Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 35

We arrived at Test Chamber 92. Some platforms were retracting and coming out repeatedly. GLaDOS spoke again. “Oh well,” she remarked, “if it isn’t the grand return of King Moron, his Mute Princess, and the Huntress. You’ve come ‘Back to the Future’ of science, I see. As I said earlier, not that you were listening, I’m still fixing up the place. So, hold on a moment.” She managed to fix the platforms to make a bridge as we headed to a rather open chamber.

“Oh, OH! I remember this test!” cheered Wheatley “I tried it once, couldn’t do it, and, well, I simplified it! See if you can do it, go on!” In the middle of the chamber was a weight switch that opened the door in the middle of the wall ahead. I assumed it triggered a ramp once unlocked. I summoned the Companion Cube and put it on the switch. It did as I assumed. “Yay!” called Wheatley. “You did it! Well done you!” I was about to approach the ramp, but Chell put a hand on my shoulder. She shook her head.

“You think GLaDOS would change the test back to its factory settings?” I guessed. Chell nodded. “I can see why you would say that,” I continued, “but, maybe, she won’t notice this one.”

“NO!” snapped GLaDOS. “This is NOT an acceptable Test Chamber! Nor is it acceptable to ruin perfectly good testing scenarios! Here, let me fix it to how it was!” The ramp went down and the weight switch flipped over. An energy ball emitter and its acceptor ran along the wall on the right of the door. Above them was a platform with turrets blocking the way to an excursion funnel leading to a weight switch. On the door’s left, there was an Aerial Faith plate leading to the turret platform and a panel on the ceiling facing one on the floor with a target switch nearby.

“Then again,” I wailed, “I could be the victim of wishful thinking!”

“I don’t want to say, ‘I told you so’, but I told you so!” signed Chell.

“I MAY have been a little hasty in thinking GLaDOS would let it slide,” I sighed as I summoned the turret and cube. I sighed as Chell made a portal from the wall panel to the ceiling panel. She got me to press the button to release the energy ball. Chell then got the turret to fire on the target switch. The panel on the floor tilted towards the acceptor. The energy ball went through the portal and was directed to the acceptor. It made the part of the bridge the turrets were on tilt to let them fall into a pit. Chell then grabbed the cube with the portal gun and used the Aerial Faith plate to get onto the platform once the bridge came back.

“Have you ever had a fly buzzing around your head that won’t leave you alone?” asked GLaDOS. “No matter how hard you try, you can’t get rid of it. It just keeps coming back time and time again.” Chell then put the cube into the Excursion Funnel and it floated up to the weight switch. The door unlocked again and the ramp came back.

“YaHEY!” cheered Wheatley. “That’s it! Simple, isn’t it really, once you’ve figured it out?” We went into the elevator and went up. Test Chamber 93 was our destination.

“This is one of my most recent chambers,” reported GLaDOS, “and you’ll be glad to know I’ve completely reinforced the Aerial Faith plates to account for your bubbly personality.” A target switch was near the door, connecting to an Aerial Faith plate on the wall. There was one on the ground as well. We explored further to see a light bridge connecting two areas. There was an energy ball emitter and a white panel facing it on the bottom. Chell made a blue portal on the panel. I summoned the turret and got it to fire at the target switch. It tilted the Aerial Faith plate on the wall. I used the one on the ground to reach the wall one and I went to the rightmost area. I saw an Excursion Funnel with a weight switch on the ceiling, summoned the cube, and placed it in the Funnel. It floated upwards, activating the switch. It connected to the Energy Ball transmitter and released a ball. Chell came up as well.

“Just a quick FYI,” warned Wheatley, “those High Energy Pellets are NOT candy and actually really hurt if you come into contact with them. Best to just use them to solve the Test Chamber and not try to eat them.”

“Did he try to do that?” signed Chell.

“This IS Wheatley we’re talking about,” I reminded her. Chell went to an area where there were two moving platforms to stand on and a white panel beside them. Chell made a blue portal, thus making the portal tunnel complete, and the High Energy Pellet went through and into an acceptor. It activated a piece of wall that allowed a white panel to appear on the side. We went on the moving platforms and went into the new area. Chell saw a tilting panel and made a portal between the two panels in the area. I went down a flight of stairs and summoned the cube again. I put it on the weight switch and it brought the tilted panel up and we went into the portal to get to the elevator.

“That wasn’t so hard,” signed Chell.

“Even SIGNING that is a bad idea!” I protested. We entered the elevator and went up, right into GLaDOS’ chamber. She had remodeled it after our last encounter and was humming to herself while looking through a door.

“Can’t even solve the test I sent them!” she hummed to herself.

“Hello!” called Wheatley. Idiot! We were going for stealth! “What are you hiding there?”

“You?!” snapped GLaDOS as she turned to face us. “I thought the elevator from Test Chamber 93 went to the incinerato…Party…Cake…Location! But, this makes sense. Criminals always return to the scene of the crime! And look who else showed up.” She tilted her “head” to a core on the ground. Cores are machines like Wheatley, but this one had an orange eye instead of Wheatley’s blue.

“Space is my favorite color!” it called.

“The Space Core?” I asked. That specific core was a corrupted one obsessed with Outer Space.

“Spaaaaace!” laughed the Space Core. “Spaaaaace! Spaaaaace? Space. Spaaaace.” Wheatley groaned.

“That guy is really annoying,” he moaned. “I mean, honestly, you wouldn’t believe how annoying he is. Very annoying, annoying, annoying.” He started flying around GLaDOS, the Space Core, and us! “Annoying! Annoying!” I think you get the picture. “And I just, I can’t even be bothered. I’ll explain what I mean later, but he’s…he’s annoying!” He started repeating that word again, for a while, until Chell whacked him without looking like Bruce Lee.

“GLaDOS,” I demanded, “I’m giving you one last chance! Surrender the rift tech you have or Chell and I will take it!”

“I’m surrendering NOTHING!” snarled GLaDOS. “You have embarrassed me for the final time, meat-sack! If I obeyed you, my credentials as a computer more powerful than anything Black Mesa could dredge up would be at stake!”

“I appreciate that your reputation might be a little shaken,” I conceded as I drew my i.d tag, “but not letting me have the tech now will be an action you’ll regret later! Henshin!

“I’m sorry,” taunted GLaDOS as I changed, “but there won’t be a later. Because, here’s another old friend of yours: neurotoxin!” The gas came up!

“Kamen Rider Hunt!” I called. “I shall always get my prey!” Chell looked at me. “Well, don’t you have a catchphrase?” I asked.

“No,” she signed, “because my vocal cords are paralyzed!”

“I love space!” remarked the Space Core.

“Neurotoxin level at capacity in five minutes,” said an announcer program.

“Time for round three, is it?” asked GLaDOS.

“Okay,” suggested Wheatley, “here’s my plan, I think we should try and force a good old-fashioned Core Transfer. Classic, okay? If we can find a way to damage her, then we can force that space monkey into her body!” Maybe I have a dirty mind, but that couldn’t have been what Wheatley meant. “Why not take a look around and see what we can use?”

“Keep it down!” I snarled.

“I will NOT have my core transferred!” shouted GLaDOS. “Can’t you learn some new tricks?” We found a weight switch. I summoned the cube and placed it onto the switch while Chell used the portal gun to make a portal going from a panel in front of a High Energy Pellet emitter and a panel behind GLaDOS. The energy ball came on and went through the portal. “OUCH!” protested GLaDOS as the pellet hit her. “What is it with you?!” The panel fell, revealing where the Space Core wandered off to.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey Lady!” it called. “Space! Lady! Gotta go to space! Lady! Hey…space.”

“Warning,” announced the announcer program, “Core Corruption at 25%.”

“Yes!” cheered Wheatley. “Yes, this is it! You’re on to something! You’re on to something! Keep going with this! I like it! I love it! You look great, by the way, have you been working out?” We went up a ramp made from the wreckage and summoned the turret to shoot at a target switch. It activated an excursion funnel and I used an Aerial Faith plate to launch myself into it. I used it to arrive at a button which, when I pressed it, activated another panel behind GLaDOS. Chell made a portal between the new panel and the panel in front of the emitter. The cube was put back on the weight switch and the High Energy Pellet was thrown into GLaDOS’ backside.

“I let you go!” she snapped to Chell once she recovered. “I sent you away!! Why won’t you leave me alone?!! FOREVER!!!!” An explosion made a pipe full of repulsion gel spill its contents.

“Warning,” called the announcer program, “Core Corruption at 50%.”

“Oh, she does NOT like that!” mused Wheatley.

“One more should do nicely,” I pondered, “and then we can initiate the core transfer.”

“You cannot force me to agree to th-,” GLaDOS was cut off by static. “My voice?! What” more static “to my” more static. She regained her vocal processors. “All you need to do is turn around and leave! There is NOTHING for you here anymore!” I bounced on the Repulsion Gel and landed on the platform with a button. I was about to press when…it happened! At first, I didn’t want to believe it, but, there, delivering a kick to my ribs, was Igura!

“YOU?!” I snarled, remembering her involvement in Vortech’s plans.

