The Forces That Control You And I: First Strike
The sound of two engines racing down the mountain roads filled the air. Accelerating rapidly, the two sleek cars raced towards the designated intercept point.
Ichiro studied the map of the area closely, the blinking spot, which indicated the location of the invader, was rapidly moving into the city. "Captain. We need to move faster if we were to catch up with the invader before it enters the city."
"Huh? Oh.err.Let's do it then! Gate Open!" Shun was distracted once again. Again an unexplainable hatred to Ichiro welled up in his mind. He suppressed his thoughts, and opened his Gate of Gales to increase the speed of his Toyota. A large doubled-ring composed purely of light blue light appeared in front his car. The automobile entered it, before shooting forward at 1.5 times the speed of sound. The sonic barrier broken, Ichiro covered his ears as he anticipated the sonic boom.
Again placing his open palm on the panel, Ichiro's eyes flashed grey, as gate power entered the car's machinery, powering it up to match the speed of Shun's vehicle. He soon caught up with him, and once again the two powerful vehicles were side by side.
As Ruriko covered her ears in anticipation of the sonic boom, she sighed. "What is it with guys and fast cars?"
Shun was amazed by the fact that Ichiro had managed to catch up with him. Suddenly, he realised that although Ichiro had been around for a week, no one knew what his gate was. Curious, he posed him that question through the common intercom.
As his soft, raspy voice echoed through the A.E.G.I.S bus, the Gatekeepers could make out the words, "My Gate.is the Gate of Electromagnetic Waves."
The demonic figure of the car was calmly approaching the intercept point. He knew what was coming at him, and he knew his objective well. If he could smile, it would be a grim one. The car invader accelerated, determined to hunt down its prey.
The cars pulled to stop at a mountain bend, some 700 metres from the city. The tow of them knew that if they failed here, the invader will have no more opposition as the bus with the others has not arrived.
"It's coming! Estimated speed, 240 km/h! Showing up in 17 seconds."
"How do you suggest we take out the invader?" Shun queried
"With all due respect, Captain, I think we should destroy its engine first, then when it comes to a stop, we hit it hard and fast."
"Sounds good to me."
"Here it comes! 9, 8."
"Ichiro! Use your gate power to block its advance with mine! Hopefully we can slow it down enough to figure out where its engine is."
"4, 3, 2.Gate Open!"
The invader barrelled into sight and charged headfirst towards the duo. Their combined gate forces stopped its advance momentarily, but the two of them were unable to stop it from inching forward, gaining an advantage over them. The car burst forward, breaking their barrier, narrowly missing Shun who was knocked out the way by Ichiro. The two of them hit the dust while the invader sped away.
"Quick! We have got to chase him!" Ichiro recovered quickly and took off in his automobile. Shun, dazed, cursed himself for being unable to stop the invader, hurriedly got into his car as well in pursuit.
Ichiro's voice crackled through the intercom as Shun neared him. "I'm going to use my Gate to figure out where its engine is located. Gate Open!" The grey ring of light opened in his eyes, and he followed it up by shouting, "X-Ray!" Ichiro's vision changed, and he saw everything in fuzzy black and white. He could see the engine of the invader clearly. Suprisingly, it was situated at the back of the car, not in the front like conventional vehicles.
"I've found it! At the back!" Ichiro shouted through the intercom.
At this moment of time, Shun's head was spinning. Again he felt that deep hatred to Ichiro, and coupled by the fact that his plan had just failed, Shun lost it. "You fool! It's in the front! I'll not believe you! You caused me to fail back there!"
Shun's angry words were heard clearly by the rest of the Gatekeepers, and they recoiled in shock at hearing them. These were not words they normally heard from Shun Ukiya. Their Captain to them was always the first to accept blame by himself then blame others. Megumi knew this as well, and felt quite certain that Ichiro Kaketa had a part to play in this. She smiled quietly to herself.
Shun stepped on the gas pedal and at the same time opened his gate to move faster. His enraged state caused him to reach the speed of Mach 3, and inch by inch he gained on the invader. With another burst of speed, he surged forward for about 300 metres and turned his car 180 degrees nicely. He got out of the car, slamming the door as he stared at the speeding invader. It sensed Shun's presence, therefore fired its sonic cannons at him. Shun nimbly avoided the blast, and could see now the car less than a 100 metres away. Any second now it would run Shun into the asphalt.
Shun knew he had no time to lose. Opening his gate with the tip of his sword, he fired his Vacuum Missile. The blue ball of energy struck the invader squarely at the bonnet. Smoke covered Shun's vision as an explosion ensured. Satisfied that the threat was neutralised, Shun turned away and moved back to his car. He could not wait to see the face of Ichiro as he tells him that he was wrong.
