Alan smiled as he knocked on the door. He was holding baby Adam, who was quickly approaching his second birthday. Also with him were the rest of his kids; Alice, Daiki, and Celine. The door opened, only to surprise Alan. He was expecting to see Shinichi but was met by a stranger instead.
"Hello? Can I help you?" the man asked.
"O-oh, sorry," Alan responded, shocked by this unexpected change. His memories were telling him that this was where Shinichi lived and they were seldom wrong. "I'm looking for Shinichi Banabara. Isn't this his home?"
"No," the man answered. "I've lived here for years."
"I...see… sorry to take up your time." Alan turned and walked away, quickly followed by his children.
"Daddy, where's Onii-chan?" Alice asked, looking at Alan with confusion that was mixed with worry. "You said this was his house, right?"
"I don't know. But I intend to find out," Alan decided. This wasn't right. He remembered that this was Shinichi's home. He was determined to find out what exactly had changed.
Alan had sent his kids home and decided to track down Rena. He found her new address and knocked on the door.
"Rena, are you there?" he asked as he knocked. He heard footsteps and the door opened.
"Who's there?" Rena answered when she saw him. "Alan?"
"Hey," he greeted. "I know it's been a while but I went to visit your old house and you weren't there."
"Yes, we moved," Rena explained.
"Is Shinichi home?" he asked and she just looked at him, stunned. "What?"
"You mean you don't know?"
Rain fell all around Alan as he stared in disbelief, completely soaking his coat. He could not believe it. He just couldn't but he could not deny what he was seeing. Standing before him was a gravestone and written on it was the following inscription:
In Honour & Loving Memory of Shinji "Shinichi" Banabara
A True Hero, Now, Forever & Til the End of Time
February 14th 1968-October 8th 1996
"No. No, no, no, this is wrong! This is all wrong!" Alan yelled in denial as he fell to his knees, "This is impossible! This is not supposed to happen!" He stood up and began pacing in front of the grave, muttering about how this made no sense. He pointed at the grave. "You are not dead! This is wrong and I'm going to fix this!"
"OK," Alan resolved as he cracked his knuckles and entered the time-space coordinates. "Time to see what happened." He pulled the lever on the control and dematerialized the TARDIS to enter the time vortex.
The instant that happened, the TARDIS began to shake violently due to turbulence. He gripped the central console tightly, trying to maintain course. All of a sudden, alarm sirens blared and red warning lights flashed inside the control room. The screens began to flash ERROR messages across them.
"C'mon, girl! Don't fail me now! Just keep yourself together!" Alan pleaded as he fiddled with the controls. He needed to keep his TARDIS stable and prevent it from being torn apart in the time vortex.
When the TARDIS finally stabilized, it rematerialized on Earth, much to Alan's relief. He checked the time-space coordinates to see where and when he was.
He arrived on October 9th 1996, a day after Shinichi's death.
"Wait, that's not right. I know I set it for the 8th, not the day after."
Alan had just delivered the news to his lovers. As expected, they did not react very well to this revelation. Lala, Amaterasu, and Bishie were in tears. Nozomu and Megan, who first met Shinichi when he had gone undercover at their school, were speechless. Amora had the face of denial as she slowly shook her head. Yami looked down at the floor in stunned silence. As for Conda...
"What do you mean he's dead!?" Conda growled, angrily grabbing him by the collar. "He was fine and dandy when we left! Why is he suddenly dead after we came back?!" Though she never truly got along with the younger incarnation of Shinichi, she truly respected the older version of Alan's brother. Guilt started to creep within her as she began to think back on how she had treated Shinichi before, realizing that she might never see him again.
"That's just it. I have no idea how it happened," said Alan as he pulled away. "And I've been going back and forth in my TARDIS for the past week, but every time it'll either let me back into the timestream either a full year early or the day after."
"If you always come out the year before, why not just wait it out?" Amora suggested. "Play the long game."
"I was tempted," Alan admitted. "But if I did, I'd increase the chances of me accidentally causing more changes in the timeline. And I did enough of that when we stayed there."
"So then... Onii-chan is going to die... because we were there?" Alice sobbed, "Did we kill Onii-chan?"
