The sun was hot as the people around Kali's village were moving their houses away from bubbling swamp that was edging towards their village and getting near the jungle. This happened once every few years, as the river grew bigger but dissipated over time. Matt was there to help, and his muscles in heat were quite attractive to the women of the village, even though they were equally eyeing their husbands, toiling in the jungle heat. Kali told the women to get back to their chores, as she brought Cutter a cup of water. Matt turned around after putting a stick down and took a sip. Kali did not look at the sweat on his chest or the broadness of his shoulders as he sat down, shirtless, on the rock.
"Thank you for your help, Cutter," Kali said, "We really appreciate it."
"Yeah, tourism's been low, and it's no problem." Matt took another sip.
"Sheena and Chris are coming by later today. I think Chris is going to sell his safari business."
"Cutter Unlimited could use another outlet."
"I think Sheena and him are going to turn it into a medical clinic."
"Of course they are," Matt got up, he put his sleeveless safari shirt under the waistline of his pants. "I am just going to my truck, check on how things are with Mendlesohn."
Before Matt could open the truck door, something exploded under the car and Matt was thrown on the ground as his truck exploded into bits and fell all over the village. Villagers decided to run. Matt got up and pulled out his gun as the smoke cleared. It looked like the Darakn'a. Matt lowered his gun and got in front of the creature.
"Sheena?"
The creature growled and swapped at Matt, knocking him down on the ground again as the creature started attacking the village. Matt recovered and started shooting his handgun at the creature, but the creature slapped the bullets away as it was destroying the village, looking for something and throwing villagers left and right. Matt advanced before a villager was thrown on him.
"Are you okay?" Matt said.
"Yes, Mr. Cutter." The villager said.
"Run towards the jungle."
The villager ran towards the jungle. Matt saw Kali run with them. He ran with them for a second, but then hid behind a hut. The creature looked around and Matt fired his handgun again. The creature charged, knocked the handgun out of Matt's hand, and Matt tried touching the skin to make sure it was mud, but the creature lifted Matt in the air and was starting to choke him. Matt struggled while trying to see if this was Sheena still or not. He saw the mouth shape itself into a wolves' growl and there weren't wolves present.
Suddenly, another truck came upon the village and Matt could see that it was Sheena and Chris. The creature looked at the truck and Chris preparing his gun, and threw Matt a distance where Matt fell on the swampy mud. He turned into the mud to cough out his choke. When he turned up, the creature was gone.
Matt got up from the swampy mud and saw some of the villagers come out of the jungle. He saw Kali come over to him.
"Are you okay, Cutter?" Kali said, offering her hand.
"Yes, I'm fine." Matt said, taking her hand and getting up.
Sheena and Chris rushed over to them both.
"What was that?" Chris said.
"Well, I thought it was Sheena at first, but I don't think she is too keen to attack me for anything as of late," Matt said, taking chunks of mud off of his bare shoulders. "It looked like the Darakn'a."
"It did look like the Darakn'a from where I was," Kali said, signaling to Cutter that his sleeveless safari shirt was gone from his waist. "But it seemed too strong to be a fake one."
"Whoever it is, we need to find them."
"Sheena, you don't do the Darakn'a often these days, and we have our thing to tell them both." Chris said, feeling somewhat intimidated by Cutter's ripped physique.
"It can wait."
"I'm okay Sheena." Matt said.
"Yes well we can't have a rogue Darakn'a going around terrorizing the LaMistas. That used to be my job and I protect both regions still."
"Whatever it was, we will find out," Kali said, "Everyone is okay. No one was severely hurt. Let's change the subject."
"Fine," Sheena shrugged. Cutter looked at her like he knew that look. Chris looked at her that way too, but was also wondering why he didn't have a spare shirt to loan Cutter. "Chris is closing up the safari business, and we are turning the location into a free clinic."
"That's wonderful!" Kali said.
"Cutter, would you be interested in some of his safari gear?" Sheena said.
"Sure." Matt said, sweat on his chest.
