Henshin Heroes

by Rex Regum

The world is falling to monsters, but piercing through the desolate warground are the heroes of this world - Kamen Riders. A mild edit from a roleplaying site, kamenriderrpg DOT proboards DOT com

A/N : Okay, this is a just-about-direct adaption of a roleplaying forum known as Henshin Heroes. We have a tropes page at http:/tvtropes.

[DOT]org/pmwiki[SLASH][SLASH]Main/TheForum'sNameWithNoSpaces and the site is at kamenriderrpg[DOT]proboards[DOT]com . Anyways, I'll be archiving the threads like this, in order in the timeline and I have several seasons to go through, so... Yeah. While the site is mainly Kamen Ride there is now an Ultraman in play and several Ranger/Sentai are part of the RP.

Suzie staggered backwards as the thing hit her in the chest, hard. She looked down to make sure she hadn't fallen into one of the muddy puddles around her and then back up at the thing lumbering towards her.

It was a green, hunchbacked, shambling insect, the type that had been chasing her ever since she found that bloody Zecter. The same Zecter that hadn't shown up yet, even though she was waving the trigger around in the air like mad.

"The one time I need you ..." She grimaced as the monster attacked her again.

There was something off about this Worm though, it seemed ... odd, there was something different about how it walked. Suzie took another step back and thrust the Drake Grip into the air. The Worm before her stopped and then changed agai-

Suzie paused and cocked her head to the left, there was something not quite right about how it had changed. It hadn't moulted at all, it had just transformed. Her musings were cut off by the new creature before her (Still a Worm but a stronger one now) picking her up and tossing her over it's head. Suzie cried out as she unceremoniously landed in one of the muddy puddles that took up half the ground.

She looked up again to hear a familiar buzzing coming from the bridge above her, flying over the guardrail, probably after dodging through traffic and cars came the Drake Zecter.

"About time!" She growled holding out the Grip.

The robotic dragonfly obediently circled around her a few times and then came to a rest on the top of her weapon.

"Henshin,"

HENSHIN!

Suzie's armour began to appear around her, leg's, gauntlets, mask, bits of piping after 10 seconds her outfit had formed around her. She sighed angrily and aimed the gun at the "Worm" in front of her. This would take less than a second ...

A man in a longcoat and scarf drove towards the side on his motorcycle. He was watching the events transpire, watching as this woman was wielding a firearm against some sort of monster. What it was, he didn't know. All that mattered was he had to try to help.

"She has this under control." He muttered, getting off the bike and pushing his helmet onto the handlebars, "But I'd better help." He reached into his pocket, removing an elongated ovular device. He ran towards the woman and the monster, pondering what it could be, "Are you...an Imin?" He wondered.

Then he heard her say 'Henshin'. He slowed to a stop.

She wasn't just some woman with a firearm of some sort, she was a Kamen Rider. A female Kamen Rider. Something he had yet to see, or even think about.

"Better make myself known." He said, racing forward, "Henshin!" He slammed his Avon System to his waist, and then span it around, flipping it buttons-up. Light armor began to appear on his body, and then, his thicker armor appeared, covering him completely in gray armor. He took grip of his System, pulled it from his waist, and extended the teal energy blade as he rushed in to assist this woman in need...even if she was a Kamen Rider.

Suzie walked forward, shooting at the worm as she did so and forcing it back, bit by bit. After three or four steps she got close enough to pistol whip it in the face a couple of times and then, push the gun to its chest and fire at point-blank.

The creature staggered backwards and growled, Suzie smiled behind her helmet and pulled back on her Zecter. Parts of her armour began to unlock, and pull away from her body, accompanied by loud clunks and hisses.

"Cas-" She started.

"Henshin!" Someone called.

Suzie stopped and turned her head to the side.

"Wait ... what?" She asked to no one in particular.

She caught a glimpse of someone's face before it and the rest of his body was covered in grey armour. He removed whatever was on his belt, and a flash of blue erupted from the remote control (or whatever it was) as he ran towards them.

Great, now she had to deal with another ZECT agent (what else could he be?) Suzie turned to him and pointed the Henshin Gun towards him.

"Cast Off," She said.

CAST OFF!

She pulled the trigger as hard as she could and the stronger parts of her armour were propelled off towards the grey Kamen Rider and the Worm.

Ren had no idea why this woman would be doing...whatever it was she was doing. She seemed to be attacking him, however, and he couldn't allow himself to be wounded, least of all by another Kamen Rider, someone who should be a comrade.

He rolled under the attack and pressed a button on his Avon System, returning the blade. He pressed the button again, and the bottom snapped out, becoming a handle. He lifted his Avon System, now a firearm, and opened fire on the monster. He kept a wary eye on this other Kamen Rider, though.

The other rider kept his eye on her, Suzie could feel it. He snapped the remote control into some sort of gun and shot at the Worm a couple of times. Now that Suzie had a closer look he didn't look like a ZECT rider.

The legs and arms were different. And he didn't use a Zecter to transform (Suzie suspected he used that remote control thingy he was currently shooting with to Henshin). She'd ask the questions later, now they needed to focus on stopping the Worm.

