Ranma 1/2

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma, Rumiko Takahashi does. I just borrowed some of the characters. Rated: NC-17

Shades of Home

Chapter 26

Ranma hunted for any member of his secondary team. He finally found Skeeter sitting under a small bridge trying to fish.

“Hey, Skeeter. Where’s the rest of the crew? I need ya.“ Before Ranma could get any farther Skeeter grabbed him and started dragging him under the bridge. “What th’ hell?”

“I heard Steven locked you up for some reason. Did you escape? Do you need help? Tell me what you need and you got it.” Skeeter gave Ranma a confused look as he gently pulled back.

“I need help but not that kind. I’m ok with Steven . . . sort of. Find the others and meet me at the mess hall ASAP. I’ll explain it all then.” Ranma slapped Skeeter on the back. He had a lot of plans to make and he needed to get going.

At the mess, Ranma sat with his back to a wall for the first time in weeks. He explained everything to the team ending, “So I need you to be at Cen Ops at 19:00 exactly, we’ll gear up from there and I’ll have your assignments. You’re my back up and eyes behind. I’m gonna be depending on you guys to be sure I’m not double crossed by that bastard Downs or anyone else.”

Ranma headed for Stevens office next. Steven was in a state between fury and panic.

“Ranma, I know you’re mad at me, but I need to know what you’re up to so I can. . . . “ Steven shut up at Ranmas cold glare. Ranmas beautiful blue eyes had no warmth in them, they were hard and cold as sapphires.

“Fuck off! I’m not telling you or anyone else anything till the last minute. You people have the bad habit of reporting stuff to the wrong people at the wrong time. I’ll get Leela and Danny back and retrieve your . . .” Ranma curled his lip. “objective for you. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a hidden agenda. If you do, you’d better tell me now so I can either reject it outright or plan for it.”

Steven gave up completely. Ranma didn’t trust him anymore and it was his fault. He was going to let him have his way, help him anyway he could and do his best to re-earn the trust he’d sacrificed in one stupid moment.

“Ranma, I can’t apologize anymore. I’ve said I’m sorry and I am. So go to Cen Ops, make your plans, I’ll call them and tell them you’re to have anything you want. Just, please don’t get yourself killed.”

Ranma looked at Stevens sorrowful face and almost gave in, but he was still mad, he was scared for his friends which made him angry at everything to do with this mess including, or especially, Steven.

~ * ~

“19:00 right on the dot.” Ranma looked around the table at his gathered friends. “I know you all want to know exactly what’s goin’ on. So here it is.”

Ranma outlined the whole mess for everyone, then he gave assignments. The six men of the secondary team were to split into three teams of two and guard the entrances to the hotel.

“Now for the hard part.” Ranma rubbed his forehead, he didn’t want to do this, it would hurt Ryouga.

“Umm? Ranma, I don’t think I ought to go with you. I might go berserk or get lost and you don’t need to have to worry about me while you’re trying to get those things from the witch. Take Kuno, he’s ok again. He won’t have an episode or anything.” Ryouga knew Ranma had been trying to tell him the same thing, in fact Sunny still had him slightly sedated to keep him from flying into a berserk rage. While it hurt that he couldn’t help, he decided long ago not to jeopardize a mission for the sake of his pride.

“Thanks, Ryu, that helps a lot. Kuno will wait on the roof by the skylight, I’ll hand the big important objectives up to him and he’ll get them to Steven. Kuno, take them to Steven and no one else. Swear on your sword! No matter what anyone, except me, says. Understand?” Ranma gave Kuno a hard look. They couldn’t afford any mistakes.

“Yes I swear! I understand completely. I’m to be the foil. Stay out of danger, take the spoils away. I’m not a child to be protected.” Kuno looked ready to start a fight with Ranma, his sour expression promised plenty of argument over his part in the mission.

“Not protected. We’re gonna roof hop to the skylight and you’re the only one, outside of Ryu, I trust to get there and back without falling. Don’t give me a hard time.” Ranma turned his back on Kuno, moving on without another thought.

After going over everyones assignments again, he dismissed everyone except his six secondary team members.

“Look, guys. I know you think your assignments are crap but they aren’t. The way I’ve got you deployed you can see every entrance to the hotel. The front and back doors and the loading docks, also the kitchen entrance and that small entrance to the bar. Don’t let anyone carrying a big container of any kind leave, also, anyone who looks like they are being carried or forced. Nothing goes out the loading dock either, got it? It’s a lot more important than it sounds. Be careful. No long guns, just pistols or knives. Get going.”

