Continuum of Destiny-1

[Guest]

Ok, so I'm a bit tired of waiting for Takaya to advance the plot. So this takes place just a bit after the Arizona and Rooftop battles finish. A little time has passed, and somehow Agito now has a bio war ship of his own. Let's just pretend that this is what Takaya's next few volumes lead up to.

Boost Armor Guyver: Continuum of Destiny

Part One

Alkanphel stand on the ledge. The wind blows around him, faintly wistling through the building. The mists of cloud gently blow above him. If he were higher, he might be able to reach out and touch them.

The humans crowd the streets below. They riot and scream at him, at the tower of Chronos itself. Well, not riot; but with they rage they send it may as well be. They scream at the injustice that Chronos has done to them, at the horrible monster attacks that the Chronos mutations has brought. The outcry of the humanitarian, the environmentalist, and the religious purist. Everyone against the advancment that Chronos has to offer. Everyone that has the risiculous suggesting that we are polluting nature with a perversion. As if a zoaform is anything perverse. As if a mere human is anything close to the natural form of the species. Alkanphel sneers.

The crowds below riot and scream; waiting for there Chronos lord to answer them. Fredrich is dead. The lord this land had been given too. Killed by the guyvers. Killed by the ones that fight to keep humanity as useless globs of flesh. The human branch manager is on the steps of the tower, trying to quell their screams with diplomacy. An admirable trait, to take matters into his own hands. Perhaps one day he might be made a usefull leader of zoa. The crowds still scream though, still demanding like spoiled brats that don't even know what they're demanding for.

Alkanphel raises his hand out, his fingers soaking in the energy of the air around him. His hand is raised unto the people below. He looks upon them, upon them with two eyes, and upon them with his third. His third eye glows, a faint glow above his normal two. His third eye is a crystal buried under the skin of his forhead; and it glows stronger with the intensity of his will. He can hear the screams below lessen. They know he is there. He steps off the ledge.

The power of his presence. His third eye crystal, his zoacrystal, is spreading to all of them. They fear him. Their screaming stops as terror fills every ounce of their being. In the air he floats, slowly lowering to them. In the air his hand is raised over all of them, over all of humanity.

This is enough, no longer will he wait for days of preparation. He closes his two eyes, and channels all of his will into his third. His hand is raised over the crowds below, over humanity, over the city streets and buildings below. He channels his will into his third eye.... into Barcus, into Amniculas, into Cablarl. Spread around the world, his will faintly touches each of the crystals they have. They obey, and add their will to his.

His third eye glows with blinding intensity, his hand spread over all of humanity. The Lords of the Zoa are linked, spread around the world to spread their power, each faintly touching eachother, but touching every simple man within his grasp. Alkanphel sends a single pure thought to all of them; a single command. "Become zoa", he says to them, "Become the true form".

He hovers above, the light from his crystal fading. They look upon his smooth face, and it is almost worship that they hold for him now. They want to touch him, embrace all of his angelic glory and purity. On his face, to himself his smile deepens. "I felt twelve", he says, "All will work as I destine". He rises in the air, as a gentle breeze, and fades higher into the blinding sun.

At first a single man is let past the line of Chronos gaurds. He walks up the steps to the branch manager and apologizes. Then asks to be made a zoa, to be as pure as Chronos wishes. As second man is let past, and asks the same. A third, then the branch manager halts the crowd, "Please, wait your turn, we have enough processing tanks for everyone!"

=================================

Mitsuki screams, "I have to go! Let me go to them!"

Tetsuo and Sho hold her back, wrestling to keep her from running to the door. "Mitsuki, you'll be caught if you go to the city!", Tetsuo says to her, "Just calm down, please"

"I want to be caught, I don't care anymore", she struggles.

"But they'll torture you", Sho says, "they'll turn you into a monster". The tv behind them shows the news, people lineing up at the cloud gate tower. Just minute before it was the riot, what seemed to be a great victory for the rebellion, that so many people would oppose what Chronos had planned for them. Hope had filled their hearts when the camera has shown the Segawa's in the back of the crowd, the parents of Mitsuki and Tetsuo. Hope had filled them until Alkanphel descended, and the lines began. "Mitsuki, we can save them", Sho says, "But they'll turn you into a zoanoid if you go now!"

"I Want to be a Zoanoid!", she screams, "Let me Go! I want to be a Zoanoid!"

Sho turns white. His heart stops and he drops to the floor. He his white as the shock of what she said fill into him, not believing what she just said. Her struggles have broken free, and Tetsuo joins him on the ground. "No, come back", Tetsuo reaches after her.

Aptom runs across the room, meeting her at the door he slams it shut again and grabs her by the arms. "Let go of me!", she screams. Tears run down her face, "Let go of me, please!"

"I can't do that", Aptom says. He wraps his arms around her, and lowers his lips to her ear, "You have no idea what you are saying, no idea what it's really like to be a zoanoid. We can't let you do this".

Tetsuo and Sho are on their feet. "How could this happen to her", Sho stutters, "How could they brainwash even Mitsuki?!" The tears down Mitsuki's face are mirrored in his own. The pain he feals is just as strong as hers.

