These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post them and make it easier to read. Just want to give his stuff the recognition it deserves. One of the first Non-Ranma fanfics written.
Disclaimer: Fatal Fury and Bubble Gum Crisis are not mine, though
I wish they were.
italics: Thoughts
In an age of scientific wonders, the human body is still the world's most dangerous machine. TM
Chapter 5
An Unholy Alliance Part 1
"Oh come on now! You don't really buy that load of bullshit that he just told us, now do you?" Priss said angrily.
"And is there any other explanation about him that you can think of?" Sylia replied with her usual calm and collected manner. She and the other Knight Sabers sat in the command room at Pop's Garage. In the meantime, Dr. Raven was keeping an eye on their 'guest,' Terry Bogard.
Nene, their AD Police operative, communications, and computer specialist nodded as she added her input. "Well, his story does explain why there's no record of him in any of the police files or any other systems. I've double and triple-checked every possible lead and there is no evidence of a Terry Bogard ever existing. If he's really from another Earth, then that would fit his claim, now doesn't it?"
"And besides," Linna added. "He hasn't done anything besides wreck some rogue Boomers and he did save us a couple of times. We could really use a guy like that and if Genom is interested in him, then that makes him even more valuable. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he's a hunk and a half."
"I don't believe I'm hearing this!" The short-tempered brunette slammed a fist onto the coffee table. "Don't you realize that he KNOWS who we are? He's seen us without our helmets!"
"If his story about being from a parallel world is true, then who could he tell, Priss? He doesn't know anyone here. Even then, considering what we've seen him do so far, do you think we could stop him?" Sylia looked at Priss, who became silent at her words.
Linna nodded. "I'm not familiar with his fighting style, but I can tell that he's incredibly good as a martial artist. It looks like he uses several forms of Japanese martial arts, with a mix of street fighting and other unarmed styles like boxing, wrestling, and kempo."
"Just remember," Nene cut in. "He tore apart Boomers with his bare hands and those weird powers of his."
Sylia was in agreement. "From all the data we've gathered so far, he's easily a match for our Hardsuits and Motoroids. The only way to truly keep our secrets… is to kill him. We won't cross that line unless it is absolutely necessary. We are NOT Genom."
"So what are we going to do? Just let him walk on out of here?" Priss stood up and gestured with an arm at the room where Terry was being kept.
"For now, all we can do is to continue to question him and figure out what to do next." Sylia replied.
A few days later at Genom…
"So how is the revival of the XR-4000 project going?" Quincy asked.
"Very well sir." Reginald replied as he gestured to a viewscreen. The monitor began to show images as he began reading from some files. "We were able to recreate the transwarp projector of the original prototype with several improvements. We can now actually open a portal to subspace for a longer period of time, instead of just phasing an object briefly between dimensions."
"IS there any chance of accessing that world where you believe this Terry Bogard came from?"
"It is possible." The tech replied. "We still retained the data from the original experiment that was conducted a few months ago. We were able to minimize the effects of the quantum phase buildup and are now ready to send an exploratory team into the world where we believe Terry Bogard came from."
"Have you been able to determine what his world is like?"
"Yes sir. By using the dimensional viewer that we had created, along with the last known coordinates that the original XR-4000 had transported to, we were able to piece together a comprehensive report on what his world is like. The scientist gestured to the screen and began a narration as scenes flashed by. "Apparently, this world is indeed parallel to our own, but is in the past."
"The past?"
"Yes sir. From what we can speculate, Terry Bogard came from an Earth from around the late 20th century, technology-wise."
The images were of buildings and streets that seemed more primitive than those of MegaTokyo. Cars were still running on fossil fuels. The most notable difference was a total lack of Boomers. There were no construction or consumer Boomers aiding in construction, demolition, or any other public works. Everything was done either manually or by more primitive machines.
Quincy smiled as he watched the footage. If this were the extent of their technology, then conquering this world would be relatively easy. Of course, by this time, they would have developed nuclear weapons, but Genom had the advantages of Boomers, fusing technology, and laser satellites.
It was then that the head of the corporation saw the fighters of Terry's world. There was a man with a staff that could project flames. A giant, wearing a wrestling outfit and was massive enough to crush boulders with his bare hands. A kickboxer that could summon up the winds. A silver-haired man moved with unimaginable speed and had deadly moves. More images of fighters appeared, displaying powers and abilities far above that of normal people.
Quincy smiled as he saw a golden opportunity presenting itself. Who needed Terry Bogard when an entire world of raw material and test subjects was so close for the taking? He became very interested in a concentration of warriors located in a place called South Town.