Alice was created by Gebok to mentally attack Shinichi and his family before she was reprogrammed and Alan adopted her. However, she did not exist in the original timeline before Alan's stay on Earth-83. She was really looking forward to seeing her big brother/uncle again but now it looked like she would never see him anymore and she thought it was her fault.
"No sweetie," soothed Alan. "Your daddy is going to save him. I promise."
Showa Chronicles: Legacy of ReVenge
Act I: For Those of You Just Joining Us
As soon as Alan saw Hanyuu, he snapped his fingers. The TARDIS' door closed and locked itself, preventing anyone else from coming inside. Hanyuu glared intensely at Alan, demanding an explanation. The hologram was still floating in the middle of the control room. Knowing that he could not brush it off, he decided to come clean.
"I was taking my kids to visit Shinichi in the future, only to find someone else living in his house, and they acted like they've always lived there. I feared the worst and searched the timeline...and this is what I found," Alan explained.
"So, in six years, Shinichi-niisan's going to die?" Hanyuu questioned. "Can't you change it?"
"Why do you think I'm here now?" Alan asked. "I'm trying to find out what killed him, but something is stopping me from getting a clear look. Time is in flux. It has been for a while now."
"We should tell him," Hanyuu turned towards the door but Alan stopped her.
"No!" he cried, denying her. "No, we can't tell him."
"But he deserves to know," Hanyuu insisted.
"I know. God knows I wish I could tell him, but if we tell him now it would just cause him too much distress. So we can't tell him. Not after what Zawadi did and not after the way Lala and the others reacted when I told them. I don't want a repeat of that. Right now, the best thing we can do is to not tell him anything about his future," Alan told her. "Please, Hanyuu."
"You're asking a lot out of me here, Alan," Hanyuu frowned critically.
"I know but until we find a way to change this, we can't tell him," Alan pleaded. "Please."
"Fine," Hanyuu sighed, relenting as she looked back at the date displayed on the gravestone. "But you've got six years to change this. Six years. I don't know if I can keep silent for that long, but I can try."
One Year Later...
"Strike!" Mion cheered, pumping her fists as all the pins were bowled over. She walked back and gave a high five to Keiichi as she walked past.
The Gaming Club was at the local bowling alley in Shishibone City. They hadn't had a lot of time to hang out as often as they had as kids, as they now had responsibilities to contend with. As the head of the Sonozaki Clan, Mion was responsible for overseeing her family. She and Keiichi had also recently become engaged, with the man becoming a journalist for a newspaper. Shion in the meanwhile had become interested in hair styling, while Satoshi was studying for a Master's degree in physics and planned to get a Doctorate later on. The two of them were also engaged. As for Rena, she was doing quite well for herself as an artist, and also recently gave birth to her and Shinichi's son. The three youngest of the group, Rika, Satoko, and Hanyuu, were now in college. Rika was majoring in History, with Satoko taking Mathematics, while Hanyuu was majoring in Mythology. Shinichi, of course, was a gifted photographer. With such busy schedules and responsibilities, the time they could spend together was both rare and precious.
"Not bad, Mion," Shinichi praised. "Now, let's see how many strikes I can make."
As Hanyuu watched Shinichi step up to bowl next, she wondered about his future. It did not seem fair for him to die so soon. After everything he had been through, did he not deserve a long and happy life? He had sons who would need him and Rena would no doubt be devastated by his death. As a goddess, she should be able to do something but her powers had diminished greatly over the years. That, and at this point, Shinichi's temporal powers had greatly surpassed hers.
If she could, she would do everything in her power to save him. She could even make a plan. However, she did not know what would kill him and neither did Alan. All she knew was that his death would happen in 1996, which was five years from now. They now had five years until Shinichi died. She would need to keep quiet for five more years and she didn't know if she could keep this secret for that long. She couldn't even tell Rika about this.
"Hanyuu? Hanyuu? Hanyuu!"
"Wah!" Hanyuu yelped as Rika shook her. "What is it?"
"It's your turn," Rika pointed.
"Oh, right. My turn," Hanyuu sighed as she went to take a bowling ball.
