I do not own the Teen Titans or the Justice League Unlimited series. They are properties of Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. and DC Comics. I do not own the rights to the Kamen Rider Kabuto franchise. It is owned by Toei Inc. and Ishinomori Ind. I do claim ownership of the characters that I have made that use the Zecters in this series, any new Riders and Zecters, extra mecha, new enemies and also over the EX version of the Kabuto series Riders.
Kabuto EX
Author: Toku Warrior
Chapter 4
New Member! New Group! Rider Shooting!
The wind was blowing gently, making the waves brush up against the small island on which Titans Tower stood upon. The day was nice and the Titans had not received any calls for a crime for the past couple of days. It had only been two days since the battle with ZECT's Spider Riders and also since Kabuto and TheBee were given temporary rooms at the tower. Of course, while they were there that didn't mean that they were sitting around relaxing or answering questions from the League and the Titans. Kain and Makoto did what they could to keep their distance. To them, the less their new friends knew about their pasts, the better. They didn't mind sharing any knowledge that they had on ZECT, but they wished to keep any personal information secret for the time being.
Inside the tower, Beast Boy and Cyborg were in the kitchen making lunch. That would take awhile though as both of them kept arguing over what to make. Beast Boy wanted to make his vegetarian dishes but Cyborg wanted to make a meat platter special. They wanted to specially greet their two new friends to the tower as the Titans had been planning it for the past couple of days.
"Look ya little grass stain; you ain't making any of your smelly tofu and feeding it to the Riders!" Cyborg yelled.
"Dude, they're both Japanese! Japanese people love tofu…well, most of them do." Beast Boy retorted.
It was too bad for Raven as she was sitting on the couch trying to enjoy one of her horror novels. But, alas, that wasn't possible with dumb and dumber arguing about what to make. A cross vein popped up on her head as she then heard some form of fighting taking place in the kitchen as pots and pans sounded like they were being knocked on the floor.
'I swear I'm going to kill those two if they keep this up.' she thought as her violet colored hair started to twirl around in a frantic pattern, her emotions starting to show. Another crash in the kitchen clenched it as she slammed her book shut and got up to lean over the couch, glaring at the two squabbling teens. "Will you two be QUIET?"
Beast Boy and Cyborg stopped in the middle of their fight; each one had the other in some type of wrestling hold. They looked at Raven and saw her dark energy starting to seep from her body like flames. Beast Boy was about to make a retort but then noticed that death glare in her eyes and decided to keep his mouth shut. Both teens sweat dropped and let go of each other; both immediately starting to clean the kitchen. Raven then settled back down and was about to get back to her book until she noticed the double steel doors open up to reveal both Robin and Starfire enter, the latter having their arms hooked around the former and holding onto one another lovingly. She also noticed the embarrassed looks on their faces.
"Hey, what's wrong? I thought you two were sparring in the gym?" Raven asked though she probably already knew the answer. The two love birds looked at their half-demon friend and smiled sheepishly.
"We were…until…" Robin started but found himself unable to finish. Raven and the two idiots found this interesting and looked at the two of them inquisitively.
"Until…what? Spill dawg." Cyborg demanded. Robin and Starfire didn't know what to say. Starfire then perked up, but not without being embarrassed, and stepped forward.
"We were sparring but after some time in turned into something…well…" Star was looking down, a blush brightly plastered on her face. She was twiddling her fingers while constantly looking back and forth at Robin and the floor. The others then knew what had happened. The sparring session turned into a make out session. That would explain why their uniforms were somewhat more wrinkled than usual when they sparred.
As Starfire was getting ready to continue with her explanation though a pair of blurs rushed through the opened steel doors and began colliding with one another. The Titans watched the blurs with some interest. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the two blurs slowed down to normal speed with the words of 'CLOCK OVER'andthe five teens noticed both Kabuto and TheBee grasping hands in a gridlock, each one trying to gain the advantage over the other. Needless to say the Titans had gotten used to this quickly over the past couple of days. They learned that this was how the two of them trained. They used the Clock Up function of their Rider systems, thus turning a whole hour of training into a matter of minutes.
"Let me guess, you two went from sparring to kissing until these two burst into the gym during Clock Up?" Raven asked which Star and Robin responded with an embarrassed nod. Raven just sighed and turned to the two Riders who had suddenly broken away and starred each other down while circling one another. Another cross vein popped up on her forehead as she walked over to them. "Will you two give it a rest? You've been doing that for hours now."
Both Riders blinked at her from behind their helmets and then looked at one another before relaxing their bodies, allowing their Zecters to disengage and fly off to relax on the couch. "Sorry Raven, it's just when we get bored we find training as a good outlet for releasing pent up stress." Kain apologized.
"Taisuke-kun's right. Besides, it's not as bad as to what those two were doing in the gym's ring a few moments ago." Makoto said with a smirk while jutting his thumb at Robin and Starfire, causing the two lovers to blush even more as they lowered their heads. Raven just glared at the two of them and she was about to counter their argument when they heard a ringing sound coming from Makoto's pants pocket. "Hmm? Who could that be?"
—
OP Theme: Period (FMA Brotherhood OP4)
By: Chemistry
—
Located in downtown Jump City was the shopping district. The crowds were thick at the stores but many people, or should I say much of the female populace, were fighting for spots at a booth located near the railing of a set of stairs that lead into one of the parks. There was a makeshift tent and a table with tons of different types of makeup. Located under the table was a black guitar case covered in different types of stickers and pictures. Set next to the table was a pair of chairs and a mirror. In the chairs were seated a beautiful young brunette and a young man who was, apparently, applying her makeup. The women just starred at the young man with hearts in their eyes while the young man just looked at his current customer with a smile and gentle looking eyes.
Unbeknownst to him though, a group of young superheros were making their way towards the park. Walking through the crowds of people, the Titans, wearing civilian clothes (I'll let you decide what they're wearing) were heading towards the park with both Kain and Makoto. Makoto was wearing his usual pair of black pants and black combat boots. He wore a black belt and a dark yellow shirt with a black long sleeved unbuttoned over shirt. Located inside one of the over shirts' inside pockets, his TheBee Zecter kept itself hidden until needed. Kain on the other hand was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white long sleeved buttoned up shirt and a pair of black sneakers. Situated on his right shoulder was his Kabuto Zecter, keeping a lookout for any Worm that were close by.
As they walked towards the park Makoto thought back to the phone call he had received only a little while ago.
—
(Flashback)
Taking his phone out of his pocket, Makoto revealed a sleek black cell phone with a ZECT logo embedded on its back. Flipping it open, he looked at the view screen only to notice the name and number come up private. 'Probably some kind of telemarketer.' he thought as he pressed the green answer button before placing the phone to his ear. "Moshi, moshi."
"Hey Stinger-butt, how's it going?" Makoto's face developed into a scowl from being called that hated nickname. He knew of only two people that would call him that and only one would do it in such a carefree tone as the voice on the other end.
"Well, well, if it isn't the leader of the flirt brigade." he said with a small disgusted smirk.
"Hey! Stop calling me a flirt bug eyes!"
"Look who's talking! You use a bug too you idiotic, trigger happy buffoon."
Kain and the other Titans just looked on with sweat drops appearing on their foreheads as Makoto seemed to be arguing with someone on the other end of the phone. After a moment of bickering though, Makoto relaxed and began to calm down.
"So…Kotobe-kun, how have you been doing?" Kain perked up at hearing the name and instantly knew who Makoto was talking to.
"Oi, is that Hino-san?" Kain asked which Makoto replied with a simple nod. Kain smiled softly, glad in knowing that another one of the Riders was currently safe for the moment.
"Hey, did I hear beetle boy in the background?" Hino asked over the phone.
"Yes, you did. Apparently he's also in Jump City like me. What about you?" Makoto wanted to know just where the others were at. Unlike Kain who could sense the presence of Worms that were close by, Makoto and the other Riders couldn't. They could, however, sense the presence of other Zecters as long as they were within a reasonable distance. Thus he wanted to get all the Riders together as a team. He wanted them all to stick together just in case ZECT came after them. And judging by how bad ZECT wanted Kain, he knew they would also be on the organizations hit list.
