Scene #7718: Belt Jacking

Owner	Pose
Chase	SOMEWHERE IN ARIZONA: A very long, and probably very boring trip on Delta Airlines brings the roidmudes to the land of the free and the brave. Unfortunately, they aren't here to visit Disney World. Instead, they're here to spend time in probably one of the most miserably hot States searching for a single building in the middle of a desert. Luckily, Brain is here, with all 500 gigabytes of brain storage to help them locate Harely's place. Why only 500 gigs when most computers have at least 1 terabyte storage these days? Ask Banno. Standing outside in the shadows, a plan is devised. A really easy one with no possible way it could fail. Brain will disable the outside security, and then he and Chase will sneak in and take what they need. It's as simple as that. And for what it's worth, it goes surprisingly well. A lot better than the last scheme Brain had. Reaching the main room where all of Harley's prototypes and various schematics are stored, the Dark General saunters over to one of the computers, interfacing with the machine with weird wiry tendrils. Chase, meanwhile, locates what he was looking for. The Mach Driver, and stands patiently over the device's protective display case as he waits for the next step of the plan. "Alright. Chase, give me a few seconds and I'm going to disable the rest of the security. Got it? Even you can't mess that up." One. Two. Three. It's three seconds, meaning the lock should be disabled. Not waiting for Brain to confirm it audibly because he said 'a few seconds', Chase slams his fist into the display case to yank out the prototype Driver, the room now flooded in crimson red as the building's alarm goes off. "Eh? Eh??? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?!?!" Brain is completely lost for words, but he's not about to let this setback ruin him, he impatiently runs in place as he begins hurrying up, grabbing the files needed for the Signal Bikes before promptly disconnecting and making a mad dash for the exit. Chase follows, albeit at a slower pace, clearly not phased by his screw up.
Go Shijima	Go knows precisely where that building is, knows a few friends who work at the airport back home, and knows of three very unusual passengers booking a very specific trip. That kind of a trip is one that's made with a singular purpose in mind, and Go knows that they aren't in America to visit any amusement parks, nor are they visiting Arizona to open leather shops--they would, of course, be out of business in a week's time. Hearing about something after it's already happened does leave one at a disadvantage, if one is trying to stop the next 'something' from happening. But Go is determined, and, more materially important, he's got a really fast bike. He's in the innards of Harley's facility when that alarm goes off. "Yep," he says, sliding his student ID through a magnetic scanner and stepping through the door to confront the would-be thieves. "Stealing from family?" Go is only half-joking. I know that'll get under Chase's skin. But it's not really untrue, is it? "I know our father wasn't the best role model, but come on, guys! You could have just asked me. What do you want with that, anyway?" Hands removed from his pocket, he waggles the Mach Shift Bike at Chase. "It's no good without a Shift Bike, y'know." "Oh--sorry. You must be Chase's friends, right? Heart, Brain, and... Medic."
Dark Generals	The Dark Generals, collectively, make it to Arizona and the resultant heat that thoroughly roasts them as they trek their way through the arid, hot asshole of the mid-west can only lead to one conclusion: An impromptu wardrobe change. Medic rolls her gloves down to her wrist to let her arms breathe as she miserably trudges along, Brain loosens his shirt, vest, and jacket and repeatedly dabs at his face with a handkerchief, while Heart opts to simply discard his shirt entirely and leaves his signature red coat hanging by his shoulders as he advances stalwartly through the heat in all of his fabio-esque perfection. This, at least somewhat, made bearing through all of this worth it for someone. Maybe. This brings us to THE PRESENT: Medic could not contain the sneer on her face as she touches the tips of her fingers together, "Oh? Has Brain's plan gone awry again? That's too bad. But isn't it such a good thing that you brought everyone else along to clean up after yourself this time, I didn't even have to prompt it. What a good boy." "Uooooh! Damn you, Mediiiiiiic, but I won't be stopped by the prodding of your nasty, rotten tongue!" Brain exclaims, punctuating himself with a shaky point, his inspector-gadget fingers still open and revealing the various tools hidden within. Heart, in the meantime, has contented himself by observing the room and putting it to memory. It's quite different from Banno's; the atmosphere, that is. Even still. Being here fills me with a repgugnance I'd rather cleanse from myself as soon as possible. As Medic opens her mouth to snidely deride him further, Chase's hand in the proverbial cookie jar, Go Shijima makes himself known. "Eh.....?" Brain slowly putters out, shifting his head to Go's direction in a queer tilt. Medic squints deeply as her expression shifts from something smug and haughty into an inconsolable, resting bitch-face. Heart's lips twinge ambiguously as he turns and faces him with a brief recognition as he puts the voice to his face, "Go Shijima." The blitheness that was used to address him, for some reason, didn't settle well on Heart. It made his chest constrict and heat up. "Y-yes, I, Brain, am Heart's most trusted friend. It seems that for being a Kamen Rider, your mind isn't that feeble." Medic, having had enough of having Brain's finger in her face, pushes the hand down with her own and says, "That's not what he said though? Are you unwell, Brain? Is there something wrong with your head? More so than usual, that is." "Well, it doesn't matter. You have some nerve to come in here waving those around, Kamen Rider." There's a threatening lilt to her voice as she moves to begin peeling one of her gloves off, her heel clacking against the floor as Medic moves to take a step forward and -- -- be stopped by Heart's large hand placing itself gently between her and Go, "Perhaps. But it wouldn't do to ruin this nice lab, would it? Come, Kamen Rider. Let's fight somewhere empty."
