HERO x HERO
Part 4: Concrete Jungle
2000 Years Later… Ruby Kabashima arrives in a world unlike anything he’s ever seen before… a tremendous city of light, where music floods the streets, and holograms, blimps and flying traffic flood the skies. Almost immediately, he’s hunted down by seemingly malfunctioning security drones created by the omnipresent ARMR Corps.
A stroke of luck gives Ruby a chance meeting with Raheem Amidina, whose life he saves: a kind metalworker who offers him a place at his apartment to lay low along with his friends, Mara Votrov and Hana Baker. Despite this new company, panic sets in as Ruby’s situation dawns on him. He’s lost 2000 years in the future, a world completely unlike his own, and to make things worse… he has no idea what to do. For the first time in his life, Ruby is completely and utterly directionless. With no bad guys to fight, and no war to fight, Ruby has to become… well, he’s going to have to figure that out for himself… but in this city of endless possibilities, we’ll just have to see what happens.
HEROES
Ruby Kabashima
The prodigal prince to the warrior nation of Hiyama, lost in time defeating Necron. Trapped in a distant future 2000 years later, it’s up to Ruby to… well, he doesn’t know. He’s never been so directionless before, and despite a lucky encounter giving him a roof over his head, he’s never felt more alone. Regardless, time marches on, and so has the world. Aside from seemingly malfunctioning police robots, no-one knows who he is. In this city of opportunities, it might be time for Ruby to discover who he really wants to be.
Raheem Amidina
The most chill dude you can possibly imagine, an unfettered optimist and avid hammer enthusiast who offers a roof for Ruby, lifting him from rock bottom, and giving him a home when he had nothing. Some say Raheem is too kind, and that he’ll only hurt himself continuing like this. Probably. Still, he remains true to himself, and does whatever it takes to make everyone happy.
…oh, and he’s also a gigantic movie nerd. He’s always down for some extraplanetary action.
Mara Votrov
A ruined ex-rock star who gave her life to the pursuit of her vanished sister, whose disappearance has been linked to the mysterious magical drug gang, Illumina. Mara is a cold hard pessimist, and often the only voice of reason when Raheem gets carried away.
She suppresses a lot of anger at her circumstances, anger she tends to blast out through her electric guitar in private. Despite that intensity, Mara hides a softer, more caring side that manifests when it’s most needed.
Hana Baker
The ex-heir to the Baker Corporation, a brilliant tech genius who’s skills earned her a place at her mother’s side. Despite this, deep resentment for her horrible mother reached it’s boiling point, and Hana ran away to the Internet, launching a successful VTuber career as ‘HanaGaming’. Her sheltered lifestyle gives her unexpected common ground with Ruby, and her tech knowledge allows for quick hacks to save the day. He’s never met her though: just a hologram from a tiny drone. Ruby’s confident though that one day, he’ll see the real her.
VILLAINS
Rose Tsubaki (Codename: Ronin)
The last Hiyamese warrior, a mysterious, masked swordfighter fighting desperately to preserve the dying Hiyamese warrior culture. She has a variety of gadgets at her disposal, including grappling hooks, explosive shurikens, and an AI-controlled motorbike called ‘Wingman’.
She accepts contracts from anyone who pays her extortionate prices… but her unbroken record makes her a legend well worth the price.
Anna Votrov (Codename: Viper)
An Illumina-affiliated sniper, specialising in remote poisonings through her custom-made Stinger Sniper Rifle. She fights tooth and nail to protest the ARMR Corps-controlled world everyone lives in, and she doesn’t care how many bridges she has to burn to ‘save the world’. All she asks in return is that no harm comes to her sister, a request that becomes increasingly difficult to grant as Mara inches closer to discovering the truth about the assassin.
Malik Diamond (Codename: Beat Box)
An eccentric dancer, hosting a nightclub for friends of his brother’s gang, Illumina. He’s many things: a DJ, a playboy, and a dance-fighter. With his unparalleled control over his own body, Malik’s unorthodox hand-to-hand combat leaves his foes in the dust, set to the tune of whatever’s booming out the speakers around him.
Baron Diamond (Codename: Freedom)
The seldom-seen boss of Illumina, a magical genius selling faulty Mana ‘Juice’ to bypass G.V.N.R.’s Magic Ban. Despite consistent overdoses on his products, he keeps it coming in the interest of money to fuel his war against G.V.N.R. and her ARMR Corps. He truly believes in an anarchistic world, and will do whatever it takes to accomplish his dream.
Mallow Baker
A rich and famous tech genius, and the inheritor of the beloved Baker Corporation after the passing of her husband, Harold. Mallow works closely with both G.V.N.R. and her own child to build the future they envision. Unfortunately, Mallow is a colossal bully to those beneath her, and her idea of a perfect future is far from compatible with the rest of the world. Even worse is her relationship with Hana, which she’s only trying to preserve in the interest of Hana’s signature hologram technology.
G.V.N.R.
The faceless A.I. construct charged with overseeing the city, a task she carries out dutifully and efficiently with her ARMR Corps.
For some reason, she’s locked in a relentless chase after Ruby, dubbing him her ‘Prime Directive’ to carry out in the name of the ‘Professor Carnelia’ that created her. G.V.N.R. isn’t in a hurry though, if there’s anything she has, it’s patience. She'll play the long game, waiting for the perfect moment to strike her claim and take what’s rightfully hers in the name of humanity.
“I wish I had more to say, but this is really gonna take a while…”
Credits
Myself: Most of the story.
NinjaBash, ‘Miles’, ‘Simeon’: Many key story details.