Some Christmas Writing

I'm thinking perhaps we'll all have a little time for writing over Christmas holidays. Any ideas for an "assignment." It would be fun to get another one going...

The reptilian lay in wait. Curled round and round itself, and hidden beneath the rotting boards of the old palace, it slept lightly. Lazy golden eyes glanced up as particles of dust glided between board cracks. Smoke threaded from opening and closing nostrils. A slight tapping of a claw as the dragon twitched in its sleep. It waited. Waited for a body to pass above. Waited to feed on an unsuspecting. Waited to be satisfied. Waited to damn the next walking steps into the pits of its growling cavernous belly.

And she came walking.

The reptile sprang from its hiding place.

From the earth under the rotting boards, up beneath the feet of the girl and mouth larger than Jonah's whale, swallowed her up.

It burped, smiled and skittered away.

"Someday," they said. Someday. And someday became a millennia.

Tick Tock

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" Vladimir tiredly glanced down at his watch. “It couldn't be 23:01 already.” He thought, “That meant only fifty-nine more minutes were left until the New Year. Only fifty-nine more minutes to find something to do. Or rather, that all important New Years Job - someone to kiss on the stroke of midnight. That all important 24:00. The only problem was the blizzard. Silly Canadian weather. Why did he ever move to this country? It wasn’t as if there were even that good of jobs for tailors. At least, not like there was back in the old country. These new-fangled people with their love of speed and time-keeping. But, this year would be different. If he could kiss the right woman right at 24:00:00 than he could go home. Back to his little room behind the cathedral. Back to a world without the constant reminder of the flow of time.” Vladimir glanced down at his watch once more. . . 23:59. He quickly glanced up, “She should be here,” he thought. “Yes, there was a woman in a flowing orange dress. Now was his time.” With these thoughts Vladimir crossed the room, bent down, and kissed the old woman on her cheek. “Smack!” The slap reverberated around the room and as Vladimir’s mind cleared he looked up into the face of Brother Jerome. An angry Brother Jerome. “Where are our new cassocks Vladimir?” he demanded. “You said they would be ready by the new moon!” Vladimir immediately hugged the shocked Brother Jerome and went to retrieve the cassocks. He was home. No more clocks.

The Time Breaker

Me sat in the kitchen staring at the clock. The hands were pointing to 3 AM and slowly it dawned on him that it had been at 3 AM for longer than was reasonable. The battery must be dead. Me shuffled across the kitchen to his battery drawer.

After digging one out, he grabbed a stool and climbed up for the clock. Me changed the battery, but the second hand didn’t budge. He shook the clock. Nothing. He looked at the microwave to see what time it really was and was amazed to see the timer. He knew he had set it for 3 minutes, but it was frozen at 1. The microwave sounded like it was running, but when Me looked inside, his bowl of KD was still. Me pulled on the door. It was stuck and the off button did nothing.

Me ran to check the other clocks in the flat, but all were stuck on 3 AM. After some contemplation Me knew that somehow time must have gotten stuck, but how was he to get it restarted. Perhaps this was what he got for getting up to eat at 3 AM or perhaps he was going crazy...

200 wordish story beginning :P

Here's my 200 word story starter:

Oh this is terrible lol

The Timesuckers

Two of them watch the people scatter in and out of the bank through their head-coverings. But number one with no eye slits in his hood paws the ground with his tattered brown gloves. He mutters, “There awr ovar (are over) two hundwed people on the first flawr (floor) alone. And time? We have less of thawt (that). When the bomb goes off at the clock tawar we will have 15 seconds to get in there and extrawct (extract) the time.”

“I’m afraid. I’m sick of losing my time to the banker, but I don’t want to lose my life. If we’re dead we won’t be thinking anything. Can you guys hear me? Am I getting through to you? I’ll take fifteen minutes of life over no life,” number two shuffles his boots nervously.

The next silence is extremely uncomfortable.

“If you were talking I missed it. I missed your message,” The third says cupping his ears from inside the hood. “I heard number one, despite his lagged words but number two, you’re fuzzy. How are we supposed to do anything if we can’t communicate?”

Another awkward silence.

“Who said fighting a god would be easy number 2? And what is the sense of living if you are being robbed of your very time? The banker is a thief who calls himself a god. He isn’t. Because the three of us, despite being blind in 3 different ways. We will take him down. It’s in our blood. It’s in our family name,” number 1 takes off his hood revealing his pink, broken ears, wise brown circles for eyes, long snout and a grey sniffer.

The banker's minutes are numbered. The mice are back in town!"

Um...

Hey guys,

Sorry my posts are drowning out the site. Lol, is there any way I can post a long section without the whole thing showing up on the main page?

SS Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is where my characters started to evolve. Which was a surprise to me! I desperately wanted this story to be character driven and not an action movie and I began to find that balance in this chapter. The only problem is, the tension is so high here that it might be hard to top it later on in the story so I'm considering moving this idea of Theron's breakdown to later in the story when the tension is rising and more is at stake. If I don't do this than I somehow need to lighten up this chapter. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but these are my thoughts. I would love to hear some more critique if any of you have the time. Thanks for reading.

III. The Mirror Show

“Hurry up you big baby!” The blond girl muttered as she dug the hilt of her knife into my back. The heavy gun I carried fell onto the ground with a series of small thumps. I fell against the wall and slumped down on it. “You idiot. You’re gonna give us away!” She grumbled. How could she be so cold? Not caring at all that I was a kid, I didn’t want to go in there. A room full of grown-ups, who wouldn’t hesitate to make even a child suffer. My vision of her fierce blue eyes began to blur. I was crying again. Damn it. “What? Are you actually crying?”

I began to splutter as I tried to control my inner heaving. Yup. I was crying again. There was no stopping me now.

The girl was crouched and holding tightly to her stainless knife. She began throwing her head back and forth, surveying angrily. “We were supposed to wait for the signal. Now they’re gonna come in here because they’ll hear you boo-hooing. Stupid kid!” She barked.

“You’re a kid too!” I cried.

“You’re impossible. What? Do you hear that?”

There was a muffled sound of gruff voices coming from outside our small hiding place. “They’re coming,” I mumbled.

“You can see them coming right? If you’re going to be useful for anything tell me exactly where they are through this wall.”

“I can’t. I can’t.”

“Because you can’t see through your own stupid tears.” She began to shake me. “I don’t want to die because of you! Who knows what they’ll do to us!”

I put my hands over my eyes and began to cry uncontrollably. There was no way they wouldn’t hear me.

“What the hell is that?”

“There IS something coming from over there.”

“Sounds like some kid crying!”

“Now you’ve done it.” She slapped me upside the head. Then she grabbed me by the hair and I flew into the air and slid right in front of the door. “You can die first, you useless piece of trash.”

I scrambled trying to get on my knees and grab my gun. I fumbled the weapon made for an adult, too big for me to hold with ease.

“Now see! Or we die.”

