Wonder Heroes 4.0

by Ahlquist, Steve

  Susan went rigid at the controls of the Crimson Fist. “I didn’t know…”

  Matt could hear the shock in Susan’s voice. He did not need her suddenly succumbing to guilt. “Stay with us Susan,” said Matt, “What you did is nothing compared to what those robots will do if we don’t stop them.”

  “Matt’s right, Susan,” added Walter, “If you had been even a little slower in acting the Neboukichan would have repaired their fallen comrades and been unstoppable. Their power is geometric.”

  Susan sought to balance the words of her teammate and her lover with the fact that she had caused hundreds of people to die. It would be so easy right now to give into despair, but that would be too easy. She channeled her emotions into anger.

  “We need a plan, people,” said Susan, “and we need it quick or these stupid robots are going to kill everything on Earth.”

  The Wonder Heroes and Walter Watanabe launched more missiles, fired more energy blasts at the robots, but never truly hurt the Neboukichan as the gigantic stone robots incrementally repaired themselves, ever so slowly bringing themselves to full capacity. No easy answer as to how to stop the creatures presented itself.

  Finally, Walter said, “I’ve got an idea.”

  “No. No way,” said Matt.

  “I don’t see where we have any other choice,” said Kalomo, “if Walter can do this, we should let him.”

  Walter Watanabe had just sketched out his plan for countering the Neboukichan assault on Tokyo, Japan and the world. Logic told Matt that the plan was the best one on the table, and possibly their only chance, but emotion overpowered him. In exasperation Matt said, “There’s got to be another way.”

  While the team spent precious seconds debating the obvious strategy, Theodore landed outside his Wonder Vehicle, the Golden Kick. Despite the cockpit now being open to the air and the frame being bent, Theodore’s gauntlet informed him that his ship was not damaged beyond its capability to fly and fire some energy blasts. Still, as Theodore took to the air, the controls were sluggish and tended to list to the right while in flight. Theodore needed to stay back and out of reach of the enemy because another blow might be lethal.

  “Fine,” said Matt finally, launching the last of his missiles into the maw of Anger. The Neboukichan did not seem hurt as the twin missiles exploded inside its mouth, and smoke poured into the clear blue sky.

  In the Crimson Kick, Susan agreed, “We’re going with Walter’s plan then. Theodore?”

  “Yes?” answered Theodore, with a tone in his voice that irritated Susan, though she could not exactly put her finger on why.

  “I want you to parallel Walter’s flying wing and jump gate back to Wonder Base.”

  “I’d rather stay and fight,” said Theodore, “can’t you go?”

  Susan tried to hide her impatience. “Your ship is damaged, and it’s a Kick, so you’re the best choice to help Walter with the plan.”

  Theodore relented. “Fine. You still eavesdropping there, Walter?”

  “I am,” said Walter, “I’ll send you my coordinates.”

  “No need,” said Theodore, acquiring his target, “I’ve got you.”

  Theodore peeled away from the fight, leaving only four Wonder Vehicles to continue the barrage. Without the help of the Golden Kick the rate of the Neboukichan repairs would increase. Susan blanched when she saw the Wonder Computer estimates. In twenty-two minutes the giant robots would be strong enough to completely annihilate the Wonder Heroes, and within five minutes after that, the entire world. Long before that happened, of course, the governments of Earth would blanket Tokyo with hydrogen bombs, which may or may not save the world, but would of course devastate Japan.

  “This looks bad,” said Kalomo.

  “I wonder if it’s too late to convert to whatever religion serves these guys,” said Jay without much humor.

  Susan said nothing and launched the last of her missiles futilely into the back of the head of Happiness.

  The Golden Kick punched through the jump gate and arrived back inside the hanger deck at Wonder Base in literally less than no time. As Theodore hovered in the Golden Kick Walter jumped from the Violet Wing and rolled onto the tarmac, making his way for the Kick-Blade, parked quietly in the spot it had occupied for well over a year. Theodore noticed that Walter’s purple Domaru Armor was now highlighted with green flames.