"I don't know", Tetsuo says, "But we better tie her up until we can figure out how to undo the damage".

===============================

Shizu lays on the floor, the others gathered around her. They were all making plans when her crystal started glowing, when she arched back, the overwhelming sensation running through her. It had lasted only minutes, then she fell to the floor, a trickle of blood seeping from her nose.

"Are you all right?", one of her soldiers asks her. "Should we put you into a processing tank?"

She touches a hand to her forhead; the glowing gone, and her zoacrystal hidden again under skin. "I'm fine", she says to them, barly sure of it herself. One of them hands her a cloth, and she dabs the blood from her nose.

"What just happened?", Dr. Yamamura asks. He makes his way through the men, and kneels at her side, "Is it the zoacrystal? I can't believe it would overload like that. My design for it is flawless". He takes the cloth from her, and with the clean side he wipes the beeds of sweat from her temples.

"I'll be alright", she says. "Just help me to my feet".

"No. Rest here for a moment, then we'll help you to a bed". Yamamura's face is stern and serious. "Tell me Shizu, what exactly happened just now?"

Her headache is subsiding. The cool Alaskan air breezes through the warehouse. With her mind clearing she begins to feal the wides openess of it. The creaking wooden walls, the Libertus zoanoid tanks. Everything that Agito had arranged. They were planning about him, about how to get Agito back when her crystal begain glowing. "I felt something... ", she says. "It was some sort of presence... like another zoalord. It was strong though, stronger than Barcus, or anything else I've ever felt". She raises her hand to temple again, remembering the pain almost brings the pounding of the headache back. "I tried to resist it, but I couldn't. It just kept coming. It felt like a dam bursting in my head, letting all the water out".

"I see", Dr. Yamamura says. "I was afraid something like this could happen".

"What?", she asks.

"I tried to make you as strong a telepath as I could", the doctor stands and turns away for his table. "I thought I could wire you with enough force of will to overide any other zoalord Chronos has to offer". He fingers through the papers on his table, through the sketches of what happened at Arizona. "My only fear was that it might not be strong enough to face Alkanphel".

"Alkanphel?!", one of the men shrieks, "Here?!"

"No", Shizu says, "I would have felt him of he were this close". Slowly one of them extends his arm to her, helping her up. "But what happened doctor, why would he come after me like that?"

Doctor Yamamura fingers past the sketches of Arizona, and to a file buried underneath. "He wasn't after you Shizu. Not you in particular anyway". He pulls the file from the pile for all to see. "I've been taking samples of the water from the pipes. It's important that I screen it for impurities, so that the processing tanks have a perfect chemical mix". He flips the pages to a chart that none of them can understand. "When I was screening the water I noticed a chemical additave, something that Chronos must have been pumping into it at the public water treatment plant. They run the world, they can pump anything they want into it".

"Their poisoning everyone?!"

"Maybe", he says. "It's been some time since Chronos took over the world. Since then, they've simply tried to convince people to become zoanoids. They've tried to make the idea popular. Other than that, they havn't really done much else. Nothing anyone would notice anyway".

"What does poisoning the water have to do with anything", Shizu asks.

"Zoanoids are genetically designed to be telepathically controlled by zoanoids", he says. "But as much as a zoalord tries, the most he can ever do to a human is invoke a strong sense of fear or terror. The power of presence". He slaps the file to the ground, a strange sense of fury building in him. A sense of humiliation in the scientist that only he can understand, yet at the same time a sense of compassion for humanity. "A human isn't normally suseptable to a zoalord's telepathy, but if you were to add the right drugs into the blood stream, you might slowly be able to change that".

"My god.... ", Shizu gasps. "They've been slowly turning everyone into zoanoids just by drinking the water"

"Not quite", the doctor interupts, "Just telepathically suseptable. After I figured out what they were doing to 'our' water, I thought they might simply be trying to go after us in the resistance. Since I'm the only human here, I filtered it out of my own water".

The look of concern on Shizu's face grows, "And everyone else?"

"Alkanphel must have used all the zoalords around the world to help transmit his signal. He must have used all of you like a giant antenae network. If that's the case, then almost everyone around the world must be infected".

The room is silent. The chill of the Alaskan wind can be heard outside as the snow blows is the empty fields. Every face of the Zues Thunderbolt Resistance is pale. With every human under control of Chronos, the anti-Chronos zoanoids might have no chance. No chance except to slaughter every human they've been fighting to free.

"What about master Agito?", one of the men asks. "He wasn't processed into a zoanoid like us. He's not a zoalord either. He's a guyver, but he's still got a human half to him".

"Yeah", another member asks, "Are the Guyvers immune to this?"

Yamamura uses his hands to lower their concerns, "A Guyver has always been immune to zoalord telepathy before. I'm very sure both of the guyvers are still immune now". He turns back to the pile of paper on his table. "In all honesty, I'd be more concerned about the other resistance members in Japan. Most of them are human. They're probebly reporting to a zoalord by now".

Shizu gasps, the look of horror over her freinds.

Edited November 24, 2004 by Guest

[omegaling]

Very well done. I look forward to reading more.

