I'm sorry. I could not resist the temptation. Curse your wickedness Steven Spielburg.
Ranma and The Brain.
Acme Labs, 9:01 PM...
The Brain, a small white lab mouse sat watching the door as the last of the employees went home for the evening. His lips turned up into a small smug looking grin as he glanced back at his cage mate. The other lab mouse was peering into the water bottle and making faces at it.
“Pinky! Come, we must make haste in our departure tonight! The shipping company will be here soon.”
“Where are we going Brain? I love trips! Ha ha ha! Narf!” The other mouse turned to give his companion a confused stare. It was not an unusual look on the creature's features. He moved over to the shorter mouse's side and jumped up and down clapping his front paws together. “Oh, wait. Does this mean we aren't going to try and take over the world tonight?”
“The same...wait. No. Perhaps I should explain tonight's plans again. Though, I doubt it will help.” The shorter mouse grabbed the taller one by his shout and walked him over to a ripped piece of paper that had a simplified explanation of the evening's venture to conquer the world. He pulled out a small wooden pointer and began to explain.
“Tonights plan requires us to express ship ourselves to a remote region of China. Once there, we will go to Jusenkyo, the land of cursed springs. The simpletons in the area believe the effects of these pools to have magical properties and can change the form of living beings.”
“Ha ha ha! That's silly Brain! Everyone knows that springs are only good for bouncing things!” The other mouse seemed to have a hard time coming to that conclusion, and didn't appear to be finished after he had stated it.
“If we weren't so pressed for time I would hurt you Pinky. Normally though, you would be partially correct in saying this belief was 'silly'. It is in fact, true! Through complex irregularities due to the earths magnetic field affecting the diotric levels of the inner core of the water molecule's electron path, the water does indeed have the power to cause a temperature reactive change in the molecules of any creature! With this power, we shall conquer the world!”
“By turning all the people into mice?” Pinky seemed to try and picture it in his mind.
“No, Pinky!” For a moment the Brain looked angry, but seemed to think about what had just been said. “Perhaps another night.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” His cohort seemed quite pleased with the idea. He didn't understand, but he was pleased.
“Tonight's plan is a bit more complex Pinky. We will obtain the waters of a particular spring within the valley. Each one changes it's victim into something different. We must obtain the water of 'the spring of drowned girl', here.” He whacked his pointer into a section of map form an old encyclopedia near the diagram. “Once we obtain this water, we will use it to turn the entire population of Japanese men into women. Once we do this, the women of Japan will be so pleased at the end of the perverted weirdness that they will accept us as their leaders, and elect you, Prime Minister! Once this happens, we will use that influence to install the mind control device I installed into every piece of electronics manufactured in the country. Once that happens, I will rule the world! It's really very simple.”
“Um, Right Brain. Do you think we'll get to go swimming while we're there?” Pinky seemed happy to be along as the Brain unlocked the cage with a paper clip.
He paused and turned his head back to look at his companion. He was hanging off the door and working the clip around through the tumblers. “Yes. Our plan requires that you become Prime Minister of Japan. You becoming a human will make that easier. You're the perfect for the role. You're as dense as a stump and you can't put together a coherent sentence. “
The other mouse looked quite pleased to hear that. “Really? That's great Brain! Thanks! Ha! Narf!”
“No time for amusing theatrics tonight, we must be quick. Our time is running short.” The Brain hopped out of the cage and moved towards the door. He called his companion over to the mail slot where he had dragged a small open box out of the corner. “Quickly, Pinky! The last truck arrives any minute! We must get this box through the mail slot and get inside before the truck arrives!”
The other mouse hefted up the other corner and helped his friend lift it through the hole. “You know, it hurts a bit sometimes, but takin over the world is always fun!”
“Somehow it doesn't console me that you find it so amusing Pinky.” Brain gave a grunt of effort as the box slid through the slot. “Come Pinky.” The pair shoved themselves under the door and out to await pick up.
Later that evening, in a remote region of China...
A pallet loaded with boxes of mail slammed into the ground with enormous force as the plane that dropped it flew into the distance high in the air above. In the center of this mess of boxes was a tiny flattened cardboard box.
“Pinky, remind me to use a higher grade of cardboard when we need to travel abroad in the future.”
“Naarrfff.”
Several moments later...
The Brain finished bandaging his head and stood up to look off in the distance. “There.” He was pointing to a nearby mountain. “In the valley of that mountain, lies the secret that will allow us to conquer the Earth!”
The pair started walking into the wilderness of China towards their destination.
Several hours later...
The two mice were wrapped up in the coils of a hungry looking Chinese snake. The serpent had pulled them up to a tree branch and was just starting to squeeze them.
“Brain, I hate to be a bother and all, but how far away is this place again?”
