trans_9 | Hero Time! The Land

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Hero Time! The Land

Welcome, dear visitor, to a world consisting entirely of plastic-looking city sets. My, don't they look ready to blast apart at a moment''s notice? It's almost as if an attack is expected in this sector.

But not to worry! The 'attacks' here are just goofy entertainment. Lovably laughable employees in dull green suits may make menacing gestures at times, but they're just a nuisance. The visitors to this section are protected by the Masked Rangers, the people in heavy helmets and spandex suits you might see from time to time. The acrobat-types, the ones in the flimsy suits, perform tricky stunts and wave 'blasters' that shoot a cheap spark effect from time to time. Driver-types wear heavier armor and traverse this section of the park in their specialized motorcycles, zipping down specialized roadways seemingly from nowhere.

Other than that, the environment is fairly industrial. The main attractions are in the 'abandoned warehouse district'. It features greasy food (and surprisingly good smoothies, strangely enough), alarm bells every now and then, and the crowning ride of this sector: an exciting cart ride through the warehouses that culminates in riding atop a giant mecha. The vibrations as the mech carrying the vehicle shoots its lasers are quite unsettling the first time or two, and riding through the smoke cloud of a post-henshin explosion can cause mild fits of coughing. This adventure is not for the faint of heart.

Simpler shows are done in the park-like area, where a few of the more acrobatic employees in helmets and flimsy costumes seems to dance-fight with several of the mooks. It's a cute show, and the only exciting thing is the spread of the explosion. It shoots up in a rainbow of colors when the heroes make a pose. Games can be played here, but always be ready to clear out and make way for the heroes! A little parade of motorcycles and mecha comes through several times a day, and masked characters address the audience with well-prepared safety tips and suggestions for community service.

Gift shops in this area feature knockoff Masked Ranger costumes, transformation toys that light up, toy mecha and motorcycles that combine in many very expensive combinations, and little sparkler lights. Fortunately, actual material for an explosion is not sold.

This nonsense might feel strangely familiar...

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"No problem!" Atom frowned a little, looking around at the crowd. Once minus of having super-hearing was all the cruel things you could hear sometimes from people who thought you couldn't hear.

"Hey, are you okay? They're not making fun of you, are they?"

They were, but what were a few insults from a crowd of strangers? Billy shrugged and sighed. "They are, but I just need to put my morpher away. They wouldn't believe the truth, and this isn't the first time."

He turned to look away from someone that had stared. "Besides, with any luck we won't meet again. Especially when we get out of here."

The memories still bothered hm, though. Just a little.

Atom glared right back at the staring man, who quickly turned away. Well, if it didn't bother Billy, he guessed he shouldn't make a scene. "I guess so. It's still not very nice, though. What's a morpher?"

He wasn't really familiar with Power Rangers, obviously.

"It's this," Billy dropped his voice, gesturing for Atom to come closer to him. When it was shielded from view, he pulled out the little buckle device again. "It allows me to morph into a combat uniform that's somewhat similar to what the employees here wear. They think it's all fictional, but for me the powers are real."

He glanced around at the crowds again. "I'm a more competent fighter than you might see here, though. I think so, at least."

Atom grinned. "Hey, that's pretty cool. So you're like a Kamen Rider, too!" But more so than Tim. Because he had a feeling Tim didn't transform.

...in fact, he strongly suspected Tim put on his costume piece... by... piece.

Like normal clothes.

"So you do martial arts?"

"Yeah, they're somewhat like us. But they're more like the heavily armored people you see on motorcycles around here. We're the marital artists, yes."

Not that Billy was the greatest at it. He laughed awkwardly, watching a particularly impressive attempt at a flip by one of the employees.

"I'm not the greatest martial artist, though. Most of my friends knew how to fight before becoming Rangers, but my training's still in progress. I've improved, I just have to keep going to reach their level."

He was still awkwardly bent close, keeping his voice at a whisper. Maybe they needed a quiet spot.

Atom looked around, then pointed to a little area out of the way of most of the attractions, and therefore out of the way of most of the staring. "You wanna talk over there? Then we don't have to be so quiet."

It was pretty neat seeing all the different kinds of costumed heroes, though. Atom thought it would be cool to see Billy transform, too.

Billy readily agreed, walking over to the secluded area with Atom. He could use some peace.

"All right, this should provide us some protection. Was there anything else you wanted to hear about?"

He smiled. "Not really, I just thought it would be nice to talk to some of the people from the ship. I mean, we're going to be together for a while, after all."

He pointed in the direction of the shows. "So how come you came here? Did you want to see the actors?"

Billy became aware of that again--yes, they were going to be here a while. They could make their stay as pleasant as possible. He smiled lightly, settling down near his crewmate. "I'm lost, actually. The park is so large that I'm aimlessly wandering to see what catches my interest, or if there's anything useful I can buy. It's not a lot, but I do have a few things."

He looked over at Atom. "And what about you? How are you settling in?"

"Oh... well, what are you looking for? Maybe I passed it somewhere." Although Billy probably wanted things for engineering, right? Atom wasn't sure he'd recognize everything Billy would be looking for.

