My writing muse can be quite random. Life has been busy, apologies. Coffee and Cruising chapter is in the works.
Ding dong, ding dong. Ding dong, ding dong.
Baltimore yawned as the school bell rang, having just arrived to her homeroom in time. She had stayed up fairly late the night before playing some games recommended to her by Ayanami and Long Island, fellow classmates from Azur High.
"It was pretty fun though. I best keep it in moderation, eheh." Baltimore chuckled to herself as she recalled the entertaining moments.
Sure she was the athletic sporty type, that didn't mean she couldn't laze about playing around in the virtual world. Between Ring Infinite and Dank Spirits 3, she definitely saw the appeal of gaming. She'd have to be careful in the future however, especially since she almost ended up sleeping in. It was a good thing her sister was there for her.
"Hey, wake up, sis." Bremerton shook her awake in the morning. "You're gonna be late, y'know?"
After rubbing out the sleep from her eyes and groggily looking at the clock, Baltimore swore like a sailor and all but jumped out of bed, bolting into the bathroom to wash up. She could still remember the look of amusement on Bremerton's face.
Now Baltimore was seated at her desk as she waited for the teacher to do roll call. Her desk was in the back corner by a window, giving her a view of the outside world and also distinguishing her as the main protagonist. She was even looking out the window and twirling her pen in her fingers.
"Psst." Someone whispered to her. "Did you finish Miss Pennsylvania's homework?"
Baltimore looked to her side at her classmate. With blonde hair done up in twintails and a fairly slim figure, Hipper looked like your stereotypical tsundere. Of course, no one called Hipper small in front of her face. It was a bit of a sore spot for her, especially in comparison to her younger sisters and half-sister. She was still a good person at heart, if a bit prickly like a cactus.
"Mm, yeah, I did." Baltimore replied. "Why? Did you forget?"
"Hah? Of course not." Hipper responded with her trademark verbal tic. "I was just checking if you did it. Not like I was worried or anything."
"Uh-huh. Lemme guess, you stayed up late too?" Baltimore grinned at her classmate.
The blonde blushed a bit and stammered. "Well, I got sidetracked by something... my sister showed me something fun to do and I got caught up and almost lost track of time..."
Baltimore then vaguely remembered another player by the gamertag 'GuitarFranz1' last night. To her knowledge, Hipper never mentioned being a gamer but it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Hold on, were you playi-"
"Ahem." Miss Langley interjected. "Is there something you two would like to share to the class?"
"Ah, no. Sorry about that."
"Apologies, Miss Langley."
The two were immediately cowed in the presence of their strict teacher. Diminutive she may be, she still radiated an aura of authority that was to be respected.
Miss Langley merely raised an eyebrow at them before dismissing the issue. "Well, whatever it is, it can wait after class. I don't want to hear any complaints about gossiping students from Miss Nagara again, you understand?"
"Yes, Miss Langley."
After the bespectacled teacher walked away, Hipper softly slapped Baltimore in the shoulder. "You almost got us in trouble."
"Me?" Baltimore whispered back. "You were the one asking questions first."
"I..." Hipper realized she was correct. "Hmmph, whatever. Let's just shut up before she turns around again."
"Yeah ,yeah, sure." Baltimore waved her off and opened her school bag to pull out her pencil case when she noticed something. "Ah, crap. Hipps, did you pack lunch? I think I forgot mines..."
The blonde sighed. "I can share some but you might wanna get your own at the cafeteria later."
"Aw, thanks. You're a lifesaver."
Hours passed, and Baltimore now found herself in the school gym for PE. The activity this time was a simple game of basketball. The gym echoed with girls shouting and grunting with exertion, the squeaking of sneakers on the floor, and the bouncing of the rubber ball accompanied by the occasional swooshing of the basketball net.
"Cleveland, pass!"
"Got it!"
The taller girl grunted as she caught the ball that Cleveland bounced to her, dribbling it past Kumano and juking Memphis before making a shot. Her throw was smooth, the ball passing through the hoop followed by cheers from her teammates.
The game continued on like that, both sides scoring points. It was a fairly close match and both teams were eager to win. It was that same eagerness that caused someone to slip-up.
