Quick to the Trigger

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Rated: T

Summary: Silver City is preparing for a big museum exhibit with artifacts from a man calling himself "Dr .O". At the same time, a book writer named Maya Young finds herself in over her head regarding a cult, a giant bull-shaped train that travels through time, and people who are incapable of dying. One thing's for sure, she's going to need to dig deep in order to have her happy ending.

Note: Spoilers for Power Rangers: Time Force, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight and Kamen Rider Den-O are abroad.

1st Trigger: Museum Piece

"Quick to the trigger – when someone is quick to respond to anything."

"A museum has to renew its collection be alive, but that does not mean we give on important old works."

-David Rockefeller

April 25th, 2012

1:03 AM (Silver City Museum of Natural History)

Silver City was quiet, just like it was for the past few years. Ever since the mutant attacks and the rise of Ransik and his daughter, Nadira, the city just wasn't the same. Sure, the Silver Guardians were there to keep an eye on any intruders—human or otherwise—that would cause harm to the fair city, but for now, all was quiet.

This bored Wes Collins, though. Instead of fighting someone or getting into something interesting like stopping a bank robbery, he and the other Silver Guardians were disguised as delivery workers in plain beige clothing and caps to ensure that the precious cargo of priceless artifacts, generously donated by someone who only wanted to be called "Dr. O", was successfully donated to the museum. Normally, Wes wouldn't be bothered by this, but upon having a good look at the artifacts, he found something so...wrong about them. He could feel the presence of a dark aura radiating from them. He read about how items were cursed by magicians and shamans to harm those whoever who wronged them...perhaps these items would punish those who would tamper with them.

He shook his head. Curses weren't real. There was perfect explanation as to why someone had bad luck and such. Take for example the curse of King Tutankhamen. What was supposedly some deadly curse placed on the archaeologists who uncovered the young boy's tomb was actually some strain of virus that was unearthed that eventually made everyone sick and die. And the artifacts didn't have anything that screamed deadly virus, so everyone was going to be fine.

Wes carried a crate of ancient pottery into the storage facilities and yawned. He needed some sleep after all of this was over, and maybe a good cup of coffee when he woke up. Whoever this "Dr. O" was had to be someone who had lots of free time on his hand to be sending all of his finds to Silver City of all places. Most cities would kill to have the artifacts for their own, so why did Dr. O request his own father to help pay for the shipping and handling of these treasures to his hometown of all places? Something didn't add up.

As Wes was going to go out back to pick up another crate of artifacts, he thought he heard something rustle. Pulling his flashlight out of his pants pocket, he turned it on and waved it back and forth in the hopes that he would find the source of the noise. There was some silence, and then there was nothing.

"Must've been a figment of my imagination," Wes muttered to himself. He really needed some sleep after all of this was said and done.

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April 25, 2012

1:15 AM (Maya Young's Bedroom)

In the city of Olympia, Maya Young was in her bedroom and typing something on her laptop. After the success of her first book regarding the Kamen Riders and their battles in the Mirror World against the evil general known as Xaviax, there were many requests asking whether or not she would write another story in the near future. Maya was unsure for a while, but after learning about other Kamen Riders who were considered urban legends in Japan, she figured that it would be interesting to see what she could come up with.

So here she was, scrolling through forum posts for inspiration regarding her next book when she should've been fast asleep. Tomorrow, Grace's Books was holding a big event regarding the book signing, and author meet-up, of a book on mythology and the author's research regarding a find of a giant serpent skeleton somehow found in the Sahara Desert. In fact, the skeleton was going to be on exhibit in the Silver City Museum of Natural History, which was a half-hour's drive away from the city, give or take traffic. Once the store was closed for the day, Maya could just go to the museum to get some inspiration and admire the new types of things they were exhibiting.

As Maya scrolled through the forums, she noticed a strange post from someone known as SplitxEnd. The subject line read: "Anything about resurrection"? Curious as to what it may hold, she clicked the link and began to read the message.

