Mirrors Multiplied

Part Seventeen

Wild Horse to Wild Card

by Jared Ornstead

=====

A Lunatic Disclaimer Which Has No Place In The Actual World:

Mine! MINE!!! All Mine! He he he he he! I'm rich! I'm wealthy!
Everything belongs to me!!!

 The author and none of his alternate personalities assume
responsibility for the preceding rant. It was performed by a black duck
who was in the act of wrapping himself around a large gemstone.

=====

 Hi!
 A word about my medium here. Wars are confusing enough in their own
right. Time travel is mind bending by its very nature, and universe
hopping has been known to drive more than one person mad.
 Aren't you lucky that Mirrors is so remarkably clear and comprehensible
considering what genre it works in?

=====

The Netherworld.

 Mara frowned. Hmm, no. This was NOT going the way she'd planned. As
mixed as the goddesses' attempts were, her prediction daemon assured her
they'd bumped the odds of the boy surviving to 63%. Deciding it was okay
to break one more rule, Mara did what she could to cause a little
temporal altercation of her own to maybe fix this trend toward goodness.

 There was no way *she* was going to sing Handel's Messiah!

*****
The Netherworld, Past

 In front of a large crowd of demons, a timelord had just found out that
his enemy had never arrived and was becoming extremely upset. As Ryoga
Hibiki raged at the demons a very small gremlin snuck behind him and did
what gremlins normally do, this time to the lock on the door of the
timelord's Tardis.
 Dr. Where failed to notice the immediate change in the attitude of
those demons he was confronting. The number of fanged grins had
mysteriously multiplied. Growing increasingly enraged, Ryoga continued
screaming at the lead demon. "What do you mean he's not here!"
 Said demon resumed picking his teeth with a shard of a human thigh
bone. "Look, this is Torment, not Records." The demon grinned nastily.
"All we know is that someone made an appointment to send a human down
here to be worked over, and you're the first to arrive."
 The significance of that statement somehow missed Ryoga, who mused. "My

calculations were perfect. There was no WAY that Ranma could've..."
Realization struck as he remembered that the forces of divine
intervention were at work here.
 "Could other forces redirect my transmissions to you?" He thundered at
the crowd of demons as they began to creep forward around him.
 "Most certainly." Agreed the leader of them, trying to grin in an
ingratiating way and ending up simply showing alot of teeth.
 The timelord struck an unconcerned pose, thinking aloud. "Well, these
demons are too stupid to lie convincingly. And there's no WAY *Ranma*
could've gotten free of here, I didn't pick one of the lowest levels for
nothing. Maybe... HEY!!!" He screamed in rage at the minor demon that
had just poked him in the thigh with its pitchfork.
 The demon, despite being one of the more cowardly types, did nothing
but grin back at him.
 It suddenly struck Ryoga that he was a good sixty yards from his Tardis
and surrounded completely on all sides by a crowd of demons he'd picked
specifically as being rough enough to take down Ranma.
 He tried to ignore the blood trickling down his thigh. "Yeah, well. I
shall go and investigate this matter." He tried to reply loftily.
 Reality seemed to split. In one version, that seemed to fade away, the
timelord started to limp toward his Tardis and was quickly mobbed by the
demons. That version battled its way through the horrible ranks on the
way to his machine only to discover the door unable to open, and with a
despairing cry was hauled off to fulfill the centuries of torment he'd
signed Ranma up for.
 Divine Justice could be amusing in its irony.
 A second copy wisped into being and seemed to grow stronger with the
passing seconds as the first faded away. The only addition to this one
was that a female demon in ratty clothes warped in next to the Tardis
and unspelled the gremlin's work on the lock.
 Clothes ripped and shredded, bleeding gouts from his raggedly torn
muscles, Dr. Where reached his Tardis and the lock opened. Slipping
inside, he slammed the door shut on the crowd of demons outside and
moments later the time travel device faded away.
 Mara smiled from within the milling crowd of disappointed infernals.
She had confidence in this tool's ability to disrupt things.
 "A port a potty? What kind of sorcerer travels in a port a potty?" One
of the angry demons beside her groused.
 A larger demon swatted it, at the same time nursing the umbrella wound
on its own forehead. "One powerful enough not to care who giggles at
it." The larger replied.
 The crowd ran off to torment the gremlin who'd failed in its job.

 As he sped through the timestream, the man known as Ryoga Hibiki fumed
as he inserted himself into the autodoc and considered this latest
setback to what was supposed to have been a simple snatch and grab
operation.
 It hadn't helped that on his first attempt he'd been so preoccupied
that he'd put himself into the auto-CHEF by mistake. Not only was he
going to have to repair the butchering attachments, but the meat
tenderizer was going to take forever to clean out of his wounds.
 He was, by now, becoming a tad upset at luck like this repeating
itself.
 "I need an edge," he realized, wincing as the autodoc found it
necessary to remove a swatch of skin where a demonic corrosive still
worked. "I keep ignoring the fact that this Ranma has allies, and that
while I can handle HIM, his friends could well stop me all over again."
 Dr. Where grinned, showing both his fangs. "What I need... is Ranma. I
need a copy of him to use as my OWN ally! None of his friends would want
to kill ONE Ranma to save another!" He reveled in the thought of his
discovery, and, as the smell of the meat tenderizer penetrated his
nostrils, he found himself remembering a certain young boy covered in
slabs of meat, being tossed into a cage full of lions.
 "Yeah!" Ryoga smiled nastily. "I need a Ranma who'll trust ME! One that
I can train to help me take down the REAL Ranma!" Ryoga began to laugh
hysterically, growing higher and higher in pitch in fine Takahashi
'Rival with Plan' style as he used his remotes to set course toward his
destination.

