Rise of the DEAD A Ranma 1/2-Night of the Living Dead crossover By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton Chapter 2-At Deep Mountains and Dark Valleys, the Night Begins --- Ranma wandered the street, idly gazing at store-fronts and goods. Commuters on their way home from work, school, or travel, passed by him in a sea of living flesh. As the sun receded into the sky, he reached the central fountain in the Nerima marketplace. Casting forlorn glances at passerby, Ranma consulted his CODEC. Nothing but the eerie green pulse of ZOMBIE carriers greeted his weary eyes. It was useless. He was trapped in an unknown dimension that just happened to have a ridiculously high ZOMBIE concentration, with mindless sheep that didn't see the danger that even now threatened them! The local governments were more likely to cart him off to an insane asylum than seriously consider his warnings. It was a catch-22. Quite possibly the biggest catch-22 in the short history of this world. Hopefully the girls were safe and sound in the Biotech dimension. As his padded feet fell to the unyielding pavement, miles beneath clawed the hideous freaks of nature loosed from the bowels of Hell. Flapping shreds of skin were stripped from putrefying muscle in the undead's desperate attempt at freedom, noxious gangrenous fluids gushed from orifices as the dead heaved the dirt and clay from their backs. Checking his pockets for anything of use in this world, he pulled out his precision laser pen, a gift from the president of Biotech himself, presented to him for valor in the line of duty. The marketplace was busy, packed with bustling housewives buying dinner for hungry families. Retrieving his satchel from null-space, Ranma set about finding his way in this world because from the looks of things...he wasn't going anywhere soon. ---Biotech safe haven--- "On to the next order of business Mr. President." The room was darkened accordingly as a projection screen descended from the ceiling. "The disappearance of one of our best operatives, Ranma Saotome." A profile shot shifted on screen. "The operative was apparently flung through the randomizer when the jump station's transporter was destroyed." The president of Biotech, Yuzo Utatane, was a slight older gentleman who habitually wore a cyclopean visor. During the first breakouts of the ZOMBIE virus he had lost both eyes, now he relied on his own company's technology for his sight. He sat at the head of a massive onyx table with the commanders of various divisions seated around him. Choiler had escaped the jump station just before the base was overrun. He was seated next to the chairman of the board, Jiro Munetaki, also head of the weapons division. "_Col._ Choiler has a report to give..." Munetaki sneered at the brawny man. "...regarding the probability of success for a rescue mission, a plan I strongly discourage." Choiler stood at the holo-projector, and activated his data track recorder. "Here we have the list of possible ricochet dimensions that operative Saotome might be active in. The jump station's computer could only narrow the beam to an infested region, making the rescue operation imperative." He brought up the listing of weapons and tools recorded by the main-frame as being downloaded by Ranma's CODEC. "Mr. President, Saotome is one of our highest decorated officers, to lose such a valuable man is nothing short of insane. Chairman Munetaki has failed to take into account the homing beacon activated in Saotome's CODEC, this would greatly reduce the risks of an armed squad in an unknown world." "I must protest Colonel!" Munetaki rushed to his defense. "We have no solid evidence pointing to any dimensions! This entire mission is suicide! Mr. President! We can't just send out a squad blind! If-" "Col. Choiler is correct. To waste such a valuable asset is as moronic as rushing headstrong into a trap. I remember this Saotome, a promising young man...we will allocate the proper equipment and men to your division Col. Choiler." The president spoke from the shadows, the sanguine glow of his visor casting sinister shadows across his face. "This meeting is over." As the old men plodded out of the room, Munetaki lingered over his seat. Umbrella wouldn't like this turn of events...not one bit... ---Canon universe--- Not wishing to deal with Akane's violent outbursts, he sneaked in through the back kitchen door, running straight into Nabiki. Nabiki had just gone in for a quick snack when Ranma, dressed in a shiny kind of black bodysuit came barreling in. Kasumi had gone out for the day so she was starving, a condition worsened by Akane's vain attempts at the culinary arts...or was that the creation of a new lifeform? Whatever it was, Soun spilled it down the drain. Just as she put the kettle on for tea Ranma bumped her. "Well, well Saotome, is this some kind of new fashion statement?" The harried look on his face piqued her interest. Anything worthy of Ranma's fear was something to look into. "Just what are you doing here anyway, I thought you were going with Akane to the mall." "Nabiki? Do you have any contacts in the science department?" "School or national?" "National." "Why?" Her eyes narrowed to slits. "What could you possibly offer the scientific community?" Ranma closed his eyes, took deep cleansing breaths, and moved in for the kill. His gray-blue orbs met hers as he moved forward, pushing her to the wall. "Ranma!? What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She stumbled back, afraid of his next move. "This..." He leaned in with half-lidded eyes, covering her mouth with his. She struggled futilely for a few moments before surrendering to his touch. He cocked his head, kissing deeper, his fingers caressed her cheeks, leaving trails of liquid-fire on her skin. Her lips began to tremble as he felt slim arms encircle his waist, fingers traced the soft