CHAPTER 47
-"WITHIN THE HEART OF A ROSE HIDES A RAGING BEAST! THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS THE TERRIBLE POWER!"-
RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE - TOP SECRET RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:
We see Brightman working in the lab, conducting experiments. Suddenly, he begins to look everywhere.
"Huh!? Who's there? Show yourself!"
He cries out as he looks everywhere…but he doesn't see anyone.
"OK, this isn't funny! Come on! Where are you hiding?"
"Right behind you!" a voice says from out of nowhere.
Scared, Brightman jumps up! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Erick appears out of nowhere, right behind Brightman! His sudden appearance scares the daylights out of the genius robot. Brightman pants slowly and has his hand on his chest. He scolds, "Lord Erick! GEEZ! Don't do that! Must you keep popping out of nowhere behind people, scaring them out of their wits!? You COULD use the door like everyone else does, and…!"
Erick cocks his eyebrow, and gives Brightman an irritated look.
Brightman, now scared, changes his tone of voice REAL quick! "EEP! OH!… Errr…um, I mean, what can I do for you, sir?" he panics, talking rapidly, begging, "I'msorryLordErickpleasedon'tturnmeintoscrappleasepleaseplease!!"
"That's better. You can relax, Brightman. I have no intention of harming you." Erick watches as Brightman breathes an audible sigh of relief. The poor robot nearly faints from all the excitement. "Anyway, I'm here to discuss something important with you."
Brightman can't help but feel rather nervous today. Erick wants something, but what? Nervously, he asks, "*Gulp*… Okay, what do you want?"
"It's about R. I want to know how you managed to suppress his animal rage."
NOW, Brightman has reason to be worried. All the air rushes out of his weary lungs. His head begins to throb at Erick's words. Erick looks at Brightman with concerned interest.
"Is… something wrong, Brightman?"
Brightman does not answer. His mind seems to be coated with a fuzzy panic. He steadies himself a bit and fixed his eyes on the High Priest.
"What for? Unless you plan to…" he realizes, horrified. "NO! NO!! There's no way! I'll never tell!"
"You sure about that?" Erick lifts Brightman up by his throat, choking him!
"Ggggh-ACK! Ugh! Ach!"
Erick calmly says, "Now, let's try this again. Tell me how you sealed away R's power. Or, I shall cut your lights out… permanently. Do you understand?"
Brightman tries to nod "yes", despite the obvious fact that Erick is only mere seconds from crushing his air intake.
"Smart boy." Erick then releases his death grip.
Brightman gasps for air. " ……..hah…..hah….." Once he's able to breathe again, he then relates to Erick the tragic story:
"Well, it all started three months before Ran betrayed us and took the Phoenix Stone. Dr. Wily came into the lab one day…"
OK, cue the flashback! (Dreamy flashback music starts playing)
BEGIN FLASHBACK
CHINA – RED CAT GANG'S SECRET FORTRESS – IN THE LAB:
Dr. Wily enters the lab to find his faithful assistant Brightman working hard. He laughs his usual mad laughter…
"MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Brightman turns upon hearing Wily's crazy laughter. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Doctor."
"And with good reason, m'boy! Take a look at THIS!" Dr. Wily pulls out a book, and shows it to Brightman. But it's not just any book. It's a book familiar to all the fans of Ranma 1/2 – the infamous "Advanced Combat" manual!
Brightman blinks. "Advanced Combat"? What would you need a book on that for?
"Aha! That's the best part! He opens the book to a particular page and gives it to Brightman, who reads it as Wily continues speaking.
"The Cat Ghost King mentioned that when he fought Ranma the first time, Ranma tried to beat him using a powerful technique called…the Neko-Ken!!"
From out of nowhere, horrific music plays, a single dramatic chord!
Brightman gasps! "The…. Cat-Fist?"
"Yes! According to this book, the Neko-Ken is immensely strong, and immune to nearly any weapon. When it's properly used, it's almost invincible!"
As Wily goes on singing the Neko-Ken's praises, Brightman reads more about the technique. The method by which one learns it is VERY unorthodox, unlike any kind of martial arts discipline that he'd heard of. The training for Neko-Ken is rather simple. The trainee is wrapped in fish sausages, and thrown into a pit of starving cats.
Hmph. Martial arts technique indeed. It sounds more like a torture method! If I'm reading this correctly, which OBVIOUSLY the Doctor hasn't, this "training" could potentially destroy the trainee both physically and mentally. Why would he want to make use of something like this? Unless… Thinking of Ran and R, Brightman realizes, Oh no! He wouldn't…
"Now, if Ran and R were to learn the Neko-Ken, they would be unbeatable! Ranma Saotome wouldn't stand a chance! WAH HA HA HA HA HA!"
Brightman groans, "Ohh….!" Oh, dear God! He's finally lost it! Ever since those two kids came under his guidance, he's subjected them to every kind of test, experiment, and training regimen imaginable. But this… this is unthinkable, even for him!
Brightman reads on until he gets to a very important page, a page which Wily hasn't even bothered to read. It clearly states:
"The Neko-Ken is, unfortunately, just another technique that would be used by a total idiot. Anyone that would teach this forbidden art needs to have his head examined! It is EXTREMELY dangerous!!"
