Chapter Four – "Shattered Mirror"
"What are you waiting for, Faker? Do it!"
Faker to Skeletor, eyes wide. Skeletor, his master. Skeletor, his creator. Skeletor, who twice sent him against He-Man. Who claimed he was his greatest creation. Skeletor, who was supremely evil.
"Skeletor," Faker replied. His eyelids closed, eyeballs beneath twitching.
He-Man took advantage of this and kicked Faker's knee hard. Servos whirred loudly, spinning Faker off balance. He-Man rolled across the ground before either Faker or Skeletor could react. His left hand scooped up the Sword of Power. He wasn't as skilled with his left, but his right was bleeding and cut.
Skeletor sent a bolt of energy at He-Man. Easily, He-Man deflected the blast.
Skeletor suddenly felt his mind breached. He turned around and saw Sebrian standing nearby, hands on his head, concentrating his thoughts against the enemy.
"You again!" Skeletor snarled.
"I will deal with the old man, Skeletor," Faker said.
"NO!" shouted He-Man, rushing towards his mentor. Faker blocked his path and slammed himself against He-Man.
He-Man went rolling back.
Skeletor watched, then, as a blue-skinned, white-haired Faker-Teela came running out of the energy sphere. She ran with ferocity at Sebrian, eyes trained on him. He-Man tried to move to intercept her, but was only faced by Faker again.
Teela took Sebrian down with a kick to the back and punch to the head, then heaved him over her shoulder and ran back. She leapt back into the energy sphere, vanished once within.
"Faker, what is that?" asked Skeletor curiously.
"A sphere of energy that will soon overcome this entire world, recreating it into my own Eternia."
Skeletor nodded . . . then unleashed a full blast at Faker. Faker went flying backwards, body smoldering, but otherwise intact.
"I applaud you, but that power belongs to me. I created you, Faker. You belong to me, as does everything you create. I am your master!"
Faker stood up, staring at Skeletor. He looked to He-Man, as if searching for approval. He-Man just stared back, wondering what he would do next.
"I . . ."
"He created another one of you, Faker. His name was He-Slave. You weren't good enough."
"Silence, He-Man!" Skeletor roared, sighting a stream of lightning at his nemesis.
The Sword of Power intercepted the lightning, halting it in its place. It sheered off, ripping up part of the ground.
"You wouldn't listen to me, Faker, so why would you listen to him?"
"He created me."
"As I did, yes."
"FROM ME!" He-Man roared. "From my DNA!"
"I gave you life, Faker! I forged your spirit and your bones!"
Faker looked from the two of them, trying to come to terms with the two sworn enemies. Instead of making a decision, he took a few large steps back.
"This is irrelevant. Primus will be remade by my hands."
With that, Faker jumped back into the sphere.
"Skeletor . . ." He-Man began.
"The sphere must be destroyed," Skeletor replied, staring at the sphere. "The power here is chaotic and wild. He doesn't know what he's doing."
"We teaming up again?"
Skeletor said nothing.
The interior of the sphere looked much like a big, glowing blue dome. A half-constructed red Castle Grayskull sat behind Faker as he entered. There was nothing to the false Castle Grayskull, only the front and the left walls.
Mara and Sebrian were shackled to a huge pole in front of Castle Grayskull. Faker versions of Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram-Man, Fisto, Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, and Moss Man stood nearby, eyes closed, limbs limp.
"Sebrian!" shouted Faker. "How were you able to pierce Skeletor's thoughts?"
"I was able to do so before," Sebrian responded. "What are you doing here? What is this place?"
"SILENCE, SEBRIAN!" Faker roared. "What information did you gather from his mind?"
"I gathered nothing . . ."
"Do not lie."
Before Sebrian had the chance to retort, Faker placed his hand on his forehead. Elven energy flowed through Faker into Sebrian. Sebrian yelled out on his telepathic struggle against Faker was quelled immediately. His mind seemed to spew out what Sebrian knew about Skeletor . . . and what information he had gained during the last time Skeletor was on Primus.
