New Return of Jetman Episode 6

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Beyond The Universe"
(Episode 6)
by Christopher Elam
with Lewis Smith, Paul Sullivan, & Kabuki Katze
special thanks to Sara Denny
(based on the work of Lewis Smith)
© 2009 Christopher Elam

 

"No..."

It was but one strained, whispered word, but it spoke volumes. Shinsei Hinotori sat in front of the staticky screens of Skywatch's command center. The mission he had been monitoring - Jetman's infiltration of Nemesis' base at Jigoku-dani - had obviously gone wrong. Horribly wrong. A massive energy surge had flared up right when communications had been abruptly cut off.

"This is bad," his companion Michiru Oshima muttered in disbelief.

"I'm not sure it could be much worse," Shinsei said as he stared at the screens despondently.

"What...what can we do?" Michiru asked.

Shinsei rubbed his face. "I don't know. If Jetman has lost, I'm not sure what anyone can do."

"I'll tell you what we can do!" an unfamiliar voice announced confidently. "We can take the fight to Nemesis ourselves!"

Shinsei and Michiru whirled around in surprise to face their unexpected guest. They were greeted by what appeared to be a handsome Japanese man attired smartly in a suit, tie, and hat. He almost looked like an anachronism in the 21st Century. Yet his manner betrayed to them that there was far more to him than was apparent.

"Who the devil are you?" Hinotori inquired sharply. "How did you get into Skywatch?"

The mysterious man tipped his hat with a knowing smile. "There are few places I cannot access, if it suits my purposes. As for my name, I have lately been answering to...Mr. Hoshi."

"Well, I've never heard of you!" Shinsei retorted angrily.

"No, I suppose you haven't," Mr. Hoshi noted. "Ken Tendo would never have volunteered that we had crossed paths, and as for his father..."

"Ryu?!" Shinsei exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and grabbed the stranger by his lapels. "What do you know about Ryu Tendo? What's happened to him?"

"Patience, my good man," Mr. Hoshi cautioned as he effortlessly slipped from Shinsei's grip. "I will explain everything, and then..."

"Then?"

"Then, we will endeavor to save the universe."

***

"This sushi is delicious, Mosi."

"You know, you always say that, Star."

"Maybe that's because it's true?" Star Anise Kaninchen offered as she used her chopsticks to lift another piece of sushi into her mouth. The natural bunny ears that sprouted from the top of her head perked up in delight at the succulent flavor.

"Well, my goodness," Mosi Kolenya replied as she blushed slightly. The cat girl twitched a bit self-consciously at the compliment.

Star snickered. "I'm sure glad it's quiet this afternoon," she said as she adjusted her police uniform. "It seems like weeks since we've talked!"

"I knoooow," Mosi agreed as she sauntered from behind the counter. "The bar is usually dead this time of day anyway. Perfect."

"The Maneki Neko was a great idea," Star Anise praised as she surveyed the sushi bar. "It does my heart good to see you make such a success of yourself!"

Mosi took her old friend's hand as her cat tail curled around Star's stocking-clad ankle. "I appreciate all the help you've given me. I know how busy you are, being a police officer and all. We've both come a long way, haven't we?"

"You can say that again," Star chuckled as she scratched Mosi behind her ears and made her purr. "It feels like yesterday we were in school together."

Suddenly, the gentle conversation was disrupted by a woman's screams outside the shop. The frantic woman pleaded for someone, anyone, to do something. As she did, two men raced past, one of whom had a crying young girl tucked under his arm.

"Dammit, duty calls!" Star exclaimed as she slammed her hand on the counter. "I'll see you later, sweetie!"

Star Anise leaned in and kissed Mosi on the forehead before taking off out the door. The cat girl leapt to the window to see the commotion for herself. While a little disappointed, she knew her old friend would give those jerks the business. She wanted front row seats.

"I need to call Calleigh and tell her about this!" she mused.

"FREEZE!" Star shouted as she ran down the street after the kidnappers. They ignored her warnings, but couldn't ignore the fact that she was gaining on them. She tackled the one holding the little girl and brought him down to the pavement. As the girl ran free, Star wrenched the criminal's arms behind his back and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him.

"Hold still, you'll only make this worse," Star told the kidnapper after she'd finished reading him his rights. "Too bad I couldn't get your buddy, too!"

Star Anise glanced over her shoulder and saw the weeping girl she'd saved. She got up off the struggling perpetrator and took the young girl into her arms. The scene brought back a lot of memories for her, and not the good kind.

"It's going to be all right," she comforted as the girl shivered in her arms. "We'll get you back to your mother in no time at all."

As Star held the girl, a pair of strange figures emerged from around the corner. The male in black dragged the second kidnapper behind him as he was flanked by a female in white. Star Anise eyed the two suspiciously as they walked toward her.

"What I don't get," Black Condor said as he held the unconscious kidnapper by the collar, "is why this guy acted like we should hide him from the cops. What's up with that?"

"Forget it," White Swan replied. "There's a police officer up ahead. Though, uh, I...I might need to get my eyes checked."

"Excuse us, ma'm!" Condor called before also noticing the prominent rabbit ears and pink hair on the policewoman. "Er, we think this gentleman might be of interest to you!"

Star sent the young girl she'd saved off into the arms of her just-arriving mother. "So he is," she responded coldly, "and so are you two."

"Huh?" White Swan blurted out, quite confused.

"You're all under arrest," Star Anise announced.

***

Maya Ryusaki's life had been forever changed the day she gained the powers of Kamen Rider Sigma. She had already endured many unexpected twists and turns in the short time since she had assumed the mantle of a champion of justice. Even so, the last thing she'd expected when she'd woken up in the morning was to be attacked by a fire-spitting space dragon controlled by a freakishly tall female robot. That was unusual even by her standards.

"You cannot escape the fury of Shedondas, Female Rider!" the imposing mecha-woman exclaimed as the dragon flew after Sigma, scorching her footsteps. "Submit and take your medicine, brazen hussy!"

"Yipes!" Sigma cried as she eluded the heat on her tail. "Why do you Geier goons always come gunning for me?"

"Geier?" the robot wondered. "Fool! Ginga Jo-O serves none but herself. Even my philandering husband realized this!"

"...Uh, what?" Sigma called from behind the convenient boulder which temporarily put her out of harm's way.

"Oh, if only my spaceship was a newer model!" the robot woman complained to no one in particular. "I might have made it to this miserable mudball sooner, and saved that mate of mine...or at least kept his paws off that Izumi tramp!"

"Lady, I have no idea what you're talking about or why you're attacking me!" Sigma stood up to protest. "This all sounds like the plot to a movie I've never seen!"

"Silence, impertinent Earthling!" Ginga Jo-O commanded. "I traced the Sigma Energy pattern to here! You will tell me how to find Sky Rider, or you will share his fate!"

"Errr, Sky Rider, you say?" Sigma asked. "I, uh, we've never met."

"LIES!" Ginga Jo-O screamed. "Shedondas, attack!"

Weird! That was what Sigma thought as the space dragon renewed its assault on her. But she also knew that she would be barbecued if all she did was marvel at the insanity of the situation. She steeled herself in a fierce battle pose and leapt high into the air.

"Tô!" she exclaimed as she sailed up to meet Shedondas head on. She grabbed the monster by the head with her left hand and threw a powerful punch with her right.

"Sigma Punch!" she cried, and the blow sent the space dragon flying backward. Ginga Jo-O seemed startled by the development, but didn't get a chance to voice her thoughts before a new participant entered the scene.

"You thought you could stop Hellvira Spitfire, you mechanical misfit?!?" the demon woman screeched as she galloped across the sky astride a winged horse. "Pegasus and I beg to differ!"

Hellvira breathed a stream of hot flames at Ginga Jo-O, and the space robot flailed almost helplessly. "You?" the galaxy queen shouted. "But Shedondas and I dispatched you!"

"Not well enough!" Hellvira countered as she rode up and clocked Ginga Jo-O in the head with her Infernal Flute. "I'm back to get that chunk of the Omniversal Prism you claimed!"

"Never!" Ginga Jo-O defied as she displayed the contested bauble. "This fragment gives me the power to gain my revenge on these Earthlings!"

"...And it belongs to Nemesis!" Hellvira spat as she attempted to snatch it from the robot's grip to no avail. "I'll toast your gears for this!"

"Only if you can catch me!" Ginga Jo-O taunted as Shedondas swooped back into view and spirited the towering machine woman away.

"Base coward!" Hellvira called to her fleeing rival. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Coward? Duel?" Ginga Jo-O queried. "What sort of gibbering is this, harlot?"

Hellvira considered her words carefully. "We meet at Ogouchi Dam in 24 Earth hours. The survivor takes the Prism."

"Very well," Ginga Jo-O agreed as she and Shedondas took to the sky and her waiting spaceship. "Since the conclusion is already a foregone one."

Hellvira clenched her fists in rage. "Don't count on it," she mumbled to herself as Pegasus carried her off. "Magick will outdo your gadgets any day."

As the combatants disappeared, Kamen Rider Sigma watched, completely dumbfounded. Ginga Jo-O had forgotten her, and the newcomer - "Hellvira Spitfire"? - hadn't even noticed her. It was a little insulting. So she was doubly startled when someone behind her placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What--?" she reacted as she jumped and whirled around. She was greeted by a sight not nearly as threatening as she'd anticipated. It was a man and woman, clad in costumes not unlike her own. She didn't recognize them, but they seemed friendly.

