Arc 1 - Worlds Apart
Chapter 11: Home, Sweet, Home?
Foundation X Temple, Sekai no Skull
"Is this really it?" uttered Yamato as he stood in front of the portal, looking up at it.
"Absolutely," replied ARI out loud, "I can check again if you'd like."
Yamato smiled, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Home," grinned Hase from where he stood beside Yamato, Hina next to him.
Hina smiled, "Let's go."
Nodding, Yamato stepped forward, through the portal, Hase and Hina following him.
Blinking as everything went dark, Yamato looked around him, they were in the portal room, two inches of water on the floor.
"What the hell?" muttered Hase.
Pushing the door open, the wood crumbling under Yamato's grip, the three of them entered the main hall, the roof in the middle had collapsed, the rain running down the section.
"What happened here?" wondered Yamato as they edged around the collapsed ceiling to the main doors.
"From a rudimentary scan, it appears rather a heated battle took place here," explained ARI, her synthetic voice betraying worry, "But it doesn't look recent."
Pushing the doors open, they stepped out into the driving rain, the wind buffeting them.
"This is so not good," sighed Hina at the sight of ruined buildings, floodlights roving over the street, hovercrafts flying above.
"What's happened?" questioned Hase.
"Whatever it was," replied Yamato, "It wasn't good."
Suddenly, a missile streaked across the night sky, exploding at it struck one of the hovercrafts. Fire lit up the night as the craft crashed down to earth, smashing into the building across from them.
The back of the smoking craft opened up, strange robots streaming out, guns in their metal hands.
Another hovercraft, the one that fired the missile, came to a halt above the street, the cargo door opening as a red and blue figure dropped to the street.
TARGET IDENTIFIED: KAMEN RIDER BUILD
"Build?" murmured Yamato, watching as Build raised the Drill Crusher in gun mode, firing at the Guardians.
Holding the Guardians off, Build looked back, directly at the trio.
"Come with me if you want to live!" yelled Build.
"Can we trust him?" questioned Hina, frowning.
"We have to," replied Yamato, darting forward, Hina and Hase following as the ducked and dived under rubble, dodging shots at they went.
Returning his focus to the Guardians, Build spoke, "I need an extraction, four of us."
The hovercraft shifted slightly, four ropes dropping, ends just a foot from the ground.
"Grab hold," instructed Build as Yamato, Hina and Hase reached him, the three of them doing as they were told.
"Now!"
The hovercraft suddenly lurched, rising higher into the sky as the ropes began to reel the four of them in. Looking down, Yamato watched as the ground got further and further away, the Guardians shrinking to small dots.
"My god," muttered Hina at the sight of the city below, fire had engulfed buildings, hovercraft fighting each other as laser fire lit up the streets.
Reaching the end of the ropes, they found themselves inside the craft, the cargo doors shutting below them. Letting go of the rope, Build pulled the FullBottles from his Driver, his suit fading away.
"Sento Kiryu," spoke Yamato, dropping down, Hina and Hase following his lead.
"You got my message?" replied Sento, glancing back for a second before striding forward to the cockpit, a Guardian sat in the chair, "Take us home."
ROGER
"Why do you have one of those?" questioned Yamato warily.
"I reprogrammed him," answered Sento, in a casual drawl, "I needed someone to pilot this after I stole it."
"Who is this?" asked Hina, looking at Yamato.
"He's the one who built the Alpha Driver, Foundation X stole it and the FullBottles from him," explained ARI, answering for Yamato.
Yamato turned to Sento, "How did you know I'd be coming, how did you know to tell Shroud she could trust me?"
"Did you think you woke up before Foundation X could brainwash you all by yourself?" questioned Sento, as the hovercraft suddenly lurched, turning to the left.
"That was you?"
"You're welcome," uttered Sento, as he detached his Build Driver from his waist, setting in down.
"Why?" muttered Yamato, "Why would you trust me?"
"Because we'd already met," answered Sento, "Not long before Foundation X stole the Alpha Driver you showed up, so I knew I could trust you when I found you as Foundation X's prison."
