Chereads / Back to the Past / Chapter 4 - A New Enemy

Chapter 4 - A New Enemy

The next morning, Ryouma and the others went out to New York city streets to find clues about Edison's whereabout. The city runs as usual, despite Edison releasing his robots to kill other inventors in the era.

"The city runs like nothing's wrong with it." Ryouma said as he looks around the streets.

"That's good. We can blend in, so we can't be detected by Edison." Tesla said as he observes the streets.

Marie & Pierre Curie, who dressed as civilians to hide their identity, follow Ryouma and Tesla from behind.

"A-are you sure this will work?" Marie asked as she gets concerned.

"Well, as long as you both act like a normal civilian, you guys will be alright." Ryouma said as he smiles at them.

"You're right, kiddo. And also, I like this kind of style." Pierre said as he admires his brown suit and black top hat.

"Yeah, I think I like it as well," Marie said as she looks at her black dress.

"As a historian, you didn't lose your sense of fashion, huh?" Tesla said as he laughs a bit

"That's true." Ryouma replied as he smiles

While searching for clues, they spend their time in some places like café and markets. Marie and Pierre took them to a bazaar near the Statue of Liberty.

As they spent their time there, Ryouma took a closer look at the Statue of Liberty. He admires it from every angle of it. Tesla, who saw him, approach him from behind.

"First time looking at Statue of Liberty this close?" Tesla bumps his shoulder.

"Ha? Uh, yeah! I've never been to New York before." Ryouma said as he feels excited.

"Yeah, you better enjoy this while you can. Human life is short, you know." Tesla said as he lectures him a bit about life.

"Yeah…. Cherish your life while you're alive because there won't be a second chance. That's what my teacher said before he died." Ryouma said with a sad tone.

The atmosphere changed when Marie and Pierre approach them in a hurry.

"Finally, we found you two," Pierre said while panting.

"H-huh? What happened?" Tesla asked.

"E-Edison is here, and he's with someone," Marie said as she pants as well.

"Wait, he's here?! What is he doing here?!" Tesla said as he was shocked.

"We need to check it out!" suggest Ryouma.

They ran towards the place where Marie and Pierre saw Edison. When they arrive, Edison is no longer there.

"I saw him here a minute ago." Said Marie

"Maybe we can ask someone where he goes?" Ryouma suggests to them.

"Great idea. I'm gonna ask around." Said Pierre.

Pierre then left the group and began to ask some people about Edison. The rest can only wait, hoping for an answer. Minutes later, Pierre came back with the answers to their curiosity.

"I'm back. And someone does see Edison here before he left to somewhere else," said Pierre.

"Then, do they know where he goes next?" asked Tesla

"Yes, some of them say that Edison went to the Statue of Liberty's direction," Pierre said.

"Then we have to go there! Hurry, before we lose him again!" Ryouma said as he hurries towards the statue of liberty, followed by the others.

As they ran, the white suit guy and the black shirt guy secretly follow them from behind. This time, they were accompanied by a man in a green suit and holding a pipe.

"That's the person you both told me last night?" the green suit guy asked as he smokes his pipe.

"Without a doubt." Said the white suit guy.

"Should we follow them?" the black shirt guy asked.

"No. For now, just keep an eye out for them." Said the green suit guy.

"Alright, call us when it's time." The white suit guy said as he disappears.

"Well, I think I'm gonna do the same." The black shirt guy said as he disappears as well.

The green suit guy watches them from afar as they hurried to the Statue of Liberty. Then, he looks at Tesla.

"Be safe, old friend." Mumbles the green suit guy.

He then disappears into the crowds.

A moment later, the group arrived at the Statue of Liberty.

"Where is he?" Ryouma said as he looks around.

"There he is!" Tesla said as he points towards Edison from afar.

"Should we follow him?" asked Marie.

"Yes, I'm very certain that he's planning something here…" Tesla said confidently.

The group follows Edison and the other guy from afar. They saw that Edison is talking with someone.

"Who is that guy?" asked Ryouma.

"I don't know. But one thing for certain, he's siding with Edison." Said Tesla.

"That's unbelievable! How did he suppose to work with Edison when he tries to kill all inventors and take over their patent?" Pierre asked while being confused.

"That can wait until we meet them in person. For now, just follow them." Said Tesla while in commando.

While they follow Edison, Ryouma turn on his bracelet device and contact Sakata.

"Sakata, you there?" asked Ryouma to the device.

"Yes, yes. I'm here. And where the hell are you guys right now? It sounds fun!" Sakata said as he munches his potato chips.

"We're in a bazaar near the Statue of Liberty. And I need your help." Said Ryouma.

"Alright, what is it?" said Sakata as he put down his potato chips bag.

"Can you listen to what are they're talking about?" Ryouma said as he raises his device towards Edison's direction from afar.

"Ok, give me a minute. I'll record everything." Sakata said as he began to work.