"Are you really a Kamen Rider????" Yellow Owl asked. "Wow, you can help us for sure!"

Blue Swallow sighed with a mixture of resignation and anger. "Gohan, I'm not sure that's the right approach to take."

"Who--who are you?" Sigma queried.

"Yellow Owl, Blue Swallow," Owl introduced, and he proceeded to go into an explanation that was far longer than truly necessary.

***

Syrone J'yavah could taste the sweat as it trickled down his face. His legs cramped as he pushed himself to run faster than he'd ever dreamed possible. He clutched a bag of gems to his tightening chest as he fled for his very life.

Syrone J'yavah knew he was doomed.

The tip-off had come from an informant who had never steered him wrong. He'd known Von Ondine's fury was legendary, but he hadn't thought the ME-262 space cruiser captain was angry enough to hire...him to take the contract on his life.

Syrone knew his reputation. Everyone did. He knew, even as he'd commandeered the ship and taken off for parts unknown, that he couldn't run fast enough or far enough to escape him. But he was working on pure fear now, and all he knew to do was run. Syrone pushed the cargo ship to the limit, desperate to stay one step ahead. Finally, his tricks, evasive maneuvers, and the ship's fuel supply exhausted, he made a decision.

The desert moon where Syrone landed didn't even merit a name. Its only inhabitants had been a religious cult that had settled there and constructed a frightfully elaborate labyrinth for their rituals. The cult had eventually ended their own lives, but their stone and metal landmark endured.

Syrone hadn't known the structure was a maze when he sought to hide inside it after abandoning his craft. That fact only became apparent when he'd become hopelessly lost. And then...the echo of footsteps. Footsteps other than his own.

He was there. So Syrone ran. He ran as hard and as fast as he could. Not that it mattered. Sooner or later...

"Going somewhere?"

Kienan Ademetria leaned nonchalantly against a wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His long chestnut braid fluttered in the wind as he cocked his firearm at his target. Syrone J'yavah stopped dead in his tracks as Kienan's green eyes narrowed intently.

"Oh God, Kienan, no!" Syrone begged. "Please, don't do it!"

Kienan considered the entreats rather cynically. "I'm an assassin. I don't get paid to not kill people."

"I--I have these!" Syrone said as he tossed his bag of ill-gotten gems at Kienan's feet.

The assassin scoffed. "Not impressed."

"I could get more! I know people, I can..."

"Save it," Kienan cut in. "Von Ondine is paying me plenty for this job. And after what you did, I can't say I won't enjoy it."

Syrone backed away, wanting to run but too paralyzed with fear. Kienan stalked him intently like a predator sizing up its prey. In a very real sense, that was exactly what was happening. Kienan levelled his gun and aimed deliberately. It was rare to get a target who so richly deserved being on the receiving end of his business.

Suddenly, in the skies overhead, there was a fantastic burst of light. Seemingly from out of nowhere, a sound resembling "KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!" filled the air as something hurtled into the sands. Seeking to take advantage of what he perceived as Kienan's distraction, Syrone pulled out his own pistol and attempted to gun the assassin down in his tracks.

He needn't have bothered. Syrone might have been a killer himself, but he was only an amateur. Kienan Ademetria was a highly paid professional, and he hadn't gotten that way by being caught unaware so easily. Kienan pumped three rounds into Syrone before the hapless man was even able to squeeze off a single shot. The assassin unholstered his second gun and fired three more rounds just to be sure.

When it was over, Kienan stood silently and considered Syrone's lifeless, bullet-ridden body as the blood pooled on the labyrinth's floor. He bent down and fetched the bag of gems with which his target had so ineffectually tried to buy him off. Kienan opened the bag and gave the contents a cursory glance as he made his way down the corridors to the exit. As he passed, he gave Syrone's corpse one last kick for good measure.

On the outside, Kienan slipped into the cockpit of his small fighter Nighthawk and opened channels on his communication system. "Mission accomplished, Mirage," he radioed back to his ship the Silhouette. "Inform Captain Von Ondine on the Black Telescope that he got what he paid for."

"What about you?" Mirage inquired, her voice betraying no hint that she was as mechanical as the ship that contained her and her "sister" Vain.

"Fine," he answered as he toyed with the gems in the bag. "Even got a nice batch of fake jewels in the bargain."

"Fake?"

"Fake," Kienan confirmed as he crushed one to powder between his fingers. "He wasn't the smartest guy I ever had to chase."

"Will you be coming back now?" Mirage asked.

"Not yet," Kienan replied. "You Marionettes will have to hold down the ship for a little while longer. I'm going to check on a planet impact a short way from here. Shouldn't take long."

"Be careful," Mirage cautioned.

"Aren't I always?"

"No."

Kienan shrugged as he slid out of the Nighthawk and trudged off to where he estimated the impact had been. Whatever it was, it had almost compromised his job, and he was curious about it. Besides which, maybe he could find some way to use it for his own ends.

When he finally reached the impact crater, Kienan reconsidered his previous notions. For lying in the center of the crater was a woman clad in a green uniform and cape. What's more, after whatever she had been through, she was still alive.

***

"This is the damnedest plan I've ever let myself be talked into," Hinotori observed as he lurked through the cylindrical Future City building that had been the site of Jetman's fierce battle. "Are you sure one of those other names of yours isn't 'Aya'?"

Ahead of him, Mr. Hoshi smiled enigmatically. "You could always return to your 'Jet Carrier' and depart, Hinotori-san."

"Right, sure," Hinotori answered sarcastically. "I didn't come this far just to see the sights. I'll do my part; you just do yours."

"Very well," Mr. Hoshi seemingly agreed. "I believe we are almost to ground zero."

"Well, we must be close," Hinotori reasoned, "because we saw Jet Icarus standing around abandoned nearby."

As the duo entered the amphitheater, they espied Nemesis levitating before the damaged Omniversal Prism, still rapt in a lotus. He had not moved since the ill-fated conclusion of the battle hours earlier.

"No bodies," Hinotori noticed. "That's good."

"As I told you," Mr. Hoshi said, "your charges are not dead. They and the Paradox Army have been lost through time and the multiverse. They will have to find their own way home by recovering the shards of the Prism. We must insure that they still have that home for their return."

Shinsei turned to Mr. Hoshi. "How do you know these things?" he whispered.

"I am attuned to the Omniversal Prism, because I draw power from the same source," Mr. Hoshi finally explained. "My superiors removed a piece from it long ago, and this is what gives me my powers."

"I don't understand..."

"Do you recall the unexplained meteorite that vanished just prior to Nemesis' appearance in your reality?"

Shinsei nodded silently.

"I was that 'meteorite'. My superiors sent me back to your world in anticipation of his arrival. The vibrations of the Prism foretold it."

Shinsei stared at Mr. Hoshi intently. "I've trusted you this far, but enough is enough. Who are you?"

Mr. Hoshi smirked. "Very well. You would know me as..."

"I see I have guests!" a synthesized voice interrupted maddeningly. It was Nemesis, finally breaking his reverie contemplating the Omniversal Prism to greet the two intruders. The armored man landed on his feet and walked away from the floating Prism. He strode purposefully toward the duo, even though they were still in hiding.

"You might as well come out!" Nemesis cajoled. "The previous exercise didn't go quite as I'd planned, but I'm hardly surprised to have more of you crawling through my complex."

Hinotori and Mr. Hoshi emerged from the darkness. Neither of them feared what was to come, but they didn't exactly relish it either.

"Welcome, my friend," Nemesis greeted. "How strange that I do not know your companion. No matter - neither of you will be alive long enough for it to make a difference. I have a special reward for your courage in confronting me."

Shinsei Hinotori and Mr. Hoshi did not have much time to decipher the oddness of Nemesis' words. As the menace continued to stride in their direction, he began to shimmer and fade. Nemesis seemed to realize this after his pair of foes had. He stopped in his tracks as his physical form began to lose cohesion.

"Not now!" he protested vainly. "Not now!"

Before the mastermind could utter another word, he was gone in a brilliant flash of light. When it had subsided, there was not a trace of him. Not even a scorch mark was left on the last place he had occupied. He had completely vanished.

"Huh," was all Shinsei Hinotori could say. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Nor was I," Mr. Hoshi concurred, leaving Shinsei even more surprised than he had been.

"I wonder what his 'reward' was, anyway?" Shinsei asked aloud.

Almost as if on cue, dark figures appeared from all sides and surrounded the pair. Closer scrutiny revealed them to be more than just generic mysterious goons. Half of the horde were Grinam, the one-time lackeys of the Byram invaders that had fought the original Jetman. The other half consisted of Garo, the henchmen of the Chaos Coalition battled by the second Jetman.

"Oh, I see," Shinsei said as he counted about a dozen henchmen as they closed in. "I'm so glad I talked Michiru out of accompanying us."

***

"Well, I'm glad you finally believe us!" Ken Tendo shouted as he threw his hands up in the air. "I was starting to feel like a common criminal!"

Star Anise leaned against a far wall in the interrogation room where she had been grilling Ken and Etsuko Oishi for the previous three hours. "Don't get too carried away," she said. "It's just that your story is too far-fetched to be a convincing lie. Either it's somehow true, or both of you are the worst liars in the world."

Etsuko bit her tongue, knowing anything she had to add wouldn't help the situation.

"OK, whatever," Ken responded. "Do me a favor then? We've answered all of your questions - can you answer a question for me?"

Star considered the request. "I don't see why not."