Then came the unmistakable sound of an engine starting. Shun turned around in disbelief, only to see the invader, unharmed, making his way towards him at top speed. He had only enough time to scream and cover his eyes.
"It's happening." Ichiro muttered under his breath as he saw Shun take off and overtake the renegade vehicle. He knew he had to do something, or Shun would be killed. He stepped hard on the accelerator and negotiated a mountain bend. There he saw Shun standing in front of the vehicle, ready to take it on. Ichiro eyes widened in fear and he quickly removed his weapon, a short staff from the glove cabinet, he stopped his car and dashed forward. I have only one shot to get it right as he raised his staff, the end of it pointing to the direction of the invader. "Gate Open!" The grey Gate of EM waves opened at the end of the staff, and from it a high- frequency wave shot forward. "Gamma Ray!"
The wave struck the engine cleanly, overloading it, causing a massive explosion. The car skidded to stop, front bumper inches away from Shun Ukiya.
In an unknown location, someone else was watching the battle with great interest. Someone besides A.E.G.I.S, someone far more sinister. That someone was now standing in front of screen, which was displaying fuzzy images of the battle. He was playing with a dagger, throwing it up and catching it again. And again. And again.
"So, the prodigal son has returned finally. This is interesting." He caught the dagger at its hilt, and did not throw it up again. The image on the screen froze at the point where Ichiro opened his Gate to fire his Gamma Ray. "Well, it's time I. welcomed him back." In one swift motion, the dark figure hurled the dagger at the screen, which cut right through the screen, at the spot where Ichiro's heart would be.
The A.E.G.I.S bus pulled up next to Shun, who was lying on the ground. He came to his senses and found the whole team looking at him from above. Including Ichiro.
He stood up slowly, and Feye and Reiko helped him to dust himself. His eyes met the cold ones of Ichiro, who did not turn away. The anger he felt towards him subsided, and he walked towards him to apologise. Once again, he had lost himself. He could not explain it, but he knew he had no excuse for his actions. Actions that almost caused himself to be killed, and put the whole team in danger.
However, before he could do anything, the disabled car groaned and twisted itself. From within the red invader extracted himself from the wreckage. He jumped up into the air, and was soon followed by the wreckage of the car, which morphed itself into a large black attack helicopter. The red invader then infused itself into the vehicle, which then roared to life. On its sides were rockets, while its nosecone was equipped with a machine gun and a large sonic cannon.
"Oh no!" Reiko said in her high pitched voice as the newest attack form of the invaders unleashed its first volley of missiles.
The explosive projectiles slammed into the ground, ripping out chunks of asphalt. The Gatekeepers had immediately scattered, taking cover behind large objects. Shun hid behind a rock, and as the helicopter passed ahead he fired his Vacuum Missile. The energy ball just caused a shower of sparks on the helicopter's armour, and it turned around to fire a volley of missiles again. Shun broke into a run and hit the deck, just as the missiles annihilate the rock he was hiding behind a few seconds ago.
The large screen in the A.E.G.I.S headquarters was displaying the desperate battle being fought in the mountain area. Shirei watched in silence as he saw the impenetrable armour of the helicopter repel wave after wave of relentless attacks by the Gatekeepers. "So," he mused, "the invaders have devised a way to block low-level attacks. We expected that, but not so soon." The scenes being played out were being reflected on his tinted spectacles, yet he appeared unaffected by it all. He hung his head in deep thought.
"Shirei?" Miss Ochai, his secretary queried. He raised his head. "Send a message to Ichiro Kaketa. Tell him he is not able to utilise the ZY-75. Fully."
Shun rested behind a boulder, breathing rapidly, adrenaline pumping in his veins. He knew he had to get the invader, but so far there is no sign of its weakness, and its thick armour plates are resisting everything the Gatekeepers could throw at him. "There must be a way. I will not give up! Not like.not like." An image of his father flashed through his mind, but he shook his head to clear it and concentrated on the battle. "I will not give up." He said, almost sub-consciously.
The female members of the Gatekeepers party hid behind the bus. They were waiting for an opportunity to strike, and as the helicopter turned around to fire at Shun, they struck.
"Arrow of Light!" Ruriko shouted, as she loosed three arrows at one go at her target.
"Kaoru Throw!" Her Gate of Close Combat opened, Kaoru started to hurl debris strewn around the area due to the missile attacks.
"Fire Dragon!" A dragon composed entirely of raging flames struck the helicopter's underbelly.
Despite all this, the helicopter was as shiny and unspoilt as before. It turned around ominously, machine gun firing rapidly. Black rounds of dark energy were spat out, each one of them speeding towards their designated targets. To end their lives. They only had enough time to scream.
"Wall of Steel!" Megumi's green Gate of Iron Wall neutralised the threat. She once again smiled to herself. Later, she thought, later, they still have a use after all.