She aimed her own gun at the Worm and fired several bursts at it before folding up the wings. She looked over to the other rider and nodded in the direction of the Worm.

"Shall we?"

He gestured out with his left arm, curling his fingers out at the Worm, facing his body towards his new partner. He looked in her direction, nodding, "Yes, we shall." He looked at the Worm, "This is the end." He clenched his fist, curling his fingers back in, turning on the balls of his feet and racing forward, returning his firearm to his normal remote.

Power built up around his fist, "Here's my Rider Punch!" He shouted to his partner, "And you?" He skidded in at the Worm, aiming low to avoid a strike.

"Yes, we shall." The grey man said. "This is the end."

He ran forward, Suzie watched as he turned his gun back into a remote control and ran up to the Worm, power building around his hand.

"Here's my Rider Punch!" He shouted "And you?"

As the other rider skidded in low and aimed his fist at the monster before him, Suzie dashed by the monster, folding up her gun as she did so, and skidded to a halt behind him, also aiming low.

"I have this ..." She smiled.

RIDER SHOOTING!

Sparks of blue lightning danced up her right arm and then into the red dot in the middle of her forehead, and then out of that jewel back into the gun, a ball of white and pink energy was built up at the end before Suzie let go of the trigger sending it straight into the monsters back.

Ren's Rider Punch slammed into the front of the Worm. He watched in wonder as the attack from this female Rider slammed into the back of the Worm, bringing it to the ground.

"I'm not familiar with these monsters." Ren said, looking at the Worm, and back to the other Rider, "You any more familiar?" He gestured at it, "Is it downed for good yet?"

Both attacks, the grey guy's punch, and Suzie's blast hit the Worm dead on at the same time and it collapsed.

"I'm not familiar with these monsters." The man said "You any more familiar?"

Sakura looked up at him, if he could see through her visor he'd know that she was shocked.

"S-so ... you aren't with ZECT?" She asked, feeling a bit confused.

"Is it downed for good yet?" He asked.

"... It should be ... they don't normally ... they explode most of the time," She said, squatting down to take a closer look. She poked it a couple of times with her gun and then looked up "Yeah I think it's dea-"

Suzie was suddenly proved wrong when the creature leapt to it's feet and kicked her in the face sending her sprawling to the ground.

"... I could be wrong of course," She growled firing several random shots at this strange invulnerable Worm.

ZECT? That name confused Ren. What was that? He assumed by the way that this gunslinger fought, that yes, she was part of ZECT...whatever that was.

As soon as she was struck back by the creature, he rushed it. He pushed his Avon System onto his waist and slid in low, kicking the Worm in the backs of the knees, bringing it down to its knees. He rolled back, pressing a button on his System.

"Rider Kick!" He shouted, leaping forward, smashing his finishing attack into it's back, throwing it towards the other Rider, right into the blasts that she was firing.

The other rider took his remote and placed it back on his belt, knocked the worm to it's knee's and then leapt at it.

"Rider Kick!"

The Worm that had been kicked across to her was suddenly pelted by several bullets as Suzie kept her finger on the trigger, the creature still kept flying. Suzie touched her belt and swept her fingers over it's buckle

"Clock Up!" She called as everything around her began to slow down.

CLOCK UP!

Still running at full speed she raised her leg and brought it down firmly into the monster's chest. It fell back in slow motion and Suzie ran around it, warping the air around her, another kick in the monsters back, she skidded underneath it and punched it backwards again before finally firing a volley of shots into it where it exploded into ... goo?

CLOCK OVER!

Suzie looked at the pile of blue-ish liquid before her.

"They don't do that ..." She she murmured.

Ren watched in amazement as this other Rider moved at super speeds, unable for him to properly see, other than a blur. As soon as her high-speed onslaught was over, he rushed over at the sight of the goo.

He crouched by it, feeling it with his fingers, then he rose and looked to the other Rider, "First off, my name is Kamen Rider Avon. My given name is Nakamura, Ren. And second...this thing is my specialty. It's not whatever you thought it might have been, rather, it's a shapeshifting slime creature known as an Imin."

The other man felt at the pile of goop. Suzie knelt down and started poking it with her gun, it was very thick and she had to shake the weapon very hard to persuade the substance to ooze off of it.

"First off, my name is Kamen Rider Avon. My given name is Nakamura, Ren. And second...this thing is my specialty. It's not whatever you thought it might have been, rather, it's a shapeshifting slime creature known as an Imin." The ma- Ren told her.

Suzie stood up, he didn't know what a Worm was? So he couldn't be from ZECT ... or was he bluffing? Gah! This was so confusing!

"I'm Kamen Rider Drake but you can call me Jane ..." She paused while she tried to think of a suitable alias "... Austen," Suzie cursed herself for thinking of such a stupid alias, hopefully she hadn't stalled that long.

"So ... what's an Imin?" She asked.

Ren wasn't paying enough attention to catch her hesitation. He simply nodded at her name and Kamen Rider title.

