Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Project LAIN ❯ Project LAIN: Genesis ( Chapter 1 )

Anime Heroes: Project LAIN

Image that time is a river, flowing continuously in one direction. As this river moves, it flows over rocks jutting through the surface, causing this river to splinter into different streams, a multitude of streams from a single source. Now imagine that those rocks jutting through the surface are various events that have completely changed history: the fall of Rome, the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the radio, or, just perhaps, events that led to the creation of an entirely new river-an entirely new world, flowing forward, but having a rock-an event, that connected it to the main river.

Now imagine what would happen if one of those stones was removed, that branch of the river would vanish, including all branches from that stream. Now, what if a stone was not removed, but added? A stone so massive, dropped suddenly at a major branch of the river, landing perfectly so that river washes over it, removing the individual stones and merging all streams together. This branch would no doubt grow so large that it would threaten to wash out its banks, spreading so thin that it completely disappears. All streams and branches destroyed, because of one stone placed at a specific point.

This change has already occurred. An event that was never supposed to happen, did, and all realities were caught in the repercussions, all ‘streams’ merged together, in a single world, completely different then the multitudes that once existed, and time is running out to remove that added change before the reality exceeds the limits of time and space and is completely destroyed, but how can that change be fixed, if no one even remembers that it happened?

Project LAIN: Genesis

At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 2001, a powerful energy blast was exploded over the Middle East. While no nation claimed responsibility, and no one could determine what exactly had happened, the lit fuse finally detonated. Within two hours the Middle Eastern nations declared war on the western world. The nations of Asia and Africa chose their sides five hours later. Within another eight hours, World War III had begun.

The war lasted for four years, and nearly every major city was destroyed. Nuclear weapons had been used wide-spread for the first time in human history. The result was the near destruction of humanity. The entire East Coast of the United States was gone, most of Europe was destroyed, and the Middle East became a smoldering crater. Only the Far East survived virtually unscathed, except for major cities like Beijing and Tokyo, which were decimated. Humanity began to rebuild instantly, unknown that the greatest threat still lived…

Neo-Tokyo City, six years after New Armistice...(2011 AD)

Neo-Tokyo was splintered into four major sections: the High-rise, the Government, the Entertainment, the Business, and the Slums. As is often the case, the poorest citizens, which in this case, made up the greatest percentage of the population, lived in the Slums, while the upper class resided in the High-rise section. The last three were the employment sections, where the Upper class earned a hearty salary, and the Lower class tried to earn enough to continue to survive.

The Entertainment section was mostly comprised of movie theaters, but there was one structure that every citizen came to almost on a daily basis, the stadium. There were competitions held there of almost every kind: card tournaments, Net Battles, even an occasional Digimon tournament. Today, however, was something that only occurred once every five years, the World Martial Arts Tournament.

“…Ladies and Gentlemen!” the announcer shouted over the PA system, “We have quite a show for you tonight! We have Goku, a student of the famed Turtle school!”

The crowd cheered as a young man walked onto the square ring. He could not have been older then twenty or twenty-five. He was dressed in a orange gi, and had a messy hairstyle in severe spikes. His arms were resting gently at his side, and his face, though smiling, gave off a mind completely at peace.

The announcer continued, “And his opponent today is a man, no doubt, many of you ladies know, the mighty Vegeta!”

On the other side of the square ring stood a young man only a few years older then Goku. He was dressed in a blue jumpsuit, and although he was shorter then his opponent, his tall, hairstyle gave him at least another six inches. He gave a smirk at his opponent.

“Nice to see you made it, Vegeta,” Goku grinned.

“What can I say,” Vegeta chuckled, “I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

The announcer once again began to speak. “If these two look familiar, it is because they faced each other in the finals of the last tournament as well. Goku won, but perhaps Vegeta will win this time. Gentlemen, if you’re ready…”

They both nodded.

“Then…began!”

Goku and Vegeta grinned at each other before shooting forward, their fists thirsting for battle.