Back at the Knight Saber's HQ, Terry stepped into the training area where the female vigilantes practiced their hand-to-hand combat skills.
"So what do you want me to do?" Terry asked as he looked to where Sylia and the others were standing in the control room.
Mackie's sister leaned forward and spoke into the intercom. "This exercise is to test your unarmed fighting abilities. The sensors will measure your speed, reflexes, and coordination. A holographic target will appear and attack you. You are to avoid being hit until a red dot appears. Your goal is to hit that dot. It will appear at random, and will appear only for a moment each time. I'm starting you at Level 5 and you have three minutes, so good luck."
"All right." Terry got into his traditional Hakkyoku Saiken stance and waited.
"Begin."
In front of the street fighter, a geometric shape appeared and began projecting tentacle-like arms at Terry. The brother of Andy Bogard easily swerved and ducked the hologram's attempts to strike him. A minute later, a red dot flashed near the top of the image, just as another tentacle was launched toward his head. The bare-knuckled fighter smirked as he charged forward, tilted his head to one side to evade the shot, then threw a fast straight punch. The fist connected with the dot and the image vanished.
"Not bad." Linna commented as her eyes admired Terry's rugged form.
Sylia agreed as she read the readouts on the console. "Hmmm, it only took him 1/50th of a second to throw a punch."
"Big deal." Priss snorted. "Anyone can beat Level 5."
Nene bowed her head in shame. Terry and the other Knight Sabers had all beaten Level Five on their first attempts and she had yet to clear the hologram at that setting.
"All right, Terry. Let's try the next level." Sylia said through the intercom.
Terry nodded as he got into his ready stance again.
Thirty minutes later…
"I don't believe it!" Linna exclaimed as the hologram faded away. "What level is he at now?"
Sylia looked down at the console and replied. "He's just beaten Level… 14..." She said the last part with a bit of awe.
Priss, though she wouldn't admit it openly, was also impressed.
Linna was still trying to beat Level 9, and he had just surpassed her ten minutes ago. Level Ten was considered the limit in which a normal human could achieve but this stranger was fighting at a point in that was considered inhuman! How much higher could he go?
"CRACK SHOT!"
The four women caught sight of Terry as he performed his vertical spin kick, but without using his ki to amplify the power of the blow. The leg swung up and hit the red dot, causing the hologram to disappear again.
"Wow! He's even better than you, Linna!" Nene remarked.
Linna winced a bit at the remark, but she had to admit that Terry was extremely good.
In the training area, Terry began breathing a bit harder and sweat began to form on his forehead. He was more used to blocking than dodging as the hologram began to pick up the pace. However, he pushed himself to beat the machine five more times before he was finally tagged out at Level 20.
"Level… Twenty?! He made it to Level Twenty?!" Priss couldn't believe it.
"That was an impressive display, Mr. Bogard." Sylia announced.
Terry shrugged as he used a towel to wipe his forehead. "Thanks. Please, call me Terry."
"Very well… Terry." Sylia was affected just as Linna was as she looked over the glistening muscular form of their guest. Contrary to popular belief, Sylia was not the totally emotionless and cold person some people thought she was. She too appreciated the beauty of a well-tuned male form. "As I was saying… your fighting skills are extraordinary! I've never seen anyone fight with as much endurance and skill as you just did."
"Well, my brother Andy is a lot faster than I am. He probably could have made it to Level 25 or even 30."
"Faster?" Linna gasped. Terry's demonstration of his skills had made her personal best look like a beginner's.
Terry walked into the control center and addressed his hosts. "That training program is good, but it doesn't compare to a thinking person. I'm more used to going up against a live opponent. I feel that's the best way to assess my own skill level."
"Oh really? If that's the case, then how about having a match with me sometime?" Linna suggested as he eyes roved over Terry's muscular body and handsome face. "I've practiced in the martial arts."
"Well..." The longhaired martial artist studied her lithe form and noted that she was very athletic and was light on her feet. He could tell that she did know some martial arts. "Sure, why not? Just give me some time to finish with these tests and rest up, and we can have a sparring match, say tomorrow?"
"I'll be looking forward to it!" She replied with enthusiasm.
Priss' eyes narrowed at the interest Linna was showing toward this stranger and felt a pang of disgust. The aerobics instructor and martial artist of their group couldn't go for one day without trying to get her hooks into a man. So what if the guy happened to be ruggedly handsome, tough, a good fighter, had a modest and appealing personality, with a lean body and tight butt…
WHAT AM I THINKING?! Priss shook her head angrily at herself. She didn't want anything to do with men! Not since her lover had been murdered by Boomers and the ADP had written off the incident as an accident. From that time on, Priss had kept to herself and not let any man come close to capturing her heart again. Leon Nichols had been trying to get close, Though Priss did find him tolerable and even cute at times, she still preferred to keep him at a distance.
