Chapter 1: MSK: 01X00: Prologue from Another Time. (Turn to Act 7, Epilogue B for Further Details!)
Notes:
Content Warnings:
Moderate Picture Linkage.
Depictions of Warfare: Stargate/Homestuck Levels of Violence.
Betrayal.
Character Deaths.
Shown Blood (Alternian Colors).
Villainous Plotting.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tall, crystalline spires burned as the warships of the Alternian Empire fired away upon the peaceful world.
Her Imperial Condescension stood atop her royal battleship, HER IMPERIAL CRUISER, as it rained fire down upon one of Crystalia's famed Four Giants, the last remaining of the four- the Speed Giant- was facing Destiny itself.
Crystalia was making its final stand against the Alternian Empire, and she was losing.
King Oladin hurried his precious daughter along down the ruined hallways. The mans very body was made of a royal blue hued crystal, the same as his daughter's, but it was battered- cracked and damaged.
His Kiramental was running low- his sparkle and shine was dimming fast. The King was on death's door, and he and his daughter knew it. It was why the king's brother was fighting the Empress of Alternia and not him.
They paused on a bridge connecting to the royal palace, and gazed out at the Speed Giant as the upper torso cracked- cracked cracked cracked- white fragments of stone breaking apart before the Speed Giant split apart violently in a burst of light- the main body returning to the Black Kiramei Stone as Mashin Jouki shrunk in size to prevent its own demise...
And alas, the poor Kiramei Stone in the center of it all shattered into fragments- glittering with the burning light of Crystalia's fall.
"Uncle...!" The princess cried out, reaching out in horror.
"We must hurry, Mabushiina!" The king declared, and dragged his daughter away from the scene.
Still, they entered the throne room- the throne room where an Ancient, Destiny Style Stargate and an Alternian styled Stargate dialer resided- stolen away from one of the Empress' worlds. A daring act that had been born of desperation- an act that was so very unlike the peaceful Crystalian culture, and yet...
King Oladin had only one choice in the matter if he were to save his people.
King Oladin turned to his daughter, "Please, Mabushiina, take the Kiramei Stones with you. Find the Sparkling Warriors- the Kiramagers! Fight with them against these tyrants who threaten our peace!"
"I- I'll try, Father!" The Princess nodded, and hurried for the back of the throne, where the five Kiramei Stones were hidden- Red, Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Green were removed from their carefully carved slots in the back of the throne as the King went for the Alternian Stargate's Dialing Device.
His Dreams had shown him but one way to preserve his culture.
The day of Crystalia's fall... A series of symbols were to be put into the Stargate's dialer.
He punched them into the dialer rapid fire, and waited as the sluggish, Ancient Stargate slowly rotated within its place in the floor.
The Empress had upgraded her intergalactic Gate network over time, but Crystalia's Stargate was the last of those ancient models that had first been seeded across the Galaxy.
It had stood time immemorial within a museum until just recently, when the Alternians dialed in, checking for an ancient gate to be replaced.
The symbols on the gate lit up slowly, one at at time.
'Too slow, hurry! Hurry!'
The King turned for his painting pad, and tore off the most recent sheet of paper. He folded it, and handed it to his daughter. "Please, when you arrive, dial this address. It will be a safe haven! They will not follow you there!"
"But, Father! I can't leave you!" the princess began, having finished securing the Kiramei stones into a bag. "You must come with me!"
"I cannot, my dear," The King said, his tone of voice sorrowful, and his body resonated with the emotion. "That is not my Destiny."
WAAA WAAAA! The Stargate announced, and then, in the back of the room- KAWOOOOOSH!
A wave of blue water like light rushed forwards, and then collapsed into a standing wall of shimmering, glimmering light. Hope, and potential, for the future.
"You must go!" Oladin said, motioning for the open Stargate. "Now, before the-"
There was an explosion then- and the throne room doors burst open with a shower of flame and sparks.
In walked an Alternian SUBJUGGLATOR, as well as... a masked man in dark armor, carrying under one arm the Black Kiramei Stone for Mashin Jouki.
"GO!" The King drew his sword, and interjected himself between the princess, and the strange warrior and the Alternian clown, by means of roaring and throwing himself at his enemies.
The Princess rushed for the Stargate and paused to watch for one last moment as her Father fought bravely to his last breath... and then hurled herself through its event horizon.
"DAMN IT!" The Clown roared.
"NO!" The dark suited warrior cried out- and... And the King faltered.
"...Garuza?!" Oladin asked, having recognized his own brother's voice. "You dared betray us to the Alternians!?"
The suited warrior turned his head towards the king- and a Crystalian chime rang through the air.
His brother was laughing even as he held a hand into the air, and the Clown growled, taking a step backwards.
"Yes, my dear Older Brother... It is I, Garuza. And I was to do what you thought you were! I was to preserve our culture by handing those Kiramei Stones over to the Empress of Alternia..." The suited warrior spoke. "But now I-"
The King interrupted then- swinging his foot out and kicking the Black Kiramei Stone out of his Brother's loosened grasp- sending the thing twirling, spiraling through the air before it bounced off of the ceiling and traveling through the Stargate.
The Stargate timed out after the transmission was completed for some inexplicable reason, and the Clown and the Traitor gazed in shock at the Stargate as it shut down.
"Hah..." Oladin laughed- a chime of his own echoing in the room amidst the sounds of battle outside. "That is one more of my Mashin's taken out of your grasp, Little Brother."
The Traitor roared- and a dark power burst forth from his sword as he swung it in a rage at his brother- who dodged the first strike and allowed that dark energy to smash into the Alternian DHD- blasting it and shattering it into pieces.
But the dark power that had been tapped into did not stop there.
No, the blast of power from that first sword strike continued on and smashed into the ancient model of Stargate itself- a model that was nowhere near as stable or resilient as the newer models that the Empress of Alternia had rolled out.
That is to say, an Alternian Stargate might have withstood that blast much better than the Destiny of this poor Stargate.
It shattered, blown apart as energy ruptured across the entire Stargate's superstructure- rattling out through the chevrons even as the cut continued on wards through the stargate itself and into the wall beyond.
When the smoke cleared, it was clear as day to see that the Stargate would not be dialing out again ever, for it lay in pieces scattered across the room.
A small fragment of that Stargate had found itself lodged within the chest of the Clown accompanying the Traitor.
Purple blood spilled onto the floor, and the Traitor could only stare on in horror as his accomplice fell to his knees, and then onto his front- fully driving that shard of metal through the clown's heart, silencing it.
The Traitor turned on his brother, and could only stare on as the King breathed his last breaths, spending them laughing, mirthlessly, at the turn of events as he, too, understood that he had a large shard of Stargate protruding from his backside.
"So... it seems your attack struck me true regardless..." The King would have smiled if he could have. "I hope your attempt at selling us into slavery was worth it, my brother..."
And then, the King of Crystalia fell onto his side, and passed on into the next life.
The Traitor stood there in silence, and then removed his helmet, revealing the face of a Crystalian whose body was dark purple in crystalline hue. Some would have even dared to say that it was as black as his armor... but it wasn't. Not yet.
The Traitor fell to his knees, and allowed the dark power within him to corrupt his form further, darkening the Crystal of his body deeper in color, and deeper into the depths of despair as he mourned not the death of the man he'd planned to kill all along, but the death of his plans to rule Crystalia in his brother's stead. Even his eyes changed color, shifting from the natural blue color of the Crystalian species towards an ominous red color.
All that remained of who the man was before was the golden hue of the crystals that made up an appearance of facial hair.
"She's going to kill me," The Traitor whispered. "The Empress... she's going to kill me."
Crystalia had truly fallen that day...
As a tear of golden light suddenly opened where the Stargate had resided, and the Traitor shielded his eyes from the sight...
He had no way of knowing that the world his brother had sent his niece to was one that was at the nexus hub of countless time loops.
Oladin had not been lying when he said the Empire could not follow her through to the next address she dialed through the DHD on the planet Haven.
After all, solar flares and Stargate wormholes tend to equal a total temporal displacement when a traveler passes through.
The princess never saw the stone for Mashin Jouki lying on the forest floor as she fled through the Stargate while the sky turned to crimson.
No, but one of the native monkey like creatures did, grabbing the stone, and carrying it with it deep into the forest, where it would burry it in the ground along with several nuts and seeds, thinking the Kiramei Stone too was itself a seed waiting to grow.
And so Mashin Jouki slept for a very, very long time as a tree grew around it.
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER.
EPISODE ZERO, SIDE B.
EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 4TH, 2011.
Princess Mabushiina of Crystalia awoke, lying in a bed, gazing up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
Grateful for the fact that her crystal eyes could gaze in all directions without visibly moving, she looked around, and came to realize she was in an infirmary of some kind, onboard a spaceship.
The design was unfamiliar to her, but... but there was someone sitting calmly in a chair nearby, reading a book. Someone who was distinctly Alternian.
The woman who sat there wore no military uniform that Mabushiina recognized- in fact, she seemed wholly... mundane. Civilian. But there was an air about her, something Powerful. Something... Definitely powerful. A leader. A commander? Maybe a General.
Her eyes... her eyes were a shade of green.
Green wasn't... what was it with the Alternians? Royal was Purples, and the lowest were Red... Greens were in the middle?
She didn't look like any kind of body guard, and more to the point--
There! There on a desk nearby were the Kiramei Stones. Why? Why would the Alternians leave them unguarded?
Something wasn't right.
Something-- Mabushiina's hands tensed up, clenching at the sheets. The noise was enough to cause the woman to glance away from her book, and then asked, "Are you awake this time, or are you just having more bad dreams?"
...More...?
Mabushiina froze, tried to pass it off as if she were sleeping still but- but--
"I suppose if you're actually awake this time," the woman closed her book, "I should call for a nurse, or a doctor. But somehow I think that might just scare you more." She turned in her chair, and made the book vanish from her hands into thin air. "You can keep pretending to be asleep if you'd like to. Or maybe you still are asleep? Who can tell. You're not a species any of us have encountered before."
"...What?" Mabushiina spoke it aloud. The gig was up. She forced herself to sit up. "What do you mean by that-!? You're an Alternian! Your people were just attacking my planet!"
"Were we?" The woman mused. "Or maybe it's just a matter of perspective." She made a pamphlet appear in her hand with a swooshing motion, and handed it over. "You may want to read this."
Hesitantly, Mabushiina took the pamphlet.
Its surface was coated in two different alien scripts- one the Alternian language, and the other some alien font she didn't recognize, but somehow could understand both, and saw that they read the same sentence.
"So you were found next to a Stargate on a planet known for its Solar Flares. What happened?"
"...What do solar flares have to do with anything?" Mabushiina asked.
"The long story made short is that the planet you were found on- we call it Haven- is in orbit of a sun with frequent Solar Flares, and when a Stargate Wormhole interacts with a Solar Flare in just the right way... Time Travel happens," the woman then offered her hand, "My name is General Okurii Leijon, I'm the head of Diaspora's Stargate Command, and from our point of view, the Alternian Empire was disbanded around half a decade ago, and the planet Alternia itself nolonger exists."
Mabushiina could only hazard a guess- "You mean... I'm in the future?"
"We figure you came from around a thousand years ago, based on the solar flare database," 'Okurii Leijon' said, hand still extended.
Mabushiina gazed at the offered hand, and hesitantly reached her own hand out to touch it.
They grasped, and shook.
"So when you say that you've never encountered my people before...?" Mabushiina began...
"We couldn't find your race from descriptions alone in any of the records we inherited from the Empire's database catalogues stretching back at least two thousand years," Okurii answered. "That's not to say you don't exist in it somewhere, but... you likely gave the Empress such a humiliating defeat that she decided it was better to revision history so that you didn't exist as anything more than a footnote. But if we had a name to work off of, maybe we'd be able to narrow our searches better."
Mabushiina considered for a moment, and then said. "I am Princess Mabushiina, of the Kingdom of Crystalia. My father is... Was King Oladin."
"Crystalia..." Okurii frowned, and then her eyes glimmered with a spark of recognition- and it was not a happy one. "Oh, oh my. You really are quite far in the future, aren't you?" The sad tone to her voice that had crept up told Mabushiina what she'd feared before she heard the full story.
Crystalia was one of the Alternian Empire's more 'recent' conquests, but had been driven almost entirely out of a greedy desire for resources.
The planet itself had rich, abundant quantities of a mineral the Alternians then called 'Electro-Quartz' but these days was labeled as the element 'Naquadah.' The empress had wanted to exploit the planet for all it was worth for that reason alone.
Her people- the Crystalians- had only been native to that world and had not been much in the way of explorers or technological designers... The planet itself had been strip mined to near oblivion in the thousand years since the final battle.
It was suspected that the survivors of Crystalia's fall had been moved to slave colonies for the Alternian Empire, but nothing could be found of where they were moved to, or where they were moved from. It was incredibly likely that if any Crystalians did exist in this modern day and age, they hid away in secret corners of the galaxy, on worlds where the Alternian Empire had no interest.
Crystalia itself was an uninhabited chunk of rock, now. It wasn't fit for life at all.
Mabushiina had no mission now. The enemy her Father had asked her to fight had won the day... only to be defeated a thousand years later by a rebellion of its own people who were tired of the constant warfare.
And so, seeking nothing but to adjust to the new world she found herself in... Mabushiina entrusted the Kiramei Stones to a Scientist who was developing technology for an Inter Galactic peacekeeping force called the Power Rangers, who lived in another Galaxy in a City called Atlantis.
"Everyone, Awaken!" Mabushiina called out.
"MASHIIIIN~~!"
Doctor Gina Kae stared at the five floating rocks before her- Blue, Pink, Red, Green, Yellow.
Some darted around the room, examining everything like impatient children, others were a bit more sedate.
"Is it finally time to fight!?" The Red Stone asked, loud and boisterous as it darted around the room. "Tension Maxed Out!"
"Aawh!" The Yellow Stone mimicked a yawn, sleepily hovering in place. "I wanted to sleep a little more."
"I will patiently await the time to meet my Lovely Master," the Green Stone said with a curt bow through the air.
The Blue Stone glittered anxiously, "It's gonna be tough to find a partner who resonates well with me!"
"Ohhh! I hope they're cute! I'm super duper exciteeeeed!!!" The Pink Stone cried out, whirling around the room excitedly.
"They... talk," Gina stared on.
"Yes," Mabushiina said with a nod. "They have such unique personalities... I..." She sniffled. "To think they and I may be the only remnants of Crystalia left..."
Gina placed a hand on the crystal woman's shoulder, and gave it a reassuring pat. "Don't worry. I'll keep them safe."
"Thank you..." Mabushiina said, and then turned to the Stones. "Kiramei Stones! This... this is Doctor Gina Kae. She will be your guardian and help you find the partners who resonate with you the most!"
And so time was spent, passing by far too quickly... Doctor Kae motioning through various Zord designs with Mabushiina and the Kiramei Stones, until finally the five gemstones settled on their forms, and transformed from mere gemstones into fierce, transforming machines made of hardened crystal.
And so Mabushiina left Atlantis to begin her hunt of the Alternia Galaxy for any surviving member of her planet's culture... Weeks would pass, turning to months, before fate finally allowed her journey to have an impact.
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 6TH, 2012.
As Mabushiina departed one of the Mofang Settlements through the Stargate, one irate Mofang (Another species native to the Alternia Galaxy that had fought against HIC's Empire), named Kurantula, snarled slightly, and began storming out of the village for a cave, deep in the mountains.
There, he found Garuza- impossibly frozen in age not by the dark power coursing through his body but through some other means- sitting at a table, carving away at Naquadah Rich Rocks to create masks and helmets.
"Old Man! Old man!!" The Mofang man began. "You'll never believe it! You'll never believe what I just saw!"
"And what's that, fool?" Garuza asked, glancing up at the Mofang while not ceasing his carving. "It had better be important to violate the truce I made with your village when you settled here on my world all those years ago."
"I saw a girl of your species!" Kurantula said, his green-painted lips spreading into a grin. "A Girl with blue skin and gold trim! She said she was a Princess looking for her people!"
Garuza's carving knife stopped cold in its tracks.
"...Did she happen to give a name?" he asked, voice cold.
"Aye aye!" Kurantula nodded. "She said her name was Mabushiina!"
The carving knife fell to the cold stone floor of the cave with a clatter, and Garuza stood from where he sat.
"Mabushiina..." Garuza's hands flexed. "That name... I haven't heard it since the day Crystalia Fell. Did anyone mention that I was here?"
"No way!" The Mofang shook his head. "We said we'd never seen anyone like her before! Just like you asked with the pledge!"
Garuza gazed at Kurantula for a moment, then he asked, "And did anyone send you to tell me of this?"
"No way! I felt it was my own civic duty! The others were too scared to do anything! They don't want any trouble! But me, I say that life is too boring that way! So no! I came to tell you as soon as she left through the Stargate!" He answered.
Garuza gazed at the Mofang a moment further, "Did she mention how she survived all this time?"
"Time Travel! A solar flare, she said!"
Hearing that response, Garuza's whole body vibrated- a tinkling, amused noise filled the cave as he laughed silently.
"I see." Garuza finally said, and then he turned towards the suit of armor deep in the back of his cave. "Well, then. I think I know what my next move is."
"And what's that, Old man?" Kurantula asked.
"Call me 'Lord Garuza,'" the Traitor of Crystalia said, approaching the rack in the back of the cave. "And as for what I intend to do..." he reached a hand out, and brushed against the face of the helmet he wore on that fateful day. "I intend to fulfill on a promise I made to myself when Crystalia Fell."
Garuza remembered it fiercely as he began to don his armor once more...
A golden tear in space time opening there in the palace throne room - a future version of himself stepping through the rift, accompanied by a man clad in golden armor. A man who gave him a letter to give to himself. A letter held securely in the back of the helmet.
And thus, Garuza quoted himself, "When the day that I learn of Mabushiina's fate comes, it is a sign, heralding our True King's return."
"Our True King?" Kurantula asked, even as Garuza held his helmet, and gazed into its obsidian face.
Garuza turned to face the Mofang, and placed his helmet on with a pressurized hissing seal.
"The King of Kings," Garuza spoke. "GILGAMESH."
As he spoke that name, in another galaxy, in the remnants of a battle between the Wraith of Pegasus and countless others- a burst of golden light appeared, forming a portal, and through that portal emerged a planet.
Earth, long since lost, had returned home.
"Tell, me, Miss Leijon," Doctor Gina Kae's voice said off camera as it focused on the Alternian girl before her. "If I were, for some reason, to deny you application into the Ranger Classes, what would your fallback be?"
"Hmm..." Nepeta Leijon mused on it for a moment, then answered, "Probably a Doctor like Momma Marsti is?"
"I see, and not follow into politics like Okurii?" Dr. Kae asked.
"Mmh... Nah. I think Momma'Kuri's got that part handled," Nepeta smiled.
"Mister Okimaw, if I were to deny you entry into my classes, what would you do as a fallback?"
Equius Okimaw stared ahead blankly for a moment, then removed his sunglasses. "If I absolutely had to, my Father says he has several opportunities for me to join the Diasporan Actor's Guild for work. I've also been trained in many forms of combat, so the Stargate Program is an option. I've especially been focused on sword-play as of late... But if I had to pick something for myself... I think I would like to focus on archery."
"I see, very interesting."
"Miss Sheppard, if you were to be rejected from this class, what would your fallback plan be?"
Harley Jade Sheppard hummed for a moment, her wolf ears flexing. "Well, I'm in a Track and Field club on weekends. I really like running and racing! It's fun!"
"And if that failed to work out?"
"Um..." Harley frowned. "Probably I'd... I guess I'd take up Jumper flight training after Dad? Probably head up a Recon Team or something. Go exploring through the Stargate, maybe?"
"Understandable." Dr. Kae clicked a pen.
"Tomo Strider," Dr. Kae paused. "If I were to decline you entry into my class, for any reason what-so-ever, what would your fall back plan be?"
The cat-crow hybrid shrugged their shoulders, orange wings flexing slightly. "I'd probably play video games for a while until i figured something else out."
"So you have no alternative ideas at present as to what you'd do if you had to choose a carreer alternate to the Ranger Program?"
Tomo Strider laughed. "Heck naw! You know us Striders, Doctor Kae. We're notoriously bad at figuring out what we want to do when what we've wanted to do gets upended."
"Would you pursue an E-Sport, then?" Dr. Kae asked.
"...I dunno. I never thought about that." Tomo shrugged. "I guess... Yeah. I guess if I could make money off of it, sure."
"Miss Egbert, if-"
"If I were to be declined entry to this class, what would I do?" Rose Egbert asked, raising an eyebrow. "Probably, I'd take up the violin a bit more seriously. Perhaps dip a toe into more serious music production beyond that. Maybe find a music store and learn from the quote-unquote 'masters' for a time?"
"...I see."
"Miss Egbert, if I were to deny you entry into my class, what would your fall back plan be?"
"Uhhh..." June Egbert blinked. "...Maybe I'd like to become an actress? Maybe not infront of a screen, but. Maybe... Voice Acting could be nice?" She shrugged. "Other than that, Uh... I dunno, the only thing that comes to mind is Motorcross but I've never really had much of an interest in that, to be honest. I dunno why I thought of it, really. Why do you think I thought of it?"
"That's a question for Atlantis' Therapy department, I'm afraid."
"Ah, fair enough."
"Thank you for your time," Gina Kae said to herself as she finished rewatching those sections of their old interviews.
She turned towards her empty class room and sighed. "Very well, then. It looks like I'll be choosing them for this project after all."
She looked at her computer screen, showcasing five giant gemstone zords laying in their hangar, lights pulsing as they chatted to each other.
"Tomorrow," she said to herself, as well as a promise to those five Machines. "You'll have most of your partners."
It was a shame that the Egbert siblings had chosen different Power sets from the other four. It meant a bit more work for her.
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 7TH, 2012.
And so she watched as those four stood at their table the next day, equipping their Kiramei Changers, and activating their newfound powers.
Harley Sheppard- Equius Okimaw- Tomo Strider- Nepeta Leijon.
Green, Blue, Yellow, and Pink had been bonded.
And soon, they were to meet their Partners for the first time.
"They're... giant glowing gemstones?" Nepeta asked, gazing out the window at the five Kiramei Stones that had returned to their 'true sizes' after being in their 'compact travel form' for so long.
"These are your Mashin Zords," Dr. Kae said. "In their default forms, they will rest in this form within the hangar until called upon or needed elsewhere. They're also ones I've experimented with a unique growing and shrinking mechanic with as well. For portability sake, they can transform into a small form about..." She held up her hands and made a small shape the size of something that could fit in a pocket. "This big, likely? We've had it varying so far, depending on the need."
"But... they're giant rocks otherwise?" Nepeta asked.
"Not at all," Dr. Kae tapped on the map screen next to the window and brought up visual diagrams of the Zords. "When needed for battle, the Mashin Zords will transform into vehicles, and be able to combine in three different ways. Red, Yellow, and Green can combine into a Land Mage formation, Blue and Pink can combine into a Sky Mage formation, and all five can combine together into, well... I haven't given it a name yet, truth be told. I can leave that one up to you all."
"Wow," Harley stared out, placing her hands on the window after having stared at the map screen. "So we each get one? I get a race car!?"
"Awh," Tomo frowned, connecting their color with the zord on the map. "I get a Shovel-car? I guess that makes sense."
"Ah," Equius nodded. "I see. Some of the items we picked up correlated to these Zords."
Nepeta stared, and then squealed, "Oh! That's a really cute Helicopter!"
"Why thank you!" A suddenly cute and girly voice interjected from her Morpher as the Pink Zord glowed within the bay. "I think you're cute too!"
Nepeta stared, then, asked, flatly. "What?"
Dr. Kae coughs, and then says, "Your Morphers also serve as communication devices not just to your fellow teammates, but also to the Artificial Intelligence that have been installed on your Zords." The A.I. remark was a real half truth of a statement, that it was.
"No way! They can talk!?" Harley asked, excited. "Do they have names!?"
"Yes, they can talk, and yes they have names," Dr. Kae answers, before suddenly leaning down and speaking into Nepeta's morpher. "I was going to save the reveal for after the photo shoot though, Heliko."
A pink ring on Nepeta's morpher, and the gemstone zord itself, flashes as a voice comes out, "Aww! But she's just so cute! I couldn't help myself! And she thinks I'm cute too! I think this is going to be a great partnership!"
"Heliko?" Nepeta asks. "That's your name?"
"Yep! That's my name!" The zord in the bay sort of rocks side to side as it glows. "Mashin Heliko! At your service and ready to sparkle-shine with glittery guts!"
"...Why do they talk?" Equius asks.
His morpher- and the Blue Zord- answers that time. "Because we're totally awesome and unique, Aniki!" It sounded like a younger boy's voice speaking there,
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Equius says. "But you can call me Equius."
"Mashin Jetta ready to fly, Aniki!" the blue zord calls out.
"While we've given other zords Rudimentary A.I. to assist with piloting to reduce psychic strain," Dr. Kae clarifies, "the idea was given to me during a meeting that instead maybe the solution was instead to offload part of the mental load into the Zord piloting itself. We're running a few experiments to see how that works out. One of the end result projects is the Mashin Zords." She was bullshitting entirely for that second part.
"This is amazing!" Tomo brings their morpher up to their face, and says, "Hello! I'm Tomo!"
The Yellow gem-zord glows- "Pleasure to meetcha, Tomo! I'm Masihin Shovellow! Heave Ho!" That one sounded like Equius' mom, Konnyl Okimaw, were she perchance to have the occupation of a construction worker.
Harley smiles, and waves to her zord. "Hello! I'm Harley!"
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Harley," says a suave, kind of old-timey romantic sounding voice from her morpher, as the green zord glows. "I am Mashin Mahha."
"They sure do have unique voices, don't they," Nepeta stares into the bay. "...What about the red one?"
The voice this time comes from the nearest wall speaker. "I'm Mashin Fiya! Still awaiting my partner with my TENSION AT MAX!" The red Zord glows and rocks side to side. "Man! I'm a little impatient though! How come my partner isn't here yet, huh!? It's burning me up!!!"
"Because nobody drew your items," Doctor Gina Kae couldn't help but sigh. This was going to be a big problem to deal with.
Still, the momentous occasion was captured on camera.
"MASHIIIN!"
Garuza stood before a Stargate, clad in his armor, and as for the Mofang who accompanied him, he now wore a strange set of armor and carried a staff with some kind of needle gauge on it. Most of his face was covered by a strange mask that left his mouth and jaw exposed, and was decorated with even more absurd masks.
All of it was Garuza's crafted works.
The traitor of Crystalia reached his hand out towards the Stargate, and intoned a simple phrase- "I extend out the Contract of the Holy Grail as promised to me by Lord Gilgamesh so that I might serve as his faithful servant. Open Now: GATE OF BABYLON!"
A golden portal tore into existence within the Stargate's ring, and Garuza and his Mofang Companion stepped through the rift.
They emerged in the ruined remains of Stargate Command's gate room, atop the metal ramp with several holes punched in it.
The lights were out, but golden light sufficed the entire area from the portal- revealing the pooling water that flooded the bottom inch of the entire floor of Level 28.
The Stargate creeked ominously as the rift shuttered behind them, sending the room into a darkness that could only just barely be seen in.
A figure who looked like a corrupted Power Ranger stood at the bottom of the ramp, wearing a blood red suit with a vaguely serpent like theme. He held a sword that was alight with dark red blazing flames. Garuza dubbed him "Blaze" for the moment for simplicity's sake.
"Lord Gilgamesh is interested to know how you knew of that command spell," the warrior, 'Blaze,' said, leveling his sword at Garuza and the Mofang.
"He himself gave it to me a thousand years ago," Garuza explained. "In an event I've come to understand is a Stable Time Loop come to pass."
"Very well," 'Blaze' allowed, and lowered his sword. "Follow me."
And so he lead them towards a stairwell, and took it but a floor up. They entered the abandoned Conference room, and continued into the former General's Office.
There, sitting on a throne of gold, was a Human-Wraith Hybrid of a man with golden blonde hair, and clad in golden armor. His eyes glowed crimson, and candles floated across the room, seemingly enchanted.
"My Lord," 'Blaze' said, "Two are here to see you."
"You are dismissed, Enter," the man on the throne said, and 'Blaze', well, Enter, Garuza corrected himself, bowed to exit.
Garuza prepared himself as his new Master eyed him quietly.
Finally... "Well well," The King of Kings possessing a Wraith Commander's body spoke as he swirled a wine glass across his fingers. "When I set about conquering this facility to secure my grasp of this planet, I wasn't expecting to encounter any Time Loops. Not yet, anyways. I was preparing to use those fail safes in case of my own imminent demise. Tell me, what reason brought you here, sir dark knight and crimson jester?"
"I am Garuza of Crystalia," Garuza began. "And I am here because with your aid, a future me saved me from an untimely death. And not just that, blessed me with eternal life."
"I see," King Gilgamesh stared Garuza over. "Yes, I do truly see now. I can sense one of my powerful Relics within your soul. If I did not feel it also within my Treasury, I might accuse you of being a mongrel thief! But oh, to be freely given? Hmm... what an interesting detail."
With a snap of his fingers, two chairs of a very fancy style materialized from golden portals.
"Come, have a seat," Gilgamesh said. "We simply MUST talk."
Some time later, Garuza stood in the dark waters of a corridor within the flooded Level 28 of the SGC.
"I will grant you an army of minions- Bechats- as well as a weekly allotment of monster minions to use at your disposal," Gilgamesh's declaration echoed through Garuza's head as he stared at his helmet. "I declare you now Garuza, Demonic General of Jodonheim, and leader of one of my many armies dedicated to conquering this universe and bringing it under my rule, one planet at a time."
Garuza placed on his helmet, sealing it with a hiss of oxygen.
"I cannot allow these mongrels to rule themselves freely, polluting my garden and ruining its beauty," Gilgamesh had continued.
Garuza strode forwards into the Gate Room- still as it was for the moment, but Garuza had plans for expansion. Already, he had plans for changing things for his own tastes...
"However, I am still in the process of putting more of my armies together. Until then, I will loan you some warriors if you wish to pursue any... personal Vendettas, to get the steam out of your system as it were."
"There will be but two missions of that nature," Garuza had answered. "I must retrieve Mashin Jouki..."
The Stargate itself would be duplicated, and that duplicate transformed into something as tall as most buildings- a gateway to other worlds for monsters as tall as buildings. But for now, the room was still small and tiny.
He looked at the warriors he had 'borrowed' for this first mission, and then turned towards the Stargate's control room, similarly to be transformed. Grinders and Bechats- these strange, slimy creatures in brown suits and even stranger masks- stood at the ready.
"Begin the dialing Process. We must retrieve Mashin Jouki's Kiramei Stone from Haven," Garuza ordered.
"Mashin Jouki?" Gilgamesh had asked, intrigued.
"A Machine created from a Kiramei Stone- a sentient vehicle that is only pilot-able by those of my Royal Family's bloodline," Garuza had answered.
The Stargate began to spin to life- the light of the orange chevrons flashing across Garuza's helmet.
"And what of this other task?" Gilgamesh had asked.
"I Seek but one thing," Garuza had answered him.
The Stargate locked, and with a Flash of golden light- another of King Gilgamesh's portals opened.
"Go," Garuza ordered. "Retrieve the Black Kiramei Stone from Haven."
And thus, the army of Venjix Grinders and those three monsters leading them stepped through the Gate.
"I can sense the spirit of my brother, Oladin. It has reincarnated somewhere, or perhaps is merely guiding events elsewhere through another vector." Garuza clenched his hands into fists as he recalled his own words. "Either way, my Elder Brother's meddling will no doubt manifest itself further down the line if we do not end it before it can take root."
"Very well, Garuza. I will trust your experiences with your family to be more informed than I in this one case. Infact, I will allow you one better than borrowing other members of my army." Gilgamesh had smirked. "I'll allow you a free trial run at a giant monster without needing to dip into your weekly allotment for that mission. Let's make my conquest of the Universe go smoothly, together, shall we?"
Notes:
Welcome back, returning readers. And to anyone who's brand new to this, welcome to the madness.
You shouldn't expect the absurd writing pace I had with Stargate Alternia. I'm strictly limiting myself to posting one chapter a week unless it's a Helveitca Standard chapter, in which case it'll either come before or after a larger chapter, because they'll be smaller things.
So. What happened to waiting for the entire series to air before getting into this adaptation? Corona And Quarantine And Hiatuses. Kiramager's in a weird limbostate after only 10 episodes, but, 10 episodes is a good half of a current season of Power Rangers as it is, so I'm just sub-acting it. I figure by the time I've hit the end of This batch of 10 Kiramager Episodes, I'll have had enough time pass that the show should be back in production with new episodes airing. I still have enough background details of what was to come that I'll be able to plant some seeds of foreshadowing for the next act, at any rate, but...
The Goal of this, ideally, is to do this adaptation in bursts of ten Kiramager Episodes, with an accompanying burst of ten Stargate Atlantis "Season Six" episodes (And then probably Season 7 because Atlantis was only 20 episode seasons anyways.)
I was trying to focus on some other stories, but (sarcastic alas) this story just grabbed me back from my meandering wanderings elsewhere in the Unending. I just got to writing and... well. The story flowed forth on its own, and Adapting Super Sentai, like adapting Stargate was, is a fun challenge. I think my writing skills have evolved a bit since the last time I tried it (Kyoryuger), so this should be a fun one.
Also, can I just say? The Mashin are adorably cute and awesome. I've been enjoying writing them.
Anyways. Until next week: MSK: 01X01: In Media Res: They should probably call this Act 8. (Ah, wait, they did!)
Chapter 2: MSK: 01X01: In Media Res: They should probably call this Act 8. (Ah, wait, they did!)
Summary:
IDK if anyone's going to get the notif for this thanks to the maintenance stuff, but regardless, here it is. Kiramager Episode 1.
Notes:
Content Warnings:
A slightly picture/link heavy chapter, it introduces a lot of things at once. Screenshots are from Mashin Sentai Kiramager.Depictions of Violence- Super Sentai Levels.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 10TH, 2012.
"Alright, class, that's it for today," Doctor Gina Kae said to her class of Student Rangers. "I know it's been a long week getting used to your powers and going through training. So on that front, I want all of you to take this weekend as a break. Play games, enjoy some hobbies. Anything that's not related to Rangering, that's up to your prerogative. Just take the weekend to enjoy yourselves. My only request in terms of homework is to morph at least once a day for a trivial reason, such as showing off to your friends, or if you just suddenly feel a need to."
There were some murmurs of confusion through the class.
"I also feel I should clarify that the 'need to morph' shouldn't be to fight monsters. That's a given that if we need your team for a proper battle, we will call you," the woman continued. "The reason I'm asking this of you is that some of your teams are still missing members. We've filled in some gaps in some places, but others are still with gaps. So. It's my hope that Like will call to Like and your missing teammates will feel drawn to the power if you feel a need to use it."
Those teams with missing members nodded in acceptance of that- and then with the ringing of the bell, everyone began to get up from their chairs.
"Ah, Kiramagers! If I may speak with you for a moment if you please?" Doctor Kae called out as those four stood from their table.
As the rest of the classroom filtered out, the four of them headed down towards her desk, with five glimmering Gemstones trailing behind them in the air- their Mashin Zord Partners, shrunken down to their smallest possible forms, save for Mashin Fiya, who was still partner-less.
Only two other Rangers hesitated, June and Rose Egbert. June gave a shrug, and headed out with the the rest of her team. Rose decided to stay behind and observe, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"What's up, Doc?" Nepeta Leijon asked.
"The Archaeological Dig on Old Athos discovered something interesting," Doctor Kae said. "A large set of deposits of minerals scanners say are of a similar chemical composition to the gemstone mineral we designed your Zords with."
The Five Kiramei Stones glanced at eachother there, but kept to the ruse that they'd been manufactured for the Ranger Project and not gifted to it.
"Wait," Harley Sheppard started, "are you saying there's a potential for more Zords for us?"
"Potentially more than Zords," Doctor Kae said. "Your Swords, Blasters, and Morphers are all built with the same mineral- Kiramei Stone. I've hired on some workers and I'm planning on beginning initial mining operations for these minerals over the weekend. Our projections show that by Sunday we should have a better idea of what we're dealing with and what we can get away with freely harvesting. It may mean more Zords, but it may also mean more weapons as well."
"You want us to go and supervise, I'm guessing?" Tomo Strider asked, their cat ears flexing slightly.
"Consider it a precaution against a bad feeling I've got," Doctor Kae said. "We may be relying on Seers to predict The Menagerie's monster attacks for the moment, and nothing for sure is being seen for tomorrow, but..." She looked towards the Kiramei Stones still floating in the air. "I don't think I need to express how this kind of discovery could lead to bad things down the line if we don't proceed with caution."
"Ah, yeah," Fiya said with a slight bob of a nod. "The Tension is already Maxed out with me still being partner-less. Adding more to the mix before we solve that problem could be more than any of us can handle."
"Don't worry about it, Mi Amigo!" Jetta cried out- the blue Kiramei Stone darted around Equius Okimaw's head. "Whatever the universe throws our way, we Mashins and the Kiramagers will do our best to save the day! Ain't that right, Aniki??"
"Naturally." Equius nodded. "We're quite formidable in training so far."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Doctor Kae reminded them. "Getting Cocky is the exact opposite of what I want to happen."
"So, see you Sunday then?" Tomo asked.
"Sunday morning at 10, Sharp," Doctor Kae nodded.
"Wooohoo! We get to sleep in and get some beauty rest!" Heliko cried, her pink stone spinning in place with a whirl and a brief flash of light to transform into a miniature version of her Helicopter Zord form. "We'll all be polished to our cutest!!"
Nepeta quickly reached out and caught the tiny helicopter before she could zip off into the higher parts of the room. "Heliko!"
"Nepeta-chan! Nepeta-chan!" The Pink zord giggled, flexing her two helicopter blades backwards much like bunny ears.
As the Team started to wander off..
"Hey, hey," Shovellow's yellow stone slipped away and darted towards Doctor Kae and whispered quietly. "If there are more Kiramei Stones- does that really mean More Mashins!?"
"We'd be best off not rushing the process if they're immature, but..." She nodded. "It's entirely possible, yes."
"Heeee!" The yellow stone flipped in the air. "Heave ho! I wanna meet them so bad!"
"Ah! Shovellow!" Tomo called out at the classroom doorway, realizing their partner's absence.
"Coming Coming!" The zord flew off after her partner.
Gina shook her head. "I hope I'm just being paranoid."
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 12TH, 2012.
"Break's over, Atsuya!"
A teenaged boy around the age of 16 snapped awake and jolted up from his drawing as another Athosian who was a few years older than him, Jinto, placed his hand on his shoulder.
"WAH! I'm up! I'm up!" Atsuya of the Jurul clan shouted as he did this, dropping his sketchbook to the ground.
"Geeze," Jinto winced. "Didn't mean to scare you there."
"It's okay, Jinto," Atsuya sighed. "Just... been having nightmares lately."
He knelt down, and picked up the sketch book, frowning at the rendition of an angular black and gold face on its front- neither had any way of knowing it, but it was Garuza's face. "Man, if this is what you've been dreaming about, no wonder you're jumpy."
"It's not just that," Atsuya said, taking the sketchbook back. "I keep dreaming that I get killed by a Stargate explosion."
Jinto winced. "Yeah, those were some nasty days back then."
"Yeah," Atsuya sighed, captchaloguing his sketchbook into his sylladex after gazing at the face for a moment. "Tell me about it. I thought I was over those stupid nightmares."
"But then they had to go evolve somehow?" Jinto asked, and Atsuya nodded.
The two Athosian boys picked up their belongings, and began making their way out of the half-demolished ancient Athosian Coffee shop and into the ruins of the city that their people were excavating and digging through with the help of their civilization's fiercest allies- the City of Atlantis.
As they walked towards the dig site they were to be helping with, Jinto started talking again about some wild theory he had regarding why Atsuya would be having nightmares again about the Stargates Exploding again- a thing that was never supposed to happen again in their Galaxy. Not since the Wraith had been defeated.
Jinto's leading theory?
"So, you know how Seers are basically Pre-cogs, right? What if your super power's post-cogging and it's gotten triggered by looking at all this history around us?!"
"...Eh, I dunno about that," Atsuya grimaced. "What kind of lame power is seeing the past anyways?"
"I think a few historians would love to get their hands on that kind of power," An Alternian Woman said as she stepped in line with them. It took Atsuya a few moments too long to place her as Aradia Megido, the Alternian woman running the Atlantis side of this historical endeavor.
Jinto, on the other hand, recognized her immediately, "Good morning, Miss Megido!"
"Morning, Jinto, and... Atsuya, wasn't it?" Aradia asked.
Atsuya nodded, shyly, and wished he hadn't captchalogued his sketch pad so he could hide behind it.
Everything about the woman, but Her Butterfly Wings Especially, was just so... Sparkly.
It was like looking at a star through a crystal lens, light refracting everywhere.
Everyone had it to some degree or another, Atsuya found. But there were a few certain people that just. SHONE. So much.
Unsurprisingly, Atsuya found those people to be the ones who tended to be INCHARGE of things.
Teyla Emmagan, one of the Athosian people's leaders? She shone and sparkled so much. Everyone of her friends from Atlantis, too, were just so... Bright! Colonel John Sheppard? A beacon of sparkles as fluid as the wind he controlled with his mind. Ronon Dex? As bright and explosive with his sparkles as the blasts of energy he threw out of his hands. Doctor Rodney Mckay?
...Okay he was kind of average a lot of the times, except when something relating to his expertise came into play and when SCIENCE needed to be done? Sometimes he shone brighter than even the rest of them.
Apparently, the man worked best under pressure, his sparkles forming tight, lattice work grids of impenetrable shield walls.
Atsuya could see it even in recorded footage. It was... easier, then. It wasn't quite as bright, but it still shone through.
Atsuya was pretty sure whatever power he HAD gotten from that Infamous Rift opening to give people powers, it was pretty useless in the long run. What good was seeing how brightly people shined when they were at their peaks? He couldn't do anything with it.
Plus, there was a certain irony that he couldn't see those same sparkles in himself. Either his power didn't apply to himself, or... well. He was just that dull.
Atsuya suspected it was the latter option, if he was being "honest" in his usual self-depreciating way.
"What do you think?" Aradia asked suddenly, and Atsuya struggled to keep track of the conversation.
"Huh? What?" He asked.
"I asked, what do you think about your dreams?" Aradia asked.
Atsuya glanced at Jinto, who smiled in apology. Evidently, he'd filled Aradia in while Atsuya had been lost in thought.
"I..." Atsuya decaptchalogued his sketch pad. "I don't see how seeing the past helps any," he said, opening up to a page he'd done a few weeks back- of the Astro Delta Megazord fighting off against the Wraith's Uber Mechship, the BANSHEE over Earth.
Another dream he'd put into paper. "What's the point of seeing the past for anyways? It wasn't like it helps with predicting the future."
"Sure, maybe not directly," Aradia said, reaching a finger out towards the page, and tracing around the edge of the Astro-Delta's sword. "But if you follow along the edge of a chainsaw's blade for long enough, you'll figure out what it'll start cutting into next by where it used to be."
"That sounds a bit weird for a sage metaphor, Miss Megido," Jinto said.
"Well, I suppose it is," Aradia smiled. "But, that's just how I feel about it, myself. The History of a place is a great way to figure out how to see the future will be. It all repeats, is what I'm trying to get at."
And then, as if to prove her point- a shadow suddenly loomed overhead.
The three of them looked up and stared in confusion, and then growing horror.
A giant, flying, almost jellyfish like beast was floating in the air after having exited some kind of portal... and it had a weird, beaked WATER FAUCET resting directly atop the thing like some kind of oddly placed head.
"...What the hell is that!?" Jinto asked.
"Trouble!" Aradia swore, and started dragging them aside to get them out of trouble's way. "That's exactly what it is!"
The water faucet atop the creature spun, and then brown, oozing water gushed forth from an impossible place. Athosians, Alternians, and Tau'ri began running for their lives all across the city as the first wave of water splashed down and then condensed, with a brief flash of green, into these humanoid beasts. They were brown across their bodies save for this set of blue scales down the front of their chests, and their faces were flat, green and white masks, decorated with black spirals and splotches.
"Becha!" they cried out. "Bechaaaa..."
Some manifested weaponless, others formed with these strange, hammer rake things.
The Bechats began running towards the nearest person to attack, piling on, trying to choke people, or throwing their metal rakes across people's backsides or shoulders. Anything to pin them down.
Atsuya stared at it all with wide eyes as Aradia called for backup...
None of these creatures sparkled at all. Truly, truly, they didn't sparkle or shine.
Atsuya glanced at his own hands in comparison... and for the first time he saw a brief glimmer around his fingers.
So he truly wasn't without his own shine after all, dim as it was.
Alarms sounded in the City of Atlantis as a wireless communication came in.
"Argo, Keiko," Major Amelia Banks entered the Director's office where the Director and Assistant sat at their desks. "We just received a report from Old Athos. A Giant Monster is attacking the city."
The wolf woman- Director Keiko Ayano- glanced over at the Crow-cat-human hybrid, Argo Lalonde, and growled, her ears flexing back in anger. "Damn it! That golden bastard couldn't have waited a full week, Could He!?"
"Evidently not," Argo agreed, shaking their head.
A camera shakily zoomed in towards the flying creature as it smashed through buildings.
"Oh my god," Major Davis Strider swore as he gazed through the camera's sight at the thing. "I can't believe I haven't even been a week on the job and there's already a monster attack. Fucking great."
He ducked down out of sight as the thing smashed a building, sending the whole city trembling from the impact.
He glanced around at his fellow archeological dig workers, and flashed them a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Seers saw this coming and dispatched someone already to fight it. They're just being... fashionably late."
'I hope,' he thought, glancing out past his sunglasses again as the giant thing floated by overhead. 'Karkat'll kill me if I die because of some giant overgrown jellyfish with a fucking water faucet for a hat on its head.'
And then he heard a familiar voice yell out- "KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
There was a screech of a tire wheel, and then a flash of yellow light.
And thus, Davis Strider glanced in the opposite direction to the creature flying through the city...
And he saw his darling kid- Tomo Strider- morphed up as Kiramei Yellow, firing a blaster into a horde of those stupid looking mooks called Bechats.
His kid, running into danger...
About thirty seconds later of watching Tomo beat up the stupid rake wielders did Davis realize that he had no idea WHY Tomo was actually here.
All he could do was call out "GO GET 'EM, KIDDO!" as they ran past.
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
"Go! GO! Flood them all, Kyoju Hildon!" Kurantula yelled with glee as he watched the beast rampage.
Garuza observed the scene as well, and then noticed something in the footage. "Those Bechats... Did you give them new face masks?"
"Of course I did!" Kurantula grinned, and motioned at the set of epaulets around his shoulders- a new addition to the armor. Those epaulets... were literally the same masks that the Bechats were wearing. "Through those masks, I can subtly guide their future motions!"
He brought up a map of Old Athos City, swarming in dots, and motioned some of the red dots on it towards a different area with a hand wave. The dots moved accordingly.
"I have good taste, don't I?" The Mofang laughed... and laughed, and laughed some more.
Garuza said nothing, and observed the devastation. A shame the portal had dropped the giant beast on the wrong side of the city, but this way they'd probably get a wider circle of destruction when they began drawing the Portal Circle.
As Harley and Nepeta fought against Bechats, Gina Kae crouched nearby other cowering survivors of the attack, with the red Kiramei Stone hovering near her shoulder.
"I should've known this would happen," Gina grimaced. "Of course there'd be a monster, and of course the Seers wouldn't see a reason to dispatch a team because I'd already BRING a team of my own volition. Damn it."
"Yeah, that's gotta su---Huh?" Fiya turned suddenly.
"What is it?" Gina asked, eyeing the stone.
"I felt a strong resonance of Kiramental," Fiya said, and then darted off to...
The damned stone was now dancing around near the survivors, examining them as if looking for something, or someone.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Gina swore, eyeing a Bechat noticing the stone and moving to attack it.
"NO WAY!"
And then Harley Zapped in front of it- clad in her Green Kiramei Suit, and blasted the thing in the face point blank.
The mask shattered, and the Bechat basically evaporated on the spot.
From her sylladex, Mahha ejected and flew over towards Fiya, "Not to question your senses, but is this really the time, Fiya?"
"Yes it is, Mahha!" The red stone answered, and then flew over towards Atsuya. "You! Kid! You've got a strong Kiramental!"
"What's Kiramental?" Atsuya asked, startled.
"It's your charm, or your amazing tallents!" Fiya answered, twirling in the air. "It's what Exists when You Sparkle and Shine! A Positively sparkling state of mind!"
"Wha- Me?" Atsuya gazed up at the stone. "No way! You gotta be talking about someone else!" He glanced around the room for someone who was brighter than him... "What about Miss Megido?" he pointed at Aradia. "Or Jinto?" He motioned to his friend.
"They're bright yeah! But they're not you!" Fiya declared. "YOU! Kid! You're my partner! You're my match!! There's no mistaking it! Your Kiramental Resonates Strongest With ME!"
"Awh," Aradia pouted. "Too bad. I wondered what I'd look like in that red spandex."
"It's not Spandex!" Gina reflexively spat out. "It's a Crystalline Mesh Armor!"
Nepeta finished dispatching the last of the current bunch of Bechats with her sword, and headed over to Harley and Doctor Kae.
"Is he our fifth member?" Nepeta asked, striking the tire morpher on her arm and dismissing her suit with a flash.
"Fiya seems to think so," Harley said, dismissing her suit as well with a similar strike of her morpher. "Mahha?" She looked to her gemstone zord- floating back over to her.
"I think we've hit our match, Mi Lady," Mahha answered.
Heliko decaptchalogued and floated around, giggling, "Wow! Wow! Five Kiramagers!! Cute and cool!!!"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Gina said, and moved over to the boy who Fiya was still trying to convince Atsuya. "Excuse me. Pardon Mashin Fiya's excitement for a moment," she said, kneeling to meet the boy's eye level.
"You're... searching for people who sparkle?" Atsuya asked.
"Of a sort," Gina offered her hand. "I'm Doctor Gina Kae. I'm the Project Manager for Atlantis' Project Ranger Program. Imaginative name, I know." She gave a small smile.
Atsuya shook her hand. "Atsuya. Of family Jurul. But... if it's sparkle you want, I'm definitely not it. I don't shine at all."
He looked at her for a moment, and had to look away. "Even you're way brighter than me."
Gina frowned, and glanced to Fiya. "Fiya, what exactly do you see when you look at this room of people?"
"I see two bright spots resonating with Mahha and Heliko," Fiya said, motioning at the two Kiramagers. "And I see a room full of cowering folk, and those who are shining trying to keep them from panicking too bad! They're bright, yeah, but they're not anywhere near my level!" He floated down towards Atsuya. "This kid here... Atsuya... Your Kiramental was shining just a moment ago so brightly! Tell me! What were you thinking just before I came over to you!"
"I..." Atsuya swallowed. "I was thinking how cool it'd be if that sword and that gun could combine together. Something like a bayonet. Combine the powers of both into one."
Harley glanced at Nepeta. "They can combine?"
"It wasn't in the training, but maybe?" Nepeta shrugs. "That could be neat, though, wouldn't it?"
"I didn't design them to do that," Gina answered those questions. "But with a strong enough Imagination potent, they could shape shift to allow it."
"I knew it!" Fiya yelled. "You've got the power that the Doc here has but Better aligned with ME!!"
"Well that's a little harsh," Gina glanced at the red Kiramei Stone with a slight pout.
Then, there was an explosion, and then Harley's morpher cried out with a calling tone. She spun the wheel and answered, "Yeah?"
"The beast's changed into a humanoid form and has started to spew sludge on the ground," Equius answered. "It's walking in what I think is a giant circle pattern. We need to stop it, and fast."
"We're on our way," Harley said, and then looked to Nepeta, who nodded, and then Doctor Kae and Atsuya. "Gotta make a decision, Doc."
"What harm will it do if we give him the changer for today?" Fiya asked. "C'mon! We're outgunned here unless all five of us Mashins can fight that thing head on!"
Gina sighed, and looked to Atsuya one last time. "Atsuya, I know it's a lot to ask, but..." She decaptchalogued the last of the five Kiramei Changers. "Would you be willing to help us fight this thing?"
Atsuya gazed at it for a long moment, worked his lips for a moment...
And he then answered, "I've got an idea."
The monster had walked about half of a giant purple circle around the wrecked city so far, and it showed no signs of stopping despite the efforts Tomo and Equius had put into blasting it dead from the ground.
"We really need to go big on this one..." Tomo grunted, getting to their feet. Shovellow hovered anxiously over their shoulder.
"Agreed," Equius nodded, shaking his head to clear away some disorientation. "We should-"
"MAHHA AT FULL SPEEEED!!!" Harley's voice shouted out suddenly.
Then, they heard the squealing of tires and the two of them turned to look upwards.
A giant red race car was rounding a street corner, and then zooming towards the monster, and past them at high speeds.
It Launched over their heads, and rocketed towards the monster, bouncing off the remains of a bridge, then driving upright across the side of a skyscraper- darting overhead- it landed on a building taller, and behind the monster, before racing down its side, igniting on fire in the process.
It leaped off of the building and SMASHED directly into the flying jellyfish's faucet head, spinning the thing around towards the off position as it smashed into it.
The race car hit the ground and skid to a stop- the red color of burning hot flames fading away to green as the front portion lifted up to let its passengers out.
Out emerged Harley and Nepeta, suited up again... along with a boy they'd never seen before, with Fiya floating excitedly over his shoulder.
"We've found our fifth!" Nepta exclaimed, throwing herself at Equius and hugging him tight.
"Seriously?" Tomo asked, "But what was that thing that Mahha did just now!?"
"We couldn't go fast enough!" Harley said, "But then Atsuya did something and he sparkled and Mahha just-!" She pointed at the zord. "He got supper fast and super flamey!!"
"My Partner's got the biggest imagination this side of the Galaxy!" Fiya yelled, swirling around Atsuya's head.
"So that fire burst...?" Equius stared at the now green colored Race car Zord.
"Was an incredible gift of speed when I needed it most!" Mahha answered, voice booming through the air due to his size.
That's when they heard screaming from nearby.
The Monster was getting back up onto the tentacles that it had shifted into legs to stand on earlier, and starting to spew more sludge as it made its way towards a skyscraper with people on its roof.
"No time for chatting!" Atsuya said, narrowing his eyes as he raised the changer up into the ready position.
"AGREED!" Fiya roared- and flew into the air, growing in size. "TENSION MAXED OUT!" He then transformed, becoming the giant fire truck MASHIN FIYA. "BURNING HOT HOT HOT!"
The other four rangers stared on, awed, as Atsuya tapped the Morph button. _"KIRAMEI GO!"_ the morpher cried out. _"KI! RA! MEI!"_
Atsuya threw his left fist out, right hand's palm firmly placed against the wheel.
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!" He yelled out, and pulled his arm back, spinning the wheel, letting loose a loud squealing sound from the device as bright red crystals burst up around him, rising from his feet and encapsulating his whole body- sealing everything away beneath the Kiramei Red Suit with a flash of light taking the shape of Mashin Fire on his back that drove around his chest, down the road streak, and condensed into a ruby gemstone over his heart.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
With a backflip, Atsuya cried out and struck a pose: "INSPIRATION SPARKLING! KIRAMEI RED!"
And then he leaped into Fiya, who started driving rapidly towards the endangered building.
They beat the monster, and then came to a stop, extending foot braces as the emergency ladder rocketed outwards, and Atsuya jumped onto it, running up along its length, combining the _"KIRAMEI SWORD!"_ and the _"KIRAMEI SHOT!"_ blaster just as he'd said he'd imagined them doing into the _"KIRAMEI BUSTER!"_
He loaded some disks into the blaster's special attack chamber, and leaped off of Fiya's ladder as he pulled back the special attack pump.
_"KIRAKIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
Atsuya spun in midair to aim at the monster- and as the Kiramei Buster powered up to full, he pulled the trigger, sending a burst of the disks down an energy track of green and red chevrons, directed straight at the spot just below his target's stupid water faucet face.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
The string of shots blasted into the creature, sending it stumbling backwards with its unwieldy humanoid stance.
Atsuya landed on the rooftop, and quickly grabbed the Athosians who were trapped on the rooftop.
"Hang on tight!" he said, and lead them for Fiya's ladder, which grew closer for them to reach.
"I didn't know we could do that!" Tomo said, having witnessed everything, and gazing on in surprise.
"He imagined them combining during one of our fights!" Nepeta said. "That's... that's how Fiya saw his potential."
"I'm amazed our fifth member was someone we didn't even know," Equius said, staring as Fiya returned to them, and the rescued Athosians began to exit.
"Doctor Kae was right about us running into our missing members, alright," Nepeta nodded.
"That was amazing!" Harley cried out as Atsuya joined them.
Tomo shook their head. "It was a bit too flashy if you ask me..."
The monster got back to its feet, and started continuing its circle walk through the city...
The circle was now almost three fourths of the way complete.
"Stubborn little fellow, isn't he?" Mahha asked.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Fiya yelled. "Everyone! It's time to go full form on this overgrown jellyfish!"
Heliko, Jetta, and Shovellow's stones flew into the air with a unified cry- "LAUNCHING!!" They grew in size, and then transformed into their zord forms.
_"MASHIN HELIKO!"_
"I'll never forgive you, you absolutly evil thing!" Heliko yelled. "It's SPANKING TIME!!"
_"MASHIN JETTA!"_
"Time to spread my sparkling wings!" Jetta cried out, spinning in the air with a whoop. "Aniki, Let's go with a WOOOSH!"
_"MASHIN MAHHA!"_
"In my Lady's Name," Mahha spun his tires up, and joined them on their forwards charge from where he'd been resting. "I Shall Finish This Fight At Full Speed!"
_"MASHIN SHOVELLOW!"_
"Mind my Skillful Techniques!" Shovellow cried out, flexing her claw arm. "Watch and Be amazed as I Heave Ho!"
_"MASHIN FIYA!"_
"Time to show off some more!" Fiya joined the rest of the zords on their charg forwards, and The Kiramagers leaped onboard, and drove or flew at the monster at speeds so fast, they left behind a glittering afterimage trail of sparkling colors.
"LET'S GOOOOOOO!!" The five zords yelled out as one.
"What!?" Kurantula exclaimed and started stomping around the water in frustration. "Who the heck are those guys!?"
"Mashin?" Garuza stared on. "I knew it. Mabushiina did give them to new protectors."
Within their driving chairs within each Zord, the Kiramagers settled in, and readied themselves.
"Alright, let's go, everyone!" Atsuya called out.
"HAAAA!" The zords charged forwards.
"First, we stop its advance," Equius said.
"ALRIGHT! Let's circle it around! WOOOOOSHAAA!" Jetta yelled out, spinning in a loop, and then encircled the beast as it entered an attempted reconstruction site- swirling around faster and faster until the towering shells of once-to-be-buildings colapsed in around the fountain head.
Heliko dodged through some buildings at an angle, and chided the beast- "I have NO Tolerance for your unsanitary discharges!!"
"Helikooo!" Nepeta gasped at her partner's exclamations, even as Heliko used her blades as a shield to deflect the monster's sewage spewing spray back at it. And not just that- more of the wreckage of the construction site got dragged in with the sudden whrilwind, flying into the fray...
"HEAVE HO!"
And not just that as well, Shovellow and Tomo were using the claw arm to hurl rocks and debris into the storm.
And then- pieces of debris lodged itself into the faucet nose of the beast- jamming it shut.
"ALRIGHT!" Heliko exclaimed, rising into the air. "It's SPAKING TIME!"
A backdoor opened, and out ejected a long string of containment bandages- which magically flew out and wrapped around the blocked nose of the thing- tying it tight and jamming it further.
"MAH-HAA!" Mahha roared- swirling around the monster on his side wheels, driving in circles at speed in quite the amazing stunt.
"Now! Fiya!" Harley called out.
"GOTCHA!" Fiya yelled- and built up power at the front of the ladder arm- where a water nozel lay. "MAXIMUM WATER BLAST!"
A concentrated stream of water flew forth and slammed into the monster, driving it backwards into a building, where it was forced to a stop.
There, behind it, with a "Sneaky sneak!" Heliko lifted Shvoellow in her gem form up into the air, and dropped her onto the building.
She bounced with a "OOF!" And shifted back to Mashin Form. "What a landing!" And then reached out and spun the water faucet....
In the wrong direction, causing the pipe wrappings and blockage to explode away as a higher concentrated stream of muck burst forth.
"Woops!" Shovellow quickly backed off.
"I told you it's clockwise to tighten!" Tomo complained.
"We'll just have to try it our own way then!" Harley lamented with a slight slump in her chair, even as Mahha lined up behind Fiya, who was extending the ladder upwards and outwards at an angle.
"Spinning to speed!" Mahha yelled, revving his back tires, and then--
"Mahha, Come at me with Max Tension!" Fiya demanded.
And Mahha did, rushing forwards with a leap and then racing across the ladder arm like it was a ramp.
"BODY...!" Mahha yelled- shifting into gem form.
"HIP CHECK!" Harley and Mahha yelled as they slammed into the faucet and spun it around in the opposite direction.
They shifted back to car form immediately after that, and drove down the side of a building even as Jetta rushed up in the opposite direction.
"My turn, Amigos!" he cried out. "LET'S GO WITH A WOOOOSH!"
Jetta accelerated to speeds and sharpened the edges of his wings-
SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH!!!
When he pulled away- the Monster's many tentacles had been cut away and severed, leaving it to try covering its nether region in shame as it only had a pair of stubby legs and some stubby arms to guard itself with.
"Everyone! Time for a finisher!" Atsuya called out. "Kiramei Stone.... BOMBER!"
"Roger!" The other four agreed, shifting their Zords to Stone form and stacking in a neat pile atop a small building- blue, green, pink, yellow.
Fiya leveled his ladder arm and spun to speed before extending it and slamming into the stones one at a time, launching them bodily at the monster.
They smashed into him one at a time in that same order. Jetta, Mahha, Heliko, and Shovellow- they rebounded with explosive energy and headed back to Fiya.
"TENSION MAXXED OUT! WE'RE BURNING HOT NOW!" Fiya yelled as the other Mashin transformed and joined him in the classical back to the falling monster as it exploded pose.
The magic circle faded away then, without the monster to provide it energy, leaving whatever had been intended a mystery to everyone there on Old Athos.
Within their Mashins, the Rangers cheered in victory.
Garuza stared on silently as Kurantula shouted obscenities not fit for any broadcast television channel in the background of it all.
Gilgamesh's freebie giant monster attack had been wasted, but not really. Nothing was ever wasted on precious intelligence gathering, in Garuza's opinion. Though, the others in Gilgamesh's empire might not have ever seen it that way.
Still...
The Mashins were in play, now... those five legendary Kiramei Stones... they stood in his way.
"This is going to change my strategy..." he said, knowing full well that he was almost certainly always going to have those five pesky teenagers meddling in his affairs.
"WOOOHOOO!" Jetta swirled around Equius' head in his shrunken Gem form as the Kiramagers gathered around the Old Athos Stargate DHD. "And we Wooshed! And Sliced! Then we went SLAMMA SLAM!!!"
"Yeah, that we did," Equius smiled.
"Tomo Strider, you gave me such a heart attack!" Davis hugged his kid, and Tomo hugged their dad back.
"I'm glad you're okay, Dad!" Tomo said.
Nepeta and Harley sat nearby as Rose took a few pictures with her cellphone- when had Rose shown up? Nobody knew, but she sure as hell had been sneaky enough to escape everyone's notice until then.
"I guess you'll be wanting this back?" Atsuya asked, indicating the Morpher on his wrist.
"No," Gina said, shaking her head and giving a smile as she crossed her arms. "You and Fiya worked well together. Keep the Morpher. All I ask in return is that you come to class tomorrow."
"I dunno... my parents might not like it..." Atsuya said, despite knowing full and well that his parents had always wanted him to be a great hunter and what better hunter there was than one who took down a giant jellyfish.
"Well, Fiya," Gina said, eyeing the Kiramei Stone, "if they do tell him no... then you should explain to them the full situation."
"Ah, seriously?" Fiya asked, tilting in the air. "That's... a mighty tall order, isn't it, Doc?"
"Maybe," Gina said. "But maybe not. Either way. I don't think we're going to find a better match for Kiramei Red than Atsuya. After all, he came up with a new weapon combination I know I didn't design them to do, and it worked on the first try, not to mention the incredible speed boost he gave to Mahha."
The boy blushed from the praise, and he mumbled something of a "I'm not that great."
Gina placed a hand on his shoulder to stop that right then and there. "Atsuya, listen here. That kind of imagination is what I'd want on a Research and Development team- but having it in the field? That can be Invaluable in situations like these." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Please. Consider the offer for what it is. And if your parents really object to you being a Power Ranger, then... ask them to come talk to me, alright?"
Atsuya nodded. "I will."
"Good," Gina said, then, to the group, "Kiramagers, I hope to see you all in class bright and early tomorrow morning. Feel free to take the rest of the day off."
And with a whoop and a cheer from the kids and their Mashin partners, Gina reached out for the DHD, and began dialing Atlantis.
KIRAFULL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
"Lady Harley? What should we call my red super mode?" Mahha asked.
"Hmm!" Harley grinned. "Well you were bright red makka color! Sooo... Mashin Makka Mode!"
"Makka, eh? I think I like that!" Mahha spun in the air.
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
Class lessons with Kiramei Stone!!
This guy with a Rugby Ball for a head is running around blowing things up!?!?
And just who are these random kids watching battles they shouldn't!?
"The Five Kiramagers are one even when apart!!"
_"SKYMAGE!"_
_"LANDMAGE!"_
NEXT TIME: EPISODE 02: Two Places, One Harley, and Bad Rugby Manners. (TRY!!)
Notes:
I apologize for the picture/link heavy chapter. I don't think there should be too many of this kind of chapter going forwards. I'm definitely trying to only give a light visual reference to the actual episode itself where necessary. Zord introduction is one of them.
---
SO! We finally get the introduction to the full team, the Zord appearances, and the fifth Kiramager. Juuru-san's personality is replicated to some degree here in this adaptation, though I'm going on a slightly different path than him with Atsuya. For one thing, his sparkle-vision, and the fact that he's an Athosian. At one point I was going to go with Jinto for Kiramei Red, but then I realized the personality types didn't match up right, and more than that, I didn't think the age group really lined up all that well either with the rest of the team here.
Besides, it feels a little better to have atleast one of the core Kiramager's personalities shine through in this adaptation since the other kids here are... similar, but different, due to how I went about assigning roles. There's other stuff, too, that I'm ditching or modifying with this adaptation, but essentially, things are going to be a bit different very quickly with how things progress.
---
The Mashins are CRAZY fun personality wise to play around with, I'm just going to say. I've already got some slightly divergent personality traits to them given that, well, I'm keeping them active members of the cast that float around the Kiramagers most of the time. For example, I'm drawing a little from Go-Onger's Birca (RPM's "Shark" Zord. C'mon, it's a Bike Orca! Birca!!) for Jetta's personality in places.
Garuza's side of things is... well. It's something to say the least. I'm not quite sure where he's going in canon Kiramager, but I've got a decent grasp of where he's going in this fic. To say anything more would be a spoiler.
---
The Next chapter actually isn't Kiramager Ep2, it's SGA:06X01: The Saturday and Monday Sandwich.
What I'm going to try to do with the Atlantis episodes is fill in more of the world building detail through them while I focus on the core Kiramager episode plot beats through their own episodes. It should play out pretty smoothly, I think, over all. Expect the Helvetica Standard chapter sometime that week too. I'm thinking Wednesday? How's Wednesday sound for you guys for a short little bonus chapter?
Anyways, I'll see you all next Monday with a brand new chapter of this fic! Until then! *waves*
Chapter 3: SGA:06X01: The Saturday and Monday Sandwich.
Summary:
Editing finished. Chapter Reposted. Content differences are present from previous version.
Notes:
CW:
Passive Discussion of racism and some stupid ideologies during the lunch scene that could be seen as offensive.
After Action Discussion of the Attack on Old Athos.
Implied Sexual Content between Tomo and Harley, but not shown.
Explicit ordering of evil acts by villain.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 11TH, 2012.
In the City of Atlantis, on the planet New Lantea, in the Pegasus Galaxy, mornings began as they tended to begin. With morning drills, morning exercises, and alarms signaling off as the sun rose.
In the bedroom of one Harley Jade Sheppard, while many things had changed in the girls life, and yet few things did change in her private space since the last time an Audience perspective from beyond the 4th wall had seen it. The posters were still on the walls, the calendar had progressed by a few days...
Hanging with pride from its coat hanger, still sealed within its plastic bag on the outside of a closet door, was the TEAM UNIFORM she and her friends had been assigned. A green jacket with sparkles to it, along with a shoulder cloak of a slightly different green hue that sparkled and shined just the same. It was accompanied by a matching set of white shorts and white pants- both with green stripes down the side, and a pair of sparkling new white sneakers paired in a shoe cubby inside the closet itself, nestled in alongside her running shoes and a pair of super fuzzy bright green fake-fur boots.
Harley's green crystal alarm clock had been thoroughly tossed to the floor from the desk to make room for new items- her Kiramei Changer, as well as a tiny green gemstone with black accents along its side.
As the sun rose... the Alarm clock on the floor ticked over and began to play another chipper tune of music.
Harley sighed in bed as she rolled over to face it. "Nrgh... Six A.M. Already? I wanna sleep in..."
The green gemstone- the Kiramei Stone, Mashin Mahha- then started to glow as it rose into the air, and said, in a suave voice, "Good Morning, Lady Harley. While I can understand the desire to sleep in, you do have Track and Field Club today. It would be best to-"
"Track?" Harley frowned, then- she shot upright with a mild shriek. "Oh My God, I forgot about the foot race today!"
With a dash of speed, the girl threw herself out of bed and threw open the closet as she searched for her running uniform.
Mahha twisted in the air gently, in a manner not too dissimilar to a gentle shake of the head, as he chuckled to himself, and turned towards the window to look out into the city. 'I wonder how the others are fairing this morning?'
"Is... it always this chaotic over here?" Mashin Fiya asked, his gemstone form tilting to the side as the Strider family rushed around trying to get things done while eating breakfast.
"Has been since I've gotten here," Mashin Shovellow answered, residing presently in the tiny shovel zord form that she could take on, and causally rolling around a pen on the desk they were both sitting on.
"Okay I gotta go! Old rocks don't dig themselves up!" Davis Strider said, planting a kiss to Tomo's forehead, then planting a big smack straight on Karkat Vantas' lips before absconding for the door.
"Oi!" Karkat called out. "Your breath smells like apple juice! Brush your teeth, Dave!"
"I'll do it later!" Davis answered, and then was gone.
Karkat and Tomo glanced at each other, and sighed in sad agreement.
Fiya observed, "He's totally going to forget, isn't he?"
Shovellow extended her shovel arm out straight and spun briefly to tap Fiya in the side. "Don't go sayin' it out loud for everyone to hear, man!"
Fiya just laughed.
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
As the Sheppard-Jackson-Lalonde gathering made their way to the race track, they passed out into the open air of a hallway, Mahha definitely jumped at the sound of what he thought was a train whistle for a moment- flinging himself backwards away from Harley and nearly colided with John's shoulder. It took him a moment to recognize that it was really just a small squadron of Puddle Jumpers flying by overhead from Atlantis over towards City One out in the ocean outside.
"Yo!" Tomo called out, intercepting and moving to join up with Harley in that moment, distracting her from her Partner's absence.
Fiya and Shovellow hovered near Tomo's shoulder, but didn't move over towards Mahha just yet.
"Startled?" John asked as the sound of a faint breeze seemed to mute Harley and Tomo's conversation.
Mahha realized almost instantly that John Sheppard's wind based powers were at use here to keep things quiet.
"A little bit," the green Kiramei stone nodded. "This City has very strange noises that I'm unused to."
"It is a bit more rowdy than usual with City One still parked next door," Jade chimed in. "And with everyone going on the defensive with Earth returning."
Argo nodded, "Plus we've been busy relocating the SGC Refugees that made it through the link back from Earth. They've really been having a hard time believing that three whole galaxies really demilitarized so much over eight years."
"Hopefully we won't have to re-arm ourselves too much to beat these guys back," John said. "But I guess that's what the Ranger Project's for." He didn't sound happy about it.
Mahha glanced at Harley, and nodded grimly. "Truth be told, most of us Mashins are hoping our partners won't be forced into battle, and are hoping the same from the rest of the kids in that class."
"If we're lucky," Jade said, "then this 'Gilgamesh' guy will spend the next few years ramping up for a fight and give us the time we need to take the fight to him before he finishes."
None of them quite believed it'd be that easy, however.
"Oh! Hello, Mabushiina!" Heliko cried out with surprise as she spotted the Crystalian Princess walking up the road towards the Leijon family residence on Diaspora. "You're looking cute today!"
Heliko shifted into her tiny Helicopter mode, and zipped over to the Princess, whose resonance seemed to brighten upon seeing the gemstone.
"Oh! Pink Kiramei Stone!" Mabushiina clapped her hands, and happily said. "You're looking very sparkly today too!"
"Ain't I?" Heliko twirled around. "Nepeta-chan gave me a polish and wash this morning! It was so nice!"
"Ah, but, what are you doing out here?" Mabushiina asked.
"I gotta stretch my wings and fly, Princess!" Heliko said, glimmering and sparkling, her front eye shield pieces flashing brightly. "Gotta keep my Kiramental going strong!"
"Yes, but shouldn't you be staying close to your partner?" Mabushiina asked, tilting her head, confused, and concerned.
"Oh! I am!" Heliko did a backflip. "She lives here!"
"She what-?!" Mabushiina asked, surprised.
"Nepeta Leijon's my partner!" Heliko clarified.
"Okurii's daughter is...?" Mabushiina trailed off, gazing at the house.
Unsurprisingly, mere minutes later, Nepeta held firmly onto the squirming pink gemstone as she berated her partner for running off while Mabushiina and Okurii sat on the couch overlooking some documents Doctor Kae had provided.
"More Kiramei stone..." Mabushiina stared at the matching chemical and mineral contrasts. "I'm amazed. We haven't found anything like that in this Galaxy."
"It's a real paradox," Okurii said, holding up a small chunk of blue crystal. "There's not a lot of the right minerals on Old Athos to match what we're seeing here. It really looks like someone planted the seeds for some Kiramei Stones down deep in the dirt near the city, and left them to grow for a thousand years."
"They're sure to be immature for Mashin if they're awoken," Mabushiina hummed, her voice considering in tone. "But if they are Kiramei Stones capable of becoming Mashins, then the question is how? How did they get there? On Crystalia, deposits like this were scattered everywhere. But to only have one on the planet at all? It doesn't make any sense..."
"Given that Time Travel was involved in bringing you here in the first place, we'd never have noticed what was there if you hadn't arrived first," Okurii sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if we wound up having done the hard work of setting up a time loop, given our history. But something tells me that's not quite what's going on."
Mabushiina nodded. "Some how, knowing that there are more Mashin out there in the universe at large, I feel as if somehow my people may have been on Athos at one point. But how would they have even gotten there?"
"That's going to be the real mystery, for sure," Okurii sighed.
As those two conversed, though, Nepeta and Heliko kept their ears (both physical and metaphorical) tuned towards the discussion of things that they probably shouldn't be hearing, but were anyways.
"So..." Nepeta quietly asked her partner so they couldn't be overheard. "...You're not just a fancy rock shaped zord with crazy A.I., are you?"
"Nope," Heliko answered. "Sorry for the deception, but the Princess wanted to keep it down low incase someone came looking for us."
"But who'd know about the Kiramei Stones besides the Princess?" Nepeta asked.
"That's what I wanted to know," Heliko said, "but all the Princess said was that on that final day... there was a dark suited warrior who didn't seem to be with the Alternians."
"Huh," Nepeta frowned. "That sounds ominous."
"It really is. I'm kind of worried about her, gallivanting around the galaxy on her own," Heliko said. "But there's not much we can do about it right now."
"I guess not," Nepeta mused. "...So... does that mean that you were always a Helicopter or--?"
"Nah! Doctor Kae gave us Mashins our form with her own Kiramental! She's got a brilliant mind, even if it doesn't quite resonate exactly with any of us," Heliko answered.
"Kiramental?" Nepeta asked. "What's that?"
"Oooh! That's a fun one!" Heliko giggled. "Listen listen! It's like this..."
"GO! GO! GO HARLEY!!!" Jade Jackson yelled among many voices among those watching the foot race of the Atlantis Track and Field Club as teens ran down the stretch of terraformed outside Pier space-
"YOU'VE GOT THIS, SIS!" Lizzy Sheppard and Casey Jackson cried out from next to her.
"GO HARLEY!" Argo Lalonde yelled out as well.
Sitting a row behind them were John Sheppard and Tomo Strider, who were watching with baited breath along with the three Kiramei Stones of Red, Green, and Yellow as their favored girl, Harley Sheppard, pushed to the front of the group and began tearing ahead.
"GET 'EM, HARLEEEEEEEYY!" Tomo cheered.
Harley grinned, and put on a last push of speed right at the end- zipping across the finish line and sending a roar of applause and cheering from the audience.
"You may yet live, and you may yet keep your honor should you give to me that which you have stolen from my kingdom! Fight me, and you will not pass again through these halls today, Mirmulnir!"
Jetta floated over the shoulder of a muscly, brawler type of an Alternian woman, Konyyl Okimaw, where she stood off stage while her son and Jetta's partner, Equius, stood on stage, performing for the audience in full knight regalia against a very large, and very fake looking dragon head that was being puppeted around by no less than three different people inside of its mouth.
"Hahah! You amuse me, Brave Knight!" One of the Dragon's voice actors yelled. "You enter my den and lay claim to one of my treasures and threaten my life? Oh! You will pay dearly, for sure, if you continue on this path! Leave now and you will take your life, paid for by my amusement! But should you persist...!"
"Aniki's so cool!" Jetta whispered as he watched Equius draw his fake, holographic sword from its sheath.
"Very well then!" Equius declared. "We are at an impasse then, Dragon. If you will not return the Princess that you've taken, then I will retrieve her myself!"
"Then you will die!" The Dragon's mouth opened- and a pre-recorded sound file began to play. "FO KRAH DIIN!"
The lights flared a blinding white and fog filled the air from the fog machines, meanwhile, flour sifters laiden with paper confettii fragments began to shake over head, coating the stage in fake snow.
"You think I am afraid of a little frost, Mirmulnir?" Equius laughed, and then twisted a part of his handle. "For I give you my name, Dragon! ARTHUR PENDRAGON! WIELDER OF..." The fake blade glowed golden suddenly.
The Dragon hissed- the mouth closing and the actors inside wheeling it backwards a few steps in fake shock. "EXCALIBER!" The Dragon snarled.
"Now shall we continue this brawl, or shall I slay you where you stand, Dragon?" Equius demanded.
"So So Cool!" Jetta jittered in the air.
Konyyl smirked. "Yeah, that's my son, alright."
Needless to say, the current act of the play ended with Equius unleashing 'the full might of Excaliber' upon the Dragon, and then rescuing the captive princess from off the other end of the stage, supposedly 'inside' the dragon's hoard that was 'too vast to properly behold'- aka, The stage makers didn't see the need to make a fake pile of golden treasure.
Meanwhile, down in the audience, a dark haired human male with white rimmed, black lensed sunglasses covering his eyes stood up from his seat and went to talk to Equius' father.
"Congratulations on the win, Lady Harley," Mahha said as the lot of them headed away from the race track towards the Atlantis Cafeteria. "Your sparkle was intense today!"
"Thanks, Mahha," Harley grinned. "It was a blast, like always!"
"Wooosh!" Casey pumped a fist into the air. "You zoomed by 'em all in a flash!"
"Heheh," Harley planted a hand on her sister's head and gave a brief rub. "Just doin' my best, here, Casey!"
"You did great today," Jade said towards the girl who could have passed as her younger twin- in origin the girl she could have grown up to have been save for alternate time lines and all kinds of other shenanigans, but now was fully and firmly considered to be her own daughter by all the people who mattered. "I'm so proud!" She gave her a quick one armed hug.
"Thanks, Mom," Harley grinned back at her.
"Well now that we've had all of that excitement," John Sheppard said, "I think it's time to eat lunch for sure."
"Definitely!" Lizzy agreed. "I burned energy just watching you run, Harley!"
Tomo glanced up at Argo, and both of them shared a smile and a grin over just how great today was going.
Soon, they arrived in the Atlantis Cafeteria- a place that was as bustling with activity as it always was, if a bit more packed today due to all the racing shenanigans.
Atlantis Administrator Keiko Ayano waved at the group as they entered from her own table where there rest of her close group of friends sat at the table. Mallek Adalov sat to her right, and Daraya and Tyzias Entykk sat across from them on the other side of the table, between them was their daughter, Kagura, who Lizzy and Casey saw and immediately wanted to go talk to.
"Hey!" Keiko greeted when the family group headed over there. "Heard you won another big race today, eh, Harley?"
"Yep," Harley nodded, a flush going onto her cheeks from all the praise she'd been getting.
"Mi Lady performed excellently today," Mahha chimed in, floating near Harley's left shoulder.
"Heck yeah!" Fiya twirled around near her Right shoulder. "The Tension of that race was Maxed Out as she burned rubber!"
"Oh, wow," Mallek looked at the Kiramei Stones. "You must be those Machine Zords Gina was talking about."
"Mashin!" Shovellow corrected, zipping away from over Tomo's shoulder to get in his face. "It's Mashin! Not Machine! Close but no burning paper sticks!"
That garnered a few laughs from the table- ignored, of course, by Kagura, Casey, and Lizzy, who were all caught up in their own private conversation lined with giggles and an exaggerated retelling of the race that just happened, and thus blended in nicely anyways.
"Ah, well, I stand corrected," Mallek smiled. "It's a pleasure to finally meet such enigmatic characters. I feel like I already know you all from how much Gina's talked about you guys when discussing Project Ranger with Keiko."
"It's good to see you again," Keiko said with a smile to the sentient gemstones. "I hope you're all settling in nicely?"
"We are!" The trio agreed with a glimmer.
"That's great," Keiko's smile widened.
Standing off in the shadows of the Stage Play was a woman wearing a light blue cloak. An unamused black cat stood at her heels, and they both watched with an unwavering gaze as the man with the white rimmed sunglasses left the area, and headed down into the forest.
"Well," Jane Egbert mused, "that man gives me the creeps for some reason."
"Mrrrlowl." The Cat that had once been a cat-girl First Prime to the Goa'uld Nirrti, a woman named Jayni, growled slightly.
"Oh, hush, you," Jane shook her head. "Just because he's a creep doesn't mean we should follow him. Stop being so paranoid."
The cat huffed, and curled up on the ground.
Thus, the two of them continued to observe the play, unaware of the man they'd observed pausing in his step, eyeing them oddly from behind his sunglasses, and cracking a faint smile before continuing on his way.
As most of the family group settled in at the table with their friends, John and Tyzias broke off to perform the bulk of the food ordering process.
"So, how're things going on the Earth Observation front?" John asked as they waited in line.
"Not much of a change," Tyzias answered. "That Golden Bastard's still converting most of the planet one major city at a time, and our observation range is pretty shit still from as far out as we're forced to be. Still, it looks like we're still in the force consolodation phase. Plenty of time for Gina to get those kids in shape for fighting massive armies."
"Well that's good to know," John frowned. "What about the other one?"
"Oh. Right. Yeah," Tyzias scowled. "Earth Candied Fruitcakes, right?"
"Is that what they're calling themselves now?" John asked, a wry smile on his face.
"Don't make me laugh, Sheppard," Tyizas scowled. "It's a decent designation considering they can't even settle on a unified government at this point."
"Fair enough," he said.
She sighed. "It's still a bloody mess, John. Nothing's changed much except now there's a threat of the planet tearing itself apart in a completely Different civil war than the one we put a stop to when they showed up!"
John winced. "That bad, huh?"
"That Crocker chick publically declared that she's staunchly a believer of the 'no fictionals allowed' camp. Whether she believes it or not is up to debate," Tyzias explained. "And now where things seemed to be splitting on inter-species lines, it's now splitting wholey on a political divide- and a stupid one at that. Just because some people took Mikari's novelizations of our lives and made a TV show with them doesn't make us any more fictional than they are! Geeze."
John cast a sideways glance over at Boldir Lamati, taking orders that afternoon, who gave a hapless 'what can you do' shrug at him in response.
Then, he said, "Well, just because they made TV shows about our lives doesn't mean that our lives weren't real. You'd think that'd be easier to understand for some people."
"And they came from a timeline where copies of you and a lot of other people we know ended up being almost god like beings of incredible power!" Tyzias poked his shoulder. "Big whoop. Most of us got our special powers from being exposed to a fucking sub-space rift that an idiot tore open with an exploding multiverse-hyperdrive, and nobody even DIED in that stunt to make it happen! I'd say we got the better deal out of that exchange if you ask me."
"Honestly," and then Rodney Mckay, who happened litterally be just behind them in line, interjected, "I still say it would've been better for everyone if they got relocated to the Ori Galaxy instead. How often do any of us go to the Ori Galaxy? Not often, AND They're pretty self sufficient to boot! Not once have they asked for any of our alliance partners for help once we finished uprooting the last of English's people and helped get them started rebuilding."
"Hey, Rodney," John greeted.
"Sup, Mckay," Tyzias said in about the same breath of time.
"Afternoon," Rodney said, "but seriously. Drop their planet off around an uninhabited star, leave them to build up to space travel and find the Supergate, and THEN we all get to sing kumbiya when we establish contact in a more measured, mutually controlled way! But No! Whoever had those teleportation powers just dumped them all almost perfectly Alternia's Old Orbit- only leaving them enough distance so they didn't just burn up in the sun, which hasn't helped ANY of us because they're convinced their orbit's unstable and that we've put them on a fucking deadline to convince them we just mean the best and aren't trying to take their planet for resources."
"The orbit hasn't actually changed any, has it?" John asked.
"Nope," Tyizas said with a shake of her head. "Doesn't help that our math proves their orbit's remarkably stable and that the sun isn't actually burning people alive when they walk out into it, or the fact that they've had almost two whole years of stable season changes either! Nooo! Apparently we're just the ones lying for some damned reason. Like we need another planet for resources."
"Well, like you said, they've had four different races living on their planet the entire time," John said. "Makes for some hard to convince people, in a lot of cases."
"Four different sentient alien races co-habitating on the same planet?" Mckay scoffed. "Easy mode, compared to our Earth."
"What strikes me as more interesting about the whole thing is that according to their history, they managed to exist for five thousand years without major conflicts or war before their so-called creators returned to the world," Tyzias said. "Makes you wonder if there's a reason the Ancients decided to sit back and not meddle in mortal affairs."
"Don't say that to Daniel when he gets back," John said, grimacing. "Jade's already ready to tear a strip out of his hair for sticking around to tame those Ascended Replicators for over a year now."
"Has it really been only just a year?" Rodney asked. "Man, weird how time flies, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Boldir said, motioning for them to step forwards in line. "Now then, what can I get for you?"
It was a rhetorical question for courtesy. John could see she was already penning in the order details into her console from reading their minds.
Still, they answered it regardless.
Then, as they progressed forwards in line, the conversation continued.
"You know, I've been thinking," Rodney started.
"That's never a good sign," John quipped.
"Ha ha," Rodney said flatly, "I've been thinking about the whole hypothetical relocation problem. Going by history, we know enforcing segregation by race is a bad idea, but the SGC's had a history of relocating people off of uninhabitable worlds, or taking cities of refugees and placing them elsewhere. Why can't we just do that with this Earth C?"
"And play into the narrative we want their planet for resources?" Tyzias asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Nah," Rodney shook his head. "And then we leave the people who stayed behind alone. Just, pluck up all our resources in the system- including the Midway Bridge station- and just leave 'em be."
"They have working Spaceship technology, Rodney," John says. "Why, I have no idea since they never actually went anywhere with it but their own moon, but that's just inviting them to gear up an invading force and attack everyone."
"Not unless we seal them away inside a time dilation bubble," Rodney offered. "Just take the whole system, and lock it away in a bubble of slowed time. They stay relatively frozen compared to the rest of us, and they get to live on their own tiny little rock until they decide to play nice."
"The power requirements would be unsustainable for long term, Rodney," Tyizas said. "We'd have to keep replacing ZPMs so frequently it'd be better just to build a giant force shield bubble around the system instead."
"Isn't that basically what Gilgamesh's done to Earth?" Rodney asked. "Except, y'know, the other way around and with Dimensional distortions rather than forceshields." He shakes his head. "Anyways it doesn't then HAVE to be long term. We just keep them frozen until we can find a way to relocate their planet away from Alternia's orbit and place it around some star in an uninhabited corner of the galaxy."
"We're not moving an entire planet, Rodney, and we're not freezing them in time or anything else like that," John said. "It's kind of the opposite of the whole 'live peacefully and don't escalate shit' policy we've been preaching for the last eight years."
