PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
Eugenics
Chapter One: One Who Time Remembered

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

      Ranma awoke abruptly as a scream cut through the air. He sat up and quickly looked around, blinking due to the darkness. After blearily searching for a few moments, he found the source of the cry. A young girl nearby had apparently had a nightmare, or was just reacting to the one they were all currently living. He couldn't be sure which, but fortunately a nearby boy, in his late teens and looking as if he was in serious need of sleep, hugged the distressed child and soothed her as best he could.  

      Turning his head, Ranma stared down at Akane. She was still sleeping, more peacefully than he would have imagined. He laid a hand on her forehead and he smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. The fever felt as though it was coming under control... though in their current conditions it could only be considered a miracle.  Almost curled up next to Akane was Kasumi, looking for all her maturity and experience like a little girl who simply wanted her mother more than anything.   

      Sitting in a lotus position before them all was Soun, still awake.  His eyes were bloodshot and stared at the door of the shelter; but he did not focus on it entirely. Instead he seemed to be reflecting, as well as keeping watch over his family.  

      Ranma looked to the door Soun was facing and noticed with some amusement that it still stood, strong as ever.  Whoever had constructed the bomb shelter had not done that shabby a job considering the time and how powerful the explosives it was designed to protect against. He stood up and started for the door. A small shake rolled through the ground beneath his feet. Aftershocks, he assumed, and continued his trip.

      Everywhere people were sleeping. It was strange, only certain signs gave away that one person was dreaming, and another would never wake up. Soon, when enough people arose, the dead would have to be taken out of the shelter and buried... or burned. Under the circumstances a pyre might be best, as the time for mourning would have to be short. Survival came first, and Ranma had a feeling the world that greeted him outside would not be one to easily live in.

      The door opened with a groan, and Ranma could already tell something was wrong. His internal clock was fairly accurate, especially after so many years on the road without so much as a sundial. His instincts told him it was around eight to nine in the morning. Outside it was pitch black.

      He came to the top of the stairs, and shivered slightly in the cool morning breeze. Around him fell flakes of what appeared to be ash.  When he looked up he could see occasional trails of fire where rock reentered the atmosphere. Light was not at all a problem though, as fires raged across the city. Downtown Tokyo could be seen distinctly, as it was the biggest blaze on the horizon.

      Ranma found a man to be standing next to the staircase. He recognized him as Thurston, a gaijin who had lived at the end of the block. A successful business man, Thurston had supposedly attacked Japanese economics with surprising tenacity. Everyone expected him to go far, he had even married the daughter of the CEO of a huge electronics industry. At least, that's all what Nabiki had told him.  Nabiki...

      Ranma blinked back the tears and suppressed that train of thought.  He walked up next to the man, who was looking down the street at his still burning house.

      Thurston looked over at him. "Good morning," he said, then went back to staring at the end of the road.

      "Good morning," Ranma returned, gazing over at a sizeable crater where the Tendou Dojo had once stood. Nothing remained, but a few pieces of charred wood and a handful of memories. Not near as many as Ranma would have liked.

      "A rock," Thurston said after a few moments of silence.

      "What?" Ranma asked, looking at the young American curiously.

      "A rock froms space... it's what caused all this." He sweeped a hand at the wasteland before them.

      Ranma looked at the devastation again. "How do you know?"

      "When you think about it, it's the only possible answer. However, I also heard on the EMS... they have a working radio in the shelter, of course." He sighed, wiping his eye to remove a stray piece of ash.  "The officials say an asteroid hit somwhere in China... destroying it almost completely. Russia was mostly wiped out, as well as a good chunk of Europe and India. The experts, for what they're worth, are baffled at the amount of damage done. They said the shockwave from the impact acted very strange... as if the energy was redirected somehow..."

      "Thurston," Ranma interrupted suddenly.

      "Yeah?"

      "Your wife... is she...?"

      The man looked toward Tokyo proper. "She was with her father downtown... they say it's almost completely gone."

