The date is 23/11/2023, and unfortunately my muse demands I create something new using the old tools.
You can't imagine how I came up with this, not even myself because I still don't know why I like this idea so much that I want to write a fanfic about it.
In Todd Howard's words, it just works. And I doubt there's someone else who could come up with this specific idea.
Jinzo Ningen Kikaider, or Android Kikaider, is of course one of the creations of Ishinomori Shotaro. I've watched the original 70s Toku long ago. I still have to finish reading the manga and watch the anime but I know enough to write something with it. However, as the title suggests, it doesn't star the titular hero.
Hakaider, the Mechanical Violator built by the forces of DARK to combat Kikaider, powered by the brain of Professor Komyoji, making it difficult for Kikaider to even fight him fearing that the professor's brain will be damaged. I'm sure the more hardcore fans can tell you more in detail but Hakaider is one of the best.
Originally, I wanted to write a Hakaider x Nier Automata, and write the shenanigans that ensued when Yorha realized the weird scary black robot has an actual human brain in his noggin. But with how wild the lore of that game is I can't even begin to figure out what kind of story to tell. I have to finish the games and get all the endings to properly write that story, but eventually I shelved the idea… until today.
Yeah I know about the Nier crossover, I'll think of something if I ever reach that part.
Reading up the lore of Nikke (I'm sure it's a great game to play but I ain't entering Gacha hell no matter how attractive the girls are, and I pity the poor battery of my phone, not to mention the crashes lol) and watching story videos gave me some ideas of the kind of themes I can write, and whatever I'm cooking, I like what I'm smelling even though I don't know the ingredients I'm using lol
I'll admit, a Nikke SI-Fic on SpaceBattles titled Only Human–that I recently found out is available on AO3 as well–inspired me to write my own. It has great ideas but of course I'm doing this my way. Knowing very little of the game, I'll have to learn and catch up as I write. This will be your spoiler warning because I might use the latest materials and foreshadow them earlier in this story.
Doesn't matter when you're reading this, this is your spoiler alert. Don't whine and blame me if you missed this.
I'm not sure if what I write will be to the liking of most Nikke fans, but I'll do my best to write something decent.
This fic may be different from what I'm used to writing. SI-Hakaider won't be replacing the Commander, for starters, he's his own character and Hakaider will basically be the left hand man to Rapi's right hand woman.
However, Hakaider being a rebellious bad boy who does what he wants, I would be remiss to not have SI-Hakaider wreak havoc and annoy the shit out of his allies at times.
The version of Hakaider I'm basing him on will be an amalgamation of multiple variations of the character, from the original 70s Tokusatsu and manga, to the 1995 Mechanical Violator Hakaider movie and the Super Imaginative Chogokin figures.
As for his appearance, I always see the original SIC Hakaider sculpted by Takayuki Takeya as my mental image of the character. No disrespect to the original 70s Toku and Ishinomori manga designs, but Takayuki Takeya's designs are badass and I fucking love SIC Figures.
Anyways, enough rambling. Time to bust into the world of Nikke.
Somewhere on the surface.
"Over Here. Over Here."
"She's been corrupted! When did this happen?!"
Commander Daichi Loban stepped back as Marian's eyes glowed red, repeating those two words ad infinitum as she twitched in place. The kindhearted Nikke he just met today, the woman who saved his life…
"Shifty, what the hell is happening to her?"
The young commander looked at the human operator (he previously asked if she was a Nikke, and she denied it. Daichi assumed her hair was sky blue because it's dyed) via the upper left side of his Command specs, the screen shrinking down to not impede his visions, and Shifty answered, "Her central nerve was taken by the Rapture! She's sending out a distress signal, stop her!"
"How, is there some sort of antivirus we can use?"
Rapi stepped in front of Daichi, never taking her eyes off Marian, "I'm sorry, Commander. But if such a program exists we would've immediately administered it to her. Marian has been compromised, and must be terminated."
Emphasizing her point, Rapi aimed Militaria, her assault rifle, at the corrupted Nikke, "I've got her in my sights, please give the order!"
Logically, Daichi knows what must be done… but emotionally, this was a terrible situation he wished he's not a part of. 'Marian didn't deserve this, none of the Nikkes do if this is a common occurrence, so why? She saved my life and I'm repaying it by taking hers? What the fuck is this–'
The commander stumbled as the earth shook around him. Before he fell, Rapi immediately grabbed him. The height difference almost caused his jaw to hit her head, but Daichi kept himself steady with her shoulders before that happened. To his right, he saw Anis aiming her grenade launcher, Liberty's Tail, while scanning the buildings. To his left, he heard the three mass production Nikkes covering his flank. The shotgunner Soldier FA, sniper Product 08, and submachine gunner/medic iDoll Ocean aimed their respective firearms toward Marian, still serenely repeating those two words.
"I'm detecting a high class energy in front of you!" Shifty reported, her eyes looking at another screen to provide further information, "Those vibration patterns… oh no. It's a Tyrant Class Rapture, codenamed Blacksmith!"
Before he could ask her what that is, it appeared.
Bursting out of the ruins, was something Daichi could only describe as a large demonic crab-beetle with a lot of arsenal on its shell.
"Overrrrr hheeerrreeeeee…"
Marian began walking towards the Rapture, but before she could take another step, a pair of tentacles launched from its backside and enwrapped Marian, pulling her in an instant.
"Shit, it's absorbing her into its body!" Anis pointed out.
"Marian!" Daichi cried out, but he knew there's nothing he could do as her body submerged into the Rapture. "Shifty, why did it take her?!"
The operator jumped at his sudden shouting, but maintained her composure to answer the commander, "This type captures Nikkes on the surface and use them for Rapture parts!"
"Damn! Does that mean the other Nikkes we're supposed to save are…"
"I'm willing to bet the same thing happened to the missing vanguard troops." Rapi concluded, letting the commander go.
"There's gotta be a way to save them, there has to be."
Rapi heard Daichi muttering underneath his breath, and offered a solution to him, "Sir, we may be able to save them. Even Marian."
Too shocked to respond, Anis voiced it out for him, sharing the same thought, "What are you talking about?"
"Remember what Shifty told us." Rapi recalled, "The Blacksmith captures Nikkes for parts, but before that happens it keeps them for a while. Judging by when they disappeared, there may still be some time left."
Hissing his breath, Daichi clenched his fists as he put his thoughts into words, "So there's a chance."
"Yessir. What do you want to do?"
"Do you have to ask?" Anis interrupted, slowly backing away from the encroaching Blacksmith, "Let's just get out of here!"
Rapi simply held Anis in place, not taking her eyes off the young commander, "Your orders, please."
Daichi straightened his posture as his resolve built up, "We have to save Marian."
"Yes, Commander."
Anis gasped at what he's ordering, wrenching her arm out of Rapi's grip, "Are you out of your mind?! We're gonna die!"
"Anis." Rapi turned to the grenadier Nikke, her determined eyes shining through her mask of stoicism, "The least we can do is try. For them."
The trio of MP Nikkes to Daichi's left remained stoic, but he could've sworn he saw them grimacing as they kept their sights on the Tyrant Class Rapture.
"... Have you found it?"
"I don't know yet."
Daichi wondered what the named Nikkes were talking about, but he didn't have time to ask as Anis bore a grin, hoisting Liberty's Tail up, nodding to both Rapi and the Commander, "Okay, let's give it a shot then."
With a nod, Rapi put her fingers in her earpiece, "Shifty, please assist."
"Oh… okay." The operator reluctantly complied, frowning at whatever stats or charts she's seeing from a different screen, "Honestly, facing off against any Tyrant Class will be challenging. Simulation results are–"
"I don't want to hear it." Daichi interrupted, glaring at the Rapture, "We're rescuing Marian and any captured Nikkes, we'll crack that bastard open, whatever it takes."
He didn't see it, but as Shifty saw the determination on his face, the girl grinned, then nodded to herself and responded, "Yes, Commander Loban! Engaging with Tyrant 003: Blacksmith now!"
With a nod, Daichi addressed the Nikkes, "Same drill as before; I'll use these Command Specs to paint any visible weak points, and when I say the word spill lead at any targets I painted. Commence resynchronization now."
"Yessir!" They cried out. If one were to look closely, the pupils of the named Nikkes will have informational readouts running down their eyes. The same couldn't be said for the Mass Produced Nikkes, their eyes obscured by their headgears.
Just in time, the Blacksmith roared as if to challenge them, red pods on its shell sprouted out from multiple openings, and beneath its head was a glowing red core; an obvious spot to attack it.
"Shifty, you see what I'm seeing? Those arm guns should be his weak points, right?"
"That's right!" The operator confirmed, "Any Raptures that are of Tyrant Class will have multiple weak points for you to attack, so make sure you identify and destroy them."
"Roger that. Anis, concentrate your fire on its arms, and if possible potshots to the legs, I want that thing immobilized and limping. That spot should give you some vantage, take cover over there."
"You got it, Commander!" Anis went into said cover to his left as she aimed and fired at the aforementioned body parts.
"Zero-Eight, you're her backup. When she's reloading you keep the pressure up with your rifle."
"Roger." 08 obeyed, moving to the right and taking cover behind Anis.
"Rapi, Falcon, Ocean; our targets should be obvious, so concentrate your fire there, and the gun arms while you're at it. Rapi, we'll go here, you two go over there."
"Yessir!" Rapi and Daichi took cover in the same location, while FA and Ocean took different ones to his right.
