Sea of Tranquility: Locusts on the Wind
Chapter 1: Deaths and Rebirths
A/N: The following is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the franchises involved.
"Ugh. How much did I drink?"
The young man thought as he regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes and gazed at the night sky.
He sat up, taking notice of his surroundings.
"A warehouse district?"
The man paused as he suddenly realized something very wrong.
"I… I'm breathing normally."
He looked down at his hands, then back at the warehouses!
A group of masked guards approached the corner!
The young man instinctively ran for cover behind a nearby wall!
Then the memories flashed back…
Ginza, 2007…
"I had a good life. Really, I did."
Hayato Ichimonji muttered as the last of his strength gave way, and vision dimmed.
In the high-end bar he frequented, a man passing out mid-party wasn't out of the ordinary.
In time, the women partying around him left, eager to rush to the safety and comfort of their homes before passing out.
No one noticed the trickle of blood from his mouth until the owner came to close up the shop.
"Hey! Wake up!"
The old man tried to resuscitate him to no avail and called an ambulance.
Soon, Hayato was pronounced dead…
…again.
You see, Hayato Ichimonji was once known by another name.
He was once Katsuhiko Yano, an accomplished photographer about to marry his fellow reporter, Asuka Midorikawa.
Unfortunately, the couple's line of work resulted in them being targeted by the mysterious terrorist organization known as Shocker!
And so, Yano met his demise at the hands of the Shocker agent "Spider."
As fate would have it, Shocker's plans did not end with Yano's death.
Asuka survived, due to another Shocker agent regaining his senses and rebelling against the organization!
That agent, Takeshi Hongo, would later turn out to be a significant thorn in Shocker's side and Yano's greatest friend.
Hongo, and later, Yano, were converted into grasshopper-themed cyborg warriors known as the "Hoppers" as part of Shocker's efforts to dominate the world!
Later accounts would refer to them as the quasi-mythical "Kamen Riders" after their uniquely ornate helmets.
Yano, given the alias "Hayato Ichimonji" and some false memories, was immediately ordered to eliminate Hongo!
But the tables turned when Shocker renewed their efforts to silence Asuka, forcing Hayato to regain his senses as well and help Hongo rescue her!
The next two years would see both of them unite to cripple Shocker's devious plots once and for all!
Alas, being a reanimated corpse in all but name, resulted in Hayato's body rejecting his cybernetic implants!
In their final mission together, Hayato coughed up blood, and the Hoppers would've been defeated right then and there if not for the timely defection of Shiro Kazami, a.k.a. Hopper Version 3!
Hayato Ichimonji had saved the world countless times in two years and died peacefully in the presence of beautiful women in his favorite bar.
To say he "lived a good life" would've been a massive understatement!
And now, through some unknown force, Hayato would get another chance to live it all over again!
Warehouse District, unknown location…
"I should have died…"
Hayato now remembered clearly.
"Well, either that or all that alcohol cured my wasting disease."
He sarcastically mused.
Hayato peeked from behind the wall, inspecting the guards!
"I heard something over here!"
"Some stuff probably fell over. Those humans can never keep anything tidy."
Two voices. One male, one female.
Considering their views on humans, Hayato came to only one conclusion!
"Shocker! This must be another one of their bases!"
"Could've sworn I heard something run."
"You did take care of all the guards, right?"
"Come on, you know me! I double tap!"
Hayato retreated behind the wall and double-checked his belt.
An ornate, fan-shaped device was where the buckle should be!
"Yep. Belt's still good."
Hayato peeked around the corner again.
The guards were armed!
"Hey!"
The duo instantly readied their guns on him!
Hayato bolted from his hiding spot behind the wall!
"Henshin!"
A burst of explosive gunfire destroyed where Hayato stood seconds earlier!
As the pair looked upon their work, a humanoid figure came down in front of them, kicked aside their firearms, and punched both of them in the face!
His suit was now replaced with an outfit resembling a biker with an armored tunic!
A red scarf dangled from his neck!
The grasshopper shaped eyes in his themed helmet shone brightly in the night!
Kamen Rider #2 was ready for battle!
On the ground, the two guards' human disguises began to dissolve into foam, revealing insectoid features!
"What the hell is this?!"
Hayato thought as he gazed at the gruesome scene before him.
He had gotten used to Shocker agents exploding after a defeat, but never saw anything like this!
He turned his attention towards the main building, where the leaders were surely planning.
"It won't be long before they realize something's wrong. I'd better get to work!"
Meanwhile, in the main building…
"Lord McCullen, Baron DeCobray, I hope that you enjoyed your stay in Tokyo."
"It's quite a nice change from the colonies. I miss natural sunlight."
"Oh, spare us the pleasantries, Lord Tsukikage! We have urgent business to attend to and the risk of our opponents tailing us is quite high! Now, our deal?"
"Right, the 'Joes.' In that case, I'll skip to the presentation."
Tsukikage opened a view screen.
"This very warehouse district was under the command of a business rival up until a few hours ago. My latest recruits made quite the impression on his guards."
The viewscreen showed security footage of masked men in insectoid armor absolutely thrashing the heavily armed paramilitary guards stationed around the warehouses!
"These men received nanomite injections?"
Lord McCullen asked.
"A new blend! Unlike Mindbender's formula, ours creates an instantaneous nanotech-armor to defend the subject while limiting his/her pain receptors. It even has built-in repair and first-aid systems in case of intense combat!"
