[Locke]

This is far from a fully fleshed story and more just a reaction to a genre I'm only just discovering. As such, this is mainly written for fun rather than trying to be Inception. That said I do want to improve upon what I feel are the faults of the series I have seen so far. I wasn't even going to post it but I'm actually quite enjoying writing this and thought I may as well share it. Anyway, without further ado,

Kamen Rider Eternity, Episode 1 - Part One: The Eternal Transformation.

The President, as he was simply known, was pushing seventy but looked absolutely incredible for his age. his cheeks warm with life and his body plump with comfortable living. He was perched in a plush leather armchair, sipping off a fresh cup of coffee presented in fine china, the steam danced before his bushy silver moustache. Below him, through the window, was a school - his school. Students flooded into the grounds, amass with life, a cacophony of emotions fuelled by teenage hormones. Someone cleared their throat behind him, The President didn’t turn round and simply waited.

“Everything is in place.” Gabe eventually tested. He didn’t look like much, he was quite lanky, but he had fierce determination and was deadly when he pushed which is why he was The President’s main weapon. Otherwise Gabe was fairly quiet and reserved. He was clad in what appeared to be biking leathers, a firearm hanging from his belt.

“Do you truly appreciate why we took over this school, Gabe?”

“Eh?”

“My dream, do you still agree to fight for it?” The President span from the window he was looking out and looked straight in Gabe’s eyes, for a second his face was deadly serious, but then it softened and twisted into a warm smile.

“I promised I would give my life for your dream and that hasn’t changed.”

The President threw his head back and laughed, while Gabe simply nodded

*.

Meanwhile below the window students began to pour into the school grounds, all dressed in their school colours of gold and silver clad in pressed trousers, shiny shoes, shirts and ties. Amongst that crowd was Jayden, who really, didn’t stand out from the crowds at all. His headphones hung around the back of his head, as to not ruin his gelled hair, and a military jacket hung off his shoulders and over his scruffy uniform. When people saw him approaching, they gasped and stepped back out of his way.

“You don’t need to look so scary all the time, Jayden!”

Jayden lifted his head and stretched out his back, to see two other students approaching him. One was male, he still hadn’t shifted his puppy fat yet which clashed with his otherwise sharp features, he had long hair and expensive prescription glasses, he was holding hands with a female student. She wasn’t beautiful, but her face was one of kindness and soft with warmth, framed with long thick hair.

Jayden gave a crooked smile, “Udo! Yashin!”, he let his headphones slip round his neck, his music quietly leaking out.

Yashin broke free from her boyfriend and leapt into Jayden giving him a massive hug, Jayden laughed awkwardly and Udo laughed fully.

“Have you made any progress?” Udo said, suddenly serious.

Jayden said nothing, but his hand clenched at his side.

“Me either...” Udo said, as the two boys lowered their heads.

For a moment it was awkward, but suddenly a force barged into Jayden causing him to stumble forwards and almost lose his footing.

“Well look, it’s the nerds and their gorilla!”

Jayden slammed a foot down and twisted on the spot, straight into a punch. However as soon as he saw what he was aiming for, he stopped his fist a few millimetres from his target. His target blinked and fell backwards on his ass, much to the amusement of Udo and Yashin.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” the target growled as his friends picked him up. The target was the star of the American Football squad, ‘The Steaming Titans’, Sal. Sal, as his full name would suggest - Salvatore, was from a rich pedigree, he was an embodiment of peak human physical condition, complete with opalescent teeth and a haircut that cost almost as much as Jayden’s iPod, “Wait ‘til I tell the Headmaster, you’re gonna be kicked out!”

Jayden tutted, “I didn’t even hit you.”

“And he still fucking fell on his ass!” Udo added.

“Don’t over exert yourself...” Sal growled, “Don’t want you having a nasty asthma attack now.”

Jayden clenched his fist, “Really? Insulting people for asthma now?”

Sal stepped right into Jayden’s face, “And what if I am?”