Daichi was busy covering his ears as the Nikkes got to work–he'll have to requisition ear protections that still allow communication when they make it out of this. The HUD of his specs provided enough information for the targeting software to help the girls know what to shoot.
When Shifty warned that the Blacksmith was launching missiles, he had the idea of shooting them down, which Rapi, FA, and Ocean gladly obliged with only him painting them with a look. 08 got tangled by its tentacles for a moment, but she held her ground despite how powerful the grips are. With his quick thinking, Daichi pointed out structural weaknesses around where the tentacles came out of, the Nikkes shot them just in time to rescue the sniper, nary worse for wear as she went back to shooting.
Once they managed to take out one arm, the red core of the Blacksmith began to glow brighter.
"I'm detecting an energy spike!" Shifty reported, "The Blacksmith is charging up its particle cannon, take cover!"
Daichi didn't have time to find a way to prevent the attack, so he followed the operator's suggestion. With a nod, he yelled out to the Nikkes, "You heard her, get down!"
All 5 immediately laid themselves low in their respective cover. Then he saw FA using her shield instead.
"Falcon that thing better hold, otherwise take cover!"
The Blacksmith roared as it fired the laser beam, sweeping it horizontally to where they're at! Rapi held onto Daichi, covering him with her reinforced body. From the gaps, he managed to see the aftermath; they're alright.
To his surprise, FA's shield held up, albeit quite singed from the attack, and the bulletproof glass had been cracked.
"HUD, status!" He muttered as the command specs put up displays of the Nikkes into his line of sight.
"I'm alright, Commander." Rapi assured Daichi, replying with a grunt as he checked on the others.
Anis and 08 are fine, so was Ocean, but FA took some minor damage according to what the HUD told him.
"Ocean, heal Falcon up as quickly as you can. Everyone else, return fire!"
As Ocean was making her way to FA, Rapi pulled away from Daichi and did what she was ordered to, followed by 08 and Anis.
Then, he heard Shifty gasping, "Oh, no! I'm detecting multiple signals, it's getting reinforcements!"
Daichi frowned at the new info, "Thanks for the warning, but why sound surprised?"
"That's because the Tyrant Class don't usually call for it! There's a possibility that this engagement attracted them somehow!"
Daichi clicked his tongue, before crying out to his Nikkes, "How much time do we have?"
"You have… huh? Multiple contacts lost. So fast…"
Daichi swore he could hear explosions in the distance, but with how he's in the middle of the combat zone, he couldn't really tell. "Shifty, what's wrong?"
"Enemy blips on the radar are fading one by one… but there's a bogey coming your way, and IFF came back as negative!"
Just then, the explosions became much louder and closer, and coming from their left was the sound of a roaring, revving engine.
What Daichi saw first was a single glowing projectile flying across the street, striking the Blacksmith on the remaining arm, destroying it in one blow. Another projectile flew and hit its back, detonating the missiles it's about to launch.
"What the hell was that?!" Anis exclaimed, aiming her grenade launcher to their left flank, "Did cavalry just arrive for us?"
"No!" Rapi denied, her assault rifle still aimed at the Rapture, "It's an unknown contact, don't let your guard down!"
As the Blacksmith groaned in pain, Daichi and the Nikkes prepared themselves for whatever's coming.
Then, in the distance, a figure in black arrived on a white motorcycle, stopping between them and the Rapture.
Daichi could barely tell what this figure looked like as it turned to them, even with the spec's zoom function. Whoever they were, the figure wore an intimidating helmet that covered their entire head, reminding the commander of a skull, especially with how the mask made them seem to look like they're constantly frowning.
The black power suit had some yellow accents; two running down their face on each cheeks as if they're scars or trails of tears; a line underneath their pectorals; their wrists and fingers; and the base of their thighs, although Daichi couldn't tell if they're more golden or yellow.
The most distinguishing features were the X-shaped scar on their chest, a holstered pistol of an unknown making on the right side of their white belt–the red buckle sharing a similar X-shaped mark–and the fact that they had shackles on each visible forelimbs, including elongated chains wrapped around them.
"Who the hell is this creep, and what's up with the chains, are they an escaped convict or something?" Anis murmured, and froze as the figure in black looked at her with their glowing red goggles.
The figure seems to be scanning the Nikkes, before landing their sights on Commander Daichi. Rapi immediately shuffled herself in front of him, Militaria's barrel aimed towards them.
"Identify yourself!" The Nikke demanded, but the figure remained silent as they maintained their glaring. "I repeat, identify yourself. Get out of our way or be fired upon as a hostile!"
Before she could get further answers, the Blacksmith roared once again, as if demanding its presence be acknowledged again. The figure pulled something out from their left leg, revealing it to be a firearm.
"Is that a… lever action shotgun? Why are they using a literal museum piece of all weapons?" Anis wondered, shaking her head at the sight, "That thing's kinda big, what could they possibly be compensating for?"
Daichi shushed the grenadier, "Anis! Stop provoking them, will you?! We don't know who we're dealing with!"
"How about an edgelord hellbent on leather and chains? And they should do something about those glowing red goggles, I thought they're a new Rapture type or something… oh man, I hope they aren't."
"Stop jinxing it!"
The figure ignored the bickerings as they swung their right leg over the bike, and aimed at the Blacksmith. Firing the shotgun, the launched projectile hit its mark and went through the Tyrant Class.
"It pierced through its armor?!" Shifty exclaimed, "Even the strongest available ammunition we have couldn't punch all the way through a Lord Class Rapture, how powerful is that gun?!"
Flipping the shotgun to rechamber a new round, the figure fired another round through the Blacksmith, this time splitting one of its legs apart, enraging the rapture as it toppled.
Daichi should be glad that such an expectedly powerful reinforcement was helping them. But he had an objective and this figure will cost him the mission.
"Cease fire!" The commander shouted, jumping over the cover he's sharing with Rapi.
"Commander, wait!" Rapi tried to reach for his suit, but he was already gone over cover and ran towards the figure in black.
Daichi saw the figure looking back as he approached the motorcycle, "That Rapture has captured some of our soldiers, cease fire!"
He could've sworn he saw the figure's mask frowning even more as they turned to the Blacksmith. They responded by reloading their shotgun with another flip.
"Please! Give us a chance to rescue them!"
Daichi heard footsteps behind him, Rapi making her way to the young man, "Commander, fall back! You're too exposed, please get back into cover!"
Trouble kept piling up as Shifty made a panicked announcement, "Commander Loban! The Blacksmith is charging up its particle cannon again, take cover now!"
Unfortunately, the warning came too late as the Rapture's core fired the beam. Rapi did the only thing any Nikke should do, and protected her commander with her life, holding Daichi down as her back faced the incoming attack. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes were Anis' horrified expression, and Daichi's hair as she held him close.
The beam roared, but instead of disintegrating them, Rapi heard the surrounding ruins crumbling for some reason. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the beam breaking apart, and when she looked behind her, Rapi couldn't help but gasp.
"Holy shit, they're tanking the beam?!"
Anis couldn't have put it any better; the figure stood their ground with their arms apart. Rapi thought her eyes were glitching, but there seemed to be some form of energy barrier protecting the figure. She couldn't investigate any further as the beam eventually ceased.
"What… what the hell?"
"Commander, are you alright?" Rapi shuffled back to check on Daichi, answering her with a nod.
Rhythmic metallic clunks filled the momentary silence. As Rapi helped Daichi up, the two saw the figure walking towards the Blacksmith. The chains from the shackles have mostly melted off, pieces of them trailing behind the figure. He then noticed that their shotgun was holstered in their left boot, 'What an odd place to put a gun holster.'
"What are they doing?" Rapi wondered, "Do they intend to engage in close quarters? Such recklessness, I won't be surprised if they're a thrill seeking mercenary."
"Mercenary… I can see why you think–whoa!"
The figure, this Black Mercenary, jumped and somersaulted their way onto the Blacksmith!
Daichi stood agape at what he saw, "How did they… and at such distance too. What's–they're punching the Rapture!?"
The Blacksmith struggled to shake the Black Mercenary off of it as they pummeled the Rapture with their bare hands, ripping and tearing pieces of its armor off.
The mercenary's goggled eyes turned to Daichi, and waved a hand towards themselves.
Rapi narrowed her eyes, "Commander, it appears this mercenary wants us to attack the Rapture. I don't trust them at all, but what are your orders?"
Weighing his options, Daichi looked at the mercenary, and the status screen of the Nikkes on his spec HUD. Falcon seemed to be alright, same goes for the rest of the Nikkes.
Just because this Black Mercenary was attacking the Rapture doesn't make them a friend… but Marian's still in danger.
"Everyone, regroup!" Daichi ordered, Anis and the MP Nikkes complied and dashed their way to the commander.
"Commander, don't tell me we're helping that… Mechanical Violator out?" Anis asked, shifting her body to look at the Black Mercenary.
Daichi raised an eyebrow, "Mechanical Violator?"
"It just came to me. I mean, look at them, they're wrecking that rapture, and I almost feel sorry for that thing!"
"That thing kidnapped Marian and a lot of Nikkes to be used for spare parts, it can go fuck itself."
Anis giggled at his response, "If you say so, commander. What's the plan?"
Daichi turned around to face the Blacksmith, "Same as before, kill it and rescue Marian and anybody else inside of it. With that Black Mercenary… helping us, you may fire at will since it's busy shaking them off. Warn them if they're in your line of fire, especially yours Anis."