[Guest]

=====================================

The initial boom has long since past. The shocking pops of air shattering glass ended when the waves over the ocean began. The salted air streaks past her as she speeds in flight toward Japan, toward her freinds. Natsuki, Mitsuki, Tetsuo, all in grave danger as they're suseptable to the enemy zoalords. Her personal power as a zoalord, the streangths that she specializes are control, and healing. Flight was never thought that important, and so she can feel her energy wanning. Onuma runs through her head; her grandfather, and how he died at the hands of Chronos. Someone close to her heart dead already, and the others close to her at risk. Be damned, even if her wanning streangth begins eating her flesh away, she flies at sonic speed over the ocean.

How long has she been flying? An hour? Two? Time grew into a blur after what must have been fifteen minutes. Her focus blurs everything but her need to help them.

The glimmer of light ahead of her. With the twinkle of it on the dark horizon Shizu is filled with new hope, and new bursting energies. Her streak through the air brings her closer to the lights, almost flying into them before they widen across the island, widening to embrace her as the lights of cities and towns to both her left and right. In a matter of hours she has flown to be embraced again by the lights of the islands of Japan.

The strain has lessened now, no longer flying at super sonic speeds. Almost like exausted muscles, she feels the desire to rest, to lower to the ground for just a bit. 'No', she tells herself, 'Not while they need me'. She keeps hovering over the forest like tree tops, searching for the mansion that her freinds are hiding in. Slowly it comes into view, and she approaches.

The crack of the door is open, and Shizu can see Mitsuki bound to the chair. Desparate struggles of sweat on Mitsuki's face are mirrored in the tears of pain on Sho's. "How can I fight this?!", he cries out. "I can tear apart monster after monster, and kill anyone that threatens to turn my freinds into one. But how can I save my freinds and loved ones when they Want to be violated?!"

The slap is something Shizu never expected. Aptom stands in the corner of the room, taken aback himself. Sho is left on the floor, and Tetsuo stands over him. "If you give up now Sho, I lose my sister", Tetsuo says.

"I don't want to give up Tetsuo", Sho wimpers, "But I couldn't save Murikami from going over to Chronos, how can I save Mitsuki". The tears fill his eyes, like a flood forming. The pain in his heart spreads to his hands, letting them shake as his voice chokes and trembles. "I love her"

"There's nothing we can do", Aptom says. "We couldn't save Murikami from being brainwashed to become Imakarum, and we can't do anything to save Mitsuki". Aptom walks out of the corner and towards the girl in the chair, "The only difference between Murikami and Mitsuki is that she'll at least be easier to kill".

"Don't you dare!", Sho screams out! Fury rages in his eyes, and like a mailstrom he places himself in Aptom's way! "Don't you dare hurt her, I will fight you with everything I have if you so much as touch her".

Aptom is pressed back by Sho's fists, his leather jacket gripped firmly in them. "How long can we keep her tied up?", Aptom asks. "How long before she escapes to Cloud gate, or another zoanoid processing facility? Once she does, they'll get her to tell them everything about us. I don't know if that's worse, or having to try and fight her after she becomes a zoanoid. Hell knows that fighting Imakarum's bad enough".

"I can't let you kill my sister", Tetsuo says. "she's all I have left". The desperation in Tetsuo's eyes matches the fury and determination in Sho's. The heart of the brother and lover.

The door slides open, and Shizu says, "I may be able to cure her". They look at her, in her human form again as she steps through the doorway.

"Shizu?", Tetsuo says.

She steps towards the chair; and a ray of hope opens in Mitsuki's eyes. "Shizu?", Mitsuki says. "Shizu, I've missed you so much. Please help me Shizu. They won't let me do what I need to Shizu, they won't. But you can help me, I trust you Shizu. Please, help me!" She looks down into Mitsuki's desparate eyes. Guilt flashes across her face, guilt over the instant love and devotion that Mitsuki is showing.

"Don't do it Shizu", Sho says. "If you and Agito can help break her from this brainwashing, then please help. But we can't let her escape".

"Agito is gone", she says. "The help I'm giving comes from me. From what I am now". Looking down on Mitsuki, she gazes with gentle, tender eyes. For a moment the crystal of her third eye glows... revealing herself to them. "Agito did this to me. He gave all of us in the resistance a zoaform to fight the zoanoids of Chronos. I am the single zoalord to challenge the zoalords of Chronos".

"a... A zoalord?", Aptom says.

"Then you can help us!", Sho says, "You can help us figure out how Chronos managed to brainwash all the people! Help figure out how we can save Mitsuki!"

She touches her hand to Mitsuki's cheek. "There is nothing to figure out, I already know". Her third eye crystal glows again, this time glowing with purpose. The glow carries the warmth of her mind, the compassion, the love that she feels for her sister and freind. Her hand brushes across Mitsuki's cheek, and her light across Mitsuki's soul. Her message is simple, 'be free Mitsuki. be what you truly are, and nothing else'. Embraced in the light of Shizu, Mitsuki's heart flutters. The light fades, and all is silent.

" ...is she... ?"

Mitsuki has all but collapsed in the chair. Her face hidden as she faces down. A whimper is all they hear. She looks up to them, and the tears of sorrow can be seen in her eye. Sho rushes to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you", he says, "Thank you for bringing her back to us".

