Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Nexus... ( Chapter 85 )

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.

Frank thought that he had seen almost every type of weather in his nearly two centuries of life, but there was something in this storm that was different even by his unusual standards and definitions. He could feel it in his bones even as he sought to maintain his traction on the road. His powerful all-terrain motorcycle was built to hold the road under even more extreme conditions, but he was fighting for control all the way with every turn and bend as he sought to blaze a trail for the Subaru behind him. He could only imagine what the driver of that mini car was going through keeping control over her wheel, and she was only human. Even at the slow pace he was setting it had to be murder just keeping her car even.

"Shelly," Frank said above the noise of the rain all around them, "You still have a satellite link with Weather Sat Central?"

"Barely," he heard her voice through his ear-mike, "I've got a Microbeam relay, but I can't make much sense of the data. The projected weather patterns only add up to light showers, not the kind of monsoon that's just kicked up out of no where!"

"Something definitely not natural about this storm," Frank noted as he stared through his Teflon-coated goggles, following the electronically enhanced data being fed to him by his vehicles sensors while he tried to find the safest path amid the huge puddles that were cropping up with greater frequency and obscuring the road completely in certain places, "And believe me, I'm an expert when it comes to unnatural phenomena."

"You realize that the focal point of the storm is centered around us," Shelly replied, "And I'm not even going to give you an estimation of the odds against that being a coincidence."

"Good," Frank replied, "Because I already figured that part out--HOLY!"

He pulled up to a halt then raised an arm to signal the car behind him to stop. Because of the low visibility, it took a couple of seconds for Miyuki to see the signal, so she stopped only a few meters behind him then tried to look through the windshield to see what he could see through the obscuring gray mass before them.

"Oboy," Frank remarked as he stared out across a lake that was blocking the way for over a hundred meters before him, "Check me on this, Shelly…what's the depth of the water here?"

"Three-point-five-seven meters, Boss," the motorcycle replied, "It's cut right through the road, a total washout, water moving at a speed of over nineteen-point-two knots."

"Too fast and too deep," Frank replied, "We got another route we can take to the hospital?"

"Not without going halfway around Nerima to get through that flash-flood," was the reply, "It came out of no where, I never even detected it until now. Satellite feed suggests it's a recent event, created by a diversion of mountain run-off…"

"And how far are we from the hospital?" Frank asked.

"One-point-one-nine kilometers," Shelly replied, "You could see it from here if you had laser vision like me."

"Way too much of a coincidence," Frank murmured, "That makes it official, somebody is blocking the road deliberately and doesn't want us to get there."

"If you expect me to call you paranoid you've got another calculation, Boss," Shelly confirmed, "And I was just about to inform you that there's an unusual blind spot on my sensors over to your right about ninety-three-point-six meters…"

"I ever tell you that you've got a thing with numbers?" Frank replied, dismounting from The Monster, "Hold tight and keep the motor running, in a manner of speaking. Let me know if that water level lowers by a fraction. I'm gonna go have a word with an unexpected visitor and see if he knows something about what's really going on here."

"Better tell your girlfriend what to expect," Shelly noted sarcastically, "I'll bet she'll be worried, to say nothing of her passengers."

"Already on it," Frank said as he leaned over to the side of Miyuki's car and tapped on her window. She rolled it down by a fraction and he raised his voice to be heard, "I'm gonna have a look over that way, see if I can find a way to get us across. You hang tight and don't budge till I get back, got it?"

"Hai," Miyuki replied, "How long can we expect you?"

"Not long," Frank said, "If that's who I think it is, this may only take a moment."

"Who?" Natsumi asked, but Frank was already moving around the car while Miyuki rolled her window back up to keep from getting any wetter by the spray. Her partner huffed back in her seat and said, "That guy give me the creeps…"

"I think he's a very nice man," Miyuki replied, "You really shouldn't judge by appearances, Natsumi-chan."

"What's the problem?" they heard a frantic voice calling up, "Aren't we at the hospital yet? For kami's sake, it was only a few kilometers when we stated!"

"We are doing everything we can, Tendo-san," Miyuki assured her, "We're just waiting for Doctor Steinberg to confirm that the road ahead is safe for travel."