"An Imin is a shapeshifter." He said, rising to stand. He removed the device from his waist and pressed the top two buttons. His armor shattered around him, leaving him un-transformed. His longcoat fell around him. He pushed the device into his pocket and straightened his scarf, "The Imin begin as these slime creatures, like what we're currently looking at. They begin to assimilate others into their mass, including other Imin and people. As they grow in mass, they grow in their ability to shapeshift, becoming more and more powerful with other forms accessible to their new bodies. I'd say this one had to get at least one human due to its size." He closed his eyes and looked down, "Whoever that was is dead now. Dead the moment the Imin got them."

"An Imin is a shapeshifter." Avon told her, he pushed a pair of buttons on the device that he'd taken off his belt and his armour dissipated, Suzie's Zecter decided to follow suite and flew off the grip allowing her armour to fall to disappear, little blue hexagons dropping to her feet. She was able to get a better look at the man now, he was Japanese dressed in a trenchcoat and a blue scarf. Suzie picked up the end of her own Scarf.

"Like the scarf, scarves are cool, more people need scarves," She said, as an utterly pathetic way of making casual conversation.

"The Imin begin as these slime creatures, like what we're currently looking at. They begin to assimilate others into their mass, including other Imin and people. As they grow in mass, they grow in their ability to shapeshift, becoming more and more powerful with other forms accessible to their new bodies. I'd say this one had to get at least one human due to its size." Ren explained.

Sakura glanced at it, that used to be a human ... but now it all looked the same, no blood, no bones just a pile of blue goop. The Imin must have dissolved everything into it, Suzie shivered.

"Whoever that was is dead now. Dead the moment the Imin got them." Ren said, his eyes closed.

"That's horrible," Suzie said, "... What are we going to do about the ... that?" She asked, gesturing to the blue splatter in front of them.

"I don't know." Ren admitted when she asked him what they could do, "I'm going to keep fighting them. They are the reason I can transform. They are the reason why I'm a Kamen Rider." He looked back at his bike, "I'm still looking into the Imin problem." He admitted, "I was heading to find out more information from..."

He didn't say. He didn't think she needed to know everything right away. She evidently had her own problems with 'ZECT', or whatever it was that she had mentioned, as well as whatever the monsters she was fighting were.

"So, what is it that you're fighting, anyway?" He asked, changing the question. Then he got a look at this woman, surprised that she was Caucasian, not Japanese, but he wanted her answer to his question before he would bring up any other questions, wondering why someone non-Japanese, in Japan, would be a Kamen Rider.

"I don't know. I'm going to keep fighting them. They are the reason I can transform. They are the reason why I'm a Kamen Rider." Ren said, taking a look over at his bike.

"So who else is with you?" Suzie asked him, looking at her own bike to make sure it was still there. It was.

"I'm still looking into the Imin problem." He said, bringing her attention back around to him "I was heading to find out more information from..."

Sakura smirked a little "Think before you speak" She thought to herself.

"Go on ..." She urged "I'm still listening,"

"So, what is it that you're fighting, anyway?" He asked her.

Suzie leaned against her bike and sighed.

"Everyone I guess, Worms, ZECT, Neo-ZECT, Fangire, Orphnoch's, Grongi, Dopants ..." She gestured at the blue blob before them, "And by the looks of it, Imin as well," She shrugged her shoulders and started tossing the Drake Grip from her left hand to her right and back again "Anything that tries to kill me basically,"

She looked up at him "Sorry, I'm not really a pool of knowledge, I know that ... thing took the form of something called a Worm to fight us but I don't actually know what the Worm are, I know what they can do, but I don't know what they are," She bit her lip and shrugged again.

"That's fine." Ren said, "I don't have any more information than you do." He thought back on her early questions, "Anyway, I don't have anyone with me. I'm in this fight alone. I have two coworkers...friends...but I'm alone in the fight."

He moved closer to her, "Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, a lot of opponents. I'd might as well pull my weight. I'm going to help you out here. Now that you've at least told me of some of these other foes...there's no reason for me not to fight them."

"That's fine." Ren said, "I don't have any more information than you do."

Suzie smiled at him.

"Anyway, I don't have anyone with me. I'm in this fight alone. I have two coworkers...friends...but I'm alone in the fight." He told her.

Suzie looked up at him, quizzically.

"Coworkers?" If there were only three of them counting Ren, and Ren was the only Kamen Rider they had then it didn't sound like a particularly big organization, was it just three guys in a basement somewhere? "What do you work in? IT?" She asked, only half-joking.

"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, a lot of opponents. I'd might as well pull my weight. I'm going to help you out here. Now that you've at least told me of some of these other foes...there's no reason for me not to fight them." He'd moved a bit towards her, Suzie stood up quickly.

"Yes there is, you'll get killed!" She exclaimed "The only reason that I fight so much shit is because they attack me first! You just take stuff out head on!"

She got on her bike and put on her helmet, but then stopped before she pulled the goggles down. She had no idea why she said what she said next, she didn't even look at Ren while he said it.