"Aptom", how did you do that?", Aptom asks, "How did you know 'to' do that?"

"Because I helped brainwash all the humans in Alaska", Shizu says. "Agito had Dr. Yamamura process me into a zoalord to control his rebel zoanoids. But after Chronos tainted the Earth's water supply, Alkanphel used all the zoalords, including me, to brainwash every tainted human within reach".

"Tainted the water supply?", Aptom says. "Then, they've found a way to turn every human against us. They don't have to wait for people to 'be convinced' to become a zoanoid anymore. They can just give them a telepathic command".

"But what about Tetsuo?", Shizu asks, "Why aren't you affected?"

The look at him, waiting for an answer. "Um... I don't really drink that much water. I'm mostly a coke and chips kind of guy. If Chronos really has been tainting the water supply, the effect must be accumulative. Every drop brings a person just a little closer to being under a zoalord's telepathic control. I must not have enough in my system yet. Like I said, too many sodas".

"Ah... ", Aptom says. "So I guess being a fat geek pays off after all".

"Hey!" They all laugh. Even Mitsuki, as a relief in Sho's arms. Tetsuo grimaces over the joke at his expence, but takes it in stride, even smiling himself. "There's so many questions that need answering now. Where's Agito? What's he doing? How do we save everyone from Chronos' mind control? Can you use your zoalord power to reverse the damage Chronos has done?"

Sho has already begun ripping the duct tape from the chair. "One question at a time", Mitsuki says, "Give her that much room at least big brother".

"No, I can't save everyone all at once. Alkanphel was too strong. I can only undo his command one person at a time", Shizu tells them. Her look snaps back with realization, "but... where's Natsuki?"

"She went into the city with Hayami a few hours ago for groceries", Aptom says. Suddenly his eyes snap. Across the room everyone shares the same expression.

====================================

With his human face, Aptom smiles his evil smile. He is at the mouth of the alley, looking at the herd of people lined like cattle before Clouds Gate.

His hatred makes him want to hunt. To hunt every enemy of Chronos. He doesn't care who gets in his way. He doesn't care even if it's Chronos itself. The single burning thought in his head. The desire, the instinct; to kill all that oppose Chronos. A secret desire burns even stronger though. To kill or absorb any part of Aptom that is not a part of him. Evil, Chaos Aptom burns hotter with that drive. Any shread of himself not touching the orb in his head must be destroyed. One scrap of himself has already escaped; escaped and regained it's free will.

The hatred and fear seeths in his hungry teeth. But now a new prey is before him. Natsuki. Yes, he remembers her. She was with the guyvers before, and now is in line with the herd for Cloud gate. He smiles his evil, human faced smile, and steps from the mouth of the alley. Evil Aptom remembers her, and so will free Aptom. With a hand that should almost be clawed, he grabs her by the shoulder. Yes, he will come for her. She will make excellent bait.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That's it for the first installment of this fic. If I have time next weekend I'll write the next.

Sorry about the wait today though, it was just to big to post all at once. And Thanks Omega, it's nice to know that I'm headed in the right direction.

[omegaling]

I will stalk you until this story is finished.

[Guest]

Trust me, there's fighting in this part. Just let me get a bit of charactor development out of the way. I was going to post this as another thread, but I don't seem to have too many responces, so I'll just add it in here. If Omega's the only one reading this, I this will be the last chapter I post on this board. I can just email it to you Omega, then wait for my extra web space on my site to finally activate before I post.

Boost Armor Guyver: Continuum of Destiny

Part 2

Sho weaves in and out through the crowds. Frantically he is searching. Frantically he glances at the faces of the people he worms his way through. One face is not Mr. Segawa. One face is not Natsuki. One face is not Miss Segawa. Panic starts to rise. He can not find anyone he wishes to save. To save everyone, yes; everyone must be saved. But the one's he loves... no face he pushes past is that of a loved one.

He is making his way to the edge of the crowd again. In and out he has been searching. As close to the tower he can get without being recognized, then back. The people screaming to be made into zoanoids have formed massive lineups. Camped like people for tickets to a rock concert. They stand in their chaotic mob crowded lines whenever the Chronos soldiers make their rounds. Chronos soldiers handing out food to the hungry. Chronos soldiers taking surveys of those to be processed. Chronos soldiers settling the mob when they have to turn away someone not qualified. The mob is both his freind and threat. It hides him from the Chronos soldiers while he searches, but at the same time, it only arises when a Chronos soldier is near.

Miss Segawa. Mitsuki would never forgive him if she couldn't be found. Natsuki. It isn't her face on the girl he passes, or the elderly man standing over her, or the injured man walking toward him... Hayami!

"Dr. Hayami!", Sho rushes to him, "Are you allright? Where's Natsuki?!"

"I'll be fine", the man says gasping. "We were on our way home from getting groceries when she froze. She was just standing there, then started screaming hysterically about going to Chronos". Hayami then clutches his chest, "I tried holding her back, tried bringing to girl to her senses, but she pulled her stun gun on me. Right under my ribs. Felt like I was sucker punched with a sledge hammer".

"It's allright doc", Sho says. "Aptom and I are looking for her. Do you know where she went?"

