"Ge…" said Briggs, squinting at the unfamiliar words. Jean-Michelle had handed her a document written in German, and said that it would help explain things. She had lied, as the first two words were almost indecipherable. "Ge sell schaft…"

"Gesellschaftenmenschlichenoptimierung: Forschungkybernetikenkaryologieneugenik," said Nikki, effortlessly rattling off a string of German as if it was her first language. "You need to say all the syllables like a robot on fast-forward."

"It was the name of one of Nazi Germany's secret projects for creating transuman soldiers," said Jean-Michele. She was standing in front of her great wall of TV monitors, each one displaying film displaying bizarre science experiments in grainy black-and-white. There were tests of weapons that shot rays of pure lightning, blades that could melt metal on contact, and emaciated humans with boxy metal strapped to the stumps of limbs. "It utilized cybernetics, controlled breeding and deliberately modified human embryos to try and produce human weapons."

"The Nazis did love their experiments…" said Nikki, trying to look away from the screen.

"How did you ever spell that name right?" said Briggs.

"It was a losing battle," said Jean-Michele. "The Allies called it the Society for Human Optimization: Cybernetics Karyology and Eugenics Research. The Nazis must have liked that name too, because after the war they started calling themselves 'SHOCKER'."

The screens turned black, displaying the image of a stylized red eagle astride a globe, its wings spread in a cry of victory and its claws digging into the world. There was a second of silence, that was broken by a sudden outburst of laughter.

"…seriously?" Nikki said, biting her hand to keep from laughing. "I… hah, I shouldn't laugh about actual goddamn Nazis, but seriously? 'Shocker'?"

"It didn't have the same meaning back in 1941," said Jean-Michele. "…or so I'm told."

"…do I even want to know what you find so funny?" asked Briggs.

"I'll have to explain it to you when you're older," said Nikki, holding up three fingers of her right hand and winking.

"I think I'm comfortable in my ignorance," said Briggs. "How did Shocker survive the war? We would have heard of this."

"We probably tried to grab some for ourselves, just like the space program," said Nikki.

"There was an Shocker enclave in Japan, buried deep within the Akaishi Mountains," said Jean-Michele, the screen behind her showing a labeled map of Japan, with an eagle insignia west of Tokyo, in Nagano. "The Nazis had planned it as a lifeboat for the Third Reich if Berlin fell. The details were kept secret from the heads of both governments as an extra precaution. When Japan surrendered, their leaders had nothing to give the allies, and the only ones who knew the location either went into hiding or committed suicide. They kept hidden for over 25 years, until 1971."

"How long does this power-point presentation last?" Briggs asked, folding her arms. "You've obviously put a lot of work into it, but-"

"Have a little patience, agent," Jean-Michele continued, as the screen changed again. "Shocker had been kidnapping motorists, drifters, anyone they could get their hands on to use in their experiments. In 1971, they got their hands on a motocross racer named Ichigo Takeshi." One screen showed a grainy headshot of a Japanese man in his late 20s, wearing a friendly grin and a ridiculous 1970s haircut. A few other screens scrolled up biographical information written in English, French, German and Japanese "They altered him with cybernetics and insect DNA, tried to turn him into one of their super-soldiers." There was footage from a security camera in in operating theater. A man in body armor with wide, bulbous eyes leapt from the table and fought his way through surgeons and armed guards like they were paper-cut-outs. The footage followed him down hallway after another, images from a dozen different cameras watching as this man fought his way through armored security guards, soldiers in Wehrmacht uniforms, and strange men dressed as grinning skeletons. "Somehow, Ichigo was able to fight his way out before they could brainwash him. Shocker sent all of their forces out to catch him, but the experiments had given Ichigo the ability to transform into a super-human warrior." The screens showed him once again as they had first seen him; that masked man in green armor, his scarf dancing in the breeze, his eyes shining and full of fire. "He was the first Kamen Rider."

Nikki raised her hand.

"Kamen means Masked," said Jean-Michele.

"I know that," Nikki huffed. "I was going to ask why are we only hearing about this guy now?"

"The news didn't really get out of Japan," said Jean-Michele, moving to stand beside the image of the Rider. "We tried to keep it that way. Ichigo got in contact with an Interpol agent, who put him in touch with the FBI. They managed to keep it secret, keep it contained. For a time, at least. The Interpol agent was my father, and the FBI agent they assigned was our mutual friend-"

"Ken'ichiro Taki," said Briggs. Her brows furrowed inward. "Damn… why did it have to be you?"

"I'm afraid there was little choice in the matter," said a new voice, a man's voice. The voice was deep and rich, like a river of chocolate, and the words were heavy with authority. The wall of screens flickered, and the collage of stock footage was replaced with the image of an Asian man, somewhere in his 60s, his face lined and his temples going gray. He was wearing a dark suit and sitting in a high-backed armchair in a room full of bookshelves, staring down at the eye of the camera. "Hello, Helen. I'm sorry to have disappointed you."

"Hello, Colonel," said Briggs folding her arms over her chest. "Still full of secrets, I see?"

"It comes with the job description," said Taki. "I see you found our trail of breadcrumbs. It looks as though I made it too easy."

"Um… I… I kinda helped with that," said Nikki, meekly raising her hand. The man's gaze shifted to her and she visibly shrank. "…sir."

"And who exactly is this?" asked Taki. "Has she been cleared?"

"She's with us!" said Briggs and de Bouchard together. Nikki looked at each of them, as they looked at each other.

"She's an outside expert, I contracted her for field research," said de Bouchard.

"It's far too late to keep her out of this, we may as well bring her in," said Briggs.

"This is the single greatest day of my life…" said Nikki, with stars in her eyes.

"Hmm, well if you're so committed…" said Taki, scratching his cheek. "Jean-Michelle, we'll have to talk about your choice in operatives."

"This coming from you?" said Briggs, walking up until she was just inches away from the screen. "You've been running a side operation under my very nose, with… her? When exactly were you going to let me in on your plans? Is she even in any way qualified?"

"I've been fighting creatures that haunt the darkness since you were a child, agent," said Jean-Michelle, putting her hands on her hips. "Taki taught me everything I know."

"Who do you think taught me?" said Briggs.

"He didn't teach you everything he knows," smirked Jean-Michelle.

"You have a particular taste in sidekicks," Nikki mumbled to the screens.

"It takes a very special kind," Taki sighed. "Helen, it was unfortunate that I had to deceive you, but it was necessary to maintain deniability, even among my subordinates. Despite the PR work of our friends from Angel Grove, these 'meta-morphers' have been unpopular in the government since the Carter administration."

"Since when?" asked Nikki.

"You didn't think they first showed up in 1993, did you?" said Jean-Michele. "My father could tell you stories, but that's for another time."

"Rest assured, that if it had been anyone but you on this case, we wouldn't have even made contact," said Taki, rubbing his liver-spotted brow. "The director will eat my career with a side of hash browns if this ever goes public."

"It was for the best, I suppose," said Jean-Michele. "I think it's about time you consider retirement, old man."

"Okay, hang on, I have so many questions-" began Nikki, almost immediately cut off by some rapid electronic tones. Agent Briggs pulled her cell phone out of her jacket.

"Briggs here," she said. "Jimenez? I told you to wait at the rendezvous, why are you-" She fell silent for a minute or two. The tinny echoes of the voice over the phone could be heard faintly through the room. Even Taki seemed to be holding his breath. "I see. We'll be right there." The agent flipped the phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket. "The Rider is down."