Yashin tugged on Jayden’s hand, “Come on, we should go to class...”

Jayden gave it a minute before he finally broke eye contact with Sal, looking to Yashin and smiling and nodding, “Yeah, okay.”

“One more fight and you’re expelled remember! So you BETTER run away!” Sal goaded behind them, was a chorus of cheers from his cronies, as the three walked away..

“He isn’t worth getting kicked out of school for.” Yashin smiled at Jayden, hugging his arm.

Jayden unclenched his fist, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He sighed, then looked to his friends and smiled his smile, as they all stepped into the school.

Meanwhile, back in The President’s office, he was sat in front of his desk, still supping expensive coffee from even more expensive china..

“Shall we begin then, Gabe?” The President asked.

“If you will it.”

The President smiled and nodded, he reached under the desk for something and suddenly the desk before him began to lower into the floor, with a few blasts of pressured steam. The floor closed and for a moment, silence, then suddenly the floor opened again and something new began to rise out from the ground, this time it was a vast console like something straight out of an aeroplane.

“Are you sure you can contain this, Gabe?” The President asked, not looking up as he began to press a complex combination of switches.

“I believe in your dream, containing it shouldn’t be necessary.”

“I don’t mean that.” The President shook his head.

“You mean...”

“Yes.”

“Well at least the Beginning Driver is complete.”

“Oh! Good answer!”

Gabe nodded.

“Okay, launch!”

Without warning the clouds above the school darkened, spiralling violently and turning into storm clouds, at first it was just rain and the teens simply dashed to get inside the building, but then...then the lightning came.

First people simply stood in fascination, anticipating the crack of thunder with each flash, but then suddenly, and without warning, a bolt of lightning arced free from the clouds and smashed right into the side of the school with a huge showering of flames and debris. This was enough to cause an immediate eruption of panic and chaos. The sky, as if somehow in sync, seemed to alter its behavior to fit the growing panic as suddenly the lightning began to arc down into the crowds of screaming, panicked teenagers.

“I have to help them.” Jayden said, as he watched through the window.

“I know it’s pointless to try and stop you.” Udo smirked.

“I will clean up my Dad’s mess, even if it kills me.” Jayden said.

Udo grabbed Jayden’s arm, “it isn’t just your Dad’s.”

“You know what I mean.”

Udo let go, and Jayden leapt out of the window, he dropped to the ground in a roll, and went from the roll into a sprint at the nearest student, throwing them across the ground, as only a second later lightning smashed into the ground where they were once stood.

“Thank you.” The student smiled, Jayden helped them up with a nod and sent them on their way.

Udo came rushing out of the building, “You know now is the time to use it.”

“If I have to.” Jayden sighed.

“I sent Yashin to get it.”

“Until then, we need to get everyone somewhere safe.”

“Agreed.”

When most of the students had scattered, the sky changed its behavioral patterns again, and now the lighting was crashing into the same space over and over again, each time faster and more violently than the last and with each crack it left a little more behind, something was forming in the space the lightning was smashing against.

“It is coming.” Udo informed.

“Quantum Destiny...” Jayden growled, “Our Father’s Quantum Destiny.”

“They never built it to be used like this.”

“That doesn’t change that it is used like this.”

“I guess not...”

Finally the lightning stopped and there was something new left behind. It looked like a knight, but chiseled entirely from marble, clutching a long serrated blade. It let out a moan of anguish, and rose up with a horrible clacking sound, its body still steaming and crackling with energy, causing any rain to hit it to immediately evaporate. It pointed it’s sword right at Jayden, Jayden rose his fists and shifted into a fighting stance.

The President watched from his window and smiled, sipping from his coffee, “I already knew about you, Jayden and your friend Udo, I was just hoping you weren’t the only ones. Try not to be killed, now, and show me that Driver your Daddies worked so hard to build...”

“So it is only two Creators son’s, there are no others here?” Gabe questioned.

