Origins of NEVER

[NEVER]

“Katsumi!”

As the NEVER members walked into the facility for the first time the next day, Maria was waiting for them. She ran over, “Katsumi, our research was picked up by the Foundation! We have their funding!”

“I knew we would,” Katsumi answered confidently, “We are undying soldiers; why wouldn’t they want that?”

“What changed their minds?” Reika asked.

“One of the Foundation members was confident enough to kill himself in hopes of revival. When it worked, we were picked up,” she answered.

“How does that make sense?” Reika questioned.

“He’s a high ranked member of some sort,” Maria answered.

“What do we have to do now? More tests?” Gozo questioned.

“No. We are free to leave. We have our first payment,” Maria told them, holding up a briefcase that was undoubtedly filled with money.

“Then we leave,” Katsumi said, taking a few strides away from the others, “I’ll be back shortly. Go and be ready to leave for when I return.”

“Katsumi-chan?” Kyosui asked.

“I’m going alone to see to something,” he answered, walking off.

He continued down the halls, ignoring Foundation X staff as he passed them. He stopped outside of a door and pushed it open, strolling in to find Marilen, now quickly clutching a blanket to herself.

When she saw it was Katsumi, her anger subsided a little, “You should knock,” she stated.

“It doesn’t matter,” he answered, “We were picked up; we’re leaving,” he glanced to the table in the corner, to his knife lying there, “Don’t be afraid to use it; use what I taught you.”

“I understand,” she replied.

He walked halfway out the door, “Good luck as a soldier.”

“We won’t be soldiers,” she told him.

He shook his head and walked out.

[NEVER]

Within half an hour the NEVER team was ready to depart the jungle and get back to their plane. However, Ken approached Katsumi.

“Something is wrong,” Ken stated.

“You feel it too?” Katsumi asked, looking around the jungle as they left the exit they used the night before. He walked through the brush with Ken at his side, pushing it aside as they made their way for another exit, from a garage. There they saw tracks.

“You!” Katsumi snapped at a guard, “Who was here? These tracks aren’t from one of your vehicles,” he said, having taken everything into stock upon arrival, as a soldier should.

“A vehicle came to pick up their order,” he answered Katsumi.

“What does that mean?” Katsumi questioned.

“I should explain that,” he turned as soon as he heard Ken lift his machinegun. They both saw Jun Kazu approaching them, the man whom had become a new Necro-Over.

“Explain,” Katsumi ordered, Ken leaving the gun up.

“Good soldier,” Kazu stated simply, then looked to Katsumi, “Combat arrived to pick up their order. They paid us well for use of the psychics,” Kazu told the two of them.

“Combat?” Katsumi shouted.

“Be warned; Combat has been told that any battles with NEVER would result in the entire weight of the organization coming down on them. The same warning extends to NEVER; interaction in battle leads to NEVER’s destruction,” Kazu warned, “We want peace between NEVER; a group we pay for, and Combat, a group who pays us for supplies.”

“NEVER and Combat will never agree to a ceasefire of any sort,” Katsumi hissed.

“If you want the Foundation’s money, you will,” Kazu said, turning his back and walking back into the facility.

“Now what?” Ken questioned, slowly lowering his weapon.

“Get the others,” Katsumi said quietly, “Make sure mother escapes to the plane.”

“What’s the plan?” Ken asked, hesitant. He knew.

“We’re going after them,” Katsumi said, whipping around and loosing his knife in the guard’s throat from his throw. He ran over and pulled the weapon free. Ken was already gone, rushing to get the others as Katsumi was forcing their way into the garage.

They would need transportation.

[NEVER]

After a few minutes, they were heading quickly through the jungle in a jeep that they had stolen. Kyosui drove while Ken was in the back, machinegun ready. Reika was with him in the back with her handgun, while Gozo and Katsumi sat, watching the surroundings.

“There,” Gozo pointed.

“Turn,” Katsumi said.

As ordered, Kyosui turned, using Gozo’s superior knowledge of areas like this to find the tracks. After some driving through dense foliage, they could see the tracks of the other vehicle again. They sped up.

“I see them!” Reika shouted down. The higher vantage points she and Ken had let them see a bit better through foliage.

“Faster,” said Katsumi.

