ZERO CHAPTER PART 2: FIREWORKS
Warren was sitting alone in his office. He was simply sitting, thinking up his initial report on Shinichi. He eventually pulled out a tape recorder and began recording.
"Subject is Shinji Banabara, aka Shinichi, aka Showa, aka BLACK 13. Subject has the ability to access the powers of what are known to some worlds as the Showa Era Kamen Riders, ranging from Ichigo all the way to J. Subject has access to the Demon Slaying Sword Higurashi no Yaiba, the Infernal Demon Helmet Oni no Hone, and the Darkness Shuriken Kage no Hoshi.
"Subject also has various forms aside from his basic "Showa" armor. They are BLACK 13 Form which is Showa's original form, Higurashi Form which is accessed with the aid of the Higurashi no Yaiba. Oni Form which is accessed with the aid of the Oni no Hone, and Kage Form which is accessed with the aid of the Kage no Hoshi. Lastly, there is a mysterious unknown form. This form first appeared when Showa accidentally accessed the power of all three sacred treasures and combined them together at once. He appears to have no memory of the transformation.
"Subject suffers from a lone wolf mentality, similar to Agent Ryuji Katsura and Agent Kat Hasuma. This insubordination stems from his life as a minion of GIN-SHOCKER. While ordered and forced to do things that are considered morally reprehensible, this does not excuse current behavior. If the Subject continues to disobey direct orders and act on his own accord, disciplinary action may be required.
"Subject does have a good track record though. Even with his insubordination, he gets the job done and as such is to be commended. With proper training Subject could become one of the best agents in my employ.
"Subject's most powerful ability is his 'Return to the Past' system which allows him to reverse time for up to 24 hours. He is capable of more when given a huge boost of power, however. This ability also allows him to perform small scale time reversals that can repair damaged objects. For example, he can restored a shattered vase to the way it was before it was broken. There may be more to his time manipulation abilities and I will continue to watch him closely to learn more of the extent of his powers."
Warren then removed the tape and replaced it.
"Subject: Hinamizawa Syndrome. A disease found only in Hinamizawa, it can cause anxiety and paranoia which can force the person to commit strange and violent acts, including suicide. Patients begin to show signs of sever schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and bi-polar disorder. Attempts to immunize the syndrome have proven to be temporary at best.
"First to prove the existence of the disease was one Dr. Takano. Dr. Takano had already discovered the existence of Hinamizawa Syndrome in the late 1960's. He wrote a report regarding the town and it's the disease plaguing its residents and called it HinamizawaSyndrome. His goal was to make the disease public, with an eye securing funds for its treatment and increasing the awareness of the general public. However, the higher officials didn't accept his report on the matter; to do so would mean accepting the blame of the Marco-Polo Bridge Incident to themselves. After Dr. Takano's death, his adopted granddaughter Takano Miyo decided to take over the research on Hinamizawa Syndrome, and received a great deal of funds from a mysterious woman named Nomura, a representative of an underground organization called "TOKYO", which has recently been discovered to be a front for GIN-SHOCKER. One theory is that the Syndrome is somehow related to the Darkloids and Darklings.
"The Hinamizawa Syndrome has five different stages, ranging from LV1 (weakest) to LV5 (strongest). Level One and Two are the weakest levels; almost all villagers and residents of Hinamizawa are infected, although they are at the lower stages of either LV1 or LV2. The syndrome does not cause apparent changes until its later stages. Beginning at Level 3, the mental condition of the patient will start to deteriorate and they become mentally and emotionally unstable. Paranoia and hallucinations start to appear surrounding the onset of Level 4. Level Five is the strongest level. This is when people began to hear 'Oyashiro-sama's footsteps', and patients are known to start clawing at their own flesh, trying to dig out "maggots", often tearing open their throats and killing themselves in the process.
"Dr. Henry Pym, Dr. Reed Richards and Dr. Hank McCoy are currently advancing the immunizations for the Syndrome and are trying to mass produce it. This has been made a top priority as recent information as shown GIN-SHOCKER is in the beginning stages of weaponizing the disease."
Warren removed the tape and let out a sigh. "Who would have thought a world 20 years behind my own would be so difficult?" sighed Warren.
