Interface - A Ranma 1/2 / Matrix Fanfic Crossover
Chapter Four
Authored by XStylus (Troy Alan Williams)
Begun on: 10-25-99
Revisions made on: N/A
Special thanks to prereader Kevin D. Hammel
Please see Chapter One for disclaimers, all of which
apply to this chapter and all forthcoming chapters
unless otherwise noted.
Got comments? Let's hear em'!
Please visit www.sofaspud.org and send comments to XStylus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the navigational deck, Tank was looking over
several charts on his screen trying to plot several possible
courses through several impossible corridors.
"Tank..." Neo called as he climbed up a short ladder to the
deck.
"I've brought the ship just outside the corridor. It'll be
tough trying to fly this barge through those shafts..."
"We're not going to stay. Just get me a look."
"Yeah, well I still don't like it. Let's get this over with."
Tank carefully piloted the Nebuchadnezzar up a cramped
shaft which led to the matrix habitat, a cluster filled with
people all wired into the matrix.
"Easy does it baby..." Tank muttered as the ship escalated
up the shaft, narrowed by thousands of rows of body vats.
"What's that up there?" Neo asked, pointing to what
appeared to be a rather normal body vat, with the exception of
a large amount of wires and tubes interconnected into it and to
the empty vat to the left of it.
"That must be the experiment." Tank deduced.
"That empty vat to the left with all the wires... was that
Ranma's?"
"Yep."
"Why's the vat to the right of it empty too?"
"Let's see..." Tank mumbled as he scrolled through several
files. "That was Akane's."
"Huh. Nice coincidence." Neo mused. "Get us in closer."
Tank keyed in several commands into the computer, and
the ship responded accordingly as it moved closer to the vats
in question.
"Didn't we get a list of coordinates from the matrix info
node?" Neo asked.
"Hang on..." Tank keyed up another view screen which
recalled a small amount of data.
"A project in progress at-... Neo, these coordinates match
these vats here." Tank read. "It lists a critical component lost...
more coordinates..."
"Yeah, yeah... what component?" Neo impatiently asked.
"Cool it, will ya? I'm working on it!" Tank stressfully
shouted. "There we go. Let's see... wait a-... these are
coordinates to Ranma's vat!"
"Ranma was part of some experiment?"
"Hold the phone, there's coordinates for a replacement
here... and it's that guy right there." Tank pointed to the vat
above the 'experimental' vat.
"Looks like they haven't rewired their 'replacement' yet.
Think we can find him?" Neo asked.
"Heh... good luck. You don't even know who you're
looking for."
"The proverbial needle in a haystack, right?" Neo
questioned. "Let's get the hell outta here."
"I hear that."
Tank quickly plotted a return course down the habitat.
"Patch me into the matrix info node again. I want to know
what this damned experiment is about." Neo said as he
situated himself into one of the interface chairs.
"You got it." Tank replied. "Hey Neo... should we tell
Ranma about this?"
"Let's not give her anything else to worry about. Work on
figuring out what we're dealing with first." Neo answered. "I
wonder what Akane's part in this is though..."
"She's probably a farm body." Tank muttered flatly.
"What's that?" Neo questioned.
Tank gave Neo a strange look. "You don't know?"
~~~
Once again, the agents found another poor soul to
harass as they questioned the man in their dreary colored
interrogation room. The agents remained poker faced as usual,
yet the man being questioned remained calm and collected, as
if he'd been through this before.
"We know you to be an acquaintance of this perpetrator.
Any help you could give us would be... ...appreciated."
"You can have what's left after I'm done with him." the
man said with a venomous voice.
"I'm sorry?"
"I never would have believed that Ranma would go so low
as to conspire with terrorists..." the man's fist turned white as
he clenched it tightly.
"He needs to be brought to justice, along with his terrorist
co-conspirators."
"I'll see to his 'justice' personally. Please, don't be harsh on
Akane. Ranma must have somehow pressured her into-..."
"I'm not authorized to make any guarantees. Tell me, am I
correct in assuming that you have a dispute with the
perpetrator?"
"You could say that. If I ever come across him... ...he's
good as dead." To punctuate his point, the man slammed his
clenched fist into his palm.
