At the Brain Trust Society's headquarters, the members of Alpha Force were celebrating their successful mission in the mess hall. Kyouya (M), Kirihara (R) and Sogou (X) were standing in a circle as they had drinks together; Natsume (N) did not socialise as she nursed a drink while standing by the wall; Daytona (H) and Clementine (U) were having a drinking contest but because of their powers they were not going to get drunk as their bodies would just burn the alcohol away; Jota (L) and Vega (V) both exchanged stories about how they beat up their respective cyborgs; Elise (O) was alone, talking to herself; and Carrera (P) was reciting a drunken soliloquy. Both Weapon C and Weapon K were absent as they had either been captured or killed in action.
Only Cryska (I) did not appear to be in a festive mood. The mission did not sit right with her and she needed to talk to someone about it. Looking around for something to do, her eyes landed on Weapon D. With a sigh, she approached her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Did you need something, Weapon I?" D asked as she turned around to face her.
"I'm going to be frank," Cryska said bluntly.
"But your name is not 'Frank'," D interrupted.
"...What we did to that village was wrong," Cryska continued, ignoring D. "There was no reason for us to attack that village and there was nothing heroic about it. We were no better than a bunch of violent mercenaries."
"We are Alpha Force, Weapon I, and we must obey the orders from our superiors," Weapon D deadpanned emotionlessly. "As a former soldier, you of all people should know that."
"I have done things I am not proud of in the name of duty to my Motherland," Cryska admitted. "But we were sent to attack an innocent village. What does the Professor have to gain from-?"
"What do I have to gain from WHAT, Weapon I?" Kyofu interjected as he stood behind her, causing Cryska to freeze and stop mid-sentence. He had come in to check on them and join the festivities when he overheard her. She turned around to look at him, his cold gaze piercing into her soul. "Well, what is it? SERIOUSLY, do you have a problem with HOW I run things, Weapon I?"
"No, Professor Kyofu, I do not," Cryska lied. "I just want to know what purpose the attack on the village serves."
"Oh, you want to know WHY?" Kyofu answered. "It's simple: BECAUSE I SAID SO! Understand?"
"Y-yes, sir!" Cryska responded, standing straight.
"That's good, good," Kyofu smiled before he leaned in to whisper into her ear. "You would do well to REMEMBER your PLACE, Weapon I. Because, you know there will be consequences for HER if you ever forget."
"I...I understand..." Cryska answered pathetically as she bowed her head, cowed by Professor Kyofu.
"GOOD girl," Kyofu said patronisingly as he patted her head. "Now, please ENJOY the party, girls!"
"You too, Professor," D responded.
After Kyofu left the two of them alone, Cryska stormed out of the mess hall.
"What's wrong with her?" Kyouya asked after seeing Cryska leave the mess hall in a hurry.
"Maybe she needs to shit real bad," Sogou offered.
"Gross," Kirihara deadpanned as she grimaced and rolled her eyes in disgust.
B came into the mess hall and approached Professor Kyofu.
"Professor."
"B, are you here to JOIN the party?" Kyofu asked.
"No, Professor. I am here to inform you that both Weapon C and Weapon K have been executed," B informed him. Instantly, everyone went silent as their eyes were drawn toward Kyofu's masked assistant.
"Buzzkill," Kirihara muttered.
"WHAT happened?" Kyofu demanded.
"Someone attempted to probe their minds. When I sensed this, I immediately detonated the nanobombs implanted in their brains to prevent them from leaking sensitive information," B reported.
"List them as KIA then. That's just the PRICE for being losers," Kyofu decided as he couldn't care less about what happened to them. It was a shame that he lost two members of his elite Alpha Force but victory demanded sacrifice.
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act VII: Notorious S.O.B.
One Hour Earlier...
Shinichi, Ryuji and Kotonoha rode the elevator down to the holding area which was located on the sub-basement level of the tower. It was a huge space with a total of 30 cells that were divided between the left and right sides. Instead of bars, prisoners were kept in their cells by a force field. In the event of a power failure, steel shutters would come down to prevent the prisoners from escaping. Additionally, the cells came equipped with a power-dampening field.
"I'm really sorry about what happened here today, Banabara-kun," Kotonoha said sympathetically.
"Thank you," Shinichi responded, appreciating the sympathy. "But it's OK now; everyone's fine."
"Everyone except for you," Ryuji observed. He could tell that Shinichi was holding in his anger.
"I won't let them get away with what they did. Mark my words, they're going to pay," Shinichi swore, eyes narrowed with rage. It was taking him all his restraint not to attack the Brain Trust Society right now.
"Good, they need to be punished," Ryuji approved. "So you mind if the two of us stick around here for a little bit to help out?"
"Indeed. What happened here was horrific and I can't find it in myself to just go back home after what we've seen," Kotonoha nodded.
"I appreciate the extra help," Shinichi accepted but he was still curious about their presence in the village. "But why are you here? Did you come for the festival and stumble onto the attack?"
"I guess we should tell you. The truth is, Koto-chan and I came looking for a Kamen Rider," Ryuji answered.
"Really?" Shinichi questioned. "Who exactly are you looking for?"
"It's a Dino Rider," Ryuji answered. Shinichi's eyes slightly widened from the news, and Ryuji noticed quickly. "You know who we're talking about, don't you?"
"I...might've met him," Shinichi admitted. If they were looking for a Dino Rider, then they were likely referring to Future Shinjiro. It could also be Yuri but Shinichi had not seen him in a while. "I've put it in my report. If you want a copy, I could send it to you later."
"Just tell us everything you know right now," Ryuji ordered.
"Is there any reason why you're looking for him?" Shinichi questioned. Ryuji held a higher rank but even he needed to follow protocol and explain his reasons for demanding information from another agent.
"We had an encounter with him some time ago when we caught him snooping around one of the old bases of your old boss," Ryuji answered. "We didn't get much out of him since he was too busy running. Fought him myself and he knocked me out cold too. His fighting style was brutish and on top of that, he had a flame breath that could melt my ice. It's likely a form of bio-energy manipulation."
"Ryuki managed to gather some information on him and told us he has been active for at least three years," Kotonoha added. "Apparently, he's the one who saved Satan-san and your eldest son from the kidnappers that day."
"Wait, what?" Shinichi blinked in surprise. "It wasn't Yuji?"
