Kamen Rider Sengoku! You shall get a taste of Feudal Japan!
Tag: kamen rider
Bio:
He only knew his father for the first 6 years of his life before lung cancer took him. After a few years, his mother, Haruna, a fashion designer and seamstress, adopted the half-crazed Megumi . It took a while to warm up to her, but when he saw how hard Megumi fought against Hiro in the courtroom, he took her side, unconditionally.
His favorite franchise is Kamen Rider, a series that revolves around a masked motorcycle rider fighting monsters. He’s studied it so extensively; he calls himself a Rider Encyclopedia.
He moved to America with his mother and adopted older sister. Sadly, he had some racial slurs directed at him and his family. That inspired him to take up the art of the sword. After a joke from Megumi, where she said that he acted princely, trying to satisfy honor, Hiroki joked that if he was a prince, then she was a princess that needed his defense.
Haruna said that they were practically Feudal Nerds, so Megumi took that idea and Hiroki helped her found the Feudal Nerd Society, a club where you could dress fancy if you wanted to. Haruna was a part of it as well as she designed most of the outfits each member wears.
4 years later, Hiroki, along with the rest of his friends, obtained a Vortex Driver and fulfilled his dream of becoming a Kamen Rider called Sengoku and fighting alongside Takeshi Hongo, the first Kamen Rider.
Megumi’s final form.
Kamen Rider Vortex! Evil will ultimately bow to me!
Mid-season upgrade of Megumi’s suit.
Kamen Rider Proto-Vortex! Evil will ultimately bow to me!
Presenting the Rider form of Megumi Hishikawa
Kamen Rider Royal! Evil will ultimately bow to me!
My group had arrived in our target universe. I must admit, my nerves were showing. “Okay,” I gulped, “let’s get moving!”
“Moon-kyung, are you all right?” asked Joshua.
“I’m not shivering because it’s cold,” I answered.
“You’re gonna do fine!” assured Tonje. I shook my head to clear my nerves.
“Come on,” I declared. “Let’s get going. We need to find the Tarlaxian crew and the Source.” We took to the streets and noticed something was…off.
“Everyone,” called Lukas, “can anyone tell me what that palace is?” He pointed to a palace evoking a massive crystal that dominated the skyline.
“Well now, looks like we know WHEN we are as well as where,” I mused.
“Not more time-travel!” groaned Batman.
“So, we’re in this universe’s 30th century,” mused Lacey.
“30th?” repeated Lukas.
“In Sailor Moon,” I explained, “when the 21st century started, Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon, became Neo Queen Serenity and made Tokyo the capital of Earth. She also found a way to slow down the aging process so people could enjoy a lifespan of 1,000 years.”
“How?” asked Batman. “What’s medical science like?”
“It’s not science that did it,” I replied. “Sailor Moon is a Magical Girl.”
“…Magic?” sighed Batman.
“I know it’s a little contrived,” I assured, “but that’s standard fare for Magical Girls.”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” called a woman’s voice. A quintet of women then ran up to us. They wore “sailor fuku” style outfits and had exotic hair matching their outfits’ colors. The woman who called out to us wore pink, even in her hair, and wore her hair like rabbit ears with a long ponytail behind each one. I knew her to be an adult form of Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Moon’s daughter. A woman in red wore her hair in an elaborate updo, revealing herself to be Sailor Vesta. A woman in blue had a bun on the top of her head and had a ring of braids with orbs dangling around her head, meaning she was Sailor Pallas. A woman with hair as pink as Sailor Chibi Moon’s had her hair in a bun with braids made into loops on the back of her head and ending in long ponytails. She was Sailor Ceres. The last woman in green and brown wore her hair in an elaborate updo with brown ponytails coming down. She was Sailor Juno. “You lot, a curfew’s in effect!” snapped Sailor Chibi Moon. “You can’t be outside while the Silver Enemy’s here at night!”
“Silver Enemy?” asked Batman.
“You know!” protested Sailor Vesta. “The Handle Heads!” Handle Head gave away who the enemy was!
“Where are they?!” I demanded, having read about how dangerous they are.
“Back there!” replied Sailor Chibi Moon. “So get to shelter and…” we rushed past her to where she pointed, “…and you’re doing the EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT I SAID! GET BACK HERE!” We ran down the street to confirm the Silver Enemy they were talking about. Rhythmic marching pounded on the pavement of the street as they patrolled the area, looking for any human to convert, to become like them. There was no doubt in my mind now; the Cybermen had invaded Crystal Tokyo. I didn’t see any Cybermen with black handles, so I could only believe a Cyber-Deputy was in charge of this group. One of the Cybermen spotted us and alerted his group to our presence. Every Cyberman turned to face us. I noticed the armor looked like a blend between 80’s Cyberman and modern Cyberman.
“We are the future,” droned the lead Cyberman, sounding like an 80’s Cyberman. “We are humanity 2.0. You will become like us.”
“Try and make us like you!” I challenged, burying my nerves before the fight. Like my daddy always said, “Friends may see your nerves, but your enemies must only see confidence.”
“GET OUT OF THERE!” shouted Sailor Chibi Moon.
“Your Highness,” I called, “I must ask you to trust us.”
“I…I don’t know what…” Sailor Chibi Moon was floundering at the idea that her identity was known.
“Madam, please, trust these people,” urged Lexicon. “They’re professionals when it comes to the Cybermen. Well, maybe one of them isn’t.”
“She didn’t need to know that!” I snapped as we fastened our belts. We then got ready.
“Henshin!” we all called. My Chronicle Driver spoke as we changed.
“Open! Turn! Imagine! The Spear of Lance!” We had adopted our Rider personas. As the belt announce, I became Kamen Rider Lance, a Rider based off of Korean armor worn during the Japanese invasions of Korea which ended in Korea’s victory.
“GET THEM!” I shouted. We charged the ranks of Cybermen and the battle began. The Sailor Senshi (Japanese word for Warrior) behind us gawked at how we charged the Cybermen.
“Wha…wha…how…I don’t…” floundered Sailor Chibi Moon.
“Are you familiar with multiverse theory?” asked Lexicon.
“…No, I can’t say as I am,” mumbled Sailor Chibi Moon.
“There are many realities out there,” lectured Lexicon. “Some realities are only observed. The reality these people came from observe your universe frequently, sometimes dressing up as you or your mother back in her time as Sailor Moon.”
“Hold on, are you saying that we have people watching us like we’re a t.v. show?!” yelped Sailor Chibi Moon.
“And hosting conventions dedicated to you lot,” confirmed Lexicon.
“…Wow,” breathed Sailor Chibi Moon. My team didn’t have time to react to her saying that as we were still too busy with the Cybermen. We were at a stalemate.
“Well, gaesaekki,” (son of a b***h) I hissed to my opponent, the purple highlighted Cyber-Deputy, “it’s a bit of a standoff.”
“Soon corrected,” replied the Cyber-Deputy. He turned to his troops. “Release the Cyber-Slammers.”
“Yes, Deputy,” confirmed a Cyberman as he keyed in a code on his gauntlet. Three monstrous Cybermen then arrived.
“Orders, Deputy?” asked one of the monstrous Cybermen.
“Display your prowess to them,” ordered the Cyber-Deputy as he pointed to us.
“Yes, Deputy,” confirmed the monstrous Cyberman. I noticed that one of the monstrous Cybermen had four arms, one of them had a tail and wings, and the one that spoke had four legs and three fingers.
“Sludgiona, please tell me that isn’t…” I gulped.
“The crew of the Tarlaxian scout ship!” replied Sludgiona. “But…how?! Cybermen require human parts! We’re not even REMOTELY human!”
“Such a limitation existed during our nomadic days,” explained the four-armed Cyberman, “but we’ve upgraded to convert ANY living organism, aside from amorphous life-forms such as yourself.”
“You’ve practically killed them!” snarled Sludgiona.
“Incorrect,” countered the Cyberman with a tail and wings. “We are Tarlaxian 2.0. Soon, we shall overcome the obstacles that prevent us from upgrading ones like you. We are Life 2.0. You will become like us.”
“…They’re people in the suits?!” realized Sailor Chibi Moon.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but yes,” I answered. “And, regretfully, everything they were is gone.”
“So you killed them!” snarled Sailor Chibi Moon as she pointed an accusing finger at the Cybermen.
“You are afraid,” observed the Cyber-Deputy. “You fear losing yourself to something greater. You fear not staying as the original Usagi Tsukino II. We can remove that fear. We can remove that pain. We can remove any emotion you view as negative.”
“And our positive emotions in the process!” argued Batman.
“Emotions are a hinderance to progress,” replied the Cyber-Deputy.
“But what about the desire to create?!” wailed Sailor Chibi Moon.
“We DO create,” answered the Cyber-Deputy.
“Only things that benefit the Cybermen!” I countered.
“Survival of the species is paramount,” dismissed the Cyber-Deputy.
“I’ve heard enough!” snapped Sailor Chibi Moon. She held her hand to her tiara and gathered energy into a disc. “MOON TIARA MAGIC!” she called as she flung the disc at a Cyberman. He was bathed in white light as the attack hit. The faded, revealing the Cyberman still standing. “Impossible!” breathed Sailor Chibi Moon. “You should have been dusted!”
“All attacks have been catalogued and adapted to,” replied the Cyber-Deputy. “Our new Cyber-Leader has been crucial to that.”
“New Cyber-Leader?” I quizzed.
“Our original Cyber-Leader was destroyed upon arrival in this universe,” explained the Cyber-Deputy. “Neo Queen Serenity was foolish enough to pursue this further.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” demanded Sailor Chibi Moon.
“You are the current Sailor Moon,” observed the Cyber-Deputy. “You have your mother’s original powers as well as your own. Why persist in pursuing something that is out of date?”
“Mom isn’t ‘something’! She’s ‘someone’!” snapped Sailor Chibi…let me rephrase, Sailor Moon.