Finally I closed my eyes and the images danced again. All I could see was a fire cloud of images in my mind coming towards me. There were over fifty people in the next room. All men and trained killers. The door burst open right into my head. Knocking me over to the side of the small room, into a canopy of coats. One of the brown coated men clomped into the room. Just like the man with the pipe said. He had no visible weapons. When his eyes turned to see me he smirked.

“Here he is. Our little cry baby.” He never stopped smiling. “You lose your way little boy?”

“Archie, take him to the boss. He’ll make another great sacrifice.”

“You came cryin to the wrong party kid.” The big man clomped towards me.

I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. My horror multiplied as strange oil frothed out of the man’s mouth and then breaking through his coat from his body rose tentacles seemingly made from shadows themselves. The four tentacles that had sprung from his body quickly shaped into arms and hands. The monster of a man gargled as he leaped in my direction. I couldn’t scream so I dashed with all of my speed away from my horror. But there was no escape. One of the newly formed arms scooped me up and tightly gripped my neck. I felt my body begin to shrivel and weakness flooded my legs and then my arms.

“Boy. Are you ok?”

I heard the voice again. I wasn’t used to the voices always in my head. Our new guardian was speaking to me. The man with the coin.

“Conroy, you can fight them. Don’t give up. I’m here. I’m here. Don’t worry.”

For a moment an image flashed in my mind. The man with the coin and the man with the pipe were on top of a building somewhere. Speaking to me.

“I’m going in,” the man with the coin had abandoned his United World dime and it rested on the cold roof.

The man with the pipe just smoked and then shook his head. “Bonaventure, your orders are clear. This is their first mission. If they fail they are no use to this organization. They have no need to live.”

The guardian turned and glared at the smoking man. “They’re only kids. My orders are most and foremost to protect them. My life first. That’s my orders.” He stood on the edge of the building, ready to jump. Rifle in hand.

“You go in now and I will kill them myself, and then you next.”

“You can’t kill me,” Bonaventure grinned as he jumped off the roof.

*****

I stood in the door and caught a glimpse at the girl through the glass. She sat on a cold steel chair covered in bandages. Her right eye caught mine and then receded. She seemed at peace despite her physical appearance. Doctor Rushdie didn’t see that I was standing there and began speaking to Commander Spectre, “She is sleeping now.”

“Where did you find her?” Spectre asked calmly.

“Her mother tried to run her over. Or I should say, she did run her over.”

“Her own mother?”

“Yes. I think they were having family problems. Going into their records we found that she is not her biological daughter. This girl is the product of an affair… the mother could not live with the sight of her daughter anymore.”

“So she is presumed dead in the news?”

“Yes. There will be no trace of her leading to here.” The doctor smiled slightly.

“What is she good for?”

“I will show you.”

As the two moved about I hid out of their sight and they eventually left the room. I entered that night to see this girl and maybe have a conversation with her. It was pretty stupid of me to assume her and I could just talk since she was hardly in a position to live. As I sneaked into the holding area I glanced on her bandaged face.

“Are you awake?” I asked. No answer. She barely breathed. “I know the doctor, he’ll make you good as new. Trust me. He’s really nice and he won’t hurt you at all.” I leapt back as her eye opened wide almost as if in fear. An image appeared in the glass beyond me. A perfect picture of a beautiful young girl.

“What do you want?” She asked sharply.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Leslie. Who might you be?” The image put her hands on her hips.

“How did you just appear in the glass?”

“I… don’t know.” She had a confused look on her face. She glanced down at her hands. “Where am I?” She began to walk around not really paying attention to the girl in the metal chair.

“This is Rosehill. It’s kind of a secret,” I said.

“Well, I want to go home now. It’s dark and weird here,” she flicked her hair back proudly in the way an annoying little girl would.

“Go home? How did you get here in the first place?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe I was kidnapped. Oh, when my mommy and daddy find out, everyone’s going to have some problems.” She put her hands on her hips again. “You, what do you have to do with all of this? Who are you?”

“I’m Conroy.”

“What a dumb name for a little boy,” she sneered.

“Hey! Who are you calling a little boy?”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 14,” I claimed with pride.

“Well so am I, which gives me a two year head start because girls mature faster than boys. It’s a common fact.”

“You’re a pretty typical girl you know. Besides the fact that you just appeared out of nowhere. Always whining about maturity.”

“Alright. You can shut up and tell me who this person is,” the blond girl pointed to the injured girl on the hospital chair.

“I don’t know. The doctor just brought her in. She was hurt really bad.”

“Hmm. She’ll never be pretty again. All bandaged and bloody like that.”

“You don’t look a lot different from her you know.” I started wonder what the resemblance was. They were almost like twins. The eyes of this girl penetrated like the one that opened and glared at me as she lay. “The same thing could have happened to you. And all you care about is that you look better than her.”

“You sure are a snot,” she growled. The blond girl began to examine the injured one more intimately. She jumped back as the injured girl opened her eyes again. The bandaged child began to quiver and shake. Next the girl that was standing screamed at the top of her lungs as countless other perfect images of her appeared all around the both of us, all of them screaming and pale as banshees.

*****

When I opened my eyes I was surrounded by total darkness. “Am I dead?” I was lying down on a soft bed. As my eyes adjusted I made out the blurry time on a dimly lit digital clock. 4:15 A.M. I wasn’t dead. And I wasn’t dreaming anymore. Had I slept long? Then I remembered. I left Theron’s side about fourty-five minutes before. If that wasn’t a dream too. If so I had slept for at least a half-hour. Pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. That was more sleep than I had gotten the past three weeks combined. Now my body was no longer numb from sleep deprivation. It was beginning to understand what it needed. My head felt like a rock. This wasn’t good at all. I chuckled. Sleep was my worst enemy now. It was just a tease. A power nap only made my body press harder for relief that it wouldn’t get. I got up and flicked on the closest light. My room was cold and scientific. Everything had a shade of blue tint, like the rest of the offices in the building. Nothing like my old room in the early Rosehill days. I took a glance in the mirror. Nothing much had changed. My dark brown hair was still scruffy. The bags under my eyes looked even heavier than before. And of course, the whites were as bloodshot as ever.

Theron. She wasn’t doing well at all. Jack was the only one who could stop her. Our sub consciousnesses were probably the scariest part of all of us. And if the mistake was too big, we might have lost jurisdiction over this mission completely. Not that I would have cared too much. As I thought I drank heavily from the cold tap water. Part of me wanted to walk into the operating room and actually be there. Seeing it inside my head just wasn’t good enough. Saladin had infected us with a kind of terror we could only imagine, and we would never fully understand the impact our battle with the Chikamauga Squad had on all of us.

*****

When we got back from the battlefield Bonaventure had taken Theron directly to the medical lab. When we were injured we weren’t treated like the rest of the soldiers and put in the usual hospital ward. We were taken to a place called a laboratory where more tools were available to the special doctors trained specifically to treat us if we were ever injured. Physically or mentally. When Jack and I made it to the lab sector Bonaventure was sitting outside with his head in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked.

