Episode 6: Waterside Panic
Ardent City Museum of Art, a night guard was doing rounds shining his torch into the various rooms as he past them. He past one room with several gems and jewelry on display inside it. As his light passed over the walls and display cases, shadows began to twist towards the large case in the center of the room containing a golden necklace adorned by emeralds, sapphires and rubies with a giant round amethyst in the center.
The room was filled by a faint cackle as a ghostly figure emerged from the shadows. She wore a suit of light black armor with a white lining that split off into many vector arrows which ran up to her head and covered her eyes.
She phased her hand through the glass case surrounding the necklace and caressed it before finally picking it up from it's stand. She brought her hand out from the case along with the necklace.
“Finally,†She smirked, “the Eye of Luna is mine.â€
At that second, an alarm went off and red lights filled the room she stood in and the hallway outside.
“Well, I guess this memory can't do everything can it?†She proclaimed surveying the room around her, “guess I'll have to save admiring my new beauty until after I get out of here.â€
She floated over through the display case and though the back wall of the room and disappeared from sight as two guards entered the room.
“Stop, hands up where I can see 'em!†One barked pointing a stun gun into the room, “...Huh?†He added noticing the room was empty.
“Must've been tripped by something,†The another said as the first guard walked into the room and took a closer look.
“The Eye!†The first guard exclaimed noticing the empty case, “But... how?â€
The second guard scratched his head, “You don't think...?â€
“I was hoping I would never have to do this,†The first guard sighed, “Get the ACPD on the line, Special Operations Division .â€
“Yeah, I'm on it,†The second guard stated as he ran down the hall.
“My god...†The first guard said looking at the empty case, “what is this world coming to?â€
---
A photographer snapped a shot of the empty case. Marcoh and his team arrived at the scene a few hours ago and were searching the area for possible leads.
“So you were walking down the hall on your regular rounds and the artifact was in it's case, then you came back only a few seconds later and it was gone. Is that right?†Marcoh asked jotting down notes onto a pad of paper, “Hold on, I need to run this by the higher ups.â€
“Alright then, I'll leave you to it,†The guard said stepping back a bit.
Marcoh stepped into the hallway and switched on his radio, “Chief?â€
“Yes Marcoh, did you find any leads?†Sampson returned through the radio.
“No sir. Well, none except one,†Marcoh stated into his radio.
“and what might that be?†Sampson asked from the other end of the line.
“Do you honestly have to ask?†Marcoh said with snark to his voice, “It's clear that the culprit isn't a normal human.â€
“So, it's a Dopant then is it?†Sampson asked in tone that suggested that he already knew the answer.
“It appears so,†Marcoh returned, “You going to get the kid on this?â€
“Not yet, we have yet to locate the culprit,†Sampson explained, “We can't involve Alex until we have confirmation that it is a Dopant and have it cornered. Besides, he has a day off school today so let him enjoy while he can.â€
“I see. Alright then, we'll proceed with the investigation on this end,†Marcoh stated.
“Gotcha, check in when you uncover any new leads,†Sampson said shutting off his radio.
“Right, understood,†Marcoh return doing the same. He sighed “... This can't be legal.â€
{Insert Opening Credit Sequence}
Alex and Cole stood outside the entrance to the Ardent City water park. It was a work day, so there weren't many people there but it was still relatively busy.
Alex looked up at a big sign that read 'fun in the sun', he let out a loud moaning sound, “So... remind me again why you dragged me out here?â€
“We have the day off school today, and you don't get out very often,†Cole explained, smacking Alex on the head, “Besides, it's not like you had anything else to do anyway.â€
Alex looked at Cole and blinked, “They're showing Madoka Movie Two at Cineplex.â€
“No,†Cole returned.
“Oh, come on!†Alex barked.
“No way,†Cole returned, glaring at Alex, “Now come on, the others are waiting.â€
“Fine,†Alex pouted as the two began to walk inside, “... You sure you don't wanna-â€
“Do I have to Falcon Punch you out a window?†Cole growled.
Alex stood silent, “... I'll shut up now.â€
“Thank you,†Cole sighed.
---
Madison paced around by a bench, as if she were anticipating something and was loosing her patience, “Where are they? It should take them this long... right?â€
“Calm down Maddie, they'll be here,†A blacked haired girl dressed in a somewhat punkish get up stated, “Who did you invite anyway?â€
“Oh... no one really Ashley,†Madison returned, “Just, a friend... and his friend.â€
“Oooh?†Ash perked her head up, “So it's a guy?â€
“Shut up, it's not like that at all!†Madison barked as her face turned red, “It's just... we did have five tickets, and I just thought that it would ashame to let two of them go to waste.â€
“Calm down calm down, I was only kidding,†Ashley said trying to keep herself from laughing, “Though I would be interested to know who it is that has you in such a hot tizzy.â€
“Ashley!†Madison exclaimed.