Brightman looks up at the aforementioned idiot (also known as Dr. Wily). He wonders what they've gotten themselves into.
-(END FLASHBACK)-
After hearing this, Erick is amazed. He can't believe what Brightman just told him. "Are you serious? Wily attempted to train Ran and R in the Neko-Ken?"
Brightman sadly admits, " I'm afraid so, Lord Erick."
Erick's now furious. "Why did he do it? That technique has been banned for centuries! ARRRGH! Wily is an IDIOT!"
Brightman remarks thoughtfully, "For once, I agree with you."
Erick calms down. "If Ran and R tried to learn it, it won't work. The trainee has to be under the age of ten. They're too old – and that means the technique is useless to them."
"I know. I tried to tell the Doctor that…"
-(CONTINUE FLASHBACK)-
A WEEK LATER…"Brightman, I want a progress report on R's abilities," Dr. Wily requests of his faithful assistant.
Brightman, the genius robot, paused a moment before giving his report. "Since his, er…"birth", R has made incredible progress. In just a short time, he's already mastered all of Ranma Saotome's signature attacks."
Dr. Wily's pleased. "So soon? That's excellent."
"All… except one that is."
"Only one? Which one?"
"Well, it's that "Neko-Ken" ability you mentioned. For some reason, R can't perform the technique exactly the same way as Ranma. But, he's quite powerful without it. All the tests since then have been successful."
Wily, however, was not convinced. "In the test that went wrong, what happened? What were the side effects?"
Ever since Dr. Wily came up with this half-baked plan to clone Ranma Saotome, Brightman had his misgivings about it. As one of Wily's robot warriors, of course he would support Wily's latest effort. But as a scientist, well… Brightman basically thought the whole thing was a bad idea, that it was simply an expression of one man's obsessive need for revenge. Oh, he'd tried many times to persuade Wily not to go through with it, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. So the poor genius robot, with deep regret, had no choice but to go along with Wily's mad scheme.
Therefore, Brightman didn't hesitate. It was clear that he was extremely concerned about THIS situation, and was welcoming the opportunity to make his concerns known.
"Excessive violence. Extreme aggression. And, I fear, total insanity."
Silence fell over the lab for a moment. Then, Wily finally spoke. "And THAT would be a bad thing, because…?
Brightman explains, "Well, it seems that this "Neko-Ken" technique only works if the trainee is under the age of ten. Otherwise, we're just subjecting the trainee to pain. Furthermore, it seems to be activated when the subject's fear of cats reaches a certain point. And in order to escape this fear, the subject's behavior becomes catlike, and there's the problem. The person becomes unstable and will attack anyone or anything that he or she perceives as a threat."
"All right, so what's the problem then?"
"If I may continue, Doctor… Some catnip or a ball of yarn can also easily distract Neko-Ken fighters. And even worse, it can be thwarted…"
"Stop. I've heard enough. And just what do YOU recommend we do about it?"
And then Brightman delivered the final blow to Wily. "We should abort this experiment immediately."
Feeling betrayed, Dr. Wily shouts, "WHAT? Madness! The technique WILL work! You're just being paranoid!"
"I'll be frank with you. I never supported this project. I was against it from the beginning."
Dr. Wily grumbles, "You know, I'm beginning to think I made you too smart for your own good…." He sighs, "Very well, then. If we cannot make R fear cats, then we shall make him HATE cats! After all, hate is a MUCH stronger emotion than fear, anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean, bulb-brain. I want R to be Ranma's equal in fighting skill, and that includes knowledge of the Neko-Ken! You don't show any progress within two weeks, I'll have you booted off the project! Got that!?"
"But, Dr. Wily…!"
"No buts! Do it NOW! NOW!!" And with that Wily storms out the lab. One of the RED CAT Lab Technicians standing nearby finally speaks to Brightman. He cheerfully says, "Well, that seemed to go well, sir."
Brightman glares at the well-meaning, but stupid person. "Oh, shut up."
"As a result of that, the Doctor came up with a plan."
Erick's interest is piqued. "Really?"
"Judging by your reaction so far, I'm assuming that you know that only the strongest individual could possibly survive the Neko-Ken training. So Dr. Wily chose R as his first test subject. Using the brainwashing machine, he would subject R to hypnotic age regression, making him think he is ten years old. Then, while he is regressed in time…"
Erick finishes for Brightman, " …Wily could train R in the Neko-Ken."
Brightman nods, "Precisely, Lord Erick. But as we undertook this experiment, things did not go as we hoped…"
TWO WEEKS LATER:
We see Dr. Wily, Brightman, and the rest of the RED CAT scientists as they hook R up to a set of complex machinery. There were many different wires; some were taped to R's skin and others were inserted on various places on his body. There is some sort of strange helmet over his head. It is heavy and has just as much wires as the other equipment.
R, however, is surprisingly calm through all of this though deep down he is rather excited. If this works, he would truly be the ultimate Anything-Goes warrior! It didn't take much convincing by Dr. Wily to get R to agree to this unusual training, much to Brightman's dismay.
