A/N: This is set in an offshoot of my Ultra Crystals universe where the Ultra Rangers destroyed Xonix at the end of "The Ultra Crystals". Kamen Rider isn't mine. Neither is the Power Rangers. Everything you don't recognize? Mine.

Kamen Rider Tyrant

Rider Rising – Part 1

Weihan didn't know what was going on. He had been called into the Director's office – but so far, she hadn't shown up. He knew that he was on thin ice where his work was concerned, but he didn't care much. He would gladly take an impossible task that had him forgo sleep if it meant the dreams would stop. No one except a small group of close friends knew of the dreams he was having. They weren't the regular ones involving him and a few female co-workers, but incredibly dark dreams. Dreams involving death, fire, fear and hideous monsters destroying all in their path. Images that hadn't graced his sleep for ten years – since the destruction of Xonix.

As he sat in the Director's room, his right hand automatically came up to touch the crystal shard he had around his neck. That was the only remnant of the Ultra crystal that had turned him into one of the most powerful Rangers in the Universe. There was no great evil threatening the planet; and what did pop up was defeated by whatever Power Ranger team was soon created. He had settled down considerably after Xonix was destroyed and let himself enjoy school slightly more. The further years of learning and education had been interesting; but he kept wondering what could have been. Of course, various teams fighting in particularly tough battles had called him back. The first such battle was against a swarm of Mesogog clones in Reefside. He had discovered that he could easily summon his Ninjetti spirit, robes and even his Crocodile Ninjazord. He had tried to summon his Dinozord and Thunderzord – he couldn't, but he felt the spirit of the Utahraptor within.

It was only by sheer luck that he had landed a job in a group of colleges in the heart of the CBD. Well, not really by luck; maybe coincidence was a better word. He had been drawn to the building for some time. It was a feeling of something calling to the spirit within. When the offer came up, he jumped at the chance. The first few weeks had been tough. The workload was harsh and demanding, but he persevered like any Ranger would. Of course, he slacked off sometimes; but he always did what he was told with utmost importance. He had noticed something rather odd though. The lights overhead kept flickering at the same time every day and there was the smell of ozone the day after. He had asked one of his colleagues – an attractive young Nepalese woman called Serena – what was happening, but she had smiled at him and told him not to worry about it. He had dropped the subject, but it kept nagging at him. His chats with he Director had been strange as well, the young Spanish woman kept looking at him very intently. He pushed everything to the back of his mind as he heard footsteps outside.

The handle turned and the door opened, revealing the Director of Australasia Worldwide – Gabriela Delgado. He stood up and stood quietly as she entered the room carrying a thick manila folder. Weihan swallowed quietly. If she was going to fire him, it would be on his terms and not hers. As he sat down, he noticed the name on the folder: Project KRR. Whatever those letters stood for, it was a complete mystery to him. One possibility for the "KR" part could be "Kamen Rider", but Kamen Rider was just a TV show…right? Once again, the words of Zordon echoed in his head,

"Nothing is impossible with aid of the Power"

So maybe it wasn't too much of a stretch to say that Australasia Worldwide was going to produce the next Kamen Rider show. Or they had created a Rider System of their own. Either way, he would find out soon. He waited patiently as the Director gathered her thoughts before speaking.

"Weihan, there is a reason I have asked you to see me today. For once, it is not about your work."

Weihan smiled lightly and nodded once, prompting her to continue. Gabriela set the manila folder down and opened it. Inside the thick folder were CG images, graphs and a great deal of official looking text. It also had pictures of ghostlike figures, reflections and – worryingly – pictures of the last battle with Xonix. Thankfully the pictures didn't show any faces, just the last moments of the battle and a full body shot of him in full morph. Weihan gazed at that image longingly; while the Ninjetti robes were sweet, they didn't offer much in the way of protection. Gaby took in a deep breath and continued.

"This is the real reason that Australasia Worldwide exists. The colleges are just a front and a way for us to bring in funding. We put 100% into the colleges and another 100% in this project. Here, come with me. You have to see it to believe it."

She stood up, closed the manila folder and stepped out into the hallway. Weihan followed, genuinely interested in what she was about to show him. What did it have to do with him and what were those pictures about? They walked down a hall with a squeaky floor and came to a heavily armed fire door. Gaby placed her palm on the door and a strange light shone on it. A few seconds later, the door unlocked with a dull thunk and swung open – revealing a stone passageway dimly lit with flickering torches. As they crossed the threshold, Gaby spoke again; her voice echoing off the walls.

"Weihan, are you aware of the Legend of Bloody Mary?"

"Some woman in a mirror kills you if you say her name three to five times. Method of killing varies from throat ripping to gouging out your eyes. Why do you ask that?"

Gaby sighed and shifted the folder to her other arm.

"Legends like that have been circulating the globe for centuries. Stories of goatmen, yeti and other creatures of myth. Human beings have long dismissed all these as massive hoaxes, folklore and easily explained phenomena. In doing so, we have become complacent and placid. Easy targets."

"Easy targets for what?"

