Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spiderman used without permission
===================================
Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Issue Six: Spider Seekers
===================================
They flew through the narrow spaces between the shadowed buildings,
unnoticed by the populous of Tokyo. The four basketball-sized machines moved
as one in a precise diamond formation, a single thruster propeling each
small drone. The dome-shaped front held a single red lens, arcing smoothly
into four gently curving protrusions that terminated just short of the
thruster. They sailed down one of the thoroughfares of Tokyo before the
leader arced sharply to the left, the last three following suit.
Gosunkugi crouched on the side of one of Tokyo's many skyscrapers,
allowing the breeze to wash over him. There was a slight chill in the air as
October got underway. Fall was here, and Winter wouldn't be far behind.
He looked down at the moving parade of lights on the pavement
several stories below him, allowing his mind to roam. Unfortunately, it
seemed stuck on Nabiki Tendo and the shadowy figure who seemed intent on
having him dead.
Had he confirmed that there was a link between himself and
Spiderman? If so, Nabiki would definitely not let it drop. In many ways she
was like a bloodhound, following a scent anywhere. Once she sunk her teeth
in, however, she became a wolverine. She would not let go. Who knew what
sort of crap she would pull if she ever found out that HE was Spiderman? He
was sure Nabiki would love to have her very own personal super-hero at her
beck and call.
Super-hero, he thought, chuckling inwardly. When did he begin to
think of himself as any kind of hero? When he had humiliated Keiichi and his
gang, he didn't do it for anyone else. He did it for himself, saving Sayuri
was only a welcome bonus.
But he also rescued Nabiki, when by all rights she should have been
left to fry. Not only had he possibly established a connection between
himself and Spiderman to any and all interested parties, putting his life on
the line in the process, but he had also concerned for her safety. Maybe he
was some sort of hero after all.
Gosunkugi's next thought was cut short when his spider sense
suddenly flared to life. He quickly looked around, wondering just what was
after him now, and near the top of a building.
Huh? Above to his left, a basketball-sized machine hovered in place,
a red lens extending out of the front. It appeared to be watcing him. Why do
I not like this?
As if in answer, the flying object rocketed right at him. Gosunkugi
uncoiled the muscles in his legs, somersaulting directly up the side of the
skyscraper as easily as any gymnast would across a horizontal floor.
==============================
"Breathtaking," she said as she watched Spiderman perform feats of
agility that she once thought impossible. "Absolutely breathtaking." Her
coal black hair fell down to her shoulders in a ponytail, a white lab coat
hiding her physique. Large brown-rimmed glasses rested on her nose in stark
contrast to her porcelian skin.
"Yes," Wu Long said from beside her with barely concealed anger,
"yes it is."
"His speed, his agility," she said, "I wonder how he does it?"
"That is not important," Long growled, "Just hope your
spider-seekers can do what you promised."
"They will," she said, casting a glance at the wheelchair-bound girl
on her other side. "They will."
===============================
"What's WITH these things?!" They flying drones seemed hell bent on
slamming into him as Gosunkugi dodged along the vertical stone-and-glass
surface of the wall. He leapt to the left as a drone arced up to him,
narrowly avoiding the kamikaze run. The machines swarmed around him,
preventing him from swinging off the building. Left with no other options,
he continued his somersaults upward to the roof.
Moments later, Gosunkugi stood on the wide rooftop. A short metal
scaffold which supported a satellite dish stood just off to his right with
several squat metal structures scattered about.
The metal drones rose above the lip of the roof, holding position
and seeming to stare at him. Without warning, the lead drone charged.
It sailed beneath him as Gosunkugi leapt up. It slammed into one of
the squat metal structures, exploding with concussive force. Gosunkugi was
thrown forward by the blast, landing on his stomach.
Flying smart bombs? he thought in surprise as he regained his feet.
Spider sense blaring, he ducked aside just as another drone whizzed past.
Whirling about, Gosunkugi fired a web that connected with the rear of the
drone. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Gosunkugi reached behind him
and pulled out his camera. After a couple of quick snaps, he replaced the
camera. He then anchored the web to the short scaffold, the flying robot's
course altering drastically as it circled twice before colliding and detonating.
Gosunkugi had leapt off the roof before the second drone exploded,
the shriek of tearing metal piercing his ears as the scaffolding was
shredded by the force of the blast. The remaining two drones followed him,
one breaking formation while the remianing one followed him.
Okay, one behind me, he thought as his spider sense kept tingling.
He swung as quickly as he could on his webs, knowing that he probably
wouldn't be able to out-distance his mechanical pursuer.