Before Yamato could ask anymore, the hovercraft came to a stop, Yamato, Hina and Hase looked out the windows, seeing a forest below. Suddenly, a part of the forest floor opened up, the hovercraft lowering itself into the darkness.
Steadying themselves, the hovercraft jolted as it touched down. Sento pushed past the others, hitting a button by the back door, it opened up.
"This way, we can talk further," instructed Sento, before setting off, the lights blinking on as the hanger doors shut themselves.
"Do we?" queried Hase.
"Let's humor him," replied Yamato, "At least for now."
Following after Sento, they examined their surroundings, whatever this place was it looked like until recently it had been abandoned. Stopping, Sento opened a door and stepped inside, leaving it open for the others.
"So, what happened?" asked Yamato as he, Hina and Hase entered.
"Faust got what they wanted," answered Sento as placed his Driver down on workstation, sitting down in front of it, "A war, a war to end all wars. Touto, Hokuto and Seito went to war when I failed to stop Faust from taking Pandora's Box."
"Everything went sideways after that, Banjo vanished from that rooftop, Misora was taken by Faust, Sawa and Soichi are best not to be mentioned," sighed Sento as he began to tweak at his Build Driver, running diagnostics.
"Touto? Hokuto? Seito?" questioned Hina.
"The three regions Japan was split into sixteen years ago by the Skywall," explained Sento, not even looking up.
"Sixteen years ago, what year is it?" asked Yamato, stepping forward.
"2023, so it's been what, thirty years, since Foundation X took you," answered Sento nonchalantly.
"Thirty years," murmured Yamato, his face pale, "My sister?"
Sento paused, struggling to speak.
"Foundation X exposed her to Nebula Gas, she couldn't handle the stress of becoming a Smash," spoke a voice as the door swung open.
"K-Kohei?" stuttered Yamato, recognising the voice as he turned to see a man in his fifties, "She's gone?"
"I'm sorry, Yamato," nodded Kohei, looking down.
"How?"
"It was 2017, Foundation X took her," explained Kohei, "Osamu had her exposed to the Nebula Gas, she transformed into the Heart Smash."
"But after I removed the Smash essence, her body couldn't handle the strain," continued Sento, stopping his work on his Driver, closing it up, "But we can save her, we can save everyone."
"What do you mean?" questioned Hase.
"Foundation X's master portal," uttered Yamato, his eyes widening.
"Excellent!" grinned Sento, holding his hand out, "Alpha Driver?"
Handing the Driver over warily, Yamato spoke, "Why do you want it?"
"I give my Build Driver the once over after every time I use it," replied Sento, going to work on the Alpha Driver, "It's been what, seven, eight months you've been using it?"
"Ten months," answered Yamato, "What did you mean about the portal?"
"He's been building a device we can use to modify one of the portals at the temple to give us access to the main portal," informed Kohei, "We can then set the portal to take us back to stop this war from starting in the first place."
"Wait, this can be right," stated Hina, "There wasn't any Skywall in 2016."
"Or 2013," added Hase.
"The Pandora's Box, what cause the Skywall incident, doesn't tend to follow the rules of time," replied Sento, "In fact, it exists out of phase with the rest of reality."
"My brain hurts," murmured Hase, rubbing his forehead.
"Since you guys are here now, we can put the plan into action," stated Kohei, "You might want to get some food and prepare yourself to move out, follow me."
The three went to follow Kohei when Sento spoke, "I need Yamato to test his Driver."
"Sure," nodded Yamato, urging Hina and Hase to keep going with a reassuring smile.
"How are you?" asked Sento, the second the door shut, "You don't have to keep pretending you're fine."
Yamato looked taken aback for a few seconds before sighing, "When I first escaped I was angry all the time, eventually I figured out how to hold back my emotions the best I can."
Sento nodded, "You feel like if you let that anger and sadness out for even a second it will consume you?"
"Exactly that," uttered Yamato, before sighing, "You've felt it too."
