<snip>
short of the knob. Stepping back over to the pile of sheets,
she retrieved her nightshirt, a white oversized thing with
the picture of an absurdly drawn bear named "Yogi", and put
it back on. Other people had to be awake, and she didn't want
them to see her clad in just her underwear.
OMG. Ranko w/a sense of modesty? Say it ain't so! :p
<snippage>
Only a few people in the whole of Kuno Industries
knew about the human brain that had been grafted into
Juggernaut's systems, but none actually knew whose it had
once been. To them, it had been a brain pulled from a fresh
cadaver some years back. They didn't know the truth, didn't
know about the elaborate revenge of which this was the
result. Seeing that man humbled, made into a mindless slave
was a satisfyng thing, indeed. The cost had been enormous,
both in time and money, but in the end was definitely worth
it. X, on the other hand, had been a complete failure and was
still a threat.
Waitaminute... I don't recognize the name Wataru, but it seems
possible that it could be Tatewaki's son... and if so... eww....
I guess insanity -does- run in the family... if I'm right, that is.
:)
<snip>
He cast one last look at Juggernaut, as per his
custom for these visits, and said, "Sleep tight, father."
Ack! Well, I was partially right, at least... still shooting for
totally. :)
<snip>
"I am not here to fight you," he said in a ghostly
mechanical voice that sent an involuntary shiver up her spine.
Not yet, at least. :)
"I don't buy that," Ranko spat, tensed and ready for
anything he might try. The gun was absent, but that didn't
mean he wasn't a threat.
"Believe what you want, I do not care. But if I were
here to kill you, I would have done so already."
"You already tried once, pal."
"And I did not succeed, unfortunately." The shadowy
figure took a step closer, Ranko taking one back in response.
"What do you want?"
"To warn you," he said, "I'm watching you. Everywhere
you go, I'll be there. You may be Shampoo's new pet, but that
means squat to me. If you screw up, even once, I WILL dispose
of you. Understand?"
"Yeah," Ranko snarled, even though she really didn't.
What was this guy's problem? "Just who the hell are you, anyway?"
"You don't need to know that," he replied, not moving
from his place.
"Are you with Shampoo?"
"I'm with myself." With that, he vanished into the
air again, the distortion left behind moving into a patch of
shadow and disappearing.
I like the tech. Very spiff.
<snip>
"Yes," Shampoo answered. It wasn't the whole truth,
but it would do. After all, by amazon law Ranma's male and
female forms would be regarded as two separate people due to
the nature of his curse.
Really?
<snip>
He knelt by the far wall in the darkened office, the
heady smell of incense filling the spacious room. He
whispered softly, hands clasped before him as he prayed to
the spirit of the woman in the shrine. The picture held the
face of a woman with healthy skin, mahogany hair styled in a
short bob and a pair of mischevious brown eyes that seemed to
miss nothing. Below the picture was a name: Nabiki Tendo.
He prayed to the departed spirit of his mother,
prayed that she was proud of him. That she was pleased with
how he had made Kuno Industries grow into the power that it
was. That he was close to fulfilling his dream. And that he
had crushed nearly all her enemies.
Um... wow? THAT one floored me. _Nabiki's_ enemies? Hoboy.
<snip>
From there, Nabiki had begun showing him the ropes,
how to deal, swindle, and blackmail ones way to the top. He
had always had a gift for numbers, which Nabiki had turned to
financial ends. By the time he was fifteen, he could
basically run the company by himself. His father taught him
the ways of Kendo, the only worthwhile thing he ever did.
Jeezus... Nabsie became a wee bit nasty, didn't she?
<snip Wataru's flashback-type-thingy>
Oh, man, you can come up with some twisted shit! This is... well,
disturbing, but DAMN cool at the same time.
Wataru extinguished the stick of incense, closing the
shrine and re-sealing the recessed portal in which it rested.
As he rose, several vents in the ceiling began to suck out
the scent of the incense to replace it with clean air. It
would take a few turns through the washer to get the smell
out his clothes, but such didn't matter to him.
The hour over, Wataru once more turned his mind to
business. The report from Genesis Chamber Beta-9 stated that
unit R-033-M was in place and the rejuvenation process was
ready to begin. The procedure would require at least five
hours to avoid any permanent damage to the unit itself, which
was of no consequence. Wataru was in no particular hurry.
There was no way Shampoo and her band of misfits could ever
hope to de-throne him.
=============================================
That's about it for this chapter. What do ya think?
Um... wow? I honestly can't wait to see what's next on this one...
this is some GREAT stuff.
Jed
Brian Payne
sofaspud@ior.com
brianp@nhspokane.com
I'm... dreaming... of a go-oo-ood... fan-fic!
http://www.ior.com/~sofaspud (new domain coming soon!)