The Eternal Lost Lurker (EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net)

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. 

Disclaimers: 

Ranma 1/2 is the property of Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Kitty, and VIZ
Communications.
Rockman and Rockman X are the property of Capcom. 

<historical log file: 1997.7.11>
<Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, Asia>
<File comments: Project Salvage initiation>
<File authenticator: Dr. Light, cyberneticist>

<processing file...commencing data playback...>

 ---hajime---

	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.
	"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..."
	Suddenly, an alarm klaxon blared. The man looked up, eyes wide with shock.
The klaxon sounding indicated an unauthorized teleport into the laboratory
confines. "Wily?" he called. "Is that you?"
	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.
	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.
	<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.>
	<I am writing this, to warn you. A group of Irregulars has traveled into
the past, into your era, and I fear the harm they will do to the course of
history.>
	<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.

	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.
	As he entered the lab, he noticed his "partner" on the floor, weeping.
Wily, for all the darkness in his heart, was, for now, still this man's
friend. He walked over, concern--genuine concern--etched on his craggy
face. "Light? What's wrong?"
	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!"
	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?"

	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...

	--ROCKMAN 1/2--

	A Ranma 1/2 - Rockman - Rockman X crossover by The Eternal Lost Lurker

	CHAPTER ONE

	"Dammit, Ranma! Hold still so I can crush you!"
	"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.
	"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.
	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.
	"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."
	"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.
	The robot looked around, examining each member of their group. It took aim
at Akane with its weapon. Ranma's eyes widened. "NO!"
	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. 
	"Oh no you don't," Ukyou said, dashing in. She struck its elbow joint with
the edge of her spatula. It wasn't enough to tear the limb free, but it was
enough to knock the joint out of place. The arm ceased moving, and the gun
ceased firing.
	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. 
	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.
	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.
	The group looked up, and saw two large robots hovering above them. One of
the two vaguely resembled a vulture, using large metal wings to hold itself
in the air. Its legs ended in sharp-looking talons. However, it also had
humanoid arms, also bearing talons, and its head, while beaked, still
managed to hold a sinister sneer, as its eyes gleamed malevolently.
	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.
	"Well, what do you know," sneered the bird robot, "It seems there are some
humans who know how to hold their own after all."
	"Heh, not for long...they haven't faced us yet," the scorpion mechanoid
chuckled menacingly.
	"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Ranma demanded.
	The bird robot looked at him, and smirked evilly. "I am called Strike
Vulture, and my companion is Burn Scorpus. And we're here to destroy
mankind." 
	Shampoo blinked. "Is bird-thing for real?"
	Akane frowned. "Sure sounds like it."
	Ranma scowled. "Well, you can try, but I don't care how tough or ugly you
are, we'll stop you!" he shouted.
	Vulture yawned. "Good grief, you're even cornier than that stupid fool X,"
he said in a bored tone. 
	Ranma hissed to the girls, "Get to safety. Mousse, you go with them, and
protect them. Me an' Ryouga'll take these two clowns."
	"We can fight too, ya know," Ukyou said.
	Ryouga shook his head. "Ranma's right, Ukyou. You're all good fighters,
but we don't even know what we're up against here. It's best if you let the
two of us handle it."
	The girls looked unhappy, but decided perhaps it would be best if they
listened. Mousse escorted them to a safe distance from the battle zone.
	Vulture snickered. "Ah, devotion to your friends. How touching...how
*pitiful*," he sneered. "Still, just to show you that we're fair...when we
kill you, we won't go after them next."
	Scopus blinked. "Hey, what the hell's the fun in that?"
	Vulture shrugged. "Don't ask me. I got programmed with this blasted sense
of warrior's honor. Makes me say stupid junk like that, and live up to it."
	Scorpus grumbled. "Anyway, get ready!" 
	Ranma and Ryouga assumed their stances, each facing off against an
opponent. Vulture sneered down at Ranma. "Prepare to die, little human."
	"Don't count your eggs before they're hatched, you metal chicken from
hell," Ranma retorted.
	"Why you little...!!" Vulture roared, and divebombed Ranma. The martial
artist backflipped, barely avoiding the sharp talons...which tore a gash in
the pavement.
	