"I see..." the agent mused. "You're enrolled with our
experimental program, are you not?"
"I think so... why?"
"One of my associates was seriously injured recently in the
line of duty."
"What's that got to do with me?"
The agent gave a rare smile. "Mr. Hibiki, would you be
interested in a job?"
~~~
"Okay... they're in." Tank said as he activated a special
sparring construct exclusively for Ranma and Akane. "They
won't be out for a while."
"Good. This is stuff they don't need to hear quite yet."
Morpheus muttered. "Now... what's this I hear about a
weapon?"
"I haven't seen all the data yet, but from what I do know,
Ranma was a surrogate mind for a human weapon they're
constructing." Neo paused to allow the shock of such an idea
set in. "They were using her mind to keep the body alive while
they engineered an AI mind for it."
"Wait a minute... how did they do that without killing
Ranma's real body?" Trinity asked.
"Her mind controlled the vital functions of both bodies. It
looks like they went to some trouble to keep her alive." Neo
explained.
"Why?"
"Simple... why waste a perfectly good farm body?" Tank
answered.
"A farm body?! That's the LAST thing we need on this
ship." Trinity remarked.
"Akane's in the same boat too." Tank muttered. "Of that, I
am certain. I'm not so sure about Ranma though. I haven't
checked, but I wouldn't place bets against it."
"Two of 'em?! Aww shit..." Trinity cursed.
"What's the problem?" Neo asked.
Trinity glanced at Neo with a haunted look.
"He doesn't know, Trin." Tank muttered.
"Know what? Someone please tell me what the hell I'm
missing here!" Neo exclaimed.
"I think I left a program running..." Tank said.
"I'm gonna go grab some food..." Trinity added.
"I think it's time for Ranma and Akane's next lesson."
Morpheus mumbled. The three quickly departed Neo's
company.
"Aww, c'mon! What gives?!" Neo shouted.
~~~
The same agents that had been harassing Ryoga earlier
that day were on a warpath. Next on their list of people-to-
push-around were the occupants of Nerima's epicenter of chaos,
the Tendo dojo. Genma and Soun were in a heated argument
with the agents within moments after the agents arrived.
"Lies! My son would never dishonor our family and our Art
by allying himself with terrorists!" Genma ranted.
"Your son has already committed a murder, Mister Saotome.
An innocent bystander was needlessly killed by them during our
attempt to apprehend a known terrorist." the first agent
explained.
"Akane Tendo obstructed our agent just as we were about
to arrest the terrorist, and Ranma Saotome launched an attack
at our agent. His attack missed and struck a defenseless
office secretary instead." the second agent elaborated.
Kasumi, overhearing the conversation, knew that their
story didn't add up, plus it screamed in total unbelievability.
Ranma missing his target was unlikely. Ranma striking an
innocent bystander was impossible, let alone a -female-
bystander.
Nabiki was at a total loss. She knew her potential
brother-in-law and her sister were being railroaded, but in this
case she truly didn't know where to begin. Her contacts
usually revolved around money. Enough money could buy off
government officers, but the secret service was notorious for
unyielding determination.
"I don't believe you! There's something you're not telling
us!" Soun retorted.
"We have told you all that you need to hear." the first agent
said.
"Should they return, you are expected to contact us
immediately. We will be in the area." the second agent added.
"Get out. GET OUT!" Soun raged.
As the two agents made their way to the exit, they caught a
glance at Nabiki and Kasumi. The agents stared at them
blankly for several moments, making both Tendo daughters
quite nervous.
Nabiki recognized the glance and shuddered, realizing
from her own experience what it signified. The two agents
were assessing herself and her sister for purposes she refused
to even begin to speculate.
~~~
Morpheus, linked into the interface chair along with Ranma
and Akane, coughed a small amount of blood.
"Morpheus!" Tank, who was previously distracted, focused
his attention on his console as he quickly pushed 'abort'.
Within moments Morpheus, Ranma, and Akane awoke from
the practice construct.
Morpheus coughed. "Ugh... feel better now, I hope?" He
asked of the two.
"Yes, much." Akane venomously answered in a tone usually
reserved for Ranma, usually with mallet in hand.