Our guardian lifted his head slightly looking at us with heavy eyes. “She’s in there now. I don’t know what’s going on. You might want to close your ears.” He put his head back in his hands as petrifying screams echoed through the dim hallway.

I looked at Jack and his eyes began to fill with sorrow. “I couldn’t protect her.” He clinched his fist and slammed it into the cold wall denting the formidable structure.

“We couldn’t either.”

“It was my job to bring you all out alive. In body and in mind.” Bonaventure said.

“If she dies, that’s it for everything.” I said.

“Conroy, do you have a heart left at all? Who cares about that? If she dies none of us have a reason to live, let alone carry on this godforsaken job.”

I nodded in apology.

“She’ll be fine physically. It’s her mind I’m worried about,” said Bonaventure. Another scream rebounded around us.

“Those doctors aren’t good enough!” Jack growled. “We need Dr. Rushdie.”

Doctor Rushdie was one of our father figures. He was one who we called our ‘Great Physician’. He had been there for us since we came to Rosehill. He was the one who taught us most about how to use The Other, believing that one day we could become powerful protectors of the human race and symbols of peace.

“That’s it I’m going in!” said Jack.

“Relax everyone.” A brown skinned man in a white lab coat entered the room through a door behind us and behind him trailed Spectre.

I smiled at the sight of an old friend. Dr. Rushdie put his hand on Jack’s shoulder and his eyes gleamed through his glasses. “Spectre told me what happened. You all can tell me the full extent of the damage. I need to know what happened out there.” His smile began to fade as he fashioned his business face. “I’m going to need to get in there right away. And I’m going to need you to dismiss the other doctors.”

“Let me go with you.” Jack insisted.

“No. That will not be necessary. I can’t have anyone in the room with her. I won’t put anyone else in danger.”

“Danger?” Jack’s right eyebrow went up.

A bloody image flicked through my mind like a subliminal message. Yes. This had happened before. Another scream wrinkled our spines. Hundreds of images. So many dead. All at the hands of a child’s bare and bloody hands. Theron was no child now. Who knows what she would be capable of?

“If this gets out of hand you know what to do,” Spectre grumbled.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” The doctor smiled as he stepped into the operating room.

I sat down beside Bonaventure. I was tempted to look into her mind. Right now it was a forbidden place. To enter would be suicide of the soul. Jack leaned against the wall with his head down.

“Did you see what’s happening to her?”

“No. Too scared. You?”

“I’m trying not to. But… sometimes its latent knowledge. It just helps itself to our minds. We can’t escape it now.”

“I know. We’re stuck with it. We just have to make the best of it.”

Jack and I both knew we were thinking to each other to avoid her nightmares creeping into our minds. Is insanity something you can observe? Or can you only partake in it?

“I feel sane.” I looked down at my hands, and counted each finger.

“She’s not insane. You idiot. And she can hear you, don’t forget that.” Bonaventure’s consciousness rang out. His eyes screamed out at me.

“I’m sorry. You know I care about her too.”

“It sounds like she’s calmed down,” Jack noted.

After Jack had spoke my head began to pound with sudden pain. As I fell onto the ground I could hear the others startle and move around. I crawled up into a ball as images seethed into my awareness. The door to the laboratory burst open startling the two armoured men guarding it.

*****

There was a soft beep. Above me was a pale ceiling. To my side I saw a young blond girl breathing dreamlessly, her lips parted slightly. Where was I this time? I looked at my hands. They were small hands. Was this a dream or the past? I decided I would go with the past. The little girl to my side was Leslie. I remembered the nightmare I had just awoken from. It was either the nightmare where my head was hurting and the door flew off its hinges or the one where the girl exploded into a thousand images and ripped my arms out of their sockets. The images were about to come back when I heard men speaking outside of our room.

“I want her terminated. She is more of a threat to us than to our enemies.”

“Please, sir. She is young. And powerful. I can teach them, you know I can.”

A man laughed. “You and your bloody science. You think you have control over the world. It’s just not like that.”

“Killing her is just your form of control.”

“We’ve already tampered with life by bringing her here. By bringing her out of death. Chaos chose her fate and I was unwise to step into the future and write her destiny in my own words.”

“You will be throwing away something dear. You’ve seen what she’s capable of. Just imagine what her future could hold. There is so much that can be learned from her. She is unlike anything I have ever seen.”

“Well that’s what we deal in here, isn’t it. Freaks and science. Things to be tampered with.” Another scoff. “If she destroys instead of creating hope I have no use for her here.”

“Please. I’m begging you. I just want her to live. You can understand that can’t you? There is hope for her. Just like the others. Please let me show you. Give us another chance.”

There was a whimper to my right. Was she crying in her sleep? I could reach her side. When I touched her hand with mine she accepted it with hers.

*****

“Vandal Shapiro. He is the world’s most wanted man. A man that has evaded death for over 15 years. He is hated not only by the United World government but criminal syndicates all over the world. He has a reputation in the crime world for being immortal. Untouchable. His life of crime began when he started a war 15 years ago. From then on he has proclaimed himself the bane of peace and has caused political upheaval all over the world. His deeds have been getting more and more profane as the years go by. His motives have always been the same. He claims that his only wish is to die. And that if he creates enough turmoil on the earth he will get that wish.”

“Why doesn’t he just kill himself?”

“Rumor has it he stopped trying when he was a boy. He somehow has escaped his own death every time.”

“Is he like us?”

“It is rumoured that he is gifted, yes.”

“So if nobody can kill him, how are a bunch of kids like us going to do it?” An eleven year old Jack slouched in his chair impatiently twiddling his thumbs.

“That’s the thing. I don’t think you can.” Jacques Spectre scoffed.

“You’re making us fight when you think we’ll lose?” I blurted.

“Dust to dust. You’re all ghosts of fate. Kids that have avoided their time. If you die, you will just put the pieces of the puzzle back together again.”

“So we got to survive then,” Jack said with a child’s determination.

“We will see.”

“I won’t let you die.” Bonaventure whispered to me calming my anxieties.

We took a small van to the site. Vandal had taken one hundred mothers from their homes and their children and was holding them. Each family was related to an important person in politics or the crime world. This was his final statement. He really wanted to die. Millions had been put on his head by so many crime lords and influential men and it had seemed like the whole world had finally united for one cause. To kill Vandal Shapiro. We were just another group of assassins sent to kill Vandal that day. It would be our most brutal and terrifying mission.

When we arrived at the scene it seemed like a Hollywood movie. Police and people had gathered around Vandal’s stronghold. An office building he had claimed. He stood on the very top of the tower looking down into the chaos as helicopters floated over him, many times shining red dots onto him. But none firing. They knew it would take more than bullets to kill the immortal. Even as a child my senses picked up almost anything. Back then I was always awake. Always alert. The world flowed through me and the surprise of my knowledge failed to even pass the time for me. Mostly everything passed my notice and was ignored. I was more afraid for my life. Jack was smiling as he read my mind.