SplitxEnd: Are there any forces that involve resurrection of bodies and memory loss? A couple of days ago, a boy died to the one-inch punch, but I saw him attending his funeral. My little brother stated that he saw him die, but he can't recall after a specific point. Does anyone have a clue?

Maya rubbed her chin in thought over the request. The only thing that she knew that related to the post was when Eubulon brought back all the Kamen Riders who were vented and erased their memories. However, this didn't correlate to how the boy was attending his own funeral at all. The worst part was that it was hard to figure out how it happened if there weren't any other details. She couldn't give any big suggestions unless they told her more.

So, in order to help a fellow member of the forums, she began to type a reply under her own moniker.

KRSwan: That's a very interesting story. Maybe there was a necromancer involved and maybe the memory loss was used by the necromancer to forget that they revived the boy. When a person is revived, nine times out of ten they never return as their original self.

Satisfied with her post, Maya pressed the send button and then logged out. She let out a big yawn as she closed her laptop and placed it on the desk next to her. She looked at the alarm clock by her side and saw that it read 1:21 AM in big red letters. In six hours, she had to wake up so she can prepare Grace's Books and meet up with the paleontologist for the book signing—since it was going to take place early in the morning—before preparing herself for the wave of fans asking for copies of the book and crowding the cash register.

Maya crawled underneath the blankets as her head rested against a large pillow. Then, she was fast asleep.

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April 25th, 2012

8:15 AM (Taylor Residence)

An alarm clock blared as Kit Taylor rolled to the side. As much as he wanted to go back to bed, he made a promise to see Maya at the bookstore and help her prepare for that big book signing. Personally, he'd rather be going through the Mirror World and seeing the other worlds that might need his help, but he did promise.

Slamming a hand on the alarm clock to silence it, he yawned and stretched his arms. He then turned to the deck of cards next to the alarm clock all kept in a deck holder stamped with the head of a yellow dragon. Had it really been that long since he took the deck to fight against the forces of evil? It all felt like a dream.

"Kit," said a voice. "Are you up?"

"I am, dad," Kit answered. Even hearing the sound of his own father's voice was a blessing as he had gone missing for most of his life. Sometimes, it was those little things that were the most precious and the ones that he cherished the most. Sure he would always love going into the Mirror World and helping the Ventarian Kamen Riders fight against the forces of evil, but going back to his own room and finding himself back into the arms of friends and family was just as good as punching a bad guy's lights out.

With that thought, Kit jumped out of bed and headed for the closet, preparing some new clothes for the big event. It was going to be nothing more than a couple of friends keeping an eye on a bookstore for a few hours before they head off to the big exhibit in Silver City. There would be nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, while he was slipping on a new jacket, he did not see a large black blur pass by his window, as if it wanted to warn him for the dangers ahead.

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April 25th, 2012

8:30 AM (Grace's Books)

"Maya!" Lacey exclaimed, seeing the bags in her friend's eyes. "What happened to you?"

"I was up looking at forum posts regarding Kamen Riders," Maya replied with a yawn. She was currently helping her best friend hanging clothes for the bookstore's clothing line that was implemented a while back. She slipped a bunch of decorate bracelets through a clear plastic tube resting on a table and added, "It's been said that for the past forty years, there have been Kamen Riders who have helped stopped the forces of evil from destroying the world."

"Really?" Lacey tilted her head. "Are any of them related to Kit and the others?"

"Not that I know of," Maya shrugged. She then turned to a poster that announced the book signing with a large serpent biting its own tail. It read, "Today only: Come meet with Dr. Thomas Oliver, the author of 'Serpentine Stories: The Myths of the Sacred Serpents' at 11:00 AM", alongside a picture of Dr. Oliver himself.

"You think Dr. Oliver will be able to answer your questions?" Lacey asked. "He is pretty cute."

"He's probably married at this point. To think that he also works as a high school teacher in Reefside." Maya began placing multiple pendants into a jewelery holder shaped like a musical bar with each note representing a hook. "Although, there's something about him that makes me feel...as if he has something to hide."