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In the Government section of the city, specifically the Capital Building, the Parliament was in session. This particular meeting was open to the public, and the public filled every open seat available to them. The Parliament members were seated in front of them, with the speaking containing only a few people, one of whom was standing at the podium, a young woman with shoulder-length orange hair. She was dressed in a woman’s business suit, with her skirt modestly ending at knees.

“…Resistance fighters, dangerous rebels, have doubled their efforts in their terrorism against Neo-Tokyo. They have bombed countless government buildings, as well as numerous businesses, department stores and the like. These terrorists must be dealt with, that is why Hypnos was created. Our organization has been responsible for apprehending over 100 criminals in the past year alone, but as terrorists grow, so must we. That is why I implore you, Members of Parliament, to pass your bill for increase in our funding. The price of folly is the death of countless innocent civilians. Thank you.”

She sat down next to a young man with spiky brown hair. The Prime Minister nodded slightly and spoke into his own microphone. “Thank you, Miss Makino. We will, um, certainly, take this under consideration. Um, your organization has certainly been instrumental in maintaining peace since its inception. Thank you. This session is adjourned.”

As the audience began to file out, a middle-aged woman with long blond hair pushed her way through the other citizens until she reached the orange-haired young woman. “Ruki!”

She gasped. “M…Mom? W...what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you speak, what do you think?” she laughed. She adjusted Ruki’s suit. “I’m glad to see that you’re dressing so much nicer.”

She made a disgusted look. “I hate the skirt.”

Her mother smiled. “Now that sounds like my daughter. Why did you wear that then?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because of the official Hypnos Guidebook, chapter 4, section 3, “All Hypnos officers, while engaging in office or diplomatic meetings, must wear the official Hypnos business wear uniforms.” She sighed, “And this is the standard female uniform, unfortunately.” She eyed the young man standing behind her.

“Hey,” he said, raising a hand, “I didn’t make the rules.”

Rika mentioned to her mother. “Mom, I’d like you to meet my boss, General Taichi Yagami, he’s the director of Hypnos. General Yagami, please meet my mother, Rumiko Makino.”

He smiled and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Rumiko smiled. “Likewise. Wow, how can you be a general? You’re how old?”

“I am twenty years old,” he nodded, “And I was promoted quickly due to my leadership skill. Plus, too many of the older soldiers were killed during World War III. They needed the younger soldiers to step up pretty quickly.”

She grinned. “So, tell me, are you married?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Really?” she gasped, “Being so handsome, I’m sure you’re quite the skirt chaser.”

He smiled. “Well, there was one girl, but she…” He shook his head, “Never mind.”

“Well,” she grinned, “If you’re available, I know that Ruki hasn’t had a date in a long time.”

“Mom!” Ruki shouted, her face completely red.

“Well, it’s the truth,” she said, “Now come on, when are you going to give me some grandchildren?”

“I’m only eighteen!” she protested.

Taichi chuckled and placed his arm on Ruki’s shoulder. “I think we should be leaving.”

Rumiko nodded. “Oh, right. You’ve probably got really secret government stuff to take care of. I’ll talk to you later, Ruki. It was nice meeting you General Yagami.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he smiled. He and Ruki exited the government building and climbed into the back of an unmarked limo. Inside, Agumon and Renamon were waiting.

“You were watching, right?” Ruki asked.

Renamon mentioned to the very small television set that was hanging from the ceiling. “You did very well, Ruki,” she responded.

“Yeah,” Agumon grinned, “Perfect.”

Taichi glanced at his watch. “We’d better get back. I want to run those new recruits through some more training.”

Ruki grinned. “You just like having the best working under you, huh?”

He shrugged. “Of course, why do you think I picked you?”

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The Business Section contained the normal department stores and retail shops that one would normally see in a business district. One of these buildings, a mall, to be precise, contained the normal amount of people for a busy Saturday night. They were comprised of normal shoppers, as well as teenagers using the building simply as a hangout.

Life was rough in Neo-Tokyo, 75 to 80 percent of the population lived at or below the poverty level. They would spend their money in what little way they could, the teenagers often used whatever they could find to buy the typical items that were favorites for their age group usually video games for the guys and clothes for the girls, but sometimes it was the exact opposite.

