Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 87 – Signal for the Future
Woz was currently on one of the seats of Amity Communications Tower, night had overtaken the sky and the entire area was darker even with the lights they had set up.
"Things have started to settle down a bit," Woz narrated as he looked through his book, "Miss Rose and the infiltration team have taken solace at the Schnee Manor, obtaining the secrets on the first Rider of Remnant, Rose. Meanwhile Geiz manages to save young Oscar before he is taken to Salem. Not to mention the mission I was on is entering its final stages."
He looked over at the main stage, watching as the final preparations to launch Amity were being wrapped up.
"I have come back early, and as such my Overlord requested I be positioned here," Woz stated as he closed his book with a loud slam before standing up, "In order to make sure that not only Amity see's a successful launch, but to make sure Miss Polendina makes it out alright."
Remnant – Mantle Crater
"You sure you should be doing this?" Joanna asked as she walked with Robyn to the border of the Crater.
"Given that our help ended up getting sidetracked, I do," Robyn replied as she prepped her wrist mounted crossbow, "We need to keep swapping shifts or everyone else is going to be worn out."
"Fair enough," Joanna replied.
"Honestly the only thing I worry about is leaving Fiona to handling all radio talk," Robyn admitted.
"She can handle it," Joanna reassured before hearing some nearby growls and prepping her crossbow staff, "For now we need to get ready."
"Right," Robyn said as she took aim alongside Joanna.
Several Sabyrs ran out from various corners and alleyways before converging on the entrance of the Crater. The two Huntresses quickly took aim, firing their crossbow bolts at the Sabyrs in tandem. One by one they managed to slowly pick them off to thin out their numbers. One had leapt forward to pounce at them only for Joanna to step forward and get underneath the creature, swinging her bladed crossbow staff and slicing into the Grimm's stomach before slamming it into the ground.
Robyn heard a growl from above and quickly aimed, soon seeing a Sabyr perched on a building. It leapt downwards to strike at Joanna while she was distracted by her kill.
"Joanna!" Robyn quickly took aim and fired but missed due to the Sabyr dropping down too fast.
A cawing sound was heard as a crow could be seen flying towards the Sabyr. In an instant, Qrow was suddenly near the Sabyr with Harbinger in its sword mode out and ready. With one clean slice he cut through the Sabyr before landing nearby.
"Whoa," Joanna looked up in surprise to see the Sabyr halves drop to the ground before dissolving, "When did you pop up again?"
"Sorry about coming in unannounced," Qrow said as he stood up and rested his blade on his shoulder, "My team is mostly done with what they needed to do so I figured I could help out here."
"Think you can hold the line with us then?" Robyn asked before more growls were heard.
"Of course," Qrow said as he shifted Harbinger into its scythe mode, twirling and brandishing it while Robyn and Joanna moved near him.
"How much longer until we get the backup we need?" Joanna asked.
"Just a bit longer," Qrow reassured, "When they get here you'll know for sure."
"I sure hope so," Robyn remarked.
Remnant – Mantle, Time Jacker Hideout
With everyone continuing to further push to a singular goal, the four Time Jackers had been called to meet up on the behest of Swartz. Needless to say, the two older Time Jacker members were a bit surprised when Uhr and Ora showed them their gifts from the Jester.
"Given you all are doing all the big schemes, we figured we'd go for the more direct approach," Uhr said.
"We managed to do a bit well in distraction," Ora replied, "But some things just are too strong."
"Of course," Swartz replied, "Mere Pseudo-Rider and Rider-like equipment cannot match up to Zi-O and his allies' strongest forms."
"These are very useful regardless," Finis admitted as they smiled, "Uhr, Ora, I need you all to help me with something."
"What would that be?" Ora asked.
"I need you to help my current candidate out in a mission," Finis explained, "She's going to Amity Tower at the moment, and there's no doubt there will be a Rider there to stop her."
"It won't likely be Zi-O," Swartz said, "He's with the infiltration team and they're likely hiding out to keep safe."
"I doubt it'll be Geiz or Tsukuyomi either," Uhr admitted, "They were chasing after one of their friends who almost got captured."
"Then that leaves Woz as the likely candidate for Amity," Finis mused, "While his Future Times are strong, I'm sure if you put your minds to it you can beat him."
"Actually," Swartz gave a smile, soon realizing he had a chance, "You don't need to beat him. Just disable him."
"What?" Ora asked before narrowing her eyes, "Explain, Swartz."
"His powers are instrumental in the next phase of my plan to get Penny Polendina under our control," Swartz's smile turned into a wicked grin, "So I need you to do as I say when it comes to confronting him."
"It seems we're on the same page," Finis smirked, "I made sure to let Cinder and company in on a little strategy to potentially make the Zi-O Riders less of a threat."
Remnnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
Sougo had decided to leave Ruby and the others alone for now, figuring he could wander around the manor a bit more to get a decent layout of it in case something did happen. As he walked around he noticed that May was mostly just keeping watch in the front, having positioned herself near the windows on the railing above the door. Though he could tell May herself was starting to get restless he could see her tapping her foot constantly.
As he walked through the halls he was surprised to see one door that was partially opened. He knew for sure it wasn't the same room he had seen Willow come from when she briefly met with him. Deciding to satiate his curiosity he carefully walked over to the door and went to open it up. To his surprise he found himself in Jacques office with Whitley at the end.
Whitley himself had leaned and slumped onto the desk before hearing someone enter, instinctively he assumed it was Weiss, "Listen here dear sister, if I want to be in here instead of my room then let me-" he cut himself off when he saw it was Sougo, "Oh, you're one of Weiss'… friends, right?"
"Uh yeah," Sougo gave a nod as he went to close the door, "So um…"
"I just wanted to be in here," Whitley leaned back into the chair on the desk and crossed his arms, "Is that a problem?"
"No," Sougo said, "I'm fine with it, I even won't tell Weiss."
"You… you won't?" Whitley asked with a hint of surprise.
"I mean if being in here makes you more comfortable then I'm not going to stop you," Sougo admitted as he walked further in, "I was mostly just wandering around and I kind of got curious when I saw the door kind of open."
"Oh," Whitley's face dropped when he realized that he hadn't fully closed or locked the door.
"You've got a pretty big place," Sougo said as he began to pace around and take in the office, "Really nice too."
"Well of course, the SDC is one of the biggest companies in Remnant," Whitley said with a bit of pride before giving a sigh, "At least until now…"
"Um, no offense to you personally," Sougo said as he felt the need to be blunt for a moment, "But your dad kind of sucks."
"Excuse me?" Whitley asked.
"I'm just saying," Sougo said as he gave a light shrug, "I feel like the SDC could be a lot better as a company with someone different at the reigns, someone who isn't Jacques Schnee."
"Let me guess, Weiss right?" Whitley inquired.
"Nah," Sougo shook his head, "I don't think Weiss has any intention of taking back the company. Winter's well… with Ironwood."
"From the way you talk it sounds like you'd want to give this company to an outsider," Whitley said.
"Nope," Sougo said before turning towards Whitley, "Honestly I think you'd be pretty good."