"Why did you arrest us?" Ken inquired pointedly. "We caught the kidnapper, so why did you assume we were in with him? And why did he?"

"It was those uniforms you were wearing," Star Anise answered. "The ones that you 'magically' made go back into those wristbands I returned to you."

"Our uniforms? But why?" Etsuko wondered.

"Because they're almost identical to the one worn by Silver Raven."

Ken punched into his hand. "I might have known! What kind of trouble has that creep been causing here?"

Star Anise could feel her interest in these two mysterious strangers rising with each passing second. "He's set himself up as the mastermind of a kidnapping ring. They snatch children and create illicit Mixes that are sold on the black market to the highest bidder."

Ken scratched his head. "Mixes? What are Mixes?"

"People like me," Star Anise revealed, her bunny ears suddenly making sense to Ken and Etsuko. "I'm an Angora Mix, a type usually bred for the sex trade. I'm one of the lucky ones who got out. I take this sort of thing personally."

"Oh," was all Ken could manage to say.

"Genetic engineering, eh?" Etsuko observed. "That actually makes sense for Silver Raven, since he's a gestalt clone. That sort of crime would be right up his alley!"

Star Anise raised an eyebrow. "He's a what now?"

"Forget Etsuko's egghead words," Ken begged as Etsuko glared at him. "If you know he's doing this, why haven't you just arrested him?"

"It's not that easy," Star sighed. "He strikes fear in his operatives with that uniform, since the raven symbolology is verboten nowadays."

"And why in the world is that?" Etsuko interrupted.

"Do you have a few hours?"

"No," Ken said. "Tell us more about Silver Raven instead."

"Well, no one will talk," Star continued. "I'm sure you're aware of his powers, too. We know where the ring is based, but we can't get any solid evidence to justify a search warrant. And even if we did, actually arresting him would be a serious challenge."

"Hmmm," Ken pondered. "So where is this ring based, anyway?"

Star Anise rubbed her index fingers together. "The top floor of the Soda Corporation Tower. Why do you ask?"

Ken sat down in the chair where he'd been questioned for what seemed like forever and propped his feet on the table. "Can we talk off the record?"

Star eyed the wall where she knew the one-way glass partition offered a view into the interrogation room. There was something about these two that she was starting to trust. She nodded and walked to the wall, flipping a series of switches.

Star took a seat and rested her elbows on the table. "Alright," she said. "Off the record."

"Well," Ken began, "it seems to me that if there was, I don't know, a break-in at this Soda Tower, the police would have to respond to the alarms. And there's always the chance that they might just accidentally find enough evidence to break up any illegal kidnapping rings that were based there."

Star Anise coughed to stifle a laugh. "I like the way you think. How are you proposing to pull this off?"

"We'll get into the details later," Ken responded. "Does this plan sound...feasible?"

"It does," Star said, and then she turned to face Etsuko. "And I have a question for you, off the record."

Etsuko backed away. "OK?"

"Is there a reason you've been staring at my chest for the last 10 minutes?" Star asked. "I don't mind you checking me out, but that's a bit much."

Etusko's face turned a bright red. "It's not that," she explained. "It's your necklace."

Star looked down. "My necklace?"

"How long have you had it?" Etsuko inquired.

"Umm, a couple of weeks," Star replied. "I bought it at a swap meet."

"The stone. It's...that fragment of the Omniversal Prism we mentioned."

"How?"

"I don't know," Etsuko said. "I guess time and space warped in unusual ways, and it arrived here a long time before we did. But it would explain why we showed up near where you were, and why we can all understand each other. I mean, I don't think you're really speaking Japanese, anyway."

Star Anise massaged her temples. "This is making my head hurt."

"Join the club," Ken stated. "Well, if this is the Prism, fantastic. But that doesn't mean we still shouldn't take down Silver Raven once and for all."

"That, I can understand," Star Anise agreed. "Let's get to work."

***

"I'll be glad to help you two get home!" Maya chirped to Gohan and Reiko as the magenta-haired young woman pulled a glass door open. "Meantime, we can unwind a little bit here!"

"A coffee shop?" Reiko asked as she examined the sign that read "Kôhimame Café".

"Not just a coffee shop," Maya corrected. "It's also where I live! You can meet Junko and Mikoto and...KOHEI-KUN???"

The chimes jingled as Maya opened the door and found a bit more than she had expected. For the Kôhimame Café was not only occupied by proprietor Junko Tama and Maya's friend Mikoto Taki, but also erstwhile detective Kohei Kurobe. Kohei rose as the trio entered the building.

"Ryusei-san! It's good to see you!" Kohei greeted, seemingly relieved.

Maya crossed her arms impatiently. "For the millionth time, it's RYUSAKI, and you know it! Kohei-kun, why are you here, and not doing your job?"

Kohei fumbled for the right words. "Well, I heard a report on my radio, uh, that is, I mean, I just wanted a cup of coffee?"

Kohei smiled unconvincingly and lifted his coffee cup, taking a sip. Over his shoulder, Maya spotted her friend Mikoto and gave her a dirty look. Mikoto silently mouthed the words "I told him nothing," as she waved her hands.

"Fine," Maya replied, though she was unsatisfied with his answer. "Since you are here, you can meet my friends from, um, out of town, too."

"Yes, I noticed them. It's rare to meet someone shorter than you with equally interesting hair," Kohei quipped.

"Shut up," Maya said. "Gohan Oishi, Reiko Hayasaka, this is Kohei Kurobe. He's a police detective, and my...friend. For some reason."

Gohan, Reiko, and Kohei exchanged bows. Maya walked over and gestured to her other friends seated at the bar. "This is Mikoto Taki, my best friend and roommate, and this is Junko Tama, the owner of this place. They're both like family to me!"

More bows were exchanged, and Junko reached over to retrieve two trinkets from a pile she had on her bar. "Since you two are friends of Maya," she explained, "I think you might like 'Shojo Rider' pendants, for supporters of the Kamen Riders. I know Maya probably told you about the group."

Maya whistled innocently as her two companions examined their new pendants. Reiko's expression was as inscrutable as it had been since arriving on this new world, but Gohan was another story. He was so excited that he could not contain his joy.

"Thank you!!!!" he gushed. "This is the best thing ever! Man, this is all too much! It feels like a dream!"

Mikoto leaned over to Maya. "He seems pretty enthusiastic, you know? I wish Kanagawa would get that excited over me sometimes."

"Sure..." Maya replied, her mind having already moved on to a more pressing matter. "Hey, we still have those Pai Pai leftovers in the fridge? I’m starving."

Gohan reached out and grabbed Reiko affectionately. "Isn't this the best? I almost wish we didn't have to go home!"

Reiko pushed Gohan away, leaving him surprised. "You know what?" she muttered. "Stop. Just stop."

Maya tried to say something, but Junko covered her mouth. She realized where this was heading.

"What's wrong, Reiko-chan?" Gohan queried in confusion.

"I'm tired," Reiko began. "Tired of everything, and now I'm scared and don't know if I'm ever going to get back home. Meanwhile, you go on like nothing is the matter, and don't notice how I really feel. Just like always."

Gohan could feel his bottom lip quiver. "I..."

Reiko continued undeterred. "For months, I've been dying inside. Have you noticed? No. You were either in your studio or drinking sake inside the pyramid you had built on top of our house. You never take the time to consider me."

Gohan could feel the blood rushing to his face. "Reiko, what do you want? Tell me, and it's yours."

Reiko sighed with resignation. "I'm done. I've tried for months and months, but I'm done. I still love you, but I can't go on like this. When...if we get home...I want a divorce."

Reiko stalked away, entering the ladies room and slamming the door behind her. Gohan was left standing in the middle of the Kôhimame Café, speechless at what had just happened.

Maya and her friends were equally stunned. Mikoto and Junko sat silently, while Maya wanted to crawl away. Maya was so shellshocked, in fact, that she failed to notice Kohei wander up beside her. The detective took another sip of coffee and nudged her.

"Wow, I think she might be colder than your sister," Kohei opined.

"Not funny!" Maya scolded. "Anyway, shouldn't you get back to work?"

Maya grabbed the detective by the collar and pushed him out the door. "But I haven't finished my coffee!" he protested.

"Next one's on the house!" Maya called to him as she shut the door behind him.

"Obachan, could you make sure my friend's okay?" Maya asked of Junko. "She's had a...long, hard trip."

"Of course," Junko agreed with a gentle smile. "I'll find a place for her to lie down in the back."

As Junko made her way to the back of the coffee shop, Maya sidled up alongside Mikoto. "Now that we're alone, I've gotta tell you that I need your help tomorrow. There's more to our guests than I let on."

"Oh?"

"I'll fill you in on the details later," Maya whispered, "but they're from another world, and part of a sentai. You know, like those 'super sentai' on TV?"

"Or Goranger and JAKQ?" Mikoto announced rather loudly.

"Huh?" Maya responded.

"Sorry," Mikoto said. "Anyway, what do you need me for?"

"We're heading to Ogouchi Dam for something big," Maya confided. "It'd help to have a second bike to get there."

"You can count on me," Mikoto confirmed.

The friends looked over at a forlorn Gohan Oishi, still holding his Shojo Rider pendant tightly in his hand. He hadn't said a word, but his expression was enough.

Maya exhaled sadly. "I just hope we can count on each other."

***

Dirk Dixon's jetpack rocketed him across the cloudless skies of the desert moon. He adjusted a dial on the side of the Radio Helmet he had broken out of his emergency kit. Already, the marvelous gizmo was homing in on the fragment of the Omniversal Prism. Soon, he would obtain it and return it to Nemesis, to continue their glorious campaign to save the Earth from the false heroes of Jetman.