“Kidding!†Ash chuckled, “But seriously, who did you invite?â€
“Let's see... oh there they are,†Madison stated as Cole and Alex walked into the building, “Hey Cole, over here!†She shouted waving over to the two.
Ashley blinked her eyes as she noticed Alex walking beside Cole, “Pfft HAHAHAHA!†She laughed uncontrollably as she fell of the bench, “Seriously, you invited the pathetic son of *****?â€
“Hey, that's not very nice,†Madison said in a scolding tone of voice.
“So? A loser like him deserves it,†Ash said getting back on her feet, “I can only imagine how-â€
“Hey Madison, what's up?†Cole asked as he and Alex walked up to the two girls, “and who might this be?â€
Madison gestured to Ash, “This is Ashle-â€
“Call me Ash,†Ashley, “Cole Desmond I take it. So, tell me, how do you two know each other?â€
“We're in the same art class,†Cole stated.
“Though we both kind of suck at it,†Madison said scratching the back of her head.
“Fascinating,†Ash said rolling her eyes, “and Alexis...that's your name, right?†She said glaring at Alex.
“Um... huh?†Alex tilted his head in confusion.
“Don't mind her. Guys, Ash is who I got the tickets from. I'm not sure how she could afford them, but it sure was nice of her to pick them up for us. Don't you think?â€
“Oh, so this was your idea?†Alex asked, “Well thank you, they must've been expensive. Also, my name is Alex, not Alexis. Nice to meet you Ash.†He said extending his hand to Ashley.
“Yeah sure thanks whatever,†Ash said batting Alex's hand away, “Seriously, what is taking her so long?â€
“Her?†Cole asked.
“Hang on!†A voice called out from behind the four.
“Wait a minute... that sounds like...†Alex thought as he turned around to see Sarah running up from behind him.
“I'm... back,†Sarah panted as she reached the group, “Sorry, there was a long line at the ticket booth.â€
“Wait I thought you already had the tickets?†Cole asked.
“We did, the booth was to turn them in for these wristbands that act as our passes,†Sarah said holding up the bands to the group, “Alright so that's one for Madison, Ash...†She said as passed out the bands, “Oh, hey Cole... Wait a minute,†Her eyes widened as she looked over to Alex.
The two starred at each other in an awkward silence for a good thirty seconds or so until Alex finally broke the silence with a hardy “...Hey.â€
Sarah sighed, “Crap damn it.â€
“Something wrong?†Madison asked.
“No, nothing's wrong,†Sarah said with a smirk, “We're here to have fun, so I'll leave my annoyances at school, where they belong,†Sarah said taking in a deep breathe, “Just behave yourself Alex.â€
“Right, yes ma'am!†He said with a salute and a hint of sarcasm.
“Kay, let's go in then,†Madison said trying to break the tension.
“Alright, sounds good,†Cole gestured as the group walked off to the changing area.
Ashley walked past the bench and went to pick up a black bag covered in silver spikes, “Here, let me get that for you,†Alex offered as grabbed the handle.
Ash grabbed Alex by the collar and pulled him in close until they stood face to face, “Listen, I'll only say this once so pay attention,†She whispered, “Stay out of my way until all this is over and no one has to get hurt... got that?â€
“Yeah got it,†Alex returned unsure of how to respond.
“Good,†Ashley pushed Alex away.
“Guys, hurry up!†Sarah shouted at the two.
“Coming!†Ashley said as she ran off to catch up to the others.
Alex rubbed his collar, “Was it, something I said? Or, what if†He thought, “Nah.â€
---
Back at the police station, Sampson was skimming through some case files when the phone began to ring.
“Sampson, Ardent City Police Department,†He said as he picked up the phone, “Uh huh, I see... are you sure about this?... Okay thanks, please call back if you have any more information on the matter.†He said as he hung up the phone only to pick it back up again and dial in another number.
---
Alex walked down the hall to the changing rooms as his cell phone began to ring.
“Hello?†He said as he answered the call.
“Alex, this is Sampson. We've just gotten some new information on a recent incident and we need you to confirm it,†Sampson explained from the other end of the line, “You remember that museum robbery that was reported the other night?â€
“You mean the person that stole that um... Ear of Yuno?... the necklace?†Alex asked to confirm.