"Are you alright? I've never seen you space out like that," Rika remarked.
"I'm fine," Hanyuu insisted. "Just...fine."
Hanyuu hated keeping this secret from Shinichi. He had the right to know, didn't he? She wanted to say something. This had been eating her up inside for over a year now. But Alan made her promise not to tell her. He swore that everything would be fine and she trusted him. Nothing was set in stone. If Rika could change her fate, so could Shinichi.
She threw the bowling ball and it rolled down the lane. She hit the pins but failed to knock down four of them.
Shiori was in the village marketplace, getting some groceries. Tonight, she planned to make some curry. She was also pushing a carriage that had her grandson riding inside, a baby boy with short brownish hair like his mother.
"Hm...which piece should I get?" Shiori stopped in front of the butcher shop, trying to decide what piece to purchase when someone called her name.
"Guten nachmittag. You're Shiori Banabara, right?"
"Yes, that's my name," Shiori confirmed. The person who called her name was a young woman who seemed to be close to her eldest son's age, almost a year or two younger. She definitely was not a local as she appeared to be European. She had a sun-kissed skin tone with striking blue eyes. Her red hair was also cut short with her bangs forming an 'X' between her eyes. As it was summer, she was dressed in a green tank top and denim jeans that stopped just below her knees with green sneakers on her feet.
Was this girl a fan of hers? Her publisher did inform her that some of her books had been translated for international release. Could this girl have come and tracked her down?
"Can we talk?" the girl asked, speaking with a German accent. "It's important."
Now, Shiori was in no way a stupid woman. She had learned to be vigilant from her late husband. Recent experiences had also taught her to be careful with strangers. While this girl may not seem dangerous, Shiori knew looks could be deceiving. Even a sweet little girl could be a dangerous monster in disguise.
"Alright," Shiori said. "What's your name?"
"I'm Viviana. Viviana Eisenberg," the girl introduced herself. "I wanted to speak to you about your son."
Ever since Shinichi's identity as Kamen Rider Showa was revealed and his past as BLACK 13 was exposed, Shiori had a lot of people who wanted to talk with her. Usually, they were reporters but other times it was people who just wanted to blame her for her son's deeds. As if she was responsible when the true culprit was a mad scientist. While she had felt guilty for letting her son get kidnapped, Shinji never blamed her for that.
"And what about my son, Eisenberg-san?" Shiori asked, keeping her guard up.
"You know what he is, what he's done, right?" Viviana questioned.
"I'm well aware of all that." Shiori kept a neutral tone, trying not to get provoked.
"Then aren't you ashamed of what he's become?" Viviana demanded. "How can you consider that monster your son?"
Shiori's eyes narrowed at Viviana's words. So, this girl was one of the people who hated Shinichi for his crimes.
"Because he's my son so please don't call him a monster," Shiori answered sternly.
"But you know what he's done! How can you just accept that!?" Viviana yelled. Now, they were starting to draw a crowd.
"Because he's my son," Shiori insisted. "And while it's true he's done terrible things in the past, that's not who he is anymore."
"But he's murdered innocent people."
"And he also saved the world."
"So? Does that absolve him of his sins? Don't the people he killed deserve justice? Don't their families deserve justice?"
"Yes, they do, but you can't blame my son for what happened. He had no choice and he regrets what he's done."
"You expect me to believe that he's sorry?" Vivian scoffed.
"Monsters don't feel remorse," Shiori stated. "And my son has done a lot to make up for the things he's done, even for ungrateful people that hate him for what he is."
"But his victims and their families deserve justice."
"You mean revenge," Shiori corrected. "That's what you're seeking, isn't it?"
"Yes, so what if it is?" Viviana hissed, not denying such an allegation.
"What did he do to you? Did my son kill someone you cared about?" Shiori asked.
Viviana refused to answer her question and turned away from Shiori, clenching her shaking fists and gritting her teeth. She noticed how the other villagers were looking at her. Not only was she an outsider, but she was also talking badly about Shinichi who had done so much to protect them. It seemed that they did not care about his past, only who he was now. Realizing there was nothing else she could do or say to convince Shiori, she did the smart thing and walked away.
