The FFML is back online and has been for12 hours. My previous posting of
Chapter Two has not appeared, so thus I am reposting it. My apologies to the
administrators for any inconveniences this may cause. -Troy
-------------------------------------------
Interface - A Ranma 1/2 / Matrix Fanfic Crossover
Chapter Two
Authored by XStylus (Troy Alan Williams)
Begun on: 10-25-99
Released to RAAC on: N/A
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.
Interface is archived at http://www.sofaspud.org.
Comments on this story are -greatly- appreciated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walls... a sickly yellow with a greenish hue. These
were the walls of an interrogation room. The table... stainless
steel, with firm utilitarian chairs around it that were rough, but
ergonomically comfortable. At them, a boy sat opposite of
another man who was wearing a dark lab coat. Unlike most lab
coats which were usually white, this one was a mysterious
dark grey, and since when does a scientist wear sunglasses
indoors...?
"...and all that we're asking in return is your
cooperation in a small experiment we're conducting." the man
spoke.
"Yeah... well that sounds like a really good deal." the
boy muttered. "But I think I got a better one..."
The man leaned forward to closely hear the boy's
counter offer.
"How about you give me my cure, and -then- you can
have your guinea pig."
"Hmm... Mister Hibiki..." the agent in the lab coat
muttered.
"You can't screw me around. I know a fake when I see
it!" Ryoga vented.
The agent presented Ryoga a green pill along with a
glass of ice water.
"Do you now?"
Ryoga grabbed the pill and looked it over. It looked far
too much like flu medicine.
"Do we have a deal, Mister Hibiki?"
Ryoga inspected the pill further. "You know... I know
this is too good to be true. I know that when I put this in my
mouth my mind is telling me 'This is it! I'm gonna be cured!'
After a mess of false miracles, you know what I realize?"
Ryoga pessimistically questioned.
The agent patiently awaited the forthcoming answer as
Ryoga ingested the pill, and then splashed himself with the ice
water.
His attitude did an immediate about-face. "Miracles
really do happen!"
"Then we have a deal."
"Anything! I owe you everything, doc!" Ryoga beamed,
his attitude doing a complete about-face. "When do we start?"
"We're already done." the lab-coated agent said.
~~~
"Where am I?" Akane asked, lying down on a
makeshift medical bed in Trinity's room since the sickbay was
already occupied.
"You're on board our ship, the Nebuchadnezzar... in
the real world." Trinity explained.
"Real world? Where the hell do you think I've been all
this time... KANSAS? Where's Ranma?!"
"Resting. So should you."
"I want answers. NOW." Akane demanded.
"No, you don't." Trinity muttered.
"Don't you DARE tell me what I-..."
"Trust me, you don't." Trinity interrupted. "Get some
rest. The answers are coming."
"I want to see Ranma."
"Yeah... listen, about Ranma......"
~~~
Neo was standing just outside the sickbay doors. He
had a situation that was going to take a lot of explaining to the
poor girl in the sickbay. A moment later, Trinity walked up to
join him in his contemplation.
"Did you ask her, Trinity?" Neo inquired.
"She said something about a curse. Cold water
supposedly makes Ranma female, and hot water makes him
male."
"The machines must be getting sloppier than I
thought." Neo mused.
"She assured me that Ranma's actually a guy." Trinity
said. "Does that look like a guy to you in sickbay there? This
could get real ugly real quick."
"I WANT TO SEE AKANE!" a female voice yelled
from another room.
"It already IS ugly." Neo commented as he and Trinity dashed
into the sickbay. Morpheus was already in the room when a certain
-subject- turned matters from bad to worse.
"What happened?" Trinity inquired.
"What happened?!" Ranma mocked "Something -ain't-
happening, that's what happened!" she exclaimed as she
dumped a pot of hot water on herself.
"Ohhhhh shit." Trinity mumbled as she rushed out of
the room heading for her room where Akane was resting.
"What's the problem?" Tank inquired as he rushed into
the room.
"You'll be sorry you asked..." Neo muttered.
"What in the HELL did you do to me?!" Ranma raged.
"Just calm down, Ranma." Morpheus said.