"Everyday since I failed to stop Faust," explained Sento, a haunted look in his eyes, "I wasn't just Misora they captured, it was me as well, I had to watch as they forced her to produce FullBottle after FullBottle. By the time I could escape, they'd transferred her to another facility, I only just got away with my Driver and a few of my FullBottles, I didn't have time to find the rest."
Yamato reached into his jacket, placing his eight FullBottles on Sento's workbench. Setting his hand down, Sento added the Rabbit, Tank, Soujiki, Taka and Gorilla FullBottles to the rest.
"So you got the ones Foundation X stole back," commented Sento, before looking again, grabbing two of Yamato's FullBottles, "What are these?"
"The Canvas and Psychic FullBottles, matches with Shell and Turbo," informed Yamato.
"How did you get them?" questioned Sento as he examined the Bottles, before setting them down.
"Psychic was given to me by Onyx to help me beat BurnSting," replied Yamato, "Canvas, I purified when I took it from a mad scientist, Gara."
"Interesting, so you're like Misora?" queried Sento as he began to screw the cover back onto the Alpha Driver.
"What do you mean?" retorted Yamato, frowning.
"Nevermind," sighed Sento, offering the Alpha Driver to Yamato, "Give this a try."
"Sure," nodded Yamato, taking the Driver, plucking the Crystal and Python FullBottles from the workbench, giving them a quick shake.
[CRYSTAL!] [PYTHON!] [BEST MATCH!]
"What are you doing?" questioned Sento.
"Transforming?"
Sento sighed, before switching the position of the FullBottles, "You've been doing it the wrong way round."
[PYTHON!] [CRYSTAL!] [BEST MATCH!]
"Are you sure?" questioned Yamato as Sento attached probes to the Alpha Driver.
"Yep," replied Sento, turning the handle instead of Yamato.
The frame materialised around Yamato, the locations of the purple and gold armour halves swapped from normal, before the armour slammed shut around Yamato, transforming him into Hansei.
[ARE YOU READY?!] [SUISHOU NO SLITHERING!] [CRYSTALPYTHON!] [YEAH!]
Turning to a computer, Sento studied the data coming from the Alpha Driver, "No, this isn't right."
"What's wrong?" questioned Hansei.
"This form is far weaker than it should be," muttered Sento, "Could it be?"
Spinning to face Hansei, Sento spoke, "Swap the bottles, like you have been using them."
"Sure," shrugged Yamato, switching the FullBottles, turning the crank.
Slamming his hand down on a pile of papers, Sento watched as steam bellowed from Hansei's suit as it merged again, this time the other way around, before going back to his data.
"Yep, it's what I suspected," stated Sento, spinning around, "The reason your power levels are higher this way around is because of your cybernetics, they line up with the inorganic side and amplify its power."
"I'm not even going to try understand the science," muttered Yamato as he cancelled his transformation.
"This way," instructed Kohei as he lead Hina and Hase through the corridors, occasionally being passed by hacked Guardians or people dressed in black uniforms like Kohei's.
"What is this place?" questioned Hina they filed into the kitchen.
"An old abandoned research facility operated by the Japanese government before the Skywall incident," explained Kohei, "It was forgotten about after the country split, we found out about it in some old papers we stole."
"How many of you are there?" inquired Hase, grabbing an apple from a fruit bowl, munching into it, giving a short sigh at the lack of taste.
"Not many, there used to be more of us," admitted Kohei, looking downcast, "But we just have to keep going until we can change the past."
Suddenly, the room shook violently, the lights going out.
"What's going on?" asked Hina as the room was bathed in red light.
"We're under attack, they found us," uttered Kohei, "We have to get the device and escape, if they get it, we lose."
Hangar
Coming the a halt, Sento and Yamato looked up as the hangar doors collapsed inwards, crushing two of the hovercrafts inside.
"No, no, no," murmured Sento, "We have to get the portal manipulator out of here, they'll destroy it if they get the chance."
"Where is it?" questioned Yamato as he attaching his Driver to his waist, Sento doing the same.
"That hovercraft," replied Sento, gesturing to a craft at the opposite side of the hangar.