“Time will tell.” The President smiled, “This school was built directly on top of The Hole, after the accident 13 years ago.”

Gabe nodded but said nothing.

“So if it is anywhere we’ll find them, it’ll be here.”

Gabe threw both of his arms out and clapped his heels together, “Your will. My will.”

The President returned to calmly sipping his coffee cup and watching as down below, Jayden rolled desperately away from the swings of the creatures sword, “They will be here, to sabotage this, he will be here. I’ve already made the calls, The Driver is prepped and ready to go.”

“Very well.”

A woman appeared beside Gabe holding out an open briefcase, inside of it was a complex looking belt, that looked much like a miniature version of the controls on The Presidents desk. Gabe picked it up and placed it around his waist, for a second he took a deep breath.

The President turned to look at him and smiled, “Your Brother would be proud.”

Gabe said nothing as he began flicking a complex sequence of switches, tugging knobs, spinning wheels until the whole thing screeched into life, bleeding out steam. “Henshin.” Gabe said with a dramatic pose as the Driver leaked energy over his entire body. The light clung to him, moving almost rhythmically as it took shape around him, “Kamen Rider Beginning!”

He now looked more machine than man. He was clad in bulky metal armour, that only relinquished on his upper arms, legs and his sides. Between the metal armour was black and gold striped leather, the metal was plain silver, the helmet was just as basic, although still constructed with aerodynamics in mind, with compound eyes and that same gold and black colour scheme. Inside the helmet, the Beginning System was booting up, first allowing him to see, then the targeting system engaged, then the weapons unlocked, then it connected with his neural patterns and synced with his heart rhythms, “All systems go!” the Driver commanded.

“Save the planet, Gabe!” The President saluted.

Gabe nodded and headed out of the room.

[Locke]

Meanwhile, outside of the school, a young teenager pulled up on a bulky, custom motorcycle, still dressed in his school uniform, which looked more like a suit than anything else. His grown up looking outfit clashed with his boyish features. He dropped off the bike, removed his helmet and watched the lightning arcing from the storm clouds localised above the school. It had gathered quite the crowd, yet a mysterious, invisible force wouldn’t let them approach. They wrote it off as fear, when it was something so much more complex and yet so much more simple.

“A Quantum Storm.” Bradley said out loud into his earpiece.

“Correct.” came the voice that returned, digitally processed to sound like no one from any specific time or place.

“They are using high schools now?” Bradley tutted.

“That would appear to be the case.”

“They disgust me...”

“Do not act out of emotion. That is our primary rule.”

“‘One must not act out of emotion, only justice.’” Bradley repeated words he had been told over and over since he was a child.

“You will help us save the world, just as we saved your mother.”

“I know.” Bradley tutted.

“Then you know what must be done.”

Bradley lifted a Driver from his bike box and placed it around his waist, he flicked the switches down on either side of it as the grate in the middle section slid open and unleashed a wall of flame before the teen, “Henshin!”. People watched in amazement, some screamed and fell backwards, others were completely transfixed.

He held out his arms, leant his head back and stepped into the flames, unafraid. The flames wrapped around him and took a shape. The helmet that formed over his face was designed to look like a dancing flame, the rest of the suit was surprisingly slim and streamlined, it had light orange armour over the chest and shoulders but aside from the Striking Surface on one arm and the match stuck to the other, and light protection like elbow and knee pads, the rest of the suit was white leather, “Kamen Rider Candlewick, Ready!”

“The President predicted you’d come.”

Candlewick span on his feet, to see Beginning...Gabe...drop down on the ground behind him, his wings retracting as he landed.

Before Candlewick could respond, a jet of flame blasted from the armour surrounding Beginning’s forearm, “Jet...PUNCH!” Gabe’s fist blasted forwards like a jolt of energy, Candlewick knew he couldn’t move so he merely brought his arms up in a blocking position. His muscles rippled and danced beneath the suit, he lowered his body, tightening his entire form like a compressed spring. Beginning’s metal fist smashed into Candlewick’s arms with a dramatic thud, Candlewick was sent flying backwards but he dug his heels in and steadied himself.

