Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 2

Riding While Masked: Part 4

The Doctor and the Ridewatch Riders intercepted Decade before he went deeper into the sublevels of Tokyo Tower in 2013. “Decade, please, listen to me!” urged the Doctor.

“Get out of my way!” shouted Decade.

“Decade, it’s not going to turn out the way you think it is!” urged Woz. Decade wasn’t listening. He slashed again with his Ride-booker still in sword mode.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this against an elder Kamen Rider!” groaned Zi-O. He then summoned a strange device that looked somewhat gun-like.

“Zikan Girade!” said a voice. Zi-O then pulled something on the device forward so it looked like a sword with a clock hand style blade. “KEN!” Zi-O slashed.

“No! Sougo! Don’t escalate this!” protested the Doctor.


“And Sougo’s brought his weapon out,” grumbled Rassilon as everyone saw the goings-on outside from the scanner.

“Hoo boy, we sure he ain’t American?” joked William. He then spotted something. “Hey, what’s that?” he asked. He pointed to a phial of a liquid on the floor. Rassilon picked it up and had the TARDIS scan it.

“…It’s anti-plastic!” she said. “Made by one of Tsukasa’s allies! Hang on, I think I have a theory.” She ran the figures through the TARDIS computers. Her eyes goggled when she saw the readings. “…It was an insurance policy!” she whispered.

“What do you mean?” asked Amy.

“Tsukasa was going to use it on the Nestene Consciousness in this time,” explained Rassilon. “But the Doctor and Tsukasa of this time will already use theirs. AHA!”

“Rassilon?” asked William.

“William, how many tests does a vaccine have to go through?” asked Rassilon.

“Millions of-.” William’s eyes popped open. “…The anti-plastic of this time would have failed somehow?!”

“It’s the chronons of 2025! They can’t be used against the native chronons of 2013!”

“…But Decade doesn’t know that!” realized Amy.

“I know how to deescalate the situation!” said William. He then snatched the anti-plastic from Rassilon and left the TARDIS!

“WILLIAM! GET BACK IN HERE!” protested Rassilon.


The Doctor was still trying to get the Riders to stop fighting. “Everyone, please!” she pleaded. “There’s no reason to-!”

“STOOOOOOOOOPPP!!” called William’s voice. Everyone turned to see William holding the anti-plastic phial above his head.

“William, get back in the TARDIS!” protested the Doctor.

“Tsukasa, tell me, does this look familiar?!” asked William.

“My anti-plastic?!” he yelped. “How did you-?!”

“You dropped it in the console room!” replied William. “Interesting that you’d use 2025 anti-plastic on a 2013 Nestene Consciousness! Now you listen to the Doctor or I smash it here and now!”

“You’re going to regret that threat!” snarled Decade as he got ready to slash.

“NO! Decade, wait! Just wait a minute, please!” begged the Doctor. “Let William smash it to the ground!”

“What?! Why?!” demanded Decade.

“Because that’s how there were remnants of the Nestene that created the Autons of 2025! That’s how the paradox started! We brought back a weapon that would fail! The leftover signal would reside in the chronons and wait until they aligned with 2025 again!”

“You…You’re lying!”

“Why on earth would I lie about that?! We’re sitting on one gigantic time paradox here and you’re the key!”

“Th…The Key?!”

“I thought it was the Ridewatches, but it’s YOU, Tsukasa!”

“I…I can’t be-!”

“William, smash the phial! Smash it to pieces!”

“Way ahead of you!” called William as he threw the phial to the ground. That’s when time went crazy! Everyone was moving in painful slow-motion!

“HUUUUUURRRRRRYYYYYYY!” called the Doctor. “GEEETTT BAAACK IIINNN THEEE TAAARRRDDIIISSSS NOOOOOWWW!”

“WHHAAAAAATTT’SSSSS HAAAAAPPPPEENNNNIIINNNNG?!” shouted Decade as he and the Riders made for the TARDIS.

“IIIITTT’SSS THEEEE PAAAARRRRAAADOOOOXXXX!” guessed Geiz. “IIIITTTT’SSSS REEEESOOOLLLVVVINNNGGG IIITTTSSSEEELLLFFFF!”

“YEEEEESSSSS!” confirmed the Doctor. “MMMUUUSSSTTTT GEEEEETTTT TOOOO THEEEE TAAAARRRRDDIIIISSSSSS!!!!!”


“Come on, guys! Come on!” begged Amy.

“If they stay out there any longer-!” shuddered Rassilon. Thankfully, she didn’t need to find out. Everyone made it inside.

“Right! Back to this location in 2025!” declared the Doctor.

“What about the Another Riders?!” argued Decade.

“They were never there, hopefully,” replied the Doctor. She got the TARDIS to take off.


Over in 2013, a man with curly blonde hair and a coat made up of a patchwork of fabrics was making the final adjustments to a machine, dodging tentacles from a tank all the while. “You won’t find me so easy to ensnare this time!” taunted the man, the Sixth Doctor.

“Doctor, come on!” called the Decade of 2013. He then inserted a card into his white Decadriver.

“Final Attack Ride: De-De-Decade!” it called. Three rings of cards appeared and Decade sailed through them, his foot outstretched and striking the Auton Copy of himself. It exploded.

“Do you mind not Rider-kicking here!” protested the Sixth Doctor. He then switched the machine on. “OUT!” The tentacles then thrashed in pain!


Right at the entrance to Tokyo Tower, Evelyn Smythe was looking anxiously at the door, not sure if she liked the rumbling. She breathed a sigh of relief when the Doctor and Decade arrived. “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright, Doctor!” she sighed.

“Only just,” replied the Sixth Doctor, rubbing the cat lapel pin in relief. “But that should do it. The Auton menace of Japan is over!”

“That’s a relief,” replied Evelyn, “because, with all the young men making flying kicks and turning into martial arts bug people, I think you could do with a bit of a sit-down!”


Over in 2025, the TARDIS arrived at the base of Tokyo Tower. No one left the TARDIS just yet. “Doctor-!” hissed the present-day Tsukasa.

“Sh!” replied the Doctor. The console beeped at a certain frequency, then the frequency lowered and lowered until…

“…Safe to talk?” asked Keito.

“Temporal Paradox: resolved,” replied the Doctor. “No bumps in the time track and no killer window dummies. The signal is nonexistent. …Erm, yes, everyone, safe to talk.”

“…Could I get some sort of explanation or will you be high-handed and Time Lordish like you were with that ugly coat?!” hissed Tsukasa.

“Try me,” said the Doctor.

“Where are the Autons?!” asked Tsukasa.

“Oh, they died before they find Geiz and Woz and duplicate them,” replied the Doctor. “You see, the prolonged fight between us is what prompts the Autons to duplicate them, not just being plucked off the streets like that. That’s just what starts the paradox.”

“I…see,” said Tsukasa. “And…”

“…Yes?”

“William, what did you intend to do with the anti-plastic?”

“Oh, smashing it to the ground WAS my intention,” replied William. “Rassilon gave me the idea.”

“You see, if the anti-plastic of 2025 touched the Nestene Consciousness of 2013,” explained Rassilon, “the latent 2025 chronons would have waited in the remains of the Nestene Consciousness and then propagated throughout the Autons the instant 2025 began.”

“So, in the correct version of history, the machine the Doctor rigged up was all that’s necessary?”

“…It’s…not so much that there’s a correct or incorrect version of history,” said Rassilon. “It’s more something to do with the survival of the universe. The paradox was triggered by us bringing the 2025 anti-plastic to 2013. It caused a dangerously high release of temporal energy.”

“Which damaged an already weakened part of the space-time continuum,” guessed Keito, “making it a bad place to have a paradox, like the Doctor said.”

“Erm…sort of,” replied the Doctor. “But Tsukasa solved the potential problem of the Nestene already in 2013.”

“So…it never happened?” asked Sougo.

“…Um…not quite. You see, the real center of the paradox was caused by the 2025 anti-plastic coming back with us and us mistakenly using it on the sly. The anti-plastic would have failed and the Nestene Consciousness would have fractured and implanted those fragments into the chronons, thus sparking the Auton Civil War.”

“But you and William forced me to realize in time that I was the one that caused the Autons of 2025 in the first place!” said Tsukasa, exasperated.

“Hope for you yet, hm?” chuckled Rassilon. The Doctor then saw Amy’s face.

“Amy? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“…Doctor, Rassilon,” said Amy, “none of what we just discussed makes any sense!”

“…Well…how should I put this…time paradoxes very rarely do. That’s why they’re paradoxes.”

“…You really think that’s clever, huh?” scoffed Tsukasa. “I’ve had enough.” He then summoned an Aurora Curtain.

“What have I told you about using those things in the-!” The Doctor didn’t get very far as Tsukasa stepped through and the Curtain vanished. “…Oh, never mind!”

“I think we’d better go,” Sougo suggested to Keito and Woz. “We still have things to do.”

“Agreed, Waga Mao,” replied Woz. “Let’s go home.” Woz, Sougo, and Keito then left the TARDIS.

“…Wait a minute, if the Autons aren’t here, and they were after the control unit-!” gulped William. Amy dashed to her room and checked something. She then sighed in relief and returned to the console room with the control unit in her hand.

“Doctor, does the TARDIS have special time shields?” she asked.

“It does,” replied the Doctor, sighing in relief, “but it’s the control unit’s original nature as a segment of the Key to Time that protected it. Speaking of which…” she took the tracer and touched the control unit with it. It then turned into its real shape of the third segment. “There we go! Halfway there! Now, let’s see where the next one is!”


As the Doctor worked on the console, Rassilon returned to her room. Her hand was glowing again. She concentrated hard, but the glow was taking longer to go away. It finally faded. “…I can’t waste this body!” she begged herself. “I need more time!”

“Erm, Rassilon?” asked Amy’s voice. It was then that Rassilon realized she went into AMY’S room with the hedgehog girl in it.

“…You saw nothing!” she hissed.

“The heck I didn’t!” retorted Amy. “Why was your hand glowing?!”

“That’s not important right now!”

“Rassilon, if there’s something wrong-!”

“Amy Rose!” Amy backed up from Rassilon at that sudden bark. “…Amy, I’d rather the Doctor not find out, otherwise she’d forget the quest and focus on me. She needs to apply her bleeding hearts on the entire universe instead of one person.”

“…All right, but you WILL tell her one day,” insisted Amy. “…Come on, let’s get you back to your room.” Amy helped Rassilon back to her room.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 2

Riding While Masked: Part 3

The Autons outside weren’t letting up. “Come on, come on!” grumbled the Doctor as she worked the controls. She then pulled on a lever…but it didn’t move. “…Of all the-! RASSILON!”

“What?!” asked Rassilon.