"Me?" Whitley raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, "You say that yet you've seen how I act. And I doubt Weiss would agree to another 'Jacques' taking hold of her family name."
"But that's the thing," Sougo gestured towards Whitley, "You aren't Jacques, and he isn't here right now. He's in jail and can't do anything to you or your family anymore."
"Wait, what?" Whitely asked, surprised by Sougo's words.
"I mean, I'm sure he's definitely tried to mold you into someone like him," Sougo continued as he walked over to the desk before placing his hands on it and staring at Whitley, "But the fact of the matter is, he isn't here right now. You don't have to follow any of his rules or teachings anymore. You can do whatever you want, whatever you feel you want to do."
"What I want to do…?" Whitley trailed as he glanced away.
"Just a thought," Sougo smiled as he pulled away before turning to leave.
"Hey, wait a minute," Whitley spoke up as he looked over at Sougo, "Do… do you think you could stay here a bit?"
"Huh?" Sougo turned in surprise.
"I uh… kind of enjoyed your company despite insulting my father, even if those words hold a fair bit of truth to them…" Whitley admitted as he glanced to the side, "Do you think we could talk a bit more?"
Sougo smiled at that, "Sure."
Remnant – Amity Communications Tower
Pietro was currently putting the finishing touches on one of the upper antennas of the Amity Communications Tower when he received a call.
"Dad?"
"Penny?" Pietro asked.
"This does not seem like a very good idea."
"There is a difference between a good idea and a best idea," Pietro said as he realized that it was likely the bombs they were going to use that had gotten Penny to speak up. He then used the elevated central floor of Amity's arena to ride downwards and meet up with the other members of their crew, eventually making it back down to the main arena stage, "Sadly, we don't have time for much else. We have enough systems up and running to broadcast our message and keep Amity in atmospheric orbit. But our thrusters just aren't capable of reaching our target altitude on their own."
Approaching the main stage was a gray-green armored industrial styled mech suit, the AP-06. Piloting it was Maria who was using it to help lift any heavy equipment. One such piece was a tower-like terminal, Maria going to place it down on the center of the main platform.
"Ha, fortunately, we're sitting on a couple hundred tons of thrust," Maria gave a light laugh.
"Indeed, crude, but very useful," Woz said as he went to join the two on the main stage. Once all three were on the center platform, it began to rise up again to the highest point in the arena.
"Once we passed into broadcast range, we'll activate stabilizers, re-establish global communications, and boost the message we've recorded out to the rest of the world," Pietro listed off, "After that, we just have to pilot Amity away from all this mess."
"But what if no one is able to come and help Atlas? What if the help Sougo got doesn't make it in time? If I stay behind, I could maybe-"
"Penny, we are not having this conversation again," Pietro cut his daughter off with a stern tone to his voice, "I'm your father and I'm telling you that you belong on Amity."
"Yes… sir."
Maria and Woz could hear the disappointment in that response, the two glancing at each other before looking back at Pietro.
"Don't you think Penny has had enough people telling her what to do?" Maria asked via the mechs speakers.
"Indeed, if safety is her concern then my Overlord can graciously provide that," Woz added.
"Prepare for launch, please," Pietro sighed as he ignored their concerns, "I'm moving us into position."
Woz watched as Pietro went over to the central machine, bringing out holographic screens that acted as the main console. He looked over as he heard a faint noise, seeing Penny soon fly in from the open arena ceiling and land on the platform they were on. Penny herself didn't say anything as she helped Maria get down from the mech suit, thus allowing Maria to join the others. As Pietro got preparations under way, Penny chose to simply sit down at the edge of the platform.
"All systems are ready," Pietro said before glancing back, "Penny?"
Penny looked over before slowly getting up and walking over.
"Amity is requesting launch access… now," Pietro said as he finished typing.
Penny looked at the screen in front of them, it still in a connecting state. She stared down, waiting for a bit. Pietro, Maria and Woz glanced at Penny, who looked up after a few moments, her eyes giving a slight glow. The audible sound of the tower's stabilizers activating successfully soon put a smile to their faces.
"Oh yes, it worked!" Pietro called out.
"Rejoice!" Woz spread his arm out.
"Not yet sonny, we've still got the hard part," Maria reminded.
Pietro put a hand on Penny's arm to comfort her a bit before going to type at the computer again, "Oh, I didn't have time to install seat belts, so I'd advise you to hang on."
"If I must," Woz said as he grabbed onto the back of the chair while Maria walked away with a laugh, planning on getting back inside the AP-06.
Penny walked over with Maria, using her boosters to lift Maria up into the cockpit, a loud thump was heard as everyone turned towards a fireball suddenly being launched upwards and impacting against the ceiling nearby. Penny quickly flew over to the edge of the platform with Woz hurrying over as well while prepping his Driver and Watch. The two stopped at the edge, seeing a huge hole where the fireball had melted through.
They watched as a Small Manta hovered upwards through the smoke, atop the airship being Cinder, her hands producing flames as she gave a grin, "And where do you think you're going?"
Penny looked back at Pietro before looking over at Woz, the retainer nodding to her. Penny gave a smile before flying down to meet with Cinder.
Pietro could only watch in horror, "Penny, no!"
"Do not worry for I shall assist as best I can!" Woz called out as he initiated his transformation before dropping down, "Henshin!"
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
Woz landed near Penny who was hovering off the ground with Floating Array out and ready. He watched as Cinder hopped off the Small Manta, with Emerald exiting and backing away. He drew out his Despear and prepared himself alongside Penny.
The sudden sounds of the thrusters on Amity activating alongside the multitude of explosions below them rung out as the force from both caused the tower to launch up into the air. The resulting sudden movement forced Penny to slam into the floor while Woz fell to a knee, using his Despear to keep him steady. Cinder meanwhile fell to one knee as she steadied herself with her hands.
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwoods Office
Ironwood was currently with the four Ace-Ops in his office, all of them gathered around the table as they were viewing the current situation, various markers in various spots to mark key locations. A new screen suddenly popped up displaying a Sensory Alert as a short alarm played. A new screen popped up, showcasing footage of Amity Tower beginning its take-off.
"It's time," Ironwood said.
"Then leave it to me," Swartz smiled as he walked over, "I've already got a few of my agents working on what you wish."
"Good," Ironwood gave a nod, "Make sure they don't fail."
"Oh I'll make sure they succeed," Swartz smiled as he walked off.
Remnant – Amity Communications Tower
"I was hoping your friends would be here," Cinder admitted as she began spawning dozens upon dozens of hot glass swords all around her, "But it looks like they left you to do all the work."
"How rude, I am here," Woz grunted as he managed to get up.
"So there's one of you," Cinder laughed at Woz's remark, "It doesn't change the fact that she's just a tool to be used!"
"You do not know what you are talking about," Penny narrowed her eyes.
Woz noticed the ascent of the tower began to slow down, and fully stood up before making his way forward. That was until he suddenly saw Cinder and all her swords vanish. He looked around before spotting Emerald nearby with her hand out.
"You…" Woz trailed before glancing at Penny, "Sorry Miss Polendina, but I must make sure no one interferes."
