"No escape, Johan," Selim's familiar voice said, laughing cruelly. "There was never any escape."
"No!" The handle of his sword squealed as Johan clenched his fist. If only he had his Uhyre key, it would give his blade enough power to destroy these monsters. With Halvorsen still working on his new belt, he was facing the three Uhyre monsters alone. It seemed doubtful Anderson's pea shooter would offer much help.
"Wonderful," Halvorsen said, sending a stern glare toward the unwanted intruders. It didn't stop him from continuing his work, but he seemed ready to intervene if necessary, his hand near the prototype laser gun sitting on the counter.
Johan sent a quick glance toward the lab's front door. They'd leave the others alone if he ran for it. He had no clue what he'd do next, but that was future Johan's problem.
"Don't follow!" Johan dashed toward the only escape route. The door splintered and smashed open as his boot struck it, and he fled into the awaiting corridor. His enemies only chuckled at his frantic escape attempt, allowing their prey to begin a doomed chase.
The lab resided in an old apartment complex; its yellow, faded wallpaper peeled from lack of attention. Johan's nose wrinkled at unpleasant odors he'd rather not consider. Crisscrossed light flowed in from the outside windows, each blocked by webbing. Something scrambled outside, a malevolent eye watching Johan through a boarded-up window. A stairwell caught his eye, and he dashed toward it.
"You can't escape that easily."
Johan's heart choked in his throat as Randel leaped ahead of him halfway down the staircase, his bulky wolf's form blocking his path. His heart raced as the Boss appeared behind him, preventing any escape.
"No!" Equal parts desperation and determination, Johan stabbed forward with his sword. Sparks flew from the impact point, but it only caused Randel to stagger a step, otherwise unbothered.
Johan cursed at the pathetic results but used the slight stagger to slip past. Boots clattered against the wooden stairs as he reached the second floor. Pain made his head throb something fierce as he tumbled down to the first floor when something caught his left leg. His tormentors laughed at his misfortune. Before he could push himself up, something scooped him from the floor. His shirt ripped as Randel's claws lifted him high. Johan gagged as the monster's rancid breath choked him.
"Really? What did you expect to happen?" his former friend said, pain lancing across Johan's back as the monster hurled him across the corridor.
"Hey, don't be too hard on him," Selim said, staring down at Johan helpless as he skittered across the ceiling. "I haven't had the chance to play with him yet."
Johan uttered an oath, hand scrambling for his sword, but found it clear across the room, dropped after Randel had manhandled him. Dear God, he was beyond screwed.
"Just crush his puny skull and finish him already," the Boss's lumbering cat form said, giving a ghost of a shrug. "The mistress still needs us."
"I don't care," Selim said, his head twisting in an inhuman position to gaze down at the Boss. "No one owns me, in life or death. And I always take care of grudges." Selim redirected his inhuman gaze back toward Johan, mouth opening to reveal rows of dagger-length teeth.
"No, I'm going to finish him!" Randel said, showing his fangs. "He betrayed me!"
"Do you want to die?" Selim said, his tone holding a warning. The two monsters exchanged glares. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Johan crawled away. His progress, however, halted as a massive clawed foot stepped on his back.
"You aren't going anywhere," the Boss said. "Fight if you want. Just be quick about it."
"Yes, fight, please!" Johan thought. The fighting might work to his advantage, providing an opportunity to escape. Luck, however, wasn't on his side. Before the two monsters could exchange blows, Selim cried out in pain as a sudden energy blast blew him from his perch on the ceiling. The moment's warning was enough for Randel to dodge a second blast.
"Don't worry, Johan, I got you!" Anderson said, hiding behind the stairwell's banister. With a kick, he sent Johan's sword skittering across the floor.
"Surprised you, eh?" Anderson said, unleashing another volley into the Boss. The creature staggered, giving Johan enough space to slip free. "It was designed to fight creeps like you!"
"I don't like interlopers," the Niflhel said, brandishing wickedly sharp claws on each of his six arms. "It'll be fun to gut a cop. I'll paint the streets with your intestines—like your friends back at the police station!"
"Bastard!" This grisly reminder only enraged the detective, blasting the Niflhel point-blank with his gun. Snarling, the spider creature shrugged off the shot as if it were an insect bite.
Blood splattered against the stairwell wall as massive claws impaled Anderson. The poor man dropped like a stone, howling as the bloody instrument left its victim.
"No!" Johan watched helplessly as the detective whimpered in pain, blood pooling under him. This couldn't be happening. While he'd disliked cops, Anderson didn't deserve to die like a dog. Pain racked Johan's head as he collided with a nearby wall, the Boss slapping him aside.
"No." Johan used his sword as a support to keep himself standing. Thankfully, Selim returned his cruel intentions toward him instead, ignoring the fallen detective.
"A real fighter, aren't you?" Selim said, casually walking back toward him.
"Not that he can accomplish much," the Boss added. "During the mission where I died, his incompetence with a firearm got me killed."
"Typical," Randel said, adding to the mockery.