Once everything was ready, the technicians left R to himself. He was sure that they wouldn't hurt him or anything. Right? It would just be a few brain waves, and then a quick download of the knowledge of Neko-Ken and it's over. Or so he thinks…
"All right! We're ready to begin the Neko-Ken training!" Dr. Wily says to his crew. Then, he asks R, "Are you ready, R?"
R nods, "I'm ready, Doc."
"You're not nervous, are you?"
"Nah. Well…maybe a little. But it's more of the good kind of nervous. Matter of fact, I'm anxious to get started. I'll do whatever it takes to master the Neko-Ken!"
Pleased, Dr. Wily says heartily, "That's the spirit, m'boy! And I want to help you do that. Here."
Wily prepares a needle with a heavy dosage of a silvery serum. R didn't bother to struggle, and merely grunts as the needle impales him. He starts to relax as the serum takes effect. Soon, R is in a state of deep hypnosis.
Brightman, however, is worried for R. "Do we really have to go through with this?"
Dr. Wily answers, "Yes, we do! Okay, he's ready! Prepare the brainwashing machine!" He then commands, "Activate NOW!"
Brightman starts giving instructions to the RED CAT Scientists, "Connect the main power supply and all circuits together."
RED CAT Tech 01 repots, "Main power supply connected."
"Start the activation system."
"Checking brainwaves, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, and metabolism. All green."
"Start the second phase of the activation system."
RED CAT Tech 02 nods in reply, "Roger. Commencing Level 1 brainwash."
"Start System Phase II."
We see an elaborate CG display of R's brainwaves as the brainwashing takes hold.
RED CAT Tech 03 reports, "Synapses inserted. Junction started."
RED CAT Tech 01 continues, "Pulses transmitted."
RED CAT Tech 02 adds, "All neural circuits are 100% operational. His subconscious mind is wide open and ready for programming!"
"Good. Now, download the simulation!" Dr. Wily orders.
RED CAT Tech 01 obeys, "Roger. Switching to VR Mode. Downloading "Neko-Ken Training Simulation", Level Three."
Brightman is shocked! "Level Three! But Dr. Wily…? With all due respect sir, are you MAD!? We've never run the simulation at that level before! R couldn't possibly take it without going off the edge! The mental damage….!"
Wily locks eyes with his lab assistant. "Oh shut up! What we're doing is for the good of our united cause! The Neko-Ken training will succeed and it will go on as scheduled! Is that CLEAR!"
Brightman could only gulp, nod his head, and then step away from Dr. Wily. He does NOT have a good feeling about this…
"All-righty then!" Then, to the technicians, Wily asks, "How's it coming, boys?"
RED CAT Tech 01 confidently says, "The initial download has no problems, Dr. Wily."
RED CAT Tech 02 repots, "Ki levels are at 2000 and climbing. No problems with the neural links."
RED CAT Tech 03 confirms, "Checked. VR Simulation at stage two now…."
A satisfied grin appears on Wily's face. "Excellent! Continue!"
Brightman watched the readouts as the experiment continued. He was mainly concerned about R's physical and psychological well-being through all of this. But the screens didn't lie.
Hmph. All stats are green. R's doing OK so far. Brightman sighs. Maybe Dr. Wily is right. Perhaps I'm just being too paranoid about this test. Yet I am still rather uneasy. But it won't be long now. The simulation takes only thirty minutes.
He then looks at a countdown timer on one of the computer terminals. It indicates that twenty minutes have passed overall since the simulation began. Underneath that are three more timers marked STAGE I, STAGE II, and STAGE III. The STAGE I timer has the word – CLEAR – beside it; obviously, since the first stage of the Neko-Ken Training Simulation was complete. The STAGE II timer has one minute left and counting down.
And the second stage is just about done. There's only the third stage left, and it's the roughest part of the simulation. I can only imagine what R might be faced with now… He looks over at Wily. … since SOMEONE decided to increase the intensity of the training! Then, he looks at R) But R doesn't seem to be fazed. Maybe… Just maybe… This could work! I can hope… right? Right?
RED CAT Tech 03 then reports, "Stage two complete! Simulation now at final stage!"
Dr. Wily lets out a whoop of success. "YES! HA HA! This is it, boys. Soon, R will have the power of the Neko-Ken and Ranma will be history!" Excited, he laughs, "WA HA HA HA HA!! PROCEED!!"
The RED CAT Techs hasten to obey. "Yes, Lord Wily!!"
Meanwhile, R was sitting there, strapped in the chair, as Dr. Wily kept giving orders to the technicians, who were looking at the screens typing at stuff. R didn't concern himself with it - that kind of stuff bored him anyway.
Then, he felt a searing pain shoot up through his spine and into his brain!. He arched his back trying to stop the pain but it only got worse! He lurches forward and holds his helmet-covered head in agony. He'd never felt this much pain before! Never!
"Urk! ACK! AAAAAAARRRGHHH!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!"
He screamed, although it did nothing to ease the pain, he couldn't help it. As the dreaded third stage of the training took hold, the screams intensified. R's screams carried throughout the lab.
Brightman was horrified! He never would have thought that Wily could do this! It was inhuman! He had to force himself not to throw up from the sickening screams coming from the boy's mouth. He wanted to order them all to stop the test but he had no authority. Only Dr. Wily did.
