"Flight 1138 from Metropolis is now debarking. Thank you for flying Japan Airlines!" the female voice sing-songed over the intercom.

Clark glared at the speaker. "I definitely don't like international flights like this," he said.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Well, we all can't be Superman and fly under our power!" she said pointedly while glancing over at the passenger next to her that was grabbing her luggage.

"Um, right. You don't think Mom is going to have a problem dealing with the twins, do you?" he asked.

"They said they'd be happy to deal with the Jane and Mary for a week or so. And we should be back by then." The winsome reporter smiled at her husband. "Besides, they raised you. I think they can handle their grandchildren for a while."

"Well, they are getting older. And those two are quite a handful at times," he replied.

"They're perfectly normal kids. I'm sure she'll have them in the play pen watching TV while she knits or whatever she's got as a project this year." Lois was finally able to grab her luggage. She made a show of heaving them, even though for her, they were almost weightless.

"So, any idea where we can find this mysterious flying girl?" Clark asked as he 'worked' to lift his own carry-on luggage.

"Nerima. That's one of the areas of the city to the northwest. Used to be its own city or town, but got swallowed up by the greater Tokyo metropolitan area." Lois led them off the airport and to customs so they could be processed. As soon as they finished there, they hailed a taxi to take them to the motel they were staying at in that area of town.

"I have no idea how Perry expects us to find one lone girl like that in a foreign city," he finally said as they emptied their luggage. 

"Well, that's why he pay us the big bucks. We are his best team of reporters!" she said with a smirk on her face.

 Gretchen followed Lex and Leonard quietly, her mind working overtime. She listened very attentively. Behind them were two of Lex's body guards from Mexico.

 "She just arrived in the last week or so. She hasn't given anyone a name, real or super-heroic. She may be related to that Queen of Li-am thing that was in the news," the blond-haired man explained. "But if she can fly, dragging a panda from mainland China seems... odd."

 "Put your ear to the ground with the poachers. Maybe she's been using her powers in such a manner. That might give us a lever to use her," Luthor commanded. "Most likely she could not fly at that point."

 "Another one like those GI Jane and Ultra Woman dames, eh?" he replied. Luthor's eyes glinted dangerously. "Something like that."

 "Well, it seems like this girl is active in just one of the local wards or boroughs of the city. Place named Nerima. No heavy industries to speak of, just homes and such out there. Overgrown bedroom community."

 "Well, then that's where we'd better be off to, isn't it?" Lex said scathingly.

"Wait!" Gretchen suddenly said, looking off to the left. The wall was quite engrossing, it seemed. "There's some security on their way. Duck in here!"  She popped open a locked door with snap of broken metal. They filed into the room quickly. She held the door closed.

Leonard blinked as he noted the broken doorframe, but was silent at Luthor's harsh glare.

"We will have the foreigner Lex Luthor soon. With him deported back to America to stand trial, my advancement in the government will be secure!" a man's voice said from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Mr. Hygien!" another voice replied.

Lex waited just a few minutes. "Leonard? Make sure he's sleeping with the fishes by this evening. Then find his boss and explain that I do not like being messed with."

"Yes, Boss!"

Ranma whistled as he walked home from the store. Ami had asked if he could get some extra groceries and he'd agreed with alacrity to be alone for a while. Up ahead he saw Akane's friend Yuka talking to a foreigner couple.

"My Engrish is good! Questions you ask?" Yuka said in a twitter.

"Yes, we're reporters-" the tall man said.

"Report? My Engrish report got B+!" she enthused right back. She was obviously falling into the normal pastime of any semi-competent English speaker in Japan, practicing her English on some hapless Americans.

"Look, kiddo, we're looking for that flying girl from the papers," the woman suddenly said with an overtone of aggravation.

Yuka concentrated on the words. "Super Girl?"

"Yeah!" Lois Lane-Kent snapped out.

"Oh, she fought Kuno Tatewaki! Boom! Crash!" the schoolgirl continued. "Fountain still... groke? Smashed!"

Ranma just casually watched from a distance, minimizing his aura so that he was less obtrusive. Even from this distance, he was getting a bad feeling from both of the Americans. Nothing definite, but he felt it was better to keep his distance.

"Where was that?" Lois asked interestedly, even as her husband looked off in the distance toward the nearby school.

"Furinkan High School over there!" Yuka said, pointing in the direction of the school. "Furinkan strange, but fun!"

"Strange, miss? What do you mean?" Clark asked curiously.

"Weeeeridos and kooooks! And Saotome Ranma!" she squealed in abject adoration.