The sun set at 19:45, Ranma checked the placement of his secondary team. They didn’t bother with much in the way of disguises. They looked like almost what they were, solders hanging out, waiting for friends or hookers. They wouldn’t have any trouble if they didn’t start any.

Ranma returned to the van six blocks away. He changed into black BDUs; black shirt, black boots, and a grey and black vest. Kuno was already dressed the same way. They both carried weapons. Kuno had his sword and he and Ranma both carried at least a dozen throwing pins; Ranma also carried a 24 in manriki with 2 oz teardrop weights on each end, a garotte, and a chain dart with a blade-shaped end.

“Ready?” Ranma checked his gear one more time, he also checked Kuno.

“To combat may be glorious, and success perhaps may crown us; but to fly is safe. Cowper. Perhaps not quite to the point, but the look on your face is priceless. Let’s go.”

Ranma wanted to swat Kuno but he’d already jumped to the nearest roof and was headed for the hotel. Ranma followed him quickly. They got to the hotel and climbed the last few stories easily, using the grapnel that Kuno had carried.

Ranma dropped through the skylight silently. He’d disabled the security systems wondering what the big deal was. All he’d had to do was zap it with a little chi and the whole thing had failed quietly. As he handed the magical items up to Kuno he looked around, the room showed signs of a fight. Dents in the wall and some soiled patches on the carpet, as well as tiny bits of glass, made him sure that Leela and Danny had been here and put up quite a fight.

That worried him. What if one or both of them had been seriously hurt or even killed? The thought of either of them dead made him go cold.

“Ranma-kun, you coming? I’ve got the booty, let’s go.” Kuno had no idea exactly what Ranma had in mind, his briefing had been just that, brief. Everyone had been told what they were to do but now Ranma seemed to be changing the mission.

“I told you in briefing that I needed you to do exactly what I said, right? Now you prove you know how to obey a direct order. Take that stuff and give it to Steven. And only to him. Got it? Go!”

Ranma couldn’t see Kuno he was crouched beside the skylight but he could hear the rustle of his clothes as he nodded at least Ranma hoped he was nodding.

Kuno gathered up the items into a large bundle. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ranma was going to rescue Leela and Danny but how? He found out.

As Kuno headed across the roof to drop down to the next level, he heard one of the most horrible sounds he’d ever hoped not to hear. The security system went off with a blood curdling howl. He almost turned back but then he knew what Ranma was up to. He’d set the thing off himself. That was how he was going to find their friends. He was allowing himself to be caught.

“Damnit, Ranma I hope you know what the hell you’re doing. If you get yourself killed Steven will be heartbroken. And so will I. Hell, Sunny!” Kuno headed for the van six blocks away and hoped Sunny would let him talk before she ripped a strip off him.

~ * ~

At Steven’s motion, Kuno threw the bag of items at the man waiting for it. He saw Sunny and headed for her, only to be grabbed by the technician

“Do you know how valuable these thing are? If you broke one of them . . .”

Kuno jerked his arm away. “I only know that three people I love have risked their lives for a bunch of junk.”

“Where’s Ranma?” Sunny looked behind Kuno and Steven as if she expected him to be hiding there.

Kuno pinned Steven with a glacial stare. “Ranma allowed himself to be captured. I think he always intended it. If he’s lucky, they’ll take him to Leela and Danny. If not . . . “

One of the backup troopers shrugged, “Well, go after him!”

“I can’t.” Kuno snarled, ”He made me swear on my family sword that I wouldn’t. Damn him! When I get hold of him.”

“What? So you swore on a sword, so what?” The man looked peeved.

“You Americans swear on your mother’s life. Swearing on a family sword is like that only ten times more important. I swore on my life, my family honor, the lives of all my family. I can’t break that oath. I just can’t..” Kuno put his hands over his face, swearing softly. Sunny just poked him til he loosened up enough to get her arms around him.

“You know Ranma, he’s Neko-kun, he’ll land on his feet, he’s got nine lives.” Sunny started to cry softly.

They stood hugging each other worrying about Ranma, Leela and Danny. Steven put his arms around both of them.