Gunshots were fired in a bank as a robbery was taking place. Masked men had marched in with machine guns as people cowered in fear.
"Everyone on the ground now! Empty your wallets!" One of the robbers held out a trash bag as he threatened people at gunpoint to dump their valuables in.
"And don't try to be a hero," another one warned. "Just relax, give us whatever you've got, and nobody has to get hurt."
One of the hostages was carrying a baby with her, and the infant started crying at the sound of gunfire. The mother tried to calm her baby with hushes, but another of the robbers was already marching up to her.
"Hey, woman! Shut your kid up!" he ordered.
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" the mother pleaded.
"If you can't do it yourself then I'll shut the brat up for you!" the robber shouted as he pointed his gun at the child. The mother screamed as she covered her baby with her body, bracing for the bullets to rip into her back.
Instead, a blue portal opened up in front of the robber and peppered him with pellets of light. The thug was knocked unconscious as the gun flew from his hand.
"What the hell?!" the lead robber gasped, stunned by the portal that appeared out of nowhere. Three more portals appeared out of thin air, sending small barrages of light at the remaining robbers. They were small and seemed weak, but they were strong enough to knock the robbers out before they realized what was happening.
Once the bank robbers were knocked out and the portals closed, the security guards quickly got their second wind and moved in to detain the robbers. The police were also called to arrest the criminals.
"That was fun," Shinichi grinned, the light on his pointing finger dimming as he lowered it. The group of friends just happened to be passing by the bank that was across the street. "Anyone wanna grab something to eat? My treat."
"I think you're itching for a little more action than that, Shin-chan," Shion giggled, looking over what was almost a robbery.
"You should know me by now. I'm not the type of guy to ignore something like that," Shinichi justified with a casual wave.
As the Gaming Club walked across the street, a dog was running into the middle of the road as a little girl chased after it. As she caught up with her dog, a large truck was already speeding down the road. It was moving too fast to stop in time, and the girl held on to her dog as she closed her eyes tightly. A portal suddenly opened under her and she fell through it before it vanished, just as the truck drove past. The portal reopened on the sidewalk with the girl and her dog rising safely from it, both looking confused by what had just happened.
"Wow, these perception filters really work," Mion admired her bracelet. "People don't seem to notice us."
"ARMOR sure knows how to work its miracles," Keiichi said, his arm slung around his fiancée. "I'm surprised you went with glasses, Shin."
"These?" Shinichi said, pushing up the glasses on his face. "Rena-chan likes them. She thinks they're cute." Alan had given them to him and even said they made him look like some guy named Clark Kent, whoever that was.
"They work pretty well, though," Satoshi smiled. "After everything that's happened, it feels nice to walk around without anyone noticing."
Shinichi spotted an old lady at an overpass who was struggling to carry her luggage up the flight of stairs.
"Excuse me, guys," Shinichi said and he jogged up to the elderly lady. "Here, let me help." He helped the old lady carry her luggage up the overpass. He then accompanied her across it and went down the other side. "There you go."
"Thank you, young man," the old lady said gratefully and she walked away, rolling her luggage alongside her. Shinichi watched her go and then teleported back to his friends.
"Almost expected you to use your powers to help her out," Keiichi remarked.
"I didn't want to spook her," Shinichi shrugged.
"Hey, I've got something else in mind. How about a movie?" Satoko suggested as she pointed at the movie theatre.
"Good idea, Satoko," Rika smiled.
The group entered the theatre. As they decided on what movie to watch, Shinichi looked at the posters for future movies that were coming soon. Some looked interesting but one of them really caught his interest and not in a good way.
"Are you kidding me!?" he reacted.
This particular movie poster depicted what looked like a mutant bugman with cyborg limbs stalking a screaming woman. The bottom of the poster read 'The Cicada Man: Based on a Terrifying True Story'. Shinichi already knew what true story this movie was based on.
"What's the matter, Shin-kun?" Rena asked and he pointed at the poster with silent fury. Her expression soon matched his.