"Do what you need to," Penny nodded.
Woz immediately rushed off to keep Emerald busy at Penny's words.
Just as he broke away from the arena, the tower had finished ascending. Cinder gave a grin before thrusting both hands forward, the glass swords launching out at Penny. The robotic Maiden quickly used her leg jets to dash backwards while throwing her swords into two circles to work on deflecting and shattering the glass swords. Of course despite landing to help brace she ended up skidding back near the wall that led to the stands. Just as she was starting to get overwhelmed the AP-06 suddenly leapt downwards and blocked the projectiles with its sturdy body.
The AP-06 stood tall before marching towards Cinder, "Get away from her, YOU BI-!"
SMASH!
The Small Manta had immediately slammed into the AP-06, it being piloted by Neo who planned to keep Maria from interrupting. Cinder meanwhile went to chase Penny out of the arena and tower itself, determined to take the Maiden powers from her.
Emerald was currently making her way away from both main fights, having stopped using her illusion Semblance on Woz to focus on other matters. She had managed to make her way up the seating area of the arena, hurrying to one of the crowd exits. She noticed that Neo was having trouble using the Small Manta against Maria's AP-06 so she decided to focus on Maria briefly, making the Small Manta vanish to Maria's eyes before dismissing the illusion at the last second. She gave a smirk as she watched the Small Manta slam and pin the AP-06 against the wall of the arena.
"What an interesting Semblance," Woz said as he began to approach Emerald, "However I can't let you continue with the annoyances."
"Like you can beat me," Emerald gave a smirk.
"You don't seem too concerned with my presence," Woz mused before readying his Despear and rushing forward.
"But here's the thing," Emerald said as she vanished from Woz's view before appearing all around him, "I don't need to fight you directly."
"Maybe, but I have just the solution for that," Woz said as he drew out the Quiz Miridewatch. He went to activate only to gasp as sparks flew from the palm of his hand, the Miridewatch flying out before being caught mid-air by an invisible force.
Emerald soon dropped the illusions, having one of her guns in her hand with the Quiz Miridewatch in the other, "Sorry but we heard these things are pretty dangerous."
"Why you…" Woz trailed as he was ready to draw out another of his Watches when he felt a rumbling, "What?"
"Huh, guess that hole must've done more damage than we thought," Emerald realized.
"Oh no… are we drifting?" Woz asked before looking up at the central area, hoping that Pietro had some kind of solution for this issue.
"Sounds like you've got some bad luck," Uhr said as he appeared out of nowhere.
"Bad luck we can capitalize on," Ora replied.
"You two…?" Woz questioned.
"Huh?" Emerald turned in surprise, "Who are you two?"
"Friends of Finis," Uhr said as he took the Quiz Watch from Emerald before pocketing it, "Go help your ally. We'll handle the Rider."
"Thanks," Emerald said as she began to back away before running off in a sprint.
"Do you all really think you can beat me?" Woz asked.
"We don't need to beat you," Ora admitted, "We just need to stall you."
(Insert: Revolutionize by Rihito Itagaki, Ayaka Konno, and Kentaro Kanesaki)
Woz's eyes narrowed as he watched Ora draw out the Transteam Gun and Bat Lost Bottle while Uhr pulled out the Ganma Superior Perfect Eyecon.
[BAT! MIST MATCH! BAT! BAT-BA-BAT! FIRE!]
[SUPERIOR PERFECT!]
Woz quickly got in a defensive stance as he watched Ora and Uhr transform into Night Rogue and a Ganma Superior Perfect respectively.
"Looks like you weren't expecting that," Superior gave a laugh.
"Then that makes this next part easier," Night Rogue said as she began to move forward alongside Superior.
"Like I'll let you two disgrace me," Woz hissed out as he rushed forward before swinging his Despear in a wide enough arc to strike at both Time Jackers.
Superior immediately brought out his sword, blocking against the strike and forcing the Despear back. Night Rogue moved her arm forward, taking aim with the Transteam gun and shooting Woz in the chest. Sparks flew as Woz staggered back from the attack. The two were ready to close in only to quickly leap backwards when Woz performed a sweeping slash with his Despear against their legs.
"Fine then, if you want to play hard, we'll play harder," Night Rogue looked at Superior, the two giving nods. She then spread her arms out before running directly towards Woz.
Woz held up his Despear again as he watched her approach, "Whatever you do, you won't-"
[MACHINE GUN! LOADING!]
Superior had activated and slotted in a Ganma Eyecon onto his Proto Mega Ulorder, gaining a long brown mafia styled coat and hat as he was granted the power of the Machine Gun Ganma. He aimed his right arm forward, it being a fully loaded machine gun. He laughed as he began shooting a hail of bullets forward, Night Rogue side-stepping and allowing the bullets to strike directly at Woz.
Woz gave a gasp, quickly spinning his Despear in a circle in front of him to deflect against the bullets. Eventually he had stopped spinning it and simply braced as sparks flew from his armor.
"Very well," Woz quickly went to grab at the Kikai Watch.
[FULLBOTTLE! STEAM ATTACK!]
Woz's eyes widened at the other announcement before gasping out as a red blur struck past him. He was ready to follow after the blur when he was shot by a burst of bullets, sparks flying as he staggered back. It wasn't long before the blur struck against Woz again before sliding to a stop.
"These new additions are pretty useful," Night Rogue said as she held up the Transteam Gun, it holding a Rabbit Fullbottle in it.
"How…?" Woz coughed out before going to reach for Shinobi's Watch only to grasp at an empty holster. His eyes widened as he quickly looked over his holsters, finding that his remaining Miridewatches were now gone.
"There's a reason I didn't really hit hard," Night Rogue smirked as she held up the two Miridewatches.
"Now how about you act like the court jester you are and start dancing for us!" Superior laughed out as he shot at Woz's feet.
Woz hissed out as he backed away, staggering back a bit, "You've overstepped your boundaries…"
"Oh have we now?" Night Rogue asked in a taunting tone, "Because where I see it, we're just making things even after you all decided to break everything."
[FINISH TIME! BAKURETSU DELANCE!]
Near instantly, Woz had initiated his weapons finisher, spinning and slashing twice. He sent two slashes outwards that were sent hurtling towards the two Time Jackers. Both gasped out as they braced against the slashes that exploded against them, the two being staggered and stumbling back as a result as they were forced on their knees.
(Insert End)
Woz could only glance back, hearing small bursts of laughter from the ground floor. While he was relieved that Maria seemed to be having a fairly easy time dealing with Neo, he hated that they were being pushed into this situation to begin with.
Pietro meanwhile was trying to do something to help with Amity's slow but inevitable descent. The timer on the console he was working on read that there was only a little over a minute left till they left broadcasting range. His thought process was interrupted as the central platform began to shake. He quickly turned in horror to see that Cinder had returned, using her Maiden powers to heat the steel beams, forcing them to warp and melt.
"No!"
Penny wasn't too far behind, unleashing a few small laser bursts that Cinder easily dodged. Cinder sent a fireball in retaliation, managing to keep Penny at a distance as the two hovered above the central platform.