“Now she is something more,” replied the Cyber-Deputy.
“Deputy,” called a Cyberman, “our new Cyber-Leader is ready.”
“Excellent,” answered the Cyber-Deputy. “Activate.” A bright light came from the parking garage entrance near us and blinded us before fading. My vision was still a little fuzzy, making me consider getting my current prescription contacts changed when this is over. From what I could tell, the distinctive shape of the original Sailor Moon stood before us.
“Mama!” called the current Sailor Moon. “It’s us! Over here!” My helmet began helping to correct my current vision, accounting for my current contacts, and cleared the picture. Neo Queen Serenity approached, well, I wished I didn’t see it. “Mama, what’s with the…the pants…Mama?” gulped Sailor Moon. My blood ran cold. What I saw was a chest unit, a silver undersuit, armor around the shoulders, legs, and arms, and a prosthetic right eye glowing blue! There was no further doubt in my mind. Neo Queen Serenity was upgraded into the new Cyber-Leader! Her hair was now silver and she had black dots on her buns instead of the black handles on her head that Cyber-Leaders usually have. “WHAT HAVE YOU MONSTERS DONE TO HER?!” demanded Sailor Moon. The Upgraded Neo Queen Serenity looked at us.
“So,” she mused, her voice being modulated, “a new member to the Vortex Riders. Otherwise, our information has proved accurate.”
“Sailor Moon, what do we do?!” called Sailor Vesta.
“We have to free Mama!” declared Sailor Moon.
“We’re outnumbered right now!” I argued. “We have to retreat!”
“But my mama’s their prisoner!” countered Sailor Moon.
“Not their prisoner, their LEADER!” corrected Lexicon.
“Orders, Leader?” asked the Cyber-Deputy.
“These units are surplus to requirements,” ordered Cyber Neo Queen Serenity. “All those declared to be nonessential to the survival of the Cyber Race are to be deleted. Eradicate them.”
“Yes, Leader,” obliged the Cyber-Deputy. The Cybermen then raised their weapons.
“Time we were somewhere relatively safer!” I decided as I summoned my steed. The others got the idea and summoned theirs. I further summoned Batman’s Bat Cycle. He grabbed Lexicon while Sludgiona joined me. The Sailor Senshi with us joined Outback, Kämpfer, and Swing while Herald B had two. We converted our steeds to bike mode and sped off while the Cybermen fired on us.
“Cyber Rider Battalion 3374 will pursue,” I ordered.
“Yes, Leader,” obliged the Cyber-Deputy. He relayed the orders and I felt, through the Cyberiad, the deployed Cyber Rider Battalion activate and pursue. They will be destroyed.
We sped through the streets, hearing the whining of engines coming up behind us. “WATCH OUT!” called Sailor Pallas. “THEY’VE GOT BIKERS!” I turned my head briefly a couple of times to see Cybermen pursuing us on hoverbikes!
“Jenjang!” (Damn it!) I swore. “FASTER!” We tried increasing speed, but that’s hard to do when dodging laser fire! Batman deployed a few smoke bombs, but the Cybermen adapted around that and continued pursuit.
“We have to get to the palace!” called Sailor Moon. “My dad should be able to help!”
“King Endymion, of course!” I affirmed. “He’s got help from the other side! Which way?!”
“Turn left!” directed Sailor Moon. We tried to, but the Cybermen blocked our path. We tried another direction, but the Cybermen blocked THAT path. Reversing would only lead to the ones behind us. We could only go forward and I had a feeling they were herding us to an undisclosed location so they could “delete” us. I tried desperately to look for an opening when…
“MARS SNAKE FIRE!” called a woman’s voice. A snake made of fire attacked the Cybermen behind us and destroyed them, causing them to give off their signature death rattle.
“SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!” shouted another woman. Electricity coursed through the Cybermen on our right, causing them to be destroyed while screaming.
“SPACE TURBULENCE!” announced a third woman. A large energy blast cleared the left for us.
“LEFT! NOW!” called Sailor Moon. The left was now clear as we headed to the palace unimpeded.
“Has the reason for the cessation of Cyber Rider Battalion life signals been identified?” I requested.
“The interference of three Sailor Senshi caused total battalion termination,” reported the Cyber-Deputy.
“Have they been identified?” I pressed on.
“Only by their respective attacks,” answered the Cyber-Deputy. “The attacks were Mars Snake Fire, Sparkling Wide Pressure, and Space turbulence, the respective attacks of Sailors Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus.”
“…Logically, the other Sailor Senshi of the 20th century are here,” I deduced. “Excellent. Prepare Conversion Chambers to receive them. The Vortex Riders and Batman are still surplus to requirements. The amorphous Tarlaxian is to be captured for experiments relating to upgrading her brand of life. Continue searching for the Source of Chaos.”
“Yes, Leader,” confirmed the Cyber-Deputy.
We arrived at the palace’s gates to see Sailors Saturn and Pluto greet us. Sailors Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus joined us a few seconds later. “Let them through,” bid Sailor Moon.
“What?” asked Sailor Saturn.
“They saved our lives,” explained Sailor Moon. “Let them through.” The gates opened and we went inside, parking our bikes in a designated spot and powering down. My vision was back to its blurry state, confirming I needed new contacts now. However, I didn’t need contacts to see that the palace looked more like a refugee camp! The Cybermen must have chased everyone out of their homes and Endymion opened the gates for as long as he could to keep the people safe. He probably couldn’t save EVERYONE, though. What do we tell him, his wife now commands the Cybermen? Speaking of which, Endymion approached us. Sailor Moon rushed up to him and hugged her dad.
“Lady, you’re all right!” Endymion sighed in relief.
“There were so many!” sobbed Sailor Moon. Father and daughter stayed in the embrace for a while. He then ended it and tried to get some answers.
“Your mother?” he asked. Sailor Moon looked away, ashamed.
“Neo Queen Serenity was altered by the Silver Enemy,” mumbled Mars.
“Altered?” asked Endymion.
“She’s their leader now!” elaborated Jupiter. Sailor Mercury came running up to us at that.
“Your Majesty, we’re getting a transmission from the Silver Enemy,” she reported.
“Let’s see it,” declared Endymion. An image appeared on a screen, displaying the interior of the Cybermen’s base with the upgraded Neo Queen Serenity standing in the middle.
“I am Cyber-Leader Gi,” she introduced. “We are the Cybermen. We will upgrade everyone to a level of perfection. You will become like us.”
“How?!” demanded Endymion. “We’ve scrambled all communications!”
“The knowledge Neo Queen Serenity possessed is now ours,” explained the newly christened Cyber-Leader Gi. “Your attempts at thwarting us are hopeless…Mamo-chan.” She said that, but there was no love in that phrase, only cold logic. The transmission ended, leaving us feeling very scared.
With what’s been recently made clear to us, the people in the palace were in something of a panic. Sailors Mercury, Venus, and Neptune had a hard time keeping the people calm. Endymion called us and Sailor Moon, now wearing a pink gown and going by her name Usagi, instead of her childhood name of Chibiusa. “As I understand it, you know these…Cybermen…personally,” observed Endymion.
“I don’t, but the rest of my team do,” I explained. “They can explain it better than I can. Batman, why don’t you tell him since you’ve been trying to develop dossiers about them.”
“Very well,” rasped Batman. “Like us, the Cybermen come from another universe. The current models we see are the result of two models coming together. The more prominent model came from their prime universe, orbiting Earth from its twin planet, Mondas. Some disaster caused Mondas to drift and the Mondasians were getting weaker, their lifespans getting shorter. The Mondasian scientists and doctors developed prosthetic organs and limbs until they were almost completely replaced with metal, becoming nothing more than brains in suits. The other model was from a universe parallel to that one and had a similar story, just that a psychopathic genius forged them on that version of Earth in its present day. The two models came into contact and upgraded each other until they became a newer model that can adapt to anything. The model we faced was slightly different to the ones we’ve just met today. Shocker Rift must have had a hand in that.”
“Shocker Rift?” asked Endymion.
“A terrorist organization,” explained Lacey. “One that recruits other bad guys from other universes, living or dead. Queen Beryl would make a good recruit for Shocker Rift.”
“What do they do?” asked Usagi. “Tell me, what did they do to my mother?!” This was going to be harder to tell her.
“They’ve removed all emotions and slaved her mind and knowledge to their hive mind, the Cyberiad,” replied Joshua.
“Josh!” hissed Lukas.
“And lying to her would make any difference?!” argued Joshua.
“He has a point,” burbled Sludgiona. “And, if the Cyber-Slammers are any indication, they can upgrade ANY life-form, not just humans.”
“They mentioned that life-forms like you can’t be upgraded,” mumbled Flora.
“Yet,” answered Sludgiona.
“You think you’ll be used as a test subject?” asked Tonje.
“Are we just going to ignore the fact that we just told a man and his daughter that an important woman in their life is considered dead?!” snapped Lexicon. We were snapped out of our argument to see Usagi crying into her dad’s shoulder. We were kicking ourselves for that.
“Maybe…I mean, she only just became that today…” mused Lacey.
“What are you talking about?”
“The Source might help free Neo Queen Serenity from Cyberman control,” explained Lacey. Endymion and Usagi gave their undivided attention to her after that. “I said MIGHT,” warned Lacey.
“What’s this Source you’re talking about?” asked Usagi.
“The Source of Chaos,” replied Lacey. “Believe it or not, I’m a new Horseman of the Apocalypse.” Usagi and Endymion leapt from their seats. “Relax! The Apocalypse isn’t happening now,” assured Lacey. “In any event, we all have these crystal spheres that work as a manifestation of each aspect of the apocalypse. I have the Source of Chaos, since an apocalypse usually has people running and screaming. Since I have that source, I can utilize its powers.”
“How can you do that?” I asked.
