TRTSS 22: Ranma of the Bat! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST, DC/Marvel Comics and other properties belong their respective properties.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special Note: This story takes place before the event Norman Osborn's siege of Asgard.
Part 1
The city of Gotham…
Location: somewhere east of the Mississippi River, USA.
Gotham City was founded by Norwegian pirates, who would be later be defeated by the British. However, unknown to most people, except for those in the occult business, the site was where a certain pigtailed martial artist, back when he was a full god, had battled the fragment essence of an entity, known "The Watcher of the Deep", in a death duel. This entity was a member of the ancient primordial species who are related to the likes of the Old Ones, the Cthulu and so forth. Nevertheless, the end result was the rendering and subsequent burial of this entity, like the equivalent of a toxic waste dump. However, unknown to the victor of this battle at the time, he did not know that this fragment would permeate the land and infect the people that would one day live on that land with insanity, nor would he know that the Watcher of the Deep would get revenge on him by forcing one of the martial artist's descendants to bear its offspring. This offspring was supposed to be the harbinger of things to come, until this offspring, a girl named Sadako, was euthanized by the wife of this martial artist. Unfortunately, so powerful was Sadako, that she would begin a murdering spree by killing those who viewed a tape of her seven days later.
But that is another story for another day.
What is important to remember is that as the entity's essence continued to percolate into the environment, Gotham City was slowly becoming a place where insanity was becoming the norm. And it is because of this, that this immortal martial artist, Ranma Saotome, would call Gotham City his second home…
A couple and their daughter leave the theater. It was showing a new release of classic film called "The Mark of Zorro"…
"Daddy, I want to be a superhero!" the girl said, as she skips along on her parents' side.
"Hon, I told you that being a superhero is NOT for you," said the man. "Besides, you're girl."
The man's wife turns to look at her husband with perturbed look on her face.
"Well, she is, you know! You seen how so-called 'superheroines' dress these days?"
"Good point," the wife replied, as she turns towards her daughter. "Dear, you don't want to be a superhero. It's various dangerous, and I want you to grow up healthy and sane."
"Awwwww…"
"Anyway, we better cut through this ally," the man said, as he turns the corner.
"Are you sure about that, hon?" the woman said, as she looked down the darken alley.
"Of course I'm sure. Otherwise, we'll have to pass by that panhandler again."
The woman sighed. She knew that once her husband made up his mind, there was no turning back…
As the couple and their child walk down the alley, they were jumped by muggers.
"Alright, give me you money!" the first mugger said.
"Hell, no!" the man said, as he shielded his wife and daughter. "I worked too hard to provide for them."
"Your funeral," said the second mugger, as he points his weapon at the family…
SWISH!
CLANG!
CLANG!
A bladed boomerang flies back to its master.
KTCH!
All eyes turn towards a man crouching on top of a dumpster.
"Is it Batman?" said one of the muggers.
"Close enough," Ronin said, as looks at the situation with a discerning eye.
"How shall we do this: head first or feet first?"
"Screw this!" said the other mugger, as he pulled out a hidden pistol, before he began to discharge his pistol
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG-!
With a sigh, Ronin deftly caught the rounds between his fingers.
"Wow!" the little girl said. "I want to be just like him!"
"You know, that was pretty dumb," Ronin said, as he pocketed the round, before he suddenly appeared behind the muggers. "Good night, you two."
"What-?"
KLUNK!
After slamming the muggers' heads together, and allowing them to slump unto the ground, Ronin turns towards the family that had been accosted.
"You folks okay?" Ronin asked.
"Yes, thanks," said the man.
"Are you related to 'Batman'?" the girl asked. ''Cuz I want to be a hero, too!"
"Now, dear," admonished the mother gently. "We told you that you shouldn't consider such things."
"Mo-om!" the girl whined.
"Well, your mother is correct," Ronin said, as he finishes tying up the assailants in plastic ties, the kind that law enforcement agents use when dealing with more than one perpetrator.
"What do you mean?" the girl asked.
"Well, many of us in the business didn't volunteer to become heroes. Some did so because they saw someone close to them harmed, or was forced to become heroes by a personal tragedy. Me? I'm one of the few people who became heroes because I was raised to protect others from harm."
"Like a cop?"
"Yes…I suppose you're right," Ronin said, as he rose to his feet. "Look, if you want to be a hero, and I'm not saying that you should become one, it's important that you get good grades and a good body. And that means that you should get into extracurricular activities, including martial arts."
"Sounds like more homework."
"Maybe, but the results speak for themselves," Ronin said, as he rolled his neck.
"You know, you're right, mister," the girl said with a smile. "Thanks! Now I know!"
"You're welcome, and knowing is half the battle."
With that, Ronin takes to the skies.
"I wonder what he looks like under that costume of his," the mother wondered. "He looks like he works out."
"What was that, hon?" the husband asked.
"Nothing, nothing…"
Standing on a stone gargoyle on Kane Building, Ronin oversees the activities of Gotham City, while he waits for someone to arrive-
"What are you doing in my city?" said a familiar voice.
Ronin chuckles, as he turns towards the Dark Knight.
"Batman, it's MY city, too, you know," Ranma said. "I do own property in 'Little Nerima', you know."