"Why are you doing this?" Penny asked, "Why serve someone like Salem?"
"I don't serve anyone," Cinder smiled, "And you wouldn't either if you weren't built that way."
"That is not…" Penny trailed as she glanced at Pietro before adopting a more firm stare, "I choose to fight for the people who care about me."
A creaking sound was heard as the central platform began to tilt slightly. Penny quickly used Floating Array to latch onto the platform, using all of her strength to lift it up. She then utilized her Maiden powers, unleashing ice magic to freeze and cool down two of the beams at least.
Cinder wasn't about to let Penny's vulnerable state slip away, quickly launching over and wrapping her legs around the mechanical maiden's waist. She then used her right hand to force Penny's face closer while going to grab at her face with her Grimm Arm.
Penny grabbed the Grimm Arm and gave a scream, struggling against Cinder. Noticing the ice on one of the beams began to break off she aimed her hand and launched more ice magic at it while keeping Cinder at bay. Cinder was getting fed up, freeing her normal hand and superheating it, burning the hand that Penny was using to keep her Grimm Arm at bay.
Penny lost her grip from the pain before giving a muffled gasp as Cinder latched the Grimm arm onto her face. She could only give a muffled scream as she could feel Cinder attempting to take the Maiden powers from her. She attempted to fly away and shake off Cinder but forgot that she was still tethered to the platform via her swords. This resulted in her swinging both of them underneath the central platform before summoning several ice swords all around them. Utilizing the ice swords, and a well placed kick, she was able to launch Cinder back and slam her against a wall, the ice swords pinning her there. The resulting attack however had thrown Penny away and forced her to slam down hard against the arena floor.
"Miss Polendina!" Woz gave a light gasp before ducking underneath a few projectiles, "You two…"
"Now then…" Superior hissed as he went to step forward.
"How about we finish you off right now?" Night Rogue asked as she prepared a Rocket Fullbottle.
To Woz's surprise however the two were suddenly frozen in place, as if they had been placed in their own time stop. The culprit soon appeared as it was Swartz who walked over with a smug expression.
"S-Swartz…" Superior gasped out, "W-What…?"
"W-Why…?!" Night Rogue asked as she fought against the Time Stop.
"You've completed your mission, there's no need to keep fighting," Swartz said as he placed a hand on the two's shoulders before giving a smile at Woz, "I thank you for your cooperation."
"Swartz…" Woz hissed out before the three Time Jackers vanished before his eyes. He quickly turned to survey the situation, soon seeing Neo approaching a downed Maria only to get struck by a full powered beam from Floating Array and being slammed into the Small Manta as a result.
Penny herself floated upwards to deal with Cinder, realizing that their fight wasn't over just yet. Once she was floating face to face with Cinder at a distance she glared.
Cinder soon formed a glowing hot glass spear via her Semblance and Maiden Powers, holding it at the ready. Emerald assisted by using her illusion Semblance on Penny, making it look like there were multiple Cinders all surrounding her to keep Penny from guessing the real one.
Penny responded by summoning a storm cloud above her, green lightning crackling and entering Floating Array, supercharging it. Penny raised her arms as she awaited Cinder's next assault.
Cinder flew forward, all the copies doing the same as well, all ready to skewer Penny with the burning hot spear. But Cinder and Emerald forgot something very important about Penny…
Penny's vision shifted into its heat signature mode, the Cinder clones in her view vanishing as she soon found one heat signature heading straight towards her. She gathered her charged up swords and unleashed a powerful beam of energy from Floating Array.
Cinder had stopped and thrown the spear, but could only watch as the beam eradicated it. In an instant she began to scream as she was engulfed by the beam, continuing to scream until the beam died down before falling unconscious.
"Cinder! No no no! No!" Emerald quickly ran over to help Cinder, sliding and kneeling near her. She then glared and turned, shooting at Penny who was approaching. Her aim however ended up hitting near Pietro. She defiantly stared down the mechanical maiden as tears welled up, "I know I can't beat you. But I can fill that thing full of holes before any of you take me down."
Woz could only watch as Penny stood down, he knew that leaving Cinder alive would present problems. But given the current situation, especially with Amity Tower suddenly shaking, he knew that their attention was needed elsewhere. He dismissed his transformation, quickly unfurling his scarf to warp over to the central platform. Penny meanwhile went to go pick up Maria to bring her up to the central platform.
As the two did this, Emerald hurried the unconscious Cinder back to the Small Manta, Neo reluctantly flying the ship away from Amity Tower upon Emerald's orders.
"Dad! Are you okay?" Penny asked, having set Maria down before hurrying over to him.
"The stabilizer was damaged, we've missed our window," Pietro sighed as Penny hurried over to the console, despite this he couldn't help but sigh further, "At this rate, we're likely to drift until touching down just north of-"
The tower itself rumbled again, everyone having to brace as it shook more violently.
"I can fix this," Penny said.
"What?" Maria asked.
"Our message is only a few minutes long," Penny reminded before turning towards everyone, "I can try and hold Amity in place until-"
"Absolutely not!" Pietro called out much to the disappointment of his daughter, he quickly moved his chair forward to confront her, "You're in no condition to do something like this. Even just the temperature out there could-"
"It is our only option," Penny interrupted.
"As much as I'd like to suggest utilizing Kikai…" Woz tugged at his collar, ashamed as he knew that wasn't an option at the moment.
"She's right Pietro," Maria said, "We have to remember the big picture-"
"I don't care about the big picture! I care about my daughter!" Pietro snapped as he slammed his fist down against the arm of his chair. He looked over at his daughter before lowering his head, taking his hat off, "I lost you before. Are you asking me to go through that again? No. No. I want the chance to watch you live your life."
Penny softened her expression as she walked over and gently placed a hand on his cheek, "But dad… I am trying to."
Pietro clasped his daughters hand with both of his own, giving a few slow nods, "Right."
Penny kissed the top of her father's forehead before stepping away. Woz and Maria walked over, Maria going over to comfort Pietro while giving Penny a smile.
"I will keep watch," Woz said, "While I can't do much, I can at least keep lookout."
"Take this then," Maria said as she tossed an earpiece over to Woz.
Woz caught it before he placed in his ear, giving a nod to Penny.
Penny returned the nod before flying out of Amity Tower, while Woz unfurled his scarf, a tornado of grey surrounding him as he warped away.
Penny flew upwards into the night sky, taking in the view as she looked down at Atlas. She looked up over at the aurora in the sky and smiled. Flying downwards she approached the damaged stabilizer and pressed her hands against it before using her boosters to push forward. While she was managing to push it upwards, it still wasn't enough. Green fire formed over her eyes as she used her Maiden powers to increase the strength of her leg boosters, the fire turning from their usual green to a bright cyan. It wasn't long before she pressed her back against the stabilizer, holding her hands out and unleashing flame jets from them as well to keep Amity Tower up and in the air long enough.
Back with Maria and Pietro, both of them were overjoyed when they saw the tower reach broadcast range. Pietro wasted no time in authorizing the broadcast operations sequence to start up.
