PM Productions 
Presents A Phillip Masters Fanfic 
Eugenics 
Chapter 2 A: Life's Dream

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

      Ranma and Ukyou ran down the street, kicking up a large cloud of ash behind them. People around them seemed to be appearing from nowhere, curious and fearful. Cries of those who had lost everything close to them became more common.

      "It's terrible... why did it happen?" Ukyou said as she looked at a small group of wailing children, being held together by a lone teenage boy.

      "I don't know," Ranma replied. Then, he paused and added, "I wish I did." He glanced at a man, who was carrying a little girl whose back was obviously shattered beyond repair. "Then, I would have something to focus my anger on."

      From that point they finished their trip in silence, both lost in their own reflections and emotions.   After another minute of running they arrived at the Nekohaten...which was miraculously still standing. There seemed to be a ring around the building, where no ash could touch. Ranma could see a slight wavering in the air surrounding the untouched sructure.

      "Ki field," he explained to Ukyou, who was looking at the cafe oddly. "The old ghoul must have come through."

      The chef's eyes widened considerably. "She's *that* powerful?"

      Ranma nodded, then looked down at his fists. "I may be able to best her on a lucky day in basic sparring... but she has a ki that could move mountains."

      Ukyou grinned, glad to grasp at even a small amount of humor in the current situation. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you respected her."

      With no amount of jest he returned, "I do."

West Plains, December 28, 4127

      Ryle watched as a group of men did the final checkup on the reactor. He hefted his razor-edged broadsword and rested it on his shoulder. "Are you guys about finished?"

      "Yes, sir... we just have to recalibrate the core unit and it should be fully operational." the tech officer replied.

      Ryle nodded his head. "Good... I'll be in the doctor's office if you need me."

      After receiving a round of 'yes, sir's' in response, he headed down the metallic corridor to the office of his father. Even if Dr. Hojo was not his natural parent, he was the only person Ryle knew as such. Mixed with his "brother," Sephiroth, and one had a regular run-of-the-mill disfunctional family.

       He knocked on the door, knowing from long experience that his father did not like having his privacy compromised. The sound of his fist striking the steel rang throughout the hallway, reverberating many timed before echoing back. He stared around, amazed at the underground construct. From the surface it appeared that someone was simply building an amusement facility... below, no one had any idea what lay below. No one but those in privelaged positions with Shinra. Even though they were a corporation, they controlled everything. "Energy is Power" was something Rufus, the President's son liked to say often.

      "Yes, Ryle, come in," came from the inside of the office.

      Shaken from his thoughts, Ryle pushed open the heavy door with ease. Silently, it slid to the side, revealing the small confines of a true scientist. Papers were scattered everywhere, and samples of this or that littered what area remained. Ryle searched a moment for a way through the mess, but even his strategically advanced mind couldn't devise a path.

      "Do you have something to report?" Dr. Hojo asked, in slightly impatient manner. It was a tone he reserved only for his best creation... anyone else would have been treated much more poorly.

      "Yes, sir... the tech's report that they are just about ready to activate the Mako reactor. I thought you would want to know." Ryle said, with the assuredness and stance of a seasoned soldier.

      The doctor nodded and smiled, though on his face it looked of more sinister feelings than happiness. "Yes, thank you, Ryle... I will be out. You may go find Sephiroth and tell him we will be observing the activation and then heading back to Midgar."

      Ryle nodded curtly and left the room, shutting the door behind him.  Outside he appeared professional, but inside he was ecstatic. The fact that they were five hours ahead of schedule meant that he wouldn't miss the date he had set up for the evening. He had asked the girl the day previous, then suddenly been ordered out to what looked to be a newly formed construction site. He was highly confused, and not a little bit annoyed, until he found out what was really going on.

      It seemed someone by the name of Dio had proposed a new recreation center. A large and profitable place of fun and relaxation. Something the Shinra employees were in sore need of. As well, it would bring in no small amount of gil to the shareholders... and Shinra was all too happy to be a major one. So, the Gold Saucer would be built... using both criminals who wished shorter terms, and workers in seach of fast coin. However, such an enormous project promised the need for an enormous energy source... and that's where the Mako reactor came in.