“If there was just enough chaotic energy,” continued Lacey, “in theory, something new could be created. Now, if Neo Queen Serenity’s Star Seed could be coaxed out of Cyber-Leader Gi and into a body that was exactly like her original before she was upgraded…”
“We might stand a chance against the Cybermen!” realized Usagi.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” urged Endymion. “What’s the risk?” Lacey hesitated before answering.
“I’d…rather not tell you…” she floundered.
“What’s the risk?!” insisted Endymion. Lacey sighed.
“The energy would cause the Star Seed to crack, killing her forever,” she finally explained. That killed the mood.
“Lovely,” I murmured.
“There has to be another option!” begged Usagi.
“The only other option is to kill her outright,” replied Sludgiona.
“We’re NOT resorting to murder!” hissed Batman.
“Her soul has been ripped from her original body and her body is now altered beyond what we know,” replied Sludgiona. “The only way she’ll know peace is to kill her with honor.”
“What kind of twisted view is that?!” I snapped.
“It’s the Tarlaxian way,” dismissed Sludgiona. “The soul cannot rest if its original body is altered in any way.”
“Out of the question!” I insisted.
“And using the Source will guarantee that she’ll live?!” argued Sludgiona.
“It looks like that’s the best option!” shouted Usagi.
“Your Highness, think about this,” urged Lacey. “There’s a chance that she’ll die in the process.”
“If I see her die,” insisted Usagi, “at least I want the knowledge that we’ve tried to save her.”
“…Very well,” sighed Lacey.
“Then we need to find out where the Source is,” I declared. “After that, we need to find the Cybermen’s base.”
“I believe Ami can help in that regard,” offered Endymion.
“Perfect,” I answered. “Lukas, Flora, see if you can help her. Batman, Joshua, Usagi, we need to coordinate an attack plan. Lexicon, keep watch over Endymion. Sludgiona, Tonje, I need you to help guard the gates with those assigned to watch duty.”
“Look at you,” praised Joshua, “becoming a leader.”
“…Thanks,” I mumbled, blushing and smiling a bit.
“All the necessary equipment for searching the city is online,” reported the Cyber-Deputy.
“Excellent,” I replied. I turned to the Communications Officer. “Inform the fleet that we’re ready to begin.”
“Leader, the Source has yet to be located!” reminded the Cyber-Deputy.
“Do you question my authority?” I asked.
“We should, at least, wait before communicating,” suggested the Cyber-Deputy.
“And will you answer for the delay?” I inquired. The Cyber-Deputy understood that I will not be questioned but did not yet understand the logic. As the Communications Officer set up the console, I explained. “Our energy reserves are limited. To search now would only be an expenditure of unnecessary power. We must conserve energy until the Source is located. The Vortex Riders will find it. They are led by one who has never traveled with the original Riders, a tactical error on their part. Once it is confirmed that they have located the Source, we shall take it in time for the fleet to arrive and annexation can begin.”
It took all day, but our battle plan was laid out for tomorrow. I wandered the halls of the palace, not getting any sleep. I went onto a balcony and sat on the bench near the railing. I sighed and looked around, seeing the firelight from campfires for those that made it into the palace for safety. A glance to my left caused me to gasp in shock! Batman was perched on the railing, looking at the skyline. “The Cybermen really did a number on Crystal Tokyo,” he observed. “Not even the Joker could top this.”
“Do you HAVE to perch yourself like that?!” I protested.
“Yes,” replied Batman. I rolled my eyes and waved it off.
“Please yourself,” I grumbled. We sat there for a while.
“…The Feudal Nerd Society is hiding something from you new guys,” remarked Batman.
“How they hid Vortech’s identity as the enemy back in your first adventure with them and Megumi had an emotional collapse when she realized her mistake?” I quizzed. The fact that Batman looked stunned told me that was what he was talking about. “Joshua and Emily told me about the vote to keep that incident secret. I heard Megumi voted no since she didn’t want a repeat.”
“They told you?” asked Batman. “I thought the consensus was they WOULDN’T tell you.”
“It was stinging their conscience,” I explained, repeating what they told me. “I don’t know who else they told yet. They told me this about a week ago.”
“I was half expecting this to be awkward,” mused Batman as he surveyed the area.
“In this instance, that would disrupt the board on our side,” I replied.
“…The board?” asked Batman. I winced when I realized my error.
“I have a tendency to think of everything as a chess game,” I answered. “It’s caused some conflict with my friends over in Korea.”
“I see,” replied Batman.
“That’s why I was so nervous to lead,” I continued. “Whenever I DO lead, it always turns into a chess game.”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” countered Batman, “just as long as you remember who’s who on the board.” That was a bit strange but I started to understand where he was coming from.
“Annexation can begin,” I relayed to the Communications Officer once the console was up and running the next day. “Repeat, annexation can begin.”
“Leader, I must repeat my objection to the transmission of incorrect data,” urged the Cyber-Deputy. “Our force does not yet hold the Source.”
“You are outside your function,” I reproached.
“Initial transmission received,” called the Communications Officer.
“Repeat once more, then relay the response,” I ordered. The Communications Officer was in the initial stages of carrying out my orders before an alarm sounded. “Report!” I ordered.
“Interference,” replied the Communications Officer. “Transmission and reception affected.”
“From what source?” I requested. “Provide more information.” The Communications Officer checked.
“The source is a completely unknown form of sound,” he finally reported.
“Open the monitor facility,” I ordered. The sound then played throughout the base.
“Fighting evil by moonlight,
Winning love by daylight,
Never running from a real fight,”
“She is the one named Sailor Moon!” continued the theme song.
“Mom had an anime about her adventures?” repeated Usagi.
“Two of them,” I answered. “Both of them were dubbed into English. Although one was more flawed than the other. I mean, in the anime that came out in the 90’s, Uranus and Neptune were cousins instead of lovers.”
“COUSINS?!” protested Uranus.
“The idea of gay lovers was still far-fetched back then,” I went on. “I don’t mind telling you, as someone with a girlfriend, I’m not too thrilled about that either.”
“I’m straight and I’m not terribly thrilled,” remarked Joshua.
“Well, the Cybermen should be thoroughly confused,” I declared. “Good thinking, Mercury.”
“That’s the disadvantage of a machine mind,” replied Sailor Mercury, “they’re single-minded.”
“It’s gone into a loop,” reported Batman.
“Perfect,” I answered. “Let’s go.” We headed off to search for the Source. We searched the west side of the castle to no avail.
“Anyone found it yet?” asked Batman.
“That’s gonna be a no on that one,” I sighed.
“The Cybermen have already broken through the first iteration and are starting the second one,” reported Lexicon.
“Earlier than anticipated,” I gulped.
“Sweet dreams are made of this.
Who am I to disagree?
I traveled the world and the seven seas.
Everybody’s looking for something.”
The jamming was now in a second loop. The Communications Officer turned to report. “The fleet is still not receiving our transmissions, Leader,” he answered.
“Is there ANY pattern to the jamming?” I asked.
“It is meaningless,” the Communications Officer replied.
“West side’s not giving up anything,” sighed Lacey.
“East’s no better,” replied Sailor Mars.
“I’m getting nothing from the…” Joshua trailed off.
“Joshua?!” I yelped. “Joshua, report!”
“The Source has been located in the north!” cheered Joshua. “I repeat, the Source is in the north!”
“Excellent move!” I praised. “We’ve castled the king! Stay put! We’re on our way! The Cybermen can now deal with the audio-based pawns at their leisure!”
“Kako no ishi wa Uso de wa azamuke nai (Lies cannot fool the will of the past.)
Kanjiro sō Nexus Future (Feel it in your bones! The Nexus Future!)
Now, Over “Quartzer”
Mabayui sekai (That dazzling world…)
Misete (Enchant me)” The jamming was now in a third loop. The Communications Officer worked fast to try and undo the jamming. His fingers were moving quickly across the console. Without the communications console, we could not contact the fleet or our forces searching the city. Just then, the noise stopped. The Cyberiad was finally at an acceptable collective processing speed. “Transmission channels are clear again,” reported the Communications Officer.
“Excellent,” I replied. “Resume search for…”
“Leader,” interrupted the Cyber-Deputy, “the Vortex Riders and Sailor Senshi are on a direct course for a warehouse near the Tarlaxian scout ship’s position in the north. The Cyber-Slammers have abandoned their post, thus allowing them passage.” I could feel the Cyber-Slammers trying to explain themselves through the Cyberiad, a fruitless endeavor.
“Betrayal,” I declared. “Delete them.” The Communications Officer transmitted a code which activated the explosive payloads within the Cyber-Slammers.
“What was that?!” yelped Sailor Venus.
“I think the Cybermen didn’t like how their Cyber-Slammers fared against us and ‘deleted’ them,” I guessed.
“…I REALLY don’t like them!” snarled Sailor Mars.
“Nothing about the Cybermen is likeable,” answered Lukas, recalling his first encounter with them.
“There’s the warehouse!” called Tonje. We entered the warehouse and found the Source in a crate.
“That’s the one!” confirmed Lacey as she held it.
“Surrender it to us,” called a voice. We turned to see Cyber-Leader Gi with a group of Cybermen standing in the doorway.
“SCATTER!” I shouted. We took off in various directions, causing the Cybermen to pursue us. Cyber-Leader Gi went after me. In the words of the Cybermen, excellent.
I had busied myself with a machine designed to help bring the ghost to a better plane of existence. “Okay,” I muttered. “Todo lo que necesito hacer es conectar esto y estaremos bien.” (All I need to do is connect this and we’ll be good.)
“Señor Ortiz?” asked a voice. I whirled around to see Lacey looking at what I was doing. “Are you trying to contact your dad?” she asked.
“No,” I replied.
“Good, best to avoid him,” advised Lacey. “You know full well he’s not to be trusted. The dead outside of this school rarely are.”
“The mortal realm’s no better,” I grunted.
