[Mauve mists swirl...]

Urd: *cough* *hack* *wheeze* 'Niichan, stop taking lessons from Lurker!
Chris: [sniffs] Everyone's a critic.
Skuld: [pulls off a gas mask] Mauve?  Where did you get mauve smoke?
Chris: I LIKE mauve!
Belldandy: [glazed eyes] Ooohh, the colors....

<Lavender mists swirl. Lurker, Hikaru, and Ushio emerge. After a moment,
Tora follows them. His face is covered with a gas mask.>

Tora: Ugh....more freakin' smoke? What's with you author people?

Notes:
Okay, some of you are going to take offense at this, others won't, I

dunno.

This fic is going to have a very grisly scene near the beginning.

Someone

dies a Horrible, Hideous, and Excruciating Death (tm)!!! But bear with.

Chris: OOOOhhhhh...VIOLENCE!
Belldandy: Look at the pretty birdies...
Urd: What was in that smoke, anyway?
Chris: Ancient otaku secret.

Lurker: In other words, marijuana. Why did you *think* it was mauve?

	In a remote laboratory hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse in the

Nerima

district, a rotund, elderly man in a white lab coat examined a terminal
screen, frowned, and tapped several keys on the control pad. An image

on

the screen flickered, then steadied. The man smiled slightly, and

walked to

the other side of the lab.
	He stopped in front of a large metal locker, which had two glass

panels in

the doors. Through each glass panel, a smooth, pale, young face was
visible. The faces were marred only by small indentures in the skin

here

and there, where bits of metal glinted, and wires ran into various

monitors

lining the locker.

Urd: It's the Borg!
Chris: Urd, you don't strike me as the trekkie type.
Urd: Data is SOOO kawai!

<mass facefault>

Skuld: Geordie's my hero!
(Author's note, so I can't spell, sue me)

Lurker: Actually, aside from the 'e' on the end, you nailed that name...

[Chris merely turns to Belldandy, arches an eyebrow]

Chris: Well?
Belldandy: [blushes] I think the guy who plays Barkley is kind of
kawai....

Lurker: <shudder> Barclay the holodeck junkie? Sheesh.

Chris: [shudders] I didn't need that image.  [pauses, chuckles]
Skuld: What's so funny?
Chris: The image of you three as Bjorans.
Urd: [primly] I've got the figure for it.

Lurker: <rolls eyes>

	"The tests are achieving all the desired results, boys," the man said,
smiling kindly at the faces. "If the last set of data checks out
positively, it'll be time to bring the two of you to awareness..."

Chris: [Brain voice] And then, we'll take over the world!
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..*cough* *hack* damn cold.

Lurker: <sweatdrop>

	A flash of blue light ripped the air above his head, and two objects

fell

to the ground. One appeared to be a futuristic silicon clipboard, with

a

message hastily scrawled onto its translucent surface. The other...he
paled.

<*CRACK* *BOOM* *OMINOUS THUNDER*>
Belldandy: He really likes that sound bite, doesn't he?
Chris: [shrugging] It works.

Lurker: I'll be laughing the day Epsi <dodges a wet rubber chicken> and
Blade show up to reclaim it from you...

	The other object, by all rights, shouldn't have existed. He'd

definitely

sketched plans to develop it someday, if his current experiments were
successful...did that mean it had worked? He picked up the smooth blue
energy-matrix crystal, and turned it over in his hands.
	On one side, the crystal was charred black, cracks lining its surface.

He

felt tears coming to his eyes as he looked at the damage, knowing full

well

what it meant. He picked up the clipboard, and read its message.

Chris: That brings an interesting point to mind...kind of a T2 thing

goign

here.
Urd: It doesn't work that way, you know.
Skuld: Yeah, if he was the one who developed it, it would have been
destoryed by the time stream when they tried to send it back.
Belldandy: We put quite a bit of work into that code.
Chris: Uhh..guys...it's fanfiction!  Chill already!

Lurker: <nod> I'm going to be violating temporal paradox theories left and
right in this fic, and enjoy doing it! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

	<Dr. Light-I am writing to you from a time in your distant future. My

name

is Cain. A number of years ago, I discovered your buried experiment,

and

activated him. Since then, many others based on your design have been
built...but something went horribly wrong. A virus broke out among

them,

causing many of them to become corrupt, evil. Your original model

became

the first among many to help thwart the threat from the virus...but the
Irregulars have, alas, become too powerful.>

Chris: *sigh* [whines] Lurker...
Skuld: He's right, there is a definite T2 influence.
Chris: I HATE temporal mechanics.
Urd: That's an odd thing to say considering you're a god of time.
Chris: Don't remind me.

