Chapter 22
Taiga and Hiiro rarely agreed but the need to develop a cure overrode any arguments. If it was always like this, perhaps Taiga could work with the man in earnest after all.
They had separated their jobs, with Hiiro analysing the virus itself and Taiga mixing and matching different prescriptions. So far, nothing had worked. Hiiro had confirmed it was definitely man-made and Taiga had tried more than 50 different solutions but none were showing any effect. Taiga was not worried. He had assumed that it would take time to get favourable results.
Medicine was a difficult substance, after all. Most cures would have taken hundreds of scientists decades to come up with a solution. But Hiiro and Taiga agreed that the virus appeared to be a mutation of existing ailments. Thus, it made sense to them that a variation of the respective cures should work to some extent. Mixing, matching, and modifying was much easier than creating.
Ghost's friend stayed close by. Hiiro had recommended the young man sleep and Taiga had been in silent agreement but apparently that suggestion had already been offered by the local medics. The man didn't seem to be able to implement it. Taiga allowed his presence party out of a lack of time to forcefully correct it and partly in the hope that the young man would relax at the sight of capable assistance. It hadn't worked so far.
Their lack of time to cordon off their work space had led to some other infractions of their privacy. Build's friends had decided they had to be around the action too. Taiga had quickly put them to work administering medication but their return always came too soon.
A bright light behind him had Taiga flinch and he turned to reprimand whoever it was that was interrupting his work but instead found an open portal.
"Brave!" Taiga called, jerking his head in the direction of the portal when Hiiro looked up at him.
Hiiro came over.
"Did they find Emu already?" he mused.
"Sento!" Misora and Gentoku joined them.
A prickle of heat was their only warning.
A fireball sped through the portal, slamming into the piles of paperwork Hiiro and Taiga had compiled for their research.
Taiga tackled Misora as a second fireball followed, this one hitting a little closer to home.
Six identical Unknown Riders poured out from the portal.
Taiga released his hold on Misora.
"Get the sick to safety!" he ordered.
She nodded and ran. Taiga turned his attention back to the Unknown Riders. One was almost upon him.
Quickly, he transformed, calmly taking aim before firing at his assailant.
The shot slowed the Rider but didn't stop it. Taiga kept firing, backing away as he went. Close range was not his specialty.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Build's other friend had transformed to help and was holding off two attackers while Brave tried to protect the remainder of their research from yet another. Makoto held off another attacker as Spectre. That left one. Taiga fired a hissatsu shot to give himself some extra time as he skidded into the hallway to find the final Unknown Rider.
It didn't take long. The final Rider was rummaging through the archives. Searching for a record? Or perhaps just looking to destroy more of their hard work.
Taiga took a shot at him but a tackle from behind threw his shot wide. He grappled with the Rider that had followed him from the main hall. The Sixth Rider stood and began running to the next room. Taiga threw off his attacker and gave chase.
The Sixth Rider was almost to the next door when a flash of green and white blindsided him.
"What's happening? Who are these lowlifes?" The green and white Rider called to him.
Taiga had just enough time to register that voice as belonging to the sick leader of the Gamma People - Alain. Then a fireball hit him from behind. Taiga shook his head and turned to face his adversary, adjusting the grip on his gun.
"What do you want?" he asked.
The Unknown Rider did not answer him.
Taiga fired six rapid shots to keep that Rider at a distance before running to help Alain. The kid was trying his best but the virus had obviously taken its toll and his attacks were not going to be enough to keep the Sixth Rider from taking him out soon.
Taiga combined his hissatsu with the one Alain already had prepared and grabbed the boy as his transformation came undone. They ducked together as their attack exploded, the heat searing their backs.
They turned as one to find the Sixth Rider gone. The Rider Taiga had initially been fighting turned and ran.
Taiga and Alain shared a glance before sprinting back to the main hall.
"Combine your attacks!" they yelled together.
Specter obeyed instantly, merging a pre-prepared attack with that of Gentoku. There was a blast of smoke and no Unknown Rider left in its wake when it cleared.
The remaining three Riders in the room ran for it.
"Wait right there!"
Taiga, Brave, Specter, Rouge, and Necrom raced after their adversaries. They pushed through the evacuating crowd and past the burning archives through to the main courtyard outdoors.
There were the remaining four Unknown Riders.
Alain stumbled behind them as Taiga began preparing a vicious attack. The other Riders also prepared their own attacks.
One of the Unknown Riders pulled out a remote and opened the portal.
"No!" Alain yelled as the four disappeared and the portal flashed shut.
"That looked like Sento's remote," Gentoku mused.
"Are you all ok?" Misora asked, huffing with the effort it had taken to follow them.
"We're fine," Taiga said. "What about the cures?"
Misora shook her head. "They destroyed everything. We'll need to start again."
Alain collapsed to his knees and Makoto went to him as his own transformation came undone.
"At least we have a way to stop them, now," Brave said as he undid his transformation.
Taiga nodded.
"Time to pass that on," he said.