"It would ... it would be better if I helped you," She mumbled under her breath.

"Whatever." He said, shrugging at her latest statement, "As long as we're working together, then Japan has a chance to survive." He moved towards his bike and got onto it, pulling his helmet on, "Well, shall we part company now?"

"Whatever." He said with a shrug "As long as we're working together, then Japan has a chance to survive."

"Working together?" Suzie asked as he walked over to his bike "I don't even know who these other two guys are, I don't even know your number," she got up off her Honda and marched towards him "Where do you work? Do you have a girlfriend (do you have a boyfriend?) What are your hobbies? Who the Hell are you?"

"Well, shall we part company now?" He asked.

Suzie turned around and got on her bike.

"Yeah, why not," She muttered, pulling the goggles down over her eyes.

"By the way..." He said, "If you want to know the answers to those questions, I'll give you them."

Sakura stopped and looked over at him.

"Go on then ..." She said.

Ren got off of his bike, "Well, the people I work with are two old friends from my school days, both women. I...don't have a number, I don't have a phone, sorry. I work at an antique store that one of my friends manages, been in the family. No girlfriend...not into men, though interested in one of my employers, hobbies...?" He shrugged, "None, I guess...and my name would be Nakamura, Ren."

Suzie frowned at him.

"You're a strange man Ren Nakamura," She told him "I mean for one thing you've just told a complete stranger that you fancy your boss," Suzie gave him a sort of Cheshire Cat grin and moved the goggles up to the top of her helmet.

"Sooooo, what's this girl like?"

Ren sighed, "Why do you want to know anyway? It's not like you would know where to find me...or her..."

He didn't like to talk about it.

Suzie reached into her bag, and waved the Drake Grip up to Ren.

"Come on, This thing let's me run faster than the speed of sound, I can just stalk you," She said, mainly joking.

Ren sighed, not realizing the fact that she was joking.

"Fine. If you really want to know..."

"I was joking," She said rolling her eyes "You're a bit dense you know that?"

"I've been told." He sighed, "It's just who I am. I have nothing in my life. If you see my apartment, there's practically nothing in there. My life has just made me...dense, as you put it."

"You've got the ... what was it again? Avon?" She said, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she tried to remember what he'd called it. "You have the Avon system,""You've got the ... what was it again? Avon?" She said, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she tried to remember what he'd called it. "You have the Avon system,"

"Yeah, what of it?" Ren questioned.

"Well, how does someone who has practically nothing get his hands on a piece of super-awesome Imin fighting hardware?" She said.

"Prince Corporation." He simply said, "I...well...someone was transporting the System somewhere from the Corporation. He was attacked, and had to ditch it. I got the System and continued to use it since that day, right under Prince's nose. They have no idea who has it, just that someone does."

"Sorry, the Prince corporation?" Suzie asked "I thought they made kitchen appliances?"

They used to have a Prince brand microwave at the photo-studio. It was a bit complicated to use, but had been very cheap. She seemed to remember some other Prince stuff as well Televisions, Phones, computers. They were rivalling Smart Brain when it came to high technology at affordable prices.

"Yeah, Prince. They seem to use the commercial wares as cover. Their real interest lies in fringe science, things like that. The Avon System is probably just one of their many little secrets." Ren replied, but then he shrugged, "I don't know much, though. I can only assume."

"... So you just picked it up off a dead guy and instead of handing it back to Prince you use it to fight crime?" Suzie asked "Why?"

"I have almost nothing in my life." He said, looking down, "I needed this...or I may very well have ended up killing myself..." He said softly.

Suzie paused for a second, she felt really awkward now. She looked down suddenly enthralled by the pair of green Doc Martens she was wearing before glancing up at Ren. She looked back at her feet pretending to count the number of black stripes on her shoelaces but looked up again. Suzie sighed, and walked towards Ren giving him a hug.

"You are easily one of the most depressing people I've met," She muttered.

He stood still, almost confused by her hug. He just stood there, unsure of what to say or do next. When she told him he was depressing, he felt almost shocked by that. He continued to just stand there, silent.

Suzie let go of him and took a step back. "I mean, I've only known you five minutes and I already know that you've got barely anything in your life, your fighting for the sake of it and ... you don't smile,"

Ren shrugged, "That's about the gist of me. I have little in my life, I fight to fill that void...and I have nothing to smile about..."

Suzie stared at Ren for a second and then slapped him in the face.

"Grow the **** up." She said, pretty harshly as well. "You can't fill a void by constantly fighting, you'll just make it grow more and more, you need to do something else like ... like ..." Suzie stopped and tried to think of a hobby that Ren could indulge in.

Ren touched the spot where he was slapped, rubbing his cheek, "I'll do whatever I see fit to fill the void that's in my life."

Suzie glowered at him, she was right, he was dense.

"Yeah by taking out your frustrations and mental anguish about not being able to screw the hot girl you work with by killing stuff?" Suzie chided, she gave him a double thumbs up "Yeah, that sounds real healthy,"

"First off, I'm not trying to 'screw' her." Ren said, getting very annoyed by a meeting that was going well not too long ago, "And killing these things is good for everyone. I'm doing good, despite what it might do to me, as you think."