"The last I saw, we were both a few blocks away. My guess, she would still be near the back of any of these lines". The lines Hayami speaks of completely encircle the Cloud gate building. "You know, if we wouldn't get arrested, I could probebly form shift into bio freezer. These people are so fanatic about becoming a zoanoid, they'd probebly find her for me, if I asked them. Chronos has several walking around, just to keep the people happy".

--------------------------------------------------

"Hold still", he tells her. "Hold still and you won't be torn to shreds". He clutches her from behind, squeezing her arms tightly.

The both of them stand in the dead end of a narrow dark alley. The crowd can easily be seen in the broad daylight on the street just outside. Natsuki asks him, "How much longer are you going to keep me here?".

"Probebly until I show up", Aptom says. He enters the mouth of the alley, wearing his favorate black leather jacket and sunglasses.

The evil Aptom smiles with his monster shard teeth. "Your mistake", he says, "coming at me so slowly". Evil Aptom raises his hand, the ball of light in it flying towards the daylight! The leather and sunglasses lay in char and cinders. "No need for you now", his hand twists itself into thick blades, "now that the prey is dead".

"I really liked that jacked", says a Vamore from the streets. Shrugging the people off, he lets them move to another zoanoid as he himself returns to human form. "And the sunglasses really brought out my eyes. Did you have to destroy those too?", Aptom says.

Evil Aptom growls. "Just how many copies of yourself are walking around out there?"

"Enough", Aptom says simply. He walks as far into the alley as he can. The entire street outside is all but forgotten. He would run and tackle this monster if he could. He would walk any closer, if it wern't for the puddle of fleshy goo just a few steps away. The goo is a part of the evil, stretched as far as it can to reach him. Any part of him that touches Evil Aptom, becomes a part of Evil Aptom. He looks up from it, hideing his nerves at being so close, "You can kill me as many times as you like. I've had the chance to shake hands with a lot of zoanoid representatives today"; and smiles at that. Creating copies of himself by infecting regular zoanoids with his cells. "Too bad you can't do the same, anymore. Though I guess that ball in your head meens you never have". Aptom raises his hand, an orb of light glowing.

"You fire on me, and I kill the girl", Evil Aptom says. "Now, call out every copy of yourself. Or maybe I'll just absorb you back into me, and learn where every copy is hiding". The balance is set; Aptom can not touch the evil without being absorbed by it, yet can't shoot it without Natsuki getting killed. And Evil Aptom... has little holding him back.

"That would be great, If I weren't hiding at random", his hand is steady, threatening to shoot, "And just why should I care about the girl? It's you that I'm after. You're the one that poses a threat to me".

"Oh really?", Evil says. The slits of his eyes narrow, and his teeth grin, a sharp and cheshired devil grin. The breath from his grin blows down Natsuki's neck. His eye looks to her cheek aside his face. "She meens nothing to you? I should just let he go to Chronos?"

"Yes!", she shouts, "I've waited long enough! You said you'd bring me to the front of the line!", Natsuki says.

"If that's the way she feels, then rescueing her would be pointless", Aptom says. He is bluffing. Shizu is searching for Natsuki right now, too. Shizu can erase the brainwash of everyone in the crowded streets, but only one person at a time. "Why don't you let her go so you and I can finish this".

"You are lying to yourself", Evil says. His words almost spit with disgust. "I know every thought that went through your head. Every heart beat. I'm you, you idiot", Evil points in accusation. "I know every bit as much about the lonliness as you do, because I felt it too".

His human face frowns. His pain is being talked about as if anyone has a right to hear it. "You are talking about the death of Somlum and Dymu".

"Yes", he clenches. "The only brothers you have ever had. The only people on this whole ****ing planet that would even talk to you without stareing at that scar on your face. How is it? Not even having a zoanoid to respect you? huh? To be the freak, of every group?"

"And you think I've replaced my brothers with her?", Aptom screams!

"I told you not to lie to me!", Evil pulls tighter on her, stretching her arms apart until she cries in pain. "Kiss me Natsuki, Kiss me and I'll take you to the front of the line right now". His grip loosens, and her pain stops. Evil still holds her as if her were the cross to crucify her, yet his face over her shoulder offers razor sharp teeth, and hideous blood red eyes.

"Alright", Natsuki says, "Anything to be like you". She reaches up, and presses her lips against his. It does not stop. Evil presses his lips against hers. Their lips move and embrace. Aptom from the street can only watch, with his arm raised. The Evil Aptom moves his lips with Natsuki's, and a blade slideing out from his jaw to her neck, threatening. Aptom from the street lowers his arm, and the glowing orb it held.

The kiss ends. "Don't lie to me Aptom. When Mitsuki was spying on her parents, you saved her and Natsuki from the zoanoid police. Tell me who it was you were following that day? When you found Natsuki's house, when Tetsuo and Shizu were hiding out. Who did you follow to find it? When you decided to finally reveal yourself to the guyvers, who did you ask to bring you home?"

"You think I am in love with Natsuki? You think I'm jealous that you kissed her?! Is that supposed to make me come running after you and get absorbed?!"

