*Thank you to the guest reviewer! I actually have this whole story complete, I was just planning on uploading it on Thursdays, but I may do it a bit more often just because I know someone is actually reading and enjoying this :D*
They all stared at Vert, A.J. probably looking the most confused since he had known Vert since before he had joined Battle Force 5. "You can't be Vert, I've known him for forever!" he stated. Vert gave him a half smile and said, "That may or may not be true A.J. A few days ago I asked Sage to scan me on a hunch. She found a cloaker and a memory suppressor in me, very high tech she said. Yesterday, she took it out and when I awoke that night I looked like this, which once I saw myself in the mirror I know is the true me. I haven't had many memories come back yet, in fact only one, and that let me know that the man who I thought was my father in the Battle Zones isn't."
The other's just continued to stare, until Zoom hesitantly asked, "So what happens now?" Vert frowned and said, "I don't know, there's not much I can do until more memories come back and Sage said that could be awhile according to Sage." Sage nodded her agreement as Sherman said, "What the heck is that outfit even made of?"
For the first time, Sage took a really good look at the clothes Vert was wearing and she gasped! It couldn't be, could it? Everyone now looked at Sage as Vert asked, "What is it Sage?" Sage calmed her racing mind down, as she said, "Remember how I said the Multiverse has many layers? Well there are some that not even we Sentients have ever reached, for they were created by a different power, the Accelerons."
Vert started at that word, as a few new memories started to trickle in. He shook his head feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Agura saw him falter and shouted, "Vert!" as he started to slip into darkness. Sherman and AJ both reacted quickly, catching him so he didn't fall to the ground. Vert collected himself, just barely keeping from passing out, as they led him to a chair. "What happened?" Spinner asked him.
"Some more memories came in, quite quickly, I remember racing to beat Racing Drones to keep them from getting to the Accelerons first. Started doing it when I was sixteen, though we didn't know at the time that it was our ultimate destination." "We?" asked Tezz. Vert nodded slowly and said, "We raced in teams, but I don't remember much about anyone who I raced with just yet."
Sage turned to AJ and said, "AJ, since both you and Vert were either given false memories about each other, or the memories were altered, I would like to scan you so I can see what we are dealing with as far as the others who claimed to know Vert." "Sure, anything to help Vert out." AJ said. He followed Sage out, as she ordered over her shoulders, "You guys should get Vert back to bed, and then take turns sitting with him in case he has another spell."
"I'm fine." Vert grumbled under his breath, but he did as Sage asked of him, leaning on Sherman as he went back to his room. Once he was situated, Agura said, "I'll stay with him for now." The others nodded before leaving Vert's room, though none of them really wanted to. Vert had already fallen into a restless sleep, so Agura just sat there looking at him.
She found herself still attracted to Vert, even finding things she liked about him better when he looked like this rather than the him that she knew. She sighed, not that it mattered much since all he saw her as was a backup leader for when he needed her to be. Vert rested for well over an hour before finally coming to. Agura was still there and she smiled at him as his eyes opened.
"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Better now, thanks." "Good cause Sage has some news for you, if you think you're up to it." She said that last part in a teasing tone. Vert laughed before saying, "As if I wouldn't be." As she helped him to stand, he whispered, "Thanks Agura." Agura looked at him and asked, "For what?" "For not treating me any different now that I look so different, etc." he said.
She smiled and said, "No problem Vert." She helped him out into the other room, lowering him onto the couch as the others gathered around to hear what Sage had discovered. "Once I finished my scan of AJ, I could find nothing like the device in Vert's head or any hint of tampering with his mind that way. So I next went to the device and found that it can transmit false information to both Vert and those around him, about Vert at least. Whoever tampered with Vert's memories obviously couldn't suppress all of his memoires, so they suppressed the important ones to their cause. I think AJ and Vert really did know each other from before, but when Vert got close it gave them both false memories of their time together."
