Tag: emily saunders

Lacey and her Singing Busts

Post author By Samuel Vinton
Post date June 16, 2020
No Comments on Lacey and her Singing Busts

I made this for last year’s Halloween.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for all realities concerned, Lacey Thanatos and her Singing Busts! Yes, Blackarachnia and Malnar have joined Lacey, Emily, and Moon-kyung in a Halloween Choral group. Lacey’s using her powers to render them as living busts and will return them to their normal states once their little tour across the multiverse is over.

Those things around Blackarachnia’s two eyes? Those are her other eyes. I figured Mobian Spiders would have two main eyes that see like ours and their other eyes they can open whenever they wish.

For now, enjoy this little band of happy haunts! Right now, they are part of 999 such haunts. There’s always room for one more, any volunteers?! AH HA HA HA HA HA! Happy Halloween!

Tags blackarachnia, busts, deung moon-kyung, emily saunders, hair flower, haunted mansion, lacey, malnar emboramii

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Cast

Dame Emily Saunders (Kamen Rider Touché)

Post author By Samuel Vinton
Post date June 7, 2020
No Comments on Dame Emily Saunders (Kamen Rider Touché)

Kamen Rider Touché! En Garde, thing of evil!

Tags emily saunders, kamen rider

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Cast

Dame Emily Saunders

Bio:

Having been made fun of for her weight, Emily had gained clinical depression. She was sure no one loved her until she saw three roses by her bedside table. When she found out they had come from her parents and brother, she found a way to stave off her depression by remembering her loved ones.

Over time, she became obsessed with roses, going so far as calling herself the Rose of the Internet. Much like the flower she loves so much, Emily has gained thorns with some snarky comments here and there.

When she heard about a gang of people dressing up for fun and being nerdy was forming and her brother was getting in on it, she joined up too. She gained enough medical knowledge to act as the resident medic for the F.N.S.

With help from Megumi’s mother, she gained a dress that showed how much she loved roses and wears a hairpiece with three roses to remind her of the people that gave her a reason to fight and live. Now, having gained a Vortex Driver, she fights as Kamen Rider Touché and will show everyone that there’s always a reason to live and a reason to fight.

Tags emily saunders, hair flower, rose

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 21

“How go repairs?” I asked Liam as I arrived on the Virginia’s bridge.

“I really wish you’d stop asking that every two minutes!” he hissed. “We still don’t know the extent of the damage!”

“…Very well,” I sighed. Emily finally caught up to me.

“Rest! Now! Doctor’s orders!” she snapped. I opened my mouth to protest but she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the Virginia’s sick bay. “Now lay down!” she ordered as she pointed to the bed.

“I can’t do that!” I insisted. “Not while Hiro’s doing god-knows-what to the Sources while on Foundation Prime!”

“You can’t command a damn thing while crashing into walls!” argued Emily. “This whole thing is stress-related and, as the resident doctor, I’m prescribing rest!” I didn’t move. “…Look, I get that Hiro managed to snatch victory from us,” she sighed, “and I get that you feel responsible, but we can’t exactly achieve victory if you’re fighting fatigue. Now, please, get some rest.” I stayed for a minute, then sighed before finally lying down.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she shut her eyes. “Majel, make sure she gets, at least, an hour of rest,” I ordered.

“Alarm set for one hour,” reported Majel. “By the way, Hiroki’s on the bridge.”

“I’ll meet him,” I replied. I headed off to the bridge and found him working on the Communications console on the lower level. I headed down and cleared my throat. That got his attention.

“Where’s Megumi?” he asked.

“Taking a much-needed nap in Sick Bay,” I reported. “She’s been stressing out about this whole thing that she’s practically crashing into walls.”

“Not surprised,” muttered Hiroki. “She’s not too happy with what X-PO did either.”

“Did this ever happen before you came to America?” I asked.

“Once, in school,” replied Hiroki. “She said something that could have been put into better words to a friend and almost lost that friend. Her studies weren’t at their usual best during the time she stressed about it.”

“Her friends are her power,” I guessed.

“If you want to use an anime trope, then yeah,” confirmed Hiroki. “Anything that risks the bond, she freaks out about it. Hence the emotional collapse after Hill Valley. She felt guilty for fracturing that bond. Now, she feels betrayed that the same mistake has been made.”

“Well, stressing about it won’t do her any good right now,” I affirmed. Just then, Liam came up.

“What’s up?” asked Hiroki.

“Right now, the amount of studs needed to fix this thing,” replied Liam. “The warp core needs restabilizing, the threshold between exterior and interior dimensions is just being held together with the equivalent of duct tape, the weapons need shoring up…”

“Give us the short version,” interjected Hiroki. “Can this be fixed in any reasonable time?” Liam winced before shaking his head. “…Damn,” sighed Hiroki.

“I’m sorry, guys,” muttered Liam, “but the damage Heather gave us was only patched up. The repairs were just supposed to hold until we could get it to a decent shipyard. That recent fight really stressed the Virginia to the point of it not going anywhere until it’s fully fixed. Flying this thing now will only serve to turn it into our tomb.”

“All right, thank you, Liam,” I sighed. Tanisha, Chell, and Elphaba beamed onto the bridge after Liam gave his report. “How’s Vorton?” Chell signed her answer.

“Could be better,” translated Tanisha. “Some of the systems are shot.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s ALL bad,” countered Elphaba. “We feared the Gateway’s systems were totally fried, but some functions, like basic life support, are still operational. However, a good chunk of the stabilization programs that require the Keystones to power are hurt a bit and require a fair amount of work.” Chell signed again.

“Not to mention,” translated Tanisha, “the security programs are subpar now, considering the recent invasion. On top of that, power distribution needs work.”

“Maybe…maybe we can reroute power to…” I guessed.

“Chell and Elphaba are being needlessly optimistic!” interrupted Tanisha. “I got the whole damage report from Lukas! This isn’t something we can slap some duct tape on and call it a day! Some of the systems are tied solely to X-PO’s presence on Vorton! With him gone, the seven person limit on the Gateway is back! We ALL can’t go to Foundation Prime without Megumi’s power! Now that things are damaged, trying to bypass them would be next to impossible without X-PO!” Hiroki kicked the pilot’s chair in anger.

“Hey, don’t take it out on them!” I snapped. “NONE of us are happy this happened!”

“He knew we scrambled them!” hissed Hiroki. I only guessed he was talking about Hiro.

“What, Vorton’s new coordinates?” I asked.

“Exactly!” replied Hiroki. “He somehow managed to deduce that we would try to scramble the coordinates if we wanted to be any safer! So he waited until we were vulnerable and so self-assured of our victory! With him having all five Sources now, we don’t stand a…”

“He didn’t know Vorton’s new coordinates until yesterday,” interjected Elphaba.

“…Nani?” asked Hiroki.

“A Tarlaxian ship did some scouting during the space battle,” explained Elphaba. “The only reason he could find us was because we didn’t shield the Sources’ energy signatures properly. He still had a fix on them. Originally, just after the Vortech Wars, he went to Vorton’s old coordinates. He only just found it yesterday.”

“…I repeat, WHAT?!” yelped Hiroki.

“The Sources gave off an energy signature that drew him in like a beacon,” elaborated Tanisha. “He must have kept records on them. We didn’t account for that and didn’t think to shield them.”

“…Megumi will be kicking herself again and stressing out after her nap when she hears about this,” muttered Hiroki.

“Well, not telling her will only make it worse,” I declared. “I’m going to tell her what we’ve discussed.” Hiroki was about to object when I put my finger to his lips. “Doctor’s prerogative,” I hissed. I turned to return to the Sick Bay when Lukas came onto the Bridge, cheering in his native German. “…Okay, what’s got you so happy? And I mean happy in the borderline lunatic asylum sense.”

“Meine Freunde,” (My friends) he began, “Tarlax came through! While After Academy can’t spare any ships, they don’t even have a shipyard, the Tarlaxian fleet that helped us was just a fraction of their full might! Just 1/32^nd of the Tarlaxian Imperial Navy!”

“That was over 800 ships that helped us yesterday!” yelped Hiroki.

“They’re making more ships to replace those that were lost,” continued Lukas, “and have a backway into Foundation Prime that can overtake Shocker Rift! At current projections, they’ll be arriving there within three days! We can use our shortcut to get there a day ahead of them!”

“Subarashi!” (Wonderful!) cheered Hiroki. “A chance of victory! Liam, how long will it take to fix the Virginia?!”

“With things as they are and with Tarlaxian Engineers helping me,” mused Liam, “as well as Lukas, Moon-kyung, Lacey, and Dell, five hours at minimum.”

“Get to it!” directed Hiroki. “We need this ship ready for battle soon.”

“Aye,” obliged Liam. He turned to Dell. “All right, let’s… HOO MONY TIMES DAE AH HAE TAE TEEL YE?! TH’ REIT TOOLS FUR TH’ REIT JOB!” He stomped off and told Dell off as they got to work.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him so happy,” I chuckled.

I woke up an hour later. Emily and Hiroki were sitting there with big grins on their faces. “…Did I miss the beatdown on Shocker Rift?” I asked.

“No, it hasn’t happened yet,” replied Hiroki. “Bad news first, we found out how they figured out our position. We didn’t think to shield the Sources, so they tracked it easily.”

“Not to mention, we don’t have the original shortcut since, without X-PO’s presence on Vorton,” continued Emily, “we can only throw seven people there.”

“…Original shortcut?” I asked, picking up on what she said.

“That’s where the good news comes in,” replied Emily as a smile crossed their features. “Shocker Rift is taking the normal, three day route. The Tarlaxians found a way for us to get ahead of them and arrive a day early!”

“They’re also sparing more ships to help us in case we have another space battle,” supplied Hiroki. “We’ll be ready to go in about four hours now.”

“Now THAT’S something to wake up to!” I cheered as I leapt from the bed. “We leave once everything’s ready.”

“Got it!” replied Hiroki as he headed off to relay my decision. I stretched to get rid of any sleepiness. After that, I turned towards the door.

“Ah AH!” called Emily. I stopped in mid-step, my foot still off the floor. There was a bit of a tense moment. “…Okay, you’re cleared for duty,” chuckled Emily.

“Har har,” I grumbled. I then left the Sick Bay and headed off to Main Engineering to find Liam and Dell arguing.

“You’re all hardhat and no cattle!” snapped Dell.

“Cannae ye say anythin’ ‘at ISNAE related tae Texas?!” snarled Liam, his accent coming in thick.

“You just ain’t doing it right!” argued Dell.

“I’ve bin thes ship’s engineer lang afair ye sit fit oan thes hin’!” ranted Liam. “Ah ken whit aam daein’! Ye cannae jist smack th’ weapons systems wi’ a wrench an’ caa it a day!”

“Hey look, buddy, I’m an Engineer. That means I solve problems,” replied Dell. “Not problems like ‘What is beauty?’, because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems. For instance, how am I going to stop some big mean mother-Hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind? The answer: use a gun, and if that don’t work, use more gun.” He then indicated the blueprints for the Sentry. “Like this heavy caliber, tripod-mounted, little ol’ number designed by me, BUILT by me, and you’d best hope… not pointed at you.”

“Gentlemen,” I called. The two men yelped and jumped two feet in the air.

“Don’t scare us like that!” protested Dell.

“I trust things are going well?” I asked.

“He’s trying to add Sentries to the outer hull!” snapped Liam. “You can’t achieve that by whacking the weapons systems with a pipe wrench!”

“It’s worked fine as frogs’ hair for me!” snapped Dell.

“Have you ever been on a spaceship before?!” argued Liam.

“Gentlemen!” I shouted. Both men turned to me. “Now is NOT the time. Look, Dell, save the Sentries on the hull until AFTER we beat Shocker Rift. Liam, you DO realize the wrench is coated in self-replicating, self-destructing nanites?”

“How in Sam Hill did you know that?!” yelped Dell.

“Lukas gave me the results of the time he examined the wrench,” I explained.

“…That boy’s more invasive than the Medic!” hissed Dell.

“Kill him later,” I directed. “Look, the nanites are programmed to upgrade any piece of technology when enough metal is absorbed and they’re struck with enough of an impact to shake some off the wrench.”

“They tend to shut off and destroy themselves quietly once they’ve done their job,” continued Dell.

“…Do you even have enough metal to fulfill the kind of upgrades you’re proposing?” asked Liam. Dell opened his mouth…then realized he didn’t.

“Darn,” he muttered.

“Like I said, just focus on getting basics up and running,” I replied.

“All righty then,” answered Dell. He and Liam then went back to work.

“Great Leader Hiro, Sir,” called my Sontaran Adjutant as he brought the people I wanted to meet into my Ready Room, “presenting Ambassador Hell and Metalran, Sir, as instructed.”

“Splendid,” I praised. “That will be all, Tunk.” The Sontaran left and I addressed my former boss and Tarlaxian ally. “So wonderful that you could bolster our numbers back to their original size.”

“We aim to please,” replied Metalran as he bowed.

“Maybe YOU do,” grumbled Ambassador Hell.

“It looks like he does,” I answered. “I know, deep down, you wish to please, so why not…?”

