Ranma 1/2 used without permission Spider-Man used without permission ====================================== Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Issue Fifteen Knowing a Former Enemy ======================================= "I truly wish it hadn't come to this," Wu Long said. He watched the video feed of Spiderman staring down the five Black Widows. Was that a tremble he saw? Good. "It's your fault." "My fault?!" "All you had to do was die in that warehouse. Just let Doctor Octopus kill you and Nabiki. All of this could have been avoided..." "SHUT THE HELL UP!" "Pardon me?" "I don't care *what* I have to do," Spiderman's voice snarled over the speakers, "but I *will* save them! I *will* save these three! And then, I'm coming after you!" "Assuming, of course, you survive long enough." Wu Long looked into the mirrored eyepieces of Spiderman's mask, wishing he could see what was behind there. After the Widows killed him, Long fully intended to take that mask as a trophy. It was time. At long last, it was time for Spiderman to die. "BLACK WIDOWS! ATTACK!" The spider sense hit him like a jackhammer when the robot spiders began to move. Hikaru retreated a few steps while the smaller ones spread out from the giant in the center. He fought down the fear as he shifted his gaze from one to the other. Man, oh, man, what am I gonna do? he thought. "Spiderman!" Akane's voice shouted, "you can do it!" "Get us outta here!" The smaller spiders spread out to surround him. Hikaru knew he had to get the three hostages out of harm's way, no matter what. But that would be impossible with all these robots gunning for him. He had to take out at least most of them first, but how? Then an idea hit him. "Here goes nothing!" Hikaru shouted as he leapt over the spiders. Four obsidian heads swivelled up to follow, eight eyes glowing like coals. Upside down at the apex, he thrust out his arms and fired twin globs of webbing which struck true over the eyes of two spiders. "YES!" The spider sense peaked in time for Gosunkugi to twist around a small rocket which missed him by centimeters. Not wasting time, he leapt sideways to dodge a swipe from a leg half again thick as he was. Two blinded, and two more to deal with, he thought while the first two staggered about. Their heads whipped about frantically, their movements like cannon roars in the cavernous chamber. But why wasn't the big one moving? Not bad, not bad, Ranma thought while watching the fight with rapt attention. If nothing else, Spiderman was quick and inventive. She began to struggle again. There was no *way* Ranma Saotome would play damsel in distress. Besides, Spiderman looked to need help. Webs wouldn't stop those spiders. While she fought against the coils and watched Spiderman dodge a beam of crimson energy from the mandibles of a spider, a different reason for wanting to help started to make itself known... I'm getting nowhere fast, Hikaru groused just as the blinded spiders managed pry the webbing off their eyes via small cables from their mouths. All four lined up to face him, their mandibles clacking like gunshots. These things are fast, he said silently, but not as fast as me. Maybe... Gosunkugi jumped clear just as the spider sense blared and the four beams of energy sizzled the air he once occupied. Firing a webline at an angle above, he managed to swing over behind the strangely dormant Black Widow. Can't go up, not with them there. If I stay on the floor, I'm paste. Gotta find a way to turn their weapons on eachother. The thundering roar of their approach hammered his ears. "Hope I'm fast enough to pull this off," he muttered. Akane could only watch as the four smaller robots skittered to where Spiderman had landed. She couldn't see him from her position, opposite the big robot. "Let's play a game!" she heard Spiderman shout. He bounded up to the top of the motionless robot's body. "Follow The Bouncing Spiderman!" The costumed fighter somersaulted down to the floor and... Just stood there. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Akane screamed. Spiderman appeared to ignore her. He merely stood still with his arms crossed while two robots turned to face him, one to his right and one to his left. Akane's eyes widened. Her heart beat against her ribs. And then she realized what he was planning. Wu Long knew something was wrong. Why was Spiderman just standing there? What was he... Oh, shit. "Do not fire!" he roared just a half-second too late. Wait for it... Hikaru strained to keep himself from trembling. It was a stupid gambit, but it was all he had. If it didn't work then he would be Spider-patte. "C'mon, guys!" he mocked. "Sometime today would be nice!" The spider sense rose steadily as two of them faced him from both sides. Hikaru did his best to ignore the mounting fear just as the tingling in his head reached its crescendo. NOW! Gosunkugi vaulted away just as he heard the hiss of released gas from the rockets. The exlplosion sounded hardly a second later with a wave of heat against his back and a roar that hammered the air. He twisted around with balletic grace and was rewarded with the sight of two merrily burning hunks of scrap. "YEAH!" he howled in triumph. "That's right! Who's yer daddy!" The other two came into view, and Hikaru allowed the surge of victory to grant him strength. He could pull this off yet... Ranma began to swing, mentally congratulating Spiderman. The wall crawler wasn't in *her* league, of course, but he was definitely holding his own. Now, all she had to do was untie herself somehow. She saw Spiderman leap around the remaining two. The flames glinted off the polished armor of the major robot, which still hadn't moved. What was up with that? Was the damn thing busted? Gosunkugi dodged another laser shot. The other spiders were moving much faster now, attacking with more ferocity. Hikaru leapt and spun around lasers and cables, cursing that he couldn't maneuver them into