Kamen Rider Lynx: Hey, everyone! Two chapters in one day since I made you guys wait for so long. You guys know the deal - I don't own KRDK as much as I'd love to - Toei and Adness hold that right.
Chapter 3: Old Enemies, New Powers (Eubulon's POV)
"Eubulon?" I heard Michelle's voice and opened my eyes, realizing that I was lying on a soft bed. I sat up slowly, groaning as the pain in my head reminded me of what my former Rider had done to me. I really hadn't expected Kit to knock me out cold.
"Did you guys get Kit?" I inquired, looking at her. I saw frustration cloud her eyes as she shook her head, gritting her teeth.
"No. Seems you trained him a bit too well, Eubulon. He took two other agents out after he knocked you out and then proceeded to outrun the others." I sighed, standing up slowly. My head was throbbing thanks to the punch Kit had managed to connect with my temple, which wasn't helping matters.
"I'm going to have to agree with that at the moment. Any other time I would say I trained him well enough, but not now," I agreed, tossing the Void Key from one hand to the other as I tried to think of ways that we could convince Kit to go to his dad's. Then, something occurred to me. "Wait a second, he couldn't have outrun the agents forever. Did he get some kind of transportation?"
Michelle sighed heavily, and I saw her nod. "Yes. Two figures rode up not long after he knocked you out, but both of them had helmets on. We're scanning the license plates right now, but we're pretty sure that one of the cycles was Kit's, which means he has friends helping him."
"Well, that'll make things challenging to say the least," I muttered to myself. Louder, I said, "Do you have any idea of who the figures might be?"
"Not in the slightest. All we know is that they must be the people we saw sparring with Kit this morning," Michelle sighed. "Still, I'm not keen to find out what he might do if we go after him again - he got one of the canisters."
I couldn't help but moan at that statement. "Oh bugger. Void only knows what he could do with that." Michelle nodded, opening her mouth to speak, but just then, a young No-Men agent stuck his head in the room.
"Michelle? We found out who the other motorcycle belonged to," he informed her, holding out a few pieces of paper. Michelle took them, examining them as the agent left the room.
"What? Nah….That's impossible," Michelle muttered, her eyes scanning the papers. She turned to me, raising her eyebrows as she did so. "I thought you said that you had erased Chris Ramirez's memory of being a Kamen Rider," she stated, her voice accusing.
"I did," I replied, confused. "Why?"
"He was on the other motorcycle, which means he and Kit are hanging out again. And we think we've found out who the girl is. Her name is Lyra Sharton, nineteen years old. Brother vanished when she was three, and her family was murdered when she was six. The murderers weren't found, and she claimed that she couldn't remember who had done it."
Sharton. That name stirred a vague memory in me, and I tried to remember where I knew it from. I came up with a blank, though, so I simply filed the name away to think about later. "Hm. Well, if Chris and Kit are working together as a team with Lyra, then we may have something else on our hands again. I don't know what, but still…."
"Oh, and um…You probably want to know this. Drew Lansing and James Trademore both escaped from prison about six months ago." That made me freeze mid-step, stunned. I whirled on her, trying to keep my emotions under control.
"What?" I inquired icily, and I knew that my eyes had to be blazing with cold anger. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
Michelle shifted on her feet uneasily, something that she rarely did. "We didn't think it could be connected to anything. We thought that they were just being regular criminals, escaping because they thought it would be a way to freedom. Now, though, if something is going on with Chris and Kit, whatever's going on could be connected to their escape."
I felt like I'd been winded. Two Riders who had been strong in the first War were loose on the streets again. That was not a good sign, and I realized then that finding Kit and actually talking about what was happening with him was much more important that I'd originally thought. Silently, I thought about what I was considering before I spoke to Michelle again.
"Get Chance, Len, Maya, Pryce, and Adam and tell them to come to Earth."
~~***~~
(Kit's POV)
I got off of my motorcycle, having parked it in front of my apartment building. Lyra and Chris got off of the other cycle, helmets tucked under their arms. I held mine in my hand as I jogged up the couple flights of stairs to my apartment, Chris and Lyra right behind me. After unlocking the door, we all walked in, sighing. I placed the canister of sedative on the counter next to my helmet, and Chris glanced at it.