The group sped up until three vehicles were in view, all the same type of jeep, but one with a trailer on it, with the same type of wheels, at least, no doubt for traversing through the jungle.

Ken lifted his weapon, “Shot found,” he stated.

“Who is it?” Katsumi questioned, feeling his knife.

“Captain Greer,” Ken answered.

“Greer, eh?” Katsumi said, “I’d like to have a discussion with him.”

“Katsumi!” Reika called.

“What?”

“The middle vehicle, with the trailer. It’s hard to see, but I see cages!”

“Cages?” he turned back to look up at her, “What?”

“The psychics are inside,” she told him, “I count four.”

“Four?” Had Marilen killed Leo, like he had taught her?

“The brat you blinded is missing,” she said.

“Good for Marilen,” Katsumi said.

Kyosui glared at him, jealous for him even knowing her name.

“I see the Professor,” Ken stated, using his scope for a better view, “The boy you blinded is with him.”

“Damn,” he muttered.

“Katsumi-chan!” Kyosui yelled.

They looked at the truck ahead. It slammed on its breaks and men piled out, pulling weapons.

“Looks like they want a fight,” Katsumi said, “And that truck is in the way. We’ll go through them.”

Before they stopped, Ken opened fire, taking down four of the seven. Reika killed one, while Gozo leapt out and smashed another’s skull quickly with his staff. Kyosui stayed inside while Katsumi leapt out and sliced the last two open at their throats.

“Move the truck!” he ordered Gozo as he climbed back inside theirs.

“It won’t turn!” he shouted as he tried the key.

“Harder!” Katsumi shouted.

When he did, the jeep exploded with amazing force.

[NEVER]

“Spread out!” Katsumi was shouting over the ringing in his ears. He leapt out of the branch he was hanging in from the explosion, “Spread out and track those Combat bastards down!”

He was limping. He swore and continued to go on like that until his leg healed enough to run. They had no idea where Combat was going, only the general direction of the road. There was a bomb in that jeep to stop them. Blowing up a NEVER would result in their death.

Combat knew that.

“Where are you going?” a voice called.

Katsumi span around to see a man standing there. Where had he come from?

“Who are you?” Katsumi demanded, pulling his gun.

“Just a man who wants to be of service,” he answered, walking forward, “I was going with Combat, but got off when I saw you guys approaching. I saw you, during the testing.”

“You’re a Gaia Memory man,” Katsumi hissed.

“They bought my services,” he answered, “They didn’t expect you lot to pursue. I got away when they weren’t paying attention.”

“Why?” Katsumi demanded.

“They’re military, so are you,” the salesman answered, “But you’re undead. I want to see what happens when a Memory is used with you.”

“Why? A lot of undead clientele?” he questioned dryly.

The man chuckled, “Memories are ever evolving. I want to see what happens. Maybe we can make new ones from you.” He pulled a briefcase up, “And they have Memories. Very strong Memories compared to most I have.”

“We don’t need our help,” Katsumi said.

“If you want to save the psychics, you do,” he stated “Combat is going to move out very soon. I know where they’re going. I know how many men they have, what they are, and everything else there is to know.”

“How do I get that information?” Katsumi questioned.

“Take a Memory for experiments,” the man said, “And pay me, of course.”

Katsumi couldn’t waste time making this man bleed to get information. He stormed over, “Fine,” he growled, pulling out a gold chain, “Got this from a man I killed. I don’t have actual money on me.”

“Good enough,” the man said, opening the briefcase, revealing a handful of Memories as well as two gun-like objects. They would create the port on his flesh for the Memory.

“Take one of the injectors and a single Memory. Use it when you need it, on as many members of your group as you must,” he said.

Katsumi took one of the injectors and pocketed it. He skimmed the Dopant Memories before gripping one with an “E”.

“Eternal,” the man said, “A fairly weak Memory.”

“I’m undead. I can live eternally,” Katsumi explained his reason for taking it.

“Take it, then. Maybe something good will happen,” the man said, turning and walking off, “I’ll follow the trail out.”

“The information,” Katsumi said.

“Find me when you’re done, so I can see the data,” the man said, turning back to Katsumi, “Here’s their location, and their statistics.”

[NEVER]

“Game start.”

Soldiers looked around when Ken said that. He was hiding in the brush, handgun drawn instead of his machinegun. He remained low. Seven soldiers spread out, but all ahead of him.