      Ranma stared at the reddish haze and smoke that represented the greatest metropolis in the world. "She might be okay. I mean, look at us... we certainly beat the odds."

      "Some of us beat the odds." Thurston corrected. "Think of those who didn't... think of thse out there," he waved a hand again, "who didn't."

      At first, Ranma had to agree with him. Then, in a flash he remembered. "Ucchan! Shampoo!" he whispered fiercely and ran off toward his friend's establishment.

      Thurston watched as the young man ran off, to hopefully find his friends. "Good luck to you," he said quietly and lifted his cigarette to his mouth. He paused and looked down at a long ash attached to a filter. With a strong flick it flew away, and the ash joined its brethren.

Nibelheim, December 20, 4125

      Dr. Gast finished a few notes at the edge of his pad and placed it on the oaken desk before him. "What is it, Hojo?" he asked impatiently.  "You know I have to tend to an experiment soon."

      "Yes, sir... I realize that. However...." The young scientist paused, then smiled. "I think you should come see this first."

      The doctor sighed, rubbing his temples. After replacing his reading glasses with his regular prescription he nodded. "Very well... what is it you want to show me?"

      As they walked down the hallway, Hojo explained, "You know how you discovered that when you combine certain elements of our... discovery, with Mako it releases a radiation. A radiation that we have yet to classify properly."

      Dr. Gast nodded. "Yes, yes... of course, that is what my experimentation is on!"

      "Well... you also discovered that this radiation can have an... intesting effect on human cells. Even so far as to converting them into something that more resembles our discovery." Hojo stopped in front of a blank rock wall outside the main study. He pressed his hand against a seemingly empty area, and a door slid open out of nowhere.

      Dr. Gast took a startled step backward. "What is this, Hojo? How long has this been here?"

      "Just long enough to begin my experiment." Hojo explained, then walked into the room.

      The doctor followed him in, and instantly his eyes widened. Around the small room lay various tools necessary to handle Mako, the very life essence of the Planet. As well, sample containers containing Jenova cells lay scattered about.

      "What are you going, Hojo? These materials are off limits! If I turn you in you could get kicked out of the Chemistry Division!"

      "Actually, I have the backing of Shinra entirely... they say they want to know of my results as soon as possible." Hojo said, still smiling, though it had turned much more sinister.

      "What results? What are you doing here?" Dr. Gast demanded, starting to get upset, and slightly worried as well.

      "Simple... I'm creating life." Hojo pressed a few buttons on a large sample storage container in the center of the room, and a plastic tube rose from it. Inside was a liquid that glowed with a dull green light, and a fetus, apparently in the third trimester.

      Dr. Gast stood shock still, staring at the fetus in rapt horror.  After a few seconds he took a shaky step backward, bumping into a table and knocking a pair of surgical instruments to the floor. The sharp clang of metal hitting rock brought him out of his trance. "Hojo... what... what have you done?"

      Hojo sighed, obviously the good doctor was staying that way...good. Unfortunately, in his business the only good doctor was... dead.  He brought up a Lightning Materia. "Nothing I can't handle," he stated plainly as he activated the Materia to Level 3.  All that was left was ash, which floated away in the artifically circulated air.

Japan, Nerima, Septmember 21, 1996

      Ranma ran down the tattered remains of what used to be a road.  Craters, from pothole size, to house size peppered the blacktop. His lungs burned as hot as the surrounding buildings as he inhaled too much ash. He couldn't believe that just yesterday Nerima was a thriving community, and the sun shone brightly down upon it through blue skies.  It was as if in twenty-four hours paradise had been balled up and tossed into Hell's incinerator.

      Occasionally, Ranma heard the cries of survivors, though they were few and far apart. It was taking him much longer to travel, being that his usual route was a blazing inferno. His trip did take him by Dr. Tofu's. The office was a smoldering pit, along with most of the block.  He didn't know if Dr. Tofu himself had made it to shalter or not... but surely a listing of those who made it, and those who didn't, would be posted when the government could get a hold of the situation once more.

      Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ranma arrived at Ucchan's.  Like every other standing structure in the city, the shop was on fire.  By this point it looked ready to collapse in on itself, all the supports showing through the non-existant walls as black charcoal.  

      Ranma fell to his knees, causing two small clouds of ash to rise from the road. A single tear made its way down his cheek, and fell into the grey powder below. He shut his eyes tightly and denied everything, but when he reopened them Hell still remained. His head swiveled suddenly, his ears straining to pick up anything over the dead silence.

      A faint cry brought him to his feet in an instant. He took off in the direction of the sound as fast as he could run. He only made about twenty meters before stopping to relocate the source of the voice. Now, he could pick up more than one, and he reoriented himself on them. A few more moments later he was standing in front of a broken down building at the end of the street. It had long ago burned out, only a pitchy skeleton remained.

      Ranma looked around the area, trying to see where the noise was coming from. He could now clearly hear the sound of multiple children crying. He looked down. At the base of the building was a concrete floor, presumably below that was a basement. Entering the building, he was careful to keep an eye on the integrety of the structure. It seemed sound, but any moment another aftershock could hit and bring the whole thing down on his head. His head had taken a lot of blunt trauma in its day, but he doubted whether even he could survive an entire building.   

      After looking through four of what used to be rooms, he stumbled upon the enterance. Two doors made a hatch in the floor of what looked like a utility closet, as the burned remains of various cleaning tools had become part of a melted metal shelf. He reached down, took a hold of the door handle, and quickly snatched his hand back as the pain of heat shot through it. He looked around for something to cover his hand with, and found nothing. He pulled his shirt off and wrapped it around his still sore hand. The first yank of the handle proved to be futile, as the door was obviously locked. Putting his back into it, Ranma pulled with all his might. The door groaned, fighting against the strain. With a final effort the lock gave way and he opened the panel.  

      First thing Ranma saw was a face, covered in blood, staring up at him. He didn't recognize the person, but the look in his eyes was that of everyone he had seen so far. One of desperation, fear, trepidation, and a little hope.

      "How many survivors do you have?" Ranma asked the man.

      "Not many... about fifteen or so I'd say. Do you have any information? We didn't have a radio with us." The man lead the way down the stairs and Ranma followed.

      The scene that greeted him as he reached the bottom was not that different from the one in his own shelter. People were tending to the injured and mourning the dead. In the far corner, tending to an elderly man who had a broken leg, was the person Ranma was looking for.

      A wave of relief and joy swept through him as he called out, "Ucchan!"   He could see her freeze, her hands shaking slightly. She put down the bandages she had used on the man's leg and turned toward him. Her face showed a mix of disbelief and hope.

      As her eyes fell on him he smiled. Tears that she had thought were all dried up began to pour anew. "Ranma," she whispered, and ran toward him. She felt her arms wrap around him, and her doubts vanished.  "Kami, I thought you had died," she said as she held him for all she was worth.

      Though his ribs protested, Ranma just held Ukyou that much closer to himself. He shushed her and reassured her that he was okay, and so was most everyone else. He told her about Nabiki and his father.

      She backed away from him, but didn't let go. "I'm sorry."

      Ranma shook his head. "A lot of people died...." He looked to the man who had brought him in and yelled out for everyone to hear, "Listen up!" He panned his gaze around the room as people quieted down.  "According to the radio, an asteroid hit somewhere in China. Tokyo is almost completely destroyed... no one seems to know much more than that."  He let go of Ukyou and began to turn away.

      "Where are you going, Ranchan?" she asked, almost desperately.

      "I've got to go see if Shampoo is okay... are you coming?"

      She nodded, and they both headed back out into the street.

Nibelheim, March 14, 4125

      Darkness, pain, anger... they all played a role in his life. Yet, somehow they were all familiar to him, and he didn't mind. Ever since he had become aware a little over four months ago, he had been...learning.