Ichiro's watch buzzed, indicating that an urgent message had been sent to him from headquarters. He activated the comlink and read the message. Upon finishing it, he shouted to Shun, "Give me some cover! I need to reach my car! It's the only chance we have!"
Shun, distracted again, didn't move at all. He just sat behind a boulder. Ichiro sighed. Fortunately, Feye was nearby and she gave cover in the form of her Fire Panda move. Ichiro broke into a run and utilised his gate power to get to his car. Inside it, he gunned the ignition and spoke to Bancho on the A.E.G.I.S bus. "Activate the ramp! I need to use it!"
Bancho flipped a few switches, and the back of the bus fell open, revealing a ramp. It was large enough to accommodate a car. Ichiro stepped hard on the gas pedal, and the car's tires squealed in protest as the vehicle went from 0 to 180 km/h in 3 seconds. The invader sensed something was wrong, thus fired a volley of missiles at it. Ichiro skilfully manoeuvred the automobile out of harm's way. It now was approaching 300 km/h, and it was heading straight for the ramp. "Here is my first leap of faith." He muttered, and he drew upon even more gate power. The bar on the panels showed that he was approaching critical mass.
The car zoomed off the ramp, soaring through the sky like a mechanical bird. Inside it, Ichiro shouted, "Open the Gate!" as grey light glowed from his eyes. Right before their eyes, the ZY-75 began to transform. It flipped over, the sides of it were joined to the bottom, and they aligned itself at the centre. Wings emerged from the sides, and a nosecone flipped up from the bonnet. A rudder also came out form the body of the car.
"Let's get him." Ichiro said, setting his crosshairs directly on the helicopter invader.
Shirei watched the amazing transformation in silence, as usual. "The Gate Engine is extremely flexible, as using the Gatekeeper as its source of power, anything can be built with it in it. But only high-level Gatekeepers can generate enough pure energy to sustain a machine. Even Shun Ukiya's Gate Robot 00 has internal power."
Shirei sighed as he saw Ichiro powering up his cannons. "The price that one pays to be a high-level Gatekeeper."
The protective metal shield in front of on the side cannons slid away, revealing a pair of wicked cannons. Ichiro was powering them up using his gate power.
Ruriko, realising this, shouted. "Everyone! Hit the helicopter with all you got! We got to buy Ichiro some time!"
The Gatekeepers activated their attacks, which distracted the helicopter long enough. A beep sound indicated that the cannons, now crackling with energy, were charged up to maximum. Ichiro grabbed hold of the flightstick, determined not to miss. The computer beeped again, this time urgently, as it had a positive lock-on. A heartbeat later, Ichiro pressed hard on the trigger button.
The energy release was immense, as the cannons sighed at the release of such great build-up of energy. The two grey beams of pure energy entwined themselves into a double helix, and barrelled towards the helicopter. They struck the helicopter with great force, resulting in a massive explosion.
But the helicopter remained operational. Ichiro watched in surprise as the helicopter retaliated by firing tracking missiles at him.
"Foolish one! Thinking that this is some fairy tale, where everything is black and white, with no grey areas at all." The sinister figure hiding in the shadows said aloud to no one in particular. He walked over the screen and removed the dagger stuck there. "I know what is in your mind. I know you inside out. Now you are back to challenge me." The dagger gleamed due to the light from the projector. "We'll see who will get the last laugh." Suddenly, the dagger turned dark, until it was almost invisible in his palm.
"Activate main cannon!" Ichiro commanded. The nosecone opened, revealing a gigantic cannon with wires around it. "Gate Open!" Ichiro shouted. He closed his eyes to concentrate, as the gate energy started to flow into the cannon. Slowly the cannon started to hum and crackle. Sparks can be seen coming out from it.
"Main cannon 40% charged up. Estimated time needed: 13 minutes." The computerised voice noted.
However, the helicopter had other ideas. The sonic cannon attached to its nosecone charged up quickly, and a sonic blast was fired. Straight at Ichiro.
The Gatekeepers noticed the danger, and Kaoru punched the comlink button to establish contact. "Ichiro, watch out!"
Ichiro sensed it, but was too late. The bolt slammed into the main cannon, damaging it. "Alert! Alert! Main cannon damaged! Unable to release energy stored! Critical mass will be reached in 7 minutes." The computer said.
The Gatekeepers recoiled in horror as they heard this. Just then, Specs' voice came through on the intercom. "Shun! We are sending over the newest Gate Engine! We will be there in 1 minute!"
"Better make it quick, Specs! Or Ichiro will be gone for good." Shun grimly said.
Ichiro stopped powering up the cannon, but it was too late to reverse it. There just was too much energy stored. He sighed. Is it going to end this way, he thought.