Weihan was getting nervous now. He knew that there were creatures out there that defied all imagination. Werewolves, Chupacabras and all other things that went bump in the night were reality. He had seen glimpses of it in that hellish future he had visited. What did Australasia Worldwide know about any of that and what would it do? Up ahead, he could see another door – this time guarded by what looked like marines with great big guns. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it was extremely confidential. As they reached the door, Gaby spoke to him again.

"Targets for Bloodless Mary – Queen of the Wraiths. She is the origin of the Bloody Mary mythos but she is far deadlier."

The guards snapped to attention and pointed their guns at Weihan. He blinked, semi-surprised. He knew that if they fired on him, he could morph into his Ninjetti robes before the bullet left the chamber – but the material wouldn't last long. That and it would blow the cover he had carefully cultivated after the Final Battle. Though if he was going to be fired upon, that persona would be shredded in a hurry…horrific pun not intended. As Gaby told the guards to relax and open the door, he ran that name over in his head. He had heard of Bloodless Mary before, but he couldn't remember where or when. If he got out of this meeting alive, he would run it through his contacts. Maybe someone on the Eltarean High Council had heard of that name. Then there was the other name she mentioned – Wraiths. He didn't know if they were the kind of ghost or something else entirely. Something snapped him out of his musings and he looked up to see that the heavy-looking door had opened. There was the darkness again. He wondered if lighting was just reserved for the college. He stepped through the door first and waited for Gaby to come.

The door slowly swung shut, leaving the former Ranger in total darkness. All around him, he could hear heavy footsteps. He didn't know what was in the darkness, but he knew he had to fight if he wanted to get out. That sounded so horribly clichéd in his mind, but it was the truth. Then again, if she wanted to assess his combat abilities, she would be in for a shock. All fear and aggression left his body as he took in a deep breath, calling on his Crocodile spirit to aid him. As his senses gradually became sharper, he could easily sense the presence of four figures – two in front of him, one behind and one slowly approaching from his right. He grinned to himself and spoke to whoever was in the darkness.

"All right. I know you're out there, being all cautious and whatnot. Let's just disregard all that and you guys rush me. Um…let's start with the guy creeping towards me like a secret agent. Hit me with your best shot."

His words had some affect, because the slowly approaching figure started running at him. He took a step back and smiled as he felt something run past him. He struck out with his right arm and felt it impact against cloth – along with a grunt of pain. Not letting up, he opened his fist, grabbed onto the cloth and pulled it toward him. His left hand chopped down at his assailant's back, bringing down his opponent almost soundlessly. As he released what he hoped was an unconscious attacker, his senses alerted him to a thin rod or blade coming toward him at neck height. Dropping down, he heard the whistle of a blade through the air before rolling back and executing a low roundhouse sweep. His leg connected with something sturdy, but had enough momentum to knock whoever it was on his or her ass. Two down with minimal effort. The third one was lurking close, but Weihan wanted to do something different. He knew he was being tested for something – but he wasn't playing around.

He closed his eyes and called upon his Ninjetti spirit, feeling the subtle shift of air around him as the Power flowed forth. Opening his eyes, he saw the room clearly – temporary night-vision from one of his powers still somewhere inside him. The two assailants were security guards dressed in some sort of armoured cloth – both looked to be knocked cold. Weihan saw the last guard rushing at him with his arms extended. Not even thinking, the former ranger waited until the guard was close, grabbed his outstretched arms, fell down and threw him into the opposite wall. As he saw the guard slump bonelessly to the ground, his night-vision faded as he relinquished hold of his Crocodile spirit.

Observation Room

Gabriela Delgado's jaw hung open in shock as she saw her newest employee defeat the guards with a minimum of moves. She had never thought that the thin man could disable the top tier security guards – not ever. Checking her watch, her jaw fell open wider – he had defeated them in just under three minutes! She shook her head and opened the folder in her arms. The project was ready for a tester – but the testers didn't have what it took to handle the power of the System. Everyone that had tested the System before hadn't lasted more than five seconds before the power left them. To actually have a candidate that could easily handle to Rider System was unprecedented. It meant they would have an advantage over the Wraiths when they made their first move. It also meant she would be able to collect the necessary data for the other three Systems. She suppressed a smile and opened the door of the Training Room. She had a feeling that Weihan would have a lot of questions to ask.

Training Room

Weihan heard the door opening a split second before the lights flared to life overhead. He squinted in the glare – thankful that his night vision had faded. He was irritated at the impromptu training session and was also curious about why it was done. He was grateful for it though – he hadn't had a decent fight in ages…though he wouldn't call three inept guards a "decent fight". As he blinked his eyes to adjust, Gaby's voice from behind him pulled him out of his pseudo-daze.

"Impressive, very impressive. I admit, I had my doubts about you. Come with me."

Weihan moved after Gaby, mind racing. Exiting the room, he found himself in a room covered with electronics; everything from computers to TVs and strange devices he didn't recognize. Roughly in the middle was a raised platform that was surrounded with glass. As Weihan drank in his surroundings, he was aware of people around him. Familiar faces from the office – Bin, Bib, Canan and Serena. All looking at him in amazement. Suddenly, one of the screens flicked on and he focused on it. The images showed a flickering mirror. As he looked at the image, an arm burst out of the mirror before withdrawing. Weihan shivered, recalling something Adam had told him when he helped the Overdrive Rangers

"Those Fearcats, apparently they came out of a mirror or something. Only three made it out, but behind that mirror were hundreds of them. The mirror was destroyed and that sealed off the only method of entry"

So, if these Fearcats had their mirror shattered, what was trying to break free? As if hearing his unasked question, Gaby spoke up.