"I will NOT calm down! I... I will... not... ooogg..."
"Easy now sweets..." Tank said as he caught Ranma as
she fell unconscious..
A scream was heard from one of the far rooms.
"WHAAAAAAT?!" Akane shouted.
Morpheus sighed. "Enough of this. Tank, load them
up."
~~~
"Ooog..." Ranma woke from his unconsciousness to
find himself on a comfortable bed, and back in his MALE form,
much to his relief. As he looked around he found... nothing.
A blank white void.
"Do you feel better?" Morpheus asked.
"Wha...?! Where am I?" Ranma inquired. "Where are
the walls?"
"You're inside a computer program, in what we call the
construct. I decided that we should talk in here while your
body rests, and so that you could be back in your male form."
"While my body-..." Ranma shuddered. "Tell me that
was a dream..."
"That, my friend, was real. If anything could be called
a dream, it's this." Morpheus waved Ranma's attention to the
empty space of the construct. "Just as this reality is a
fake, so is your body. When you leave here, you will be
female again."
Ranma pushed the implications of that answer out of
his mind for the moment. "Akane... I've got so see her.
Where is she?" he nervously asked.
"She's in another construct, talking with Trinity."
"Another what?" Ranma questioned. "What the hell is
going on?! Please tell me what in the hell is happening...!
Have I gone crazy?"
Morpheus sighed. "We have a lot to talk about, my
friend."
~~~
"...I've heard enough!" Akane sobbed, sitting in a room
devoid of -anything-, similar to Ranma's construct with Trinity
sitting opposite of her. "That can't possibly be-... machines
using us for-... for..." She broke down even more as she tried
to finish her sentence.
"I really wish it were, Akane. I really do. That's why
we're here. We fight for a future without the machines."
Trinity explained.
"Why Ranma and I?" Akane wiped several tears off
her cheek.
"You know that mallet of yours?"
"What about it?"
"You're the first person we've -ever- met who can
spontaneously create an object. Do you know how valuable a
skill like that can be?"
"So that's it, huh? You want us to be your
SOLDIERS?!" Akane ranted.
"That's a pretty rough way of looking at it, Akane.
Would you rather live in a fake world, or would you rather
fight for a real one?"
"My friends... my family..." Akane muttered.
"They're not your real family, Akane."
Akane began to glow a slight tinge of red.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Akane fumed.
"It's the truth, Akane! If I were to free them out of the
matrix right now and do a DNA test it would show that you're
totally unrelated to them. They're all random souls grouped to
form a family. It's all part of the illusion. None of it is real,
Akane. NONE of it." Trinity elaborated.
Akane fell to her knees. "None of it... none of it was
real... not even my fiancee..."
"Fiancee?"
"Ranma's my... my fiancee." Akane tearfully muttered.
"Oh my god..." Trinity covered her mouth, fearing her
jaw would fall off.
"AND ALL THIS TIME HE WAS A GIRL DAMNIT!
Why couldn't the damn machine have gotten THAT right?!"
~~~
"I don't care if I'm -actually- a girl or not! I was raised
a guy and I'm gonna BE a guy! I ain't gonna act like no
damned girl!" Ranma shouted.
"Trinity's a woman. Does she act any differently than
anyone else?" Morpheus asked.
"Huh? Uh, no... but that's not my point!"
"I hope not, because I don't get it."
"I'm not gonna go around picking flowers, acting cute,
wearing dresses..."
"Picking flowers...? What are you... OH!" Morpheus
burst out with a roaring laugh. "Ranma, I just look forward to
the day when we can -grow- flowers! I'm sorry for
misunderstanding. There's a few things I forgot about life in
the matrix."
"Uhh... now -I'm- lost." Ranma muttered.
"We're a little too busy fighting for humanity to be
worried about things like flowers or dresses, my friend.
You've got nothing to worry about. I don't think anyone really
cares."
"But still...! I was raised a guy and... uhm..."
"Weren't you listening? There's no real difference.
Here when a person looks at you, they see -you-. The rest is
details." Morpheus explained.
"I... I don't want guys coming on to me." Ranma
nervously muttered.
"Oh... so that's it." Morpheus mused. "No big deal. If
they ask, you politely tell them no."