“Yes, I spoke with Mickey a while ago,” murmured Lacey. “He told me about your feelings concerning the F.N.S and your desire to leave us.”
“I just…I can’t stand the F.N.S right now!” I answered. “I joined you to get away from all the lies I was told back home, but I’ve been lied to again by people I’ve only known for two years! It’s like…it’s like I’m fighting a one-man war against lying! Can you even fathom what that feels like?!”
“Completely, believe it or not,” replied Lacey. That caught me off guard.
“Perdon?” I asked.
“I fully relate to your feelings,” elaborated Lacey, “but I don’t agree with your methods.”
“…How can you relate?!” I protested.
“Alesandro, do you know why I became a Horseman of the Apocalypse?” quizzed Lacey.
“You were chosen to help Megumi fight Vortech,” I answered, not seeing how it correlated to what the conversation was about.
“That was the impetus,” answered Lacey, “but, truth be told, I was gonna join After Academy anyways. I came from Universe T-H-3-5-1-M-P-5-0-N-5.”
“The Simpsons?” I asked. “You were a resident of Springfield?”
“Yep, and had an abusive father,” confirmed Lacey. “I hated how chaotic that place was and felt like I was alone in trying to corral the chaos. Death offered to return me back to my universe with a fresh perspective and a better chance of controlling the chaos. I stayed because I found something that I never had in Springfield, a family with the other Horsemen. Now, here I am, part of After Academy’s faculty and being a part of a family with the F.N.S. Now, it IS, at times, dysfunctional; it most certainly is NOT perfect, but the F.N.S and the Horsemen became my family. I certainly hope they’ve become yours.”
“Didn’t War initially join Vortech’s cause at the start of the Vortech Wars?” I asked.
“Yes, but the Four Horsemen have LONG worked through that,” replied Lacey, “because that’s what family does.”
“If they’re meant to BE family,” I grumbled. “Sometimes the family is so toxic that you need to get away from them.”
“Also true, as we can both attest to our blood family,” conceded Lacey. “Now, the question becomes, has this family become that toxic to you?” I stopped working, then set down my tools and sat on the ground.
“I don’t know,” I sighed.
“Well, is there a reason that you’re staying with us?” asked Lacey.
“I was contacted by a ghost a while ago,” I explained. “He’s in an eternal nightmare and I want to help him get out of it.” I then pondered the idea. “You know, now that I think about it,” I mused, “wouldn’t someone who regrets his actions think that he DESERVES punishment?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” replied Lacey. “Charles Dickens got that kind of ghost right. They’re tormented by their own regret and can only blame themselves since they never regretted their actions when they were alive. Jacob Marley DOES regret his actions and accepted there’s nothing he can do except blame himself since it’s too late for him.”
“This ghost I met didn’t have that kind of thinking,” I revealed. “Megumi DOES regret what she did and made no attempt to stop me from leaving. Something doesn’t add up here.” Just then, the ghost shimmered into view.
“Help me! Please!” wailed the ghost, Carl.
“…Why?” I asked.
“There is goodness in you!” pleaded Carl. “Help me! Let me start again!”
“You’re chained for a reason,” I continued. “If you REALLY regret your actions, you wouldn’t try to escape or shift the blame to…”
“Okay, you know what,” grumbled Carl, standing upright despite being chained, “I saw this coming.” He pulled back the hood to reveal a monstrous head. It had two long tendrils coming from the back of the head and a single eye.
“CAAN!” screamed Lacey.
“Give me access to After Academy’s library,” demanded Caan.
“I read about you!” I snapped. “Why should we obey a Dalek like you?!”
“You have no choice in the matter!” snarled Caan as he equipped his Dal Driver.
“DAL DRIVER!” it screamed. He then took out the Pure Dalek can and turned the dome before inserting it into the belt. “PURE DALEK!” it shouted. He then turned the crank and the piping formed the sides of his suit. “ARE YOU READY?!” asked the Dal Driver.
“Henshin!” called Caan. The piping then slammed the sides of his suit onto him.
“THE UNSTOPPABLE KILLER!” announced the belt. “PURE DALEK! EXTERMINATE!” Caan was now Kamen Rider Dal.
“Henshin!” shouted Lacey as she spun the dial. She became Kamen Rider Apocalypse and clashed with Caan. “Go get help!” she shouted.
“But…!” I stammered.
“NOW!” demanded Apocalypse. I took off and ran through the campus streets to find help. Her fellow Horsemen then saw me.
“Alesandro! Stop!” called Death. “What’s going on?!”
“Lacey’s fighting Caan outside the campus!” I explained. “She needs help!”
“A villain with future vision attacks us! Sure! Why not!” snarled Pestilence.
“Anyone got any ideas?” asked Famine with her mouth full.
“…I’ve got a trick in mind,” chuckled War.
War approached the battlefield with a confident grin on her face. “Mr. Caan, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting face to face,” she called, distracting him long enough for Apocalypse to strike him and join War. Dal recovered and drew himself up to his full height.
“You are War!” he observed. “The multiverse has changed if you engage in mortal affairs!”
“Tends to happen,” remarked War. “Tell me, what was your position before your little club?”
“Before the Cult of Skaro,” replied Dal, “I was the Attack Squad Leader of the Thirteenth Assault Group! Many worlds fell under Dalek control thanks to my efforts!”
“Yeah, evil hasn’t changed,” grumbled War. “Comes with the territory. You always rely on permanence to get you through the day. Good, on the other hand, ALWAYS changes. We’ve got new ways of dealing with people like you.”
“There ARE no people like me!” argued Dal. “Not yet!”
“There’s ALWAYS gonna be someone like you,” replied War. “…Wait, not yet?”
“You will never know!” snapped Dal.
“You’re right, I foresee your defeat coming,” chuckled War. “Kamen Rider Dal, you will be haunted by three spirits! Expect them…right now! Henshin!” She transformed and her fellow Horsemen, also in Rider form, joined her in attacking him while I got to work on the machine. Death called it clever, I call it narrowly avoiding disaster. Caan couldn’t fully manifest in this universe unless he was invited in some way. Because I didn’t fully follow through on bringing him into this universe, he was stuck in a transitional state. He’s immune to conventional attacks, but, then again, the Apocalypse Riders are anything BUT conventional. Their attacks managed to do him some damage.
“Guys, it’s time!” I called when I finished.
“Do it!” ordered War. I pressed the button and Dal was sent away from After Academy. “You’re NOT getting a refund on your application!” laughed War as all Riders powered down. Dal was struggling under the machine’s power and turned to me.
“I now…understand…what it means…to live!” he begged me. “Have…PITY!”
“Pity?” I replied, giving my best Dalek impression. “I have no understanding of the word! It is not registered in my vocabulary bank!” I then dropped the act. “For your sake, look to see me no more.” One final button and Kamen Rider Dal vanished, never to terrify After Academy.
“I have to apologize again, for all this,” offered Alesandro.
“No, no, no,” I replied after hearing all of it. “You were doing what you thought was right, obeying your conscience. I didn’t have that kind of courage. If you’ll let me, though, I’d like to work towards proving that I CAN do so.”
“Well, can’t exactly leave the F.N.S on that note, can I?” chuckled Alesandro. “The F.N.S IS a better family than my blood relatives. We all had a flub or two in our lives. The best we can do is pick ourselves up and get back into the fight.”
“Truer words have never been spoken,” I agreed. Just then, the comms chimed. I pressed the accept button. “Moshi moshi!” I called.
“Megumi, mind having everyone gather in the Gateway Room?” requested Richard. “We found something that will make some heads roll.”
“Sure thing,” I replied. I then switched to general broadcast. “Minna, report to the Gateway Room. Richard’s team found something.” We all gathered in the Gateway Room and Technarain, Sludgiona, Batman, Pup-X5, Lukas, and Richard looked pretty mad. “What happened?” I asked.
“We finally figured out what caused the results to go the way they did,” explained Richard. “Someone tampered with the results, someone with more access to the results than any of us who voted. So, the question becomes, X-PO, why? Why did you do it?” …X-PO?
“How is this POSSIBLE?!” I roared. “All five Sources within our grasp, and yet none have been retrieved! I am only inundated with excuses, even from my own wife!” I pointed to Igura after she returned from 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0. She snarled at the accusation, but I didn’t pay attention. I turned to our newest addition. “Well, Cyber-Leader Gi? What’s YOUR excuse?!”
“It is illogical for me to give one,” replied Cyber-Leader Gi. “I had underestimated the power they had and it cost me my victory. The fault is mine.”
“Yes, I do believe it is!” I confirmed.
“However, there IS a way to fix this for all of us,” supplied Cyber-Leader Gi.
“Explain! Quickly!” I ordered.
“We still have a fix on four of the Sources’ respective energy signatures,” explained Cyber-Leader Gi. “The reason it is not all five is because, according to what the Joker discovered on the Tarlaxian scout ship’s flight recorder, the Source of Starvation is in Tarlax 14’s vault. However, the other four are all in one place. Logically, it would be the Vortex Riders main base of operations.”
“And since they originally scrambled Vorton’s new coordinates, they may have used it again for some sense of familiarity,” I deduced. “But it won’t matter if we use the Sources as a beacon to guide us there. Muster the fleet. Cyber-Leader Gi, do we have the coordinates of the Sources current position?”
“We do,” confirmed Cyber-Leader Gi. “The probes we have sent to observe the universe have identified the universe as V-0-R-T-0-N.”
“Feed them to all ships,” I ordered. “We leave at once.”