Lurker: Who *doesn't* hate temporal mechanics? It's a real pain in the
ass...just ask Marty McFly.

	<You hold proof that what I say is true. The crystal which I sent with

the

message is what remains of the heart of X.>
	Dr. Light dropped the clipboard numbly, and stared at the marred

indigo

crystal. Sinking to his knees, he wept.

Belldandy: Oh, that poor man.
Chris: Interesting moral dilemma there.

Lurker: I thought so too.

	Dr. Wily stalked into the basement lab, wicked thoughts churning

through

his mind. He had already begun coding the algorithms which would be
neccessary to reprogram Light's machines to turn against him. As soon

as

the final testing was done on the robots, he would reprogram their
matrices, making them his loyal followers. He rubbed his hands in evil
glee.

Skuld: [growls]
Chris: What's with you?
Urd: Don't get her started!
Skuld: He's an evil, horrible, twisted, nasty...[tirade continues]...man
who take nice good robots and makes them evil!
Chris: Taking this personally, I see.
Skuld: You should see what he did to one of my robots!

Lurker: O_o

	Light wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "It's...it's nothing."
	"Nothing? Hmmm. --what's this?" Wily picked up the clipboard, and

began

reading it.
	Light's eyes widened. "No...don't worry about that..."
	Wily blinked repeatedly, and looked up at his partner. "X? What's
this all
about, hmm? And...what's that in your hand?" Wily snatched the blue

crystal

from Light, studying it intently. "This crystal..."
	"Wily, please! We must destroy that, and erase all evidence of its

very

existence!"

Chris: Yeah, like that's gonna happen.
Belldandy: It would be an awfully short story if it did.
Skuld: Hurry up and finish so Chris can go kill that nasty man!
Urd: Bloodthirsty, aren't you?

Lurker: <snicker>

	Wily shook his head. "Nooo...'we' won't be doing anything. *You*
are going
to sit down here and be a good boy, while *I*," he said, an evil smile
blooming on his face, "find out what the secret of this crystal is." He
reached out and snatched a code card out of Light's coat pocket, and

walked

into the good professor's office, locking the door behind him.
	Light stood stock-still, shocked. "Wily...what in heaven's name are

you

about to do?"

Chris: 3...2...1...
All: Bad Things (tm)!

Lurker: <MML>

	Wily booted Light's personal computer, and inserted the code card into

the

reader. While he waited for the secure files to load, he turned the

crystal

over in his hands. "What secrets does this matrix possess...?" he

wondered.

"It looks like a power cell, but with some other purpose integrated..."
	As the secure files began opening, Wily turned his attention back to

the

computer. With each passing screen of information, his eyes widened
further, and his grin became more and more sinister. "Well, well,

well," he

said to himself. "Light was hiding some very interesting data here. I

think

I'll forget about those algorithms...and concentrate on this

instead..."

	
	Wily's megalomaniacal laugh reached Light's ears, causing the kind
scientist to tremble in fear...

Chris: Not a very good judge of character, was Light?

Lurker: If he had been, the entire Rockman series never would have existed
to begin with...

	"You gotta be kiddin' me," Saotome Ranma replied as he leapt over an
umbrella strike by his long-time friendly enemy, Hibiki Ryouga. Ryouga

had

arrived in Nerima once again, and once again he launched himself at

Ranma,

trying to bash the pigtailed boy's brains in. Their fight was beginning

to

draw the usual crowd--Akane had arrived early, and was standing along a
nearby fence, arms crossed, scowling at Ranma. Up the street, Shampoo

was

pedaling closer on her bicycle, and Ranma was pretty sure that the rest

of

the usual crew would make their appearances anytime soon.

Chris: It's Nerima. Of COURSE they'll show up.
Belldandy: [innocent smile on her face] It's in the source code.
Chris: [blinks]  I have GOT to look at that code.

Lurker: Better be careful if you do...I happen to know where they hid it.
It's in the bamboo pole in the center of Nyanniichuan.

Ushio: It figures.