All over the World of Remnant, everyone's monitors, televisions, Scrolls, etc, were suddenly displaying a Worldwide Emergency Broadcast Message image. Needless to say, everyone was confused by the sudden Worldwide Broadcast given that Beacon's CCT was still down. Of course confusion grew further for most people when the video switched from the image to a pre-recorded video of Ruby.
"Okay, go ahead," Blake's voice was heard as a whisper.
"You've got this," Sougo's voice whispered.
"Um, uh… Hi," Ruby gave a wave, "My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a Huntress and a Kamen Rider. That last bit isn't important at the moment. But if we've done everything right, then I'm talking to all of Remnant right now. Dr. Polendina can explain more in a bit, but right now you all need to know that the Kingdom of Atlas is under attack."
There was a slight pause, as of course, Ruby realized this was a big bombshell to drop immediately. But she needed to get one of the more important details out of the way first.
"Things are dire, and we need help. But please, try not to panic. This isn't some new enemy or invading Kingdom. This is a force we've faced before, for centuries… Salem. The White Fang, Atlesian drones, even the Grimm themselves have all been controlled and manipulated by her, in order to tear down the Huntsman Academies."
That was when she proceeded to explain about the broad strokes of Ozpins war against Salem, more specifically what she was after. The Four Maidens and the existence of magic, alongside their connection to the four Relics held underneath the Huntsman Academies. Of course she also went into detail about Salem herself, about how she was an ancient human who had become immortal and how she became the Queen of the Grimm, using them to wage her war against the world.
"I know the idea of the Maidens and Relics seems… well… crazy. Trust me there's crazier… but I promise Professor Goodwitch of Beacon and Headmaster Theodore of Shade can verify all of this. They might even be able to help organize a way to fight back. But sadly, General Ironwood can no longer be trusted…"
Remnant – Amity Communications Tower
As the message continued on, Penny continued to work on keeping Amity up. It was a struggle, but it looked like they were at least going to be able to get the message out.
"Well now," Swartz had his feet planted above Penny's head, hunching over to look at her as he was sticking to the damaged stabilizer with no issue, "You are a very interesting existence."
"What?" Penny gasped as she saw Swartz, "How are you doing that?"
"I don't have time for questions my dear," Swartz said as he brought out Kikai's Miridewatch, pouring his energy into it as it gained a dark purple aura, "You're going to become my puppet. And I won't take no for an answer."
Penny could only gasp out as Swartz shot his hand forward, launching the corrupted Kikai Miridewatch into her body. She gave a pained gasp as Swartz vanished from her sight with her eyes flashing purple for a second. That loss of control was enough for her to lose function temporarily, dropping forward before managing to reactivate her boosters, launching back up to the damaged stabilized to push against it.
It didn't take long before both Pietro and Woz figured something was wrong.
"Penny! What's going on out there?"
"Miss Polendina, what's the matter? I cannot see anything at my vantage point."
"I…" Penny gave a grunt, "There was this strange purple man! He put one of those Watches inside me and now… something feels wrong!"
"What?" Woz asked in surprise, "Penny you must listen to me, try and fight it! Do not let that invasive power take control of you!"
"I'm… I'm trying!" Penny gasped as her eyes began to rapidly flash from green to purple, "It hurts!"
Penny's grip and strength began to slack further just as Ruby's message entered the final legs.
"I hope Amity Tower will help bring us all together. Because in the end, that's how we'll wi-"
The message cut off as Amity Tower exited broadcast range, without Penny's full strength they were unable to keep a signal anymore.
"Penny, you've done enough sweetheart," Pietro called out, "Get back inside! We can ride out on Amity together."
"No! I have enough power… I have more than enough power!" Penny called out in an almost gluttonous fashion before giving a scared gasp, "No wait, Dad!"
"Penny!" Pietro asked, "Woz, what is happening?!"
"Swartz is trying to turn her into an Another Rider but she's fighting it," Woz replied, "However it looks like the power hungry nature of an Another Rider is starting to take hold."
Penny gave a light gasp as the Another Rider Powers overwhelmed her, trying to force her into a shutdown sequence. Penny's eyes dulled as she began free falling away from Amity.
"Penny?! Please, baby, say something!"
Penny managed regain control for a bit to stop the shutdown sequence, though it was hard as she was constantly going in and out of consciousness, barely having enough time to even try and right herself to fly upwards before she lost consciousness again.
"I love you…" Penny managed to speak out in-between her bouts of consciousness as she fell.
Static was heard on the communications line before Woz gave a gasp, "You two!"
Penny continued to try and fight but going in and out of consciousness was taking its toll on her as she felt like fully blacking out…
…
…
…
A loud announcement caught Penny's barely attentive self as she continued to fall, flames starting to form from her re-entry into the atmosphere. Dropping towards her was a black suited and red armored individual descending upon her.
"Hey!" He called out as he held his right hand outwards, "Take my hand!"
"W-What…?" Penny muttered as she saw this, "It's… alright… you don't have to do this… for me…"
"Of course I do!" The armored warrior called out as he kept getting closer and closer, his hand right near Penny's chest, "No matter who it is… I'll always reach out towards them! So take my hand!"
Penny wasn't sure why but she gave a soft nod, managing to remain barely conscious as she grabbed the man's hand with her own. In an instant she felt herself being pulled close before suddenly rising upwards.
[TAKA! KUJAKU! CONDOR!]
Six wings spread out from the armored warriors back, flying higher and higher until reaching the docking area of Amity Tower. He held Penny close in his arms as he looked down at Woz who was giving a smile.
[TA~JA~DOL!]
"Kamen Rider OOO… Eiji Hino," Woz smiled as he stared up at none other than OOO in his Tajadol Combo, he watched as OOO slowly but surely touched down near him.
"That was seriously risky," A voice said as Ankh walked over towards the two.
"Come on Ankh," OOO said as he walked over, a barely conscious Penny in his arms, "You know I had to do it."
"Whatever," Ankh scoffed.
"As pleasant as always," Woz remarked before looking over at Eiji, "So then… if you're here..."
"Yep," OOO gave a nod, "I may be stealing a bit of a friend's catchphrase… but we have arrived."
In that instant they soon all heard a multitude of zippers opening up all around them. Cracks suddenly opened up revealing a lush bright forest beyond them. However it wasn't long before dozens upon dozens of vines went to ensnare Amity Tower, slowly but surely managing to keep it from drifting further downwards.
"Let us go meet with the others," Woz said before walking off.
"Right," OOO agreed as he followed after before shifting his head, "Come on Ankh."
"Whatever… you know our deal," Ankh answered.
"Right, right," OOO nodded.
Remnant – Mantle
A crowd of civilians screamed and yelled out as they were being chased by a few Sabyrs. They had ended up trying to sneak out to the Crater at night but were distracted by the broadcast message. That was enough for the small pack of Sabyrs to give chase. It seemed as though things weren't going to end well as they were cornered, especially when a few Beowolves began to join in on the hunt.
The Beowolves roared before taking the lead, standing up on their hind legs and slowly approaching. That was until they were suddenly punched and kicked away, the Beowolves and Sabyrs backing away in surprise at the strength of whoever had stopped them.
