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Kamen Rider Zero Hour Ep. 21

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Kamen Rider: Zero Hour

Episode 21: Science!

By: Ziginz

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“Clay, are you there?”

“Tamiko, it is unlikely that you will get his attention by whispering his name.”

“Well I can’t very well yell it out can I Yuki?”

The more pragmatically minded of the two girls couldn’t argue with her friend’s logic, though she was somewhat surprised by it. Tamiko tended to be less than subtle when she felt someone was in trouble, so her current reserved approach was quite unusual. This was solely because Yuki was with her though; not wanting to put the other girl in anymore danger than she already had. Now that she thought about it, maybe that was why her pale companion had ran ahead of her before she could argue the point. That was the last thing she wanted; Yuki putting herself at risk in order to keep Tamiko safe, not that she hadn’t done so more than once already.

“Yuki, listen, maybe you should-“

“How odd…”

“Huh? Something wrong?”

“My long range sensors have not functioned correctly since our entering the sewer system. I now believe I have pinpointed the cause. It seems there is a high frequency sound wave resonating through the metal around us, likely being produced by an artificial source.”

“I don’t hear anything.”

“That is to be expected considering my senses are more actuate than a normal person’s. It is akin to a dog whistle being audible only to canines, and is similarly agitating. I may not show it but I am currently quite on edge.”

“Yesh, s-sorry to hear that.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. That said if we can disable the cause, or tap into it, I should be able to properly map the area and perhaps even locate Clay.”

“Awesome! Do you know where we should start?”

“I believe I can determine the source by following changes in the sound wave’s amplitude. We should be swift before my better judgment is affected and I render myself unconscious. Follow me please!”

Tamiko could have sworn she heard a tinge of agitation on her normally monotone friend’s voice and tried not to giggle in response. She in no way found the other girl’s suffering funny, but she had never seen her aggravated by anything before now. Yuki turned and began walking at a fast pace toward where she believed the sound was coming from. Tamiko practically had to jog just to keep pace with the other girl, but she figured that was just another sign of her friend’s frustrated state. It wasn’t clear how long it would take them to reach their destination, but at the moment it seemed like the best course of action. That was, or course, assuming what was waiting for them at the end of their little trek wasn’t something extraordinarily dangerous. As if it ever wasn’t…

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Elsewhere in the undercity, Hachi worked tirelessly to repair the damaged Sengoku Driver of his comrade, Dingo. The device wasn’t as bad off as it looked, requiring only a few replacement parts that were readily available in the lab in which he currently operated. As a matter of fact there were so many spare parts that the technically skilled fellow could easily build another Driver or two if he really wanted to. He wasn’t sure how his “benefactor” would feel about that though. Hayate would walk over on occasion to peak over Hachi’s shoulder, more likely to make his presence known than anything. Than again if the story the ruffian had told earlier was true and his mother had been a scientist working with Lock Seed technology than he might know more about Driver technology than he was letting on.

That didn’t seem likely though, otherwise why would he need Hachi to do these repairs?

At the same time, Dingo was trying to figure out exactly what Hayate’s plan was for bringing down Yamada and rescuing Tomomi. The direct approach would probably get them killed, but then provoking the Shark Fangire in any way would likely end with the same result. Dingo’s attempt to get answers from the master mind behind their endeavor had proven unfruitful though. “Don’t worry about it” was Hayate’s answer to any question regarding how they would achieve their goals. It was rather agitating and brought into question just how valid their supposed alliance really was.

Dingo’s concerns suddenly shifted as a knock came form the lab door, though he didn’t react with half the alarm Hachi did. The portly man ducked under his work station as all manner of fears came to mind as to what could be requesting entrance into the labratory. Hachi knew even with his Lock Seeds it would take several minutes for an Inves to reach his location from the outside, leaving him with very few combat options! Hayate didn’t seem worried at all and casually walked over and opened the door before either of the other men could stop him. In the end the one who was standing on the outside made both men feel rather foolish regarding their initial reactions.  

Lin looked around the room in which her three acquaintances stood with a glimmer of familiarity in her eyes as old memories came flooding back to her. It took a moment for the reminiscing lady to snap back to reality, stepping inside upon Hayate’s invitation and offering a basket of goods to him. Hachi was beside himself at this sudden development, never having expected to see his crush anywhere other than behind her bar as she served him drinks. Dingo was less thrilled by the woman’s presence solely because she could have easily lead one of Yamada’s men to their location by accident. Hayate…was already eating a piece of the jerky Lin had brought with her…

“Hayate, that’s for everyone now. Don’t hog it.”

“Muhu, mhatmever myou may Min.”

“And don’t talk with your mouth full. You can be such a child sometimes.”

Hayate chuckled at this while Lin just sighed, knowing the odd fellow enjoyed it when she treated him in such a way. Dingo found it all rather annoying while Hachi just took a moment to soak in the beauty of his muse. She must have felt her admirer’s stare and turned to give him a friendly nod and smile. Hachi barely managed to return the nod before his bashfulness got the better of him, turning back to his work but feeling more than a little reenergized by the lady’s kindness. Everything seemed well enough except for the figurative elephant in the room that only Dingo was willing to bring up. How did Lin know where they were, or even how to get there?

“My parents used to work here as well. It’s why Hayate and I know each other so well.”