	"Stop picking on Ryouga-kun!" Akane yelled, fuming. Ranma made a rude
gesture at her, which she responded to by pulling a loose board from

the

fence and hurling it at him. It smacked Ryouga in the face instead, and
Ranma leapt away, laughing. Akane blushed. "Sorry about that,

Ryouga-kun!"

	Ryouga shrugged. "Don't worry about it." He returned his attention to
Ranma. It seemed like it was going to be another average day in Nerima.

Urd/Skuld: 'Niichan?/Oniichan?
Chris: NOT BLOODY LIKELY!

Lurker: <snicker>

	Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of blue light in the sky above.

The

fighting ground to a halt, as did any speeches or gestures the recent
arrivals to the fight scene were going to make, as the sky seemed to

rip

open. A massive black object pulled free from the opening. It was at

least

a kilometer long, and looked like a cross between a zeppelin and an
aircraft carrier. From various decks and ports on the massive vessel,

tiny

specks began streaming out, which grew larger as they descended towards

the

ground.

Belldandy: Nice entrance. [holds up a card with an 9.7 on it]
Skuld: I've seen better. [8.2]
Urd: True, but it had style. [9.3]
Chris: And a 8.7 from the Bulgarian judge!

Lurker: <chuckle>

	"What the hell!?" Ranma wondered.
	"Aiyah! What that?" Shampoo asked.
	Akane stared wide-eyed at the enormous airship. Ukyou, who had just
appeared, smirked and said, "Odds are whatever it is, Ranchan didn't

have

anything to do with it this time."

Chris: [pulls out a clipboard] That's one.
Urd: Peers over his shoulder. "Signs of the apocalypse?"
Chris: [nods] #10341: Ranma isn't blamed for something bad happening.

Lurker: <ROFL>

	"INCOMING!" Ryouga yelled. The group cleared out as something vaguely
humanoid touched down in the middle of the street, leaving a sizeable
impact crater. The thing was definitely made of metal, and its body

seemed

to be composed of spherical modules. One red eye glowed on its head,

and in

one hand it held some type of gun. 
	"It's some kinda robot!" Ranma said.

Chris: Congratulations! Belldandy, tell him what he's won.
Belldandy: I am NOT wearing that bunny outfit.
Chris: Aww...but Keiichi told me he loves it.
Belldandy: [blushes] Really?

Lurker: o_O?

	The robot looked around, examining each member of their group. It
took aim
at Akane with its weapon. Ranma's eyes widened. "NO!"

Chris: Saw that coming? [four hands go up]

Lurker: <shrug>

	The robot turned its eye on him momentarily. It soon found a fist

embedded

in its eye, as Ryouga shot forward and punched it in the head. There

was a

crack, followed by a spark. Ryouga withdrew his fist, shaking out his

hand

as though in pain. The robot's eye was cracked, and sparks sputtered

from

the shattered lens. It began firing its weapon wildly.

Skuld: [hiding her eyes] I can't look!
Urd: [blinks] They're just trashing robots...
Skuld: Don't remind me!
 

All: <facefault>

	Soon, more machines of various types were dropping towards them.

"Heads up

guys...there's a whole lot of them, and only a few of us," Ranma said.

He

launched himself into the air, and delivered a dropkick to a vaguely
ostrich-like mechanoid, wrestling it to the ground. It squawked
electronically and flailed its mechanical wings and legs uselessly.

Ryouga

smashed his umbrella down on a small robot with a hardhat-like shell.

It

clamped the shell over itself, and a loud clang resounded from the

weapon's

impact with the metal. Ryouga smirked, and stabbed a finger at the
pavement. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" The street erupted, and the small robot

let

out a metallic cry of surprise as it was blasted apart from the inside

by

concrete shrapnel. 

Chris: You know, realistically he should be able to use the bakusai
tenketsu on the robots too...those robots are probably as much ceramic as
metal.
Urd: You've been reading TMTC, haven't you?

Lurker: <piku> Y'know, I honestly didn't think about that...

	A skeletal robot, carrying a large steel hammer, took a swing at

Akane.

The short-haired girl scowled, and grabbed the haft of its hammer. The
robot's jaw dropped as Akane wrenched the weapon free of its grasp.

Akane

raised her new mallet, and smashed it over the robot's head. It

collapsed

to the ground in a heap. "Alright, who's next?" Akane growled. Several
mechanoids began backing away from her fearfully.

