FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Hey, let's TRY TO-GE-THER! TRY TO-GE-THER! Zet-tai! Zet-tai!"

"Wakiagaru omoi atsumeteeeeeeeeeee!"

Two furs were singing merrily in their car as they drove down the streets of Jinsoku City. An African dog who went by the name of Penny, and the lion behind the wheel named Dr. Kagami. Being in one of the more quiet areas, their voices were echoing through the air loud and clear.

"Kanarazu WE CAN DO IT! WE CAN DO IT! Rensen! Renshou!"

"Kono chance nogasenai kara!"

"TRYYYYY! TRYYYY! TRYYYYY!"

"Sing it, Doc!"

"WO OH OH-OH, WO OH OH-OH! WO OH OH-OH, WO OH OH-OH! WO OH OH-OH, WO OH OH-OH!" The two of them had to let the radio finish off for them as they devolved into hysterical laughter. By the time they settled down, Dr. Kagami had already rolled into a parking lot.

The spotty canine let out a sigh before saying, "Thanks for driving me around, by the way. I would've been so lost if you hadn't."

"Oh no worries," he replied with a dismissive wave, "It's my pleasure. Besides, it's the least I could do after you let me tag along to a trip to Japan. I mean, I do have work I need to do here, more DNA samples to collect while I'm here, but it's also just nice to be back in my home country."

"Oh that's right; you grew up in America, but your folks were from here, huh?"

"Yep," he answered with a nod, "I've never been to Jinsoku City either, so I also got a kick out of our little sight-seeing trip."

"Heh, glad we both could get something out of this little business trip of mine," Penny propped her elbow up against the window of the car, "Though I'm admittedly a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see the famous hero of the city at all. What's his name again? The one that rides around on a motorcycle?"

"You mean Kamen Rider Zero?"

Penny snapped her fingers and shot finger-guns at the feline. "Bingo."

Dr. Kagami chuffed. "Let's be thankful he didn't need to come out in the first place. You know he only shows up whenever those Dopant things show up, right?"

"I know, I know," Penny waved her paw at him dismissively, "but who wouldn't want to see a superhero in action?"

"I wouldn't if it meant having to run from literal monsters."

"Fair enough," Penny groaned before softly punching Dr. Kagami's shoulder, "Guess I'll just have to settle for this superhero."

"Oh I'm so flattered," he rolled his eyes, "I'm glad the powers I stumbled into creating earns me the spot of a consolation prize."

"Oh hush you cranky old cat," Penny laughed with a playful shove, "How do you even stumble across making a literal transformation device anyways? You were just trying to replicate DNA, right? How do you go from that to superpowers?"

"It's a lot like life, honestly," he sat back in his seat and held up his paws, as if to proclaim something grandeur, "It was a series of happy little accidents that somehow turned out alright."

A chortle left Penny's muzzle. "Alright calm down, Socrates. Save it for lecture."

"Ha ha." Dr. Kagami took another soft punch to the shoulder for that before she unbuckled and stepped out of the vehicle. As he did the same, he caught sight of another fur approaching them. Penny had on a bright smile as she walked up to meet him.

"Kirihiko!" she greeted him with open arms.

"Penny!" the Bengal cat returned her greeting with a friendly hug, "Welcome to Jinsoku City! I hope you enjoyed your time here thus far!"

"Oh absolutely!" Penny stepped away with a happy bounce, "We even got to see the famous windmill up close! I can't believe how massive it is. Oh-oh right!" She stopped to gesture towards her other feline companion, "Let me introduce you to Dr. Kagami. Doc, this is my good friend, Kirihiko Kimisawa. He's in the trade business like me."

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Kimisawa," he greeted him with a bow, soon after being offered one in return.

"Very nice to meet you, Dr. Kagami. I've heard a lot about you; your research on CRISPR has led to thousands of lives being saved. It's an honor to meet you."

"Oh you're too kind," the lion laughed nervously, "Really, I'm just doing what I can--"

"Ahem," Penny cleared her throat, "Not to break this up or anything, but can we maybe get back to why we're here?"

"Oh, yes, of course. My apologies." The Bengal cat reached into his back pocket to pull out a slip of folded-up paper. He handed it to her and said, "Here you go. Everything you need to know should be written down on that."

"Thank you so much, Kirihiko," she accepted the offered paper with a bow, "I owe you for this bigtime."

"Oh please don't worry about it," he waved his paws, "I know business hasn't been going great for you, so I couldn't possibly take an offer like this myself. You need it more than I do. Oh, and sorry that you had to go out of your way to receive these instructions. They made it very clear to me that they do not want me to distribute this information electronically."

"No, it's alright," Penny shook her head, looking down at the paper with an eager grin, "if the goods are as promising as you say they are, then it'll all be worth it in the end."

"My fingers are crossed," Kirihiko smiled at the two of them and bowed one last time, "Best of luck to you, Penny. And I hope you two enjoy your time in Japan."

"We sure will! Thank you again, Kirihiko. Take care!" Penny happily returned his bow before he made his way back to his car. Penny looked down at the paper again and bounced on her heels a little. "C'mon Doc; let's go make some bank!"

***

Following the instructions written on the paper, Dr. Kagami drove them to a district even quieter than the last. It made sense, given how many destroyed buildings they were driving past. An uneasy feeling settled deep within the lion every time they passed one. "Man..." he spoke up, "these guys really don't want anyone else to know about this meeting, huh?"

"No kidding. I wouldn't even think this part of the city was _accessible_to the public. It's basically a ghost town here. There isn't even any reception here." She pocketed her phone. "But...I guess if it keeps the people out..."

The lion glanced at her through the rear-view mirror. "You really want this deal to happen, huh?"

"...Yeah," Penny sighed, slumping in her seat, "Pockets have been runnin a little light, so this slow period has been hittin me pretty hard to say the least."

"You know I'm always here to help."

The spotty canine cracked a smile. "That's very sweet of you, Doc, but I couldn't do that to you. Not after you already helped out with my mom's surgery."

"I really don't mind. I make enough to take care of myself and then some."

"I know, I know..." she nudged the side of his arm with an elbow, "Listen; don't worry about me too much, alright? Once this deal goes through, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. Pun intended."

Dr. Kagami chuffed. "And you call me out whenever I make that kind of joke."

"It's cuz your jokes aren't jokes!" she laughed, "You can't just name something another thing and expect people to laugh!"

"Well it makes me laugh!"

"And there's your problem!" The two of them devolved into too much laughter to be able to continue the conversation. They had already arrived at their destination by the time they caught their breaths; a very mundane looking office building with two floors. After parking and presenting the paper to the man in front, the two of them were taken in for a brief inspection and guided deep inside the building into one of the offices.

"And now we wait," sighed Penny as she plopped herself down on one of the couches.

"Mr. Watanabe will be with you shortly," one of the staff members informed the two of them before stepping away and leaving them to their own devices. As. Dr. Kagami settled in, he noticed Penny eagerly bouncing her knee.

"You really gotta calm down," he said, "It'll be hard to give off a professional first impression like that."

"I know, I know." Even as her knee stopped bouncing, her tail couldn't stop wagging. "I'm just really excited for this. Kirihiko said this product is supposed to be really promising, whatever it is."

"Does he even know what it is?"

"Well...no," Penny's ears lowered, "neither of us are allowed to know until we actually see it in person, but he's heard from outside sources that the company we're dealing with is legitimate. Even has backing from higher-up companies here in Japan."

Dr. Kagami nodded thoughtfully. "Impressive."

"I'd certainly like to believe so, yes," came a new voice, startling the other two furs. When they turned to look, a well-dressed timber wolf with a bright smile on his face was standing at the entrance to the office. Penny and Dr. Kagami rose from their seats, with the former walking up to meet the dapper canine. He offered her his paw as he introduced himself, saying, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Daiki Watanabe, and I will have the pleasure of doing business with you today."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Penny replied with a bit of a blush, accepting the offered handshake. Both furs bowed to each other as they shook paws. "My name is Penny Smiths, and this is my good friend Dr. Kagami."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the lion said with a bow of his own. Daiki smiled at him and returned his bow.

"Interested in the merchandise now, are we?" he laughed, "Are you perhaps looking to reserve the first orders from your friend here?" This earned a hearty laugh from the doctor.

"I wasn't at first, but now that you mention it, that sounds like a great idea!" The room erupted with laughter at that. With a satisfied clap of his paws, Daiki sat down on the opposite couch and motioned for them to sit as well.

"Now before we get started, I would like to apologize for the amount of secrecy we've held throughout this deal. You see, our company has fallen under a recent controversy, so we must be selective in who we reach out to. I hope you understand."

"Oh don't worry, I do," Penny replied with a dismissive wave, "I mean we all have our reasons, right?"

"Quite," Daiki nodded with a smile, "Well regardless, I think you'll find that it was worth the wait." He then snapped his fingers at the door. "Bring in the goods, please." The staff member waiting at attention nodded and excused himself. "You're going to love them, I promise you. These products are second to none in what they offer, mostly because there is no other product on the market like them."

"What exactly do they offer, if I may ask?" said Penny with a curious tilt of her head.

"I suppose...supplements are the best way to describe them. Depending on the specific variation used, you can improve your performance on any skill you may have a deficiency in. Problem solving skills, acrobatic ability, physical shortcomings, you name it! We have one for every occasion."

"Wow," Penny gasped with her eyes wide, "They sound amazing. Are there any drawbacks to using them?"

