Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Return of the King... ( Chapter 81 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"Boss!"

"I see it!" Frank shouted as he abruptly slammed on the breaks and veered sharply to the right as a wall of plasma exploded onto the open road ahead of him, creating an instant conflagration similar to Napalm.

"That was close," Frank remarked tightly as he fought to retain control over his powerful machine while seeking a way around the edge of the flame wall, fighting hard against his second greatest phobia while the sound of distant thunder approaching loomed like the Apocalypse behind him.

"Too close," his companion responded, "And aren't you always the one who says 'Close only Counts with Flame Throwers'?"

"Yeah, but old Halitosis breath isn't trying to nail us as such," Frank replied, "He's trying to cut us off so he can box us in and finish this personal-like."

"Who this 'Us' you keep referring to, Pale-Face?" Shelly sarcastically responded, "If memory serves right, it's you he wants to stomp into the pavement. I just want to live to see my warranty expire before I do!"

"Keep your chassis intact," Frank urged the Autocomputer, "We're not done yet…"

Another blast of intense flame all but obliterated the hillside that he had been about to cross, forcing Frank to veer away with a nervous, "On second thought…"

"Boss, he's almost on us!" Shelly sounded close to electronic panic, "If we don't get moving again we're both gonna be toast!"

"I've been dead before," Frank said as he did a U-turn and started to accelerate again, "It's no big deal. But I'm not giving up just yet. Get ready on my signal to hit your turbo-jets. Give me a fifteen second controlled thrust with deployed stabilizers, that should be just enough to do the trick."

"We're going Evil Kenieval impressions this time?" Shelly asked but put up no further debate as she automatically calculated the necessary motion vectors and plotted the trajectory curve for what her "Boss" was considering, then said, "Everything's imputed. Just waiting for your signal."

Frank did not need to look up at the huge form looming over him as he turned the bike around yet again and hit the throttle for an all-out acceleration, popping another wheelie that lasted until he was almost over the foreword line of the firewall before crying out, "NOW! Hit the Jump Jets!"

The Monster motorcycle took off like a rocket as fire belched out the rear end while certain parts of the vehicle deployed themselves to form a stubby set of wing-like stabilizers to catch the flow of air and hold the motorcycle steady. They gained altitude quickly until they were fifty meters above the raging inferno beneath them, and then physics took over as the jet burst cut out, causing gravity to reassert itself as Frank braced for impact and a very rude landing.

It turned out both his and the motorcycle's calculations were nearly flawless as they just cleared the edge of the firewall without losing stability and risking a possible rough landing. The huge machine bounced on powerful shock absorbers as the big man riding it clenched his teeth and rode out the spine-jarring impact of their landing. Once he was certain they were not going to tip over he said aloud, "Status report…did you come through that all right, girl?"

"Aside from shaking my mainframe to pieces and aging me a couple million cycles with that stunt?" his companion replied acidly, which made the big man smile as he took that for a yes, "I'm going to run a full diagnostic and give you a list for my repair bill…"

"Put it on my tab," Frank risked a glance over his shoulder, seeing the huge lizard behind them screaming out in frustration at its quarry eluding it once again, "Think that got him rattled too. I'll bet he was pretty sure he had us that time."

"We can't keep ahead of him forever," Shelly replied, "I know you want to hold everything in reserve, Boss, but if we deployed some choppers to run interference…"

"No," Frank said resolutely, "I won't endanger any more lives than is absolutely necessary. Just have our people continue to clear the tracks from here to Nerima. Big G's going to have to take a detour around his own mess if he wants to avoid giving himself a hotfoot. That should buy us enough time to get set up. What's the word on that other Big Iguana?"

"Nothing so far," Shelly replied, "But our agents report that the same group of local teens they spotted before appear to be doing something in an area near the local water reclamation facility that involves stockpiling a whopping big load of fish. It looks like they're trying to lure the new guy into the open."

"Yeah?" Frank said with a thoughtful tone of voice, "Interesting…sounds like somebody over there's got a plan in the works. Give me the map coordinates to the place…I want to meet whoever's got the balls to try something like this on their own."

"We'll be there in under ten minutes at our current rate of speed…"

"Sorry girl, but this time we can't afford to spare the throttle," Frank said simply, "I'm going to open you up all the way…consider it a performance test of your new system."

"Why is it these field tests always wind up making me feel bow-legged?" Shelley complained before adding, "In a manner of speaking…"

Meanwhile, only a few kilometers away but keeping a steady pace behind the looming Monster, two very agitated police women were staring in disbelief at the thing that they were following. Though their minds cried out that it was impossible, the facts laid out before them could be seen in the form of large pot holes the size of construction pits and a raging inferno directly ahead of them that burned out of control, while the motorcyclist being chased by the monster was making out like a refugee from an American TV program.

