Dr. Exposition: I want to first apologize for what I did when I wrote Armored War Gods (AWG). I am aware I alienated a lot of my readers with that story. I am not gonna justify it, merely explain that I just wanted to write something the way I wanted. Yeah, I might have done way too much dark stuff, way darker than necessary. I am willing to move forward, despite how ironic it is since I'm continuing Shinichi's/Showa's story. Please enjoy this interlude, nevertheless.

Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation

Interlude: Innocence

"Sheila, I need to blow off some steam," Lucy said as she stood in the middle of the empty HoloSim chamber.

"Do you have a specific request?"

"A room in a Japanese karaoke box," Lucy requested and the room shimmered as the holographic generators activated, changing the interior into a well-furnished karaoke box room, complete with a couch, a table for refreshments, and a karaoke machine. "Thanks."

"May I ask why you are upset?" Sheila asked. Lucy wanted to keep it to herself but she also needed to vent so she chose to tell the AI.

"I just found out my dad is going to fight Ultron. Ultron! Do you know the stories I've heard about that guy? It's a big deal! But I'm stuck here!" Lucy complained.

"Why can't you simply go back to ARMOR?" Sheila asked.

"This Ultron variant is a Multiversal level threat since he has bonded with the Infinity Stones so now ARMOR is on high alert. Papa wants every agent on hand to help fight Ultron and stop him from going on a Multiversal genocide plan. He even has the time train and portal systems locked down."

"That does sound serious."

"Yes, and he told me to stay here," Lucy sighed.

"May I make an observation?" Sheila asked.

"OK, but could you maybe materialize yourself? I'm not sure I'm OK with talking to a disembodied voice."

"That's fair." Lucy watched as Sheila appeared in her holographic avatar. "Now, may I make my observation?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Warren Smith is your adoptive father and a father's duty is to protect their children. If Ultron is such a big threat, then he is simply 'benching' you to keep you safe."

"But I'm not a kid anymore!" Lucy snapped. "I'm an agent! I've trained for this! This can't be any more dangerous than some of the missions I've been on!"

"True, you are not a child anymore but you are still his child; and if this Ultron is dangerous enough to be a threat to the Multiverse, then he must believe that it will be too dangerous for you," Sheila argued.

"I bet if Shinichi went he wouldn't have any problems with it," Lucy grumbled.

"Are you jealous?" Sheila inquired.

"Yes, and no," Lucy admitted. "I'm glad to have another brother even if he treats Papa more like a boss. I'm just a bit jealous that Shinichi's way more powerful than me and I feel like I need to catch up if I ever want to be useful to Papa. But being stuck here, I just feel so useless."

"Believe it or not, that was how Shinichi used to feel. Perhaps you should talk to him," Sheila advised.

"Yeah, maybe later," Lucy agreed. "Right now, I just want to sit here and sing my heart out."

"Would you care for some company?" Sheila offered as she materialized a microphone.

"The more the merrier."

After her karaoke session with Sheila, Lucy came to the holding area to see Abby. While it may seem cruel to put the young girl in a power-dampening cell, it was necessary due to the nature of her powers. Her primary psychic ability allowed her to bring her imaginary friend, Atanti, to life. It manifested through the stuffed doll she carried with her but it was also possible she could manifest it physically with her imagination. It was also possible she could animate and transform other stuffed animals into monstrous creatures. The young girl did not seem to realise that Kyofu only saw her as a weapon and his supposed kind treatment of her was a way to keep her compliant.

"Of course, the jackass responsible for this came from the same organisation that had no problem with ripping kids from their families and turning them into killing machines," Lucy sighed, turning her gaze away from Abby to look at another cell which held Professor Kyofu. He was still frozen in a block of ice since thawing him out to put a power-dampening collar on him would be too risky. Instead, they kept him in a cell with a power-dampening field. She was so tempted to simply kill him for what he had done but knew she needed to reign those impulses in. Shinichi was the field leader for this operation, and he wanted Kyofu's actions to be revealed to the world so he could properly pay for his crimes.

Currently, the young girl was innocently playing with toys that were provided for her. She was given building blocks, puzzles, crayons, paper, and stuffed animals. She did not seem like she had a care in the world. Lucy could not help but sympathize with the young girl. She remembered being treated as an outcast before her father adopted her. Due to her mistreatment, she did not trust him and ran away. She was then captured and brought to a lab. If her father had not rescued her, she would have been a prisoner and experimented on forever.

"Maybe I can ask Papa if he can adopt her," Lucy wondered but their family was already big enough. "Or maybe ARMOR can help find her a home." ARMOR had experience dealing with children with dangerous powers. She was a prime example. Perhaps they could put Abby with a foster family who could help her control her powers.