	"Prepare to fry," Scorpus said, as he raised his tail higher over his
head. A red ball of energy gathered at the tip of the tail. Ryouga leapt
wildly to the side as Scorpus suddenly cut loose with a tremendous
fireball. 
	"It'll take more than a little flash fire to take me down," Ryouga said.
Diving to the ground, he jabbed his finger into the pavement. "Eat cement!
BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Scorpus was knocked off his feet as the ground exploded
beneath him.

	"Hah! Good job Ryouga!" Ranma cheered. "My turn," he said, and leapt into
the air. Vulture raised his talons, but Ranma arced backwards at the apex
of his leap, and drove a powerful rising knee into the robot's gut. Vulture
fell backwards a good meter, before halting his momentum. "Not bad, for a
human," he grunted. "Alright then...RAZOR DOWN!" He brought his wings
forward abruptly, releasing a hail of metal feathers which flew straight at
Ranma.
	Ranma hissed in pain as one of the feathers tore into his bicep, and
another clipped his side. "Okay, time to get serious," he said.

	Ryouga saw what had happened, and became worried. Dodging another
fireball, he flung several bandanas at Scorpus, and backflipped over to
where Ranma had landed. "Hey bud, you alright?" he asked.
	Ranma nodded, clenching his teeth. "Just took a nasty cut from that damn
feather," he said. 
	Meanwhile, Scorpus roared out in rage as two of Ryouga's bandanas sliced
effortlessly through his ornamental limbs, severing them. "GODDAMNED BRAT!
You'll pay for that!" he bellowed.  He launched another fireball, which
Ranma and Ryouga rolled to avoid. Ranma hissed as his arm touched the
ground.
	
	"Ranma, I have an idea," Ryouga said.
	"Yeah, what's that?"
	"Those fireballs Scorpus is throwing...you think if you get a near enough
miss off one, you can use it to do the Hiryuu Shouten Ha?"
	Ranma blinked. "Yeah, I guess so. Why?"
	"Get under Vulture, and I'll try to get Scorpus to shoot one off in your
direction. Maybe you can take the bird down for a bit."
	Ranma nodded. "It might work. Anou...what're you gonna do about Scorpus?"
	Ryouga grinned. "I have an idea. Just trust me."

	Ranma rose from the ground, and immediately scrambled to avoid another
talon assault from Vulture. "Ready for more?" the bird taunted.
	Ranma grimaced. "Give me your best," he spat.
	"Hahahahaha! I like you, you stupid little shit," Vulture said. "RAZOR
DOWN!"
	Ranma rolled to dodge the next wave of feathers, and barely missed being
decapitated. "Alright you, that's it. MOUKOU TAKABISHA!"
	Vulture's eyes widened as the energy ball sped towards him. He dodged to
the side, but the blast clipped his wing, taking the tip of it off.
"AAAAHHH! You little...you'll pay for that!" 

	"SHISHI HOUKOUDAN!" 
	Ryouga's blast slammed Scorpus in the gut, knocking him down. The
arachnodroid flipped himself up with his tail, and took aim at the lost
boy, loosing another blast of flames. Ryouga rolled to the side, and the
blast continued on...straight at Ranma.

	Ranma grinned. "Alright! Now we're talking!" Sidestepping the flames, he
cried, "HIRYUU SHOUTEN HA!" as he thrust his fist upward. A rising cyclone,
ablaze with ki, tore into the sky. 
	"What the hell...? AAAAHHHHH!!!" Vulture shrieked as the cyclone slammed
into him, sending him spiralling into the ground. He started to rise, only
to receive another Moukou Takabisha to the gut. Sparks flew from his armor.
He gnashed his beak. "You insolent snot..."
	"Heh, looks like you're grounded, bird," Ranma chuckled.
	"Maybe so..." Vulture said, smirking. "But...SO ARE YOU! GRUDGE WING!"
	"The HELL!?"
	Vulture's wings tore free of his back, sending up a shower of sparks. The
robot grunted in pain, but the wings sped forth. Ranma tried to dodge, but
the wings tracked him. Folding into a V-shape, Vulture's wings slammed into
Ranma at the shoulders, the crook of the V hitting just above Ranma's
groin. Ranma screamed in agony...