"Me too. I've set up a small tent shop at one of the parks." At this Makoto just shook his head but then thought about it. He knew Hino had a knack with makeup and it was a nice profitable job for him. "Do you know where the big clock is next to the flower garden by the small pond?" It's in the southern district."
"Actually, I do. Went there on my first day in the city. You set up shop there?"
"Yep. Hey, you and horn head should stop by. It'd be nice to have some friends to talk too. That and to also help me out in this crowd of girls." Makoto just smirked snidely. It seemed that Hino had gotten himself in over his head, again. "I could use the help."
"Why should we help you? You got yourself into this mess with those harlots and you can get yourself out." At this Kain tapped him on the shoulder, "Excuse me for a moment Kotobe-kun." Turning to face Kain, "Yes, Taisuke-kun?"
"What's going on?" The Titans wanted to know this as well.
"Oh, well, it seems that Kamen Rider Drake is also in town. You remember him, I told you about him yesterday." Kain nodded in familiarity with what Makoto had told him. He also remembered him from when he broke the eight Riders out of the ZECT prison. "Well, it seems he's set up another makeup shop here in Jump City in the southern district near the park. And it seems he attracted more women than even he can handle." Just then they all heard a shout come from the phone.
"Damn it! Where's Gatack when ya need him. Those shoulder vulcans of his would come in handy right now. Huh? Please ladies, one at a time. You'll all get your turn. Makoto, get your stinger over here now. If you help me then I'll grant any favor you ask!" This was what the Wasp Rider wanted to hear. He loved to make Hino suffer and then get him to promises a favor to him for help.
"Alright ya big baby. We'll be right there." He flipped the phone closed and placed it back into his pockets. Looking back at Kain, "Go get washed up and changed. Looks like you're going to get to meet Drake again.
"Alright then." With that Kain ran back to his room to get a shower. As Makoto himself was about to leave he saw Beast Boy get in front of him.
"Yes?"
"Um, dude…I was wondering…" Makoto knew what the Titans wanted and then looked over at Raven and Starfire and got an idea.
"If you're going to ask if you can all come meet Drake then, yes, you may come along." Beast Boy and Cyborg shouted out excitedly while giving one another high fives while Starfire squealed in anticipation. Raven just kept her same emotionless expression while Robin just smiled. "But only if you promise to behave and not embarrass us. This means you Beast Boy." Beast Boy blushed a bit while grinning sheepishly. Makoto then went to get ready but turned his head with one final piece of advice, "Oh, I suggest you all were civilian disguises. Going incognito is more of our style and besides, walking around in those costumes would draw too much unwanted attention." And with that he left to get ready.
(End Flashback)
—
The Riders and Titans soon came upon the park where there were many make shift shops set all about. As they got closer Robin noticed one shop crowded with a throng of girls. Getting a bit closer he could see a young man of Japanese decent applying makeup to one woman in a chair set in front of him. Coming to a stop and turning to the others, "Guys, I think I found him." The others gathered around the Titan leader to see the gathering of many women and Cyborg and Beast Boy were shocked at the turn out.
"Dudes, who is this guy?" Beast Boy asked.
"Nothing more than a big flirt…and one of my closest friends." Makoto answered.
As if knowing he was being talked about by someone, Hino lifted his head to look past the hoard of females and saw Makoto standing with a group of people. A big smile on his face, he waved his friends over.
"Hey Senkai-kun! Over here!"
Makoto just sighed while making a small snicker to himself. He just couldn't stay mad at Hino forever. Taking the invite, the Titans and Riders walked on over to the tent to see a young red headed woman who looked almost like a goddess due to Hino's makeup expertise.
"Whoa…me likkie." Beast Boy said with hearts in his eyes as his jaw dropping at the sight of the beautiful woman.
"Well what else would you expect from someone with Kotobe-kun's talent. He can make a woman as plain and average as can be look like a goddess among men." Makoto said, giving the young makeup artiste some praise which the flirt ate up with much gusto.
"Awe come on Senkai-kun, you're making me blush." Hino said while placing a hand behind his head.
"Don't get used to it mandible brain." Makoto joked. The Titans were really wondering why Makoto was making such bug referenced jokes towards Hino.
"What was that honey sucker? I didn't hear you clearly." Hino countered. The others just sighed. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you guys are here. I need some assistance in keeping the line straight. I close up shop in another hour so take those numbered cards and hand them to the people I don't get to after closing time."
Makoto and Kain looked at the jar on the table to see the colored cards with numbers on them. Each taking a stack, they walked over to the line of women to help keep everything in order. After about an hour had passed it was closing time, much too all the girl's dismay and protest, and that was when Kain and Makoto handed out the numbered cards. These cards would let the girls get first call at appointments the next time Hino opened up for business. Once the girls left, Hino packed up his gear and then stuffed all his things into two duffle bags.
The Titans had taken the time to head over to the local café and ordered lunch for the group, Hino included. Once the Riders were done they headed over to the double tables and sat down, Hino's duffle bags at one end of the bench. Grabbing a glass of lemonade and a few chips, the conversations began.
"So," Hino started while munching on a ship, "when did you two get here?" He took a sip of his drink while Kain and Makoto spoke up,
"A little over a week ago." – Kain
"About four days ago." – Makoto
"Really, I got here about three days ago. Gotta admit, this is a pretty nice town. Minus the Worm, I really like it here." This part peeked Robins interest.
"You know about the Worm. So does this mean that you have the same armor and powers as these two?" Robin asked while pointing at Kain and Makoto.
"Yep. Names Hino Kotobe. A.K.A. Kamen Rider Drake." As if on cue, a small yet long blue blur zipped out of one of Hino's duffle bags and flew over to land on his shoulder. "And this is my little amigo, Drake Zecter."
The Drake Zecter then flew up to the center of the table and was soon joined by both the Kabuto and TheBee Zecters. The three little mecha bugs then set down on the table and began having their own little conversation. Looking the new Zecter over, Raven was able to guess Drake's motif.
"So let me guess, your Cast Off form is themed after a Dragonfly?" Raven asked in a monotone voice.
"Got it in one babe." Hino answered with a wink which caused Raven to stare at him with a menacing gaze. "Uh, did I say something wrong?" This question was directed at the other Titans.
"Not really man. She just hates flirts." Cyborg answered.
"Really?" Hino wondered how she could stand Makoto then. "Then how come she hasn't killed Stinger-butt yet?"
"Unlike you, you idiot, I don't flirt with girls with the only intention of getting something satisfying in return." Makoto fumed.
"Oh really? What about all those nurses from ZECT's infirmary and all those lab interns?" Hino asked with a sly smile which caused Makoto to blush madly while a sweat drop appeared next to his head.
"I-I don't have any-" Makoto tried to defend himself.
"Give it up Mr. Perfectionist. You're just as horny as I am when it comes to a beautiful woman." Hino shot back with a hint of victory in his voice. "Heck, I bet beetle brain here is too."
Kain just shook his head. He couldn't believe these two. He could understand Hino being like this from the bio he read on him and from what he heard from Makoto, but to find out Makoto was nearly the same was a bit…surprising.
"Getting off the subject of being horny idiots, maybe we should introduce ourselves." Raven added. The others nodded in agreement.
"The name's Garfield Logan. But my friends either call me Gar or just Logan." Beast Boy said. The green changeling was wearing a pair of Cyborgs holo-inducer rings to hide his green appearance, his elf-like ears and sharp canines.
"Victor Stone. Nice to meet ya dawg." Cyborg added while shaking hands with the young Rider. He too was wearing a pair of holo-inducer rings; giving him the appearance of a young, buff African American male.
"I'm Richard Grayson. Though my friends just call me Dick for short." Robin said as he gave Hino a small salute.
"Rachel Roth." Raven said plainly. Hino noticed this and made a mental note to probably stay on her good side. And last but not least.
"I am Kori Anders. It is a pleasure to meet you new friend." Starfire said brightly while bringing Hino into a powerful hug which made the young Rider gasp for air, this causing both Kain and Makoto to snicker in delight.