Okay, leave the girl he fancies, Suzie thought to herself, it might not be a good idea to poke around in there.

"Are you? Really?" Suzie asked "You didn't even know what a Worm was when you helped me! What if he hadn't been an Imin, what if he'd been the good guy? What if I'd been a mass murderer? or a rapist? or something? what would you do then good guy?"

Ren smiled. He almost laughed at her question.

"You're a Kamen Rider. That's obvious. Well...Kamen Riders are heroes. Thus, whatever it was you were fighting, Imin, Worm, or otherwise, had to be a threat of some sort."

Suzie stopped.

"Is the world really that black and white to you?" She asked.

"It's not black and white. It's fact." Ren stated, "Unless you can prove otherwise..."

Suzie bit her lip. This guy had seemed quite likeable as well, she grumbled and then walked off back to her bike. The worst thing about stupid logic was when she couldn't prove it was stupid ... or could she?

Suzie picked the Drake grip out of her bag and flipped it in the air.

"Hey!" She shouted "You want proof people are grey?"

She thrust the grip out and her Zecter appeared again, flying out from underneath the bridge and hovering over her before locking into the handle.

"Henshin ..."

HENSHIN!

One transformation sequence later and Suzie was walking towards him in full Kamen Rider Regalia, she brought the gun down aiming straight for Ren, and then fired.

Ren rolled under the unexpected attack. He came to his feet and stumbled back, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shouted, throwing his arm forward, hitting two buttons, "Henshin!"

He slammed it to his waist and flipped it, pressing his quick button sequence. Light armor came over his body, and then a faster expanse of energy gave him his gray/white Avon armor. He took his Avon System and switched it to its firearm mode, taking aim at Kamen Rider Drake, "I don't want to fight you!"

"Really?" Suzie asked "And why's that then?"

She fired two more shots at Ren, aiming for the chest and still advancing.

Ren dodged the first, but the second struck him in the chest. He fell to a knee, holding his wound with his left hand, keeping his firearm trained on her.

"You're my ally! You aren't my enemy!"

"What makes you think that?" Suzie asked firing another shot at Avon "We only just met!"

"We fought together! We're both Kamen Riders! That should be enough, shouldn't it?" Ren demanded.

"You only just met me," Suzie said "And you're absolutely 100% sure that I'm on your side based on what? Some warped moral code mixed with urban legends and rumours?"

Ren stood straight, facing down the other Rider, putting his weapon back to his waist.

"Urban legends? Rumors? Would you really call being a Kamen Rider that? Being a Kamen Rider may or may not mean following those 'urban legends', as you put it, but rather, following the duty that power brings. That duty is to protect people. It's simple right and wrong. Justice."

"Alright psychology Crash course," Suzie sighed dropping her arm to the side "What's the first thing someone does when they get power?" She asked.

"Whatever is in their hearts." Ren said, "Justice, for instance, for me."

"And what if they're evil?" Suzie asked.

"Then they shouldn't be Riders." Ren stated simply, "I know how that sounds, but justice in this world has to keep people of evil will from becoming Riders. Either justice, or God."

"God, Justice, Karma, They're all meaningless words!" Suzie screamed, she was frustrated now, immediately she pulled on the tail of the Drake Zecter her armour Casting Off. Her right hand (still holding the gun lifted up and opened fire "If everything's predetermined by some higher power why should we bother in the first place!"

"Because there is evil, there is Hell!" Ren shouted, "But yet, that is our purpose, to defeat what evils can come into this world. We are Justice, however, we are God's gift upon the people, to defend them from Hell's creatures!"

"SHUT UP!" Suzie screamed "If there's such a thing as God! If Justice just happens! Then why the Hell are my family dead! Why do ZECT and the Worm keep following me wherever I go!"

"Because you are a Kamen Rider!" Ren shouted, "Because you are the Justice to defeat the evils of ZECT and the Worm!"

He had no answer about her family.

"I don't want to fight!" Suzie declared "I'm not a good person alright? I took this Zecter because I like pretty things, I fight because people attack me first,"

"Do you attack people, or those who deserve to be attacked? Like monsters?" Ren questioned, "And even if you don't want to fight, you seem to be doing a good job of it."

"So, I'm good at fighting so like it or not it's my duty to defend humanity from whatever? Even if I don't want to?" She asked sarcastically "If that's true how come the Drake Zecter didn't go to Chuck Norris? or Jackie Chan?"

"Because we all have fates that we must accept. We must believe that by being Kamen Riders, we've had a higher calling to protect people. Even if you don't know why it was you, you must accept it. I have, even though I don't know why I was chosen. I believe that we ordinary people have the ability to do the most good with the powers of Kamen Riders. After all, we are the most important people there are."

Suzie stopped. She knew he was wrong, or at least didn't agree with what he said but she couldn't think of a damn point to the contrary. She gritted her teeth from behind the helmet and looked at the floor.

