Tag: batman

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Agamemno Contingency Standalones TS

Agamemno Contingency 5

Agamemno Contingency, file code name: Queen

Megumi Hishikawa is a Kamen Rider like Takeshi Hongo. Her DNA is blended with a tiger, a trait she inherited from her biological father, Hiro Adachi. She is capable of shifting into a humanoid tiger with bits of cybernetics showing. She also uses a belt to transform, but her belt requires the use of i.d. tags. See file 17 on equipment for further explanations about i.d. tags. Knocking the belt out of her hands before she sets it to her waist is recommended to keep her from accessing her Kamen Rider persona and her tiger form is only slightly faster than a human. However, simple redirection of her strength will ensure that she can’t land a hit. She also takes any harm to her friends personally, so a plausible third weapon is to use her experiences against her.

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Agamemno Contingency Standalones TS

Agamemno Contingency 4

Agamemno Contingency, file code name: Shapeshifter

Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autonomous Robotic Organisms of the planet Cybertron. Like all members of his species, he’s a robot with human levels of feeling and sentience, capable of transforming from a bipedal robot mode to a more compact alternate mode. His main fuel source is a crystal (Energon) that can be turned into a liquid state for drinking. The crystals put out a lot of radiation. Too much Energon radiation will cause him to short out after half an hour in robot mode. The higher the Energon radiation, the shorter his time in robot mode. He is also young, thus prone to impulsive behaviors. Incapacitating him will require increasing the Energon radiation in his immediate vicinity to keep him in alt-mode and a prolonged fight will cause him to lose focus.

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Agamemno Contingency Standalones TS

Agamemno Contingency 3

Agamemno Contingency, file code name: Masked Rider

Takeshi Hongo is a cyborg warrior with his DNA spliced with that of a grasshopper’s. This gives him incredible jumping powers and his skills on a motorcycle are the best in the world. He wears a belt that functions as a transformation device for his armored hero form, Kamen Rider.  He doesn’t function well with colder temperatures; he can’t transform into his Kamen Rider persona properly with the wind being too cold. Perhaps Mr. Freeze’s equipment can generate enough cold air to prevent him from transforming.

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Agamemno Contingency Standalones TS

Agamemno Contingency 2

Agamemno Contingency, file code name: Builder

Lucy, known by multiple aliases, her usual one being “Wyldstyle”, is a Master Builder, someone who can create anything, no matter how ridiculous, out of spare parts or various objects. She describes herself as “tough as nails” to hide her insecurities. She places a great deal of faith in her friends, exposing a weakness. Shatter her faith in some way and her will to fight is no more. Another area to exploit would be her creations. She takes pride in her builds and seeing them torn apart would enrage her. She is not one to take orders, opening a third avenue of incapacitation.

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Agamemno Contingency Standalones TS

Agamemno Contingency 1

Agamemno Contingency, file code name: Grey to White

Gandalf is a powerful Maiar spirit in the guise of an old wizard. He is long-lived; thus, his magical repertoire is near limitless. He is also skilled in combat, his preferred weapons being his magic staff and an Elven sword, Glamdring. Gandalf conducts most of his magic through his staff and he prefers to stay on the defensive. Keep him on the defensive and he’ll stay in a reactive position, thus limiting his options. A better way would be to destroy his staff, making his power go down significantly.

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Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Cast

Vortex Heroes

The main four heroes that follow Megumi and the other Vortex Riders.

Bio: (Upper Left)

Takeshi Hongo was a prodigy biochemistry student at Jounan University’s Biochemical Department with an abnormal i.q of 600 in the year 1971. He was also very physically adept, attracting the attention of the villainous Sacred Hegemony of Cycle Kindred Evolutionary Realm, or Shocker, for short.

Shocker was a terrorist organization hellbent on conquering Earth with mutant cyborgs. They had altered his body by splicing his DNA with that of a grasshopper and gave him cybernetic implants.

Before they could proceed with the brainwashing, there was an electrical fault, caused by a scientist in their midst, Professor Midorikawa, who Hongo worked alongside in the Biochemical Department. Professor Midorikawa was taken by Shocker and forced to work with Hiro to test the new transformation belt he made.

When he escaped, Takeshi Hongo tested his new abilities and soon started fighting Shocker as Kamen Rider. Over time, another person was captured, but Hongo saved him. The man was called Hayato Ichimonji, who took the mantle of Kamen Rider.

It was a long struggle, lasting well into the modern era. Soon enough, Ichimonji was kidnapped by Hiro Adachi , a former Shocker scientist that was the genius behind Hongo’s transformation belt. Soon enough he met the Feudal Nerd Society and pursued Ichimonji’s kidnapper and started going from universe to universe to save his friend.

Bio: (Upper Right)

Born as Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Batman saw his parents gunned down in his home city of Gotham and swore to eliminate crime. He studied the criminal justice system, honed his skills of deduction, and improved his self defense skills. Dressing as the thing he was once afraid of, Batman strikes fear into the heart of criminals everywhere. For a while, his only friend was the butler who was the father figure for the orphan.

Over time, Batman made a few friends here and there, helped form a superhuman league, and adopted a boy named Dick Grayson, now fighting crime with him as Robin. Sadly, Batman is slightly paranoid, and made a database on his friends’ powers and weaknesses.

During a chase with Bane, Robin was kidnapped by Lord Vortech after the Feudal Nerd Society and Hongo came into his universe. His fatherly instincts kicked in and he charged after Robin with the F.N.S and Hongo in hot pursuit.

Bio: (Lower Left)

One of the Istari, a group of Maiar sent to watch over Middle Earth, when Sauron was rising in power, Gandalf the Grey was a wizard that watched over an area called the Shire, populated by the native Hobbits, a human-like race that was half our height and was inclined to be rotund, on account of their seven meals in a day.

A Hobbit that stood out in his eyes, or had the potential to do so, was Bilbo Baggins, son of Bungo and Belladonna Baggins of Bag End, 1 Bagshot Row, Hobbiton, West Farthing, The Shire, Middle Earth. When Bilbo was 50, Gandalf had recruited him on an adventure with 13 dwarves to get their home back from Smaug, the dragon. After that adventure was over, Gandalf stayed near the Shire to keep an eye on things and to see Bilbo’s nephew, Frodo, grow up. It was during that time that Gandalf had suspicions about a magic ring Bilbo acquired.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard news about the Ringwraiths leaving Minas Morgul in search of Bilbo’s ring. While the ring was a magic one that turned you invisible, it was also the One Ring that Sauron had on his finger. Sauron was rising again and so Frodo, Gandalf, his gardener, Samwise Gamgee, and other men set out on a journey to destroy the Ring. They had to take a detour in the dwarven Mines of Moria, where they encountered a Balrog, a creature of shadow and flame.

We knew how Gandalf would eventually become a wizard surpassing Sauron’s power, but, this time, Gandalf fell with the beast and encountered Batman, Hongo, and the F.N.S. Gandalf was saved, but Frodo and the Ring were taken into a rift. Gandalf, Batman, Hongo, and the F.N.S pursued Frodo and started another adventure.

Bio: (Lower Right)

During the time of the Resistance, Lucy had developed insecurity and had a habit of changing her name a lot. During the final days of Lord Business’ reign, she called herself Wyldstyle, leading people to mistake her for a DJ. She found a construction worker called Emmett and accidentally led him to something that would end the prejudice against people like her.

Wyldstyle had an uncanny ability to see numbers around certain objects, turn those objects into Lego bricks, assemble the brick into a new shape, and make the object less blocky to be a new creation. People that can do that are called Master Builders. Lord Business had something against Master Builders and wanted everything in their proper place and following the instructions without question. Emmett once did so, but with Wyldstyle and the other Master Builders helping him, Emmett could see as Wyldstyle did and built a way to use the Piece of resistance to stop a glue-like super weapon, the Kragle. After she broke up with her universe’s Batman, Wyldstyle started dating Emmett.