"We still need to do something," Rodney said. "It's been Two Years of this nonsense. I think that ignoring the trouble makers is the best option for all of us."
And then their food orders were up, with Marinette calling their names out- "Sheppard! Entykk! Mckay! Order up!"
"We're not doing anything more than what we're doing, Rodney, and that's the end of it," John decided. "We're not repeating Earth's or Alternia's mistakes. Not after we spent almost ten years fighting the Goa'uld and the Wraith combined."
"Fine," Rodney said. "But watch as this backfires on us majorly because we weren't being proactive enough. Especially with Gilgamesh hanging around. Who knows when he's going to do something to cause us trouble."
"Kiramei Stone Deposits..." Garuza gazed at the projection of the world that he'd sensed his brother's meddling on. "In the Pegasus Galaxy."
The projection zoomed in to show a quarry site outside of a ruined city. They were digging for the minerals there.
"Wow," Kurantula stared at the screen through his absurdly double masked mask. "They're really digging for it, aren't they?"
"The rest of the planet has no other deposits of the like," Garuza observed. "My Brother must have reincarnated on this world at some point in the thousand years since Crystalia's fall, and retained enough of his memories to artificially spark their growth on this planet."
He could sense a familiar energy on that planet. A piece of the Speed Titan was being reborn there.
Garuza's fists clenched tight. Not if HE had anything to say about it. He turned his back to the projection, and gazed at the dark bubble of magic surrounding the Black Kiramei Stone- Mashin Jouki. "Kurantula," he began, "I want you to prepare one of my masks for a Tentacle Monster, and force it to grow."
"Wh- Already!?" Kurantula asked, surprised. "But that's quite the escalation!"
"If my niece had the Kiramei Stones in her possession, and gave them to whoever is now mining for even More of that mineral..." Garuza shook his head. "It's already a risk I'm going to have to take. We have to destroy the planet. Destroy those Kiramei stones before they can be unearthed."
"Well... I guess so!" Kurantula frowned, his green-painted lips pursing in thought. "I think I've got just the mask for the task!" He laughed and then skipped over to a terminal- feet splashing in the darkened water of the flooded, and expanded SGC Gate Room before he arrived at his destination and summoned up a display of mask images. "What do you think about drowning them in the sorrows of darkness?" He selected an image of a water faucet.
Garuza gazed at it, then gave a grunt of approval. "Prepare the beast."
"Aye aye, Garuza! I should have it ready by tomorrow afternoon!" Kurantula chipperly laughed. "Oh! This is going to be so much fun!"
Garuza had his doubts about such statements. He wasn't in this for fun...
He was in this to restore Crystalia's people to a whole.
All he had to do was wait until he looped back to his past self to save him in the first place, and then...
And THEN...
Well. It was a good thing that Gilgamesh didn't assign any mind readers to the area to observe his progress, otherwise Gilgamesh might think twice about even actively following along with the idea in the first place.
Even had Kurantula the ability to gaze into Garuza's mind, he'd flinch back in shock, and decry him to be a scary monster, and THAT was saying something going by how gleefully the Mofang was going along with the sudden switch to pure and total evil villainy.
Garuza observed quietly as his accomplice gleefully praised himself for designing a giant water faucet mask for a giant jellyfish monster. That one had something of an Ego Problem to say the least, and Garuza was going to exploit it for every ounce he could squeeze out of it,
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 13TH, 2012.
Atsuya stared at the door to the Project Ranger Classroom with no small sense of trepidation etched on his face.
He swallowed...
“Hey, Atsuya...” Fiya said, hovering over his shoulder. “You’re not chickening out at the last moment now, are you?”
“No,” the Athosian boy answered. “I’m just... savoring the last bits of my old normal life before a new normal starts up. New page, new sketchbook.”
He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then took a step towards the classroom door.
The lantean sensors swept the thing open immediately, and unleashed a symphony of early morning chatter into the air.
Atsuya was nearly swept backwards by it all. Some eyes glanced over at him- their eyes widening as they saw the Morpher on his wrist and the Kiramei Stone at his side- and whispers quickly began to spread.
But not one among them was Doctor Gina Kae or the four other Kiramagers and their partners- who looked up with smiles on their faces.
Atsuya began to panic, but it wasn’t their expressions, or the whispers, or anything like that behind it. No, the amount of Glitter and Sparkle and Shine within the Classroom nearly blinded him with its various intensities.
One table over there looked like it was nothing but swirling wind and thunder. Another table over there looked like swirling storms of elemental magic. A table there had digitized sparkles and another here had sparkle auras the shapes of wild animals.
It was almost too much to bare.
“Mister Atsuya,” Doctor Kae began, drawing his attention and giving him something to focus on. “I’m glad you could join us. Please come up to my desk for a moment so we can discuss a few things before class begins?”
“Th-Thank you, Ma’am,” Atsuya quickly headed that way, trying not to look at anyone else until he arrived at the desk at the front of everything.
“Here are a few of the most relevant information packets that you’ve missed- the only ones excluded are things I feel you already have a grasp on,” Doctor Kae said. “Also...” With a swish and a flick of her wrist, she decaptchalogued a pair of eyewear glasses. The main lenses seemed clear, but the frames were a near translucent shade of blue and looked like crystal. “A Welcome Gift. I’d imagine your innate power can be somewhat distracting at times, and so I whipped these up. Give them a try, and tell me if they help.”
Atsuya took the glasses, and slid them on over his eyes- and suddenly, the sparkling aura around Gina Kae vanished.
Atusya blinked, and took the glasses off again. The sparkles were back. Back on, and he looked around the room...
And the room was full of teenagers without sparkles. sparkles he knew were there, but...
“How...?” He turned to the Doctor, and she gave him a smile.
“When you deal with exotic Zillyium powers and deal with the universal Biofield as I’ve dealt with it, A little imagination, some KIramental, and a few spare scraps of Kiramei stone from the quarry site, can go a long way” Doctor Kae answered.
“Thank you, thank so very much,” Atsuya gave a curt bow as was only polite.
“I want my students to be able to focus on class, Mister Atsuya,” Doctor Kae answered curtly, but then added, “That said, you’re welcome. Why don’t you head on over to your team and join them at your table?” She motioned upwards.
“Of course,” Atsuya took the paperwork he’d been assigned and headed up to the Kiramager Table.
“First Day in Class and already saddled with Homework,” Nepeta lamented, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he sat down. “You have my deepest sympathies!”
“The Glasses look good on you!” Harley said with a smile.
“Very pretty!” Heliko cheered.
As the group began to fall into some natural rythms of talking with eachother, Gina smiled, feeling that things were going to be alright. (She missed, however, how Tomo started chewing at their hair due to the angle.)
Then, the bell rang, and it was time for class to continue.
Gina took a moment, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly as she stood from her chair. "Alright, everyone. The situation has changed dramatically. Yesterday, we had what's sure to be the first major monstrous attack on any of the three galaxies' major holdings in years." She took a moment to let that sink in, gazing at everyone across the room. "Yes, we had an attack on Haven this last week, but that was a raid pure and simple. The attack yesterday on Old Athos was deliberate, and it was planned, and it was intentional. The attack was stopped, and for the moment, all is calm. However..."
She took a moment, steeling herself.
"Once more, for those of you that haven't seen combat, I'm going to offer you all a chance to leave." Gina said. "This entire program was first and foremost meant for fun, and as a way for people to burn off steam and energy. At worst, I'd imagined all this perparation and training was for natural disaster rescues at best. The Zords, honestly, were just filling in the checkboxes of the formula!" She took a breath. "We know now that there's an enemy lurking and designing dangerous intent for our current way of life. So again, please, I'm begging you all who haven't fought yet to reconsider joining this fight." She motioned at the door.
Atsuya looked around at the room, taking off his glasses to observe for a moment... And he didn't see anyone flatering or moving to leave.
"Ma'am," an alternian, rust blooded teen stood then from the table Rose Egbert's Team was sitting at. She was Serara Meiiko, and Atsuya nearly did a double take at how similar she seemed to Miss Aradia Megido. She was also wearing a blue themed outfit, matching her teammate's Red, Yellow, Green, Pink (Rose) and a girl in gold and navy.
"Yes, Miss Meiiko?" Gina asked.
"You've given us the chance to bail out before. We didn't turn it down then," Serara said, "and we won't turn it down again."
"Damn right we wont!" the Fae girl with pirple-blue hair wearing red at their table stood as well. "I'm Miko Kubota! I'm a Power Ranger now! I've got Legit Magic and I'm not backing down now from any fights!"
The human boy in green- Hector Nieves- raised his hand. "Neither am i!"
"Serara, Miko, and Hector raise valid points," Rose stood. "But I was there to see that attack happen, Doctor Kae. Even if I wanted to, I can't leave. And I won't."
The blonde haired fae in yellow- Fargo Kelsei- stood at their table. "Like hell we're leaving now. There's badguys who want to hurt us to fight back against!"
And then the girl in gold and blue- Madison Miller- stood as well, "If my Uncle Rodney can fight against badguys, then so can I. If my cousin Kaylee gets to fight monsters, Then So Do I!"
Gina looked around the room, took in everyone's similarly determined expressions, and then nodded. "Very well then. But I want you all to understand and commit to these rules of engagement going forwards."
She waited for the Mystic Force team to settle down, then she spoke:
"You will fight ONLY to defend from this point forwards! You will not agress anyone who surrenders or is not fighting to begin with!
"You will NEVER Escalate a fight unless your enemy escalates it first! That means No Zords Until you have a giant sized enemy to fight! And that also means...
"You will NOT use your powers against civilians unprovoked! Only Morph if your life is threatened, but nothing more unless they escalate further and are a threat to others.
"You will NOT use your powers for your own personal gain at the expense of another living being! Goofing off? Training? Fine. Actively using your Ranger Powers to manipulate your own life's fortune is Forbidden.
"Finally! If you catch any of your teammates violating these rules, you will remind them of the rules, and make things Right with offended parties." Gina took a breath.
"Are we clear?"
"CRYSTAL CLEAR!" The room calls out as one.
"Good, then," Gina adjusted her lab coat's collar, and made to sit down again. "Let's get started on reviewing the battle footage from yesterday, shall we?"
Before that, she went for the door clicker only to have someone run into the room- he was a teenaged boy of asian looking descent with a Jaffa marking on his forehead.
Gina glanced up, "Yes?"
"Sorry I'm late," the Jaffa said, "I'm Sakurada, Hiromu."
"Ah, Mister Sakurada," Gina smiled. "You are indeed late. Miss Tsurugi informed me of the family emergency preventing you from joining the class." She eyed him, then, looking to Atusya at the table, "Atsuya, be a dear and tell me if there are any teams whom his aura matches?"
Atsuya did so, removing his glasses, and then glancing around the room... "Them," he pointed to a table where a girl in yellow and a somewhat older teen in blue were sitting together alone.
"Very well then, thank you, Atsuya," Gina said, then, looking to the late entry, "Mister Sakurada, please sit down at the Go-Busters team table. Your morpher will be provided to you shortly. Your new teammates can fill you in on what you've missed."
She smiled to herself as she waited a moment for any more late entries to the class, of which there were none. 'Well,' she thought, 'that's one more team position filled. But just what is it with Reds and their propensity for showing up late?'
She shook her head, and then sealed the classroom doors before beginning the lesson.
"So." Keiko Ayano began as the Atlantis Command Staff gathered in the briefing room, a short time after the Ranger Clases for the day concluded. "I think we can safely say that Gilgamesh's forces have made their opening move."
Karkat Vantas grunted, and threw an image taken from Davis' shaky-cam footage onto the nearest monitor with a tap to a hologram emerging from the KI device on his left hand. "We're codenaming it Faucet Fluthulu, for lack of a better name."
The water-faucet headed super Jellyfish thing could be seen smashing through a building.
"Geeze, that's pretty retro," John Sheppard observed. "Minus the whole, uh... Weird Mask thing. Is anyone else disconcerted by that?'
"Extremely," Rodney grouched.
“So, before we get into the nitty gritty of it,” Keiko started. “What’s the damage?”
"Physically, The historical dig has been suspended for now as structural engineers gauge the structural integrity of some of the damaged buildings," Aradia Megido said. “However, the monster- Faucet Fluthulu-” she only flinched slightly saying the name, and briefly shook her head to clear the cringe. “Did not damage much we pegged as historically relevant. A lot of the damaged areas had been already examined and catalogued, and important relics had been evacuated. That said, there were more target rich areas that were avoided. It could have been much worse.”
“Emotionally, my people are shaken,” Teyla Emmagan began. “We had a few deaths during the attack, but they seem to have been more from stupidity rather than intentional malice on the part of the attacking monsters.”
“What, like climbing ontop of a building in the monster’s path?” Ronon Dex asked, clicking a pen idly.
“Exactly that, actually,” Teyla shook her head in disbelief. “One such group were rescued by the Red Ranger who was on duty that day.”
“Which brings us to the main reason I’m here,” Doctor Gina Kae said, opening her KI device, and throwing up images onto a monitor. “I’m pleased to report that Project Kiramager is officially active.”
Profile images of the five rangers’ civilian identities appeared on screen, along side images of their zords doing battle with the monster. A pause went through the room as everyone recognized faces. They knew that those four in particular were joining the Ranger Program, but to suddenly have the first blood of combat be spilled thanks to them specifically was...
Disconcerting.
“I’m not... Happy,” John said with a grimace, “that I know four of those faces personally. Who’s the fifth?”
“An Athosian, Atsuya of the Jurul clan,” Teyla explained. “His father works with Halling and I on many leadership issues. Their family has prided itself on serving as Historians for our people off and on over the centuries... I think dating back to the last time that city was properly inhabited, even.”
“Funny, that,” Tyzias griped. “So do we know what the monster was after?”
“Yes,” Gina said, moving up new images. “While digging outside the city, a crew’s scanners discovered a massive wellspring of a mineral deposit- the same Mineral the Mashin are made out of- KIramei Stone.”
Everyone who hadn’t been aware of the discovery sat to attention- namely, everyone except Keiko, Aradia, Argo, and John.
“Wait, wasn’t that the magic shape-shifting Naquadria alloyed rock that made making those Zords possible?” Rodney asked.
“It is, and it’s why I ordered a specialized team to begin excavating for it fully once we realized what we had,” Gina elaborated. “We were slated to begin completely unearthing the largest of the four deposits yesterday, and I wanted the Kiramagers present incase something happened. I thought I was being paranoid, but...”
“It was good thinking,” Keiko said. “After all the shit we’ve lived through, I’m glad that instinct kicked in when it did.”
“That said, my quick thinking is probably why we didn’t get any advanced notice from the Seers of the attack,” Gina said.
“And we’re sure it’s not like what happened with Damara back in the day, right?” Rodney asked. “Because seer-blackout powers are going to be a pain to work around if that’s the case.”
Keiko answered there, “I’ve talked with Terezi and Cassandra and neither reported seeing anything that would’ve been worth reporting because, respectively, the attack was seen thwarted without any need for meddling, and because there weren’t bad vibes to work against.”
“Ah, damn,” Rodney frowned.
“So either whoever this Gilgamesh guy is knew what the Kiramei Stones are,” John summarized, “or he’s got someone working for ‘im who does.”
“Or they’ve got Seers of their own,” Rodney guessed. “Or they have time travel. Or can access parallel dimensions. Honestly, the list of possibilities is so large we might as well not even bother guessing.”
“I agree, it doesn’t matter,” Ronon said. “Fact is, they know what the Kiramei stuff is and they want it either for themselves, or to destroy it.” He spun the pen around, then tossed it firmly into an empty coffee cup. “So that just leaves one question. What are our plans for stopping this shit before it gets out of hand and more people get hurt?”
All eyes glanced at Rodney, and he glanced around. “What? We’re clearly working on limited information right now. We might as well be square one against the Replicators again.”
Allmost everyone then turned to Tyzias, who simply said ‘tch’ In response- An implied ‘Why are you looking at me for?’
Teyla coughed politely. "If my assumptions are correct, I believe I may have something."
Everyone looked to her, and she sighed, preparing to explain.
"We believe this Gilgamesh man that General Landry and the surviving SGC staff encountered to be some kind of inter-dimensional energy being, correct?" Teyla asked.
"Going off of the descriptions they all gave me," Karkat spoke up, "it sounds like he's some kind of spirit possessing a Wraith's body."
"We all remember the Alternate Timeline Jade who survived Atlantis' flooding, correct?" Teyla asked.
"Hard to forget that," John grimaced.
"There's a folk story among my people, and I believe it may have been about her," Teyla said. "It is said that an adventurer came upon a world in her travels, where the spirits of the dead would possess the living, but there were grave consequences to those who were possessed if the possession ran on for a long time. Finding that the spirits cared little if they killed their bodies, and finding that those killed became vengeful spirits who took to possessing more people to attempt to regain their mortality."
"Ugh. That sounds uncomfortably plausible," Aradia grimaced. "Especially if they were like Anubis, and got stuck Half ascended, and forced to possess objects and people to interact with our plane."
"Indeed," Teyla nodded. "The story goes on that the adventurer created a weapon that she could use on the spirits, and did so, forcing them to not only leave the mortal plane, but to completely pass on into the next life instead. There was a finality about it that I think implied it was not Ascension."
"Sounds like the Saangrael," Mckay observed. "Probably some kind of wavelength generator targeted at half-ascended spririts on our plane, or maybe something that replicates the Rust Blood Techniques for passing spirits onto their next lives."
Aradia nodded. "I could see alt Jade replicating that."
Argo looked to Telya, and said, "She had to hide the weapon from the Ancients, didn't she?"
"Yes," Teyla answered. "The story goes that the more proper Ancestral Spirits who were at peace in the afterlife were enraged by her developing the device and tried to strike it and her down. But, she separated the device into pieces, and scattered them across the Galaxy, where none could dare hope to reassemble it."
"And that's our survivor Jade's M.O., alright," Tyzias said. "Anyone remember Minkata?"
Keiko and Daraya shuddered at the memory.
"This legend wouldn't happen to have a list of handy dandy gate addresses, would it?" John asked.
"Not for some time," Teyla shook her head. "But I believe if we can find an older version of the Myth either in the Old Athos City's historical archives, or in the Frog Temple on the Jurrasic World."
"Well," John sat up. "I guess the next question is 'Who's up to tangle with the Dinos again?'"
When nobody besides Ronon immediately volunteered, Gina then said, “Well, until you figure that part out, Project Ranger will be there to stop the attacks where-ever they appear. Let’s try to make it not an extended bout, shall we?”
It didn't take long to find volunteers, though.
The Atlantis Stargate spun up, dialing away, as John Sheppard, Ronon Dex, and the entirity of Atlantis Recon team Nine stood at the ready.
"Jurassic World, Huh?" Maka Albarn asked, readying her long disused P-90. "Remind me, Isn't this place on the no-dial list for a reason?"
"It's a nature preserve for extinct animals who went and died on Earth, and the Ancients brought back to life," Alloyd "Lloyd" Armadn answered, similarly readying his weapon.
There hadn't been much of a need for Atlantis' Recon Teams to carry weapons with them off world since the defeat of the Wraith- however, this specific world was a keen exception to the rule- no-one was allowed on it without carrying a weapon for the very specific reason of what was on it.
Dinosaurs.
Lots and lots of dinosaurs, taken from Earth and put there by the Ancients.
That was why it was called Jurassic World.
John grunted, "Given that we weren't ever really able to re-activate the sonic shields that kept the Stargate area clear of Dinos, we figured it'd be best just to keep visits to the place to a minimum once we'd investigated everything we thought the other Jade had left for us to find."
"But that's why I'm here," Akita Red said, lifting her left wrist and twisting it to highlight her Bracelet. "Communion Crystal should let us slip on by any hungry dinos without much trouble."
WAAA WAA! KAWOOOOSH!
"Well, that's our cue," Samual "Soul" Ehvans said, squaring his shoulders, and readying for travel.
"Weapons ready just in case," John said, and with a the classic whine of energy from Ronon's gun being charged, the six of them- three humans, one Fae, and two Alternians- stepped through the Stargate.
The wormhole effects flashed by on screen, warping around as our perspective leaps from Atlantis towards a certain jungle covered planet elsewhere in the Pegasus Galaxy.
With a flash of light, the team exited the Stargate, kneeling in position as they surveyed the land around the gate.
It was quiet. Nothing but forest framing a small grass filled clearing. It was night time here on the planet, however, and that implied everything that could possibly want to eat them was only limited to night-dwellers.
Akita's wolf ears twitched, and she said, "I don't hear any Dinosaurs in the area for the moment."
"Good," John said. "Let's hope it stays that way as we head to the temple."
They began heading through the forest, towards The Frog Temple that loomed over the tops of the trees that they could barely see.
“Maaan! Training was harsh today!” Harley lamented as she and Tomo slipped into the Sheppard-Jackson family appartment, their partners following behind them.
Both of them looked tired, sweaty, and utterly defeated after an afternoon of Ranger Team VS Ranger Team training action that had followed after the dissection of yesterday's battle footage- gathered from various sources including the 3D world scanning cameras built into the Kiramager's morphers.
“I know...” Tomo whined, massaging at their left shoulder. “My back hurst so much. I think I gotta release the biomorph spell on my wings.”
“How long have you been holding that for anyways?” Harley asked, frowning.
“Probably way too long?” Tomo answered with a frown.
“Tell ya what, we were gonna take a shower anyways, right?” Harley gave a caring smile, and bumped shoulders with her matesprit. “Pop those wings loose and I’ll give ‘em a massage’n’preen, yeah?”
“Alright,” Tomo smiled, a blush coming to her face from something other than exhaustion. “That sounds... really good. Actually.”
And thus, the two of them quickly went to the shower, and soon the sounds of water started running while the two Kiramei Stones rested down on the dining room table.
“Those two... are not subtle at all, are they?” Shovellow asked.
“It’s... somewhat embarassing to hear Lady Harley crying out for Lady Tomo during... the night,” Mahha admitted. “Admittedly, I’ve taken to abusing the communication system to hijack My Lady’s music player at night.”
“Ahaha...” Shovellow laughed, nervously. “Tomo’s not so bad on that front! Though I think it doesn’t help that their dads are, uh--”
“EEP! Harley! Not there! Not while I’m *standing* in the shower!! I’m ticklish!”
“Woops! Sorry! I’ll let you sit down first...”
The two Kiramei Stones glanced at eachother.
“Ahhem. Enthusiastic,” Shovellow finished. “I think we both were a little uneasy after last night. Tomo was the one wearing headphones- actually those are pretty neat! They’re like- big ol cat ear mittens!”
“Oh, yes, I think I’ve seen Lady Harley’s pair lying on a dresser somewhere. I was wondering what they were. Ear Warmers perhaps?” Mahha gave the indication of a shrug by partially lifting and lowering the top half of his gemstone along the fold line.
“Hahah! Ear warmers! That’s great!” Shovellow laughed, falling over onto her side. “Warming the ears with the smooth jazz tracks of the- uh- what era was Smooth jazz from?”
“How should I know? We time traveled,” Mahha answered with another shrugging motion. “If you’re curious enough maybe you should look it up on that Internet thing they use to communicate with?”
“Eehhh... I would, but then I saw what Heliko got into and... just between you and me?” Shovellow righted herself and leaned in close to Mahha. “Her sudden obsession with spanking kind of unnerved me a bit yesterday!”
“Oh thank the Princess it wasn’t just me weirded out by that,” Mahha sighed in relief.
And then both stones paused as they heard Tomo let out a loud moan of a hard to describe emotion for the Kiramei Stones- Pleasure mixed with relief, Mahha supposed- Followed by Harley asking, “That make your back feel better now?”
“Yes! Goooood. My wings were getting so cramped I can’t believe nnnnnhhh!” Tomo answered. “Yes, yes! That’s the spot! Right there at the base of ‘em...”
Shovellow then asked, very quietly, “...Since when did Tomo have wings?”
“I suppose that answers how long she’s been hiding them, then,” Mahha said. “Because I can’t remember ever seeing them with them.”
Both of them tried to ignore how impoilite the noises from the shower were getting, even though all four of them knew the activities going on were strictly PG in the most innocent of senses.
After all, Tomo and Harley would undoubtedly be getting into the more not-so-innocent matesprit-y stuff in the privacy of Harley’s bedroom after they were done with the shower and weren’t in danger of slipping and falling on wet tile.
But that’s not our focus at all in these trying times.
Let’s see what the other three are up to!
"EEEEQUUIIIIUUUSS!"
Equius and his mother Konyyl flinched as they heard their father/husband (respectively) yelling out from the front door of their house on Diaspora.
"Oh boy," Konyyl said as the lanky yellow blood with blue and teal eyes strolled into the dining room where the two of them were sitting down for dinner.
"Guess who just got you the best job ever?" Azdaja Knelax grinned. He jabbed two thumbs at his neck, below the folds of his jacket collar, and popped the edges up to stand tall. "Me!"
Equius and Konyyl stared at him silently.
Azdaja just grinned, hands on hips, and beamed, "Ain't I the greatest Dad Eveer??"
Konyyl facepalmed. "Daja, you're a real idiot sometimes," she said. "You know I love you, but we've Talked About This. Explain first, Boast Later."
"Fine fine!" Azdaja decaptchaed a set of paperwork. "There was a talent scout at your play this weekend! He thinks you've got what it takes to play a staring role in an anthology film!"
Equius took it and looked it over. It was a script treatment and a few disclosure agreements...
The script was pretty interesting. The idea was to focus on this one family's history over the course of thousands of years- with the same actors playing future generations of the same families.
Equius was apparently wanted to play what, in the first anthology/act, was apparently the role of some kind of Magnanimous Lord.
It was certainly an interesting concept, to say the least.
"Very well," Equius said. "I'm willing to consider it as long as it doesn't interfere with my Ranger duties."
Adazja flashed another dazling grin. "I already ran a check with Cassie! There's no bad vibes about that if you take this deal!"
Konyyl frowned, spotting the name of the production company- Watson Films- and finding it oddly familiar. "Where exactly are they filming this movie exactly, Daja?"
"A few places, here and there..." Azdaja answered, which wasn't really an answer.
Resting quietly on the table, unnoticed by the family dynamics going on, Jetta could only sit there and think, "Man, Aniki's so cool he gets recruited for films without even auditioning!"
The gemstone sparkled, and Equius gave his partner a small smile at the sight.
Atsuya gazed at his own reflection in the mirror. "Is... Is this really necessary?" He asked, wearing an outfit that he really did not feel he needed or wanted.
It was so far out of the usual style of Athosian culture and not even Atlantian either. That was, of course, due to the fact that Nepeta had dragged him to some kind of clothing store on the planet Lopan, in the Alternia Galaxy.
"Heh," Nepeta flashed him a coy grin. "You bet it's necessary! Those Glasses ain't exactly Athosian chique, after all."
"Well, she's right about that," Fiya remarked, hovering over the small stack of already discarded clothes Nepeta had gathered for Atsuya to try on- a stack that Heliko was rolling around in, giggling with glee. "Those fancy lenses fit you more as a Kiramager than as a hunter."
"Yeah, but..." Atsuya motioned at the mirror. "I don't think making me look like... uh... what even style is this?! This really isn't me at all!"
"Umm... Fashionista Captain Hook?" Nepeta answered, and then winced. "Yeah, you're right! Damn it! What was I thinking with this one!" She then reached out her hands, "Gimme that stupid red shit! I'll find you something that matches better!"
Atsuya hung his head as he handed back the oversized jacket... and the absurd red hat with the goofy wide brim AND a super long and white, billowing feather.
She stormed off once they were in hand, and Atsuya could only stare after her. "...Can't I just wear the team uniform when we go out?"
"When we're on duty, sure," Nepeta said. "But what about when the bunch of us are just hanging out on our own?"
"...We can do that?" Atsuya asked.
"Of course we can do that, why couldn't we?" Nepeta asked, glancing back at him from behind a coat rack as she searched through it for different red pieces of overwear. "Your parents aren't that super restrictive, are they?"
"No, it's just..." Atsuya's right hand reached across his stomach and grasped at his left wrist. "I never really had much free time as a kid, growing up. If we weren't learning a family trade, we were playing hunter-gatherer, or learning other skills. Everything was always in motion. It never felt like I had the free time to just... hang out with kids my own age, you know?"
"You had to be, what, eight, when the Wraith were defeated?" Nepeta frowned, leaving the coat rack only with a small red vest. (Heliko stopped in her rolling, and sat up to attention.)
Atsuya nodded. "Yeah. About that."
"So... good grief, you had to be three when Atlantis first came to Pegasus?" Nepeta sat down on a bench, and Atsuya moved to sit down next to her.
"I know I was born on Old Athos, and I know I lived there for the first few years of my life," Atsuya frowned. "But... I don't remember it. I remember the Atlantis Gate Room, I remember the city rising... I remember the First Mainland, and then New Athos. I can remember being kidnapped by Medea and Ford. I remember the Stargates Exploding." He shuddered. "And I had nightmares. So many nightmares. But... But then it was all over. And we were free of it all. The Wraith were dead and everything just... It was so normal. But it felt so alien at the same time!"
Nepeta nodded. "It was a lot like that for me too, growing up. Momma'Kuri's a Gate General, leader of the Rebellion, founder of a whole new way of life!" She reached an arm out into the air, grasping at a distant ceiling lamp. "They tried to keep us from knowing what was going on, you know? Like, me and Eq, and Rose, and June, Harley and Tomo... We knew stuff was going on but we... we were just kept out of the loop. They didn't want us growing up with... with that life haunting us. They did a good job, but still... We knew stuff was happening." She laughed, a little hollowly, lowering her hand down to her waist, "I mean. you'd have to be blind to not notice that Harley's mom isn't exactly her Mom, biologically."
Atsuya blinked. "You mean Miss Jackson?" He'd seen her sparkles before, during those times that she was on New Athos. Come to think of it... Harley hadn't been there when Sheppard, Lalonde, and Jackson lived on their world with them, had she?
Nepeta nodded. "Time Travel! They're actually alternate selves from parallel timelines. Their bio-mom died when they were born, so..."
Atsuya blinked again, and then looked down at his feet. "I had no idea."
"They're not the only ones. Tomo, June, Rose, they've all got alt-selves wandering around Atlantis somewhere. But we grew up with it," Nepeta continued. "And they did tell us once we were old enough to understand. It was normal for us..."
Atsuya looked up towards her, uncertain where she was going with this.
"But it's not really normal for anyone else." Nepeta paused, "Heck, before they changed their name, Tomo and I shared the name Nepeta. It was just one of those weird coincidences, y'know? But it was so weird when their otherselves went to Atlantis. Suddenly they were gone, living their own adventures. And then we could go and visit them after a while. And then Earth-that-Was vanished and..."
Heliko watched as her partner shuddered, and the Kiramei Stone took off towards her, nestling in next to Nepeta's neck and nuzzling to pass on her own warmth.
Nepeta reached her right hand up, gently cradling Heliko against her, and gave a sad smile. "It's crazy, Atsuya. We try not to think about it, but a whole planet just Ceased To Exist for Eight Years, and everyone we know had some part in it, someway or another. I remember Momma'Kuri crying a couple nights after the news reached us and Momma Marsti just... held her. Let her vent... I remember her saying stuff like, 'How could we get everything so right except for this one thing?'"
She glanced down at the morpher on her wrist, the simple wheel-themed device resting there, waiting to be used, thrumming with power.
"And now we've got to deal with the aftermath of that fight, because Earth Came Back, and some golden bastard's doing something to that planet, and he sent a Monster to Old Athos, and we fought it, and we killed it. And we're not going to be the only ones dealing with that, because everyones talking about how this guy's going to attack everywhere that he can- and he's already gone after Haven for some reason too! So..." Nepeta frowned. "So..." She looked to Atsuya. "So of course we've got to make time to hang out together. Of course we've got to take time away from the Job. Because that's what this is. It's a Job. We're going to fight and kill monsters. And we're going to get paid for it, too."
"We're getting paid?" Atsuya asked.
"What? You thought it was just a class and we did it for free?" Nepeta asked, frowning in confusion.
"Uh, sorry, that was meant as a joke," Atsuya said, bowing his head in apology. "Fiya explained to my Parents that we were going to get paid for fighting monsters. 'Now that it wasn't just a Hypothetical what-if!'" He said the last part with a slight change in voice that seemed to match Fiya's own voice, which made the Red Kiramei stone pulse slightly.
"Oh!" Nepeta's face flushed green, out of embarassment. "Sorry, I didn't realize."
"No, I'm sorry, that was my poor attempt at humor. I really shouldn't have tried that..." Atsuya's face flushed red, similarly out of embarassment.
"It's alright, both of you!" Heliko chimed in. "I think it's cute how you're both blushing mad like this, though! Keep it up!!!"
The two teens sputtered at Heliko's remarks, and Fiya gave a brief chuckle.
"Ah-" Nepeta coughs. "Anyways!"
Heliko giggled, and Nepeta chose to ignore her.
"R-Right," Atsuya nodded. "You were saying?"
"Yeah!" Nepeta nodded as well, unnecessarily. "Yeah. Of course we're all going to hang out, outside of team stuff! We've got to have that downtime or else we'll burn ourselves out! I realized that much watching everyone else while I was growing up."
Atsuya considered that for a moment, then, eyed the vest that Nepeta had forgotten and left on her lap...
"Can I try that on next?" He asked.
"Sure," Nepeta hands the vest over.
"Ah," Fiya mused to himself, "now there's some fine sparks of team bonding right there."
About an hour or two later, the four members of AR-9 were feeling exhausted and didn't have much to show for it.
"Anyone find anything yet?" John's voice came over the radio.
"I'm not finding anything obvious in the data files here," Maka said into her radio as she sat in an office chair she'd brought with her, idly scrolling through the many, many, MANY data logs that the other Jade Jackson had left behind, detailing her time in the distant past. "There's a lot about everything, but... nothing about any spirit weapons."
"If the Ancients were after her to destroy the thing, it's not like she'd keep an obvious record of it for us to find," Soul said, leaning over his wife's shoulder to gaze at the screen, after having given up on his own search.
"Try checking for anything to do with the Old Athosian City," John suggested. "If you can't find anything there, we'll call it a night."
"Understood," Maka said, and changed her search perameters.
Elsewhere in the room full of ancient (as in old) technology, Lloyd and Akita gazed at a wall of carvings the other timeline's Jade had left behind.
"You can really tell she missed her John and Argo," Akita said, running her hand along a carving of the three of them in a group.
"Yeah," Lloyd frowned, eyeing a different part of the mural. "Hey, Akita, think you can give me a lift to that part up there?" He asked, motioning at a high part on the wall, almost impossible to see.
"Sure," Akita wrapped her arms around her friend's waist, spread her wings, and took into the air.
The light from her wings was enough to illuminate the part of the wall in question much better than anything else had, and Lloyd got a good look at the carvings left there.
Lloyd took out his KI and took a few pictures for better examining later, but the surface details he was seeing now was enough to validate his hunch because Akita spotted it before he could say it.
"Are those buttons?" She asked.
"Yep," Lloyd gazed at the series of nine rectangular buttons laid out in what looked to be a stylized Stargate design. It looked like it was evoking the old SGC Stargate, complete with a spiral shield Iris.
From the ground it would look like it was just carved stone to replicate it. But up close, it was clear the oddly rectangular chevrons were really buttons, and that the Iris part definitely looked like it could move.
"Let's swap," Lloyd said.
"Sure," Akita said, and then let go of Lloyd.
There was a flash of Green light a moment later, and Lloyd's dragon aura kicked in, giving Akita something solid to stand on, and Lloyd the ability to free-float in the air without aid.
He sat down within the projection of his power, and opened his KI to closely examine the images he'd taken. There were engravings at the inside bottom edge of each 'card' and decorating each chevron were constellations in specific shapes- dots connected with lines.
"Let's see... if I'm reading these engravings right, the chevrons are labled with roles. Saber, Berserker, Lancer, Rider, Archer, Caster, Ruler... Archer?" He stopped. "Then there's an Assassin too, but why are there Two Archers?"
"Strange," Akita gazed at the nine card like chevrons. "It's probably a puzzle lock. We're supposed to know the right order for the roles, as well as which Archer is the right Archer to press."
"If this is what we're looking for, it's probably got something to do with the Myth," Lloyd reasoned. "Let's get back to Atlantis and see what Aradia, Teyla, and Mckay have dug up."
"So... There are forces prepared to fight against us," GIlgamesh mused as he watched a recording of Garuza's freebie monster's destruction.
"Indeed," Garuza said. "I believe these warriors, armed with the Mashin vehicles of my homeworld, are the reason you saw fit to complete the timeloop bringing me into the fold to begin with."
Gilgamesh nodded, swirling his wine glass around. "I concur. These Mongrels know not what they meddle with. We will have to constrain them somewhere specific, unimportant in the grand scheme of things, yet still a thorn in my side regardless."
"And where would that be, my King?" Garuza asked.
Gilgamesh stood, and summoned an image of a planet over-top the projected video of defeat. "This planet in the Alternia Galaxy... It shares a Symbolic Root Origin with this planet- Earth. I dare say it's likely a duplicate from another dimension or timeline. And yet... it is not this world-line's original. It is a Fake. And I detest Fakes."
He threw his wine glass to the ground, shattering it, and spilling the crimson liquid across the floor. Garuza watched the liquid pool around the King's feet with a mild twinge of amusement.
Gilgamesh turned towards Garuza, "Unless I give you a specific mission otherwise, from here on out, Garuza, your only goal in life is to assault this planet- this 'Earth C'- and you will do unto it what the Alternians did to your home of Crystalia. Grind it into dust. Eradicate its citizens. Shatter it into so many pieces that it can never be made whole again!" He clenched his fists and then threw them out at the projection of the planet. "Destroy This Fake! And in the process, do whatever you can to make your presence known so that the warriors with these Mashin will come to fight you."
"And what shall I do with them, My King?" Garuza inquired.
Gilgamesh dismissed the image of Earth, and stared at a still image of the Mashin Zords. "Destroy the warriors, and shatter those oversized gemstones so that I may wear their essences in my very clothing."
Garuza considered those instructions, and then said, "As you wish, My King."
Gilgamesh dismissed him then, and Garuza turned to leave, musing to himself, 'Destroy the Kiramei Stones? An interesting challenge to say the least. But one I'll take at my own pace.'
After all, he might NEED those Kiramei Stones intact for his own purposes, and faking their destruction could be to his benefit. It was all a matter of playing the long game.
Gilgamesh himself left soon after, and in the silence of the room, a flicker of a cloaking field happened, revealing the red suited Enter to have been standing there the entire time.
"Destroy the fake, huh?" He asked. "My my my, what an interesting idea."
He cloaked again, and was gone.
The sun was setting on Atlantis and its sister City as the team returned, and headed to the Admin's office to report in.
"So the only lead we have is a puzzle door based off of the SGC Stargate," Keiko summarized.
"Basically," John nodded. "We'll probably need the full myth to be able to open it."
"And we probably shouldn't try meddling with it before we know the right way to open it," Maka said. "I'd imagine that it's probably booby trapped if it's hiding away the info we need for this weapon's location."
"Let's just hope that whatever it is, it's not another wild goose chase with multiple loose ends like the Saangrael hunt was," Keiko frowned. "We don't have the time to waste on something like that."
Nobody disagreed with that.
Notes:
PATCH NOTES:
A NEW scene was added post credits showing Harley heading to track.
Minor edits were made to the Heliko and Mabushiina conversation scene.
NEW: Nepeta and Heliko converse about the "Manmade Zord" excuse.
Harely's track race scene was moved ahead by a scene.
Minor change was made to Equius' Play Scene to better play off of later scenes, introducing the Talent Scout.
NEW: Jane Egbert and Jayni the cat observe the play, and the apparent Talent Scout.
EDITED/EXTENDED: The Lunch Line Scene has been significantly overhauled and rewritten to better reflect current state of Universe.
EXTENDED: Gina Kae sets out the rules of Rangering, and the Mystic Force team is reintroduced properly. Also, we get our first hint of the Go-Busters team being, well, basically expied over wholesale from Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters entirely. Hiromu's late again in this timeline too.
EDITED: Slight changes made to the Gate-out scene of AR-1 and AR-9 heading to Jurassic World to better indicate changes to the Universe Setting.
EDIT: Fixed Radio italics in the Lab Room Scene.
EDIT: Enter pokes his way back into the ending of the Garuza-Gilgamesh scene, reminding us of his presence.
---So. Why make these changes? Why pull the entire chapter to post again?
For the second question, the changes I made in some places were significant, and I wanted to ensure that readers saw them.
As for the first... Recent events in real life have given me pause to consider the story I wanted to tell before, versus the story I want to tell now. Quite a few of the changes that I've made were in an effort to better tie in future story beats more firmly into the story so they don't feel as left field as some of them did to me at the time I put the story into an update pause... which it's still in for the moment as I sort out these changes a bit more.
A few other changes were made because I'd assumed that things I thought were easily assumed and didn't need to be stated... needed to be properly stated. This is a re-establishment of the Status Quo eight years after the end of Act 7. I needed to put in the work and show the efforts and changes made- namely, without enemies to fight, Atlantis followed Diaspora's lead and began winding down military acts to the absolute bare minimum to maintain preparedness for any kind of intrusive act.
Other changes were made in light of my decision to utterly ignore Homestuck^2's story from this point on and make a LOT more hefty changes to it to better suit the story I have in mind. As well as something that someone said regarding a recent change to the HS2 website itself.
An Author needs to set expectations of what they want their story to be, and as late game as this Kiramager Adaptation is, it's still the start of a NEW story. It's why the Act nomenclature at the top is so weird. I need to put in the work to treat this as the fresh start of a story that it is, and not just assume readers of the old acts are going to assume all the changes that I'm assuming without my stating them. Plus, new readers wouldn't have any idea.
Essentially, I needed to change how I see this story in how I'm writing it.
There's also a bit of current events that has me on edge due to the fact that I realized that I was NOT prepared or qualified to tell the story I had originally intended in some ways, and I needed to drastically change those parts because I don't want to set the wrong impression with misplaced words. I've gotten into enough trouble with that in even some pretty harmless ways recently as it is and I'm more guarding against my own tendency to speak before thinking than worry about other people's thoughts and reactions to it.
Ugh, I'm probably going to rethink this stupid end notes section a dozen times after posting it but screw that. I've already worried about this enough as it is.
IDK when I'll post the next chapter, story's still on hiatus for a while. Stay sub'd, and you'll know when this story's returning to live updates.
Chapter 4: INTERMISSION: Link Weavers, Rescuers, And The Unwoven.
Summary:
In Which a meeting is held in a Cave in a Starry Expanse... Rescuers, Link Weavers, and Unwoven discuss current events.
Notes:
CW:
References to the Myst-Verse's Bahro Enslavement.
Mention of mass death and destruction.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Silver Wing stood among her colleagues in a between-space between worlds- a cave last used by her kind during their prolonged enslavement to the D'ni- when they had still been called the Bahro, and had yet to have come to their own names.
She fidgeted, adjusting her cloak over her shoulders, and looked towards Add and the newbie representative, Touches-The-Sky, quietly discussing in a corner all the things that needed to be discussed.
The Link-Weavers of the Unwritten, and the Rescuers of Releeshan were closely allied in these times. It was likely that they would vote together regarding this meeting regardless of outcome.
...It was the Unwoven who were the wild cards.
The Unwoven were a splinter of the former Bahro, and they, unlike those who came to be called Rescuers, had chosen that their style of civilization would be to remain unclothed- to not clad themselves in tapestry and cloth like the Rescuers and the Link Weavers had.
Despite many efforts over the last decade to mend relations, it seemed that there was still division between the ranks of their people. But atleast they weren't fighting eachother like before.
[I call this meeting to order,] the council woman, Sterling Claws, announced as she linked in, and everyone began to turn towards her.
[About time,] Crazz griped. [I should complain to Leader Sonnet about how these emergency meetings take forever to start.]
Silver Wing was reminded of the NID, and the Trust, back from Earth. The one that had been called Robert Kinsey. She'd read the reports, watched the videos, understood where the Tau'ri man made his aggressive moves to keep an eye out for those who acted similarly among her own people.
It really was the Unwoven she needed to be concerned by, though.
It had been long suspected, though not ever proven, that the leader of the Unwoven's group, 'Leader Sonnet', was a survivor of the Nekishal group, who had been lead into a trap and slaughtered with an explosion in the cavern of Jotunheim beneath the abandoned continent of Alfheim in another World-line.
It was entirely plausible that a select few had seen the trap coming and decided to splinter away for their own ends. But given the lack of overt warfare, the lack of hostile aggression... Well, they likely were not ones who were so hellbent on destruction in the first place.
[Let it go,] Add said, grumpily. [I'm assuming there was a development that delayed this meeting?]
[There was,] Sterling Claws nodded. [We're quite certain that the one known as 'Gilgamesh' holds in his possession an alternate dimensional version of the Tablet.]
A ripple of unease went down Silver Wing's spine. Another Tablet? Now??
[You're... you're certain of that?] Touches-The-Sky asked, hesitant.
[Our investigative agents have determined that part of the sub-spatial warping around 'Earth' is powered, in part, by the same power, if in a different flavor,] Sterling Claws explained.
[Well now,] Crazz leaned forwards, suddenly sounding concerned. [This changes things. Tell me more.]
[There is nothing much else to tell from our investigations,] Sterling Claws said. [We do not wish for any of our kind to be re-enslaved and so we pulled them back before the Tablet's influence could assert itself upon them.]
[Understandable,] Crazz nodded. [It's unfortunate. But I agree with that decision. Leader Sonnet may not, but I see where you're coming from.]
[I'm glad you agree there,] Sterling Claws looked to Silver Wing, and asked, [What of Atlantis' Response?]
Silver Wing cleared her throat, gathering her thoughts as she tried to ignore the building headache within her skull.
[They've begun investigating an old Athosian myth they believe is tied to the Time Shifted Jade Jackson who averted Atlantis' flooding,] She explained. [The story goes that there is... a weapon, of some kind, that targets spirits such as the one they believe this Gilgamesh to be.]
[Anti Spirit Weapons, eh?] Add mused, scratching at his jaw. [That could be useful.]
[They've begun researching to see if there's any indication as to the myth's validity,] Silver Wing said. [I'll keep you informed if I come upon anything.]
Notes:
I'm resuming updates going forwards. This chapter was one of two short chapters written before going on pause, but were written after the large bulk of the following chapters had been written.
Due to its short length, and the fact that the next chapter is a Helvetica Standard, the next chapter will be going up shortly after this.
Chapter 5: HS: Paradox Inhibitor.
Summary:
Revisiting a scene from Homestuck Epilogue: Candy.
Notes:
CW:
Homestuck Epilogues, Candy Timeline: Davebot Scene.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The red clad man with the aviators sneaked through the dark hallways after he exited a Transportalizer.
"Man- it's not every day you find a Transportalizer in the ruins of the White House," the man with the outrageous aviators said, awestruck.
And then he stopped as he rounded a corner because there was an obvious flash of ominous red light. Thus, he stared on to watch as an exact duplicate of himself reached out for an exact duplicate of himself- only one of which was robotic.
The robot took the rad shades off of the dead version of the man off the floor, and prepared to wear them... but paused as they locked eyes. The two stared on for several long moments.
"Awh hell," they both said in perfect synchronicity. "Someone shut off the paradox inhibitor, didn't they?"
And then with a flickery blue flash of light- the dead Dave and the Davebot both vanished from sight with a loud ZAP.
The still very much alive Dave Strider stared on for a moment before asking, quietly, to the air, "What the fuck?"
Notes:
Yes, the Helvetica Standard reference is to the awesome comedy anime Nichijou. And Yes, that was a Lilo and Stitch: the Series reference this entire snipit was based around.
Next Chapter: MSK: 01X02: Two Places, One Harley, and Bad Rugby Manners. (TRY!!)
Chapter 6: MSK: 01X02: Two Places, One Harley, and Bad Rugby Manners. (TRY!!)
Summary:
It's *Technically* Monday somewhere. ;)
Notes:
CW:
Bomb Explosions, Destruction of Infrastructure, Attacks on Civilians, Bad Rugby Manners, Jealousy, Body Dysphoria, Duplication.
Also: Moderate Picture Linkage/Embedding.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 17TH, 2012.
In the Milky Way Galaxy, The planet Earth hovered within a mess of interdimensional tangles- our camera view pushes in towards Colorado- Cheyenne Mountain specifically, and then dips through a swirling portal of darkness into the depths below.
The SGC Gate Room had been expanded as Garuza requested, and the Stargate had been duplicated and the duplicate grown, as requested.
A massive beast resided in a cage made of towering stone before that duplicated, giant Stargate. The Bechat mooks worked around the gantry near its head, lowering a giant mask down from the ceiling on hooks as they pulled it backwards, and latched the thing firmly into place atop the monsters face.
This Kaiju looking thing had thus become an Evil Masked Beast-- a Jamenju-- a name of Garuza's own declaration.
Down below on ground level, Kurantula and Garuza stood next to a kneeling Bechat as Garuza held up the mask he'd crafted some years ago as a simple attempt at early mask crafting.
A worthy sacrifice to begin attempting to draw in the Kiramagers.
The mask was placed on the Bechat's face, and a dark wave of energy overtook the creature- transforming it from a basic mook into.... well, something a bit more elite.
A glimmering cloak flowed over the shoulders, and a metallic black sheen overtook the brown of the basic body suit. And the mask? It transformed into a full on helmet shaped after what Americans might have called a string-less football, but it wasn't that at all. It was a Rugby ball.
A gleaming eye brust forth from the darkness, and the transformed Bechat- now an Evil Masked Overlord- a JAMENSHI- stood from his kneeling pose and cried out, throwing his fists into the air, "BOMBURUGBY IS HERE TO SCORE! TRYYYY!!!"
"My! My!" Kurantula laughed. "He's an enthusiastic one!"
"Bomburugby Jamenshi," Garuza ordered, "gather your finest Rugby players from among your fellow Bechats. Then... you will storm Earth C and gather the Dark Energy we need to open our Darkness Gate to send through our Jamenju to finish the job. It is a strategy that will require time, but I feel that it is our best to follow this strategy instead of how the other Generals are proceeding with growing their fallen monsters to giant size instead."
"I'll blow it all up real good!" The Jamenshi said with enthusiasm. "And I know just the men I need to run a perfect game!"
Meanwhile, in the City of Atlantis...
"Alright, Class," Doctor Gina Kae said as she triggered a transport effect to every table. PVVVM-SHING! "Now resting before each of you are several piles of a mineral we're calling Blue Diamond- a subset of Kiramei Stone. It's an extremely Morphological element, and it reacts to the ability of those around it to transform it into something else entirely. Your goal today, Rangers, is to either take your separated piles and create a personal artefact, or to combine your piles together into an even more impressive artifact."
She tapped her KI device, and a timer appeared on a wall mounted screen.
"You have forty minutes to either transform your separate piles, or discuss with your teams if you are pooling resources, and create your intended objects. You will be able to keep whatever you make." Gina said, then, clicked her KI again- "Your time starts now."
And the timer started.
"So..." At the Kiramager Table, Tomo Strider gazed at the five small piles of stone, rolling their shoulders in preparation to get to work. "This is training meant more for us than everyone else, right?"
"I'd assume so," Equius Okimai gave a curt nod.
"I think these are fragments dug up from the Athos dig," Atsuya Jurul said, eyeing the sparkling stones.
"So... what do we want to make out of it?" Nepeta Leijon asked. "I don't think these small piles could make us anything too useful."
"Yeah," Harley Sheppard nodded, staring at her pile of stones. "Maybe something like Atsuya's glasses? But maybe if we pool them we could get something more crazy."
The Five Kiramei Stones that were their partners hovered overhead, keeping uncharacteristically silent as they observed their partners at work.
"I say we Pool it," Tomo agreed.
"Definitely," Equius nodded.
The others agreed as well, and their five piles of small blue stone fragments were quickly pushed together into one pile on a single tray.
The five of them stared at the pile for several long moments.
"Man," Harley hung her head. "I just know if we don't figure this out, Doctor Kae's going to ask us to take our work home with us. I've got enough homework as it is between the rest of school stuff and Ranger training and tra- TRACK!" Harley yelped. "I forgot that I've got to sub in for Susan this weekend!"
"Subbing?" Atsuya frowned,
"What?" Tomo asked, their ears flicking upwards in surprise and shoulders jumping slightly as if wings were ruffling as well. But Tomo's wings were nowhere to be seen, just as their green hair was still dyed blonde at the present moment. "When did this happen?"
"I think I've got an idea," Atsuya said quietly, to the point only Nepeta noticed, getting out his sketchbook and rapidly drawing something.
"Just last night," Harley said. "Her Grandfather over in Catherine got put in the hospital, so she and her parents had to go and check on him. She texted me saying they'll be gone all weekend and will miss the race!!"
"Man, that sucks," Tomo huffed, and put their right hand up against their left shoulder and massaging lightly at it.
Harley frowned at that, and went to speak- but...
That's when an Alarm sounded across the room, and then Amelia Banks' voice called out over the city's intercom. "Attention, Rangers. Seer Terezi reports several attacks launching upon multiple worlds within the next ten to fifteen minutes. Deployments are being dispatched to your Morphers as I speak, please make your way to destinations as fast as you can."
Unsurprisingly, the Kiramager's Morphers rang out with an incoming message. What was more surprising though, was that every morpher in the classroom rung as well.
Gina looked around the classroom, and then said, "Well, Everyone, you heard the woman! Get going! Defend the Universe!"
The class went on the move immediately, leaving most of their items behind to be retrieved later.
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!"
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
Overlooking an Earth C Fairground was Bomburugby, his black cloak rustled only by the orange rugby ball held against his right shoulder. His collar had spiked grass sticking out of it like fur around his rugby ball shaped helmet.
"Man, these carefree idiots don't know what's about to hit them!" The Jamenshi said, eyeing a ride full of Carapacians, Humans, and Alternians riding on it.
He leaped from the bridge he stood on, and landed in a plaza, surrounded by Bechats.
It was there that we finally got a distinct look at his ugly mug- a pair of eyes should have been visible, but his left eye was battered and swolen, leaving only his right eye to gleam with an ominous yellow.
The Bechats began their stretches and their marching poses.
Civilians spotted the sudden army, and cried out, fleeing for their lives...
Well, save for a group of Football Players (That is to say, Soccer, for those Americans in the audience), who decided to march forwards.
"Hey! You lot can't be here!" the Leader of the group of players declared. "I don't care who you Cosplayers think you are! Quit fooling around and leave! We've got this field rented out for another hour!"
Bomburugby laughed in his face- "I have no idea what you're talking about! It's time for GAME START!" he drew out his game ball, dropped it and then KICKED it straight at those would-be security guards.
The Leader caught it right as the Bechats began running right at him and the other players.
The Leader stopped being a leader in that moment- throwing the ball to a subordinate and yelling, "I QUIT!"
It didn't help matters any.
The Bechats quickly overtook the group of players with tackles and ball kicks and it was an overall embarrassing mess for the Amusement Park's Football/Soccer team.
They'd been trained to play the classic, ancient art of Football (Soccer) and not... Well.
Not a rugby game being played out by invading monsters who were definitely cheating the rules just a bit.
The Bechats forced many of the players together into a tackle formation, then worked into their own formation.
None of the players knew how to play this monstrous brand of Rugby, so needless to say, saying that they lost miserably would be a miserable understatement.
In the end, a Bechat sneaked away the ball, planted it by a merry go round, and--
BE-BEE-BEEEP!
The ball exploded- because it was a bomb.
Bomburugby cried out- "NICE TRY!!!" - as he high-fived his Bechat companions. "We're doing great!"
The Kiramagers rushed down city streets after having linked over to the Beltus and were beamed down to the city to intercede.
Civilians ran away in the opposite direction, and paid no attention to these five shiny costumed kids running into danger...
Well, all save four of them- two human boys, a human girl, and a cerulean blooded troll girl, who all turned to stare after those five with surprise.
"HELP!" Some poor kid cried out from somewhere near the burning merry go round.
"I'll get them!" Harley said, breaking off from the group to rush towards that part of the scene. She tapped her Morpher (_"KIRAMEI GO!"_), even as the other five continued running towards the Jamenshi and the Bechats.
_"KI! RA! MEI!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
With a flash of light and a _LET'S SPARKLE!_, Kiramei Green ran into the wrecked area, searching for that kid to save.
Equius, Nepeta, Atsuya, and Tomo came to a halt near the monster as the Football team ran for their lives.
"How horrible," Nepeta said, snarling. "How could they do this!?"
"Bomb Rugby?" Tomo scowled, clearly ticked off. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, they're completely serious," Equius said, narrowing his gaze at the scene.
"Everyone, let's transform!" Atsuya called out, and Nepeta and Equius raised their morphers in that instant. Tomo hesitated a few seconds, and wound up being just a moment behind Atsuya raising his.
"Oh? What's this?" Bomburugby asked, eyeing them as they still tapped their morphers in synch.
_"KIRAMEI GO! KI! RA! MEI!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
Crystals hued their respective colors ran up the four of them- from foot to head, and when it shattered away, they were in their ranger suits.
As Nepeta and Equius ran ahead, Tomo held a hand out, and looked at Atsuya, "Call Harley! We'll need her, 'Leader'!"
"R-Right!" Atsuya nodded, not sure of what was with the sudden addition of 'leader' at the end there. Still, he raised his morpher as Tomo ran ahead and tabbed the call button- "Harley! If you've finished saving the kid...!"
"It's not just one!" Harley answered over the line.
"HYAH!" She slashed her sword at a Bechat, as a group of atleast five kids cowered behind her. Then, she said to the Morpher, "There's a group, and I've got some Bechats harassing us! But I've got it covered for now!"
"Then take care of them as quick as you can! We're confronting the monster!" Atsuya said, and ran ahead.
_"KIRAMEI SWORD!"_
Atsuya drew his sword and blaster, attacking the Bechats with sword strikes and energy blasts.
_"KIRAMEI SHOT!"_
Tomo, Equius, and Nepeta were a good ways through dealing with the Bechats closer to the Jamenshi, who was rapidly backpedaling away in abject horror.
"HEY! Weapons aren't allowed in Rugby!!" He yelled.
"And neither are Bombs!" Equius said, as the four Kiramagers finished off the Bechats.
"Damn Cheaters!" Bomburugby grabbed his ball and ran at them.
He shoulder checked Tomo- duck-dodged under Equius and Nepeta's attacks, and side-stepped Atsuya's swing, then kept on running.
"He's fast!" Tomo lamented, watching as the monster ran at tire-squealing speeds before landing next to some ride that Civilians had gathered around.
"TRY!" Bomburugby planted his bomb, and people ran for cover.
BE-BEE-BEEEEEEP! BOOOM!
"Not another one!" Nepeta yelled, frustrated.
"CONVERSION KICK!" Bomburugby planted another bomb at his feet- and began lining up a shot straight at a Ferris wheel... rather, a very specific cart on that Ferris wheel.
"Shit!" Equius yelled, striking swords against Bechat weapons. "There's a family stuck on that Ferris wheel!"
"Equius, Nepeta! Summon your Mashins!" Atsuya ordered as he dove into the Bechats keeping them away from the monsters- and more importantly, freeing up those two from the fight. "Combine them together!"
Blue and Pink nodded- then blasted some more Bechats- "Roger!"
They tapped their Morphers- decaptchaloging their parnters and letting them grow to full size and transform in the same breath.
"MASHIIIN!" The two Kiramei Stones cried out.
_"MASHIN JETTA! MASHIN HELIKO!"_
"Aniki, Get in!" Jetta yelled.
"Nepeta too!!" Heliko added.
The two Kiramagers ran and leaped up into their partners.
"Time to combine!" Equius called out.
"Let's do it, let's do it!" Heliko agreed.
Heliko's back end split, and shifted around, forming the upper torso of a new mecha. Jetta's front half folded backwards, and the back half split in two. Then, the two Zords combined together, forming--
"Complete!" Nepeta and Equius threw their hands out in synch.
_"SKY MAGE!"_
And just in time. Bomburugby kicked the bomb-ball right at the Ferris wheel- knocking the cart with the family inside of it loose from the giant wheel.
"NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" Heliko yelled out as Sky Mage flew through an opening in a building and swooped in to catch the falling cart before it could hit the ground.
"Time Out!!" Bomburugby cried out, and absconded- the Bechats following suit.
Atsuya detransformed with a swipe of his morpher, sighing in relief. "Well, that worked out..."
"No It Didn't!" Tomo said, storming over and transforming back, massaging at their left shoulder. "That rugby jerk got away!" They then jabbed a finger at Atsuya's chest. "Didn't you call Harley!?"
"I did!" Atsuya said. "She was stuck protecting some kids!"
And then he pointed over at the direction of the blown up merry go round, where, sure enough, Harley, still suited up, was escorting a group of kids over towards their thankful and waiting parents.
Tomo's anger evaporated there, seeing Harley safe for the moment, and then frowned. Idly, a piece of hair fell in their mouth, where it quickly started to get chewed on.
"Sorry," Harley bowed to both of them once she'd caught up. "I got held up."
"It's fine," Atsuya said.
"No, it's not!" Tomo huffed. "That bomb throwing jerk got away. It..." They trailed off, seeing Harley eye them with a frown. "...But protecting Civilians is what we're supposed to be doing, I guess. So... I can't be too mad..."
Harley sighed, shaking her head, and said, "It just means that we have to catch that guy whenever he shows up again."
Atsuya frowned as he added, "Whenever that is."
"Woah!" The human boy in purple with round glasses gazed out at the fight. "Did you see that, Vrissy!? Those guys are amazing!"
The cerulean troll girl grinned, "Heck yeah, I saw that, Tavvy! I was right here for it!"
The human boy with dog ears wearing the orange rimmed, blue lensed goggles could only just gaze at Harley as she, Atsuya, Nepeta, Tomo, and Equius regrouped and beamed away to parts unknown. (PVVVMM-SHING!)
"They look familiar," was all he said.
The other two looked at him, and then the fourth one, the other human girl with dog ears, asked, "Seriously, bro?"
Atlantis was a bustle of activity as the Kiramagers returned to the city. Teams were celebrating, teams were huddling over tables planting.
Some groups had clearly declared a decisive victory in one fight- such as those with the Lightspeed Rescue power set- while others had only forced a temporary delay.
"I'm going to go home and take a shower," Harley said suddenly. "Also probably get to bed early. I've got a run to do tomorrow."
"Okay, later," Nepeta said, giving a wave, and off Harley went.
Tomo frowned at that, working again at their left shoulder.
"Actually, I need to get going too," Equius said. "I have my first meeting with the film director in a few hours."
"Ok, good luck!" Nepeta also said, and then off Equius went.
The three of them returned to their classroom to get their stuff, and as Atsuya gazed at the tray of blue diamond Kiramei stones left on the table where they'd been abandoned earlier, Tomo huffed and sat down in their chair.
"We're gonna need Harley there if we're going to beat that thing," Tomo said. "And you need to figure out how to get her there, 'Leader.'"
They looked towards Atsuya, locking eyes, and Atsuya looked them back.
"Why are you calling me that out of nowhere?" Atsuya asked.
Tomo stopped- and blinked. "What?"
"'Leader,'" Atsuya said. "That's twice now you've called me that, like you're making it up. We haven't been assigned anything like that."
"Red Rangers are always the Leaders," Tomo said, crossing their arms over their chest. "And whether or not you realize it, we've been following your lead so far."
"So?" Atsuya asked. "I didn't ask for that! Nobody talked to me about stepping up as a Leader! If you've got some problem with me leading when we haven't even put it up to a vote then just say it to my face, please!"
Tomo flinched at that. "I don't... have a problem with you leading. But... Today was our second battle and... And we didn't beat the monster on the first try."
"'And we didn't beat the monster on the first try'?" Nepeta interjected. "Are you really upset about that, Tomo?"
Tomo started chewing on their hair. "A bit. Yeah."
Atsuya took out his sketch book. "Then... maybe this will help." He turned it around so Tomo and Nepeta could see.
Drawn there for all to see was the image of a small blue stone shaped like a little doll, and holding its hands on either side were identical versions of the Kiramei Green suit.
Tomo frowned, and asked, "It's a friend maker?"
"No, it's a sub-in," Atsuya clarified.
That's when the pile of stones on the table between them reacted- flashing a brilliant blue light across the entire room as the pile shifted and restructured into a duplicate of that tiny doll on the paper.
"Woah!" Nepeta cried out. "It transformed!!"
"...What... does it do?" Tomo asked.
"Take its hand," Atsuya said, and Tomo reached out, taking the doll's hand and-
With another flash of blue light, Tomo let it go, and watched as the doll turned into a perfect duplicate of themself- sans Kiramei Changer.
"Woah...!" Tomo took a step back, and then lost balance because the expected counterbalance of their wings wasn't there. They hit the floor, and groaned. "Oww..."
"It's a duplicate of Tomo!?" Nepeta asked, surprised.
"Yes," the duplicate of Tomo said flatly. "I will be your substitute."
Nepeta pointed at Tomo's newfound twin and exclaimed- "That's Super Creepy!"
"It's a little more lifeless than I was imagining," Atsuya frowned. "But... I was thinking earlier that this was what we needed with what Harley was talking about."
"...You want to send this thing to run in Harley's place in the race tomorrow if the monster attacks again??" Nepeta asked, not liking the idea she'd just suggested.
"That's just perfect," Tomo said as they picked themself off the floor. "Two places, One Harley. "
Atsuya glanced between his two teammates, frowning.
Finally, all he said was, "That's an option, sure, but-"
"Great! I approve whole heartedly!" And then Tomo headed out, a pained smile on their face. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to take a shower and try and work this damned kink out of my shoulder..."
"...Tomo..." Nepeta stared after them as they left, a frown forming on her face. "What's crawled up your wings and bitten down this time?"
Atsuya frowned. "...Why do I get the feeling this is my fault somehow?"
Nepeta shook her head. "I don't think it's anything you did, Atsuya. If anything, I'm the dummy for suggesting the idea right now in the first place."
The both of them went to leave the classroom... until-
"Wait," Nepeta turned to face the still duplicated Tomo. "What do we do about them?"
"Uhhh..." Atsuya blinked. "Shut down?"
The Sub-in didn't react.
"Reset?"
Nope.
"Maybe Tomo has to be the one to reset it?" Nepeta asked, frowning. "There's gotta be something to force it to shut down."
"Time out?" Atsuya offered.
The silent, personality-less, unsparklying Tomo Copy just stood there, staring blankly ahead.
"Can't it show any personality on its own?" Nepeta asked, swinging her hip out and nudging the duplicate's own hips.
Much to Nepeta and Atsuya's surprise, on contact, the Sub-in reverted back to its doll form.
Both of them stared for a moment...
"Well," Nepeta said after a moment. "That works, I guess."
"Yeah," Atsuya agreed, somewhat flatly. "I guess it does."
This was going to be an embarrassing shutdown motion going forwards, wasn't it?
EYE CATCH!
The Mashin Zords stood in a line in their tiny form, and then Nepeta cried out, "Readyyyy- GO!"
The Zords rocketed forwards- racing each other.
Mahha crossed the finish line first, spinning out with a sparkle of light. "Like Mashin, like Kiramager! I won!"
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 18TH, 2012.
Bomburugby marched through a small field of yellowed grass towards an electricity junction station, his Bechats following behind.
"Hell Rugby! Second Half! Start!" The Jamenshi cried out, pumping his left fist into the air. Bechats cried in glee as an explosion rocked behind them.
Workers ran for cover, and Tomo, Nepeta, and Equius (Already Morphed) quickly ferried them away as they ran towards the fight.
"Get them!" Bomburugby demanded, and the Bechats ran forwards.
The Kiramagers and the Bechats colided, Weapons clashing against weapons!
Equius slashed his sword with perfect technique against the Bechats.
Tomo flip-kicked through the Bechats, blasting away with their blaster. "Take That!"
"Hah!" Nepeta flipped a Bechat onto the ground and then fired blasts at some more distant ones.
"There's a lot of them!" Tomo pointed out.
"We can take them!" Equius said.
And then Bomburugby charged through the fight- smashing past the Kiramagers, and running for a transformer box.
"TRY!" He planted another bomb, and it went off, destroying a station and sending power fluctuations through the whole nearby city. "Did you see that!?" he regrouped with his cheering Bechat companions.
"Damn it! We need more than just the three of us!" Tomo swore, even as Equius and Nepeta got to their feet.
"Sorry for the wait!" Atsuya's call out came just in time then.
They turned to look, and saw Atsuya approaching, with an upset looking Harley at his side. She was wearing her entire running outfit, complete with a paper number taped to her chest.
Nepeta did a double take- "Harley's... sulking?"
Tomo flinched, "I guess you're not happy with having the duplicator run in your place... Sorry, Harley."
Harley said nothing in response.
"We'll suit up and then we'll beat this monster as fast as we can!" Atsuya said, readying his morpher.
Harley followed suit.
_"KIRAMEI GO! KI! RA!! MEI!!!"_
"Kiramei / CHANGE!" The two unmorphed Kiramagers spun their morphers, Harley speaking in a rather flat tone of voice compared to her usual energetic voice.
Tomo could only flinch again as the red and green flashes of light went by, signaling the full transformation.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
Atsuya kicked off a turn cated roll call, "Arriving in a Flash! Dispatching evil with a Blast! Mashin Sentai!"
The five of them struck their pre-rehearsed poses.
"KIRAMAGER!"
"Special Bomb!" Bomburugby held out a blue bomb-ball with the Bechat mask symbol painted on it. "Let's end it here! FINAL ROUND!"
And then he took off at a run towards a larger set of transformer relays.
"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!!"
The Kiramagers took off at a run, though Harley was slow to follow suit.
Atsuya tried a sliding tackle- but the Jamenshi jumped over him, even as Equius and Nepeta started dispatching Bechats.
Tomo tried tackling the Jamenshi at the knees by tossing themself at the runner's legs... But got kicked aside. "OW!"
Harley ran right past them without even stopping, and Tomo tried not to think anything of it as they got to their feet and continued the run. Atsuya, Equius, and Nepeta were right behind them and-- Wait, Why did Atsuya have a Bechat clinging to his back?!
'NO! DON'T LOOSE FOCUS!' Tomo shook their head- then got sidelined by Bechats. "Damn it! Go, Harley! Go!"
Harley continued to run....
"Something's not right..." Nepeta started. "Is she not sparkling right today??"
Tomo could only stop and stare- watching as the Jamenshi managed to gain ground on Harley who just couldn't keep up for some reason, falling back, back back...
"What the-!?" Equius exclaimed. "How can you lose to him, Harley!?"
Bomburugby cast a glance back over his shoulder- laughing. "There's no way she can catch up now!" He turned back to focus on the target ahead of him. "This Try will summon the Jamenju!!"
And then for some inexplicable reason, Harley detransformed mid run and started taking off her morpher.
"What-!?" Tomo stared on as they watched Harley then THROW the damed device upwards into the air--
And then there was a familiar flash of a musical Asgard Teleport- PVVVVM SHING!!!- and Harley suddenly appeared for a second time- in mid air- arm back in place beneath the Morpher as she activated it and spun the wheel- yelling-
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!!!"
She transformed in mid air- hitting the ground at full speed running ahead like the speed running rocket she was- and then she TACKLED Bomburugby and began wrestling with him for the explosive ball.
The other four Kiramagers finished off the Bechats and got to their feet, even as Tomo asked- "What the- The Duplicate!?"
Indeed, the Duplicate Harley had stopped running, and stood there, motionless.
"I'LL TAKE THAT!" the REAL Harley Sheppard snagged the ball from the Jamenshi- kicked at him, and then dodged his grabbing attempts to grab the ball back.
"Now I'll Try On Your HEAD!!!" Harley declared after making him stumble. And then she Leaped upwards into the air.
Bomburugby looked upwards, and nearly fried his eyes on the distant Alternian Sun as it framed Harley's descent towards him.
She glimmered and sparkled like a flying rocket.
WHAAAM!!!
And then the Bomb Ball smashed into Bomburugby's face.
"Th-That's against the Rules Too!!" His voice was muffled between the ball and his own face as he protested that...
And then the ball exploded.
"RUSH LIGHTNING!!" Harley yelled- riding the explosion into the air as she struck a pose from the part of the Role Call that'd been skipped earlier, adapted, of course, for being posed in mid air during an explosion. "KIRAMEI GREEN!!"
"Alright!" Atsuya cheered.
"YEAH!!" Nepeta also cheered.
Harley landed and exclaimed while striking a fun pose, "Looks like it's sparkling skies for today!"
Then, as a group, the team transformed back.
"Nice job!" Atsuya ran over and fist-bumped Harley.
"Thank ya verry much!" Harley grinned.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Tomo yelled.
Everyone looked to them.
"Y-You- You both sent an impostor when we were fighting for our lives!?" Tomo asked- motioning at the Sub-in as Nepeta hipchecked it and reset it back to a doll form before picking it up off the dirt. "And after you said you'd have the doll run in the race instead!?" Tomo motioned at Atsuya.
"I never said that," Atsuya said. "You just assumed, and left before I was done talking."
"I kind of figured this was what Atsuya meant to do," Nepeta said.
"But-" Tomo started.
"Tomo," Harley interjected. "Why have you been so mean the last couple of days? You didn't even come to see me run today."
Tomo paused at that, frowning. "...I..." Their head lowered towards the ground. "I don't know... I've just been so stressed this week... And..." Tomo trailed off, not finishing that sentence.
"The Kiramagers have to Sparkle," Atsuya said, taking off his glasses. "Harley has to Sparkle. You have to sparkle! We all have to Sparkle! And right now you're not!"
Tomo looked at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"We're Kiramagers," Atsuya said. "We were chosen because all of us have to Sparkle! Each and every one of us! That's what the five of us are here for, isn't it?"
"So when the enemy appears, she's my replacement and I come running?" Harley had asked, pointing at her duplicate sans the changer. Harley gazed at her clone, frowning.
"As the 'leader,' can I say what I think?" Atsuya asked, fidgiting with the glasses in his hands.
Harley didn't so much as sigh, gazing dejectedly at the duplicate of herself.
"The real Harley runs in the race today," Atsuya said.
"Huh?" Harley looked at him, surprised.
"You made a commitment to sub in for someone who couldn't make it," Atsuya continued. "But the only person who can sub in for you is you! The thought of not running made your sparkles fade just now. And if you told me to stop drawing and go fight non stop, I definitely wouldn't be able to do that. So..." He motioned at the changer. "That's why you'll give her that changer and do what's important to YOU today. And if the monster attacks and we have to go, I'll take her with me to the fight, and you can come catch up with us when you've finished."
"But... don't the five of us have to be one team?" Harley asked.
"There's five of us," Atsuya said in conclusion, repeating his earlier words. "We support eachother, so when we can't support ourselves, and there's five of us for that reason. And so even if the five of us are in different galaxies entirely- we're still together as a team! Five as one, even when we're apart!"
That's when Equius' morpher beeped- and he muttered under his breath. Then, he apologized, "Sorry, all, I have to go. I have a filming session in a while."
"Ahhh..." Nepeta hung her head as her morpher chimed as well. "I gotta go too, Mom wants me back to file the mission report." She gave Harley a hug, and squeezed tight. "You were really sparkly today, Harley!"
"That's because I could run without regrets," Harley said, and looked to Atsuya. "Thank you for the help today, Leader."
Tomo looked to Equius who just shook his head and gave a small shrug.
And thus, the three Land-based Kiramagers watched as the other two tapped their morphers, and teleported away back up to the Beltus, in high orbit. PVVVM- SHING!
"Too bad," Garuza said, eyeing the gauge on Kurantula's staff. "He didn't get the energy we needed for the portal directly."
"It's not over yet," Kurantula said with a giggle. He drew out a Bechat mask. "I worked out a deal with Lord Gilgamesh. Consider it a... Dark Insurance Policy." He giggled. "Instead of making our monsters grow like everyone else is doing right now, we use that power instead to cover the distance when it's a small enough difference. The missing 20%? Easy enough!"
He tapped the mask against his staff- and the needle spun past the line marking the red area, going well into it.
The staff glowed with dark purple fire, and Kurantula threw it at the Giant Stargate.
A purple wormhole opened within the mashine, and the Jamenju readied itself.
"This is where it begins!" Kurantula laughed. "Jamenju Rugger Rigani! GOOOO!"
The monster stepped into the portal.
"So..." Atsuya said, turning to those two who remained. "I think there's probably something you two need to talk about between yourselves. Because... Tomo, I can tell that whatever's bugging you, it's hurting Harley too."
"I..." Tomo went to say something when the ground rumbled, and the sky clouded over with dark clouds.
They looked into the city, and saw the Jamenju, Rugger Rigani, lifting a giant, spherical water tower out of its supports as it exited from the giant swirling dark purple portal.
"I think we have to take care of whatever the hell that thing is first!" Tomo finished, eyes narrowing at the massive beast as they tapped their morpher to release Shovellow.
"This Rugby match just went into overtime, that's for sure," Shovellow said with a huff.
"Alright!" Fiya said, similarly decaptchaloging. "Let's do this thing!"
"Let's end this game so our masters can finish their conversations," Mahha said.
The three Mashin Zords launched into the air, transforming and growing as they went, returning to their full sizes.
"MASHIIIN!"
_"MASHIN FIYA! MAHHA! SHOVELLOW!"_
Off screen as the Mashins finished trasnforming, the Kiramagers transformed, and boarded their partners.
Rugger Rigani ran down the streets of the city, leaving explosions in its wake, and cars flipping through the air in THEIR wake.
There really was no way to describe this thing other than as a T-Rex with a strange kind of helmet themed mask over its face, complete with curving horns. What a weird looking monster.
"Time to combine!" Harley said into her morpher.
"Indeed, Heliko and Jetta had Sky mage earlier," Mahha said, flashing back to that moment himself.
"Time to give this runner some ground power!" Shovellow said.
"Alright!" Atsuya said. "Let's do this!"
"Tension to Max!" Fiya yelled. "We're Burning Hot Hot Hot!" And then he raced forwards.
"MASHIN GATTAI!" The Kiramagers, and simultaneously the Mashins, called as they spun their morphers and revved their wheels.
Shovellow grabbed onto the back of Fiya, and lifted up so that she could connect onto the available port.
The fire arm spun around and extended and lowered at an angle- Mahha suddenly put on the breaks for a moment and rolled backwards up the impromptu ramp and locked into place atop Fiya's ladder arm.
The Tank formation swerved behind the Jameju, and Shovellow swung out- "Whoopsie! Didn't see you there!" She taunted as the Jamenju hit the ground and its impromptu game ball went flying into the air.
"HEAD OPENING!" Atsuya threw his arms out.
Mahha folded open along the middle, revealing a face within as Fiya shifted upright and split mostly down the middle, forming the legs that matched to the torso and right arm that was the rest of the ladder arm assembly itself.
"COMPLETE! LAND MAGE!" The Kiramgers called out.
The mecha struck a pose- formation completed- glittering in the darkness and shining so bright bright bright.
"Kick that thing away!" Tomo yelled.
And the newly formed Mecha kicked outwards, hitting the descending game ball, and sending it back upwards high into the atmosphere...
It exploded, sending a shower of golden yellow sparkling effectss across the city.
The Jamenju let out an angry roar that sounded rather much like an end of game whistle blowing.
Rugger Rigani turned on Land Mage and charged it- more explosions following in its wake.
Land Mage punched its fists together and then shifted to an intercepting pose...
The Jamenju's masked face crashed into Land Mage, pushing it back by what must have been a city block and even through a half constructed building.
"MAKKA BURNING!" Atsuya called out- and Mahha slammed closed, shifting to his red mode, before opening again and expunging a massive burst of flames out at the Jamenju.
The Jamenju stumbled backwards---
"LADDER PUNCH!" Atsuya punched out- and the ladder arm swung out and connected to Rigani's face. It was followed by an unnamed kick, and then they got the monster's head in an arm lock under Shovellow.
"Now!" Mahha exclaimed, and Harley spun her driving wheel as hard as she could.
Land Mage delivered an upper cut to the Jamenju's mask, and it reeled with a monstrous roar, then, it swung around, lashing with its tail--
Tomo wasn't having it, and spun so that Shovellow's claw fist grabbed onto the tail.
Then, they grabbed the whole thing, and heaved it over into the previously ruined building.
"Let's Go!" Shovellow called out.
"Right!" Tomo declared- "Harley! Dash with the ladder!"
"What?" Harley looked to her Morpher. "What do you mean!?"
"They mean this!" Atsuya said, and then threw a lever. "LADDER BEYOND!!"
The ladder arm unfolded, and then extended, and extended, and HO BOY DID IT EXTEND!
And it smashed completely into Rugger Rigani's face. The Jamenju was blinded from the sheer amount of sparks that flew out.
"I gotcha!" Harley said, pointing in the direction she assumed Fiya's cockpit was, and then disconnected Mahha from Land Mage, driving it straight down the ladder arm and slamming into the Jamenju's face once- backed up- and then TWICE before rebounding backwards and recombining.
"And Now We FINISH IT!!" Tomo threw the wheel into a free spin- and Shovellow began rotating on the arm attachment as Land Mage leaped into the air- and then retracted the ladder arm while it was still embedded into the Jamenju's face.
"FINAL MOVE!" All six yelled- "GROUND ROUND SMASH!!"
They pulled in and smashed straight into the Jamenju with a flury of Shovellow strikes so fast that it was impossible to count how many hit.
All that could be said was that they landed on the other side and struck the usual back to monster pose as Jamenju Rugger Rigani fell to its death throw and exploded.
"CHECKMAGE!" The six of them yelled out as the darkness blew away, returning the city to its normal, sunlight blustery day.
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 19TH, 2012.
Joey Claire looked up from her book as a knock came from the front door of her house
She didn't need to look with her real eyes to know who was out there. She sent an Arai Beetle to the door to unlock the door, and let Tomo Strider and Harley Sheppard inside.
"So..." Joey started. "Trouble in paradise already, lovebirds?"
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
"With Jetta!" / "And Heliko!" / "Sky Mage!"
"With Mahha!" / "Shovellow!" / "And Fiya!" / "Land Mage!!"
"Rugby is a dumb way to attack a city," Joey Claire stated, holding the rugby ball.
The Mashin Zords cried out- "NO TRY!!!"
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"A Vise is on Equius' head?!"
"A Man such as I must endure."
"I think you still look cool, Aniki!"
_"Kira-Mage-In!"_
"Let's show you what we can do when Five are One!"
NEXT EPISODE: 03: Acting is such a Headache! But so is Dad's Vise! (ENDURE!!)
Notes:
I hope the Embeded Pictures aren't too egregious this chapter. If they're too much I'll drop 'em down to links.
---
I kinda wish I could write in a different shut-off motion for the Sub-in (Daiya-Kun), and I mean, I *could* just rewrite it to not use that. But there's actual in-suit footage showing the Sub-in (Daiya-kun!) being shut down in this way, and rather than face the possibility down the line that I'd *forget* to "edit" it out of existing footage if it happens more than the once, I'm just writing it in.
---
The Eyecatch is a Go-Onger nod, as I've already theamtically tied Harley and Mahha to Go-Onger a little as it is.
---
Tametomo in Kiramager is a little bit of a jerk. It shows in his body language in places in these early episodes. I was unaware this was going to be a recurring trait when I cast Tomo Strider as Kiramei Yellow. So there's a mini subarc over the next few Chapters where Tomo deals with that.Tomo and Harley are also making good on the promise they made to Joey Claire back in the Epilogue to talk with her if they needed advice.
I honestly wasn't expecting to have to use that promise so early on, but I really wanted to nip this budding jealousy arc in the bud. I LIKE Tomo and I don't want them to be all bitchy going forwards, but still, teens are teens and go through their petty phases, and not all teams mesh together coherently at first when new people are added to existing dynamics.
---
There was ONE major scene change edit done to this chapter in the wake of the previous rewriting of Chapter 3. Namely, I changed the group fighting the Jamen Rugby team to a bunch of Soccer players from the group they'd been before. I felt it was more thematically appropriate for a Sports team to go up against a Sports team. Sorta.
---
OH! And I almost forgot! The ACTUAL next chapter is:SGA:06X02: Tension Stress and Anxiety.
Chapter 7: SGA:06X02: Tension Stress and Anxiety.
Summary:
Joey Claire does some one on one mentoring; Many different people observe the aftermath of the previous days battle.
Notes:
CW:
Mentions of Stress Induced Hair Chewing, Jealousy.
Badguy Villainy Super Temper.
Depiction and Discussion of The Aftermath of Large Battles; Passing mention of Idiotic Rhetorics.
Aftershocks of Character Deaths.
Body Double via Sub-in, and discussion of Nudity.
Evil Jane Crocker and her mental POV; Garuza LIES OUT HIS TEETH!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 19TH, 2012.
Joey Claire sat across from Tomo Strider in the relative sequestered privacy of the yard outside her house on the planet Diaspora.
The trees of the forest rattled in the breeze, and bird song chirped in the air.
The two of them were very blatantly ignoring the set of train tracks that had been carved in the ground thanks to Joey's daughter, Tokoha, summoning a Train Zord directly in the yard just two days before. Harley was over investigating those at Joey's request, but that was besides the point.
The point was...
"Tomo, please tell me you've either got a shirt in your sylladex or on under that jacket that will let you unfold your wings without ruining it?" Joey began.
Tomo nodded, and took off their jacket, revealing the open backed shirt that they normally wore long before Tomo ever figured out the spell that they was almost certain that-
"Dismiss that Bio-morph spell entirely. Hair, wings, put it all back to normal," Joey ordered.
Tomo took a breath, and exhaled- doing exactly as asked and as expected.
The Bio-Morph spell dismissed- Tomo's blonde hair returned to its normal green hue, and a pair of long, feathery, neon orange wings expanded out from their shoulders.
Joey kneeled down and checked on the ends of Tomo's green hair. It looked horrible without the glamour of the bio-morph spell hiding it away. "You really need to stop chewing on your hair."
"I know," Tomo sighed. "But... I can't help it. I thought once Harley and I started dating then it'd stop, but this stupid bad habit..."
"It's been acting up again, the last few days?" Joey frowned as Tomo nodded. "Well, from what you and Harley just finished telling me, that's probably coinciding with your recent bursts of petty jealousy."
"What!?" Tomo jerked back, shocked. "I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous of anyone for!?"
"Gee, let's see here," Joey eyed the teen with a knowing look, "you got pissy at the new teammate a bunch of times, and even suggested that HE be the one to tell Harley to use his invention so she could come fight and not adhere to her commitments that she'd already made, making him seem like the one who doesn't understand and thus possibly foil any chances he might have at making a pass at her."
Tomo openrd their mouth to protest-
"I'm not saying you're consciously aware of it, Tomo," Joey continued, "but what I am saying is that on some level you're trying to defend what you perceive as YOUR territory. YOUR Girlfriend. YOUR positive relationship. And you're trying to defend it all from someone new who you weren't even aware of before last week, and Harley met first, and you're probably feeling like you have to fight back, but that's just making you feel bad and act like a jerk whether you realize it or not."
"I'm not jealous," Tomo protested. "I'm not."
"Then explain to me why you were upset that this Atsuya kid wound up coming up with a solution for Harley to be in two places, and you were upset that she was happier going along with it than with your idea?" Joey asked.
Tomo wanted to answer saying that it was because they were fighting a monster who could only be matched by Harley's speed. That it was because they needed HER there to beat it. That... That...
That they almost lost because the damned Doll couldn't Run FAST enough.
But... it was just an excuse, Tomo realized. Something that made sense in the moment but it wasn't what was really behind the emotions. Just a mask to match the feelings even though that wasn't what it really was.
Just like Tomo had been hiding who THEY were behind the bio-morph spell.
...Tomo Strider looked inwards in that moment, and found that instead of being honest and communicating right, they'd just let it all simmer inside and boil away to a temper.
It really had all come out of nowhere, hadn't it? There really wasn't any one reason for it that Tomo could assign blame to except for the one they didn't want to acknowledge.
"...I..." Tomo frowned. "I really was being a huge jealous jerk, wasn't I?"
Joey smiled, placing a hand on the Kiramager's shoulder, "Admitting that we've done wrong it the first step in fixing it."
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
Gilgamesh sat in his throne as he finished watching a recording of a megazord made out of five brightly colored trains taking out one of his monsters with a bright explosion.
"Teenagers," He hissed, "are quite the menace, aren't they?"
Garuza felt out of place here in Gilgamesh's new Palace. It was a massive, sprawling estate of gold and bronze and all things glorious and kingly. It was a far cry from the darkness theme that was so prevalent across his armies, and from even the transformed SGC Facility that Garuza called a base.
It reminded him of the Crystalia Royal Palace far too much for his liking.
But still, Garuza hummed in agreement, "Yes, they are. Quite troubling, quite rebellious, and quite... menacing."
"But they are still just Teenagers," Gilgamesh continued, eyes narrowing at the screen as he dismissed that video footage, collapsing it down to just one thumbnail of many failed battles. "And yet somehow... SOMEHOW! Teenagers bested my army AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN!"