 Sitting in another part of the timestream, Loki noticed what was *sure*
to be an amusing attempt foiled by divine intervention, and made an
arrangement of his own. Slipping into the cages a day or two before
disguised as a cage cleaner, he fitted each of the great cats Genma
would be using with amulets of his own devising; augmenting the strength
and power of the felines by a hundredfold.
 Whatever god showed up to thwart Dr. Where was in for a nasty surprise,
which is all that Loki wanted. A trap to murder yet another of his
divine brothers without the blame falling directly on himself.
 He sat back to watch the fun.

*****
Universe C, Tokyo Zoo (Moments after Orchid had been forcibly ejected)

 Materializing next to a payphone, the tardis that appeared was in
considerably better shape than the one that had left only moments
earlier. The battered and much abused door had been replaced with a
reinforced copy, and a pit stop at headquarters had let the damage and
smell inside be completely eradicated.
 Praying that no one broke into it this time, and not realizing how
hypocritical that was - after all, it was the person people normally
prayed *to* opposing him in this, Dr. Where left his machine behind and
headed back toward the great cat feeding area. He manipulated a tiny
band on his collar and between one step and the next his form shifted
into an elaborate holographic disguise of a young woman dressed in an
exotic, new age bodysuit, her medium length hair held back out of her
eyes by a familiar yellow bandana.
 "I HATE this!" The disguised Ryoga grumbled. "Ranma, if it wasn't for
the psyche profiles being almost certain you'd trust a woman sooner than
you would trust a man I'd make you PAY for this!" The features of the
exotically dressed young woman smiled nastily. "Heh. I'll make you pay
anyway." The disguised form flexed her fingers to crack the knuckles in
them, making doubly sure that she carried her combat parasol.
 She rounded a corner and came into view of the crowds in time to hear
Genma call out. "Son. Learn the dreaded Cat Fist technique and make your
father proud!" then the wailing of a terrified child being tossed into
the air.

*****
Heaven

 A valkyrie whose job it was to stand guard in the operation's center of
Yggdrassil, the World Tree system, noticed the alert the moment it was
flashed. She called out to the deity stationed with her.
 "A Class-One Infernal Temporal Adjustment is in progress." The Valkyrie
focused more closely on her display. "The power was demonic in origin
and took effect on level 664, Infernal plane. We are tracking Helspawn!"

 Before the divine being could respond the phone rang. No, repeat that.
*THE* phone rang. The phone that only one personage in the multiverse
could call in on. The minor deity swiftly answered it.
 Moments later the phone was slammed down and the deity flew to her
feet, speaking clearly and urgently across the chamber.
 "Father commands that we react to this as the start of Ragnorak! All
resources are to be made available AT ONCE!"
 Branches and vines retracted from around the clear, crystal button that
no one had ever touched. The valkyrie's hand slapped down upon it
forcibly.

 Heimdal's pager went off and he set down his mug to check the code.
Instantly he flew to his feet, upsetting the contents of the table all
over his dining companions. He didn't even care to notice, hauling the
horn from his belt he lifted it to his lips and issued forth a massive
clarion call.
 Every being everywhere allied with Heaven heard and began to scramble
for their weapons. Valkyries issued by the millions from their homes and
hangouts. Those in Heaven streamed by tens and by hundreds of thousands
from their beds and parklands to snatch up swords and weapons, garbing
themselves in glistening silver armor and racing for their winged steeds
to fly out of the gates in millions. Tens of thousands of valkyries on
assignments on Earth dropped whatever it was they were doing, from
observing battlefields to delivering babies, and returned to Heaven for
the call.
 Divine beings scattered from their myriad activities and feverishly
began arming themselves for war.
 On the plains below the great mansions of Heaven, stretched out beyond
any conceivable horizon, the call seemed to hang in the air, momentarily
paralyzing the spirits of fallen heroes that the valkyries had been
gathering for millennia. The sounds of their practice stilled, and they
stood for a moment in wonder before separating and streaming in good
order toward their assigned goals.
 This war... preparing for it had been their very existence for
thousands of years. They were ready for it. Uncountable throngs mustered
in force to wage mighty battle against the frost giants and their
allies, more uncountable numbers assembled to take the battle to the
fire giants and theirs.

*****
Universe B

 Rae started out of a peaceful sleep. Ranma was in trouble. Still in her
pajamas she reached for her transformation pen.

