From: nakazawa@phakt.usc.edu (Rei Nakazawa) Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: Ranma 1/2-QL Crossover (3/3) Date: 29 Nov 1994 20:39:19 -0800 Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Message-Id: <3bgvln$btq@phakt.usc.edu> Sorry for the delay. Here's the third and final part, once again by permission of the author. Enjoy! Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime.stories From: JSL6416@ACS.TAMU.EDU Subject: Ranma - Leap and a Half 3/3 [FanFic] Message-ID: <941116001934.42228dcd@ACS.TAMU.EDU> X-World-Archive: Ranma/ranma.leap.half.gz Organization: WPI Discordian Society, Undocumented Cabal of the Accursed Saint Shiranto Joe Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 00:33:46 GMT Formula 119 presents... Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator, and vanished... He awoke to find him trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, a man from his own time who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Doctor Beckett finds himself Leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next Leap... will be the Leap home... (there is an incredible flash of blue and white light followed by the immediate dying down of the strange whining sound that accompanies every Leap. The feelings of nausea and euphoria vanish as Doctor Sam Beckett feels the ground slam itself beneath his feet. Sensations of dizziness are replaced with the feelings of disorientation and fear which he always feels when being tossed into the life of yet another person that history has somehow wronged. The sound of chattering people comes from all directions, accompanied by the clanking of utensils on dishes. Sam quickly notices by the stinging of his arms that he's carrying four steaming bowls of ramen noodles, and looks about quickly trying to figure out just where exactly they're supposed to go) Sam (to himself) : So I'm in a restaurant... Voice : Incoming! Sam : Eh? (Sam turns around and is immediately hit in the face by a flying bowl of noodles. He immediately loses his footing and trips backwards, upending a table and dropping all the bowls of ramen to the floor. Sam eventually finds himself sitting on the floor, which is strewn with soggy noodles and broken bits of ceramic bowls. On his head is an upended bowl of soup, the piping hot liquid streaming down his face and onto the floor. Sam grits his teeth and ignores the scalding soup, looking around the room; all the patrons of the restaurant stare back at him) Customer : Um, do I still have to pay for my soup, ma'am? Sam : Oh boy... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- R A N M A 1/2 A LEAP AND A HALF Written by BENARES -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Official disclaimer : Quantum Leap is the property of Universal Pictures Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi Part Three of Three June 11, 1992 (Sam clambers back to his feet, shaking off as much of the food and liquid from his body as possible. The customers are still gawking at him) Sam (annoyed) : What are YOU looking at? (the patrons quickly go back to eating) (Sam gets some footing and moves over to a wall, leaning on it for support as he tries to ignore the throbbing pain in his head) Old voice : Are you alright, granddaughter? Sam (groggy) : Huh? (Sam looks about trying to find where the voice came from but sees no one. Until he looks down) Sam (startled as he sees what appears to be a two-foot tall troll with long white hair and a gnarled cane) : Aaaaagh! Troll (growing concerned) : I asked are you okay? Sam (regains his composure) : Uh, yeah... no... My head hurts. Troll : Perhaps you should take a break. Sam : Thanks. Troll : Oh, by the way, I'm going to double our training time tonight. Apparently your reflexes need some extra work if you couldn't make a simple catch like that. Sam (thinking) : Simple?! I was holding four bowls of noodles! (suddenly a man with long black hair wearing white robes and a pair of incredibly thick glasses runs up to Sam and gloms onto him with all his might) Sam (choking) : Ugh! Man in white : Oh my darling!! Are you alright?!! Sam (trying unsuccessfully to break the man's grip) : Y-yeah, thanks f-for asking... (there is the sound of a loud THUMP and the man immediately lets go of Sam, collapsing to the floor with the end of the troll's cane buried in his head) Troll (to the man) : Stop goofing around and get back to work! (to Sam in a worried tone) Perhaps we shouldn't train tonight after all. You must be feeling pretty awful to have actually let him grab onto you like that. Take the rest of the day off, we'll take care of the cafe. (Sam is too disoriented to bother answering. He finds his way to the back of the restaurant and is able to find the bathroom, then enters and shuts the door behind him. Behind the door is a full-body mirror and the first thing Sam notices is the soup bowl still on his head. Sam removes