Without warning, the other drone appeared before him. Recognizing
the squeeze play, an idea came to him. He would have to time it exactly, but
it was his only real chance.
Gosunkugi kept swinging forward, waiting for just the right moment.
After what seemed like hours, he released his webline. Gosunkugi plummetted
to the earth, hearing the two drones colliding and exploding in mid-air.
Feeling the wind rip at his costume as he plunged freely to the
earth was an exhilarating experience. Allowing himself to come within nearly
fifty feet of the pavement before firing another web onto the side of a
building, he swung just a few scant feet above the people's heads, causing
many of them to look up with varying reactions. Some pointed and gasped
while others gave out little screams of fear and surprise. Gosunkugi loved
every bit of it.
========================================
"They have failed, Doctor Ping," Wu Long said in an icy tone as he
glared at the woman beside him. The monitor showed only static, the four
spider seekers no longer able to send images.
"On the contrary, Mr. Long," she said as she stepped behind her
wheelchair-bound daughter, "they have succeeded."
"Would you mind explaining that to the rest of the class?" Long
asked, his tone still cold.
"Destroying Spiderman wasn't the intent of the spider seekers," Ping
said with a hint of impatience. "Their purpose was to prove that my tracking
computers are capable of finding Spiderman, and they did."
"Then whose job is it to get rid of him?" Long asked, his irritation
leaking into his voice.
"The Black Widow's," Ping replied as she reached over her daughter
and pressed a few buttons on the large computer panel.
A large door retreated into the ceiling on the far wall. Light and a
cacophony of noise spilled into the once quiet room as the door rose, the
three approaching the opening.
"What the...?" Wu Long stared at the mass of black metal that was
surrounded with scaffolding that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
Large areas of the obviously incomplete structure were exposed, revealing
countless wires, circuits, and cables. Men and service droids were dotted
along the scaffold and structure, sparks flying from where their welding
torces touched the hulking monstrosity.
"It should be completed within the month," Ping said, "then
Spiderman will be yours."
"He had better," Long said, having finally overcome his surprise.
Without so much as a word in farewell, he turned and left the laboratory.
"I despise that man," Ping snarled after making sure he was out of
earshot.
"Then why do you work for him, mother?" her daughter asked. Her
black hair was cut in a stylish bob, with skin similar to her mother's. Her
face was shaped much the same as well, high cheekbones and almond shaped
brown eyes.
"Because it's my fault that you're stuck in that wheelchair, Fei,"
Ping replied, her voice heavy and eyes downcast. "I'll do anything to make
it up to you."
She pushed her daughter back over to the large panel, closing the
door and sealing off the noise again. Activating the panel once again, she
called up the image of a strange machine. It was a large device, looking
almost like a futuristic tommygun. A large flat cylinder rested on the rear
left side of the gun-like image with several callouts indicating certain
technical aspects of the whole.
"This device will restore you," Ping said determinedly. "It can
repair the damage done to your spine in the explosion."
"Is that why you're doing all this?" Fei asked in awe. Biotechnology
was highly illegal, despite rumors that the Chinese government was
developing exactly that. Would her mother really go so far?
"Mr. Long is the only man with the necessary funds and equipment to
develop it who would hire me," Ping said. "I would do anything to help you,
even kill this Spiderman if I have to."
===================================
Nabiki sat at the low table, a bowl of Miso soup in her hand. She
ate steadily, unlike Ranma and Genma, who fought a raging war over one of
Kasumi's famous rice balls. Soun sat at the head of the table, face buried
in his newspaper while Akane and Kasumi ate.
A picture of a burning warehouse adorned the front page of Soun's
newspaper, with the headline declaring Spiderman an arsonist. While Nabiki
knew differently, she saw no reason to debunk the article. After all, nobody
even knew she had been kidnapped and taken to that very warehouse and had
been saved by Spiderman. She didn't want anyone to know she had been involved.
She had also taken a peek at the paper earlier, using the excuse of
searching for the stock quotes, to see if any other pictures had been
printed. There were some of Doctor Octopus and Spiderman, but none where she
made an appearance. She had been greatly relieved at that. Having pictures
of her bound and gagged in a warehouse printed all over Japan was not
something she found very appealing. The damage to her reputation would be
irreversible.
The television droned on and on in the corner of the room, the
morning news anchors smiling their false smiles and assuring the people that
this was what they needed to know. Nabiki paid it no mind, while Kasumi
watched intently.
"Oh my," she said, "it's that Spiderman!" They all turned and looked
at the screen, watching the image of Spiderman swinging off the burning roof.
