Tag: lacey

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Lacey and her Singing Busts

I made this for last year’s Halloween.

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

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

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

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After Academy Sirens

Even Lacey, Death, War, Pestilence, and Famine do the occasional mermaid pin-up. They rather like acting sexy when they get the chance. If the site for the photo-shoot is in an actual clam underwater, such as the one they’re in right now, so much the better.

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Halloween Greetings

I did this for Halloween of 2017. Happy Halloween from the leaders of the Apocalypse Riders and the Vortex Riders!

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Lacey Thanatos (Kamen Rider Apocalypse)

I had to incorporate the colors I associated the Horsemen with, and an apocalypse is chaotic, so I made the suit kind of patchwork.

Kamen Rider Apocalypse! Your world shall end!

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Dame Lacey Thanatos

The new dress for Lacey after she was accepted into the F.N.S. I say she looks lovey; do you agree?

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Lacey Lines

The line art for the lovely Lacey Thanatos in case no one could discern where her hair flower was.

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Lacey Thanatos

Meet Kamen Rider Apocalypse, Lacey of Dimension T-H-3-5-1-M-P-5-0-N-5.

Bio:

Hailing from the world of Matt Groening’s The Simpsons, Lacey was the average goth. Sadly, her life was not the best. It became worse when her mother died. Her father tried everything to make a “perfect” daughter.

The reason why was because Lacey’s mother was a student of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Death, herself, had visited Lacey a couple of times. One such recent time was when Death was noticing that Vortech was rising. Later on, she was offered a place in After Academy, where the living and the dead can learn together.

Lacey accepted and so went with her new English and Home Ec teacher, Famine, while Death, her new History and Mathematics teacher scrubbed any knowledge of Lacey from the entire dimension. Lacey had requested such a thing in the first place. Her life in After Academy was much better than her old one. Her uniform was done in black, white, and blue and she is going through special training to become Kamen Rider Apocalypse, an aid to Kamen Rider Vortex to fight Vortech.

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Chapter 15

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.

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Chapter 16

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.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 18

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!