`The pocket is unstable. If we poke too big a hole in it, it will collapse,' Ami says, a colorful display glowing behind her. `How are they getting out?' I ask. `There are a couple thick spots. We just need to find them.' `We've located a couple possible sites, but the gatesig is infintesimal, less than a hundredth of normal,' Misato says, from her position at Ami's side, `So we will have to place sensors at each one and wait for them to move.' `How long?' Usagi asks. `Days or weeks, once the sensors are placed.' `How long will that take, and do you need a security detail?' `A few hours, and that would be a good idea, now that you mention it.' `When do you need us?' `Whenever your're ready.' `Now?' Usagi asks, looking to Rei and I. We glance at each other, then nod. `Now,' Ami agrees as well. `Let's go,' Mako says. `Gate us,' Usagi says. `Change first,' Megumi requests. I nod, unzip my armor bag as everyone else reaches for henshin pens. -*- A deserted temple, creeping jungle vines one the stone tori gate and crumbling five-story stone pagoda. Monkeys screach and flee at the opening gate, escaping to a safe distance as as the four Sailors, single armored figure, and remote operated vehicle step, or, in the ROV's case, roll, through. -*- I stare, looking around at the almost familiar sight. `What is a Japanese temple doing in South America?' Jupiter asks. `Africa,' Mercury says at the same time as I do. `Africa, then?' Misato answers through the ROV's speakers, Noriko looking around for a good place for the sensor pack, `It's been here a while. The Settlement Authority was supposed to ensure that didn't happen, but this has been here for at least a million years.' `What?' Jupiter gasps. `Wait,' I interupt, turning to Mars and Moon, `Didn't you two bring me here for like our fifth anniversary together, a couple years before the end?' We had sake with the priest . . . practiced a couple times 'cause they're really formal, shared a cup. Classic Shinto wedding ceremony,' I trail off, gaping at them. `It is!' Mars says at the same time as Moon's `It was!' `We had a bet going,' Mars says softly, looking down, `On how long it would take you to figure it out,' she suddenly looks up at me and smiles, `No one bet on it taking this long.' `I bet less than three years but more than two,' Moon smiles, `And it hasn't been six months since we met Ranma, so I think that qualifies.' `If so, what's my forfeit?' `I don't remember, but I think it involved Ritsuko, whipped cream, strawberries and plastic sheeting.' `All of the best forfeits do, but details, details!' I smile at the two of them, `Until you figure it out, you can take turns buying me ice cream to make up for keeping me in the dark about my upgraded status.' `OK,' they chirp in unison, nodding. The ROV trundles back, `Placed,' Noriko says. -*- A featureless dull-brown plain, the only sign of life a single, scraggledy olive-drab plant. The gate opens next to it, and everyone follows Ranma and the ROV out. -*- `How much longer?' Moon asks Mars, stroking the long bones of wings through her uniform top. `Another couple days.' `Mou,' Moon pouts, and Mars twists around to kiss her. `Where are we? Jupiter asks. `Chile,' Mercury answers, and I nod. `Placed,' the ROV rolls back over. -*- Snow and ice cover the ground, blow in the frigid wind, drape the scattered pines. Everyone steps out, spreads out, and the ROV bustles off. -*- My nictating membranes are closed, the sun almost painfully sharp. Jupiter is shivering, then, smiles and stops, realizing she isn't cold, `This is kinda nice.' `Yes, it is,' Mercury smiles. `Placed, one last point,' the ROV mutters in Noriko's voice. -*- Snow and ice and the sun low on the horizon, slanting orange rays over the drifted snow and ice, illuminating swirls of blowing snow. -*- `Do you feel that?' Moon asks. `Someone, or someones, malevolent,' Mars answers. `Which way?' I ask. `North.' `Which one?' I point, `Mag north is that way, and,' I point again, `True north is that way.' `True,' Mars says, starting that way. I bound past, light the spinal on the second bound, push it to just over ten Gs. `There,' Mars yells. I flip, burn hard, dropping headfirst towards the ice. A winged form bursts free while I'm still three meters up, and I put three needles in her back, <*ACK*> Misato replies, most of her attention on the AS I just dropped. I tuck and roll, a couple tiny burns turning me in the air as I reach the ground, feet and hand digging into the ice as I get a bead on the AS charing up behind me. The first needle of the burst takes one of her tentacles off, and I wince, then hit her with another needle to the chest. Jupiter and Mars have another of them. Jupiter calls out, `Supreme Thunder,' and drops her, shocked into a reset. Mercury is standing over the limp body of an AS, breathing hard. Moon has the last