the bowl and looks into his reflection : before him stands a beautiful young woman wearing a Chinese waitress outfit and sporting an incredible head of purple hair. Her stunning appearance is only marred by the huge bump on her head as well as the soup and many noodles on her) Al (walking through the bathroom wall and shamelessly gawking at Sam's reflection) : Wow, I wonder if ALL her hair is purple... Sam : Al! Al (looks at Sam) : Ooh, what happened to you? Sam (looking at his reflection and poking at the huge red bruise on his head) : A little accident involving a flying bowl of mizo soup... Where am I? Al : Mizo soup? Oh, your location...! Um, it is (reads his little keypad) June 11, 1992, and your name is Shampoo... Shampoo... (hits the keypad) Oh, I see, you don't have a last name. She comes from China, specifically the... (eyes light up) the Woman Amazon Tribe of Joketsuzoku, oh-ho-ho... Sam (hearing Al's libido shift into overdrive) : Down, boy. (washing his face in hot water from the sink) Anything else? Al : You are seventeen, work at a restaurant called the "Nekohanten"... Sam : What about those people out there? Who are they? Al : The, um, the man in the white kimono is some guy called Mousse; wow, he's supposed to be some kind of hidden weapons specialist... (looks at the keypad some more) Aw, Shampoo hates his guts, poor guy. Sam : Mousse? As in SHAMPOO and MOUSSE?! The stuff you put in your hair? Al : And the little wrinkly thing with the big stick is your great-grandmother -- Sam : No, wait, let me guess... Her name is Lotion, right? Al : Uh, no, that's her sister's name. Her GRANDMOTHER'S name is Cologne, but you can just call her Hibachan . Sam (tapping the sink) : Shampoo... Why does that name sound familiar? Al : You don't remember? Sam : Remember what? Al : Your memory must be a little swiss-cheesed. Remember Akane? Ranma? That little thing with the dam? Sam (concentrating) : Wait... it's coming back to me... (opens eyes wide) Al, I'm STILL in Japan!! Al : Uh-huh. Sam (looks at Al) : I hope you aren't going to tell me what I THINK you're going to tell me... Al : Yep. Just like the two times before we don't have ANY reason why you're here. Sam (sits down on a nearby stool) : Alright, I think we can already guess that whatever I'm here to do it's going to SOMEHOW involve Ranma and Akane ... I suppose I've got to try and figure out why I keep coming back here. Al : Right. In the meantime, I'm going to take a look at our guest. I hear Chinese acrobats are REALLY limber... Sam : What? Al, she's only seventeen! Al (disappointed) : Well, a guy can daydream, can't he? Sam (annoyed) : When you go back I want you to set up Ziggy with backup links into the Japanese central historical archive's computers. I don't want to be left in the dark like last time. (Al flips a switch on his computer terminal and the magic sheet of white exiting the imaging chamber opens up. Al steps in and with a loud WHOOSH the door slides shut. Sam sighs and disrobes, washing himself off in the shower and changing into something drier, a maroon blouse and pants combination with yellow floral designs) Sam (to himself as he finishes buttoning the top) : Amazing. No matter who I Leap into their clothing always seems to fit me... Cologne (calling through the door) : Shampoo, are you alright? Sam (opening the door) : I'm fine, Hibachan. Cologne : Well, I want you to take it easy, nonetheless. Just make one last delivery and then you can call it a day. Sam : A delivery? Uh, where to? Cologne (handing Sam the order slip) : The Tendo house. Akane is cooking tonight and they need a backup supply for dinner. Sam (remembers his last encounter with Akane's cooking and shudders) : I'll get right on it. (Cologne hands Sam the box holding the Tendo's order of ribs and vegetables, then heads back into the kitchen. Sam steps outside the Nekohanten and tries to figure out where he is in relation to the Tendo dojo. The sky is beginning to darken from the lateness of the day, and the thick gray clouds above in unison with the humidity practically scream rain. Sam sees a bicycle locked up outside the Nekohanten and assumes that it's Shampoo's, but he is forced to go the distance on foot since he doesn't know the combination for the lock. After walking around aimlessly for a few blocks Sam is able to find a familiar spot and trace his way to the Tendo dojo from there) Sam (ringing the door bell) : Home again, home again, jiggity jog. (like usual, the sounds of Akane and Ranma talking (and yelling, and arguing, and complaining) can be heard from inside the gate) Sam (to himself) : I wonder if they've actually stopped since I've been gone... (the gate opens) Nabiki : It's about time you got here. I hope you don't expect me to pay full price for cold food. Sam : Er, no, I guess not... (Sam follows Nabiki into the house. Sam is now able to see the cause of all the ruckus -- Akane has once again