A large smirk was spread across Daiki's muzzle as he shook his head. "None that are worthy of note. And even if there were, the effects are 100% reversible. You have nothing to worry about." The wolf's smirk seemed to be infectious, as now even Penny had one on.

"This...this is incredible. I can't believe these haven't been making the rounds around the world. And now I get to be at the forefront of its distribution! Isn't this great, Doc?!" When she looked over to him, the bright smile on her face faltered slightly. The lion had on a very stern expression on his face. "...Doc?"

"Huh?" he jolted a bit and looked over to her, "Uh, yeah, it's great... Sorry, my mind trailed off somewhere else." Penny nodded in understanding before continuing her conversation with Daiki. But at this point, the doctor was only half listening. He'd had a bad feeling about this whole ordeal ever since entering the abandoned district of the city, but hearing about these products and what they were capable of wasn't sitting well with him in the slightest.

"Ah, and here they are." Daiki stood up to accept the suitcase brought in by one of the staff members. He bowed in thanks before bringing it over to the table between him and Penny and carefully set it down. As he input the code on its lock, he said, "Now it's time you feast your eyes upon the fruit of The Earth's Tree." With that, he opened up the case and turned it around to present the contents inside to the two of them.

And their hearts dropped.

Inside, placed neatly in carefully cut foam pockets, were small USB memory sticks, each with a distinctive color and a decorative letter printed across the front. Daiki delicately picked one out of its foam pocket and presented it to the two of them. "This is what we call a Gaia Memory. Despite their appearance, their application is entirely natural. It's done by simply pressing the head of the Memory against your skin. The device will safely and painlessly enter your body and instill its effects into your system. And as I said, the effects are reversible. Simply by willing it out, the Memory will exit your body without any notable harm." With a bright smile, Daiki placed the Memory back into its foam pocket looked to Penny. "Well? What do you think?"

That bright smile of his faded once he noticed all of the enthusiasm had suddenly vanished from the spotted canine. Slowly, she looked up from the open case and said, "Please tell me this is some kind of joke."

A concerned look began to cross Daiki's face. "I'm...afraid I don't follow."

"Are you KIDDING ME!" Penny snarled, looking down at the case in disgust, "Do you think I'm an IDIOT?! I know exactly what those things are! They're those things people use to become monsters! The Dopants!"

A disappointed sigh left the wolf's muzzle. "Just what I was afraid of. Look, we may have fallen under a bit of controversy--"

"Controversy?!" Penny barked, "You call a terrorist attack controversy?!"

"The events of Day Zero were nothing but a fluke. If anything, it should have served as a compelling reason to invest in our co--"

"Excuse me?!" Dr. Kagami cut in this time, "Day Zero was a tragedy that should never have come to pass! Hundreds of good people lost their lives because of that! For god's sake, we're even standing in the very district it took place in!"

"Look I know, I know," Daiki held his paws up defensively, "It looks bad, but trust me when I say that this investment is worth your while. One way or another, people around the world are going to get their hands on devices like these. It's only in my company's best interest that these be put in the hands of consumers so that they can better defend themselves when the time comes."

Penny shook her head firmly, "I'm not contributing to the spread of these things. I feel stupid for even getting this far."

"Listen, I'm willing to pay extra compensation should you decide to strike this deal with us. How about it?"

"FORGET IT." She smacked the case closed and shoved it back towards the shady businessman, staking a step back from it in disgust.

"The lady said no," Dr. Kagami spoke darkly, "I suggest you listen."

Daiki looked back and forth between the two furs, a solemn look on his face. With one last long, disappointed sigh, he locked the suitcase and picked it up as he stood. "Well, that is quite the shame. I was truly hoping we would be able to work something out. But I suppose it can't be helped." He gave Penny one last look, but by this point, she was unwilling to look him in the eyes. He shook his head as he began to walk towards the door.

And stopped.

"...Unfortunately," he began, handing the case off to one of the staff members, "now that you've seen our faces, and now that you know what it is we're dealing with..." He held something up in his paw; a red and black device. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave this place alive." He turned back around and slapped the device onto his waist, causing a silvery belt to snake around his form and secure itself onto him. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Gaia Memory of his own, striking its button with his finger.

TRIGGER!

"Henshin," he declared before thrusting the Memory into the red and black belt buckle. Both devices reacted violently, and a powerful light erupted from the wolf's body. Dr. Kagami shoved Penny back as the light intensified.

TRIGGER!

When the light faded, the two furs were able to look upon Daiki's new form. From head to toe, he was covered in thick, segmented, carapace-like armor. His lower half was as black as the night's sky, and his upper half was a deathly pale shade of blue. His muzzle seemed to have melt away, allowing his head to be encased in a large helmet with two bright red insectoid eyes. A dark, tattered cloak wrapped around his torso, a beret topped off his helmet, and adorning his forehead was a 'W' shaped crest. He reached down and drew out one of the two pistols holstered in his belt. "No hard feelings; it's just business."

Right as he took aim, Dr. Kagami kicked the table hard, flinging it at the armored wolf. He let out a surprised grunt as the table struck his arm and shattered against him. He let out an irritated hiss. "Come now, was that really necessary?"

R-N-ASSAY!

LION!

"Huh?" Lowering his arm, Daiki took notice of the doctor's new accessory; a sleek black belt with a hexagonal buckle at the front. Dr. Kagami was standing with his left paw hovering over it, and his right arm crossed in front of his chest.

"Henshin!" he shouted before striking the buckle.

R-N-ASSIMILATION!

Daiki shielded his eyes from the bright light erupting off of him. Once it was gone, a much different version of Dr. Kagami stood before him. A sleek suit had enveloped his body, and thick, black scales wrapped around his legs, arms and torso. His mane had turned white, and a proud crest adorned the helmet encasing his head.

"Well, well, well," said Daiki, spinning his pistol around his index finger, "it would seem that there is some competition in the market for us! Guess I'll have to do something about that." He stopped spinning and took aim at Penny. Right before he pulled the trigger, Dr. Kagami threw himself in front of her and spread his arms wide. He cried out in pain as a cascade of bullets exploded against his back. His legs wobbled as smoke rose from his body.

"DOC!"

"Not now," he croaked, shaking his head firmly, "It's time to run!" At that, he let out a roar and kicked the wall of the office as hard as he could. The resulting force obliterated that part of the wall, creating an opening to the other office. "GO! I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!" He then let out a rallying roar and threw himself at the armored gunman, clawing at him with unmatched ferocity. Penny bounced on her heels a bit before rushing through the newly created opening.

She yelped as a group of henchmen dove at her right as she emerged. She socked one straight in the muzzle and shoved the others out of the way before rushing out of the office door. She stumbled to a halt as a new group filed in and blocked off her path. She balled up her fists and squared up, ready to face off. That's when they all reached into their pockets and pulled out some very familiar looking devices; more Gaia Memories.

MASQUERADE!

Each of the goons tilted their heads to the side and plugged their Memories into their necks. The device sunk deep into their flesh before their bodies began to transform, wrapping them in a suit and tie not unlike Daiki's initial outfit. Their heads, now as deep black as their suits, were adorned with rib-like-bones warped in the shape of a mask. Penny snarled to herself as the newly formed Dopants came at her all at once. She bounced back and forth on her feet as she swung at them as hard as she could, plowing her fists into the sides of their faces whenever she could. One of them caught her off guard and kneed her hard in the stomach. She coughed out as she was flung into the back wall of the office. Paper and boxes flew out as she landed in a heap.

"Damn, he wasn't kidding," she groaned, spitting on the floor, "These things pack a punch." The canine slammed her fist against the floor before flinging herself back up and charging at them all.

Daiki grunted as his back slammed against the back wall, with Dr. Kagami's claws digging into his shoulders. "Not bad," the wolf taunted, "So is this why you came along? Wanted to scope out your competitors?"

"Sorry, but I'm a scientist," he growled back, "I'm not in it for the money!" This got a laugh out of Daiki.

"Well, could'a fooled ME!" Bullets exploded against the lion's chest armor, blowing him off of his feet. He crashed through a nearby office's window and flattened a table beneath his weight, flinging more papers into the air. As he clawed back up to his feet, more bullets shot past him and exploded against the various office supplies surrounding him. He shielded his face with a gauntlet as he dove for cover. "Looking for a game of cat and mouse, then?!" Daiki taunted, reaching for the back of his belt, "Because _regardless_of whatever mouse hole you crawl into, I'll always hunt you down." He pulled out a yellow Memory and slotted it into the handle of one of his guns.

LUNA!

"Mark my words." Daiki swung his arm and pulled the trigger, lobbing out a bright, shining orb that sailed through the air and curved right into Dr. Kagami's hiding spot. The lion cried out as he was blown off his feet again and landed right in front of the armored marksman. But he wasn't down for long. Right as Daiki took aim, his foot shot forward and kicked the gun right out of his paws. He then boosted himself up and delivered a hard kick directly into Daiki's chest, flinging him into the back wall. Dr. Kagami took that chance to run down the hall. The wolf groaned and raised his other gun, firing off shot after shot, each only barely missing the mark. "After them!!!" He then picked himself off the ground, grabbed his other gun and chased after him.