mounds of her breasts over her shirt. Tighter, and tighter he thrust her against the wall in his embrace. Finally he pulled away, his hands still caressing the taut fabric of her skirt and massaging her chest. Rumpled, panting, flushed, and embarrassed, Nabiki looked up at his face. Yes, there was definitely something different about him today...maybe for the better. Her eyes began to tear, her legs began to wobble. Tracing the raised contours of her nipples, he kissed her again, not as deeply, and released her. She fell back against her own bed. Somehow, she was in her own room. Turning back to him, a frightened look was spread over her face. "How?" "You just didn't notice. You had your eyes closed the entire time." He wiped a bit of lipstick off his face. Ranma sat then next to her, his body comfortably close to hers. "I imagine you have many questions to ask." He motioned her to begin. "Who are you?" It seemed the logical question to ask. This certainly wasn't the arrogant, headstrong Ranma she was used to. "I'm Ranma Saotome, just not the one you're used to." "Why are you here?" "I don't really mean to be, I'm actually sorta stuck here, but if you don't mind neither do I." "W-why did you-" "'-Kiss me?' Because I love you." "Love me?" Her mouth formed an 'O' in shock. "Yes, you see I never got the chance to tell you that where I come from." He produced a holo-cube. "This might help." A beam of light burst forth from the die materializing in the form of a 3-D insignia. The sign was then replaced by a hologram of Biotech's main headquarters, a skyscraper that stretched out to the company's executive offices located on the surface of the moon. The moon itself was encased in a black metal cityscape with dots of light indicating cities. "I was born in Nerima, Japan. At least the one that existed in universe 6262, you see these-" He changed the picture. "-are carriers of the ZOMBIE virus created by the Darrow Chemical Company in quantum year 1965." The hologram was now of three misshapen humanoids shuffling forward. Before her horrified eyes, Nabiki watched as an arm fell off of one and was eaten by another. "The ZOMBIE virus slowly kills the body while leaving the brain intact. As the flesh around it decays and falls away, the pain drives the host's brain insane." The beam of light died and all was still in the room. "Do you believe me?" "All this talk of viruses and Biotech is all well and good, but what did you mean by 'Yes, you see I never got the chance to tell you that where I come from?" The emotionless mask fell back into place, Nabiki the ice bitch returned. Shaken, but not toppled. "Was I in your life then?" He flinched, such things normally would be classified, analogue citizens normally were educated at the Biotech main offices. "In a way. In my world, I married Akane." His face wrinkled in sourness at the memory. "But that didn't work out. It was a loveless marriage, forged because of two meddling fathers and two rather cold sisters." He looked pointedly at her. "You rejected me on sight, stating that 'Biotech operatives walk that thin line between life and death, I would like some financial stability.'" Nabiki drew in a breath. Never would she do that to him, or anyone for that matter, to be cold was part of the job description, to be remorseless wasn't part of the bargain. "She really said that?" He nodded. "You...don't believe me after all, do you?" He pulled his satchel back from null-space. Nabiki's brow furrowed in concentration. Did she believe him? The hologram itself spoke volumes on the truth of his words, the speak patterns and age difference finished the set. She stood now, her short brown hair pushed back behind her ears, a face of emotionless cool, the face of stone. Did she dare disturb the universe? "Do I dare to eat a peach?" She murmured under her breath. "What?" "Nothing, just something I read once..." "Well...will you help me?" he was pleading now, if she didn't accept the chances of surviving long enough in this universe were slim, the materials he would need to combat the threat alone would cost billions, a constant flow of income from patents would come in handy. "Nabiki?" Her face went through three stages, worried, insightful, and finally determined. Rising from the bed she looked straight into his eyes and took his hand. "I'll help you." Words that would seal her fate. ---Umbrella Secret Laboratory, Raccoon City Mountains--- "How is the test subject?" A tall man wearing black sunglasses responded. His greasy blond hair slicked back. "It seemed to be doing well since exposure. Test subject Neptune has been exposed to a 50 cc dosage for three weeks, it took two to reach the stage of mutation." He opened the observation window, a switch was located in the main control room. The walls suddenly cracked at the baseboard, the metal carapaces sliding away to reveal an operational laboratory tank. Wendell Thorten was an acclaimed bioengineer but even he had never seen the astounding level of technology and genetics in practical use before. Inside the tank of blue solution, a shadow shimmered in the distance, something menacing but not quite sure how to act. "What do you think Dr. Thorten?" "Blue Umbrella, this was an unexpected mutation, Neptune was supposed to grow in size not mutate it's oral structure." Thorten watched as the shadow began to move closer, growing larger with each moment. Larger... Larger... Larger... Finally it swerved to avoid the electric fields surrounding the windows. It was a shark, what had once been a mako but now resembled more something that haunted the oceans of Earth's distant past. The teeth were oversized, jutting out of its mouth as even more punctured the gray flesh of its face. A crimson cloud enveloped it, the blood seeping from its eyes casting a threatening wraith in the water. "Since the injections started it began to shed