"So, Washu-chan," Tenchi began. "How is your work coming along?"
Washu was quiet for a moment. "It's not good. Someone's preventing me from
following the waves back to the origin."
"Wait a sec," Ranma broke in. "Whaddaya mean someONE?"
The redheaded genius waved everyone to look at the display on her ethereal
monitor. A picture of a man was sitting behind a desk, his hands clasped
together and his index fingers steepling up to his forehead. He wore a dark
pair of shades that seemed to glint light at certain angles. He was clean
shaven, but had an air about him, one that spoke "bastard" through and
through. Softly, he spoke, but his words carried force with every syllable.
"Hello. I bet you are all wondering why I am jamming all of your attempts at
getting home."
Tenchi unconsciously slipped the tenchi-ken into hand. Ranma and Yasuko fell
into a defensive stance. Mihoshi slipped a GP issued yo-yo into hand, as she
left her blaster on the Yagami. Celine readied one of the numerous Heraldic
spells at her disposal.
"Relax, you all. I'm the one who summoned you all here."
Washu blinked in disbelief. "You are the Rainman?"
The being on the other side of the monitor sat quietly, letting the silence
hammer away at the anxious members. "No, I am his muse..."
"Whaddaya want from us, huh?"
"Oh, Ranma, so eloquent with words, ne? What I 'want' is for you all to
continue reviewing fanfics."
"What?" they said in unison.
"You heard me. Continue reviewing fanfics."
"Um," Mihoshi asked. "When can we go home?"
The muse regarded Mihoshi, then turned to Washu. "How did she get here?"
"Idiot-savant..."
"Oh, that explains everything...I think..."
"So, Muse-san, can we go home now? I don't want to miss out on 'Moldiver"
this afternoon."
The muse's face remained impassive as always, but the air changed from
"bastard" to "I don't believe she's that dumb." "When I feel your services
are rendered well enough, you may go. Until then, this is your home."
"What?!" they all shouted.
"Don't worry, you will be well taken care of." Then the monitor went pitch
black.
Tenchi groaned. "Great. Ryouko and Ayeka are going to go nuts trying to
find me."
"Think that's bad? Try two fiancees, a crazy amazon, and another psycho
chick when you don't show up for dinner."
"You know, this isn't the time for worrying about whose problems are
greater," Celine spoke from behind Ranma and Yasuko. Then she leaned over to
the pigtailed martial artist. "Is that true?"
He whispered back, "I wish it wasn't."
"So, what do we do now?" Yasuko asked Washu.
"Well, the muse said we would be taken care of, so I took the libery of
examining where we are. It seems that there are living arrangements and a
food supply just below our feet, plus--"
Mihoshi began to wail from a window. "Washu...."
"What is it Mihoshi?"
"I don't think we're on earth anymore...."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look out the window...."
Tenchi walked over to where Mihoshi was shivering trying to keep herself from
breaking out into a panic. "Mihoshi, what..." Tenchi's words trailed off as
he. too, was entranced with the view outside.
"Um, darlings, what is the matter?"
"We're floating in outer space..."
"What?!" Washu furiously typed away on her keyboard. Seconds passed before
the little girl stopped.
"Washu-chan..." Yasuko began.
"We're no longer on any earth."
"What?" Ranma chimed in.
Washu turned to look at everyone in the vincity. "We're trapped within a
dimensional pocket..."
To be continued?
Definitely the muse's fault. It spoke, and I had to obey....
Fanfics of mine can be found at:
http://lwf58.tripod.com/fan_fiction/raemowse/index.html