Stars filled a Dopant's eyes as Penny joined her fists together and swung them against his head. She shook off the dull pain riddling them as he toppled over like a ton of bricks. She spun around and prepared to slug the ones still chasing after her, only to see the wild beast that was Dr. Kagami pouncing on their shoulders and clawing into them. Once the last one went down, the lion slapped her on the back and urged her forward. "When we get to the car, you drive!" he shouted at her, making sure she was taking the lead, "I'll make sure none of them can--" He cried out in pain as an orb of light exploded against his back.

"DOC!"

"I'm FINE! Keep running!" The lion didn't need to repeat himself. She continued running even as Dr. Kagami began to lag behind. When another gunshot rang out, he whirled around and swept his bladed tail outwards. The fired orb was knocked right back to Daiki, who shielded himself from its blast with his cloak.

"There's the exit!" Penny shouted after plowing her fist into another Dopant's face, "Come on! We're almost out!" Just as she said that, she saw another swarm of Dopants file in from the other side of the door.

"Don't slow down!" Dr. Kagami shouted, "We can ram right through them!"

"You sure?!"

R-N-ATTACK!

"Bit too late to back down now! Let's GO!!!" The two of them let out rallying battle cries as they ran as hard as their legs would allow. The instant they made contact with the crowd, Dopants exploded out of the building like giant bowling pins in the middle of a strike. Penny resisted the urge to stop and high-five the lion as she once again took the lead. Dr. Kagami's claws ripped and tore through any of the Dopants still coming after them, before rushing to catch back up to the spotty canine.

Daiki had to leap over piles of unconscious bodies as he emerged from the building. A harsh snarl left his throat the second he saw the two of them scrambling to get into the car. He yanked out the Memory in his belt and shoved it into his other gun's slot.

TRIGGER: MAXIMUM DRIVE!

The crest on his forehead snapped open to reveal a large, red reticle. Crosshairs expanded and aligned in his eyes as he took aim at the vehicle. Pillars of light were being drawn into the barrels of his guns, causing the ground beneath him to tremble. "Pleasure doing business with you," he muttered before pulling the triggers. Massive orbs of light erupted from his guns and rocketed towards the speeding vehicle. It swerved left and right, but the orbs remained on its trail. Daiki couldn't help but smile beneath the mask. He spun his pistols around his fingers, and right as the orbs exploded, he holstered them both.

He was about to turn away, satisfied with a job well done. But through the smoke and flames, he realized he could still see movement. His smile faded once the smoke cleared. The car was still very much intact, and standing on its roof was Dr. Kagami, his arm held out to the side. Another growl rumbled in Daiki's chest. As his goons picked themselves back up, one of them tried to run after the speeding vehicle. "No," Daiki declared, holding up a paw, "let them go. Running won't do them any good anyhow, not with what's coming to this city." He then circled his fingers in the air and stepped back into the building. "Come on; gather everyone up. We need to get out of here while we still can..."

*********

The lion groaned as he eased himself inside of the car. "You alright?!" Penny asked him, her eyes darting back and forth between the road and the rearview mirrors.

"Yep, I'm good," he answered through clenched teeth, "Just a bit sore. I'll be fine." He then reached down and yanked something out of his belt. As his armor fizzled away, he brought the object he'd pulled out closer to his face. It was a large tooth, and a very old one in fact. He turned it this way and that, examining the many holes that had formed throughout its structure. "This isn't going to last," he muttered to himself, "We're lucky my armor held out for so long; it could've faded away at any moment."

"Good thing we made it out then," Penny sighed, continuing to eye the rearview mirror, "All we have to do now is get the hell outta Dodge."

"I'm gonna call up the authorities first and report what we saw" the lion said as he pocketed the tooth and pulled out his phone, "We should be far enough away to have signal again." His suspicions were confirmed as soon as he switched the device on. He moved his thumb over the unlock button, only for an alert to pop up on the screen. He furrowed his brow. "What the..." He clicked on it without even thinking, and automatically, a news broadcast was brought up.

"-rrently under attack! The entire city has been forced into lockdown. Citizens are being asked to seek out shelter as soon as they can!"

Penny's ear perked. "What?!"

"For those of you just tuning in, the city of Jinsoku has fallen under siege by a group known as the Crusaders! Their Dopants are currently swarming the city and kidnapping civilians. Everyone is advised to seek out shelter and stay indoors. The response team Amnesia is currently fighting against them, but they are severely overwhelmed. I repeat, the city is under attack!"

"Is this for real?" Dr. Kagami asked more to himself than anything. He stared down at the phone, listening to the reporter repeat herself over and over again. This, along with the car, came to a sudden and abrupt halt when Penny suddenly slammed the breaks. "What's wrong?!"

The canine thrust a finger forward. "THAT! THAT is what's wrong!" After following her finger with his eyes, all of the blood drained from Dr. Kagami's face. The road was filled with hundreds of knight-like Dopants. The dark garb they wore was decorated with a large, purple cross. They wore metal boots and gauntlets, and a very medieval looking helmet. Each and every one of them wielded a sword, ones they brandished readily as they began to rush towards the car. Frantically, Penny put the vehicle in reverse and slammed her foot on the pedal. As she raced away, the road blockers chased after them swinging their swords over their heads and whooping tauntingly. "You've gotta be KIDDING ME!"

Both furs slammed the back of their heads against their headrests as the car crashed against one of the knights, who had their foot planted firmly inside of the trunk of the vehicle. Panic immediately set in as the knights swarmed around them and tore the doors right out of their hinges.

R-N-ASSAY!

LION!

As Penny slugged the attackers in the face as many times as she could manage, Dr. Kagami led with a swift kick to the chest and a loud cry, "HENSHIN!" before striking a button on his belt.

R-N-ASSIMILATION!

In a flash, his armor was back on, and he leapt into battle. He immediately pounced upon the closest knight to him and used him as leverage to vault over the car. Penny landed one last hook on one of her attackers before Dr. Kagami landed on him and knocked him out entirely. "Still 'settling' for me now?" he quipped right before parrying a sword swing with his claws.

"Get us out of this mess alive! Then we'll talk!" Penny shouted back after delivering a hard kick to the gut to another Dopant. When that one doubled over, she grabbed his arm and yanked his sword out of his grasp and swung it against him. He flew backwards and knocked over a bunch of his allies, providing Dr. Kagami the space he needed to grab Penny and leap over the crowd.

"Book it!" he shouted as soon as they landed. They ran as fast as they could down the street with an entire army of Dopants chasing after them.

"'Let's go to Japan,' I said!" Penny growled, "'It'll be loads of fun,' I said! 'It's the deal of a lifetime,' I said!" She stopped running for a moment to hurl the sword back at the crowd, slowing a bunch of them down in their effort to avoid getting impaled. "Gotta LOVE hindsight!"

"Penny! Cover your ears!" This time, Dr. Kagami screeched to a halt to turn around. Once Penny clamped her paws over her ears, the lion drew in a deep breath and blasted the incoming crowd with a savage roar. A shockwave of pure sound swept out from his mouth, shattering nearby windows along with the eardrums of many a Dopant. "Now's our chance! Let's go!"

"What?!" Penny shouted back, her ears still covered and her eyes tightly shut. The lion huffed and shoved her forward, prompting her to go back on the run again. With the Dopant crowd still cripplingly disoriented, the two of them made a safe getaway and hid in a dark, abandoned alleyway. They flattened themselves as much as they could against the wall as they watched the army run past them in hopes of finding them.

"Okay, we should be safe for now," Dr. Kagami sighed in relief, "I don't know how much time that bought us though, so we need to plan fast."

"Well we certainly can't stay here, that's for damn sure. If we do, Daiki's goons might try to hunt us down." Penny furrowed her brow and chewed on a finger. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she grabbed her phone. "I'll try to call Kirihiko. Maybe he knows a way out of here." The two of them jolted as a loud scream cut through the air, shortly followed by the sounds of shattering and banging.

"Shoot, that sounded close," Dr. Kagami growled, "Wait, didn't they say those guys were abducting people?!" After another shriek, the lion's feet moved on their own. He bolted out of the alleyway in time to see a small group of furs running for their lives with a swarm of Dopant knights coming after them. Dr. Kagami lowered himself to all fours as he bounded towards them at top speed. Seeing this made the furs seem to hesitate on whether to keep running towards him or not. Unable to decide, they stopped in the middle of the road and bunched up together to shield themselves from what was to come. Dr. Kagami took that chance to leap into the air and soar right over them.

He crashed right into the Dopant army and clawed away, sparks dancing with metal clashing. As he kept them at bay, Penny ran up to the terrified furs and caught their attention. "Everyone alright?!" she shouted over the chaos, prompting them to open up from their huddle. This let her take notice of one of them clutching a fresh wound. She growled and shouted, "Follow me! We gotta get out of here while we can!" Everyone stayed close as the spotted canine led them all away from the increasingly chaotic battle scene.

Dr. Kagami swerved away from a lunge and grabbed onto the offending arm. As he held on, he felt sparks dance across his body. Damn, he thought, this form's about to fail. Better finish this quick! With a roar, he hauled the Dopant off of his feet and flung him at his allies, knocking them over like dominos. One of them tried to swing at his back and was parried by the bladed end of his tail. In the next instant, the lion grabbed onto the attacker's face and leapt into the air again, using the Dopant as a pole to swing around as he bicycle-kicked the others in a furious arc. It was brought to an end once the Dopant toppled over. Upon landing, Dr. Kagami struck the left side of his buckle.

R-N-ATTACK!