“You jammed the brakes on! That’s why TARDIS maintenance is best left to me!” She then found a mallet and swung it at the lever. NOW the Time Rotor moved up and down again! The TARDIS made its usual takeoff noise, but the takeoff was rather sharp, knocking people around. After a good minute of shaking, the TARDIS settled down with everyone picking themselves up. “All right, sound off,” said the Doctor. “Who’s not dead?”

“I think I clonked heads with someone,” complained William.

“Me,” replied Amy. “You clonked heads with me.”

“Crap. Sorry.”

“Still alive,” said Rassilon.

“So are we,” said Tsukasa, speaking for his fellow Riders. Sougo, Keito, and Woz goggled again.

“So it wasn’t a dream?!” asked Keito.

“It appears not, Geiz-kun,” replied Woz.

“How-?!” asked Sougo.

“It’s a bit complicated,” replied Rassilon. “First, you have to imagine a big box inside a small box.”

“…Then?” quizzed Sougo.

“Then you have to make it,” finished Rassilon. “It’s the second step I stumbled on a lot when I made the first TARDIS.”

“Everyone, why don’t you all give them a tour of the place?” the Doctor suggested to her crew. “I need to input the data. Oh, Sougo, could you and your friends give me your Ridewatches? Perhaps I can pinpoint the exact moment the paradox began with them.”

“Sure,” replied Sougo.

“Wait a minute! Doctor, that kind of technology-!” argued Rassilon.

“Rassilon, please!” urged the Doctor. “I’d rather not risk peripheral damage to the timeline.”

“…Very well.” Rassilon turned to the Riders. “You heard her. We need to trace the origin of the paradox.”

“Fine, fine,” grumbled Keito as he handed over his Ridewatch. Sougo and Woz did the same and the Doctor wired them into the TARDIS console.

“Come on, guys!” called Amy, remembering the Doctor’s suggestion. “I know the best rooms here!”

“There’s more?!” asked Sougo.

“The other doors should have made it obvious,” remarked Tsukasa. Amy led everyone on a tour of the best rooms in the TARDIS with Rassilon and William stayed behind.

“…I suppose Amy is sufficient for-,” said the Doctor.

“Doctor, why are you doing this?” asked William.

“…I don’t know as I follow.”

“When we tried to undo Ezar’s transformation into a Krynoid…”

“…Ah.”

“So you DID say something about this kind of thing,” remarked Rassilon.

“Her exact words,” explained William, “ were that several laws of time prevent her from messing with established history for a start and those laws spawn from the simple fact that doing that is the messiest of quick fixes that just create paradoxes out across time and space.”

“…Those were my exact words, and I meant them,” confirmed the Doctor.

“But you’ve decided to mess with established history right now,” observed Rassilon.

“…If there’s no other way, yes! Look, William, there are just some secrets of time that I cannot risk divulging, and that stems from the fact that I don’t know what lies ahead for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” snapped William.

“William, you met previous companions of mine. There will come a time where you and I will part company and I don’t know what you’ll do or who you’ll meet or what you’ll tell them or what they may force you to tell them. The basic fact of the matter is that there are some secrets that a Time Lord must never EVER reveal.”

“It’s something to do with the origin of the greater paradox surrounding the Autons, isn’t it?” asked Rassilon.

“…Yes,” said the Doctor.

“And when Tsukasa told us what was going on, you thought about something, but didn’t elaborate!” said William. “Doctor, I need to understand!”

“William!” snapped the Doctor. She then drew in a breath to calm down. “…I’ll say this much; it has to do with the nature of the universe and the fabric of time itself. Somehow, there’s an unpredictable reaction between the two. You know what a temporal paradox is, yes?”

“Yes, when someone goes back in time to alter the past, only their actions in the past caused the future in the first place.”

“That’s one example,” remarked Rassilon. “And that’s the pertinent one, isn’t it, Doctor.”

“…Yes. And that’s all that I’m prepared to say,” replied the Doctor.

“William, I think we’d best let the Doctor work right now,” suggested Rassilon. “We’d best not interrupt her and risk peripheral damage to the timeline.”

“…All right,” grumbled William. He and Rassilon headed after Amy and her group while the Doctor checked things over.


After a while, the Doctor sighed. “Useless,” she muttered. “All because Tsukasa wants a quick fix. …Tsukasa… …Tsukasa…” The Doctor tapped her chin, then typed something into the console. “Timeline check on Tsukasa Kadoya, keyword: Rider Forms.” The scanner then revealed all the forms Tsukasa took as Kamen Rider Decade. “…Why is that one separate from the base form? It sure looks the same.” The Doctor checked on the form. The minor difference was that the light on the helmet’s forehead was purple instead of yellow. She goggled when she saw what that form really was. “Violent Emotion, oh dear. Tsukasa, you can’t use that form at this time!” At that moment, everyone filed back into the console room.

“Are we there yet?” asked Tsukasa. “We seem to be taking our sweet time.”

“…You know, you’re a bit of a mystery, Tsukasa,” remarked the Doctor.

“Oh?”

“I can’t think of a single reason why you’d get so angry over a minor mistake like that,” continued the Doctor. Tsukasa’s eyes went wide.

“…You…you guessed?!” he spluttered.

“Tsukasa, you can’t risk using your Violent Emotion form like that,” urged the Doctor. “You’ve already surrendered it when you stopped being a destroyer!” By then, a strange energy washed over everyone, freezing Tsukasa, but not everyone else.

“Doctor, what’s going on?!” asked Amy. “Tsukasa’s frozen!”

“Not only that, he’s phasing in and out of existence!” observed Keito.

“That’s just confirmation of my theory,” shuddered the Doctor.

“…But you’re not gonna tell us, aren’t you?” said William.

“They’re the cogs of a great machine going in opposite directions, time and space crushing each other to death like angry beasts unleashed,” said the Doctor.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” observed Rassilon. “The time paradox?”

“Yes,” confirmed the Doctor. “There are good and bad places to have them. This is a bad place, just bad luck in the game of universal dice, really. But if we don’t do something, everything could unravel.”

“Everything?” asked Woz.

“Everything!” repeated the Doctor. “Too large a concept to have any meaning, isn’t it? Can you imagine the chaos of every particle of matter accelerating to the point of destruction? And even destruction is too small a word! Terror, agony, they don’t even come close!”

“So if we don’t destroy the Autons-,” ventured Sougo.

“I’m not sure that’s what we need to do,” interrupted the Doctor.

“Doctor?” asked Rassilon.

“You mean you don’t know what’s caused the time paradox?” asked William.

“I thought the nexus point was when the Autons were activated after the death of the Nestene Consciousness in 2013,” explained the Doctor, “and that we had caused that by bringing the Ridewatches there.”

“What’s made you change your mind?” quizzed Amy.

“Tsukasa,” replied the Doctor. “His Violent Emotion state. He’s willing to bring that form into existence again.” That was when Tsukasa started moving.

“How did you-?!” he spluttered.

“The time distortion’s gone,” remarked Rassilon.

“Time distortion?” asked Tsukasa.

“Yeah, didn’t you notice?” asked William.

“We were outside time, everyone,” explained the Doctor. “Looking in on the impending disaster.”

“Doctor, have we landed yet?!” insisted Tsukasa. The TARDIS then made its arrival noise and thud.

“Oh dear, we have,” gulped the Doctor. Tsukasa then pulled out his Decadriver.

“Then it’s time to finish this!”

“Tsukasa, no!” argued Sougo. He, Keito, and Woz blocked the door.

“Get out of the way!” demanded Tsukasa.

“Tsukasa, using your Violent Emotion state won’t help this situation!” urged Geiz.

“We’ll stop you if we have to!” warned Woz as he and his fellow Riders pulled out their respective BeyonDriver and Ziku Drivers, attaching them to their waists.

“You can’t stop me!” replied Tsukasa as he opened his Decadriver and pulled out a card. Sougo, Keito, and Woz then pressed the buttons on their Ridewatches and Miridewatch, prompting them to say “Zi-O!”, “Geiz!” and “Woz!” respectively. Tsukasa flinched, then growled.

“I have to do this!” he insisted. “Henshin!” He then put the card into the Decadriver!

“Kamen Ride: Decade!” It announced once he closed it. The Ridewatch Riders then inserted their trinkets into the belts.

“Henshin!” they all called.

“Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O!”

“Rider Time! Kamen Rider Geiz!”

“TOUEI! Future Time! Sugoi! Jidai! Mirai! Kamen Rider Woz! WOZ!” All the Kamen Riders were ready! Decade charged at them, but Zi-O and Geiz tripped him up while Woz pinned him down once he hit the floor. The one thing they all forgot was never let Decade reach his Ride-booker. He opened the book on his left and drew a card, then inserted it into the Decadriver.

“Attack Ride: Slash!” it announced. The Ride-booker then unfolded into a sword and he slashed at the Riders pinning him down. He got up and ran out of the TARDIS!

“STOP!” called Zi-O as he and his friends rushed out after Decade.

“NO! PLEASE! GET BACK-!” protested the Doctor. She growled when they didn’t listen. “Rassilon, Amy, William, stay here and monitor the situation!” she ordered as she left.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 2

Riding While Masked: Part 2

“…Temporal compression technology!” whispered the Doctor.

“But…how?!” asked Rassilon.

“You’ll get your explanations later,” replied Tsukasa. “Right now, we need to get you to safety.” He pulled out a strange device, then put it to his waist. The device then created a belt around him. He then pulled out a card as he opened the device. “Henshin!” he said. He then slid the card into the device.

“Kamen Ride!” it announced. He then closed the device. “Decade!” Armor then appeared around him. It was magenta and his helmet looked like cards with green eyes.

“Kamen Rider Decade,” said the Doctor. Plas-Keito then put his strange watch device to his waist. It entered him, surrounding him in dark energy, then he turned into a monstrous creature that vaguely was modeled after a red and black digital watch with teeth and horrid eyes.

“GEIZ!” came the demonic voice. On the shoulder was “Geiz 2068”.

“Another Geiz, huh?” scoffed Decade. “Shouldn’t be too much trouble.” The two then fought.

“You don’t possess the Geiz Ridewatch,” said Another Geiz. “You cannot defeat me now.”

“No, but I bought time,” replied Decade. Another Geiz then noticed that the Doctor and her crew were gone, along with the control sphere!

“Locate and destroy thieves!” ordered Another Geiz. “Destroy Enemy Autons as well!” Decade went off in pursuit of the Doctor.


The TARDIS crew ran as fast as they could, but then more Autons approached, led by someone in gray robes and a scarf. “Control Unit located,” he said as he pulled out a device like Another Geiz’s! “Destroy. Total destruction.” He pressed the button.

