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| − | As soon as Mister Shadow pulls his arm out I feel my legs crumple underneath me. I fall to the ground and clutch the gaping hole in my chest. The pain is indescribable, I want so badly to pass out. But I have to hang on. Come on. You need to stay conscious, don't go into shock. Black ooze seeps out between my fingers and it's not Shadow's.
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| − | Normally I don't transform when I copy abilities. When I touch someone like Mister Shadow, I just get stretchy. But this is more than skin contact, and it makes me into a more faithful copy of the original. The metamorphasis hurts like nothing else. The geiger counter on the table slowly goes silent as my body turns dark and loses its shape. I can't even speak in this half-melted state. I can only watch in silent agony.
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| − | Hazmat guy groans as he recovers from meeting the wall I introduced him to. Shadow leaves me in a literal pile on the floor and turns to face him. “<font color="644B96">It is an. Honor. Hm. To finally meet you face to. Face. Doctor. Your rep- utation as a recluse is well earned.</font>” Shadow takes a strained breath. “<font color="644B96">Our meeting was. Difficult. To arrange.</font>”
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| − | “<font color="329632">What are you talking about? It was <i>I</i> who summoned <i>you</i>. And you were instructed not to enter after you delivered the woman to me. However, I will overlook this infraction on our deal because you seem to have saved my specimen. <b>Erk!</b></font>” Shadow's arm stretches out coils around the hazmat guy, dragging him closer. “<font color="329632">What is this!? Unhand me or you will never see a cent of your payment!</font>”
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| − | “<font color="644B96">Dear doctor. Ifff you knew me half as well as Miss Strauss...You would know that my business is never so. Hm. Simple.</font>” It's just as I feared. Shadow really does still have my memories. And now this “doctor” knows my identity too!
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| − | But not for long. “<font color="329632">Miss Strauss? Who-?</font>” His sentence is cut short as dozens of spikes sprout all over the ooze wrapped around his suit. “<font color="329632">Glk...Hck...</font>” Shadow, he...He killed him. I can't let him get away with this. I've got to get control of this situation! With my body still in the middle of its transformation, it won't be easy to move. But I've got to do something!
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| − | It takes a lot of focus to stay solid as I slowly reform my legs underneath me. My warped shape makes me sound like I'm speaking underwater. “<font color="C8C864">You killed him, Shadow. Now I really can't let you go, even if you do have my memories. No amount of blackmail will keep me from stopping a murderer.</font>” Even I know how much of a hollow threat I am right now. But I might stand a chance if I can keep him talking long enough for me to pull myself together.
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| − | “<font color="644B96">In our current states. Neither. Of us can truly harm the other. Hm...Besides. My business here is. Con- cluded.</font>” He pulls a long roll of cloth out of his body and unwraps it to reveal an orange-bladed sword...Oh no. M'Aara...
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">What have you done with her!?</font>”
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| − | “<font color="644B96">We engaged in some. Innntense negotiations.</font>” He hefts the sword in his hand. “<font color="644B96">I apologize for not. Liberating you sooner. But I was most eager to. Aquire. This blade. It has interesting prop- erties.</font>”
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">All of this...Was so you could get ahold of her sword?</font>” M'Aara said the sword was part of her plan to capture Mister Shadow. Maybe I can use it to my advantage? I just hope it works because right now I'm out of ideas.
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| − | “<font color="644B96">The sword. Was an unexpected. Hm. Bonus.</font>” He tosses hazmat guy's impaled body aside. “<font color="644B96">I havvve been following the doctor's progress for some. Time...His work with nuclear physics was. Alarming. To say the least. And he proved to be impossible to fffind. Even with my ex- tensive resources.</font>”
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| − | I'm still a little wobbly, but at least I'm standing. I've got to get that sword, it might be my only chance to stop Shadow. “<font color="644B96">Givvven time, I have no doubt the doctor would have eventually suc- ceeded in replicating those atomic powers. So. I sabotaged his suppliers. Intercepted ship- ments. Drove him to frustration...Once he was at his limit, I. Preyed. Upon his impatience, and drew him out of hiding by lea- king information about a possible shortcut for his research...Namely. You.</font>”
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| − | I slowly lurch forward to try and close the distance between us. “<font color="C8C864">But why assassinate a mad scientist? What could you possibly gain from that?</font>”
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| − | “<font color="644B96">Miss Strauss...Still seeing the world in black. And. White.</font>” He idly inspects the crossguard of M'Aara's sword.. “<font color="644B96">Because I am a crim- inal, I clearly could not have saved my city. My. Hhhome. Without an ulterior motive?</font>”
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">You were just doing the right thing? I don't buy it. You passed up a fortune. That's so unlike you...Unless...You were paid more by a competitor.</font>”
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| − | Mister Shadow's lipless mouth curls into the faintest of smiles. I'd have a chill going down my spine if I still had one. “<font color="644B96">An interesting. Hm. Theory.</font>” That's right, keep smiling you slimeball. As soon as I'm in arms-reach I lash out and try to grab the sword. But Shadow could see my malformed arms coming a mile away and holds the blade over his head where I can't reach it.
