Resident Evil: Project Ranma
Written by
Warlock
*** The Loss Of Innocence ***
Where and how it all began, I guess that how all stories begin......sigh.......
Sometimes I wish it was all a dream some crazy nightmare brought on by a bad movie and too much junk food.
But wishes are like excuses everyone has one or two.
I remember sitting in my bedroom relaxing after a great dinner kasumi made as she usually did; kasumi sweet and innocent she didnt deserve to die none of them did but bad things happen to good people. The news as of late had been filled with strange accounts of canabilistic like murders springing throughout the Nerima area a state of martial law was set into full force, I remeber the local shopkeepers coming to Soun and oyaji for help, it makes me remember how they came to them when hopposai was terrorizing the local women with his pervert thievery. Well pop and old man Tendo agreed to do a night watch as Tendo said " It's the duty of a proper martial artist to protect his community "........... oh how I wish they would have stayed home that night, that they would have taken the situation like they did when hopposai was running around...hmph in their bedrooms cowering.
Akane was nervous that night more quick to temper one of the girls that was found murdered was a close friend of hers, I still remember the funeral my hand on her shoulder as she dropped the lilly on the casket, the way she grabbed onto me and shed her tears for once in my life keeping my foot out of my mouth as she cried her heart out trying to put the healing into the wounds.
It was around nine o'clock that night I was in my room practicing my Ki building techinique trying to get around the emotion part of it and finding the energy key, I really had wanted to go with Soun and pops but they made me promise to stay here and watch after the girls. Thats when the sound of glass breaking and the screaming began.............. I got up quickly running down the stairs taking two at a time till I got to the bottom and what I saw turned my blood cold.
Kasumi was on the floor in a large puddle of blood fragments of glass sticking into her skin one side of her face perfect as always the other side a bloody mess as the shock went into me I realized one of her eyes were missing. I looked to the left and saw Akane fighting back a man in bloody and tattered clothing and surrounded by the smell of death, the stench was coming from him like a piece of meat left too long in the sun. Nabiki was cowering behind the couch tears streaming down her face gibbering uncontrolably. I went into action, quickly I got behind the guy attacking Akane grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around, and what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my days and the rest of my dreams, it was a young man I knew from the neighborhood his name was Kohei he delivered the paper in the area he had gone missing four days ago. But this was not the young boy Kohei that I knew this was something that was not alive but at the same time was, the flesh of his face was a diseased yellow and grey bloodless wounds covered his face; where I remember jovial green eyes were there now stared milky white cataracts with red blood filled pupils, I was frozen for what seemed like an eternity I had the time to take in the hole in his side where a chunk of his flesh was missing I almost vomited my dinner when I realized I could see his intestines hanging over his belt. Then he opened his mouth and a pitiful moan escaped his throat it was the odor of shit and puke that came from his throat that made me realize what he was........ Honest, kind, quick with a smile and a wave poor Kohei was a zombie like something out of those cheesy american horror movies and that he had just killed Kasumi and than attacked Akane and now was coming for me. I moved to the left and turned my body his momentum for me was too much and he stumble over I shot a look over and saw Akane run to Nabiki and holding her; Kohei corrected himself and made groping motions at me a yellowish drool started dripping from his mouth...... Realazation struck me he was rotting right before my very eyes and like in those movies he needed the flesh of the living to continue existing I did the only thing I could do the humane thing I had to put him down, quick and fast.
I moved in quick sliding across the floors knocking his feet out from under him as his face hit the floor I turned over and drove the elbow of my left arm into the back of his neck hearing the bones underneath snap with a wet sickly sound. I did a chinese get up and go to my feet stepping back and away from him, he layed there twitching for a moment or two then he finally went still. I walked over to the mangled form of Kasumi the bottle of window cleaning fluid and a cleaning rag still in her hand. Looking at her was like looking at a half crushed butterfly her neck had been cut by a flying piece of glass which bled her out she must have been dead by the time she hit the floor her right eye had been bitten out as if Kohei had tried to eat at her face her left eye stared up at the ceiling already drying out, I knelt down and closed that one beautiful and perfect brown eye and then the truth hit me Kasumi was dead she was actually dead, the very young woman who became in a way the only form of a real mother that I had ever known.
For only Kami knows how long I sat by her body crying I never even noticed Akane grabbing onto my back hugging me around my chest I did'nt even feel the wetness of her tears against my back, I was just so numb with the shock. Nabiki calmed out quicker than me and Akane she ran to the phone and tried to call the police " The phone is useless, when I picked up all I got was a recording saying 'all lines are down at this time try your call again later' whats going on around her some monster comes in throught the window and kills Kasumi and the cops are nowhere as usual and the phone is on the fritz! " toward the end of her sentence her voice became shrill and hysterical Akane quickly went to her and held her close. Akane held her sisters head against her chest and let the poor girl cry, rocking her back and forth and stroking her hair kissing her forehead silently crying herself. I walked next to them and held them both against me, Akane looked up at me her eyes puffy and red. " What do we do now Ranma? " she askesd me. Softly I touched her cheek " We have to find out what going on that wasnt a human being that killed K-k- k-kasumi (it was still hard for me to even believe it.....it still is) as crazy as it sounds that was a walking dead man a for real zombie, we gotta get out of this house there's too many entrances to be attacked from ". Akane looked up at me like I was crazy " Get out of the house?! why ". I held her gaze firmly in mine" Akane think about the newscasts and all the stories going around in different area's I dont think that all the killings were done by this one thing here, there might be more and incase there is we need to get to better safety or were all dead ". Nabiki turned white " If there are more of those thing out there then you can kiss my ass Satome I'm gonna go in my room barricade the door and wait till the authorities come and clean up the mess, No way in blue hell am I going out there and become one of those things late night snack so to hell with you!!!! ". At that very moment I thought maybe she was right but murphy's law went into effect as it always does, with a rumble the wall behind us blew apart for a comforting second I thought maybe it was shampoo coming to help out but what was there hunched over in the dust was something straight out of the pit of hell.
It was roughly five feet tall hunched over and reptilian in its appearance two piercing yellow eyes lay under the brow of a very flat skull its long taloned arms brushed across the floor its body rippled with corded muscle then Nabiki screamed in terror its eyes fell on Nabiki her cry bringing It's attention . The creature opened its mouth a shriek from another world came rolling out across its fangs it lunged for Nabiki, I ran flat out trying to shoulder ram it from Nabikis path but it was far quicker than I expected with a fury it lashed out at me with its left arm causing me to crash into the coffee table.
I had no time to worry about the pain racking my back as I watched in blind horror as the creature plunged the talons of both it's arms to rip through Nabiki's stomach not stopping till it was elbow deep into her gut and it's fangs found the soft part of her throat.
Akane screamed and kicked out with a roundhouse to the creatures temple the creatures eyes rolled up and fixed on its next victim totally unfazed by the hit that I knew would have stopped an oncoming Volvo, with a wet squelching sound it removed its arms from the corpse of Nabiki throwing it down to the floor with seemingly no effort. I could tell by the way it was bunching the muscles in it's legs to prepare for a leap towards Akane. Something in my snapped at that moment I felt fire course through me and with a roar I unleashed a wave of pure Ki screaming " YOU WON'T TOUCH HER!!!! ". After the smoke cleared and the dust had settled all that was left of the beast was a smoking stump of a leg......after that I vomited and dropped forward in a dead faint and everything went black.
*** School Of The Dead ***
When I woke up I found myself in a dark room it kind of looked like a cleaning supply room brooms and mops littered one corner of the room. The smell of cleaning fluids stung my nose yet comforted me in some strange way, as I shifted my body I felt a warmth beside me I turned over and saw Akane sleeping beside me her face and blouse covered with ash and grime, one of her shoes was missing and her skirt was in tatters. Softly I nudged her " Akane, Akane wake up " She jumped and gave a little scream " Akane it's ok it's just me " she grabbed me and started sobbing " R-r-r-ranma I thought you were one of those monsters again " I brushed the tears away from her face " where are we? ".
After a few minutes she got control of herself and explained to me what happened after I fainted.