The lion threw himself into a mad spin and swung his arms wide, slicing hard enough to cut the air itself. The resulting shockwave tore through the Dopants and tore up the concrete beneath them, causing them all to combust in a brilliant display. When the smoke cleared, a single fur collapsed to the ground unconscious, and a Memory snaked out of his neck and clattered onto the ground.

"Just one? Did he make copies of himself?" Dr. Kagami asked himself aloud, standing up and picking the Memory off of the ground. He brought it closer to his face and examined the name printed below the large C on the front. "'Crusade'. Ah, that's right; the report said they called themselves the Crusaders." With a growl, he crushed the device in his claws and tossed the remnants aside. He then took one last look at the unconscious fur before running off.

"Just keep a tight grip on it, okay?" Penny instructed, carefully removing her paws once the injured fur had his on tight. The canine's ears twitched at the sounds of footsteps, and she instantly shot up and raised her fists up. She relaxed as soon as a familiar poofy mane came into view. "Took ya long enough, Doc. We've got a patient here for you."

"What's the situation?" he asked, quickening his step and adjusting his coat. Penny stepped aside to grant him the room he needed.

"Slash wound on the arm. Was bleeding pretty badly, but we managed to control it."

"Seems to be mostly superficial," the lion commented as he tore off the sleeve of his coat. He carefully tied it tightly around the wound before giving the fur a reassuring look. "You're gonna be okay. Just make sure you keep pressure on it and don't move it around too much."

"Thank you so much, sir."

"Papa!" Before Dr. Kagami could step aside, a small pup ran up to his father and hugged him tightly. He laughed before embracing his child.

"You have our gratitude," a female canine thanked him, the mother he presumed, "Without your guys' help, we would've been taken away for sure."

"We're happy to help," Dr. Kagami bowed whilst Penny offered a thumbs up. He then looked to the other furs and asked, "Does anyone else need any help?" The next few minutes were spent with him tending to everyone's needs, and Penny popping her head out the doorway of the building they were hidden in. Once he was done, he walked up to her and tapped her lightly on the side of the arm. "How about you? Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered with a dismissive wave, "I mean...what I thought was going to be my big break ended up being something out of the black market...but other than that, I'm fine."

"That doesn't sound fine..."

"Yeah..." Penny sighed and shrugged, "but what can you do, y'know?"

Dr. Kagami frowned and leaned against the other side of the door frame. "Hey, everything's gonna be alright. I know things are rough right now--"

"That's a bit of an understatement."

"I know, but...I meant before this whole lockdown thing."

"Oh..." Penny's ears flattened, "yeah..."

"But I know things are going to work out. I'd like to believe that I know you pretty well, and you've gotten yourself out of worse situations. Even in the bleakest of darkness, there's always a light to be found. You're a tough gal, Penny Smiths. I know you've got it in you to find a way to turn things around."

A warm smile spread across the spotty canine's muzzle. She shook her head as she said, "Man, I hate it when you get all sappy... Thanks, Doc." When the lion offered her a thumbs up, she rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Okay, we can save the crying and hugging part for later. Right now we need to come up with a plan to get out of here." She turned to the other furs huddled in the building. "Any of you know a way out of this city?"

Many of them looked amongst each other with confusion plastered all over their places. "You mean, you're not going to help drive those invaders out?"

"Sorry," Dr. Kagami stepped forward with a shake of his head, "This is a job for the professionals. If I try to help, I might just end up making things more complicated if things go wrong. The best I can do right now is help those I come across. If you guys don't plan on leaving, here is a safe place for now. But you guys should be prepared to move if things change."

"Actually, we know a way out," the same injured canine from before stepped forward, soon joined by his wife and son, "There's an old, abandoned subway tunnel that was closed off following the events of Day Zero. It's no longer stable enough to handle subway cars coming in and out, but it's still entirely accessible to anyone just walking through. We were actually on our way there when you found us, but the Crusaders caught us before we could get there."

"That's perfect!" Penny exclaimed with an enthusiastic punch to her palm. She then looked to the others and said, "Anyone want to come with? Probably better than hanging around here." The others looked amongst themselves again and muttered to each other. Eventually, all of them stood and nodded in agreement. "Great! Then pack your bags, folks. We're headin' out--"

"W-wait," one of them stepped forward, a feline whose ears were flat against his head, "I-I can't leave just yet! N-not until..." He seemed to hesitate and stepped back. Seeing this only made Dr. Kagami step forward.

"What's wrong? Are you missing someone?"

He nodded. "The Crusaders, they came after the both of us, and only I managed to escape." He stepped forward again and pulled out his phone, presenting the lion a picture of him in the arms of a canine. "I know where they're keeping the furs they kidnap; I can take you there." At that, he bowed before him and begged, "Please, I can't leave without him."

Dr. Kagami looked up from the photo and met the feline with a warm smile. "Don't worry. We'll get him back. I promise."

"Thank you..." He was on the verge of tears. He breathlessly thanked him over and over again with his head bowed low. The lion patted him on the shoulder and turned to the others.

"The rest of you should be prepared to move. We should try to leave as a group, but if you really must, then you're free to leave on your own. If not, try to gather as many furs as you can while we're gone. Penny can you--"

"Oh no," Penny shook her head, "I'm not passing up a rescue operation. I'm coming with you two. Besides, who's gonna watch your back when it gives out in the middle of a fight, grandpa?"

A sigh left Dr. Kagami's throat. "I should've figured. I appreciate the help regardless." He returned his attention to the others. "Don't do anything rash while we're away. Try to get in contact with anyone you want to take with you. And don't feel afraid to stay either. If you feel safer in trusting Amnesia to take back the city, then I won't judge you for it. Just stay safe." He then turned back to the feline. "Are you ready to go?"

"Any time, sir."

Penny then clapped her paws together. "Alright then, kiddos. Teachers are going out for lunch, so you guys have a fun and safe field trip!"

***

Sometime later, the trio found themselves hidden in the scaffolding of a large warehouse. Below them were hundreds of Crusade Dopants patrolling around hundreds more of caged up hostages. The front gate opened, and another Dopant dragged in _another_fur, tossing him into one of the cages. The three of them were crouched low, hidden in the darkness, Dr. Kagami more so thanks to his sleek, black form. Gone was his valiant white mane, replaced by an even sleeker and similarly dark feline helmet. The hooked blade of his tail waved around in anticipation as he eyed the many people below them, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Do you see him?" Penny whispered to their guide, who was scanning the area frantically. Eventually, his eyes lit up in recognition.

"There," he whispered, pointing to the middle of the enormous room, "in that center cage. I see him. He looks so scared..."

Dr. Kagami suddenly shot forward, hanging down from the scaffolding and swiping up an unsuspecting Dopant. The lion turned black leopard clamped his jaws around the knight's throat and chomped, instantly silencing him and turning him back to a normal fur. The others stared at him in shock as he drew himself and the ex-Dopant back up to the scaffolding. "He's fine. Just knocked out."

"That's a scary-ass way of knocking someone out."

"Hey, something's happening!" Everyone's attention was drawn towards a sudden clamor. Furs were screaming and scrambling back in their cages as one of the Dopants threw its door open. But they could only scramble back so far. When they inevitably ran out of cage, one of them was grabbed by the scruff of their neck and dragged out into the open.

"W-wait a minute, that's--" Penny didn't get to finish as the feline suddenly jolted forward, only stopped by Dr. Kagami's quick reflexes.

"Please let me go," he hissed, "I don't know what they're going to do with him."

"You need to calm down," Dr. Kagami whispered, "Getting caught now won't do either of you any good. We need to wait things out and plan accordingly."

"But--" Any further discussion was swiftly brought to an end as one of the Dopants shouted out to the crowd.

"Alright, LISTEN UP!" he shouted, circling the canine with his sword drawn, "Since we've got a new guest here, we'll be having another little demonstration!" Several more furs joined the canine before the cage was closed again, and a group of Dopants surrounded them all in the middle of the warehouse. The trio's hearts sank when they all began to draw their swords. Dr. Kagami had to hold the feline back when the Dopants began to approach the group. Soon the warehouse erupted with shouts and pleas from all of the caged furs. Sparks danced across concrete as the Dopants swung their swords against the ground, making their victims jolt backwards in fear.

"Please! You HAVE to do something!" Tears were flooding out of his eyes now. Even through all of the screaming, Dr. Kagami could hear the Dopants laughing in utter amusement. A low growl rumbled in the leopard's chest. Eventually, he grabbed hold of the railing and prepared to jump down.

FREEZE!

But a sudden flash of light, and a rush of cold wind stopped him in his tracks. Everyone in the building cried out in confusion as they found themselves in the middle of a freak snowstorm. Before anyone could question what was happening, a loud CLAP in the air cast the storm away. With the snow having settled, all eyes fell upon the figure emerging from a busted-open cage.

He was clad in snow white armor, his undersuit a vibrant shade of blue. Hanging off of his wide, sharp shoulder guards was a cape, which was now fluttering in the wind. Wrapped around his waist was a silver belt with a large, red buckle, identical to the one Daiki had worn. And upon the forehead of his helmet was an ornate silver, crown-like crest hanging just above his shining green eyes. Dr. Kagami couldn't believe it; standing before them all was none other than the hero of the city.

This was Kamen Rider Zero.

"I won't let you terrorize this city any longer! I'm ending this madness here and now!" he shouted at the Dopants, drawing his sword, "Now COME AT ME!" The Dopants were all too willing to take him up on his offer. Completely abandoning their victims, all of the Dopants ran straight for the armored hero. Sparks danced as swords clashed. Things only grew more chaotic as Zero slashed open every cage he ran past. Soon enough, everyone in the building erupted into a mad frenzy.