Rapi stepped in with a question, "What should we do afterwards, apprehend the mercenary?"
Before he answered, the Blacksmith roared in pain. Turning around, Daichi saw that the Mercenary had apparently ripped and torn out most of their legs, immobilizing it. They turned back to the commander, shaking their head and shrugging, and walked away to the side.
"Did they just sassed us?" Anis wondered, "I mean, I get it since he kinda did our work for us, but the nerve!"
"We'll apologize later, now open fire!"
The Nikkes moved forward and began firing. The Blacksmith was literally on its last legs, the missile pods had been wrecked, the beam emitter cracked… he wished they're the ones to have injured it, but Daichi accepted whatever advantages he could get.
The Rapture attempted to fire its particle cannon one last time, but Daichi saw openings to interrupt its futile attempt. By his command, the Nikkes fired at the specific spots and shattered the emitter.
Eventually, the Blacksmith howled one last time before finally expiring as pieces of it exploded outwards, while the body remained intact.
As the dust slowly settled, Daichi put a hand on his earpiece, "Shifty, did we do it? Is it down for good?"
"Target eliminated, Commander Loban." Shifty confirmed, sounding peppier at the information, "Considering there's only twelve-point-four percent chance of success, I'd say that was a job well done!"
Exhaling a sigh, Daichi slacked his shoulders. Taking off his command specs to wipe off his sweaty face with a sleeve, he looked around the area as Rapi checked for survivors, but found no sign of the Black Mercenary.
"Commander."
But he has another matter to attend to, "Any survivors?"
Rapi shook her head, "No survivors from the vanguard."
Daichi frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Did… did the mercenary–"
"No, sir. All the parts have been ransacked long ago, judging by their state of decay."
Anis bit her lips, frustrated by the information. She then asked Rapi, "What about Marian?"
Meanwhile, somewhere inside one of the buildings, the Black Mercenary watched over the group as they discovered their surviving comrade. What's left of her, anyway.
Marian, as he heard them call her, had lost an arm and a leg, with one eye missing, revealing her red electronic eye.
It was a pitiable sight.
Their Commander was horrified at what he saw, and it got worse for him when whoever served as mission operator told him that a corrupted Nikke must be executed according to the laws of whatever city they belong to. It was lucky that the commander protested aloud, he wouldn't have known about this.
Then, the redhead walked towards the man, giving him a pistol to do it with.
The young man looked apprehensive at it, and as terrible as it is, he knew he had no other choice as there seemed to be no available cure for corruption. The buxom blonde offered to do it in his stead, but the redhead reminded her that Nikkes cannot execute one another; it has to be done by the human commander.
Judging from what he has observed, these gynoid soldiers are considered expendable tools, with how similar their dead and decayed comrades are with the still living ones–must be mass produced models. The trio with revealing dresses have to be unique individuals who had gained personalities somehow.
Well, it's about to be a duo now.
The mercenary watched as the Commander approached the doomed gynoid with a pistol, aiming at her head. Understandably, he hesitated because of whatever bonds the two made prior to this moment.
The redhead reminded him that if they don't execute her, Marian would become an Irregular, whatever that meant.
The redhead was about to argue when he lowered the pistol, but stopped as Marian came back to her senses, and willingly aimed the pistol the commander's holding onto her forehead with her remaining hand.
They said that there's no coming back from corruption… yet she returned from the brink as herself for one last time. Thanking the commander for bandaging her.
Such a small act of kindness having this big of an impact… intrigued the Black Mercenary to the Commander.
Marian pulled the trigger for him, thus ending the Nikke's life.
The commander, still kneeling in front of her, asked the Nikke with the medical bags for bandages. She complied, and gave it to him. The young man proceeded to bandage Marian's head one last time, preserving whatever dignity that's left of her while the redhead reported what happened. Then, they proceeded to leave, the blonde cursing the fact that they either couldn't save her, or couldn't bury her.
Either way, the Black Mercenary has made his decision.
'I guess this is as right a time as any.'
Daichi felt hazy.
Waking up from cardiac arrest and being resuscitated only to immediately be thrown into combat minutes later wasn't something anybody commonly experienced. Not to mention this amnesia he has.
Daichi Loban knows his own name, but when it comes to his family, his time in the military academy, or anything about the Ark, they're all blanks and fogs to him.
But right now, his thoughts lingered on Marian.
'How… How did it come to this?' He pondered, glumming over the past few hours, 'I barely understand what Nikkes are, but to think people back at the Ark sees them as disposable. These girls are humans, dammit, no way Anis could fake her outbursts. Rapi might be stoic but even she has emotions… Do the MP Nikkes have their emotions suppressed or something? Fucking bullshit, all of this.'
They turned around the corner, almost out of the ruined city block as Daichi continued in his mind, 'And if that's the case, Marian's death would be ignored, forgotten as one of many casualties against the Raptures. To hell with that. I won't forget her, no matter what… Speaking of which, that Black Mercenary though, who even are they? I'll admit they're powerful, but who's to say that what I saw wasn't everything they had in their disposal. He might seem to be an enemy of my enemy, but is he really friend or foe?'
A melodic tune interrupted Daichi's train of thoughts.
"Is that… whistling?" He told the Nikkes, who immediately raised their firearms. In response he put his command specs back on, and pressed his fingers into his earpiece, "Shifty, come in. Can you check if we're alone?"
"Stand by." Shifty responded, and gasped a few seconds later, "Whoa! I'm detecting an energy spike nearby! It's… similar to a Nikke, but also much higher? Proceed with caution, I'll double check these readings."
Anis let out a growl, "Seriously? Can't we get a break for today? I don't care how catchy that tune is, but whoever's doing it–"
"Commander, look!"
Looking at the direction Rapi pointed, he saw the same Black Mercenary leaning against their white motorcycle, arms crossed. Their red goggles seemed to have stopped glowing, too.
The figure kept whistling as the Nikkes surrounded them. This time, Daichi finally got a better look at this mysterious figure.
The suit seemed to be a mixture of leather and armored sections, but he couldn't really tell without getting even closer. Their gauntlets were obviously metallic, had to be because they were punching the Rapture a few minutes ago. Odd how there's nary a dent on the knuckles, must've been some sturdy stuff.
Daichi looked at their face and…
"Is… is that a brain?"
To his shock, the topside of their head was actually a translucent dome that reveals their exposed brain. He then noticed that their red goggles weren't eyewears at all, because the upper halves went up into the dome, revealing it to be large red robotic eyes in a permanent glare.
They were still whistling, and Daichi finally noticed that they had no lips either; what he thought was him gritting his teeth were actually a facsimile of an open scowl.
Looking down, the boot where the mercenary holstered their shotgun wasn't a footwear at all, but it's their left calf protruding with enough space to put it in.
Daichi took a step back, "You… you're not human. Are you some sort of robot–shit, are you actually some brand new type of Rapture?!"
The Nikkes immediately aimed their firearms at this robotic mercenary.
"I was just joking… ugh, the commander's right, that is a brain!" Anis hissed out, cringing at the sight, "So gross. Wait, if you're not a Rapture… don't tell me you're some sort of rogue Nikke?"
"I'm not pretty enough to be one of you. And don't compare me to those sparkboxes."
Hearing his voice for the first time, the Nikkes almost stepped back in shock. Daichi assumed he'd have a deep robotic voice, but the mercenary has a surprisingly smooth baritone.
"Whu–what the hell?!" Anis swore, "You're a guy? But… you're just a brain in a mechanical body. You can't be a male Nikke, they tried to make them forever ago but–"
"Perhaps I'm the first and only successful prototype. Would that make me your daddy, I wonder?"
"Bullshit! I don't even remember my dad but I know he's way better looking than you!"
"Well then, since I'm not that old, what if I say you're my little sisters?"
"No thanks, bro!"
The mercenary laughed at Anis' outburst, making her grit her teeth and growl.
Snapping his fingers, he stopped leaning and took a few steps from his bike. Each step accompanied by metallic clunks, and his joints creating whirring noises usually heard from older generation robots, "Alright, here's the deal; take me to your leader and if things go well, I want in."
Daichi and the Nikkes looked at each other, confusion obviously on their faces, before the commander returned his attention to the mercenary, "In… what, exactly?"
"Your city. I rather not have to scavenge for resources for the rest of my life, however long it is, and fighting nonstop against those sparkboxes. In exchange… well you've seen me in action. That was just a taste of what I'm capable of. Maybe if I've proven myself I'll be given my own Nikkes to command, or perhaps I'll be your vice commander down the line?"
Daichi was flabbergasted, "Wha–You can't seriously think I have that much influence, I'm an absolute novice! I know nothing of the political side of the military, I can't help you even if I want to!"
"Then I guess I'll have to stomp enough sparkboxes to get their attention."
"Spark–does he mean the Raptures?" Anis wondered, but unfortunately for her the mercenary heard her.
"Indeed, little miss grenadier. They're obviously machines, but their exteriors are too sturdy, they can't be bags, so I substitute them with boxes."
"That's… weirdly fitting."
"Use it if you want, but I can't take credit for that kind of nickname; there was this old assassin droid who loves to refer any organics as meatbags, dude's a riot. But in your cases… I wonder if he'd call you synthbags? Nah, if any of you annoyed or pissed me off that much, I'd just call her a cunt. Or maybe–"
"Enough of this!" Rapi cried out, stepping closer to the Black Mercenary, "I'll tell you one last time, identify yourself. We have you surrounded, if you're serious about the offer then surrender yourself and prepare to be taken in for questioning. Otherwise–"
"You think you can take me?"