" When you passed out I picked you up and headed out of the house I thought maybe we could find some of the others, I got us to Ukyo's ok but the place was burning I shouted for her but there was no answer so I kicked the door open and I found her and some other people I think one of them was Daisuke but.......they were dead.....they were zombies just like the thing that k-k- kiled kasumi. I did the only thing I could do with you unconsious I couldnt fight back without worrying about one of those things grabbing at you while you were defenseless. I kinda got thrown around while running away there were barricades all over the place cars and trucks blocking streets off, all of them burning on fire, I finally got us to the school and the courtyard was full of them I just plowed my way through and broke a window and threw you through it and climbed in after you, there were a few loan zombies here but I took them out by breaking there necks like you did I had no choice every other attack they just got back up from as if they never felt it, I had to break a few locks but I finally got us down to the basement locked us in the janitors closet we were down here for about an hour last I remembere but I was so tired from running I must have passed out how much time has passed since then I don't know "
I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze " You did good Akane you did real good the door is steel and the walls are solid concrete with no windows to worry about , we have plenty of water from the sink so were ok for a while, I want you to stay here and rest lock the door and jam something underneath the knob I'll be back as soon as I can I'm going to see if I can find any other surv- " thats when she cut me off " No! I wont let you go out there by yourself what if one of those things....." she could'nt finish the sentence she did'nt have to I knew what she was thinking " Akane......you know me I move very fast and very quiet and the only way I can get through this is if I know your ok, this room is all concrete and that door is steel this is probably the safest spot in all of nerima.......If I'm not back in four hours get out of here and get out of nerima. " her lips trembled " where will I go " I let go a breath I never knew I was holding thanking the gods silently that she was listening to me for once " Head to Kyoto find the Karutoshon dojo tell them what happened here and tell them Ranma Satome said to look after you untill the crisis is over, the school's master liked me alot when I was there he offered me a place to stay once if I ever needed it he's a very kind man "
A sudden look of determination came over her eye's I felt her arms wrap around the back of my neck softly she pulled me down untill our lips met she held me there for a moment,with reluctance she released me but kept our faces only inches apart. " I love you Ranma Satome always have and always will......If theres one thing I most love about you is you always keep your promises, so you promise me now dont you dare let yourself get killed out there, I want you to come back to me and then we can leave together and I want us to be together always......" at that moment a weight that I never really knew but was aware of left my shoulder " I........I love you too.............and the first thing were doing when we get out of this nightmare is a real date, just you and me...ok? " she smiled and the Akane that I knew was again with me " very much ok you jerk " And she pulled me down again for another kiss.
After a strong embrace and a kiss " for luck " she told me, I left the left the room looking left and right to make sure there were no surprises waiting for me, after I heard the sound of the dead bolt behind me and felt sure she was ok I started making my way out of the basement.
The smell of death permeated the building bodies were strewn around like the forgotten toys of some malignant child. I went up the stairwell to the east wing of the school deciding on getting to the roof to get a better view on things. Slowly I made my way to the roof access door and found it locked with a large padlock, centering myself I concentrated a small amount of Ki into my hand and sliced right through it with ease. The sound of the gravel underneath my feet, the steady crunch from under my heels was some how hypnotic, easing me in a strange compelling kind of way. I made my way to the edge and looked down already anticipating a scene of carnage as I looked over what I saw added a new fright to me. It took my mind a full five seconds to register what I was looking at and thank Kami it had it's rear facing me or I would have been as dead as the others. It was a spider..........the size of a rottweiler... red and black in color the bristles on its back softly moving in the breeze I noticed it wasnt actually sticking to the wall of the building but hanging on by a thick silk strand of webbing coming out of its backside. Without reall thinking (something I do alot on many occasions) I released a small flame of Ki from my finger at the length of webbing. I watched in amazement as the spider flailed it's long hairy legs all the way down smashing head first into the pavement a wet splash met my ears as I saw pale yellow ocher burst from it's body from the force of impact.
Going back to observing the area I saw at least eight-teen zombies in massive levels of decay roaming the school yard, some were missing arms or feet and even one of them had no arms or legs and was using its chin to pull itself along all the while moaning and wailing pathetically. I decided the best course of action was to destroy all the zombies incase Akane had to make a run out of the building she'd have a better chance of getting out without any danger to herself.
Getting to the top of the school tower was as simple as walking a straight line, I had a perfect field of view of all the creatures milling around; I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible so I figured on getting them in one large group and hitting the bastards with one flat blast of superheated Ki. I did the only thing I could think of I jumped down to the stairway leading to the front of the school and put my plan into action. " Nyah nyah nyah nyah, Hey stupid zombies try and get me dont I look fresh and tasty c'mon who wants a nibble ". To say that I was a bit surprised when they all looked up at me on top of the tower would have been the understatement of the millenium " damn it actually worked ". They all began to move almost like one entity all with a single purpose in what was left of their minds......to eat me. The familiar pulse of Ki began to sweep around me it was the moment in life that I always was awed by........but this time it was different the power level was amazing the sheer magnitude of the energy was spiking at alarming rates I felt like I was going to explode.......then I remember when the thing killed Nabiki.....I had unleashed Ki in it's rawest form pure destructive energy, I had unlocked the gates inside of me and now I had control...........and now it was time for a little payback.
The zombies all formed up in a loose circle about twent-five feet in diameter, cockily I thought that was not too bad I should be able to hit em all, I took two deep breaths and took my stance cupping my hands at the waist feeling if not the seeing the beams of light emitting from my fingertips keeping sight of the targets before me I relased what felt like a ball a Ki the size of a basketball. " Moku Takabisha !! " I let the words fly from my mouth like a battle cry and watched the ball of Ki arc down into the center of the zombie cluster, what happened next was amazing. The Ki ball hit right on target spreading out like a water balloon the force of the explosion pushed me back a few steps the brightness of the light making my eyes sting and water. Finally the light faded and what I saw almost made my face hit the asphalt what lay before me was a sixty foot hole at least seven feet deep in the center was a pile of burnt bones and ashes......I looked at my hands they were still glowing sightly tiny arcs of electricity leaped between my open palms I had hardly put any effort in that blast and it did the damage of a large piece of explosive.......Hell I put more energy in a cough then I did that blast, I was stunned by it, awed by it. Could I have really open the final gate, the place where Ki had almost infinite abilities.
*** New Friends ***
The street outside the school looked like a warzone looking around I could hardly believe that this world of death and destruction could have once been my home. A slow burning anger filled me as I realized that it was quite possible that everyone I cared about was dead, softly I said a quiet prayer " Pop.....even though you might screw up every now and then I hope your alright ".
I used to walk these streets at anytime I wished and never had to worry about a single thing but now something sinister was breeding in my home..........A sudden crash to my left and a loud gunshot brought me out of my reverie the clicking of claws made my back shiver " Damn what do I have to deal with this time? ". A creature crawled out of one of the side alley's bleeding profusely and limping slowly for a second I felt pity for it, another gunshot was fired and the creatures head was turned into a pulpy mass of blood and bone. Behind the creature a man stepped out, I did a double take the guy was like a walking mountain of muscle he looked to be about forty and he definitely took good care of himself, he had grey hair and full beard neatly trimmed at his chin he was dressed in what looked like black army fatigues and in his hand he carried the largest handgun I had ever seen in my life. " Damn lickers thought you could get the best of ol'barry....... "
I guess he must have noticed me out of the corner of his eye, he dropped to his knee in a shooting stance and aimed that cannon of a handgun right at my head " WAIT!! I'm human dont shoot!!! " I dropped to the floor covering my head. " Damn kid you almost gave me a fricki'n coranary, geez it's good to see a survivor have you seen anymore " for some reason I felt easy around the guy he had a fatherly figure attitude that seeped out of him I felt I could trust him " Just me and my........(oh hell why bother denying it) fiancee, I left her at the school she's locked up safe I figured I could walk around and try and find some others and get everybody out of here........um who are you and why are you dressed up like a swat dude? ".
He looked up at me and holstered his weapon " Names Burton kid, Barry Burton I'm with the S.T.A.R.S. Special Tactics And Rescue Squad ". " No offense but I never heard of Japan having any task force like that " he let out a deep rumbling chuckle " Thats because were not officially affiliated with the Japanese government" that kind of caught me off gaurd. " So then what are you doing here? " he took a step forward palms out I guess trying to show that he was holding nothing to threaten me " Look kid basically what happened here was a mess made by a company known as Umbrella they've bee......" " You mean that new pharmacutical factory at the end of the canal " I cut him off. " Well kid......that aint exactly a pharmacutical factory thats just a front it's more like a biological offensive weapons lab They created a virus known by a few as the T-Virus and basically that is the cause to all the chaos around here ".