"Looks like that's our cue!" Dr. Kagami shouted, scrambling up to his feet, "Let's go, fellas!" With that shout, he leapt down from the scaffolding and landed right on top of an unsuspecting Dopant. Penny and the feline followed soon after. "Penny! You help guide everyone out of here!"

"On it!" Penny shouted back before rushing out and shouting to everyone else.

"Alright, let's move!" Dr. Kagami shouted to the fellow feline. He took the lead as they tried to weave their way through the crowd.

"Behind us!" A desperate cry caught the leopard's attention. Right as he turned around, a sword came flying right at his face. He snapped his jaws open and caught the blade right between his teeth. As the Dopant struggled to free his weapon, Dr. Kagami hooked his tail blade around his ankle and yanked it back. His claws slammed into the knight's chest on his way down, hastening his trip to the ground.

When he looked back up, the feline was tightly embracing his friend. Tears were streaming down their eyes, and they were muttering incoherently to each other. As touching as the scene was, Dr. Kagami urged them onwards and shouted, "Come on! We gotta get out of here!" He let them take the lead and shouted at all of the other panicked furs to follow. He rallied them on, calling out to everyone and signaling the correct path to take. Thankfully, many noticed him and listened.

Unfortunately, this included the Dopants not fighting with Zero. They charged at him all at once, and he flung himself upwards to grab onto the nearby scaffolding. He used that leverage to pounce onto one of them for a swift takedown. When the others tried to capitalize on his lower leverage, he drove his foot into the guts of one of them before launching himself into the air and spinning wildly. All of them were knocked off of their feet, and just when Dr. Kagami went in to seal the deal, the armor around him crumbled away and left him a lion once more.

His eyes widened with panic as the Dopants picked themselves back up. When they realized what had just happened, they all began to laugh in a way that made Dr. Kagami's fur stand on end. He carefully backed away as they all began to approach him with their swords pointed right at him. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest when the first one lunged at him. After ducking under a swing at his head, he tried to barge right through them in a mad dash. The Dopants merely grabbed ahold of him and shoved him backwards, laughing at him as he fell to the ground.

He fell with a loud thud, and when he looked back up, a Dopant was standing over him with his sword raised high over his head. When he swung down, there was a loud metal clang, but not from his sword. The Dopant toppled over to reveal Penny standing over him with a pipe grasped tightly in her paws. "Told you you'd need someone to watch your back!" she shouted, whirling around and whacking a sword out of another Dopant's hands. Her pipe clanged against several more Dopant heads before Penny turned around and hoisted the lion back up to his feet. The two of them made a break for it and ran out the way they came, with the Dopants not too far behind.

"Oy! You guys!" shouted a voice from the warehouse, "Forget them! We need help back here!"

The Dopants suddenly all stopped chasing after them and turned around, returning to the warehouse where loud shouts and clangs were ringing out from. Dr. Kagami kept running until he realized Penny no longer was. When he turned around, she was staring at the warehouse. "What?! What's wrong?! We gotta go!"

"Isn't Zero still fighting in there?!" she asked, her teeth grit and her tail wagging furiously.

"He'll be fine, Penny! We gotta get out of here while we still can!" His words clearly went unheard, as in the next instance, the spotted canine took off running towards the warehouse again. "Penny!" he shouted as he ran after her, "Penny this is too risky! I can't transform right now!"

"Even so!" she shouted back, not slowing down in the slightest, "I can't just leave him behind like this!"

"Penny!" Right as he shouted, out, the wall of the warehouse exploded outwards, blasting her and Dr. Kagami with a powerful gust of wind that blew them backwards and into a pile of empty boxes. Out of the dust flew Kamen Rider Zero, who rolled across the ground in a heap. As he picked himself off the ground, an army of Dopants came pouring out of the warehouse and surrounded him.

"Doc," Penny groaned, lifting herself up from the pile and looking around, "Doc, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he groaned back as he emerged as well, "What's happening?" He looked up in time to see one final figure emerge from the smoke. A dark and sinister figure, covered in armor far too similar to Daiki's for the lion's liking. It was almost entirely black, with the 'muscles' of his chest and abdomen as well as his face being the only exception, taking on a reddish purple. Glowing beneath the large, curved 'W' on his forehead were two bright red eyes. In his hand, he bore a sword, whose blade was made purely of a sinister purple light. And around his waist, he wore the same belt Daiki and Zero wore.

"Too bad for you!" the man taunted Zero, casually striding out of the rubble and flaunting his blade around, "It looks like you don't have what it takes to protect your precious city. I guess this makes me the better Kamen Rider..."

"You don't deserve that name," Zero growled, tightening the grip on his blade, "You're the LAST person who should ever be allowed to have that name, Crusade!"

This only seemed to make him laugh. "Save your sentimentality for someone willing to listen. Men?!" With his free hand, Crusade circled the air with a finger and pointed at Zero. Nothing else needed to be said. All of the Dopants let out rallying battle cries and ran in straight at Zero.

FREEZE: MAXIMUM DRIVE!

But a wild blizzard suddenly raged outwards and froze them all in place. When it ended, Zero was high in the air with his arms spread and his cape fluttering behind him wildly. "Frozen BREAKER!" he shouted at the top of his lungs before kicking his leg forward and shooting towards the ground like a rocket. When his foot connected with the ground, a powerful shockwave swept through the area and reduced all of the Dopants to snow powder, leaving behind unconscious bodies all over the floor. Zero paid them no mind as he ran at Crusade with his sword drawn, clashing it against his.

"Pretty good, popsicle boy," Crusade growled tauntingly, "but I can do better!" With a roar, Crusade shoved Zero backwards and ran his blade across the Rider's chest plate. Sparks exploded off of it as he staggered backwards. Once, twice, three times Crusade's blade struck against the snow white warrior before he finally had the chance to block. Their blades slid across each other back and forth as they tried to slip past each other's defenses, and it led to them locking weapons. "Is that the best you've got?!"

"No," Zero growled, reaching down with his free hand, "but THIS IS!" He took that moment to shove his Memory into the handle of his blade.

FREEZE: MAXIMUM DRIVE!

Zero took one back-step before swinging wide to launch a wave of sheer cold straight into Crusade, instantly trapping him in a thick sheet of ice. Zero stepped forward once more to slash his blade clean through Crusade's stomach, shattering the ice block and reducing him to icy chunks on the ground.

Only to be struck in the back.

"Sorry; wrong one," Crusade taunted as he stood over Zero triumphantly. Another two copies of him emerged from his back and tried to grab at the snow white Rider. He fended them off one at a time, forced to divide his attention between the two with them attacking from opposite sides. Things only got worse for him when a third came after him, then a fourth, then a fifth and sixth. One after another they came, all either striking at him or grabbing at him. And with his attention so divided, Zero failed to notice the real Crusade approaching until his blade was driven down his chest and straight through his belt.

Spider web cracks spread all across Zero's armor before it exploded off of his body in a bright flash of light. The red buckle of his belt clattered to the ground in two pieces before a hazy-eyed black panther collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Penny tried to scramble out of her pile, only stopped by Dr. Kagami's paw on her shoulder. "Let me go! I have to help!" she hissed at him. But he wouldn't. Not while he knew it was hopeless to try and save him now.

"N-no!" Zero shouted out as he dove out of the crowd of Crusade clones and rolled across the pavement, clutching his fist to his chest, "I can't give up! I won't give the city up to the likes of YOU!"

An irritated sigh left Crusade's throat. "Kid...you're making this more difficult on yourself than this needs to be. Just give in already and--"

"NO!" Zero cut him off, his fists trembling, "I'm NOT letting you win! I-I won't let you put everyone through another Day Zero!"

"You've got nothing LEFT, KID! What else could possibly have?!"

Zero's eyes drifted down to the fist pressed against his chest. He opened it to reveal his Memory. "...This." And with that, he took his Memory in both paws and jammed it directly into his forehead. He let out a painful scream as it slowly sunk inside of him. Everyone could only watch in disbelief as a freak snowstorm swirled around him and encased him in a thick globe of ice with large, razor sharp ice shards jutting out from the base. The ground itself shook as cracks formed along the globe, accompanied by a thunderous bang.

The ground shook one last time before the globe was blown to bits. And out of the cold haze emerged a hulking monstrosity. It was a twisted image of what Zero had been. Enormous gauntlets and boots, a thick, scarlet red cloak, and a slender claw-like mask. The monster threw his head to the sky and let out an earth-tremoring roar, causing spear-like icicles to emerge from the ground around his feet. His entire body shook as he continued to scream out his primal roar into the sky, drowning out the howling winds that stung the skin of the onlookers with cold. Zero was no longer in control. This Zero was no longer Zero.

This Zero was a Dopant.

One powerful step from the monster launched a wave of icicle spears to race towards the Crusades. They all tried to dive out of the way and the ones unlucky enough to get caught were impaled and reduced to snow. The ones remaining all ran straight for the Dopant with their blades raised. With a single swipe of his arm, Zero unleashed a powerful snowstorm that either swept them off of their feet or froze them in place to be crushed beneath his enormous fists.

"Penny! PENNY!" An urgent shout and a violent shake of her shoulder roused the canine out of her initial shock. "It's not safe here! We need to GO!"