It'd happened so fast. It'd happened so suddenly. It'd happened so unexpectedly. Shinichi and Rena were just about to reach his house when all of a sudden it exploded right before their eyes.
A horrified Shinichi could only shout, "KAA-CHAN!" His house was now a smoldering pile of rubble. Nobody could survive an explosion like that.
Rena screamed as even more explosions erupted around them. It was happening all over the village. "What's going on!" she shouted.
Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he spotted a figure hovering in the air. "Bomber…" he growled. Bomber had killed his family and was destroying the village. That was absolutely, positively, unforgivable!
"Rena, get off," Shinichi told his girlfriend.
"Shin-kun?" Rena blinked.
"This is personal. Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa! Showa-Racer: Flight Mode!" The wings came out of the Showa-Racer as Shinichi was donned in his armor. His eyes flashed red instead of green before he shot into the sky.
"SHIN-KUN!" Rena shouted.
"Ah, I do love a fireworks show!" Topper laughed.
Warren scowled at Topper. People were suffering and all he could do was laugh? He was indeed inhuman. "Shinichi…come on…don't succumb to your anger, as justified as it is."
Bomber flew all over the village, randomly dropping bombs everywhere. He'd blown up the school, the clinic, the rice fields and several homes. What was most satisfactory was the destruction of BLACK 13's house and all the people living in it. The villagers were panicking and screaming as they tried to flee from Bomber's attacks.
"Yes! Yes! YES!" Bomber laughed in orgasmic glee as he watched the flames and smoke rise out from the remains of the destroyed buildings. He was hurling highly destructive explosive in all directions, not caring what he'd destroyed, only that he was the one causing it. "Burn! Burn! BURN!"
"BOMBER!" Showa roared as he raced towards Bomber. Bomber only noticed him for a split-second before the Showa-Racer rammed into him. Showa jumped off his flying bike and grabbed Bomber by the throat as they plummeted, his fist slamming repeatedly into the evil Rider's face.
"You killed Rika-chan! (POW!) You killed Hanyuu-chan (POW!), and you KILLED MY KAA-CHAN! (POW! POW! POW!)" Showa roared as he continued to bash Bomber's face in.
The two crashed to the ground, hard, the impact causing dust to go flying in all direction. Once it cleared, it revealed the two standing in the middle of a crater. Bomber pushed Showa off him and sent him staggering back with his machineguns, taunting him. "You brought this on yourself!" Bomber shouted, "If you had killed me, none of this would've happened! Their deaths are your fault! All this is your fault! So, just die along with them!"
Showa blocked the bullets with his forearms as they bounced off his armor. His red eyes flared dangerously as he hatefully glared at Bomber. "NO! YOU DIE!" roared Showa as he charged through the barrage and then slammed a fist into Bomber's head, causing the helmet to crack as he sent Bomber skidding backwards. Unable to fly due to his damaged wings, Bomber was grounded. However, he still had his weapons.
Bomber swung up his leg which was equipped with a laser gun and the gun fired a piercing beam that grazed Showa's arm. He got back to his feet and opened up his chestplate, a pair of bombs dropping at his feet. "Hey! Think fast!" He kicked the bombs at Showa and before they landed they detonated, erupting in a massive explosion directly in front of Showa.
Bomber chuckled, "Serves you right!" but then his eyes widened as he saw a figure walk out of the dark smoke. It was Showa, in his Oni Form, and he was mad as electricity crackled around his body, with a small tornado in his left hand and a flame in his right.
"Your turn to burn," Showa growled darkly as he thrust both his hands forward, firing a tornado of flames at Bomber. Bomber was struck violently by the attack and sent flying backwards, screaming. Oni then dashed towards him, grabbing him by the ankle, before smashing him to the ground. He then pulled and lifted him off the ground before smashing him into the ground again. Bomber was smashed to the ground, repeatedly, dangling by the ankle gripped by Showa. Show then tossed him across the ground and watched as he tumbled along the ground.
Bomber staggered to his feet and began hurling bombs at Showa. Showa, however, was unaffected as the explosives detonated against him. Bomber stumbled back as he began shooting at Showa, only for the shots to be deflected by an air barrier or melted by the extreme heat Showa was releasing. Electricity crackled around Showa's hands.