firing on one another. "I guess... you won't.... fall for that twice!" A spider lunged at him, and Hikaru ducked with hardly a centimeter to spare. A flash of spider sense gave him just enough warning to avoid a hail of bullets which ricocheted off the floor with loud tings and whines. "Hey! Watch it! You could put someone's eye out, you know!" "Clever sarcasm," the voice boomed from above. "Glad to know *somebody* appreciates the ol' Spidey-charm!" "How much longer can you hold out, Spiderman?" it asked. "How long before an errant shot kills my other guests?" What?! Hikaru chanced a look upward at Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki before leaping clear of another burst of gunfire. He's right! Gosunkugi thought with rising panic. If I keep this up, they're gonna get shot! He landed in a crouch behind the spiders, which were already coming about. He had to get Akane and the others out of harm's way, but how? And why wasn't the big Widow getting in on it? ============================================= "I'm removing the access cover on the node, sir." "Excellent. Cause as much havoc as you can. We need a clear run to the next node." "Yes, sir!" The Commander smiled. If he could get to that central node, he could wrest the facility away from Wu Long's control. From there, he just had to deliver the traitor to Pao Leung and he could kick back in Hawaii with some cold beer and hot women. No problem! ============================================= "How about it, Spiderman?" the voice mocked, "Are you truly willing to risk their lives?" "Damn you!" The two small Widows remained in position, their eyes seeming to taunt him. "LET US GO!" he heard Nabiki scream. "I was going to let you die first, Spiderman. However, I think it's time for a quick change in plans." "Huh?" "You will watch *them* die before I kill you!" The words froze Gosunkugi in place. The Widow on the left turned and raised its head just as a crimson glow began to form between its mandibles. No! The light grew brighter as the voice's laughter bounced off the cold steel walls of the chamber. NO! The glow grew to an angry red orb. Hikaru heard Akane scream in terror as the robot built a charge that would blast her, Nabiki, and Ranma into dust. "NOOOO!" Hikaru was past conscious thought. His hands shot out and two streams of thick webbing lanced from the spinarettes on his wrists. Icy fear melted away before the tide of white-hot rage as the scream tore at his lungs. The webs wrapped around two of the Widow's legs, and Hikaru gave a mighty heave. The legs skidded a little and then gave completely. Its rear end scraped the floor in a shower of sparks just as the beam scorched the air... The top of the chamber was exposed in a brilliant light as the explosion blossomed like some obscene flower. Nabiki saw the beam lancing toward them and shut her eyes against the inevitable. Time stretched into infinity as every moment of this mad adventure played before her unwilling mind. If she hadn't been so obsessed with Spiderman, if she hadn't published the photos... Akane, she thought. Ranma, I'm so sorry! And then the explosion hit. Ranma braced herself against the wall of heat that rammed into her back and sent her plummetting down to the cold floor. She felt the coils loosen as she fell, and a surge of strength allowed her to burst free. YES! she thought just as she caught sight of Akane tumbling down. Ranma reached out in desperation and managed to catch hold of Akane's hand. Their eyes met as Ranma drew her in and the two fell closer to the floor. "Nabiki!" she heard Akane scream. Ranma looked into the haze of smoke and fire, unable to find a trace of... hey, wait! Ranma caught a glimpse of a shadow leaping upward. Was it... Nabiki felt weightless. This was it. They were all going to die and... Huh? She felt something catch hold of her and carry her upward a little before coming back down. The sensation of falling finally ended. Nabiki managed to open her eyes and was greeted with a pair of mirrored plates set inside a red-and-blue mask. "S-Spiderman?" "Yeah. You okay?" "Nabiki!" Akane's voice shouted. "Akane!" Fresh tears stung her eyes. Her sister's voice never sounded so sweet. She felt Spiderman set her down just before Akane embraced her in a fierce bear hug. Awright! Hikaru thought. Now, to get them clear. "Listen," he said. "You three have to get outta here!" "No way, Spiderman," Ranma snarled. "They kidnapped us, tortured us, and damn near killed us! I ain't gonna..." "NO! You have to get clear! I'll buy you some time!" "They're gonna pay for what they did," Akane said firmly. "Akane, Nabiki," Ranma said, "get out. I'll handle this." "Like hell you will." "Spiderman!" "Ranma, damnit, LISTEN!" The three fell quiet. The fact that Hikaru may have made a critical error hadn't crossed his mind. "These two haven't got a chance! You don't know what's up there! You're the only one who can get them out!" "Spiderman..." "No, Ranma! You have to get them somewhere safe! I'll handle these robots!" You know them, Spiderman? Wu Long thought with mild surprise. He nearly spoke the command to activate the Major Variant when the security alert caught his eye. What the hell? he thought as several minor systems escaped his control. He watched with stunned amazement as the blast doors began to open and the defenses stood down all across the lower levels. Pao Leung, he thought, I was foolish not to expect this. "All Black Widows!" he shouted. "Target and eliminate all humans before you!" Now, to regain control of the doors. His fingers soared across the keyboard, fighting against the damage done until finally he was able to bring the auto cannons back online. Take this! Ranma charged through the open door. She fought to ignore the thunder of those robots closing in on Spiderman. She hated the thought, but she had to run from this fight if only to get Akane and Nabiki out of danger. In that light, it wasn't so bad. "How