Standing before them were Ryuga and Gentoku, the two Riders already having their Build and Sclash Drivers on.
"So these are those Grimm that Ruby always talks about," Ryuga scoffed, "Didn't get to see one up close the last time but they don't seem that tough!"
"Don't underestimate them," Gentoku suggested, "There's a reason Remnant is like it is."
"Don't need to tell me twice," Ryuga cracked his neck, "You ready to go?"
"Always," Gentoku nodded.
"Henshin!"
[WAKE UP BURNING! GET CROSS-Z DRAGON! YEAH!]
[WARERU! KUWARERU! KUDAKECHIRU! CROCODILE IN ROGUE! ORAA!]
"I get the feeling we can't lose!" Cross-Z yelled out as he brought out the Beat Closer before rushing forward to slash at a Beowolf.
"Prepare to be sacrificed for the greater good," Rogue pointed at the crowd of Grimm before yelling and charging forward. He went and kicked a Sabyr in the face, sending it tumbling back before drawing out his Nebulasteam Gun and firing at the other nearby Sabyrs.
"Get going!" Cross-Z yelled out as he slashed against a Beowolf before punching it away, "We'll deal with these punks!"
The civilians could only give silent nods of shock as they quickly hurried off, a few taking out their Scrolls and taking what little video they could of their saviors.
"Just great, more of them keep coming," Qrow growled out as he, Robyn and Joanna began to back up. While the Sabyrs had stopped, it didn't take long for the fighting to attract a Nevermore.
The Nevermore screeched as it began to fly lower to try and swoop in and grab the Huntsman and Huntresses.
[CHU DON!]
[ZU KYUN!]
Suddenly two sniper shots were fired, piercing through the wings of the Nevermore and tearing them off. After the sniper shots was a set of blasts that struck the front of the front of the Grimm to slow it down.
[CELL BURST!]
It didn't take long for a gold glowing spinning coin to launch towards the Nevermore, striking it in its neck and causing a huge explosion. The Nevermore fell out of the explosion, disintegrating as it had been dealt with.
"Heard you all could use some Doctors…."
Qrow turned with a smile, "About time."
Robyn and Joanna turned as well, watching as Kamen Riders Proto Birth, Poppy, and Nico Snipe walked forward, the three dismissing their transformations.
"You all are…?" Robyn trailed, but had a clue based on Qrow's reaction.
"Akira Date," Date said, "I'm a Doctor, and these are my temp assistants, Asuna Kirino and Nico Saiba."
"We're here to help," Asuna said.
"Yo," Nico gave a wave, "Just point us at who needs it and we'll help."
"Sure thing," Robyn smiled, "Let me-"
They were cut off by the sound of more screeching as a few Teryx and several Razorwings began to fly down to greet the group.
"Crap," Joanna narrowed her eyes, "That's going to have to wait."
"Not really," Nico gave a smirk before cupping her hands together, "They're all yours Taiga!"
[BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!]
"I suppose this is one way to break my body in again," Taiga said as he was on a nearby rooftop, having a Gamer Driver on while holding onto a Dual Gashat, he had already turned the dial before slotting it into his Driver, "Henshin!"
[GACHAN! DUAL UP! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!]
Taiga transformed into his base Snipe form before gaining battleship themed chest and shoulder armor alongside gauntlets.
"Mission Start," He said before taking aim, his cannons shifting as he began firing multiple heavy rounds against the Teryx and Razorwings. It didn't take long for him to completely blow the incoming wave of Grimm out of the sky. Snipe then dropped down to street level, looking over to the group, "I'll handle this myself."
"Well if you insist," Robyn said after blinking a few times in surprise before looking back at the other Riders, "So, how about we head inside?"
"Sounds good to me," Date gave a nod as he cracked his knuckles.
Two kids had ended up getting cut off from the group they were supposed to be following. The two quickly running into an alleyway as a Sabyr rushed towards them. The two cowered at the dead end of the alleyway just as the Sabyr pounced, only for two floating coats to slam into it and force it away.
[KAIGAN/TENGAN!]
[SPECIAL! YUKOU SAIKO! SPECIAL NA GHOST! GO GO GO GO!]
[NECROM! MEGA ULORD! CRUSH INVADER!]
Kanon and Alain leapt into view while transforming into their Rider forms. The two landed between the kids and the Sabyr, adopting fighting stances as they stood in the beast's way. The Sabyr snarled at them before leaping forward and pouncing at them.
Necrom slammed his palm into its chest to force it back as Kanon Specter spun forward, her boot shining with a bright pink energy as she kicked it away. The Sabyr bounced and tumbled out of the alleyway and exploded as a result.
"Whoa…" The two kids stared in awe.
"You kids alright?" Kanon Specter asked as she knelt down, smiling when she saw the kids both give small nods, "Good."
"We'll get you somewhere safe," Necrom said as he knelt down as well.
A drunken man and his drinking buddy were currently cowering near a building. They had been wandering around Mantle when they had caught watch of Ruby's warning. They were a bit surprised by the scope of everything, but what surprised them further was a few Beowolves that had managed to corner them.
One Beowolf snarled and went to raise its arm when it was suddenly kicked in the stomach and sent tumbling.
[JOKER!]
Shotaro spun into view, transforming into Kamen Rider Joker, aiming his fingers forward he spoke up, "Now, count up your sins!"
The drunken man and his buddy could only watch as Joker flicked his wrist before charging at the Beowolves that were nearby. Joker yelled out as purple flames formed on his legs and fists, slowly but surely beating back the Grimm.
"Hey, get to the Crater!" Joker shouted as he managed to get a Beowolf in a headlock, "I'll give you the cover you need!"
The drunken man and his buddy nodded rapidly before managing to scramble and run in the direction of the Crater.
"Good," Joker sighed in relief as he quickly tossed the Beowolf he had in his arms away before dusting his hands off and looking around, "Alright punks, let's get serious."
A few teenagers that were part of the riots when the heating grid went offline had managed to break into a Dust Shop that had been closed down. They started a small fire but eventually their little hideout had caught the attention of a lone Beowolf. It had managed to smash its way into the shop and eventually tipped over the makeshift fire, causing the inside of the store to be lit ablaze.
"Crap, crap!" One of the teenagers called out, "I knew we should have gone to the Crater!"
"Well it's too late to back out now," One teenager swung a piece of plywood at the Beowolf only for it to get smacked away, "I was hoping that'd work…"
"Don't get near them!"
The Beowolf's head perked up at the sudden sound when it was grabbed by its waist, being shoved to the side. It staggered and turned only to see a lone civilian had forced it back. While unknown to everyone there, this wasn't just an ordinary man, it was Yusuke Godai.
"Even if it's another world… I won't let the people of this world suffer because of these creatures! I want them to have hope!" Godai called out as he took a stance, summoning the Arcle to his waist, "So to those of you here, please… take a look at my… Henshin!"
The Beowolf charged at Godai who finished his transformation pose, the man punching against the Beowolf repeatedly, not flinching. As he punched and soon kicked his armor began to form fully as he transformed into Kamen Rider Kuuga.