He grabbed his wine glass and hurled it across the room- shattering it against a wall.
Kurantula, hiding behind an ornate, gold colored pillar very near to that wall, yelped in surprise.
"And the worst part is how prepared they are!" Gilgamesh snarled, much like the Wraith whose body his Spirit Card had commandeered, and started pacing the room. "Giant Mecha Robots all around! It's unsurprising given the remnants I recovered while searching for Earth, but even so... to have so many! In such a short time?! It was only weeks at best before I brought Earth back to its proper realm!"
Garuza didn't have the heart to tell the man that he'd heard the news of Earth's disappearance some eight years ago. Kurantula was just too scared to say anything lest their new boss's temper turn on him too.
"No... they must have other means, Time Travel is the obvious. They build them and send them back," Gilgamesh nodded. "Yes, that must be it."
"Either that," Garuza said, "Or they took inspiration from the Kiramei Stones and formed them whole-sale out of the mineral."
Gilgamesh turned to look at his general, "Yes, I see. I suppose that may be the case..."
Gilgamesh's temper lowered, to a degree, and he returned to his chair.
"Still." Gilgamesh frowned. "My other general's strategy of growing them big after being defeated doesn't seem to have worked out well. But neither has yours, yet, Garuza."
Unseen by anyone in the room, on a nearby table, a piece of paper seemed to fall off a desk, and crinkled as it hit the floor, as if stepped on by an unseen force.
"The Kiramagers are a pest that will be stopped," Garuza said. "My next few plans are for Information Gathering on their capabilities. If the Kiramagers can combine all five Mashin together as they seem to be able to, I think I know what I must do to defeat them once and for all."
As long as he could prevent them from getting any more Mashin on their side... it should all work out.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Garuza," Gilgamesh said, smiling. "You aren't just the dumb brute muscle my other Generals are. A shame the transformation process has limited their logical reasoning skills so heavily... I could use more men like you and your partner. Independent. Free thinkers."
"Then why not reach out to the far reaches of each world we seek to conquer, and find those willing to betray their worlds?" Garuza asked. It had worked out SO well for him, after all. (He tried to ignore how sarcastic his own thoughts sounded.)
"Yes, that is a good idea," Gilgamesh nodded. "I want you to take a Pilot Run at the idea on Earth C. Find someone with power and influence who can direct your attacks towards sufficiently squishy targets."
Garuza nodded. "Very well."
And with that, he moved to leave, Kurantula following behind a moment later.
Our camera view follows behind them for a while before falling back, and...
With a flicker of a holographic energy, the dark-red suited form of Enter stood there, observing them go.
"My my my," he said to himself, dropping the gruff security guard act he'd put on for just about everyone else. "So our Majesty Lord Gilgamesh thinks Garuza's double teaming attack strategy might be the right path, hm? Very well. Let the games begin, my rival!" And then he cloaked himself again, vanishing from sight.
Rose Egbert gazed at the scorched landscape where a monster had exploded not two days earlier.
"Man," June Egbert lamented as she sat down next to her sister. "Of all the places for a monster to attack, it had to be within spitting distance of our own house."
Indeed, the scorched bit of ground was far and away from the main city- and it had been chosen there on purpose- but even so, it was so obvious from outside the Egbert house.
"I'm just glad that everyone got out safe," Rose admitted. It bothered her, knowing that Casey, Tokoha, Kaylee, Karako, Kagura, and Lizzy had all been brought into the dangerous multi-planet spanning battles at the same time as the rest of them.
Those six were still younger than the rest of the Ranger team volunteers.
Rose took out her morpher- the Golden magic phone that turned into a magic wand with a flick of the wrist and a press of a button.
It'd be so easy to use it now to transform into her Zord form and go survey the landscape, but... June didn't have it that easy. Summoning that Lion Zord would be massive overkill just to see the site of an already finished battle.
She signed up for this job. June did too. And Nepeta, Equius, Tomo, and Harley. They'd all signed up to fight monsters as a team. And then they got separated.
All because of a stupid selection test.
"Me too," June said, shaking Rose out of her thoughts. "I'm glad you're okay too. That was terrifying what we went through. You see it on TV," she looked to the Wind Morpher on her wrist. "You think, 'Wow, being a power ranger is so cool!' But... even though the show never really focuses on it, there's a reason they had all those rules about escalation in the first few years. This kind of power's a huge responsibility. Not just the using it, but the defending. You fight monsters who are trying to kill you and you have to kill them instead. And then there's the rules, too. We actually have rules we have to follow! They really dropped the ball on that in later seasons, didn't they?"
Rose hummed in agreement- flipping open her morpher and gazing at the number pad- and more than that, the insignia of the butterfly at the top center above said number pad. "And here I am worrying about our younger cousins out there fighting, too."
"What do you think about trains?" Tokoha Claire asked, and Harley glanced at her, frowning, as they both worked on preparing lunch. Tokoha had to stand on a step stool to reach the counter properly, but she'd soon be growing out of it. "Personally," the younger girl continued, "I think they're great!"
"Trains are neat," Harley answered. "They can go fast too, if you build 'em right."
Tokoha smiled. "Awesome!"
Mahha, sitting on the dining table, observed them for a moment... but kept quiet about the existence of Jouki, and Jouki's partner's fate.
"What about you, Mahha?" Harley asked, glancing over her shoulder. "What do you think about trains?"
"Ah-" The green Kiramei Stone shifted into his car form, and drove a bit closer to the edge of the table so that he could talk easier. "Personally, I find them nostalgic... but I lament their existence."
"Lamenting?" Tokoha frowned, and turned to look at the Mashin. "How come?"
Harley, too, had a considering look on her face- Mahha was sure he was going to be asked about this more later.
Still... he had to answer.
"...I've had dreams, or maybe nightmares," Mahha decided to explain it. "Another Mashin, like me." Mabushiin and Doctor Kae couldn't blame him for telling the truth while avoiding saying it for what it was. "It was a train, and it had a robot form... and it was fighting an enemy..."
He never more lamented not seeing the fight for himself- having to hear it from Mabushiina when she told them of Jouki's fate. He'd had the occasional, very real nightmare, trying to piece together that fight for himself with only second hand information.
"And it lost," Mahha said. "Shattered, and destroyed. It was destroyed and I find myself unable to do anything but mourn its demise."
"Oh, Mahha," Harley said, frowning as she realized something.
She knew. She had to know, Mahha realized. Hadn't Heliko mentioned that Mabushiina had visited the Leijon household at one point? Nepeta must have overheard something and told Harley in some way he wasn't aware of. A text message perhaps?
"I guess it can't be helped," Tokoha said, hopping off of the stool and walking over to pet the tiny car zord across the faux-windshield area. "Nightmares are bad like that. Kagura keeps having nightmares she's going to get eaten by a WarGreymon!"
"...What's a WarGreymon?" Mahha asked, taking the out for what it was.
Tokoha gave an in-diginified snort, and Harley gave a small giggle in response to that.
"Well!" Tokoha said. "I know what we're watching after lunch!"
Kurantula and Garuza walked down the abandoned streets of some city. There weren't any humans in sight, but there were plenty of mook-type mobs meandering around day-to-day business as if they were humans.
"Garuza! Is that even possible?" Kurantula asked. "Finding traitors willing to betray their own worlds??"
"If we frame it in the right light," Garuza said, recalling the sugar-sweet words of the dead Alternian Empress and the firm, yet logical deductions of the man in the white orb helmet. "Make it seem like we offer them salvation rather than destruction... Yes. It can be done."
Kurantula shook his head. "I don't know if there are going to be many like that on every world! And even then, visiting every single one would be a nightmare!"
"We don't need every world," Garuza said. "We just need one."
Kurantula stopped for a moment, and stared at Garuza's back as he kept on walking. The mofang's mouth worked in confusion, and then he chased to catch up.
"Wait! Garuza! What do you mean by that!?"
Garuza said nothing.
Neither noticed a dark haired man wearing white rimmed goggles watching them from a distance with a strange smile on his face.
John Sheppard sat at the Atlantis Briefing room table and felt that the topic was being ignored. The City's day to day operations were being hashed out, discussions about City 1's inevitable departure and return to the Unwritten were being hashed out...
But the main subject was being avoided. The thing all of them didn't want to talk about.
Finally, as Mckay finished giving his report on the current project he was overseeing, John decided to speak up.
"So. What's the damage total?"
Everyone went silent, and eyes looked towards him.
Silence filled the air for a moment, and then...
Daraya Jonjet sighed, and spoke, "Final figures are still coming in, but better than we'd expected, worse than we'd hoped." She stood, and took center stage, bringing up data to the main screen. "A grand total of thirty-six worlds were hit over the weekend, Twelve worlds per Galaxy, six major, six minor. Seers are predicting that those numbers will hold consistent for the Major worlds, where the minor worlds will likely be hit at random."
"What are the Major worlds?" Keiko asked.
"In Milky Way, four of the major worlds were Jaffa owned, Chulak is one of them. The Tok'ra home world got hit," Daraya frowned. "New Langara was hit, too."
"Jonas isn't going to be happy about that," Tyzias remarked.
"Here in Pegasus, the six major worlds were all members of the Coalition," Daraya said, "The Genii got hit pretty hard though, Teyla's coordinating with them right now for relief efforts."
"I was wondering where she was," Mckay mused.
"Finally, Alternia Galaxy... Diaspora, Cla'dia, New Soria, Lopan, The new Villein settlement world, Marray..." Daraya paused. "And Earth C."
Tension filled the room, and didn't leave.
"Well, they can't be too happy about that," John stated the obvious.
"They're not," Daraya shook her head, her wolf ears flattening against her head. "The damages to the city of Cansburg were fairly minor. They've already rebuilt almost all of the damages, but that's besides the point. The Anti-Fictionals Movement- ugh, what a mouthful- are claiming that this didn't actually happen across the universe and are citing it as an act of aggression against them specifically."
"Idiots," Keiko grumbled.
"Fortunately the more sensible leaders, like their planet's Karkat Vantas, are pointing out that we'd have nothing to gain from starting attacks like this, and he's keeping the vast majority of people sated," Daraya continued. "Still, a lot of powerful people backing the An.. The AFM seem to be pulling back out of the public spotlight. Their version of Jane is... well. She's already gone to ground, and given her acts of aggression in the years before the displacement..."
"We'll have to warn any Rangers that go there that they might face outside aggression from them," John frowned. "But... I get the feeling we're going to keep the same team on that planet regardless, aren't we?"
"Seers predict the Kiramagers will have most of their battles on Earth C," Daraya nods, an unhappy look on her face.
"Let's get them in for a briefing," Keiko decided. "And if they're going to be stationed there more often than not, we should get them a room to work out of the Beltus from."
Argo, having been sitting quietly through this part of the meeting, nodded and said, "I'll pencil them in."
"Have we made any progress on the puzzle door yet?" Tyzias asked.
"Not yet," John shook his head. "Aradia's still scouring the old Athosian Archives and the old bunker shelters for any hints or clues for the full story around that weapon. Teyla getting pulled from the project to help the Genii's going to set us back a while." He paused. "But they did seem hopeful they had a lead last time I checked in. I think Aradia roped Atsuya into helping with the search."
Somewhere in the Old Athosian City lay an archive that had escaped unscathed through most of the fight the previous week.
"EUREKAING!" Aradia cried out with glee.
Atsuya and Fiya looked up from the ancient Athosian tome they were looking at, and turned to look towards their right...
Araida was holding up a large, square flat metal tile over her head.
"Excuse me?" Fiya asked.
"You two! Over here!" Aradia said, and they headed over. "Kneel down and look up at the tablet!"
Atsuya did as asked, and gazed upwards...
Aradia was holding the tile up towards a hole in the ceiling. In fact, he realized then it wasn't really a TILE, it was a decorative piece of metal work that likely had once housed something like a stained glass window.
But even then, it was a decorative piece of metal work that had the image of a constellation- a mage with a staff, it almost looked like- made out of the various lines of metal and the gaps in between.
"Caster!" Fiya exclaimed. "It's the same constellation from the wall decoration you've had us looking for!"
"Exactly!" Aradia grinned as she gazed up at the tile-vent cover. "This fell from this hole in the wall up there who knows how many years ago, but nobody ever moved it away because then fixing it would be a problem! But!" She knelt down and put the tile back on the ground. "If we've got Caster here in this archive, then we're sure to find the OTHER icons scattered around this place!"
"Hey, Harley?" Joey said suddenly, and Harley looked up. "Tomo wants to talk. I know this should be a private conversation but... well. They asked me to sit in and listen, at least. Something about not trusting themselves to talk without screwing it up."
Harley nodded. "That's ok."
She got up from sitting with Tokoha on the couch, and headed outside with her Aunt Claire, and went to talk with Tomo.
"So... What's up?" Harley asked, a little surprised at seeing her teammate back to normal and not having shifted their wings away and changed their hair color.
Tomo took a deep breath, than exhaled. "I... I screwed up, and I was acting like a jerk. I wasn't... Being honest with who I was." Their wings fluttered at that- and
Harley gave a small smile at that small sight. "I... I didn't realize it but I think I was a little Jealous?"
Harley stared, and then asked, incredulous "Jealous!? You? Of me and...?" Harley stopped in her tracks. "Atsuya??" Tomo nodded. "Nooo! Tomo! C'mere!!" Harley held her arms out and Tomo stepped forwards into the awaiting hug.
As she watched said hug happen- complete with Tomo's wings spreading around to hug Harley's shoulders- Joey couldn't help but whisper a quiet 'squish.'
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were feeling that way," Harley said. "I should've realized when you kept chewing your hair all the time!"
"I didn't even realize it, Harley!" Tomo said, leaning into the hug and their wings squeezing for comfort. "I was just feeling it but I didn't know why. How... how the heck do I trust my own emotions when I can't realize that?"
"Emotions are hard," Harley said. "But it probably doesn't help when you were bottling your wings away like that all the time."
"...No, you're right," Tomo sighed, burying their face into Harley's shoulder. "I was being stupid. It's only supposed to be used when we morph and I was using it to keep a whole part of me hidden away for way too long... I should've stopped after my back was getting sore like that..."
It was no wonder Tomo had briefly lost touch with their own emotions when they were basically cutting off two whole limbs for days at a time.
Harley hugged tight. "Just don't do it again, okay?"
Tomo nodded. "I won't!" A pause. "Though... can I keep the blonde hair? I kinda like it."
"We'll see!" Harley giggled. "Maybe after we get you a hair cut so you don't keep chewing on it."
Tomo whined, but relented. "Fair enough..."
"Well, I'm glad they made up," Shovellow quietly remarked, resting next to Mahha as they watched their partners cuddling together on the couch.
Mahha said nothing.
Shovellow glanced over, and would have frowned if a gemstone could do such a thing, "Hey? Something up?"
"I..." Mahha paused. "I was asked about Jouki earlier. I think Lady Harley knows we've been told to keep quiet about our origins." Even as he whispered those words, he saw Harley's ears twitch slightly. Tomo didn't react, though.
"Oh..." Shovellow similarly went silent for a moment. "That complicates things a bit."
"I don't know why the Princess insisted we keep quiet when she's going around trying to get Crystalia's people back," Mahha continued. "I'm worried that... the longer we keep this quiet the more it will backfire."
"You think anyone else knows?" Shovellow asked.
"Heliko's likely let it slip," Mahha said. "Mabushiina visited her partner's home, after all. Nepeta's likely said something to Lady Harley."
"Ah... Sloppy." Shovellow wobbled for a moment. "We should probably say something then, right?"
"Later," Mahha said. "When we leave."
"Mmh... no sense ruining the good mood right now," Shovellow agreed.
Nepeta gazed at her own twin- frowning because it wasn't flipped horizontally like a reflection would be or should be.
The Sub-in stood next to her bed across from her, dressed in the full Kiramager team uniform like she was- save for one difference.
Nepeta had taken off her shoulder cloak, meanwhile the Sub-In was completely unable to do so.
She'd gotten in close, and lifted up the cloak as much as she could- and wouldn't you know it, the cloak stopped after a point, seemingly fully attached to the jacket beneath it as if they were made of the same material. Even the button clasp at the front didn't work.
Nepeta walked over and gave the doll a subtle hip check- making the Sub-in revert back to its crystal form.
Heliko sat atop a dresser, observing with rapt interest in her Helicopter form.
Nepeta unbuttoned her jacket, but left it on, then activated the Sub-in Doll again. Once again, it replicated her look entirely. But yet again, where Nepeta could take her jacket off...
"This doll doesn't actually form clothing of its own, does it?" Nepeta asked, tugging at the jacket and finding it sewn at the shoulders to the shirt beneath.
"Eh, probably not?" Heliko's propellers whirled for a moment. "I mean, the clothes would have to be part of the doll itself too, I'd think?"
Nepeta reset the doll again, and began pacing. "So... If that's the case... it's likely that inorder for the Sub-in to be able to change its clothes Outside of a Morph up, it'd have to be as naked as it could get to begin with." She eyed the doll, and hummed. "I wonder... Just how innocent is Atsuya's imagination in this case?"
"Huh?" Heliko asked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Nepeta turned to her partner. "If I were to strip naked and activate the doll, would it be able to replicate Everything, or would it just keep being a doll and go all Barbie Anatomy on us?"
"...Barbie anatomy?" Heliko asked, tilting to the side. "What's that?"
"You know!" Nepeta pointed at her chest- "All smoothed out and simplified where there should be lots of detail!"
"Huh...?" Heliko's eye lights blinked. Then- she jumped. "Oh! I getcha!! Maybe that all depends on the person activating it?"
"What, you mean if I'd wanted my duplicate to have detail, it'd detail it, and wouldn't if I didn't?" Nepeta asked, frowning, putting her hands into a thinking pose as she resumed pacing. "I guess that could be a thing, couldn't it?"
She then turned to Heliko, and the both of them exclaimed- "Then we'll just have to try it!"
About five minutes of scientific process experimenting later- both of them would shout loud enough to startle birds from the trees outside Nepeta's bedroom-
"THAT'S TOTAL BULLSHIT!!"
"AND CUT!"
Equius relaxed after the directors' call went out, and the end-of-filming alarms rang out.
The first part of this anthology movie was proving to take longer to film than he'd thought, but atleast the action sequences were going smoothly.
He went over to the snacks table and got himself a cup of water to drink.
"Oh! Equius-senpai!" one of the stagehands gasped as she approached him, and Equius eyed the girl- a Fae from the old world of Alfheim, it seemed, going by the pointed elf ears framed by platninum pink hair- from over his cup of water. "You were so cool earlier!"
"Just doing my job," Equius said, lowering the cup and giving her a polite smile.
"And so modest too!" The girl gushed, a flush of warm red painting her cheeks. "You're just so awesome and cool and tallented! 'And you are already dead!' What a line!! Did you come up with that yourself??"
"Uh..." Equius felt a small bit of sweat dripping down his forehead. Damn it, was she one of THOSE fans? "No. Sorry, that was scripted."
"Oh... Well--"
Then Equius was called over by the director, and he quickly said: "Sorry, but I must go," and then he headed over to the Director even as the Fae girl cried out; "See you later, Equius-Senpai!!"
Equius had a bad feeling about this movie all of a sudden.
Atsuya was in the middle of sketching down the iconography of another Stained Glass Window (One of the Two Archers, a man wielding a sword in his bow instead of an arrow) when Fiya nudged him in the shoulder and said, "Uhoh, Two o'clock, Atsuya!"
Atsuya looked up from his drawing and turned towards that direction to see--
Two smiling Nepetas walking up to him.
"Oh, you got the Sub-in to show some emotions!" Atsuya started, not quite realizing that the grins were anything but a disarming measure.
Both Nepetas grabbed him by each arm as they passed, and dragged him over to a bench and forced him to sit down.
The Nepeta on his right sat down as well, and began, "You know, Atsuya! That Sub-in is total bullshit!"
"It... it is?" Atsuya asked.
"I tried taking her clothes off and it turns out they're just formed as part of the body!" Nepeta continued, motioning at the Sub-In that was now happily twirling around and giggling in an oddly familiar way. It was so concerning at how familiar it was that Atsuya was barely paying attention to Nepeta's words as she spoke. "So I started wondering just how far I could take it! And I got naked and you won't believe it!"
"Huh?" Atsuya turned to look at Nepeta as the expression on her face turned to something distinctly unamused. "What's that?"
"The Sub-in doesn't transform if you're wearing anything less than a swimsuit!" Nepeta said. "And even then, it's basically painted on and doesn't come off!"
Atsuya finally picked up on what she was talking about and his face went red. "Why the heck would you be trying that for?!"
"Because you gave us a neat piece of tech to play with and Heliko and I were bored?" Nepeta shrugged. "Anyways, so then we decided to mess around with it more and, well... What do you think, Heliko?"
She wasn't looking at the Kiramei Stone. In fact, the pink little gemstone wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Instead, Nepeta was looking directly at the active Sub-in who stopped twirling, put her hands on her hips, and beamed a grin before saying- "I think I look absolutely adorable, Nepeta-chan!"
The voice the Sub-in spoke with was NOT Nepeta's. It was Heliko's.
"Wait- WHAT!?" Atsuya and Fiya cried out at the same time.
"Soooo..." Nepeta pursed her lips. "It turns out if a Mashin's Gemform is resting on the Sub-in's head when you activate it, they kinda get... sucked into the transformation and basically take over as its pilot?"
"And now I've got arms and legs and can do all sorts of fun things without being Sky Mage!" The Sub'd-in Heliko grinned, and pumped a fist into the air. Then, she spun around and sat down on Atsuya's left- grabbing Fiya out of the air and cuddling him to her chest. "Ain't I cute, Fiya? Now I can smile!!"
Fiya was incoherently sputtering at the entire turn of events even as Atsuya looked at Nepeta and asked- "Please tell me it didn't break anything!"
"Relax!" Nepeta said. "We tested it back and forth a bunch of times before we came here. Heliko can dismiss it any time she wants to without the stupid hipcheck and it'll revert to normal just fine! It's basically just the same as us climbing into them when they're giant sized, really."
"Yep!" Heliko nodded, and pointed at her head. "Real me's tucked away inside this noggin all snug and cozy! It's like being wrapped up in a big ol' kiramei stone blanket!"
"So..." Atsuya frowned, looking at Heliko. "Basically I accidentally designed a transforming, person sized Mashin so that Mashin can pilot it and walk around like us?"
"Mmhmm!" Heliko nodded, and giggled.
"Your imagination's pretty powerful, Atsuya," Nepeta said, planting her left hand on his right shoulder. "On its own that Sub-in's got a few combat uses, but pair it with one of our partners and suddenly it becomes a lot more powerful!"
"I can also still talk like Nepeta-chan too!" Heliko said, suddenly not sounding like Heliko at all. "So if I need to, I can literally pretend to be her!"
"Two Places, One Nepeta, and one Heliko," Atsuya paraphrased Tomo's earlier statement. "That's amazing!"
"What's amaziiiiIIIIEEEEEE!?" Aradia chose that moment to enter the scene- spot the doubled up Nepeta, and shrieked in surprise. "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!?"
As Tomo and Harley walked back through the forest towards town, Mahha made a coughing sound. "Ahhem. Lady Harley, There is something I must talk to you about."
"Me too, Tomo," Shovellow said.
"Should we talk separately or...?" Tomo trailed off.
"Together's fine, and it's about the same thing anyways," Shovellow said.
"So... What is it?" Harley asked, eyeing her partner.
"As you may already suspect..." Mahha began, "the dreams I spoke of earlier are not just mere dreams."
"Doctor Kae lied about giving you guys A.I., didn't she?" Tomo asked.
The two gemstones nodded.
"Well, I think we all figured that much," Harley said. "But why?"
"The reason why..." Mahha started, "Is that Mabushiina, The Princess of Crystalia, wished us to maintain a fiction that we Mashin- the Kiramei Stones- had been lost to the fall of our planet incase there were those who survived its fall and sought to use us for evil."
"We thought it was just a weak excuse at first, but then that monster went after the Kiramei stone deposits on Old Athos," Shovellow said. "Someone went after it without even knowing about us..."
"We're telling the others as soon as we get a chance, obviously," Harley said. "But... You lost someone, didn't you?"
Mahha nodded. "Mashin Jouki and his partner, Mashin Ezprez. Mabushiina told us that his partner shattered during the fight with the Empire, and as for Jouki..."
"Apparently Mabushiina saw him last in the hands of a demon knight who burst into the throne room," Shovellow said. "Who knows what happened to him after that."
Tomo had a strange look in their eyes. "Jouki... What color was his Kiramei Stone?"
"A mostly Black shade of Purple," Mahha answered.
Tomo looked to Harley, and asked, "You don't think that was the weird stone that those jerks with the Grinders stole from Kanaya's logging camp, do you?"
This time, it was the Mashins who asked, "What weird stone?"
"The Haven Attack," Harley said. "Kanaya told Rose who told us that the monsters there were after this black-purple stone that Kanaya'd carved out of a tree with a chainsaw. They took it and left."
"Jouki..." Shovellow said quietly. "Could he be alive?"
"It's possible it also could have been any other natural deposit of Kiramei stone," Mahha said. "But... Haven? That's the world Mabushiina was sent to with us. The world with the time travel solar flares. If anywhere Jouki could have made it to... it could have been there if the Princess was unaware of his arrival after hers!"
"Suddenly I've got a bad feeling about this," Shovellow said, shuddering.
"Hoo! HYA! TENSION AT MAAAX!!! I'M BURNING HOT HOT HOOOOOT!!!"
Doctor Gina Kae watched with rapt fascination as a total duplicate of Atsuya posed around while speaking with Mashin Fiya's voice. Meanwhile, Aradia and Atsuya himself were trying to keep Fiya from climbing onto very unstable looking pieces of scenery.
"You gave them a pilotable body," she summarized everything.
"Yep!" Nepeta grinned as she held Heliko's gem form close to her chest.
"Ain't it great?" Heliko asked, sparkling greatly.
Gina took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "You know, when you called me over here, i was expecting something about the whole Athosian Lore problem we were working on. Not... This. Honestly, I'm amazed that it can do a whole body shapeshift in the first place. You said Atsuya made this out of the Blue Diamond stones I gave you in class?"
Nepeta nodded. "Yep!"
"Oh!" Aradia turned to face Gina upon hearing her remark. "We did make some progress on that, though!"
Gina blinked. "You did?"
There was a knock at the Egbert house front door, and Rose Egbert opened it.
"Hey," Kanaya Maryam the younger gave a small wave. "I Brought snacks."
Rose quirked a smile at the several plastic bags clearly marked with the logo of a certain Time Travel themed Cafe, and said, "Just Snacks, huh?"
It didn't take long for Rose, Kanaya, and June to have the full spread out on the table, and were eating away for dinner.
"Where's your parents at?" Kanaya asked, glancing around. "Or your brother, for that matter."
"Harry's out hanging with Rohs at Uncle Jake's," June answered around a mouthful of tuna salad sandwich.
"Mom and Dad are out having a date night," Rose finished the question answering in the reverse order. "Given the looks Mom was giving Dad, I suspect we may be in for another new sibling in another few months."
"I'm not surprised they'd be pushing for that kind of 'we survived a monster attack' type of romance," Kanaya glanced at the window. "I saw the nearby burn damage. Were they home when it happened?"
"Yep," Rose nodded. "How have things been at the Brooding Caverns? I don't think I asked since you got back from Logging Camp." Then, question asked, she took a bite out of her turkey, ham, bacon, and roast beef sandwich. June ignored the squelching sound resulting from the unknown mystery binding agent holding it all together. Kanaya, having ordered the food for everyone, knew exactly what it was and refused to say, if only because nobody asked, and she had another question to actually answer.
"Miss Wanshi and Mister Lanque have things under control," Kanaya answered. "They've still got their hands full preparing to teach new recruits from Earth C, however. Apparently their version of the Mother Grub is starting to lay more Matriorb Eggs. Which is a development I think everyone could have wished happened under different circumstances."
Rose winced, hearing that news, but didn't say anything due to a full mouth.
June picked up the slack for that part of the conversation, though, "So they're going to have to expand out, huh? That's pretty... uh... That's something, alright."
"From what Miss Wanshi said, Miss Bronya's planning on setting up a new brooding cavern on Lopan to help potential migrants settle," Kanaya explained with a small shrug. She bit into her own sandwich, chewed a bit, swallowed, and continued. "After the Monster Attack the other day, though, I wouldn't be surprised if we see an uptick of people wanting to leave that planet."
Rose nodded, "It's certainly as good of an excuse as any."
Kanaya nodded, and the three of them continued to eat for a while
It was only as Dishes were being taken care of that Kanaya turned to Rose and asked, "So... how exactly does one become a Power Ranger these days?"
Rose could only laugh, and answer, "By picking random items out of bins on a desk, apparently!"
Kanaya was understandably confused, having missed out on that particular detail due to being away at Logging camp. A logging camp on Haven where she'd found a strange black-purple hued stone within a dying tree and had to cut it out with a chainsaw.
A logging camp thaty was then attacked by monsters in some kind of prelude to all of the current nonsense.
Sure, her attempts at getting out of logging camp early due to said attack had been a failure at the time. But now she was here, and now there were events transpiring that she could potentially help with.
How, she wasn't sure on just yet. But damn it all if some version of Kanaya Maryam wasn't going to go apeshit on the people threatening her happy life.
The Alternian Green-blood, Lloyd Armadn, flinched backwards in his seat as the Cu Sidhe fae, Akita Red, dropped a folder on his desk. "What's this?" He asked, looking to his friend.
"Aradia found a clue to what the combination is," Akita said. "But I noticed something they didn't." She opened the folder, and pointed at the picture of the window for "Caster" which was missing its glass pieces entirely. "That."
Lloyd stared at it. "It's one of the Constellations from the Puzzle door. The Caster formation."
"It's not Just Caster," Akita took that symbol, and turned it by a certain amount. "Look Familiar?"
Lloyd stared at it, then he looked at Akita, then back at the picture.
Then, he got out a marker and a sheet of paper, and wrote out the address for Atlantis as dialed from Old Athos.
He pointed at the Point of Origin, "Caster." And then he looked at her, "The Point of Origin is the only glyph in a Gate address that will never change when written out."
"Aradia only found seven windows in the entire library with these symbols, and I'm willing to bet the other Jade had no way of predicting what ten thousand years of stellar drift would do to a Gate Address here in Pegasus enough to predict the glyph changes and leave us any clues how to use it in the future, especially if she had no way of calibrating a custom address without Callie's Gate Hacks." Akita explained.
"And since it's only seven symbols we know she didn't know the destination Gate's MAC Address which would be a full nine," Lloyd continued. "But that doesn't change the fact that we now should be able to figure out the pass code for the vault door once we know the right order of the glyphs."
"And that's probably why there's two Archers," Akita said. "It's a red herring."
"We really need that full story," Lloyd summarized.
"Yep," Akita nodded.
In the Alternia Galaxy, on Earth C, Jane Crocker was not a happy woman.
Two years ago, Her father had died in a damned rebel attack, and before she could properly mourn or retaliate, a Ghost Storm had happened, but not just any Ghost Storm. It was one that had brought living people back to her Earth. One Terezi Pyrope, and a some fourteen years younger John Egbert, who'd been impaled through the chest with a golden Cherub Tooth. Worse, they'd landed infront of HER estranged Ecto-Son, John Egbert, as well as another living ghost of the past, Vriska Serket.
Rumor was that the remains of Lord English himself had also landed somewhere, but those could not be substantiated.
Regardless, not hours after those developments, with the wounded John being brought to a hospital for medical care, the damned retcon powers had activated- clearly that other John's fault- and had displaced all of Earth-C to another dimension.
Another Universe.
Another Time.
A Fictional Universe, and a Fictional Time.
They'd been cast away into a gods forsaken TV show, and not just any good ones either... they'd been cast away into a mockery of their own lives.
There were other copies of her Godly (ex)friends wandering around with their own lives, and in some cases were doubled over. And they were POWERFUL. So so powerful. Everyone was on power terms as great as the Creators of a goddamned Universe!!!
Well, if it was so god-damned, Jane Crocker, Maid of Life, was sure to be the God who was doing the Damning.
In the two years that had happened since then, the revolt of the Trolls had basically succeeded. After all, Earth C had been dropped into near about the same Orbit as Alternia Itself, save that it was far enough out that the sunlight wasn't deathly fatal or instantly blinding to anyone who dared look at the thing.
It was revolting and disgusting that they'd gotten their way simply because their numbers had suddenly quadroupled and their technological powers had exponentially grown with it... but that was secondary to the issue at hand. No, it was secondary even to the secondary issue- the... the... the fourth tier. Quartary tier'd issue!
The tirtiary issue was that the original Earth of this so called "timeline" had been destroyed. Clearly, a mockery of a sign that the universe was slating Her Earth for the same.
The real secondary issue was that these fictional duplicates of the Gods who had Created Earth C's entire culture. These Mockeries. These FAKES!! Their own Jane didn't even have a ruling spotlight anywhere! What kind of Jane Crocker didn't seek her natural born right to rule!? Not a Jane Crocker, that was for sure.
Oh, yes, they were going to pay one way or another for defiling Jane Crocker's Copyright on the concept of her very SOUL. (The rest of those so-called Gods could burn for siding with the Fictionals and turning against her. Even Jake! How dare he go so far as to take away Her Son from her! Let alone file a damned Divorce paper against her! No. Jake English was no husband of hers and she WOULD get Tavros back.) But yes, it was still a secondary issue.
The Primary Issue that stood before Jane Crocker in this day and age was the dark armor clad man who had burst into her War Room and utterly disposed of every guard she had with a single burst of dark energy.
"So." She sneered at the man in the armor. "I take it you're the one who these fictionals sent to 'sell me' on the idea of an evil big bad that's coming to destroy everything I care about?"
The man before her seemed oddly amused- Jane couldn't figure out why she felt that way despite the odd chime in the air, because he spoke with a level tone of voice.
"I serve no master except in deception," The man said truthfully. "I am King Garuza of Crystalia. And I am unfortunately forced to serve a man who seeks to conquer the entire universe. An ambitious, if faulty goal."
Jane felt the measure of the man's voice, even as he removed his helmet and unveiled a face of black crystal and gold hair, and she felt no lie from him.
"You see, while my 'Lord' Gilgamesh has tasked me with the eradication of your planet, I simply find Earth C too beautiful to destroy," 'King' Garuza of Crystalia said. "It reminds me of my home planet, Crystalia, before it fell at the hands of the vile Alternian Empire."
"Oh?" Jane felt that she could trust a man such as he who knew the true measure of how awful and militant the race of Trolls could be when given an inch- they'd take miles more. "So what brings you to my humble abode, King Garuza?"
"It's quite simple," Garuza said, and despite his face being as stiff as rock, she swore he was smiling. He then said exactly what she'd feared, "They say they've disbanded the Alternian Empire, and say they've demilitarized and are non agressive save for defense, but really, all they've done is rebranded themselves. They still spread their influence across multiple galaxies, forming so called Alliances that they take a dominant role in. They destroyed Earth because it was too powerful. Or so they thought. Lord Gilgamesh brought it back, and has shown me the truth of the matter. But his ambitions..." he shook his head. "They are no better than the Alternians themselves. He is jealous of what they've created. He envies it. Wishes to rule it all for himself, and if he cannot have it, he will destroy it so that they may not have it. And truthfully, does not all that death just sound dreadful? Countless human worlds subjugated by the Alternians will be vanquished for being forced into slavery."
Jane found herself inclined to agree. "Naturally." She nodded. "It's quite a bad state of affairs."
For an Alien in a fictional universe, this King Garuza did bring up a good point. Gilgamesh sought to destroy lives better served under a proper ruler. And really, fictional or not... the Alternian Empire really was her Birthright, wasn't it?
After all, The Empress of Alternia had basically been her Grandmother, and had created the Crocker Corp brand as it stood today.... And despite her Grandmother being such a vile woman, it was Jane's INHERITANCE to rule over her empire.
"What would you have me do to help fix this sorry universe to a more... proper rule, KIng Garuza?" Jane Crocker asked.
Garuza hummed in a happy way, "You simply point me at targets you cannot plausibly destroy, and I will destroy them for you. I will eradicate the enemy you now find yourself unable to destroy. Once we secure Earth C as a home of operations for the both of us... Lord Gilgamesh will fall, and I will take over his holdings. From there..." There was that strange chiming again. "We will dispose of the Alternians."
Jane smiled, and extended her hand. "I think we've got ourselves a Deal, King Garuza."
As they shook hands, both thought the same, identical thought, 'And once this is all over, I'll betray You as well.'
Notes:
How to establish a weird catch phrase:
1. Have Aradia Megido say it.
2. Have everyone else co-opt it.
3. ???
4. Profit.Juru's "Kiramaking!/Eureka-ing!" catchphrase is... a hard thing to establish naturally. Atsuya's a BIT more reserved than Juru is, so to have him suddenly start spouting it needs that phrase to come from someone who would say such a thing and have everyone else co-opt it when necessary. Aradia is really handy for that kind of role.
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'Things I'm regretting not waiting for more of Kiramager to air before writing' List Has Been Updated:I really kinda shot myself in the foot back in Epilogue B with saying the Mashins were man-made and A.I. run. Just an entirely unnecessary piece of plot driving drama that I don't want to deal with. This plot line was chosen to be culled ruthlessly short before I made any edit changes to chapter 3, as an FYI for anyone keeping track of that sort of thing.
The whole 'Jouki's stone on Haven' thing was a plot hook I *really* didn't quite think through at the time, and I really could have used some more plot development time to make it work, but. Oh well. That's the hand I dealt my self, and it's the hand I'm working with. It's more fun that way, with the little imperfections, wouldn't you agree?
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Speaking of things being cut short, the Jealousy Arc. Joey's been around the block enough to be able to help Tomo recognize those feelings and cut 'em down to size. In Kiramager Proper, Tametomo's own jerkyness has been taking level downs too, so hopefully by the time Act 8 Act 2 rolls around we'll have gotten Tomo through the worst of that character development.
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Hi Iyo-chan, bye Iyo-chan.There's some seeds for a future focus episode of Kiramager with Equius. I'd originally planned for that episode to be near the end of THIS Act, but I decided that pacing wise it made more sense near the opening of the next act. Also, I had to give myself some buffer room to write the start of the next act because Kiramager only just started airing again with new episodes that weren't fun lore dumps and cheap flashback episodes.
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The Sub-In is going to be my version of Go-Onger's Go-Roader GT- that is to say, a device that lets the Zord Partners interact with the Rangers on a human-to-human level. Having mostly written all of this act already, I can SAFELY say that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this plot device.Honestly, I'm disappointed Kiramager's kept the Mashins at zord size for most of the series so far. The Sub-In is a REALLY powerful plot tool and I'm surprised they've used it so sparingly so far. They're FUN CHARACTERS! They deserve a bit more spotlight, I think.
---
I'm *still* debating what the hell to do with Kanaya's arc. She's angling to become a Ranger... but I can't make her Kiramei Silver- that role is filled already- and what I'd LIKE to do is make her Jouki's partner, because [REASONS], but I have to really see how Kiramager plays out regarding poor Jouki to make a firm decision on how that'll play out. I may have to go Titanium Ranger with her, if I go that route. Ahhh... but for now, I've got a fallback plan that should work in the short term.
---
Yeeep. Gate Addresses. This part of Other Jade's whole puzzle is probably the most... eh, I don't want to say disrespectful? Because I have been respecting my own established plot lines here, but Disrespectful is the only word I can think of right now, so- Disrespectful I've been to the whole established Stargate Lore of how planetary drift and Gate Mechanics work. I may technically be retconning Atlantis' Gate Database here, a little bit, but the series proper and *I* never really touched on the drift bit and the correlative updates with how Atlantis' Gate Worked before, so...IDK. I'm rolling with it because it makes sense, but it's not really a problem that's had to come up in a REALLY long time. (Avenger 2.0)
---
Reminder, Jane Crocker is NOT the Jane Egbert we've known. Also- this IS a plot arc that I've curtailed short after the edits in Chapter 3 were made.
---
Next Chapter: MINISODE: Tainted.
And also probably same day: HS: ReboundSee U next Monday.
Chapter 8: MINISODE: Tainted.
Summary:
Ah, screw it. Two chapters "Sunday" and one major one "Monday."
(It's all Monday somewhere, though.)
Chapter Text
Silver Wing gently patted the back of Touches-The-Sky as the young diplomat heaved, trying to void the contents of their stomach into a bush.
[How horrible,] they whimpered. [That tear in space time. That vortex... I've never felt anything like it...!]
[It's the same kind of vile taint I felt when I examined the clogged link when the SGC Personnel managed to escape to Atlantis,] Silver Wing said quietly. [It's an abomination to witness, isn't it?]
[I feel violated just having observed that rift open,] Touches-The-Sky confessed. [What profane magic are they using, Silver Wing?]
[I have no idea, unfortunately,] Silver Wing answered. [But come, the battle is over. The Kiramagers won. We must get back home so you can recover.]
[I don't think I can link on my own,] Touches-The-Sky said, tiredly.
[I will carry you, then,] Silver Wing promised, and spread her wings.
They linked away without a further thought.
Neither noticed that Crazz emerged from the shadows after they had left, gazing at the distant city where a portal had been opened not half an hour earlier.
[Well,] he said, [that's definitely something interesting... Definitely something interesting indeed.] He let loose a laughing bolt of a shriek into the air, startling many people, and then linked away as well.
Days later, and the next meeting in the cave in the void was tense as Touches-The-Sky explained their experience to Add, Crazz, and Sterling Claws.
[I feel horrible,] Touches the Sky concluded with a shudder.
Silver Wing said, [I feel the same, truthfully. My chest hurt in pain, witnessing the sight. I feel very unnerved with the after-effects, even now.]
[The portals used are unstable and dark,] Sterling Claws observed. [We will have to figure out a way to limit the damage unto the local subspace of that dimension. It's fractured enough as it is.]
[Here's a crazy idea,] Crazz suggested, [what if we Don't fix it?]
[Excuse me?] Add asked, glancing at him sharply. [Are you insane?? You crazy ass-]
[No, let him speak,] Sterling Claws raised a hand. [Crazz, do you have an idea?]
[We can't punch through the dimensional warping around Gilgamesh's Earth without risking being possessed again by his version of the Tablet,] Crazz started. [So... What if we use their own portal-rifts to follow a viable tunnel path back through the warping?]
[The Small Warps heal too fast for us to trace, but the larger ones...] Silver Wing realized. [They leave gaping wounds. The bigger the wounds that happen on Earth C the more stable a path they might make!]
[Exactly,] Crazz nodded. [I've been thinking about this since we first got word of giant monsters attacking Old Athos. A Wormhole of some kind had to form, right? And normally Stargate Wormholes are One Way, same for the Linking Tunnels we all use. But... If we can take the path that they've forged in one direction, and back trace it-]
[We can form a new portal through the old path in the right direction,] Touches-The-Sky summarized. [I hate it, but I like it at the same time.]
[Okay, I take it back,] Add says, [you're not crazy or insane, Crazz. You're just plain Derentis!]
[Borrowing Ancient Loan Words doesn't mean I have don't a point,] Crazz countered.
Add grumbled over that.
[As much as it pains me to admit it, but it's a viable plan,] Sterling Wing said. [We should have our best number crunchers work on the time estimates and dimensional calculations... and pray that there isn't any form of backlash upon the dimensional substrate while we wait.]
Notes:
Not much to say here. Just that we're probably not going to see these guys again for a while.
Chapter 9: HS: Rebound
Summary:
Gamzee and Dirk are in this one.
Chapter Text
"Awh hell, not again," The man wearing the orange cap sighed as the purple clown slid in front of him in the middle of the local Canmart.
"YOOOOU!" The purple clown decried. "BLAAASPHEEMEERRRR!!!"
"Seriously, man, do we have to do this now? I just want to get my soda and go home," orange cap asked, ditching the hat for a pair of orange sunglasses.
"You showed me a tv show where they got my character all wrong and died 'cause of it. AND THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE!" the clown yelled, drawing his clubs. "Your Soda. IS NOW FORFEIT!"
"Seriously? That's all it gets to make you drop the whole redemption arc shit?" Orange glasses asked, drawing a sword. "This really isn't going to end well for either of us, I can just feel it in my bones."
The clown laughed, and in a low voice said, "I won't listen to your Bones cause they're already corrupted off the rails, Blasphemer," And then the clown lunged forwards- "NOW- DIIIII--"
The sword was thrown as a distraction- the clown dodged, and the orange sunglasses man unleashed a burst of purple lightning upon the clown in that fraction of a second of time.
Neither knew what happened in that moment, because somehow the lightning went into the clown, and ALSO came out of the clown in the opposite direction, striking orange sunglasses in the face.
Both of them hit the ground, smoking from the unpredictable interaction that came from the fact that some small fragment of both of their Souls was tied up in a monster of a soul amalgam that had just been circumstantially simultaneously:
Eaten alive by a Corpse Stealer.
Been Banished to a realm called the Unending.
Turned into a giant monster made of Teeth and antlers.
Gotten physically reset into the form of a tiny, red and green egg.
Hatched, raised, and then subsequently attacked through a rift in space time that ripped out his sister's soul from his very body, then had the hole stuffed up with copies of his future, alternate timeline selves.
And then went on to split into those alternate selves before they were subsequently killed at the same time his main self was bodily shoved through a giant Stargate the wrong way around and turned into a string of energy that was jettisoned directly into a black hole.
But really, who could have known any of that would have happened, and resulted in that Soul Searing attack to rebound and hit those two fragments of souls, erasing them from the rest of the collective wholes within this specific timeline?
When the purple clown finally regained consciousness, he asked, "What the honk were we fighting about, brother?"
To which the man with the orange sunglasses groaned, and replied, "I have absolutely no idea. But it really hurt."
Notes:
So yeah, there's a butterfly to the Candy Timeline. Most of this is calling back to the old What-If chapter way back in... uh... one of the Act 6es. Not so much a What If anymore, I suppose.
Next Chapter (To be uploaded later on Monday): MSK: 01X03: Acting is such a Headache! But so is Dad's Vise! (ENDURE IT!!)
Chapter 10: MSK: 01X03: Acting is such a Headache! But so is Dad's Vise! (ENDURE IT!!)
Summary:
Vadervise is on the rise.
Notes:
CW:
Moderate Picture Linkage, minor picture embedding.
Implications of Head Crushing via Giant Metal Vise devices.
Burn out, and Stubborn Refusal to show pain. (Don't be masochistic, kids!)
Body Doubling Via Sub-In.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 26TH, 2012.
The BC-304 class cruiser "Belongs To Us" or "BELTUS" for short hovered in orbit alongside the BC-304 DAEDALUS over the planet Earth C.
Inside this cruiser lay a Stargate, and many other operational features that made the Beltus THE Flagship for the Atlernia Galaxy's Stargate Program. Complete with advanced Asgard and harvested Ancient technologies- you name it, this state of the line ship was kept state of the line thanks to countless upgrades over the years since its construction.
Of course, it hadn't seen battle in almost a decade. Not since that day they'd shoved Lord English into a Supergate. The Beltus had always been a mobile command and research center first and foremost with the ability to defend itself coming in secondary, not an attack cruiser-turned-research vessel like the Daedalus had become.
And as of now, on a rather lazy Sunday morning, a certain extra addon was being attached towards the front of one of the Beltus' two 302 Bays. It was bulky and kind of boxy in the way that Atlantian and D'ni styles tended to merge, and didn't match the ship's olive green colorscheme at all, given its overall bronze and gold colors, but it was added never the less.
What was it exactly? A Zord Repair Bay.
Specifically, it was a Zord Repair Bay for the five Kiramei Stones- the Mashin Zords- who were to be deployed to the planet below on what was predicted to be a consistent schedule.
Inside the assigned Lounge Room just off of that 302 bay, four of the Five Kiramagers, plus their escorting guardian, Joey Claire, observed the addition process with enthusiasm, but nowhere near as much excitement as their partners had.
"Oh man!" Fiya said. "Are those giant polishing machines I see?"
"They areee!" Heliko squealed. "We get to sparkleeeee!!"
"Okurii says that those polishers should help buff out any cracks or scratches you guys might get during a battle," Atsuya said, gazing out the window.
"That's quite a Luxury," Mahha mused. "I can't recall the last time we made use of Crystalia's polishers."
"I'm more excited by how big the bay is!" Shovellow exclaimed. "There's room for so many full sized Kiramei Stones I'm astonished!"
"Down, girl," Tomo placed a hand ontop of their partner, and lowered them down a bit. "They're still digging for the first major deposit still."
"I knooow..." Shovellow lamented with a sigh.
"It's a shame Equius and Jetta couldn't be here to see this," Nepeta said. "They're missing out on quite the view."
"Where are those two anyways?" Joey asked, leaning against a wall and eyeing the kids and their partners.
"Last minute filming," Harley answered. "Apparently there was a scheduling error and they needed to finish the filming before the set gets torn down and rebuilt for the next part of the movie in a couple of days."
Joey frowned. "What the heck? That seems a bit crazy, if you ask me."
The kids before her shrugged, and Nepeta said, "It does seem stupid, but Equius said he'd face it stoically."
"There's such a thing as being too stoic, though," Atsuya frowned.
"That there is," Joey agreed, turning to look out the window again. "Believe me, I've seen what that gets people. I'll make sure to talk to him about that just to be on the safe side, though."
"AND CUT!" RIIIING RIIIIIIIIIING! "Reset the set, we're going again in ten minutes! Actors, break time now! Rest where you can!"
Equius sighed in relief and made his way quickly to his secluded corner between walls of the "Ancient East Alternian Temple" set. A small bag of his things locked with a bio-lock zipper lay tied up to a support pole.
He sat down, opened the bag, and decaptchalogued Jetta from his morpher within. "Today is getting intense. So many stunts to get right."
"If you need to take a break during the more action heavy stunts, I don't mind filling in for you with the Sub-in, Aniki!" Jetta said.
"I'll be fine just as long as a monster doesn't attack," Equius said, and then the Morpher in his bag chimed.
Both of them looked at the other, and Equius grimaced. "Damn it."
"We could rock-paper-scissors for it?" Jetta offered.
"No, I'll go," Equius said, grabbing his morpher, and decaptchaloging the Sub-in. "Hopefully I can get back before the ten minute break's over with."
"Gotcha! I'll do my best to fill in for you 'til then!" Jetta said with a nod and a bob in the air.
A moment later there was a flash of light from that corner.
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!"
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
_"Warning! Within Your Area: Predicted Monster Attack Imminent! Please seek shelter immediately!"_
As the alarm sounded in a random plaza on Earth C- many Alternian and Carapacian citizens packed up their belongings and headed out. A good chunk of humans there with common sense did as well, but a small portion of those at the plaza just scoffed and kept on working on eating their lunches, figuring it wouldn't bother them.
Oh, how wrong they were when less than a minute later- giant metal vises suddenly formed around their heads, clamping down tight and causing immense pain.
"Hahahah!" The Jamenshi of the day- a monster with a purple cape and a red body suit, whose mask was a giant inverted version of the vices he was throwing on people's heads- laughed. "You guys have to endure all sorts of pressure! So I'm giving you all a little bit more to deal with! I'm the ULTIMATE PRESSURE!!" He kneeled down and gazed at a woman whose face was scrunched up in pain.
"H-urt! IT hurts!" She cried out.
"Hahah! I'm sorry!" The monster tapped at the barbell on the side of his mask. "Do you want me to turn this and relieve some pressure? HAHA! Sure!!" He twisted the barbell- but not to loosen it, "TIghter tighter tighter! Hahaha!"
People screamed in pain, darkness energy burst forth from the vises over their heads.
"HAHAHA!" Kurantula laughed. "Well done, Vadervise Jamen!" His staff's pressure gauge was rising swiftly and rapidly, already surpassing the half way mark and inching closer towards the red zone. "My staff is almost full of darkness and we can open the Gate!"
Garuza observed with a silent gaze, and said nothing as he observed a different window- not focusing on the monster attack, but rather a set of five energy signatures rushing towards the scene of the attack after appearing suddenly on the ground.
"That's as far as you'll get, jerk!" Tomo yelled as the full squad of Kiramagers arrived- with only Equius out of uniform, and wearing his costume from set.
"What the heck is that!?" Vadervise asked, pointing at him. "You five can't even come meet me looking like a team! What a joke!"
"Last time we may have had me Substituted," Harley said, holding up her morpher, "but this time it's the full roster!!"
"Listen to our first full team roll call!" Atsuya called out, readying his morpher. "Kiramei Go!" He yelled, tapping his morpher.
The others did the same, to a chorus of _"KIRAMEI GO!"_
_"KI!"_ They threw their left fists out, arms extended, _"RA!"_ Tight hands resting against the wheels. _"MEI!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!" They spun the wheels, pulling their left arms back against their right hands.
The flash of light of transformation overcame them, and when it passed with a _"LET'S SPARKLE!"_ Atsuya lead off the Roll Call with a backflip...
"INSPRIATION SPARKLING!" he struck his pose. "KIRAMEI RED!"
"GUIDED SHOOTING!" Tomo struck their pose of taking aim at the monster, "KIRAMEI YELLOW! Bang!"
"RUSH LIGHTNING!" Harley struck her pose with enthusiasm. "KIRAMEI GREEN! Yeah!!"
"SHARPENED UNSTOPPABLE!" Equius struck his pose with control and preciseness. "KIRAMEI BLUE!"
"DEFT INCREDIBLE!" Nepeta hit her own pose without missing a beat, "KIRAMEI PINK! Hello!!"
The five of them called as one: "Arriving in a Flash! Dispatching evil with a Blast! Mashin Sentai!"
The five of them struck their pre-rehearsed poses.
"Go Bechats!!" Vadervise yelled out, summoning the monsters to fight.
The morphers were tapped- and their weapons were summoned- _"KIRAMAGE!"_
Nepeta began swinging her way through the bechats, dodging their strikes and firing blasts at them as she went.
She caught a Bechat by the arm, and then twisted it down by the shoulder so she could grab onto it with her legs and then bodily flipped the thing onto its face as she rolled into a kneeling pose, and fired back, without looking, at a bechat behind her, and then swung forwards to send more flying with even more blasts.
"Kiramei Shield!" Equius tapped his sword, which generated a wall of energy around the blade, which he used as an extended sword blade to block and slash through the Bechats. Then, another tap- "Kiramei Sword!"
The ensuing red and green energy strikes blew up the Bechats with ease, and a _"CHECKMAGE!"_
Harley ran through the Bechats, striking rapidly with her sword.
She kicked at one, and rolled forwards from the kick, then tapped at the blade. "Kiramei Sword!"
_"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
And then with a flexing flare of her teleportation powers added onto her innate speed, Harley rushed through the Bechats like a comet- slashing rapidly and leaving behind afterimages of Kiramei Green as she sliced through the enemies.
The Bechats exploded with a _"CHECKMAGE!"_
Tomo spun around, dodging under attacks and kicking at Bechats- then blasting them when the opportunity arose.
Tomo then opened the lid on the blaster, and dropped in several of the round blue crystal disks into the slot. The lid went back on, and Tomo pulled back the pump lever. "KIRAMEI SHOT!"
_"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
The ensuing blasts of blue disks went ricocheting around the battlefield, smashing into Bechats with precise trajectories so as to avoid hitting anyone lese.
Once more, the Bechats exploded with a _"CHECKMAGE!"_
Atsuya leaped over bechat strikes and fired off blasts over the blade of his sword. A trio of Bechats fell over with cries of "Bechaaaa!"
Atsuya swung his sword through more Bechats, and sparkled while doing so.
"ARRGH!" Vadervise growled. "Stop interfering with my business, Kiramagers!" he then put his hands up to the clam lever and said- "Come any closer, and I'll tighten their heads to the point of exploding!"
"How about we explode YOU instead?!" Tomo yelled, firing off several shots that caused the Jamenshi to stumble backwards and release his grip off of the vise lever.
Harley zapped in and grabbed it, turning it clear the opposite way very fast.
"Hey! What!? NO! STOP THAT!" Vadervise yelped.
The vises fell off of the trapped humans' heads, and Nepeta encouraged them to flee, "Get out of here while you can!"
There were no arguments or second guessing this time, and the people fled.
"Stop it!" Vadervise threw Harley off of him and grabbed at his turn-lever to use it as a sword- he bashed at Harley as she grabbed for it, knocking her back.
"That Jerk!" Atsuya exclaimed, and he and Nepeta took aim at the Jamenshi- who deflected their shots with well swung lever-baton-sword-strikes.
Vadervise got in close, and swung at them, knocking the Red and Pink Kiramagers away as well.
"Leave this to me!" Equius said, readying his sword. "I recognize his fighting style!"
He closed in on Vadervise, and they clased weapons. The monster saying stuff like "What a joke!" then "Oh! Crap!" and "Shit! Shit! SHIT!! How are you so good!?"
Vadervise fell on his back, and then had an idea.
"Oh! Look over there!" He pointed at the other Kiramagers, who were getting back to their feet and regrouping.
Equius looked, fearing the worst- and then, "SUCKER!" ...Got a vise stuck to his head, forcing him to transform back from the sheer pain it was suddenly exuding.
The Kiramagers gasped in shock as the Jamenshi tightened the vise on his side, saying- "You'll never get that thing off without my lever! LATER!!!" And then Vadervise absconded once the job was done.
Equius groaned in pain from the ground, and, well, needless to say, the situation was quite dire.
"Well, Momma?" Nepeta asked.
Marsti Houteki sighed as she looked at the X-rays that she'd taken of Equius' skull with the vise on it.
"It's so tight it's deforming his skull," Marsti answered, frowning. "But at the same time, it's not as bad as I'd expect it to be. Likely that has everything to do with Equius' increased physical strength." She shook her head. "Frankly, if this vise wasn't made out of some varration of Zillium particle, I'm quite certain it would have broken on its own merrits from the amount of counter force Equius is putting on it."
"So... it's magic and it's designed to draw out a lot of pain in people, basically?" Nepeta asked, frowning.
"Essentially, Kitten," Marsti nodded, and looked up at a security camera feed of the lounge room where Harley and Tomo were trying to cut into the vise on Equius' head with handheld buzzsaws. "I can't imagine the amount of pain it must be causing him, though."
Nepeta winced. "When I asked, he said it didn't hurt at all in that really flat monotone he uses when he's trying to keep his emotions in check."
Marsti sighed. "Damn stubborn boy. I really need to have a talk with his parents one of these days about whatever the hell kind of masochistic pain tolerances they instilled in him."
Nepeta returned to the lounge just in time to yelp and dodge Tomo's attempt to literally blast the vise off of Equius' head. Instead, the shot bounced off and went side-long into an open airvent where it went bouncing along randomly before loosing momentum.
Equius quietly remarked, "Don't try this at home, kids," before slumping into a chair.
"What the hell!?" Nepeta exclaimed.
"We tried pulling it off with wires," Harley summarized.
"Beaming it off with the transporters," Atsuya continued.
"Buzzsaws dulled out," Harley added.
"And now shooting it didn't work," Tomo sighed, demorphing with a spin of their morpher.
Nepeta sighed. "Well, I guess we probably can't get it off without the handle."
"Ah, yeah, that's going to be tricky," Fiya said from outside the room- his voice broadcasting through the intercom. "That Jamenshi seems like a tough one."
Nepeta glanced out into the room and saw four of the five Kiramei Stones at their full sizes, being given a touch up by the giant polishers. "Wait, where's Jetta?"
"Still at the studio," Equius answered, tiredly, as he clenched his hands together and bowed his head towards them. "He's filling in for me with the last few scenes of the first act." He grimaced. "I wish I could be there to support him, but people would notice if there were suddenly two of me."
Everyone looked at him, and saw how his hands were trembling.
"You know," but it was Atsuya who spoke up, "you don't have to put up a front infront of us, right?"
Equius' head turned towards him sharply, and without his sunglasses, the sharp gaze he gave Atsuya made the boy step back slightly.
Equius' hands palmed against the table. "I'll be fine." He said. "But... if someone could go check on Jetta for me? It would be appreciated."
With nods from his teammates, everyone except for him and Nepeta left...
And then Nepeta said, "You can go ahead and cry now."
And so Equius did- shouting and yelling out of pain and anger and frustration- "IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!"
And then there was a lot of actual swearing and cursing thrown in there, very vivid descriptors of how much the pain hurt, that wouldn't be fit for even a NC-17 rated film.
...Let's go check on Jetta then, shall we?
"And! ACTION!"
The men in fox masks ran around, clashing blades against the more diverse looking secondary protagonist heroes, fighting back against them in defense of their "Lord," who looked to be Equius, kneeling behind a support pillar, and clutching at a freshly bleeding, indigo hued wound. All fake, obviously, because this was a movie set... and also, because Equius Okimaw definitely had a vise strapped to his head at that present moment.
Atsuya, Harley, and Tomo stood off-stage watching as one of the main body guards moved up to stand next to 'Equius,' and said, "My Lord! Leave it to us!"
"But that means you all will..." And really, Tomo had to give Jetta credit, he had Equius' deep growling voice down pat, complete with a whole bunch of pain mixed in for measure.
"Just wait until we retrieve the treasure, My Lord!" the man said, shifting his stance with his sword. "We shall obtain it from those thieves!"
"Understood," 'Equius' said. "I will consolodate my power... But I have one command. Do Not die!"
"Understood!" The four guards agreed, and 'Equius' stepped off stage.
"Consolodating Power..." Atsuya mused, watching it all.
"CUT!!! MOVING SETS! LET'S GOOOO!"
As everyone began moving around, Atsuya's attention was drawn over towards a Fae girl talking to a production member who was wearing a pair of white rimmed sunglasses over his face.
Atsuya lifted his glasses off of his eyes for a moment, and observed them...
Well, they had sparkles, dim as they were, so whatever weird suspicion Atsuya felt towards them wasn't because of them being enemies in disguise, at least.
His glasses returned to over his eyes and he walked over to his teammates who were checking in on 'Equius.'
'Equius must be pretty upset to not be filming today,' Atsuya thought as he saw how winded Jetta was, pretending to Equius. 'And Jetta's pushing to do so much right now... To swap places must be hard for the both of them...'
"Vadervise!" Kurantula turned to the Jamenshi. "Oh, Earth really has some interesting stuff in its past! Wouldn't you agree? But applying too much force, it causes the things held in its grip to explode!"
He, and the Jamenshi, plus Garuza gazed upwards at the giant monster above them, waiting to be sent into battle.
Garuza once more said nothing even as Kurantula laughed. What could possibly be going through that traitor's mind, nobody could tell.
With swords clashing, the guards were pushed back by the fox mask wearing villains.
They regrouped, forming a barrier against the villains, one of whom said, "No One is coming to save you! So Go To Hell!!"
He raised his sword- only to have an arrow knock it free from his grip.
All eyes turned upwards towards a tall building where the shot had come from.
There stood 'Equius,' lowering a bow.
"My Lord!" One of the guards said.
"Well done, all of you!" 'Equius' said, drawing his sword. "Now, leave the rest to me!"
And then he leaped off of the building- which was really a lot shorter than it seemed in reality- and landed on a blue target mat being held up by stunt workers.
"CUT! OK!" The director called out, and everyone started clapping.
"That was amazing!" Harley clapped. "Jetta's doing really good!"
"Yeah, but, look at how much he's sweating!" Tomo pointed out, frowning. "I didn't know the sub-ins could sweat!"
Atsuya frowned. "Let's talk with him once they're on break."
The break did indeed come, but it was not what was expected.
"Okay! That's the last of our light for today! We'll meet back here bright and early tomorrow for the conclusion of the fight!"
Within minutes, 'Equius' returned to his dressing room, where he found the other Kiramagers waiting and immediately broke down.
"WaaahhH! I can't do this! I'm so nervous!!! I swear I'm fumbling my lines and I'm scared everyone will notice I'm not Aniki!! How does he do it!? This is too much for meeee! Please tell me he can come back and do this tomorrow instead of me! Wait- where is Aniki anyways?! Did something happen!? AAAHHH! I can barely even feel his Kiramental this far across the galaxy! Something happened, didn't it?!"
Needless to say, in the middle of that ranting cry- the Sub-in detransformed, leaving just a very tired looking Blue Kiramei Stone wobbling in the air as Harley quickly reached out to catch the Sub-in before it hit the ground.
"There there," Tomo said, patting Jetta on the top side of the stone. "You did good today, and Equius is really sorry he couldn't come back. Let's get you back to the base so you can get a polish and relax a little, yeah?"
"That sounds really nice..." Jetta agreed.
"By the way," Atsuya said as the four of them made to leave. "I checked the script between sceens. You were getting your lines perfectly, from what I could see."
"I reaaaaally don't wanna do that agaiiiin. Acting Sucks!!! It's not my thing at all!" Jetta lamented.
And then their Morphers chimed, and Joey's voice spoke from it, "Terezi predicts the Jamenshi will return in a few minutes. Get ready to intercept it!"
"I guess that break will have to wait a bit, huh?" Jetta asked, morosely.
Once more, some stubborn humans had refused to heed the prediction warnings, and had gotten their heads in vises. Actually, oddly enough, it seemed to be the same group of humans as before. How weird.
Vadervise was practically singing as he ratcheted their heads tighter. "More vises for every human's head! What a lovely day for stress to make you---!"
"CUT IT OUT!" And then Harley-as-Kiramei Green zapped in with a flip that landed as a kick against his shoulder- sending him rolling to a stop on the ground.
And then Harley leaped of his stunned body, grabbed the handle batton thing, and spun it around the other way-
"N-NO!! Don't crank that that way!!" The Jamenshi cried out in fear.
But it was enough, the vises released, and as Harley began trying to pry the handle loose- she yelled, "Everyone! Run!"
And so the formerly trapped citizens did indeed run away, and as they did, the other transformed Kiramagers came running in, though Equius and Nepeta were in the back, and Equius was untrasnformed.
"I can still..." Equius went for his sword, "I can fight even untransformed...!"
And then he was immediately set upon by Bechats, and Nepeta had to help fight them off him. "Stop being so macho, Equius!!"
A bechat came at Harley, forcing her to get off of the Jamenshi and give up her attempt at grabbing its handle.
"So! Stubborn!!" Harley yelped, fighting back against the bechats.
Tomo began fighting against the Bechats as well with some well-placed near breakdancing like moves coupled with blaster attacks.
Harley came in, swinging her sword around several times against the Bechats, then had to kick one away. "These Slimy Bastards Stink!!"
Atsuya flipped over a Bechat and dodge rolled under another, then blocked a swing with a blaster shot, and then started swinging his weapons to attack and block oncoming attacks.
He watched as Nepeta fought the Bechats away from Equius, who, Astuya noted, was using the danged sword prop from the movie set, and fighting very badly due to the vise on his head.
'Damn it,' Atsuya grimiaced within his helmet, 'what do I do about this!?'
Nepeta wrapped her leg around a Bechat's staff and performed a spinning toss that launched the Bechat wielding said staff away. "Get away from him!"
"Atsuya!" Tomo started. "Eq's just holding us back right now! As leader you gotta pull him out!"
"NO WAY!" Jetta cried- zipping into the scene and shifting into jet form- as well as growing slightly in size to protect his partner. "Aniki is not holding you back at all!! Don't be rude!!"
"Infighting!? You're finished!" Vadervise drew his handle as a weapon, and ran to attack Equius and Jetta.
The Mashin rammed the monster- and began trying to push him away.
"Not complaining might be Aniki's weakness, but that's just how I like him!!" Jetta yelled- jets firing.
"Wh-what nonsense is this!?" Vadervise yelled, trying to figure out how to hold his ground against an irrate mini-mecha.
"SO! LET!! HIM!!! BE!!!! COOL!!!!!" Jetta roared- and then suddenly- he extended the bridge of his nose out like a freaking sword blade- the force of the sudden transformation causing the Vadervise monster to go flying backwards through the whole fight, and knocking over several Bechats that Tomo was fighting.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and the fight sort of... paused as everyone just sort of... tried to figure out what the hell just happened.
And then Atsuya yelled, "That's it! EUREKA-ING!!!" he threw his sword arm into the air, and then ran forth to stand before Euqius- just like that, the fight resumed, and Tomo was having to glare after Atsuya as they tussled with a Bechat over its staff.
"What kind of catchphrase is that!?" Tomo asked.
Atsuya helped Equius to his feet, and struck a pose similar to the one from that one body guard from the film before saying- "My Lord, leave it to us!"
Equius took a moment to realize what was going on... "The... the scenes from today I missed..."
Atsuya continued on, "Just wait until we retrieve the treasure, My Lord. Please endure, and trust your subordinates to the end. Consoldate your power! And deliver the final blow in an instant!!" he swung his sword out dramatically.
"Wh...What kind of nonsense is that!" Vadervise yelled as he got to his feet.
"It's Not NONSENSE!" Jetta yelled- preparing to ram at the Jamenshi again.
"...I..." Equius nodded. "Understood," He sheathed his sword. "Then I have one command. Do Not Die."
Atsuya gave a curt bow, "As you wish!"
And then, he turned back towards the battle.
"Let's go, everyone!! Let's work together as five," he held his sword over his heart, and then pointed at the Jamenshi. "AND TAKE THAT HANDLE!"
Nepeta and Harley blew away some Bechats, and replied, respecitvely, "Of course!" and "OKAY!"
Tomo grunted, elbowing a Bechat, and then blasting another without even looking. "I think I get it now. Not bad, Leader!"
Tomo and Nepeta loaded their blasters with the disks. Harley primed her sword with a double tap. Atsuya combined his sword and blaster.
"KIRAMEI BUSTER!" Atsuya yelled, lining up for a shot between Nepeta and Harley- who raised her sword in the air- with Tomo rounding out the group.
_"KIRA-KIRAMEI CHARGE!!"_
"KIRAMEI RUSH STREAM!" The four of them yelled.
Two regular shots, one super buster shot, and a sword slice lanced through the air and smashed into Vadervise with a _"CHECKMAGE!"_
The explosion that followed separated Vadervise from his handle- but not far enough, because he ran to grab it as soon as he landed, and Atsuya rushed to grab it in turn.
They struggled over the handle bar, like some twisted game of tug of war. The other Kiramagers save Equius rushed in to grab on, and they tugged as a group to pull the vise handle away from Vadervise.
"We won't let you have it!" Atsuya yelled.
"ARGH!" Vadervise yelled. "SCREW IT! I NEED BACKUP! INSURANCE ME!!! NOWWW!!"
Before anyone could process what that statement meant- a dark portal opened briefly in the air above them, and through it emerged what could only be described as a giant beer belly'd looking Ogrim with a giant red vise mask over its head.
"There you are, MANRIKI SHELLGA!" Vadervise cheered- "COME JOIN IN!"
The struggle was then added to as the giant vise Jamenju grabbed onto Vadervise on the ground and lifted him up. This act shook off the other kiramagers save for Astuya- sending them flying.
"EVERYONE!" Jetta cried out- growing to full size. "TRANSFORM NOW!!!"
And then with a flash of light- the other Mashins Decaptchalogued themselves- growing to full size and transforming in the process--
"LAUNCHING!!!" they cried out, three of them catching their flying partners in midair.
Fiya extended his ladder, and Astuya caught onto it with his feet.
Mahha clamped onto Fiya's trailer hitch- and Shovellow grabbed onto Mahha's back. Heliko and Jetta ejected tow cables, which latched onto Shovellow, and thus, the five Mashins and the one Kiramager pulled tug of war over the tiny vise bar with the Jamenju and the Jamenshi.
"PULL! PULL! HEAVE HO!!" Shovellow cried out, as they were tugged forwards and backwards.
"Everyone, let's do it for Aniki!!" Jetta yelled.
"Let's put on the speed, Heliko!" Nepeta declared with a kissing motion.
"Those words give me Power!!!' Heliko cried, her blades revving faster.
"Let's do this!" Shovellow declared. "For Equius!!"
"Let's GOOOO!" Harley grunted as Mahha's tires burned up against the pavement.
Mahha could only sound delighted as he said, "I love the smell of burning rubber!"
"Rrrraaaaaaaaaa!!!!" Fiya yelled, pulling back and using as much of his own Kiramental as he could to reinforce Atsuya up atop the ladder so he didn't get pulled apart by the sheer stress of it all.
Equius stared upwards, in awe, "They stopped its movement!"
"EVERYONE!" Fire yelled. "More! Power to Extreme MAX!"
"ALRIGHT!!!" the other eight yelled in encouragement- and their sparkling light spread across the team.
And then- they pulled it off- breaking forwards with a sudden push of speed and strength that broke the Jamenju's grip on the Jamenshi- sending Vadervise and Astuya flying through the air and towards the ground.
Atsuya and the handle landed next to Equius, and the Jamenju fell on its fleshy backside, and rocked the city with its impact, where it lay, stunned, from the amount of its own backwards momentum pulling it that way.
Atsuya grabbed the handle, and quickly applied it to Equius' vise-helmet. "Here!"
And then, with a twist, twist... the Vise came loose.
"ALRIGHT!" Tomo cheered.
"YAY!" Harley pumped her fists into the air.
"It worked!!" Nepeta cheered.
"Now," Equius said, stepping forwards as the Lord of the Movie, even as Atsuya clapped his hands over his mouth. "Leave the Rest to Me!" He activated his morpher.
_"KIRAMEI GO! KI! RA! MEI!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!" Equius spun his morpher, and transformed on the spot.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
For the second time that day, Equius struck his pose- "SHARPENED UNSTOPPABLE!" And just as the first time, Equius struck his pose with control and preciseness. "KIRAMEI BLUE!"
He picked up the handle, and tossed it to Vadervise.
"Eh!?" The Jamenshi was confused.
"What!?" Atsuya yelled. "My Lord!? Have you gone mad!?"
"Let's do this man-to-man," Equius said, drawing his sword.
"Sounds good to me!" Vadervise said, readying his weapon.
Then, they collided, a fury of strikes and slashes and parries.
Truly, it was a clash of two swordsmen in a fight for their lives.
Equius landed a solid blow, stunning the Jamenshi, and tapped his sword- KIRAMEI CHARGE! - he slid his left foot forwards and raised his sword- "Blue! Bright! SLASH!"
And then he slashed out, red and green replaced with purple and blues as the direction arrows of the attack struck out and- CHECKMAGE!! - went clean through Vadervise.
Equius turned his back on the explosion as the Jamenshi fell on his back and exploded.
"You did it!" Atsuya cheered.
"AWESOME! ANIKI!" Jetta cried out, performing a flip in the air.
Then, the Jamenju, Manriki Shellga, got to its feet, and Equius turned to face it as the sky darkened. "My Vassals," he said, "it's too early to celebrate."
"My Lord," Atsuya said, "Let's go!"
"Of course!" Equius nodded, sheathing his sword, and then the two of them leaped into their partners.
Two morpher taps, and five spins, and a pair of cries of "MASHIN GATTAI!"- and two mechas formed.
"Complete! Land Mage!"
_"LANDMAGE!"_
"Comeplete! Sky mage!"
_"SKYMAGE!"_
Landmage struck forwards first, charging the Jamenju and leading with a left hook to its belly, stunning it, and then grappling it from behind leaving it open to the barrage of blaster attacks Skymage sent their way.
Manriki Shellga, though, had other tricks up its vise shaped head, such as an electrict blast that forced Skymage to dodge. And then, it threw Landmage off ot its back, and then threw itself forwards with a Belly Slam that made them stumble away.
When they came to a stop, Skymage came to a hover next to them.
"Everyone," Equius began, quoting the movie script once again, "Thank you for indulging me. I feel that with the five of us, we can do anything!"
"OI!" Shovellow said, annoyed.
"You forgot us," Mahha added.
"Heh, Five People and Five Mashins!" Heliko summarized.
"Five people and five machines?" Atsuya asked, and then had the idea. "Everyone! Let's combine!" he threw his right hand forwards into the air. "Form Kiramagein!"
The unnamed combination of their five zords becoming one suddenly had its name, and five rangers, spinning their Morphers, and five Mashin exclaimed as one--
"MASHIN GATTAI!"
Mahha closed on Landmage's face, and then reopened, revealing a new head for the Mecha.
Skymage split, and Heliko transformed by clipping onto the mecha's chest- before her propellers and backarms split together, forming a V Crest on the mecha's chest.
Jetta transformed into a sword, and landed in the ladder arm's grasp.
"COMPLETE! Kiramagein!"
_"KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
"Let's show them what we can do, the ten of us together!" Atsuya called out, clasping his hands together.
"Hai!" "OYAH!" "ROAAAH!" It was impossible to tell who said what as Kiramagein charged forwards.
The Jamenju threw its hands against its belly, and then ran to meet them in battle.
Kiramagein swung Jetta- and the sword yelled "BAM!" With every successful strike, as well as a "Watch It!!" when the monster tried to pile drive them into the ground.
They rebuffed it, and sent the Jamenju stumbling backwards.
"RAH!" Tomo spun their wheel, and Shovellow launched a bunch of debris from an earlier collision right at the monster.
Explosions flared as the monster was hit and fell backwards.
Kiramagein closed the distance even as Manriki Shellga got back to its feet- rubbed its sides, and flung some nasty purple gunk their way. Kiramagein charged through the ensuing explosions bravely, though, and the ten of them positively roared.
"Let's Go, Fiya!" Atsuya called out.
"LADDER BEYOND!!" Fiya yelled, extending the ladder arm with a massive thrust of extension.
Harley spun her driving wheel. "MAKKA BURST!"
Kiramagein turned so that Mahha's face could face the monster, and the green zord flashed red briefly before expunging a burst of explosive energy against the Jamenu.
Flares of light exploded everywhere, and the beast roared in dismay.
Nepeta said nothing as she spun her control wheel.
Heliko said it all, though, as her whriling blades straighened out and spun to speed- "TIME TO SPANK YOU INTO THE AIR!!"
The pink hurricane of energy that burst forth, hit Manriki Shellga, and sent it flying upwards into the air, and far away.
The Jamenju hit the ground with an explosive burst of smoke.
"Let's go! The finisher!" Atsuya declared.
Then the five Kiramagers called out- "KIRAMEI DYNAMIC!"
Kiramagein looked to attention, readying the glowing sword, and securing their sword stance.
Jetta was raised into the air, spun in a circle...
"KIRAMEIIII!" The Five Mashin cried out- and then the Mecha swung down- "DYNAMIC!!!"
The shot is repeated thrice, punching in with each slice- and in turn, three strikes of energy impossibly hit the Jamenju- slicing it clean down the middle from head to groin.
The camera whirls in a circle over the city around the battle as the Jamenju sparks with energy, and Kiramagein turned its back to the monster as it fell...
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
And Exploded.
EARTH DATE: AUGUST 30TH, 2012.
A video interview played, featuring Equius as he leaned against some wooden railing on a bridge.
"A while ago," he said, "some people at a gathering played a scene with me from the film that I was unable to shoot directly due to time constraints. A stunt double had to do most of those scenes instead. He did a good job, that partner of mine, but it was still something I'd looked forwards to doing."
The narrator said, "Okimaw glanced into the distance, looking thoughtful." Though the intercut shot in question was of Equius walking along the bridge.
"It was surprising, because I didn't realize they'd caught on to how much I'd wanted to film that scene, and infact, I didn't realize how much I myself had wanted to film it. But they knew me better than I knew myself, in that moment." Equius gave a smile to the camera, shy and reserved. "When I'm with them, I feel that I can finally reveal some of my weaknesses that I've never shown anyone before."
The camera once more briefly cut to another shot- a shot of Equius posing dramatically on a bench next to a tree, looking thoughtful and pensive.
"If I really can..." Equius looked to the camera, still leaning against the bridge. "Then i feel like I'll become even stronger instead." He gave an exhalation of surprise, and smiled at the camera. "Isn't that strange?"
The video was paused, and closed.
Equius had his head in his hands, lamenting even showing them that piece of the future behind the sceenes featurette for the inevitable DVD of the film that he was working on. Nearby, his teammates all had smiles on their faces.
Then, they turned to Equius and as one asked, "Isn't that strange?"
"Please don't!" Equius lamented as his teammates approached, repeating that line with different inflections.
"Isn't that strange?"
"Isn't that Strange!"
"Isn't That Strange?"
"Nooo! Stop it! Please!" Equius moaned, face flushing blue.
Off to the side, Joey Claire and Marsti Houtek sat, smiling at the scene, before sipping at their cups of tea.
"It seems like they managed to draw out some of that reserved nature of his," Marsti said.
"Hopefully he'll embrace that as his inspiration, going forwards," Joey agreed. "They're all sparkling so bright right now."
She didn't need Atsuya's special sparkle-vision to see that the five of them were glittering brightly- even Equius, who despite his vocal protests to the "Isn't that Strange"es, seemed to be enjoying the good natured teasing in that moment.
Still, there were going to be WORDS with Azdaja later over that Movie's strange scheduling.
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE! KIRAMAGER!!!
Kiramagein spun to face the camera, and then Jetta remarked, "Isn't that strange? Hehe."
Equius yelled up from the ground- "Not You Too!!!"
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"A black Kiramei stone!?"
"Garuza! How are you alive!?"
"A Mashin became a Kaiju!?"
"How can this be!? My Father's Alive??"
"Let's Sparkle Next Time Too!!"
NEXT EPISODE: 04: The Princess and the Traitor- a Matter of Inheritance. (The Worst Uncle Ever!)
Notes:
Let's be honest. This episode was what VINDICATED my decision to make Equius Kiramei Blue. The original episode had him wearing the danged vise on his head DURING FILMING, an explicitly Equius thing... HOWEVER, when it came to be actually adapting this episode, having *Jetta* have to fill in suddenly felt so much more like a character moment for the both of them.
It also let me put in the amusing scene of Jetta at half-size zord form ramming into the Jamen of the Day. I am waiting to see if Kiramager will ever have Shiguru wielding his own partner as a sword in the actual show before I can manage to write the scene myself. I've already managed to predict the future of the show by accident once already, which would have been more impressive if I were posting shotgun like I was in the previous acts of this behemoth of a story.
---
The joke of the Jamen's name here is a reference to an old Sam And Max skit called "Dad's Vise" where in the titular Sam & Max put stuff in Dad's Vise and crushed them. Vader, meaning Father, then, gets to be a standin for that.Similarly, the punification of "Kirameijin" is a continuation of the Land Mage and Sky Mage theme, combine with how I was hearing the word as "Kiramagin" as in "Kira" + "Imagine" thus, Kira-Mage-In or "KIRAMAGEIN!" That it ALSO sounds like the original "Kirameijin" is an added bonus.
---
It should be noted that any time I'm referencing Mahha flashing red, it's a deliberate "Visual edit" that would be placed over the original footage to reference the fact that I adapted the Mahha form of Fiya back in Episode 1 into a super mode for Mahha himself. Damn it I'm MAKING USE OF THAT AS BEST AS I CAN!
---
So, Marsti gets to cameo for a bit since Nepeta ain't a full fledged doctor, and thus, she takes up Sayo's role in being the Doctor of the team, just a bit.
---
I'm ALMOST done writing the final chapters of this Act, so I've decided I'll accelerate ahead a bit and begin posting TWO major updates a week, Mondays and Fridays. The Next Chapter Update will be THIS Friday:SGA:06X03: Myth, Legend, and Neanderthalian.
See you then!
Chapter 11: SGA:06X03: Myth, Legend, and Neanderthallian.
Summary:
You don't want to miss this one by sleeping in. What one? Huh? What? I don't get it?
Notes:
EDIT: A Previously On Section has been added to this chapter on 7/4/2020.
CW:
Mythological Depictions of Tragedy presented in a Heroic Light.
Memory Manipulation.
Corrupt office Management.
People being tied up against their will.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE...
"Annnd... There." Mckay points out the window as there's a flash of light, and bubbles rise up into the air as water floods into another section of the city.
"We need to evacuate the moment Colonel Sumner reports back that it's safe," Weir decides. "I'd hate to abandon the city, but we may not have any other choice."
"So much for Prometheus finding us in two weeks," Mckay gripes.
---
Your name is Kanaya Maryam, and you're lead into a cave by miss Teyla Emmagan, who lights a torch rather simply with a brief snap of her fingers.
"...Curious," she muses eyeing you both for your reaction. "You barely reacted to such a blatant display. Most strangers who wish to trade with Athos are very offput by what they'd call Magic."
"You should see what Jade can do with a bag of marbles," John says, with a smile.
"Your people have powers as well?" you inquire as you enter the cave's deeper portions.
"Some of us," Teyla tells you. "A few of us are able to predict Wraith Attacks, others can manipulate a basic element here and there. Those who can do both are even more rare. I can generate some brief bursts of fire, enough to cook by, or light a torch, if need be. There have been others with more profound abilities in the past. But whether that is a true story or myth... that remains to be seen."
You enter a large stone chamber, with many many carvings on the walls.
"Someone's been busy," John remarks.
"The drawings in the caves are extensive. Many date back thousands of years, or more," Teyla pauses at a carving of the razing of a city. "This one, for example, predates the destruction of our city by a very long time."
---
"...Fucking Hell," John grimaces. "Not another time loop."
You're inclined to agree.
There, carved onto the wall of the caverns, is a depiction of Earth and Alternia's Point of Origin Glyphs over a reproduction of the SGC gate room, connected via wormhole to Atlantis' gate room, with water flooding the entire structure.
"You recognize this?" Teyla inquires.
"Yes," You take a moment to decaptchalogue a camera. "It depicts our arrival leading to the flooding of the city we arrived in."
"Someone survived and came back in time," John says. "We need to check and see if they left us a message here somewhere."
---
"Oh, joy," Tyzias snarks, "another giant frog temple."
"This looks like the ones that used to be in the desert on Alternia," Daraya says. "Like, suspiciously like the same style."
"What do you think the chances are the other me was behind this?" Jade asks.
"Well, whoever built it, the energy signal we're chasing is inside," Tyzias says, double checking her readings. "We've gotta go inside."
---
"Other me definitely designed all of this," Jade says, touching a familiar depiction of the Atlantis Gate Room flooding.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2012.
Rose Egbert flipped open her morpher, and hit the side button to flip out the wand extension.
Nepeta and Equius tapped their morphers. _"KIRAMEI GO!"_
"Magical Source!" Rose tapped out the code 1-2-3, and readied her right arm across her chest, bracing against her left wrist.
_"KI! RA! MEI!"_ Nepeta and Equius threw their left wrists out, and readied their hands next to their changers.
Rose reversed her arm positions, "MYSTIC FORCE!" and then raised her Morpher up to the heavens.
The Kiramagers pulled their arms back, spinning the wheels with a cry of, "KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
Two flashes of pink and a flash of blue light filled the forest of the sole continent on the planet that Atlantis called home.
From the Puddle Jumper parked atop a nearby hill, John Sheppard, Jade Jackson, and Argo Lalonde sat comfortably on the back ramp, watching as another set of flashes of light happened.
Rose rose into the air, transforming into her "Mystic Titan" form- rather, the Pink Ranger Zord for the Mystic Force team. Across from her, Jetta and Heliko enlarged to their full sizes, and transformed.
"MASHIIIN!"
_"MASHIN HELIKO! JETTA!"_
"What do you think?" John asked of his partners. "My money's on Rose, personally."
"Hmm," Jade hummed as she watched Jetta and Heliko combine into Skymage. "If I had to guess, I'd put my money on the Kiramagers."
"How come?" Argo asked, their green furred ears twitching in curiosity.
"It's four on one," Jade answered simply.
Rose's Fariy Titan form rolled her shoulders. "Alright! Let's see which of us has the better small-scale flying mech, shall we?"
Skymage's arms raised as Heliko answered, "You may be cute, but that won't save you from a spanking!"
Inside, Nepeta groaned. "Seriously, Heliko? Can't you drop that?"
Heliko just giggled in response.
Jetta sighed. "Oh boy, this is about to get very interesting, isn't it, Aniki?"
Equius shook his head. "In the curse sense of the phrase, most likely."
From the ground, Fiya sat, full sized in Mashin mode and watching, and sitting upon his head were Atsuya, Harley, and Tomo- with Shovellow and Mahha in their smallest gemstone forms hovering over their partners shoulders.
"Go get 'er, Heliko, Jetta!" Shovellow exclaimed.
"You've got this, Rose!" Tomo called out.
"Go Meowrails!" Harley cheered.
"Everyone, Battle brilliantly!" Mahha encouraged.
"Good luck to everyone!" Atsuya wished.
"ALRIGHT!" Fiya called out. "We want a nice clean fight! No below the belt punches! Got it?!"
"Understood!" the five voices up above chimed in near unison.
"OKAY THEN!" Fiya called out. "FIGHT BEGIN IN THREE!"
Skymage tensed up- helicopter blades whirling.
"TWO!"
Nepeta and Equius gripped onto their driving wheels.
"ONE!"
The Fairy Titan's tiny hands flexed and clenched.
"FIGHT START!" Fiya yelled, and the two mini-mecha flew at each other, right fists reared back as they accelerated, and ready to punch forwards.