made dinner, and Ranma is once again refusing to take a bite from the meal. Sam's attention is immediately attuned to the large mass of black and white fur sitting at the dinner table. The large panda just looks back. Akane's attention is quickly redirected from Ranma as she sees Sam enter the room. Sam can practically hear her growl from the other side) Akane : What's SHE doing here?! Sam : Someone here ordered ribs. I was just -- Nabiki (looking in the meal box) : Jeeze, this meal's practically freezing! Akane : Nabiki-onechan, you ordered food from HER? Soun : Please pass me the carrots. Panda (holds up a sign with writing on it) : [Two ribs over here, please.] Kasumi : I think I'll have the green beans. Akane : Traitors. (looks back at Ranma) Oh well, I guess that just means more for you. Ranma (waving his arms about) : No way! (Akane grapples Ranma to the ground and tries to pry his mouth open with a pair of chopsticks. It's at about this time that they have realized something) Akane : Why hasn't Shampoo tried to stop me yet? Ranma (trying to break Akane's iron grip) : I don't know but I wish she'd hurry up! Akane : What?! Sam (deciding to avoid the impending fight and stepping back for the door) : Well, I guess I'll be going... (as soon as Sam opens the door a huge crack of lightening rips across the sky and out of nowhere rain begins to pour down hard) Sam : Great, rain. Akane (looks at Sam in annoyance) : Why are YOU still here? Nabiki : You can't expect her to go back in the rain, Akane-chan. Akane : Why not? Kasumi : She can stay overnight until the rain subsides. Akane AND Ranma : What? Sam (to Kasumi) : I wouldn't want to be any trouble (Akane and Ranma are somewhat jostled by this comment). Kasumi : Nonsense. I'll prepare a bed for you (goes upstairs). Akane : She's plotting something. I just know it. (the evening proceeds with surprising silence. Akane is watching every move Sam makes, while Ranma is trying to figure out why he hasn't been hit on once throughout the entire evening. Sam, on the other hand, is wondering why he is such an item of curiosity. Ranma is obviously trying to get his attention for some reason, and seems somewhat concerned whenever Sam doesn't oblige him with some form of response. At about ten o'clock Al walks in while the family gets ready for bed) Sam : How's the search going? Al : I was about to ask you the same question. Sam : All I found out is that Akane hates Shampoo, Ranma wants me to pay more attention to him, and that these people own a panda bear that can write in Japanese. Al (surprised) : Oh. Well, I haven't found out all that much myself... Sam : Did you get anything out of Shampoo? Al : Nothing. Her memory is totally swiss-cheesed, she can't even remember her own name. Sam (burying his head in his hands) : I can't stand this. Al (looks a little worried) : Uh, there is ONE thing I forgot to mention... Sam (looks up) : This ISN'T good news, is it? Al (shakes his head) : Ziggy predicts that whenever IT happens, IT being the change in history, it's going to continue to INCREASE in magnitude. Sam : Meaning...? Al : Meaning that things are only going to get worse. MUCH worse. Sam (sighing) : Why doesn't that surprise me? (outside the room the entire Tendo household is spying on Sam as he seems to hold a conversation with absolutely no one but himself) Panda : Sign - [What's she DOING?] Akane : I didn't know she could speak English... Ranma : She's sure been acting weird all night. Nabiki : You're just upset because she won't hit on you. Soun and Akane : What?! Ranma (sweating) : Well, uh, it IS strange, isn't it? (Soun and Akane can't argue with this; Ranma shoots Nabiki an ugly glance) Al (suddenly noticing the family looking on) : Uh-oh... Sam : What? (looks behind him and catches a quick glimpse of the Tendos as they obviously try to become inconspicuous; Sam slumps) Great, now they must think that Shampoo has gone nuts... (Kasumi comes in and ushers everyone off to bed. Kasumi prepares Sam a temporary bed in her room; Akane threatens Ranma about finding Shampoo in his bed, prompting Sam to question Ziggy's prediction about the two getting married once more. As Sam heads up stairs whispering to Al the phone rings downstairs) Ranma (picks up the phone) : Tendo residence... Uk-Chan? (becomes concerned) What's wrong? Al (keypad begins to whine) : Huh? (looks at the readout) It's happening, Sam! Sam : Quick, what's Ziggy say? Ranma : Er, well, it's kind of late; can't this wait until morning? You sure? Al (eyes grow wide) : Oh man, this is bad! This is very, VERY bad!! Sam : Quick, Al, the readout! Ranma : Okay. AND Akane? (sighs) All right, we'll be over soon. Al : In an HOUR both Ranma AND Akane are going to DIE! Ranma : Yeah. Bye. (hangs up the phone) Akane : What was that about? Ranma : Uk-Chan wants to see both of us. Akane : What? Now? It's raining outside. Ranma : She sounded upset and said it was an