"Wonder who he's got on his shoulder?" Ranma asked through a
mouthful of rice.
"Looks familiar," Akane said. Nabiki tried her best to remain calm.
At least none of them recognized her on TV, that was a definite plus. So
long as nobody else did, she would be fine.
The segment was mercifuly short, without any of the assembled Tendos
and Saotomes realizing that the person over Spiderman's shoulder sat in the
very room with them.
=====================================
"I don't believe this," Gosunkugi growled as he read the headline.
"I fight some six-armed freak, save Nabiki's life, and I'm being called an
arsonist!"
The headline cranked his anger up at least seval notches. How could
they have accused him of setting fire to that warehouse? Did they have some
sort of problem?
Gosunkugi managed to push it out of his mind after a considerable
effort. He had gotten a good sum of cash for the pictures, and the opinion
of one newspaper owner/editor didn't concern him all that much. Besides, his
shadow had disappeared, and he could web-sling once again without fear of
discovery.
His mind returned to the strange flying robots that had menaced him
the night before. Where had they come from? Who sent them? Why? Whatever the
answers to those questions, Gosunkugi knew he would find out soon enough,
and that he really wouldn't like them.
For the time being, however, he would just concentrate on his
schoolwork. That would take his mind off of whoever was behind the flying
smart bombs. Tossing the paper into the nearest trash bin, Gosunkugi
continued his walk to school. He would ponder all this later.
=======================================
The door to the Ucchan slid open, Ukyo rising quickly from her seat.
It was still a tad early for Ranma to come in, but she still didn't want a
customer to see her sitting on her duff. Her greeting died on her lips as
she saw just who had come in to her restaurant.
----------------------------------------------------
Hikaru Gosunkugi was in deep thought as he walked the street, but
for once his mind didn't dwell on his dual life as Spiderman. He was
thinking of how to attempt asking Akane out once again. She knew his name, a
fact that almost made his heart skip a few beats, and she didn't seem
revolted by him. All Gosunkugi really had to do was get her to realize that
he was the man for her, not that overblown super-jock Ranma.
Not long ago, he would have turned to his magic. He would have spent
hours searching for a spell to make her love him, or to get Ranma out of the
way. Then he would have attempted the spell, and it would have failed
miserably. Finally, Gosunkugi would admit defeat and call it a night, lost
in a sea of despair.
Gosunkugi had since packed up his voodoo texts and magical supplies.
He didn't need them anymore, and they never did him any good anyway. Voodoo
was for the birds.
He hardly ever walked through the restaurant district, never having
the time or money to spend there. That day, on the other hand, he had both
and felt like seeing just what the place had to offer. Gosunkugi spotted the
Ucchan on the corner, and decided that some okonomiyaki would really hit the
spot.
Ukyo picked up her pad and walked over to where the other customer sat
patiently waiting. Pasting what she hoped to be a convincing smile on her
face, she asked what he would like.
"I don't know," he said, looking up at her with his owl-like eyes.
"What's good?"
"Everything, sugar," Ukyo replied with genuine pride. Her spirits
were beginning to lift already. He looked oddly familiar, though. Where had
she seen him? "Hey, hon," she said, "you look kinda familiar. Have I seen
you around before?"
"Uh, yeah, actually," he said, a hint of bashfulness showing, "I'm
in your class. Name's Hikaru Gosunkugi."
"Oh, that's right!" Ukyo exclaimed, genuinely embarrased not to
remember a fellow student who came in to eat. "Sorry I didn't recognize ya."
She was beginning to recall him, and noticed something a little odd. The
rings around his eyes were beginning to fade, and he looked like he picked
up a little weight.
"It's okay," Gosunkugi said, sounding a little glum, "I'm used to
not being memorable."
"Don't sound so down, Hikaru-honey," Ukyo said, her cheer beginning
to return, "What can I get ya?"
"Okay, then!" he exclaimed with anticipation. "I'm hungry. What do
you recommend?"
"Ya like beef, Hikaru-honey?" Okonomiyaki seemed to be her passion,
aside from Ranma.
"Sure!" he replied, his stomach rumbling.
"One beef special, comin' up!" With that, Ukyo walked back behind
the griddle, a noticable spring in her step.
So this is one of Ranma's *other* fiancees, Gosunkugi thought with a trace
of malice. That Ranma would string along so many girls galled him to no end.
But he had to admit, Ukyo Kuonji WAS a nice person. Pretty cute, too. It was
a shame that she devoted so much energy to chasing Saotome...
