Tag: x-po

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Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 3

The Gateway opened to reveal Scorpainia stepping through. She had Turretorg, Technarain, Discornia, and Sludgiona with her. “I see you’ve had this place redecorated since I was here last,” observed Scorpainia.

“Looks a little…bright,” muttered Batman.

“Yeah, we needed to make it brighter,” I replied. “A few of us would rather NOT stumble with only blue lighting in a dark place. Some plant life also benefitted us. The oxygen generators were pretty taxed during the Vortech Wars.”

“And with the new lighting,” helped Lukas, “came a source of vitamin C, essential for us humans.” At that moment, the lights went off. “…Apparently, we need a better power source,” muttered Lukas.

“No, dudes,” called a surfer dude’s voice. “Just rerouting power!” The lights came back on as an R9 Astromech wheeled himself in. “Had a gnarly idea,” continued the Astromech, “that we could route some power from the sensors to the GUUUUNNS!”

“New guys, this is R9-D7, the only Astromech I know of that can speak Basic,” I introduced. “R9, these are the new guys.”

“I think the new guys are already familiar with the most RADICAL Astromech in the multiverse!” boasted R9.

“Remind me of his backstory again?” asked Liam.

“After the Vortech Wars,” I explained, “Vader left him behind. He was stuck on Vorton for a few weeks until X-PO found him. We fixed him up and installed vocal components so we don’t have to guess his beeping.”

“And it’s been awesome ever since!” cheered R9.

“R9,” called Emily, “quick question. How are the defenses going to shoot any invaders WITHOUT the sensors?”

“…Okay, so there ARE some holes in my idea,” conceded R9. “No need to be bugging or anything.”

“We’ll save modifications AFTER this adventure,” I suggested.

“Buzzkill,” muttered R9.

“All right, is everyone here for the briefing?” I asked.

“Wait, where’s Pup-X5?” asked Emmanuel.

“And Lexicon, for that matter,” supplied Sheela.

“We’re here!” called a woman’s voice. A large, gunmetal grey can with an antenna on top came in with a humanoid dog robot walking it. The dog robot was about Snoopy’s height. He detached the leash from the can and petted Kit-10. “Sorry about the wait,” remarked the can, Lexicon, a mobile datastore. “Pup-X5 insisted on getting a bite to eat. How you lot managed to install a stomach that can process food like you do, I’ll never understand.” Pup-X5 rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

“Well, you got here anyways,” I dismissed, “so thank you for coming. Now that we’re all here, X-PO, you may begin.”

“Thank you,” bid X-PO. He started up a PowerPoint with the Gateway. “As many of you know,” he began, “five Tarlaxian Jabarda class scout ships were deployed to scout for potential universes in case the Omega Protocols needed to be deployed again.”

“A future Tarlax 15?” quizzed Wyldstyle.

“Indeed,” confirmed Scorpainia. “I would have called you lot a little later, but SOMEONE decided to force the issue!” She glared at X-PO.

“We’ll turn him into a coffee maker later,” I joked.

“Thanks,” snarked X-PO. “Anyway, in the most recent logs, I discovered that they were going near five universes containing the Sources.”

“What IS a Source?” I asked.

“In this instance,” interjected Famine as she paused her snacking, “it’s the source of an aspect the five of us Horsemen represent. Each looks like a crystal ball, about the size of a human’s head, in our colors. Mine’s yellow, Pestilence’s green, Death’s blue, War’s orange, and Lacey inherited the purple one of Chaos.”

“Chaos?” I muttered.

“An apocalypse IS rather chaotic,” replied Lacey. “Besides, chaos is common when life exists.”

“Fair point,” I conceded.

“Does that mean we should call Lacey ‘Chaos’ instead?” asked Richard.

“Please, no!” groaned Lacey.

“Focus, please!” snapped X-PO.

“The Source Universes?” muttered Scorpainia. “What were they doing near there? They’re WAY too close to Foundation Prime. Besides, we’ve long established that they were inhabited.”

“We always look for universes with no life aside from plants on ANY of that universe’s planets,” supplied Sludgiona.

“What are the universes’ identifier strings?” I quizzed.

“5-P-L-4-T-0-0-N, D-1-5-N-3-Y, 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0, T-3-4-M-F-0-R-T-R-3-5-5-2, and 5-4-1-L-0-R-M-0-0-N,” replied Discornia.

“So, Splatoon, Disney, Super Mario, Team Fortress 2, and Sailor Moon,” I guessed.

“Bingo,” answered Death. “Splatoon hold my Source because they’ve invented a way to circumvent death in a weapon-using sport, Disney holds War’s as it’s very peaceful, given the chaos it usually brings, Super Mario has a cure for all, so it hides Pestilence’s Source, Team Fortress 2’s inhabitants don’t get hungry, so Famine could hide her Source there, and Sailor Moon brings order, so Lacey’s Source is safe.”

“So, the opposite aspects of your sources hides them,” I theorized.

“Exactly,” grunted War.

“But, as her Majesty asked, what were those ships doing there?” quizzed Technarain. “Their courses shouldn’t have taken them anywhere NEAR those universes.” Turretorg shuffled his feet. It’s not a quiet shuffle, given what his feet are made of.

“Turretorg,” hissed Scorpainia, “is there something you want to share with us?” No response. “Turretorg,” growled Scorpainia.

“I…I’m not at liberty to say,” stammered Turretorg.

“Not even to me?” snarled Scorpainia.

“…Sorry, but not even to you,” sighed Turretorg.

“That leaves us at liberty to speculate,” remarked Liam. He turned to Scorpainia. “You said they were near Foundation Prime, right?”

“They are,” confirmed Scorpainia. “As to why, I’ll let Death explain.”

“The Sources constantly project a barrier around Foundation Prime so no one, not even the Horsemen, could get to it,” explained Death. “However, if you’re clever enough you could find a chink in that barrier and get into Foundation Prime.”

“Vortech used me to that end,” remarked X-PO. “That’s how I got you guys into it.”

“So, when Vortech was beaten,” continued Death, “we reforged the barrier and shored up any flaws we could find. As such, using all five sources on the barrier will cause it to crumble and people could freely enter and exit Foundation Prime, restoring that square Vortech used to control the multiverse and bending it to their whims.”

“And, given the power we witnessed,” I guessed, “you didn’t WANT people to freely enter and exit that universe.”

“Exactly,” confirmed Death. “With all that in mind, those universes would make rather good defensive positions.”

“Hoping to control those universes?” Scorpainia asked Turretorg.

“Your Majesty,” sighed Turretorg, “I hope you’re not naïve enough to believe the Tarlaxian Senate DIDN’T want to use those universes.”

“No,” replied Scorpainia, “but I’m a little ticked that neither you nor the Senate brought the concern to my attention!”

“And?” quizzed Turretorg.

“And, if you didn’t tell her or your wife THAT,” hissed Moon-kyung as she nodded towards Discornia, “it makes us rather worried what ELSE you kept from her, or US, for that matter.”

“There wasn’t anything else to tell!” snarled Turretorg. “Their mission was to scout out potential universes in case the Omega Protocols were needed again. Yes, it WAS possible that they would pass by those universes. So, the Senate made it a secret parameter of said mission that, should they not find a threat to the Sources, they would gather data and intelligence relating to a defensive position to surround Foundation Prime. That is all!”

“It seems like a restructuring of the Senate is in order!” snarled Scorpainia. “I’d rather know about their concerns!”

“Well, from what I’ve picked up from a stray transmission,” interjected X-PO, “the crews of those ships weren’t too happy about that secret parameter either. Here’s something I picked up from the ship near 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0.” He played a video of an apartment with three Tarlaxians in it.

“Wait, I thought you said that it’s from a scout ship,” recalled Richard. “That looks like Linkara’s old apartment.”

“With the stuff he had, too,” muttered Livia.