Ein	HARLEY HEAVY INDUSTRIES, early afternoon: After a large lunch, Professor Harley and a black-haired young professional return to the site, head up the administration building's elevator, and pile in to Harley's wide Arizona office, tinted windows overlooking a flat scrub brush field and open land that would be perfect to have a movie out in. Past the scrub field is a large private launch site, fenced in with a darkened and unused set of gantries. Dreams of space one happened here. "Now, I'm happy to work with Kougami-kun, but he should come himself if he wants to do business!" Harley chuckles over a canned seltzer water he sips while leaning on his big wooden desk, addressing the dark-haired man. "You were sent, and not Satonaka, so there must have been a reason." The alarm begins to ring, and Harley slides off his desk in shock. "The lab alarm? I was supposed to meet Go after this, could something have happened?" The young dark-haired man looks up. "Do you have a system I can borrow? My partner is using mine." Harley nods quickly. "Sure. It's in the..." The professor grimaces, moving around his desk to start working the shelves inside. "... lab." The young man gets up, loosening his tie and rolling it around his hand. "I'll handle it. Is it the test materials from Kougami?" Harley nods, before rising from over his desk, a large bracelet in hand. "And, Gotou-san? You'll need this!" Harley tosses Shintarou Gotou the shift brace like device, and the agent catches it mid-air, turning to sprint out the door. THE LAB AREA Rounding the bend into the lab's display case area, with Chase and Brain lingering there, Shintaro Gotou slides into frame, bursting through the door -- to not just one roidmude that Mach is grappling with, but three. Shocked, he immediately rolls back around the door before the camera pans towards him and hides in the blind spot past the frame, picking up his phone and pressing a speed dial. After a click, he starts muttering. "Ahh, Date-san? There's four of them. Yes. No, not four of the... no, I'm not calling you for four Yummy! I'm calling you because--" Gotou peeks around the corner as the generals bicker amongst themselves and begin to agree to move outside. "--I need some backup." He pulls the phone away from his ear as loud laughter erupts from the earpiece, looking sour. "Date-san, I understand, I'm in Arizona-- Yes, I know how continents work. No, Date-san, I didn't think you would teleport here on your motorcycle. Yes, Date-san." Gotou malds quietly into his phone, before lowering it. "If you're not going to send help, I'm going to do my job now." Sneaking around the corner after everyone's had a chance to notice the clearly banged door is defintely gag empty and to forget about it for a bit, Gotou crouch-jogs around the bend, and moves towards one of the back cabinets of the lab area, to start rustling around in drawers and archival files. In the lowestmost set, he pulls out a black camera case and -- loudly -- unsnaps it. He looks up, towards the now-doubtlessly-alerted Roidmude generals. Holding anyone's gaze for a few heartbeats, he then goes back to opening the case and checking the simple instructions sheet provided inside - Smart Brain style - more frantically, before someone can stop him. He knows how this goes.
Reliant	Ha ha ha ha A blue-black sludge seeps its way into existence from beneath the cracks in the floors, coalescing into a portal along a wall adjacent to Heart, Brain, and Medic. Laughter echoes out, though unlike last time no tremendous fear engulfs the surroundings. Instead, something else resounds from within: SPIDER MAXIMUM DRIVE A scintillating web of energy darts out like a net, engulfing Medic and suspending her in place. It crackles with some sort of thermal field-- curiously it doesn't burn those within it, but it DOES repel people who approach to try to help. Heart is the most badly effected if he should try, the intensity magnifying a thousandfold relative to what Brain experiences if he comes close. Others may test their luck at discretion, though all of them have their own concerns to juggle-- and the effect doesn't seem to be hurting Medic. It's just keeping her locked in place. The muzzle of a short-barreled gun emerges. It's a handgun, bulky as is typical of a Kamen Rider's implement. It is black in color, with white and red accenting towards the rear. The man who holds it is also black-armored, with a silvery skeletal pattern like stylized ribs along his chest. An L-shaped driver sits at his waist. His helmet is silver, with black lenses and a grated mouthpiece that accentuates the skull motif. A single black 'crack' runs from the top of the head down towards its center, with a jagged red mark coming to a point towards the left eye. He wears a white scarf. "Roidmude," says Kamen Rider Skull, skullmagnum remaining trained on Medic. "Greetings from the Museum. I am here to inquire as to your intentions towards our organization."
Go Shijima	If I'm going to start trusting Roidmudes... I can't assume that they're going to do harm every time they do something I don't expect. Besides... Go smiles, but it's not the expression his heart would have him make. "Sure," he says, "If that's what you want, Heart." There's a good chance they only think they need this because of us. Because of the SCD, because of Tomari... because of me, not least of all. "I'll be right o--eh??" The second intruder is followed swiftly by an unprecedented third. He's counting the roidmude gang as one intrusion, since they all came together. His face twists in disbelief as he points at the emerging blaster. "Oh, who the heck are -you?!- Guys, if you're going to break in somewhere, at least close the door behind you! Now we're just letting in random people off the street!" As Medic bullies Gotou, Go joins in, unaware of why he was even here in the first place. He attempts to just grab Shintaro by the wrist and drag him out--until, that is, he explains why he's actually here. It is an extremely unconventional series of events for which he has no easy answers. Exasperated, Go drags a hand across his face so firmly that it distorts with the passing of his hand. "Ugh! Can we all just have this conversation outside?! (I was kind of looking forward to fighting Heart...) Come on, everybody! Out, please!" Unfortunately, Go has relatively little sway, being one of two people who really care about what happens to the lab--the other one stopped short of what he was looking for. At the very least, maybe his affected indignance can distract long enough for Shintaro to get what he's looking for...