“Not now Pinky.” The Brain reached up and pulled at a strand of vegetation from the branch above them. A large round fruit came down on the two white mice, followed by another that clocked the snake and sent all three back to the ground again.
The Brain stood up and rubbed on his now flat forehead. “Come Pinky, we near our destination.”
“Right Brain.” The other mouse's head was pretty much flattened into his lower jaw.
The pair noticed the snake coils begin to move as the animal shook it's head and seemed to start recovering. It glared at them angrily.
“What should we do Brain?” Pinky was frozen and looked very afraid.
“We should flee in terror. Yes, that would be the wisest course!”
With that the two mice sped into the underbrush as fast as they could go. The snake followed, but gave up as it was unable to keep up speed. It would have to wait until it recovered a little more before it could hunt again.
The two mice stood gasping for breath and leaning on each other on the edge of a small cliff. Brain pushed Pinky away and the mouse fell into the dirt. “Pinky! We have arrived!” He looked out over the valley at the springs below.
“I don't see any springs Brain. Just a bunch of water in little pools! Poit.” Pinky looked confused as he peered into the valley below with his master.
The Brain promptly brought his fist down onto the other mouse's skull. “Come Pinky. We have much to do.”
A short time later...
The Brain was looking at the pools of water that were spread out before them. “We'll be using this pool. The spring of drowned girl, according to the brochure.” He was holding a little travel brochure in front of him like a map. “Yes. Quickly, into the pool Pinky. We will be able to use your added mass to help transport the water. I'll need a sizable sample in order to properly implement my plans.”
“But, this spring is for girls isn't it? Wouldn't be right for me to just splash around in their pool. Where's the boy's pool? Oh! Do they have a mouse pool?” Pinky looked a little worried.
The Brain was clenching his teeth and had crumpled the brochure in his fists as he glared at his companion. He looked quite angry. He stopped and slammed his head into one of the bamboo chutes growing throughout the springs a few times.
“Hey, what the heck?!” Both Mice found themselves between the ground, and the body of a human boy.
“What are you doing boy? Get back up here!” A heavyset bald Japanese man was balancing on a nearby chute.
“Shut up old man! Somethin hit my...”
“Stop complaining and get back up here! You've got work to do!” Genma Saotome chastised his son and bounced back to a different chute as his son joined him.
The young Japanese male had yet to notice the two flattened animals stuck to his back. “I am in intense pain Pinky.”
“Zort.” With that, Pinky seemed to slide away and into the water of the spring below them.
The Brain almost followed, but managed to grab hold of the boy's shirt. He cried out in fear as the boy jumped into a kick and sent his father into another one of the pools. He landed on the opposite bamboo chute and seemed to notice there was something crawling around on his back.
As a result he fell off his perch and landed head first on the ground. He fell to the side, and into one of the pools. The Brain was fortunate enough to get knocked loose and remained headfirst in the dirt.
Genma frowned at the wet naked boy standing in front of him. His ponytail had come undone and his hair was hanging around his head and dripping onto his body. “Um, who are you then?” asked the boy.
“I'm your Father! Foolish boy!”
“I'm not a boy, I'm a mouse!” said the confused looking boy.
“Where did your clothes go?” Genma seemed to be getting more irate.
“I don't believe I've ever had any.” The boy seemed pretty sure of that. “I'm not exactly sure what's going on. Where's Brain?”
Genma seemed to swallow. “What are you saying boy?”
“Brain! Brain?” The boy was looking around, he put his head between his legs and was looking around at the ground below him. “Hmmm. He's usually right around here somewhere.”
Genma and the Guide seemed to be trying very hard to ignore the nude boy that was mooning them.
“Stop that boy! Come on. You must have hit your head harder than I thought.”
“Oh, don't worry. That happens all the time! Narf! Ha ha!” The boy seemed to cheer up as he stood up straight. At the moment he was fully upright he screeched in terror. “Aaaaaahhh!” He grabbed Genma around his neck and jumped into his arms.
“What are you doing boy?!” The old man promptly tossed him into the dirt.
“Sorry. I'm afraid of heights.” The boy looked rather sheepish.
“Sirs, I get clothes for boy, no?” The guide was looking quite uncomfortable.
“Hmmm. He hasn't hit himself this hard in a while. He'll be fine in a few days.” Genma turned to reassure the man.
“Wow! I'm huge! Ha ha ha! Narf! Zort!” The boy seemed to be quite amazed at standing up straight.
“Just get the clothes. I want to get moving again. It'll take a little while, but I'll get him back to normal.” Genma sighed and started walking back towards the hut.
Ranma opened his eyes and felt a throbbing pain in his skull. He was clinging to the side of one of the pools by his arms and floating in the water. An overgrown fern was hiding the light from her eyes and she was thankful for that. “Man. I ain't hit myself that hard in a while.”