“Don’t worry. With you and me on a team no one can stop us.” He winked at me and I smiled shyly.

Young Theron, the new girl to the team always looked away and never acknowledged us.

“Just ignore her Conroy. She’s just a loner.”

“Don’t be an idiot. You know I can hear you.”

“Why you gotta be such a girl all the time?”

“You all need to work together as a team. Stop fighting.” Our new guardian scolded us. Agent Bonaventure had been assigned to our team. He was much older than us so it seemed quite strange we would fight alongside as equals. Jack told me that it was because he had been demoted and failed a major mission. Which seemed strange since he was supposed to be so damn lucky. “Alright. This is the plan. We will take the evevator in this building and then begin our assault via rope to the other building. You will be using you’re stealth technology briefly so that you won’t be seen. Once you all get in there, attack from your designated positions. And always pay attention to each others thoughts. Always be aware of each other. You must all become one.” Bonaventure put his hand in my hair and scruffed it up.

*****

“Alright Conroy, we’re going to try again.” Dr. Rushdie beckoned with his soft voice.

I looked down and realized I was still in a wheel chair. Salty tears began to cloud my eyes. I didn’t want to be paralyzed. I didn’t want to be numb all over. The doctor kneeled down in front of me and put his hand on my head.

“You will be fine Conroy. All you need to do is walk towards me.”

The little girl that had done this to me stood behind the glass. She had no expression. No sympathy for me. Someone she had just trampled over.

“Get out of my head!” A voice screamed. I frantically jerked my head back and forth.

“Conroy. What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s screaming at me.”

“What?”

“What have you done to me!?” Her cold eyes matched the angry voice inside my head.

“Who’s screaming Conroy? What are you hearing?”

“You have no right to be here! Stop looking into me. My place. My private place. Get out! You freak! Get out!”

Something in my body flared and I fell out of my wheel chair and tried to crawl away from her voice. But it was everywhere. I couldn’t escape. She couldn’t escape me.

*****

“Conroy. Snap out of it!” A light shone in my eyes. I stopped shaking and tried to scramble to my feet.

“What’s going on?” Bonaventure shouted.

“Stand back!” One of the guards shouted. Both guards were now clinching their rifles to the sides of the broken doorway. A blond phantom stepped into view from within the lab. A serene expression crept onto her face. All she was wearing was bandage cloth over her breasts and abdomen.

“Are you ok?” A guard asked as he lowered his weapon. She sneered and plunged her hand into his heart with awful strength.

“All of you get out of here!” Bonaventure hollered.

Before the other soldier could even think his head twisted back 180 degrees. The graceful killing machine scuttled along the walls in our direction. She stopped a moment and her eyes caught mine. She turned and ran the other way.

“Theron, stop this!” Bonaventure shouted.

Doctor Rushdie crawled out of the room. Jack and I rushed to aid him. She didn’t kill him.

“Please. Don’t let them hurt her. Don’t let Faris kill her.”

We all hurried out of there as fast as we could to find Spectre. Bonaventure and I helped the doctor walk and he explained as we went. Theron was having another episode. It had been more than ten years since she lost control of The Other and her most reverenced ability went haywire. When we reached the briefing room alarms were going off everywhere and once again we were at war with ourselves.

“All men stand down. Do not approach the subject whatever it is you do. I repeat. Do not make contact with the subject.” Spectre barked orders into his microphone. “If you look at the map you will see. It is as Doctor Rushdie says. Theron has made multiple copies of herself and is seeking that which she may devour.

I estimate that she has already killed many of our soldiers. At this point her level of threat is too high for me to order for her safe recovery.”

“What?” Jack snapped.

“That’s right. She’s a threat to this whole mission. Her head is fair game,” Faris said as he marched up behind us with a small army behind him. Sam stood at his side. His eyes seemed to plead. Was he going along with this? He seemed to want sympathy. Or perhaps it was guilt. He had to do his job as a representative for the one’s who hated us.

Spectre’s eyes darkened but his stand was resolute. “I cannot protect her anymore. My orders are simple. Stop Theron in any way. Her life is secondary to this mission.”

“Commander! Don’t do this. Don’t let Faris win,” Jack whispered harshly into Spectre’s ear.

“I give the orders here Jack. Stand down or I will suspend you for the day.”

Jack stopped. Dr. Rushdie frantically pounded on the keyboard in front of the electronic mapping system. “Doctor, what is the situation?” Faris stood with his hands behind his back like a boasting child.

Rushdie sighed and cooperated. “Theron has cloned herself completely.”

“So it’s just like ten years ago.”

Dr. Rushdie turned away from Faris’ dead gaze. He couldn’t stand to look at him. Yet there wasn’t anger between them. The doctor could have failed to comply, but something was driving him, even though it seemed every keystroke was heavy with guilt.

“So which one is the real subject?” Sam asked.

“There is no, real subject. They are all Theron, yet separate from her. Each copy has been given a life of its own.”

“How long can she keep this up?”

“Indefinitely. Unlike inferior copying techniques, hers is perfect. Perfect copies. Each one in themselves. Yet she remains the same person. Her strength is copied perfectly from clone to clone. No diminishing factor. She is in herself, an army.”

“A destructive force of chaos that should have been destroyed when we had the chance,” Faris growled.

“What an amazing ability,” Jack thought. He glanced at me for a moment.

“I don’t know if I share your excitement.”

“I knew Theron was strong like us. But this is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”

Jack and I had seen her use this ability a few times before. But only in dire circumstances. Dr. Rushdie had taught us to have reverence for The Other and not use it carelessly. Theron took this to heart more than the rest of us. But now, she had no control over her humbling and awful power. I wondered if we could suffer the same fate.

“So what can stop her?” Sam asked.

“If she wakes up from this trance than the mission is solved for us. If she never wakes up,” Dr. Rushdie paused with grief, “then you must kill each and every copy including the original. That is Spectre’s orders.”

“I won’t kill my own partner,” said Jack.

“You won’t have to. I could have killed her before. Someone held me back. There’s no one holding me back this time.” Faris’ eyes were watering with hatred. “So her copies must all be killed? There is no shortcut to dousing this hot little nightmare?”

“I’m not sure what would happen if the original subject is killed. But there’s no real way to know which is which.”

“Anything else we should know doctor?” Faris questioned and looked down on the shuddering scientist.

Rushdie failed to meet Faris’ eyes. “No.”

“If I find out anyone has kept information from this mission being completed, I will deal with him myself. On my own terms.”

I could feel Jack’s face burning. My own arms almost lifted and my fists almost clinched. I was being overwhelmed by my friend’s own hatred. It was nice to feel.

“I’ll kill him. If he touches her. I’ll rip him apart with my own hands.”

“Don’t. You know you would have killed him long ago if you could.”

“I won’t be able to stop myself.”

“Our protection only goes so far. Bide your time. We’ll get what we want in the end.” I assured him.