Hino, after taking a second to catch his breathe, smiled at the group. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. And I'm glad to see that these two haven't caused you much trouble…yet." Kain and Makoto just looked at him sternly, as if suggesting that he was the real trouble maker. It was here that Starfire spoke up.
"Excuse me but I wish to ask something."
"Well then go ahead. I'd be glad to answer any questions from a beauty such as you." This caused a cross vein to pop up on Dick's forehead in jealousy. He didn't like how this guy was openly flirting with his girlfriend. Starfire, on the other hand, just smiled at the compliment.
"Well then, I just wish to ask…" She took in a deep breathe and then let it all come out in one go. "Where did you come from? How did you get here? What is your favorite color? And will you be my friend?" Hino just looked at her quizzically and then over to Kain and Makoto who just shrugged.
"You get used to it man. From what I was told, she does this with every new person she meets." Kain informed him.
"Oh." Hino answered, understanding what Kain meant. He then returned his gaze to Kori and answered her questions. "Well, I come from Japan and lived most of my life in a ZECT lab. I got here by stowing away on an airplane headed for America and then used Clock Up to get here cuz I was following the signal of a Zecter in this area. My favorite colors are Teal Blue and Silver and sure, I'd love to be the friend of a beautiful woman." Hino said this last part with a sly smile.
"Id' watch it if I were you Kotobe-kun." Makoto warned his fellow Rider. Hino looked at Makoto, wondering what he meant. "Anders-chan here just happens to be Grayson-kun's girlfriend. And don't even think of flirting with Roth-chan. She'd peel you like a grape…literally." Hino took Makoto's advice after looking at both Rachel's and Dick's eyes, seeing what Makoto had meant.
The group of friends then continued with their snack as more questions were asked as they all relaxed. What they didn't know was that when it came to being a Rider, you never caught a break.
—
Somewhere in another city a bunch of police sirens could be heard blaring. Many of the people of this city didn't know what was about to take place as the cruisers came gunning down the street. After a brief second the people of the city then heard a loud explosion from a local strip club a few blocks down the road. Seeing smoke and flames erupt from the building the citizens watched in wonder and shock. The cruisers came to an abrupt stop with the cops slamming on the brakes of their patrol cars. The cops quickly got out of their cars, guns drawn and held in position, ready to open fire.
After a moment a woman came running out from the front door. From the looks of her outfit she was possibly employed at the club, a dancer maybe. She looked out in front of her and tears began to well up in her eyes and run down her cheeks, ruining her makeup.
"Oh, thank god!" she screamed as she made her way to them. One of the cops got out a blanket, ready to place it around the woman once she got to them. "Please, he's a monster! He-he…..he killed them all! HE KILLED TH-" She was silenced immediately by the piercing of a long thin blade going through the back of her head and coming out of her mouth. Her blood trickled down her throat as her eyes glazed over, her body going limp as she started to slide off the blade like a lifeless doll.
"What the hell?" one of the cops shouted as they saw the woman killed right in front of them. They then looked behind her to see her killer standing there as he took his blade and raised it above his head before swinging it downwards, clearing the blood off his blade. The cops stared in horror and shock as what they saw was then obscured by another explosion from the building.
The fire from the explosion came through the front and engulfed the killer. Strangely enough though, he was unharmed by the flames. As the cops and civilians looked on they only saw a shadowy visage of his body but could make out his glowing purple eyes. They then heard the words 'CLOCK UP' before noticing the killer almost vanish instantly out of sight. The cops stood speechless as a few military hummers pulled up as well as a clean up crew. As this took place one of the cops looked on at the spot where the killer had stood only a few seconds ago. Judging by his ranking pins, he was a lieutenant. He couldn't believe what he saw.
"My god…what the hell was that thing?" he said quietly as a fire truck arrived on the scene and began to put out the blaze. He lowered his gun and returned it to its holster. "Could that have been…a…a demon?"
—
Back in Jump City, a big black SUV was driving through down town, heading towards the park to where the Titans were currently located. Inside the SUV was an African American woman who appeared to be in her late thirties to early forties. She was going over a few documents when she had received some special intel on what had just taken place in the other city. The city, called Center City, had just had a murder and a building explosion at a local strip club. The cops on the scene had reported seeing a woman killed right in front of them by some purple armor wearing killer, giving him some sort of demonic appearance.
"Ma'am, what are you going to do?" asked a soldier sitting across from her. The woman just looked up at him and frowned.
"I don't know son. But apparently the Titans have come across some people that may be of help to us in this case." the woman replied which the soldier nodded in understanding. She then looked back at one of the documents labeled TOP SECRET and opened it up to see pictures of the Worm and the Native as well as something else. A picture of a warrior wearing a black body suit and red and silver armor on his body. He also wore a helmet with a long beetle-like horn on the front. Printed under the picture was a name that sounded all too familiar. 'I just hope that we're not too late in stopping this invasion. If it comes down to it, this kid will be our only hope.' she thought as she looked at the picture. She prayed that there was still time. 'I just hope you can truly be of help kid.'
—
Stretching his arms out after having a relaxing meal, Hino let out a content sigh of relief. The Titans had asked him about the Riders, the Zecters and even about ZECT. He had looked to Kain and Makoto and they gave him a look that meant to be discreet about the information he would give. Thus he only told them about some of the things about ZECT and a few things about himself. Nothing too in depth about his past but just enough to satisfy Robin's appetite for knowledge. But there was something else he was keeping from them. Something he was even keeping from Kain and Makoto. Something about some of the other Riders.
He then looked up at the clock and noticed that it was already getting close to seven o'clock in the evening. The sun was already starting to slowly set beyond the horizon and he was ready to call it a day. He had made enough money to allow him to stay at the hotel room he was living in for another few days so he was good until then.
"Well guys, it's been real but I'm beat so I'm gonna head back to the hotel and turn in." Hino said as he stretched out his arms and yawned. Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at him with some disappointment. They wanted to hang out with the guy for a little while longer. "Well my fellow Riders…and gracious new friends, ja ne." he said while waving goodbye.
"Later Kotobe-kun." Makoto said with a small salute.
"See ya around." Kain added as he waved.
As Hino got up and reached down for his duffle bags a black SUV came racing into view and, once it reached the café, came to a stop in front of the group. Hino looked up, dropping his duffle bags back onto the ground as the Riders and the Titans gathered around him. After a second a door opened up to reveal a couple of military soldiers in full gear and carrying a couple of semi-automatics coming out of the SUV and guarding both sides of the vehicle. The group of superheroes watched as they soon saw an African American woman step out. She looked at the group and then slowly mad her way towards them. Robin, remembering a profile he had received from Batman, knew who this was.
"Amanda Waller…what brings you here?" Robin asked.
—
Looking down upon the citizens within the shopping district, a group of six Worms, still in their chrysalis forms, were watching the Riders from the top of the roof of the café. They looked at the humans with disgust but knew what needed to be done if they wished to populate this planet, claiming it as their own. Another group of about twelve more Worms showed up, all of them also in their chrysalis forms as well. Then, glowing red, the first six Worms molted their green cocoon bodies and ascended to their more powerful evolved forms.
One of them had a purple body with long arms. Its hands were yellow and resembled tentacles. Around its neck was a yellow spiky frill. Its mouth dripped with green slimy saliva that, upon contact with the concrete roof, proved to be very acidic. Two of the others had black bodies and bushy black tales. They each had scythe-like hands, one whose pair were silver in color while the others' were red in color. They both had heads like wolves, one with red eyes and the other with green eyes.
The fourth monster had a body that resembled a minotaur but had metal shoulders with steel studs. Its left hand was a black wrecking ball and it walked on hoofed feet. The fifth monster resembled a piranha as it had a silvery body and a big red going from the top of its head down to the small of its back. It had chains wrapped around its body that were tipped with poison covered barbs. It also held a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and bore clawed hands and feet. The final monster actually resembled a black stag beetle with a pair of horns on its head that looked like they could crush stone and cut a person in half. It also held a long broadsword in its right hand, resting it against its shoulder. The evolved Worms, looking on down at the Riders, motioned the other non-evolved Worms to go on the move, ordering them to begin the attack.