"Well, tell him to hurry up already!" Ranma called out, only to be drowned out by a sudden scream of pain from both Shampoo and Ryoga, "We're running out of hands here!"

"Some vacation this is turning out to be," Natsumi huffed.

"But it does bring back memories, eh, Natsumi-chan?" Miyuki smiled, "Remember that one time during the monsoon that struck Tokyo a few years back?"

"The one where we had to get that cat to the veterinarian's to deliver her kittens?" Natsumi smirked, "You think I missed the connection?"

"You're the ones who will be having kittens in another moment if you don't get my cousin to the hospital on time!" Perfume called forward, only to be reassured by Ukyo that the driver knew what she was doing.

"Speaking of memories," Soun remarked, "This does seem somewhat familiar, Tendo-san? Remember that time when Nodoka-chan was in labor?"

Genma, who was holding up a bandaged hand as Ranma looked at him questioningly, then he said, "How could I forget? It was on a night like this, and if anything, you squeezed me even harder 'Doca-chan."

"I wasn't that bad, was I?" Nodoka raised her eyebrows, then saw both men nod in confirmation, "Oh my…"

Hinako made her way closer to Shampoo, then laid a reassuring hand on Nabiki's arm and said, "Be brave, Tendo-san. Your wife is a very strong young girl who will manage to make you proud. You are holding up very well, Shampoo-san, just keep doing what you are doing and everything will work out all right."

"Thank you," Shampoo gasped, her face profuse with sweat as Kasumi dabbed it with a moist cloth that was tiger-striped, "I try be brave, but pain…is very great…"

"Only to be expected, Child," Cologne assured her, "I remember when your mother was in labor, such a fuss she made, you'd think women like her weren't having babies all of the time…"

"No disrespect to you, Elder," Nabiki said abruptly, "I'm sure this is old hat for you, but it's our first time, so do you think you might know of some practical way to speed up our getting to the hospital? I'd rather our…daughter wasn't born in the back end of a Subaru, even if this one is a bit…roomier than normal…"

"Whoah," Aiko murmured, "Somebody get her a sedative quick."

"The mother is doing just fine, Alison," Beiko assured, "It would not serve any purpose to dull her pain as it is necessary for her to…"

"Not the mother," Aiko said, "I mean the father-mother…er…something like that. She sounds like she's having a nervous breakdown."

"There really is not much that we can do at present, my daughter," Cologne spoke evenly and reassuringly to Nabiki, pausing to frown in apparent thought, "Although I do admit that circumstances surrounding the event are rather most unusual. I wonder if perhaps there is not more going on than is obvious on the surface…" and as she spoke those words the ancient Amazon turned a suspicious glance towards the three goddesses sitting far back at the edge of the enclosure, taking full notice of their inscrutable expressions…

Frank fought his way through the bullet-like rain, shrugging off weather that would have bent an ordinary man double. He kept his mind focused on his objective so as not to be sidetracked and gradually came before a lone man standing amid a sudden refuge from the tempest. Frank straightened out to regard him, then nodded in grim satisfaction and said, "I thought so."

"Long time no see, Golem," said an elderly figure wearing what looked like a three-piece suit, leaning on a simple cane while regarding him with eyes as black as infinite night, "Or do you prefer your current alias? I rather like your handle, Legion…it rather much suits you."

"Spare me the social talk, Susanowo," Frank replied before his lips twitched into a sardonic smile, "Or would you rather I call you Kami-sama?"

"Names are of little importance," the man replied matter-of-factly, "I am strictly here as an observer of events as they are unfolding. My son and niece have chosen to become more directly involved on their own initiative, and my three daughters are observing these events from a much closer vantage…"

"Yeah, I've kind of noticed that we are a little god-heavy at the moment," Frank replied, "I kind of wondered if it had anything to do with this unusual weather?"

"Not my doing, I assure you," Susanowo replied, "Though we divine Kami like to pretend that we are mysterious and aloof manifestations of the Universal power, there are some forces that are even beyond our ken. It has to do with the unusual nature of this birthing…an event most extraordinary by even the standards of an Immortal."