 Darien jolted out of sleep. Sailor Moon was in danger! He found himself
on his balcony in tuxedo and mask before he was even aware of the
peculiarities of the feeling.
 It wasn't Sailor Moon. So then who? Without pausing to question, he
began to follow where the feeling led. He would find out.

 Luna and Artemis awoke as if their tails were on fire, bringing a
certain pair of princesses from the Moon and Venus awake in record time.
In another part of town a blue-haired girl's mini supercomputer snapped
open at her bedside and began a trilling warning.

 Lita got a telephone call.

 Yohko and Ayohko both woke up in separate parts of town knowing in
precise detail *exactly* how and where to find the right and perfect guy
for them.

 Ukyo's Iczelion artificially intelligent armor was shaking her out of
her plush bed near Ranma's room in the Saotome mansion.

 Elsewhere a certain Cat Girl became acutely aware that the man her
creator had built her to protect, Ranma Saotome, her creator's son, had
just gotten into lethal trouble again... and that this time he hadn't
left her any instructions about not helping out.

 007 got a wake-up from his television set, broadcasting a set of
instructions he dared not ignore.

 A certain secretary by the name of Miss Honey was on her way to work
when a lightning bolt came out clear sky and inscribed a compelling and
informative, though brief, message on the sidewalk right at her feet.

 Kasumi got up to cook breakfast for everyone.

 Battle alarms lit the command chamber below the basements of the
Saotome Estate. Alerts and beacons lit the war screens to the extent
that the duty officer on watch held no compunction against ordering a
full and immediate launch.
 In minutes an unrehearsed battle plan was going into effect, everyone
working seamlessly together despite many of the peculiararities of the
situation. High-tech battlesuits cradling Sailor Scouts in their arms
were loaded into the bays of veritech bombers. Artillery units were
rolled into place and sent off in their transports even as females in
armor, costume, transformed state and otherwise were arriving and fit
into the battle plans with eerie ease.
 One quarter hour had not yet passed when the first salvo of shells from
megaton nuclear field howitzers began obliterating the defenses of a
certain point in the arctic whose location had miraculously appeared on
all relevant computer systems.
 When the exterior defenses of that place had been annihilated a
combined volley from the Robotech Picket Fleet left behind by Admiral
Lisa Saotome punctured the ceiling of the structure beneath.
 Veritechs screamed into the hole, transforming as they went and
suddenly finding themselves enormously grateful for the Illusion
Detectors Skuld had built and added to their sensor suites. Brutes and
uglies were startled out of their crannies by veritechs blasting away
with hyper-velocity 55mm rounds on full-auto.
 The impetus of the spearhead group lasted just long enough to eject
dozens of power armors from the veritech bombers.
 The suits of powered armor rained down in clouds. Their escorts
brutalized the ground beneath them with rockets and autogun fire. In the
core of each group a Sailor Scout was carried safely until the Robotech
team leader of the powersuits elected she was within range of target.
 With little or no warning the powersuited groups blasted past servants
of the negaforce too bewildered and caught by surprise to react with any
effect. As the resistance built and the groups began to slow, three of
the team leaders released their formidable female cargoes and hunkered
down to preserve rally points as two demon huntresses and one very
anxious to help Nuku Nuku lit into the dark servitors with fury and
skill unknown in anything not fighting to have Ranma in her life.
 A pair of doors were brought down by explosions and recognition sensors
trilled. Five fully rested and battle capable Sailor Scouts were
delivered right to the heart of the threat while explosions and fighting
elsewhere continued to reduce the unprepared dark forces to shreds.
 Blue Iczelion teleported into place alongside the Sailors. She was
joined by Purple and Green Iczelions.
 Sitting on her throne, Queen Beryl had wet herself.

 In Nerima, a man in tuxedo and mask had literally stumbled upon the
hiding place of a hideous little gnome of a youma he'd fought with the
Sailor Scouts once before. Along with it was a dirty old man in a white
gi that Tuxedo Mask had caught once trying to steal Serena's underwear.
 Glimmering on top of a stack of similar garments in a pile between the
two was a sheer pair of white cotton panties with a yellow moon crescent
on the front.
 Recalling the advice of Sailor Earth, Tuxedo Mask proceeded to pin both
men to the ground with thrown roses before he began his attack.

 Belldandy concluded wrapping enough wards and protections around the
Saotome estate that nothing short of an alpha monster like the Fenris
wolf or Surtur, leader of the fire giants, was even going to get close.

 A certain spy finished up with a task that would bring about the fall
of a few global crime forces and international communism.

 Cutey Honey attacked her foes with renewed hope, as she finally knew
how they might be destroyed for good.
 She was a little puzzled by these veritechs and power armors appearing
to fight alongside her, though.

 Tatewaki Kuno looked toward the sky and pronounced. "The vengeance of
Heaven is slow but sure..."