“Me,” confirmed Igura. “And YOU are trespassing in Shocker Rift territory.”

“Shocker Rift?” I scoffed. “That’s what you guys call it?”

“Not my first choice, but the troops like it,” replied Igura as she revealed her belt, with the symbol of Shocker on it, an eagle holding the earth. “I don’t think I told you the name of my belt, did I? I call it the Talon Typhoon, so much better than the ‘Shocker Driver’ that Ambassador Hell wanted to call it.” She then did her henshin sequence like in the DC Comics world. She crossed her left arm in front of her, with the hand in a clawed fashion, and slowly moved it across the front with her right hand at her hip. “Nova…” she began. Her left hand then went to her hip as her right hand moved across her front with a clawed hand. “HENSHIN!” She opened the wings to split the Earth it had in its talons to reveal the fan. She ran to make enough wind pressure to make it turn and activate the suit. She became Kamen Rider Talon again. She drew her foil and we clashed. We were fighting over who stayed on the platform. I kept up the attack and switched my blade to gun mode. Talon leapt out of the way of my shots. She kept her distance, my intention, as I went for the button.

“STOP HER!” roared GLaDOS.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?!” screeched Talon. She leapt on me, we dropped our blades, and we grappled each other. I was doing everything I could to get to the button, but Talon was holding me back. We were in a tight spot. Soon, we were trying to push each other off the platform, then Talon got me in a better position. My back was to the button! When she pushed harder, I let go and side stepped to allow her to stumble towards and accidentally press the button. Another panel behind GLaDOS popped up and Chell made the portal again. She fired off one last High Energy Pellet. It caused damage.

“Warning,” alerted the announcer. “Core Corruption at 100%

“YaHEY!” cheered Wheatley. “Get in! That’ll teach her.”

“Manual Core Replacement required,” reported the announcer program.

“Quick!” called Wheatley. “Stick Spacey in there before she figures out another way to stop us!” GLaDOS tried flipping the panel the Core rested on, but Chell made a portal and grabbed it. She then installed the Space Core into the Core Replacement terminal.

“Alternate Core detected,” reported the announcer program. “Substitute core accepted. Substitute Core, are you ready to start the procedure?”

“Oooh! Yes! Yes! Let’s go to space!” answered the core.

“Corrupted core, are you ready to start the procedure?” asked the announcer program.

“NO! NEVER! I AM NOT CORRUPTED!” shouted GLaDOS.

“Stalemate detected,” reported the announcer program. “Transfer procedure cannot continue unless a Stalemate Associate is present to press the Stalemate Resolution Button.”

“Don’t do it!” shouted GLaDOS.

“I would listen to her!” supplied Talon.

“Can’t do that, sorry,” I called. A button popped up.

“No!” roared GLaDOS.

“Yes!” I countered.

“Īe!” (No!) called Igura.

“Ndiyo!” (Yes!) I replied. I pressed the button. GLaDOS gasped.

“Stalemate resolved,” reported the announcer program. Panels popped up around GLaDOS and machinery started their work. The Core Replacement terminal brought the Space Core down. As the machinery did its work, I heard GLaDOS screaming.

“A beautiful sound, really,” signed Chell.

“I’m gonna have to debate that,” I gulped.

“As would I!” snarled Talon as she attacked us. The attacks went so rapidly that Chell couldn’t sign her thoughts. We ended up in the room GLaDOS poked her head into earlier. Inside, the was a gateway, like the one on Vorton! It didn’t have the Keystones, so, no powers for her. Thank goodness. Talon shoved us out of the room and back into the main chamber. The Space Core then spun around, screaming “SPACE!” and whacked a corner pipe off and sent it flying at Igura’s head. She didn’t duck fast enough.

“Vent system compromised,” called the announcer program. “Neurotoxin offline.”

“Oh, that was close!” sighed Wheatley. “I mean, not for me, but you two were almost done for. All right, now, let’s see what she was hiding. I bet she’s got tons of skeletons in her closet. Literally, there used to be loads of staff here. I’ve not seen hide nor hair of them.” Wheatley entered the room with us as I cancelled my transformation. He found something near the gateway. “Oi! What’s this then? Some sort of flash drive? Valuable stuff is on it, I bet! We could use it!” He then saw boxes with “Black Mesa” on them. “Well, I never! Where do you suppose she got these then?” While Chell face-palmed, I got to work on the gateway. Chell tapped my shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she signed as she retrieved the flash drive.

“I’m setting this thing to blow once we use it to get to Vorton,” I replied.

“What is V-O-R-T-O-N?” Chell had to spell out Vorton.

“The base of operations for me and my team,” I answered as I put the finishing touches to the program.

“Nice, what are you up to?” asked Wheatley, proving he hadn’t paid attention. The rift opened. “That answers that, then. After you?” Chell went first. I looked at Wheatley. “Go on, ladies first.”

“No, I need a brave knight to scout ahead with Chell,” I purred. I had to stoke his ego.

“Well, if you insist!” called Wheatley. He went in, then I followed. The truth is, I wanted to keep an eye on him since he betrayed Chell a while ago. The rest, you know, Your Highness.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 21

“You run out of things to hide behind yet?” asked Batman to Vortech. “Let’s settle this mano a Bat-mano!” Lord Vortech chuckled.

“As you wish!” he said. He raised his staff into the sky and started raising walls from the ground.

“The walls!” gulped Wyldstyle. “They look like the ones in the Gateway room!”

“I’m beginning to suspect,” mused Gandalf, “that the foes we’ve met thus far have been mere pawns.”

“You said it, old man!” confirmed Vortech. “Because I’m not even on the chessboard! I’m the hand controlling every single piece!”

“Hold on, are you Vortech?” asked Batman.

“LORD Vortech, if you please,” answered Vortech as his disguise disappeared. Batman, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Ichigō turned to me.

“That’s the enemy?!” yelled Ichigō.

“He wasn’t your concern,” I replied. “He’s the F.N.S’ priority, and ours alone.”

“Considering our homes are in danger because of him,” countered Wyldstyle, “I think keeping that kind of info from us is a grave error!”

“Enough talk!” called Sword Form Den-O. “Let’s do this!”

“Everybody,” shouted Den-O, Liner Form, “pile on!” The Imagin cheered, turned into balls of light, and entered Liner Form. He then took off the cell phone and pressed buttons.

“Momo! Ura! Kin! Ryu! Sieg!” it announced. He put the cell phone back on and swiped the pass over it.

“Climax Form!” called the belt. The face mask changed to Sword Form’s peach-like shape, but the outer shell split away, revealing an orangish-yellow underside. Rod Form’s visor attached itself to the right shoulder. Ax Form’s visor attached to the left shoulder. Gun Form’s visor attached itself to the chest. Wings popped out of the back.

“Ore-tachi…sanjou!” (dynamic way of saying “We have arrived!”) said Den-O in Momotaros’ voice. Rogue started laughing.

“What’s with the wings?!” he managed to get out.

“I wouldn’t laugh so hard,” answered Den-O in Sieg’s voice. It changed to Momotaros’ voice quickly.

“NO ONE ASKED YOU!” he shouted.

“What just happened?” I asked Sengoku.

“The Imagin can possess Ryōtarō to make Den-O’s different forms,” he explained, “or they can all pile on in and make the Climax Form.” Vortech decided to tip the scales in his favor and grew giant size.

“Uh-oh,” gulped Wyldstyle.

“You may have bitten off more than we can chew, Den-O,” observed Gandalf.

“No chance,” assured Batman. “I’m hungry!”

“Your mistake!” proclaimed Rogue. “Turretorg! Discornia! Your master summons you!”

“Shocker Nova! Fall in!” ordered Talon.

“Vortexons, if you please!” called Vortech. The enemy forces came through portals that opened everywhere. We were swarmed, as usual, and fought back.

“Time to use this in a fight,” I decided. I then went through the motions for Proto-Vortex “SUPER CHARGE!” I announced. I then bulked up and grabbed my new sword, charging the ranks of the enemy. After the goons were dispatched, Vortech spoke again.

“See my powers and quake!” He changed shape into a knight’s upper torso, complete with sword and shield. Judging from where the sword was, I’d say he was left-handed. He swung it in a circular motion, intending to bisect us through the waist, but we jumped out of the way. He then made a downward slash at us, nearly hitting Rogue and Talon.

“GIVE US SOME WARNING, WILL YOU?!” roared Rogue. Just then, an explosion in the sky occurred again, heralding the arrival of the DeLorean with a different driver. It was a teenage boy wearing an orange, 80’s down vest over a jean jacket. It was the main protagonist of the Back to The Future trilogy, Marty McFly!

“Whoa!” he called as he saw the battle below. “This is heavy!” The DeLorean collided with Vortech and knocked a Keystone transmitter out!

“You kept a transmitter on you?!” shouted Rogue. “YOU DUNCE!”

“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” I found a rift crack near Vortech’s left, dodging his sword all the while. “Identify source of rift!” I pulled the crack open and found the source. “Locate help from D-C-C-0-M-1-C-5!” I exclaimed. The rift opened to reveal a plane with a bat motif. I don’t think I need to guess who designed and owned that plane.