"Do tell?" Frank frowned, "What's so special about this kid? I mean, other than the fact that a Jusenkyo curse is involved here…"

"That is one of many factors, to be certain," the Lord of the Heavens replied, "A child of two mothers, born under unusual circumstances to an Amazon of Juraian birthright, and I could always go into detail about the various Astrological prognostications currently being analyzed by the Yggdrasil 2000, which brought all of this to my attention."

"Could be a computer error," Frank noted, "Those things must happen a lot with you having Urd as a systems analyst."

"My daughter has…been temporarily reassigned," Susanowo said without elaboration, "We only recently got the system back online when it made the tabulation that was forwarded to my office. That was what made me decide to investigate matters more directly, after all it isn't every day that one get to witness the birth of a new Nexus."

"A Nexus?" Frank reacted, "Are you sure?" then he slapped himself with a massive hand and said, "Right…who am I talking to here? So…the Tendo kid's gonna be a Nexus…who would have figured?"

"No one, apparently," Susanowo replied, "This was not foreseen. The odds against this happening are…well, quite astronomical, really. Nor is she the only one…you may be interested to know that a current Nexus is already present in that van you are escorting."

"The Tendo girl?" Frank arched bushy eyebrows, "I kind of thought she was somebody special…"

"Not her," Susanowo smiled, "Although I agree that she is exceptional, the Nexus in question is her very own beloved Saotome Ranma."

"That kid?" Frank was even more surprised, "What's so special about him?"

"Other than the fact that the boy is a virtual magnet for Probability Manipulation of a very high order?" the lord of the heavens replied, "Let us not overlook the fact that he has four women circling his orbit, each of them exceptional in their own right, and that whenever he is around, these other unusual and extraordinary things appear to happen. On this Timeline he may appear to be no more than an average boy of his age, but do not be deceived by appearances. On other parallel timelines he is a remarkably heroic figure, the star of many epic adventures. The probability lines for a thousand different worlds seem to flow around him like a hub in this tiny corner of the cosmos."

"I get the picture," Frank replied, "So this storm…?"

"The compounded energies of the Universe preparing to receive a new Nexus clashing with a current Nexus, creating an effect rather like what you get when you have two waves of similar frequency interfering with one another through Oscillation…"

"Right, I grok the concept," Frank replied, "So…if we separate those two, the storm will let up?"

"Not necessary," Susanowo replied, "I've been analyzing the storm and believe that I can moderate it for a short time, long enough for you to get to where you are going. Once the child is born the storm will abate completely. The Universe will begin to repair the rift caused by having several Nexuses this close to one another and everyone will be happy…at least until the next crisis happens."

"No living happily ever after for those two, huh?" Frank smiled.

"Being something of a Nexus yourself, I'm sure you appreciate the fact that your kind can never live an entirely simple and stable existence," the lord of heaven replied as he pulled out what looked like a cellular phone and said, "It simply isn't done. It's me, initiate Temporary Abatement Program."

High overhead the clouds began to roil and curdle, then slowly the rain began to lessen until it was no more than a light drizzle.

"Nice special effects," Frank nodded in satisfaction, "But it kind of lacks the punch of the old days."

"You mean when we had our people say something like, 'Behold His Mighty Hand!'" Susanowo replied, making a gesture with his cane towards the flooded out road, and suddenly the waters rose to form a kind of glistening ramp that looked like muddy glass instead of steel and concrete. The Kami-sama smiled and said, "I do sometimes like to dip my hand into such matters, just to be certain that our mortal clients don't forget entirely all about us in this modern era of technological wonders."

"Right," Frank turned around and said, "How long will it last?"

"A few minutes, if you hurry," the lord of heaven called out as Frank began to break into a trot that brought him alongside the Subaru in a few seconds. Susanowo shook his head with a sigh, "That boy worries me sometimes. As if his days as a Nexus were anything near to being retired…"

Lao had not encountered any problems finding the lost party, being certain that the car parked behind the huge motorcycle had to be the transportation Nabiki Tendo would have used for this foul weather tempest.