  From the Golden Kick, Theodore observed Walter as he approached Danielle Walker’s Wonder Vehicle. Theodore’s weapon systems were still hot and he targeted Walter in the hanger bay, his thumb hovering over the trigger. With a single shot Walter would be vaporized. Theodore smiled and said, “Green flames. How predictable.”

  “What are you talking about, Theodore?” asked Walter, distracted by the task at hand.

  “Your armor, Domaru,” said Theodore, “you’ve added green flames. You’re hoping to hack your way onto the team. You want to be Wonder Hero Blade.”

  Walter ignored Theodore, approached the Kick-Blade and raised his arms. The door opened. Walter smiled. The math had seemed hard, until he intuited several shortcuts. His genius sometimes amazed even him.

  Theodore was impressed by how easily Walter managed to access the Kick-Blade. “You miniaturized all that equipment already?” asked Theodore, “Impressive.”

  “I’ve got people working for me who specialize in miniaturizing and off-loading components,” said Walter, entering the Kick-Blade. “I run a very large and successful corporation.”

  Theodore tracked Walter into the Kick-Blade on his sensors. “Still, if people learn how to compromise Wonder Hero technology, the results could be disastrous.”

  “My computer security company is second-to-none,” said Walter, “You of all people should know that.” Walter squeezed into the pilot seat of the Kick-Blade. His armor was not constructed to fit into the area designed for someone wearing Wonder Armor and it took a second for him to wriggle into place.

  Theodore did not miss the veiled reference Walter had just made. It was Walter’s company, after all, that had proven that Theodore had hacked into a government database and added his name to the Wonder Hero candidate list. “You know,” said Theodore, “this comes off as kind of pathetic.”

  “Oh?” Walter was running decryption algorithms through his Domaru Armor, trying to get the Kick-Blade to accept him as a proxy for Wonder Hero Blade. He did not have time to rise to Theodore’s taunts.

  “Sure,” said Theodore, “you were the third person to try on the gauntlets, and the second to be rejected. I may have snuck my way onto the list, but the Wonder Gauntlets chose me, not you, and here you are, so desperate to make the team you’re hacking your way in. We’re not so different.”

  “Please, Theodore,” said Walter, weary of the taunts, “don’t embarrass yourself by comparing us. Without a Wonder Gauntlet you would be nobody. Without a gauntlet I’m still Walter Watanabe.”

  The Kick-Blade suddenly powered up. Walter raised his hands like a maestro finishing a symphony. “See?”

  Theodore said nothing as he checked his sensor readings. “It looks like you’ll be operating the Kick-Blade at only 23% capacity.”

  “More than enough for the plan to work.” Walter checked some readings as Theodore commanded the Wonder Computer to reset the vortex for the trip back to Japan. Walter said, “I’m going to need you to tow me through the jump gate. I can’t access all the systems yet.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” said Theodore, wishing he could just shoot Walter and be done with him.

  Now that the work of hacking into the Kick’s systems was done, Walter reviewed the conversation he and Theodore had engaged in. Walter said, “She chose me, you know. Even though I don’t have a Wonder Gauntlet, even though you fight by her side and even though she knows you love her. She chose me.”

  Theodore said nothing. Walter was safely inside the Kick-Blade, immune, for now, from any violence Theodore could inflict on him. Theodore engaged the tractor beam an
d towed the less than half-functioning Kick through the wormhole and back to Japan. If they were in time, and could save the world, then Theodore would continue the conversation at his leisure and to Walter’s displeasure. If they were too late then all this sound and fury would ultimately signify nothing.

  About two-seconds before they left Wonder Base the Yellow Kick and the Kick-Blade emerged from a spinning hole in the skies above Tokyo, where the battle, if it could even be called that, was going rather poorly. The Neboukichan were too powerful, and their rate of repair outstripped the abilities of the Wonder Heroes to damage them. As Theodore and Walter returned, a fifth Neboukichan, Dream, came back on line. All the creatures instantly boosted their power geometrically as the fifth robot joined the recursive crystalline feedback.

  “We’re back, guys,” said Theodore.

  “Thank god,” said Jay, “we can’t hold out for much longer.”

  Susan took command. “Cut the chatter, Jay. We have ninety-seconds to turn the tide of battle or Japan gets blanketed by hydrogen bombs, which as of now will not destroy these monsters, but will certainly destroy Tokyo.”

