Kit awoke back at Maya's house. He shook the dark dreams away and tried to pull himself together. He moved to the bathroom and gazed at himself in the mirror, he wasn't in the best shape. His face was bruised and beaten, and his eyes seemed dull and strained.

Maya stepped into the bathroom, Kit watched the way her nightgown hung across her thin frame. He was impressed by her valor so far, the fact she'd stuck with him so far was a testament to her courage.

"How do you feel?" She asked with a concerned tone.

"Honestly? I feel like I was hit by a raging bull." Kit rubbed the side of his head, feeling the faint pulse of a nasty knot.

She gazed at Kit for a few moments, her eyes ran across him as if trying to find something coded into his existence. "How did you do that?"

Kit thought back to the battle, how had he done that? He remembered the way the armor covered him, almost as if it melted into his skin. It charged him with a power he couldn't describe. The weirdest part was how natural it had felt. The red armor felt more like skin than his actual flesh.

Kit felt a flare of pain shoot up his spine. Lava flowed up to his head and pooled around his skull, leaving his head swimming with a burning sensation. He fell forward, resting his torso against the sink. He tried to keep himself collected, trying to prevent himself from passing out. His entire field of vision began to become full of static, his brain was losing its signal.

He blacked out.

Drew Lancing had a smug grin on his face as walked through the busy street. People passed meaninglessly past him, moving with the sophistication of drones. They mindlessly moved through their clouded existence, never once realizing a god walked among them.

Drew could feel the fire in his chest, it pulsed like a burning flame. It was the power of a god. It had a been a gift, a proof of his strength. He could handle the unbelievable power that pulsed through his being. He had been graphed with god's breath and had converted it into his existence. All it took was a simple signature, write your name on the dotted line, he'd have written way more than that.

The man had seemed sketchy, he was barely a man to begin with. A scrawny punk with wild hair and cold eyes. He didn't seem like no Einstein at first, but his looks were deceiving. He had called himself Dr.X, whatever that meant, and he'd promised Drew ultimate power. They had gutted his insides, pulling out most of the weak fleshy stuff, all the stuff he didn't really need. Then Dr.X had given him new parts, powerful parts that increased his strength tenfold.

He followed the trail left by his target. It was like when Drew used to go coon hunting, only Drew was the bloodhound. He was the tracker and the hunter. Like a tiger or a cheetah, he was the mighty wolf looking for a stay deer to slaughter.

The deer was close now, Drew could feel it in his chest. A warm pulsing, a calm burning in his stomach. It was like a shot of vodka, and Drew was feeling drunk.

Kit tried to collect himself. He picked himself up, feeling the shaking of his own arms. He could feel the strange force approaching. It was like a coming storm. There was an electricity in the air. Kit had to get out of there. He dragged himself over to the door, almost collapsing again as he reached the frame.

Maya grabbed hold of Kit. "What are you trying to do?"

"I need to get out of here." Kit mumbled.

"You need to rest." She said in a stern voice.

Kit pulled away and fell to the ground. His head was pounding, like some rock and roll drummer was having his last solo over his skull. He tried to drag himself forward, army crawling across the floor.

Maya hung over him, she didn't exactly know what to do. She could clearly see Kit was determined to keep moving. "Where are you trying to go."

"Away." Kit gasped, "Away from you."

"Why?" Maya looked hurt, "What's going on?"

Kit pulled together the last of his strength and stood himself up. He pushed himself out the door and broke into a shaky sprint. Maya didn't follow him, maybe she could sense the seriousness in his voice.

He moved away from Maya's subbaram home and approached a woodlot a few blocks down. He felt for his Advent Deck. His enemy was approaching and he'd need to be ready for it.

Drew Lansing took a step over a leafless shrub and moved into the woodlot. He could sense the target, it was so close that Drew could taste the sweetness on his tongue. He moved closer, he armed a strange square device in his hand. Dr.X had called it an Advent Deck, and it would unlock his true powers.

Drew grinned, his target was leaning against a tree, his blond hair was plastered to his forehead. The boy took a deep breath and turned to Drew. Drew knew this would be easy, he could see the apparent strain on his faces.