emergency. Akane : Oh my, I hope nothing's wrong. Sam : PLEASE tell me you've got specifics! Al : Have I got SPECIFICS! Ranma and Akane are found in an abandoned building four miles from here with gunshot wounds!! Sam : Oh my God! Al : That's not all! You remember that girl with the large spatula that Tsubasa was going on about? Sam : Yeah, her name was, um, Ukyou... Al : Well, the cops find the gun and the fingerprints on it are HERS! At the trial she breaks down on the witness stand saying something about not being sure if she was innocent or not, and there are witnesses that claim to have seen her in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the end she's convicted of murder one, sentenced to life imprisonment. (looks at the keypad as the new information floods onto the screen) Oh no... Sam (notices his friend's expression) : This can't get any WORSE, Al... Al : It just did. Sam, Shampoo's body is also found in the building... Sam : But right now I'M -- Al : Exactly. With the deaths of Ranma and Akane the Tendo family completely falls to pieces. Ryouga goes into a state of total shock and never recovers. And with Shampoo gone Mousse completely deteriorates into nothing... Sam : What would compel Ukyou to kill Ranma, Akane and Shampoo?! Al : I don't know. According to Ziggy's personality profile of her she's a very sweet, caring person. It doesn't make sense! Sam (running down the stairs) : I've got to keep an eye on Ranma and Akane! I have to make sure that they don't... (gets to the bottom of the stairs. No one is there) ... leave. (Sam searches about the house but Ranma and Akane are gone) Kasumi : Ranma and Akane? They just left. I think they mentioned something about visiting with Ukyou. Sam : Did they say where? Kasumi : I'm afraid not. Sorry. Sam : Thanks, Kasumi! (Sam runs out of the house. The rain has stopped for the moment, although the darkening thunder clouds and the ever-present flash of light in the night sky shows that this is only an intermission; the show will start again soon enough) Sam : Can you figure out how far away they are? Al : With all the lightning activity it's impossible to pinpoint them; there's too many heat signatures. You're just going to have to get to the building as fast as possible and hope that you're in time. Sam : Then lead me in the right direction, Al. (the scene shifts to an old ten story building. Around it are fences with signs saying "Keep out" and the like. The building is in terrible condition - part of the north wall is totally gone, leaving only inner framework to show where it had once been, while the remaining structure is crumbling and decayed. On the front entryway is a sign stating that the building is due for demolition in a few months) Akane : Are you SURE this is where she wanted to meet us? Ranma : Old building on corner of Hornet and Kato, fence around it; this is the place, alright. Akane : I wonder why she would want to meet us here... Ukyou (waving from within the building) : Akane! Ranma! Over here! Ranma (running up to Ukyou with Akane following) : Uk-Chan! What's all this about? Ukyou : It's really important! You've got to come inside and see this! (Ukyou leads Ranma and Akane deep into the building. She maneuvers them through a series of rooms and up a number of floors. With each turn she takes them the building grows darker. Both Akane and Ranma are disoriented from all the moving about and have to rely on following each other by sound) Akane (squinting to see through the pitch black) : Ranma? Ukyou? I can barely see you! What are we supposed to -- (suddenly there is a loud THUMP and then what sounds like a body hitting the ground) Ranma : Akane? (calling out) Akane, where are you?! Ukyou : Hold on, Ranma, I've got a lamp. (there is the sound of metal turning, and then the room brightens up. Ranma is startled to see Akane sprawled out on the ground) Ranma : AKANE!! (runs over to and inspects her unconscious body; he finds a large bruise on her forehead) What in the universe caused THAT?! Ukyou (innocently) : I don't know! Maybe it was THIS! (Ranma turns about and suddenly he feels an incredible pain in his skull as everything goes black. Ranma falls limp to the ground next to Akane. Standing above them is Ukyou with a nasty grin on her face and a .357 revolver in her hand) Ukyou : Oops! I hope that didn't HURT! (laughs) (Ukyou drags Ranma's unconscious body to the top floor, then runs back down and brings up Akane, laying her right next to him. Most of the walls on this floor are gone, disintegrated with age. Outside the rain begins to fall down and the thunder crashes even louder. Ukyou is loading the gun while whistling an old Nat Cole tune) Ukyou (making a quick check on the gun) : Oh, this is soooo sweet. The happy pistol-whipped couple sleeping soundly together, it just brings a tear to my eye. (cocks the gun) Oh well, that's life. (aims the gun at Ranma's head) You don't know how long I've been trying to do this. Sayonara, you little basta-- (out of nowhere Sam bursts up out of the staircase and plows right into Ukyou as she pulls the trigger. The bullet misses Ranma by a foot. Ukyou and Sam go down and the two roll off of each other. Ukyou still has the gun in hand) Ukyou (crossing her arms) : Well, well, well, if it isn't lil' ol' Shampoo. Sam : Ukyou, what are you doing?! Ukyou : What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to kill Ranma, then Akane, and then you... or maybe I'll just kill you first (raises the gun). Sam (edging towards Ukyou) : Look, we can talk about this. They're your friends, why are you trying to kill them? Ukyou : Why? 