Chapter 2

Attack of the Shadows

Author-I do not own anything related to the Kikaider franchise or anything for that matter. Much of the story stems from my friend's (Phantom1) story. I have asked for his permission to use certain aspects of it, but after this chapter, its all me. So, if you want to confirm with him, please feel free. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

A long time had passed since Jiro had recovered consciousness. He and doctor Komyoji discussed many things, Fuuten, the monk who had completed the two brothers of Jiro, the DARK force that Gil had built up, and many others. Finally, Komyoji looked at his watch and looked back with a startled surprise.

"My goodness, Jiro, It's nearly two in the morning! We had best get some sleep before day break. I have some other features I want to show you tomorrow, but for now lets..." Dr. Komyoji suddenly went silent. His attention turned to the large console on the wall with several monitors on it. Jiro looked puzzled until he followed the doctor's glance to the monitor system.

"What is it, doctor? What is the..." Dr Komyoji silenced him quickly and ran to the large door.

"Quick, Jiro, it's Dark! They must have found out that power was still reverting to this old lab. Damn! I had hoped that they wouldn't find us this soon."

"Doctor, I don't want to fight," said Jiro. "He looked in a panic around the lab.

"Then we had better run," Dr. Komyoji said. He rushed to the back of the lab and told Jiro to "knock down the wall." Jiro did as he was told and the wall instantly fell to the strength of his animatronic muscles. Through the hole he could see the tunnel leading outward from the lab. Dr. Komyoji took out a penlight and led the way. Just as they entered the tunnel, Jiro heard the sounds of loud crackling and banging on the large steel door of the back-up lab. They followed the tunnel for what seemed like a long time, until they came to a dead end.

"Doctor, we're trapped! Why did you lead us here?" Jiro inquired impatiently.

"Jiro, knock out the ceiling. The surface is just above us!" Jiro again, did as he was told, and light poured through the opening. Dr. Komyoji grabbed onto Jiro as he leapt out of the tunnel with minimal effort.

"Doctor, are you alright? Jiro asked with concern.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Well, looks like we made it out in one piece. We'd better leave before they find out we're still in the same area or... LOOK OUT, JIRO!" Jiro turned around to catch the sight of a burst of light heading towards him. Jiro thought quickly and he pushed Dr. Komyoji out of the way and tried to jump back the other, but the blast still clipped his hand, revealing his yellow robotic hand from his false human skin. Jiro caught his balance and turned around to see his attacker.

A humanoid robot stood, it looked like Jiro when he transformed into Kikaider, but the color scheme was different. Instead of half red and half blue, he was half black and half white.

"So this is where you've been hiding, Komyoji," it said. "And I see that my brother is
with you." Jiro immediately recognized the voice. "So our intelligence was right,
the good Doctor was trying to resurrect Kikaider."

"Saburo, what are you doing here?! I thought you were dead! Why are you working for Dark?! Gil betrayed you, or have you forgotten that?"

"Yes, Gill betrayed me, but just as you were revived by Doctor Komyoji, so I was revived
by Dark. And as for my name, I am not known as Saburo any more, but Darkaider."

"Doctor, go hide," Jiro said. "Darkaider, I don't want to fight you!"

"That's too bad, Jiro, because I'm not giving you much of a choice." Darkaider held out his
hand towards Jiro and a cannon barrel popped out of the palm. Bullets barraged Jiro and he
held his arms up to protect him. But even though he was a robot, the bullets still hurt.

"Jiro, transform!" Dr. Komyoji called from his hiding place behind a tree.

"No!" Jiro cried. "I don't want to fight!"

"I'm no saying you should fight, just transform. You'll be able to survive Darkaider's attacks
better."

That made sense to Jiro. He crossed his arms and touched a fist to the opposite shoulder.
"Change!" He commanded. His human skin peeled away to reveal his robot state, humanoid robot that was half red and half blue with glowing yellow eyes.