The Radio Helmet's goggles slipped down over Dirk's eyes and he zoomed in on the location of the Prism shard. As he did so, he noticed two human figures in the same radius. Further adjustment revealed one to be the female Jetman Green Wyvern! And the other...

Could it be? He wasn't wearing his trademark black leather suit, and he wasn't sporting his pencil-thin mustache, but otherwise, her companion looked uncannily like Dirk's old foe Killer Kienan! What a stroke of luck! Dirk increased the thrust on his jetpack, eager to settle scores with two very bad eggs.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, Green Wyvern painfully stirred. Kei Mizuno opened her eyes and clambered out of the crater where she'd awakened. As she did, she was greeted by an unfamiliar man crouched down, a gun in his hand.

"Nice outfit," Kienan remarked.

Green Wyvern threw up her guard as she unsheathed her Wing Sword. "Who are you?"

Kienan bolted upright, his gun at the ready. "Kienan Ademetria," he said, keeping his gun on her. "Don't make me lecture you about the wisdom of bringing a knife to a gunfight."

"Another of Nemesis' agents, I guess. Well, I'm ready!"

Kienan lowered his gun as long-forgotten memories rushed to the forefront. "Nemesis?" he sighed. "Again?"

"You know him?" Green Wyvern asked.

"Yeah, long story," Kienan replied. "Well, I'm running into outlandishly dressed people with swords today, so Nemesis must be behind this."

"What?"

"Never mind. Part of that long story. What's your name? Ronin 3? Roninette?"

"Green Wyvern's all you need to know," the still-wary heroine explained. "Nemesis is trying to kill me and take over the universe, in that order. I have to find some sort of crystal thing to get back home and kill him first."

"And you came from somewhere, sometime," Kienan said. "Dressed like that. Yeah, I've definitely seen this before."

"Dammit, what are you talking about?" Wyvern wondered.

"It's not important," Kienan dismissed. "Let's just find this crystal, since you talk like it's probably around here."

Just then, a rain of laser beams sent Kienan and Green Wyvern scrambling. Dirk Dixon chuckled triumphantly as he jetted over the fleeing pair firing his raygun.

"That's right, run!" the spaceman exclaimed. "Run from the brilliant blazing beam of justice, scoundrels!"

"In here!" Kienan shouted to Wyvern as he motioned her toward the maze where he'd finished off Syrone scant minutes earlier. The heroine ducked in right behind him, narrowly avoiding a laser beam at her heels.

"Is he for real?" Kienan asked as he hastily reloaded.

"Unfortunately, yes," Wyvern answered, "and he's more dangerous than he looks."

"Great," the assassin replied as he pulled out a second gun. "Let's find out if he's bulletproof."

With that, Kienan charged out of the labyrinth with his guns blazing. His aim was true, but for once, it didn't matter. The waves of the Radio Helmet deflected his rounds, leaving Dirk unharmed. He would have cursed the luck had Green Wyvern not decided to take a more direct approach.

"DIXON!" she screamed as she slammed into the spaceman. "Do you ever SHUT UP?"

"Foul Mongol!" Dirk exclaimed as he pushed her off. "You two won't keep me from my goal! Dirk Dixon has spoken!"

As Dirk decked Wyvern to the ground, Kienan took the opening and tried to get a better shot at his opponent. He met with results as negligible as his first attempt.

"Killer Kienan!" Dirk declared. "When will you learn that being in league with the Mongols will never pay off?"

Kienan gritted his teeth and calculated which of his weapons would have the best chance of finishing his adversary. Before he had the opportunity to follow through, Dirk took off, leaving him far behind.

"The Prism!" Wyvern exclaimed. "He's spotted it!"

The female Jetman took off, but not before snatching Kienan up for a ride. "I need your help!" she explained.

"Obviously."

Like so much else about him, Dirk's jetpack was more effective than it seemed. He outpaced them easily and by the time they had caught up, the spaceman was digging in the blistering sand. His efforts were soon rewarded.

"I've done it!" Dirk proclaimed as he held his prize high. "I've recovered the Prism! Oh, I wish Nemesis could see me now! He'd be so proud!"

Kienan leapt out of Green Wyvern's arms and socked Dirk in the jaw. The Prism piece flew from the spaceman's grip and Kienan darted across the ground to scoop it up. Regrettably, even this victory was still too late. The damage had been done.

A dazzling burst of light exploded from nowhere. It was so bright that the three combatants had to shield their eyes from its luminescence. When it had subsided, Nemesis stood before them in all his power.

***

"Are you going to be able to handle yourself?" Shinsei asked Mr. Hoshi as the Grinam and Garo closed in on the pair.

The mystery man didn't answer verbally, but instead grabbed two of the Garo and cracked their heads together so hard that they collapsed into a heap. He then jerked a Grinam up by the arm and tossed it five meters away.

"I'll take that as a yes," Shinsei said to himself as he punched a Grinam in the stomach and threw a kick into an approaching Garo.

Though they had the strength of numbers on their side, the henchmen made no headway with their intended victims. In fact, if anything, they looked even more ineffectual than they had in their prime.

Shinsei, on the other hand, couldn't believe how easily he had slipped back into fighting mode. It had been ten years since he'd known the heat of battle, and yet it all felt natural. It was like a hand in a glove, it fit him so well. Maybe the years hadn't dulled his senses after all.

As they finished off the last few stragglers of their attackers, Shinsei began to watch Mr. Hoshi in action. There was something about his newfound comrade that struck a chord within Shinsei. Something...familiar. As Mr. Hoshi, who hadn't even lost his hat during the fight, tossed a hapless Grinam into a wall, Shinsei Hinotori realized why.

"I know who you are!" he exclaimed to the unflappable Mr. Hoshi. "But...I thought you were dead!"

"Clearly, that is not the case," Mr. Hoshi responded as he slammed the last Garo headfirst into the ground. "Though this is perhaps not the best time to discuss my identity."

"Agreed," Shinsei said, "but I've got a couple of questions for you when this whole thing is over!"

On cue, a contingent of 20 monsters - each of whom had fought an incarnation of Jetman in the past - appeared in the amphitheater's stands. They announced themselves in turn:

"Noodle Jigen!"

"Jihanki Jigen!"

"Camera Jigen!"

"Sojiki Jigen!"

"Light Armadillo!"

"Ari Bazooka!"

"Yoroi Snake!"

"Sniper Cat!"

"Tomato Dai O!"

"Zaigan!"

"Bango!"

"Damaru!"

"Kumoden!"

"Saikong!"

"Shishigone!"

"Kotetsumori!"

"Chaos Chimera!"

"Chaos Fenris!"

"Chaos Talos!"

"Chaos Cyclops!"

"JETMAN REVENGE SQUAD!" they all cried out as one.

Shinsei Hinotori and Mr. Hoshi threw away the last of their beaten henchman opponents, who faded away as if they never existed. Each of them took a fighting stance as the newly-christened Jetman Revenge Squad raced down to engage them.

"And obviously, it's far from over!" Shinsei declared. "I hope you're as good as I remember!"

***

"How's it look...nggh...down the hallway?" Ken asked Etsuko as she peered around a corner.

"No more for the moment," Etsuko replied as she let an unconscious security guard slip from her grasp.

"Well, we've already taken out...nggh...at least a dozen," Ken said as he struggled to maintain his Condor Stealth.

"Are you OK?" Etsuko checked.

"Yeah. Just...not easy to keep this up without the uniform."

"Star said she couldn't let us out in them. Something about them being against the law."

Ken snorted. "That's pretty funny under the circumstances."

"Speaking of Star," Etsuko remembered, "we should check in with her."

Etsuko donned the wireless headset she'd been given for this special task. "Usagi, this is Cygnus. Over?"

Star Anise surreptitiously spoke into her camouflaged mic. "This is Usagi, Cygnus. I read you. Status?"

"We've made it to the top floor," Etsuko reported. "Haven't found anything yet."

"I hope you guys make it quick," Star responded as she leaned against a lightpole dressed in her streetwalker outfit. "I'm undercover, but I've had to turn away four arrests already."

"We're doing our best, so...hello, what's this?"

Etsuko's interest was piqued by a pair of large stainless steel doors. No one ever installed something like that unless they had something that needed special safekeeping. Or something to hide.

"Usagi, permission to don costumes to compound our breaking and entering and assault charges?" Etsuko queried.

"Do what you have to do," Star replied.

Etsuko turned to Ken. "Sounded like 'Permission granted,' to me. Hit it!"

"Cross Changer!" the duo exclaimed, and they assumed their heroic forms of Black Condor and White Swan. Swan ran her gloved hand over the steel door to gauge its resilience. Satisfied with her results, she moved to Step Two.

"Swan Mace!" she called as she generated her special Jet Weapon. Condor stepped away from the door, as he didn't want to be in Swan's way as she swung her mighty club. It took eight strikes, but finally the metal groaned and gave way. The steel doors collapsed into the chamber they had protected from the outside.

As Black Condor poked his head into the now not-so-secret room, he couldn't help but grin as he heard the cacophony of alarms going off. "Music to my ears!" he said.

The gang members whose work had been disrupted, however, felt somewhat differently. They pulled out their guns as they charged at the interlopers in their midst. Black Condor and White Swan launched themselves at the criminals, with one goal in mind.