No, I will not let it happen.
He heard Specs' words, and a plan materialised in his head. "Captain! Captain! Do you read me?"
"Loud and clear!" For once, Shun did not feel that hatred at all. Ichiro was surprised, but told himself he had all the time in the world to ponder over that later.
"Listen! I need you to use the Gate Engine. On my count, fire at the side of the helicopter. Thanks."
"Be careful, Ichiro."
"Huh? Oh, you too." He was taken aback. At once he knew that Shun Ukiya was not like the others.
The Gate Engine was paradropped from the A.E.G.I.S helicopter. It was a sleeker version of the old one, which was destroyed on the battle on Dream Island. There was a platform for the user to stand on, and above it was the a new feature, a cannon, from which the Gate power is unleashed. Shun climbed on top of the platform. Immediately wires shot out to grab him. Shun, shocked, resisted, but Ruriko shouted, "Don't resist! They are there to absorb the Gate power!"
Relaxing, Shun allowed the wires to coil around himself. Ichiro stared at the computer screen. 5 minutes to critical mass, which meant that the energy stored will explode, destroying everything in a hundred kilometre radius.
"Gate Open!" A large blue gate opened, and Shun's whole body started to glow with blue light. The energy build-up was immense, and Shun observed the energy level bar rise painfully slowly.
50%. 4 minutes left. Beads of perspiration formed on Shun's forehead.
65%. 3 minutes left. Shun concentrated harder. He had to try. Ruriko's heart was beating fast. "Ukiya-kun!"
70%. 2 and a half minutes, Try as he might, the stubborn bar refused to move up. He was not going to make it.
2 minutes. "That's okay! Fire now Captain!" Ichiro's voice screamed through the intercom. With a great sigh, the cannon released the energy in the form of a blue beam wrapped in a red double helix. Shun slumped to the floor, but raised his head to watch the trajectory of the beams as the Gatekeepers helped him up.
The intense beam blew a large hole on the side of the helicopter, exposing its weakness, the red invader. Ichiro saw this, and decided to put his plan into action.
"Open the Gate!" The front portion of the ZY-75 broke away from its parent, racing away at the speed of Mach 4. Inside, Ichiro was piloting the plane, a wild glint in his eyes.
Shirei stood abruptly as he watched the events unfold. "NO! Ichiro! That's too dangerous!" All he got in reply was static.
The dark figure shook his head in disgust. "My poor hero. Dying before you meet your greatest foe."
1 minute. Ichiro screamed in rage as he slammed the ZY-57, the front portion of the ZY-75 into the hole caused by Shun. The impact was tremendous, and Ichiro was almost knocked unconscious. However, he crawled out of the damaged vehicle through the shattered cockpit. He took one look at the beautiful lake below, Lake Isito, and without hesitation, jumped into the air.
0 minutes. A heartbeat later, a colossal mid-air explosion occurred above Ichiro. The explosion eradicated the invader, and the tough armour plates of the invader contained the explosion. The shockwave from the explosion pushed Ichiro further downwards, to his doom.
Time practically stood still. Ichiro Kaketa was falling through the air, falling to his doom. Yet, he felt a sense of calm in him. "I did it. I saved everyone. Those that were worth saving, those that weren't worth saving. I saved everyone."
"There is always the good and the bad. They will balance each other out always. A good person will be balanced out by an evil one. No matter how hard we try, we can never eradicate evil. The only way to do so is to eradicate good as well, as they cannot exist alone." Ichiro continued, as winds continued to rip at his face.
"All of us have the decision to be good or bad. But sometimes, we don't have a choice. or do we?" Ichiro rolled himself into a ball, and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was the clear, sparkling turquoise water rushing up to his face, almost like it was mocking him.
"Is he alright?" Shirei asked, concern in his voice.
"He will be fine. Considering he jumped out of a helicopter, got caught in a shockwave and fell 500 metres into a lake and suffered only a cracked rib and some minor cuts is a miracle." Miss Ocihai said and she walked out of the office. Her footsteps could be heard clearly in the enclosed room.
As the door shut behind her, Shirei turned towards the screen. It was replaying the scene where the A.E.G.I.S helicopter hauls Ichiro out of the water to be rushed to the hospital. "Miracle. or destiny?" Shirei wondered.
Inside the darkened room, the dark figure was pacing up and down, his screen also showing the rescue of Ichiro. He was once again playing with his dagger. He laughed hollowly to himself. "So this is how it will be. The Dark Gate versus the Grey Gate. Good against Evil." He laughed again, this time a more sinister one. "Ichiro Kaketa. I will make you regret the day you betrayed me!"
Upon saying that, he missed catching the dagger deliberately, letting it fall to the carpeted floor. The dagger plunged itself into the floor, and once again turned black and faded into nothingness.