"Iz there anyway to fix that?" Tezz asked. "Once I destroy the device it should take away the false memories that people have been given of Vert. However there is a drawback to doing that." She answered. "And that would be?" asked Spinner. "Well for one, the people here in Handler's Corners may either forget Vert entirely or they may keep the memories of their actual time with him intact, but it will still raise questions. But there is another theory I have that could be even worse." She replied.
"I'm probably going to regret asking this, but what could that be?" asked Sherman. "I think I know." Said Vert, "It could attract whoever did this to me, and without my memories we wouldn't know how to stop them, etc. Some of or even all the people in Handler's Corners could be working for them, my false dad could be working for them, even AJ!" He said that last name in a joking manner, before growing serious again, "So the question is, do we chance having whoever did this to me on top of us, or do we leave the false memories intact for now?"
He looked at AJ, who after a moment asked, "What?" "You are the only one who has false memories of me that I can ask, so are you cool with keeping them for now, until we know who we are up against, or do you need to know?" AJ looked at him like he was crazy before saying, "I know all I need to know about you right now Vert. You're an amazing guy who would do anything for us. I can wait to find out what our true background is for now."
Vert smiled at him, before turning to Sage and asking, "So Sage, what more can you tell me about the Accelerons?" "Are you sure it is wise to try to bring back your memories so quickly Vert? You practically passed out when you remembered like three things at once." Agura asked. "I'll be okay Agura, I just can't shake this feeling that the faster I get them back, the faster I can get to something, though what it is I can't quite remember."
Agura and Sage shared a look, before Agura nodded and Sage said, "Well like us Sentients created the Battle Zones, the Accelerons created what they called the Racing Realms to test human drivers. The first test being, of course, can they actually get to the Racing Realms, for unlike those which use the Battle Keys or the Storm Shocks to enter, the Racing Realms can only be reached when the driver is going three hundred mils per hour."
Vert held his hands to his head as a few more memories came in… someone… Tezla?... had created Nitrox2 to get up to those speeds. He had raced in them with his friends, first to get…. Something… then after that something was taken at a later date to get … more somethings…. He sighed in frustration and said, "More memories came back, but they don't contain anything I call useful to telling me anything about the past." He told them what he remembered and everyone was silent for a moment.
Suddenly Sherman said, "Why don't we look up the name Tezla and see what we can find on the internet!" "Good idea, I vill help you vith this." Tezz said. The two went off to do that while the others waited. They came back shortly and Sherman said, "Well we found a few Tezla's. One was selling puppies, I don't think he is who we are looking for." "Another sells used appliances, for vhat I do not know, he doesn't put his prices up on the internet." Tezz said next.
"The final, and most likely guy out of the lot, is said to be the founder and owner of the Scrim Corporation." Sherman finished. Vert nodded and said, "That's him! He was the one who selected the first few racers, me included. I became a leader of one the teams… Wave Rippers!" That brought back a huge chunk of memories and he told the others about his Deora II, about racing to find the wheel of power and that he loved to surf and skateboard. "One of the guys on the other team was always calling me Surf Rat." He finished.
"There is a lot more to it that I remember, none of it is all that important. I remember Tezla thought that the Racing Realms were a test to own the Wheel of Power, which he hoped with be a pure source of power for our world. But once we got it here and he had translated some, coupled with the fact that he blew out like all the fuses in North America, he agreed with us that it was best to return it to Highway 35, what we called the track since that is where it was near!"
"We should go there and see what we can find!" Zoom said. "What did the translation say Vert?" Sherman asked. "That I can remember easily. Wisdom is a circle, what you receive, you must give back." Sage put a hand on Vert's shoulder and said, "Let's take the Mobi and head to this Highway 35." The others cheered and were really excited until Stanford said, "But what about our cars? We can't possibly take all of them?"
Sage smiled and said, "I have been working on something. It will let me shrink down your cars for easy storage. I was working on it in case we ever need to move from the base in a hurry." "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going then!" AJ said. While Sage shrunk down the cars, everyone else went and packed up their things. Once they were all ready, they climbed aboard the Mobi and headed out in stealth mode.