Shinichi recalled that day clearly and remembered seeing the flames and hearing a roar when both Satan was rescued. He always assumed it was Yuji who saved her. Now that he knew Shinjiro was the one responsible, he was even more grateful to his son for saving Satan and Hiroyuki.
He also remembered how he reacted when Satan was kidnapped because the kidnappers wanted their unborn baby. He was, well, oddly calm when he should have been furious. When he spoke to Warren about this, the Director concluded that it had not quite sunk in yet for Shinichi and he was still trying to process the fact that Satan was pregnant with his child. As Gebok had remodelled him to make him into the ultimate weapon, he always believed he had lost the ability to sire children. His time powers likely restored that. Maybe he just subconsciously failed to accept the fact that it was his kid until he saw and held Hiroyuki for the first time. Then, it finally hit him and became real.
"The 'official' story is that Fudo-kun fought the kidnappers but that isn't the true story," Kotonaha explained.
"So far the only ones who know this are Warren, Yuji, Ryuki, Koto-chan, me, and now you," Ryuji told Shinichi. "Since we learned from Warren that you worked together with him before, we came to talk to you."
"We just want any information you might have on him, that's all," Kotonoha requested from Shinichi.
"Sorry, there's not much I can tell you," Shinichi shrugged.
"Really? You don't know anything at all?" Ryuji questioned accusingly. It was clear that he did not believe Shinichi.
"Look, I don't know what else to tell you. All I know is that he was working with Decade and Zi-O to help fix my timeline. It seemed very personal to him. He didn't talk very much and disappeared once everything was said and done," Shinichi insisted.
Ryuji's fists clenched. So, Shinichi would not tell him anything. Well, he had ways to make him talk. Kotonoha noticed her husband's aggressive body language and gently put a hand on his shoulder. He blinked and looked at her wife as she shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he made himself relax. This was no time to antagonise an ally, especially after what just happened here today.
"We can worry about the unknown Rider later. For now, there's a matter of greater importance that needs to be taken care of," Kotonoha reminded the two as she held her C3.
"Yeah, better take care of the major issue first," Ryuji agreed as he looked into the cell to study its features. "...An automated food replicator and a TV? Are you sure this is a cell?"
"Even the cells at ARMOR aren't as luxurious," Kotonoha remarked. Each cell in ARMOR came with a bed, a toilet, and nothing else.
"All it's missing is a hot tub," Ryuji joked.
"Shogo's idea," Shinichi clarified. "The prisoners still deserve the bare necessities and humane treatment. We once did evil deeds ourselves, yet it was thanks to basic human kindness that we got a chance to be better ourselves. I like to think that if we treat them humanely, they might choose to become better too."
"Very altruistic of you, Banabara-kun," Kotonoha commented. "Is the power dampening field online?"
"Fully operational," Shinichi confirmed. "Isn't that right, Sheila?"
"The power dampening field is functioning at 100 percent," Sheila affirmed.
"Better put some collars on then, just in case," Kotonoha said as she slid the containment card into the wall panel beside the cell and pressed the button to release the prisoners. They watched as both the gyaru and goth were rematerialized inside the cell. As an extra precaution, they also had power inhibitor collars put on them. Despite the cell having its own power-dampening field, they could not take any chances.
The three Guardian Spirits of Hinamizawa stood behind Shinichi, glaring at the two psychics.
"THOSE BITCHES MUST BURN!" Gokuaku yelled in Shinichi's mind.
"But first we must torture them for information and then torture them some more," Zennin added.
"No, we need to give them a fair trial," Yabuki offered reasonably before he went completely nuts. "THEN EXECUTE THEM! WE WILL SLICE OPEN THEIR GUTS AND PULL OUT THEIR ENTRAILS! WE SHALL MAKE THEM SUFFER FOR THEIR SINS!"
"Guys, shut up or I'm going to mute you all," Shinichi mentally warned them as their yelling was giving him a headache.
"What happened?" the goth mumbled as she and the gyaru woke up in a daze. Her eyes soon focused on Kotonoha before widening in anger. "You!" She stomped over to confront her but was stopped by the force field. "What? What is this!?" She put her hand up against the barrier and felt it ripple around her hands. She found the collar around her neck and tried to pull it off but it would not budge. Instead, it gave her a zap for the attempt. "Argh! Fuck! You can't be serious!"
"Damn, we lost didn't we?" the gyaru grumbled as she felt the collar around her neck too. "We are, like, totes screwed. Where the hell are we?"
"You're in a holding cell under our base," Shinichi answered coldly. "And you're right about being screwed if you don't tell us why you and your buddies attacked our village in the next five minutes."
"Whoa, you're BLACK 13," the gyaru realised, recognizing him, "Wasn't D supposed to, like, kill you?"
"First, that's not my name. And second, I'm the one that's asking the questions here," Shinichi retorted.
"We're not telling you anything!" the goth shouted. "Now, let us out of here!" Suddenly, her collar zapped her again. "Ugh!
"I think it would be in your best interest to answer his questions," Kotonoha advised, pointing her C3 at the cell with her finger on the button.
"Ugh! You bitch!" Kotonoha zapped her again. "Ugh! Fuck!"
"Do you feel like talking now?" Kotonoha asked the goth.
"Fuck you!" the goth snapped only to be zapped once more. "Argh!"
"Sorry, but I'm both straight and happily married," Kotonoha retorted. "I can keep pressing this button or you can tell us what you know. Your choice."
"Dude, your wife's savage," Shinichi commented, surprised.
"I know," Ryuji smiled proudly. "Isn't she the best?"
The goth glared at Kotonoha then at the device in her hand as she touched the collar. She did not want to answer any questions but she also did not want to be zapped again either.
"We aren't in a position to refuse, that's for sure," the goth admitted begrudgingly, still smarting from the earlier shocks. "But we aren't in a position to talk either."
"Like, one word out of us and the Professor will know," the gyaru added.
"If you're afraid Kyofu will hurt you, then you don't need to be. We can protect you," Kotonoha offered kindly,
"Look, you seem nice, but we can't, like, tell you anything," the gyaru told Kotonoha.
"So, stop asking," the goth added.
