Roanapur a full on war zone. Even before it appeared on the horizon, Sora and the others saw the smoke billowing upwards into the starlight, and the low glow of many distant fires. As they approached, they could see in part why that was. Amidst the fire and smoke there were massive machines, 30ft tall, black with two horn-like ears and a single cyclopean red eye centering on the head. Sora recognized the design, the three arm-mounted rods each bore and shoulder fins stood out uniquely, across many worlds he had visited. He took off, pixie dust dancing behind him as he flew, as soon as they got in range. He could hear Rock and Revy call out after him, but they didn’t matter at the moment. He had to make sure if he was here.
The streets themselves were overrun with violence. The black-clad SS Anubis Soldiers marched regularly through the streets, and the continued efforts by the local mafia groups to put them down meeting with repeated failures. Only the blue hellhounds went down under the barrage of gunfire and explosives. The Anubis soldiers kept marching on.
Criminals or not, Sora could not just let them die.
As he flew swiftly through the city, he swung his Keyblade at each soldier he passed. Those that did not fall in the initial strike did shortly after he moved on as their shields collapsed, unlocked under the Keyblade’s power.
Sora flew past of many other myriad labors, smashed apart by the Nazi-emblazoned black weapons: the Gespenst. Gespenst exist on many worlds, but always thanks to one man. And that man, even when his dark powers were at their peak, would never be subservient enough to Nazis to let them mass produce his design, his Weapon.
Sora screeched to a halt as a building fell before him underneath a massive foot of a primate. Looking up briefly, Sora saw the massive gorilla creature, and the many protruding mechanical implants which burst through its skin. The other reason the city was a sea of flames. Over a hundred feet all, the Gorilla-thing held a labor in each hand and smashed them about as though they were ragdolls. It roared and snarled as it smashed and crushed everything in its sight with little care for what it hit. It was far too big to tackle in this world, with his magic and power so limited, Sora fled with the speed of a coursing river. For a time, he even stopped striking down the Anubis Soldiers to gain momentum against the colossus.
After putting significant distance between himself and the ape monster, he let out a sigh worn heavy with exasperation. No matter the world, no matter the time or place, there were always monstrous apes.
He searched across each one of them, following his heart, to find the one he knew his friend lay within. He knew it would have the smoothest and fastest movements of any of the machines there. Sora smelt his hair burning before he realized he was shot at. Someone else had found him first. Sora ducked behind a building and readied his magics.
He leapt out from the building as the Gespenst smashed through it to chase him.
He raised his keyblade into the air and shouted “THUNDAGA!” at the top of his lungs. Answering the call, lighting rained over the machine. It sparked and shuddered as the electricity coursed through it. Sora raced across the falling rubble, smashing through or hopping across the chunks of masonry and metal to reach the Gespenst. It was a little different than most Gespenst he’d seen (smaller by half), but he knew where the cockpit had to be, and the hatch. Labeled in German, it was still there so any idiot could open it. One swift kick popped the cockpit easily, revealing the man inside, and confirming his hopes and fears. The man already had his sidearm drawn and trained when the cockpit opened. He fired before Sora could finish his next spell, “Sleepel!”
The pilot passed out, and fell to earth. Alive, but defeated for the foreseeable future. The massive ape, however, was on him again, half a labor in his hand. Sora took to the air again and flew as fast as he could from the impact site, as the monkey monster smashed the labor half into the Gespenst. The explosion that followed covered his escape, but he felt something slap him in the back. He stumbled from the air and hit the ground rolling.
When he looked up he had was surprised to be greeted by not only Donald and Goofy, but the bewildered trio of Catman, Rock and Revy.
“Well, here they are,” Catman declared with a bemused grin, “Guess you didn’t really need the ‘World’s Greatest Tracker’ for this one.”
“That mean we still gotta pay ya?” Revy snarled.
Catman shrugged, “If you want my help ever again.”
Revy nodded, “t’s fair.”