~ * ~

The instant the alarm went off guards poured in from all over. Ranma put up a token fight. He wanted to get caught, so he didn’t do much more that slap a few of the men, then he let them take him. They punched him a few times and then tied him up with a piece of common curtain cord. It would have been enough to hold a big man but Ranma might as well have been tied up with sewing thread.

He endured the beating they gave him with Spartan like stoicism. {Damn, Akane hits harder that this.}

Ranma hit the floor with a grunt and rolled to absorb the force of the fall. He snapped the cords holding him and began to explore his prison. His hand met something soft. He felt along the body until he patted something soft and rounded. “Sorry Leela, didn’t mean to grope ya.” Ranma shook Leela slightly but she didn’t respond, only whimpering slightly.

Ranma dug the flashlight he carried out of the thigh pocket of his BDUs. He couldn’t believe those idiots hadn’t searched him. He still had everything he’d come in with. And an armed Ranma was even more dangerous that an unarmed one, if that was possible.

Snarling with fury Ranma realized that they had drugged Leela, she had a black eye and a split lip but other than that she didn’t seem to be hurt, only drugged to unconsciousness.

Ranma went to the door and listened carefully. After making sure the hall outside was unoccupied he gripped the doorknob firmly and twisted it until the cheep lock gave with a soft snap. Shifting Leela in his arms, he headed for the nearest exit.

Slipping out the side door next to the loading dock, he signaled for Pete and Doug. Hurrying up, they relieved him of his precious burden.

“Take her. They shot her up with something. Pete, you take her to the pick up. Doug, stay here and keep a sharp eye out. We got the target. Kuno took it away already. But I still have to find Danny.”

Pete just nodded and started off. Doug grabbed Ranmas arm and tried to lead him away.

“You’re out, come on.”

“No. I’m not leaving Danny behind. If it was you, would you leave him?”

Doug just shook his head “No, but I had to try. You be careful. If you get yourself killed, I’m . . .”

Yeah, I know. Beatin’ my butt.” Ranma couldn’t see him very well, the street light was behind him but the concern in his voice warmed Ranma. “I’ll be careful. Sunny’ll skin me alive if I’m not.”

Ranma went back into the hotel and slipped into the room he’d escaped from. He looped the broken cord around his wrists, making it look as if he was still bound.

When they came for him, Ranma pretended to be weak and half conscious. He made them carry him where they wanted him to be. As he was carried, Ranma took stock of his surroundings.

They took him to a sub-basement. It was open, obviously used for storage, more of a warehouse than anything.

Danny was tied to a pillar in a wash of light from an over head. He looked the worse for wear. They’d slapped him around and he was bent at the waist as far as his bonds would let him fall.

Ranma forced himself to remain limp, if he messed up now they might kill Danny before he could get to him and free him.

The man carrying him dumped him on the floor at Danny’s feet. Ranma looked up into his face. He was only half conscious, his eye lids fluttering slightly as he drifted. {Damn, how’m I gonna get him out? I can’t fight and carry him, he’ll get hurt}

Ranma struggled to his knees and leaned against Danny’s legs, acting like he was beaten down. When he touched Danny, he flinched slightly, so Ranma knew he was beginning to come to. Ranma looked behind the pillar and saw robed men standing around a design on the floor, they were droning out some obscure chant. There had to be at least fifty of them, in concentric rings around what he recognized as some magical symbol. {Crap, Fuckin’ magic. I hate magic!}

“Danny, if you can understand me, bump me.” Danny bumped Ranma with his knee. “Good. I need you to be able to get yourself out of here. I’m gonna open you a way, then I’m gonna see what’s up here. I’ll destroy whatever I can and get out myself. Ok?”

“I’m more conscious than I’ve been letting on. I can run, but they’re trying to open a gate. I can’t help with that. All I know is they drew a pentagram and they need two sacrifices, me and Leela. They took Leela away but I assume you’ve already gotten her or you wouldn’t be after me. You’ve got to destroy the pentagram and the two vases inside it or they’ll open a gate to some hell dimension.”

Danny didn’t raise his head or even let on he was anywhere near as alert as he was. His whisper barely reached Ranma from less that two feet away.

“Ok, I’ll break your bonds and you boogie. I can’t take care of you and try to destroy an empowered pentacle too. Do you know what I have to do to destroy it?” While he was talking Ranma finished taking stock of the situation. No one was paying much attention to them. They were all working on the pentacle.