"No-one I've ever met took no for an answer."
"Then you politely -deck- them until they do."
"Sounds like something my father would say..." Ranma
muttered.
"On this ship, I'm everyone's father. We are a family,
and you and Akane are the newest additions to it." Morpheus
patted Ranma on the back. "Just so you know... you, uhm...
-do- have a second option."
"And that is...?" Ranma inquired.
"You can politely accept."
"EXCUSE ME?!"
"Or don't. It's your option. By that time maybe you'll
have adjusted to-..."
"I will NOT adjust!!! I... AM... A... GUY!" Ranma
vocally interrupted.
"So be it. Be whatever you want. The only person who
cares is you." Morpheus wisely stated. "There's two facts you
need to wise up to first. Fact one, you're a girl. Fact two,
there's nothing wrong with fact one."
Ranma was about to argue, but reconsidered.
"I don't have a lot of say in the matter, do I?" Ranma
inquired.
Morpheus shook his head.
"Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?" Ranma
mumbled.
Morpheus gave Ranma a glare.
"You better make sure everyone knows I'm -already-
engaged." Ranma muttered.
"That was in your life in the matrix, Ranma. That's
something you'll have to let go."
"I will NOT! I... I... ...I love her." Ranma paused for a
moment to contemplate her words. "Dammit, I really do..."
"The woman you love is in the matrix. You can't go
back to her."
"Wrong. She's right here."
Morpheus was silent for a moment.
"Akane?" Morpheus inquired.
Ranma nodded.
~~~
"Well, you love her, right?" Trinity inquired.
"HIM!" Akane shouted.
"HER." Trinity retorted. "And you'd better get used to
it."
Akane remained silent, but reluctantly nodded.
Trinity sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I grew up in the
matrix, and I remember how strange a woman in love with
another woman was. Let me just tell you that here in the real
world love is rare... too rare to let 'details' spoil it."
"But... if Ranma and I still... I mean... what will
everyone think?"
"Do you really want the brutal truth?"
Akane nodded.
Trinity hesitated before answering.
"They'll think that you two are the luckiest people
alive."
~~~
"You mean that?" Ranma inquired.
"I envy you, Ranma. When you left the matrix you
were able to take with you the only real thing you had."
"And that is...?"
"Something you and Akane share. Something that's
rather rare in the real world. It'd be a shame if you lost it."
As Ranma thought about Morpheus' words, a tear
slowly trickled down his cheek.
"If you hope to build a future with her, you have to let
go of the fake life you've been living. Now I ask you, are you
ready for that?"
~~~
"No..." Akane answered. "But I'm ready to try."
"Are you ready to take the one piece of your life that
you two have left? Are you ready to take it before you lose it?"
Trinity asked.
~~~
"Yes!" Ranma and Akane both shouted as they awoke
from the construct, finding themselves strapped into an
interface couch.
"...Ranma?"
"...Akane?"
They looked at each other for the first time since being
freed from the matrix. They both had very short hair which,
although growing quickly, left them looking slightly
unfamiliar to the other at first.
Akane took a moment to carefully look Ranma over.
Indeed, Ranma was quite female. The heavily worn clothing
Ranma wore was quite large for Ranma's small frame, but
Akane could see that she was every bit as 'accented' as she
had been in the matrix.
Ranma took this same moment to look at Akane. Her
crew-cut hair didn't suit her in the least, and the plugs strewn
about her arms and the back of her neck spoiled some of her
beauty, but Ranma knew that the person sitting before her was
the Akane that he... no, she had grown a fondness for.
"Akane... I... I..." Ranma nervously muttered.
"Shut up..." Akane tearfully replied with a loving smile.
"Just shut up you dummy."
Ranma and Akane ran to each other and hugged, which
was but only a prelude to a heartfelt kiss that brought them
both to tears, complemented with applause by an audience of
Neo, Trinity, Tank, and Morpheus.
"I can arrange for you two to be alone for a while..." Tank
said.
"We're doing just fine, thank you." Akane smiled as she
wiped her face.
~~~
"They've been locked in that room for half an hour. What
are they doing in there?" Tank inquired.