"These two look like they would rather cut out their tongues before they tell us anything. Let me in there and I can get you your answers in five minutes," Ryuji volunteered with a growl as he cracked his knuckles. As ARMOR's Chief of Security, his duties also included interrogating prisoners, and he could be as rough with them as he needed to.
"I doubt torture will be efficient. They'll tell you anything just to make you stop," Kotonoha said. "If we want answers, we're going to need to bring Kat here."
Kat Wilson was Ryuji's sister and Kotonoha's sister-in-law. She was a powerful telepath who could use her power to create lifelike illusions, read minds and control them. What made her dangerous was that she could rip out a person's memories but this often left her victims completely brain-dead.
"Can't," Ryuji shook his head. "Last I heard, she's on a deep cover mission so there's no way for us to contact her. But I do have the next best thing." He took out an injector gun from his pocket. "If you want to do this the non-violent way, how about some truth serum? That usually works."
"Do you carry that with you everywhere?" Shinichi wondered, shocked.
"It helps to be prepared," Ryuji shrugged. "You cannot believe how often I've had to use this thing."
"You can save that serum because we have a telepath available," Shinichi said. "Sheila, where's Megan?"
"She's currently in the mess hall," Sheila answered.
"Perfect. Be right back." He warped away in a flash.
Shinichi found Megan and the others in the Hive Tower's mess hall. Alan's harem and children had used the food replicator to make their meals. Any food they desired could be produced instantly, almost like magic. The food replicator was truly a marvel of advanced technology. It could solve world hunger instantly. However, as it was advanced technology from the future, it could not be given to a civilisation that was not ready for it. That was why it was restricted to the Hive Tower.
"I see that you haven't lost your appetite," Shinichi observed as he approached their table.
"Do you wish to join us?" Amora offered.
"I'll eat later," Shinichi politely declined.
"Shinichi, I wish to speak to you," said Conda as she stood up. "First, I'd like to thank you for bringing me back to life."
"There's no need to thank me, Conda. I couldn't just leave you dead now, could I?"
"Much appreciated. Also, I have two requests."
"Requests?"
"My first request is that you don't tell Alan about my death," Conda stated. "He's working so hard to move beyond that part of his past, and I fear that if he arrives before we've dealt with the psychics he would tear your world apart just to get to them. After all, that is a reputation he has."
"Understandable. Alan did inform me about what he's like at his worst," Shinichi agreed. Parallax. That was not something any of them wanted Alan to experience again.
"Not all of it. As the Traveler, he has this reputation as an unstoppable storm that falls from the sky and tears whole worlds apart."
"And what's the second request?" Shinichi asked.
"You leave that blonde bitch to me," Conda seethed.
"You're a strong woman, Conda. The fact that you're the Queen of Amazons proves it," Shinichi told her. "But you need more than just what you have now if you want payback."
"Who said I'd be alone?" Conda retorted. "I have my family with me."
"And family sticks together," added Amora.
"Through brightest day or blackest night," finished Jade.
Shinichi did not want them to put themselves in danger, not after what they had just gone through. But he knew better than to stop them as they were the most powerful women he had ever met.
"If we're doing this, we are going to do this right and that means not going in half-cocked," Shinichi said. "If you guys want to get payback, you need a plan. Right now, we have the Espers Dr. Katsura captured in holding but I need help to get answers from them."
"If an interrogation is what you need, then my magic should be of assistance," Amora quickly offered, looking viciously eager. "I have spells that can loosen their tongues and make them blab."
"Thanks, Amora, but you're not the one I'm here for," Shinichi politely declined, causing Amora to frown. "Megan, do you mind helping out?"
"You need my help?" Megan pointed to herself.
"They're not talking so we need a telepath to get the info out of them. So, are you up for it?"
"Of course," Megan nodded. "Sure. No problem."
"Hold on a minute," Amora stood up, offended. "I'm not saying that Megan is not up to the task but I'm sure my magic can do so much more. I can use it to dig deep into their minds and extract the information you need."
"No, Amora," Megan objected and then sent a telepathic message to her friend. "Amora, you're angry and not thinking straight. You'll just be destroying their minds out of spite."
Amora gritted her teeth but acquiesced. Megan was right. These psychics had humiliated her so she wanted to punish them severely. Her villainous side, one that she had long since discarded, was rearing its ugly head again, whispering in her ear and telling her to destroy those psychics. She risked backsliding and needed to avoid the temptation.
"Just... get going then," Amora relented, sighing. By the Allfather, she needed a drink. Hopefully, the replicator could make her some strong Asgardian Ale.
"Alright, come on, Megan," Shinichi said.
"Hold on," Megan held a finger before finishing up her slice of Oreo cheesecake. She loved Oreo cookies and an Oreo cheesecake was the ultimate comfort food."OK, let's go."
"After you, Miss Martian."
Shinichi walked Megan to the elevator and they entered before going down.
"So, if you don't mind me asking…why are you white now?" Shinichi asked as they descended. He was so used to seeing Megan with caucasian skin or an emerald skin tone. This was the first time he had seen her with a chalk-white skin tone.
"One of the psychics used my greatest weakness against me," Megan answered. "I was so traumatised that I ended up turning into... a White Martian."
"I'm sensing it's personal," Shinichi said, noting the shame in her voice.
"It's fine," Megan waved off. "There were several races on Mars. Red Martians were the royalty of the planet and oversaw the government, the Yellow Martians oversaw religious practices, the Green Martians were the majority of the populace and the White Martians were the minority."
"If you were always a White Martian, why pretend to be green? Why the deception?" Shinichi wondered.
"White Martians were known as extremist monsters in the past. Green Martians sought peace and understanding. White Martians only wanted war and bloodshed. A 'good' or 'civil' White Martian was a rarity. My father was one of those rare few, and he fell in love with my Green Martian mother. But…they're all gone now and I'm the only Martian left."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Shinichi said with a look of sympathy. "Are you sure there's no one else?"
"My uncle, my mother's brother, was off-world during the Great Burning. I thought he might have survived but he was a Green Lantern and they were wiped out so long ago."
"Or he could still be out there somewhere," Shinichi offered optimistically. "You never know."
"Thanks," Megan smiled, sensing his sincerity. "You know you don't need to hide your anger. I can sense that you're furious right now."
"Oh, believe me. I am. What I saw when I came back was my worst nightmare come to life. It's just fortunate that I have the power to control time," Shinichi replied as his eyes narrowed. "Right now, I'm setting my anger aside to focus on what's important but when the time is right they're going to feel the full force of my wrath."