I looked at him in dumb shock " So what your saying there was some sort of accident here? ". He let out a deep sigh " Kid I wish it was just an accident.......Umbrella did it on purpose to test out a newer strain of the virus....they've been doing it and getting away with it for years now ".
" They did it........on purpose......... ". The rage I had felt earlier was nothing compared to what I was feeling now before was like a bonfire in my soul, what I felt now was like a someone dumped a can of gasoline into it.......... I now had a target for my rage. "Those bastards!! I'll kill each and every single one of those asshole's!!!!!!!!!". I turned to leave to vent my anger my every intention was to head to the factory and unleash Ki wave after Ki wave untill all that was left would be a smoking rubble, a firm grip on my shoulder stopped me I turned around to see the eyes of Mr.Burton they were full of sympathy, seeing his eyes made the anger flare more I didn't want sympathy I wanted vengance " Let me go! " I yelled not intending for the anger to be projected at him " Kid I know what your going through.......the same thing happened in my town two years ago...I lost alot of close people to me, I know your pain and I know your rage but you got to get it together and think clearly or your gonna end up dead. You think your just gonna walk in through the front door of that place knock and start walloping the first gaurd you see, no way kid even if you knocked out the first gaurd the rest of their security squad would open fire on you and turn you into a steaming pile of flesh and bone fragments. "
I started laughing, I think he was a bit shocked to say the least " Who say's I'm going in....I'm gonna go to the front door alright but I aint gonna knock on the door, I intend to turn that place into ash ".
" And how exactly are you going to do that kid you dont even have a slingshot let alone a gun. " I smirked " Who needs a gun when your the best martial artist of your generation and you can do this............Moku Takabisha!" I extended my hand towards a dumpster across the street turning into a molten pile of twisted metal. " Holy Shit!! What in gods name was that!! " " That was a Ki blast I've been learing martial arts since before I could walk Ki abilities are one of the payoff's for sacrificing my life to the art " I smirked. " Looked like ball of red and blue fire " I just shrugged my shoulders "In a way I guess it is but its alot hotter then fire" he gave me a look that was full of shock and bewilderment " What do they call you kid?" " Ranma...........Ranma Satome.....so what do we do know Mr.Burton" he waved a hand dissmisivley throgh the air " No Mr.Burton's here, you just call me Barry....As to what we do know I was gonna head to the factory to meet up with Chris and Jill....oh they're other members of the team we were gonna penetrate the factory at different entrances and make are way in and get as much evidence as possible against Umbrella while quietly taking out the squads and Bio weapons, hey can you do that fireball thingy anytime you want " " Yeah just about...why? "
He extended his hand to me and smiled " Aren't you gonna shake it? " dumbfounded I took his hand " Uh........ok " his grip was warm and firm " Welcome to the team kid " " Eh......?????? " again he chuckled " You wanna get back at Umbrells well so do I and my team, Umbrella has made our live living hell's and we've been working like crazy to bring'em down but they're sneaky bastards I'll give'em that.......I figure with that little trick of yours you can come in real handy for back up and the fact that your still alive and walking the streets unarmed means your skills are nothing to laughed at, and that's the stuff we look for in new recruits " " Well I dont know about joining..........but I'll help you get Umbrella, I got a score to settle with them. " he nodded his head approvingly. " Alright Ranma...let's go and get your girl she'll be safer with us as a group.........uh can she do what you do? " I almost said an insult in reference to Akane but changed my mind " Well no she can't throw Ki blasts but she can bench press a small car and throw a punch that'll go clear through it's engine ".
"Your kidding right" I shook my head, I had to laugh when he face faulted.
*** A Warrior Falls ***
We ran together side by side it took us about five minutes to get back to the school, I found myself laughing a bit to the fact that barry was able to keep pace with me either he had one hell of an adrenaline rush or his endurance level was much higher than I was giving him credit for. Barry reached for the handle on the door " Alright we go in like this I'm high to the left your low to the right you see anything you take it down, got it " I nodded my head " No problem ". Barry counted to three then rushed the door open holding his gun up with both hands a flick of his finger and a small but bright flashlight underneath the barrel illuminated his end, not to be outdone I pushed a current of Ki into my left hand causing it to glow and light up the corridor before me. Barry caught my action out of the corner of his eye " Not bad, my ends clear how's your's " it was kind of cool I felt like I was a cop or something " All clear ". " Alright Ranma you know the way to the basement so you take point " I nodded my head again and then stopped " Uhh, whats point "
Barry looked dumbfounded for a second " Shit, sorry I forgot who I was talking to I guess you don't know the lingo yet, but you'll learn. Taking point means you take the lead but stay out of my line of fire alright. "
" Ok I go it ".
We moved towards the east stairwell Barry's gun barrel moving in little swift jerks to any unidentifiable shadow. Rounding a corner we heard a soft moaning, slowly I stuck my head around the corner " It's ok Barry this one wont be hurting nobody ". The zombie in question was on the cloor its torso was cut clean in the middle along with both its arms deep gouges were scattered across the floor and wall. Barry ran his finger along one of the damaged walls " Looks like somone stuffed a piece of cloth in all these holes here ". Barry passed one of the pices of cloth to me " I dont believe it he's still alive! " a sense of joy spread through me " Who's still alive? " I looked up at barry " Ryoga Hibiki, he's the only guy I know who can throw a bandanna with enough force to cut through through a wall " suddenly I looked down at the zombie " Damn good thing he never hit me with one of these things or I'd be using my teeth to zip my fly ". I guess the zombie got a whiff of us or maybe it heard us because it started humping its body in our direction " Hey barry you want this one ". Cocking the hammer back I knew he had no problem doing it this was a man who had the survival instinct, to kill or be killed. I flinched at the report from the handgun it was extremely loud in the confining halls of the school they seemed to echo and return to my ears, I shook my head " Zombie or not that's gotta be one hell of a way to go " Barry chuckled " A Colt Python will bring any of these crusty critters to their knees ".
I really had to admire Barry, even though I really detested guns the man made that piece of steel an extension of his body he didnt even have to site down the barrel it was as if he knew where each bullet would go. We got down to the basement unmolested what we saw was something that was not there before I had left, scattered all over the floors and walls were the remains of the same creature that had killed Nabiki, Barry looked up at me.
" My god looks like someone went through these Hunter's with a chainsaw and scooped up the rest and threw it in a meat grinder, sweet jesus that stinks! ". I held my gorge as best as I could the creatures had their heads and other limbs removed and appeared to be eviscerated " Ryoga.... ".
Barry whipped his head up towards me " Are you telling me that same guy that took out the crusty critter upstairs did all this! " I nodded emphatically " Ryoga is basically built like a pitbull, sweet and friendly but when he's crossed or is pushed to his limit he goes berserk. Ryoga what did you see to make you do this " I asked myself.
We moved down the corridor occasionally ducking our head out of the way of some low hanging pipes, the door was as I had left it before I knocked on the door firmly. " Akane it's me open the door " Her voice came through the door muffled and full of joy and sorrow " Ranma!! ". The door opened to reveal Akane's tear streaked face I already knew something was wrong as she embraced me " Ryoga's in here I heard him through the door and let him in, he's hurt bad Ranma ".
I saw over her shoulder a bloody and battered Ryoga. Softly I moved her aside her eyes fell across Barry for a moment and he gave her a quick nod, I knelt down next to Ryoga glad to see the soft rise of his chest as he breathed he turned his head up I guess he must have felt my presence. " Ranma....your alive....good thats good " I looked at his chest and saw the wounds, I didnt have to be a doctor to know that they were fatal. " Shhhhh Ryoga don't talk man, conserve your energy we'll get you some help " I could feel the tears building up behind my eye's." Don't bullshit....me I d-d- don't have much time left ....I know it and so do y-y-you " he grabbed my hand and gave it a good squeeze. " Me and Akari were out for a walk you know....I gathered enough courage t- t-to ask her to come out with m-m-me tonight.......they atacked us......ugly and fast.... one killed Akari.....I ripped it apart one piece at a time......I was overcome with rage...I saw more creatures just like it...I couldn't controll myself anymore..........I had to kill them a-a- all. " I gave his hand a good squeeze " Let m-me guess, you were so full of rage you didn't even realize you were getting wounded huh?. " He laughed a rasping wheeze " You and me Ranma.....we dont think to much about things...like....that...get Akane out of here..be good to her..be happy....".