"Have you been able to get through yet?" Miyuki asked.

"I'm trying!" Natsume swore in frustration as she adjusted the radio dial to try alternate frequencies, "But all I get is static on every channel!"

"Then it's what I feared," Miyuki said, "A total information blackout. Looks like we're on our own after all, Natsume-chan."

"I can't believe we're doing this," Natsume turned to her partner, "Miyuki, why are you having us go after that thing? Have you gone completely mental?"

"It's endangering the public," Miyuki stoutly replied, "And there has to be a very good reason for why Gojira has returned after all these decades…"

"Yeah," Natsume snorted, "We've gone over into the Twilight Zone, and what do you mean Gojira has returned? I thought he was just some stupid guy in a rubber suit who appeared in all those movies…"

"Those are just fictionalized accounts," Miyuki replied, "I've come across old files that tell the real story…"

"Files?" Natsume blinked, "What files? What are you talking about, Miyuki-chan?"

"I'm talking about the 'Zee' files," Miyuki replied.

"Zee files?" Natsume blinked, "You mean like on that really weird American FBI show?"

"The same basic idea," Miyuki replied, "Those files were buried in police archives dating from before all records were computerized. I came across them when I was assigned to input old files into our new computer system, and they were buried pretty deep by a detective who retired from the force almost ten years ago, laying out things he felt were being deliberately kept from the public…"

"Okay," Natsume said, "Stop the car, this is where I get off! You're telling me this is all part of some big government conspiracy…?"

"Only it's not run by the government," Miyuki replied, "It's kind of hard to explain, but there's this organization that's responsible for covering up a lot of really strange things that happen all the time around Japan, not to mention the rest of the world…"

"Oh sure," Natsume huffed, "Like some secret group could keep things like Bigfoot and Aliens a secret! Next you'll be telling me they're behind the decline of the Yen and the tumbling of the markets…"

"I'm dead serious, Natsume-chan," Miyuki replied, "There really is a shadow conspiracy that somehow made everyone forget about Gojira's previous appearances, but the Zee files say he's been to Japan on three previous occasions and that somehow everyone was made to forget about his rampages, the last one occurring in the suburb of Nerima."

"Oh yeah? And how could everybody forget a thing like that, huh?" Natsume snorted, "You think there's some army of PR specialists going around playing Spin Doctor or waving a magic wand that makes us forget about really bizarre things that happen? Uh-uh, no way! You know as well as I do that the government can't keep anything a secret…"

"Oh so?" Miyuki smiled enigmatically, "Then why have intelligence services? Why not just hire reporters and let them dig up all the secret information that's being kept from the public? And what exactly do you think is being kept from us anyway?"

Natsume frowned, suspecting her partner of laying one of her usual word traps, "Uh…stuff like that?" she pointed at the retreating form of the monster.

"And they're doing a pretty nice job of it, wouldn't you say?" Miyuki asked sweetly.

"Um…" Natsume had to think on that, unable to come up with a good rebuttal to the very existence of the monster shape before them.

"That's the really interesting thing about conspiracies," Miyuki noted almost in passing, "Everybody really does know what's going on, but most people prefer not to believe in the unusual and fantastic and would much prefer for someone in authority to tell them it's all a big lie and could never really happen. That's how they're able to get away with so much, Natsume-chan, the people let them. You don't have to work very hard to make people forget something they'd rather not remember in the first place."

Natsume was silent for a full minute before she huffed and folded her arms over her chest, glaring at the now-distant shape of the monster as she growled, "I hate it when you're right, you always win the argument!"

"But you never stop trying," Miyuki commented with a sidelong expression before scanning the road ahead, which was burning so brightly that they could almost feel it inside their vehicle, "Now come on, help me by looking at the map in the glove compartment. We need to find another way to Nerima, this one's totally useless."

"Nerima," Natsume huffed as she unfolded the map and began to leaf through it, "First the Ronin and now this…what have those guys done to deserve so much attention?"

"I don't know," Miyuki said with a wistful expression, "But I sure hope somebody is looking out for our friends, because they're going to need all the help they can find when Gojira gets there. I don't know about you, but I feel like a prayer. A little divine favor might be what's needed at the moment…"

"Are you done yet?" Urd asked for the thousandth time.

Skuld threw down her sonic screwdriver and snarled, "For the last time let me finish at my own speed, Oneechan! This isn't as easy as it looks, you know! Adjusting the dimensional capacity for a containment device like this requires careful and precise mathematical arrangement or you could wind up exploding the thing, and that would sure make somebody's day, not to mention get us all in trouble with the Central office!"