Bomber was about to learn what many of the late NUMBERS had: NEVER piss off BLACK 13.
"You killed my family, destroyed my home, and even dare to face me while I'm pissed off," Showa growled. "Big mistake." He sent a surge of electricity flying at Bomber, electrocuting him as the Dragonfly Rider screamed. The electricity flowed through his body and damaged his belt, finally causing the armor to deactivate. Saisen collapsed, facedown. As Showa made to approach him, he heard a familiar voice in an equally familiar concerned tone.
"Shinji!"
Showa, stunned, turned to look behind him to see his mother and 'sisters' running towards him. The furious glow in his helmet's eyes dimmed as he saw them. "Kaa-chan! Rika-chan! Hanyuu-chan!" Shiori didn't care if her son looked demonic. She was relieved to see him as she hugged him. "You're alive!"
"Of course!" Shiori nodded. "The girls and I went out to Angel Mort. When we came back, we saw the house was destroyed. I thought something bad had happened to you."
"What about the others?" Shinichi asked.
"They were all brought to the Sonozakis' underground dungeon for safety," answered Hanyuu. It was the safest place for them all, despite how scary it was and its bloody history.
Rika saw Saisen, lying on the ground not too far from them. "Is that him?" Rika asked.
"Yeah, that's him," answered Showa. He remembered what he was going to do and said, "It's time I finish this."
"Shinji! No!" Shiori cried out.
"Kaa-chan, he destroyed our house and enjoyed it. He was going to destroy Hinamizawa if I didn't stop him. I have to…" Showa began to argue only to be cut off by a laugh.
"You think it's over? You really think it's over!" Saisen laughed as he got on his hands and knees. "It's not over! I won't stop until I take away everything that you love, BLACK 13!"
"You're finished," Showa reminded, "Your powers are gone. Face it; you're no threat to me any longer."
Saisen only laughed louder as he got to his feet. Rika and Hanyuu were briefly reminded by the insane look Miyo Takano wore when her plans had failed.
"That's where you're wrong BLACK 13! Absolutely, positively, WRONG!" Saisen's body released an explosive flash of blinding light, "I STILL HAVE POWER!"
When the light died down they could see a huge techno-organic dragonfly that resembled a bomber jet. A cockpit was in the centre of its head and the eyes were deep red and glass-looking.
Shiori gawked as Rika and Hanyuu gasped in shock.
"That's new," commented Showa and the new Big Bomber took to the skies to spread more destruction, screeching/laughing.
"Hm, an interesting trick, but will it be enough to defeat that boy?" Beatrice commented.
"You'll just have to watch and see, Beato," Topper said.
"Looks like it's time for me to throw some pieces onto the game board!" said Warren. He knew just who to call.
"Higurashi no Yaiba! Sing!" Showa called out. He ordered Hanyuu, "Hanyuu-chan, get Kaa-chan and Rika-chan back to the Sonozaki dungeon and stay there!" The little goddess nodded and took Rika and Shiori's hands.
"Brace yourselves," Hanyuu warned and in a flicker they vanished.
Showa was about to go after Big Bomber when he heard several engines growl behind him. He turned and saw the NEO-NUMBERS, in armor, and on their respective bikes.
Carmen's bike, the Twin Blade, was colored pink like her armor and was equipped with retractable blades in the front that could pop out for offensive purposes. On the front was her insignia. Armadillo's Wrecking Ball sported his insignia on the front as well but unlike the bikes of the other NEO-NUMBERS it was a three-wheeled motorcycle, with two wheels in the front and a single one in the back, heavy armor plating, mini-turrets on the sides and could generate a powerful energy barrier for ramming attacks. Musician's Songbird was colored silver with his insignia on the gas tank and resembling a Harley motorbike with discs on the sides that released sonic blasts. Arachnea's Arachno was painted black with a purple spider on the front. It had a gothic appearance and able to shoot out smokescreens to blind enemies and energy webs to bind enemies. Finally, Slasher's Jungle Slasher had his insignia on the front that was also modeled after termite jaws. It could shoot circular saw blades made of energy and came equipped with built in boosters for extra speed.
