Post by Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison on Jan 10, 2011 4:15:06 GMT -5
Fuuto City
“Man, it's been quiet,” Shotaro Hidari, self-proclaimed 'hard boiled detective' (half-boiled to everyone else) complained as he leaned back in his chair. “Akiko hasn't even found any missing pets for us to find.”
“Perhaps for the best,” Phillip, his partner, said. “After all, there have been a lot of Gaia memory cases since Akiko arrived.”
“Yeah, things have certainly gotten busy,” Shotaro agreed. “Even with Terui here, we haven't had a break. Maybe we should take a holiday,” he suggested with a grin.
“And what would Narumi Sokouchi say to you taking a holiday?” Phillip asked him in amusement. Shotaro's face fell as he sat back.
“You're right,” he admitted. “We can't leave Fuuto with the Gaia Memories out there.”
“Maybe when it's all... Hm?” Phillip turned, feeling an odd... something outside. Something that called to him.
“Oi, Phillip. What is it?” Shotaro asked, getting to his feet.
“I don't know,” Phillip said, walking out of the agency office. Shotarou followed him as they made it to the street. “Just...” he turned, looking back at the building their office was situated in.
The building they shared with a billiard hall.
A billiard hall that had been replaced with a book store.
“Huh?” Shotaro said, looking at the bookstore in shock. “What the hell? Where'd the billiard hall go?”
“Most interesting,” Phillip said, reading the sign hanging above the door. “Planet Library?”
“A bookstore called Planet Library?” Shotaro said cautiously. “Phillip, there's something wrong about this. I'm going to... Oi!” Shotaro called as he noticed Phillip about to go in. “Phillip, what are you doing?”
“Just a little peek,” he said, pushing the door open slightly and sticking his head in before walking in completely.
“OI, Phillip! What if... Gah!” Shotaro muttered, following him in. “Damn fool...”
-----------------------------------
Inside
“I think I'm about to have new guests,” Mal said, looking up from his book. Jackson 'Doc' Ellison, a sort-of friend, frequent client and general pain in the ass looked up from the comic he had found among Mal's generous collection of books. He wasn't there for any particular reason, other than being bored. For an incurable bookworm, interesting things did tend to happen.
“What kind of...” the first to come through the door was an Asian looking young man that resembled Mal, right down to the green stripped shirt, yellow vest and orange pants he was wearing. “And I honestly thought there was no one else in the world that dressed like that,” Doc muttered as a second newcomer, dressed in what seemed to be classic crime-noir attire of black dress pants and shoes, a white shirt and grey tie with a matching black vest and hat walking in.
“Oi, Phiripu, nan da... eh?” The man looked around at all the books. “Sugoi...”
“Japanese?” Doc muttered. “Damn it, my Japanese is a little rusty...”
“Luckily mine is perfect,” Mal said as he turned to his look alike to strike up a conversation.
-----------------------
“Can I help you gentlemen?” Phillip's gaze was torn away from the mass of books, almost as many as those in his mind when he summoned the Planet Library, to the occupant of the quaint bookstore...
Who looked exactly like him.
“Eh!? Why are there two Phillip's?” Shotaro cried, pointing between the two.
“'Cause one of them's a Mal,” the other person said, dropping his comic and standing up. His Japanese was very accented, but passable enough. “And I'm Doc. You would be...?”
“Shotaro Hidari,” he said, straightening his hat. “Private Detective.”
“From a crime-noir novel?” Doc snorted. “What do you think this is, 'The Long Goodnight?”
“Hey, my teacher dressed like this,” Shotaro snapped at him.
“Did he look as goofy as you?”
“Bastard...” Shotaro growled, grabbing Doc by the collar. Mal, watching from next to Phillip, shook his head.
“Honestly, he never learns,” he muttered with a long suffering sigh.
“I can relate,” Phllip said. “Shotaro is much the same. Half-boiled.”
“Matches Jackson perfectly,” Mal nodded, looking Phillip over. “You're like me. And not just physically,” Phillip's eyes lit up in recognition.
“You...?” the answer was Mal's hand being extended out to him. Phillip smiled, touching his fingertips against Mal's lightly...
----------------------------------
Planet Library
...As the two materialised in the shared mind-space known by many names: the Planet Library.
“You have this as well?” Phillip gasped, looking around. “But how...?”
“Demon aspect,” Mal explained. “You?”
“An experiment by my own family to create Gaia Memories,” Phillip said sadly. “I only found out recently, though not all the details.”
“I'm still searching for clues to my own past,” Mal said sympathetically. “The knowledge drowned it all out.”
“It is painful, but...” Images of Shotaro and Akiko, along with the rest of the Fuuto crew and Ryuu Terui, Kamen Rider Accel, flitted over head. “I've found a new family.”
“A new... family...” Mal said slowly.
'Oi, Phillip!'
“That's not a good sign,” they said together as the Library faded from around them.
---------------------------------
Outside the bookstore
Shotaro had already locked the DoubleDriver around his waist, waiting for Phillip to respond.
“Hey, what's with the new age belt ware?” Doc asked. He had no freaking clue what the hell was going on. One minute the two were about to have a good old fashioned beat down, then suddenly there's an explosion and they're fighting some kind of freak that looked like a cross between a bazooka and a Gundam.