“Woz!” said a demonic voice. He then put the device to his waist and, like Another Geiz, he was surrounded by dark energy. The energy dissipated to reveal a monstrous white and green-trimmed monster with teeth and horrid eyes, modeled after a smart-watch. “WOZ!” This one had the words “Woz 0000” on his thigh.

“Another one?!” asked William.

“What’s going on here?!” asked Rassilon. “How did the Nestene Consciousness get ahold of temporal compression technology?!”

“I have theories, none of them are good,” replied the Doctor.

“Hey! Another Woz!” called a voice. Everyone turned to see another high-school boy. “You leave them alone!”

“Target: Tokiwa Sougo,” droned the Auton Commander known as Another Woz. “Eliminate.”

“I don’t think so! Those people are too important!” retorted the kid, Sougo. He then pulled out yet another device!

“No! Kid! That’s dangerous!” urged the Doctor.

“Don’t worry, Ma’am,” assured Sougo. “I have a feeling it will work out!” He then rotated the face of the device and attached another machine with a slot on either side to his waist. It formed a belt strap like Decade’s. Sougo then pressed the button.

“Zi-O!” announced a more normal voice. Sougo then inserted the circular device into the right hand slot, then pressed a button on the belt. The belt tilted so the attached device went down. Sougo then posed.

“HENSHIN!” he called. He then spun the belt and it rotated once until it returned to its horizontal position.

“Rider Time!” it called. It then sang “Kamen Rider Zi-O!” Armor then appeared over him. It was dark blue gray with a wristwatch theme. The helmet looked like an analog watch with the kanji for “Rider” in the middle of the clock face.

“…A Kamen Rider using temporal compression technology?! But that’s impossible!” said the Doctor. “…Unless…of course! The device and belt were meant to be paired!”

“You guys get out of here!” called Sougo, now Kamen Rider Zi-O. “I’ll handle Another Woz and his dummies!”

“But Decade’s fighting Another Geiz and his Autons!” protested Rassilon. Speaking of Decade, he arrived on his motorcycle, modeled after his helmet.

“Everyone, get ready for transit!” he called. Another Geiz and his Autons arrived.

“Enemy Commander!” he called when he spotted Another Woz. The two Another Riders then fought each other.

“What the-?!” The Doctor’s question was cut off as a curtain of gray energy swallowed them up.


The group arrived at an abandoned warehouse. The two Kamen Riders cancelled their transformations and resumed their civilian identities. “Sorry for the Aurora Curtain, but we had to make our escape,” explained Tsukasa.

“Don’t worry,” said Sougo, “this place was cleared a while ago.”

“Then, perhaps,” said the Doctor, “someone could kindly explain why two Auton Commanders attacked one another?! The Nestene Consciousness won’t allow Autons to fight Autons!”

“There’s no Nestene Consciousness controlling them, Doctor,” replied Tsukasa. “They activated after the passing of the Nestene, when we both dealt with them in 2013.”

“…Those Autons,” said the Doctor, “are acting independently?”

“The signal never fully cut out in 2013, Doctor. It’s been slowly building power since we shut it down beneath Tokyo Tower.”

“…Then I wasn’t as thorough as I thought. And now the Autons have control over temporal compression technology.”

“Doctor, what IS temporal compression technology?” asked William.

“I’m a bit lost in the Time Vortex here myself,” admitted Amy.

“Temporal compression technology,” explained Rassilon, “steals timelines and historical events around a certain person, putting it all into one device, creating a harmful causal loop, a Bootstrap Paradox, if you will.”

“Unless, of course, you’re a time traveler yourself,” said the Doctor. “If you make a device based on YOUR history, your power, theoretically, is amplified, but it would cause damage to your body and cause a time paradox that would rend you and all you love asunder…unless you had something to handle and correct the paradox, such as Sougo’s belt. Sougo, where did you get that belt?”

“It came to me from an old future version of me where I became a king of time known as Ohma Zi-O,” replied Sougo.

“Ohma Zi-O?” asked Rassilon. “…I think I tried to recruit him for the Time War. He refused and sent me and my soldiers away.”

“Serves you right, frankly,” remarked the Doctor. “So, it’s a paradox that eventually erased him…but the technology can be made in the present.”

“So how did the Autons find that tech?” asked William.

“The Autons would have to keep the people they copied alive so they could access the twisted powers of their Rider forms,” replied the Doctor. “…And there’s a massive paradox right now. Those Another Riders shouldn’t exist, yet they are.”

“Therein lies why we’re here,” said Tsukasa. “Doctor, we need you to take us back to 2013 and eliminate the Nestene Consciousness utterly.”

“Out of the question!” barked Rassilon. “That’s against the laws of time!”

“I already looked into the past with my Time Mazine,” said Sougo. “There’s too much damage to the timeline there thanks to the original Geiz and Woz being captured. That’s why the Autons are independent.”

“And they know that one of their Control Units,” said Tsukasa, “is a segment of the Key to Time.”

“…So they’ll try to use its latent chronon field to become the new Lords of Time, but one has to become the new Nestene Consciousness, hence the Auton civil war,” theorized the Doctor. Her brow furrowed in thought.

“…Doctor?” asked Rassilon.

“…Tsukasa, you’ll need to help me retrieve the TARDIS,” said the Doctor.

“It’s in Tokyo Tower, one of the lower levels,” replied Tsukasa. “So, you’re going to help us?”

“…It looks that way,” muttered the Doctor.


The group made its way to Tokyo Tower with Tsukasa disguised as an employee there. He flashed his badge to the guards and explained the situation. The guards nodded and let them through. He led them down to the lower levels where a cauldron stood. It looked like it could hold something. Nearby…was the TARDIS! “There she is!” called the Doctor.

“Halt!” called Another Geiz’s voice. He and his Autons arrived. “The Control Unit. You will not be asked again.” Just then, everyone heard muffled voices. William turned to see what looked like Plas-Keito and the Woz Duplicate tied up and gagged. They were mumbling something. William first headed over and pinched their cheeks, confirming they were real. The two protested through their gags.

“Had to make sure you weren’t plastic,” he said as he untied them.

“Move away from them!” called Another Woz’s voice. William didn’t listen and freed the real Keito. Just as Another Woz was about to grab him, Keito decked the monstrous Kamen Rider. He then reached for something as William freed the real Woz.

“NO!” called the Doctor. “Not now! Quick! Into the TARDIS!” Everyone dashed into the time machine.


The Ridewatch using Riders goggled in surprise. Tsukasa, on the other hand, just looked around with mild interest. “You’ve redecorated,” he said. “…I don’t like it.” The TARDIS then rocked, causing everyone to fall to the floor or hold onto something.

“What’s going on?!” yelped Sougo.

“The Autons are firing on the TARDIS,” replied the Doctor. “That’s the trouble with encountering a race that hates your guts!”

“But the TARDIS is indestructible!” argued Amy. “You said so yourself!”

“I said it was VIRTUALLY indestructible!” countered the Doctor. “I think the Autons are taking advantage of the temporal com…the Ridewatches!”

“What do you mean?!” asked William.

“They’re using the paradoxical energy to weaken the TARDIS shields!”

“That kind of temporal stress will crack the outer shell!” yelped Rassilon.

“And collapse the internal dimensions!” finished the Doctor.

“An implosion with us inside?!” asked William.

“A violent one!” confirmed the Doctor as she worked the console feverishly.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 2

Riding While Masked: Part 1

With a third of the segments of the Key to Time now in their possession, the TARDIS crew were sailing through the Time Vortex. Rassilon was at the console this time, checking things over with a huge book to occasionally look at. “Let’s see…Doctor, you really shouldn’t leave the brakes on.”

“Erm, Rassilon,” said the Doctor once she entered the console room, “what are you doing?”

“Replacing your brakes, Doctor,” replied Rassilon. “The TARDIS could use it.” The TARDIS shuddered a bit. “There we go! And the noises are switched on! The arrival and takeoff noises can be switched on and off. It was the Type 40’s that made it a feature!”

“Rassilon, I don’t want you to take umbrage, but might I suggest TARDIS maintenance be left to me? I know you’re the creator of the first TARDIS-.”

“That’s rather patronizing of you!”

“The point is, the old girl IS rather dimensionally temperamental, and Type 40’s aren’t your forte, are they?”

“They are when the manual is available,” retorted Rassilon as she closed the book and waved it in the Doctor’s face. “Maybe indulge your TARDIS and fix it according to the manual once in a while, hm? It would keep its grumblings down to a minimum.” The TARDIS shuddered again.

“Yes, all right, you don’t need to test the brakes again!” remarked the Doctor.

“I’m not, we’re slowing down for arrival,” replied Rassilon. The TARDIS made its arrival noise and the thud followed.

“…Well…thank you,” mumbled the Doctor. She then put her hands on the telepathic circuits. “Is that really what you’ve been telling me?” she asked the TARDIS. “You just want the occasional repairs according to the book?” The TARDIS mentally responded. “…Every 2,000 years, then. All right, old girl. I’m sorry for not listening properly.” The TARDIS sent waves of reassurance. “Now then,” the Doctor checked the readings on the other console panels, “let’s see where we are. …Huh, Japan again.”

“Japan?” asked William’s voice as he and Amy entered the console room. “Are we gonna see Godzilla again?”

“Hopefully not,” replied the Doctor. “We’re in Tokyo. Ginza, to be precise. A high-end fashion shopping district in Chūō, built on an old swamp before becoming what it is today.”

“I suppose the big question is when we are,” mused Amy.

“Readings say the local date is…the 13th of April, 2025,” said the Doctor.

“Ah, my native time,” chuckled William. “Only four months from when I first went inside the TARDIS.”

“So, what alley did we land in?” asked Rassilon.

“…We…We didn’t,” replied the Doctor.

“Doctor!”

“We’re somewhere public?” asked Amy.

“Won’t the TARDIS stick out like a sore thumb?” quizzed William. “I mean, it’s got English words and the Japanese-.”

“It’s all right,” assured the Doctor.

“All right?! Doctor, you and Rassilon look human, yes, but your accents sound British to me. I’ve got African features and have an American accent. The three of us could at least pass for human, but Amy…she’s pink, wearing black, and she’s a three-foot-tall talking hedgehog with connected eyes!”

“William’s right, Doctor,” agreed Rassilon. “We Time Lords don’t care to be conspicuous…some of us, anyways.”

“Everyone, here’s what I observed about average people, even the average people within Time Lord society,” said the Doctor. “You put a mysterious blue box with a bunch of foreigners in it slap bang in the middle of town, what do you do? You walk past it because it’s too weird for you and you’d quickly focus on normal things like bills or jobs or train schedules. Now please, everyone, let’s not get bogged down by our oddities. Let’s just, I dunno, go find the third segment.”

“…Oh, very well,” sighed Rassilon. She retrieved the tracer and everyone headed to the door.