With a final wheezing breath my sometime friend, rival, enemy and brother in arms left this world for the next. I looked down at his now cooling hand " Till the next time our paths meet warrior, go in peace ". I cried then, I cried for my friend I cried for my bother and I cried for myself it was either that or go insane, I never heard Barry and Akane talking softly behind me I guess he must have been explaining about how me and him ran into eachother.
Barry rested a hand on my shoulder his voice was thick and low " You grieve boy, you grieve as much as you need ". Akane got down on her knees kissed his forehead and closed Ryoga's eye's, her voice was small and shattered. " B-b-b-bye my friend go be with Akari and lay at rest ".
*** The Devil Revealed ***
There was a sudden burst of static *Chris---ere----ade---nside--opy-- * Barry reached down for a small walkie talkie on his utility belt.
" Barry here, What are you doing chris radio silence aint supposed to be up for another hour and change ". *----o-----need------brella---munication----- own--actory- -dead--zone-----Jil---ot all the---files---meet at---endevous-- oint--21--- epeat---21*. " Barry confirming 21 repeat 21 ".
I looked up at Barry I knew something major had just gone on " What's going on? ". Barry eased his body up against the wall. " That was Chris one of my team members, the factory is a dead zone that basically means all dangerous anomilies are destroyed inside. But rendevous point 21 means something else has come up we need to regroup go over their findings and plan the next course of action. "
I caught Barry's eye's " I want in " Akane stepped forward " Me too,Barry-san told me what Umbrella did....they need to pay for what they did, they killed my s-s-sisters, Ukyo, Ryoga, and so many others....We don't even know if our fathers are still alive! ". The look in her eye's told me she would not be left out she had a vendetta that needed to be paid in blood and no matter what I could say she would not be stopped, I just nodded my head and prayed to Kami to give me the strength to protect her, even if it cost me my life.
We left the school cautiously barry led us in a south east direction toward the warehouse district, on the way we passed by the smoldering ruin that was Ucchan's. I added the image to my growing rage sharpening it to a razor's edge, I heard the sound of rustling to our left I stepped in front of Akane shielding her body with my own. Then the voice of death reached my ears. " Ranmaaaaaaaaaaa........Starssssssssssss ". Out from the ruins of Ucchan's a being of immense size came plodding out towards our direction " Nemisis! Run!! " I heard Barry gasp. " Neme-Who? " both me and Akane replied as we ran after Barry, Barry flipped the cylinder of his handgun and checked the loads with another snap of his wrist he reset it " It's a Tyrant series Bio-soldier, Its a killer that can be programed....Buth why is it calling for you, me and the S.T.A.R.S. I understand that but why would umbrella want you dead ".
" If it wants to take me on then why the hell are we running ". Barry almost face faulted mid-stride " Kid I don't mead to insult you or your skills but trying take down that thing is like trying to empty a five gallon bucket of sand with a fork.......to put it simply it's damn difficult, It's totally emotionless feels no pain is armed with a six shot cylinder rocket launcher, has tentacle appendages hidden underneath it's clothes, and to top it all off its one ugly bastard that never strays from it's mission ".
I headed over towards a warehouse loading bay I motioned for Akane to follow " Akane I may need to use the forbiden techniques, it's a promise I have to break ". Akane said nothing she just nodded her head and kissed my cheeck, she called barry over " Barry-san come here we need to be out of his way for him to attack ".
The rumbling steps grew louder and more persistent by the second, then the form stepped into view again the rumbling voice " Ranmaaaaa.....Starssssssssss...Kill................ ". It turned and looked down directly at me and stepped into the light casted by a lone street lamp, It was huge It stood between seven and eight feet tall human in shape the soulders impossibly wide and defined, onlt It's hands and face visible the rest of It was clothed completly in black. It's hairless skin was the color and texture of old scar tissue, It's face was another thing on It's own It was as if someone placed a hood of stiched flesh over It's skull and stapled it in place, of It's original features the only parts visible was its large square jaw and red gums filled with huge teeth filed down to points and two souless white eyes.
" Hey ugly you want me, come get me! " I misjudged It....I thought because of It's immense size the beast would move slowly but the damned thing cleared the forty feet seperating us in an instant, and It's fist the size of my head was coming straight at me. No time to think I pushed every reserve of Ki that I had into my left arm and deflected the blow grabbing It's arm with my left right hand I gritted my teeth and twisted my body shoulder throwing the beast into a steel security gate I felt the tendons in my shoulder grind together and the muscle scream with the torque. " Ranmaaaaaaa.........." It was still coming I had no choice the creature lumbered to its feet and lowered its head preparing to charge again, a drop of rain hit me square right on top of my head I actually started to laugh I didnt want Barry to see my change but the fates love to mess with me it's like I have a cosmic kick me sign attached to my back. The rain came in a sudden full on burst I felt the sudden tingle and pull of the curse take its effect, what surprised me was Nemisis stopped " pigtailed- girllll....find....return...to master... ".
" What did you just call me.......... " I was in total shock only two people in the world refer to me by that.....Kuno and Kodachi. Then it fell into place why the creature knew my name and wanted my male half dead but wanted to take my girl half to its master, Kuno had sent it Kuno was in some way responsible for the horror that has fallen here Kuno is in some way responsible for the death of everyone I loved and cared for. " Ok big boy you wanna take me to your master than here I am " I held my arms up to it like a little child wanting to be picked up by a parent. " Barry take Akane to meet up with your friends then have her show you to the Kuno mansion I'll meet with you there " Akane and Barrry looked at me as if i'd grown a second head " Boy are you crazy!!" gritting my teeth " Just do it " I growled
*** Diarie's Of A Madman ***
The creature lifted me up and over its shoulder and raised its hand in the air a tentacle as thick as my wrist shot forth from underneath its sleeve heading towards a roof with a tug the creature reeled itself up laying across its shoulders I could feel the tentacle coiling up and re- wrapping itself around it's shoulders.
As it reached the rooftops the creature looked around as if it was trying to gather up a searching scent, With a leaping bound it headed for the direction of the Kuno Mansion.
It took the Creature very little time to reach our destination as we set foot down at the gates I notice another shocker. " What the hell is this....... " There was about ten of those reptilian creatures circling the Kuno compound as if they were security patrols, as we got closer to the gate two of them broke off from the group and lumbered over towards us. The Nemisis waved one of its huge hands in front of them and they cowered away from us almost whimpering in a strange hissing way. " They understand you dont they ".
Nemisis opened the door still carrying me across it's shoulder and proceeded to walk into the inner wall of the Kuno compound. Entering the home was like going into a long dead tomb the bodies of servants littered the compound all seem to have been cut down by a bladed weapon of some kind. As if the house knew our prescence a wall opened up revealing a stairwell. " I guess we go down huh big guy ? "
Nemisis walked down the stairs for what seemed like ages the stairs just continued to twist down further into the depths. A bright light marked the end of the stairs as the Creature stepped through a large doorway and into a room that was the half the size of a football field in both directions the room was filled with computers and numerous crates lined the walls. And in the center of it all sat Tatewaki Kuno.
" Ah! Pig tailed girl I see my friend has found you at last, oh how my heart leaps that you are well!. Nemisis please put my lady down and returen to the stasis pod ". With surprising gentelness the thing put me down and left the room through another concealed door. And so it was that now I was alone with one of the most insane men in all of Japan. " Why?......Why did you do this Kuno? ". " Why?...Why you ask, oh but that is simple to answer my love, why does the beast of the field kill the weaker of the herd. To put it simply I am the shepard who will cleanse this world, I will cull the weak and in two weeks when the breath of my nostril has cleared the way you and I will be the new rulers of all that lay's before us ". " What happens in two weeks " " The minions of my greatness that I have released in key place's all over japan will finish their run clearing the fields of glory in my image, then I will release this missle that will explode into the skies and release the anti-virus destroying all the virus carriers and sending a signal that will detonate a small explosive device in each of my minion's for they are wild and contorling them is only good for so long a length of time "
As the moron spoke I saw the missle that he was talking about it was about sixty feet long with three long cylinders with a blue liquid suspended in each and what looked like spray attachments along the side of it. Then I got an idea. " Ummmm Kuno sweety that looks soooooooo complicated how do you launch it "
*** The Loss Of Innocence ***
Where and how it all began, I guess that how all stories begin......sigh.......