The sound of two engines racing down the mountain roads filled the air. Accelerating rapidly, the two sleek cars raced towards the designated intercept point.
Ichiro studied the map of the area closely, the blinking spot, which indicated the location of the invader, was rapidly moving into the city. "Captain. We need to move faster if we were to catch up with the invader before it enters the city."
"Huh? Oh.err.Let's do it then! Gate Open!" Shun was distracted once again. Again an unexplainable hatred to Ichiro welled up in his mind. He suppressed his thoughts, and opened his Gate of Gales to increase the speed of his Toyota. A large doubled-ring composed purely of light blue light appeared in front his car. The automobile entered it, before shooting forward at 1.5 times the speed of sound. The sonic barrier broken, Ichiro covered his ears as he anticipated the sonic boom.
Again placing his open palm on the panel, Ichiro's eyes flashed grey, as gate power entered the car's machinery, powering it up to match the speed of Shun's vehicle. He soon caught up with him, and once again the two powerful vehicles were side by side.
As Ruriko covered her ears in anticipation of the sonic boom, she sighed. "What is it with guys and fast cars?"
Shun was amazed by the fact that Ichiro had managed to catch up with him. Suddenly, he realised that although Ichiro had been around for a week, no one knew what his gate was. Curious, he posed him that question through the common intercom.
As his soft, raspy voice echoed through the A.E.G.I.S bus, the Gatekeepers could make out the words, "My Gate.is the Gate of Electromagnetic Waves."
The demonic figure of the car was calmly approaching the intercept point. He knew what was coming at him, and he knew his objective well. If he could smile, it would be a grim one. The car invader accelerated, determined to hunt down its prey.
The cars pulled to stop at a mountain bend, some 700 metres from the city. The tow of them knew that if they failed here, the invader will have no more opposition as the bus with the others has not arrived.
"It's coming! Estimated speed, 240 km/h! Showing up in 17 seconds."
"How do you suggest we take out the invader?" Shun queried
"With all due respect, Captain, I think we should destroy its engine first, then when it comes to a stop, we hit it hard and fast."
"Sounds good to me."
"Here it comes! 9, 8."
"Ichiro! Use your gate power to block its advance with mine! Hopefully we can slow it down enough to figure out where its engine is."
"4, 3, 2.Gate Open!"
The invader barrelled into sight and charged headfirst towards the duo. Their combined gate forces stopped its advance momentarily, but the two of them were unable to stop it from inching forward, gaining an advantage over them. The car burst forward, breaking their barrier, narrowly missing Shun who was knocked out the way by Ichiro. The two of them hit the dust while the invader sped away.
"Quick! We have got to chase him!" Ichiro recovered quickly and took off in his automobile. Shun, dazed, cursed himself for being unable to stop the invader, hurriedly got into his car as well in pursuit.
Ichiro's voice crackled through the intercom as Shun neared him. "I'm going to use my Gate to figure out where its engine is located. Gate Open!" The grey ring of light opened in his eyes, and he followed it up by shouting, "X-Ray!" Ichiro's vision changed, and he saw everything in fuzzy black and white. He could see the engine of the invader clearly. Suprisingly, it was situated at the back of the car, not in the front like conventional vehicles.
"I've found it! At the back!" Ichiro shouted through the intercom.
At this moment of time, Shun's head was spinning. Again he felt that deep hatred to Ichiro, and coupled by the fact that his plan had just failed, Shun lost it. "You fool! It's in the front! I'll not believe you! You caused me to fail back there!"
Shun's angry words were heard clearly by the rest of the Gatekeepers, and they recoiled in shock at hearing them. These were not words they normally heard from Shun Ukiya. Their Captain to them was always the first to accept blame by himself then blame others. Megumi knew this as well, and felt quite certain that Ichiro Kaketa had a part to play in this. She smiled quietly to herself.
Shun stepped on the gas pedal and at the same time opened his gate to move faster. His enraged state caused him to reach the speed of Mach 3, and inch by inch he gained on the invader. With another burst of speed, he surged forward for about 300 metres and turned his car 180 degrees nicely. He got out of the car, slamming the door as he stared at the speeding invader. It sensed Shun's presence, therefore fired its sonic cannons at him. Shun nimbly avoided the blast, and could see now the car less than a 100 metres away. Any second now it would run Shun into the asphalt.
Shun knew he had no time to lose. Opening his gate with the tip of his sword, he fired his Vacuum Missile. The blue ball of energy struck the invader squarely at the bonnet. Smoke covered Shun's vision as an explosion ensured. Satisfied that the threat was neutralised, Shun turned away and moved back to his car. He could not wait to see the face of Ichiro as he tells him that he was wrong.
