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 been 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. ===============================