'Cause I want to. Al : She's going to shoot, Sam! Do something QUICK! (Sam makes a dash for Ukyou, but not before she pulls the trigger and delivers a bullet into his side. Sam grimaces in pain but still crashes into her with all of his strength, knocking the gun from her hand and tearing away the large spatula strapped to her back. The two crash into the ground, and immediately the floorboards beneath them give way, sending the two into the story below. In the fall Ukyou manages to turn Sam around and forces him to take the brunt of the impact when the two hit. Ukyou quickly pulls out one her sharp throwing spatulas and tries to drive it into Sam's neck, but Sam grabs her arm in an effort to hold her back. Suddenly there is a bright flash of blue and white light as the two touch skin-to-skin, and in that instant Ukyou's features change... Her hair turns black and shortens into tight curls, her skin and eyes turn dark brown, and her entire body becomes masculine, until...) Al : What the HELL?! Sam : My God, who are YOU?! Black man : Your worst nightmare, sucker! (the black man belts him across the face a couple of times; Sam quickly responds and knees the man in the groin. The man rolls off of Sam in pain, giving Sam a chance to get up and get some footing. The black man gets up and laughs at Sam) Sam (spitting out some blood and clutching at his side) : You're another Leaper, aren't you? Black man (smiling) : Wow, I can see how you earned your PhD, my good Doctor Beckett! Sam (angry) : Who are you?! Black man : My, my, we take a little bullet wound and we get testy, eh? You don't know me, but I know YOU! Oh, how I KNOW YOU!! You can call me Thames... Sam : Thames? I've heard that name before... (suddenly remembers) When I was with Alia. She mentioned your name, but I couldn't see who she was talking about... She was talking about YOU. You were Zoey's hologram! Thames : WAS is the right word! It's because she screwed up that Lothos put me in this stupid little game! He gave me ONE mission, just one... Sam : You were sent to kill me. Thames : So now I get to play Leaper and screw up people's lives. Sure, sounds fun, but I can never be myself again! I've got to be all these OTHER people (points at the blue okonomiyaki cook's outfit he's wearing) and I HATE it! I hate losing my memory with every Leap! I hate having absolutely no control over my life! And so, I hate YOU, Doctor Beckett, because YOU'RE the reason I'm HERE!! Sam : Lothos sent you back in time just to get me? You were going to kill those kids, ruin all those people's lives, just to kill ME?! Thames (shrugs) : Hey, we knew you'd have to show up sooner or later, trying to "put right what once went wrong". It was just a matter of time until it worked (gets into a muay thai offensive stance). Al : You stinking NOZZLE! If I could actually touch you I'd break your lousy JAW! Sam (moves into a tae kuan do defensive stance) : You make me sick! Is human life so unimportant to you?! Thames : Oh well, it's a job. (Thames delivers a swift kick to Sam's jaw. Sam blocks but is too weak from his injuries to fully resist the kick and staggers slightly. Thames takes the opportunity and delivers a series of swift punches to Sam's gut. Coughing out blood, Sam hooks a leg behind Thames and drives him into the ground, grappling him by the neck and locking his arms under his body. Thames struggles for air, then arches his back and locks his legs around Sam's neck, forcing Sam to release him. Thames gets up to his feet and knees Sam in the jaw before he can get up. Sam tangles his legs between Thames and trips him, then rolls away as fast as he can to get his breath) Thames (getting up relatively undamaged) : Say, you're pretty good! I would've splattered any other guy's brains all over the ground by now, but you're actually still standing... well, relatively standing, anyway. (Sam is desperately trying to regain his senses before confronting Thames again. His left eye is swollen shut and his body is riddled with bruises, possibly a broken rib or two. Thames sees this but decides to play around with his prey a little bit) Sam : It-it all makes sense now... You were the a-anomaly changing history, and all the while you were disguised