"He's probably trying to pull off a mysterious factor," Lacey giggled. "I just hope he buys one of those new coats that I recently ordered! Take a look!" She dragged Maya to the large coat rack in the back of the store and pulled off a long black coat with silver decorations. "I'm sure it would work great for whenever he has to go through some secret undercover missions."

"If he doesn't collapse from heatstroke first," Maya replied with a laugh.

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April 25th, 2012

8:50 AM (Grace's Books)

Maya carried three chairs in hand, setting them up for the quiet reading area where Dr. O would have his lectures, trying to make sure she didn't trip and fall flat on her face. She set them down and began to rearrange them so that there would enough room for people to sit in. She wished that there were extra help, but ever since Trent started working with the No-Men, the bookstore was understaffed.

"Mind if I help?" asked a voice.

Maya looked up, seeing Kit extending a hand out to her. She smiled and hugged him, all while laughing like a young school-girl.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"Through the looking glass of course," Kit replied, pointing to a mirror at the corner. "How's your research been going?"

"Not so great," Maya shrugged as she walked back to the storage room to pick up more chairs. Kit followed her as she continued. "I just read a strange forum post that asked about whether or not there were forces that could resurrect people and remove their memories." She picked up another group of three chairs into her hand and began to walk back. "I was thinking it had something to do with Eubulon and bringing back the people who were dragged into General Xaviax's twisted plan to get rid of Ventaria, but..."

"It couldn't be true." Kit picked up a foldable table in the back. "Eubulon hasn't stated anything in regards to resurrecting people from being vented. I would know first hand. Where did this take place?"

"I don't know," Maya placed the chairs down and began to set them to their proper positions. "They wouldn't give me any other details. I should probably check on it before Dr. O gets here."

"Speaking of which," Kit looked around. Aside from the two of them, the only other person in the store was Lacey who was preparing a couple of stands promoting some huge discounts. "Where is the good doctor?"

"He said he was going to come a little bit later," Maya answered. "Something about making sure he didn't act like a total fool of himself...or something of the matter."

"I wouldn't blame him on that. Oh, speaking of which," Kit pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Maya. "Price wanted me to give this to you."

"'Maya,'" she began, reading the letter. "'Meet me at the Silver City Museum of Natural History tonight at 6 PM. I have a surprise for you.' Love, Price. Huh, I wonder what he'd wants."

"Who knows?" Kit shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we can think about it later after everyone's left for the day. Come on. Let's open up shop and get ready for a busy day ahead of us."

Maya nodded her head as she went to the front door, flipping the CLOSED sign to OPEN. She then unlocked the door and waited for the customers to come for the big surprise.

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April 25th, 2012

9:03 AM (No-Men Headquarters)

"Hey, Trent!"

Trent Moseley looked up from his laptop and saw someone toss something his way. He caught it in the air and took a good look at what it was. It was a comic book depicting a group of warriors fighting against what looked like a dark shadow. He looked down and read the person who penned the comic.

"'Trent M?'" he read aloud. "What a coincidence that I share a name with a famous comic book artist!"

"That's what I thought too," said Price, sitting down with a cup of coffee in hand. "And get this: he's coming to Silver City for a meet and greet at the Retrograde Comic Books Emporium today at 2:00. I bet he'll get a kick in finding a fan with the same name he has."

"Yeah. So," Trent Moseley set the comic down and turned toward his partner. "Got any plans for your third anniversary with Maya?"

"I've got it all planned out," Price leaned forward and pulled out an envelope from his coat. "Check it out: front row tickets to Kira Ford's concert."

"No way!" Moseley snatched the envelope and held it into the air, a look of excitement on his face. "How the heck did you get these? Her concert's been sold out for weeks!"

"Let's just say that I have connections," Price replied with a smirk. "And don't forget that we're all heading to that new exhibit in Silver City."

"I know, I know...I wish I could see Trent M. though." Moseley sighed as he placed the envelope next to the comic book. "I wonder what he's doing right about now."