"Love her?", Evil Aptom Stretches her again to hear her give a single scream. "No, I don't think you love her. I think you are as lonely as I used to be. I think you fantasize about having someone to be with you".

"Where are you getting this crap?", Aptom says. "Nothing like this has ever crossed my mind. That ball in your head must be bouncing around too much".

"This orb in my head? You think I have no idea what it is like to be cold and alone? For the loneliness to make you feel so empty? This orb in my head is the first voice to talk to me in a long time. It's made me question things. Think about things. It cures the loneliness".

"It warps my mind, and twists me into something I'm not", Aptom sneers. "It infected me, and I broke off the first chance I got. Oh, and one more thing. I do have friends, not some little ball toy. That's why your ass is toast!"

"wha... ?"

From the rooftops of the alley the boosted figure falls! His frequency sword extended, Sho dives head first upon Evil Aptom! His battle cry is little more than a roar of fury, but his sword slices clean on Evil's neck.

"Nooo!", Natsuki cries in terror!

Sho pulls her from the confused mass of Evil Aptom's arms. "It's ok Natsuki", Sho says, "he can't hurt you now". The head that contains the ball writhes on the ground, the flesh surounding it writhing for any of the body that supported it. Aptom's hand holds an orb glowing stronger than ever before. "Aren't you going to destroy it?", Sho asks.

"No", he lowers his arm, "I think it's his turn". The confused body begins to twist a new limb into shape, a head forming from the center of the chest. "I've been free for a while now. He's probebly a lot more pissed at that ball than I am. I think I'll let him blast it".

The ball crawls to a sewer grate at the back of the alley. The writhing flesh slops around, uselessly trying to pull the oversized ball through the bars of the grate. It's former body still trying to relearn how to move on it's own. Natsuki bends down and picks up the ball in both hands... "Natsuki, No!", Both men scream! She simply hold it out to the severed neck. The neck grows, fingers sprouting from it's end as it twists itself into an arm. The new palm begins to form a glowing orb of it's own, ready to destroy it's former head. "Natsuki, get out of the way while it destroys that thing!", they tell her. She holds the ball out for it, then pushing it back onto the stump.

"Aaaauuuuuggghhh!!!", The malformed head screams! The ball touches the body again, and Evil Aptom thrusts a spike into Sho's chest, throwing the Guyver to the wall and pinning him! Evil turns his grinning eyes back upon free Aptom, "You see, with this ball in my head, I am truly not alone. I can have everything you don't even realize you desire. So what if I have to give up cloning myself. What's one mere cheap trick?"

"The ball cures loneliness? How about stupidity?", Evil Aptom is confused over Free Aptom's words. The warbling bricks don't answer anything either; not until they pick up Natsuki into mid air. "You forgot about the zoanoid that's responsible for the ball in your head. You absorb him, you absorb his abilities. Including invisibility!" Free Aptom thows every orb of light at evil he can, forcing the shadows of the alley to flicker and strobe!

Evil Aptom flicks Sho off his whip as he charges at Free Aptom with all his rage mustered! Every blast from Free Aptom make a hole in Evil's chest, in his neck, and clipping the devil horns of his ear; yet missing the ball inside itself. Evil turns his arms to spikes and throws them at Free Aptom like streaking missiles!

"Aptom! Ruuuun!", Sho screams. It is no use.

All Evil had to do was touch Free Aptom in order to gain control. Free Aptom fired with everything he had to destroy the ball, taking one one step back at a time. The Evil was over him like a wave, consuming him like acid. Pinned to the ground, Free Aptom turns to Sho, "Megasmash him you bastard", then melts away.

Sho stands, covering the wound in his chest. He begins to grab the megasmasher plate when Evil Aptom turns to him, "We still have unfinished buisiness, you and I". Evil rises, on two legs, with furls of bladed whips behind him like wings. The blades twist forward like hungry spears as Evil Aptom runs.

Sho quickly rises in the air! His gravity controller glows, and he warbles, but quickly he ascends along the walls towards the sky and rooftops. Beneath him Evil Aptom reaches the dead end of the alley, and screams in anger as he fades with invisibility. Sho fires his head beam beneath him, but it does not stop the chomping into brick. The angry roar of Evil follows him, tearing into brick, invisibly climbing after him.

[gall_4185]

I've bee reading this and it's just incredible. I've not had much time or energy for posting anywhere recently but I've made the effort to here. Thanks for sharing this piece YoungGuyver.

[Guest]

This is the second half of part two. Thanks Gall

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He breathes heavily, panting as he rushes. "You are one of the stupidest idiots ever", he says to her. Light beams in from the warehouse windows. The rest is shadow and dust. "He would have killed you along with all of us, and you give him back his head. Are you insane?!"

"What else was I supposed to do?", Natsuki screams back at him, "You were just going to keep me from Chronos. Weren't you?! The rest of you still kill them every chance you get! Is that what you'll do to me? Kill me, once I become one?!", she almost squirms in his arms as he carries her. "I can't believe you would stop me from fullfilling me dreams".

"You don't know what you're talking about", he says. The doors to the warehouse are all locked. He finds a corner between crates and sits, with Natsuki still in his arms. "There's nobody here, it'll be safe until we can get you to Shizu".