When it was over, Faker withdrew himself from Sebrian's mind, his robotic brain absorbing every bit of information he could.
"Impossible . . ." Faker muttered. He walked off and then stared at his fake Castle Grayskull.
Faker knew what only a few did. From the thoughts ripped up from Master Sebrian, Faker knew that Skeletor was once the prince known as Keldor. Prince Keldor, son of Miro of Eternos. He knew that he had fallen from grace, becoming a traitor and ultimately, an enemy of the state. He knew that Keldor banished himself, and in time, became Skeletor during a battle with the Elders.
But Faker also garnered another stream of information from Sebrian. He knew that Prince Adam was He-Man. That Adam had gained the power of Grayskull and had become a hero to the state.
"I was wrong," Faker said. "There is a blue reflection of He-Man, but I am not it. Skeletor is. Skeletor is the reflection of He-Man. But who am I, then? What am I?"
Mara turned to Sebrian then, as Faker questioned himself.
"Are you okay?"
"Aside from a terrible headache, I am okay."
There was sudden ripping sound as He-Man and Skeletor entered the sphere.
"Faker!" roared He-Man, his right arm healed thanks to Skeletor's healing spell.
"Stop this madness!"
Faker turned to them both, red eyes fierce. "You dare command me? You dare challenge me? I am the best and worst of you both! I am the darkness that the two of have! I am your twisted reflections! I am Faker!" He pulled out his faux Sword of Power. "AND I WILL BE YOUR ENDING!"
As Faker yelled this, the blue dome above them wavered. The fake Castle Grayskull broke into huge chucks and vanished. The pole holding Sebrian and Mara faded away.
"Run," He-Man commanded them.
"But - "
"Now!"
Sebrian grabbed Mara's arm and the two of them left the sphere.
The fake Heroic Warriors collapsed.
Skeletor unleashed a smashing blast of energy at Faker. It struck his blade, then veered away. He-Man slid forward, punching Faker across the face. Faker snapped back – only to be hit again from Skeletor's lightning blast. Faker punched He-Man while massive lightning steams ripped across his flesh. But Faker didn't stop. His fists moved faster than He-Man ever expected, battering his torso and face.
He-Man smashed his knuckles against Faker's nose. Faker stumbled back, allowing Skeletor another strike at him. Faker went to raise his blade, but He-Man moved fast, taking advantage of the lighting streams flowing from Skeletor's hands now.
He-Man ripped at Faker's arm, tearing the metal bone from its socket. The entire limb went limp, the faux Sword of Power dropped to the ground. Faker, in response, put his left hand to the back of He-Man's neck. He-Man, in response to that, put both hands around Faker's neck. Lighting blasts cascaded across both of them now.
It was as they were choking each other that He-Man had a sudden revelation. He saw in Faker's face his own. That could have been me, he realized incredible shock. Everything dark and evil that I could have been is standing right before me, being choked by my own hands.
Another full blast from Skeletor forced He-Man and Faker to flying back from each other. Skeletor then unleashed a major bolt of power at Faker's chest. The harness was destroyed, the flesh and muscle of the chest torn away, revealing a computer panel.
"The power core, He-Man!" Skeletor shouted, now launching lightning streams across Faker's body. "Strike it! Destroy it and this is over!"
He-Man rushed forward. His right arm went for Faker's chest, but Faker grabbed his wrist to stop him. Faker's face was suddenly sympathetic. He-Man closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered . . . then slammed his fist through Faker's metallic chest. The metal was ripped right through and could feel his hand burn and ache from the heat of Faker's energy source.
He pulled away from Faker, massive bolts of energy issuing forth from his flailing body. The sphere wavered, vanishing away, pulling into Faker. He-Man leapt back, out from the remains of the sphere and landed just outside of its shrinking circumference. Skeletor stood next to him and the Galactic Guardians were nearby, eyes glued to Faker.
Faker stood there, energy ripped into him, his entire body glowing white hot. Then, as the last of the sphere poured against, there was a blast of terrible blue and white light.
And then . . . Faker was gone.