"What is that?" he inquired, eyes slightly narrowed.
"A can of sedative that the No-Men use to knock someone out. Three years ago, before they became the Riders' allies, they captured me and used this stuff to take me out and drag me to their base," I replied ruefully. Chris snorted, amused, and I shot him a cold glower.
"Amusing. The fact that anyone could capture you surprises me, Kit," Chris chuckled.
"Well, I was visiting my dad in the hospital at the time, and it didn't even start to cross my mind that someone might be waiting in the shadows to capture me," I responded coolly. Chris nodded his head, silently agreeing, though I saw the edges of his mouth twitching with amusement. Lyra watched the two of us, her eyes quiet before she spoke up.
"Kit, if the No-Men knew how to find you, could it mean that….that they know where we're all staying now?" Lyra asked hesitantly, her face showing just how worried she was. I sighed, sitting on the ottoman as I tossed my cell phone from one hand to the other.
"Chances are that they would've known anyway. Master Eubulon was watching me, so they probably already knew. Problem is that now, we're going to be under their surveillance damn near 24/7, which is not going to make things any easier. In fact, it'll probably make it harder," I admitted.
"Harder?" Chris piped up. "How would it make it harder?"
"You said that there are three Dark Riders, correct?" Two nods answered that question. "What if one of them just happens to be a No-Men or a friend of a No-Men?"
"Oh." was all Chris said in response to that. Lyra's face paled, and I saw her slump backwards in one of the chairs. Her eyes were scared, surprising me. I turned to look at her.
"Lyra, what is it?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. It's just….Something feels wrong. I don't know what, but…" She trailed off, and I sensed that she was trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong. As she did, the memory of my vision slid into my mind, making me go rigid.
"Kit, what's wrong?" Chris's voice was startled, but I ignored him.
"Lyra, could what you're sensing be occurring on Ventarra?" Her head shot up, terror suddenly filling her eyes.
"Oh no….You don't think that the Ventarran Riders could be in trouble, do you?" I hesitated, trying to figure out if my instincts were telling me what was right.
"I don't know." I leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. "I honestly don't know."
A hand on my shoulder made me look up. Chris was looking at me, his eyes filled with sympathy. "Why don't we all just go for a walk and clear our heads? The morning's been crazy, and we all need to calm down before we do anything rash."
Lyra and I glanced at one another before nodding and standing up. "Let's go," I murmured, silently agreeing. We all needed to calm down before we made a mistake we'd regret.
~~***~~
One thing that was nice about my new apartment was that it wasn't awfully far from the park that was in Gramercy Heights. I went there all the time, and now I was leading Chris and Lyra there as well. We all were talking casually, looking forward to simply relaxing and clearing our minds for an hour or two.
Or at least, wishing that we would be able to relax.
The first thing that warned me of an attack was hearing a new sound, one that I'd never heard before. My body reacted, and I spun around, just barely blocking a kick that had been aimed at me. A punch was thrown towards my face, and I grabbed the fist, not entirely surprised when I saw who had thrown it.
Who other than James Trademore would do that?
"You're supposed to be dead, Taylor," he snarled, his eyes blazing with cold, cruel anger. I heard Chris and Lyra fighting two more Rider Equips and threw James away, coming up with my own attacks.
"What do you mean?" I growled, instincts that had been instilled in me several years earlier acting up as I blocked, punched, and kicked.
"The motorcycle wreck was set up by Xaviax and his Riders, including me. It was meant to kill you," James snapped, and his fist connected with my face. I heard a sharp snap come from my nose and lashed out with a violent kick to his midsection. Blood streamed down my face from my broken nose, but I ignored that.
"And you killed Kase instead. Brilliant, you bastard," I hissed coldly.
James stepped a few feet away, murmuring, "Dark Gauntlet, activate!"
I saw a black Gauntlet cover his left forearm, and instinct took over. "Advent Gauntlet, activate!" I snapped and my left arm became heavier as the Advent Gauntlet formed on my arm. I raised that arm to my face, and a wave of gold electricity formed around me, crackling as the powers pleaded with me, wanting to be used. "Kamen Rider, Equip!"