What surprised Showa were not the bikes, but who was with them. It was Zero. He had no bike. He didn't need one. He could fly with his wings.
"What are you guys doing here?" Showa asked.
"We came to help, what else?" Carmen remarked.
"No, I meant him," said Showa, pointing at Zero.
Zero answered, "No. 07 and No. 11…I mean Hana and Michiru, finally made me realize what you've been fighting for, Shinichi."
Showa frowned but then heard an explosion. Big Bomber was already starting to carpet bomb the village. Hinamizawa was starting to look like hell with all the flames and smokes. "Come on, let's not waste time here!" Showa ordered.
"Alright, activate Flight Mode!" said Armadillo. All of their bikes came with a flight mode. The wheels would roll over onto their sides and wings would pop out to allow flight as thrusters under their bikes kept them aloft.
"Follow my lead!" Showa ordered as he took off, followed by the NEO-NUMBERS and Zero.
Big Bomber laughed/screeched as it began to reduce Hinamizawa into a burning/smoking wasteland. Suddenly, saw blades made of energy sliced at its sides and the huge techno-organic mecha looked to see what was causing this. It saw the NEO-NUMBERS on their flying bikes, attacking. The Songbird was firing sonic blasts that hit Big Bomber in the head, causing it to screech and thrash. It fired missiles at them.
"Watch out!" shouted Showa.
"I got this!" Armadillo called out as he activated his vehicle's energy barrier which surrounded all of them. The missile crashed against it and exploded but left them unscathed. "I love this thing!"
"It's coming for us!" shouted Carmen.
"Can't shoot what it can't see," said Arachnea as her bike fired six missiles that exploded and released thick black smoke. "Now it's blind, but we can still see it."
Lasers shot out from the smokescreen, nearly gunning them down.
Musician snapped, "Doesn't mean he can't try and shoot wildly and get lucky!"
"Stop arguing," said Slasher as he fired energy buzzsaws at the smoke cloud. Big Bomber flew out of it and towards them, nearly knocking them out of the sky as it flew past.
Showa looked to Zero. He didn't trust him but he had no choice. "Cover me," Showa said. Zero nodded. Showa flew at Big Bomber, followed closely from behind by Zero.
"GO!" Showa ordered and Zero zipped right past. He flew over Big Bomber and aimed his stingers at the eyes. He fired, causing Big Bomber to screech as it was blinded. It began to fire aimlessly as it screeched in pain.
"Rider Charge!" Showa ran a hand over his blade, causing it to glow with emerald light that followed his hand until it reached the tip. He then took aim, holding his sword like a javelin before tossing it at Big Bomber. The Higurashi no Yaiba got stuck in the side of the dragonfly bomber jet. He then flew at Big Bomber, rocketing towards him before shifting his body a bit to assume a flying kick position.
"Take this! Higurashi Spear Kick!" The kick met with the Higurashi no Yaiba's pommel and both the sword and Rider pierced the armor of Big Bomber. They burst out the other side, with Showa holding the sword. He turned to face Big Bomber who now had a gaping hole going right through it.
Seconds later, Big Bomber made a BIG BOOM as it exploded.
"Nice fireworks," Armadillo commented.
It was not over yet. Showa looked down. Hinamizawa was a mess now. Only one choice. He had to perform a Return to the Past. Fortunately, it would not bright Bomber back to life. That was another one of Showa's abilities. Anything or anyone he killed would not return after he performed a Return to the Past. They would no longer exist. He'd erased them.
Showa flew up to Zero and said, "Thanks."
"No, I should be thanking you," said Zero. "The only orders I should've been following should've been from my heart. For too long I allowed GIN-SHOCKER to run my life. I had no courage to break free, but seeing you and the others here now, alive and enjoying your lives, I just can't help feel a little envious."
"Don't be," Showa replied, "Your life is your own now, Zero."
"Shogo. Call me Shogo," said Zero.
"OK, Shogo, and welcome to the NEO-NUMBERS." The two flying Riders shook on it. "And now, without much further ado, RETURN TO THE PAST NOW!"