Dark Generals	Heart seemed to apprehensively take Go in with more than his eyes -- his gaze showing a deeper level of contemplation, as if his actions were peculiar and unexpected. Of course, Go himself is surely aware that it is indeed the case. If one could take a jab at Heart's expectations, it would have been for a bloodthirsty and vengeful man seeking to take his anger out on Heart and his precious people. I was sure he'd be far closer to his father than this. Indeed, that's what I seem to recall. But if he has changed ... I wonder if I have the grace in me not to beat him as viciously and doggedly with my fists as I feel I should. This tightening in my chest is most assuredly my own thrilling anger. Yet, the building tension between the two must be shelved for another time, as yet another actor makes himself known. "Gh-!?" Medic chokes out as she is restrained faster than she was able to respond to the interloper, who appears moments afterwards. Visibly, she struggles against her captivity by flexing her fingers and limbs in an ineffectual attempt at breaking her bonds. But it was useless. "What is this, Kamen Rider?!" Heart spits in Go's direction as he approaches with heavy steps to attempt and free Medic from her confines, but the painful repellant practically hurls him back, his boots squealing as he skids across the tiled floor of the laboratory. "H..heart. I'm sorry, I was careless." Medic shamefully admits with a gimace. Skull apparates, and brandishes his weapon of choice. And Brain, well... <J-IC-Scene> Dark Generals \| Brain, traipsing a step closer, but hopefully not enough to prompt skull into action, "Ah? Ooooouh? What's this .. Medic's been caught ... how embarassing ... how unfortunate. What will I do? Oh no. If only there were an incredibly intelligent and capable person who could act in this time of crisis ... poor Medic. Maybe if she apologized profusely and said something like, "I will never go against you again, Lord Brain!" and agrees to prostrate afterwards, something could be done." Brain was Brain. <J-IC-Scene> Dark Generals \| Heart, far more evenly and with a stormy frown on his face, " 'Museum', is it. Who are you people again? No, wait. Be quiet. I remember now; are you not the people operating out of Fuuto? Before this point, we had no plans in particular beyond anything some individuals may have wished to pursue. Now, though." <J-IC-Scene> Dark Generals \| Heart says, "I am very displeased." <J-IC-Scene> NPC Kamen Rider Skull says, "If you're displeased, you have your Mashin Chaser to take for task for it, not me. Yours was the unprovoked action, and mine the response." Rolling his shoulders, Heart slides his favorite red garb off, leaving himself bare chested as he folds it neatly over his arm. "Is that so?" Ah. But if I'm not careful, this ... Kamen Rider? Skull Man? He may attack Medic; her position being that of a hostage is a rather clear message. "Then, a proposition for amends. Release my friend, and we can begin again. I will not hold your actions here against you, and a proper dialogue can be held. If you find this disagreeable, then ... talking further is absolutely meaningless, no?"
Reliant	Kamen Rider Skull presses what would be a release on the magazine of his gun, if it had a magazine instead of an extended piece of plastic designed to look like a killer magazine. Medic is released, the heat dispersing from her form. "Very well. But I will expect you to withdraw without question once, on behalf of the Museum, at some point in the future in turn. We will speak again in the future," Kamen Rider Skull says. He takes several steps backwards, through the portal. It seeps in on itself, and is gone along with him.
Chase	"We are not family. We are not even buds." Like Go predicted, Chase is not amused by his joking. However, when Go points out that he needs a Signal Bike, he pauses. It's best not to talk further, else he catches on. That means they're going to have to fight. Staring at the Driver in his hands, his thoughts are cut short by the arrival of Gotou. Now there's two- Three of them. Skull shows up, webbing Medic up while questioning them about something he doesn't even know, and then leaving. This is getting out of hand. Visibly annoyed, he responds by slapping the Mach Driver against his waist, a belt strap materializing and fastening itself to him. "You said I need a Signal Bike. Perhaps. However, if I have learned anything from the Watch... It does not hurt to try stupid things sometimes." Popping open the belt, energetic standby music plays on loop until he slots in not a toy bike, but a tiny metallic car. Surprisingly, it's recognized, and the built in AI announces its name. VIRAL CORE! The once peppy music that played is replaced with synthetic guitar and heavy trashing noises, Chase's hands now balled up into a fist and hovering over the opened driver. "...Henshin." Slamming his fist down on the Mach Driver to close it, the device makes an audible confirmation sound as the onboard AI shouts once more. TUNE - CHASER! Purple wheels of solid light appear and crash into Chase, his figure obscured by a brief flash. Once it clears, it's apparent; that's not a Kamen Rider, but neither is it Mashin Chaser. His suit is a weird amalgamation of armor from both the Rider and Break Gunner systems, held together with seemingly hopes and dreams. Given how the Mach System works and the fact Chase's Viral Cores are not meant to provide full forms, it might actually be just that. "I will give you both one warning. Leave. I am not afraid." Kamen Rider(?) Chaser points to both Gotou and Go in a manner that can only be described as menacing, his large compound eyes delivering a piercing stare.