“Batplane, fire on the giant!” ordered Batman. The Batplane fired a salvo of missiles at Vortech. He shrunk down.

“Dismiss help,” I called as I readied my sword.

“I see you’ve been practicing your newly found tricks!” roared Vortech. Just then, he formed an ice barrier.

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of fire, Royal!” I let fire surround my blade and let off a beam of fire melt the ice barrier. Vortech then turned into a giant version of his head while minions attacked us again. Turretorg fired off a salvo of missiles while Discornia dazzled us with her light show. Vortech’s head then spun around, binding us in chains. The DeLorean was still flying around, so it managed to buzz him and shatter Vortech’s concentration. He then turned into a hand, grabbed everyone, and tossed us onto the top of the clock tower’s scaffolding.

“Let’s move things on, shall we?” he asked. Lord, not more puns! After dropping us off, he turned into an eagle and flew around. Rogue took that opportunity to attack me. As we tussled, I managed to score some hits, knocking him silly. Something was off, though. Rogue wasn’t fighting back as hard as he usually does. There was a transmitter there, so I used my keystone to find help.

“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” The source of the rift was near the edge of the scaffolding. “Identify source of rift!” I got the info on the dimension. “Locate help from N-1-N-J-A-G-0!” I shouted. A mechanical dragon attacked Vortech. They smashed through the scaffolding, making us fall through to the bottom. “Dismiss help!” I called.

“Enough play,” hissed Vortech. “I’m bored of you peasants.” He then formed a fire shield.

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” called Gandalf. “Element of water, Ichigō!” Ichigō sprayed water on Vortech’s shield while I fought Talon and Rogue. I managed to get them up against the wall.

“My GOD! That felt incredible!” I sighed.

“Oh HO!” chuckled Rogue. “Am I sensing an iota of pride?”

“It seems to be a curse in your blood, Hiro-Chan,” observed Talon.

“True, I am a prideful man,” agreed Rogue. “It only makes sense that it would pass on.”

“Chan?” I asked, hung up on the honorific Talon used.

“We’re getting married after this mess is over,” explained Rogue.

“That’s not possible!” I declared.

“Considering things, I’d say it is,” argued Rogue.

“Really?” I hissed. “Because, from my vantage point, I see two dolts up against the wall!”

“And don’t think we don’t appreciate the efforts,” assured Rogue. “By a wide margin, you’re packing more of a wallop than when we met in my home dimension of K-A-M-3-N-R-1-D-3-R. However, you will never, EVER, defeat me with that form.”

“What are you talking about?!” I snapped. “I’m much stronger than you now!”

“Oh, yes,” affirmed Talon, “in raw power, you’re unmatched. Even Vortech over there,” she pointed to Vortech as the fire shield was doused and he formed his giant head, “would be given a run for his money. But, your suit is bulky, is it not? As is your weapon. Your suit has increased in mass. Your body can’t compensate, so, while we’re seeing a boost in speed, the trade up is slower combat speed. Hiro-Chan, could you put what I’m saying in simpler terms?”

“Your suit is so heavy,” simplified Rogue, “you can’t hit us.”

“THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL THE SLUGFEST I GAVE YOU?!” I roared, annoyed.

“…Pity,” sighed Rogue. That’s it! No mercy! I swung my sword, the dolts dodged. Rogue then shoved me into a castle, made of Lord Vortech! His castle form had turrets! They were firing!

“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” I found it on the far side of the clock tower. “Identify source of rift!” I found out where it came from. “Locate help from M-1-D-D-L-3-3-A-R-T-H!” Trolls came out of a rift pushing a giant metal wolf suspended by chains on a scaffolding. I offer this quote from the original books.

“Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it” (Tolkien 124).

I had to finagle the use of Grond with the Orc Captain and the commanding Olog-hai (more advanced Troll that can move in sunlight, like the Uruk-hai), but we reached an agreement that they would still please Sauron if Grond was used against Vortech’s castle form, as Sauron wanted to rule, not be ruled. The trolls positioned the battering ram towards Vortech. They pulled it back as the Orcs chanted “Grond!” over and over. It smashed into Vortech’s castle form, making him fall to the ground. The Orcs cheered, but Vortech was mad!

“Would you STOP using my own tricks against me?!” he snapped. He then tossed Grond and its operators into a portal. He then formed an ice shield.

“Element of fire, Den-O!” called Gandalf, still using his Keystone. Den-O then surrounded his own sword with fire.

“Hissatsu!” (Sure Kill) announced Den-O in Momotaros’ voice. “Ore no hissatsu waza…Cho Fire Climax version!” (My Sure Kill Attack…Super Fire Climax version!) He leaped into the air, made a fire circle, and got ready for his super-powered Rider Kick. The wings kept him ready and poised.

“RIDER KICK!” called Ichigō.

“RIDER PROTO-VORTEX KICK!” I shouted. We all made our kicks with Den-O’s fire attack and destroyed Vortech’s barrier. Vortech stumbled to the ground. He saw something fly off, then got an idea.

“Vortech Kick,” he laughed. He turned into a giant foot and managed to make a flying kick, hitting us all. Our transformations were canceled and the Imagin fell out of Ryōtarō. We all tried to cover our wounds. I won’t lie, we looked pitiful.

“He’s…too strong!” gasped Batman. “We…have to…find…another way!” My Keystone powers were still going.

“Initiate…rift…detection!” I gasped. I waved my hand on the ground in front of me and found a rift crack. Truth be told, I didn’t think that would work. “Identify…source of…rift!” I gasped. The information beamed into my skull. “Locate…help…from…K…A…M…3…N…R…1…D…3…R…” I said weakly. A rift opened and a shinkansen style train that generated its own tracks as it flew through the air came out. It came between us and Vortech’s team.

“The Den-Liner!” called Hiroki. The passenger car opened to let a woman in a train’s waitress uniform with a red streak in her hair be revealed.

“Come on!” she urged. “Quickly!”

“Let’s go!” declared Batman. With great pain, we entered the train. It took off into the air as a rift back to Vorton opened for us. Vortech had beaten us.


I stood below as the train flew into the rift. Rogue and I had canceled our transformations and laughed with Vortech. “That’s it!” he taunted. “Run along home! It’s a dangerous universe out here!”

“Kamen Riders, my rear!” I laughed, twirling in my new saloon dress. I think I’m gonna keep it. “Look at them run!”

“Leaving us to get a Foundation Element,” declared Hiro as he tilted his hat.

“Quite so,” agreed Vortech as he stopped laughing. “Now, let me see, if I were a Flux Capacitor, then where would I be hiding?” Then, in a fireball that usually heralded the arrival of a time traveling DeLorean, a flying steam engine flew overhead and landed.

“I think I’ll get it,” I volunteered.

“Just be careful,” warned Hiro. “You’re not exactly wearing a bustle.”

“If you happen to have one,” I asked. To my amazement, he did. After he helped me get it on, much to Vortech’s chagrin, no romance in his soul, I’d say, I headed into the main street. Doc Brown, his wife, Clara, his now 45-year-old friend, Marty McFly in cowboy gear, and his now grown, 20-year-old sons, Jules and Verne were on board. When they stepped out of the train’s cab, they saw what Vortech had summoned into Hill Valley.

“Is that Lady Liberty?” asked Clara.

“That’s the Sphinx!” said Jules.

“There’s a pirate ship!” observed Verne.

“Great Scott!” exclaimed Doc Brown.

“Doc, what did you do to the space-time continuum?!” yelped Marty.

“I did nothing!” protested Doc Brown hotly. He then started thinking. “Which isn’t to say that I might not do it at some point after now.”

“Does that mean we’re going…?” asked Marty.

“Back to the future!” confirmed Doc Brown.

“Excuse me,” I called, “could you tell a lady where your Flux Capacitor is?”

“What?!” yelped Doc Brown. “How do you know about the Flux Capacitor?!”

“Maybe she’s from the future,” guessed Marty.

“Oh no!” wailed Doc Brown. “This is terrible! Don’t worry, I’ll get you back!”

“I just need to look at the Flux Capacitor,” I assured. “I have an uncanny ability to look at any machine and make one like it from scratch.”

“Impressive!” praised Jules.

“It’s over in the lamp on top of the locomotive,” explained Doc Brown.

“Thank you!” I called as I pulled a stun gun on them and fired. They fell to the ground. I went to the front of the engine, clambered up, and set to work extracting it.


The Den-Liner dropped us back off at Vorton. The Owner, a mysterious man that has a habit of eating meals with a tiny flag in it and trying to keep it upright for as long as he can and stops eating when it falls, making a show of surprise, gave us a bag of studs for our trouble. He also gave me the Marty and Doc i.d tags. They copied over to all Vortex Riders. We left while Ryōtarō, the Imagin, and Hana, stayed on the train. It soon left through a rift back home. “The total number of studs in the bag is 105,000,” reported Vortoranii from my belt when the Den-Liner left. “We now have 830,000 studs.”

“Yeah,” sighed Wyldstyle. “I think running away was the right idea.”

