Imposter Sam
Previously, on Kamen Rider Max:
After an attack by the Cobra Hybrid, the group learns that the Erasers only live for a maximum of six years, and Max finds a bank card with her name on it. Later, Max is given her very own motorcycle, and uses it to defeat the Scorpion Hybrid. After having a vision dream, Max finally finds the Institute, but ends up accidentally killing Ari. Are our heroes about to find their parents? Find out next.
"Are you sure about this?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Max answered, "We need money, and we shouldn't mooch off of you."
Over the past few hours, the Flock had made good progress on the way towards Washington, D.C. and were currently in New Jersey. It was then that Max decided to try using the bank card that just so happened to have her name on it. Now, she, Mike, Angel, and her new dog, Total, were walking down the street, looking for an ATM.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the others behind?" Angel asked, gently holding Total on a small leash.
"Don't worry about it, Angel," Mike reassured, "Fang and Iggy are good fighters. I'm sure they'll be fine."
Finally, they came across an ATM machine. Max was about to swipe her card when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Remember, Max," Mike warned, "you get three tries before it'll shut down and tell you to call customer service."
"Right," Max responded. She swiped the card and punched in "maxrider"
No dice.
Next she tried the ages of the Flock: 14, 11, 8, 6.
Wrong.
Max was about to try a third password, when she felt something tugging at her sleeve. She turned to see Angel looking up at her with her blue eyes.
"Why don't you try 'mother'?" she asked, and started tracing a crack on the sidewalk with the toe of her sneaker.
"Why do you think that?" Max asked, surprised.
Angel just shrugged as she picked up Total and cuddled him in her arms.
Mike and Max exchanged glances, then Max slowly swiped the bank card and punched in the numbers that would spell out "mother".
WHAT KIND OF TRANSACTION DO YOU WANT TO MAKE? the screen asked.
Speechless, Max withdrew two hundred dollars and zipped it into her inside pocket.
"How did you know that?" Mike asked Angel. His tone was filled with pure curiosity.
Angel shrugged again. "It just came to me." she said.
"In a voice?" Max asked.
She shook her head no. "The word was just in my head. I don't know why."
Once again, Mike and Max looked at each other but didn't say anything.
Imposter Sam
Written by PebbleTwins
Suddenly, Total heard something in the distance. Total barked and began running in the direction of where he heard the noise. Not wanting to lose their pet, the Flock ran after their four legged companion, bringing them near a dark alleyway. The group followed Total inside the dank alleyway, venturing deeper until they finally found Total. The young teens and kids gasped when they saw what Total had found, or rather who. The Flock found a pale woman lying against the wall. They moved closer to try and assist her, and noticed she had two puncture wounds in her neck.
"What happened to her?" Max asked.
"Whatever it was, it doesn't look good." Mike said.
Angel's brow furrowed as she started to hear something. It was faint, barely a whisper, but it was echoing in her mind. As she concentrated, Angel figured out that this whisper was coming from the woman on the ground. Her lips weren't moving, but she was hearing a voice. That's when she realized it was from her mind, she was hearing her thoughts. And it felt as if this woman was struggling to reach out. Perhaps this woman could sense Angel's mental probe, but whatever the case may be, Angel listened closely.
"...elp m…eee!"
"Wait, something's wrong!" Angel advises.
A strange high-pitched echo was emitted from somewhere. The pale woman's body changed, red markings appeared on her face, giant antennae ears, black fur, and black wings. Her fingers extended, becoming long sharp claws, in tandem with her canines growing longer and sharper, resembling something like a vampire. The Flock immediately backed away from the transformed woman, believing her to be an Eraser, but her form was different from the ones they had seen before, it looked half done. However, that wasn't the end of their worries as she let out another high-pitched screech. A cacophony of fluttering wings could be heard overhead. The group looked up at the same time and gasped when they saw more of the half bat looking creatures now perched on the edge of the two rooftops along the alleyway. The small group of bat hybrids screeched in unison before descending into the alley.
Two of the hybrids blocked the way they came from, while another two blocked the other end of the alley, preventing them from escaping that way as well. They thought about flying out, but some were already flaring their wings, ready to snatch the little birds out of the air the moment they tried to take to the skies. Mike and Max took up defensive positions, circling up to try and protect the younger members of their group.
