The wind whipped through Dan's hair as he sped down the dusty Wyoming road, his motorcycle a blur of chrome and red against the vast, blue expanse of the sky. He was headed home, to the cottage home his father, Adam, had built on the edge of the Cheyenne forest. His mother recently gave birth to a baby girl, Catherine (or "Cathy" for short) in the early springtime. It was April third, and spring was in the air. A college student, Dan lived for the open road, the freedom it offered, the wind in his face. And whatever was at home for dinner, whether it be Mom's cornbread casserole, pasta, homemade BBQ, or even the "icky" entrees such as nutritious vegetable-meat jello or tuna casserole. Dan enjoyed it all, not being a picky eater nor fussy about food, especially with them living out in the west. However, Dan's life was about to change forever, at the blink of an eye...
His motorcycle sputtered, then stalled, leaving him stranded in a desolate stretch of road.
"What is that?" Dan wondered, viewing a black blur from behind him. Suddenly, he was shot with a tranquilizer dart, making him sleepy.
A black van pulled up beside him, its windows tinted, hiding the occupants within. Two figures emerged, their faces hidden by masks, their bodies clad in black leather. One footsoldier smacked Dan in the head with a baseball bat, knocking him out. They grabbed Dan and dragged him into the van, his protests muffled by a gag.
"Let me go! Who are you anyways?" Dan asked. He struggled, kicking and clawing, but it was no use. They were too strong. And Dan's energy was being drained by the tranquilizer dart's sleep-inducing chemicals.
The footsoldiers laughed, carrying Dan's now-asleep body into the van, straight to Shocker Enterprises' hospital in a secret cave in the Wyoming forest.
Later on, Dan awoke. "W... where am I?" he asked himself, below a sky of surgical lamp optics.
He regained consciousness in a cold, sterile room. He was strapped to a table by bed restraints, his body tingling from a strange electric current irritating his nervous system. The room was filled with the metallic whirr of machinery, the pungent odor of antiseptic. Two figures stood over him, their masks revealing only their cold, cruel eyes.
"Welcome, Dan," one of them rasped, his voice distorted by a voice modulator. "You have been chosen for a very special program."
"What program?" Dan asked, his heart pounding, goosebumps all over his body from the freezing-cold room.
"Shocker Enterprises," one surgeon replied. "You are extremely intelligent with an I.Q. of over 140, and you have excellent reflexes."
"Dan," another surgeon added, "You are a perfect candidate for becoming a Shocker Enterprises super soldier, resembling a grasshopper-like hominid with red bulging eyes."
"But what will happen to my organs?!" Dan asked in a state of panic and rage, unable to break free from the bed restraints no matter how hard he tried.
"ALL your organs will be left intact and not removed," one surgeon answered. "Even though we won't take out any of your organs, we'll attach cybernetics and mechanical enhancements to them. These modifications will give you extraordinary superpowers."
"You will serve Shocker Enterprises as our new satanic prince," another surgeon added. "You will serve the devil and help Shocker achieve world domination. You will be referred to as Masked Rider, with a motorcycle as your means of transportation for various Shocker missions around the globe."
"No..." Dan replied, his face filled with anger, all red and sweaty. He clenched his fists in rage, but was immobilized by bed restraints.
Fear gripped Dan as he realized what was happening. He was being experimented on, his body being equipped with cybernetics against his will. He screamed in anger and pain as they injected him with a strange, glowing anesthesia liquid, his vision blurring and his body becoming sleepy once again. The sounds of the machinery became a distant hum as he slipped into unconsciousness.
He awoke with a jolt, his head pounding, his body aching. He struggled against the restraints holding him, his eyes wide with terror. The figures were gone, leaving him alone in the room, except for a strange metallic belt lying on the metal table next to him. "What is this strange belt," he asked, still shivering from the cold room. He reached for it, his hand trembling.
A sudden crash from the other side of the room made him jump. He looked up to see his father, Adam, burst into the room, his face contorted with rage. He had tracked Dan, following the van that had abducted him.
"Dan! My boy!" Adam whispered, rushing to his side. He quickly cut the leather restraints with a Swiss Army Knife (being careful not to slit open Dan's wrists or ankles, carrying antibiotic ointment and bandages just in case). "We're getting out of this hospital. It's a very suspicious facility... Dan, follow me!"
"OK!" San whispered.
They ran through the building, dodging laser beams and grappling with drunken, overweight Shocker guards. Adam, surprisingly agile for his age, fought with the strength of a bear, his fists connecting with the guards' faces with bone-jarring force.
Suddenly, a man in a black suit wielding a strange weapon appeared, blocking their path. He spoke in a menacing voice, "You cannot escape, Dan. You are now property of Shocker Enterprises as our beloved satanic Messiah. Refusal to comply shall result in the death penalty!"
Suddenly, the tuxedo figure molted into a vomit-inducing, ugly physique. His human skin melted off his face and his tuxedo dissolved, revealing this "man" to be a Centipede Monster with a hideous screech and spiky arms. It also had a sharp, bloodthirsty Centipede beak.
Dan, fueled by adrenaline and a strange sense of purpose, grabbed the belt lying on the table and strapped it around his waist. As he did, the belt pulsed, a red light flashing on its buckle. A strange sensation flowed through him, a tingling warmth.
He looked down at his hands, seeing the transformation taking place. His eyes glowed an intense horsefly-like red, his skin seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly light. He had two antenna as well, helping him receive and send messages via echolocation. He had become something else, something more. He was Masked Rider.
"Fight me, Masked Rider!" The Centipede Monster snickered. "My poisonous bite shall be your fate!"
"You abomination!" Dan shouted, dogfighting the Centipede Monster. "Your organization wants me to become its slave master! Unacceptable!"
"Take this!" Adam shouted, smacking the monster in the head with a baseball bat. The monster ran around so quickly, he bumped into the baseball bat by accident.
Suddenly, Masked Rider felt a surge of energy in his right foot. He knew that centipedes, though quick and poisonous, aren't immune to being stepped on and crushed.
"Rider Kick!" Dan shouted, leaping into the air as his right foot faced the Centipede monster. "Noooooo!" The monster shouted, being crushed to death. It exploded into a cloud of explosive ashes and dust.
Dan and Adam safely escaped the Shocker Enterprises hospital. As they raced through the forest, Dan realized they weren't alone. Figures in black, Shocker footsoldiers, emerged from the shadows, their weapons trained on them. Fireballs blazed towards them, their flames licking at the night air.
Adam punched and kicked, his fists and feet moving with surprising speed and power, knocking back the footsoldiers. But they were too many, and hus fists weren't enough. He threw a log at them, but they threw it back at Adam.
Dan felt the power coursing through him. He leaped forward, his body a blur of red, dark-green and black, his fists striking with incredible force. One by one, the footsoldiers fell, their masks shattering, their bodies crumpled on the forest floor. The defeated, mechanical footsoldiers exploded into firey clouds, with loud "Boom!" noises as well.
He saw a figure in the distance, a grotesque monster with reptilian features and glowing red eyes. It snarled, its teeth bared, its claws dripping with a viscous liquid.
Dan had never faced anything like this before, but he knew he had to fight. This was his fight, his duty. He was the Masked Rider, and he would protect his father, his city, his world. He stood, his eyes locked on the monster, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination.
The battle had just begun, and the fate of Cheyenne, and perhaps even the world, hung in the balance.