Priss just did not want to get involved. It was easier for her to avoid any close relationships, because she knew that she could not stand another heartbreak. Her life had been fraught with tragedies, and she did not want anyone else to suffer the same fate as all the others who called her friend or more. Sylvia and Anri were prime examples and the most recent times that Priss experienced loss.
However, losing the man she loved, the leader of the motorcycle gang she once belonged to, was the one emotional scar that had yet to fully heal. She was cursed, that was it. She was destined to be alone for the rest of her life. All she wanted now was vengeance for her departed lover and the friends she had lost. That was all that she lived for now.
Little did Priss know that she had more in common with Terry Bogard than she ever realized and that the flame of hope for another chance at love, was not completely snuffed out, despite her constant denials.
One hour later…
"This will be the last test for today. We would like to measure your punching power." Sylia said as she gestured to a machine that had a padded metal plate attached to a hydraulic arm.
"What do you want me to do?" Terry asked.
"I want you to hit that pad as hard as you can. Normally, a heavyweight boxer can deliver an average of 800 pounds per square inch."
Terry chuckled a bit. He could hit a LOT harder than a heavyweight boxer could. A fighter named Axel Hawk could confirm that. "Well, I've been known to throw a mean punch."
Terry stepped up to the machine, reared back and threw a hard straight punch to the cushioned pad. The pad was pushed back a considerable distance and the hydraulic arm shuddered a bit. The readout display flashed and displayed the results.
1805psi.
"Whoa." Linna gasped.
Terry smiled. "That was just for openers." He threw another punch.
1955psi.
Then he threw another punch.
2105psi.
Followed by another and another. The Knight Sabers could only stare in disbelief as Terry continued to strike with increased force. Sylia began to worry as the display readouts continued to climb with each punch. The machine's maximum was 5000psi and they used that setting to test the Leg and Knuckle Bombers of their Hardsuits. Terry was already approaching the halfway mark with his bare hands and punching with enough power to dent steel! No wonder he could smash through Boomers!
After a few punches that seemed to peak at about 2455psi, the four women thought he had reached his limit. That was when Terry took them by surprise. He backed off a few feet, focused his ki, and launched his strongest punch. His fist was wrapped in a blue aura as it streaked toward the pad.
"BURN KNUCKLE!"
KABOOOM!
The machine's arm buckled and snapped as the force of the blow slammed into the pad and was transmitted through. The rest of the machine whined and blew apart as its mechanisms were subjected to a force beyond their capacity to measure. The Knight Sabers all had their jaws hanging out as they saw Terry reduce their equipment to recyclable scrap with one blow! When Terry stepped back, Sylia slowly made her way to where the display monitor had fallen off. She stared down at the cracked screen and saw the readout blinking at +5000psi. She then looked back at Terry with an expression of utter amazement on her face.
Terry shrugged with embarrassment and said, "Sorry about that."
Nene gulped as she looked down at the pile of junk. Terry had just put their Knuckle Bombers to shame! She then looked back up at an equally shocked Linna and asked, "Are you SURE you want to spar with him tomorrow?"
Linna couldn't say anything after swallowing her tongue.
A day later at Genom…
"We are now ready to project our first exploratory group through the portal." Reginald said as a force of twenty-four BU-55C Boomers in their human disguises and two dozen undercover operatives prepared to enter Terry's home world.
The new transwarp projector that the scientists had designed resembled a kind of energy cannon from a science fiction movie. Its operators began activating the massive machine and its projector lens started to glow with a multicolored light. A ray of energy suddenly burst from the muzzle and created a large circular portal in front of the exploratory group. The agents and their Boomers went through their final checks before stepping toward the gateway.
Back at Raven's Garage…
Nene and Sylia were at a computer console, looking up data to either support or denounce Terry's story about being from another world. In the meantime, Priss was in one of the hangars and fiddling around with one of the cycles. At this point, Linna and Terry were facing each other off in the practice area. Terry was wearing his usual clothes, consisting of his trademark baseball cap, white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. His red sleeveless jacket hung on a chair nearby.
Linna was dressed in her usual headband, a white gi, and barefoot as she faced off against her larger and more muscular opponent. Her eyes locked with his as they both took ready stances and waited for a long time for the other to make the first move.
After almost five minutes of silence, Linna decided to attack first with a triple punch, followed by a low sweep and roundhouse combo.
"HIYAAAAAAHHHHH!"
