*DISCLAIMER*
Warning: Java compilation error. Insufficient coffee. Due to this, none of the characters, situations and sites belong to the authors of this story. They are currently just used to explore the effects of sleep deprivation.
"Skiing. Ice cream shops. Karaoke. Walks to school. It’s almost a normal life. Even barring the wierdness, it’s hard to remember where real life ended and this dream life began. And now, we’re going on vacation. If it’s a dream, do I really want to wake up? And if it’s reality, was my former life a dream?
"If I wasn’t so miserable, I’d almost be happy."
The still waters reflected the images of the trees, hills and cottages around the lake. The image distorted slowly, the water beginning to swirl. Moonlight broke through the clouds, shining down as if in response to the massive sword tip that broke the water. Slowly, the sword rose, as though drawn from the lake, until its entire length, supported by a mailled fist, was extended towards the moon. The air around it throbbed with power, extending to the shores, and even beyond...
* * * * *
"Holy crap!"
The Dark World technician stared at the instruments before him, then turned to the officer on duty. "Sir, I just measured an enormous power spike within the Tapestry. Something unprecedented in scale."
"What?" The officer ran over, and leaned over the instruments. "Where is it?"
"Somewhere near Kansai, in Japan."
"Hmmm..." The officer leaned back. "Factor twelve. That’s enough to blow the entire Tapestry to so many random threads. We’ll have to control this power...or destroy it."
"Should we report this to one of the Generals, sir?"
"Are you kidding?"
* * * * *
"How much money do you have left?"
Ruri dug into her purse, and pulled out a handful of coins. "Not a lot...we spent a lot at that ski place." She sighed. "We haven’t recovered from the last vacation we took, and here we are off on another."
"So let met guess. Not enough money to buy me some decent cat food?"
She glanced at the cat. "No, Omoikane. You’ll have to eat dry food until we get back. And don’t eat it all in the first day."
Omoikane looked shocked. "Would I do that? It’d make me get real fat!"
"’Get’?"
Ruri hopped up, jumped over the still-sleeping form of Yurika, and opened the closet door. "I’ve got everything else already packed." She smiled slightly; with extreme effort, she’d managed to force herself back to some semblence of her usual efficient self.
Though it was very difficult, any more, to remember which self was ’usual’.
Omoikane stood up and stretched. "It’s obvious that you neither need nor appreciate me. I’m going for a walk." He hopped over to the window, then down and out of view.
Ruri snickered, then gave Yurika a nudge with her foot. This produced no result, so she tried again, with a swift kick.
"Ow!"
"Get up."
Yurika sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Why so early?"
"Early? I already have all my bags packed. The minivan’s loaded, and we’re getting underway in twenty minutes. Your stuff arrived packed, and already loaded. You’ve got time to brush your teeth and put away breakfast before we go."
Yurika continued rubbing her eyes. "So what time is it?"
"Four thirty in the morning. We’re gonna beat traffic."
* * * * *
"Are we there yet?"
* * * * *
The walls were hung with red tapestries, each bearing a silhouette of an insect. Before him was a massive marble scarab, carved to accomodate a person, as a throne. On either side of the throne was a brazier, and in front of it, a low-set crystal ball.
"Are you sure this is wise, sir?" Mie knelt before the throne, keeping her eyes on the floor.
Akara frowned. "Do not question me. This will be a perfect test for our new servant."
"But from what the readings suggest, the amount of power involved in this...whatever it is...could alter the entire outcome of the war. And not neccessarily in our favour."
"Exactly." Akara smiled. "That is why I do not wish this..." He considered his words. "Done improperly."
Mie scowled, but wisely held her tongue. "I shall dispatch Tuxedo Ken to examine the anomaly, my Lord."
* * * * *
"Are we there yet?"
"Shut up, Yurika."
* * * * *
The lake waters were rather choppy this morning, a brisk wind stirring them and causing them to dance. The sunlight reflecting from the wavetops danced along the hills and trees. There was a flash of golden light, and Tuxedo Ken, warrior of the Dark World, appeared on one of the hilltops.
The Dark World’s equipment department was quite good, and included technology much better than commonly available to consumers. The small handscanner he pulled out of a pocket was an example of such. The size of a bar of soap, it was remarkably powerful and versatile, and tied directly into his visor.
At the moment, however, it detected nothing unusual. The device he pulled out next resembled a small walkie-talkie, but was modified for the needs of Dark World Generals.