far down are we?" Akane asked. "How should I know?" Nabiki replied. Ranma kept running. Once she led these two out, she would... Oiled servos whirred behind them, almost silent. Ranma ducked on instinct, tripping Akane and Nabiki just before the rounds screamed overhead. "What the hell?!" Ranma rolled onto her back and readied a ki blast. From out of the walls and ceiling were several small machines which belched flaming death. Ranma released the Moko Takabisha with a fierce cry, and the guns crumbled into junk. "C'mon!" Ranma shouted. "We gotta get outta here!" =============================================== "Oh, shit..." Hikaru muttered as the eyes on the Black Widow flared. The enormous machine rumbled to life. Its legs straightened a litte, raising the main body as the systems powered up to full. He heard the sound of an explosion past the blast door that Ranma and the others had run through. They had to be okay. Ranma would get them out. All he had to worry about now was his own hide. "Time to cut loose, boys," he growled as he eyed a long metal beam to his left. It had to have fallen from the ceiling from that blast. He vaulted over to the hunk of metal and hoisted it by the end, his enhanced muscles allowing him to carry it easily. "Batter up!" he yelled just as the spider sense flared. He brought the end of the beam around like a giant baseball bat. The smaller Widow which had been sailing toward him caught a hard shot to the head which spun it off to the side. It hit with a thunderous bang seconds before Hikaru swung again and sent another spider to the floor. "Oh, no you don't!" Gosunkugi yelled as the major Widow approached. The beam split the air and clanged against the large robot's head. He swung again, and again, and again. Each blow sent its head to one side and the other. Man, he had to have knocked *something* loose in there! "Do the Tokyo Giants need me or what?!" Hikaru shouted just before the Black Widow caught the beam in its mandibles. His feet adhered to the floor as the Widow yanked back on the iron support beam. Damn thing almost broke my grip! Gosunkugi thought. His spider sense warned of the two smaller robots training weapons on him. He kept playing tug-of-war with the Black Widow. Maybe he could get the little ones to damage the big one. Twin hatches opened atop the Black Widow. Hikaru knew what was coming even before the twin rotary cannons rose. It jerked back again and Hikaru was forced to take a few steps along with it. He couldn't hold onto the damn support beam forever! "Up and away!" he yelled just before the twin lasers from the smaller robots fired. Gosunkugi shot a webline to the ceiling and pulled himself out of harm's way. He suspended himself upside-down, legs tucked in to his crotch while he watched the beams slam into the head of the Black Widow. "Ooh. That'll leave a mark. Hey, what the hell?!" The rotary cannons on the Black Widow roared to life. Gosunkugi could only watch in disbelief as the bullets shredded the armor of the two smaller robots. Within seconds they were still, burning brightly where they lay. "The damn thing just wasted them!" Maybe he really *had* knocked something loose in that monster's head. ========================================= Ranma stopped in a cavernous room, rows of what appeared to be generators humming loudly lining the middle of the floor. She was already panting from having loosed so many ki blasts. Destroying the cannons that kept popping up was putting a strain on her stamina, and they were still nowhere near the surface. "Any ideas?" she asked as she kept scanning every surface for more auto guns. "Wish we had a map," Akane said. "Hey," Nabiki said, pointing to her right, "that looks like an elevator!" "Awright! Now we just gotta ride it up!" The three charged over to the door, hope blooming in their hearts. Maybe luck was smiling on them for once tonight! The light above it suddenly clicked on as the doors slid open and a quartet of armed men stepped out. "Hey!" one shouted. "What're they doin' here?" asked another. "Aw, forget this," Ramna growled. "Moko Takabisha!" The four soldeirs were scattered by the blast, a couple moaning from the impact. Ranma paid them no heed while she led Akane and Nabiki into the elevator. Once inside, Nabiki studied the panel for a moment before pressing the button for the surface level. "Going up," she quipped, "lingere, swimwear, escape routes." Akane couldn't help but chuckle. ========================================= Hikaru swung to the left just ahead of a storm of lead from the Black Widow. This was it. He was up against the toughest opponent of his short career as Spiderman. Webs and spider powers wouldn't be enough to take this one down. Gotta be smart about this, he thought. I beat it once. I can do it again! The guns roared, and Hikaru began to fall. "WHAT THE..." The damn thing had shot out his webline! His heart leapt into his throat as the rotary cannons trained on him once again. Desperate, he launched a stream at each one. The silken threads hit home and began to cocoon the guns. He finally relented, flipping once and landing hard. The impact shuddered up his entire skeleton, nearly making him lose his balance. Gosunkugi looked up to see the Black Widow straining to use the guns he had just disabled. "Guess again, asshole!" he yelled as sparks flew from the encased weapons. The Widow let out a strange roar before the cannons were launched from its back. They hit the ground a smoking ruin just as the ports sealed themselves. Gotta disable its weapons, he thought just as a dozen rockets launched from its back. They streaked upward, angling down at him. Hikaru leapt back and was amazed when their trajectories changed to match. "Great! Homing rockets! How many tricks do you have?!" Hikaru leapt toward the Black Widow, hoping they would follow. He never made it. The beam rammed into his chest, expelling the air from his lungs and launching