And then, wouldn't you know it? Yep, things went from bad to REALLY bad! Alarms began to go off in the lab. "Hey! What's happening!"
RED CAT Tech 01 says, "Houston, we've got a problem! Major system error encountered on the third stage. Rejection is setting in on the nerve center elements."
"What's R's status?" Dr. Wily asks, concerned for his son.
"Not good. Vital signs have changed dramatically! Brainwaves erratic! Blood pressure, pulse, respiration are climbing rapidly! Temperature and metabolism are all off the charts! All stats are in the red zone!"
RED CAT Tech 02 admits, "Yeah, but his Ki levels have doubled to 4000+! No, wait! 5000! 5500! 6000! 7000! 8000! His power's growing with every second! Now 9000 and climbing!"
Dr. Wily can't help doing a victory dance. "Spectacular! Oh, my boy's gonna be invincible!"
RED CAT Tech 03 puts a halt to the celebration. "Uhh… Doctor. I wouldn't be too happy if I were you! I'm detecting problems with the neural links."
Still dancing with mad joy (doing a little ballet hop-and-spin, I might add. GOOD GRIEF!), Wily's like, "Oh, pish posh! The training's almost over anyway! Continue!!"
RED CAT Tech 01 reports, "Uh oh! We're at the absolute borderline! Pulses are beginning to flow back!"
At this point, Brightman, seeing how things are going, decides to take action. He might not be able to stop the test, but R's safety became his top priority. "Well, stop the contacts. Break the neural circuits in the hindbrain before the pulses reach the cerebral cortex!"
RED CAT Tech 01 can't comply. "Negative. The signal's not being received! He's going out of control!"
Brightman makes his decision, knowing full well that he's heading for a confrontation with the loony old man. "Then we'll have to abort the experiment. Shut off the power supply. Get R out of there NOW!"
RED CAT Tech 01 obeys. "Yes, sir!"
"NO!" Dr. Wily objects.
Brightman can't believe this! "WHAT!?"
"You heard me! There's only five minutes left before the simulation is complete! R's about to master the Neko-Ken!!"
RED CAT Tech 01 apologizes, "Forgive me, Lord Wily, but Brightman is right. We have to abort!"
As Dr. Wily, Brightman, and the technicians argue, R's murderous programming takes its course. His senses, heightened and distorted by the brainwashing, are wide open. And there was pain, so much pain. It felt like thousands on thousands of claws were scratching across his body. He writhes in agony, tries to get away but he can't. He can't!
In his mind, he was trapped in the pit AGAIN!!
Cats.
Cats.
CATS!! Why did it have to be cats!
As they jump on him, claw at him, a new wave of extreme pain washed over him like an unstoppable tsunami, tearing at his flesh, at his limbs, at his very soul.
And then, five minutes later – or was it five seconds later? – it stopped.
Just like that.
R drops his head, and slumps down in the chair, unconscious… or worse…
In that moment, R was no more.
With one flex of his muscles, he burst free of his restraints. R leapt out of the prison that had held him, tearing away at all of the wires that had been attached to his body, surrounding him and encasing him in pain and torment. He tossed away the helmet.
And then he opened his eyes. Those eyes… Brightman would never forget the sight of those. R's golden eyes were now solid white. The teenage boy growled a deep throaty growl that reminded Brightman of a tiger or a panther. His fists clenched menacingly. His teeth are much sharper now. He let out an animalistic roar that carried throughout the lab in an unearthly echo.
"GRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Dr. Wily is surprised. Is this the Neko-Ken? "HA HA HA! YES! He's done it!"
He runs over to R.
Brightman tries to stop him. "Dr. Wily! NO! Don't….!!"
"Congratulations, my boy! The power of the Neko-Ken is yours, and… ACK!!"
R swipes at him angrily with a punch!
"HEY! R! It's ME!" the daffy old coot whines.
"I tried to tell you before, Doctor! While in this state, R will attack anyone or anything he considers a threat!" Brightman reminded Wily.
R comes toward Wily menacingly. "Grrrrrrrrr….!!"
Dr. Wily trembles at the sight of the creature that was once his beloved child standing before him. "*Gulp*…N-now, R…. Let's not do anything that we'll regret, okay?"
"RRAAAAHHHH!!" an angry R roars.
"WAH! BOY, CALM DOWN! Good boy, nice boy." Wily urgently whispers to Brightman, "Quick! Call the guards! Call Bass! Call somebody! Now! Hurry!"
Afraid, RED CAT Tech 02 asks a stupid question. "Uh… we're going to die, aren't we?"
Before they can react further, R bares his fangs, and pounces at Wily and the technicians!
Dr. Wily and the RED CAT Techs all scream, "AHHHHHHHHHH!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"
Well, it's kinda hard to run away inside a lab, y'know. As R goes medieval on Wily's ass, sounds of people getting their butts kicked and lab equipment getting trashed can be heard. Brightman gets on a nearby telephone and calls Bass…
On the phone, Brightman says, "Bass? Yes, it's me. We have an emergency on our hands. Yes, the Doctor's latest experiment backfired. Yeah, I TOLD him, but he wouldn't listen…. Look, just come down to the lab, OK? And bring reinforcements! OH NO! AHHHHHH….!!"