It didn't take long for Kuuga to deliver a series of short but quick punches against the Beowolf's stomach. He then spun and kicked out, sending the Beowolf crashing out of the shop.
"A-Ah… who are you?!" One of the teenagers finally spoke up as the others could only stare in awe at the red warrior that stood amongst the fire.
"Kamen Rider Kuuga," Kuuga turned and gave a thumbs-up before gesturing for the teenagers to follow him, "Now come on, I'll get you somewhere safe."
The teenagers all nodded and followed after the Kamen Rider.
A Sabyr ran through the streets, chasing after a group of women that were trying to run from it. One of them had ended up tripping and turned in fear as the Sabyr leapt towards her.
[SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!]
Takatora spun into view as a flash of white and green occurred, completing his transformation into Zangetsu as he blocked with the Melon Defender. He gave a yell and forced the Sabyr back before slashing through it with his Musou Saber.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he turned towards the woman.
"Y-Yes…" The woman gave a nod.
"Get going," Zangetsu said before turning when he heard more growls, "I'll make sure those things won't follow you."
The woman could only nod, managing to get up before running off. Zangetsu meanwhile raised his weapons as the growls grew louder.
A little girl was cowering near a car as a Beowolf began to approach her. She had just been separated from her family during a sudden Grimm attack. The Beowolf snarled before reeling its arm back and striking at the girl.
A sudden ringing sound could be heard as the windows of the car began to shimmer and shake.
[GUARD VENT]
The metallic underside of a dragon acted as a shield as Kamen Rider Ryuki, Shinji Kido, had shot out of the reflective surface and blocked the strike. Ryuki quickly pushed back against the Beowolf before transitioning into a dropkick to force it back further.
The Beowolf staggered back and was ready to charge forward when a sudden light caught its eye. It winced as it held a hand up, a bright light alongside a whirring sound coming from an alleyway.
Walking forward was none other than Kamen Rider Agito. Despite only advancing, the Beowolf designated him as its target. He stopped and began to dodge away from the Grimm's strikes, his eyes shining brightly before he swiped forward twice. Waves of light erupted from his forearm and sliced through the Beowolf, the creature of destruction giving a groan as it dissolved.
"There, there, it'll be alright," Ryuki said as he went to comfort the girl.
Despite destroying the Beowolf there were still other Grimm in the area, particularly an Ursa that had managed to lumber its way into view. It turned and roared out before running towards the two Riders and the girl.
Both Ryuki and Agito got in defensive stances before they heard beeping.
"A lot of impossible odds and beasts that don't seem to take a hint," Takumi said as he walked into view, "But I do want to pay back Ruby for what she's done, so… Henshin!"
[COMPLETE!]
The red photon lines moved out from the Faiz belt before the entirety of the Faiz suit formed around him. He flicked his wrist before charging towards the Ursa. Soon enough a whirring sound was heard as bullets began to rain down from an angle above, striking the Ursa several times and forcing it to slow down, backing away as it raised its body up to defend against the shots.
Faiz wasn't alone as the Auto Vajin was the one firing against the Ursa, it floating in the air while moving closer towards the Grimm. Faiz meanwhile had drawn out his Faiz Shot, slotting the Mission Memory in as he prepared his finisher.
[READY!]
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
The Auto Vajin stopped firing as Faiz drew closer, the Rider reeling back his arm and punching the Ursa in the stomach. The force of the attack managed to knock the Ursa onto its back, the Grimm dissolving due to the damage it received.
The Auto Vajin landed as Faiz turned and gave it a light tap on the stomach while nodding. Agito let out a sigh of relief as Ryuki went to pick the girl up to carry her.
"It looks like this place is clear," Agito said as he looked around.
"Good," Ryuki said before looking at the girl, "We should get her somewhere safe though."
"Sweetheart!"
The girl perked up at the voice, "Mommy!"
The three Riders quickly turned to see a woman hurrying over to Ryuki, likely being the mother of the girl.
"Here you go, she's safe and sound," Ryuki said as she handed the daughter over.
"Thank you, oh thank you," The mother called out in relief as she took her daughter in her arms.
"You should get somewhere safe," Faiz said as he walked over.
"We can handle the Grimm," Agito reassured.
"Right," The mother gave a nod, "I'm not sure who you all are but… thank you."
"Just call us Kamen Riders," Ryuki raised his fist, "We'll work together and help bring peace back to this city."
The mother nodded and quickly hurried off, Agito and Faiz softly chuckling at Ryuki's enthusiastic proclamation.
"Henshin!"
"Hen... shin!"
[CHANGE!]
[SET! OPEN! L-I-O-N! LION!]
Hajime and Kosuke ran along the streets while they transformed together. Thankfully there were no civilians in danger nearby, so the two had taken this opportunity to work on clearing out a section of Grimm that the local Huntsmen were unable to.
Chalice rushed forward as he used his Chalice Arrow to slice through incoming Sabyrs while ducking out of the way.
Beast meanwhile was using his Dice Saber to stab against them before ducking when a Teryx swooped in, the Grimm landing and screeching out.
"Whoa, okay those wings are going to be annoying," Beast called out as he drew out his Falco Ring, "Luckily I know just the thing!"
[FALCO, GO! FA-FA-FA-FALCO!]
Beast held his right arm out as an orange magic circle slid over his right arm, granting him access to the Falco Mantle.
The Teryx screeched before charging at Beast, spreading its wings to glide forward at a faster rate.
"You're not out flying me!" Beast called out as he kicked off the ground, a burst of orange wind accompanying him as he shot forward and slashed past the Grimm. He then turned almost instantly as the Teryx tumbled on the ground.
"It's lunch time!" Beast spun his Dice Saber before pressing his ring into it.
Chalice meanwhile drew out two cards and slid them through his Chalice Arrow to activate them.
[BIO! CHOP!]
[FIVE! FALCO! SABER STRIKE!]
Chalice unleashed tendrils from his Chalice Arrow, wrapping up two Sabyrs and drawing them closer before performing a sweeping enhanced chop with his right arm, striking through them and sending them backwards. The Grimm slammed into the ground and ended up bursting into black dust afterwards.
Beast meanwhile summoned a gold magic circle in front of him before slashing forward. Several energy falcons launched out and struck the Teryx, overwhelming it before striking all at once and causing an explosion. And to Beast's surprise, a magic circle appeared out from the explosion before entering the belt.
"Whoa… whoa that felt good!" Beast called out in shock, "I can… I can eat these guys?"
"You can eat Grimm?" Chalice questioned as he turned over towards his partner.
"Uh… I guess they're made out of pretty potent stuff then if I can," Beast admitted, "Normally it only works on Phantoms or that Helheim Fruit I get from Kouta, but…"
The two then turned as they heard a thump and a roar, soon seeing a Manticore Grimm land several feet away from them.
"Whoa… you kinda look like Chimera," Beast pointed at the Grimm, losing his train of thought.
"I suppose we should keep at it," Chalice said.
"Just one request," Beast clasped his hands together as he quickly got in front of his ally, "Let me deal the finishing blows!"