"Not that I'm telling you what to do or anything, but transforming might be a good idea right about now," Mike suggested.
"I can't! I need to generate enough wind for the Driver to power up, and I can't fly with those things up there, and I can't run when the only direction takes me right into those things," Max retorted. "Dang it…this isn't good."
Angel held Total close to her chest, keeping the little dog from rushing off, but as she stood there, guarded by her older siblings, the young one could hear the thoughts of the hybrids that were surrounding them. And they were crying out for help.
"STOP! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!"
"HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"
"I'M A MONSTER! SAVE ME! ANYBODY!"
The voices kept ringing in her head, desperate cries for help that were going unheeded. Nothing but wailing and pleading for their nightmare to end. Unfortunately, it was about to get worse. A large shadow loomed over them. A shadow that made even the other hybrid creatures stop and look up. The main bat hybrid, with even bigger antennae ears, a yellow winged helmet, black fur from head to toe, huge bulging teeth, and an exposed rib cage, blew a whistle that emitted a very high pitched screeching sound. The screech sounded like hundreds of thousands of nails being raked across a chalkboard all at the same time. Mike and Max hurriedly put their hands against their ears in an attempt to drown out the grating, painful noise that was assaulting their senses. Angel, unfortunately, could not do so as she held Total in her arms, and the little dog wasn't faring any better as his sensitive hearing doubled the pain he was feeling, and caused him to howl in pain. Everyone had screwed their eyes shut as well, doing whatever they were able to lessen the pain. However, a moment later, the whistling stopped. When they opened their eyes, the bat hybrids were gone.
"Weird…" Max noticed. "They had us…but just left?"
"Maybe it was a warning? Or maybe they're just that cocky that they think they can kill us anytime they choose," said Mike as he kept swiveling his head to make sure there weren't any more.
Max got down on one knee to bring her eye level with Angel as she asked, "Hey, you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, but my head hurts, and Total isn't feeling good after that either," Angel answered.
Total whimpered in confirmation.
The poor dog's sensitive hearing made that whistling ten times more brutal on him.
"Let's head back to the Winnebago for now, and counter ourselves lucky tonight," Mike stated.
Max and Angel didn't argue, that was too close of a call for comfort. The three, sorry, the four of them rushed out of the alley, all while keeping an eye out for any more of the bat creatures. Max was on edge, ready to summon her Driver, her back itching as her wings were prepared to pop and flare out at a moment's notice. The walk back was tense as their eyes scanned the skies, the alleys, and the people that passed them by. Eventually, they made it back and shut the door.
They hadn't gotten much sleep. After regaling the others about their near death experience with the Bat Hybrids, it was decided that they would sleep in shifts. Mike took the first watch, followed by Fang, and ending with Max. Considering she was the only one among them who had the power to destroy the Hybrids, it was imperative that she got the most sleep out of the three. Although, in all honesty, she was not looking forward to facing another Hybrid, not after what happened, not after she…
Mike yawned as he walked out from his bedroom and into the main area of the Winnebago. He walked closer to the front where Max was sitting in the passenger's seat and asked, "You good, Max?"
"Kind of, yeah…I am hungry though," Max informed.
Mike checked the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was ten minutes to eleven. "Eh, breakfast is out then. Wanna grab some chow for the others then?"
"Sure, probably not a good idea to be in a restaurant sitting down."
"Oh-oh! I wanna go too!" Angel chirped.
"GYAH!" Mike and Max yelped as they just now noticed the little one.
"Jeez, Angel! You almost gave me a heart attack," said Max as her heart pounded in her chest.
"Ditto," Mike agreed.
"Sorry, but I am hungry," Angel insisted.
Max sighed. "Okay, but Total stays here, he needs his rest after all that last night."
Once they had established their numbers, Mike, Angel, and Max exited the Winnebago, and informed Fang, Nudge, and Gazzy to keep an eye out. They were on edge, and for good reason, considering how close they came to getting killed. As the three walked down the street, they spotted a restaurant, "Jersey Sam's". It was nestled at the corner of the street next to a fairly large brick and mortar building. As they approached Jersey Sam's, Max noticed that the building had a sign that read, "For Lease or Rent". Afterwards, they headed inside. Mike put in their order for some subs and headed to the table where they would wait for their order. As they did, the three of them could overheard the other patrons of the eatery talking.