"... If we must."
The mercenary went quiet as he glared at Rapi with his unblinking red eyes. They slowly started to glow, followed but his translucent domed head lighting up his brain somehow. The X shaped scar on his chest (torso?) began to glow red from within, about purplish light blinking as they heard his heart–or perhaps energy core–audibly pulsating.
He then let out a bone chilling chuckle, cracking his knuckles and somehow causing the usual noises of popped joints.
"Were it so easy."
Daichi also had enough, and stepped between them, "Hold your fire, all of you!"
"Commander?!" Rapi exclaimed.
"Just… just stop, please."
His tone surprised the Nikke, enough that it made her concerned. Exhaling a sigh, Rapi then said, "Commander, I'm sorry. But you know we can't just let him go."
"I know, I know." Daichi agreed, "Let me talk to this Black Mercenary, there has to be a way to solve this peacefully."
Said mercenary shook his head, letting out a light chuckle, "Is that what you're calling me? I do have personal gains in mind, but with the way I look I doubt money can buy what I want. Doesn't mean I don't accept them, though."
Turning to face the mercenary, Daichi made his way in front of the leather clad soldier. He was surprised that he's quite taller than him, perhaps around the 200 centimeters mark?
Gulping a swath of saliva, Daichi tightened his knuckles and looked up to the mercenary, "Then what do you want? If you want our lives, you could've taken them already instead of attacking the Raptures."
"Maybe." The mercenary coyly answered, "But I won't waste energy fighting someone that doesn't want me dead, unless they're stupid enough to ask for it. Besides, I believe you have enough trauma for the day."
Daichi froze, a shocked expression painted onto his face before he steadied himself, "You… you saw?"
The Black Mercenary's posture slackened, his dome, eyes, and scar stopped glowing as he stared at the commander, "I am sorry for your loss, young man."
Whatever Daichi was expecting, it wasn't that. Nor how soft his voice became.
"I do not know who this Marian was before all of this." He continued, "But judging from what I witnessed, you're made of sterner stuff. Whatever idiotic rules your nation has against your gynoid soldiers, you elected to ignore it to show her kindness instead–the same kindness that brought her back from the brink to die as herself. Mourn her however you wish, take as much time as you need… but as a military man, they won't give you that luxury."
Daichi remained silent and the Nikkes, except for Rapi, lowered their arms as he went on, "I don't know enough about you, but… you remind me of a story where a man asked his soldier brother about what he should do if he becomes a heroic leader. I'm paraphrasing, but the brother told the man, 'If you're going to be a hero, don't follow whatever trends people think a hero should be. Be strong enough to be gentle.'
The Black Mercenary stepped forward, leaning down to Daichi as Rapi stepped between them. He ignored her to make his point, "Do not let this tragedy change you for the worse. Gain whatever strength of your choosing, but do not lose that heart, and maybe you'll live longer in this godforsaken world."
As he leaned back, Daichi frowned, digesting what he heard.
'This guy… What's his deal?' He began, thinking to himself, 'Admittedly, those were encouraging words but I can't help but wonder if he means it or not. On one hand this merc is dangerous, bringing him back to the Ark could be detrimental… on the other hand, the higher-ups will probably chew me out if I let him go.'
Daichi finally made his decision, "Alright, you're in. Everybody, stand down."
"Sir, is this wise?" Rapi asked as she lowered Militaria.
Daichi shook his head, "Honestly Rapi, I have enough violence for one day, and he's been nothing but reasonable. Just… I know we've only met today, but please trust me on this."
"... Yessir."
The mercenary nodded as the Nikkes obeyed his order, "Thank you."
The commander then pointed a finger to him, "Let's get something straight, first."
Crossing his arms, the mercenary gave Daichi a nod, "Say your pieces, then."
"The Nikkes… they're not gynoids, but cyborgs. I honestly don't understand much yet but they're people. They are not tools, but people, you understand me?"
"Loud and clear. But even if they were gynoids they're still people, don't you figure? Who cares if you're originally human or not, if you're sentient then you're a person. I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am, y'know?"
Daichi stood agape at what he said. To think that there could be another who thought and believed the same thing as he does…
Rapi remained stoic, but inwards she admittedly felt intrigued by the mercenary's words.
Anis was confused, he said a lot of fancy words but from her deduction, he also believes that Nikkes are people, so that's good enough for her.
Unknowingly, the MP Nikkes each have differing thoughts, but they share one thing in common; this mercenary might look suspicious, but there's a semblance of goodness in him if he considers Nikkes sentient people.
"What, didn't they teach you philosophy?" The Black Mercenary interrupted his thoughts, "I get that it's ancient but never disregard those old wisdoms. And besides, those who throw away tools just because they get broken are idiots who are too lazy to make any efforts to fix, maintain, or even upgrade them, not that I'm saying you're tools. Anything else?"
"I, uh… what's your name?"
"Ah, I knew I forgot something."
The mercenary leaned his head back, his expression difficult to figure out due to lacking a face. Daichi however, felt that he was contemplating his answer. And there was some form of hesitancy in his posture.
Daichi squinted his eyes, 'How is he so emotive, I have trouble deciphering body languages, but for some reason I can tell…'
The Black Mercenary then turned to Anis. The Nikke raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head. The blonde frowned at him, "What are you smiling about?"
The commander couldn't believe what he heard, "Anis, he can't even make facial expressions, how can you tell?"
"I just know it, Commander. This jerk's up to something."
Said jerk chuckled at her answer, before turning his attention back to Daichi, "I have a name, but for now..."
He spread his arms, presenting himself, "Call me Hakaider… Mechanical Violator Hakaider. Terminator Extraordinaire. Well met, young man."
Anis was outraged, pointing a finger to the now named Hakaider, "Hey, you stole that from me! Wait, how did you even hear what I said back then, you don't even have ears!"
"Good hearing. And don't expect any royalties from me."
"Jarheaded jerkwad!"
With a chuckle, Hakaider raised his left hand to the commander, "Once again, well met, young man."
"A southpaw, huh?" Daichi commented.
Hakaider shrugged, "I remember being ambidextrous, but this body seems to prefer using the left hand, I guess."
Daichi almost forgot that there's an actual human brain in this robotic body. He wondered if there's a way to help Hakaider and return his brain to his original body.
Assuming it's not a permanent change, because how the hell do you even keep a brainless body alive, let alone transplanting one into a… wait, the Nikkes are just that, perhaps he should do some reading later.
Daichi shelved that thought to shake Hakaider's hand, "Commander Daichi Loban."
The handshake lasted a few seconds, but as he released it, Hakaider's hand remained up.
"Da… Ichiro… Ban?"
"Um, no. It's Daichi–"
"Dai… Jiro… Ban."
Something was wrong. Daichi saw Hakaider's hand clenched into a fist, and it kept clenching as he heard the joints creak.
"Is everything alright?" He asked Hakaider, worried that he had somehow triggered him. But since he reacted this way to his name, then those two names he mentioned must've been individuals who wronged him. Whatever the reason is, Daichi could only speculate.
But in an instant, Hakaider somehow exhaled a sigh and clapped his hands together, "Yes, never mind. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now, when are you going to introduce me to that cute little thing watching us through those specs of yours?"
"That concludes my report."
Deputy Chief Andersen pinched the bridge of his nose as he read through Shifty's reports, scanning through texts and captured footage of the mission that happened this evening.
"A novice commander with a handful of Nikkes surviving against a Blacksmith… and an android with a human brain in his head, who has an arsenal powerful enough to punch through Rapture armor and is strong enough to beat the Tyrant Class barehanded. And now this Hakaider has allowed himself to be put in our custody… all of this in a single day."
"Yessir. But we lost one Nikke during the operation, Marian of Elysion."
"I see… anything else?"
"Well, Hakaider seemed to know he's being recorded, and somehow tuned into our frequency to introduce himself to me…"
"Complimenting your looks too, according to the recordings. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're starting to develop a sense of humor, Shifty."
"Did I type that there?!" Shifty hissed to herself, Andersen was professional enough to ignore the outburst. He took a moment to reevaluate what he knows.
Andersen knew what to do with the commander, but as for this Hakaider? For the moment, he's willingly surrendered himself to them, his arsenal all locked up in his motorcycle. And by that, it was literal because as he's thinking, the engineers–humans and Nikkes–have trouble figuring out how to take them out of the vehicle.
'Hakaider is quite protective of his possessions.' Andersen thought, 'He was right to ensure his weapons can't be studied easily, but as for his body…'
He shelved that thought just in time to see Shifty recomposing herself, "Right, shall I forward the combat data to you, sir?"
"No, that won't be necessary." Andersen denied, before pointing a finger, "I would, however, like to meet this commander. Make an appointment for… tomorrow afternoon, will you?"
Normally, Andersen would rather not waste time and meet the commander sooner, but Hakaider's presence complicated things. Especially because he's curious about the cyborg himself.
"I'll inform Commander Loban, anything else?"
"Tell the brig that I'll be visiting our… guest at ten in the morning. Should be enough time to meet Loban later. Ah, yes. Have the other Nikkes who took part in the operation come along as well, specifically Rapi and Anis. Ensure that they're armed."
The Ark, Holding Cells.