"This is Tuxedo Ken. I’m at the site, but I’m not detecting the power surge. I’ve got *some* power readings, but they’re diffuse. Either it’s shut down, or it’s jammed somehow."
The radio crackled. "Remain on site, and monitor the situation."
* * * * *
"Are we there yet?"
"If you ask that one more time, you can walk the rest of the way!"
* * * * *
The room was dark, the walls lined with shelves of books. Against one wall was a massive oaken desk with a single lantern casting feeble illumination.
Mie slammed the book shut, and leaned back in her seat. "Reading is so dull...how do humans manage it for so long? And these books..." She waved a hand at the one before her. "No global search function!"
"Ma’am?"
She whirled. "What?"
"The agent is on site, and has made his first report."
"And?"
"And he has nothing to report." He glanced over the books. "What are you looking for, my Lady?"
"Those energy spikes looked familiar...I was trying to find a reference to them in these books."
* * * * *
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes, we are, and thank all that is holy!"
The minivan pulled up next to the cottage, and immediately began disgorging teenagers. Ruri in particular needed to stretch, maybe run about a bit. It puzzled her; she’d pulled twelve-hour shifts on the bridge of the Nadesico. Why should six hours in a minivan be any worse?
Usagi popped the rear cargo hatch of the van. "Lend a hand here. As soon as we’re unloaded, I can start lunch."
"I’ll help!"
"No, Yurika." Ruri shook her head. "There are eggs in there. You’re not helping."
"And neither are you." Ai snickered. "Both of you are total klutzes. Megumi-chan, grab a box."
"Sure thing...Hey!" Megumi turned around, Omoikane in her arms. "A stowaway."
"Great. I thought you were going to lock him up, Ruri."
"I was, Mom. But we were so rushed during the packing...I’ll take him inside."
She grabbed the cat from Megumi, and carried him into the cottage. She checked to make sure they were alone, then hissed, "What the heck are you doing here?"
"Hey, it wasn’t my idea! I jumped down onto a box in the top rack of the minivan. Next thing I knew, someone locked me in. Even if I had opposable thumbs, I don’t know how to pick locks, you know."
She sighed. "Well, you’re here now. Think you can stay out of trouble?"
"Of course I can!"
A cry was raised from outside. "Ruri! That darn cat of yours ate those steaks I got for lunch!"
"...Starting right now."
* * * * *
He’d decided that it was a good idea to scout the immediate vicinity of the lake. He’d spotted several cottages, and he wanted to ensure that no innocents were injured in the process of his mission. Accordingly, he’d started walking from his beam-down point along the edge of the lake. The first three cottages he’d seen were uinhabited, but this one...
A red minivan - an unusual vehicle in Japan, but this one’s registration was from Nerima - was parked outside the cottage. Three teenage girls, and their parents or whatever, were unloading the van. He frowned. If something happened, he’d have to try to keep any danger away from this side of the lake.
Then the worst possible thing happened. One of the three teenage girls, the one with really long hair, spotted him.
"Akito!"
And recognized him. Not good. He ducked back under cover, and activated his transport signal, vanishing in a flash of golden light.
* * * * *
"I saw him! Right up there! I’m telling you, it was Akito, and he was wearing those biker leathers and a wierd visor."
Megumi shook her head. "It can’t be, Yurika. You told me he was on the Tokyo Tower when it blew up."
Yurika cursed mentally; of course she had, and Megumi probably hadn’t recognized Akito the previous day, at the ski resort.
Ai nodded. "You’re probably right. We’re nowhere near Tokyo anyway. But let’s go check him out anyway. He might be cute."
The other two girls stared at Ai, one in surprise, the other with jealousy.
"What?"
Megumi grinned. "Just never heard you say anything like that before."
Yurika ground her teeth.
"Hey, guys. What’s up?" Ruri emerged from the house, changed into shorts and a brown T-shirt.
Megumi sighed. "Yurika thought she saw someone she recognized, but it can’t possibly be--"
"Akito! C’mon, we have to go see if it was him!" Ruri took off towards the woods like a shot.
"Oh, no you don’t! He’s mine!" And Yurika was hot on her heels.
Megumi threw her hands up in disgust. "Fine. Let’s go chase the goddamn ghost!"
* * * * *
Omoikane slipped out of the cottage. He had decided that it was an unhealthy place to be, after the mysterious disappearance of the steaks. For some reason, they had blamed him! As if he could consume three pounds of steak himself.
He had merely hidden the steaks he’d been unable to eat in one sitting.
Perhaps a crayfish would make a good snack; he’d heard that they were tasty, but had never had one. He padded down to the lakeside, and stuck a paw in the water.