Tears pricked Johan's eyes as he felt the hopelessness of his situation. Without his Uhyre key, Johan Engel was nothing.
"Duck."
Without even thinking about it, Johan followed those instructions. Heat washed over him as a fireball blasted into the Boss, hurling him clear across the room. The nearby wall burst into flame as the fire caught hold, eagerly eating everything around it. The blaze worsened as several more fireballs sent the monsters into nearby rooms for cover.
"Heh." A weak Anderson said, shakily holding his gun. "It's meant for killing monsters, remember? You never expected it might have more settings?"
"Anderson, you lunatic! Are you trying to burn us all alive?!" Johan shouted above the blaze, sweat glistening on his forehead as he rushed to the detective's aid. So much blood. He wouldn't last long.
"Don't worry. Halvorsen has already evacuated. He figured something like this might happen."
"That's not what I'm worried about!" Johan coughed as smoke filled his lungs and stung his eyes, pulling the detective over his shoulder. Blood stained his shirt, but he barely noticed. "Stay alive, you bastard!"
The fire continued to spread, blocking the front entrance. From here, Johan's watering eyes didn't see an easy escape route. Try for the fire escape on the second floor? Would that even be safe?
"I hate fire!" Johan said, furious he'd gotten himself trapped in a burning building again. "Whatever, we'll try the second-story fire escape."
"I have a better idea," Anderson said, chuckling before going into a coughing fit. "Head toward that apartment over there." He pointed toward a room with a door half off its hinges.
"The window? I'm not sure whether you'd be safe with your injuries," Johan replied, giving his wounded ally a worried look.
"Don't worry, I got this." With a weak gesture, the detective showed his laser gun. "I'll blast our way out. What are you waiting for? Death from smoke inhalation?"
With a solid kick, Johan broke through the useless door. It allowed them free access to an empty, abandoned room. Behind them, the poor-quality wood was easy fuel for the flames, spreading alarmingly quick.
"Your gun can burst through a wall, right?" Johan said, ducking low to avoid the gathering smoke.
"Should be…" Anderson's failing body tensed as his eye caught something. Johan turned, his heart trapping in his throat.
"Think I'd let you escape that easily, Johan?" Randel's wolfish face smirked through the window, knowing he had them trapped. "Hope you like getting burned to death."
"Hand me the weapon!" Johan said, awkwardly sheathing his sword with one arm as he held the detective. "I'll handle this."
"No, just leave me," Anderson said. "You're young. You can find another way out."
"I won't leave you!" Not that they could escape the way they'd entered—the fire had already reached the stairwell. "I'll figure out something."
"You better hurry, Johan," Randel said. "We're waiting for you out here."
"Bastard!" Johan grabbed Anderson's weapon and blasted through the window, aiming at Randel's smug expression. But the monster pivoted away, brushing the glass off.
"You said this gun can break down walls?" Johan said, fighting back panic. "How?"
"A dial on the side increases its power setting. Set it to seventy-ish," Anderson said. "Bad news, though—it'll be useless. The power pack's already pretty drained."
"They allow police to use these things?" Johan said, following the detective's instructions.
"They're prototypes! The newer ones will have better safety features."
"Let's hope this works." Johan paused, apprehension filling him. Randel had been uncharacteristically silent, vanishing from sight. It made him fear the monster might have something planned. Well, whatever—more of future Johan's problems.
A side wall exploded with impressive destructive power as the burst of energy struck it, making the whole building shake. Johan had never expected the grimy streets of Bifrost's poorer districts to be such a glorious sight as he gazed through the hole he'd created. In a bounding leap, Johan rushed toward the exit, welcoming the coolness of the fresh night air that filled his eager lungs. He coughed, trying to rid himself of the smoke that had invaded them.
"You escaped. That's good," a new, unexpected voice said.
"Stop interfering!" Randel snarled, slashing a claw toward the half-armored Valkyrie, ID-01. What the hell had happened to her armor? It barely covered her body, and she was missing a wing.
"She seems to have some skill," the Boss said, watching as ID-01 dodged blows capable of shredding her.
"Pest!" Selim said, perched on a nearby stoplight. "And now with an upgrade."
"Thanks for the rescue, but Anderson needs serious medical attention," Johan said, the lack of complaining from the detective worrying him. While alive, his pulse was weak. He'd lost a considerable amount of blood. Johan did his damnedest to stanch the bleeding with his battered, torn shirt.
"Already done. I've called the other Valkyries for assistance," ID-01 replied.
"If you survive that long." While Selim abstained from the fight, the other two monsters combined forces.
Instead of continuing to bicker, they fought as a unit, surrounding the unwanted person interrupting their fun. The robot girl observed the scene, impassive, without moving a centimeter. While ID-01 could handle herself, the odds remained stacked heavily against her.
Sparks flew as a wing blocked a claw strike from Randel, but it only left her open to a punch from the Boss. He paid for it with a sudden slash across the face, but the blow sent her crashing into a nearby streetlight. Webs flew to catch her, but the Valkyrie rolled away. Selim descended on her while she was still recovering. Only a sudden burst of flight from her remaining wing saved her from getting skewered.