"Time's up kiddo," Drew said with a grin. He slid his Advent Deck into his belt.

"Armored Rider!" He proclaimed. He was suddenly enveloped in a green light that formed his armor. It was green with an almost robotic design, he pulled his pistol up to his grated helmet and took aim.

"Rider the Dragon!" Kit screamed as he slid his Advent Deck into his belt. "Power Rider, Dragon Knight!"

"Power Rider Dragon Knight, huh?" The Armored Rider asked. "You can call me Armored Rider Torque." He drew his gun and fired into Dragon Knight. Sparks flew from his armor as he fell back. Torque moved in, approaching Dragon Knight with a careful pace.

Dragon Knight leaped away from a volley of blasts. The green energy hit the ground and ignited the grass. Dragon Knight slid a card into his wrist.

Weapon Vent!

Dragon Knight slid his blade across Torque's chest, sending sparks from the Armored Riders chest. Torque fired a handful of point-blank shots into Dragon Knights' chest. "I was sent in to take care of you, and I don't do failure."

Final Vent!

Dragon Knight fired a stream of flames that engulfed Torque, paralyzing him long enough to give Dragon Knight time to strike again. Sparks flew from Torque as Dragon Knight continued to assault him.

"You little brat!" Torque yelled.

Dragon Knight and Torque stood a few paces apart. The entire woodlot was engulfed in flames. The combined efforts of the two armored warriors battled among the flames. Power Rider decided it was time to flee. He broke into a sprint, leaving Armored Rider Torque among the flames.

Drew Lansing was back at Silver Guardian H.Q, while Alphabet Soup was considered a separate operation the Silver Guardians often hired them to do odd jobs. Drew was slumped over on a bench, there was towel over his neck as took a sip from a warm water bottle. Burns covered his shoulders and his back, the Armored Rider armor had protected him from most of the blast, leaving him with something comparable to a sunburn.

Len sat down next to Drew, the senior Armored Rider patted Drew on the back, a faint grin on his face. "Have fun on your first outing?'

"The brat Dragon Knight got the best of me." Drew took another sip, "I won't let it happen again."

Len laughed, "I'll bet." He stood up, "Don't sweat it, man, Dragon Knight is different than us, you didn't know what to expect."

"What do you mean?" Drew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it, but if you really want to know I'd suggest you look up 'The Heart of Serpentera.' " Without another word Len casually moved away from Drew.

Kit came back to Maya's house after he was sure that Armored Rider Torque hadn't followed him. He moved inside and collapsed onto her couch. She crawled into the room, her dark eyes scanning him carefully. "Have fun on your little solo adventure?" She asked.

Kit groaned, he was in incredible pain. His shoulders ached, his legs ached, and his mind ached. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this beat up. It was like he had been a pinata at an anger management center.

He couldn't shake the growing anxiety in his chest. There were more Armored Riders out there, and most of them would be after him. He didn't know what they wanted, he felt like it was connected to his powers but that was all he knew.

He had to defeat them all, he wouldn't let them continue living. They were a danger to Maya and he needed to keep her safe. She was the only thing that mattered to him.

Dr.X sat at his familiar desk. Armored Rider Torque hadn't managed to beat Dragon Knight, but that was what he expected. He was just trying to test the strength of the Core. It wasn't that impressive compared to Dragon Knight, but it would be good enough.

Dr.X moved his chair over to one of his newer monitors and began to peck at his keyboard. He would begin production on three new Armored Riders, it wouldn't take too long considering the position was open to volunteers now, which was showing to be a much better alternative to his last method.

After his Armored Riders were all functional he would move into the next phase of his plan, sending them in to destroy Dragon Knight. Assuming they were successful in that endeavor he would send them after Abyss. He understood that the Crimson Ranger, or Twisted Crimson as he was now calling himself, might try to intercept that attack. If that is the case then he'll be forced to destroy him as well.

He supposed after that he'd go after the Ninjetti Rangers, though they really weren't that much of a concern. If they became a threat he'd destroy them, but so far they didn't seem too keen to get in his way.

Dr.X continued on his work. Making Armored Riders wasn't an easy thing to do, but in the end, it would be well worth it. He was going to rule the world, and nobody could get in his way.