William was surprised that he was looking at the signs and reading English. “…Doctor, you said the TARDIS had universal translators, right?” he asked. “Do they also work on signs?”

“Of course. Why?” asked the Doctor.

“Nothing, just checking.”

“…It’s somewhere in this vicinity,” remarked Rassilon as she looked at the tracer. She then pointed it down an alley. The clicking then spiked! “Down there!” she said.

“Come on, let’s try and make this quick,” urged the Doctor. Everyone then headed down the alley. There didn’t seem to be anything worthwhile, but they couldn’t take the chance. What they didn’t realize was that they were being watched. As Rassilon waved the tracer, it clicked rapidly as it pointed at a pile of objects. One of the objects seemed to be a roughly-shaped sphere made of pale-pink plastic.

“…Doctor!” called Rassilon. Everyone rushed to her.

“What is it?” asked the Doctor. Rassilon pointed the tracer at the plastic sphere. The Doctor’s eyes widened. “…Oh dear,” she muttered.

“A shopping district will make a perfect place for its army,” said Rassilon.

“Doctor, Rassilon, what’s going on?” asked William. “Is that thing really the third segment?”

“Yes, but now it’s become one of the more dangerous segments,” replied the Doctor. “That’s a Nestene Control Sphere. The Nestene Consciousness is here.”

“What’s the Nestene Consciousness?” asked Amy.

“A creature that can control anything made of plastic,” explained the Doctor. “Toys, electronic casings, usually shop window dummies.”

“…Like the one over there?” asked William as he pointed down the alley. The shop window dummy was for women’s clothing, evidently. It had ditched the heels as it walked. Yes, walked. It was moving.

“That’s not a dummy anymore!” warned Rassilon. “That’s an Auton soldier for the Nestene Consciousness! Grab that sphere and run!” William grabbed the sphere and was about to run, but the exit was blocked. It looked like a Japanese school boy was standing there, adolescent and with the build of a young judo fighter.

“Kid, get out of the way!” protested William.

“The Control Unit,” demanded the kid. “Hand it over.”

“…Wait a minute,” muttered William. He noticed that the kid looked too shiny, almost…like plastic. “…Doctor, can this Nestene thing make plastic people?!”

“It can create duplicates, yes,” replied the Doctor. She then looked down the other end of the alley. “…Oh dear! William, come back here!” The plastic kid looked down to the dummy.

“Destroy. Total destruction. The Time Lords first. They must pay for what they’ve done to us.”

“Yep, still sore about that!” gulped the Doctor.

“Sore about what?!” asked Rassilon. “And why us first?! We were allies!”

“Until they lost their food planets in the Time War!”

“They can’t blame us for that!”

“Doctor, I’m not sure I like what the Auton’s doing!” warned Amy. The Auton raised its right hand, then the fingers came down on a hinge at the pinky joint and a thin tube extended.

“GET DOWN!” called William. Everyone ducked as the tube fired something, making a noise that sounded like a click and a woosh. The shot caused a trash bag to explode!

“Great! A dummy with a gun!” said Amy.

“Sounds like the average American!” replied William. Rassilon then threw another trash bag at the Auton, knocking it down.

“RUN!” called the Doctor. The group ran down the alley, taking the sphere with it!

“STOP!” called the kid. He chased after them while raising his right hand, his fingers falling away on their own hinge, revealing his own Auton gun. He fired, but couldn’t get a decent shot.

“I have to admit, I never thought I’d be running from a window dummy!” said William as the crew escaped. They found a place to catch their breath.

“…Doctor, we HAVE to defeat the Nestene Consciousness,” panted Rassilon. “On top of them converting Earth into a new food planet, they’ll possess the third segment.”

“Both bad in the long run,” remarked the Doctor. “We need to find where it’s broadcasting from.”

“Broadcasting?” asked William. “You mean the Nestene thing is using a signal to make plastic killers?”

“Yes, and it would need a powerful transmitter.”

“What about Tokyo Tower?” The Doctor pondered William’s guess.

“That would be a likely place,” she said. “But we’d need to get there quickly and the Autons will certainly intercept us if we used Japan’s public transport.”

“Crap, and I don’t have yen on me,” muttered William.

“What about the TARDIS?” asked Amy.

“The TARDIS is now ours,” came the voice of the plastic kid as he and the Auton caught up, aiming their arm-guns. “The Control Unit belongs to us. Hand it over.”

“Hold on a minute!” called the Doctor. “The kid you’re impersonating, the one still alive! What’s his name?!”

“…Keito Myokoin,” replied the kid.

“Right, calling you Plas-Keito here,” said the Doctor. “Look, we need to borrow this and-!”

“That is our property,” replied Plas-Keito. “You have spoken long enough. Auton, destroy. Total Destruction.”

“That’s enough of that stupidity,” scoffed a voice. A man then stepped out of the alley. He had a pink camera and took a picture of the scene. The Doctor blinked.

“…Tsukasa Kadoya,” she said. “…Still taking pictures of alternate worlds, huh?”

“I see you still get into scrapes, Doctor,” replied the new man.

“New target. Tsukasa Kadoya. Destroy. Personal,” droned Plas-Keito. He put his fingers back on, concealing the gun, then pulled out a purple, circular device with a monstrous face on it. He pressed the button on top.

“Geiz!” announced the device in a demonic voice. The two Time Lords realized what was going on!

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 92: Epilogue

So…how did everyone’s lives unfold? Well, let’s start in the Realms. Endea and Glanthelantir enjoyed nice, long working lives and retirement before they eventually passed on. Their ship forms were respectfully moved to different Realms to become living accommodations for other denizens. Endea passed long before Glanthel did. They each had monuments erected in their honor.

The Barmeks became the richest family in the Realms (second only to the Royals). Bashoon founded the Royal Society for the Ledd Fortunate, a society of rich folk that take direct action to get the poor and destitute a comfortable lifestyle. Delselii’s inventions helped benefit the Realms. Hejema Barmek eventually became Hejema Elizondo once she and Sora hit it off. Her Homunculus pet business became very popular and, when she passed, she joined Sora in Beyond City. Torya became the Head Wizard for the Largandra Royal College, married his Zephyr partners, and lived a comfortable life of academia.

The previous rulers of the original Three Realms passed on comfortably, secure in the knowledge that their grandkids’ future is going to be a good one. The Emboramii Bakery, founded by Orbak, still exists to this day. Elmpam was made a saint for her service in both the Final War and the Source Crisis. The Felomphas had whole books written about them and people still read them long after their passing. Arsha’s parents eventually moved to the Sakuran Kitsune Province in the Over-realm to live out the remainder of their lives in peace and quiet.

Arsha and her spouses handed the reins of power over to Geltar, Farmee, and Yufantel. Officially, Geltar ruled the Over-realm, Farmee ruled the Mid-realm, and Yufantel ruled the Under-realm. Arsha passed her rose hair ornament to Farmee, making him the first man to wear it and returning it to Foresna’s bloodline. The Gateway Construction Project was hailed as the biggest success under their rule, making the Realms one of the most powerful universes in the multiverse. Geltar married an Orc/Zephyr Blender man named Mulmaf and they had five children; four girls, one son. Farmee, in a twist that united universes, married Kaede Saunders Hishikawa and brought two twin girls into the world. Yufantel married her lovers she picked up during her Tour and had children with them.


The Doctor of this reality never reconnected with Donna, unlike the main timeline. She and her universe’s Jack Harkness went back. Jack went on to become the Face of Boe once they parted company again. The Doctor would learn of her origins as the Timeless Child later, but she was never a part of Division and never reconnected with Tecteun. What she DID do was slow down enough to give whizzing around time and space a break so she could get the therapy she needed. She lived a quiet life, reconnecting with Susan still living on Earth post Dalek Invasion. After the two regenerated at the end of that peaceful life, they returned to the TARDIS and resumed their adventures.


Shockwave and her Mini-con companions returned to Mars, only this time, they were slightly more social. Shockwave spent her scientific life atoning for the horrors she unleashed during the two wars and, after her passing, had to spend some time in Cybertronian Purgatory before fully getting her final reward. After her death, her Mini-con friends reconnected with Soundwave and journeyed with him and his crew aboard the Enigma until the end of their days.

Hot Rod became Override’s ambassador to Galactic Council. After the passing of Kup, he dedicated his life’s work of peace to the mech’s memory and name. He was responsible for creating the Galactic Olympics, a series of sports games dedicated to fostering peace across the Milky Way Galaxy.

Kong Primal continued ruling Animatros with wisdom, courage, and compassion. He brokered real peace between his fellow Maximals and the Predacons, making Animatros a jungle paradise. He eventually stepped down and named Slash, a Dyno-bot, his successor as the Flame Convoy.

Knuckles and Rouge eventually had a daughter named Citrine. Her status as an echidna/bat hybrid made her a curiosity, but she became an influential figure in magical history once she became the Grand High Witch of Mobius and the first Magical Ambassador to the Galactic Council.

Sira and Natalie continued living as they did, raising Sandy to be an excellent Witch. Sandy became a Witch of the Green Order, learning under Grimlock himself with Amy as her secondary teacher. She still guards the Master Emerald when Rouge and Knuckles are away on business.

Tails and Cosmo eventually had a daughter named Marigold Prower. Because of her hybrid nature, she wouldn’t be able to change genders during her regenerations like Cosmo did. Marigold became the head of Miles Electric and created galactic branches of the company on all allied worlds.

Shadow eventually stepped down as G.U.N Commander and retired with Maria. Shade became the new head of the Space Colony ARK as its chief scientist and joined Tails and Shockwave on many a scientific adventure. She eventually married a man and lived a long life with him.

Sonic and Amy eventually abdicated the throne in favor of Silver. Silver eventually married a cat from the Sol Dimension, Princess Blaze, the Guardian of the Sol Emeralds. In THIS timeline, the two had a long, happy, peaceful life with a daughter.

Trema retired from her duties, passing them onto her grandson, the blood son of Galen and Llyra. Llyra ruled Nebulos with her spouses for a long time and the planet knew peace and prosperity well past her death and the death of her spouses.

Teletraan-1 returned to Mobius to retire there as he enjoyed the planet more than Cybertron. He and his daughter, T-AI, helped the Autobots and allied Decepticons defeat the Eggman Empire on numerous occasions.

Thundercracker successfully reforged the Seekers into an honorable organization that accepted both Autobots and Decepticons. Because of this, he earned the forgiveness of Ironhide, Chromia, and Firestar when he finally passed into the After-spark. He joined them in the After-Fighters, an independent group of deceased warriors that protected the multiverse, formed after Quake Hammer moved to Beyond City.

Jazz became one of the greatest Cyber-Ninja Grandmasters, teaching Autobot and Decepticon alike. He passed away at a ripe old age, but, like his and Optimus’ sensei, Yoketron, could still fight as if he were still a spry young man. His successor was a former Decepticon named Jetfire, twin brother of Skyfire.