"Sort of like a Teserect bomb," Megumi mused as she continue working on her end of the assembly with more calm and patience than her dark haired companion, "Don't let Urd get to you, Skuld-chan. She's just worried about her new friends getting hurt by whatever it is she wants to catch in this device. Actually, the principle behind this containment field is pretty radical, but it shouldn't be too hard to expand the radius to a full cubic Hectare. The only problem I see is the power source needed to maintain it at that limit…"

"I know," Skuld fumed, "We've almost got everything else licked besides that. Sure wish I could talk to the guy who originally designed this thing…he looks like he's almost as much of a genius as me. Who did you say it was again, Sis?"

"Hephaestus," Urd replied, "He's one of the Olympian Bunch from the plane near Gladshiem, a rather interesting variation of Heaven that I like to visit sometimes whenever Dionyseus throws one of his Stag parties. Those can get a little wild at times, but I'm sure they're a lot of fun or I'd remember them better."

Keiichi Morisato just shook his head slightly and murmured, "I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I don't want to know…"

"This creature that has everyone so upset in the Nerima area," Belldandy gently noted, "If he is such a danger to the public, perhaps we should put in a petition with Father to do something about this…"

"Won't work," Urd replied, "Dad has lots of pets who get loose off the leash from time to time, and the last time Gojira got loose, he created quite a mess among the mortals, but Dad just let them take care of things, saying it wasn't that big a deal for direct divine involvement."

"I can't believe that Kami-sama would just abandon humanity like that," Skuld protested, "What will the mortals think if we don't look after our own messes?"

"Yeah, well," Urd shrugged, "This time it looks like the Dragon's from the Western Edge of the world, so it's really more their problem than ours, which is why we've got those foreign gods operating in our area. I'm thinking of calling on Raiden for some back-up here just in case things get too far out of control, but barring a change of policy by the Central Office it looks like we're on our own again, like always."

"Susanowo…I mean your father," Keiichi glanced nervously at the ceiling and amended what he was about to say, "I'm sure he has his reasons for not acting, but it would kind of help if we had more time for you guys to…"

"I've got it!" Megumi suddenly cried out, looking excitedly at Skuld, "We need a power source that's strong enough to make the containment field bigger, right? What about Thor's hammer? It's supposed to be pretty powerful, and I've heard it has the ability to control dimensions…"

"Hey, that's a great idea," Skuld brightened, looking up at Urd once again, "You think you can convince your friend to let us attach this device to his hammer? If so, then I'm pretty sure we can make this work and contain the creature until we find a permanent place to hold him."

"Not bad," Urd smiled as she stroked her chin knowingly, "I think I can get Red to come around to seeing the advantage, and Thor always did like playing the heroic part. Looks like you two have saved the day once again…proving you make a pretty good team when you decide to work together."

"Ah…" Skuld said reluctantly, all too aware that Megumi was smiling in her direction.

"Make everything ready then we must leave at once," Belldandy urged her companions, "Time is of the essence if this creature is growing at the rate you say it is, Urd-chan."

"Hai, Oneechan," Skuld replied, "We're just making a few adjustments now then we'll put the device back together and everything will be ready."

"Hah! Just you watch out, Giant Monster," Megumi enthused, "We've got your number, just wait and see!"

"Just how many giant monsters have you gone up against, Sis?" Keiichi asked dryly.

"Since hanging around with you guys?" Megumi grinned, "It's been practically every other week."

Her brother thought about that one then said, "Good point. I just hope this one doesn't have as many teeth as the last one we ran into."

"Yeah," Skuld remarked, "Reminded me a little too much of one of Urd's old boy friends."

"Hey!" Urd snapped, giving them all a warning glare that dared even one of those present to so much as crack a smile, though despite great strain from temptation all she met were studious expressions…

"What are we doing here, Grandmother?" Kurumi asked

"Obtaining special ingredients for your Cousin," Cologne replied, "In this case, from the largest supplier that is available at the moment, thanks to your sister's special friend helping expedite this emergency order."

"Oh," Kurumi said in neutral tones, staring down at the ground with a most unhappy expression.

"You don't approve of whom your sister chooses to keep company," Cologne noted matter-of-factly, "Hard as this may be to say, it is her choice to make and not your own. She is your elder, if only by a matter of ten months, not that I much blame you for having doubts about this relationship. Young Master Kuno has seen his share of problems during his brief life, and helping him back from the edge of insanity is likely to be a trial even for the most tested of holy men. Have you made Natsume aware of the depth of your feelings in this matter?"

