I have to agree with some other C+C that the Jusenkyo water should
have been part of a case, maybe something Ranma brought back after
breaking up a smuggling operation, that would also have provided
a good excuse to bring in Shampoo and the Amazons.
Might I suggest that the water turn out to have been evidence in just
such a case, and that Ranma backtracks it in hope of finding a cure,
which brings him into contact with the Notorious Cologne, queen of
Smugglers, and one heck of a mean poker player.
In the meantime. A bit of Spam I just couldn't resist.
The following alterations are done without permission from Jed,
they flow completely from my own warped imagination, but he
is to blame for sticking this idea in my head.
T.H.
Ranma scanned the shelves, his eyes falling on a black case labelled
"Unknown Specimen". Now what was something like this doing in a high-tech
garage? Curious, Ranma pulled it off the shelf and headed to the nearest
table.
The case was large and bulky, yet surprisingly light. Ranma placed
it down on a clear spot on a nearby metal table wich was otherwise occupied
by parts he couldn't identify. The latches popped easily when Ranma tried
them, the top of the case opening up with a jerk.
The interior of the case was mainly a gray foam cushion, with
several slots cut out of it. In those slots were twelve tubes of clear
liquid, sealed with plastic at each end. Printed above each slot were names
Ranma could barely make out, much less pronounce.
Ranma took out one of the tubes, gazing at the contents with a
rising sense of unease. Something about this stuff really didn't feel right,
but for the life of him he couldn't put his finger on what. He took out a
second tube, holding them both up to the ceiling. The lights from above
shone through the clear liquid as if it were glass. Man, what IS this?
***He pulled out yet another specimen, and it too was clear.***
Ryoga walked through the aisles of his laboratory, eyes locked
firmly on the green line beneath his feet. While he may have been blessed
with superiror intellect and, in his humble opinion, amazing strength, his
sense of direction was nothing short of crap. He had discovered that the
first time he had gone to the store for milk while living in California. The
store had been only a block away, and he ended up in Manhattan. That same
sense of direction, or lack thereof, had made his life hell. He could never
find the school on his own, could barely make his way through his own home.
And with his parents gone all the time, things only got worse. Until she
came...
Ryoga stopped dead when he saw Ranma holding three clear tubes above
his head, squinting into them as if looking for something. Ryoga's heart
froze in his chest when his eyes fell on the open case sitting on one of the
many workbenches. What the hell did he think he was doing?
"RANMA!" The pigtailed man spun around at Ryoga's shout, a startled
cry escaping his lips as the three vials were sent flying into the air. Ryoga
charged forward, ice-cold fear coursing through his veins as he raised his
hands in an effort to catch them.
The sunlight glinted off the three spinning vials as time itself
slowed to a crawl. Oh, please don't let them break! There was no telling
what was in those things!
Ryouga paled as he saw one of the vials arching toward a ceiling fan. End
over end the vial tumbled, and was hit by a fan blade. It should have smashed
into a thousands pieces, but instead, by sheer luck, or intervention from
Murphy, the blade struck the stopper that caped the vial, and catapulted it
toward the main shop.
Ryoga was so busy watching the flight of the vial, he didn't notice Ranma
running
toward him, hands raised in the air as if to catch the remaining two vial,
until they collided.
Ryoga hit the floor with a cry just before he felt something hit his head. A
cold, tingling sensation washed over him as he felt... huh?
Ranma opened his eyes, the tingling sensation finally starting to
abade. He groaned as he rubbed the top of his head, feeling the wetness
coating his hair. What was that stuff? Was it poisonous? Was he gonna die?
Ranma climbed to his feet, looking around for Ryoga. He was here
somewhere... Ranma spotted a pile of white mylar on the floor, wiggling as
if something were under it.
A tiny black snout poked out from the bundle, followed by a round
head of the same shade. Ranma's jaw dropped as the piglet crawled out,
oinking furiously. Ranma crouched to his knees to examine it when he finally
noticed that his clothes had gotten baggy. VERY baggy. His jacket hung over
him like a sheet, yet his shirt felt a little tight around the top. Ranma
opened his leather jacket, looking down at... his...
============================================
The peace of the forest surrounding FLAG's headquarters was
shattered as the piercing wail-of-doom ripped through the air. Birds took
flight in a panic, swarming into the sky away from the commotion. Most of
the gardeners looked up from their work, startled by the sudden noise, which
was soon joined by a high pitched car horn, it was hard to say which was
louder.
"What the hell was that?" asked one of the garden staff.
"That, my friend," another replied, "was the sound of ultimate
suffering." The scream died, and the garden staff went back to work while
keeping a wary eye out for anything strange.
Ranma screamed as if her lungs would burst, her mind numb with shock.
Only the sudden crash of several shelves being smashed aside caused her to
raise her head from the two fleshy lumps decorating her chest.
Her eyes boggled as she made out what was causing the racket,
The Nissan Pathfinder braked to a stop inches away from her, and Ranma
could have sworn the two headlights narrowed as the car seemed to
look her feminine body up and down.
Well, that's it, glad to get that off my mind, Hope it's not to
obtuse.
T.H.