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Dreigon roared excitedly in Shinichi's head. Megan flinched as her telepathy picked up the loud shout unexpectedly.
"How do you deal with having so many voices in your head anyway?" Megan wondered, rubbing her head.
"Patience and a lot of practice. It also helps that I know how to mute them," Shinichi answered as the elevator came to a stop.
"I still say my interrogation techniques would be effective," Ryuji insisted, casting the two women in the cell a cold glare that made them cower. He and Kotonoha were waiting for Shinichi to return with Megan as they stood in front of the goth and gyaru's cell. "Just give me five minutes with them and I'll have them singing like canaries."
"You'll end up having too much fun, dear," Kotonoha retorted. She had seen how her husband interrogated people and knew he was not afraid to get rough. It did not matter if they were men, women, or anything in-between, they were treated just the same by him.
"Hey, it's not a crime to enjoy my job," Ryuji defended, shrugging with a sheepish smile. "C'mon, Koto-chan. You know how good I am. Just five minutes, please? And if that still doesn't work, I'll give them the serum."
"I'm not saying you're not good at pumping people for information, I'm just saying we can do that without resorting to violence or drugs."
"But that's part of the fun." Ryuji crossed his arms petulantly.
"If Banabara-kun's telepath can't get any answers from them, then you'll have your chance," Kotonoha offered kindly while scratching the back of his ear. "We can even use some of that truth serum. You're a good boy, right?"
"Yes, I'm a good boy," Ryuji purred when he heard the elevator arrive. Kotonoha quickly withdrew her hand as he glared at the prisoners. "You will say nothing of this."
"We're back," Shinichi said as he stepped out of the elevator with Megan in tow.
"Took you long enough," Ryuji replied as he looked at Megan. "So, this is your telepath?"
"Yes, this is Megan Morse and she'll be able to dig up everything we need from these two," Shinichi answered.
"OK, then try and read my mind. What am I thinking about right now?" Ryuji challenged. Megan looked Ryuji in the eye and her eyes glowed red as she tried to get into his head, only for the glow in her eyes to fizzle out as she shook her head.
"I can't see anything," Megan conceded. "I'm sorry."
"Aha!" Ryuji gloated.
"Ryuji-kun, you know that's not a fair test," Kotonoha chided. "You're resistant to telepathy."
"I just wanted to see if she's as good as Shinichi says she is," Ryuji retorted as he tapped his temple. "Sorry about that, Megan. It's going to take a much stronger psychic to get in this noggin."
"Seriously?" Shinichi cocked an eyebrow.
"It's fine. I know there are some minds out there that I can't penetrate," Megan accepted and she turned her attention to the gyaru and goth. "I doubt I'll have an issue with these two." She stood before the cell and concentrated.
"Are you getting anything yet?" Shinichi asked.
"I'm trying but their mental shields are strong," Megan answered. "Kyofu must have trained them well."
"Are they stronger than you?"
"It'll be a challenge but it's nothing I can't break through."
"Good. Try to probe them for answers."
Megan blinked and glared at her future brother-in-law with an offended look.
"Did you just ask me to 'probe' them?" Megan questioned, offended. "Do you know how offensive that is?"
"Huh?" Shinichi blinked in confusion before realising what she meant. "Ah, right. Coz you're an alien. Sorry, didn't mean to offend you."
"Apology accepted."
'Bet you'd love getting probed by Alan,' Shinichi thought.
"I heard that!" Megan snapped, face flushed as her skin turned tomato red.
"Whoa!" the gyaru gasped as she pointed. "Your skin, like, changed colour!"
"But you're not denying it, are you?" Shinichi countered Megan.
"Ohh!" Megan groaned in embarrassment as her skin colour shifted back to white. "If you can make dirty jokes like that, it's pretty obvious that you're thinking straight." She put her hands against her temples. "Now, please, I need to concentrate."
"Alright, you do your thing, Megan," Shinichi said as he stepped back to give Megan room to work. She did not need someone hovering over her and breathing down her neck, distracting her.
"So," Ryuji interjected. "Do you want to tell the Director about the attack, or should we?"
"We'll tell him once I've handled Kyofu myself," Shinichi answered.
"...Are you sure that's a good idea? You know he'll do everything in his power to help you. All you need to do is ask."
"I know but I can't run to the Director every time I face a problem. This is my world and my village. What about you? Will you tell the Director?"
"No," Ryuji answered. "You're right. This is your world and you should handle this your way. You don't need ARMOR's oversight on this. Unless this involves some kind of Multiversal threat, it's your show."
"Thank you."
"But fair warning: once the Director finds out that his family got hurt and you didn't tell him…Well, just be ready to deal with the consequences."
"I'll take full responsibility," Shinichi promised. Suddenly, a Dimensional Wall rose up and Lucy stepped out of it before it collapsed, surprising him. "Lucy!?"
"Yo!" Lucy smiled. Before Shinichi could react, she suddenly 'levitated' and flung herself straight at him to sucker punch him. He fell on his ass, more out of shock than pain.
"What the hell, Lucy!?" shouted Shinichi, rubbing his cheek.
"Lucy-chan, that wasn't very nice!" Kotonoha scolded.
"Papa told me to do it," Lucy shrugged, unashamed.
"Why are you here?" Shinichi questioned as he stood back up.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I already told Warren everything and he was hella furious. He almost warped in to go scorched Earth on those bastards but I guess he cooled off," Ryuji explained. "Nice right hook, Lucy."
"Thanks, Uncle Ryuji," Lucy smiled as Shinichi picked himself back up. Lucy was Warren's eldest daughter. She was a young Diclonius woman he had adopted from another universe during the Vicious Wars. She had short, bob-cut rose-coloured hair and matching eyes. She was in her uniform which was a black catsuit with a black jacket that had ARMOR's emblem (the planet Earth with the letter 'A' on it) on her shoulders, a gold Omega sign on her back, black boots and fingerless gloves. Around her waist was a utility belt with multiple pouches and ARMOR's emblem on the buckle.
"So, he sent you?" Shinichi asked Lucy.
"Yeah, and he asked me to bring you this," Lucy answered as she handed Shinichi a vid card. Once it was in his hand, it activated and a hologram of Warren appeared to speak with him.
