Tag: igura

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Igura

Bio:

A former Shocker scientist, Igura had joined Buffal and Urga in the new Shocker Nova, a group that would take over the planet by controlling the money. During her years with the old Shocker, she fell in love with Hiro Adachi. She remained undercover for a while.

After her organization fell at the hands of Kamen Rider 1, she was resurrected by Lord Vortech and reunited with Hiro to gather the Foundation Elements. She became a Kamen Rider of her own design.

After Hiro’s death, she swore revenge on Megumi Hishikawa and altered herself with Kamen Rider Stronger’s eye and hand and an altered Vortech’s hand so she could get the Foundation Saber.

Hiro is resurrected now and they rule Shocker Rift together after leaving Vortech’s company.

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Chapter 20

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

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

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

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

“I think they are,” replied Richard.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“When’s the trial?” I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why are you going fuzzy?” he asked.

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

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

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

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

“Nee-san, ship status,” I requested.

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

“Good to know,” I replied.

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

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

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

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

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

“All stations report ready,” reported Elphaba.

“All ships standing by,” called Hiroki.

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

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

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

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

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

“Is something the matter?” asked Hiroki.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Whatever passes for Sontaran honor,” dismissed Scorpainia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All ships, open fire!” I ordered.

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

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

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

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

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

“We’ve lost shields!” called Lukas.

“Target shields down!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, my turn!” called Batman.

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

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

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

“There’s too many!” called Wyldstyle.

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

“All enemies disabled!” reported the Commander Dalek.

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

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

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

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

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

“Vault, what happened?!” I called.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chapter 2

It was a new day in our new Castle Nerd Skull outside After Academy’s city limits. The Horsemen, their heralds, and our newest members had joined us as we sat down. Our new members were from the same universe the original F.N.S came from. We went from 16 to 31 almost overnight, 18 girls and 13 boys. Our new members were Lady Colleen Doyle of Waterford, Ireland, Lord Alesandro Ortiz of Fortaleza, Brazil, Sir Liam McIntyre of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, Duke Victor Young of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Duchess Deung Moon-kyung (Asian name order, so, in the western name order it would be Moon-kyung Deung) of Jeju-si, South Korea. They were wearing a newer transformation belt, similar to a Vortex Driver, called the Chronicle Driver. Much like a Vortex Driver, it summons armor based on a character, but uses something called an Armor Bio, a small, book-shaped trinket that tells the story of the person it’s based off of. The Chronicle Driver pops a shelf out from the top with a small space for the Armor Bio to fit. The Rider then inserts the Armor Bio into the space and slides the shelf down into the Driver. It won’t summon the suit until the Rider presses a button on the Driver’s top. If it’s the Rider’s personal Armor Bio, or Armor Auto-bio, the Rider would say “Henshin!” before pressing the button. Pressing the button again would initiate the final attack. Colleen was Kamen Rider Slam, Alesandro was Kamen Rider Striker, Liam was Kamen Rider Highland, Victor Was Kamen Rider Range, and Moon-kyung was Kamen Rider Lance. Colleen adjusted her braid as Michael’s cat, Kit-10, scooted by. “Colleen?” I asked. “Your report?” She snapped out of her reverie as she shook her head.

“Sorry, My Lady,” she apologized. “The Chronicle Riders haven’t heard a peep out of them.”

“Quite frankly,” sighed Liam, “I don’t think we’re gonna find anything.”

“I know Hiro of old,” I replied, prompting the Scotsman to roll his eyes.

“Och, haur we gang!” he protested, exaggerating his usual accent.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked.

“Every time we say Hiro’s not gonna do anything,” explained Liam, “you go on about how Hiro doesn’t let things go that easily, how he will stop at nothing to have the multiverse under his rule. Well, I’ve been looking everywhere, and I have NO proof that he has something in the works!”

“Always a contentious one, aren’t you?” sighed his House Head, Pestilence.

“The Vortech Wars are over!” protested Liam. “Hiro’s learned not to mess with powers outside his understanding! We can relax! YOU, of all people, can relax!”

“Hiro is NOT one to be underestimated,” Death argued in her usual whisper. “I will not let you go through with being so lax about this.”

“Come on, you can’t be serious!” countered Liam. Moon-kyung just sighed, deciding to defuse the situation with a question unrelated to our conversation.

“Could the pizza guy be any later?” she sighed.

“They ARE taking their sweet time,” remarked Kit-10. “However, I don’t think we should be TOO harsh on them. They’re rather swamped, what with the two-year anniversary celebration of Vortech’s defeat coming up.”

“Oh, yeah, that,” I remembered.

“Well, it looks like we’re starting Bad Movie Night WITHOUT pizza,” sighed Richard. “Let’s kick things off with Michael Bay.”

“What have you got to offer?” I quizzed.

It was Revenge of the Fallen, the second Bayverse Transformers movie. “Well, that was something,” I remarked.

“Rather tame, compared to other bad movies I’ve seen,” commented Emily.

“As a feline-based robot,” observed Kit-10, “built by a Time Lord and a flying box, I can safely say that it was the most unrealistic thing I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of gracing my visual sensors with.”

“Was Devastator’s wrecking ball scrotum really necessary?” asked Victor.

“Were Skids and Mudflap necessary?” quizzed War. “I swear they existed to be nothing but black stereotypes, UNNECESSARY black stereotypes.”

“My turn!” called Colleen.

“It’s not gonna be Monty Python’s Life of Brian, is it?” asked Hiroki. “I STILL feel let down after that whole thing.”

“No, it’s actually a movie from Japan,” replied Colleen. “Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger The Movie: Ninjas in Wonderland.”

“WHY?!” wailed Hiroki.

“Please, no!” I begged. Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Great, the pizza’s here!” I cheered.

“Two and a half hours!” protested Emily. “And we’re pretty far from city limits!”

“Cold pizza’s better than no pizza,” remarked Richard as he got up. Alesandro snorted.

“You only say that because you have no taste buds,” he snarked. Richard approached the door and opened it.

“Okay, my good man, what do I owe you?” he asked.

“Your ears,” remarked the voice.

“…You’re not pizza,” replied Richard.

“A PO robot’s saucier than pizza,” boasted the voice. “We need to talk.”

“Guys, X-PO’s here,” called Richard.

“Let him in!” I bid. Richard and X-PO entered the t.v. room. X-PO had various documents in his claws. “Good to see you again, X-PO!” I called.

“Nice to see you too,” returned X-PO. “I wish the circumstances were better.”

“What’s up?” asked Emily. X-PO laid out the documents.

“Let’s just say that Shocker Rift may be up to something,” he began. “Scorpainia sent out some explorers to gather data on five key universes. I’ve been monitoring for the reports but, for whatever reason, neither side has contacted each other.”

“So? It could be background interference,” I countered.

“I thought so too,” replied X-PO, “until Batman reported seeing Shocker Rift Saucers fly through one rift and out another.”

“I don’t see Shocker Rift,” guessed Tanisha, “as people who would just buzz a populated area.”

“No, they aren’t,” I agreed.

“And you’d be right,” confirmed X-PO. “I’ve managed to get ahold of why the Tarlaxians were exploring other universes. Turns out, they’re scouting for a potential Tarlax 15 in case they need to move again.” He waved a claw over the documents to indicate that what he talked about was in them.

“Should we even be looking at this?” asked Victor. “This seems like top secret stuff.”

“They’re marked with the Secret Seal,” observed Famine as she munched on a chocolate bar. “Not even we Horsemen have the clearance needed to see it. Only the reigning monarch and a few trusted Tarlaxians are allowed access.”

“I wouldn’t worry so much,” whispered Death. “It’s not like anyone’s gonna post this on social media.” Charline’s eyes went wide as she hit the back button on her tablet. “…Seriously?” asked Death.

“As I recall, you guys have the most experience in travelling the multiverse and have a new ship that can go between dimensions,” remembered X-PO.

“Yes, the Virginia can go to other universes,” I confirmed. “You were there when we remodeled it from its sphere to an actual ship.”

“When do we leave then?” asked X-PO.

“I don’t recall inviting you,” I remarked.

“Megumi, the multiverse has a vested interest in seeing that it’s protected,” argued X-PO. “As someone who wants that interest to succeed, I’m coming with you.”

“That’s nice, X-PO,” I countered, “but I’m a little worried about a portal operator abandoning his post.”

“Megumi, did you really think I wouldn’t get my replacement as I went with you?” asked X-PO. “Elphaba, Chell, Rusty, the Brigadier, they want to see Vorton again.” I opened my mouth to argue again, then sighed.

“I suppose you can do more on this adventure,” I conceded. “In fact, I think we all need our robots. Kit-10, see if you can get Lexicon, Pup-X5, and R9-D7. Veterans of the Vortech Wars, who wants another journey around…?”

“WAIT!” called Moon-kyung. “Who said anything about JUST you veterans? I wanna go!”

“Wait a minute!” I began.

“There may be people in need of help,” interjected Victor. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see them hurt.”

“Nobody does,” I agreed, “but…”

“And you’re gonna need someone who knows their way around weapons,” interrupted Liam.

“I’ve used weapons!” protested Richard.

“Besides, we want to see what the multiverse is like!” called Alesandro.

“You can see it just fine in…” argued Livia.

“And I SO want to meet Batman and the others!” cheered Colleen.

“GUYS!” I finally called. Everyone quieted down. “I appreciate that you new guys want to see the multiverse but we don’t know what’s going on in those universes. This could all be for nothing.”

“I have to side with the newbies,” interjected Emmanuel. “This may be the perfect opportunity to show the multiverse off if there’s nothing going on. The last time we went through the dimensions, it wasn’t exactly ‘happy-fun-time’. I’d like to go when we’re not being shot at.”

“Besides,” remarked Death, “if it IS nothing, then we just fix the trouble and help the explorers reestablish communications with Tarlax 14. And, on another note, we’ve been getting a…feeling.” That caught my attention.

“Feeling?” I asked.

“Yeah,” confirmed Lacey. “The five of us have had a feeling that the aspects we represent, war, plague, chaos, starvation, and death, are going out of whack. Sometimes it’s because of some interdimensional power, other times, it’s just someone not in their universe. We’d like to check if it’s the latter as we hope.”

“…All right,” I decided, “we’ll split up into teams according to our houses. X-PO, you’re with my house. Kit-10, once Gandalf joins us, you’re going with War and her students. I want R9-D7 to go with House Pestilence when Hongo arrives. Pup-X5 and Wyldstyle will go with Famine’s house. Lacey, do you mind taking Batman and Lexicon?”

“Don’t mind at all,” replied Lacey.

“Then let’s get Batman, Hongo, Wyldstyle and Gandalf,” I declared. “I have a feeling we’ll need them.”

I was hosting a party at Wayne Manor, my birthday party, to be exact. 35 years, and still a member of Gotham’s high society. A woman with a distinctive feline feel to her dress approached me. It was Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman. “Hey, lover,” she purred. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks,” I replied. I noticed the necklace she was wearing, a ruby inside a distinct cat’s eye design. “Which museum did you ‘borrow’ that from?”

“Har har,” hissed Selina. “Babs gave it to me. Check with her if you don’t believe me.”

“I may do that…later,” I remarked. “Where’s Harley? I thought she was coming with you.”

“She was,” answered Selina, “but something came up. Some sort of emergency with Pamela. She called in the entire Suicide Squad. From what I heard; it was something to do with Little Shop of Horrors.”

“She’s probably mad the plant didn’t win,” I guessed. We then danced for a while, then the party started winding down. Alfred was bidding the guests goodbye, thanking them for coming. Selina stole a kiss before leaving.

“She’d make a fine Mrs. Batman,” sighed Alfred.

“Maybe,” I dismissed. I headed up to my study to see a rift open. “Okay, what now?!” I protested. Just then, Tonje stepped through.

“God kveld,” (Good evening) she greeted.

“At least you aren’t a saucer,” I remarked. “What’s going on?”

“There’s some multiversal trouble going on concerning Tarlaxian explorers,” explained Tonje. “The Horsemen are thinking that it’s putting their respective aspects out of whack. Want to come?”