Rock knelt down and helped Sora up, “Sorry, I know you’re some kind of hero, but running off like that was just—“
“Reckless?”
“I was going to say insane!” Sora was taken aback when Rock’s voice rose, “You ran off, without plan, or backup, when you had a ton of it with you! I’ve dealt with some reckless people, but you! You take the cake! I don’t care why you ran off like that! If you wanna fight, go right ahead, I can’t stop you. But I can at least ask you to fight smart!”
Sora almost fell back down hearing that.
It took him a moment to answer. “Sorry,” He said, “A friend of mine – he’s been lost and . . . the big Pointy-eared machines, they’re his design. I hoped he was here.”
Revy snorted, “Like a designer is gonna be on the front lines,” She turned to Catman, “Hey, think you can track down the Nazi base?”
Catman responded. “Usual rate.”
“Fine” Revy growled.
Then Catman pointed as a black clad Nazi super soldiers turned a corner. “’round the corner where that came from.”
Revy crused and went for her guns.
“Yeah,” Revy scowled, “The hell is that?”
The super solider opened fire as Revy went for her guns, but the shots were intercepted by Goofy, the beams diffusing his expanding color-armor. It bought Revy the few seconds she needed to get to cover before the barrage began anew.
She watched in confusion as the duck squawked and hooted, flapping its wings about before lightning-honest to goodness lightning-shot from its wings at the super soldier. The blast diffused along the shields, but sparks flew. Seeing it stagger, Revy opened fire. She unleaded 6 shots into the thing, which drew no shield reaction, but got it to stagger further.
“Holy crap!”
The warrior grabbed Sora and tossed him into Revy with enough force to bowl the woman over, twice over. Sora bounced off the ground and slammed against a wall before slumping against it, dizzy from the blow.
Goofy launched himself at the warrior, biting down on his arm. Sparks flew as he tore at it, growing. Sparks and electrical discharges spurted and sputtered out of the warrior’s wrist-mounted cannon. Goofy, for his efforts, was bludgeoned repeatedly by the warrior before being kicked into Donald, who was healing the other fallen fighters. Sora looked around as he struggled back to his feet. Catman had apparently fled, which Sora couldn’t fault him for when he thought of it. He wasn’t doing so good himself. But right now the only one still standing against the super soldier was . . . Rock.
He was alone in the street with the warrior now focused on him.
No weapons.
Sora murmured a healing spell as Rock stalled for time. He stammered a bit, “I suppose we can’t talk things out?”
The creature stopped and growled, “No.” Its voice low and coarse. Its reverb seemingly silenced the cacophony of the war around them. Rock’s heart raced as the thing stopped and turned to the downed Revy. A flick of its wrist brought out a blade a foot and a half long.
It was going to ensure they stayed down.
Sora’s eyes went wide with fear, he tried to stand again, but fell over himself. He rushed things when he went to heal. He didn’t realize his ankle was twisted out of place and now . . . Now it was healed in place. He’d have to snap it again in order to re-align it properly. And neither of his wannabe caretakers would last that long.
Rock was alone. He had no weapons. Outmatched. In way over his head.
But he had long ago gotten used to being in that sort of situation.
He screamed and tackled the warrior with his full might, ramming his shoulder into it and Sora heard something snap.
The warrior remained standing, nudged by the impact. The thing that snapped was Rock’s collar bone.
But he got its attention away from Revy. Five seconds was enough time for Sora to get at least halfway on his feet. Rock rolled on the ground, the pain in his shoulder fogging his vision. Sora grunted in pain as he snapped his foot back into place, getting ready to heal it again, but it a low roar rang in his ears as the super soldier loomed over Rock.
But he quickly realized it wasn’t ringing, it was a lower sound. The reverb of a motorcycle engine. Sora saw a red scarf first, fluttering in the wind as a green and black armored rider he recognized road in, leapt of his motorcycle, and roared:
“RIDER PUNCH!”