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| − | <i>Gotcha</i>. I quickly seize M'Aara's sword with my telekinesis and bright it straight down into his neck, beheading Shadow in a single slice. His headless form emits an angry growl. Suddenly his body morphs its entire upper torso into a giant tentacle that flies straight at me.
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| − | I call M'Aara's sword to my hand and hold it in front of myself. But just before reaching me, the tentacle splits into hundreds of smaller tendrils that stretch around the blade toward me. “<font color="C8C864">Oh no you don't!</font>” A blast of telekinesis sends the writhing mass flying. It makes a very undiginified splat on the wall.
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| − | Have to keep Shadow off balance. Can't give him time to recover. After sliding down the wall, the ooze is already starting to reform his body. With a telekinetic boost into the air, I lunge at him blade-first. “<font color="644B96"><b>No!</b></font>” Before he can get up, I drive the sword into his chest. “<font color="644B96"><b>Yeeeaghk!</b></font>” Almost instantly his body seems to lose its ability to stay solid, as if the sword was somehow pinning him to the ground. All that remains is an inert puddle of black tar around the blade.
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">That was for M'Aara, you creep.</font>” She was right after all. This sword really <i>can</i> stop Mister Shadow...That makes three I owe her...I just hope she's still alive.
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| − | There's no telling how long M'Aara's sword will keep Mister Shadow incapacitated. I've got to find her, make sure she's okay, disable what's blocking my commlink, and call my team. All without letting Shadow out of my sight. “<font color="C8C864">Sure. This'll be easy.</font>” Even with my gurgling voice, I can still carry a sarcastic tone.
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| − | Well, I can't search for M'Aara and keep an eye on Shadow at the same time. There's no choice to make, saving lives comes first. But I swear, if he's gone when I get back...Can't worry about that now. There's no time to waste. I'm putting a lot of trust in M'Aara's sword by leaving it in the black ooze. A quick peek around the lab reveals no vents, no windows. Just a single, heavy door with a keypad.
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| − | There's no way I could budge that thing in my state. I'm spent. Just as I start inspecting the lock, there's a knock on the door and a muffled voice from the other side. “<font color="009664">Is someone there? Do you need assistance?</font>”
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">M'Aara! You're alive! Thank goodness.</font>” First piece of good news all night...Or day. I wonder how long I've been out for. “<font color="C8C864">I can't get the door open, M'Aara. There's a keypad...Looks like it needs a passcode and there's no way I can break the door down.</font>”
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| − | “<font color="009664">Nor I, it seems. But I am relieved to hear you are safe as well.</font>” Well if we can't get the door open, then I'll just have to go through it. But first...
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">M'Aara, listen. I'm going to slip under the doorway, okay? Don't be alarmed.</font>” Thanks to Mister Shadow's powers, I can collapse myself into a puddle and slide through the gap under the door. Sure is a weird sensation, but that's pretty much been the theme tonight. I can see the look of surprise on her face as I reform on her side. “<font color="C8C864">It's a long story...Where are we?</font>” Looks like a control room to me.
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| − | After taking a moment to process my new look, she speaks up. “<font color="009664">Uhm, we are beneath the toppled building. It seems this sub-basement survived the collapse. Once I awakened, I searched for you in the rubble. Only to find the shadow man instead.</font>” She draws an orange-bladed sword from her belt, identical to the one I just stabbed Mister Shadow with. “<font color="009664">I lost my sword's twin in the battle. Apparently the shadow man found it. He offered to return the sword and tell me where to find you if I would let him study my blades.</font>”
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| − | Well as far as faustian deals go, that doesn't sound so bad. Especially since I nailed the devil to the ground. “<font color="C8C864">I managed to stop Mister Shadow. I don't know how, but your second sword is currently pinning him to the floor.</font>”
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| − | “<font color="009664">The metal in my swords behaves like Atlantean orichalcum to disrupt mystical energies. When I sensed those energies in the shadow man, I suspected that is what gave him his morphing abilities.</font>” She puts her sword back on her belt. “<font color="009664">Thank you for capturing him and recovering my blade. I will bring him before Professor Mystic. We will keep him under watch.</font>”
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| − | I let out a raspy sigh. “<font color="C8C864">I've met with the Professor before. And after all that happened today, I'm inclined to trust you. Just...Be careful, alright? Mister Shadow's got information that could really hurt m-...Really hurt people I care about.</font>” She bows her head in agreement.
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| − | “<font color="C8C864">Good.</font>” After a brief glance over the nearby console, I determine that I have no idea how to switch off the com jammer. So I use my telekinesis one last time to crumple the computer like tinfoil. Finesse is overrated, anyway. Once Jay informs me that he got through, I put out the call. “<font color="C8C864">This is Psion. Any Challengers out there want to come pick me up? You wouldn't believe the day I've been having...</font>”
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| − | <b><i>END</i></b>
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