"Rena, Shin-chan, we're kinda split between two movies and need you guys to help us vote," Mion called to her friends. When they did not respond, she walked up to them. "Rena? Shin-chan?" When she saw them looking pissed, she followed their gazes and realised just what it was that made them angry. "Oh, shit."
"Hey, Mion. What's the matter?" Keiichi asked and she pointed at the movie poster. Being a fan of horror, Keiichi first thought it might be an interesting movie until he realised what it was about. "Oh, shit."
The Gaming Club soon crowded around the poster.
"So, someone made a movie about Shin-chan?" Shion asked.
"Yeah, and they're not happy about it," Mion answered, gesturing to Rena and Shinichi. "And I have a feeling it's because this movie's gonna be about Shin-chan's time when he was you-know-who."
"Why would anyone make a movie about that?" Hanyuu questioned.
"Lots of movies take inspiration from true events, even horror. 'The Amityville Horror' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' were both inspired by real-life crimes," Keiichi explained. "Guess someone found Shinichi's story interesting enough to make a movie about it."
"Shin-chan," Mion gulped as her transdimensional cyborg friend's eyes started to shine with an electric blue glow. "Settle down, OK?"
Shinichi took deep breaths as the angry glow of his eyes dimmed. He sighed, depressed, but relaxed as he turned to face Mion.
"Relax, I'm not going to murder people over a movie," Shinichi assured her. "I'm not that petty."
"But, Shin-kun! They're making you look like a slasher villain!" Rena pointed at the poster angrily.
"I shouldn't let things like this bother me," he retorted.
"Yeah, and it might not even be fully faithful. These movies tend to exaggerate the details," Keiichi remarked.
"I know, I know, it's just...I'm just...just tired, you know?"
"You know, we don't have to see a movie," Satoko suggested. "We can just go do something else. How about the arcade?"
"No, it's fine," Shinichi assured his friends. "Let's go see a movie. I could use something to take my mind off this."
"Hey, 'Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah' is playing today," Keiichi pointed at a poster. "We can watch that and it's in 3D."
"Cool," Shinichi smiled. "I'll get the tickets. You guys should get our snacks and drinks."
They agreed and the Gaming Club went to get refreshments while Shinichi lined up to buy tickets. As he stood in line, he reminded himself of how lucky he was to have such good friends. After all the stuff they had experienced since meeting him, they had plenty of reasons to sever their friendship, citing the fact that he was more trouble than he was worth. Being friends with him was hazardous to their health, not to mention very risky since they could get hurt or worse just because they were his friends. Even after they discovered his origins and what kind of person he used to be before his amnesia, none of them rejected him.
Instead, they stood by him. Even after he had to trick them into believing that he had rejoined GIN-SHOCKER, they still forgave him for his deception. It was why he felt guilty for leaving them, especially Rena when he went hunting for Gebok himself. Though they understood that he did it to protect them, he could've at least told them something first.
They had briefly reunited when he took a break from his quest for revenge, but he left them again without saying goodbye. Rena had been left pretty heartbroken by his departure. Luckily, for him, she forgave him. All she wanted was to just be there for him.
While looking for Gebok and dismantling his whole operation, Shinichi realized how much his friends truly meant to him. They were the ones who helped him rediscover his humanity and they kept him grounded. He remembered how impressionable and naive he used to be when Rena first found him. Thankfully, he had grown up a lot since then.
If he hadn't woken up in Hinamizawa and met his friends, he might've fallen in with the wrong crowd and who knows how he could've turned out. Probably worse than BLACK 13 ever was.
"Which movie would you like to see, sir?" the ticket counter clerk asked.
"Oh, nine tickets for 'Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah', please," Shinichi requested.
After he paid for their tickets, the Gaming Club sat down to watch the movie, with their 3D glasses on and holding their refreshments. After the previews, the movie started to play and they got themselves comfortable to enjoy it.
Shinichi was grateful for his friends so he always cherished these moments with them. He would never, ever take them for granted.
"Bern, I'm bored," Lambdadelta whined as she laid on her stomach on the bed, kicking her legs as she propped her chin on her hands.
"Then go take a nap. I'm busy," Bernkastel said tersely as she looked at her new gameboard.