"I think I can honor that request," Chalice agreed before charging past Beast to take on the Manticore, Beast soon following after him.
[ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!]
Dozens of blue curving bullets swerved through the air as they struck against a few diving Teryx, sending the Grimm tumbling to the ground. The Teryx attempted to get up only to get their heads sliced off by two clean slashes.
The attackers had ended up being Diend and Kiva-la respectively as they were also fighting alongside the other Riders in Mantle.
"Been a while since we've fought together here," Diend replied, "Right, Natsumikan?"
Kival-a rolled her eyes at this as she brandished her sword, "Less chit-chat. We've got a world to save, remember?"
"Save again," Diend corrected before walking over, "Though I suppose you're right."
Remnant – Amity Communications Tower
"Just what is going on…?" Pietro asked as the communications tower had stopped shaking, having faintly seen the vines and strange Cracks all around them.
"I believe that would be the doing of our friends," Woz stated as he warped into the area with Ankh and OOO, the latter carrying Penny in his arms.
"Penny!" Pietro moved his chair over in a hurry, his face softening as he saw her unconscious state, "Sweetheart…"
"She's your daughter?" OOO asked.
"That's right," Pietro said as he gestured for OOO to set her down, "My pride and joy."
"Thank goodness I could reach her," OOO sighed in relief as he set Penny down, "I was mostly here to see if you could use anyone that could fly given your setup. Good thing I showed up."
"Thank you for saving her," Pietro said as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Okay, well this is good and all…" Maria said as she walked over, "But how did we stop drifting?!"
"Oh that would be me."
It wasn't long before a Crack opened up near them, Kouta walking out in his Man of the Beginning form alongside Sento.
"Kouta Kazuraba," Kouta said before spreading his arms out, "I'm a Space God and holding something up like this with my powers is pretty easy admittedly."
Pietro could only stare at Kouta with his mouth wide open while Maria had a nearly unimpressed look.
"Oh boy a third God, huh…" Maria groaned out, "So Mr. God, do you have a way to keep this thing from drifting?"
"I'm just here to make sure it stays in the air long enough," Kouta replied, "It's damaged right?"
"If you need a repair job then just leave it to me!" Sento called out as he flicked his hand to give a wave, "Sento Kiryu… Genius Physicist, World Travel Expert, and Kamen Rider Build."
"Can you really do it?" Pietro asked.
"Of course… Genius Physicist… Worldwide Communications Network…" Sento held out his hands and clasped them together, "It's a Best Match!"
"You're going to need help though," Kouta replied before looking over at Pietro and Maria, "You have any heavy machinery that can help him?"
"Well we did have that industrial Paladin," Maria said, "Before it got busted…"
"Though it wouldn't have been able to go outside," Pietro shook his head, "It doesn't have flight capabilities."
"Then I think I can provide that for you all," Kouta said as he placed his hands behind him before drawing out a blank Sengoku Driver and a Suika Lockseed, "Normally I'd use it but I'm kind of trying to concentrate on keeping this place afloat."
Maria's eyes widened as she gave a mischievous grin, "I'll take it."
Woz could only sigh at this, realizing that Maria was going to have a bit too much fun with the gear she was provided. Despite this he looked towards the unconscious Penny, wondering what exactly Swartz had planned. He could only assume that the Maiden Powers were interfering with whatever Another Rider transformation that Swartz tried to force onto her. Despite their plans starting to work out, he realized that this was far from over.
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwood's Office
Ironwood and the Ace-Ops were still waiting in the office, the group watching the broadcast only for Harriet to immediately shut it off once Ruby spoke up about Ironwood.
"Looks like Global comms are down again," Harriet said as she looked at her Scroll once enough time had passed.
Ironwood meanwhile was checking his Scroll to try and get a hold of Penny, "Penny isn't responding."
"Unfortunately because we've got an issue," Swartz said as he walked over, appearing out of nowhere. He let out a quick amused smirk as he saw everyone get on guard, "I attempted to transform her into an Another Rider, make her a valuable asset to our cause. However she was resisting and the Kamen Riders ended up interfering."
"What?" Ironwood asked as he gripped the table in the center of the room tightly, "So you failed?"
"I wouldn't say failed…" Swartz said as he paid no mind to Ironwood's anger as he continued to lie, "I successfully transplanted the Watch within her. However because of the confrontation she was sent falling down to the tundra below. I attempted to follow but was unable to."
"Then we need to retrieve her," Ironwood said before hearing the doors to his office open, he looked over, "Winter, good timing."
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Winter asked as she entered, holding a wary look towards Swartz who simply gave an amused glance at her.
"You're going to find Penny," Ironwood said, "She's somewhere in the Solitas Tundra, likely near where Amity launched."
"Of course, sir," Winter said though there was a slight pause between her words.
"You will also be leading the Ace-Ops until Clover makes a full recovery," Ironwood said, "We have no idea on Penny's status so proceed with caution, especially if her friends are going to go after her."
Winter and the Ace-Ops all saluted before slowly but surely walking out of the room. Swartz meanwhile continued to be amused by all of this, as this situation was what he was hoping for. While he knew that he could mold Ironwood with no issues, isolating the General from his top forces would be good to get some much needed one on one time.
"Swartz," Ironwood spoke up as he walked over to the Time Jacker Leader, "You better hope your plan works."
"Or you'll go back to Watts who couldn't do anything without a proxy?" Swartz asked, clearly not bothered by the veiled threat. He looked away, "I'm your best shot at defeating Salem utterly instead of still attempting your current tactic."
"And how can I believe that you can provide that power?" Ironwood asked.
"You'll just have to trust me as I'm the only one who has your best interests in mind," Swartz said before walking off, "A new day dawns on Remnant… and I hope you'll be the one who can bring the change that it needs."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Why did we lose signal?"
"I think it's time for this charade to be done with."
"Please tell me you have a plan."
"I'm not yours anymore…"
"No time to explain, we're stopping this thing!"
Chapter 88: Game Changer
Author's Note: So I remember some people hoping Penny would become Kamen Rider Kikai back when I was giving WBY the Mirai Rider powers. Well you know what they say, be careful what you wish for~. I spared Penny the pain of being hacked but that also came with the monkey's paw of becoming an Another Rider.
Another fun note was me completely forgetting the Time Jackers had their own Insert. So when I found out about it again I put it in this chapter just to show a bit more of the frantic downhill slide the battle at Amity was taking.
But hey let's look on the hopeful side, the end of this chapter is the big reveal of every Rider I chose to have show up to help. This was very much what the Countdown to Oma's Day Saga was trying to achieve with that section that consisted of Specials/V-Cinemas/A Stage Play. I needed certain characters to be active again (Gentoku), or properly introduced (Alain). I was very much channeling Heisei Generations Forever's climax when it came to how the Riders showed up to fight the Grimm off.
With all that said I do have a special announcement… and that's that Roze from Remnant has its own TV Tropes page now! Feel free to visit and even edit it if you so desire, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that could be added, so go and check that out. Thanks for reading and I'll be seeing you all next time.