“Sure, crime’s been at an all-time low since the Joker stayed with Hiro,” I answered. “Let me just get changed.” I stepped into a wardrobe and let machines change me into my costume. Once I had my cowl adjusted, I stepped out as the Dark Knight. “Let’s get going,” I rasped.

“May I persuade you to take a sandwich, Master Bruce?” asked Alfred.

“I’ll get something on the way,” I replied. My father-figure sighed.

“Then, good luck,” he bid.

Sitting on the outskirts of Bricksburg isn’t my idea of fun. When all the realms in my universe finally came together, I thought it would mean something more, but there were those that don’t want to build something new, sound a little too similar to Lord Business. I idly looked around to see numbers around objects and just made a small motorcycle that didn’t even make noise. I sighed. Somehow, it was more fun during the Vortech Wars. “Maybe I SHOULD be a DJ,” I mused to myself.

“I’m sure you’d be good at it,” called a voice. I whirled around, constructing a giant staff with a boxing glove on both ends, and leveled my new weapon at the person behind me. “…Bonjour,” gulped the guy.

“Emmanuel?!” I yelped. “What are you doing here?!” I lowered the staff, letting Emmanuel relax.

“Trouble in the multiverse,” he replied. “Want to come?”

“Let me just let my friends know where I’m going,” I answered. I quickly found a paper and pencil and scrawled a note, then built a machine that carried the note to my friends. “Let’s get going! I was getting bored!” I urged Emmanuel.

“We French call it Ennui,” chuckled Emmanuel as he led me to the rift he used.

I was enjoying the clean air of the Shire. After Sauron and Saruman stayed on with Shocker Rift, Mordor was left empty. Gondor easily claimed it and made it into something better. Frodo enjoys his life as a former Ring-bearer, although the wound he received from Weathertop still smarted. There was peace in Middle-Earth, a peace long enjoyed by all races. The Elves no longer saw a reason to move to the Undying Lands. I was enjoying a pipe of Longbottom Leaf, a favorite of Merry. I then heard footsteps coming towards me, the footsteps of someone of the race of Men. Hobbit footsteps are highly distinctive. I turned around to see an old friend from the Vortech Wars approach me. “Good Morning, Young Hiroki,” I called. Hiroki arched an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Do you wish me a good morning; or mean that it’s a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

“…I can see why Bilbo paused after I said that 60 years ago,” I muttered. “In any case, his answer’s the same as mine, all of them at once. And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors.”

“I would join you in just contemplating the scenery,” replied Hiroki, reminding me that he doesn’t smoke, “but I’m afraid I have pressing business that requires your help. We think we’ve found Shocker Rift.” At that point, I became alarmed. Not wanting to show it on my face, I emptied my pipe and accepted Hiroki’s help in standing back up.

“I presume your sister sent you,” I guessed.

“Exactly,” confirmed Hiroki.

I was still getting used to that new…“Rider Check-in” that Sento had made. It’s a social media platform for Kamen Riders. I could never seem to get it to sync with my phone. As I was fiddling, I heard the familiar “YEE!” of a Shocker Combatman. I then heard a crowd screaming in terror and saw the crowd running from an old Shocker Monster I once fought, Shiomaneking, a fiddler-crab based cyborg with a massive claw for a left hand. “Why do YOU always come back?!” I snapped when I saw him.

“Shocker obviously sees a use for me, Takeshi Hongo!” laughed Shiomaneking. He commanded various Combatmen to attack. I knocked a few aside, then put my left fist to my hip as I thrust my right arm to the other side. I slowly rotated the arm to the right.

“Rider…” I began. I then closed my right hand and placed it at my hip while thrusting my left arm to the right. The shield around my belt opened as the fan started turning. “HENSHIN!” I called. I jumped and the suit formed, changing me into Kamen Rider Ichigō, the first Kamen Rider! I knocked more Combatmen aside and went straight for Shiomaneking. He fired his flammable foam, almost setting me on fire, but I rolled out of the way. Shiomaneking raised his claw, ready to strike.

“HENSHIN!” announced a voice. We looked up to see Touché tackle him. She then got him into a headlock. “Konnichiwa!” (Hello!) she called.

“Konnichiwa, Touché-san,” I returned. “Social call?”

“I wish!” replied Touché. “What animal is this guy based off of?”

“The fiddler-crab,” I answered.

“Mmm, crab!” she sighed. “Really good with butter. Now, I’ve only heard of people keeping fiddler-crabs as pets, so I guess this mook won’t be good.”

“YOU’RE INSANE, GAIJIN!” (foreigner) shouted Shiomaneking as he broke the hold and flung Touché aside. Touché had her foil out in ranged mode and fired, keeping Shiomaneking from regaining balance.

“My turn!” I called as I leapt into the air. I then stuck my foot out. “RIDER KICK!” I shouted as my foot connected with Shiomaneking. He started sparking as I landed behind him.

“Shocker Gundan BANZAI!” (Long live the Shocker army!) he proclaimed before exploding.

“Wow, he was THAT dedicated to the cause,” muttered Touché.

“And this isn’t the first time I’ve beaten him,” I remarked as we cancelled our transformations. Emily’s dress expanded as her armor disappeared and she adjusted her hairpiece. “Last time I fought him was with Takeru. Even then, he fought him with a Super Sentai team, Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger, (Animal Squadron Beast King Ranger) I believe they were called.”

“Much as I’d like to hear about past Kamen Rider battles,” interjected Emily, “I’m afraid we don’t have the time. Like I said, this isn’t a social call. Shocker Rift is making a move. Want to fight them like old times?”

“Delighted,” I replied.

“Then, let’s go!” cheered Emily as she led me to the rift.

“Report,” I ordered from the saucer.

“Sources located,” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.

“Projections indicate,” supplied Metalran, “that key forces will reveal where the sources are.”

“And the journey through Hell?” I asked.

“YEE!” (The girl has been located!) reported a Combatman.

“Excellent,” I praised. Igura then entered the bridge.

“The device is prepared,” she reported.

“More good news,” I replied.

“Battle computer estimates an 87.4% chance,” called Dalek Drone 2248292, “that the Vortex Riders will intervene.”

“If I know Megumi,” I countered, “we can, at least, up that to 97.3%. However, I give you my word, there’s a 0% chance of victory for her!” I activated the comms to the transporter. “Sauron, proceed to conquer 5-P-L-4-T-0-0-N! Dalek Drone 8872345, move off to D-1-5-N-3-Y! Joker, proceed to T-3-4-M-F-0-R-T-R-3-5-5-2! Cybermen, you’re cleared for 5-4-1-L-0-R-M-0-0-N! Once Hell’s been cleared, she will…”

“Danger!” warned Dalek Drone 2248292. “Danger! Target is stronger than believed!”

“YEE! YEE!” (ALERT! HEATHER IS SLAUGHTERING HER WAY OUT OF HELL!) reported the Combatman.

“More than that, she’s flown by our fleet!” called Igura. “She’s caused an energy shockwave! This fleet is now in danger!”

“Spatio-temporal feedback building!” warned Dalek Drone 2248292. “Two of our ships have been destroyed! Three more losing hull integrity!”

“Advise our base that Heather has gone rogue!” I ordered.

“YEE!” (At once!) called the Combatman.

“Deploy an escape rift!” I ordered Dalek Drone 2248292. “Activate full shielding and advise the remainder of the fleet to do the same!”

“I obey!” obliged Dalek Drone 2248292.

“Order all forces to hold off on conquest until we’re at a safer location!” I directed Igura.

“Yes, Great Leader,” she replied as she relayed the instructions.

“Escape rift passes through shockwave,” reported Dalek 2248292. “Stability not guaranteed!”

“Three more ships gone!” reported Igura. “five more failing in hull integrity!”

“Advise the remaining ship to follow us,” I ordered. Dalek Drone 2248292 transmitted the instructions to the remaining ship.

“YEE!” (Escape rift collapsing behind us!) called the Combatman.

“Increase speed!” I ordered. A transmission from the last ship came through.

“Trapped in rift!” called the Dalek on the other end. “Alert! ALERT! GYAAAGH!” The ship was destroyed as we escaped to our base.

“Report!” I barked.

“Hull integrity at 75%,” called Dalek Drone 2248292. “We are the only survivor of Heather’s journey past us.”

“What kind of rage is she packing?!” yelped Igura.

“YEE! YEE!” (Her trajectory has been calculated. She’s making a beeline to 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0.) reported the Combatman.

“Even though she’s going to the universe we want her to be in, she’s most likely too focused on Emily,” I muttered. “Inform the invasion forces that we proceed as normal.”

“I obey!” obliged Dalek Drone 2248292. It transmitted the necessary instructions to our invasion forces. If Heather manages to bungle this, no biggie. We’ll still have that universe’s source in our grasp. More stable than a Foundation Element.

“Your Majesty?” asked Turretorg as he entered my office. I turned to him.

“Is there any word?” I quizzed.

“No, Ma’am,” replied Turretorg. I groaned in desperation.

“We were supposed to hear back from them over two hours ago,” I muttered. “Are we receiving ANYTHING?”

“We got OUR communications systems up,” reported Turretorg. “We just received a signal from each ship. They’re delayed, of course, but we’re gotten readings from the ships and their crews.”

“And my call to After Academy?” I inquired.

“X-PO already made them AND the Vortex Riders aware of the situation,” explained Turretorg. “During the little security blackout an hour ago, he snuck in and stole the documents relating to this problem.”

“I’d turn him into scrap for that,” I snarled, “but we don’t have the time. What about my proposal to Sludgiona to make more Keystones?”

“For now, it’s at your discretion, if you want them made,” replied Turretorg.

“Contact some observatories,” I ordered. “Give them the coordinates. See if we can’t get a better picture of what’s going on out there. If we haven’t heard back in a couple hours…I want production on the new Keystones to begin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” confirmed Turretorg. He hurried off to obey.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Finale

It took an hour of deliberation for the Cendeberon jury before they returned with their decision. “Does the jury have a verdict?” asked Legowltor.

“We, the Jury,” answered one of the Cendeberons, “find the Defendant, the Experimental Portal Operator of Vorton, guilty of willfully endangering students of After Academy.”

“Then, as Judge presiding over this case,” boomed Legowltor, “I sentence X-PO to the maximum prison sentence. A full century in Multi-Max with no chance of parole.” The resounding bang of his gavel echoed throughout the courtroom, affirming his decision. “Court is adjourned.” The Bailiff disabled X-PO’s ability to move on his own and carried him off to Multi-Max, where the worst criminals of the multiverse were incarcerated. We filed out after him, our heads hanging low. Never had I felt so betrayed. Richard had his hands on my shoulders in reassurance. X-PO was taken into the police car and it sped off, disappearing into a portal. Legowltor then approached us. “I understand how hard it is,” he sighed. “His role in the Vortech Wars is known to me. I do regret what I had to do…”

“Like you said,” I mumbled, “you had to do it.”

“…Yes, I did,” confirmed Legowltor sadly.

“Oh, for the love of…!” groaned a voice. It was Edgeworth’s.

“Is there a problem?” asked Legowltor.

“My multiversal plane has been cancelled due to a convergence of two universes about to occur!” explained Edgeworth.

“Well, my ship can get you home safely,” I offered.

“Hold it!” called Edgeworth. “Does it have a cloaking device like a multiversal plane would?”

“Well, we haven’t installed one yet, but it WILL get you home,” I replied.

“Objection!” dismissed Edgeworth. “Any vessel outside of my native universe that has no means of getting me there discreetly is a no-go!”

“Objection overruled, Mr. Edgeworth,” I replied. “It’s better than the alternative.”

“I don’t see how,” remarked Edgeworth.

“Well, it involves this first class ticket on a plane that CAN get you home…” I began.

“Now that sounds delightful!” interrupted Edgeworth. “Why wouldn’t I want that?”

“Because you’d be sitting next to the person who bought it for the entire trip,” I answered.

“Edgy-poo, I’m here!” called a voice. “Come to Wendy!”

“Permission to come aboard!” decided Edgeworth.

“All traffic will end!” barked a Dalek’s voice. A couple of people were then shot with a Dalek gunstick! They fell as us Riders got ready.

“Rider…” began Hongo.