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
"Oh! Garuza! What mask are you carving this time?" Kurantula asked as he observed Garuza carving away at a mask.
"A primordial human from this Earth's ancient history," Garuza answered. "It hailed from the place called Neanderthal. And thus... when we apply it to a Bechat, it should become a Neanderthalian Jamenshi."
"Ah, I see," Kurantula frowned, watching Garuza worked. "What powers would it have?"
"Basic Hunter Gathering Skills," Garuza said, "the exact specifics are not necessary beyond that the matching mask should empower a Jamenju with the ability to tie up that Kiramagein of the Kiramagers. Holding them still will be key to this plans success."
"Ah, that sounds nice!" Kurantula said. "So it's just a throw-away Jamenshi to build up for the even bigger plan with the Jamenju, eh?"
"Indeed." Garuza eyed the work in progress with some intent as he paused his carving. "If this prelude works, then we shall stop the Kiramagers from utilizing any of their new Kiramei Stone deposits."
Aradia Megido gazed at a large tome of Athosian Lore before her and Teyla Emmagan. The book had looked old and somewhat fragile at first, but under a careful application of Aradia's inherent Time Aspect bound Zillyium powers, the tome had been restored to a much more solid state.
"So this is it, huh?" Aradia asked.
"A collected tome of ancient Athosian tales and legends from a lost time of our people, printed approximately around nine thousand years ago," Teyla nodded. "Somewhere in this volume is the legend we seek."
"Let's assume it'd be somewhere near the end of the volume and work our way backwards," Aradia said.
"Agreed," Teyla nodded. "Though, we should also pray that there isn't too much linguistic drift."
"Well, we'll be bringing Lloyd in if there is," Aradia rolled her shoulders. "Alright, let's get to work."
They cracked open the tome near the end, and began paging backwards.
Artoria Gray yawned and stretched as she looked out the window of the apartment she shared with her husband. The ocean of Atlantis shimmered and shined before her, a view that had been restored to pristine ocean once more as City One had departed the night before to return to the Dimension Crossing Castle Ship, the Unwritten.
It still amazed her to think of that giant, planet sized monstrosity of a construction as a mere "Castle Ship."
Still, as nice as it was for the visit to have happened, Gray was more than a little bit happy to see her plain ocean view back.
Her post wakeup stretches included the extending and stretching of her wings, and once she had all the kinks worked out, she glanced over at the clock on the wall.
10 A.M. She winced. "Ah. I really slept in late today, didn't I?"
A shower later, and Gray went to find her husband in his office. It was more of a surprise that it was as crowded and cluttered as it was in that moment, and she was sure that she hadn't seen it this overworked in, well...
At least four years to say the least.
"Lloyd?" Gray called out, not quite sure where her husband was in the entire mess of his office in that moment.
"Over here, Gray!" a familiar voice said as a familiar arm shot up from behind a pile of books.
Gray headed over, and gazed down at Lloyd Armadn, currently kneeling down and gazing at some of Pegasus' few surviving paper written Gate Address repositories from the last ten thousand years.
"Still calculating the Planetary Drift?" Gray asked.
"Yes," Lloyd answered, gazing at a chart with a scowl on his face. "You know, it's really frustrating that Atlantis kept updating its Gate Address repositories for the non custom links. This would have been so much easier if the Correlative Updates didn't mess with archives and the system kept track of all the changes, but no! Of course it doesn't!"
"It would have made things so much easier once we have the actual address," Gray agreed. "We could have just plugged it into a search and gotten an updated address."
"The Ancients never really thought about that kind of thing, did they?" Lloyd asked.
"Neither did the Goa'uld, if the Abydos Gate Address Repository is any indication," Gray frowned. "Come to think of it, did we ever figure out how the Repository of Knowledge kept an updated gate address list?"
"Huh?" Lloyd looked up at his wife, green eyes blinking in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"When O'neill was still a Colonel serving on SG-1, his head got grabbed by an Ancient Repository and had all of that knowledge downloaded into his brain," Gray reminded him. "Included in that was a bunch of unlisted Gate Addresses that the Goa'uld never had saved in Abydos. If I'm remembering the reports correctly, there never was much of an issue with the SGC needing to update those addresses to deal with the Drift problem."
Lloyd frowned, "I'd have to guess that the DHD closest to that Repository transmitted the updated coordinates to it so that they could be easily passed along whenever someone accessed it."
"I guess that makes sense," Gray mused. "I wonder if there are any of those Repositories here in Pegasus?"
"Considering we've never come across one even at former Ancient sites, I think there'd probably have been a concern over the Wraith getting hold of it," Lloyd guessed.
"That's true," Gray said, "but what if the other Jade did manage to tap into the DHD correlative updates some how and gave us a search tool in that computer of hers?"
"You mean once we have the actual address we could try searching for it in her records and seeing if the computer got the updated coordinates and can remember and compare the two?" Lloyd asked.
"That's my thinking, yes," Gray nodded, and Lloyd smiled.
"Well, if that happens, then we've lucked out," Lloyd said. "Maybe then I won't have to try and figure out how bad the drift is for a planet we don't even know where it Was yet."
An explosion of air rocked the landscape of the forest, and the two opposing Mechs could be seen hovering- their forms tired and exhausted.
Rose's Fairy Titan mirrored her own panting for breath motions. "Not bad... For a couple of talking rocks!"
"Not so bad yourself!" Heliko countered. "You're definitely pretty strong... for being alone!"
"...And to think all of this started because Heliko was using the Sub-in to pretend to be Nepeta during class Friday," Harley observed.
"I still don't understand why they were swapped around like that," Atsuya frowned.
"It's quite Simple, Leader," Tomo said with a wriggle of their ears and a small flare of their wings. "The local bakery on Diaspora was having a sale on a certain cake item and Nepeta had to get it before it was sold out, but of course the sale was during class hours. So-"
"Wait, all of this is because of a Cake!?" Shovellow interjected before the story was finished.
"That seems... like a strange reason to fight," Mahha observed.
"Yep," Tomo nodded, then clarified, "Well, rather it started Because of a cake, even though the fight Rose and Heliko got into over which Sky based Megazord was better wasn't about the cake in question."
"Ah, yes, that does make a bit more sense to me now," Mahha said.
"Oi Oi!" Fiya interjected, "They're revving up for the finisher!!"
Indeed, Skymage and the Fairy Titan both were yelling at increasingly loud levels, pulling back their fists, and then charging forwards in a mirror of the opening move.
"TAKE THIIIIIIIIIIS!!!" Both punched at the same time... and landed matching blows to the other Mech's head.
With a double flare of Pink light- Rose's Mystic Titan went towards the ground with a rapidly shrinking effect, and Skymage burst apart into Heliko and Jetta.
The ground shook with impact as the two Mashins hit the ground, and as for Rose, she looked dazed, demorphed, but just fine on the ground where she'd landed.
"Aaaaand, it's a draw," Harley hung her head.
The Puddle Jumper was flying back to Atlantis but a few minutes later.
"Well, I hope you got that out of your systems," John said, navigating the Jumper over the ocean.
"I know I did," Heliko said, safely held in Nepeta's grasp in the back half of the Jumper.
"I'm good," Rose nodded, sitting across from them.
"Well, tie or not, I think you kids fought great," Jade said, turning back in her seat to gaze into the back half of the Jumper.
Nepeta, Equius, and Atsuya were sitting on the right side of the Jumper, and Rose, Tomo, and Harley sat on the left side.
"Thanks," Nepeta and Equius gave smiles, Rose nodded in agreement.
"Maaaan," Argo put their arms behind their head and leaned back in their chair. "I'm so jealous of you kids, getting to go out and drive giant zords! Feels like we never got to do anything cool like that when we were your age!"
John glanced towards Tomo and asked, "Seriously? I think our lives were pretty adventurous back then as it was."
"Yeah, but we never really got to pilot Zords or be Power Rangers, now did we?" Argo asked, flashing a grin in turn.
"That is true," Jade agreed. "Our adventures were always a little more.... Uh. Grounded, I'd say?" Then, she asked, "Like, remember that time we were stuck on Abydos for a few months because of Earth getting caught up in a time loop? We were pretty much grounded then, weren't we?"
"Don't remind me," Argo lamented. "I still flinch whenever Janet pulls out the pen light!"
"Yeah, but you did pick up some mean pottery skills, though," Jade reminded them.
"And Juggling," Argo mused. "Can't forget the juggling! Probably two of the best things that ever came out of that damned time loop."
"I'm just jealous you guys got to golf through the SGC Stargate!" John said. "That's something nobody'll ever let me do!"
"Oh suck it up, Sheppard!" Argo countered with a laugh. "You got to have us dial up a space gate and you football tossed that overloading Naquadah Generator through it three years ago! I think that's pretty comparable, if you ask me!"
As the three adults in the front of the cabin fell into familiar discussion patterns, Harley could only gaze at her parents and smile fondly.
Tomo, meanwhile, could only sit and stare at Harley as they very quickly checked to make sure they weren't chewing on their hair again.
A chime from the dashboard interrupted the conversation, followed by a transmission from the City. "Jumper One, this is Atlantis. Are you there?" Keiko Ayano's voice came through the speakers.
"Atlantis, this is Jumper One," John replied, "we read you. What's the sitch?"
"Teyla and Aradia just returned from Old Athos. They've got the legend story we've been looking for," Keiko answered.
John glanced at Jade and Argo, then replied, "We're already on our way back. Meet in the conference room?"
"It wouldn't be anywhere else, John," Keiko answered.
Teyla began to narrate:
"In the days after the City of the Ancestors fell to the Wraith, a woman wandered the stars of Pegasus. She was a traveler from far beyond our Galaxy, and she was the herald who had seen the fall of Atlantis, and had brought news of its fall to all who would mourn the loss of the Ancestors.
"To invoke her name was to invoke the Emerald color of her eyes, and the color of her magic.
"For her powers were beyond anything that had been seen. As raw and fierce as a thunderstorm's lightning, and with as explosive as any blaster weapon the Ancestors had created, she traveled through Pegasus, righting wrongs with the planets She cradled within a bag. But always did she return home to Athos, for it was her home when she returned from her adventures.
"She was a Witch whose domain was the Space of Pegasus, and she called herself its First Guardian, in the wake of the Ancestors' defeat.
"These are the words of her nineteenth adventures, and the words are true.
"And thus did our First Guardian encounter a world where the spirits walked among the living. It was a humble world. A farming world, like many, and one recently touched by the Wraith.
"Our Guardian found herself inquiring of a villager," Teyla's voice trailed off, and Jade's voice took over for her other self's dialogue:
"'Tell me, what has brought these spirits back from their realm of the dead?'"
Teyla continued, "'It was a set of magic cards,' the Villager answered. 'The Wraith did something horrible. They stole the life force from some of our people, and entrapped them within these cards that now give our village so much trouble.'"
Jade inquired, "'But for what reasons? And why did the Wraith leave the Cards behind?'"
Teyla answered, "'A foolish experiment that failed. The cards brought back spirits of our ancestors, who drove the Wraith off with their formidable powers. But the spirits who returned were not the spirits of those the Wraith killed, and their mere presence causes us turmoil! Their very presence draws more of the undead back to our plane so that they may meddle in our affairs!'"
Jade asked, "'But why are the spirits of the dead giving you trouble? Surely this must be a cause for celebration, is it not?'"
Teyla answered, "'Oh, but it would be... were the newly raised spirits not obsessed with taking over the bodies of the living. They take them, and they wear them dead! And then the spirits of those they've possessed become vengeful, and the cycle repeats! Only those vesseling the Spirits who originally rose are not affected- for the cards grant them immunity!'"
Jade said, "'I agree that is not right. That these vengeful spirits return to cause harm to the living. What is there I may do to help fix this problem?'"
Teyla said, "'Oh Great Guardian, the Spirits of the Cards are divided on how to proceed! Our ancestors bicker like children! Some prepare for War against the Wraith! Others wish to live humble lives once again. And then the worst- Oh the worst are those who seek to conquer our entire galaxy! They cannot agree on anything!'"
Jade said, "'I then will speak to these spirits! I will convince them to lend their aid.'"
Teyla resumed narrating, "And so our Guardian went to the spirits in turn, seeking their aid. She came upon the Craftsman who sought to make swords into arrows, and asked him for his stance. And he said, 'I am but a humble craftsman. But even I can see the problems of my presence upon this world. I do not belong, and so I will lend you my voice in recruiting the others.'
"And thus, they went to the Berserker, who said, 'I who was cursed in life to die a thousand deaths, and you wish to make me die a thousand and one more? Come back never.' He was of no help.
"They then went to the Lancer, who gave a smile, and asked of the Guardian, 'And what would a lady such as yourself say to convince me to join you in banishing these vengeful spirits at the cost of my own life?' To which the Guardian replied:"
Jade spoke, "'I would ask a noble hero such as yourself what he plans to do in his afterlife that he would not do in his original life? To what would you rather do than help those who cannot help themselves?'"
Teyla said, "And so the Lancer agreed to their party. They then went to speak to the Rider of horses, who smiled sadly, and said, 'I would love to help, for the horses no longer seem comfortable in my presence, and I would rather not feel the pain of their displeasure for any longer.'
"Next, they spoke to the Swordsman, who needed no convincing, lending his sword and pledging his aid before the Guardian could even speak. Next, they talked to the Assassin, who said he would only lend his aid if his master, the Caster, were to agree to help.
"And so the Guardian came to the Caster, and asked..."
Jade spoke, "'Dear Caster, your Assassin says that if I may have your help in defeating these angry spirits, he would likewise join my party."
"'And who exactly have you asked?' The Caster asked," Teyla continued.
Jade answered, "'Archer, Lancer, Rider, and Saber have all agreed, Assassin tentatively, Berserker wishes not to die.'"
Teyla continued, "'I will convince the Berserker, but I fear that you will never gain the cooperation of the other Archer, or of the Ruler.' Said the Caster. 'We will convene by the Ring of the Ancestors to begin our planning.'
"And so did Archer, Berserker, Lancer, Rider, Saber, Assassin, and Caster meet with the Guardian at the Ring of the Ancestors, and they formed a plan. The Guardian would build a device powered by these Heroic Seven's Cards, and would use it to banish the vengeful spirits of the world back into their proper afterlife, and further, were the other two Ancestral Spirits not similarly banished, there would be a second function that would banish those two's Cards out of our known universe entirely.
"The device was built with input from all seven, and thus, did the device be finished, and used against the Spirits, vanquishing all of the resurrected souls of the dead, and fully banishing the Ruler's spirit from her card, depowering it entirely. Only the second Archer remained, but weakened.
"'Foolish mortal,' he intoned with a growl! 'You dare ruin my plans with such a pitiful device!? I will bring back the spirits you just banished a thousand times over! I will gather the souls of the vengeful and give them new life!'"
Jade said, "'I deny you your ambition!' and then she activated the device's second function, tearing open a hole in space and time, threatening to tear the Card out of the host."
Teyla continued, narrating the Archer, "'You fool! You may succeed in exiling me from this time for now! But One day I will return! I will have my revenge!' And then he did the unthinkable. He shattered his own card, killing his host, and willingly exiled himself through the rift that had been created. The Guardian could only watch as the hole in space closed away, wondering just where that spirit would be sent... and when. The afterlife surely was not his destination, after all.
"But before she could ponder it further, the spirits of the Ancestors of Atlantis appeared to her, and told her how dangerous that device was, and how it needed to be destroyed or they would destroy her.
"And so the Guardian agreed, dismantling the device, and taking its seven power sources- the seven cards- and scattering them to the Stars of Pegasus where they could never be found again."
Teyla concluded, "These are the words, and the words are true."
"Archer..." Akita red said, pressing the sword wielding Archer. "Berserker, Lancer..." The buttons were pressed further. "Saber, Assassin... Caster."
And then, the stone iris retracted, and Akita smiled.
"It opened!" She called down.
"...Well, is there anything in there?" John Sheppard asked from the ground.
Akita gazed into the revealed cubbyhole, and then cast a brief light orb spell...
"Yeah," She answered, "There's a stone tablet in the back of the wall with Nine Gate Addresses carved on it, plus a chunk of stone carved to look like a machine of some kind."
"Nine Addresses!?" Aradia hung her head. "God damn it, that's going to take forever!!"
John placed his hand on his sister-in-law's shoulder, and said, "There there."
Aradia sighed, loudly. "I don't need to be 'there there'd!!"
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2012.
Earth C's Crocker Corp Planet Security Division received the prediction alert yet again from the Diasporan Seers...
And the human dispatcher who received that notice felt torn, seeing that message's headline and not opening the full message.
On the one hand, Monsters had genuinely been attacking the city... but the last major attack had been in a part of a town known to house rebellion sympathizers. And not only that... it had mostly been stubborn humans who'd ignored the warning who'd been caught up in the attack.
And that seemed VERY lop-sided.
And beyond all of the dispatcher's OWN personal feelings on the matter, this attack was predicted to hit a highly Troll populated area... and, all "Unofficially" in the most plausibly deniable way imaginable, word down the line from CEO Crocker herself was that this was to be ignored.
And so the dispatcher... simply deleted the alert and pretended it didn't exist.
Had the idiot opened the full email, he would have seen that the coordinates had actually been truncated by the preview of the full message contents, and would have realized that the attack wasn't scheduled to hit the area he thought it would, but rather...
Would instead be hitting the very building he was working out of.
Needless to say, he was in for a very rude awakening when, not ten minutes later, several bundles of magic rope burst out of the nearest air vent and tied him tightly to his own desk chair.
The monster attacking the communications building didn't even have the common decency to come and tie up everyone directly. Neanderthalian Jamenshi was storming around outside the building, taking aim at every building in sight and casting dark magic upon everything.
People recoiled in horror at its masked face, but upon it vanishing from sight, found they couldn't even recall what it looked like.
Not until the thing came back for another round of Darkness- and its stranger effect vanished for a moment, letting them relive the horror again, and then again, and then again and again and again.
In the dark cavernous revamped SGC, Kurantula's staff grew rapidly with Dark Power.
The Mofang laughed with delight. "MAAAAN! That extra little kick that showed up out of nowhere is doing wonders! What the hell kind of magic did we put on that thing to make people forget what it looked like!?"
Garuza shook his head, and truthfully answered, "I can't remember. After a certain point, my memory of carving that thing became a blur in and of itself."
It was strange, but atleast that stranger effect was only applying on the Jamenshi and showed no signs of appearing on the Jamenju itself. After all, he could look at its ugly, skull-like visage and not forget it immediately.
Still, it was of no surprise as the Kiramagers showed up, and immediately started having problems prioritizing the Jamenshi over the Bechats due to their not being able to remember its face.
Even so... the Kiramagers did manage to force the Jamenshi to retreat for a moment, Kurantula gazed at his staff, and whined, "We're almost there! Just a little bit more...!"
Garuza chuckled. "Yes, but even if we succeed with reaching the full amount... we won't send the Jamenju today."
Kurantula paused, then sighed, "Right, yes, I almost forgot with all this weird memory muddling."
"Let us take a break from the fight now that it has paused for a moment," Garuza said. "I wish to show you something."
"Oh?" Kurantula asked, and then followed Garuza as he stormed off through the darkness- their feet splashing in the water all along the ground and really probably should have been drained away if it weren't for the aesthetic factor.
"Okay, so what the heck is up with that Jamenshi?" Tomo asked as the five Kiramagers worked on cutting apart the ropes binding people to the nearest surfaces in a certain indoor pool child-care facility that had been hit.
"It's got such an ugly mask we can't even focus on it!" Nepeta grimaced beneath her helmet. "And what's with two powers!? Tying people up AND a memory effect? Since when could they do that!?"
"I think they've all had two powers all along," Equius answered, cleanly cutting down a bundle of ropes holding someone to a Macaroni curve shaped ceiling joist. "The Bomb Rugby monster clearly had a 'speed' skill and a 'generate exploding balls' skill."
"I guess that makes sense," Harley said, helping a scared woman free of the ropes and let her run off to safety. "But what are we going to do to stop it when we can't even remember what the damned thing looks like?"
Atsuya stopped in place as several kids he'd helped untie ran off to their parents. A sparkle, a glimmer, and then a flash of inspiration-- "EUREKAING!!!" he threw a hand into the air.
"...Are we seriously making that a catchphrase now?" Tomo asked, quietly, and mostly to themself.
Kurantula and Garuza arrived in the old SGC Jumper Bay above the Stargate room- and like the expanded Stargate room, the Jumper bay had too increased in size, now large enough to hold the giant black-purple form of Mashin Jouki's Kiramei Stone.
"My work on reshaping Jouki has been completed," Garuza said. "It can now achieve its own stand alone battle form! It will be on par with a Jamenju, if not greater in power! The Kiramagers will never stand a chance against its might."
"Wow!" Kurantula applauded. "That's quite the plan! Tying them up with the Jamenju to use this against them!"
Garuza laughed. "Oh, it's not quite that, but I'll take it under consideration."
"But if your plan isn't that, then what is it?" Kurantula asked.
"While the Jamenju ties them up in battle, I'll use Jouki to destroy those Kiramei Stone Deposits on the first world we attacked!" Garuza said. "Or rather, that's what they'll think. This plan is Asset denial, plain and simple, Kurantula. But why destroy an asset I can use myself?"
"EhHH?" Kurantula looked shocked from how O-like his mouth went. "You're going to steal buried Kiramei Stone!?"
"Yes, using the dimensional transportation engine I've installed on Jouki, I'll steal the Kiramei Stone and use it against them in future battles," Garuza laughed, and oh, did he LAUGH. The amused jingle of his Crystalian body echoing through the air.
Kurantula couldn't help it, he started to laugh too.
And then their laughter stopped as Kurantula's staff abruptly spiked all the way from where it had stopped to the full, maximum amount of darkness imaginable in a single spike.
Both of them gazed at the sudden spewing purple flames, and then hurried back downstairs to catch what was happening.
Thus, they caught the tail end of the Kiramager's plan to halt Neanderthalian Jamenshi with a Mirror, a bunch of pool noodles, and what looked like several boxes of instant macaroni.
"Noo!" The Jamenshi on screen cried out, "I don't want to go the way of the Neanderthal--!"
And then he fell, and exploded.
"...Please tell me you recorded that," Garuza said quietly as the smoke cleared, almost uncertain as if he would be happy to know what happened or not.
Kurantula whimpered, "I think I might have forgot to set the recorder on that one."
Garuza shook his head. "That's... probably for the best. We might not have been able to remember watching any of the fight anyways, given the memory effect."
"Ah, yeah, that's probably true," Kurnantla agreed.
There was silence for several moments...
"Sooo... save the darkness energy for tomorrow?" Kurantula asked.
"Yes, make sure to save it specifically for tomorrow," Garuza agreed with a nod.
"Well..." Harley said as she and Tomo put the large mirror back into the Pool facility that they'd taken it from. "It's been about an hour, so I guess that Neanderthal Jamenshi didn't get enough energy to summon a Jamenju, even with whatever 'insurance' does."
"I suppose so," Tomo agreed, frowning within their helmet. "But are you sure Neanderthal Jamenshi was it's name?"
"What else could it have been?" Harley asked. "That was what it said as it fell, right? 'I don't want to go the way of the Neanderthal'?"
"Well, yeah, I guess, but something just doesn't sound right about that," Tomo huffed. "I'm sure I'll figure out why eventually."
"Guess so," Harley shrugged. "Not like it matters much since we beat it."
"Rose and June are going to flip when we tell them we got our very own genuine Noodle Incident in under five battles," Tomo laughed.
"Hahah! Yeah," Harley laughed as well.
As the five Kiramagers teleported back onto the Beltus, Gina Kae stood in the lounge room, waiting for them.
"Rangers," She greeted, "Tomorrow you're to not attend class. In fact, classes are canceled in general tomorrow."
"How come?" Atsuya asked.
"Well," Gina turned towards a door, and said, "You can come in, Princess."
And then, the doors opened and in walked Princess Mabushiina of Crystalia.
"Oh!" Nepeta pointed to her in shock. "It's you again!"
"Hello again, Kiraimei Pink," Mabushiina said. "I certainly was surprised to find out you were chosen!" Then, she said, "Kiramei Stones, you can speak freely, now."
"Princess!" The Kiramei Stones yelled in excitement as they decaptchalogued themselves, and then dove forward to swarm around their friend, who began greeting them all with a happy tone of voice.
"Tomorrow," Gina Kae continued, turning the Kiramagers' attention back to her, "we'll be performing something of a performance stunt."
"What kind of performance stunt?" Harley asked.
"We'll be transporting the first of the Kiramei Stone deposits off of Old Athos," Gina explained. "We've finished excavating it, but we'll need it moved to a secure location before we can continue digging for the deeper deposits. At the same time, Atlantis will be conducting a secret investigation off world, and we need Gilgamesh's many forces distracted."
"The last time we had anything major happening with those deposits on Old Athos, the monsters attacked," Tomo summarized. "You think it'll happen again?"
"We know it'll happen," Gina corrected. "Cassandra Fraiser gives everyone the best possible chances of operation if we perform everything tomorrow. And Terezi Pyrope, well..." She coughed. "Her exact words were something I'm not going to quote, but she gave our operation a significant chance of success if we move on it now."
"Then I guess we're unearthing a Kiramei Stone tomorrow," Atsuya said.
"That we are," Gina cracked a wry smile.
Notes:
NOTES:
---
AAAANND I forgot to make the stupid Previously On section. That's now been added in.
---
The double head punch knockout has featured many times in Sentai mech battles, Go-Onger and Go-Busters having a couple examples that I can remember off hand.
---
The scene with the kids in the jumper listening to the adults talking about Window of Opportunity was written long before we got word about the post-hiatus episode summaries. Accidental foreshadowing.
---
These are the Words and the Words are true-- Is a line lifted from the end of certain Elder Scrolls Khajiiti Moon Myths. That is to say, the general events implied are right, but there's probably a lot of exaggeration to make things a tad... more interesting to hear.We'll get the real full story later.
---
Neanderthalian Jamen is a noodle incident in canon Kiramager. We never see his face, we only know he existed because a discussion happens of him being defeated off screen...And then later on one of the recap episodes pulled this same danged stunt of having the Mashins themselves forget this guy even existed for almost an entire episode. ><;
It wasnt due to memory manipulation, thank goodness, but still, that's about 3 different plot points I've managed to predict out of canon Kiramager so far. The first one is the fact that Bechats "Evolve" into Jamenshi! Man, I really lucked out on that one. LOL.
---
Next chapter: HS: Divergence point
Will be... uh, late Sunday night and thus basically super early Monday morning. The next Kiramager Episode will be on the Monday itself.
Chapter 12: HS: Divergence Point
Summary:
Dirk yells at the TV.
Chapter Text
"Wait, what?" said the man in orange V shaped sunglasses stopped as he stared at the muted TV which had just made a strange utterance of noise despite being muted and thus should have not been capable of making noise at all.
On it was himself, except portrayed by an actor, confronting some politician guy with a giant meat cleaver.
The Politician fainted from the implied threats.
He un-muted the tv, and watched as the episode continued to unfold beyond that point.
Giant flying space ships doing battle against giant robots in high orbit over a planet. A beam of golden light shooting forth from the frozen Antarctic sub continent... a robotic man in a black cloak taking an explosion directly to his face.
The man in orange sunglasses gazed on, watching in horrified confusion as he felt... some minor ripple in time and space.
Suddenly, the powerful other self he'd been feeling out there in the cosmos utterly vanished.
The Ultimate Him ceased to exist, leaving him, now, as the next Ultimate Him in line. Rather, it shouldn't have at any rate. He assumed there was only just one Ultimate Him around but in reality with the fact Multiverses existed, there was really just a bunch of other Ultimate Hims that thought they were the only Ultimate Him around. It was really quite silly.
"Wait," he started, "that's not right."
That's why I said it was really quite silly.
"No. Seriously. That can't be right at all."
But it really was right, even if not from the perspective he was thinking of.
"Hey!" the man yelled. "Stop that shit right now!"
But he was yelling at the TV without using a remote. The TV wouldn't stop without him using the remote because it wasn't voice-enabled. He knew that plain as day.
"Hey! Narrative Bastard! I know what you're trying here! Quit the petty bullshit and answer me! What the heck's going on!? Tell me right now or I'll get really cross!! Wait. Cross? Heck?? What the flip, that's not in my dialogue swear tree at all. HEY! What the hell are you doing!?"
Hey, c'mon, I rarely indulge in this kind of direct narrative manipulation. Let me have my fun, alright?
He muted the TV with the remote, and said, plain as day, "Explain to me exactly just who the Hell You Are and what the FUCK you're doing, alright??"
Hey, Look. The answers right there on the TV if you'd just watch it.
"I Did Watch it. All I saw was some freaky Ripoff of Stargate SG-1 staring me and my fellow Gods. So What??"
So what?
"Yeah! So what! What the hell am I supposed to do with THAT information!"
Of course the man in the orange sunglasses would have to keep watching the TV, because right then and there the end of that season- the current batch of available episodes- was over with, and they were starting over fresh with the movie that started it all. But of course, It's paused at the moment for some narratively convenient reason.
"...Fucker. You think some TV movie's going to tell me exactly what's going on?!"
Yes.
That's exactly the point of this whole damned scene. You watch this TV Marathon of everything that's critical. Look, Joan went to a lot of trouble to make sure this reality was properly forearmed with the information needed to survive the retcon which you've ALREADY felt the after-shocks of because, HEY! TIME ISN'T LINEAR! Y'see It's more like-
"I swear if you use that over tried Doctor Who Quote, I'm gonna throw my TV out the nearest window."
Silence ensued, because the man continued to talk to the air that pointedly did not utter the infamous "Timey Wimey" quote.
"Fine. That's close enough, I guess. Also, who the heck's Joan?"
Look, dude. Just watch the danged TV Show already, would you?
The man in the orange sunglasses scowled, and turned to look at the TV as the Movie STARGATE began to play, but it wasn't the Stargate movie he was familiar with, that was for sure.
"Damn it, I'm going to regret playing along with this, aren't I?"
You're the one who said it, not me. But given that I've already seen your future... Eeeehhh... I'd give it maybe a 30/70 split of regret to enjoying?
"That Does Not comfort me At All."
Look. Dude. You just have to ride it out. Trust me on this.
"And why should I?"
Because you get to not worry about having to be the villain just to ensure Reality's Progression.
"...Mother Fucker, you're adopting our universe into your own story, aren't you?"
Just watch the Fucking Stargate Movie already.
"Fine. Are there directors notes?"
Funny Story About That...
Notes:
I have no excuse for this late chapter save that I got busy drawing and forgot that yesterday was Sunday.
Also, this was the first Helvetica Standard segment I actually wrote for this story. Some edits made here and there, even during upload now, but overall... first one I wrote.
Chapter 13: MSK: 01X04: The Princess and the Traitor- a Matter of Succession. (The Worst Uncle Ever!)
Summary:
Entering the Station, SMOG JOUKI! SMOG JOUKI!
Notes:
CW:
Garuza Lies his ass off.
Nonconsentual rope tying.
Kidnapping.
Mention of Character Death.
Misunderstandings.
Talk of Reincarnation.
Moderate Picture Linkage and Light Embedding.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2012.
"Hey, Doc, can I ask a question about our Morphers?" Nepeta asked suddenly, even as the cranes lowered their rope-hooks down into the dig-site.
"Yes, Miss Leijon?" Doctor Gina Kae asked, glancing up from a tablet.
"So.." Nepeta held her Morpher up. "I couldn't help but notice that the inner ring that lights up is this rune pattern that shows up on the Shot disks and on our armbands... Did you come up with it?"
"No, it manifested on the Morphers when I generated the objects from the combination of the Universal Bio-Field and the Kiramei Stone," Gina answered. "Why, what about it?"
"It's just..." Nepeta frowned. "Well, I guess the question I gotta ask is, did it appear before you got the Mashin's zord designs down, or after?"
Gina blinked. "Why would that matter? It's random gibberish."
"But it's not," Nepeta tapped her morpher to make the rune in question light up. "See? It's got the Zord designs on it. Fire Truck, Race Car, Shovel Car--"
"Helicopter and Jet," GIna concluded, eyeing the repeating set of symbols. "So they are. That's... strange. If I recall correctly, the Morphers were finished before I finalized the zord designs, so I'd assume that the rune pattern would follow suit... What a strange sort of information paradox."
And speaking of information paradoxes...
"It's such a tiny detail! What does it matter!?" Harley shouted.
"Adding the -ian makes a difference!!" Tomo shouted back.
Nepeta and Gina looked over towards where the other Kiramagers, plus Princess Mabushiina, were standing near another observation platform.
"You're being too fussy!"
Nepeta made her way over as the argument intensified.
"I am not! It's important we make this distinction!"
"How!? We already beat the Neatherthal Jamen! It's dead!" Harley protested.
"But that's just it!" Tomo said. "I don't think it was Neanderthal Jamen!"
"What's going on?" Nepeta asked as she joined up with them.
"They're arguing over something stupid," Equius answered flatly as he read a book.
"What about?" Nepeta asked.
"Remember that Jamenshi we fought yesterday?" Tomo asked.
Nepeta nodded. "It never summoned a Jamenju. Which, is weird." She frowned. "What was it? Neanderthal Jamen?"
"WRONG!" Tomo interjected. "It's Neandertha-IAN Jamen!"
"And like I said, it doesn't matter!" Harley said. "We already defeated it!"
"But it does!" Tomo insisted." Neanderthal was a PLACE on Earth! That Jamen took on the motif of a primitive human whose bones were found in that region! Thus, the Jamenshi had to be named after the people FROM Neanderthal, thus, not Neanderthal Jamen, but Neanderthal-IAN Jamen!"
"Why does it matter, exactly?" Nepeta asked, head tilting to the side.
"It mattes because if it were a Jamenshi based off of the PLACE Neanderthal, it would have had a completely different power set!" Tomo insisted.
That answer got Mabushiina to laughing, and Atsuya's eyes locked onto her as a ringing tone echoed through the air from her.
"Wh...What's so funny?" Tomo asked, frowning.
"It's just-!" Mabushiina continued to laugh. "Oh! It's just such a refreshingly silly argument!"
"See!" Harley lightly backhanded Tomo's shoulder. "Told you it was stupid!"
"She said silly, not stupid! And I still say it's neither!" Tomo argued.
Atsuya, listening to the gentle, ringing, jingling noise, suddenly observed, "Crystalians sure make an interesting sound when they laugh."
"Yep!" Mabishiina nodded as she started to get her giggles under control. "It's a sound that's produced from the vibrations of our equivalent to the human parasympathetic nervous system."
"The... the what?" Atsuya asked.
"Um," Mabushiina clarified, "I suppose think of it much like a Cat purring, maybe?"
"Oh!" Atsuya nodded. "Gotcha! So when Crystalians are happy or amused, they chime?"
"Basically!" Mabushiina nodded. "It's involuntary! I just can't help it!"
"Well, it's a pretty sound," Nepeta said.
"Thank you!" Mabushiina said.
And then there was a sudden crack of thunder in the distance.
All six of them turned towards that direction, and they watched as an orange hued storm-cloud portal opened, and something large and massive began to descend through it.
It was large, it was vaguely sort of square- no, rectangular- it was... It was made of a dark purple gemstone material.
"No...!" Mabushiina started. "That's impossible...!"
The Kiramei Stones decaptchalogued themselves in that moment.
"Oh please tell me that's not what I think it is...!" Fiya started.
"It's a Black Kiramei Stone!" Heliko gasped.
"But that's impossible... Didn't it get...?" Jetta trailed off.
"Not if it's the Stone that one of Lady Harley's friends carved out of a tree on Haven!" Mahha said.
"Whatever it is, we need to go investigate," Shovellow said. "NOW!"
"Right," Atsuya said, "Everyone! Let's Change!" He raised his morpher.
The Kiramagers got in position and tapped their morphers. _"KIRAMEI GO!"_
"MASHIIIIN!" The Mashins grew to full size and began transforming as well.
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
Mabushiina barely processed the flashes of light as the Kiramagers donned their suits, only watching the Black-purple Kiramei Stone as it pulsed with energy, hovering over the city of Old Athos.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
"Everyone!" Mabushiina started as the Kiramagers finished transforming. "I need to come with you! If that's what I think it is...!"
Atsuya nodded, "Understood, Princess."
The Kiramagers boarded their Zords, and rushed away from the digsite.
Gina could only stare and watch them go before shaking her head and turning towards the dig crew. "Get that Stone secured and lifted NOW!"
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
As if it had been waiting for that moment, the stone suddenly transformed- going from a plain smooth gemstone appearance to a very much mechanical thing. Much of its surface was pure black, lacking any hints of transparency at all- the only thing hinting at its formerly gemstone appearance was the glittery purple stripe along its front.
"Woah- it's transforming!" Tomo stared at it.
"So it's a Mashin after all?" Equius asked.
"It can't be that Mashin you were talking about, Mahha, right??" Harley asked, standing up from her seat to gaze outwards.
Before Mahha could answer, the black stone split in half along its side edges, and then the back half split as well, becoming two separate parts, while the front half hinged outward along that same kind of axis. There was a brief burst of parts flipping around, and when it finished...
A black train with purple trim hovered before them- its front end bearing the visage of a dinosaur's mouth.
It roared with its train whistle as energy tracks emerged beneath it, and it began to roll forwards along them for a few moments before stopping in the air, and roaring dramatically towards the Kiramagers, a billowing cloud of smog-like black smoke blew from its nose as it did so..
"That's... That's the Royal Family's private train," Mabushiina, who was standing to Atsuya's right within Fiya's cockpit, said with a cold tone of realization.
"So it is that Mashin, then?" Astuya turned to look at her.
Mabushiina nodded.
Then, Fiya spoke, "It didn't have that face, but it's that train for sure." Fiya sounded uncertain as he said this next part. "But Princess, isn't the Royal Family the only ones able to summon that form?"
"Exactly," Mabushiina said. "And if my Uncle and Father are dead, then who--?"
Mashin Jouki tired of waiting, and rocketed down on its tracks towards the Mashin below... then passed overhead with a roar and continued on through the city towards the dig site they'd just left.
"Forget that for now!" Jetta yelled, turning to chase it. "It's going for the dig site!!"
"We have to stop it!" Equius declared.
"Agreed!" Mahha sped off after them- Harley gripping at the wheel tensely.
"Let's go!" She said.
Jetta caught up to the train and spun, trying to knock it off cource by clipping it with his wings, Mahha caught up behind him moments later.
"Jouki! Stop!" Mahha yelled out as the train swerved one of Jetta's attacks and almost hit him.
"It's not listening!" Equius realized.
"We'll make it!" Harley countered.
Jetta and Mahha tried to ram Mashin Jouki on the sides, but the stubborn train didn't budge from its course.
"Stubborn Train!" Jetta yelped.
"Please, Stop!!" Mahha begged.
Jouki had enough, and roared- slamming Mahha off of his side.
"WOAH!" Harley yelped as they went out of control.
"Jerk! Jerk! JERK!" Jetta yelled, firing off laser blasts at Jouki's face trying to blind it for a moment.
Jouki retaliated with a laser blast of his own, sending Jetta spiraling away.
"GAH!" Equius yelped.
"We've got to stop it!" Fiya yelled as he raced ahead. "Hold on Tight!"
Inside, Atsuya and Mabushiina gripped onto whatever surface was available to keep from being flung about.
"ROPE TANGLE!!!" Fiya yelled- releasing a string shot from the fire arm that wrapped around Jouki's maw.
"Gotta stop it!" Atsuya pulled back on the wheel as he and Fiya slammed on the breaks.
Fiya swerved side to side as he tried his best to arrest Jouki's speed, and accomplished nothing but managing to drag them off course towards a set of buildings at the end of the road.
"It's gonna crash!" Fiya yelped as he realized his mistake. "GOTTA STOOOOOOOOP!"
Sparks flew from his wheels as he doubled down on the breaks, but it wasn't enough- so he switched gears and spun around to ACCELERATE in the opposite direction.
Ever so gently, Jouki's jaw began to lift into the air, though it resisted.
"JOUKI!!!! YOU GOTTA STOP!!!" Fiya begged--
And then at the last possible second- Jouki's front end reared into the air and slowed down as the energy train tracks curved upwards and brought it all to a complete stop.
Fiya slid sideways to a stop, and groaned as he crashed into something that arrested his own movement.
As Heliko approached the scene, it was quite the sight. Jouki reared into the air, and Fiya playing the role of the fisherman that had just pulled the would be sea-serpent to a halt.
Tomo relaxed in their chair. "That was close..."
"Thank goodness," Harley slumped forwards in her chair.
Equius sighed in relief, and Nepeta clutched a hand to her chest.
The other Mashin gathered around Fiya, and Heliko said, "I think we stopped it just in time!"
"Yo! Jouki!! What the hell was that about!?" Shovellow asked, not quite daring to approach.
Jouki, jaw bound, had no response.
The Kiramagers disembarked from the Mashins, and gazed upwards.
Nepeta couldn't help but ask, though, "Did we stop it, or did it stop itself at the end?"
Their answer came with Jouki suddenly snarling- there was a burst of smoke from his nose, and then-
"WAAAAHHH!"
A crystalian man was hurled from the Mashin's head, towards the ground.
He managed to arrest his fall with a tumble and a roll, and as he came to a stop, Atsuya felt some kind of anxious tension rise in his heart as the man gazed up at them.
His gleaming red eyes and the gold trim struck a cord in Atsuya's memories for some reason. The only differences between what he knew those features as and the man before him was the clearly dark-magic infused state of his Crystaline body- a black-purple hue that warned any who saw it that this man before them was someone who had dabbled in arcane arts and likely had come close to that profane state that Atsuya's mind dubbed "Grimdark" although he'd never heard the term before in his life at all.
"That face..." Atsuya stared at the man- and remembered drawings he'd done of that face. Drawn before he'd become a Kiramager. Drawn before he'd met Mashin Fiya, or Princess Mabushiina.
Drawn all in the wake of nightmares spanning backwards months into the past. Drawn because of nightmares of a man slashing an energy sword at someone else, forcing him to dodge, only to have a Stargate take the attack and explode.
Atsuya declared, suddenly, for all to hear, "I know you from my dreams, somehow!"
"No way...!" Mabushiina came running up, then, and stopped as she saw the man before them.
And then, she hesitatingly, stepped forwards.
"Garuza!!" She exclaimed.
"You know him?" Harley asked, looking to the Princess.
"He Was my Uncle," Mabushiina said, emphasis on the Was.
"Was?" Nepeta picked up on that.
"He was piloting Jouki the day of Crystalia's fall," Mabushiina said. "But that was over a Thousand Years ago. He should be Dead, But I Guess I know how he survived! You Embraced The Grimdark Magics!!"
Garuza looked up at her in shock as she made that declaration.
Equius drew his sword, and inquired, "So he's an enemy?"
Garuza struggled to his feet, "Ma.." He started to walk towards the Princess. "Mabushiina..." He extended his hand. "We finally meet again..."
"Don't Touch Me!" Mabushiina slapped his hand away, and cowered away from him. "You're tainted!"
"...I suppose you're right," Garuza allowed, looking away. "It's natural that you would think that, but I had to survive!" He looked towards her sharply. "It was the only way I could survive the Fall of our world! I'd lost Jouki! The Alternian's army was besieging me!" He put his hand to his head. "And then I was captured anyways!"
Mabushiina turned to look at him, hesitantly.
"But not by the Alternians! No! This man in gold came upon me and took me into his service!" Garuza explained to her. "He kept me prisoner! I would have died if not for this power! This power that-"
"I don't Believe you," Mabushiina said coldly, turning fully to look him in the eyes. "Crystalians know not to touch the dark power! It corrupts them! Eats them from the inside out! Even if you're telling the truth, it's been over a thousand years! You are NOT the man who was my Uncle! Not anymore!" She put her foot on the ground, and her whole body seemed to pulse with a glowing blue light, from deep within her body.
Garuza stared at her as she made that declaration. Then, he said, "I know how you can see that. But believe me! I did what I did to survive!" He put his hands to his chest, begging. "Belive me! Please! This man, Gilgamesh! He tortured me in a pocket dimension for a thousand years! He forced me to carve masks of power to equip to his monsters! He forced me to track down Jouki's life signs when he returned to this dimension!" Garuza motioned upwards at Jouki. "I only got our Family Train BACK because of this power!!"
Mabushiina stood stock still- not reacting at all to that. "I can't trust you, Garuza. Not with your body as corrupted by that power as you are. If Father could see you as you are, he'd cry!"
"He has," Garuza said.
And Mabushiina paused, "What?"
"My brother," Garuza turned away from her for a moment, and then turned to face her- looking her in the eyes. "KIng Oladdin is alive!"
"What!?" Mabushiina asked, shocked.
"Gilgamesh has him in-!" Garuza started- only to suddenly recoil as dark power swarmed over his body- armor of a demonic nature swarmed around his form for a moment, trying to capture him, to restrain him...
Or so that's what it seemed.
He dismissed it for a moment, clutching at Mabushiina- everyone tensed, readying for a fight.
"Gilgamesh knows what I've done...! He's trying to force his will on me again!" Garuza said- and then--
Mabushiina shoved him away.
"Gah! He's forcing me! He's trying to make me-! Make me...!" Garuza then yelled- pointing at the sky. "LOOK OUT!"
And then Garuza yelled out in pain- dark energy flaring around him again, and this time the armor sealed around him, forming his General's Uniform Suit of Armor.
After a few moments of terrifying tension- Atsuya gazing at the new figure with shock yet again- because THIS was the suited warrior from the vision he'd seen.
"Oh, what a shame," Garuza said, his voice suddenly sounding cold, chilled, and echoing in some powerful way. "It seems Garuza had to go away! Now it's my time to play!"
And then he drew his sword and the five Kiramagers swarmed him, trying to keep him away from Mabushiina. Their weapons clashed for several moments- and then Garuza launched a dark burst of energy from his sword in a circle swipe, sending the Kiramagers tumbling to the ground.
Before anyone could react from that landing, Garuza rushed Mabushiina, grabbing her by the arm, and then leaping into the air onto Jouki, who roared, and took off into the air... disappearing briefly through a dark portal of energy... and then out the other side. Because that portal was not for Garuza's corrupted Mashin.
The Kiramagers gazed upwards as the portal remained open- and then grew wider with a crack of dark magic flaring in the heavens, and when it vanished...
The utterly terrifying visage of a Mamoth-skull masked Jamenju landed on the ground- sending everything shaking and rocking.
"Oh Come On!" Harley yelled. "That's Not Fair!"
"Paleolith Jamenju," Tomo said quietly, naming it on the spot.
Jouki hovered over the Jamenju's head for a moment, and Garuza called down from it, "Kyuusekki Bassra will play with you until I have what I need!!" And then Jouki rushed off once more towards the dig site.
"Everyone!" Atsuya yelled. "Back to the Mashins!"
"Right!" the Kiramagers ran back for their Zords.
The mamoth masked monster's tusks launcehd out- carrying with them miles of magic rope that it wrapped around a building, and crushed immediately- sending debris flying everywhere.
"RRRAAAH!" The mashins rushed forwards towards it.
The morphers were tapped, and spun- "MASHIN GATTAI!"
Shovellow attached to the port on the back of Fiya's ladder arm, which spun around, extending, letting Mahha reverse into place, and then snap open to reveal Kiramagein's face. Jetta and Heliko flew overhead as the Landmage Body stood up into the ready position.
Heliko then attached to the chest, and then formed the V-crest. Jetta then transformed into the sword, and landed in the ladder arm's grip.
"Complete! Kiramagein!"
_"KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
Kiramagein closed in and swung the sword, slashing against the Paelolith Jamenju's chest, and then bback swung against its head- but it caught the attack and forced them backwards.
Then, it tried to pile drive them to the ground, clambering atop Mahha's shoulder pauldron.
"Let go of me!" Mahha yelped as Kiramagein fought back.
"It's trying to restrain us!" Atsuya yelped.
"Ugh! So Clingy!" Nepeta complained.
"It really stinks too!" Harley grouched.
Finally, they managed to break free and then got some distance by throwing Shovellow's claw into its face.
"HOOO!" Shovellow yelled on impact.
The Paleolith Jamenju stumbled backwards, and then immediately launched the binding ropes at the Megazord, binding it tight and holding it in place.
"What the- More stalling tactics!?" Equius exclaimed.
"It's trying to keep us from going after the Princess!" Tomo yelped, realizing the plan.
"In that case...!" Atsuya made a decision.
The Dig site was abandoned as Garuza dragged Mabushiina towards it. There wasn't any sign of the giant white Kiramei stone that had been in the process of being dug up at all.
"What the- Where is it!?" Garuza stared, then- "GAH!" He yelled- the dark armor flaring around him, and then dispersed, leaving him 'demorphed' as it were, panting for breath as if exhausted.
Mabushiina took the changes to break away, and ran away from him as far as she could manage to get while he was winded.
She spotted a small chunk of white Kiramei stone on the ground as she ran, and scooped it up, clutching it to her chest just to be on the safe side.
Finally feeling she was safe enough and far enough away, Mabushiina turned to Garuza, and demanded- "Explain what this is about, Garuza! NOW!"
The Crystalian man, panting for breath even as Jouki idled nearby, puffing smog into the air in near the same way, looked up at her, and said, "I'm... I'm sorry. That power... That's Gilgamesh's doing. He forced me to-"
"No! Not that! The Armor!" Mabushiina yelled. "It may have been a thousand years for you, but I remember that armor like it was yesterday! That's the armor of the man my Father fought when I escaped through the Stargate! How did you get it!?"
Garuza took a few moments to get his breath, and composed himself, before standing upright and starting to walk towards her, hands held at his side non threateningly.
"That's just it..." Garuza said, "Giglamesh has the power to Time Travel. He's forced me to go back to that day once already to try and capture Jouki on that day! To think I lost it only to have him force me to track it down again later...!"
"So you fought my father on that day!" Mabushiina deduced. "How then can you say he's alive!?"
"Because I wasn't ordered to kill him!" Garuza said. "I was ordered to capture him! To take him to Gilgamesh's side so he could be tortured like I was! It was a horrible sensation! A Horrible feeling! I hated every minute of it!"
"Then tell me," Mabushiina said, holding the crystal closer to her chest. "Why were you standing side by side with an Alternian Subjugglator?!"
Garuza paused, "I truthfully cannot remember. It must have been some kind of ploy, I think... I remember stabbing that man clean through the heart, but..." He shook his head. "You must think me some kind of traitor. But I truthfully... that day was horrible. I've fought every inch of my life against Gilgamesh's control, but... my emotions and feelings were suppressed so tightly, I couldn't...!" He shook his head. "Even though I was controlled, I don't expect you to forgive me." He looked down at his right hand, "But at the very least," he clenched it into a fist. "I want to kill that golden bastard with my own hands! I'm sure that's your deepest wish too!"
Then, he saw the stone in Mabushiina's hands.
"That crystal... a Kiramei stone...?" He reached a hand out, "With that we can save your father! Hand me that stone...!"
Mabushiina considered it, and then she saw something that made her step forwards.
Garuza lowered his guard, and never saw the incoming set of blasts from a Kiramei Shot that'd hit him in the side and made him flinch.
"Are you okay, Princess?" Atsuya asked, coming to a running stop between Garuza and the Princess.
"Why are you here?!" Garuza asked, shocked.
"You thought we were immobilized by the Jamenju, right?" Atsuya asked- gazing at the still tied up Kiramagein in the distance. "Well, that'd've worked, but we've got a Substitute!"
Said substitute had been activated by Astuya and had taken his place in the cockpit as Atsuya disembarked and took a round-trip beam up to the BC-304 Apollo up in orbit, and then back down to the dig site... which had already been evacuated up to the Appolo just the same, complete with the giant white Kiramei Stone that was residing in a 302 Hangar.
"Mabushiina," Astuya put his hands on the princesses shoulders. "I'm sure you know this, but he's been deceiving you!"
"How dare you say that!" Garuza protested, outraged.
"I wasn't One hundred percent certain before," Atsuya said, "but hearing that last part... I know for sure now!" He turned to look at Garuza and stepped forwards towards him, continuing, "You said Gilgamesh stripped you of your emotions, right? But that was a lie!" He shook his head. "Back then... You laughed!" He pointed dramatically, and retold that part of his dream word for word.
"NO!" The dark suited warrior cried out- and... And the King faltered.
"...Garuza?!" Oladin asked, having recognized his own brother's voice. "You dared betray us to the Alternians!?"
The suited warrior turned his head towards the king- and a Crystalian chime rang through the air.
Atsuya concluded, "When Crystalians Laugh, they make a chiming noise. And I know I heard it."
"What?" Mabushiina asked. "How could you know that?!"
"A mere human like you shouldn't have been able to see something that happened on Crystalia a thousand years ago!" Garuza said, motioning wildly at the absurdity of it all.
"Yeah," Atsuya said with a curt nod. "I thought it was a nightmare of my own imagination," His hands clenched around his weapons. "But it's wasn't. In my dreams, I can see the Past like the Seers can predict the future."
"Seeing the Past in dreams!?" Garuza looked to Mabushiina. "What kind of nonsense is that!?" he threw his hands to the side, almost shrugging. "What total nonsense!"
"But when I woke up from those dreams!" Astuya decaptcahed his sketch pad, and held it out so Garuza could see. "I Drew This!"
Garuza's own face stared back at him as Atsuya continued.
"I never met a Crystalian proper until yesterday! But again, and again after that dream, I kept drawing your face!" Astuya said, then recaptcha'd the sketch pad with a flourish of his arms. "I know it was all reality!"
Garuza and Atsuya stared eachother down for several long moments, Mabushiina couldn't even dare to look.
And then Garuza laughed. The chime rang through the air.
"I see!" Garuza said, hand on his face for but a moment.
"Huh?" Mabushiina stared on.
"So it was you who summoned those damned Mashins, wasn't it?" Garuza looked at Atsuya. "To resonate so strongly... King Oladdin must have meddled with your dreams to give you a vision like that."
"Atsuya... resonates with my Father?" Mabushiina asked.
Garuza's voice fell dark as he gazed at the silent Kiramei Red before him, "I was better at bringing Mashin to life!" He gazed at his hands, as he recalled forming Jouki's new form right before them all to taunt them. His tone of voice shot upwards, growing fervent, angry, as he continued to speak: "But just because I was the younger brother, I wasn't able to become anything but his pawn!"
He threw his fists down, remembering glaring down his brother at one point, but the memory was twisted, his own form was darkened, and there was a divide, sparking away that wasn't there in reality.
Dark magic, and the armor began to swarm around Garuza then- but he wasn't pained. No, he was incensed. "The Alternian Empress promised me I could Rule Crystalia as her vassal! But my damned Brother took away my barganing chips! Crystalia FELL BECAUSE OF HIM!" The armor sealed tightly with a flash of dark magic. "It was an accident that I do not regret."
"Then Father is..." Mabushiina trailed off.
"Dead," Garuza answered, and started to laugh.
Mabushiina nearly colapsed, if Atsuya hadn't caught her. He gazed at Garuza, and growled, "Damn you...!"
"Now behave and hand over that Kiramei Stone," Garuza held out his hand. "My Lord Gilgamesh needs it for our plans."
"No way!" Mabushiina held that fragment close to her chest. "I'll never give it to you!!"
Atsuya glanced to the Princess, "Please, Run!"
"Okay!" She ran, and Atsuya turned back to Garuza- tapping his morpher and spinning the wheel.
_"KIRAMAGE!"_
His sword and blaster returned to hand, and then he and Garuza charged eachother.
Mabushiina hid behind a rock, and watched as already explosions began flying.
Garuza and Atsuya leaped away from one, Garuza raising an arm to block as Atsuya swung his sword at him.
They roll-landed on the ground, and clashed blades.
"You told Mabushiina her father was alive, just to take that hope away from her!" Atsuya said as their swords locked tight. "ANYONE!" Then, they broke apart, and Atsuya fired several times into Garuza's front guard. "Would Hope that was True!!"
"How Dare You Trample On her Feelings--" Atsuya swung wildly, forcing Garuza to the back foot. Garuza raised his sword to block a strike as Atsuya swung down on him..."JUST to fulfill some dark desire!?" But it was a fake out, Atsuya KICKED him instead, forcing him back by several feet.
Garuza slid to a halt, and gazed at Atsuya as he declared, "I'll never forgive anyone for that!" Atsuya tapped his sword twice- _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_ -and leaped into the air, firing off with the blaster. _"CHECKMAGE!"_ Explosions rocked through the air as Garuza deflected blaster strikes at him towards the ground.
Garuza finally struck back with a burst of purple fire, sending Atsuya skidding backwards, even as he blocked it with his sword.
Atsuya then swung through the dark, sending energy blade after energy blade at the Traitor.
Garuza tried to dodge best as he could, explosions rocking behind him as the energy impacted the ground. He was obscured from sight by an explosion for a moment, but then charged out of the smoke; Atsuya charged in as well.
"Getting Serious, Huh?" Garuza asked, leading the barrage of sword strikes this time. "SAME HERE!" Explosions rocked around as his blade clashed with Atsuya's and--
With a fling, the he disarmed Atsuya of the blaster by knocking it out of his hand.
Garuza then hooked Atsuya's foot, forcing him to the ground, and went for another sword strike.
Hurriedly, Atsuya flipped over it- dodging the explosion. His flip continued to carry him past a follow through strike, rolling him to his feet, where he readied his sword and charged in again.
Garuza swung a strike- broken in the middle by a sudden surge of gleaming energy around Atsuya's right foot as he kicked through it.
Garuza blocked the attack with his sword- Atsuya hit the ground.
Garuza then readied a power attack- bright red lightning across his sword- and then swung.
Atsuya blocked it with his sword, and then deflected it away-- Garuza closed the distance, and the next fury of slices went by so fast that it was hard for Mabushiina to see what was going on. There were black-red bursts, red-blue-green bursts, and explosions.
SO. MANY. EXPLOSIONS.
Finally, Atsuya went flying from the rapid fire flurry of strikes, and he hit the ground with a thud.
As he tried to get back to his feet, Garuza readied his sword, "It's time to end this."
And then the ground shook, Garuza looked up, and then was sent flying as Kiramagein's foot stomped into the ground next to him.
"TAKE THAT!" Fiya yelled.
Garuza hit the ground and rolled to a stop.
Atsuya got to his feet, and gazed upwards.
"Sorry for the wait," Kiramagein's head was nodding as the five Masin spoke as one.
"We had a hard time breaking free from that Jamenju," Equius said through the morpher. "But we managed it."
"Atsuya, Mabushiina," Nepeta called down, "Are you two alright?"
Mabushiina ran up to Atsuya's side, and called up, "We're alright!" Atsuya just gave a thumbs up as he huffed for breath. "And this Kiramei Stone is fine too!" She held up the fragment.
"Alright!" Atsuya snapped his fingers, feeling a bit better. He climbed back into Fiya, where the Sub-in was waiting. "Good work!"
The sub-in stood, offered it's rear end, and Atsuya dismissed it with a hip check.
"Let's go!" Atsuya said, taking his seat back.
Kiramagein readied itself, and Garuza snarled. "Jouki!" He called out. The train whistle blew, and it drove by him as he leaped onboard and called, "Transform!"
The train rocketed into the air, and then split apart, and shifted around.
When it finished, it became an old fashioned, outdated posed Tyrannosaurs looking Kaiju sort of thing complete with- was that a chainsaw tail!?
"Complete," Garuza said as he sat in the dark purple cockpit. "SMOG JOUKI!"
"RRROOOOAARH!"
The Chainsaw tail revved up, and the train whistle roared as the red eyes flashed.
"What the-!?" Atsuya covered his mouth and pointed at it, reeling back in his chair in shock.
"Oh Come On!" Tomo hissed.
"That's cheating!" Harley stood in her seat again.
"Unreal...!" Equius sat forwards, shocked.
"No way!" Nepeta whispered.
"Seirously!?" Fiya yelped. "A Mashin became a Kaiju on its own!?"
"Behold!" Garuza said, readying Smog Jouki's claws- "It's Claws!" The teeth snapped against each other. "It's Fangs!" The Chainsaw tail revved. "CHAAAAIINSAW!!"
Smog Jouki roared, and then charged Kiramagein.
The two Mashins came at each other with force, Jouki's jaw smashing against Heliko- causing Nepeta to yelp in shock as sparks flew around inside the Mashin's cockpit.
Heliko yelped as sparks flew off of her as well from the impact.
Atsuya and Equius spun their wheels, and Kiramagein tried to swing against Jouki- only for one of those spindly arms to block it, and then shove it down towards the ground.
"Woah!" Jetta cried out.
Then, Jouki reared up and slammed against Heliko again- "WAAAH!"
Harley went tumbling inside Mahha.
Kiramagein tried to swing a punch- but Jouki bit down on Shovellow's arm. "OW!" She yelped.
Tomo was flung forwards against their wheel.
"LET GO!" Shovellow pulled back and out of Jouki's maw.
Kiramagein readied themselves, backing away, and reading their sword against Shovellow's arm.
Smog Jouki's chainsaw tail revved up again- dark energy running up along its whole spine and up to the mouth, building up to a burst of bright pink fire in its mouth.
"It looks like..." Harley leaned back in her chair, hands clenching and flexing as she tried to get far away. "Like it's about to do some real gross attack!!"
Garuza laughed- a chime briefly echoing out. "Begone!!"
And then in that moment, the Jamenju ran into the battle, charging Kiramagein, and ramming them in the front.
"BURN BLACKER!" Garuza yelled, and Smog Jouki unleashed a burst of pink fire upon the ground- causing an explosive trail to rush forwards towards its target- Kiramagein.
Atsuya saw this- "IDEA!" and then he spun the wheel- causing Kiramagein to dodge to the side, and letting the Jamenju take the full brunt of Smog Jouki's attack- or that was the idea.
Kiramagein still took some of the attack's Area of Effect as it brushed by them, but otherwise, the attack was nowhere near as fatal as it could have been.
The Jamenju roared in pain... and Garuza sneered.
"Jamenju..." His voice was low, dangerously so. "How DARE you interupt at a moment like this!" And then he made a snap decision. "I'll make you go Extinct, You Worthless BEAST!"
Jouki roared, and ran forwards, smashing a fist into the mamoth mask of the Jamenju, and then grabbing with both claws, pushed forwards.
"RAH!!" Garuza spun his control wheel, and Jouki rammed its maw into the Jamenju's side.
A punch, and then-- Jouki's jaw came down on the stone mask's mamoth trunk, biting down and sending sparks flying.
With it then gripped so tightly, Garuza revved up the tail, and spun Jouki around, lashing the tail through the Jamenju's chest and knocking it down to the ground.
Smog Jouki then roared triumphantly as the Jamenju exploded behind them.
"RROOOARH!"
A whole galaxy away, Kurantula dropped his staff. "Scary..." he stammered, stepping backwards, "Ga-ga-ga-GARUZA'S SCARRY!!"
Jouki whirled on Kiramagein, and the Kiramagers readied for another onslaught of attacks...
But instead, Garuza just jovially said, "Let's save some fun for later," he leaned forwards on his console. "Your executions will come then."
Then, Jouki transformed back into a train, and drove off into a dimensional portal, escaping.
Atsuya relaxed somewhat within Fiya's cockpit, astonished by what had just happened.
"What the heck was that?" He asked, to himself.
Hours later, in the BC-304 Apollo, orbiting over Old Athos, everyone sat around a briefing table.
Colonel Ellis stood at the head of it all, looking at the exhausted Kiramagers, the tired looking Princess of Crystalia, and the annoyed looking Gina Kae.
"So," Ellis started. "I think it's safe to say that we're accelerating our dig time and are going to rush to get the rest of the Kiramei Stone deposits out of the ground?"
"Definitely," Gina nodded. "And we'll have to risk activating them early, too."
"Garuza..." Mabushiina started, drawing all eyes to her. "Garuza needs to be eliminated at all costs. The dark power he's using- we called it Jamental, and it causes that sickly, dark appearance he had."
"Grimdark," Atsuya said. "That's what you called it, right?"
Mabushiina nodded. "It's... it's a corrupting influence. The longer a Crystalian delves into it... the more evil they become. Prone to backstabbing ones own allies at a moment's notice."
She gripped tightly around that Kiramei Stone that she had scavenged from the site.
"He had to have been delving deep into it during the War. That would be why he'd turned against Crystalia. Abandoned us to the Alternian Empire... And now, it's why he's sided with this Gilgamesh." She shook her head. "Garuza's dark powers will only continue to grow, if he's been training with them for the past thousand years. I never knew it to extend lifespans, but... somehow..."
"Garuza's no doubt the one behind the attacks on Earth C," Gina said. "We'll fight him again. And the next time, we'll have a means of stopping him." A pause. "I just have to design it first."
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
"Neanderthalian Jamen was pretty interesting from a Linguistic standpoint," Gina said aloud. "In Japanese it'd be pronounced 'Neanderthal-jin Jamen' and the 'Jin Jamen' part thus sounds like someone from a Mysterious shrine- 'Jinja man.' - I wonder if that has anything to do with it's mysterious obscured face powers?"
A pause, then, "Most likely not."
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"Mashin LIFTON!"
"Mashin ROLLAND!"
"Mashin CARRY!"
"Introducing the Shovellow Squad!!" Shovellow cheered.
"Hey! What about me- Gamepadding Jamen!?" The Monster of the week asked.
"Eh? There was a Jamenshi?" Shovellow asked.
"WHAAAAT!?" The poor Jamenshi hung his game-controller themed head.
NEXT TIME: EPISODE 05: Roll and Lift on, Carrie! Introducing the Shovellow Squad! (Babysitting Duty?!)
Notes:
NOTES:
This chapter was basically a straight up copy-paste of battle footage, and cutting around civilian footage. As pure of a Sentai Footage Burn Episode as I can get in this kind of fic adaptation. Garuza and Mabushiina's dialogue is heavily edited to reflect the continuity of the series as it stands.There's some "Original" footage in where Jouki exits and The Jamenju enters at the same time. Otherwise, it's aaaaal Sentai Footage, basically.
There's also the scene at the beginning that is reflecting a deleted scene from the "Deleted Scenes Special" of Episodes 1 and 2 of Kiramager that aired during the Hiatus, talking about how odd it was that the Morphers and suits had the designs for the Mashin on them *before* the Mashin took form. I get the feeling they were planning to reveal something later, so I decided to play it safe and make a reference to it too, here, just to be on the safe side incase it turns up later. If it doesn't? Well. Just consider it some funky Power Rangers/Super Sentai Meta Joke and/or fodder for Time Travel.
God. That one SCENE. Garuza and Kiramei Red dueling in the show just flows by so fast I can't do it justice with words alone. I wish I could GIF it properly, or find a GIF that someone else made of it, because DAMN is it BEAUTIFUL.
SO. Yeah. Jouki makes his appearance, and now Gina's working on trying to design the form for a New Mashin that can *stop* that. Just setting up the plots now as they fall, as it goes.
---
I think I did alright keeping the picture embedding to a minimum this chapter. I'll try to emulate that going forwards.
Next Chapter: SGA:06X04: Surprise Mechanics
...And yes, that title is poking fun at the concept of Loot Boxes. So what of it?
Chapter 14: SGA:06X04: Surprise Mechanics
Summary:
AR-1 goes off world and finds a piece of the puzzle... as well as something existentially terrifying.
Notes:
CW:
Giant Pits, Endless Elevator Rides.
Depiction of Bodily Possessions by Lost Spirits; Death and Destruction of a Village.
Mention of The Wraith.
Meta Talk.
Enter's gonna Enter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2012.
The whirling, wooshing swirl of a Stargate Wormhole flashed across the screen before ending just as suddenly as they came, leaving AR-1 in its entirity to step forth from the Stargate on M7C-925.
John Sheppard, Ronon Text, Teyla Emmagan, and Rodney Mckay.
"Well," Rodney began. "This is nostalgic. Quaint little Canadian forest area around the Gate. Not a single visible trail anywhere... Just the four of us hiking in the woods for who knows how many hours on end!"
"You say that like we haven't visited ten other planets exactly like this within the last year, Rodney," Teyla joked as John cast around the area with an Ancient Scanner.
"Yes, well, you didn't let me finish," Rodney countered within the well and truly worn in pattern of teammates casually joking with each other. "While we may have visited planets like this countless times before, it's been almost eight years since we wound up doing something like this with the pressure of a villain to beat hanging on our shoulders."
Ronon smirked, and said, "He's got a point there."
Teyla conceded the point with a smile and a nod, "So he does."
"And I've got a lead on an energy signature," John said. "This way."
They started hiking through the woods in that direction.
"Hey, John," Rodney started about five minutes later. "How come you've got the scanner and I don't?"
"Because you were busy making out with Keller when Tyzias and Mallek calibrated this scanner for the kind of energy waves we think these 'cards' put out?" John answered, glancing at Rodney.
"Hey! It's not like you all don't share a few pre-mission smooches with your significant others!" Rodney protested.
"Rodney, there's a difference between a quick goodbye kiss and ignoring radio calls for eight minutes straight," Teyla reminded him.
"Okay, yeah, fair enough," Rodney allowed.
They came upon a suspiciously square clearing then, and John held a hand up to stop movement.
Everyone stopped without a word.
John frowned, and then showed the Tablet to Rodney. "Is this what I think it is?"
Rodney gazed at the screen, and then said, "Yeah, I think it is."
"Alright then," John held out his fist. "Rock Paper Scissors for the Pratfall Test."
The four of them quickly went through the motions of Rock Paper Scissors, quickly eliminating Teyla and John via them tying with a win, then Ronon and Rodney did it again, eliminating Rodney.
"Hey! How about that! I won for once!" Rodney grinned as Ronon grunted in frustration, and then, a determined look on his face, marched forwards towards the center of the clearing.
Needless to say, a moment later, Ronon Dex walked face first into a force field that flared with light and sent him tumbling flat on his back from the recoil.
"Well" John said, "at least it didn't send him flying too far back."
"I can't feel my nose," Ronon grunted as Teyla helped him to his feet.
"Mild stun effect," Rodney guessed. "Would make sense if Other Jade built this shield off of a Wraith stunner."
John squinted at the empty clearing. "Feels like Cloaking field too."
"Invisible Frog crouching in the clearing?" Rodney asked.
"Yep," John answered.
"Lovely," Rodney rolled his shoulders, stretched his arms out and maybe cracked a knuckle or two. "Alright then, let's give this the old college try..."
He sized up the clearing, framing it with his fingers, and then took a sharp breath in, and...
"Go Go Gadget: Magic Door!" Rodney called out, projecting a green force field forwards that passed through the air Ronon had tried walking through- causing a flare and a flicker of energy to traverse across the entire square clearing, briefly disrupting the cloaking field effect and revealing the top half of a Frog Temple much like the one on the Jurassic World, except this one was half buried in the ground, if Jade had built it to the same specs as the other one.
The force field stabilized after a moment, but Rodney's own projected force field had created a visible tunnel of green light in front of them.
"Heh," Rodney smirked. "Still got it."
The team headed through the opened doorway in the force field, and then glanced backwards at it as it collapsed once Rodney's power had decided they were safely through it.
"I still can't get over that you keep aping Inspector Gadget for that trick," John said, eyeing Rodney for a suspicious moment.
"And like I keep saying," Rodney countered, "You can't beat a classic, especially when you're introducing the next generation to shows that would otherwise be lost to history if someone hadn't backed it all up before Earth went and got all timey-wimey ZPM Explosion'd out of existence."
"Whatever," John smirked, and turned back to head into the frog temple.
Flashlights clicked on in the dark, and shone around a simple, vast, empty shaft. There didn't seem to be a floor or anything else that would let them descend into its depths, at least, at first glance.
"Well, this is disappointingly empty," Rodney lamented.
"The other Jade probably built this place in a hurry," Teyla said. "It's likely she didn't have time to put anything but the most important things in place here."
"She had time to build a giant shaft that goes down who knows how deep?" Rodney pointed at the giant hole in the ground before them. "Wait, uh, how far deep down is this thing anyways?"
Ronon took out a disposable climbing knife from his sylladex, held it over the edge, and dropped it.
It took a disconcertingly long amount of time for the sound of it hitting something to return to them.
"Never mind," Rodney grouched. "I don't think I want to know anymore."
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
John broke open a chemical glow stick, and gave it a toss down the shaft. He watched the glow from the stick as it fell, fell, fell...
And then landed much sooner than the knife hd, on the edge of a small elevator platform suspended somewhere between the top level and everything below it.
"Good news is, Rodney, I think that elevator might be a survivable jump for me," John said. "Bad news, Ronon, i think your knife fell through the gap and went too far down."
"Eh, I've got fifty more like it back home," Ronon shrugged. "No big deal."
"You're seriously not going to jump, are you?" Teyla asked, concerned for her friend.
"Not directly," John said. "I'm going to breeze down to it, see if there are any manual control mechanisms on it. If there are, I'll bring it back up for us to all get on."
"And if there isn't any way to get it back up?" Rodney asked.
"Then I'll check and see if there's anything down there I can breeze to, and if there isn't, I'll breeze back up here and we can report to Atlantis that we'll need Jade's help getting through this place."
"Fair enough," Rodney grouched.
"Be careful, John," Teyla said.
"Aren't I always?" John asked- and then dissolved his body into a blur of blue hued wind- drifting down towards the elevator platform, and then re solidifying onto the mass of metal plating that waited for him. He clicked on his flashlight again, and gazed around.
It looked like there was a simple up, middle, and down button prompt on a very simple console.
"...It can't be that easy, can it?" John asked, frowning.
Well, no better way than to try.
He hit the up button, and the elevator began ascending upwards towards the top of the track.
"Nice!" Rodney smirked as he saw the ancient elevator come to a stop, and extended a small bridge to connect between the ground and the elevator itself. "How the hell does that still have power?"
"Probably it's powered by one of those spirit card things," John answered. "Or the other Jade built something."
"Speaking of," Rodney said as the team boarded the elevator, and John set it to descend to the bottom level. "What exactly do you think these Spirit Cards are, exactly? My personal bet, they're something like the Eye of Ra and the other Eyes that Anubis used on Abydos, and the whole Spirit stuff isn't actually true except for whoever the Other Jade actually blasted into who knows where."
"If we take the myth at its face value," Teyla said, "then the cards are like a Wraith attempt at making a ZPM, powered off of a spiritual type of energy and it backfired majorly."
"Ascended Being Ghost Trap?" John offered.
"Something like that," Teyla gave a nod, remembering the movie John was referencing to be Ghostbusters. "Beyond that, however, I believe it may be more of a technology that fell through from another dimension or timeline that the Wraith experimented on and bit off more than they could chew."
"Heh, good one," Rodney chuckled.
"Way I see it, whatever the Cards are isn't as important as the gun they power," Ronon said. "Something that can banish energy beings and punch holes in reality? Of course the Ancients would want that kind of thing hidden away, and even if they didn't. C'mon. We know Jade. Alternate timeline survivor or not, she'd probably bury that of her own volition anyways."
"Which just begs the question, what kind of 'Spirit' is so bad that she had to resort to that kind of extreme to get rid of it?" John asked.
As they descended down further, and further, blue glowing lines began making themselves known on the walls of the shaft.
"Must be either Bio-luminescent paint, or something triggered by the Elevator," Rodney guessed.
"They look like tree roots," Teyla said... and then they passed by a painted image of two trees within those roots- interconnected by their roots and connecting to everything else- but standing separate and on their own.
"Oh, that's never a good sign," John frowned. If there was one thing that any of them had learned from interacting with the D'ni survivors of their own timeline, as well as the D'ni of the Aincrad timeline, it was their religious fixation on the Great Tree of Possibilities.
The idea that the D'ni of Aincrad had come to accept, and eventually spread to the D'ni of Releeshan, went that the Multiverse was a forest of trees, each Tree containing a vast, spiraling, unknowable Multiverse, and that each individual tree as seen from above ground, was in fact, when seen from below ground, just one giant organism from how intertwined their root systems were.
Each branch on each tree was its own unique possibility, all woven together via the roots of each of their trees. And while those who could navigate from branch to branch within one tree were one thing- those who could then find a way to leap from one tree to another tree in and of itself were another thing entirely.
The Root of the Tree was unknowable, and those who sought it out sought to know that which mortals were not meant to know.
If this other Jade was emulating that imagery, without having come to really know that specific kind of Religious imagery as his Jade hadn't by the time they'd first come to Atlantis, it was a bad sign.
A very, very bad sign.
They continued downwards, and the imagery grew more frantic, more frenetic, more esoteric as they descended.
Images of Frogs containing universes, images of giant Dinosaurs circling each other in a Yin-Yang formation, images of a world shattered into about a hundred yellow diamonds via an ominous, z-shaped blue scratch separating them.
Further down, the blue glowing lines suddenly became an ominous bloody red, looking more like miles and miles of blood vessels rather than tree roots- and then as they descended, those lines transformed into green versions of the same, flaring wildly, ominously, angrily.
They passed by imagery of countless black holes- one of which had a familiar gate address for P3W-451 etched next to it.
Down, and down they went.
"Guys... this elevator really can't be going down this far into the Ground," Rodney suddenly said, holding up the scanner. "Our elevation isn't changing. We're not actually sinking."
"Then what the hell is going on?" John asked, readying his P-90. Similarly, Ronon prepared his own blaster, its familiar whine of powering on a friendly comfort in this impossible space.
The Elevator continued to descend...
And then they all passed by a startling image that the other Jade should have never have seen at all.
The roots became silver and white, and filled in practically everything, leaving them in a glowing void that made their eyes strain for a moment before adjusting.
Depicted before them now was a Supergate- and not just any Supergate, but the Supergate Damara Megido had designed and then used to punch a hole in space time so that she could collect every version of Lord English's soul that she could manage, and destroy them once and for all.
Framed inside of that supergate imagery? Damara herself, fighting against the Corpse Stealing Muse alongside Mordred Pendragon, clad in crimson armor, and
wielding Excaliber.
The Elevator breaks kicked on as they moved past that scene, and their descent slowed down as they came upon the final landing. A stone wall sat before them, and in it was a carved replica of a Stargate.
It was a damn near perfect replica of a Milky Way Stargate, sitting idle, framed by the familiar form of the SGC Ramp. Adding to the unease was that Ronon's dropped knife lay, impossibly there, at the foot of the ramp.
But worst of all?
This Stargate was ACTIVE. It had a shimmering energy wall spread where the event horizon would be, and on the other side of it was a stone carved bridge that went out into a brilliantly colored nebula. Yellows and oranges swirled around a starry expanse, and the bridge? The bridge lead towards some kind of stone temple upon which tree roots sat, spiraling upwards and upwards and upwards before fading out into the unknown.
"Oh hell," Rodney swore.
"Something tells me the other Jade Didn't build anything except for the Frog Temple, the elevator, and that fake Stargate," John grimaced.
Rodney's scanner wove over the stone-carved Stargate, and he frowned as the results came back. "I'm picking up about as much energy as a Quantum Mirror, so we're definitely looking at some kind of inter-dimensional gateway."
"No wonder Jade put up a force field," John frowned, gazing at the Stone Stargate. "The Wraith should never have gotten to this place."
"It may be that they never could," Teyla said. "This place seems... impossible enough as it is. There may be natural defenses keeping anyone with ill intent for the Multiverse out of the way."
"Sheppard," Ronon called out from behind the elevator. "I found something."
John headed over to where Ronon had called for him, and he found a carving in the wall, waiting there, with several familiar scripts, English, and Alternian, carved in what John recognized as Jade's handwriting.
"To anyone who finds this place, know that it is a gateway between worlds, and that it should not exist by anything of this world-line. I have created an elevator, and abandoned it in the middle. If you are clever or skilled enough to escape using it, then I suppose you should be aware of what's at stake. There are creatures in this galaxy known as the Wraith-" from there it was the standard warning. Blah Blah Blah, Life Sucking Bug-men who opposed the City of Atlantis, forcing it to be abandoned.
Then, there was something personal.
"If you've descended from above, I can only assume that you've found this place thanks to a clue I left in my lab, and if that's the case, I have to hope that you are from Atlantis itself. If you haven't beaten the Wraith, please, abandon this place and forget all about it. Unless, it should so happen that you came here intentionally, knowing the story of my fight against the Spirit King Archer. Know this, what you seek is NOT through the Portal. Do not traverse through it, or you will become lost."
And then it switched to Jade's Alternian font-stylized English, making it the same cipher she'd used in her computer lab on the Jurassic World, with the added difficulty in that it had been flipped all upside down and each word written backwards.
It didn't take too much time for John to translate it down into his KI, and then he laughed.
"What is it?" Ronon asked.
"The card's upstairs," John answered. "Let's get it and head back to Atlantis."
"What about studying this place?" Rodney asked.
"We won't be coming back," John said. "And honestly, I don't think we should meddle with it. We're already branching out with our own multiverse exploration as it is. Let's... leave whatever the hell this is to the people who made it and stick to our own lane."
"That's a sensible position to take," Teyla said. "And quite frankly, I'm getting unnerved the longer we stay here."
They ferried onto the Elevator, and rode it back up to the surface. The trip up went much faster than the trip down, dizzyingly so. They reached the top level, and John had his team step off before he pressed the middle button, and the elevator retracted down to its original position.
John took out a knife, and pried open the control console.
There, nestled inside the damned thing behind a tangled nest of wires, was a small, thin, Ancient Styled Control Crystal.
John pulled it out, turned it over, and gazed at the Stargate symbol from the "Sword Archer" card design Jade had used in her puzzle. And then, he noticed a piece of paper shoved behind it.
"Clever girl," John said, retrieving that note, and unfolding it.
"If you're reading this, you'd better be John Sheppard, Argo Lalonde, or well, me. Jade Jackson. If not one of them, put this back right now," Jade's familiar green hued ink-scrawl read. "Okay. So. If you are John or Argo or Me... here's the real story behind the Legend."
John folded the paper up and captchalogued it and the crystal, put the control console back together, and then breezed back up to his teammates so they could leave this dimensionally cursed place.
Jade stared at the note from her other self as John laid it out on the table before her and Argo.
"This is heavy," Jade said, gazing at it.
"Tell me about it," Argo frowned. "Did you read it, John?"
"Didn't have the time to read everything," John answered. "So... Together?"
Jade and Argo nodded.
They opened the note, and read its contents.
"I'd been traveling Pegasus Galaxy for some time when I came across this empty, abandoned world," Jade's voice spoke in narration as we watch the other Jade Jackson from a doomed timeline exit a Stargate. "Atleast, that's what it was supposed to have been, according to the Athosians."
She walked down a winding dirt path, and came upon a village of bustling people, built up in the style of a rural Japanese village.
"What I found was... something else. Something entirely different."
The other Jade approached a person and spoke to them, their conversation silent to us as Jade's narration carried through.
"They were travelers from another Dimension. They'd carved some elaborate tunnel to this world, having grown tired of exploring the cosmos as a giant nomadic group." Jade was brought to a temple like place that was grown out of a giant flower blossom "They had a technology of some kind, something I didn't understand, that allowed them to preserve the memories of the people who had died during their travels. It's like Captchaloging, in the most rudimentary analog that I can think of."
Jade stepped inside, and saw countless globes lining the walls of the plant-temple, as well as an inner special chamber within which a pulsing blue flower resided.
"It looked organic at first glance, but on closer inspection, it was some kind of bio-tech. I could see circuit lines on the plant," Jade said, even as her fingers reached out to touch the plant- it's petals pulsing in a way that mimicked circuit lines.
The Other Jade Frowned.
"But these people were naive. They had no idea that the Wraith existed. So I spoke to their leaders."
The Other Jade stood before a gathering of kimono clad elders.
"They didn't listen, saying that their guardian spirits would protect them."
And thus, the Other Jade was introduced, one after another, to the Heroic Spirit Guardians, each of whom wore a Control Crystal like device in a container around their neck.
"I foolishly left, letting them be for a long time, and when I returned next, the Wraith had come and gone, and they'd seen what I'd seen, and done something horrible."
The other Jade now stood before the village, smoldering in its ruins.
"They tried to kill everyone because they feared this Technology was greater than theirs. The only survivors were those who'd fled into the "Swirl of the Root" to escape, and that included the Guardian Spirits."
The other Jade argued with the various spirits over the events that had transpired.
"Most of them thought it was a wise idea to move on to the next world, and abandon this place."
The Other Jade locked eyes with a man and woman each with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"The Tyrant Archer and The Tyrant Ruler refused that line of thought, demanding they fight back against the Wraith to reclaim the lost souls of everyone they'd lost- because the Wraith had not just killed the people they could, they'd STOLEN the memories of the people who had died in the generations before them. Ruler said, 'without those memories, we as a people are lost.' And so... they went on ahead to fight the Wraith on their own. And they didn't come back."
The other Jade and the seven remaining Heroic Spirits watched as those two vanished into the wind.
"We knew this act would bring the Wraith back down on the site, so we had to prepare. The remaining guardians and I worked together tirelessly to build a device out of the remnants of their technology, preparing for the Wraith's return... but we weren't prepared for the insanity that we saw when they did return."
The Hiveship hovered over the village, and disembarking from it were the Wraith, each with their own little cards worn around their necks.
"The Archer and the Ruler had uploaded the memories of every person they'd lost into cards, and possessed the Wraith from that hiveship. I don't know how they did it, but whatever it was, it was a blasphemy to the people I'd met. It went against every cultural taboo they had."
Arguments broke out, and the possessed Wraith wound up accidentally tapping into the Feeding mechanisms built into the Wraith Genetics- swallowing up the lifeforce of their own people.
"It was bloody, it was a disaster... and we had to work quickly to reconfigure the weapon ever so slightly." The Other Jade finished installing the last of the seven card slots, and from there, the Heroic Spirits handed over their data cards.
"I'll never forget their screams."
The other Jade fired off the weapon, unleashing a massive sonic wave through the horde of Posseessed Wraith and the unfortunate people caught in the backlash.
"They all died, except for The Archer and the Ruler. So I fired it again. The Ruler's card broke, and her data was gone. Her soul was gone. The Archer... He did the unthinkable. He fled into the tunnels- the Swirl of the Root. And I followed. I followed him down into that endless tunnel, and then..."
The other Jade watched that very event transpire.
"...I fired the weapon at the device that he was trying to activate- trying to escape into the void and the potential swirl of other dimensions to who knows where. It punched a fucking HOLE in reality, and that bastard's card shattered. I thought it'd killed him, but it didn't."
The other Jade watched as the spirit of that Card arose from its shattered remnants, and then laughed.
"He THANKED me for freeing him from his prison. And then... the Fake Archer, that Tyrannical Archer, flung himself through the rift. After that, I disassembled the weapon, and followed the other Spirit's advice in building a new entrance way to prevent the hole I'd made in space from getting bigger. And then... I Scattered everything to the winds of Pegasus, and tried to forget about it all."
The other Jade looked at the Frog Temple she'd created, and then stepped through the force shield without incident- after all, it was only a one way force shield to begin with.
"But John, Argo, Me? If you're having to reassemble that bullshit cannon. I can only assume that you're after it for one reason and one reason alone."
The other Jade covered her ears as she heard that vile Archer's laughter echoing through her ears.
"That Archer, or some alternate timeline version of him, has returned to Pegasus, and you need a means of destroying him once and for all... His name was Gilgamesh, and in those final words, he called himself the Spirit who would be King of all of Reality."
The other Jade started dialing the Pegasus Stargate as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"And if that's the same bastard you're stuck dealing with now..." She looked at the Stargate, and declared, "Punch him in his smug-ass nose for me, and tell him the First Guardian says Hello, would ya?"
"Sincerely,"
"Jade Jackson, First Guardian of Athos."
Word came in a short while later that a Jamenju had been fought and destroyed on Old Athos... by the Villain presumed to be the mastermind behind the Earth C attacks in specific.
Garuza stood before Gilgamesh, who sat high upon a throne of gold, gazing down at Garuza.
"Was it really necessary to destroy the Jamenju?" Gilgamesh finally asked.
"It was a mistake if but in one regard," Garuza said.
"And what was that?" Gilgamesh asked.
Garuza answered, "I let my emotions control me, and thus, I have figured out the theme of the next Jamenshi to launch against Earth C."
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2012.
"So the other missions didn't really have much in the way of success," Rodney summarized as he and his wife, Jennifer Keller, stood in the Atlantis lunch line. "Other Jade left a bunch more puzzle boxes at the different gate addresses, and Aradia's pretty sure that they're all tied to Athosian Myths, probably ones tied to the other Jade's adventures, but figuring out which one's which is going to take a while."
"Real shame that," Keller frowned. "I was kinda hopin' everything'd be all settled out sooner than later."
"Yeah, can't say I've missed the pressure of constant threat of near death because of an invincible enemy we gotta squish flat," Rodney shook his head.
"Still, atleast we know we're on the right path if both of the major enemies we're facing share the same name, right?" Keller offered.
Rodney snorted. "Yeah, but then there's this Garuza guy now. Shit's going crazy, these days."
"The Ranger project's keeping most civilians from getting hurt, which is a good thing," Keller said, "the bad thing is I have to worry about our daughter getting involved in the fighting."
