After his 'interrogation' at Kaguya and Raheem's hands, Luc was put in a special power-dampening cell while still wearing a collar for good measure. The cell had nothing save for four white walls, a sealed door, a bed and a toilet. Fortunately, the walls provided him privacy and the only way to view inside was the small window on the door.
The 'interrogation' had been a brutal process and Luc was forced to reveal everything he knew about Kyofu's plans, which was not a lot. Apparently, Kyofu was not the type to tell everything to his underlings. All Luc could tell was that he had been ordered to destroy Genovia. What he did not reveal was that he happily took up the task. Although, with how eager he was to take the assignment, it was easy enough to deduce that he would have destroyed the kingdom even without being given orders.
As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, he heard a knock on his cell door. Standing up, he approached the window to see who it was.
"What do you want?" he rudely demanded.
"Bonjour, I'm here to bring you food," Layna said as she carried a tray of food with her. "You must be hungry."
"You can just throw that slop away," he said rudely, turning away from the door. He was hungry, starving actually, but he was not about to give them the satisfaction of knowing this. He could not afford to show any weakness.
"So, you're one of Kyofu's minions, correct?" Layna asked. Offended, Luc whirled around to glare at her through the small window.
"I am no mere 'minion'! I am an elite member of Alpha Force and you best remember that!" he snapped at her.
"Perhaps you see yourself as an 'elite', but a minion is still a minion," Layna retorted. "You're serving an awful man who only cares for his ambition and only values you so long as you continue to be useful to him."
Luc gritted his teeth. If he could use his powers right now, he would crush this girl for her disrespect.
"Then leave," Luc ordered, turning away from the door. "If I'm a 'minion' then I am not worth speaking to, especially since I am a prisoner."
"Since you're a prisoner, all you can do is talk and reflect on what you've done, right?" Layna pressed on.
"Oh, do you expect me to feel remorseful for trying to destroy Genovia?" Luc scoffed. "Given the chance, I would crush that kingdom ten times over!"
"Why do you hate Genovia so much?" Layna asked, sensing the pure spite in Luc's words.
"Because they took everything from me!" Luc claimed furiously as he whirled around to meet her eyes with his glare. "The crown wrongfully stripped my family of its noble status and stole our wealth! They took everything from us, leaving us with nothing!"
"And so that's why you joined Kyofu," she concluded.
"Of course," Luc confirmed as if it was so obvious. "He promised that he would give us a world that is free of corruption."
"And you actually believed him?" Layna questioned incredulously. "How can you be sure he'll keep his word?"
"He promised me power and he gave it to me," Luc answered.
"Yes, he did give you power, but not as a means to fight for yourself," Layna clarified. "He did it specifically to keep you under his control."
"How dare you!?" Luc snapped.
"Men like Kyofu don't actually care about the people they claim to represent. They speak as if they care about others, preaching about doing and being better, but in truth, they hide a sinister agenda. They falsely act virtuously as a means to an end. Kyofu may claim that he wants to create a better world, but the truth is that he just wants to make a world for himself, one that he rules alone, using people like you as pawns to make his plans a reality."
"No...he promised he would reward us!" Luc protested, shaking his head in denial.
"Didn't you attack Hinamizawa?" Layna continued. "You claim that you fight for a world that is free of corruption, and yet your group targeted a simple village with no significance at all."
"Kyofu said it was the only way to get rid of the cyborgs. They were a threat to us."
"And were the villagers a threat as well? Is that why you killed them?"
"It's not enough to kill the cyborgs. The world's faith in them must be destroyed as well."
Layna sighed, closing her eyes in disappointment.
"I see. So it is just a means to an end for you as well." A slot opened under the door and Layna slid the tray through. "You should really eat something. You're going to be in there for a bit longer. Au revoir."
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act XX: Countdown to Omega
Shinjiro, aka Jiro, woke up in the middle of the night, feeling peckish. He decided to go and make himself a midnight snack. Turning on the food replicator in his room, he began to make his order. With such a huge menu, he was spoiled for choice.
"Let's see, I think three dozen bacon cheeseburgers would be a good snack. Oh, and a strawberry milkshake to wash it all down," Jiro said. The replicator began to make his order when, all of a sudden, the power went out. "That can't be good. Now, how am I going to get my food?"
"OPEN UP, YOU STUPID DOOR!"
Ryuji was pounding furiously on the bathroom door. He had woken up in the middle of the night to take a leak when the power suddenly went out and now he was locked inside the bathroom. He tried to get the door open, but it would not budge so he started banging on it.
"Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?" Kotonoha asked from the other side. She had been awoken when she heard her husband banging and shouting from the bathroom.
"I can't get this fucking door to open! That's what's wrong!" he yelled back.
"It must've locked when the power went out."
"This is why I hate automated doors," Ryuji growled. "Koto-chan, I need you to step away from the door."
"Ryuji-kun, what are you planning?"
"I'm gonna break the door down," Ryuji's eyes flashed blue as his Orphenoch markings appeared across his face, and his fist reared back as golden Genki covered it. "Here we go!"
Kotonoha stepped aside and waited for her husband to break down the door, only to hear a loud clang followed by his cursing.
"SONOVABITCH!"
"Are you OK in there?" Kotonoha asked.