The wave of gold electricity coiled around me, wrapping around my legs and going up my body until I was encased in the golden armor of Kamen Rider Cynogriffon Equip. The armor was the purest gold, with my helmet the shape of Goldenheart's head and a shade darker than the rest of my armor.. On my left arm was the Cyno Visor, which was similar to Master Eubulon's Slash Visor. The rest of my armor was much like my old Onyx armor, but the main difference was the fact that there were two slits in the back. I didn't know what they were for, and I wasn't going to find out right then.
James approached me in armor styled after a hydra, the armor navy with the chest plate and boots a dark blue. He had two swords in his hands, and I immediately pulled an Advent Card out from the card holder that was on the underside of my left arm. I slid the card through the Visor, hearing a voice say, 'Attack Vent.'
At half the size of Dragredder and Dragblacker combined, Goldenheart flew out of the mirrors, using one of her front paws to cuff James before picking him up with her hind claws, tossing him halfway across the park. In that brief period of time, I saw Lyra, fighting in the Griffin Armor. Her armor was the purest of silver, styled after Akeona, her Advent Beast. She was fighting against another Rider, who was in pure black armor styled after a Pegasus.
'Attack Vent.' My attention focused once more on fighting James as the navy hydra slithered towards me, making me back up out of instinct. I tried to get away, but one of the hydra's heads picked me up, tossing me around in the air. I went from one head to another as I tried to get an Advent Card out.
'Sword Vent.' I held the katana in my hand, lashing out with a violent blow to the hydra's neck. The head fell to the ground, carrying me with it.
"Bad mistake, Taylor," James drawled. "You see, for every head you cut off…"
Aw hell. Two more grow back!
The hydra used one of its feet to kick me backwards into a tree. My back and neck hit the tree first, and I crumpled to the ground, my armor flashing once before fading away.
"Later." I heard James vanish with the other two Dark Riders, and I heard Lyra moan from somewhere to my far left.
"I'd forgotten just how much I hated fighting them," she muttered, and I staggered to my feet, my back protesting painfully. I rubbed the back of my neck gingerly, noting how sore it was. Just based on the pain, I guessed that I was aching because of the impact, not because of any injuries, though my nose was still bleeding. Looking at Lyra, who was limping and had a good gash on her face, though, I knew that I would probably be healing her later.
"Geez, I wish that I could figure out who that third person was." Chris's voice made me jump, and I turned to see him walking slowly to where Lyra and I were. His shirt was torn on the arms, and I saw blood seeping through the fabric. He nodded towards me. "You were right. Drew and James are Rider Equips, which is something that I most definitely do not like."
I shook my head. "It isn't good. We'll worry about that later, though. Let's get back to the apartment." I responded just as Lyra's left leg tried to give way. I caught her under the arm, keeping her from falling.
"Thanks," she murmured, leaning heavily against me. I pulled her arm around my shoulders, wrapping my other arm around her waist. "And Kit's right. Let's get back to the apartment for now. We're all injured and sore."
Chris nodded, glancing at my face. His eyes widened as he got a good look at what James had done. "Jeez, Kit, what did James do to you?"
"Broke my nose," I snapped, trying to keep my voice from sounding odd. "Let's go."
~~***~~
(Eubulon's POV)
"Master Eubulon, should we really be doing this?" Pryce asked, glancing around Kit's apartment. It was empty, thank the Void, and I was leaving the Onyx Deck on Kit's kitchen table. With James and Drew on the loose and possibly working for Xaviax, I wanted him to have the option of using an Advent Deck if it became necessary. I may not have known what was going on with him, but I wasn't going to let him get hurt.
Len had wandered over to the mantle that was overlooking the room and had picked up the small stuffed dragon that sat on it. He held it in his hands for a few long moments, squeezing it gently before placing it back on the mantle. I knew just how hard it had to be for him to be in his best friend's apartment but not be able to see him.
"Yes, Pryce," I replied, working on the note that I was leaving for Kit. He would need an explanation as to why the Onyx Deck was there. "He may no longer be a Rider as of right now, but he does need to be kept in the loop."
Noise from near the door made us all freeze, and I motioned for everyone to head towards the mirror. Pryce, Maya, Chance, and Adam went immediately, but Len hesitated, not wanting to leave yet. I saw the look in his eyes as he looked at the door, and that made my heart break.