"Itadakimasu!" Rika, Hanyuu, Shiori and Shinichi chimed at the low table in the living room. Shiori's agent had sent over a box with cheesecake inside. Chocolate cheesecake to be exact, with a strawberry on each slice. Hanyuu cut off a bit with her fork and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed, she beamed happily.
"Delicious!" Hanyuu commented.
"Yes, it is," agreed Rika as she ate.
Shinichi smiled. All was well, at least for now. He'd turned back time to before when Rena came to ask him out on a date. Now he was eating cheesecake with his family, happy that they were safe as was the village.
On October 31st of that year, the Hinamizawa School was hosting a Halloween Party. All the kids were in costume. Mion, class president and leader of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club was enjoying the festivities with her boyfriend and classmates. This was all Shiori's idea and for the party, Chie-sensei, Shiori, Rachel and Warren were chaperoning. They had a friend baby sit Alan at home. Also present were the NEO-NUMBERS, Hitomi, Rui and Lucy.
After their encounter with Nagazawa, Hitomi and Rui had been taken to the Terminal to be treated and also recruited into ARMOR. They didn't think twice about joining.
There was a long table with Halloween-themed snacks and a bowl of punch that was so red it could've been blood. There Halloween decorations like rubber spiders, rubber bats, spiderwebs, skeletons and Jack-O-Lanterns. All the kids were in costume but the NEO-NUMBERS were there clad in their Rider armor, but without their helmets. Lucy took off her hat. It was only on Halloween that she was able to show her horns without people staring at her like a freak.
"I'm impressed," said Warren. "I mean, they all started as members of GIN-SHOCKER and are now on their way to being full fledged heroes."
"They're like me," said Rachel. "They were made to be weapons and villains, but they found the strength to break their puppet strings and decide their own paths." Her eyes went to Shinichi who was chatting with Rena, "And it all started with him."
"They're going to need that strength soon," Warren added, "Very soon."
"Ironic, really," said Topper as he sat in the Meta-world, having Ronove's tea and cookies, "He's still a puppet even if he doesn't know it."
Warren retorted angrily, "Just because he's entertainment to you does not make him a puppet!"
"You say 'tomato', I say tomahto," Topper remarked nonchalantly. "Everyone is a puppet, one way or another. The strings never truly come off."
"We shall see about that, Infernal Merchant."
"Want to make a wager, Balance Guardian?"
"Yes."
"You're on!"
"So... all the NUMBERS have either been destroyed or have now defected to BLACK 13's side?" a man wearing orange Shutter sunglasses, a greenish Bowler hat, and an overcoat asked. He was also wearing black gloves, grey pants and loafers. He had a reddish nose with a black imperial mustache. On his coat was a medal with an emblem that resembled the fusion of a lobster and bat. He was Admiral Ankokou of GIN-SHOCKER. He was displayed on a screen.
"Yes," Nagazawa answered. He'd decided to share the report with two other executive GIN-SHOCKER members.
"Hm, this isn't good," a woman in a red kimono-like belly top, blue slacks and wearing dangling orbs as earrings spoke. She also wore a black leather belt around her waist with a Mayan calendar-styled belt buckle and a modified warden's hat and cowboy boot. She was Warden Anju, head of the largest GIN-SHOCKER human-to-monster altering plant and prison. "One Rider is bad enough but they tend to become more dangerous when there are more." She was on another screen opposite Ankokou.
"Not to worry," Nagazawa said, waving his hand as if to dismiss their worries "BLACK 13 is weak, and if you have lingering doubts I will test the rest of his team." He smiled a predatory grin hoping that at least one Rider had enough fighting capabilities. That tended to make the fight more enjoyable.
"Do be careful, Nagazawa. Some of our predecessors underestimated the Riders and because of that all of them are now 18 feet under," Ankokou warned before his and Anju's screens went blank.
"Don't you both worry. BLACK 13 and the rest of the trash will be crushed by me," said Nagazawa.
Kamen Rider Chrome: Zero has joined the NEO-NUMBERS, but first he has to go to the Terminal to also be a member of ARMOR and have himself removed of all GIN-SHOCKER influence like the others to be safe.