“Not quite,” Shotaro said as he felt Phillip press against his mind, pulling out a small, purple USB stick and pressing a button on it.
'JOKER!'
-------------------
Inside
Mal watched as the Driver appeared around his duplicate's waist. “What is that?”
“DoubleDriver,” Phillip explained. “It allows me to combine my power with Shotaro,” he pulled out a green USB stick. “Like this,” he added, pressing the button.
'CYCLONE!'
---------------------
Both
“HENSHIN!”
---------------------
Phillip flipped the green Memory, sliding it into the left side of the belt. Mal watched as it vanished, causing Phillip to faint. He stood for a moment, trying to process what had happened.
'It allows me to combine my power with Shotaro...'
“Combine his... no way!” Mal said, running to the door and out of it, just in time to see Shotaro push the green Memory down into his belt, locking it in place before adding his own Memory to the slot on the right, using both hands to flick the compartments into a W shape.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!' A strong wind kicked up, winding around Shotaro as he was encased in green and black armour with a silver line down the centre, two red compound eyes, silver antenna shaped like a W and a long silver scarf.
“Now,” he said, pointing at the odd creature. Doc, now standing beside Mal, noticed his voice seemed double layered, with Phillip seeming to speak right along with him. “Count up your crime!”
“Wait, is that...?” Doc began as this new warrior raced forward.
“It is,” Mal confirmed the unfinished question. “Apparently, the belt allows them to combine into one being; Phillips mind, Shotaro's body.”
“That's... pretty impressive,” Doc noted as Shotaro/Phillip began pounding away at the creature, almost systematically. Shotaro didn't seem too much like a thinker or planner to Doc, though, so this planning must have been Phillip's doing. They made a pretty impressive combo.
“Look!” A bystander shouted. “It's the Kamen Rider!”
“Alright! Get 'im, Rider!”
“Go for it!”
“Kamen... Rider...” Doc said slowly, watching as the crowd cheered from windows, alleys, well back from the fight.
“It seems they are well known and loved,” Mal noted. Doc nodded.
“Let's finish this,” Shotaro said out loud, reaching for his belt. His action, however, was cut off by a second creature, this time shaped like some kind of bulldozer, barging into him and knocking him flying back. “Another one? Damn it...”
“They need help,” Doc said, moving forward. Mal grabbed him by the arm.
“There's nothing we can do,” Mal told him. “That thing is too powerful.”
“So?” Doc said. “Look around you, Mal. These people... they need them. These monsters are obviously a common happening for them. They need a symbol of something to fight them!”
“But what can we do?” Mal asked pointedly. “That thing is far beyond your abilities.” Doc growled in annoyance, unable to find a retort. Neither noticed a shimmering wall appear above them, but they definitely noticed the suitcase dropped out of said wall. “Huh?” Doc looked up, just in time to see it fade away. “What the heck...?” He began as Mal bent down to open the suitcase.
“Jackson!”
“What is it, Ma... Holy...” Doc looked into the suitcase, noticing the same belt that Shotaro and Phillip had used and the same two memories, as well as four more, each a different colour: red, silver, yellow and blue. “That's...”
“The DoubleDriver,” Mal said slowly. “Phillip and I are the same. Our minds are filled with all the knowledge the planet has to offer. Combined with a fighter...” he took the belt and the black, grey and blue Memories, holding them out to Doc. “We can create the ultimate warrior.”
“Wait, you and me?”
“In truth...” Mal began hesitantly. “In truth, I would prefer no one else. You may be annoying and dull witted sometimes – half-boiled, as Phillip said...”
“Hey!”
“But your heart is in the right place,” Mal continued with a small smirk. “So, Jackson... Doc. Will you?” Doc looked at the offered items a moment before taking the buckle and Memories from Mal's hand.
“Let's do this... partner,” he said, slapping the Driver against his waist. Instantly, a replica appeared around Mal's waist. Doc held up the grey Memory. “His set up doesn't seem to be working against these freaks, so let's try something new.”
“Right,” Mal said, holding up the red one as he took position on Doc's left.
'HEAT!'
'METAL!'
“Henshin!”
'HEAT! METAL!' The power swirled around Doc as Mal collapsed, the 'fighter' of the pair encased in a silver and red version of Shotaro and Phillip's armour, a staff appearing on his back.
“Now we're talking,” he said, pulling the rod from his back, twirling it as it's ends extended out, red hot flames running down them. “Alright!” he cheered as he charged, striking the back of the bulldozer creature. “Round two, boys. Let's even the score!”
“That crazy... huh?” Shotaro had gotten up ready to pound some sense into Doc for jumping into the fight, only to see... himself? “Heat... Metal?”
“Are you two okay?” Mal's voice echoed from HeatMetal's right.
“Mal...? What...?” Shotaro began.
“A second DoubleDriver?” Phillip asked. “How?”
“Don't ask us,” Doc answered. “Kinda dropped into our laps. How exactly do you use this thing anyway?”
“Man,” Shotaro complained, closing the DoubleDriver and removing the Joker Memory, pulling out Metal.
'METAL!'
'CYCLONE! METAL!'
“Hey, what?” Doc asked as Shotaro's side turned silver, the Metal Rod appearing on the back.
“Just stay back,” Shotaro ordered, drawing the weapons and charging forward. With each swing, wind swept up around them, disorienting the two monster.