And shivered.
Well, to be more precise: Every strand of fur he had stuck straight out, starting at the paw and ending at his tail. His whiskers splayed out in all directions. He leapt away from the water.
"Oh, this is not good at all..." He glanced around. "And not an arcade game for miles."
* * * * *
The walls were hung with red tapestries, each bearing a silhouette of an insect. On either side of the throne was a brazier. Akara sat within the massive marble scarab throne, hands splayed over the crystal ball. Dark tendrils of energy drifted off the ball, like hungry serpents.
"Dark Lord...I seek your counsel."
The crystal glowed, a single, short pulse, and though no person was visible, a response could be felt in the room, like the presence of some evil mind.
"I sense a disturbance in the Tapestry."
"My Lord, tell me your bidding."
"You are proceeding as planned. But extreme caution must be taken at this point. We approach a nexus, and one false move could unravel all that is."
"I have sent our newest pawn--"
"Pawn?" Confusion from the Presence.
"Very well. I have sent our newest minion--"
"Better."
"--to investigate this power source."
"Good. There is a darkness in him. If this can be cultured, we can harvest it, and him, to our ends." The Presence radiated satisfaction. "He will join us, or die."
* * * * *
Akito sneezed.
"Damn ragweed."
* * * * *
"Akito!"
Ai sighed. "Yurika, we’ve been wandering around these woods for nearly five hours! Except for lunch, we’ve done nothing else but chase ghosts!"
"I’m hungry!" announced Megumi.
"So am I." grumbled Ruri.
"There’s a surprise."
"Megumi, you’re mean."
"You were the first off chasing him. It’s your own fault you’re hungry."
"All right! Shut up!" Ai sighed. "Let’s head back. We’ve wasted too much vacation time already."
"Who’s leading this group, anyway?"
Ai paused. "Leading?"
Yurika began to panic. "We’re lost! We’re gonna be stuck out here until we starve to death! We--"
"Yurika." Ruri pointed to the left. "We’re five feet away from the cabin."
"...I knew that."
* * * * *
The still waters reflected the images of the trees, hills and cottages around the lake.
"Ruri! You want some pocky?"
"Sure." Ruri grabbed the box and pulled out a packet.
Yurika dropped into the deck chair next to Ruri’s. "This was a good idea, overall. It’s a lot less hot here than it is in the city."
"Where’s Megumi?"
"Dishes. She lost at Jan Ken Pow." Ai set down three cups of hot chocolate.
"It’s so peaceful here." Ruri munched down a stick of pocky before continuing. "You can almost completely forget what was going on..."
Omoikane jumped into Ruri’s lap. All his fur was still on end. "Where the heck have you been?"
"Oof!" Ruri sat up, looking alarmed. She’d never seen him this out of breath, even when he came running for the food dish. "First off: get down. You weigh as much as Garfield. Second: What’s wrong?"
Omoikane hopped over to the arm of the chair. "I’ve been looking for you three for hours. I sensed a really evil power flux, coming from--"
Ai pointed out towards the lake. "What the heck is that?"
The surface of the lake distorted slowly, the water beginning to swirl. Moonlight broke through the clouds, shining down as if in response to the massive sword tip that broke the water.
"--the lake. Never mind; too late now."
Slowly, the sword rose, as though drawn from the lake, until its entire length, supported by a mailled fist, was extended towards the moon. The air around it throbbed with power, extending to the shores, and even beyond.
Ruri jumped out of her chair, ignoring the thud and the yelp from the cat as it fell sideways. "No...this isn’t fair! I’m on vacation!"
"So were we." Yurika hopped out of her chair. "Ai, am I guessing right that we’re gonna have to fight whatever that is?"
The figure emerged completely from the water, a glistening armoured form in red, blue, silver and gold. Ruri blinked in surprise.
"A Gekiganger?"
Ai shook her head. "It can’t be...Gekiganger is completely fictional in this reality."
"So do we fight it?"
"J-058?" Yurika blinked. "Didn’t we blow that one up?"
"I don’t think so, but that is definitely a Jovian Gekiganger unit."
* * * * *
Mie flicked a switch, bringing the SA-7 Strela heat-seeking missile to active. She waited, her cheek pressed against the rest, until she felt the vibrating tone that told her the missile had locked on. Her finger squeezed the trigger, and the rocket launcher bucked as the SAM was catapulted towards the target. She lowered the launcher, and watched with satisfaction as the Strela slammed into the Gekiganger unit’s back.