"Len." Len looked at me, and the lost look on his face made him look like he was a little boy again. "Let's go." He looked at the door again, a silent wish in his eyes, before he walked into the mirror, heading into Ventarra with me behind him.
Kit. Please, for Len's sake if nothing else, don't get yourself killed.
~~***~~
(Kit's POV)
Chris opened the door, and I helped Lyra through the door. I led her to the couch, sitting her down before collapsing onto one of the chairs. I moaned, probing my nose critically before sitting up again. Chris sat down next to Lyra on the couch, pulling his jacket off and tossing it onto the back of the couch.
"Lyra, why don't you heal Kit's nose before you heal my arms? Then, Kit can heal your leg," Chris suggested, noting that we all were injured.
"Wait, you cad heal?" I gritted my teeth, annoyed that my nose prevented me from speaking entirely clearly.
"Yeah. Let me see your face." I turned my face so that I was looking at her, and she put her hands on my face, lightly probing the area around my nose before focusing on it. "Looks like it's just a minor fracture, nothing too serious. That's good." I saw her hands glow silver, and the pain in my face slowly faded away. After a couple of minutes, Lyra pulled away. "It should be fine now. Go and clean up. I'll heal Chris's arms while you do that."
I nodded, standing up and heading over to the kitchen area to grab a towel. I stopped mid-step when I saw something on the table, stunned.
It was the Onyx Advent Deck, and there was a note next to it. I picked the note up first, reading it.
Kit,
I know that you're annoyed with me right now for having followed you, and I understand that. I was just trying to keep an eye on you for your father and Michelle, both of whom are very worried about you right now. Their worries concerned me, and so I was just trying to make sure that you were alright. Now, I guess you're wondering why the Onyx Advent Deck is on your counter, and here is why. James Trademore and Drew Lansing broke out of prison about six months ago, and they might be working with Xaviax again. If they are, they might come after you. That's why I've left the Onyx Deck here. If you use it, I'll know and send you help.
Be safe, Kit.
-Eubulon
I re-read the note to make sure that I had read it right. Master Eubulon knew about James and Drew, but he didn't know about the Kamen Rider Equips. Goldenheart, when did he leave this here?
"To be honest, I think he was here with some of your other friends just a few minutes before you came back with Lyra and Chris. The dark-haired one, Len, I think his name was, picked up your dragon and held it for a few moments."
Len. That named pierced me, reminding me of Kase. I forced the pain aside, picking up the Onyx Advent Deck and holding it in my right hand for a long moment. Another note was under it, and I picked that one up, unfolding it.
Hey, Kit.
I just wanted to leave you a brief message, despite Master Eubulon's orders. I'm doing okay, though I wish that you were still one of our teammates. We all miss you - Maya, Pryce, Chance, Hunt, Adam, Sarah, etc. I guess I'll just say that I hope that you're okay, and don't get yourself killed.
Take care of yourself, rookie,
Len.
I laughed. Len had taken to calling me 'rookie' when I started full-time training with Master Eubulon, and so had most of the others. The nickname had infuriated me more than once, and one time, when I was sparring with Len, he called me that, and I made him take it back when I managed to get him in a headlock.
"Kit? You gonna clean yourself up?" Chris's voice pulled me back to the present, and I quickly put the two notes and the Advent Deck in my jacket pocket, grabbing a towel as I did so.
"Yeah, sorry." I hurriedly walked to the bathroom and turned on the water, getting the towel wet. I dabbed at my face, wiping the dried blood off. As I started to rinse the towel, I saw a figure in the mirror, making me drop the towel.
It was James.
He stood in the mirror, seeming amused. Then, he vanished, leaving me whirling around, the water still running. Breathing raggedly, I forced myself to calm down, turning the water off and drying my face with my towel. I left the damp one on the sink to dry.
I walked back out, trying to seem like everything was fine, but Lyra and Chris saw right through me.
"What is it, Kit? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Chris inquired, and when I opened my mouth to protest, he overran me. "Don't say it's nothing."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "James."
"WHAT?!" Lyra jumped to her feet and stumbled when her leg gave way. Chris and I both caught her before she fell, pushing her down into the chair again. "What do you mean, James?!"
"I saw him in the mirror," I explained, and Lyra's face paled.