"Do you specialize in making everyone as lonely as you? Tearing them away from everything they hope and dream for?", her words are like acid for him. She doesn't even struggle, knowing that she can't win.

"You have no idea what it's like. You have no idea what you're even asking for, to be a zoanoid. You're just a silly little girl who's lost control".

Aptom says nothing more. He sits in silence with her acid still biteing him. She doesn't even have to look at him for it to burn. The hours pass. His hold on her is loose, both just waiting for the waiting to end. He can still feel her strongly though, pressed against his naked skin, her burning hatred. Another hour passes. She says nothing as if to punch him in the face.

"Is it true?", she finally asks him.

"What?"

"Is it true that you were following me?

"Maybe", he says. "The evil version of me said a lot of things. Most of it just to torture me". She seemed nice to him with those words. Sympathetic. Holding Natsuki just felt easier. He can thank her for that. He let's minutes pass, hoping it can turn to hours.

Natsuki breaks the silence, "I would date you, ya know".

"What?!"

"You're really not that bad of a guy. In a way, the scar almost gives you a... distinguished look". Her eyes meet his. "If you would take me into Cloud gate, I promise to date you. I don't care that you're a lost number. None of that meens anything to me. Even if I become a lost number, I'd stay with you, just as long as I could be a zoanoid. As long as we could be zoanoids together".

He turns away. "You don't know what you're talking about", he says sadly.

"Yes I do", she reaches forward for his cheek.

Aptom pulls away, "Please don't". Her eyes begin to shimmer with sadness. Almost as if the same pain he feels is in her. "Look, if we get through this, I promise to take you to a zoalord. Okay?"

"Really?!", Natsuki brightens with excitment.

"Yes. Really", he says. He feels guilty as she curls up into his chest. She could be a kitten purring. Lost numbers are zoanoid rejects; kept only as mere scientific oddities. Locked in cages of glass or steel. What freind can a reject have but another reject? The only two, who ever truly understood how he felt were Somlum and Dymu. Sho killed them when Chronos ordered the attack. The kitten in his arms, offering compassion, and not shying away from him as the abomination that he is. If only...

Thunder crashes! Once, twice, and the door to the warehouse splinters open as Sho is thrown through it! "Now you die!", Evil Aptom roars! The bruised and bloodied guyver struggles to get to his feet in time. Evil Aptom already has a whipping arm blade hurtling in Sho's direction. The guyver dodges by jumping over the wall of crates, running to buy enough time and distance to power a weapon. "Why don't you fight me, little Fukimachi? There's no more crowds of people to get in the way of your megasmasher. You can fire at me all you like", he taunts. Evil Aptom doesn't let up. His whips streak after Sho from one spot to the next, he lunges like a cat on a mouse just to stay close.

The hiding place has been shattered. Free Aptom ducks, and whispers to Natsuki, "I want you to wait for me at the park".

"But what about you?", she whispers.

"He doesn't see me yet. This could be the perfect chance to kill him once and for all", he begins to rise, and glare at Evil Aptom. He looks back at her, "I said go!" Free Aptom shimmers in invisibility as Natsuki ducks away. He stands cloaked as the fight happens before him. Free Aptom raises his hand; a glowing orb of light appearing where a hand isn't seen. "Come on", he mutters, "Hold still for just a second. Just one clear shot is all I need". Suddenly Evil Aptom has Sho pinned, and is standing over him, just about to shread the bleading guyver to pieces. "Finally", Free Aptom grins, "Say goodnight".

The orb streaks through the air, and misses Evil Aptom by a mere hair's breadth! Evil ducked, and says, "I don't think so. I'm not falling for the same tricks twice". Evil Aptom looks at the exact spot Free Aptom is standing. The exact spot the orb was firing from. "There is no trick good enough to kill me", he says, "So just give up". Evil Aptom posseses the same abilities has Free Aptom, and his body shimmers with invisibility just as easily. The last thing Free Aptom could see of him was the running in his direction!

Free Aptom began shifting his hiding place, somewhere to wait for a sign of the Evil. The sign doesn't take long coming. Natsuki has broken into a full run for the shattered open door, only to slam against a wall of air. The Evil voice suddenly fills the air, "Guyver One couldn't fire on me surrounded by all those iccocent people. Let's see how you do".

"No! Aptom, help!", Natsuki is picked up by the unseen force, and flys out of the warehouse.

Sho is covered in his own blood. Scars are healing at the guyver rate, and slowly he rises already. "Natsuki!", Sho screams. Nothing is working. No strategy to kill Evil. No trick. Sho stumbles over his half broken leg, and Aptom leaves him.

Evil didn't lie. The crowds outside suround him, too thick for someone invisible to sneak past. "Look familiar?", Evil shouts at him, "Remind you of anything in particular?". Natsuki is gripped from behind again. This time crying in pain. Evil's claw digs into her deeply. What is worse are the giant spider arms slowly traceing the underside of her breasts. The spider arms... the claws of Enzyme 2. "You rescued her from me, admit that I was right! Join with me!", Evil Aptom roars.

"Let her go", is all Free Aptom says. The crowds surounding are indeed confused at two visable zoanoids stareing off.