"Silver Raven!" Swan exclaimed. "There he is!"

The gleaming villain backed against a door as his gang took the brunt of Condor and Swan's attention. For whatever reason, the one-time braggart said nothing when faced with the two foes who had destroyed his prized mecha Seven Force. In fact, Silver Raven seemed unwilling to engage the pair at all. He held back, almost as if he wished to blend into the shadows.

"He's hiding something," Condor observed. "What is he hiding?"

As Black Condor approached him, Silver Raven abruptly jetted through the ceiling without a word. The sparkling form of the villain tore a gaping hole into the roof, and Black Condor at first felt compelled to give chase. But he resisted the urge, as his curiosity overwhelmed him. What was behind the door that made Silver Raven so reluctant to do anything except run?

"Usagi, Raven's escaping!" Swan cried into her headset.

"Units are en route now!" Star Anise shouted as she raced to the scene herself. "Dammit, I wish I could nail that bastard!"

Almost as she said those words, Star's necklace glowed with an unearthly light. In mid-stride, she winked out of sight.

"Usagi?" Swan said as their open line was severed. "Usagi? Star? Where are you?"

Swan's concerns for Star Anise were tempered by the scream that echoed through the chambers. All of the hoods were down, and Condor...

Ken? Oh God, that was him! What had happened to him? She found the smashed door her teammate had entered and took a look inside through the splintered framework.

Even though her face was covered with her White Swan helmet, Etsuko's reaction to what awaited her made her put a hand to her mouth. She felt anger and despair well up inside of her. Someone had to make Silver Raven pay for this.

Silver Raven, meanwhile, was trying to make good his escape. His efforts were thwarted when a human body crashed into him seemingly out of nowhere. He tumbled down to the rooftop, which fortunately for him was still nearby.

As Raven shook his head to get his bearings, he spotted the cause of his truncated retreat. Star Anise pulled herself up, still groggy from the collision with the hated villain - to say nothing of the surprise teleportation. Raven frowned at first, then decided to make the best of the situation. As he unholstered one of his Silver Special pistols, he noticed Star's ears and outfit, and he could feel his mood improve immensely.

"Well hello," he spoke slimily as he trained his weapon on Star. "Haven't I seen you in some of my favorite filthy fantasies?"

***

Maya Ryusaki gulped hard as she debated whether her next words were a good idea or not. "So Reiko," she ventured, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but about yesterday..."

Reiko wiped away what she told herself was grit in her eye. "I'm sorry Maya, it's nothing personal about you," she insisted from her position behind Maya on the latter's speeding motorcycle. "This thing between us has been going on for awhile, and...well, I've never had anything good happen to me on a parallel world."

"If you say so," Maya responded. "It's just that Gohan seems like a great guy, that's all."

Reiko cast a glance over at an obviously subdued Gohan riding with Mikoto. "He is. Maybe that's been the problem."

"I hope you guys can work it out," Maya said. "Kohei and I had some problems and we made it through them."

"The detective?" Reiko asked. "But you two were bickering the whole time. You mean there's something between you?"

"Oh, that?" Maya replied. "We were just bantering there, but...wait, are you implying...?"

Maya's train of thought was interrupted by a loud crackle of electricity. Ahead of them, perched atop Ogouchi Dam, were Ginga Jo-O and Hellvira Spitfire already engaged in their duel. Hellvira blasted insane music at her mechanical rival with the Infernal Flute while Ginga Jo-O used the power of the Omniversal Prism fragment to rather mundanely conjure a small thunderhead.

Maya and Mikoto screeched their motorcycles to a halt well away from the chaos. "Darn it, I think we're late!" Maya lamented. "Mikoto, you hang here with the bikes."

"What? Why?" Mikoto argued.

Maya rolled her eyes, and then happened to notice a vehicle following them. "Oh for-! Keep Kohei busy, too!" she cried as she pushed Mikoto and the motorcycles away.

"What's that all about?" Gohan wondered as he, Maya, and Reiko raced toward the ongoing duel. "Doesn't he know about you being Sigma?"

"Yeah, and that's the problem," Maya groused.

"No time for that now!" Reiko exclaimed. "Look!"

Reiko's astonishment was due to the fact that Hellvira had been somehow subdued by the special lightning strikes of Ginga Jo-O's artificial storm. The demon woman was prone before the outer space queen, yet she continued to claw and fight as best she could.

"You'll not...best me...you overgrown tin can," Hellvira gasped.

"Your denial does not negate the fact that I already have, tramp," Ginga Jo-O stated. "The only matter open for debate is your fate."

Ginga Jo-O's eyes glowed as she analyzed all possible courses of action and scanned Hellvira's mind fully for insight. As her computerized cranium processed the data, Hellvira reached out for her Infernal Flute and staggered to her feet.

"I'll call forth Cerberus to rend you limb from limb!" she threatened as she brought the Flute to her lips.

"Negative," Ginga Jo-O intoned as she used the power of the Prism to paralyze Hellvira. "Analysis is complete. Your hatred indicates that banishment to a different reality would be the cruelest possible conclusion to this duel."

"Wait," Hellvira entreated. "We can make a deal. I want to get rid of Nemesis, we can work together to..."

"Insufficient data," Ginga Jo-O said. "Nemesis does not affect my plans, and you do. Farewell, fur-bikinied trollop."

Hellvira let loose a blood-curdling scream as the rays of the Omniversal Prism engulfed her. The scream became fainter and fainter as her form lost focus in Kamen Rider Sigma's world. At last, there was silence, and Hellvira Spitfire was gone.

"Geez," Gohan said after watching the brief but final battle. "You mean we have to beat her now?"

The three heroes did not escape Ginga Jo-O's notice for long. "Have you also come to challenge me?" she queried.

"You bet we have, you talking toaster!" Maya defiantly pronounced. "Whatever you’re up to, we’re putting a stop to it right now!"

"A predictably histrionic response, you melodramatic minx," the spacefaring computer clucked. "My sensors indicate what you are. You are no match for me, Kamen Rider."

"I am far more than that," the young woman retorted. "And you’re forgetting about my friends here. Together, we can take anything you dish out. Right guys?"

"You got it!" Reiko chimed in. "Let's go!"

Maya's arms moved to her sides and she struck her henshin pose. "HENSHIN...SIGMA!"

"Cross Changer!" Gohan and Reiko added in unison as they activated their henshin devices.

"Kamen Rider Sigma!" the now-transformed Maya Ryusaki announced.

"Yellow Owl!" and "Blue Swallow!" rang out quickly afterward as Gohan and Reiko transformed. The three heroes confronted Ginga Jo-O in their masked guises, and the mechanical menace recognized exactly how to handle one of them.

"Kamen Rider!" Ginga Jo-O exclaimed. "You have unfinished business with Shedondas!"

"Uh oh," was all Sigma was able to say before the weird synthesizer noise signalling Shedondas' arrival drowned out all other sound. The dragon creature swooped down and grabbed the Rider in its rubbery claws before flying off with Sigma to the higher level of the dam.

"That's not good," Yellow Owl observed rather obviously.

"Now then," Ginga Jo-O said as she turned her attention to the two newcomers. "Will you two tell me where to find Sky Rider or this Izumi person?"

"We don't know them!" Blue Swallow angrily dismissed. "We're here to take that Prism from you!"

"Oh really?" Ginga Jo-O asked as the Prism shard glistened in her metallic hand. "Well, we're going to have problems then."

***

"I assume you are responsible for this affront to my person, Dixon?" Nemesis questioned menacingly as he stood before Dirk, Green Wyvern, and Kienan.

Dirk stammered in surprise. "I...Nemesis...I..."

"FOOL!" Nemesis bellowed as he slapped Dirk away, knocking the Radio Helmet from his head. "This further delays my destruction of Jetman and conquest of the universe!"

"...Conquest...of the universe?" Dirk repeated in puzzlement as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Dixon, while I find your naivete and witless blundering amusing, never forget - you live only as long as your usefulness to me and my tolerance for you coincide," Nemesis sneered contemptuously.

"Vile blackguard!" Dirk shouted righteously as he unholstered his raygun. "You'll not deceive Dirk Dixon again!"

Nemesis deflected Dirk's beams with his hand, then suddenly had a grip around the spaceman's throat. "Contemptible, Dixon," the armored man said as he lifted Dirk off his feet.

Nemesis heaved the struggling Dixon several meters away, and the Man of Tomorrow landed with a thud in the sand. Green Wyvern took that opportunity to attack Nemesis herself, and slashed her Wing Sword across his chest. The villain looked down and examined the unsurprising lack of damage inflicted.

"Was that supposed to hurt, Wyvern?" Nemesis intoned smugly.

Kienan took advantage of the twin distractions, moving away and trying to get a drop on Nemesis. His fingers tightened on the triggers of his guns, eyes narrowing on his target. One lucky shot in the right place and Nemesis would be a memory, and with any luck, this would be the last time he encountered that time-travelling demon.

Green Wyvern, however, had less subtle ideas. She slugged Nemesis so hard that the time-bending villain sailed high into the air. As Wyvern took to the sky to follow up with a further beating, Kienan wondered to himself how Nemesis would handle the development, since he knew that armor didn't fly.

Kienan was probably less surprised than Green Wyvern when Nemesis extended a hand and materialized a flying sled. The time traveler kicked away his female foe as he tumbled through the air and landed atop the sleek machine. He generated his Chronolancer in his hand and made a sharp turn to pursue the heroine.