However, Terry deflected all three punches, hopped over the sweep, and ducked the kick. He advanced quickly, crouched low and delivered an open palm strike to Linna's abdomen, making certain to hit her with just the right amount of force to stun her. Linna's breath was forced out of her lungs as she bent forward from the blow. Before she knew it, her right wrist was grabbed and she found herself being thrown over Terry's shoulder in a judo toss. She hit the mat on her back.
THUD!
"OW!"
Linna tried to roll away after impact, but then found herself immobilized on her stomach with one arm twisted behind her back and the other pinned down. When Terry leaned forward and pressed his greater weight on top of her, Linna found that she had no leverage to get herself out of her predicament. She struggled in vain for a minute but her opponent held her fast. She finally slumped and said, "I give."
Terry nodded as he released her and helped Linna to her feet. Her pride at being a proficient martial artist had taken a serious blow.
"I can't believe I lost that fast!"
Terry shrugged as he patted her on her shoulder and led her to a nearby bench. "Hey, don't worry about it. You're very good actually." The two of them sat down. "I've just been at this a lot longer than you have."
Linna looked at Terry and found herself gazing at those deep blue eyes of his. She felt herself drowning in those aquamarine depths and though Terry's outward appearance remained cheerful and even boyish looking, she also saw something else in those eyes. She saw a great sadness and a loneliness that was self-imposed. It seemed that Terry had experienced a great tragedy and seemed to want to keep the world at arm's length. She had seen that look before, in her fellow Knight Saber, Priscilla Asagiri.
At that moment, Linna felt her heart go out to this man. Unlike Priss, with whom she respected her comrade's decision to remain aloof and distant, Linna felt the desire… no the need, to get Terry to open up to her. There was something about his eyes that reminded her of a wolf's. She could see an inner strength within him and a certain something that made him stand out from all the other men she had dated. His eyes only displayed the truth and Linna found him exciting, unique, and so very… comfortable, whenever she was with him. Could he be the one?
Linna brought herself back to reality and began to converse with him.
"That's really nice of you to say that I'm good, but it's obvious that even with my Hardsuit, you'd probably still beat me. So what kind of fighting style do you use? I didn't recognize your stance."
Terry became a little nervous as he answered. He wasn't used to talking about himself, ever since he lost Sulia. "I'm not surprised that you don't recognize my stance. In my world, there's an ancient school of martial arts called the Hakkyoku Saiken. Most of my basic moves come from it and the rest of my techniques were either learned from living on the streets or I made up myself."
"You mean like that Burn Knuckle and Crack Shot?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"How do you do them? Can you teach them to me?"
"Well… maybe...you've got some talent."
Linna blushed a bit at the compliment. "You think so?"
"Sure. I can tell that you're at least a black belt in karate and judo. You're pretty light on your feet too."
"Well, I have been training a lot as a dancer and I did get second place in the women's division at a tournament once. Though I'm nowhere near what you can do."
Terry gave her a playful grin. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you can get to even my level with enough practice."
Linna playfully punched Terry in the shoulder. "Flatterer. I'll bet you say the same thing to your girlfriend. You don't have a girlfriend do you?"
At the mention of the word girlfriend, Terry's expression went from cheerful to sadness. His body tensed up and he suddenly felt that familiar feeling of despair well up inside of him. Linna noticed Terry's change in attitude and immediately regretted her words. Just like Priss, it seemed that the mention of any personal relationships was a tender subject for him. She had only brought it up as a joke, to find out more about him and perhaps find out if he was available. She immediately began apologizing.
"I'm… sorry, Terry. I didn't know that it was a bad subject for you and…"
Terry waved it off with his hand. "It's all right, Linna. It happened… a long time ago."
Though Linna knew she shouldn't ask, her curiosity got the better of her. "So, what happened to her?"
Terry sighed as he got up. "They died a while back."
"Huh? They…?" Linna didn't understand. She then looked up and saw the hidden sadness in his eyes come to the surface. Terry simply walked off, neither turning back nor answering her.
Some time later…
"Look at this, Sylia. Looks like Terry's story may be true after all."
The leader of the Knight Sabers looked at the screen where Nene indicated and began to read the data. The youngest member of their group had hacked into the files of Genom's top-secret experiments and came across the schematics of a Boomer project that had been scrapped months ago. When Terry had told them of encountering a machine on his world that resembled a Boomer, Sylia had Nene break into Genom's systems to search for a Boomer that matched his descriptions.
"Hmmm, the XR-4000." Sylia read aloud. "Equipped with dual gatling guns, standard auto cannons, laser, heat blaster…" Her voice became quiet as she read the next section. "… and a transwarp… projector?"