"Sh-shut up!" She said "Just shut up!"

Ren shook his head, "It looks like I might have left you with some moral dilemma." He shrugged, "Oh well. I'll see you again, I'm sure." He turned his back and removed the Avon System, returning to normal. He walked to his bike and got on, pulling his helmet on. He looked back at Kamen Rider Drake before he left, and just sat there.

Suzie glared at him for a second and walked off in the opposite direction back to her bike.

"Well?" She asked "Aren't you gone yet?"

He watched for another moment, and then drove off.

Suzie listened to him go and then smiled, letting the Zecter and her armour escape. She waited a minute or two before getting on her bike, putting on her helmet and driving after him.

"So this is what you're resorting to Suzie?" She thought to herself "Stalking strange young men through the streets?"

Ren took turn after turn, trying to get to the antique store where he was due. He hated the drive, hated going through the back roads to get there. It was the easiest way, though. And it was his own fault for choosing to work there.

He stopped at a stoplight, waiting for it to turn, alone on the street.

Suzie looked around there wasn't anyone else on the street, if she wanted to keep following him she had to hide. Hiding wasn't too hard, all she had to do was drive into a back alley and hope he didn't drive off until the light went green.

By the time it went green, Ren drove and took the first right. He would arrive soon.

Suzie waited about a minute before starting up after him, where was he going?

After another minute or two, Ren dismounted from his bike and left it at the side of a medium sized building, with a few windows around, and a deck towards the front. He pulled his helmet off and climbed the steps to the door, entering inside.

The sign above the door read 'Soul Antiques'.

Suzie waited across the street for about five minutes before walking into the shop, cheerily.

"Iirashi," Someone smiled as she came inside the shop.

"Hello!" Suzie chimed happily "I'd like to buy an antique please,"

The woman at the counter came out, "What would it be that you're looking for, exactly?" She asked the customer, "My name is Shindo, Katsumi."

"I ... am looking for ..." Suzie looked around quickly "A ... a ... something that is ... old ... preferably,"

"Of course you are." Katsumi replied, "Vase, maybe? Something else? Vague doesn't really work here, at least not for me."

"Oh so you don't work here alone?" Suzie asked, now she had a way of getting information about Ren "Oh, um ... it's a gift! a gift for my ... great-aunt Petunia!"

"There are three of us here." Katsumi told her, "Ok...I'd think a vase would be good, then. Any preference on age, or where it's from?"

"Oh, so it's you and who else?" Suzie asked "I'm not too good with vases, my Aunt Petunia collects ones from ..." She frowned and pretended to think, even though she'd spun this lie ten seconds ago "China I think, do you have any Chinese ones?"

"My friend, Toya, Akemi, and then there's Nakamura, Ren. Well, Chinese, that's easy." Katsumi said, finding a rack with at least half a dozen Chinese vases of various eras, "Please, take a pick out of these, then."

"What are they like then, nice people?" She asked, pretending to examine the vases "Yeah, she has a couple like this," Suzie randomly picked up a vase "Do you have any more that look like this one?"

Katsumi skimmed the rows, "I'm sorry, that's all there is that look like that. As for your other question, Akemi is a nice person, but Ren...he's a bit different. A bit more aloof, not always around for work...he's only here as a favor, otherwise I'd probably have him fired."

"Problem is she already had that one," Suzie lied pointing at the first vase she'd touched "Who was the favour to?" Suzie asked "Ren sounds like a bit of a liability to me,"

"I personally owed him a favor. He may be a liability sometimes...but he's better than nothing." Katsumi said, "Well then, should we find another vase, or something?"

"Why do you think he's late all the time?" Suzie asked.

She touched another vase and started turning it around, that one did actually look quite pretty ...

"I really don't know." Katsumi said, "I've asked him once, but he ignored the question. I feel it's important, whatever he's doing, but I really don't know anything." She saw that Suzie had found another vase, "How's that one?"

"It's nice, I like it, how much is it?" She asked "Well, it sounds suspicious. You've put yourself in a tricky situation, you can't fire him but the only way to find out what he's doing is ... well threaten to fire him,"

"How about...2000 yen?" Katsumi asked, "Well, I could threaten to fire him...I'll have to think about that."

"Yeah, I'll take it," Suzie smiled, she looked around "So, where are the other two?"

"Well, the other two would be in the back somewhere, I would assume. Akemi would be, Ren...he should be here, but he could have left." She shrugged, "If he did, there's grounds to threaten to fire him, at least."

Zack was starting to doubt the information he received form Neo-ZECT about a Kamen Rider being in the area. While true they weren't technically his enemy nor his ally because because what he is doing is obstructing ZECT's goals but seriously a Rider here? Well maybe but at the moment it feels like searching a hay in a needle stack, tiring and pointless. Zack stopped in front of a antique store called "Soul Antiques" and got of his bike, The Gatack Extender and parked it next to what seems to be a Honda but didn't pay to much attention on it and went in the store.

"Excuse me but has there been any weird incidents or unexplained accidents round here?" Said Zack as he entered the store,"I'm a detective doing a missing persons case here and its somehow linked to this area."