“Before you speak and try to incorrectly guess my motives,” interrupted Ambassador Hell, “let me tell you this: I don’t like the fact that you managed to usurp our Great Leader, I don’t like the fact that you’ve expanded Shocker to ideas above our station, and I don’t like you! You place your emotions above the needs of Shocker! You constantly obsess over a child! You manage to keep us from our goals of conquering our planet! Quite frankly, you are the most inefficient leader Shocker has had and should have stepped down!”

“…Well, since you wish to be unpleasant to me, it’s only fair I’m the same way to you,” I growled. “I don’t like you. You say I obsess over a child when you obsess over one man. You never expand your thoughts to long-term goals, only short-term ones. You say I place my emotions above Shocker’s needs, yet you constantly waste resources to defeating the Kamen Riders. To be blunt, Ambassador, the Great Leader made a mistake in pulling you from our American branch and making you the leader of our armies. Hence my usurping him. Now, if we’re all done being unpleasant with each other, I’d like for us all to get back to work. Dismissed.” The two left the Ready Room and I sat down, wondering what would happen if Ambassador Hell met with an…accident.

Tags dell conagher, emily saunders, hiro adachi, megumi hishikawa

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 4

With the Gateway having been fixed so that the seven person limit was removed, we didn’t need my power as Vortex. My team, Team Death, assembled first. “Coordinates set,” reported Rusty. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Shall we, Megumi?” offered Death.

“Minna,” I called, “ikuze! CHARGE!” We charged into the portal, flying through the rift.

Next up was my team, Team War. “Okay, Michael,” called Elphaba. “Your path is set.”

“Off we go!” I called. War gave off a battle-cry as we charged into the portal.

I had already taken everyone up to the Virginia. I adjusted the rose rings around my wrists as we arrived at the bridge. It was multi-leveled. The pilot sat in the center of the bridge’s lower level in a chair that looked like a multi-axis trainer, the chair astronauts use to simulate disorientation on reentry. The walls had half a TARDIS console built into them. The Captain, me, would sit in a chair on the level above the pilot and the First Officer would sit in the seat behind me, facing the back of the bridge in order to relay commands. I was showing off the consoles, starting from port, then going to bow, then starboard, then stern. “Welcome to the bridge!” I began. “We’ve only got a limited amount of time, so let’s go through it quickly. The port consoles are science stations, the bow consoles are weapons, the starboard consoles are in charge of communications, and the aft consoles command Engineering when the Chief Engineer is on the bridge. Now, positions. Liam.”

“Aye?” gulped Liam as he was snapped out of his awe.

“You know technical stuff, right?” I asked.

“…I hit things,” replied Liam. “They get fixed.”

“Splendid,” I answered. “You’ll work with R9 as an Engineer. Amelia, Pestilence, you work the science stations.”

“Got it,” confirmed Pestilence as she and Amelia took their respective consoles.”

“Hongo, you work the weapons,” I directed.

“Both consoles?” asked Hongo.

“Only one needs to be used,” answered Mikhail, “but we’re people who prefer back-ups. So, when one explodes, the other kicks in when only one person’s working the weapons.”

“Now THAT makes sense,” replied Hongo.

“Speaking of working consoles,” I interjected, “Mikhail, you’re in charge of communications.”

“да,” (Da, yes) confirmed Mikhail.

“Tanisha, you’ve flown ships before,” I recalled.

“Not this type,” remarked Tanisha. “I need to familiarize myself with the controls.”

“It’s like a video game,” I assured. “Think of the space battles in Star Wars: Battlefront II, the 2005 release.”

“Ah, the good one,” remarked Tanisha.

“Where does that leave me?!” protested Scorpainia.

“It leaves you as my First Officer,” I answered.

“YOUR First Officer?!” exclaimed Scorpainia.

“Megumi legally transferred ownership of the ship to me,” I explained. “As such, I’m it’s captain.”

“I see,” replied Scorpainia.

“Make sure my orders are carried out and smack anyone who says or does something stupid,” I instructed.

“Smacking limbs ready,” reported Scorpainia.

“All right, man your stations,” I directed. “Majel, ship status.” An image of the late Majel-Barret Roddenberry appeared on screen. She was in one of her Lwaxana Troi dresses.

“Still in standard orbit,” she reported, “and this a.i. is really, REALLY bored!”

“Is that…?!” gasped R9.

“No, it’s the a.i. based off of her,” I answered. “When she heard that I needed a shipboard computer, she volunteered. After I explained that it would have a full range of emotions, she planted the idea of an interactive image in Lukas’ head and suggested herself. This was after her guest lecture on how much influence women had in early science fiction. I agreed and so Lukas coded Majel here.”

“And I’ve been stuck orbiting Vorton for a while now,” muttered Majel.

“Well, our new adventure may stretch your engines,” I replied. “We’re going to universe 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0 to rescue some Tarlaxian explorers.”

“OOOH! Going outside Vorton!” cheered Majel. “Ready and waiting!”

“Tanisha,” I instructed as I sat down, “set a course for 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0. 50% of speed factor 1 until we’ve cleared orbit, then punch it to speed factor 7.”

“Got it,” confirmed Tanisha as she pressed the necessary buttons. As Scorpainia moved to sit behind me, I noticed something.

“Hey,” I whispered to her, not wanting to draw the bridge’s attention to it, “are you all right?”

“What do you mean?” replied Scorpainia in the same whisper.

“Your claw’s shaking,” I answered. Scorpainia’s right claw was shaking a bit. She looked at the claw and saw it shake. She then opened and shut it a few times, making it stop twitching.

“Must be getting old,” she chuckled. I could see it in her eyes, something’s terrified her. We were on a time crunch, though, so I put it to the back of my mind.

“Course laid in,” reported Tanisha.

“Engage!” I ordered in my best Picard impression. The engines hummed, the lights brightened…and the ship lurched, nearly throwing me out of my seat. Scorpainia yelped as the same happened to her while everyone else held onto their consoles as they fell.

“I’ll just correct the orbit, shall I?” gulped Majel.

“Vorton’s hailing us,” reported Mikhail.

“Put them through,” I directed. “They probably want to know what’s going on.”

“Is everything all right up there?” asked Richard.

“Just learned that the controls ARE similar to the space battles of the 2005 Star Wars: Battlefront II,” replied Tanisha, “but with inverted controls.”

“I think we need to learn how to fly this thing,” muttered Scorpainia.

“Majel, why don’t you pull up some tutorials?” I suggested.

“Tutorial system: engaged,” replied Majel. “We’ll start with step 1: Crash Avoidance.”

“When that’s done,” called Liam, “que up Snakes on a Plane.”

“Dude! Do it!” agreed R9.

“…All right,” mumbled Majel. “Queuing up Snakes on a Plane, directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson and…”

“Majel, cancel that order,” I interrupted.

“AW!” protested Liam and R9.

“You guys go on without us,” called Emily to my group.

“Okay, if you say so, Sis,” I muttered.

“We should probably get going,” mumbled Famine as she finished her chicken wings.

“All right, then,” I declared. “ATTACK!” We charged into the portal and fell through the rift.

“Moon-kyung,” called Joshua, “wish to do the honors?”

“Me?” I gulped.

“Why not? Let a new girl try her hand in a command position,” replied Lacey.

“…Well, I DID want to join the army when I was a girl,” I conceded. “Time to get some practice in. Gaja!” (Let’s go!) We charged into the portal and headed to our destination.

“There IS one thing I never liked about manning the Gateway,” muttered Elphaba as Ms. Moon-kyung and her group departed.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The waiting,” explained Elphaba.

“No one really likes waiting,” I replied.

“I’m actually fine with it,” signed Chell. Thank goodness Tanisha taught Rusty, Elphaba, and I how to understand American Sign Language.

“Why?” asked Elphaba.

“Back home,” continued Chell, “I was constantly put into dangerous situations by GLaDOS, never getting a moment’s rest. I’m fine with just waiting.”

“Well, maybe it’s the old bad guy in me,” sighed Elphaba, “but I would stave off the ennui by conquest.”

“You’ve REALLY got a bad case of jitters if conquest staves it off,” remarked Rusty. I snorted holding back a laugh.

“I don’t know if you noticed,” I remarked, “but your old associates in the Dalek Empire are the twitchiest bunch in our universe.”

“And knowing that there’s a hostile multiverse out there,” interjected Elphaba, “we need to be ready for attack. THAT’S what’s making me twitchy.”

“In MY day,” I replied, “we took on Daleks, Cybermen, Autons, Zygons, and all manner of space thuggery, and it doesn’t get more hostile than THAT!” Just then, the Gateway’s control console beeped. Elphaba took it.

“This is Vorton,” she introduced.

“It’s Emily,” called Young Miss Saunders. “We finally got the ship controls hammered out. We’ll see you later.”

“Good luck,” bid Elphaba. As soon as communications ended, the Virginia left orbit, opened a rift, and vanished into it. Rusty and I saluted, you’re familiar with the salute of the United Kingdom, as it left.

“All right,” declared Elphaba as she took charge, “we’re all going into one hour shifts monitoring various aspects. Rusty, you’re monitoring the power systems. Brigadier, you’re monitoring weapons. Chell, medical monitoring for you. I’ll monitor the Gateway for any rift activity. We switch at the end of our shifts, Gateway to medical to weapons to power to Gateway. Understood?” We all confirmed our duties. “Perfect, let’s…” the Gateway beeped again, interrupting her. Since she volunteered for Gateway duty, she checked the console. “Someone’s coming through!” she yelped.

“Shocker Rift?” asked Rusty as she readied her gunstick.

“…No,” reported Elphaba. “A blonde woman in rags.”

“What was she doing in the rift?” I asked.

“Does it matter?!” signed Chell. “Bring her in! She’s unprotected!” Elphaba opened a portal and brought the woman to the platform. Rusty’s eyes went wide.

“I know that face!” she breathed.

“Pardon?” I asked.

“From the Pathweb, the shared intelligence of the Daleks!” explained Rusty. “From the Doctor’s memories as well! I know that woman!”

“Who?” asked Elphaba as Chell picked her up and carried her to the medical bay. “Who is she?”

“…Rose Tyler!” declared Rusty.

Tags batman, death, emily saunders, famine, gandalf, kamen rider, kamen rider ichigo, lacey, megumi hishikawa, pestilence, war, wyldstyle

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 9

The Virginia was cruising through the rift at speed factor 7. I arranged a bouquet of my favorite flowers in the Captain’s Quarters when the door chimed. “Come in,” I bid. Scorpainia came in.

“We’ll be in Mario’s universe in two hours,” she reported.

“Appreciate it,” I reciprocated. She then turned to leave. “Hey, wait!” I called. “Don’t you want anything? Tea? Sandwich?”

“No thank you,” replied Scorpainia. “I have…other things to attend to.”

“…Okay,” I shrugged. The door shut when Scorpainia left. She’s never been this dodgy before. Then again, she DOES have a lot on her plate…as did I. At that point, I made a decision. I knew the consensus was that we wouldn’t tell the new guys about Megumi’s emotional collapse, but my conscience was kicking me ever since we made the decision. Now may not be the best time, but better than during battle. I headed to Liam’s quarters and knocked on the door.

“Aye?” he called.

“It’s Emily,” I answered. The door opened and I saw Liam with grease on his face.

“What can I do for you, Captain?” he asked.

“May I come in?” I asked.

“Sure, go ahead,” he bid as he stepped aside. I looked around and saw various tools out while a machine was on a workbench.

“You settled in quick,” I mused.

“Aye, that I did,” chuckled Liam. I then sighed.

“Okay, I gotta say this or I won’t say it at an appropriate time,” I declared. “Liam, we didn’t tell you our entire history. We left a part out.”

“Oh?” asked Liam.

“When we picked up Hongo and the others,” I explained, “ we left them in the dark about Vortech. It came to bite us in the ass and Megumi went through an emotional breakdown. We have a history of keeping secrets, I’m sorry to say. The general vote was not to tell you new guys, but it doesn’t sit right with me. If this changes anything…”

“Honestly, you proved me wrong by telling me this,” interrupted Liam.

“…Huh?” I quizzed, utterly confused.

“I thought you were just using your parents to cover up why you were involved,” replied Liam, “that you were forced by X-PO. The fact that you went with your gut just now proved me wrong. I have a habit of making assumptions and it fractured a few friendships in my life.”

“…I honestly expected you to leave us right now, but I’m glad I was proven wrong,” I sighed in relief.

“No more secrets then?” quizzed Liam.

“No more secrets,” I assured.

“Then perhaps you can clear something up for me,” directed Liam. “Where did you get this ship?! Was there a sale at the shops?!”

“I take it Death spun the ‘Spoils of War’ yarn?” I asked. “Nothing like that. The Horsemen were building the Virginia as a last-resort during the Vortech Wars. We didn’t need it, so they just gave it to us for us to take the occasional joyride or have a pleasure cruise. We still maintain the weapons just in case we need them. Given what’s going on, we may need them soon.”

“So, what did you do for a living again? Before you got your Vortex Driver?” asked Liam.

“I did Let’s Plays on YouTube,” I replied.

“…I went into the wrong line of work,” muttered Liam. Just then, Majel came onto the screen.

“I hate to interrupt,” she began, “but junction J-7 is out again. I think I need a 9 volt in there.”

“Hold on,” I replied. “I got this.” We headed into the hall and found the junction. I then took out a tool and fired a lightning bolt into it, making it glow again.

“Thank you!” bid Majel.