one crying in her lap, stroking the poor thing's hair, `Gate them out. They may shift gate points, but keep watch on this one.' `Roger,' Noriko says, `Sensors placed.' `Let's get out of here,' I say, supporting the two I dropped. `Lets.' -*- `What is Zoicite after?' I ask. `Chunks of the Ginzuishou. It's fragged into apparently seven chunks. He's got two, we've got three, Tux has one, and there's still one in the wild.' `That kurozuishou is the only detector?' `Nope. He's the last carrier.' I look at the young man Ami is surveiling, `You don't have an extractor?' `Right. So I'm just going to wait here, and we're gonna take him once Zoicite does the extract.' `Should I get Usagi?' `We'll call her when Zoicite shows up.' I close my eyes, feeling for what they're up to, then blush, `We should let them know what we're waiting on, then.' Ami looks up at me, blushes, `Take care of that.' `It's been a week since we've noticed anything from the Dark Kingdom, so they should do something soon. `Unless they don't.' `Unless they don't,' I nod. `Which is why I didn't call you in for support.' `Camille knows what you're up to, at least?' `Yes, she does. She's monitoring the satfeed, as well.' `Nothing out of the probes?' `A flux at D-Point, but not enough to get a fix on the gate coords. I think it was either a scrying or commo.' `So Zoicite may be on this side still, and the sisters don't remember.' `Exactly.' -*- `Hang with Ami, watch for trouble, Camille will call us, keep Ami safe, prevent civvie casualties,' I give Makoto the quick brief. Makoto smirks down at me, `Gotcha.' -*- I gasp, my back arching on its own, pressing my breasts into Usagi as she and Rei kiss my throat, Rei's hands are warm on my belly, Usagi's against my shoulders, my armor opened down the front, shoved open a little. *Chirp* *Chirp* Two communicators sound, and Rei jerks, then winces. Usagi pulls her hands back and I twist to look at Rei, Usagi at my side. `Back,' Rei gasps, then relaxes, `I think I popped a wing.' `Let me see,' I demand, pulling up her shirt. Usagi nods vigorous agreement. We pull up her shirt, which is slightly damp with a thin, clear fluid on the left. Her right wing is clearly visible through the thin membrane over it. Her left wing is mostly free, the covering membrane torn up to just over her bra strap, just a tiny bit of it intact at the top, over her clawed wingfingers. I unhook her bra. *Chirp* *Chirp* Rei pulls her top down a little, and I refasten the front of my armor while she answers, `Yes?' `Trouble,' Mercury says, and cuts the transmission. `Oww,' Rei says, then flexes her shoulders and wings hard, wincing as she spreads her wings again for the first time. They glisten wetly, and she flaps them a couple times before pulling out her wand. I tear my attention from her and turn to getting the hard armor back on. I finish about ten seconds after Usagi finishes her transformation, Reality opens, and I step through, the other two at my back. The AS is groggy, but recovering, Zoicite is dodging Jupiter's attacks, and the potshots Ami is taking at him with a shoulder-fired railgun. I bounce, then burn, and drop behind him, drop him with three needles to the back. His chest vanishes in a cloud of red, blue sky showing through a hole the size of a watermelon for an instant before he falls. `Oh fuck,' I say, turning to look for more trouble. Usagi steps up, and starts to search the corpse for the nijizuishou. She finds the kurozuishou in his left pants pocket, and both nijizuishou in his right. When she rolls the body over it comes apart, the upper torso no longer connected to his hips and legs. His body starts to sublimate, uniform, spilled gore, and all, while Usagi looks for a clean place to wipe her hands. Rei wraps her arms and wings around me, `It's OK.' `I should have expected it,' I tell her, `We didn't have many male ASs, and Nephrite was one of Endy's dirtling friends.' `I'm sorry,' Rei leans down to nuzzle into my neck. `It'll be OK,' Usagi says. Rei unwraps her wings, and Usagi hugs us, wrapping around me to hug Rei. Rei closes her wings around us both. `Now we can't track him when he runs,' I state the obvious, and twist, pressing my face to Usagi's bosom. -*- >Ritsuko?< a familiar comsig, >Or has someone reused this UID?< >The old bat herself.< >Sixteen. We've been maintaining com silence until we got back to Japan -- they tracked us down by our comsig in England.< >Nope. Mina picked up another girl, too.< I side-band happy amusement, >Me and the latest,< loss, lots of it, regret, sadness, >It's been a few hundred years since Nadeshiko.< comfort, condolences. >We've lost a lot of us. Most right after the collapse, but Kirika was lost only a thousand years ago.< I wince, >Do you know the Crown arcade, in Juuban?< -*- --- Log: 2006 Sep/Oct: Paper drafts 2006/Dec/11: Started typing.