* * * * *
The Gekiganger staggered forward, eyes flashing to life.
Ai gasped. "It’s gone into active defense mode."
"Guess we’re fighting it."
The Gekiganger’s Distortion Field snapped into existence, and it readied the sword.
"We’re doomed. Mars Guardian, Make-up!"
The light seared her eyes, all blue and gold. The air around her rippled, and she felt waves of incredible heat pounding her. Her clothes shredded and re-formed into the blue skirt, tight-fitting golden bodysuit and long blue boots and gloves. The tiara formed on her brow, and the Henshin lengthened to quarterstaff proportions.
The other two had transformed at the same time, and now flanked Ruri. Yurika stepped forward and raised a finger.
"Vile abomination, who would ruin a peaceful vacation for teenagers--"
Ruri grabbed her arm and pulled it down. "Yurika, shut up." She turned to Ai. "Well, Explanation Girl? What are we looking at?"
"Tetsujin-class Gekiganger unit. Two heavy beam cannons, probably fifty megawatts each, a high-intensity distortion field, plus its rocket punch. Even with our super- powers...well, this thing was designed to level city blocks without a problem."
"So how do we beat it?"
"Normally it’s crewed, but I’d say it’s in automated mode. Duck!"
The three girls jumped off the deck, as a Gekigan Beam sliced it in half. Vapour trails of water exploded away from the beam as the surface of the lake was boiled instantly.
Yurika gasped. "So we trick it’s computer!"
"Doubtful. Who do you think you are, Jim Kirk?"
"Anything else we can try?"
"Yes. Spread out!"
The Gekigan Flare punch slammed into the beach where the three girls had been standing. Ai yelped, as her ankle twisted in the soft sand.
"Ai!" Ruri jumped down in front of the blonde girl.
"Distortion Field!" She spun the staff in front of her. A glowing blue cloud formed all around her, then stabilized into a light blue sphere. The Gekigan Beam slammed into the field, and was deflected around it.
"Ruri..." Ai gasped. "Distortion field..."
"Right...I can use it to penetrate the Gekiganger’s field!"
"You need to distract it...thermal sensors..."
"Got it." Ruri turned to Yurika. "Blow up the minivan!"
Yurika blinked. "You want me to WHAT?"
"Blow it up! Target the gas tank with a flare arrow." A second Gekigan Beam splattered off the Distortion Field, crystallizing the sand around her to molten glass. "Hurry up. I can’t keep this up much longer!"
"Flare Arrow!" Yurika raised her bow, and pulled back the string. A flaming arrow appeared at her fingertips. She aimed at the van, and let it fly. And watched it fly right through the back window, and out the front.
"It didn’t work!"
"I said the gas tank, you ditz!"
"...Right." Again she raised the bow, and pulled back the string. A flaming arrow appeared at her fingertips. She aimed at the gas tank and let it fly.
The minivan’s tank exploded, showering the area around it in flame.
The Gekiganger paused, and turned towards the minivan. It slid forward, and touched down on the beach. Ruri dashed forward, slowed as her Distortion Field touched that of the Gekiganger, and phased through. She held the quarterstaff in front of her, eyes closed. A wind began to swirl around her, and her hair fluttered, drawn out to its full length. She opened her eyes, swept the staff around her and brought it to rest, pointing directly up at the Gekiganger.
"Gravity Blast!"
A black field of energy formed around the tip of the staff, then flowed down to encompass Ruri completely. It swelled outward, and exploded into a cone of black energy.
"Ack!" Ruri dived backwards, as several chunks of wreckage fell where she had been standing. The machine staggered, and fell backwards, into the water.
"Yes!" Yurika threw a fist into the air. "We beat him."
"Get down, you fools!"
"Huh?"
"Eleventh Law of Anime Physics: Everything explodes!"
Ruri and Yurika hit the ground immediately.
There was a shudder in the very fabric of reality, and the Gekiganger imploded quietly.
Ruri stood up. "I thought it was going to explode."
"I guess not." Ai frowned. "But I got some very odd readings from it just as it imploded..."
"Oh, we have a more serious problem."
"Huh?" Ai looked up.
"Dad’s gonna kill me." Ruri glanced over at the flaming wreckage of the minivan. "I don’t think we’re getting our deposit back."
* * * * *
Our apologies to: George Takei, Walt Disney, George Lucas, Velthandi, Jim Davis, Xebec, Tom Clancy, Gene Roddenberry, Ryan Shellito and Darrin Bright.