Johan cursed, helpless to stop ID-01 from getting dismantled. But it wasn't entirely one-sided—the half-armored Kamen Rider making them pay for each blow she suffered. Still, with her systems so exhausted, she had almost nothing left to defend herself.
"Not bad for a bird," Selim said, grabbing Valkyrie with his multiple arms as she struggled to stand from a sudden body blow from the Boss. "But you're useless with your wings clipped."
A nearby car toppled over, thrown by Valkyrie's collision with it. If ID-01 had been human, she'd be paste. Since she felt no pain, the doppelgänger slashed the spider monster across the face with her remaining wing. The impact caused black ichor to ooze from the wound.
"You little—help me with her." Selim held her down while the Boss grabbed her wing. The sound of rending metal squealed as pure muscle tore it free, the piece of scrap discarded like trash.
"No!" Johan tried intercepting the carnage, hoping his sword would give ID-01 some advantage if she got it. But Randel bounded in front of him, blocking his path.
"Tear her apart. It'll be fun watching Johan squirm as you dismantle her," his former friend said.
Claws tore into Valkyrie's armor, Johan watching helplessly. ID-01 defended herself the best she could, but it proved futile. Her transformation finally failed, her remaining armor shattering into dust.
"I've been waiting for this. I lost several of my men because of you," Selim said, holding a helpless ID-01 up by the neck. Instead of responding, ID-01 remained quiet, not giving the sadist killer the satisfaction he craved.
"Annoying. You could at least beg for your life!" Frustrated, Selim tossed her onto the street, the pavement cracking beneath her. Her body went limp, unresponsive.
"No." Johan's breath hastened, saddened despite knowing she was only a machine.
"Kill her," Selim said, waving a dismissive claw. "She's no fun."
The Boss nodded, putting a massive clawed foot over ID-01's neck. With simple pressure, he'd snap her robotic spine.
"Now, stay quiet. Watch like a good little piglet," Randel said, his toothy maw giving him a smug smile.
"No."
Everyone turned toward the new voice. The Boss yelped in pain and surprise as a fireball blasted him off ID-01. A consecutive burst hurled the cat monster through a nearby building.
"Who the hell are you?" Randel said, yelping as he dodged away from the next burst of fire.
"Halvorsen?" Johan said, watching as the middle-aged scientist walked forward with a laser gun in his hand.
"Leave her alone," Halvorsen said, his voice hard. Selim leaped toward him, thinking his victim distracted, only to get blasted out of the air.
"Damn." Johan still hadn't forgotten how that one scientist had handed him his ass when they'd fought back in Halvorsen's lab. Good thing he was on their side. A light blinked on Halvorsen's weapon, showing it low on power. Randel, thinking him helpless, launched forward with claws raised—only to yelp in pain as the blunt end of the pistol crushed his nose.
"Here." Halvorsen threw a bag toward Johan.
"Is this…?" Johan caught it with ease, peering inside. Metal flashed back at him.
"It is. My finest work. Sorry it took so long. I must warn you—it has a limited power system. I still need that part from Rebecca. But it should do. Now, give them hell. Show them why you don't mess with the Halvorsens. No one hurts my daughter."
"Got it." A belt not dissimilar to Valkyrie's wrapped around his waist. After stabbing his weapon into the pavement, Johan pulled out a key from the bag—a shining sword with a boar symbol etched on its surface. "Henshin!"
Golden light washed over him as Johan's new armor formed around him. It shone like a brand-new day, white with gold plating. An olive-green cape waved in the wind behind him, strapped to an armpiece emblazoned with ancient runes. Antlers of a majestic beast sprouted from his helmet, regal and gallant. Behind him, a sword whose surface seemed like molten metal hovered in the air, moving as if it had a mind of its own.
"What?" Randel said, flexing his claws in agitation at this unwelcome development, his prey no longer helpless as he'd hoped. This apprehension turned to a derisive snort. "So, you have a new power, Johan. I'm still taking your head!"
With sudden speed, his former friend bounded toward him, claws eager to rend flesh. With a flash, he was already slashing toward Johan's exposed neck from behind. It was a futile effort. Blood gurgled in his throat as the molten sword ran the wolf monster through from behind, moving without even a command.
"No… I can't…" Randel's words became incoherent as he struggled to speak.
"Enough." Johan pulled his sword from its perch on the ground, aiming it at his former friend. "Goodbye, Randel. I'm sorry it came to this. Rest in peace."
Both blades tore into Randel, undead flesh rent apart with ease. Ash rained onto the street as the wolf monster lost its substance before dissolving into nothing. Johan's second sword returned to floating behind him, ready to assault whatever might dare challenge its master.
"What power!" Equal parts fear and awe crept into the Boss's voice. Selim only swore loudly, his words ugly and hateful.
"Call me Kamen Rider Laevateinn, the twin swords of light." Johan clenched his free fist, heart blazing with righteous anger. "And I swear by my fallen friends, I'm putting an end to Ragnarök!"