“Yeah, just erase any line. At this stage of power, it’ll destroy itself. But be ready to run like hell. It’ll probably explode and take half the basement with it.”

While he was talking, Ranma broke the ropes around his ankles, then he slipped his hands from the loops of cord and jumped to his feet.

Snapping the ropes around Danny’s chest, he pulled out his knife and shoved the hilt into Danny’s hand, yelling “Run!”

Danny did exactly that, taking the knife he ran for the nearest exit, getting himself out of Ranma’s way. He knew he couldn’t help Ranma so he did the only helpful thing he could. He got away so Ranma wouldn’t be distracted from his objective by having to protect another.

Ranma headed for the pentacle, fighting his way through a crowd of men intent on stopping him from getting anywhere near it. He exhausted his stock of throwing pins almost immediately, using them on the men with guns. This took a lot of pressure off him. But there were still plenty of opponents intent on taking him down. He used the chain dart to open some space around him, cutting men until blood flew everywhere. But a chain dart is only good if you aren’t in too close combat. One of the robed figures let it wrap around his body and trapped it.

“Nice, think you’re so smart.” Ranma jerked hard on the chain, the man’s back broke with an audible crack and Ranma used him as a flail. Swinging the body around and knocking robed figures down in a circle around him until the chain broke.

Snapping the manriki out Ranma finally fought his way to the pentacle. It was glowing with a sour green light, like something that had been scraped off the wall of a cave. There was a small black dot between the vases. Ranma didn’t like the look of that in the least.

Robed men tackled him from every direction, burying him under a pile of bodies. With a kei like a lions roar Ranma straightened up and threw them in every direction, some of them hit the ceiling and others hit pillars. Bones cracked and skulls popped

“Aaagggghhhh! You’re not opening any gate while I’m alive to stop it!” Ranma threw the man he was still holding at the vases and immediately dug his fingers into the floor tearing up a chunk the size of a table. This broke the lines of the pentagram, when the vases broke too, it set off a reaction. The pentagram began to glow even more brightly and the light fluctuated wildly.

Ranma didn’t get out in time. The whole sub-level collapsed on him.

~ * ~

Steven swore frantically. “Son-of-a-bitch. Half the hotel sub-levels just collapsed. What the hell?”

Danny staggered out the back door of the hotel and straight into Rio’s arms. “What’s up kid? Where’s Ran-chan?”

Rio looked at the door hoping to see Ranma come out, but all that came out was a big cloud of dust.

“Oh, frag me! Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is.” Rio felt his stomach fall into his boots.

“Yeah, it’s exactly what you think it is. They were trying to open a gate. Ranma closed it.” Danny fell against Rio in exhaustion and started to cry. “I don’t think he made it out.”

Rio got Danny over his shoulder and headed for the pickup point, talking on his radio all the way. He filled Cen Ops in on what he knew and passed questions to Danny and answers back to them.

Downs showed up at just the wrong moment. “I have my objective and we’ll be going now. Just thank your lucky stars that witch didn’t know how to use most of them.”

“Yeah, well, we may have lost Ranma because your Intel stinks. That witch was opening a gate. Ranma closed it but the hotel fell on him. We’re getting ready to try to dig him out.” Steven turned his back on Downs before he did something stupid. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. If someone is stupid enought to make you mad enough to hit them, they’re too stupid to learn anything from it. Steven kept reminding himself of that fact but it wasn’t working very well. Everyone has their limits.

~ * ~

Ranma woke up under a pile of concrete slabs and structural steel. His head hurt and he was pinned. Other than that he was in good shape, a few scrapes and bruises.

“Itai! My head! Shimatta! What the hell happened? I feel like the hotel fell on me.” Ranma dug out his flashlight “Kusho! It did!”

Ranma pushed and shoved until he got himself out from under the pile. Then he climbed over more rubble until he reached an exit. It was blocked by large slabs of concrete and rebar, obviously the floor above and the side walls of the stair case.

“Well, nothin’ for it but to dig my way out. I’m not waitin’ for them to do it. They may not even try. If Downs had his way they’d just pour concrete in the hole and disavow the whole thing. I’m gonna get that fucker if it’s the last thing I do. He had to know what was goin’ on.”

Ranma started digging, it didn’t take him very long to hear digging from the other side. “Well, at least they haven’t stabbed me in the back, yet.”