“Pinky! Drat, where is he? Pinky!”
He could see something, a small white blur that was moving about in frustration. It was looking for someone. “What the heck?”
He pushed himself out of the water and into the light, causing his vision to blur and a painful jab of pain in his head. “Man. Pop. I ain't landed like that in a while. What the heck...”
It was about then that he realized what he was looking at. “Pinky! Where is that mouse? It's dangerous out here.” It was a white mouse with a huge skull. It seemed to be really worried and frustrated about something.
“Whoa.” It was right about that point that he noticed something else as he looked down. He had breasts. “Man. I'm still out? Must'a hit myself pretty hard.”
“You there! Tell me, have you seen a naked man roaming around recently? It's very important that I find him!” The Brain was looking up and seemed to have just noticed him.
She just sort of stood there a little slack jawed. “Huh? Man, this is a weird dream.”
The statement caught the mouse a little off guard. “Dream?”
“Yeah. I mean, I'm a girl, and you're a talking mouse.”
“I suppose I understand your conclusion. I am afraid you are quite awake though. You have fallen into the spring of drowned girl. It's waters possess special electro magnetic properties that transform any living tissue it touches into an imprinted form.”
“Right. What, did you fall into the spring of drowned mouse or something?” The redhead wasn't having any of it, it was a dream for sure.
“Actually, I am a lab mouse plotting world domination.”
“Whoa. That's the last time I eat anything I can't pronounce.” Ranma looked down at her stomach and sighed. “Stupid dream.”
The Brain sighed and shook his head. “Look, perhaps we can be of service to each other. I'm looking for my loyal minion. You're taller, and have a much better view of the surrounding area. Tell me, can you see a naked man?”
Ranma squatted down to get a better view of his weird dream mouse. “Man, still at that stupid spring? I wish I'd...”
The Brain took advantage of the situation and bit the tip of his finger rather hard.
Ranma screamed in pain and slammed his fist into the mouse. It flattened out under his fist and seemed irritated. “Perhaps I should have found a better way accomplish that.”
“What the heck did you do that for?!” Ranma was upset and looked about ready to cream the creature again.
“Did it hurt?” asked the mouse as it glared up at her without too much anger.
“Heck yeah! You jerk!”
“Then you aren't dreaming. The human brain cannot simulate pain in a dreamscape environment. The fact that you felt pain at all means you cannot be dreaming. I apologize for being so direct, bit it is important that I find Pinky with utmost haste.”
“If I ain't dreamin, where's Pop?” The girl looked irate as she sucked on her finger. It was a little prick, but the mouse had broken skin.
“Oh. Oh no!” The Brain was ignoring the redhead now as he followed the trail of footsteps in the mud. There were three sets. “Had I not been so preoccupied with panic, I would have noticed this sooner. The other humans have taken Pinky! Curses!”
“Pop left me?” Ranma seemed to be starting to realize that she wasn't dreaming. “Wait! He can't just...”
“The spring Pinky feel into was the Spring of Drowned Man.” The brain was clutching his brochure again. “They must have mistaken him for you.”
“He's my pop! He wouldn't do that!” Ranma seemed irritated.
“Why take him and leave you behind then?” The Brain turned his head to look back at him. “I would assume that a parent would be concerned with his own offspring. I doubt they'd have left at all if they had realized you were missing. You were the last human male he was in contact with. It seems likely his form would be similar to yours.”
Ranma was at a loss for words. “Wait, what's this about springs?” He finally looked down at himself again. His finger still hurt, and he still had breasts.
The mouse had hopped up on her shoulder. “Come, if we find your father, we will find my minion.”
“I guess.” The redhead stood up in a sort of daze. Her features contorted into anger.
The Brain noticed this and decided to secure his grip on her clothing a little more. A wise choice, she promptly dashed off on the old dirt path. “Old man, I'll kill you!”
“Oooh! We're takin a ride then?” Pinky was wearing his shirt backwards and jumping up and down as he looked at the old beat up truck.
“I don't think it would be a good idea to travel by foot for a little while boy. We'll start back after the next stop.”
“Sirs, only one more place of interest in area.” The guide seemed quite pleased.
“It sounds like fun, but I should really get back. I'll bet Brain is...”
“Not now boy!” Genma shoved his son into the back seat and moved in beside him.
“But, I'm supposed to become Prime Minister of Japan...”
“Stop being foolish boy!” Genma bopped him on the head. “Just keep quite and rest for a while.”
Pinky was used to that and sighed a little as he slumped down to pout. “I wish I knew where Brain was. Narf.”
TBC...
That's it for now. I'm still poking away at Insertion, just a little at a time though. ^_^;