Then came the unmistakable sound of an engine starting. Shun turned around in disbelief, only to see the invader, unharmed, making his way towards him at top speed. He had only enough time to scream and cover his eyes.
"It's happening." Ichiro muttered under his breath as he saw Shun take off and overtake the renegade vehicle. He knew he had to do something, or Shun would be killed. He stepped hard on the accelerator and negotiated a mountain bend. There he saw Shun standing in front of the vehicle, ready to take it on. Ichiro eyes widened in fear and he quickly removed his weapon, a short staff from the glove cabinet, he stopped his car and dashed forward. I have only one shot to get it right as he raised his staff, the end of it pointing to the direction of the invader. "Gate Open!" The grey Gate of EM waves opened at the end of the staff, and from it a high- frequency wave shot forward. "Gamma Ray!"
The wave struck the engine cleanly, overloading it, causing a massive explosion. The car skidded to stop, front bumper inches away from Shun Ukiya.
In an unknown location, someone else was watching the battle with great interest. Someone besides A.E.G.I.S, someone far more sinister. That someone was now standing in front of screen, which was displaying fuzzy images of the battle. He was playing with a dagger, throwing it up and catching it again. And again. And again.
"So, the prodigal son has returned finally. This is interesting." He caught the dagger at its hilt, and did not throw it up again. The image on the screen froze at the point where Ichiro opened his Gate to fire his Gamma Ray. "Well, it's time I. welcomed him back." In one swift motion, the dark figure hurled the dagger at the screen, which cut right through the screen, at the spot where Ichiro's heart would be.
The A.E.G.I.S bus pulled up next to Shun, who was lying on the ground. He came to his senses and found the whole team looking at him from above. Including Ichiro.
He stood up slowly, and Feye and Reiko helped him to dust himself. His eyes met the cold ones of Ichiro, who did not turn away. The anger he felt towards him subsided, and he walked towards him to apologise. Once again, he had lost himself. He could not explain it, but he knew he had no excuse for his actions. Actions that almost caused himself to be killed, and put the whole team in danger.
However, before he could do anything, the disabled car groaned and twisted itself. From within the red invader extracted himself from the wreckage. He jumped up into the air, and was soon followed by the wreckage of the car, which morphed itself into a large black attack helicopter. The red invader then infused itself into the vehicle, which then roared to life. On its sides were rockets, while its nosecone was equipped with a machine gun and a large sonic cannon.
"Oh no!" Reiko said in her high pitched voice as the newest attack form of the invaders unleashed its first volley of missiles.
The explosive projectiles slammed into the ground, ripping out chunks of asphalt. The Gatekeepers had immediately scattered, taking cover behind large objects. Shun hid behind a rock, and as the helicopter passed ahead he fired his Vacuum Missile. The energy ball just caused a shower of sparks on the helicopter's armour, and it turned around to fire a volley of missiles again. Shun broke into a run and hit the deck, just as the missiles annihilate the rock he was hiding behind a few seconds ago.
The large screen in the A.E.G.I.S headquarters was displaying the desperate battle being fought in the mountain area. Shirei watched in silence as he saw the impenetrable armour of the helicopter repel wave after wave of relentless attacks by the Gatekeepers. "So," he mused, "the invaders have devised a way to block low-level attacks. We expected that, but not so soon." The scenes being played out were being reflected on his tinted spectacles, yet he appeared unaffected by it all. He hung his head in deep thought.
"Shirei?" Miss Ochai, his secretary queried. He raised his head. "Send a message to Ichiro Kaketa. Tell him he is not able to utilise the ZY-75. Fully."
Shun rested behind a boulder, breathing rapidly, adrenaline pumping in his veins. He knew he had to get the invader, but so far there is no sign of its weakness, and its thick armour plates are resisting everything the Gatekeepers could throw at him. "There must be a way. I will not give up! Not like.not like." An image of his father flashed through his mind, but he shook his head to clear it and concentrated on the battle. "I will not give up." He said, almost sub-consciously.
The female members of the Gatekeepers party hid behind the bus. They were waiting for an opportunity to strike, and as the helicopter turned around to fire at Shun, they struck.
"Arrow of Light!" Ruriko shouted, as she loosed three arrows at one go at her target.
"Kaoru Throw!" Her Gate of Close Combat opened, Kaoru started to hurl debris strewn around the area due to the missile attacks.
"Fire Dragon!" A dragon composed entirely of raging flames struck the helicopter's underbelly.
Despite all this, the helicopter was as shiny and unspoilt as before. It turned around ominously, machine gun firing rapidly. Black rounds of dark energy were spat out, each one of them speeding towards their designated targets. To end their lives. They only had enough time to scream.
"Wall of Steel!" Megumi's green Gate of Iron Wall neutralised the threat. She once again smiled to herself. Later, she thought, later, they still have a use after all.