	Ryouga taunted Scorpus. "You're a lousy aim, stupid bug."
	"I'll show you lousy aim!" Scorpus said, moving closer. He readied another
flame blast. Ryouga held his ground until the last possible second, then
launched himself into the air, headed straight for Scorpus. Grabbing the
scorpion's tail just behind the blaster, he moved as though to suplex the
robot, but instead, plunged the sharp, burning end of the tail directly
down into Scorpus' head, and held it there. Scorpus screamed as his blast
erupted...straight into his body.
	Ryouga let go of the tail and leapt free at the last possible second...but
it was a second too late. As he released the tail, it twitched backwards,
and caught him in the gut, impaling him. He found himself trapped on the
tail as Scorpus exploded. The tail still penetrated his scorched body as he
flew several meters through the air, landing next to Ranma's corpse, which
he got a good look at right before he lost consciousness.

	The Grudge Wing had severed Ranma's arms and legs, and the lower part of
his torso. Blood flowed freely from what was left of the pigtailed martial
artist. Vulture limply picked himself up off the ground, and tapped his
comm unit. "Skybase...one to teleport, emergency priority." Vulture
teleported away in a flash of light, leaving the smoldering remains of
Scorpus behind.

	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!!!"
	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!!"
	For a while, all was silent. Then, Ranma's torso twitched. Ryouga's
charred limbs also twitched. Shampoo raised her head. "Aiyah? That..."
	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..."
	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."

	Dr. Light frowned worriedly. Wily was locked up in that office, and he had
no way to stop whatever the mad scientist was doing. He looked at the metal
locker, and began calling up diagnostics on the main monitor. However, as
he was doing so, he caught an emergency bulletin flashing across the silent
television in the corner. He fished around in his pocket for the remote,
and turned up the volume.
	"...just in. Moments ago, a large air vehicle of unknown origin appeared
over Nerima district. A wave of robotic creatures dropped from the vehicle.
Eyewitnesses report that the various martial artists known to cause
frequent havoc in that area dispatched the invaders. However, according to
both eyewitnesses and paramedics, one of the martial artists was
dismembered, and another was gravely burned, and mortally wounded. The two
youths, whose names have not been disclosed to the press as of yet, are
alive, in critical condition at Nerima Medical Center. The word from
hospital officials at this time is that the boys are not expected to
survive."
	Light went pale. "No...this is all *my* fault," he gasped. "I caused
this...those poor boys..."
	His mind churned. The two were alive, but not for much longer. Even if
they lived, what kind of condition would they be in? What of the one who
was ripped apart...what kind of life could he hope to live? 
	Light looked over at the metal locker again. The two sleeping, unconscious
faces within, as yet completely unaware of their own existence...not truly
alive.
	Those two boys, were truly alive. But not for longer.
	Light grimaced, but after a moment, set his jaw firmly, his resolve
growing. He walked over to the locker, and leaned against its front panel.
"Forgive me, Rock. Forgive me, Proto. But this is for the best." Reaching
over to the main console, he tapped a few keys, and entered his access
code.
	The monitors dropped to zero, and the lockers went dark. Turning away
harshly, Light made his way to the elevator, grimly determined. "Hang in
there, boys."