He came to a tree and popped up, firing once, killing the man in one shot to the head. These were ordinary soldiers, if he hadn’t been found yet, even after that shot.

He remained on his stomach, looking up from some brush. He angled his gun up, knowing the angle easily. One shot, one more kill.

“Where is he?” one man shouted, firing with his machinegun everywhere, but Ken had moved to a safer spot.

“He’s like a ghost!” another agreed, firing everywhere.

Grenade.

The explosion blew open a lot of the vegetation around Ken. He was visible.

He ran out, slid, and fired twice. Two more dead. Three left. He ran forward, kneeing one man who used a machinegun, gripping his arms and forcing him to fire on his own men before kicking him away and executing him with a shot to the back of the head.

Seven dead.

He started to run. Katsumi had given them all orders on where to go via their earpieces. He didn’t know how Katsumi got the information, but he was on his way.

[NEVER]

“You don’t know this place, and neither do I,” Gozo said as he stood between two trees. Two men trained guns on him, “But there’s a distinct difference between us.”

“What would that be?” one soldier demanded.

“I know land,” Gozo said, ducking behind the tree. He began to run, weave. The terrain was hard, and visibility minimal, so the soldiers remained where they were, randomly firing.

Of course, Gozo was on the other side already. He came out, swinging his weapon silently overhead. He slammed it down with all the force he could, breaking the first man’s back. He screamed out before a foot to the back of his neck broke it.

The other men turned. Gozo took three bullets and dropped. He groaned and got up, ramming his weapon forward, breaking a knee from his lower position. As that man went down, it went through his throat.

He used the corpse as a human shield as he ran forward, letting it absorb bullets for him. He swung it aside, loosing the body, then swung his weapon as hard as he could, smashing the man’s skull to kill him.

“Is that all?” he screamed.

A bullet pierced his throat. He fell, slowly recovering. He groaned, “Sniper,” he muttered, running to get behind a tree. He didn’t know what he could do. He only had his staff.

He kept low, running. He knew land like this. He kept behind the trees, figuring the shot and where the sniper had to have come from. He made a run for it, taking another shot, but he kept going. He was too strong and determined to stop like that.

When he broke through the last of the foliage, he took a guess and slammed his weapon down, hearing a man’s spine break. He looked at the dead man, then ran on to follow orders.

[NEVER]

Kyosui sat in a tree as the men pursuing were underneath. He dropped his whip, ensnaring one around the throat. While that man choked, he dropped while holding the branch, using his legs to strangle a second man.

“You’ll die just as fast,” he said to the third, letting go of his whip and dropping, landing a punch on top of his head to drop the man. He took up his whip again and kept running, lashing it out through the foliage to cut his way.

An explosion caught him in the side. He shouted, his jacket torn apart. He got up, “You know you almost killed me?” he screamed, but no answer.

More shots. Machineguns. He ran towards the gunfire, then dropped, lashing his whip out, catching one man around the leg, luckily. He pulled, pulling the man in, then crushed his throat with an elbow.

He took the man’s gun and rose, shouting and firing, cutting down the other men. Unlike him, they couldn’t take bullets.

He looked at his exposed flesh as it reformed from the bullets. He sighed and dropped the gun, running again before stopping when he heard another gun.

“Ken?” he asked.

Ken lowered his weapon, “Kyosui,” he said.

“Are you making your way there, too?” he asked.

Ken nodded, “I’ve killed many on my way. I’m sure we’re close, then.”

“You certainly look well armed,” he commented. Ken was wearing four machineguns along his back, was wearing stolen holsters with the handguns and ammo still with them all over himself, and carried a handful of knives from soldiers. He was like a one-man-army.

“Weapon?” Ken questioned.

“My whip is all I need,” Kyosui said.

“Fine,” Ken said, running off with a handgun drawn, Kyosui following behind.

[NEVER]

Reika span around, breaking a man’s jaw with a kick. She span around to face the man in front of her, throwing a punch, taking out his throat.

Using her chance, she drew her knife and killed both soldiers before ducking into the brush. Ordinary soldiers weren’t too bad. She feared what they would find later, though.

She drew her handgun and ran out of the brush, firing twice, dropping the man who hadn’t seen her coming. She rolled, came up, and fired on another, killing him.

So far so good.