The elevator opened and Lucy looked away from Abby to see who it was. She saw Celine and Alice step out together. The plant girl had a box that was covered in green wrapping paper with yellow stars on it and topped with a red bow.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Celine asked her sister.

"I think she will," Alice assured her little sister and Celine smiled.

"Hey, you two," Lucy greeted, raising her hand to wave.

"Hi, Aunt Lucy," Alice smiled as she greeted the young woman who frowned. While she found it cute when Alice was a little girl, the android was now a full-grown adult.

"I don't think you should call me that anymore, Alice," Lucy advised. "Feels weird."

"I guess you're right," Alice agreed. She was an adult and calling Lucy her aunt would feel strange. She wondered if her father would object to being called 'daddy' now.

"So, what's you got there?" Lucy asked, looking at the present in Celine's hands.

"A present for Abby," Celine answered, smiling.

"That's nice," Lucy smiled back and she stepped back to watch Celine approach Abby's cell. The young girl noticed Celine and frowned crossly.

"Hello," Celine greeted.

"Go away, you meanie!" Abby shouted, turning away with her arms crossed. "You broke Atanti! I hate you!"

"Celine has something she wants to say to you, Abby," Alice said and she urged Celine forward.

"Abby, I'm so sorry I broke your toy so I brought you a present," Celine said, holding the box to Abby. Alice went to the control panel and shut off the forcefield. As long as Abby stayed in her cell, she was no danger to anyone.

"A present?" Abby walked over to Celine and took the box. Removing the bow, she tore off the wrapping paper and then opened the box to see what was inside. Her eyes widened as she gasped happily with a bright smile. "Atanti!" She took out the new stuffed toy which resembled the one Celine had destroyed and hugged it. "Atanti, you're back!"

"I saw how much you loved him and I wanted to make up for it," Celine said.

"Thank you so much! Do you want to play?"

"Mau!" Celine smiled back and she got an idea. "Onee-chan, can we take Abby up to the HoloSims?"

"Sorry, but she has to stay in her room," Alice apologised.

"Oh," Celine and Abby frowned. Alice and Lucy felt sorry for Abby. It was not her fault that Kyofu made her into a weapon.

"We can still have fun here," Lucy proposed. "Abby, have you ever played 'Red Light, Green Light'?"

"No," Abby shook her head.

"It's fun!" Celine claimed.

"OK, let's play!"

Lucy explained the rules and Abby nodded as she understood and turned around, covering her eyes as Celine, Alice and Lucy walked backwards until they stood a few feet away. Then they began walking towards Abby as the young girl counted.

"1, 2, 3, red light!" Abby opened her eyes and spun around just as Celine, Lucy and Alice froze. Abby smiled and turned around, covering her eyes again. "Green light! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, red light!" She spun around and caught Celine moving. "Got you!"

Sitting in his quarters, Shinichi went over the plan to finally put an end to the Brain Trust Society. Without their leader, they may struggle to reorganise themselves, but Kyofu likely had assigned someone to take command in case anything were to happen to him.

Shinichi was troubled by Megan's claim about Kyofu's consciousness being missing. He had asked her if Kyofu's earlier presence in his mind was his consciousness, but Megan told him that had only been a facsimile.

Where could Kyofu's consciousness have gone? Was it possible that Kyofu could transfer his consciousness into another body if his current body were ever incapacitated? Could he be back at the Brain Trust Society with a new body? They would need to be ready in case Kyofu came back to get his revenge.

Fortunately, for them, Kyofu would not have his full Alpha Force at his disposal. They had most of the team in holding with only Weapons B, E, F, Z, Q, R, T, Y, Z and D left. Then there were also the two unknown members, Weapons W and G. Sheila had already hacked Kyofu's Cyberdeck and given him the information about the two unknown Weapons. Their files were kept as Top Secret and Shinichi could see why.

Shinichi began to ponder his future. Rena wanted them to have a normal life together and he agreed with her. However, he did not know if that was possible. His past made sure of it. There were still many threats to the world and, as a Kamen Rider, his duty was to protect it. Yet, how long was he supposed to do this? How much did he need to do until he could properly atone for his past?

A long time ago, Shinichi used to hate himself for serving GIN-SHOCKER; and it had taken him a long time, along with the support of his loved ones as well as several therapy sessions for him to accept that he was not responsible for his actions at the time. He had no choice as Gebok had been the one controlling him. That still did not wash away the blood on his hands, but it managed to remove some of the burdens from his heart. Nevertheless, he still carried the memories to remind him of why he needed to atone for his actions. He may not be the one solely responsible for those deaths, but he still committed those killings and that was reason enough for him to atone.