"Are you obsessing over Shinichi again?" Lambdadelta asked. "C'mon, Bern. It was fun seeing him get put through hell for a while but watching you fail is just getting depressing. Just give up. He's been playing you like a fiddle for years and cheated death too many times. And if he was the one who beat Zawadi when she had all our magic then there really isn't anything we can do to him anymore. Just cut your losses and move on."
"It's because he was able to defeat the combined might of our magic that I have to get rid of him now more than ever," Bernkastel shot back. "He's always been a threat to the Endless June and now he's even more dangerous. He needs to be stopped before he destroys all my efforts."
"Are you saying that as a 'needs of the many' sort of thing? Or are you just doing it to ease your bruised ego?" Lambdadelta questioned. "You've never cared about anyone but yourself before, so why are you putting up the facade now?"
"That's pretty odd coming from someone who found pleasure in his failures. Changing our tune already, are we?" Bernkastel asked rhetorically.
"I've already given up," Lambdadelta admitted dully. "Every time he falls back, he jumps three steps ahead. I've pretty much accepted that there's no Bad Ending in his future, as deliciously hard things are for him right now. Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Bernkastel didn't respond as she continued gazing at her gameboard. She had thrown a fit once she returned from the Netherverse with Lambdadelta. Shinichi had grown in power again and she didn't like it, not one bit. As he had proven himself to be even more powerful than the combined magic of the Metawitches, it would be nearly impossible to eliminate him now.
But she was nothing if not resourceful. She would not need to dirty her hands to get the job done when so many hated him for his crimes as BLACK 13. All they needed was her helping hand.
Shinichi, Rena, Rika and Hanyuu were walking back to Shiori's house. The movie was entertaining and exciting, especially in 3D.
"You know, after fighting monsters for so long, it's nice to just watch giant monsters fight each other," Shinichi remarked.
"Godzilla movies are always great," Rika agreed, smiling.
"My heart was pounding the whole time!" Hanyuu concurred.
"You know, Shin-kun, when Godzilla was first seen in movies, he was the big bad monster," Rena informed her husband. "But in recent movies, he's Earth's protector. Kinda like you."
"Like me?" Shinichi questioned.
"Well, you didn't have the best start," Rena continued. "But ever since we met, you've always been a hero. You've always been my hero." She smiled warmly. "I know things seem tough right now but it'll get better."
Shinichi smiled. Rena was right. Opinions about Shinichi and the NEO-NUMBERS might seem polarizing right now, but they shouldn't let how people judge them stop them from being heroes.
They reached the house and Shinichi opened the door.
"Kaa-chan, we're back," Shinichi greeted as he entered the house with Rena, Hanyuu and Rika.
"Oh, Shinji," Shiori smiled as she put down the baby bottle after she finished feeding Shinjiro. Kasai and Sho weren't at home, having gone to the playground to spend some quality father-son time.
"Did Shinjiro give you any trouble?" Rena asked.
"No, of course not," Shiori smiled. "I enjoy babysitting him."
"That's good," Rena smiled as Shiori handed her baby to her. "Hello, Shinjiro." Rena loved cute things but nothing was cuter than her baby boy.
"So, how was your day?" Shiori asked.
"We had fun. Went bowling, I stopped a bank robbery, then we watched a movie," Shinichi answered.
"You stopped a bank robbery? Good job!" Shiori proudly gave her son a thumbs up.
"He didn't even need to go inside," Rika added.
"Yeah, he just made a portal and went 'pew-pew!" Hanyuu mimed shooting a gun.
"What about you, Kaa-chan? How was your day?" Shinichi asked.
Shiori wondered if she should tell her son about the young woman earlier. It might worry him but then he would find out from someone else in the village. She had caused quite the scene at the marketplace.
"Shinji, while I was out shopping, a woman harassed me," Shiori told her son.
"Did she hurt you?" Shinichi questioned seriously. "What was she bothering you about?"
"No, she did not hurt me. She just said some bad things about you, that's all. Don't worry, I think I set her straight," she reassured him.
"Thank you," Shinichi smiled, glad that nothing bad had happened to his mother or his son.
"Did she say anything else, Mama?" Hanyuu asked.