Ein	There are long moments where Medic -- and Go, of all people -- hover around and bully the dark-haired man messing with his carrying case, Gotou struggling to unlock the last latch while being stepped on. He plays it cool, rummaging through the case. This is complicated by the arrival of the Terror Goo, and Kamen Rider Skull, the focus on Medic sending the case -- and Gotou -- scattered clear to the back of the lab area, the case tumbling open to reveal a red-orage device that looks like some sort of beetle. Unprompted, when the beetle clatters to the floor it awakens small booster jets, lifts off the ground, and begins flying about at a high speed. Gotou, wisely (and larely nonoptionally), stays downed until Skull is convinced to leave. Then, and only then, does he scrabble away towards the door outside to the Toku fight zone. "Well... for the purposes of business development, I'll be assisting Harley Heavy Industries with recovering their technology." He strikes a ready pose, left fist with bracelet held in and parallel to the ground, right hand reaching skyward, stance wide. "Gear!" The flying beetle-device stops its random path and locks in on Gotou's hand. "EVA, on!" He announces, sliding the beetle into the shift brace far enough for the wings of the beetle to split open to expose a data-chip core. "Henshin!" H E N S H I N announces the beetle, as a matte black suit quick-meshes about Gotou while plates of chrome silver and aluminum hull white appear in hexagonal-crawl. The armor that forms is heavy on the arms, with rigid segmentations in metallic red. Encased in armor, he takes a fighting pose, the large-panel helmet with two large round eyes underneath an armored over-helm and visor flare yellow. "I don't care if you're not afraid. You're not leaving here with that belt." the armored warrior announces, before looking back at Go for a moment. "I'm helping you out. Harley is covering the fee." Springing into action, Armored Warrior Gotou jogs with powerful, bouncing steps towards the transformed Mashin Chaser, leading with a knee strike of notable power to the driver before the up-armored fists come crashing down in a pounding volley of blows to the chest. How's that new armor holding up?
Dark Generals	Staggering as she is released, Medic seems unsteady on her feet as Skull explains the terms of their agreement -- and by the time he finishes, with Heart's agreement, Medic is hoisting the nearby trash can over her head. It is of meager size, being the kind you stuff under an office desk. Skull disappears through his dissipating potal in the nick of time, to avoid it coming down over his head and dunking him in the refuse, which instead spills out onto the floor. Angrily flexing her fingers, the fuming Medic crumples the plastic bin like cheap paper, "That droopy eyed, sallow voiced loser. Who does he think he is? Chase, just what kind of problems did you cause?" she quickly whirls on the Grim Reaper, seeking an outlet, any outlet, for her shame and fury. Brain merely touches the tips of his normal fingers together in an identical manner to what she'd done earlier, at least, until Heart places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now, Medic. I too, was upset by that, but it won't do to take that fury out on your friends." "Oh no," Brain murmurs to himself, "This was supposed to be my big win! Medic failed, and she got embarassed in front of Heart. But. Now she's the one being comforted by him. How can this be?" Medic looks at Heart's hand blankly for a moment before beaming, "Of course. How could I be so awful~? But, because Heart is here to bring out the best in me, I'll let go of my unending and torrential anger and let Chase off easy." "Though," Heart says, "This still leaves us where we were moments ago." ... his mood to fight had truthfully diminished by this entire ordeal. It just wasn't the same. <J-IC-Scene> Dark Generals \| Heart says, "Would you like me to help you, Chase? Or would you like to fight by yourself?" <J-IC-Scene> Chase says, "I do not mind." With the group outside, now, Brain and Medic stand aside at Heart's behest. "Transform." is the command that comes from him as he cracks his knuckles. His red coat is left to be cared for by Medic, as he prepares himself in the hot Arizona sunshine. "If you don't, then take your hubris to the afterlife, Kamen Rider." With approximately a fifteen to twenty second forewarning, Go would have no one else to blame when Heart stomps forward to grab him by the face and truck him into the ground, if he had not yet changed into Mach.
Go Shijima	"You're a Roidmude, aren't you? Then we have the same father. We're family, whether you like it or not!" He isn't joking, this time. Go straps his own driver on, slotting the Shift Bike. SIGNAL BIKE//RIDER! MACH! Heart is coming in for a hard vibe check, and even though Mach manages to duck out of the way, Heart's hand still slams into his shoulder, causing an eruption of sparks. "Xion said that my heart wasn't ready to face yours... I was hoping to see if that's changed." Having gotten a taste of Heart's strength, Mach is no less aggressive than usual, but the means of that aggression are slightly different. He's primarily employing kicks and blasts from the Zenrin Shooter, keeping his hands free to try and deflect Heart's much stronger attacks, and attempting to use his high speed to get out of trouble. Blasting the ground before Heart to frustrate his advance, Go continues. "Why do you want the Mach Driver? It's to protect Roidmudes, isn't it?"
Chase	Acting fast, Machine Rider Chaser catches the knee to the driver, only to be pummeled in the chest. Despite the flurry of sparks, the armor seems to hold up for the moment, and by extension Chase. Completely unflinching, the Faux Rider lets go of Gotou's leg and reaches out to catch the final punch, his hand tightening deathly tight around the armored hand as he begins twisting his arm uncomfortably and holding it in that position. "No. I will be leaving with the belt. It will be better used by someone who wishes to protect rather than being turned into a weapon of death and destruction. Now I will give you one more chance. Leave." Despite offering an invitation to leave, the Grim Reaper still retaliates with his own attack, twisting the enemy Rider's arm even more before sweeping underneath their legs with his foot and throwing them back first against the ground.