*****
Universe A

 Kodachi arose from below her sheets. She was wearing the sheerest of
silk gowns, touches of ruffle and lace around the cuffs fluttering
slightly in the light breeze that reached in through the open window to
play with her hair.
 There was something amiss. Something had happened to Ranma.
 Changing from panties and nightgown to her combat leotard, Kodachi
armed herself with an array of lethal weapons. If that Tendo hussy had
struck his precious skull again she would lose her own!
 A real tear appeared at the corner of her eye. She was his precious
Dachi-chan. He had told her so! Neither Heaven nor Earth could force her
to relinquish him again! Well, perhaps that Nabiki character. But
honestly, she'd thought all that safely buried. It was hardly fair for
such a lowborn person to dredge up something like that!

 Superheroes of every type and description got alerts of every kind,
most of them including pertinent details, proof, and floor plans of
their enemy's lairs.

*****
Heaven

 Kami-sama, being the planner that he is, had organized a comparatively
small group of Einheriar (the name given heroes honored and chosen from
the ranks of the fallen by the valkyries) to respond to his summons and
be ready to accept special assignment. They gathered, armed and
purposeful, in the Great Hall and shortly He entered to address them.
 Kami-sama waved to the wall behind him and the length lit up with the
face of Ryoga Hibiki in his role as Dr. Where. His voice carried to the
furthest reaches of the room.
 "This is an enemy to the Heavens. He is a beast who cares little for
the lives of my precious children and is a willing tool in our enemy's
instigation of this war."
 Kami-sama's voice, while carrying, was low. "If this timelord was
destroyed then there would be centuries of more of relative peace and a
chance to win Ragnorak."
 No further comment was needed.
 One of the Einheriar leapt to a higher step and shouted to his fellows,
beginning a chant while pointing to Ryoga's picture. "We're not safe
until he's dead!"
 Dozens of others nodded, bearded faces grim as their weapons. "He's
come stalking with no right!"
 Several hundred more agreed. "Set to sacrifice God's children to his
monstrous appetite."
 "He'll wreck havoc on our timestream if we let him wander free."
 Many erupted in a thunderous roar at this last comment, and thousands
of weapons were held aloft by as many hands. These were glorified
reflections of the weapons that each of the Einheriar had most favored
in life, and for the warriors there was a special bond with them. Spears
ranging from a simple pilum to more ornate valkyrie models, halberds and
axes, swords ranging from the simple gladius in the hand of one who fell
to lions to sate a Roman Governor's urge for sport to elaborate, glowing
longswords that added their own voices to the roar, even some martial
arts weapons and a few modern firearms could be spotted in the crowd.
 As Kami-sama stepped from the podium one of his assistant gods leapt up
onto it, assuming the assignment. Drawing his mighty sword Frey cried
out to the warriors. "So it's time to take some action, boys. It's time
to follow me!"
 The god of the elves leapt down among the heroes, inspiring them.
"Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the
shadows. It's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride."
 They were Norse in culture if not always in breeding. They worked into
a good frenzy. Frey went on. "Say a prayer, then we're there, back among
our mortal children where as one of them this evil creature hides!"
 The massive doors of this special chamber began to crank open behind
Frey while he continued to inspire them. "He's a Beast! He's got fangs,
razor sharp ones. Massive paws, killer claws for the feast. Hear him
roar! See him foam! But we're not coming home `til he's dead! Good and
dead! Let's kill the Beast!"
 Kami-sama stopped Thor from going to his battle with the Midgard
Serpent, a battle which Thor was fated not to survive, and indicated for
him to follow and go with Frey on this mission.
 Thor's objection was quickly stilled, and one of the Norns sent also.
 Frey was mounted on his chariot and shouting. "We'll rid the timestream
of this Beast! Who's with me?"
 Cries of affirmative in the millions issued forth from this special
force. They lifted their voices as one as they began to issue forth to
do battle in the tens of billions. (Which, when compared to the truly
uncountable forces that went against the frost and fire giants, was
still comparatively small.)
 "Bring your knives, risk your lives."
 "Screw your crossbows to the sticking place!" Frey signaled the golden
boar that pulled his chariot and led the troops out of the mighty doors,
across the lawns of Heaven.
 The Einheriar followed, chanting. "We'll count on goodly Frey to lead
the way! Through a mist, to a world, where within our troubled
timestream something's lurking that you don't see every day! He's a
Beast, not as strong as a mountain. We won't rest till he's good and
deceased."
 Millions of elves began to leap and stream along the sides of the
flowing tide of Einheriar. "Sally forth, tally ho!"
 The Einheriar shouted "Grab your sword!"
 The elves echoed. "Grab your bow!"
 "Thank the Lord and here we go!"
 Frey raised his sword and shouted. "We'll lay siege to the Earth and
bring back his head!"

 Kami-sama looked down from his window at the departing hordes of
mail-garbed heroes. Down below him, their voices could be heard chanting
as the marched in orderly columns toward their foe. "We don't like those
who won't understand in fact they scare us and this monster is obtuse to
say the least. Grab your spears, bring your knives, heed our words and
you'll be wise, we'll save a countless host of lives! We'll kill the
Beast!"
 Behind him, a female voice asked of Kami-sama.
 "Was it truly necessary to start Ragnorak early?"
 He turned to her and seemed to be amused, hands clasped behind his back
confidently. "It is not early. Now bring my armor."