Lois sighed. "Saotome Ranma?" Probably just her latest infatuation.

"Ranma know martial arts-? Martial arts! Very, very good! Throw-?" Yuka looked stumped for a minute, then took an approximation of a martial arts stance, hands cupped in front of her. "Eagle Air Strike!" she yelled out in Japanese while pushing her cupped hands out. "Kuno go boom right through Furinkan wall! Like video games!"

Clark, in perfect Japanese, asked in shock, "He threw a martial arts attack that blasted some kid right through a wall?"

"Yeah! Kuno wasn't even really hurt! And then he came back out and all of them fought super-fast! It was like the latest high-budget martial arts flick!" Yuka exclaimed, forgetting her 'Engrish' for a moment. 

"So this girl goes to school here?" Lois asked in passable Japanese.

"No, she just showed up and fought Kuno to a standstill!" the schoolgirl exclaimed.

"Kuno Tatewaki? That's the boy who was barred from athletic competitions because he bought an Ultra Enhancement, right?" Lois asked suddenly. The new of the super powered, even mundane sounding this like this, were always of interest to her and Clark.

"Yeah! Somehow he got the American Ultra Soldier power! He was amazing! I could barely see him! But the girl was even faster and stronger! And then Rising Sun showed up! At our school, can you imagine?"

"So I understand. You've had a very exciting week, I take it?" Clark asked as he scribbled a note on his notepad.

"Very!"

Ranma slipped off at that point. Those Americans seemed like they were going to be some trouble, he thought as he started to hop from roof to roof on his way back to the Tendo Dojo. He might have to do something to protect his 'secret' identity. Maybe a helmet or mask. That Ultrawoman wore a mask, so that might work.

Clark blinked in surprise as he saw a young man hopping across the rooftops on his way somewhere with some groceries. Something looked odd with his jumps, he thought. He wasn't damaging the roofs with his thirty-foot jumps. It was oddly a bit like that ninja he had fought years ago.

Lois said goodbye to Yuka and then turned to her distracted husband. "Seeing something interesting?"

"You remember that ninja that Superman fought?" Clark asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup!"

"What would you think of someone that may be even better at super-martial arts than that?"

Lois blinked at that. "Better? Didn't that guy cut Superman?"

"Well, I think that was a magic knife or something, but yeah."

"Then I'd say that could be a little dangerous," she replied cautiously.

Leonard glanced over at Lex's personal bully-boy that he had following him around right now. "So Ingrid didn't have any information about that girl being involved in anyone that sells poached animal parts, so that was a bust. I guess we have to find that girl the hard way."

Sancho just shrugged. "I'm just along to help out."

"Right. Well, I have some unpublished photos that some kid took at that high school she first appeared at," he said.

Sancho looked over at the photos as he was stuck in traffic for just a moment. "Who's the other girl there?"

"No one important," Leonard said.

"Hmm. Just thought that she might know about this super-chica." Sancho just shut up and drove. While not stupid, his forte was in hitting or shooting things.

"That is not a bad idea. Pull over here. This is the Kuno residence. That kid that is banned from the kendo leagues that bought an Ultra Enhancement. From the main offices, right?"

"Sorry, can't say," Sancho said levelly. His flat gaze made Leonard flinch.

The car pulled up in front of the gate and the two men walked up to it. They entered the grounds and walked up to the traditional Japanese mansion. A really short servant led them into a basement practice area, where Kuno was in meditation.

Leonard and Sancho shared a quick look. Plastered all over one wall were huge pictures of the girl they were interested in. "Kuno Tatewaki?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, foreigner. Why do you intrude yourself into my humble domicile?" the young man asked pompously.

"Nice looking girl there. Your girlfriend?" he asked casually.

"It is fore ordained that Tendo Akane and I be one!" he said loudly, pompously and yet somehow with dignity.

"Really? By the way, about that girl you fought..." Leonard asked softly.

"Yes?" Kuno put on airs of being bored.

"Lex Corp. would be interested in possibly paying for any information you might have about her. Say where she lived, how to get a hold of her. Who her friends are. That sort of thing. We might even be able to reimburse you for a significant amount of the fee you payed for your, um, training you underwent in our La Viva Mexico Facility."

"Hmm. She is truly a fiery haired goddess, fiercely protective. Unfortunately, I know nothing of this diva, though I, in truth, do wish to learn more myself." The young man's eyes were enrapt with some unseen vision of loveliness.

"She just showed up out of nowhere? I was hoping that she might at least know someone here," Leonard asked.

"Nay... Wait! She did know of my sweetheart, Tendo Akane! She spoke by name and later departed with her. So it is possible that she knows of my one, true love!"