During a celebration of Master Builder victory, one of her allies, MetalBeard, was kidnapped. Not soon after, another Batman, a Gandalf different to the one she knew, Hongo, and the F.N.S arrived. Soon after they introduced each other, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, Batman, Hongo, and the F.N.S were taken to Vorton to organize the fight against the one that kidnapped their loved ones. With that done, she and the others call themselves the Vortex Riders.

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Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 15

My group had arrived in our target universe. I must admit, my nerves were showing. “Okay,” I gulped, “let’s get moving!”

“Moon-kyung, are you all right?” asked Joshua.

“I’m not shivering because it’s cold,” I answered.

“You’re gonna do fine!” assured Tonje. I shook my head to clear my nerves.

“Come on,” I declared. “Let’s get going. We need to find the Tarlaxian crew and the Source.” We took to the streets and noticed something was…off.

“Everyone,” called Lukas, “can anyone tell me what that palace is?” He pointed to a palace evoking a massive crystal that dominated the skyline.

“Well now, looks like we know WHEN we are as well as where,” I mused.

“Not more time-travel!” groaned Batman.

“So, we’re in this universe’s 30th century,” mused Lacey.

“30th?” repeated Lukas.

“In Sailor Moon,” I explained, “when the 21st century started, Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon, became Neo Queen Serenity and made Tokyo the capital of Earth. She also found a way to slow down the aging process so people could enjoy a lifespan of 1,000 years.”

“How?” asked Batman. “What’s medical science like?”

“It’s not science that did it,” I replied. “Sailor Moon is a Magical Girl.”

“…Magic?” sighed Batman.

“I know it’s a little contrived,” I assured, “but that’s standard fare for Magical Girls.”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” called a woman’s voice. A quintet of women then ran up to us. They wore “sailor fuku” style outfits and had exotic hair matching their outfits’ colors. The woman who called out to us wore pink, even in her hair, and wore her hair like rabbit ears with a long ponytail behind each one. I knew her to be an adult form of Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Moon’s daughter. A woman in red wore her hair in an elaborate updo, revealing herself to be Sailor Vesta. A woman in blue had a bun on the top of her head and had a ring of braids with orbs dangling around her head, meaning she was Sailor Pallas. A woman with hair as pink as Sailor Chibi Moon’s had her hair in a bun with braids made into loops on the back of her head and ending in long ponytails. She was Sailor Ceres. The last woman in green and brown wore her hair in an elaborate updo with brown ponytails coming down. She was Sailor Juno. “You lot, a curfew’s in effect!” snapped Sailor Chibi Moon. “You can’t be outside while the Silver Enemy’s here at night!”

“Silver Enemy?” asked Batman.

“You know!” protested Sailor Vesta. “The Handle Heads!” Handle Head gave away who the enemy was!

“Where are they?!” I demanded, having read about how dangerous they are.

“Back there!” replied Sailor Chibi Moon. “So get to shelter and…” we rushed past her to where she pointed, “…and you’re doing the EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT I SAID! GET BACK HERE!” We ran down the street to confirm the Silver Enemy they were talking about. Rhythmic marching pounded on the pavement of the street as they patrolled the area, looking for any human to convert, to become like them. There was no doubt in my mind now; the Cybermen had invaded Crystal Tokyo. I didn’t see any Cybermen with black handles, so I could only believe a Cyber-Deputy was in charge of this group. One of the Cybermen spotted us and alerted his group to our presence. Every Cyberman turned to face us. I noticed the armor looked like a blend between 80’s Cyberman and modern Cyberman.

“We are the future,” droned the lead Cyberman, sounding like an 80’s Cyberman. “We are humanity 2.0. You will become like us.”

“Try and make us like you!” I challenged, burying my nerves before the fight. Like my daddy always said, “Friends may see your nerves, but your enemies must only see confidence.”

“GET OUT OF THERE!” shouted Sailor Chibi Moon.

“Your Highness,” I called, “I must ask you to trust us.”

“I…I don’t know what…” Sailor Chibi Moon was floundering at the idea that her identity was known.

“Madam, please, trust these people,” urged Lexicon. “They’re professionals when it comes to the Cybermen. Well, maybe one of them isn’t.”

“She didn’t need to know that!” I snapped as we fastened our belts. We then got ready.

“Henshin!” we all called. My Chronicle Driver spoke as we changed.

“Open! Turn! Imagine! The Spear of Lance!” We had adopted our Rider personas. As the belt announce, I became Kamen Rider Lance, a Rider based off of Korean armor worn during the Japanese invasions of Korea which ended in Korea’s victory.

“GET THEM!” I shouted. We charged the ranks of Cybermen and the battle began. The Sailor Senshi (Japanese word for Warrior) behind us gawked at how we charged the Cybermen.

“Wha…wha…how…I don’t…” floundered Sailor Chibi Moon.

“Are you familiar with multiverse theory?” asked Lexicon.

“…No, I can’t say as I am,” mumbled Sailor Chibi Moon.

“There are many realities out there,” lectured Lexicon. “Some realities are only observed. The reality these people came from observe your universe frequently, sometimes dressing up as you or your mother back in her time as Sailor Moon.”

“Hold on, are you saying that we have people watching us like we’re a t.v. show?!” yelped Sailor Chibi Moon.

“And hosting conventions dedicated to you lot,” confirmed Lexicon.

“…Wow,” breathed Sailor Chibi Moon. My team didn’t have time to react to her saying that as we were still too busy with the Cybermen. We were at a stalemate.

“Well, gaesaekki,” (son of a b***h) I hissed to my opponent, the purple highlighted Cyber-Deputy, “it’s a bit of a standoff.”

“Soon corrected,” replied the Cyber-Deputy. He turned to his troops. “Release the Cyber-Slammers.”

“Yes, Deputy,” confirmed a Cyberman as he keyed in a code on his gauntlet. Three monstrous Cybermen then arrived.

“Orders, Deputy?” asked one of the monstrous Cybermen.

“Display your prowess to them,” ordered the Cyber-Deputy as he pointed to us.

“Yes, Deputy,” confirmed the monstrous Cyberman. I noticed that one of the monstrous Cybermen had four arms, one of them had a tail and wings, and the one that spoke had four legs and three fingers.

“Sludgiona, please tell me that isn’t…” I gulped.

“The crew of the Tarlaxian scout ship!” replied Sludgiona. “But…how?! Cybermen require human parts! We’re not even REMOTELY human!”

“Such a limitation existed during our nomadic days,” explained the four-armed Cyberman, “but we’ve upgraded to convert ANY living organism, aside from amorphous life-forms such as yourself.”

“You’ve practically killed them!” snarled Sludgiona.

“Incorrect,” countered the Cyberman with a tail and wings. “We are Tarlaxian 2.0. Soon, we shall overcome the obstacles that prevent us from upgrading ones like you. We are Life 2.0. You will become like us.”

“…They’re people in the suits?!” realized Sailor Chibi Moon.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but yes,” I answered. “And, regretfully, everything they were is gone.”

“So you killed them!” snarled Sailor Chibi Moon as she pointed an accusing finger at the Cybermen.

“You are afraid,” observed the Cyber-Deputy. “You fear losing yourself to something greater. You fear not staying as the original Usagi Tsukino II. We can remove that fear. We can remove that pain. We can remove any emotion you view as negative.”

“And our positive emotions in the process!” argued Batman.

“Emotions are a hinderance to progress,” replied the Cyber-Deputy.

“But what about the desire to create?!” wailed Sailor Chibi Moon.

“We DO create,” answered the Cyber-Deputy.

“Only things that benefit the Cybermen!” I countered.