“My doing,” answered Technarain. “I heard about nerds in that universe turning a house into a spaceship, so I wanted to get a good look at any potential bridge designs. Linkara’s old apartment seemed like a more functional choice. He seemed okay with it.”

“If we could continue?!” grunted War.

“Thank you,” bid X-PO. He started the video. A two-headed, six-armed woman in a glossy, black exoskeleton, a spider’s rear end above her butt, eight eyes in a ring on each head with the two largest ones in the center, and claws on her fingers was at a workstation. The annotations identified her as Spidarachnimpa. A woman with a skirt that looked like a snail’s foot sat on Spidarachnimpa’s left. She had a snail’s antennae in place of her eyes, a snail’s shell, and secreted slime all over her body. It didn’t seem to affect her workstation. An annotation called her Escargripam. In the kitchen was a Tarlaxian man with a humanoid body shape, a skirt of eight octopus tentacles, a ring of eight tentacles around his shoulders, and the head of an octopus with a beak where a human’s mouth should be. He was called Octorpindar. Spidarachnimpa’s left head spoke into a communicator.

“This is the scout ship, Tranzek,” she called. “We have just entered Mushroom World territory and are ready to carry out our assignment. All lights are orange. No sign of any problems. We look forward to hearing from you in an hour. Tranzek out.” She switched the comms off.

“I still can’t believe it!” griped Octorpindar. “I mean, a year of planning this venture, three months to get to the universe we’re supposed to be at, then, just a few days before we get there, Tarlax calls saying, ‘Hey! Can you deviate from your flight plan by about 2 more months and check out a universe near Foundation Prime that holds Pestilence’s Source?’ I mean…!”

“Steady on, Octorpindar,” interjected Spidarachnimpa’s right head.

“We knew this was a possibility,” continued her left head.

“Yeah, but,” grumbled Octorpindar, “they didn’t need to wait until practically the last minute to tell us! I mean if we manage to encounter Vortech’s prison…!”

“We won’t!” countered Spidarachnimpa’s left head. “We’ll be moving in parallel to the loop pattern and matching the velocity of the rift loop.”

“Plus we have automatic sealants,” continued her right head, “to take care of any pinpricks in this baby’s hull should any debris be caught in the rift loop’s orbit and flung at us.”

“I wish I shared your confidence,” remarked Octorpindar as he grabbed a sandwich from the fridge.

“Don’t worry about it, dude,” remarked Escargripam. “We’re not gonna find anything. I mean, the Doctor…”

“The Doctor!” interrupted Octorpindar. “There’s a Gallifreyan that is THAT arrogant to think they can heal their…!”

“The Doctor had practically tied Vortech’s prison into a pretty little bow!” continued Escargripam. “He’s stuck!”

“If he manages to wiggle out…!” protested Octorpindar.

“I think somebody’s a little cranky this morning,” remarked Spidarachnimpa’s left head as both turned to him.

“Somebody needs to sit in the comfy chair,” continued the right head. She tapped the unoccupied console as Octorpindar rolled his eyes. He entered the living room and sat down at the console. He looked around the apartment-bridge and sighed.

“This will never NOT be weird,” he muttered.

“We’ve been doing this for practically all our lives,” groaned Escargripam, “and you choose NOW to complain?!”

“We’re sitting in an apartment that once belonged to some nerd!” complained Octorpindar.

“We are sitting,” both of Spidarachnimpa’s heads snarled in unison, “on the bridge of the most advanced scout ship and we’re ready to make history! Now, I don’t care if it happens in a toilet stall or a nerd’s basement dwelling, as long as it gets us there and gets us home! So, put on your grown-up explorer boots and give me a read-out on engine consumption!”

“Sorry, sorry,” sighed Octorpindar as he checked his station. “Engine consumption’s nominal. Look, I’m just saying the multiverse can get crazy and weird.”

“Better weird than boring,” remarked Escargripam. She checked her station’s readings. “We’re approaching the Source Universe. Should be smooth sailing.”

“Belay that thought,” interjected Spidarachnimpa’s left head.

“Why?” quizzed Escargripam.

“I’m detecting a power signature out there,” reported Spidarachnimpa’s right head. They all looked at the reading on her console.

“How can anything have power this far out?” muttered Escargripam.

“Well, let’s find out,” replied Spidarachnimpa’s right head. “It’s about 170 cm in length, 89 cm in width, and…and coming at us in an attack vector!!” At this point, both heads were speaking in unison. “Hard about! Raise the…!” The ship lurched and tossed the Tarlaxian crew over their consoles. An explosion made the video end in static. We stood there in silence.

“…Are they…?” gulped Emmanuel.

“We’re STILL getting bio-signs,” replied Technarain, “so I don’t think so.”

“Now we REALLY need to rescue them,” I declared. “I had already decided to split us up into teams according to After Academy house, but I think a Keystone Bearer on each team would help.”

“And a Tarlaxian on each team,” interjected Scorpainia.

“And a robot,” called Kit-10.

“All right, then let’s get organized,” I affirmed. The teams went like so: Death, Haitao, Livia, Sheela, Colleen, Sophie, X-PO, Turretorg, and myself would go to 5-P-L-4-T-0-0-N to check on her Source, War, Gandalf, Michael, Hiroki, Irina, Alesandro, Charline, Kit-10, and Discornia would go to D-1-5-N-3-Y to check that Source’s status, Pestilence, Hongo, Emily, Mikhail, Tanisha, Liam, Amelia, R9-D7, and Scorpainia would use the Virginia to go to 5-U-P-3-R-M-4-R-1-0 and use its sensors to check that Source out, Famine, Wyldstyle, Richard, Emmanuel, Xiomara, Victor, Brenden, Pup-X5, and Technarain will confirm the Source’s condition in T-3-4-M-F-0-R-T-R-3-5-5-2, and Lacey, Batman, Joshua, Lukas, Tonje, Moon-kyung, Flora, Lexicon, and Sludgiona would check out 5-4-1-L-0-R-M-0-0-N for her Source. “Are the team assignments clear?” I asked. Everyone replied yes. “Then let’s hit the hay for now,” I declared. “It’s late at night and I don’t want anyone fighting their own fatigue on top of fighting whoever’s behind this.”

“Sleep sounds heavenly right now,” muttered Moon-kyung. We all retired to our rooms and hit the sack.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Movie Chapters

Chapter 25

“First Rusty, now our magic users!” I grumbled on the last day of the trial.

“I thought Elkrandek was supposed to be better than that!” griped Richard.

“This is the last day of the trial,” replied Edgeworth. “We need to press on.”

“The trial’s about to begin,” called the Bailiff.

“Here we go,” I muttered. We entered the courtroom to hear the chatter of the audience.

“All rise for the Honorable Judge Legowltor!” called the Bailiff as Legowltor entered the courtroom.

“Please, be seated,” he directed. As we sat, he banged the gavel. “Court will now reconvene for the trial of the Experimental Portal Operator. This WILL be the last day as we need answers NOW.”

“The Prosecution is ready, Your Honor,” declared Edgeworth.

“The Defense is ready, Your Honor,” answered Elkrandek.

“The Prosecution will give their opening statement,” directed Legowltor.

“We all remember what caused a stir yesterday,” began Edgeworth. “The Defense claimed that magic had influenced the Defendant over time. The Prosecution is more than willing to disprove that theory.”

“Defense, your rebuttal?” requested Legowltor.

“Your Honor, we have examined the Defendant,” answered Elkrandek. “It looks like there was a crack in his power source’s shielding. Even if the Prosecution can prove that the F.N.S’ magic users were as responsible as they claim, that still doesn’t prove that magic didn’t affect my client!”

“Objection!” called Edgeworth. “Your Honor, there IS a way to disprove the Defense’s theory.”

“Oh, this I gotta hear,” grumbled Elkrandek.