as Ukyou! Thames : Bingo! Leapt into her sometime on Christmas eve, I think. Lothos was able to keep Leaping me into her whenever you messed up his little plans. Sam : First you tried to humiliate Ranma by giving those two presents to the other girls... Thames : Ah, that was Lothos' idea. He has this thing about destroying a family from the inside out. A little wimpy for my tastes, but it still usually works pretty well. Sam : Then you lured A-Akane to the dam with that phony letter and sabotaged the railing. You used Ukyou's little blade weapons to cut the support beams for the lookout puh-platform... Al : So that's what that piece of metal you saw was. Sam : ...and now this! Thames (proud) : THIS part was MY idea. Sure, it may be a little violent and not very subtle, but I thought it worked out the best. This way EVERYONE gets screwed! Sam : You knew that as soon as you killed R-Ranma and Akane you'd Leap, leaving Ukyou holding the gun. Thames : Great, isn't it? Her fingerprints would replace mine, and she finds herself holding a gun over two of her dead friends. Al : You RAT! Sam : You are the most disgusting creature I've ever met! Thames (advancing on Sam) : Sticks and stone might break my bones, but my fists are going to break YOURS. (Sam tries to stagger away) Al : Sam, the GUN! It's still on the floor above you! (Sam nods weakly and climbs the staircase. Timms is just walking behind him, not concerned with overtaking him) Thames (laughing) : What's this? Are we trying to make a break for the gun? Uh-oh, I'd better hurry! (Sam ignores Thames' taunting and tries to grab the gun which is laying on the floor next to the hole in the floorboards. Sam is able to get a hold of the pistol, but as soon as his fingers grasp the handle Thames slams his foot on Sam's hand. Sam yells out in pain as Thames pulls the gun away from him) Thames : Sorry, Doctor Beckett. I guess you were just too slow... (Thames kicks Sam in the head sending him sprawling across the room. When he finally stops Sam's face is caked with blood now and his hand is somewhat mangled. Thames walks up to Sam while checking the gun for any damage, but Sam isn't moving) Al (yelling) : SAM!! SAM, GET UP!!! This guy is going to kill you if you don't get up, and then he's going to kill those kids and destroy their families!!! Sam (barely intelligible) : Al... Thames : Al? Oh, that's right, your hologram's around here somewhere, isn't he? Al : Sam, you've got to get up!! All these people are counting on you!! Their lives are in your hands, and you're the only thing that can save them!! Thames (calling out) : You there, Al? I know you can see and hear me! It must be pretty awful knowing that you can't do anything for your good Doctor Beckett, being a hologram and all... Al : Why you lousy sack of crap...! Thames : ...but in the end you can always tell yourself that it wouldn't have mattered if you WERE here, because you can't beat the best, (to Sam) and I, good doctor, am the BEST!! (stands directly over Sam and holds the gun over his head) Al : SAM!!! DO SOMETHING!!! (just before Thames can pull the trigger Sam drives both his arms outward and strikes Thames' legs, driving them apart and forcing him to lose his balance. As he falls back Sam grabs his legs and thrusts upwards. With a loud WHAM Thames slams into the ground head first. Sam quickly leaps onto Thames and begins to deliver a series of three-inch blows to his chest and face) Thames : That's it, now you've made me MAD! (punches Sam as hard as he can and slams him in his bullet wound. Sam buckles over in pain as Thames gets back up and readies his gun) Obviously I gave you enough time to get a second wind. I'm not going to take that chance again! (Sam slides along the ground as best he can. The pain is so intense he is in danger of passing out. Suddenly his hand grasps something, a large piece of metal. As Sam quickly raises the metal a loud shot rings out as Thames fires a round at him. The sound seems to carry forever, echoing throughout all the rooms of the building. Slowly Sam opens his eyes and realizes that nothing hit him. He looks in front of him and sees why -- the large piece of metal he's holding is Ukyou's spatula. The head-piece of the spatula is shielding Sam's face, and in the head-piece there is a large dent where the bullet struck) Thames (flabbergasted) : I don't BELIEVE it!! You blocked a .357 slug with a metal SPATULA! Al : I don't believe it, myself. (Sam gets up and holds the spatula tight in his hands. Thames fires another shot but Sam deflects it with the metal spatula. The bullet ricochets and strikes Thames in the kneecap, dropping him to the ground as he yelps out in intense pain. Thames drops the gun, which falls down the staircase, clattering all the way to the bottom. Sam takes the initiative) Sam : HERE'S where I get my second wind, bozo! (Sam delivers a fierce barrage of blows to Thames, all the while