But then there was another reason why he hated himself: fear. He was afraid of what he could do with his powers. Being able to turn back time and bring the dead back to life must seem like a blessing to normal people, like a power bestowed by the gods. It was why it had to be kept secret from the rest of the world. If everyone knew what he could do, people would be flocking to him to bring their dead loved ones to life. That was why he was careful to edit memories. As far as the villagers knew, the people who died in the attack had been severely injured instead. But if he could reverse time, did that not mean he could accelerate it as well? Kyofu's nightmare showed him what could happen if he ever lost control of his powers and the results were frightening; everything and everyone around him would age, die and turn to dust.

He was powerful, he was dangerous, and he accepted that. All Kyofu did was just open up old wounds in an attempt to break him.

He heard a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me," Daiki answered.

"Come in, Daiki," Shinichi permitted and the door slid open, allowing the Earth Manakyte to enter. Shinichi noticed his unhappy expression. "Is there something I can help you with, Daiki?"

"Yes, I have a problem, and she's walking free around like she owns the place," Daiki answered angrily.

"You're talking about Cryska," Shinichi deduced.

"That's right. Why isn't she locked up with the rest of them?" Daiki demanded.

"Because she has defected and wants to help us," Shinichi answered reasonably.

"Oh, so she gets a free pass just like that?" Daiki scoffed. "Her team attacked us, they killed my mom, and we're supposed to let that go?"

"Daiki, I don't expect you to forgive her but you have to understand that she didn't have a choice," Shinichi said. "Kyofu was holding her sister hostage. Tell me, if you had to choose between your family and a group of strangers, who would you pick?"

"That's not fair, Uncle Shin," Daiki whined.

"Life often isn't," Shinichi countered. If life was fair, he would not have lost ten years of his life. "But if you want to hurt Cryska for what happened to your mom then, following your logic, I should be allowed to do the same to Alice for what she did to my family years ago."

"Do that and I'll kill you!" Daiki growled instinctively, his eyes glowing.

"See what I mean?" Shinichi pointed out immediately. Daiki clamped his hand over his mouth as soon as he realised he had just walked right into that one. "In the case of Alice, she doesn't even remember what she did, but I still forgave her. All I'm saying is that you should see things from Cryska's perspective before you judge her."

"I still don't know if I can just let it go, Uncle Shin," Daiki said uncertainly. Shinichi understood his nephew's dilemma. He was still young, not quite mature yet, so he was quick to judge. Shinichi needed an example to get the point across.

"Sheila, can you please ask Conda to come and meet me at the HoloSims?" Shinichi asked.

"Why are you calling my mom?" Daiki asked, confused.

"Because there's something you need to see and I don't want another child to end up traumatised. Now, come with me."

Conda, Daiki and Shinichi entered HoloSim 2 together and the door closed behind them.

"Please select your program," Sheila requested.

"No Russian, 1981," Shinichi answered and the interior of the chamber shimmered before it transformed into an airport in Moscow.

"What is this place?" Conda asked as she saw their surroundings and the people.

"An airport in Moscow, 1981," Shinichi answered as he checked his time. "And it's about to begin now."

The three of them watched as the NUMBERS casually strolled out of the elevator and into the airport terminal where people were standing in line to board their flights. Security guards were also standing nearby.

No one seemed to pay them any mind. Perhaps they thought these masked kids were putting on a show of some kind. Although, some of the people, the guards especially, noticed them carrying guns. A few dismissed them as just toys since the real thing would've been too heavy for kids to carry. Besides, who would be stupid enough to arm a bunch of kids with guns?

So, nobody expected what happened next as the NUMBERS suddenly opened fire on the airport terminal, gunning down civilians, staff and security personnel alike. The NUMBERS were like a professional shooting squad, not wasting time and showing no mercy. Many people screamed in terror as they tried to flee from the carnage but they would not get very far as they were gunned. They dropped to the floor, dead, blood pouring out of their wounds to pool around their bodies. The metal detectors were also hit by gunfire and were damaged beyond repair.

"Hahaha! Look at them run!" #12 laughed gleefully as he fired upon the people as they were trying to flee for their lives. This was all just a game to him.

"Of course, they can only run," #10 snorted as he heartlessly stepped over the bodies, looking for more targets. "They're powerless to do anything." He was a superior being, after all. There was no way they could get away from him.

"Bet I can kill more than you, 10!" #12 challenged.

"Hah, in your dreams! By the end of this, my body count will be higher than 13's!" #10 bragged. "Hey, 11! Let's see who gets the most headshots! Loser has to clean the winner's locker!"

Men, women, and children, the young and the old, all were killed without mercy. Conda kept her expression blank as she witnessed the carnage but Daiki just watched on in horror. While Daiki was used to violence, any depiction of blood was censored for his sake.