"Director," Shinichi greeted.
"Shinichi, if you're watching this, that means Lucy has just arrived. If she managed to land that hit, I'm not sorry. I believe Ryuji told you to deal with the consequences. I understand why you didn't want ARMOR involved. I blew it royally when it came to Gebok. Spend so much time dealing with mad gods that can snuff out galaxies with the wave of a hand you forget how dangerous a human psychopath with nothing left to lose can be. There isn't much I can do to really make up for that, but it doesn't mean I'll stop trying to help. As such, you and your team are now temporarily registered as agents of my Thunderbolts team. Your team can still access any resources ARMOR can provide for you, but here's the difference between normal agents and my Thunderbolts: Thunderbolts are black-ops. You can request any resources you will need, so long as you get the job done. No red tape. No waiting for orders. No oversight. These bastards killed your family. Killed my family. Show them what happens when you mess with our family. Lucy is there to help out your team. She has experience with asshole mad scientists obsessed with evolution."
"Ugh, so he still stuck his nose in," Shinichi grumbled. He may not admit it, but he appreciated Warren's help. It showed that he cared.
"Hey, this is Papa being hands-off," Lucy retorted. "Uncle Ryuji had to convince him not to come here, go Level 0, and wipe out the people responsible from existence."
"Fine then. Lucy, it looks like you're joining us on this mission. But I'm paying you back for that sucker punch. Just be ready for that."
"Just be happy I didn't use my vectors unless you want any kids you have in the future to get horns," Lucy snarked, flipping her hair haughtily.
"Master of space and time. Don't forget it," Shinichi reminded her as he twirled his index finger. "You nicked me with your vectors before, Lucy, and there are no horns on my kids so far."
"Master of space and time," Lucy chuckled mockingly. "And yet I still laid you out with one-"
SPLASH!
Water suddenly gushed down on Lucy and it stopped as soon as it came, leaving her drenched. Her clothes were utterly soaked, a fish was flopping in her mouth, and an unamused glare marred her features. She also stunk like salt. With her cat ear-shaped horns, she looked like a moody cat that had a bad time fishing.
"Like I said," Shinichi smirked as he closed the portal above her head. "Master of space and time. Consider the consequences officially dealt with."
Lucy spat the fish out of her mouth and it flopped on the floor.
"I liked you better as a shameless pervert," she grumbled. She shot a glare in Ryuji and Kotonoha's direction. "And how come you didn't say anything?"
"You were busy gloating," Ryuji shrugged before he went and picked up the fish and quickly froze it with his powers to keep it fresh. He planned to give it to Loki to cook later. "Didn't want to interrupt. Anyway, should we expect the rest of the Dark Rider Trio?"
"Nope, it's just me," Lucy answered as she brushed her wet bangs from her eyes, "Naruto has some stuff going on about a goddess who's mad about 'stolen Chakra' or something. And Shinji doesn't like dealing with situations he knows are gonna get bloody. That and he's busy with his girlfriends and making up for lost time with his mom."
"That's OK," Shinichi said reassuringly, "With everybody we have in this tower, we've already got a pretty good team. But if we're doing this, we are going to do this right and that means we need a plan. No doing things half-cocked."
"Can't it wait until I'm dry?" Lucy complained.
"You don't need to wait," Shinichi said, waving his hand. A clock appeared above Lucy and phased through her, making her dry again. "Nice and dry. So let's see if Megan managed to get something from our guests."
Suddenly, loud, sickening pops rang from within the cell. As the ARMOR agents turned around, alarmed, Megan slowly looked back at them with a horrified expression.
"I didn't do it, I swear!" Megan cried out.
The agents quickly rushed to the cell and were greeted by a gruesome sight. Both the prisoners' heads had been blown to bits, painting the walls of their cell red with their blood and grey matter. Shinichi, Ryuji, and Lucy were already accustomed to blood and gore, but Kotonoha had to withhold the urge to vomit.
"Oh, my God!" Kotonoha cried. Ryuji quickly turned her away to rub her back and comfort her.
"Take deep breaths, Koto-chan. Deep breaths," he whispered softly as she began hyperventilating.
"Sheila, what happened!?" Shinichi demanded.
"There appears to have been miniature explosives implanted in their brains," Sheila answered.
"Damn, we should have scanned them before," Shinichi cursed under his breath.
"That Professor must have put those bombs in them so we couldn't get any information in case any of them got captured," Ryuji observed. "Any sign of loose lips, insubordination or mind probing and pop goes the weasel."
"They're dead!" Megan cried in distress. "They're dead and it's my fault!"
"It's OK, Megan. It was not your fault," Shinichi reassured her as he comforted her by rubbing her back. "Let me take care of this." He waved his hand and a pair of clock constructs appeared over the bodies, repairing the damage and restoring them to life.
"That's a handy trick," Ryuji observed.
"Like, what happened?" the gyaru questioned as she woke up.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," Shinichi greeted the revived goth and gyaru who were surprised to be alive. "How do you feel?"
"You... brought us back to life?" the goth muttered in surprise. "How?"
"And, like, why?" the gyaru added, confused.
"Because you still need to help us. As you can guess by now, Kyofu doesn't give a damn about you at all," Shinichi told them. "So how about you cooperate with us? Who wants to go first?"
Conda grabbed Clementine by the throat and chokeslammed her to the ground with incredible force, forming a crater on impact. The psychotic electrokinetic cried out as she felt several of her bones break. She tried to zap Conda but the Amazon ignored the shocks as she started wailing on her. With each blow, the psychotic psychic's face was gradually disfigured.
First, bruises formed, then her eyes were swollen shut, her nose was broken and her teeth were knocked out. But Conda did not stop and she was not going to stop even if this bitch begged for mercy. Finally, drawing her sword, she drove it into her enemy's chest. She released Clementine's body and watched it lie in a heap at her feet as a pool of blood spread out from under her.
Conda panted as she used her forearm to wipe the sweat off her brow, staring at her enemy's corpse. She should have felt some sense of satisfaction from killing her and yet she did not feel anything at all.
"Would you like to run the program again?" Sheila asked.
"No, that's enough," Conda answered. She was using the simulator to blow off some steam and decided the best way to do it was to kill her killer. The holographic technology was impressive as it made a perfect simulated recreation of Clementine. At first, it was fun but killing her repeatedly got really boring after so many times. "Sheila, could you give me something else to play?"