Skuld: YAY AKANE!
Chris: What about the robot?
Skuld: But...but...it's Akane!

All: <double facefault>

	The melee lasted for over ten minutes, as the martial artists pounded
various mechanical creatures into the ground. Mousse had arrived, and

at

some point had appropriated a blaster from one of the robots, employing

it

against them. Just as it seemed the onslaught was nearly over, and

Ranma

and Ryouga had a moment to catch their breath, a sinister cackle from

above

caught their attention.

Chris: Enter the Big Bad Guys (tm).

Lurker: <MML>

	The other robot was supporting itself in the air by means of a rocket
pack. It had a great many appendages, with two large, humanoid legs at

its

base, two smaller sets of almost ornamental-looking legs above those,

and a

pair of arms which ended in very sinister claws. Its head was small,

with

bulbous eyes...and from the base of its body, curled slightly up

between

its legs, was a long, multi-jointed tail, with a pointed apparatus at

one

end. It shucked its rocket pack, and dropped to the ground, landing on

its

lower legs. The tail swung up and back, reappearing over its head,

looming

ominously. Ryouga flinched, having seen a tail much like that on a

certain

arachnid in a desert he'd travelled...that was a scorpion's tail.

Chris: [shudders] Got that thing gives me the willies.
Urd: [surprised] Why?
Chris: I HATE bugs!

Lurker: Try gettin' *stung* by one of those SOBs. I have, twice. If there's
one arachnid I respect, it's the scorpion.

	The girls and Mousse came running at the sound of Ranma's scream and

the

explosion. Akane was first on the scene, and she immediately sank to

her

knees, shock evident on her paled face, a haunted look in her eyes. She
stared at the bodies of Ranma and Ryouga, and shook her head, tears
beginning to well up. "No...Ranma...Ryouga....no....oh gods, NO!!!"

Chris: Lurker...just a warning, it started to get a little dark right
about now...understandably..but still.

Lurker: It's neccessary darkness before Light. Just trust me.

Skuld: Lemme go!  I want to see!
Urd: No, you don't.

Lurker: Not until about chapter 2 or so at any rate...then Skuld's gonna
have something to look forward to. <evil grin>

	Mousse looked over the carnage grimly, and quietly removed his

glasses.

"I'm quite thankful to be blind right now," he said softly.
	Shampoo stared. "Airen...Ranma...is gone..."
	Ukyou shook her head. "No...no. I...I won't believe it. Not a bit of

it,

do you hear me? THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!!"

Skuld: WHAT isn't happening? [Rips Chris' hand away from her eyes, takes
one look and puts his hand back]
Chris: We told you.

Lurker: <evil chuckle>

	Everyone stared. "Ranma..." Akane breathed.
	Mousse slipped his glasses back on, and set his jaw, as he strode to

the

two bodies. He reached down, and gingerly felt their necks. He gasped.
"They're...they're alive," he said. "Barely, but...they're alive."
	"Masaka..." Ukyou breathed.
	"Aiyah...Shampoo know pig-boy and airen tough, but..."

Chris: That's just...incredible.
Urd: That's impossible!
Skuld: [softly] Oneesama...will they be OK?
Belldandy: I don't know, Skuld. [hugs her sister]

Lurker: <shrugs> Hey, they're alive...can't ask for much more than that.

	Akane looked up, blinked, and said, "What the hell is everyone just
standing around for? We gotta get an ambulance, fast!"
	The girls looked at each other, and took off running. Mousse looked

down

at the bodies, and softly said, "Hang in there, both of you. There's

still

hope."

Chris: [deep breath, exhales] Whooof.  Talk about angst at the end there.
Urd: This is NOT a happy fic.
Belldandy: Considering what we know of where this fic is going...
Voice: HEY! Stop reading my mind!
Belldandy: ...you may want to watch that angst level a little.
Skuld: [sniffles] Poor Ranma...

Lurker: As I said, darkness before the Light. 

Chris: [summons armor]  Be back in a few, I've got an appointment with an
evil genius. [pauses]  Good work, Lurker.

Lurker: Thanks! <gathers his lavender mist, and the quartet exit>

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Not Gonna Do It production...

"Senshi....Sailorize!"
"Anima-mates...Terrorize!"

Transformers: Sailor Wars
Not gonna do it...wouldn't be prudent.

---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net

"Ore wa bakemono? Che...ore wa akuma da."
-------------------------------------------------------------------