it's epidermis, something not associated with the T-virus at all! We're dealing with something new now. I don't know what to do!" "Continue the experiments, I want the expected results no matter the damage. If the creatures own cellular structure fails I don't care! Umbrella wants this virus, Biotech is light-years ahead of us in dimensional technology." He closed the shutters and nodded at the guard. "You have your orders." ---Japan, Nerima Ward--- "So what happened to the 'real' Ranma?" Nabiki sat at the kotatsu as Ranma sought to fix his CODEC. The device lay open on the table, various circuits strewn across. He was working with a phaser driver, a microscopic type of screwdriver that could fix and weld the hairline fractures on wires. Nabiki paid it no mind, she'd probably never understand anyway. "I mean he didn't just disappear when you came did he?" A Ranma without a curse would cut into a well stocked market she had built from the ground up. However, this Ranma seemed to be a far more lucrative business venture. "Well...he couldn't have disappeared. Dimensional travel is nothing like time travel, but he could have been bumped into another place here on this world, one where he could do some good." He replaced his pince-nez microscope back into null-space. "There! Good as new!" He welded the CODEC back together. "'Where he could do some good?' That sounds pretty vague to me..." She chose not to press the matter any further, his attention seemed focused on the device at his side. "So what's that? Something you want to sell?" He shook his head. "Nope. I'd never sell this." He depressed a green pad on the side. There was a blinding burst of light and a pile of various weapons and odd-looking futuristic tools appeared on the table. "Now let's see what I've got." Nabiki just stared at the pile, her mouth having gone dry. The weapons themselves would fetch a pretty price from a heavy industries corporation, while the tools would make any engineer drool in anticipation. A finger reached out to gently probe an intriguing artifact when his hand shot out, encircling her wrist. "Don't touch that! Do you want to kill us!" She snatched away her arm and pouted, boring eyes hard as flint into his. He retrieved the odd looking sphere and placed it next to his bag. "That's a miniature bomb, it may look small but inside it holds enough compressed plasma to blow this whole block away. Something dangerous from the twenty-third century." He cocked the hammer of a rifle possessing an oddly twisted barrel. "Twenty-third century? I though you said you came from another dimension, not another time." "Well, it's kinda hard to explain, you see, Biotech designed time travel technology as well. I got this fusion injection launcher from the future as well as most of the high tech tools I use. It's just easier than designing them all over again." He fingered a silver ball. "Catch!" Nabiki screamed and dove under the table as the sphere bounced off her head and careened off into the yard. Recovering slightly but still seeing red, she tore into him. "What the hell did you do that for! You could've killed me! Wasn't it you who just said that thing could blow this entire block? What the hell game are you playing at!?!" She flung a hand back to slap him when she realized he was laughing, laughing! "What's so funny you jerk!?!" Ranma was rolling on the floor in hysterics, she actually thought it was the bomb! "Nabiki-chan, that wasn't the bomb, that was just something I want you to have." "How could you tell the difference between the two?" A valid question asked but the answer confirmed her belief. "I just knew. Now will you get that back? I have something to show you." She ran out onto the deck, her hair whipping wildly as she scanned back and forth for the device. Finally she spotted it floating in the koi pond. She dried it off with a dishtowel then handed it back to the weary traveler. "Now, Nabiki I want you to watch closely." He pressed the single switched etched into the equatorial line and a white beam bathed his head in holy light. "Choker, silver and white gold, Egyptian design circa 185 BC Diamond and ruby inlaid." The light had flickered with his syllables and reacted with a short tone to acknowledge his request. "Now watch." He placed the orb on the table, a flattened portion preventing it from rolling away. The ball flickered a yellow light then produced a beam similar to the one that scanned Ranma, a steady whine pierced the air complimented by the shower of sparks falling to the table. As Ranma smiled, an ornate choker of arabesque design appeared in the haze, the diamonds sparkling in the sun. Nabiki's eyes almost fell out as he picked the jewelry off the table and presented it to her, offering it in a disturbingly Grecian manner. "My lady, I hope beyond all hopes that you will accept this humble token of my gratitude." He slid it into her shaking hands, the cool metal setting her skin afire. "Don't worry it's real. Just as real as we are." He stood from the table and sauntered around her, clipping the golden clasp around her neck. She looked stunning with it on, Cleopatra reincarnated! "H-how did you do that? Your giving this to me?" She studied the stones pressed to her tanned flesh. "Why?" "Because you're helping me, helping me save your world." Ranma turned back to the CODEC, where a vast green area the size of Manhattan glowed with sinister color. ---to be continued--- Questions? Comments? vze2jcwc@verizon.net By the way, if anyone out there reading this happens to like my stories (big 'if') and maintains a fanfiction web site, I'm in dire need. I own a MAC, so I can't post on the RAAC, but I do have several interesting Ranma 1/2 stories. Many of these offer different beginnings or alternate fiancˇes, for instance Kima, Hinako, Nabiki, or Kasumi. If anyone is interested I'd really appreciate it!