“So, we can change weapons...?” he asked, replacing the Metal Memory with a blue one.
'TRIGGER!'
'HEAT! TRIGGER!' Doc's side became blue, with a gun appearing in his right hand.
“Now this is more my style,” he said, spinning the Trigger Magnum on his hand as he charged forward. Gripping the weapon with both hands, he took his aim, firing powerful, flaming shots at the bulldozer thing, moving it away so Shotaro/Phillip could deal with the bazooka thing. The bulldozer staggered back, taking the newcomer in and charging forward. Doc flipped over, firing two shots into it's back.
“He's very good,” Phillip commented idly as his merger with Shotaro fought off the bazooka.
“Well... I suppose,” Shotaro said grudgingly. “Still, he doesn't know what he's doing.”
“Neither did we, once,” Phillip pointed out as Doc and Mal switched out their Memories.
'LUNA! JOKER!' Doc and Mal's armour changed to yellow and black, the weapon vanishing from their hands.
“Hand to hand? I can live with that,” Doc said, charging forward. When he and Mal struck with the right, however, the arm extended, smacking the bulldozer in the back of the head. “Huh?”
“Luna Memory allows you to bend the laws of physics,” Phillip explained. “In the case of Joker, this means extendible limbs.”
“Just go with you gut,” Shotaro shouted, switching memories again.
'HEAT! JOKER!' With a shout, the original W team charged, fire empowered right slamming into the bazooka before it could get a shot off.
“Go with our guts?”
“You can handle that, Doc,” Mal advised. Doc clenched his fist.
“Let's go!” He charged, leaping into the air. Their arc was slow as the right arm and leg extended out, connecting multiple times. Upon landing, they slid forward, both arms hitting out, thought the right continued to go at multiple angles.
They stopped next to the original W as the bazooka stopped next to it's partner.
“Switch to CycloneJoker,” Shotaro said, switching out. “We'll finish this with a Double Maximum. Joker Extreme.”
“Um... okay,” Doc said as they switched out.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
“And now?” Doc asked as Shotaro removed the Joker Memory.
“This,” was Shotaro's answer, placing the memory into the slot on the right hand side.
'JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE!' The belt began to beep as a cyclone whipped up around them, carrying them into the air.
“Okay, that's pretty damn cool,” Doc said as he followed suit.
'JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE!' The gathered citizens gaped in awe as the two Riders floated above the Dopant, both hitting the button on the side at the same time as their bodies angled, the cyclones launching them towards their foes as they split into their respective halves.
“W JOKER EXTREME!”
The resulting explosion reverberated down several blocks as the two men rolled to a stop in front of the local constabulary, their Memories shattered.
“Wait, they're human?” Doc asked. Shotaro's left side grabbed his arm.
“Explain later. Let's get out of here.”
“Um... right then,” he said, following him into an alley where they removed the Memories, undoing the transformation.
“Okay, what the hell was that?” Doc asked as Shotaro led him into the Detective Agency he worked at. Mal and Phillip moments later, both obviously thinking deeply.
“And you say you saw a kind of ripple effect?” Phillip asked. Mal nodded.
“Hey, yeah!” Doc offered. “It faded just as I looked up. Doesn't explain the monsters we just obliterated turning into humans, though,” he said pointedly. Mal chuckled.
“Blunt as always, Doc?” He asked.
“Hey, I thought I was just facing the usual on a more powerful scale,” Doc said. “But those guys weren't demons.”
“Demons?” Shotaro asked. “Really? You fight...?”
“I think we need to sit down and explain this all calmly,” Mal said.
------------------------------------
Later
Narumi Detective Agency
“You two are from an alternate world?” Akiko Narumi, 'chief' of the Narumi detective agency and daughter of Shotaro's mentor asked, getting in closer to Doc. “I didn't hear anything about this.”
“Hey, get outta my face,” Doc said, pulling back. “The hell are you doing out of high school, anyway? You're, what, 16,” Shotaro stifled a laugh as Akiko's infamous Green Slipper of Doom ™ Impacted with Doc's head. “Ow! Oi, don't make me shove that thing where sun don't shine, little girl!” He growled.
“I just can't take him anyway,” Mal said with a shake of his head.
“Don't be so surprised, Akiko,” Phillip commented. “Remember our meeting with Kamen Rider Decade, the fight against the Neo Organism and meeting the counterpart of your father.”
“That's true,” Akiko said, pulling back with her hand on her chin. “But how did they get here? And where did they get the second DoubleDriver.”
“Good questions,” Shotaro asked. “Has your store ever travelled dimensions before, Mal?”
“Never,” Mal said. Doc was still glaring at Akiko when he suddenly turned to Mal.
“The disappearances!” He said suddenly. “The monsters! We thought they were demons, but...”
“You think someone in your world has figured out how to make Gaia Memories?” Shotaro asked.
“They match what we saw out there,” Doc said. Mal looked at him curiously.
“I think Akiko's slipper may have knocked something back in place,” Mal teased, earning a disgruntled 'oi!' from Doc. “But you may be right.”
“But who on your world would have that ability?” Philip asked. Doc's face turned cold, a low flame burning in his eyes, a look Mal knew well and the Fuuto crew had seen in Ryu's eyes plenty of times.
“Raven,” he growled.