"I'm doing okay, I guess. It's kind of a big ship, and there are a lot of people, but everyone's been pretty nice so far. Have you been here for a while?"

"Only basic supplies. This isn't a trading planet, I can't expect to find mechanical parts and solders, but there are some simple things that tourists use. Cameras, batteries...and it's good to have water bottles too, I'd like to fill those instead of receiving injections."

He nodded, thinking back on all the time he'd spent there. "It's been at least a year for me, I think. I've been through a lot, and the missions have been rough, but we're doing well. The department's much better than it was when I started. We're more organized and we have more supplies---and I'd like to think we adjust to crises faster."

Atom grinned. "Hey, you're pretty good at this survival stuff. You want to go shop around, then? I can help carry things for you."

Since he was a robot, Atom had never really had to think about things like water bottles before. If he'd ever been stuck in the desert with a human, all he had to do was fly them both over to a source of water. "I guess they might have some basic touristy tools, too. You know, like pocket knives and flashlights."

He frowned a little at the mention of missions. "So they're really tough? I guess I should try to help out as much as I can..."

"Sure! Let's visit a gift shop soon." He wanted to come up with something to help them, at least. "We could use just about anything in the way of new supplies."

Realize what he'd said, he tried to look more encouraging. "It depends. I've beenn weakened, sliced, kidnapped...there were many times I almost died. But we've succeeded at times too, because we trust each other."

"Oh... is there any way you could get the ship to stop at somewhere where you could get better stuff?" Atom started walking in a direction he deemed to be likely to hold a gift shop or two.

"Wow, that does sound rough. But if you survived all that, you must be pretty strong!" Atom didn't mean physically strong, either. He'd known plenty of people whose will had impressed him more than brute fighting ability ever would.

"No, we don't have any control over Stacy's path. It was pre-programmed by someone. We think it was the Daligig crew that ran this ship in the past, but we're not sure. Our efforts to gain control haven't been successful. A long time ago, we thought we could go home if we just gained access to the bridge---but people died, and we learned that our homes were gone."

That had been the first time he'd truly felt the weight of their situation. He remembered the feeling of helplessness and despair very well.

"I'd like to think I'm getting stronger," Billy answered with a little smile as they entered, poking through the first gift shop's selection of hats and toys. "Do you think you'll be all right?"

"Pre-programmed, huh... what kind of AI is Stacy? Is she an AI?" The mention of people dying sent a shadow over Atom's expression. "What killed them?"

He gave Billy a smile anyway, though. It wouldn't do to let anyone down, not when there was so much at stake. "Sure, I'll be fine. We can't give up until our worlds are back, right?"

"We believe so. All signs point to it, at least, but we really know very little about our situation. It's frustrating." Billy just bowed his head, remembering the people who had given their lives in all of this.

"Right. We can't allow things to stand as they are. Besides, even if we did run, I have a feeling the fight would find us." The Ohm knew they were there, and seemed to regard them as a mild threat. No, there was no running.

Atom sort of wished Professor Ochanomizu were around now. Or even Professor Tenma. He might be a super-advanced robot, but he wasn't a roboticist, so he couldn't offer much help in deciphering Stacy.

"Yeah... sometimes running is the best idea, but I don't think this is one of those times..." Atom fidgeted a little, toying with a collapsible spoon-fork combo he'd spotted on one of the shelves.

Billy kept rummaging through the piles and piles of items, eventually selecting some batteries. They might be useful someday!

"And I don't think we can. We're seeing this through to the end---hopefully their end." It had better be their end.

Atom nodded. "Yeah. But hey, maybe we'll be able to figure out what's going on. The way we're going, it looks like the only way out is to get rid of all the Ohm. But I'd rather find a way to coexist than fight anyone..." Hatred and revenge never led anywhere good, even if you destroyed whoever it was that had wronged you. Atom had tried solving things that way once, and he never wanted to feel that way again.

He picked up a whirling little doohickey, momentarily distracted. "Hmm... I think this is some kind of combination tool."

"I wish we could too," Billy said darkly, leaning over to examine the whirling thing. The mechanism certainly looked useful. "There's a lot about the Ohm we don't know, and the longer we fight, the more people will die."

Simple fact. "Do you think we should buy this?" he asked, but his attempt at diversion wasn't all that convincing.

"Yeah..." Atom said, looking gloomy. "War's never any good. Not even for the people who win."

Billy's attempt at diversion might indeed not be that convincing, but... well, Atom didn't need much convincing to move on to other topics. "Might as well!" he said brightly. "I haven't spent much of my credits yet. I'm sure it'll come in handy sometime."

Billy nodded his approval, presenting some little gadgets of his own at the register. He watched the families come and go for a few moments, still thoughtful.

"It seems like they're having a good time...but I wonder if they feel safe. Is this place safe?"

It was a rhetorical question, but he didn't make that obvious. He was envisioning Ohm coming hurtling out of the sky, swooping down and slicing the people where they stood. This couldn't be all that was.

Atom smiled. "With us here, it is!"

After all, there were people with all kinds of abilities on the ship. And Atom himself, who was no slouch in a fight. "It doesn't look like it, but I bet this place had lots of security, too. I mean, you have to if you run a park this big, right?"

Hero Time! The Land

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