 Grey grumbled. Bad enough to be a nice guy transformed into a demon by
a capricious act of Toltir's. Being a nice demon working on getting his
status upgraded to daemon by working in the Rival Relief Office was bad
enough. WORSE was being a demon in Heaven when the Trump Of Doom had
been sounded. He had the definite feeling that if he stepped outside the
agency today, he'd be challenged and speared before he got to the
sidewalk. Of course, this *would* be a day where he'd forgotten to pack
a lunch.
 Nike, Roman goddess of victory, swept jingling with silver mail into
the room and slapped a spear into his hand. Lifting him out of his seat
as if he weighed nothing she announced to the room in general. "This
area is being closed down, its existence canceled for the remainder of
the battle to limit the number of available systems for the Infernals to
subvert and turn against us. The Barely Adequate Force will remain
online to temporarily power you as wargods."
 She slapped Grey on the shoulder, leaving him to cope with the new
shield and swordbelt she'd dropped on his chest as she went to review
the other two quasi-powers in the room.
 Grey stood quietly considering. Since the Barely Adequate Force was
reliable enough to heat a pot of tea on a good day they weren't about to
become anything very impressive.
 Nike grinned at him. "No. But you will be enough for our auxiliaries.
All of you Rival Office workers have been promoted to commands. Since
you other two have combat experience you are going to be right out in
front. Grey here has none and so he will have a day to train."
 Grey spent a moment in tumultuous thought, which ended when he
discovered his other two companions were gone and Nike was snapping her
fingers in front of his face.
 "Snap out of it, Grey. You are now captain of the Penitent Souls
division 104 from the reserve auxiliaries. You'll have a day to get your
troops in order, and you'll need it. All the boxers and street toughs
went in the divisions we are sending right to the front. You are getting
dishonest bankers, crooked accountants, surly waiters and pastry chefs.
I believe you have one sergeant who was an antisocial forest ranger who
peed in campers' tents. He's your best man, use him."
 To Grey this was sounding alot like work in the Rival Relief Office.
 "Um, auxiliaries?" He asked, actually catching most of the connotations
of that.
 Nike nodded regretfully. "And we'll use you exactly as the Romans
always have. The auxiliaries go right out in front, between the enemy
and the real troops, where we can press you forward if you pause and
kill you if you run. I'm sorry, Grey. But these souls all had misconduct
to recover from. We cannot trust them as well as we could the saints and
heroes. None of them are completely recovered from the taint of sin and
still we are having to use them. I hope you understand."

*****
Universe C, Tokyo Zoo, Ranma's Past

 Ranma blinked and found himself in his own past.
 It was one of those things, again, that most people didn't notice. The
mortal plane has an aura of forgetfulness about it. While it has been
said that spirits often forget, that is not true. They *remember*, and
that is enough to distract their attention away from the mortal plane
quite readily. It is only those who stay close to the mortal realm and
its concerns that remain in a `mortal' frame of mind. We accuse the rest
of not remembering when in truth they are involved with higher things.
 Perhaps the greatest benefit to this forgetfulness was that it allows
for frequent change, a chance to improve and better yourself without a
constant memory of all the past reasons of why you weren't better to
begin with. The mortal plane was constantly changing, it was just that
mortals changed fast enough themselves not to notice. They tended to
gloss over certain..... um, how do you put it? Let's just say that the
human mind could convince itself of practically anything.
 Contrary to popular opinion, timestreams really do behave like water,
and that includes eddies and swirls and places where it momentarily runs
backwards. This frequently causes enough havoc that the average person
learns to spend most of their waking moments forgetting things they
can't resolve into a comfortable world-view, or complaining about that
tool not being where they left it.
 Even in a trained mind used to it, memory of things to come from a
natural eddy fled like water down a drain, leaving at most a dampness
worth of good hints. It wasn't common knowledge, but half of deja-vu was
when you actually *had* experienced that moment of life before in one
form or another.
 Ranma was not in the habit of spending half his life trying to convince
himself the other half hadn't happened. This often had the tendency of
leaving him stunned in awe while others went blithely on around him. Or,
in this case, fully aware that he was living part of his life over
again. Bereft of much beyond clues, but aware. And less likely than most
to ignore those clues and repeat his life by rote.
 Even if he did have the feeling that he'd accomplished some sensational
and wonderful things, and might miss the opportunity to do them.
 Ranma was still in girl form, having changed out of her interstellar
diplomat garb fresh from the starship Enterprise, and she was now
dressed as an American tourist. Something beneath Genma's notice as that
latter went about tying his son up in steak, sausages and other meat
over the pit of lions.
 Dr. Where wasted no time. Pointing a new device that it had taken him
weeks to create, Ryoga triggered a beam at the redheaded female...
 ...and she dodged.