“Survival of the species is paramount,” dismissed the Cyber-Deputy.

“I’ve heard enough!” snapped Sailor Chibi Moon. She held her hand to her tiara and gathered energy into a disc. “MOON TIARA MAGIC!” she called as she flung the disc at a Cyberman. He was bathed in white light as the attack hit. The faded, revealing the Cyberman still standing. “Impossible!” breathed Sailor Chibi Moon. “You should have been dusted!”

“All attacks have been catalogued and adapted to,” replied the Cyber-Deputy. “Our new Cyber-Leader has been crucial to that.”

“New Cyber-Leader?” I quizzed.

“Our original Cyber-Leader was destroyed upon arrival in this universe,” explained the Cyber-Deputy. “Neo Queen Serenity was foolish enough to pursue this further.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” demanded Sailor Chibi Moon.

“You are the current Sailor Moon,” observed the Cyber-Deputy. “You have your mother’s original powers as well as your own. Why persist in pursuing something that is out of date?”

“Mom isn’t ‘something’! She’s ‘someone’!” snapped Sailor Chibi…let me rephrase, Sailor Moon.

“Now she is something more,” replied the Cyber-Deputy.

“Deputy,” called a Cyberman, “our new Cyber-Leader is ready.”

“Excellent,” answered the Cyber-Deputy. “Activate.” A bright light came from the parking garage entrance near us and blinded us before fading. My vision was still a little fuzzy, making me consider getting my current prescription contacts changed when this is over. From what I could tell, the distinctive shape of the original Sailor Moon stood before us.

“Mama!” called the current Sailor Moon. “It’s us! Over here!” My helmet began helping to correct my current vision, accounting for my current contacts, and cleared the picture. Neo Queen Serenity approached, well, I wished I didn’t see it. “Mama, what’s with the…the pants…Mama?” gulped Sailor Moon. My blood ran cold. What I saw was a chest unit, a silver undersuit, armor around the shoulders, legs, and arms, and a prosthetic right eye glowing blue! There was no further doubt in my mind. Neo Queen Serenity was upgraded into the new Cyber-Leader! Her hair was now silver and she had black dots on her buns instead of the black handles on her head that Cyber-Leaders usually have. “WHAT HAVE YOU MONSTERS DONE TO HER?!” demanded Sailor Moon. The Upgraded Neo Queen Serenity looked at us.

“So,” she mused, her voice being modulated, “a new member to the Vortex Riders. Otherwise, our information has proved accurate.”

“Sailor Moon, what do we do?!” called Sailor Vesta.

“We have to free Mama!” declared Sailor Moon.

“We’re outnumbered right now!” I argued. “We have to retreat!”

“But my mama’s their prisoner!” countered Sailor Moon.

“Not their prisoner, their LEADER!” corrected Lexicon.

“Orders, Leader?” asked the Cyber-Deputy.

“These units are surplus to requirements,” ordered Cyber Neo Queen Serenity. “All those declared to be nonessential to the survival of the Cyber Race are to be deleted. Eradicate them.”

“Yes, Leader,” obliged the Cyber-Deputy. The Cybermen then raised their weapons.

“Time we were somewhere relatively safer!” I decided as I summoned my steed. The others got the idea and summoned theirs. I further summoned Batman’s Bat Cycle. He grabbed Lexicon while Sludgiona joined me. The Sailor Senshi with us joined Outback, Kämpfer, and Swing while Herald B had two. We converted our steeds to bike mode and sped off while the Cybermen fired on us.

“Cyber Rider Battalion 3374 will pursue,” I ordered.

“Yes, Leader,” obliged the Cyber-Deputy. He relayed the orders and I felt, through the Cyberiad, the deployed Cyber Rider Battalion activate and pursue. They will be destroyed.

We sped through the streets, hearing the whining of engines coming up behind us. “WATCH OUT!” called Sailor Pallas. “THEY’VE GOT BIKERS!” I turned my head briefly a couple of times to see Cybermen pursuing us on hoverbikes!

“Jenjang!” (Damn it!) I swore. “FASTER!” We tried increasing speed, but that’s hard to do when dodging laser fire! Batman deployed a few smoke bombs, but the Cybermen adapted around that and continued pursuit.

“We have to get to the palace!” called Sailor Moon. “My dad should be able to help!”

“King Endymion, of course!” I affirmed. “He’s got help from the other side! Which way?!”

“Turn left!” directed Sailor Moon. We tried to, but the Cybermen blocked our path. We tried another direction, but the Cybermen blocked THAT path. Reversing would only lead to the ones behind us. We could only go forward and I had a feeling they were herding us to an undisclosed location so they could “delete” us. I tried desperately to look for an opening when…

“MARS SNAKE FIRE!” called a woman’s voice. A snake made of fire attacked the Cybermen behind us and destroyed them, causing them to give off their signature death rattle.

“SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!” shouted another woman. Electricity coursed through the Cybermen on our right, causing them to be destroyed while screaming.

“SPACE TURBULENCE!” announced a third woman. A large energy blast cleared the left for us.

“LEFT! NOW!” called Sailor Moon. The left was now clear as we headed to the palace unimpeded.

“Has the reason for the cessation of Cyber Rider Battalion life signals been identified?” I requested.

“The interference of three Sailor Senshi caused total battalion termination,” reported the Cyber-Deputy.

“Have they been identified?” I pressed on.

“Only by their respective attacks,” answered the Cyber-Deputy. “The attacks were Mars Snake Fire, Sparkling Wide Pressure, and Space turbulence, the respective attacks of Sailors Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus.”

“…Logically, the other Sailor Senshi of the 20th century are here,” I deduced. “Excellent. Prepare Conversion Chambers to receive them. The Vortex Riders and Batman are still surplus to requirements. The amorphous Tarlaxian is to be captured for experiments relating to upgrading her brand of life. Continue searching for the Source of Chaos.”

“Yes, Leader,” confirmed the Cyber-Deputy.

We arrived at the palace’s gates to see Sailors Saturn and Pluto greet us. Sailors Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus joined us a few seconds later. “Let them through,” bid Sailor Moon.

“What?” asked Sailor Saturn.

“They saved our lives,” explained Sailor Moon. “Let them through.” The gates opened and we went inside, parking our bikes in a designated spot and powering down. My vision was back to its blurry state, confirming I needed new contacts now. However, I didn’t need contacts to see that the palace looked more like a refugee camp! The Cybermen must have chased everyone out of their homes and Endymion opened the gates for as long as he could to keep the people safe. He probably couldn’t save EVERYONE, though. What do we tell him, his wife now commands the Cybermen? Speaking of which, Endymion approached us. Sailor Moon rushed up to him and hugged her dad.

“Lady, you’re all right!” Endymion sighed in relief.

“There were so many!” sobbed Sailor Moon. Father and daughter stayed in the embrace for a while. He then ended it and tried to get some answers.

“Your mother?” he asked. Sailor Moon looked away, ashamed.

“Neo Queen Serenity was altered by the Silver Enemy,” mumbled Mars.

“Altered?” asked Endymion.

“She’s their leader now!” elaborated Jupiter. Sailor Mercury came running up to us at that.

“Your Majesty, we’re getting a transmission from the Silver Enemy,” she reported.

“Let’s see it,” declared Endymion. An image appeared on a screen, displaying the interior of the Cybermen’s base with the upgraded Neo Queen Serenity standing in the middle.

“I am Cyber-Leader Gi,” she introduced. “We are the Cybermen. We will upgrade everyone to a level of perfection. You will become like us.”

“How?!” demanded Endymion. “We’ve scrambled all communications!”