being cheered on by Al. Thames isn't capable of defending himself and Sam completely drives him into the dust with a variety of kicks and punches to the head and chest area, finishing him off with a swinging blow from the large spatula. The final blow sends Thames across the room, right through the gaping hole in the far wall) Sam : Oh my God! I didn't want to KILL him! (Sam runs over to the hole and looks out into the driving rain. Thames is less than a story below him, hanging onto a protruding girder for his life. Ten stories below is the hard rocky ground, growing misty from the humid weather. The rain has made the metal girder slick and Thames is losing his grip. The powerful winds are also doing their share to knock him off) Thames (slowly slipping) : HELP ME!! Sam (looks about for some good footing, then climbs out of the building and onto the girder) : Hold on, I'm coming! Al : Sam, you can't seriously want to help this schmuck! He tried to kill you! He tried to kill everybody!! Who knows HOW many people he may have killed in the past!! Sam (struggling to resist the buffeting winds) : I can't let him die, Al! I've got to try and save him!! (climbs out halfway onto the girder and reaches out to Thames) Grab my hand!! Thames (grasping for Sam's hand) : Just a little... more... (Sam stretches out his hand as far as it will reach. Thames does the same. With some effort the two are able to lock onto each other's wrists) Sam : Okay, now PULL!! Timms : Whatever you say, Doc! (Thames quickly lets go of the girder and lets his weight snap him down, trying to pull Sam off with him. Sam is just barely avoids getting yanked off with him) Sam (trying to keep a hold of the girder): W-what are you DOING?!! You'll get us both killed!! Thames (bobbing up and down trying to dislodge Sam) : Are you kidding?! (begins to yell so he can be heard over the thunder) You're my ticket HOME, Doc!! If I pull you off, we've got ten stories under us! I know I'M going to Leap before I hit!! Are YOU?!! (Sam struggles to break Thames' grip of his arm, but is having little success. With each yank Thames is able to pull a little more of him off the girder. However, Thames finds out that all the rain has made both him and Sam very slick, and he begins to lose his grip on the doctor. Sam notices this and presses the only advantage he has) Sam : I'm sorry... I have no choice... (Thames tries to yank Sam off once more. As Thames bobs down Sam shoves his foot in his face and pushes down as hard as he can. The added pressure forces Thames' hand to slide off of Sam's and Thames begins to fall. And fall. And fall. And all the while he screams out for Lothos to save him, to pull him out... before he hits... the ground... below.) (Sam grabs the girder with both hands and slowly slides himself back to the safety of the building. Once he is on relatively solid ground he looks down at the mess ten stories below. From what's left of Thames' body he can see a faint glow, which slowly grows stronger until in a flash of red and green light and with a loud noise that sounds like a wail Thames vanishes and is replaced by the real Ukyou. Immediately she opens her eyes and realizes that she lying down in the wet, rained-soaked mud) Ukyou (sitting up) : Oh, gross! How did I get HERE?! Sam (yelling down) : UKYOU!! Ukyou (looks up) : SHAMPOO?! What are you DOING up there?!! (the heavy rains make it hard for Sam to call out a response, so he just waves her up. Ukyou shrugs and runs into the building. Sam just sits down with his back to the wall in exhaustion) Al : Whew! I didn't think you were going to make it through this one! Sam (clutching his bleeding bullet wound) : Um, Al? Al : I mean, the way that guy was walloping you at FIRST scared the living BEJESUS out of me! Sam : Hey, Al. Al : Huh? Sam : Al, I think I'm going to take a nap now... (Sam closes his eyes and rests as Ukyou comes up the flight of stairs and finds the trio of Ranma, Akane and Shampoo. Sam blacks out... and eventually opens his eyes and sees that he is back on the ground in an ambulance being examined by a man in a white uniform. Akane and Ranma are both sitting outside under a tarp next to the ambulance having the welts on their foreheads checked by a large male nurse. A crowd has gathered as a couple of police men hold back any spectators while Ukyou explains what she found to another policeman) Doctor : Ah, she's coming around. (Sam looks at him groggily) Don't worry, the bullet passed right through you. You're just going to need a little sewing up and you'll be fine. Sam : Thanks... Doctor : What happened in there? The policemen want to know if they have to go looking for anybody. Sam (slowly sitting up) : Uh, we were attacked by some guy in a mask. He vanished, but somehow I don't think he's going to be coming back. Doctor : Whatever you say. Nurse (poking his head into the ambulance) : Doctor, I need you to make a finalized