      Master Hojo's idea of learning being an education in more efficient ways to kill. The Master had been ecstatic when he found out how well he could learn. Fighting seemed to come almost naturally, and he picked up weapons training at a rate that far surpassed his expectations. Due to this, R-86, his designation, was treated better than most. He still felt his share of the Machine... and the drugs Hojo used almost seemed to be made to be as painful as humanly possible.

      Now, the Machine... the Machine was one of Master Hojo's more prized creations. It was designed as a "learning suppliment" for the SOLDIER Project. It seems a person who was infused with Mako energy was more advanced than a normal one, so greater steps had to be taken in their training. It dealt with Virtual Reality and what Hojo termed "adequate" use of the pain centers of the brain. All in all it was damnation in a box, and most did what they were told and did it well to stay away from it.

      R-86 knew he was different. Other than the fact that he had no name, and had no memory before four months ago when he woke up, it was still obvious. He did everything better, faster, and more efficiently than anyone else. He also turned into a woman when hit with cold water... but for some reason, given Master Hojo's surprise, he didn't think that had been expected of him. This had proved to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand he gained more of the Master's attention...on the other, he was used for more experiments.

      It seemed Master Hojo could not figure out why he turned into a woman. No matter how hard he tried, it continued to stump him. Now, in R-86's experience, Master Hojo knew just about everything there was about Genetics and Molecular Biology. He had heard the Master hypothesize that Magic was most likely involved, but it was of a nature that couldn't be detected by modern day devices.  

      R-86 was not alone in his training. There was another who was kept in the cell next to his, that was suposedly born under similar circumstances as himself. They were told their mother's had not wanted them, so they were sold to Master Hojo as infants to be used in the SOLDIER Project.  His name was Sephiroth.

Midgar, August 10, 4126

      "Now, listen up!" General Heidegger bellowed at the troops lined up before him, "Today is to be the happiest day in our life! For today you become soldiers in the Shinra army! You are the best the SOLDIER Project had to offer, and only the best become part of the Shinra army!  Do you understand?"

      "Yes, sir!" rang through the ranks.

      Heidegger nodded. "Very good. You will be issued weapons and assigned quarters. You need but remember *two* things while in this army! One, the man next to you is your best friend, for your ass depends on whether he does his job or not! Two, do your job, and do it right, or your ass will be mine!" He looked up and down the line a few times, letting his words sink in. He grinned at the fresh, proud men, all ready to lay their lives on the line for Shinra. "Very well!  Dismissed!"

      R-86, who was named Ryle by his friend, Sephiroth, stood in the doorway of his new room. After over a year of straight training he easily passed the SOLDIER enterance program test. Master Hojo had been as proud as Ryle had ever seen him, and had told him to make him even more so in the battlefield.

      He threw his pack on the bottom bunk and hefted the sword he had been given. It was as tall as he was and almost as wide, weighing almost three times as much as he did. He swang it around a few times, showing the grace and control of a sword master. It also had four, connected slots for Materia, but they had said they would distribute that as needed. He opened his pack and took out the two Materia Hojo had given him, a FullCure and Fire. They clicked into place on the sword hilt and glowed briefly as they molded themselves to their new home.

      Materia was the biggest mystery of the modern age, though it was also the most widely used tool. No one, at least as far as Ryle knew, was sure exactly how it worked.  

      "Hey!"

      Ryle was knocked out of his ponderings and turned to the familiar voice. "Yo, Seph... what's up?"

      Sephiroth grinned and threw his pack next to Ryle's. "Guess they thought we were just too damn good together... gave us the same room!"

      Ryle smiled. "Damn right we are!" He hefted his sword. "Care to join me in a little training? We should acclimate ourselves to these larger swords."

      Sephiroth nodded, picking his own up and waving it around a bit.

      "Bulky things... I rather liked the katana I trained with."

      "Yeah, but they can cut through four inches of reinforced armor like butter!"

      "In other words, I couldn't, say, chop your head in two?" Sephiroth asked innocently.

      Ryle laughed, and punched his friend in the arm. "Yeah, in other words. Come on, let's go!"

      They ran out of the room together, shutting the door behind them.

To be continued