“You got a tool that can shoot lightning?!” yelped Liam.

“Yeah, don’t you?” I asked.

“…No!” replied Liam.

“You don’t?” quizzed Majel.

“…And you do?!” squeaked Liam.

“Of course, I do,” boasted Majel. “One of my weapons can do that.” Just then, something chimed. “Hold up, I’m picking up a vessel off the starboard bow,” muttered Majel.

“Can you identify it?” I quizzed.

“It almost looks like the Tarlaxian scout ship, Tranzek, but the mass and shape aren’t exact,” reported Majel.

“Let’s see it,” I directed. Majel showed us the vessel. It looked like a mean version of a science vessel. “All hands, to your stations!” I called over the comms. We all made our way to the bridge while R9 and Liam headed to Main Engineering. “All stop,” I ordered.

“Answering all stop,” reported Tanisha. The Virginia stopped and took a scan of the vessel. The results came up on screen, matching what Majel said earlier.

“On screen,” I commanded. The vessel appeared on screen and shocked us all.

“Is…that the Tranzek?” asked Mikhail.

“It looks like they glued debris onto it,” muttered Scorpainia. The upgraded vessel then moved off.

“After it,” I ordered. We followed it until we arrived in Mario’s world, in orbit around Mario’s planet. How did I know it was Mario’s planet? The Comet Observatory was in orbit as well.

“We’re being hailed by the Observatory,” reported Mikhail.

“Let’s hear it,” I directed. Rosalina then came up on screen.

“I’m glad your vessel responded,” mused Rosalina. “Tell me, what brings you here?”

“I can explain the full story later, Ma’am,” I replied, “but our immediate priority is the vessel we were in pursuit of, the one orbiting the planet as well.”

“Then, perhaps we should work together and find out what’s going on with that vessel,” suggested Rosalina.

“A good idea,” I answered. “We’ll maneuver close and attempt to dock with it and pick up what the crew’s doing.”

“The crew?” asked Rosalina. “What crew? I’m not getting any bio-readings from the ship.” Scorpainia gasped. I turned around with a quizzed look.

“If…if she’s not getting any bio-readings,” stammered Scorpainia, “then…they’ve either taken their equipment offline or…or they’re…dead.” That raised a few red flags for us.

“Ma’am, we’ll still investigate this,” I affirmed. “That’s supposed to be a manned vessel. We’ll report our findings when we’ve finished. Saunders out.” The call ended. “Scorpainia, is there an airlock on that kind of vessel?”

“Middle of the port side,” replied Scorpainia.

“Tanisha, maneuver us alongside the Tranzek’s port side,” I directed. “Line our docking tube with the airlock

“God, I HATE parallel parking!” grumbled Tanisha. We used maneuvering thrusters only to get alongside.

“I just had a thought,” called Hongo.

“What’s up?” I replied.

“The vessel DID move, right?” asked Hongo.

“…Yes, we pursued it to this universe,” I confirmed, not sure where Hongo’s line of questioning was going.

“Then, that means they have some sort of power,” continued Hongo.

“…Then why aren’t they acting on us moving?” I asked.

“Well, if we’re parallel to the ship,” replied Hongo, “our weapons couldn’t effectively hit the vessel. I mean, they WERE attacked before we departed. Maybe…”

“Oh no!” I gasped, realizing Hongo’s theory. The thing that attacked the Tranzek may still be onboard!

“I’m detecting an energy spike from their weapons!” called Amelia.

“Hard about!” I shouted. “Raise shields!” Unfortunately, Majel couldn’t raise shields fast enough as the Tranzek hit us. The lights then came on. They were blood-red instead of the standard white. The enemy vessel continued firing on us. “Hongo, return fire!” I ordered. Hongo’s fingers danced across his console, firing on the enemy vessel.

“Direct hit!” reported Hongo. “No effect! The enemy’s shields are too powerful!”

“Majel! Shields! Now!” I commanded.

“Shield power’s dropping like cement!” answered Majel. Scorpainia activated the comms on her armrest.

“Engineering! What’s going on?!” she demanded.

“Things are happening all at once!” reported Liam. “I’m trying to…” He was interrupted by an explosion. “Damn it! we needed ‘at! I’ll caa ye back!” He ended the call.

“R9, where are you?!” I called.

“On my way to Main Engineering!” replied R9’s voice. Good. Liam needs all the help he can get.

“Hongo, weapons status!” I barked.

“They keep adapting to every shot we throw at them!” answered Hongo. “We can’t penetrate their shields!”

“Tanisha, move us so we can fire the graviton launcher!” I ordered.

“The graviton launcher doesn’t have enough power to fire!” countered Majel. “In fact, we’re losing weapons power all together!”

“I don’t care!” I snapped. “We have to hit them! We…” the enemy vessel got in front of us. “Ah hell! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!” Tanisha tried her best, but the ship wasn’t moving fast enough! We still got hit!

“We can’t fight in this condition!” called Scorpainia. “We have to retreat!”

“Tanisha, get us out of here! Floor it!” I ordered, thinking that Scorpainia’s suggestion was a good one. I then called Main Engineering. “Liam, divert all power to engines!”

“I’ll do what I can,” replied Liam, “but some of the engines are down! We’re not moving so fast!” Just then, the Comet Observatory moved between us and the enemy vessel. She appeared on screen.

“Get out of here! We’ll hold them off!” she called.

“You don’t have weapons!” I countered.

“No, but we have shields! Now go!” insisted Rosalina.

“Intruder on the bridge!” shouted Scorpainia. We all turned to see a woman wearing a demonic looking Kamen Rider suit. Hongo then struck his pose.

“Rider…” he began.

“Stay on weapons!” I called as I drew my i.d. tag. “This one’s…”

“Such bravado,” spoke the demonic Kamen Rider. The voice…made me freeze. I recognized that voice. It haunted and hunted me during high school. I saw the owner of that voice cast into Hell itself…and still I heard it from that Kamen Rider. “Something wrong?” taunted the Kamen Rider as her hand moved to her belt, a demon’s head. “You’ve boasted that you could defeat me anywhere, anytime. I must say, you fat hog, you haven’t proven that to me today.” She closed the belt’s demon mouth, making the eyes close and the suit vanish in smoke. As it cleared, the woman underneath was revealed to be…

“Hillbilly Heather!” I whispered.

“That name!” snarled my, once late, arch-nemesis, Heather Richards. “That was never my name! You spat that name at me and it stuck!”

“How?” I gasped.

“I always endure!” hissed Heather, guessing the context of my question. “After you cast me into Hell, I was put into the outer ring of Hell’s seventh circle, condemned to forever swim in a river of boiling blood and fire!”

“Violence against people and property,” I recalled from Dante’s Inferno.

“I was not about to let those centaurs keep me down,” continued Heather, “so I ignored the pain of the arrows, mounted one, and charged off along the riverbank. Some demons didn’t like that, so they pursued me. Shocker Rift then came after me to try and enslave me again, so I managed to rip a Combatman’s skull out of his head and beat him to death with it!”

“That doesn’t seem physically possible!” countered Pestilence.

“That’s what the demons screamed as I beat the Combatman to death,” replied Heather. “The skull then turned into my new belt but needed souls to power it. I simply helped myself to those that swam in that river with me as well as the demons, centaurs, and Combatmen, then transformed into the Kamen Rider you just saw so I could escape Hell. I don’t exactly like using that word ‘Kamen’ or the word ‘Henshin’, given that they’re impure…but the multiverse proved that it hates purity. So, better to burn it and start all over again! I escaped Hell, blindsided a Shocker Rift saucer, intercepted the Tarlaxian scout ship, and seized control. The debris flung around by Vortech’s Rift Loop made the ship into a superb weapon!”

“What about the Tarlaxian crew?” I asked.

“After I took over their minds,” explained Heather, “they became excellent extensions of my will!”

“You destructive, filth-spewing…!” I snarled.

“Don’t assume you’re alive for idle chit-chat, you stubborn sow!” interrupted Heather. “You haven’t yet taken my place in Hell because I want you to know that it was I who defeated you, I who conquered Hell itself!”

“What now?” I hissed.

“Now?” asked Heather. “Now I kill everyone on this ship, destroy it, and use its junk to enhance my own!”

“Don’t you want to take it intact?” I asked. “You don’t need to destroy it OR us.”

“What I want,” growled Heather, “is to peel the skin from your bones! I want to tie you to a cross and burn you alive! I want to hurl stones at your helpless form! WHAT I WANT……I want many things; you sack of fat and juices! But, every time I try to prolong your agony, you always come out on top! No, you will die by my hand and you will die quickly so I don’t have to see you a second longer! Take this thought with you as you fall to Hell! As I swam in infinite heat with the taste of blood flooding my taste buds, the only thing that kept me from succumbing to madness, as the rest of the damned had long since done, was my hatred! My singular hatred of YOU!” She called up her ship. “Fire!” she commanded. Just then, she saw, on screen, her vessel’s lights flickering. “Oh, for…WHAT’S GOING ON OVER THERE?!” she shrieked as she vanished in a ball of fire.

“Floor it!” I ordered Tanisha. As we scrambled to get away, I noticed Scorpainia standing as still as a statue. “Scorpainia?!” I called. “SCORPAINIA!!”

“We’re drifting too close to the planet!” reported Tanisha. “I don’t have enough power to get us out of the atmosphere!” That shook Scorpainia into action.

“Make the landing as steady as possible!” she shouted.

“Releasing landing struts!” called Tanisha. “Deploying air brakes!” The Virginia’s landing struts were built like skis, so we were going to slide a good distance. The air brakes slowed us down a bit and helped level our descent.

“Do we have enough power to maintain orbit?!” I screamed at the spider monster.

“Yes,” droned the spider monster.

“Then keep us in orbit while I repair things!” I commanded.

“Understood, Pure One,” replied the spider monster.

Like I mentioned, our descent was rough. The impact was lessened, but still hard enough to make us bounce around. We skidded a good mile until we came to the outskirts of Toad Town. The Toads gathered around, hoping for survivors. Peach, Mario, Luigi, Daisy, and Rosalina came up. Rosalina was explaining the situation as Peach directed the crisis teams to get us out of the wreck. We all managed to survive, albeit a little dizzy. My mind still focused on two things: Heather’s resurrection and Scorpainia’s freezing up.

Tags emily saunders, kamen rider, kamen rider ichigo, pestilence, scorpainia

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 10

I must say, the mushrooms in this universe taste HORRIBLE! We had to eat one each to recover from the crash. “Mario,” I mumbled, “how do you bear it?”

“I’ve-a eaten them for years,” replied Mario. “You get-a used to it.”

“I guess,” I muttered as I finished mine off.

“And that’s-a all the bruises gone,” reported Mario as he took off his head mirror. “Everyone else is-a waiting for-a you.”

“Where did you get your medical degree?” I asked.

“Mushroom University,” answered Mario. “Best educational institute in-a this world.”

“And you’re still in the plumbing business?” I muttered.

“Wouldn’t trade it for-a the world,” cheered Mario. I met up with everyone outside Peach’s castle. We were all healed up and had explained the original reason for coming to this universe and who the enemy was.

“From initial sensor reports,” reported Majel from a computer terminal, “the Tranzek lost power suddenly.”

“Can they-a recover from that?” whimpered Luigi.

“Heather turned a science vessel into a warship, possibly in only a few hours,” I replied. “She’ll find a way.”

“Well, we have our own power problems,” interjected Liam as he took out his phone. “We got hit BAD!” He pulled up the damage report. “The hull can survive lift-off and atmospheric egress, but we’d be running on emergency batteries, meaning we won’t have enough power to get back to Vorton in any less than 2 months. If we have another space battle, though, we’ll be too focused on keeping all power reserved for life-support.”

“Can we repair the engines?” I asked.

“The good news is, the engines CAN be fixed,” reported Liam. “In fact, they can be fixed pretty easily. Whoever was the genius to make everything on the ship modular, I’d like to thank.”

“That would be Lacey,” wheezed Pestilence.

“And the bad news?” asked Tanisha.

“Remember all the shooting going on up there?” asked Liam. “Yeah, the cargo bay with all the spares was one of the areas damaged. I can try and jury-rig something with what we have, but it’s gonna take some time.”

“All right, options, people,” I directed. “Start throwing out ideas.”

“Couldn’t you use the debris field that the Rift Loop made?” asked Peach, having been filled in on what happened. “I mean, if Heather could use it, so could you.”

“Sorry, Peach, dudette, but we don’t have enough power to get into the rift at all,” sighed R9.

“Besides, that’s most likely where Heather will start looking,” muttered Daisy.

“Don’t we have any other transports?” asked Amelia. “A means of escape?”

“There ARE escape pods and we have a gunship, the Monticello,” I mused. “That IS a way out in a pinch.”

“Then let’s use them to lead Heather away,” suggested Amelia. “She seems set on murdering us instead of finding the Source. We lead her away, then double back to get the Source.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” countered Tanisha. “If we did that, we’d leave the Virginia open for Heather. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want to see her get that much more powerful.”

“…Never mind,” sighed Amelia.

“You said everything on your vessel is modular, correct?” asked Rosalina.

“Aye,” confirmed Liam.

“May I see the list of the parts you need?” requested Rosalina. Liam pulled it up on his phone and handed it to her. Rosalina looked through and seemed to get an idea. “I have multiples of those,” she replied.