Goldbug Magnus stepped down and returned to being Bumblebee a few years into Solara’s reign. He and Arcee helped Solara with the Universe Bridge Construction Scheme and, thanks to a good deal of looking, helped Solara pick a Decepticon as her Magnus, the Decepticon Cyber-ninja, Charger.

Megatron and Nightbird went on to serve in the Black Block Consortia, the Galactic Council’s military arm. Galvatron continued ruling the Decepticons well after his parents died. He helped defend against the Rock Lord attack on Cybertron by negotiating with both the Guardian and Renegade Go-bots.

After Optimus’ passing, Blackarachnia went on to become the head chemist at the Iacon Research Institute. After passing away after a long, peaceful life, she rejoined Optimus in After Academy. Their daughters helped Solara with Gateway Construction and helped to usher in a new era for their universe.


Scorpainia and Eelinape abdicated in favor of Lobstornias. A new era of peace for the Tarlaxians was ushered in and he is usually credited with their current prosperity. Under his rule, Tarlaxians were no longer the exploitable monster race, but the staunch monster allies of good.

The Chizaran Major Princesses continued to organize the 3V2R for themselves. The prizes were still dangerous in the wrong hands, but they learned to put limits onto the prizes. Now they offer first place winners either the prize or a cash equivalent. The matches are still a sight to see!

Jason Babineaux married Gabriella and Willmef, forming a vigilante crime-fighter trio themed after their fashion work. They were officially deputized by Beyond City’s police department and his fathers, Emmanuel and Lukas, happily support his endeavors.

Vortrina set herself up as the Guardian of Foundation Prime, tasked with making sure no one tries to get access to it. She married Sandra Noman and became a goddess with her, forming a new universe to help guard Foundation Prime.

The Horsemen of Flourishment joined their Apocalypse sisters and formed new houses centered around Philosophy, Psychology, Medicine, Biology, and Life Skills. After Academy students enjoy their new teachers and, with the Sources tucked away safely, all Horsemen can enjoy their lives.

Liam and Palmarta eventually have a daughter, a Naga like Palmarta but with her father’s skin tone. Their daughter goes on to become a talented engineer and now serves aboard the newest ship for the F.N.S, the Journey Through Wonder.

Lacey still heads the Technology department at After Academy and Agus is still the Chief Roboticist of the F.N.S. Emma became known as the female David Attenborough thanks to her being as dedicated to ecology as him. She has done quite a bit of work to help everyone understand nature.

Barbara Zhou has managed to expand her audience to universes outside her own. Her parents, Sophie and Henry, still tune in when they can and enjoy that their daughter is still telling funny stories and trading quips through her show.

Charline, Twaldar, and Fordelam left the more combative life in exchange for a nice, quiet life out in the country outside the borders of Beyond City. They still visit from time to time, but aren’t all that eager to return to combat.

Michael and Irina started looking into forming an organization that would answer to temporal incursions, asking the Doctor for advice so they don’t become complacent like the Time Lords did. Archer helps with the architecture of their headquarters while Dinara is still working as Flora’s secretary.

Dr. Emily Williams formed her own medical practice and Joshua still preaches from time to time. Tom took over as Police Commissioner for Beyond City and Sam continues testing out planes for Beyond City’s air force.

Flora is still the Grand Mayor of Beyond City with her husband, Swalmu, making sure she doesn’t stress herself out. Fitri, Leemii, Sweemar, and Willmef occasionally pool their resources to create nice, relaxing vacations for their parents to forget about the stresses of politics just for a while.

Jandro, Brendan, and Brittney formed a Vampire Quarter in Beyond City for Vampires to dwell both during the day and at night. They advocated for more nocturnal people to do work while day people are asleep and for the day people to take over when the nocturnal people are asleep. Thanks to their efforts, no one is pulling long shifts!

Amelia and Wilson formed an art school under the umbrella of After Academy. They saw their daughter, Katrina, marry her Chizaran lovers and she now enjoys a life of non-violence and peace, occasionally indulging in a mud bath.

Like their friends, Megumi and her family graduated from After Academy. Megumi went on to become a professor of multiversal archaeology, Richard continued being head anchor for MNN, Kaede moved to the Realms and acts as both Queen of the Mid-realm and that universe’s Batman, and Kaitlyn took over as head of the F.N.S and married her girlfriends. Lisa continued dutifully serving the Hishikawa/Saunders family as their Alfred.


Metaltron, Nemesis, and Intrag came to a bad end. They were discovered by Hana and her Combatmen and were mercilessly killed. Hana then went on to conquer the universe they were in and absorb it into Shocker Rift! Hana made her parents’ organization into a force to be reckoned with. She’s still biding her time, waiting for the proper moment to strike.

Dr. Borg and her spouses and friends successfully took over a universe and created their own utopia, though it was through conquest. They also gave birth to quite a few kids and are training them to take the reins of power. Their policy, so far, is to keep out of multiversal affairs.

As for Khan, well, he ended up in Hell thanks to his plans. He’s now in the same therapy cul-de-sac he pulled the others out of. He lives in a house with John Lumic and Sauron as his housemates!


…But the adventure is not over. Death is not the end for heroes like our friends. Once every mortal ally had passed and made their way to Beyond City, everyone gathered at the shipyards for the launch of a fleet under the command of Kaitlyn. Everyone was boarding the ships with Solara, Kaitlyn, Kaede, Geltar, Farmee, Yufantel, Optimus, Arsha, and Megumi taking the flagship, the new Virginia-A. “Mama,” said Kaitlyn once everyone familiarized themselves with their stations, “hail all ships, have them report their status.”

“Aye aye, kiddo,” replied Megumi. She began her work.

“…Hey, how long do you guys think it will take?” Kaitlyn asked everyone.

“To explore the outer universes?” asked Arsha.

“I’ll accept an estimate,” replied Kaitlyn. Arsha tapped her chin

“Well, taking into account all the variables, applying all the necessary formulas, checking and rechecking all the relevant facts, I’d say it would take…forever. Optimus, Megumi, your findings?”

“…I’d say forever sounds about right,” said Optimus.

“Same here,” agreed Megumi. She then checked her console. “All ships ready!”

“Broadcast to all ships!” ordered Kaitlyn. “We leave at once! Set course for hijinks and adventure!”

“Best order I ever heard from a ship commander!” chuckled Solara. All the ships rose from the shipyards and then took off into a rift for the fleet. Sadly, therein lies the end of our tales of Kamen Rider Royal, Arsha Royana, and Optimus Prime and their respective universes. But there are other parts of the multiverse that remain unexplored. So, let’s explore!

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 91: Finale

Over in the Royana Castle in Largandra, there was a crowd of media people gathering in front of a stage. An unusual event was held as the heirs to the thrones (Geltar, Farmee, and Yufantel) were holding a press conference before their coronation. While a bit unheard of, it wasn’t unwelcome. The press people were giving all sorts of theories until Farmee took the central podium and magic avatars of Geltar in the Over-realm and Yufantel in the Under-realm appeared behind the podiums to either side of him. The three of them raised their hands for quiet from the audience. “Lords and ladies from the original Three Realms to the New Realms, my sisters and I will agree,” began Farmee, “that it IS unusual for the heirs of the thrones to make an address to the people before their coronation.”

“However,” continued Geltar, “that is because we believe you all have the right to know about our plans for when we do take the thrones.”

“As many of you are aware,” Yufantel went on, “we went on a journey that took us and our parents beyond the Realms, through other universes!”

“A few stops were familiar to our parents, and they reconnected with old friends,” said Farmee. “And those old friends have also stepped down, either through unfortunate death or through simple announcement.”

“We made friends with the new rulers and we all came up with an idea that the three of us believe,” Geltar indicated her siblings and herself, “will make our universes better.”

“The Cybertronians,” continued Yufantel, “have Space Bridge technology that can open portals between two points in space. We have the Realmgates. …The technology to make Gateways that can open rifts between universes is there already for both universes!”

“You heard us correctly!” cheered Farmee. “We’re planning on making Gateways for us to visit other universes! Now, we will admit that traveling between universes is not for the timid. …I’m confident in saying that ‘timid’ is not a word used to describe any denizen of the Realms.”

“Now, we DO need to seek counsel on this,” said Geltar, “but we believe we can at least start this project after our coronation.”

“And our first universes we’re connecting with are ones we know are in a state of peace,” assured Yufantel. “We need to make negotiations as easy as possible for this endeavor after all.”

“We’ll tell everyone how everything goes, but we hold high hopes for this particular project,” said Farmee. “Now, any questions? You, with your hand up in the third row.”

“Your highnesses,” asked the reporter, “are you suggesting immigration at this stage of the game?”

“No, not yet,” replied Geltar. “We’re suggesting visitors and trade.”

“One of our allied universes,” explained Yufantel, “has real life Change-a-trons. Our media mentions that they’re the size of our giants, some getting higher.”

“So we need to work on accommodating them in visitor terms first, THEN we start thinking about immigration,” said Farmee.

“Now, that readiness might not come during our rule or our heirs’ rule, but we believe we can lay out the groundwork for that long-term goal,” continued Geltar.

“And we will have help in constructing these new gateways,” said Yufantel.


Solara Prime and Silver made a similar announcement on their planets in their universe. Daniel had a few words with them after that. “Guys, are you sure we’re ready for that?” he asked.

“Positive,” replied Silver. “And we’re starting with universes we KNOW are friendly to ours.”

“Besides, we’re starting to reach a period of stagnation,” said Solara. “This project will help us stay innovative.”

“Well, that WILL be a mercy,” conceded Daniel. “…What about that offer made to Optimus?”

“About him being resurrected? They’re not all that hopeful,” sighed Solara.


Megumi, Optimus, and Blackarachnia waited outside a building. “You think they WILL resurrect you?” Megumi asked Optimus.

“I frankly doubt it,” sighed Optimus. “I mean, Solara IS currently running Cybertron.” Life and Death came out looking downcast.

“They said no?” guessed Blackarachnia.

“Sorry, Blackarachnia,” sighed Death.

“It’s all right, I kind of expected it.”

“That doesn’t mean Optimus can’t visit you,” assured Life. “But the visits to the more mortal universes will be for moments at a time.”

“Still…” sighed Blackarachnia. “…Promise me that he’ll be happy here.”

“You have our word,” promised Death.


After a few days, everyone was giving their goodbyes. Batman and his family departed for Gotham, then Gandalf returned to the Undying Lands, Wyldstyle then headed back to her home with Emmet, then Hongo returned to Japan. Arsha and her compatriots waited until the gateway was tuned to the Realms. “Hey, Arsha,” called Megumi, “did you ever learn what happened to Dr. Borg after she abandoned us?”