On this particular Saturday night, life was preceding as normal as ‘normal’ could be considered in this strange and dangerous city. A normal Saturday night…that was until a clothing shop was suddenly blown apart by a serious explosion from within. Glass and smoke was thrown everywhere as people screamed and scampered to flee the mall. A man dressed in swordsman robes dove out of the store.

He pushed himself into the crowd, trying to reach the doors before the police arrived. However, that was not the case, as the Special Forces of the Neo-Tokyo police were already waiting.

“Tatewaki Kuno!” the captain shouted, “We have you surrounded! Drop to the ground now!”

“I will not surrender!” he shouted, “That despicable purveyor of horrid goods is a government spy, offering his service to the corrupt council of tyrants and dictators that rule over us! I seek to liberate these simple customers!”

“Drop to the ground now!” the captain shouted.

“I shall not surrender, you traitorous constable!” He reached at his side and pulled out a wooden sword, “Defend yourselves!”

The captain turned to his soldiers. “All right, drop him!”

The dozen police officers began to fire their projectile weapons at an amazing rate. Kuno, even more surprisingly, began to move his sword in a circular movement before him. The bullets were deflected in every direction, striking the walls, floors and ceilings.

“Damn it!” the captain shouted, “He’s a superhuman!” He glanced over his shoulder towards the parking lot, where the police vehicles and cruisers were parked. “We need Sakura! Get her now!”

Kuno stared in confusion. “Sakura?” Who was this girl, and how could she stop him? He kept his guard up as a figure exited one of the police wagons and began to walk towards him. With the name, ‘Sakura,’ he assumed that he would be facing a female, but when an girl who could not be older then fifteen approached him, he was simply in shock. She was dressed in an odd dress with puffy sleeves and a full, puffy skirt. She was also wearing a black trench coat and carried a wand with a star contained in a circle at the end.

“Glad you’re here,” the captain said. He pointed at Kuno, “Deal with that sword, please.”

Sakura nodded. She pointed her wand at him and shouted, “Windy!”

Kuno was caught in a sudden whirlwind that threw him onto the back, causing him to drop his wooden sword.

“That’s it!” the captain shouted, “Take ‘im down!”

The police officers quickly pointed their rifles at the unarmed Kuno and opened fired. The bullets easily ripped across his body, tearing it to shreds. He slowly rose back to his feet, blood dripping from every bullet hole. He turned and stared at the crowd, which was staring with wide-eyed horror. “Long like the Revolution!” he shouted; within seconds, he was dead.

“All right, good job,” the captain said, “Let’s contact the coroner and get her over here.” He lightly grabbed Sakura’s arm, “Come on.”

As the young girl began to walk away, she glanced over her shoulder at the fallen terrorist; a lone tear began to form in her eye.

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Yugi Moto stared in horror as his opponent grabbed one of the cards from his hand. “I use the card, Power Boost from Within. This card gives my Net Monster 1000 extra attack and defense points. Unfortunately, once I use it, my turn automatically ends. But, since my monster now has 25100 attack points, your monster can’t hurt me anyway. Make your move, not that it’ll do any good.”

Yugi frowned as he stared down at the holographic playing field below him. His opponent’s monster had 2600 attack points while the only monster he had on the field, the Dark Magician, had 2500 points. And even though it was his Main Net Monster, he could summon another monster to aid him, but he did not have any in his hands. His only chance was the card he was about to draw.

He placed his hand on the top of his deck and, after taking a deep breath, pulled it towards his face. He grinned in triumph and twisted it so that his opponent could see. “I play Exchange of Lifeforce, This card allows me to increase the attack power of any monster I choose, but I must give up that many life points in exchange. So, I give up 1000 life points, reducing them to 100, but it’s a price that I’m gladly willing to pay because now my monster’s attack points are raised to 3500, more then enough to destroy your monster. Now, Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic Attack!”

On the holographic field, the Dark Magician raised his palm and fired a blast of energy at his opponent’s monster, instantly destroying it, dropping his opponent’s life points to zero. With that, the holograms vanished.

“You were great!” Tea shouted, running over and hugging him tightly. She had been watching from the sidelines, as she usually did. Behind her was another of his friends, a young woman named Chichi.