	The Tendou family, the elder Saotomes, the three Joketsuzoku, and Ukyou
were gathered in the waiting room of the critical ward of Nerima Medical.
The entire Tendou clan was weeping, Akane and Soun more hysterically than
the others. Ukyou was crying, her body shaking from the force of her sobs.
Tears streaked Shampoo's face, but she held herself in check, displaying
the stoic demeanor she knew her great-grandmother would expect from her.
Cologne looked grim, and Mousse was lost in his thoughts. Genma was holding
Nodoka, trying to comfort the sobbing woman, while his own face was twisted
with grief. 
	Ono Tofuu emerged from the operating room, his medical coveralls smeared
with blood, his face haggard. He had arrived the moment he found out what
had happened, and had been in the OR with Ranma, Ryouga, and the surgical
team ever since.
	"Tofuu-sensei, how are they--"
	He shook his head. "They're still alive, but that's about all we've got to
go on." He sighed. "We've cauterized Ranma's lower torso to stop the
bleeding. That's all we could do."
	Nodoka looked like she was going to be ill. Genma grimaced, but asked,
"What about his arms?"
	Tofuu sighed. "The cut was clean...under ordinary circumstances, we might
be able to try to reattach them. But, the fact is..." he frowned. "The
curse is a problem." At the questioning glances of the others, he
elaborated, "I mentioned the fact of Ranma's curse to the surgical team.
They were skeptical, but they know I don't joke around at times like this.
I was concerned about the effect it would have on anything we tried to do
for him." He sighed. "We poured cold water over his...parts," he continued.
At that, everyone began looking ill. "There was still enough blood in his
legs and lower torso that they were basically alive," he went on. "When we
poured cold water over them, they changed. But the arms..." he shook his
head. "The arms are a loss. Nothing happened when we poured cold water on
them." He bowed his head. "If we did try to reattach them, chances are, the
first time Ranma got splashed with cold water, his arms would tear off as
his body shrank."
	"Excuse me a moment," Nodoka said, and dashed for the ladies' room. Akane
was quick to follow.
	Tofuu sighed. "I won't lie. Chances are, it's a moot point anyway. Ryouga
may pull through, but Ranma's injuries are so horrible..." he shook his
head. "There's not much hope."
	"Perhaps," said a thickly accented voice from the waiting room doorway, "I
might be able to give some hope."
	Everyone looked up, to see the rotund, elderly gaijin in the doorway.
Tofuu blinked. "Who are you?"
	"My name is Light. I am a cyberneticist. Tofuu's eyes widened. Light
continued, in a sad tone of voice, "I'll tell the truth...this entire mess,
everything that has happened...I'm to blame."
	"You?" Genma asked, advancing on the man. Soun gently restrained him. 
	Light nodded. "The robots which attacked, are invaders from the future. A
future which should never have come to pass." At the confused looks, he
elaborated, "My life's work has been designing artifical humanoids that
could think and feel like humans. The ultimate achievement of
science...fully Humanoid robots, able to build and maintain glorious
cities, for both humankind and the robots themselves." He sighed. "Alas, it
turns out that I succeeded. Only, something in the future went wrong...a
number of the robots turned to evil, and eventually overpowered the ones
that resisted them. I received a warning from a future scientist who
originally unearthed my ultimate creation...one which will now never come
to pass.
	"However, the robots remain dangerous, and my traitorous partner, Wily,
has uncovered my schematics for the very matrix which allows robots like
the ones those two brave boys fought today to be built in the first place.
I fear for the world, now that Wily has those plans...he can twist them and
corrupt them in truly horrible ways."
	"All this is fascinating...but I don't understand what it has to do with
Ranma and Ryouga, other than the fact that something you claim to have
created caused this," Tofuu said.
	Light nodded. "I'm just getting to that. I've completed a cybernetic body
system, which I was intending to give to two artifical beings I created.
However, when I learned of the plight of...what are their names? Ranma and
Ryouga?" At everyone's nod, he continued, "When I heard about it on the
news, I knew there was only one right thing to do." He fixed the entire
assembly with a firm gaze. "The cybernetic systems I designed for my
robots...can be used to repair and replace, as neccessary, their bodies."
	Tofuu's eyes tried to pop out of their sockets. "...bionic parts?"
	Genma blinked. "What's that mean?"
	Tofuu pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "It means,
basically, rebuilding Ranma and Ryouga as robots."
	Genma scowled. "You want to turn my son into a machine?"
	"Not exactly," Light elaborated. "The robotic systems I've built allow for
the entire range of human movement and expression. Whatever is left of
their bodies that can be salvaged," he added, "will remain intact, encased
in protective armor. Their minds, their hearts...the people they are, will
not be lost." 
	Genma's eyes shone with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. "My son...could
live? Could continue to practice the Art?"
	Light nodded, smiling gently. "Yes, I heard both boys are martial