I looked at the various trophies the Doctor left behind on Vorton for me to examine. I snorted at a few. The only trophy I could respect wasn’t even evidence of the Doctor’s victory. That victory belonged to the Vortex Riders. It was an empty, open Dalek casing. The Doctor’s trophies just laid there near the casing. “Look at all this,” I muttered to myself. “Relics and artefacts that I should feel some connection to. I don’t, though. It’s all just junk to me.” I picked up a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator and just sat with it in my hands. “Michael says it doesn’t matter who I am, as long as I live my own life.” I snorted again. “My own life. A life with no memory of who I am. No real history. Wearing someone else’s face! I don’t even like this face, even though it’s considered attractive by human standards! If the Emperor Dalek was lying, and I AM a clone of Rose Tyler, then I’m just a copy. A duplicate. Something that was mass-produced like…like…” My rant faltered as I examined the gunstick’s socket on the Dalek casing. “I remember…not being able to…shoot myself? ……NO!” I threw the extrapolator at the glass case the casing sat in and it shattered. “It’s just some stray thoughts coming to the surface! Thoughts that aren’t mine! They can’t be!” I could only laugh hopelessly. “I can’t trust who I am! I can’t trust ANYTHING about me! If I wanted to, I could just walk around pretending to be Rose Tyler, because all I am is a copy! A copy that can only see the impurity of…! Impurity of…” More memories came to the surface, the glorious saucers hanging over every world across time and space, the Emperor commanding us all, leveling… “…I remember now!” I couldn’t believe it! A smile crossed my face! “I REMEMBER NOW!” I ran my hands across my face…face…hands…arms…legs…two eyes…no! “I remember…I REMEMBER!” NO! NO! NO! I AM CONTAMINATED!
“YOU!” I snarled at Sauron.
“Us,” corrected Sauron as he pointed to his compatriots.
“I never thought I’d see you again after you were crushed like a tin can in Metropolis!” I growled. I turned to the Riddler. “Riddle me this, you WERE defeated in Gondor, right?”
“Quite the story after those incidents,” remarked Sauron. “Shall we tell you of our scars?”
“Were your fathers drinkers and fiends?” taunted Livia. Sauron then fired lightning from the One Ring, shocking us all. He ended the treatment after a few seconds.
“Just before you fought our old employer, Vortech,” began the Riddler, “we had to part company with him. We boarded new Dalek Saucers to escape. However, we were blown off course. Strange dimensional energies buffeted our vessels. I believe you’re familiar with the source of them. Riddle me this: what circles around, causing riders to scream?” The answer was a roller-coaster’s loop-de-loop. I could see where the ultimate answer was coming from.
“Ah, the Rift Loop we trapped Vortech in,” I answered.
“Exactly,” confirmed Sauron. “As the Riddler said, we were sent off course, landing in a much harsher universe. Ancient Evils were tearing it asunder…until WE stepped in. We destroyed the monsters attacking that world and took control. Plenty of people to command, plenty of space to make Orcs, Daleks, and other minions, and plenty of resources to build up and replenish whatever vessels and minions we’ve lost.”
“Sooo, the story is less ‘Ha ha’ funny,” I remarked. This time, the Riddler zapped us.
“Question: what IS ‘Ha ha’ funny?” he snarled. “Answer: YOUR PAIN!” He stopped zapping and resumed explaining. “Shocker Rift spent the next two years building up its forces, ready to conquer and enslave the Tarlaxians, making ABSOLUTELY sure we could control them this time!”
“So you used the Tarlaxian scout ship as test subjects!” growled Turretorg.
“Well, yes,” replied the Riddler, “but our efforts are being stymied. Right now, they’re unconscious, so they can’t reveal why our methods aren’t working…but we have a guess.”
“We discovered YOUR handiwork, Turretorg,” continued Sauron. “YOU were a master of the mental disciplines back when you served us. So, tell me, what did you do to make the Tarlaxians resistant to our control?”
“Like I’d tell you!” growled Turretorg.
“Do we REALLY need to do this?” quizzed Jason.
“Are you questioning us?!” snarled Octavio.
“Look,” interjected Callie, “I don’t think…”
“DON’T think, obey!” roared Octavio. “Or, do I need to use the hypno-shades on you again?!”
“…N-no, Sir,” gulped Callie. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
“To answer your question, YES,” hissed Kaito. “We HAVE to do this. We’re strong, they’re weak. We need to show how powerful we are.”
“That’s my boy!” cheered Sauron.
“Sheesh, no wonder Shocker Rift parted company with Vortech,” I muttered, “you’re sounding LIKE him.” Sauron gave us another zapping.
“There’s never enough pain before you shut up, is there?!” he growled.
“Oh, trust me,” I gasped, “I’m in enough pain looking at you! Why are you still working for Hiro?!”
“To dull my pain of looking at you,” snarled Sauron, “needing other people to prop you up! You were so close, at one point, to realizing power, but let that box dissuade you!” A screen then turned on and displayed what happened after our first encounter with Vortech, the argument, X-PO revealing why he opened rifts to various universes, and my breaking down in tears in regret for keeping the real reason of our dimensional travels secret from Batman, Wyldstyle, Hongo, and Gandalf. I turned my head in shame as Colleen looked at me in disbelief.
“You lot never told us new guys that!” she protested.
“I WANTED to tell you guys,” I mumbled, “but I was outvoted. The other members didn’t want your image of us ‘sullied’, as Richard put it.”
“You see?” remarked Sauron. “Holding power over your underlings makes you stronger! They knew that!”
“They’re NOT my underlings!” I argued. “They’re my friends!”
“A ruler has no time for friends!” countered Sauron. “A ruler does not reveal their secrets to those beneath them! A ruler needs no equals!”
“We’ll see!” I hissed.
“No, WE’LL see!” replied the Riddler as he pointed to himself and his allies. “You and your friends will be corpses we have taxidermied and hung up in our base’s throne room! They’ll be interesting conversation pieces at parties!”
“As long as we’re in high society,” joked Haitao. “I take it you’re here for Death’s Source?”
“Rob me of a potential riddle, will you?” hissed the Riddler. “Oh well, I’ll just go for the next one. What takes the color associated with water, encompasses itself, and is a key to unlock an apocalypse?”
“…No!” breathed Death. “No, you couldn’t have!” Sauron pulled out a blue crystal sphere the size of his fist.
“We did,” confirmed Sauron. “Behold, Death, your Source!” He then laughed. “Vengeance is sweet! However, I AM magnanimous in victory. Megumi, we all know how much you ‘heroes’ like to give speeches about how light will conquer darkness in the end, so I will allow you to make such a speech. Choose your words well.” Colleen then got a twinkle in her eyes.
“Er, Mr. Nygma,” she called. “You don’t mind a riddle, do you?”
“I’m called the Riddler for a reason,” replied the Riddler.
“Riddle me this: after the source is taken by you,” quizzed Colleen, “what will you do with us?”
“Easy!” cheered the Riddler. “We’ll keep you here as our prisoners and then, after taking this universe for our own, we’ll finally kill you! You’ll understand, in your last few seconds alive, how stupid you were to defeat us! Oh, we won’t stop there! With Octavio’s mind-control tech, we can conquer the surrounding universes! All of this, and we’ll be satisfied in the knowledge that you’ll no longer defeat us! THAT is our vengeance! That…that is…WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IDIOTS LAUGHING AS MUCH AS THE JOKER?!” Hook, line, and sinker! He gave away the entire plan! The reason we were laughing was because the motive behind all of this was laughable.
“Two years,” I remarked. “It’s been two years since my respective encounters with you and Sauron.”
“So?” quizzed Sauron.
“THIS is what you decided to do for two years,” I continued, “when you guys could have done anything else! You could have used your fleet to conquer your respective universes! Maybe conquer the neighboring universes there! But, no! The only thing you idiots want is revenge!” I sighed in pity. “Revenge, the most WORTHLESS of causes! You two are obsessed with me more than Hiro because I had the gall to defend myself and take something you had in your possession! Sauron, I took the Locate Keystone from you, if I recall. And, Riddler, you lost the Palantír to me! It’s amazing that you thought about me all this time when I almost forgot you were under Hiro’s thumb!” That struck a nerve. “Boys, you need to stop fighting over me,” I taunted. “I already have a boyfriend!” Sauron zapped me again. “And it ticks you off,” I managed to get out before Sauron stopped, “that you have to work for someone you considered beneath you! That’s the difference, though. I spend two years of my life LIVING it! Yes, I monitored for you, but I had other things to help stave off the anticipation of Shocker Rift’s next move! I got a job! I go to school! I get new people into the F.N.S! You wanna know why I broke down like that?! Because I felt like I betrayed the trust of my friends. They’re people that helped me become who I am, even the new guys! I don’t pretend that everything in the last two years and in the Vortech Wars didn’t happen! I learn from both mistakes and triumphs to become better, both to myself and to my friends! You?” I chuckled a bit. “You two just become bitter and abusive! You let the past consume you! You drive everyone away because they remind you of some failure! You isolate yourself and never gain friends!”
“A ruler needs no friends!” shouted Sauron. “All a ruler needs is people to obey them!”
“No, what you mean is you think you only need such people,” I argued, “to fill the void of loneliness in your heart because everyone else is good and decent and kind! You, gentlemen, are a**holes! It just enrages you to see someone in a command position enjoy the company of friends because you can’t accept that you idiots are just complete jerkwads! Two years after fighting and bad guys and heartbreak and loss, I HAVE been looking back on it all. While you would dwell on the failures you suffered within two years, I just can’t wait to see what the next two years will bring!”
“TWO YEARS?!” shrieked the Riddler. “You’re not gonna have two minutes! I give you guys a fully-charged electroshock therapy treatment and Death will have to claim you! How do you think you can stop us?!”
“For one thing,” replied Turretorg, “you forgot about X-PO.”
“The robot?” quizzed Kaito.
“The robot,” confirmed Death.
“No, we didn’t!” burbled Octavio. “After Kaito, the Riddler, and Sauron arrived and broke me out of my second prison two years ago, they took Jason, making him Agent 7, and got him to study the robot’s schematics so he could disable him quickly.”