“You always were like a big sister to me, and Tomomi was…”

Hayate and Lin both grew quite, both feeling regret for the things they had, and hadn’t, done. Hachi seemed to sense this and wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but didn’t want to cause Lin any unnecessary heart ache in the doing. Even so he knew more than ever that he would do everything he could to save Tomomi, both for the woman herself and for Lin as well. Dingo, however, could care less about the past and instead was focused on the future. His future to be exact and what he would do with himself once Yamada the Shark was swimming with the fishes.

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Tamiko closely followed Yuki down several twists and turns, the latter seeming to be having no problem tracing the resonance she was sensing back to its source. Problem was the closer they drew to said source, the more it seemed to be affecting the one tracking it. If Yuki could be any paler than she already was than she would have been due to the sickening feeling surging throughout her body. It was like her insides were being shaken by the vibrations around her, creating a mix of motion sickness and mild vertigo. Thus far she had managed to hide her symptoms from Tamiko, but at the rate things were going she wasn’t sure for how much longer she could keep up the charade. It wasn’t hard to tell that something was wrong from the way Yuki would occasionally sway as she walked though, even if only a little.

“You sure you’re okay Yuki? We can take a break if you need to.”

“I am afraid that would do little good. It is best that we continue on our way.”

“If you say so…”

Before long the pair ran into a dead end, leaving them both uncertain as to how they should proceed. Yuki was convinced they were close to the source of her distress, yet there was no obvious sign of anything unusual. The sound of a tiny engine revving caught the attention of both girls, Photon Riot emerging from inside Yuki’s hoodie before racing toward the wall before them. Its tiny headlights shined against the brick surface to reveal that it was, in fact, some kind of illusion! Tamiko was caught off guard by the development but stepped forward all the same, reaching out to touch the wall only for her hand to slip right through! She pulled the appendage back and let out a chuckle, turning back to see her friend’s reaction. Her smile vanished when she saw the other girl start slouching forward with a sickly look upon her face, dashing to catch her before she could fall only to be shocked by how hard the unwell girl was shaking!

It was then she put one and two together and finally asked a question she had been tip toeing around for quite some time, though in an indirect sort of way.

“Yuki…your body...it’s being effected by this sound resonance because it’s made of metal, isn’t it?”

The other girl was reluctant to answer, and Tamiko felt immediate regret for having said what she had. Yuki looked down for a moment and then back at her friend with a blank face, but eyes filled with concern. She was afraid of the reaction her answer would bring, but after everything the two had been through she wanted to believe it would turn out well. After a few seconds of awkward silence the ailing girl lightly nodded to confirm the one holding her was correct in her assumption. Tamiko didn’t know how to feel in that moment, but knew one thing for certain; whether she was human, a robot, or something between the two, Yuki was still Yuki. She pulled her friend into a hug to let her know everything was okay, and she could feel Yuki return the gesture in kind as she finally revealed what exactly she was.

“I am what is called a Roidmude. We are cybernetic organisms with a human brain and an artificial body.”

“But…wouldn’t that mean you’re human? Like, a cyborg?”

“Yes, and no. The transplant procedure is extremely strenuous on the human brain, leaving both physical and psychological scaring. To compensate, Roidmudes are equipped with secondary programming to help us cope. As such I am a combination of my human psyche and secondary programming working in unison. On occasion one tries to override the other, thus why I have had moments of…instability.”

“Oh God…why…who did this to you?”

“I do not remember, but I know it was done in an attempt to save my life. It was done as an act of love.”

That statement brought at least some peace to Tamiko’s mind, but she still felt a well of remorse for the girl in her arms. She couldn’t even begin to fathom what it was like for her, and part of her was too scared to even try. For the moment though she put all that in the back of her mind and tried to focus on getting Yuki to safety. If she had known this would happen than she never would have agreed to follow the vibrations to their source.

“Come on Yuki, let’s get you out of here.”

“Tamiko, I appreciate your concern, but our best course of action is to continue onward. Clay may be in danger and even if he is not, we are still uncertain of our location.”

As Yuki spoke there was an audible vibration in her voice that made her sound like she was talking through an electric fan. Though the sound didn’t help her make her case in the least, Tamiko did have to admit the she was right. Steeling her resolve she helped Yuki to her feet and supported her as they walked toward the illusionary wall. They passed through without any resistance, but what awaited them on the other side was far beyond what they had expected.

“Is-is-is that a…”

“It seems to be some form of rocket. What an odd place to find such a thing.”  

Yuki had just made the understatement of the year as both girls looked upon the twenty foot tall, ten foot in diameter, orange edifice! Attached to it were several large generators that looked to be pumping huge amounts of energy into the out of place marvel. Yuki easily confirmed that the generators and rocket were likely the sources of the sound waves that had been vibrating throughout the sewer system. The answer to their initial question only raised dozens more, but the one able to explain it all was about to make himself known. That didn’t mean he was going to be happy about his visitors though.

“W-Who are you two!?”

A middle aged man stood up from his desk as he looked upon the two girls with nothing but shock on his face. His unkempt hair, thick glasses, and wrinkled clothing made him look like an atypical scientist.

The gun in his shaky hand…not so much…
Thank You Jesus. Woot, got it done kind of on time. Well on time by new scheduling standards anyway. Not a lot going on this week other than Yuki finally revealing what everyone in the room was already well aware of regarding what she really is, or are they? Let's just say things aren't quite what you might expect as I've done that thing I do and taken liberties with the origins of a certain group of Cybernetic Organism you either love or loathe. Hopefully you love Yuki though. She's nice and stuff. 

Kamen Rider Belongs to Ishinomori Productions and Toei. 

All characters featured are my God given OCs.
© 2015 - 2024 ziginz
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