artists...the bionics will allow them to continue to fight...in fact,
they'll both be stronger than ever before," he added, proudly.
	Everyone was silent for a moment. Tofuu frowned thoughtfully. "How soon
could you do this, if we agree to it?"
	"Immediately. As soon as arrangements can be made to release them and
transport them to my laboratory." After a slight pause, he added, "And you
may all accompany us. You probably won't want to witness the operation, but
I have more than enough space for you to wait in."
	At this point, Akane and Nodoka returned. "What's going on?" Akane asked.
	Soun cried happily. "Akane! Good news! There is hope! This man can bring
Ranma back to us!"
	Akane looked at the gaijin. "Is it true?"
	He nodded. 
	"Well," Tofuu said, "Ranma can be vied for, his parents are right here.
But I don't know about Ryouga...nobody has a clue where his parents are. I
couldn't say how they might react if we permitted this without their
consent." He rubbed his chin. "Also," he added, looking at Light, "There's
something else. The two boys have a unique condition. Both are suffering
from the effects of a curse they acquired in China."
	Light blinked. "A curse?"
	Akane frowned. "Only Ranma's cursed. Ryouga..."
	Nabiki smirked, and rolled her eyes. "Get with it, sis. It's obvious to
everyone *but* you."
	"...ANYWAY," Tofuu said, "The curse causes them to change form when
splashed with cold water. Hot water restores their natural form, but only
until the next splash of cold water. I'd be afraid that if an accident
happened--and they happen all the time around here--the change in form
would cause the bionics to tear away from their organic bodies."
	Light stroked his beard. "Hmmm." He looked up, eyes bright. "Aha! I know
how to handle that. I've designed a special circuit for use in the weapons
system of one of my prototypes. I've tested it...it works. It would be easy
enough to adapt it to work with the entire bionic system," he said. Seeing
everyone's confused looks, he elaborated, "It's a circuit that allows the
form of the system to change. I developed it to allow the weapon system to
function as various different weapons. Adapted for the bionics themselves,
it should allow the entire body--both organic *and* cybernetic--to undergo
the transformation from the 'curse'."
	Tofuu nodded. "Okay, if you're sure about it." He looked up at Genma and
Nodoka. "This is your decision. Ranma is your son."
	Genma nodded. "I couldn't bear to lose my only son. I'll do anything that
gives us even the slightest chance that Ranma will survive."
	"Hold up a minute," Nabiki said. "How much is this going to cost?"
	"NABIKI!" Akane shouted. 
	Light chuckled softly. "She's wise, that one. That's always a good thing
to ask." He sobered. "However, this will cost nothing, monetarily. It's my
creations that are responsible for what happened to those two boys. It's my
responsibility to do whatever I can to keep them alive.
	"However, assuming this succeeds as I expect it to, and the bionics and
weapon systems function as my projections indicate they will, I would ask
the two boys to perform a favor for me."
	"What favor would that be?" Nabiki asked.
	Light's eyes flashed with anger. "To track down those evil machines and
destroy them. And to stop Wily before he does something the entire world
will regret."
	Similar anger flashed in the eyes of everyone else in the room. "Ranma and
Ryouga have their own score to settle with those robots," Akane said. "I
think you can count on them...they're going to want their revenge."
	Light nodded. "So, shall we proceed?"
	Tofuu nodded. "I'll start making the release arrangements. You work on
transportation."
	The two doctors scurried off. The group in the waiting room exchanged
nervous glances.
	"Ranma...as a robot," Ukyou said, trying to imagine it. 
	"My son...my son will live," Genma said.
	"I hope he is as enthusiastic about it as you are, husband," Nodoka said.
"I seriously doubt that bionics can restore the most important thing Ranma
lost."
	Genma blinked, and thought about that. He paled. "You're right..." he
sighed. 
	Soun seemed to realize what they were talking about, and he became grim.
"Then, the union of our two families will truly never take place," he
sobbed.
	Akane felt a lump in her throat.
	"Don't give up hope!" Genma said. "If Ranma lives, a way could be found to
ensure that the lines of Saotome and Tendou merge and continue into the
next generation."
	"Maybe," Nodoka said skeptically.
	For long moments, everyone was lost in thought. Half an hour later, Tofuu
and Light reappeared. Behind Tofuu, orderlies pushed two gurneys, each
carrying a sealed, two-meter long bag. Tofuu smiled apologetically. "I
thought it would be best if we transported them in body bags, with oxygen
and IVs," he said.
	Light nodded. "That might be a good idea. It may take a little while for
me to configure the transformation circuit for the bionics. Alright,
fellas, load them into the van," he said. After the bodies were loaded,
Light motioned into the van. "The parents can ride with that one. The rest
of you, I got another van for." He pointed at it. "Pile in."
	The group boarded the two vans, which took off for Light's lab.


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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."
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