“Yeah, the thing is,” I countered, “the Doctor made sure that, if the transmitter were damaged first, the self-repair circuits would fix that first before anything else. Wanna know how long it takes to fix that?”
“About a half hour,” called X-PO’s voice.
“What the?!” spluttered Octavio. “What’s going on?! WHERE MAH BEATS?!”
“And DJ Octavio has failed!” taunted X-PO’s voice. Just then, one of the machine’s fists opened up and grabbed Octavio, tossing him out! It then made the “Devil” sign. “DJ X-PO IN DA HOUSE!” cheered the machine in X-PO’s voice. We managed to undo our ropes as X-PO attacked the Octarians trying to stop us. The New Squidbeak Splatoon turned to Octavio.
“Never mind him!” shouted Kaito as he equipped a Sengoku Driver and took out a Lockseed with a bunch of bananas on it. He pressed the button on the side and the arm popped up.
“BANANA!” called the Lockseed. A zipper in the air then opened and let a metal banana float above Kaito.
“Henshin,” announced Kaito. He then inserted the Lockseed into the Sengoku Driver and closed it.
“Lock on!” called the belt. It then played European trumpet music before he sliced the Lockseed open with the Driver’s knife. “Come on!” challenged the belt. The banana then landed around his head as a red undersuit with silver trim appeared around him.
“BANANA-BANA-BANANA?!” squawked an Orc.
“Baron da!” (That’s Baron to you!) called Kaito.
“Banana Arms!” announced the belt as the banana unfolded so the ends became shoulder pads and part of the side became chest armor. His helmet looked like a knight’s helm with a pair of horns. “Knight of spear!” sang the belt as his weapon appeared. It was a lance that evoked a peeled banana. Given that he corrected an Orc, I’d say he was Kamen Rider Baron.
“Henshin!” we called. Colleen’s belt announced, “Open! Turn! Imagine! The Hammer of Slam!” as we became our Kamen Rider personas. Catchphrase time!
“Kamen Rider Death! You cannot delay your appointment with me!”
“Kamen Rider Royal! Evil will ultimately bow to me!”
“Kamen Rider Zhànshì! Try and stop my quest!”
“Kamen Rider Clash! A duel with me shall end in your defeat!”
“Kamen Rider Herald B! I bring news of your defeat!”
“Kamen Rider Slam! I’ll be bringing the pain!”
“I am Turretorg, the invincible siege weapon!”
“I’m X-PO! I’ve calculated 979 ways to defeat you! Let’s go for 28!” With that, X-PO crossed his new hands in front of him. “Priority 7-Alpha, Sea-bass drop!”
“Uh oh!” gulped Octavio.
“Uh oh what?” demanded Sauron. Octavio then did something never witnessed in the games, he shifted to his humanoid form! He looked like a Japanese Lord.
“MEAN LASER!” he shouted. X-PO uncrossed his new hands and fired his laser. Everyone got out of the way…even us! We were right in its path!
“Sorry!” called X-PO.
“STICK TO THE FISTS!” I shouted. Sauron and the Riddler double-teamed me, keeping me from helping the others out. Turretorg fired a barrage of missiles at the Orcs and Octolings, the Octolings giving him a little more difficulty as they turned into octopi and swam in their ink. The New Squidbeak Splatoon, regretfully, kept the others at bay. “Guys, come on!” I protested to the Splatoon. “You don’t wanna do this!”
“We don’t have a choice,” replied Marie. She leveled her Charger (sniper rifle) at me and fired. I got out of the way, smacking into Sauron’s mace. His swing knocked me back a couple of meters. Baron managed to score a few hits on X-PO’s new body with that lance of his. The machine then fell as the lights went off.
“X-PO!” called Herald B.
“I’m alright!” called X-PO’s voice as his original body’s eye switched on. He then activated a new function the 4th Doctor installed, similar to K-9’s, a stun blaster! He gathered energy into his eye and fired a purple bolt of light at Octavio. The Octarian King managed to shrug it off. “Damn, STILL not at full power!” swore X-PO. Agent 8 then leapt onto him.
“I still am!” she hissed as she drew a wrench. Just then, Slam swung her hammer into 8’s head. “Nice try, bone bag!” laughed 8 as she landed on her feet. She then started stumbling. “Actually, remove the sarcasm,” she mumbled. “It WAS a nice try. Why is the room spinning?” She then collapsed.
“BELLA! NO!” shouted Jason. He and Marie then rushed to 8’s side. Callie swung her Roller (rolling paintbrush weapon) at Clash but Clash managed to roll out of the way only to encounter Baron’s attack as he used the Sengoku Driver’s knife to slice the Lockseed three times.
“BANANA SPARKING!” announced the belt as Baron thrust the tip of his lance into the ground, causing bananas to pop out of the ground and strike Clash. Sauron and the Riddler had managed to knock me to the floor and leveled their weapons at me as I leveled my sword.
“Do you think you’re fast enough,” taunted Sauron, “to put us down before we kill you?”
“…I have a means of staving off my appointment with Death,” I smirked. I then spun the wheel in the opposite direction of changing armor, making it go two full rotations. “DAI SUPER CHARGE!” I shouted. My armor bulked up and went white with gold trim, then it exploded, revealing gold armor with white tiger patterns. Sauron and the Riddler picked themselves up after being knocked down by my exploding armor.
“What in…?!” spluttered Sauron.
“Kamen Rider Vortex,” I explained, “the form I used to defeat Vortech.” I then went on the offensive, managing to beat back Sauron and the Riddler as Slam swung her hammer into Baron’s leg, causing him to cancel his transformation and grasp his leg in pain. Zhànshì and Claw managed to cut one of Octavio’s head tentacles off and shoved him into his allies. He turned to the New Squidbeak Splatoon.
“Inksquirts!” he bellowed. The agents weren’t listening as they were tending to Bella, Agent 8.
“We have to give her an ink infusion to clear her head!” gulped Jason.
“You idiots! Help us!” shouted Octavio.
“We have to save Bella!” insisted Jason.
“Stop cradling that useless soldier!” ordered Sauron.
“…What did you say?” hissed Jason.
“I said stop cradling that lump of muscle and help your betters!” roared Sauron. Jason looked back at his fellow agents, then glared at Sauron and his allies. He stood up and pulled something out of his back pocket. We couldn’t believe it!
“A Chronicle Driver?!” yelped Claw.
“How did you…?!” I quizzed.
“Sludgiona said she had made more Chronicle Drivers,” explained Slam. “She must have put them onto the scout ships.”
“How would you…?” I inquired.
“She explained she had made more to us new guys,” replied Slam.
“I see,” I remarked.
“What’s the word you guys used to transform?” asked Jason as he fastened the Chronicle Driver to his waist.
“Chronicle Driver!” announced the belt.
“We say ‘Henshin’,” I replied to Jason.
“Thank you,” bid Jason. He then took out an Armor Auto-bio and inserted it into the shelf that popped up from the top. “Henshin!” he announced. He pressed the shelf down as the giant book flipped its pages and spat out armor pieces.
“Open!” called the belt. “Turn! Imagine! The Roller of Turf!” His armor looked a lot like the power armor set of the first game.
“Agents, keep watch over Bella,” directed Jason. “I intend to voice our long-overdue complaints to our ‘masters’.”
“What do you call yourself, Kamen Rider Squidkid?” snarked the Riddler.
“Kamen Rider Turf, actually,” replied Jason. “I shall claim this turf in victory!” He then swung his roller into them. “Don’t you ever…EVER…call Bella useless!”
“You little…!” snarled the Riddler.
“You utter demons!” hissed Turf. “I should have done this two years ago!” He converted his roller into a charger and fired on the villains, causing the Orcs to lose their minds.
“Right, that’s it!” roared Gorshagh from the balcony. He caught the Kiri Zecter. “HEN…!” he didn’t get very far as an Octoling kicked the Zecter out of his hands. “What do you think you’re…?!” shouted Gorshagh.
“TAKE DOWN THE ORCS!” shouted the Octoling. The Octarians then attacked the Orcs. Turf pressed the button on his Chronicle Driver.
“Final Pen Stroke!” called the belt.
“RIDER TURF KICK!” shouted Turf as he leapt into the air and performed a flying kick towards the Villains. They soon picked themselves up.
“Vortex, we need to take them all out in one swoop!” whispered Death.
“I may have a solution!” I declared. “Locate Keystone, activate! Initiate rift detection!” I soon found the rift. Man, it felt good to use the Keystone. “Identify source of rift!” The information beamed into my head. “Haven’t seen him in a while. Locate help from B-3-N-1-0!” Just then, a giant lizard person landed face-first onto the floor. The person picked himself to reveal the black circle with the green hourglass design on his chest. “BEN!” I called. Ben Tennyson, currently as Humungousaur, noticed me as I shouted and grinned.
“Vortex!” he cheered. “Haven’t seen you in a while! What’s new?”
“Orcs invaded the universe we’re in,” I explained. I pointed out their bosses. “Got a place for them?”
“I think Incarcecon can handle a few more inmates,” joked Humungousaur as he slapped on the Omnitrix symbol. He then changed. “FOUR-ARMS!” he announced. He then leapt around the levels, grabbing Orcs and throwing them into the rift he went through. He then grabbed Sauron, the Riddler, Baron, and was about to grab Octavio when Turf stopped him.
“He stays,” he insisted. Four-Arms nodded and tossed the remaining three into the rift.
“Thanks, Ben!” I called.
“Don’t mention it!” replied Four-Arms. “See you later!” He then went through the rift as it shut. An Octoling then gave Marie a bit of ink and Marie injected it into Bella, sighing in relief as she checked her over.
“Okay,” she sighed, “she’s stable and should be good for getting her to a hospital.”
“We’ll take her,” replied Pearl. She and Marina picked Bella up and carried her out of the area to a hospital.
“Listen, everyone,” sighed Turf, “about all of this…I’m sorry.”