“Alright kids. The Faris train is leaving. We can do this as a team or not, it’s up to you.” Faris turned his gleaming countenance to Jack as if to provoke him. Almost as if he welcomed attack.

“Faris. Let’s go.” Sam put his hand on Faris’ shoulder. We watched as the soldiers frantically took their attack routes, rushing down various elevators and separating into different groups. Faris supplied each of them with bayonet rifles. A long blade was attached to the barrel of each gun.

“So we’re the misfits again?” I chuckled.

“We have to get to her before they do,” said Jack.

“Maybe you should be thinking more about saving Faris and the rest of our allies,” said Bonaventure.

“Are you serious?”

“What makes you think Faris and his men could even touch one of her copies?”

“Why do you think Faris has always been put on the same mission as you?” Dr. Rushdie asked with his back to us. “You know as well as I how capable he is. And the government knows it too.”

“Where is she now?”

“She is evading our censors and cameras now. Somehow she has memorized the whole schematic of New Rosehill.”

“So if we keep at least one copy alive, we’ll have Theron back eventually?”

Dr. Rushdie’s lips trembled. His eyes called out to me like he wanted to say more but held himself back.

“Doc, what aren’t you telling us?” Jack asked.

“Go, quickly. Search every room you can and be very cautious. You’ve worked with her for many years. Try and use that as an advantage. Use the tranks I gave you in case this ever happened again.”

Something held him back from talking. Now I was dangerously curious. What did Faris have over him that made the doctor cower in his presence like a dog? Once again we were thrust into the politics of Rosehill. Where war never ended. Outside and within. Faris was still barking orders at his soldiers. I knew there was some way to keep the bloodthirsty general in line. I smirked and Jack nodded. “Faris!”

“What do you want?”

“I’m going with you.”

Faris’ eyes lifted suspiciously to meet mine. “Heh. I guess there isn’t much I can say that will stop you. Don’t slow us down.”

“I might even be useful to you.”

“I will never fall back on your kind. Never forget that soldier. Stay alert and don’t screw around.” I followed him and his group of six fighters Faris had chosen. “Move out men!” We all left in one of the six elevators. We were heading for the arboretum. I closed my eyes to search for some sign of Theron. A gun clicked. Faris had a gun pointed at my head. “I want your eyes glued open. If you even blink I won’t hesitate to blow you away.”

Touchy. He wanted me to sleep even less than Jack did. He knew what happened when I closed my eyes. “Afraid of the future, general?”
“It’s my pride soldier. If I have a freak helping me than I can’t say she was beaten by human beings. As long as you’re needed you will be around. If you aren’t needed, no one’s going to want you about. You get me?”

“At least you’re honest.”

“Okay. I have given each team leader a comlink so we will all know what’s going down. A systematic search is to be performed over this entire facility. Be ready for anything. Do not be fooled by any abnormal activity. If someone on the team even sneezes I want to be aware of it.”

The arboretum’s many smells congested within my nose. A few vast redwoods lorded over us. An entrance to a man made mini Eden. As we treaded over the paved walkway into the fake woods I tuned into Jack’s senses.

“Quickly, come with me.” Dr. Rushdie beckoned for Jack and Bonaventure to follow. They rushed for the elevator. “I have a plan.” I heard his whisper as if it had been in my ear.

“Keep your eyes open. She could be hiding in any one of these trees,” Faris said. He held his automatic rifle at a cool distance, but his eyes remained intense. This man had something over all of us. He had actually experienced real war. And lots of it. He had also been in this same situation ten years ago. This time he had nothing to lose.

“Conroy. Always watch him.”

“Can I keep up with him?”

“Try.”

There wasn’t one sound in those trees. I could see the sweat on the soldiers’ faces. I guessed that many of them were new. And if not, they had dealt only a few times with a terrifying threat such as this.

The elevator door opened. Sam and another soldier were tending to a wounded man slumped against the narrow hallway wall. There were others injured and some dead strewn across the floor.

“Thank God you’re here,” said Sam.

“Is she close?” Dr. Rushdie asked.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her. My men just started dying in front of me. I’m guessing she’s in the second laboratory sector.”

Throwing knives were lodged into various places on the dead soldiers.

“Get into formation!” Faris’ bark brought me back to my own senses. The trees made no sounds. We were on a bridge over a man made stream. We were down two men. They had just disappeared.

“What happened?”

“Did they run off?”

“No.” Faris had lost men without even knowing it. “Damn that freak. I’m going to make her bleed this time.” I crossed my fingers. Part of me was routing for Theron. I didn’t know if she would kill me too, but I wanted her to live through this somehow. Faris glanced at me and then sneered, “Don’t get too excited. There’s no way the commander will let her live after she’s terminated the lives of so many of our men. Either way your friend is mine.”

I shrugged. If she didn’t get to him first. Then it came to me. Two dots zig-zagged through my brain. She was going to come from the back and the front. Two copies. Only two of us would live. I think one of them was me. Would Faris want my privileged perspective? I kept my mouth shut. I would play his way.

“Conroy. You know what’s going to happen don’t you?”

It was her. I wondered which one was speaking. Did they all have the same voice? Maybe I was just as insane as she seemed.

“It’s so easy to blame insanity isn’t it, Conroy?”

“Theron. Stop this. You’re not making it easier for anybody.”

“Maybe you’re the one who’s crazy…”

“Well you know me.”

“I’m coming for him. Get ready.”

As if the past was playing itself out in slow motion, I saw one slender blond leap out on to the south entrance to the little bridge. She stopped for a good second in front of the soldiers as if to tease us. “I’m different. Fear me.” The first blade sank into soldier number three’s throat. The rest of the soldiers began to fire their guns. The bleeding soldier slumped to the ground firing off in random directions.

*****

A young girl sat awkwardly on the edge of a roof. Her legs dangled over the side, dipping her feet into the air. I could see inside of her. She was contemplating the long drop. What would it be like to die? Where would she go? Anywhere but here, she thought. She knew I was watching her but just didn’t care anymore. She had already screamed enough about how we could see into each other’s thoughts. I remember thinking vainly that she was attempting to die because of me. She didn’t want me to see her heart. Her pain was shameful to her and skin she didn’t want anyone else to see. Both of us heard a sound. Someone a few years older than us was skipping rocks on the top of a building.

“It’s just like a beach. You have a view. Sand and rocks to throw,” he said as he smiled warmly.

“Who are you?”

“The name’s Ryan. Pleased to meet you…”

“I don’t remember my name.”

“Don’t worry about it. You know why people find it so hard to jump? The view always reminds them that life can be beautiful for small moments. And they want to live for those moments even if they happen at the darkest times.”

“I’m just afraid of not dying. There are no good enough spots to jump in this stupid junk heap.”

“How old are you?”
“I’m 14, so I’m way too young for you.”

“14 huh? Don’t you want to see what can happen? You never know what great things you will do with your life later on.”

“Huh?”