Kikaider could tell that the Doctor was right; the bullets didn't hurt as much as it did when he was a human. Darkaider moved in for close-range combat. He launched a series of kicks at Kikaider which he blocked.

"You're just as weak as you were when we fought at Komyoji's previous lab," Darkaider commented. "What's wrong, Kikaider? Where's that heroic nonsense you always displayed."

"I'm not the same as before, Saburo," Kikaider said with a haunted look. "I've gone through a lot, more than you could ever imagine."

Darkaider was secretly surprised at his brother's comment. Wasn't he offline from the destruction of Gil's lab to now? Perhaps, when he destroyed Kikaider he could download his memory chips and find out just what he meant by that.

"I was hoping for a more worthwhile challenge, Kikaider. Perhaps the others will put up more of a
fight."

"Others?"

"Dark doesn't want Komyoji simply to get revenge, they want the secret to the Kikaider technology?"

"What secret?" Jiro asked. He had a feeling there was more to this than a simple revenge trip. And what secret did Darkaider mean?

"Gil was the only one of Dark with access to Komyoji's Kikaider technology. When he died, that secret died with him. Dark wants anyone connected to the Kikaider technology and they're willing to do anything to get it."

Anyone? Wasn't Dr. Komyoji the only one with the secrets that Darkaider and Dark wanted?
Reverend Fuuten? No, they probably didn't know about him. But who else...

Suddenly it all clicked. There was another with the knowledge of the Kikaider technology. Mitsuko! She once told him that she studied robotics because she wanted to understand why her father neglected her and Masato for all those years. And she was the one who fixed Jiro's arm the night before he invaded Gil's base.

Suddenly, Kikaider's yellow eyes turned red, as they had done on a few occasions. He grabbed onto Darkaider's leg and threw him into a rock. He threw with such a force that the large boulder was completely shattered, and Darkaider was taken off guard.

"You will not hurt Mitsuko!!!" Kikaider yelled out into the rubble. All of the sudden, the ground near Kikaider flew into pieces and a large mantis-like robot emerged from the crater. "You again, I see you didn't learn the first time we fought. The mantis charged his claws and launched forward. Kikaider caught his charged saw-like claws in his own hands and was at a standstill with the mammoth robot.

"That's right brother!" called Darkaider, recovering from Kiakider's attack. And Mantis isn't the only old friend Dark took the liberties of resurrecting. Darkaider leapt out of the pit and launched a kick at Kikaider. Kikaider removed one hand from Mantis's claws and blocked the new advance on him, being squeezed between his two enemies. Kikaider felt the pressure growing and his shoulder gyro beginning to crack. He felt helpless. This was really it? He would die just after being repaired. He had failed Dr. Komyoji, he had Masato... and he had failed Mitsuko.

"NO! Kikaider screamed, as a barrel also extended from his left palm that was holding Mantis at bay and fired a large blast of light from it. Mantis could not escape from Kikaider's clutch and was almost completely incinerated. Darkaider was taken aback. And prepared fire his energy shot at the back of Jiro's head, now surprised at his own action.

"Jiro, watch out!" Dr. Komyoji cried out as Darkaider prepared for his attack.

"I've had just about enough of as I can stand old man! All I need to do is save your brain!" And with those last words, Darkaider aimed his barrel toward Komyoji and fired a single shot that pierced Komyoji's chest. The doctor fell to his knees and collapsed on the ground. "There. Problem solved."

"Doctor! Saburo, how could you!? He was your creator too!"

"All the more reason to kill the senile old fool," Darkaider gloated.

"Saburo... You're a bastard. ILL... KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!