      Ever since the "Lifestream Current" doctorine had been written by Bugenhagen, a renouned physicist, in 4015, everyone had been trying to come up with a way to harness this seemingly endless supply of raw energy. It took 18 years of hard work and labor... but in 4033 a Dr. Issac came up with a way to do what was beginning to seem impossible.  Immediately he patented the formulae, gathered a large group of small gas power manufacturers and developed Shinra Power and Electric in 4035.  

      Almost overnight Issac went from being a little known inventor, to being the most powerful man in the world. Shinra shot upward in the market, becoming the most valuable stock to be had. The economy exploded, and Midgar, home of Shinra headquarters, quickly became the largest metropolis ever known to mankind.  Within a year Issac had built the Midgar Shelf, an upper level on which people could populate without expanding Midgar's rather large outer defense wall.

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

      "Can we get through the field?" Ukyou asked, as they slowly approached the imaculate building, surreal in the surrounding wasteland.   "I think I can punch a hole in it... at least long enough for us to get through. I guess Cologne is keeping it up to deter raiders and those who might be jealous of their seemingly impossible luck. However, she's been holding it for quite a while, and I'm sure I can muster the strength to penetrate." Ranma answered. He then closed his eyes and steadied his breath, beginning to feel his inner spirit rise up in response to his relaxing state.

      "That will not be necessary, Son-in law."

      Ranma's eyes shot open, his concentration destroyed. His gaze fell upon an ancient woman, small and wrinkled, perched upon a gnarled old walking stick. Amazingly healthy white hair flowed from her scalp in abundance, reaching the ground at the tip of her staff.

      Cologne was a master of deception. Over the centuries she had built the ability to cloud her emotions fully, and never reveal a true feeling if she desired not to do so. Yet, even with all her training and experience, she couldn't help but smile at Ranma. Of all the humans on the lonely Earth she would have put all her soul on him being the one to survive such an incident. His will was strong, and so was his heart... this was why she taught him. This was also why she wanted him for her tribe. "It is good to see you in good health, Son-in-law." She looked at the disheavled Ukyou and nodded to her. "As well you, Ms. Kuonji."

      Ukyou nodded back, and Ranma walked up to Cologne. "Is Shampoo and Mousse okay?" he asked, trying not to sound too desperate, and doing a lously job of it.

      The animated piece of dried fruit raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Do you care about Shampoo that much, Son-in-law?"

      Ranma grimaced, then his look turned angry. "Dammit, ghoul! Don't put me on the spot now of all times! Just answer me!"

      "Do you deny it, Son-in-law?" Cologne pressed, hoping the situation would force a favorable answer.

      "Stop pestering, Ranchan!" Ukyou screamed at the suddenly startled old woman. "He's been through hell, and all you can do is try to hitch him up with your bimbo of a great grand-daughter!"

      Cologne blinked, realizing, with no small amount of embarrasment that the girl was right. She could actually be hurting her case by pressing son-in-law after such an ordeal. Maybe Shampoo herself would be more suited... and she should be coming...

      "Who you call bimbo, Spatula Girl?" Shampoo asked angrily from the Nekohaten doorway.

      "You! You hussy!" Ukyou spat back.

      Both girls continued their verbal assaults, glad to have something to focus themselves on other than the state of the world. As well, it drowned out the sounds of the forsaken and dying, which was music to their ears.

      Ranma watched the battle for a moment, then felt a poke in his side. He turned to Cologne with a questioning gaze.

      "Did you feel it, Son-in-law?" she asked enigmatically.

      "What?" Ranma said, wondering what she was talking about.

      "The shockwave? Did you notice anything... unusual about it?" the Amazon clarified.

      Ranma furrowed his brow, trying to recall watching the wall of destruction make its way toward him the previous day. He had been amazed as much was still erect as was, given the magnitude of the blast.  "Yeah... seemed awefully powerful this far form the point of impact."