“Possible,” Mal said. “He has the backing and could probably pull it off. He's ruthless enough.”
“Who's Raven?” Shotaro asked.
“A man hellbent on controlling the world,” Mal explained, watching Doc with concern. “He trained Doc to be his weapons after another organisation killed his family and kidnapped his sister.”
“Maybe he should have gotten Accel,” Shotaro muttered. “He sounds more like Terui.”
“An army of super soldiers under that psycho's control?” Doc ground out before looking at Mal, who nodded back. “And only us in the way. Sounds like business as usual.”
“Except this time, you don't fight alone,” Mal said, holding out his Cyclone Memory. Doc snorted, drawing Joker and holding it out.
“Nope,” he said. “From now on the two of us...”
“... Form a single champion,” Mal finished. Shotaro and Philip chuckled.
“No,” shotaros said as the two drew their own memories. “The two of you...”
“... Form a single Kamen Rider,” Philip finished. The four smiled at each other, with Akiko in the background with her own smile, which changed quickly.
“Photos!” She cried, grabbing the Batshot from the counter in the kitchenette. “So we won't forget this meeting.”
“Kinda hard to forget...” Doc began.
“Don't,” Shotaro snorted. “Once she gets an idea in her head, she's relentless.”
“Like a teenager?”
“Exactly.
*Thunk! Thunk!*
“OW!”
“Oi, Akiko!.”
*CLICK!*
“Half-boiled...”
“Indeed.”
Later
Back in Doc and Mal's home universe
“Um... Mal?” Doc called. The Library, once they had returned, had almost instantly shifted back home, leaving the continuing feeling that all of this was supposed to happen. Everything was back to normal.
“Yes, Doc?”
“New door.”
“What?”
Almost.
“Where did this come from?” Mal asked as he looked at the door, nesteled between two bookshelves, that hadn't been there before.
“We brought it with us?” Doc suggested, opening the door.
Within was a large, metal room with whiteboards everywhere. Metal walkways crossed over a platform which had a motorcycle matching the colours of their newly axquired CycloneJoker form.
“Yup,” Doc said. “Definately brought with us.”
“Amazing,” Mal said, looking around as he crossed the walkway to what seemed to be a work bench. On the bench were two phones, a camer, a watch, a pair of goggles and what looked like a MP3 player. Next to each was a Gaia memory, and each device had a slot it fit into. “Thes look like...” Mal began, picking up one of the phones and it's corresponding memory.
'BEETLE!' Mal inserted the memory and the phone transformed into a flying, mechanical beetle.
“That's pretty cool,” Doc said, picking up the other phone. “Guess this is how we keep in contact,” he commented, looking at the back of the table. “User's Manuals.”
“Excellent,” Mal said, instantly collecting them together. Doc chuckled.
“Inputaholic.”
“Shush,” Mal hissed as he began to read through the manual. Doc rolled his eyes as he began playing with the phone. The device crackled for a moment, then...
'...peating all units in the vicinity of 25th Street be advised we have a... I don't believe I'm saying this, we have a creature that loks like it's made of fire attacking building in the area. The fire brigade is enroute, but I think they're going to need bigger hoses...' The duo looked at each other.
“Well, that didn't take long,” Doc said, looking down at the motorbike below them. “Our wheels?”
“Yeah,” Mal said. “I'll read on the way. Let's go, partner,” Doc nodded, checking the DoubleDriver was secure in his jacket as he made his way to the bike.
“Just be ready to go when I am,” Doc advised, grabbing the helmet sitting on the bike. Mal smiled as he put it on.
“Of course.”
------------------------------------------
Secret Location
Raven smiled as the test subject/'client' tore a destructive path through LA. Everything was going well. Once he had a perfect Memory, he'd pay a little visit to his former protege and teach him the mistake of betrayal.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
“What the hell...?” Raven began as a half green, half black figure appeared and began fighting the 'client' back. “Is that one of ours?”
“N-no sir,” one of his technicians said fearfully. “I don't recognise it,” Raven scowled. An unexpected player.
“I don't like the unexpected,” Raven growled as Kamen Rider W (though he didn't know that) finished off the 'client' with a Joker Extreme. “Found out who that is. Now!”
“And when we do?” the technician asked. Raven pulled out a Gaia Memory with a W on the face.
“I'll deal with it. Personally.”
'WEATHER!'
---------------------------------
Outskirts of LA
Rogue looked down at the city, smirking darkly.
“Raven,” she hissed, holding a gold Memory similar to the ones sold and used by Raven. “Now we finish this.”
'TABOO!'
-----------------------------
Magic Shop
“It's just like she said,” Maya whispered as she watched W fight, looking at the items the strange woman had left her, picking up the Red Gaia Memory slowly. “Doc... you won't have to do this alone this time.”
'ACCEL!'
-------------------------------
Elsewhere
“And now...” the shadowed figure whispered, her bandaged face hiding her feature. “My children... it begins...”
“Don't forget...”
“I won't,” she said, looking at her 'ally' dressed in brown pants and shoes, with an overcoat over his button up shit, vest and tie, a hat and glasses. “When Decade comes, I will keep my end of the bargain.”
“This will be Decades last stop,” the man laughed as he vanished in a rippling wall. The woman turned back to her monitors, touching the images of Doc and Maya lightly.