"What are your specifications?"
"Something that lets me fight a horde of monsters," Conda proposed and she got an idea as she remembered seeing Celine playing a certain video game. "Do you know the game 'Castlevania'?"
"Yes, I have that game in my database," Sheila answered. "Would you like me to run that program?"
"Yes," Conda answered and her surroundings changed to put her in the middle of a graveyard with a large gothic castle in the distance. It was night time and the full moon was out allowing her to see that she was not alone. All manner of demons, monsters and ghouls came out to play and she grinned as she cracked her whip. "Now we're talking!"
Conda charged at the horde, yelling a battlecry. The fiends were no match for her strength and skill as she easily slew them. Her whip was given some additional properties in this simulation as well, allowing her to slay the creatures as if it were a holy weapon. With one strike, she could vaporise monsters. Although some creatures took more than a single hit to go down.
They came at her relentlessly, trying to stop her from reaching the castle. However, they served no challenge and she managed to reach the building in record time. The tall doors opened for her and she was once again confronted by a gauntlet of dark creatures. The zombies came at her to feast on her flesh but she dispatched them with ease. The werewolves pounced with their teeth and claws bared to rip her to shreds, but they were no more dangerous than puppies to her as she put them down like rabid dogs. After going through the castle and slaying every monster in her path, she finally reached the throne room.
In Castlevania, this was where the player would face Dracula in battle and finally win the game. However, instead of the King of Vampires himself, a woman sat upon the throne with her legs crossed. Although Conda could tell from the frame, the shadows of the throne room obscured the mysterious woman's features with only her pure white eyes visible in the dark.
"Congratulations, warrior," the woman praised. "You have reached my throne room and your final challenge."
"That's right! I've slain all your servants to get here and tonight you will be slain, monster!" Conda announced.
The woman stood from the throne and stepped down the stairs, heels clicking as she went, and the shadows leaving her to reveal herself. The woman was as tall as Conda, with the body and physique to match. But while Conda had sunkissed skin, the woman was deathly pale like a ghost. She had wavy and long hair that was equally pale and empty white eyes. The only noticeable colour on her was in her blood-red lips and sharp red nails. Her outfit, if it could be even called as such, was a long black cloak with red lining that was held by a golden evil-looking skull around her neck, a black bikini with gold skulls on her top, garter belt, elbow sleeves that had spikes running along her forearms, and black thigh-high boots.
"Then try me," the woman challenged as she tossed away her cloak and drew a claymore with dulled-out edges, a black hilt, and a skull in the centre from her side. "By my name, Lady Death, I shall test your worth!"
"Come at me, she-devil!" Conda dared. Lady Death jumped from the stairs and flew straight at Conda to behead her. The Amazon Queen jumped back from the blade and landed a distance away from her opponent.
"Those that meet me in battle will meet only death," Lady Death boasted as she pointed her sword at Conda.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," Conda grinned viciously as she put her whip away. The two female warriors let out battle cries as they charged at each other, meeting in the middle to clash violently.
Lady Death swung her sword but Conda dodged her blade before she threw a punch at her opponent. Lady Death caught her fist before headbutting her in the forehead, knocking her back. Dazed, Conda shook it off before retaliating with a kick to Lady Death's gut. She then followed with a left hook but Lady Death ducked underneath the swing before driving her pommel into Conda's gut.
Conda grinned despite the pain.
This was exhilarating! Now her blood was pumping!
"This is so much better than Castlevania!"
Conda had to admit that this Lady Death was the most challenging hologram she had ever fought. She was not as easy to dispatch as the other monsters she had slain to get here. Her programming must be pretty advanced to allow her to counter Conda's moves like a real person. Conda could not discern any pattern in her attacks, as if she was improvising on the fly.
Throwing a punch, Conda knocked Lady Death back before she grabbed her whip and swung, aiming for Lady Death's head. However, the pale woman teleported away only to reappear above Conda. She dropped down to drive her sword into her skull but the Amazon Queen anticipated this move and swiftly sidestepped. Lady Death's blade was stuck in the floor and Conda used this chance to kick Lady Death in the face, sending her tumbling.
Conda took hold of Lady Death's sword and effortlessly pulled it out of the floor before pointing it at its former wielder. Lady Death was disarmed and Conda had claimed her weapon, so it looked like she now held the advantage. However, Lady Death did not appear discouraged by this development as her lips spread in a bloodthirsty grin. She held her hand out to Conda and the sword in her hand began to vibrate violently before it was torn from her grip and back into Lady Death's.
"Apocalypse is not just any sword. It was forged especially to suit me," Lady Death claimed, brandishing her weapon. "None shall wield it but I."
"Then I'll just have to break it then!" Conda resolved as she darted forward to throw a punch at Lady Death, connecting with her cheek but the pale woman just leaned with the punch before driving her knee into Conda's gut. The Amazon Queen recovered quickly as she grabbed hold of the pale woman's leg and spun around and around before throwing her back to her throne, causing it to shatter on impact. Conda then leapt into the air and came down to deliver a dropkick but Lady Death rolled out of the way, causing Conda to destroy the remains of the throne.
Lady Death raised her sword but Conda was faster as she swung her whip, wrapping it around the blade. With a strong tug, she tore the sword out of Lady Death's hand and sent it flying into the wall, causing its blade to sink deep into its surface. The Amazon Queen then went straight for Lady Death and grabbed hold of her throat before slamming her to the floor.
"Yield," Conda commanded with a threatening tone. "Yield or I snap your neck."
Lady Death cocked an eyebrow, seemingly impressed by Conda's ferocity.
"Very well, I yield," Lady Death conceded. Conda released her grip before offering a hand to her opponent.
"You were a worthy opponent," Conda said as Lady Death took her hand and allowed the Amazon Queen to help her up.
"And you are the victor," Lady Death admitted. "Here is your prize." An item appeared in Lady Death's hands. It was a whip that resembled a long purple cobra with some kind of gold pumper, and a small gold chain attached. "The Kulshedra. It is a possessed whip containing the soul of the ancient serpentine demon Kulshedra. It should fare better than your regular whip and be of great help in your future battles."