"But..." Suddenly a wave of icicles swept right past them, tearing up that side of the box pile to shreds.

"I know...but there's nothing we can do. Come on!" With one last tug, Dr. Kagami and Penny took off running for their lives, refusing to look back at the chaotic scene erupting behind them. Zero's primal screams continued to tear through the air, reaching to them even as they disappeared down the block.

*********

"We have received official confirmation. It seems...that Kamen Rider Zero is currently being held hostage by the terrorist group known as the Crusaders." All of the furs in the building murmured upon hearing this from Dr. Kagami's phone. "No word yet on any demands being made. Amnesia is unable to respond to us at this time, as they are still fighting against these invaders. Please stay tuned for the latest on this situation..." There was an unshakable sense of unease in the air as the lion closed the broadcast and pocketed the device.

"So...that's it, then," said one of the furs, "this city is done for." This made the canine boy hug his father tightly, his mother coming to comb her fingers through his head-fur comfortingly.

"Th-there's still a chance!" came one of the other furs, "If Amnesia can rally their forces, then--"

"They can barely handle the situation as it is!" shouted another, standing straight, "They don't even have Zero to back them up anymore!"

"Wh-what about that one warrior? Th-the Valkyrie! Maybe she can help!"

"You mean that monster that nearly killed everyone she fought?" The fur chuffed and sat back down. "Yeah, that sounds like someone who would want to help."

"...Maybe they were right," muttered another fur, this one on the floor with his knees drawn to his chest and his paws clutching his shoulders tightly, "maybe...maybe we should start using Gaia Memories..."

"Have you LOST it?!" another one shouted at him, "Do you not remember what those things have done to this city?! They're despicable items!"

"And yet our 'heroes' use them all the time!" shouted another, "Amnesia, Zero, they all have to use them just to fight back! Maybe it's time we do the same!" At that point, the room erupted into chaos. Furs shouted at each other going back and forth on the subject. It got so intense that the family of the young pup had to leave the room, a sentiment both Penny and Dr. Kagami soon followed.

"Man, this is...bad," said Penny once they were out.

"That's sure putting things lightly," Dr. Kagami sighed in response, nodding to the canine family as they passed them by.

"I'm serious Doc. We watched the hero of the city get taken down right in front of us." She shook her head and thumped her fist against a nearby countertop. "I should've done something..."

"There was nothing we could do," the lion tried to assure her as he removed his buckle from his pocket and opened it up, "There were too many of those guys to handle, and the DNAnalyzer glitched on me, so I couldn't transform to help even if I wanted to."

"We gotta figure something out; if we don't, then the city's done for."

"But if we stay, then we're done for."

"Doc!" Penny snapped her head up and shot him a look. But the lion didn't budge.

"I'm sorry Penny, but it's not worth the risk. The city's basically overrun by this point. It's better to just take our losses and escape with as many people as we can."

"We can't just leave! What about all of the people we end up leaving behind?!"

Dr. Kagami shook his head, pain written all over his face. "We...we can't save them all, Penny. We just have to save the ones we can."

"But there has to be a way to fix things! Come on, Doc! We can't just give up!"

"But we can't save anyone without a known cure!" It wasn't until after he had said that did he take notice. His paw drifted up to cover his muzzle before he turned around. Penny softened her expression as she approached him from behind.

"...Still eating at you...huh Doc?"

He squeezed his eyes shut as he nodded. "I miss her a lot, Penny. She was the only family I had left. I hate that I wasn't there when she needed me most, and I hate that I can't change that..." Penny reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently. Dr. Kagami reached up and placed his paw over hers. "I can't stand the thought of losing another person close to me. I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Penny sighed, slipping her paw out and leaning against the countertop, "It's not like I can blame you. I know where you're coming from. But...I still can't bring myself to just up and leave. Not when I know I'd be leaving a lot of good people to fend for themselves. The world's already a cruel n' merciless place as it is, especially for those that gotta go it alone. So I'd rather not add to that cruelness." She reached over and bumped her fist against the lion's side. "You get these folks to safety; I'm gonna stay here n' help out as many people as I can."

A resigned sigh left Dr. Kagami's muzzle. He knew her well enough to know that there was no convincing her out of this. This knowledge made a small smile creep up the corners of his lips. "You really are one crazy sea dog. You know that?"

A smug grin spread across her muzzle. "Heh, you know it."

"Well then," he turned around and clapped his paws together, "if you're intent on doing this, I might as well stick around and keep you safe."

Penny let out a laugh. "That's rich. Unlike you, old man, I can actually handle myself."

Dr. Kagami shook his head as he placed the DNAnalyzer on the counter and began fiddling with its contents. "One of these days, that attitude of yours is gonna land you in some deep trouble."

"Breaking news, Doc; it already did," she gave him a playful nudge, "and I guess I can be thankful for you watching my back there."

"I'm flattered."

"So what's the plan then? Kick ass n' chew bubblegum?"

"Well I'm out of gum," he leaned in closer to the device he was working on, "but I still have my powers. Once I get this working again, we need to do the one thing that'll give this city back its fighting chance."

"And that would be?"

After a bit more tinkering, Dr. Kagami closed the device and slapped it against his waist, prompting a belt to snake around and secure it to him. "To save its hero."

***

A Crusade Dopant nodded to his ally as he walked past him, turning the corner he'd just emerged from. He casually scanned the area around him for his patrol, failing to realize that up was another direction he needed to check. He learned this the hard way when a set of claws grabbed him by the shoulders. With a sudden hoist and a snap of his jaws, Dr. Kagami gnawed the Dopant back to normal, forcing the Memory out of his body and knocking him unconscious. "You were right, Doc," Penny whispered, peeking over his shoulder to look at the busted-up warehouse in the distance, "they're sticking around here after all."

"I figured as much," the black leopard whispered back, crawling on all fours to the edge of the railing, "With how strong of a grip they have on the city, they have no need to change locations. With how many patrolmen there are, I'm sure Zero's being held in there somewhere." With a tilt of his head, Dr. Kagami prompted her to start climbing up the stairs running up the side of the building. They made sure to stay as quiet as they could until they managed to reach the roof.

"I can see more, but this still isn't a good enough view," Penny growled, "Are you sure we can't just enter the same way we did last time?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Dr. Kagami drew back and eased his way to the edge of the building, eyeing the distance between it and the next one over, "We're not on a time limit, so if we can find a safe way in, we should take the time to do so."

"Then I hope we find one soon," Penny remarked with a wary scan of the area, "I feel like we're bound to be spotted at any moment.

"We'll be fine. Just stay low." The feline followed his own advice, stalking around on all fours as he continued to analyze the warehouse from afar. "Urgh, I need a better view. I think I can get one a couple of buildings over. Hop onto my back. I'm leaping across to the next one." She chose not to argue and wrapped her arms around his neck. After adjusting his footing and backing up a bit, Dr. Kagami charged forward and bounded across the roof before launching them into the air. He landed gracefully onto the next one with silent ease. But he didn't stop there. He took a couple more careful steps before charging forward again and leaping onto the next building over.

"Not too bad for someone your age, Doc," Penny quipped. She was swiftly shushed.

"Let me focus. Just one more building to leap." He dug his toe claws into the flooring beneath him and locked eyes on his next target. With a swish of his tail, he took off again and launched them into the air. Just like before, he landed neatly atop the roof. But this time, when they landed, they realized they weren't the only ones there. A Dopant had emerged from the stairs leading up to the roof, just in time for them to land right in front of him.

"Well shi--"

"INTRUDERS!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he drew out his sword. Penny frantically climbed off of Dr. Kagami before he sprinted forward and pounced on the knight. Within a couple of seconds, the man was knocked unconscious with a Memory snaking out of his neck. As he climbed off of him, the doctor turned back to Penny.

"Do you think they heard him?" As soon as he asked that question, an army of Dopants began to emerge from the stairwell with their swords drawn. That's when the place erupted into pure chaos.

"GEE I DUNNO, SHERLOCK!" Penny growled, kicking one of them in the gut, "WHY DON'T YOU ASK ONE OF THEM?!"

"YEAH YEAH!" he shouted back, leaping off of the shoulders of one of them to ram his knees into the face of another. He hooked his tail blade around the ankle of one before quickly rising to his feet. Right when that Dopant began to topple over, he grabbed him by the face and hurled him down the stairs, knocking down all of the others still trying to come up to the roof. He then thrust his paw out to Penny. "Hold onto me! We're getting out of here!"

After delivering a swift roundhouse kick into the side of a Dopant's face, she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held onto her tightly as he bolted and leapt off the rooftop. He reached back with his free arm and jammed his claws into the wall, slowing their rapid decent to the ground as he carved claw marks all over the side of the building. Penny dropped away before they hit the ground to ram her foot straight into the shoulder of the Dopant below them. Dr. Kagami followed suit by kicking himself off of the building and pouncing upon a cluster of them, ripping into everyone within reach.

"Guess it's time for plan B, huh?!" Penny shouted over the chaos. She grit her teeth and socked one of them in the back of his head before wrenching his sword out of his grasp and kicking him aside.

"So it would seem!" he shouted back before leaping into the air and spin-kicking everyone away from him. Once he landed, a fossilized lion tooth was in his claws. He yanked out the tooth in his buckle and jammed the lion one inside.

R-N-ASSAY!

LION!

He clenched his fist and swung it hard and wide, knocking an entire row of Dopants off of their feet. Dr. Kagami whirled his arm around before bashing it against the right of the buckle.