"Did you hear? Another person went missing last night."
"Seriously? That's the seventh person this week!"
"Gotta be some killer or somethin', or gang ya know?"
"But there's no bodies. They just disappeared."
"Hey, I heard some hella loud noises last night."
"Yeah, I did too. Sounded like hundreds of nails on a chalkboard and a cat getting skinned at the same time."
"You know, they say hearing that noise means someone goes missing. And every time, the followin' mornin', BAM, someone goes missin' just like that."
Mike and Max leaned in close to the table to keep their conversation as private as possible.
"Sounds like our bat friend's been busy," Mike observed.
"So, he wasn't after us, we just happened to be in the area. Wrong place, wrong time," said Max.
"Or, maybe right place, right time?" Mike countered.
"You're not serious right now?" Max inquired with a slight incredulous tone.
"C'mon, Max, this thing's been terrorizing this neighborhood. Plus, we might be able to find something out from that Hybrid if we stick our noses in," Mike pressed.
Max wasn't exactly thrilled about fighting another Hybrid, especially not after what happened with Ari.
"Max…" Mike and Max looked down at Angel, who was sitting next to the latter. "I think you should help them. Those people, the bat people, they were…hurting. They didn't want to be those things, they didn't want to attack us but they couldn't stop themselves. I could hear their thoughts, they want help."
"Angel…"
"If that's the case, then this is worse than we thought. If that bigger Bat Hybrid is abducting and turning people into those half baked versions against their will…"
"Fine," Max interjected. "For now, let's get the food and start digging up some information while it's still light outside. If these things are part bat, then they probably won't transform and fight while it's bright outside."
"Nice."
"Order for Mike!" someone announced from the counter.
"I'll get it," Max insisted as she got out of the booth and headed to the counter. A large paper bag was brought out, filled with their sub sandwiches.
The one who had brought it out was a lanky looking man, with long black black, and sharp nose. On his name tag was the title "Manager", but something about him felt off. Max couldn't put her finger on it, but neither did she want to completely judge this guy based on his looks.
"Thanks for stopping in, hope to see ya again soon," said the manager.
"Thank you," Max replied before grabbing the bag and heading to the front door where Angel and Mike were waiting.
After having their meal, the Flock spread out and began pounding the pavement. They asked questions about the missing people, while also gathering information about where the people were abducted from. Mike and Max visited the abduction sites, combing over the area to try and find something they could use to point them in the direction. While they didn't find much, they were able to spot some claw marks in the pavement and bricks of the buildings where the attacks took place. The police probably overlooked it, not thinking for a second someone could've been kidnapped by a bat monster, or that the missing people themselves could've been turned into them and flown away with their new master. Several hours passed, and it was close to sunset, but unfortunately, they were no closer to figuring out who was behind the abductions. The two of them returned to the Winnebago first, and currently they had a map of the city spread out on the table before them.
"We're coming up empty, Mike," Max complained.
"C'mon, don't be like that. There has to be a pattern we're missing," Mike rebutted.
"What pattern? They were abducted in random areas."
"True…but what if it isn't random?" Mike suggested.
Mike took out a red sharpie and began circling the spots where the abductions took place. "This Bat Hybrid is going to stick close to where its 'food' is. Which means it has to be close by."
Max kept looking at the map, if Mike was right, then the Bat Hybrid needed a place for its colony of bat people to stay out of the sun, while also being close enough to their resources without someone raising any suspicion.
"Maybe…?"
"What?" Mike asked.
"The spot where we were attacked, right here." Max pointed to the spot where they encountered the bat people. "I didn't notice it earlier, but the alley is close to that Jersey Sam's place we were just at."
Mike looked at the map again and blinked. "Huh, you're right. What're you thinking?"
"It's stupid, but…there's a vacant building next to the Jersey Sam's. Those Bat Hybrids got out of there pretty fast, you think we would've at least seen what direction they flew in, but they appeared and disappeared. So, what if that building is the place they're using?"