 Seconds later, shouldering several people out of her way, the disguised
Hibiki on her return trip watched a six year old Ranma fall into a Lion
Pit. She saw concerned and frightened people, but knew that besides
calling for the zoo keepers no sane person was going to help, especially
by leaping into a pit full of hungry lions. No one, that is, except her.
 But then Ryoga didn't frequently qualify as sane. Homicidal? Yes.
Psychotic? Frequently. Obsessive? Absolutely, to the point of no return
in fact. But sane? No.
 Just as the timelord was about to act and leap to the rescue of the
little boy her eyes bugged and her face flushed white with shock, then
red with anger, as she saw the original Ranma, still disguised as an
American tourist and in girl form, pull herself out over the lip of
another pit.
 Ryoga gritted her teeth. That meant that her trip to hell was for
nothing! That stupid Ranma had just dodged and *pretended* to get hit by
ducking out of sight! The difference between vanishing into another
universe and vanishing because you could hide really well hadn't
occurred to Hibiki!
 Well then, she'd make Ranma pay for THAT TOO!!

 Blue Ranko was prepared to jump into the lion pit after her native self
to save him from mauling when her newly returned combat senses warned
her to duck. She did so and a cute and frilly ladies' parasol whizzed by
where her head had been, daintily drifting on and carving a trench in
the side of a concrete holding wall before twirling back and slapping
back into the palm of a lady in a metallic, new age bodysuit.
 "Ryoga??" Ranko sputtered, momentarily forgetting one thing and
remembering another.
 The lady in the new age bodysuit gaped. "But! But... how do you... HOW
COULD YOU KNOW THAT!!?"
 Ranko adopted a `well duh' expression. "You mean besides the fact that
few people use umbrellas like that and you clash like nobody's business?
A silver bodysuit and a white lace and pink ribbon parasol? Get real. If
you're *going* to crossdress at least try to be less obvious about it."
 Ryoga began simmering, then steaming, and finally got ready to explode
in a monstrous rage. "RANMA! Prepare to..." He had just drawn in breath
to scream his usual battle cry when the world ended.
 Well, that was what it seemed like.
 That may even have been what it was.
 A split opened up in the heavens, standing from the bare ground to the
highest point in the sky. With a sound like a thousand trumpets the
split widened and birthed a silvery armed throng in the millions,
valkyries on winged horses flying air cover and generally frightening to
death half a dozen men with guilty consciences, while filling most of
the park attendees and zoo goers with a kind of wondering awe.
 There came with them a thundering shout that rent the mountains in a
fierce parody of his usual battlecry.
 "RYOGA HIBIKI! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"
 Dr. Where became desperate, dropping his holo-disquise so his
electronics could reserve more power for his defense shield. He knew he
had only seconds if he were to do this and still escape. Abandoning all
pretense of a fair fight he unsheathed a scatter-phasor, leveling it at
Ranko, who was still disguised as a tourist.
 Her eyes went wide.
 Dodging something that was capable of vaporisizing a city block was not
on her list of easy things to do. Not to mention that the entire crowd
of people in the park around her were about to get blown into their
component atoms.
 Ryoga's finger began to squeeze the trigger.
 A bronze-skinned woman with platinum hair led a group of small children
into the beam path directly between them, filling up the timelord's
sights. She sat down upon the low concrete retailing wall and lifted a
tiny Ryoga Hibiki up into her lap. A Mrs. Tendo ushered her own flock up
to join her friend and lifted her own little Akane high into the
springtime air.
 The platinum-haired woman looked up and stared directly down the
timelord's sights, bouncing a six year old Ryoga on her knee, his face
all sticky with candy.
 Urd was goddess of the past and perfectly willing to flaunt that in any
conflict involving time, thank you very much. Going back, making friends
with a few people, offering to take their child to the park and
arranging to meet a new friend and *her* little flock there were child's
play.
 The timelord Dr. Where whimpered as he stared at his own tactic used
against him. How could he destroy himself? How could he... how could he
even THINK of destroying Akane??!?
 His phasor wavered...
 ...and dropped.
 Snarling, Dr. Hibiki snapped his weapon back up to firing position.
This was not the copy of himself that rose to be a timelord! Akane
was... (tremble) Akane was STILL not important as DESTROYING RANMA!!!!!!

 That was when he was struck in the side of the head by a lightning bolt
led by the world's most impressive hammer.
 Thor held out his hand and accepted his returning weapon.
 Blackened with burns and spouting the second largest headache of his
life (the first being Ranma), Dr. Where saw that his equipment was
ruined and realized that he had no time left at all. He sprinted for the
safety of his tardis amid fields of elvish arrows falling down, around,
and through him.
 Then a second hammer-leading-thunderbolt strike blasted the tardis into
small bits of blackened wreckage.
 When the smoke cleared the timelord was gone. Undeterred, the Einheriar
throngs spread out and began to search, as billions of their brethren
all over the Earth were appearing from similar portals to do.
 A Hibiki could get lost better than anyone, but when there was
literally nowhere to hide it cut short the amount of time he could
remain alive regardless of that. The only portals to and from this
incarnation of Earth at this time were those the heroes came in from,
and those were one way, by Divine prerogative.
 There would be no escape, not even for those most elusive of
Kami-sama's foes. He just planned too well, and had a power level
unmatched by anything.
 The Lord of Light had a plan of happiness laid out for all his
children. Those who followed it would inevitably wind up with all those
things that were necessary for their great and lasting joy and gladness.