"Probably penning the next adventure of the Serpent Squad," Price mused. "You never know with guys like him."

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April 25th, 2012

9:07 AM (Axion Hotel, 5F)

Trent Fernandez-Mercer rushed toward the elevator, reading the letter in his hand. Just a few days ago, it appeared out of nowhere telling him that he had to come to Los Angeles on this specific date. He tried to get rid of it, but the letter would always come back to him every single time. Finally, just to make sure that the letter would stop returning to him like a boomerang, he gave in to the letter's instructions and drove to Los Angeles for whatever it was that he needed to do.

"Well," Trent muttered to himself. "Aside from having a meet and greet, I don't see exactly why some mysterious letter has asked me to come here. It's not like I'm being sent to Hogwarts or anything..." He looked at the symbol that was stamped onto the bottom of the letter. It was a strange serpent wrapped around a post along with a cloud of purple smoke escaping its mouth. This only added to the strange feeling he had as to why he was given the letter. Hopefully his dad didn't make any other enemies during his Mesagog days.

There was a 'ding!' as the elevator opened up. Trent lifted his head as he looked back to four pairs of eyes that he thought he'd never see again.

"Conner?" he asked. "Ethan? Kira? Dr. O?" He looked at the four in disbelief, trying to figure out the odds that he'd meet up with some old faces in Olympia. "What are you doing here? No, the better question is why are you all here?"

"Those are very good questions," Ethan began, making room so Trent could enter the elevator. As it closed he added, "It all started with a letter..."

"Like this?" Trent showed the letter with the strange mist emitting snake at the bottom.

"Yep!" said Kira. She looked up and saw the numbers slowly decreasing. "And apparently we all have different appointments today. I have a big concert tonight, Ethan's got a big computer convention going on, Conner has soccer stuff and Dr. O? Well..."

"It's a book signing regarding the stuff I recently uncovered in Egypt," Tommy explained, checking his watch. "And then I'm hurrying to Silver City for the new exhibit."

"Well...what are the odds?" Trent asked, shrugging his shoulders. The elevator doors open as the five walked out to the main lobby. There were guests at the reception area and some sitting on sofas with the newspaper in hand. All in all, it was like any other day. "So...what do we do now?"

"We were all going to go out for breakfast," Conner explained. "Then we're going to see Dr. O's big presentation at this bookstore called Grace's Books before heading our separate ways. Then, once we're done with that, we could all catch Kira's big concert at sundown. Wanna join us?"

"Well, I have nothing better to do," Trent answered. "After all, what's the worse that could happen?"

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April 25th, 2012

9:15 AM (Outside Grace's Books)

As people filed into the bookstore, a figure dressed in a beige coat, black pants and a tattered bucket hat covering his hair entered. He gripped onto the collar of his coat as he stumbled inside, trying his best not to bump into anyone. He took a good look at the picture of Dr. O, a tear falling down his face at what he would do in a few hours.

I don't want to do this...He thought. Please...don't make me...

You will do as I say! A voice boomed in the person's mind. Or else...your life is in my hands after all...we don't want this little trip to end in disaster, right?

The person placed a hand over his chest and felt a sickening pain emerge from where his heart was. He grit his teeth and slowly nodded his head. Then, he began to meander through the numerous bookshelves in order to pass the time, all while begging for someone to save him from committing the most horrible act in his entire life.

Someone help me...He silently pleaded, gritting his teeth. I don't want to kill anyone. I don't want to kill him...

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What will happen in a short amount of time?

A doctor in paleontology will soon be laid low by one's blade.

An author and investigator of the paranormal will find herself in the midst of utter chaos.

A family will be forced to endure scorching heat and a haunting past.

A man will face the people he knows from another time and the horror that commenced.

A boy who can never age will seek any and all ways to end these struggles.

And warriors who fought against monstrosities will face a challenge beyond their time.

To survive, these people must be quick on the trigger, and they must not stop running from the evils that are coming up on the horizon.

2nd Trigger: "Piece of Me"