The warrior was struck by the armored attacker as he punched mid-leap, sending the victim hurtling into the air, impacting on a building with enough force to cause it to partially collapse the wall, buckling under the pressure. The warrior peeled off the surface a moment later, twitching.
“Shocker scum!” The figure barked, “I won’t let you have your way!”
As if in reaction to those words, it fell still. Sora brought his healing to his companions. Rock rushed to Revy’s side as she woke up behind him.
“Is it dead?”
Rock glanced back at it, to assure himself it was still, “Yeah, it’s dead.”
Revy rubbed her head as Rock helped her up. She pulled away from him growling, “I’m fine! Just got the wind knocked outa me,” before she turned her glare to the newcomer, “Who’s the weirdo in the scarf?”
Rock suppressed a smile, but he still stood and pointed boldly at the cyborg, “Revy, being in Roanapur almost got me to believe that there is no real justice in this life. No God. No Buddha. Nothing. But, right now. I know that even if there’s no God or Buddha, there is Justice. Because there is Kamen Rider!” Afte ra moment, Rock quickly pulled himself back to his more reserved method of standing after a moment under Revy’s gaze.
Revy smacked him in the arm as he nervously rubbed the back of his head, “Whatever, fanboy.” A few spells from Donald got Revy fully recovered before she began to push towards
Kamen Rider, “Hey, bug-face, you hear to kill Nazis?”
Kamen Rider nodded after a moment.
“Well, you’re just in luck,” Revy sneered, “Because there’s a whole mess of ‘em right down there that we were gonna bust up.”
Kamen Rider nodded, “Stay here, I’ll take care of them.”
Sora saw Rock cringe when those words hit the air.
“Sure,” Revy drawled, her sneer remaining, “Well just wait right here in the middle of a *&^%-damned warzone for the #&^ing Labors and Arm Slaves to stomp on us, the BDSM fireball &^$%ers to incinerate us, and we can all relax while they eat Peking duck and roast dog!”
Donald and Goofy took umbrage at that, but Sora held them back.
“They can help you find a place to hide, your current arms are unable to--”
As he spoke, a Russian soldier repelled off the side of one of the remaining buildings, landing between them. All but the Rider took a step back as he did. Under his arm was a large duffle bag.
“Big Sis sends her best wishes,” He handed the bag over to Revy.
He unshouldered his own heavy rifle and made his way back into the fray.
As the confusion passed, Revy unzipped the bag and grinned like a tiger, “Well now, what exactly where you saying about being under-armed?”
She held up a multi-barrel grenade launcher as if it were an extension of herself.
Kamen Rider nodded, but before he could speak further, Sora stepped forward.
“Kamen Rider,” Sora said as forcefully as he could, “There’s more than just Nazi’s in there.” Sora let that hang in the air before he continued, “There’s something in here that drew me to this place. I have to stop it. I’m the only one here that can.”
“Oh,” Revy folded her arms, “did that hit on the head jog your memory, cosplayer?”
“Sort of,” Sora cringed a bit, “it got me to the ground and that’s how I felt its power.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, what is it?” Revy drawled.
“A Dimensional Beast.”
*
There wasn’t much in the way of security inside the base. They apparently relied on the disguise and massive distraction they were making to cover up their activities. A decent plan, but not perfect. The strange group: a normal man, a violent woman, a cyborg, a boy from another world, a dog, and a duck made their way down a ladder and into an underground chamber mired in darkness.
As they inched quietly through the dark corridors, Rock whispered to him, “Shouldn’t we be worried about security or something?”
“That’s what we took care of upstairs, Mr. Rock,” Kamen Rider answered for Sora, “And with everything else going on, I doubt they expect interruption.”
Rock smiled, fear still on his face, and “Let’s hope so.”
It wasn’t long after that, threw the underground tunnels that other voices carried in the air. It took him a moment to hear distinct voices.