him backward. He felt the metal of the wall crumple a little from the impact just as the rockets detonated around him, the force of the explosions battering him even more. Oh yeah, he thought. That wall was just as hard as it looked. He wheezed with each breath, pain leaving trails of fire up and down his sides. That shot had broken a few ribs, alright. He just hoped he wasn't bleeding internally. Hikaru slumped to the floor, fighting to remain conscious as the Black Widow's thunderous steps hammered his ears. He had to get up! He couldn't let that thing beat him! Wu Long cackled with glee. Finally, Spiderman was going to be crushed! He looked at the security display to see and elevator rising to the surface. The camera image showed his three hostages making an escape. "Don't think so," he giggled. ====================================== Ranma gasped as the elevator slammed to a stop. She looked about frantically, unsure of what was going on. "We're stuck!" Akane shouted. "Three more levels to go," Nabiki added, pointing to the row of lights above the door. "I have a feeling that whoever brought us here doesn't want us to leave." "Well," Ranma said, "I guess we gotta climb. Akane, gimme a boost." Akane squatted down and laced her fingers together at her knees. Ranma set a foot into the crutch of her hands and Akane shoved upward. The emergency hatch popped open easily. Ranma swung herself to the top of the elevator and reached down. Akane jumped up and grabbed the slender hand. In less than a second she was hoisted upward. Nabiki followed soon after. The roof of the elevator car was ice cold against their bare feet. Twin cables stretched into the darkness above from the pulleys. "Nabiki, how far was it again?" Akane asked. "I think three levels. We should be close to the surface." "Then let's climb," Ranma said. "Nabiki, hang onto me." "Ranma!" "Akane, Nabiki won't make it on her own. You will," Ranma replied matter-of-factly. Akane's eyes widened. Had Ranma finally, in some small way, acknowledged her ability? "Let's get a move on!" Ranma shouted, slinging Nabiki onto her back. "Akane, you go first!" "Okay!" ============================================ Hikaru rose to his feet as the Black Widow emerged from the smoke of the spent missiles. Every breath brought pain on the richter scale. The scene kept trying to slip out of focus. This thing was just too powerful! "Can't... quit.... Won't quit." He had to destroy this monstrosity here and now. There were no two ways about it. Gosunkugi dodged another laser beam and webbed the Black Widow's eyes. Two cables emerged from its mouth to dislodge the webbing, just as he had anticipated. Hikaru encased them in a web and snatched them taut. If he could just break them... "Whoa!" he yelled as the Black Widow tried to snatch him off the floor. He prayed that his grip would hold as his arms strained to snap the cables. His back seemed to stretch as the enormous robot pulled against him. "Do you really think it's going to be so easy, Spiderman?" asked the voice. "I'm... gonna... stop this thing! Right here.... right... NOW!" "How pointless." ====================================== Ranma pried the door open, grateful for the blast of fresh air against her face. The night air never smelled so good. It was cool against her exposed skin, the sweat from the climb chilling in the breeze. All around were squat buildings, their purpose a mystery. Who cared? "Let's go!" Ranma shouted as she led Akane and Nabiki to the wall. Without wasting a moment, she grabbed the two girls and vaulted clear of the razor wire which topped the barrier. "We're out," Akane gasped. "But what about Spiderman?" Ranma stared at the wall, a uneasy feeling gnawing at her gut. Spiderman was facing all those robots alone, now. He didn't have a chance. "Spiderman can take care of himself," she heard Nabiki say. Ranma wasn't so sure. Those things were damn tough. She doubted the webslinger could last long against those odds on his own. He had risked his ass to help them. The decision was made. "I'm goin' back." "RANMA!" "NO!" "Look, I gotta, okay!" "Ranma, don't!" Akane shouted. Ranma looked into her eyes, illuminated by the glow of the security lights, and almost faltered. "Listen, Akane," she began, "Spiderman risked it all to get us out. Now he's alone against those robots!" "Ranma..." Nabiki said. "I can't let him go it alone. He ain't gonna make it without help. I'm goin in, and that's that!" 'Then I'm going with you..." "NO! Damnit, Akane, you won't do no good down there!" "HEY! I'm a martial artist too, y'know!" "And you gotta protect Nabiki!" "But what about you?" Nabiki asked. "Don't worry," Ranma replied with the usual confidence. "I'll be all right. I owe Spiderman, an' I ain't about to skip out." Without another word, Ranma leapt back over the wall. "Ranma! NO!" Akane screamed. Nabiki grabbed her younger sister before she could attempt to follow. "Nabiki! Let me go!" "NO! Akane, if Ranma wants to go help Spiderman that's his choice!" "But..." "Listen," Nabiki said. She was desperate for a reason to keep Akane from endangering herself any more. "Spiderman went in there to save us! Do you want that to be for nothing?!" "But Ranma..." "Ranma can take care of himself! We have to get out of here! Now!" "But..." "Don't worry! Ranma's faced worse odds before!" =============================================== Hikaru struggled to his feet again. The blow that Black Widow had landed to his stomach radiated waves of agonized nausea throughout his body. His back screamed from being slammed into a titanuim wall at forty miles per hour. "How does it feel, Spiderman?" that damnable voice cackled. "How does it feel to have your meddlesome career ended?" "Some... career," Hikaru managed. Even with all his injuries, he was still quick with one-liners as Spiderman. The sarcasm helped in some small way to marshall his flagging reserves of strength. If he was going to die, he