—
As the sun sank even further below the horizon, both the Titans and the Riders wondered what was going on. Amanda Waller stood there for a few seconds, looking the three new comers up and down before walking forward towards Dick and the others.
"Hello Grayson", she looked at the other four remaining Titans and nodded, "and to you four as well." She then motioned for one of the soldiers to come forward while keeping her gaze fixed on Batman's former sidekick. Receiving the manila folder from the soldier, she then handed it over to Robin who took the folder and opened it up, carefully scanning its contents.
"What in the world—what is this, Waller?" Dick asked as what he saw were various reports on many different Worm and some blurred images of both the Riders they knew and a few that they hadn't yet seen.
"What you have there is the top secret file that the U.S. Government has been able to liberate from some cooperative Japanese officials. It shows all the information we have on the group known as ZECT and their little secret project codenamed, Project: Masked Rider System." The other Titans gathered around Robin and looked at the contents, all of them shocked at what was listed inside. They then saw a blurred image of a Rider with a black body and silver and red armor with big cobalt blue eyes. They all looked at Kain and then back at the file.
"And by liberate you mean they were ZECT soldiers whom you killed I take it?" Amanda turned around to see Makoto step forward; his TheBee Zecter now perched on his shoulder. Amanda starred at him curiously and then looked over at Hino who had gone over to his friends' side so as to back him up; his Drake Zecter hovering next to him. She then looked over at Kain who locked his cold blue eyes with her soft yet stern brown eyes.
"Basically…yes, we killed them. But only because they turned out to be Worm in disguise. The Worm had apparently stolen that file from one of ZECT's operatives; for which their purpose of doing so is still unclear at this time." The Riders looked at her, somewhat surprised.
The Titans also looked a bit shocked as well and for good reason. Up until this point they had only seen the Worm defeated by either high powered heroes like Superman or Green Lantern or by Kabuto when one of the Worms had evolved into its true form. So to hear that a group of soldiers had been able to kill a group of Worm was a bit of a shock.
"How was it that you were able to defeat a small group of Worm without the aid of a Rider System?" Hino asked.
"Easy, we had some assistance from both Captain Atom and Green Lantern in the matter. Since our soldiers were being slaughter by a group of alien monsters we had no choice but to take them down." Amanda lowered her head as she closed her eyes. "I don't want to ask any of Earth's heroes to cross the line when it comes to a matter such as this but at that point in time we had no choice. It was the lives of our people versus the lives of a few monsters that are trying to wipe us out."
Makoto, Hino and Kain just looked at one another for a few seconds and nodded their heads. They had to agree that what was done was the most sensible thing to do in a situation such as that. But the battle with the Worms was a job for the Riders, not the rest of Earths heroes. They soon looked forward to see Amanda approach them.
"That's why I'm here now. I got a report from the Justice League stating that the Teen Titans had come into contract with people who had the ability to fight these so-called Worms on a level playing field."
"So, you're here to recruit us or something?" Kain asked. The Titans looked on, waiting to hear Waller's answer.
"The answer to that is both yes and no. Yes, I'm here to enlist your help in taking down the Worm and you'll be heavily compensated for your work but also no as you won't be under direct command of any government. The Worms are naturally your own problem. Both the League and U.S. government just want to lend you a helping hand in locating them."
The three Riders each thought about that option for a second. While the Worm were their responsibility to take down, having a little help here and there wouldn't be so bad. But they didn't want to be forced to join some government or League sanctioned team just do so. Waller could see the looks on their faces and decided to continue.
"It's simple. You'll be granted enough government clearance that will allow you to operate on your own terms. You won't answer to any form of controlling power as long as you don't turn against the innocent."
"The offer does sound tempting…but there's gotta be a catch." Makoto said while looking Waller dead in the eyes.
"There is. Even though we will be giving you our assistance in the matter with the Worms, it won't be for free. You know the old saying; I scratch your back and scratch mine."
"So what is it that you want from us?" Hino asked.
"Simple, in exchange for government clearance and assistance as well as League clearance and assistance, you will act as our allies against the other forces of the universe that wish our planet harm. An example would be if one of our enemies, let's say Darkseid, came to Earth and attacked once again; you would put your personal search for the Worm on hold to help defend the Earth and its people."
"Well that sounds simple enough." Hino replied.
"Wait, does this mean that if the League needs help out in Space or on another planet then we could be drafted to help depending on the level of the situation?"
"That's it exactly." Waller replied. The Riders looked at one another for a second before turning to face her. "Look, you guys have the chance to actually be heroes. And look at it this way; if ZECT ever does come after you then it'll be good to know that you'll have the whole League backing you in your fight. So, what do you say? You kids interested?"
"Could you give us a second?" Makoto asked.
"Of course, take a few moments to think it over." Waller replied.
The three Riders quickly got into a huddle, each one bring up the pros and cons of this opportunity. "Well, what should we do?" Hino asked.
"I don't know, it sounds like the offer of a life time. I mean, we could really use the help in our fight against ZECT." Makoto answered.
"True, but that would also make us indebted to the U.S. government and to the Justice League, wouldn't it?" Kain asked.
"Oh please, like you two aren't indebted to the Titan's enough already." Hino pointed out in an irritated tone. Kain and Makoto looked at one another and then back at Hino.
"Point." they both answered.
"So, what's the upside and downside of this deal?" Hino asked. He could sense the tension building up in the others standing behind them so he wanted to end this discussion quickly.
"Well, the downside would be that we would be at the call of both the League and the government in case of an interstellar emergency or an alien invasion that is non-Worm and non-Native related. The upside, we get a few new allies and huge backing of super-powered heroes that have our backs in the fight against ZECT and who will help us in the location of the Worm." Makoto said. They all looked at one another and nodded.
"This might be a good move on our part." Kain added.
"Hey, just look at it this way; we can definitely meet plenty of super babes this way Senkai-kun." Hino suggested while nudging his friend with his elbow. Makoto just rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Oh I can see it now, you flirt with a girl like Black Canary or Hawk Girl and the next thing that happens is we get both the Green Arrow and Green Lantern chasing us half way across the galaxy so that they could put our heads on pikes."
"Geez, aren't you the spoil sport." Hino scoffed. They then looked at one another again and let out a laugh. Looking at each other they nodded and got out of their huddle.
Both the Titans and Amanda looked at them with concerned eyes; each group wanting to know their answer. The Riders looked at them and smirked. Makoto stepped forward with Kain and Hino stepping up right behind him.
"Amanda Waller, you may want to contact the League to let them know that we, Kamen Riders' Drake, TheBee and Kabuto—", Makoto tried to give his reply when all of a sudden a few people ran out from one of the buildings behind them, screaming their heads off. "What the hell is going on?"
As if on cue all three of their Zecters started flying around while giving out alarming chirps, alerting them to the presence of Worms. Both the Titans and Amanda and her soldiers turned around to see over a dozen chrysalis state Worms emerging from one of the restaurants behind them.
The Worm, knowing that they had been discovered by the Riders, looked down their prey with eager eyes as well as looking over all the choices of people that they could mimic, the lives that they could steal. The Riders, acting quickly, summoned the belts and bracers. As their belts and bracers formed Hino quickly pulled out his trigger hilt from his pocket and held it out forward, as if he was pointed a gun. Makoto grabbed his Zecter out of the air while Kain's Zecter flew into his hand.
"Waller, in short, we accept your offer." Kain replied which earned him a thankful nod from the portly woman.
"Good to hear it, now suit up!" She shouted.
"You don't have to tell us twice!" Hino replied. "Ready guys?"
"Ready!" Makoto and Kain replied.
"Henshin!" all three of them shouted out. Kain slid his Zecter onto the track buckle of his belt, activating his transformation while Makoto placed his Zecter on the bracer located on his left wrist, twisting it to lock it on, its head facing forward. Hino's Zecter flew down and attached itself to the trigger hilt, stiffing its body and acting like the base of a gun; all three Zecters giving out a cry.
"HENSHIN."
(Insert background song – Last Battle: KR DCD – All Rider tai DaiShocker OST)
Amanda and her soldiers, along with the Titans, starred on in awe as they saw the three Riders transform. Their bodies were covered in the hexagonal nanotech discs that flowed all over their bodies and solidified into their armors. Each one of them standing there in all their glory in Masked Form, the quickly took in their situation and their surroundings.
