When Shampoo came too, she realized they were in a different part of the maze. She could here fighting, and struggled to get up.
"Easy, miss Shampoo. Please do not be too shocked." The voice sounded like Konatsu's, but slightly different.
Shampoo opened her eyes... and shrieked!
At least, she would have, if someone had not stuffed their hand in her mouth. She bit down hard at the indignity, but it still served to regain her bearings. And now that she could see, she recognized the others, changed though they were.
Kodachi, the one who had blocked her scream, was sleeker. Her skin was a strange, slightly greenish color, but it seemed to change slightly as she moved. Her entire body had streamlined, and her hands and feet ended in sharp claws. She was also scratching at her back, for some reason.
Ryoga and Akane were similar to each other. Both had grown, tremendously. Now Akane seemed near seven feet tall, and Ryoga was still a head taller than her. Their skin had become a thick gray hide. Their arms had become longer, hanging well past their waists, and while they had no claws, their knuckles and forearms had bony spurs that looked like they could do some serious damage. Furthermore, each now sported a pair of horns on their head - Akane's resembling a bull's horns, while Ryoga's were the curved horns of a ram. Ryoga also possessed tusks, but Akane did not for some reason.
Ukyo sat rocking, her legs against her chest, a few feet away. She was now covered in black, armored scales. And there seemed to be some slits on her neck. Beyond that, Shampoo couldn't see.
Konatsu was himself taller, although not as drastically transformed as Ryoga. Really, he could still pass for a large human, even considering the yellowish tone to his skin. Then Shampoo got a look at herself, and wasn't too surprised to see she was transformed similar to Konatsu.
"What happen?" she demanded, then added "Where Airen and Stick-boy?"
Akane answered. "Ranma and I finished... changing... shortly after you started. We managed to hold the zombies off until Ukyo, Konatsu, and Kodachi finished, then we just grabbed everyone and ran. As for Ranma and Kuno... Kuno can't seem to get it through his head that this isn't Ranma's doing, and attacked him. Ranma's leading him away, hoping he'll calm down before the zombies find us again."
Shampoo nodded grimly. This was no time for games or rivals. If Kuno didn't accept that, he'd be better off if they killed him now. Putting aside the questions about their transformations, she turned to Kodachi. "You say something, before kuang-shi attack. What about city?"
Kodachi shook her head to clear it. Her now form was strange and exhilarating. She was faster and stronger than she had ever been, she'd probably have enjoyed it if it weren't for the whole 'fight against the living dead for survival thing.'
"It was from some news stories that lasted a few months last year. About the destruction of a small city in America, Raccoon City.
"It began in a possibly unrelated incident. There were a series of deaths around an old mansion, that had once been used as a lab by a company called Umbrella. Since the bodies seemed partially eaten, the police considered them some kind of cult slayings. They sent in a special task force called S.T.A.R.S. to check it out.
"Two whole teams went in. Four people returned. And they were ranting and raving about zombies and monsters. They were all dishonorably discharged shortly after the mission, and there was something about a criminal investigation... but what happened a few months later ended that.
"Umbrella had a lab within the city itself. There was a chemical spill at the lab, which was said to cause a terrible sickness in those exposed, and the whole city was quarantined. Then something set off a massive explosion that gutted most the city. A terrible tragedy... except...
"There were some survivors of Raccoon City. And they were also ranting about zombies walking the street and feeding on each other, monsters preying on anything that moved, and a mysterious paramilitary force being air-dropped into the city shortly after the accident."
Kodachi sighed, then waved her hands around. "And now here we are. All kidnapped by seemingly very silent means. Changed in ways we do not yet understand. And facing real zombies in a giant rat's maze." She shuddered. "I think there may have been more than a modicum of truth to those stories..."
Shampoo nodded, while the others tried to absorb it. To her it was simple: some men who thought themselves gods were playing with them. And she would show them what Amazons could do to false gods. "It not safe here." She said, taking charge. "We must go now, find Ranma and Stick-boy. Then we find way out of maze."
The others nodded, glad someone was making decisions. They all got up and got ready to go... except Ukyo.
Shampoo sighed, and walked over to the girl. Ukyo's face was changed, too, now that Shampoo could see it - her eyes were larger, and a strange reddish color, here ears also larger and fan like. She was also softly crying.
"She got tore up pretty bad." Akane whispered to Shampoo. "She healed fast - faster than the rest of us, but still, she got really chewed up for a while there."
Shampoo nodded. That could traumatize someone... but they couldn't afford to have Ukyo space out on them now. "Spatula-girl?" She asked trying to get Ukyo's attention.
When Ukyo failed to react, Shampoo sighed. The pulled Ukyo to her feet (momentarily surprised by how easy it was, and by the realization of how tall she was now," and slapped the girl.
Ukyo's hand covered where Shampoo slapped her, and she seemed to focus for the first time on the Amazon. "Shampoo understand," she told the chef softly, "you feel like child, want to run home and hide under bed, cry for days. But we no can do that. We need warrior, not little girl. After we get out, Shampoo treat Spatula-girl, go to hot spring. Spend all day crying if you want. Shampoo may join you. But not now, yes?"
Ukyo nodded, but her body was still shaking. Ryoga and Akane kept near her while they went off to find Ranma and Kuno...
(Posted Tue, 12 Nov 2002 06:43)
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