      Cologne nodded sagely, which was about the only way she ever nodded. "Yes, it was. That's not all though. It was no ordinary asteroid that hit... it had a ki signature."

      "A what?!" Ranma exclaimed. Everything had ki inherent in it...but only living things held a signature, what some called an 'Aura'.  "You mean that thing was alive?"

      "That I can't be absolute sure about without seeing it closer...but the shockwave held a definate ki signature, and I doubt the likelyhood of it occuring naturally or by coindidence."

      "But if it was alive...."

      Cologne nodded. "Then, we have an enemy umong us... though it may be buried under countless tons of rock, with the power it exuded I doubt it was destroyed."

Midgar, September 28, 4127

      The activation of the Golden Reactor was a complete success, and construction was renewed with full vigor. Dr. Hojo had been very pleased, and wine had topped off the afternoon nicely. Afterward, the small detachment of SOLDIERS had returned to Midgar, only stopping briefly by Junon to drop of Dr. Hojo, who had other things to attend to.

      Now, Ryle was in his house, which he shared with Sephiroth. Both had been offered seperate housing, but after spending so many years together they had decided they didn't want to be apart. So, they just received one, larger, living quarter. Both of them had been made Commanders... but they still worked together as often as possible.

      "Hey, Ryle... you getting ready for your date?" Sephiroth asked, while polishing Masamune, the six-foot katana he had been issued by request. It had been made by one of Scarlet's best, a sword forger who only created one of his masterpieces once every five years. To receive one of his blades was an honor and a privelage. Ryle had been offered one as well, and he as well graciously accepted. His gift was one of the most perfectly balanced broadswords ever to be made. Due to his high proficiency with Materia it also had ten combined Materia slots, some at the base of the blade, and the rest along the hilt in strategic places.

      "Yeah," Ryle replied, slipping on his silk shirt. He was dressed in his casual attire, black silk pants and a red silk shirt. It was unusual garb for Midgar, but Ryle liked it for reasons he himself didn't even understand.

      "Don't be too late... we have a briefing at 0700 tomorrow." Sephiroth reminded with a grin.

      "Yes, Mother..." Ryle said in a falseto tone of voice.

      The taller soldier laughed out loud. "That's right... I take too good of care you sometime... maybe if you grew up I wouldn't feel so obligated."

      Ryle frowned, though was obviously not upset. "Just because you're older than I am, doesn't make you any better." His look turned smug.  "In fact... I find it rather amusing that it's me going on a date...when I haven't seen you with a woman in years!"

      Sephiroth winced. "That's my own business! Now, get out of here before you break some other girl's poor heart!" He stabbed at his younger brother half-heartedly.

      Ryle dodged out of the way with grace and economy of motion. "Hey, hey! Okay!"  With that he danced out the door.

      Sephiroth watched him go with a smile, then thought of something.  "And for God's sake, stay away from cold water!" he yelled at the departing figure.

------

      Ryle made his way down to the lower level of Midgar. It was where he spent most of his time. On the upper level were a bunch of snobby people, a group Ryle had never found a connection with. The lower level held *real* people, with *real* lives, and *real* problems. It was also where the most fun occured... either in the form of a block-wide worker's party, or a drunken bar fight. It was the excitement that he craved in his free time, something he couldn't get up on high.

      At first the people had been wary of him... there experiences with SOLDIER troops had been less than favorable. However, they soon came to find that he was a person of their own spirit... and he found a home with them amazingly fast. Where at first he had begotten ill looks and the occasional thrown stone, he now received warm smiles and the occasional free round of drinks.

      It was on one of his excursions to the lower level that he had met her. She had been walking along in the market district, with a bag of groceries in her arms. A group of trouble makers had decided she was a worthy target, and attacked her. Ryle had instantly began to go to her rescue, and was surprised to see her dispatch the hooligans with little effort.