"Yes, she told me her name. It was...Vicky...no...Viviana," Shiori recalled. "Yes, Viviana Eisenberg." The mention of that name caused Shinichi to go stiff as his eyes went wide.
"Did you say 'Eisenberg'?" Shinichi asked. "Are you sure that's what she said her name was?"
"You know her?" Rena asked.
"Not exactly but I knew the people who shared her name," Shinichi answered. "You may need to sit down for this. It's a long story."
They all made themselves comfortable in the living room and Shinichi sat in an armchair. He had his hands clasped and his head bowed with his eyes closed, looking contemplative.
"This happened way back when I was still with GIN-SHOCKER, not long after I got the title BLACK 13."
"Their names are Dr. Johan and Lia Eisenberg," Dr. Gebok informed BLACK 13 as he handed him the file. BLACK 13 opened it and quickly scanned all the information on it.
"They're physicists researching alternative energy sources," BLACK 13 summarized.
"That's right. Now, we've learned that they have designed a prototype for a compact atomic battery. I want you to steal it and everything they have related to their research. Can you do it, BLACK 13?"
"I can, Dr. Gebok."
"Oh, make sure to cover your tracks and leave no witnesses, son."
"Roger."
"Their lab was on a military base in Germany. My mission was to infiltrate it to acquire my target. So, I went at night, under the cover of darkness."
BLACK 13 wore his dark armour for the mission. He scanned the base for any weaknesses in the defences. He found cameras and an electrified fence. The guards also patrolled the perimeter, keeping their eyes out for intruders. Activating his cloaking system to turn himself invisible, he snuck past the guards.
"Infiltrating the base was child's play."
BLACK 13 found the lab and saw that it was locked with a numerical keypad. Fortunately, Gebok had found the 6 digit code: the couple's wedding date. Once the door was unlocked, BLACK 13 entered and looked for his target. His mission was to steal the atomic battery prototype and all research done by the Eisenbergs.
"I found a safe hidden behind a painting. It was where their research would be found. It was also locked by a numerical code. Once I unlocked it, I found their prototype and a journal that detailed their research. Of course, not every plan goes perfectly."
As BLACK 13 grabbed the atomic battery prototype, which was suspended in a plastic cube filled with a clear fluid, he heard a noise and then the lights came on.
It was the Eisenbergs.
"Who are you!? Lia, get security!"
The next part would be difficult for Shinichi to say but he needed to confess.
"Gebok told me...to leave no witnesses."
Before Lia Eisenberg could even press the alarm, BLACK 13 swiftly drove his energy blade through her heart, killing her instantly.
"Lia!" Johan screamed before he had his throat slit by the black-clad cyborg. He too fell and died beside his wife.
"After I killed them, I blew up their lab to cover my tracks. And then I delivered the prototype to Gebok."
Rena had listened to her husband's story and could see his guilt. There was so much regret reflected in those eyes of his. It was painful to watch him break down like this. He never kept his past as BLACK 13 a secret from them, but he never really went into detail or told them everything he had done in his past. He would much rather leave that chapter of his life behind.
"So, then Viviana is..."
"Likely their daughter."
"And she found out you killed her parents so now she wants revenge."
"Story of my life." Shinichi had done so many terrible things and was ashamed of his past, but he had moved on. Unfortunately, his past was not so willing to let him go and now it seemed another victim of his crimes had come seeking retribution.
"What is wrong with that village?" Viviana muttered angrily. She just couldn't believe they could even defend that monster. When the villagers all gave her dirty looks, she knew she had to make a hasty retreat before an angry mob formed and ran her out of town.
Viviana had returned to her hotel room in Okinomiya, seething in anger. Her attempt to convince Shiori that the thing she called a son was a monster had failed. How could she still love and accept that killer as her son?
BLACK 13 had killed her parents and left her an orphan. Thankfully, she still had her godfather who put a roof over her head, fed her and clothed her. Yet, all she wanted to know back then was how her parents had died. She heard that they had been killed in a lab accident, but she knew it had been a coverup even then. Someone had to know the truth but nobody was telling her anything.
It was only a couple of years ago when she finally learned the truth, on the anniversary of her parents' death.