“The knowledge Neo Queen Serenity possessed is now ours,” explained the newly christened Cyber-Leader Gi. “Your attempts at thwarting us are hopeless…Mamo-chan.” She said that, but there was no love in that phrase, only cold logic. The transmission ended, leaving us feeling very scared.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 16

With what’s been recently made clear to us, the people in the palace were in something of a panic. Sailors Mercury, Venus, and Neptune had a hard time keeping the people calm. Endymion called us and Sailor Moon, now wearing a pink gown and going by her name Usagi, instead of her childhood name of Chibiusa. “As I understand it, you know these…Cybermen…personally,” observed Endymion.

“I don’t, but the rest of my team do,” I explained. “They can explain it better than I can. Batman, why don’t you tell him since you’ve been trying to develop dossiers about them.”

“Very well,” rasped Batman. “Like us, the Cybermen come from another universe. The current models we see are the result of two models coming together. The more prominent model came from their prime universe, orbiting Earth from its twin planet, Mondas. Some disaster caused Mondas to drift and the Mondasians were getting weaker, their lifespans getting shorter. The Mondasian scientists and doctors developed prosthetic organs and limbs until they were almost completely replaced with metal, becoming nothing more than brains in suits. The other model was from a universe parallel to that one and had a similar story, just that a psychopathic genius forged them on that version of Earth in its present day. The two models came into contact and upgraded each other until they became a newer model that can adapt to anything. The model we faced was slightly different to the ones we’ve just met today. Shocker Rift must have had a hand in that.”

“Shocker Rift?” asked Endymion.

“A terrorist organization,” explained Lacey. “One that recruits other bad guys from other universes, living or dead. Queen Beryl would make a good recruit for Shocker Rift.”

“What do they do?” asked Usagi. “Tell me, what did they do to my mother?!” This was going to be harder to tell her.

“They’ve removed all emotions and slaved her mind and knowledge to their hive mind, the Cyberiad,” replied Joshua.

“Josh!” hissed Lukas.

“And lying to her would make any difference?!” argued Joshua.

“He has a point,” burbled Sludgiona. “And, if the Cyber-Slammers are any indication, they can upgrade ANY life-form, not just humans.”

“They mentioned that life-forms like you can’t be upgraded,” mumbled Flora.

“Yet,” answered Sludgiona.

“You think you’ll be used as a test subject?” asked Tonje.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that we just told a man and his daughter that an important woman in their life is considered dead?!” snapped Lexicon. We were snapped out of our argument to see Usagi crying into her dad’s shoulder. We were kicking ourselves for that.

“Maybe…I mean, she only just became that today…” mused Lacey.

“What are you talking about?”

“The Source might help free Neo Queen Serenity from Cyberman control,” explained Lacey. Endymion and Usagi gave their undivided attention to her after that. “I said MIGHT,” warned Lacey.

“What’s this Source you’re talking about?” asked Usagi.

“The Source of Chaos,” replied Lacey. “Believe it or not, I’m a new Horseman of the Apocalypse.” Usagi and Endymion leapt from their seats. “Relax! The Apocalypse isn’t happening now,” assured Lacey. “In any event, we all have these crystal spheres that work as a manifestation of each aspect of the apocalypse. I have the Source of Chaos, since an apocalypse usually has people running and screaming. Since I have that source, I can utilize its powers.”

“How can you do that?” I asked.

“If there was just enough chaotic energy,” continued Lacey, “in theory, something new could be created. Now, if Neo Queen Serenity’s Star Seed could be coaxed out of Cyber-Leader Gi and into a body that was exactly like her original before she was upgraded…”

“We might stand a chance against the Cybermen!” realized Usagi.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” urged Endymion. “What’s the risk?” Lacey hesitated before answering.

“I’d…rather not tell you…” she floundered.

“What’s the risk?!” insisted Endymion. Lacey sighed.

“The energy would cause the Star Seed to crack, killing her forever,” she finally explained. That killed the mood.

“Lovely,” I murmured.

“There has to be another option!” begged Usagi.

“The only other option is to kill her outright,” replied Sludgiona.

“We’re NOT resorting to murder!” hissed Batman.

“Her soul has been ripped from her original body and her body is now altered beyond what we know,” replied Sludgiona. “The only way she’ll know peace is to kill her with honor.”

“What kind of twisted view is that?!” I snapped.

“It’s the Tarlaxian way,” dismissed Sludgiona. “The soul cannot rest if its original body is altered in any way.”

“Out of the question!” I insisted.

“And using the Source will guarantee that she’ll live?!” argued Sludgiona.

“It looks like that’s the best option!” shouted Usagi.

“Your Highness, think about this,” urged Lacey. “There’s a chance that she’ll die in the process.”

“If I see her die,” insisted Usagi, “at least I want the knowledge that we’ve tried to save her.”

“…Very well,” sighed Lacey.

“Then we need to find out where the Source is,” I declared. “After that, we need to find the Cybermen’s base.”

“I believe Ami can help in that regard,” offered Endymion.

“Perfect,” I answered. “Lukas, Flora, see if you can help her. Batman, Joshua, Usagi, we need to coordinate an attack plan. Lexicon, keep watch over Endymion. Sludgiona, Tonje, I need you to help guard the gates with those assigned to watch duty.”

“Look at you,” praised Joshua, “becoming a leader.”

“…Thanks,” I mumbled, blushing and smiling a bit.

“All the necessary equipment for searching the city is online,” reported the Cyber-Deputy.

“Excellent,” I replied. I turned to the Communications Officer. “Inform the fleet that we’re ready to begin.”

“Leader, the Source has yet to be located!” reminded the Cyber-Deputy.

“Do you question my authority?” I asked.

“We should, at least, wait before communicating,” suggested the Cyber-Deputy.

“And will you answer for the delay?” I inquired. The Cyber-Deputy understood that I will not be questioned but did not yet understand the logic. As the Communications Officer set up the console, I explained. “Our energy reserves are limited. To search now would only be an expenditure of unnecessary power. We must conserve energy until the Source is located. The Vortex Riders will find it. They are led by one who has never traveled with the original Riders, a tactical error on their part. Once it is confirmed that they have located the Source, we shall take it in time for the fleet to arrive and annexation can begin.”

It took all day, but our battle plan was laid out for tomorrow. I wandered the halls of the palace, not getting any sleep. I went onto a balcony and sat on the bench near the railing. I sighed and looked around, seeing the firelight from campfires for those that made it into the palace for safety. A glance to my left caused me to gasp in shock! Batman was perched on the railing, looking at the skyline. “The Cybermen really did a number on Crystal Tokyo,” he observed. “Not even the Joker could top this.”

“Do you HAVE to perch yourself like that?!” I protested.

“Yes,” replied Batman. I rolled my eyes and waved it off.

“Please yourself,” I grumbled. We sat there for a while.

“…The Feudal Nerd Society is hiding something from you new guys,” remarked Batman.

“How they hid Vortech’s identity as the enemy back in your first adventure with them and Megumi had an emotional collapse when she realized her mistake?” I quizzed. The fact that Batman looked stunned told me that was what he was talking about. “Joshua and Emily told me about the vote to keep that incident secret. I heard Megumi voted no since she didn’t want a repeat.”

“They told you?” asked Batman. “I thought the consensus was they WOULDN’T tell you.”

“It was stinging their conscience,” I explained, repeating what they told me. “I don’t know who else they told yet. They told me this about a week ago.”

“I was half expecting this to be awkward,” mused Batman as he surveyed the area.

“In this instance, that would disrupt the board on our side,” I replied.

“…The board?” asked Batman. I winced when I realized my error.

“I have a tendency to think of everything as a chess game,” I answered. “It’s caused some conflict with my friends over in Korea.”

“I see,” replied Batman.

“That’s why I was so nervous to lead,” I continued. “Whenever I DO lead, it always turns into a chess game.”

“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” countered Batman, “just as long as you remember who’s who on the board.” That was a bit strange but I started to understand where he was coming from.