check on the two out here. Doctor : I'll be out in a second, Nurse Jones. (to Sam) I'll be back in a short while, so try not to move too much, alright? Sam : Yeah, no sweat. I'll stay right here. (the doctor steps out of the ambulance and goes to take a look at Ranma and Akane. Sam looks about and sees a mirror on the ceiling above him. Shampoo's reflection shows every injury that Sam got, prompting him to wince at the sight of each bruise, black eye, and broken tooth) Al (looking up) : Don't worry, Sam, as soon as you Leap out of here Shampoo will Leap back in without a scratch and all your injuries will be fixed before you land... wherever. Boy, it's too bad I'm going to miss the look on that doctor's face when he examines her and finds absolutely nothing wrong, hah! Sam : I just hope that's REALLY it... Al (fiddling with his computer terminal) : Let's see... Yeah, that should be it. It doesn't mean that Lothos can't send other Leapers after you, but at least Thames is out of the picture for good; Ziggy confirms that he was dead before he Leaped out. She also confirms that history works out just fine for Ranma and Akane, the Tendos, Shampoo, Ukyou, everyone... You did it, Sam. (Sam looks out the ambulance door and watches Ranma and Akane. Even as they get patches put on their head wounds they begin to bicker about something completely unimportant. Sam just laughs to himself and is about to lie down on his stretcher when there is a light rap on the ambulance door) Cologne : Grand-daughter? May I come in? Sam (sits back up and makes some room on the stretcher) : Of course, Hibachan. Come on up. Cologne (jumps up onto the stretcher next to Sam) : You certainly are a mess. Sam : Well, with some luck it'll heal quickly... Cologne : I can see that you fought well. For someone of your limited abilities a total victory is quite impressive. A little bit more practice would help, though. Sam : Limited abilities? Al : Good grief, lady, Sam has a black belt in five different martial arts and you say he needs more practice? Cologne (to Al) : Silly man. Since when does the number of belts a person has reflect ability? (Both Al and Sam look at the old woman in astonishment. Al chokes and nearly drops his little keypad) Al : You can SEE me?! Cologne : Of COURSE, young man. You don't get to be over three- hundred years old without learning a few tricks! Al : THREE-HUNDRED YEARS?! Sam : You knew who I was all the time... Cologne (chuckling) : Goodbye, Doctor Beckett. Good fortune in your travels. (Cologne flashes Sam and Al a huge toothy smile from her sly, shriveled face, prompting the two to look at each other nervously. Suddenly a bright blue and white flash lights up the inside of the ambulance, and with a whine that sounds like a blast of air the ground falls out from under Doctor Sam Beckett as he loses sight of the world and Leaps...) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The End -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Ranma 1/2 - Leap and a Half" writer comments Ah, my second COMPLETED fanfic... I don't have too much to say about it, other than I am somewhat pleased with the way it turned out for a short three-parter. I had been bugging myself to write this for quite some time, and had fun doing it as well. I'm mainly taking this opportunity to make a couple outside comments: 1.) I really appreciate all the letters I got for "Shampoo 1/2 - Cat's Cradle". Thanks a lot, folks, a budding writer appreciates every compliment he or she gets. Oh, by the way, I'm posting the repaired versions of "Shampoo 1/2" #2-3 (the parts that had missing portions of their paragraphs) at the same time as this; it will be listed with the word in the title. 2.) For those of you who want to see more of "Ranma 1/2 - Two Sides of the Coin", don't think I've forgotten you! My mind has simply decided to work on other projects for the time being. I'll post part two at the same time as this story goes out, but part three and beyond are still in the works (maybe I should call it "Better Late Than Never"... nah, that title's already been taken). 3.) I have finally gotten the guts to post my Bubblegum Crisis/ Ravenloft crossover "Largo - Red Eyes and White Fangs" on this board as well. It's only parts one through six, though, so just be patient while I slowly continue to make the story grow. 4.) For those of you who wish to make comments, I FINALLY have a somewhat permanent E-mail address (yes, really...). Send letters, compliments, questions, and... well, I'm in such a good mood about finally getting a semi-permanent address that I will even accept FLAMES (I won't like them and will probably send them where all bad flames go when they die, but you get the idea). I am now at "JSL6416@acs.tamu.edu". For those of you who have recieved mail from me in the past, IGNORE the old addresses. Well, that's it. Thanks again, folks, and keep those compliments coming. Jya ne, BENARES