"Hhh," Batman said, as he emerges from the shadows. "But you normally don't operate openly."
"Actually, I wanted to check up on you," Ronin said. "You did just got back from leaping forward through time."
"Yes, by living the lives of others, thanks to the Moon Princess."
"Batman, she did warn you not to go into the 'Horror Shop' in Bludhaven, you know," Ronin said. "But you just HAD to be the hero."
"For the record, I did not trust Usagi to do the right thing, when she became a servant of Darkseid."
"Which she explained was a part of her effort to go 'undercover'."
"Sorry, but when the safety of the Universe is at stake, I trust no one," Batman said.
"So says the one who used Wayne Industries to create the OMAC project," Ronin said with a smirk. "By the way, how are those attacks on the superhero community coming along?"
Batman pursed his lips. He had originally developed the OMAC (One Man Army Corps) program as a fail-safe measure against the metahuman community, in case they attempted to take over the world. He drew inspiration from Dr. Bolivar Trask's anti-mutant program known as "Sentinels". Essentially, Batman's survelliance system, called "Brother Eye", would, in the event of a takeover of the Earth by super-powered menaces, would choose someone to become an enhanced being, based upon one of the iterations of the "Weapon Plus Program". In fact, Batman had stolen Usagi's research in order to facilitate this alternative plan. After all, he had already accumulated data on the weaknesses on every superhuman in the world, including data on the weaknesses of Ranma (cat phobia) and Usagi (nega-energy). This phase of Batman's counter-measures stemmed from when Batman's mind had been erased of an incident when some of the members of the Justice League of America had erased Batman's memories of them altering the mind of the original Dr. Light (now known as "Starbreaker"), and act that Batman saw as criminal. Needless to say, he eventually learned of this, and did much to catalog any potential threat to him, including those poised by Ranma and Usagi. But, like any good intention, the program was stolen to be used by a man named Maxwell Lord, the civilian liaison to one of the previous incarnations of the Justice League of America. He, like Batman, saw superhumans as potential threats. However, he, unlike Batman, decided to go ahead and utilize what would be known as the infamous "Batman Protocols". Even though Lord was stopped, and the threat eliminated, with the Global Police Corps (GPC), a sister organization of Interpol, taking over the project, which resulted in the creation of a super-powered police officer known as OMAC (real name: Buddy Blank, GPC HQ janitor), Usagi took Batman's betrayal especially hard. Ranma could understand Batman's reasoning for what Batman did, since he saw combat as opportunity to perfect his martial arts. Usagi, whose research was the basis for Batman's scheme, felt guilty for all the mayhem that Lord had caused.
And, because of how Usagi felt that Batman felt a twinge of guilt over what he had done, if only a little…
"Look, I'm here as a favor for Usagi to check up on you, okay?" Ranma said. "I mean, we were there for you since the beginning…"
FLASHBACK!
1920 CE: Wayne Manor (Gotham City).
"Alfred, how is he?" Usagi asked, as she looked on at the young boy who was starring out into the rain through a glass window. She was looking at young Bruce Wayne, recently orphaned by a tragedy, from the vantage point of the dining room. She had known Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne, back when he was the costumed vigilante "The Flying Fox" (a bat-like creature), with the cultured superhero team, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the same group that Ranma (demon hunter) and Usagi (resident magic user) had belong to. After Thomas had retired to settle down to start his own private medical practice, after inheriting his family fortune, he kept in touch with his old friends, and had named them as his son's godparents.
And that is why Usagi came, after being informed of the terrible tragedy that had befallen on the Wayne Family…
"He seems…quiet, Madam Usagi," replied the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, as he carries a tray of sandwiches and drink for Young Bruce to drink.
"That's the problem, Alfred," Usagi said. "Bruce had not shown any signs of emotions. He needs to release them somehow."
"How do you go about doing that, Madam Usagi?"
Usagi thought for a moment. She is more than willing to stay in Gotham City, but she was still dealing with her grief over losing Ranma during war. Plus, she was supposed to start her college studies in Chicago…
"Alfred, I have a plan," Usagi said, as she looks on at the boy.
"Oh?" Alfred said.
A week later, Alfred, Young Bruce and Usagi board a train bound for Chicago.
"I don't want to go, auntie," Young Bruce said, as he boards the train.
"I know, sweetie," Usagi said, as she carries her carryon bag onto the train. She then turns towards Alfred, who would be accompanying Usagi and Yong Bruce.
"So, everything is taken care of, Alfred?" Usagi asked.
"Yes, Madame," Alfred replied. "Wayne Manor will have a caretaker, and I have taken liberty to call ahead to begin the process to enroll Master Bruce in a reputable school in the area."
"Good. Oh, and don't mind my…roommate," Usagi said hesitantly. She knew that Alfred was a bit traditional when it came to male-female relations.
"We're just renting the house off-campus."
"I'll keep that in mind, Madame," Alfred replied.
Usagi sighed. She hoped that her friend Henry Jones, nicknamed "Indiana", doesn't mind having her godson around, while they go to college…
Tbc.
Next Time: Ranma returns from the dead (actually, he was stuck in Hell for a while, thanks to his son-turned-enemy), and meets a teenaged Bruce Wayne for the first time. See you then!