As Sakata works on his thing, they're trying to keep a distance between them and Edison. Suddenly, Edison and the other guy take a turn to the back of the Statue of Liberty. They follow them as well. But as they arrived there, Edison and the other guy are gone.

"Wait, where do they go?" Ryouma said as he looks confused.

"There's no way they're gone like that." Said Pierre.

"Maybe there's a hidden entrance or something?" said Marie.

"That could be it. But it's too obvious, seeing that there are so many people here." Said Tesla.

"Well, looks like they're gone. And the recording stops here. Listen." Said Sakata.

The group gathers as Sakata plays the recording. Edison can be clearly heard talking with someone.

"You sure about this?"

"Of course! With a little push from my electricity, this beauty will work as we planned!"

"Yeah, but you said that there's a problem, right?"

"That's right. That's why I'm asking for your cooperation, Charles Darwin."

"Don't say my name like that!"

"Ahaha, alright. I'll tell you more inside- "

The recording stops there.

"So, the other guy is Charles Darwin," Tesla said as he confirms his theory.

"Yes, British Naturalist and Geologist. Famous for his evolution theory." Said Ryouma.

"But why he's here? Isn't he already dead at this time?" asked Pierre.

"Well, history alteration can be anything, my friend. Including this." Said Tesla.

"And what it means by "Inside"? So far, there's no building nearby, and they're just gone like that." Said Marie in confusion.

"That's the problem. For now, let's just try to search around this place. Maybe we can find something." Said Tesla.

As they search the place, Pierre leaned towards a wall and immediately disappeared into the wall. Marie, who saw that, was shocked.

"H-honey?! You alright?!"

There is no answer. A moment later, Pierre came out.

"Looks like we found it," said Tesla.

"Yeah, that scares me for a bit. It's a bit dark in there." Pierre said as Marie hugged him.

"Thank god you're alright!" said Marie

"Is it safe there?" Ryouma asked as he put his hand through it.

"I think so. Besides, our answer lies in there." Said Pierre.

"Yeah, and there's nothing we can do to find the answer beside that. Let's go." Said Tesla as he enters the hidden entrance.

Tesla enters the hidden entrance first and is followed by the rest. They appear to be in a long hallway. The hall is illuminated by torches on the wall. The atmosphere changes into horror as they enter it.

"I hope there are no traps here…" said Ryouma while a bit scared.

"Don't worry, we're gonna protect you." Said Marie.

They proceed into the hallway. Then, the path breaks into three directions.

"It's a maze. This is gonna take a long time." Pierre said as he sighed.

"No if I can trace Edison's Electric particle," Tesla said as his arm changes into a mechanical arm.

"Wait, you can?" asked Ryouma.

"As long as it's an electric source, yes," Tesla answered as he prepares his mech arm.

"Then, why we didn't use it in the first place??" Ryouma asked him in confusion.

"There are a lot of electric sources up there. It will confuse us instead." Said Tesla.

Tesla turns on his track function on his mech arm, revealing nearby electric particles left by Edison across the maze. They follow the particles and proceed further into the maze.

"Hey, it is just me, or there's something strange happening here?" whispers Marie to the others.

"Yeah, I feel it too." Whispers Tesla.

"Yeah, me too." Whispers Pierre as well.

"What is it?" Ryouma asked them in confusion.

"I sense multiple traps here, but somehow they aren't active. Strange, isn't it?" Marie explains to Ryouma.

"I think so. For someone that can generate electricity with ease, that is strange. But why?" said Ryouma.

"That can wait. For now, let's just focus on the track." Tesla said.

"Alright, then." Ryouma said as they continue walking.

After hours in the maze, they found an elevator in the middle of a room.

"An elevator?" said Ryouma.

"It may bring us to our answer," Tesla said as he pressed the button on the elevator.

As they waited for the elevator, a loud screeching can be heard in the dark side of the maze.

"W-what was that?" Ryouma asked in a scared expression.

"It came from that side," Marie said as she points at the dark path beside the room.

"Wait, let me check," Pierre said as he took out a green tube.

Pierre threw the green tube towards the dark hallway. As it lands, the green tube explodes, illuminates the dark hallway for a moment. There, a gigantic cockroach ran towards them.

"I-I-It's…." Ryouma can't finish his sentences as he is scared as hell.

"Oh god…" said Tesla as he looks at the cockroach.

The cockroach is getting closer to them.

"Ryouma, get behind me!" said Tesla as he shoots electric towards it.

Pierre threw some green tubes towards the giant cockroach and it explodes. Unfortunately, it doesn't affect the cockroach.

"Wait, how?! How's that not effective?" said Pierre.

"It's because cockroaches can withstand radioactive more than any creature! It's no use!" said Ryouma.

"T-This is not what I expected when I hear the screeching sound!" said Marie while hiding behind Pierre.

The cockroach is getting closer. It seems that Tesla's electricity didn't affect its movement at all.