The Titans had already seen both Makoto and Kain transform a couple of times before but this was their first time seeing Hino transform. Like Kabuto and TheBee before him, his body was covered in a black body suit. His thighs, knees and lower legs were covered in silver armor platting and so were his upper and lower arms and wrists. The only differences were that his elbows and hand pads were teal blue in color. The rest of his armor though was completely different.
His left shoulder pad was similar to Kabuto's but was somewhat more rounded, the top part a teal blue color and set with silver tubes that connected to a part of his torso armor. His torso armor was black in color with a teal blue armor front that also acted as a high rise neck guard. The tubes on top of his left shoulder armor attached to this neck guard. His right shoulder armor looked similar to dragonfly wing tips that were hidden underneath his torso armor. The upper center of his torso armor had two red plates that looked somewhat like bug eyes. The lower half had two long segmented tubes that wrapped around his back and sides and connected with the lower front of his torso armor, looking similar to insect legs.
His helmet was also drastically different. It was mainly black with a silver metal fin on the top. The front of his helmet had a blue trimmed visor cover that had four semi-horizontal slits, allowing him segmented vision. The center of the eye plate had two red gem plates, giving the front of his face a similar look to that of a dragonfly's body; the sides outlined in silver. Jutting from the sides of the silver trim were four pointed ends colored a dark blue. The most bizarre feature was a long silver hose connected to his mouth plate, giving it the appearance of a respirator. This hose went down and then slung itself over the left side of his neck guard.
The front orb oh his left shoulder plate also had a ZECT symbol in the shape of a dragonfly, the word ZECT placed on its body. The red gem plates on his helmet let out a quick glow, signaling that his transformation was complete. Now, standing alongside both Kabuto and TheBee was the third Kamen Rider of the team, Kamen Rider Drake.
Amanda and her soldiers were stunned at the sight of their transformations while the Titans looked on in amazement, never getting tired of seeing their friends in action. Makoto, taking the center and acting as the self selected leader of their group, raised his right arm and pointed at the group of Worms.
"The man that walks the path of perfection. Allow me to show you my perfect world by granting you the perfect death." replied Makoto, saying his catchphrase in an almost monotonic yet sadistic tone.
"I am the man that walks the path of Heaven. The one who'll rule everything." replied Kain as he stood stoically and raised his right arm up, pointing to the sky; as if he was also pointing towards heaven.
"I am the man that walks the path beauty. Rest easy as I grant you a beautiful ending." Hino said while he rested his Drake blaster on his right shoulder plate and pointed at the Worms with his left hand.
The others just stood there, somewhat slack jawed from how the Riders were actually acting towards their opponents. Amanda looked back at the Titans and they just smiled lightly.
"You get used to it after a while." Dick said as he shrugged his shoulders. That was when the Worm went on the attack.
The Worms charged at the Riders who in turned charged at the Worm. With there only being twelve Worm, each Rider took on four Worm each. Amanda, her soldiers and the Titans just watched as the Riders effortlessly ducked under claw swipes and side stepped kicks from their enemies.
TheBee was quickly separated from the others and found himself surrounded on all sides. One of the Worm charged forward and let loose a slash at his chest with one of its clawed hands. He quickly side-stepped this attack and used his left hand to push the slashing arm away while ducking under a swipe from a second Worm. He quickly kicked the second Worm in the side with a powerful sidekick and then blocked another swipe to his face with his left arm. He then quickly rolled his arm around the arm of the Worm, taking a hold of its arm and then quickly planting a hard right hook into its face.
The fourth of the Worm he was facing came at him from behind and was the first of its group to make a successful attack as it slashed its claws against the backside of Makoto's armor. TheBee let out a small grunt of main as sparks flew from the contact of the attack but quickly recovered and delivered a sudden volley of heavy blows into the Worms' chest. In almost seamless rapid succession, TheBee quickly dealt with the Worm as it finally fell down to the ground from the onslaught of punches to its body, exploding in a wave of orange and green flames upon hitting the ground. TheBee just looked at the other three Worm and smiled behind his helmet. 'Heh, one down and three more to go.'
As TheBee was taking care of his group of Worms Drake was having just as much fun as he compatriot Riders were. He quickly ducked under a slash from his left only to quickly duck under another slash from his right. A third slash came at him from behind which he side-stepped to the left to avoid and spun around on the pivot of his left boot and aimed his Drake Magnum, taking aim and firing a few rounds straight through the head of the Worm. The kaijin fell to the ground and exploded, dying from the fatal gunshot to its body.
A fourth worm quickly grabbed him from behind and held both of his arms to his sides while allowing its fellows to attack from the front. 'Ah crap!' Drake thought as both of the other two remaining Worm let loose slash after slash against his armor, sending sparks flying and causing him to grunt in pain as he was finally let go only for the Worm who had been holing him down to lash out him as well, kicking him ni the gut and sending him down to the ground with a thud. The Titans and Waller watched on in worry but were quickly surprised with how fast Drake recovered.
The dragonfly Rider was back on his feet as for when he hit the ground he quickly rolled around and got back up in a crouch, taking aim again and sniping another two of his opponents in the head and watching them fall to the ground and explode in green and orange flames. "Hah, serves you bastard's right!" His victory was short lived as he looked to his left to see Makoto quickly dodge around the other three Worm he was facing, making quick work of them with his boxing skills. Quickly landing heavy blows to their bodies, TheBee defeated his remaining opponents and then stood there, smiling behind his helmet. "Not bad Senkai-kun." Hino said which Makoto replied to with a quick two finger salute.
"Heh, not even enough for a simple workout." Makoto boasted. Drake just chuckled until he was tackled to the ground by his single remaining opponent. "But it seems you might be a bit rusty old friend."
"Bite me!" Hino retaliated and then went on to bash the butt of the gun's handle into the head of the Worm on top of him. The kaijin fell off of him and rolled over on the ground, holding the top of its aching head. "Do you mind, I'm in the middle of a conversation here." With that Drake let loose a rapid release of shot into the Worm. The Worm staggered backwards and exploded from the constant hits to its body from Drakes gun. Drake brought his gun up to his helmet and did a mock blowing of smoke from the muzzle of the blaster. "Hah, hah, daddy's still got it." Drake said while raising up his left hand and giving Makoto a V sigh with his fingers.
Makoto just shook his head while face palming into his left hand. "You idiot. You always act like such a child when things like this happen." Makoto said quietly. After a few seconds they then heard the sounds of metal hitting Worm body and looked over towards the stone stairs that led to the small pond to see Kabuto elegantly side-stepping all four of his opponents and slashing at them constantly with his kunai blade. He then charged in and slashed at them as hard as he could, all four of the Worms exploding upon contact. When he finished it looked like Kabuto was in a see of green and orange flames as he stood there, his kunai blade lowered to his side.
(End Background song – Last Battle)
Drake and TheBee quickly ran over to Kabuto's side and the Riders looked over their handy work. Amanda and her soldiers were completely impressed with the Riders and their abilities. As the Riders made their way back to their friends they were quickly sent to the ground by six multi-colored blurs. The three Riders hit the ground hard as the Titans and Waller looked on in shock.
"What the heck was that?" Amanda asked out loud. She soon got her answer as the blurs came to a stop behind the Riders. What they saw were six monsters in the shape of different creatures. Two looked like wolves with scythe hands. One looked like a purple monster with a frilled neck and long, tentacle hands. Another looked like a Minotaur with a steel ball for a left hand while another looked like a Piranha based monster. The final monster looked very similar to a Stag beetle which held a big broadsword in its right hand. "My god, what are those things?"
"They're Worm." Dick replied which made Amanda develop a look of confusion on her face. "The Worm have the ability to shed their cocoon-like forms and evolve into more powerful forms as they get stronger. The stronger the Worm becomes in its Chrysalis stage, the stronger its evolved form becomes once it does evolve. That why it needs to be taken down before it has a chance to evolve." Dick explained.
"I see. So those are evolved Worm?"
"Yes, so that means that the Riders are going to have to get serious and kick their power up a notch if they want to win." Dick added and, as if on cue, the Riders stood up and faced their new opponents.