Rodney winces at the reminder. "Yeah. I've been trying not to think about that."
"It's not right that they've got to take on this kind of burden," Keller said, frowning. "We ought to be doing more!"
"The way I see it," Rodney started, trying to appease her. "We're doing everything we can just by supporting them with, well, support, and with running this hunt to start tracking down whatever it is we need to do to kill this Giglamesh bastard once and for all. This kind of story arc shouldn't even be until the second half of the season, if you ask me!"
Keller giggled. "Our life isn't a TV show, Rodney."
"No? But I could've sworn Power Rangers DID used to be a TV show!" Rodney smirked.
"Aaah, good point. Good point." Keller relented. "I guess our life IS a TV show now. How about that?"
Ryuuji, Hiromu, and Youko, of Project Ranger's "Go-Busters" team, stood guard outside the dig site as work was done to pry up the mass of Kiramei Stones a layer beneath where the last Kiramei stone had been unearth from.
The trio stood professionally, though they didn't really have much to do beyond hope no attacks came while they were on duty. Though, Youko, the fae girl in yellow, was munching on some candy as they stood guard, breaking the otherwise stock-still poses the other two- Ryuuji, an Indigo Blooded Alternian, plus Hiromu, the Jaffa boy- were maintaining.
The Kiramagers and Go-Busters had been alternating shifts since the last attack in spans of six hours, due to some similarity in how they dealt with their enemies.
Interestingly, not too long after Garuza's forces had made their formula of summoning giants separately from their standard monster of the day, the mechanical forces that the Go-Busters had faced off against on several minor worlds already had begun following the same trend of summoning a giant a variable length of time after the initial monster had appeared.
But there was nothing important for this cut away, save to serve as a cut away towards the crimson suited Dark-Ranger-esque figure named Enter, who observed them quietly from afar.
"Oh oh oh, how interesting... I know Garuza's ticked off he couldn't get that Kiramei stone, but since they're still digging that means there's more. And the Go-Busters are guarding? Well, if I hadn't just tragically burnt through my weekly allotment from My Majesty, Gilgamesh, i'd definitely attack them now... But..." The man's head tilted to the side. "I think it'd be far more interesting if I didn't even if I could."
He teleported away, arriving a galaxy away, on Earth C, and it was not because he was scared by those familiar faces. Not at all.
With a tap of the device on his wrist, there was a flash of holographic energy, and a plain, ordinary human male stood there, wearing a pair of white rimmed goggles over his eyes.
He began walking around, and observed the city's various attack sites.
After a while, Enter observed: "Garuza's done a strange job. All the targets he could hit to wreak the most damn-damn-damning damageable damage just haven't been. Why have the things he's hit been hit? It's almost like he's targeting specific areas that would cause damage to only certain civilian groups."
Enter paused as he spotted a ruined billboard for Jane Crocker's "Crocker Corp" that had first been torn off of its stand by a fight, and later vandalized with spraypaints. Enter then laughed, as he figured it out. "Allo allo allo! Did I just hear a phone ring?" He grinned.
He teleported once more, returning to his suit, and arriving in some underground bunker of a private office, where a certain woman was working away on some paperwork.
"Ca Va, Miss Crocker!" He announced, and Jane Crocker jumped in her seat, twisting around in shock. 'Ah, that might have been too much,' and he dialed it back, slipping more into that gruff and simple minded bodyguard role once more.
"Who the devil are you!?" She asked, neigh, demanded.
"My name is Enter," Enter announced, gruffing up his voice, "And I am an associate of Garuza's."
"Oh, I see," Jane Crocker relaxed to some degree. "What is it you want? Garuza's next attack isn't scheduled for a while."
'Ah ah ah! Now there's a juicy bit of information,' Enter smiled. "Oh, it's nothing quite so frivolous. I merely am double checking the coordinates of the next attack. You see, a simple minded Bechat managed to reset a computer without saving files and it caused some minor corruption. I'm just ensuring that the critical mission data didn't get tampered with."
"Oh, of course," Jane nodded. "Those Bechats sure are simple minded. Why Garuza uses them for, I don't know." She handed Enter a flash drive produced from thin air. "Here. Don't lose it again."
"Of course I won't," Enter smiled. "I'll make sure to keep this very safe and secure. Until next time, Miss Crocker."
And with that, he teleported away, back to his first entry point upon this world, suit dismissed again.
Enter looked at the flash drive, marked with the red and white logo of Crocker Corp, and he laughed. "Oh my my my! Garuza! You're taking your cues from the tyrant woman? I thought you were supposed to be destroying Earth C, not following the lead of the woman who wants to subjugate everyone like slaves!"
He drew out a small laptop, that he plugged the flash drive into, and then he read the data onboard for several moments, and laughed again.
"Garuza, Garuza, Garuza! You dared to step foot into our Majesty's realm, and upon his orders to recruit traitors to destroy a planet, you align yourself with a woman who seeks to conquer it instead by having her own security forces attack her own people!!" he closed the laptop and retrieved the flash drive, pocketing them both. "I think I'll... keep this information to myself until the time is right. It's not quite the smoking gun I need, just yet, to prove your disloyalty to my Majeste, Lord Gilgamesh!"
And then he teleported away again, and when he appeared again in the dark subterranean structures of the transformed and flooded Stargate Command, he was clad once more in his Dark Buster suit.
He strolled through the dark waters, splashing his way to the old SGC Gate Room, where Garuza sat, carving away at a mask.
"Well now, isn't that an interesting mask," Enter began.
Garuza tensed, his carving knife gliding to a halt, and turned to look at Enter- his masked face gleaming ominously in the low level lighting. "Enter. What do you want?"
"What, can't a guy come and visit a co-worker?" Enter asked, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. "Please, Garuza, I'm concerned for you!"
"You? Concerned?" Garuza scoffed, and went back to his carving. "Please, Enter. You pointed a burning sword at me the moment we met, and we've barely spoken in all the times since. Like all of Lord Gilgamesh's Generals, we have our own methods of operation, though some are more similar than others."
Garuza's tone had turned casually accusational mid sentence, and Enter found himself impressed by it.
"Ah, noticed that I was borrowing your throw two monsters at them at the same time plan, huh?" Enter asked. 'My my my, he's a smart one.'
"Of course I noticed when you stole my technique," Garuza said. "I assume you were spying on our meeting that one time."
"Of course, who wouldn't?" Enter asked. "You're the new boy on the block, Garuza, but you're also the Master's favorite right now for some inexpicable reason. You fail the same as the rest of us. You even destroyed one of your own monsters for getting in the way!"
"The Jamenju got in my way," Garuza said. "And the Kiramagers are powerless to stop me. I have my plans in motion."
"I see," Enter said. "You know, that whole 'sentient monster' thing really annoys me, anyways. That's why I switched to having my Giant Monsters being Puppets. I just remote control them from afar. Can't get in my way when I'm the one controlling the flow of battle."
"How does it feel, then, to be bested by mere teenagers?" Garuza asked, his carving knife shucking off a large chunk of uncarved mask.
Enter laughed. "Oh, Garuza, Garuza, Garuza! Who says I'm being bested?" He smiled. 'I'm Very Much enjoying this game of chess I'm playing with these new Go-Busters.' "I think you feel the same way deep down, don't you?"
Garuza took a moment to process, then chuckled, a soft chime ringing through the air. "You see this as a war of Attrition, then?"
"Don't you?" Enter asked.
"No," Garuza answered. "I see it as a means to an end."
And in spite of how Enter prodded, Garuza said nothing more after that point.
Garuza made one mistake, however, and that was not putting away his work with Enter around.
Enter walked away from the discussion with a detailed 3D scan of the mask in progress, saved and stored in his helmet's built-in computer.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2012.
Enter's human guise teleported into an isolated area of a power transfer station, and hummed to himself as he took out a 3d print of a mask that looked like a game controller, as well as his laptop, and several cables.
"Bon bon bonjour," he whistled to himself, as he plugged in a cable into the power station, then to his laptop, and then from his laptop, to some sticky looking circuit pad that went to the printed mask. "Time to spice things up a little for you, Garuza."
He took out a small card case, and flicked open the base. "Metavirus." He selected a card, "Player Two." And then he slid it through a slot on the laptop. "Install."
The surge of dark magic posing as a computer virus transferred from the card, through the computer, and into the mask as electrical power was drawn from the station directly.
The mask flashed with light, lifted into the air, and the computer intoned: _"Con~Trol~Ler~Droi~D. Con~Trol~Ler~Droi~D."_ There was a flash of light, and then standing before Enter then was a robot who had taken on the appearances of Garuza's standard Jamenshi, as well as borrowing the mask design of the monster who was to appear next in Garuza's attack plan.
"Controllerdroid!" The fake Jamenshi cried out, "Ready to rumble! Plug me in, boss, and tell me what the game is!"
"Be silent, be stealthy, be unseen," Enter advised. "Tag every single one of Crocker's Security Guards that you see with your controller tags, and wait for Garuza to make his move, and for them to begin attacking... The Kiramagers will defeat Player One before it can gather any darkness energy..." He smirked. "But that won't matter, because you, my friend." He poked the robot in the chest. "Will be waiting for that exact moment to spring. Our. Trap. And Then turn the Security Guard's attack upon themselves, gathering the energy instead from them."
"Understood!" The fake Jamenshi nodded, and stormed off into the distance.
"My my my, won't Garuza and the Kiramagers be confused when there's a Second Jamenshi to fight?" Enter chuckled before teleporting away.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2012.
Shovellow went about righting the Kiramei Stones that had been unearthed as everyone watched.
There were three of them, sized about the size of the main four and not to Fiya's full size, one orange, one teal, and one a light lavender color.
They sparkled, shined, and... were utterly silent.
Mabushiina gave them all an appraising look, and sighed. "They're so young. I'd say they're only about one tenth of the mental development growth of the others. Awakening them is bound to be a bad idea."
"Even so, we should get it done," Dr. Gina Kae said, turning to face the Kiramagers, who were pouring over Zord designs she'd provided them. "Have you come to a decision yet?"
"Yep!" The five kids and four gemstone zords called out in agreement.
"We've decided..." Tomo started, and Harley held up a design. "The Orange Kiramei Stone will be a Steam Roller!"
"The purple one..." Nepeta said as Atsuya held up another design.
"Will be the Carrying Truck!" Atsuya said.
"Finally," Equius held up a design on his own, "The teal stone will be a Forklift."
Sparkles of crimson light- Kiramental- brust forth from the five Kiramagers, and shot over towards the new Kiramei Stones in question, and began the process of transforming them into their new Mashin forms.
"MACHIIIIIIN!" Three new voices cried out as one.
"Beautiful! Beautiful!!" Shovellow cried out, watching with glee.
"MASHIN ROLLAND!" She knocked a boulder to the orange one, the Steamroller who drove over the rock with glee.
"ROCK AND ROLLLLLL!!" The new Mashin cried out with glee in his voice.
"MASHIN CARRY!" Shovellow climbed briefly onto the back of the lavender stone.
"Big Sis!" She cried out in glee.
"MASHIN LIFTON!" Shovellow flipped over, transformed to gem form, and landed on the final one's lift fork.
"Lifting Lots!!" the young one cried out.
"Woah!" The Kiramagers gazed upwards at the bunch of new Mashins- Shovellow happily bouncing around behind them.
"Everyone! Behold my Construction Crew! THE SHOVELLOW SQUAD!" Shovellow gleamed brightly. "MASHIIIN!" She cried out.
"MACHIIIIIN!" the new stones agreed- rearing into the air, excitedly.
"Well," Gina started, looking to Mabushiina. "It could have been worse, I suppose."
Mabushiina nodded.
Notes:
SO. A lot to go over this chapter. Primarily, the start of this chapter is establishing the current dynamic between AR-1's team members. They've been at this for over 10 years now, they're really comfortable as a team and have their own adventure strategies figured out over time. Things such as "The Pratfall Test" :P
The main bulk, then, is finally getting the full story of what happened in the past from Jade's perspective (And it's a lot worse than the myth implied), as well as re-introducing us to the whole 'other dimensions exploring other dimensions' side-plot, which first showed up WAAAAAY back in the earlier acts with that certain planet with the Quantum Mirror. Anyone remember that? Yeah. Time to pick up THAT loose plot thread...
Speaking of threads... Man, Garuza's left a few untidy loose ends hanging around with Jane Crocker. Enter's plot here is part of my curtailing the longer thread I'd had planned around her and Garuza's alliance.
Enter is, of course, his own free agent playing all angles as best as he can. There's a reason for that, but needless to say, if you've seen Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, you KNOW that Enter acting to his own whims is a dangerous thing indeed.
---
The other major plot point of this episode is to march along the awakening of the Weapon Mashin Triplets, Rolland, Lifton, and Carry. The next episode is shuffled around a LOT in terms of adapted scenes, so I decided to play it a little fast and loose and ALSO adapt the opening scene of the next Kiramager episode into the ending of this episode.
The Weapon Trio are adorable and I've had a lot of fun writing for them so far. Lifton and Rolland are basically just random nonsense generators and I can have 'em say random shit and it's still totally in character. Carry-chan's a bit more mature than her brothers, though, so she gets a little more spotlight in terms of character development.
Next Kiramager chapter is indeed their proper introduction going forwards, though.
BUT. Until then...
I'll see you with the next chapter, HS: Confessional One, probably on Sunday. Maybe early Monday. We'll see if I lose track of days again >>;;;
Chapter 15: HS: Confessional One
Summary:
In which some butterflies lead to different circumstances.
Notes:
CW:
Homestuck Candy Timeline.
Heavy Implications of a Post-Breakup-with-John Roxy hooking up with Jade.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"WAAAH! Green Dog!" the Pink Cat lamented, lounging across the dog's lap as they both sat on a bus bench with a pout on her face. "I'm so upset! Console me!"
"Eh? What about?" The Green Dog asked, tilting her head.
"Your dumb brother took one look at that stupid show that Orange Hat showed us and now he can't see me as anything but an alternate universe version of his mother so he broke up with me!" The Pink Cat wailed in a dramatic, and only 10% genuinely distressed sort of way. "Oh Woe Is Meeee!"
"Sooo... what you're saying is my brother didn't know a good thing when he had it and decided to change how he saw the world because of a TV show?" The Green Dog asked.
"Mmh!" The Pink Cat nodded. "I had all these plans! We'd get married! Have two point five kids! Get a house with the white picket fence! You know! The Dream!"
The Green Dog mused on that for a moment, then said, "Well, since my Brother's a dumb bunny who doesn't know a score when he sees it, why don't I show you a good time instead and together we can both show him how dumb he was being?"
"Really?" The Pink Cat perked up, sitting up sharply and then bringing her face in close to the Green Dog's face, "Really!? Really??"
The Green Dog nodded.
"PAWSOME!!!" The Pink Cat cheered.
And then, much to both of their confusion, there was a sudden explosion of sparks down the street, accompanied by a loud HONK! Power flickered all around the street around them.
Both the Green Dog and the Pink Cat went to investigate, and found the Purple Clown and Orange Hat guy lying on the ground, nursing headaches from a mutual zapping.
Neither of the two said anything for several long moments, staring on in confusion as they tried to piece together what the heck just happened.
Notes:
>Reader: Examine VAGUE NOTES:
You examine the VAGUE NOTES left at the end of this chapter, written in a messy handwritten scrawl on a page torn out of a notebook.
---Harry and Sally are twins, born through Ectobiology because this version of the Candy timeline's Roxy was enamored with the whole Ectobiology creation of John and Argo by Jayni/Nirrti in the Stargate Alternia TV show.
Jade's own post-prototyping biological status holds no actual impact on the timeline regardless of which side you fall on the matter, because this Roxy probably would have STILL gone the Ectobiology route even if she'd stayed hooked up with John in this timeline- just that Harry and Sally would have wound up dog-ear-less in that scenario.
Seriously, the whole Ectobiology route that Jayni and Nirrti took was just that much of a game changer for this version of Roxy.
What about Callie? What about Callie indeed... that is one of the last Mysteries I'm still puzzling over how Candy Callie's taking to all these temporal butterflies flapping about. Callie's feelings are not quite as dry-cut of a reaction a Dirk had to them, that's for sure.
Also, this scene takes place roughly around the same time that Dirk and Gamzee fight each other, in case that wasn't obvious.
Next Chapter:
MSK: 01X05: Roll and Lift on, Carrie! Introducing the Shovellow Squad! (Babysitting Duty?!)
Until then!
Chapter 16: MSK: 01X05: Roll and Lift on, Carrie! Introducing the Shovellow Squad! (Babysitting Duty?!)
Summary:
Three New Mashin enter the world-line...
The Kiramager's sleep schedules will never be the same again.
Notes:
CW: Minor Pic Embedding, Moderate Pic Linking.
Mild, Innocent Childish Torment towards Elders.
Mild implied Sleep Deprivation.
Depiction of Bodily Puppeteering for violent ends.
Implications of State Violence on Innocent Civilians.
A subtly creepy Jamenju, if I'm being honest.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2012.
Shovellow went about righting the Kiramei Stones that had been unearthed as everyone watched.
There were three of them, sized about the size of the main four and not to Fiya's full size, one orange, one teal, and one a light lavender color.
"We've decided..." Tomo started, and Harley held up a design. "The Orange Kiramei Stone will be a Steam Roller!"
"The lavender one..." Nepeta said as Atsuya held up another design.
"Will be the Carrying Truck!" Atsuya said.
"Finally," Equius held up a design on his own, "The teal stone will be a Forklift."
Sparkles of crimson light- Kiramental- brust forth from the five Kiramagers, and shot over towards the new Kiramei Stones in question, and began the process of transforming them into their new Mashin forms.
"MACHIIIIIIN!" Three new voices cried out as one.
"Beautiful! Beautiful!!" Shovellow cried out, watching with glee.
"MASHIN ROLLAND!" She knocked a boulder to the orange one, the steam roller who drove over the rock with glee.
"ROLLLLLL!!" The new Mashin cried out with glee in his voice.
"MASHIN CARRY!" Shovellow climbed briefly onto the back of the lavender stone.
"Big Sis!" She cried out in glee.
"MASHIN LIFTON!" Shovellow flipped over, transformed to gem form, and landed on the final one's lift fork.
"Lifting Lots!!" the young one cried out.
"Woah!" The Kiramagers gazed upwards at the bunch of new Mashins- Shovellow happily bouncing around behind them.
"Everyone! Behold my Construction Crew! THE SHOVELLOW SQUAD!" Shovellow gleamed brightly. "MASHIIIN!" She cried out.
"MACHIIIIIN!" the new stones agreed- rearing into the air, excitedly.
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
Less than half an hour later, after teaching the Kiramei Stones to shrink in size, and back on Atlantis, in Dr. Kae's Ranger Classroom...
The disadvantage of activating these three Kiramei Stones early had rapidly become apparent.
"Stab! Stabby! Stab! Wanna stab!!" Went little Lifton, raising and lowering his forklift portion up and down and trying to ram at an apple.
Equius was more than a little disconcerted.
"Rolllllll...." Little Rolland snoozed- in gemstone form, laying on his side.
"Aww," Harley cooed. "He's sleeping!"
Tomo giggled, "So cute!"
"Momma! Pappa!!" And finally, Little Carry was dancing around in her gemstone form, bouncing between and circling about a very embarrassed looking Nepeta and Atsuya.
"So. They're children, basically," Gina summarized.
"Ah, in so many words, that seems to be the situation, yes," Shovellow allowed.
Gina eyed the yellow Gemstone, "Then since you claimed them as your 'Shovellow Squad,' you get to keep first night's watch over them."
"Eeeh!? Seriously!?' Shovellow cheered. "Tomo! Did you hear that!? We get to watch the little ones tonight!"
Tomo raised a hand and gave a thumbs up.
"FLIIIIP!" Lifton yelled out, flinging his lifting fork up into the air, and causing Davis to nearly fall flat on his ass if he hadn't time traveled to catch himself.
"ROROROROROROROROROROLL!!!" Rolland was awake, and energetic, and utterly running ram shot over one of Karkat's discarded sweaters that had a healthy collection of lint and hair stuck to it. Karkat gazed at it with a disbelieving look on his face.
"Carrryyyy!" Tomo whined, chasing after the gemstone zord, who had their morpher lying on her back and was running around the apartment with way too much energy. "Give it Baaack!"
Shovellow just stared on, hovering over the entire apartment, and whispered a tiny, "Uhoh."
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2012.
The three slumbering Kiramei Stones were deposited onto the team's table by a very tired and exhausted Tomo Strider.
"They didn't fall asleep until after Two," Tomo said before anyone could ask. "I am tired, I am grumpy, and please just let me nap through class if Doc Kae asks?"
The team all nodded, and Tomo proceeded to sit down, fold their arms into a pracing position, lower down onto the table, and then rested their head against their arms.
Within moments, it seemed like Tomo was sound asleep- as much asleep as the Kiramei Stones were.
Harley looked at Shovellow, who sheepishly hovered out of sight behind one of Tomo's wings. Quietly, she hissed, "Well, what happened?"
"Ehehe.... Infantile chaos??" Shovellow offered. "We were pretty, uh... overwhelmed dealing with all three at once."
"We'll all take them and switch nights where we can," Nepeta decided then. "That way we shouldn't have one of us constantly getting exhausted."
The class carried on for a while, and idlely, between taking notes, Atsuya doodled various little images of the Mashins' zord forms.
Nobody bothered Tomo over sleeping in class, thankfully.
But then, well, Rolland woke up, tiredly glanced around, and spotted June over at her table with a jacket covered in a very fine layer of dirt and dust from a previous day's training, and, well.
"ROOOOOOOOOOLLL!!!" The Mashin transformed into a handheld sized lint roller form and flew over towards June to clean all of that dirt up before the Kiramagers could react.
Chaos followed as when the Kiramagers managed to get Rolland away from June, the orange Kiramei Stone went off and started rolling over other people's jackets or pants to get at obvious pieces of dirt.
Needless to say, once all the noise woke Tomo up, it also woke up Carry and Lifton, and Dr. Gina Kae could only sigh in disbelief as the class schedule for the day was thoroughly disrupted.
A female figure in a light blue cloak walked through the streets of Diaspora's city market, a black cat close by her heels.
A certain man with white rimmed glasses observed her, and then began making his way through the crowd, and preparing his perfected reverse pick pocketing technique.
A moment later-- he bumped shoulders with the woman in the blue cloak- and he gasped with a, "Excu ze moi! Pardon my lack of foresight! I'm terribly preoccupied!"
"It's alright," Jane Egbert smiled back. "No harm done, right?"
"Of course!" Enter said, giving a smile, before turning to leave. "Sorry for the inconvenience!"
And then, he started counting down, 'Ten... nine... eight...'
He slipped out of sight, ducking into an alleyway, even as the Cat mroweld something fierce.
'Seven... six... five... four...'
"Oh, fine, I'll check my danged pockets, you silly cat."
"Three," Enter grinned, "Two... One..."
"Hey, what the- This isn't-? ...Mine? What the..." Jane Egbert went silent as she saw the note he'd attached to the thumb drive he'd slipped into her pocket when she wasn't looking. "Oh what the hell?"
Enter teleported away before she could come looking for him.
Onboard the BC-304 Beltus, Okurii Leijon looked up as a knock came to her office door- "Yes?"
In entered Zebede Tongva, Gate Technician and frequent message relayer, "We just got word from A Tok'ra who was in the Diaspora Market when someone bumped into her and dropped a thumb drive into her possession."
"...Weird," Okurii frowned. "What's on the thumb drive?"
"The location of Jane Crocker on Earth C, as well information citing that she plans on using the next Monster attack to her advantage," Zebede answered.
Okurii stood from her chair. "Show me. Now. And send a messenger down to Earth C to get in touch with their Karkat Vantas immediately."
That night...
Nepeta cried out a tired "Please! Carry! Give me back my Morpher!"
Equius yelped out in shock as Lifton tried flipping him over while he carried a plate full of fresh pasta.
"Not faiiir..." Harley whined as she tried her best to pry Rolland free from Lizzy's rather tangled looking hair.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2012.
Tomo yawned as they walked into the classroom again the next day, looking significantly less tired than the day before.
The other Kiramagers were another story entirely, and their partners seemed just as exhausted as Tomo and Shovellow had been the day before.
Equius was snoring face down into the table, Nepeta... was clearly actually Heliko pretending to be Nepeta from the fact that Heliko's gemstone form was nowhere to be seen and from how she was staring at Carry's slumbering form nervously, and poor Harley was sort of just staring ahead like she'd seen the end of the world.
"...Do I want to know what happened?" Tomo asked.
Simultaneously, Atsuya scratched at his left cheek with a "You see..." and Fiya coughed with a "Well, that's an awkward story."
That's when their team's Morphers, and their team's morphers alone sounded off with the incoming message alert.
They, as a team, were being summoned to the Beltus for an unknown and 'secret' mission.
Tomo frowned. "Well, that's great timing."
Indeed, 'Nepeta' whined with Heliko's voice, "I gotta go get Nepeta-chan then, don't I?"
"She shouldn't've skipped class to sleep in anyways," Fiya remarked. "Also, quit making a habit of hogging the sub-in for stuff like this! Some of us wanna use it too!"
Heliko ignored her fellow Mashin as she got up from the table.
The Kiramagers arrived at their lounge room on the Beltus, and casually dropped off the three new Mashin's stones in a small cloth 'crib' that was labeled 'Kiramei Daycare' that someone had thoughtfully left for them- and that someone was likely Okurii Leijon, who stood there waiting for them.
"Kiramagers," Okurii began, "we've received word of a Monster Attack before the usual Seer Predictions. We'll be taking advantage of this burst of information to get you into place before the monster can badly affect the City of Cannington."
"Cannington? Guess they got bored of Cansburg," Equius mused.
Okurii ignored that, and continued, "We also have received word of where Jane Crocker is currently hiding, as well as some shady activity she's planning on doing in conjunction with the Monster Attack. At the same time the fight is happening, we're to be running distraction for the Locals as they move in to capture her and bring her in for the multitude of war crimes she's committed in recent days, as well as what she plans to do in the next few hours. Any questions?"
"I've got a Question," Atsuya raised his hand.
"Yes?" Okurii asked.
"Why are you telling us this?" Atsuya asked. "I thought we weren't supposed to be allowed to be involved with local affairs?"
"Normally, we wouldn't," Okurii said, "However... Among the information we received was a data file stolen off of some security cameras showing Garuza and Jane Crocker making a deal to attack Earth C at Miss Crocker's Discretion, essentially restarting her campaign of warfare against her own people. The dates from the files prove that she's been in league with Garuza for the last several attacks. As annoying of a political nightmare as this is, we've no choice to co-operate to end this now with a coordinated strike."
She looked the team over, clearly not finished.
"However, these facts do not change the different mission statements our different groups have," Okurii said. "Garuza and Gilgamesh's armies are our problem due to their intergalactic scope, Crocker is Earth C's problem to deal with as they see fit. We've got an agent in the capture team who will question Crocker about anything Garuza may have said, but other than that, we're not allowed to be involved with the local affairs by their request, as well as our own previously set precedent of non involvement."
Nepeta spoke next, "So... if this works out then we won't need to have the Deadalus and Beltus in orbit all the time as a passive threat?"
"Once Crocker's dealt with, hopefully we'll be able to stand down the Deadalus," Okurii answered her daughter. "The Beltus will be remaining in orbit until the Garuza situation is dealt with, however. Still, anything that eases tensions between our galaxy and Earth C will be a plus for peace and de-escalation."
Gamepadding Jamen emerged through a portal in a warehouse district. "Alright! Time to start getting some fun times going!"
Up on a rooftop, the robotic duplicate of Gamepadding- the Controllerdroid- observed a squad of security forces gathering in an alleyway, preparing for something nasty.
"Oh! There's a few I missed tagging!" The monster lined up his sight on them- "MULTI TARGET LOCK!"
Gamepadding emerged out from behind a truck, eyeing his target- "I have you now, Target Lock!"
He locked onto a man driving a small carrying device- and locked onto him as a controller.
"Time to go Flying!" He started moving around his controll-stick on his face, causing the poor man's body to start going out of control. "Hehehehehaahah! Left! Right! Left Right! B! A! START!!"
"NOT A CHANCE!" Harley zapped in- already morphed, running up to the truck and pushing against it.
Sparks flew from her feet as she tried to stop it.
"I can't stop!" The driver yelled. "My body's moving on its own!"
"HAHAH! Now's the chance!" The Jamenshi tried to lock onto Harley--
And then he got blasted in the back thanks to an expert shot from Tomo.
The truck stopped then as the driver got control, and Harley had him run.
The Kiramagers regrouped together in front of the stopped truck.
"A joystick Jamenshi?" Nepeta asked, gazing at the monster.
"Argh! Yeah!" The Jamenshi posed. "I can control anything!" He locked onto Equius... And then moved his control stick, forcing Equius to suddenly draw his sword.
"What?!" He yelped- and then was forcibly sent to attack his teammates.
"Equius- are you nuts?!" Nepeta cried out, ducking an attack.
"Dodge! Please!" Equius begged.
"Hahaha!" The Jamenshi laughed, "Die Fools!!"
"I can't Stop!" Equius yelped.
Jane Crocker smiled as she watched the Kiramager's battle unfold. "Good. They're distracted." She took to her radio, "Commander? You're clear to engage the Rebels."
A moment passed, she waited for the 'acknowledged'...
But none came.
"Commander?" She radioed again. "This is Your CEO Jane Crocker speaking! Please respond!"
Finally, someone did- "We're under attack!"
"What!?" Jane Crocker asked, unsure of what that meant. "How!? Who!?"
"I Don't know! Everyone just turned on each other! It's like they're being puppeted!"
Jane snarled- "WHAT?!"
Meanwhile, in the lair of Garuza and Kurantula, the staff's meter gauge was rising rapidly.
"But how!?" Kurantula asked. "Gamepadding's fighting the Kiramagers!? Where's all this darkness coming from!?"
"Miss Crocker's plan must be working," Garuza chuckled. "The pain of the Civilians is no doubt causing this darkness to rise."
"But how!?" Kurantula asked. "The Monster isn't anywhere near that place yet!"
Garuza paused to consider that. "That's... a good question."
The Kiramagers fled backwards from the out-of-control Equius, begging and pleading him to stop.
It didn't work too well- Equius' sword got caught in some nearby stack of pipes, and sent them tumbling down- one of which bonked Harley on the head.
"Thank you helmet," Harley said, barely dazed from the impact- then Equius yelled 'Dodge' and she had to duck under a sword strike.
Tomo pulled back from the fighting, and eyed the Jamenshi who was narrating his movements with the control stick.
"I think I'm 'eurekaing' too," Tomo chuckled, readying their blaster and firing off several shots against the Jamenshi....
"Idiot!" Gamepadding laughed as the blasts simply absorbed into his body. "My clothing and this joystick is made of a super special alloy we stole from some ruined Megazord armor! You can't destroy me when I'm absorbing every shot!"
Tomo glanced back at the fight- Atsuya had Equius restrained for the moment, but he was clearly losing ground.
"Sorry, everyone," Equius apologized.
"It's alright," Tomo said with a nod. "If it's that absorbative armor, then I've got a plan!" they readied a stack of disks, and loaded them into the Kiramei Shot and primed it. "Nepeta! Hold Equius back!" _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_ "Then Harley Charges the Jamen!"
"Hai!"/"Got it!" Nepeta and Harley said at the same time.
"Then I'll lock the stick down from above!" Tomo said. "Atsuya! Support my jump!"
"Okay!" Atsuya nodded, and broke off from the tussle with Equius to run forwards with Tomo and Harley as Nepeta held Equius back in a sword lock.
Nepeta then grabbed at Equius' arm, and- "Time to Shoosh pap You, silly Moirail!" -twisted herself around him using his arm as leverage to pin him to the ground.
"You don't have to tell me!" Equius groaned as he hit the pavement.
Harley slid under the Jamenshi's legs and then sprung up behind him, restraining Gamepadding by the shoulders- "GOT HIM!" She yelled.
Atsuya braced his arms as a launching platform- "Here!" -and Tomo leaped onto his arms.
He flung upwards, and Tomo took to the air--
And then suddenly demorphed- spreading their wings for an extra boost in height- going higher than before and still aiming with the Kiramei Shot.
"PRECISION SHOOTING!!" They yelled, and fired off a triple shot of disks.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
The first three disks wedged themselves into the gap in the control stick and the frame around it, locking Gamepadding in place.
"Wait-! NO!" Gamepadding yelled as Tomo then swapped out for the sword on their downwards descent, flapping their wings and hurtling themselves forwards with excess speed.
A double tap to the sword- _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
"TAKE THIS!!!" Tomo yelled, and Harley flung herself to the side as Tomo came down hard upon the Controller themed Jamenshi with a burst of red and green energy- a flare of neon orange and green- and more than a few glowing orange feathers being blown around in the sudden explosion of energy that ensued.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
Tomo rolled to a halt, back towards Gamepadding as he sparked- flared- and whined- "But- But my armor was impenetrable...!"
Then, he exploded, and Tomo stood to their feet, smirking as they swooshed their sword. "Game over, cheater."
"That's amazing!" Atsuya said, rushing over. "How'd you know that'd work?"
Tomo shrugged. "I read a bunch of Aunt Claire's old mission reports growing up. The Kull Warrior armor suits used a form of energy absorbing to prevent death, but at a human scale? It's easily overwhelmed. Also..." They laughed. "I just imagined my sword would just naturally be sharp enough to cut through that armor anyways!"
"Ow..." Equius groaned as he finally got back to his feet with Nepeta's help. "You can control it's sharpness to that degree?"
Tomo nodded. "It worked, didn't it?"
Then, their morphers chimed.
Harley swirled her morpher's wheel. "Jamenshi's taken care of! What's up?"
"There's a second one on a rooftop near you," Okurii reported. "Go take it out."
"Understood," Harley nodded, then looked to Tomo, who grinned, and tapped their Morpher.
_"KIRAMEI GO!"_
Jane Crocker snarled as she watched the first monster go away. "Damn it! I'll need to-!"
She never got to finish that sentence, as a door exploded inwards, and she shrieked, ducking for cover...
Or, so it seemed at first, before she emerged from beneath a table wielding a giant red battle spork in hand. "COME AT ME, VILLAINS!"
"Hahaha!" Controllerdroid laughed as he controlled the struggling Security Forces before. "Dance, Bastards! Dance!!"
The Kiramagers, all five suited once again, sneaked up on it from behind.
"That guy's controlling jerks who were ordered to attack civilians, right?" Nepeta began. "Do we really have to destroy him?"
"We have to unless we want to fight a Jamenju," Equius said. "There's no telling how much energy they've summoned from this battle alone so far."
"Besides," Tomo said, readying their blaster. "It's our Job."
"He looks like he's made out of a different material," Harley said. "I think we can take him out with a sneak attack."
"Let's do it, then," Atsuya said, readying his Combo-weapon. "But let's overpower those defenses at once just in case he does have the same armor."
The five Kiramagers sneaked out from behind cover... and then tapped the power attack buttons twice.
_"KIRA-KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
The sudden announcement of the weapons powering up caused Controllerdroid to whirl around, shocked- "Hey! Wait! What's this-!?"
"FIRE!!" They yelled and unleashed a brutal barrage of sword and blaster strikes.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
"Gyaaah!!!" The Controllerdroid cried out. "It's Game Over For Player Two!!"
And then he exploded- into a pile of robotic parts.
"Woah!" Harley gasped, seeing the rain of debris scatter across the rooftop. "It was a robot!"
"A robot?" Equius stared at it. "But why change tactics?"
"GAAAAH! DAMNIT!" Kurantula stomped his feet in the dark water. "WHO WAS THAT BASTARD!? A ROBOT!? WE DIDN'T MAKE A ROBOT!!!"
He calmed down suddenly, though. "Oh well." He raised an Insurance Mask. "But he got us enough darkness we can cover the defecite with Insurance."
The mask dissolved, and Kurantula raised his staff- "Jamenju Catcher Rigani!"
"Rigani again?" Garuza asked.
"Rigani are strong Kaiji that are resistant to attacks," Kurantula narrated as the portal opened high in the air over the city, dropping the masked Jamenju down into it from high above.
It landed with a thud, and drew the Kiramager's attention over towards it.
The masked beast that now stood before them looked like its mask was themed after a Claw Machine Crane Catching Game.
Which really explained its name, Catcher Rigani.
Not that the Kiramagers cared about the name.
"Everyone! We need your help!" Atsuya tapped his morpher, and spun the wheel. The other Kiramagers did the same.
_"MASHIN FIYA! HELIKO! SHOVELLO! JETTA! MAHHA!"_
"LAUNCHING!" The five Mashins cried out, decaptchaloging, growing, and transforming.
The Kiramagers boarded their partners, and began combining almost immediately.
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_
Five crystaline partners came together in that moment, forming the towering giant of Crystalia's famed heroes- the Giant known only as...
_"KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
The Rigani's eyes- which were arrow buttons- blinked in pattern, and then...
The damned Jamenju began gliding along the ground without even moving its feet.
It even was making a blinking sound as its right eye- the left directional arrow- lit up, blinking on and off and it moved to its left.
Kiramagein observed it as it moved sideways, impossibly.
Tomo watched it go, leaning against their wheel, "Why's it moving like that?"
The forwards eye lit up, and the jamenju rolled forwards into some abandoned buildings- but it was getting closer to Kiramagein.
"Why is it moving so creepy!?" Harley asked, flinching backwards against her chair. Were her wolf ears not hidden by her helmet, they were sure to be pressing back flat against her head in terror.
...Then the Jamenju began playing a chipper tune as the claw arm on the right side of its mask lowered to grab a building... and pulled it upwards with a burst of sparks and smoke.
"What's it trying to do now?" Equius asked.
Then, the Rigani made its first natural looking movement since the engagement began- and it flung its head forwards- launching the building at Kiramagein.
"Ladder Beyond!" Atsuya's instincts were on point- and the building got smashed mid flight.
"Alright!" Nepeta clenched a fist in victory.
...The Jamenju wasn't done. IT grabed another building, flinging at Kiramagein- who blocked with Jetta- "Owowowow!" -and stumbled backwards.
More things, buildings, signs, were ripped loose of their moorings and flung at the Crystalian Megazord with extremely wild aiming.
Kiramagein hit the ground, and Harley complained, clinging to her console, "That's not fair at all!"
"Huh!?" Heliko gasped as the crane arms grabed onto Kiramagein by one of Heliko's blades and one of FIya's legs, and lifted them into the air.
The Rigani then ran (Glided?) sideways- carrying them with it.
"Wwwaaaahhh!" Nepeta cried out.
The Jamenju suddenly let them go, and the Megazord tumbled through the air before hitting the ground and sliding on their back out the underside of a bridge with the damned crane machine making an annoyingly chipper noise.
"Bwwuuh..." Heliko whined.
Catcher Rigani roared in victory.
"Just how do we beat it?" Atsuya asked, gazing up at the monster...
And then-
Impossibly-
Crazily enough-
"MACHIIIIIN!"
Rolland, Carry, and Lifton came transforming out of left field.
"How did they get here!?" Equius asked, shocked.
"We woke up and saw you fighting!" Carry cried out, driving forwards, carrying a load of glowing neon rods that looked like giant, oversized glue sticks if anyone were prepared to ask what the hell they even were. "We're gonna fight too!"
"Oh how Sweet!" Nepeta cooed over that declaration.
"LIIIIIIIIIIFT!" Lifton ran forwards, slipping the liftarm under the Rigani's foot- and "FLIIIIIIP!!!"
The Jamenju went flying onto its back.
"SMAAAAAASHHH!!" Rolland bulldozed forwards- rolling angrily across the Jamenju's stomach- sending sparks flying.
Then- "LIFT!" Lifton cried out again from somewhere unseen, and the Jamenju went flying into the air.
"Glitter Rolls!" Carry cried out, releasing her load of glowstick neon rods onto the ground.
Unsurprisingly, as the Jamenju got to its feet again, it tripped and slipped over the glowing rods.
It fell flat on its rump, squashing its tail awkwardly beneath its mass.
"ALRIGHT!" Shovellow cried as Kiramagein got to its feet. "Now I'M Eurekaing! Let's combine with them all in sequence!!"
"First the shield!" Tomo held up their left hand and spread their fingers to make the decision.
"TRANSFORM!" Carry cried out, spinning around and shifting into shield form.
"KIRAMAGEIN CARRY!" The mecha grabbed Carry's shield form in Shovellow's claw, giving them a sword and shield formation.
The Jamenju flung more buildings at them- but Carry intercepted it with a "Blocking Punch!"
The Jamenju's claws shattered against the shield, and when they withdrew back into the flung backwards Jamenju with so much force, it hit the dirt again.
The claws weren't functioning, and Harley applaunded it, "Now the claws are broken!" She threw out a double thumbs up.
Equius spun his wheel- and Jetta slashed forwards against the Jamenju's masked face.
"Now! Rolland!" Atsuya called out.
Carry detached as Rolland switched into a giant hammer/roller formation, "TRANSFORMAROOOLLL!"
"KIRAMAGEIN ROLLAND!" The mecha rolled rolland forwards in the air for a moment.
"ROLLER ATTACK!" Nepeta yelled out- running Rolland up along the Jamenju's stomach for some absurd reason.
"ROLL! SQUASH! ROLL! SQUASH!" Rolland cried out.
"How's that!?" Tomo asked. "I bet it tickles!!" They spun their wheel- "TAKE THIS!"
"BOING!!!" Rolland banged against the Jamenju's back, and it shrieked in surprise, spinning around in a confused way.
"Finally, Lifton!" Atsuya declared.
Lifton transformed, becoming some strangely bulky looking giant fork device.
"KIRAMAGEIN LIFTON!" Kiramagein sliced Jetta's blade alongside the flat end of Lifton's giant fork.
"OH COME ON!" Jane Crocker cried out as she observed this while she was being handcuffed by an eyepatch wearing, much more gruff looking Karkat Vantas. "If you're going to break my copyright atleast steal the color too!!"
"Let's Go!" Harley cried out.
"STABBALOTTO! STABBALOTTO!" Lifton cried out as he was jabbed forwards repeatedly, sicking into the Jamenju's belly and utterly humiliating it.
Nepeta spun her wheel- and Jetta swung down, slicing against the Jamenju.
"Now to whip you up a dish you'll enjoy!" Equius flexed his right hand.
Kiramagein crossed Jetta and Lifton, and gazed down at the pavement.
"Time for Roadside Pancakes!" Equius declared, and then had Kiramagein do the absurdest thing.
Lifton stapped into the ground, and Jetta cut it into squares. Repeatedly.
Then, with three large slices of pavement on Lifton's prongs, Kiramagein reared back, and swung forwards- burrying the Jamenju in debris.
Lifton separated then, and Tomo declared, "Let's finish this with KIRAMEI DYNAMIC!"
Kiramagein struck its pose, readied Jetta in a circle as all ten of them cried out- "KIRAMEI DYNAMIC!"
The Jamenju took the brunt of the following three blasts and exploded behind Kiramagein as it struck an awesome pose.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
"Damn we look cool!" Jetta cried out.
Garuza hung his head and sighed, even as Kurantula stomped around in frustration.
"Of course," he lamented. "Of COURSE I'd miss three more Kiramei Stones."
But, then, he stood straight, and turned to look towards a stone pillar, where a certain lurking dark red suited form stood, observing silently.
"And tell me, Enter," Garuza began, "were you the one who made that duplicate of my Jamenshi?"
"If I said that, it'd be telling," Enter answered in a stupidly infuriating way before turning to leave.
Back on the Beltus, in the Kiramager's lounge room, the Kiramagers were either sitting around resting after a long battle, or were fussing over the new Mashins.
Lifton and Rolland had fallen asleep again, and were dozing away in the tiny crib again.
Carry, however, gleefully was hovering near Nepeta and Atsuya again.
"So... Can you?" Carry asked, excited.
"It's worth trying, I guess," ATsuya said.
"The experimenting factor alone's enough of a reason to try," Nepeta nodded.
"Yay!" And with that, Carry's gemstone form flitted over and landed ontop of the Sub-in's head.
"Well, here goes," Atsuya said, reaching a hand for the Sub-in's left hand.
"Right," Nepeta reached out for the Sub-in's right hand.
Both of them grasped the Crystal Doll's hands, and then a flash of light overtook the doll, and little Carry as well.
The resulting transformation took a moment or two longer than it usually did, and it came up nowhere near as tall as Atsuya or Nepeta, but quite a bit shorter.
When the light finished, a girl with alternian grey skin sat there before them- but had no horns to speak of.
Her eyes opened revealing sparkling lavender framed by white on one side, and orange on the other. Carry took a moment to look herself over, then flashed a wide, innocent and happy smile at the two Kiramagers. "Mamma! Pappa! Am I pretty?"
"...It's a little wonky for a first try," Nepeta started. "But you are so adorable!" And then she bent down and hugged the newly given appearance for Mashin Carry and squealed.
"Yaaaay!" Carry cried out with glee, and hugged her back.
"Now that you're actually talking way more coherently than before," Atsuya started. "Can I ask why you're calling us 'Mamma and Pappa'?"
"Because you both picked me and picked my form!" Carry replied simply. "Thus! You're My parents!"
Nepeta gave Atsuya a considering look, and said, "Well, she does have a point, I guess."
"Yeah," Atsuya hung his head. "I just didn't expect to be a parent at my age."
Observing all of this off to the side was Tomo and Shovellow, who gazed on- Tomo visibly concerned.
"How come Carry's advanced so much in just a few days while the others are still infant like?" Tomo asked.
"With Mashin's it's hard to tell," Shovellow said. "Sometimes they just have different pressures on them in the ground, and sometimes it's just a matter of age." She paused. "Though, with that one, I'd probably guess she drove herself to want to interact more with us properly after seeing Heliko use the Sub-in like that earlier."
"But wasn't Carry asleep when Heliko was using it?" Tomo asked.
"...Maybe she was faking it?" Shovellow made a shrugging motion in the air. "Who knows. Maybe she's just a natural born leader? Could be if we'd left her in the ground longer, she'd've grown larger and closer to Fiya's size. Ah, but who knows now. What's done is done."
"That it is," Tomo nodded.
"Say, Tomo..." Shovellow began. "I know Reds are leaders and all that, but you did pretty good as-"
Tomo raised a hand and shook their head. "I'm not ready to take on that kind of role, Shovellow. Not by a longshot." They smiled, "Maybe one day. But... for now I'll just take the lead when the situation calls for it. Atsuya's done a pretty good job as leader so far. I wanna see how far he'll grow too."
"Fair enough," Shovellow sighed. "So much for my trying to make a 'Strider, Tomo Sentai, Loving Tomo Lots'!"
Tomo gazed at their partner for a moment, and then said, entirely seriously, "Please don't ever make that stretch of a pun ever again."
"...What, I think it's alright?" Shovellow asked.
"Mabe if my name was Tametomo instead of just Tomo," Tomo countered.
"...Fair enough." Shovellow agreed.
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
Jane Crocker looked up as someone IMPOSSIBLE entered her holding cell, the door closing behind her.
And it was Jane Egbert, who looked mightily annoyed about something.
"So what's this you're yelling about Copyrighting Souls!?" Egbert demanded crossly- eyes flashing and voice going into a modulated tone of voice.
Crocker flinched back in surprise, and meekly squeaked, "What are you!?"
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"I'm Dejikamura!!"
"Nepeta! Wake up!!"
"Heliko's gone missing!!??"
"We've gotta get out of here!"
"You can do it, Heliko!!!"
"Let's Sparkle Next Time too!"
NEXT EPISODE: 06: Memories are stored in the Cloud, and me without my Heliko. (Snap! Snap! Snap!)
Notes:
SO. This Chapter. Is probably the first major episode *scene shuffle* I've ever done. The Jamen in the canon episode appears at the beginning and is running around doing stuff the entire episode. I couldn't work with that. And I especially couldn't use the original adapted idea that I had for this episode. Especially not after recent IRL events. This episode was not yet written by the time I rewrote Chapter 3, and thus I was able to seriously curtail and uproot the Jane Crocker plotline.
There's some vague insinuations of what she was going to try to do still left in, and that's as close to IRL events as I'm willing to leave in place in this fic. Seriously, c'mon, Real Life, stop making my attempts at fiction hit way too close to home before I can even publish. Makes me nervous.
---
Original scenes this chapter as far as "Suit Footage" goes are the death scenes of both Jamenshi- which were really the same Jamenshi in the show, just at different times in the episode. The first death is explicitly tagged onto the end of the first battle instead of letting the Jamen run away, and the second is modified to spew robot parts everywhere. Because Enter's meddling around with things.
---
So, Gamepadding aside as one of those monsters I'd definitely not want to meet in real life, so too follows Catcher Rigani. This Jamenju is just... MAN. It's one of those absurd surrealist battles, that's for sure. If it wasn't the main introduction to Carry, Lifton, and Rolland, I'd probably have skipped this entire plot entirely. Ah well, sometimes you gotta deal with what you gotta deal with.Still, fun fight, all around. And the Mashin Kids are just... So CUTE.
I did shuffle around the order of scenes a little during this battle so that Carry had more of an opportunity to take center stage. She's the big-sis of the trio here, so she'll get a bit more spotlight than the others in terms of personality.
...That I can also use Carry to be kind of like SAO's Yui-chan who latched onto Kirito and Asuna calling them Papa and Mama is besides the point. :P
I'm seriously using the Sub-in to explore a lot of facets of the Mashin-Human partnerships here. The next actual Kiramager Episode I'm adapting takes this idea to its next natural progression, for sure.
---
Okay, I had to use the Tametomo Sentai Tametsukiger pun in some way, even if it doesn't quite work out the same.
---
SOoooo... Yeah. Jane Egbert's a Tok'ra partner. This really wasn't much of a surprise after she was last seen hanging around Egeria four years prior. As to who her partner is? Well. I'll leave that for the next chapter to touch on. But honestly, you can *probably* guess given who her cat-familiar is.Next Chapter is: SGA:06X05: Questioning the Ultimate Self.
Chapter 17: ARTWORK: Tiny Jouki
Summary:
Have a bonus artwork chapter because I had a brief bit of inspiration.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
*Tiny Steam Hissing noises*
Notes:
It's a tiny, simplified version of Jouki. What else is there to say on the matter?
Chapter 18: SGA:06X05: Questioning the Ultimate Self.
Summary:
Jane Crocker talks, Dirk Strider talks, everybody talks!!! Also; it's a Beach Episode. The Rangers go to the Beach. How fun is that?
Notes:
CW:
Homestuck Epilogues: Candy timeline
Jane Crocker being a bitch; Dirk Strider talking Meta-fictional Meta-stuff; Discussion of the Ultimate Self.
Implications of Character Death.
Brief Discussion of Bootstrap Paradoxes.
Getting salt water in the eyes.
Plans of Running Away From Home.
Mentions of Time Travel.
Blatant Violation of Island Terrain with Megazord Attacks.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2012.
Jane Crocker sat in what was a surprisingly luxurious holding cell. It has all the comforts of home. A nice sofa, a fluffy bed, a small TV with which only a few select channels came in on, a nice tea table...
It was a far cry from the solid concrete aesthetic interrogation rooms she herself had used in countless Rebellion intero--Inquisitions, rather.
Honestly, Jane Crocker was impressed, and concerned.
Were they going to keep her locked up in here for the rest of her unnaturally long life?
There was a knock at the door- "Crocker, Visitor."
"Who is it?" She asked.
"Strider," Came a familiar voice, and she allowed him entry.
In walked the lanky, almost monk-like looking form of Dirk Strider.
And boy did Jane wish she was joking about the monk-like aspect of Dirk's current character. Dude looked like he was cosplaying that kid from the Avatar movie- but not the one Jake obsessed over when they were teens with the blue skinned women. The other one. Whatever it was called. Jane didn't honestly remember.
"Well," Dirk said, taking off the orange versions of his old anime shades that he'd upgraded to sometime before everything went tits off the rails. "You sure made one hell of a mess while I was off contemplating the universe, didn't you, Jane?"
And Just Like That, any hope Jane had for a rescue were dashed before they could even form. His orange eyes gazed at her with a soulful, searching, sad look.
"How dare you!" Jane hissed. "You called off the presidential campaign and then showed us that fucking absurd TV show that we're now Stuck Living In! And then you Prance off in your fancy smanchy little orange and tan robes and pretend you're some guru wiseman for fuck off years and might as well have been dead for as little as we heard from you! Now you come waltzing back in here like you own the damned place!"
Jane stopped. She stared. Then, she spoke again.
"It was You, wasn't it? You're the one behind all this fictional nonsense, aren't you?" She accused. "You're the one who figured out a way to make that other John ZAP us into this stupid Fictional Fake Universe, didn't you!?"
Dirk gazed at her for several more seconds as she huffed for breath- shockingly overworked by just that short outburst.
Then, he spoke, "You're right, I should've kept a better eye on things and kept in contact with you all. Maybe I could've kept things from getting too out of hand." He shook his head. "But no. I didn't have anything to do with bringing us here. The thing I was meditating about did."
"And what thing's that?" Jane asked, glaring at the man.
"The Narration," Dirk answered.
"...What fucking Narration?" Jane asked.
"The one that's about to cut to the Theme song," Dirk answered.
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
"...Dirk, that wasn't a very funny joke," Jane Crocker said plainly.
"It wasn't a joke, but okay," Dirk Strider answered with a shrug.
Jane gazed at Dirk for several long moments. "What the hell happened to you, Dirk?"
"It's pretty simple, really," Dirk said. "I felt the Ultimate Me get Reset to Square One, and suddenly, I Became the Ultimate Me. Or, at least, swap the 'The' with an 'A' and we'll get pretty close to the truth."
Jane squinted at him. "What. What is that even supposed to mean, Dirk Strider?"
Dirk sighed, and leaned against the door to the outside world. "It's a long ass story and I'm still not even sure of all of the nitty gritty details behind the curtain- New Narrator sure likes their privacy- but to TL;DR it?" He took a breath, and then said, "You remember what happened when we created this Universe, right? What was going on in Paradox Space at the time?"
"Lord English was blowing everything up and Vriska went to confront him with some mystic weapon," Jane summarized.
"We didn't get to see it at the time, Jane- not directly. We only got glimpses of it from Terezi's photos that she sent us randomly when she went looking for Vriska, but..." Dirk looked Jane in the eyes, cyan to orange. "Paradox Space was Destroyed. Swallowed up into that black hole that Alt-Calliope made. Everything and everyone in its proximity got pulled into it... and that included Ghosts."
"...You're not seriously saying that the damned Ghost Storms we were having before being teleported here-" Jane started.
"Were Ghosts from the Furthest Ring being dumped on our doorstep?" Dirk nodded. "It explains where that Tooth'd John came from, at any rate. That was the one who made the choice to go fight English and almost died because of it. Ours didn't make that choice, remember?"
Jane frowned. "Dirk, if you're really telling the truth, then you're saying our humble little planet was swallowed up by a Black Hole and NONE of us NOTICED!?"
"More like, we were always inside the black hole from the moment John chose to stay?" Dirk shrugged. "It's a little weird, honestly, but, hey, Cherub magic. That Calliope could control the narrative at one point. The course she had us on was... Weird. To say the least."
"How was it any weirder than what we got?" Jane asked, scowling.
"You'd be surprised," Dirk said, a haunted look in his eyes. "You'd be really, really surprised." He shook his head. "Anyways. Point is, at some point, Alt Calliope drew the wrong attention. Funny thing is, that TV show, Stargate? It showed it happened. We just didn't realize it at the time. Alt Callie got owned- hard- and some new Narrator stepped in almost immediately. Reset the Ult Me of that timeline, somehow, and then set their eyes on us in the black hole. Retroactively changed what little events around us they could without Calliope or the other me noticing, and then..." He threw his hands into the air and made a Pop noise from his mouth. "Boom. We all get zapped here to the dimension they controlled more directly and could intervene in."
"...Dirk, that sounds crazy," Jane said. "Like. Seriously. That's insanely crazy."
"Yeah, well," Dirk sighed. "What's crazier is that we jumped from one fundamentally different kind of Meta-verse to another."
"...Dirk, you sound like you need help if you were to ask me," Jane said, frowning at him.
"We GOT help, Jane," Dirk countered. "The fundamental problem our reality was facing? The three Truths of Essentiallity, Relevance, and Truth itself? Those don't MATTER anymore. Paradox space is gone and we got Rescued From It."
"Dirk- what-?" Jane couldn't finish, because Dirk continued on.
"Jane, you don't understand! Our Reality was starting to fail at being Real because of how Paradox Space worked! Our STORY was unraveling and readers were hating what was happening and going to happen, and one of them decided to step in and PULL US FROM THE LURCH!"
"Dirk, you know I don't get this Meta nonsense," Jane started-
"Look look look look," Dirk cut her off, pulling out a notebook and opening it to a sketch. "Just. LOOK. Look at where we were." He pointed at a Black hole on the opened page. "This is where we WERE. Inside a Black Hole where NOTHING could escape. Nothing escapes the pull of a Black Hole, but we're NOT in there anymore! We ESCAPED because a Narrator decided to intercede and rescue us!"
Jane sighed. "Okay. So what you're saying is where we were was a bad place to be because if we stayed we'd never- what? Grow beyond our mistakes? Explore the universe?"
"Exactly!" Dirk said. He changed pages, showing several sketches of spaceships. "We. Had. SPACE TRAVEL. The other Ultimate Me in the other timeline made use of it! Why didn't any of US make use of it during any of that time we were in the black hole? Because there wasn't anywhere for us to go! There wasn't any way to escape and we KNEW it!"
Jane frowned. "Well, that's true. I suppose we could have started reaching out into space. We didn't have to keep everyone on the same planet..." Her frown deepened. "Why didn't I even think of just moving the Trolls to their own little planet somewhere else?"
Dirk sighed at her horrible thought, but at least she was considering other options she hadn't before. He changed the page again, "Now look where we are now."
Jane looked, and all she saw was a sketch of dots. Dots, dots, dots, dots, dots, dots, dots- dots everywhere, with winding roads that looked like lightning between them.
"...A sea of dots and lightning?" Jane frowned.
"It's a Multiverse," Dirk said, circling a random dot. "We're here, now. This reality that already had versions of us wandering around. BUT, at the same time, out over..." Dirk made an 'eh' sound and circled another random dot somewhere else on his sketch. "Say here, there are versions of us that are unrelated to either us, or the us'es native to here, and they're off doing their own thing with their own adventures." He circled another dot. "And over here, there's a bunch of people we don't even know who are off exploring the multiverse and the some other Narrator is focusing on them at a completely different point in time compared to the Narrator focusing on US right now."
"What's the point of all of this, Dirk?" Jane asked.
"The mistake I was making when we were in Paradox Space was because Paradox space Insisted there could only ever be one series of events ever, with any offshoots being doomed to erasure," Dirk answered. "I thought there could be only ONE Ultimate Self Me. But there aren't. There are multiple mes out there doing multiple things, and none of them are any more real or fake than the others!"
"So now you're saying we're all just Fictional Characters?" Jane scoffed.
"To some timelines, yes, but to others, the ones that we're living in, no!" Dirk shook his head, and captchalogued his sketchpad again. "Jane. You don't get it. We don't have to fight for relevance anymore. We don't HAVE to fight for the Narrator's eye. It's a Multiverse. It's going to be sustained because it's literally unlimited. We don't have to HAVE a Relevant Story, or an Essential Story, or a True Story, or any combination of the three because there are OTHER STORIES in the Multiverse being told that meet that criteria and their relevance and stability is keeping US Relevant and Stable! Multiverses, Jane! Multiple Universes! Think about it! Just think it through!"
Jane takes a moment to consider all of that, and then asks, "So did you just come in here to ramble at me about whatever mystic psychic guru like revelation you came up with, or was there actually a point to all of this?"
"I heard what you were thinking, the other day," Dirk said. "It's what got me to come back. I needed to make this abundantly clear before your next conversation, Jane. As your longtime friend, I owed you that much."
"Fine, what's your message then?" Jane asked.
"You Can't Copyright a Soul."
Jane took that in, and laughed. "That's it!? You came all this way, made such a huge ass absurd speech, and then end it with 'You can't copyright a soul'??" She laughed again. "Get out of here with that nonsense, Dirk!"
Dirk sighed, sadly, and turned to leave. "Well. I guess I'll tell Jake I tried."
"Oh, yes," Jane hissed. "And tell my good for nothing ex-husband that when I get out of here I'm coming for him, and I'll make him wish he never even DARED to take Tavros away from me!"
Dirk looked to Jane, and said, very sadly, "Jane... The only time you'll be leaving this room again is to go towards your trial and execution."
"I'll die and prove the rebellion are cold hearted monsters deserving of death, then resurrect and slay them all!" Jane declared.
"Careful not to make statements like that, Jane," DIrk said. "We may be outside of Paradox Space, but you're still a God Tier, and the Resurrection Clock might still count that kind of statement leading into a death as a Heroic Martyrdom."
Jane froze- stiffening.
"But what's more likely is after all the shit and pain you've caused these people, any death you get will be Just," Dirk then knocked on the door, and said, "I'm done here."
The door opened, and Dirk Strider was lead out, donning his sunglasses as he went.
Jane gazed at the floor as he left- and barely heard him say- "Oh, hello, Miss Egbert. I hope you have better luck than I did."
"Hello again, Mister Strider," came Jane's own voice in reply. "I find that a shame you couldn't get through to her. Also... I found your last parting words to be quite interesting."
"Were they now?" Dirk asked. "Well. Good luck, at any rate."
"Thank you."
Jane Crocker looked up as someone IMPOSSIBLE entered her holding cell, the door closing behind her.
And it was Jane Egbert, who looked mightily annoyed about something.
"So what's this you're yelling about Copyrighting Souls!?" Egbert demanded crossly- eyes flashing and voice going into a Goa'uld's tone of voice.
Crocker flinched back in surprise, and meekly squeaked, "What are you!?"
Dirk sighed as he heard Crocker's door-muffled shrieks slipping out through the door.
He walked along down the hallways, and then came upon the Mission Control Room of the current Rebellion Base.
"Yo," He gave a curt wave, and the people there looked to attention.
Dave Strider and Karkat Vantas, with matching rings on their left hand's ring fingers, gazing at a live camera feed of Crocker's holding Cell. Rose and Kanaya Maryam-Lalonde, who were peering over some data they'd pried from Crocker's base's computers. And finally, Jade and Roxy Harley-Lalonde, who were in the midst of sorting through paper documents.
Six people, all close friends at one point, looked up at him, and most gave sympathetic smiles.
"Yo," Dave said, moving over to give his Brother a hug. "We heard the whole ramble in there. Jane really didn't want to listen, huh?"
"I gave it my best," Dirk said, hugging back. "Not much I could do about it."
The hug broke after a moment, and Dave said, "It's good to have you back, weird as that whole meta speech you just gave was to hear."
"I should've come back a lot sooner," Dirk said, shaking his head. "I heard you had quite the scare with the Davebot bullshit?"
"Yeah," Dave shook his head. "I think whatever the hell that was must've been part of that Retcon bullshit you were talking about to Jane."
"Not really sure it's 'Retcon' bullshit," Dirk protested. "But sure, whatever."
"Well, bullshit or not-" Vantas interjected, "whatever you told her certainly has her quaking in her boots now. Egbert's going to town prying out info from her now."
"Are we sure this is even legal?" Roxy asked. "I mean... not to give her a free pass or anything, but... the other Jane isn't even a member of the Diasporan Government. She's a... a... what's the word, Rose?"
"Tok'ra," Rose answered. "A human and a symbiotic being who share a body together. More of a political stance than a species name." She brought up a holographic image- a picture of a woman in ceremonial robes that Jane Crocker had gotten somehow off of the Intergalactic Extranet that Earth C was not given total access to at the moment. "Their leader is a woman named Egeria, but also, Joey Harley."
Jade winced, hearing that name. "I still can't get over the fact that the multiverse decided to give me Siblings I never even knew about."
"It's no wonder Jake decided to keep mum about the show's story content to us," Kanaya said. "It must have felt just as weird to him."
"Either way," Rose continued. "The Tok'ra are a major leading presence in the universe. There's a Council, if you can believe it, of the major civilizations in the different Galaxies, as well as those who aren't even present in this dimension at present. The Tok'ra, The Jaffa, The City of Atlantis, The Diasporan Government- all of them save for the Unwritten's government have been attacked by this Gilgamesh's armies in some form over the last several weeks."
"So legally part of Diaspora's government or not," Kanaya said, "they still have every right to interrogate someone who worked with their enemies."
"NO! NO!" Crocker's voice suddenly squeaked through a speaker. "I won't tell you anymore!"
"Hmm. Fine then," Egbert's Tok'ra modulated voice replied, "perhaps then I'll turn you into a cat?"
"Y-You can't do that!!" Crocker replied. A pause, and then hesitantly. "Y...You can't, actually do that, right?"
"You'd be surprised," Egbert answered. "Now. Answer my question. What else did Garuza Tell You?"
Everyone glanced at the screen, then, everyone that wasn't Dirk turned to look at him.
"Is that actually possible?" Roxy asked.
"Seriously," Dirk sighed. "When's the last time any of you watched the show through since it finished airing?" Then he nodded, and said, "Yes, they can actually do that. Through a few different ways, actually. But it's possible."
He looked at the monitor, and then frowned.
"But going by the way Jane's spilling again," Dirk said, "I don't think it's a threat that needs follow through on."
The Cantube video before the four kids ceased playing, pausing on the dramatic shot of Kiramagein posing dramatically infront of the exploding Jamenju.
"Wow," Vriska "Vrissy" Maryam-Lalond said, gazing at the screen. "That was amazing!"
"They're something else... alright," Tavros "Tavvy" English (Formerly Crocker) answered, adjusting his glasses.
"Wouldn't it be great if we could partner up with those three new Zords?" Sally Harley-Lalonde grinned wolfishly, sitting forwards, her black colored wolf ears standing out in stark contrast against her blonde hair. "Of course, one of us would get left out if they didn't come up with a fourth one, though. So maybe not the best idea?" She glanced at her brother. "What do you think, Harry?"
Harry Anderson Harley-Lalonde sat silently, gazing at the frozen image of Kiramagein. "Yeah," he said quietly as he reached up and readjusted his orange rimmed goggles, "A fourth one would be great."
"Let's watch it again!" Vrissy decided. "I wanna figure out how the hell that monster slid around on the ground like that!"
She clicked the restart button, and the video started over again from the point Kiramagein finished forming.
Harry continued to watch the battle unfold for another time, and despite that, his mind couldn't help but worry about other things.
Tavvy's mom had apparently ordered her Security Forces to attack people, and wound up getting monster controlled into attacking each other. If the monster hadn't seen them and decided to make them do that... how many people would have gotten hurt?
Jane Crocker had been notorious for being a total bitch over pretty much his entire life. How did one of the creators of the world get to even be like that? Harry had to wonder... how much did Power Corrupt even the minds of the staunchest, most stead fast of heroic person?
As long as his friends were distracted by this video, he could keep them unaware of the news in the real world outside going on.
Harry glanced at his phone, and watched the Firefly Feed scrolling by with Flickers of information about Jane Crocker's arrest, and the no doubt execution to follow.
Countless other Security Guards were being arrested by the Troll Government, too, and Crocker's apparently massive force of Secret Police were being rooted out by the minute. What kind of woman builds a Secret force of Police officers and tells no-one about it? Protests were already starting over the revelation.
Crocker Corp. was burning to the ground in a self-started immolation- and all of that wasn't even counting the fact that Jane Crocker had apparently signed a deal with a monster working WITH the jerks attacking Earth C on a nigh weekly basis.
The world was changing in that moment. The very future of Humanity, Trolls, Carapacians, and Consorts alike was shifting into something strange and unknown.
And Harry felt like he had no idea what side of history he was falling on at that moment. Here he was, keeping his friends and his own sister from knowing the truth while they watched a battle that had wrecked part of a city like it was popcorn fodder.
And they wanted to be Rangers.
They wanted to be the heroes that their world had seemingly not needed until the Heroes themselves returned.
Harry felt so conflicted over that kind of thought process.
He could only hope that whatever future that came about from all of this, it was a future that everyone could be proud of making happy.
And yet still, his stomach churned with uncertainty.
He wanted off.
He wanted to get off of Earth C and leave it all behind.
He wanted to take his friends, and his sister, and just LEAVE.
Leave and never look back.
But could he do it? Was that sort of thing even possible?
He nervously adjusted his goggles again- his own white furred wolf ears flexing uncertainly atop his head.
What was there for Harry to even do about any of this?
And then there was that nagging doubt in the back of his head...
Even if the others DID agree with his desire to leave, could he actually pull out the courage to make it happen or would he flip-flop on it like a nervous actor with stage fright?
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2012.
Garuza's fist smashed into the concrete of one of the SGC's old walls. "Damn it!"
How could he have been so blind? Enter had messed with his plan so blatantly- a robotic duplicate of the Jamenshi- and for the Kiramagers to arrive on the scene before the rampage of the real Jamenshi could begin...
Enter had sabbotaged him! And more than that, somehow he had to have arranged for the Alternians of Earth C to capture Jane Crocker.
Garuza's fist opened into a full hand, and he grasped at the concrete, clenching down and digging finger trenches into the already damaged wall.
"Capture my pawn, will they?" Garuza snarled at the air. "She was MINE to betray!"
He pulled his handful of concrete away from the wall and smashed it against it again- palm opening to release crumpled concrete to the water soaked floor.
Splish splash splash splishsplioosh.
Garuza stalked forwards towards a stairwell, and climbed, before arriving in the office he'd claimed as his own. It had belonged to some random archaeologist before by the name of Quinn, but that sign had long since fallen to the floor.
Garuza searched through his mask collection, before finding two blanks that he needed to create the linked pair for his next mission.
"Enter..." Garuza hissed, gazing at the two blank masks. "Enter... Let's see how you like it when I steal YOUR Gimmick this time?"
He set them down at the desk, fetched his carving tools, removed his helmet, and set to work.
"It looks like Garuza fed Jane Crocker a bunch of contradictory bullshit," Keiko Ayano summarized as an Emergency Atlantis Management Team Meeting began very early that morning- it was a much smaller meeting than usual due to that fact, with most everyone else who'd be in currently out busy doing other things. "And she bought it hook, line, and sinker."
"Not surprising," Gina Kae said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Garuza seems to have a flare for theatrical lying- especially after what we saw happen on Old Athos."
"So she knew nothing but thought she knew everything," Rodney Mckay sighed. "Well, that's just great. So much for that potential lead."
"So what's going to happen to her?" John Sheppard asked.
"Her crimes against civil rights stretch back years before they ever entered our Galaxy," Keiko shook her head. "They'll be putting her on a remote trial, and it's expected she'll be executed at the end of it." She paused, "Their Karkat Vantas has asked Diaspora to help transport her to a secure location."
"And we're doing that?" Rodney asked. "What about our non intervention policy?"
"Our Alliance's stance has always been we won't interfere unless they ask for it, or an outside threat is attacking," Keiko answered. "Both are technically true, in this case. The Daedalus has already left under the guise of being dismissed with Crocker's arrest with her on board. Decision's out of our hands since they directly asked for our help."
"Moving on from that," John said. "What's the progress on the Gilgamesh weapon puzzle?"
"We managed to recover another stone replica fragment of the weapon, along with a Caster Card and a Saber Card," Rodney answers. "The two weapon pieces seem to go together, but, again. They're made of solid stone. I've got no clue how they're meant to do anything but look pretty."
"Tyzias, Mallek, and Raddek are working on that part," Keiko answered. "Mallek told me they think the other Jade Fossilized the weapon parts somehow."
"Fossilized? How the hell do you-?" he stopped. "Oh. No. Nooo... Now I've got the Itch!" He got out a tablet and started tapping at it. "Excuse me, but I've got a research party to crash." He got up and left without another word.
"The itch?" Gina asked, raising an eyebrow as the hissing of the rotating door opened and closed, signifying Rodney's exit.
"The 'Itch' means he's going to try and figure out how to fossilize something on demand just to reverse fossilize it," John answered.
"Ah," Gina nodded.
"All of that aside," John looked to Keiko. "What's Silver Wing had to say about you know what?"
Keiko glanced around, tapped her KI, generated a short force field around the walls, and then said, "The Rescuers and Link Weavers literally couldn't sense the warped space time of that temple until they passed through the barrier- which they wouldn't have even known was there if we hadn't told them."
"A dimensional hole to a myriad maze of other dimensions," Gina pondered it. "It seems that out there in the wider multiverse, there are people just like us who want to explore and see what there is."
"Of course, we could also be dealing with the Unwritten's future in our past, given we have no idea if time travel's involved," John said, frowning.
"That just brings us to a Tic Toc dilemma," Keiko grouched. "And I don't know if I want to deal with that sort of thing."
"What's A 'Tic Toc Dilemma'?" John asked.
"Er," Keiko waved it off. "Some parallel world Silica, Touya, Minori, and I visited when we were exploring through the Quantum Mirror had a Bootstrap Paradox running, basically, and were trying to figure out how to make it work when they accidentally built a Quantum Mirror. Which they destroyed when we left out of mutual agreement."
"Sounds like a fun story," John gave her a smile for a moment, then sighed. "Alright. So, Bootstrap Paradox. Right. As if we haven't had a bunch of those already."
"For now," Gina said, "let's just assume it is as appears and they're a different group of people who could travel the multiverse and any and all of that 'future' information that somehow made it into that mural was put there through other means. Like, say, the mural itself updates with critical information as it transpires, somehow."
"Sure, less of a headache that way," John nodded.
"Agreed," Keiko sighed. "Fucking time travel."
None of them were in disagreement over that, each of them thought, independent but simultaneously, 'Honestly, the less time travel involved here the better.'
"Right then." Gina then said, "What day is today, again? The tenth? Monday?"
"Monday, yeah," John nodded.
"Then as of the end of today's class, I'll be putting the Ranger class on break until the next set of attacks," Gina said. "I need to work on Zord Design more than I have been since Garuza launched Smog Jouki against us."
"A short break's a good idea," Keiko nodded. "I'm sure the kids will all be glad to have the break."
The class bell rang, and the Ranger Class began relaxing and chatting excitedly about the unprecedented four day break they were receiving this week.
"Yo Yo YOOO!" Miko said, suddenly approaching the Kiramager's table as class wrapped up for the day. "What is Happenin' my fellow Rangers?"
"Nothing much," Nepeta answered. "We're just talking about what we want to do this week on break."
Miko grinned. "Well, that's fantastic! Because guess what? That's what I wanted to talk about too!"
Rose made her way over to the Kiramager's table as well. "Hello, everyone."
"Hey, Rose," Harley said, among other greetings given by the Kiramagers.
"Did you ask yet?" Rose asked.
"Not yet!" Miko said with a casual flutter of a hand in Rose's direction. "Alright! SO!" She leaned in close. "What would you guys say to joining us Mystics down at the beach on the mainland for a bunch of fun, sun, and surf this week?"
Only Rose, due to the angle where she was standing, noticed how Harley and Tomo shared uncertain glances with eachother for a moment, followed by matching nods, before Tomo said, "Ah, sure. I think that's cool, but I'm not that great of a swimmer, fair warning."
"Psh, yeah, that's cool," Miko said, giving a reassuring smile. "Like, the whole point of this is just to have some fuuuuun! Ya know? Not to force people to do things they're uncomfortable with. Anyways, if we're doing this, what day's cool with you guys?" She asked.
It took some schedule comparing between the two teams before it was decided that they'd be going to the beach on Wednesday, which was when everyone else was free.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2012.
"I need an infantile Hildon Jamenju," Garuza demanded suddenly, barging into the nursery room that had once been the SGC's infirmary.
"Wh-" Kurantula jumped in surprise as he turned from tending to the tiny fledgling monsters that would grow into their giant counterparts. "Woah, Garuza! What do you need a small one for? It's pretty useless at that size."
"I have a plan," Garuza stated. "We'll sneak it in with the Jamenshi, and instead of using the Darkness energy the Jamenshi gathers to open the gate at large scale, we'll use it instead to accelerate the Jamenju's growth."
Kurantula mused on that. "Hmm... now that's an interesting plan. I don't have any Hildon ready at the moment, but I think I can get one ready by next week's attack schedule?"
"That will work fine," Garuza said. "I need to finish carving the masks anyways."
And with that, he turned to leave, leaving Kurantula to gaze after him, wondering... "What kind of plan does he have in mind anyways? Garuza's getting pretty scary these days..."
The sun shone over the New Lantean continent's beach as waves happily lapped against the shore, the image disturbed only as Serara ditched everything she was carrying and leaped for the sea first thing upon seeing it, utterly ecstatic as she dove into her own Element and giggling and laughing like a kid in a candy store.
Hector just sighed. "And now we gotta pick up her stuff along with all the setup."
"Oh, let her be, Fives," Miko said, nudging his arm. "We've got enough of us here to do the set up on our own. Let her have her fun on her own for a bit."
"I know, I know," Hector nodded.
After a bit...
"June didn't come?" Kanaya, the only outside tag-along to the two Ranger teams, asked of Rose as they set up some beach towels and umbrellas for sitting under the shade.
"No, she and her team decided to go cross-country biking on Lopan," Rose answered. "She did help me make some of the lunch boxes, though."
"That was nice of her," Kanaya mused.
...And a bit more...
"Heave- HO!" Shovellow called out as Tomo and Fargo- the two Yellows of their respective teams- set up a volleyball net.
Equius and Harley set up a small barbecue grill that Equius had carried with him, while Jetta and Mahha hovered overhead, oohing and aahing in amazement.
...And once everything was fully set up, the two teams set about enjoying their afternoon.
"C'moooon! Give it back, Seraaaaa!" Madison cried out, running after Serara, who was had gotten Madison's hat and was leading her on a merry chase.
Atsuya sat beneath an umbrella, sketching away at all the wild and varried events going on even as Rolland and Lifton snoozed away atop the drink cooler without a care in the world.
Nepeta meanwhile sat near the shore with Carry (in her own sub-in form), and were working on building a sand castle together.
"HIIIYAH!" Miko yelled, spiking the volleyball over her end of the net towards Harley, Rose, and Kanaya.
"No way!" Harley threw herself forwards and countered the strike- forcing the ball to fly over to the other side and past Miko's range.
Hector looked to Fargo, who nodded, and threw her hands out in a bracing position for Hector to run and leap off of to catch the ball on a rebound and send it back at the other side.
Equius worked the grill, searing up hot dogs for lunch as Tomo chatted idly nearby.
Soon, lunch was being served- hot dogs and pre-made sandwiches- and the two teams were munching away with enthusiasm.
"My compliments to the chef!" Serara said, giving a thumbs up, and still wearing Madison's hat. Madison herself seemed fine with the arrangement for now.
"Thank you," Equius nodded and gave a bow to her.
A short time later, Miko and Nepeta were racing eachother in a swimming race out in the ocean, and Fargo and Atsuya sat on some nearby rocks watching them go- as well as serving as referees just incase the race wound up pulling the two girls into a rip tide that got them in trouble.
Nearby, Harley and Tomo were casually tossing a beachball between themselves, and Hector and Equius were dismantling the grill.
"But it's like- weird isn't it?" Hector was asking, "Out of my entire time I'm the only guy, right? Like, it feels like the universe was just wasn't paying attention to the gender ratio balance when it came to my team, doesn't it? I mean, I'm not complaining- but- it's just weird, isn't it?"
"I think that it's dumb to assign intent to random choice," Equius said. "That said if anyone was rigging anything or not paying attention, it was likely Doctor Kae given how she definitely rigged the item choices for our team."
Hector glanced at the Kiramei Changer on Equius' wrist. "Yeah, Miko told me how weird it was the four of you all grabbed tire items."
And a bit further over somewhere else...
"Readyyyy..." Serara raised her hand.
"Set...!" Rose did the same.
"JAN KEN PON!"
Both drew rocks.
"AGAIN! JAN KEN PON!"
Both drew paper!
"AGAIN!!! JAN! KEN! PON!"
And again, both drew scissors.
"GYAAAH!" Serara exclaimed. "Stop that!!"
"No, you stop it," Rose quirked a smirk.
"Againnnn!" Serara demanded, pouting.
Nepeta and Miko's race was going well until a wave suddenly came in and splashed over the both of them, forcing them to shore.
Atsuya and Fargo went over to help their teammates without hesitation, bringing towels to dry off with as the two girls started spitting out salt water.
"Stupid Waves!" Miko complained as she took a towel and started wiping her hair down to get the excess water out of it.
"There there," Fargo gave a smile at her fellow fae, patting her on the shoulder.
"You okay, Nepeta?" Atsuya asked as Nepeta smothered her face into the towel- and more than that was pressing at her eyes.
"Bleeehh. I got salt water in my mouth and up my nose," Nepeta answered, her voice sounding nasally. "And my eyes stiiiing!"
"Lemme take a look at that," Fargo said, kneeling in to check on her. Nepeta took the towel away and blinked a few times, hissing at the brightness of the sunlight. "You should be fine, but if it's still bugging you in five minutes I'll cast a basic healing spell to clear it up."
"That's fair," Nepeta whined, trying to stand, and wobbling. "Bluhh... Water in ears too..."
"I'll help you walk," Atsuya said, "just lean on me, alright?"
"Alright" Nepeta nodded.
As she leaned against him and Atsuya helped her walk over towards one of the beach towels and umbrella stations, Miko glanced expectantly at Fargo, who glanced back, confused, and asked, "What now?"
For a moment, Miko looked like she wanted to say something, but then sighed. "Nothing, Kels', just wishful thinking." She handed over the towl and then stomped off in the sand towards her stuff, leaving the Cait Syth behind on the surf with a wet towel in hand.
"Wishful thinking, huh?" Fargo shook her head. "Whatever, Miko."
"How're your eyes feeling?" Atsuya asked a while later.
"Better," Nepeta said, blinking again to try and clear out her eyes. "I still feel like I gargled with a gallon of salt water though." She stuck her tongue out in displeasure. "Bleck."
Off a ways, Heliko and Fiya watched their partners from the relative peaceful perch of resting atop of a small pile of rocks.
"Oooh!" Heliko squealed, rocking side to side. "Look how she's leaning against him! Look! Look! They're both blushing too! Aaaah! They're just cute together!! OTP! OTP!!!"
"You're spending way too much time on the internet these days, Heliko," Fiya remarked plainly. "I don't even know what that means."
"One True Pair!!" Heliko told him. "Also, come on! Carry-chan already thinks of them as her parents! It's practically a match written in the stars!! A match foretold by destiny and countless time loops!!!"
"Now I know you're just reading too much into things," Fiya griped as he watched Atsuya fumble his way into starting to sketch something while Nepeta continued to lean against him for support. "Even if they see eachother in that way, there's no 'destiny' about it, Heliko."
"Stop being such a grouchy grouch, Fiya!" Heliko said, whirling to face him. "We've already got the 'being a couple in spite of destiny' trope filled in with Harley and Tomo!"
"Eh?" Fiya asked. "What the heck do you mean by that? That's not the problem they're having at all."
"Eeehhh? C'moooon, Fiya! You haven't noticed how they're clearly struggling to be together because they don't wanna come off as being all 'repeating history because it's destiny' thing, right??" Heliko asked, astonished.
"If you're referring to two of Harley's parents being literally an alternate self of Harley herself AND an alternate self of Tomo, then that's a whole different set of issues," Fiya countered her.
"You're just blind, Fiya!!" Heliko complained. "You don't know the tropes at all!"
"Who cares about tropes?" Fiya asked. "I'm talking about the problems Tomo's had with jealousy over Atsuya among other things!"
"Eh? What? I didn't notice anything like that at all!" Heliko nearly shouted, shocked and dismayed as she leaned backwards away from Fiya.
"Now who's the blind one, you single minded shipper!" Fiya jabbed with a slight wriggle of amusement. "Too focused on your partner's life to see the whole issue others are having! This is why my partner's always the leader. We reds have to watch an entire team and balance their emotions!"
"Now you're just being mean!" Heliko whined. "Just because Doctor Kae gave me one set of blades doesn't mean I'm single minded!"
"Who said anything about your helicopter blades?" Fiya asked, confused. "I'm pretty sure I didn't..." he paused. "Though I did consider it for a moment, but that just felt way ruder than I had any right being."
"Waaah! So you did think it!" Heliko wobbled side to side, making fake crying noises. "I'm hurt! Shattered and cracked! How dare you toy with a girl's feelings like that, Fiya! Sooooo Insensitive!! Waaah! How uncool!! Burn with shame, you charlataaaan!!"
"Ehhh..." Fiya wilted a bit, even though he recognized her tone wasn't that serious. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive."
"You're forgiven!" Heliko said, suddenly snappying back to cheerful. "Now what're those other issues you were mentioning about with Tomo and Harley??"
"Eh, well, it's how uneasy they are whenever they go near the water," Fiya said. "I'm pretty sure something happened that scared 'em of beaches pretty fierce."
"Oh, that?" Mahha asked, suddenly lowering onto the pile of rocks next to them. "Yes, there's a story behind that."
"Hi Mahha!" Heliko greeted. "What story's that?"
"A few years ago, Lady Harley and Tomo-san teleported to a distant island and Lady Harley broke a leg, leaving her unable to teleport them back. They were stuck for quite some time before being rescued," Mahha explained a bit of backstory that had been touched upon last in Act 7, Epilogue B. "I noticed how uneasy Lady Harley was about all of this the other night and asked about it. Apparently Tomo-san gained a bad habbit of chewing on their hair after the fact."
"Ah, geeze, yeah," Fiya would have grimaced if he had the face for it. "That'd do it, wouldn't it?"
"Now I just feel all cloudy!" Heliko whined. "You might've been right, Fiya! I really am too single minded for my own good!"
"Fiya? What did you say to dear, sweet, precious Heliko?" Mahha asked in that tone of voice he always had, making it hard to tell if he was being super serious, or joking serious.
"Oi oi!" Fiya protested. "I wasn't trying to be mean!"
"Yes you were! You called me an uncute bunny rabbit!" Heliko straight up lied.
"What!? I didn't say anything like that at all!" Fiya protested.
"You did! You totaaaaaaaly did, you uncouth charlatan!!" Heliko teased. "Mahha! Save me from this savage's harsh words! Waah! He called me an uncut diamond!!'
"Mahha! I did not say anything like that!" Fiya defended himself.
"Heliko, please stop teasing him," Mahha sighed. "My comment wasn't meant to be inflammatory."
"Awwwh! You're no fun, Mahha!" Heliko whined.
As that conversation unfolded, the three Kiramei Stones didn't notice as Atsuya and Nepeta both turned their heads to look at each other, and didn't really break eye contact even as their faces both flushed suddenly with color.
Nepeta shuffled slightly across the ground to lean in closer, then leaned her head against his shoulder, breaking eye contact finally. Atsuya smiled slightly before turning back to his sketching.
Harry Anderson Harley-Lalonde gazed at an empty backpack resting in his bedroom closet as he seriously pondered future events.
With Jane Crocker being moved to some secure location and Crocker Corp being disbanded, Earth C was finally about to be opening its doors to the wider galaxy beyond. Uncle Karkat was basically being declared the leader of Earth C now, and that meant... well.
That meant that all the friction of the last two years was starting to be eased back, and really, just in time, too.
There had been people wanting to go out and explore the universe that couldn't due to the basic fact of the matter- that Earth C under Crocker Corp's Money influenced Government had been extremely agressive towards outside governments- and now they could because things were being eased up, and more than that...
There were the monster attacks to consider now. Some people definitely wanted to see it all before it got destroyed by some random monster.
Personally, Harry didn't feel anything regarding that fact. There wasn't any place he wanted to see. There wasn't any one thing he wanted to do...
But Vrissy had heard of a local spaceport opening. A chance for them to sneak out and go see the universe while their parents were all busy with boring government stuff. A chance for them to go maybe find a way to be Rangers.
Tavvy had voted to stay, Vrissy wanted to explore, Sally... had said she'd stick with them whichever choice got made.
And thus, it fell to Harry.
Despite his earlier desires to leave... Harry was undecided, and he was the tie breaker.
And of course, they were thinking about doing all of this without their parent's approval. That was the whole point of sneaking out. Running away. It was what he wanted but here was that damned stage fright kicking up its heels and cooling them atop his shoulders.
They'd sneak out, hitch a ride on a spaceship to the first world with a Stargate or a Linking Book Library, and then... explore. Randomly. Follow where their fates may lead them.
There was no plan beyond that.
Chaos, Freedom, the ability to explore beyond the confines of the tiny little bubble that was Earth C. It hadn't seemed to small and constricting- it was a whole ass PLANET after all- up until two years ago. Two years ago when their bubble had popped and space had expanded to not just a galaxy, but several and then other UNIVERSES ontop of it!
Suddenly their whole ass planet was a tiny speck of potential among a sea of potential adventures...
And now the gates were opening, and that sense- that drive- that teenaged ambition for a gosh darned ROAD TRIP was kicking in.
Earth C was more of the same... but out there? It was adventure, it was new, it was uncertainty.