In the bathroom, Ryuji was in his Orphenoch form and growling in annoyance. He had put all his strength into that punch, and he did not even put a dent in the door. Clearly, the NEO-NUMBERS made sure all the doors were made from extremely sturdy material. That made them solid, secure, and resistant to Ki of all things; a total bitch to break down.
"No," Ryuji grunted as he returned to human form, rubbing his hand. "Damn door won't go down."
"Ryuji-kun, I think we'll need to be patient and wait until the power comes back on," Kotonoha advised.
"Fuck that!" Ryuji snapped before quickly apologizing. "Sorry. God, I wish I had my cigarettes."
"Maybe you can use this as a chance to kick that nasty habit," Kotonoha suggested.
"C'mon, Koto-chan. You know it won't kill me."
"Well, Kohana-chan is impressionable and you know how much she looks up to you. She'll think smoking is cool and start doing it too."
"Fine... can't believe we're talking about this during a blackout while I'm locked in the bathroom. There are so many things I'd rather be doing right now."
"I'm sure you do," Kotonoha smiled.
"I'm gonna try freezing it. Maybe that will help," Ryuji considered.
"You're not going to give up until you break the door down, are you?" Kotonoha asked, but she knew the answer already.
"Since when have I given up on anything?" Ryuji grinned as ice flames surrounded his hands.
Meanwhile, down in the holding cells, the prisoners were fast asleep when their cells' force fields were suddenly deactivated. As soon as they went down, a bright reddish-orange portal opened up in the middle of the floor. A figure emerged from the portal, rising like a demon ascending from Hell. Once they stepped onto the floor, a message was sent into the minds of the prisoners.
"WAKE UP!"
Everyone was shocked awake, sans for Abby who still slept peacefully.
"What the hell!?" Daytona demanded as he was startled awake. As soon as he woke up, the light on his power-dampening collar went out before it snapped open and fell off his neck. As it clattered to the floor, he felt around his neck where the collar previously occupied. The same thing happened to the other collars as well.
"So, who ordered a wake-up call?" Sogou asked as he stepped out of his cell along with the others who were awake. Without power, the holding area was covered in complete darkness.
"Allow me to ILLUMINATE you," D-Kyofu said as her body glowed with a flaming aura that was so bright that it illuminated the room.
"D?" Clementine gawked.
"Not exactly," D-Kyofu smirked, which looked unnatural on her face. She scanned the room and found Ultima Agito's frozen body in its cell. "Looks like I'm in the RIGHT place."
"Alright, let's get out of here!" Clementine cheered but then D-Kyofu turned her head, glaring furiously at her.
All of a sudden, every single one of them fell to their knees, holding their heads as they screamed in agony.
"YOU HAVE ALL FAILED ME!" D-Kyofu roared in their minds. "I MADE YOU! GAVE YOU ALL THIS POWER! AND YET YOU WERE STILL BEATEN!"
"Old...old man?" Sogou spoke through gritted teeth. "Is-is that you?"
"YES, BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER!" D-Kyofu claimed. She paused as she heard metal footsteps approaching and turned her head to find the source.
"INTRUDER, YOU WILL SURRENDER OR BE TERMINATED!" commanded Sprinkles as he readied his weapons. "YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO COMPLY OR BE DESTROYED!"
D-Kyofu rolled her eyes and, with a flick of her wrist, sent Sprinkles flying across the holding area until he crashed against the wall. She then hovered into the air, manifesting a pair of flaming bird-like wings before sending a wave of pure heat at the warbot. Sprinkle's body began to melt under the intense heat before he finally died, reduced to a pile of melted slag.
D-Kyofu then approached the frozen Ultima Agito and put her hands against the ice. Focusing on her power, heat spread across the ice, causing it to melt rapidly, freeing the frozen Agito inside. She locked eyes with it and something flowed out of her mouth before entering the empty vessel. Ultima Agito's eyes flashed as he stepped out of his cell. He stretched his body before he reverted to his original form in a flash of light.
"FINALLY, I'm back in my body!" Kyofu declared, raising his fists victoriously before putting them down. "GOOD job, Weapon D."
"I exist only to serve you, Professor," D bowed her head.
"Now," Kyofu addressed his subordinates who recovered from his telepathic assault. "You've ALL failed me repeatedly, but I'm giving you all one LAST chance to prove your worth. NOW, head into the portal and prepare yourselves."
The rest of the Alpha Force members shared looks before they complied and one by one jumped into the fiery portal. As the espers began to go through the portal, Abby rubbed her eyes as she stepped out of her cell.
"What's happening?" she wondered. "Where is everyone going?"
"Hello, Abby," Kyofu smiled kindly as he stood before her.
"Professor!" Abby gasped.
"How about we go home?" Kyofu offered his hand to her and the young girl took it. Kyofu then lifted Abby and carried her in his arms as he walked towards the portal. He stopped for a moment to address D. "D, could you PLEASE fetch Weapon I and her sister? We're going to NEED them too. Oh, and don't forget Weapon Z. For our plan to work, we NEED everyone."
"Affirmative," D complied. "But what about Weapon B?"
"Let me take care of THAT."