RED CAT Soldiers who were near the general area of the lab burst in to intercept the berserk R and stop him. They never got very far as R leapt tearing at bone, flesh, and anything that stood in his path to escape. He was upon them like a hurricane tearing at their bodies with unleashed animal fury that now was permanently a part of him.
Brightman's voice-over narrates: "Eventually, Bass showed up with reinforcements. A lot of good that did, for by that time, R was done beating up Dr. Wily, me, the technicians, and the soldiers who were already there."
Bass and the soldiers who were with him arrive to find the lab in ruins. Much of the equipment sparked and caught fire. There were slash marks everywhere. Their comrades before them were sprawled out on the floor, most unconscious, several holding weapons in their limp hands, and blood all over.
"Geez! What happened here?"
A weakened and hurt Brightman croaks, "Bass…! Over here….!"
Bass goes over to Brightman, who's lying underneath a pile of debris. He pulls him out. "Okay, bulb-head, where's the Doc?"
"Down here, fool!"
Bass looks down to see he's standing on top of Dr. Wily, who's also lying under the debris. "Hey, Doc! There you are! Didn't see ya down there."
"Yeah, I'll bet. NOW GET ME OUTTA HERE!"
"Ah ah. What's the magic word?"
"NOW!"
Bass shrugs, "Feh. Close enough." He pulls Dr. Wily out of the rubble. Then, he looks around at the destruction caused by R.
"My, my, you sure made a mess. Usually, your experiments don't cause this much damage." In a mock-serious tone of voice he scolds, "What have I told you about drinking and doing research?" He then laughs, "Oh, you naughty mad scientist you!"
Oh boy, Bass is on a roll today with his sarcasm. He really knows how to push Wily's buttons.
Dr. Wily's irritated. "Always with the jokes! Can't you be serious for once?"
Bass comes back at him with, "What? And ruin the comedy? Besides, Doc, sarcasm's my forte."
Brightman gets things back on track. "Bass, please! We have a situation here!"
"Okay, okay! One more, and I'm done." Bass then says to Wily, "Furthermore, it's hard to take YOU seriously when you keep on bungling like this. I'll tone my witty remarks down when you stop screwing up. But since THAT's not gonna happen anytime soon…"
Dr. Wily has had it! "BASS!!"
Bass frowns. "Damn. You're no fun. Okay, all joking aside… why does the place look like Slashman's attempts at interior decorating?"
Brightman cries out, pointing at something – or someone! "THAT's why!"
He cowers in fear as a dramatic chord plays. A pause. Nothing happens.
Bass is like, "What?"
Brightman, scared, says, "Th-there he is!"
"Where?"
Dr. Wily points to R, "There!"
Bass turns around to see R standing before him, breathing heavily. He growls menacingly.
"Grrrrrrr….!!"
Bass acts as if he has no clue what they're talking about. "What? Behind Dog-Boy?"
"It IS R!" Brightman says.
Long pause. Then…
Bass contemptuously says, "You IDIOTS!"
Brightman's insulted. "I beg your pardon!?"
"You two geniuses got me all worked up… for THIS!?"
Dr. Wily explains, " Bass, R's not himself… He's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered… erm… animal you ever set eyes on!"
Bass looks at Wily. "And… your point would be?" Now disgusted, he says, "C'mon, Doc, this is R we're talking about here! Brightman said this was an emergency. I got a dozen guys with me, armed to the teeth, and for WHAT!? To see Dog-Boy, growl, snarl, and drool like an idiot!? What a complete and utter waste of time!! I am SO outta here!" He orders the troops with him, "All right, guys, let's go." To Wily and Brightman, he says, "Call me when there's a REAL problem, for cryin' out loud! Geez!"
As Bass tries to leave, a terrified Wily grabs him by the arm. "HEY! Don't leave us here with HIM!!"
All the while, R eyes them, watching them, moving back and forth, like a predator stalking his prey.
Bass's reply to this, "Gee, Doc, that's EXACTLY what I was going to do. Now let go, you old coot!"
Brightman tries to impress upon Bass the seriousness of their predicament. "Look, Bass, right now R's got a vicious streak a mile wide. He's a killer!"
Bass snorts, "Get real."
Brightman warns menacingly, "He'll mess you up real good!"
"Oh yeah? Bright, ol' buddy, YOU are such a wuss!"
"I'm warning you."
"What's he gonna do, huh? Run around and chase his tail?"
"He's got huge, sharp ... eh ... he can leap about ... well, just look at all the damage! The blood! The horror! The horror!"
Bass rolls his eyes with disgust. "Geez." He motions to one of the soldiers, "Bors, handle the mutt, will ya?"
The RED CAT soldier (who just happens to be named Bors) hops up smiling and draws a sword. "Right, Lord Bass."
Brightman gasps in horror, "Look!"
As Brightman points they all spin round to see R leap at Bors with a savage roar. Before the poor soldier can cry out, R whacks him with such force that his body flies away and lands on the ground hard.
Bass steps back from the display of raw animal power and savagery. "ACK!!"
Brightman reminds him, "I warned you! But did you listen to me? Oh no, you knew it all didn't you? "Oh, it's just R!" Well, what do you think now, hm? I told you ... "
Bass angrily says, "Oh, shut up!
SLAP!!