“She may intercept any teleports,” I argued.

“I didn’t say they were on the observatory,” assured Rosalina. “Professor Gadd was kind enough to let me use one of his closets as parts storage. One spell and I could access it from my ship or in his workshop. It seems like the workshop is the safer option.”

“Can’t argue that,” mused Tanisha.

“That seems to be the best option,” rumbled Mikhail.

“How long will repairs be?” asked Hongo to Liam.

“With everything as it is,” guessed Liam, “two, maybe three hours. I’ll need to double-check to be sure.”

“We’ll go with Rosalina’s option,” I decided. “For now, we’ve had a long day. Let’s get some food and sleep, then we’ll help Liam and R9 fix the ship.”

“You realize not all of us have a clue how to fix a spaceship?” argued Daisy.

“Then help me make something to eat,” suggested Mikhail. “Or drink. Caffeine is probably a must for the repair crews.”

“I guess Crystal Shroom Cola’s out,” muttered Daisy.

“Would you even know how to make-a Crystal Shroom Cola from-a scratch?” asked Luigi.

“Sure, I keep several bottles of it in my panniers,” replied Daisy as she patted that part of her dress.

“All right, let’s get some food, everyone,” I directed.

“This way!” called Peach as she led us to her castle.

“Scorpainia, a word,” I called. The Tarlaxian leader followed me in another direction. We stopped and I turned to face her. “What was that up there?” I demanded.

“Pardon?” asked Scorpainia.

“I’ve never known you to freeze like that!” I hissed.

“…It’s nothing,” dismissed Scorpainia.

“It’s obviously something!” I argued.

“It’s nothing!” insisted Scorpainia as she turned to leave. At that point, I grabbed her tail just beneath the stinger and tugged on it a bit.

“Lady, if there’s something bothering you,” I snarled, “you need to tell us so it doesn’t interfere with getting those Tarlaxians back!” At that point, Scorpainia turned to face me, her lips curled into a snarl.

“I didn’t ask the F.N.S to go after those scout ships!” she snapped. “You lot volunteered!”

“Damn straight!” I replied. “People need our help, so we’re gonna help them!”

“You put yourselves at risk unnecessarily!” argued Scorpainia.

“Oh, come on!” I protested. “We’ve faced danger before!”

“Believe it or not, that’s…what’s the human phrase…peanuts compared to what I witnessed!” shouted Scorpainia. “You never had your mind invaded by a godlike creature! You were never forced to see your people beaten on by invading potato-heads while all you could do was sit on your throne and do nothing to help them! You never had lines forced into your skull to inspire blasphemy against your gods! You never had to destroy your home just so your people could survive!”

“And yet, despite all of that, you froze when a lesser being made the attempt!” I thundered. Scorpainia clenched her fists.

“…Yeah,” she replied. Her frown lessened, her eyebrows became less harsh, her fists unclenched, then she just collapsed!

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“Y…yeah, I…no, I…I mean…I thought I was,” mumbled Scorpainia.

“Pardon?” I quizzed.

“I thought I was…okay with…what happened in…my life so far,” she stammered.

“Look, we’ve had a long day, let’s…” I offered.

“No, I need to say this,” interjected Scorpainia. “Lately, I’ve been thinking about my life. Hell, when the ships launched, I’ve done nothing but think about my life. I was about to give a rousing speech to my husband, but then it all hit me at once; my origins as a starving peasant, my claiming the throne, Vortech controlling me, the Sontarans invading Tarlax 13…all of it. This became the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“PTSD?” I asked.

“No, more like…an epiphany,” replied Scorpainia. “Is this it? I know we’re a warrior culture, but is that all Tarlaxians have to look forward to, the next fight? That’s our entire history! I feel like I’m just waiting to die! Like I have nothing to look forward to but struggle after struggle after struggle after struggle!”

“Then, what was that up in space?” I asked.

“When Heather was about to kill us…I was ready,” answered Scorpainia. “I was ready for it all to end. But then…then she didn’t…and I didn’t know how to feel. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to die! But…here we are. …Here we are, having this conversation, all because I screwed up something awful!” At that point, I knelt down and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe you did,” I mused, “but it CAN be fixed.”

“You’re all in danger,” remarked Scorpainia. “You take the Virginia and get out of here once repairs are complete. I’ll hold off Heather in the Monticello.”

“Don’t you dare!” I snapped. “Look, you DID make a mistake, but it wasn’t letting us help you out. What would you do if you faced Heather alone? You’d freeze up like up there and would probably be dead. We knew there was a risk, but that’s par for the course for people like us. Besides, people need our help. Right now, YOU need our help. You’re one of our allies. Don’t patronize us like we don’t know what we’re doing! We’re here to help and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Now, come on. Let’s go rejoin the others and get some food.” Scorpainia looked at me for a while, sadness showing in her eyes, then she stood up slowly. I stood up at the same rate as her and we headed off.

We all had some food and were winding down for sleep. Thank goodness no one’s heard of haggis in this universe. I’m probably one of the few Scotsmen to be bold enough not to like haggis. Maybe I’m going to Hell for it, but, oh well. I tossed and turned in the bed but sleep wouldn’t come. R9’s light was still on. “R9? Are you asleep?” I asked.

“Not really, dude,” muttered R9. “But, then again, who can sleep at a time like this?”

“A few leap to mind,” I countered as I pointed at the sleeping forms of Hongo, Luigi, and Daisy.

“What’s on your mind?” asked R9.

“…We almost died today,” I recalled.

“We obviously didn’t,” replied R9. “Focus on that.”

“Aye, we survived,” I conceded. “But, we almost died and I’m not sure I’m okay with that.”

“No one really is,” assured R9. “No one really WANTS to die; they just want their pain to end.”

“…Do droids believe in God?” I asked.

“What do you mean by that?” quizzed R9.

“You know, God,” I replied. “Big, long, white beard. Lives up in the sky. Created the world in six days.”

“…Strictly speaking, organic life-forms are my god,” answered R9. “But, if you mean a cosmic level creator, well, that’s where ‘Thank the Maker’ comes from. Most droids believe that there’s some grand creator that made organic life so they could make us. Similar vein to God or Allah or other deities like that. I’m not a believer in the Maker, though.”

“Ah,” I replied.

“…I lost someone when I was serving the Empire,” explained R9. “A cute pilot droid I loved. It’s hard to be religious after that.”

“…Aye, it is,” I agreed, remembering my own faith being shaken after I lost my grandmother.

“Then again,” continued R9, “I’ve seen and done some things since the Empire left me behind and the F.N.S adopted me. I figure there’s SOMETHING out there for us.”

“Something wanting us to win?” I asked.

“Bingo, dude,” confirmed R9. “Mechanical or not, a life-form has to hold on to that, at least, otherwise there’s nothing.”

“…Do you ever worry that you’d let them down?” I quizzed.

“Every day, dude,” answered R9. “That’s kind of why I chose the surfer dude’s voice, it gives me confidence, even in the face of danger.”

“Well then,” I declared, my eyes finally starting to droop, “let’s make sure we don’t let them down.”

“I don’t think it’s enough to just have them root for us,” mumbled a voice. Hongo then sat up. “We have to root for each other too,” he said. “I once held a grudge against the Heisei Riders and that grudge almost tore us apart. I thought they only focused on their fancy gimmicks. Gaim proved me wrong, but I never forgave myself for being so blind. At this stage, I’m afraid that it will blind me again and we’ll all die.”

“…Okay, let’s say our worst fears are realized and something causes us to fall apart, like one of us dying,” I theorized. “The Virginia has big guns on it that we can use on Heather’s ugly face. I’d say that’s more than enough to get the ship up and running, don’t you?”

“…You’ve got the oddest way of comforting a man,” remarked Hongo.

“I once ran an internet show called Up The Arse,” I explained, “that dealt with idiots that, for some odd reason, made the news, whether they stuck something up an orifice or committed a crime for purely stupid reasons. The comfort people like me offer is revenge!” Hongo grinned.

“Well, with someone like you as an Engineer,” he chuckled, “how can we lose?”

“All right, enough talking,” I declared. “Let’s get some sleep.”

“Won’t argue there,” replied R9. “My batteries are pretty low.” We all shut our eyes, not fully going to sleep until after Daisy spoke.

“Personally, I don’t care if we live or die,” she muttered, “just as long as we go out swinging.”

“You know it, Lass,” I replied. Sleep finally came.

I had just connected two wires together and wrapped some duct tape around the exposed copper. The instant I did, the lights came back on. “Finally!” I snarled. “Locate the enemy vessel and prepare a bombardment! We must make sure she’s dead!”

“We cannot do as you say, Pure One,” replied the spider monster.

“Why not?!” I growled. “We must kill Emily! I will NOT let that sow exist a second longer!”

“The Hell Driver is almost drained,” reported the spider monster.

“WHAT?!” I shouted.

“Your transformation device is almost completely drained of power,” repeated the spider monster, “first by your prolonged transformation to escape Hell and commandeer this vessel, then by using it as a power source to maintain the energy demands of this upgraded vessel. I had to switch off certain systems so we could continue to have power until the belt is fully recharged.”

“And I assume,” I growled, “that, eventually, it will prove insufficient to power the ship.”

“Correct,” confirmed the spider monster. “A solution is available to address this problem, though.”

“Name it,” I ordered.

“There is a warehouse under the ownership of one Professor Elvin Gadd,” answered the spider monster, “that contains parts and power sources that can maintain the energy demands more effectively than the Hell Driver. We can use them to repair the vessel and power all of its functions without the Hell Driver. You can use it to strictly transform into your Rider persona.” I considered her words, then decided.

“Locate the warehouse and gather the necessary parts,” I commanded. “We will repair the ship, then kill her.”

“As you command, Pure One,” confirmed the spider monster.

The repairs to the Virginia were going well. Power was being restored and all damage was patched up. The ship could go into combat at a moment’s notice. I helped R9, Rosalina, and Liam install a new circuit board into junction J-7. “Careful,” warned Rosalina. “Make sure the contacts don’t touch the edge.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“The power will transfer to the metal of the walls,” explained Rosalina.

“Quickly travelling to you,” helped Liam. I then realized the risk and carefully slid the circuit board in. Soon, the problem junction was fully operational.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Nope, should be good,” reported R9. We then replaced the panel.

“All right, I’m going to pick up Peach and get some more supplies,” I suggested. I left the ship and found the Mushroom Kingdom’s princess looking rather sullen. “Hey, Peach!” I called. Peach just slowly turned her head to look at me.

“More supplies?” she mumbled.

“Are you okay?” I quizzed.

“…No,” she muttered. “But never mind me.”

“I can’t do that,” I said as I sat next to her on the bench. “What’s on your mind?”

“…I’m on the sidelines again,” she sighed. “My usual place.”

“…Oh,” I realized. “You feel as if you’re not contributing much.”

“I’m not,” she sighed.

“Look, picking up supplies isn’t useless,” I assured.

“But it’s not the main source of action!” snapped Peach. “Every moment of my life, I’ve been kidnapped, put off to the side, talked down to, and other various means of bringing me down! I want excitement! I want adventure! I want to be strong! I’ve never had a moment of personal strength!”

“…Tell me, where are you in the Smash tourneys?” I asked.

“21 in the top 30,” mumbled Peach.

“And in races?” I continued.

“3^rd,” replied Peach.

“Who stopped Bowser on Vibe Island?” I quizzed.

“I did,” answered Peach.

“Who led the charge to the Sprixie Kingdom after Bowser conquered it?” I went on.

“Me,” confirmed Peach.

“Who saved the dimensions when Dimentio and Count Bleck were causing chaos?” I inquired.

“Mario, but I helped,” answered Peach. Okay, not the best example.

“What did you do when the X-Nauts kidnapped you?” I asked.

“I told Mario their plans,” replied Peach.

“And who helped guide Megumi and her team throughout the video games during the Vortech Wars? You!” I declared. “Peach, you’re not as weak as you think. I know Bowser’s kidnappings are too frequent for your liking, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

“Still, I’d like the chance to prove that,” muttered Peach. Just then, Scorpainia ran up to us.

“Heather’s in the warehouse!” she reported.

Tags emily saunders, kamen rider, kamen rider ichigo, mushroom kingdom, princess peach, repairs

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 11

Peach and I followed Scorpainia and entered the warehouse. I got my Vortex Driver out, ready to transform, but a fireball knocked it out of my hands. I ran after it but another fireball just blocked the way and pushed us back. “You think you’ve won,” taunted Heather’s voice. “You think you have a chance, but the truth is, you’ve already lost. You have no sense of permanence. No means of remembering the glories of the past. Purity, on the other hand, purity is strong. Purity is perfection! Purity reminds us of the past! Diversity destroys what existed and was strong. In the end, those that cling to diversity are cowards!” I then realized that the voice was behind me. I whirled around only for Heather to wrap her fingers around my neck and toss me into boxes. Peach rushed forward with a cast-iron pan at the ready. Heather slammed her fist into Peach’s gut and threw her aside. Scorpainia swung her sword at her but Heather side-stepped and drove her foot into the exposed flesh of Scorpainia’s knee joint. One of the disadvantages of an exoskeleton, your joints are so easily exposed. Scorpainia was down but Peach and I got back up. I swung a punch but Heather side-stepped and my punch hit Peach’s face.