R-N-ASSIMILATION!

The Dopants surrounding him all stabbed at him at once, but their blades only bounced off of him as a sturdy cocoon of black scales encased his entire body. Once they peeled away, he was once again in his powered lion form. He leapt high into the air and spun like a top, striking the surrounding Dopants with a whirlwind of edges. "Alright, the way is clear! Run for it!"

Penny parried a swing from one of them before running after the lion. She tapped her fist against the side of his arm as they raced towards the busted-open warehouse. "Busy night, huh?!"

"TOO busy!" And it was about to get busier. Before they could reach the warehouse, a familiar figure stepped out of the rubble that made them stop in their tracks. It was Crusade, the one that had driven Zero into such desperation, and had still taken him down despite that. As they stood there frozen, the Dopant army trapped them in an enormous circle, the only opening being the one that allowed Crusade inside.

"Well well WELL!" he shouted, holding his arms open, "Do we have ourselves a little rescue party?!" Dr. Kagami stepped forward and held his arm out in front of Penny purely out of instinct. This earned a hearty laugh from the sinister assailant. "Now that's just precious. You're a regular knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

"You've got another thing coming if you think that makes me the damsel in distress!" Penny barked with fire in her eyes. Again, this seemed to amuse him.

"I guess we'll have to see if your bark matches your bite then! Men?!" He circled his finger in the air, "Round 'em up!" The entire army let out battle cries as they began to converge on the two of them. Dr. Kagami and Penny went back to back as they braced themselves for the fight of their lives. Then all hell broke loose. Swords were swung, sparks flew, and wounds were dealt. There were so many of them that neither of the two furs could even keep track of everything that was happening. They came from every direction, all with the same intensity and ferocity.

The lion swiped one down, and three more took his place. He tried to kick and spin, but there just seemed to be no end to them. Penny swung at all of them in wide arcs, but they merely stepped back a single step each time. They laughed as she tried harder and harder, unable to catch many of them in ways that mattered. And each swing only wore her down that much more. "Cover your ears!" Dr. Kagami shouted.

"What?!" she shouted back just a bit too late. The lion snapped his jaws open and let out a thunderous roar, paralyzing many of the battlefield's inhabitants including Penny. She screamed and covered her ears with her paws, dropping her sword in the process.

"Penny!" Dr. Kagami shouted once he was done. This momentary distraction allowed the Dopants to land a good several hits on his side. He cried out in pain as he was knocked off of his feet and tumbled away from the canine. He looked up in time to see her getting dragged away by her arms. "NO!!!" He kicked away several Dopants as he clawed back to his feet. Before he could leap into the air, one of them grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him back down. He snarled harshly and snapped his jaws at him before ripping into him with his claws.

Once he was freed, he tried to run where Penny had disappeared to, only for a wall of Dopants to cluster up and form in his way. He snarled again and continued to run forward, striking the left side of his buckle.

R-N-ATTACK!

He leapt into the air to launch himself into a furious spin. Doing so launched out a wide wave of sharp air, cleaving into all of them at once. They were all knocked off of their feet and collapsed, dissolving away into thin air. This cleared his path enough to allow him a view of Penny once more. "Hold on Penny! I'm on my way!" Just as he took off, a blazing hot sensation sliced down his back. He cried out again as he was knocked down face first into the pavement. He rolled away before turning around to face his new attacker. Before him stood Crusade wielding his purple beam saber.

"Don't you know it's rude to turn your back on someone?" he taunted, circling the tip of his blade in Dr. Kagami's direction. The lion's ear twitched and he hastily rolled away again, just narrowly avoiding the beam saber of a second Crusade behind him. Both Crusades laughed as they stalked towards him. Dr. Kagami growled as he lowered himself to all fours, his tail lashing around wildly. He leapt at one with his jaws gaping open, but the clone simply ducked beneath him and slashed him across the chest. He crashed into the ground rolling and nearly fell captive to one of the hundreds of Dopants still surrounding them. He delivered a hard kick to his face before charging at the Crusades again.

He led with a ferocious swing that Crusade side-stepped out of the way from. When the swordsman tried to swing at his side, Dr. Kagami ducked low and kicked him in the stomach. He staggered away as his clones rushed in and lunged forward. The lion back-flipped out of the way, but a third clone jumped after him and kicked him directly in the face. Stars flew in his eyes as he tumbled across the pavement, just barely recovering in time to evade an overhead swing. The lion stood up and backed into a Dopant. With the Crusades fast approaching, Dr. Kagami grabbed that Dopant and threw him at them right as they swung. He was utterly annihilated by their swings and reduced to nothing but dust as they ran through him.

As one relentless wave, the Crusades swung their sabers against the lion one after the other, sending sparks flying across the ground as their blades raked across his armor. After one clone swung, the other would jump off of his back to swing, allowing for another one to jump off of their back. They did this again and again, granting Dr. Kagami no chance to retaliate until his armor finally cracked down the middle. He fell onto his back as his armor crumbled away, leaving him utterly defenseless.

The real Crusade laughed and closed his saber, stashing it away on his back. "And so falls another wannabe hero," he taunted as his clones grabbed the lion by the shoulders and hoisted him up, "You gave it your best shot, old man. But in the end, you just couldn't keep up with the changing times."

"You're a monster," Dr. Kagami spat, "Do you really think anyone will be willing to give in to any demands you make?"

"We're not here to make demands, gray-mane. We're here to make a statement."

"Statement?" he echoed, "What could you possibly be trying to say?"

Crusade leaned in close, his mask inches away from Dr. Kagami's face. "The same thing we tried to say when we attacked on Day Zero; Gaia Memories are our future. You can either become a part of it...or get swept away by it."

"You...bastard..." Even through the mask, he could tell that there was a smile on his face.

Their attention was suddenly directed to a Dopant rushing up to them. "Sir! You need to come quick! Zero, he-he's escaped!"

"What?!" Crusade straightened out, abandoning the lion and walking up to the Dopant, "How?"

"During the battle just now! While everyone was away, someone slipped in and broke him out!"

"Damn it all!" A snarl left Crusade's throat.

"But they haven't gotten far! The others are chasing them. If we go now, we can corner them!"

Dr. Kagami felt a chill run up his back as Crusade turned back to look at him, and it only grew stronger as his clones dragged him closer. "I'm going after them, so you hold onto him for me. In fact...bring him along. Have him watch. I think it's about time that we sent a more direct message to the people of Jinsoku..."

"Yes sir!" The lion could do nothing as he was dragged away by Crusade's minion. Unlike Penny, he didn't have the strength to contend with the super-powered Dopant. No matter how hard he struggled, the most he managed to do was irritate him to the point of getting kicked. Though it took a while, he was eventually dragged up to the rooftop of a building. As he was dragged over to the edge, for a moment he feared he was going to be pushed off of it. But as soon as the view below came into his sights, he understood.

Below him stood a scene that looked like something out of a nightmare. Crusade, his clones, his Dopants and their clones all flooded an entire plaza, save for its very center. In the middle of that opening stood two individuals. One was a snow leopard, who looked back and forth between each clone that inched closer to her. The other Dr. Kagami recognized as none other than Zero, who had yet to don his signature armor. It was a terrifying scene, one that made his heart sink. He wanted to look away, but the Dopant restraining him made sure that he couldn't. When he looked to the other buildings, he realized that there were other furs who, like him, were being forced outside to watch the horrifying spectacle.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Crusade's voice came through a speaker system set up throughout the block, "I want to thank you all for coming out here on this beautiful night! Whether you're watching from the comfort of your own personal hiding spot, or here with us live on the scene, The Crusaders wish to thank you for your viewership!" The Dopants below all began clapping and cheering. "Today we have a very special guest with us today. He's a man who needs no introduction. He's your so called hero of the city. Everyone please give a round of applause for his final performance here tonight; Kamen Rider ZERO!!!" Again, the Dopants roared their approval, making Zero and the snow leopard shift around uneasily.

"As you can see, he and his little friend there have NO hopes of escaping! On top of that, his means of transformation have been utterly destroyed! Not unless he too becomes the very thing you all fear; a Dopant. So now I turn to you, the people of Jinsoku! How hopeless do you all feel right now? Your city's been overrun, your 'Amnesia' is out of commission, and your precious 'hero' is out of options. Do you think there's still a chance that you call can be saved? If you do, by all means speak up now or forever hold your peace!" He and his Dopants all broke out into laughter, and the longer it took for anyone to speak up, the louder they laughed. Dr. Kagami's heart sank as he looked across the street to the other captives, watching as their faces also fell. For the first time in a long time, the lion felt there was no hope left...

"YOU CAN DO IT!" That's when a loud shout echoed from somewhere in the city. It was a young voice, one that pierced through the darkness, "COME ON, KAMEN RIDER! HANG IN THERE!" Hearing this seemed to put Crusade at a loss for words. Before he could get another word in, someone else from the crowd joined in the shouting.

"DON'T GIVE UP, KAMEN RIDER! WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!"

Then more voices came, this time many at once.

"YEAH! GET BACK UP! YOU GUYS 'VE GOT EM ON THE ROPES!"

"WE BELIEVE IN YOU, KAMEN RIDER!"

"GANBARE!!!"

"GANBATTE!!!"

"KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!"