Sometimes I wish it was all a dream some crazy nightmare brought on by a bad movie and too much junk food.
But wishes are like excuses everyone has one or two.
I remember sitting in my bedroom relaxing after a great dinner kasumi made as she usually did; kasumi sweet and innocent she didnt deserve to die none of them did but bad things happen to good people. The news as of late had been filled with strange accounts of canabilistic like murders springing throughout the Nerima area a state of martial law was set into full force, I remeber the local shopkeepers coming to Soun and oyaji for help, it makes me remember how they came to them when hopposai was terrorizing the local women with his pervert thievery. Well pop and old man Tendo agreed to do a night watch as Tendo said " It's the duty of a proper martial artist to protect his community "........... oh how I wish they would have stayed home that night, that they would have taken the situation like they did when hopposai was running around...hmph in their bedrooms cowering.
Akane was nervous that night more quick to temper one of the girls that was found murdered was a close friend of hers, I still remember the funeral my hand on her shoulder as she dropped the lilly on the casket, the way she grabbed onto me and shed her tears for once in my life keeping my foot out of my mouth as she cried her heart out trying to put the healing into the wounds.
It was around nine o'clock that night I was in my room practicing my Ki building techinique trying to get around the emotion part of it and finding the energy key, I really had wanted to go with Soun and pops but they made me promise to stay here and watch after the girls. Thats when the sound of glass breaking and the screaming began.............. I got up quickly running down the stairs taking two at a time till I got to the bottom and what I saw turned my blood cold.
Kasumi was on the floor in a large puddle of blood fragments of glass sticking into her skin one side of her face perfect as always the other side a bloody mess as the shock went into me I realized one of her eyes were missing. I looked to the left and saw Akane fighting back a man in bloody and tattered clothing and surrounded by the smell of death, the stench was coming from him like a piece of meat left too long in the sun. Nabiki was cowering behind the couch tears streaming down her face gibbering uncontrolably. I went into action, quickly I got behind the guy attacking Akane grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around, and what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my days and the rest of my dreams, it was a young man I knew from the neighborhood his name was Kohei he delivered the paper in the area he had gone missing four days ago. But this was not the young boy Kohei that I knew this was something that was not alive but at the same time was, the flesh of his face was a diseased yellow and grey bloodless wounds covered his face; where I remember jovial green eyes were there now stared milky white cataracts with red blood filled pupils, I was frozen for what seemed like an eternity I had the time to take in the hole in his side where a chunk of his flesh was missing I almost vomited my dinner when I realized I could see his intestines hanging over his belt. Then he opened his mouth and a pitiful moan escaped his throat it was the odor of shit and puke that came from his throat that made me realize what he was........ Honest, kind, quick with a smile and a wave poor Kohei was a zombie like something out of those cheesy american horror movies and that he had just killed Kasumi and than attacked Akane and now was coming for me. I moved to the left and turned my body his momentum for me was too much and he stumble over I shot a look over and saw Akane run to Nabiki and holding her; Kohei corrected himself and made groping motions at me a yellowish drool started dripping from his mouth...... Realazation struck me he was rotting right before my very eyes and like in those movies he needed the flesh of the living to continue existing I did the only thing I could do the humane thing I had to put him down, quick and fast.
I moved in quick sliding across the floors knocking his feet out from under him as his face hit the floor I turned over and drove the elbow of my left arm into the back of his neck hearing the bones underneath snap with a wet sickly sound. I did a chinese get up and go to my feet stepping back and away from him, he layed there twitching for a moment or two then he finally went still. I walked over to the mangled form of Kasumi the bottle of window cleaning fluid and a cleaning rag still in her hand. Looking at her was like looking at a half crushed butterfly her neck had been cut by a flying piece of glass which bled her out she must have been dead by the time she hit the floor her right eye had been bitten out as if Kohei had tried to eat at her face her left eye stared up at the ceiling already drying out, I knelt down and closed that one beautiful and perfect brown eye and then the truth hit me Kasumi was dead she was actually dead, the very young woman who became in a way the only form of a real mother that I had ever known.
For only Kami knows how long I sat by her body crying I never even noticed Akane grabbing onto my back hugging me around my chest I did'nt even feel the wetness of her tears against my back, I was just so numb with the shock. Nabiki calmed out quicker than me and Akane she ran to the phone and tried to call the police " The phone is useless, when I picked up all I got was a recording saying 'all lines are down at this time try your call again later' whats going on around her some monster comes in throught the window and kills Kasumi and the cops are nowhere as usual and the phone is on the fritz! " toward the end of her sentence her voice became shrill and hysterical Akane quickly went to her and held her close. Akane held her sisters head against her chest and let the poor girl cry, rocking her back and forth and stroking her hair kissing her forehead silently crying herself. I walked next to them and held them both against me, Akane looked up at me her eyes puffy and red. " What do we do now Ranma? " she askesd me. Softly I touched her cheek " We have to find out what going on that wasnt a human being that killed K-k- k-kasumi (it was still hard for me to even believe it.....it still is) as crazy as it sounds that was a walking dead man a for real zombie, we gotta get out of this house there's too many entrances to be attacked from ". Akane looked up at me like I was crazy " Get out of the house?! why ". I held her gaze firmly in mine" Akane think about the newscasts and all the stories going around in different area's I dont think that all the killings were done by this one thing here, there might be more and incase there is we need to get to better safety or were all dead ". Nabiki turned white " If there are more of those thing out there then you can kiss my ass Satome I'm gonna go in my room barricade the door and wait till the authorities come and clean up the mess, No way in blue hell am I going out there and become one of those things late night snack so to hell with you!!!! ". At that very moment I thought maybe she was right but murphy's law went into effect as it always does, with a rumble the wall behind us blew apart for a comforting second I thought maybe it was shampoo coming to help out but what was there hunched over in the dust was something straight out of the pit of hell.
It was roughly five feet tall hunched over and reptilian in its appearance two piercing yellow eyes lay under the brow of a very flat skull its long taloned arms brushed across the floor its body rippled with corded muscle then Nabiki screamed in terror its eyes fell on Nabiki her cry bringing It's attention . The creature opened its mouth a shriek from another world came rolling out across its fangs it lunged for Nabiki, I ran flat out trying to shoulder ram it from Nabikis path but it was far quicker than I expected with a fury it lashed out at me with its left arm causing me to crash into the coffee table.
I had no time to worry about the pain racking my back as I watched in blind horror as the creature plunged the talons of both it's arms to rip through Nabiki's stomach not stopping till it was elbow deep into her gut and it's fangs found the soft part of her throat.
Akane screamed and kicked out with a roundhouse to the creatures temple the creatures eyes rolled up and fixed on its next victim totally unfazed by the hit that I knew would have stopped an oncoming Volvo, with a wet squelching sound it removed its arms from the corpse of Nabiki throwing it down to the floor with seemingly no effort. I could tell by the way it was bunching the muscles in it's legs to prepare for a leap towards Akane. Something in my snapped at that moment I felt fire course through me and with a roar I unleashed a wave of pure Ki screaming " YOU WON'T TOUCH HER!!!! ". After the smoke cleared and the dust had settled all that was left of the beast was a smoking stump of a leg......after that I vomited and dropped forward in a dead faint and everything went black.
*** School Of The Dead ***
When I woke up I found myself in a dark room it kind of looked like a cleaning supply room brooms and mops littered one corner of the room. The smell of cleaning fluids stung my nose yet comforted me in some strange way, as I shifted my body I felt a warmth beside me I turned over and saw Akane sleeping beside me her face and blouse covered with ash and grime, one of her shoes was missing and her skirt was in tatters. Softly I nudged her " Akane, Akane wake up " She jumped and gave a little scream " Akane it's ok it's just me " she grabbed me and started sobbing " R-r-r-ranma I thought you were one of those monsters again " I brushed the tears away from her face " where are we? ".
After a few minutes she got control of herself and explained to me what happened after I fainted.