“As a matter of fact, I found out through Death,” replied Arsha. “She and her spouses are currently ruling an outer universe as gods in flesh and she and Remsu are pregnant with Shefarn and Tensam’s kids.”

“…Huh. …Well, congratulations to them both. May their pregnancies be smooth.”

“And may your future be filled with happiness, old friend,” said Arsha as she brought Megumi into a hug.

“Yours too,” returned Megumi as she reciprocated the hug. The two Queens hugged each other for a while, then Arsha pulled back.

“Arsha to Endeavor,” she said through her comms, “let’s go home.” Everyone was teleported to the Endeavor and Glanthelantir, then the two ships flew into a ship-sized rift. All that were left were the Transformers and their organic allies.

“Kong,” called Optimus, “before you go, why DO you not like being called Optimus Primal?”

“Because I want my accomplishments to be my own, Prime,” replied Kong. “I know how much my head looks like yours, but Prowl and Bluestreak have the same head sculpt, right?”

“I see your point, Kong.” Optimus looked to Solara. “Prime, the heroes of Cybertron as well as the citizens they gathered have helped you a lot.”

“I WILL be returning the favor like Galvatron is doing,” promised Solara. “We’ve commissioned a monument to those that fell during the crisis and getting all the facts of their lives so their stories can be told.” Optimus smiled at that.

“Making sure their lives have meaning,” he said. “That’s the highest honor anyone can get.”

“Optimus,” interjected Blackarachnia, “don’t you forget about us.”

“I ask the same of you,” replied Optimus, “but don’t be weighed down by my memory, okay?”

“I won’t,” promised Blackarachnia. She then hugged and kissed Optimus. It took a while before they finally separated and Blackarachnia rejoined her people.

“Goodbye, Daddy,” called Sky Runner.

“Stay safe here,” said Firestorm.

“You girls too,” replied Optimus. “That goes for all of you.”

“Megatron, before you go,” called Richard. Megatron looked down. “…Megatron, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I need to open with this. I can’t forgive or forget the actions you and the Decepticons took when we first met on Mobius…but I CAN forgive the individual Decepticons…and their leader.”

“…You forgive the people, but not the actions those people took?” asked Megatron.

“That’s the idea. …And Megatron…I’m sorry for being so unfair throughout this entire adventure to you and the Decepticons.”

“You changed, Mr. Saunders. You HAVE been fair to us during this adventure. Making friends with Thundercracker was proof enough. …But I do accept your apology. And I must apologize for using your wife like that when we first met.” Richard smiled.

“…I accept,” he replied. With that, everyone from Megatron’s universe (sans Optimus) gathered around.

“Solara to all ships,” called Solara, “we’re ready to return.” Everyone was beamed up to their ships and entered the rift. With that, everyone was back home.

“…That’s twice we met during a crisis,” muttered Optimus.

“Well, our kids have the right idea in planning the Gateway Construction Program,” replied Megumi. “…I think they said they got the idea from when you guys just wanted to idly visit the Realms and us.”

“A great moment in time to draw inspiration from.”

“Well, let’s make some more peaceful moments. Want a good look around?” At that suggestion, Optimus transformed to vehicle mode and activated his holo-form.

“I drive, you point,” he said. Megumi hopped in.

“Welcome to Beyond City, Optimus Prime!” called Richard as Optimus rolled away.

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 90: Winding Down

The next day, Richard was invited to go for a ride in the Batmobile. He accepted and left his wife and girls to their own devices. “So,” said Megumi to her girls, “what do you want to do today?”

“Honestly, Okaa-san,” sighed Kaitlyn, “I just wanna do nothing today.”

“Hear, hear,” agreed Kaede.

“…Well, we’ve been rushing around a lot lately,” conceded Megumi. “…But there IS a bit of news your father and I discussed.”

“Oh?” asked Kaitlyn.

“First off, your father and I will be graduating next month and believe it will do your sanity some good if you two do the same sometime soon, but that’s entirely your call.”

“Congratulations, Okaa-san!” said Kaede.

“Second, I’ve been thinking about the future for me…and I believe it’s time for me to step down as head of the F.N.S. I’ve spoken with everyone in it and, Kaitlyn, after yesterday…I can safely say you will be my successor.”

“ME?!” yelped Kaitlyn.

“You have the necessary strength, compassion, and intelligence to rule,” replied Megumi. “What do you say?”

“W-Well, I always thought Kaede-!”

“I’m more like Batman in that regard,” replied Kaede. “I don’t really NEED to lead, nor do I want to.”

“…Okaa-san, are you and Dad really sure?” asked Kaitlyn.

“Beyond the shadow of a doubt,” assured Megumi. Kaitlyn thought for a bit, then smiled.

“I accept.”

“We’re all proud of you, Miss Kaitlyn,” said Lisa as everyone hugged her.


“You think Kaitlyn will accept?” Batman asked Richard as the Batmobile continued on its way.

“I know she will,” replied Richard. “She’s got the skills needed to lead. What about you? Any plans for passing on the cowl?”

“You weren’t there for that conversation, but Persephone’s going to inherit the mantle.”

“Really? She’s gonna be BatMAN?”

“We already designed a suit for her that will mask her feminine features, even a voice modulator.”

“Wow, you really DO think of everything. …Now if you’d learn how to cook-!”

“We’re here.” The Batmobile DID stop at the Beyond City Police Department’s lockup, but Batman also said that to avoid a conversation on his crap cooking skills. The two men left the Batmobile, went inside, were subjected to security procedures, then escorted to Katie Barker’s cell. She fell a long way from the glamorous appearance she had during the crisis. Now she had a prison uniform, no makeup on her face, and her hair was in a loose ponytail.

“You’re gonna be in here for a long time, Katie,” said Richard. “All that proselytizing about God making you Barkers into the supreme beings, look where that led you.”

“Richard, I long accepted that there is NO God out there,” replied Katie. “If there were, He would have let me take his place, kept my wife alive, and there’d be a new multiverse for me to rule! Poverty would be a thing of the past! Travel would be granted to ALL universes!”

“People would live in terror of you. There’d be resistance cells against you lot. Trust me, I’ve seen universes where people went against their god and succeeded.”

“That wouldn’t have happened if we were in charge! And, rest assured, when the time comes, these bars will dissolve like the wax of a candle and I WILL be free!”

“If I were in your position, I’d pray,” remarked Batman.

“Oh, I will!” hissed Katie. “I’ll pray for everyone! For every Lost Child in New York, Sodor, Adrexia, and especially Gotham! I’ll pray for you, even! I’ll do one special, just for you!”

“I’ve heard enough, you’re unrepentant,” said Richard.

“I haven’t exactly sinned,” replied Katie.

“And that’s why I’m pushing for your psychiatric treatment instead of execution.”

“…You’re locking me in an asylum?! Which one?! Arkham?!”

“Nothing so porous in terms of security. You’ll see.”

“I’M NOT GOING TO LIVE AMONG FREAKS LIKE THEM! I’M NOT CRAZY!” By then, Richard turned away with Batman following them.

“…Did the judge really say no to Arkham?” asked Batman.

“Bats, you once told Megumi during the Vortech Wars that you’re surprised the inmates of Arkham don’t use a sign-in sheet for when they get out,” replied Richard. “I’m siding with the judge on that one.”

“…That was when we fought the Riddler in Minas Tirith,” recalled Batman. “How did you learn about it?”

“Megumi told me later in our marriage.”

“…Makes sense. Now, there IS something we need to discuss, not as superheroes,” Batman then took off the cowl to reveal Bruce Wayne, “but as entrepreneurs,” he finished, dropping the Bat-voice.

“…Mr. Wayne?” asked Richard.

“Your idea for an electric minivan has merit,” explained Bruce. “What say WayneTech helps you refine it? Add it to our list of electric vehicles in production?”

“…How much will you sell it for and how much of a cut of the profits should I expect?” asked Richard.

“That’s what we need to discuss,” said Bruce. Richard stroked his chin in thought.

“…Not here. A little gauche to talk numbers outside my best friend and nephew’s place of work. Let’s head home.”


What about Hiro and his family? They escaped to a fallback universe once established by Shocker Rift. There was only one remnant of that organization left and they established a small fortress there. Imagine their surprise when Adachi Hiro himself returned with his wife and their daughter having been born already! The Combatmen and loyal Cybermen assembled at a stage with Hiro at the podium. “My loyal followers,” he began, “I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel about your loyalty. Now, you’re all eager to see me show you how it’s done, from what I’ve heard. However…our enemies know our tricks, MY tricks. …It’s time for this old dog to step aside. And, in my place, my daughter, Adachi Hana, born when Igura and I were unjustly rotting in Hell, shall lead us.” The audience applauded politely as Hana took the stage.

“My friends,” she began, “my father told me that he lost sight of our long-term goal of control over the multiverse.” The crowd didn’t argue, she was right. “You all have heard of our supposed rival, Shocker Umbra. You all became general nuisances in their buttocks. …Here’s where you finally get some good news. Your sacrifices paid off! Because, as of now, Metaltron is the only survivor of that group and she’s mortal again!” The crowd whispered amongst themselves in astonishment. “Granted, she has a man named Intrag and an evil version of Miles ‘Tails’ Prower known as Nemesis Prime, but they’re just as mortal…and unlike us, they have no remnants! They committed all their forces to a major battle on Foundation Prime and lost it horribly! Whereas we…we were smarter than that. We kept remnants in reserve! We kept up an economy for our eventual return to power! We accomplished the short-term goal of staying alive…now let’s think a little more long-term! We need to start recruiting more soldiers, infiltrating the local government, and constructing more weapons! We have the means to build up our army, Metaltron and her flunkies are starting completely from scratch! We must build on that advantage and defeat her quickly! Once that’s done, we turn our attention to the rest of the outer universes! And once they’re completely under our sway, we turn our attention to the inner universes and destroy all who stand in our way! Even the heroes that defeated us in the past will not withstand that kind of onslaught! We’ll be more than just a nuisance! The single pistol will become a fleet of warships! The scant few silver studs you all have in your pockets will turn into a multitude of purple! Shocker Rift Gundan BANZAI!” (Long live the Shocker Rift Army!)

“SHOCKER RIFT GUNDAN BANZAI!” cheered the audience. Hiro and Igura smiled, proud of their daughter for taking over so beautifully.

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 89: Divine Reward

Our heroes exited multiple rifts that deposited them right outside After Academy. They picked each other up once the rifts closed. “…Did…did we do it?” asked Arsha through Vortex: Trinity Soul. Death used her smartwatch to call Vorton.

“Brigadier, this is Death,” she said. “Requesting immediate status update on Foundation Prime.”

“Checking now,” replied the Brigadier. “…Victory confirmed! Foundation Prime is locked away from the entire multiverse and the Sources, Prizes, and Tome are inside! No life signs within Foundation Prime!”