“Waiting on my payment,” Were the first words to become distinct. They had a mild Australian accent to them, and were a deep male voice.
A gurgling sound at first answered, “Once the battle above is won, it will be easier to transfer your earnings to your designated account. However, if you believe you can carry 50 Million in gold bars, you are welcome to try. However, you should be made aware that such a collection weighs approximately 1,800 kilograms, just shy of a metric ton. You are welcome to attempt moving such a cumbersome collection through a war-zone if you so choose. I would find the attempt most humorous.”
This voice was not as gruff, but almost as deep, distorted as if it were contained in water. The voice was largely flat, but there was a smoldering hatred beneath its deadpan that sent a chill down Rock’s spine – and caused Sora to stop in his tracks for a moment.
As did the chittering laughter that followed.
“Well,” the Australian voice spoke up after a moment, “It’s not like I’m totally averse to the company here. ‘Cept the Spider.”
“The feeling is mutual, meat,” the raspy voice of “the Spider” answered, “Were this specimen not so intriguing and our good friends offer so endearing, I’d devour you without a second thought.”
“See what I mean?” The Australian spoke up again, “Charming through and through.”
“Alert,” A more electronic voice spoke up, “Security drones have failed to report in. Proximity sensors indicate several unauthorized biological entities within 15 meters of current location. Mental scans indicate one cyborg, three humans, a duck, and a dog.”
“. . . I was with you until you said ‘duck’.” The Australia said, “But I’m getting my guns anyway.”
“Further analysis shows one of the humans is a cyborg, and another exhibits energies similar to that of the captured unknown organism.” The electronic voice continued.
“Cyborg?” The soulless voice muttered, “M.O.D.O.K. Bring them out.”
“Targets located.”
Sora felt the telekinetic energy reach out, but couldn’t escape its grasp before he and the others were brought into the dim lights of the makeshift lab and slammed against the wall. Kamen Rider managed to power out of the invisible grip and took off after the floating head in a jar.
“Herman Von Klempt! I have you this time!” He roared as he launched into the air after the floating scientist.
“Not so fast!” The massive spider spat glowing blue fluid at Kamen Rider which carried enough force to pick the cyborg up and pin him to the wall with the rest. “We need you . . . hang around for a while longer.”
“That web,” Sora murmured, “Where have I seen that before?”
Rock and Revy were not prepared for the sheer oddities in front of them, and Sora easily saw it on their faces.
Before them stood: a massive head, coated in machinery allowing it to float and who knows what else, with regularly proportioned limbs operating them; a regularly sized head sat in a jar of green fluid next to a cybernetically enhanced gorilla; a spider as large as a VW Bug; and a human with a cybernetic eye and faceplate, who was probably the most normal of the group.
All of them standing in front of a Dimensional Beast. A massive quadrupedal beast the size of a large dinosaur, hooked up to a myriad of machines draining fluids from it. The crystal that formed the center of its ‘face’ faded, but still pulsed with life as the metallic/crystalline/organic hybrid horror’s body weakly twitched.
“Revy?” Rock managed, “Tell me you’re seeing the same thing I am?”
“Floating heads, monsters, and a cyborg jackass gunrunner who I has a 50K bounty on his head?” Revy managed, “Yeah, I see ‘em.”
Rock turned to you, “Wait, you’re not weirded out by this?”
“Of course I’m weirded out by this $#%$!” Sora felt dizzy as Revy’s tirade began, “The talking spider is the least crazy thing I’m seeing right now!” Revy calmed herself and added, “But it seems just the sort of group you’d get your ass messed with, isn’t it, Kano?”
“I’m flattered you remember who I am, Revy?”
Revy spat, “I only remember it because of the 50K bounty on your head. That, and that hilarious little terrorist attack on San Francisco back when I was still state side. ‘Australian arms dealer leads daring pirate raid on San Francisco ports’ was the headline you went for, but got his ass stomped by a college co-ed!”