Getting Isekai'd. I'm sure you're all familiar with this concept, even before the term existed thanks to some older works retroactively getting categorized as such.
Either your ass gets transported by fantastic means or you die and get reincarnated into those different worlds.
Whether you wake up the same or different, there's usually no coming back from it. Sure, there's a handful of stories where the guy finally went back home but because of various reasons, their experiences have changed them too much to let themselves go back to their old normal. Sometimes their new lives followed him home.
It's easy to say that my story isn't anything original, but experiencing it for yourself is… something. People always imagine and plan for all sorts of scenarios, but actually executing them? All you'll feel is pain, physical and emotional, when you fuck up.
When I became aware, I felt absolutely nothing. Neither the cold or heat. Couldn't hear anything–not even that ringing from my tinnitus, couldn't even feel my own body. No tongue to move, not even any eyeballs.
I'll spare you my suffering, because eventually I woke up and one of the first things I see is this body I'm residing in.
Hakaider… Kikaider's most famous nemesis, and one of the coolest Tokusatsu villains of all time. Even in 2023 his influence remains with the existence of Kamen Rider Dread.
Too bad that's all I remembered, whatever happened to me, no chance of me catching up to any shows or movies. Wonder if I could somehow find them in this world, assuming they exist.
One of Hakaider's gimmicks is that he has an actual brain in his noggin, and it could be anybody's but right now… my brain is inside it.
I should be panicking but whatever concoction that ensured my brain is fresh and intact probably made it so I don't go into shock or something. Or have my emotions finally numbed after all this time? I'd rather not actually be so stoic people think I'm robotic, literally in this case.
Waking up as basically the proto-Terminator isn't that bad, I guess. At least I didn't wake up as a sentient geometric shape or a living mineral.
And at least I could still move, unlike that brain in Psychonauts 2. Great, another thing I'll never be able to play.
That reminds me, my name… It's difficult for me to think about myself, but I felt that it sounds like Raz… Rasyid! That's my name. Am I of Arabic descent? I don't think so; the moment my thoughts turn to Asian countries, it feels right, so I'm probably Asian? The problem is which part of the continent I'm from…
But I digress, at least I remember what mattered right now. This body seems to be an amalgamation of various versions of Hakaider, but who knows what else this body has.
I don't know why there's a mirror in that room I woke up in, but I can at least see myself; this body resembles the SIC Figure of Hakaider, specifically the old models by Takayuki Takeya, but the colors are as bright as the original show and not so muted. Some parts of my body are armored, but I seem to be completely covered in black leather skin. I can't tell if they're real leather or not, but I guess this body definitely fits the biker look if you ignore this head my brain's stuck in…
Man, his head looks off. I'll never forget how the SIC Hakaider figure looks like, but to see it this close is just… wow.
My brain has these tubes and wires surrounding it, but not so cluttered that they're covering it. I could see the tubes having some sort of liquid flowing into my brain, I figured that's what kept my brain fresh… Do I need to replenish it eventually, if so how? If not, why? Can't even tell if it's blood or some special juice.
My robotic red eyes go up to the dome, and at certain angles it'll look like I'm a cowboy whose squinting eyes are peeking out underneath his hat. I can still see through them normally, thankfully in color and everything looking clearer, no more eyeglasses for me. A yellow thunderbolt ran down my face, splitting apart into my cheeks where my nonexistent nose should be. My mouth seems to be some sort of speaker patterned after a permanent scowl with bared teeth.
As for my voice… I'll get to that later.
The X shaped scar is the same as it was in the SIC figure, which they got from the Hakaider movie. I couldn't feel the scar as I ran a finger on it, but I felt something vibrating with rhythm… my heart, I guess. The figure could have its chest compartment swapped between intact and scarred variants, but ripping your own chest open to see your own heart… no thanks.
If Kikaider has his Consciousness Circuit, then Hakaider has the Devil Circuit. I don't have any sudden urges for mayhem and bloodshed, so I can only hope I'm powered by something else.
I noticed my extremities have been chained, so to test my might I pulled them off the wall. It took only seconds, but as I was about to take them outta my wrists and ankles, I noticed the table in the room I woke up in.
Guns and ammo, and I instinctively know where to put them.
There are things that surprised me, like the fact I have two Hakaider Shots; one holstered in my left calf, and one that can be stored in my left thigh ala RoboCop.
The first one is a sawn off double-barrelled shotgun, y'all should know what they look like. I thought it would look like how it is in the SIC figure but this Hakaider Shot has more visual similarities with the original 70s Tokusatsu version; an over-and-under chrome shottie.
This… thing reminds me of a Winchester 1887, the lever action shotgun, and it's also a break-action shotgun. Somehow.
I pushed the lever to check the insides, and I saw a pair of horizontal tube magazines beneath the lower barrel. I guess that explains why it's somewhat thicker, but what's crazy is that when I load 2 shells into the tube mag and initiate the action, the feeding ramp inserts the shells into both barrels at once. Oh shit, I just noticed the second trigger, so I can fire both if I want to.
I tried the break action feature, and to my surprise the loaded shells are behind the barrels… Does this mean I can have 4 shots, 2 shells in each barrel? How do I even extract them while in combat? This is some bullshit engineering.
Not only is it a double barrel, when I want it too, both of them can shift and merge into one barrel, the triggers merged together too. This thing fires 10 gauges and in single barrel mode, fires 8 gauge shells. It should be heavy but I felt no weight differences at all. Man, this Hakaider Shot can waste a lotta things, that's for sure.
Oh! No wonder it felt familiar to me, it reminds me of the Marathon shotgun, called the Wastelander M5 in Destiny 2. I think in the original Marathon 2 it's an acronym instead of a proper name, and it's a side-by-side double barrel… even though it's a lever action too, guess the gunsmith was a Marathon fan.
I can't even fathom how this thing works. I just know that the lever ring is wide enough for me to flip it like Arnie. Not that I don't have to worry about breaking my fingers but that's one less thing to worry about.
Please don't ask me how the dual triggers can fire those additional shells without firing the ones before them. Or how the double barreled and single barrel modes work, I tested this thing and I still can't believe it just works. I almost feel sorry for the wall I shot at.
A quirk this body seems to have is a penchant for doing gun tricks. I don't mind it, but these are live firearms, not toys.
I wondered how I'm twirling and spinning this thing while the lever remained locked in place, but what if… huh, my hand has magnets? Both of them in fact, guess that explains that.
Like in the show, it fits into my calf holster just fine. Except that instead of a boot holster, the left side of my foreleg opened up for me to pocket the Hakaider Shot into. Feels weird, man.
However, the second Hakaider Shot, while also a double barreled, over-and-under firearm, is a revolver with a second cylinder in front of the trigger guard, and it too has two separate triggers.
What the fuck is this monstrosity of a revolver? I'm not that much of a gun nut but no way this thing is real… yet here it was on my hand when I inspected it.
If it was designed like Nero's Blue Rose I'll probably accept it more but holy shit, the gunsmith must've been high to have made this.
Despite all of that, this… hand cannon is still twirlable, so I still can do what Murphy did when I'm done kicking ass. The most normal thing about it is how both cylinders are the swing-out types, except they go right instead of left. At least my fingers are long enough to reach the ejector rod for the top barrel.
On my belt was another holstered gun, metallic grey in color, this one was more old-school sci-fi design wise… it reminded me of the Super Gun from Cyborg 009, could this be based on the gun? Wait, didn't Hakaider use this in the manga and anime? If it has all those extra modes… this'll be quite the versatile gun. Doubt it'll work like Judge Dredd's Lawgivers, though.
Obviously being an old school sci-fi gun, it doesn't use a magazine, but if I ran out of energy, I can't tell if this needs to be recharged or… nope, barrel isn't a break-action like the ray guns in Call of Duty. Can't see a way to twist it open like a flashlight, nor do I see anything resembling a charging cable port either, so I'll have to save ammo until I figure out if this Super Gun even needs to be reloaded.
This one is most absolutely twirlable. Far safer to do it with, so that's a plus.
In my right forearm was a hidden arm cannon, if I didn't remember the Hakaider movie I wouldn't have recognized where it's from. I could load up to 3 shells, plus 1 in the chamber.
The black and gold pump-action shotgun–finally something relatively normal looking–originated from the SIC figure that comes with the bike, just with a slight redesign that made it look like a normal, stockless shotgun… besides the fact that this one is huge, and the grip has a spiky handguard below the trigger guard for me to use like a mace if I want to. It's a huge barrel, I think the term for it is 4 Bore… Gauge? I compared the shell sizes, it's ridiculous! Wasn't there a shotgun with this exact bore, I think it was made in Russia.
It uses the same type of ammo as the first Hakaider Shot, but obviously way bigger… Now I'm curious how bigger a 2-Bore is in person, maybe that's why Doomguy's Super Shotgun is ludicrously powerful.
Also, I can attach it behind my back. I don't think there's anything resembling a hook on my back, but I heard something buzzing and it immediately magnetized onto my back. Neat, like how the Master Chief and friends did it, then.
No twirling this one, though… I think this one's as long as a baseball bat, so perhaps I could twirl it like that? Damn, did the original Hakaider enjoy doing gun tricks that much? I don't think so, has to be a thing for this specific Hakaider body.
Before I forget, what do I have for ammunition again?
For the first Hakaider Shot, I have buckshots, slugs, and flechettes where each of them have exotic variants consisting of dragon's breath, electric slugs, and explosive spikes. As I've mentioned before, the Hakaider Shot can shift and merge its barrels when I want it to, so I can either choose to fire with 10 or 8 gauge shells.