Ichiro's watch buzzed, indicating that an urgent message had been sent to him from headquarters. He activated the comlink and read the message. Upon finishing it, he shouted to Shun, "Give me some cover! I need to reach my car! It's the only chance we have!"
Shun, distracted again, didn't move at all. He just sat behind a boulder. Ichiro sighed. Fortunately, Feye was nearby and she gave cover in the form of her Fire Panda move. Ichiro broke into a run and utilised his gate power to get to his car. Inside it, he gunned the ignition and spoke to Bancho on the A.E.G.I.S bus. "Activate the ramp! I need to use it!"
Bancho flipped a few switches, and the back of the bus fell open, revealing a ramp. It was large enough to accommodate a car. Ichiro stepped hard on the gas pedal, and the car's tires squealed in protest as the vehicle went from 0 to 180 km/h in 3 seconds. The invader sensed something was wrong, thus fired a volley of missiles at it. Ichiro skilfully manoeuvred the automobile out of harm's way. It now was approaching 300 km/h, and it was heading straight for the ramp. "Here is my first leap of faith." He muttered, and he drew upon even more gate power. The bar on the panels showed that he was approaching critical mass.
The car zoomed off the ramp, soaring through the sky like a mechanical bird. Inside it, Ichiro shouted, "Open the Gate!" as grey light glowed from his eyes. Right before their eyes, the ZY-75 began to transform. It flipped over, the sides of it were joined to the bottom, and they aligned itself at the centre. Wings emerged from the sides, and a nosecone flipped up from the bonnet. A rudder also came out form the body of the car.
"Let's get him." Ichiro said, setting his crosshairs directly on the helicopter invader.
Shirei watched the amazing transformation in silence, as usual. "The Gate Engine is extremely flexible, as using the Gatekeeper as its source of power, anything can be built with it in it. But only high-level Gatekeepers can generate enough pure energy to sustain a machine. Even Shun Ukiya's Gate Robot 00 has internal power."
Shirei sighed as he saw Ichiro powering up his cannons. "The price that one pays to be a high-level Gatekeeper."
The protective metal shield in front of on the side cannons slid away, revealing a pair of wicked cannons. Ichiro was powering them up using his gate power.
Ruriko, realising this, shouted. "Everyone! Hit the helicopter with all you got! We got to buy Ichiro some time!"
The Gatekeepers activated their attacks, which distracted the helicopter long enough. A beep sound indicated that the cannons, now crackling with energy, were charged up to maximum. Ichiro grabbed hold of the flightstick, determined not to miss. The computer beeped again, this time urgently, as it had a positive lock-on. A heartbeat later, Ichiro pressed hard on the trigger button.
The energy release was immense, as the cannons sighed at the release of such great build-up of energy. The two grey beams of pure energy entwined themselves into a double helix, and barrelled towards the helicopter. They struck the helicopter with great force, resulting in a massive explosion.
But the helicopter remained operational. Ichiro watched in surprise as the helicopter retaliated by firing tracking missiles at him.
"Foolish one! Thinking that this is some fairy tale, where everything is black and white, with no grey areas at all." The sinister figure hiding in the shadows said aloud to no one in particular. He walked over the screen and removed the dagger stuck there. "I know what is in your mind. I know you inside out. Now you are back to challenge me." The dagger gleamed due to the light from the projector. "We'll see who will get the last laugh." Suddenly, the dagger turned dark, until it was almost invisible in his palm.
"Activate main cannon!" Ichiro commanded. The nosecone opened, revealing a gigantic cannon with wires around it. "Gate Open!" Ichiro shouted. He closed his eyes to concentrate, as the gate energy started to flow into the cannon. Slowly the cannon started to hum and crackle. Sparks can be seen coming out from it.
"Main cannon 40% charged up. Estimated time needed: 13 minutes." The computerised voice noted.
However, the helicopter had other ideas. The sonic cannon attached to its nosecone charged up quickly, and a sonic blast was fired. Straight at Ichiro.
The Gatekeepers noticed the danger, and Kaoru punched the comlink button to establish contact. "Ichiro, watch out!"
Ichiro sensed it, but was too late. The bolt slammed into the main cannon, damaging it. "Alert! Alert! Main cannon damaged! Unable to release energy stored! Critical mass will be reached in 7 minutes." The computer said.
The Gatekeepers recoiled in horror as they heard this. Just then, Specs' voice came through on the intercom. "Shun! We are sending over the newest Gate Engine! We will be there in 1 minute!"
"Better make it quick, Specs! Or Ichiro will be gone for good." Shun grimly said.
Ichiro stopped powering up the cannon, but it was too late to reverse it. There just was too much energy stored. He sighed. Is it going to end this way, he thought.
No, I will not let it happen.