“That,” Kano shuddered, “Was no girl.”
“Okay,” Rock said, “So, why don’t you tell us your side of the story?”
*
1992, San Francisco
Kano had to admit, Shao Kahn’s armies were doing pretty well against the locals. When the US Military showed up, then things would be really interesting. Especially with all the new toys he equipped them with. Outworld’s invasion was turning out better than he hoped.
Then hollow, angry words hit his ears.
“This was my day off.”
He didn’t see the source of the words, but it seemed to be all around him.
“This. Was my day off.”
It came again, louder, closer, and making some of the men around Shao Kahn look around, more curious than nervous. Kano scanned the surroundings and spotted the source. A red-haired woman, probably just out of her 20s, and quite pleasing to the eye. Athletic build, but not so much that took away from her curves. Her face, however, was marred by rage, a white hot look that Kano had seen a few times in his life, usually from people who were trying to kill him.
“This.” She said clearly, “Was My. Day. OFF!”
The last word was roared out with such force that it kicked up dust. Kano had seen some weird things since teaming up with Outworld’s warriors, but this was an earth girl.
He was still on earth, right?
“What do we have here?” Shao Kahn smirked, “This looks like a legitimate challenge. I thought I’d already seen Earth-realms greatest champions.”
The woman thought for a moment, an odd composure coming over her. “No, you didn’t.”
Khan paused. “Yes, I have.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“I have faced them down in Mortal Kombat through the centuries, peasant!” Shao Khan roared, “And they have failed!” Kano noted how he skipped over how things went this year. Not that it mattered, but Kano took note. Revisionist history from customers was not always the best thing to deal with when you’re a businessman.
“Yeah, look, I got almost every top end ‘champion’ on the planet on speed dial, and a few that aren’t, and none of them have ever mentioned fighting you, Skeletor.”
“My name is not Skeletor. I am Shao Kahn, ruler of Outworld, and this realm is now mine! Along with everything and everyone in it.”
Kano didn’t see her move. She was in front of Shao Kahn with such speed that wind followed behind her that picked up small rocks and threw them about. It even caught Shao Kahn off guard. He appeared to stand firm, but Kano saw him flinch.
“You’ve attacked the city, killed god knows how many people, plan on doing even worse to those you captured, AND you ruined my day off?! I don’t care who you think you are, Skeletor, you’re on my turf now, and I say your little invasion ends now.”
“If you care to stop me, girl, then give it your best sho-“
Shao Kahn never finished his sentence. He never spoke another word. In the blink of an eye she had struck, and Kano could only blink with one eye. The other saw almost everything. It sounded like a bomb going off in his head when her fist connected. It felt like a 10ft tall wave hitting him full on, bowling him over. And when she connected, there was a flash of light that shorted his electronic eye for a few seconds. When he righted himself and his eyes cleared, where Shao Kahn once stood was now a crater. It looked like a land mine went off when she blurred in front of him, centered all on her fist. She had struck him, with what he hoped was all her might, and Shao Kahn was now indistinguishable from chunky salsa, red staining the area around her. Including his own body.
The woman, whatever she was, turned to the army of warriors, who stood in absolute shocked silence, her eyes glowing red.
“Next.”
*
“You shut your damn mouth,” Kano growled, “Ya know what, Herman? I think I’ll take a pay cut. You give me the girl after big boy here scrambles her brain into, oh, my slave, we can leave with however much gold we can carry.”
The group shouted in protest in various ways, but Herman von Klempt’s answer rung out regardless. “Your terms are acceptable.”
“Conquering minds is a simple matter for MODOK,” The mutation stated.
“Damn you!” Kamen Rider growled.
MODOK laughed “Defiant and moral as ever, Rider. After the female is subdued, I will take pleasure in ripping out every cybernetic part from your body.”
“W-w-wait!” Rock stammered, “There’s! Uh, there’s things that we know! If-if-if you destroy her mind, that information will be lost forever!”