No surprise I don't have the less lethal shells, considering what Hakaider is. Maybe the Supergun has non-lethal modes to compensate?
I also have what's basically homing missile shells as used by Hakaider in his movie. I haven't fired one yet but hopefully they're easy to figure out.
The 4-Bore pump action shotgun naturally uses the much larger 4 gauge shells, whatever the first Hakaider Shot has, this one can use too.
The arm cannon supports all 3 different shell gauges, the loader and barrel shifting to fit them. I can't even imagine how the recoil will feel so I'll load it with the 10 gauges for now.
For the second Hakaider Shot, this abominable hand cannon shoots something the headstamp–the backside of the bullets–calls the .500 HKD for the top barrel, and black hollow-point super magnum bullets called Onyx Claw for the bottom.
And they're both fucking huge if I'm holding them in my old body, are these made for combat or hunting dinosaurs?
Damn… Ludicrous cartridges for a ludicrous revolver. I guess one's for men, and the other for monsters? Should I rename this Geralt, I wonder. Hakaider Blast might work, but I'll find a name for this one eventually.
I still can't believe how loaded this Hakaider body is. I don't even want to think about how and where I got all these ammo from or where I store them, so it's best I shouldn't worry about it lest I fry my mind.
Speaking of guns, in the director's cut of the Hakaider movie, he has a triple barreled cannon in his chest he used to kill Michael. Do I have them under my scarred chest too?
Fuck, whoever designed this Hakaider body must've believed in overkill, because if I have all of these hardwares… What kind of foes have this Hakaider been fighting against to warrant such firepower?
I also wonder what softwares do I have. I know I have the targeting computer thanks to my robo-eyes letting me see them, but I think I have multivisions like the Predators. So far, I've found thermal, night, and infrared visions. I couldn't think of anything else, though.
Anyways, I decided to worry about all that later because the moment I went outside that ruined laboratory and found my bike–The White Crow as it's called in the 70s Tokusatsu–chained up like in the Hakaider movie, I was assaulted by these freaky-ass robots soon after.
I don't know what they were, but when I entered combat, I felt… liberated. Like I was born for this. I don't know if it's because Hakaider's body screwing my mind to defend itself but I have no other choice.
The reason I wasn't worried was because I basically went Rip and Tear on them with ease, and my guns were quite powerful too. Obviously, they have recoils that I assume will absolutely destroy any human body, but I barely felt the kicks that isn't from the Super Gun… then again, I don't even know how this robot body even feel things because I shouldn't have a nervous system right now and brain transplants don't work like that, Ishinomori-sensei!
… Can't blame him though, it was the 70s. And I'm neither a neurologist nor a roboticist so what do I actually know?
I felt the recoils, impacts of my punches and kicks, them striking and shooting at this body–barely a scratch from either–but I never felt any pain. And then I discovered that I have some sort of energy shield, something also from the director's cut of the Hakaider movie. I felt even less of an impact when it's active. Wonder if this is how Master Chief feels whenever he's being shot at.
That said, this body can be damaged–how else could the Kikaiders have fought him–but somehow they managed to heal itself, either gradually or whenever I crushed their cores like I'm Raiden from Metal Gear Rising… or perhaps Doomguy since I don't necessarily have to do that, just Rip and Tear.
Naturally, I'm worried about having this ludicrously engineered body in addition to losing all the necessary senses of the human body. I remember how in the show, Hakaider's body needs blood transfusions from Professor Komyoji's body to function, considering it's his brain inside Hakaider. But once he became Gill-Hakaider that problem is no more.
Should I be worried about that? More importantly, where the fuck is my body? Did I die and some genius had the bright idea to put me into this body to save my life? Am I being taken hostage and whoever's responsible going to reveal themselves in the most inopportune moment to fuck me over?
Lots of problems but not one solution.
I did, however, have a destination, as I heard some sort of beacon calling to me–a feminine voice telling me that she's over there.
So, I rode to where the source was coming from… and saw a pretty lady in white and blue spasming as she stood, the young guy in front of her clearly worried about her while those female soldiers aimed their guns at her.
Then, that crabby bastard fished her into its body. The guy ordered the soldiers to rescue her, but I couldn't just sit on my bike watching things fold.
I needed action.
So like a knight in shining armor, I rode in to save the day. Whether they asked for it or not. The guy scrambled to stop me from shooting, understandable because the crab bastard has a hostage, but the targeting softwares in Hakaider's body was quite precise–then again, of course he couldn't have known that.
Long story short, I helped them out and chose to surrender myself to their custody, because I have nowhere else to go.
Especially when I recognize who those two girls are; they're the main heroines of that Nikke mobile game, the one with the booty and guns galore. So the kid has to be the player character, then. I never properly gave Nikke a look, only knowing that the music is rad and the characters are actually quite interesting outside of the fan service stuffs.
Because of that I have little knowledge about this world, so I didn't know what sorts of butterflies I created from helping them, and whatever I'll do I'm flying blind. I just hope I don't fuck everyone else over because of my choices.
Doesn't mean I'll do nothing at all, like hell I'm going to be stuck in this cell forever and let some canon bullshit happen when I could prevent some death and suffering. Problem is figuring out when and where they happen, but stalking the commander feels wrong.
That said, as hurtful as it is, I have to keep up this asshole act because I don't know who to trust other than Daichi Loban and those two named Nikkes he's with. I think there's going to be another, a shorty clad in white? So yeah, these Fantastic Four will be worth listening to.
Hakaider's body reacted oddly when Daichi introduced himself though… Am I at risk of going berserk because of some unknown memories that could trigger some sort of… mind switch with Hakaider's original personality Saburo? Will he get set off if I even look at anything red and blue?
If none of the Kikaiders are here, he'd probably rampage because his targets don't exist… on the other hand what if they are, and they know what to do to help me?
No, I shouldn't get my hopes up, focus on surviving as you are now, man.
It's relatively easy for me to put up an intimidating front just by being Hakaider. I remembered some of those Mass Produced Nikkes being scared of me as I was brought into the Ark, and most of those kids in military suits either cowering or running. I think someone mentioned something about my presence not triggering this barrier they have, so they didn't shoot me on sight. Whatever that barrier is, it must've involved the Raptures somehow.
Can't forget how most of the folks here saw me, I guess having my brain visible to all would weird anybody out. My own voice might also be an intimidating factor… but can't be helped since what comes out of this speaker-mouth was Keith David's voice instead of my own.
Hakaider has a human form, of course, so naturally it's possible for him to make himself look and sound like anybody he wants. But considering it's a Tokusatsu work, who knows how the mechanics of the… chameleon circuits actually works.
I also don't want to risk Saburo taking me over, assuming it's actually him and not the big bad Professor Gill. Or worse, an unknown personality.
Anyways, with this voice I can make myself sound like the Arbiter, Goliath, or Spawn but I wonder what other voices I could imitate, or if I could put up disguises… Should I be worried of people accusing me of some form of racism if I turned myself black, white, or one of the Asian races?
Shit, guess I have to somehow make something original and recreate myself. I should be able to… I'm not that forgetful to not remember my own face.
Not sure if I can adjust my own height though, because I'm definitely far taller than my old self.
Then again, for espionage purposes, this would help… but somehow it feels wrong despite how logical it is.
Why should I give a fuck about the opinions of faceless meatbags?
Hmm? What was that?
It seems someone's coming for a visit, at least they kept me waiting a day instead of weeks or months.
These new fancy cuffs on me might be something I willingly subjected myself into, but when I tried to squeeze one of the ankle shackles, it bent; so whatever they're made of, I'm still stronger.
Their detectors also didn't catch the second Hakaider Shot in my thigh, so I'll have something to fight them with other than my bare hands.
I hope it won't come to that; these people are just trying to survive from those mechanical menaces up top since however long they've been down here, and who knows what kind of criminals they have in this underground nation. Hakaider's body is tough but I still have no idea what it's capable of, and if I'm lucky I can get help testing this body.
As the footsteps got closer, I decided to lower my head and slumped my posture. Gotta sell the solo mercenary thing taking a nap, ignoring whatever authority figure that talks shit to him somehow.
The bars in front of me have energy walls as extra protection. As curious as I am, I rather not test my might against them if they don't let me out… Could be fun though.
"Sir, are you sure you want us to leave?" I heard a Nikke–or maybe a human woman–asked whoever's seeing me.
"I'm sure." Was the man's taciturn reply, as the lady walked out of the hallway.
The footsteps continued as they got louder. Eventually, they stopped when the man stood in front of my cell.
"So… the Mechanical Violator Hakaider, was it? Quite the title."
Hmm… should I answer or let him talk some more?
"I did some research, and apparently your name is derived from the Japanese word Destroy." He went on, "Aptly named for something as destructive as you are, judging from the reports."
"I am what I am." I finally said, lifting my head to look at the man, "But for the record, I never asked for this."
The man nodded, "I can imagine, given that you're basically a brain in a jar, if said jar was a tank."
"Just a pilgrim finding his way in the world, even if what's become of me is quite the detour."
His face twitched, but he seemed to get it under control in an instant. Was it something I said?
"Right, I am Deputy Chief Andersen of the Ark Central Government." He began, adjusting his sleeves, "I may be one of many, but for the moment I'm in charge."
