RANMA 'N' ROLL
			by Scott K Jamison
(Note:  Ranma and MegaMan characters per their respective creators, no 
infringement intended...)

			Part Four

	The next day, a medium-sized group of people met on a rooftop in 
the warehouse district.  (Say what you will about some of them, none were 
interested in having the world ruled by *someone else*.)  In addition to 
Nabiki and Roll, there were of course Ranma and Akane, their fathers, the 
Kunou siblings, Ukyou, Shampoo and Mousse (though she claimed they 
weren't together), Ryouga and some kid named Gosunkugi.
	The last was addressed by Ranma.  "What the heck are you doing 
here?  You don't know any martial arts!"
	The boy with candles in his headband held up a camera.  
"Upperclassman Tendou wants me to help capture this event on film, in 
case she gets tied up."
	And if I thought I could trust even one of you to pull off a scam, I 
wouldn't be within a mile of this place, thought Nabiki.
	"Let's review the plan again.  Dr. Wiley might know I'm in this 
time period, but he's never seen my human form.  So that's how I'll be 
going in, posing as Nabiki's assistant.  She'll pretend to represent an 
investment firm.  If I'm wrong, and Dr. Lee is legitimate, everyone pulls 
out, no harm done."
	And I turn a tidy profit...thought Nabiki.
	"If I'm right, we give the signal, and you folks come in.  
Remember your briefing on the various robots, and pick your entrance.  
Gosunkugi, I want you to stick by Ryouga to help him find his way 
around.  Conversely, Ryouga, you protect the cameraman.  Any questions?"
	"Human form?  What do you mean, human?"  Kunou still hadn't quite 
grasped it.
	"Like this," Roll replied, and applied a sopping towel to her 
face.  The reddish tint came back to her hair, and her shape shifted 
slightly.  It felt almost natural now.
	"Amazing!  You are even more beautiful than before!"
	"Put a lid on it, Kunou."
	"How dare you order me about, Ranma Saotome?"
	"Roll, let's get out of here," suggested Nabiki.
	As the temperature on the roof rose, the two young women made 
their way to the street and entered the premises of Lee Enterprises.
	The receptionist was duly impressed by Nabiki's documents, which 
were an astounding blend of fiction and reality.  Roll noted the subtle 
body language the middle Tendou sister used to enhance her business 
image.  Fortunately, all she herself had to do at this point was stand 
and look efficient, something being a robot had given her practice at.
	A typical PR flack guided them around the facility.  His praises 
of Dr. Lee's genius were fulsome, but sounded just a bit flat.
	"I see you use a lot of free-standing robots on your assembly line."
	"Yes.  Robots are highly efficient.  Soon they will be everywhere."
	Mostly they were making more assembly robots.  But one line was 
putting out the "fuzzy logic" chips.
	"Lee Enterprises will soon dominate the world...market."
	"Before I can make my final recommendation, I'll have to meet Dr. 
Lee myself, of course."
	So they were escorted to the main office.  Dr. Lee proved to be 
an ancient-looking Chinese man, flanked by a young man who almost made 
Roll gasp.  His face was Identical to MegaMan's except for the sneer on 
it.  She realized it must be Proto, Rock and hers "big brother", though 
she'd never seen him without his helmet/mask on before.
	Dr. Lee's Japanese was poor, so he insisted on having the 
conversation in English.  As soon as Roll heard the word "zuccez" she 
knew they had their man, and gave the prearranged sign to Nabiki to clear 
out.
	"I'm terribly sorry, Dr. Lee, but I have another appointment.  
I'll let you know what the firm decides."
	"They will be invezting heavily, becauze you will tell them to."
	"You seem very sure of that."
	"Proto, show her the other function of the fuzzy logic chip."
	The robot moved to Nabiki's side with inhuman speed and put 
something on her neck.
	"Lee Enterprises is a wonderful investment opportunity.  We 
should put all our money into it" droned Nabiki in the same tones the PR 
man had used.
	"Muzic to my earz.  And now the other one."
	Roll put up her briefcase to block Proto's hand, while pushing 
the panic button in her pocket.
	Waiting on the roof had degenerated into a general brawl, though 
Gosunkugi was getting some great action shots of Akane.  Suddenly there 
was a beeping noise.  It was important, but why?  Oh yeah, the mission.
	"Um...Excuse me...this is important...the SIGNAL!"
	Everyone stopped, except for Shampoo's rhythmic beating of 