Tank noticed a wistful grin on Ranma's face as he
unplugged her from the construct interface.
"That's a relief." Morpheus moaned as Tank unplugged him
as well.
"What happened in there?" Tank asked.
"The jump program." Morpheus answered.
"Okay, that would explain why they'd be pissed... but what
happened to -you-?" Tank inquired.
Morpheus walked over to Tank's console and placed a
password on the record of what happened in the construct.
"Don't tell me -you- fell..." Tank pondered the thought for a
moment. "C'mon, it can't be that embarrassing."
Morpheus remained briefly silent, a silence to be broken by
a suggestion to Ranma and Akane.
"I won't tell if you won't." Morpheus redirected his attention
to Tank. "We were just letting out a little healthy frustration, Tank.
It's long story. I'll tell you later."
"But..."
"Bring us up to broadcast depth. We're going in."
~~~
C:> Zion data core juncture three online. Access code?
"Neo, five zero omega, seven two beta, zero four gamma."
C:> Recognized. Awaiting authorization code.
"Spoon."
C:> Accepted. Command?
"Search data retrieved from MIN regarding experiment
2501."
C:> Parameters of search?
"Incorporate all information available about experiment
2501 and compile a report."
C:> Standby... ... ... report completed.
Experiment 2501. No description available.
Objective: Zion/Human command ship infiltration via
placement of AI hidden operative.
Progress: Several previous attempts at this experiment
were unsuccessful, due to the experiment body rendering itself
'brain dead' during the mind reconstruction procedures.
In later experiments this was resolved by binding a normal
human mind with the experimental body while the AI mind was
being constructed separately in the background. Steps can
be taken to prevent the 'brain death' of the donor mind's body
during this procedure with minimal difficulty. This is a
preferred method, as it eliminates the need to painstakingly
purge the experiment body of the donor mind since it is easier
to simply transfer the mind back to it's original body. This also
does not waste valuable human resources. However, this
leaves the link between the donor mind and experiment body
vulnerable to interference.
One such vulnerability was encountered when the donor
mind interacted with another project. At that time the AI mind
was at a sufficient state that it could maintain the experiment
body during the interruption, however further construction on
the AI mind could not continue until the link was
reestablished. The link was eventually reestablished shortly,
but from that point on the link was subject to random
interruption.
The donor mind was eventually removed from the matrix,
causing further delays of the experiment. However, a new
donor mind was shortly found, and progress resumed. At the
current rate of progress, completion is expected within two
cycles.
C:> Command?:
"Search for identity information on the new donor."
C:> Standby... ... ... initiating M.atrix I.nformation N.ode
back- orifice protocol... completed. Searching... ... ... search
successful. Warning, search parameters are under encryption.
Decryption protocol initiated. Estimated time: 23.1 minutes.
"Search for more information related to the other project."
C:> Searching... ... ... search successful.
Project 1701 (Abandoned): The Jusenkyo Project...
~~~
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Matrix
express. Please fasten your seatbelts, we shall be departing the
station shortly. All aboard!" Tank initiated the Matrix
interface, linking Morpheus, Ranma, and Akane into the world
they once called their life.
The three ended up at a small lobby payphone at a closed
hotel within walking distance of Ranma and Akane's
hometown, Nerima. The phone, the only thing without
multiple layers of dust, rang as the three got their bearings on
their location.
Morpheus, wearing his usual super-formal 'gonna-change-
the-world-and-be-home-in-time-for-cornflakes' attire, took a
moment to don his frameless sunglasses and adjust his tie,
both of which strangely seemed to only add to the aggressive
fashion statement his leather jacket presented.
Morpheus casually walked up to the payphone and
answered it. "We're in. All clear." he spoke.
Ranma and Akane inspected their attire and found
themselves wearing something that was shockingly different
than their normal day wear. Akane, on one hand, looked like
she had taken 'dress for success' lessons from Trinity. Her
skin-tight leather looked aggressive enough to be considered
sexy, yet dark and proper enough to be worn to someone's
funeral.