...It was danger. There was unknowns all about and... well, that wasn't anything new, in all honesty. Earth C had been teetering on constant warfare before the transplanting. Then there'd been that cold war like tension between the local super power and Earth C itself... NOW the Monster attacks.
Danger was everywhere, so what did it matter if they stayed home or went out into the unknown?
And there in lied the crux of the dilemma.
Then there was the little matter that they were all children of the GODS. The Creators of the World and Universe before it'd all been shuffled into this vast unknown.
And then suddenly the Ancient Gods the heroes the protectors the Creators- the...
Harry and Sally's parents, Vrissy's parents, Tavvy's dad...
They'd notice when the four of them went missing. It was only a matter of time before they sent someone to track them down.
How far could they even get? How much TROUBLE would they be in when they inevitably got caught?
There was no way any of their parents would let them become Rangers.
And so Harry sat and gazed at the empty backpack.
It all came down to what he wanted above all else at this point, and Harry was letting his fright make him as indecisive as anything. There wasn't any difference, really. Just two options to contend with...
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decaptchalogued a simple coin from his wallet.
Time to let fate decide for the moment, take the choice out of his hands, and figure out if there was a third option somewhere along the way.
Harry flipped the coin.
"Everyone!" Harley called out suddenly, standing ontop of an overturned cooler. "I've got a strange request, but would you mind hearing me out?" With a pause, she waited for the two teams of Rangers, plus Kanaya and the Mashins, to gather around her, and then she began: "So." She worked her hands. "A few of you know that a few years ago Tomo and I got stuck on an island out thataway a bit." She pointed out towards the ocean. "I broke my leg and it was... Well. A really rough time. But. I wanna blow it up. The island, I mean. Not my leg. Because that'd be stupid."
Madison raised her hand. "Is there anything living on the island?"
"I don't think there are," Harley said. "Tomo, do you remember?"
Tomo shook their head. "I don't really remember seeing even fish in the water around the island. Plus there's always been some weird electromagnetic shit going on there. Which, uh, is part of why it took so long for them to find us back then."
"Right, so, animals are probably scared away from it so it should be fine, i think," Harley said.
"Mmmh..." Madison considered it. "I'll stay out of it just the same, if that's alright."
"It's fine," Harley nodded.
"I'll sit this out as well considering I have no powers or Zords to pilot," Kanaya said.
"Don't worry about it," Rose said, patting her shoulder. "You can sit back and watch the fireworks."
"So, how do you wanna do this, Harley?" Miko asked. "Go in Zords blazin' or Megazords smashin'?"
"Mmm..." Harley considered it. "If you guys are all up for it, I wanna use Megazords!"
"Hell yeah!" Miko pumped her fist into the air. "What do you guys say?"
Atsuya considered it for a moment, then nodded. "It sounds like a good way to work out some old trauma and stress."
Tomo smiled at that. "Nice. I'm in, obviously!"
"Let's smash up that island!" Hector said, punching his right fist into his left hand.
"I'm up for some wonton destruction," Serara grinned, handing Madison her hat back.
"I say Fuck that Island," Nepeta said with a grin. "And fuck it with extreme prejudice!"
"If there's some strange electromagnetic disturbances on it," Fargo said, "it might be worth damaging the island to see what's up with it."
Equius shrugged, "Might as well give the new Mashins a workout while we're at it."
"That's a good idea," Rose nodded.
"Let's do this thing with Tension at MAX!" Fiya exclaimed.
"YEAAAAH!" The other Mashins cried out.
No less than a minute later...
"Everyone ready?" Miko asked, readying her Morpher.
"Ready!" Everyone called out in response.
"MAGICAL SOURCE!" The Mystics yelled. "MYSTIC FORCE!"
_"KIRAMEI GO! KI! RA! MEI!"_ The Kiramagers tapped their morphers, and then called out: "KIRAMEI CHANGE!!"
"MYSTIC TITANS!" The Mystics cast spell circles that transformed them into their Titan Forms. "DRAGON FORMATION!"
The Kiramagers captchalogued their partners and leaped onto the back of the giant dragon as it took flight towards the island in question...
Less than a minute later from Kanaya and Madison's point of view, there was a flash of light as the Mashins grew to full size and transformed- then combined together.
And then, indeed, the fireworks began.
Argo looked up in surprise as a knock came at the Administrator Office's door.
"Yeah, Amelia?" Argo asked upon seeing it was Amelia Banks.
"Long range sensors picked up Zord formations over near the beach on the mainland the Rangers were visiting," Amelia reported.
"Monster attack?" Argo asked, worrying for a moment-
"No," Amelia answered. "It looks like they're just blowing off steam smashing up some island off the coast of the mainland."
"The one with that Harley and Tomo got stuck on a few years ago?" Argo asked.
"Looks like it, yes," Amelia nodded.
Argo sighed in relief. "Well, it's not the strangest Personal Use of powers I can think of, but hopefully they made sure the island was really uninhabited first." They shook their head. "Anyways, thanks for letting me know."
"Any time," Amelia said, bowing out and exiting the room.
"Hold on!" Miko, in her Red Fire Titan form on the back of the Mystic Dragon Zord, called out suddenly.
The fireworks suddenly stopped as both Zords ceased attacking the damned deserted island.
"What is it?" Atsuya asked from Kiramagein.
"The Detect Life spell's picking up something now," Miko answered. "Wasn't getting anything before until we blew the top off of that hill just now."
"How far down is it?" Hector's voice echoed out from somewhere in the Dragon.
"Looks like... a good quarter mile?" Miko's zord shrugged. "Honestly it looks like something was burried here. It's not moving, and it looks like it's pretty well stuck in the rock. We should probably dig it up and get it out of here. It could be stuck there for centuries if we don't do anything!"
"That's a job for me!" Shovellow exclaimed, and Kiramagein marched forwards towards the spot. "Here?"
"Yep!" Miko nodded.
"Alright! It's Digging time!" Shovellow yelled, and then started work diging down into the island.
Gina Kae swore as she grabbed another Zord Design Document hologram and hurled it across the room at the junk'd ideas bin icon.
It made a satisfying de-rezzing sound as it made contact.
"Fucking," Gina huffed. "I can't even... why? Why!? Why is this so damned hard? It's just a Train zord! There should be a way to take it over!"
That's when her KI beeped with an alert chime.
She sighed. "Fine. Break time it is, Universe." She answered her KI. "This is Doctor Kae."
"Doctor Kae? It's, uh, Nepeta," Nepeta spoke, sounding uncertain.
"Yes, Nepeta, what is it?" Gina asked.
"Soooo... we were goofing off on the beach, just, y'know, playing around on a deserted island with the Megazords when, uh..." Nepeta's tone grew a bit desperate. "Well, let's just say we found something you need to take a look at."
Gina sighed. "Alright. I'm on my way."
She got up from her desk and headed out.
A quick Jumper flight over courtesy of John Sheppard, who'd also been called in by Harley, and they arrived at the beach, where the Kiramagers and Mystic Force teams were gathered around a VERY large looking egg marked with the magic rune iconography of the Mystic's standard Spell Circle imagery.
"...You have GOT to be kidding me," Gina swore as she disembarked the Jumper and headed over towards the, well, giant Egg. "Please tell me the rune markings weren't already there?"
"Nothing like the Kiramei Changers, no," Nepeta answered, having headed over to meet them half way. "We saw the markings show up once we got the egg off the island."
"Well, that's good, I guess," John said.
"You're not going to like what Else we found, though," Nepeta said.
"And what's that?" John asked.
"What was Beneath the egg," Nepeta answered, morphing with but a tap and swish of her Kiramei Changer before it could say any of the usual catchphrase lines, and heading over to Heliko, who was separated from Kiramagein- rather, Land Mage at the moment- and was still over on the island proper, standing guard over something. "Follow me."
"I'll come check it out once I've looked over the egg," Gina said.
"I'll go see what's up," John frowned, heading after Nepeta towards Heliko.
They took off, and flew over towards the island, before arriving at what looked to be a giant hole in the ground.
A hole in the ground that stretched on for miles and spiraled downwards, downwards, and downwards more, with glowing tree root like imagery along the sides.
"Oh shit," John swore as he saw it all. "Another one of these things?"
"And the egg was blocking the entrance," Nepeta informed him. "Equius took Jetta down to the bottom to see what's down there."
"It's scarry," Heliko said, sounding so very scared and afraid. "The amount of energy we felt once we pulled the egg out... it made me shivver..."
"And something like this was just hiding out here the entire time?" John swore. "What the hell. As if the other Daedalus and the ionosphere shit wasn't enough already."
That's when their radios buzzed again, and Equius reported, "Everyone, I've reached the bottom. You're never going to believe what's down here."
Equius stood outside of Jetta, gazing at a massive, frozen-in-stone form of what at first appeared to be a statue, but really was something else entirely.
It was a Megazord, knightly looking, but with a helmet that seemed to be themed after a horse's head. It had two wolf heads near the shoulders, sprouting off of the chest. A strange thematic combination for sure.
And worst of all, it was cowering, as if blocking some kind of attack that encased it in stone and fused it to the wall behind it, blocking any access to whatever dimensional portal may or may not have been behind it,
"I think we've half-opened a sealed can, here," Equius swallowed.
The camera footage of the Petrified/Fossilized Megazord find was frozen on screen in the Atlantis Conference room. Along side it was a diagram of a similar Megazord design that Gina Kae had worked on, compatible with the Mystic Force team's Zord designs, but was different in one respect- the Zord Gina had designed while superficially similar in physical appearance was based on a Unicorn, rather than a regular Horse.
"This is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off," Rodney Mckay said, simply, flatly, and pointing out the obvious.
"Agreed," Mallek nodded. "It's showing the same signs of Fossilization that we're seeing on the Weapon the other Jade made."
"Shit," Jade Jackson herself swore, gazing at the screen. "Do we think the other me did this too?"
"I don't think so," Tyzias said, shaking her head. "We've done some basic carbon dating, and this new find seems to tag as about a hundred thousand years older than the weapon fragments."
"So same process, different time," Keiko summarized, glancing at the room isolating forceshields for a moment. Then, she looked to Silver Wing, who was fidgeting nervously in her seat. "Silver? What do we know about this?"
The Rescuer took in a sharp breath, then elaborated, [The tunnel seems identical to the other one in that it was likely grown from below up to the surface. But we're not sure how it was sealed off.]
"Probably the same fossilizing process that stuck the Megazord down there," Rodney guessed. "Look, the way I see it, whatever's in that Egg the kids dug up probably fought that Megazord and sealed it all away. And now that we've Removed the egg? Chances are that thing's going to break free and cause us trouble at some point. The best answer for all of us is to pull anchor, and get Atlantis off of this planet immediately, and leave that thing to rampage on its own when it finally wakes up."
"Good idea, except for the blatant fact that there's probably a whole portal to that interdimensional network in there again," John finally chimed in. "If we leave and that thing wakes up and decides to go through the portal again to who knows where and when, it could cause other people trouble. If we're here, though, we can draw its attention and fight it."
"Better idea," Mallek started, "why don't we just blow the thing up while it's fossilized? That way we don't have to worry about it waking up."
Some argument started then, Rodney and Mallek fighting over their ideas, which Tyzias interupted with a sharp whistle and a "Boys! Please!"
"Is there any sign at all that this thing is going to break free?" Keiko asked.
"Not at all. It's solidly stone all the way through," Tyzias shook her head. "I doubt it'll ever wake up again on its own. Honestly though? I think trying to destroy it might just wake it up anyways."
"Okay, for now, we'll leave it be and hope that it doesn't wake up on its own," Keiko decided. "We'll perform any defossilizing experiments on the weapon offworld and hopefully prevent it from rebounding and waking that thing up."
"But-" Rodney started.
"We can't Leave it to its own devices, Mckay," Keiko said, gazing at him firmly. "We cracked open this sealed can, and we're going to make sure that when it DOES bust open, we're in a position to stop it." She paused. "Besides, if this is some part of a Time Loop, then chances are it'll chase after us no matter where we go. So... We'll stay and fight if that's the case."
"I'd be more comfortable with the Astro-Delta Mark Two being on hand incase it does wake up, though," John said.
"I'll make the call," Keiko nodded.
"My lord, Gilgamesh, might I ask why we haven't just sent a monster to attack the Atlanteans yet?" Enter asked as the opening salvo of his idea for an attack this week. "Surely if we attacked them, and destroyed them in their home, then those pesky Rangers would lose their ability to call for their Zords and we could easily conquer everything!"
"Of course I have," Gilgamesh answered. "It just hasn't arrived yet."
"What do you mean by that?" Enter asked.
"Garuza's appearance... his very existence is owed to the impossible fact that he owns a future instance of one of my Treasures," Gilgamesh said, swirling his wine glass. "I wished to test out the theory that I could control such a power- time travel- by arranging for something to arrive somewhere at a specific time and place. I wish to see when that experiement pays off or not before I authorize further attacks on the Lanteans. And if it does not land where I expected..." He took a sip of his wine glass. "I wish to see what happens when it does land, and where it did land. Such an endeavor should be afforded the time it needs to succeed, don't you agree, Enter?"
"I see..." Enter shook his head, then nodded. "Yes, of course my Lord. Very well thought out. I suppose my next attack for this week will be another random assault on a random world, then?"
"Yes," Gilgamesh nodded. "Keep at it."
Enter gave his barebones plan, and then left Gilgamesh's office, heading out into the world at large, and teleporting away towards a massive tunnel that was being dug into the glassed crater that had once been the town of Catherine, and the Cavern of D'ni.
Gilgamesh was trying to find out if the cavern had really been destroyed or not, and if it hadn't... the technology of a Multi-verse spanning race of people was there to exploit.
Enter, of course, knew the truth. He'd tracked down Catherine ages ago, as well as D'ni itself, housed on the planet Lopan in the Alternia Galaxy. He'd said nothing of the apparent con, however, leaving everything to play out as Gilgamesh wanted.
"What a frustrating thing," Enter mused, demorphing to his 'civilian' form and leaned against a construction zone safety railing. "Time Travel experimenting... I hate it. The plan should be simple enough to execute, really. We send a monster, they smash the city, that's it. But... but but but here we are with My Majesty playing around with powers he doesn't understand just to understand if Garuza is telling the truth or not."
He gazed at the tunnel being carved into the ground, and he started to smirk, his fingers began tapping against the metal.
"But if it didn't land where he expected... where Did it land then? And could I... hasten it's arrival along?" His smirk windened. "I need to investigate the matter further."
He teleported away.
As the sun set over Atlantis, Harley and Tomo leaned against a random balcony's railing, gazing out over the city and the ocean itself, and taking in the refracting orange light off of everything as the sun dipped towards the horizon.
Harley took in a deep breath, and exhaled, slowly, a peaceful expression on her face. "Well, we didn't get to completely blow up the island and wound up finding shit we probably weren't meant to find, buuut..." She looked towards Tomo on her Left, and grinned. "I had a good day."
"Good," Tomo reached their right hand out and lightly squeezed Harley's left hand from the top, smiling back. "Me too."
"Shame we didn't get to go in the water," Harley said, eyeing the swimsuits she and Tomo were still wearing. "But maybe next time we'll get to use these."
Tomo nodded. "Yeah. Maybe next time."
Harley giggled, leaned in and kissed Tomo on the cheek, before whispering, "Wanna stay in, or go down to the Pool before it gets too dark?"
"Y'know, we could've just gone to the city's pool anyways," Tomo said. "Avoided all this beach stuff."
"Yeah, sure, but who doesn't love a good beach episode where things get blown up?" Harley asked.
"I dunno, Garuza, probably?" Tomo offered.
"Hah! He would!" Harley giggled, and nuzzled in against Tomo's neck.
"So..." Tomo started. "Pool time, or just stay in?"
"Mmmh..." Harley considered for a moment. "Pool. For sure."
"Sounds good to me then," Tomo answered, and with that, the two headed off to find the City Pool.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2012.
It was a Friday Morning on Earth C when the third and final piece of the fragmented weapon had been discovered in another Galaxy and taken to the other weapon fragments, stored away somewhere hidden and secretive.
It was that Friday Morning that Jane Crocker's trial began to be televised to all the major news channels on Earth C.
It was that same Friday Morning that a crack formed in the right eye of the petrified, fossilized Megazord, and a crimson light began to pour out from within it.
It was that very same Friday Morning that Atlantis' long range sensors picked up the Mark Two Astro and Delta Megaships exiting a Hyperspace window and moving into a stable orbit.
And it was that same, same, so very same Friday Morning that four kids packed their bags, and stowed away on a spaceship that was leaving Earth C itself.
It was also that same Friday Morning that Nepeta woke up extra early due to a very intimate dream she'd had involving herself and a certain someone else, and would require both a cold shower and a trip to the laundry machine.
But, above all else, it was the same Friday Morning that a Hildon hatched, and Garuza planted a cloud mask onto its face and sent it through a wormhole-portal to Earth C without anybody else being the wiser.
Notes:
So. Yeah. In case you couldn't figure it out, The Ka'turnal/Nirrti who survived the Continuum timeline through an alt-timeline Cassandra Fraiser ended up jumping hosts at some point during the time skip. Alt!Cassie grew too old to keep supporting her partner and, much like Selmak had to choose a new partner, so too did Nirrti/Ka'turnal.
---
The 'Tic Toc' reference is a nod to the webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court.
---
The kids get a breather episode before things get super serious. It's also a breather for us in the middle of this rather plot heavy episode.
---
WOW. Destroying an Island to get one back on the trauma it induced! Who would've thought that seemingly throwaway explanation as to why Tomo chewed on their hair would suddenly introduce a massive plot point like this!Yeah. This chapter is a real fulcrum point of plot movements, that's for sure. It's also pretty much the direct start of setup for this Act's major finale movement. Things are about to get Craaaazyyyyy.... That's for sure. LOL.
Next Chapter:
INTERMISSION: Matters of Heart
...I'll probably put it up Sunday, along with the next Helvetica Standard chapter: Crash Landing
Chapter 19: INTERMISSION: Matters of Heart
Summary:
Nepeta talks with Marsti; The Council observes the Centaurus Wolf Megazord; Some other minor stuff happens.
Notes:
CW:
Implications of Wet Dreams.
Uncomfortable talk about Romance with a Parental figure.
Fear of the Unknown.
Implications of several Parent's Realization that their kids have run away.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2012.
Marsti Houtek frowned as she heard Nepeta grumbling loudly as she stomped through the hallway from her bedroom. She'd gotten up earlier and taken a startling early shower for the day, also completely out of the usual wash-up schedule too.
Marsti stepped into the hallway of their family home, and saw her step-daughter busying herself ensuring her bed sheets fit into the laundry washing machine.
"Sup, Kitten?" Marsti asked.
Nepeta's face went flushed green with embarrassment. "...Had a weird dream. Made a mess. Gotta get cleaned up."
"Ah," Marsti nodded. "The kind of dreams that make you wish you'd been awake to make sure things didn't get too messy, eh?"
"Y...Yeah," Nepeta nodded, and continued shoving down everything into the washer.
"You know that kind of stuff's perfectly natural, right?" Marsti asked. "Fantasizing about things and people, I mean."
"I know that," Nepeta huffed. "But I always thought I was... pretty good about avoiding making a mess, y'know? And then dreams come along and screw you over and it sucks!"
Marsti chuckled. "Yeeeah. I hear ya. Wanna talk about what it was about?"
"...Not really..." Nepeta said, uncertain. "Maybe. I dunno. Just..." She shoved down at the laundry again. "Lemme just get the wash running first?"
"Alright," Marsti nodded, and she waited.
Nepeta shoved things down a bit more before dumping in a cup full of detergent and closing the lid and setting the thing to run for about an hour. A trip to the kitchen for the both of them followed, involving washing of hangs, and getting several cups of water to drink.
"It was about the beach," Nepeta finally said. "Except it was just Atsuya and me. And... Um. Yeah. I... think I might have a bit of a flush crush on him?"
Marsti nodded. "I figured as much."
"Buh-what?!" Nepeta gazed at her, shocked. "But Momma, that's-! How!?"
"It doesn't take much," Marsti answered. "But honestly, you talk about him a lot these days. More so than your other friends, some days, it seems like."
Nepeta's cheeks went olive green with embarrassment. "I... was that obvious?"
"Just a bit," Marsti gave a small smile, and held up her right hand, index and thumb about half an inch apart. "But, honestly, the way you seemed happy that little Purple Mashin- Carry wasn't it?- kept calling you and him her parents was the biggest giveaway. I'm pretty sure someone's imagination got a little carried away when you gave her that Truck form."
Nepeta groaned in embarrassment, hanging her head backwards. "Dang it! I totally did daydream a little back then. Bluhhh!"
Marsti gave her an apologetic smile, and reached a hand out to pat her shoulder. "It's okay. It's all uncharted territory here."
Nepeta took the invitation to move in for a hug- burying her face into Marsti's shoulder as she was hugged back.
"What do I do?" Nepeta asked, quiet. "Harley and Tomo are having so much trouble some days just being on their own... I'm scared. I don't want things to get tense between everyone and I don't wanna ruin things if Atsuya and I did..." She sniffed. "...Did start dating and broke up. What if it went wrong and our team balance went out the window? I don't... Know what to do." She sounded close to crying.
Marsti gave a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay to take your time and figure it out. It's all a matter of the heart, Kitten."
Nepeta just nodded, not saying anything and instead just held into the hug, wishing desperately for an answer to her question to just show itself.
As the two of them sat there, Okurii came walking into the kitchen, yawning tiredly as she began her morning wake-up routine- and pausing suddenly as she saw her wife and daughter hugging it out.
She didn't say anything, but looked to Marsti, who gave a smile- not quite sure what to say about the situation either.
And that was okay. They'd help their daughter work through it together, in their own ways.
Not every relationship was built in a day, after all.
[My heart trembles in fear,] Touches-The-Sky said, gazing at the megazord frozen in stone.
[Agreed,] Crazz grouched. [This thing does not belong here, and it knows it. That crack over the eye... it's starting to try and break free.]
[Now that the crack is there, it has a vibe of coming from a far off branch of the Tree,] Touches-The-Sky continued, gazing at the robot. [I couldn't sense any kind of familiar resonance save for the stone that encases it before. Now that it's forcing itself free...]
[The portal behind it is still intact, for sure,] Silver Wing said, motioning at the wall. [I can feel the warp space there now, just the same as I felt it in the other Temple.]
[Which means that this thing probably was blocking the way from those people settling on this world instead,] Crazz deduced. [Lovely. Could've avoided SO many issues if this damned thing weren't here.]
[We'll have to figure out what to do next from afar,] Silver Wing shuddered. [Even being near this thing makes me afraid it will bust free at any moment.]
There was no argument from the other two, just surveying the damage that had appeared on its face made them uncertain and wary. Their wings spread, and the three of them launched towards the surface.
[What of the egg?] Touches-The-Sky asked once they broke free of the tunnel into the airspace above.
[It's shown no signs of changes,] Silver Wing said, [but we can go check it out if you'd like.]
[I would,] Touches-The-Sky nodded.
They linked off, Crazz hovering over the pit in the island for several moments longer before muttering, [What an unlucky find. How many more of these tunnels exist in Pegasus, let alone in the wider expanse of this Universe?] And then, he linked away as well, appearing just behind the other two inside one of the Atlantis Zord Bays- the Kiramager's, he believed, given that the Zords themselves were always out with their partners these days- where the giant egg was being scanned by giant scanners- the magic runes on its surface pulsing with light as energy washed over it.
[And then there's this thing,] Crazz grouched. [A Giant Egg. This thing's just begging for something disastrous to hatch from it.]
[Yes, but it doesn't seem to be advancing in its state any either,] Silver Wing said. [It's as inert as it has been since it was removed.]
[A shame,] Touches-The-Sky sighed. [I do hope it does hatches some day. It's sure to be an amazingly majestic creature! Perhaps a dragon! Wouldn't a dragon be wonderful?]
Crazz and Silver Wing both looked at her, shocked, then, cautiously, Silver Wing answered, [Ah... maybe as long as it's a friendly dragon and not one that wants to eat us after.]
[Personally, if it was anything friendly, I'd rather it just be as small and unassuming as possible,] Crazz griped. [The giant egg's a fake out. What's really inside so so tiny it'll be useless.]
[Oh stop being so grouchy, Crazz!] Touches-The-Sky whined. [Can't you just imagine how Majestic a giant dragon would be?]
[I can, and it terrifies me to my core,] Crazz answered. [So no. I'd rather it not be a dragon. Give me, I dunno, a Turkey or something!]
[Don't eat it!] Touches-The-Sky demanded.
[Why would I want to eat it?] Crazz countered.
Silver Wing sighed as those two started arguing. 'Well,' she thought to herself, 'At least Touches-The-Sky has gotten more comfortable at being an ambassador.'
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2012.
Saturday Morning dawned on Earth C with a panic as three sets of parents finally checked in with each other and found out, no, their kids had NOT spent the night at someone else's house as they'd all claimed.
They'd been utterly tricked, and the worst thing of all was that they had no idea where those four kids had gotten to. That said, they had an easy guess. Given that space ships had started to be allowed out into the Galaxy as a whole... well. It was fairly obvious what the most recent change in the world as it was that could have prompted four teenaged kids to run away would be.
And just where exactly were those teenagers at this point?
The planet Cla'dia, exiting one of the planet's many vibrant spaceports, and already charting their course away from there towards the planet's Stargate thanks to a map they'd found on the Intergalactic Internet.
They had no way of knowing just what trouble they'd evaded until they saw a news report later that afternoon- a Monster Attack out of sequence of the others on Earth C.
Notes:
I'm probably going to regret putting this up so late at night but I literally can't focus on any one task and sleep seems impossible sooooo. YEAH. ODD HOURS OF THE NIGHT UPLOAD LETS GO.
Chapter 20: HS: Crash Landing
Summary:
Nearing the end of the Epilogue Candy Timeline with one last major butterfly.
Notes:
CW: Homestuck Epilogues: Candy Timeline
Depiction of impalement by golden cherub tooth.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The Cerulean Spider stood next to the Blue Rabbit as she typed into his cellphone.
"So, Terezi," She narrated, "the thing I really want to say is that I love you and I'd like to see you again!" She hit send, and sighed.
"Now to wait for her reply," The Blue Rabbit said with a nod. "Though, given the time difference, it might be a while."
"Of course it'll be a while," The Cerulean Spider said, eyeing her much taller friend. "It's not like she'd be dumb enough to fall into the black hole like I did."
And then, a tear in space time tore open above them- and through it fell a giant space satellite that crashed into the ground.
Both of them flinched, and then hurried to the crash site, where, surprisingly, they found the Teal Dragon Terezi, as well as a slightly younger version of the Blue Rabbit who had a giant golden tooth sticking out of his chest.
"I stand corrected," The Cerulean Spider said, flatly, then ran over to check on them. "HEY! HEY! Are you two alright!?"
"Vriska! Oh my Gog!" Terezi cried out. "I'm so glad to see you and I have no idea what happened but first we gotta get John to a hospital! Fast!!"
The Blue Rabbit looked at his other self, and swallowed down a feeling of dread. "Hahah... What the hell, universe?"
Then, he ran over to help them too, going so far as to even decaptchalogue his own car to drive them to the nearest hospital.
As those four were busy with that task that they never noticed the ghost of a pink heiress swiping a golden ring, donning it, and becoming solid and alive once again.
By the time she got a firm grasp of where she was and what was going on... those four had already driven off, leaving the pink heiress to put her hands on her hips and pout, "And just what am I, clam chowder? Couldn't even offer me a ride, could they!? Hrmf!" She turned her nose up towards the sky and started marching off in a random direction.
About five minutes later, the Purple Clown wandered by without an idea where he was going, saw the burning satellite from the Furthest Ring, and mumbled something about Miracles before continue on his aimless wandering.
Notes:
Let's see now, just as a refresher for anyone who doesn't remember what happened:
Paradox Space existed as it used to, with things happening in orders of "who cares, it's all falling apart" - cue a sudden interruption of a Hope Blast from Mordred and Damara's fight with Alt!Callie to lance out and blast English BEFORE he could bite down on John Egbert. This John escaped and watched as that version of English got sent flying into the black hole.
At the same time, there existed a John Egbert who *already* had been bitten, and was in the process of chatting with Meenah on the Server when this happened. Meanwhile, there was a Terezi flying around the Furthest Ring who SUDDENLY found herself tangled up with ANOTHER Terezi who had appeared in the jetpack with her! They fought, one was ejected, and she and the non bitten John watched as that other Terezi crashed into the Server, knocking her, it, Meenah, and the impaled John into the Black Hole, who all arrived HERE! IN this chapter. Just Now. Technically two years in the past from the current events of the timeline we've been following so far.
That John And Terezi who saw it all then went to head back to the Meat Timeline, got waylaid by the UNENDING, where they helped fight against THE END, which turned out to be the primal essence of AltCallie after she'd been killed by Mordred and Damara, and got reset back into an egg containing the copy of English's soul that she'd consumed after he'd been knocked through the black hole BY that earlier Hope Blast. They went back in time, hatched, got caught up in the whole plan of Damara to fish the Callie Soul Essence out of the teen Caliborn, and then fill the gap with copies of LE's soul from other dimensions as part of her cleanup plan that drew Alt!Callie's attention towards her in the first place.
(Callie went on to become Callie Ohphee through reincarnation) Caliborn then Grew up to be Lord English again, hired/cursed a younger Damara, and then got stuffed into a Black Hole via Supergate Shenanigans. Damara then went on her clean up plan, reaching through the fabric of reality to grab LE Souls to stuff into Teen Caliborn, which drew Alt!Callie's attention, they fought in the void there, and at one point Mordred launched a sword strike through a tear in reality that contained a HOPE BLAST that smashed into Lord English in the first place, setting all of this in motion.
Oh, and then that John and Terezi, after escaping the Unending, went to another world, that John became Joan Watson, and she and Terezi made a TV show about Stargate Alternia on Earth C's Meat and Candy timelines and then did some crazy retcon stuff that reset Ult!Dirk into a teen. Who knows what else they did after THAT.
...Did I cover everything? I think so. Probably. Maybe not.
---
Next Chapter is indeed MSK: 01X06: Memories are stored in the Cloud, and me without my Heliko. (Snap! Snap! Snap!)
Chapter 21: MSK: 01X06: Memories are stored in the Cloud, and me without my Heliko. (Snap! Snap! Snap!)
Summary:
Heliko should know better than to taunt Murphy's Law.
Notes:
SO many apologies for the late upload. I forgot to post this last night and slept in this morning -_-;;;
CW:
Kidnapping.
Energy Vampirism.
Implications of Mind Control.
Depiction of Abusive Relationship.
A brief experience with vertigo.
A large amount of picture Linking, but only one real embed this chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2012.
Saturday Morning dawned on Diaspora with the sound of a Kiramei Changer sounding off in alarm. Nepeta groaned, glaring at it, then rolled over in bed, reached a hand out, and grabbed the hand of the Sub-in doll that Heliko herself had been snoozing on until the alarm sound ran out.
There was a flash of light through the bedroom, and Heliko yelped as she flopped onto the floor. "Nepeta-chaaaan..." She whined. "Why do I gotta answer it?"
Nepeta's answer was to pull the sheets over her head and try to hide away from the world with a protesting cry of- "It's Saturday and too early for this!"
"Fiiineee!" Heliko huffed, climped to her borrowed feet and dusted herself off- she was wearing Nepeta's usual sleepwear of a pair of shorts and a light t-shirt- easy enough to put on the team uniform on over if she needed to pretend to be Nepeta that day.
She slipped around to the other side of the bed for the dresser that the Kiramei Changer was still sitting on, beeping away in alarm, picked it up, and spun the wheel to silence it. Heliko watched as a hologram then projected, showing a simple Amber Alert message- four teens from Earth C had gone missing, suspected to be run-aways, and their parents were...
"Oh come on," Heliko hissed.
Their parents were Earth C's versions of Rose and Kanaya (the old ones), Roxy and Jade (What the--?), and just Jake English, no mother listed, and all five of them were very hopeful for the kids quick and speedy return.
Heliko sighed, figuring that Nepeta was probably right in letting her answer it for now, and decided...
'Ah, screw it. What's the harm in letting her sleep in?' Heliko decided. 'Most of the monster attacks have been on Sundays and Mondays anyways, haven't they? S'not like Garuza's suddenly going to send a monster to attack on Saturday of all things!'
Heliko decided she was going to go for a walk, and so she threw on the Kiramager team uniform and slipped out of the bedroom, leaving her partner to sleep in soundly.
In the remains of the SGC...
"So, the tiny Jamenju is hidden away on Earth C," Kurantula said, walking around Garuza, "and it's ready for us to send the Jamenshi through to feed it. So, shall we send it now or wait for the usual time?"
Garuza decided, "It will be easily destroyed if we wait any longer, regardless of where it's hiding."
Kurantula grinned. "Then we'll start the attack now..."
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!
"Sparkling, Shining, Glimmering with Kiramental-
"This is the proof of a Warrior who can change the future!
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!"
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
Heliko-as-Nepeta smiled and waved at some younger children as they walked with their parents through the Diasporan market place.
'I wonder if I should get some snacks to bring back for Nepeta to munch on when she wakes up,' Heliko mused as she walked around town. Then, the Kiramei changer beeped with another alarm. "eep!" she ducked into a corner. "Not now, not now...!" She spun the wheel to read the alert. "...Jamenshi attack on Earth C? Dang it!"
It took her a quick calculation to figure out that it'd take far too long to run back home, wake Nepeta up enough for her to be ready to fight and THEN get to the Beltus and down to Earth C... Versus... Well....
"Well..." she glanced over at the Stargate plaza not several yards away from her. "I think I can get away with filling in for Nepeta-chan while she naps." Heliko smiled, and then ran for the Stargate.
Civilians going about their mornings on Earth C screamed in terror as they ran away from the Jamenshi of the day- a transformed Bechat who wore the 'mask' of a digital camera over his head.
"Those faces of Fear! I Like!" Dejikamura Jamenshi squealed, chasing after them. "Good! Good! Good! A Thousand Likes! Everyone's so Instant-star! Super Stars!!"
The civilians ran past the Kiramagers as they ran into the area, pausing as they took in the monster.
"A Digital Camera?" Harley asked, surprised. "Geeze, what a creepy hobby, taking pictures of people running away!"
"Non non non!" Dejikamura waved the notion away as he heard Harley's observation. "Not a hobby!" He then turned and lined up a shot of someone cowering in fear. "Alright And POSE!" He called out before pressing the button atop his head.
CHACLICK!
And the poor person faded away, as if never even there.
"They disappeared!" Tomo gasped. "Where did you put them!?" They turned on the monster.
"Right here!" And then Dejikamura spun around to show them the digital screen on the back of his head, showing the person he just captured on it.
"In the camera??" Equius stared on.
"I'll keep collecting people like this!" The Jamenshi declared.
"No you won't!" Atsuya declared. "Everyone, let's go!"
Heliko-as-Nepeta hesitated only a second behind everyone else as they raised their morphers and tapped them.
_"KIRAMEi GO!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!" The team didn't even wait for the Ki-ra-mei chant before activating their changers.
Their suits and helmets appeared in a flash, and they gave the turncated roll call.
"Arriving in a Flash! Dispatching evil with a Blast! Mashin Sentai!"
The five of them struck their pre-rehearsed poses.
"KIRAMAGER!"
"Bechats, Come Ooooonn!" Dejikamura cried out, summoning the mooks to the scene of the crime. "Smile and Say Cheese!!"
The Bechats ran at the Kiramagers- and the fighting began.
Marsti looked up in surprise from her book as Nepeta groggily walked into the kitchen. "Nepeta!? You're still here?"
"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?" Nepeta asked, frowning.
"We just need to avoid getting shot by his camera!" Harley deduced as they fought against the Bechats.
"Understood," Equius nodded to her, and they ran forwards towards the Jamenshi- preparing to get behind the paparazi like vouyer, and they did so with ease, readying their swords and preparing to slash down at him from behind---
When his head suddenly swiveled around entirely like an owl's to face them in reverse.
"Surprise Photo!" He cried out before tapping the button on his head.
"My Manager won't approve!" Was all Equius managed to spout out before he and Harley faded from sight- the only trace of them remaining on the Camera's screen before Dejikamura carefully spun back around to face the Kiramagers, scoffing, and remarking:
"Who cares about your stupid Manager?"
He didn't get far from that point- Because Heliko-as-Nepeta-as-Kiramei-Pink came at him with a savage series of punches and kicks- "I'LL SPANK YOU!" She yelled. "GIVE THEM BACK!"
"HAH! WHAT!?" Dejikamura cried out, surprised as she evaded under his attempts to grapple, and then--
"AND SPIN!" Heliko yelled, slapping Dejikamura's face so hard his camera head spun around wildly like a camera on a tripod without screw grips.
He quickly threw his hands up to catch his head, and when he did, he had a Kiramei Shot pointed right in his camera eye.
"Return Harley-chan and Equius-kun Right Now!" Heliko demanded.
Then, there was a crack of thunder, and a familiar roar of a train whistle.
Jouki came roaring in from behind the Kiramagers then- and Atsuya saw it coming, despite being held up by a Bechat.
"Nepeta! Look out!" He cried out.
Heliko looked back and saw Jouki heading right for her and Dejikamura and with no time to think or react, tried to throw herself away- she almost managed it too, but clipped her foot against one of Jouki's train tracks, and she went tumbling, demorphing in a flash as she hit the ground.
Garuza had exited Jouki as it continued to exit off screen stage left, and now he stood next to Dejikamura, casually remarking, "Oh, did I hit something?" as he glanced down at Heliko, groaning from where she was lying and trying to get back up to her feet.
"Garuza!!" Atsuya growled- slashing at a bunch of Bechats that refused to go down.
"Bastard!" Tomo shouted, blasting a Bechat in the face.
"Dejikamura Jamenshi," Garuza turned towards the Jamenshi.
"Yes!"
"Take pictures of the rest too, while they're distracted," Garuza ordered.
"i- I'm sorry Lord Garuza! But I can't!" Dejikamura quickly began apologizing. "That hit the pink one gave me knocked my wifi out! I can't upload wirelessly right now! For now I have to retreat and fix it!" He bowed quickly.
"Hm, so be it," Garuza turned to the Kiramagers. "Consider yourselves lucky!"
And then Heliko grabbed Garuza by the leg.
He looked down.
Heliko glared up at him. "Give Everyone Back!!"
"If you want to see them that badly-" Garuza reached down and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her into the air. "I'll take you to them!"
And then Jouki blew by again, and he and Dejikamura leaped onboard- taking Heliko with them as Jouki continued off into a teleportation portal.
"Nepeta!" Atsuya cried out, not sure what to do with this turn of events.
"No! They took her too!" Tomo started- angry and snarling and-
"Oh no! This isn't good!"
Atsuya and Tomo stopped, and then turned around, finding Nepeta herself standing there, looking like she'd just run here all the way from home, through the Stargate to the Beltus and got beamed down as everything was just wrapping up.
Because that was exactly what just happened.
"...Nepeta...?" Atsuya demorphed, "But... if you're here, then who...?"
"It was Heliko!" Tomo shouted, demorphing as well. "You swapped places again, didn't you!?"
"I just wanted to sleep in," Nepeta answered, gazing up at the sky, looking horrified. "I didn't think a Jamenshi would attack...!"
"Kiramei Change!" Harley swiped at her Morpher, to no avail. "KI RA MEI CHAAANGEEE!" She tried it again. "MRraahhh! It's no use! I can't Morph." She kept tapping at the device's various buttons, to no avail. "I can't even call! Or access my Sylladex! Mahha's stuck inside and I can't get him out!"
"Jetta too," Equius frowned as he paced around the large, meaty room filled with smoke they were in.
It felt like a sauna, honestly, or maybe a fleshy oven. Most of the civilians who had been captured already were barely conscious, clinging to the walls and floor.
"Where the heck are we, anyways?" Harley asked.
"I think our energy's being drained here," Equius said, sweating profusely. "We need to figure out a way to escape, and quickly."
Onboard the Beltus, in the Kiramager's lounge, Tomo, and Atsuya considered their options of what they could do.
"We need to figure out how to find them, and fast," Atsuya said.
"I know," Tomo ran a hand through their hair, wings flaring angrily. "But we've got another problem."
They motioned to Nepeta, sitting down with Carry, Rolland, and Lifton, and trying to clearly distract herself- or keep the young Mashins distracted- from the current situation.
Atsuya sighed, and pulled Tomo aside, out of Nepeta's hearing range.
"Alright, you're upset. What about?" he asked.
"They've really abused the Sub-in a lot lately," Tomo huffed. "And now we've lost Harley, Equius, Mahha, Jetta, AND Heliko, all because of that!"
"It's not really Nepeta's fault here," Atsuya started.
"Isn't it?" Tomo asked, frowning. "How many times over the last few weeks has Heliko subbed in for Nepeta during Class? Or during training? And especially since the Beach I think today's the first day I've actually SEEN Nepeta in person! Have you!?"
Atsuya winced, "Ah, a few times, I have. But-"
"But nothing!" Tomo ran both of their hands through their hair, smooshing their ears back in a way that was nodoubt mildly painful given how quickly they released them. "It feels like she's trying to avoid her responsibilities whenever she's got to face something she doesn't want to figure out!"
"Maybe she is," Atsuya said, "but this time it's really not her fault, Tomo."
Tomo took a few large huffs of breath. "I know." they groaned. "Damn it, I Know That, Atsuya! Damn it Damn It!" They took a few more breaths, and then seemed to calm down. "She slept in and Heliko went and took her place because she wanted to do it and made that decision without telling any of us, let alone Nepeta. I can't... I can't be mad at Nepeta because this isn't her fault. It's Not even really Heliko's. She fought as well as any of us could."
"Maybe a bit better," Atsuya said. "She did land enough damage to make that Monster's Wifi break down."
Tomo frowned. "Wifi... Why would the monster complain about its Wifi breaking down?"
"Hm?" Atsuya asked. "I don't exactly get it, but it does seem weird, doesn't it?"
"I think I'm having an Eurekaing moment," Tomo suddenly had an idea, "I'll be back! I need to get as many subspace beacons as I can get my hands on!" And with that, they left, leaving Atsuya and Nepeta alone in the lounge room.
"So..." Atsuya started, sitting down next to her. "How're you doing?"
"Worrying over Heliko," Nepeta answered. "If I hadn't been so lazy this morning and ignored that damned alert from earlier, I might've been up when the Monster attack alert came in and..." She shook her head. "I know she made the choice on her own to go, but... it should have been me, right?"
"We all make mistakes," Atsuya started. "Or we do things we think are mistakes later. But... when that happens, we have to have the determination to fix them, right?"
Nepeta considered it, then nodded. "Right. I'll have to be there, waiting for when we can find them and get everyone out of where-ever they're being held. That's the only way I can fix this."
Atsuya grabbed Nepeta's hands and gave them a squeeze. "We'll figure this out together, alright?"
She nodded again. "Right! Together!"
Then, after a few moments of pause- they both blushed, and Nepeta quickly pulled her hands back, and changed the subject.
"B-Besides! If Heliko's with the others, then she's sure to figure out some way to get everyone out of there too, right? I shouldn't be so worried about her! She can take care of herself, right?"
Heliko struggled against the rope bindings holding her hostage on the floor of Jouki's cockpit as Garuza worked on the inside of Dejikamura's Camera head. She had a bandana tied around and stuffed into her mouth to keep her from talking. As for her Kiramei Changer, it lay haphazardly around one of the control sticks for Jouki's driving wheel.
"What a frustrating piece of damage," Garuza remarked. "This is why I dislike technology. Too fragile."
"Oi oi!" Dejikamura cried out. "That's not nice!"
"Be quiet, Jamen, or I'll rip out your mouth speaker!" Garuza warned.
"Eep!" The monster went silent, and Heliko glared at Garuza, who ignored her gaze.
'Damn it,' Heliko thought to herself, 'this is no good! No good at all! What do I do!? What do I do!?'
Her only response was a quiet, echoing thought inside her head that was not her own:
[Hello? Is someone there?]
Heliko froze.
'...It can't be...' She looked around, and then directed her thoughts outward. [Jouki? Is that you?]
[...Someone is there,] there was a sparkle of hope. [A Kiramei stone? Hello? Who's there? I can't see you!]
[It's me, Heliko!] Heliko started. [Um. The Pink one! The Helicopter! Except, um, I'm sorta pretending to be my partner, Nepeta-chan?]
[Heli...ko? Kiramei Pink's Partner?] Jouki's voice rumbled slightly. [Oh. I'm sorry. I see you now... I didn't mean to hurt you last time, or this time, either.]
Heliko wanted to sigh in relief, but Garuza was eyeing her for how she'd stopped struggling, and so she shouted a mumbled "Go Away You Creep!" at him.
Garuza scoffed, and continued working away at the inside of Dejikamura's head.
[It's okay,] Heliko said. [We know Garuza's been using you. He's probably been using that dark power of his over you, too!]
[It's... not been pleasant,] Jouki said. [I feel so used. I feel... I feel...]
[It's okay, I know what you mean,] Heliko said. [What you're going through isn't okay, but you don't have to struggle to find the words. We know! We've been so worried for you!]
[That's... that's the nicest thing I've ever heard,] Jouki said, genuinely sounding on the verge of tears. [I'm just surprised you're alive still. It's been so long. Crystalia fell. After... after Esprez shattered I- I didn't know if any of you survived! And then I was- And Garuza--]
[We got flung through time!] Heliko answered. [We had no idea where you were during that time! Oh! Jouki! We've got to get you out of this mess!]
[If Esprez was here...] Jouki sniffed. [She could get me out of Garuza's control. But as it is... I'm stuck.]
[We'll figure something out, Jouki,] Heliko said, restarting her efforts to break out of the ropes. [I know we will!]
Garuza then closed the back of Dejikamura's head. "There. I fixed it."
"Oh! Great! I've got my wifi back!" the Jamenshi said. "Should I test it on the girl?"
Garuza looked at Heliko, and then shrugged. "Might as well!"
Heliko froze. The time for stalling was over.
[Jouki, I'm sorry, but I gotta go!]
[Good luck, Heliko!]
Heliko put on a burst of absurdly non-Alternian strength- thanks to the Sub-in, and tore the ropes then as Dejikamura was starting to aim at her.
"What the-!?" Garuza exclaimed.
Heliko leaped for the Kiramei Changer before the Jamenshi or Garuza could react, pulling at Jouki's controls in the process, causing the entire Mashin to tilt dangerously to one side. As everyone tumbled for the far wall, Heliko spat out the gag- "Kiramei Change!" -and activated the morpher as she slipped it onto her wrist and struck it across Dejikamura's chest as the nearest available surface.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_ The Morpher cried out as she transformed--
And then- [I'll help!] Jouki forcibly ejected the three of them out of their cockpit and out into the air over the city below.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Someone screamed, and Heliko figured it was probably her.
And then the three of them landed with a THUD atop the Jamenju's masked head.
Heliko wobbled as she tried to get her balance back, watching as Jouki circled around in the air above them.
She looked down, and actually felt a mild bit of vertigo because she usually only saw this view in her Helicopter Form and OH, WOW, did Heliko happen to have a fear of heights when using the Sub-in because that was an insane amount of height right there--
"POSEEE!" And then she berated herself for being distracted because Dejikamura took a her momentary distraction to snap her picture.
A moment of disorientation later, and Heliko found herself in the belly of the beast, literally.
She could SENSE the Jamenju around her, trying to suck away her own energies... but it wasn't working. The Sub-in was protecting her, to some degree.
She'd demorphed, too, but she was inside the Jamenju. And there- "Harley-chan! Equius-kun!" She ran over to check on the two Kiramagers, lying half conscious on the floor. "Are you okay!?"
"Could be better," Harley answered.
"I'm utterly drained," Equius grumbled.
"Don't worry!" Heliko said. "I can get us out of here!" She paused, and then quickly did a headcount.
...Just how was she going to pull this off exactly without everyone going splat?
Onboard the Beltus, Tomo was busy strapping Subspace transmitters to their arms and legs when when alarms sounded.
"Kiramagers," Zebede's voice came through the ship's intercoms, "The Jamenshi is back in the same sector it was in before. Ready yourselves, and Prepare for Transport."
Tomo flashed a grin. "Perfect!"
The Jamenshi was chasing people in the park this time. "Time to take your beauty shots, people!" Dejikamura declared. "Show me your faces twisted in fear!"
Atsuya and Tomo, morphed, ran up towards a hiding spot with Nepeta, unmorphed, at their side.
"Alright, are we clear on the plan?" Tomo asked.
"Got it," Atsuya nodded. "You get snapped and we track your location to where everyone's hidden."
"Then we'll attack when we figure out where it is!" Nepeta nods.
"Alright then," Tomo said, extending a fist out. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck!" Nepeta said, meeting that fist with her own.
"Good luck," Atsuya said, doing the same.
And with that, Tomo emerged from cover, and ran out into the open.
"Hey! Paparazi!" Tomo called out.
Dejikamura turned. "Hm??"
"Check me out!" Tomo started striking poses. "I'm totally Magazine Cover worthy!"
"Ooooh! I like!" The Jamenshi cried out.
"More like twenty thousand likes!" Tomo countered.
"Alright! Pose!!" Dejikamura snaped Tomo's picture, leaving them to vanish after.
"Tracking!" Atsuya said, looking to his Morpher, which was rapidly zeroing in on the absurd multitude of subspace trackers Tomo had on them beneath the suit and...!
Tomo arrived inside the Jamenju's belly, and Heliko looked up in surprise from where she was helping check on the other Kiramagers.
"Tomo-san!" She cried out.
"Heliko!" Tomo ran over to help. "Are you alright?"
"I am," Heliko nodded, "But Harley-chan and Equius-kun aren't doing so well...!"
"Don't worry about that, we've got a plan!" Tomo said. "The others'll be here any minute to break us out!"
"But-" Heliko started.
"KIRAMEI VISION!" Atsuya activated his Morpher helmet and followed the tracking signal upwards upwards, upwards....
And then it zeroed in on the Cloud Hildon Jamenju hiding away far up in the sky above the city.
The helmet's vision enhanced through the Jamenju's eye into the inside of its belly- rather, inside its own danged head, where the others were inside.
"Oh You've GOT to be KIDDING ME!" Atsuya shouted.
"You figured it out too late!" Dejikamura taunted. "The people up there are having their energy sapped! Thanks to them, Cloud Hildon is complete!"
Atsuya and Nepeta glared fiercely at the monster as he laughed.
"Even if you know where they are now, getting to them is impossible! It's so hopeless that-" Dejikamura stopped. "Wait."
He looked at Nepeta, and then pointed at her and shouted in shock:
"HOW THE HECK DID YOU GET OUT!? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
"We're in the sky!?!" Tomo asked, shocked. "But- but! You're here and Jetta's inside Equius' Sylladex so...!"
"I have an idea," Heliko said. "I wasn't sure if I could pull it off on my own, but...!" She took off Nepeta's changer and handed it to Tomo. "With you here I think I've got an idea of how it'll work!"
"What!?" Tomo asked, and then got completely shocked when Heliko took off the Pink shoulder cloak and threw it in ther face.
"Keep an eye on the clothes for Nepeta, alright?" Heliko asked.
"Wait- What the heck, Heliko!? Now's not the time for stripping!" Tomo protested.
"It is if you don't want these clothes getting shredded when I grow big!" Heliko protested, undoing the jacket and throwing it off just the same.
"Impossible?" Nepeta asked, taking a step forwards out infront of Atsuya. "Hopeless? Quit being so emotional and logic it out with your own determination!"
"Th- Th- Th-" Dejikamura then shouted- "CAMERA DOUBLE!?"
"CLOSE ENOUGH!!" Nepeta shouted, rushing forwards.
"KIRAMEI SHOT!" Atsuya fired around her- keeping the Jamenju from reaching up and hitting his camera button.
"HIIIYAAH!" Nepeta punched forwards.
"Ready, Tomo-san?!" Heliko asked, once again in her gemstone form, held tightly in Tomo's hand.
"As ready as I'll be, Heliko!" Tomo nodded, rearing back, and then throwing Heliko forwards at the Jamenju's eye-wall at speeds that would make any professional Baseball player gasp in shock.
"LAUNCHIIIIIIIING!" Heliko yelled.
Simultaneously, Nepeta's fist smashed into Dejikamura's camera eye, and up in the heavens above, Heliko burst forth from the Jamenju's mask- and TRANSFORMED in the process.
"MASHIN!" Heliko shifted into Helicopter form, and opened her emergency loading hatch, even as the Jamenju's internal pressure vented outwards, jettisoning its precious fuel- the people trapped inside- into the air outside like it was a sneeze, where Heliko was able to catch them with ease.
Dejikamura went tumbling backwards away from Nepeta, sparking and rolling to a halt- groaning.
"But... But... Who are you!?" He asked.
"I'm the one and only DEFT INCREDIBLE!" Nepeta struck her usual poses. "KIRAMEI PINK!"
"Look out!" And then Atsuya grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away, because gravity had taken hold.
"Wait, what?!" Dejikamura asked, reaching after them. "Where are you going!?"
Then, he noticed the shadow, and he looked up. His hands went to the side of his head in shock- "NO!! CLOUD HILDON!"
Then, he realized exactly where he was standing.
"Wait, what?" He watched as indeed that Hildon grew biger and biger and biger, but it wasn't just any imagination of his.
"THIS ISN'T MY KODAK MOMENT!!" He tried to run away, but it was too late.
Cloud Hildon landed on him and destroyed him in the impact.
Heliko droped off her passengers as Atsuya and Nepeta ran up to them. The civilians quickly began running away, leaving just the Kiramagers.
"Everyone! Are you okay?!" Atsuya asked.
"We're fine, now that we're out of there," Tomo answered, and then, looking to Nepeta, "Here." They offered out the morpher and clothes. "Heliko said to give these back."
"Thanks," Nepeta quickly grabbed the cloak and jacket and morpher and changed in an instant off screen. "Now, let's do the usual thing!"
The four unmorphed Kiramagers stood in a line infront of the still morphed Atsuya, and tapped their Morphers.
_"KIRAMEI GO!!"_
They didn't even wait for the KI RA MEI again, and cried out: "KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
The flashes of lights finished overtaking them right as Cloud Hildon got up onto its tentacle-y feet.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
With a tap of their morphers, the Mashins were released, growing to full size.
"Everyone!" Fiya yelled, "Let's make up double time for our lack of earlier appearances!"
"Let's use Sky Mage and Land Mage," Atsuya called out.
"Right!" The Kiramagers agreed, and boarded their partners.
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_
"READY! LAND MAGE!"
_"LAND MAGE!"_
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_
"READY! SKY MAGE!"
_"SKY MAGE!"_
Watching the transformations unfold in their base back on Earth, Kurantula and Garuza stared on, confounded and annoyed- not in that order.
"AAARGH!" Kurantula yelled, stomping his feet.
"But who did we capture then?" Garuza asked.
"Spinning Attack!" Nepeta spun the wheel of her controls fast, and Sky Mage grabed onto the Hildon's tentacles, spinning around and around on an axis, pulling the Hildon with it, and disorienting it.
"Wurgh," Equius clutched at his head. "This is way more disorienting than usual..."
Cloud Hildon got disoriented, and Harley called out, "How's That Feel, you stupid jellyfish!?"
And then she called out- "Lifton! Rolland! Let's get in on this!"
"I Wanna ROCK N ROOOOLLL!!!!" Rolland cried out.
"STABBING TRANSFORMATION!!!" Lifton cried out.
"LAND MAGE! ROLLAND LIFTON!" The Kiramagers called out, Land Mage dual wielding the two Mashins.
"Shovellow Squad Dual Wield!!" Shovellow cried out.
Cloud Hildon generated clouds around its body, and hurled some forwards.
"BANGARANG!" Rolland cried out, smashing through the now encroaching cloud bank.
"SLICEALOT!" Lifton added, slicing through the fog.
Land Mage then ran forward at full speed.
"Lifton GO!" Atsuya pointed forwards.
"STABBALOTTO!" Lifton cried out, jabbing forwards.
"AND A BANG!!" Rolland added- smashing in, down, and then coming across for a side hook.
Fog and clouds went everywhere.
"Now to clean this up, Rolland!" Atsuya added.
"ROCK N ROOOOLLL!" Rolland cried out, rolling forwards and gathering up the clouds against his rolling wheels like they were lint to be gathered.
He got in close, even, and snatched them up off of Cloud Hildon as they formed.
"And the Finisher!" Atsuya declared.
Lifton went in for a stabbing- and then a "SPIIIIIIIIINNALOTTO!!" --He started spinning around like one twirls a fork in pasta, grabbing onto the Hildon's tentacles and twisting them all up into a spiralized knot of unfortunate implications- for the Jamenju, that is.
It took a few moments for Land Mage to get a handle on its temporary new toy, and then wrangled the Cloud Hildon back into the sky just long enough for Rolland to power up and glow brightly---
"ROLLAND RAISING!"
---Cloud Hildon fell back to the earth (C) once again, only to get a massive glowing hammer to the face with Rolland crying out- "BOING-A-YEET-O!!"
The monster exploded above them, and Land Mage posed triumphantly as Sky mage floated in to pose next to them with a "We did it!"
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
A short while later on the Beltus in the Kiramager's lounge...
"Waaah!" Carry cried out in protest. "Everyone got to do something fun but me today!"
"It's okay, Carry," Nepeta said, hugging the Periwinkle Kiramei Stone to her chest. "You'll get some time the next battle for sure."
"Speak for yourself," Jetta grouched, blinking in annoyance from a nearby coffee table. "I got stuck in a morpher all day!"
"Same," Mahha agreed, wobbling next to Jetta and Shovellow.
"Eh, I slept through most of today anyways," Shovellow said.
"It just wasn't our focus episode," Fiya remarked casually, floating over Atsuya's shoulder. "Oh well."
Atsuya himself was kneeling, and inspecting the Sub-in, which had a few cracks along its surface.
"Well?" Tomo asked as Atsuya sighed, standing. "How's it looking?"
"It definitely wasn't meant to go through the strain it did today," Atsuya said, gazing at it. "I think we could polish away the cracks, but... Man. I wouldn't want to use this thing again for a while if I were a Mashin."
"The Sub-in fought valliantly with me today," Heliko said from out in the zord bay adjacent to their room, where the polishing machines were at work fixing up some minor scratches along her surface. "It deserves a good rest!"
"Yeah, that it does," Nepeta nodded.
"But everyone!" Heliko started. "That's not the most imporant thing about today! I spoke with Jouki when I was captured!!"
Everyone turned to look out the window at that announcement.
"We gotta figure out a way to get Jouki out of Garuza's control!" Heliko continued. "Somehow! We just have to do it!!"
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE! KIRAMAGER!!!
"I'm just glad we didn't have to deal without anything weird," Nepeta said, "like me bumping my head and losing my memories and becoming a five year old again!"
"Let's definitely not think about how weird that would have been," Atsuya agreed.
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"Special Training!?" Atsuya asked.
"Oven!"
"Freezer!"
"Two Jamenshis!?" Harley asked.
"It's the end for you!" Garuza growled. "BURN BLACKER!"
"Shine, My Kiramental!!" Atsuya shouted.
"Let's sparkle next time, too!" Heliko cheered.
NEXT EPISODE: 07: Burning out in the Cold is liable to make me Crack! (Part 1)
Notes:
This was. A Surprisingly Fun Chapter to work on. XD
Let's be real here, a sudden age reversion via memory plot isn't something I was looking forwards to doing... Even from the getgo I was planning on Heliko getting caught in Jouki's maw, or something, before I fully realized the implications of the Sub-In's potential.
And thus, this episode was born out of the necessity to cut around every bit of Sayo-san acting like a 5 year old that there was. I think the plot came out a lot more interesting that way, what with the dual punch Nepeta and Heliko gave to the Jamen pair.
Seriously, just. WOW. As I was writing it out and it came together pacing wise, I realized. WHAT A MOMENT this is! Just. WOW! Heliko bursting free from the Jamenju as Nepeta punches the Jamenshi in the face? I really wish I was good at CGI animation because I'd edit that together in a heart beat to make it play out otherwise. As it is, the closest I'll probably get is drawing it.
...Dang it why didnt I draw it sooner?? Well, I've got a week before the next chapter goes up so maybe I'll... hrm... well. If I have room in my commitments for this week, maybe I'll get it out before the next chapter.
Speaking of Next Chapter:
SGA:06X06: The Calm Before (Part 1)This is the start of the endgame for Act 8 Act 1. :33 Everything from here's a crazy ride to the finish. I'll probably take a short upload break afterwards to build up a bit more episode buffer for the next Act, then go back to a once a week upload schedule. Honestly I probably should've just stayed once a week as it was but y'know what? I was just too excited to have these chapters done and ready to post.
I'm still holding back from just publishing all of these at once. >>;;;
Nyways. See ya next time!
Chapter 22: SGA:06X06: The Calm Before (Part 1)
Summary:
Please pardon any typos that made it through on this one. I've not got time tomorrow morning to upload and I'm probably going to bed after I post this. ^^;;;
Notes:
CW:
Uh... That ominous vibe of impending doom?
Discussion of romance between teens.
Villains being villains in their super creepy villain base of villainous villainy....(Sorry, I'm tired. Will refine this later. And if it's been more than a week and you're reading this message, Point it out to me, alright? 'cause I probably forgot.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2012.
It was an average Friday as the Sun passed mid-day over Atlantis- save for one fact. The Ranger class was being called off hours early.
"Rest well over the Weekend, Rangers," Gina Kae said to the class. "I have a feeling we're all going to need it."
She didn't bother ensuring everyone was leaving before she sat down and brought up the damned design document that was giving her trouble.
"Trains," she grouched. "Why did it have to be trains?"
"Ah... working on the new Zord design, eh?" Fiya's voice suddenly interjected, and Gina jumped in her seat.
"Good grief-" She turned towards the floating Mashin Gemstone and his partner, Atsuya, who was gazing at the design documents before her. "Aren't you two supposed to be somewhere?"
"Dad doesn't need me back on Old Athos for another hour," Atsuya said, not tearing his eyes off of the train design. "You still haven't finished it yet?"
Gina looked at Fiya, who tilted in the way the Kiramei Stones tended to when mimicking a shrug. Then, she sighed. "No, unfortunately. I can't figure out how to make this work. Jouki's a sentient being under the dark control of another person, and ripping him out of Garuza's control only hijacks the connection as far as I've designed it so far. Garuza could easily pull it back at any time."
"...So we're still no closer on figuring out how to break Jouki free, huh?" Fiya asked, sounding a little upset.
"Unfortunately, no," Gina ran a hand through her hair. "And worse, I've been having the damned hardest time nailing down exactly what kind of Train design to even use. Nothing Feels Right so far, and I've gone through a hundred different designs just about."
"Really?" Fiya asked. "That's a shame."
"Why not ask us to choose one?" Atsuya asked.
"After everything that happened with Rolland, Lifton, and Carry, do you really expect me to rush an awakening and wind up with another child-personality driven Zord Assault Vehicle that can't pull off what we need it to do?" Gina asked.
"I mean..." Atsuya considered it. "You've got a point there."
"But it's twice as big as those three, right?" Fiya asked. "Surely that White Stone will be more mature?"
"That's... also part of the problem," Gina sighed. "Don't tell anyone, but... just because physically it's larger, doesn't mean it's mentally developed like the others. Mabushiina can't detect any form of development at all within the White Kiramei Stone. I don't think it'll be properly sentient at all if we manifest it..."
"And that'd make relying on its own inner Kiramental to fill in the design gaps a bit of a hard thing to do," Fiya stated.
"Exactly," Gina nodded.
"So it needs to be as exacting of an image as we can get, huh?" Atsuya asked, frowning.
"Essentially," Gina sighed. "And I can't figure out how to make it work."
All three of them gazed at the screen displaying the current work in progress design of the Train Mashin Zord...
And all three of them felt that the time was running out before they'd need to figure it out.
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
Atsuya sighed, rolling his shoulders as he stepped away from the heavy pieces of rock he helped move away from some important thing or another.
As his father and the others moved in to extract whatever the hell it was- some kind of weird orange colored, conically shaped, crystal looking thing- Atsuya went to get some water from a nearby refreshment table.
Much to his surprise, he saw Nepeta nearby, seemingly waiting for him. He decided to check just to be certain that it was Nepeta though.
"Hello, Kiramei Pink," he greeted regardless.
Nepeta giggled, "It's me, Atsuya." She shook her head. "Sorry again about the other day."
Atsuya scratched at the back of his head. "Ah, well, it happens. The Sub-in's pretty much patched up now anyways but... y'know. I wasn't sure which of you were coming to visit. Not after the last time both of you came to visit me here, at any rate."
"I need to start wearing a bell when we use it for Heliko," Nepeta mused. "That way she'll have a bell on that she can't remove and'll ring out like a cat where-ever she goes!"
Atsuya laughed. "Ah, she'd probably not like that, would she?"
"Nope," Nepeta shook her head. Then, she looked around some. "So, uh. Is Fiya around?"
"Off helping Aradia with reaching some small places in the Library," Atsuya said. "Heliko not around?"
"Nope," she answered. "Pretending to be me back home so I could get out of chores and come visit."
"Ah," Atsuya nodded in vague understanding. "So, uh..."
"Can we talk somewhere, in private?" Nepeta asked.
Atsuya glanced back at the work the other Athosians were doing, and met eyes with his father for a moment. The older man ran a hand through his hair, grimaced about something, then waved Atsuya off with a flashy grin and a thumbs up.
"Sure," Atsuya nodded. "I think I've got the time."
Gina Kae lay belly down in her own bed, gazing out the window as her husband gave her a shoulder massage.
"You're getting all kinds of tense up here in between the blades," Said Husband, Ziggy Grover, said while giving said massage.
"It's been a tough couple of weeks," Gina answered. "Lots of failed Zord Designs too."
"It's not like you to run into a wall," Ziggy observed, not letting up on the massage. "Are these monster attacks getting to you that much?"
"A bit," she answered. "More it's that I've got so much else to worry about right now in addition to the Zord Designs. The Jouki situation is terrible, and now that stone statue over on the mainland seems to be breaking out of its confinement... It feels like we're in the calm before the storm, Ziggy."
Ziggy was quiet for a moment, working on her left shoulder specifically for that time before speaking, "Yeah. I know what you mean. It's almost like we're back in time eight years ago again and I'm back to working for Mister Bregman as just a documentary cameraman again."
"You're still working for Emmett and you're still working as a cameraman," Gina observed casually for what felt like the 100th time, "so what's the difference?"
"Ah, the difference now is that I'm the lead cameraman for Diaspora's news network!" Ziggy answered, also probably for the 100th time.
"Ah, I see, so a promotion and moving up in the world, huh?" Gina asked casually.
"Pretty much," Ziggy answered just as casually.
It was a familiar exchange of words and it helped ground Gina a bit.
"It is different this time, though," Gina said. "All our hopes for innovation lie on me to come up with a solid Zord Design to take back Mashin Jouki from Garuza. All the other Ranger Teams except for the Go-Busters aren't facing too dire of threats and haven't been struggling too badly. Their enemies are dumb and barely smart enough to follow even the most basic of plans. But Garuza..."
"Well, he is quite the butt, I will say that," Ziggy joked, moving onto Gina's right shoulder, and Gina snorted in response to his quipp.
"Not what I meant, but yes, he is that too," Gina smiled.
"I Get what you mean, though," Ziggy said. "Garuza's plans are... way more advanced. He's not one of Gilgamesh's normal soldiers, is he?"
"He's a Crystalian," Gina answered. "Like Mabushiina."
"...Oooh." Ziggy winces. "That's... that changes things, doesn't it?"
"Only to the point it means that if there were actually a narrative focus of a TV Season eyeing this whole cluster fuck, it'd be focused on the Kiramagers," Gina answered. "Which means we can't just rely on the same old tricks again and again, and give out all the fancy toys only as they pass training levels."
"Innovation, right," Ziggy frowned. "What do you think the other-uses would have to say about all this?"
"Dunno," Gina answered. "I haven't reached out in a while. Been too busy. I would assume that if the pattern holds, Gilgamesh's forces are focusing the Venjix army clones on the Unwritten, because beyond that first encounter on Haven, we haven't seen Grinders or any cloned monsters."
"That is weird," Ziggy said. "But then again, besides Gordon, we never really built up our own RPM Power Set team here, did we?"
"Best to not have more than one version of a power in use at a time," Gina said. "I'd rather it not prove the TV Show's writing true and have two Rangers of the same power set existing at the same time result in a mutual power based blowout."
"That'd be annoying, yeah," Ziggy sighed.
Neither of them wanted to think about what would happen if Gilgamesh's forces suddenly revived the Venjix generals- or even just monsters wearing their forms. It was an uncomfortable subject to think about and that meant some day, inevitably, they'd have to confront it.
But until that day came, they weren't going to worry, and let the foreshadowing of the Damocles Sword hang over their heads.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Atsuya asked as he and Nepeta found a quiet corner atop a grassy hill overlooking a pile of building debris from one of the few monster attacks that happened here on Old Athos.
Nepeta took a breath, readying herself.
"I..." She started. "Well. A couple of things. I guess."
"Ok," Atsuya nodded.
"First off the others kinda wanna start doing group training stuff," Nepeta started. "Just, like, getting everyone's skill levels raised a bit higher on everything. Target practice, sword skills, stamina endurance..."
"All the things that have us being us, basically," Atsuya mused. "Incase we can't use the sub-in to replace one of us during a fight?"
"I think it's meant to be something like that," Nepeta answered. "Honestly I don't have any real formal training for the grappling I do, so maybe that's something we all should do together? I dunno." She paused. "Anyways, try to act surprised if everyone tries springing this on you out of nowhere any time soon. I think Tomo'd be a little ticked off I ruined the surprise."
"I'll try my best to remain surprised," Atsuya said with a flat tone of voice, which made Nepeta giggle upon hearing it.
"Alright, alright," she nods. "Um... So. The other... next thing is... I guess... I don't really have anything to train anyone during what'd be 'my' spot. I could see this going badly if the others forget that we need to take breaks to rest and stuff, so... I was thinking maybe something low intensity? But, I dunno what. So... um... Ideas?"
Atsuya considered it. "Personally I'd want to do drawing practice, which is nice and relaxing for me, but... If we'd all be doing training things for everyone else anyways I'd probably be doing that anyways. So..." He frowned, gazing upwards at the sky. "Maybe... meditation? Clear the mind and stuff like that..."
"Meditation, huh?" Nepeta mused. "Yeah, y'know what, that might just work in the mean time."
They continued to sit there for a few more moments- silence falling between them as the conversation seemed to stall out on that front.
"Uh." Nepeta started, not willing to let it continue. "So. The... the main thing I really wanted to talk to you about was, um..."
Atsuya gave her the time she needed to speak her mind, smiling encouragingly, but not prompting anything himself.
"A...About the beach the other day," she started.
"Mh?" Atsuya asked. "What about it?"
"Since then, have you..." Nepeta hesitated. "Um. Maybe thought about if... Maybe..." She took a deep breath, and then exhaled, and just put the words out there. "Would you like to go out sometime?"
"Gina! GINA! GIIINAAA!"
There was a rapid pounding on the front door to the Kae-Grover family apartment, and Doctor Gina Kae opened it tiredly to see an overly excited Miko Kubota standing there, hopping on her feet and giving off sparks of crimson magic as she did so.
"Yes, Miko?" Gina asked.
"It's Hatchiiiiiing!" Miko grinned.
"What's hatching?" Gina asked.
"The Egg!!!" Miko cried out. "The Egg is Hatching!!!"
"Oh hell!" Gina went inside, grabbed her lab coat, and quickly exited her home. "How long ago did it start?"
"Just about as long as it took me to get here from the Zord Bay, with transporters!" Miko answered as they started for the nearest transporter.
"What was happening when you left?" Gina asked.
"I was just tellin' the egg about all the adventures we'd been having!" Miko explained. "Then it started glowing and cracking and OOOH! I should've stayed! But I didn't bring my Morpher with me so I couldn't call you and- well-! I knew you wanted to know!"
"Alright, well, given the thing's size, it shouldn't be done hatching by the time we get there," Gina said, hoping for the best, and fearing for the worst. "Go get your Morpher, and don't leave it behind somewhere again, Miko!"
"R-Right! Of course!" Miko agreed, suitably admonished, as they arrived and diverted at the Transporter to go different ways.
The frozen in stone statue of the Centarus Wolf Megazord cracked something fierce as thunder rumbled over head.
Finally, for the first time, a chunk of stone broke free from the right hand of the megazord that was clutching at the spear shaft, releasing its middle and index fingers free from its stony prison.
Said fingers flexed outwards and then clenched back down upon the shaft the rest of the hand was still clutching.
The eyes gleamed from behind the many cracks of stone over them- crimson light pouring forth.
Soon.
SOON.
Gordon Freeman sat upon a chair, across a table from Radek Zelenka, who also sat on a chair. Both were seated at a table mounted with a chess board, on a balcony over looking the ocean of Atlantis in the distance towards the mainland.
"Storm's coming," Radek said. "Within the next few days."
Gordon glanced at the sky. "There's not a cloud IN the sky, Radek."
"Doesn't mean one's not coming," the other man answered, eyeing him carefully before making a move on the board. "I can feel it coming."
"The weather report doesn't show us getting any major storm fronts for another week at best," Gordon countered, then groaned. "Aw, come on. That's the worst move you could have made for my end goal!"
Radek gave a cheeky smirk. "Yes, well, as they said back home, [Your end goals can Suck on a frozen frog]."
Gordon frowned, parsing for a moment, then said, "You know, the fact that you can STILL bungle the Gate Translation like that, and that I STILL have no idea what the hell you're saying even after studying both your native language AND every other language I've heard you speak besides English just astonishes me."
"It's a talent," Radek gave a shrug.
"Yes, a talent, and also I call Bull Shit for whatever it was you just said," Gordon said. "I think you just made shit up picking words from various languages, and whatever it was you just said wasn't a real thing they said 'back home.'" He made a move, countering Radek's own previous move.
The man across from him sighed. "Yes, I admit it, I did just say something nonsensical. But it could have been a legit saying, after all. Such as..." He moved his Bishop deliberately next to Gordon's King. "[You were so busy arguing, you failed to notice your own ship setting sail.] Check Mate."
"GAAAAAAH!" Gordon cried out, hands going to the side of his head and gripping at his hair. "I don't know what you just said but DAMN IT, RADEK!"
Radek just smirked, and said, "Now pay up, Gordon."
"So how're the Genii doing?" John Sheppard asked of Teyla Emmagan as they walked down the hallways of Atlantis. "I noticed we haven't had to dispatch any ranger teams there lately."
"Better," Teyla said. "Fortunately, the new shielding protocols Rodney helped them develop incase of leaks in the planet's Naquadria Core Containment seem to be doing a good job at keeping the monsters from teleporting into the city again, leaving them stranded on the surface and easy to dispatch."
"That's good," John said. "Sora's happy about that, I'll bet?"
"She's been..." Teyla gave a tired smile, "very enthusiastic about setting traps on the surface for the Monsters to stumble into. Whatever Gilgamesh's forces are wanting when they attack the Genii homeworld, they're not getting it. The monsters haven't even grown to giant size at all."
"And all that because we almost traded them C-4 back in the day," John shook his head. "I'm just glad we got them on our side."
"Agreed," Teyla nodded. "It could have been a lot worse than it has been without that alliance."
"Almost was that bad," John frowned, gazing out the window at the horizon. "Shit. Please tell me that I'm not seeing things?"
Teyla glanced out the window, and frowned as well. "The darkening of the horizon?"
"Storm's coming," John grimaced. "Feels like it might be a big one, too."
"Hopefully it will not be anywhere near as strong as the one we encountered on Old Lantea," Teyla said.
"We haven't been on this planet long enough to find out," John said. "I'm seriously hoping we don't have to arrange for an evacuation."
"It may be best if we start the procedures for that anyways," Teyla said.
"I'm going to take a Jumper out and see what it looks like from the air," John decided.
Crack. CrAcK. CRACK.
The giant egg in the Zord Bay glowed with crimson light as cracks splintered through its shell.
Miko and Gina stood by the observation window, watching as the egg truly began to hatch.
Miko ran her thumb over the number pad on her Morpher. "C'moooon. C'moooon..." She whispered.
'Please don't be a giant monster,' Gina thought to herself, hands gripping against the windowsill's edge. 'Please Don't Be A Giant Monster...'
Miko squeed in glee of the many potentials- 'Please be a giant monster pet! Please be a giant monster pet! Please be a giant monster pet!'
And then the Egg shell was so riddled with cracks that when a burst of crimson light flashed through them all that the Egg Shell itself just utterly EVAPORATED, and left in its place was...
"...Whaaaa?" Miko gazed out in confusion.
Gina just sighed in relief.
"Did it shrink?" Miko finally asked.
"I think if it has a Zord Form, we should be fortunate that it didn't emerge at that size," Gina answered.
The two of them headed into the Zord Bay, and headed up towards the place where the Egg had been.
Perched just so elegantly was a majestic red bird of some kind...
Until it spotted Miko, and looped its head around down towards its belly, making its elongated neck turn in some kind of weird U shape.
The bird warbled something almost Turkey Like, and Miko just about gasped in awe.
"An abnormally large, red colored Turkey?" Gina frowned.
"She! Is! So! PRETTY!" Miko squealed instead as the bird stood on two long legs, straightened out its neck, and let out a proud "CAW!"
"...An abnormally large Red Turkey that also speaks like a Crow," Gina amended her earlier assessment.
Miko rushed over and gave the bird a hug, revealing its true scale in size. From the tips of its toes to the back of its, well, back, the bird was about as big as Miko was tall. Add in the absurd length of its neck, and, well, it was quite a bit taller.
Until it also wrapped its whole neck and head around Miko to hug her back and gave off a warm warble.
"I'm naming her Ally!" Miko said on the spot. "And she will be my bestest Bird Friend! Oh yes she issss!"
Gina just sighed once more. "Well. A combat pet isn't exactly what I was expecting ouf of an egg like that, but..." She watched as the Fae girl fawned over the Giant Turkey-bird with glee. "Well, Magic is what Magic is. I should count my blessings that it didn't turn into a giant mech-bird-zord from the outset." She frowned. "...Crap. What the hell does it even eat?"
The answer, as it would turn out, would be anything it could fit down its throat, organic materials or not, as proven when the danged bird got its beak around Miko's morpher and swallowed it whole.
"WHA-- ALLY! NO! GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!" Miko shrieked in surprise.
A moment later, the bird burped out a magic blast that scorched a back wall, and then utterly vanished in a burst of pink light- before reappearing and vanishing and reappearing and vanishing all over the danged Zord Bay.
"She can teleport too!?" Miko gasped in delight- then ducked a magic blast. "OOoorrr is that just my Morpher doing that?"
Gina had no response but to facepalm, watching as the goofy bird teleported all around the Bay.
"CAAW!"
"We will be canceling all scheduled attacks this week," Gilgamesh announced to his many generals through his wall of magic viewscreens. "Instead, we will be planning concentrated assaults on specific worlds. We will draw the Rangers out in force to specific places, and we will be pulling them away from their Precious Atlantis." He took a sip of his blood red wine very casually. "A select certain few will be privy to attack details as we launch raids against them and their enemies. Otherwise, follow your orders as given."
Gilgamesh then dismissed the wall of holograms, and turned towards Enter, Kurantula, and Garuza.
"Garuza, Kurantula," Gilgamesh began. "If you have any specific plans to destroy the Kiramagers once and for all, Now Is The Time to use them, even if you do not succeed in that goal, it WILL stall them."
"I have an idea that will likely do the trick," Garuza said. "It will require a lot of darkness energy to gather to launch, but if the intent is a prolonged scuffle so as to keep the Kiramagers away from Atlantis, I think it will be sufficient as a stalling measure."
"Good," Gilgamesh turned to Enter. "Enter, you will infiltrate Atlantis during the attack of the monster I have dispatched through time, and you will research any weapons they have planned against us that they haven't used yet. The Mongrels likely think they've come up with something by now. If you can uncover what that is, and where it's being researched, I am ordering you to secure it for our own ends."
"Understood, My Lord," Enter bowed his head.
"The attack begins Sunday," Gilgamesh said. "Be. Prepared." And with that, he turned to leave, exiting his throne chamber, and leaving the three suited generals to their lot in life.
"Attacking Atlantis..." Kurantula began, "that's a risky plan."
"How's that?" Enter asked.
"Even I've heard the rumors," Garuza said. "They've been deliberately provoked on their home turf several times. The first time during a storm, enemies invaded the City and killed their leader. Then, Cowards known as Wraith beseiged their city, and they faked their own destruction with a nuclear weapon. Later, they were forced to leave the planet, and escaped upwards by blasting through the enemy that was in their path. Next, the City was taken over during a time they were kicked out of it, and they retook the city with excessive force, going so far as to even destroy their own central command tower as an opening move to retake it. Eventually, they reconfigured their own City's shields into a weapon calibrated specifically towards killing every single last one of their enemy within the City's walls."
Enter did a double take at that- "What, seriously!?"
"There's more," Kurantula said. "They were also assaulted with a deadly laser from space, and were forced to throw a Meteor into the path of the laser to survive! AND there was a time a pair of crazy people infiltrated the City to try and blow it up, and one of them wound up killed by her own weapon, and the other lost their own HAND!"
"Finally there was a time that a Mad Mage raided the City, and the rumor has it that she was utterly disintegrated by the Holy Light of a Mystic Weapon," Garuza concluded. "I do not envy your task, Enter. Infiltrating Atlantis alone is a risky endeavor. Infiltrating it during a Monster's invasion is even riskier."
Enter considered that all for a moment, then, he chuckled. "What if I don't do any of that?"
Kurantula and Garuza gazed at him, confused.
In a Puddle Jumper in high orbit over the planet, it was readily clear that there was indeed a dark storm brewing off the coast of the mainland, gathering in size and strength before his eyes...
And just as importantly, its eye seemed to be centered over the island that the Megazord had been found burried beneath.
"Shit," John swore.
"Bon bon bonjour, Monisour Equius Okimaw!" a voice interjected, and Equius looked up from the snack table on the current set he was filming on.
"Yes? That's me," Equius asked, eyeing the man who wore a pair of white rimmed black lensed sunglasses up on his forehead. "...Do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar somehow. Can I help you with something?"
"Ah, I am Monisour Ennard Terrance," the man who was actually one of Gilgamesh's generals, the one known as Enter, said with a casual smile. "I'm the Talent Agent who brought you onboard with this project."
"Oh, right," Equius nodded. "I think I've seen you around set some days."
"Oui, Oui, Oui," Enter nodded. "I have many talents that I represent here on set. I like to check in with them from... time to time." He smiled. "I apologize for being late on that front. But, you know how life can be." He glanced at the Kiramei Changer peeking out of Equius' bag that was hanging from the arm of his named chair. "Busy, so so busy, at the best and worst of times."
"Of course," Equius nodded, not even bothering to look as a small mechanical spider- designed to be indistinguishable from the real thing- climbed up the side of the chair.
"So." Enter began. "How are you liking this project so far?"
"It's... Unique," Equius said. "It's certainly not what I was expecting from a film job like this."
Enter clapped his hands, "That's almost exactly the words I wanted to hear, my friend! Tell me, what do you think of your co-stars and co-workers?"
The spider crawled onto the bag, and made its way towards the Kiramei Changer.
"I have no complaints," Equius said. "They all work as hard as I do on these scenes."
"And... what of the lovely Iyo?" Enter asked, not even looking at the bag as the Spider walked across the Changer and deposited his little surprise into it without even a moment's notice.
"Iyo?" Equius asked, uncertain of who that was.
"The young Fae Girl, with the pink hair?" Enter motioned across the set, towards the girl in question, working on something with the Makeup crew.
The spider crawled off of the changer and back onto the bag before continuing on its merry wey somewhere else- doing whatever spiders were supposed to be doing.
"Oh, she's... alright, I suppose," Equius frowned. "Rather Eager to help out. Why do you ask?"
"You see, the girl whom I hired to be your love interest in the next act of the film suddenly had to back out at the last minute," Enter explained. "Iyo is... her understudy, of a sort. Would you be opposed to her taking that role?"
Equius gazed at the Fae girl, who noticed, grinned and waved enthusiastically back at him, and then turned back to her work that she was doing.
Equius looked back to Enter, squashed his gut's feeling of distrust, and said, "I have no problem with that."
"Tre Tre Tre Bein!" Enter clapped his hands once more, smiling. "I'll make the changes known with the Director."
And with that, he turned to leave without another word, his smile growing from pleasant to sinister.
Nepeta nearly ran into June Egbert in the Diaspora market place due to the goofy smile on her face and the lack of focus in her eyes.
"Woah, hey, watch it, Nep!" June admonished.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, June," Nepeta smiled, partially embarrassed. "Didn't see you there."
"You're in a happy mood," June observed,
Nepeta took in a deep breath, and sighed. "Yeaah. I am."
"...Wanna elaborate any?" June asked. "Or is this something that'll be kept secret for a while?"
Nepeta looked at June for a moment, then she giggled, and answered, "Well. The simple answer is... I got a Date tomorrow!"
June blinked- processing- then grinned. "Awesome! Hope it works out alright!"
"Me too," Nepeta sighed, happily, and then, "I'll see ya later." Before walking off back home.
"Yeah, later," June waved her off, then, smiling with a shrug, turned to carry on with her shopping.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2012.
"Oh, hey, Equius," Harley greeted as she answered the door to her own danged apartment. "What're you doing here on a Saturday?"
"If it's not too much trouble, could I ask for some advice?" Equius asked.
"Sure," Harley nodded.
She let him in, and closed the door after, then took him over to the table where some of hers, and her sibling's homework was sprawled out on it.
Lizzy and Casey were more focused on the TV at the moment than their homework however, and so were safely out of hearing range for the conversation Equius wished to have.
"Want any tea or hot choco?" Harley asked.
"Tea sounds good," Equius said.
"Kay, just a min," Harley went over and poured out some tea into a teacup for him, and brought it over.
"Thanks," Equius took it and sipped at the tea. "Ah. That's fairly sweet."
"Yeah, Argo made a huge batch of sugar tea earlier," Harley nodded.
"That's nice," Equius said, sipping more at the tea.
"So... What's up?" Harley asked.
"...There's a girl in the production crew of the Film I'm in," Equius began to explain. "And she's mostly just been... production assitant tier levels of importance, I suppose? But she's been somewhat... obsessive, I suppose is the word."
At that prompting, Jetta decaptchalogued from the Kiramei Changer. "Ah, sorry about that, Aniki... That's... maybe my fault."
Equius looked at his partner, and frowned. Mahha, resting next to Harley's unattended changer on the table, asked the important question before Equius could ask the same thought echoing in his head: "Jetta, what did you do?"
"Well, when I was subbing in for Aniki because of that Vise Jamenshi," Jetta explained, "She came and tried talking to Aniki... And she... uh... asked Me-Him out on a date and I said 'right now we need to focus on the movie' because I panicked??"
"NO WONDER SHE'S BEEN CRUSHING ON ME!?" Equius shouted, hands going to his head and clamping down much like the vice helmet he had on before.
"Jetta..." Harley trailed off.
"You're an Idiot," Mahha finished the sentence.
"I know..." Jetta whimpered. "I should've mentioned it sooner. I'm so sorry."
Inside the Atlantis WIFI network, a tiny little digital spy-der hurtled along the digital security lanes, directed at whim by Enter's deftly dancing fingers over a keyboard.
"Oh my my my," Enter cracked a grin. "I think I've found something interesting... And the best part is I won't have to attack Atlantis to get it!" Then, he blinked. "Allo allo allo, what's this now?" he tapped into a hidden camera feed in the briefing room.
The storm was growing bigger and bigger by the second, and Keiko gazed at the images of it with trepidation. The entire City's usual suspects of crisis management leaders stood gathered, including the recent additions of Tegiri Kalbur and Ashler Dering, co-pilots of the Astro Megaship, who gazed at the screen before them with trepidation themselves.
"This storm is NOT natural, and I don't think I need to spell that out to anyone," Radek Zelenka said, leading the briefing. "But it's the ways in which it's unnatural are important." He adjusted his glasses. "Right now, this storm is growing, with a fixed eye centered over the island. The storm isn't moving physically from that location- the winds aren't blowing right for it to form- which means that this storm should not exist at all and has to be powered by the Enemy Megazord on the island."
"Enemy Megazord?" Enter asked, curious. "Now who sent that, I wonder?"
"Which means once it powers on and starts moving, that storm's going to be tied to it, isn't it?" Tegiri asked.
"That's the general idea I'm operating off of, yes," Radek said. "I think if we can destroy or defeat this Enemy Megazord, it will stop the storm dead in its tracks and disperse it."
"So we'll go in with the Astro-Delta and blast it," Ashler supplied the plan. "That's it, mission over."