The sun was beginning to set when Viviana knelt before two gravestones. Her parents were buried here. Since the funeral, she came to visit them every year on the anniversary of their deaths. She always left flowers for them each time and spoke to them, as if they were still alive. Sadly, while she could imagine what they would say, she desperately wished they were here. She also wished to know how they had died.
"They tell me you died in a lab accident, but I know that can't be true. Mama, Papa, how did you both die?" Viviana wondered. "Who took you from me?"
"Do you really wish to know?"
Surprised, Viviana stood up and saw a young lady approach. She was dressed in a summer dress and looked to be of Asian descent. Her long and straight indigo hair fell down her back like a curtain. It was her eyes, though, that really got Viviana's attention. While the girl seemed young, those eyes looked ancient and full of wisdom.
"Who are you?" Viviana asked.
"Someone who can give you the answers you seek," the mysterious young lady answered. "But if you wish to call me by name, call me Lady Bernkastel."
Lady Bernkastel had used magic to show Viviana what had happened to her parents. They had been murdered by a masked man in black. He had gone and stolen their research, killed them, then destroyed their lab to cover his tracks.
He was known as BLACK 13 and Viviana had spent years seeking his true identity. A year ago, she finally learned his true identity. His real name was Shinji Banabara and he was her parents' killer. Now that she knew who he was, she wanted revenge.
"Looks like you hit a bit of a snag," Bernkastel said as she appeared in the room.
"Those idiots have no idea what they're protecting, Lady Bernkastel," Viviana scowled.
"They can't help it, Viviana. They are only human and humans can be foolish. So, have you made your decision, my child?"
"I have. I want revenge. I want to make him suffer. I want to make him pay!"
"Good," Bernkastel said with a lukewarm smile. "However, with the type of equipment you have with you right now, I doubt you're going to last very long." She gazed at a motorcycle suit that was hung in the closet. It had several pieces of hi-tech equipment attached to it and looked quite formidable as a power suit. Viviana had made it since she learned how her parents had died, using their research on nuclear energy so the power source was quite volatile. While the suit might seem impressive by regular standards, Bernkastel very much doubted that a cobbled-together super suit would be a match for Shinichi, especially after his ascension.
"It was all I could afford to make even with all the help I managed to get," Viviana reasoned. "Do you have something better?"
"As a matter of fact," Bernkastel waved her hand over the suit, causing it to magically disappear and then reappear on Viviana. With another wave of her hand, she proceeded to upgrade the suit in the blink of an eye.
"What did you do?" Viviana asked as she studied her new suit in the mirror. The suit was now green, with purple armour plating on her chest, arms, and legs. A red hourglass symbol marked the breastplate while green circuit lines that resembled veins glowed on the armour plating. The helmet, which had just been an old biker helmet before, was now fully hi-tech with a glowing green visor, horns that resemble spider legs and a black nuclear hazard symbol on the forehead. The belt around the waist had a nuclear hazard symbol on the buckle and the centre, where the core was located, glowed green. The changes to her suit were so drastic that she could no longer recognize it. Compared to the crude homemade suit she had made before, it now looked far more formidable.
"Your design was too crude so I made some slight improvements," Bernkastel answered. "Don't worry about the power source though, it's still intact. I simply gave it a more stable output." Bernkastel presented Viviana with an instruction manual for her new suit. "Here, some instructions for your new toy. I suggest you study up."
Viviana took the manual and Bernkastel vanished. Taking off her helmet and sitting down on her bed, she flipped it open to see what her new suit was capable of and what new features Bernkastel had added. As she continued to read, a dark smile spread across her face as her eyes shone with malicious intent.
END OF ACT 1
Tailsmo4ever: A new arc comes with new troubles and there seems to be no end to Shinichi's. Bernkastel continues to orchestrate his demise and is manipulating more people hurt by his past actions to do it. What will come out of this? From the way this chapter ended, nothing good.
Dr. KRC: And here we are, beginning a new arc that introduces another victim of BLACK 13's actions. Viviana is also working with Bernkastel who magically upgrades her super suit. This does not bode well for Shinichi.