“That wasn’t running away!” protested Batman. “That was a…tactical retreat!”

“Remind me,” countered Wyldstyle as Gandalf decided to examine the apparatus on the gateway, “what’s the difference?”

“There’s none,” affirmed the Brigadier as he and Rusty came up, having heard our arrival.

“Batman doesn’t run away!” protested Batman.

“Seriously?” I asked. “That’s the best defense for your fragile ego?”

“That’s not a difference,” observed Wyldstyle.

“Well, if you can’t see the difference,” hissed Batman, “then, maybe, that’s your failing!”

“You want to talk failing?” asked Wyldstyle. “Megumi’s a shining example!”

“Excuse me?!” I snarled.

“You didn’t tell us about Vortech!” explained Wyldstyle.

“She’s right,” agreed Batman. “You dragged us along for the ride! You knew about Vortech and how you got your belts! Why did you withhold that kind of information?!”

“You’re the last person to accuse me of withholding information!” I roared. “You’ve kept your countermeasures for the Justice League from your friends!”

“They’re gods among men!” protested Batman. “We need countermeasures!”

“You don’t need any for Vortech!” I argued. “This was supposed to be the F.N.S’ fight, not yours! Hongo decided to tag along and start us on this rift hopping insanity!”

“Ichimonji was kidnapped right before my eyes, in case you forgot!” shouted Hongo. “I’m not going to sit and wait while someone inexperienced in Kamen Rider matters goes off to rescue him!”

“Well, if you can’t just be patient in terms of rescue,” I hissed, “maybe that’s your failing!”

“Says the one that used the Super Charge so recklessly after Hongo said not to!” called Emily.

“Oh, don’t you start!” I growled.

“In case you didn’t notice,” Emily pointed out, “your new form is as bulky as me! I’m used to my body weight because I trained myself, which is why I move as fluidly as I do! You don’t have any training of that kind!”

“I beat Hiro with it once before, remember?!” I argued.

“That was in a dream world,” countered Emily, “where anything is possible! You caught him off guard, and he prepared himself for the next encounter! He toyed with you back in Hill Valley!” The argument was cut short as we heard machinery falling on itself. We whirled to see Gandalf holding the claws that usually rested at either side of the gateway ring and the apparatus with the antenna was on the main platform!

“Oh dear,” gulped Gandalf.

“Gandalf,” hissed Batman, “did you just break our only way out of here?!”

“Ah, well,” stammered Gandalf.

“No!” reported Rusty. “Gateway is still fully operational!”

“Then what are those parts for?” asked Batman.

“My Master Builder senses are tingling!” called Wyldstyle. She then took the parts, attached the claws to the apparatus, moved the antenna to a side, and put the purple disc on the top. It flashed and formed and glowed until it became a flying cube-like robot with two digited claw hands. It was the one that found Foundation Prime for Vortech and Hiro!

“Whew, thanks!” praised the robot. Then it hit me! He was the Gateway Guardian! He just deepened his voice when he was attached to the gateway. “Kind of hard to assemble yourself when your arms aren’t attached in the first place,” said the robot.

“The flying box appears to be speaking,” observed Gandalf. “How…odd.”

“This from a guy who hangs out with talking trees!” countered the robot. “I was worried that you guys hadn’t seen my S.O.S. signal.”

“You mean the video of you finding that place for Vortech?” I asked.

“That’s the one,” confirmed the robot. “I was supposed to be like the Vortex Drivers, but I didn’t want to be cramped in a belt. Kind of hard to do anything as a belt except transform your host. Dull, honestly. Although, it seems a former organic wanted to try for herself, right Vortoranii?”

“You haven’t changed a bit, old friend!” chuckled Vortoranii.

“My name’s X-PO,” introduced the robot. “Short for Experimental Portal Operator, and I’m the voice that’s been helping you find the Keystones.” Hypothesis confirmed. X-PO hovered towards Batman. “That’s different than the voice that tells you to dress up like a bat.” Batman snarled at this.

“So, you were the one that spied on Vortech,” I guessed. “He must have figured you out, hence, banishing you.”

“Yep,” confirmed X-PO.

“Our thanks for guiding us,” lauded Gandalf.

“You and your beard are welcome,” replied X-PO. “So, here’s the deal: now that the Keystones have been integrated into the Gateway device, you must gather the Foundation Elements immediately. It’s a ‘gotta-collect-them-all’ kind of thing.”

“Cut to the chase, casual robot,” snapped Batman. “Where’s Robin and the Kryptonite?”

“Right, Kryptonite,” recalled X-PO. “That’s one of the Foundation Elements identified on Foundation Prime. I believe I gave you a bit of explanation on them.”

“You only stated what some Foundation Elements are,” I reminded, “and who’s got them.”

“So, Lord Vortech really DOES have his grubby, Vortechy mitts on them,” hissed X-PO.

“The guy from the wild west, right?” asked Wyldstyle.

“Does he have our friends too?” quizzed Hongo.

“Well, if they possess Foundation Elements,” guessed X-PO, “and, judging by the kinds of friends you have, I bet they do, then, yes, they’re on Foundation Prime.”

“Then stop talking and open a rift there!” demanded Batman, wanting to rescue his son quickly.

“You’ve been there before,” I observed. “Get the F.N.S there and we’ll deal with Vortech and the hostage situation. These people need to get home.”

“No, we need to get to Foundation Prime!” protested Batman.

“This isn’t your fight!” I argued.

“Oh, yes it is,” countered X-PO. “You think those rifts leading you guys to their native dimensions was coincidence?”

“Wait, you wanted Hongo to follow us through the rift?!” I yelped.

“And Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf,” confirmed X-PO. “Batman has his intelligence and gadgets, Gandalf has his magic and wisdom, Wyldstyle has her combat prowess and imaginative brain, and Hongo has his cybernetic powers. These have proven valuable to you guys. Overall, they should be thanked.” I then realized what was going on. X-PO selected the people that could help us on our journey while the Vortex Drivers found hosts that could utilize their powers. Dear Lord, I made a mistake.

“Minna,” I mumbled, “I want to apologize.”

“For?” asked Hongo.

“For not telling you sooner about what we know about Vortech!” I said, tearing up a bit. I felt so ashamed. “I should have trusted you sooner!” I broke down crying. Richard, Emmanuel, Lukas, Hiroki, and Emily gave me a hug.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have been so harsh,” Batman muttered to Hongo, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle. They raised an eyebrow. “I let my goal of rescuing Robin get in the way of my judgement. I thought Megumi didn’t care about us. Boy, was I wrong. She made the same mistake I’ve made of holding back info to protect your friends.”

“I’m not really innocent in that regard,” replied Hongo.

“We’ve all done it in the past,” observed Wyldstyle.

“True,” confirmed Gandalf. “I kept some things from the Fellowship and it led to us facing the Balrog in Moria.” I had spent my tears at that time.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say we all are,” assured Batman. “No more secrets?”

“No more secrets,” I promised. “Another reason I didn’t tell you everything was that I was thinking more about how to save Hiroki’s and my mom.”

“We all let our loved ones blind us to the team we have,” observed Emmanuel. “Let’s use that light to instead find the path forward instead of in our eyes.”

“Agreed,” I cheered. “All right, X-PO, get us to Foundation Prime!”

“Wish I could,” sighed X-PO.

“I’m sorry?” I hissed. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

“Here’s the catch,” explained X-PO, “Foundation Prime’s location was wiped from my memory, along with all my important phone numbers and gluten-free recipes. It’s a real pain.” He eats? “But,” he continued, “with enough Foundation Elements, I may be able to recalculate the location for Foundation Prime. Also, as an added bonus, getting all of the Foundation Elements will stop Lord Vortech’s plan to collapse all the dimensions into one.”

“I trust one of you knows what that last bit meant?” quizzed Gandalf, the whole thing going over his head.

“I think so,” muttered Wyldstyle. “Collapsing all the dimensions is bad news, right?

“Oh, yeah,” confirmed X-PO. “REAL bad. To put it in a way that each of you would understand, it’s like if Sauron ruled all of Middle-Earth, or your entire world got glued together, or Shocker successfully turned everyone into cyborg slaves, or everybody in Gotham found out you’re actually Bruce Wayne.” Batman squirmed at this. “So, obviously, you have to collect all of these Foundation Elements.”

“But, we only know of a few of them,” countered Gandalf. “What are the rest and what purpose do they serve?”

“They’re important, unique objects,” answered X-PO, “found only in specific dimensions.”

“From what the Vortex Drivers recorded from you,” I recalled, “the Foundation Elements are the cornerstones of all of reality, keeping the fabric of the multiverse stable. Hence, Foundation Elements.”

“Like MetalBeard’s treasure?” asked Wyldstyle.

“Yes,” confirmed X-PO. “Lord Vortech desires them with all of his heart. When it comes to ruling the entire multiverse, the guy can be a bit of a hoarder.”

“All right, we’re in!” declared Batman.

“What are we looking for?” asked Wyldstyle.

“Look, I can only be so helpful,” replied X-PO, “but I CAN get you started. For there is one Element that’s known to all artificial intelligences, such as myself. The knowledge is buried deep in our kernel. Some consider it a myth, but I am now certain of its existence.”