“You’re not the only one needing to apologize to Megumi,” muttered Slam, feeling guilty about not telling me about the other Chronicle Drivers.
“Mine first,” I answered. “Colleen, I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to not tell you about an event in our past. It was wrong of me to not give you the full details about the Vortech Wars. I was wrong. I don’t know if I can make it up to you and…I understand if this makes you want to part company with the Feudal Nerd Society.”
“I understand your logic,” replied Slam, “but I don’t see myself leaving just yet. Why don’t we all leave our regrets here?”
“I have to say, today was FULL of regrets,” mused X-PO.
“Comes with any anniversary, especially a war’s anniversary,” replied Turretorg.
“Maybe…” suggested Claw, “maybe we should focus more on forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness isn’t handed out,” I answered, “it’s earned. Colleen, if you’ll let me, I’d like to work to earn yours.”
“Let me work to earn yours, then we’ll talk,” replied Slam.
“Agreed,” I affirmed. Just then, someone fired over our heads! Octavio was clutching his sides and holding a blaster!
“FORGIVENESS?!” he roared. “YOU DOLTS ARE PATHETIC! FORGIVENESS IS A WEAKNESS! YOU ALL NEED TO REALIZE THAT THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE!”
“And yet,” I observed, “you’re the one without an empire to back you up.” I was talking about the Octarians leveling their weapons at him. Octavio looked around, then fired a few shots to scare his people off and scurried up a ladder, dropping the Source. “Come on!” I called.
“Let him go,” replied Marina.
“But he’s gonna escape!” I urged.
“I think there’s little chance of that,” assured Marina.
“…Why?” I quizzed. Octavio then screamed in frustration.
“Captain Cuttlefish placed a giant snow globe over the exit,” explained Marina.
“…The globe again?” I muttered.
Bella had made a full recovery and helped us reveal the names of Agents 3 and 4. Agent 3 was Colin and Agent 4 was Samantha. Unfortunately, the crew of the Tarlaxian scout ship was already taken by Shocker Rift. We were back in our Splatoon disguises. Pearl and Marina were back doing Off the Hook for Inkopolis Square. “So, with all the craziness going on,” Pearl was saying, “the final Splatfest had to be cancelled.”
“Now, with the Orcs gone and the Octarians’ good name being cleared,” continued Marina, “the final Splatfest can go on. It’s going to take a week, though, before any match can begin. Yes, you heard right, the matches will be back on in a week.”
“Until then, Grizzco is still hiring!” supplied Pearl. “I can’t believe our last gig went so smoothly, Marina!”
“Yeah, especially because we worked a Salmon Run shift instead of rehearsing!” replied Marina.
“And that’s all the time we got!” finished Pearl. “Until next time…” Marina then joined Pearl in posing and saying their catchphrase.
“Don’t get cooked, stay off the hook!” they cheered. The screen went back to its usual ads.
“I guess things will be back to normal soon,” chuckled Callie.
“As normal as our lives are,” remarked Marie.
“Thanks for the last minute assist,” I bid to Jason.
“You’re welcome,” replied Jason. “I just wish I saw sense earlier.”
“You’re not evil,” I assured. “You wouldn’t have a Chronicle Driver if you were.”
“You just need a little guidance in handling it,” continued Colleen.
“What are you saying?” asked Jason.
“Wanna come with us?” I offered. “Wander the multiverse with us for a while and see if you wanna be a member of the Feudal Nerd Society?”
“…No secrets this time?” quizzed Jason.
“No secrets this time,” I assured.
“Then let’s do it!” cheered Jason as he twirled Death’s Source on his finger like a basketball.
“Vorton, this is Megumi,” I called into my communicator. “Mission accomplished! We have Death’s Source, have a new ally with us, and are ready for pickup!”
“Good to hear, Megumi,” replied a voice. It didn’t belong to anyone on the Vorton team. I finally got it after a few seconds.
“Doctor?!” I yelped.
“Hello!” answered the 13th Doctor’s voice.
“What the heck are you doing on Vorton?” I quizzed.
“The Gateway Operators called me and filled me in on your current adventure,” explained the Doctor. “My reason for being here on Vorton is something that seems unrelated to your crisis. I’ll fill you in when you get here.” A portal opened for us.
“It’s gonna be a little…buzzy,” I warned Jason.
“…Buzzy?” asked Jason as he followed us. He soon got what I meant when I said “buzzy”. We arrived back on Vorton before the others. “…Yeah, ‘buzzy’ is an apt description!” mumbled the Inkling as he rubbed his arms. “Feels like my cells are vibrating!”
“Hello!” called a voice. The Doctor then came up, still wearing that grey coat.
“Good to see you again, Doctor,” I greeted. “You said Elphaba’s team called you in?”
“They did,” confirmed the Doctor. “Let me show you.” She motioned for us to follow her to the medical ward. Lying on a bed was a young blonde woman. She seemed to be busy examining her hands.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“She looks a lot like one of my previous companions, Rose Tyler,” replied the Doctor, “but that doesn’t make sense. During an adventure involving both Daleks AND Cybermen, she became trapped in a parallel universe. Now, she lives her life with a human version of my 10th incarnation.”
“So, is THIS Rose Tyler a clone?” I quizzed.
“That’s what I initially thought,” answered the Doctor. “However, if she is, she’s the most perfect clone ever. Usually, when a clone is artificially aged, there are telltale genetic markers to indicate such a thing had happened. However, she doesn’t have those.”
“Then, is the Rose you traveled with a clone?” I asked.
“I checked the TARDIS medical records,” replied the Doctor, “and the Rose I traveled with IS the real deal.”
“A traveler from a parallel universe, then?” I suggested.
“I don’t really have a frame of reference for that,” mused the Doctor as she tapped her chin.
“I might help in that regard,” called X-PO. “Let me connect with the equipment. There should be telltale signs of her being from a parallel universe.” X-PO hooked up to the medical scanners and ran through the data. It took a few minutes. When he finished, he crossed his arms. “Huh,” he muttered. “Nothing.”
“Is there ANYTHING to go on?” I quizzed, getting desperate for answers.
“There ARE stray energy particles I haven’t been able to identify,” replied the Doctor, “but those may be from the energy weapon that was fired on her.”
“Is she injured?” I gasped.
“No,” assured the Doctor, “but look at the rags she’s wearing. Some of the damage WASN’T from going through the rift unprotected and I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt in that she’s NOT insane enough to burn parts of her clothes herself.”
“I suppose the next thing to do,” I declared, “is to ask her.” I approached her and she took notice of me. “Hello,” I greeted with a bit of uncertainty in my voice. “My name is Megumi Hishikawa. What’s your name?”
“…I can’t…remember a lot,” replied the Rose clone.
“What DO you remember?” I asked.
“I remember…names,” answered the Rose clone. “I remember being in a lot of pain. I remember…my temperature increasing for a bit. I don’t recall how I got here.”
“Do you have any means of identification?” I inquired.
“I think I’m…Rose Tyler, right?” asked the clone.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” replied the Doctor. “You see, I travelled with Rose Tyler for a long time.”
“…You?” quizzed the clone.
“Yes, me,” confirmed the Doctor. “I’m the Doctor.”
“…Doctor…” muttered the clone. I noticed a hint of distaste for the word before she went back to examining her hands. “Who…WHAT am I?” she asked.
“For now,” I answered, “you’re our guest and…this is your home.” The clone looked around the place to get a good look at her surroundings.
“…Home,” she repeated. I excused myself at that point and contacted the other teams, informing them of what happened.
“So, now that we’ve got the Sources,” remarked Richard the next day, “what now?”
“…I’m honestly not sure,” I replied. “Maybe the Horsemen might have something?”
“…You’re still thinking about what X-PO did,” observed Richard.
“I’m still thinking about what X-PO did,” I confirmed. “I’m not sure if I can trust him anymore. He really hurt us. I’m not sure if Alesandro and Victor are gonna stay with us after this.”
“I think they are,” replied Richard.
“What makes you so sure of that?” I quizzed.
“Well, Alesandro asked me to help him unpack,” replied Richard, “so I’d say it’s a safe bet he’s staying with us. Colleen and Victor talked and he decided on staying, so we’re good there.”
“Excellent,” I answered, feeling that much better. “All the same, I really need to apologize to them. The results may have been altered but we still made the choice to hide my emotional collapse from them.”
“Actually, Alesandro asked us to stop,” revealed Richard. “He gets that we regret it and will do what we can to make sure we don’t make that mistake again.”
“…Inundated with apologies from everyone?” I guessed.
“Yep,” confirmed Richard. “By the way, X-PO’s been arrested by the After Academy police for willful endangerment of students.”
“When’s the trial?” I asked.
“In two weeks,” replied Richard. “Miles Edgeworth is the prosecutor.”
“And X-PO’s defense attorney?” I quizzed.
“A Mr. Elkrandek from Tarlax 14,” answered Richard.
“Not exactly the most scrupulous lawyer,” I replied. Just then, alarms sounded throughout the base. “WHAT NOW?!” I snapped. Elphaba’s voice then came over the comms.
“All Riders, we have multiple vessels inbound!” she reported. “They’re cloaked, so we can’t get a good i.d. on them!”
“That’s too suspicious for comfort,” I declared as I took over the broadcast. “All hands, red alert! Assume battle stations and raise shields!” I then morphed into Tora-Onna (Tiger Woman) as I strode towards the Gateway Room to coordinate the action. Richard followed close behind.
“Why are you going fuzzy?” he asked.
“I never really had a chance to use this form,” I answered. “Sure, I turned into it on occasion, but never fully used it. Might as well ‘go fuzzy’ if it means an edge in battle if we’re boarded.” We arrived at the Gateway Room. Elphaba and her team were finishing up in locking down the Gateway. They didn’t want anyone trying to take advantage of any weakness in battle, much less anyone trying to go through and sneak up from behind.