      He had helped her pick up her things, and she thanked him. It was then he saw her eyes... deep and mysterious. An almost perfect reflection of his own. The next thing he knew he was asking her on a date, for dinner, and she was accepting. It had all seemed very unreal to Ryle, and he hoped it all wasn't some dream and he wasn't sitting in the Cafe Asgard for nothing.

      At Nine o' clock, right on the nose, she arrived. Perfectly punctual, Ryle noted with no small amount of approval. She looked around the small eatery with those engageing eyes, and when they fell on him he was elated to see the recognition and joy in them. She gracefully flowed, as if made of water, across the cafe to his table.

      She smiled at him, and the room seemed to brighten ever so slightly.  "Hello, Ryle."

      He smiled back, unable ot help himself if he had tried, and replied, "Hello, Aeris."

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

      Ranma sat in the Nekohaten, a bowl of ramen cooling before him.  For the first time in his life, he couldn't eat. The normally succulent meal sat on the table, ignored and unwanted. Around him, with thier own lightly steaming bowls, were some of the only friends he had left in the world.   Not that he had many previous to the blast anyway.   "Cologne?" he asked, after finally getting fed up with the morose silence that had filled the room.

      "Yes, Son-in-law?" the old woman replied, sounding tired beyond her, relative, years.

      Ranma smacked his tongue against he roof of his mouth, trying to revive his worn out saliva glands. A glass of water sat next to his ramen, taunting him, knowing that he couldn't stomach the thought of ingesting *anything* at that moment. "You say that we now have an enemy to face... yet there is no way to get to it?"

      The wizened Amazon nodded slowly, staring out the front window.  "The power released was enormous... even if we faced our adversary, I doubt our ability to defeat it. Perhaps if we had Happosai and Saffron... then maybe...."

      Ranma cut her off, suddenly sitting up with an angry expression. "But we don't even know if they are even alive! Sure, they have ki on par with your own... but your village... the Musk... they were all much closer to the impact!" he exclaimed, glaring at her... finding an anger within himself and finding nowhere else to focus it.

      Cologne turned her gaze to Ranma. "Do not be angry with me, Son-in-law. There are better ways to use your strength... for one, have you seen to your mother yet?"

      Ukyou and Shampoo both gasped, and even Mousse's eyebrows furrowed.

      "That's right!" the chef cried, "We forgot entirely about her!"

      "I didn't forget." Ranma said quietly.

      "Then why Ranma not see if mother okay?" Shampoo asked, confused.

      Ranma stood up and walked out the front door, a troubled look on his face.   Everyone sat silent in his wake.

      After the door shut once again, Shampoo couldn't contain her curiosity anymore. "What wrong with Airen?"

      Ukyou, her eyes still focused on the enterance, answered, "Ran-chan hasn't been his mother's son for a long time now..." She proceeded to explain what had happened between Ranma and his mother.

      As the story continued, the eyes in the room grew steadily. The faces around the table went through various stages, including disbelief, denial, anger, pity, and sorrow. Even Cologne, who's mother had been dead for centuries, couldn't help but recall times when things were simpler, and the only joy in life was in having a strong mother to train with, and share her life's discoveries with. No one should ever be denied this simple need... ever.

      "Genma must die," Cologne stated simply at the conclusion of the tale.

      "I've been saying the same thing for years," Ukyou replied, "but unfortunately, fate beat us to it."

      Shampoo nodded curtly. "Serve Panda man right."

      Mousse shook his head ruefully. "Live like an animal...."

      "Die as an animal," Ranma finished, standing in the doorway. He had heard the conversation within, and had made up his mind before returning. "I am going to find my mother."

Midgar, Lower Level, December 28, 4127

      The Cafe Asgard with stuck between a shoddy weapons shop, and a brothel even the most desperate of men generally gave a wide berth.  However, for its rather seedy surroundings, it was a good eatery. The kitchen was clean, and the food kept customers coming back. On top of this, the waiteresses were the cutest in the city.

      Needless to say, the brothel was regularly complaining about the cafe stealing their clientele. This was of course, answered with a laugh and a rather lewd comment by the cafe owner about the state of the brothel's women. On a regular basis the cops needed to be consulted to sort out the problem.