Dark Generals	"Foolishness," Heart intones, before Chase retorts with a flurry of blasts with his Zenrin Shooter. Heart forms a knife with his fingers and bats at them, smacking several of the energy bullets high into the sky with his bare hands before Mach's aggressive assault kicks into high gear. They dance by exchanging heavy swipes to fast but far more numerous kicks and blaster bolts. By freeing up his hands, Mach finds that he has a much easier time dealing with Heart's straight-forward methods of attacking than he otherwise would be. The two kip away from eachother, and resume dialogue. "That goes without saying, doesn't it, Go Shijima? Chase ... in his heart, he wishes to be a Kamen Rider. But not like you; or any of the other ones who use their power as tools for oppressing those they feel beneath them. Chase pursues the image of Kamen Rider in his own heart, a hero who will protect everyone and is admired by everyone in return." "Kamen Riders .. I hate all of you." Bringing one hand up halfway to his chest, black marks scorching his palms, Heart makes a vague pointing gesture. "But. My personal hatred won't stop me from lifting my friend high on my shoulders to reach for his dream. Tell me something, Kamen Rider. I've heard you espousing things such as, 'I've changed' and 'I won't be like that anymore'. But. Why is it then that you still wear that weapon whose only purpose is to kill us? You and Shinnosuke Tomari both have not changed at all, you're only slathering platitudes over your wounded egos and citing it to be conviction." Dropping that hand to his side, an orb of red energy gathers into it as his body begins to turn a deep pink, waves of heat and strength radiating from every rippling muscle as his sweat evaporates into thick clouds of steam. Heart brings himself to the edge of transformation. And then he hurls the orb of dead heat energy at Mach, which expands into a violenty and furious torrent of red light that leaves a glass crater in its wake. "That is my appraisal of your feeble posturing, Kamen Rider."
Ein	Gotou's initial combo is strong, but he's immediately stopped up by the iron wall defense of Machine Rider Chaser. The blows force sparks off Chase's chest, and then his fist comes up, and Gotou in the helmet reacts in hidden shock. "A-ah! Professor, I knew there'd be a difference in power, but the armor's so heavy! The weight's all off, and I'm not connecting!" Spun into a judo throw, the whole top-cover cracks and splits apart in segments, the back parts cracking down rings and shattering as the throw sends him to the shop floor in a meteoric bounce that sends up a thin dust pouf. In his ear, Professor harley responds as his armor systems throw up yellow and red warning signs. <"That device doesn't have the heaviness compensation effect of a Core Drivia system! You're basically fighting into a hyper combustion engine with an exosuit!"> Harley cautions. <"You'll need to release the outer shell, and then activate the speed enhancer to compensate. You read the guide, right kid-do?!"> Gotou sets his jaw. "Right!" Rolling up into a half crouch, Armored Warrior Gotou brings his right hand to the beetle in his bracelet, closing the opened wings and re-locking the beetle, closed, into the brace. "Cast off!" C A S T - O F F announces the belt. The outer armor segments explode outward, peppering the lab lightly and Chase heavily. Underneath, red-orange armor sloped like lacquered armor. The rocketship outer armor purged, the inside is tight and agile, with high-vis yellow lines. The faceplate reconfigures, so the two teardrop eyes form a more fused visor, and the chin-lock disengages as a slim bar locks in place over the face with a loud CHANGE: DIVE BEETLE Rising into a right leg forward ready stance, he leaps into a fierce driving punch with his right hand, as his left claps a stud on his hip. "Clock Up!" C L O C K - U P Disappearing in a blur of speed that comes with the surging vernier-assisted flight of a jet-assisted spacecraft, Gotou drift-turns around Chase to deliver a spinning tornado kick that ends in a rising launch and ground-slamming spin-drive before the 'just activated the speed power' advantage state wears off and he joins Chase on the plane of Extreme Speed Fight But It's At The Same Speed So They're Conveniently Shot At Normal Human Speed.
Go Shijima	"Because I've decided it's a stupid, pointless and cruel purpose--" Mach's thrusters kick on, carrying him backwards at blinding speed. But even being clear of the projectile itself doesn't mean being clear of the explosion--and 'clear' in this sense means only inches to spare. It was an expert read from a powerful opponent. Powerful enough, in fact, to knock him out of his transformation. Good Work! The armor fades, and Go is in the dust, struggling to his feet. "Chase's dream is right, and mine... I never had one. All I wanted was to take my hurt out on other people. Heart... you have every right to hate Kamen Riders. Every one you've ever known has let you down." Go reaches for another shift bike, catching his breath and finally managing to stand up straight. This one is red, almost as red as the blood he wipes from his lip. "These Drivers were built for an ugly reason. I'm not using them for that reason, ever again--and I'd rather use mine to protect people's dreams than throw it away because I feel sorry for myself." Go slots the bike into his belt and yells so ferociously that his voice cracks. "HENSHIN!" SIGNAL BIKE//SHIFT CAR - Dead Heat! Immediately, Go mashes the button on the Mach Driver four times, causing an explosion of that same red energy. The tire over the red breastblate bursts, a jagged line resembling a blowout forming along its length. "What I've done can't be forgiven, and I won't ask!" The Mach Driver revs, and he's already back in Heart's space, but this time, he's not fighting conservatively at all. Neither, however, is he fighting with any malice towards Heart. The gauge on his Rear Wheel Signal rapidly creeps towards the redline as Mach opens up with a series of three snap kicks, left left right--followed by a jumping back kick. With another rev, he's turned back around, fighting up close now with a flurry of jabs and an elbow strike aimed at Heart's chest. "I'm not looking for your approval..." "I'm trying to be the brother you all deserve!!"