"Ahh, crap!" Kent cried out as she overshot the ball.
Baltimore saw the ball sailing through air to the benches where some students were spectating. She noticed a head of blue hair within the trajectory of the wayward ball and she acted quickly. Without hesitation she sprinted in the same direction to try and intercept it.
Bonk!
"Yowch!"
Unfortunately, in her haste the ball bounced off of Baltimore's forehead when she missed catching it. The impact sent her reeling and she fell on her butt, one hand raised to her head to nurse the quickly forming ache.
"Ow, ow, ow..." She hissed slightly in pain. She's experienced worst before but that didn't make the headache any less unpleasant.
"Hey, you okay?" A soft voice asked her.
Baltimore felt a hand gently touch her shoulder, the other student's voice laced with obvious concern for her well-being.
"Yeah, it's not too bad. Thanks for asking." She turned around and her face blushed faintly in an instant. "Ah. Hi, Helena. Eheheh..."
"Hey." Helena was kneeling next to her as she shyly tucked a lock of blue hair behind her ear. "Baltimore, right? You look like you took a bad hit there, you sure you're fine?"
"Yep, I've taken harder hits before." Baltimore nodded rapidly but it only aggravated her headache. "Ffff... okay, I shouldn't have done that."
Helena giggled softly. "Yes, you shouldn't have. Do you need to see Nurse Vestal?"
Baltimore waved off the other girl's concerns. "Oh, no it's fine. I just need to rest is all."
"Well, if you say so." Helena stood up and dusted off her skirt. "Don't push yourself too hard, kay? I'd feel bad if you got seriously hurt." The other girl looked shyly to the side. "The ball wasn't really going to hit me, but thank you anyway."
"Mhmm. Sure, no problem."
Helena merely smiled and waved her farewell. Baltimore was still sitting on the ground with a dopey smile on her face when someone snapped their fingers in front of her.
"Hey, wakey, wakey, Balti." Cleveland prodded her friend before following her gaze. "Dang, down bad, huh?"
Baltimore blinked her daze away before blushing again. "Quiet, you. I'm injured over here."
"Sure, whatever you say." The shorter blonde offered her a hand which she graciously accepted, grunting with slight exertion as she helped her stand up. "Y'know, you should really talk to her more. She's a good girl."
"What, and embarrass myself in front of all the older kids?"
"She's only a year above us."
"And she has older sisters who are quite overprotective, remember?"
"Meh, it's not that bad." Cleveland shrugged as she picked up the ball before tossing it to Montpelier. "I've known her for a bit and I think she'd like hanging out with you."
Baltimore sighed. It was just a silly schoolgirl crush. She'd like to pursue the blue-haired girl but her sisters were known to ward off all the boys and girls who were attracted to the youngest. Not to mention her half-sister Wichita was known to have a domineering side.
'How the heck does she get away with carrying a whip in school?'
Another reason Baltimore hesitated to start a relationship with anyone was her other duty. One that only she and three others knew about, including her own sister Bremerton. That was a story for another time.
"Well, enough about that. C'mon, let's go wash up and head over to lunch." Cleveland pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "Hipper is already waiting for us."
Baltimore looked over to see the aforementioned blonde and waved. Hipper halfheartedly returned the gesture, tapping a foot impatiently as she waited.
"Yeah, we should hurry."
Ding dong, ding dong. Ding dong, ding dong.
The chattering of students carried through the afternoon wind as they were dismissed from school. With classes over for the day they can finally head home and relax, maybe do some homework or other after-school activities.
"Ah, it's starting to get late. Whatever, I can't back out now." Baltimore wiped her forehead of sweat as she put some gym equipment away.
The last group of students to use the gym didn't really clean up after themselves, being in a rush to head home. Some of the more studious ones were mindful enough to pack away most of it but not all. So Baltimore, being the ever helpful student, offered to lend a hand when she passed by the gym doors. There were others who stayed behind as well, a bunch of younger students, although she was the last one to leave when she told them she'd take care of the rest.
"I'll be fine, we packed up most of the stuff." Baltimore smiled. "I'll clean up the rest, you can head on home, yeah?"