“Eye of Luna, yes,†Sampson corrected him, “As I was saying, we may have learned the current location of the stolen artifact.â€
“Seriously, right now?†Alex asked, “I'm kind of busy at the moment.â€
“Don't worry, you just so happen to be in the suspected location,†Sampson stated, “So all you have to do is keep a look for any suspisous activity.â€
“Oh, I see... that's all?†Alex asked.
“Well, there is one more thing,†Sampson added, “Now this is only speculation but just keep it in mind as a possibly. It was reported that the Eye of Luna was stolen in a way that shouldn't be possible for a normal human.â€
“So, you're saying that the culprit might be...†Alex said.
“I'm afraid so,†Sampson said with a slight tremble in his voice.
“Alright, I'll look into it. Thanks for letting me know,†Alex he said as he closed his phone and dropped it into his pocket, “So another one has appeared... another Dopant.â€
{End of Part A}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
{Star of Part B}
Alex lay back in a big lounge chair by the side of the pool, “ keep a look for any suspicious activity,†he sighed, “that's easier said then done, after all...†He said looking around at the large crowd taking up the area, “There's so many people here that it could be anyone.â€
Alex sat up right and buried his face into the palms of his hands, “Man, just when I thought I could get a break from this...†He pressing his hands up against the sides of his head and began to press down hard on his skull, “Oh, WHY ME!â€
“'Why you' what?†A voice called out from behind him.
“Huh?†Alex turned to find Madison standing above him holding two bottles of pop in her hands, “Oh, it's you... Madeline was it?â€
“Madison,†She returned with a smile.
Alex turned around to face her, “Oh right, sorry.â€
“Don't worry about,†Madison said take a seat in the chair beside him.
“So... who's the second one for?†Alex asked pointing to one of the pop bottles.
“I thought you might be getting thirsty,†Madison said handy one of the bottles to Alex.
Alex sat quietly for a second.
“Oh, do you not like this kind?†Madison asked lowering her arm a bit pulling the bottle away from Alex, “Sorry, I didn't-â€
“No, it's fine,†Alex said grabbing the bottle from Madison's hand and cracking it open. He then downed about a third of it in a matter of seconds until stopping abruptly.
“Is something wrong?†Madison asked.
“No, I'm fine... although,†Alex began “there is one thing that's kind of bugging me.â€
“And... what might that be?†Madison asked closing the distance between her and Alex a bit.
“It's just...†Alex said, looking for the right words to say, “Well, you seem sane enough, so why are you hanging around those two whack jobs?â€
Madison giggled, “You're funny you know that? But honestly, I've been friends with Sarah and Ashle- I'm sorry, Ash since we were kids. Once you've been friends for that long, you don't really question why you are to begin with.â€
“My god, is this girl a fricking saint or something?†Alex thought to himself.
“Yep, we're inseparable. Like in Ninja Storm, I'd be Tori, Ash would be Dustin and Sarah Shane,†Madison babbled, “That would make you and Cole the thunder brothers, though I haven't figured out which is which yet.â€
Alex raised his hand and paused for a second before speaking, “Wait, what?â€
“Nothing, sorry I was just babbling,†Madison said seeming to be laughing the matter off.
“Okay then...†Alex said taking another sip of his pop.
Madison sat twiddling her thumbs in silence for a few minutes before finally speaking up, “Hey, um... If you don't me asking but... uh-â€
“Hey, Mad Pad!†Sarah yelled from within the walls of the pool.
“Oh, hold on a second!†Madison shouted back, “You coming in?†She asked Alex.
“Nah, I'm not much of a swimmer,†Alex replied with a small waving gesture of his hand.
“You sure?†Madison tilted her head.
“Yeah, I'm fine here,†Alex returned.
“Okay,†Madison said with a smile as she jumped to her feet. She ran towards the pool and jumped in with a cannon ball.
Alex scanned his eyes over the pool to where Cole, Sarah and Madison were.
Sarah splashed water into Madison's face and giggled a bit, Madison shouted at her a bit.
“Hey...†Alex said as if something was off, “Where is... wait, what was her name again?â€
---
“AH!†Madison screamed as she tripped onto Sarah.
“What, what's wrong?†Sarah asked trying to regain her balance.
“Something just rubbed up against my leg,†Madison explained.
“It was probably a little kid that bumped into by accident,†Sarah proclaimed pushing Madison off of her.
“No, it was kind of... slithery and scaly,†Madison stumbled, trying to find the right words.