“HENSHIN!” we called. As we transformed, we dashed towards the source of the shots. There was a new Dalek themed Kamen Rider, but the belt looked different to Caan’s. It had a miniature version of a Dalek’s limbs that stuck to the side of a wheel while the Dalek Gaia Memory rested behind the wheel. I could guess who was wearing the suit.

“Metaltron, I presume,” I guessed.

“I am Kamen Rider Ex!” barked the Rider in a Dalek voice. “Multiversal traffic will cease unless you surrender the Experimental Portal Operator!”

“I hate to spoil your fun…actually, no, I don’t, X-PO’s on his way to Multi-Max,” I replied.

“Bring him to me!” commanded Metaltron, Kamen Rider Ex.

“Not a chance!” I declared. “He’s betrayed my trust in him, he’s going to suffer the consequences!”

“…Then you are of no use!” barked Ex as she leveled her new gun. Just then, she was tackled by Elkrandek! As she picked herself up, Elkrandek stood in defiance of her.

“Trying to get my former client under your wing?” he hissed. “I think not!”

“You are a Defense Attorney!” barked Ex. “Your duty is to your client, no matter its verdict!”

“My duty is to the truth!” argued Elkrandek. “Given what X-PO revealed about himself in court earlier today, I see no reason to continue this farce!” He took out a belt similar to Den-O’s and fastened it to his waist. Mountaineer music played as he held out his pass. “Henshin!” he called. He then swiped the pass.

“Rampage Form!” called the belt. His armor appeared and a moose traveled down the face before folding in such a way that the antlers became his eyes.

“The truth above all!” he declared. “You face Kamen Rider Stampede!”

“EXTERMINATE!” shouted Ex as she fired. We all got out of the way, then managed to get in close so she wouldn’t use that gun of hers. Elkrandek, Kamen Rider Stampede, swung a punch to her gut while Batman kicked her head. She was momentarily disoriented until she took her Gaia Memory out and inserted it into the gun.

“DALEK! MAXIMUM DRIVE!” called the gun. She pulled the trigger and a large blast of energy hit behind us, knocking us off our feet!

“This is getting us nowhere!” hissed Stampede.

“We have to keep her still!” I planned aloud. “Can you distract her?”

“Permit me!” called Legowltor’s voice. He charged in while his gavel grew and he slammed it into Ex.

“…That works,” I replied. “GUYS! NOW!” We activated our respective gimmicks while Ichigō leapt into the air.

“Final attack!” called the Vortex Drivers.

“Full Charge!” announced Stampede’s belt. Energy gathered around his foot as he ran towards Ex.

“RIDER KICK!”

“RIDER ROYAL KICK!”

“RIDER GUARD KICK!”

“RIDER TOUCHÉ KICK!” Rusty fired a low yield blast from her gun, Gandalf fired a magic blast, Batman threw a batarang, Wyldstyle had built a large cannon and fired, Legowltor slammed his giant gavel onto the ground and created a shockwave, and we Riders kicked our target, causing Ex to explode and the Dalek Memory to fall out of the Driver, making her revert back into Metaltron. She grabbed the Memory again and took out a communicator.

“Requesting immediate retrieval!” she shouted into it. A portal then opened beneath her and she fell into it. We returned to our civilian forms and caught our breath.

“I must admit,” panted Legowltor, “that was exciting! I’ve never had a decent fight in ages, not since I came across a fair maiden. She was a human of Edgeworth’s universe, a beautiful girl by the name of Wendy.”

“Leggy?” asked a woman’s voice. We turned up to see an old woman in a security guard’s outfit in an embrace with Edgeworth who was trying to get away. This was Wendy Oldbag from the Ace Attorney franchise. Legowltor’s eyes went wide.

“Sweet Wendy?” he gasped. Wendy let Edgeworth go as she and Legowltor ran up to each other. They ran a hand down the other’s cheek before committing to a kiss. “Wendy, it’s really you!” cheered Legowltor.

“Oh, Legowltor, it’s been too long!” replied Wendy, the tears of happiness forming in her eyes. “I’m so sorry you have to see me like this, an old, grey woman.”

“Come now,” countered Legowltor. “You are as radiant as when we first met! That, I promise!” While they were catching up, we motioned for Edgeworth to join us. He had no objections to that.

“Oh, Leggy, why did you not come to see my folks that night?” asked Wendy.

“I went to Apartment 2B like you said,” replied Legowltor, “but you and your folks weren’t…”

“2B?!” yelped Wendy. “YOU DEAF IDIOT! I NEVER SAID 2B!”

“Oh, yes, you did!” insisted Legowltor. The argument continued long after we returned to the Virginia to take Edgeworth home. Elkrandek had decided to use the train he was living on.

No Sources, no new allies, no belt, no dead Vortex Riders, my situation was NOT good. The Daleks were getting angrier and angrier by the minute, the Combatmen’s morale was sub-par, and my fleet was still in the process of replenishing its numbers. To be frank, I just sat there in a stew. As I stared, my comms chimed. “Speak,” I grumbled.

“This is Igura,” replied a voice I loved hearing. “We have something for you in the Science Lab.”

“On my way,” I declared as I left my office. I strode through the corridors and passed by a couple of Combatmen.

“Hiro-sama,” said one. …What?

“You there!” I barked. The Combatman stopped and turned to face me. I noticed that his armor looked a lot more sturdy. “Did you say something?” I asked.

“I did,” replied the Combatman. “Igura-sama upgraded all of our vocalizers. Now we’re not stuck saying ‘YEE!’ all the time.”

“I take it she upgraded the armor?” I guessed.

“She did,” answered the Combatman.

“…Very well,” I finished. “Carry on.” Just a few more turns in the corridors and I arrived at the Science Lab where she and a few Scientist Daleks were working on something. Their blue casings gleamed in the lights of the Lab. I cleared my throat to announce my presence. Igura turned to face me. “I just spoke to an upgraded Combatman,” I revealed. “Concern for our numbers?”

“We can’t afford any more casualties,” explained Igura. “We need better armor until our numbers are at acceptable levels.”

“Understandable,” I mused. I then noticed what they were working on. “…That’s an Android Phone,” I observed.

“No, it’s your new Conquest Driver,” corrected Igura. “The a.i in the thing is limited, so no unhelpful commentary.”

“That’s a plus,” I replied. “So, how does it work?”

“Scientist 3387948,” called Igura to one of the Scientist Daleks, “activate the presentation.”

“I obey!” barked Scientist 3387948. It keyed in a command and a screen came down from the ceiling. It then started projecting how it works while Igura explained the pictures.

“First, slide back the panel on the phone’s back and insert your i.d. tag,” she instructed. “Next, key in the three-digit numeric passcode that you are going to set up when first activating the phone. Then, press the button on the bottom of the screen to have it summon your suit. It won’t put itself on until you say ‘Henshin!’ Once you say it, insert the phone onto the swivel and swing it down, then to the left until the phone clicks in the harness. The suit will then put itself onto you.”

“Is it ready for testing?” I asked.

“Whenever you are,” replied Igura as she handed me the belt with the phone harness for the buckle. My guns rested at their usual places. I set up the phone, inserted the i.d. tag into the back, typed in my new passcode (073), and pressed the button before thrusting it out in front of me.

“Henshin!” I called. I then put it onto the swivel and moved it until the phone’s screen was facing outwards. The suit then formed. “A perfect fit!” I praised. “And the Super Charge and Dai Super Charge sequences?”

“Press the button once for Super Charge,” explained Igura. “Press it again for Dai Super Charge. Press it twice in rapid succession while in your base form to immediately activate Dai Super Charge. Try it out.” I pressed the button twice as Igura instructed.

“Dai Super Charge!” I announced. My armor bulked up and exploded off of me to reveal my Kamen Rider Rift armor. “Perfect! You’ve done remarkably!” I then noticed a new device. “And what’s this, hm?”

“The Daleks had gotten schematics on that Sonic Screwdriver the Doctor uses,” replied Igura. “So, in the interests of science and our arsenal, I decided to make some for the troops. I’m just adding a few features the Doctor would never approve of.”

“Ah, so the troops are getting their own magic wands?” I mused.

“…Like I said, Sonic Screwdriver,” corrected Igura.

“Call it whatever you will,” I replied, “I say it’s a magical device that can perform a multitude of tasks with a simple spell, such as unlocking doors or acting as a crude laser. It’s a magic wand.”

“Well, what you’re holding,” grumbled Igura, “is one of our failed attempts. …Don’t give me that look! I tried studying Gallifreyan technology under the circumstances, but if it’s beyond the Daleks, it’s beyond us!”

“Nothing is beyond the…!” argued another Scientist Dalek.

“You, shut up!” ordered Igura. She turned back to me. “In any event,” she continued, “half of the circuitry inside a Sonic Screwdriver is actually bigger than the shell. Much like the TARDIS, it’s bigger on the inside and, while the Daleks HAVE dabbled in engineering dimensions, they’ve just been proceeding on what little bits they’ve taken from the Time Lords.”

“Yeah, the Time Lords don’t really share their scientific secrets,” I conceded. “Er, how do I…?” I gestured at the suit.

“Hold the button down for three seconds,” instructed Igura. “That’s standard for whatever form or Steel you’re in.” I did so and my suit disappeared.

“How are we doing on conventional weapons?” I asked.

“Much better in that area,” reported Igura. “If you would come with me to the firing range.” We went out of the Lab.

“Tell me, again, why we needed this place?!” I growled at Caan.

“Come now,” replied Caan, “don’t you want to turn your prison into a palace?” We had set up shop in the GeoComTex Vault, Van Statten’s base of operations. We had to exterminate anyone still dwelling there.

“What I want,” I argued, “is to return to my original form!”

“And you WILL,” assured Caan, “once we destroy Vortech.”

“We’ve lost our chance of having a portal operator to find him!” I hissed.

“Not really,” replied Caan. “There are OTHERS, others that I have contacted.”

“…Can we trust them?” I asked.

“We can trust them to do their job in finding Vortech,” answered Caan. “When the time is right, we will strike. Hopefully, they will stand with us and not against us.”

“Can we really trust that this…‘Convergence’ is going to happen?” I muttered.

“We can,” chuckled Caan. “On top of me seeing it, her future straight up confirmed it for us. I can still see it. She will be fighting Vortech with a childish red robot and a black kitsune.”

After Edgeworth was returned home, we had a celebration party on Vorton. At least, everyone else did. I just sat in my normal clothes and stared off into space on the upper level, the minor Gateways behind me. My mind was reeling from what happened after we retrieved the Sources the first time. Just then, a voice interrupted my thoughts, Alesandro’s voice, to be precise. “Megumi, what are you doing just sitting alone for?!” he asked. “We defeated Shocker Rift! That’s cause for celebration, ¿verdad?” (True?)

“I don’t feel like celebrating,” I mumbled.

“…¿Por qué?” (Why?) asked Alesandro.

“Alesandro, I hurt you in so many ways,” I replied.

“That was X-PO’s doing,” answered Alesandro. “We’ve all learned that.”

“I still acted against my conscience,” I countered. “I kept something from you new guys and it almost tore us apart. X-PO may have orchestrated it, but most of the time, I was the one who made the decision and I was the one who made you feel manipulated. X-PO saw us as the means to an end and I swore I would never view you guys as such. Now, here we are because I broke my vow.”

“You’re not X-PO,” replied Alesandro. “You’re not Hiro. You’re not Vortech. The best way to NOT be any of them is to wake up and hang out with your friends. Come on down and celebrate with us.” I considered, then grinned.

“Let me get dressed up,” I answered. I headed down to my old room during the Vortech Wars and got into my more regal dress. First came the top of the gown, then the skirts, then my sleeves, then my makeup, and finally the crown. I then joined everyone and danced the night away with Richard. He then pulled me to the center of the Gateway room.

“Everyone,” he began, “we’ve all had our ups and downs here. Together, we’ve persevered. However, Megumi and I can’t do this as we are.” Richard, what are you saying? “Not when we can take it a step further. Megumi, as you know, I’m terrible with fancy words. So, I’ll just ask plainly.” He then got down on one knee and pulled out a little box. My eyes went wide as I guessed what was going to happen next! He then slowly opened the box and revealed…a ring with a little diamond on it! “Hishikawa Megumi, will you be my wife?” The tears of joy came down my face as I held Richard in a tight embrace!

“YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!” I answered. I released him so he could put the ring on my finger. The crowd cheered and clapped at the scene before them. Kaitlyn, Kaede, hang on just a minute longer! Mommy and Daddy have a wedding to plan!

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 60

“Those proton packs may prove useful for the confrontation,” I mused when Emmanuel finished. “Good work, you three.”

“Just doing our job,” replied Emmanuel.

“GET AWAY FROM THAT!!” boomed a voice.

“That was Rusty!” I realized. “Come on!” We followed the shout to see Rusty, Hiroki, Livia, Emu, and the Brigadier holding a young man back. The man was Japanese, from what I could see in the struggling, had a beige coat, a pair of jeans, a grey shirt under the coat, and mismatching sneakers. They were the same brand, but the right sneaker was blue and the left was red. He had tools in his hands and was about to dissect Rusty’s old shell! “HEY!” I snapped as I turned into Tora-Onna and hoisted the man up. “Don’t you know it’s rude to be poking around someone’s old shell?!” I growled. The man’s reaction surprised me. Instead of terror at the prospect of being lifted by a tiger woman with machinery sticking out of her, his face showed excitement at being in the presence of what would usually be a scientific impossibility.

“HOW COOL!” he cheered as he ran his fingers through his hair. “How did all of your machinery grow like this?!”

“Good question, not the point,” I replied. “How did you get here?! Who are you?!”

“That’s Sento Kiryu,” answered Hiroki. “He’s Emu’s successor, Kamen Rider Build.”

“And did your team have a hand in his arrival here? Along with Emu?” I asked.

“Actually,” clarified Emu, “some monster by the name of Caan did that.”

“Khan?” I asked, going off the pronunciation.

“Yeah,” confirmed Livia. “He spelled it C-A-A-N, and said he was part of a cult called the Cult of Skaro.”

“The Cult of Skaro?” asked Rusty.

“You know them?” I asked as I set Sento down.

“That’s just a myth amongst the Daleks,” answered Rusty.

“What’s this about Dalek Myths?” asked a British voice. Michael came in to say hi to Xiomara.

“Michael, do you know anything about a cult of Skaro?” I asked.

“I think you mean THE Cult of Skaro,” replied Michael. “A group of four Daleks that were given what Daleks consider a curse that Humanity is saturated with.”

“There are many aspects of Humanity the Daleks consider a curse,” commented Rusty, “you will have to be more specific.”

“Imagination,” replied Michael. “Those specific Daleks were to imagine like their enemies so they could better exterminate them. Thankfully, they broke up, like a band. Except, not, unless most bands resort to killing one member, the other two dying by their entourage, and the last survivor flying into the Time War to save Davros from the jaws of the Nightmare Child, only to die when Davros’ Reality Bomb was destroyed before it could wipe out all non-Dalek life in the universe. They were the only Daleks to have names.”

“What were they?” I asked.

“Sec, the one that was killed first, was a Black Dalek,” answered Michael, “Jast and Thay died by humans that they had spliced Dalek DNA into, and Caan was the one who saved Davros. It cost him his mind, but he could see into the future.”

“And is Caan spelled C-A-A-N?” asked Livia.

“…Yes, why do you ask?” asked Michael, suspicion forming in his brain.

“He’s alive,” replied Hiroki. “Our mission led to an encounter with him.”

“That’s impossible! I just said when he died!” wailed Michael.

“That’s a bit of a tale,” muttered Livia.

“Then tell it,” I directed.

“This is it!” cheered Heather as her spectral fingers worked with the internal mechanics. “I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna come back to life, pure and fully equipped!”

“All this,” snarked a voice, “just to get your old body back, but with ovaries.”

“I thought I told you to stay out of this!” hissed Heather as she turned to a monstrous looking humanoid. It had three tentacles on the back of its head with a single eye in the center of its forehead. Its armor was reminiscent of a Dalek. Its shape was that of a humanoid male.

“I don’t need to be a prophet to tell you that your plan will fail,” replied the monster.

“Go away, Caan,” snarled Heather. “This isn’t your fight!”

“Why can’t you just accept the fact,” asked the former Dalek Caan, “that this is going to backfire miserably?”

“Because I never saw your name listed as one of the prophets in the Bible!” argued Heather.

“No, because you can’t get your head out of your rear when someone who can see the future says that this is a bad idea!” snarled Caan.

“I need to come back to life and my own Apocalypse Driver will get me exactly what I want!” insisted Heather.

“And you’ll spread pure humanity when you do,” mocked Caan, “and your descendants will continue your mission of purity, and everything will be wonderful! Except, that’s where you humans get it wrong. You never knew purity and will never know that.”

“Says the mutant!” roared Heather. “I WILL succeed!”

“I’m the one that looked into the Time Vortex,” mused Caan, “I’m generally well informed in these matters.”

“Go away, I have work to do!” insisted Heather.

“Well, I DID foresee you not listening to reason,” sighed Caan. “But, I warn you, you’re about to unleash a force you cannot control nor comprehend. Toodle-oo!” He then summoned a portal and went through.

“Stupid Dalek,” snarled Heather. “What would THEY know about purity?”

“Failure, as I predicted,” sighed Caan as he arrived on Foundation Prime.

“Won’t that change things?” I asked as the picture switched off.

“Not really,” replied Caan. “The Vortex Riders’ little skirmish with Heather won’t affect us.”

“And if there’s a new person to arrive at the end of that skirmish?” I queried.

“Rest assured, Madame Igura,” assured Caan, “she won’t help much. She will be a newborn.”

“She?” I asked.

“Unimportant,” dismissed Caan. “The point is, she’ll be too busy deciding who she is to help.”

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 51

I shook my head to clear the impact. My surroundings were…colorful, to say the least. It seemed like an American street in the 20’s. An elderly man came up. He wore a straw hat and a sash that said “Mayor” on it. He was bright and cheerful. “Good Morning!” he cheered

“…Good Morning,” I replied. “I am Hiro Adachi, who are you?”

“I’m Christopher George Weaver!” introduced the man. “The mayor of Main Street, USA!”

“USA?” I repeated. “I’m in America?”

“You look new,” remarked Mayor Weaver. “Are you moving in?”

“I’m…not going to be staying long,” I answered.

“That’s a pity,” sighed Mayor Weaver before putting on his happy face. “Well, in any case, enjoy your visit!” He headed off to his car where his wife was waiting.

“Really, now, Christopher,” she remarked as they pulled away, “don’t you think he needs a doctor?”

“He seemed all right to me,” assured the mayor. They disappeared and I ducked into an alley to raise Foundation Prime.

“Mayday!” I hissed into my comms unit. “Mayday! Mayday! This is a distress call! This is Hiro Adachi, resurrected!” I was met with static. “Damn!” I swore. “I need a Foundation Element’s power to boost the signal!”

“Found one,” reported the Rogue Driver. “Keep walking. I’ll get you there.” I shrugged, then walked down the street. Various cartoon characters were running by alongside humans. I then saw a large castle, white with blue roofs. I was told to go there. Near the portcullis across the moat, I saw a boy with spiky brown hair, oversized yellow shoes, and a goofy expression talking to a woman with blood-red hair, a teal sea star in her hair, and wearing a sea-green dress. She was accompanied by a raven-haired man in princely regalia. “The boy has it,” confirmed the Rogue Driver.

“Excuse me!” I called to the trio. They turned to see me.

“Who are you?” asked the boy.

“Where I’m from,” I chided, “it’s bad manners to ask questions before introducing yourself. In any case, that’s irrelevant. You have an object of immense power?”

“Er, yes, the Keyblade,” stammered the boy.

“Readings of this ‘Keyblade’ match those of a Foundation Element,” reported the Rogue Driver.

“Excellent!” I cheered. I then drew one of my pistols. “I’ll be taking the Keyblade, then.”

“Whoa! WHOA! Okay!” yelped the boy. He then summoned a large key with a yellow guard. “See? Here it is! FIRAGA!” He swiped at the air and threw a large fireball at me! I got out of the way and fired back. It ended in a shoot-out as we circled. The girl didn’t do so, so I wrapped my free arm around her and held the gun to her head.

“Hand over the Keyblade or her dress is stained with something grey, brain-matter grey!” I threatened. Then, it happened. She screamed, making me wince slightly, then…apparently, she wears heels as one of them punctured my foot! I released her and dropped my gun to grab my left foot and hop around in pain saying “ITAI!” loudly. She ran as fast as she could in her heels and dress and buried herself in her raven-haired friend’s arms.

“That was his wife you threatened!” snarled the boy as he charged at me. I grabbed both my guns and put my i.d tag into the Rogue Driver.

“Henshin!” I announced. I fired, making a red circle with my suit’s profile going sideways, and leapt through the circle. I became Kamen Rider Rogue once again and turned my pistols into their Shōtō (short sword) mode. I clashed with the boy again and again, until I “accidentally” loosened my grip on the swords. They were knocked out and the Keyblade was about to strike, but I grabbed the shaft. “Your blade is connected to you, no?” I remarked. “Let’s fix that!” I sent a surge of energy through the blade and it ran through the boy. After a few seconds, I wrestled it from the boy’s grip and stood over him.

“That won’t be in your hands for long!” boasted the boy. He held his hands out and waited for something. Nothing happened. “WHAT?!” yelped the boy.

“I severed your connection with the Keyblade,” I explained. “You’re unarmed and useless!”

“Give that back!” shouted the boy as he leapt onto my arm. I swatted him aside.

“Hello! Rogue Driver!” called a voice over the comms I missed hearing. “I detected a surge of energy! What’s going on?”

“My sweet eagle,” I replied, “your tiger is back!”

“Hiro-Chan!” cheered Igura. “Where have you been?! I’ve been looking all over the multiverse for you!!”

“Well, I’ve been denied access to Foundation Prime,” I answered. “Can Vortech give me a lift? I have two things of value to him.”

“I’m afraid he’s away,” replied Igura. “But, I can get you home!” A portal opened and I limped into it at top speed.

Vorton’s current atmosphere was tense, I won’t lie. We tried various methods to take our mind off the danger that Hiro presented. I toured Vorton and found various training exercises and recreational activities going on. In the Battle Arena, Hongo was training some Stormtroopers in riding speeder bikes. “All right,” he called, “on your bikes!” The troopers mounted their speeders. “All you need to do is weave through the trees and get to the other end, then turn around and return here. On my mark! 3! 2! 1! GO!” Three troopers took off, one’s bike exploded, and the last one didn’t go. The rider altered some settings, then found himself and the bike flying into the air. Hongo face-palmed. A rider crashed into a tree. One rider found himself turned around and crashed into the other rider. Hongo saw me. “Vader said these were the Empire’s finest,” he muttered. I commed someone.

“Requesting a cleanup and medical crew in the Battle Arena,” I called. The rider that went flying landed, hard. I then headed to the firing range to see Fred training some troops.

“Men, we may not see eye to eye, but you ARE the backbone of your Empire!” he declared. “Show me how you hit those targets!” The troopers readied their blasters and fired for a bit. “CEASE FIRE!” roared Fred. “Why are you idiots shooting from the hip?!”

“Permission to explain, sir!” requested a trooper.

“Permission granted!” answered Fred.

“Sir, the armor doesn’t let us aim, sir!” reported the trooper.

“Bulls**t!” swore Fred. He was wearing armor in his size. “I can easily…what the?” He couldn’t lift his gun up to line up his sights.

“I hate to say, ‘I told you so,’ sir,” snarked a second trooper.

“Then don’t!” snapped Fred. “What about spinal movement?”

“Sir, permission to demonstrate spinal movement!” requested a third trooper as he engaged the safety of his gun.

“Permission granted,” replied Fred. The trooper dropped his gun and tried to bend over, no dice. “So, none,” remarked Fred.

“I hate to sound needy, sir,” called the last trooper, “but our peripheral is practically nonexistent.”

“Is it now?” asked Fred as he put his helmet on. “Why, yes! Yes, it is,” he confirmed. He then took off the helmet. “So, we can’t aim, can’t see out of the corner of our eyes, can’t bend over…”

“And our armor is made of a material that is so weak, we literally die in one hit,” supplied the third trooper.