Mike got on his cellphone and looked up the property. "Huh, it's decently big, and few windows. Might even have a basement level. I'd say it's worth a shot. We'll take a look at sunrise and–"
"No, I'll go alone," Max interrupted. "I'll fly in and land on the roof. Hopefully there's roof access and I can slip from there. If not, I might have to break a window on the top floor and use that instead. And besides, it's going to look suspicious if five kids, and one adult, are poking around a vacant building with no clear intention of buying or renting the place. In broad daylight no less."
Mike couldn't exactly argue that point. It would look very suspicious, and the cops could be called on them in the middle of their investigation. "Alright, fair. But be careful. Those things let us off because they chose to. If they catch you again…"
"I know, I know. I'll try to be in and out as fast as I can. Besides, this is just a theory, we won't know for sure unless I go in. Plus, I'm sure I'll just find it's a normal building with nothing suspicious about it," Max replied.
Although, having said that, Max wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure Mike or herself.
Night fell on the city once again. The moon was full and cast its milky light onto all. In the sky, Max was flying overhead, appearing as a large bird if anyone were to look up. She hovered in the air for a couple of minutes, waiting to spot anything amiss. So far, nothing. Afterwards, Max flew down and landed on the roof of the vacant building. Thankfully there was a roof access door, but the real question was if it was unlocked.
"Guess it's a good thing I brought my master key," Max said to herself.
The 'master key' in this case being a crowbar that Mike managed to procure for her. The blonde teen reached out and grabbed the door handle, but made sure to wrap her hand in her shirt. In order to prevent fingerprints from being left on it. And as she thought, it was locked.
"Sorry to whoever owns this place. I'm about to make you pay an unnecessary repair bill."
Max jammed the crowbar into the side of the crack of the door. The teen groaned and grunted as she pushed, hearing the wood splinter and snap with each passing second. After a minute, Max managed to force the door open, breaking the lock and doorknob in the process. Max glanced about the roof, just to make sure that no one had heard her or saw her. She was pretty high up, so she doubted anyone saw her. And if they heard anything, they wouldn't be able to pinpoint due to her elevation. Hopefully, anyway.v Once she was certain that there were witnesses, human or otherwise, Max ventured into the building.
If these things act like bats, then they'll want to stay somewhere dark. Mike said this place has a basement level, so I'll check there.
It wasn't lost on Max how this situation could be bad for her. Hopefully there would be room for her to generate enough wind to power up her Driver. Max shook her head. She had to stop thinking like that. This was just recon, she was not planning on fighting anyone.
Max descended the multiple stairs until she reached the ground level. Using the flashlight that Mike provided her she began her search for the basement door. She made sure to keep the beam on the floor or on the walls, and clicked it off when she came across a window. Max eventually found the door she was looking for. Max was about to break this door down as well, but paused when she noticed the lock was undone.
This is either a case of someone forgetting to lock it, or…
Reluctantly, Max slowly opened the door and looked down the long stairwell. She briefly contemplated whether she should use the flashlight or not, but noticed something down below. A light.
Dang it…
Max put the flashlight away and held the crowbar close as she descended the stairs. She made sure to go slowly, testing each step to make sure that they didn't creak upon stepping on it. Given that she was dealing with Bat Hybrids, heck, they probably already knew she was in here. But that didn't mean she needed to be super loud about it. Max managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner. Her jaw dropped.
The basement was quite expansive, and set up like a lab. There were beakers and test tubes filled with various liquids that she couldn't identify. Along with microscopes, centrifuges, half opened medical textbooks, bookmarked virology books, and even half opened books on chiroptera (aka bats). In essence, Max had found the roost, or at the very least, the place where the main Bat Hybrid was creating the others.
Great…found it. Now what?
Max began poking around, keeping a tight grip on the crowbar the entire time. She made sure not to disturb anything unless she absolutely had to. Many of the books spoke of things she only had a passing knowledge of, and along with the books were several sheets of paper strewn across the workbenches with scribbled notes on them. Some had illustrations that showed humans and bats, and crossing of the two. From what she could see, the main Bat Hybrid was looking for ways to increase his numbers without needing to go through a lengthy process.
If Hybrids could increase their numbers just by biting them…they could essentially create an army overnight.