“All relevant data she has will be downloaded into my processors,” MODOK answered.
“R-really? How does that work?”
MODOK floated over to Rock, “By utilizing my telepathic abilities interlaced with crystalline circuits, I convert the ectoplasm from—“
“MODOK,” Klempt’s tinny voice had an air of exasperation to it, “Your disorder is diverting your focus. Fry the Human and be done with it.”
“Thank you for the correction,” MODOK spun to face Klempt, but spun around to glare over Rock, “You attempted to use my Science Related Memetic Disorder against me.” MODOK loomed over the restrained man. “This is commendable. I will harvest your brain and incorporate it into a shell to house my programming.”
This enraged Revy beyond anything Sora had seen before. Curses and expletives flew out of her mouth with a viciousness and speed he’d not heard since he ran into those kids in that quiet Colorado town.
“I suppose you’re going to copy my knowledge before you do that, right?” Rock’s voice was oddly calm for the situation. “Because there’s one thing that I can tell you now without that process taking place!”
“There is no need, the information will be extracted faster.”
Rock smiled, “But I can tell the others too, and it’s VERY relevant to their interests.”
Kano groaned, “Oh, get on with it already!”
“Well, the thing is. I figured out a while ago who ran the Italian Mafia here. Who he really is. And it is especially relevant to you, Mr. MODOK. Or, is it Doctor MODOK?”
Sora noticed Klempt twitch at the word ‘Doctor’ which he found quite peculiar.
“Anyway,” Rock continued, “I figured out who he was and I paid Catman--”
“YOU paid Catman?” Revy scowled at Rock.
“Separate job,” Rock answered, his voice cracking slightly in nervousness, but quickly regained composure, “Paid him to go and get the Capo and bring him here. He generally goes by Joseph “Fix It” Berengetti. But you may know him better by a more common name. Like Robert Banner.”
MODOK froze.
“Robert “Bruce” Banner. Also known as the Hulk.”
“And he is coming here any second now, so I don’t think you have time for any of that fancy mind control stuff.”
MODOK spun around, frantic with fear, “We must relocate what we can before the Hulk arrives.”
Kano scoffed, “Nah, no way! I’ve seen Joe Berengetti. Big guy, sure. But he ain’t the Hulk. ‘Sides, Hulk isn’t real. And even if he was, Berengetti isn’t green. He’s like, sorta ash colored. Figure he’s some African mutt.”
“In either case, it is irrelevant.” Klempt’s voice took an even harsher and more mechanical tone to it. “This site has served its purpose.”
The Spider skittered towards Klempt and tilted his multi-eyed head, “But the creature has yet to be drained of its energy, and the batteries are not yet full. How can we be done?”
Klempt shot a contemptuous glare at the spider, “That is because you were told false information. My involvement in this plan was not to procure energy to free the Ogrdu-Jahad from its prison without the key. It was simply to draw HIM out. And now, his location is known. All of this and all of you are no longer necessary.”
The voice became harsher and more mechanical as it went on, and Sora realized exactly what was in front of him. “You’re not Herman von Klempt!”
“
No. I am not.”
“Wait,” Kano said, “Does that mean I’m not getting paid?”
Klempt turned to him and barked, “That is no longer my concern. My plan to draw out the Doctor to a predetermined locatikon has succeeded.” Reinforced metal surrounded the glass case housing Klempt’s head, encasing it completely.
“He is now on the risen Atlantis,” It continued as more mechanisms extended from its base, forming a wedge shape solid support structure lined regularly with metallic spheres. “And completely unaware of my presence. Distracted by the Major’s minor machinations as I had planned.”
A dome rose from the top, from which two lights extended, along with a camera mounted on a stalk in front of the growing machine. “Now I will go to the Doctor’s location!” A plunger arm and blaster arm extended from its ‘chest’ and the Dalek proudly announced, “And then the Doctor will be EXTERMINATED!”