“Reika, slow down!” Gozo shouted as he dropped two men with a swing of his weapon.

“Get a faster weapon!” she called back, hurrying along.

He cursed and ran after her, “We have to wait!”

Reika ducked behind a tree. A large cave was just ahead. Gozo ducked beside her.

“I know we have to wait,” she hissed, “They have their strong soldiers in there, no doubt. We had the element of surprise, and we had the jungle to help us. In open combat, we probably will lose to Fangires and Orphnochs.”

They heard movement. Spinning around, Reika aimed her gun, but saw Ken and Koysui ducking beside them.

“Katsumi-chan?” Kyosui asked.

“Haven’t seen him,” answered Gozo.

“Then we wait,” Kyosui said.

“Of course we wait,” Reika muttered.

After a few minutes, they saw Katsumi walking out towards the front of the cave. He was standing right in view of it, as if taunting them. He was covered in the blood of many soldiers, knife clutched in hand.

“Come and fight us! Greer!” he shouted.

An American man in military garb soon emerged. He had a handgun and knife in his right hand, the knife down along the length of the grip, “NEVER, we meet again.”

“We do,” Katsumi said, “This time it’ll be over. No more escaping for you.”

“We’ll see,” Greer said, “I heard you killed General Tek. Interesting. He was an Orphnoch, after all.”

“We’re undead.”

“Still using that as an excuse for superiority?” Greer questioned, holstering his gun, “Come on, Daidou, one-on-one with me.” He flipped his knife up.

“Where are the psychics?” Katsumi demanded.

“Inside, with General Veers.”

“You have a general here? Good. I can kill him too.”

“Cocky,” Greer stated, walking towards Katsumi, “No help from your friends. You and me!”

“Of course,” Katsumi replied, “A simple knife fight.”

[NEVER]

Greer ran forward, swinging his knife down wildly, fast and powerful. Katsumi dodged back, his knife down, while Greer’s was up. He threw his arm up, trying to slash up towards Greer’s throat.

Greer dodged back and drew his arm down, ramming it forward for Katsumi’s chest. Katsumi parried it down and ran his blade for Greer’s hand. Greer pulled back, flipped his knife around, and threw a punch with it, going to cut Katsumi’s neck.

Katsumi dodged to the side and slashed his blade up, but Greer dodged back. Greer slashed twice in rapid succession, but Katsumi dodged both. He flipped his knife around and drove it forward, but Greer parried down and mimicked him.

Greer slashed down. Katsumi parried and pushed back. He turned his body and kicked Greer in the chest, then turned and drove his point forward. Greer kicked Katsumi’s wrist, making him lose his weapon.

He reached for his second, but didn’t have it. Marilen did…

Greer lunged forward with the killing blow ready, if Katsumi could die. Katsumi leapt for his knife, picked it up and span around, throwing it. It was lodged into Greer’s side.

Greer shouted and swore in pain. Katsumi ran for him, gripping the hilt and tearing it free instead of doing more damage. He kneed Greer in the chest and pushed him back. As Greer stumbled, Katsumi lunged forward, burying the tip in the man’s chest, right next to the heart.

“The general is more important,” Katsumi hissed, “I don’t have time to play with you.” He tore his weapon free.

“Good fight, Katsumi-chan!” Kyosui exclaimed.

He glanced towards the opening of the cave. “Be ready for anything in there,” Katsumi said, moving towards it. Machinegun fire erupted, forcing them to duck and drop low, under a ridge out of view of the weapons.

“Now what?” Gozo shouted to Katsumi.

“Ken, any grenades?” Katsumi shouted.

He tore a pack from his back, from a dead soldier. He opened it, revealing a handful of grenades, no doubt every one he could find. He threw one to Katsumi, who pulled the pin and threw it.

Before anyone could return the grenade, it went off, clearing their entrance. The team moved, with Ken in the front, firing into the darkness. Reika was behind, gun drawn and ready. Katsumi, Gozo and Kyosui moved together behind them, weapons ready.

Inside the cave stood a heavily built and powerful looking Orphnoch and a Fangire to match. An older man, General Veers, stood in the back. The psychics were caged in one side, with the Professor beside them, and Leo with a cloth bound around his eyes.

“We were supposed to have a ceasefire,” the general growled to Katsumi.