“And?” I asked. “What is it?”

“A cake!” answered X-PO.

“…A cake?” I asked incredulously.

“A cake!” repeated X-PO. “A delicious, moist cake!” He then made an evil laugh, stopping himself soon after. “Whoa, that was weird! Alright, let’s get a rift open for you!”

“Not just yet!” I called. “As some people have pointed out, some of us have new forms that are currently cumbersome. I don’t wanna be caught with my dress down again. We need to train, and we need to do so quickly.” X-PO considered this.

“Well then,” he mused, “if we’re going to gather Foundation Elements with bulkier super forms, we’ll have to get you used to them in very little time, starting tomorrow!”

“How will we do that?” asked Irina.

“I think I know just what we need!” declared X-PO.


After Igura changed into her usual outfit, she joined us as I laughed with the rest of our allies. “You should have seen how Igura-Chan got the Flux Capacitor!” I boasted. “She was brilliant!”

“Just a few more Foundation Elements,” laughed Sauron, “and we can rule like royalty!” We all sighed as we dreamed of power.

“A single universe under our command,” muttered Ambassador Hell happily.

“Talking of your rewards?” asked Vortech as he approached.

“Indeed,” confirmed Saruman. “And of what we’ll bring to the single universe.”

“You know what would spruce things up in that universe?” asked Sauron. “Some Mordor landscaping, like Mount Doom.”

“How about the industry of Isengard?” quizzed Saruman.

“True, we can’t do anything without industry,” I agreed.

“And workers to get industry going,” supplied Ambassador Hell.

“And, of course,” interjected the Joker, “we should consider a holiday of anarchy and chaos.”

“And some form of police when there are people breaking the law when such a holiday isn’t in effect,” observed Lex Luthor.

“Would a full week of chaos and a full week of order alternating do?” asked Igura. Both Lex and the Joker grinned. “I thought so.”

“And the reward starting money for that universe!” I cheered. “Fifty million studs each!”

“Fifty million?” asked Two-Face. He turned to Vortech. “You said our starting money was twenty million!”

“And Hiro said that as well,” replied Vortech hurriedly.

“I heard him say FIFTY million!” growled Sauron.

“I thought YOU said you didn’t care about studs!” I protested.

“I don’t!” hissed Sauron as he gripped his mace. “I just don’t like to be cheated!”

“Now, everybody, calm down!” yelped Igura as she tried to keep the peace while our allies advanced on us.

“Calm down?” snapped the Joker. “Are you three trying to make your cheating us of our full share into a joke?! Because I don’t find it funny!”

“We’re not cheating anybody!” assured Vortech.

“Then where are the other thirty million studs?!” asked Sauron.

“There ARE no other thirty million studs!” called Igura. She turned to me. “Are there?”

“Er, no!” I lied. “Not really!” A Shocker Combatman made his usual noises.

“I AGREE!” roared Sauron. “THEY’RE LYING! THEY’RE IN THIS TOGETHER!”

“YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS, VORTECH!” shouted the Joker, no longer smiling.

“I COME HERE, RISK MY MEN’S LIVES,” yelled Ambassador Hell, “AND FOR WHAT?!” He cracked his red whip with the intent of beating Igura savagely. “YOU HAD THIS COMING FOR A LONG TIME, TRAITOR!”

“TRY IT!” taunted Igura. “NOVA…HENSHIN!” She transformed into Kamen Rider Talon and tackled Ambassador Hell. He shoved her off of him after she scored some punches to his face. He got up and then changed into his monster form. He was a bipedal rattlesnake monster with a snake head, a whip right arm, a five digited claw hand, and scales all over his body. This form was called Garagaranda. He swung his whip arm at Igura, who dodged.

“I’ll get him!” I declared as I loaded my i.d tag into my guns. “Henshin!” As I ran through the circle, the Joker tackled me. Vortech tried to get away, but Sauron hit him with his mace. It became a brawl between the two. Eventually, after a few clashes with their weapons, Vortech ducked a side swing from Sauron. The person it hit was in armor, right behind Vortech. The person stumbled backwards, making the fighting stop. I felt the blood drain from my face. It was War of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Vortech said to avoid them at all costs, since they were training one of two Kamen Riders that could beat him!

“Well,” grunted War, “since you’re hellbent on fighting, I see no reason to even give you a chance of backing out now while you can. I’ll see you on the battlefield.” She mounted her horse and charged off. Nobody moved. We were still as statues for a while. We then turned slowly to Sauron who, for once, had a stance that betrayed his fear.

“You idiot!” screeched Talon.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 18

We finally reached a dark and evil place in Metropolis, filled to the brim with moans and screams of innocent people. Green energy walls were set up, with the LexCorp symbol. Three Orcs in complete armor and carrying spears stood guard at the gate, one of them looking nervous. “I think I heard something that time!” yelped the nervous Orc.

“You didn’t hear anything!” snarled the second Orc.

“…There, Ma!” called the first Orc to the second. “Don’t you hear it?!”

“Yes,” hissed the Orc mother, testily, “I heard a prisoner’s blood hitting the ground!”

“Sounds like bats!” stammered the nervous Orc.

“Bats aren’t made of liquid!” growled the Orc mother. “Bats don’t drip!”

“Bat water!” cried the nervous Orc.

“There are no bats!” shouted the third Orc.

“You don’t know that, Dad!” protested the nervous Orc. “What if you’re wrong?!”

“Okay, let’s assume your mother and I are wrong,” snarled the Orc father. “Let’s assume there ARE bats. So what? You’re wearing state of the art Orc armor! It’s designed to take heavy damage and deflect whatever these things shoot.” He gestured to the gun he had confiscated from a police officer. “What can a flying five-ounce rodent possibly do to you?”

“…So, you’re saying there ARE bats!” gulped the nervous Orc. His mother face palmed.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” she snarled.

“I’m getting out of here!” cried the nervous Orc.

“No, you’re not!” snarled his mother. “Sauron told us to guard this gate, so we’re guarding this gate!”

“At least, let us get near a light source!” begged the nervous Orc.

“That would involve moving,” growled his father, “and go against our stone-faced ‘no moving’ guard policy!”

“But the light-”

“No.”

“-would help us see the bats!”

“NO.”

“And their fangs!”

“NO!”

“…Hey, you know what else loves cities?” asked the Orc son. “Birds!”

“You little turd!” growled the father, getting as nervous as his son. “Why would you mention birds to me and your mother?!”

“I’m just saying…” the Orc son didn’t complete his sentence as a batarang knocked all three out. We stepped out of our hiding place and opened the gate. What we saw was horrible. People were being tortured, dangled off the towers, and trying to escape the Orcs.

“It looks like they’ve turned this place into a prison!” gulped Wyldstyle.

“Sauron will enslave all of mankind,” hissed Gandalf as he looked at the top of Barad-dûr.

“Not on my watch!” promised Batman. That’s when an eye made of flame and shadow appeared at the top of the fortress.

“I…SEE…YOU!” called Sauron. “Locate help from Foundation Prime!” A portal opened to drop a giant elephant like creature with four tusks instead of two. It had some sort of transport on its back and had red and black war paint on its front. It had two devices, one on its front left leg and one on its rear left leg. It had two four-barreled gun turrets on its left side and had Orcs, Combatmen, goons in two colored suits and roller skates, and Vortexons riding it. That’s when a man with a scarred left face and a suit in two colors on each half came up from the mount.

“Well, well!” chuckled the man in a voice that went from normal to raspy. “If it isn’t our old friend, Batman!”

“Two-Face!” snarled Batman.

“Where did you get the Oliphaunt?” I asked.

“And what have you done to that poor beast?!” demanded Gandalf.

“Given it a facelift!” answered Two-Face. “Would you be interested in one?”

“I doubt it!” replied Gandalf.

“You know,” mused Seeker, “there’s a tough choice here. Either you leave and we proceed to Sauron, or you stay and we kick your rear. Both choices have very good benefits for us. If you leave, it makes our job easier. If you stay, we beat you and gain satisfaction. Such a hard choice!” She was grinning under her helmet, I just know it.

“Then let me help you choose!” called Two-Face. He pulled out a coin. “Heads or Tails?”

“Harvey, no!” pleaded Batman.

“Ooh, Tails!” called Wyldstyle.

“Wyldstyle, no!” protested Seeker, whatever plan she had crumbling apart. Two-Face flicked the coin into the air.

“Don’t worry,” assured Wyldstyle. “I get this right almost half the time.” Two-Face caught the coin and put it on his left hand. He got a look at it.

“Sorry, it’s heads!” answered Two-Face.

“What does heads mean?” asked Wyldstyle, dreading the answer.

“That you lose YOURS!” replied Two-Face.

“It’s a two-headed coin!” snarled Seeker. “One side is ruined while the other side is fine! You would have lost anyway!”

“Even picking heads isn’t a guarantee of winning,” continued Batman.