“My children...”
“Man, it's been quiet,” Shotaro Hidari, self-proclaimed 'hard boiled detective' (half-boiled to everyone else) complained as he leaned back in his chair. “Akiko hasn't even found any missing pets for us to find.”
“Perhaps for the best,” Phillip, his partner, said. “After all, there have been a lot of Gaia memory cases since Akiko arrived.”
“Yeah, things have certainly gotten busy,” Shotaro agreed. “Even with Terui here, we haven't had a break. Maybe we should take a holiday,” he suggested with a grin.
“And what would Narumi Sokouchi say to you taking a holiday?” Phillip asked him in amusement. Shotaro's face fell as he sat back.
“You're right,” he admitted. “We can't leave Fuuto with the Gaia Memories out there.”
“Maybe when it's all... Hm?” Phillip turned, feeling an odd... something outside. Something that called to him.
“Oi, Phillip. What is it?” Shotaro asked, getting to his feet.
“I don't know,” Phillip said, walking out of the agency office. Shotarou followed him as they made it to the street. “Just...” he turned, looking back at the building their office was situated in.
The building they shared with a billiard hall.
A billiard hall that had been replaced with a book store.
“Huh?” Shotaro said, looking at the bookstore in shock. “What the hell? Where'd the billiard hall go?”
“Most interesting,” Phillip said, reading the sign hanging above the door. “Planet Library?”
“A bookstore called Planet Library?” Shotaro said cautiously. “Phillip, there's something wrong about this. I'm going to... Oi!” Shotaro called as he noticed Phillip about to go in. “Phillip, what are you doing?”
“Just a little peek,” he said, pushing the door open slightly and sticking his head in before walking in completely.
“OI, Phillip! What if... Gah!” Shotaro muttered, following him in. “Damn fool...”
-----------------------------------
Inside
“I think I'm about to have new guests,” Mal said, looking up from his book. Jackson 'Doc' Ellison, a sort-of friend, frequent client and general pain in the ass looked up from the comic he had found among Mal's generous collection of books. He wasn't there for any particular reason, other than being bored. For an incurable bookworm, interesting things did tend to happen.
“What kind of...” the first to come through the door was an Asian looking young man that resembled Mal, right down to the green stripped shirt, yellow vest and orange pants he was wearing. “And I honestly thought there was no one else in the world that dressed like that,” Doc muttered as a second newcomer, dressed in what seemed to be classic crime-noir attire of black dress pants and shoes, a white shirt and grey tie with a matching black vest and hat walking in.
“Oi, Phiripu, nan da... eh?” The man looked around at all the books. “Sugoi...”
“Japanese?” Doc muttered. “Damn it, my Japanese is a little rusty...”
“Luckily mine is perfect,” Mal said as he turned to his look alike to strike up a conversation.
-----------------------
“Can I help you gentlemen?” Phillip's gaze was torn away from the mass of books, almost as many as those in his mind when he summoned the Planet Library, to the occupant of the quaint bookstore...
Who looked exactly like him.
“Eh!? Why are there two Phillip's?” Shotaro cried, pointing between the two.
“'Cause one of them's a Mal,” the other person said, dropping his comic and standing up. His Japanese was very accented, but passable enough. “And I'm Doc. You would be...?”
“Shotaro Hidari,” he said, straightening his hat. “Private Detective.”
“From a crime-noir novel?” Doc snorted. “What do you think this is, 'The Long Goodnight?”
“Hey, my teacher dressed like this,” Shotaro snapped at him.
“Did he look as goofy as you?”
“Bastard...” Shotaro growled, grabbing Doc by the collar. Mal, watching from next to Phillip, shook his head.
“Honestly, he never learns,” he muttered with a long suffering sigh.
“I can relate,” Phllip said. “Shotaro is much the same. Half-boiled.”
“Matches Jackson perfectly,” Mal nodded, looking Phillip over. “You're like me. And not just physically,” Phillip's eyes lit up in recognition.
“You...?” the answer was Mal's hand being extended out to him. Phillip smiled, touching his fingertips against Mal's lightly...
----------------------------------
Planet Library
...As the two materialised in the shared mind-space known by many names: the Planet Library.
“You have this as well?” Phillip gasped, looking around. “But how...?”
“Demon aspect,” Mal explained. “You?”
“An experiment by my own family to create Gaia Memories,” Phillip said sadly. “I only found out recently, though not all the details.”
“I'm still searching for clues to my own past,” Mal said sympathetically. “The knowledge drowned it all out.”
“It is painful, but...” Images of Shotaro and Akiko, along with the rest of the Fuuto crew and Ryuu Terui, Kamen Rider Accel, flitted over head. “I've found a new family.”
“A new... family...” Mal said slowly.
'Oi, Phillip!'
“That's not a good sign,” they said together as the Library faded from around them.
---------------------------------
Outside the bookstore
Shotaro had already locked the DoubleDriver around his waist, waiting for Phillip to respond.
“Hey, what's with the new age belt ware?” Doc asked. He had no freaking clue what the hell was going on. One minute the two were about to have a good old fashioned beat down, then suddenly there's an explosion and they're fighting some kind of freak that looked like a cross between a bazooka and a Gundam.
“Not quite,” Shotaro said as he felt Phillip press against his mind, pulling out a small, purple USB stick and pressing a button on it.