"No, I…" Kurumi hesitated, not wanting to voice aloud her peculiar reluctance.

As it turned out she did not have to. Cologne gave her an astutely knowing look and said, "I know that it goes against the grain for you to speak out against your sister's choices, but if you do not make her aware of your feelings…"

"It…is not that simple, Grandmother," Kurumi said with obvious reluctance, "You do not know Natsume as I do…she is a very determined person, and very proud. She does not back down from a commitment when she has made up her mind about something. She sees that Kuno-san has special needs, and she is willing to lend her energy to helping him past the crisis, as she perceives it. I simply do not believe that she understands to what extent she is becoming involved with this fellow. I fear she will not see how much she has given until it is too late…"

"Too late for what, sister?" asked Natsume as she, Tatawaki Kuno and his father appeared from the doorway to the offices of the Pharmaceutical company of whose lobby they were standing in the midst.

"Did you obtain the materials as requested?" Cologne smoothly asked as Kurumi gulped and looked startled as though caught out in the open.

"We did," Tatawaki replied, while his father just stood around looking puzzled, "It will be delivered by helicopter to the area Nabiki designated, and in the quantities her friend has specified. I am concerned, however, as to whether these chemical agents will do the deed that she suspects. They are not known to have an effect upon organic anatomy…"

"Not a human anatomy, perhaps," Cologne remarked, "But what of a reptilian system?"

"Dunno," the elder Kuno scratched his head and looked puzzled, "Been a while since da big Kahuna messed with da rose extracts. Mostly leave it to the Board to handle dis stuff dese days…"

"We know," Tatawaki gave his father a decidedly unfriendly glance before resuming, "This is more Kodachi's area of expertise than mine. As much as I am reluctant to say this, we could use her insight as she has extensively tested on her own pet crocodile, Mister Green Turtle," he paused before shaking his head, then continued, "Although Sasuke has informed me that some of these chemicals were much preferred by Kodachi during this period of her research, and her notes on the subject are…quite extensive."

"Well," Natsume said with a slightly cross expression, "It is unfortunate that we do not have access to your sister herself at the moment, so we will have to make do with the perceptions of Cousin Nabiki's friend on this one. I just hope it's enough to deal with the likes of that huge lizard."

"Your cousin is a very perceptive young woman," Tatawaki replied, "But if this does not prove successful then we will try something else until we are victorious. We cannot permit this creature to run rampant in Nerima…"

"Yeah," his father remarked, scratching his chin with what almost looked like a thoughtful expression, "Now ya mention it-it does kinda make a pretty damn impressive mascot…"

Everyone pointedly ignored him, while Kurumi was studying the way the younger Kuno was exchanging looks with her sister, and privately thought that giant reptiles were not the only kind of predator in this town in need of some serious de-fanging…

"Something troubles you, Saotome-kun?" Soun asked his companion.

"I don't really know, Tendo-kun," Genma frowned, "There is something about those new friends of Nabiki's that bothers me, especially that big fellow who's giving me the evil eye…"

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Nodoka calmly as she, Kasumi and Shampoo stood by the makeshift outdoor kitchen that had been set up using materials borrowed from Ukyo's restaurant, "Probably just another one of your friends whom you met during your travels. I'm certain it's nothing immediate that we need worry about, such as dangerous predatory creatures taking residence in our fair city…"

"Tendo-sama!" hailed a cheerful Miss Hinako as she came hopping and skipping her way up to the side of the outdoor reservoir where the adults had been stationed.

"Case in point," Nodoka murmured sourly at a level where only those standing closest to her could hear the words or catch her scowling expression.

"Tendo-sama," Hinako smiled as she came up to them with a puzzled expression, "What are you doing? Having an outdoor barbecue?"

"Miss Hinako," Soun replied, "This is one of my daughter Nabiki's ideas for dealing with the giant monster that has invaded Nerima. We hope to tempt the creature out into the open where it can be more easily pacified, once my nieces arrive with some special ingredients that she's requested."

"So Nabiki is going to deal with the big monster that attacked our school?" Hinako said with an earnest look of concern on her young face, then she smiled, "Good! If anyone can figure out how to deal with a rampaging monster it's my little big sister. Is there anyway that I can do to help out?"

"Besides offering yourself as added bait?" Nodoka once again murmured very softly, earning curious looks from Shampoo and Kasumi.

The wind shifted slightly and Hinako's nose wrinkled before she pinched it, "Ew! What is that awful stench? Where is it coming from?"

"Over there," Shampoo nodded, and Hinako followed that nod to see a virtual mountain of fish standing out in the open.