“I know,” Katsumi said, “But the money isn’t worth it, not if Combat has these psychics. I know they’ll die doing one of your missions. I can’t let that happen.”

He looked to the cage, specifically to Marilen, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Then die,” Veers said, sending the two creatures at the NEVER group.

[NEVER]

Ken opened fire on both creatures, keeping them at bay as he pumped continual bullets into them. Gozo and Kyosui shouted and ran for them, Gozo swinging at the Fangire repeatedly, while Kyosui used his whip to attempt to strangle the Orphnoch.

Reika fired alongside Ken, taking one of his machineguns and getting a grenade ready. As their fire kept the two in place, she threw the grenade as the two others bailed.

The explosion threw the two creatures aside. Ken turned and quickly fired on the general, killing him before he could get his revolver up.

“Target down,” he said.

Katsumi ran for the psychics, killing any soldier in his way with his knife. He came to a stop as Leo stepped to oppose him, his father behind him.

“Go ahead, Leo,” the Professor said, turning to work a machine. Katsumi saw it was hooked to the cage.

“You’ll pay,” Leo hissed, pulling the cloth away. A port was on his forehead, and his eyes were stitched shut. He lifted a Gaia Memory and clicked it.

“Eyes”

He inserted it into the port on his forehead, transforming into a vaguely humanoid figure covered in thousands of eyeballs, all moving, all watching, blinking with a small transparent lid.

“You’re a monster now, too,” Katsumi said, “Fitting.”

Leo shouted, unleashing a blast of energy, like a laser, from each eye. Katsumi took the hit and screamed out as he was thrown across the cave that had been converted into a command center. He hit the ground and rolled, smashing into the opposite wall.

“Katsumi-chan!” Kyosui shouted, running for Leo, shouting. He lashed his whip out, but an eye’s blast stopped it.

Gozo also went after the Dopant, swinging his staff at the man’s side. Without looking, Leo raised a hand to block the attack. He kicked both away and fired on them at the same time with his various eyes.

“He can see everywhere!” Katsumi shouted.

The two monsters were dead from the continued fire and a second and third grenade. Ken and Reika focused their attention on the Dopant, opening fire. The bullets couldn’t do much against Leo, however.

“Die,” Leo said, firing his laser attacks from the eyes at the two.

Ken threw a grenade before he and Reika went down. Leo looked at it and the grenade stopped moving. The explosion was contained in a field he threw up.

“He still has his powers?” Katsumi hissed.

Whatever the Professor was doing, he was done. The psychics started to scream out. Stats and vitals on another machine started to go crazy.

“We’re still of use,” the Professor hissed, “Leo, kill them! Without the general and the others, all we can do is take the powers! The psychics themselves are far too dangerous!”

Marilen pushed herself against the bars, “Katsumi! Please, save us!”

“I will,” he hissed, “If I don’t, then Combat wins. I can’t let that happen!” he raced forward, shouting. He leapt a laser and landed, rolling under another. It wasn’t a flurry, unlike before. Single beams.

Katsumi plunged his knife forward, into one of the eyes of the Dopant. Leo screamed out, but Katsumi didn’t care. He kept running, kicking the Professor away and gripping the bars.

“Marilen!”

She didn’t know what he wanted. Was he trying to save her for her? Did he care about her?

Then she realized it, and passed him the knife.

He took it and slashed at the wires and machines. He turned to the Professor and slashed him across the throat, ending his life. Before Leo could turn, Katsumi tore the lock off with his knife, finding it rather easy with his rage.

“Couldn’t you have freed yourselves?” He questioned Marilen as they fled the cage.

“It was made to hold us,” she said to him, staying at his side as Leo turned to them, ready to fight, the knife still in the eye.

“Looks like I have to use it,” Katsumi said, pulling out the Eternal Memory and the injector, “A Dopant to face a Dopant.”

[NEVER]

Marilen threw her hand out, keeping Leo at bay. He may have had more power, but as a Dopant, it was diluted, giving her the edge.

She took Katsumi’s hands in hers, “Katsumi…let me help you, to be a hero, not the monster.”

“What? I am a monster,” he told her.

She shook her head, “No. You came to save us from being soldiers. From death. You’re a hero, to us, at least.” Light formed between their hands.

He looked down, “What are you…?”