wouldn't do it with a whimper. He just wished it wasn't with smart-assed remarks either. "No 401[k], no dental, and talk about on-the-job hazards!" "Sarcastic to the end, eh?" The Black Widow loomed before him, death incarnate ecased in obsidian metal. The residual flames of the four other Widows cast flickering lights on its body like a thing from the lowest hells. At least Akane and the others are safe, Hikaru thougt with some satisfaction. If nothing else, he had managed that. "You cost me everything, Spiderman." The voice took on a much uglier tone with that statement. "You and that damned whore, Nabiki Tendo!" Gosunkugi let him rant. It didn't matter anymore. He was outgunned, and at the end of his rope. He found himself thinking back to when that spider had first bit him on the hand. Who would have thought that he would gain powers like this? Who could have imagined that, in the end, he would use them to save Akane Tendo? Hell, who would have thought he'd come running to Ranma Saotome's rescue? "I may be marked for death, but I can take some solace that I claimed your life first!" What the hell is he talking about? Hikaru thought. "I'll have your mask for a trophy, freak!" Miku's face appeared in his mind. Hikaru thought about the things he felt around her, about how she had made him realize that his alter-ego of Spiderman could do some good. And then her last words... (I thought you were different, Hikaru. I guess I was wrong!) ... replayed themselves. As Spiderman he had saved her from that lunatic, Shigeru Katsuo. As Hikaru Gosunkugi, his last act was to hurt her because of Spiderman. "Miku," he whispered, "I'm sorry." "So you saved Nabiki and those others. What does that matter?" Hikaru remained silent. He could feel his body starting to mend. Maybe he could make one final stand. "I'll reclaim them soon enough. In fact, I'll kill the entire Tendo family! What do you think of that?" Gosunkugi gnashed his teeth as the pain still wracked him. He wasn't done yet. Hikaru reached deep within, to a place he never knew existed, to find the will to stand and the strength to fight. So what if they all got out? This madman was right, so long as the Black Widow remained intact, they were still in danger. If he didn't take that metal bastard out, then saving them here would have been all for nothing. "What, no snappy comeback? No witty reparte?" "FUCK YOU!" Ranma heard the shout ahead and ran even faster. Spiderman was still alive, and she felt greatly relieved that she wasn't too late to help. The soldiers had increased in number on her way back, and fighting her way through them had been rough to say the least. Whatever was going on in this place, some seriously hardcore people were in on it. The open blast door appeared around the bend and Ranma charged through. She stopped just past the entryway, quickly studying the situation. Spiderman stood at the far end of the room, obviously injured. One arm cradled his ribcage. His shoulders were slumped, rising and falling from what Ranma could tell was labored breathing from more than just exhaustion. She couldn't determine the extent of his injuries, but Ranma knew they had to be bad. In front of Spiderman was that large robot spider which hadn't moved before. It was crouched low to the ground as if ready to pounce. She drew on her inner confidence and let it mingle with her own anger and determination. Spiderman would die if that thing moved on him again. Ranma was the only one there to stop it. The sphere of ki grew drastically, tinged with red. Whoever was behind all this had tortured her, had tortured Nabiki and Akane. That bastard would pay dearly. But first, the robot had to go. "MOKO TAKABISHA, LEVEL TWO!" The brilliant shaft of spiritual energy burned Ranma's hands as it screamed through the air. It hit true against the robot's rear section with a deafening explosion. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Wu Long glared hatefully at the warning from the computer. The Black Widow's rear stabilizer had been knocked out of alignment, the back two legs damaged almost beyond use. The auto-repair would not be able to fix that kind of damage. "That... girl?!" He saw the image of the red-haired hostage, glowing with a strange aura. She was a martial artist of *that* caliber? Had his operation at the Tendo Dojo really depended so much on dumb luck? "Black Widow! Full power to all weapons! Kill those two NOW!" Hikaru could only gawk as the explosion ripped the air. The Black Widow dropped a little, smoke rising from the joints in its two back legs. Who the... "Spiderman!" shouted the last voice he had ever expected to hear. "What the...? What're you doing here?" "What do you think?" Ranma asked as she drew up beside him. "I'm saving your neck!" "I thought I said..." The spider sense hit. "MOVE!" He grabbed Ranma around her slender waist and leapt clear of a laser blast which left a sizeable dent in the wall. Hikaru landed hard, agony threatening to drag him to the floor. "I ain't gonna let you fight this bastard alone," Ranma snarled, removing Spiderman's arm. Of all the times for you to play hero, Gosunkugi thought sourly. "Get out of here. I..." "You're gonna get killed in your condition!" Ranma snapped. Hikaru turned to face the Black Widow again, surprised to see that it was moving slower than before. That ki blast must have really done some damage. "Can you do that again?" "Watch this!" Hikaru watched while Ranma thrust out her hands and summoned her battle aura. The glare almost blinded him. "MOKO TAKABISHA, LEVEL TWO!" Ranma released the blast again, feeling significantly weaker than before. This new blast was a powerful technique, but it demanded a lot of energy. The raging beam of ki streaked out toward the robot's head, only to be met by another blast. "SHIT!" Ranma screamed as she dumped her remaining power into the stream of ki. The laser cannon from the robot fought against her own power, creating