“Annexation can begin,” I relayed to the Communications Officer once the console was up and running the next day. “Repeat, annexation can begin.”

“Leader, I must repeat my objection to the transmission of incorrect data,” urged the Cyber-Deputy. “Our force does not yet hold the Source.”

“You are outside your function,” I reproached.

“Initial transmission received,” called the Communications Officer.

“Repeat once more, then relay the response,” I ordered. The Communications Officer was in the initial stages of carrying out my orders before an alarm sounded. “Report!” I ordered.

“Interference,” replied the Communications Officer. “Transmission and reception affected.”

“From what source?” I requested. “Provide more information.” The Communications Officer checked.

“The source is a completely unknown form of sound,” he finally reported.

“Open the monitor facility,” I ordered. The sound then played throughout the base.

“Fighting evil by moonlight,

Winning love by daylight,

Never running from a real fight,”

“She is the one named Sailor Moon!” continued the theme song.

“Mom had an anime about her adventures?” repeated Usagi.

“Two of them,” I answered. “Both of them were dubbed into English. Although one was more flawed than the other. I mean, in the anime that came out in the 90’s, Uranus and Neptune were cousins instead of lovers.”

“COUSINS?!” protested Uranus.

“The idea of gay lovers was still far-fetched back then,” I went on. “I don’t mind telling you, as someone with a girlfriend, I’m not too thrilled about that either.”

“I’m straight and I’m not terribly thrilled,” remarked Joshua.

“Well, the Cybermen should be thoroughly confused,” I declared. “Good thinking, Mercury.”

“That’s the disadvantage of a machine mind,” replied Sailor Mercury, “they’re single-minded.”

“It’s gone into a loop,” reported Batman.

“Perfect,” I answered. “Let’s go.” We headed off to search for the Source. We searched the west side of the castle to no avail.

“Anyone found it yet?” asked Batman.

“That’s gonna be a no on that one,” I sighed.

“The Cybermen have already broken through the first iteration and are starting the second one,” reported Lexicon.

“Earlier than anticipated,” I gulped.

“Sweet dreams are made of this.

Who am I to disagree?

I traveled the world and the seven seas.

Everybody’s looking for something.”

The jamming was now in a second loop. The Communications Officer turned to report. “The fleet is still not receiving our transmissions, Leader,” he answered.

“Is there ANY pattern to the jamming?” I asked.

“It is meaningless,” the Communications Officer replied.

“West side’s not giving up anything,” sighed Lacey.

“East’s no better,” replied Sailor Mars.

“I’m getting nothing from the…” Joshua trailed off.

“Joshua?!” I yelped. “Joshua, report!”

“The Source has been located in the north!” cheered Joshua. “I repeat, the Source is in the north!”

“Excellent move!” I praised. “We’ve castled the king! Stay put! We’re on our way! The Cybermen can now deal with the audio-based pawns at their leisure!”

“Kako no ishi wa Uso de wa azamuke nai (Lies cannot fool the will of the past.)

Kanjiro sō Nexus Future (Feel it in your bones! The Nexus Future!)

Now, Over “Quartzer”

Mabayui sekai (That dazzling world…)

Misete (Enchant me)” The jamming was now in a third loop. The Communications Officer worked fast to try and undo the jamming. His fingers were moving quickly across the console. Without the communications console, we could not contact the fleet or our forces searching the city. Just then, the noise stopped. The Cyberiad was finally at an acceptable collective processing speed. “Transmission channels are clear again,” reported the Communications Officer.

“Excellent,” I replied. “Resume search for…”

“Leader,” interrupted the Cyber-Deputy, “the Vortex Riders and Sailor Senshi are on a direct course for a warehouse near the Tarlaxian scout ship’s position in the north. The Cyber-Slammers have abandoned their post, thus allowing them passage.” I could feel the Cyber-Slammers trying to explain themselves through the Cyberiad, a fruitless endeavor.

“Betrayal,” I declared. “Delete them.” The Communications Officer transmitted a code which activated the explosive payloads within the Cyber-Slammers.

“What was that?!” yelped Sailor Venus.

“I think the Cybermen didn’t like how their Cyber-Slammers fared against us and ‘deleted’ them,” I guessed.

“…I REALLY don’t like them!” snarled Sailor Mars.

“Nothing about the Cybermen is likeable,” answered Lukas, recalling his first encounter with them.

“There’s the warehouse!” called Tonje. We entered the warehouse and found the Source in a crate.

“That’s the one!” confirmed Lacey as she held it.

“Surrender it to us,” called a voice. We turned to see Cyber-Leader Gi with a group of Cybermen standing in the doorway.

“SCATTER!” I shouted. We took off in various directions, causing the Cybermen to pursue us. Cyber-Leader Gi went after me. In the words of the Cybermen, excellent.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 20

“So, now that we’ve got the Sources,” remarked Richard the next day, “what now?”

“…I’m honestly not sure,” I replied. “Maybe the Horsemen might have something?”

“…You’re still thinking about what X-PO did,” observed Richard.

“I’m still thinking about what X-PO did,” I confirmed. “I’m not sure if I can trust him anymore. He really hurt us. I’m not sure if Alesandro and Victor are gonna stay with us after this.”

“I think they are,” replied Richard.

“What makes you so sure of that?” I quizzed.

“Well, Alesandro asked me to help him unpack,” replied Richard, “so I’d say it’s a safe bet he’s staying with us. Colleen and Victor talked and he decided on staying, so we’re good there.”

“Excellent,” I answered, feeling that much better. “All the same, I really need to apologize to them. The results may have been altered but we still made the choice to hide my emotional collapse from them.”

“Actually, Alesandro asked us to stop,” revealed Richard. “He gets that we regret it and will do what we can to make sure we don’t make that mistake again.”

“…Inundated with apologies from everyone?” I guessed.

“Yep,” confirmed Richard. “By the way, X-PO’s been arrested by the After Academy police for willful endangerment of students.”

“When’s the trial?” I asked.

“In two weeks,” replied Richard. “Miles Edgeworth is the prosecutor.”

“And X-PO’s defense attorney?” I quizzed.

“A Mr. Elkrandek from Tarlax 14,” answered Richard.

“Not exactly the most scrupulous lawyer,” I replied. Just then, alarms sounded throughout the base. “WHAT NOW?!” I snapped. Elphaba’s voice then came over the comms.

“All Riders, we have multiple vessels inbound!” she reported. “They’re cloaked, so we can’t get a good i.d. on them!”

“That’s too suspicious for comfort,” I declared as I took over the broadcast. “All hands, red alert! Assume battle stations and raise shields!” I then morphed into Tora-Onna (Tiger Woman) as I strode towards the Gateway Room to coordinate the action. Richard followed close behind.

“Why are you going fuzzy?” he asked.

“I never really had a chance to use this form,” I answered. “Sure, I turned into it on occasion, but never fully used it. Might as well ‘go fuzzy’ if it means an edge in battle if we’re boarded.” We arrived at the Gateway Room. Elphaba and her team were finishing up in locking down the Gateway. They didn’t want anyone trying to take advantage of any weakness in battle, much less anyone trying to go through and sneak up from behind.

“All of our codes have been locked into the Gateway,” reported Rusty. “We await yours.” I then leaned towards the mic.

“Computer,” I directed, “this is Queen Megumi Hishikawa. Lockdown 2-7-8-7-4-7-3-7. No one uses the Gateway until all codes have been verified and all voice patterns confirmed.”

“All Gateway functions disabled,” reported the secondary computer as it took over for X-PO. “Full functionality will not be restored until authorized personnel give the necessary codes.” I then made a secure call to the Virginia. Since Emily was needed in Sick Bay, Hiroki took command of the ship.

“Nee-san, ship status,” I requested.