A large black hovercraft touched down in the center of the hangar, the lift at the back dropping open to reveal BurnSting, with NightRogue and BloodStalk either side of him, Guardians behind them.
"Who are they?"
"Agents of Faust, or at least they used to be," answered Sento, shaking his Rabbit and Tank FullBottles, "Foundation X defeated them and took their gear at the same time."
"Got it, I'll get the device," spoke Yamato as he slotted his FullBottles into his Driver.
"I have waited years for this," snarled BurnSting, "I will kill you!"
"Lovely," commented Sento.
Yamato smiled, "I'd say you get used to him, but…"
[RABBITTANK!] [CRYSTALPYTHON!]
Build and Hansei charged forwards at BurnSting and his cronies, the latter using his Python Whip to swing himself over them, landing near the hovercraft with the device.
"I guess I'll just have to kill you first," sneered BurnSting, aiming his Transteam Pistol at Build.
[MATSUBOKKURI ARMS!]
[TA-TO-BA! TATOBA! TATOBA!]
Kurokage and Hoshii dashed into the hangar, stopping either side of Build, Kohei stopping in the doorway, laser rifle in hand.
BurnSting sighed, "You know what to do."
BloodStalk and NightRogue raced forward, the former engaging Kurokage, the latter Hoshii.
"Let's go," stated Build, drawing his Drill Crusher as he charged, watching Hansei dodge into the hovercraft behind BurnSting.
Knocking BurnSting's shots aside with his drill, Build stabbed at his opponent.
BurnSting caught the Drill Crusher, holding it in place, "Let me give you a taste of my power, it's certainly grown since we last fought."
[RED FLARE!]
Red lightning crackled around BurnSting, before exploding outwards, sending Build flying back, his Drill Crusher falling from his grip.
As the smoke cleared BurnSting stepped forward, the black sections of his undersuit as well as his helmet changed to ruby red, his visor and scorpion on his chest turning pitch black.
"Impossible," muttered Build, snapping himself out of his shock, switching his Rabbit FullBottle out for Taka.
[TAKA!] [TANK!] [ARE YOU READY?!]
Red giving way for orange, Build soaring into the air, before flying at BurnSting, grabbing him and shooting out of the wrecked hangar doors.
"Stay still," growled Kurokage as he continued to swing at BloodStalk with his Kagematsu, who was dodging every attack, taking potshots with his Transteam Rifle.
"Fine, let's even this up," grunted Kurokage, drawing a purple Lockseed.
[BUDOU!]
Slamming the Lockseed into his Sengoku Driver, Kurokage sliced down with the knife.
[SOIYA! - BUDOU ARMS! RYU! HOU! HA-HA-HA!]
Transforming into Budou Arms, Kurokage raised the Ryuhou, pulling back the hammer.
Strafing sideways, Kurokage peppered BloodStalk with shots, watching as his opponents stumbled back, stunned, whoever was under the suit didn't know they were doing.
Nearby, Hoshii continued her duel with NightRogue, blocking her Steam Blade, countering with her claws and an enhanced kick.
"Let's switch things up," stated Hoshii, drawing Kuwagata Medal she'd taken from Granzel.
[KUWAGATA!] [TORA!] [BATTA!]
Light obscured Hoshii for a few seconds before fading, her Taka helmet switched for the Kuwagata helmet.
[GATATOBA!]
Building up the charge between her horns, Hoshii directed it at NightRogue, electricity coursing through her suit.
Going back to back, BloodStalk and NightRogue looked around to see the last Guardians taken down by Kohei.
"Let's retreat, Mei," fretted BloodStalk, NightRogue nodding in agreement.
Piling into the Foundation X hovercraft, the back door slamming shut as it lifted over, straight out of the hangar doors.
"And stay out!" mock-called Hase as he and Hina cancelled their transformations, high fiving.
Kohei took a deep breath, taking aim again. Hase's widened as he watched the barrel lock onto Hina.
Stepping sideways in front of Hina, Hase grunted as a shot rang out, striking him in the chest. Hase's body crumpled on top of Hina, knocking her down, her head smacking into the floor, sending her into unconiuosness.