He heard Specs' words, and a plan materialised in his head. "Captain! Captain! Do you read me?"
"Loud and clear!" For once, Shun did not feel that hatred at all. Ichiro was surprised, but told himself he had all the time in the world to ponder over that later.
"Listen! I need you to use the Gate Engine. On my count, fire at the side of the helicopter. Thanks."
"Be careful, Ichiro."
"Huh? Oh, you too." He was taken aback. At once he knew that Shun Ukiya was not like the others.
The Gate Engine was paradropped from the A.E.G.I.S helicopter. It was a sleeker version of the old one, which was destroyed on the battle on Dream Island. There was a platform for the user to stand on, and above it was the a new feature, a cannon, from which the Gate power is unleashed. Shun climbed on top of the platform. Immediately wires shot out to grab him. Shun, shocked, resisted, but Ruriko shouted, "Don't resist! They are there to absorb the Gate power!"
Relaxing, Shun allowed the wires to coil around himself. Ichiro stared at the computer screen. 5 minutes to critical mass, which meant that the energy stored will explode, destroying everything in a hundred kilometre radius.
"Gate Open!" A large blue gate opened, and Shun's whole body started to glow with blue light. The energy build-up was immense, and Shun observed the energy level bar rise painfully slowly.
50%. 4 minutes left. Beads of perspiration formed on Shun's forehead.
65%. 3 minutes left. Shun concentrated harder. He had to try. Ruriko's heart was beating fast. "Ukiya-kun!"
70%. 2 and a half minutes, Try as he might, the stubborn bar refused to move up. He was not going to make it.
2 minutes. "That's okay! Fire now Captain!" Ichiro's voice screamed through the intercom. With a great sigh, the cannon released the energy in the form of a blue beam wrapped in a red double helix. Shun slumped to the floor, but raised his head to watch the trajectory of the beams as the Gatekeepers helped him up.
The intense beam blew a large hole on the side of the helicopter, exposing its weakness, the red invader. Ichiro saw this, and decided to put his plan into action.
"Open the Gate!" The front portion of the ZY-75 broke away from its parent, racing away at the speed of Mach 4. Inside, Ichiro was piloting the plane, a wild glint in his eyes.
Shirei stood abruptly as he watched the events unfold. "NO! Ichiro! That's too dangerous!" All he got in reply was static.
The dark figure shook his head in disgust. "My poor hero. Dying before you meet your greatest foe."
1 minute. Ichiro screamed in rage as he slammed the ZY-57, the front portion of the ZY-75 into the hole caused by Shun. The impact was tremendous, and Ichiro was almost knocked unconscious. However, he crawled out of the damaged vehicle through the shattered cockpit. He took one look at the beautiful lake below, Lake Isito, and without hesitation, jumped into the air.
0 minutes. A heartbeat later, a colossal mid-air explosion occurred above Ichiro. The explosion eradicated the invader, and the tough armour plates of the invader contained the explosion. The shockwave from the explosion pushed Ichiro further downwards, to his doom.
Time practically stood still. Ichiro Kaketa was falling through the air, falling to his doom. Yet, he felt a sense of calm in him. "I did it. I saved everyone. Those that were worth saving, those that weren't worth saving. I saved everyone."
"There is always the good and the bad. They will balance each other out always. A good person will be balanced out by an evil one. No matter how hard we try, we can never eradicate evil. The only way to do so is to eradicate good as well, as they cannot exist alone." Ichiro continued, as winds continued to rip at his face.
"All of us have the decision to be good or bad. But sometimes, we don't have a choice. or do we?" Ichiro rolled himself into a ball, and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was the clear, sparkling turquoise water rushing up to his face, almost like it was mocking him.
"Is he alright?" Shirei asked, concern in his voice.
"He will be fine. Considering he jumped out of a helicopter, got caught in a shockwave and fell 500 metres into a lake and suffered only a cracked rib and some minor cuts is a miracle." Miss Ocihai said and she walked out of the office. Her footsteps could be heard clearly in the enclosed room.
As the door shut behind her, Shirei turned towards the screen. It was replaying the scene where the A.E.G.I.S helicopter hauls Ichiro out of the water to be rushed to the hospital. "Miracle. or destiny?" Shirei wondered.
Inside the darkened room, the dark figure was pacing up and down, his screen also showing the rescue of Ichiro. He was once again playing with his dagger. He laughed hollowly to himself. "So this is how it will be. The Dark Gate versus the Grey Gate. Good against Evil." He laughed again, this time a more sinister one. "Ichiro Kaketa. I will make you regret the day you betrayed me!"
Upon saying that, he missed catching the dagger deliberately, letting it fall to the carpeted floor. The dagger plunged itself into the floor, and once again turned black and faded into nothingness.