“People who give up don’t realize that the very next day could have been the best day of their life.”

“So you’re saying that tomorrow is going to be a good day?”

“Hey. It’s twenty-five minutes past midnight. The best day of your life has already started. And already you have something to be happy about.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve made a friend.”

*****

“Damnit. I don’t know where she is. This is a battle our soldiers weren’t prepared for,” said Sam.

“What’s worse is that we really don’t want to fight her,” an injured soldier said gritting his teeth from the pain.

“Many of these soldiers grew up with her,” Rushdie explained. “Fighting someone you care about is a tragedy in itself.”

“Are you watching this?” Theron’s voice spoke to me again. “Watch me walk right in front of them. Watch them all die.”

“Stop this.”

“Can you be in two places at once Conroy? Can you do anything? Or are you just going to sit and watch, like you always do?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m tired of thinking. I’m tired of being thought to. Maybe if I piss him off enough he’ll finish me off for good this time.”

“Watch out. Ready your weapons,” Sam called out orders.

Jack stood back. He didn’t pull out his pistols. He would be the last one to take a shot at Theron. As the partition door slid open a blond haired little girl crawled into view. “Lower your weapons!” Sam called out. “How did a little girl get in here?”

One of the medical officers hurried to see to the condition of the bloodstained child.

“What’s happening to me?” The girl cried out as she tried to pull the bloody knife out of her side. “Why would someone do this to me?” The medic slid onto his knees to help the girl. The girl smirked.

“No! Stand back!” Bonaventure shouted. But it was too late. The same knife that was in the child went into the throat of her victim. She crouched on the ground like a cat.

“What’s the matter?” She croaked. “Is it hard to kill a child?”

Bonaventure and Jack just watched as the other soldiers shuddered with confusion and dread anticipation. “It’s Theron.”

“She is blending her abilities,” the doctor whispered coarsely.

This child’s image was familiar. Was it the likeness of the girl from the Chikamauga Squad? Or was it a piece of whom Theron was. Something from her childhood. There was something different about the image. Like I was watching her in a mirror instead of face to face. None of them could act.

“You can’t kill me can you? None of you can. A bunch of weaklings. All of you.” She put one step forward and stared into Jack’s eyes as if she were digging into my soul.

“Oh Conroy. Look at them squirm. We were much scarier as kids. Don’t you think? Now no one is afraid to kill us. Bonaventure. Why don’t you do something about this? Do you care so much about me that you’ll let everyone else die? They will die. They should know how dangerous it is to underestimate a child. Mr. Guardian. What good are you? What good is a guardian if he lets everyone else die? Just so he can save his friend? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical? Maybe. Huh?”

Bonaventure’s eyes darkened.

“Maybe I’m an enemy spy? Ever think of that? Do you think I’m insane? Do you think this is somehow some alternate consciousness? Isn’t this all me?” The girl was now standing in front of one of the only soldiers left standing. His rifle quivered. Her knife was only a few inches from his eye.

*****

“Son, come sit down. We need to talk.” A solemn lieutenant commander motioned for a tall young man to sit in the seat in front of the mahogany desk. A machine on the desk beeped. A young Bonaventure stood at the window smoking a cigarette.

“Lieutenant Faris, your son was looking for you about the appointment.”

“Don’t worry Judy, he’s in here now.”

“Okay.”

“How is training going?” Bonaventure asked.

“You’re going to kill my dad with those things,” the son snickered with a hint of seriousness.

“Don’t think so highly of your father.” Bonaventure laughed and took another puff. The younger, less weighted Faris, stared at his son thoughtfully. “I see you’ve been spending a lot of time with Spectre’s kids.”

“I’m sorry sir. I won’t let it happen again.”

Faris laughed heartily. “Don’t worry son, it’s alright. Spectre and I are friends. You know that. I owe that man very much. As a family we will always support him. I’m pleased that you are spending time with those kids. They haven’t another soul in the world. They’ve got more problems than we could ever dream. You’re a man now, so you can look out for them.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes son. As serious as your old man can get. They’ve gone through some hard times, but I think you will relate well.” Faris nodded his head to the side towards the picture on the filing cabinet.

A much thinner father stood with his wife and a small child looked as if he would leap off of his father’s back and out of the picture. The boy’s smile shone out into reality from the photo. Bonaventure sighed with grave reverence.

“But Bonaventure is their guardian.”

“Ryan. You’ve got a connection with those kids that I can’t get,” Bonaventure explained. “I must always remain at a distance with them if I am to be able to fully do my job. Your father is right about this one.”

“We’ve all lost something. Those kids have. And so have you. Ryan, I want you to protect those three kids. But above all, I want you to be their friends. You need to be their connection to humanity.”

A small piece of the smile from the photo snuck onto the young soldier’s face.

*****

When my eyes opened again I was free. My hands were small. I was either dreaming or in the past again. I was on a dusty floor surrounded by cheers and shouting. The man with octopus arms grunted happily as he faced off against the little Theron. She turned to me and frowned deeply as if to scold me. “Look what you got me into.”

There were about forty other men in brown coats gathered around. Giving the fight, just enough space. The little girl held a long knife in her hand. The octopus man lunged forward at a demonic pace. He was fast for his size, but the girl was much faster.

She bounded into the air. One of the octopus arms stretched into the air like rubber and clutched the girl’s little leg bringing her smashing down into the ground. Her nose began to trickle blood.

“Stop!” The cheering stopped as the man we had seen on the screens entered the room through the dark doorway. Vandal Shapiro. This scrawny guy in a creepy yellow coat was being called immortal? “Well, I’m impressed. Their sending kids after me now.”

“We were just having some fun boss.” The man with the octopus arms had shrunk back into a normal shape.

“Why kids?”

“Now my job is easier since you’re here,” Theron said as she pointed her knife in Vandal’s direction. “I’ll fight you right now, one on one.”

“Little girl. I stopped fighting years ago. Now I just stagger from place to place with no way out of this hell. But I can give you death if you wish it.”

“Theron, don’t do it alone. You need all of us.”

“I don’t need you. Or Jack. Or that old guy. I can do this myself.”

“I’m sick of killing women and children. Get out of my sight or ask and receive your death. Make it quick.”

Theron’s body moved swiftly and stabbed her knife into Vandal’s cold flesh. Blood gushed out of his neck wound. Vandal barely grunted as the blood stopped flowing and his skin quickly reconstructed in front of our eyes. Theron’s eyes broadened. And she began to scream. I covered my ears for the terrifying sound. She staggered back.

“And thus begins your terrible journey…”

She growled as she crouched again to pounce. This time an exact replicate of her child self crouched beside her. Vandal’s cool glance was shaken for a split second. “Another gifted one. Who sent you?” He smirked with curiosity. “Did Fathom send you? He will never face the fact that he cannot beat me himself. And sends kids to die. No...” His body completely disappeared and than appeared behind Theron grabbing both copies by the hair. He threw one of the images to the side, crashing it into the wall. While he looked straight into Theron’s eyes. “Do you have a guardian?” She squirmed to try and break free from his powerful grip. “Who will miss you if you die? You’re like me aren’t you? No one cares about you and me. Why should I kill you when it will not get me closer to my goal? But yet, if you have a guardian. A guardian who is strong. Maybe he will test his luck against me.”