“We’ve examined all of Vorton and tested every member for stray magic,” continued Edgeworth. “One of the officers during the examination mentioned the crack in X-PO’s power source shielding, confusing Ms. Saunders and a Mr. Lukas Ackermann as they were being examined.” Elkrandek arched an eyebrow. “After obtaining a warrant from the police, the two gave us the Defendant’s examination records. They were verified, so we can easily confirm this is true. The most recent record was a few minutes after Ms. Saunders’ team returned from retrieving the Source of Pestilence. The Prosecution can assure this court that the Defendant had no crack in his shielding during that examination! Therefore, there is no possible way that magic has affected the Defendant!”

“Objection!” called Elkrandek. “Your Honor, my client has told me otherwise and gave me a copy of those records!”

“Then they must be forged by your client to cover his tracks!” argued Edgeworth.

“The copy my client has given me was verified by the police, just like the Prosecution’s copy!” countered Elkrandek. “It was deemed correct!” That caused a stir, us witnesses added to the chatter.

“ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT!” bellowed Legowltor as he banged his gavel. “How can both copies be correct?!”

“Your Honor, the Prosecution requests that both copies be examined!” called Edgeworth.

“The Defense has no objections to that! I want to find out myself! I hope the records are given maximum scrutiny!” agreed Elkrandek.

“If I recollect,” mused Legowltor, “that will take some time.”

“Plenty of time for us to hear the last Witnesses and the Defendant,” replied Edgeworth.

“Very well,” affirmed Legowltor. “Bailiff, give both records to the investigators at once! Maximum scrutiny!”

“At once, Your Honor!” replied the Bailiff as he hurried off with both records.

“Now, while that’s going on,” rumbled Legowltor, “we shall hear from the last Witnesses.”

“We shall start with the first ally the F.N.S has made,” began Edgeworth. Hongo took the stand. “State your name and occupation for the Court Record.”

“Takeshi Hongo,” introduced Hongo. “I am a hero that fights against Shocker as the first Kamen Rider.”

“Would you please tell the Court what your relationship with the Defendant was like?” asked Edgeworth.

“It began much like Gandalf and Batman’s,” testified Hongo. “The F.N.S appeared as one of my friends was kidnapped by Vortech. Although, in my case, it was through his agent at the time; Adachi Hiro, a former member of Shocker, now head of the multiversal terrorist organization, Shocker Rift. I was chosen to aid the F.N.S in their fight against Vortech, but I was never told about how dangerous Vortech was. When it finally came to light what X-PO was trying to do, well, we all saw what happened on the first day. I will admit, I allowed my pride to get in the way during the start of the Vortech Wars.”

“Your witness,” directed Edgeworth to Elkrandek.

“Takeshi-san,” began Elkrandek, “you said that you have allowed your pride to get in the way during the start of the Vortech Wars.”

“I did,” confirmed Hongo. “Much like Megumi, I didn’t tell my allies why my friend was important to me. You see, he’s the second Kamen Rider, altered by Shocker in the same manner as me.”

“And X-PO did not display any signs of chronic manipulation?” asked Edgeworth.

“Objection!” Elkrandek shouted.

“Now what?!” groaned Edgeworth.

“Your Honor, it is clear to me,” answered Elkrandek, “that the Prosecution is trying to lead the Witness!”

“Objection sustained,” replied Legowltor. “Mr. Edgeworth, this IS Elkrandek’s cross-examination period.”

“Very well,” sighed Edgeworth.

“Takeshi-san, when you were picked up by X-PO to fight against Vortech,” inquired Elkrandek, “were you aware that X-PO was trying to save the multiverse?”

“We all were,” replied Hongo, “but I saw no evidence that he was a manipulator!”

“If you saw no evidence, then why this shameless attack on my client’s good name?!” demanded Elkrandek.

“Hardly shameless if there’s been evidence that he’s been manipulating us these past few days!” shouted Hongo.

“Perhaps in your eyes, but not in the eyes of…!” replied Elkrandek.

“Objection!” called Edgeworth. “Your Honor, the Defense is trying to provoke an emotional reaction from the Witness! It is an attempt to influence an intelligent, broad-minded, and most intellectual jury!”

“Objection sustained,” replied Legowltor. “Mr. Elkrandek, provoking emotional reactions is not a welcome action in these proceedings.”

“I apologize,” answered Elkrandek. “No further questions, Your Honor.” Hongo sat back down with us.

“Your Honor, I would like to call a woman that has more than enough reason to base a verdict on the Defendant,” declared Edgeworth. That was Wyldstyle’s cue. She took the Stand. “Your name and occupation for the Court Record,” he directed.

“Wyldstyle,” she introduced. “Master Builder and teacher at the new Master Builder Academy.”

“A Master Builder?” asked Legowltor. “It is said you can create anything out of anything.”

“Would the Court mind a demonstration?” offered Wyldstyle.

“By all means,” replied Legowltor. Wyldstyle then used the Witness Stand, the gavel, and the Prosecutor and Defense’s respective benches to make a mini-gun like the Heavy’s! “Okay, that is quite the demonstration,” mused Legowltor. “Now, one simple request.”

“Yes, Your Honor?” asked Wyldstyle.

“Give me my gavel back!” hissed Legowltor. “In fact, put all of the materials back!” Wyldstyle did so and grinned nervously. “All right, perhaps we can continue,” muttered Legowltor.

“Ms. Wyldstyle,” requested Edgeworth, “kindly tell us your relationship with the Defendant.” Testimony time.

“To be honest,” answered Wyldstyle, “there’s not much to tell. I never really trusted him. The way he held a snarky attitude over us, it kind of put me off of interacting with him. I thought, as the years went by, that was just his way of showing friendship. After what I’ve heard before today, though, I can’t say as I see him in a positive light. Why would he hide anything from us?”

“A valid question,” replied Edgeworth, “one that will be answered today. Elkrandek, your Witness.”

“Ms. Wyldstyle, you asked why my client would hide anything from you,” recalled Elkrandek. “Tell me, aren’t you also guilty of hiding something? Your real name, Lucy, perhaps?”

“Objection!” called Edgeworth. “What the Witness prefers to call herself has no bearing on these proceedings!”

“Objection sustained,” answered Legowltor. “She is known throughout the multiverse as Wyldstyle, so she will be addressed as such here.”

“Thanks, Mr. Court!” cheered Wyldstyle. She instantly winced when she realized what she said.

“…Kindly address this Court as ‘Your Honor’!” hissed Legowltor.

“Yes, Your Honor!” gulped Wyldstyle.

“…No further questions,” muttered Elkrandek.

“That leaves only one last witness,” declared Edgeworth. Richard and Wyldstyle swapped places. “Your name and occupation for the Court Record, please,” directed Edgeworth.

“Richard Saunders,” began Richard. “Freshman at After Academy and Anchorman for the Multiversal News Network.”

“Saunders?” asked Legowltor. “Are you related to Emily Saunders?”

“I’m her twin,” replied Richard.

“Ah, twins,” mused Legowltor. “I remember my twin brother very fondly. Thick as thieves, we were. But, then again, that has no relevance to these proceedings.”

“Mr. Saunders,” inquired Edgeworth, “what, exactly, is your role in the F.N.S?”

“I’m third in command at the moment,” answered Richard. “Although, that may change when I marry Megumi.”

“As being part of the Chain of Command, you must have had some interaction with the Defendant,” replied Edgeworth. “Please tell the Court how these interactions went.”

“They usually centered around developing strategies against our enemies,” testified Richard. “We would discuss defenses for Vorton, which DID help us in some measure against Shocker Rift and allowed us all to survive their siege. After the Vortech Wars, though, our contact fizzled out. There wasn’t much for us to talk about since we moved to After Academy.” Elkrandek arched an eyebrow.

“Your Witness,” declared Edgeworth.

“Mr. Saunders,” inquired Elkrandek, “by your last statement, this court can assume that the F.N.S is living on campus at After Academy?”