an unstable field at the junction of the energies. She felt the hoarse roar burst from her throat as she fought against the onslaught of the Black Widow. Gosunkugi stumbled backward, squinting against the war being fought by Ranma's ki and the Black Widows laser cannon. The conflicting energies pushed against each other in a fierce battle. Ranma's scream tore at his ears as the girl poured even more power into her assault. The Black Widow, for its part, intensified its own beam. Smoke began to pour out from between its mandibles as its systems struggled to route more power into its counterattack. "I... AIN'T... GONNA... LOSE!" Hikaru saw the blood-red beam from the Black Widow draw closer to Ranma's trembling body. Her face was twisted into a look of pure desperate rage as the robot began to steadily overpower Ranma's own blast. Ranma's losing, Gosunkugi thougt with rising horror. He saw Ranma begin to shake as she warred against the power of the Black Widow, giving her all to fight it off. Saotome's not gonna win like this. I have to do something! Hikaru felt his foot brush against the iron beam he had earlier used to batter the Black Widow, and an idea struck him. If he could distract it, then maybe... He stooped over, ignoring the sharp pain that tore at him as he lifted the beam. It seemed heavier now, as if Hikaru's strength had fled him. Come on... he thought. I can't let it end like this! He hoisted it like a javelin and allowed the spider sense to tell him where to aim. He saw the beam of the Black Widow draw closer to the fading ray of Ranma's ki blast. She was weakening rapidly. A few seconds more and she would be vaporized! Wu Long focused on the battle. That girl was actually holding off the Black Widow! He eyed its system display, noting that the main laser cannon was redlining. To think that a single girl could hold so much power! So intent on the battle, he nearly missed the warning that a central computer node had been accessed. By the time he noticed, it was too late. System after system was locked out of Sec Ops Master Control at an increasing pace, far faster than Long could ever have anticipated. "I should have known you'd be prepared," he muttered. "I admit defeat, Pao Leung," Wu Long said as one major system after another left his command. "But at least I will kill Spiderman. And after that..." He began to input the proper codes. The girder left his grasp like a missile. Gosunkugi ignored the agony as he watched it sail toward what had to be that thing's one vulnerable spot; its eye. It hit with a satisfying crunch as the Black Widow's right eye was shattered. The laser cannon faltered, and Ranma's attack hit with horrendous force. The blast would have bowled Hikaru over if he hadn't stuck his feet to the floor. The Black Widow let out an inhuman screech which harmonized with grating sound of its legs scraping the floor. It came to rest several meters away, slumped and defeated. Tendrils of electricty arced from its eye and across its body. The glaring light from its one remaining optic flickered pathetically a few times before fading out completely. "It's... over..." Hikaru gasped. "Did it." Hikaru looked over at Ranma, kneeling on the floor and panting for breath. Smoke wafted lazily from her body. "Are you okay?!" "Yeah," Ranma gasped, "peachy." "Here." "I got it under control," Ranma replied, refusing Hikaru's offered hand. "I cannot believe this," the voice said. "You better," Ranma growled. "An' you're next!" "I am already a dead man." "Got that right, pal!" "I risked everything on this..." "And failed," Spiderman added. "The Black Widows are destroyed." Hikaru felt the spider sense begin to tingle. For God's sake, what was it *now*?! "And this place will soon follow." "What're ya talking about..." "WARNING! WARNING!" cried a toneless voice from seemingly everywhere at once. "THE SELF-DESTRUCT SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!" "Perfect!" Gosunkugi spat, disgusted. "*Just* friggin' *perfect*!" "Why you....!" "C'mon, you heard the nice computer!" Spiderman shouted, grabbing Ranma's shoulder. "Let's book! NOW!" "DETONATION IN ONE MINUTE, FIFTY SECONDS!" ========================================= "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Commander roared. "Nothing, sir!" the techie replied. "I didn't even know about a self-destruct!" "This mission's scrubbed," he snarled. "Pull out! Now!" The Commander turned to find that the rest of his team was already gone. "HEY! WAIT FOR ME! THAT'S AN ORDER!" ========================================= Wu Long began to chuckle at the irony of it all. Pao Leung had taken him in, had given him the life that was now worth squat. Now he was in the complex which had spawned weapons that would have cemented the Triad's hold on the weapons market, about to die by his own hand. He had seized this entire place out of the lust for vengeance and power, a thing he had long nutured yet managed to keep hidden, and now was going to destroy it all. The Black Widow, he thought, destroyed by Spiderman and some tomboy slut with a great rack. Perhaps this was destiny. He had purposefully set the detonation time for the Self-Destruct at its lowest possible setting. Spiderman and that girl were at least a mile and a half underground. There was no way they could get out in time, especially since the sequence shut down all the elevators. That had been a feature in the security system Pao Leung had not seen fit to change. It was no surprise that the Japanese government would rather sacrifice hundreds of lives rather than reveal a place like this. =========================================== "They've been in there too long," Akane said. The cold air bit her skin through the pajamas she still wore, but she didn't care. Nabiki, on the other hand, kept shifting from one foot to the other while shivering against the chill. Nightgowns weren't meant for winter, and icy pavement on bare feet was far from