“Put her down.”

“Ah, my mouth utters bitter prophesy.” Vandal turned his penetrating glance towards the man who had entered the room, flipping a coin. “Or what? Will you, kill me? Isn’t that what I want? Wait a minute. Nickolas. Is that you?”

I stared in awe as Bonaventure stood defiantly in the faces of 50 killing men. “We have come to give you what you want.”

“Nickolas. If you are their guardian than I’m straight out of luck.”

“Good one.”

“But in all seriousness. How am I supposed to arouse the killing passion of a heartless man? I was hoping for some gallant hero, fighting for hope, justice, and the United World way or at least a hot headed gangster with something to prove. What do you care if this girl dies?”

“It won’t be me that kills you anyways.”

“Ah?”

“Come in Jack.” Bonaventure motioned with his hands for Jack to come in. Spinning two pistols in his hands like bolas, Jack made one of his many signature entrances.

“Evil doers beware.” Jack grinned as he posed.

“Fathom’s child prodigy? What am I a dog that you come at me with kids? I’ve torturously survived through every horror imaginable in this world. Yet I suffer. This is an insult to me. Get out of my sight. Unless you wish for death, only ask and I shall give. How generous I am. Offering death to those who won’t offer it back? Yet, again I say, be gone from me.” As if disappointed, Vandal sighed and turned his back to Bonaventure, and then addressed his men with random orders.

“I promise you, you won’t be disappointed by these kids.” Bonaventure smirked.

“Every time I entertain weaklings, my affliction continues needlessly on this earth.”

“I came here looking for a challenge. And killing someone immortal is definitely a challenge for me,” said Jack. “So you better put up a good fight.”

“I sense the Other burning within your will, prodigy. Very well, I will play with you for a little while.”

*****

“Are you just going to stand by and watch as I kill them? Are they just faceless soldiers to you?” My bayonet blade clashed against Theron’s knife. “That’s it!”

“That’s what I like to see Conroy,” Faris laughed. “Now put a bullet in her head!” The other Theron sprung her attack on Faris. With equal speed he brushed off her blade with his bayonet. The other two living soldiers fired nervously at the two targets.

I dodged her next slash, leaving me open enough for her to launch her other fist directly into my wound from the last battle. Pain shot through my side and I stumbled back. “I can feel your pain. Remember?” She knew my weak spots intimately because of our connection. I fell on my side and cringed with aching.

“She’s open now.” Faris’ voice on my earpiece made me shudder. In my weakness I almost thought he could see into my mind. He raised his arm and flicked two fingers. A signal. Shots rang out. To my horror a bloody image of Theron fell in front of me. She glared into my eyes. Half begging me to save her and half blaming me for letting her suffer. Blood spewed onto the grass. She began crawling in my direction. Another shot rang out and her body slumped indefinitely. There were snipers in the trees. All in stealth camouflage, all waiting for the right time to fire. Interestingly enough, both snipers fell out of the trees and onto the ground, each with throwing knives embedded in their necks. The other copy had dealt vengeance before hitting the ground. I remembered my vision prior to this fight. These soldiers all die. There was still two left.

“There’s another copy,” I blurted.

A knife bounced off of Faris’ right arm gauntlet. He grinned. “It’s alright soldier, I already knew.”

Another copy dove out of the trees, landing on her hands. Off of her hands she launched a kick into one of the two remaining soldiers. Faris aimed carefully. The kicked soldier didn’t get up. His head drooped off from his neck. Only one was left. Faris and her exchanged smirks. The last soldier stood where he was and fired at her anxiously. Her body blurred in his direction. The soldier’s rifle spun to face him. Six of his own bullets. The last one fell to the ground.

“Don’t bother getting up,” Faris said to me.

She dashed towards Faris. “Join your son in hell!” She roared, grabbing his bayonet with her bare hands.

“I was right about you all along!” Faris caught her other fist in his hand. They shook as each tried to overpower the other. Faris no longer had his endless smile.

Outside of the second laboratory the child image of Theron scratched at her heart. Blood poured and dirtied her hands. Her eyes pleaded with Bonaventure. He lowered his rifle. “Why? Why you? Of all people.”

“Bonaventure! The tranquilizers! Why didn’t you?” Dr. Rushdie cradled the dead image in his arms like his own child.

“It’s just a copy isn’t it?” Sam asked. Bonaventure looked to Jack. Jack’s face darkened with consternation at what he had just witnessed.

“I had to do it.”

“I know.”

“Come with me.” Dr. Rushdie carried off the little body. Jack and Bonaventure followed. When they came once again to the waiting room where Theron had attacked from, Dr. Rushdie opened the door to the laboratory. On the bed lay a sleeping Theron. Deep in sleep, curled up like a child.

“What?” Sam gasped.

“She was sleeping all this time?”

“This is her original. It’s very possible that if she died in this state she would be permanently killed.” The doctor rested the dead child on another bed. He took some gauze and began rapping her entire body. “She can’t be allowed to see this.”

“What happens to these copies?” Jack asked.

“They are a piece of her, yet apart from her. A whole person. A living organism. They don’t just disappear.”

“My God…” Bonaventure fell on his knees.

“I’ve buried Theron countless times. That’s why she always respects her abilities. She knows the responsibility of her terrifying power.”

“Can you say that to my men?” Sam growled.

“I know. This doesn’t prove my point. You don’t understand. You haven’t lived her life.”

“Don’t pull that shit with me.”

“That’s enough,” said Jack.

“So what happens if I put a bullet in this one?” I could feel the cold of Sam’s pistol on the sleeping Theron’s forehead.

*****

Vandal Shapiro remained still and relaxed as we surrounded him. “Alright Conroy. Remember our training. Remember all those big guys we took care of in the past. I need you to be my eyes.”

Theron and her copy crouched in different positions waiting to strike. “I can do this myself.”

“No you can’t. You saw that your attack did nothing.”

“Why don’t I cut his head off and see if he can grow THAT back.” Theron dashed for her enemy. Shapiro didn’t even budge. She took her blade and cut perfectly. Shapiro’s head flew. His body staggered as blood soared into the air. The rolled head immediately turned into dust. Tissue twisted over the body’s neck and formed a human head shaped sphere. In a matter of seconds, a new head had formed and Shapiro was able to smile grimly once again. “It’s… not possible. He’s a monster.” Theron fell to her knees.

“How?” Jack crept backward. “How do you do that?”

“You fools. You don’t think that I haven’t tried that myself?”

“Don’t give up.” I heard Bonaventure’s voice in my mind, but his thoughts said something totally different. We were put into a battle that we couldn’t win.