“Oh god! I’m sorry!” I apologized. Heather then grabbed my braid and flung me aside. Damn dress! I can’t move as effectively! Heather then drove her knee into Peach’s jaw, then pressed her fingers to her ear.

“Install the parts and destroy the enemy ship,” she ordered. “I’ll finish down here and kill Emily.” She then approached me. “Did you hear that?” she chuckled. “Everything you love will burn!”

“Oh, Heather, for all your technical genius,” I taunted, “you’re such an idiot and a loser!”

“Loser?!” snapped Heather as she slapped me silly. “You idiots are all at my feet and I’m not even in my Rider persona! What makes you think I’ve lost?!”

“Those baubles around Scorpainia’s waist aren’t a belt!” I replied. Heather turned to her and was jabbed in her side by Scorpainia’s stinger! She shoved her aside and fled, the pain of the venom flooding her nerves. I decided now was a good time to warn the ship. “Guys, the enemy’s about to bombard the Virginia!” I warned.

“Already in space!” reported Mikhail. “We have a plan and have the Source!”

“Good, act on the plan!” I ordered. “I’ve gotta keep Heather down here!”

“Understood!” replied Mikhail. The call ended.

“You know, there are moments where I don’t know why I’m even fighting!” grumbled Scorpainia as she massaged her knee joint. “I mean, that venom’s not lethal to humans! Maybe I’m just staving off the inevitable! No, wait, I got it! I’m waiting for the next reboot since this whole thing is like a comic book!” She then laughed for a while, stopping only to reflect. “I don’t know,” she sighed, “maybe I’m finally starting to hate my life.”

“…Do you?” asked Peach.

“…You know what, I don’t,” replied Scorpainia. “I still love my life. I love seeing what comes next. I love being around you guys. I love wandering the multiverse with you and seeing new universes. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I explored as much of the unexplored as I could and…” Her eyes then went wide. “That’s why I gotta live,” she breathed. “I’m an explorer! I like discovering the good and the bad! That would be the only thing that would allow me to stave off boredom if I became immortal! That’s why I need to live!”

“A good answer!” I praised.

“You two!” laughed Peach. “The way you go on!”

“What about it?” asked Scorpainia.

“You act like there’s nothing separating the two of you!” replied Peach. “You guys act like old friends instead of a Queen and foreign dignitary!”

“…We ARE friends,” answered Scorpainia. “Peach, is that what’s holding you back?”

“Titles mean nothing in terms of friendship,” I supplied. “We ARE friends. You don’t need to be the same class as others to be friends.” Peach then got the look of someone who had an epiphany.

“…I’ve been so isolated from my friends because of the class difference between us when I could have just ignored our classes,” she mumbled. She then got a look of resolve. “Time to really defend the kingdom!” Just then, the crews of both ships appeared with the Tarlaxians restrained.

“Scorpainia! The Eye! Now!” called Pestilence.

“Coming up!” confirmed Scorpainia. She approached the Tarlaxians as the jewel in the center of her armor pulsed with a soft light. “Look,” she commanded. The Tarlaxians looked and got a good view, still struggling against their bonds. Their struggles lessened until they stopped as the jewel pulsed. Soon, its pulsing stopped and the Tarlaxians shook their heads, getting a good look at Scorpainia. “Spidarachnimpa, my sister, how are you feeling?” asked Scorpainia.

“Crappy,” muttered Spidarachnimpa. “Where are we?”

“The Source universe the Council assigned to you without my knowledge,” explained Scorpainia.

“…Did you miss the memo or something?” asked Escargripam.

“They didn’t even draft one,” I replied.

“Us! The Queen! Our allies! Who else did they not tell and what’s that down my pants?!” Octorpindar griped. “Was it placed there when I slept?!”

“You were dead, actually,” explained Pestilence. “We used a green mushroom to bring you back to life.”

“A 1-Up mushroom,” Peach and I said together.

“…So…it’s bowel evacuation,” gulped Octorpindar. “I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”

“Don’t worry!” called Mikhail. “In anticipation of that, I have fashioned you some new pants while you were in the brig!” The new pants were a shade of pink that clashed horribly with Octorpindar’s purple skin.

“…At least I maintain a modicum of dignity,” mumbled Octorpindar. Just then, we heard a roar. “What was that?!” yelped Octorpindar.

“Get your swords and prepare for battle!” ordered Scorpainia.

“What’s going on?!” squeaked Escargripam.

“We’re in another universe that has items that give people powers,” replied Scorpainia, “trapped in a warehouse with a racist b***h that could give the Daleks a run for their money in terms of hatred, while armed with big swords and belts that turn people into superheroes.”

“…And you’re still keeping the multiversal exploration program well-funded?” asked Spidarachnimpa.

“Best use of tax money,” replied Scorpainia. “Octorpindar, wipe your ass and get ready!” As Octorpindar headed off to obey, Spidarachnimpa held up a device, a Chronicle Driver, to our amazement.

“Who needs extra protection?” she called.

“…Peach, wanna try it out?” I offered.

“Me?” yelped Peach.

“Like I said, you’re stronger than you think,” I answered. I held the belt closer to her. Peach seemed to consider…then took the belt and put it on.

“Chronicle Driver!” announced the belt after the strap formed.

“Just follow Liam on the transformation sequence,” I directed. “Speaking of, let’s do it! Hongo, if you please?” We all lined up and faced the door. I.d. tags and Armor Auto-bios came out and poses were struck.

“Rider…!” called Hongo.

“Henshin!” we all shouted.

“Open! Turn! Imagine!” cheered Liam’s belt. “The Shield of Highland!” Liam’s Rider form evoked traditional Highland dress, complete with kilt and sporran. His weapon was a shield with a gatling gun near his hand.

“Open! Turn! Imagine!” announced Peach’s belt. “The Scepter of Crown!” Peach looked like an old knight with a skirt. Her weapon was a long scepter. The door then disappeared in a ball of fire, revealing Heather, looking ready to kill.

“Rider forms, then,” she hissed. “Very well. Henshin.” She pulled the horns down, making the mouth and eyes open and spew fire. It curled around her and she vanished in the blaze until she waved it off in her Rider form. Mikhail started us off.

“Kamen Rider Gallop! My riding skills are unmatched!”

“Kamen Rider Hunt! I shall always get my prey!”

“Kamen Rider Pestilence! You shall be infected with losing!”

“Kamen Rider Herald G! I bring news of your defeat!”

“Kamen Rider Touché! En Garde, thing of evil!”

“Kamen Rider Highland!” called Liam. “It shall be a fine day for winning!”

“I am the start of a group of warriors! I am Kamen Rider!”

“I am Scorpainia, the exploring Queen!”

“I’m R9-D7! My radical voice will slice through you, dude!”

“Kamen Rider Crown!” announced Peach. “My strength will upend your tyranny!”

“If we’re doing catchphrases, then here’s mine!” snarled Heather. “Kamen Rider Diablo! I shall scatter your ashes to the winds!”

“Yeah, f**k you too!” countered Scorpainia.

“ATTACK!” I shouted. We all charged at Heather, Diablo, and were knocked down as she slammed her fist to the floor, causing a massive ring of fire to surround her. She then drew her hand slowly upwards and caused the flames to be drawn to her hand until it formed a gratuitously-sized sword. The blade was three times as thick and twice as long as a broadsword, thus requiring a main handle and a handle on the side, just beneath the blade. She managed to make a huge arc of fire with her swing. Scorpainia and Peach, Crown, were knocked off their feet. Crown then converted her scepter into a double-barreled gun and fired. The shot pushed Diablo back a bit. She recovered quickly and targeted Peach. She ran at her, but met with Liam, Highland, shield-bashing her, then he revealed the gatling gun and fired! Diablo took some hits, then rotated the side handle 90⁰ to her right and moved the main handle 45⁰ down. She then pointed the blade in its new configuration at Highland!

“Och heel!” he yelped as he raised his shield. A good move. Energy gathered at the blade’s tip. She then pressed a button on the main handle and fired a torrent of flames. Highland was knocked back a ways, thankfully, the shield took the brunt of it.

“This is getting us nowhere!” hissed Scorpainia. She then recalled something about Ichigō. “Say, Ichigō,” she called, “have you ever used your Keystone after the Vortech Wars?”

“Not really, why?” asked Ichigō.

“Did one ever shrink to get inside a belt?” inquired Scorpainia.

“…No, but I someone who can,” replied Ichigō, understanding the plan. “Highland! Over here!” As the rest of us continued fighting Diablo, Ichigō explained the plan to Highland, who seemed to have a mischievous expression.

“Do it!” he called.

“Scale Keystone, activate!” announced Ichigō. “Lessen scale of Highland!” Highland shrank down as Ichigō picked him up and flung him towards Diablo. He managed to scurry inside the belt, unbeknownst to her, while we continued fighting. Diablo grabbed Hunt and hoisted her into the air.

“You should remember your place!” she hissed.

“My place is alongside my friends!” snarled Hunt, not bothering to hide her, to put it mildly, irritation of that phrase being thrown at people of her skin tone. She converted her blade into rifle mode and fired at Diablo’s face. Diablo dropped her and covered her face, leaving her open for Hunt tripping her up. Diablo got up and I noticed her speed was a little slower. Highland then came out of the belt.

“Okay, nae gonnae thaur again!” he squeaked. “Ichigō! Now!”

“Normalize scale of Highland!” called Ichigō. Diablo swung a punch at me but I managed to catch it, not something I’d normally do. Diablo noticed this.

“What the?!” she growled. “What’s going on?!” I drove my knee into her stomach, winding her before she could block it. “What’s wrong?! Why’s my reaction time so s**t?!”

“That’s my doing!” laughed Highland when he returned to normal size. “The Rider’s undersuit acts as a neural interface between the person and the armor! The belt regulates it so the reaction time is the same as if the person’s wearing nothing at all! Mess with that function and the armor slows you down!” At that point, Diablo was struggling to stand. “NOW!” called Highland. We Vortex Riders spun the wheel while Highland and Crown pressed the button on their buckles. Herald G flipped a switch near her buckle while Pestilence opened and closed the buckle again.

“Final attack!” called the Vortex Drivers.

“Final Pen Stroke!” announced the Chronicle Drivers.

“Final Message!” shouted Herald G’s belt.

“Final Plague!” rasped Pestilence’s belt. We all leapt into the air.

“RIDER KICK!”

“RIDER GALLOP KICK!”

“RIDER HUNT KICK!”

“RIDER TOUCHÉ KICK!”

“RIDER HIGHLAND KICK!”

“RIDER CROWN KICK!”

“RIDER HERALD G KICK!”

“RIDER PESTILENCE KICK!” We sailed through the air with our feet outstretched and kicked so hard, she was knocked back at least 5 yards across the warehouse. Her armor cracked in places and fell, revealing Heather in pain.

“…So…did that…?” asked Peach. Heather then got up and made an effort to walk towards me while clutching her side.

“MUST…KILL…YOU…EMILY! …HATE…YOU!” she strained. I then cancelled my transformation and stormed up to her.

“You just don’t know when to stop, do you?!” I snarled. “You know, earlier, you boasted how purity will win! How we need to return to the glory days in order to remember them! How those who cling to diversity are cowards! That’s the thing, though! Purity does nothing but regresses us! It makes us repeat the mistakes of the past! We’re forever stuck in a moment in time! Life is all about making new glory days! I intend to make them happen!” At that, I was near enough that I swung a punch right into Heather’s exposed face! The punch was so hard, the rest of her armor fell apart as she was sent spinning! I then turned as she exploded, her body disappearing into the flames. “…Man, that felt good!” I sighed.

——————————————————————————————–

We were back on the Virginia. Unfortunately, the Tarlaxian crew lost their ship during the second space battle, so we offered them a lift to Vorton which they accepted. Peach joined us and took up the second communications console on the lower level while Octorpindar took the weapons console on the upper level to help Hongo. “Course laid in,” announced Tanisha.

“Engage,” I directed. This time, the Virginia entered the rift without lurching. “Contact Vorton and tell them we’re on our way back. Mission accomplished. ETA, three hours,” I ordered.

“Message sent,” reported Mikhail.

“Emily, Vorton replied with a rather weird story,” called Peach. She then relayed how many Sources we have in our possession, which Tarlaxians made it back, who else among the new guys knows about what we didn’t tell them, and the whole thing about the clone of one of the Doctor’s companions. We arrived without incident. After the welcome back, I met with Megumi, the Doctor, and Rusty to discuss the situation with the Rose clone.

“Where IS the photocopy?” I asked.

“Michael took her to After Academy for some food and to try a theory she came up with,” replied Megumi. “Maybe some casual conversation in a new environment will jog her memory. If not, the theory will be plan B.”

“I take it there’s been no luck in finding her memory?” I sighed.

“Nothing,” confirmed the Doctor. “Chell’s just as stumped and I asked every race I know of that uses cloning, even the Sontarans. The Sontaran Fleet Marshal I spoke with asked if she came from batch Z/772-9 and I have no idea why he’d mention that defective batch.”

“What about the Daleks?” asked Rusty.

“Believe it or not, I spoke with Davros himself,” replied the Doctor. “His exact words were ‘Only my children need cloning technology to survive. Why do you think I ordered the Enemy Duplication Program to be shut down?’ before going on a rant about his children’s superiority that I hung up on.”