Cryska was fast asleep when a flaming portal suddenly opened up on the floor of the infirmary. She stood up, ready to protect herself and her sister when Weapon D emerged.
"D?" Cryska questioned, not expecting to see her.
"Weapon I, you and your sister will come with me. That is an order," D commanded.
"I cannot do that," Cryska declined, prepared to fight.
"Explain yourself," D ordered.
"I found one of Kyofu's facilities where Inia was being kept," Cryska growled. "He was going to use my sister to brainwash the world. He had no plans to help us at all. How can you possibly expect me to return to him after learning that?"
"All Professor Kyofu has done was in the pursuit of creating a better world," D responded, justifying Kyofu's actions. "Even if he uses people in a way that is detrimental to them, it is only temporary. You must know that, in the end, this is for the protection of Earth."
"Is it?" Cryska frowned. "Does the protection of Earth involve using a small girl against her will to strip humanity of their free will?"
"Humans are irrational and flawed," D reasoned as a matter of fact. "They will always choose violence when they cannot control themselves and continue to damage the planet despite being told that there are other ways. They simply cannot be left to their own devices so they require guidance."
"You mean control," Cryska retorted. "I admit, humanity isn't perfect and we had a lot of rotten apples, but you cannot fault the whole of humanity for that. Despite everything, there are still people who are honestly trying to do good in this world."
"I do not have the time to debate philosophy with you. You will come with me now," D commanded, raising her hand as her eyes glowed.
Cryska glared back as she projected a psychic sword in her hand. She knew that she stood little chance against D, but she was never known for surrendering.
"D, stand down," Kyofu's voice echoed in their heads.
D's eyes stopped glowing as she loosened her stance.
"Yes, Professor?"
"If Weapon I wishes to be with her sister, then just let her be," Kyofu permitted. "It has been quite some time since they last saw each other, so let them have their reunion. Look, she's already starting to stir."
Cryska's sword vanished as she swiftly turned around to see Inia already sitting up as she rubbed her eyes.
"Inia!" Cryska gasped, running to the bed and hugging her little sister. "Slava Bogu, ty prosnulsya! I thought you would never wake up!" Cryska smiled tearfully as she gazed at Inia.
"Sister...?" Inia whispered, eyes still groggy.
"Yes, it's me. Your big sister is here now," Cryska whispered as she hugged Inia again. It felt like a dream come true to see her sister again after so long. It felt like a dream she didn't want to wake up from...
...a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen dragged her back into reality.
Cryska looked down to see that she had been stabbed with a psychic knife by her little sister.
"...Inia?"
"Do svidanya," Inia whispered to her big sister before an invisible force smashed into Cryska, sending her crashing into the wall. She slid down with a painful grunt as she tried to hold pressure on her wound, all the while Kyofu's sickening laugh echoed in her mind.
"Inia... why?" Cryska gasped.
"Why? Why!? That's a question I should be asking you!" Inia screamed. "How could you side with the people that killed our mama and papa!?"
As Cryska struggled to come up with an answer, D hit her with a telepathic blast that knocked her out. Picking Cryska up, D threw her onto her shoulder and turned to the portal.
"Can you walk?" D asked Inia.
"Maybe just a few steps," Inia answered. An orange aura surrounded her and lifted her off the bed.
"Save your strength. You will need it for when the Professor creates our new world."
D stepped into the portal and sank into it with Cryska as Inia was carried into it. Once they were gone, the portal shrank and vanished.
Hanyuu suddenly snapped her eyes open and sat up from her futon, a terrible feeling rising from her gut. Looking at both Rika and Satoko who were still asleep, she moved over and shook them awake.
"Hey, get up!" she shouted. "Girls, wake up! We need to go!"
"Ugh... Hanyuu, what is it?" Satoko muttered as she and Rika both awoke, still drowsy.
"Get dressed," Hanyuu said urgently. "I sense something wrong. We need to get to the tower, now!"
The trio of girls quickly threw on whatever clothes they could and hopped on their bicycles to get to the Hive Tower. Upon arrival, they got off their bikes and ran to the door. Rika tried to open it but found that it was sealed shut.
"Sheila, open the doors, please," Rika requested. There was no answer. "Sheila, open the door."
"Why isn't Sheila answering?" Hanyuu asked.
"I don't know."
"All the lights are off," Satoko observed. "I think their power's out."
"No wonder Sheila can't open the door," Hanyuu realised. "And we don't have Yokoshima to open it for us."
"How did he get you last time?" Satoko wondered. "I mean, no offence, but he's not too bright."
"With his Scarab," Hanyuu answered. "It can pretty much do anything."
"So what are we going to do now?" Rika asked. "Just stand here?"
"...Rika?"
Rika heard someone call her name and spotted Jiro walking towards them.
"Jiro...?" Rika questioned, remembering him from Venge's terrible timeline. "What are you doing here?"
"Um... hi," Satoko said, her eyes wandering down at Jiro's chest and subconsciously licking her lips. "Rika, Hanyuu, you know him?"
"Satoko, this is Jiro..." Rika introduced as she noticed the blonde approaching the young man with a flirtatious look.
"Wait, Satoko, he's-" Hanyuu started only for Rika to cut her off.
"Wait, let's see where this goes." Rika's lips curled mischievously.