“That explains why you guys are losing,” commented Fred. I left that room and looked into another room to see Linda going through a drill with three Stormtroopers.

“So, you guys are supposed to be policemen as well as soldiers?” she muttered. “I gotta say, military police make me twitchy and our own boys in blue are near enough. Okay, here’s the situation: you’ve got orders to identify drivers on the street.”

“Why?” asked a trooper.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?!” snapped Linda. “You’re searching for someone or something!”

“How will we find the thing we’re looking for if we don’t know what it is?” asked the second trooper.

“NOW, we’re asking the real questions,” joked the third trooper.

“Seriously?!” called Linda “Fine, you’re looking for…” she then picked up an R9 Astromech, “this droid, right here!”

“Found it,” remarked the first. “Job’s done.”

“No! Come on!” shouted Linda. “Look, you’ve got orders to stop drivers and search for a droid. I will drive this speeder around the course, you stop and identify me. Are we clear?”

“Eeeyup!” replied the third trooper. Linda put the Astromech into the speeder, started the speeder, and went halfway around until the second trooper stopped her.

“Good day,” she greeted.

“How long have you had that droid?” asked the trooper.

“About a year now,” replied Linda.

“I’m gonna need to see your identification,” requested the trooper.

“I don’t think there’s a need for that,” answered Linda. The trooper then tried to be funny.

“We don’t need to see her i.d right now,” he called to his buddies.

“I’m not hearing this!” growled Linda as the troopers giggled.

“Oh, but you are,” replied the joking trooper. “Move along.” At that point, I made my presence known and made the trooper bend over backwards to look at me.

“If you nitwits try this sort of nonsense during our final battle,” I whispered. “I will scour your universe to find you! Are we clear?!”

“Crystal!” yelped the trooper. I released him and they tried again while I left. I remembered that I had an appointment and headed to the Gateway room.

“X-PO, I need a rift to the Ghostbusters of 1984,” I called.

“One rift, coming up!” replied X-PO. I headed to the Ghostbusters’ universe and wound up in front of Ghostbusters HQ. I knocked on the door and heard that it was okay to enter. Sludgiona was in a barrel reading a magazine next to a red-head named Janine, also reading a magazine.

“Hey!” I said, as cheerfully as I could, noticing the awkward silence. “How are things?”

“Slow, business-wise,” muttered Janine. “That’s fine though, since the boys are still trying to help Sludgiona here. Despite appearances, she’s very tidy and neat. A really valuable temp here.”

“Has Egon found your universe?” I asked Sludgiona.

“No,” she sighed. “Have any of your people?”

“No,” I admitted lamely.

“Figures,” she mumbled as she grabbed a soda.

“Look, we’re going to find it,” I assured. “It’s just that the multiverse is big and the maps we have are totally different, given that one is from Tarlax 13 and the other is from Vorton. We will find a common reference point and…”

“I didn’t ask you to come here to nag about that,” interrupted Sludgiona after she sipped her drink.

“Then, why did you ask me to visit?” I asked.

“I…” she was struggling to find the words. “I wanted to apologize.”

“…For what?” I asked.

“For…for everything! For fighting you, even after you freed me!” answered Sludgiona. “I don’t know, maybe I should’ve asked for help a while ago.”

“…Apology accepted,” I replied.

“Maybe if I asked you to help, I wouldn’t be stranded here!” cried Sludgiona.

“Stop,” I directed. Sludgiona looked confused. “I was the one who destroyed your declamation chip.”

“Might as well have been me,” mumbled Sludgiona.

“The only mistakes we’re responsible for are the ones we make ourselves, even in an emotional state,” I countered. “I was the one who let her zeal to free the multiverse influence that decision, and it was still the wrong one. We’ve all made mistakes in the past and we’re gonna make many more in the future. The only thing we can do is pick up after ourselves, learn from those mistakes, and move on. We can play the blame game after we died.” Sludgiona gave a sad smile.

“Those are…sagely words,” she mused.

“Is there…anything I can get you?” I asked.

“Not right now,” replied Sludgiona. “This dimension is starting to grow on me. I’ll talk to you later.” A little terse, maybe, but she meant it kindly. I summoned a ride home and toured Vorton again when I came back. Vader was taught Poker by Richard and learned quickly.

“Raising by 2,000,” declared Vader as he put 16,000 studs into the pot.

“Is that a joke, my lord?” asked a Stormtrooper.

“Do I joke that often?” asked Vader.

“I call,” replied Mr. Babineaux. His son, Emmanuel, was looking on.

“He has him!” he cheered to himself.

“Who has who?” I asked, startling Emmanuel. He recovered quickly.

“Papa, he has Richard, how you say, on the ropes,” he replied. I looked at Mr. Babineaux’s studs.

“What was the buy-in?” I asked.

“500,000 studs,” answered Emmanuel.

“He’s down to a quarter that now!” I observed.

“Not for long,” boasted Emmanuel. “He’ll get the pot.”

“What makes you so sure?” I asked.

“…Well…Poker is a…very deep…and involved game,” floundered Emmanuel. “Papa’s strategy will become apparent in a minute.”

“…You have absolutely no idea how Poker is played, do you?” I asked.

“…Non,” replied Emmanuel. “But, I HAVE gained a new appreciation for the game.”

“When?” I asked.

“When Papa started playing it as much as he goes to church,” answered Emmanuel. “He will be victorious and defeat Vader!”

“Vader’s gonna be tough to crack,” I observed. “Besides, Richard’s on a roll. For the past month, he’s won 202 Poker games of varying styles, even his weakest, Texas Hold-em.”

“Perhaps a wager is in order?” asked Emmanuel.

“I don’t want to bet against a man’s father,” I replied.

“Well, if the Queen is too afraid,” taunted Emmanuel. He only uses my position like that to try and get a rise out of me. It always works, I don’t know why!

“Name your stakes!” I declared.

“Loser buys the winner’s drink,” offered Emmanuel.

“It’s a bet!” I agreed as we shook hands. We then looked on. It was Mr. Babineaux’s bet.

“All in!” he answered.

“I’ll take you up on that,” called Richard as he went all in.

“Blast!” hissed the trooper. “I fold!”

“I fold as well,” replied Vader.

“Pretty bold move to go all in when you’ve lost three quarters of your buy-in in previous rounds,” mused Richard.

“Are you afraid a Frenchman cannot cover his bets?” taunted Mr. Babineaux.

“Perish the thought,” assured Richard. “I just hate to kick someone when they’re down. Let’s see ‘em because I think you’re bluffing and will lose!”

“Well, if it’s the rough stuff we’re doing,” answered Mr. Babineaux, “take a look!”

“A full house? Unbelievable!” gasped Richard.

“And there was no cheating from him,” reported Vader.

“Très bon!” cheered Emmanuel. He turned to me. “I’m a great lover of Chateau d’Yquem from Sauternes. That nectar is one of the gods!”

“I see I have gained a fan!” called Mr. Babineaux.

“Well, I hate to disappoint your fans,” countered Richard.

“…Quoi?” (What?) asked Mr. Babineaux. Richard revealed his hand. “A ROYAL FLUSH?!” protested Mr. Babineaux.

“And HE wasn’t cheating either!” remarked Vader.

“Good thing we folded, my Lord,” observed the trooper.

“203 straight games,” I counted. Emmanuel was red in the face. “Frenchmen don’t like losing?”

“No, we don’t!” confirmed Emmanuel.

“Well, we still have a bet,” I reminded him. “Oddly enough, I’m more preferable to Scotch Whiskey.”

“I will need to visit Scotland to get it,” replied Emmanuel.

“Oh, you can get it when this whole thing is over,” I assured. Emmanuel gave me a look. I left Emmanuel to fume and speak with his father to head back to the Gateway room. I noticed that the Brigadier was with Elphaba and Chell, but no Rusty. “Rusty still getting used to two legs?” I asked.

“Oh no,” replied Elphaba, “she’s just in the Simpsons’ universe.”

“By whose authority?!” I demanded.

“Ms. Sheela’s” answered the Brigadier. “She went with Rusty and Team 10 to investigate a…Plumber…distress call in that universe.”

“You know, I’m getting a little sick and tired of people going on little excursions behind my back!” I snapped. “Maybe I should just make a time-clock!” That was when the gateway opened. “Well, look who decided to…WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!” Sheela and her team were battered and bruised! They had two new guys. One of them was a young man, the other was a tall humanoid. It had a purple face with four eyes making the shape of a square on its angle, horns lining the face, no visible mouth, a white body with four red eyes on the chest, wings folded onto the shoulders connecting to the chest eyes, and black feet, lower legs, and left forearm. His right arm was colored green and ended in a vine like pattern on the upper arm. “And who are these two?” I asked.

“My name is Kazuraba Kōta,” panted the guy.

“And I am Reinrassic III, seventh son of the Noble Highbreed House of Derazza, direct descendant of the Pure Blooded High Order of Rarsect, and current Atasian Supreme,” introduced the alien.

“Reinrassic…Reiny?!” I yelped. “You’re the Highbreed Ben helped out?”

“Atasian,” corrected Reiny, “and, yes.”

“Everyone to the medical ward at once,” I ordered. “I want to know what went on.”

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 44

I will freely admit, I was feeling nervous. Okaa-san had completed my dress in about a week. She used white with gold for the outermost skirt. My shoulders and upper arms were exposed while my forearms had sleeves from the elbow to my fingers. The interior of the sleeves and the fluffy material at my elbows were gold. My bodice was white with gold trim on top. The exposed petticoats were white like the train of my dress. This was the first time I wore a dress with a train. I was at my makeup mirror, putting on lipstick. When I finished, I noticed how worried I look, especially without my tiara on. That thing was like a security blanket. I started breathing deeply and unclenched my fingers. “You’ve been through worse, girl,” I whispered to myself. “Besides, your friends believe in you.” I heard a knock. “Come in,” I called. Hiroki poked his head through the door.

“We’re ready,” he reported.

“On my way,” I said. Hiroki left the door open. No turning back. Time to be a Queen. I walked slowly, noticing the details of the hallway from my room to the Gateway room. It took a minute to get there. When I did, I saw the aisle I was going to walk down. Death and her team, our families, the F.N.S, X-PO, Turretorg, Discornia, Team 10, the Stormtroopers and Vader, Rusty, the Brigadier, Elphaba, Chell, and Hongo were on either side. Ursula and our Transformer allies had already gone home. Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf were on the Gateway platform. Gandalf was in the center, Batman was on his right, Wyldstyle was on his left. I walked down the aisle and got on the Gateway pad in front of Gandalf. When I stopped, I knelt down. Batman handed Gandalf a simple gold crown with three points on the front and an oval shaped sapphire at the base of each point. Gandalf accepted the crown and first raised it for all to see, then lowered it onto my head.

“Now come the days of the Queen,” called Gandalf. “May they be blessed.” I gave a small smile, then rose and turned to face my friends. I was met with applause and a teary-eyed Okaa-san. As I looked, I realized that they wanted me to assume more power, so I can better help them, and they can better help me. The butterflies in my stomach went down as I motioned for quiet.

“Thank you,” I began. “All of you. In all my years, I never had such valuable friends and family. Without you, I would be a totally different person. I am truly grateful to have you as my friends and family, even those that were once thought of as fiction. So, I say again, thank you, and may our days be blessed.” I was met with applause. “Now then,” I decreed after it had died down, “to the cafeteria? Ready to feast?” I was met with cheers. “Let’s go!” I called. We sojourned to the cafeteria. As we ate and drank, I noticed War get something on her phone. “Everything alright?” I asked in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the party.

“Not really,” grunted War in the same low tone. She called Death over. My brother joined us. “I just got a message saying Jō had entered the campus.”

“Jō?” I asked.

“Shigeru Jō,” whispered Death, “a guest lecturer when we have a history lesson.”

“The name sounds familiar,” muttered Hiroki.

“Hiroki, you, of all people, should know him!” whispered Death. “He’s the 7th Showa Era Rider, the 7th Rider of all Riders, Kamen Rider Stronger!”

“Stronger?! Seriously?!” yelped Hiroki.

“Yes, and it said he just entered After Academy,” grunted War.

“So, another lecture?” I asked.