Drake raised his gun up towards his head while placing his left hand on the back end of his Zecter's tail. TheBee raised his left arm up to his head and used his right hand to flip its wings over, making them face the same direction as its head. Kabuto on the other hand just lightly flicked his Zecters' horn, making it move ever so slightly. All three Rider's bodies became covered in surging blue electricity as their outer bulky armor started to pop up and become segmented.
"Cast Off!" all three of them shouted.
Drake pulled the back tip of his Zecter's tail, causing his armor to fly off his body and towards the Worm. TheBee, using his right hand, twisted his Zecter around until its head and wing tips were facing his elbow and its stinger was facing the same direction as his hand. This also caused the outer armor on his body to fly off towards the Worm. Kabuto quickly grabbed the horn on his Zecter with his right hand and pulled it towards the back of its body, causing the front half to pop open and reveal the glowing circle center underneath. This too caused his outer armor to fly off towards the Worm.
"CAST OFF." – all three Zecter
TheBee quickly shifted from his Masked form into his slimmer and much faster Rider form. After a few seconds had passed the three small gems on his helmet flashed red, signaling the completion of his transformation.
"CHANGE: WASP" – TheBee Zecter
Kabuto's armor also shifted to its sleeker and more streamlined Rider form as the horn attached to the bottom up his chin rose up and attached itself to the metal piece above his single blue eye plate, giving him to blue eye pieces. His eyes and the green gem on the front of the horn quickly flashed as well, signaling the completion of his transformation.
"CHANGE: BEETLE" – Kabuto Zecter
Drake's armor also shifted to it more streamlined Rider form but this form would also be a new sight for the Titans to behold. The lower half of his suit remained the same but the upper half greatly changed. His left shoulder armor was now in the shape of a dragonfly's head and was colored a dark cobalt blue. On the out end of it was a teal blue colored piece that looked its mandibles. His chest armor had two silver ab-like pieces set on a black torso plate. The left side of his chest armor though seemed to have a more organic detail to it like that of the underside of a dragonfly's body and was colored teal blue. The front and back of his torso armor had a pair of dragonfly wings that his right chest plate and also made up his right shoulder armor plate; the wings edged in a red color. The right inner side of his chest plate was also silver in color.
The armor on his right arm also changed. The armor was teal blue in color and segmented in places and the hand pad over his right hand looked similar to the two sharp points of the ending piece of a dragonfly's tail. His helmet also underwent a new look. Though mostly black in color, his jaw line was trimmed in silver. The front of his helmet had a teal blue colored design of a dragonfly's body with the lower thorax acting as the mouth plate. Situated in the center of the body, just between his two dark blue eye pieces was a small red gem. His dark blue eye pieces looked similar to the wings of a dragonfly. The small red gem glowed for a moment and then, along with his eye pieces, flashed for a few seconds, signaling that his transformation was now complete. Standing there alongside Kabuto and TheBee was Kamen Rider Drake in his Rider form.
"CHANGE: DRAGONFLY" – Drake Zecter
Amanda Waller and her soldiers just stood there in awe at the site of the new forms that the Riders sported while the Titans smiled, knowing full well what was about to start. Kabuto and the others then quickly looked over their opponents and talked about who would take who.
"I'll take the beetle and fish man." Kabuto said while drawing out his kunai blade one more.
"Fine by me. I'll take the bull and the hentai monster reject." TheBee said as he got in his fighting stance.
"So I get the leftovers, huh? No skin off my nose. I'm more of a cat person anyway." Drake relied as he twirled his gun around for a few seconds and then got ready. With that the Riders then charged at their desired kaijin and the battle soon began.
(Insert Song – Full Force)
—
TheBee VS Octopus and Minotaur Worm
Makoto quickly took the offensive as swiftly dodge to the right as the Minotaur Worm swatted at him with its metal mace hand; quickly jumping in and out and landing blow after blow on the Minotaur's body. The Octopus Worm used its tentacle arms to try and ensnare TheBee but Makoto was too fast for the kaijin as he jumped up and over the Worm, kicking it in the back of the head and sending it staggering forward and into its fellow Worm.
"Come on, you two are gonna have to do better than that if ya wanna catch me." Makoto taunted while moving in quickly and delivering a vicious left hook into the Minotaur's face, followed by a powerful uppercut into the Octopus's chin, sending them both sprawling backwards.
The Wasp rider just looked at his two opponents and sighed and was about to go at them again when both kaijin suddenly began to move faster than the human eye could see. Makoto couldn't even react in time as a blur zoomed past him and slashed him across the chest, sending sparks flying and causing him to spin around a bit. Then another blur went past him and knocked him flat on his back as a hard metal object slammed into his chest plate, sending more sparks flying as he hit the ground hard with a thud.
"Argh! So that's the way you want to play, huh?" Makoto fumed as he pushed himself back up on his feet and stood up straight. "Clock up." With that he slid his left hand on the belt track on the left side of his belt, initiating his suits 'Clock up' system.
"CLOCK UP" – TheBee Zecter
(In Clock up world)
Makoto side-stepped a tentacle aimed at his head and then ducked under a metal mace fist coming over his head which he then countered with an uppercut to the Minotaur Worm's chin, knocking it back down. The Octopus Worm, getting enraged that it was being bested by a human, shot out a stream of green acidic ink at the Wasp Rider. Acting quickly, Makoto jumped over to his right, allowing the stream of acidic ink to hit the Minotaur Worm instead, causing the kaijin to bellow in pain.
"Ouch, now that's gotta hurt."
Makoto then dodged to his left just as one of the Octopus's tentacles came rushing at his head once more. But this time he grabbed the tentacle and, with a hard yank, used the Worm's own tentacle like a tug rope and swung the Octopus Worm right into the body of the Minotaur Worm.
"Time to finish this." Makoto said to himself as he raised his left arm up to his face and, with his right index and middle fingers, pressed the black button located on the thorax section of his Zecter. "Rider Sting."
"RIDER STING" – TheBee Zecter
Yellow electricity flowed around Makoto's left arm as energy began to form in both his fist and the stinger tip of his Zecter. As both the Minotaur and Octopus Worms started to get up he quickly rushed at them. By the time they knew what hit them it was too late as TheBee landed a series of powerful and fatal jabs into the chests, arms, faces and stomachs of the two worms. In a matter of moments their bodies exploded in an array of orange and green flames with a surge of yellow energy.
(Out of Clock Up)
"CLOCK OVER" – TheBee Zecter
Time returned to normal and all anyone could see was the flaming remains of the two Worm that TheBee had just finished off. The Wasp Rider slowly made his way from the battle scene and looked on as his fellow two Riders finished their battles.
"Now that is what I call a workout."
—
Drake VS Wolf Worm Brothers
Having seen how quickly Makoto had finished his battle, Hino wanted to outdo his friend and finish his even faster. But his two opponents, despite not looking it, were really good at fighting. He already had a fair share of slash marks covering his armor from the slash attacks that the Wolf Worms had used on him. He wasn't pleased, no. Now he was livid and his trigger finger was getting really itchy.
"Damn it all. Now I remember why I hate dogs!" Hino shouted as he quickly ducked under a swipe aimed for his chest and then used his right forearm armor to block the claws of the other Worm. Quickly grabbing the Worm's arm and bring it down, he brought up his blaster and laid heavy fire into its chest, causing the Worm to bellow in pain as it fell backwards. "Let that be a lesson to ya dog breathe!"
His victory wouldn't last long as the other Wolf Worm quickly jumped on his back and began biting Hino on his left shoulder plate; its razor sharp teeth causing sparks to fly off his armor and tearing shred marks into his suit.
"OW! Damn you, you bastard!" Drake quickly took aim and blasted the Worm right in the face, throwing him off. Hino quickly brought his right hand to his shoulder, holding his injured arm while looking over at the two Wolf Worm. "That hurt you mangy bitch!" The Wolf brothers also quickly got back up and, as fast as they could, began zipping around Drake and slashing at him even more. One of their slashes connected with his back, causing him to let out a shrilled yell in pain as he was sent staggering forward into a bench. "ARGH!" Gritting his teeth and clenching the grip of his blaster he slid his left fingers on the track of his belt, activating his own clock up function. "That's it, now I'm mad! Clock up!"