"So, big guy, I haven't seen you before. You from out of town?" Satoko asked, twirling a lock of her hair.
"No, I'm from here. I'm just from the future," Jiro answered.
"Oh, the future. How far in the future?"
"Not too far and we're actually pretty close."
"How close?"
"You're pretty much family, Aunt Satoko."
"Well, that's- huh?" Satoko blinked. "Wait, what'd you call me?"
"Let me try again," Rika said, trying to resist the urge to laugh. "Satoko, this is Shinichi and Rena's son from the future, Shinjiro."
"What...? Then that means I was gonna... oh, my God," Satoko stepped back, her face turning pale. She just flirted with someone who was practically her nephew. She whirled around to shout at her friend. "Rika, you jerk! You almost made me a cradle robber!"
"Sorry," Rika smirked. No, she was not sorry. Satoko felt ill and slowly stepped away from Jiro.
"So, the power went out so now all the doors are locked," Jiro informed his aunts while Satoko was dry-heaving a distance away.
"We know that but how did you get out?" Rika asked.
"Vortex manipulator," Jiro answered as he showed them his wrist device. "It's like a portable Teleportal."
"Oh, can you use it to get us inside?" Hanyuu requested.
The Bug Ship exited Shinichi's portal and landed in the vehicle bay but the entire place was pitch black.
"Hey, why's it so dark?" Yokoshima asked as he looked outside. The vehicle bay was pitch black. "Did the power go out?"
"If it did, the emergency backup power would have gone online," Chiaki informed him.
"If the power's out, then what about the cells?" Hana asked, and Shinichi's eyes widened in alarm before he opened a trio of portals.
"Shogo, take Daichi and check on the prisoners in the holding cells. Chiaki, take Yokoshima and try to get the power back on and see if you can get Sheila back online. Hana, Michiru, come with me. We need to check the residential floor," Shinichi ordered.
Daichi and Shogo stepped out of the portal and entered the holding area. As soon as they did, they activated their night vision.
"Fuck, they got out," Daichi cursed when they discovered the empty cells. They had captured and contained the Alpha Force members only to lose them all in one night.
"Yokoshima won't be happy about this," Shogo remarked when he found Sprinkles' remains.
"Aren't the shutters supposed to come down when the power goes out?" Daichi questioned, scowling as he saw all the empty cells. As a failsafe in case of power failure, shutters would come down to replace the force fields if they ever went down.
"Look at this," Shogo said as he handed him a power-dampening collar.
"You better tell Shinichi the bad news," Daichi instructed him and Shogo nodded as he turned on his comlink to contact their leader. Daichi began to examine the holding area until he spotted what appeared to be a scorch mark in the middle of the floor.
Shinichi, Hana and Michiru stepped into the dark hallway of the residential floor.
"We need to check if everyone's OK," Shinichi instructed.
"Shinichi, could you send me to the infirmary?" Hana requested. "I need to check on Cryska and her sister.."
"OK, here," Shinichi said as he opened a portal to the infirmary. "Call us if you need anything." Hana nodded and stepped through the portal.
"So, do we start knocking on doors or what?" Michiru asked.
"Oh, good, you're back," Megan greeted as she phased through her door
"GHOST!" Michiru screamed as she ran and hid behind Shinichi.
"Sorry about that," Megan apologised. "I sensed your return."
"Megan, do you know what happened?" Shinichi asked.
"A huge spike of psychic energy woke me up and I saw we had a blackout," Megan answered.
"A huge spike of psychic energy...?" Shinichi repeated, pondering the Martian's words. His comlink beeped and he tapped the side of his head. "Shinichi here. What is it?"
"Shinichi, we've got some bad news," Shogo reported.
"How bad is it?" Shinichi asked.
"The prisoners have escaped."
Meanwhile, Hana discovered that Cryska and Inia were both missing. She examined Inia's infirmary bed to find blood stains on the floor and bedsheet. Some of the supplies were also scattered on the floor.
"There was a struggle here," she noted. She needed to report this.
"What is it?" Michiru asked as Shinichi went silent.
"The prisoners have escaped," Shinichi answered, causing both girls to look at him in shock. He received another beep and answered. "Shinichi here."
"Shinichi, I went to check on Cryska and Inia but now they're gone," Hana reported.
That did not sound good. Not at all.
"Please tell me that they just went to the bathroom and don't know what was going on," Shinichi requested, already knowing that wasn't the case.
"Inia was in a coma and in no condition to move, and I doubt Cryska would take her sister out of bed," Hana informed him.
"And are you sure Cryska's missing?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Cryska would never leave her sister's side. If only we had power, I could check the security footage to see what happened."
Shinichi was receiving a call from Chiaki.
"Hold on, Hana," Shinichi said before switching to Chiaki. "Chiaki, what's the damage?"
"Someone unhooked the power and the backup power."
"At least it was not drained. It'll be a bitch to replace. How long until you can get power back online?" Shinichi asked.
"Not long. I have Yokoshima helping me. Did Daichi and Shogo find anything?"
"It's what they didn't find that concerns me. The prisoners are gone." Shinichi received another beep and went to answer it. "Hold on. I'm getting another call." Shinichi tapped his comlink again. "Talk to me."