"That isn't good, but I don't know how he got there in the first place. I don't know, Kit. Let's just hope it isn't something we need to worry much about," Lyra replied softly. I noticed that she winced when she moved her leg, and so I spoke up.
"Do you want me to take a look at you leg now?" Lyra nodded, placing her leg on mine. I started healing it, and by the time I had finished, I was certain of one thing.
We were being watched.
Lyra stood up, testing her leg, and she nodded at me. "Thanks, Ki-Kit, what is it?"
I put a hand up to silence her, and she switched to the Advent Bond. What's wrong?
We're being watched.
Both Chris and Lyra glanced at me, and I gave an almost imperceptible nod. Silently, they spread out, heading towards the two or three other reflective surfaces in the room. I walked to the long mirror that I had replaced, quietly walking through it.
I emerged in Ventarra, glancing around to see if I could tell who had been watching us. I sensed Master Eubulon's aura and started in that direction, only to have an arm wrap around my neck. I choked, fighting against my captor, and I heard James's snarl.
"Shut up, Taylor." I struggled, trying to get a grip on the Advent Deck that was in my front pocket. My fingers grazed it, but a sharp jerk from James made me drop it onto the ground.
No! No, no, no! I need help! "Advent Gauntlet," I wheezed out, "Activate!"
The Advent Gauntlet formed on my arm, and I lashed out with a kick, getting desperate for air. My vision was blurring, spots appearing before my eyes.
My foot connected with James's shin, and he hissed, his grip on my neck loosening slightly. That was enough for me, and I reached up to grab his arm, throwing him over my shoulder. I stumbled backwards, losing my footing as I did so. The only good thing about that was that I landed near the Onyx Deck, and I rolled onto my side, trying to reach out to grab it.
A foot crushed my left hand, making me hiss in pain. "Not so fast, Taylor. I'm not going to let you leave this battle alive." Aw, son of a bitch, this was not going to end well. I glanced up to see that James had transformed, and I struggled again, panic slowly starting to creep into my mind. I was in trouble if he used a Vent, and that would more than likely end up with me dead or at least wishing I was. But as he raised his sword to strike my left arm, a faint memory from when I was training Lyra came back to me.
"What happens if the Gauntlet is destroyed or damaged beyond repair?" I asked. We were taking a break, cooling down before we continued. Lyra's face darkened considerably before she answered.
"The easiest way for Xaviax to destroy us is to destroy our Gauntlets. If the Gauntlets are destroyed, then we die as well. Remember, they bind to your very soul and body entirely. That's why you protect the Gauntlet with your life."
"No," I grunted, lashing out. I caught the sword between my feet and sent it spiraling in the air. James stumbled backwards, and I knew that he was furious that I had managed to make it this long without being transformed.
I rolled to my feet, trying desperately to ignore the pain that I felt. "Kamen Rider, Equi-" I didn't get to finish, because as I spoke, Drew had snuck up behind me, and he grabbed me, pinning my left arm behind my back so that I couldn't reach it to transform. Aw shit. This really is not my day.
James lunged at me, kicking me hard in the chest, and I felt all of the breath leave my lungs. Then, he decided to follow it up with a hook kick that connected with my head, leaving me completely dazed and undoubtedly concussed. I felt Drew throw me onto the ground and heard words that sent a wave of utter horror through me, leaving me certain of my fate.
'Attack Vent." I felt the hydra's teeth dig into my skin, making me whimper from the pain, and it shook me around before tossing me into a tree. I collided with it head-first, causing blinding pain to tear through me, and I was certain that I had heard something crack. I let out a howl of agony, unable to keep from crying out any longer.
"Let's go. He'll die slowly, now," Drew drawled, and I heard James's voice, not far from my ear.
"Say good-bye, Taylor. You won't be seeing me again." If I could've royally kicked his sorry ass, I would've, but the pain was too much for me to focus on. My vision was flickering, changing from red, to white, to black, to normal, etc.
No…..No, this can't be how it ends, it can't! I thought hazily, and I heard Goldenheart's terrified voice in my mind.
"KIT!"
And then, vaguely, I heard another two or three voices, voices of people that I knew well.
"Kit! NO!"
Len, Maya…Chance…I'm so sorry….
Unable to fight the pain anymore, I let my vision fade to black, falling into the abyss of peace that awaited me.