"Sheila, freeze program," Shinichi ordered and everything froze around them.

"W-what did we just see, Uncle Shin?" Daiki asked, shaken by what he had seen.

"GIN-SHOCKER sent us to an airport in Moscow to kill everyone at the airport. Only two people survived that day: Cryska and her little sister," Shinichi explained. "Sheila, please end the program." The room shimmered back to its normal appearance. "So, now you see why Cryska joined Kyofu. It's because of what we did."

"B-bu you didn't have a choice," Daiki said, stammering.

"And do you think Cryska had a choice?" Shinichi asked rhetorically. "After what we did to her family, she wanted revenge and that led her to Kyofu. The thing about revenge is that it's a slippery slope and you believe every action you do in the name of it is justified, no matter who else has to suffer for you to get it. Cryska only realised she had gone too far after the attack on our village."

"So I should just forgive her?" Daiki demanded. "Just let it go?"

"My teammates were my enemies too but we managed to come together and become a team again," Shinichi argued.

"But what about the NUMBERS who didn't join you? You killed them too, didn't you?" Daiki questioned.

"Daiki!" Conda hissed.

"Back then, I didn't have all my memories yet so I only saw them as threats. As for my team, well, if it weren't for my friends, I might have killed them too," Shinichi confessed. He was grateful to them for that, for helping him find another way. "Daiki, a grudge is an ugly thing that grows and festers inside of you. Harbouring one will always result in pain, not just for you, but for the people who care about you. I can't ask you to forgive Cryska. You have to decide that for yourself. What you need to ask yourself is if holding onto this grudge is worth it."

Shinichi would never forgive Gebok for as long as he lived, but he let go of his grudge. He threw away his obsession after finally getting justice and closure.

The Smith girls played with Abby until the little girl became tired and went to bed and Celine joined her. Looking at Abby sleeping so peacefully, they could hardly tell that the sweet little girl possessed a dangerous psychic power.

"She smells like death," Amora said as she appeared beside Alice and Lucy.

"Aunt Amora?" Alice asked.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned.

"Well, my dears, it's almost Celine's bedtime so I came looking for her," Amora answered as she watched Celine sleeping beside Abby. "And it looks like our little faerie has made a new friend."

"Her name's Abby," Alice clarified.

"And she smells like death," Amora repeated.

"What do you mean by that?" Alice questioned, curious.

"I mean she smells like Hela, the Queen of Hel and Goddess of Death. She had this aura that would kill everything she touched," Amora explained. "That's the same aura I'm sensing from that little girl."

"So, you're saying she's some kind of baby death god?" Lucy questioned, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds a bit too far-fetched."

"Your brother is practically a time god," Amora reminded, referring to Shinichi. "And I don't know what this young girl is. All I know is that wherever she goes, death will follow."

"That's the same thing they said about Shinichi-niichan," Alice pointed out.

"And me," Lucy claimed. She was told before she was destined to cause the end of humanity by replacing them with her kind.

"Abby's not evil, Aunt Amora. She just doesn't know any better," Alice said.

"Well, she is young so it would be so easy for someone like Kyofu to manipulate her. You're right that she's only misguided." Amora conceded. "All she needs is some positive influences in her life and a good role model."

"I was thinking of helping her find a home," Lucy considered.

"Oh? Hoping for your daddy to adopt a new little sister for you? Or maybe you're looking to get started on a family of your own?" Amora teased.

"Nothing like that," Lucy denied. "Dad has too many kids already and I'm nowhere near close to being ready for a family. I was thinking of asking him to help find people who could adopt her."

"While that is a nice sentiment, her powers might make it difficult," Amora reminded Lucy.

"But that's not her fault, Aunt Amora. Maybe we can teach her how to control her powers. Like, maybe Grandma could help her. Maybe you can use your magic to take her powers away." Alice was almost pleading with the Enchantress.

"Why do you both wish to help her so badly?" Amora asked. "Is it because she reminds you of yourselves?"

"Yes," Alice admitted as she empathised with Abby. "Just like how Gebok made me into a weapon, Kyofu took Abby from her family to turn her into one. She deserves a chance to be happy like me."

"And I would be stuck in a lab if Papa had not taken me in," Lucy added.

"I can see that you are your fathers' daughters," Amora nodded with approval. "Alright, I'll support your decision."

"Thank you, Aunt Amora," Alice smiled.

Dr. Exposition: These scenes were meant to be put in Act 19. However, as they disrupted the flow of the chapter, I decided to set them aside as an interlude. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little interlude which showed Daiki's grudge against the Alpha Force, Cryska in particular, and Celine befriending Abby. I just love cute little kids making friends.