drag on his cigarette. "Look, you haven't figured out who hired these girls right?"

"You're not suggesting that some monster from beyond hired the Russian cyborgs to kill Usagi, and then after the hit failed, sent in some cultist to advise them?"

"Of course not, that's just you reading into my needlessly cryptic ranting. I'd never actually reveal something like that."

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "And why do you care? This is your bread and butter ain't it?"

"Because it doesn't make sense!" Silver light briefly reflected in Murdock's eyes. "This being shouldn't be working with them. It shouldn't be trying to kill Usagi."

Ranma's toothy grin returned. "Did the little mage get tricked by some mind-breaking horror?"

Murdock chuckled.

"And of course you won't name it."

The mage simply shook his head. "One doesn't say the name of such things lightly, but you'll be able to figure it out. The object of his worship... leaves a mark."

"Another of your messes to clean up." Ranma's eyes sparkled. "You're starting to be more troublesome alive than dead."

"Starting?'

After staring at the demon's face, Murdock's shoulders sagged. "What do you want?"

"When Akumi isn't gloating in an ice skirt she's plotting in her lab, and she's been awfully quiet lately. I want to know what she's up to. I also want to know what you've really found out about the cyborgs, not who they've hired, what you've learned about them." Licking her lips, Ranma paused. "And I want to know why Setsuna is hiding Usagi's daughter."

"And in return?"

Flipping her hand above her head, Ranma's smile vanished.

Shock crossed Murdock's face and the circle of runes around him flared to life. Behind him an explosion tore apart the back half of the Dodge, spraying twisted metal and shattered glass. Rising to his feet, he winced as his ward was peppered with shrapnel.

Turning back he caught sight of the demon ramming straight into his ward. Claws flipping out, she dug through the semi-translucent barrier and... heaved. Screaming, Murdock found himself pulled off the ground by the warding and thrown onto shattered roof of his car.

Violet eyes cold, Ranma extended her hands and a pair of violet streams of fire shot out. Contained by spiraling white beams, the napalm streams skittered off the warding, but easily sliced through the car, which rapidly collapsed under Murdock's weight.

Ranma strode closer to the scrap pyre that burned around Murdock's recumbent form. The gas tank ignited, the exploding flames briefly mingled with the demon's violet aura. "Mage, this isn't a deal, this isn't a game. My patience is at it's limit," she stated after the inferno receded.

Shifting his back to keep a particularly sharp bit of metal from poking the warding, Murdock groaned. Cursing his complacently he looked up at the expected visage: deathly-pale skin, wildly writhing hair, sinuous flames, and cold glowing eyes. "Fine, I'll talk," he coughed.

"Of course you will." Despite the corners of her lips rising, her expression chilled. "But not to me."

Confused, Murdock blinked, until he heard the sound of another motorcycle engine. This one the efficient burr of a BMW.


End Chapter

I'd like to thank my pre-readers. They read through my most egregious mistakes so you don't have to. DGC, J St C Patrick, Pale Wolf, Wray, Kevin Hammel, Ikarus, Jerry Starfire, and Nadrek.

Special thanks to PCHeintz72 for giving some corrections and ideas, especially on improving the tone to WIC and demonic reaction to Minako's little stunt.

Also special thanks to Cryptic Mirror for creating a TV Tropes page for The Return. Very fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else gets added to it. There are still a few more tropes to go.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheReturn


Revision Notes: It's been a while getting there but by now we're very much in "the Return standard" that is where Ranma's an established demonic mom, mercenary and trainer. And her extended brood is growing with Cecilia starting to become a proper sister.