"We found Sprinkles, or what's left of him," Daichi answered. "It's not looking too good."
"Damn it," Shinichi cursed, rubbing his temples. It was one thing after another.
It did not take long for the power to be restored. Sheila was back online as well, only losing time due to being abruptly shut down.
"Good, we have power," Yokoshima smiled.
"But the prisoners escaped when the power was out and with no power we have no footage," Chiaki stated.
"I think I know where we might find some," Shinichi said and he turned to Yokoshima. "Yokoshima, I'm going to need you to remain calm with what you're about to see."
"Why?" Yokoshima asked curiously.
"SPRINKLES, NOOOOOOO!" Yokoshima wailed hysterically as he threw himself onto the remains of his precious pet. "YOU WERE A GOOD DOG! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?"
"Yokoshima, it's OK," Shinichi attempted to reassure him.
"NO, IT'S NOT! SPRINKLES IS DEAD! THOSE BASTARDS KILLED HIM!"
"I can bring him back."
"...What?"
"Time powers, remember?"
"Oh, oh, right," Yokoshima sniffled as he wiped his snot away with his arm. "You can fix him. Good. That's good. I forgot you could do that."
"Yeah, obviously," Daichi snarked and Michiru elbowed him.
"Don't be rude," Michiru scolded under her breath. "You should know how it feels to lose a pet."
Daichi did. His cat had run away a long time ago. He did not know where it went. It just left and never came back.
Shinichi comfortingly rubbed Yokoshima's back and patted his shoulder before he went to bring back Sprinkles. Putting his hands on Sprinkles' remains, his eyes glowed as a green aura surrounded him. His pupils turned into glowing clock hands as an aura clock appeared behind him. The clock hands spun backwards as the aura covered Sprinkles, undoing all the damage that had been done to the warbot until he was good as new. Finally, Sprinkles was good as new and came back online.
"MAS...MASTER...?" Sprinkles asked.
"SPRINKLES, YOU'RE ALIVE!" Yokoshima cheered, crying tears of joy as he hugged Sprinkle's leg.
"Sprinkles, can you tell me what happened?" Shinichi asked.
"I WAS GUARDING THE PRISONERS WHEN THE POWER WENT OUT AND THE FORCEFIELDS WENT DOWN. THERE WAS AN INTRUDER. I ATTEMPTED TO SUBDUE THEM BUT I FAILED," Sprinkles explained.
"The important part is, you're better," Yokoshima said, relieved that his pet was not dead.
"Sprinkles, we're going to need to see what you saw. Can you help us with that?" Shinichi requested.
"AFFIRMATIVE," Sprinkles complied.
It was the middle of the night and Layna just finished an intense video game session. Sitting in a golden gaming chair made out of the finest Italian leather while facing her TV, she was draped in a long blue nightgown that hugged her figure nicely. She put down her controller and removed her headset. As she was about to head to bed, her stomach growled, so she decided to head to the kitchen to get herself a quick snack. Looking up at her clock, she saw the time.
"Oh dear, is it that late already?" she questioned. She knew she always lost track of time while gaming, she just never thought she would play so long.
As she went to the kitchen to grab her snacks, she decided to stop by Luc's cell to check on him. She looked through the window and gasped, her eyes going wide. Panicking, she quickly unlocked the door and went inside to find him gone.
"Kaguya is not going to be happy about this," she whispered.
Shinichi had gathered the NEO-NUMBERS and Sprinkles in the command centre. Megan was with them too. Earlier, she had gone to check on everyone in their quarters. Except for Ryuji and Kotonoha, everyone else was still asleep.
They found Rika, Hanyuu, Satoko and Jiro waiting for them in the command centre.
"What are you all doing here?" Shinichi asked.
"I sensed something was wrong so we came to check and saw the tower had a blackout," Hanyuu answered. "Jiro was the one who brought us in."
"How?" Shinichi asked his son.
"Vortex manipulator. I used it to leave my room after the power went out," Jiro explained, pointing to his wrist.
"Well, that's nifty," Shinichi remarked. He noticed Satoko with her hands in her pockets, her eyes turned away with a look of embarrassment on her face. "Something wrong, Satoko?"
Satoko's eyes looked up just a second before she instinctively looked at Jiro. Her cheeks turned red as she looked away.
"N-nothing..."
"Okay..." Shinichi blinked as he rubbed the back of his head. "How are you, Sheila?" Fortunately, none of the tower's systems were damaged so it was easy to get Sheila back online.
"I am doing fine but according to my chronometer, I have been offline for quite a bit," Sheila answered.
"Yeah, someone cut the power," Shinichi informed her. "Sheila, could you connect to Sprinkles and bring up the footage he may have recorded during the breakout?"
"There was a breakout?" Sheila asked, alarmed.
"Yeah, all our prisoners escaped."
"That is troubling. Alright, can Sprinkles please step forward?"
Sprinkles' footsteps made loud thumps as he stepped up to the computer. That was close enough for Sheila to do her work.
"Wait, isn't Sprinkles alien tech? Will it work?" Michiru asked.
"I have received updates to both my software and hardware, courtesy of ARMOR," Sheila claimed. "Sprinkles, this will tingle a little."