"Unfortunately it's not going to be that easy," Radek said, bringing up a new image of what appeared to be electromagnetic waves within the storm. "The storm itself is generating a massive EM field that I think would fry any of the technology on the Astro-Delta itself at worst. At the very best I can imagine, the synchronization emitters would fail mid fight. No, I think the only Megazord that will stand a Chance is either the Mystic's Megazord, or the Kiramager's Megazord. But honestly, I'd hedge my bets on the Mystics more than the Kiramagers."
"Hrm, way to sell them short, but go on," Enter mused, tapping a thumb at the screen.
"Will the EM fields within the storm effect Atlantis?" Keiko asked.
"Almost certainly," Radek nods. "If we shut everything Earth-based in the tech front down we should be safe from hard damages, but this is going to be stronger than anything we've encountered before and it'll just get worse the larger the storm gets. And given the other exotic energy elements we've started picking up in just the last five minutes, it's possible even Atlantis' shield may be affected."
"So we'll send the Mystics in to deal with it," John said. "That's still problem solved, right?"
"Not entirely," Radek said. "Before the Storm's EM field became visible to Atlantis' sensors, for about three days now, we've been picking up a subspace distortion high in orbit above the planet itself. We sent a Jumper to keep an eye on it, and..."
The next set of slides came up, showing the progressively enlarging, flickering, spiraling visual of a golden portal forming in the void of space.
"We'll need to confirm with the Seers, but I suspect Gilgamesh is sending a monster to attack us," Radek surmises. "Possibly sent it a long time ago, given some of the subspace distortion readings coming from it partially match the distortions we recorded when the SGC's people linked through to Atlantis."
"Alright," Keiko decides. "That's it. I'm ordering a City Wide Evacuation. Non essential personnel are to be evacuated to the usual Alpha and Beta sites. We'll move science teams to the Research Site. I want contact with the Seers to have Ranger Teams in position because there's no way this is going to be anything but a massive offensive."
Enter frowned, "Well just ruin all the fun of guessing, why don't you?" He considered. "Still, surely any big and important weapons against my Majesty will be taken to a secure location off world..."
And then suddenly his feed cut out as green covered everything he could see.
"Wait wait wait-" he tapped at the keyboard. "Non non non, come back if you'd please??"
He finally got a camera feed of outside the conference room, but all he could see was green walls surrounding the outside doors.
"...Ah," he laughed faintly. "Air gap security, I see? Clever. Very clever. Wise to be distrusting, I see."
He told his little spy-der to hide somewhere unnoticed and not to do anything until he commanded it again, and called it a day for the indirect spying.
He teleported to Diaspora, changing the clothing and facial appearance of his human disguise to something befitting of Atlantis' Science Teams, and headed for the book room, linking through to the City of Atlantis itself, making his way through the city, pretending to be someone who didn't belong, and managing to arrive at just the right time to be informed by a random passerby that Science Teams were being moved off world for security reasons.
And just like that, Enter had his in.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Notes:
This chapter is mainly setup and foreshadowing for the next few episodes, while planting a few seeds for later arcs.
It's also about giving the Glitch Techs expy Miko her own pet bird just like she has in Glitch Techs. Love that glitchy Turkey to bits. <3 (Also, if you havent SEEN Glitch Techs yet, CMON it's worth it. It's really worth iiiit.) Ally's also serving to Miko here what Fireheart served to Nick in Mystic Force proper, in terms of narrative potential.
---
Rad's chess skills are Rad, and Gordon can't beat the guy even after all these years.
---
Enter's pulling off something he'd considered doing later earlier than expected due to Gilgamesh's orders... It doesn't need to be overstated just how much of a bad idea this is. Also. Gilgamesh had no idea that Enter was doing any of this social networking of his own accord. Enter's just *like that.* If you've seen Go Busters then you'll know what he's like.
Also, if you haven't seen it yet, and are interested in a neat and completed season of Super Sentai. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. It's gooood. It'll wrench at your heart, but it's Gooooood.
---
Also, here's some payoff to the Equius focus episode that's setting up for another Equius focus episode... or atleast that was the intent at the time. Time I actually got to that episode in the writing phase it went... kinda off the rails. Oops.---
Next Chapter:
HS: Not regretting it at all.See you then! *passes out*
Chapter 23: HS: Not regretting it at all.
Summary:
Another Aradia considers the future and the past.
Chapter Text
The Time Fairy observed it all as the Corpse Stealer ate the body of her once brother.
Things were not how anyone seemed to be observing them- she could feel it in her bones as reality seemed to subtly shift around her moment by moment.
Their time for escaping this timeline was nearing its end. The moment the Corpse Stealer exited for the Other Side, everything about this world was going to be removed from existence without her presence keeping it here.
In all honesty, the Time Fairy thought it was a fine exchange.
From what little she'd seen of this Doomed Timeline's ever shifting narrative- fluctuating between two extreme potentials that just barely were different from each other- neither were things she really wanted to stick around for.
The other her who didn't see what she saw and didnt feel what she felt just wanted to travel with the Corpse Stealer and- Ah, the Davebot- just to see how things went in the other passage of time in the other passage of events. in the other, well, passage of existence.
She could stick around and see what happened, but what would be the point, really?
The Davebot offered her his hand as the Corpse Stealer began rocketing upwards towards the heavens.
After all, The Time Fairy thought as she took his hand and they ASCENDED, it wasn't like there was anything INTERESTING about to happen in this reality any time soon. It was about to be erased entirely.
As they ASCENDED, and as they escaped the pull of the Black Hole...
Aradia Megido glanced down, and she watched as instead of the utter cessation of existence she'd expected, a whirlwind storm of blue gales overcame that copy of Earth C and its Moon...
Flicker. Flash.
ZZZZAAAAPPP.
And it was gone.
She blinked, and considered for a moment that maybe she'd made the wrong choice, because... that wasn't the total erasure she'd been expecting.
Someone had Retcon'd the planet entirely to somewhere else.
Somewhere that might have been utterly new and amazing to explore.
But, oh well. Her choice had been made.
She felt only the Corpse Stealer's Narrative Voice in her ears from that point forwards.
Notes:
We're finally catching up to the Retcon moment that brought Earth C to Alternia. We've now seen it *leave* from an outside perspective.
IN OTHER NEWS: The Pesterquest Fandub's first Route/Chapter has been posted to youtube. Man. That was a lot of editing crunch. LOL. I was up so late Friday night that I was basically out of commission all of yesterday. ^^;;;
You can find that here: youtu.be/xFTsyR3JoVw
ANYWAYS. Enough about THAT shameless bit of self promotion.
Have a bit of shameless self promotion! The Next Chapter is: MSK: 01X07: Burning out in the Cold is liable to make me Crack! (Part 1)
Things are about to get Wild!
Chapter 24: MSK: 01X07: Burning out in the Cold is liable to make me Crack! (Part 1)
Summary:
Garuza makes a serious attempt to kill the Kiramagers.
Notes:
CW:
Symptoms of Burnout.
Unintentional Sleep Deprivation.
Overworking.
Family Arguments.
Super Freezing & Super Heating.
Substance Abuse.
Minor Picture Embedding, Major Picture Linkage.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2012.
It was still Saturday, but it felt like it should have been a whole other week away.
Atsuya and Nepeta sat on the porch off of the Claire-Durgas-Goezee household, watching as Joey Claire put Harley and Tomo through some sword stance motions- having taken over on the training as Equius had been called back home to deal with something by his Mother. It wasn't too far of a walk, really, but it was enough that his absence was noted.
A bit of distance away, the five main miniaturized Kiramei Stones all sat in a circle, chatting quietly with each other over the Jouki situation. Inside, the three youngest Kiramei Stones were being entertained by the team of younger kids- the ToQGers.
Thus, the Pink and Red Kiramagers were free to talk about whatever they liked without fear of being overheard or spied on.
"So much for going on a date tonight," Nepeta frowned.
"Yeah," Atsuya said, glancing towards her. "Sorry. I should've figured that something would've come up. I just wasn't expecting us to get assigned to waiting for a monster attack like this."
"Between all the training and Us having to wait here together for the monster stuff," Nepeta sighed. "I feel like we're just going to run into scheduling problems after all of this."
"Well," Atsuya began. "We could just do something tonight after everyone's gone to bed."
Nepeta blinked, then, started to grin. "Well. Yeah. I mean, I could show you a couple of tackles I know."
"Well, that's a plan," Atsuya smiled, then took out his sketchpad. "But for now. May I draw you?"
Nepeta grinned, "Of course!"
"No, no, you've got the stance wrong," Joey shook her head, and adjusted the stances that Tomo and Harley were using by nudging their arms with the end of her cane. "You're more liable to cut your own hands off if you swing it like that."
"But our swords are flat on that side!" Harley said, making a motion where she tapped the back of her hand against the flat of her Kiramei Sword.
"For NOW it's flat," Joey said. "But what if you energized it and it's got energy all along its blade? More likely that thing's going to act like one of my old Laser Swords than the flat end of a crystal. Always treat your swords like every edge can cut!" She insisted that they change their stances once again by nudging their arms with the end of her cane. "Now change positions."
They did so, taking in the stances that they were requested to.
"Now, do the motions again," Joey ordered once she was out of their line of sight. "Go!"
The two lovers then performed a synchronized strike against a rather beaten up boulder at the other end of the yard- surely, almost surely out of their reachable range.
And yet.
Without either of them activating their swords- _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_ -the blades lit up with energy and launched out the bursts of red and green energy across the yard, smashing into the oversized boulder.
_"CHECKMAGE!!"_ cried out as the rock's surface exploded, and when the smoke cleared, showed that it now had a nice new, shiny X-shaped crater on the front surface.
Tomo and Harley gazed at the boulder in surprise, and so did Joey- who was shocked at first... before grinning in victory.
"What did I just say!?" Joey turned to them. "Always treat your swords like every edge can cut!"
"That's... exactly what we did," Tomo said, gazing at their sword in slight horror. "Did we imagine them activating on our own?!"
"I think we did," Harley swallowed, lightly stabbing her sword into the ground and backing away from it.
Joey took that into consideration, then said, "Okay, we're switching to wooden training swords for the next part."
Meanwhile, on Gilgamesh's Earth, the two headed monstrosity- a Dagames Jamenju- roared as its flame and snowflake themed masks gleamed ominously in the dark.
Garuza and Kurantula stood down below it at a safe distance.
"Well," Garuza said, "I think the Dagames is ready to fight. Have you named it yet?"
"Of course!" Kurantula grinned. "THe Strongest Jamenju, Reinetsu Dagames!"
"We're going to need a considerable amount of darkness energy for this," Garuza reminded himself more than anything. "Have we got the Janenshi ready?"
"Naturally!" Kurantula said. "When we manage to summon this, it'll be twice as strong as a normal Janenju!" He turned towards the darkness. "Jamenshi Brothers! COME ONNN!"
Garuza turned, and watched as two Jamenshi emerged from the darkness, wearing masks that he'd carved.
For several long moments, Garuza said nothing as he took in their appearances.
Then, he said, "Brothers, hm?"
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born?" Garuza's voice interjected over the narration.
"Nonsense! These foolish children are on Lord Gilgamesh's Hit List! And their names are..."
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2012.
The sun had long since set, the moons had long since risen, and Atsuya and Nepeta huffed for breath as they collapsed onto the dirt of the yard together.
"I think we lost track of time," Nepeta lamented, gazing up at the star seeking through the trees. "It's way later than I though."
"Yeah... I think we did," Atsuya nodded. "Weren't we only supposed to go at it for an hour?"
Neither moved from the ground for a few moments, then Nepeta sat up, and stumbled over to the porch to check for her Morpher. "...Shit. Yeah. We went way over. It's past midnight."
"We should try to get some sleep then," Atsuya said, not quite getting up.
"Yeah," Nepeta sighed. "Dang it."
Hours later, but far far far too soon...
Polypa Goezee humed a tune as she cooked breakfast that morning for the myriad multitude of kids that had been staying at their place the night before.
Of the Kiramagers, though, Nepeta and Atsuya seemed somewhat more asleep on their feet than the others. Polypa gave them a sympathetic smile as they endured the conversation the rest of their team was having.
"That was a good warm up run this morning!" Harley was saying. "We oughta do that more often outside of training!"
"Next up we'll have to revisit target practice," Tomo interjected, "I think we had a lot of sloppy aiming last night so."
"We'll definitely have to revisit the sword training as well," Equius said, bowing his head. "I apologize profusely again for abandoning you all last night during my scheduled time."
"Dude, c'mon, it wasn't your fault your mom needed you to help pry your dad out of-" Tomo stopped. "What was it he got stuck in again?"
Equius sighed. "The inside of the air vent connecting the furnace to the rest of the house."
"Couldn't she have just done that herself?" Harley asked.
"If he weren't stuck in the ceiling part of the vent and thus required two sets of Strong Hands to perform the extraction with, sure," Equius added.
"How'd he even get that far in?" Tomo asked.
"He was chasing a kitten that broke into the house and got inside the vent," Equius answered.
Polypa looked back from her work at that exclamation, "Wait, seriously? Damn it, was it one of those kitty kittens that got entrenched after that Purrbeast migration a few years back?"
"I believe so," Equius answered.
And then their Morphers all chimed.
Nepeta gave hers a swirl, and glanced at it. "Momma'Kuri wants us on the Beltus, ASAP. Jamenshi attack imminent."
A moment later, the To-Q Changers for the younger kids all chimed as well. Lizzy took out her orange colored cell phone morpher and tapped at it. "Oh boy! Looks like we've got a monster attack for Diaspora's warehouses too. What a pain."
Breakfast, unfortunately, was skipped before it could be eaten.
"Alright!" The two Jamenshi Brothers landed out of their portal into the city of Canningtown on Earth C.
"Shall we begin?" The one in the purple cloak asked.
"Of course!" the one in the black cloak agreed.
It didn't take long for a paradoxical storm front to sweep through the city- a heat wave and a cold front, swirling around and smashing into everything- buildings catching on fire just to be blown out and frozen up and melted and caught on fire yet again.
Fortunately, the whole area had been mostly evacuated earlier thanks to an early warning.
"What the heck is all of this?" Tomo asked as the Kiramagers ran up to the scene of the crime.
"It's cold!" Harley complained, shuddering as a cold front washed over them.
"What? But it's so hot!" Equius began to sweat as a heatwave came over them next.
"There!" Atsuya pointed at one of the two jamenshis, walking up towards them.
The Jamenshi was clad in black, contrasting sharply with his head-mask-- a frozen over visage of a refrigerator.
"And there's another one!" Nepeta pointed the other way.
There, the Jamenshi clad in red with the purple cape stepped out from behind a tree. His face mask was that of an oven spewing hot flames.
"Two Jamenshis?" Harley glanced between them.
"An oven and a fridge?" Nepeta asked.
"That's just cheating," Tomo frowned.
"The Blazing Mask!" The Oven Mask began posing. "DING! OVEN JAMEN!"
"The Frozen Mask!" The Fridge Mask began posing. "FREEZER JAMEN!"
"They roll called," Tomo started. "...So Let's do it too."
Atsuya looked to them, and nodded. "Yeah."
The team raised their morphers, tapping them. _"KIRAMEI GO! KI! RA!! MEI!!!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!"
The squeal of the tires rang out, and five flashes of light engulfed the team.
_"LET'S SPARKLE!"_
"Arriving in a Flash!" The Kiramagers stuck to their team poses for this turncated roll call. "Dispatching Evil with a Blast!"
"MASHIN SENTAI!" Atsuya threw his hand out, and then the team took up their full pose.
"KIRAMAGE--!"
"HAAAAAAH!" Oven Jamen didn't wait, and he leaped... sideways into a kick that sent Freezer Jamen sprawling.
The team pose quickly broke apart, then, with Equius returning Nepeta to the ground, and...
"What the-?!" In shock, Tomo's grip slackened, and Harley slipped to the ground, uncontrolled.
"Hey!" she cried out.
"Sorry," Tomo apologized.
"What are you DOING, Aniki!?" Freezer Jamen asked in shock.
"My Little Brother!!!" Oven grabbed Freezer by the collar, lifting him to his feet. "STOP Reducing the temperature after I raise it!!"
"Then don't raise it where I'm lowering it!" Freezer broke free of that grasp, fighting back against his brother, and then turning towards the Kiramagers. "Just leave it to my freezing attacks!"
Oven hit his brother on the back of the head. "You're just my little brother, so don't talk back!!"
"...Are they... fighting?" Harley asked, watching the spectacle unfold. "Sibling Rivalry??'
"You're a square too!!" Freezer yelled.
"You're JUST my little brother!" Oven slapped Freezer in the open door, and he spun around wildly.
Behind cover, Garuza watched them brawl with each other, "Just the little brother, hmm?"
"Ah, screw it!" Tomo drew their blaster and fired off on the Jamen Brothers.
Oven dove aside, and Freezer blocked the shots with his Bechat Staff.
Equius charged Oven, swinging his sword, and Nepeta came in after him as well, swinging in a kick. Tomo came up behind them- readying to fight.
Meanwhile, Harley and Atsuya went after Freezer- swinging their swords.
As they dueled their respective Jamenshi, Equius paused to watch the form Harley and Atsuya were using.
"Nice!" Equius appraised- as Atsuya leaped into a sword strike that Freezer blocked without even looking-- then spun around and bashed Atsuya in the chest, sending him sprawling.
"Don't Look Away!" Oven yelled, and then grabbed Equius by the arm and hurled him to the ground.
Nepeta tackled him next and sluggishly held onto him as she looked at Atsuya in concern, but saw him getting up and trying to tackle-lock Freezer as well.
"Nice!" She couldn't help but appraise--
Freezer broke free of the lock and bashed Atsuya to the ground again.
"NO!" Nepeta gasped- and released her grip on Oven... who immediately took advantage.
"You Too!?" He punched and kicked her away.
Equius went to check on Nepeta as Tomo took a position of suppressing fire, which Oven just fired right back with a spew of flames right back at them.
"Everyone!" Harley cried out, moving to help them, and Atsuya turned to look after them, but then realized Freezer was still a problem and---
And he froze.
It wasn't actual ice- but his brain just sort of, locked up in that moment. Freezer was a threat that had to be stopped, but Oven was literally trying to cook his teammates alive and---! And---!
He- he had to do something-- but---
_"KIRAMEI SHIELD!"_ Harley's sword cried out as she dove into blocking the fire storm.
It held only as long as it took for the others to break out of the line of fire, with Tomo yelling- "Way too hot!!"
"Are you alright?" Harley asked, moving with them.
Atsuya's focus shifted back to Freezer, but- Too late, this time the Jamenshi actually froze his blaster arm over with ice.
"Here's my chance!" Freezer came in to close the distance against his helpless opponent. "Time to bring down Kiramei Red!" He ran--
FWOOOSH!
And then Oven's flames cut between them- sending Freezer sprawling away, and melting the ice coating Atsuya's arm.
"Hah! Thanks!" Atsuya took aim at Freezer as the flames dispersed and fired away.
Oven didn't care- approaching Freezer. "IT'LL BE ME who beats the Kiramagers! There's NO WAY I'll let you get all the credit!"
"Aniki... How Dare YOU!?" Freezer yelled, readying his staff.
The two Jamen ran at eachother--- much to the Kiramager's confusion--- and then Garuza interceeded between the two of them.
"Garuza!?" Atsuya got to his feet.
"Lord Garuza!" Oven started-- but Garuza wasn't having it, he slashed out with his sword and struck Oven Jamen to the ground.
"Do you hate watching your little brother succeed THAT MUCH?" Garuza demanded, growling. "You're a disgrace to the battlefield!" Then, he turned away from the Jamen, declaring, "Go Cool your Head, Oven Jamen."
"Lord Garuza..." Freezer started...
"We need a new plan," Garuza declared. "Withdraw!"
A portal opened above them, and out came Mashin Jouki, roaring along the train tracks and then scooping the three evildooers away without much of a moment's pause.
"Cowards!!" Tomo shouted.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM!?" Kurantula demanded over the communication line between Gilgamesh's Earth and Earth C. "I thought that as brothers, they'd naturally cooperate to gather the darkness energy to summon the Jamenju!!!"
His little pink hologram floating over the alleyway above Garuza just seemed humorous to the Traitorous General, though he didn't voice his thoughts on that front.
"You think those two would work together?" Garuza asked, turning to look at the bickering Jamenshi for but a moment. "Brothers or not, your assumption was wrong to begin with. Leave this to me."
Kurantula pouted and then dismissed his communication to Garuza with a frustrated "Fine!"
Garuza turned down the allewyay and walked towards the two, who broke apart of their own volition as Oven Jamen stormed off with Freezer Jamen on the ground, whimpering in frustration.
"You alright, Freezer Jamen?" Garuza asked.
"Lord Garuza!" Freezer got to his feet. "I'm grateful for your help earlier." He bowed.
"Oven Jamen is the one at fault," Garuza said, glancing after the explosive older sibling who was stomping on a blooming dandelion patch. "Older Brothers can be so infuriating."
"Wha-?" Freezer looked up.
"Just because he was born earlier, he thinks he can keep looking down on his little brother," Garuza grumbled, then the looked to Freezer Jamen. "I know the pain of hating your older brother."
"You've had that pain too?" Freezer asked.
"Yes," Garuza reached out, placing his hand on the Freezer's shoulder. "You are no mere Jamenshi to me. I will assist you." He withdrew a plastic bottle containing a dark liquid inside. "A present."
Freezer gasped, covering his mouth as he spotted the logo on the bottle. "That's...!"
Onboard the Beltus, in the Kiramager's lounge, Atsuya tried to sketch something, only to find that he couldn't get his lines to come out straight at all.
He huffed, tiredly, and slumped down, lying on the seat, head landing on Nepeta's lap- startling her awake.
"Huh? Atsuya?" She glanced down at him. "You tired too, huh?"
"Yeah," He answered. "Tired." He put the sketch pad onto the floor by just letting it slip from his hand. Nepeta leaned over and picked it up.
"You rest, alright?" She smiled, and patted his head. "I'll keep watch."
"Kay," he answered.
Nepeta looked at the line work that he'd barely done on the sketchpad, and frowned. 'Ah... Geeze. We definitely stayed up too late last night. Plus the running we did this morning and skipping breakfast... Oof.'
"Yo! Sleepyheads!" Tomo then barged into the room, holding a candy bar in hand. "Special Training Round Two begins now! We're meeting down in the Zord Bay for practice!"
"Can't it wait, Tomo?" Nepeta asked. "Atsuya and I didn't sleep well last night."
"The Jamenshi aren't going to wait!" And then Shovellow stepped out from the same place Tomo had, coming up along side them using the Sub-in to borrow Tomo's form. "Thus! We Train!"
The only distinguishing feature between the two Tomos before them was that the real Tomo Strider had their wings out and hair set to green- Shovellow's Sub-in copy was missing the wings and had her hair set to yellow.
Atsuya tiredly looked up, and lamented, "Oh no... I'm having a nightmare right now, aren't I?"
"This is our strategy to defeat those two!" The Two Tomos said as one, putting their right hands out and flashing victory signs.
"Only one problem," Nepeta said, "Those two Jamen aren't going to get along at all, unlike you two."
Both instances of Kiramei Yellow stopped there to consider that.
Then- "Nope!" Shovellow said. "I think we've accounted for that too!"
Needless to say the training montage resumed, with Tomo leading off the next bout of resumed training of the team down in part of the Zord Bay, reconfigured via holograms to look like a basement garrage.
And unfortunately for Atsuya, Tomo and Shovellow definitely didn't account for their own inner synchronized teamwork, working far, far, FAR too flawlessly with each other for the rest of the team to manage well- let alone for Atsuya and Nepeta to deal with.
The two of them slumped to the floor, exhausted, as the holograms reset to a sword training field.
"My Turn Next!" Equius demanded, even as he and Jetta borrowed the Sub-in next to do just the same split-screened teamwork management that Tomo and Shovellow had tried.
...And while Jetta and Equius managed to be vastly more unpredictable compared to Tomo and Shovellow, Jetta was still far too compliant and agreeing to Equius' orders to substitute in as a valid Freezer Jamen Substitute.
"HEAD!" Equius yelled, landing a wooden sword blow to Atsuya's helmet- then he disarmed Atsuya's sword, and then went in for a "LEG!" Strike.
Once more, Nepeta and Atsuya slumped to the floor as the holograms were reset, this time for a looping track field that Harley had them all start running around.
Needless to say, Atsuya and Nepeta slugged behind everyone else, exhausted beyond belief.
Harley noticed out of the other teammates, though, and she was about to go check on them when Atsuya suddenly shouted and flung himself to the ground- trying to get away from something.
"Woah! Hey!" Harley went to check on him. "Are you alright?"
"...I think..." Atsuya said after a moment. "A Train was going to hit me."
Nepeta panted for breath, "I think I must be hallucinating too, because I swear I heard a train whistle too just now."
Tomo and Equius looked confused, but Harley just nodded. "Okay, then, we'll--"
Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the Ship's alarms sounded, and the hologram dispersed.
Okurii's voice came over the ship's intercom, "Kiramagers, the Jamenshi are back."
Atsuya and Nepeta hung their heads in defeat, and Harley sighed. "Damn it."
Some poor factory was on fire, but then it wasn't, as ice overtook it entirely.
Infact, Freezer Jamen's ice blasts were overtaking everything and with a ferocity that Oven's flames just couldn't match.
"How can you be stronger than my heat, huh?" Oven grouched, balling up his cape and trying to chew on it. Equius, Nepeta, and Tomo, already morphed, came running onto the scene and opened fire with their blasters.
Freezer threw up a wall of ice to tank the shots- nearly freezing Oven in the process.
"Hey!" he yelped.
"Now it's the fridge that's stronger," Tomo observed as Harley adn Atsuya came up from along the other side.
"We evacuated the trapped workers," Harley announced.
"So you're here, Kiramagers," Freezer began walking towards them, calm and confidant. "Now that I have Lord Gilgamesh' Powers in my veins--" he opened the top door of his freezer mask and removed the bottle. "You will NEVER Escape my freeze ever again!"
Oven gasped, shocked, as Freezer opened the bottle, already half empty, and began chugging the rest.
"Wait! That's-!" Oven shouted. "That's the fabled power drink that lets monsters fight for 24 hours straight... USUGITA GOLD!!"
Freezer finished chugging more of the drink and unleashed a burst of ice so powerful it froze the Kiramagers to the spot, encasing their legs of ice instantly up to their knees.
"Where the HELL did you get that precious Drink!?" Oven demanded. "YOU GOTTA GIVE ME THE REST!" he lunged for the bottle.
"No Way, Brother!" Freezer pulled it away. "This is Aaaaall Mine!" He waved the bottle, teasingly, then, opened it, and chugged the remainder before tossing the empty bottle away.
Then, Freezer let loose the most powerful burst of ice ever- freezing the Kiramagers up to their necks, and freezing Oven Jamen entirely in a block of ice- who complained--
"Even-- My-- Fla-mes-- Frrooozeeee..."
"The Jamenju will be summoned with the Darkness Energy I ALONE COLLECTED!" Freezer declared. "SO just sit there and watch as I Triumph!"
The Kiramagers struggled against the ice.
"The Glory of Victory and the Jamenju as well! All of it is My Triumph!!" Freezer declared, readying his staff, and starting to run at the hapless---
SPARK!
Blue energy burst forth from Freezer's gut, and he shrieked in pain.
Energy and sparks racked his body with tremendous power- and poor Freezer Jamen's powers faltered as he fell to the ground.
All of the ice he'd created melted in an instant.
"What's going on!?" Freezer cried out, on his knees as Garuza approached.
Once again, "Garuza!" Atsuya exclaimed.
"Lord Garuza...!" Freezer started. "What's...!"
"It seems you didn't read the warning label," Garuza said. "Usugita Gold has adverse effects if you drink it too rapidly. Your body? It's collapsing on itself."
"Oh Good Job, Little Brother," Oven stepped into frame, patting Freezer harshly on the head.
"You... tricked me...!" Freezer realized. "You two were working together the whole time!!?"
The two standing villains chuckled, even as the Kiramagers gazed on in horror.
"No...." Freezer slumped. "Were you lying when you said... you knew how it felt to hate your older brother?" Freezer asked, reaching for Garuza, and using his armor to climb to his feet.
"That was the truth," Garuza said, then forced Freezer off of him. "But even if we both have older brothers, there's one difference between the four of us. In YOUR Case, the younger brother was weaker and more foolish!" He pointed at Freezer's face, hammering the point in. "The weak are always the sacrificial pawns." He shrugged. And then he backhanded Freezer in the face, slamming that mask's door shut on his face.
The Kiramagers could only stand and watch on as Garuza once more executed one of his own minions, drawing his sword, and brutally demolishing him with an overhead swing that split Freezer Jamen in two from head to groin.
Freezer exploded on the spot, and Garuza gazed through the fading flames towards the Kiramagers as the sun began to set over Earth C.
"Remember this," Garuza said, turning his back on them to leave. "I hate not only my Brother's Spirit, But All Weaklings!"
Atsuya stared after Garuza, huffing for breath.
"Garuza is really scary," Kurantula exclaimed, "but man, even with that as the plan... Scary!"
He held up two masks.
"But now, adding in the Dark Insurance..." One of the two masks dissolved away, and the staff filled over the red line. "There's enough energy!"
He thrust his staff forwards.
"GO!!"
And thus a portal tore itself open, and through it emerged the double headed Jamenju...
"REINETSU DAGAMES!"
The Kiramagers ran forwards, to see the monster emerging.
"A two headed Jamenju!?" Nepeta exclaimed.
The Dagames launched a fire burst from the flame mask- melting an overhead piece of catwalk over the Kiramagers, forcing them to duck.
"We need the Mashins to face his fire!" Atsuya declared, tapping his Morpher and spinning the wheel as darkness overcame the sky unnaturally before the sun finished setting.
"MASHIIIN!" The five Mashins, plus one extra grew to full size and trasnformed.
"MACCHIIIN!" Carry cried out, transforming with them.
The six Mashins rolled forwards, with Carry taking the pole position infront of FIya.
"Let's Go Go Go!" Carry declared.
"We'll sword and shield this dragon!" Jetta declared.
"Yeah!" Heliko agreed.
"Time to show everyone the Shovellow Squad's Toughest Member!" Shovellow agreed.
"Quit talking and Combine Already!" Mahha stated.
"Alright!" Fiya declared. "Let's Burn this guy HOT HOT HOT!"
"MASHIN GATTAI!" Eleven voices cried out. / _"MASHIN GATTAI!"_
The Five Mashins became one Giant, and Carry attached as their shield.
"READY! KIRAMAGEIN CARRY!" /_"KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
The Dagames's flame mouth unleashed a burst of streaming flames immediately.
"Counting on you, Carry!" Tomo declared.
"Blocking!" Carry cried out as she moved into position to block the flames.
The Monster swung its claws in frustration.
"Shielding!" Carry blocked it as well.
Still, Kiramagein rumbled with the impacts, and Equius slammed forwards in his chair. "He's strong!"
And then the frost mask unleashed a stream of cold upon them.
Carry tried to block it, but-- "WAH! COLD!"
She froze over.
"It can do both!?" Harley asked, shocked.
And then the Dagames unleashed more flames upon them.
Kiramagein rocked with sparks as Carry was unable to block the flames.
Below them, Oven Jamen laughed, "Hahah! DO you even SEE the power of Reinetsu Dagames now?!"
Flames and Frost alternated against Kiramage in- staggering them and keeping them from progressing forwards.
And then to make matters worse- Jouki's whistle blew, and the Mashin Transformed into Smog Jouki before their eyes, landing next to the Jamenju with an ominous, predatory look in those gleaming red eyes.
"Garuza!" Atsuya yelled for the third time that day.
Jouki and Kiramagein charged each other- and Garuza repeated all the old favorites, smashing into them with Jouki's claws and snout- and then rammed them with the Chainsaw Tail, slicing repeatedly.
"OW!" Carry shireked as she was hit.
"YOWCH!" Fiya agreed as his legs got hit.
"NYOOOWHH!" Heliko shouted as she tanked a hit.
Kiramagein stumbled backwards with a shattering sound as Carry was ripped out of Shovellow's grip with that last hit.
Kiramagein stumbled, trying to regain its balance- but it was having a hard time, what with the cracks riddling their body's entire surface.
"N-No way," Fiya huffed. "Our bodies are cracking...!"
Mahha realized it- "Super Heat and Super Cold, swapping between them weakened us with the temperature shock!"
Jouki roared- and Garuza laughed- "Correct! With the power of Reinetsu Dagames and Smog Jouki together..." Garuza gazed on with a smug satisfaction. "Even your combined form is no match. This was my aim all along!"
"We can't go on like this," Tomo gripped at their wheel.
The others tensed in preparation.
"Take this final attack," Garuza declared as Jouki revved the tail and energy gathered in the mouth. "BURN BLACKER!!"
The energy hit Kiramagein dead on, and the Mecha cracked and cracked more and more, stumbling backwards towards their final resting place against a few buildings.
Atsuya clung to his control consle, and gazed out- "C'mon... Kiramental... give me something to work with...!" He gripped at his driver's wheel. "I have to...!" He shouted- "SHINE!!!"
But- nothing happened.
Instead, Atsuya's brain, were it a clockwork marvel, jammed up and locked tight.
But to pit it in more common terms, Atsuya suffered what was more commonly known as a stress induced faint, and he collapsed in his seat.
Kiramagein's eyes dimmed off, and Fiya yelled- "What the- I'm losing power!?"
The mecha's back reached that building, stopping their backwards march, and Kiramagein slid to the ground.
"Atsuya!" Fiya started. "Atsuya! What's wrong!?"
"Oh no," Harley willed a window over to Fiya's cocpkpit to form and she looked that way. "I was afraid of this! He fainted!"
"What?" Equius glanced sideways at a window as well.
"Oh no..." Nepeta started.
"Hey!" Tomo shouted. "This isn't the time for that! Atsuya!!"
"This is the end," Garuza said as Jouki steadily walked towards Kiramagein, his tail revving to speed, and sending power to the mouth.
"Not good!" Tomo realized.
As the other Kiramagers shouted their own frustrations- Atsuya awoke, eyes cracking open and straining against the light of Fiya's cockpit.
"Bright..." he said, as that light strangely refocused into a shape he'd seen the other day. A Train design on Doctor Kae's computer screen. "Another Train...?"
And then- "DIE!" Garuza punched forwards to hit the firing button on Jouki's controls, but, he froze.
In fact, Jouki stopped entirely.
A sparkle, a glimmer, a burst of inspiration flashed across the battlefield- feeling like something otherworldly- and then they heard it.
They ALL heard it.
A Train whistle.
Before them a gleam of white light emerged from nowhere, imposing itself between Jouki and Kiramagein, solidifying as a towering giant of light.
Jouki was flinching backwards from the light, the image before them- and Atsuya gazed outwards, staring at it. "A giant of light...?"
"Impossible!" Garuza declared. "You're dead!"
TO BE CONTINUED.
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
As the giant of light appeared, Mashin Carry, lying abandoned in the street, gazed upwards at the gleaming form, and whispered to herself...
"So pretty...!"
Then- PVVVM-SHING- she was quickly beamed away by the Beltus in orbit to return to the safety of the Zord Bay.
NEXT KIRAMAGER!
"Atsuya! Wake up!!" Fiya yelled.
"We have to save everyone..." Atsuya started.
"Do you even need a reason?" A voice asked.
"I will defeat you just like I did my brother!" Garuza declared.
"EUREKAING!" Atsuya called out. "Super Express!"
NEXT EPISODE: 08: Victorious Imagination! Ressha Gattai: Ghost Express! (Part 2)
"We'll sparkle next time too!"
Notes:
Future Plot Setup: The Kiramei Charge from the swords without tapping the buttons. This is some foreshadowing towards an Equius focus episode a bit later down the line. The, ah, same one that got a bit out of hand, actually.
---
Garuza hijacking the narration is a nod to the "Jamental Lab" special, which was a recap episode of this and the next Kiramager episode that Garuza and Kurantula hosted during the quarantine hiatus.
---
Ah SHIT. I gotta update all the Kiramager Opening Links again. The video got taken down. BLUH. At this rate I might as well shift to a new song for the OP itself. The ED probably needs to get swapped out too. *SIGHS*
---
So, carrying over the "overworked to a faint" bit from the canon episode, just twisted a bit to fit things differently. Atsuya and Nepeta both were somewhat overworked here instead of it just being Juru getting hit with the whammy. I probably could have scrapped it if I didn't find a way to make it work for my own ends.
---
So yeah, We're building up to the next Mecha! But that'll wait for another week.Next Chapter: SGA:06X07: The Maelstrom (Part 2)
See you then!
Chapter 25: SGA:06X07: The Maelstrom (Part 2)
Summary:
Part 2/3(3/5?). Atlantis Braces for another Storm, and launches defenses against invading forces; Meanwhile, the Earth C kids find themselves in a jam.
Notes:
CW:
A Monster Lift from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Mentions/Allusions to Past Character Death.
Espionage.
Monkey Paw Wish Granting.
Monster attacks on a massive scale.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2012.
In Pegasus, on the planet New Lantea, sat Atlantis, framed in the light of a setting sun with the growling storm of darkness in the distance clashing against it like a mix of two extremes.
Inside the City, Mabushiina glanced out the door to Gina Kae's personal Lab as she gazed at the empty hallways. "It's so quiet now."
"We've evacuated almost everyone off world," Gina said, running a few last minute tests on the fragment of White Kiramei Stone that had broken off of the larger fragment during the dig. "Given the situation... We figured it was for the best."
"And the reason we're not evacuating with them...?" Mabushiina asked.
"Sorry," Gina smiled at the Crystalian apologetically. "But I needed to run some tests on that fragment of stone you recovered from the Dig. Something was bothering me about how the larger deposit wasn't showing signs of sentience, and... I think that's because the piece that harbored it wasn't there."
"You mean that small fragment...?" Mabushiina gazed at the small chunk of rock.
"It's certainly got a lot more energy matrix structures within it than the main fragment," Gina sighed. "Damn it. All this time worrying and the obvious solution was staring me in the face the whole damned time." Then, she laughed, bitterly, and looked to Mabushiina, "Would you believe that I got the idea from a Bird?"
"A... Bird?" Mabushiina tilted her head in confusion.
"Miko's got a new pet and it ate her Morpher," Gina said, "then it started spitting out magic blasts. That stopped once we got it to regurgitate the Morpher, thus... I got to thinking. What if the reason the main shell wasn't active is we were missing a piece?"
"And I had it the entire time?" Mabushiina asked.
"Not just this one, no," Gina shook her head. "I've got a team revisiting the dig site and gathering up any other small fragments that may have broken off. BUT. Your fragment did prove the theory held water."
"I get it," Mabushiina nodded. "So if we reunite all the fragments, the White Stone will re-awaken?"
"I think so," Gina frowned. "But it's the strangest thing though. Looking at this smaller fragment, it's almost like it was born from a different source than the rest of the stone we uncovered."
"...I wouldn't dare to hope that somehow fragments of Esprez made it to Pegasus," Mabushiina said. "But if I could make it a thousand years into the future..."
"Anything's possible, I agree," Gina nodded. "Especially considering that time travel has been a notorious thread holding our timeline together..." She shook her head. "At any rate." She unplugged the stone from the scanner, and handed it to Mabushiina. "Please, take this to where we're keeping the White Stone so it can be reunited, and meet me on the Beltus afterwards."
Mabushiina nodded, taking the stone back. "Of course. And please stay safe until then"
"I'll try my best," Gina answered.
Maddison Miller stood at the base of the Stargate on the forest of the Jurassic World, peering around as the last group of evacuees came through the gate.
Then, she saw the person she was looking for- "Uncle Rodney! Over here!"
Her Uncle, Rodney Mckay, was exiting the forest from the direction on the Frog Temple, and he was confused for a moment before sighing and smiling and heading over towards her.
"Maddie, so you're the one they decided to send to help guard this place in case of trouble, huh?" Rodney asked once he reached her.
"Yep," she nodded up to him. "Well, the Seers said we probably needed a Ranger with a single megazord, but it was variable as to who it'd be, so since Mom and Dad came here, and you were already here..."
"Right," Rodney nodded. "Well, let's keep that on the down low until we get everything situated."
"Right," Maddison said as the Stargate shut down, the last of the Science Team having come through with their various projects.
As Uncle and Niece lead the group of evacuees through the forest towards the Frog Temple, a blonde haired man who did not belong just smiled. Enter's disguise held up under scrutiny, but when nobody was looking, it flickered for a moment, revealing his normal human guise below, smiling as well.
He picked up his backpack, containing his laptop, and carried on with the rest of everyone towards the temple.
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
In the Alternia Galaxy, on the planet Diaspora...
Kanaya Maryam the younger looked up in surprise as her older, alternate self and a hologram of her OTHER, older alternate self, projected straight from Earth-C, walked into the Diaspora Brooding Caverns's Workers Office, discussing something.
"Oh, Kanaya," the physically Present Kanaya said, "could you do me a favor and go fetch something from the Lopan Market? Something came up and I can't get out there today."
"Uh..." Kanaya the younger nodded. "Sure thing."
"Here you go," The physically Present Kanaya handed her younger alternate self a short shopping list. "And please be careful. The Seers predict there are going to be lots of monster attacks today."
"I'll be careful," the younger Kanaya nodded, then headed off.
"There's an even younger version of us?" The holographic transmission of Kanaya Maryam of Earth C asked.
"Naturally," the Kanaya Maryam who was married to Rose Lalonde and was the sister of Aradia Megido, both of whom had traveled to this dimension over a decade ago through the Quantum Mirror, answered with a coy smile. "And she's dating her own Rose as well- a Ranger, actually. Mystic Force Pink."
"The more things change, the more they say the same," the holographic Kanaya shook her head.
"Indeed," Kanaya said, "but that's not quite why we're here today, though, is it?"
"No, we're not," Holo-Kanaya nodded. "So... While everything with Jane being put through trial is a great first step for Earth C's history... many Trolls are uncomfortable with the idea of remaining on the planet. Now that we're having actual physical travel between our world and the rest of the Galaxy... lots of talk of Migration has sprung up. Given that our Mother Grub has taken root ... how hard or easy would it be to relocate her?"
"It would be a tricky task," Kanaya answered. "This cavern was obviously relocated to this planet from Alternia a long time ago, through the Stargate. There was... a lot of ferrying involved, as I understand it. I wasn't there for the event itself, but it's been well documented. Ideally in the days going forwards we'd be able to more easily just use the Asgard beaming technology to scoop her up, and transport her to your new desired planet of choice."
Holo-Kanaya mused on that, "I think I remember seeing that episode and thinking they'd exaggerated it."
"As did I, when I heard of it," Kanaya shook her head. "But really, it's a thing that happened."
"It really sounds too good to be true," Holo-Kanaya said, "but... so too did the idea of arresting Jane Crocker." She sighed. "Now we face other problems."
"I'm sorry, we haven't been able to locate your missing children yet." Kanaya frowned. "They seem to be doing a rather good job of keeping under the radar, somehow."
"I'd blame their Aunt--," Holo-Kanaya said, her transmission-sent image distorting for a moment, obscuring if she said a name or not. "But honestly, those four have just had a knack of getting into trouble ever since we were relocated to this universe. You'd be surprised how many detention tickets our daughter accumulated over just this last semester, let alone the other three!"
Kanaya chuckled, "If your daughter is anything as rambunctious as mine, I can imagine it."
A Galaxy Away, back in Pegasus...
"How's it going?" John Sheppard asked as he entered the control room from the Gate Room, suited up for a battle if it came to it- the old bullet proof vest was a comforting presence, as weighty as it was. Similarly, everyone else in the control room were just as suited up. Tyzias, Ronon, Jade, and Keiko- though Keiko wore an extra bit of protection in the form of a small green shield device on her chest beneath her presently opened vest.
"Prolonged Battles are happening where the Seers have predicted major conflicts so far," Jade answered. "The Kiramagers just got the dispatch order to go and fight the Jamenshi Brothers again. And the ToQGers just repelled another major assault on a certain Diasporan Storage Warehouse." She paused. "Tegiri and Ashler are in position above us with the Astro-Delta ready to intercept whatever comes through that portal once it opens."
"Lovely," John said. "And the storm?"
Radek Zelenka entered the room then from the floor below, answering that question with: "Storm's reached critical mass. Its growth has slowed to a halt, I think that we're about to see our stony friend start to break loose any minute now."
"Raise the shields," Keiko ordered, and Tyzias nodded, tapping at a console...
The familiar whine of the Ancient City's Shields coursed upwards through the air, encapsulating the city.
"Raised," Tyzias answered, glancing out a nearby window towards the darkened horizon, flashing with crimson every now and then. "Man, I'm having flashbacks, and not the nice ones either."
"Agreed," John said, looking to Keiko. "I feel like you should evacuate."
"We already have Argo off world," Keiko said. "And also," she tapped at the familiar green shield device attached to the front of her shirt. "Shield emitter. Even a Traveler Gun can't break through this. I'm good."
John and Tyzias seemed uncomfortable even so, and who could blame them after what had happened to Doctor Weir all those years ago?
A beep from the console had Jade tapping at it, ending that topic of conversation for the moment. "Jumper One reporting in," Jade reported. "Text message only. They're seeing energy spikes from the Tunnel."
"Alright, kids," Maka Albarn called back into the rear of the Jumper, "it looks like its go time. Better suit up!"
"Right," Miko said, standing to attention with most of the rest of her team, Maddison being absent. "Everyone ready?" She flipped open her phone morpher and extended it into a Wand.
"Ready," The rest of her team did the same.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!"
Maka didn't bother watching the light show behind her, focusing instead on the tunnel visible at the bottom of the eye of the storm that was swirling around over the mainland.
An ominous red glow was building down at the bottom of that shaft, and it was obvious what it was.
She could see it in her minds eye now, cracks spreading across the statue's skin to the point that it looked like the whole thing was made more of cracks than of stone, and then---
POOM!
A pulse of energy actually ran through the air- shaking the Jumper.
"And that's our cue!" Hector, suited up as Mystic Force Green, declared- hitting the button to open the back of the Jumper.
"See ya on the flipside, Col' Albarn!" Miko saluted and then leaped out of the back of the Jumper. "GALWIT MYSTO GRYPHIOR!"
The other Rangers followed in her footsteps, "GALWIT MYSTO GRYPHIOR!"
Once they'd cleared the Jumper's rear bay, Maka hit a button and closed the rear hatch from the front, then pulled upwards, accelerating as high as she could to get away from the imminent battle.
And then she heard the magic spell cry over the radio- "GALWIT MYSTO UNIOS!"
A glance downwards showed the five zords combining together into one cohesive whole- a winged Megazord with a mages hat atop its head.
"READY: TITAN MEGAZORD!"
Maka tapped the radio, "Good luck, Mystics."
The Titan Megazord landed on the ruined island, its wings folding away behind its back as it awaited the inevitable to emerge from the tunnel before them.
"Thanks, Jumper One," Rose replied, gazing through her helmet through the Megazord cockpit's chessboard like design out into the real world as they waited for disaster to emerge from the depths. "Good luck to you as well."
Jumper One continued to Ascend higher, and higher, before exiting into orbit, and falling in behind the ready Astro-Delta Megazord- heading for an opening entry hatch on one of the Astro's folded back arms, and coming in for a landing.
Once done, Maka made her way through the various shuffeled around passageways until she arrived in the Astro Megaship's control room, where Ashler Dering and Tegiri Kalbur were waiting on the controls, and nearby, Lloyd Armadn was gazing out the window towards the spiraling portal.
Rather, towards just beyond it where the Ruby Lancer and the Astraea Saber were hovering out of sight.
"Sup, Lloyd?" Maka asked of her teammate.
"Worrying over Gray," he answered.
Maka looked at the Astraea, hovering in position.
The two Mega-Pla Mechs had barely seen any serious combat use the last few years, and infact, Maka was surprised to see them out. She hadn't been aware that they'd been scrambled for this potential battle.
"What're they doing out there?" Maka asked.
"The Rescuers asked Gray if her team could scan this portal for dimensional portal aftershocks," Lloyd answered. "It seems like they're all planning something involving tracking something weird I didn't really get a clear explanation on."
"Ah," Maka nodded. "Metaphysics Bullshit. Gotcha."
"I'm just worried that whatever happens is going to draw them into the fight," Lloyd continues. "I know Gray's team is good and all, but...Shit happens."
"That it does!" Ashler interjected. "Once we finish this Bullshit, I'm going hunting for some wayward kids to drag 'em back home."
"Really?" Maka looked back at the Cerulean blooded troll. "Why's that?"
"Apparently one of the kids is another parallel self or something," Tegiri supplied, much to Ashler's annoyance.
"Look, I'll take Rose Lalonde and her Kanaya adopting a kid who's got the same genetics as me in one reality as long as they didn't name her after me like they were intending, but apparently now that's some bullshit universal constant! It happened on Earth C too!"
"Wow, seriously?" Maka asked, astonished.
Ashler crossed her arms over her chest, growling, "I worked hard to ditch that name and make sure no other mes got saddled with it and what do some other Rose and Kanaya do when they adopt a grub? Name it after the person it looks like! Stupidest shit I've ever seen."
"Maybe the multiverse is just trying to avoid confusion?" Lloyd offers.
"Nah, if that were the case," Ashler continued, "then they'd have never done it because apparently the me they were naming their kid after is Still Alive Too! And that's part of why I'm going out after those kids after we deal with this." She shook her head. "The only thing stopping that other me who's still using my old name from leaving Earth C right now is that she's apparently a Goddess or something so that means leaving the planet's a no go for some weird religious shit, but I know Me, and that other me's going to find a way to go out and drag those kids back eventually."
"To TL;DR Translate," Tegiri Too Long; Don't Read Translated, "she means to do damage control before a Second Vriska gets unleashed upon our universe uncontrolled."
"Thanks for that, as if that wasn't obvious," Ashler huffed, but wasn't actually annoyed.
"I wonder what those kids are doing right now?" Maka mused.
Returning now to the Alternia Galaxy, let's find out the answer to that question!
The main market street on the planet Lopan was a busy, bustling place full of people looking to make trades and score sweet deals-- literaly in the case of this month's specific theme of sweet treats and the ingreedients required to make them.
Sally Harley-Lalonde planted her hands firmly against a window as she gazed inward at the very tall cake on display on the other side. Her wolf ears twitched, and her tail swished excitedly.
"It's made with 'Dog Safe Chocolate Flavoring'!" She said for the tenth time within the last minute.
Vrissy Maryam-Lalonde raised an eyebrow, and looked at the cake. It wasn't anything special looking beyond how tall it was, to be honest. She'd seen fancier cakes at various birthday parties over the years. Hell, she'd seen fancier when Tavvy's dad finally got divorced from the Batter Witch! Still, she put those feelings aside and said, "I know. You keep repeating that. Why?"
"Because!!" Sally turned to look at her friend. "My Moms may have genetically engineered me and Harry to have as few doggy-side-effects as possible but they missed out on the obvious things! Chocolate AND Peanuts! I can't have EITHER. Vrissy, do you even KNOW what that's like?!"
Vrissy sighed, and glanced around for Harry and Tavvy... both of whom were currently bartering with a shop keeper for a temporary job.
To put it simply: They were almost out of cash and needed to get more to continue on.
"It's just a cake in a bakery window," Vrissy said, "and we're broke, anyways. It's not like that's the only cake that they'll ever make that way."
Sally hung her head, whining, "I knoooow... Damn it. I just want to try a chocolate cake! Is that too much to ask for!?"
"Just wait until the boys can find us some work," Vrissy said. "Then we'll get the coin and then we can get you that cake." Though, she wished the boys would just hurry up on that front.
She'd struck out at least three times already when she'd tried applying. Something about her one weird seven-pupil eye made the local Trolls unsteady around her for some reason. Probably something their local version of Aunt Vriska did that scared people shitless, Vrissy would be willing to bet. Handy in some situations, not quite so right now when she needed cold hard coin.
And then suddenly:
"Your Wish Is My Command!" Someone shouted- and then suddenly the cake in the window opposite Sally suddenly came to life and threw itself through the window at her.
Needless to say, that's when the shouting started all around the market street.
Vrissy looked around, watching as shit started going crazy as things came to life or teleportation ripples happened, causing, apparently, people's wishes to suddenly come true.
Vrissy heard the sudden rattling of coin metal against coin metal in the air.
"Oh. Shit." She looked over her shoulder and watched as coins of all kinds flew out of cash registers and began pooling together into a golem of walking money- taking the literal shape of Aunt Vriska right before her eyes.
There were other monsters meandering about, including some weird-ass oil-lamp and monkey themed monster who was waving his arms around and causing all this trouble- but Vrissy felt that this coin monster was more pressingly urgent. Mainly because, well, it was looking at her with murderous intent, rolling its shoulders and cracking its fingers with the clank rattle clink of coin on coin and...
Vrissy Ran for her goddamned Life as the Coin Golem started running towards her.
Back in the Atlantis Control Room...
"Oh, great," Jade Jackson muttered as a new report came in. "Looks like the Wish Monster got away from the Overdrive and Ninja Storm teams and is causing havok in the Lopan Market."
"Well that's not good," John Sheppard remarked.
And then another report came in. "Oh. FUCK."
"What?" John asked.
"The Kiramagers are fighting a double headed giant monster right now," Jade reported. "And it looks like it's beating them to-!"
And then alarms sounded- and several more things happened at once.
With a burst of dark magic suddenly pluming upwards into the sky from the tunnel, the Titan Megazord readied its sword and prepared for a fight.
Up in the heavens, the golden swirling portal finally opened completely, and it began to glow hot red as something began to emerge through its event horizon.
In the base-camp set up at the base of the Frog Temple, the disguised Enter removed his laptop, opened it up, and smiled as he tapped a key. "Au Revoir, Atlantis."
And then Atlantis' city shields suddenly collapsed as the tiny little Spy-der that Enter had sneaked into the system through Equius' Morpher did as it was told and shut the shields down... And then more.
John and Jade locked eyes with each other as Radek swore and Tyzias started furiously typing.
"What just happened?" Keiko asked, moving to check on Radek.
"I don't-" Radek shook his head. "I don't know! It's like someone input an override command to shut down the city's shield! I can't bring it back up!"
"Worse than that!" Tyzias shouted. "Star Drive just went offline entirely... and there went Drones, and--"
And then power cut to the Control Room, as well as the rest of the City.
"...And there goes the fucking power," Tyizas finished.
A massive fucking orb of crimson, yellow, and orange emerged from the portal, and then began unfolding itself into...
Well.
It looked like a giant freaking yellow eye framed in orange with two massive hands on either side of it.
Ashler and Tegiri gazed at the monstrosity with horror in their eyes.
"What the fuck is That?!" Maka asked.
A dark shape lunged upwards from the plume of dark magic, and then landed on the ground across from the Titan Megazord as the plume of darkness dispersed away.
The Centarus Wolf Megazord stood before the Titan Megazord, and silently appraised its opponent.
"Uhoh," Miko's hands trembled as she griped onto her Magistaff. "He sure looks like a nasty guy, doesn't he?"
The monster that would be after-the-fact named Sahaquiel pulled one of its massive hands back, and then flung forwards- generating a mass of energy from the motion that shot past the Astro-Delta and continued downwards, downwards, downwards...
And then it impacted the ocean several miles away from Atlantis.
"SHIT!" Tegiri yelled.
"It's calibrating its shots!" Ashler snarled.
Sahaquiel pulled back its other hand, and prepared another strike of the same caliber---
"EX-CALIBER!!!"
And then the Astraea Saber came swinging in with a golden sword of light and slammed into the beast's arm from behind, causing its next throw to be thrown far, far, far off course.
The shot continued downwards, downwards, downwards... and then impacted the ground near the standoff between the Titan Megazord and Centarus Wolf Megazord...
Right as the standoff ended, and the Centarus Wolf Megazord charged at the Titan Megazord.
"Astraea, Lancer," Tegiri ordered, "get in there and deflect any shots that get by us." He and Ashler readied their Megazord's sword and shield, and began rocketing in towards the giant eye at the center of Sahaquiel. "We'll try and kill it before it gets very far!"
"Roger that!" Four voices replied in near synch.
And somewhere during all of this, the old clock for the old Earth in Milky Way ticked over past midnight.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012.
Enter closed his laptop, smiling as he put it away. There was surely nothing that could get in his way now.
He failed to notice Ronon Dex observing him from far away, half hidden behind a tree, fingers tapping lightly against the gun holstered to his leg.
John pried loose the covering on the airvent in the Gate Room wall and peered down into the dark depths.
A flash of crimson light and the distant splash of water made him grimace, "This is Really like all of our greatest hits mixed into one, isn't it?"
"Only so many times a City can be sieged before history repeats," Jade quipped, then kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck!"
"Thanks," and with that- John Sheppard disolved into a burst of blue wind and flew through Atlantis' shuttered ventilation system.
Left, right, down, down, left, right, straight ahead, down, left- down-
John materialized again inside of the Atlantis City Power Distritbution Hub.
Power was still running here, which meant that it was definitely a system function shutting power to the City down at the moment.
He started throwing power switches, resetting the city's main power and he was almost done when he suddenly heard the sound of something teleporting- or transfigurificating- into the room behind him.
John turned around, hand on one of the switches, and saw a robot with a spider like theme materializing from a computer monitor- its speakers begnning to ennucniate: _"Spy-Der-Droid. Spy-Der-Droid."_
"Ah crap," John decided to throw manual certainty to the wind and generated a firm breeze in a single direction- flipping every circuit breaker at once.
Then, the Spider-themed robot came running at him with a cry of- "NO! YOU! DON'T!"
The Titan's sword and the Centarus Wolf's staff clashed together as crimson fire rained down from the heavens above.
"This guy's got spunk, I'll give him that much!" Fargo complained, rolling her shoulders and gazing out from beneath her helmet's gaze with a scowl. "But we've got SPARK!"
And then the sword electrified, and the Centarus Wolf was forced to break the weapons lock. It snarled much like an actual wolf, and then gathered dark purple flames along its spear's sharpened ends.
It spun its weapon for a moment, twirling it like a baton over its head, and then swung downwards towards the Titan Megazord- forcing them to dodge to the side to avoid being hit. The ground behind them wasn't so lucky and exploded brilliantly.
"Yeah," Hector yelped, pointing at the monstrous Mecha. "And he's got FIRE!"
"Rodney, we've got a problem," Ronon said, entering the main lab of the Frog Temple.
"And what's that?" Rodney asked, looking up from the fossilized piece of weaponry he and Mallek were working on.
"I did a headcount, and we've got one extra scientist I don't recognize and wasn't on the list," Ronon said.
"Well, that's not really too much of a problem, is it?" Rodney asked. "Not unless..." he stopped. "A spy? You think...?"
"Probably," Ronon grunted. "He's acting all suspicious. Opened his laptop for a minute before putting it away again. I've got Maddison watching him for now but-"
"But he's probably infiltrated the refugees to try and find the weapon," Mallek said, looking up. "I knew evacuating everyone here was a bad idea."
"Tell that to your matesprit," Rodney said, starting to pack up equipment. "We've got to hide everything away in the puzzle vault. Now."
Harry and Tavvy ducked behind an overturned cabbage cart as the cabbages harassed the man who'd been hauling them nearby.
"Okay, this is bad," Harry summarized.
"Of course it's bad," Tavvy answered, glancing over his glasses at his fellow run-away explorer. "A wish granting monster is going around terrorizing people with monkey paw wishes!"
"No, I mean, of course that's bad, but where are the Rangers?" Harry asked. "Going by everything we've heard, they should be here by now. This is Bad!"
And then they heard a Chainsaw revving, and both boys covered their ears as the sound of metal on metal ripped through the air.
But what was happening they weren't seeing? Well...
Vrissy huffed for breath as she watched the coin-made duplicate of her aunt crumble into pieces thanks to the chainsaw that had just punched through its chest.
There, standing before her, was a teen-ified version of her mom, who paid her no mind at all, revved her Chainsaw again, and leaped at another wish-made monster.
As Vrissy sat there, watching the currently youngest instance of Kanaya Maryam around wreaking havok, Sally stumbled over to her and sat down with a satisfied huff, cake maring her face much in the way one might imagine blood stains would if one dug into a raw steak without hesitation..
"You okay?" Vrissy asked.
"Yeah," Sally answered, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Turns out a monster made out of cake is Really Fragile after it broke through a solid pane of glass."
"I'd imagine it's pretty fragile regardless," Vrissy said. "It's made of Cake, after all."
"Fair enough," Sally answered, and then watched Kanaya rev her chainsaw through a cabbage golem. "...Is that...?"
"Some teen version of one of my moms?" Vrissy answered. "Yep. Right down to the righteous glare of doom."
Sally started to laugh. "Well, that's just great, isn't it?"
John swore as he hit the ground just in the hallways outside of the power room, and groaned. "Now I see why we give the kids suits for this."
He rolled to the side to avoid the monster stomping on his face, and shifted to his feet into a kneeling position as his fingers swirled through his Combat Sylladex for just the thing one needs to squash a robotic spider flat.
A war hammer with spring-loaded, steam powered irons on either end materialized into his grasp-- a Gag gift from Karkat and Dave for his birthday a few years back, called 'The Wrinklefucker.'
"Oooh! What's that going to do?" The Spider Robot asked, jokingly. "Wipe the rust off of my circuits?! HAH!"
"Honestly," John answered. "I'm kind of hoping that a little steam cleaning is just what this room needs." He pressed a button on the trigger and one of the irons released a puff of steam as everything heated up.
The spider-themed bot hesitated- "W-w-wait, did you say spring cleaning or steam cleaning?"
"Take a guess," John quipped, and then threw himself into a swing at the monster.
Up in orbit, Sahaquiel suddenly threw up a giant orange hexagon shield in between it and the Astro-Delta Megazord, forcing the Megazord back as it reared its hands together, gathering a massive burst of energy in hand over head, and it hurled it over and beyond the Astro-Delta's reach-- neither the Lancer or the Saber could get in close enough to stop it.
The bolt of crimson mass shot through the sky--- and impacted way off course because the damned giant eyeball monster had lost any semblance of calibration and was just trying to hurl massive objects at the planet where it could.
That blast of energy smashed into the ocean not too far off of the coast of the mainland- punching through the dark storm growing around that certain island and causing a massive earth-quake tremmor to ripple through the already damaged island.
The tunnel to the impossible section of space-time colapsed behind the two dueling Megazords because of that attack- and the ground began to crack and sink in beneath their feet.
The Island was colapsing in on itself.
Atlantis felt the aftershocks of the tremmor minutes later- with Keiko, Jade, Tyzias and Radek all clinging for the nearest console as everything shook around them violently.
Down in the hallways outside of the power room, the entire of everything shook, and John and the Spy-der-droid each had to find their own balance lest things get dangerous.
Unfortunately for them, a piece of the ceiling above them that had suffered through so many different years of different kinds of explosions and calamaties rocking through the city that it finally just had enough and broke apart, colapsing down onto the both of them.
Kanaya huffed for breath as she stared down the oil-lamp-monkey monster, who seemed hopping mad.
"Oh! You're going to wish you hadn't interfered, little missy!" The monster exclaimed. "Why I'll! I'll! I'LL TURN YOU INTO A---"
And then a freaking rock hit the monster in the back of the head.
All the chaos in the market place stopped, and all eyes, including the struck monster, turned to look in that direction.
"You..." June Egbert hissed, morphed, save for the fact that her helmet was long since missing, and looking slightly bloodied due to a head wound. "Will Leave my Sister's Girlfriend ALONE!"
She pulled back with her Lion Hammer and struck at the ground again like it was a golf-club- sending another chunk of rock flying at the Wish Monkey Genie Monster- who yelped as he got struck in the chest.
June ran forwards, throwing her hammer back in preparation of a more direct strike--
And then the Wish Moneky called out- "I Wish You Were Fighting Your Friends!"
And then with a sudden lurch of teleportation, the missing Red and Blue Ninja Storm Rangers appeared, though covered in green slime.
They drew their weapons and fired off bursts of hot air and sonic sounds at June without a moment's hesitation.
June yelped, and quickly leaped over them and the monster- landing next to Kanaya, and wincing as she did so.
"Damn it...! This guy cheats!" June swore as her teammates went around the other side to guard the monster.
"I dunno how you escape the slime dimension I threw you into," The Wish Monkey cried out. "But you're going to wish you never got out!!"
As the standoff begun, one could almost swear that music could be heard- a guitar rift playing through the air.
[On a mountain high]
Harry and Tavvy watched from behind the cabbage cart.
[Then I dream and fly away, But without you]
Just the same as Vrissy and Sally were from behind a display stand. All four were evaluating their next moves.
[On my knees and pray]
The Titan megazord struggled to get out of the rockslide it had been burried in.
[Torn apart again]
The Centarus Wolf Megazord, though, HAD taken damage- and had split apart into a giant black horse zord, and a purple hued wolf themed humanoid mech, both of whom were similarly burried in rubble and debris.
[I can count the reasons, But maybe the mind... Deceives...]
The Storm raged on around them, however, hastening the Island's colapse as sea water began pouring in ontop of them.
[There's a show in here]
The disguised Enter strolled up the steps to the Frog Temple's entrance.
[The things we can't express]
He was surprised that nobody was getting in his way as he entered the main lab.
[So come inside]
And then had Ronon's Gun pointed at the right side of his head--
[Is it time to start moving on?]
--And The Mystic Force's Solaris Knight's Lamp-themed blaster pointed at the left side.
[Time to believe?]
Enter couldn't help but laugh.
[See the red rain here]
Red flashes streaked through the sky above the City of Atlantis.
[The things we can't express]
In orbit- the Astro-Delta fired off its gattling guns against Sahaquiel's forceshield.
[So give me my sword]
Inside, Ashler and Tegiri gripped their hands around their sword replicas.
[Oh it will be better when it's done]
The Lancer and Saber darted around it, firing away and trying to break the monsters concentration as it gathered up energy for another giant blast.
[My Eyes don't deceive]
Down in the City itself... the hallway remained silent as dust floated through the air unnaturally.
[Give me my sword]
And then the air took on a blue hue, and began reforming atop the debris.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Notes:
Alright, let's take this one at a time.
This opening scene was originally tied to the start of the next Kiramager episode, but for pacing reasons I couldn't make it fit. Gina's heading straight to the start of the next MSK ep after this scene.
---
Maddie and her uncle Rodney get some screen time together. It's been a WHILE, when you think about it. Kaylee's off elsewhere doing her own ToQGer ranger duties, so she doesn't get to be involved with the family stuff, unfortunately.
---
Two Kanayas walk into a room with a third Kanaya. It sounds like the set up to a joke, but it's actually just the final bit of set up for making the youngest Kanaya a Power Ranger, finally.
---
John and Tyzias are having flashbacks to The Storm and The Eye, back in Season 1 of Atlantis, where Doctor Weir died in this timeline.
---
The Mystic Force is on the case, leaping into the battle from near-outer-space!...Yes, I had to make that pun.
---
Imagine an oil lamp that you typically see Genies in, handle and spout and lid and all, and combine it with a monkey that has its hands all bandaged up, and you'll get Mr. Monkey's Paw here. Pretty straightforwards as far as Sentai Monster Designs go, but as far as I'm aware it hasn't been done in recent memory. So it's something of a unique design here. Still, if you need a specific design aesthetic from a specific season to reference, lean towards Hurricanger/Ninja Storm's monster designs.
---
Enter the giant flying eyeball. It's an Evangelion Monster whose design I just couldn't help but to borrow for this. Gilgamesh has seen some crazy shit, that's for sure.
---
Annnnd enter the Spy-der-droid. Use Go-Buster's/Beast Morpher's monster design aesthetic for this guy, and slap some spider legs on the back for good measure.John's in for quite a fight with this guy. Also showcasing why the Rangers, well, have the suits to battle with.
---
I can't remember if I'd ever used "A Rising Tide" in this story before in the past- I know I've referenced the title before as a chapter title, but I can't remember ever using the song. If I'd did, it was nodoubt the full version, so I went with a shorter version for this chapter's ending.Cliffhangers, am I right?
The Next Chapter is: HS: Until She Didn't.
After that, MSK: 01X08: Victorious Imagination! Ressha Gattai: Ghost Express! (Part 2)
Which is honestly more part 4/5 of this combo arc between the different sides of things? ANYWAYS. See ya next chapter.
Chapter 26: HS: Until She Didn't.
Summary:
Aradia bears witness.
Chapter Text
Aradia Megido watched as reality became undone piece by piece.
First, the dueling narrations in her ear cut out. The Corpse Stealer stepped through the portal, and was gone.
Then went the Planet, the star, the STARS- all of them vanishing, plunging everything into darkness.
Then the Stargate appeared. And from it, the Ultrazord that didn't belong to this timeline.
Then came the updating memories- and then the Noble Phantasams- and then Joan not June not John did as the Ultimate Dirk wanted and with a snap of her fingers she blasted Dirk and the Robot Rose and they---
It felt like a SCRATCH, but localized.
Application of a power not from this universe- not from this timeline- not from this very COHESION of Reality at all.
Carved Meat should have been cooked and seared in a pan, not impossibly reverted back to being whole with the beast it came from and definitely NOT reverted back to a living state.
But it happened anyways. And Joan Watson smiled on her friends as they confronted her about what the hell just happened.
Aradia watched it all, and she shuddered as she felt the weight of a new Narrator's presence in the back of her mind.
Not Dirk, talking in his oranges in all his Meaty, exaggeratedly tough ways.
Not Calliope, talking crimson in all her Candy coated, sugary ways.
She couldn't tell if it was one new voice or several- how many hands touched this new Narrative she was experiencing at all?
Television Adaptation, Historical Novelization, an absurdly massive Fanfiction...
And then one voice who had been just given the Narrative to clean up a mess, and willingly gave it back after having it for only a brief time. The voice of her Ancestor and her Descendant- but different. Not Splintered. Not Fractured. Alternate, and Other, but she was Whole.
And yet despite the fact that all these different hands spoke the same words, it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended.
Aradia had thought, perhaps she'd made a mistake choosing to come here rather than staying and watching what happened to the Earth C of the Black Hole...
No, she realized, she'd definitely made the right choice.
Seeing this, feeling that narrative pressure change. Seeing how that Corpse Stealer had made her bed and now had to lie in it...
This was important to witness from this side.
But Aradia...
Aradia Megido had gazed into the abyss, and felt scared by what she'd seen.
There were powers beyond any so-called Ultimate Self, or the ability to Retcon.
And for once in her life, Aradia Megido felt that she didn't want to see what came next.
For she had gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back.
Aradia Megido blinked.
Notes:
...All I gotta say is that canon Kiramager's apparently pulled a twist that's sent me for a loop and I have a MIGHTY NEED for this week's episode to be subbed ASAP!! Holy Shit. Time to re-evaluate a bunch of shit.
...Uh. Right. Yeah. next Chapter. Completely unrelated...
MSK: 01X08: Victorious Imagination! Ressha Gattai: Ghost Express! (Part 2)
See ya... uh... whatever day it gets uploaded anymore. Fuck schedules at this point lol.
Chapter 27: MSK: 01X08: Victorious Imagination! Ressha Gattai: Ghost Express! (Part 2)
Summary:
In which events worthy of Mythology occur.
Notes:
CW:
Picture Embedding and Linkage.
Musical Sequences.
Near Death Experience.
Aftermath of Burnout.
An egregious amount of hot flames.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Gina Kae arrived in the Beltus' Control Room via Linking Book, and immediately went to check on the Kiramagers situation.
"What's the situation?" Gina asked of Okurii Leijon.
"Not good," Okurii answered. "Kiramagein is down, but the fight's... I don't know. Stalled? Paused??"
"Show me," Gina said.
And Okurii did.
The battle was paused, indeed, Kiramagein was lying against a building, cracked and damaged and low on power. The Dagames Jamenju was waiting behind Smog Jouki... which was recoiling and flinching backwards as if it were reacting to something getting in its way.
"...Garuza just stopped mid Burn Blacker," Okurii explained. "I've started recall procedures, but we've only got Carry back onboard so far."
"Rangers," Gina radioed down, and got live camera feeds of inside Kiramagein. "What's the situation?"
"A train," Nepeta replied. "Some train showed up and it's... There's a giant of light standing between us and Jouki."
Gina and Okurii looked at eachother, and Gina ran more sensor arrays...
Nothing. Not even the camera feeds from the Mashins themselves were showing it.
"Rangers, there's nothing There," Gina started-
"What are you talking about?" Harley asked, glancing at a side panel where Gina had appeared on it. "It's right there!"
"You can't see it?" Nepeta asked.
"How...?" Equius stared.
"A shared hallucination?" Tomo asked, glancing out at the Jamenju, who was looking perplexed by Garuza's hesitation.
"I can see it..." Atsuya said tiredly. "Our victory's right infront of us..."
Inside Jouki, Garuza glanced down at his hands. "That Train... That Train...! How can you BE HERE!?"
He glared at the projection of light that only he and the Kiramagers could see. "It must be Kiramei Red. He created the Mashins, didn't he? His imagination must be strong..."
Garuza, of course, was wholly mistaken on that front, and Gina, were she aware of what Garuza was saying, would have shouted at him for idea misappropriation.
"That means he has the same powers as my Brother. His spirit..." Garuza's gaze snapped forwards. "Then that would make a lot of sense, suddenly, wouldn't it?"
"If we could just..." Atsuya gazed on. "Be in two places at once...?"
"Atsuya, what are you-?" Fiya had started to say when his partner fainted again. "ATSUYA!"
The titan of light dissolved away.
"It's gone!" Garuza realized. "So it really was his power..."
"Rangers, if you can, prepare to split to Skymage and Landmage," Gina ordered. "Skymage will distract Jouki until we can beam all of you out."
"Roger!" Heliko and Jetta replied.
"This time, I'll finish you!" Garuza declared as Jouki opened its maw and began to march forwards.
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_ And then Jetta and Heliko detached from Kiramagein and transformed into _"SKY MAGE!"_ right then and there- opening fire on Jouki and darting around as fast as their cracked form could allow.
Land Mage broke apart and then- PVVVM-SHING!- was beamed away.
"LIKE HELL!" Garuza stated to turn after them when Jouki shook suddenly. "What-!?" He turned to look, and the Dagames Jamenju had fallen against Jouki's back, and was now slumping to the ground. "OF ALL THE TIMES TO NAP, REINETSU DAGAMES!!!"
"Let's retreat!" Heliko declared, and then Sky Mage flew off.
Garuza slammed his fist on Jouki's console as they beamed away off screen with a distant PVVVM SHING. "DAMN IT!"
"When people Shine, Miracles are Born!" An unfamiliar female voice, different from the usual male narrator, narrates.
"Kiramental- the proof of Warriors who can change the future!"
"KIRAMEI, GO!!!!" The usual Narrator exclaimed.
MASHIN SENTAI: KIRAMAGER
As he watched the slumbering, snoring Jamenju through a projection screen, Kurantula lamented, "Awh, Reinetsu Dagames used up too much energy. After its rampage got halted, it went to sleep to recover its energy."
On Earth C, Garuza gazed upwards, and snarled- angry- slamming his fist into a concrete wall, and impact-cratering it as dark smoke energy wafted out of his suit.
He'd lost control of this battle, and it filled him with nothing but WRATH.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012.
The Beltus hung in orbit over Earth C, and in its infirmary bay, Atsuya lay on a bed, unconscious. Nepeta was half sitting on the floor, half leaning against the bed, sleeping away next to him, one of her hands linked with his.
"Atsuya's completely and utterly exhausted," Marsti Houtek explained to the Kiramagers, Okurii, and Gina within the Kiramager's lounge. "As Nepeta explained it, they stayed up too late last night, and after skipping breakfast AND winding up going through hours of training, well..."
"We pushed them to exhaustion," Harley finished.
"Pretty much," Marsti nodded.
"Man, he got us worried for nothing," Tomo huffed, crossing their arms over their chest.
"I wouldn't say it's nothing-" Marsti started.
"Yeah," Harley winced. "If those Jamenshi hadn't returned when they did--"
"Speaking of," Tomo interjected, turning to look at the observation window. "How are the Mashins?"
Through the speaker from the Zord Bay, Shoevellow replied, "Not that alright, but alright."
The five core Kiramei Stones resided in their gemstone form, covered in cracks and splintered lines, and were encased in the giant gemstone polishing devices. Below them, the three youngest Mashins sat, with Carry in a similar polishing device to the other five above them. She looked somewhat better off than the others, though.
"Well, we're polishing the scratches out of them," Gina explained.
Mahha elaborated, "When there's scratching or clouding on our surfaces, our Kiramental is diminished."
"Right now, the Jamenju is sleeping," Okurii chimed in. "But we don't know if the repairs will be finished before it wakes up again. And more to the point... There's Oven Jamen out there still, too."
"So basically we're waiting on Atsuya to wake up there," Tomo summarized. "I can't believe he fell asleep at a moment like this!"
"We pushed too far!" Harley said, turning towards them.
"What do you mean by that!?" Tomo asked, frowning.
"It's like Marsti was saying!" Harley started. "They weren't well rested, and hell- none of us ate a proper breakfast! Most of us have been snacking on junk all morning, but I don't think I've seen Nepeta or Atsuya doing that. We basically ran their batteries completely dry!"
"Well, at least one of you recognized that," Fiya interjected. "That excessive training was brutal! And I can't believe you went along with it, Shovellow, Jetta!"
"Oh... I..." Jetta flickered. "I'm Sorry."
"I regret nothing," Shovellow declared flatly.
"But they didn't complain," Tomo started. "And Atsuya-"
"Atsuya was so dead on his feet he couldn't even draw," Nepeta said as she entered the room- Mabushiina at her side. Nepeta marched into the room. "And I tried to protest too. I raised my objections, and you all ignored it."
Then, the Crystalian Princess quietly said, "I ran into her in the hall outside. We couldn't help but overhear. I may not know Kiramei Red well, but..." She fidgeted with the white kiramei stone fragment in her hands, which Gina noticed with some concern. "My Father, King Oladdin, was similar to him in some ways, and he... My father would often put others before himself. Sometimes he just couldn't say no. It got to the point that during the final days of the war with the Alternian Empire, he was wearing himself ragged helping people during his free time when he should have been resting! His skin lost its shine and started to crack and he didn't tell any of us until it got to the point it spread across his whole body!"
"That's different, though," Equius frowned. "Isn't it?"
Tomo sighed. "...I think it's similar enough that I get the point." They looked to Mabushiina, and asked, "You objected to him doing that, didn't you?"
Mabushiina nodded. "When the cracks became visible, I begged him to rest. But... He refused. All he wished was for our people to be happy- to help all those who suffered- and he'd try to accomplish that even if it killed him. He said he didn't have the time to rest!" She shook her head. "Even Garuza asked him... 'Why do you sacrifice yourself so much for the people?' And... My Father answered, 'Do you need a reason to help others?' Garuza took advantage of my Father's exhaustion in those final days, I'm sure of it." She looked over the team. "I don't want to see another person fall victim to that stress. So please, don't get him thinking that he has to sacrifice himself like that!"
"Everyone needs their own time," Nepeta said. "When we push ourselves to the limit like this, we start missing solutions we might have seen otherwise. We can't Think right. During the last few fights, I'm as much to blame as Atsuya for losing focus. I couldn't shine that last fight because my mind wasn't on the battle. And Atsuya couldn't either. He tried and he fainted because he didn't have it in him to!" She looked down at her feet. "And it's my fault we were up late anyways. So... Please, Don't blame Atsuya for this. It's not his fault."
"I didn't think about it like that," Equius admitted.
Tomo sighed, running a hand through their hair. "And I was being stubborn again, wasn't I?"
Harley winced, "Just a little bit?"
"While you're all dealing with that fallout," Gina started, standing, and looking to Mabushiina. "Why do you still have that crystal, Princess?"
"Oh, well, there were monsters attacking near the warehouse, so I didn't want to risk drawing attention to it," Mabushiina answered. "I figured it was a bad idea."
"...I can't argue with that," Gina sighed.
Mabushiina put the small fragment of Kiramei stone onto the table, where it seemed to glimmer and sparkle of its own accord.
Atsuya winced as he found himself in a dark void, full of white, wispy smoke, with a distant, distorted sound of a train whistle blowing in the background.
[0:05]
"Hello?" He called out, stepping around into the void. "Where Am I?"
He saw a flicker of white light- rushing around in the sky- it looked almost like the train he'd been hallucinating... except, different in subtle ways.
Then, he saw that light descending towards him, and transformed into that Titan of Light... except... more his size and scale.
"You...!" Atsuya started. "You're...!"
Then, as the shrunken titan approached him, it changed shape again, taking on the visage of a Crystalian Woman similar to Mabushiina, and wearing clothes that looked more similar to the ones Garuza had worn when out of his armored suit.
[0:22]
"Hello, Kiramei Red," the woman before him said with the voice of the woman from the narration.
"Who... are you?" Atsuya started.
"You can call me Mashin Esprez," the ghost of a fallen Mashin introduced herself. "I was Jouki's partner, on Crystalia."
"Then is this... Crystalia?" Atsuya asked, looking around at the void.
"No," the ghost shook her head. "This is... someplace else. A void in between the realms of the living and the dead who refuse to move on. Only a few circumstances let us talk like this... Your being so exhausted counts as one, so I'm taking advantage where I can. Our time is short, so let us speak quickly."
"Alright," Atsuya nodded.
"Jouki is hurting, and you're struggling to find a Mashin design that can save him," Esprez started talking. "Doctor Kae has been working tirelessly to find a design that works, but nothing will because only one thing will work to help save Jouki. The Fail safe that I represented, and a second fail safe that the King's own reincarnated Spirit placed on Athos almost a thousand years ago."
"The White Kiramei Stone," Atsuya figured.
"Indeed," Esprez nodded.
[0:42]
"So... are we supposed to borrow your form?" Atsuya asked.
Esprez chuckled- a Crystalian chime echoing through the air. "More than that, Kiramei Red. Oladdin's idea was to take fragments of my body that had made their way into his reincarnated form's hands, and plant them as seeds to grow a new Kiramei stone. A Rebirth for myself, in a sense."
"Because Kiramei Stone can merge together," Atsuya realized- remembering the blue diamond fragments becoming the Sub-In doll. "With the right Kiramental and image... Fragments can become whole again."
"Like magnets being drawn together by their own pull," Esprez nodded. "It's a risky move. Never in Crystalia's history has anyone tried something like this with formerly sentient Kiramei Stone. I have no idea if what remnants of my personality will make it through the transition or not... but this fail safe..."
[1:04]
"We need to bring Jouki back under our control," Atsuya finished.
"Indeed," Esprez nodded. "The risk is worth it. And so I'll entrust to you, Kiramei Red, while your body is exhausted to its limit and able to pierce the veil between life and death, my Spirit. My Very Essence of Being. And if at all possible... I'll entrust to you the unfulfilled Dreams of myself and King Oladdin as well."
"I'll do it," Atsuya said with a nod. "I'll bring you back!"
"Come with me, and I'll give it to you, then," She said, leading Atsuya to a pair of drawing pads that appeared from the smoke.
And together, they drew on the first pad- the shape of Mashin Esprez as she was... and then the evolution of that form. Contained within that drawing, that set of images, was more information than anyone could have ever hoped to contain within their own head as a whole of uncompressed information...
But remembered as an image- with every line representing a memory, a piece of information, key personality data- suddenly the data was compressed, and it became something vastly, complexly informationally dense.
Then, on the next pad, she drew for him a building, and a location. Where the White Kiramei Stone was being stored.
[1:25]
And In the Waking World, Atsuya Awoke, and yet not. His body moved of its own accord- as if sleep walking, dressing and preparing to leave... and then he did.
He walked out of the Infirmary and began making his way down the hallways for the Linking Room, where he found a specific Book to Diaspora, and he linked through.
He walked down the streets of Diaspora, gathering surprised looks from various people as he walked, and not only walked, sketched on paper the same images he was drawing with Esprez in the dream.
Line for line, the shape for the New Mashin came into form- not just one stone for Esprez herself, but a new, second stone as well for the soul who assuredly also would be formed as well.
Two pieces, one Failsafe.
[1:42]
As he walked along, Garuza followed the boy at a distance through a viewing screen.
"Now where are you going in such a trance?" He muttered.
At the same time, Nepeta went to check on Atsuya, and found him missing.
She quickly returned to the Lounge, and informed her team- "Atsuya's missing!"
Before anyone could do anything with that information, though, the alert went out- Oven Jamen had returned and was attacking Earth C Again.
"Kiramagers, go!" Okurii ordered at the same time that Gina called out- "Princess, Get to the Warehouse!"
The Kiramagers departed, and Mabushiina scooped up the crystal fragment off the table and ran out, following the same course as Atsuya had.
She followed by on the same route, but Garuza didn't see her, so focused on Kiramei Red as he was with his searing, boiling HATERID roaring away inside.
And so Atsuya walked past the scene of an ongoing battle with the ToQGers and another set of Gilgamesh's monsters and mooks- that fight pausing to watch him go by in a daze, as if they all knew that something vastly more important than their own role in this story was being told.
He continued walking towards a certain warehouse, one that Esprez was finishing drawing for herself in the void between life and death, to show exactly where Atsuya needed to go.
And find it he did- a simple warehouse on Diaspora, guarded by only two night guards who had no idea what they were actually guarding beyond that it was important to Diaspora's Stargate Program.
[2:08]
The Guards saw the outfit of Kiramei Red before them, and wisely stood aside as Atsuya approached the Hangar bay door, and entered the Warehouse, where the White Kiramei Stone resided.
Atsuya lifted up the sketch of the finished Mashin Express and white sparkles of light shot forth from the paper as his Kiramental shot into overdrive, assisted by Esprez herself as her essence used his body as a vessel to channel back into the Real World.
"If this works," Esprez said to Atsuya, "I will forever be in your debt, Atsuya of clan Jurul."
"Don't worry about it," Atsuya said. "I don't need a reason to help someone out of a jam. And you've got plenty of reasons to be needing to be helped."
The Mashin Ghost laughed, her crystalian form vanishing before him, becoming a single floating Kiramei stone image. "You reminded me of the King, for a moment there... If this doesn't work out, tell Mabushiina that he loved her very much."
"I will," Atsuya said with a nod.
And then Esprez's stone form faded away from the void, and Atsuya's eyes closed for a moment, in the dream and in reality, and then reopened again as he watched the last of the energy from the sketch finish transferring into the giant, white, spiky Kiramei Stone inside the warehouse.
[2:30]
"KIRAMENTAL... UP!!!" He shouted- adding one last burst of his own energy into the mix, hopefully sealing the deal and bringing everything together as it should have been...
But as the sparkles of light faded from view- and in spite of how brightly the White Kiramei Stone glowed before him- it was abundantly clear that something was missing. One final piece was just not quite in place.
For The Kiramei Stone did not Transform into a Mashin.
And so acknowledging it, Atsuya closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as he tried to figure out what went wrong...
But he'd done everything he could on his end. They'd done everything that they could... but it wasn't quite enough...
Something was still Missing.
[2:50]
And so Atsuya yawned and stretched as he exited the Warehouse, rolling his shoulders, and looking around, confused, as he tried to figure out where the hell he was.
"Ah... sorry," he looked to the two guards. "Do you happen to know where I am?"
"Uh... Diaspora's Warehouse District," One of the guards answered. "Excuse me, but aren't you a Kiramager?"
Sparks suddenly flew from the ground before Atsuya could answer the Guard's question- and Atsuya and the two guards hit the ground, dodging the apparent attack.
Atsuya glanced upwards, and saw his Opponent walking towards them, and shouted, "Garuza!"
In the orange light of the rising sun on Earth C, orange flames smashed against buildings, setting them ablaze.
"BURN!" Oven Jamen yelled-- and then got hit with several Kiramei Shot blasts, forcing him to stop.
The four Kiramagers came running up into the chosen battle arena, morphed up-- and Oven remarked- "What?! Only Four of you!? Damn it! Don't underestimate me!!" He put his hands on his hips. "I'll cook you to a fine crispy finish!"
Equius and Harley ran in with their swords, while Nepeta and Tomo readied their blasters.
"WELL DONE BURST!" Oven jamen yelled- and the ensuing bomb of flames came bursting forth--
_"KIRAMEI SHIELD!"_ Two swords activated at once, generating a shield in front of Harley and Equius as they forced themselves to stop progressing forwards.
The flames started to go around- and the shield transformed into a cube, protecting those four Kiramagers from all sides for a few precious moments before it couldn't stand the heat and exploded, sending the Kiramagers flying back and hit the ground.
The sky began to fade from orange to a more natural shade of blue as Oven Jamen laughed, towering over them. "What'd I say!? Don't underestimate the power of my Flames!"
Harley glared at him from the ground, and shouted- "You talk too much!"
"I've been watching your movements, Kiramei Red," Garuza declared, standing atop train tracks as he readied his sword- "ALL TO FIND THIS PLACE!"