Leonard and Sancho shared a quick look. "Thanks, Mr. Kuno. I'll talk to my boss about this deal."

It was finally Saturday and Ranma was going to be leaving in just a few hours for a military base where he would get flown to the United States. For some testing on his girl-side's super powers. But for now, Ranma and Akane were just walking home silently. An uncomfortable silence had grown between them.

Akane finally broke the quiet. "I wish I could go with you."

Ranma grimaced. "I don't. I'm not a big fan of doctors. Most of 'em are quacks."

She smiled wistfully at him. "But it's a grand adventure. I've never been further than the beach or the mountains on vacation. And you've been to China and you're going to the U.S."

"Adventure is way over rated," he explained. He was starting to get a bit jittery. Something was going to happen soon.

With a bang, fireworks suddenly launched into the air, grabbing everyone's attention as they rocketed off. Billowing smoke obscured the area for just a few seconds.

Ranma heard the sound of a van door being slid open, even as it screamed danger to him. He started to crouch when a man in an all black commando type outfit blurred through the smoke at them. The crackle of his tazer was covered by the cracks and pops of firecrackers. The martial artist was hardy and tough, but the jolt through the tazer was designed to stop large men, not slight young ones.

With no effort, the commando-garbed man tossed the two, stunned, young adults into the van with casual super-strength.

"Drive, Leonard. We got what we came for," Sancho said as he started to tie the two martial artists up with quick ties from the American Police. The high tech kevlar and plastic zipps could hold anyone but a heavily enhanced individual. It was used to keep military and ex-military rowdies under control.

"Thank you for the tea, Miss Tendo," Clark said politely. "Your hospitality is very endearing to us."

Lois just listened as Clark made small talk. This was the so-called 'secret' training facility that the special ops she had heard some rumors about? It didn't really seem that special. Everything was "clean", except for a single medical case up in one of the bed-rooms. It looked like it was the sort used to carry medical radioactive materials around. And quite worn, so was probably just a coincidence that it happened to have enough lead in it to block X-ray vision.

"You are more than welcome, Mr. Kent. I still don't see why you are so interested in my sister Akane though," Kasumi said politely.

"We're reporters, actually. Nothing official. We just want to ask her some questions about Tokyo's latest heroine," Lois interjected.

"And you think Akane knows her?" the eldest Tendo daughter asked thoughtfully. These reporters were right on target with their investigation.  How to distract them from Ranma?

"I'm home!" Nabiki called out as she walked into the house and kicked off her shoes. "Oh, hey Sis! Hello!" she said as bowed to the strangers. "More people wanting training from Dad?"

Lois and Clark bowed right back without standing up. "No, were here to talk to Akane Tendo."

"Aren't they home already?" Nabiki asked, obviously surprised. "They left an hour ago."

Kasumi blinked. "An hour?" She checked her watch. "Ranma is going to miss his flight if he doesn't leave soon." She stood up. "I apologize, but I better go out looking for them." She walked out the door.

Clark frowned. "What do you think?" he asked his wife.

"I think something is up and we'd better go out and check ourselves. My reporter's sense is tingling," she replied with a grin.

They walked out of the house and scouted around for about ten minutes before spotting Kasumi talking to some kids.

"So someone set up a fireworks display here?" she asked the local boy.

Hiroshi nodded. "Yeah. It was pretty good. Much better than the science club normally does, really."

"Oh? The science club set it up?" she asked back as she went and rummaged around in the coffee cans.

"Naw, they said they were planning a stink bomb for tomorrow. Except for Fuchi. He's still going on about making a landmine. He's nuts though."

Diasuke piped up. "Yeah. He's always complaining about the restrictions on buying high explosives."

Lois and Clark walked up to Kasumi and the kids.

"I've got a cousin that's into fireworks, maybe I could help you with that?" Lois asked, holding out her hand.

"Ah. Of course." Kasumi seemed out of sorts. She handed over the device.

"Pretty melted," Lois noted. "I think that's a Mitsu-Lex trigger. You said some kids made this?" she asked Diasuke.

"Nope. No one's claimed they did it. Which is odd, as usually it's bragging rights to do something this big. There was so much smoke and flashes you couldn't even see ten feet in front of you!" Diasuke frowned as he thought about it. "Maybe it was a rival school. But it probably would have done something messy."

"Mitsu-Lex? That's a military company, isn't it?" Clark asked.

"Owned by one Lex Luthor in totality." Lois shared a look with Clark. Lex Luthor had his claws into this too? That was not a good sign.

Kasumi pulled out her pager. "Oh. Look at the time. I have to go."