Green Wyvern felt her gut knot. She called forth her Wyvern Boomerang and hurled it at Nemesis. He swatted it away with his Chronolancer and then returned the favor by tossing his javelin at her, narrowly missing her but shredding her cape.

Kienan took the opportunity to get in some offense of his own and fired. His shots ripped into the fuselage of the craft, sending it into a smoking crash dive. Nemesis steered out of the dive and then leapt away, rolling free before the flying sled crashed in a burst of flame.

As Nemesis groped for his Chronolancer, Kienan closed the distance between them and pointed his guns at Nemesis' eyes. "Might as well give up," Kienan said. "At this range, I won't miss."

"My systems identify you as Kienan Ademetria," Nemesis said, slowly rising to his feet.

"I was sort of hoping we'd skip the usual elliptical time-travel stuff this time, and I could put you out of my misery a little earlier than usual."

Nemesis was so sanguine it seemed to radiate past the impassive features of his armor. "I believe you've mistaken me for someone else, Ademetria. No, I'm afraid that fool is off deleting himself from reality."

"Then who the hell are you?" Kienan asked.

"It seems that one version of him decided that she was somehow important to the multiverse," Nemesis explained, gesturing to Green Wyvern as she glided down. "He . . .Nemesis . . .thought I might be of use to him, but I'm no one's underling. He was cunning, but my superior intellect is unbeatable once stimulated. After that, I decided he might be of some use to me. So I helped myself to his armor and the Prism. He wouldn't need them any more, after all - why let it go to waste?"

Nemesis removed his helmet and shook his long blue hair free. "Now, behold the face of the future master of all reality!"

"TORANZA!" Green Wyvern screamed in recognition.

***

Shinsei knocked the sword from Zaigan's hand as the monster slashed at him. He grabbed the creature by the wrist and judo tossed him to the floor. It was going to be a long, hard battle, and Shinsei knew he had to take every advantage available. He retrieved the sword swiftly and ran it through Zaigan, finishing off the beast.

"That's one down," he thought. "Only 19 to go!"

Several meters away, Mr. Hoshi was also fighting for his life. He tripped Chaos Talos and reached down to take hold of the monster's ankles. He hoisted the bronze horror and clanged it against the steel hide of Kotetsumori. Mr. Hoshi dropped the dented Chaos Talos roughly and drove a standing knee lift directly into Kotetsumori's chest.

"Lens Beam!" rang out in Shinsei's ears and he rapidly ducked the ray fired by Camera Jigen. It instead struck a lunging Bango, reducing the fearsome beast to a mere photograph. As the photo drifted to the floor, Shinsei snatched it and ripped it up.

"He wasn't my type," he deadpanned to his less-than-appreciative audience of monsters.

As Mr. Hoshi punched Damaru so hard that the creature exploded, Shinsei realized that he had been surrounded. Sniper Cat, Ari Bazooka, Chaos Fenris, and Saikong ganged up on the hero, and were closing in fast.

"It was a mmmmmistake to come here unarmmmmmed, Gai Yuki!" Sniper Cat meowed threateningly. "We will mmmmmurder you!"

"First, as I keep telling people, the name is Shinsei Hinotori," Shinsei corrected indignantly, even in the face of certain death. "And second, I hardly came here unarmed."

"But the complex's *tik* instruments detected *tik* nothing on you!" the ant fiend Ari Bazooka clicked.

It was Chaos Fenris who discerned Shinsei's meaning before the rest of the mob had. "Get the other one!" he howled as he loped off after Mr. Hoshi.

"Hoshi!" Shinsei called as his fellow intruder snapped Chaos Fenris' neck and discarded the hapless wolf thing's remains. "Now!"

Mr. Hoshi reached into the air and pulled a familiar looking device out of nowhere. He threw it over the monster army's heads and it unerringly locked into place on Shinsei's wrist.

"Cross Changer!" Shinsei called, for the first time in decades. A glow surrounded his body as it underwent an amazing transformation. When it died away, he was clad in a uniform unseen for years.

"Jet Phoenix!" he declared triumphantly.

***

White Swan stood by helplessly as Black Condor went berserk. In all the time she had known Ken Tendo, she had never seen him in such a state. He tore through the laboratory that Silver Raven had secreted on the top floor of the Soda Tower, blindly ripping apart everything he could lay his hands on. And as shocking as she found Condor's behavior, Swan really couldn't blame him.

Hidden in the lab was the prison for the children Silver Raven's gang had abducted. They were caged and chained up, treated as if they were nothing more than animals. What was worse, it was clear that at least some of them had already been subjected to Raven's genetic tampering. They showed the signs of having been forcibly altered into "Mixes".

Swan was horrified by what she saw. She knew that they had to hold Silver Raven accountable for what he'd done to those innocent children. That meant quelling the fervor that consumed Condor. Clearly, that was going to be no simple job.

"Ken, control yourself!" Swan begged as she grabbed her partner from behind. "You're not helping anyone by doing this!"

"MONSTER!" he screamed as he struggled to break free. "HOW COULD HE DO THIS?"

"He's evil," Swan said calmly. "You know that. That's why we've got to stop him."

Black Condor clenched his fists tightly as he felt the fire in his belly cool down, only to be replaced by something far worse. "They're just kids, Etsuko. Like Mika..."

Condor's legs gave out under him and he fell to his knees, dragging Swan with him. His chest heaved as he sobbed uncontrollably at the memory of his young fan's demise at the hands of Nemesis. Swan's attempt to control his anger morphed into an embrace.

"I couldn't save her," he wept as Etsuko pulled both their helmets off. "I'm supposed to be a hero. I'm supposed to ride to the rescue. But Mika needed me, and I let her down. If I'd only been quicker..."

"Hush," Etsuko comforted as she crawled around to face him. "You did everything you could. No one blames you for it, except you."

Ken Tendo's shoulders slumped as tears streaked down his face. "I failed her," he uttered with crushing finality.

Etsuko Oishi clutched Ken to her and kissed him hard. "I love you, you damn fool," she said as she pulled away. "And I'm not going to let you torture yourself over this. Think of all the people you have saved, and that you will save. If Mika was the kind of girl you say, she'd be the first one telling you to buck it up!"

Ken Tendo dried his eyes and looked around, as if coming out of a daze. "What--what should we do?"

"Star Anise needs us!" Etsuko pleaded further, sensing she was reaching him. "The headset is cutting in and out, but I think she's on the roof with Raven...alone."

"Oh no."

"We have to help her!" Etsuko urged. "And we have to get Silver Raven for this!"

Ken Tendo slid his helmet onto his head and handed Etsuko hers. "Let's go," he simply stated.

While this was going on, Star Anise had her own troubles. She glared up at Silver Raven with her red eyes as he held her at bay with his Silver Special. If the masked man could feel the contempt and hatred Star had for him, he showed no sign of it.

"Up with you, Rabbit Ears!" he exhorted, waving for Star Anise to rise to her feet. "You are going to be my ticket out of here!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Star retorted. "The cops are on their way."

"Perhaps," Raven said as he grabbed a handful of Star's pink hair and tugged her close to him, "but they won't want to see one of their own splattered across the pavement."

"You knew?"

"I'm very perceptive," Raven replied in self-congratulation. "Just as I'm also aware that you are in bed with Jetman."

"Tell me, what did this accomplish?" Star wondered as she tried to pull away, "How does this help your boss?"

Silver Raven threw back his head and laughed heartily. "It doesn't. I've gone into business for myself."

"What?"

"I'll make this as simple as I can," Raven explained. "I suffered a bit of a setback against your new chums before I was stranded here. I decided that it was time to go back to looking out for number one, and to hell with Nemesis and his Prism. Your world is perfect, because it's never seen anyone quite like me."

"I'm staying here," Raven continued, drawing Star so close that her cheek was pressed against his helmet. "This scheme was only the beginning. They'll be grander and more inhumane as I get in my groove. I'll reign terror over your planet. Because I can."

Star Anise broke free from Silver Raven's grip and pulled out her gun. "This ends tonight."

"For you maybe," Raven said. "Change of plans - this discussion has taken awhile, and I'm not anxious to deal with those two clowns again. So if it's all the same to you, I'll just kill you and be on my way."

Silver Raven bolted at Star Anise with blinding speed, intent on ending her life. But to Star, he seemed to be moving in slow motion. She watched as he lunged at her and she was able to move aside with ease. For good measure, she drove her gun into his helmet.

"How?" Raven asked as he turned to make a second go.

Happening to notice the aura around her necklace, Star Anise suddenly realized how she'd cheated death the first time. She did so again as her desire to be stronger than Raven siphoned away his powers and temporarily energized her body with them. She slapped him hard enough to send him flying and cracked his helmet in the bargain.

"How dare you!" Raven seethed as he felt along his helmet. "You presume that you can stand up to me?"

Star Anise knew she could with the power of the Prism tipping the odds. Police training went out the window as she laid in a good old-fashioned street beating on Silver Raven. Every bit of pent-up aggression she'd felt over his crimes was expressed with stiletto-backed kicks and the obligatory pistol-whipping.

"No more!" a soundly-thrashed Silver Raven almost whimpered as he escaped at last and ran for the edge of the building. "I still have my suit, and I can still fly out of here!"

"Good plan, except your suit doesn't work anymore," Star responded with a frightening conviction that gave Silver Raven pause.

"Nice try," Raven quipped as he climbed onto the ledge. "I'll be back for you."

