Southwestern United States, New Mexico—a vast and desolate wilderness stretched endlessly. All around, there was silence. Only a straight road cut across the barren desert, leading toward the distant horizon, where the faint glow of a small Western town flickered.
Suddenly, a blurry, barely discernible spatial wall swept through, and Evolto appeared abruptly on the plain, carrying the unconscious Subject One.
Scanning the surroundings, Evolto casually tossed Subject One onto the sand and said, "I don't fully understand, but since the boss has assigned you a role in this script, and I've removed SHOCKER's control and tracking devices, you'd better put on a show worthy of the boss—and me, Kamen Rider—Number One (Ichigo)."
As he spoke, a swirl of red mist emerged from Evolto's hands, enveloping Subject One's head. The mist rolled and surged, flashing sparks like fire. Once it had removed SHOCKER's control and tracking mechanisms, Ebert withdrew the mist.
Subject One automatically exited the combat transformation state. His armor gradually disappeared, the nanometal flowing back into his body like water seeping into sand. The insect-like bio-armor slowly reverted to the form of a normal human body.
Within moments, the fully armored Subject One was back to a normal human appearance. Evolto nodded in approval.
Noticing a car rapidly approaching from a distance, Evolto lightly flicked his right foot, sending Subject One toward the side of the road, then turned and left.
Lia Winster was an ordinary college student in New Mexico, studying in a city not far from her hometown. Returning home for vacation to visit her parents, she found life in her quiet, remote hometown dull and tedious compared to the flashy city life she was used to, with its bustling nightlife and entertainment.
During the day, seizing the chance while her father went into the city to run errands, she insisted on tagging along. Lost in the excitement of the city, they delayed their return and were now forced to drive back to the small town at night.
"What the—?" her father, Ryan Winster, shouted in alarm, slamming on the brakes.
With a loud bang, the car struck something. A sharp, grating screech filled the air as Ryan brought the vehicle to a stop.
"Is that… a person?" Still shaken, Lia saw, illuminated by the headlights, a humanoid figure lying by the roadside—the one they had hit.
"We hit someone?!" Ryan's face went pale. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and ran out to check.
Ryan's small pickup truck, purchased for transporting goods, had far more power than a typical car. Traveling quickly on this empty night road, even a minor collision with a person could be fatal.
The one hit and flung by the Winsters' truck was Subject One, dropped moments earlier by Evolto.
After Evolto left, Subject One regained consciousness—but in a haze. His mind was nearly blank; he didn't even know who he was. Before his transformation into Subject One, SHOCKER had already erased his original memories.
Although Evolto removed SHOCKER's control devices, Subject One's mind contained only fragments of combat and assassination training, weapons and vehicle expertise, memories of SHOCKER scientists performing various biomechanical modifications on him, and memories of fighting Ebert.
Waking up alone in the desert, he was immediately confused and lost. Who am I? Where am I?
Aimlessly wandering onto the road, he saw a car approaching and instinctively tried to stop it to ask for help.
But in the pitch-black wilderness, visibility beyond the headlights was limited. Ryan focused only on the road ahead, never expecting someone to suddenly step into the street.
Subject One walked straight into the road. Ryan couldn't react in time—the pickup truck hit him.
Ryan dashed over to the person he thought he'd hit. This isn't good… Subject One had been flung twenty or thirty meters. Even if alive, he'd be severely injured.
"You… okay?" Ryan bent down, only to see the young man shake his head and stand up casually, utterly shocking him.
"Should I be in trouble?" Subject One asked, still partly confused.
"Thank goodness. Young man, where are you from? Did something happen to you? Why are you alone in the middle of the desert at this hour?" Ryan asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity as he studied Subject One.
At this hour in such a desolate place, most people seeking help would be in some dire situation—or, in the movies, run-ins with psychotic killers. Ryan felt a pang of guilt, realizing he might have accidentally made things worse.
"Who am I? Who am I!" Subject One muttered, lost in thought. Desperately searching his memory, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he clutched it, crouching to the ground.
"Did he hit his head… lost his memory?" Ryan guessed.
"Dad, what's wrong with him?" Lia approached, curious and worried.
"This young man doesn't seem to remember his name. Maybe the accident caused a head injury… could be amnesia," Ryan replied uncertainly.
"So what should we do? Take him to the hospital?" Lia asked.
Ryan nodded, squatting beside Subject One. "Don't worry. I'll take you to a doctor. They'll help you."
He patted Subject One on the shoulder.
At that touch, Subject One's body instinctively reacted. His right hand instantly transformed, revealing a faint layer of biomechanical armor, and he flung Ryan several meters away to the roadside.
"Dad!" Lia screamed, rushing to her father. "Are you okay?"
Ryan struggled to push himself up, pale and shocked, looking at Subject One. "I'm fine. Just some bruising on my back, and two broken ribs. Luckily I'm in decent shape, or I might not have gotten up at all."
Lia sighed with relief, then angrily turned to Subject One. "You're completely irresponsible! Even though our car hit you, you suddenly ran into the road in the middle of the night! Anyone would have reacted the same way. Ryan was just trying to help! How could you injure someone for no reason?"
Subject One realized the situation, glancing at Ryan on the ground, and awkwardly said, "I'm sorry… I just… didn't realize…"
"This young man was hit head-on by a speeding car and wasn't injured at all. Then he casually pushed my fully grown adult father several meters away. No ordinary person could do this. You're not normal, are you?" Ryan said, stopping Lia from speaking further, recalling the armor he had seen on Subject One's hand.
After feeling his strength, Ryan was certain this young man was far beyond normal. Just a simple push felt like being hit by a bulldozer—overwhelming power far outside human limits.
Lia also noticed something was off, her eyes wide in shock. "Who… who are you?"