pleasant. "Don't worry sis," Nabiki replied, surprised that her teeth weren't chattering yet. "They'll be back any minute." ============================================ "ONE MINUTE, FIFTEEN SECONDS!" "DAMNIT!" Ranma roared. "The elevator's not workin'!" "Can't take the stairs," Spiderman said from her right. "Guess we do this my way!" Ranma watched him grasp the elevator doors and pry them apart. "This oughtta lead us right to the surface," Spiderman said. "Get on my back!" "SIXTY SECONDS!" came the voice of the countdown. Ranma complied and, less than a second later, Spiderman had latched onto the sheer wall of the elevator shaft and began to climb frantically. They passed another doorway, her heart beating faster with each moment. "FIFTY SECONDS..." "You okay?" Ranma asked, worried. Spiderman's breathing was becoming heavier, a wheeze becoming more and more pronounced. "Been... better." ============================================== Nabiki trembled, and not from the cold. Akane was right, it was taking too long for Ranma and Spiderman to get out. What if something had happened to them? What if those robots had... No! Ranma was just too tough to let some oversized toy get the better of him and Spiderman was full of surprises. She watched from the shadows of the alley in which she and Akane had taken shelter to wait for their return. It was too quiet... "GET OUT!" "IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Men began to pour out of the main gate, running in panic as if Godzilla were after them. "What's up with that?" Akane asked, even more worried than before. "Nothing good, sis." ================================================ "Aw, screw this," Hikaru muttered. Climbing up the wall with Ranma on his back would only get them both killed. Even as a girl, Ranma was heavy. He braced himself against the pain he knew would come as he shot a web up at an angle. He didn't sever it from the spinarette on his wrist. "What're you doin'?" Ranma asked. "Taking the express." Hikaru yanked on the line and drew it back in. It worked like a charm, pulling the two up like a zip-line. He hit the wall and repeated with the opposite arm while razor-sharp knives stabbed at his ribs and muscles without mercy. Ranma's tight grip on him didn't help, either. "Forty Seconds..." The countdown was quieter, now. Hikaru took hope from that. Maybe they were close to the surface. "Thirty Seconds..." "How damn far up does this thing go?!" Ranma shouted in his ear. Move it, Spidey! Gosunkugi commanded himself. "Twenty seconds..." Gosunkugi's heart leapt for joy when he saw the top of the elevator shaft. Just a little farther... Ten seconds. Cologne watched Akane and Nabiki, the two girls completely unaware of her presence. Worry gnawed at her guts. What was keeping Ranma? He had been in there far too long, now. Nine seconds. Ranma dropped from Spiderman's back and the two broke into a sprint toward the exit of the building they had wound up in. Time was getting tight. Eight seconds. Hikaru was amazed that he was still breathing, much less running alongside Ranma. They burst out into the night air and were greeted with the sight of men running for their lives. It wouldn't be much longer, now. Seven seconds. Akane's heart beat like a jackhammer in her chest. Something was very wrong. Why were all those people running away? And where was Ranma? "Come on," she prayed. "Come back to me, Ranma." Six seconds. Wu Long knelt on the floor, his face calm. Before long, he would stand in judgment before Lim Yao Won, King of Hell, as a failure. Whatever his punishment would be for his life, he would accept it. Fighting against it would be pointless. At least Spiderman would accomany him into hell this night. From that, Wu Long took a small amount of consolation. Five seconds.... Four seconds... Three seconds... Two seconds... One second... Detonation. Akane felt the earth begin to shake, a low tremor that ended as suddenly as it began. "Nabiki? Did you feel that?" Another, more violent tremor hit. "Sis, we've gotta get out of here!" "But, Ranma..." "Damnit, Akane, let's go!" Nabiki grabbed her sister by the arm and charged off away from the place where they had been held prisoner. Something very bad was about to happen very soon and Nabiki didn't want to be anywere near it. Akane ran behind her sister, fear beating against the inside of her skull. She heard a roar from behind and stopped, wrenching her arm free and turning to see a pillar of flame reach for the heavens. "Oh, no..." The ground heaved violently and the world became filled with light and a roar that split the sky. The hot wind hit like a fierce blow just before the impact of the explosion knocked her senseless. Nabiki closed her eyes against the brilliance. Maybe they had gotten far enough away... Her last thought was cut off by a wall of heat and displaced air that slammed her to the pavement. ================================ Akane... She was in a warm, soft bed; nestled against the cold. She could feel him next to her, the heat of his body stirring feelings that she had never before acknowledged. Akane! She reached over to him, to the man she loved... "Akane! Wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open. A dull pain replaced the dream she had been pulled from as reality set in. "Where am I?" The ceiling was different, stained with water in some spots. The floor was hard and had a strange smell to it. It wasn't the dojo. "Are you okay?" asked a scratchy voice. "What happened?" All around were her family, along with Ryoga, and Cologne's troupe. They all had tears in their eyes. Akane suddenly felt sick. Something was wrong, and she didn't want to think what. "You okay, sis?" Nabiki asked. "Where's Ranma?" Nabiki, still in her nightgown and sporting some bandages, looked away. Icy dread coated Akane's mind. It couldn't be true. No way. "You should get some rest," Nodoka Saotme said... "DAMNIT, WHERE'S RANMA?!" A tense silence