She fell from exhaustion. He crouched, grabbing her, “Marilen?” Marilen!”

She looked up at him, “I’ll…I’ll be fine. Just…use that.”

He looked at the objects he had subsequently dropped. A Lost Driver and a refined Eternal Memory, as he would later learn they were called. He set her down and took up the objects, rising to his feet and attaching the Driver.

“Come on, Leo,” he said, lifting the Memory and clicking it.

“Eternal”

The members of NEVER kept Ken’s machineguns trained on Leo while their leader activated his Memory. He waited a moment, then loaded it and cast it aside, ignoring the second calling of the Memory name.

“Henshin.”

Tear-like patterns appeared under his eyes in pale white. Energy built up around the Driver, then expanded over his body, forming into the white and blue armored Kamen Rider Eternal, his cape swirling around his body, Eternal Edge quickly in hand.

“I don’t care what form you use, I will win!” Leo shouted, unleashing laser attacks again.

Katsumi ran forward, dodging with ease, his cape being burned a few times. He slid and drove his knife home, into a gap between two eyeballs right in his chest.

Leo cried out and fell back, tearing the knife free. Katsumi span around with a blue fire kick to the head, dropping him.

“You’re no soldier. I don’t know why Combat would want you,” Katsumi said, pointing the knife down and drawing his Memory, loading it into the weapon.

“Eternal, Maximum Drive”

“Bloody Hell Blade!” he shouted, sending an energy slash into Leo, slicing open the eyes along the front of his body. Feeling the pain of all of them, and not dying from the slash itself, he would wish he were dead.

He screamed, falling to his knees, all of the eyes closing. His Memory ejected but didn’t shatter, leaving him on the ground, too tired to use his powers for vision.

Eternal stepped on the Memory, crushing it, “What should be done to him?” he called out to no one in particular.

“Kill him,” Marilen said softly.

He looked back, his transformation fading, “What?” Katsumi asked her.

She looked into his eyes, “Kill him.”

He took the knife from the ground and held it to her, “You do it,” he said.

“I…I can’t,” she said.

“Then don’t decide for others,” Katsumi said, taking the knife back and sheathing it.

The others psychics didn’t have a problem. They gathered their weakened powers and impaled Leo, giving him a quick death, though he didn’t deserve it.

“We should verse them in torture,” Reika muttered, seeing this kill.

A screen behind them flashed. Katsumi tuned to see Kazu’s face, “What?” Katsumi demanded.

“Impressive,” Kazu said, “Ceasefire broken, but we don’t mind. Come back, and we’ll…discuss your membership.”

“Membership?” Katsumi hissed.

“Welcome to Foundation X,” Kazu said, the screen going black.

[NEVER]

“I’m still part of NEVER,” Katsumi told them, “Just go on without me, for now. Find others with mother’s help. I’ll do my own work here, for our money.”

“Are you sure?” Reika asked him.

“Yes. Find allies, other Necro-Overs to be made. Make me proud, until I can rejoin you in the field,” Katsumi told them. “Kyosui, you’re in charge.”

“Katsumi-chan!” he cried out, “I’ll miss you!”

He ignored Kyosui, “Go.” He turned around and walked back into the lab that was now his, to continue his mother’s work for the Foundation while she did it for NEVER.

When his team had left, he heard more footsteps, “What do you want? Or are you one of my scientists?” he questioned, “Marilen?”

“I…I wanted to thank you for saving us.”

“You have.”

“I know,” she said softly, meekly, “It’s just…” She walked over to him, standing in front of him, “I don’t know why you did it.”

“Because it was Combat. We don’t like them,” Katsumi told her.

“It’s more than that.”

“It’s that simple,” he said, walking out to the deck that led out of his laboratory. He was currently still in the jungle complex, until they moved. He would have similar labs in every Foundation X base. He would use this one until they moved bases.

He was no scientist. What was he doing here? He looked out at the rain, letting it pelt him. He wanted to be in battle with his team, but he couldn’t. Not now, not yet…

Marilen walked out after him, extending a little of her power to cover herself and Katsumi from the rain. She stood beside him, “Katsumi, I joined the Foundation, because of you.”

“Why would you do that?” he questioned her bluntly.

She leaned against him, slipping her hand into his in reply.

He said nothing, did nothing. He just stared out at the jungle through the rain.