Ranma's attire was dominated mostly by varying
shades of red, all staying clear away from the color spectrum
of pink. The pure white shirt and light red pants were
conservatively simple, yet the red trench coat, only slightly
lighter than her hair, strangely gave off an occultly sexy aura
which Ranma wasn't sure that she liked.
The professional, yet aggressive ensemble presented by
the three clearly conveyed the message 'Corporate Mercenary'.
"Uhm... what am I wearing?" Ranma flatly asked.
"Consider it your work uniform. Dignified, professional,
yet easy to fight in and conceals weapons well." Morpheus
answered. "I had another of my crew who dressed the same
way. She preferred white though. She liked to stand out
from the rest of the crew."
"Hey, I didn't say there was anything wrong with it... yet.
It's just... different."
"You should have taken some time to choose then." Akane
said as donned her sunglasses.
"I could have arranged for a combat leotard..." Morpheus
muttered.
"Har, har. This is just fine thank you." Ranma took a
moment to assess her attire in better detail. "Hmm... not bad.
It's decent." Ranma reached behind to feel her hair. She
discovered that it was now just a little longer than shoulder
length, and no pigtail. "Hey-...! The hair! What's with the
hair?!"
Akane reached into Ranma's jacket pocket and pulled out a
pair of out-of-fashion Oakley sunglasses. Although the face
was mirrored, they had a dark green tint, perhaps specifically
made with Ranma's fashion sense in mind.
"Put em' on and let's go already."
~~~
In the interface room, Neo was working at the
operator's workstation still trying to search the matrix for
whatever information he could find. As Neo remained
diligently focused on his task, Trinity quietly walked into the
room unnoticed.
"Whatcha doing, Neo?" Trinity asked as she playfully
leaned on Neo's shoulder. She smiled as Neo flinched in
surprise.
"Just a little homework." Neo resumed his work and typed
a few more commands into his terminal as it continued its
search.
"Learn anything?" Trinity inquired.
"A little. I found out a few things about that curse Ranma
had. Check this out..." Neo summoned a small report onto the
screen.
Project 1701 (Abandoned): The Jusenkyo Project.
Objective: An experimentation of human adaptation
through temporary radical modification of a human's
appearance.
Progress: Abandoned. No useful data was yielded from this
experiment. Experiment continues to function for
entertainment purposes.
"Okay... so what?" Trinity questioned.
"Crazy stuff, huh? Makes you wonder..." Neo muttered.
"Whatever the machines are smoking, it must be expensive."
"Machines don't smoke."
"Ever spill your drink in a computer power supply?"
Trinity thought for a moment.
"Huh... that would be expensive." Trinity chuckled.
"Case in point." Neo smiled. He returned his focus to the
report. "Anyway, that's the experiment that caused Ranma's
little water problem. There's more to it, though. You heard that
Ranma's mind was linked to support the AI body, right?"
"Yeah, yeah... go on."
"Well, get this." Neo summoned up a lengthier report onto
the screen. "Ranma was being used as a life support tool for
the AI body while they tinkered with its mind. As a side effect,
Ranma was perceived in the matrix as a guy since the AI body
was male."
"Then what?" Trinity muttered, harboring a slight tinge of
disinterest.
"Fortunately for Ranma, he got caught up into this other
experiment and ended up with a curse that changed Ranma
into a girl, hence, her normal form. That consequently messed
up the link between her and the AI body." Neo explained.
"So... how is this information useful?" Trinity questioned.
"It's isn't." Neo bluntly answered. "I just thought it was
interesting..."
"Jesus... quit wasting time and try finding out something
useful, will ya'?"
"I am!" Neo rebuked. "I'm trying to find out the identity of
the new body the AI body is linked with."
"Oh. Well, uhm, okay then." Trinity absently muttered.
"Yes, I suppose that would probably be a good thing."
"And speaking of which..." Neo typed a few functions on
his console. "There we go. 'Bout time it finished. Let's see, his
name is..."
~~~
I would like to thank you for reading 'Interface'.
It would be greatly appreciated if you would take
a moment to send a comment or two to myself (XStylus)
telling me what you liked or disliked, or any potential
errors or typos.
The archive to this fanfic, as well as my email address,
can be found at www.sofaspud.org.
Thanks for reading!