fell over the room. Akane looked from one face to another, finding only tears. Shampoo sat with her hands over her eyes. Ukyo knelt next to Ryoga, openly weeping. Ranma was nowhere to be found. "Perhaps," Cologne said as she turned on the television, "you should see this." The screen came to life, showing flames that roared with the fury of hell. At least ten fire engines rested in front of the place where she had once been a captive, spraying water into the inferno while men in thick firefighter gear ran about and shouted orders. No sound came from the speakers, the word MUTE glowing in the bottom left corner. Oh, no, she thought. It wasn't true. No way. Please! "You have been unconscious for over six hours, now," Cologne said. Please, God, don't let this be real! "I went there," Cologne continued. "I waited for hours, and saw no sign of Ranma or Spiderman anywhere." "No..." The world began to collapse around Akane Tendo. "My son..." Genma whispered. His fists trembled, clenced tight enoug to draw blood from his palms. "Akane." She barely felt Nodoka's hands on her shoulders. "I am sorry, Akane Tendo," Cologne said, "but Ranma did not survive." "NO!" Ryoga bowed his head, tears stinging his eyes. All those times he had wished Ranma dead, and now it had finally happened. Why did it hurt so much? Did he truly hate Ranma Saotome as much as he had always claimed? No matter what, he promised Ranma's spirit, I'll take care of Akane. He sent a prayer to the soul of Spiderman, who had paid the ultimate price for Akane's life. No matter what, he would always remember that man as a hero. Ukyo couldn't believe it. Ranma was dead. It just wasn't possible! It wasn't fair! Ranchan, you jackass, she thought. Why? Why did you go back for Spiderman? He had gotten you all out! Cologne bowed her head and prayed for the souls of Ranma Saotome and Spiderman. You did your best, webslinger, and at least saved two lives. Your death was not in vain. Ranma, she thought, honorable to the end. Cologne understood why Ranma had gone back. She had heard Nabiki's account of the events in the bowels of that place, of the Black Widows and the strange man who had pulled off the daring kidnapping. Ranma owed him. Spiderman had been left facing overwhelming odds all for the sake to Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki. There was no way Ranma Saotome would just let that go. "HEY!" Akane started, staring open-mouthed at the door. Was it... "Lemme in, willya! I'm freezin' my ass out here!" Akane was at the door in a half-second and ripped it open to find Ranma standing outside. "Ranma!" "Hey, Akane..." "YOU'RE ALIVE!" She embraced the sometimes-girl fiercely, uncaring that Ranma was still of the same gender as Akane. "Yeah... now... can I... breathe?!" ======================================== Hikaru looked on from the shadows, adhered to the wall. A strange warmth blossomed from his chest at the sight of Akane embracing Ranma. She pulled Saotome into the doorway and the light vanished. Gosunkugi swung out into the night. New, conflicting thougts filled his mind and dulled the pain of the battle. It was a miracle that they had survived at all. When he had regained consciousness, all had been black. He remembered the flames that had surrounded them once he had moved the slab of concrete that had fallen over the small niche he and Ranma had woken up in. "It's over, now," he whispered as he made his way toward home. The pain had been intense while he had carried Ranma on his back. After several minutes, he had landed in the alley to rest. "You okay?" Ranma had asked. "You don't look so good." "I'll be okay," he had muttered in reply while fighitng to keep the pain from dragging him down to unconsciousness. Hikaru had leaned there for several minutes, catching his breath and grimacing at the tang of blood in his mouth. "Mind if I ask ya something?" "Yeah." "Why'dja do it? Why'dja come after us?" "I had to." It hadn't been the best answer, but it was all he could give. "Those things were after me, not you." "They were after Nabiki, too," Ranma had replied. "She told us about the pictures, and about you and that Doctor Octopus guy in that warehouse." Hikaru had wanted to ask what else Nabiki had said, but was too tired to care. "Let me ask you something." "Sure." "Why did you come back to help me?" Hikaru had studied Ranma closely after asking. He had to know. "You really put it on the line for us in there," Ranma had said. "An' they tortured us, too." "So, you did it to pay me back and get some revenge..." "No, that ain't all of it." "Huh?" "Thing is," Ranma began, "Akane an' Nabiki wouldna made it out on their own, not without you buyin' us some time." Hikaru removed the arm which had been draped across his ribs. The pain was slowly beginning to fade. "I guess I'm tryin' to say... well..." Ranma began to fidget, unsure of what to say. "We... couldn't have done it without you." The spider sense had come alive just then, pointing out familiar presences beyond the door which they faced. "I think your family's in there," he had said before leaping up out of sight. Hikaru swung out into the night and came to realize something he would never have believed before. While Ranma was a womanizing jerk... He really wasn't all that bad. "Well, you learn something new every day." ================================ Ranma stared out into the rapidly growing dawn, unable to sleep. He heard the sounds of everyone snoring, sprawled wherever there was space. Akane was curled up with the other girls, and Ranma felt the strange urge to go to her... Man, what a weird day. His eyes traced the outlines of the buildings, wondering if Spiderman was okay. He had been badly hurt, both in the battle and the escape. If he hadn't pulled a vanishing act, then Ranma would have asked Cologne to tend to the guy's wounds. She would have done it. Thanks, Spiderman, Ranma thought. Wherever you are. ================================