Suzie turned around and smiled.

"No I ha-" She froze.

Parked outside was a bike she'd seen somewhere before. The Gatack Extender. She stared at it for a few seconds and then tried to finish her sentence almost unable to breathe she managed to blurt out "I-I need to ... go, goodbye," before shoving the vase back into Katsumi's arms and quickly walked through the door.

Katsumi put the vase back, but didn't get a chance to say anything to her customer. She looked to the new man who had entered, "I haven't heard of anything." She told him.

Ren came out of the back room, "Missing persons?" He questioned, "I heard of some..."

Suzie heard Ren's voice and gave the door a sharp tug, and then another before realising it opened outwards and giving it a gentle push. She stepped outside and began fiddling with her helmet, nervously eyeing the bike parked next to hers.

Zack smiled. That girl must be definitely hiding something.

"I'll get back to you on that," Zack said to the man you just appeared," Apparently that young lady matches the description of a suspect and by the looks of it I'll have to catch up to her if i want some answers."

Zack then rushed the door and made a fast move and grabed the girl's bike handlebar to stop the girl form leaving," I'm sorry miss but you'll have to answer some question... maybe somewhere not in public?"

Suzie saw a hand grab the handlebars of her bike and she froze turning away from the man. She swallowed and looked down at her bike.

"H-hello?" She whimpered.

"I'm sorry miss but you'll have to answer some question... maybe somewhere not in public?" The man asked her.

Suzie breathed in sharply, was he going to kill her? Interrogate her? Turn her into a Worm or something?

She needed a way out, one leapt through her mind. She span around, slapped the man in the face and then ran back into the shop and hid behind Ren.

"Th-that pervert just asked me to sleep with him!"

That should work ...

"Ow..." said Zack, when the man form earlier came out clenching his fist and threatening him Zack couldn't help but laugh," No no my dear man you got it all wrong," Zack moved aside to give the man full view of the Gatack Extender, "I would assume you know what this is," Zack cocked an eyebrow," And that lady reacted to this so i would assume she knows how to be the RIDER for this thing," Zack winked as he stressed the word for the girls and the guy to hear letting off what he hopes are good enough hints.

"I just wanted to talk and maybe extend a proposition," said Zack

"I have no idea what that thing is." Ren said, missing the 'Rider' part completely, or at the least, not showing any reaction, "All I know is that I know her, I don't know you. I'm going with her word over yours, because I'm getting some bad feelings off of you."

"Very well, very well," said Zack," I'll stop pestering her but only if she get this," Zack pulled out a card," Tell her in case of extreme emergence call this number, whether worm based or other wised, don't worry she get what i mean."

At this Zack hands the card over to the man then takes out his Ride Booker and turns on the PDA that is inside then said," You said there were some strange incidents didn't you or at least heard or something? I am on a case but form what the local police tell me its of sensitive nature so i have to pass it of as a missing persons case as my cover so please tell me all you know."

Suzie took a deep breath. This wasn't good, this was far from good. What did he want? He was talking to Ren so her attempt at getting them to fight had failed. She looked at Katsumi.

"Do you ... is there a back door I could use?" She asked.

Ren looked at the card, "I know what you're talking about...with the Worms. So, what are you, then?"

Katsumi nodded to Suzie, "Yes...follow me." She headed into the back office and opened a side door.

Suzie followed Katsumi and took a quick glance outside. What were they talking about?

"He knows what worms are?" thought Zack," Well I had my run in with them before but i can't elaborate until you tell me how you know of the existence of worms. Are you with ZECT or Neo-ZECT? or are you," Zack said in a whisper," A Kamen Rider?"

"Who I am is of no concern to you." Ren said, "Now go, before I remove you myself."

'I see," said Zack," Well here a card for yourself just in case." Gives the man a second card and then gets on his bike," Well i hope if we ever meet up again i hope we don't turn up into enemies and just so you would know and please do pass it on to the girl, Neo-ZECT is keeping tabs on this area and are aware of a rider in the area so i assume you know the guy, also if Neo-ZECT is aware i can bet the other evil or similar organization are aware of the rider here as well so look after yourself OK and if you need any help call the number on the card. Also is there a place that the girl that own this Honda can meet up? i Just want to talk of why she reacted to my bike?"

"You'd have to ask her." Ren said, skimming the card, "I know only a little more about her than you do."

"Well can you tell her to call me then? She seem to be avoiding m-" said Zack who then heard a twig snap, Zack then took out a mirror to see whats up behind him when he saw a horn sting out of a bush," Looks like they finally caught up with me," Then Zack put on his Henshin belt and took out the GM-1 and fired a few shots into the bush which reveled a rhino Orphnoch which then charged at Zack. Zack jumped of his bike and to safety then said," And I just had repainted oh well," Zack trust his hand up in the air and the Gatack Zecter was summoned which was then insterted onto the belt with Zack saying," Henshin!" Zack has now become Kamen Rider Gatack!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suzie paused ... was that a gun? No ... no he wouldn't have, it's broad daylight, she looked behind her and then ran past Kazumi and flew through the door to see Gatack land in front of her.