“Way ta go, Yugi,” she grinned, “You’re gonna kick butt at that tournament!”

Tea frowned. “I heard that Kaiba’s gonna be there too.”

“Of course he is,” Yugi said, “It’s a Duel Monster tournament.”

“He never quits, does he?” Chichi asked, “When’s he gonna get it through his thick skull that you’re the best! No one beats you!”

“I’m only the best because of the Dark Magician,” he said, eyeing his Duel Disk, who’s digital monitor was now displaying an image of the Dark Magician, “We’re a team, and we count on each other. That’s the reason why we win, because we believe we can.”

Chichi only smiled and nodded. The trio wandered out of the arcade and into the alley. “There’s been trouble,” she whispered, “Kuno’s been killed.”

Tea gasped. “W...what?”

“When?” Yugi asked.

“On the mission last night,” she explained, “the cops got there.”

“Oh man,” Tea frowned, rubbing her forehead, “That stinks…really, that…oh man…”

“Akane wanted to hold a meeting,” Chichi said, “Right away.”

Yugi nodded. “I’ll be there.”

The trio walked across the city and made their way to their secret base, inside an abandoned power plant. The other members of the rebellion were already there: Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Takato, and Juri. The last one, the teenage, brown-haired girl, had her head bowing low.

“Glad you could make it,” Akane said.

Tea nodded. “Yeah, too bad it has to be about this.”

The others nodded somberly. “Do we have a body?” Yugi asked.

“No,” Juri said, her head still staring at the floor.

“Juri?” Chichi asked.

“It was my fault,” she said.

“Whay?” Yugi asked.

“I sent him on that mission, and he was killed,” Her shoulders began to shake, “Just like Moose and Ukyo.”

She began to cry and Takato placed a hand on her shoulder. “Juri…”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it,” Ranma smiled, “I’ve known Kuno for a long time, and he wouldn’t do anything if didn’t want to. It’s not like you forced him, and he went out doing what he wanted to do.”

“Yeah, Ranma’s right,” Ryoga said, “Kuno was…Kuno. You can’t beat yourself up over it.”

She sniffled. “Yeah, I…I guess you’re right.”

Akane nodded. “Now, the reason I wanted to see you all, is that our ‘benefactor’ has a special mission for us.”

“What?” Yugi asked.

“One of the ‘experiments,’ is going to be transported to a special medical hospital where they hope to do some special tests on her. He wants us to rescue her so we can try to figure out what exactly they did to her.”

“Experiments?” Takato asked, “You mean, part of Project LAIN?”

Akane nodded. “Yeah.” She turned to Yugi, “Well?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “If he thinks its that important, then we’ll do it.”

“”””””””̶ 1;””””

Outside of the stadium in the Entertainment District, a girl with long bluish hair and a young man with a very bald head were waiting for them. “Vegeta!” she cheered, running over to him. “Vegeta, you were great!”

His crossed his arms and snuffed. “I lost, didn’t I?”

“Oh come on, just because Goku beat you doesn’t mean you still weren’t great!”

“Bulma’s right,” the bald young man said, “Give yourself some slack!”

He glared at them, “I don’t need you patronizing me!”

“Calm down, Vegeta,” Goku said, “I just got lucky, that’s all.”

He turned away with anger in his eyes. He just walked away. “Vegeta, wait!” Bulma shouted, running after him. Goku sighed and turned to his much shorter companion.

“He’ll never change, will he, Krillen?”

He shrugged. “Probably not…” he sighed, “Unfortunately. By the way, the Androids are back.”

Goku frowned. “They are? Damn. All right, keep your eyes on them. If they start any trouble, we’ll go after ‘im.”

Krillen grinned. “You got it.”

……….this tale has only just begun…….

Author’s note: This fic will be a crossover, or more accurately, a merger of different animes: Dragonball Z, Digimon, Shaman King, Card Captors Sakura, Serial Experiments Lain, Ranma ½, but most of the plot will come from Akira, the anime, not the magna.

Reviews are always appreciated.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, the date at the beginning was five years after Drgonball GT premiered.