“Except, he’s been in the campus for a week now,” whispered Death.

“That’s…disturbing,” I muttered.

“Pardon me,” whispered Death. “I must investigate this.”

“See you later, then,” I bid. Death bowed and left.

“If this worries Death, should it worry us?” asked Hiroki.

“I should hope not,” grunted War.

I had arrived back at After Academy. Something was going up my spine and it wasn’t good. I entered the selectively permeable wall and found Jō. He was with his girlfriend, Misaki Yuriko. They both had the halo mark on their brow to show that they were dead. Yuriko noticed that Jō’s eye and hand were ashen gray. Jō was confused about it. He brought it to my attention and fear gripped my heart. I ordered a Lockdown. Nothing was going in or out. “What’s gotten into you?!” asked Jō.

“The only way any dead person’s body parts would go ashen,” I explained, “would be because those parts were stolen from your grave!” Jō and Yuriko then realized the implications. I got my belt on. “Henshin!” I announced.

“Death!” called my belt. My suit formed. Yuriko jumped into the air and landed in a red, black, and yellow suit with a ladybug motif. This was her hero form, Denpa Ningen Tackle (Electro-wave Human, Tackle). Jō took his jacket off to reveal a yellow shirt with a large, black S on the front. He then stuck his right arm to the side and his left arm pointed towards the right. He then rotated his arms so they were sticking out to the left.

“Henshin!” he announced. He then pulled an imaginary rip cord on his left arm with his right. “STRONGER!” His suit appeared in a crackle of electricity. The belt looked like an eight-pointed star. His suit was black with red shoulder pads connecting at the rib cage and sporting a large, black S. He was sporting a white scarf. The whole motif was based off the Rhinoceros beetle. This was Kamen Rider Stronger.

“Is there any artefact that the intruder would want?” asked Tackle.

“There is one,” I whispered. “We’d best check it out.” I led the two heroes to the room where the Foundation Saber was kept. Shocker Nova Combatmen were accompanying Igura. One of them alerted her to our presence. Igura turned to see us. Her left hand looked like it belonged on a man and her eyes were a different color. One was black, the other was brown. What scared me was that her right arm was like a Vortonian’s. I didn’t need to guess the donor.

“Well now, Kamen Rider Stronger!” she chuckled. “Thank you for donating your hand and eye to me. Rest assured; you will not be forgotten when the new multiversal order is here.”

“Back away from that room!” I whispered. “I’m warning you!”

“You’re warning me?” hissed Igura. “No, I’M warning YOU! Don’t interfere. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“You have no idea what that blade will do to your psyche!” I whispered. “You’re about to unleash forces you cannot control, nor comprehend! The Foundation Saber’s power will tear you asunder!”

“I AM power!” growled Igura. She turned to her men. “Keep them occupied.” The Combatmen swarmed us, slowing us down sufficiently to allow Igura access. She entered the wall and I went through enough to clear a path. I went through the wall, too late. She had already disabled the security measures and grabbed the sword. She then put it in a metal harness shaped like a blade. After that, the sword started unleashing power, as did Igura. The energies synced with each other, signifying that Igura had mastered the Foundation Saber. “At last, the power of the multiverse belongs to ME!”

“No…” I breathed, my transformation cancelling automatically. I fell to my knees. Igura then put the tip of the blade at my throat.

“I would cleave you in two for taking my Hiro’s soul!” she snarled. She then guided my head upwards with the sword. “But, you didn’t, did you?” I was confused. “I looked through your Ledger of the Dead,” explained Igura. “You keep track of all the souls you’ve claimed. Hiro’s soul is marked with a blue circle instead of a green check mark. You couldn’t find his soul in Chima, could you?”

“…No, I couldn’t,” I admitted. “However, Hiro is dead and will remain so!”

“Time will tell,” laughed Igura. She then grabbed me by the hair and dragged me out of the room. She released me and ordered her men to retreat. Stronger and Tackle looked and saw Igura make a circle with the Foundation Saber, creating a rift. “Farewell,” she bid. She and her Combatmen departed. Stronger and Tackle checked me over.

“This war has just tipped in the enemy’s favor,” I muttered.

“A harness for the blade?” asked Vortech when I returned. “Surely my genetic donation would be sufficient.”

“Vortech, you warned me about the power this thing has,” I replied. “I am not a fool. For all I knew, the sword’s power would still make me lose my mind, even with my new Vortonian arm. Better to play it safe.”

“Fair point,” conceded Vortech. “Now, we should be prepared for Universe G-H-0-5-T-8-U-5-T-3-R-5-1-9-8-4. Zod will be in charge and Sludgiona will take your place.”

“Pardon?” I asked.

“You have bigger priorities, locating Hiro’s soul, for a start,” replied Vortech. “Why settle for just one edge when we have a chance for two?”

“So, you want me to find Hiro and bring him back to us?” I quizzed.

“Correct,” confirmed Vortech. “Do not come back empty-handed again.”

“Understood,” I obliged.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 43

“That was a week ago, Your Highness,” said Emily as she finished. I was reeling from the shock.

“That’s…wow…that’s a lot to take in,” I breathed. I then shook my head and turned to Lacey. “Kamen Rider Apocalypse?” I mused. “Congrats! Now we can beat Vortech together!”

“Can’t wait!” cheered Lacey.

“Question,” interjected Mrs. Acqua. “Why are you still in your school uniform?”

“The staff sometimes wears the student uniform to bring them to their level,” replied Lacey. “I think this is gonna be standard dress for me. I don’t know. Haven’t decided yet.”

“Have you picked a color yet?” I asked.

“I was thinking of using purple,” answered Lacey. “A nice, calming color.”

“Can’t wait to see you in action,” I giggled. I turned to Emily. “So, feasting for a week?”

“Special orders from the Dinobots,” explained Emily, “after taking over management of this establishment.”

“Speaking of, where’s the newly christened Siege?” I asked.

“Over here,” snarled the velociraptor. “Siege, Maximize!” Siege transformed. “Welcome to Jurassic World,” he greeted. “Forgive the lack of staff right now, but there is a human to deal with.”

“Lead me to her,” hissed Mrs. Saunders. “She’s under arrest!”

“HELP!” cried a voice.

“That was her!” called Emily.

“Quick!” I directed. We all ran like Hades down Main Street to see a woman, Heather, by Emily’s description, locked in combat with a robot. The robot seemed to gain the upper hand as it wrapped its pincers around Heather’s throat. Heather tried to get out of the robot’s grip, but to no avail. She was thrown down and I heard snapping. Emily rushed to her and checked her over. She dropped her shoulders and turned to us.

“She’s dead,” she pronounced. I turned to look at the robot. It stayed there, so I examined every detail. It had a single grey antenna, a square head and rectangular body, arms with pincers, and a single yellow eye. It floated like X-PO did and summoned a rift to escape.

“STOP!” I demanded, but it was too late.

“Damnation!” roared Mrs. Saunders. “She had valuable intel on Vortech’s plans!”

“First Hiro, now this!” I hissed.

“What about Hiro?” asked Richard.

“Oh, yeah,” I explained. “After I became Kamen Rider Vortex for the first time, Hiro blew himself up.”

“He’s dead?!” yelped Haitao.

“I’ll explain on the way back,” I promised. “X-PO, we need a rift back!” A rift opened up. “Shall we?” I called. We all entered the rift.

I had managed to secure permission to begin a little expedition from Vortech after my embarrassment in Jurassic World. Ambassador Hell accompanied me. We headed to a universe in Cluster N. The landscape was a barren, dark one with nothing but grey sand. The gravity was 1/6th of what we’re used to. Ambassador Hell looked around and stopped when he saw what was in the sky. “Nice, lush planet, is it not?” I remarked.

“We’re on a planet’s moon?!” he asked. “How are we breathing?!”

“In most versions in this dimensional cluster,” I replied, “the moon has an atmosphere. This specific universe is 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0.”

“Is…that a…church?” asked Ambassador Hell.

“A sham wedding was stopped in that church,” I answered.

“Is that a taxi?!” yelped Ambassador Hell.

“And tourists are around,” I mused.

“But…the moon is a barren wasteland, isn’t it?” asked Ambassador Hell.

“Indeed,” I replied, “but, it isn’t this universe that’s our destination.”

“Then, why are we…?” Ambassador Hell’s question was answered as we stopped at a crater. “A gateway?”

“Our very own,” I confirmed. “Salvaged from the wreckage of GLaDOS’ bungling. Come! We’re going to the outskirts of Hell itself!” I activated the Gateway and we entered to arrive at another wasteland with a blood-red sky and air filled with the screams of the damned. Ambassador Hell looked down the crater to see many of the people were once under his command.

“I had underestimated how many of our allies are here,” he hissed. “Curse all Kamen Riders to this very pit!”

“Come,” I called. “Our destination is in sight.” We approached a large building with gargoyles.

“A tomb? Here?” asked Ambassador Hell.

“One said to contain guardians,” I answered. “Come now, Ambassador, you’re not averse to desecration, are you?”

“It’s just that being here evokes powerful memories,” replied Ambassador Hell, “considering the fate of my brother.”

“Ambassador Darkness of the Badan Empire, correct?” I mused. “Then, you shall delight in our purpose here. For our actions here shall ensure that we avenge our fallen comrades.” We entered the tomb and located a coffin

“Don’t touch that!” snapped a voice.

“Says…who are you?!” I asked. The creature was humanoid, was grey-white, had a large tail, black lips, and purple areas on the scalp, shoulders, sternum, and lower legs, which had three toes. He had a halo above his head.

“I am Frieza,” introduced the creature. “At the moment, I’m supposed to guard this tomb. Anything to get away from that absurd tree! Much as I prefer to allow desecration, I’m on assignment to prevent it. So, if you value your lives, back off!”

“Hold that abomination off!” I ordered.

“Hold him off?!” protested Ambassador Hell as he turned into Garagaranda. “I’m the leader of an organization! I don’t hold things off! I squash them!” As he held Frieza off, I opened a coffin and took out my blades. I used a small one to get the eye and used a larger one to get the left hand.

“I have what I need!” I called. “Vortech, Garagaranda and I need a rift home!” Garagaranda shoved Frieza away and we entered the rift.

We had returned to Vorton to cheers. Everyone was back, well, aside from Death. We told everyone the events of what went on in Jurassic world and told them about the robot that killed Heather. I then told everyone what happened in Chima. After the story, I called for silence. “Everyone,” I began, “I’m just reminding those that heard, but the Jurassic team needs to know. There’s been an idea floating around that I should be crowned Queen of the F.N.S.”

“No kidding?!” asked Emily as she wiggled happily in Joshua’s lap.

“No kidding,” I confirmed. “So, I need everyone’s opinion. To save time, I need everyone to speak with their families and we’ll tally family votes. Okaa-san, Hiroki Nee-san, you two will have to debate alone. I’m not voting.”

“We understand,” assured Okaa-san.

“All right, get debating. Let me remind you that a single no vote will defeat the motion,” I declared. “I’ll call you in five minutes.” The F.N.S, our families, Hongo, Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf departed. Ben and his team, Ursula, and the Dinobots were staring at the Star Destroyers hovering above Vorton.

“I swear I saw those before,” mused Ursula as she turned into Vanessa.

“A pleasure to see you,” boomed Vader’s voice.

“YOU AGAIN!!” shouted Vanessa.

“You know him?” I asked.

“We were on the same side for a while during an event called the Balance Wars,” snarled Vanessa. “If memory serves, you and your Emperor nearly killed us all when you fought each other! Loki wasted too much power to get us out of the Death Star Mark III!”

“Perhaps it would be in your best interest to not underestimate the power I wield,” rumbled Vader. “Your magic is nothing compared to the Force.”

“You prattle on and on about that Force nonsense,” hissed Vanessa, “but, in the end, anyone can wield it! It’s nothing special, just a…!” She didn’t get very far as Vader held out his hand and Vanessa started gasping for air.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” growled Vader.

“LET HER GO OR OUR ALLIANCE IS OVER!” I thundered.

“As is your will,” complied Vader. He released Vanessa. She coughed and spluttered.

“Vader, it would be in your best interests NOT to choke people that annoy you,” I warned. “You want my help, reign it in! Whatever beef you have with her is irrelevant. Unless Vanessa wishes to stay, I’m sending her home after the vote.”