"THEN LET"S SEE YOU BACK IT UP... BROTHER!" Darkaider jumped into the air some thirty odd feet. He came down fast and kicked Kikaider in the stomach. Kikaider, his eyes still glowing red, grabbed Darkaider's foot and began crushing it. Eventually he crushed it so much that Darkaider lost balance and fell back. As Darkaider fell onto the ground Kikaider grabbed Saburo's right arm and pinned him to the ground, pushing it down on his chest while he began to choke him with his other hand. Kikaider's hands charged a pale blue color and the armor on Darkaider began to singe and melt away.

Just as Kikaider was about to end Darkaider's life he heard Komyoji call out, "Jiro, stop, don't destroy him!" Immediately, Kikaider's eyes returned to normal. Kikaider pointed at Darkaider.

"Tell your masters at Dark that if they want Komyoji or Mitsuko, they'll have to destroy me first!"

"Careful what you wish for, brother, it just might come true. Your threats mean nothing against Dark's ultimate plan, but I'll enjoy the challenge. But make no mistake; it will be I who destroys you!" Darkaider activated his one remaining boot jet and took off lop-sided.

Kikaider dashed off to where Dr. Komyoji was lie bleeding on the ground. He lifted his creator off the ground with a grave look.

"Jiro... I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't able to eradicate Gil's influence on your system completely. I.." he paused and coughed up blood.

"Doctor... don't blame yourself. Don't try and talk. You need to conserve your strength.

"Jiro, It's no use. Really, I accept my fate, but you must know something... you have to..." the doctor reached into his coat and pulled out a small disk from his pocket, now covered with small flecks of blood and handed it to Jiro. "Jiro... promise me. Promise me that you... will protect them... promise... me."

Kikaider slowly nodded, "I promise I will protect them...father." Doctor Komyoji smiled...blood collecting on the sides of his lips. Then feeling his hand became limp and fall to the ground. Kikaider then became Jiro again, and tears became swelling in his eyes. Then taking, the doctor's body, he buried in the pit of rubble and trudged off to the back up lab. He walked to the large console and inserted the disk. All the monitors projected the same, middle-aged, white haired, large nosed, man in a coat. It was doctor Komyoji.

"Jiro, If you're watching this then DARK has... eliminated me and you still have questions. Hopefully this will answer some of them. If you haven't already discovered, you've been modified form your brother's and your original design. I realized that models 00 and 02 had been activated and must have followed with you. I found their remains in the rubble and their memory chips. I also saw your memory chips as well. Jiro do not dare blame your self. That was all Gil's doing. You now have the best of all the designs. You have model 0's blade hands and examination systems. You also have 1's guns in the palm of your hands... literally. You have all these modifications as well as all your old abilities and a... last resort that you will find out on your own. You've also been upgraded all around. I know you weren't intended to be this... but you are now a war machine with a heart and soul. It's your choice to use the abilities or to merely live your live on your own accord. But I beseech you Jiro, don't let them do to Mitsuko or Masato what they did to me.

In the old house garage you will find a motorcycle and a... present from me. Jiro, you are not just a machine, you are human being... you just have a metal shell. Take care Jiro... and be happy." The image of Doctor Komyoji smiled... the same smile that had on his face just before he died.

Jiro made sure to destroy everything in the lab and he followed the doctor's directions. He found the old garage of the mansion and found the yellow motorcycle with a passenger pod, an exact duplicate of the one he had used before. In the passenger pod lay a brown-yellow acoustic guitar. Jiro lifted it gently, its body gleaming in the dim light. On the bottom of the body was carved a single word, "Gemini". Jiro smiled with tears running down his cheeks. He also found a black denim jacket, black denim jeans and a red shirt, also duplicates of the ones he wore before except for their color. He looked in a dusty mirror and admitted he liked the new look. He knew where he had to go now. Doctor had said that Mitsuko was in Europe. He must find and protect her.

Strapping his guitar firmly in the passenger side, he mounted his motorcycle and backed down slowly. He nodded to the make-shift grave of Dr. Komyoji and drove off into the setting sun. He was no longer Kikaider... He was reborn. He was the same Jiro, but he was now Neo-Kikaider.