It wasn't bad enough they had to deal with just a few here and there, but if their enemies managed to mass produce the Hybrids from everyday people instantly, then Max and the Flock would be in serious trouble. She was only one person, there was no way she could fight against that many Hybrids at once. Although, who knew what else was done to her, perhaps she did possess the means to fight an army on her own and didn't know. To be honest, she wasn't thrilled about the prospect of finding that out. Max ventured further into the underground lair, and found a heavy metal door. Max gulped as she reached forward and released the lock on the door. Carefully she opened the door, and when she did. Max gasped in horror.
Several people were lined up inside of the large room, all of whom were secured to the wall by their wrists with shackles. All of them were disheveled, with torn clothes, heavy bags under their eyes, and some were stuck in a state between bat and human, but looked just as miserable as the others.
"Oh…my…God…!" Max shook her head as she dropped the crowbar. Despite the loud clanging of the crowbar hitting the concrete, it didn't stir them. It was like they were comatose. "What…What happened to you…?!"
"Oh, dear. Oh, dear. This won't do at all."
Max turned around and spotted…the Jersey Sam's restaurant manager?
"You?! You're the one who did this?!" Max shouted.
"Indeed I did. I was hoping to have these test subjects ready before our next encounter. But it seems that isn't what happened here," the manager explained.
"Why?!"
"My benefactors are looking for a faster and more productive means of creating hybridized beings. Creating beings like myself does take some time, but if we can make it happen much faster then all the better. And that's when I had the idea of creating a virus that can alter human beings at a genetic level, and what better carriers than bats?!" the manager exclaimed with wide arms as if giving a presentation. "Bats have the capability to be the perfect carriers for many diseases, a lot of diseases can be traced back to the bat population! So, why not create a virus that can alter a human's DNA with different types of animal DNA?!"
"Are you insane?! These people–!"
"Are the sacrifices upon which innovation is made! I'm giving their lives meaning! And elevating them above something other than just being a mere 'human'! They can be the perfect delivery system!" The manager smirked, showing his now fanged teeth. "Well, that's granted if they can survive the process. Currently, they can't stay in their forms too long, and others are just stuck in that ridiculous half and half state. But a little tweaking here and there can take care of that."
Max's fists clenched, she couldn't believe what this guy was saying – no – what this monster was doing to these people. And he sounded so proud, so excited about what he was doing. With anger in her eyes, Max swung her left arm to the right, slowly moving it to the left, then thrusted her right arm at a diagonal to the left.
"Henshin!"
Once again, the silver belt materialized around her waist. Max ran towards the manager, just as the manager rapidly transformed into his Bat Hybrid form. The monster was fully prepared to grab Max, but at the last second, Max flared out her wings, and used them to lift off and flip over the monster. The rush of wind spun the turbine. A flash of light went off in the air as Max landed behind the Bat Hybrid in her transformed state of Kamen Rider Max!
The Bat Hybrid turned around, but only in time for Max to tackle the monster. Her metallic wings flared out, and with one mighty flap, both Max and the Bat Hybrid rapidly ascended. Max and the Bat Hybrid crashed through the ceiling, bursting out through the wooden floor of the first level before Max tossed the Bat Hybrid towards the wall. The Bat Hybrid crashed against the wall, but before he could get back up, Max flew at him, and smashed both him, and herself, through the wall and out into the middle of the street. The two of them rolled along for a moment before the Bat Hybrid kicked Max off and flared his wings as he ascended into the air.
Several cars screeched to a halt as Max whizzed by them and crashed into a parked car. The young Rider used her wings to slice into the car and rip herself out of it. The Bat Hybrid gave a sinister laugh as he hovered overhead and looked down on Max.
"I don't expect you to comprehend my brilliance. I'll surpass their little project, and show that my viral method is leagues above what you and the rest of your little birds were created for!" the Bat Hybrid mocked.
"I will not allow you to hurt anyone else!" Max swore.
The avian Rider flared her wings and took off into the sky to battle the Bat Hybrid. The creature inhaled deeply and released a high pitched, ultrasonic screech. The sound waves traveled in a linear direction, right for Max. The young Rider was immediately struck by the sound attack, letting out a painful cry as the loud screech rattled her body, and assaulted her ears. The Bat Hybrid cut off its screech attack and flew towards Max. The creature used its taloned feet to strike, slashing Max across her chest and sending a shower of sparks to fly out from the impact.