Bass slaps Brightman so hard that it makes the poor robot stagger back, topple forward, rolls his eyes in his head, and knocks him out flat.
"OW! Ugh….!!" Brightman falls over, rendered unconscious from the fearsome technique known in some circles as the "Kishin Harite" (Demon God Hand Slap).
With Brightman out of the way, Bass goes to work!
"Right!" He raises his Buster, preparing to shoot R. "Time to put the mutt down!"
Dr. Wily stops hi. "NO! Take him alive, Bass!"
"What for!? I don't know what you've been doing here, but methinks your tinkering around with Dog-Boy's little doggie brain is what caused this mess! And I got my own way of cleaning up messes! So move aside so I can get a good shot!"
"Are you nuts! I won't let you hurt my boy with unnecessary force!"
"Good grief! Will you please stop calling him THAT!? He is NOT your son, and you are NOT his father!!"
R watches as Wily and Bass fight over him. His animal-like mind can't possibly comprehend what's going on. Whether it was instinct, or out of some fond memory that reminded him that Wily was his father, and that he had to protect him, R leaps at Bass and tackles him to the ground!
WHAMM!!/Sound FX
Bass gets the wind knocked out of him! "ACK!! OOF!"
Dr Wily is surprised and moved by R's actions. My boy attacked Bass to protect me! Oh, R, my boy, my pride, my joy! Perhaps…perhaps there's a chance I can reach him! He goes into his paternal role, and calls out loud, " Hey! R! It's me, my boy! Don't be afraid!"
"RAAAHHHHHHGH!!" R swipes at Wily with one clawed hand.
Dr. Wily jumps back, frightened! "WAH! Well, THAT didn't work!"
Mad, Bass gets up, cursing, "Dammit!" Okay, that's strike one! He orders the troops, "ATTACK!!"
The RED CAT Soldiers charge at R, but it was all for naught. And once again, R thrashes them with hardly any effort. Looking around, his eyes searching the room for another victim; upon not finding anyone, he grunts sharply. Without anyone to attack, he gets bored.
Poor Wily found himself frozen on the spot as he saw that his son was beyond all reason. With a final desperate plea, he said, "P-please R! I'm… your father!"
R let off a roar that made the entire lab tremble as he gets on all fours and launches himself forward. Wily shut his eyes and waited for the end.
It never came. Instead, he heard a loud crash behind him as R lands in front of a large crack in one of the walls and proceeds to slash, claw, kick, and bash at it until the wall gives way. Opening his eyes, he saw a huge gaping hole beside him.
All Wily and Bass can do is watch as R leaps through the hole, and out the lab.
Now outside, R stares back at the lab and those who were responsible for his pain. A sound escapes from his lips.
R howls, "A-WOOOOOHHH!!"
With that, he runs off into the woods surrounding the RED CAT Fortress.
Dr. Wily cries out, "R! R! Come back, boy! COME BACK!" He starts crying Soun-like tears! "Boo hoo hoo!! WWAHHHH!!"
Bass asks no one in particular, "OK. NOW what do we do?"
Upset, Dr. Wily grieves for R. "R… My son!… My God, what have I done?….Boo hoo…!!"
Brightman, who by now has regained consciousness, is immediately at Wily's side. He consoles the sobbing Wily. "There, there, Doctor. We'll get him back. Don't you worry." To Bass, he politely asks, "Bass, take some men, and go and fetch R would you?"
Bass snaps, "HEY! Who died and made you boss!? And why do I have to go get him!?"
Brightman's tone becomes serious. "Bass, that wasn't a request. As head of the RED CAT GANG's Scientific Research & Development Team, I'm ordering you to find R and bring him back to the lab, so we can undo what's been done to his mind."
Insulted and angry, Bass growls, "Why you….! Just because you got a title now, you think you can order me around like some cheap flunky. HELLO!? I'M the Doc's second in command! I outrank YOU! So don't make me put you in your place, Bulb-head!!"
"Bass, please! This is no time to argue over petty things such as rank! As you can plainly see…" Brightman points to the blubbering sad sack Wily, "…Dr. Wily is in no condition to boss us around right now. Therefore, as his assistant AND as head of R&D, I must take charge." He smiles. "I believe the appropriate expression to use here would be "So THERE! Nyah Nyah!"" He sticks his tongue out at Bass.
"D'OH!" After a moment, Bass sighs and gives up. "Fine. I'll go and get the mutt."
"Thank you, Bass. By the way, make sure to arm your men with tranquilizer darts, not real bullets. We need R alive, Bass. Alive, as in "not dead". Okay?"
Bass hated Brightman's nice-guy approach to getting things done, and he REALLY hated it when the genius robot would explain things by breaking them down in smaller terms. It made him feel stupid, or worse, like Bubbleman (who IS the textbook definition of stupid).
"Yeah, yeah," Bass grumbles, "Man. Give some people a title and they let it go to their heads… I tell ya, it just ain't right…"
Bass storms out of the ruined lab, complaining all the way.