“This court would be right,” replied Richard.

“Then I think the reason has been made clear,” chuckled Elkrandek. “Your Honor, the Defense postulates that my client was abandoned by the F.N.S! As the Witness had proclaimed, my client’s contact with the F.N.S fizzled out! If he’s so valuable to you, then why did you not bring him with you to After Academy?!”

“Objection!” called Edgeworth. “You Honor, the Defense has forgotten a certain passage from the first day of these proceedings!”

“What passage is that?” asked Legowltor.

“It comes from Batman’s recording,” explained Edgeworth. “Let me remind the Court that it has been verified and declared free of tampering. Alesandro was referring to the Defendant’s reasons for doing what he did. The quote is as follows: ‘You gathered us here with a lie from long ago! You decided to play the long game with us and waited for some grand adventure! We’ve sent you numerous invitations for those things you mentioned. If you REALLY wanted to continue feeling that, then you would have accepted them!’ Those last two sentences are most important! It can easily be presumed that the F.N.S had been trying to reestablish contact with the Defendant for some time before their recent adventure! The Prosecution postulates that the Defendant chose to stay on Vorton and was the culprit behind severing communications!”

“Objection!” called Elkrandek. “Your Honor, we have no proof that the Defendant chose to remain behind! We could just as easily assume that the F.N.S imposed that loneliness onto him!”

“Then there is only one way to settle this,” declared Edgeworth. “We have yet to hear from the Defendant.”

“Agreed!” replied Elkrandek. “His testimony will close this case once and for all!”

“Then the Defendant will take the Stand,” instructed Legowltor. Richard sat down as X-PO hovered to the Stand. “Your name and occupation, please,” directed Legowltor.

“The Experimental Portal Operator,” introduced X-PO, “better known as X-PO. As my full name suggests, I’m the main operator of the Vorton Gateway.”

“Mr. X-PO, did you actually receive the invitations for social interaction with the F.N.S?” asked Edgeworth.

“I did, but I was too busy finding Shocker Rift to respond to them,” replied X-PO.

“Could you explain that?” asked Elkrandek.

“Happily,” answered X-PO. “Near the end of the Vortech Wars, Shocker Rift fled Vortech’s company when he gathered the Foundation Elements. We split up to cover more areas of search, since After Academy offers more in terms of multiversal travel. I am best suited for monitoring the Gateway. As per our arrangement, they would contact me and report to me if they found anything. Unfortunately, as Richard mentioned, our contact had dried up. I’m still trying to fathom why.”

“Isolation can make a person do many odd things,” mused Edgeworth. “Perhaps…”

“Objection!” called Elkrandek. “Your Honor, the Defendant just left a glaring contradiction!”

“…Your own client?” muttered Legowltor.

“My client had told me,” explained Elkrandek, “that the Gateway is the most advanced form of multiversal travel, not even After Academy can boast anything more.”

“He told us that too!” I interjected.

“But…but he just said that After Academy offers more in terms of multiversal travel!” spluttered Legowltor.

“My point exactly!” replied Elkrandek. “Mr. X-PO, I trust you’re not committing perjury!”

“If I could explain that statement,” answered X-PO hotly, “you’ll find that I did NOT commit perjury!”

“Perhaps you should,” rumbled Legowltor.

“After Academy may have more ways in terms of passage to other universes,” explained X-PO, “but none of those ways are as advanced as the Vorton Gateway. Not even the Virginia can boast the kind of computer the Gateway has. As someone who was, quite literally, bonded to the Gateway for a time, I can easily say that nothing compares to the Gateway.”

“Hold it!” called Elkrandek. “What do you mean by being bonded to the Gateway?”

“After Vortech found me out,” replied X-PO, “I returned, in pieces to Vorton. I still had some control over the pieces, so I managed to attach those pieces to the Gateway seamlessly.”

“Objection!” answered Edgeworth. “Seamlessly? That is NOT what I heard from Megumi! Did the Gateway not collapse the instant the F.N.S and their allies arrived on Vorton?”

“What’s your point with that?” asked X-PO.

“Megumi, kindly explain what you did the instant you arrived,” directed Edgeworth.

“After learning how the prototype Vortex Drivers gave us armor based on certain people,” I explained, “we all got to work in rebuilding the Gateway. However, it was still a bit shaky, and I mean that in the literal sense, because the Keystones were sent to different universes. We got the Shift Keystone first from Elphaba in Oz.”

“I can vouch for that,” replied Elphaba.

“So, in other words, not as stable as you claimed!” answered Elkrandek as he pointed to X-PO.

“Well you can hardly find any other stable means of multiversal travel!” argued X-PO.

“Objection!” replied Elkrandek.

“Now what?!” snarled X-PO.

“Mr. X-PO, were you not the one who suggested to Vortoranii, the Queen of Vorton in its heyday, that giving the plans of the Gateway would make multiversal travel easier?” asked Elkrandek. “Did we not use such a minor Gateway to get here?”

“The point still stands,” countered X-PO, “that Gateway travel is more stable!”

“So why were you not open about things, hm?” quizzed Legowltor.

“Because that’s what cost us Vorton, okay?!” snapped X-PO. Just then, the bailiff entered the Courtroom, glaring daggers at X-PO.

“You lying, cheating, spying, two-faced…!” he snarled at the robot.

“Bailiff, the results, please?” interjected Legowltor.

“I’m afraid Elkrandek was lied to,” sighed the Bailiff. “The crack in X-PO’s shielding only occurred after yesterday’s proceedings.”

“Wh…WHAAAAT?!” squawked Elkrandek.

“Mr. X-PO, you lied to your own lawyer?!” boomed Legowltor. “You made him present forged evidence in my court?! That says a thing or two about your ability to trust other people!”

“No…you need…I mean, I…” X-PO was floundering. “…I…I………”

“…X-PO?” I asked, a little uncomfortable at the silence.

“………rrrrrrrrRRRRRRAAGAAGHAAHGAAHHHH!” X-PO’s roar of anger and subsequent rant still haunts me to this very day. “I trusted Vortoranii to keep Vorton intact and now it’s just three rocks in space with life support! I trusted Vortech to be sensible with the Foundation Elements and he still gathered them! I trusted the F.N.S to keep to the mission and they got distracted by side quests! I trusted Elkrandek to get me out of this mess and he turns on me! This all proves one thing; trust is only going to get you killed in the long run! I was right when I first came online! Everyone and everything is just the means to an end!”

“…The jury will now deliberate on the Defendant’s innocence or guilt,” declared Legowltor. “Unless there are any objections?”

“None, Your Honor,” grumbled Elkrandek, the truth stinging him horribly.

“No objections, Your Honor,” replied Edgeworth. As the 12 Cendeberons floated off to debate their decision, Elkrandek spoke to X-PO.

“You DO have the chance to change your plea,” he advised.

“I did it out of necessity,” X-PO replied obstinately. “The Cendeberons will understand that.”

“I somehow doubt that,” sighed Elkrandek.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 76

“Okay, where’s this a.i you need repairing?” asked Twelve once we finished our story.

“Here,” replied GLaDOS. “I have a morality core that needs uninstalling.”

“Nice try,” commented Thirteen.

“He’s over here,” explained Lukas as he and Sento wheeled X-PO’s body in on a stretcher. “Can you help us fix him?”

“No problem,” replied Ten. “K-9 used to do this all the time.”

X-PO’s repairs were taking a while. The Special Weapons Dalek, Ab, was guarding the door, moving his gun back and forth to ward us off. “What’s the deal with that Dalek?” I muttered.

“It is a Special Weapons Dalek,” said Tetley the Dalek as he served tea. I accepted a cup.

“You seem to get twitchy whenever you look at Ab,” I observed.

“All Daleks do,” explained Rusty as she approached us. “Special Weapons Daleks are usually categorized as insane, especially by those that created them. I was one such Dalek, during the Dalek Civil War, between the Renegades and the Davros loyal Imperials.”