She glared at the rider coldly. Ren was alright by the looks of it. She nodded at him and took the Drake Grip out of her bike.

"This is between me, and him, don't get in my way" Suzie told Ren, raising the trigger to the sky and letting her Zecter fly down and connect to it "Henshin,"

At the sight of another rider the Orphnoch charged forward and was swatted away by Suzie into Ren's general direction. She turned towards the blue rider and started firing.

"This is bad, so very very bad," said Zack as he dodged the girl's shots," So she was the rider after all and all the worse a ZECT-based rider no wonder she reacted," Zack then charged at the rhino Orphnoch while casting off and proceeded to punch and elbow the Orphnoch and finished his attack by garbing its head and smashed its chin with his knee then ended it with the Rider Kick drop kick style while all the while not retaliating the other riders shots and mostly dodged it (Although he still did get shot a couple of times)

Zack stop and faced the other rider," I'm not your enemy, I'm just a Rider with an idea on how we Riders can survive against the many organization that want us." Zack then continued," No matter how far some of us run we will always be targeted, by ZECT, Neo-ZECT, Smart Brain, BROAD and many others just to name a few, Heck i should know Smart Brain wants my head, so does Shocker, and they will always hunt Riders whether to recruit them or destroy them. The reason I'm here is to propose an alliance or Kamen Riders, which will give us Riders the best chance or survival. It's your choice whether you want to join or not, I'm not like ZECT or Neo-ZECT, I will not force you."

Ren kept well back, allowing Suzie to do what she needed to do. He withdrew the Avon System from his pocket, however, and kept it ready, just in case.

Suzie considered his offer she looked up at him and then gave her answer. Two fingers in the air.

"Really, you aren't going to force me?" She sneered "Liar, you don't want to help me, you just want to help yourself to a soldier! To a slave! You don't want me! You want my power!"

Suzie pulled the tail of her Zecter and glanced at Ren.

"Get down," She told him, pulling the trigger "Cast off!"

CAST OFF!

Her armour shot off in every direction and she swept her fingers over the belt buckle.

CLOCK UP!

Suzie ran forward ...

Zack reacted slightly slower and clocked up that the other rider and taking a couple back steps and two steps to the side," Very well then," said Zack," I'll be off, like i said i will not force you, oh and by the way you may want to be more careful, my sources say that Neo-ZECT is keeping tabs on a rider in this area," Zack then clocked over, released Gatack and returned to normal then picked up his bike to check for damages.

Ren rose from his crouch, still keeping an eye on this new man.

Suzie clocked over as well letting her Zecter fly off into the sky.

"Who's the rider?" Suzie demanded.

"Damn the chains busted, oh the Rider that Neo-ZECT is keeping tabs on, no clue but the Rider is suppository very active in this area so he might be a resident here," Zack then stood up and balanced his bike at his side," Well I'm be off then, I gave the man over there my card to give to you so take it form him, please only use it in an emergency and if you do I'll come to you as fast as I can."

Suzie looked at Ren.

"You're in trouble," She told him, walking up to where he was standing "Big trouble,"

"You think that other Rider he mentioned is me?" Ren questioned.

"Probably," She said "Doesn't matter, if Neo-ZECT catch word of a rider then they will be swarming all over the place, just be glad they don't know your identity ..."

"But your identity is known, now." Ren told her, "You should be worried for yourself."

"What are they gonna do to me?" She snapped "Kill those ... things they have masquerading as my family?"

"What? What is it you're talking about now?" Ren asked her, indeed curious.

Suzie sighed.

"Well, you know how I wouldn't join ZECT? Well they ..." She swallowed hard and started walking back to her bike "Th-they ... they killed my family, and then th-th replaced them with Worms,"

She bit her bottom lip and started messing around with her bike. She didn't want to bring it up now, she just didn't want to think about it.

Ren took a few steps closer to her, "That...that's just..." He couldn't find words. He did what he could.

He put his arms around her, as she had done for him earlier.

Suzie sniffed and smiled up at Ren.

"Ch-cheers,"

"What?" He asked, drawing back a bit to better look at her.

"Um ... it's like ..." She struggled to think of the best way to say it "Cheers is sort of like "Kanpai" but it can also mean "Domo" ... does that ... that make sense?"

She smiled.

"Sorry, sorry I'm babbling I ... I should go,"

"Some, yeah." He told her, "If you ever require my help, you know where to find me." Ren said.

"Yeah and if you need mine," Suzie started rummaging around in her bag and handed Ren a business card saying she was a photographer, and with her email, home and mobile phone numbers and an address of the studio she used to work. "Just phone,"

He nodded as he pocketed the card, "No problem. Well, I'll see you later, then, if something happens."

A/N : Okay, that was played by three of our members, Cross (Suzie), Ren (Ren) and Assault (Zack). You can look on the site's 'Approved Characters' archive or the Character Sheet on our TvTropes page to find out more about them.