It took every technically minded person a full two hours to make the virus. Once done, Tails approached them. “All right, we’re ready,” he said to Optimus, Sonic, Arsha, Rosadera, Megatron, and Galvatron.
“We still need to make our strike team,” remarked Galvatron.
“The Borg tend to ignore small groups unless that group attacks them,” said Optimus. “A two- or three-person team should do the trick.”
“And it should consist of people that are smaller than us,” remarked Megatron.
“Then that leaves me, Sonic, and Rosadera,” declared Arsha.
“We can’t go down there unless it’s cleared of Borg,” said Rosadera. “We’re the leaders. If they assimilate us, we’re all hosed. Besides, Azuliterii’s better with computers than I am.”
“Well, I’m not sending my family down there!” snarled Sonic. “And the Enterprise needs Shadow on the bridge!”
“…What about Knuckles?” asked Optimus. “His punches should break through Borg armor no sweat.”
“If he and Rouge are up for it, then that’s a perfect idea.”
“What about Liam?” asked Galvatron.
“He’s needed on the Virginia,” said Arsha.
“I’m going,” said a voice. It was Teefmanam!
“Out of the question!” protested Arsha.
“Arsha, with all due respect, that’s not your call to make.”
“Teefmanam, no! This isn’t one of the games you stream! If Lardeth is forced to bury you-!”
“Arsha, my mind is made up! I’m going whether you approve or not!” Arsha looked to her friends for help.
“Azuliterii will protect her,” assured Rosadera. “You have my word.”
“…Lardeth’s gonna kill me if you die, THEN he’s gonna divorce me!” groaned Arsha.
“Neither will happen, I promise,” said Teefmanam.
An hour later, after Azuliterii, Teefmanam, and Knuckles were assembled and briefed on how the plan would go, the three of them gathered in the Gateway Room. Rusty keyed in the coordinates. “All set,” she reported. “Opening a rift.”
“Away we go,” said Azuliterii. The rift opened and the team jumped in.
Back at After Academy, Megumi headed to her bike. She fastened her Vortex Driver and inserted her i.d tag into it. “Henshin,” she announced, and she spun the wheel. She became Kamen Rider Royal and mounted her bike.
“No,” said Richard’s voice.
“We’ve discussed this already,” replied Royal.
“It’s a suicide run! The Lords are still Borg!”
“I can take out as many as I can. Besides, we can’t die.”
“Yeah, but you can still be assimilated!”
“Richard, my mind is made up!” Royal gunned the engine.
“Our kids still need you!” Royal’s fingers stopped before they wrapped around the throttle.
“…Our daughters are independent,” she sighed. “Believe it or not, they no longer need me. They’re grown, capable fighters.”
“Megumi, please! Don’t leave me!” Royal declined her head.
“…Our daughters’ freedom is more important than mine. …Be strong for me.” She twisted the throttle and sped off. She went through the shield wall and met with a wall of Lords firing on the school.
“THERE SHE IS!” called a Lord. “OPEN FIRE! STUN ONLY!” The Lords fired their disruptors. Royal’s bike projected shields, but they wouldn’t last long. She went faster and burst through the ranks, causing Lords to be scattered into the air. She then turned the bike sideways and skidded to a stop, dragging her foot along the road as a means of braking. The Lords charged and Royal summoned her sword, converted it to rifle mode, and fired as long as she could before the Lords got too close and she had to switch it back to sword mode.
While the fight was going on, Knuckles and his team headed to the ground vinculum. Azuliterii began keying in commands. “Come on, don’t let there be so many redundant safeguards!” she muttered. Teefmanam then looked over.
“Uh oh, some of them are getting wise!” she warned.
“That’s our cue!” said Knuckles as he banged his fists together. As the Lords opened fire, Teefmanam fired her wand while Knuckles threw different projectiles. A few of the Lords were hit. One of the ones still standing looked over his fallen comrade, then his face contorted in rage.
“You killed Amanda!” he snarled as he looked at Teefmanam. “I will make you suffer for that!”
“She’s not dead!” said a lightly armored Lord. “She’s just damaged! She needs repairs in her alcove!”
“Get her there now!” ordered the distressed Lord.
“Am I hearing that right?!” called Azuliterii. “The Borg are using individual pronouns?!”
“Never mind that!” urged Knuckles. Just then, Azuliterii cheered.
“It’s done!” At that, the Lords realized that a new command came through.