“I don’t care if I have to cut off your head a million times! I’m going to beat you!” In spite of Bonaventure’s doubts Jack was sure of his victory. My body numbed with an icy feeling. Jack was going to use the Other. Like a fever. Burning inside, yet shivering on the outside. Shapiro’s eyes grew wide.

“What power is this? I’ve never felt the Other’s presence so strongly in one person. This can’t be. Show me your power little one.” Shapiro disappeared. His body materialized in front of Jack who stared defiantly into Vandal’s yellowish eyes. Shapiro opened his mouth and showed his monstrous teeth. He had fangs like a beast. “If I bring you close to death, will your fighting spirit burn my cells out of eternity? If I show you what it means to die, will you let me taste it?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“You shall be.”

*****

A long and sharp metal object protruded from Faris’ gauntlet and straight into Theron’s chest. She stepped back and coughed up blood. She smirked through the red. “You still have it in you.”

“Once you’ve killed one of them, you’ve killed em all,” Faris sneered. The copy slumped onto her knees. “I don’t care how many of you there are. I’ll always win.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I hate you.” With that, the clone fell dead onto the well laid bricks of the path. Faris kicked me in the stomach. “Get up. We have to stop the last clone.”

“How many are there.”

“There were five. We just killed three. Your buddy Bonaventure killed one of them. But of course, you already knew that. Heh. You’re not too much of a soldier Conroy.”

“You hurt my feelings.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

*****

Vandal’s hand reached out at amazing speed gripping the throat of the young Jack. This sudden strike caught us all off guard, even Bonaventure who was ready to attack. Jack growled and attempted to break free. His shots firing off aimlessly. “Where is your speed? How will you escape my killing blow, let alone bring me death.” He grinded Jack’s head into the ground. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I squatted, unable to move, fixed in a position of fear. Theron leapt onto his back and began stabbing him over and over again in the back. Vandal grabbed her by the arm and tossed her to the side, into a desk planted firmly in the floor. She struggled to get up. “She is strong as well,” he said as he looked over in her direction; still holding onto Jack’s neck with his other hand. Jack gripped Vandal’s arm and shook with vehemence. Gritting his teeth, Jack unlatched Vandal’s grip with amazing strength. With his young leg, he kicked Vandal’s face with such force that it sent him flying. “You still disappoint me. Your determination is admirable. But you are missing something. You need something to protect. To be on the edge of losing what you hold dear. Let me show you something.”

Vandal appeared at his computer and typed madly. “Let me show you what you should fight for.” The whole wall behind Vandal began to move. The wall lowered and revealed a dark tank the size of a large public pool. Bodies dangled inside.

Theron gasped. “Get them out of there!”

“Get them yourself. They have served their purpose.”

The blackened bodies floated lifelessly.

“You killed them already,” Bonaventure groaned in disbelief.

“Yes. They were never hostages. Only victims on display. Much more chilling. Much more hate inspiring. When you see this does it provoke you? Nickolas? Or is it only a reflection of the darkness of your soul. Jack. My child prodigy. You have been untainted yes? You can still hate me right?”

“How could you do this?” Jack’s clinched his fists. “There are moms and kids in there. Kids like me. How does a monster like you exist in this world.”

“All you give me is words!” Vandal flickered around the room. His body emerged from the ground. He grabbed Jack from below and sank his teeth into his calve muscle. Jack screamed in pain. I lost all control of filtering my mind from the others. Jack’s pain and screaming consciousness scraped my brain. I clutched my head. As if in a nightmare Vandal’s body twisted snakelike around Jack, his warped arms still grabbing a hold of Jack’s legs so he could not escape. “No one will save you from the devil in a godless world. Look at me!” His neck stretched and twisted so that he faced Jack’s screams. “Kill me!”

“Stop it!” Theron screeched. She cradled her head. Images of her began to appear everywhere. All of them screaming. “Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head!” A choir of screams and repetitions. Our nightmare had truly begun. I bowed my head to the ground and closed my eyes attempting to blot the world out, but I could see everything as clearly as if my eyes were open. Vandal’s twisting body, Jack’s fear, and Theron’s images darting in every direction. All slipping out into crevices, windows, and doors. Even the ventilation system.

“What’s going on, Bonaventure?”

“Spectre, things have gone out of control. You have to stop them.”

“I can’t. Don’t worry. You will live.”

“But so many people are going to die.”

“You are their guardian. They will survive.”

Out of a strain of images I could see a young man, only about eight years older than us, crawling through the vents with his team of United World soldiers. An hour before I remembered him smiling at us as we climbed the rope off of the building and into Vandal’s headquarters. “Don’t worry. We will all be looking out for you.” Those were the last words Ryan had said to me. The soldiers in the vent didn’t know what to do at the sight of two identical images of a little blond girl closing in on them. Ryan in a body bag. Never seen again. In the ground. A funeral of crying people. And an aging lieutenant commander standing by the tombstone of his son. It read briefly: “A mighty shield. Born with love and died with honour.”

What happened in that building still escapes me. All three of us woke up the next morning alive and well, with a few bruises. Bonaventure explained that Vandal’s body completely evaporated into thin air. That was the best he could describe it. He didn’t know why or if it was us who even did the job. But somehow, Vandal’s smile of relief was imprinted in my mind for a long time. I had witnessed it, somehow, with eyes, or my thoughts, or dreams.

*****

“My orders are to kill her,” Sam said as he readied his pistol.

“And I make my own rules. You’ll go through me first.” Jack’s rifle was now aimed at his old friend.

“Even if you shoot me, she’ll be dead first.”

“Don’t kid yourself. You’re nothing Sam. By the time the bullet gets into the air, you’ll be dead and the bullet safe and neat in my hand.”

“How many bullets can you stop?” Faris entered the room. His rifle was aimed at Theron’s head.

“As many as I have to.”

“Cut it out!” I shouted. “Are you seriously going to blow each others brains out? It’s over. All the clones are gone. This is the last image. Her original. She’s sleeping soundly now.” I walked over to her and touched her hand. “It’s going to be ok now. The nightmare is over.”

Theron remained still.

“Faris put down your gun. There’s no need for violence now. Hasn’t there been enough death?” Dr. Rushdie pleaded. “Sam, please.”

“Why isn’t she waking up?” I asked. I bent down and looked at her face.

“Her mind is fatigued. She will not wake up for days.”

“Yes, and there’s no telling when this bad dream will happen all over again. I will now carry out my orders.”

Then, she gripped my hand tightly and opened her eyes. Tears poured down from the side of her eye, some over her nose, into the pillow below. Jack lowered his weapon and put his hand on her head. “Hush.”

Bonaventure smiled wearily at his care. For some reason Faris and Sam left their weapons on the floor and walked out of the room. Theron looked up at me. “You saw it didn’t you.”

“Yes.”

“I killed him didn’t I?” Her body heaved with her cries. “He died because of me.”

“Don’t think about that now. Be quiet and sleep.”