As soon as she made a connection, she opened a holographic screen to project the footage Sprinkles had recorded. Everything was in black and green due to Sprinkles using night vision.
The power went down and the forcefields went down with it. A reddish-orange portal opened up in the middle of the floor and a figure emerged from it.
"That's D," Shinichi identified.
Suddenly, everyone in their cells woke up.
"What the hell!?" Daytona demanded.
"So, who ordered a wake-up call?" Sogou asked as he stepped out of his cell along with the others.
"Allow me to ILLUMINATE you," D said as her body glowed with a flaming aura that was so bright that it lit up the room.
"D?" Clementine asked.
"Not exactly," D smirked, which looked unnatural on her face. She scanned the room and her eyes settled on the cell that contained Ultima Agito's frozen body. "Looks like I'm in the RIGHT place."
"Alright, let's get out of here!" Clementine cheered but then, all of a sudden, every single one of them fell to their knees, holding their heads as they screamed.
"What happened?" Yokoshima asked.
"A telepathic assault," Megan answered.
"Old...old man?" Sogou asked. "Is-is that you?"
"Did he just call her 'old man'?" Daichi asked. Shinichi was beginning to have a bad feeling about this.
"INTRUDER, YOU WILL SURRENDER OR BE TERMINATED!YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO COMPLY OR BE DESTROYED!"
Suddenly, Sprinkles was sent flying backwards until he crashed against the wall. D then hovered in the air as a pair of flaming avian wings burst from her back before she sent a wave of heat at Sprinkles.
That was when the footage turned to static before cutting to black.
"I'm surprised they didn't try to destroy the tower after they broke out," Daichi remarked. "It's what I'd do."
"Be grateful that they didn't," Sheila retorted.
"OK, could she do that before?" Michiru asked.
"No," Shinichi answered, frowning. "D has never demonstrated those abilities."
"She must have evolved," Megan theorised.
"But why did one of them call her 'old man'? And did you notice the way she talked?" Daichi wondered. "She emphasized random words."
Shinichi's eyes widened as he finally realised what it was.
"That wasn't D. That was Kyofu," Shinichi concluded. "He put his consciousness inside of her."
"So, an old man is inside a girl?" Michiru stuck her tongue out, cringing in disgust. "Gross."
"But now he has his old body back, not to mention all of his Alphas," Hana added, worriedly.
"All except for one," Shogo reminded, referring to B.
"But where could Kyofu have taken them?" Yokoshima asked. Shinichi's eyes widened as he realised the answer.
"He's gone after the Spirit Stone!" Shinichi yelled as he opened a portal. "Let's move, people! Go, go, go!"
The NEO-NUMBERS jumped into the portal and came out the other side, ready to confront Kyofu and his forces.
"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO SPRINKLES!" Yokoshima yelled as he formed an array of guns, cannons and blasters all across his body with his Scarab Armour. He received no reply, except for his echoing voice, in the empty chamber.
"Where's the Spirit Stone!?" Shinichi cried when he found the gigantic Spirit Stone missing with its chains lying on the ground.
"And what the hell happened to the guards?" Daichi asked. Ryuji had told them he had the Spirit Stone secured by containment specialists and had even posted guards to watch it.
"Guys, I think I found them," Michiru pointed to a pile of miniature dolls that were dressed in ARMOR security personnel uniforms.
"We're too late. Kyofu has the Spirit Stone now." Shinichi frowned, clenching his fists. "Let's go. There's nothing more we can do here."
The NEO-NUMBERS stepped through the portal and returned to base, but not empty-handed. Michiru had collected the dolls and carried them back with her.
"Put them over there," Shinichi pointed to the floor, and Michiru went and put the dolls down. He took a deep breath as he prepared to turn these men back to normal.
"Shinichi, wait," Hana interrupted. "I don't think it's a good idea."
"You want these men to stay like this?" Shinichi pointed accusingly.
"You used a lot of power earlier to restore our satellite and then you used it again to restore Sprinkles," Hana reminded. "You must be running on fumes."
"It's still enough to save them," Shinichi insisted.
"Maybe you do, or you can save it for later," Hana advised. "You can help them once we've dealt with Kyofu."
Shinichi looked at the dolls, eyes narrowing. He wanted to help them but Hana made a good point. Kyofu and the Spirit Stone took precedence.
"...Alright," Shinichi relented. He snapped his fingers and opened a portal that sent the dolls to someplace safe. "Sheila, can you locate the Spirit Stone?"
"I am attempting a scan now," Sheila answered, using their satellite to do a scan of the Earth to try and locate the Spirit Stone.
"Think they took it back to their base?" Michiru suggested.
"No," Daichi rejected. It would be the first place we'd look. Yo, Sheila. Found anything?"
"Negative. My scans are not picking up any strange energies," Sheila reported.
"They must be masking its energy signature," Shogo concluded.
"I should have destroyed it," Shinichi growled angrily.
"Like Dr. Katsura said, no one knows what that would have done," Shogo reminded. "If we did attempt to destroy it, it could have just as easily made everything worse. All that matters now is that Kyofu has the stone in his possession again and we need to stop him from using it."
"You're right," Shinichi agreed after calming down. They needed a plan to stop Kyofu.
"Do we wake the others?" Hana asked. "We might need all the help we can get so we can stop Kyofu."