 Those who opposed it were, pretty much by definition, evil.
 Attempts to satisfy vain ambition, pride, hate, or a desire to feed
your appetites without regard for the cost to others were all *swift*
ways to wind up opposed to the plan of the Eternal Father of Heaven.
 On that thought all attention was brought back to the lion pit as a
small boy cried out in pain.
 Frey leapt in to save the boy.
 An augmented lion swung a paw that would have decapitated the divinity
before he even knew that he was in significant danger, except a long
ribbon snaked down from the sidewall above and caught the lion's paw
mid-swing, stopping it before surprise could cost Frey his life.
 Ranko was on the other end of that ribbon and soon she and Thor leapt
in to the aid of Frey. Ranko swiftly discovered the amulets' power and
disabled them, allowing the trio to retrieve the child without being
slaughtered by all of the great cats.
 It was during the middle of this that a young Mrs. Saotome came running
up to join her friends at their planned outing. Seeing where their
attention was she followed their gazes into the pit.
 When the trio of adults jumped clear of the threshing mass of lions,
Blue Ranko cradling her badly wounded six year old self, they
immediately confronted Genma. But it was the shouted cry of the young
Ranma in his older double's arms that landed the most telling blow.
 "Pops, why did ya gotta throw me in there with the food? Weren't the
kitties angry enough? Why did ya starve `em ta throw me in? Huh?"
 Nodoka came stalking around the circular pit with a fury rarely seen by
anything human. The Einheriar winced at some of the things she did to
Genma.
 For those of you who didn't know, the Einheriar were heroes who fought
to the death daily for thousands of years, being killed numberless times
in training to prepare them for this war. They were without fear, immune
to pain, and generally considered above the ordinary discomforts of a
battle against multitudes of demonic creations.
 While fully deserved, some of what Nodoka did to her husband actually
caused some of them to blanch.
 Some of the women, the ones without children to hustle out of the park,
began to shout encouragement and suggestions.
 Genma's death was officially attributed to a `training accident.' It
was even substantially true. Genma wouldn't have died if he hadn't tried
to flee...
 ...right across the Lion Pit.
 Divine Justice really *could* get amusing sometimes.

 Urd met up with Blue Ranko when the latter was unable to watch any
longer and had edged away. Urd caught Ranko's arm and led her behind a
tree where the screams weren't so bad.
 Urd was concerned.
 "Frey didn't fall." She whispered in awed tones.
 "Huh?"
 Urd was still blinking several times in wonder. "Frey didn't fall." She
repeated.  "You don't understand. We're *never* wrong about things like
that. Frey was to be the first of us to fall in the battle of Ragnorak."
A smile was finding its way to her lips, still accompanied by wonder.
"And he didn't."
 "Excuse me," Ranko blinked. "Do I know you?"
 Urd nodded. "Urd, goddess second class, limited, Cupid of Love and Norn
of the Past. I'm Belldandy's sister, if you'll remember." She put
fingers to the base of her throat, thinking aloud. "My sisters and I
have *never* been wrong about the Fates. That's what we *do* as Norns!"
 Completely lost in thought, the goddess splashed Ranko with a bucket of
hot water, fitted herself to the restored boy's side, and began absently
feeling his chest. She didn't *mean* anything particular by it (although
she *did* like him), this was just an aid as she organized her thoughts.

 Ranma found himself encircled about by one of the cuddliest people in
the multiverse.
 She mused aloud. "How could we be wrong? Okay, at first it was pretty
silly. A bunch of the guys just wanted to come to us and have us say
they'd get to continue to drink and party forever. They were pretty
shocked when we told them they were fated to die, and where. People were
so upset *everybody* in Asgard were soon trying to confirm their own
immortality. But we weren't able to tell *anyone* they'd live through
it. Father did some work on his own, so we knew what was to happen. And
Balder died according to schedule. Aegir met *his* fate, killed by Loki
at his own feast. A feast he'd given and *invited* Loki to just to prove
us wrong."
 Urd grabbed Ranma's cheeks and stared into his eyes, still basically
figuring it out herself, but finding him too convenient a prop for
emphasizing the seriousness of it to.
 "*Every* other thing we've been called upon to predict has come true.
Even that farmer who was told he'd be killed at home by the skull of his
own horse, who buried the animal and sailed away. He vowed never to
return and we were all kinda glad, we didn't *want* things like that
fulfilled. But that guy met his fate anyway." Her voice went low and she
looked away. "You can't imagine how depressing that was."
 Urd's gaze returned to Ranma and she began poking him in the chest. "So
why didn't Frey die like we'd predicted? Huh? This *is* the battle where
it was fated."
 "Uh," Ranma hedged. "Maybe somebody introduced a random element?"
 Urd sat in his lap with crossed arms. "There *aren't* any random
elements. It would take Father Himself to..."
 Ranma could *see* the lightbulb go on over her head.
 "THAT was why He didn't punish Loki!!!" Urd slammed a finger into the
boy's chest. Then slid so close they were practically sharing shirts.
"When Loki killed Aegir he was to have been punished. We were all ready
to do it. But Loki was only destined to be chained to that mountain in
torment for a *certain number of years!* But we'd never predicted the
start date of that! He hasn't even *been* chained there yet!" Urd was
bouncing and giggling now, her arms incidentally clasped behind Ranma's
neck.
 She dragged his head close again. "Don't you see? Father put that off
so He would have time to change things. He even set up the world-tree
system to keep the violence down while he plotted. By not punishing Loki
He put the countdown time on hold, and with sufficient time to prepare
even *we* could arrange something! And NOBODY plots better than Father!"