"What is all that for?" Hinako said in tones of wonder, then made a childish cry of delight as Kasumi handed her an ice cream cone, "For me? Oh, thank you!"

"Where you find ice cream?" Shampoo asked Kasumi at the level of a stage whisper.

"I stored some in the refrigeration unit," Kasumi replied back as Hinako happily began to lick away at the frozen dairy confection, "In case you or someone else wanted to cool down. It is a very warm and humid day after all."

"That's my Kasumi," Soun beamed happily, "Always thinking of others."

"What a great wife you'll make some lucky guy some day," Genma beamed.

"Ah…yes," Kasumi's smile became slightly pained around the edges, though only Shampoo seemed to notice the wistful tone as she added, "Someday…"

Hinako-Sensei was not the only one noticing the stench the pile of fish was making. Perfume was finding it very hard not to wretch as the wind shifted back towards them again, and even Ranma was becoming increasingly distressed by the smell but held his opinion to himself as he turned an anxious look towards Nabiki.

"Oneechan," Akane could not keep from holding her own nose, which made her voice sound funny, "How much longer are we going to wait? That stuff is rotting!

"We need everything in place before we act," Nabiki said simply, "Once I'm certain that the Kunos will come through with their part of the plan, and that other lady with the white hair comes back with the magical trap expanded out to the right dimensions…"

"I hate to say this," Hercules said, "But you sure are dealing with this whole situation a lot better than most mortals would."

"It's a knack," Nabiki shrugged, "After some of the things I've lived through, a few gods and a giant monster just seem par for the course."

"I'd hate to see what passes for a normal day in your life," Thor-chan said with raised crimson eyebrows.

"You sure this is gonna work, Beiko?" Aiko asked more dubiously, "If that thing's growing like you say it is…"

"It will work, Alison," Beatrice replied, "Once the creature is exposed to view, and given that all the other elements are in place…"

"Yowza!" Happosai suddenly spoke up, "Hubba hubba! Get a load of those cuties…"

"We're back," Urd announced as she, her sisters, Megumi and Keiichi appeared in the clearing beside them, "And we've made the improvements to the device like I promised."

"There's only one problem," Skuld announced as she stepped forward, "We need a power source and we thought we could use Thor's hammer. Does anyone know where we could find him."

"I might have some idea," Thor-chan said in self irony, holding up her hammer, "What do you need this for?"

Skuld had to do a quick double-take before it registered with her that the redhead was describing herself as Thor, and that the hammer she carried looked awfully familiar, "Thor? What happened to you?"

"Got left out in the rain and he shrunk," Hercules replied, ignoring the withering look he got from the redhead, "What do you need the fancy Croquet mallet for anyway?"

"It is our hope that the hammer will supply the needed energy to power the containment field," Belldandy explained, "At least we hope it will be enough to contain the creature."

"Sounds reasonable," Thor-chan nodded, "I'm willing to play along, just so it's you doing the attaching, Skuld, and not your big sister."

"Hey!" Urd protested.

"What's your story?" Perfume asked Keiichi, sensing the boy did not have an inner radiance to match that of his companions.

"Nothing much," Keiichi shrugged, "I'm just engaged to a goddess."

"Really?" Ranma smiled, "Welcome to the club."

Nabiki turned a look his way that would have been considered statutory rape in some places and just smiled before saying, "Do what you have to in order to get the device ready. Now, just one more thing we need in place," she pulled out a cellular phone and dialed up a number, placed it to her ear and waited, then said, "Hello, Elder? How do things look on your end? You are? Good! I see that things are proceeding normally for once. Make haste in getting here, we're about to put phase two of my plan into motion."

She folded up the phone and put it away, then nodded, "All right, Ryoga-kun, you know what you have to do."

"Got it, Nab-chan," Ryoga replied and walked several paces off to stand at a point a good thirty meters away, then stared at the ground for a moment before stabbing a finger as he cried out, "BAKUSEI TENKETSU!"

At once the ground about his feet shattered while he leaped back out of the opening gap as a hole opened up where he had been standing a good five meters in diameter. Ryoga backed away to join Akane as they all stared at the opening in silence for several more moments until they began to hear a telltale rumble…

Ukyo heard the sound of a nearby explosion, followed by the aftermath of rubble settling, which awoke her scaly bedmate out of a deep sleep and caused the giant lizard to shift its massive head in the direction of this sound. Nothing happened for several moments longer, but then her companion made a curious noise and began to sniff the air in a rather significant manner.

"What is it, Baby?" Ukyo asked, "Is something wrong? What do you--EW! What is that smell?"