"Thank you," Conda said as she accepted. For an item in a game, it sure felt very real. "Sheila, end program." The HoloSim chamber returned to its original grid-like pattern as Lady Death vanished. Strangely, Conda's new whip did not vanish along with the simulation. Perhaps it had been made with the room's replicator. She headed for the exit when a holographic Likert scale suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10," Sheila instructed. Conda rolled her eyes and tapped the number 10. "Thank you. Please, come again."
The door opened and Conda stepped out. She sighed deeply as she stretched. That had been quite the workout. At the same time, Amora came out of an adjacent chamber in a green bikini.
"Were you also using the simulator?" Conda asked.
"Yes, I was," Amora confessed. As she spoke, a green mist formed around her to change her attire into something less revealing but still attractive. Her outfit was a dark green, laced-up bustier-style crop top with skinny jeans in a lighter shade. On her feet, she wore black ankle boots. "I was on a beach and receiving a sensual massage from Alan."
"As if a holographic illusion could compare," Conda scoffed.
"True, but it still felt nice. After being turned into a doll, I needed some pampering."
"What was it like being turned into a doll?" Conda asked.
"It's like being trapped in your own body. I couldn't move or speak but I was still aware of my surroundings," Amora described, causing Conda to go pale.
"That sounds horrifying," Conda remarked.
"Indeed it was," Amora agreed. "I can't wait to inflict similar horrors to those psychics. What about you? What were you doing in the HoloSim?"
"I needed to let off some steam," Conda answered.
"Oh?" Amora raised an eyebrow and smiled, interested. "Do tell. I would like to hear the details."
"Just a bit of revenge," Conda admitted.
"Revenge?" Amora raised an eyebrow, curious.
"I asked the computer to simulate the bitch who killed me so I could kill her over and over and over again," Conda explained.
"That is understandable."
"Then I got bored and decided to try something else. I even got a prize out of it." Conda showed off Kulshedra and Amora's eyes widened as soon as she saw it.
"Conda, where did you get that?" Amora stared at the whip as she pointed at it.
"I won it for winning the game in the HoloSim," Conda answered.
"The HoloSim can generate realistic holographic illusions but they can't make anything that you can take with you," Amora pointed out. "That's real."
"It is!?" Conda studied the whip in her hand.
"And it's no normal whip, my dear friend. That weapon is demonic," Amora explained with a critical frown. "Conda, tell me how you got this whip and don't leave out any details."
Conda proceeded to tell Amora after getting tired of killing Clementine numerous times, she decided to play a Castlevania-like simulation. At the end of the simulation, Conda fought a pale woman who called herself 'Lady Death'. For being victorious in their battle, Lady Death gifted her with the whip.
"I don't think that woman was a hologram, Conda," Amora concluded. "I think she infiltrated your game. And from the way you described her, she might be undead."
"An undead intruder?" Conda gasped. "Then we should tell the NEO-NUMBERS about it so they can do something about their security."
"Indeed, but I believe you should be careful with this whip," Amora warned as she stared warily at Kulshedra. She did sense a demonic presence inside after all.
"I'm still keeping it," Conda decided.
"So, how are you feeling?" Amora asked. "You did die, after all."
"Honestly, I'm relieved to be alive but..." Conda hesitated as her expression fell.
"What's wrong? You can tell me," Amora said, offering her ear.
"It's just that, when I died in battle, I thought I would cross over into Elysium," Conda confessed.
"Your culture's version of the afterlife."
"Yes, our afterlife. Where I can live for eternity with my other fallen Amazon sisters. It would be our reward for a life full of honour and glory," Conda described beautifully only for her expression to turn sombre. "However, I only saw darkness and it's making me question things about my faith and the gods."
"Perhaps you only saw darkness because it was not your time yet. You still have much work to do in this realm before you can cross over. Daiki still needs his mother to train him, after all," Amora said reassuringly. "And if you ask me, you would have been more than worthy to enter the halls of Valhalla."
"Thank you, Amora. I appreciate that." Conda smiled warmly.
"But, let's not put that theory to the test anytime soon." Amora saw how Conda was looking at her new weapon in anticipation and sighed. "You want to go back to HoloSim and give that thing a try, don't you?"
"Oh, you know me so well, Amora," Conda grinned. If her new whip was as demonic as Amora claimed it to be, she would need to practice with it and discover what it could do. Then after that, she planned on using it on the real Clementine. "Come now, sister. Let's go slay a bitch!"
"Well, I'm game," Amora accepted as the door opened and both of them entered to play.
"Sheila, I want you to put us back in the throne room and put the lightning Agito as the Final Boss," Conda commanded. The interior of the chamber once more adopted the appearance of the throne room, with Clementine sitting on the throne, wearing a haughty smirk as she rested her chin on her knuckles. "Alright, Amora! Let's go!"
"Right!"
The Amazon Queen and Enchantress both leapt into battle as Clementine cackled with lightning bursting from her body.
Meanwhile, the kids were using another HoloSim chamber. While they were limited to only age-appropriate holographic programs, they were still able to enjoy themselves. Right now, they were in a playground. Lulu and Adam were in a sandbox, building a sandcastle together while Celine was on a swing. Daiki and Alice stood to the side, looking unhappy.
"Why do you look so glum?" Alice asked her little brother.
"You first," Daiki answered.
"Well, I asked first," Alice retorted.
"How about we play Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Daiki challenged. "Loser talks first."
"Fine," Alice accepted with a sigh. Of course, she was not afraid she would lose. Her brain allowed her to calculate the probability of what kind of hand Daiki would throw out. "Ready?"
"Ready."
"Janken pon!" Alice threw out a closed fist (rock) while Daiki held out his palm flat (paper).
"I win," Daiki declared, smirking. Alice sighed. Yes, she could calculate the hand Daiki would throw out but even her calculations could be wrong at times.
"Fine...Mommy doesn't want me to go and hunt those psychics down to punish them," Alice said, her frown deepening. "You?"
"I wasn't able to save Mom," Daiki admitted. "I wasn't strong enough to save her."
"That wasn't your fault, Daiki."
"Mom said the same thing but I think if I was stronger then she wouldn't have died. Thank God we have Shinichi to fix things."
"We should just storm their base right now," Alice proposed. "We know where their base is so we could just go there and take them all out. It would be so easy."