The swung a pruple blast of energy forwards and Atsuya grabbed the two guards and dragged them down to the ground- leaving the energy to soar over their heads and smash into the warehouse- blowing open the front doors, and revealing the idle, glimmering White Kiramei Stone inside.
"There you are... White Stone," Garuza gazed at his prize. "Time to finish you off once and for all..." And then, he looked to Atsuya, "And if I get rid of you too, then there won't be any more Mashins to get in my way!"
"Get out of here!" Atsuya said to the guards, and they got up and ran.
Garuza let them go, eyeing Atsuya. "I don't understand," he shook his head. "What kind of reaction is that?"
Atsuya took up a defensive pose, locking his eyes on Garuza... and more importantly, a figure running towards the battle from behind the dark knight. He could feel it- the missing piece- Mabushiina was bringing it.
He had to stall.
"What kind of reaction is what?" Atsuya asked in turn.
"Why would you worry about others when your life is about to be taken?" Garuza asked in turn, shifting his stance to be more threatening towards the Athosian Teen.
"Well let me ask you something then," Atsuya said, then asked: "Do I need a reason to help others?"
Garuza froze- and he missed Atsuya readying his morpher- as his mind focused instead on a memory of his brother, Oladdin, asking "Do you need a reason to help others?" while he'd been scratching at the side of his face.
"I knew it," Garuza declared quietly, clenching his left hand into a fist. "The moment I saw you- I felt it-" Dark magic formed around his hand, and he roared- sending that power out like a frightening aura. "The SOURCE OF MY WRATH!"
Atsuya staggered, then glared on, "What was that!?"
"You talk the same way as my Brother, Oladdin, did!" Garuza snarled. "No! More to the point. You harbor his Spirit! I thought he was still disembodied but he Reincarnated into you- Didn't he!? That's why I feel that I have to destroy you now! With my own hands!" He readied his sword- and began to charge.
"I wouldn't know anything about that," Atsuya said calmly as he then tapped his Morpher- _"KIRAMEI GO!"_ - and then quietly said "Kiramei Change," and spun the wheel- transforming in a flash.
Garuza's sword came down on Atsuya's shoulder pauldron as the suit formed with a "Let's Sparkle!" and Atsuya drew his own sword up to slash across Garuza's chest- staggering the Crystalian.
"But I'll take you on regardless!!" Atsuya declared.
"Atsuya!" Mabushiina called out- approaching then, crystal in hand. "You're alright!"
"He won't be for Long!" Garuza said, turning his head to eye his niece-- and then he swung a sword strike at the giant Kiramei Stone--
_"KIRAMEI SHIELD!"_ Atsuya dove in to block, deflecting the attack upwards and away from the Kiramei Stone.
Garuza came in fast, and Atsuya blocked the strike-- then BOWED backwards allowing Garuza's blow to fly over his head safely.
Atsuya then grabbed onto Garuza's right arm as he soared past- a tackle grip Nepeta had shown him- But Garuza pulled free and gave a quick punch, knocking him back slightly, and then swung and thrust, knocking Atsuya back and away, closer to Mabushiina than to the warehouse.
"Atsuya!" Mabushiina called out.
"And Stay Down!" Garuza declared, then, turned towards the warehouse, uncaring as Mabushiina came over to Atsuya to check on him. "Now, to finish this job!"
Garuza readied his sword-
"STOP!" Atsuya yelled as Mabushiina caught up to him- the crystal in her hand flashing with light and then encapsulating the both of them- suddenly rocketing forwards and blowing past Garuza, knocking him off balance as the final fragment reunited with the whole of the White Kiramei Stone, and obscured everything with a bright flash of light for a moment.
"What the-!?" Garuza shouted.
Then, he felt it- a glitter of KIRAMENTAL- heard the roar of a train--
"MASHIIIIIIIIIN!"
The giant white Kiramei Stone rose from the ground- bursting through the roof of the warehouse and then SPLIT vertically, becoming two long fragments of stone that reshaped and then soared through the air as two individual Kiramei Stones of white make, each striped with red on the sides, as they came together, and the front end flipped forwards, becoming the front car of a Bullet Train that came to rest on the tracks nearby.
"COMPLETE!" Atsuya cried out as the cockpit for the new Mashin formed around him and Mabushiina. "A Ghost is reborn as a Train: Mashin Express!!"
"I'M BAAAACK! WAAHOOO!" The resurrected Mashin cried out.
"What!? Esprez!?" Mabushiina asked, shocked as she moved around the cockpit. "But how--!?"
"Later!" Atsuya said, gripping the wheel before him. "We have to get out of here!"
"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Esprez- rather, Mashin Express declared, eyes flashing as she dove on ahead- generating train tracks of white energy before her.
Unsurprisingly, Jouki came roaring in from above mere seconds later- with a roar, the black-purple Mashin pulled up behind them.
"Garuza!" Atsuya glanced over his shoulder.
"We have to go help the others!" Mabushiina said. "To Earth C! Quickly!"
"Alright!" Atsuya nodded.
"I'll destroy you again!" Garuza yelled from behind them, gaining ground on them. "ESPREZ!!!"
Jouki's jaw opened wide, ready to chomp down...
"Dream on!" Atsuya pressed a button, and Mashin Express rocketed upwards into the air...
And then it vanished through a Hyperspace Window that opened suddenly before them.
"How the-!?" Garuza stared on, shocked as the window vanished.
Another explosion rocked the plaza, and the Kiramagers demorphed, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop, groaning as they tried to get their wits about them.
Oven Jamen just laughed as behind him, the Dagames Jamenju awoke from its nap and stood to its feet, sending debris flying upwards as it went.
"Welcome back to the fight, Reinetsu Dagames!" Oven Jamen declared.
"Oh crap," Nepeta swore as she adn the others got to their feet.
None of them heard the tearing sound of space time above them for what it was- assuming that it was Garuza's Jouki emerging to join the rampage yet again.
"Now, to burn you all to ashes...!" Oven Jamen sang at them. "Well Done Bur-"
Beams of white light speared down into the ground around Oven Jamen, sending him sprawling from the explosions.
And then the Jamenju was hit as well- they were concentrated, miniaturized blasts of energy similar to the Hyperbeam blasts installed on the BC-304 class cruisers.
And then with a roar of a train whistle- Mashin Express flew in and slammed into the Jamenju, knocking it down.
Then, it circled around overhead, and came to a land nearby.
A door opened, and Atsuya, demorphed, and Mabushiina, disembarked from the train.
"Sorry for the wait!" Atsuya declared, running over to join his teammates, looking refreshed and re-energized for the battle ahead.
"Atsuya!" Nepeta ran over and gave him a hug. "You're okay!"
"Sorry for worrying you," Atsuya said, hugging her back, then, separated to look at the rest of the team.
"Atsuya," Harley stepped forwards. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner how tired you and Nepeta were. I should have done better."
Tomo joined her, stepping forwards, "And I'm sorry too. I think I let my temper get the better of me again and wasn't paying attention."
"I'm truly sorry," Equius joined them as well. "I failed to consider the situation properly."
"Well," Atsuya started. "You should've noticed how tired we were and let us rest! That was really horrible!"
"...I know it was messed up," Tomo winced, "but, uh... isn't this usually the part where you go 'it's okay'?"
"It wasn't," Atsuya said, "even as second in command you especially should've noticed sooner!" He looked Tomo in the eyes. "But..." He smiled. "Thanks to you all wearing me out like that, I was able to meet Esprez and bring her back to the land of the living!"
All of them turned and looked at the Mashin, who was just sitting there idly, and casually, quietly said, "Ah, hello. It really wasn't that big of a deal, really."
"So in the end," Atsuya flashed a peace sign to his team, "It's Alright!"
Mabushiina stared on- "Wait- but that's--!" Her memory flared up, and she remembered her own father in that same exact way with that same exact pose right down to the tone of voice, saying.... "It's Alright!"
"I..." Tomo scratched at their head. "I don't really get how, but..." they smiled. "I'm just relieved you're okay after all that. You had us really worried!"
They reached a hand out, and grasped Atsuya's extended hand.
The others did the same- reaching out, putting a hand on top of the pile.
"We all are," Nepeta smiled to Atsuya.
"We're stronger as a team when we're all at our peak performance," Equius said.
"From now on," Harley added, "We'll all try to pull the others back when we go too far and need to rest!"
"Of course," Atsuya smiled, and nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less!"
The team also all smiled, nodding as well in agreement.
"ARE YOU DONE WAFFING AROUND!?" Oven Jamen asked, finally getting to his feet. "GOD! YOU'RE MAKING ME SICK WITH THIS LOVEY DOVEY SHIT!"
The Kiramagers broke their hand hold, and turned to face the Jamen, forming up as a team.
"Alright, everyone," Atsuya declared, taking center position. "Let's put out this oven fire once and for all. Ready?" He readied his Morpher.
"READY!" The others readied their morphers.
And thus, they tapped their Morphers- _"KIRAMEI GO!"_ -and extended their left hands. _"KI! RA!! MEI!!!"_
"KIRAMEI CHANGE!" Equius, Nepeta, Atsuya, Harley, and Tomo declared, pulling their arms back and letting the wheels spin against their open right hands.
Crystals burst forth from the ground, running up their legs as projections of their Mashin Partners swirled through the air- circling, circling, circling, and then coming down across the backs of their left shoulders, and circling around down to the right, and up again to the left- settling down over their hearts as the crystals encapsulated their heads, and then-
FLASH!
The crystals shattered as the zord projections became crystals over their chests.
"Go ahead and roll call," Oven Jamen huffed. "I could use the breath!"
"Inspriation Sparkling!" Atsuya backflipped, and struck his pose. "KIRAMEI RED!"
"Guided Shooting!" Tomo struck their poses, and aimed at the Jamen- "KIRAMEI YELLOW!"
"Rush Lightning!" Harley hit her poses- "KIRAMEI GREEN!"
"Sharpened Unstoppable!" Equius flowed through his poses- "KIRAMEI BLUE!"
"Deft Incredible!" Nepeta finished off the individual poses- "KIRAMEI PINK!"
"ARRIVING IN A FLASH!" They hopped forwards as a team, and struck their poses- "DISPATCHING EVIL WITH A BLAST!"
"Mashin Sentai!" Atsuya declared.
"KIRAMAGER!" They struck their absurdly fancy and sparkly team pose.
Oven Jamen huffed. "It won't matter if you're four or five!" He put his hands on his hips, defiantly.
"We'll see about that!" Atsuya declared, crossing his arms.
"All of you will BURN!" Oven Jamen declared in turn, and then- "WELL DONE BURST!"
The Kiramagers dodgerolled forwards beneath the flame blast that followed.
Harley and Atsuya leaped upwards as the flames dispersed, and delivered two sideways kicks into the left and right sides of Oven Jamen's mask- dazing him with a loud CLANG!
"Kiramei Sword!" Equius rushed in, slashing away at the Oven Jamen's body.
Before Oven Jamen could recover, Nepeta rushed in, grabbed him by the arm, and tackle flipped him to the ground onto his back.
Oven just barely got back to his feet in time for Tomo's blaster barrage to strike him.
"Kiramei Shot!" Tomo shouted.
Oven Jamen staggered backwards as the Kiramagers regrouped.
"How's that?" Atsuya asked as he and Harley highfived.
"Unfortunately," Tomo started, placing their right arm on Atsuya's left shoulder, using him as a support as they posed flamboyantly while trash talking. "There's a big difference between four and five of us, You oversized Toaster!"
"I'm Not a Toaster!" Oven Jamen protested.
"Kiramei Rush Stream!" Atsuya ignored the protest entirely, calling for the team finisher.
Tomo and Nepeta readied their blasters- loading and charging the weapons. _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
Harley and Equius readied their swords- tapping the charge buttons. _"KIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
The four took their readying poses, and then unleashed the onslaught of their four weapons upon the Oven Jamen with a _"CHECKMAGE!"_
As the strikes hit the Jamen, Atsuya combined his sword and blaster- _"KIRAMEI BUSTER! KIRAKIRAMEI CHARGE!"_
"KIRAMEIIIIII!" Atsuya lined up his shot as energy bloomed at the front of the super buster. "BUSTER!!"
The burst of energy lanced through Oven Jamen like a bolt of lighting short circuiting an actual oven's ability to even heat up again- spearing through with a "PCHOOO!" sound that signaled the Oven's final moments.
"Reinetsu Dagames! Please Avenge Me!!" Oven Jamen yelled, before violently exploding without even falling over first.
_"CHECKMAGE!"_
The Kiramgers cheered as the explosive Oven was finally put to rest.
Reinetsu Dagames roared as it got back to its feet moments later, though.
"I hope the Mashins are fixed...!" Harley started--
"Damn Straight We Are!" Fiya declared, his voice bellowing through the air as the Mashins came hurtling forwards- already in the process of combing together of their own accord.
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_
"Our Sparkle is back! TENSION SET TO MAX!"
"COMPLETE!" The five Mashin cried out. "KIRAMAGEIN!"
_"KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
The Kiramagers leaped onboard, and just in time, too, as Smog Jouki entered the scene then, stomping through the streets of Earth C with a clear axe to grind, and a chainsaw to saw.
"Oven Jamen was defeated?" Garuza asked, and thus, Kiramagein was surrounded on either side. "But as long as I have Reinetsu Dagames, this won't be a problem."
Kiramagein swung its sword, back-slashing against the Dagames- but then Garuza came in with Jouki's claws and then the two evildoers came down upon the Mecha with a ferocious double team.
"Take This!" Garuza declared, and Jouki bellowed forth a burst of flames against Kiramagein.
Explosions rocked around the Mecha, and they staggered backwards into Reinetsu Dagames' arms, who held them tight.
"Hold them, Dagames," Garuza declared, having Jouki turn towards Mashin Express. "I have a job to finish."
Atsuya snarled- "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Then, to Fiya, "Fight without me for a minute, Fiya!"
"I'll do my best!" Fiya said as Atsuya leaped out, heading for the waiting Mashin.
"Atsuya!" Nepeta cried out. "Where are you going!?"
Atsuya landed at Express and climbed inside just as Jouki arrived, and reared back with a Burn Blacker attack.
"Full Speed Ahead!" Atsuya declared.
"Roger!" Express returned- and then---
The explosion rocked around them, but they burst forwards at speed, avoiding damage.
"Not Again!" Garuza yelled, head snapping upwards to track their movement.
"Bye Bye!" Atsuya taunted.
Express circled around in the air, and then came straight at Jouki.
"Jouki! Come Back to us!" Express cried out- and then shone down a beam of light upon the controlled Jouki.
"What the-!?" Garzua suddenly found himself unable to do a thing as Jouki's controls froze up on him. "It froze up!? But How!?"
Jouki gazed upwards into the light- then snapped apart back into train form- "MASHIIIN!" crying out loud for the first time actual words.
"What- No!" Garuza yelled as Jouki came to a halt on the ground. "I forbade you from speaking!!"
"Docking Time!" Atsuya backed Express up, and the Mashin coupled together with the until-now unused train ports at the back of Jouki's chainsaw car.
"Oh Come On!" Garuza yelled, glancing backwards.
"Time to Depart!" Atsuya, Express, and Jouki cried out as one.
And then Express rocketed forwards, dragging Garuza along for the ride as Jouki's mass was easily pulled along by the resurrected Ghost.
The Train smashed into Dagames, knocking it away from Kiramagein with a burst of an explosion.
"I Wanna Ride It!" Harley cried out.
"ESPREZ IS BACK!!" Shovellow cried out, pumping into the air as Kiramagein's left arm. "WOOOHHOOO!"
"And now for another blast from the past!" Atsuya declared. "Return to us now, Titan Of Light!"
"No No No NO!" Garuza protested, shouting from Jouki's cockpit.
Atsuya tapped his Morpher twice, and spun the wheel- "MASHIN GATTAI!"
_"MASHIN GATTAI!"_ cried out through the air as every part of Jouki and Express split apart and began shifting around.
The main body folded back into a rough half of the block, except it remained partially split, forming legs as half of Express connected to the top as an upper torso, and then Jouki's Maw formed as the right arm, and the chainsaw as the left arm.
Finally, the final piece of Express split apart, and combined atop the rest of her, forming a giant V crest and revealing a sunglasses wearing face.
"Complete!" Atsuya called out as the Reformed Speed Titan flew forwards- "GHOST EXPRESS!"
The other Kiramagers stared on and gave the expected "How awesome"s, though Nepeta changed things up with a "How Emotional!"
Standing before Kiramagein now was the transformed Combination- Ghost Express.
Mabushiina gazed upwards in awe, thinking to herself. 'Esprez was a failsafe to prevent Jouki from falling into the wrong hands... But then she died... somehow... now she's back? Resurrected once more...' She couldn't believe it. 'So that's why Garuza tried so hard to take control of that Stone... or destroy it, even.'
Garuza struggled within the cockpit of Jouki- "Damn it!"
The Dagames Jamenju got to its feet- snarling.
"Let's Go!" Atsuya declared, and Ghost Express sped forwards at blidning speeds- punching forwards, and smashing the Dagames aside with Jouki's maw.
[I'm sure we met fortuitously]
The Speed Titan spun around rapidly, and came swinging in with a chainsaw strike next, followed up with rapid kicks and then--
[In order to sparkle]
Chainsaw planted in the ground, Ghost Express spun around it like a pole point, kicking away at the Dagames in rapid fashion.
[So we'll polish up our scratches-]
They skid to a halt for a moment- and the Kiramagers reacted.
[Mashin Sentai Kiramager!]
"What speed!" Equius gasped.
[I draw the first line- On a fresh sketch book,]
"I'm so shocked I'd turn blue if I wasn't already blue!" Jetta said.
[And feel as if I can go anywhere!]
"Damn you!" Garuza growled, and finally managed to get Jouki's wheel to turn. "BURN BLACKER!"
[My Roaring Imagination is an Engine As I draw my dream]
"Owowow!" The Mashin cried out as he was twisted up to point at Express' face.
[Even if it doesn't reach the outside world!]
"I'll take that too!" Atsuya declared- and then dismissed the Gattai.
[Actually, I wish, I could ignore those eyes staring around me,]
Mashin Express rocketed away as Smog Jouki briefly reformed, bellowing a burst of purple flames against the Jamenju- much to its displeasure.
"Oh Shit!" Garuza froze for a moment as he realized his mistake.
[And shout out, Make a dash!]
"Thank you!" Atsuya taunted, then- "Alright! Another Possesion- I mean Combination!"
[Yes! I feel it, Let's Sparkle!!]
Ghost Express reformed in a few snaps of the ports- then, Atsuya locked onto the sparking Jamenju with glee--
[Grab hold of the wind that begins in the future,]
"THE FINISHER!"
Ghost Express transformed back into the train forms- and Express wove circles around the Jamenju, encasing it in train tracks, before rocketing upwards and retransforming into Ghost Express.
[And ascend with that Flash of Kiramental!]
"GHOST EXPRESS BURN BLASTER!" Atsuya called out.
[It's the power to believe in what we love!]
Arms crossed over the chest for a moment, Ghost Express readied, Express's V crest glowing bright white- then the arms flew to the sides and ghostly blasts of the V Crest lauynched forwards at rapid pace, smashing down down down down into the Jamenju.
[I'm sure we met fortuitously In order to sparkle! So we'll polish up our scratches-]
Ghost Express rocketed forwards again- and blew past with the chainsaw, gliding to a halt on the other side of the Dagames Jamenju as it fell over and exploded.
[Mashin Sentai Kiramager!]
"CHECKMAGE!" Express and Jouki cried out.
"Victory!" Atsuya threw out a peace sign.
"Alright!" Tomo laughed.
"We did it!" Harly cheered.
"Nicely Done!" Equius relaxed slightly.
"We really did it," Nepeta clasped her hands in glee.
From the ground, Mabushiina cheered as well- "Good Job, everyone!"
Within Jouki, though, Garuza roared- and dark energy bloomed around him. "I WONT STAND FOR THIS!!!"
"Oh! No! I don't want to go back!" Jouki cried out, but it was too late. The dark miasma overcame him again, and then with a flash of light, Express was forced out of the combination as Smog Jouki reformed, and the poor Mashin was rendered silent again.
Express came to a halt next to Kiramagein, grinding with a loud- "Ooof... That hurt..."
"I WILL NOT!" Garuza yelled as he had Jouki roar. "EVER AGAIN!! LET YOU STEAL MY SMOG JOUKI!!!!"
"Think again!" Atsuya shook his head, and then leaned forwards on the console. "We'll borrow him again whenever we want until we can take him back for good!"
"You talking like that gets on my last nerves...!" Garuza growled. "But watch for as little good as it will do you when your precious Atlantis is Destroyed!!" And with that, Jouki hurtled upwards and escaped through a dimensional portal once more.
"Atlantis...?" Atsuya asked, pulling back in his seat.
Garuza stormed through the thick and dark waters of the flooded SGC, roaring in anger. "HOW DARE THEY!?"
Kurantula followed his voice, only to pull back as he saw the dark miasma of Garuza's Jamental powers overflowing around his... well... Friend would be putting it lightly.
"Garuza's really scarry today...!" Kurantula remarked.
"My Power's swelling to new heights I've never before reached...!" Garuza hissed, as he absorbed all of his feelings and wallowed in them. Hatrid, Wrath, Jealousy...
The three keys to his power had been hit again and again and again today and...
And Now.
He roared- shockwaves of energy rippling off of him for several long moments before they ramped up again- with a shockwave- knocking Kurantula down into the water.
"WAAAH!" Kurantula cried out, before sitting up and gazing forwards in horror. "This must be the Crystlaian's fabled dark power- Jamental...!"
Garuza huffed as the power flow suddenly shut off and he gained a grip on his abilities once more.
"I can't believe..." Kurantula stared on. "He's so powerful... how long has he been stewing in these feelings!?"
Garuza's helmet's lone red eye gleamed red with dangerous intent.
The Kiramagers were rapidly securing supplies for a hasty return to Atlantis as the six reunited Mashins chatted.
Well, technically six, but Express had once more split into two fragments, only one half of which was actually aware and speaking to them with Esprez's voice. The other half was snoozing in the nap basket the other three young Kiramei Stones were gathered.
"How did the King manage to get your fragments all the way to another Galaxy!?" Fiya was asking.
"I'm not even sure of that myself," Esprez answered, tilting sideways. "I was barely aware of anything that happened after my shattering. And whatever perspective I gathered from the other side seems to have faded away with my rebirth... But I know that someone gathered my remains and carried them across the fast distances of space and time to that planet they were burried on."
"'Fast'?" Jetta asked. "Don't you mean vast?"
"Er, so I did," Esprez remarked. "Sorry, I think this rebirth might have a few trailer hitches to them..."
"You mean Glitches, right?" Shovellow offered.
"I'll polish them out as vast as I can- FAST, DANG IT!" Esprez complained.
"Vocal tics aside, That's amazing how you got reborn!" Heliko chittered. "We really gotta find out who did that and thank them!"
"I'm sure once we find out, we'll probably be fearing the end results," Mahha said.
"Regardless," Fiya said, "we're a step closer to getting Jouki back from Garuza for good. And whatever mystery wound up leading you to being on Athos like that, we'll figure it out after the fact." He paused. "It's still good to have you back, Esprez."
"It's Good to be back," Esprez said. "I don't remember much of the other side, but I do remember it was really boring!"
"Everyone!" Atsuya hurried over to the Kiramei Stones. "We're ready to go back now!"
"Right," Fiya yelled, floating into the air. "Let's go, everyone! One More Battle for Today! Let's Save Atlantis!!"
"YEEEAH!" The Mashins cried out.
KIRAFUL! MIRACLE!! KIRAMAGER!!!
Mabushiina clapped her hands together. "Linking up Jouki to Esprez forms one of Crystalia's Four Legendary Titans- the Speed Titan, King Express!"
"It's Ghost Express Now!" Esprez's gemstone shouted, interceeding on screen.
NEXT ~~KIRAMAGER!~~ STARGATE ALTERNIA!!
"Eh!? What!? We're not doing this bit this week!?" Atsuya asked.
"There's more important things! We gotta find out what's going on back in Pegasus!" Harley said.
"Tune in next time for the end of Act Eight Act One!" Tomo said.
"Stargate Atlantis, Episode Eight!" Nepeta narrated.
"Catastros," Equius said grimly.
"Don't Miss It!" The Six Kiramei Stones cried out.
Notes:
ARGH. I accidentally closed the tab in the middle of editing this chapter, meaning i gotta start all over. ><;
---
So. This is it. The first real major change I've made to the overall progression of spoken-line Mashins in this series. I've made Mashin Express a character who's properly "voiced" and more than that, Esprez herself has been subtly built up too all this time. Having her return spokily preluded by the use of Infinity Train's theme "Running Away" just felt like the most appropriate use of music I could manage for this sequence.Esprez herself has been in a state that's most equivalent to being an Ascended Being for the past thousand years. Is it exactly that? ...Okay, I can't lie, yes, it's exactly that. Her little appearance there at the start of the chapter to stop Garuza is pretty much exactly the same kind of light show one expects from an Ascended being- right down to it being selective in who sees it.
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ACT TITLE DROP: Kiramental Up! It started as a punny reference to Digimon Adventure 02's "Digimentals" (Or: Armor Digi-eggs, if you're more familiar with the dub), and their activation phrase "Digimental, up!" (Or for the english dub, "Digiarmor Enerrrr...gize!!"... yeah, it's a little weird.) I found a way to work it into the story here, at any rate.
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Admittedly, I didn't have to do much planning for the themesong cameo at the end there- I basically matched when the lines played in the show. Even so, some of them were muted by dialogue so it was a little easy to lose track and I guessed a little. XDStill. I couldn't think of a more fitting cap piece for this first fight for Ghost Express, and neither could the Kiramager showrunners, given they used it here.
Of course, Garuza ruins the moment by taking Jouki back. So begins the back and forth of the stealing that I've enjoyed toying with so much. I've already planned something differently for Jouki's arc than what Kiramager seems to be doing. Sooo... we'll see where the show goes, given the twist they pulled with Silver. Bah! That still bugs me that I didn't see it coming. The pieces were all there and I ignored 'em.
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ANnNnNnD YEP. Next episode already.SGA:06X08: Catastros (Part 3)
I may post this and the finishing chapter of this act a bit early this week since it IS getting to the end of act. Or I may wait til the weekend as per usual and then start with Act 2 on monday... Though if I *DO* that, I'm only uploading on Fridays again from that point on, atleast until I feel comfortable predicting where this show is going. LOL...
Well. We'll see how it works out.
See ya later, folks!
Chapter 28: SGA:06X08: Catastros (Part 3)
Summary:
Conclusion. Battles rage on as Gilgamesh's latest attempt at universal conquest surges towards an explosive ending.
Notes:
CW:
Musical Sequences.
One MASSIVE Explosion. (Skippable with a "Jump Here" tag notice!)
Memory alterations.
Implications of being erased out of existence.
Being Buried Alive.
Near death experiences.
Psychological warfare.
Threats of death.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment/Experimentation.
A rather creepy depiction of something splitting into copies of itself.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012.
PCH-BRRRRMMMM!
BWERRRRR....!!
The disguised Enter froze as two guns were pointed at his head- to one side, Ronon Dex, to the other, the Mystic Force Ranger's Sixth- the Solaris Knight, MadIson Miller.
Enter couldn't help but laugh. "Ah... I failed the most obvious test, didn't I? The Head Count, right?"
"Head Count," Ronon confirmed. "That, and you were pretty sneaky looking to begin with."
"So..." Rodney Mckay stepped out from around a corner. "Let's talk. Who are you, and what the hell are you doing sneaking into a Restricted Lab?"
"My name..." Enter smirked. "Is none of your concern! But if you must call me something... why not... Oh, Blaze will work for now, I suppose."
"'Blaze,' huh?" Rodney narrowed his eyes at the man. "Don't buy it, but fine. Blaze. Answer my second question."
"What I'm doing here in this lab?" Enter asked, smiling. "Oh, it's quite simple, really. I'm here to steal whatever weapon you so called heroes are developing against my Lord, Gilgamesh."
"Should I blast his head off?" Ronon asked- pressing his gun's muzzle directly against Enter's skull, making the man freeze for a moment at the slip up.
'Ah, that may have been too much information,' he realized. 'Dumb move, Enter. Dumb move!'
"Not yet," Rodney said, taking out a scanner. "We gotta make sure he's not possessing anybody first."
Possessing? Enter stared at the scanner as it got waved around his body. How the hell did they come to THAT conclusion?
"...Possessing?" Enter asked, shocked. "What ever would give you that idea?"
"Ah, he flinches," Rodney chuckled casually.
"That he does," Madison answered casually.
"So does that mean he's possessing someone or can I blow his head off?" Ronon asked none too casually at all, and actually a bit impatiently, as a matter of fact.
Rodney frowned as the scanner beeped at him. "Damn it. Two sets of Brain Waves. He's definitely possessed."
"Well that's no fun." Enter scowled, "Take all the mystery out of it why don't you? How'd you even guess that?"
"Standard Goa'uld check procedure, dumbass," Rodney said, eyes not leaving the scanner. "Not that that's what You Are, though, but... still. Pays to be paranoid."
"Ah, yes, I didn't think of that," Enter glanced around the room- sure as hell that Rodney Mckay was making up that reasoning.
"So what do we do to un-possess him?" Ronon asked.
"I'm not sure," Rodney answered. "There's some mystical energy bound around his heart in the shape of a card- oh, big surprise there-" he didn't sound surprised at all, actually. "But removing it might be next to impossible without needing surgery."
"So we're back to blasting his head off, right?" Ronon asked. Enter glanced at the Satedan man, sure as HELL this had to be an intimidation tactic.
"Of course not!" Rodney answered, offended. "Do you even know how badly that goes in myths when you kill the host of a spirit possessing some guy?"
Myths? Enter was very interested hearing that phrase. Well, he was no expert at myths, but this room was decidedly OLD and of the Mythological type of thing that he'd love to get his hands on.
Myths... Myths... They'd latched onto something mythological that'd let them cotton on to the fact that Enter himself was possessing some poor schmuck taken from Earth before its return to this space time. But how could they possibly...?
This digression was getting him nowhere and was a waste of time.
Enter frowned.
"Search him and then throw him in the holding cell for now," Rodney decided. "We'll figure this out on our own time once Atlantis isn't under threat of being blown up."
And then with a pair of guns pointed at his head, Enter was forced towards a section of wall that had been set up with force field generators.
'Never mind then,' Enter thought sourly as he was stripped of his jacket and laptop, and had hands roughly shoved into his pockets to empty them out. 'I guess I'll be having a lot of time to spend on my little digression after all.'
o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o
John Sheppard stumbled into the Atlantis Power Room, and double checked the switches as all being off, then, with a grunt, set about bringing them back online.
Power suddenly cut back on inside the Atlantis Control Room, and Radek Zelenka quickly went about typing in commands to his laptop and---
SKREEEEEEERRRRrrrrrrr... Went the shields, risen once more.
"Shields are back up!" Tyzias reported.
And just in time too- the camera pulled upwards, out into the upper atmosphere- where the monster Sahaquiel finally got a shot lined up on Atlantis and hurled an explosive orb at the City itself.
The massive burst of energy that came from the explosion when it hit the shield was enough to make everything tremble again in response.
Keiko swore into her Radio- "Fucking hell! That was cutting it close, John!"
"Sorry," John answered, gazing out into the ruined hallway. "I got held up by the giant ass mech-bug that shut everything down."
"...Repeat that?" Keiko asked, glancing with concern at Tyzias. They were all praying it wasn't a Replicator situation again.
"One of Gilgamesh's robot monsters got into the city somehow, materialized right out of a computer," John winced. "Threw me around a bit. But right now it's kinda buried under a bit of ceiling debris. I almost got squished myself but I breeze'd at the last moment."
"Are you okay?" Jade asked into the radio.
"Yeah, I'm fine," John's reply made Jade sigh in relief. "A bit banged up, but fine."
"Good," Jade said. "Argo'd be pissed if you weren't."
The city then shook again as another orb nearly hit it- but this time splashed down in the ocean outside, missing the city's shield by a good half mile.
"Do you know what kind of monster it was?" Tyzias asked.
John frowned. "If I had to pin it to a style, I'd say it's probably the same monster type we've been seeing the Go-Buster team fight."
"...Did it have some kind of V shaped emblem on it somewhere?" Tyzias asked.
"Yeah," John nodded. "On its waist like a belt buckle."
"Shit," Tyzias swore, and brought up the subspace scanners... "Damn it. I was afraid of that."
"Afraid of what?" Keiko asked.
"City's sensors are picking up a huge subspace tunnel distortion similar to the one that brought the ballistic eyeball up there down on our front door, but different," Tyzias answered. "We've seen this same kind of portal effect before giant monsters drop down out of the sky at random ass times and the Go-Buster teams have had to fight 'em off. Sometimes before the little monster even got finished."
"You mean the copycat who was stealing Garuza's two for one strategy?" Radek asked.
"Yeah," Tyzias nodded. Then, her terminal beeped. "Calculation 'til arrival... Looks like... Shit. I can't get a read. Either we've got a total of four hours before whatever the hell makes it through that portal arrives, or a grand total of sixteen hours. The number keeps jumping wildly between those two extremes."
"Four hours is a long time and not a lot of time at all," Jade observed.
"We'll make do," Keiko said, then, to the radio, "John? Make sure that monster is Dead, would you?"
"Yeah," John nodded. "I'll make sure it's dead. Someone get me one of the Traveler Guns from the armory?"
"I'll be there in a blink," Jade answered, no doubt teleporting away a moment later.
John sighed, and leaned his head against the wall. "Today's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?"
Garuza gazed out at the slumbering Reinetsu Dagames as he tried to hold his temper in.
He'd almost gotten the Kiramagers... Almost almost almost...
And now the damned Jamenju had fallen asleep because he'd hesitated due to that damned Light Titan! Esprez... how could her image come back to haunt him after all this time?
...Kurantula hailed him again not a minute after he'd hung up.
"What Now, Kurantula?" He asked.
"It seems our associate Enter has gotten himself Captured by the Atlanteans!" Kurantula answered, laughing, and appearing as a purple hologram. "We warned him how foolish that was!"
"How goes the assault otherwise?" Garuza asked.
"Well, the City was without its shield for a good while, but they got it back up before the Orbital Jamenju hit it dead on," Kurantula answered.
"Is it truly a Jamenju, or do you not know what it is and are just guessing?" Garuza asked.
"Just guessing, honestly. It doesn't look like a Jamenju at all! It's like a giant eyeball with hands!" Kurantula scoffed. "How ugly! How stupid! What a dumb design! It's hitting the City now, but it couldn't even score a hit while the shields were down! Whatever our 'Lord' Gilgamesh is thinking with this one, it's truly uninspired! And- Oooh! It's not long for this world anyways! They just broke its shield!"
"With what?" Garuza asked.
"Sending you the image..."
And then a hologram appeared before Garuza's eyes within his helmet.
Two tiny little mechs had transformed into a giant sword and a giant spear that the Mark 2 Astro-Delta Megazord was dual wielding.
"...What the heck are those?" Garuza asked.
"No clue," Kurantula answered, "but wow, if they have this kind of tech, why aren't they mass-deploying it against- OOH! And there it goes!"
Garuza got the last moment video clip a moment later.
It wasn't much, just a video recording of the Astro-Delta raising the spear and the sword over its head, and crying out twice-
"RHONGOMYNIAD!" The spear lit up with golden light.
"EXCALIBER!" And then the sword did the same.
And then with a piercing blow, Sahaquiel was defeated and obliterated and... Static. Lost feed.
"Well, that's the end of Lord Gilgamesh's time traveling monster," Garuza said. "As for why they aren't deploying it against us? I would have to assume that it's a unique power source they can't replicate."
"Well either way, I wouldn't want to be in the Emperor's chambers right now," Kurantula said. "I think I can hear him screaming from half way around the world."
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gilgamesh was indeed throwing quite the temper-tantrum- throwing things against the wall and upending tables and GODS ABOVE, WAS HE PISSED!
"Two of King Arthur's Artifacts!?" Gilgamesh howled, gazing that the still screen image. "HOW!? HOW COULD THEY EVEN DUAL WIELD THEM!?"
It made no sense. IT MADE NO SENSE!
"One! Sure? One or the other- SURE! ABSOLUTELY! But BOTH!?" He howled. "It Breaks ALL the RULES! HOW!? HOW could they possibly...!?" Oh how Gilgamesh WISHED to know how this was possible.
And then Gilgamesh froze as a resonance from within his vault of treasures spoke up.
A blade one of his treasures had clashed against once- wielded by a witch who could cancel contracts.
"They have what?" Gilgamesh asked, his stolen face, once already pale due to being a Wraith body, paled considerably further.
PCH-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM!!!
John paused as he gazed at the smoking remains of the Spy-der-Droid, and then gave it another six shots for good measure.
PCH-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM-BWAM!!!
He holstered the plasma gun, and glanced to Jade, "I think that's about done it."
Jade nodded. "I think so, yeah."
The Astro-Delta hovered near the remains of the giant eyeball monster Sahaquiel as the giant time-space portal that it had emerged through dispersed into nothing.
"Well," Ashler said, huffing for breath. "That was... intense."
"Really," Tegiri took in a deep breath. "That thing REALLY took us powering up everything with Rule Breaker AND Gray's powers to defeat? Holy shit. What kind of monster was that?"
"A dead one," said Artoria Regahro Gray as she entered the bridge through the doors.
"Gray!" Lloyd ran over and hugged his wife. "You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, dummy," she kissed him in return. "Are you okay?"
"Worried sick about you, but fine," he answered.
"Well, that's great and all," Maka said, turning her attention out the window towards the planet below. "But what about that fucking storm?"
"HNNNNNGH!" Hector struggled- but the Titan Megazord just wasn't budging free of the rocks any time soon. "Hfffuuhhh... Okay. I think we're still stuck pretty severely."
"The water isn't helping," Serara said, gazing at the sea water pouring into their little sunken pit of an island.
"At least we're just as stuck as those guys are," Miko said, gazing at the humanoid wolf mech and the black and gold horse zord. "Poor Horsie, though!!"
"We can worry about stealing weirdo's ride later," Fargo said. "For now, focus on figuring out a way to get us out of here!"
The Market of Lopan was quiet as the standoff continued. Any music, imagined or otherwise, had long since passed by.
June Egbert found herself flung backwards from attacks by her presumably mind-controlled teammates.
This was bad.
Kanaya tried slicing into the damned Wish Monkey Monster- and got rebuked by some random wish golem that intercepted her attack.
This was really bad.
Then these other kids were rushing in trying to help random people who were getting swarmed by their own wishes given some physical form.
This was really, really bad.
June's chest felt tight as she dodged strikes from her Teammates- her- her- What were their names?
Gaps in her memory suddenly became relevant, as if the people she'd known had just been utterly erased from history. Mind Control couldn't do that alone- something was wrong. Something- What had that damned Monkey Wished for!?
...No.
Horror gripped at her mind- it wasn't what had that stupid wish monster done. She did remember hearing it talk to someone else just before- Then she suddenly couldn't remember her teammates' very existence or their names or-- or--
Something was wrong on an existential level and it wasn't just simple mind control. It couldn't be... but... what else COULD this even be? Her former friends were fighting her!
This fight was going wrong and- and-
"Gah! Stop squirming, Yellow Ranger, and just stop already!" The Monkeys Paw Wishing Monster snarled.
"Not a chance!" She shouted back.
June had to do something. She had to do something fast, but what??
She was outnumbered here. The Overdrive team had gotten... well, disappeared was the polite way of putting it when compared to what the hell had happened with the rest of her Ninja team and it'd been shitty luck that she hadn't gotten scooped up with either team in their vanishings. If only she could...
Could... she get a full team back with one move?
The objects that had been left behind when the Overdrive team had vanished... transformed? Could she use those in exchange somehow? Maybe... maybe if she...?
An idea hit her. Risky. Very risky. It was super huge gamble. It could backfire hugely.
But if they defeated this monster, and everything reverted to the way it was before, then--
"As long as I have my Wind Morpher, I'm a Ninja-" June shouted. "AND NINJAS NEVER QUIT!!"
"Yeah? Well, I Wish You Didn't Have YOUR NINJA WIND MORPHER!" The Wish maker wished- she watched him closely as a shape somewhere on his forehead glowed- and then June couldn't help the next series of events even if she tried.
She had to dodge a sword strike from her Red-suited (former?) teammate and- CLAKNG!
His sword hit her Morpher and there was a horrendous feedback of noise as an explosion ruptured the space between them.
June flew backwards and away, hitting the ground with a groan as the rest of her Ninja Suit vanished with a flickering demorph- her morpher sparking and sputtering on her Wrist. It's Power Disk had gotten lost somewhere in the blast, if not destroyed.
But... A glance at her Sylladex...
June fought back the urge to grin and instead pretended to faint.
Monkey Paw Wishes indeed. She didn't have her WInd Morpher anymore, but instead, sitting in two Sylladex cards where there had only been a set of five gemstones and a silver coin before that moment, there were now five Overdrive Trackers and one Mercury Morpher.
"Now she'll give up!" The Monkey laughed, and turned away from her. Her presumably controlled teammates did the same, turning around and ignoring her. Infact, they were so disinterested that they teleported out the same way they'd come in.
June did a headcount, including herself, there was Kanaya, and those four other kids. Six in total.
It didn't take long for one of those kids- a boy with dog ears- to rush over to her and check on her.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.
June's response was to grab his left wrist and slap the Mercury Morpher onto it because it was on its own card and easier to decaptcha without notice.
"Hey- wait-" he started, but June raised a finger to her mouth and went "Sssh!" The boy nodded, understanding then.
June once more pretended to be unconscious, and Harry called out- "Everyone! Fall back! She's out of it!"
The others glanced at him in confusion, but they did so- everyone pulling back to an alley that he was fake-carrying June towards. Kanaya, too, decided to fall back.
The wish monkey and his golems didn't pay attention to them at all.
"June, are you okay?" Kanaya asked, checking on her as soon as they were all in the alley and out of sight.
"I'll be better once we beat this wish monkey," June answered. "Bastard turned the Overdrives into gemstones and a coin, then just left 'em on the ground to rot." Then, she held up her busted morpher on her wrist. "Well, I tricked that stupid genie into monkey pawing his own wish, so when he made this go away." She decaptchalogued the five Overdrive Morphers into her hands. "I got These back in exchange."
"You want us to use these, right?" Harry asked, rasiing his left wrist with the Mercury Morpher on it.
"If we beat that monster, then his wishes should be undone," June theorized. "That's how some of these fights usually go. And if we beat that monster and the wishes are undone, my team gets put back to normal and I can even remember their damned names, and the Overdrive team are brought back too. It's a risk, but... It's all we've got."
"Alright," Harry nodded. "I'll do it, but just for today."
"You can count me in," Kanaya took one of the Trackers in hand, and nodded.
"Hell yeah!" Vrissy grabbed another tracker. "Even if it's being a Ranger for a day, we still get to be Rangers!"
"It's not like we can just run for the Stargate and leave, in all this chaos," Tavvy said, taking another Tracker.
"So what's the catchphrase?" Sally asked, taking the second to last Tracker.
June gazed at the screen of the one she held in her hand now. She flicked the cover open, spinning it aside. "Press this button, then call, Overdrive, Accelerate." She said, showing the button in question, "Then run the wheel down something- the Overdrives generally used their left arm as a ramp."
"Mines different," Harry pointed out the differences in the Morpher design by holding up his wrist mounted Morpher.
"Uhhh..." June closed her eyes, scrambling for a memory. "Open the lid. The Morph Button should have a helmet on it, then hit the button inside the wheel. Morph Call's the same."
"Got it," Harry nodded.
"Everyone clear?" June asked. Nods from everyone else. "Alright then, let's Kick into Overdrive, then."
The six of them ran out of the alley, and Sally took the lead position- "Hey! Monkey Paw! You've made your last wish!"
"Eh?" The Lamp-Monkey turned around to face them. "You six again? Come back for more even without powers, eh?"
"Well," June said, "I gave up being a Ninja. Being an Adventurer sounded more fun!"
And then they ran towards the damned Monkey Monster- readying their Morphers, pressing the buttons buttons- "OVERDRIVE!"
"Hey! Wait! Where did you get those-!?" The Wish Granter asked- shocked by this turn of events.
"ACCELERATE!" For Harry, he leaped forwards and threw a punch with his left fist. A silver suit formed around Harry as his fist punched into the monster, the force of the morph adding to the impact and sending the monster staggering backwards.
[0:05]
"ACCELERATE!" Sally came in next- slashing the Morpher Wheel across the Monkey's right shoulder as she dove past- a crimson suit of red covering her in the process.
"ACCELERATE!!" June came in next- leaping over the monster with a flip and slashing the wheel down its back, along its spine. A flash of purple, and a black suit appeared around her.
[0:10]
"ACCELERATE!" Tavvy and Vrissy came in next- slashing their Morphers across the Monster's face in an X pattern- flashes overtook them of Pink and Blue, matching their newly gained suits, respectively.
And then in came Kanaya finishing the job not with striking the morpher against the Monster, but along the chain of her chainsaw- "ACCELERATE!" -morphing with a flash of yellow as her Chainsaw changed in color as well to match the suit.
[0:15]
Said chainsaw then got brought in and slammed in against the Wish Monkey's chest- sparks went flying.
"Wah! Not fair!" the Wish Monkey spun around, grasping at its chest. "That's not fair!"
"What? Like twisting people's wishes?" June asked, shrugging as she summoned the Black Overdrive Ranger's SLAM HAMMER over her shoulders.
[0:20]
And then she leaped in before the living Monkeys Paw could react, swinging that massive hammer forwards and sideways, smashing the monster senseless, and sending it flying sideways into the line of fire of Vrissy and Tavvy who had their weapons readied- a giant fan like weapon and a submarine themed blaster.
Needless to say, the ensuing burst of wind and water combined together into a proverbial hurricane of force that sent the Wish Granter flying backwards in terror- not giving him a chance to speak another word. He hit the dirt and quickly sprung to his feet--
Next in line came Sally and Harry- swinging out rapidly and striking with precision. The Wish Granting Monkey went flying backwards yet again- smashing into some of his wish golems.
[0:32]
"Wah! This sucks! I didn't wish for this!" He yelled.
"Neither did we!" Kanaya roared, coming in with another series of rapid chainsaw strikes, treating her saw like it was a sword-blade.
[0:37]
Sparks flew as the wish monkey got hit repeatedly- and then- "I WISH I HAD SOME THEMATICALLY APPROPRIATE GUARDS!" His forehead glowed- June got a better look this time. There was a subtle Yin-Yang shaped item there, only half of it glowing in the wishing process.
Then, frosty looking Ice themed creatures called Chillers spawned in then- who began harassing the hastily minted team of Rangers.
"Wow! Minion battles too!" Vrissy laughed, blowing them away with her fan blowing weapon. "This is great!"
"Keep it together!" Harry said, folding his staff weapon into a blaster weapon and taking fire at the Wish Monkey. "This is Serious!"
"I know that!" Vrissy answered, kicking one of the Chillers between the legs.
[0:48]
"I've had enough of this!" The Wish Monkey cried out, moving to flee. "I WISH--!"
"Stop him!" June cried out, leaping through the air to try to stop the Wish Maker from Wishing--
"--I WAS AT THE EXACT MOMENT YOU ALL DON'T HAVE THOSE MORPHERS!"
--That he wasn't there at all?
The monster vanished from sight, and June's hammer smashed into the ground where he stood a second too late.
"Damn it!" June swore. "He escaped!"
"The frosties are still here though!" Sally said, whacking a Chiller across the chest with her Drive Lance.
"We'll finish cleaning up the trash, then!" Harry decided- moving on to fire at the Chillers.
Even as they worked on cleaning up the trash mobs, they all had a lingering doubt...
The Wish Maker was in the wind, and there was no telling where, or more specifically WHEN he was going to show up again.
"I'd feel better if we could get anything into the storm to check on them, though," Tyzias griped. "But the longer that storm rages, the worse the interference gets. We're already starting to see strain here in the City's Ancient Systems, even though that storm isn't getting any closer."
"Agreed," Keiko sighed. "Let's try and figure something out, though."
John and Jade returned from up the stairwell from the transporter.
"Try to figure what out?" John asked.
"For starters, what to do about that storm," Keiko answered. "It's not moving, so the Mystics are holding it down, but it's a bit more than that too."
Tyzias took it from there, "This fucking storm keeps fucking with the subspace sensors."
"Which means what?" Jade asked.
"I can't get a solid lead on when that new portal will open as long as that storm's running," Tyzias answered her. "The number's just coming up irrational now. About ten minutes ago I had it at Negative Seventy Five Thousand- repeating to the Millionth Digit- years! I had to reboot the entire Terminal because the City's Graphics Drivers couldn't render the digit and crapped out. I only got the exact amount of Zeros out of the error log after."
"That's... Pretty bad," John winced.
"Tell me about it," Tyzias huffed.
"Considering that the storm hasn't moved closer to us, or moved at all, really," Radek said, "There's not really anything we can do but wait until the Mystics dispell it."
"Can't we just fly a jumper in the Eye like we did before?" Jade asked.
"Something Changed during the fight," Radek answered. "The storm hasn't grown in intensity, but its interference levels have spiked dramatically. Even up in orbit, they're starting to have issues. It's fortunate they defeated the monster hurling energy at us when they did, otherwise they might not have been able to do it afterwards."
"Wait, does that mean the Astro-Delta had to pull out?" John asked.
"That's exactly what it means," Keiko nodded. "What's worse about all of this is I think one of this planet's ionosphere storms must have gotten mixed in with everything."
"Remind me why we stayed here for eight years again?" John asked.
"Because it was either this, old Lantea with its massive hurricanes, or that water moon that gave everyone the creeps," Keiko answered.
"I thought it was because we never got the Stardrive fixed and by the time we did we were already used to everything the planet could throw at us?" Tyizas offered.
Keiko waved the remark off. "We'll worry about moving after we survive this."
"Man, this is really right out of the legend," Mallek said, observing the full scans of Enter's body from the safety of outside the temple. "The card-shaped thing in his heart has spread these circuit line like tendrils through his whole body like a second nervous system imposed onto the host."
"Definitely bad shit, that's for sure," The once-upon-a-time-cloned-and-deaged man known as Roxy Lalonde grimaced, scratching at his stubble covered chin. "How do we even sever this without killing the guy?"
"No doubt this would be where we would use the weapon's energy frequency to dislodge it..." The cherub winged Alternian, Callie Ohphee, trailed off. "Maybe if we... Hrm. No. Oh, what a frustrating puzzle!"
"I could try hitting him with a series of Replicator Disruptor Pulses," Rodney suggested, "but then we'd run the risk of making whatever this guy is immune."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Roxy nodded.
"I was thinking more about what if we confronted him with the fossilized weapon?" Callie offered. "If this really is the same technology from the Athosian Myth, then he might react to it."
"And show him the exact thing he came here to steal?" Rodney asked.
"I didn't say it was a good idea, did I?" Callie countered.
"Fair enough," Rodney frowned.
"Actually," Mallek started. "That might be the right idea."
"What?" Everyone looked at him as he stared at Roxy specifically.
"Okay, so, hear me out," Mallek starts. "What if we use Roxy's void-powers to summon up a Fake Weapon and let this guy steal it?"
"...We don't know enough about the real Weapon for Roxy to be able to summon a working model," Callie said, "but we DO know enough that we might be able to get close enough to the real thing to scare them."
"And if we get the fake weapon Close Enough," Rodney says, "then we can have a better launching pad to figure out what we need to do to build the real thing."
"Conceptual Bullshit Hax is a blast," Roxy smirked. "And once we let this guy get away with his weapon, then I just dismiss it entirely and they have nothing to work off of."
"Better than that," Mallek said. "Let's make it a Trojan Horse."
"...How's that?" Roxy asked. "There's no way we can fit anybody inside of the thing I'll be making and have it be easily steal-able."
Mallek smirked. "Who said anything about fitting a Person inside of it?"
"Just so you know," Rodney said as he strolled into the lab, armed with what looked to him like a bog-standard Anti Replicator Gun, except with the front barrel sawed off and replaced with some large, round, glowing yellow crystal. "Atlantis survived your little monster attack, Blaze."
"Did it now?" Enter asked, glancing up across the force shield towards the man. "Well, what a shame. I suppose I'll have to review that footage later and figure out what went wrong so I can rectify that mistake later."
"You can try," Rodney said, charging up the fanciful weapon and aiming it at Enter across the force shield. "But that's all contingent on what happens next."
"And what's that?" Enter asked, suddenly very intrigued by the weapon pointed his way.
"Whether or not you survive getting hit with our latest prototype," Rodney then looked to Ronon, who frowned as he heard the next order. "Shut down the force field. "
"Are you serious?" Ronon asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Seriously, Uncle Rodney?" Madison asked, still morphed and exaggerating her surprise through the suit to convey her masked face.
"The force field might interfere," Rodney answered. "We need a clean reading on what it does to him."
Madison's shoulders slumped. "I guess that's true..."
"What if it does nothing and he decides to escape?" Ronon asked.
"Then you can shoot him in the foot!" Rodney answered, and Ronon blinked.
"The Foot? Seriously?" Ronon asked, tone very specific in nature. "Wouldn't the knee be better?"
"What's easier to regrow- a foot or an entire leg from the knee down?" Rodney offered.
Ronon considered it, then said, "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
Enter missed the exchange for what it was, focusing on that weapon aimed at him. "Do you really think that will do anything to me at all?"
"Probably not," Rodney answered. "But that's where our old friend 'trial and error' comes into play."
"Well then, let's see who swerves first, then?" Enter put his hands out to his side far away from his body, ready to absorb the energy blast full on.
The chances that this thing would actually do anything to him was-
The force field dropped.
-Absolutely and completely implausible as to be anything but-
Rodney Fired.
PVWAAARRRRROOOOOMMMM!!!
Enter screamed as his disguise was dispersed and his mind was temporarily ejected from his body- being pushed backwards- No, DRAGGED backwards by the passing shockwave as it tried to rip his very being out of the host he was possessing.
For all of three seconds, it burned, burned, and OH DID IT BURN, but then- the connection snapped back as that one shockwave wasn't enough to finish the job and actually sever any of the connections.
Enter huffed for breath, once more in his usual guise, gazing up at Rodney Mckay and that damnable weapon.
"Well well well," he chuckled, smoke rising off of his body. "So it seems you've had some lucky hints along the way after all."
Enter lunged at Rodney, dodging a blast actually aimed at his feet from Ronon, and he grabbed the weapon away from him with barely a tussle.
Enter wasn't going to question the scientits' lack of grip with how weak he felt after being blasted like that.
He kicked away- morphing his suit around him- and then he dove for his backpack and laptop, lying on the counter where they'd been the entire time.
"Thanks for the gift!" Enter said. "Au revoir!"
And then he teleported away.
Madison demorphed once he was gone, and looked to her Uncle. "So... Shooting himself in the foot, huh?"
"We put a little going away present inside that gun," Rodney answered with a smirk.
"What kind of going away present?" Ronon asked.
"The kind that starts with 'It's' and ends with..." Rodney trailed off as our camera view transitions with a fade...
[AN: No. Seriously look away if you're squeamish about explosions right now. Text Find Search for "Jump here" to jump to the other end of this section.]
...To Gilgamesh's Palace throne room.
"My Lord, my Majeste, Gilgamesh!" Enter bravado'd as he entered his Lord's rather messy chambers. He paid them no mind as he showed the weapon to his Lord. "I bring with me the weapon the Atlantians have been developing!"
"Good," Gilgamesh said, motioning at a table. "Leave it there and I will examine it later."
Enter did so, and the moment his hands left the device, it began beeping.
"...Oh, that's-" Enter started, but Gilgamesh raised a hand and silenced him.
"Leave. Now. I have much to think about."
"Okay," Enter frowned, and turned to leave.
It would be fine. Right? It was probably just an anti-theft alarm.
Enter stepped out of the room, and then teleported away. His Lord must be in a truly foul mood if the Atlantians really defeated whatever time traveling monster Gilgamesh had sent their way.
Gilgamesh approached the weapon, and gazed upon it. He ignored the beeping, assuming that it did that frequently anyways, being a clearly hastily designed prototype.
He grabbed at the obvious seam between the back of the weapon and the crystal component, and pulled them apart.
Confetii and and party streamers blew out as the device came apart far too easily. The beeping accelerated as a paper scroll unrolled itself, reading a simple message.
"From the First Guardian of Athos... Hello," Gilgamesh blinked- processing the words as he read them aloud. "It's A Bomb?!"
And then the Bomb Exploded in his face with a massive energy shock wave that rocked across the surface of the stolen, transformed Earth for a good four hundred and twenty miles in radius.
Double that for the total diameter in spherical volume.
All within that bubble of energized spacetime, possessing spirits were ripped from their hosts for the long, painful time of about half an hour as the explosion of energy grew to its full size, with the shock wave proceeding forwards at the speed of sound, until the energy finally reached its full peak and diameter. It would be about another half an hour further before the energy dispersed, and the spirits were free to repossess their hosts once more.
The screaming was heard across the entire planet in the meantime, and Kurantula, hidden safely away within the SGC and likely wouldn't have been affected anyways because he was just a Mofang man and not any kind of malevolent spirit possessing a living body, cowered as he heard the screaming.
All in all, the total event lasted about an hour and nine minutes.
Roxy Lalonde cackled like the mad wizard he was as he felt his summoned object disperse from this plane of existence.
"Oh, man, I wish I could see the look on the face of whoever opened that thing when it blew!" He continued to laugh.
Mallek and Callie shared a look of 'what can you do?' and shrugged.
[AN: Jump here. Okay, you're clear from the blast descriptions.]
"Ah... I should probably go hide somewhere before My Majeste decides to take his wrath out on me," Enter said, self preservation protocol kicking in.
He rapidly teleported away to his own private labs.
"No no no, this is not good, if he's survived I'll definitely be taken out for sure... Damn it all. This isn't good..." He started packing everything away for moving to his fallback lab on another world- because who DIDN'T have a fall back lab or thirteen?- and then paused as he noticed one of his giant robots was in the middle of a teleportation cycle.
"Oh, and where are you going?" He paused to check. "Atlantis?! Oh, so my Spyder bot was discovered and destroyed, hm? A shame. Oh well. The marker system triggered the teleport anyways."
He'd let that finish as this lab's final act.
Everything else packed away and teleported to the fall back lab as planned, and Enter looked around at everything, considering his fate...
"Well... if I'm to be hunted by my own Majeste's wrath... Maybe I'll do my own thing again? It could be quite fun to be my own boss again." He smirked, and teleported away.
"The Lanteans managed to strike at our home world, eh?" Garuza asked, idly as he watched his observation window of the slumbering Kiramei Red.
"Yeah, and it looks like they tricked Enter into delivering it, too," Kurantula answered. "Big explosion of energy, cut off contact with you until it terminated. Huge mess over here! Huuuuge mess. Lots of scary screams. Lord Gilgamesh hasn't been seen since."
Garuza considered it for a moment. "I suppose it's possible he's dead, but I sincerely doubt it."
"More of that 'future knowledge' stuff?" Kurantula asked.
"Past Knowledge, technically," Garuza said. "I haven't time traveled yet, after all."
"Fair fair," Kurantula's voice grew distant for a moment. "Hrm. What the...? OH! What the hell!?"
"Something the matter?" Garuza asked.
"Sorta. One of my Jamenju just vanished out of nowhere," Kurantula hummed.
"Which one?" Garuza asked.
"Ah, the one we were test fitting for the Launch Button mask," Kurantula answered. "It looks like it got summoned somewhere by us, but I know I didn't open the portal... How strange."
"That's ominous," Garuza said. "Weren't we planning on tying that one to a certain mask?"
"We were, yeah, but... Geeze! I was really proud of that one. I wonder where it went..."
And then Kiramei Red started to twitch in his sleep, and Garuza's attention was drawn through his observation window fully.
"If only we could just teleport to get out of this!" Hector lamented.
"Teleport..." Miko tapped her finger along the edge of the chess-piece themed console she sat in.
"Teleportation's not possible in this kind of weather," Serara countered.
"Teleport..." Beneath her helmet, Miko's eyes blinked.
"Which is a down right shame, really," Fargo said, "I could go for some teleporting myself right now."
"Teleport?" Miko asked, an idea dawning to her.
"Yes, Teleport," Rose said, "if I were anywhere near as attuned to the void as my older self was, I could probably pull it off."
And then- "TELEPORT!" Miko shouted. "ALLY! C'MMERE GIRL!!!"
"Ally?" Hector asked. "Isn't that what you named that weird bird that hatched from the egg and ate your Morpher?"
There was a BLIP of pink light, and then the Giant red Turkey Bird teleported into the Titan Megazord's control room- landing with a plop infront of Miko's console.
"Caaww!" The bird exclaimed, and Miko hugged it around the neck.
"Aaaaallyyyyyy!!!!" She giggled.
"...It teleported in..." Serara said, staring on in surprise.
"How the-?" Fargo shook her head. "The danged storm should be blocking any kind of signals in or out!"
"But Ally was here when that enemy Megazord got stonified," Miko countered. "Thus, she's probably immune to whatever it is!"
"Well I guess that-" Hector's statement was halted suddenly as he noticed something changing outside. "Big Tall Dark and Wolfy just noticed she showed up!"
The Small wolf-themed humanoid titan was redoubling its efforts to escape, and was thrashing wildly in the half-flooded pit of rocks they were all burried in.
And then the tiny little titan transformed into a burst of purple energy that shot into the idle Horse Zord and began re-combining.
"Okay, guess rest time's over," Miko looked the bird in the eyes. "Ally! I'm gonna need you to teleport us OUT of these rocks and into the air! Can you do that, girl?"
"Caaw!!" The oversized bird replied-
FLICKER- ZAP!!!!
-And then with a flash of Pink Light, the Titan Megazord was teleported out of the rocks and up into the air at the same time that the Centaurus Wolf Megazord burst free from the rocks and finished combining again- glaring upwards as the Titan Megazord descended.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
"WINGS SPREAD!" Fargo called out-
The Titan Megazord spread its wings to control its descent--
[Here Come the Power Rangers!]
And then brought its sword down upon the shaft of the Centaurus Wolf's spear-sword.
[Alright Let's go, Time to Turn it On-]
They clashed weapons even as crimson lighting flashed around them.
[Set the Record Straight, we're gonna come to right the wrong.]
Both megazords eyes were locked firmly on the other Megazord as they dueled.
[Fight Evil, Ranger Powers Standing Strong- We got it going on, GO MYSTICS GO!]
"HIIIIYAH!" Rose swung her staff-
And the Titan Megazord lashed out with a kick that sent the Centaurus Wolf staggering backwards.
[Evil back down, we're gonna set the pace,]
"ANCIENT POWER!" The Mystics called out, spinning their Magistaves-
[We're always on the case- Mystic Force from outer space!]
"MYSTIC SPELL SEAL!" The Titan Megazord summoned a magic circle before them, and slashed through it- launching the effect forwards.
[Bad Guys, Bad Girls, We see your every move-]
The Centaurus Wolf dodges to the side- evading the magic circle attack that exploded into the unstable rock wall behind it with a shower of rock and water.
[Power Rangers Never Lose- Always gonna show it through!]
"What a cheater!" Miko growled. ("CAW!" Ally agreed.)
[STOP! (FREEZE!) Rangers Here, there's no need to fret!]
The Centaurus Wolf went on the offensive, throwing laser blasts from the eye motif on its chest-shield.
[We're the ones that will make the way, here to make the change!]
The Titan Megazord threw its wings in front of the body- blocking the first few shots--
[When there's troubles we don't play, we come together to save the day! Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go!]
--And then reflecting the following ones by throwing the wings open again-
BLAM BLAM BLAM!
The Centarus Wolf got knocked into the back rubble of the collapsing, waterlogged pit, and got stuck beneath a brief landslide of rocks.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
The Titan Megazord charged forwards, but the lightning strikes from the storm halted their progress.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Mystic Force, Go!]
"This place is way too unstable!" Hector pointed out.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
"We've got to get a better angle on this fight," Serara agreed.
"I think I know just the angle we need," Miko said, glancing upwards towards the scant blue sky visible above them as the eye of the storm began shrinking, closing in around them.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Go, Go, Go, Go!]
"Up?" Fargo asked.
"Up," Miko nodded.
"Then Let's GO!" Fargo said.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
Fargo's hand went to the control console, and yellow magic spread across the Titan Megazord- but gathered along the wings.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Mystic Force, Let's Go!]
"TITAN MEGAZORD! TAKE FLIGHT!" The Team cried out- and the Megazord flapped its wings, launching upwards into the air.
They aimed their sword upwards like a wand, and cast a bolt of magic energy from it, forming another spell seal above them and breaching the eye of the storm entirely- causing the whole massive swirl of dark magic induced storm front to suddenly evaporate outwards from the burst point.
"POWER OF THE ANCIENT TITANS!" The team cried out, Megazord hovering over the spell seal as projections of their various titans appeared around them.
"SPIRITS ATTACK!"
Then, they launched downwards towards the damaged collapsed island, blasting the crumbling infrastructure even harder- explosions rocketing the landscape as the Centaurus Wolf was battered by sea water and flying rocks in all directions.
[Alright Let's go, Time to Turn it On-]
"HIIIYA!" The Titan Megazord came hurtling down through the heavens- magical energy gathered along the sword blade as another spell seal gathered in front of their path.
[Set the Record Straight, we're gonna come to right the wrong.]
"SPELL SEAL!" They swung through the seal- launching it forwards--
[Fight Evil, Ranger Powers Standing Strong- We got it going on, MYSTIC FORCE!]
The spell seal crashed onto the bottom floor of the collapsing island, causing it to crumble and collapse even further.
[STOP! (FREEZE!) Rangers Here, there's no need to fret!]
Then, they came in swinging with one more massive sword strike- the Centaurus Wolf was unable to fight back- taking the massive hit to the chest and splitting apart into two.
[We're the ones that will make the way, here to make the change!]
The Horse Zord took the opportunity to skedaddle, galloping through the air into the distance.
[When there's troubles we don't play, we come together to save the day!]
The tiny little wolf themed knight zord gazed upwards, drawing its sword and readying its shield-
[Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go!]
-As if that would do any good, as the Titan Megazord swung down- bringing their sword down upon their enemy.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
As the shield clashed with the sword- Ally's eyes flared crimson as she cried out- "CAAAW!"-
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Mystic Force, Go!]
The magic spread through the sword, then through the shield, and into the tiny wolf warrior.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
Stone began re-encasing the knight-zord and it struggled against the magic, but it lost its footing, as the ground beneath its feet became like quicksand.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Go, Go, Go, Go!]
The Wolf Knight Zord was quickly overrun with stone from two angles- with the force of the Titan's sword strike pushing it into the dirt even faster.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Here Come the Power Rangers!]
Satisfied that it wasn't breaking out any time soon- Ally Caw'd once more, and the Titan Megazord was teleported high into the heavens once more.
[Here Come the Power Rangers! Mystic Force, Let's Go!]
And thus, the Mystics watched as the island that had caused them all so much trouble utterly vanished beneath the waves as the sea water rushed in to cover it all.
The Mystics gasped for breath as the adrennaline wore off...
Then, Serara finally said, "Well, that's one hole I don't think he'll be crawling out of again any time soon."
"Let's go get that horse Zord before it gets lost," Miko said. "Or comes back to dig him out."
"That's..." Hector glanced at Ally, who turned her head completely upside down to gaze at him. "A reasonably clever idea, actually. Denial of assets. Right?"
"And there goes the storm!" Tyzias sighed in relief.
"And just in time too," Radek said. "I was picking up errors within the shield emitters. Any longer and we'd have lost the shields."
"Take them down for a full diagnostic as soon as we're sure of when that enemy is teleporting through," Keiko ordered.
"Checking..." Tyzias gazed at the data. "Interference is still clearing up, but... Whew! Looks like we've got an hour before the transport finishes."
"Shields down, full diagnostic, let's get them back up before that thing shows up," Keiko ordered.
"Doctor Kae!" Hectors helmeted face filled the screen as Gina answered the call. "Miko made another friend!"
Before Gina Kae could say another word, Hector stepped aside, and Gina could only watch in bemusement as Miko's titan form rode a giant black horse zord around the beaches of the mainlaind.
"Well," She said. "That's quite the friend you've got there. What's its name?"
"HI HO, CATASTROS!" Miko cried out, the horse zord- Catastros- rearing back and whinnying loudly, as mecha-zords tend to do. "YEEEAH! THIS IS AWESOME!!"
"Nevermind, Hector," Gina shook her head. "I think I get it."
And then Nepeta came barging into the Lounge Room, declaring, "Atsuya's missing!"
A moment later, the alarms sounded- Oven Jamen was back.
We've already seen this series of events, though.
"We've got about five minutes left before the enemy teleport finishes, what's the status of those shields?" Keiko asked, re-entering Atlantis' Control Room to find only Tyzias was present.
"One of the emitters is refusing to come back online," Tyzias answered. "Looks like some power couplings blew on power down. We're lucky it didn't take the whole shield array down with it."
"Repairs?" Keiko asked.
"Radek and Jade are on it. John's down in the chair readying the drones," Tyzias answered. "Also, the Go-Busters just returned from their mission off world, and I put them to manning their Zords as defense incase the Drones aren't enough."
"Good," Keiko nodded. "Let's hope that they'll do the trick."
_"Let's Driving!"_ Three Morphers cried out as their owning Rangers prepared their Zords to launch out of the Atlantis Zord Bay.
"Everyone ready?" Hiromu asked.
"As ready as we can be," Ryuujii answered.
"I never thought we'd have to deploy here in Atlantis," Youko shook her head.
"Ah, what a pain!" Her Zord's onboard A.I. partner- named Usada Lettuce- remarked.
"I hope we don't break anything," Ryuuji's zord partner- Gorisaki- said.
"Somethings getting broken no matter what," Hiromu's Zord Partner- Cheeda Nick, or Nick for short- offered, "let's just hope it's the Enemy."
The top of the tower opened up and the three Zords rocketed into the air off a ramp- a Red Race Car, a Blue Truck, and a Yellow Helicopter.
"Tokumei Gattai!" The three Go-Busters called out, and their zords split apart or transformed before combining together into a whole form.
"Buster King Megazord, ready!" The newly formed megazord activated its Jets, coming to a hovering halt before it crashed into the City's base.
"Shields...?" Keiko asked.
"Rebooting still," Tyzias shook her head. "We're going to have to deal with it either way. Transport finishes in Three... Two... One..." Tyzias called off. "It's here!"
There was a flash of warping space, spherical in nature, before a spider theme-adorned Enemy Megazord appeared in the air outside of the City.
It crashed towards the ocean- but stopped on its surface, and began marching across the water like it was one of those danged Water-Striding Spiders.
"Launching Drones!" John said from the Atlantis Chair, and a moment later, the weapon ports on the City's piers opened up- releasing a short burst of golden, squid like drones that flew through the air and smashed into the Spyder-Megazord.
It staggered backwards, then- with a sudden lurch- something horrible and parasite like burst forth from its back.
"Oh that's just gross!" Youko yelped as the thing formed into a perfect copy of the Spyder-Megazord that had arrived.
"Just like a computer virus," Hiromu muttered.
"Oh! What a clever idea!" Enter chuckled as he watched the Spyder themed Megazords duplicating on his Laptop's live feed of the fight. "I wish I'd thought of doing that intentionally! I'll have to save that data and use it for the next time intentionally..."
"Drones had no effect!" Tyzias reported. "It just took the explosive energy to fuel its ability to duplicate. Fucking cheater!"
"And now it's two against one," Keiko swore. "Fuck!"
The two Spyder-Megazords made their way towards the City once more, and then one of them got smashed in the face with a crimson burst of fire magic.
All eyes turned towards the Mainland, where the Horse Zord Catastros, being ridden by Miko's Red Phoneix Titan, galloped across the air over the water, whinnying loudly.
"Hey! Buggies!" Miko called out. "Why don't you Bug out!!"
She leaped off of Catastros' back, flipped through the air, and delivered a powerful strike to the other Spyder-Megazord. It was unaffected, and side-swiped her over towards the City- where the Buster King Megazord was able to catch her before she collided with something.
"Thanks for the save," Miko said.
"No problem," Hiromu answered, watching the two robots as one of them began to climb onto the City's East Pier. "It looks like we're going to have to face them directly."
[0:24]
"Ew, the other one's splitting again!" Youko complained as the one still on the water did just that.
"We have to stop them before they multiply enough to overwhelm the City," Ryuuji started.
[Listen to your heart and see, how all these times you've got to meet different places; It's time to Go.]
"Well, if I'm not enough," Miko started, and then whistled. "Catastros! C'mere!"
The Horse Zord neighed, and galloped forwards, beginning to transform. Miko launched into the air to join the Horse Zord.
[We will surpass it, and we are running towards all of our goals.]
Meanwhile, the Buster King Megazord marched forwards to start battling the first of the Spyder Megazords.
[Our goal is far away; the journey that won't ever change. It's getting closer through every fight.]
"CENTARUS PHONEIX MEGAZORD!" The black and red themed mecha marched forwards towards the other Spyder Megazords- taking on the next one to try climbing onto the City's pier.
[Your legs are trembling, but you don't want to end it. Keep up, It is our time.]
The third Spyder Megazord started to split into another pair of clones....
"Hyperspace Window opening!" Tyzias suddenly reported. "In Atmo!"
[We are now breaking through, there's no going back.]
"What?" Keiko asked, whirling around towards a window- gazing out over the ocean as a pearly hyperspace window opened up, distorting the water beneath it far out over the ocean...
[We're staying brave, and we'll keep our tracks.]
And then Mashin Express launched out through the portal- launching beams of energy from her eyes at the splitting Spyder-megazords, ceasing its duplication and forcing it to stagger backwards as its splitting clone dispersed into data fragments in the air.
[This is our fight, We Will Unite, make it Shine.]
"How the--?" Keiko trailed off as the Train Zord buzzed the City's perimeter.
[We Break Through, We Break Up, our challenges won't stop us.]
"MASHIIIIN!" the five Kiramei Stones exited the Train mashin, transforming and growing to full size, before combining together in mid air.
[Follow your heart, it's our time to Shine.]
_"MASHIN GATTAI! KIRA-MAGE-IN!"_
[We Break Through, We Break Up, no challenges will stop us.]
"Surfs Up!" Express cried out, snaking underneath the Megazord and catching it in mid flight.
[I know we'll win this fight!]
"Ready!" The five Kiramagers called out. "Kiramagein Express!"
[We Break Through, We Break Up, our challenges won't stop us.]
Riding the train themed Mashin like a surfboard, Kiramagein surfed along the Sea around Atlantis- Sword glowing brightly.
[Follow your heart, it's our time to Shine.]
"Everyone! Let's finish this in one strike!" Atsuya called out.
"Right!" Miko and Hiromu replied.
[We Break Through, We Break Up, no challenges will stop us.]
"DIMENSION CRASH!" The Buster King Megazord fired off energy beams from the sound emitters- forming a bubble around one of the Spyder Megazords, briefly trapping it as their sword glowed bright green.
[I know we'll win this fight!]
"CATASTROS FLAMEOUT!!" Miko's Centarus Phonenix Megazord spun their staff, and swung forwards at their opponent.
[We Break Through, We Break Up, our challenges won't stop us!]
"EXPRESS BREAK!" Kiramagein rocketed forwards across the sea.
[Follow your heart, it's our time to Shine!]
In that moment, all three sword strikes came down upon their Spider themed opponents, blasting the cloned Megazords to pieces.
[We Break Through, We Break Up, no challenges will stop us!]
A moment later, they exploded dramatically, but left no lasting damage to the City at all.
[I know we'll win this fight!]
The trio of Megazords took to their idle positions as the dust settled, and then Hiromu reported:
"Shutdown, Complete."
Enter snarled. "Damn you all." His hands gripped against his laptop. "I wish you had just one more opponent who could wipe you out all at once!"
But of course, Enter was nowhere near a wish granting ANYTHING to make anything of the sort happen.
In the control room, Keiko and Tyzias sighed in relief.
"I'm glad that's over with," Keiko said.
"Me too," Tyzias agreed.
EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2012.
Atlantis sat peacefully on the ocean, shields raised as the City's population returned to it to secure everything before the City dared take flight again.
But that was not of anyone's concerns. What WAS was the examination going on in the Zord Bay.
Mashin Express' two stone parts sat in giant size as various scanners ran around the two halves of stone.
"This is impossible," Gina Kae was saying as she got the results back. "Somehow Atsuya's Imagination gave Mashin Express a Fully fledged Asgard Hyperdrive!"
"You mean the kind that lets the Asgard zip between galaxies within a few seconds?" John Sheppard asked, gazing up at the two stones.
"Exactly that," Gina answered.
"You mean the Asgard hyper drives that we still can only meet the power requirements of when we use a total of Five ZPMs per ship?" Keiko Ayano asked.
"Exactly that," Gina confirmed.
"Not that I'm not happy that we got a super speedy express train Zord," Jade Jackson started, "because I am. But I'm more concerned over the fact that Atsuya somehow Brought a Thousand Years Dead Zord back to life over the fact he somehow gave it a Hyperdrive."
"The hyperdrive isn't surprising," Gina said. "Atsuya saw my designs for this same Zord and must have noticed there was a Hyperdrive installed- but it was the same kind of Hyperdrive we're using in the Megaship and BC-304s. Not the Asgard model."
"Still, if he saw that, Atsuya probably just thought 'hyperdrive' and his Kiramental powers drew on the fastest Hyperdrive in existence," John said. "Probably tapped into the Unending somehow."
"Damn it, not that place again," Jade shuddered.
"You're right about the bringing the dead back to life thing, though," Keiko said, gazing upwards at the two gemstones. "As Esprez said it, the only way that could happen is if parts of her Original Body made it into her new one on Old Athos. Which means only one thing..."
All four of them hung their heads, and muttered, as one, "More Time Loops."
"And here I thought we were done with all of that bullshit," John grimaced.
"It never stops, John," Jade said. "The Time Loops just keep orbiting again and again, making an even bigger and messier knot."
"Well, at any rate..." John said, "let's look on the bright side. If Rodney's crazy plan worked, we might not be hearing from Gilgamesh's goons for a long while."
"Let's hope it's atleast a month's break," Gina said. "A lot of my Ranger teams took a beating over the last two days. Some of their gear and zords are heavily damaged and we'll need the repair time."
"Then there's the other issue," Keiko frowned.
Sitting in the Atlantis Briefing Room was the hastily assembled Second Generation Overdrive Team- June, Kanaya, Vrissy, Tavvy, Sally, and Harry.
Resting on the oak conference table before them were five of the six morphers- the sixth of which, the Mercury Morpher, remained on Harry's wrist.
Guarding over them was Ashler Dering, gazing at the team with nothing short of concern.
June sat with a sketchbook, however, sketching down the design on the forehead of that Wish Monkey, and filling it in with colored markers.
A Yin-Yang design without the dots stared back at her- one half orange, the other half black- with the orange half the one that had glowed whenever a wish had been cast.
"Whatever that wish monster did," Gina scowled. "It completely erased all of our memories and records over the kids in the Ninja Storm team retroactively, even from Backups. It's like they never even existed. We still have the names and records of the Overdrives, and we've notified their families, at least."
"Conceptual BS sucks," Keiko grimaced. "But that's completely besides the point. We've got such a fucking political nightmare on our hands here. Four of those kids are from Earth C and got caught up in this nonsense."
"Four of those kids are also parallel universe versions of our own kids," John added.
"Shit's messed up," Jade sighed, "but we're going to have to figure out how to deal with it before we hand them over."
"I'm hopeful we can keep the newly reformed Overdrive Team assembled," Gina said. "If only because then we'd be short One Team rather than Two if and when Gilgamesh's forces start their attacks again."
"What a pain," John massaged at the back of his neck.
"And then there's the other matter I need to discuss with you on the same front," Gina continued. "I need to get two more rangers for the Busters team. If we're going to be dealing with rapidly escalating monsters like that? We need more Megazords and more Rangers to deal with them."
"One thing at a time, Gina," Keiko sighed, gazing up at the two halves of Express. "One thing at a time."
Notes:
Hhhhhhaaaahh. Okay. That was a chapter.
First off, a massive chunk of this chapter and the last chapter are happening at the same time, which was vaguely implied by the last SGA chapter taking place during the previous Kiramager chapter. It's all sorta intertwined together here. @_@;
---
John gets the shield up in time to save the city, and... Well. I didn't have it in me to write out the full battle against Sahaquiel there. Just too much to accomplish in this chapter and let's be real, Tegiri and Ashler with Gray's squad? The outcome is as predictable as it is easily summarized. Explosive. The real danger with Sahaquiel was him hitting the city while the shield was down.
---
Pow-er Ran-gers.
Operation Overdrive.
Pow-er Ran-gers.
Operation O~Ver~Drive!
And here we go, with the Overdrive team being formed up properly after being poof'd by a wish monster. There's something weird with the Ninja Team though. Wonder what that's about? Gonna have to do a lot of plot development on THAT in the next act. ;)I really just wanted to do a fancy morph-up sequence, honestly.
---
Yeah, all these circumstances keeping the Mystics from getting saved clearly isn't just a plot excuse to do another awesome music sequence... is what I'd say if this wasn't at the end of the chapter. LOL. It comes off as a bit plot-excusey in retrospect, but damn it, I wanted to go all out for this end of act spectacle. More on that in a bit. HEY! It's Callie and Roxy! The Atlantis versions of 'em, at any rate.I've... got to get a meeting of the Roxies together at some point. It's basically required with how many of them are wandering around.
---
It's not immediately obvious, but after over a decade of working together, Ronon and Rodney have their own little code phrases worked out. When Rodney's telling Ronon he can shoot the guy in the foot, well... It's rather more that he's saying they're going to let Enter shoot *himself* in the foot by stealing the weapon. Madison's aware enough of the code phrases to get in on it as well.And yes, all of that theatrical testing on Enter was JUST so he could set up Gilgamesh with the running joke associated with that dastardly Bounty Hunter Sledge, from Dino Charge.
"It's a Bomb!" Cue explosion. :33
Annnnd yeah. That's one hell of a blast radius. Friend of mine did the math. It's. Uh. BIG. To say the least. We tweaked it to be pun-olically significant, by just a bit. I'd explain it, but IRL incidents make me hesitate to do such right now. Hopefully the massive blast here in story is different enough to not seem insensitive given recent events, but I swear I wrote this chapter a GOOD while ago. I think I'll probably be cutting back on the non-Sentai explosions going forwards for a while, though. Explosions are terrifying things, truly. And this one was meant to be horrifying. Just... bad timing, I suppose.
---
Garuza's a creep, and a Jamenju I'd then planned to write out of the story here instead gets sent forwards to a future episode.
---
Ally to the Rescue! AND the Mystics get their theme song moment. It took me a while to find a custom mix/extension of the theme song that fit the pacing of the fight I wanted right. Still wasn't quite the version I saved to my MP3 player all those years ago, though. Dunno if that version even still exists anywhere, given how the internet works at times. This fight was one of the things I had set in my mind for this finale chapter.
---
The Go-Busters get another cameo this act, with promises of more in the future given Enter's involvement.
---
Remember last chapter the explanation I made about the title? Kiramental Up being based off of Digimental Up?That, except "Break Up" was the insert theme for the Armor Evolution Sequences. Have an appropriately Kiramager-y english dub focusing heavily on the shining thing.
Also, that isn't an original combination I came up with. Oh, no. That's Canon Kiramager. I wanted to use it here see aforementioned planned cut Jamenju battle. Express just GROWS in size to make that work somehow. No idea if it'll ever be used again, but we'll see.
---
There were some minor edits to this ending area reflecting changes to future story given Kiramager throwing a twist at me. Esprez and Drybe Having Asgard Hyperdrive capabilities was not one of them. :P
---
You might be wondering where the END OF ACT tag is? Well it's in the next chapter.HS: Doctor
See you Friday.
Chapter 29: HS: Doctor
Summary:
End of Act 8, Act 1.
Notes:
CW:
Hospital Emergency Operating Room.
Near death experience.
Description of Impalement.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"He's Crashing! Get him into the OR!"
"Roger!"
If there was anything the Talented Doctor knew, it was that a giant golden tooth sticking out of someones chest was a bad fucking sign.
And so her Emergency Room team brought in the bleeding, Narrative-Poisoned younger twin of the Heir of Breath into the emergency room- only to find to their surprise that a visiting Doctor from another Hospital was waiting there.
"What's the situation?" The Alternian woman asked, her blue eyes twinkling in determination.
"Cherub Tooth," The Talented Doctor said, her heart pounding in her chest. "He was fighting Lord English and nearly got eaten alive."
"Fuck," The Visiting Doctor said. "I guess that makes a lot more sense, then."
"Huh?" The Talented Doctor asked.
"Nevermind, just me wondering," the Visiting Doctor said. "Let's get that tooth out of him!"
And so John Egbert went into surgery.
"We're still losing him, I can't explain it," the Talented Doctor shouted even as the golden tooth was shoved into a nearby incinerator.
"He had a tooth the size of his head jabbed in his chest," the Visiting Doctor said, fiddling with her Sylladex. "We'll have to use desperate measures to repair the damage!"
And then a silver-white stone bracelet deposited itself onto the Visiting Doctor's Left Wrist- and the Talented Doctor felt her heart skip a beat in the powerful Artifacts presence.
Seven rainbow Gemstones gleamed unnaturally in the OR's lighting.
She knew not what it was, but that object filled her with a sense of power, and HOPE, unlike the Dread that accompanied English's Golden Tooth.
"I apologize for how much this is going to hurt, John," The Visiting Doctor said, placing her left hand next to the man's chest wound. "But you deserve a second chance as well."
And then twin lights of Jade Green and Fuchsia Pink filled the OR's entirety.
The Man Screamed.
The Wind HOWLED outside.
And then there was a flash of blue light and a staggering ZAAAAP sound.
And then all was still.
But John Egbert's chest was made whole again... and the Visiting Doctor was gone.
The Talented Doctor knew only after the fact that the Visiting Doctor's name was Joan Watson.
End of Act 8 Act 1.
Notes:
SO YEAH. We finally get to see the ZAPPY moment of Earth C getting teleported, and what caused it. Of no surprise, of course it was Joan. It's always been Joan as the teleporter, even before I decided *which* instance of Earth C it was that got booted into the SG:Alternia verse way back when.
Timelines are screwy like that.
So yeah, a Bracelet wielding Joan there appeared to save Canon!Epilogue!Meat!John... And he lives. I'm so, so sorry, niacdoial, for the extra John you'll have to juggle on the character charts. @_@;;;
Just to get the ball rolling I will be posting the first chapter of Act 8 Act 2 today, but the next official update won't be until next Friday, and we'll be falling back to a once a week schedule.
---
What else is there to say about this first act of the Kiramager adaptation? Honestly, I'm just glad that it went as smoothly as it did, plot wise, and I wasn't forced to do *too* many major retcons to the planned story I had thanks to IRL reasons or other such things... Well, this act went pretty smoothly. I had a general plan of how everything worked out as I was starting due to being about five episodes of Kiramager in when I started writing this act. I knew I'd be ending A8A1 on the first Ghost Express formation, more or less.Compared to the not-quite-panic-frustration I've had dealing with the sudden twist Kiramager threw my way with the Gigant Driller reveal episode. I only had to change a FEW subtle details in the last chapter regarding the damned Wish Monkey, to reflect the multitude of plot correcting changes I had to make for the next act. The perils of adaptation, I suppose, but more on that when I get to it.
Needless to say, if you've been keeping an eye on Kiramager as it's aired, you can probably guess what WTF moment I'm talking about regarding Gigant Driller. Please try to keep spoilers out of the comments due to that. Hopefully I'll manage to make it work, and I think I've adapted to the changes well so far, but... Man. Let me tell you it made me have to totally scramble up the plot I had in mind for an Atlantis two part episode centered around Halloween by... a LOT.
The show's been moderately predictable in some regards and I *really* should have seen that plot twist coming, but I didn't. So that's a well written story, I'd say. All the details were there... I just had to fudge it by trying to do something original lol. I pity any adapters who seriously take Kiramager to do Power Rangers. They're going to have to pull a Tyzon, I'll bet.
You'll see it when you get there, so nothing else to say on that front.
---
In conclusion, I suppose I'd say this first act is a study on "Beginnings." Conversely, the Next Act is a study on "Panic." Both because of the mental state I was in when I began writing it (some personal IRL stuff that's been since settled), as well as the aforementioned chaos of the TV show throwing me for a loop and forcing some changes in the plot... there's also the panic of the characters themselves. A LOT of plans got thrown for a loop in the early parts of the next Act, and not just mine, in that regard.So yeah. If this Act is the matter of Beginnings, then the next act is the matter of Panic. Panic, and Anxiety.
I'll admit I put a lot of emotional burn into parts of the next act, given real life's chaos. But then what's new for this fic? I've certainly done it a dozen or more times already with some previous Acts. Writing's how I cope, I guess.
Until the next chapter then, folks.
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