Bradley looked up in frustration and pointed to the crowd of now terrified people, “There are innocent bystanders here, are you really willing to get them caught up in all this?”

At this Gabe stopped, shocked at himself, “I...”

Bradley tutted again and bolted into the school towards where the lightning was now focusing on a single spot.

“Play on my emotions will you?” Gabe growled, “just because you freaks have none...” He began to flick a sequence on his Driver’s many knobs, wheels and buttons as the chest section of his armour flipped open and unleashed a volley of rockets. The rockets flew across the school ground, the targeting system inside Gabe’s helmet keeping them completely locked on Bradley. Bradley span on the spot, striking his arm with the match as he did, just as the rockets reached him and he vanished in a massive explosion.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this.” Gabe said with genuine sorrow in his voice. But just when it seemed it was all over, the flame of the explosion all began to suck inwards until it was focused between Candlewick’s hands.

“You really thought you could beat me with an attack like this? You fool!” Bradley unleashed the ball of flame right at Gabe, Gabe immediately began to hit a sequence on his Driver, with his wings extending out, “Flight Mode Activate!” but just when Gabe thought he’d dodged the attack by escaping to the sky the ball of flame chased him into the clouds guided by Bradley’s hands.

“Warning! Warning! Warning!” Gabe’s driver screamed as the flames hit him, the full force of the explosion concentrated into devastating raw power....

“We are not assassins.” Came the voice in the earpiece, “Leave Beginning now and concentrate on the task at hand.”

“Understood.”

“The Destiny has taken shape.”

Bradley could see that, some kind of marble knight was concentrating its efforts on a single teen.

“Is he..?”

“Yes, yes he is Bradley.”

“With his help, we will save the world.”

“Yes we will, Bradley.”

“For Justice!” Bradley cheered.

“For justice.” The voice echoed.

*

When Yashin felt she was far away from the school, and in a place with no one around, she reached for the key that hung around her neck. The key was completely normal looking but as she placed it into the space before her and turned it, it revealed how special it was. The very space before her cracked open and separated like a door, she stepped through and found herself in another space entirely. The former laboratory of both Udo and Jayden’s father, which existed in a dimension only accessible by that key.

She ran through the main hub of the room, to a door in the very farthest corner, she quickly tapped in the code - Udo and Jayden’s birthdays - and stepped into the small room. In the centre was a glass chamber with a Driver floating in the centre of it, wired up to some complex looking machinery and devices that shouldn’t even have been invented yet.

Ironically it was all controlled by a very normal, and very old looking, laptop. She sat down in front of the laptop and began to tap in a series of codes, as one by one that wires detached themselves from the Driver before the glass finally lowered so she could snatch up the Driver and head back to Jayden and Udo.

*

Jayden screamed out in pain as the Destiny’s blade ripped through his forearm.

“Looks like this is over for you, Jayden.” The creature held the blade aloft and Jayden swallowed, when suddenly a ball of flames arced through the air, smashing into the creatures hands and sending the blade flying across the floor. Jayden and Udo span, to see Candlewick stood there, burnt out match in one hand, the other hand steaming with intense heat.

“I don’t think your Dad would want you to die here.” Candlewick informed.

“You know my Dad?” Jayden quizzed.

Candlewick pointed to his Driver, “this was his tech right?”

“It wouldn’t have been anything without Udo’s Dad.” Jayden added.

“This isn’t time for soppiness!” Came Yashin from behind them all, who chucked the Driver into Jayden’s hands, “The device that your Dad gave his soul to create....the Eternity Driver!”

Jayden looked down at it for a moment, while the Destiny and Candlewick merely watched in amazement. Jayden looked up at Udo, who smiled and nodded, to which Jayden smiled and nodded back before throwing the thing around his waist.

“Henshin!” he cried, running his finger along the infinity symbol on the Driver, that looked like an old VHS tape....