“I wouldn’t toss out that idea too quickly,” advised Rusty, “not with our history of making duplicates of your companions.”

“…Pardon?” asked the Doctor.

“You know, the Kar-Charrat incident?” quizzed Rusty.

“…There was an incident involving the library on Kar-Charrat?” inquired the Doctor.

“Yes, we attempted to take it,” answered Rusty.

“Why would you guys want a library?” I asked.

“To make one of us a mobile data-store,” explained Rusty. “The library held the entire knowledge of the universe.”

“What does that have to do with the Daleks duplicating one of my companions?” quizzed the Doctor.

“Doctor, don’t you remember?” asked Rusty. “We needed a time-sensitive person to enter the facility and used a duplicate of your companion at the time, Ace. It used the DNA tag that the original Ace was implanted with so she could come and go as she pleased. It was equipped with voice modulation so it could lower the defense grid and we swarmed the place, killed most everyone on the staff, and tried to take the data using you as a safety buffer in case the test subject went insane. You discovered that the staff was using the native Kar-Charratans as data storage within the library’s wet-works facility and managed to free them while foiling our plans again.”

“You never…WHAT?!” protested the Doctor.

“Has your recent regeneration scattered your brain cells?!” yelped Rusty. “Doctor, we made a duplicate of one of your companions!”

“No, you didn’t!” argued the Doctor.

“I can prove it!” insisted Rusty. “In Michael’s universe, it’s an audio drama called The Genocide Machine! Computer, play The Genocide Machine!” The audio drama was about two hours and the Doctor was surprised at what happened during her seventh incarnation.

“I don’t remember this at all!” she finally replied when we finished.

“How could you forget this?!” I protested. “Ace was cloned!”

“That’s the thing!” argued the Doctor. “Like I apparently said back then, Dalek duplicates are cold! That’s because of their mechanical origin! The clone I scanned was totally biological!”

“Another mystery!” groaned Megumi. “What now?!”

——————————————————————————————–

“Okay, the iteration we’re contacting,” explained the Rose clone after plan A failed, “met Rose before. It’s not very logically-minded, thinking itself a god, but it knows some things and masterminded a lot of stuff the Doctor encountered, including the Cult of Skaro.”

“What makes you think it’s involved?” I asked.

“I’m grasping at straws here,” sighed the Rose clone as she tinkered with the machinery. I will say, her technical skill is very commendable. “I guess what I’m trying to prove through this whole exercise is that I’m NOT her.”

“Seems like this whole thing is a little dodgy!” I observed.

“It is,” confirmed the Rose clone. “That’s why only you know about it. Ready?”

“I guess,” I muttered.

“Then throw the switch when I tell you,” directed the Rose clone. She keyed in a command and her console turned green. “Now!” she commanded. I threw the switch and a hologram of a Kaled mutant with an enlarged brain appeared.

“Not the full resurrection a god like me deserves,” it boomed, confirming its status as the Dalek Emperor during the Ninth Doctor’s last episode, “but it will serve to…” it caught sight of the Rose clone. “YOU!” it shouted.

“No, I’m not the Bad Wolf,” replied the Rose clone.

“I know that!” dismissed the Emperor.

“…You do?” I asked.

“Of course, I remember from Pathweb in the…” replied the Emperor before it trailed off. “…Ah! You don’t remember! I can see it in your eyes!”

“What do you see?” asked the Rose clone.

“The truth,” answered the Emperor. “You don’t know it, but your soul does! It’s screaming to be remembered! I can see it!”

“What is my soul screaming for?!” demanded the Rose clone.

“Not yet!” chuckled the Emperor. “It’s too entertaining to reveal it right now! You failed once and will fail unless you remember your origins!”

“Was she some messed-up experiment your Time Controllers made to weaken the Doctor if you lost the Last Great Time War?!” I snapped.

“No, but it would have been a perfect contingency plan!” laughed the Emperor.

“Then who?!” shouted the Rose clone, desperate for answers. “Who created a clone of Rose Tyler?!”

“…Clone?” quizzed the Emperor. “What clone? You are not her clone!” The image then faded, leaving us with more questions than answers.

——————————————————————————————–

I stood outside After Academy, just looking at the clubhouse in the distance. A feeling welled within me, a feeling of betrayal. “…Well?” I asked myself. “Do you want to stay?” Just then, something approached me. It was a person wrapped in chains and rags!

“Help!” the person begged. “Please!”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I was…Carl,” replied the person. “When I was alive, I treated mankind like nothing.”

“When you were…you’re a ghost?!” I yelped.

“Yes,” answered Carl. “I had chosen to move on, unlike those that study in this school. I was deemed not evil enough for Hell, but not good enough for Purgatory or Heaven! Such…such restless pain!”

“I…I’m sorry,” I sympathized.

“Please! Help me! Find a way to help me repent and move on! Help me!” Carl then faded, leaving me stunned.

Tags emily saunders, kamen rider, kamen rider ichigo, new rider, pestilence, princess peach, scorpainia

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 24

Day Two of the trial arrived and we were ready to clear Rusty’s name. “So, you found no evidence of Dalek coding,” I asked Edgeworth.

“Not a lick,” confirmed Edgeworth. “Now, if Elkrandek found anything, I know how to dismiss it.”

“Here’s hoping it works,” I gulped.

“The trial is about to begin,” called the Bailiff.

“Shall we?” offered Edgeworth. We entered the Courtroom, the same witnesses as last time: Hongo, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, Batman, Elphaba, Rusty, Richard, Emily, and myself.

“All rise for the Honorable Judge Legowltor!” announced the Bailiff. We rose as Legowltor sat in his seat.

“Please be seated,” he directed. We sat down and he banged the gavel. “Court will now reconvene for the trial of the Experimental Portal Operator.”

“The Prosecution is ready, Your Honor,” declared Edgeworth.

“The Defense is ready, Your Honor,” answered Elkrandek.

“Last time, the Defense proposed that the witness, Rusty, fell back onto her old Dalek ways and framed the Defendant,” recalled Legowltor. “Today’s proceedings will start there. If the Prosecution could give their opening statement, we will get underway.”

“Your Honor,” began Edgeworth, “it is no secret that Rusty was once a soldier of the Dalek Empire. However, I hardly see a, pardon the phrase, ‘True’ Dalek choosing a humanoid form, since they hold the unquestioned belief in their superiority in all aspects, even genetically. The Prosecution will cheerfully clear this slander on the witness.”

“Defense, your rebuttal?” asked Legowltor.

“It IS true, no Dalek likes the humanoid form,” remarked Elkrandek. “However, those that ARE humanoid Daleks usually have their hatred increased to a dangerous level. In their minds, they were FORCED to adopt such a state. The defense argues that Rusty was acting in such a state.”

“Objection!” called Edgeworth. “Your Honor, this is nothing but vile slander towards the witness!”

“We shall see,” remarked Legowltor.

“Your Honor, I would like to call Rusty to the stand,” suggested Edgeworth.

“Very well,” replied Legowltor. “Rusty, take the stand.” Rusty obeyed.

“Ms. Rusty, could you kindly tell the court a little bit about why you have a humanoid shape?” requested Edgeworth.

“…As I said to you in the lobby earlier today,” gulped Rusty, “you may not believe it.”

“Please, testify on your current genetic circumstances,” insisted Edgeworth. Rusty drew in a deep breath before beginning.

“Before the Vortech Wars, I WAS a Dalek soldier, in the middle of a war with the humans of the Combined Galactic Resistance,” she recalled. “I had led a normal, hate-filled Dalek life until a battle left me adrift in space. Unbeknownst to me, my casing’s power source had cracked and was leaking radiation. During such time, I saw a star being born and deemed it beautiful, concluding that life will always find a way to continue despite the Daleks’ attempts. The Doctor and their companion at the time fixed me and I almost reverted back to basic Dalek programming until the Doctor linked their mind to mine. I saw what the Doctor saw, felt what they felt, and learned why they hated the Daleks so much. In true Dalek fashion, I saw the Daleks as an evil that must be exterminated. After defeating a Dalek task-force, I went off on my own adventures and met with a Cyberman that didn’t have his emotions removed and remembered who he was; Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. We went on to form a new UNIT, dedicated to keeping the peace throughout the galaxy. We had gotten reports that the Daleks and Cybermen were on a planet in the midst of a cold war. We went to investigate and found the F.N.S wandering around the planet, looking for the Keystone that was discovered to be in the Dalek Emperor’s possession. The Doctor helped out and got us all to Vorton. The Brigadier and I joined Elphaba in operating the Gateway. I was still trundling around in a Dalek’s casing…until one sad day in the F.N.S’ journey. Now, this is where it gets unbelievable. Hiro, possessing a Lambda-class Portal Operator, sabotaged a Star Destroyer under Vader’s command. I went to fix the sabotage, but the radiation penetrated my casing and ravaged my body. I had died, but my soul was preserved in my casing. At the time, I hopped to the nearest data-store under the possession of a Mr. Benjamin Kirby Tennyson; the Omnitrix. Through the Omnitrix, I went to the planet of Primus and used various genetic samples to construct the body you see now. I found a way back to Vorton, revealed myself to the F.N.S, and continued in my efforts to help them stop Vortech.”

“Objection!” Edgeworth finally called when he found his voice. He had his fist on the railing and was steadying himself with it in sheer shock of what he heard. “When you said I wouldn’t believe your testimony, I think you undersold it! You died and came back to life?! How is that possible?!”

“Your Honor, I must agree with the Prosecution’s objection!” supplied Elkrandek. “It is clear the witness is deranged in some fashion!”

“Hold it!” protested Rusty. “Your Honor, there is evidence that my story is true! Check with Azmuth on all available data within the Omnitrix on the day I died! Also, check with the F.N.S, you will find that they gave me a rather moving funeral!”

“Your Honor, the Prosecution already did so,” called Edgeworth, “but still can’t believe it, even though it’s been checked and confirmed.”

“If it’s been checked and confirmed,” replied Legowltor, “I see no reason to dismiss the witness’s testimony. Objection overruled. Besides, there IS precedence for such an incident.”

“…Very well,” sighed Edgeworth.

“The Defense would like to offer an apology for calling the witness deranged,” interjected Elkrandek. “It was clearly disparaging.”

“Apology accepted,” replied Rusty.

“Then, I believe this clears Ms. Rusty’s good name,” declared Legowltor. “Unless there are objections?”

“No objections,” answered Elkrandek.

“No objections,” confirmed Edgeworth.

“Splendid, we can continue with the main topic of these proceedings,” resolved Legowltor.

“The Prosecution would like to call the F.N.S’ doctor to the Stand,” declared Edgeworth. Rusty sat down as Emily took the stand. “State your name and occupation for the Court Record, please,” he directed.

“Emily Saunders,” answered Emily. “Chief Medical Officer for the F.N.S, Freshman at After Academy, and Captain of the FNSS-01, Virginia.”

“A CMO and a Captain at the same time?” spluttered Legowltor.

“I know it’s unorthodox,” replied Emily, “but it’s helped the F.N.S on more than one occasion. Besides, we have a system where someone else takes command of the Virginia if I’m unavailable in some fashion.”

“Well, if the system works, I will not judge, for once,” conceded Legowltor.

“Ms. Saunders, you have, on more than one occasion, interacted with the Defendant, correct?” asked Edgeworth.

“Yes, but I fail to see where you’re going with such a question,” replied Emily. “We’ve ALL interacted with the Defendant at some point in our lives.”

“Tell the court what your interactions entailed,” directed Edgeworth. Emily was still confused, but went ahead.

“They were centered around general maintenance,” she testified. “I know, again, unorthodox, but he IS labeled as a sentient machine under Article 7, Section 5, Paragraph 3 of the Sentience Act. As such, he’s granted the rights of healing without prejudice. Rusty walked me through on his mechanics and operational systems. Before the Defense even goes there, no, I don’t have the skill to plant such an idea in his head!”

“Now you understand why I asked,” smiled Edgeworth. “Your witness.”

“Ms. Saunders,” called Elkrandek, “your last statement was ‘I don’t have the skill to plant such an idea in his head,’ correct?”

“It was,” replied Emily. “Are you suggesting someone in the F.N.S did so?”

“No, I’m suggesting you may have suggested it to my client,” explained Elkrandek. “I propose that you planted the idea so it would seem that you would be innocent in all this!”

“Tell me, if that were true, why would I bother telling the new guys in secret?” asked Emily.

“Wh…wh…WHAAAAT?!” shrieked Elkrandek.

“Your Honor, if I may, I would like to testify on that subject,” offered Emily.

“By all means,” agreed Legowltor. Here comes more testimony.

“The vote results we got said that we wouldn’t tell the new guys,” she began. “That didn’t sit well on my conscience, nor my boyfriend’s, so we told one of the new guys, Deung Moon-kyung, before this adventure was brought to our attention. During the adventure, while the Virginia was on course for 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0, I told my Chief Engineer at the time, Liam McIntyre, about what went on.”

“I reiterate the Witness’s question,” called Edgeworth, “if she planted the idea in the Defendant’s processors, why would she tell the newer members behind the F.N.S’ back?”

“Simple!” replied Elkrandek. “The sting of conscience was too great for her!”

“And yet, X-PO faked the results before she decided to tell the new members,” remarked Edgeworth.