I couldn't help but chuckle, "So he really did take me to his leader, nice job kid."
"You're referring to Commander Daichi Loban? He has quite the accomplishment, graduating from military academy just two days ago, and surviving his first mission with minimal loss."
… Okay, I guess the freezing was a one-time thing, hopefully. But what he said didn't exactly jive with me, "I argue Marian's death had quite the impact on the kid. A far better reaction than most people would have here. Yeah, I saw how most of those… brats behaved. I'm beginning to doubt the hospitality of the Ark."
Andersen crossed his arms, "It is… unfortunate that Nikkes are treated the way the are, but–"
"Evil prevails when good men do nothing. And if that's how your soldiers behaved towards your defenders, l bet the citizens are worse."
Andersen frowned at my comment, and responded, "I never claimed to be a good man, but I won't deny the fact that people here can be… unkind. Know that what's happening to the Nikkes is absolutely disgraceful, and if I could do something to alleviate it, I would."
"But you're just one man." I added, "And being one of the big shots doesn't mean you have the power to do whatever you want, including doing something altruistic."
With a smirk, he shook his head, "And here I thought you're but a mere mercenary."
"Even a merc has principles." I told him, before deciding to get to the point already, "But you're not here to debate morality, what do you want from me?"
Andersen rubbed his thumb over his beard, before pressing some buttons on the door… deactivating the energy shield and opening the door?
Not like he can threaten me, but what's his game?
Arms behind his waist, Andersen made his way in front of me, before asking, "Do you know why we live underground?"
… If he's about to give me a history lesson, this better be good and meaningful. With a shrug, I answered, "It's those sparkboxes up top, right? Raptures… whoever named them must've been in a biblical mood."
"Perhaps. There's been rumors that the Ark had recently captured a new type of Rapture, immune to detection from the Aegis Barrier."
"Don't tell me they think I'm one of them, I'm offended. Were they busy being scared of me to notice this brain of mine?"
"Can't really blame them, considering how intimidating you are."
"Judging me before they even know me… typical humanity." Then, I realized where this might be going, "Let me guess, you want to put some sort of tracker or other kinds of eyes on me, do some odd jobs and help your soldiers fight the sparkboxes, then maybe I'll be allowed to live here?"
Andersen openly smirked this time, "You catch on quick. Your arsenal is admittedly more powerful than what we have right now."
"I ain't giving them to you." I cut him off, "If you must, have them study my guns while I'm present–I have no idea how they work either so with both the eggheads and I gaining knowledge, it'll be a win-win."
"I'll consider it." Andersen nodded. "I suppose this body of yours is off limits?"
"No shit." I scoffed, leaning back on the wall, "I get wanting to gain any advantages against the enemy, but I saw that slum when I went down here; who's to say that some bloodthirsty warhawk wouldn't do something stupid such as… cleaning house with mass produced Hakaiders years from now? And who's to say that the Nikkes won't get shafted because they found a better toy? I don't know what kind of man you are, but you seem reasonable enough to understand my concerns. I doubt your coworkers share the same mindset."
And by the way, Mass Produced Hakaiders are actually a thing; how else could the Hakaider Squadron come to be? At least the MP models have computer brains instead of organic ones. Not to mention the animanga having them be mooks in the later half. They may be fodders there but I imagine they'll be quite the menace in this world.
The Deputy Chief exhaled a sigh, looking at his wristwatch while at it, "Unfortunately, you're right. Your presence here would also cause quite the commotion. It's not like you could somehow conjure a human disguise, and I doubt you'll have a quiet retirement in the Ark."
"Unless you can somehow clone me a new body…"
Unfortunately, he shook his head with a frown. Great, I guess that's a no on living here, then. I have to figure out how to unlock a disguise soon if I ever want to waltz around anywhere.
"Worry not, I have an idea." Andersen interjected, "And it involves having you be stationed alongside Commander Loban."
Oh? This ought to be interesting.
"I'm all ears, Mister Andersen. This better be good."
"... I'd rather you not call me that."
"So this is the surface…"
"First time?"
"Roger that."
Daichi activated the visor mode of his command specs as they walked out of the elevator, protecting his eyes from the sun.
The commander still wondered why Deputy Chief Andersen ordered him to the simulation room with Rapi and Anis. He was also surprised that Ingrid, the CEO of Elysion, personally oversaw their training exercise. Rapi might've said it's a hobby of hers but Daichi couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on.
Then, Andersen dispatched him on a mission with Rapi and Anis, both were surprised that they had him again as the commander.
'Rapi might've explained it to me, but are the other commanders really that callous regarding the Nikkes?' Daichi thought to himself, 'Then again, with how Anis acted, it's probably true…'
Daichi looked to the newest addition to Counters, the white-clad shotgunner Nikke named Neon. She openly admitted that she was sent by Ingrid as a spy to report about… himself, most likely. 'I can't tell if she's really this innocent or a damn good actress. What does Ingrid even want from me?'
"Commander, all members of Replace have assembled."
Another surprise was the Mass Produced Nikkes he received as backup. Shifty explained that he should recruit Nikkes to replenish the numbers of his team, but fortunately she let him rest when they returned to the Ark… with Hakaider.
'Hope he's doing alright, wherever he is. I can't imagine you're enjoying being cooped up in whatever location they sent you in.' Daichi noticed a pigeon perched on a rooftop, before it flew away, 'I wonder if you could be as free…'
He shelved that thought to address the MP Nikkes who had stepped out of the elevator.
The 9 Nikkes before him each came from all three manufacturers. Three different trios from each manufacturers to be exact.
Soldiers EG, FA, and OW from Elysion; iDolls Flower, Ocean, and Sun from Tetra Line; and Products 08, 12, and 23 from Missilis Industry.
When he started the recruitment process, Anis commented that he's basically at the mercy of the Random Number God on who would answer the commander's call. She wasn't surprised that the ones who came were the MP Nikkes.
What was surprising however was the fact that the Nikkes Soldier FA, iDoll Ocean, and Product 08 who answered him are the same individuals he met in the last mission.
Daichi looked at the trio, scratching the back of his head, "If you haven't told me, I honestly wouldn't know you three are the same ones, sorry."
"No need to apologize, Commander." Soldier FA assured, "It's only luck that we meet again, but I'm glad you remember us, though."
"Indeed." Product 08 nodded, "Admittedly, it is unusual that you're commanding the same Nikkes as before, but I will do my duty regardless."
"And I see you still don't have your own medic." iDoll Ocean added, "Fear not, with us around, you'll be just fine."
Anis murmured something about wishing for the Super Special Rare types, whatever that means, but he ignored her rants, "Nevertheless, it's good to see you three again, and I look forward to working together with the rest of you."
"Sir!" All 9 MP Nikkes saluted Daichi. He saluted back at them in response.
"At ease." The 9 lowered their arms, he then put his fingers on one of the electronic ear plugs, "Sound check, Shifty can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Commander Loban." The operator confirmed, "The ear plugs are functioning as intended, if they catch any noises above certain decibels, they will be muted for your protection."
"That's great. I just hope they won't fall out of my ears."
"They won't come off no matter how sweaty you'll get, don't worry."
Daichi couldn't help but chuckle, "Thanks, Shifty. I'm glad I got you again."
The young woman squeaked and blushed at his words, but fortunately for her Daichi wasn't paying attention, "Uh, me too! I mean, it's rare for an operator to oversee the same commanders multiple times, so I'm sure our familiarity will help for this mission."
"Looking forward to it. Alright, so the objective is to investigate this power station a few kilometers from where we are right now?"
"That's correct." Shifty confirmed, clearing her throat, "Standby for an area scan and aeration of the Alva Particles."
"Roger, standing by."
Daichi felt the surrounding air being easier to breathe in as these Alva Particles are being dispersed. He wondered what they were exactly, but the commander decided to pin that query for later.
He couldn't help but look at the ruins, a melancholic expression on his face as he surveyed his surroundings.
'A century has passed since the Rapture appeared.' Daichi commented, remembering what he learned from binge reading their history last night, 'Nobody knows if they're aliens or man-made, but they were powerful enough to drive humanity close to extinction, forcing the survivors to go underground and with dwindling manpower for combatants, the Nikkes came to be. What a world I live in… so much history lost, I wonder what's hidden out there, waiting for us to rediscover them?'
"Sir, is something the matter?"
He looked to see Neon, and gave her a smile, "Nothing Neon, just… just thinking."
The bespectacled Nikke tilted her head aside, "If you say so, sir. If there's anything wrong, you can tell us."
"I know. Thank you, Neon. I'm just wondering if there's anything of value in these ruins."
"Like… treasures? I'd love to go on a treasure hunt! I'll be ready to blow away any guardians with superior firepower!"
"Except we're not here for sightseeing." Anis interrupted, pantomiming a gun with her hand and putting it on the side of her head, "If we stay here too long, you'll get a nice heavy dose of electron beams straight to the brain."
"Yes, you must act quickly." Shifty added. Daichi saw her typing on her console, and from his command specs images of the local map appeared on his HUD, "According to the scan, you'll have to follow the maglev train tracks to reach the power station. However, a high voltage current is running through the entire line. It's not an issue for the Nikkes but…"
"I'll become a charred grill." Daichi finished, frowning at the situation, "So we have to go the long way around, great."
Anis waved off his concerns with a smile, "It's no big deal Commander, don't be upset. You're only human, after all."
"Yes, don't put the blame on him."
Everyone went still when an unknown male voice cut into the conversation.