'JOKER!'
-------------------
Inside
Mal watched as the Driver appeared around his duplicate's waist. “What is that?”
“DoubleDriver,” Phillip explained. “It allows me to combine my power with Shotaro,” he pulled out a green USB stick. “Like this,” he added, pressing the button.
'CYCLONE!'
---------------------
Both
“HENSHIN!”
---------------------
Phillip flipped the green Memory, sliding it into the left side of the belt. Mal watched as it vanished, causing Phillip to faint. He stood for a moment, trying to process what had happened.
'It allows me to combine my power with Shotaro...'
“Combine his... no way!” Mal said, running to the door and out of it, just in time to see Shotaro push the green Memory down into his belt, locking it in place before adding his own Memory to the slot on the right, using both hands to flick the compartments into a W shape.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!' A strong wind kicked up, winding around Shotaro as he was encased in green and black armour with a silver line down the centre, two red compound eyes, silver antenna shaped like a W and a long silver scarf.
“Now,” he said, pointing at the odd creature. Doc, now standing beside Mal, noticed his voice seemed double layered, with Phillip seeming to speak right along with him. “Count up your crime!”
“Wait, is that...?” Doc began as this new warrior raced forward.
“It is,” Mal confirmed the unfinished question. “Apparently, the belt allows them to combine into one being; Phillips mind, Shotaro's body.”
“That's... pretty impressive,” Doc noted as Shotaro/Phillip began pounding away at the creature, almost systematically. Shotaro didn't seem too much like a thinker or planner to Doc, though, so this planning must have been Phillip's doing. They made a pretty impressive combo.
“Look!” A bystander shouted. “It's the Kamen Rider!”
“Alright! Get 'im, Rider!”
“Go for it!”
“Kamen... Rider...” Doc said slowly, watching as the crowd cheered from windows, alleys, well back from the fight.
“It seems they are well known and loved,” Mal noted. Doc nodded.
“Let's finish this,” Shotaro said out loud, reaching for his belt. His action, however, was cut off by a second creature, this time shaped like some kind of bulldozer, barging into him and knocking him flying back. “Another one? Damn it...”
“They need help,” Doc said, moving forward. Mal grabbed him by the arm.
“There's nothing we can do,” Mal told him. “That thing is too powerful.”
“So?” Doc said. “Look around you, Mal. These people... they need them. These monsters are obviously a common happening for them. They need a symbol of something to fight them!”
“But what can we do?” Mal asked pointedly. “That thing is far beyond your abilities.” Doc growled in annoyance, unable to find a retort. Neither noticed a shimmering wall appear above them, but they definitely noticed the suitcase dropped out of said wall. “Huh?” Doc looked up, just in time to see it fade away. “What the heck...?” He began as Mal bent down to open the suitcase.
“Jackson!”
“What is it, Ma... Holy...” Doc looked into the suitcase, noticing the same belt that Shotaro and Phillip had used and the same two memories, as well as four more, each a different colour: red, silver, yellow and blue. “That's...”
“The DoubleDriver,” Mal said slowly. “Phillip and I are the same. Our minds are filled with all the knowledge the planet has to offer. Combined with a fighter...” he took the belt and the black, grey and blue Memories, holding them out to Doc. “We can create the ultimate warrior.”
“Wait, you and me?”
“In truth...” Mal began hesitantly. “In truth, I would prefer no one else. You may be annoying and dull witted sometimes – half-boiled, as Phillip said...”
“Hey!”
“But your heart is in the right place,” Mal continued with a small smirk. “So, Jackson... Doc. Will you?” Doc looked at the offered items a moment before taking the buckle and Memories from Mal's hand.
“Let's do this... partner,” he said, slapping the Driver against his waist. Instantly, a replica appeared around Mal's waist. Doc held up the grey Memory. “His set up doesn't seem to be working against these freaks, so let's try something new.”
“Right,” Mal said, holding up the red one as he took position on Doc's left.
'HEAT!'
'METAL!'
“Henshin!”
'HEAT! METAL!' The power swirled around Doc as Mal collapsed, the 'fighter' of the pair encased in a silver and red version of Shotaro and Phillip's armour, a staff appearing on his back.
“Now we're talking,” he said, pulling the rod from his back, twirling it as it's ends extended out, red hot flames running down them. “Alright!” he cheered as he charged, striking the back of the bulldozer creature. “Round two, boys. Let's even the score!”
“That crazy... huh?” Shotaro had gotten up ready to pound some sense into Doc for jumping into the fight, only to see... himself? “Heat... Metal?”
“Are you two okay?” Mal's voice echoed from HeatMetal's right.
“Mal...? What...?” Shotaro began.
“A second DoubleDriver?” Phillip asked. “How?”
“Don't ask us,” Doc answered. “Kinda dropped into our laps. How exactly do you use this thing anyway?”
“Man,” Shotaro complained, closing the DoubleDriver and removing the Joker Memory, pulling out Metal.
'METAL!'
'CYCLONE! METAL!'
“Hey, what?” Doc asked as Shotaro's side turned silver, the Metal Rod appearing on the back.
“Just stay back,” Shotaro ordered, drawing the weapons and charging forward. With each swing, wind swept up around them, disorienting the two monster.