“I’m not staying a second longer!” snapped Vanessa.

“Truth be told,” rumbled Grimlock, “Dinobots need to go home.”

“I must return as well,” replied Siege.

“I don’t know about you guys,” cheered Ben, “but I’m staying!”

“Not without me, you are not!” protested Rook.

“I’m staying too,” called Gwen.

“I see no reason to not kick butt and take names,” mused Kevin.

“I’m in, too,” declared Max.

“Very well,” I said. I then heard footsteps. “Five minutes, already?” I muttered. “All right, we’ll start with the Saunders.”

“The Saunders say yes!” called Emily.

“Archers?” I asked.

“The Archers say yes,” replied Michael.

“Kuznetsovs?” I quizzed.

“The vote is yes,” answered Irina.

“Akintolas?” I queried.

“We say yes!” cheered Mr. Akintola.

“Ackermanns?” I gulped.

“The vote is yes,” reported Mrs. Ackermann.

“Babineauxs?” I mumbled.

“Oui, you should be Queen!” called Emmanuel.

“Haugens?” I asked, hoping for a “no” vote.

“You will make a fine Queen. The vote is yes,” replied Tonje.

“Elizondos?” I said weakly.

“Of course, we say yes!” cheered Mr. Elizondo.

“Acquas?” I quizzed.

“Sì!” called Livia.

“Williams?” I mumbled.

“God save Queen Megumi!” praised Mr. Williams.

“Kumars?” I mumbled.

“Yes, of course!” replied Sheela.

“Lins?” I quizzed.

“We say yes,” said Mrs. Lin.

“Okay, my family has the final say,” I said, really hoping for a “no” from them.

“And we say yes!” cheered Okaa-san. “You shall make a fine Queen!”

“It’s…decided…then,” I whispered, feeling the weight of the crown, even though I was still wearing my tiara.

“I’ll make you a new dress!” cheered Okaa-san.

“Okay,” I mumbled, nervously.

“No worries, Megumi,” assured Richard. “You’ve led us this far and haven’t let us down. I feel confident in following you.”

“Thank you,” I sighed. “I just worry about that kind of power going to my head.”

“Just remember your friends,” reminded Okaa-san. I smiled.

“Friends do keep one grounded, don’t they?” I mused. I was feeling a little more confident about being Queen. “When my new dress is finished, we will hold a coronation.” I decreed.

“God save the Queen!” cheered Michael.

“God save the Queen!” called everyone.

When we returned, Vortech met us as he held a female version of his right arm. “And, what do you intend to do?” he asked.

“The hand and eye I had obtained from Hell are merely tools to allow me into After Academy,” I explained. “The arm I requested should serve as a buffer for the power that resides in the school. Power that I intend to use!” We stopped at the Medical Ward with the Rani by the surgery table. “So, you CAN do it?” I asked her.

“I mean, yes, I CAN do it,” she replied, “if you’re certain that’s what you want?”

“Like nothing I’ve ever desired!” I declared, making it clear that there is no going back.

“Then, prepare for…” said the Rani.

“No anesthetic!” I demanded as I laid down. “I want to bear witness as you upgrade my limbs and eye!”

“Coming up,” complied the Rani. She got to work on my right arm first. The pain was excruciating, but I managed.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 40

“That’s a joke, I’m sure?” asked Vortech.

“No, my lord,” sighed Sludgiona. “Hiro Adachi is dead. Kamen Rider Vortex has awoken.” Vortech went deep in thought and worry.

“We’ve just entered our darkest hour, then,” he mused. I felt weak in the knees.

“Pardon me,” I mumbled. I stumbled off to my quarters, my mind in a whirlwind of emotions. First my failure in Jurassic World and now this?! My fiancée dead?! I finally reached my quarters and let myself collapse on the bed. My entire body was wracked with sobbing. I don’t know how long I was crying, but, Ambassador Hell opened my door.

“Igura,” he began, “given the…situation, Lord Vortech has ordered the building of a fallback position. But, know that you are free to use my troops to initiate a counter-attack against the…”

“COUNTER-ATTACK?!” I shrieked as I hurled a vase at Ambassador Hell’s head. He ducked. “Perhaps you fail to remember the reports of two Kamen Riders cleaving a mountain or flooding an island! With Vortex and Apocalypse having awoken, and our strongest warrior dead, our enemies can destroy us all with a wave of their hand! We must level the playing field, if not tip the balance of power back in our favor, in order to properly give Hiro the eternal rest that is his!”

“Is there not a weapon to rival their power?” asked Ambassador Hell.

“Correct, the Foundation Saber,” I replied. “But, it’s locked within the vaults of After Academy. Only students and staff can freely enter and exit that campus. Even then, only Lord Vortech can use it, and he has no intentions of doing so.” My tears were spent, as was my rage. If anything, Ambassador Hell’s words gave me the means to move on and come up with an idea. I started laughing. “But, I might get that access and wield that power if I were to control such genetic material!”

We arrived back on Vorton, the home team cheering at our return. Hiroki hugged both me and Okaa-san. There was a lot of hugging going on. Families were being reconnected. “Quite the reunion,” I called.

“So nice to see our families!” cheered Tonje as she hugged her mother and grandmother.

“Move aside!” declared Mrs. Linda Saunders. “I want to see my babies!”

“I beg your pardon?” asked Hiroki.

“My babies! Emily and Richard!” answered Linda.

“Didn’t they meet up with you?” asked Emmanuel as he helped his aged father sit down.

“No,” I replied. “I thought they would be here by now.” At that point, a rift opened and Lacey came through with Death, three other ladies who I presume the rest of Death’s team, and five other people, one man and four girls. The man wore a skirt. “Lacey, welcome,” I greeted. “I would have baked a cake for you, but we just found that Emily’s team hasn’t come back yet.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” assured Lacey. “They’re all right. They’re waiting for you guys.

“Then get us to the dimension they’re in!” demanded Fred. “I want to see my sweet, baby girl and my strong son!”

“But the Gateway can only send seven to a certain dimension,” I replied.

“Not with your current powers,” whispered Death. “You can go there without a Gateway and summon others. You just need to think of your targets.” When I heard that, I grinned like a maniac.

“Henshin!” I announced. My suit formed. “Super Charge!” The color changed and the suit bulked up. “And…Dai Super Charge!”

“HIT THE DECK!” warned Okaa-san. Everyone hit the floor as my armor flew off.

“Ooh! Can’t wait!” I giggled

“Nice suit!” complimented Hiroki. “What do you think of it?!”

“I was too busy fighting the late Hiro Adachi to find a mirror,” I replied.

“He’s dead?!” yelped Lukas.

“He blew himself up, rather than let us help him with his wounds,” I recounted. “The balance of power is in our favor.”

“I need to find him and collect him then,” whispered Death. “Lacey, sweetie, could you accompany Megumi in my place while she retrieves her friends?”

“Of course,” answered Lacey. “And, Megumi, if it’s a mirror you want…” she then summoned dark mist, let it surround her legs, made it grow, and then got it off her legs to make a mirror with a black frame.

“She can use magic?” muttered Gandalf.

“Magic beyond what you’re familiar with,” explained Lacey. I looked in the mirror to see my suit. It was gold with cream tiger stripes. It had a crown with three points, the middle one being the largest. There was a blue jewel in the crown’s center with my helmet’s antennae behind the crown. It had a cape and a skirt that opened under my belt, to allow for easy kicking, no doubt. My eyes were cream colored this time.

“Oooh, Megumi likes!” I giggled.

“With that kind of suit, and the power it supposedly comes with,” remarked Hiroki, “we may start calling you ‘Your Majesty’.”

“Queen Megumi Hishikawa,” mused Emmanuel. “I like the sound of that.”

“I’m not married,” I countered.

“Queen Elizabeth I was unmarried,” replied Joshua’s dad, Tim, “and she ruled England for some time.”

“How about this,” I suggested. “I’ll be called Queen Megumi ONLY by unanimous vote. All right?” Everyone nodded. “Good. With that out of the way, Lacey, why don’t you introduce your friends?”

“Gladly,” agreed Lacey. “This is War.”

“Greetings,” grunted the armored woman.

“Pestilence,” introduced Lacey.

“Hello,” wheezed the green woman as she waved.

“Famine,” announced Lacey.

“Hey!” mumbled the bony woman as she scarfed down some wings.

“And my classmates, Amelia,” continued Lacey

“Good evening,” answered the tall woman.

“Sophie,” announced Lacey.

“Yo,” said the short, stocky girl.

“Flora,” called Lacey.

“Um, hello,” said the plump girl, in a quiet, shy tone.

“Charline,” introduced Lacey.

“What’s up?” called the muscular girl.

“And Brendan,” finished Lacey.

“Nice to meet you,” greeted the man.

“My classmates have joined on as our heralds,” explained Lacey.

“Well then, welcome to the war against Vortech,” I said. “Now, with that out of the way, shall we? Lacey, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, Mr. Kuznetsov, Mr. Archer, Mrs. Acqua, and Mr. Lin, care to join us?”

“Of course,” replied Mr. Longwear Lin. “I want to see my son!”

“Any idiot that keeps me a second longer from my little pirates,” hissed Mr. Sergei Kuznetsov, “is going to be a dead man.”

“Then let’s not wait a second longer,” I declared. “Let’s go! X-PO, the coordinates, if you please!”

“Coming up!” said X-PO. He beamed the info into my belt and I started concentrating. I focused on the parents, Lacey, and myself. All of a sudden, portals opened beneath us.

“I need to learn how to open them where I waaAAAAAAAAANT!!!!!!” I screamed as we all fell into the vortex. We tumbled, not so gracefully, through the vortex until we landed in front of a set of gates. We looked up to see the sign read “Jurassic World”.

“Seriously?” scoffed Linda. “Didn’t they learn from the first movie?”

“WHO YOU?!” boomed a voice. The earth shook in a rhythmic pattern, like footsteps, and a metal 80’s T-Rex stomped into view. It was grey with red eyes, was walking erect while dragging the tail, and had the hands down with the fingers pointing down. “What you doing here?!” roared the T-Rex.

“Grimlock?!” yelped Fred. The T-Rex turned its head.

“How you know Me Grimlock name?” snarled Grimlock.

“We come from another universe where…” I began.

“More?!” wailed Grimlock. “Why more coming here?! If you from Shocker Rift…!”

“No no no!” I halted. “Listen, we’re friends with other Riders! Have you seen Kamen Rider Touché?”

“For all Me Grimlock know,” boomed Grimlock, “you spies for Shocker Rift!”

“Signore Grimlock, aspetta un momento!” (Mister Grimlock, wait a minute!) called a voice.

“That voice!” recognized Mrs. Acqua. That was when a certain mermaid obsessed Italian woman ran up.

“Mamma!” cheered Livia.

“Livia, mia figlia preziosa!” (my precious daughter) called Mrs. Acqua as Livia hugged her. They started talking in their native Italian, with happy tears going down their faces.

“Er, Me Grimlock no understand why fish girl crying and hugging,” muttered Grimlock.

“Grimlock, I’d like you to meet my mother!” introduced Livia.

“Oh,” mumbled Grimlock, looking rather embarrassed.

“Mr. Grimlock!” called Fred.

“Er, yes?” quizzed Grimlock.

“I’m a huge fan of yours!” cheered Fred. “Could I get your autograph?!”

“Er, you have autograph pad?” floundered Grimlock, a little out of his depth.

“Can we focus on something else, like getting your children back?” I asked.

“Er, I’m sorry, Signorina, who are you?” Livia asked.

“What? Livia, it’s me! It’s…oh, wait, I’m still suited up. Hold on,” I replied. I then cancelled my transformation.

“Megumi?!” realized Livia. “You did it?!”

“I did it! I’m Kamen Rider Vortex now!” I confirmed.

“That lady one who train with beasts?” asked Grimlock.

“That’s the one!” replied Livia.

“Then she need to see her friends!” declared Grimlock. “Follow me, everyone!”