Ranma rose out of the rubble like an avenging angel. His clothes were mostly torn off, he had part of his tee shirt, one sleeve torn completely off and just enough of the other to hold the body up, it looked more like a tank top with one strap than a shirt. One leg of his BDUs was torn off at the knee and the other at the upper thigh. He was cut and scrapped, dirty, sweaty and thoroughly pissed off. The muscles of his arm rippled as he clenched a fist and demanded, “Where’s that fucker Steven. It was a trap from the first. He and that asshole Downs let them walk right into it.”

Steven felt such relief that at first he didn’t understand what Ranma was saying. Then he just stood up like a man and took it. Ranma punched him right in the face as hard as he could. Steven flew backwards into the side of the building across the street and knocked the wall down.

Shaking the fuzz out of his head quickly, he pounced on Ranma just as he grabbed Downs. He couldn’t stop Ranma. A truly furious Ranma is like a force of nature. You’re better off getting out of the way and letting it go. But Steven couldn’t let Ranma hit Downs, he’d kill him and that was not good for anyone.

“No! Ranma, you’ll kill him.” Sunny grabbed Ranma’s arm and held on, Ranma turned his head so slowly that Sunny was afraid that he hadn’t recognized her.

“Sweetie, if you ever do something like that again, I’ll spank your bottom to a rosy glow. Get offa me and out of the way. I won’t kill him now. Don’t worry.”

Instead of punching Downs, Ranma slapped him. With Steven hanging onto his arm like grim death itself, Ranma swung his arm back and slapped him full across the mouth. Then he dropped him.

“Steven, get offa me. How many times am I gonna have t’ say that tonight?” Ranma was calm now. He’d worked off most of his anger and the rest was cooling rapidly.

Downs wiped the blood off his mouth and started in. “I’m going to have you up on charges. You can’t go around hitting me. I take my authority directly from the Emperor. That was high treason and less majest . . . ”

“Fuck you and the whore who gave birth to ya. Arrest me. I dare ya. We’ll see who’s who.”

Ranma narrowed his eyes, he was ready to be arrested, go to jail, whatever it took to get this whole mess into the light of day. Downs had used two teenagers to accomplish his ends, not caring in the slightest if they lost their lives in the process. Maybe even hoping that they would.

All hell broke loose for the second time that night. Downs called someone and they called Steven. Steven, holding an ice pack to his aching jaw, put his foot in it, “Well, he socked me. Downs didn’t give us all the information. I wouldn’t have let my operatives go in if I’d known how dangerous it was. No, I don’t care. You’re going to what? You can’t do that. I’m what? Ok fine. We’ll see.”

Steven smashed Downs’ phone onto the street and grabbed him by the jacket. “I’m gonna have you for breakfast. I’m not sure how you did whatever it is you did, but now that I don’t have anything to lose, you’re toast.”

Ranma tiredly pried Steven off Downs. “Stop that. You can’t do anything that way. I’ve got it under control.” Ranma smirked at Steven. “Leave them all to me. They are going down.” At Steven’s puzzled look Ranma reminded him of something he’d said. “If you’re innocent, or want something out in the open, rely on a military court. Right? Well, I’m relying on Department 13's court system and I hope you’re right. Or I’m gonna spend a considerable amount of my life running.”

The MP’s hauled out a set of transport chains and shackled Ranma. He just followed their orders. They weren’t rough with him. To them he just looked like a tired kid, probably some hot shot’s juvenile delinquent son, who’d pushed the envelope one step too far and was in for a scared straight lesson.

“Come on, little man, let’s get this over with. What the hell did you blow up?” The MP hated this kind of thing and wasn’t about to try to scare this kid.

“Huh? Oh. The hotel.” Ranma was dropping off the adrenaline high and falling asleep, even his powerful physique ambushed by long hours, worry, exhaustion from digging himself out and adrenaline crash. “Can we go? I’d like a nice quiet cell somewhere.”

“Oh God! I hope that little snot knows what the hell he’s doing. I got relieved of my command, so I can’t help him any.” Steven just put his face in Sunnys hair and broke down.

Everyone gathered around Steven and Sunny. The whole group that was still there, Leela and Danny had been taken to the hospital where Ryouga was waiting for them. But everyone else was there, the whole Conroy-gumi and Kuno and Shuba; asking questions and staring after Ranma, walking away in handcuffs and leg irons, the drop and belly chains glittering in the street lights.