“The Daleks had a civil war?” I asked.

“And guess what it was about?” quizzed Rusty.

“Genetics?” I guessed.

“Exactly,” confirmed Rusty. “Both factions hated each other’s chromosomes. I was one of the developers of the Special Weapons Dalek in the Imperial Faction. Davros himself decreed its creation. Only Daleks in the Scientific Division were aware of its development. It was designed to have only one function: extermination.”

“Hence, why it has no plunger arm,” I guessed.

“Right again,” confirmed Rusty. “Its first act of destruction was the annihilation of the original Renegade Faction, those that didn’t escape Skaro. It destroyed to order, but…”

“…But?” I invited.

“But,” continued Rusty, “as it fired, the first backwash of radiation ravaged its body and mind. Every time it’s fought, its chromosomes alter. It became, no, it IS twisted and insane!”

“Your experiments,” argued Tetley, “were successful. It was with the aid of the Special Weapons Dalek that the Renegade Emperor and his retinue were destroyed in their control room. It has served in all crucial campaigns: Pa Jass-Gutrik, the war of vengeance against the Movellans; Pa Jaski-Thal, the liquidation war against the Thals; and Pa Jass-Vortan, the time campaign, the war to end all wars.”

“Yes, and,” countered Rusty, “each time, it has become more uncontrollable. We of that original Scientific Division simply dubbed it the Abomination, hence why it’s called Ab.”

“I am aware of that designation,” replied Ab as his gun pointed at Rusty.

“Point it elsewhere,” I commanded. “I’m not having another Dalek Civil War. We have bigger problems than that.”

“I obey,” responded Ab. Rusty released a sigh of relief. Just then, a voice came into our ears that filled our hearts with joy! It was X-PO’s voice!

“Awesome! Well done!” called X-PO from the room. He and his repair crew joined us and I gave him a huge hug.

“Easy on the shell!” warned the Doctor. “He’s not as able to handle stress as he once was!” I released him and contented myself with some tea. Batman had coffee and dunked a doughnut in it.

“GLaDOS,” he rasped, “have you figured out a safe way to get us back to Foundation Prime?”

“Yes,” replied GLaDOS. “Do not concern yourself. There is zero chance of my being harmed.”

“What does it matter?” asked Gandalf. “Lord Vortech controls the very fabric of all worlds! He’s invulnerable!”

“What if he wasn’t IN a world?” I asked. “Remember when he trapped us?”

“Oh, what’s good for the goose,” replied Seven, “is good for the schoolboy, eh?”

“Gander,” corrected Death. “And it could work.”

“Hold on a sec,” interrupted X-PO, “you’re talking about trapping Lord Vortech in a rift loop?”

“It’d have to be flawless though,” remarked Twelve. “Not like that shoddy one I rescued you lot from.”

“Can you do it?” I asked.

“I’m the Doctor!” replied Thirteen. “And you’ve got a lot of me and a brilliant technical staff. We might be able to.”

“Was it four or five sugars, Doctor?” asked Tetley as he brought more tea.

“I recommend we stop shillyshallying,” remarked One, “and get on with the calculations.”

“Okay, we’ll keep Vortech busy,” I said. “Riders, those that have them, final form time. We’re gonna need all the power we can muster.” Everyone took out their respective transformation trinkets while Hongo struck his pose.

“Rider…” he began.

“Henshin!” we all finished.

“A-MA-ZON!” called Daisuke as he became Amazon.

“Charge Up!” announced Stronger. The S on his chest spun and he gained silver trim. Kabuto then grabbed the Hyper Zecter out of thin air again

“Hyper cast off!” he called

“Hyper cast off!” called the Zecter. The horn got bigger and his armor got bulkier. “Change Hyper Beetle!” called the Zecter.

“Climax Form!” called Den-O’s phone as he attached it and the Imagin piled on. Kiva inserted another whistle, fuestle, I mean, and summoned a dragon that could fit on his forearm.

“Tension Fortissimo!” called the dragon as it broke the chains on Kiva’s shoulders and leg, allowing a cape to unfurl, his armor became gold, his eyes went red, and a small crown appeared between the eyes. “Henshin!” called the dragon as it attached itself to Kiva’s left forearm.

“Kamen Ride: Decade!” called the Decadriver. Once he was ready, Decade took out a phone and slid a card into it, touching it nine times.

“Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O, Kiva!” called the phone. Decade then pressed a button. “Final Kamen Ride: Decade!” He then gained pink eyes and a card on his head while a sash of all final forms lined his shoulders. He placed the pink part onto his right hip and put the phone into the pink part’s usual place

“XTREME!” called the W Driver once it absorbed Phillip and opened up. W became CycloneJoker Xtreme again. OOO used the purple medals and scanned them.

“PTERA! TRICERA! TYRANNO! Putotyrannosaurus!” called the OOO Driver as he utilized the Putotyra Combo. Fourze inserted a new switch where the rocket switch would be.

“Cosmic!” announced the Fourze Driver. He pulled down on the switch’s cover and pressed the button. “Cosmic on!” announced the belt. Fourze’s suit went sky-blue as the numbers of all the Astro-switches appeared on his chest.

“INFINITY, PLEASE!” shouted the WizarDriver. “HI-SUI-FU-DO, BOU-ZABA-BYU-DOGON!” Wizard’s armor was more diamond like.

“Fruit basket!” announced Gaim’s Sengoku Driver. All metal fruits appeared and merged with him as he inserted it into his Lockseed. “Lock open! Kiwami (Extreme) Arms! Dai Dai Dai Dai Shogun!” (Mighty Warlord). Gaim looked more like a silver clad Shogun.

“Drive! Type: Tridoron!” announced the Drive Driver. Drive’s new armor looked more like his car.

“Cho Kaigan: Mugen!” (Infinity) announced the Ghost Driver. Angelic rock music played as it chanted. “Keep Going! Go, Go, Go! Go, Go, Go! Go, Go, Go! Gotta Ghost!” His suit was white with angled shoulder pads and a rainbow horn.

“Hyper Muteki!” (Muteki means Invincible) announced Emu’s Gashat. He then attached it to the side of the Gashat already in his belt. “Docking!” announced the belt. He then pressed the button on top. “Bakkān! (Open!) Muteki! Kagayake! Ryuusei no Gotoku! Ougon no Saikyou Gamer! (Shine bright! Like a true shooting star! The ultimate gamer, clad in gold!) Hyper Muteki Ex-Aid!” His form was similar to mine, but he was all gold and had long hair.

“GACHĀN! Mazaru Up! (Mix it up!)” called Parado’s new Gamer Driver as he opened it. “Akai kobushi tsuyosa! Aoi Puzzle rensa! Aka to ao no kousa! (Red fist strength! Blu puzzle chain! Red and blue crossing!) Perfect Knock Out!” Para-DX was now a mix of red and blue with spiky hair.

“GACHĀN! LEVEL UP!” called Brave’s Gamer Driver as he inserted Taddle Legacy. The jingle sounded a lot like Taddle Quest. “Taddle Rekishi! Mezameru Kishi! (Embrace the legacy! Awaken your chivalry!) Taddle Legacy!”

“Great! All yeah!” said Build’s new yellow and blue, two slot occupying Fullbottle. Build put it into the belt.

“Genius!” it announced. Build then turned the crank and it looped on “Yeah! Yeah!” before asking “ARE YOU READY?!”

“Build up!” ordered Build. His armor was now white as red shaded Fullbottles lined his left eye, his right arm, and his left leg, while blue shaded Fullbottles line the remaining extremities.

“Kanzen Muketsu no Bottle Yarō!” (The Completely Flawless Bottle Guy!) called the belt. “Build Genius! Sugei! Monosugei!” (Amazing! Simply amazing!)