"Mirrors are a one way exit for the Wraiths – creatures that threaten to destroy the world. They are led by the husk of Bloodless Mary. Once, she was feared throughout the world for her cruelty and iron-fisted rule as well as her command of the Wraiths. She was only defeated by a powerful warlock…or something. That's what the legends say anyway but it was probably an army."

Weihan silently filed that information away into the back of his mind. The only warlock of legend he knew of had been the one that sealed away Diabolico and his followers. It could be the same one, but he couldn't be sure until he had more information. He decided to ask in a subtle way.

"OK…so how did this warlock defeat her? Did he seal her away in some tomb or something?"

"No. He sacrificed his life by putting all the blood in her body into seven containers and scattered them around the globe. Bear in mind that this was quite a while ago and while the continents might have shifted, the containers didn't."

Weihan groaned. It was turning out to be another potential Ranger hunt again…except this time it would probably just be him against whatever these Wraiths were. Taking his eyes off the screen, he looked around the room yet again; this time noticing the glass around the platform. Thick glass too and it looked like it was designed to contain energy…poorly. Countless hours fixing Zords had given him a technical knowledge that rivaled Billy or Justin, but he didn't want to point anything out to them. After all, if he was brought here for a reason, he'd have to go into the tube at one point or another. He just hoped no one was hurt when the tube shattered. He paused in his musings, his brain replaying what had last been heard. Something didn't add up.

"So where are the containers now? Is this an international trek?"

"No. There is no global trek for you to go on. Even if there was – we would still need you in the office. All seven of Bloodless Mary's containers are here – within the walls of Australasia Worldwide."

Weihan wanted to punch her. He exhaled sharply and shook his head in dismay. He wondered if painting a huge target on the building would have more of an effect. He took a deep breath, preparing to go on a rant – when he was interrupted by Gaby again.

"I know it seems like something an idiot would do, but if the containers are here then we can defend them easily. The Wraiths are vulnerable to high impact hits and to extreme heat – at least that's what the stories say. We have also created our own Ranger System."

Weihan didn't care if he was blowing his cover – he just had to say it. He began circling the platform as he started talking.

"No Gaby, you haven't created your own Ranger. For one thing, Ranger Powers and suits take massive amounts of power to both generate and run. That doesn't take into account the energy that will have to be generated to create laser blasts or ensure the Ranger armour doesn't fizzle out mid-battle. How would you monitor the micro shield of the suit? The weapon output and possible damaging feedback loops? Using all this equipment? You have a good setup here, but you have nothing in the way of the tech needed to monitor – let alone create – a Power Ranger.

"What about the Zord for the Ranger? Have you got one stored away somewhere? Would it stand up to the rigours of high intensity combat? How would you power this Zord? If you ran it directly from Sydney's power supply, the whole city would be blacked out in a matter of seconds. Anything more and the Zord wouldn't move as fast or hit as hard – and in a battle that means the difference between life and death. Then there's this question – would the Ranger be limited to only one Zord? If yes then the Zord would have to be constantly upgraded to ensure the Ranger has the advantage in battle. If no then the Ranger would have to be creative with the weapons he or she has.

"To be honest, if you made me fight three grunts to make me into a Ranger, then – I'm sorry – you're deluded. There in nothing in this room that makes me believe that you can create a Power Ranger from scratch. It would be more believable if you told me that you had created a Kamen Rider System to use."

Total silence met his rant and he feared he had gone too far; that he had torn away his cover. Any second now, the barrage of questions would come. He supposed he could say that he had worked at Lightspeed over in Mariner Bay but even that wouldn't be cover if Gaby decided to call them. Of course, he had been asked by Captain Mitchell – but he had still been on semi-active duty. He supposed he had helped as a long-distance consultant, but that wouldn't be the same as hands-on help. To his surprise, none of the faces around him showed any form of shock or surprise – only humour. Gaby walked over to him and gave him the folder, smiling slightly.

"Well, I am happy to report that we are not deluded or delusional. We haven't created a Ranger to fight for us. To do that would be insane – based on the reasons you have stated and the only Ranger capable of destroying the Wraiths would be the Orange Ultra Ranger. Unfortunately, he hasn't been seen in public since late 2004 – and that was only in Reefside."

Weihan breathed a sigh of relief as he took the folder. He had gone to Reefside to help against a swarm of Mesogog clones. Tommy had been able to call on his Red Battlezord again for a final fight and shortly after that, the Dino Gems had been drained. He knew there had been pictures taken of him in his Ninjetti armour and Zord judging from the headlines the next day – both on newspapers and on the Internet. He mulled over her words for a second. She said they hadn't created a Ranger; so what was all this for? He asked her and her reply didn't really shock him that much.

"We have created a Kamen Rider"

TBC