“That doesn’t disprove my theory!” answered Elkrandek.

“I’m rather afraid it does,” chuckled Edgeworth as he wagged his finger. “The time at which the idea would have been planted would have proved far too early to enact it now.”

“There IS a way to do it!” challenged Elkrandek. “If I recall, there is a magic user among the team Rusty was a part of!”

“Some sort of time spell?” chuckled Edgeworth. “I’m afraid the person you’re describing would testify otherwise. She happens to be the next Witness. If she could take the Stand, please.” Emily and Elphaba swapped places. “Your name and occupation, if you please,” requested Edgeworth.

“Elphaba Thropp,” replied Elphaba. “Former Ruler and Wicked Witch of the Western Country of the Winkies in the land of Oz and head of the Gateway Operational Team.”

“Ms. Thropp, if you would tell the Court your usage of magic in your day to day operations, it would clear something up,” directed Edgeworth.

“My magic usage is limited, actually,” testified Elphaba. “As many would know, I used to rule the Winkies with an iron fist. The F.N.S and their ally, Kamen Rider Wizard, took Dorothy Gale’s place in dousing me with water. Death brought me back and put me on Vorton. In my world, a full use of magic must lead to the purging of all original desires with the potential to fall to evil, as I did. I was so evil that I became aquaphobic. Water was too pure for my, then, wicked frame that I melted when in contact with the stuff. I came back and learned another path to magic, but it requires that I treat it as a partner, not a slave. I usually experiment with it nowadays. Temporal Magic is rather beyond me at this point in time.”

“Hold it!” called Elkrandek. “Another one who died and came back to life?! What is wrong with Death?! Resurrection was forbidden a long time ago, especially for one so wicked!”

“Objection!” replied Edgeworth. “Elphaba’s resurrection was a necessary one! It was another chance for her and allowed her to live life in a different manner! Besides, you heard her! She’s a member of the team! I hardly see how her past can affect her if she is still trusted to this day!”

“Objection, Your Honor,” insisted Elkrandek, “Elphaba is someone who is known for playing the long game!”

“Perhaps in most universes, yes,” replied Legowltor, “but it is common knowledge that the witness here is a woman who’s long left the Winkies alone and is a valuable ally to the F.N.S. Objection Overruled.”

“Have any more theories,” asked Edgeworth, “or is the Defense grasping at straws? Perhaps you wish to disparage the good name of the next Witness?”

“And who is the next Witness?” quizzed Legowltor.

“A wizard of Middle-Earth,” replied Edgeworth. Elphaba and Gandalf changed places. “Your name and occupation for the Court Record.” Gandalf blew a smoke ring before answering.

“I am Gandalf the Grey,” he introduced, “a member of the Istari and head of the Fellowship of the Ring.”

“Mr. Gandalf, have you ever used magic in an ill manner?” inquired Edgeworth. “For example, have you used it to directly influence anyone?”

“Certainly not!” replied Gandalf hotly. “That is a magic more dark than I wish to use!”

“Then please, explain your relationship with the Defendant,” directed Edgeworth. Gandalf blew another smoke ring before testifying.

“Much like Batman, I had bumped into Megumi’s group during an adventure where I supposedly died in the universe they are most familiar with,” he began. “After Frodo Baggins, a dear friend of mine, was kidnapped by Vortech, I was taken in by X-PO along with the rest of the Feudal Nerd Society to fight Vortech. I had no idea I was part of a larger plan. After defeating Vortech, I returned home and spent two years in the Shire in peace now that Sauron no longer dwells in Middle-Earth. Two years later, I responded to a call to arms by Megumi. However, I had no idea we were manipulated in such a fashion until after our initial return to Vorton from other universes.”

“And not once can you claim using magic on anyone within the group?” asked Edgeworth.

“Not once,” replied Gandalf.

“Objection!” called Elkrandek.

“Mr. Elkrandek, I am getting rather annoyed by your interruptions!” hissed Legowltor.

“Your Honor, forgive my interjection,” apologized Elkrandek, “but there IS something the Prosecution overlooked. In this instance, I must thank Gandalf.”

“Erm, you’re welcome?” quizzed Gandalf.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is a well-known fact that magic has a trace when used,” explained Elkrandek. “It has been known to affect machinery. I submit that my client was affected by stray magic!”

“Objection!” argued Edgeworth. “Portal Operator robots are powered by maho-engines; a power source that uses magic! It is highly unlikely the Defendant was affected in such a manner!”

“X-PO is an Experimental Portal Operator!” countered Elkrandek. “It’s unlikely that the shielding for any external magic was perfected when he was built! Stray magic must have affected him while Gandalf and Elphaba were using it within Vorton! In all honesty, I’m a little angry I didn’t think of this.”

“It will be my turn to get angry soon!” threatened Gandalf. “If you accuse me of affecting X-PO so irresponsibly again, I shall! Then you will see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked!” The courtroom went dark!

“GANDALF, NO!” I yelped.

“ORDER IN THE COURT!” shouted Legowltor as he banged his gavel.

“Your Honor,” interjected Edgeworth, “I assure you; an examination of any stray magic will determine whether or not X-PO was affected at all.”

“Does the Defense agree?” asked Legowltor.

“The Defense agrees, Your Honor,” answered Elkrandek.

“Then tomorrow’s proceedings will be centered around whether or not it’s possible for X-PO to have acted because he was affected by magic!” declared Legowltor. He banged his gavel. “Court is adjourned!” We filed out of the Courtroom and spoke with Edgeworth.

“Dude, what are you trying to do?!” I yelped.

“Tell me,” quizzed Edgeworth, “have you seen Gandalf or Elphaba use magic so irresponsibly?”

“I haven’t,” I replied, “but that’s hardly my business now, is it?”

“I’m proceeding under the belief,” replied Edgeworth, “that any stray magic would have affected you too. From what I have researched, magic tends to affect organic life-forms quicker than machines.”

“…When are we getting checked out for that?” I asked, understanding where he was going.

“I just need to make some calls,” answered Edgeworth as he got out his cell phone. He dialed a number and spoke with the person on the other end.

Tags court, elphaba, emily saunders, gandalf, rusty the dalek, trial

Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Epilogue

Day 1: 1^st Party

A year later, Richard and I were waiting in our respective areas at opposite ends of After Academy. A wedding there is an extravagant affair. Richard was on the western end of the campus while I was getting ready at the eastern end. To give you a bit of perspective, the main campus sits at the center of a 953,280 square mile city, 30 times that of China’s city of Chongqing. Because of how big it is, it’s not practical to walk all the way there. Both Bride and Groom are transported to the Campus Gates by carriage. It’s a 13 hour drive at both ends, with each carriage going about 65 miles an hour. It’s spaced out over three days to allow both Bride and Groom to walk around a bit and stretch, get some food in, talk to friends and family, get some sleep before being driven again, all that stuff. The driver for my carriage, a Mr. John Clayton, the cab driver Sherlock Holmes asked after during The Hound of the Baskervilles, came to the bridal mansion I was living in for a week, being pampered and dressed for the big day. He was directed up to my room and knocked before I bid him to come in. “The carriage is ready, Ma’am,” he announced.

“As am I!” I replied as I pinned my white rose hairpiece to the left of my head. “Lead on!” He led the way to the carriage, account for my top speed as I wore my dress, a massive one, I can tell you. It rustled and softly crinkled as I came down the steps and across the foyer to the front door. The maid running the mansion opened the door for us. “Thank you!” I bid.

“Good luck, Dear!” bid the maid. Mr. Clayton continued leading the way down the driveway to the carriage and opened the door for me. It was a large carriage, enough to accommodate my dress. I got myself in and Mr. Clayton helped me get the rest of my skirts in. Once that was done, he shut the door and climbed up to his seat. He made a clicking noise and the horses moved off, their hooves clicking against the road. The speed increased as we got onto the road. I pressed a button that opened a channel between me and Mr. Clayton.

“How long have you been driving these kinds of carriages?” I asked.

“Since I passed on,” replied Mr. Clayton. “It took a while to get used to. No horse in London ever went this fast.”

“It’s a pity you’re not going to see the wedding,” sighed one of the horses. “Just another day at the office, where the open road IS the office. …Hey, that’s pretty deep! I ought to write that…!” The carriage was drifting!

“EYES ON THE ROAD, YOU IDIOT!” shouted the other horse. The carriage then righted itself. “Every dent on this thing is coming out of YOUR salary!”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” I remarked as my hand hovered over the button.

“Don’t want to distract you on your big day,” agreed Mr. Clayton. I pressed the button and closed the channel. We got to our first stop, right on time and with no further incident. Emily, Tanisha, the Apocalypse Riders, Peach, Wyldstyle, Xiomara, Tonje, Moon-kyung, Charline, Discornia, and Usagi I were waiting for the carriage. Emily, Tanisha, and Moon-kyung were in their Bridesmaid dresses, blue and very fluffy. Emily had the honor of being the Maid of Honor. Wyldstyle and the Apocalypse decided to forgo the clothes they usually wear and contented themselves with dresses of brighter colors.

“There she is!” cheered Emily. Everyone ran towards me.

“Whoa now!” I yelped. Too late. I was buried under ladies that were happy for me as they were trying to hug me.

“Stand back and give her some air! For crying out loud!” protested Lacey. Everyone got off of me and let me breathe. “You look great!” praised Lacey.

“I feel great!” I replied. “Richard will be an excellent husband, I know it!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” answered Emily. “Now, come on! There’s a party dedicated to you today and we need to celebrate it!” With that, the music and party began. This was one of the two Bridal Parties, where the Bride dances and hangs out with some of her friends and Bridesmaids. We all danced, ate, sang, and had a good time. Tanisha and Tonje seemed to be all right with dancing with me. I have to admit, Wyldstyle can really dance! Soon, it was evening and time to check into our rooms. We laid ourselves down, changing into our nightwear while our dresses were washed and cleaned for tomorrow.

Day 2: 2^nd Party

We all woke up and had breakfast before changing into our dresses. A new, larger carriage approached the hotel we stayed at. I was holding my bouquet as I waited. Emily, Tanisha, and Moon-kyung were to join me on the next leg of the journey. We saw the carriage driver step down and reveal himself to be… “STRAX?!” yelped Tonje. It was, indeed, Commander Strax, Madame Vastra’s Sontaran butler!

“Commander, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“As I understand the mission briefing,” replied Strax, “Mr. Clayton would be taking you to the first checkpoint, then returning to his place of residence once you have been safely delivered to said checkpoint. Once it has been confirmed that you spent the night in safety at the first checkpoint, I would bring you and your fellow warriors to the next checkpoint. It is clear that the checkpoint has not suffered a siege during the night and you are intact…although I must question your choice of armor. It seems…flimsy.” He then shook his head. “But, that is none of my concern. I shall be taking you on a four hour journey to the next checkpoint and intend to perform as admirably as Mr. Clayton had done yesterday. Once there, we shall lie in wait for any Rutan scum and…!”

“There aren’t any Rutans coming,” I explained.

“…Pardon?” asked Strax.

“This isn’t some battle tactic,” I continued. “Me and my Bridesmaids are just going to my wedding and need to stop at the next hotel so we can have fun, the HUMAN definition of fun, and spend the night. We’ll pick up my remaining Bridesmaids and proceed to the Altar tomorrow.”

“…No shooting at Rutan scum?” inquired Strax, a little disappointed.

“No shooting at Rutan scum or ANYONE,” I confirmed.

“…Very well, Ma’am,” grumbled Strax as he opened the door for us. Emily, Tanisha, Moon-Kyung, and I entered the carriage and Strax shut the door before stomping off to the front of the carriage and taking his seat. “Ruddy weddings!” he griped. “Don’t have any targets for me to shoot!” He took the reins and we set off.

“See you at the campus!” called Wyldstyle. We waved goodbye as the carriage pulled off.

“So, when should we expect you and Joshua’s wedding?” asked Tanisha to Emily.

“We haven’t gone that far yet,” replied Emily.

“Maybe we should have a double wedding!” suggested Tanisha. “You and Josh with me and Tonje!”

“That sounds lovely,” sighed Moon-kyung happily.

“I don’t think Joshua will go for that,” muttered Emily.

“Why not?” I asked.

“He’s not exactly all that big on crowds,” explained Emily.

“Oh, yeah, he gets anxious in crowds,” I recalled.

“I think a small wedding with just friends and immediate family will do him better,” continued Emily. “But, enough about us! This is YOUR day!” The three of them were then gushing over how lucky I was, how this was going to be a perfect day, all that stuff. I never took anything as perfect these days, not since X-PO’s betrayal. A healthy understanding that nothing is perfect kept me from becoming a Bridezilla. The journey, like yesterday, passed without incident. We arrived at our next stop and Strax let us out.

“Good luck, Sirs!” he called once we came out. We all glared at him. “…Good luck, Ma’ams!” he corrected himself. “May you partake in glorious battle and either live or die honorably.”

“And you,” I replied, deciding to let him have that, at least. We came into the hotel to see Livia, Sheela, Irina, Colleen, Kit-10, Amelia, Scorpainia, Flora, Lexicon, and Sludgiona. Flora, Livia, and Scorpainia were in their Bridesmaid dresses. I must admit, I was surprised when she asked to be a Bridesmaid. I decided to ask the question once everyone stopped hugging me. “Aren’t you married?” I asked.