The Bat Hybrid spun around and delivered another strike with its right foot, and sent her spiraling in the opposite direction. Max crashed into the side of a building, creating a body sized indentation. The Bat Hybrid released another ultrasonic screech, making the brick and mortar of the building that Max was lodged in crack under the pressure. Max grunted in pain as she continued to take the attack, creating multiple mini explosions across her body as sparks flew through the air. The Bat Hybrid ceased its attack and once again laughed mockingly at her.
"And they hyped you up so much, you're nothing! I'll drag your body back to my benefactors, and afterwards, I'll get back to my good work! AHAHAHAHAAHAHA!"
Max's mind flashed back to the people she saw chained up, and remembered what Angel said. Those people were dragged into this, held against their will, and forced to become experimental guinea pigs for this monster. They were ripped from their lives and had their body's altered in irreversible ways. The avian Rider's hands clenched into fists as the wall she was embedded in started to rattle and shake. More cracks formed on the wall, spider webbing more and more until Max yelled angrily into the air.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The yellow eyes of Max's helmet shined bright green as she thrusted her arms forward and shattered the wall around her. Max took off like a rocket, exploding the wall behind her in the process. The Bat Hybrid stopped his mocking laughter and readied to fire another ultrasonic screech. However, he was unprepared for Max's increased speed as she closed the distance between them and struck the Bat Hybrid in the gut with her right fist. The monster grunted in pain as he coughed harshly. But Max wasn't done as she ascended higher into the air, burying her fist in his gut as she climbed higher and higher. Once she was high enough, Max removed her fist and flew up until she was now hovering over the monster.
Max drew her sword, holding it with her right hand, and ran her middle and index fingers over the blade, starting at the base of the guard and stopping once she reached the tip, causing the blade to glow bright crimson. The energized blade hummed with power as Max angled down and descended at a rapid speed. The Bat Hybrid, still stunned by Max's earlier punch, managed to turn just enough for him to see his demise coming.
"MAX SLASH!"
The avian Rider descended like an angel of death, slashing with her sword as she bisected the Bat Hybrid at the abdomen. Streaks of red and green followed in her wake as Max landed on the rooftop below her, and in the next moment, an explosion went off in the sky above her, casting shadows upon her body as her eyes and blade glowed bright. Max panted hard from her efforts, her eyes and sword growing dim until the light was gone and her eyes went back to their normal yellow. This also seemed to make her realize what she had just done. Images of her battle with Ari flashed in her mind, having taken his life with her own hands, and now she took another's life. Max's hands began to shake as she tried to come to grips with what she did.
The following morning, police were all over the vacant building next to the Jersey Sam's. Having found the victims of the Bat Hybrid's experiments. From what they were able to find out, the people that were abducted had at one time been in the restaurant. Apparently the Bat Hybrid was using it as a kind of hunting ground. Some of the food that was served was spiked with something that the Bat Hybrid used to identify people who had the potential to become Bat Hybrids. The manager, the main Bat Hybrid, was apparently not the real manager. The real manager was found among the other victims.
"Man this was messed up. Hopefully those people can get some kind of help," said Mike as he drove the Winnebago. He then added under his breath, "Unfortunately I doubt it…"
Max sat in the passenger seat of the Winnebago, she had been silent for most of the ride. Just staring out the window and looking small.
"Hey, Max, you good?" Mike asked.
"Not really…"
"Oh…wanna talk about it?"
"…Not right now."
Mike wanted to press it, but decided not to for the time being. "Okay, but me and the others are here for you when you wanna talk."
"I know…"
I'm a weapon…That's what they made me to be…I killed a monster…but he was still human at some point. Is that all I'm good for…killing? I don't know anymore…
Next Time, on Kamen Rider Max:
The Flock continue their journey to D.C., when they run into trouble. Dozens of women are being attacked by a vicious mantis monster. Max goes out to fight it, when suddenly, a mysterious and powerful being appears. Is this being a friend or foe? Find out next time on Kamen Rider Max!
Notes:
A Big thank you to PebbelTwins for writing this episode.
Please leave a review, and We'll see next time.