The Lizard made a very distinctive sound as if expressing interest and began to uncurl itself, forcing Ukyo to hop off its leg and put as much distance as she could from the creature in the cramped confines of the almost totally filled chamber. It took a moment for her to fully realize that the thing was now three hundred or more feet long from nose to tail, which implied phenomenal growth and must surely have meant that the poor dear was now ravenously hungry. That explained why it suddenly lumbered forward, heading for the gap with such heedless determination that it paid no attention when it tore through the narrow tunnel and created an even wider opening through which to fit its humungous dimensions.

Outside, everyone not divine in nature staggered back from the unexpected rumble in the ground as the creature thrust its head out of the pit and began to climb out into the open, considerably widening the hole in its passage. Even the Gods looked stunned at the tremendous size of the great beast as it swiveled its house-sized head about and oriented on its sense of smell, at once zooming in on the mountain of fish it had been detecting.

"Looks like Junior took the bait," Hercules murmured, "Hope your friend got clear of all that mess."

"Ucchan!" both Ranma and Perfume cried together, sprinting out towards the collapsing debris.

"Go with them, Aiko," Beatrice urged, "They need someone who can clear the way to find their friend."

"Right," Aiko nodded, and bound after the two others, who were frantically trying to clear away the debris. Once she joined them the number of rocks hurled clear of the hole increased exponentially, and before long an effective opening had been created.

"Sure hope Ucchan's all right," Ryoga murmured, turning to Nabiki, "We will be able to capture it this time, right, Nab-chan…Nab-chan?"

"It's…big," Nabiki said in a very hollow tone, "Really, really big…"

"No fooling," said Urd, "You guys have got it covered with the new modifications, right?"

"Ah…" Skuld replied, to which Megumi added, "Ditto."

"So it got big," Thor-chan remarked, still holding out her hammer, "Hurry up and get done with the attachment, will ya? My arm's getting tired."

"Well now," said Sif as she appeared beside the others, "Who let Fafnir out of Muspelheim? That creature is definitely over a thousand times as big as when it hatched…"

"Forty-three thousand, four hundred and ninety-seven times as big," Beatrice corrected, not sounding in the least bit ruffled at the accuracy of her mental calculations, "Just a bit over a hundred meters, as I had predicted."

"You act like you've seen this kind of thing before," Keiichi noted.

"Not specifically," Beatrice replied, "But I've seen things of comparable size and dimension in my travels."

"Okay," Akane said dubiously, "So…now that we've exposed it, what do we do now?"

"Well," Nabiki started to recover from her daze, "Once the trap is ready, and Kuno gets here with those chemicals Bei requested…"

"Which may help sedate the creature," Beatrice remarked, "And your device may entrap it, but what then do you intend to do with so large and potentially fecund a beast, granted that it is also potentially dangerous, but not actively malevolent…"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Hercules replied, "There's lots of places where we stick Titans to keep them out of the hair of you mortals, and some of the ones we've got locked up in Hades' realm would make this puppy look like a tad-pole…"

"No you don't!" stormed an angry Ukyo as she came striding up with Ranma and Perfume hastening to keep up with her, while Aiko took a more leisurely route as if intentionally keeping her distance from the Okonomiyaki chef, "How dare you even think about sticking my poor baby in some Gods-forsaken hellhole! Can't you see that he only wants to live in peace like anyone else?"

"Your baby?" Nabiki repeated, "Ucchan…we have to talk…"

"Nice to see your ankle has healed, Kuonji-san," Beatrice mused in an off-handed observation.

"Yeah," Aiko eyed her silver haired companion with suspicion, "Wonder how that happened so fast…"

"I can see perfectly well that he's not evil, Miss Kuonji," Hercules replied, "But that doesn't take away from the fact that he doesn't fit in with the world as it is. It's just like in the old days when the planet was overrun with his kind and there was no room for people like you and your friends. Look at him…he's too big for a petting zoo and he eats more fish than you can afford to truck in, what with the way the oceans have been overharvested these days by gill nets…"

"Japan's one of the worst offenders in that respect," Thor-chan noted.

"So is Norway," Urd shot back, "So who's pointing the finger here?"

"All done," Skuld pronounced as she and Megumi stepped back from Thor-chan's hammer.

"Just what are you trying to achieve?" Sif puzzled.

"Just a little containment job, Ho-uh…lady," Thor-chan amended, extending her hammer, which now had the device attached to one end, "I'll just activate the time and space warping effects of this baby and…"

"No!" Ukyo cried, stomping her foot in anger, "I won't let you!"

As she said this the creature left off its glutinous consumption of fish and turned an angry look in their direction. Nabiki saw this and said, "Er…Ucchan?"