"Wha–who is this?!" Shifty demanded, "Identify yourself!"
In an instant, the MP Nikkes began to encircle the Commander, followed by the Counters Trio.
Neon was tense due to being new to all of this, but she steadied herself as she aimed her shotgun Annihilation at the ruins. Rapi and Anis doing the same with Militaria and Liberty's Tail.
Alongside Neon, fellow shotgunners Soldier FA and Product 23 stood closest to the commander, FA covering him with her shield.
iDoll Ocean, Soldier OW, and Product 08 rallied themselves closer to the commander, the former two readying their SMGs while 08 scoped the buildings with her sniper rifle.
Product 12 and iDoll Flower rallied to Anis, 12 cocking her machine gun while Flower readied her rocket launcher.
iDoll Sun and Soldier EG rallied next to Rapi with their assault rifles pointing their surroundings.
Daichi crouched, making himself a smaller target. He managed to catch Shifty demanding the new voice, "I say again, identify yourself!"
The commander blinked at what she said, 'Hold on, this feels familiar.'
The male voice chuckled at Shifty, "Don't tell me you've forgotten me already, you cute little thing."
The operator narrowed her eyes, before gasping in realization, "Hakaider?! What are you doing in this frequency? And while I'm at it, get off this channel!"
Daichi couldn't help but smirk at the familiar voice, and decided to butt in, "Hakaider, surprised to hear from you. I thought you're still down at the Ark."
"Let's just say I was so well behaved, they let me out early."
Anis groaned, Daichi knew she was rolling her eyes at Hakaider, "If it isn't our favorite jarhead."
"Already? I must've warmed up to you quite well if you remember me this much to be your favorite."
"You do know what sarcasm is, right?"
"Oh, don't be shy. You're pretty unforgettable yourself, emphasis on pretty."
"Oh please, you're so not my type."
"That's fine, I'd rather not steal you away from the young commander you're all protecting. You're a lucky man, kid."
Daichi just knew where this conversation could be heading, and decided to interject, "So Hakaider, where are you right now?"
The Commander heard the sounds of a revving engine coming from the distance. He looked to the right side of the abandoned streets, and slowly but surely, the familiar silhouette of Hakaider and his bike were closing in.
"Everyone, stand down." Daichi ordered, "This one's an ally."
While the other Nikkes obeyed his order, Anis raised an eyebrow as she turned to Daichi, "You sure about that, Commander? For all we know he could hinder us. I mean our order is to just investigate the power station, right? If he tags along there's gonna be collateral damage."
"Maybe, or he could help us somehow." Daichi countered, "Don't worry, if he's going to do something dangerous, I'll talk him out of it."
"... If you say so, Commander." With that, Anis lowered her grenade launcher.
Daichi made his way towards Rapi as she was closest to where he's coming from. Turning the small knob on his command specs, Daichi used the binocular mode to view Hakaider.
"He's carrying something on his bike." The commander pointed out, "It's… a rucksack?"
"It appears so, Commander. Tightly secured on the motorcycle, from the looks of it." Rapi confirmed, shifting herself closer to Daichi without him noticing.
Neon, having no clue on what's coming, tilted her head aside as she approached the young man, "Is this Hakaider a treasure hunter, commander? Since when does the Ark send out a lone man out for such a thing?"
Anis groaned as she walked up to them, "That jerk's not one of ours, Neon. You'll see when he arrives."
The MP Nikkes remained silent as they watched Hakaider finally closing in.
Soldier FA remembered him as the leather clad biker with the lever-action shotgun. Something about that description felt familiar to her.
Product 08 remained stoic, wondering how durable that domed head of his was and if it can withstand headshots from any type of weapons. Of course, she won't be the one to shoot him unless the commander gives the order.
iDoll Ocean couldn't help but be worried about Hakaider's situation; a human brain stuck in a war machine with no way of removing it? At least Nikkes can be recovered if given the chance but not him. She figured it could be her medical protocols talking, but she wondered how she could help him.
The rest have no idea who this Hakaider even was, but they're about to find out.
Hakaider turned the bike aside as he pulled the brakes. Kicking the stand down as the vehicle powered down, he swung his leg across the bike, walking towards Daichi as he chuckled, crossing his arms.
"Got yourself a full squad this time, Loban? How about I tag along and this baker's dozen will deliver a full course meal of death to the Raptures?'
For a moment, nobody said anything as Hakaider remained still. And then Neon broke it.
"Wow, you look really cool, mister!"
"Damn right I am, baby."
Anis smacked her own face, groaning at the next foreseeable future with these two around.
"This mission better go well."
The date is 9/12/2023, and hooo boy what a trip it is, writing this fic.
I think this is the first time in a long while where I posted something that doesn't take months or years to finish, I'm proud of myself lol
I'd like to thank BakaSmurf for writing a damn good Nikke fic that motivated me so much I wanted to make my own and here it is.
For Nikke fans worrying about SI-Hakaider being too OP or something, I don't intend for him to be so. I mean, Superman's OP but the best stories about him usually don't involve punching problems away, sometimes he won through nonviolent approaches. If those stories can work, I'm hoping this one can too.
But for an actual answer, I'm thinking of him being close to equals with the Grimms/Fairy Tale model Nikkes, in terms of durability and combat prowess not abilities anyway–I don't want to give him typical anime bullshit upgrades though–but he's not as strong as Lilliweiss. This may change once I read up more about those gals and see them in action, but I'll do my best to not make this a one sided affair. The likes of Chatterbox and the Heretics will absolutely be challenging for SI-Hakaider, that's for sure. He just seems ludicrously tough by the standards of the Nikke world, but he'll earn his victories without overshadowing the Nikkes, I'll figure it out.
I have no idea when they'll reach Eden, but that won't be for a long while. What I can say is that he'll reunite with his older brother… no, I'm the firstborn son IRL but it's relevant to what SI-Me has become and that's the only clue you'll get lol
I gave the commander the name Daichi Loban because I wanted to reference Ban Daisuke, the actor of Jiro aka Android Kikaider himself. Tried combining their names but it didn't work, then I found out that Loban is an actual surname so after some thoughts, Daichi's the name I got and he's of Eurasian descent.
I also gave him the MP Nikkes because let's face it, realistically he wouldn't be able to get any of the named ones this early in the story. I brought all of them because a certain someone might have a hand in that… Also, I think the MP Nikkes look cool and they should be used more.
From what I gathered they all come later once Counters are banished to The Outpost and after Syuen… introduces herself.
Yeah, SI-Hakaider is going to be a menace to her.
The reason I made him sound like Keith David was because I remembered how in the 70s Kikaider Tokusatsu, Hakaider and his human form Saburo are portrayed by 2 people; obviously an actor for his human form and a separate voice actor for his Hakaider form. In-universe he'd have the same voice but it's classic Tokusatsu tradition for bad guys having a different voice if they have a monster form.
Somehow my search led me to Halo videos and when I watched stuff with The Arbiter, and then Spawn, I knew I hit the jackpot. He's just… perfect. When SI-Hakaider gets his human form he won't sound like Keith David, obviously.
Yeah, the firearms used by SI-Hakaider were that detailed because I want them to be. Every incarnation of Hakaider has only ever used one gun and it's his Hakaider Shot, but for this fic I gave him more because why not, plus it'll make him more versatile.
If you're wondering where I got the idea for that abominable revolver from, it's from the music CD that contains the soundtrack of the 1995 Hakaider movie. No seriously, look it up, but good luck finding clear images you can zoom in because I could only find the former. Any gun nuts who actually know WTF they're talking about, please correct me for any mistakes and if possible point me to sites where I can read the necessary information.
I also apologize for how ludicrous the weapons SI-Hakaider uses seem to you, but Tokusatsu always has the penchant for the fantastic no matter how scientific they're being in a show.
Other than the Super Gun, the other two boomsticks are based on real shotguns, the Winchester 1887 and the KS-23. As for the abominable revolver, I'm sure you guys can Google which revolvers fire the most powerful cartridges yourself to get some ideas. All this research took a long while.
Speaking of taking things too long, life sucks and I'm still jobless. I managed to find a website where I can sign up to become a freelance transcriber, so I'll try my luck with that. My hearing is kinda shit, my own fault, but hopefully with repetitive listening to those audios, it'll improve somehow.
Because of that I'll probably won't be writing as much, but fear not; I can multitask. A chapter's out when it comes out, so I'll get to them eventually. I'm both on FF and AO3 so there will be 2 different versions of my fics once I find time to crosspost them.
Other than those serious thing… The game awards was quite fun, I'm glad to have finished this after it's over.
God of War Ragnarok bringing back the Greek monsters, Nakamura Ikumi comes back and dipped with a cool new game Kemuri, Sega finally remembers they have older games they haven't used in forever, Square-Enix also remembered they have another RPG they haven't used in a while, a new Jurassic Park game, FF7REBIRTH and FF16 (Leviathan's not left out anymore), and the two games that actually excited me; Blade and Monster Hunter Wilds.
God, I hope I'll earn enough money to get some of these.
Godzilla Minus One is pretty amazing I hear, so here's hoping I'll be able to watch it someday.
Ultraman Blazar, Kamen Rider Gotchard, and Ohsama Sentai KingOhger have been excellent and I'm always glad to be a Tokusatsu fan.
I don't know when I'll be able to post something again, so happy holidays and happy New year to all of you.
See you when I see you. May you have a good morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