Before he knew it, even Dr. Kagami was shouting out to him. The Dopants looked to each other nervously as the entire city suddenly came alive. Furs all over emerged from their hiding spots to scream their support, sending their prayers out to their trusted hero. The Dopants tried to intimidate them back into silence, bashing their swords against the walls, screaming at them, anything. But they would not be silenced. Not with so much on the line. When they finally were silenced, it was to allow Zero to stand and shout at the top of his lungs, "CRUSADE! WE'RE TAKING THIS CITY BACK FROM YOU NOW!" He then thrust his fist forward and pointed straight at him. "COUNT ON IT!" The city erupted into a loud roar of approval, applauding and cheering with everything they had. With a growl, Crusade circled his finger in the air.

"MEN! SHUT THIS CITY UP ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

"YES SIR!" his Dopants shouted before stomping forward all at once, advancing on the two felines. But before they could get any further, a cascade of gunfire sprayed against them and knocked them off of their feet. Everyone's eyes turned to one of the buildings, where a tactically armored trooper with a purple dome helmet stood, armed to the teeth with automatic guns.

"AMENSIA?!" Crusade growled, "I thought I stomped you all out already!"

"You missed one!" one of them shouted back, pulling out a familiar red buckle. "Zero! Catch!" Right as they tossed it into the air, the entire battlefield erupted into chaos. Dopants clamored to try and stop him from catching it, but he and the snow leopard at his side fought them off. With a leap, Zero caught the device and slapped it against his waist, causing a silver belt to snake around his body.

Dr. Kagami looked over to the snow leopard and noticed that she too had a belt, one very similar to Zero's. As one, they fended off the Dopants and cleared the area around them before shoving their Memories into their belts. Then, in a display that sent a powerful shiver down Dr. Kagami's spine, they took each other's sides, activated their belts, and shouted out in once voice,

"HENSHIN!!!"

FREEZE!

ASCEND!

A wild blizzard erupted and swept through the entire block, soon followed by a brilliant flash of light. Then, with a thunderous clap, the blizzard was cast away, and standing in the middle of hundreds of downed Dopants were the unmistakable heroes of the city, the champions of Jinsoku. They were the Kamen Riders.

"MEN!" Crusade screamed with fury in his voice, "DESTROY THE KAMEN RIDERS!" The Dopants all collected themselves and charged forward. Zero and the other Kamen Rider drew out their swords before jumping back into the fray.

Dr. Kagami jolted as he suddenly heard a loud metal thump. The Dopant holding him slackened his grip before crumpling to the ground unconscious. As the lion turned around, his heart leapt at the sight of Penny with a smug grin on her face and a pipe slung over her shoulder. "Missed me, Doc?"

He smiled back as she helped him up. "More than anything." He then pulled out his lion tooth and shoved it into his buckle, immediately striking its right button.

R-N-ASSAY!

LION!

R-N-ASSIMILATION!

Just like that, Dr. Kagami donned his armor once more. Penny then jerked her head towards the stairs. "Come on, now's our chance to bail!" But Dr. Kagami turned back around, unable to take his eyes off of the chaotic battle. "...Doc?" He wasn't listening. His eyes were locked on Crusade, who was running from the battle itself with Zero in hot pursuit. But a bunch of Crusade's clones emerged from his back and blocked the Rider's path, bringing his chase to a sudden halt.

"He's trying to escape!" Dr. Kagami shouted, "I-I can't let him!"

"DOC?!" Before he even realized what he was doing, he leapt off the building and pounced, crashing into one of the Crusade clones and clawing it apart. When he stood back up, he ended up staring Zero right in the compound eyes.

"W-what the heck?!" he exclaimed, raising his sword in preparation, "Who are you supposed to be?!"

A bit starstruck from the Kamen Rider standing before him, it took Dr. Kagami a bit of time to find his voice. But when he did, one of the Crusades tried to swing at his head. He snarled and dove beneath the swing, retaliating with a hard kick to the gut. "Uh, I-I'm just a passing through Kamen Rider, I guess!" He shielded himself from a swing with his gauntlets, which sparked as he was blown backwards from the attack. He ended up going back to back with Zero as the two of them fended off Crusade's clones together.

Dr. Kagami opened up their defenses so Zero could strike at them at just the right time. They covered each other's backs and saved each other from being on the receiving end of a surprise attack. "JUMP!" Zero shouted out as he pried his Memory out and shoved it into the handle of his sword.

FREEZE: MAXIMUM DRIVE!

The lion took that cue to leap high into the air and strike the left side of his buckle.

R-N-ATTACK!

With him in the air and Zero on the ground, the two of them swept their respective weapons in a wide circle, hurling out waves of ice and razor sharp air and annihilating all of the clones in a single attack. Dr. Kagami landed behind Zero in a crouch, jumping back up immediately to block a swing from the incoming Dopants. "You go do what you gotta do!" he shouted at Zero, "I'll hold these guys off for you!"

"Thank you, I'll be sure to remember this!" Zero nodded to him before taking off and running after Crusade, leaving the lion alone with the Dopant army in front of him. They all flourished their swords as they slowly approached him.

"Don't raise your hands all at once, now," Dr. Kagami growled, warily swishing his tail blade, "Who wants to go first?" That seemed enough to convince them to all charge at once. He snapped his jaws open in response and let out a loud roar, assaulting the eardrums of all of them. While they were all stunned, he sprinted forward and leapt into the air, pouncing upon one knees first and bringing him down to the ground. He rolled off of him and rose up to slash his claws against the face of another, who flew backwards and crashed into his allies.

A sword flashed and he immediately crossed his arms over his head, allowing his gauntlets to catch the blade before it could be brought down upon him. He threw it to the side and spun with the momentum to deliver an air-clapping spin kick directly into his attacker's chest. When he landed, he ducked right under another Dopant's swing. As he rose up, he grabbed the attacker's wrist and shoulder, once again spinning with his momentum to hurl the Dopant into his allies.

He raised his claw to strike again, but before he could, he felt sparks race all over his body. All at once, his armor crumbled away and took his enhanced strength with it. Fear filled his eyes as the Dopants began to pick themselves back up. Now he was surrounded by an army of very angry knights.

ASCENDING DRIVE!

But that very quickly changed. Just as one of them tried to dive at him, a powerful and blindingly bright shockwave swept through the streets and annihilated an entire cluster of Dopants, leaving behind nothing but dust and unconscious furs. Dr. Kagami looked up, and what looked like the sun itself descended upon them and blinded all who looked upon it. The light's intensity faded out to reveal a swordswoman being lifted by wings of pure light. Over a bright yellow under-suit, she wore pure white armor that was strikingly similar to that of Zero's, a trait that her belt also shared. She landed right next to Dr. Kagami and struck down another nearby Dopant with her longsword.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her back still turned to him as she fended off the Dopants.

"You're...the Valkyrie..." he declared, dumbfounded. The swordswoman grunted as she swept her sword upwards, knocking a Dopant clean off his feet.

"I go by Kamen Rider Valkyrie now, actually." Sparks danced off of her sword as it collided against a Dopants. As their blades locked, she pried out a Memory with a sundial tip from her belt and shoved it into the handle of her sword.

ASCEND: MAXIMUM DRIVE!

With a loud roar, she shoved the Dopant backwards and swung upwards with all of her might, sweeping the entire street with a destructive wave made purely of light. In an instant, the Dopants were vanquished, with the unconscious bodies being the only sign of their presence here. With them taken care of, Valkyrie whirled around to face the lion and asked, "Where is Zero?" Seeming to have lost his voice, he pointed his thumb in the direction the snow white Rider had ran off to. This was enough for her. She nodded firmly as she took off running. "Thanks! Now get to safety! It's dangerous here!" She then leapt into the air, causing her wings to spread and lift her further into the sky. Dr. Kagami couldn't help but watch in awe as she flew off to join her fellow Rider in combat to fight for justice.

"Doc!" shouted Penny, breaking him out of his trance. Once the spotty canine ran up to him, she punched him right in the shoulders, "You're one crazy son of a bitch! Jumping in there like that! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"I-I don't know what came over me," he stammered, "My body just kind of acted on its own."

"Well how 'bout you use that body of yours to run for it?" Penny pointed her thumb behind her, "All of those furs are waiting on us to come back! Let's not keep them waiting, huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded firmly, "It's time we got out of here!" At that, the two furs ran off into the night, entrusting the fate of the city in the hands of the Kamen Riders.

***

Penny let out a very tired sigh as she sat back in the seat of her boat, allowing her paws to finally drop from the steering wheel. A similar one came from Dr. Kagami as he plopped himself onto the nearby bed. "Well _that_was an adventure and a half," he muttered, "I think it's best we lay low for a while. Don't want any black market goons coming after us after all."

"I wouldn't worry," Penny said with a lazy wave of her paw, "I know a lot of people. We've got plenty of places to stay at, so I've got your back."

The lion then sat up and looked to her. "Hey...so...are you gonna be alright? Knowing that your last deal was a bust?"

A dismissive chortle left Penny's throat, though it was clear it was more forced than anything. "It's like you've said to me before; people come to exist purely out of luck. So I'll probably squeeze a little bit more of that luck out of life. Turn things around that way, y'know?" That put a bright smile on the lion's face. Penny stretched her arms out and laid her head in her paws. "So, anywhere in particular you want to go next? I hear India's very nice around this time of year."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Not quite sure yet."

"Well then," Penny sat up with a smile on her muzzle, "We've got all the time in the world. Let's just see where the wind takes us..."

END