Chap 66: finally meeting you
'it hurts.....why does my head hurts so much...goddamnit, what the fuck man...' Thought Takune as he seemingly just woken up from a long slumber.
It seems that his spells worked, though a bit painfull to Takune own displeasure of having. His head feel as if someone had ran a full train through his brain, he has to blink a few times to get his eyes adjusted to the blurly vision.
Opening his eyes, he try to move his limbs, feeling his body's condition but then he came to realize something.
'my arm and legs are tied and I seem to have a metal collar around my neck' he analyze the binding and found it to be made with material strong enough to hold him.
After recovering a bit, he decided to muster what little energy he had to sit up and look around the room he was in.
A simple room, dimly lit by a hanging light. Illuminating the room just enough for him to see around. His eyes adjust to scan if theres anything in the dark waiting for him. He let out a sigh when he doesn't spot anyone.
Who ever was his captor, they do treat him kindly. Seeing the room was quite clean, the room is empty with only some table and chairs along the fluffly bed he's lying on.
A low huming signal came from Takune as his mechanical parts began to boot itself up again now, accessing his old logs, the memory began to flow back in.
He can access to see the object they put in his brain, a small chip that render his consciousness to fall into a inoperative state.
"That's right, i remember." He did received an upgrade and got an order to kill the riders.
An sense of guilt hit him, 'i didn't hurt them, did i ?' His mind may go blank while under their control but his suits must capture some footage of the event when his mind went offline.
'search mode'
Running through a screen with clicking noise and flickering numbers, he went to find out what happened.
'Memory logs'
He input a comand which then have blue light shone in his eyes, letting Takune see the point of view of his fight with the two rider, how he almost kill them. It ends with a punch to his face, and the screen fade in black.
'Well, that is a rather good end.' The whole time he hold his breath, waiting to see if he hurt anyone by accident.
Luckily, his body while he was gone didn't do anything more than tracking the rider and fighting them. Excusing the half a dozen traffic laws that he broke.
"Oh, hey there. You're awake." A mature female voice call out to Takune.
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“So, you're the new Batta Augmented that they brainwashed to kill us ?” A calm and collective Souko spoke as she sat on the bed side.
"Yes." Takune meekly replied.
The woman introduce herself and her friend to him in the short moments after he woken up, the two girl din't ask him any question at all. Instead, they check up on his state to see if anything was wrong.
Holding a cup of hot coffee in hand, they was quite sympathetic, showing hospitality toward him. Despite being enemies not too long ago, his binding was even removed once they see that he was in control of himself again.
'They trully are being nice to me.'
So without the chip that hold him back, Takune was free to tell them everything he can. Including the coordinates of S.H.O.C.K.E.R base, their numbers and any related information.
"You treat me too kind." He knew they were courageous heroes. But to see that treatment in person, he was suprised by how genuine they were.
"It's what we do, you have given us very crucial information, just take a rest here. I know the effect of being brainwash is not pleasant." Gently, she urge him laying down.
Well, the woman isn't wrong but she isn't completly right either. The helmet keep track of his state of mind and make sure he's stay in that state. But it was the chip is the thing that in charge of brainwashing him, once his mask came off the spell he had would activated and give Takune the control of his body back regardless of her action. Though, what Ichigo did was simply speed up the progress. He was thankfull for her being a hero that save him.
Souko turns to leave, their base is not as hidden like of S.H.O.C.K.E.R but they does have the backing from the government.
Passing a carefree Hayaka as she went upstair, who was leaning her back to a wall overhearing their conversation. Her eyes grace the both of them, her shoulders are relax but yet, but her expression is not reflecting the same body language.
"So, when are we leaving ?"
"We can't be rushing in. Not at least until all three of us have a plan of attack."
"I'll say we do it as soon as possible. More time waiting is more time they can prepare to us." A third voice chime in, Shiori spoke as she came into the base.
Now out of her Kamen rider suit, wearing a white colar t-shirt and a black shorts, giving off some tomboyish vibe.
Their cyclone bikes is close by, all four bask in the natural white lights from the evening sun, on standby, backlit by the rising dark skies and the lights of cities, waiting for orders from their owners.
"By the way, how's that boy you rescued ?"
"He's fine."
"Good, we can use himm for direction when-"
"We can stop S.H.O.C.K.E.R without him."
"Why ? He's like us, he can help."
"He's just gotten out of brainwashed, who knows what terrible things a boy like that went through." She scolds Shiori. Who looks at her with confused mannerisms.
"You didn't get modification like the rest of us. It's okay that you don't understand." Now Hayaka have to step in as a mediator.
Diffirent from the double rider, V3 modification was a volunteer action from Shiori to Souko and Hayaka argee to do. She choose to be change into a kamen rider, not being forcfully turn into a killling machine.
It only make sense that the one didn't experience it was ignorant to the pain it brought.
"Fine, i was hot-tempered for a moment. Sorry." She couldn't understand it all, but she does understand being helpless.
Feelling so powerless make her resent and hate the organization that is the cause for her pain and now is the goal for her revenge.
"Is this what parents do ? If so, i don't ever want to became one." Hayaka only voice her complain after watching Shiori figure disappeared on the stair leading to the second floor.
"Hmm." Souko din't say anything more than staring at the young girl back as she walk away.