"Got it!" called Hansei as he stepped out of the hovercraft, portal manipulator in hand, freezing at the sight of Kohei's smoking gun.
Freezing, Hansei only just broke out of it in time dodge a shot from Kohei.
"Why are you doing this, Kohei?" demanded Hansei, summoning his ArrowSlicer.
"Kohei is dead," replied the man, "I replaced him, it's been a dull six years playing the goody two shoes, watching for you show up."
Hansei forced down his anger and sorrow, he could deal with that later, "Then who are you?"
"I'm insulted you don't recognise me, Takahashi," sneered Kohei, strolling towards Hansei's hiding place.
"Onyx," hissed Yamato, switching his ArrowSlicer to bow mode.
"It seems you're not as stupid as you look," sneered Onyx, as his body morphed back into his normal form.
Stepping out of cover, Hansei fired off a hail of shots at Onyx, watching in disbelief as he twisted and turned, dodging every one of them.
"Did you think I'd just give you the real Psychic FullBottle," drawled Onyx as he held up his Onyx and a dark purple Psychic FullBottle, "We're still working out the kinks, the copies tend to come out weaker, different, kind of like you."
"You bastard," growled Hansei, trying to keep his temper in check.
Reaching into his jacket, Onyx produced a device resembling the FullBottle bay of a Build Driver or Transteam Breaker.
Lowering his right forearm to across his chest, Onyx attached the device to his wrist, slots facing upwards, before inserting the FullBottles.
[ONYX!] [PSYCHIC!] [PEERLESS MATCH!]
"Peerless match!?"
"A best match forged by emotion," retorted Onyx with a smug grin, "This is my full power!"
Grabbing the device, Onyx twisted it sideways, the FullBottles pointing towards his hand. Suddenly, the device extended down Onyx's arm, the section black with red, yellow and green wires running down to a Vortex Barrel, resembling the main section of the Transteam Breaker.
A frame appeared around Onyx, pipes extending from his wrist. The black sections of Onyx's suit materialised behind him. In front of him, purple pieces appeared.
[ARE YOU READY?!] [KOKORO DARKNESS!] [ONYXPSYCHIC!] [YEAH!]
The armour snapped shut, encasing Onyx in his suit. It resembled his Onyx Form, but the silver changed to deep purple, a Crystal Basher on each forearm, the matching pauldrons on his shoulders, the eyes both from the Psychic armour.
Flicking his wrists, the fists of the Crystal Bashers faded, giving Noir his dexterity back. Holding out his right hand, the Transteam Breaker appearing in his grip, lacking the section located on his wrist.
Grabbing the device from his wrist, Noir detached it, before slotting it into the empty space of the Transteam Breaker, completing it.
"An nice little upgrade from Dr. Tachibana," spoke Noir, securing the axe on his back, flicking his wrists, summoning the fists of the Crystal Bashers back again, "I couldn't just keep walking around with an axe everywhere."
Switching his ArrowSlicer to blade mode, Hansei charged at Noir, only for the black Rider to lazily dodge his swing. Holding up his fists, Noir tapped them together, Hansei suddenly freezing in place.
"Don't you understand?" snarled Noir as he stalked around Hansei, frozen in place, "All that time you thought you were winning, you were dancing to my tune."
Hansei wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. Lashing out, Noir pummeled at Hansei's chest, before allowing time to return to normal.
Yamato hit the floor, his Alpha Driver detaching from his waist, sliding away.
Noir gave a cold, sadistic laugh, before stilling over to pick up the Alpha Driver, pulling the Crystal and Python FullBottles from it.
"You won't be needing this anymore," hissed Noir, dropping the Driver to the floor and unhooking his Transteam Breaker from his back.
"Goodbye, Hansei," spoke Noir, bringing his axe down, cleaving the Alpha Driver in two.
"No!" called Yamato, desperately reaching out.
"Kamen Rider, no more," sneered Noir, before punching Yamato in the head, knocking him out cold.