Tsukikage boasted.
"And the grasshopper look?"
Baron DeCobray pointed out with some disgust evident in his voice.
"A purely aesthetic choice. If you prefer, I'll have a Cobra design programmed."
Suddenly, an explosion ravaged one of the warehouses!
"The Joes! You've led them right to us!"
Baron DeCobray accusingly pointed and prepared to draw a pistol!
In an instant, crimson insectoid armor covered Lord Tsukikage, and he drew his red-bladed saber at the Baron's neck!
Their respective bodyguards also aimed guns at each other!
"Lord McCullen, I expected better self-control from your superior."
"I apologize, he can be a bit hot-headed sometimes."
"Oh, shut up, Destro!"
Lord Tsukikage lowered his saber.
"My associates inform me that the attacker is a disgruntled ex-employee. I will deal with him personally. You'd best be on your way before the Joes really get here."
"I expect a fresh batch of Masked Vipers once the Kazami Op is done."
A humbled Baron DeCobray hissed as he, McCullen, and their guards ran for the back entrance.
"In due time, Commander."
Lord Tsukikage calmly replied.
"How could such an impulsive man lead a private military company?"
He pondered as he rushed off to confront the attacker.
"They simply don't make terrorists like they used to."
Lord Tsukikage sneered.
Outside…
Hayato tore through the enemy defenses with terrifying ease!
The Shocker Combatants, some disguised as security guards, some wearing gaudy wrestler attire, went down in droves!
"What's with these ridiculous outfits?! What is this, the '70s?!"
He snarked as he effortlessly disarmed a machete-wielding Combatant and threw him at a pair of riflemen some distance away!
"Too easy."
The sound of revving motorcycles filled the air.
"Spoke too soon!"
Hayato grunted as four motorcycles came into view.
"Shocker Riders. Great."
Three of the bikes each carried two riders in similar attire to his, only with black armor and yellow scarves!
But it was the last motorcycle that caught Hayato's attention!
Its rider had shimmering silver armor that appeared distinct from the six others!
"This is gonna be rough."
The leader spoke up.
"You're awfully spry for a dead man, Yano!"
Hayato gritted his teeth at the mention of his old name.
"It's Ichimonji! Hayato Ichimonji!"
To Hayato's shock, the leader suddenly materialized twin sabers in his hands!
"I see. I'll carve you a new tombstone!"
The leader charged at Hayato!
Hayato kicked up the Combatant's machete and parried the onslaught of blows!
Forced onto the defensive, Hayato saw the other six Shocker Riders charging at him from all flanks!
Despite his efforts to block, a punch shattered Hayato's blade and a kick connected to his chest and sent him flying backward!
The leader advanced on the downed Hayato with his twin sabers!
"Don't worry, Hayato. Third time's the charm!"
But before he could act on his sneer, two Shocker Riders were suddenly slashed from behind!
"What?!"
To Hayato's shock, a grasshopper-like humanoid monster was now tearing apart the Shocker Riders!
The leader angrily turned to face the beast!
As he did, Hayato seized the moment by springing to his feet and delivering a mighty punch!
In an instant, the leader was knocked flat on his face!
Hayato then jumped into the air and came down with a flying side kick!
To his dismay, a Shocker Rider jumped in the way and took the kick for his leader, partially shattering his helmet!
Hayato recoiled from the impact and regained his footing!
He and his mysterious savior looked curiously at each other.
"He's definitely not an armored cyborg. What the hell is Shocker planning?!"
SHUNK!
A red blade suddenly protruded from the grasshopper being's chest!
It briefly roared in pain before a sudden slash bisected it!
Hayato stared at the swordsman who had slain the poor creature!
The man wore armor like the leader he had knocked out, only in crimson!
Speaking of which, that same leader was now bleeding oil and electric sparks, which caused his body to erupt into flames!
"Oldest trick in the book."
The crimson leader taunted as he suddenly disappeared through a portal!
Hayato removed his helmet and looked at the blank space where his opponent had stood, still confused.
"Maybe I'm still drunk at that bar, and this is all a hallucination."
He looked down at the dead grasshopper being and destroyed Shocker Riders!
Suddenly, a disturbing gurgle came from the dead grasshopper being!
As Hayato watched, the being reverted to a human being…
…with a very familiar face.
"Please let this be a fever dream! Please let this be a fever dream!"
Before Hayato laid the dead body of Katsuhiko Yano.
It was like staring into a haunted mirror and seeing your funeral!
"Yano-sensei!"
Hayato was shaken from his stupor and turned to see his old friend.
"Hongo?!"
The Shocker Rider he had kicked earlier regained his senses.
As fate would have it, it was his friend Takeshi Hongo!
Or at least, a version of him.
"Professor Yano! What happened?!"
Hongo saw the eerily-identical corpse on the ground.
"What happened here? How did we get here? Why are we wearing these outfits?"
"Professor? What do you mean, 'Professor?'"
Hongo stared at him in equal confusion.
"You don't remember? You were a prodigy at Jonan University! Then you took a tutoring job at…"
Hongo suddenly remembered an important detail.
"The Kazami Estate! They're going to attack it! We'd better hurry!"
Hongo rushed towards the parked motorcycles.
Hayato, still confused but not having much of choice, followed him.
Thus, the saga of the Kamen Riders began anew!
To be continued…