“So, we can change weapons...?” he asked, replacing the Metal Memory with a blue one.
'TRIGGER!'
'HEAT! TRIGGER!' Doc's side became blue, with a gun appearing in his right hand.
“Now this is more my style,” he said, spinning the Trigger Magnum on his hand as he charged forward. Gripping the weapon with both hands, he took his aim, firing powerful, flaming shots at the bulldozer thing, moving it away so Shotaro/Phillip could deal with the bazooka thing. The bulldozer staggered back, taking the newcomer in and charging forward. Doc flipped over, firing two shots into it's back.
“He's very good,” Phillip commented idly as his merger with Shotaro fought off the bazooka.
“Well... I suppose,” Shotaro said grudgingly. “Still, he doesn't know what he's doing.”
“Neither did we, once,” Phillip pointed out as Doc and Mal switched out their Memories.
'LUNA! JOKER!' Doc and Mal's armour changed to yellow and black, the weapon vanishing from their hands.
“Hand to hand? I can live with that,” Doc said, charging forward. When he and Mal struck with the right, however, the arm extended, smacking the bulldozer in the back of the head. “Huh?”
“Luna Memory allows you to bend the laws of physics,” Phillip explained. “In the case of Joker, this means extendible limbs.”
“Just go with you gut,” Shotaro shouted, switching memories again.
'HEAT! JOKER!' With a shout, the original W team charged, fire empowered right slamming into the bazooka before it could get a shot off.
“Go with our guts?”
“You can handle that, Doc,” Mal advised. Doc clenched his fist.
“Let's go!” He charged, leaping into the air. Their arc was slow as the right arm and leg extended out, connecting multiple times. Upon landing, they slid forward, both arms hitting out, thought the right continued to go at multiple angles.
They stopped next to the original W as the bazooka stopped next to it's partner.
“Switch to CycloneJoker,” Shotaro said, switching out. “We'll finish this with a Double Maximum. Joker Extreme.”
“Um... okay,” Doc said as they switched out.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
“And now?” Doc asked as Shotaro removed the Joker Memory.
“This,” was Shotaro's answer, placing the memory into the slot on the right hand side.
'JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE!' The belt began to beep as a cyclone whipped up around them, carrying them into the air.
“Okay, that's pretty damn cool,” Doc said as he followed suit.
'JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE!' The gathered citizens gaped in awe as the two Riders floated above the Dopant, both hitting the button on the side at the same time as their bodies angled, the cyclones launching them towards their foes as they split into their respective halves.
“W JOKER EXTREME!”
The resulting explosion reverberated down several blocks as the two men rolled to a stop in front of the local constabulary, their Memories shattered.
“Wait, they're human?” Doc asked. Shotaro's left side grabbed his arm.
“Explain later. Let's get out of here.”
“Um... right then,” he said, following him into an alley where they removed the Memories, undoing the transformation.
“Okay, what the hell was that?” Doc asked as Shotaro led him into the Detective Agency he worked at. Mal and Phillip moments later, both obviously thinking deeply.
“And you say you saw a kind of ripple effect?” Phillip asked. Mal nodded.
“Hey, yeah!” Doc offered. “It faded just as I looked up. Doesn't explain the monsters we just obliterated turning into humans, though,” he said pointedly. Mal chuckled.
“Blunt as always, Doc?” He asked.
“Hey, I thought I was just facing the usual on a more powerful scale,” Doc said. “But those guys weren't demons.”
“Demons?” Shotaro asked. “Really? You fight...?”
“I think we need to sit down and explain this all calmly,” Mal said.
------------------------------------
Later
Narumi Detective Agency
“You two are from an alternate world?” Akiko Narumi, 'chief' of the Narumi detective agency and daughter of Shotaro's mentor asked, getting in closer to Doc. “I didn't hear anything about this.”
“Hey, get outta my face,” Doc said, pulling back. “The hell are you doing out of high school, anyway? You're, what, 16,” Shotaro stifled a laugh as Akiko's infamous Green Slipper of Doom ™ Impacted with Doc's head. “Ow! Oi, don't make me shove that thing where sun don't shine, little girl!” He growled.
“I just can't take him anyway,” Mal said with a shake of his head.
“Don't be so surprised, Akiko,” Phillip commented. “Remember our meeting with Kamen Rider Decade, the fight against the Neo Organism and meeting the counterpart of your father.”
“That's true,” Akiko said, pulling back with her hand on her chin. “But how did they get here? And where did they get the second DoubleDriver.”
“Good questions,” Shotaro asked. “Has your store ever travelled dimensions before, Mal?”
“Never,” Mal said. Doc was still glaring at Akiko when he suddenly turned to Mal.
“The disappearances!” He said suddenly. “The monsters! We thought they were demons, but...”
“You think someone in your world has figured out how to make Gaia Memories?” Shotaro asked.
“They match what we saw out there,” Doc said. Mal looked at him curiously.
“I think Akiko's slipper may have knocked something back in place,” Mal teased, earning a disgruntled 'oi!' from Doc. “But you may be right.”
“But who on your world would have that ability?” Philip asked. Doc's face turned cold, a low flame burning in his eyes, a look Mal knew well and the Fuuto crew had seen in Ryu's eyes plenty of times.
“Raven,” he growled.
“Possible,” Mal said. “He has the backing and could probably pull it off. He's ruthless enough.”