Reliant	EARLIER... //"You were sent, and not Satonaka, so there must have been a reason."// NOW... Erika Satonaka sits at a picnic table in a rest stop alongside the road several miles away. A spread of local Arizona specialties -- a veritable buffet of delicious garbage food -- is spread out in front of her. Sitting beside it all is a number of small cans, and a gun with a cylindrical magazine. Her cell phone chirps a warning at her. She checks it one-handed while she grabs a chimichanga, sighing exasperatedly at the message displaying on it. Satonaka puts her cell phone down and checks the watch at her wrist. Shaking her head, she dismisses the alert and carries on with her eating, absent-mindedly cracking one of the red cans and prompting a robotic bird to go fluttering away.
Dark Generals	Heart's eyes squint quietly through the dust that clouds the air from his release of his dead heat energy -- Go's belt out was audible, and it is with a heavy thump that indicates his first step forward that there were nothing but ill intentions planned for what came next. Heart is given pause, long enough to consider what Go was saying at any rate. But they're just words. ... no, that isn't fair. I already understand that even if he is being sincere, I simply cannot accept what he's saying. After all that. After everything that brought us to this point .. I see. I really can't forgive you after all, 'brother'. The Rider and Roidmude trade blows and, at first, they seem to be evenly matched as Heart matches Mach blow for blow, the ground crumpling around them and the air popping from the tremors formed by their knuckles and knees meeting one another. Slowly but surely, however, Kamen Rider Mach begins gaining ground and traction. Sparks explode from him getting a good series of shots in, blistering Heart's chest before the Roidmude catches his arm and pulls him in. With heavy breaths, Heart presses his forehead against the visor of Go's helmet. There's a lull, where the two are stuck in a position of staring into eachothers eyes, the windows that reveal their souls. Though, Go's were hidden behind Mach's helmet, Heart's made him an open book. The uneasiness. The anger. The joy. The bloodlust. The hate. The love and desire to protect, juxtiposed with the wrath necessary to destroy. It all mixed together into a blend of raw emotion before Heart opens his mouth and roars. "RUOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" The illusion of Heart's human form disappears, and in its place is his basic form as a Roidmude, a mechanical body emblazened with his serial number first and foremost on the chest. It turns bright red, still clutching Mach in an iron clad grasp, and begins to expand. It grows several feet and gains an immense amount of bulk, with two gold horns sprouting out the sides of his head. Metal teeth clench together, before a grill closes over them like a blast-shield. And part of the Roidmude's muscular chest collapses in on itself to reveal his chasis cavity, beating and thrumming with enough energy to stain the battlefield scarlet, the gravity affecting field expanding over the area and enacting "slowdown". "You, and Krim Steinbelt too ... you just don't get it. I don't think you ever will." His voice is tinny, now, as if coming through a bad microphone. Full of white noise and fuzz. Maybe I wouldn't hate you all so badly otherwise. Relasing his tight grasp on Mach's arm and shoulder, Heart instead uses his hand to grab the Kamen Rider by his head with the intent of lifting him off the ground. "Using Dead Heat like that has pushed your body, and your armor, to the edge. This heat is your limit." Explosive red light plumes and detonates in the palm of his hand, right in Mach's face, but Heart ensures that his grip is strong enough that he doesn't go flying. Just so he can do it again, and again, and again, and after four or five repetitions, he loosens his fingers enough to let his leaking might launch Mach high into the air.
Chase	The armor comes off? The armor comes off. Machine Rider Chaser brings his arms up to defend himself from the cast-off, only to lose complete sight of Kamen Rider Dive Beetle when he does. Not that their eyes are capable of keeping up, the power of CLOCK-UP easily pinballing them around. They're sent flying up into the air, and then crashing back down, without really understanding how. He slowly picks himself off the ground, the armor plating on his arms and legs start to peel off from the sudden beating. Hope and dreams really is holding this abomination of a suit together, but unfortunately, concepts aren't actually very durable. Realizing the limited time frame he's working on, the Grim Reaper acts, slamming his fist on top of the belt in quick succession. TAKUSAN CHASER! It's no Clock-Up. It's not even comparable to Mach's speed, but Machine Rider Chaser speeds up, enough to deliver a flurry of blows all concentrated on Gatou's center of mass, creating a flurry of purple sparks as the blows connect. Like all good things, the burst of speed eventually starts to wear off, and the last two blows by Chaser are a kick aimed directly at the enemy Rider's knees, followed by the roidmude ducking before immediately springing upward to deliver a powerful rising uppercut directly into their jaw.