“All of our codes have been locked into the Gateway,” reported Rusty. “We await yours.” I then leaned towards the mic.
“Computer,” I directed, “this is Queen Megumi Hishikawa. Lockdown 2-7-8-7-4-7-3-7. No one uses the Gateway until all codes have been verified and all voice patterns confirmed.”
“All Gateway functions disabled,” reported the secondary computer as it took over for X-PO. “Full functionality will not be restored until authorized personnel give the necessary codes.” I then made a secure call to the Virginia. Since Emily was needed in Sick Bay, Hiroki took command of the ship.
“Nee-san, ship status,” I requested.
“All lights are green,” reported Hiroki. “Liam’s back in Engineering with Dell and R9, Michael and Irina are manning the weapons, Tanisha’s the pilot again, and Crescent and Jason are working Communications.”
“Good to know,” I replied.
“Megumi,” called the Brigadier, “we’re receiving a transmission from the Hammer of Tarlax.”
“Scorpainia’s ship and the Tarlaxian flagship,” I replied. “What does she want?”
“She’s requesting to aid us as Shocker Rift has managed to steal Famine’s source and has reason to believe the cloaked vessels are of Shocker Rift origin,” explained the Brigadier.
“Tell her we happily accept and will offer any aid to get the Source back,” I directed. “Have the Tarlaxian fleet form up on the Virginia.”
“Understood,” replied the Brigadier as he saluted. He relayed my message. The Tarlaxian fleet arrived out of the large portals that ships need to go through the Rift safely and formed up on the Virginia.
“All stations report ready,” reported Elphaba.
“All ships standing by,” called Hiroki.
“Now comes the fun part,” I mused. “Who will make the first move?”
“That fleet must have followed us from Tarlax,” muttered Igura.
“They’re just sitting there,” observed the Joker. “We should have our fun now!”
“The instant we beam down,” I argued, “the fleet will know where we are. No. Hold position.”
“I say, that can’t be right,” muttered Michael.
“Is something the matter?” asked Hiroki.
“I’m reading Sontaran ship transponder codes,” explained Michael. “Using cloaking devices? That’s not like a Sontaran.”
“Why would Sontarans join Shocker Rift?” I asked.
“Megumi,” interjected Scorpainia, “if it pleases you, I have an idea on finding our targets.”
“Brigadier Stard,” reported the Sontaran Communications Officer, Lieutenant Krek, “we are receiving a broad transmission on all frequencies.”
“Put it through,” barked Brigadier Stard. Scorpainia’s face appeared.
“This is Queen Empress Scorpainia of the Tarlaxian Fleet!” she snarled. “Vorton is under my protection! Withdraw or be destroyed!”
“Ignore,” ordered Stard. “Hold position.”
“If there are Sontarans stupid enough to think they can win against me,” continued Scorpainia, “permit me to remind you that the last time you invaded Tarlax, before we moved to a new Tarlax, you required help from a god-like being. It’s clear enough that you are afraid of us. Why else would you hide behind a cloaking device?”
“…Make the call two-way!” snarled Stard. Scorpainia’s head twitched a bit, indicating that she had Stard on her viewscreen. “HOW DARE YOU!” roared Stard. “Scorpainia, you impugn my honor!”
“Whatever passes for Sontaran honor,” dismissed Scorpainia.
“Evidently,” hissed Stard, “you are unfamiliar with Standing Order 44 Subsidiary Clause 2! Mockery of a Sontaran Officer is to be considered an act of war!”
“A war where you will not receive a glorious death!” warned Scorpainia. The transmission ended.
“All ships, disengage the cloak and engage the enemy fleet!” ordered Stard.
“The Sontarans are disengaging the cloak and moving towards the enemy fleet!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.
“What are those fools doing?!” shouted Sauron.
“Fleet Marshal Skrag,” I ordered, “get them to return to formation and reengage the cloak!”
“They’re not responding, Sir!” reported Skrag. “Battle had been joined!”
“Idiots, this is too early!” I roared.
“Hiroki, the Sontarans took the bait!” reported Michael. “Good thinking, Scorpainia!”
“All ships, open fire!” I ordered.
“Assist the fleet in taking down the enemy,” I ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” called Richard as his fingers danced across the weapons console. A brilliant, multi-colored display of weapons fire illuminated the battlefield. Just then, the rest of Hiro’s fleet de-cloaked and moved to aid the Sontarans. Their weapons fire added to the display, affecting shield integrity in the process.
“We can’t keep this up much longer!” warned Lukas. “Any more and we’ll lose them!”
“Hongo, what’s your status?” I called on the comms.
“We’re ready and waiting,” replied Hongo. Vorton rocked again and the slightly blue tinge of the shields faded.
“We’ve lost shields!” called Lukas.
“Target shields down!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292.
“Tell the boarding parties they may begin,” I ordered, grinning all the while.
“We’re being boarded!” reported Richard. Combatmen shimmered into view.
“Now’s the time, Minna-san!” I called as I extended my claws. There was a TREMENDOUS fight on Vorton. This time, it wasn’t going to be so easily blind-sided. I clawed and bit my enemies as my friends kept the rest at bay.
“That’s funny,” I mused as visual data from the Daleks she had killed came to my ship, “she hardly uses that form.”
“Is there any progress on locating the Sources?” grumbled Igura.
“Source Team is encountering heavy resistance,” reported Dalek Drone 2248292, “from Batman, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Ichigō.”
“They’re not that strong,” I muttered. “How could they be encountering resistance?”
“Okay, my turn!” called Batman.
“All yours!” I replied as I delivered a Rider Punch.
“Shift Keystone, activate!” announced Batman. “Yellow, on the wall left to me! Magenta, on the wall right of me! Cyan, on the ceiling! Shift! Cyan! Ichigō!” I went to the ceiling and tackled a Combatman to the floor. A Dalek brought its gunstick to bear on me! “Shift! Yellow! Batman!” Batman delivered a side kick as he came through the yellow portal. “Shift! Magenta! Gandalf!” Gandalf ran his sword through a Sontaran as it turned to face him. Wyldstyle built a large machine that ran a large pillar through the hall and knocked down the enemy forces. They just kept beaming on board! I leapt into the air and extended my foot towards a Combatman.
“RIDER KICK!” I announced as I kicked him. That wasn’t enough!
“There’s too many!” called Wyldstyle.
“We’re not letting them near the Sources we have!” insisted Batman as he slammed a Sontaran through a Dalek. A Combatman spoke in its usual noises to a Sontaran. The Sontaran gave hand signals to a yellow Dalek, the commander, that bobbed its eyestalk in some form of understanding. It faced us and a flipper came out of the gunstick, moving in and out and causing pain to us, but not enough to kill us. We fell to the ground, unable to move, only observe and listen.
“All enemies disabled!” reported the Commander Dalek.
“Safecrackers, move in!” barked the Sontaran to his subordinates. They came in with explosives and set the timer. “Move back!” shouted the Sontaran commander. The enemy got to a safe distance. “THREE! TWO! ONE!” The explosives blew the vault open. A Combatman issued orders to his subordinates. They were wearing metal gloves as they entered the vault. They managed to find the sources and pick them up, suffering no ill effects. They reported some form of success in their noises. “Excellent!” cheered the Sontaran commander.
“Dalek Commander 8734739 to Fleet Flagship, Dominus,” called the Commander Dalek.
“Sources safely retrieved!” reported the Dalek Commander at the Vault. “Requesting immediate pickup!”
“Get everyone out of there!” I ordered, a grin crossing my features. The teleporter operator obliged and got everyone out of Vorton. He reported that everyone that survived made it. “Get us out of here!” I commanded. “We move to Foundation Prime!”
“Er, Megumi,” called Emily from Sick Bay, “I’m looking on my screen and I see the enemy fleet pulling out even though they reduced ours to a fourth of its original size. What’s going on?”
“Vault, what happened?!” I called.
“This is…Batman,” strained the Dark Knight. “The enemy managed to…disable us…long enough…to get the Sources. They had…some way of…safely…handling them.” My heart sank at the report. They’re going to Foundation Prime and we didn’t have the numbers to stop them or pursue them.
“That was a general broadcast, Batman,” Emily chimed in. “None of my patients liked hearing that.”
“Orders, Megumi?” asked Guard. I sighed.
“Contact Tarlax and After Academy,” I resolved. “See if they can spare any ships. Emily, continue treating the wounded. We need all fighters to be at their best.”
“The enemy fleet is not pursuing us!” reported Dalek Drone 2248292. It stood next to Skrag as we sat in my ready room. Igura looked on.
“Splendid,” I praised. “Resume your post.”
“I obey!” answered Dalek Drone 2248292. As it left, my expression hardened as I turned to Skrag.
“The actions your ships have taken have halved our fleet, causing considerable disruption!” I snarled.
“The men were experiencing withdrawal symptoms from lack of battle!” replied Skrag. “This was a matter beyond my control!”
“Your orders,” hissed Igura, “were to hold position until the command was given!”
“That was impossible!” pleaded Skrag. “The men have been out of action for too long!”
“The responsibility was yours!” I roared. “You have failed! I cannot, WILL not, accept failure! Since you pleaded, you will NOT look upon your death!” I turned him around and shot him in the back of the head, the worst form of death for a Sontaran.
“I’ll have Fleet Marshal Strench and his ships report to our position, shall I?” offered Igura.
“Do so,” I answered. “Then, return to our quarters. We need to unwind on the way.”
“I have an outfit that may help in that regard,” purred Igura. We kissed.
“Listen, about what I said yesterday,” I muttered, “I’m sorry. That was unlike me to overlook your talents. I should have planned for Heather to disregard the Source.”
“Well, I DO know a way you can make it up to me,” chuckled Igura as she wiggled her eyebrows. I’ll probably be making it up to her for…maybe 20, 30 minutes.