Sylia became more intrigued as she continued to scan the file. This particular Boomer was created for espionage and covert military operations. Terry's story of how he got to this world began to coincide with events surrounding this machine. According to the reports, the XR-4000 had been going through the final testing stages when a quantum surge overloaded its systems and caused it to shift into subspace. The remains were later found outside of MegaTokyo at around the same time in which Terry claimed to have arrived on this world. When the remains were recovered, the project was deemed a failure and discontinued. However, when she read the newest entry in the file, she frowned. The project had been reopened and new enhancements had been made on the transwarp projector, specifically allowing for interdimensional travel.
At Genom, Quincy impatiently drummed his fingers on his desk. It had been several hours since the exploratory group had gone through the portal. Though the tracking devices they had brought with them were indicating that the Boomers and men were still intact, they had not communicated with them since they first entered that alternate world. After waiting another hour, the CEO of Genom decided that it was time for them to be pulled back. He gave the order to reopen the portal and decided to personally greet the returning group.
The technicians were surprised to see their boss enter the testing lab, but obeyed his command to reopen the dimensional gate. Since it required tremendous amounts of power to keep the portal open, the operators had shut it down after the exploratory group had passed through to save power and keep the delicate circuitry from burning out. With the tracking devices fully operational, they were quite certain that the Boomers and the men were still alive and well. However, neither Quincy nor his scientists had considered an important factor. They had expected that only several hours had passed on that world as did on their own. Timelines in other dimensions were maintained separately. The initial gateway had synchronized the two worlds during that brief crossing over of the exploratory group. Turning off the portal had severed that link, allowing for the timelines to flow independently. When the gate was reopened for the second time, more than three months had passed on Terry's world. Since dimensional travel was still in its infancy on the Knight Saber's world, the scientists had not recalibrated the portal for the chronological difference. And a LOT can happen in three months!
Quincy smiled as he saw the Boomers began to emerge from the portal. That feeling was short-lived as the Boomers suddenly raised their arms and began firing their weapons.
"What the hell?!" Quincy exclaimed as he ducked for cover. The scientists and personnel screamed in terror as the lasers and auto cannons of the machines were cutting them down. Blood and body parts started littering the floor as Quincy saw Reginald racing toward the intercom to call for backup. Reginald just barely managed to hit the alarm when a laser bolt narrowly missed his outstretched hand and blew the intercom to pieces. The head scientist scrambled away from the smoking panel and found himself backed up against the wall by two Boomers.
Quincy looked back toward the portal and saw more figures emerge. His eyes widened as he recognized some of them from the images he had seen of Terry's world. That was when a door opened up and a squad of armed security men rushed in. However, the invaders had other ideas.
Billy Kane smirked as he rushed into the squad and began crushing their skulls with his staff. The guards were no match for his staff as the Australian smashed through their ranks.
"G'day mates. Time for you to die! SENPU KON!"
The bo-wielding thug spun his weapon around and the mess on the floor was added to with the shattered heads of six guards. More people began emerging from the portal and the Genom guards found themselves in the middle of a massacre. Some were the common variety of hired muscle, firing off more primitive weapons, but were just as deadly at close range. With the rogue Boomers giving them support, the large laboratory became a bloodbath. Quincy shuddered as his staff was being ripped to pieces, then a glimmer of hope surfaced as he saw another squadron of more heavily armored and armed guards appeared. That was when he heard a voice cry out from the portal.
"REPPU KEN!"
A huge blast of energy suddenly burst forth from the portal like a tidal wave, enveloping the squadron and incinerating them on the spot. The Boomers then began sealing off the lab and fusing doors shut to keep anyone else from entering. It was then that HE emerged from the portal.
Quincy trembled as he saw the figure. The stranger was powerfully built and was wearing a white gi top and red pants. His blonde hair was slicked back and he had an ugly scar that ran across one eye and down his cheek. He leveled his eyes at Quincy and gave him a cold smile. He then surveyed the carnage that his forces had created and gave off a laugh that made Reginald's blood run cold. He then strode arrogantly toward where Quincy was as Billy Kane and the rest of his men were finishing off the last of the guards.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Quincy said with anger. How dare this person barge into his domain?
The figure did not answer immediately as he assessed the man who was defiantly standing before him. He then said in a cold tone, "I am Geese Howard. And you are Quincy, I presume?"
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Well, it took a while before I was satisfied with chapter. Next up, we'll see more interactions between Terry and the Knight Sabers as well as more twists as Geese and Quincy join forces. See ya there!
Please read and review!