Of course, the little problem of the road being washed out was certainly hard to miss as Lao stood by the bank of the recently eroded section. The gap was only perhaps as far as twenty or so meters, but her senses informed her that the rift was deep and the water moving too swiftly even for her to safely cross. Nor could she simply use her command over her favorite element to fix the problem. Away from her ship, her powers were greatly lessened and there was a definite limit to how much water she could manipulate in such a fashion.

That was when she felt the energy moving through the air and found her whiskers were flickering with static. The storm began to lessen until it no longer beat against her furry hide like the pelting of gravel. A power very much like her own was in motion causing the water to slow in its movement, rapidly forming itself into a shape like a temporary causeway. Lao gave back with a tigerish oath and swore something no human ear could translate, recognizing the source as divine in origin and wanting to do as little as possible to attract the interest of such a being. After all, they might review her most recent Akashik records to determine her karma…

And then she saw the huge lumbering form rushing up along side the Subaru to pause and speak a few words to the driver. Lao's eyes widened by more than a fraction as she recognized that fellow, having had a prior encounter that neither one was likely to forget, and which-for her sake-was better off forgotten. He moved to the huge motorcycle, which somehow seemed normal sized for his frame, then he and the Subaru started forward towards the hard-water bridge before them.

Lao stood her ground, torn between a need to take cover and an anxiousness concerning the safety of such a crossing. Whoever was maintaining that bridge certainly had a lot of power at his disposal, but she was an expert at water manipulation and could sense an instability in the field. Water was a temperamental substance, and it could alter its mood on a whim, so controlling it was really a lot harder than subtly influencing its flow in a given direction.

Her senses now told her that the bridge was being affected by something inside the Subaru, some kind of instability factor that was breaking up the patterns of the water. The car was only partway forward when the water began to lose its solid form and the tires began slipping.

Lao knew what she had to do to save the day here, so she leaned her paws forward and projected her influence into the bridge, altering the pattern rather than attempt to add her meager might to the much greater form that had been keeping it together. A single spell shaped in her mind as she framed the mental images needed to make the bridge even more solid than before. All it required as a variation of the same field she used to heat water in order to change out from her cursed form, using her power instead to subtract energy and re-divert it elsewhere.

The result was almost instantaneous, spiraling out from where she made physical contact. The bridge hardened to solid ice in a matter of seconds, becoming steel-hard as she willed it to firmness before relaxing her efforts.

She slumped forward onto the bank once this was accomplished, feeling exhausted without the self-replenishing resources of her ship but satisfied that her work had been successful and the car would be able to negotiate the remaining distance.

As tired as she was, however, she was altogether very much aware when a huge form came to a stop alongside her, then a hand reached down and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and half-lifted her up to eye-level. Lao suddenly found a face confronting her that-though pleasant enough in a craggy sense-yet had lines and scars to hint of what it might once of been like before the modern wonders of plastic surgery had repaired a mistake that was in no part a work of nature.

"Hiya, pussy cat," Frank smiled in a way that did not convey humor, "I thought you looked familiar when I first spotted you, but that last stunt proved it. You and me have some talking to do…for old times sakes, right?"

"Yeow?" Lao replied, which might well have been translated to mean, "Help!" in Tigerish…

"Do you see her yet?" Kodachi asked her companion as they stood near the rain sharing an umbrella.

"Not yet," Keiko replied, "The storm's lightening up a bit, maybe she had something to do with that."

"Maybe so," said Guile as he scanned the streets down which the Pirate Queen had vanished, "Or maybe not…wait a second! Cammy, what do you make that?"

"I track movement, sir," said Cammy as she gazed through a pair of folding binoculars, "Two vehicles, one a two wheeler…can't rightly call it a Motorcycle, looks as big as a horse."

"Never mind the bike," Chun-Li said as she shaded her own eyes and tried to make out the distant objects moving towards them, "Check out the rider! And I think that other one's a…Subaru?"

"Copy that," Cammy replied, "Especially the part about the rider, he looks like a real giant. Next to him that other one looks like a toy car…only…I think he's holding something across his lap…it looks like a tiger!"