"Work, of course." Lois turned to Clark. "That ties in with the rumors that some of Lex's bully boys were noising around-"

BOOOOOM! went something as it broke the sound barrier over Nerima.

"What the hell? Rising Sun never causes that big of a commotion!" Hiroshi said, looking around frantically.

"Control, link me to OZ. I have a critical situation," Rising Sun said as she flew faster than she'd ever tried before. Wisps of high energy plasma were covering her head and shoulders.

"Repeat that, Rising Sun. You are breaking up!" Jade Garden control said over the radio. Jade Garden was Japan's version of America's OZ Control.  Housed deep under Tokyo in a nuclear proof bomb shelter, it was the most deep and covert military installation of the JSDF.

Rising Sun almost couldn't hear them over the interference. A sensor on her helmet was signaling a large increase in heat, even as she realized that the very air was burning out of her way. The plasma storm subsided subsided as she left the atmosphere.

"Repeat, Rising Sun, can you hear me?" Jade Garden called again.

"Yes, I can hear you. I need a link to OZ now. I believe two people have been kidnapped due to an Ultra situation."

"Roger that! You rattled a lot of windows in Nerima taking off like that.  You even managed to break your speed record too. MACH 4.34 with that stunt in the atmosphere. Now you are leveling off at 800 gravities acceleration in outer space," the operator said. "Connecting you to OZ."

"This is OZ Control, Rising Sun. What is the situation?" a new, female voice called out.

"Rising Sun here. Get me General Winston. And tell him Dr. Newtrich's patient may have been kidnapped by Lex Luthor."

General Winston trotted into OZ Control in just moments. "That was exactly what she said?" 

"Yes, sir." Rows of computers and screens filled OZ Control, where over a dozen men and woman worked around the clock on super-strength fast-reacting keyboards for all superhuman events in the world of the Ultra Military of today.

Winston pulled out his cell phone and hit a code then dialed a number. "GI Jane should be here shortly. This is a serious matter."

"GI Jane is en route from Ultra Test in Maryland. She'll be here in five minutes, sir."

"Put me on with Rising Sun now," the general ordered.

"One second, General. Rising Sun, you need to slow down. You are going to fast to reenter the atmosphere safely. I repeat, slow down for reentry," the radar operator called out loudly.

"Roger!" Rising Sun confirmed. She hated to slow down, but even as powerful as she was, she would not survive that.

"Captain Meyers! Thank you for allowing us on your ship in such a... quiet fashion," Lex Luthor said as he slid down the ladder into the nuclear submarine the USS Salt Lake City. "You are doing your country a great service, though one that is a bit on the gray side of legality." He turned around to help down the two comatose teenagers from Gretchen.

"Exactly why are you wanting to get these two kids out of Japan?" Meyers asked worriedly.

"I believe they are linked to critical information about the Ultra Soldier project. In fact, they may be our only contact with a Japanese national that we believe stole critical information about advancements that haven't even been made Ultra Top Secret," Luthor lied with aplomb. "While Japan may be our allies, if they have stolen our advancements for the next decade, America might become the backwater of the Ultra Enhancement Program.

Especially if the rumors that they destroyed all of our copies are true."

"You're not kidding? Oh, crap." Meyers just gulped as he let that sink in.  "Don't worry. We'll be under way to that Honolulu in just few minutes."

"I've arranged to be transferred in ten hours to my private ship. You will be able to keep the crew from catching on that I am here? Technically, I am a fugitive of the law-"

"Those trumped up charges won't be listened to here, sir. You have basically helped make sure the Navy is going to be here and not gutted over the military cuts." Meyers led them to an already cleared officer's bunk room.  "I'll bring your meals myself."

"Of course. Thank you. By the way, Captain, how is Lisa these days?" Lex asked in an overly casual tone of voice.

"She's doing better after her latest chemotherapy. The doctor have high hopes that her Leukemia will finally go into remission."

"I just hope that the treatment that Luthor Medical Industries pioneered doesn't keep getting bogged down in paperwork. Too many other people need the help that your daughter is getting," Lex said with convincing sincerity.

"Yes. Of course." A haunted look crossed the Commander's eyes. "I'll handle everything on my end."

"Thank you very much, Commander," Luthor said with a smirk as the door closed. He turned to Gretchen. "Are they still out?"

"Like babies. They won't wake up until we are on the The Retreat. Then we can be back in Nueva Loredo just a day or so later," Gretchen said as soon a Meyer's was out of earshot. "You are such a creep."

"I'm going to live forever. I think my conscious can handle a few qualms."