“We can account for one of the villains,” said Tom as he hauled a bedraggled Katie Barker to her feet. Her hair was loose and unkempt with her adornment hanging loose, her dress was torn and tattered, and her makeup had washed off from the sweat and tears.

“Let me see if anyone else survived,” said Death as she cancelled her transformation and checked her smartwatch. “…Well, it looks like Metaltron, Intrag, Nemesis Prime, and the Dalek Supreme survived as well, but Shocker Umbra’s scattered to the point that they’re all manageable factions now.”

“And Khan?” asked Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“He fell into the Sea of Reality,” replied Death. “He’s nothing more than an ugly thought now, and his initial soul…is in Hell.”

“Then there’s one loose end to deal with now,” said Vortex: Trinity Soul. “The energy wave affected me. …I can’t keep Megumi, Optimus, and Arsha for long.”

“Hold on a minute,” said Optimus through her, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“ANANSI!” bellowed an angry voice before Vortex: Trinity Soul could answer. A rift opened and an African man in regal Akan clothing stepped out. He looked ANGRY! Anansi trembled.

“N-N-Nyame!” stammered the spider man. “W-W-What a su-!” The man, Nyame, the Sky Deity and Ruler of the Akan Gods, grabbed Anansi by the shirt and pulled him close so that they were nose to nose.

“When I said to leave the tricks for immortals like us, what did you hear?” he hissed.

“…To leave the tricks for immortals like us!” squeaked Anansi.

“SO WHY DID YOU DISOBEY ME AND DRAG MORTALS INTO THIS MESS?!” roared Nyame as he shook Anansi.

“Lord Nyame!” called Death. “Before you justly punish him-!”

“Speak, Death!” snarled Nyame.

“Anansi’s methods left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, there is no argument on that. But please consider this: the Tome is now safely locked away from everyone in the multiverse.”

“…Explain,” said Nyame, doubtful of what Death said.

“The plan was to use the energies the Author was going to abuse to lock Foundation Prime away. It needed raw, magical energy to help guide the energies into that position. And the best way to do that was to fire the magic energy at the Sources. The new Prime and her companions succeeded. The only way to unlock Foundation Prime is to use the Sources.”

“…But the Sources are locked within Foundation Prime, alongside the Prizes and the Tome,” said Nyame. He then realized the plan. “…Just like a mortal accidentally locks their keys in their car!”

“Only this time,” continued Death, “it was on purpose. Like I said, crude though his methods were, Anansi did the entire multiverse a favor by locking the Tome away from anyone to get.”

“…He still disobeyed me,” said Nyame, “…but I cannot punish him so bad. ANANSI!”

“Y-Yes, Lord Nyame?!” gulped Anansi.

“As you did the multiverse a favor in the long run, I will not sentence you to the Void. However, you are forbidden from travelling the multiverse for one thousand multiversal standard years! Return to our universe at once!” Nyame opened a rift for Anansi.

“…Y-Yes, Lord Nyame,” replied Anansi, grateful for that little bit of mercy. He entered the rift. Nyame then looked at Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“…You fought Khan, yes?” he asked.

“Yes, Lord Nyame,” replied Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“For a hero to be split and contained within three…you deserve a reward. I can sense the energy within you. You wish to be your own person.”

“…Yes, Lord Nyame.”

“Then it shall be so.” Nyame put his thumb to her forehead and a light surrounded her. A huge rectangle of light then appeared and Optimus, Kamen Rider Vortex, and Arsha tumbled out of the rectangle.

“What the?!” spluttered Vortex.

“On this day, let it be known that Vortex: Trinity Soul is her own person!” proclaimed Nyame. “Her new body takes the best of the heroes that once made up her being and she shall choose her own path!”

“Lord Nyame, that was the best reward you could give her!” praised Optimus.

“I have to agree,” confirmed Arsha. “There’s no greater gift then living your own life.”

“…Lord Nyame, I am honored,” said Vortex: Trinity Soul as she bowed. Nyame smiled warmly.

“Well, it was fun seeing you all,” he said, “but I must go. Gotta make sure Anansi’s missus doesn’t make him as dead as history again.” He opened a rift and went through it. It closed behind him and everyone powered down. …Well, except for Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“You know what, you need a name,” said Megumi.

“…How about Vortrina?” asked Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“It’s your name, you decide,” replied Arsha.

“…Yes, I can work with that! Vortrina, it is! …Now…a wardrobe and a home.” Megumi realized what Vortex: Trinity Soul was talking about.

“Let my mother fix you up with a wardrobe,” she said. “This way!”

“You go on ahead,” said Tom as he held onto Katie. “I’m taking this creep to lockup.”

“Need a lift?” offered Batman.

“…Well, if you’re offering,” accepted Tom. Batman put bat-themed handcuffs on Katie once her hands were behind her back, then pressed a button on his gauntlet. The Batmobile appeared and Tom pushed Katie into it before taking the shotgun seat as Batman took the wheel. The Batmobile then sped off!

“Luckiest cop, he is,” muttered Sam.


What was happening with Metaltron and her fellow survivors? Well, they managed to escape to a small universe. “…You know,” hissed Intrag, “I really have to hand it to you, Metaltron. Betraying Khan like that was the worst idea ever!”

“Oh, please!” scoffed Metaltron. “As if YOU could come up with a better idea for our future!”

“I would have, at least, waited until we claimed our prizes before going along with no plan!”

“I HAD a plan!” argued Metaltron. “It just…i-it just…”

“It just what?!”

“It got lost!”

“Oh, it got lost, did it?!”

“Yes, Intrag! It got lost!”

“You’re an idiot, Metaltron!”

“Shut up, Intrag! I only wanted what was our due!”

“Yeah, and look where that-!”

“SIR! MADAM!” called Nemesis Prime. The argument stopped. “…Perhaps Intrag was right and we DID act too rashly, but tell me, would we really have our godhood as promised? Metaltron was right in betraying Khan. …Besides, we all know where it failed when it really mattered.” Nemesis looked directly at the Dalek Supreme.

“…Nemesis is correct,” agreed Intrag. “The actions our enemies’ children have taken caused considerable disruption of our operations!”

“This was a matter beyond my control!” replied the Dalek Supreme.

“Your orders were to crush anyone who got too close to the core!” snarled Nemesis.

“It was not possible!” begged the Dalek Supreme. “We did not have proper countermeasures for them!”

“THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS YOURS!” shouted Metaltron. “YOU HAVE FAILED! I DO NOT ACCEPT FAILURE!” She fired her gun at the Dalek Supreme, destroying the casing and killing the creature inside. Once it was confirmed dead, Metaltron sighed. “…Nemesis, Intrag, the time for recriminations IS past. It’s time to look for new ways to build a new empire and regain our immortality.”

“Agreed,” said Intrag.

“I may not have my transforming suit anymore,” remarked Nemesis, “but I DO have my sensors. And they’re telling me that there’s a civilization nearby that uses magic and science…on a primitive level. Better news…this entire universe is beyond our enemy’s reach!” The three then smiled.

“Time to take control!” declared Metaltron, a plan of rebuilding forming in her mind!

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 88: Securing the Future

The fight raged on, cries of “EXTERMINATE” and swords clashing and guns firing filled the air with neither side backing down. The more mortal of each side were being careful with their lives, though. Vortex: Trinity Soul then looked back as Optimus took over. “HEY! SOLARA!” he called. “OPEN MY TRAILER!” Solara, dodging weapons fire and squishing a few Daleks, made her way to the trailer and opened it. Inside it was a sword, a shield, and a gun. Specifically, they were the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster!

“Ooh! My Forge Day came early!” she said. “Firestorm! Galvatron! Come over here!” Firestorm and Galvatron made their way to her position and goggled.

“He’s even installed the Matrix Connectors in them!” revealed Galvatron. “Look!” Inside each slot in the weapons was an emblem of the Matrix.

“Well, what are we waiting for?!” asked Firestorm.

“Solara!” called the Doctor as she made her way to the trailer. “Solara, the main power chamber is downstairs, but it needs a tremendous amount of energy to disrupt it in a fashion that only fires creation energy instead of both it AND destructive energy!” Solara looked at the battle. Right now Vortex: Trinity Soul was still engaged with Weaver.

“…Our parents are busy,” she said. She then saw Geltar, Farmee, and Yufantel fighting alongside Spark. “…But us new kids on the block…yeah, that might work!” Solara then radioed her allies. “Guys, I know everyone is busy, but us new kids on the block have the means to stop Khan’s plan!”

“We do?” asked Spark.

“That’s thanks to Uncle Optimus bringing the most powerful magic weapons in my universe here,” explained Solara. “Moms and Dads, keep our enemies off our backs. You gave us the opening to secure our futures, it’s time we took it!”

“Come back alive, sweetie!” replied Arcee.

“We all will.” Solara ended the call and took the Skyboom Shield while Firestorm took the Requiem Blaster and Galvatron took the Star Saber.

“The Doctor said it was below us, right?” asked Firestorm.

“That’s what I remember her saying,” confirmed Solara.

“That’s all I need to know!” Firestorm pointed the Requiem Blaster at the floor and fired! It created a hole big enough for the new kids to follow through.

“NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, WITH ME!” called Solara. She, Firestorm, Galvatron, Sky Runner, Shade Robotnik, Silver, Daniel, Sandy, Spark, Kamen Rider Shade, Architect, Barbara, Brittney, Dinara, Emma, Fitri, Fordelam, Gabriella, Jason, Katrina, Leemii, Devil, Sora, Sweemar, Tom, Willmef, Farmee, Geltar, Glanthel, Hejema, Torya, and Yufantel all jumped down the hole and encountered Daleks, Lords, and Combatmen.

“INTRUDERS DETECTED!” shouted the Dalek Supreme. “EXTERMINATE THEM! CRUSH ALL RESISTANCE!” The Source emblems on Spark’s armor then glowed.

“…I’d hate to waste a Rider Kick like this, but…” she then pressed the central crystal in her belt.

“Engage!” called the belt. She leapt into the air, dodging laser fire, then aimed her right leg at the Dalek Supreme’s dome.

“RIDER PRIMAL SPARK KICK!” she shouted as she sailed through the air, foot first. She tore through the dome, leaving a mess on top of the neck section. The Dalek Supreme became frantic!

“VISION IMPARED! I CANNOT SEE! ASSIST! ASSIST!” it shrieked. But the energy of the kick’s impact fried its minions. Farmee then tore the gunstick out of its socket. The Dalek Supreme was forced to open its casing. Everyone got a better look at their surroundings. In the center of the room was a massive metal sphere with locks.

“Right, that’s the core of this whole operation,” said Solara. “We need to expose the contents inside to a massive amount of energy.”