"Yeah, let's go and teach them a lesson!" Daiki agreed, punching his palm. "Celine, what do you think?" Celine did not respond, just sitting on her swing, staring at the ground. "Celine?"
"Celine, what's wrong?" Alice asked as she walked over, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"...I was so scared," Celine confessed, tears brimming in her eyes. "Aunt Conda died and then you died. I was so scared that you wouldn't come back."
Alice grimaced. The EMP. She still had mechanical and electronic parts inside of her that could be affected by it. Not even her synthetic flesh and blood covering could protect her programming from being erased by the EMP.
"Hey, it's OK," Alice said softly, hugging Celine to comfort her. "I'm OK. We're all OK. All thanks to Shin-niichan."
"Yeah, I really need to thank him for bringing Mom back to life," Daiki said. "And give him a gift while I'm at it."
"You know he wouldn't accept any reward, Daiki," Alice retorted.
"I know, but I owe him for saving Mom's life and she always says that a good deed needs to be honoured."
"A lot of people owe their lives to him," Alice corrected. "Half the village would be dead if he hadn't come back and saved them."
"Why did they attack the village? Why did they kill the villagers?" Celine questioned. Everyone was so nice and friendly. They did not deserve it.
"Coz bad guys do bad things, Celine," Daiki answered.
"Onee-chan, do you really want to fight them?" Celine asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Alice challenged, her eyes narrowed. "Those monsters killed innocent people. They need to be punished."
"I'm just afraid that you'll get hurt again."
"It won't happen again," Alice swore. She would not be caught off guard like last time. She would make sure to finish them off before they even knew what hit them.
"I really want another go at that crazy bitch for killing Mom," Daiki stated, cracking his knuckles. "Next time I see her, I'm going to bury her so far underground that she'll meet the Earth's core."
"You might get your chance if Auntie Conda brings her back alive."
After interrogating the two women - who revealed themselves to be twin sisters named Tamayo Amemiya (goth) and Tamae Amemiya (gyaru) - Shinichi, Megan, Ryuji, Lucy and Kotonoha took the elevator back up.
"Sheila, how's that list coming along?" Shinichi asked.
"See for yourself," Sheila answered as she projected a holographic list in front of Shinichi that had the headshots of the Alpha Force members with their names next to them:
-Tamayo Amemiya
-Reiko Serizawa
-Yoshikage Yoneda
-Rintaro Yoneda
-Daytona Viper
-Cryska Barchenowa
-Miwa Karaki
-Tamae Amemiya
-Jota Welsh
-Kyouya Tachibana
-Natsume Safuran
-Elise Blandelli
-Carrera Von Krauser
-Kyousuke Kasuga
-Mitsumi Kirihara
-Merka Kenzaki
-Sado Melcina
-Clementine Quintia
-Vega M. Bison
-Sogou Taguchi
-Busaba Cherinsuk
-Luc Gaulle
"Alright, we've got names to fit the faces," Shinichi nodded. "Good work, Sheila."
"Would you like me to find information on these individuals?" Sheila offered.
"Anything you can find about their strengths and weaknesses would be helpful," Shinichi instructed.
"Affirmative."
"You've got a pretty handy AI," Lucy praised, impressed.
"Sheila pretty much runs the whole base and is a master multitasker. Believe it or not, she used to be an AI for a smart tank but she's grown since," Shinichi boasted.
"That's impressive," Kotonoha remarked.
"Yes, and that is what makes her a valued member of my team," Shinichi agreed.
"Thank you, Shinichi. I appreciate that," Sheila responded.
"So, what's next on the agenda?" Ryuji asked.
"I'm going to tell everyone to go back and enjoy the festival," Shinichi answered. "After the day they had, they deserve a bit of fun."
"I doubt they'll be in the mood for it."
"I can't believe they were in the mood for it."
Everyone returned to the festival and was back in a festive mood despite the traumatic day they had. It would appear after years of experiencing numerous dangerous and life-threatening situations, the villagers had learned how to adapt and move on. It also helped that the people who had died had been brought back to life. That was another cause for celebration.
"Looks like the miracle you pulled helped them get over it pretty quickly," Megan observed.
"I'm just glad they can put it behind them," Shinichi replied.
"Hinamizawans are good at adapting," Shogo supported. "It's how they cope with change. Or they form protests if they don't like change."
The rest of the festival continued without incident until it was time for Rika's ceremonial dance. As the sacred miko, she was dressed in ceremonial garb. At the climax of the dance, she lifted the hoe and brought it down on the futon to dig out the cotton within. After the sacred dance, villagers and visitors were each given a ball of cotton so they could send them adrift on the river.
"Here you go," Rika said as she passed the balls of cotton to Celine, Alice, Adam, Lulu and Sho. "Now send them adrift in the river."
"Thank you, Aunt Rika," Alice accepted.
"Thanks, mau!" Celine smiled.
The Gaming Club all sent their cotton drifting along the river. Shinichi had taken an extra cotton ball on Rena's behalf and sent it adrift.
"So, what will you tell Rena?" Mion asked.
"I'll tell her everything is OK," Shinichi answered. It technically would not be a lie.
"I'm surprised Rena wants to be part of a group wedding like that," Keiichi remarked.
"You mean a harem wedding," Satoshi corrected.
"Feeling jealous, Kei-chan?" Mion asked her husband.
"Oh, how naughty, Kei-chan," Shion teased.
"Oh, no. Of course not," Keiichi denied. While a harem worked for Shinichi since Rena was willing to share, Keiichi knew Mion would kill him if he even thought about it.
"I better head back to Genovia and tell them what's up," Shinichi said as he opened a portal.
"Come back soon, OK?" Satoko asked worriedly. He understood her concern as the village had been attacked when he was not around.
"I will. We have a lot of work to do," Shinichi promised. "Oh, and Mion, you better be prepared for reporters. After what Kyofu said at his press conference, there's gonna be a whole lot of them coming to check out the village and expecting to see it in ruins."
"Don't worry, Shin-chan. I can handle some nosy reporters," Mion claimed confidently.
"See you guys later," Shinichi bid them all before he stepped into the portal.
Unknown to the other villagers, seven youths dropped their cotton balls along the river as they watched Shinichi depart through his portal.
END OF ACT 7
DrEx: So, this is the mid-season finale for this arc. While not everything has been resolved, this is when the team starts to fight back.