“Watch your step, though,” warned Lacey. “The place is a little wet.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I helped them out and flooded the place,” explained Lacey. The doors opened and we entered Lake Jurassic World. The place was flooded out. There were a few islands, one of them had a table with a lot of food. There, feasting, were Emily, Richard, Michael, Irina, Mikhail, and Haitao. There was a brunette teenage boy with green eyes, and Ursula the Sea Witch at the table as well.

“This is the good stuff,” sighed Richard. “A real homemade ice cream cone.” He raised his cone as he munched on his burger.

“You know,” mused the brunette, “I feel like I’m back at Burger Shack.”

“I’d love to try that stuff!” called Richard.

“With a smoothie in my hand,” continued the brunette, “and propping my feet up after a hard day’s battle.”

“Only,” joked Emily, “a hard day’s battle is just your typical Saturday of fun and games for you and Rook.”

“And Gwen and Kevin, don’t forget them,” supplied Richard.

“So, that IS Ben 10 I’m seeing,” I observed. Everybody turned to see us.

“Megumi?!” called Emily.

“Not just little old me,” I replied. I then moved to reveal our families.

“No way!” breathed Richard.

“Daddy?!” called Emily as tears of happiness glistened. Both Saunders kids ran to their parents and tackle-hugged them.

“Welcome, Lords and Ladies, to Jurassic World!” greeted Haitao.

“You utter scamps!” shouted Mr. Alexander Archer. “A merry hunt you’ve led us on, making us sick with worry, and we find you feasting!”

“Father, we are simply sitting of a field of victory, blessed by Nike herself,” countered Michael, “and we’re enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good.”

“…S…Salted Pork?” muttered Mr. Archer, salivating slightly.

“We’re under orders to relax,” explained Mikhail as he and Irina pulled up a chair for Sergei. “Strict orders from Dinobot, who’s taken over management while the other Dinobots and Owen Grady deal with a problem.”

“What problem is that?” I asked.

“I called her Hillbilly Heather,” elaborated Emily.

“How’d SHE get out?!” yelped Mrs. Saunders. “I got charges to stick on her two years ago! After she tried to kill you when you didn’t commit suicide!”

“There’s a tale for you,” replied Emily. “Pull up a seat and I’ll tell it.”

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 36

“That was…quite an adventure you had!” I breathed. Tanisha curtsied as we clapped. “I think you left out where you got the studs, though.”

“Oh, Wheatley had accidentally snagged them when he was looking around GLaDOS’ gateway room,” explained Tanisha. “I took them when we were in the rift.”

“All right, my friends, I think we’ve had a long day,” I sighed. “Now, why don’t we…”

“Did you know that the mitochondria is your powerhouse? Wait, you’re not Cell!” I instinctively punched the guy that said that and he crashed into the wall. He slid down as if he was dead.

“Did…I just…manslaughter…Spider-Man?” I asked .

“Really?” sighed Emily. “Gonna make THAT mistake?”

“At least SOMEONE knows me!” muttered the guy I punched.

“Wait, how did you…?” I asked, unsure of how he survived that.

“Mutant, friendo!” laughed the guy. He jumped to his feet so I could see the number of pouches on his red and black suit. “Well, Mutate, really, but, whatevs!”

“Wade, how did you find us?!” sighed Emily.

“My magic unicorn!” snarked the guy. “Anyway, INTRODUCTIONS! I’m your Deadly Neighborhood Deadpool! It rhymes with No School! Too Cool! Ain’t no Fool and I’m acting like my incarnation in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series. Damn it!”

“Not a breaker!” wailed X-PO.

“A what?” asked Emmanuel.

“There’s a dividing force out in the multiverse,” explained Vortoranii. “A force that divides us from other null dimensions, where nothing exciting happens in the way you’re used to. That force is called the Fourth Wall, and some idiots in the multiverse love to turn it into powder! Hence, breakers!”

“What can I say?” chuckled Deadpool. “She-Honk and I do it a lot!”

“She-HULK, you mean,” corrected Richard.

“Don’t feed him!” wailed Emily.

“She’s big, green, makes noise,” argued Deadpool.

“And has the authority to sue your cancer-ridden rear,” countered Richard.

“A case like that can drag on for years,” dismissed Deadpool.

“So, wait, are you some guy who randomly spouts nonsense?” I asked.

“Among other things,” supplied Emily. “He’s called the Merc With a Mouth.”

“Merc?” I repeated “As in, mercenary?”

“Yepperoni!” confirmed Deadpool. “And, right now, some Asian dude contracted me to assassinate your skirt wearing ass!” He pointed to me.

“Ignoring the fact that you can’t tell the Japanese apart from the rest of Asia, the thought of Hiro stooping that low never really crossed my mind,” I said.

“Yeah, well, the pic he gave me looks nothing like you.” Deadpool held up a picture of Sailor Moon.

“Oh, absolutely not!” I confirmed.

“Ah well!” giggled Deadpool as he tossed the picture aside. “Enough making the Toku Fandom mad. I’m gonna murderlize you real good with Black Betty and Vera!” He pulled out his guns. “Maybe this stupid retelling of Lego Dimensions will get somewhere with me around!”

“Guns?” I asked. “Buddy, your employer can tell you how poorly that’s gonna work out for why is there a breeze through my shoulder?” Deadpool’s left gun was smoking. “I stand corrected,” I mused, “also perforated. Also, AAARRRGGH!” I clutched my shoulder in pain.

“And the blades here are Adamantium, baby!” cheered Deadpool. The twin katanas he had ended up in talk show chairs. “Meet Wanda and Selene! Who I named after my cats, that I had to put down with these swords.” He got up close and whispered in our ears as Emily got the bullet out. “Also, they weren’t cats, but feral tortoises!”

“Henshin!” called Emmanuel. He turned into Arch and fired off an energy arrow into Deadpool’s head. “Un, Deux, Trois, Quatre…” he counted before Deadpool came back up.

“Okay, the swords aren’t Adamantium,” he conceded. “They’re Carbonadium.” Arch shot him again. He hummed the French National Anthem for a bit before Deadpool popped up again. “DAMMIT!” he snapped, getting a little mad. “Listen, you rifle-dropping…!” Arch shot him again before he could get any further with that one.

“Mon Dieu,” muttered Arch, “and you told me he was Canadian, oui Emily?”

“I know, nowhere near as polite,” agreed Emily as she patched up my shoulder. “Go easy on it, all right?”

“All right, that’s F***IN IT!” roared Deadpool as he drew his swords. “Every time you idiots do this to me; you make me lose a bit of my memory! While I’m more than happy to say bye-bye to Uncle Vance and his camping trip from Hell, I can’t risk losing the time I got lucky at band school! So, sit still and let me dice you up!”

“Henshin,” called Emily. As she turned into Touché, her foil blocked his swords. “Listen, Wadey, can I call you Wadey?”

“You can call me whatever you want while I carve you like a goddamn ham!” threatened Deadpool.

“3,706,” counted Touché, remembering all the pig jokes she heard in her life. “Wadey, I get what your shtick is.” She knocked his swords out of his hands.

“AH! MY TIPS!” he yelped.

“One of us does something to you that would kill a normal person,” continued Touché, “you DON’T die, you crack a joke that offends someone, we do it again, rinse and repeat! You’ve lost your luster, dude. So, take your swords, your guns, your Fourth Wall breaking, and go back to your native universe.”

“Eh, sorry,” mused Deadpool, “but, a job’s a job’s a job! And I’m getting paid big time to kill your boss. So, step aside and let this be the easiest 10,000,000,000,000 bucks I’ve ever made!”

“You mean studs, right?” I asked.

“Er, no, I meant bucks,” countered Deadpool. “And not the male venison!”

“Deadpool, neither side uses American Dollars,” remarked Joshua.

“What else is there?” asked Deadpool.

“Can whoever’s watching or writing this explain to Deadpool what’s going on?” Touché asked the heavens as she changed back. A laptop came up from a pedestal in the floor. Deadpool went to DeviantArt, typed in a username, and found the story the artist made. He stopped at a certain point and developed a nasty twitch.

“Studs?” he hissed. “They were gonna pay me…in STUDS?! THAT’S NOT LEGAL TENDER WHERE I’M FROM!! IT’S NOT EVEN ILLEGAL TENDER!! AND THEY WERE GONNA CONVERT ME INTO ONE OF THEIR CYBORGS INSTEAD OF GIVING ME CHIMICHANGAS?! Okay, deep breath…” he inhaled, then exhaled. We waited a few seconds. “Congratulations!” cheered Deadpool. “You’ve just convinced me to break contract and fight Lord Vortech with you guys!”

“What do you want in return?” I asked.

“You ARE a smart one, this ISN’T a freebie!” replied Deadpool. “I want the 10 trillion and chimichangas they promised me!”

“How many chimichangas?” asked Emily. “I think the replicators can make the desired amount.”

“A butt-load!” answered Deadpool. Emily checked the options and saw that there was, indeed, a butt-load option. She selected it and out came the promised amount.

“As for the money,” called X-PO, “how would exclusive rights to the money dimension work out for you?”

“There’s a money dimension?” I asked.

“You’re lying,” muttered Deadpool. X-PO opened a rift and Deadpool stuck his head through. After a few seconds where his arms went limp, he pulled out, his eyes wider than an insect’s. “I could retire on just .01% of that!” he breathed. “Take a look!” We all poked our heads through and…Deadpool wasn’t wrong! Stacks of cash, gold, and jewels as far as the eye can see.

“Smaug wouldn’t have needed Erebor’s gold!” I exclaimed. I turned to Deadpool. “Well? Will that settle our debt?”

“Immensely!” confirmed Deadpool. “In fact, Your Highness, you’re the first person to have me on retainer!” A card printed out of the gateway.

“Just tap the little blue circle and Dimension 1-N-F-1-N-1-T-3-C-4-5-H is yours,” explained X-PO.

“Speaking of dimensions, I gotta get back,” announced Deadpool. “Gotta sharpen my weapons, reload, add a few pouches to the suit…”

“You really ARE a Liefeld creation, aren’t you?” muttered Emily.

“Hey, at least my current artists can draw my feet!” snapped Deadpool. A portal opened up. “And that’s my ride. Smell you later!” Deadpool, mercifully, went through.

“Okay,” I muttered, “any MORE crazies we should deal with, or can we retire to our rooms?” Nothing happened. “Let’s get some rest then.” Everyone dispersed. “Hiroki Nee-san,” I said, “would you walk with me for a sec?”

“Of course,” replied Hiroki. We walked around, away from prying eyes. It was then I decided to speak.

“Sending Tanisha to the Portal universe without backup? What the heck?!” I snapped. Hiroki tensed up.

“Megumi,” he countered, “with all due respect, we were pressed for time. On top of that, Tonje’s not a gamer.”

“I’M not a gamer,” I reminded him, “and I survived that universe. Know why? Because I had the necessary backup. Tanisha would have guided Tonje through that universe just fine. If anything, it would have been easier on Tanisha so someone could have kept Igura off her back.”

“But, would explaining things not have slowed them down?” asked Hiroki. “That universe IS enemy territory.”

“That we have frustrated once before,” I reminded. “There would have been plenty of time for Tanisha to explain things to Tonje. I cannot have people underestimate one another. It’s because of having experts on certain universes that we survived thus far and it will continue to serve us all well. I don’t recall you raising any objections to me going to an unknown universe. Have I got that wrong and I didn’t hear your numerous objections?” That hit him.

“I…raised no such things,” he mumbled.

“Then I would advise you to extend that courtesy to the others, all right?” I directed.

“Yes, Sister,” he muttered. He left to his quarters without another word. The loneliness of command, gotta love it, huh?

“Lord Vortech, get me out of here!” wailed the potato battery I brought with me when I returned. In it was GLaDOS’ main neural processor.

“Considering your failure to destroy a Vortex Rider and the fact that you lost the rift technology Hiro left you,” snarled Vortech, “I see no reason to do so. You shall serve as a constant reminder to those that would dare fail me, Igura and Hiro, chiefly.”

“Excuse me?” I protested.

“You allowed yourself to be defeated by a child!” growled Vortech. “Your excursion into J-U-R-4-5-5-1-C-P-4-R-K had better not end in failure!” I gulped, realizing Vortech’s not in the mood for excuses.

“Yes, Lord Vortech,” I mumbled.