"If you need help, I can get my siblings," Jiro offered.
"Did somebody ask for help?" Megan asked as she returned with Amora, Lala, Conda, Yami, Jade, Nozomu, Alice, Rena, the Seven Stakes of Purgatory (Lucifer, Satan, Leviathan, Mammon, Belphegor, Beelzebub and Asmodeus), Shawna, Obsidian, Lum, Tsukuyomi, Ryuji, Kotonoha and Lucy.
"Megan filled us in about the prison break," Lucy said.
"He has the Spirit Stone too," Shogo informed them.
"So, have you located it?" Ryuji asked.
"Sheila's trying to find it right now," Chiaki said.
"If you need help locating strange energies, then I can offer my assistance," Amora volunteered.
Meanwhile, Shinichi was quietly thinking to himself. Where could Kyofu be hiding right now? It needed to be someplace secure and since Kyofu was a former member of GIN-SHOCKER, he had access to their facilities. It needed to be a place that was familiar to him. As he racked his brain, an idea popped into his mind.
"I think...I think I have an idea of where Kyofu and the Spirit Stone might be," Shinichi spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Kyofu's old lab when he used to work for GIN-SHOCKER. If only I could remember where it was."
"I remember," Kuro chimed in.
'Kuro?' Shinichi asked in confusion. 'I thought you were ordered to forget everything about Kyofu.'
"I was, and I did. But Weapon D seems to have triggered a few memories that haven't been completely erased," Kuro answered. "I remember when we had a mock battle to decide whether Dr. Gebok or Professor Kyofu's project would go forward. The facility was located in the swamplands of New Orleans, USA. Kyofu must be using it as his temporary base at this moment. I may be wrong, but given his modus operandi, it is a place where he would surely go."
"Amora, could you focus your search in the swamps of New Orleans?" Shinichi asked. It was their only lead right now, but they needed to try. The fate of the world depended on it.
"Say no more, brother-in-law," Amora answered as she focused her magic, her eyes glowing green.
New Orleans, USA. Home of swamps, Southern hospitality and plantation homes. Most plantation homes have been long since abandoned due to what they were used for in the first place, but one home that was on the outskirts of civilization had a very peculiar significance. Surrounded by a forest of trees and swamplands, it didn't look out of place from other plantation homes. However, that was only on the surface. On the inside, and several hundred metres down, was a hidden lab that was used to perform inhumane experiments. It had been left abandoned, collecting dust and cobwebs after years of unuse.
The Spirit Stone hovered majestically behind Kyofu and D as they stood before the assembled Alpha Force members along with the surviving Psycho Soldiers and Bio Breakers. They were all in a chamber where Kyofu had experienced a crushing defeat many years ago. It sickened him to have to return to such a place, but he had to make do with it for now.
"66 Million years ago, the Spirit Stone crashed into Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. However, from the ashes, new life arose. Eventually, humans became the dominant species due to their intelligence, ability to use tools and their opposable thumbs. As for the meteorite that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, it remained buried in the Earth until it was unearthed by ME, Professor Kyofu, in Mexico. I discovered through my research that the Spirit Stone was the source of human evolution. It planted seeds in all humans, giving them the potential to survive. As time went on, most of the Seeds of Agito died within humans but a very select few still possessed the Seeds within them, waiting to be awakened by the power of the Spirit Stone. Those select few are yourselves! I am so GLAD to have you all here with me as our moment of GLORY is close at hand!" Kyofu addressed his subordinates. "Even you, C and K. I thought you were both DEAD."
"News of our demise was greatly exaggerated," Tamayo answered, glaring at the professor.
"Like, totally. We're not dead unless we're, like, totally zombies and we didn't know it," Tamae added, the look on her face not matching her nonchalant words.
"Yes, quite. So SORRY about the bombs if that's what you are so upset about, but all bases HAD to be covered," Kyofu defended. "We are, UNFORTUNATELY, missing a few key members. Recently, Weapon F lost his brother." Rintaro was carrying his brother's severed head. He had demanded Elise to revive him but the girl told him that it was impossible since his soul had already passed on and even if it had not, she still needed the whole body to do a proper resurrection. Despite that, he still insisted on carrying his brother's head to witness their moment of triumph. "And Weapon B is not with us right now, BUT that won't be for long. Now, with the Spirit Stone in our possession, we can finally begin to change this WORLD into one where only the SUPERIOR will rule and garbage will be DISPOSED of!"
Everyone cheered but Daytona, Tamayo, and Tamae said nothing, still glowering at Kyofu.
"The stone spoke to me, D," Kyofu turned to her. "It told me what I was missing in order to complete my plans."
"What is it, Professor?" D asked.
"The stone DEMANDS a sacrifice, the life of a perfectly evolved Agito," Kyofu grinned as he looked at her. "And guess who has that HONOUR, D?"
"Me, Professor?" D asked.
"Indeed. Now, STEP forward and fulfil your PURPOSE."