Star Anise's necklace glowed as Silver Raven launched himself into the air. However, he didn't fly away. Instead, he plunged like a stone from the dizzying heights of the Soda Tower. His pitiful wail filled the night air until the pavement below silenced it forever.

Star Anise leaned over the ledge. "I tried to warn you."

It was only moments later that Black Condor and White Swan finally made their way to the top of the building. After their further delay in dispatching some persistent gang members, they had feared finding Star Anise dead and Silver Raven long gone. They certainly hadn't expected to find Star instead playing a game on her cell phone.

"I don't know about you guys, but I love Tetris," she smiled as her two companions ran up to her.

"You're OK?" Swan asked, checking Star just to make sure she wasn't a figment of her imagination. "But Silver Raven..."

Rather than answering, Star just pointed her thumb over the ledge. The two Jetmen glanced over and saw what was left of Silver Raven in the middle of the street as police cars converged in front of the Soda Tower.

"Ewww," Condor reacted.

"I'd say that's a fitting end," Swan said. "Should I ask how you did it?"

"Not really," Star replied as she removed her necklace and handed it to Swan. "But you two can take this. Too much temptation. If I did keep it, I'd probably be eating free pizzas every night."

The three laughed, but they knew time was short. "You should scram," Star said. "I'm already going to have a tough enough time explaining tonight without you guys being spotted on the scene."

Condor and Swan nodded their agreement. "Those kids down there," Condor wondered. "They'll be...they'll be taken care of, right?"

"I take this sort of thing personally," Star reminded him. "You have my word, they'll be cared for."

Even though he had only known her a brief time, Black Condor could feel the sincerity in Star Anise's voice. "Thanks," he said as he and Swan took hold of Star's Prism necklace and willed themselves to return home.

"Thank you," Star called back as her two friends faded from her universe back to their own. "I couldn't have done this without you both."

In a burst of light, White Swan and Black Condor left Star Anise's world. Star sighed as she headed for the stairs and the long litany of paperwork that would await her after this crazy night. She hoped her pals Mosi and Calleigh were still up, because she had quite the story to share with them.

***

Like samurai of the feudal era, Kamen Rider Sigma and Shedondas circled each other, preparing for their showdown. Sigma flexed her fists, antsy to get on with it. Shedondas snarled in its peculiar electronic tone and jumped at the heroine. And so, the battle was on.

Sigma popped Shedondas in its snout. The creature retaliated by seizing her with its claws and driving its head into hers. Sigma grimaced as her neck snapped back. Her left leg flashed forward in a powerful kick that staggered Shedondas.

On a lower level of the dam, Blue Swallow and Yellow Owl fought against the imposing Gingo Jo-O. They battered the metal female with the Owl Axe and Swallow Bow, for all the good it did them. Ginga Jo-O shrugged off their assault as if it were nothing.

"What makes you two so confident you will succeed where the half-naked strumpet failed?" the galaxy queen quizzed her opponents.

Farther away than they had initially realized, Mikoto Taki did her best to hold Kohei Kurobe at bay. She held her arms out and blocked his passage, moving as he moved, doing a dance of denial.

"Leave this to Sigma and her friends!" Mikoto said firmly. "STAY OUT OF IT!"

Kohei looked over Mikoto's shoulders, trying to get a glimpse of the activity. "Now wait, Kanagawa and I..."

"Kanagawa? Where?" Mikoto asked as she looked towards Kohei's empty car. Before she knew it, the detective had slipped past her. Fuming at his trick, Mikoto broke out into a trot after him.

Happening to look down, Sigma groaned inside as she saw Kohei leaving Mikoto in the dust. His butting into her business was getting really tiresome. Sigma's internal griping over the issue was disrupted by Shedondas throwing her down and stomping on her.

Below, Owl and Swallow were faring even more poorly than before. Their marital strife had been opening a rift between them, but the previous day had widened it into a canyon. As a result, they couldn't get on the same page in their combat with Ginga Jo-O. The space robot used this to her advantage.

"You fleshlings are so simple-minded," she expounded, holding her chunk of the Omniversal Prism high over her head. "I weary of this. PARALYZING LIGHTNING STORM ATTACK!"

If Yellow Owl and Blue Swallow had had awareness just then, the solution to Hellvira's seemingly easy fall would have been plain. Ginga Jo-O's thunderhead was a special creation that rendered its victims helpless with each strike. But this revelation was useless to them, for the Paralyzing Lightning Storm Attack had left both of them frozen and only vaguely cognizant of their surroundings.

Kohei Kurobe couldn't hear Mikoto behind him anymore. He was fixed on the towering robot that was beating what he deduced was the quarreling couple he'd met the day prior. Kohei drew his gun as he ran, checking to make sure he was armed and ready. He assumed he'd only get one shot, so he wanted to make it count. Only, where was Sigma during all this?

The answer was that she was lying on the surface of the upper level of the dam, looking over the edge to see the action beneath her as Shedondas trampled her underfoot. The danger to her friends compounded her frustration over the fight and finally exploded in a burning fury. She rolled over and grabbed Shedondas' foot in mid-stamp, forcibly tossing the beast away from her.

Kamen Rider Sigma scrambled to her feet and took Shedondas' measure. "I am DONE being pushed around by you!" she raged.

Sigma leapt up and slashed a chop into the monster's neck. Shedondas teetered precariously from the powerful strike. Sigma then gathered up all of her strength and drew back. She unloaded a powerful punch that made Shedondas falter.

Kohei decided he was close enough. He ground to a halt and planted his feet firmly. The metal woman didn't even notice him, so this was his opening. He just hoped he was guessing correctly at where to shoot. He lined up and fired.

Now! "SIGMA KICK!" Sigma exclaimed as she propelled across with a flying kick into Shedondas. The space dragon squealed as the powerful blow knocked the beast right off the top of the dam.

Kohei's bullet whizzed past and dashed the Prism from Ginga Jo-O's hand. Owl and Swallow immediately snapped out of the spell of the Paralyzing Lightning Storm Attack and the Prism fell into Yellow Owl's hands.

"What the--?" he murmured sleepily.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Ginga Jo-O ranted. "YOU WEAK EARTHLINGS, GIVE ME...!"

Blue Swallow snared Yellow Owl and fled to safety, as Ginga Jo-O never got to finish her tirade. Shedondas' plummeting carcass thudded down on the Milky Way Monarch like a cartoon anvil and the pair exploded in an amazing pyrotechnic display.

The two married Jetmen panted as they looked back at the conflagration that consumed their foes. They locked eyes and slowly pulled away from one another. The physical conflict was over, but the emotional hurt was still fresh.

"Where's Maya?" Kohei checked as he made his way up to the pair.

"I'm here," Maya announced, having made her down after changing back to her human form. "Why did you stick your nose into my business again?"

"Hey, my crack marksmanship saved the day again!" Kohei protested.

"Would you two pipe down already?" Mikoto said, having finally caught up. "How are our friends?"

"Fine," a somber Yellow Owl replied, showing off the Prism chunk. "We got what we needed. Now we can go home."

"Home?" Maya questioned. "But you just got here!"

"Maya, we need to leave," Swallow gently explained. "Our battle isn't finished yet."

Maya rubbed her face. "Why does everyone always have to leave so soon?"

"I'm sorry," Yellow Owl apologized. "I wish we could stay longer."

"Will I see either of you again?"

Blue Swallow looked down. "I don't know. It doesn't seem likely."

"I understand," Maya sniffed. "I guess I have to."

Owl and Swallow walked away from the group separately, coming together only when they had no choice. They each held a side of the Prism and willed it to send them back to their universe.

"Good luck!" Maya called, hoping no one noticed the slight moistness at the corner of her eyes.

"Good luck to you, Maya!" Owl hollered back.

"It was nice to meet you!" Swallow added.

Kohei leaned over to Maya. "Now there go a couple of real heroes. They’re something great, those two." In response to her frown, he quickly added, "And maybe you’re alright."

Maya smiled for a moment, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "Will they really be okay though?"

"Guy like that, and a girl like her? Even with their problems, they’ll be fantastic, trust me," Kohei reassured. After all he had seen, however, even he was aware that his optimism was overstated.

Slowly, without their realizing it, Maya and Kohei joined hands as they watched Blue Swallow and Yellow Owl fade from view. The starcrossed spouses noticed, even if Mikoto didn't. Neither commented to the other, their thoughts their own as they returned to their point of origin.

When Swallow and Owl were gone, Maya and Kohei's eyes drifted down simultaneously, and they hastily disengaged their show of affection. Mikoto really had been oblivious, as demonstrated by her punching Kohei's arm.

"No fair tricking me about Kanagawa!" she moaned. "Has he said anything about me? Because I was thinking that if I were to..."

As Mikoto blathered about Kanagawa for the umpteenth time, Maya's attention drifted back to her new friends. Already, she missed them. She wondered if it really was impossible, in a life filled with superheroes, monsters, and robot space queens, that she could see them again.

***

Well and truly sick of all things Nemesis, Kienan took aim and tried to catch Toranza with a lucky shot. He'd seen plenty of jacked-up megalomaniacs with a smidgen of power and a gift for speechifying in his time, and experience had taught him the best cure for it was to shoot them as soon as possible. The problem usually took care of itself from there. It was only when Toranza deflected Kienan's bullets away with a casual wave of his hand that Kienan began to question just how reliable a cure that was.

"Why?" Green Wyvern demanded as she sought to pummel her old foe with her fists. "Why this charade?"