" When you passed out I picked you up and headed out of the house I thought maybe we could find some of the others, I got us to Ukyo's ok but the place was burning I shouted for her but there was no answer so I kicked the door open and I found her and some other people I think one of them was Daisuke but.......they were dead.....they were zombies just like the thing that k-k- kiled kasumi. I did the only thing I could do with you unconsious I couldnt fight back without worrying about one of those things grabbing at you while you were defenseless. I kinda got thrown around while running away there were barricades all over the place cars and trucks blocking streets off, all of them burning on fire, I finally got us to the school and the courtyard was full of them I just plowed my way through and broke a window and threw you through it and climbed in after you, there were a few loan zombies here but I took them out by breaking there necks like you did I had no choice every other attack they just got back up from as if they never felt it, I had to break a few locks but I finally got us down to the basement locked us in the janitors closet we were down here for about an hour last I remembere but I was so tired from running I must have passed out how much time has passed since then I don't know "
I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze " You did good Akane you did real good the door is steel and the walls are solid concrete with no windows to worry about , we have plenty of water from the sink so were ok for a while, I want you to stay here and rest lock the door and jam something underneath the knob I'll be back as soon as I can I'm going to see if I can find any other surv- " thats when she cut me off " No! I wont let you go out there by yourself what if one of those things....." she could'nt finish the sentence she did'nt have to I knew what she was thinking " Akane......you know me I move very fast and very quiet and the only way I can get through this is if I know your ok, this room is all concrete and that door is steel this is probably the safest spot in all of nerima.......If I'm not back in four hours get out of here and get out of nerima. " her lips trembled " where will I go " I let go a breath I never knew I was holding thanking the gods silently that she was listening to me for once " Head to Kyoto find the Karutoshon dojo tell them what happened here and tell them Ranma Satome said to look after you untill the crisis is over, the school's master liked me alot when I was there he offered me a place to stay once if I ever needed it he's a very kind man "
A sudden look of determination came over her eye's I felt her arms wrap around the back of my neck softly she pulled me down untill our lips met she held me there for a moment,with reluctance she released me but kept our faces only inches apart. " I love you Ranma Satome always have and always will......If theres one thing I most love about you is you always keep your promises, so you promise me now dont you dare let yourself get killed out there, I want you to come back to me and then we can leave together and I want us to be together always......" at that moment a weight that I never really knew but was aware of left my shoulder " I........I love you too.............and the first thing were doing when we get out of this nightmare is a real date, just you and me...ok? " she smiled and the Akane that I knew was again with me " very much ok you jerk " And she pulled me down again for another kiss.
After a strong embrace and a kiss " for luck " she told me, I left the left the room looking left and right to make sure there were no surprises waiting for me, after I heard the sound of the dead bolt behind me and felt sure she was ok I started making my way out of the basement.
The smell of death permeated the building bodies were strewn around like the forgotten toys of some malignant child. I went up the stairwell to the east wing of the school deciding on getting to the roof to get a better view on things. Slowly I made my way to the roof access door and found it locked with a large padlock, centering myself I concentrated a small amount of Ki into my hand and sliced right through it with ease. The sound of the gravel underneath my feet, the steady crunch from under my heels was some how hypnotic, easing me in a strange compelling kind of way. I made my way to the edge and looked down already anticipating a scene of carnage as I looked over what I saw added a new fright to me. It took my mind a full five seconds to register what I was looking at and thank Kami it had it's rear facing me or I would have been as dead as the others. It was a spider..........the size of a rottweiler... red and black in color the bristles on its back softly moving in the breeze I noticed it wasnt actually sticking to the wall of the building but hanging on by a thick silk strand of webbing coming out of its backside. Without reall thinking (something I do alot on many occasions) I released a small flame of Ki from my finger at the length of webbing. I watched in amazement as the spider flailed it's long hairy legs all the way down smashing head first into the pavement a wet splash met my ears as I saw pale yellow ocher burst from it's body from the force of impact.
Going back to observing the area I saw at least eight-teen zombies in massive levels of decay roaming the school yard, some were missing arms or feet and even one of them had no arms or legs and was using its chin to pull itself along all the while moaning and wailing pathetically. I decided the best course of action was to destroy all the zombies incase Akane had to make a run out of the building she'd have a better chance of getting out without any danger to herself.
Getting to the top of the school tower was as simple as walking a straight line, I had a perfect field of view of all the creatures milling around; I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible so I figured on getting them in one large group and hitting the bastards with one flat blast of superheated Ki. I did the only thing I could think of I jumped down to the stairway leading to the front of the school and put my plan into action. " Nyah nyah nyah nyah, Hey stupid zombies try and get me dont I look fresh and tasty c'mon who wants a nibble ". To say that I was a bit surprised when they all looked up at me on top of the tower would have been the understatement of the millenium " damn it actually worked ". They all began to move almost like one entity all with a single purpose in what was left of their minds......to eat me. The familiar pulse of Ki began to sweep around me it was the moment in life that I always was awed by........but this time it was different the power level was amazing the sheer magnitude of the energy was spiking at alarming rates I felt like I was going to explode.......then I remember when the thing killed Nabiki.....I had unleashed Ki in it's rawest form pure destructive energy, I had unlocked the gates inside of me and now I had control...........and now it was time for a little payback.
The zombies all formed up in a loose circle about twent-five feet in diameter, cockily I thought that was not too bad I should be able to hit em all, I took two deep breaths and took my stance cupping my hands at the waist feeling if not the seeing the beams of light emitting from my fingertips keeping sight of the targets before me I relased what felt like a ball a Ki the size of a basketball. " Moku Takabisha !! " I let the words fly from my mouth like a battle cry and watched the ball of Ki arc down into the center of the zombie cluster, what happened next was amazing. The Ki ball hit right on target spreading out like a water balloon the force of the explosion pushed me back a few steps the brightness of the light making my eyes sting and water. Finally the light faded and what I saw almost made my face hit the asphalt what lay before me was a sixty foot hole at least seven feet deep in the center was a pile of burnt bones and ashes......I looked at my hands they were still glowing sightly tiny arcs of electricity leaped between my open palms I had hardly put any effort in that blast and it did the damage of a large piece of explosive.......Hell I put more energy in a cough then I did that blast, I was stunned by it, awed by it. Could I have really open the final gate, the place where Ki had almost infinite abilities.
*** New Friends ***
The street outside the school looked like a warzone looking around I could hardly believe that this world of death and destruction could have once been my home. A slow burning anger filled me as I realized that it was quite possible that everyone I cared about was dead, softly I said a quiet prayer " Pop.....even though you might screw up every now and then I hope your alright ".
I used to walk these streets at anytime I wished and never had to worry about a single thing but now something sinister was breeding in my home..........A sudden crash to my left and a loud gunshot brought me out of my reverie the clicking of claws made my back shiver " Damn what do I have to deal with this time? ". A creature crawled out of one of the side alley's bleeding profusely and limping slowly for a second I felt pity for it, another gunshot was fired and the creatures head was turned into a pulpy mass of blood and bone. Behind the creature a man stepped out, I did a double take the guy was like a walking mountain of muscle he looked to be about forty and he definitely took good care of himself, he had grey hair and full beard neatly trimmed at his chin he was dressed in what looked like black army fatigues and in his hand he carried the largest handgun I had ever seen in my life. " Damn lickers thought you could get the best of ol'barry....... "
I guess he must have noticed me out of the corner of his eye, he dropped to his knee in a shooting stance and aimed that cannon of a handgun right at my head " WAIT!! I'm human dont shoot!!! " I dropped to the floor covering my head. " Damn kid you almost gave me a fricki'n coranary, geez it's good to see a survivor have you seen anymore " for some reason I felt easy around the guy he had a fatherly figure attitude that seeped out of him I felt I could trust him " Just me and my........(oh hell why bother denying it) fiancee, I left her at the school she's locked up safe I figured I could walk around and try and find some others and get everybody out of here........um who are you and why are you dressed up like a swat dude? ".
He looked up at me and holstered his weapon " Names Burton kid, Barry Burton I'm with the S.T.A.R.S. Special Tactics And Rescue Squad ". " No offense but I never heard of Japan having any task force like that " he let out a deep rumbling chuckle " Thats because were not officially affiliated with the Japanese government" that kind of caught me off gaurd. " So then what are you doing here? " he took a step forward palms out I guess trying to show that he was holding nothing to threaten me " Look kid basically what happened here was a mess made by a company known as Umbrella they've bee......" " You mean that new pharmacutical factory at the end of the canal " I cut him off. " Well kid......that aint exactly a pharmacutical factory thats just a front it's more like a biological offensive weapons lab They created a virus known by a few as the T-Virus and basically that is the cause to all the chaos around here ".