“Who's Raven?” Shotaro asked.
“A man hellbent on controlling the world,” Mal explained, watching Doc with concern. “He trained Doc to be his weapons after another organisation killed his family and kidnapped his sister.”
“Maybe he should have gotten Accel,” Shotaro muttered. “He sounds more like Terui.”
“An army of super soldiers under that psycho's control?” Doc ground out before looking at Mal, who nodded back. “And only us in the way. Sounds like business as usual.”
“Except this time, you don't fight alone,” Mal said, holding out his Cyclone Memory. Doc snorted, drawing Joker and holding it out.
“Nope,” he said. “From now on the two of us...”
“... Form a single champion,” Mal finished. Shotaro and Philip chuckled.
“No,” shotaros said as the two drew their own memories. “The two of you...”
“... Form a single Kamen Rider,” Philip finished. The four smiled at each other, with Akiko in the background with her own smile, which changed quickly.
“Photos!” She cried, grabbing the Batshot from the counter in the kitchenette. “So we won't forget this meeting.”
“Kinda hard to forget...” Doc began.
“Don't,” Shotaro snorted. “Once she gets an idea in her head, she's relentless.”
“Like a teenager?”
“Exactly.
*Thunk! Thunk!*
“OW!”
“Oi, Akiko!.”
*CLICK!*
“Half-boiled...”
“Indeed.”
Later
Back in Doc and Mal's home universe
“Um... Mal?” Doc called. The Library, once they had returned, had almost instantly shifted back home, leaving the continuing feeling that all of this was supposed to happen. Everything was back to normal.
“Yes, Doc?”
“New door.”
“What?”
Almost.
“Where did this come from?” Mal asked as he looked at the door, nesteled between two bookshelves, that hadn't been there before.
“We brought it with us?” Doc suggested, opening the door.
Within was a large, metal room with whiteboards everywhere. Metal walkways crossed over a platform which had a motorcycle matching the colours of their newly axquired CycloneJoker form.
“Yup,” Doc said. “Definately brought with us.”
“Amazing,” Mal said, looking around as he crossed the walkway to what seemed to be a work bench. On the bench were two phones, a camer, a watch, a pair of goggles and what looked like a MP3 player. Next to each was a Gaia memory, and each device had a slot it fit into. “Thes look like...” Mal began, picking up one of the phones and it's corresponding memory.
'BEETLE!' Mal inserted the memory and the phone transformed into a flying, mechanical beetle.
“That's pretty cool,” Doc said, picking up the other phone. “Guess this is how we keep in contact,” he commented, looking at the back of the table. “User's Manuals.”
“Excellent,” Mal said, instantly collecting them together. Doc chuckled.
“Inputaholic.”
“Shush,” Mal hissed as he began to read through the manual. Doc rolled his eyes as he began playing with the phone. The device crackled for a moment, then...
'...peating all units in the vicinity of 25th Street be advised we have a... I don't believe I'm saying this, we have a creature that loks like it's made of fire attacking building in the area. The fire brigade is enroute, but I think they're going to need bigger hoses...' The duo looked at each other.
“Well, that didn't take long,” Doc said, looking down at the motorbike below them. “Our wheels?”
“Yeah,” Mal said. “I'll read on the way. Let's go, partner,” Doc nodded, checking the DoubleDriver was secure in his jacket as he made his way to the bike.
“Just be ready to go when I am,” Doc advised, grabbing the helmet sitting on the bike. Mal smiled as he put it on.
“Of course.”
------------------------------------------
Secret Location
Raven smiled as the test subject/'client' tore a destructive path through LA. Everything was going well. Once he had a perfect Memory, he'd pay a little visit to his former protege and teach him the mistake of betrayal.
'CYCLONE! JOKER!'
“What the hell...?” Raven began as a half green, half black figure appeared and began fighting the 'client' back. “Is that one of ours?”
“N-no sir,” one of his technicians said fearfully. “I don't recognise it,” Raven scowled. An unexpected player.
“I don't like the unexpected,” Raven growled as Kamen Rider W (though he didn't know that) finished off the 'client' with a Joker Extreme. “Found out who that is. Now!”
“And when we do?” the technician asked. Raven pulled out a Gaia Memory with a W on the face.
“I'll deal with it. Personally.”
'WEATHER!'
---------------------------------
Outskirts of LA
Rogue looked down at the city, smirking darkly.
“Raven,” she hissed, holding a gold Memory similar to the ones sold and used by Raven. “Now we finish this.”
'TABOO!'
-----------------------------
Magic Shop
“It's just like she said,” Maya whispered as she watched W fight, looking at the items the strange woman had left her, picking up the Red Gaia Memory slowly. “Doc... you won't have to do this alone this time.”
'ACCEL!'
-------------------------------
Elsewhere
“And now...” the shadowed figure whispered, her bandaged face hiding her feature. “My children... it begins...”
“Don't forget...”
“I won't,” she said, looking at her 'ally' dressed in brown pants and shoes, with an overcoat over his button up shit, vest and tie, a hat and glasses. “When Decade comes, I will keep my end of the bargain.”
“This will be Decades last stop,” the man laughed as he vanished in a rippling wall. The woman turned back to her monitors, touching the images of Doc and Maya lightly.
“My children...”