"What" Keiko reacted, as did Kodachi, who both impulsively rushed forward yelling, "Captain!"

"Wait!" Akiko tried in vain to call them off, only to sigh as their forms melted into their cursed alter egos, "Teenagers…"

The umbrella struck the ground, as did two sets of clothing, but within moments a vulture struggled free of her attire, as did a black ferret, and then with a beating of wings she picked up the ferret with her claws and fought hard to become airborne.

"That little idiot," Guile said sourly, "She is soooo grounded…"

"And I suppose you never did anything so impulsive out of loyalty to a friend?" Akiko asked him in amusement.

"That's not it," Guile complained, "It's her definition of friendship I'm questioning here…"

"As much as I hate to say it, sir," Cammy remarked, "She's not exactly in the same league as Vega."

"You sure about that?" Chun-Li asked with lifted eyebrows, "Seems to me at the time we weren't in any shape to make comparisons."

The motorcycle and Subaru pulled up in front of the emergency entrance, but now the big man was flailing with one arm to keep his face from being clawed by an angry Keiko while simultaneously trying to dislodge the ferret that had taken roost on his broad shoulders.

"Hey, knock it off, blast it!" he cried, "Mind your own business, I'm not that dead yet…!"

"Keiko-chan!" Akiko called harshly, "Kodachi-san! Behave yourselves! This is no way for you to serve your Captain!"

The vulture and ferret immediately desisted while the Tigress took advantage of his momentary distraction to slip off the motorcycle. She started to slink away when Akiko glared at her and said, "And where do you think you are going?"

"Nowhere in particular," answered Cologne, who was balancing on her staff, looking down with an especially sharp expression at a now quite sheepish Tigress, "Nihao, Great Granddaughter…come to see how your cousin is faring? Surely you do not plan to leave when she is about to give birth to a strong and healthy daughter?"

The Tigress perked up her ears, then turned her head with widened eyes as the side of the Subaru opened and people began piling out in a virtual stampeded, headed by a now-male Nabiki, who had Shampoo in her arms as she raced for the doorway to the emergency wing of the hospital. Following her came the entire Tendo and Saotome clan, plus Ukyo, Perfume, Miss Hinako, Aiko and Beiko, Ryonami, Gosunkugi and Tatawaki Kuno.

The latter stopped in time to see a vulture and a ferret giving him a cheerful greeting, which same brought a rise to his eyebrows as he called out, "Sister? Is that you?"

This caused Natsume to pause at his side and look in disbelief at the animals he was addressing. Her expression was supremely puzzled, while Kurumi gave her older sister a look before turning an even more puzzled one at the ferret and vulture.

Last to exit the vehicle were Miyuki and Natsumi, followed in turn by several gods, who hung back as a group with one of them carrying his struggling silver-haired sibling across his incredibly broad shoulders.

"Well, finally!" huffed Thor, "Remind me to have a word with you sometime about the way you manage the weather in your burg."

"Don't look at me," replied Raiden, "I'm the one who's going to have a long chat with my staff when I get back home. If I didn't know any better I'd swear my father was behind this…"

"Larger forces than you know are at work, dear cousin," said Kishijoten, "It would be best to reserve judgement until all of the facts are at your disposal."

"Yeah, whatever," Urd stretched out, "I'm just glad to get out of there. Bending the dimensions of space and time like that can feel pretty confining…"

"What are you complaining about?" asked Skuld, "I'm the one who had to do all the precise calculations."

"Guys, can we keep it down?" Keiichi asked, "We're in a hospital zone and there are lots of patients who'd really appreciate it if you two didn't get into one of your usual arguments."

"Everything will be fine, Keiichi-chan," Belldandy assured him, "I have very good feelings about this pregnancy, and the life that will soon enter this world will have the best that is in both of her parents."

"Unfortunately you three will not be attending that birth," said Kishijoten, "You've done your part helping to bring the happy couple to their destination, while shielding them against forces that might object to this union, but the time has come for you to return home and tend to other matters."