"CLOCK UP" – Drake Zecter
(In Clock up world)
As time slowed down to a crawl Drake was constantly ducking under claw swipes to his head and jumping back away from swipes to his chest and shoulders. To say that he was getting fed up with this battle was an understatement. He was down right through with it. He couldn't stand it when a pair of Worm were getting the best of him and this was one of those times. Usually a carefree type of person, Hino is the last person you want to get mad.
One of the Wolf Worm broke away from the attack pattern and lunged for Drake. This was the opportunity that Drake was waiting for. Quickly side-stepping to his left, Drake countered with a quick spin kick to the back of the Worms' head, sending it into the same bench it had sent him into a moment earlier.
"Ah, sweet poetic justice. Now for the other one." Drake turned around just in time to see the second of the two Wolf brothers lunging at him as well and quickly brought up his blaster and shot it right in the groin. The Wolf Worm hit the ground hard while twitching about, its hands holding its injured groin area as it rolled along the ground whimpering. "Remember kids, always spay and/or neuter your pets."
While that Worm was writhing in pain on the ground its brother was getting back up from the heap that was once a bench. Seeing its brother in agony after having been dealt a blow to its pride, the other Worm angrily ran at Drake only for the Rider pivot on his heel and elbowed the Worm in the back of the head with his left elbow followed by whacking it upside the head with his right forearm. The Worm staggered forward and landed on its knees next to its kin and, after a few seconds of getting the dizzies out of its head, it started getting back on its feet while slowly helping its brother up. Wanting to get his full payback, Hino decided it was time to send these two Worms to the dog house, permanently.
"Sorry boys, but I gotta put you two down." Drake said as he took the wings of his Zecter and folded them up and then back, turning his blaster into a Sniper Magnum. He then grabbed the tail end of his Zecter while he raised the gun up to his head before taking aim and dug his heels into the ground. "Rider Shooting!" he shouted as he pulled back on the tail end of his gun, activating his finisher and taking aim at both the brothers.
"RIDER SHOOTING" – Drake Zecter
The two Worms didn't even get the chance to react as Drake pulled the Trigger on his blaster and let loose a ball of glowing blue energy right at the two kaijin. The two Worm brothers looked as the energy blast slammed into them, causing them to explode in a series of orange, green and blue flames.
(Out of Clock up)
"CLOCK OVER" – Drake Zecter
Amanda Waller and the Titans looked on in amazement as they saw Drake bring up his blaster as he performed another mock bowing of smoke from the muzzle of his gun. Drake then looked over at the flaming mess that was once the two Wolf Worms and just sighed and he soon walked over towards Makoto who looked his blue armored friend up and down. Hino knew that Makoto was about to say something so he cut him off quickly.
"Don't even say it poison butt! I already know that I got my ass handed to me."
"Heh, heh, I know. I'm just glad that you realize it." Makoto said with a sly smile from under his helmet. "Now, let's watch Taisuke-kun in action, shall we?"
"Sure, I'd love to see how beetle butt fights."
—
Kabuto VS Piranha Worm and Stag Beetle Worm
Unlike Makoto who used a mixed style of American boxing and Asian Kick Boxing, and unlike Hino who used street fighting and task force tactics, Kain was the more graceful and elegant fighter of the group. He had been taught many different forms of martial arts over the years and he applied many different forms and crafted them all into a very single distinct version of his own. A style that he has dubbed the Style of Heaven technique.
The Piranha Worm summoned a chain with a razor sharp tooth end on one side and a razor sharp tail fin on the other side while the Stag Beetle Worm brandished its sword. The two Worms encircled Kabuto and moved around, trying to confuse the Beetle Rider. Kain, on the other hand, just stood there completely calm and waited for the Worms to bring the fight to him. Well, these two would not disappoint him as the Piranha Worm began twirling its deadly chain around like a lasso end then let the tail end fly out towards Kabuto who just leaned to his right, allowing the dangerous weapon to go sailing over him.
Taking the advantage of his opponent having his back to him, the Beetle Worm slashed at Kabuto with his sword in a downward diagonal slash and took aim at Kabuto's exposed backside. Acting quickly though, Kabuto pivoted on his left heel and, using his kunai blade, parried the huge broadsword away; using his own momentum to pull himself forward and land a solid left hook into the Beetle Worms' face. The Worm staggered backwards a bit but quickly righted itself. The two Worms then began their dance of death again, this time the Piranha Worm solidified its chain into a deadly battle staff.
"Your move." Kabuto said softly.
The two Worms then rushed at him from both the front and back, doing their best to land a hit on Kabuto with their weapons. Ducking under a sword slash, Kabuto used his kunai blade to parry away the battle staff and then side-stepped to his right as the Beetle Worm thrusted its sword at his gut. The two Worm kept pushing Kabuto further and further towards the stairway and as the battle continued both the Titans, Waller and her soldiers and the two Riders watched with interest. They had to admit that Kabuto was good and that they were glad he was on their side.
The Piranha Worm lunged at Kabuto with its battle staff once more but the beetle Rider used his left leg and pushed the staff into the ground, halting the kaijin's attack. He then used the staff as a base and pushed himself up and delivered a powerful heel kick into the Worms' face, causing it to fall backwards. As he landed back on his feet, Kabuto the grew out the holster base of his blaster and set the kunai blade back inside it, transforming his weapon back into its axe/gun combo mode. Using his Beat Axe, he knocked the oncoming sword thrust to his back side once more and then spun around, delivering a spinning side kick to the Beetle Worms' rib cage.
The Worm staggered back a bit as it held its aching ribs and looked back up at Kabuto only to see the Rider fire upon it with his Kunai Blaster. Sparks ripped off the Worms' body as it stumbled down to the ground. Kabuto stopped firing his weapon and returned his attention towards the other Worm only to catch the tail end of its battle staff right in the chest. The Worm grunted in glee as it had finally landed a hit on the Rider and enjoyed the show of sparks getting ripped off his opponents' chest plate.
"Argh!" Kabuto grunted as he stumbled back a bit and then notice the broadsword of the Beetle Worm slash across his chest plate as well, sending him flying down the stone stairway and over towards a vending machine.
Getting up quickly Kabuto lifted up his blaster while keeping an eye on both of his opponents. That was when the Worm sped up and began dancing circles around him inn quick multicolored blurs. Kabuto just let out a sigh as he slapped the left pad of his belt with his hand. "Clock up."
"CLOCK UP" – Kabuto Zecter
(Inside Clock up world)
The Beetle Worm lunged with its sword at Kabuto's head which the Beetle Rider ducked under, allowing the blade to pass by him and right into the vending machine. Taking advantage of the situation, Kabuto then went on the attack and delivered a series of punches to the gut of the Worm and then grabbed it by the head and brought it down, bashing it face first with his armored knee pad. As the Beetle Worm stumbled backwards the Piranha Worm came racing forward at Kabuto with its edged battle staff. Countering with a forward spin kick, Kabuto kicked the deadly weapon away and then performed a roundhouse kick, smacking the Piranha Worm dead in the jaw with the backside of his boot.
Kabuto then took his Kunai Blaster back out and started laying heavy energy bullet fire onto the two Worms. The two Worms, unphased by the onslaught, ran straight at him with their weapons ready. Lifting its sword above its head, the Beetle Worm brought its weapon down in a vertical slash which Kabuto parried by blocking it with his Beat Axe. He then countered with a karate chop to the back of its head and then side kicked it in the same spot on its rib cage that he had kicked previously. He then jumped over the Piranha Worms' battle staff as it swung at the red beetle Rider with all its might. Lading back down on the ground Kabuto took aim and fired a blast at the Worm, shattering its staff.
Dropping its smoking, destroyed weapon, the Piranha Worm backed away while looking at its injured hands. Kabuto took this as an opening and performed a series of slashes to its chest with his Beat Axe before delivering a powerful forward thrust kick into its midsection, knocking it backwards into the vending machine behind it. Kabuto then began to slowly walk forward as held the Beat Axe in his right hand and, using his left thumb, pressed the buttons on top of his Zecter buckle.