“Oh, that poor Oliphaunt!” wailed Gandalf. “Something needs to be done about this!” The Oliphaunt turned to have its left side face us. Enemy forces then surrounded us and attacked. We had to fight them off as we got closer to the Oliphaunt. It fired two beams of light to freeze us in our place. Ichigō used his legs to break the ice that surrounded us.

“Agh!” roared Two-Face. “That’s the last time we deal with Mr. Freeze!” The Oliphaunt then used its trunk to toss a car at us.

“I think we can use parts from that truck to help us!” called Wyldstyle.

“Royal! Arch!” yelled Batman. “I’ll need some help getting the parts!”

“Got it!” I replied. We were still in Batman Steel, thank goodness. We fired our grapple guns at the grill of the truck and yanked it off. It revealed a Keystone transmitter!

“The Elemental Keystone should help us get closer to that…elephant looking…thing!” figured Wyldstyle.

“It’s called an Oliphaunt!” I corrected.

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of fire, Tarantulas!”

“Fire?!” spluttered Tarantulas.

“Don’t be a baby!” I snapped. “It won’t hurt!” A red aura surrounded Tarantulas. He was confused, then summoned a fireball. His optics lit up in glee.

“These ‘Keystones’ you lot use,” he cackled, “shall prove quite useful!” He tossed fireballs at the enemy.

“Element of lightning, Royal!” announced Gandalf. While Tarantulas kept the enemy off my back, I fired a lightning stream at the electric coils attached to the Oliphaunt’s bracelets. It stumbled in fright as the bracelets exploded, along with the freeze turrets. “Easy, my friend,” said Gandalf. “No one is going to harm you now.”

“I’m afraid that’s not true,” oozed a venomous, female voice. That’s when something sharp penetrated my back and pumped ooze into me. I felt my mouth forming spit. My vision went dark. The last thing I felt was my suit turning off before I lost total consciousness.

That treacherous Predacon cackled as he extracted the needle from Megumi’s back! She fell, as did the Oliphaunt. As it fell, Two-Face fell into a portal that opened for him. The Oliphaunt lost consciousness as hairy spider legs pulled their owner’s fat, bulbous body up. It had something infectious covering a few of the eyes on the left. The massive spider, easily three times the size of the spiders we fought on the way here, had a dripping maw under its set of four fangs. If I were a betting girl, I’d put money on this spider carrying the name Shelob. What surprised me was that she spoke. “So,” she whispered, as she walked over the Oliphaunt’s body, “you thought to squash us as if we were small house spiders?”

“Never turn your back on a spider!” cackled Tarantulas. “They tend to be venomous!”

“I can’t believe my smaller cousins said that you would feed them for a while,” chuckled Shelob, referring to me.

“Why do you guys pick on my twin sister more than me?!” protested Guard. “I’m not exactly Mister Skinny myself!”

“Not nearly enough of a meal for the two of us,” muttered Shelob. Guard gave off a scoff.

“My dear Shelob,” called Tarantulas, “dinner is served.” He presented Megumi to her.

“Now, her,” chuckled Shelob, “with her in my gullet, you’ll be aimless without her! That is feast enough!” She made a move to get her, but my fencing foil just missed her eyes.

“Get away from her, you filth!” I hissed.

“I seem to have forgotten your name,” asked Shelob.

“Kamen Rider Touché!” I replied as I swapped the Batman i.d tag for my own. “En Garde, thing of evil!” I turned to my friends. “Take care of Tarantulas! Shelob’s mine!” I swung my foil at one of her eyes. She screeched and covered it with one of her pedipalps, using the other to try and keep me at bay. She then ignored the pain and leapt at me. I turned away and climbed up a prison wall, throwing an Orc at her. She knocked it aside as I tumbled down her back. I landed on the ground while Shelob kept to the high ground. She then did something that she never did in Middle-Earth!

“Shelob, TERRORIZE!” she announced Her transformation was like Tarantulas’, even her robot mode. It took the appearance of his season 1 body. She was much more massive than Tarantulas and had three digited fingers instead of two digited claws.

“When did you become a Transformer?!” I asked.

“I sampled the spark inside a protoform,” explained Shelob. “It altered my genetic structure and made me into the Predacon I am now.” She jumped down, drawing a blade that dripped with a liquid I was sure was venom. I kept rolling out of the way while she jabbed the ground. I had lost my grip on my foil. My i.d tag came out of the belt. Oddly, my transformation wasn’t cancelled. It was then I noticed a slot my i.d tag could fit into in the handle of my foil. Shelob jabbed again with her knife while I rolled to my blade and dodged another jab as I rolled to my i.d tag. I inserted it into the handle’s slot, making it charge and surrounding the blade with blue light.

“Final Attack!” announced my foil. Shelob’s robot mode tummy was right over me.

“RIDER TOUCHÉ SLASH!” I shouted. The light swiped across Shelob’s abdomen, making it leak energon. She screeched in pain as she clutched it. I took my i.d tag and put it into my belt. I jumped up and prepared for my Rider kick. “RIDER TOUCHÉ KICK!” I shouted as my foot made impact on her eyes. They cracked, making them drip energon.

“MY EYES!” she shrieked. She doubled over and thrashed around in pain from her wounds. She limped off the battlefield, her broken gaze fixed on me. She soon disappeared from sight. I then turned to see my friends giving Tarantulas a hard time. He had a gaping wound in his chest. I grabbed a crystal shard and was about ready to plunge it into the wound, ready to kill. He grabbed my arms.

“Raw…energon!” I grunted. “Right through…your twisted…anti-spark! There’s a price to pay if you want to avoid it such a death!”

“ANYTHING!” begged Tarantulas, scared for his life.

“The poison you stuck Megumi with!” I snarled. “What is it?!”

“It’s a mix of my cyber-venom and the venom in Shelob’s stinger!” yelped Tarantulas. “I know the dosage of the antidote needed to cure her, but she may suffer from vomiting!”

“Get her on her side!” I barked to Richard as he cancelled his transformation. “Support her head with her arm! I don’t want her choking on her vomit!” Richard silently obeyed. “And you,” I whispered to Tarantulas, “if this is a lie, your spark is extinguished!”

“I’m currently too terrified to lie!” whimpered Tarantulas as he prepared the antidote. He then stuck the needle into her arm. We waited for a few seconds. It felt like an eternity, then I heard retching. Soon, Megumi threw up and coughed. The venom must have gone out as well. She slowly picked herself up with help from Batman and Gandalf. Relief passed over me like a wave. Tarantulas had fled, but I didn’t care.

It took me a while to finally see fully, but I was led to rest on a seat of rock. Soon, I could focus on things clearly. “What happened?” I slurred.

“That schemer, Tarantulas stuck you with a mix of his cyber-venom and the stuff in Shelob’s stinger,” explained Touché as she cancelled her transformation. Emily then sat near me. “Tarantulas had Shelob altered,” she continued.

“Altered?” I asked. “How?”

“She IS a Predacon,” elaborated Richard. “Emily engaged her in battle.”

“And won,” declared Emily. “Swallowing a Transformer’s spark can do that to you, apparently. During the fight, I discovered that our weapons have a slot for our i.d tags to initiate an attack. I used it and my Rider kick to come out the victor.”

“She then threatened to stab Tarantulas’ spark with raw energon unless he gave you the antidote,” continued Richard. “He did and said that a side effect would be throwing up.”

“That explains the burning in my mouth,” I mused. “Emily, we’ll discuss you hiding a fandom you like from us later. On the other hand, I’m in your debt for saving my life.”

“I’m trying to be a doctor,” assured Emily. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Oh yes, I do,” I insisted. “I’ll think of a reward for when we get back.” I got up slowly, no ill effects were showing. “So, am I cleared for duty?” I asked Emily.

“I’d say you are,” declared Emily.

“Much better,” cheered Wyldstyle. “Now, to get through that doorway!” She pointed to the gates of Barad-dûr. We approached it.

“Let the Dark Lord come forth!” I called. “Let justice be done upon him!” No one replied. The gates then slowly opened to let someone on a black horse come out. The rider dressed in black robes and wore a black helmet that made him look like some sort of evil priest. I was amazed that he could guide his horse because I saw no eye holes. All I saw was an enlarged, diseased mouth with splits around his lips that opened every time he spoke.

“I am the Mouth of Sauron!” the rider proclaimed.

“His emissary, you mean,” I muttered. “I don’t wish to talk to you, but your master!”

“He has business that occupies his time,” answered the Mouth, “and sends me to bid thee welcome to New Mordor.” He appeared to glance around at us. “Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?” he asked. “Not thou, little girl. It takes more to make a monarch than a rabble like this.”

“You have no choice but to speak with me!” I snarled. I think my tone spooked his horse a bit as it stepped back.

“I am an emissary and ambassador and may not be assailed!” cried the Mouth.

“Where such laws apply,” I observed. “No one has made a move against you. I am the leader of this group and will be treated as such!”

“Very well,” growled the Mouth. “My master, Sauron the Great, has bidden me to give thee terms and tokens.”

“Your master’s terms first!” I demanded. Not exactly politic, but I wanted the Keystone out of Sauron’s grasp quickly.