Her juniors nodded and bowed to her in thanks, waving as they hurried out the doors. She supposed they had something to do at home, probably school-related or maybe a TV show they didn't want to miss. It didn't bother her much, she liked doing physical activity to keep herself in shape.
Baltimore hummed to herself as she began closing up. The gentle breeze of the afternoon wind brought a pleasant cooling sensation to her skin, adding to the ambiance of the orange-hued sky as the sun began to set. She soon made her way out through the school gate, waving at some faculty members as they bid her farewell. Bremerton had left for home ahead of her to prepare dinner so it was just her walking alone for today.
Well, not completely alone.
A slight shift in her bag got Baltimore's attention, prompting her to zip it open. What popped out of her bag could be best described as a small robot with a triple-gunned turret for a head. The little guy let out a series of metallic chirps and whirs along with some tiny arm gestures.
"What is it, Hachi?" She asked. "Trouble? Sirens?"
The turret head nodded and pointed in a direction. Hachi, the name she decided for the small bot, was also part of her secret, in more ways than one. He was able to sense danger like he had a built-in radar, like he was doing now. After shooting a quick text to Bremerton about having to do her other job, Baltimore quickly sprinted in the direction pointed out by Hachi, which soon led her to a park.
"Ah, crap."
When she got there she saw the source of trouble; a middle-aged man walking as if he was in a trance of some sorts. Baltimore knew there was more to it than meets the eye. The Sirens, as their namesake implies, liked to lure hapless humans with their "song" into their greedy clutches. Then they would nab the helpless victim and sap them dry of their life force.
"Not on my watch!" Baltimore dropped her bag by a tree as Hachi hopped out to follow after her. "Hachi, where is it?"
The turret head turned to and fro before locking on to an unseen target. Excited chirping and beeping noises told her where the Siren was, and Baltimore nodded in affirmation before activating the hidden gadget on her belt buckle. Then she pulled out a special card-
"Henshin!"
-before slotting it into the buckle and activating it.
Motes of blue light cubes formed in the surrounding air, coalescing into a solid shape around her body. A white bodysuit took form first, followed by a black breastplate, shin and arm guards for added protection, and an enclosed blue helmet with green lenses for eyes. To complete the ensemble was a blue hooded jacket with a green stripe running down the length of both sleeves, the jacket itself reaching down to her knees.
In this form she was able to see what the human eyes could not; a tear in space that led to another dimension, a Mirror World where Sirens would lure people into, vanishing without a trace.
"Sorry pal, this is gonna sting a bit but I need you to snap out if it." Baltimore quickly grabbed the man and slapped him in the face.
"Huh, what?" He shook himself awake. "Where am I? Who are you?"
"Just passing by." Baltimore replied. "No time to explain, you need to get outta here. This might get ugly."
As if in response to its stolen prey, the Siren leaped through the Mirror Portal with a screech. Now that it was in the normal world, the man could clearly see what almost feasted on his life force.
"What the heck is that?!"
"I told ya, just run. Go, get outta here!" Baltimore turned to face her opponent. "And you! Crawl back in your hole."
It was an Explorer-class Siren, slightly higher in ranking and power than the regular drones. Pale skin and hair, blue eyes and panel lights, and dark armor pieces along its body. The gauntlets it wore resembled manta rays, the edges glowing blue and sharp like a razor along with three barrels protruding from underneath.
Baltimore wasn't too worried, she'd fought similar enemies before. Sometimes even bigger ones. She didn't need to look back to hear the man screaming as he ran away. Cracking her knuckles in anticipation, Baltimore readied herself for a fight.
"Hachi, to me!" She called out.
The small robot hopped and transformed in mid-air, taking the shape of a triple-barreled blaster. Baltimore grabbed the weapon in her right hand and struck a pose.
"Now, count up your sins!"
The Explorer responded with a shrill cry before charging in. Blows were exchanged, shots were fired, and the surrounding terrain became pockmarked with craters or blaster bolts. Baltimore worried about damaging the property too much but pushed it out of her mind; taking care of the Siren threat took priority. It's a good thing the area was deserted.
"Woah!" Baltimore ducked as a blue blade almost slashed her face.