"Because it was so easy," Toranza said, utterly pleased with himself as he seized Wyvern by the throat. "And it was fun - masquerading as an enemy you didn't know and then getting to see the expression on your face when you found out who I really was."

"It's the phenomenal power at my fingertips," he whispered confidentially to her. "It encourages the child within me."

"So...this is all...a game to you?" Wyvern choked out as Toranza's fingers tightened around her windpipe.

"Somewhat," Toranza replied. "I have enjoyed it, watching all of you run through the maze I laid out, but it was all building to this moment. My final revenge on Jetman...and my ascension to godhood."

Kienan drew the hammer back on his pistol as he pressed the barrel against Toranza's temple. "You're going to look awfully strange as a god without a head."

"How droll," Toranza remarked as he swung Wyvern around and clubbed Kienan with her body. The armored man threw the limp form of Green Wyvern into her uneasy ally, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Toranza then replaced the helmet on his head and it locked into place with a hiss.

"Green Wyvern could have finished this ages ago," Toranza shouted to Kienan. "She should have killed me when she had the chance. Others left me broken but alive, and they all learned to regret that choice. Just as she's about to learn."

"But I'm a merciful god," Toranza said, his voice turning icy and deathly serious. "I won't leave her as she left me."

Behind Toranza, a gigantic form began to take shape. It arose from the darkness within him, then seemed to resolve into a distinct figure. It was equal parts woman, machine, and something else Wyvern couldn't recognize, and at the same time knew all too well. As it solidified into its final state, a sick sense of déjà vu washed over the heroine. No, there was no mistaking the gigantic feminine shape forming before her. To her, it looked like something out of a nightmare. Because it was something out of her nightmares.

Toranza laughed with unmatched confidence. "Already I took your father from you, and that simpering boyfriend as well! It was only chance that spared you! But you and your friends will all perish by my hand, Green Wyvern!"

With a snap of his fingers, Toranza disappeared, and in a flash of light sat down in the control nexus of the giant robot he had created. "Veronika...activate," he said, grasping the mecha's controls. In an instant, the mecha giantess powered up to full strength, its burning red eyes, and those of its pilot, focused on its intended victim.

"Wyvern!" Toranza boomed over Veronika's loudspeaker system. "Once again...it's time for the super thing!"

Kienan looked at the giant mecha, then turned to Wyvern. "You don't have a word for 'overkill' where you're from, do you?" he asked.

"The Prism!" Wyvern blurted out. "You still have it, right?"

Kienan produced the Prism from one of the pouches on his belt. "What do you want me to do? Throw it at him?"

"Give it to me!" Wyvern said, and Kienan tossed the fragment to her. "With this, I can summon my mecha to flatten Toranza!"

"Of course you have a mecha too," Kienan muttered under his breath.

Wyvern looked up. "What?"

"Nothing."

Green Wyvern concentrated with all of her will to call forth the God Wyvern on the desert moon. Kienan watched as another warp in reality opened up and the mammoth robot was deposited on the surface from its home universe. However, something was not right. God Wyvern was half-wrecked, and covered with dust and grime.

Kienan raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Green Wyvern threw her hands in the air in rage. "What happened to it?"

"Doesn't look like time has been kind," Kienan observed as they ran for the shoddy mecha.

"Time," Wyvern repeated. "This must be God Wyvern from my future. I did summon it, instead of creating a new one."

"Oh, of course," Kienan said. "I hope you have a plan B you were saving to surprise me with."

"We make the best of it!" Wyvern exclaimed as she grabbed Kienan and beamed both of them aboard God Wyvern's cockpit. She adjusted herself in her seat as a spring poked her in the backside and cleared the thick layer of dust off the panel. She grabbed her steering levers and maneuvered God Wyvern toward Veronika.

"You're going to fight him in this heap of junk?" Kienan asked incredulously. "Good luck."

"No backseat driving," Wyvern snapped as she tossed the Prism piece over her shoulder into Kienan's hands. "Hang onto this until we're done."

Kienan propped himself on a broken seat as God Wyvern wobbled into battle. Wyvern threw a punch at Veronika, but the impact did little except cause two of God Wyvern's fingers to crumple.

Green Wyvern slammed her fist against the control panel, smashing right through to the circuitry within. She stared at the new hole she'd made in the rapidly disintegrating mecha, realizing that if she kept on like this, her own temper would destroy the God Wyvern before Toranza had the opportunity.

"You make this too simple sometimes!" he shouted as Veronika's eye beams blasted God Wyvern. "Do you want me to give you a free shot, just to be sporting?"

"Go to hell!" Wyvern spat as she tried to activate the Finger Gatling. It was empty. She activated the Laser Optic control as a substitute, and all she managed was a weak beam from one of God Wyvern's barely functioning eyes.

"Dammit, is it asking too much for something to WORK?!?" Green Wyvern grumbled bitterly.

"I can't really say I'm impressed so far," Kienan said sarcastically as Veronika slapped God Wyvern around.

"Who asked you?!?"

"Just throwing it out there," Kienan responded. "So, what's that glowing thing in the center of her forehead?"

Green Wyvern did a double take. "It's...I don't know, I guess it's the power source. Why?"

Kienan made his way to the front of the cockpit, even as Veronika inflicted further damage by firing one of its breast missiles. He unsheathed his Midare-Giri, an unbreakable knife he had won years earlier, as he abruptly kicked out the aged glass of God Wyvern's cockpit.

"What are you doing?" Green Wyvern screamed.

"Going outside for a bit," Kienan said, leaping from the cockpit toward Veronika.

Toranza was dumbfounded by the sight of Kienan hurtling through the air, his knife poised and ready to strike. Kienan felt the wind rushing around him and hoped he had figured the trajectory properly. Otherwise, this was going to be a very brief trip.

Kienan slammed the blade of his knife deep into the jewel on the mecha's brow. A shuddering noise began to issue from somewhere within the machine. Kienan stabbed the knife through the armor plating beside the jewel and scrambled up as the jewel exploded, shielding himself from the force and heat of the blast. If he guessed correctly about what was happening, he estimated he had maybe another minute. Now was the time to find out if the last part of his gambit was going to pay off.

It did. Green Wyvern flew out of the shattered cockpit of God Wyvern as her mecha finally gave out and toppled backward into the sands. Kienan loosened his grip on the rapidly deteriorating Veronika and plunged downward. Wyvern zipped to him and caught him as he fell, whisking both of them safely away as Veronika exploded in a bright orange fireball.

"You're insane," Wyvern said as she brought both of them down to the moon's surface.

"So I've been told," Kienan replied.

Toranza dragged himself from the burning wreckage of his dream machine. Such a pity - Veronika had been a sleek beauty. But at least he was certain that his opponents could not have fared any...

"Stay right there," Kienan said, taking aim at Toranza. "I'm prepared now. Nagra bullets. Nasty things. Care to find out why?"

"And if that doesn't convince you," he added, "I've got this."

Kienan displayed a shining fragment that reflected the sunlight almost majestically. Behind him, Green Wyvern brandished her Wing Sword with caution. The assassin held his firearm steady as he drew a bead on Toranza, daring the inheritor of Nemesis' legacy to make a move.

"So you do," Toranza agreed. "And I can take it away...like so!"

Faster than a thought, Toranza used his Nemesis armor to pull the fragment from Kienan's hand. The piece sped into the villain's hand and he clutched it tightly.

"I understand you're not noted for generosity, Ademetria," he said. "Thanks all the same, though!"

"NO!" Green Wyvern shrieked as she catapulted herself at the mocking foe who had done so much to make her life miserable.

"Oh YES!" Toranza gloated as he began to dematerialize. "Don't worry Wyvern - we'll settle up soon enough. But first, I have some mutual...friends of ours, who I just have to pay a call on."

Kienan lowered his gun slowly as Toranza faded away. Green Wyvern punched the sand in impotent anger. After everything that had happened, the person she hated most had still escaped...and she was still trapped in a universe not her own.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

NEXT TIME ON NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

The true face of Nemesis is revealed! Can the heroes of Jetman turn back the challenge of one of their oldest and deadliest foes? Is Green Wyvern stranded forever in the universe of Kienan Ademetria? What is the unexpected secret of Mr. Hoshi? NEW RETURN OF JETMAN Episode 7 - "Just Imagine!" is the GRAND FINALE of the "Return of Jetman" saga. Don't dare miss it!

 

 

Story © Christopher Elam, based on the TV series CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN and the original "Return of Jetman" stories by Lewis Smith. JETMAN and all characters from the CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN series © TV Asahi/Toei/Toei Agency. GUNMETAL BLACK, Kienan Ademetria, Vain, Mirage, the Marionettes, and all related GUNMETAL BLACK characters are ™ & © Lewis Smith. All rights reserved. Maya Ryusaki/Kamen Rider Sigma, Mikoto Taki, Kohei Kurobe, Kazuo Kanagawa, Ginga Jo-O, Shedondas and related original characters © Paul Sullivan a.k.a. Igadevil. KAMEN RIDER SIGMA based on "Kamen Rider" and related properties © Toei/Ishimori Pro. Junko Tama © Ishimori Pro./Toei. Star Anise Kaninchen, Mosi Kolenya, Calleigh Cohen & related characters © Kabuki Katze/K. Lebak. All other original characters © Christopher Elam & Lewis Smith.

Kienan Ademetria/Gunmetal Black - http://www.gunmetalblack.comKamen Rider Sigma by Igadevil - http://www.igadevil.comStar Anise by Kabuki Katze - http://kabukikatze.deviantart.com