"You wish to free her? Come and get her, come and take her right out of my hands", Evil Aptom says. "I dare you. Do it personally". The Enzyme arm rises into the air, and it's claw comes slashing down! Natsuki let's out a shriek as her shirt is torn. The two Aptoms glare. "Come to me now, or the second slice just might cut deeper".

"I won't say it again, Let her go. No more tricks".

"And no more games", Evil growls back. His claw raises again, and in a single swing it falls from the sky, slashing a finger deep into Natsuki's breast! She screams as the blood runs down her belly! "You see", Evil says, "I have the guts to do what you never could".

Free Aptom's eyes are red! His teeth are fangs, his fists are clenched. The twitching of his fury doesn't last long. Everything is poured into his speed. Evil's eyes widen with pleasure as Free Aptom runs right for him, and Natsuki is tossed to the side for Free to be embraced.

Free Aptom rockets into the air! His jump sends him flying like an eagle over the crowd. Suddenly, evil's eyes widen. Free Aptom is falling with his fist first. Direct. No games. No tricks. The body of Evil is like liquid, splashing into two wings on either side as Free Aptom's fist lands! The force of his punch has been brought all the way to the ground, the ball resting on his knuckles.

Free Aptom wraps his clawed hand around it. Black veins of evil already start to run into his fingers. He can feel control begining to slip away already. Closer to it. He tightens his claws around the ball. He crushes it, crushes the ball that makes threatens to control him. He can hear the scream of his veins as they fade away to nothing. Evil Aptom, is dead.

"It's ok", a lady consoles, "Chronos will make it all better. Just let them heal you, and they'll make you into a zoanoid, just like the rest of us". Aptom turns to find Natsuki on the ground, the lady wrapping her jacket around her.

"Thankyou", Aptom says, "I'll take her from here". In both arms he holds her, carrying her across rooftops until finally they find Shizu. It seems like hours. Shizu takes the weakened Natsuki, and with her zoalord form, lets the third eye crystal glow. "Will she be allright?", Aptom asks.

"Her mind is free", Shizu says. "But she'll still need medical help. We'd better get her back to the mansion quickly. I can only heal zoanoid wounds".

"Yes", he says. Shizu has already turned away. Natsuki is free. Aptom feels a pang of regret.

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Six Weeks Later

Amniculus screams at them. "So you give him one of the few control balls we have ever managed to make, something THAT valuable, then send him out into combat?! Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea what we've just lost?!"

"Yes", Cablarl says calmly. "Very much I know what we've lost. We've invested a great deal of time and energy into elimanating the threats against us". The withered old Chinease man floats there, as if sitting on a pillow five feet in mid-air, "And with every failure, we run the risk of defeat".

"Lord Amniculus", a manager from the control console interupts", orbital sattelites are showing a large object descending upon Alaska sir"

Sin Rubeo Amniculus turns his attention from the three zoalords to his own henchmen. "The Ark?", he asks. "It's loosing altitude?" All the zoalords focus on the manager.

"No sir", the manager says, "All readings say the Ark is still on coarse. It should be reaching Washington on schedule. Wait sir, the object is rising again. It seems that whatever it was, it only touched down in Alaska for a few minutes".

"Very well, keep monitoring", he says. Amniculus turns back to his three fellow zoalords. "In two hours we are to begin as scheduled. When Alkanphel learns what you have risked with Aptom, you will be lucky if what happened to Guyot doesn't happened to you!" Amniculus storms out of the control room.

Cablarl Khan smiles, shared by Jearvill and Krumeggic's glance out the skyscraper window. "Yes", Jearvill sneers, "Exactly like what happened to ZoaLord Guyot".

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In the six weeks since their fight with Evil Aptom, Natsuki has been the only one of their freinds that they have rescued. Aptom walked into Cloud gate, and went through dozens of reports. Disguised himself dozens of times. The Segawa's, the parents of Tetsuo and Mitsuki were indeed listed for processing into zoanoids. They were never found. A Chronos soldier listed them in a report; and all it said was they were taken ahead for special processing. Aptom never found any record of where they were taken. To another facility was all the reports said.

Mitsuki cried as soon as she heard that. Tetsuo and Sho both tried to console her. Tetsuo shed his tears in private, when he thought no one was looking. "There are twelve major facilities all around the world", Tetsuo said, "They could have been taken to any one of them. Just so we couldn't rescue them". He tried to be as strong as he could, for both his sister and his best freind. For all of them. The tears of both of them still stung Sho, just as deeply.

Shizu finally decided it was time to go back to Alaska. "My troops are waiting for me", she said. "I've already redirected Chronos zoanoids to save as many people from processing as I can, but people are being processed all around the world. I can do that in other places too. And do more damage with my troops".

Shizu was going to leave later the next day. Sho sat at the window, looking out into the night. The world keeps changing. The odds against them keep getting worse. His freinds and loved ones keep dieing. How much more will he loose. How much more pain will they be made to feel? Sho could feel the grip tightening around him. He could feel the eyes hungrily hunting him.

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Guyot stands outside the mansion. He grins his demon grin. Only a few bandages remain, and the unit-remover is tightly in his hand. His purple eyes hunt hungrily for his prey