“All lights are green,” reported Hiroki. “Liam’s back in Engineering with Dell and R9, Michael and Irina are manning the weapons, Tanisha’s the pilot again, and Crescent and Jason are working Communications.”

“Good to know,” I replied.

“Megumi,” called the Brigadier, “we’re receiving a transmission from the Hammer of Tarlax.”

“Scorpainia’s ship and the Tarlaxian flagship,” I replied. “What does she want?”

“She’s requesting to aid us as Shocker Rift has managed to steal Famine’s source and has reason to believe the cloaked vessels are of Shocker Rift origin,” explained the Brigadier.

“Tell her we happily accept and will offer any aid to get the Source back,” I directed. “Have the Tarlaxian fleet form up on the Virginia.”

“Understood,” replied the Brigadier as he saluted. He relayed my message. The Tarlaxian fleet arrived out of the large portals that ships need to go through the Rift safely and formed up on the Virginia.

“All stations report ready,” reported Elphaba.

“All ships standing by,” called Hiroki.

“Now comes the fun part,” I mused. “Who will make the first move?”

“That fleet must have followed us from Tarlax,” muttered Igura.

“They’re just sitting there,” observed the Joker. “We should have our fun now!”

“The instant we beam down,” I argued, “the fleet will know where we are. No. Hold position.”

“I say, that can’t be right,” muttered Michael.

“Is something the matter?” asked Hiroki.

“I’m reading Sontaran ship transponder codes,” explained Michael. “Using cloaking devices? That’s not like a Sontaran.”

“Why would Sontarans join Shocker Rift?” I asked.

“Megumi,” interjected Scorpainia, “if it pleases you, I have an idea on finding our targets.”

“Brigadier Stard,” reported the Sontaran Communications Officer, Lieutenant Krek, “we are receiving a broad transmission on all frequencies.”

“Put it through,” barked Brigadier Stard. Scorpainia’s face appeared.

“This is Queen Empress Scorpainia of the Tarlaxian Fleet!” she snarled. “Vorton is under my protection! Withdraw or be destroyed!”

“Ignore,” ordered Stard. “Hold position.”

“If there are Sontarans stupid enough to think they can win against me,” continued Scorpainia, “permit me to remind you that the last time you invaded Tarlax, before we moved to a new Tarlax, you required help from a god-like being. It’s clear enough that you are afraid of us. Why else would you hide behind a cloaking device?”

“…Make the call two-way!” snarled Stard. Scorpainia’s head twitched a bit, indicating that she had Stard on her viewscreen. “HOW DARE YOU!” roared Stard. “Scorpainia, you impugn my honor!”

“Whatever passes for Sontaran honor,” dismissed Scorpainia.

“Evidently,” hissed Stard, “you are unfamiliar with Standing Order 44 Subsidiary Clause 2! Mockery of a Sontaran Officer is to be considered an act of war!”

“A war where you will not receive a glorious death!” warned Scorpainia. The transmission ended.

“All ships, disengage the cloak and engage the enemy fleet!” ordered Stard.

“The Sontarans are disengaging the cloak and moving towards the enemy fleet!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.

“What are those fools doing?!” shouted Sauron.

“Fleet Marshal Skrag,” I ordered, “get them to return to formation and reengage the cloak!”

“They’re not responding, Sir!” reported Skrag. “Battle had been joined!”

“Idiots, this is too early!” I roared.

“Hiroki, the Sontarans took the bait!” reported Michael. “Good thinking, Scorpainia!”

“All ships, open fire!” I ordered.

“Assist the fleet in taking down the enemy,” I ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” called Richard as his fingers danced across the weapons console. A brilliant, multi-colored display of weapons fire illuminated the battlefield. Just then, the rest of Hiro’s fleet de-cloaked and moved to aid the Sontarans. Their weapons fire added to the display, affecting shield integrity in the process.

“We can’t keep this up much longer!” warned Lukas. “Any more and we’ll lose them!”

“Hongo, what’s your status?” I called on the comms.

“We’re ready and waiting,” replied Hongo. Vorton rocked again and the slightly blue tinge of the shields faded.

“We’ve lost shields!” called Lukas.

“Target shields down!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.

“Tell the boarding parties they may begin,” I ordered, grinning all the while.

“We’re being boarded!” reported Richard. Combatmen shimmered into view.

“Now’s the time, Minna-san!” I called as I extended my claws. There was a TREMENDOUS fight on Vorton. This time, it wasn’t going to be so easily blind-sided. I clawed and bit my enemies as my friends kept the rest at bay.

“That’s funny,” I mused as visual data from the Daleks she had killed came to my ship, “she hardly uses that form.”

“Is there any progress on locating the Sources?” grumbled Igura.

“Source Team is encountering heavy resistance,” reported Dalek Drone 2248292, “from Batman, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Ichigō.”

“They’re not that strong,” I muttered. “How could they be encountering resistance?”

“Okay, my turn!” called Batman.

“All yours!” I replied as I delivered a Rider Punch.

“Shift Keystone, activate!” announced Batman. “Yellow, on the wall left to me! Magenta, on the wall right of me! Cyan, on the ceiling! Shift! Cyan! Ichigō!” I went to the ceiling and tackled a Combatman to the floor. A Dalek brought its gunstick to bear on me! “Shift! Yellow! Batman!” Batman delivered a side kick as he came through the yellow portal. “Shift! Magenta! Gandalf!” Gandalf ran his sword through a Sontaran as it turned to face him. Wyldstyle built a large machine that ran a large pillar through the hall and knocked down the enemy forces. They just kept beaming on board! I leapt into the air and extended my foot towards a Combatman.

“RIDER KICK!” I announced as I kicked him. That wasn’t enough!

“There’s too many!” called Wyldstyle.

“We’re not letting them near the Sources we have!” insisted Batman as he slammed a Sontaran through a Dalek. A Combatman spoke in its usual noises to a Sontaran. The Sontaran gave hand signals to a yellow Dalek, the commander, that bobbed its eyestalk in some form of understanding. It faced us and a flipper came out of the gunstick, moving in and out and causing pain to us, but not enough to kill us. We fell to the ground, unable to move, only observe and listen.

“All enemies disabled!” reported the Commander Dalek.

“Safecrackers, move in!” barked the Sontaran to his subordinates. They came in with explosives and set the timer. “Move back!” shouted the Sontaran commander. The enemy got to a safe distance. “THREE! TWO! ONE!” The explosives blew the vault open. A Combatman issued orders to his subordinates. They were wearing metal gloves as they entered the vault. They managed to find the sources and pick them up, suffering no ill effects. They reported some form of success in their noises. “Excellent!” cheered the Sontaran commander.

“Dalek Commander 8734739 to Fleet Flagship, Dominus,” called the Commander Dalek.

“Sources safely retrieved!” reported the Dalek Commander at the Vault. “Requesting immediate pickup!”

“Get everyone out of there!” I ordered, a grin crossing my features. The teleporter operator obliged and got everyone out of Vorton. He reported that everyone that survived made it. “Get us out of here!” I commanded. “We move to Foundation Prime!”

“Er, Megumi,” called Emily from Sick Bay, “I’m looking on my screen and I see the enemy fleet pulling out even though they reduced ours to a fourth of its original size. What’s going on?”

“Vault, what happened?!” I called.

“This is…Batman,” strained the Dark Knight. “The enemy managed to…disable us…long enough…to get the Sources. They had…some way of…safely…handling them.” My heart sank at the report. They’re going to Foundation Prime and we didn’t have the numbers to stop them or pursue them.

“That was a general broadcast, Batman,” Emily chimed in. “None of my patients liked hearing that.”

“Orders, Megumi?” asked Guard. I sighed.