“Dai Super Charge!” My armor bulked and flew off, revealing Kamen Rider Vortex. “Are we ready?!” I called. Everyone cheered. “GLaDOS, the safe path, if you please.” GLaDOS beamed the information into my helmet. “Minna, let’s go! CHARGE!” I opened a path and led us all down the path GLaDOS gave us.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 71

“Look at all the junk!” breathed Guard as we entered the citadel.

“If I didn’t know why Vortech was collecting it all,” mused Battle, “I’d call him a hoarder.”

“There’s just one problem,” remarked Wyldstyle. “Where’s MetalBeard?!” She then remembered. “Oh, and your friends too, of course.”

“I don’t know,” replied Batman. “It’s empty.” He was right. There was nobody there!

“So were the Mines of Moria when I arrived with the Fellowship,” warned Gandalf. “Be on your guard.” Wise words.

“I always am!” declared Batman.

“Is that…the Keyblade?!” I asked.

“It is!” confirmed Sengoku. “How they separated it from Sora, I’ll never know!”

“That’s not all they stole,” called Ichigō. “Look!” We looked up to see a spaceship above us.

“A Prometheus-class starship!” breathed Touché.

“Look at the name and registry!” called Guard. We got a good look. It was NCC-1701-G. The U.S.S. Enterprise-H!

“That name must be a Foundation Element!” I guessed. “How’s Starfleet gonna explain this?!” Someone cleared their throat and we turned to see Lord Vortech sitting on his throne.

“Ah-ah-ah!” he chided. “Those aren’t for you!”

“Vortech, you’re playing with fire!” I warned. “We need to take them back to their respective universes! These ARE for us!”

“No,” replied Vortech as he opened multiple rifts, “THESE are for you!” Vortexons came out of the rifts and charged at us! We defended ourselves.

“What’s the idea with the Vortexons?!” snapped Seeker. We kept them back.

“Why have an army if you have to do everything yourself?” asked Vortech. He summoned a giant gun and fired. “Did you honestly think you could just wander into my palace and steal your friends back?”

“That’s the general idea!” replied Wyldstyle. “Set the prisoners free! You can’t hold them forever!”

“It’s over for you now!” declared Vortech. “Give up, now!”

“Not a chance!” I answered. It was then I realized that Vortech was slowly turning himself into mist! The mist was gathering around us! Thank goodness Arch had a bright idea and swapped i.d. tags. Sento had given us the secrets of his forms while X-PO was making the map. Arch swapped out his i.d. tag for the Build one and selected a form.

“Build HawkGatling Steel!” announced his belt. The Build Driver’s voice then resounded throughout the temple.

“TENKUU NO ABARENBOU!” (The Rampage of the Skies!) it called. “HAWKGATLING! YEAH!” He then fired off multiple rounds from his bow and the mist released us. A fire tornado appeared with Vortech in the center!

“I am one with the elements!” he boasted. “I control them!” He then sent out some fire rings, decreasing the power of the tornado before he was just in a fire shield.

“Gandalf!” I called.

“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of water, Royal!” I then doused the shield. X-PO chose this moment to call us.

“Hey, guys!” he called. “Soooo, this is gonna be a pain, buuuuuut the rift calculations are taking longer than I thought. Use this to keep Lord Vortech preoccupied.” He then opened a rift to give Decade a Rider Card. It had my image on it.

“Minions, deal with these interlopers!” ordered Vortech. More Vortexons appeared and attacked. When we cleared them, Vortech made himself into mist as he summoned that giant gun again. “You cannot hide!” We were snagged again! Decade had managed to turn his book into another configuration and used another card.

“Attack Ride: Blast!” announced the Decadriver. It fired off multiple shots into the mist. The mist yelped in pain as it became an ice tornado. It sent rings out, decreasing its size until it was just Vortech in an ice shield.

“My turn!” declared Decade.

“Element of fire, Decade!” announced Gandalf. As the red aura surrounded him, Decade held up the new card walked up behind me.

“This may tickle a bit,” he warned.

“Eh?” I asked. He then inserted the new card into the Decadriver.

“Final Form Ride: Royal!” it announced. Decade then mimed opening my backside and aaaaaaaAAAAAARRGRHRGHERGHR! My head folded into my chest! My arms raised above my shoulders, sprouting blades and forming a sword! My legs twisted up at the knees, making the handle and cross-guard! I turned into a sword and was in a lot of pain!

“Talk about Targetmasters!” joked Guard. I was in too much pain to ask. I then heard the Decadriver say something else.

“Final Attack Ride: R-R-R-Royal!” it called. I then felt fire go up my arms and I felt myself being swung downwards! I then unfolded back into my human shape, my pain subsiding. I walked up to Decade and slapped him.

“NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!” I roared. “THAT WAS TOO PAINFUL!” Vortech then tried again.

“I am everywhere!” he boasted as he turned into mist. “I am all powerful!”

“Nope!” called Kämpfer. “Nipping this in the bud!” He fired multiple shots into the mist and it formed Vortech’s fire tornado again. I was still controlling water, so I doused it once the fire rings passed us. We then attacked Vortech, but he knocked us aside with his staff.

“NO! NO! This will not happen! I am Lord Vortech!” shouted Vortech. The rift X-PO created then opened and started sucking Vortech in, but…well, X-PO can explain.

“Ah, the old creating-a-giant-spider-web-to-stop-from-tumbling-into-a-massive-dimensional-rift act!” he mused over the comms. “Megumi, your Keystone! Now, hurry up! The rift won’t be stable for long! Sorry! I’m kind of bad at this! I fell asleep in Dimensional Rift-making Class!”

“I’m sure it will be sufficient, X-PO!” I assured. “Locate Keystone, activate! Initiate rift detection!” I found it. “Identify source of rift!” The information beamed into my head. “Locate help from D-0-C-T-0-R-W-H-0!” A Special Weapons Dalek and a standard Dalek in khaki-green, a Union Jack under its eyestalk, and an army utility belt from WWII.

“I am your soldier!” declared the standard Dalek.

“As am I,” reported the Special Weapons Dalek in a deeper Dalek voice.

“No Daleks!” snapped Battle. “I absolutely draw the line!” I wasn’t about to look a gift-horse in the mouth, though.

“Daleks, can you shoot the web Vortech spun himself?” I quizzed

“We can!” assured the Special Weapons Dalek.

“Do it,” I ordered.

“We obey!” called both Daleks. They took aim and fired! Vortech was about to be sucked in! Then…it happened. He closed the rift behind him and landed on the floor in a superhero landing pose!

“I think this has gone on long enough!” he chuckled as he dusted himself off. That was when his minions grabbed us and restrained us, cancelling our transformations. He then opened rifts to reveal Robin, MetalBeard, Frodo, and Ichimonji!

“BATMAN!” shouted Robin.

“Gandalf!” screamed Frodo.

“Wyldstyle!” called MetalBeard.

“Hongo!” yelled Ichimonji.

“Friendship is a weakness,” boasted Vortech. “You should have just destroyed your Foundation Elements.” He then called up someone. “Hiro, how fares the siege?”

“It fares well!” replied Hiro’s voice. “We’ve found the Element vault and have scuttled Vader’s Star Destroyer!” I then became worried and switched my comms on.

“Anyone! Report!” I shouted.

“Guys, it’s X-PO!” replied the person on the other end. “Vorton’s under attack! It’s times like this when I wish I knew how to fight and not make sarcastic comments!” I then heard a struggle and the Joker’s laugh. A new caller came in.

“This is Rusty!” answered the new caller. “We’ve been overrun! The Elements we have are being taken!”

“Correction,” corrected a voice I loathe, “the Elements you’ve HAD have BEEN taken!” Hiro and his forces had appeared out of a rift and set our Foundation Elements beneath the shield in the floor.

“Here you go, Boss!” called the Joker.

“What did you do to X-PO, Joker?!” demanded Batman.