Brightman's voice-over continues, "So Bass and the soldiers hunted down R all night long into the morning It was not easy to find him, for he'd fled into the woods. And all the while, the hunters were themselves being hunted. During the hunt, they'd been attacked by R. He'd made good use of his surroundings, sneaking up on them like a jungle predator and striking with violent animal fury! A few RED CAT Soldiers were badly injured as a result…"
But Bass was on to his foe. As soon as R showed his fanged face, he'd ordered his troops to fire away! Three good shots had punctured R's flesh, but to no avail. The soldiers were shocked! Those three darts that DID hit R were filled with enough tranquilizers to put him out for weeks!
At any rate, R fled, and the chase continued on until they reached the falls.
Spotting the fierce beast-boy, RED CAT Soldier 023 says, "He's gone inside the cave behind the waterfall!"
Bass turns to the rest of the solders with him, and says, "You guys wait here... I'll take care of this personally!"
"By yourself, sir?" RED CAT Soldier 078 asks.
"With Dog-Boy the way he is now, he'd turn you into hamburger. Me, I'm made out of much tougher stuff. I don't want any more of my troops being sacrificed!"
RED CAT Soldier 078 seems touched. "Aw, gee, it's nice of you to think of our safety, sir."
"Feh. Whatever."
"Of course, I wasn't there when Bass went out to look for R. But when he came back, and I saw the damage that had been done to him, I knew that it took him quite a bit of effort to capture R, and that in his berserker state, R would not go down without a fight…. Sigh… " Then, Brightman finally says to Erick, "After the incident, I used the brainwashing machine to make R forget his knowledge of the Neko-Ken."
-(CONTINUE FLASHBACK)-
"R, can you hear me?" Brightman calmly asks R.
Hypnotized, in a sleepy voice R says, "Yes."
"You will repeat after me…."
R nods in reply to Brightman's command, completely under the sway of Dr. Wily's lab assistant, a voice he was powerless in that very moment to disobey. Then, like a hypnotist planting a suggestion very deeply in the brain of his hapless subject, Brightman intones:
"You are to forget everything that happened today."
R repeats, "I will forget everything that happened today."
"You'll only remember it when I tell you to. You are to forget about it. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I will forget about it. I understand."
Brightman continuing to hypnotize R. "The beast that lurks inside you is dead, sealed away within the deepest, darkest recesses of your mind. You do not wield the Neko-Ken anymore. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"You are a warrior, a fighter. You are not a wild animal. You are not a monster. The Neko-Ken was a failed technique. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
-(END FLASHBACK)-
"I wanted to totally erase any knowledge of that horrible power from R's mind. But Dr. Wily was quite insistent that R learn and master the Neko-Ken so…" Brightman reaches into a drawer, pulls out a small metal object about three-and-a-half inches long, and hands it to Erick. It looks like some kind of whistle.
"Brightman, I've no time for guessing games. What is this whistle for?" Erick asks him.
Brightman wearily says, "You seem to know about these things, Lord Erick. You figure it out. As for me, I want no part of whatever you intend to do with R. If Dr. Wily finds out what I've done…"
"He won't, so relax. Besides, I got what I wanted from you. And, I do apologize for my roughness earlier. Bass suggested that you might not be willing to assist me in this, and it seems he was right."
Brightman thinks, Bass? Are he and this priest working together?
"You know, Brightman, the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily made you the head of this organization's Scientific Research & Development team. I DON'T think they would have put you in charge if they didn't think you could handle the responsibility. I'm well aware that you and Wily have had differences regarding the "RS Project". Seems you've gotten too close to your research…"
Shocked and worried, Brightman thinks, Oh God! He knows about our research? He gathers his composure and confesses, "Yes, it's true. I was against Wily's half-baked scheme to clone Ranma Saotome. I've tried many, MANY times to persuade him not to go through with it. But once R and Ran were "born", so to speak, I had to admit that the Doctor might have been on to something."
"Interesting. Continue."
"The research was incredible. Their ki-generating abilities, their innate knowledge of Ranma Saotome's fighting style, even their ability to improvise and create new techniques on the spot, so much that they've made their own special attacks, each suited to their individual personalities – I must say, I was impressed. But over time, I became very concerned." Brightman laughs bitterly, "Heh heh heh, my "research"… YOU should try it sometime, Lord Erick. YOU try being the guardian of two children, created by an utterly LOONY mad scientist for the sole purpose of revenge. YOU try caring for them, supporting them, steering them in life directions that are mandated not by what you feel is best for them, but by someone who has his own deranged agenda for them, a twisted "destiny" they have to fulfill. Oh! How about this? YOU try holding your tongue, doing everything you possibly can NOT to cry out, to do something, anything to stop his madness, while he conducts every kind of impossible test, perverse experiment, and / or ridiculous attempt to enhance their already exceptional gifts while at the same time trying to erase ANY possible shred of humanity within their very hearts and souls, turning them into cold-blooded fighting machines!" He calms down, sighing, "You… try doing all that without getting "too close" and see just how successful you are. I may be a robot, but I have learned a LOT about humans, the good things about humans, through my research as I watched those two kids grow."
Why, Brightman… I had no idea you felt that way about them. I do hate to burst your bubble, but you know absolutely NOTHING about humans. "You know, I just might. It sounds like a stimulating intellectual exercise." Erick then takes a few menacing steps toward Brightman, until he was almost in the robot's face. "As for YOU, Brightman, you've got to learn when to let your research go. It's over. Ran and R are not your problem anymore. They're MINE."