"I won't have you manhandling him because you feel you've got to act all macho!" Ukyo declared adamantly, "Find some other way to beat your chest, you big bully! Go hunt real monsters, like maybe the one you'll see in the mirror!"

The creature made an angry sound and began to turn around very quickly. It was amazing how fast it moved in spite of its incredible size, and even more amazing how it seemed to pick up on and amplify Ukyo's anger.

"Fascinating," Beatrice remarked, "The link between you and the creature must be partly telepathic, partly sympathetic, definitely empathic. It's responding to your thought waves."

"Uh…Beiko?" Aiko said nervously, "I think it's coming this way."

"Good," Thor-chan said, "Makes it that much harder to miss…"

"NO!" Ukyo cried, throwing herself at Thor-chan with such force as might stagger an ordinary woman had her kick struck a mere mortal instead of a transformed goddess. As it was, Thor-chan barely felt Ukyo's foot as the Okonomiyaki cook bounced off the leather clad redhead, causing her to land a bit more awkwardly than her usually graceful self.

Unfortunately, the creature saw all this and interpreted it as an attack on the woman it identified as its surrogate mother, which prompted it to give an angry cry as it charged right at them.

"Oboy," Hercules said, "This does not look good…"

"Ranchan, Per-chan! Get Ukyo out of here now!" Nabiki commanded, which same showed just how much the three of them thought alike as both Amazon and iinazuke were already moving to grab Ukyo by one arm and help her to her feet as they drew the chef out of the path of oncoming destruction. Nabiki was just a half-second behind them while Beiko took to the air and Aiko leaped for safety. Three goddesses grabbed the two mortals nearest to them and did a fast fade out while Hercules and Sif braced themselves and stood their ground together.

Happosai was no where to be found at that moment, of course, but no one paid him the least attention as it hardly seemed to matter.

Ryoga interposed himself in front of Akane as the two of them backed away, but they all were surprised to note that the creature was ignoring them altogether, its path of relentless fury aimed at one figure alone and no other.

Thor-chan kept her hammer steady all of this time and now smiled as she said, "Just hold that pose, Dragon, and we'll see who's the tough guy here."

The power started to flow from around the hammer to reach out and form a circular containment field that appeared like an energy net that exploded out in a single direction to surround the creature. At the last possible second, however, the creature stopped its forward lurch and moved in a way that was altogether surprising, falling down towards one hip and twisting with a lurch to one side before righting itself again and springing up into the air so that it vaulted completely over the net and landed on both hind feet behind Thor-chan. The force of the landing was like a 5.3 Earthquake, kicking up ground everywhere and knocking the transformed Thundergod to his knees from the sheer surprise factor.

"Did you see that?" Ranma gasped.

"That's impossible!" Perfume all but swore, "That maneuver…"

"It was just like one of your techniques, Ucchan," Nabiki commented to a very surprised Ukyo, "The exact same thing you would have done to avoid a net being hurled at you."

"But how?" Aiko gasped, "It was just born this afternoon, and it must weigh a couple zillion tons!"

"Seventeen thousand, three hundred-fifty-two-point eight tons to be exact," Beatrice replied, "And in answer to your question, I think the link they share is two-way here. The creature is drawing on your instincts of self-preservation, Kuonji-san and…"

As she said this the creature was lashing out at an off-balance Thor-chan, who tried to evade the lunge and biting snap of the creature, only to back up a little too far as the creature prepared to swing about as though to stomp with a foot in her direction. It's massive tail whipped out and back to strike the nearest large rock outcropping and shatter it like a cardboard dollhouse. As the creature started to orient on Thor-chan once again that same tail came whipping back towards Ryoga and Akane, moving at such a speed that there was no time for them both to get out of the way. Without hesitating to think on what he was doing Ryoga pushed Akane flat against the ground just instants before the tail swatted him like the proverbial insect.

"Ryoga-kun!" Akane cried as the lost boy went flying like the proverbial softball.

As ungentle as his situation was, however, it was as nothing compared to Thor-chan, who barely had time to turn around before seeing a massive foot loom over her, which prompted the words, "Oh Niffleheim…!" to escape her lips before she disappeared beneath 17,352.8 metric tons of angry lizard…

"Boss!" a voice hissed in Frank's ear.

"I see it!" Frank hit the breaks and did a half-turn to absorb his forward momentum, then accelerated again at a different angle, "Oh man…how did he get ahead of us this fast?"

"I don't think it did," Shelly replied, "That doesn't look like the Big G, in fact…"

"You mean that other creature?" Frank said disbelievingly, then before his question could be answered he caught motion out of the corner of his eye and turned in time to see a human shape go flying overhead at least thirty meters, which prompted Frank to exclaim, "Bloody hell…that guy looks kind of familiar…!"