"What are you talking about, Cousin?" Urd replied, "You think I want to miss this birth? You've got to be…"

A buzzing noise interrupted her, and Skuld reached into her pouch to pull out a cellular phone, which she flipped open as she spoke into it, "Moshi-Moshi…hai?" Her expression took on a very pale cast and she said, "Hai…it's for you, Oneechan."

"Oh?" Belldandy asked, taking the phone and saying, "Hai? Oh…Otosan! Yes? Yes, of course, Father. We'll leave right away."

"That was him?" Urd asked with lifted eyebrows and a somewhat shocked expression.

"Our lord father has asked us to return to the temple," Belldandy said, "He didn't say why, only that it involved Keiichi-chan's sister."

"Megumi?" Keiichi blinked, "But you sent her back home! What could she possibly have gotten into in this short a time?"

"Kami-sama didn't say," Belldandy replied with an apologetic expression, "But he seemed to think it was urgent that we leave at once. Skuld-chan?"

"Right," the younger goddess replied, giving a nod to Kishijoten, "With Megumi it could be anything. Let us know how things turn out, won't you, Cousin?"

"You can count on it," Kishijoten replied, watching as Skuld pulled out her pocket calculator and punched in a few command codes, causing a light to form around the three goddesses and mortal consort as a semi-circle formed beneath their feet, and a moment later they vanished completely.

"Hello, Ojisama?" the goddess smiled as she spoke into the cell phone, "They're on their way, just like you wanted. That's three down and several more to go, and then our programmers can rest easy."

She folded the phone and made it vanish before sighing, "The things one has to do to repair a rift in the Timespace…"

As the Goddess of Chance turned to enter the building a figure perched far overhead watched these events with intense emotion, then softly murmured aloud the portentous words, "Oook, oook…"

Chief Nurse Nagano glared across the receptionist desk, taking in the panda, vulture, ferret, cat, and tiger before declaring to the rest of the crowd pestering her with questions, "This is a hospital, not a menagerie! None of you is going one step beyond this point! Now sit down and be quiet! I have a hospital to run, and I won't have you lot upsetting the patients!"

Everyone assembled in the lobby on the other side of that desk took a collective step back from the implacable tone in the nurse's declaration. Soun was first to recover as he said, "But…I'm the girl's father, well…sort of…"

"I don't care if you are the Emperor himself!" Nagano leaned forward with a glare that made Soun blanch and recoil, "The doctor will only allow a few of the immediate family beyond this point, and judging by the number of you present, I'm amending that to only the father!"

"Don't worry, father," Kasumi said reassuringly, "Everything will be just fine. The doctors here do this sort of thing every day, there is really nothing to be accomplished by upsetting yourself."

"She's right, Dad," Akane touched her father's arm, "Just try and relax and everything will be fine. Let's go sit down and we'll drink some tea, that should help everybody out."

"Are you making the tea?" Ranma asked.

"What?' Akane blinked, "Of course not!"

"Then I'll have some," Ranma declared, only to wince when Ryoga slapped him in the shoulder, "What?"

"Take that back about Akane!" Ryoga growled, "I won't have you making fun of her…"

"It's all right, Ryoga," Akane sniffed, "I'm used to his juvenile behavior. He's not worth you getting upset about it."

"Come on, Tendo-kun," read the sign in Genma-panda's paw as he nudged Soun on the arm with the other, then turned the sign around as it further read, "I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end. Let's go see if they've got a Shogi board around in their waiting room. If we ask the nurses nicely we might even be able to swing some sweets out of their cafeteria."

"You two and your Shogi games," Nodoka sighed with an indulgent expression.

"Where's Nabiki at?" Ukyo asked.

"They let her in with my cousin," Lao answered as she returned to human form once again, "I don't think she was ready to let go of Shampoo until they had her on one of their wheeled tables and reassured her that she'd be immediately admitted."

"I sure wouldn't want to get in her way," Aiko sniffed, "That girl had serious panic attack written all over her."

"As if you would behave any different were you in her place?" Beatrice asked with some amusement.

"Huh?" Aiko blinked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Really, Alison," Beatrice sniffed, turning away as if mildly offended, "If you can't figure it out for yourself then there's no reason why I should do it for you."