D stepped towards the Spirit Stone and as she got closer, it pulsed with energy. The assembled Agito could feel its power and continued to watch in anticipation while a few of them looked on in fear. Once D was within grabbing range, the tentacles shot out of the stone and dragged her inside, immediately cocooning her. The Spirit Stone descended before it began to burrow itself deep into the ground. Then, moments later, a tower made of organic material burst out, cutting through the underground and ripping through the plantation house from top to bottom before it reached high into the sky, the top of the tower glowing and pulsing with crimson energy.
The skies were clear until the tower rose. Dark storm clouds rolled as lightning flashed and thunder crashed, all while the tower's peak pulsed as it began to build up energy.
"Once the Spirit Tower ABSORBS all your power, D, this world will change FOREVER!" Kyofu swore.
The cheers from the assembled psychics were a deafening cacophony. Well, most of them cheered.
"Aarrrghhh!" Megan screamed as she held her head and her skin suddenly turned snow white. She would have collapsed if Nozomu had not caught her.
"What's wrong?" Nozomu asked.
"I felt a huge spike of psychic energy," Megan answered before correcting herself. "No, a gigantic surge of psychic energy."
"I felt something too," Amora concurred.
"Sheila?" Shinichi asked.
"I have detected a spike of strange energies at this location," Sheila reported as she brought up a map of the USA before she zoomed in and focused on New Orleans. That just confirmed Kuro's suspicion that Kyofu had taken the Spirit Stone there.
"Give us a visual," Shinichi ordered. "Onscreen, now."
The screen showed static for a few minutes before it became clear. It was a tower made of organic matter with a pulsing red sphere at the peak.
"What in the world is that?" Shawna questioned. She had no idea what it was, but she knew it was not anything good.
"Kyofu must've already started his endgame," Shinichi said, grimacing.
"So does that mean we failed?" Yokoshima asked.
"No," Megan said, shaking her head. "There's still a chance to stop it. Right now, that tower is building power, getting ready to unleash one huge mutagenic wave that will forcibly awaken all the Agito Seeds...and kill everyone else without one."
"Then we have no time to waste. Let's move," Shinichi ordered.
"I hate to be the bearer of more bad news," Sheila interrupted, sounding urgent. "But I am detecting multiple anomalous weather phenomena happening simultaneously all across the United States." She displayed a map of the USA along with the aforementioned weather phenomena on multiple screens. Earthquakes, lightning storms, and blizzards were happening all at once.
The group of heroes exchanged worried glances as they observed the unfolding chaos on Sheila's screens.
"What's going on with the weather?" Nozomu asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"It seems connected to the energy surge we detected in New Orleans. These anomalous weather phenomena are spreading rapidly across the country. They are not natural and appear to be a result of Kyofu's actions," Sheila explained after quickly analysing the data.
"Now Kyofu's messing with the weather!?" Daichi complained, furious.
"There's no way we can stop Kyofu and save all those people," Hana said, feeling powerless.
"Maybe there is," Shinichi retorted. "If that tower is the cause, then we need to destroy it. And since Kyofu will be expecting us, we're going to need a strong team. So all available Kamen Riders will be heading to his location. That just leaves the rest to deal with the weather problem."
"So while you take down Kyofu, the rest of us are going all over the USA to save people," Satan concluded.
"Exactly," Shinichi confirmed.
"Then I would like to be part of the weather team," Rena volunteered, raising her hand.
"Rena-chan..." Shinichi said softly before shaking his head. "No, it's too dangerous."
"Is it any more dangerous than everything else we've faced since we met?" Rena challenged. Shinichi could not come up with a reply. "Exactly. And you can't afford to refuse any help, not when there are people who need saving right now."
"Ms. Rena's right," Shawna agreed. "That is why I'm going as well."
"Are you sure about this?" Shinichi asked Shawna. "It could be dangerous."
"As a princess, my duty is to help the people," Shawna stated firmly. "And while they are not my subjects, they are still people in need of aid."
"Good answer, Princess," Tsukuyomi smiled approvingly.
"Alright," Shinichi relented. He could not stop any of them even if he wanted to. He went and gently caressed Rena and Shawna's faces. "Just promise you'll be careful."
"There will be people in need of medical aid," Hana said. "I'll show you where the medical supplies are. Come with me." Rena and Shawna both followed Hana to the elevator so they could raid the infirmary.
"I think I'll stay here," Hanyuu answered. "Someone needs to stay behind to monitor you all."
"Uh, we've got Sheila for that," Daichi pointed out.
"I know she's reliable but she's not infallible," Hanyuu countered. "No offence, Sheila."
"None taken," Sheila responded.
"We'll stay too," Rika volunteered, standing beside her ancestor/best friend/sister.
"I guess I'll make the coffee then," Satoko offered. It was going to be a long night and they were going to need it.
"I have the coordinates set. Good luck, everyone," Sheila said.
END OF ACT 20
Dr Exposition: I'm sorry it took so long to update, but my interest in this fic was waning so I focused on another story ("Kamen Rider SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore"). But now I'm back and ready to tackle the last few chapters of this arc...which will need to be revised properly before I can post them. So, we'll be heading into the climax after this. Kyofu has gathered his forces and the Spirit Stone. Now, the heroes must stop Kyofu before it's too late.
The original draft had a big fight against the inmates, but that seemed redundant since it would lead to another fight for the climax so I decided to change this. But there is going to be a big fight, just like in Superhero Taisen, so please look forward to that.