“Uh, guys...†Cole said grabbing the girl's attention.
“What?†Sarah barked.
Cole pointed over to a cluster of bubbles that quickly formed into a whirlpool that began to grow at an alarming rate until it consumed nearly half of the pool area. The sound of whistles filled the air as swarms of people fled from the area.
As the patrons evacuated the park, the water began to shift into the form of a giant serpent and rise out of the pool. Out of all the people, it fixed it's gaze directly on Alex.
“My god,†Alex thought to himself as the serpent hist at him.
In one fell swoop, the serpent dove down to the floor and plowed through the crowd and swiped Alex of his feet.
“Damn it, I did not plan on, being eaten, today,†He said as the X Driver formed around his waist and pulled out the Blast and Diver memories out of his sweater pocket. He quickly placed the two memories into the appropriate slots on the device and split the slots apart.
“Blast! Diver!†The driver called out as the Blast Diver armor form around Alex. He began to swim to the front of the serpent that held him hostage. As he reached the head, he looked out the mouth to see that the image of a brick wall drawing closer.
“Oh crap,†Alex said as he and the beast rammed right through the wall and into a dimly lit hall on the other side.
“Ow... okay that hurt,†Alex grunted as he fell onto the ground as the serpent dispersed back into regular water.
“Well duh, that was point dumb ass,†A voice cackled as the water reformed into a black armour figured covered in vectors from head to tow.
“Yeah... I got that,†Alex stated as he forced himself to his feet, “You're that phantom thief dopant, I take it?â€
“Glad to hear the news is getting around,†the figure flaunted, “Rather glad to see my method of figuring you out worked.â€
“Wait, you knew who I was when you grabbed me?†Alex puzzled.
“Well, more or less,†the dopant stated, “I figured that the famous Kamen Rider wouldn't run from danger. So I decided to make a little danger to pick you out from the crowd. I was honestly surprised to find out you were a sad piece of ****, but that doesn't matter to me.â€
Alex fired off a single shot into the air, “You know, I really don't appreciate those who do nothing but insult me,†he said as he aimed his blaster towards the dopant, “especially when it's loathsome creatures like you.â€
---
Cole, Sarah and Madison took cover behind a foot high wall not far from the pool side.
Madison panted and surveyed the chaos, “Hey... where are Ash and Alex?â€
“They probably took shelter somewhere, I'm sure they're fine,†Cole stated.
Sarah balled her fists tight and gritted her teeth, “Come on... where are you?†She thought to herself.
“Sarah!†Cole exclaimed.
“What!†She barked. Cole and Madison blinked at her for a moment, “Uh... I mean... What is it?â€
“I just wanted to check to see you were okay,†Cole stated.
“Oh, yeah... I'm fine,†Sarah said awkwardly, trying to laugh the matter off.
---
Alex fired off multiple shots from his blaster at the dopant, it seeming to smiply be obsorbing everyone of them.
“You really are an idiot aren't you?†The dopant cackled, “No matter how many shots you fire, its never going to work.â€
“Alright then,†Alex said pulling out the Blast and Diver memories from his driver and replacing them with Blade and Kicker.
“Blade! Kicker!†The driver called out as the Blast Diver armour was swapped out for Blade Kicker and Alex's blaster reformed into his sword.
“How about we try this the old fashioned way!†Alex exclaimed as he charged at the dopant whilst swinging his blade at it.
His blade clashed with the dopants chest causing it to fly backwards.
“KYAH!†Alex shouted as he threw a jump kick at the dopant. The dopant just barely evaded the kick as the grieves on Alex's boots rammed into the wall behind the dopant.
“I'll admit, you've got skills boy,†the dopant smirked, “but you still ain't got enough.†At that moment the dopant flipped Alex off of his feet and hurled out the hole in the wall.
Alex plumetted to the ground below and smacked into the ground, his armor breaking on impact.
“Hey, there he is!†Madison exclaimed running out from behind the wall, Cole not far behind her.
Cole and Madison knelt over Alex “Hey, you alright?... Come on, say something anything!†Cole exclaimed shaking Alex to see if he was okay.
Alex coughed as his eyes opened, “Snakes... why did it have to be snakes, I hate snakes.â€
Cole fell back with a sigh of relief, “Oh thank god. You had me scarred half to death you idiot.â€
“Sorry about that,†Alex said sitting up right, “I'm fine though now,â€
“Okay, great now lets get out of here,†Sarah demanded finally reaching the three.
“Wait, what about Ashley?†Madison asked.