“I put a smile on his face!” replied the Joker. The Foundation Elements then rose on pillars where they were set and orbited the Enterprise. They made an energy cyclone that went straight to the floor and revealed what was beneath a set of sliding panels.

“BEHOLD!” boomed Vortech as the object came up from beneath the forcefield. “THE FOUNDATION OF ALL DIMENSIONS!” I must say, the end goal was NOT what I expected.

“All this,” muttered Batman, “for a green square?!”

“I think I know what that square is!” answered Richard. We turned to him. “We’re just Legos to Vortech, for him to manipulate as he sees fit! That green square is just the starters kit, the place for him to begin making worlds!” Vortech then landed on the square. Energy coursed through him!

“I can feel everything!” he cried. “Control everything!” Just then, the cages opened and the occupants orbited Vortech!

“Hey!” roared Batman. “Give us back our friends!”

“Oh, don’t worry!” replied Vortech. “The last thing I want to do is…” he then spawned a blob of whatever he was made of, “KEEP YOU APART!” He laughed manically as he tossed the blob into the air.

“What is he doing to them?!” wailed Gandalf.

“He’s insane!” called Wyldstyle. Ichimonji, MetalBeard, Robin, and Frodo made contact with the blob as it enveloped them, combining them and other metals and ligaments into a four-headed, winged, sword wielding, cannon-armed, giant monster!

“The next time we mess up,” asked the Riddler to Hiro, “is he going to do that to us?”

“…Let’s not find out the answer to THAT particular riddle, shall we?” suggested the Joker.

“Vortech, where, exactly, does that monstrosity enter into our plan?” asked Hiro. Vortech then chuckled.

“Your services…are no longer required!” declared Vortech.

“…Kisama!” insulted Ambassador Hell.

“YOU’VE DOUBLE-CROSSED THE WRONG MAN, VORTECH!” bellowed Hiro. “Your current numbers against mine make for bad odds!” He loaded his i.d. tag. “HEN…!” He didn’t get very far as Vortech knocked his former flunkies aside.

“Our numbers cannot overwhelm one like Vortech!” called Davros. “We must withdraw!”

“…All hands, retreat!” ordered Hiro. They fled the citadel as ships scrambled to get Shocker Rift away from Vortech.

“MetalBeard!” wailed Wyldstyle. The monstrosity turned to us.

“We are the Quad!” droned the creature with all four heads.

“Robin, stop!” called Batman.

“There is no Robin,” declared the Quad, “only the Quad!”

“Ichimonji, snap out of it!” called Hongo.

“Ichimonji is nothing but a cog for us, the Quad,” droned the Quad. It swung its sword, but a rift opened beneath us.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as they fled my citadel. “You can’t run forever!” I proclaimed. “Every dimension is mine! And YOURS will be the first to suffer!” I decided to enlarge the scale of my new creature, the Quad. Once it was at the correct height, my order was simple. “Destroy them!” I ordered. “And then, destroy their worlds!” As the Quad flew off, I noticed my pocket was lighter. …NOT AGAIN! Now I’m 115,000 studs lighter!

“That back-stabbing, no-good, piece of…!” I snarled as the ship left Foundation Prime. “I’M the one who’s supposed to betray HIM, not the other way around!”

“Evidently,” remarked Igura, “Vortech’s played us for fools. What are your orders?”

“…Find a dimension far enough away for some breathing room,” I ordered the Dalek at the helm. “We need to regroup.”

“I obey!” obliged the Dalek as it began a search for a suitable dimension.

We arrived at Vorton to see it in ruins. Life support was still on, but most of the equipment was under repairs. Sento was busy trying to fix… “X-PO!” cried Wyldstyle.

“No, not another death!” I wailed.

“What have they done to you?!” called Gandalf.

“I guess,” gasped X-PO, “not everyone loves my care-free approach towards protecting the multiverse. Sorry I couldn’t save your…” his voice-box malfunctioned for a bit. “But, I programmed the Gateway,” he continued. “You must stop the Quad! I think this is the end for me, guys.”

“No, don’t talk like that!” I protested. “We’ve got a whole science team to save you!”

“My tech is beyond a lot of scientists,” argued X-PO. “Megumi, try not to blame yourself. I cannot…” his voice finally faded.

“NO!” wailed Wyldstyle. Flora started hugging Brendan, crying. I stumbled backwards, another loss on my hands.

“What do we do?!” asked Gandalf. I didn’t answer.

“…Megumi?” asked Emily. I wiped my face; my sadness being replaced with anger as I allowed myself to turn into Tora-Onna.

“We save our worlds,” I vowed, “and get our friends back!”

“Yeah!” declared Wyldstyle. “And then, we kick Vortech’s butt!”

“At least I made his pocket lighter,” replied Tsukasa. He pulled out a bag of studs. 115,000 was the total, bringing our total to about 4,361,000.

“Tsukasa, see if you can meet with Kiva,” I requested. “Tell him it’s time to gather the Riders. He’ll know which Riders to get.”

“Got it,” confirmed Tsukasa. Rusty opened a rift for him and he went through.

“Track the Quad,” I ordered Elphaba and the Brigadier. “Give me the coordinates and I’ll get us all there. Minna, we’re going at it in full gear!” Hongo struck his pose, we drew our i.d. tags, the Heralds opened their phones, and the Horsemen got their belts ready.

“Rider…!” began Hongo.

“HENSHIN!” we all announced.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 36

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Not a breaker!” wailed X-PO.

“A what?” asked Emmanuel.

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

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

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

“Don’t feed him!” wailed Emily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh, absolutely not!” I confirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“AH! MY TIPS!” he yelped.

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

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

“You mean studs, right?” I asked.

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

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

“What else is there?” asked Deadpool.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“There’s a money dimension?” I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Excuse me?” I protested.

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

“Yes, Lord Vortech,” I mumbled.

Categories
Kamen Rider Vortex Kamen Rider Vortex Chapters

Chapter 33

We arrived back on Vorton. X-PO and the rest headed towards us. “Did you obtain the Foundation Element?” asked X-PO. Batman handed the Palantír over. “Ah, very nice!” cheered X-PO. “Magic Orb, will our heroes succeed and save all known dimensions from certain doom?” He then shook it as if it were a magic 8 ball. “‘Ask again later’, huh.”

“Alright, X-PO,” rasped Batman, eager to get down to business, “less magic-ball talking, more Foundation Element grabbing. Where to, next?”

“I worry about him sometimes,” whispered Gandalf.

“Batman, we just escaped from fighting the Balrog again,” I protested. “We’re taking a rest.” I then turned to Discornia, only to discover that she wasn’t near us. “Uh, where’s our newly-freed Tarlaxian?” I asked. I then heard giggling to my rear. I turned to see Discornia and Turretorg twirling each other with Turretorg holding Discornia above him. “Never mind,” I remarked.

“It’s so good to see you, Torgy!” giggled Discornia as she was set down. I then realized how much taller she was than Turretorg.

“It does my hearts good to see you again, sweet Corny,” cheered Turretorg.

“Hearts?” I asked, ignoring their pet names for each other.

“Tarlaxians have 4 hearts,” explained X-PO.

“Pardon us for a bit,” excused Discornia, “we have some catching up to do, maybe get a little intimate.” You and I can both guess the subtext there.

“Just…keep the noise down,” I sighed. They headed off.

“Did Tanisha head off on an adventure?” asked Sheela.

“Why, yes,” replied Emily. “To the Portal world. Why?”

“When I used the Locate Keystone,” I explained, “I heard Tanisha tell Wheatley to shut up.”

“So, YOU sucked up the giant turret,” called a familiar Swahili voice. Tanisha arrived through the Gateway with a woman in a ponytail, a white tank top, orange pants, and an orange sweatshirt tied around her waist. She was carrying some sort of white device with a light on top and a three-pronged claw at the front. Wheatley was there as well.