“Contact Tarlax and After Academy,” I resolved. “See if they can spare any ships. Emily, continue treating the wounded. We need all fighters to be at their best.”

“The enemy fleet is not pursuing us!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292. It stood next to Skrag as we sat in my ready room. Igura looked on.

“Splendid,” I praised. “Resume your post.”

“I obey!” answered Dalek Drone 2248292. As it left, my expression hardened as I turned to Skrag.

“The actions your ships have taken have halved our fleet, causing considerable disruption!” I snarled.

“The men were experiencing withdrawal symptoms from lack of battle!” replied Skrag. “This was a matter beyond my control!”

“Your orders,” hissed Igura, “were to hold position until the command was given!”

“That was impossible!” pleaded Skrag. “The men have been out of action for too long!”

“The responsibility was yours!” I roared. “You have failed! I cannot, WILL not, accept failure! Since you pleaded, you will NOT look upon your death!” I turned him around and shot him in the back of the head, the worst form of death for a Sontaran.

“I’ll have Fleet Marshal Strench and his ships report to our position, shall I?” offered Igura.

“Do so,” I answered. “Then, return to our quarters. We need to unwind on the way.”

“I have an outfit that may help in that regard,” purred Igura. We kissed.

“Listen, about what I said yesterday,” I muttered, “I’m sorry. That was unlike me to overlook your talents. I should have planned for Heather to disregard the Source.”

“Well, I DO know a way you can make it up to me,” chuckled Igura as she wiggled her eyebrows. I’ll probably be making it up to her for…maybe 20, 30 minutes.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 3

The Gateway opened to reveal Scorpainia stepping through. She had Turretorg, Technarain, Discornia, and Sludgiona with her. “I see you’ve had this place redecorated since I was here last,” observed Scorpainia.

“Looks a little…bright,” muttered Batman.

“Yeah, we needed to make it brighter,” I replied. “A few of us would rather NOT stumble with only blue lighting in a dark place. Some plant life also benefitted us. The oxygen generators were pretty taxed during the Vortech Wars.”

“And with the new lighting,” helped Lukas, “came a source of vitamin C, essential for us humans.” At that moment, the lights went off. “…Apparently, we need a better power source,” muttered Lukas.

“No, dudes,” called a surfer dude’s voice. “Just rerouting power!” The lights came back on as an R9 Astromech wheeled himself in. “Had a gnarly idea,” continued the Astromech, “that we could route some power from the sensors to the GUUUUNNS!”

“New guys, this is R9-D7, the only Astromech I know of that can speak Basic,” I introduced. “R9, these are the new guys.”

“I think the new guys are already familiar with the most RADICAL Astromech in the multiverse!” boasted R9.

“Remind me of his backstory again?” asked Liam.

“After the Vortech Wars,” I explained, “Vader left him behind. He was stuck on Vorton for a few weeks until X-PO found him. We fixed him up and installed vocal components so we don’t have to guess his beeping.”

“And it’s been awesome ever since!” cheered R9.

“R9,” called Emily, “quick question. How are the defenses going to shoot any invaders WITHOUT the sensors?”

“…Okay, so there ARE some holes in my idea,” conceded R9. “No need to be bugging or anything.”

“We’ll save modifications AFTER this adventure,” I suggested.

“Buzzkill,” muttered R9.

“All right, is everyone here for the briefing?” I asked.

“Wait, where’s Pup-X5?” asked Emmanuel.

“And Lexicon, for that matter,” supplied Sheela.

“We’re here!” called a woman’s voice. A large, gunmetal grey can with an antenna on top came in with a humanoid dog robot walking it. The dog robot was about Snoopy’s height. He detached the leash from the can and petted Kit-10. “Sorry about the wait,” remarked the can, Lexicon, a mobile datastore. “Pup-X5 insisted on getting a bite to eat. How you lot managed to install a stomach that can process food like you do, I’ll never understand.” Pup-X5 rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

“Well, you got here anyways,” I dismissed, “so thank you for coming. Now that we’re all here, X-PO, you may begin.”

“Thank you,” bid X-PO. He started up a PowerPoint with the Gateway. “As many of you know,” he began, “five Tarlaxian Jabarda class scout ships were deployed to scout for potential universes in case the Omega Protocols needed to be deployed again.”

“A future Tarlax 15?” quizzed Wyldstyle.

“Indeed,” confirmed Scorpainia. “I would have called you lot a little later, but SOMEONE decided to force the issue!” She glared at X-PO.

“We’ll turn him into a coffee maker later,” I joked.

“Thanks,” snarked X-PO. “Anyway, in the most recent logs, I discovered that they were going near five universes containing the Sources.”

“What IS a Source?” I asked.

“In this instance,” interjected Famine as she paused her snacking, “it’s the source of an aspect the five of us Horsemen represent. Each looks like a crystal ball, about the size of a human’s head, in our colors. Mine’s yellow, Pestilence’s green, Death’s blue, War’s orange, and Lacey inherited the purple one of Chaos.”

“Chaos?” I muttered.

“An apocalypse IS rather chaotic,” replied Lacey. “Besides, chaos is common when life exists.”

“Fair point,” I conceded.

“Does that mean we should call Lacey ‘Chaos’ instead?” asked Richard.

“Please, no!” groaned Lacey.

“Focus, please!” snapped X-PO.

“The Source Universes?” muttered Scorpainia. “What were they doing near there? They’re WAY too close to Foundation Prime. Besides, we’ve long established that they were inhabited.”

“We always look for universes with no life aside from plants on ANY of that universe’s planets,” supplied Sludgiona.

“What are the universes’ identifier strings?” I quizzed.

“5-P-L-4-T-0-0-N, D-1-5-N-3-Y, 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0, T-3-4-M-F-0-R-T-R-3-5-5-2, and 5-4-1-L-0-R-M-0-0-N,” replied Discornia.

“So, Splatoon, Disney, Super Mario, Team Fortress 2, and Sailor Moon,” I guessed.

“Bingo,” answered Death. “Splatoon hold my Source because they’ve invented a way to circumvent death in a weapon-using sport, Disney holds War’s as it’s very peaceful, given the chaos it usually brings, Super Mario has a cure for all, so it hides Pestilence’s Source, Team Fortress 2’s inhabitants don’t get hungry, so Famine could hide her Source there, and Sailor Moon brings order, so Lacey’s Source is safe.”

“So, the opposite aspects of your sources hides them,” I theorized.

“Exactly,” grunted War.

“But, as her Majesty asked, what were those ships doing there?” quizzed Technarain. “Their courses shouldn’t have taken them anywhere NEAR those universes.” Turretorg shuffled his feet. It’s not a quiet shuffle, given what his feet are made of.

“Turretorg,” hissed Scorpainia, “is there something you want to share with us?” No response. “Turretorg,” growled Scorpainia.

“I…I’m not at liberty to say,” stammered Turretorg.

“Not even to me?” snarled Scorpainia.

“…Sorry, but not even to you,” sighed Turretorg.

“That leaves us at liberty to speculate,” remarked Liam. He turned to Scorpainia. “You said they were near Foundation Prime, right?”

“They are,” confirmed Scorpainia. “As to why, I’ll let Death explain.”

“The Sources constantly project a barrier around Foundation Prime so no one, not even the Horsemen, could get to it,” explained Death. “However, if you’re clever enough you could find a chink in that barrier and get into Foundation Prime.”

“Vortech used me to that end,” remarked X-PO. “That’s how I got you guys into it.”

“So, when Vortech was beaten,” continued Death, “we reforged the barrier and shored up any flaws we could find. As such, using all five sources on the barrier will cause it to crumble and people could freely enter and exit Foundation Prime, restoring that square Vortech used to control the multiverse and bending it to their whims.”

“And, given the power we witnessed,” I guessed, “you didn’t WANT people to freely enter and exit that universe.”