I looked at him in dumb shock " So what your saying there was some sort of accident here? ". He let out a deep sigh " Kid I wish it was just an accident.......Umbrella did it on purpose to test out a newer strain of the virus....they've been doing it and getting away with it for years now ".
" They did it........on purpose......... ". The rage I had felt earlier was nothing compared to what I was feeling now before was like a bonfire in my soul, what I felt now was like a someone dumped a can of gasoline into it.......... I now had a target for my rage. "Those bastards!! I'll kill each and every single one of those asshole's!!!!!!!!!". I turned to leave to vent my anger my every intention was to head to the factory and unleash Ki wave after Ki wave untill all that was left would be a smoking rubble, a firm grip on my shoulder stopped me I turned around to see the eyes of Mr.Burton they were full of sympathy, seeing his eyes made the anger flare more I didn't want sympathy I wanted vengance " Let me go! " I yelled not intending for the anger to be projected at him " Kid I know what your going through.......the same thing happened in my town two years ago...I lost alot of close people to me, I know your pain and I know your rage but you got to get it together and think clearly or your gonna end up dead. You think your just gonna walk in through the front door of that place knock and start walloping the first gaurd you see, no way kid even if you knocked out the first gaurd the rest of their security squad would open fire on you and turn you into a steaming pile of flesh and bone fragments. "
I started laughing, I think he was a bit shocked to say the least " Who say's I'm going in....I'm gonna go to the front door alright but I aint gonna knock on the door, I intend to turn that place into ash ".
" And how exactly are you going to do that kid you dont even have a slingshot let alone a gun. " I smirked " Who needs a gun when your the best martial artist of your generation and you can do this............Moku Takabisha!" I extended my hand towards a dumpster across the street turning into a molten pile of twisted metal. " Holy Shit!! What in gods name was that!! " " That was a Ki blast I've been learing martial arts since before I could walk Ki abilities are one of the payoff's for sacrificing my life to the art " I smirked. " Looked like ball of red and blue fire " I just shrugged my shoulders "In a way I guess it is but its alot hotter then fire" he gave me a look that was full of shock and bewilderment " What do they call you kid?" " Ranma...........Ranma Satome.....so what do we do know Mr.Burton" he waved a hand dissmisivley throgh the air " No Mr.Burton's here, you just call me Barry....As to what we do know I was gonna head to the factory to meet up with Chris and Jill....oh they're other members of the team we were gonna penetrate the factory at different entrances and make are way in and get as much evidence as possible against Umbrella while quietly taking out the squads and Bio weapons, hey can you do that fireball thingy anytime you want " " Yeah just about...why? "
He extended his hand to me and smiled " Aren't you gonna shake it? " dumbfounded I took his hand " Uh........ok " his grip was warm and firm " Welcome to the team kid " " Eh......?????? " again he chuckled " You wanna get back at Umbrells well so do I and my team, Umbrella has made our live living hell's and we've been working like crazy to bring'em down but they're sneaky bastards I'll give'em that.......I figure with that little trick of yours you can come in real handy for back up and the fact that your still alive and walking the streets unarmed means your skills are nothing to laughed at, and that's the stuff we look for in new recruits " " Well I dont know about joining..........but I'll help you get Umbrella, I got a score to settle with them. " he nodded his head approvingly. " Alright Ranma...let's go and get your girl she'll be safer with us as a group.........uh can she do what you do? " I almost said an insult in reference to Akane but changed my mind " Well no she can't throw Ki blasts but she can bench press a small car and throw a punch that'll go clear through it's engine ".
"Your kidding right" I shook my head, I had to laugh when he face faulted.
*** A Warrior Falls ***
We ran together side by side it took us about five minutes to get back to the school, I found myself laughing a bit to the fact that barry was able to keep pace with me either he had one hell of an adrenaline rush or his endurance level was much higher than I was giving him credit for. Barry reached for the handle on the door " Alright we go in like this I'm high to the left your low to the right you see anything you take it down, got it " I nodded my head " No problem ". Barry counted to three then rushed the door open holding his gun up with both hands a flick of his finger and a small but bright flashlight underneath the barrel illuminated his end, not to be outdone I pushed a current of Ki into my left hand causing it to glow and light up the corridor before me. Barry caught my action out of the corner of his eye " Not bad, my ends clear how's your's " it was kind of cool I felt like I was a cop or something " All clear ". " Alright Ranma you know the way to the basement so you take point " I nodded my head again and then stopped " Uhh, whats point "
Barry looked dumbfounded for a second " Shit, sorry I forgot who I was talking to I guess you don't know the lingo yet, but you'll learn. Taking point means you take the lead but stay out of my line of fire alright. "
" Ok I go it ".
We moved towards the east stairwell Barry's gun barrel moving in little swift jerks to any unidentifiable shadow. Rounding a corner we heard a soft moaning, slowly I stuck my head around the corner " It's ok Barry this one wont be hurting nobody ". The zombie in question was on the cloor its torso was cut clean in the middle along with both its arms deep gouges were scattered across the floor and wall. Barry ran his finger along one of the damaged walls " Looks like somone stuffed a piece of cloth in all these holes here ". Barry passed one of the pices of cloth to me " I dont believe it he's still alive! " a sense of joy spread through me " Who's still alive? " I looked up at barry " Ryoga Hibiki, he's the only guy I know who can throw a bandanna with enough force to cut through through a wall " suddenly I looked down at the zombie " Damn good thing he never hit me with one of these things or I'd be using my teeth to zip my fly ". I guess the zombie got a whiff of us or maybe it heard us because it started humping its body in our direction " Hey barry you want this one ". Cocking the hammer back I knew he had no problem doing it this was a man who had the survival instinct, to kill or be killed. I flinched at the report from the handgun it was extremely loud in the confining halls of the school they seemed to echo and return to my ears, I shook my head " Zombie or not that's gotta be one hell of a way to go " Barry chuckled " A Colt Python will bring any of these crusty critters to their knees ".
I really had to admire Barry, even though I really detested guns the man made that piece of steel an extension of his body he didnt even have to site down the barrel it was as if he knew where each bullet would go. We got down to the basement unmolested what we saw was something that was not there before I had left, scattered all over the floors and walls were the remains of the same creature that had killed Nabiki, Barry looked up at me.
" My god looks like someone went through these Hunter's with a chainsaw and scooped up the rest and threw it in a meat grinder, sweet jesus that stinks! ". I held my gorge as best as I could the creatures had their heads and other limbs removed and appeared to be eviscerated " Ryoga.... ".
Barry whipped his head up towards me " Are you telling me that same guy that took out the crusty critter upstairs did all this! " I nodded emphatically " Ryoga is basically built like a pitbull, sweet and friendly but when he's crossed or is pushed to his limit he goes berserk. Ryoga what did you see to make you do this " I asked myself.
We moved down the corridor occasionally ducking our head out of the way of some low hanging pipes, the door was as I had left it before I knocked on the door firmly. " Akane it's me open the door " Her voice came through the door muffled and full of joy and sorrow " Ranma!! ". The door opened to reveal Akane's tear streaked face I already knew something was wrong as she embraced me " Ryoga's in here I heard him through the door and let him in, he's hurt bad Ranma ".
I saw over her shoulder a bloody and battered Ryoga. Softly I moved her aside her eyes fell across Barry for a moment and he gave her a quick nod, I knelt down next to Ryoga glad to see the soft rise of his chest as he breathed he turned his head up I guess he must have felt my presence. " Ranma....your alive....good thats good " I looked at his chest and saw the wounds, I didnt have to be a doctor to know that they were fatal. " Shhhhh Ryoga don't talk man, conserve your energy we'll get you some help " I could feel the tears building up behind my eye's." Don't bullshit....me I d-d- don't have much time left ....I know it and so do y-y-you " he grabbed my hand and gave it a good squeeze. " Me and Akari were out for a walk you know....I gathered enough courage t- t-to ask her to come out with m-m-me tonight.......they atacked us......ugly and fast.... one killed Akari.....I ripped it apart one piece at a time......I was overcome with rage...I saw more creatures just like it...I couldn't controll myself anymore..........I had to kill them a-a- all. " I gave his hand a good squeeze " Let m-me guess, you were so full of rage you didn't even realize you were getting wounded huh?. " He laughed a rasping wheeze " You and me Ranma.....we dont think to much about things...like....that...get Akane out of here..be good to her..be happy....".