*

Jayden blinked and suddenly he was elsewhere, in a space that went on for an...eternity. Before him in the space was someone he hadn’t seen for so long, he barely recognised him. The red cheeks, the scruffy hair, the leather jacket, the crooked smile.

“Dad?” Jayden asked, reaching out to him, his Dad took his hand and gripped it.

“How can you be..?”

“I’m not, not exactly anyway...”

“I don’t...”

“What did you think Eternity meant?” his Dad said, pulling Jayden into a hug as Jayden softly cried into his Dad’s chest, “I have ascended beyond human limitations, I have seized my destiny and together we will save the world.”

“I don’t know what is going on” Jayden admitted, “But it’s good to see you again Dad.”

“I missed you son. But there is no time for this, not right now.”

Jayden nodded, “Now, now we must fight, we must protect and save those people.”

“That is correct.”

Jayden smiled, “Let’s go kick some ass!”

*

When Jayden opened his eyes, he wasn’t Jayden anymore, he was Kamen Rider Eternity. He was in a sleek, high tech suit of armour, fashioned on the Japanese Samurai armour and completely jet black in colour. The design of his helmet looked like an explosion frozen in time, eternal, and the infinity symbol was wrapped around his torso as armour. He held out both of his arms, as energy blades slid out above his fists.

“You know what to do.” Kane said, in the helmet.

“Yes.” Jayden nodded, leaping from the spot at the Destiny, he span in the air, arcing the infinity symbol with his blades before dropping behind the monster which exploded. The two blades retracted back into the armour.

“Until next time, Dad.” Jayden said, as the infinity symbol around his chest lit up and the suit vanished in a bright flash. Udo and Yashin rushed to Jayden’s side, as he panted but smiled the biggest smile he’d ever smiled, tears racing down his cheeks.

“Holy crap that was amazing!” Udo said in amazement.

“It isn’t often I’m left speechless...” Yashin added.

“I’m just glad I got to see my Dad again.” Jayden nodded.

“This is all beautiful or whatever.” Candlewick said, hands on his hips, “But I’m not a patient man.”

Jayden span to look at him, “I don’t even know who you are.”

“None of that matters now.” Bradley tutted with impatience.

“Then what does?”

“Saving this planet.”

“What?”

“I need to know, will you help me save this planet, or will you stop me from saving it?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I represent the Talbott Foundation. I am their weapon of justice.”

For a second Jayden drew a blank but then he realised where he heard that name before, “You mean those who wanted to use my fathers tech to shape the world in their own twisted image of utopia?”

“No twist, just a utopia.” Candlewick said.

“You don’t deserve that Driver..” Jayden growled, he took a step forwards, then clutched his chest and fell to his knees.

“These Kamen Rider forms are pretty taxing on the body, huh?” Candlewick goaded, “It took years of training to sustain a transformation, let alone battle with it, you may have the strongest Driver but don’t think you can compete with me. My skills trump your power.”

Jayden moaned in pain, thrashing on the ground.

“But I’ve seen all I’ve come here to see. You’ve officially become our enemy, Eternity. And when my boss commands it, I’ll be taking that Driver off your corpse.”

“Like hell!” Udo growled. Yashin nodded triumphantly at his side.

Bradley threw back his head and laughed, “What are you going to do?”

“Whatever needs to be done.”

“Interesting.” Bradley nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” And with a strike of his match, Candlewick was gone.

*

Meanwhile Gabe’s eyes shot open, finding himself laying on the sofa in The President’s office.

“Welcome back.” The President smiled, handing him a cup of coffee, “Eternity has awoken, just as planned. He even made an enemy of Talbott, which is even better.”

Gabe sat up, “My body I feel...”

“Fine?”

Gabe looked up as two men and a woman stepped inside the room.

“Are they?”

“Quantum Conduits?” One of the men said. The three of them were consumed by black smoke and each turned into a hideous monster.

“All is going better than I could have dreamed.” The President cackled at the window.