“Exactly,” confirmed Death. “With all that in mind, those universes would make rather good defensive positions.”

“Hoping to control those universes?” Scorpainia asked Turretorg.

“Your Majesty,” sighed Turretorg, “I hope you’re not naïve enough to believe the Tarlaxian Senate DIDN’T want to use those universes.”

“No,” replied Scorpainia, “but I’m a little ticked that neither you nor the Senate brought the concern to my attention!”

“And?” quizzed Turretorg.

“And, if you didn’t tell her or your wife THAT,” hissed Moon-kyung as she nodded towards Discornia, “it makes us rather worried what ELSE you kept from her, or US, for that matter.”

“There wasn’t anything else to tell!” snarled Turretorg. “Their mission was to scout out potential universes in case the Omega Protocols were needed again. Yes, it WAS possible that they would pass by those universes. So, the Senate made it a secret parameter of said mission that, should they not find a threat to the Sources, they would gather data and intelligence relating to a defensive position to surround Foundation Prime. That is all!”

“It seems like a restructuring of the Senate is in order!” snarled Scorpainia. “I’d rather know about their concerns!”

“Well, from what I’ve picked up from a stray transmission,” interjected X-PO, “the crews of those ships weren’t too happy about that secret parameter either. Here’s something I picked up from the ship near 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0.” He played a video of an apartment with three Tarlaxians in it.

“Wait, I thought you said that it’s from a scout ship,” recalled Richard. “That looks like Linkara’s old apartment.”

“With the stuff he had, too,” muttered Livia.

“My doing,” answered Technarain. “I heard about nerds in that universe turning a house into a spaceship, so I wanted to get a good look at any potential bridge designs. Linkara’s old apartment seemed like a more functional choice. He seemed okay with it.”

“If we could continue?!” grunted War.

“Thank you,” bid X-PO. He started the video. A two-headed, six-armed woman in a glossy, black exoskeleton, a spider’s rear end above her butt, eight eyes in a ring on each head with the two largest ones in the center, and claws on her fingers was at a workstation. The annotations identified her as Spidarachnimpa. A woman with a skirt that looked like a snail’s foot sat on Spidarachnimpa’s left. She had a snail’s antennae in place of her eyes, a snail’s shell, and secreted slime all over her body. It didn’t seem to affect her workstation. An annotation called her Escargripam. In the kitchen was a Tarlaxian man with a humanoid body shape, a skirt of eight octopus tentacles, a ring of eight tentacles around his shoulders, and the head of an octopus with a beak where a human’s mouth should be. He was called Octorpindar. Spidarachnimpa’s left head spoke into a communicator.

“This is the scout ship, Tranzek,” she called. “We have just entered Mushroom World territory and are ready to carry out our assignment. All lights are orange. No sign of any problems. We look forward to hearing from you in an hour. Tranzek out.” She switched the comms off.

“I still can’t believe it!” griped Octorpindar. “I mean, a year of planning this venture, three months to get to the universe we’re supposed to be at, then, just a few days before we get there, Tarlax calls saying, ‘Hey! Can you deviate from your flight plan by about 2 more months and check out a universe near Foundation Prime that holds Pestilence’s Source?’ I mean…!”

“Steady on, Octorpindar,” interjected Spidarachnimpa’s right head.

“We knew this was a possibility,” continued her left head.

“Yeah, but,” grumbled Octorpindar, “they didn’t need to wait until practically the last minute to tell us! I mean if we manage to encounter Vortech’s prison…!”

“We won’t!” countered Spidarachnimpa’s left head. “We’ll be moving in parallel to the loop pattern and matching the velocity of the rift loop.”

“Plus we have automatic sealants,” continued her right head, “to take care of any pinpricks in this baby’s hull should any debris be caught in the rift loop’s orbit and flung at us.”

“I wish I shared your confidence,” remarked Octorpindar as he grabbed a sandwich from the fridge.

“Don’t worry about it, dude,” remarked Escargripam. “We’re not gonna find anything. I mean, the Doctor…”

“The Doctor!” interrupted Octorpindar. “There’s a Gallifreyan that is THAT arrogant to think they can heal their…!”

“The Doctor had practically tied Vortech’s prison into a pretty little bow!” continued Escargripam. “He’s stuck!”

“If he manages to wiggle out…!” protested Octorpindar.

“I think somebody’s a little cranky this morning,” remarked Spidarachnimpa’s left head as both turned to him.

“Somebody needs to sit in the comfy chair,” continued the right head. She tapped the unoccupied console as Octorpindar rolled his eyes. He entered the living room and sat down at the console. He looked around the apartment-bridge and sighed.

“This will never NOT be weird,” he muttered.

“We’ve been doing this for practically all our lives,” groaned Escargripam, “and you choose NOW to complain?!”

“We’re sitting in an apartment that once belonged to some nerd!” complained Octorpindar.

“We are sitting,” both of Spidarachnimpa’s heads snarled in unison, “on the bridge of the most advanced scout ship and we’re ready to make history! Now, I don’t care if it happens in a toilet stall or a nerd’s basement dwelling, as long as it gets us there and gets us home! So, put on your grown-up explorer boots and give me a read-out on engine consumption!”

“Sorry, sorry,” sighed Octorpindar as he checked his station. “Engine consumption’s nominal. Look, I’m just saying the multiverse can get crazy and weird.”

“Better weird than boring,” remarked Escargripam. She checked her station’s readings. “We’re approaching the Source Universe. Should be smooth sailing.”

“Belay that thought,” interjected Spidarachnimpa’s left head.

“Why?” quizzed Escargripam.

“I’m detecting a power signature out there,” reported Spidarachnimpa’s right head. They all looked at the reading on her console.

“How can anything have power this far out?” muttered Escargripam.

“Well, let’s find out,” replied Spidarachnimpa’s right head. “It’s about 170 cm in length, 89 cm in width, and…and coming at us in an attack vector!!” At this point, both heads were speaking in unison. “Hard about! Raise the…!” The ship lurched and tossed the Tarlaxian crew over their consoles. An explosion made the video end in static. We stood there in silence.

“…Are they…?” gulped Emmanuel.

“We’re STILL getting bio-signs,” replied Technarain, “so I don’t think so.”

“Now we REALLY need to rescue them,” I declared. “I had already decided to split us up into teams according to After Academy house, but I think a Keystone Bearer on each team would help.”

“And a Tarlaxian on each team,” interjected Scorpainia.

“And a robot,” called Kit-10.

“All right, then let’s get organized,” I affirmed. The teams went like so: Death, Haitao, Livia, Sheela, Colleen, Sophie, X-PO, Turretorg, and myself would go to 5-P-L-4-T-0-0-N to check on her Source, War, Gandalf, Michael, Hiroki, Irina, Alesandro, Charline, Kit-10, and Discornia would go to D-1-5-N-3-Y to check that Source’s status, Pestilence, Hongo, Emily, Mikhail, Tanisha, Liam, Amelia, R9-D7, and Scorpainia would use the Virginia to go to 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0 and use its sensors to check that Source out, Famine, Wyldstyle, Richard, Emmanuel, Xiomara, Victor, Brenden, Pup-X5, and Technarain will confirm the Source’s condition in T-3-4-M-F-0-R-T-R-3-5-5-2, and Lacey, Batman, Joshua, Lukas, Tonje, Moon-kyung, Flora, Lexicon, and Sludgiona would check out 5-4-1-L-0-R-M-0-0-N for her Source. “Are the team assignments clear?” I asked. Everyone replied yes. “Then let’s hit the hay for now,” I declared. “It’s late at night and I don’t want anyone fighting their own fatigue on top of fighting whoever’s behind this.”

“Sleep sounds heavenly right now,” muttered Moon-kyung. We all retired to our rooms and hit the sack.