"Eh…what?" Aiko looked even more confused, turning to follow after her silver haired companion, who was already moving towards the lobby, grousing, "I hate it when you do that…"

"Poor Sempai," Ryonami sighed as she and Gosunkugi followed the others, "She really cares a lot about her wife. I just hope nothing goes wrong with Shampoo's delivery."

"I'm sure she'll be all right," Gosunkugi replied, "I've got a sense about these things. Hey, anybody know where the old woman got off to?"

"You think anybody here is going to stop her from being at the birthing?" Ryonami asked, shrugging as she added, "I sure wouldn't want to try it…"

"Just remember," said Kuno to the ferret resting upon his shoulders, "You're the one who has to explain this to our father."

The vulture on Guile's broad shoulders made a screel as if in defense of the ferret while a curiously subdued Lao trudged along behind them with Akiko, Chun-Li, and Cammy. Ukyo meanwhile spoke to the cat resting across her shoulders, "C'mon, Per-chan, let's go find you some hot water…"

"A good idea," Thor-chan murmured, "I second the…Ow! Hey, what did I do this time?"

"A little young for you, aren't they?" Sif fixed her with a level stare, making the redheaded storm goddess wince a little.

Meanwhile, a figure detached itself from the group and moved towards a certain part of the corridor where hospital supplies and uniforms were stationed.

A moment later that towering figure stepped out of the ward room in a white coat that barely fit his dimensions, attaching a medical badge to his lapel while holding an appropriated clip-board, smiling to himself as he started to head towards the maternity ward, only to find his path blocked by head Nurse Nagano.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, "I said that visitors weren't allowed beyond this point and I meant it."

"But I'm a doctor," Frank replied, "I'm consulting with the patient's physician…"

"I don't care if you're consulting with the Pope and Kami-Sama!" Nagano retorted, "Unless you show me you belong on this hospital's roster, you're staying put with the rest of your group…"

"Chief Nurse Nagano, you are wanted at the information desk," the PA system called out, "Chief Nurse Nagano to the information desk…"

"Damn," Nagano replied, giving Frank a warning glare before muttering something about having to run the whole establishment by herself.

"Nice work," Frank commented at a level barely above a whisper.

"Thanks," Shelly replied into his ear, "I knew tapping into the hospital datanet would come in handy."

Frank gave a glance at the retreating Nurse then shook his head and started forward, "We could have used her in the old country. My old buddy Igor sure would have liked her."

"Maybe you could take it up with one of your Poker pals sometime," Shelly remarked, "I'd like to see how Felicia or Donovan would handle somebody like her."

"Me too," Frank said as he moved unerringly to the Maternity Ward, then checked the room numbers against the pad he had 'borrowed,' "Only make a note not to invite Demetri at our next meeting, that bloodsucker's a rotten card cheat. Say, how about some help with the directions?"

"Oh, asking for directions now," Shelly said sarcastically, "And you call yourself a guy…"

"Save the sarcasm for later," Frank sniffed, "I could always change your programs…"

"You've come to the right place," Shelly mildly informed him, "Shampoo Tendo is registered in Delivery Room B, just to your right."

"The Marvels of modern technology," Frank mused as he covered his mouth with a smock before entering, taking notice of the room's occupants, who collectively looked back, some with surprise in their expression, one with interest and another with annoyance.

"Excuse me, this is a private…" Doctor Tofu began to say when Cologne tapped him with his staff.

"It's all right, Sensei," she smiled, giving Frank a shrewd glance, "I've been wondering when you were going to show up. Come for a ringside seat, or do you mean to assist in the delivery?"

"Whatever," Frank replied, "It's your call, but I wouldn't miss this for the world…that's if it's all right with you, Tendo-san."

"Oh sure," Nabiki-kun smiled, "But while you're here, Doctor, would you mind taking my wife's pulse? I hope it's not too irregular…"

"My pleasure to be of assistance," Frank replied, stepping forward in spite of the non-plussed glances from the other doctor and nurse who were in attendance.

Nabiki smiled, having timed the moment perfectly. She knew Shampoo was due for another contraction, and it was almost a pity that Doctor Steinberg made an all too easy target of convenience…

Continued

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