Something about the way Erick says "mine" chills Brightman to his electronic core, leaving the poor scientist robot wondering what evil designs Erick has for Ran and R.
Now upset, Brightman finally speaks, "Their whole lives have been one of having their fate determined by others acting behind their backs. When do they get their own lives?"
Erick's counter-reply to this is, "When do any of us? Many people will tell you that their lives are guided and determined by God."
Brightman is serious. "Sir, you are NOT God."
Erick smiles wickedly. "As far as Ran and R are concerned, Brightman, I'm God, the Devil, heaven, and hell rolled into one. A word of advice - I suggest you put aside your personal feelings, and get with the program. Do you understand?"
Brightman reluctantly nods, "Yes, sir."
Satisfied, Erick bids, "Good day, Brightman."
He then walks out, leaving Brightman smoldering with anger in the lab.
"…… I really, REALLY hate that man."
His anger at Erick spent, Brightman slumps into a chair behind him. He feels a deep sadness inside him. And he begins to wonder. How did it come to this? Ran and R were such nice kids when they started out. And now… Ran's a wanted traitor. R's walking around completely unaware of the monster that sleeps within his subconscious mind, a monster that Brightman himself helped Wily create. And now, that mad priest knows about the "RS Project". And they still haven't found that Phoenix Stone yet!
Oh, yes, there are dark days ahead.
Brightman regretted it all. He regretted everything he had done. But what could he do now? What, if anything, could be done to undo what he'd done?
Even worse, he fears for Ran and R's lives, and wonders what Erick has in store for them.
Alone, in the silence of the lab, Brightman did something that might have surprised or perhaps even amused Dr. Wily, Bass, and the other bots: he buries his face in his hands and weeps.
Who'd ever thought a robot could cry?
LATER, AT A PARK:
We see Erick seated on a bench. He is dressed in his Neo-style costume (black jeans, black shirt, black trench coat, and dark glasses). As he sits there, he pulls out the little whistle that Brightman gave him back at the lab.
What good is this whistle for anyway? Brightman mentioned it had something to do with R's dormant animal-like power. Perhaps it's some kind of key, a trigger…
Erick puts the whistle to his lips and blows. Nothing, not even a single sound.
Erick mutters, " Hmph. The blasted thing doesn't even work. In my day, many centuries ago, I was quite the musician. Maybe I'm not using the proper playing technique."
Erick then tries to blow the whistle as if he's playing a flute. At the same time, a woman is walking her dog. Suddenly, the dog's ears perk up, and…
"Awoooooohh!"
That gets Erick's attention. He turns around and sees only the woman and her pet. He goes back to blowing his whistle.
The dog howls louder, "Raw-ooooooohhh!"
At this, the woman looks at her dog, then looks at Erick. Erick shrugs his shoulders, and then continues practicing. He takes a deep breath, and blows the whistle really hard!
"OWOOOOOOOHHHH!!"
The poor creature can't take anymore of Erick's… erm… music. It lies down, and covers its ears with its paws. The lady's had enough of this. She marches right up to Erick. Obviously, she has NO idea who he is and how dangerous he can be. "Hey you!"
Erick innocently says, "Hm?"
"Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing with that dog whistle? What? Do you get some kind of thrill from torturing small animals? Enough already!"
Erick blinks. "Dog whistle?"
He looks at the woman. Pretty, but she's got nothing on Delia. Then he looks at her dog, cowering, paws over its ears. Then he looks at the whistle, takes it, and blows it one more time.
The dog can't stand that sound! "Ohhhhh-woooo!!"
"Stop that!" the woman tells Erick.
And he does. Erick looks at the whistle once more. Then, it dawns on him – what the true purpose of the whistle is, and the sound that it makes. He smiles.
Brightman, you're a genius. Now, I know the secret to controlling R's berserker rage. Very clever. Out loud, in a surprisingly polite manner, Erick apologizes to the woman, "I'm terribly sorry, my dear lady. I had no idea that this was a dog whistle. You see, I recently acquired it from a colleague, and I'd been trying to figure out how to work the silly thing all day. Please, forgive me for the trouble I've caused you and you beloved pet. I meant no harm at all. Really."
The woman is surprised by Erick's politeness. He seems truly sorry for what he's done.
Caught off-guard, she says, "Well… I… Oh well, as long as you didn't mean to do it…"
"I assure you, miss, that it won't happen again." Erick then checks his watch. "Ah! I must be going now." I must return to the base. R will be home from school soon, and I'll need to run some tests of my own! "Good day, my dear lady. And once again, please accept my humble apologies."
He gentlemanly takes her hand and kisses it. She blushes. Having successfully worked his charm on her, Erick leaves. But as he does (like so many villains are wont to do), he laughs as he makes his exit.
"Hm hm hm hm…. HA HA HA HA! HAA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"
Watching him leave the park, the woman says, "Hmm…nice guy. But kinda strange. What does he think he is, a villain, or something?"
Lady, if you only knew what Erick plans to do!
Oh, what's going to happen next!? What horrible scheme has Erick cooked up now? And how will it involve R, and the violent power that lies within him?
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
TO BE CONTINUED…