Her helmet would have protected her but the impact would still hurt, or at least be uncomfortable. The missed attack left the Explorer open, its arm overextending. Thinking fast, Baltimore took the opportunity and grabbed the offending arm-
"Hyaah!"
-and threw the Explorer over her shoulder. Baltimore mentally thanked Takao for those judo lessons.
Before the Explorer could recover, Baltimore was already shooting at it. The shots didn't finish it but did enough to stagger it for another follow-up attack. Baltimore quickly ran forward and kicked the Explorer back in the direction of the portal, sending it back to the other dimension.
'Now, while it's still in there!'
Baltimore followed after it fearlessly, the world around her soon shifting to one that was dull and gloomy. No longer was she standing in the middle of a park, instead she was now standing in the Mirror World. Like the name implied, it looked like her normal world except the atmosphere was more gloomy and dull. She didn't know the explanation for it and why, all she knew is the Sirens could only enter the human world through small rips in space and time. After finding these anomalies, they would tear it open further to let themselves through.
The Explorer recovered from Baltimore's kick, standing up and taking a combat stance. Baltimore didn't give it a chance to retaliate. Three shots rang out simultaneously, three shots impacted on the Explorer and sent it reeling from pain.
"I'll finish it, here and now.'
Baltimore drew another card and slotted it into her belt.
-FINAL A.P. RIDE-
She powered up her blaster and fired three consecutive shots. The projectiles slowed down and expanded into three energy gates lined up one after the other. Baltimore sprinted forward and leapt off the ground into a kick, propelling herself through the gates. With each gate she passed through she got charged up with more power and speed, flying with the force of an armor-piercing shell.
"Hiyaaah!"
Baltimore's enhanced kick impacted with a dramatic explosive finish as she smashed right through the Explorer's futile defenses. She landed in a superhero pose behind it, not even watching the ensuing aftermath as the Explorer ceased to exist in an over-the-top explosion.
She stood up from her pose and dusted off her hands. "Whew, that's done. Time to seal up this hole."
Baltimore made her way back to the portal and stepped through it. Now that she was back in the human world, she pulled out a canister and tossed it into the hole.
"Fire in the hole."
The canister went off with a muffled detonation, and soon smoke began to seep through the portal. It obscured the dimensional tear in space and by the time it dissipated, the portal was no longer there.
Baltimore was about to call it a job well done and head back home. That is, until she was stopped by someone clearing their throat behind her.
"Cleaning up the mess, eh?" Enterprise remarked with a tip of her hat.
"Oh!" Baltimore startled a bit. "Officer Enterprise, nice to see you. A bit late to the party, though. Perp's already been dusted."
Enterprise smirked as she made her way over. "Yeah, I can see that. Figured it'd be over by the time I got here, especially with a guy who kept blabbering so much I couldn't really make out what he said."
Baltimore shrugged. "He did look a little spooked. At least he made it out alive."
"Yep. Anyway, you should get along now. Before Essex shows up and starts interrogating you again." Enterprise looked at some of the small craters and kicked up dirt in the park. "Err, this'll be troublesome to fix up."
"Sorry about that."
"Don't worry too much. At least you saved someone. Property can be replaced, lives can't."
"Right." Baltimore nodded. "I'll try to make it... less messier next time."
Enterprise simply nodded and waved at the superhero as she made her departure. After Baltimore left, the officer assessed the damage done to the park with a resigned sigh.
"I'm gonna need more coffee..."
This is kind of a pilot chapter of sorts. Had this idea of a Kamen Rider Baltimore in my mind and I just felt like I had to write it down before it went away. I'm still mulling over what to call Baltimore in her Rider form, however.
Baltimore's "just passing by" quote in the game is a reference to Kamen Rider Decade. He's basically the inspiration for how Baltimore in this story does her Henshin (Transformation) and her finishing kick, so feel free to look him up for a visual idea.
Yes, Baltimore is wearing her "After-School Ace" outfit in this story. The "turret pet thing" in that splash art is also in this story as her sort of companion cube-type character. I named him "Hachi" which means "eight" in Japanese, as a reference to the 8-inch shells used by most heavy cruisers in the past, obviously including the Baltimore-class.