Go Shijima	That lull is uncomfortable for Go. Is Heart going to say something? Or will he... no. Mach wildly thrashes in Heart's grasp, blasted again and again yet unable to get free from Heart's clutches. Mach flies into the air, and without the thrusters from his base form to stop his fall, he hits the ground with a worryingly weighty impact. Again, the belt's AI congratulates him for eating dirt as the armor fades. "We've just met," says Go, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "How... could you possibly know what my limits are?" Clutching his ribs and wincing, Go rolls onto his side. There's a pained groan from him as, in defiance of all reason, he gets back to his feet. "Do you think my body has anything... at all... to do with my limits?" His fist crashes into the dirt, kicking up a little cloud of dust as he forces himself back to his feet. "Krim Steinbelt couldn't bring himself to stop our father from hurting all of you. Instead, he left so that he could wash his hands of it..." Go coughs, nearly falling over from the strain put on his body. "I never knew all the things my father did to you. But he did... and not only did he not stop it, he still thinks killing you is the only option. Heart, I don't expect you to forgive me. But if you ever compare me to that man again..." "You'll find out just what my limits are. HENSHIN!" SIGNAL BIKE//SHIFT CAR - Dead Heat! Go mashes the Driver again. Mach breaks into a dead sprint, roaring at the top of his lungs as he spreads his arms to make a forward somersault. Springing into the air, he tucks his limbs in as red energy coalesces around him, turning faster and faster until his form is a crackling red blur. Like a lightning bolt, Mach streaks down the sky, an angry red dart making a beeline for Heart. At the last minute his leg extends, a brutal axe kick aimed at driving Heart downwards. Go rolls forward with the impact, springing forward to land behind him. On his feet once more, Go gets back on the offensive, making two rapid knee strikes and leaping into the air to try and finish it with a hammering elbow strike from above.
Ein	Gotou powers through his flurry with the Dive Beetle armor, a clearly leg based offensive armor with some heavier ribbing on the forearms that cause extra damage during swipes, but are awkward and - after being demoed once or twice in his opening combo - promptly discarded as weapons for a lot of kicks. The relative lack of focus on the hands makes Chaser's rising UPPAHcut extremely effective, sending the much more lightly armored Gotou and the Dive Beetle howling and popping in tandem. "Professor! Once the Clock Up winds down, the parameters drop substantially!" <"You'll have to time your bursts - there's only one left!"> Gotou twists in the air, the more space-typed thrusters firing up again like the flare of gossamer wings to skid him around Chase once more in a low-flying harassment. Up close, Chase can see the crack along the centerline of the suit, the chestplate featuring a hairline fracture and the chinpiece hanging loose from the earlier boosted punch: Without the armor, the Dive Beetle is quite weak to the meaty hits, and Gotou doesn't have the mastery of the agility-based system to compensate for the mismatch. Still, he's got extreme ground and air mobility thanks to being a space mobility kick type, and puts it to use dashing circles around Chase, reaching in to yank at his driver -- and fail to connect. Tumbling past, Gotou lashes out with a drifting kick aided by heel-boosters. "How have you already taken advantage of that Driver so quickly? We've had the same amount of time familiarizing ourselves!"
Dark Generals	"Oh..?" His chest hurt already -- his whole body was burning up. It was only natural, what he was doing was smelting him down from the inside out. Go rolls on the ground again, having been reverted back to his unarmored form for a second time. Heart stomps forward, and does not stop even as Go speaks his mind, and pours his own feelings out before him. It makes him mad. It makes him happy. It practically melts away whatever sense of reasoning he still had, as he witnesses Go force himself back to his feet and transform once again -- daring to use his own power against him once again. "Go Shijima.." he growls, low and tinny. Mach and Heart go at it again, trading blows. Heart's heavy fists and thickly armored knees and elbows are used to try and overwhelm Go's blistering offense. No one knew this power better than Heart himself, after all, and he knew that Go's power was going to peak before beginning to drop. As long as he outweathered Go's onslaught, then he would win. Or at least, that should have been what he was thinking about. But the feeling bubbling inside of him, like the metal beginning to melt and seep out of his chest cavity, it was staining his rationality. All he could think about was throwing himself against Go and having Go throw himself against Heart. Their knees meet and explode into sparks. Mach's elbow comes from above like a meteor and meets Heart's vambrace, causing another explosion of sparks. The Roidmude uses this opportunity to grapple with him a second time, pulling him close and exposing him to the bright beating core of his being. "Is this your limit? Is it mine? Ha....haaah....hrraaaaah...!!" Heart's breathing grew increasingly labored, and the turbulent energy within him simmered before violently expanding. His body was like a reactor melting down. And Go was trapped in it. It went without saying that if this continued, the both of them would die together, like this. In the heat and the pain is a hazy fugue where, even if only somewhat, the two tinge on some kind of understanding with eachother, closer than they've ever been before, even if not in a way most people would find acceptable. Medic certainly doesn't, having thrown Heart's coat at Brain so that she could take off towards the two. Brain lags behind her after recovering from his tangled mess on the ground. "Heart! Stop! Please, stop..!" "If you continue like that, you'll die too..!" Medic's teary cries and Brain's begging face manages to bring some level of clarity back to him. That's right. If I do this, my precious friends .. they'll cry. And at this range, the explosion would catch them, and the building too ... The dead zone begins receding, winding down. And Heart's body, accordingly, begins shrinking back down before resuming its human guise; what of it that it could, at any rate. Heart's body was covered in burns that exposed the truth, and oil leaked from nearly every orifice as he slumps against Go limply. There's another lull of dead silence before Medic moves to peel him off of their mutual foe, both Medic and Brain too busy fussing over Heart to think about finishing Go off while he's down.