“Leave that to us!” called Geltar. She and her siblings then tore the sphere open to reveal the Sources creating an energy sphere within their orbits. The energy sphere surrounded the Tome as the Mirror of Reality was set onto the cover with the Time Amethyst in the center of the Mirror with the Master Wand acting as a clock hand.

“…Right then,” sighed Solara. “Firestorm, Galvatron, let’s form the Hydra Cannon.”

“Solara,” said Firestorm as she extended the Requiem Blaster, “the Hydra Cannon’s a powerful weapon, but even with the Matrix inserted into it, there’s no way we can get the necessary energy the Doctor said we needed.”

“See, the thing is,” replied Solara as she split the Skyboom Shield and folded it over the extended Requiem Blaster, “I’m not just using the Matrix as a power source.”

“Prime?” asked Galvatron as he set the Star Saber on top of the combined weapon. Solara then opened her chest and retrieved the Matrix. She pulled it open and set it into the Star Saber’s hilt.

“All right, everyone,” she called as she unfolded the tripod legs and aimed the cannon at the energy sphere. “Form two lines behind me, grabbing the shoulder of the person in front of you. Transformers first, then the non-Transformer behind them can just touch their leg.” Everyone arched an eyebrow. “…Just do it! I’m taking a page out of Optimus’ book!”

“Which page, exactly?” asked Yufantel.

“…OH!” realized Sky Runner. “Daddy did this with his magic gun against Dark Super Shockwave!” Everyone lined up as Solara said.

“The Hydra Cannon is the most powerful magic weapon in my home universe,” explained Solara. “I’m gonna need the strength of everyone here to pull this off.” As she put her hands on the handle and put her finger on the trigger, she drew energy from everyone, adding their strength and power to the cannon. “We’re all in this together.” A visor then slid over Galvatron’s optics and gave him an energy reading.

“That’s it!” he called. “That’s the energy threshold!”

“Hydra cannon…FIRE!” called Solara. She pulled the trigger and fired a huge stream of energy at the energy sphere.


The same instant Solara pulled the trigger, Vortex: Trinity Soul leapt into the air and pressed the button on the Transcendant. “Triple Final Attack!” it announced.

“RIDER TRINITY KICK!” she called. She sailed through the air and struck Weaver in his belt, destroying it. He was forced out of the transformation during the resulting explosion the Rider Kick caused and his form as Khan now looked like a more grotesque hybridization of human and Dalek. His hair was replaced with tentacles and…he had flesh growing over his mouth and left eye, making them almost vestigial. That was when the ground rumbled.

“DANGER! DANGER!” warned a Dalek. “DESTRUCTIVE ENERGY COUNTERED! CREATION ENERGY ABOUT TO BE UNLEASHED!”

“N-No!” begged Khan. “You…cannot-!”

“We just did,” replied Megumi as she took over. “Khan, you’re finished.” Arsha then took over.

“Hiro, Dr. Borg, if you two would…where did they-?!” Hiro, Dr. Borg, and their friends and family were nowhere to be seen. Optimus took over as he face-palmed.

“Because, of COURSE, they valued their skin more!” he grumbled. The kids then got out of the hole.

“Guys, we got like a minute to get out of here!” warned Solara.

“I’ll take care of evacuation!” called Anansi. He then wove webs that opened rifts for all sizes. “They’re all pointed at Beyond City like we planned! Let’s go, people!” The heroes wasted no time in taking up Anansi’s offer and ran for the rifts.

“A-Anansi!” begged Khan. “Have…pity…on me!”

“…I have pity FOR you,” replied Anansi. “Goodbye, Khan. It hasn’t been pleasant.” Anansi was the last to evacuate as the fortress crumbled around Khan. The floor gave way and he was dumped into the Sea of Reality to become nothing more than a thought.

Categories
Journey Through Wonder story

Chapter 87: In it Together

The Rift Controller went over the last adjustments. “Report,” he barked as the Dalek Emperor appeared in its dome’s gateway.

“All systems operating at normal status!” replied a Dalek.

“Ready to begin the countdown,” said a Lord Drone.

“Begin,” ordered the Rift Controller.

“Our commanders are not within the safety zone!” yelped a Combatman.

“The energy wave won’t start immediately,” replied the Rift Controller. “They have enough time to get to safety. Begin.”

“Alert! Alert! Enemy vessels attempting communication!” warned another Dalek.

“Let them eat static,” replied the Rift Controller as Khan Noonien Signh appeared in its gateway.

“Metaltron’s approaching!” called a Combatman. Not just her, as you and I already know. The surviving villains were so focused on escaping their enemies, they didn’t notice one another. They all crashed into each other.

“WATCH IT!” shouted Katie.

“YOU WATCH IT!” retorted Nemesis.

“Oh no, not you guys!” realized Metaltron.

“You’re mortal too?!” asked Intrag. That was all the confirmation needed.

“Fire the energy wave now!” ordered Metaltron.

“Nay, belay that!” argued the Rift Controller as Captain Barbossa appeared in its gateway. “We need to build up the charge!”

“They’re right behind us! We have no time!” snarled Metaltron. “Fire the energy wave now!”

“The fight in here will delay them,” replied the Rift Controller. “A countdown is sufficient.”

“I am Metaltron and I order you to fire the wave now! Disregard the countdown! Obey! Obey!! OBEY!!!!”

“No.” That single word from the Rift Controller lingered as the heroes arrived.

“YOU! WILL!! OBEY!!!”

“Well, well, well,” chuckled Vortex. “A Dalek decides to betray you, huh, Metaltron? Surprised?”

“We are under siege!” a Dalek warned the Rift Controller.

“We shall deal with it,” said the Rift Controller with the usual command level Dalek swagger as it brought its gunstick to bear. “Besides, there’s no Optimus Prime here, so the form that would have given us trouble cannot be accessed, correct, Royal?”

“Don’t rest on your laurels just now!” warned Death. “Because we still have an ace up our sleeves.”

“An ace, eh? Like my donor?”

“No, I said just ace, not aroa…wait, what?” Everyone looked at the Rift Controller.

“What, surprised at the fact I know I was the commander of those back-stabbing Lords?” quizzed the Rift Controller.

“You remember everything?! HOW?!” yelped Metaltron.

“You built a Vortonian-styled gateway into my casing!” replied the Rift Controller. “Those things can get readings across all known timelines! What did you think would happen when you shoved me into this thing?!”

“YOU HAVE BETRAYED US!”

“YOU BETRAYED ME FIRST, FORMER LAST OF THE DALEKS!” The Rift Controller opened its…HIS casing to reveal that he had golden Elementriggers in their combined form in one of his tentacles. The mechanical spider that made up his old suit then arrived. “And one thing, while you made me into a mockery of the man I once was, you didn’t check to make sure my Kamen Rider equipment couldn’t work with my new form!” The spider formed a belt just under the Rift Controller’s eye. The Rift Controller then pressed the button on the Elementriggers and held it to the casing’s front.

“What’s the word?!” called the spider.

“HENSHIN!” ordered the Rift Controller. He then split the Elementriggers into their separate states and slid each part under the spider. The transformation was a bit grotesque as the mutant creature changed into a vaguely humanoid shape before the armor of Kamen Rider Weaver appeared. This armor looked different. It was gold with a white undersuit and the eyes were white while the spider legs on his back were spikier, his gloves gained claws on the fingertips, and he gained huge shoulder-pads.

“Power over all elements!” called the spider. “Weaver: Divine!”

“…That was a disgusting Henshin sequence,” gagged Vortex.

“Perhaps, but I needed a powerful form,” replied Weaver. “And there’s something to be said for the humanoid shape! Once I-!” He was interrupted by a horn honk. “…A truck?” muttered Weaver. He then stepped back in fear as he realized what Death was talking about! “No!”

“Yes!” replied Death. Vortex then face-palmed.

“I forgot versions of him rise from the grave,” she muttered. “Everyone, step back!” A futuristic red and blue semi-truck hauling an equally futuristic trailer then barreled into the room.

“Wait, OPTIMUS?!” yelped Nemesis. “But he’s dead! I killed him!”

“You did,” confirmed Optimus as his holo-form stepped out. He pointed to the halo on his forehead. “Turns out the Horsemen subconsciously thought I was worthy to enter Beyond City. I know the terms and conditions, but I’d say it’s worth it in order to stop you. Besides, I can at least visit.”

“It won’t matter!” insisted Weaver. “I’ve obtained my final form a long time ago! The countdown has started and…” He trailed off when he counted all the heroes. “…Where’s the Doctor?! …WHERE’S THE GODDAMNED DOCTOR?!?!?!”

“Someone looking for me?” asked the Doctor’s voice. Everyone looked to see the Doctor standing by a bank of computers!”

“EXTERMINATE!” shouted a Dalek. The cry was taken up and the Daleks opened fire!

“STOP, YOU FOOLS!” wailed Weaver, but it was no good. The Daleks were in a frenzy! The surviving villains had to duck, dodge, and weave around the shots. Vortex, Arsha, and Optimus (having already assumed robot mode) joined up and ducked behind the trailer.

“Hey, Megumi,” said Optimus as he pulled something out of the trailer. He had something carefully between his thumb and pointer finger. Vortex gasped.

“The Transcendant!” she said. “It’s fixed!”

“Dell and Liam had to work together,” explained Optimus.

“…All right then!” declared Vortex. “Since our rescued friends said Weaver fears our combined power…” She then pressed a button on the Transcendant.

“TRIPLE ASCENDANCE!” it called, attracting the attention of Weaver.

“No!” he pleaded. Vortex then slotted the Transcendant over her Vortex Driver.

“TRIPLE SET!” it continued.

“Henshin!” said Vortex.

“Henshin!” repeated Optimus and Arsha. Vortex pressed the button again, then the Transcendant spun the wheels as Optimus and Arsha turned into mist and entered Vortex. Her armor then changed, looking like a blend between her base form, her crown, Optimus’ armor, and Arsha’s outfit, complete with rose hair piece. She grew nine fox tails and her eyes became enhanced with Cybertronian optics.

“POWER OF THREE! ASCENDED TRINITY! KAMEN RIDER VORTEX: TRINITY SOUL!” cheered the Transcendant. Vortex: Trinity Soul then summoned her Gunblade and attacked Weaver.

“You’ve threatened the Multiverse for the last time!” she hissed in a new voice, one that was neither Optimus, Arsha, or Megumi’s.

“I HAVE A FINAL FORM!” argued Weaver. “ONLY HEROIC KAMEN RIDERS GET THAT KIND OF POWER!” Optimus then took over.

“Keep the enemy off our back!” he said to the heroes. “We have a plan to follow!”

“Right!” confirmed Spark. “Doctor, it’s your show!”

“Here we go!” The Doctor got to work as the heroes fought back.