  “Fine,” replied Jay, “How does this work?”

  Matt, the only one with experience in these matters, said, “The process is automatic. Everyone needs to enter the cooperative systems simultaneously.”

  “I’m not getting a reading for that,” said Walter.

  Jay could not help himself. “Dammit! We’re screwed.”

  “Chill Jay,” said Theodore, “Walter, run a repair diagnostic, then I can mirror the Golden Kick’s systems to yours.”

  A second later Walter said, “Cooperative systems activated.”

  “Okay people,” said Matt, “sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  As the cooperative systems came on-line, the cockpits of the Wonder Vehicles dropped back flat, and each Wonder Hero was moved out of the cockpit and into an armored interior. Susan did not like the feeling of being wrapped up and shuttled into a space little bigger than a coffin, but she had no time to object before unconsciousness overwhelmed her. The other Wonder Heroes all under went the same process. Only Walter Watanabe remained conscious, trapped inside a coffin like space inside the Kick-Blade.

  In perfect synchronization the two Kicks, Golden and Blade, landed in the airfield about one mile from the Neboukichan. The Kicks seemed to unfold like origami, erecting two towers from the rear of the vehicles. The Golden Kick, though damaged, seemed to unfold naturally, but the Kick-Blade was slow and sluggish by comparison. Still, as the towers completed the Onyx Torso looped into position, and landed on the Kicks, connecting with complex intertwining locking mechanisms. Connections established, power and controls flowed freely between the three vehicles. The Skull hovered into position over the Onyx Torso as simultaneously the Crimson and Ultra Fists hovered to either side. There was a brilliant, rainbow colored flash of energy as the six vehicles became one, and the minds of the five Wonder Heroes were merged into a single entity, the Wonder Giant.

  Twice as tall as the Neboukichan and over two hundred times more powerful than any one Wonder Vehicle on its own, the Wonder Giant was the greatest and most powerful weapon to ever exist on the Earth. Inside the Wonder Giant, the Wonder Heroes had disappeared not so much into unconsciousness as into each other, merging like five small lumps of clay into one supreme mind crafted by a master sculptor. Susan might have panicked at the sudden intrusion of thoughts not her own, but the process was fast, and her identity was expanded into those of her teammates so smoothly that she did not have the time or the ability to fight or object to the transmutation. Together the fighting skills and experience of all five pilots were merged into some sort of supreme Wonder Consciousness, the brain of the Wonder Giant.

  From the Wonder Giant’s great right hand erupted a sword that glowed and crackled with magenta dark energy even as the back of the robot’s ultramarine left fist seemed to rotate outwardly and expand into a shimmering, sky-blue translucent shield. The Wonder Giant raised the sword high and presented the shield. From its Skull the behemoth roared inarticulately as a challenge to the strange stone alien robots.

  Yet even as the Neboukichan prepared to battle this new threat to their existence, deep inside the Kick-Blade, trapped and alone and unable to escape, Walter Watanabe screamed.

  It was only minutes earlier that Susan Daystrom had summoned her Wonder Armor and blasted into battle. Hanzo Ueda, the leader of the nihilistic, world destroying and death worshiping Kaiju Cult raised his hand defensively against the flash of red energy.

  “I’ve got to deal with this,” said Susan, talking quickly to Walter Watanabe. Then she pointed at Hanzo and his wife Junko. “Get these two to the authorities, they might have information we can use.”

  Susan blasted off through the apartment window and into battle against the Neboukichan. Walter ran to the window after her, flipped up the dial on his watch and depressed the purple button there. Hanzo knew that the millionaire industrialist had summoned his Violet Wing and Domaru Armor to this location. It was all very sudden and impressive.

  Hanzo stood quietly as Walter waited. A sound came from Narita Airport, like the striking of a gong, and Hanzo thought he saw something red streak into space, but it all happened so fast and far away he could not be certain of what he saw. Walter had made no move to “get these two to the authorities” as Susan had commanded. Hanzo figured that Walter Watanabe, world-renowned multimillionaire industrialist and superhero was not one to allow himself to be ordered around.

  There was an uncomfortable silence and then Walter said, “This is a nice apartment. Can’t be cheap.”