Mousse's head against the tarmac.
	"The factory?  Upperclassman Tendou and Miss Roll?"
	"Oh!"  "Right!"  "CHAARGE!"
	The martial artists ran, leapt or hurtled into various doors and 
skylights.  Ryouga would rather have gone with Akane, but he knew he'd 
just end up fighting Ranma, so he reluctantly grabbed Gosunkugi instead.
	"Okay, spookface, which way do we go?"
	"Left.  No, your other left!"
	Back in the factory, Roll's briefcase had proved little barrier 
to ProtoMan's hand, but neither had the thermos of hot water inside, so 
when he attached the mind control chip, she was already reverting to 
robotic form, which the chip did not affect.
	"Huh?"
	"Surprise, brother!"  She backflipped and grabbed Nabiki.
	"Roll?  What are you doing here?"
	"It doezn't matter what zhe'z doing here!  Deztroy her, you idiot!"
	"With pleasure, Doc."  He fired a plasma burst at her, but Roll 
had already moved.  Made a nice hole in the wall though.
	"I'll see myself out, thanks."
	Bells began ringing and lights flashing as a computer voice 
announced "Intruder Alert.  Intruder Alert."
	"Eh?  I hadn't puzhed the button yet.  It muzt be MegaMan!"
	The mad scientist was of course wrong, but given Roll's 
relationship with the hero who'd beaten him every other time, he may be 
forgiven the assumption.
	In point of fact, the Nerima martial arts fanatics had arrived 
and were smashing their way through his minions.
	Battle Highlights:  Ukyou was the first hero to fall, only 
moments after entering the factory.  It seems an oversized metal spatula 
was not the most effective weapon against the electrically-charged 
ShockMan.  Kodachi's non-conductive ribbons wrapped him up quite nicely, 
however.
	"She is my rival *fiancee* and thus *my* prey.  None but I shall 
do her die, at the proper time!  HOHOHOOOHAHAHOO!"
	Kunou and Mousse found themselves up against CutMan, who 
unleashed his head blade.  They easily ducked, and Kunou struck a pose.
	"Beware, short miscreant, for now you face the Blue--"  CutMan's 
blade sheared off the bokken on its return trip.  "You shall pay for that 
indignity!"
	"Call me short?  I'll cut you down to size!"
	"Here, Kunou, try this," said Mousse, tossing him a Chinese longsword.
	"My thanks," replied the vain swordsman, "but what will you use?" 
as he deflected another throw.
	"Oh, I don't know.  Perhaps...the Wings of Death?"  He leapt into 
the air, and his wide sleeves sprouted multiple blades, looking for all 
the world like a metallic bird of prey.  CutMan gulped.
	"Say freeze!" quipped IceMan as he shot jets of super-cold gas at 
Shampoo.  One caught her leg, freezing solid instantly and pinning the 
Chinese girl.  She tossed a bonbori.
	"You missed.  Now ice going to mess you up."
	"Shampoo not miss.  Robot dumber than Mouse."
	"Eh?"  The cold-producer was suddenly buried beneath chunks of ceiling.
	Genma, Soun and Akane found themselves battling the assembly 
robots, which were also Dr. Wiley's cannon fodder.
	"This is easy!" gloated Genma as he smashed two bots into each 
other.  "I feel like the hero in a video game!"
	"There's just one problem with that, Uncle Saotome."
	"Really?"
	"The boss robot you have to face at the end of the level!"  She 
pointed to FlameMan, who was stoking up his fires.
	Ryouga and Gosunkugi abruptly ran into what felt like a solid 
wall where none should be.  This proved to be the massive GutsMan.
	"Har!  Youse guys are da intruders?  I wuz hoping for something a 
bit more substantial."  He swung his oversized fist.
	And Ryouga stopped it.
	"Dat's impossible!"  Nobody human can stand up to me!"
	"Who are you calling inhuman, you heap of junk?"
	Ryouga was an incredibly strong human, but GutsMan was a 
superstrong robot, and eventually the martial artist had to give ground.  
Fortunately, it had been enough time for Gosunkugi to scramble to 
relative safety.  The robot followed up with punches to the face and 
solar plexus.  He was again boggled when these didn't move Ryouga.
	The wandering boy spit blood from a split lip.  "I have endured 
tortures far beyond your imagining.  Your blows are nothing to me.  But I 
can destroy you.  Even a steel heart can be broken!" as he lunged 
forward, forefinger extended.  Only bad luck (or the head blow being more 
effective than admitted) kept the breaking point technique from striking 
true, but it did shatter the robot's left arm.
	"Waste oil!"

Need we say?  TO BE CONCLUDED!

SKJAM!
"I don't have a lady fair, but there goes a butterfly"

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