“First,” began the Mouth, “all lands once labeled Metropolis and Gotham must surrender to Sauron utterly. They will be his, and his alone, and they shall be called New Mordor. All of their surrounding cities and those protecting those cities must swear oaths never to raise arms in secret or openly. All those wishing to live must pay tribute to New Mordor once a year.”

“These are heavy terms,” I said. “Would you mind if I make counter-terms?”

“Name them,” demanded the Mouth.

“Tell your master this; his armies are to disband!” I hissed. “He must swear an oath to gather his men and leave these lands, never to return! We did not come here to treat with Sauron or his slave, O Faithless and Accursed!” The Mouth laughed.

“And that leads into the tokens I was bidden to show thee!” he chuckled. He dropped a sack in front of us, which opened and spilled. The contents…oh, I wish I didn’t see them. They included, but were not limited to, my mother’s glasses, Robin’s boot, Frodo’s cloak, Ichimonji’s jacket, and MetalBeard’s cannon.

“Ichimonji!” breathed Hongo.

“Quiet!” I directed.

“No!” wailed Emily, about to cry as she held her father’s scarf.

“Quiet!!” I called, my own grief about to come up.

“The hostages on Foundation Prime were dear to thee, I see,” hissed the Mouth in delight. “Know that they suffered greatly at the hands of their host! Who would have thought ones like them could endure so much pain? And they did, Megumi. They did.” That did it. I drew myself up to my full height and strode to the emissary of Mordor. “And what do you intend to do?” he asked. “None may attack an emissary.”

“You lost that right the instant you presented these things to us and taunted us!” I snarled before I leapt up, my blade liberating his head from his shoulders. As his lifeless body fell from the horse that took off in fright, I turned to my friends. “I don’t believe that they’re dead!” I declared. “Not until I have definitive proof!” The gates had shut at that time.

“Let me show you how it’s done,” called Wyldstyle. She used her Master Builder powers to make a massive turret to blow the gates down. “Yeah! That takes care of that thing!” said Wyldstyle.

“I’m calling that thing after the Orcs’ battering ram, Grond!” I cheered. I then faced the now open gates. “CHARGE!” I shouted. We ran into Barad-dûr and ploughed through Sauron’s forces to enter his throne room. Sauron sat with Turretorg and Discornia flanking him and the Keystone set on the headrest of his seat.

“She said you would come,” rumbled Morgoth’s former Lieutenant, “to save the weak.”

“‘She said’?” asked Batman. “Who said? Did Discornia there say?”

“No,” corrected Discornia, “it’s our immediate boss.”

+VORTECH IS NOT YOUR LEADER+ countered my belt.

“Beg pardon?” I asked.

+VORTECH HAS BRAINWASHED TARLAXIANS TO SERVE HIM+ explained my belt.

“Tarlaxians?” I asked. “You mean people like Turretorg and Discornia?”

+CORRECT+ confirmed my belt.

“Innocent people brainwashed into service,” I muttered, “can this get any harder?”

“We are advanced Vortexons!” argued Turretorg. “Not filthy Tarlaxians!”

“I can handle these liars,” purred a voice. A woman stepped out from behind Sauron’s throne.

“Igura!” exclaimed Hongo.

“Surprise!” she laughed.

“How are you alive?!” yelped Hiroki. “A crazed Urga killed you!”

“Vortech saw fit to resurrect me,” explained Igura. “It made Death a little mad, though. Not that I care. I have enough power to defeat her. Hiro fought against War and Death and survived.”

“That HAS to be a joke!” protested Lukas.

“It isn’t,” insisted Igura. “And with the technology Shocker Nova has at its disposal now,” she revealed a belt that looked like an eagle sitting on Earth with its wings at its sides, “we have a perfect Rider.” She crossed her left arm in front of her, with the hand in a clawed fashion, and slowly moved it across the front with her right hand at her hip. “Nova…” she began. Her left hand then went to her hip as her right hand moved across her front with a clawed hand. “HENSHIN!” She then opened the wings of the eagle so it looked like it was about to take flight. The Earth it sat on split open to reveal a small red fan. She jumped up, the wind pressure turning the fan to form a suit! Instead of a grasshopper design, like Hongo’s suit, Igura’s suit was more bird like. It was brown with a gold, triangular face guard, had red eyes, talons on the fingers, wings folded back, and clawed boots. “I am Shocker Nova’s first Rider,” purred Igura. “Kamen Rider Talon! Your finances are in grave danger!”

“Enough!” boomed Turretorg. “Let’s just kill them!”

“They and the west shall fall!” confirmed Sauron

“Silence, fiend!” bellowed Gandalf to Sauron. The room went quiet as Gandalf spoke. “You’ve fallen far, ‘Lord’ Sauron. Serving another, now, are you?”

“I serve no one, Gandalf Stormcrow!” snarled Sauron. “All serve me!”

“Idea for new name when I get tired of Wyldstyle: Stormcrow!” mused Wyldstyle.

“Hold on,” stopped Kamen Rider Talon, Igura, “I thought you said that, and I quote, ‘Lord Vortech wanted to give me this dimension if I retrieved the Keystone.’”

“I lied!” explained Sauron. “Spiders! Nazgûl! Daleks! Orcs! Slay them!”

“Daleks?!” I yelped. The room started shaking. A hologram was canceled to reveal that we were on the hull of a saucer.

“A Dalek Command Saucer!” called Michael.

“Not those trashcans again!” I moaned. The saucer then rose with Sauron’s throne in the center, shrouded in a dark cloud. That’s when the Nine landed. That’s right, the Nine Former Kings of Men, together again.

“Wow,” whispered the Witch-King, “I can’t believe they fell for that!”

“We didn’t have enough time to rehearse!” whispered East. “Good work, Khòrena!”

“Thanks!” whispered Dwimmerlaik.

“Wait, that whole break-up was…?” I began.

“An act!” whispered the Witch-King of Angmar. “And you were stupid enough to fall for it!”

“So was me being your hostage!” called Tarantulas’ voice. He came down in robot mode.

“The wounds Touché gave me, on the other pedipalp!” Shelob in her new robot mode jumped down with other spiders. “Those were real! I won’t waste time playing with you lot!” That’s when hatches in the Dalek ship opened up to let Daleks and Orcs come out.

“You’re hopelessly outmatched!” roared an Orc.

“You will be exterminated!” Guess who said that.

“That’s it, enough of these lies!” I snapped. We grabbed our i.d tags and Hongo struck his Henshin pose.

“Rider…” he began.

“Henshin!” we all announced. We formed our suits and drew our weapons. As usual, Outback started us off.

“Kamen Rider Outback! Better watch your backs, mates!”

“Kamen Rider Claw! My weapons shall turn you into ribbons!”

“Kamen Rider Swing! I’ll be taking your legs!”

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

“Kamen Rider Clash! A duel with me shall end in your defeat!”

“Kamen Rider Climb! Mountains are a warrior’s best friend!”

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

“Kamen Rider Sengoku! You shall get a taste of Feudal Japan!”

“Kamen Rider Royal! Evil will ultimately bow to me!”

“Kamen Rider Guard! None shall harm my friends, family, and lady!”

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

“Kamen Rider Zhànshì! Try and stop my quest!”

“Kamen Rider Arch! My skills outdo Robin Hood!”

“Kamen Rider Kämpfer! Your defeat will be certain at my hands!”

“Kamen Rider Seeker! It’s not gold I seek, but your end!”

“Kamen Rider Battle! For friends and family, I shall be victorious!”

“I am Gandalf the Grey! Prepare to see some fireworks!”

“I’m Wyldstyle! Time to think outside the box!”

“I’m Batman! The Dark Knight rises!”

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

“SLAY THEM ALL!” ordered Sauron from inside the shroud.

“I’ll have your head for this!” screeched Talon. We all fought the forces of darkness, eight legged or not. A Dalek fired on us, but we got out of the way and it killed a spider.

“WATCH YOUR AIM!” roared Shelob.

“…Oops,” mumbled the offending Dalek. Shelob then readied her beast mode’s legs as if they were guns, which, we had quickly discovered, they were. She fired upon us, wildly though. She hit more of her allies than us. In fact, none of us were hit. Gandalf had opened a hatch in the ship and extracted parts. Wyldstyle constructed a lamp from the parts and shined it on the shroud surrounding Sauron. He snarled, but the shroud stayed.

“We need more!” called Touché.

“Let me handle him!” demanded Talon. She opened a hatch to allow a Dalek to get out.

“Non-Dalek life forms detected!” it squawked. “Exterminate!” Talon then pulled her hand back in a claw fashion and then thrust it forward into the Dalek. Bits of its now dead occupant dripped off the hand. She flicked it off and got more parts, building the second lamp herself.

“Interesting what a scientist can make,” she mused, “even if it’s rudimentary.” The lamp shined on Sauron’s shroud.

“Vortech won’t like you attacking an ally!” called Sauron.

“You invaded a dimension without his permission,” countered Talon.

“Is he really going to believe that?” asked Sauron. “I can say, with certainty, that you will be blamed for attacking an ally. It is…what’s the phrase…your flimsy word over mine!”