“We can’t be THAT low on power!” argued one.
“It doesn’t matter, we all need to regenerate,” replied the Strike Commander. The Lords then ceased firing and beamed up to their Cube.
“Optimus, the virus is working! Repeat, the virus is working!” Teefmanam called.
“Roger that,” replied Optimus’ voice. “Get to the school and hide out there. We’re on our way.” The call then ended.
Royal continued swinging her sword into the Lords. She was beginning to tire. “What’s the matter, Princess?” taunted a Lord woman. “Can’t lift your sword?”
“Too many crumpets slowing you down?” taunted a Lord man.
“Still strong enough to stop you!” panted Royal. Just then, a call came through for the Lords.
“…Aw!” complained the woman. “We were having fun!”
“No matter,” sighed the man. “We gotta go.” The Lords then beamed out.
“…Eh?!” asked Royal. She then got a call.
“Megumi! Megumi, please respond!” begged the caller, her husband.
“I’m all right, Richard,” replied Megumi. “Just…confused.”
“Oh, thank the Chizarans!” sighed Richard happily. “Megumi, there’s been a drastic reduction in Lord ground troops! They all beamed up!”
“Well, I’m not complaining. “I’m heading back. Maybe we can get some-”
“WHOA!”
“Richard! Richard, are you-!”
“Azuliterii just popped in with one of Swalmu’s people and a version of Knuckles!”
“Azuliterii?! I’m DEFINITELY on my way!” Royal mounted her bike and sped off.
Royal got back behind the school’s walls and met Azuliterii and her companions. She transformed back into Megumi and hugged the Chizaran. “It’s been way too long!” she said.
“You’re not kidding,” agreed Azuliterii. The embrace broke off, then Azuliterii bonked Megumi on the head. “That stunt, on the other hand, we ALL could have done without!”
“Richard!” hissed Megumi, guessing who told her. “I did what I needed to do!”
“Throwing away your freedom like that is NEVER an acceptable solution! Not when the Virginia needs you!”
“…B…But the Virginia’s orbiting Vorton and we’ve engaged the Knightfall Protocols.”
“There were people, two that you know, that got wise to the Borg invading.”
“…No way!”
“They wanted to visit you. They can’t do that if you’re assimilated.”
“Why did everyone go back to their ships?” Sonavok demanded a Cardassian Lord woman, Ziddet.
“It looks like a good chunk of our forces,” she replied, “were told to report to their alcoves for regeneration.”
“All of them?”
“Only the Juggernaut and Imperium are unaffected.”
“…Hold on, something’s speaking through the hive mind. Let me hear it.” Ziddet keyed in a command on the nearby console and a voice crackled to life.
“Nine. Eight. Seven. Six,” droned the voice. Sonavok and Ziddet then realized what that countdown was all about when they detected power net buildups in the affected ships.
“GET OUT!” Sonavok shouted through both the hive mind and out loud. “GET OUT OF THERE!” He could feel the drones disconnecting from their alcoves, but it was too little, too late. The Lord fleet exploded, leaving only the Imperium and Juggernaut to weather the explosions.
“Optimus made that virus?!” asked Megumi
“He suggested the parameters,” corrected Azuliterii. “Speaking of which…” she then made a call. “Strike team to Vorton, the Borg threat is lessened! Repeat, the Borg lost too many drones for them!”
“Just enough for us!” cheered Optimus on the other end. “We’re on our way!” A fleet-sized rift then opened and the Virginia led the fleet into the universe.
“Dammit! Optimus and Arsha made it!” groaned Sonavok.
“We have to fight back!” urged Ziddet. “I’ll rally our remaining-!”
“Hey, Ziddet, Sonavok,” called a Bajoran Lord woman, “the Author wants to see you as we retreat.” Sonavok and Ziddet’s blood ran cold.
The remainder of the Lord fleet entered their own rift and abandoned Beyond City. Everyone cheered as the enemy fled. A call then came through. “This is Optimus Prime, requesting permission on behalf of the Ark, Enterprise, and Nemesis to beam down.”
“This is Arsha Royana, Queen of the Realms, requesting the same permission on behalf of the Endeavor and Glanthelantir,” said Arsha’s voice on the same call.
“This is Queen Scorpainia, also requesting landing permission on behalf of the Hammer of Tarlax.”
“Permission granted,” replied Death on the comms channel. “Welcome back, old friends.”
“Happy to be back,” said Optimus.