Without stopping to finish analyzing the situation the big man on the giant motorcycle turned yet again in a semi-circular maneuver that would have daunted the best stunt motorcyclists, treating his machine as though it were an extension of his own body. Several hair-turns later and he got himself directly under the projected end trajectory of the boy's arc, just in time to get underneath Ryoga before he could hit the ground with more jarring results than landing virtually in the lap that the big man so helpfully provided.

Ryoga-amazingly enough-was only partly stunned by all this as he looked up in amazement to find the craggy face of the big man looking down at him with a familiar smirk. In near total amazement the lost one gasped, "Frank?"

"Hiya Hibiki," Frank remarked as he brought them around yet again and headed for where he saw a group of people gathered together, "Long time no see. Looks like you've been busy."

"What are you doing in Japan?" Ryoga asked as he saw that they were coming to a gradual stop beside Nabiki and the others.

"Oh, I get around myself now and then," the big man said as he halted his bike, then let Ryoga down on his own two feet before killing the engine and dismounting, doing a quick study as he registered the astonished faces of the others, then took note that one figure was hurtling right at them…or-more specifically-at Ryoga.

"You're all right!" Akane cried with desperate relief, throwing her arms around Ryoga and staggering the boy back up against the side of the motorcycle, "Oh, Ryoga-kun, I was so worried…!"

"You have been busy," Frank noted with idle sarcasm that was equal parts appreciation before turning to the others and saying, "Who's in charge here, assuming you guys have a designated leader?"

"Who wants to know?" challenged Ranma, looking up at the seven-foot-eight-inch giant with more bravado than he actually felt as he interposed himself before Nabiki.

"Relax kid," Frank sniffed, "I'm not here to start any trouble, I'm here to help…I take it you're the real leader of this shindig?"

"How did you guess?" Nabiki asked as the big man's pale eyes were directed towards her.

"Just playing a hunch," Frank nodded, "You look like the type, while your boyfriend here is more muscle than brains, not a bad combination if you like that sort. Besides, I knew it couldn't be that lot," he nodded to Hercules and the other divinities, "Their kind doesn't lead so much as let us humble mortals think they're in charge of the whole situation."

"Ha-ha," Hercules said drolly, "If it isn't the walking corpse with an attitude. What brings you this way, Stein, or whatever it is you're calling yourself this century."

"Stein?" Ukyo asked with a puzzled expression.

"Name's Frank," the big man replied, "Short for Franklin, but my full name is Doctor Franklin Nathaniel Steinberg. I'm a Biogeneticist…"

"Frank N. Stein?" Aiko slowly pronounced with lifted eyebrows.

"I've heard of you!" Beatrice said brightly, "I've read your publication on Neurological Realignment and the Reversal of Cellular decay! Most insightful! You are one of the foremost authorities in Exobiology…"

"I am THE leading expert in that field," Frank said without sounding the least bit boastful, looking up to see that the huge lizard was now going peacefully about its business munching a diminishing pile of fish, "Seems your friend here's lost his mad-on. Anybody care to fill me in on what's been happening here?"

"Ah," Nabiki glanced at the lizard before turning back to the huge man before them, "I hardly know where to begin…"

"Excuse me," Sif frowned, "But what happened to Thorilla? Did anyone see her emerge from that giant foot print?"

"Nope," Hercules said, "And if it were anyone else I'd say she was just a grease spot by now…"

"I'll…grease…you…you damned boy-lover," Thor-chan groaned as she staggered up from the pit that Ukyo had been dug from before.

Frank whistled appreciatively and said, "Who's the Tomato?"

"Hah-ha," Thor-chan growled, "Keep it up, Homunculus…you can be disassembled you know…"

"Uh…Boss?" Shelly called out, not even bothering to use the ear-mike for anonymity, "Better can the Socializing…guess who else is coming to dinner?"

"Oh, that's just great," Frank turned in time to see another huge shape lumbering around a pass in some nearby hills before directing its attention in their direction, "Loverboy's persistent, I'll give him that. Looks like our problems just got compounded, people."

"What the…?" Ryoga gasped.

"Two of them?" Ranma stated in flat-out disbelief.

"Him?" Hercules snorted, "This really isn't my day…"

"Nani?" Akane quietly whispered.

"I was afraid of this," Happosai shook his head sadly.

Nabiki stared at the shape of a four hundred-foot tall lizard storming angrily towards them and just sighed, "I don't know why I'm surprised…at least he's a native…"

Continued

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