~ * ~

Ranma sat at the table in the interrogation room, his hopes of a bed anytime soon had been dashed the minute he’d gotten in the door and heard the word debriefing. Now he was still wanting a bed but they kept asking him the same questions over and over.

“Quit asking me the same fuckin’ worn out questions over and over. You took notes, I saw you. Read them. No matter how many times you ask a question, you won’t get a different answer. I don’t need to lie.”

Ranma rubbed his eyes wearily being careful not to break the chain on the handcuffs he wore. “Can I get some coffee?”

“If you answer a few more questions, we’ll get you anything you want.” The prosecutor offered Ranma the bribe, sure that Ranma would fall for it.

“Shimatta! Jerk. I’m sixteen, not six. Fuck with someone else wouldja’ When you’re through bein’ stupid, come back.” Ranma put his head between his out stretched arms and yawned.

“Sorry kid. You can’t sleep yet. I’ve looked at your file, it says right here you’re twenty-six. So don’t jerk me around.” Ranma looked younger than twenty-six but the prosecutor had experience with men who looked much younger than they were. So he went by the file, not what Ranma said. He didn’t look like the kind who would attack a superior officer but you never knew.

Five hours later Ranma was still saying the same thing, “I already answered that. Read your fuckin notes, damnit. You can’t trip me up, so don’t try.” Finally he asked the question that the prosecutor didn’t want to hear. “OK, I’ve had it up to here, can I talk to a JAG officer?”

The prosecutor tried one more time. “That’s American. Judge Advocate General’s office. We don’t have any.”

“Yeah? Well, I may not know what to call it but you know exactly what I mean and I want representation. Now! Don’t jerk me around any more. I’ve been up for over 36 hours now and eight of them right here in this chair. I want the john, and I want to go to sleep. If you don’t let me, I’m going to consider myself under undue influence and take steps.”

Undue influence was the same thing as saying he was going to press abuse charges. The prosecutor backed off.

“OK. Look, my name is Wheedon. I’m just trying to do my job. I have to know everything and . . .”

“Piss off. You just want me to admit to everything so you can sweep the whole mess under a rug, get Downs off with nothing and put my ass in a sling because I wouldn’t lay down and be his butt monkey. He sent my friends into a trap and woulda’ gotten them sacrificed for real. Those robed wonders weren’t playin’ patty cake. You do what you have ta’ and so will I, but if you think I’m stayin awake much longer, you got another think comin’” Ranma put his head back down on the table and went to sleep.

~ * ~

Steven had gotten into his office and was making calls all over, pulling in favors right and left. The only thing he could do was to force the trial he knew was coming up. If he could make it happen fast enough, Downs wouldn’t have time to get to any of the witnesses and pressure them. Of course, most of the witnesses were Department 13 and on Ranma’s side anyway.

The evidence that Steven had managed to get his hands on pointed to exactly what Ranma had said. Downs didn’t care about Leela and Danny, he wanted the items recovered, the witch’s operations shut down and everything gone. Swept under the rug, out of public radar, whatever the newest catch phrase was for make it go away.

This time, it wasn’t going to happen. Steven had made a huge mistake trusting Downs and another by trying to keep Ranma out of the loop. So now he was on suspension and calling in favors he’d never intended to. But he was going to help Ranma with whatever he was up to any way he could. He just hoped it was enough.

"Look General Chesterton. I don’t know exactly what’s going on but I know that prick Downs is up to something dirty. We can’t afford to loose Ranma and we’re so close it’s not funny. He’s the most powerful martial artist in the world. He slaps me around like a three-year-old. If he runs, we’ll never catch him and I don’t like the thought of him going bad. I don’t think he will but if you push him too hard the chance is there. He’s only sixteen, for God’s sake. Yeah, sixteen, and he’s been through hell.“ Steven listened for a while then went on, ”Ok, all I want is for you to assemble the fairest board you can and do it soon as you can. Ranma has been in their hands for eight hours now and he hasn’t been let out of the interrogation room even for a john break. If he cracks it won’t be pretty and it’ll be plenty violent. Let’s avoid that, I’d like to keep the compound in one piece. They don’t call him the Wild Horse of Nerima for nothing. He tore a Momma Imp to pieces with his bare hands. I don’t know how those idiots are keeping him chained.”

Finally Steven hung up and stretched, the trial was tomorrow at 9:am. He put his head down on the desk and pounded it on the top until it cracked.