Warning: Darkfic Ahoy!
Ranma 1/2 - Final Fantasy VII xover
PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
Eugenics
Chapter 3 (A): Untitled

Midgar, Shinra Headquarters, December 29, 4127

     "Hojo, how are the tests going?"
     The scientist stood upright, having been hunched over a microscope.
His eyes lit up as they fell on the aggrivated face that was in a
constant struggle to stare down everyone it met.  "Ah!  Scarlet, to what
do I owe this pleasure?"
     The weapon's tech scowled.  "Dispense with the bull shit, Hojo.
You said you would have something definitive in the Materia
experiement... what have you found?"
     Hojo smiled, actually managing to look somewhat respectable.  He
knew it drove Scarlet nuts.  "Well, I think you will be pleased with
what I've discovered."
     "What's that?" Scarlet asked, ignoring the silent jibes at her
demeanor.
     The deranged chemist turned to the far wall of the laboratory and
flipped a switch on his table-top consol.  Metal slats folded to the
side, revealing a large plasma screen.  The thin display flashed to
life, and the inside of an experiment chamber was shown.  Inside a young
man was looking around confused.
     "That's great, Hojo... what does it mean?" Scarlet barked
impatiently.
     The scientist was unfazed and simply stared at the screen, his
smile turning more into a grin.
     On-screen, the young man's eyes fell on a purple round Materia,
which sat on a small white table in the center of the chamber.  He
blinked at it a few times, then seemed to look around himself as if
hearing voices.
     "My appologies for not having any sound... it was... lost." Hojo
said.  Scarlet just humphed and continued to watch.
     The man, having obviously received an actual set of instructions,
walked over to the table and picked the Materia up off it.  It pulsated
with a pale purple glow.  Then, the man pointed it at a target painted
on wall opposite him, and his lips moved.  The Materia flashed an
intense bright white, and the screen went to static.
     "Wha... what happened?" Scarlet quickly asked, a little taken aback
by what had happened.
     "Let me just say that it took three custodians and four technicians
to clean up the mess."  He pushed a button and the wall slid back into
place seamlessly.  "Total Lifestream annihilation.  It turned the man's
own lifeforce against him, and the energy released vaporized the
experiement chamber entirely." Hojo explained, as though detailing the
growing patterns of algae.  
     "Mako?" Scarlet said, still uncertain.
     "Sort of... a... by-product."
     "I'll make sure the more covert problem solving division gets word
of this... how much of that stuff do we have?"
     "Plenty."

Midgar, Barrack 22

     "Have a good night?" Sephiroth asked with a grin.
     Ryle rubbed his hands over his face, trying to stimulate himself
into a waking state.  "Yeah..." he muttered in response.
     "Finally found the right one, eh?"
     "Huh?"  Ryle looked up, finding Sephiroth giving him a look that
usually went along with finding himself getting the ninth.
     "You said you were going to save yourself for the 'right one'... I
assume you did."  Sephiroth's grin turned into a full blown smile.  "So,
when's the wedding?  I get to be your best man, right?"
     After another few seconds exactly what Ryle's friend was getting at
fully sunk in.  Instantly he turned a bright shade of read and threw his
hands up in a defensive posture.  "No, no, no!  You've got it all wrong!
We were up late last night talking... and...."
     "And...?" Sephiroth led on, wanting all the juicy details.
     "And... staring at one another." Ryle finished. Even he found the
answer a somewhat unsatisfactory one.  It had been more than that...
words just couldn't describe it.
     "Staring?"  The older soldier blinked, then his face turned grim.
He walked over to his younger companion and proceeded to put him in a
headlock.  A few noogies later, he resumed grilling.  "Is that all?!
Two in the morning, and you just *stared*?!  What kind of crap is that?"
     Ryle squirmed in the larger man's grip, until he finally found
leverage.  He pulled out of the hold and jabbed Sephiroth in the side
with a pulled punch.  "Hey!  It's the truth!" he protested, avoiding a
swift kick to his midsection.  
     "Bullshit!  Spit it out!"  He leveled a combination of punches at
Ryle's face, but found him to not be there when his fists completed
their journey.  Realizing his mistake at the last minute, he braced for
the impact.
     A knock sounded from the door.  Ryle's foot stopped one inch from
Sephiroth's stomach.  Both combatants turned toward the door.
     "Expecting company?" Sephiroth asked.
     Ryle shook his head and walked up to the door.  He opened it, to
come face to face with a young man, around is height and with blonde
spiky hair.  "Yes?"
     The man extended a hand and said, "Strife, sir... Officer Cloud
Strife.  I'm reporting for duty!"

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

     Ranma sat, staring out at the field of ash where his mother once
lived.  It had most likely been painless... over in an instant.  He
could at least find some solace in that.  However, he couldn't shake the
feeling that closure could never be fully had.  "She never knew," he
whispered, for the eighth time in so many minutes.
     When he had stopped crying, Ranma had just sat up and stared.
Ukyou didn't know what to say to him, never really knowing her own
mother very well.  It hurt her terribly to see her Ranchan in such a
state, but she could only lay her hand on his shoulder and hope he would
pull himself out of his own despair.
     At that point, however, Cologne suddenly shook violently.  Her
stick slid out from under her and she fell to the ground, writhing in
pain.
     Ranma looked over at the old woman, his eyes widening.  He scooted
over to the Amazon and tried to hold her still.  "Ukyou!  Put one of
your spatula in her mouth!" he ordered.
     The chef did as told, ignoring the spittle that spritzed her hand.
"What's wrong with her?
     Ranma simply closed his eyes.  A moment later they reopened, and he
jolted as if hit across the face.  "Ki," he said from between tightly
clenched teeth.  "Shit!"   
     Ukyou was almost going into a panic attack.  She had no idea what
to do, or what was happening to the two martial artists.  "Ranchan!" she
cried.
      "Ki," Ranma repeated, seeming to be coming to terms with whatever
assaulted him.  "The ki is moving...."  With that, and a final groan, he
fell forward, unconscious before hitting the ground.  Cologne had
followed suit shortly after.
     Ukyou kneeled in the middle of the empty road, ash blowing about
her, while two of the strongest martial artists in the world twitched
periodically in front of her.  She was frozen with shock and fear.
Looking around her, she could find not another soul in the area.  Not
knowing what to do, she simply kept silent vigil over her friend's,
hopeing they would overcome whatever had caused their distress.  She
hated the thought of being alone in the wrecked city.
     She hated the thought that Ranchan was dead even more.  Tears once
again began to slowly work their way from her eyes as around her the
wind gently continued to blow.

END Chapter 3 A
I seem to be on somewhat of a roll for once... and personally I'm glad.
As long as I keep moving this will eventually get done (knock on wood).
The amount of response I'm receiving from this fic is less than
encouraging... if you like it, please say so!  I'd like to publically
thank Long Ngo for his offer to archive this fanfic.
Thanks for reading,
PMasters (11-4-98)

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
/ E-mail at:  PhilMasters@webtv.net /
Web page pending use of a computer!
"...has anyone ever used something alive for a coat of arms?" - The
Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Mishima Yukio, 1965) / 
"You see, what you call a cat, we use as armor." - Rune (El-Hazard,
1994)