 Urd smothered the boy with a kiss. When she let him up for air she told
him. "All this time we've been thinking there was no avoiding Ragnorak.
All this time *Father* was working *TOWARD* avoiding it! And none of us
even knew how! He's arranged something! Oh, I wish I knew what it was."
 She sat back in his lap, arms still clasped behind his neck, but
leaning back to give him room while she pondered. The screams had long
since ended and there were once again passers by. One of them stopped
and shouted at the couple to get a room.
 Ranma blushed scarlet.
 Urd grinned and grabbed his hand, teleporting off and landing the pair
of them before Thor. She whispered in the redhaired thunder God's ear.
 "Uh, sure." The figure of musclebound might rumbled. He waved a hand
idly. "You're married."
 "WHAT??!?!!"
 Urd whispered in her husband's ear. "Aw, isn't that sweet, Ranma? Look,
an actual deity has proclaimed us married. But it's Ragnorak, the Final
Battle, surely you don't mind. It's not like we'll have time to regret
it or anything..." She began nibbling his ear.
 Ranma could've swallowed a golf ball with ease in the gulp he gave.

 The Timelord Dr. Where stumbled into a mist-shrouded valley. Getting
hit by one of the mightiest thunderbolts in creation had burnt out an
entire suite of super technological defense items guaranteed to protect
against things on the level of a direct nuclear blast.
 Dr. Where would have been pasted as well were it not for the fact that
he had kept up his training. Still, there was no way he was living
through *that* again, or anything even close to it.
 The mist partially hid him, but he could see Einheriar moving through
the vapor around him. Getting blasted had burnt out all his cybernetics
as well, which included his inertial navigator. For once he was glad,
getting lost had prolonged his life better than any deliberate evasive
pattern could have done.
 But it was not to last.
 Nearby in the fog a voice spoke up. "Oh! Sirs! Must leave fog, and
swiftly! I show you training ground in morning, okay sirs? Very many
people what drown here. You no want go walking around, sirs. Ahhh!! What
you doing!??"
 Some of the Einheriar waded waist-deep into the pools and began
searching them.
 The dead cannot drown.
 Tigers, sprites, faeries, homicidal lunatics, superheroes, and all
other sorts of things up to and including gods can at least symbolically
be drowned. Spirits, while you can lock them up in stone, imprison them
in the deep, and subject them to space, they are pretty much indifferent
to it. They cannot drown.
 That which cannot drown cannot be cursed by Jusenkyo.
 There was the sound of the Guide locking himself up in his hut, finally
having noticed that his visitors were glowing.
 Ryoga died in Jusenkyo that night. There was nowhere else to hide.
 For some reason no one was prepared to believe the `I'm just a cute
little pig' act.

*****
Heaven

 Urd, wedding ring on finger, aggressively nuzzled Ranma, kissing him
with the frantic need of someone too used to starving, or expecting
lonesome times to come.
 "Does it really have to be like this?" Ranma asked when he finally had
air.
 Belldandy cuddled his chest. "Father never asks anything without the
best of all reasons. It will be alright."
 Urd sniffed a tear, looking cute and girlish. She withdrew a potion
from her blouse and handed it to him. "You need to reenter the
timestream, darling. When you do, you can't remember any of this. This,
for us, is the past. But when you catch up with our present, we will
find you." She body-slammed him into an impressive hug, saying in his
ear. "And you will remember all about us."
 Grimly nodding, Ranma slugged down the potion.


To be continued....

************************************************
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Author's Notes:

 Work had stalled on this when it occurred to me that I was working on
page thirty, and already had an *excellent* cut-off point.

 The more comments I receive on this one the faster the next one gets
out, I promise you.

 BTW, the passage of time in one universe does not necessarily mean
anything to any other. Even time travel, while it can muck up the place
you do it in quite badly, has little to no effect on others worlds until
and unless they connect for some reason. Like sending someone from one
to the other.

 As for Ranma, I really haven't made up my mind yet about whether being
drawn backward along his personal timestream would undo the effect of
his being split in two. It really should, but then again I'm in a sortuv
funky mood, so who knows?