Chase	The mad grab for the driver misses, but the follow up kick connects, crashing full speed into the back of the Grim Reaper. He stumbles forward a bit, taking one huge step forward to stop himself from falling as the force of the blow jostles the loosened armor plates completely off them, revealing a rather generic grey undersuit. "How?" The roidmude stands straight, turning to Gotou as he opens the greeble chute on his belt once again. "...I was told I was built for it." He's not sure if he still buys that, but there is something distantly nostalgic about this. As if he did this in a past life. But that's impossible. Slamming the driver chute closed once more, Chaser turns around to face Dive Beetle. HISSATSU! FULL THROTTLE! It's a one two punch combo, one energy wrapped fist aimed directly for Gotou's gut while the other swings downward against the back of his head, aiming to bring him straight down not into the ground but... Chaser's foot, as he quickly does a 360 to deliver a powerful RIDER KICK in an attempt to blow the Speedster aside.
Go Shijima	Die...? No...! Go collapses the moment Heart is pried from him. Good Work! "I'm sorry I'm not someone you can believe in, Heart," Go hoarsely utters, unable to move from his spot on the hard earth. "And, Medic, Brain... I'm sorry for pushing him so hard and making you worry." He swallows, his mouth dry, his skin covered in a sheen of sweat. His hoodie feels like it's a hundred extra pounds, in the heat. Just more words. It's no wonder he compared me to Krim. But... even if they don't expect forgiveness, family ought to apologize. Go reaches into his pocket, finds the keys for the Ride Macher, and hits the SOS function, calling the bike to his position. He can't get astride it. Not yet. He doesn't have the strength. So, Chase wants to be a Kamen Rider... now that Xion's helped me understand... he'll be getting more than just a driver.
Ein	Gotou, with his borrowed mothballed power armor, manages to come close to stopping the latest held-together form of Chase. Even if they're both held together on dreams and cut-down survival EVA in the event of Space Haters respectively, the raw energy in the room is not that of dream of the stars. It is the power of the thundering combustion engine. Still, Gotou bids for one final move. Out of Clock Up energy, Gotou retrieves his reserve Cell Medal, slotting it into the opened wings of the Dive Beetle Zecter and closing the wings. "Just a little more power..." The wrist brace surges, power transferring from the bracer to the speed-enhancer on his suit. But fumbling with his reserve medal from the undersuit is a whole lot of time to not be minding his opponent. It's not enough to have the theoretical power in the tank. You have to capitalize. He doesn't even get his duel, the arc of surging Core Drivia power snap spinning him out and sending him sprawling on the ground and the transformation blowing off of him messily, the Zecter-beetle clattering to the ground locked in its splayed-open/in-flight state. Gotou looks up, and then rolls onto his back. "Aahh... I'm going to be on cake duty for so long after this..." He laments, not even bothering to shift into talking at Chase. He's clearly won. Gotou has a ways to go before threating Mashin Chaser with a new driver. Last year's mothballs won't cut it.
Reliant	The door opens abruptly. Erika Satonaka enters with a tablet held in one hand, its screen facing out, and a gun held in the other. She's dressed like Trinity from The Matrix, and wears it well. The gun is obviously the weapon of a Kamen Rider, though she's not wearing a belt that corresponds with it. Whether that means anything, though, is unclear. A man in a dark business suit with a white shirt, yellow tie, and chef's apron is present on the monitor. "SPLENDID!" President Kougami exclaims, setting a frosting tube aside and clapping enthusiastically. "It's always a joy to see the clashing ambitions of Kamen Riders and their rivals! The passion and fury to move towards one's goal, no matter what-- I had heard of the Dead Zone before, but this is the first time I've been witness to it personally!" "There, you see Gotou? This is the sort of aspirational reaching fitting of a Kamen Rider!" Kougami adds, picking his frosting tube back up and gesticulating carelessly with it. Frosting lands on the camera. Satonaka turns the camera towards Gotou, who is almost definitely on the ground, and then back towards the room at large once Kougami is done speaking. "And Professor Henry--" Kougami carries on, clearly putting lettering on a cake. The specific name he uses is extremely deliberate. "Well done to conceal your new works for so long! But you should see them in the field soon. Very soon. It's only a matter of time before you meet Zi-O. Satonaka, see that these fellows are taken care of." Satonaka sets aside the tablet and chambers a round. "... Cared for, not eliminated," Kougami corrects, as the tablet goes blank. Satonaka empties the coin-shaped round, unfastens the cylindrical magazine, replaces the round, and returns it to her gun.
Chase	GOOD WORK! With Gotou debelted and showing no signs of getting back up, Chase debelts himself, the simplistic AI cheerily chiming in to let him know that, yes, he did do pretty good. Without the support of the suit, he loses his balance a bit, taking a few wobbly steps back until his body adjusts. He's tired, be it from forcing a transformation, or the fight itself, he's not certain... There's no time to really be concerned about it either, especially since they need to leave. Now. Chase gives the defeated Rider a quick glance over to make sure they're not in critical condition, before making his way towards Heart and the others. It does not take a genius to realize that the Roidmude leader needs to be carried, and since neither Brain or Medic are being useful... It falls to the Grim Reaper. Luckily, despite his short stature, he's able to easily muscle his way past the two crybabies. Grabbing hold of Heart, he wraps the leader's arms around his neck, and props them against their back before he attempts to just go.