“You’re right,” agreed Talon. “Without evidence, my word is flimsy. Good thing I have evidence.”

“Do share it,” invited Sauron.

“Incoming transmission from Foundation Prime!” reported a Dalek. Wyldstyle had managed to make a third lamp. I told her to wait.

“Go ahead and take it,” suggested Talon.

“Put it through,” commanded Sauron.

“I obey!” confirmed the Dalek. It connected to a terminal to let a hologram of Vortech and Hiro through.

“Greetings, Master,” began Sauron to Vortech.

“Spare me the false praise!” snarled Vortech.

“Who’s that?” asked Batman.

“The enemy,” I replied, keeping it vague on purpose.

“Er…Master?” asked Sauron.

“Tell me, Sauron,” hissed Hiro, “have you heard of a live-stream?”

“…A flow of water that is alive?” guessed Sauron.

“Not even close,” corrected Vortech. “A live stream is a term when humans display their moving pictures and speech at the time they are at an event. They make it public and put it out on billions of computers through a process called ‘streaming’.”

“And it is in real time, live on the scene,” continued Hiro. “Thus, live-stream.”

“I fail to see how…” began Sauron.

“On top of that, have you heard about eyes that work like a video camera?” asked Hiro.

“Like a what?” spluttered Sauron.

“They’re machines that take pictures, capture voices, and string them together to make an exact replica of something that happened,” explained Hiro. “Some cameras are made to look like a person’s eyes and can capture what the person sees if these cameras replace the eyes.”

“I still don’t see…” Sauron stopped when he saw the battle from another person’s point of view in real time. He saw the left side of his head and realized why live-streams and video camera eyes were brought up. He turned to Talon and made the connection. She waved. “YOU DIDN’T…! YOU…!” spluttered Sauron. “HOW LONG?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN…LIVE-STREAMING?!”

“You catch on to the terminology quick,” praised Talon as her eyes recorded the reaction. “In any case, to answer your question, since Barad-dûr landed here. I’ve recorded everything, even Tarantulas dissecting one of the spiders here and eating its remains later.”

“What?!” snarled Shelob. Tarantulas spluttered. The spiders stared at their metal companion with malice.

“We’ve been deceived!” shrieked a spider.

“I’m gonna mount your head on my mantelpiece, traitor!” promised another.

“KILL HIM!” roared Shelob. They ran at Tarantulas, who tried to escape. Soon he tripped over the edge with all the spiders following him.

“That takes care of them,” muttered Talon. She turned to Sauron. “And now, for you!”

“We’ve been spied on!” roared an Orc, slow on the uptake.

“I’m gonna enjoy having my way with you!” shouted another, Shagrat. “I need offspring!”

“No! I need a cook!” bellowed another. Gorbag came up.

“She’s Sauron’s to do with as he wishes!” he snapped.

“I don’t take orders from stinking Morgul rats!” roared Shagrat.

“Get him!” shouted the second Orc. They started fighting each other.

“NO! IDIOTS!” shrieked the Witch-King as he flung Touché off of him. “GET THEM! THEY’RE THE ENEMY!”

“NOW!” I called. The third lamp shone on the shroud. Sauron screamed in pain as the light from the lamps burned his eyes. The ship then broke out of Barad-dûr.

“Careful!” demanded Gorbag. “I just paid off the insurance!” The ship stopped in front of the fiery eye that was reset atop the fortress. The lamps were destroyed as the shroud returned around Sauron.

“When in doubt,” muttered the Dark Lord, “Keystone power.” He grabbed the Keystone from the throne. “I see you!” he said. “Locate help from D-C-C-0-M-1-C-5!” A portal opened and deposited a searchlight onto the ship. “Blind them!” shouted Sauron to his forces. Batman saw that the symbol on it was one that he was familiar with!

“The Bat-Signal?” he snarled. “Someone stole my Bat-Signal?! Someone like you, Sauron?!! Now that’s going too far!!”

“I’ve got an idea!” called Wyldstyle.

“Keep her covered!” I directed. Her Master build involved the Bat-Signal and a battery to power it.

“I said get the light and blind them!” ordered Sauron. The Orcs and Daleks were trying but failing as Batman shone it onto the shroud. It dissipated, leaving Sauron open. He grabbed his mace and went on the offensive. We managed to beat him back to his throne, which was surprising, considering he has the One Ring. He remade the shroud and unleashed magic chains. “Your struggle is meaningless!” he snarled. A news chopper for the Daily Planet got close as the photographer flashed his camera. Sauron snarled as he lost concentration on the chains, making them disappear. “You’ll PAY for this outrage! Locate help from M-1-D-D-L-3-3-A-R-T-H!” A horse drawn cart with fireworks came out of a new portal, minus the horse. He flung rubble at the news chopper, scaring it off.

“That’s my old cart!” yelped Gandalf. “Where in Middle-Earth did they find that?!” He got an idea. “You know, I believe that my new catchphrase would be appropriate for this instance. Sauron, prepare to see some fireworks!” He used his magic to launch the fireworks at the shroud.

“4th of July fireworks can’t top that!” called Sengoku.

“Speak for yourself!” replied Guard.

“Save our American ego for later!” snapped Touché. “Besides, our fireworks can’t make a dragon fly over the crowd and then make a fantastic boom!” Sauron’s shroud was gone again. He went on the attack again.

“RIDER CHOP!” called Ichigō as he delivered a chop that made Sauron stagger backwards. I then decided to take a page out of Touché’s book and inserted my i.d tag into the hilt of my sword. The blade was surrounded in blue light.

“Final Attack!” announced my blade.

“RIDER ROYAL SLASH!” I called. I swung down, making an arc of light rush towards Sauron, knocking him into his seat. He returned the shroud and chained us again.

“I shall rule all!” he proclaimed. An Orc had flung a Dalek at us, who regained itself in the air and charged towards Sauron, screaming bloody murder. It was destroyed, and the other Daleks saw this as betrayal and turned on the Orcs. The noise made Sauron lose concentration again and so he used the Keystone again. “Locate help from T-H-3-L-3-G-0-M-0-V-1-3!” he ordered. A school bus came in, although, it was modified with jet engines on the back.

“That’s from my dimension!” called Wyldstyle. “A bus driver had graduated from the Master Builder’s Academy and used his bus for his final! I was his teacher!” The bus driver came out.

“Professor Wyldstyle?” he asked. “What’s going on?!” Sauron screeched in anger. “Never mind, I can see for myself.”

“Only a powerful light can get rid of that shroud!” I told the driver.

“Leave it to me!” he assured. He dodged the stuff Sauron threw.

“Whoa!” yelped Wyldstyle. “Okay, wish this guy would stop throwing stuff!”

“How’s this?!” asked the bus driver. He made a light cannon out of the front of the bus. “I just need power to make it bright!”

“Allow me!” called Gandalf as he used his magic to extract wires that ran into the Dalek ship. They were soon connected.

“Thanks!” praised the bus driver. He then pointed the light cannon at the shroud and unleashed a bright light, destroying the Shroud. Sauron got mad and leapt at us. We got out of the way.

“RIDER KICK!” called Ichigō.

“RIDER ROYAL KICK!” I declared.

“RIDER TOUCHÉ KICK!” announced Touché.

“NOVA KICK!” shouted Talon. Sauron was knocked to the ground at the impact of our kicks.

“How…” wheezed the Dark Lord as he picked himself up, “is this possible?!” The eye on top of Barad-dûr vanished.

“This is not your domain!” explained Gandalf. “You have no power here, Sauron the Deceiver!”

“And to make sure you obey us in future,” said Talon. She then brought Sauron to his knees and held her foil at his neck. “Forces of Mordor, you will obey us or Sauron is crushed like a tin can!” Sauron’s forces considered, then kneeled. “I thought so.” A portal opened. “Witch-King, grab the Keystone!”

“No!” called Wyldstyle. She knocked out the Witch-King and grabbed the Keystone, nearly getting sucked into the portal. “Can someone give me a hand?!” asked Wyldstyle.

“Stop her!” ordered Talon. I kicked her aside as the rest of us fought off the Orcs and Nazgûl. Sauron was crushed like a tin can, but still alive, thanks to the Ring. He was sucked in. A giant hand then reached through the portal to grab the Keystone.

“Oh, yeah, not him, though!” yelped Wyldstyle. She lost her grip on the throne but was saved by Gandalf. She landed back on the hull. “Thanks!” she said.

“Must I do everything myself?!” snarled Talon. She charged at Wyldstyle as our ride home came up.

“Is that ours?” asked the bus driver.

“Yes!” answered Batman. “Move!” We made a break for the portal, taking the Keystone with us. It turned out to be an enemy portal as Vortech’s hand came through. We nearly went over the edge of the saucer before the Keystone opened a portal for us below the saucer.

“This way!” called Wyldstyle. We jumped in. Before Talon could grab us, the portal closed.

“NO!” she shouted. She screamed at the heavens as her transformation was canceled. Igura glared at the Orcs and Daleks as they tried to avoid her eyes. “Return to Foundation Prime!” she ordered. The saucer flew into their portal. Igura was defeated.