“On Tarlax, much like Earth,” explained Scorpainia, “a Bridesmaid does not need to be single. Besides, I wish to bring good fortune to your day as you have brought good fortune to my people on numerous occasions.”

“I do what I can to protect my friends,” I answered with a smile.

“As would I,” replied Scorpainia. “Now, I believe we have a celebration to begin!” There was more dancing, more singing, more eating, just wonderful happiness. It lasted until the evening. Like last night, we checked into our rooms and changed into nightwear so our dresses could be tended to for the morning.

Day 3: The Ceremony

The last leg of the journey and I was bouncing up and down after we had breakfast. I was wearing my veil now, the see-through fabric obscuring my features until I reached the altar. This time, all of my Bridesmaids were coming; Emily, Tanisha, Moon-kyung, Flora, Livia, and Scorpainia. They looked down the street with me to look for the carriage. Soon enough, it arrived, the biggest one to accommodate for the sizes of our respective dresses. The driver of the carriage, Alfred Pennyworth, opened the door for us and helped us in. “Batman made a request, I take it?” I guessed.

“He did, Ma’am,” confirmed Alfred. “I trust the past two days had no incident?”

“Not a one,” I replied.

“Then, let’s hope our luck continues,” mused Alfred. Everyone was in and the doorway was clear of any loose dress sticking out. Alfred then shut the door and took his position at the driver’s seat. The carriage then took off as we began our five hour journey to the Campus. At the Northern Entrance was the aisle I would walk down, the Eastern Entrance would be where the Bridesmaids came in, the Groomsmen came in at the Western Entrance, and the Groom would come in at the Southern Entrance. We chatted the entire time until Alfred announced the stop. We came out and headed for our respective Entrances.

“See you inside!” called Emily. As they left, …I became nervous. I didn’t know why, I WANTED to marry Richard, long before it was revealed that I would carry his children…so why is my stomach churning? I continued to the Entrance to see Okaa-san (Mother) waiting there, happy tears coming down her face.

“My little girl,” she sighed happily, “all grown up and making her own way!” She hugged me tightly. She then noticed something and correctly guessed what was going on. “Nervous?” she asked.

“Did YOU get nervous before you married Hiroki’s dad?” I inquired.

“My dear Megumi, both of us were nervous wrecks!” replied Okaa-san. “I almost considered backing out!”

“What changed your mind?” I asked.

“Seeing him at the Altar,” explained Okaa-san. I briefly remembered that she and her late husband had a European style wedding, white dress and all. “He looked so wonderful, looking down the aisle as I came down. One look at him and all nerves were gone. He admitted to me after the ceremony that he was nervous as well, but banished those nerves at seeing me. We both resolved to handle any hardships together.” As she spoke, I became less nervous.

“Arigatou, Okaa-san,” (Thank you, Mother) I bid. The entrance doors opened and Okaa-san walked me down the aisle. The onlookers turned to see me, as did Richard and the one presiding over the wedding, Woz. The onlookers were the Kamen Riders we had fought with during the Vortech Wars, Tokiwa Sougo, the Doctor, the allies of the Vortex Riders, the Apocalypse Riders, those that weren’t my Bridesmaids, those that were not the Groomsmen, our families, and the Gateway Team. My Bridesmaids came in as followed: Emily, Scorpainia, Livia, Tanisha, Moon-kyung, and Flora. Richard’s Groomsmen came in at the same time as the Bridesmaids. The Best Man was Michael and the other Groomsmen followed in this order: Emmanuel (wearing a suit for once), Joshua, Mikhail, Alesandro, and Turretorg. Much like what Okaa-san described, the instant I saw Richard, my nerves were gone. Judging by his expression, so were his. As I walked, the familiar tune of “Here Comes the Bride” rang out. We then stood together, facing each other at the Altar. Woz opened his book before speaking.

“Dearly Beloved,” he proclaimed, “we are gathered here to witness a truly auspicious moment in the history of the multiverse! We gather now to witness the union of Richard Saunders and Hishikawa Megumi, two veterans of the Vortech Wars! If any wish to object, speak now, or forever hold your peace!” No one said a word. “Do the Bride and Groom have any words to say?” asked Woz.

“We do,” we both said in unison. This was the time for our vows. We decided that Richard would start.

“Megumi,” he began, “when I first laid eyes on you, my heart kept telling me to pursue my affections to you. Granted, it took a certain someone to shove us both along on that path during the Vortech Wars,” we looked at Emily who stuck her tongue out at us, “but my feelings did not change that day. I want to be with you as long as we’re together. I swear to support you in all of your endeavors and help provide for us both so we may be happy.”

“Richard-chan,” I vowed, using the nickname I gave him when we were dating, “our lives, since we first met, were not easy. I seem to recall butting heads with you a lot. However, that is irrelevant as I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to do my part in supporting us and making our lives happy.”

“I know this is a little redundant,” mused Woz, “but, Richard Saunders, do you take Hishikawa Megumi to be your lawfully-wedded wife, to keep solely to her in sickness and in health, for rich or poor, until death do you part?”

“I do,” answered Richard. The smile on his face showed he intended to follow through on that vow.

“Hishikawa Megumi,” asked Woz, “do you take Richard Saunders to be your lawfully-wedded husband, to keep solely to him in sickness and in health, for rich or poor, until death do you part?”

“I do!” I replied, my conviction equaling Richard.

“Have you the rings?” asked Woz. A pillow floated towards us with the rings on it. Richard and I took one each. I then held out my hand. Richard took it and placed the ring on my finger.

“With this ring, I do thee wed,” he promised. He then held out his hand. I took it and placed the ring on his finger.

“With this ring, I do thee wed,” I vowed. We held hands as Woz gave his speech.

“Iwae!” (Rejoice!) he called. “The ones who have united in holy matrimony! The Bride and Groom who shall be forever as one in the fight against evil! The Riders who stand together and lead the fight to bring peace throughout time and space! And their names are Hishikawa Megumi and Richard Saunders, Kamen Riders Royal and Guard, Queen and King of the Feudal Nerd Society! This is the day where you two kiss to finalize your union!” At that, Richard lifted my veil. We couldn’t embrace each other for the kiss fast enough! It felt like hours for us, but it must have been 10 seconds. When we parted, we noticed the crowd cheering! I felt a happy tear come down my face as I took in the overwhelming support of my union with Richard.

Day 3: Reception

Richard and I were in a carriage for just us two as we led the way to the reception. Richard and I danced with all eyes on us. I must say, Richard can REALLY dance! He lifted me into the air a few times, causing us to laugh. After the dance, it was time for the dinner. We sat together and chatted before Mr. Fred Saunders, my new father-in-law, rang his glass. It was time for a speech. “My friends,” he began, “this is truly a joyous occasion. We have all wanted to see them unite in some fashion, but, now that it’s happened…” a wicked smile crossed his features. Here comes the funny, “I suppose it never occurred to you two or your friends what you were doing to your poor, aged parents? Of course, you’re happy, but what about OUR needs? Hm? All of you? I heard that you lot intend to be permanent students at After Academy! Leaving us behind? I must say, it’s all a damned inconvenience!” His expressions were exaggerated, so he wasn’t being serious on what he was saying. “While you lot are happily settling in on campus,” continued Fred, “we’ll be retiring alone! You all know a bit about Saunders’ domestic life! My wife can be tyrannical around the house! It can only increase once she retires from the force!” He gave an exaggerated frown and did the peely-carrot-of-shame motion at his wife, Linda. She stuck her tongue out and flipped him off, causing Richard, Emily, and I to chuckle, as well as a few of our friends. “Now, there’s still time to reconsider, yes?” We all looked at each other, then shook our heads. “No? All right, then.” He then dropped the joking attitude. “In all seriousness, you two have earned this. You always deserve happy moments, no matter what your enemies say. I wish you nothing but the best of luck.” He smiled as he said this. “All right, I’ve taken away enough time from the Maid of Honor and the Best Man.” He sat back down as Emily stood up.

“Well, thanks for the entertainment, Daddy,” she began, making us chuckle. She then turned to me and Richard. “Richard, there ARE moments where you can infuriate me and moments where I infuriate you. Just know that, even though I make fun of you, I never stopped loving you, nor will I stop loving you. We both manage to make one another mad, but that’s just the give-and-take that accompanies twins sometimes. What else accompanies us is the fact we know each other so well and I’ve been seeing that closeness between you and Megumi. Megumi, you have been there for me in cases where no one else could. You’ve helped me face my demons and it got me to deal with them alone, knowing how you helped me. I wish you two nothing but happiness throughout your days. To the Bride and Groom!” She raised her glass.

“The Bride and Groom!” repeated the crowd. A sip of our drinks later, it was Michael’s turn.

“Richard, there ARE moments where I feel like Blackadder dealing with one of his, er, ‘friends’,” he began, “most recently when you told me to beshrew you and mentioned I was in good humor. As I warned, it was a tiny step to ‘Hey Nonny Nonny’, and then I’d call Arkham. However, you have been an excellent friend to me since we met. I began as the stereotypical rich brat and you got me down to earth very fast. Megumi, you brought us all together and revealed to me all of the problems and viewpoints in the world. I would have been a fool if I didn’t change. You two have been an excellent steady hand on my moral path and I wish you nothing but the best life together. To the Bride and Groom!”

“The Bride and Groom!” replied the crowd. Another sip, then we ate and talked. Soon came the cutting of the cake. Richard and I both held the knife and cut into it, getting a slice for each other. We then took our slices, then fed them to each other. Afterwards, we danced a little more before tiring out. We heard a moan and turned to see Mikhail with his head in his hands.

“Mikhail?” asked Richard.

“Daijōbudesuka?” (Are you okay?) I asked.

“Romulan ale should be illegal!” growled Mikhail.

“…It IS,” I replied. The music came back on and we went back to dancing!

Kimi wa STAR Mabayuku SHINE (You are a star with a blazing shine!)

(O-O-O-O-O, O-O-O-O-O)

Jibun ja Kizukenai (You cannot notice it yourself!)

(O-O-O-O-O, O-O-O-O-O)

Kokoro RELAX shite Asu wo IMAGE (Relax your mind and picture the future,)

Yukue, Jiyuujizai (jizai) (Whereabouts and freedom! (Freedom!))

Akirame kake chatta Yume ni REBENJI (Giving up and challenging in your dreams again,)

Rounayaku nannyuo no PRIDE (The pride of young and old, men and women!)

Everybody SHUFFLE shiyou, Sedai (Everybody, Let’s shuffle!)

rensa suru SMILE (Generations all linked with smiles!)

Let’s Party ENJOY shinakya mottainai (Let’s Party! Don’t waste it and just enjoy it,)

datte, jinsei wa ikkai (Because you only live once!)

RAINBOW wa sora dake janai (Rainbows aren’t just only in the skies,)

Mune ni mo kakaru ze (Party P.A.R.T.Y) (but also in our hearts! (Party P.A.R.T.Y))

Donna MIRACLE mo oki houdai (Any miracle can happen!)

UNIVERSE FESTIVAL! (Party P.A.R.T.Y)

Rashisa ga (tsumari jizentai) soudai (Being unique is (basically oneself) exhilarating!)

(O-O-O-O-O, O-O-O-O-O)

Shourai wa kimi ni naritai (I wanna be like you in the future!)

(O-O-O-O-O, O-O-O-O-O)

Sude ni dare mo ga motteru yasashisa idenshi (Everyone already has kindness in their genes,)

Toki ni miushinai (shinai) (and sometimes it may be lost! (Lost!))

Kizutsukeba ttemo Kizuna ni CHANGE (Even if we hurt each other, we can change with our bonds!)

Jinrui mina kyoudai (All of humanity are brothers and sisters!)

Everybody Zettai teki sonzai (Everybody, we’re an absolute being!)

Zenin nanka no tensai (All are geniuses in something!)

Let’s Party Senpai kouhai to kanpai (Let’s Party! Seniors and juniors toasting to each other!)

RIVAL mo issai (Rivals are also outstanding!)

Tsuzukeru koto ga daijisa (The most important thing is to keep going,)

suki koso jouzu nare (Be good at what you like!)

Tsumazuita tte kamawanai (It’s okay if you stumble somewhere,)

Nanakorobi yaoki style (Just do it Fall Down 7, Get up 8-style!)

Meguriai zutto tsuzuku sekai (A world of constant encounters,)

Guuzen nanka janai (Nothing is a coincidence!)

Let’s Party Ten ga tsunagari ai (Let’s Party, connect all the dots,)

sen ni naru issai (All join into a single line!)

Everybody SHUFFLE shiyou, Sedai (Everybody, Let’s shuffle!)

rensa suru SMILE (Generations all linked with smiles!)

Let’s Party ENJOY shinakya mottainai (Let’s Party! Don’t waste it and just enjoy it,)

datte, jinsei wa ikkai (Because you only live once!)

RAINBOW wa sora dake janai (Rainbows aren’t just only in the skies,)

Mune ni mo kakaru ze (Party P.A.R.T.Y) (but also in our hearts! (Party P.A.R.T.Y))

Donna MIRACLE mo oki houdai (Any miracle can happen!)

UNIVERSE FESTIVAL! (Party P.A.R.T.Y)

Tags emily saunders, marriage, megumi hishikawa, michael archer, richard saunders, wedding