“She's probably already outside by now, so let's go!†Sarah said grabbing Madison by the arm and pulling her towards the exit.
“We should go too,†Cole stated.
Alex looked back to Cole, “Yeah, got it.â€
---
The four made their way out of the park as the sound of sirens filled the air.
“Nine one one is already here?†Alex asked raising an eyebrow, “That was fast.â€
“Darwin, can I speak with you for a second,†A voice called out as
Alex turned to face the source of the voice to find Marcoh standing not far from the four “Officer Marcoh?... Alright sure, what is it.â€
“Wait, you now a police officer?†Madison asked.
“Yeah, he's kind of my guardian,†Alex explained, “Excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back.â€
“This won't take too long,†Marcoh stated as he walked off with Alex.
“So this was caused by a dopant... is that correct?†Marcoh asked.
“Yeah, problem I couldn't figure out who it was,†Alex said hanging his head, “Sorry.â€
“That's alright, what matters is that you and your friends are safe,†Marcoh explained.
“I did manage to find out one thing though,†Alex proclaimed, “The culprit seemed to have a rather high voice, and they weren't that much taller they me.â€
“So you're saying that its a young woman, around your age I take it?†Marcoh asked.
“That's the just of it, yeah,†Alex returned.
“Alright, that's all I needed. We should be able to take it from here, you can go now kid,†Marcoh said jotting down the information he was just given on a note pad, “Oh... and I'd get changed before you catch a cold.â€
“Oh... right,†Alex said realizing that he was still in his wet swim clothes.
---
Cole, Sarah and Madison stood shivering by the side of the parking lot.
“Wish we could've grabbed our stuff, I'm freezing,†Madison exclaimed.
“Here you go Mad Pad,†Ashley said as she seemingly popped out of nowhere, “I managed to grabbed our stuff in the panic,†She explained handing Sarah and Madison their street clothes, “Even got you and the Darwin's stuff too.†She added handing Cole the rest of the bundle.
“Really? That's awesome!†Madison exclaimed.
“Come on, there's a spot behind the building where you two can get changed,†She said leading Sarah and Madison behind the complex.
---
Alex turned the corner a few minutes later to see Cole leaning against the wall already changed into his normal clothes.
“Oh, there you are,†Alex said in relief.
“How did things go with that police officer?†Cole asked.
“Alright I guess... Where are the girls?†Alex asked in return.
Cole tilted his head to the left, “changing.â€
“Oh, kay,†Alex returned, “You know this whole ordeal could've been avoided if we went to see Madoka instead.â€
“Oh shut up,†Cole said shaking his head with a smirk.
“No, I'm not shutting up. Madoka is awesome!†Alex shouted at the top of his lunges.
“Did you just say Madoka?... as in Madoka Magica?†Madison asked popping her head up from around the corner.
“Um... yeah?†Alex returned.
“Awesome!...Uh hold on a second,†Madison exclaimed in a panic. She went back behind the wall for about a minute and then charged up to Alex like a bull at out of the gate, “Another Madoka fan? That's awesome! Who'syourfavoritecharacter?What'syourfavoritesepisodeorepisodes?Arethereanycharactersthatyouhate?KyoukoandSayaka'sstorymademecry, IthinkHitomiisabitofbitchbutIguessithadapoint. AnywayI-â€
“Madison!†Alex shouted at her grabbing her by the shoulders to get her to shut up.
“Yes?†Madison asked blinking her eyes.
“Calm down,†Alex said calmly, “To answer your barrage of questions... For me it's Homura for my favorite character, episode ten is my favorite episode and yeah, Hitomi is a *****.â€
“Just out of curiosity, what made you bring up Madoka in the first place?†Madison asked.
“Well, I kind of got tickets to see the second movie tonight, but Cole doesn't want to go,†Alex explained, “I guess he's to traumatized from the first one.â€
“Wait, you have tickets for Eien no Monogatari?†Madison asked
“Well... yeah,†Alex said.
“and Cole doesn't want his?†Madison asked again.
“Yeah,†Alex confirmed.
“I see... so uh, could I... have the other one?†Madison asked as her face turned a bright red.
“Sure, might as well not let it go to waste,†Alex returned.
“AWESOME!†Madison shouted hugging Alex tight, “thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!†Madison said repeatedly giggling like an idiot as a few drops of water dripped onto her arm.
She immediately broke off from Alex, “Um... you should get changed first.â€
Alex chuckled, “Right.â€
To Be Continued
{Insert Ending Credit Sequence}