"1-2-3" – Kabuto Zecter
He then pulled on the horn, bringing it forward to rest it back to its starting position and then looked at the Piranha Worm as it started to charge as him, its claws brandished as it prepared to slash at him. "Avalanche…Break." He then pulled back on the horn, reopening the Zecter.
"AVALANCHE BREAK" – Kabuto Zecter
Tachyon energy traveled up from his Zecter to the horn on his helmet and then back down his body and through his right arm, the energy situating itself with his Beat Axe. Just as the Worm got close enough to strike him, Kabuto let out a quick downward diagonal slash with his Beat Axe as he turn his body 180 degrees. The tachyon energy transferred from his weapon with the connection of the slash upon the Worms' body, sending a surge of power and causing it to explode in a rage of orange and red flames.
Kabuto quietly looked up into the sky for a moment until he heard the sound of scurrying footsteps and looked back down and ahead to see the Beetle Worm running away. Storing his Kunai Blaster back in its storage space, he once again pushed the buttons on his Zecter.
"1-2-3" – Kabuto Zecter
Acting quickly, he pushed the top half of the beetle head in with his left hand while resetting the horn with his right. He watched as the Worm got away as fast as its legs could carry it but it wouldn't get much farther as Kabuto grabbed the horn with his right hand once more. "Rider…Kick." Pulling back on the horn once more, he set the Zecter back to open mode and let the tachyon energy travel from the Zecter up to his horn and then back down his body and down his right leg, the energy settling in his right boot.
"RIDER KICK" – Kabuto Zecter
In a feet of strength, Kabuto jumped up high into the air and came back down upon the Worm in the form of a flying kick. The Worm turned around only to see the kick coming at it. The last thing it ever experienced was the collision of Kabuto's Rider Kick with its body. The surge of the energy from the kick went through its body, causing it severe pain. In a matter of seconds it exploded in a show of orange, green and red flames.
(Out of Clock up)
"CLOCK OVER" – Kabuto Zecter
When Kabuto came out of clock up everyone could see him doing his personal victory pose of him pointing his right index finger up to the sky, as if pointing to Heaven itself while starring off into the distance. After a moment Kabuto relaxed and walked back over to his fellow Riders who congratulated him on his fight.
After a few minutes of conversation the Riders released their Zecters, changing back into their human forms while their Zecters took their spots on their users shoulders, resting after the long battle. Kain looked at his friends and then over to the Titans and then finally back at Amanda Waller.
"So, what now?"
—
(2 Weeks Later)
Deep inside a mountain just a few miles outside Jump City, a huge nearly built new Tower was continually getting finishing touches as some members of both the Justice League and the U.S. Military that was under Waller's command were going about with adding support beams while others were working on the computer and security systems. Using a new recently installed express elevator that connected the new Tower with Titans Tower that rested below ground, the workers could easily get back and forth between Towers. The new tower rested deep inside the wall of a mountain, embedded within the tough rock, giving it a sturdy and fortified structure. The new Tower was built in the shape of a Z and would be the home base for the Rogue Riders.
Inside the common room Makoto, Hino and Kain were going over the last of the security systems with Robin, Cyborg, Batman, Mr. Terrific and J'onn so as to make sure everything was in working order. To maintain a certain feeling of connectivity, Kabuto registered himself with the Titans part-time while TheBee and Drake did not. This way only one of them would be a temporary registered member of one group while staying on full time as a co-founder of another. Together, along with Makoto and Hino, they had formed the Neo Zecters.
The Titans would always be allowed over and, besides the Riders, the Z Tower would have occasional League personnel coming over to check the systems. Now all they were doing was downloading the last of the data on all the villains that threatened the Earth and the peace of the innocent. Hino also took the liberty of letting everyone in on a little secret he had been keeping.
"Are you sure?" Kain asked.
"Yep, sorry bro. But not all of the Riders are good guys. We're gonna have to keep our eyes open for a few of them. Especially the Hoppers, Caucasus and Sasword. Definitely Sasword. That guy's a complete nut case. He makes the Joker look sane."
"I find that hard to believe." Robin quipped.
"There's also the matter of ZECT creating more Zecters as well. I received a report from a friend on the inside that ZECT had recently finished its newest set of Zecters. Five of which have already been activated and serve ZECT." Makoto added as he pulled up a file on the new Zecters.
"The five Zecters that ZECT has activate and under their control are the Griffon, Dragon, Phoenix, Mammoth and Goliath Beetle Zecters. They also have other Zecters in storage until they can find the perfect users for them. At the moment those are the…huh, wait a second. It seems six of the seven unused Zecters somehow escaped on their own." Hino replied which caused those in the room to go on alarm.
"Which ones?" Cyborg asked.
"Let's see…Hawk, Tarantula, T-Rex, Megalodan, and two Mantis Zecters. The only remaining Zecter they have that's not in use is the Black Widow Zecter." Hino added.
After a few seconds everyone sighed as they looked at the screen. Kain and Makoto looked at one another and then over to Hino who nodded in their silent agreement. Kain looked back up at the screen and then out the window of the Tower and into the sky.
"Things are just beginning. Something tells me that this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better." Kain said calmly as he and the others looked out into the afternoon sky.
—
(Tokyo, Japan)
While it was daytime in America, it was currently nighttime in Japan. And it wasn't going to be a quiet night either. Up atop a building in downtown Tokyo, a battle was taking place between a Worm and an unknown Rider. The Worm looked like a hermit crab but it was loosing, and badly at that. The Rider, shrouded in darkness, used his left index and middle fingers to press a button on the back of his Zecter.
"Rider Punch & Kick." – Unknown Rider.
"RIDER PUNCH AND KICK" – Unknown Zecter
The Unknown Rider's Zecter sent a surge of energy throughout its user's body which then settled in both his right fist and left boot. Using his right fist the unknown Rider dashed at the Hermer Worm and performed a powerful uppercut with his empower fist, the explosion sending the Worm high into the air. The Unknown Rider then jumped up high into the air as well, almost as if he could fly. He then towered over the Worm and came back down with a dropping axe kick. The Worm exploded in a fury of orange and green flames upon contact and the unknown Rider landed back down on the roof top without even making a sound.
"Well, that's another one of those ugly bastards down. I just hope that's the last one for tonight." The Unknown Rider then looked up at the full moon in the night sky and thought of something. 'I think it's time I left here. Rumor has it that there are Riders hiding in America.' He then began walking over to the edge of the building and looked over the city. 'Just you wait ZECT. I'll find the other Riders and then, together, we'll end your dark ambitions.' the unknown Rider thought as his two eye pieces lit up in a bright yellow color, the eye pieces resembling wings.
—
Toku Warrior: And that's Ch.4 of this story. It took a total of two different days to write but both days were set about a couple months apart…heh, heh….yeah, I had writers block for the last half of the chapter. That's why it took so long. So now we have Drake, Kabuto and TheBee together as a team and forming a new branch of heroes in Jump City no less. Forming a deal with Amanda Waller and the Justice League would give them a lot of help but also keep them on a somewhat short leash too so that the League can keep tabs on them.
Could anyone guess who that demon-like Rider at the strip club was? Also, in case anyone can't guess, the joking jabs that Makoto, Hino and Kain used on one another are a type of respective call to another author on this site. Chrome, that was based on my appreciation for your ZKD series. I figured it would help lighten the mood between the three so I hope you don't mind me borrowing that little name pun play.
And, yes, I do plan on using some of the actual Grandmother Quotes from the TV show in this fanfic as well.
And, now we have an idea of all the Zecters that are at ZECT…but wait, what about Rider Project: D-K? And who's the new Rider at the end. Stay tuned as Project D-K will get more of a cover sometime down the line and the new Rider will make his grand debut sometime within the next 2-3 chapters.
And, yes, Lt. Cmdr. Radner, that Unknown Rider is the Rider that your submitted character uses. Watch out cuz pretty soon Mack is going to show himself to Kabuto and the others. Until my friends, R&R and have a nice 2011. (Hey, this is my first chapter update for this series for the new year, imagine that).