"It's getting closer!" Tesla said as he keeps shooting.

"It's no use! The cockroach didn't get affected by your electricity as well!" Ryouma said.

"Everyone, stay back!" Tesla said as he steps back

The group steps back as the cockroach getting closer until they realized they were cornered. They can only stare at the cockroach as it about to attack them. But before the cockroach gets the chance, somebody stabbed the cockroach on the back, killing it instantly.

"Well, that was close." said the white suit guy as he cleans his saber from the blood.

"T-thanks. And who are you? How did you find this place?" asked Tesla

"Just call me Tom. And I followed you guys down here. Simple, right?" said the white suit guy.

"Alright, Tom. Thanks for saving us." Said Pierre as he offers his hand for a handshake.

"No problem," said Tom as he shook his hand.

"The name's Pierre Curie, and these are Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, and Ryouma Takeguchi." Said Pierre as he introduces the others.

"Ah, Marie and Pierre Curie, the couple that invented Radium. Nice to meet you two! And Nikola Tesla, the professor of lightning and thunder!" Tom said as he gets excited.

"Haha, don't be like that!" said Tesla while getting flattered.

"And Ryouma? Nice to meet you." Tom said as he offers his hand to Ryouma

"Y-yeah. Nice to meet you too." Ryouma said as he shook his hand.

As they speak, Tesla feels that he has seen Tom before. "This guy is not in the list, but he stands out from the civilians. I need to keep an eye on him…" he thought in himself.

"Hey, is everything alright, professor?" said Tom as he approaches Tesla. "You look a bit tired there."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." Said Tesla.

"Alright, then. Oh, the elevator is here! Let's go!" Tom said as the elevator door opens.

The group enters the elevator. The elevator takes a bit of time to get them to their destination. Eventually, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They exited the elevator and found themselves in a big room. It has multiple staircases.

"W-Where are we?" asked Ryouma.

Tesla walks around the room to investigate. "This is where Edison plans his moves." He said as he looks at Edison's workbench.

"What is he planning here…?" said Marie as she takes a look as well.

"Let me see…" Tom said as he observes the plan. After a while, he figured out about Edison's masterplan.

"He tried to use the Statue of Liberty to destroy New York. He also wants to use it to kill all inventors throughout history and took over their patents…" Tom explains as he gets concerned.

"What?! That's impossible! How's he gonna manage to do that?!" said Ryouma.

As they talked, someone watches them from the stairs. "Well, well, well. Looks like we have intruders here…"

The group looks at the stairs and saw a man in a Black suit and white hair leaning on the stair railings.

"Are you Charles Darwin?" Tesla said as he aims his mechanical arm towards him.

"Yep, that's me!" Darwin said as he slides down through the railings and stands in front of them. "I wonder what are you guys doing here?"

"Well, isn't that obvious?" Tom said as he took out his saber. "We're here to stop Edison."

"What a delightful plan! Unfortunately, you can't," said Darwin as he mocks them.

"And why is that?" said Pierre.

"Because as long as I'm here, you can't get near Edison. And he's still working for his plan up there." Darwin said as he points at the top floor.

Without hesitation, Tom leaped to the wall and went to the top floor. "I don't have time for this." He said as he ignores the rest.

"Hey! You can't do that! That's cheating- "said Darwin as he got shot by Tesla's electric ball and got pushed back to the wall. He didn't move for a minute.

"Well, that's easy…" said Tesla.

"Wait, something is not right…." Said Ryouma as he looks around.

As Tom leaps between the wall, a pterodactyl suddenly came and knocks him down. Tom falls down to the bottom floor, where the others were.

"D-damnit…" said Tom as he tried to get up.

Pierre ran to Tom and helped Tom. But, Marie senses something around them.

"Honey, watch out!" she shouts as she points at the wall.

"Huh?" Pierre looked at the wall. The wall broke and tentacles are coming out from it. Fortunately, Pierre evades the tentacles in time and bring Tom back to the group. "What the hell?!"

Darwin, who went unconscious for a while, laughs as he gets up. "You think you can defeat me that easily? Well, think again…"

As he talks, a bunch of electric eels came out from the floor, capturing the group and electrocute them, rendering them unconscious. But Tesla can't be affected by the electrics.

"What are you doing to them?!" shout Tesla.

"Don't worry, I just knock their sense down. After all, Edison wants them for something..." Darwin said as a pterodactyl rest on his shoulder.

Darwin steps closer to Tesla. "Now, what should I do to you…Ah, yes. You'll be a good power source for that." Said Darwin.

"F-for what?!"

"Nah, you'll see," Darwin said as he claps his hand, releasing the eels from the others. "Mr. Octopus, take care of them, please." He said as a bunch of tentacles grabbed the group and went into the darkness. "Now that they're gone, my job is pretty done here," Darwin said as he called an electric ray. "Come, Edison wants to see you." He said as he put Tesla on the electric ray and flew to the top floor.