      Ryle and Aeris, however, were unaware of the unofficial war raging in the back streets at night. They were only interested in one thing at the moment, and that was each other's eyes. Two plates of the House Special sat between them, looking as they had when served.  

      About ten minutes into the date, when they had ordered and truly settled down, they rediscovered the reason the date had been made so spontaneously in the first place.

      "You have the most amazing eyes," commented Aeris, her words so light they were more breathed than spoken.

      Fortunately, Ryle had hearing that could detect a heartbeat across a crowded room. "I was about to say the same about you," he replied, similarly subdued, but louder so she was sure to pick it up.

      A small blush perked up on the young woman's cheeks, and she looked down, breaking the spell. Her eyes disappeared behind her brown bangs, which formed a split veil over her face.

      Ryle, caught up in a sudden wave of a foreign emotion, found himself asking, "Has anyone ever told you that you were beautiful before?"

       The blush deepened and she looked up again, their eyes meeting once more. Instantly, they were locked in place. "Only my mother."

      "Well, you are... and more people should say so more often." Ryle had no idea why he was saying the things he was. However, he found it gave him an indescribable pleasure. As long as it persisted, he certainly wouldn't stop.

      "Thank you," Aeris managed, though she looked more red than peach anymore. "You know, Ryle, there's something about you... I can't put my finger on it. I just met you yesterday, and I feel I've known you before... it's hard to explain."

       Ryle shook his head. "No need to... I know exactly what you mean.  Maybe we knew one another in a former life?"

      Aeris laughed, the melody of it filling the air. "Perhaps."

Midgar, SOLDIER Headquarters

       "Officer Strife, Cloud."

      A young man, in his twenties, stepped forward. His hair was blonde and done up in a spiky style. Muscles rippled about his frame as he moved, his chest barely being restrained by the tight duraflex armor he wore. "Sir, Cloud Strife reporting for duty!" he announced in a clear and strong voice.

      The Commander almost smiled at the recruit before him. He was green... fresh... not a drop of blood on his caloused hands.  That would change.   "You are to report to Division 22 barracks at once. Your commanding officers are Sephiroth and Ryle." He grinned, looking up at Cloud. "Be proud, son, you're in the big leagues now!"

      Cloud beamed with pride and saluted smartly. "Yes, sir!" With that, he hefted his bags, grabbed his orders, and headed toward his new home.

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

       Ranma ran down the street once again, this time trailed by two companions. Ukyou was to his left, and Cologne was to his right. Shampoo had begged her to come along, but the old woman insisted she stay behind and tend the store.

      It was almost a fifteen minute flat run to the side of town Nodoka lived in. The trip was, as usual, a pleasant dash through Hades. Fires still burned, as though they would never go out. Smoke choked the air, cutting visibility down to a few meters at times. The constant sound of torment and agony joined the darkness, causing a feeling in the trio the likes of which they had never felt before. Hopelessness. It filled their hearts, and clouded their minds.

      However, even with this eternity dragging at them, they finally arrived.  To find nothing.

      Coming onto the scene, Ranma stopped. Before him was a destruction that was absolutely and undeniably complete. There were no fires, for there was no fuel. There were no screams, for there was no pain. For almost two miles beyond the point where the neighborhood had sat, lay a desolate plain, devoid of anything but ash.

      Ranma fell to his hands and knees, watching as his fingers sank into the layer of faceless gray that layered everything in sight. In a whim he closed his right hand and lifted it up. He stared at the small stream of dust that slowly fell from cracks in his steadily tightening fist, and blew away in the breeze.

      He felt a hand come down on his shoulder, and new it was Ukyou. A clop from his right announced that Cologne was near too. He opened his hand and looked at the small compacted piece of carbon lying in his palm.

       A drop of water fell on it, shortly followed by another. He smiled softly, as he felt it was a good sign that the rains had come. The Earth needed the cleansing that only Mother Nature could provide.   He looked up toward the sky, and saw only the black cloud of soot and the colorless sakura of ash.

To be continued