===============================
Kazuya Sakamoto was a careful and methodical man, never leaping
before he looked. Such caution had usually rewarded him, bringing him up to
his current position as leader of the Kabudosai, Nerima chapter of the
Yakuza. It wasn't overly much, with Nerima being a just another small burg
on the outskirts of Tokyo, but it was a start.
The call had come just minutes earlier. The voice of his Oyabun had
told him more than the actual words. He had been given one final chance to
bring in the other case.
Not that he actually knew what was in them. The Oyabun had not seen
fit to tell him, if he even knew himself. Kazuya's place was not to question
his orders, just to carry them out without delay or fail.
The problem rested in reclaiming that other briefcase. Leung may
have been Chinese, but he was also extraordinarily powerful and cunning. He
had risen far in the Triad over the years by methods Kazuya himself had
employed, among others he had not.
Then there was the mysterious Spiderman. That costumed clown had
made mincemeat out of both Leung's men and his own, stealing one of the
cases. Could he have been one of Leung's assets? No, if that were true, then
Leung would not have had to liberate the other from those stooges in the
Koban. Who was he? Who did he work for?
Kazuya pushed those thoughts aside. Spiderman was not his problem.
He would deal with that wall-crawling menace later. It would be tricky, but
it also had to be quick. The Oyabun was not a patient man.
=========================================
Sanpei Shirato? Nabiki thought as she read the by-line beneath the
photo of Spiderman adorning the Herald's front page. All these weeks, and he
was still popular news, that was a surprise.
Gosunkugi was being surprisingly clever, Nabiki had to admit, but
not clever enough. Sending in pictures under a false name and to different
newspapers was a decent ploy, but it still wouldn't throw her off.
Then there was the matter of the people who seemed to be after the
Spiderman. First, they kidnapped her for sending in those pictures she had
"borrowed" from Gosunkugi, then Spiderman shows up to save the day. If they
were Yakuza, or whatever else, why hadn't they killed her on the spot?
The answer to that seemed simple enough, use her as bait for the
Spiderman. He was their real target, obviously. But how did they contact
him? Why would he even bother to come? The answer to the first question came
as one word, "Gosunkugi". A theory was beginning to form in Nabiki's racing
mind as she attempted to place all the seemingly disjointed facts together.
First, Hikaru Gosunkugi starts taking snaps of this mysterious
Spiderman swinging through the city. Not just fuzzy shots from a distance,
but very good ones. Nabiki could see getting that lucky once, but more than
that? Not bloody likely.
Second, she spooks him into dropping a roll of film containing some
excellent shots of Spiderman giving some guys in black suits the business.
How recent they were wasn't important, just the fact that he had gotten them
unscathed something she wasn't willing to chalk up to dumb luck. He'd had
too much of that lately.
She develops the film and publishes the snaps under her own name in
an attempt to ratlle his cage a little. Instead, she ends up getting
kidnapped by people who didn't like the photos very much.
Third, Spiderman shows up and pulls of a rescue despite the efforts
of that Doctor Octopus guy. Afterward, he tells her to back off and disappears.
It all boiled down to one possible conclusion; that Gosunkugi and
Spiderman were somehow connected. How? There was only one feasible answer.
A business relationship, she thought, that's got to be it. If there
was one thing Nabiki Tendo knew inside and out, it was business. Having sold
a few photographs to some news agencies, she knew how the rates went. The
better the shot, the better the payoff. And front page stuff was practically
gold.
Spiderman does the work, Gosunkugi gets the snaps, the pictures get
published, she thought as she walked towards the dojo. But what do they get?
Gosunkugi gets some quick cash and a reputation as a very good photographer.
Spiderman gets to see himself on the front page in the morning, and most
likely a cut of the money.
There were still many unanswered questions, however, like how did
the two meet? How did they know each other? And just how had he known to
send Spiderman to the... She stopped short as a terrifying thought siezed her.
The Yakuza isn't stupid, she thought as the reality of the situation
began to sink in, they're probably thinking the same things I am! It finally
occurred to Nabiki that she was playing a dangerous game against skilled and
ruthless players. If she lost... she didn't want to think about that. Was it
too late to back out?
Nabiki knew that it was indeed too late to leave the table. Once she
had published those pictures, she had thrown her hand into the ring. They
had used her for bait once, and they probably would again. In the end,
however, they would want her to disappear permanently.
There really wasn't any choice. She would watch Gosunkugi like a
hawk, and she would find out just what the deal was. Like it or not, her
life may very well depend on him, and Spiderman.
===============================