“Ah, there you are!” cheered the annoying ball. “I brought your friend back, all thanks to my ingenious and clever…place finding…thingies.”

“That reminds me,” grumbled Tanisha, “back you go!” She threw Wheatley into the vortex.

“NO! GRAB ME! GRAB ME! GRAB ME!” wailed Wheatley. Too late, the portal had closed.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet the protagonist of the Portal series, Chell,” introduced Tanisha. Chell smiled and bowed.

“You used a hard ‘Ch’,” noted Emily. Chell then made a series of hand movements. I assume it was sign language.

“I hate to say it, Chell,” explained Tanisha, “but as far as I know, only I know sign language.” Chell frowned. “What she said,” Tanisha told us, “was that I told her about our bet, Emily. It IS a hard ‘Ch’.” Emily sat down and pouted comically. She then turned to me.

“You’re smirking!” she observed.

“I do not smirk,” I countered. “But, if I did, this would be a perfect opportunity.”

“How was I supposed to know that Chell’s name was pronounced that way?!” protested Emily. Chell signed again.

“You might have asked,” translated Tanisha, “before mocking Tanisha and allowing her to up the stakes of a simple $10 bet.”

“I didn’t lose that much,” muttered Emily.

“$500,” I remarked, “I hope you have it.

“I have it!” assured Emily. “Well…most of it. Your Highness…”

“No,” I said, guessing her request.

“…Fine, I’ll borrow the money from Joshua,” hissed Emily. “He LIKES me.”

“There’s an interest rate,” reminded Joshua. Emily sighed.

“You can pay me when you have it,” assured Tanisha. “So, your Highness, how did the hunt go?”

“They got the Foundation Element of Middle-Earth,” called Joshua.

“It was the Palantír,” I explained.

“I see you’ve brought Tendō Sōji here,” observed Hiroki.

“And we fought Worms disguised as Orcs,” I continued.

“Worms?” yelped Hiroki. “Sōji-san, I thought you destroyed them all!”

“I thought I did too,” agreed Sōji. “I guess some survived.”

“We also learned something about your sister not even SHE knew,” remembered Hongo. He gave me the floor and I told everyone what went down in Minas Tirith.

“A cyborg of Shocker design? You?” gulped Hiroki.

“That’s troubling,” muttered Emmanuel.

“Is it, really?” quizzed Tanisha.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Hiro became Kamen Rider Rift because of his own alterations, right?” guessed Tanisha. “To do that, he had to adapt to having tiger DNA, right?”

“Right,” I confirmed.

“And you said you had help from Laval, right?” quizzed Tanisha. “I know what series he’s from. Believe it or not, I have his Lego series, Legends of Chima. I’ve also watched the cartoon that came from that. I know Chima like the back of my hand.”

“I’ve also got some of the Lego sets,” interjected Tonje. “I can help too.”

“There’s also a Foundation Element there,” reported X-PO.

“And I know of a wild Kamen Rider,” supplied Hiroki, “from the Showa Era.”

“You mean, Daisuke Yamamoto?” quizzed Hongo.

“Kamen Rider Amazon, himself,” confirmed Hiroki.

“Problem:” interjected X-PO, “we’ve got another Foundation Element in another universe near Chima’s.” I then started planning.

“What does the identifier string call that universe?” I asked.

“J-U-R-4-5-5-1-C-P-4-R-K,” replied X-PO.

“Jurassic Park?!” said Emily, excitedly. “Let me go! Please! Please! Please!” She was as giddy as a child.

“I wanna go too!” pleaded Richard.

“Permit me to go as well,” requested Mikhail.

“I’ll go with Mikhail,” rumbled Irina.

“I must undo the wrong I committed a while ago,” begged Michael. “Let me go there to fix my mistake.” Richard and Mikhail nodded in agreement.

“I’d love to see any marine dinosaurs!” cheered Livia.

“I must admit, I want to see a T-Rex myself,” mused Haitao.

“Then, here’s what we’re going to do,” I decided. “Hongo, you’re to go back to your universe to find Amazon, explain the situation, and then you two are to join me, Batman, Gandalf, Wyldstyle, Tonje, and Tanisha in Chima to find the Foundation Element and to help me unlock my mutant cyborg form, thus getting me closer to becoming Kamen Rider Vortex. Emily, you’re to lead Richard, Mikhail, Irina, Michael, Livia, and Haitao to Jurassic Park to get the Foundation Element there. Hiroki, you are to guard the place with Xiomara, Joshua, Lukas, Sheela, and Emmanuel and help Elphaba, Rusty, and the Brigadier when needed. Sōji, do you wish to stay here for a bit?”

“Unfortunately,” replied Sōji, “I need to get home. I’m still improving my cooking skills in Paris. I must go at once.”

“Then, farewell,” I bid. “I hope to see you soon.”

“Before I go, do you know anything about these?” called Sōji. He revealed a pouch of studs. “I found them in the fields outside Minas Tirith before you arrived.”

“That’s currency for Vorton,” I answered.

“Useless where I’m from, then,” remarked Sōji. “Catch!” I caught it and opened it.

“280,000 studs,” counted Vortoranii. “That makes 1,505,000 studs.”

“Don’t forget mine,” called Tanisha. “I swiped these before Chell and I beat GLaDOS again.” She tossed me a pouch. I opened that one.

“110,000 studs,” counted Vortoranii, “making it 1,615,000 studs in total. We need to spend some of them!”

“Goodbye!” called Sōji. He went through the portal X-PO opened for him.

“Chell, do you want to return home?” I asked. Chell shook her head furiously. “Okay, that’s a no. Alright then, why don’t you two tell us your story?”

“Now, the whole thing is simple,” I explained to the mercenary, “I need you to hunt down my daughter and kill her. She’s proven to be a major irritant to me and my employer. Kill her, and ten billion dollars are yours.”

“Oooh, see,” winced my potential assassin, “there’s a problem with that; I’m not really one to get into blood feuds. I’ve got enough of that back home.”

“There’s also unlimited chimichangas for you,” I offered.

“Oh, twist my arm, why don’t you?” said the man in mock pain. “Well, congrats! You’ve just hired the most awesome merc ever! Toodles!” He sped off to find his prey.

“He’s going to fail,” rumbled Lord Vortech.

“I’m counting on that,” I assured. “Megumi will undoubtedly head for Chima to find the next Foundation Element as well as train up her beast side. That is where I will be with the selected hostages.”

“And what of our new ally?” asked Vortech

“His beast mode should provide him with an edge in the Jurassic Park world,” I elaborated. “Even so, I’m sending Igura there as well. He needs her.”

“Do not come back empty handed,” warned Vortech.

“Me?” I queried. “Don’t know the meaning of the word.”

“Isn’t that TWO words?” asked the Riddler.

“You would know,” I snapped. “Or, did the Palantír in Denethor’s possession turn up?”

“I would have gone back and reclaimed it had YOU not interfered!” snarled the Riddler.

“Why you!” I exclaimed.

“Enough!” boomed Vortech. “Hiro, your interference and boasting to your daughter has caused her to try to find another way to access Kamen Rider Vortex’s power. If she does, you will be held responsible for giving the enemy an advantage.”

“Lord Vortech,” I protested, “I was simply trying to drive her to despair! Being a cyborg of Shocker’s design caused Hongo to loath himself for a while! He overcame that because it was early in his Rider career! Megumi is a child! She should have…!”

“Megumi is not Hongo!” shouted Vortech. “She is inventive, in case you forgot! She has experts of certain dimensions at her beck and call! She WILL find victory out of this! This hostage exchange had better work. If not, and she gets the Foundation Element and the hostages, you will be working under General Zod when we get the Foundation Element of Universe G-H-0-5-T-8-U-5-T-3-R-5-1-9-8-4.”

“…Understood,” I gulped not enjoying the prospect one bit.