"Talking, I think." Neo muttered.
"You -think-...?" Tank wryly inquired, eyebrows raised.
Neo scowled. "What are you suggesting?"
"Oh... nothing." Tank gave an exaggerated smile.
"Neo, is it me or do you sound a bit bothered?" Trinity
inquired.
"It's not you." Neo replied. "The matrix doesn't normally
make glitches like that."
"A girl who can make objects from thin air, a man who
changes into a panda, people who jump twenty meters or
more... I'd say the matrix is having a rough day." Trinity
mused.
"A man who changes into a panda?!" Tank questioned.
"You had to be there." Trinity muttered.
"There's another thing. Remember when we were getting
Ranma out of the matrix I lost the lock at first? I got it back,
but it wasn't the same."
"Didn't Ranma get splashed with water just before?"
Trinity inquired.
"I dunno. I wasn't watching." Neo answered. "Tank,
establish a link with the matrix informational node. Let's see
what's on the news."
"You got it. Let's see... ah. Here's the sports section..."
"Can it, Tank."
"You're no fun."
"Wait! That right there!" Neo pointed to a small list of
coordinates on the screen. "I remember those. That might have
been the first lock."
"What's the rest of it say?" Trinity asked.
"More coordinates, links to a project in progress, mentions
the loss of a supplemental component... a replacement... hmm.
Looks like a status report."
"Sounds like they're building something." Neo muttered.
"In a populated cluster of the matrix?" Trinity inquired.
"I guess so."
"Coincidence?" Trinity asked.
Neo raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
Trinity grinned.
"Tank, you think you can get us into that cluster?"
"It'll be tight..."
"Plan it out. Let me know when you're ready." Neo ordered.
"Until then, I've got some kids to train..."
~~~
"Just be quiet." Akane softly muttered.
"Akane, I..."
"Shhhhh. Quiet."
"No, Akane. I..." Ranma flustered.
"No words, Ranma. Just accept it." Akane said with a kind
smile. "You always were and always will be the man I love."
"Please, Akane! I..."
"Quiet, you dummy!" Akane kindly chided. "You don't
have to mmmphhhh!!"
Ranma put her hand over Akane's mouth.
"Would you be quiet so I can say just THREE words
please?"
Akane reluctantly nodded.
"I...love...you." Ranma said as she released her hand.
"There. I said it."
Without hesitation, Akane burst into tears and hugged
Ranma.
"Y-you're... you're all I have left, Akane." Ranma added.
"Thank you for not leaving me." she wrapped her small arms
around Akane and kissed her forehead .
"I will never, never leave you, Ranma."
Ranma smiled. "So which one of us is the tomboy now?"
Akane's tears ceased as she glared at Ranma.
"Ah. There we go. That's my Akane!" Ranma chuckled.
Akane's glare slowly disappeared into a slight grin.
"Dummy."
"Macho chick."
"Pervert!"
"Careful... you can be hit with that one yourself you know."
Ranma replied with a chuckle.
Akane scowled. "Tomboy!" she shouted.
Ranma flinched, caught off guard by the new insult that
strangely now applied to her.
"Gotcha!" Akane exclaimed victoriously. "I'm real good
with double edged swords, Ranma."
"And tables, and mallets, and frying pans..." Ranma
chuckled.
-Knock- -Knock-
"It's open."
Neo opened the door and walked in.
"If you two lovebirds are done..." Neo said.
"As a matter of fact, we're not." Ranma muttered. She took
hold of Akane and planted a deep kiss, her lips on hers.
"Now we're done."
"Oooo... very nice. I give it an eight." Neo commented.
"So... Trinity tells me that you two -think- that you know
martial arts."
"HEY!!!" Akane and Ranma shouted in unison.
"Don't like hearing that?" Neo inquired.
"No, we DON'T." Akane curtly replied.
"Care to do something about it?" Neo winked.
"You better believe it. I've got a reputation to uphold."
Ranma replied with a wistful grin.
"Good. I look forward to getting my ass kicked." Neo
answered with a twinge of sarcasm. "Load up in the construct in
15 minutes. Akane, you'll fight Morpheus. Ranma, you'll fight me."
~~~
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!