  Hanzo shrugged, “One of the perks of leading an ancient death cult. You get to live a pretty good life before the world ends.”

  Walter nodded, unsure of how to respond.

  “I saw your home in one of the celebrity magazines,” said Junko, from the couch, “It’s very beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” said Walter, unable to resist a compliment, even from death cultists. “I designed it myself.”

  “Well,” said Junko, “it was very nice.”

  The conversation trailed off again, and mercifully the Violet Wing was approaching, filling the sky with enough noise from the roar of its engines to drown out any more attempts at social niceties. The Violet Wing hovered outside the window, and Walter leapt onto the craft, despite the twenty-seven-story fall he would suffer if he slipped. Walter removed his leather jacket with the green flames and let it fall to the street below. He opened the top of the Violet Wing and began pulling out the various components of his armor, chest plate, gauntlets, boots, leggings and helmet, snapping each into place, allowing the onboard computer to do the hard work of synchronizing all the systems.

  In just under a minute Walter was dressed and ready to enter the battle, a record time. His attention, though, was fixed on a flaming meteor falling from space, aimed directly at Narita Airport. It was one of the most awesome and terrifying sights Walter had ever seen. He did a quick mental calculation and realized that Tokyo could not survive such a collision. The meteor was large enough to destroy everything on the island. He gripped the handles on the Violet Wing and held on, but the cataclysm did not come. Scanning with his helmet’s sensors he saw that the Wonder Heroes had contained the gigantic energies of the collision inside a forcefield. The ground trembled and an earthquake rocked the city, but the meteor’s impact was contained.

  Walter looked back through the window at Hanzo and Junko. The earthquake had shaken up the building they occupied, and the couple was on the floor of their apartment, holding each other. He expected to see looks of disappointment or fear on their faces but instead he saw Hanzo laughing. Walter followed the Kaiju Cult leader’s gaze and saw a downtown office building, only slightly taller than the apartment complex Hanzo occupied with his wife, collapsing into a pile of debris, a victim of the earthquake caused by the battle between Neboukichan and Wonder Hero.

 
Walter frowned and directed the Violet Wing to bring him towards the battle. He patched into the Wonder Heroes communications, a little trick he had discovered long ago and kept secret. Instantly he could hear their discussions and banter. The Wonder Heroes did not know it yet, but they needed his help if Tokyo were going to survive.

  Wonder Heroes 4.23

  Now alone with his wife in their apartment, Hanzo Ueda picked himself up from the floor, and then reached out a hand to help his wife Junko find her feet. The apartment was now open to the sky thanks to the sudden exit of Wonder Hero Crimson and they could feel the building swaying slightly, reacting to the earthquake and aftershocks.

  “We should get out of here,” said Junko, “before this building collapses as well.”

  Hanzo laughed.

  “You’re laughing?”

  “Yes, Junko, I am laughing,” said Hanzo, with true joy in his heart. “We’re death cultists, and we have just ushered in the death of the world. Now we are to run from a building that might collapse?”

  Hanzo grabbed Junko’s hand and dragged her across the living room and towards the smashed out window. He stood dangerously close to the edge and the deadly twenty-seven-story drop. Junko felt a giddy vertigo.

  Hanzo stood on his toes and raised a fist defiantly into the air. As he shouted, “Look at what we have wrought, Junko!” Flush with excitement the cult leader lost his balance and would surly have fallen out the window and to his death if Junko had not pulled him back.

  As if in answer to Hanzo’s outburst there came an explosion from the site of the distant battle. Junko turned away from the carnage and stared at her husband. She had married him out of duty, and to spite her father, but until now, she suddenly realized, she had never truly loved him. In the next twenty-four hours, billions of humans, including she and Hanzo would die, the fruition of all her hopes and dreams. Yet Junko had never imagined finding love at the end of the world.

  Junko joined in her husband’s laughter and joy. He whooped and hollered as the battle raged, and she found herself for the first time in her dour and passionless life swept up in a moment. With a suddenness that surprised them both the young couple noticed each other, and fell into a passionate kiss. The battle raged and the world teetered on the edge of oblivion, but gripped by passion, the lovers no longer noticed or cared.