With a final wheezing breath my sometime friend, rival, enemy and brother in arms left this world for the next. I looked down at his now cooling hand " Till the next time our paths meet warrior, go in peace ". I cried then, I cried for my friend I cried for my bother and I cried for myself it was either that or go insane, I never heard Barry and Akane talking softly behind me I guess he must have been explaining about how me and him ran into eachother.
Barry rested a hand on my shoulder his voice was thick and low " You grieve boy, you grieve as much as you need ". Akane got down on her knees kissed his forehead and closed Ryoga's eye's, her voice was small and shattered. " B-b-b-bye my friend go be with Akari and lay at rest ".
*** The Devil Revealed ***
There was a sudden burst of static *Chris---ere----ade---nside--opy-- * Barry reached down for a small walkie talkie on his utility belt.
" Barry here, What are you doing chris radio silence aint supposed to be up for another hour and change ". *----o-----need------brella---munication----- own--actory- -dead--zone-----Jil---ot all the---files---meet at---endevous-- oint--21--- epeat---21*. " Barry confirming 21 repeat 21 ".
I looked up at Barry I knew something major had just gone on " What's going on? ". Barry eased his body up against the wall. " That was Chris one of my team members, the factory is a dead zone that basically means all dangerous anomilies are destroyed inside. But rendevous point 21 means something else has come up we need to regroup go over their findings and plan the next course of action. "
I caught Barry's eye's " I want in " Akane stepped forward " Me too,Barry-san told me what Umbrella did....they need to pay for what they did, they killed my s-s-sisters, Ukyo, Ryoga, and so many others....We don't even know if our fathers are still alive! ". The look in her eye's told me she would not be left out she had a vendetta that needed to be paid in blood and no matter what I could say she would not be stopped, I just nodded my head and prayed to Kami to give me the strength to protect her, even if it cost me my life.
We left the school cautiously barry led us in a south east direction toward the warehouse district, on the way we passed by the smoldering ruin that was Ucchan's. I added the image to my growing rage sharpening it to a razor's edge, I heard the sound of rustling to our left I stepped in front of Akane shielding her body with my own. Then the voice of death reached my ears. " Ranmaaaaaaaaaaa........Starssssssssssss ". Out from the ruins of Ucchan's a being of immense size came plodding out towards our direction " Nemisis! Run!! " I heard Barry gasp. " Neme-Who? " both me and Akane replied as we ran after Barry, Barry flipped the cylinder of his handgun and checked the loads with another snap of his wrist he reset it " It's a Tyrant series Bio-soldier, Its a killer that can be programed....Buth why is it calling for you, me and the S.T.A.R.S. I understand that but why would umbrella want you dead ".
" If it wants to take me on then why the hell are we running ". Barry almost face faulted mid-stride " Kid I don't mead to insult you or your skills but trying take down that thing is like trying to empty a five gallon bucket of sand with a fork.......to put it simply it's damn difficult, It's totally emotionless feels no pain is armed with a six shot cylinder rocket launcher, has tentacle appendages hidden underneath it's clothes, and to top it all off its one ugly bastard that never strays from it's mission ".
I headed over towards a warehouse loading bay I motioned for Akane to follow " Akane I may need to use the forbiden techniques, it's a promise I have to break ". Akane said nothing she just nodded her head and kissed my cheeck, she called barry over " Barry-san come here we need to be out of his way for him to attack ".
The rumbling steps grew louder and more persistent by the second, then the form stepped into view again the rumbling voice " Ranmaaaaa.....Starssssssssss...Kill................ ". It turned and looked down directly at me and stepped into the light casted by a lone street lamp, It was huge It stood between seven and eight feet tall human in shape the soulders impossibly wide and defined, onlt It's hands and face visible the rest of It was clothed completly in black. It's hairless skin was the color and texture of old scar tissue, It's face was another thing on It's own It was as if someone placed a hood of stiched flesh over It's skull and stapled it in place, of It's original features the only parts visible was its large square jaw and red gums filled with huge teeth filed down to points and two souless white eyes.
" Hey ugly you want me, come get me! " I misjudged It....I thought because of It's immense size the beast would move slowly but the damned thing cleared the forty feet seperating us in an instant, and It's fist the size of my head was coming straight at me. No time to think I pushed every reserve of Ki that I had into my left arm and deflected the blow grabbing It's arm with my left right hand I gritted my teeth and twisted my body shoulder throwing the beast into a steel security gate I felt the tendons in my shoulder grind together and the muscle scream with the torque. " Ranmaaaaaaa.........." It was still coming I had no choice the creature lumbered to its feet and lowered its head preparing to charge again, a drop of rain hit me square right on top of my head I actually started to laugh I didnt want Barry to see my change but the fates love to mess with me it's like I have a cosmic kick me sign attached to my back. The rain came in a sudden full on burst I felt the sudden tingle and pull of the curse take its effect, what surprised me was Nemisis stopped " pigtailed- girllll....find....return...to master... ".
" What did you just call me.......... " I was in total shock only two people in the world refer to me by that.....Kuno and Kodachi. Then it fell into place why the creature knew my name and wanted my male half dead but wanted to take my girl half to its master, Kuno had sent it Kuno was in some way responsible for the horror that has fallen here Kuno is in some way responsible for the death of everyone I loved and cared for. " Ok big boy you wanna take me to your master than here I am " I held my arms up to it like a little child wanting to be picked up by a parent. " Barry take Akane to meet up with your friends then have her show you to the Kuno mansion I'll meet with you there " Akane and Barrry looked at me as if i'd grown a second head " Boy are you crazy!!" gritting my teeth " Just do it " I growled
*** Diarie's Of A Madman ***
The creature lifted me up and over its shoulder and raised its hand in the air a tentacle as thick as my wrist shot forth from underneath its sleeve heading towards a roof with a tug the creature reeled itself up laying across its shoulders I could feel the tentacle coiling up and re- wrapping itself around it's shoulders.
As it reached the rooftops the creature looked around as if it was trying to gather up a searching scent, With a leaping bound it headed for the direction of the Kuno Mansion.
It took the Creature very little time to reach our destination as we set foot down at the gates I notice another shocker. " What the hell is this....... " There was about ten of those reptilian creatures circling the Kuno compound as if they were security patrols, as we got closer to the gate two of them broke off from the group and lumbered over towards us. The Nemisis waved one of its huge hands in front of them and they cowered away from us almost whimpering in a strange hissing way. " They understand you dont they ".
Nemisis opened the door still carrying me across it's shoulder and proceeded to walk into the inner wall of the Kuno compound. Entering the home was like going into a long dead tomb the bodies of servants littered the compound all seem to have been cut down by a bladed weapon of some kind. As if the house knew our prescence a wall opened up revealing a stairwell. " I guess we go down huh big guy ? "
Nemisis walked down the stairs for what seemed like ages the stairs just continued to twist down further into the depths. A bright light marked the end of the stairs as the Creature stepped through a large doorway and into a room that was the half the size of a football field in both directions the room was filled with computers and numerous crates lined the walls. And in the center of it all sat Tatewaki Kuno.
" Ah! Pig tailed girl I see my friend has found you at last, oh how my heart leaps that you are well!. Nemisis please put my lady down and returen to the stasis pod ". With surprising gentelness the thing put me down and left the room through another concealed door. And so it was that now I was alone with one of the most insane men in all of Japan. " Why?......Why did you do this Kuno? ". " Why?...Why you ask, oh but that is simple to answer my love, why does the beast of the field kill the weaker of the herd. To put it simply I am the shepard who will cleanse this world, I will cull the weak and in two weeks when the breath of my nostril has cleared the way you and I will be the new rulers of all that lay's before us ". " What happens in two weeks " " The minions of my greatness that I have released in key place's all over japan will finish their run clearing the fields of glory in my image, then I will release this missle that will explode into the skies and release the anti-virus destroying all the virus carriers and sending a signal that will detonate a small explosive device in each of my minion's for they are wild and contorling them is only good for so long a length of time "
As the moron spoke I saw the missle that he was talking about it was about sixty feet long with three long cylinders with a blue liquid suspended in each and what looked like spray attachments along the side of it. Then I got an idea. " Ummmm Kuno sweety that looks soooooooo complicated how do you launch it "