"Good, we will be by later, we have to drop off medical supplies in the capital." Chris said.
"Cutter, we can give you a ride back."
"No, I'll be fine. I'll take the canoe back." Cutter signaled a canoe behind Kali's hut.
"Okay."
In Sheena's former cave, the Darakn'a like creature emerged from smoke and turned back into a person. A henchman named Oombatu came towards him.
"Did you find the Darakn'a impersonator, Golden One?"
"No, but the man who said a name at the sight of me should not make it back home."
Oombatu pulled out an orb. The Golden One said something to it and saw Matt in the canoe, paddling down the river. The Golden One chanted something.
Sheena and Chris were driving to the capital. Chris looked towards the road ahead and Sheena kept looking at him and the road.
"You were quick to not give Cutter a ride. Chris are you still jealous of him?"
"What a question! He said he was fine. I believe him."
"You looked at him as though he violated me or something."
"I was a little intimidated. The man can't keep a shirt on, especially around you."
"How many times do we have to go through this? Cutter and I are just friends. We've been a few adventures, nothing more. Nothing happened when I saved him from time dilation. We didn't do anything in 1780 and we didn't do anything now."
"You were so quick to find this imitation Darakn'a though."
"This creature might attack Kali and Cutter again, do you want me to leave it be?"
"Cutter and Kali can take care of themselves. Cutter has endowments."
"By all means, just be shirtless next time you see him and cage match each other! There is nothing, there has never been anything, and there will be nothing. He was helping the villagers before it was attacked."
The radio was calling.
"Mendlesohn to Sheena!"
"Now what?" Chris said.
Sheena picked up.
"This is Sheena," Sheena gave Chris a side glance, " What's up?"
"Cutter hasn't returned yet from Kali's village."
"He's taking a canoe."
"By estimate, he would have been back by now."
"Okay, we'll look for him."
"Thanks! Let me know when and where you find him."
Chris gave Sheena a look. Sheena looked right back at him.
"Would it be bad if you dropped me off to look for him?" Sheena said, "Don't want to rush your sudden, deep-seated jealousy if I find my friend."
Chris breathed a deep breath. He went into the glove compartment and gave Sheena a gun and a walkie talkie.
"I'll come back as soon as I can." Chris smiled at Sheena. She smiled back.
Meanwhile, Matt was turning the corner in the river, as a thick mist rose from the water. He was nearing the shore and rested the oar on his knees and looked up. It didn't look like it was going to rain. The sweat on his skin was still dripping from perspiration and still stained from the attack on the village. He let the canoe coast in the river along the edge of shore he was on. He came across thick reeds and dense jungle. He didn't see glowing eyes and dark hands following him. It wasn't the Golden One, but a fighter resembling an ancient Kaia warrior. The mist was getting too thick to see, and Matt turned the canoe towards the shore closer. His back was right against the reeds and jungle greens. The oar was still on his lap. He just started to grab it when two hands covered his mouth and yanked Matt in towards the brush.
Matt grabbed the oar and started butting the head of the warrior, as the canoe capsized as Matt tried reaching for it with his leg. Matt took the oar, jabbed the warrior in the stomach, and wacked the warrior in the face, causing the warrior to let go of Matt's mouth. Matt fell into the river and tried using the oar to get the canoe up, but the warrior jumped on Matt and held him down in the water. Matt dropped the oar underwater as the current moved the canoe and the oar away from him. He could barely hear but the warrior heard something and Matt was lifted by the shoulders out of the water and thrown onto land. Matt took a brief moment to get any water out of his system. The warrior came up to Matt and kicked him in the stomach. Matt hugged himself in pain, as the wet dirt was sticking to him. Matt took his handgun, which had a couple of bullets left and shot one at the warrior. Matt got up from the ground and saw the warrior charge at him. Matt gave him a sucker punch and the warrior fell to the ground. Before Matt could come over and identify the warrior, the warrior disappeared before Matt's eyes. Matt ran his right hand through his hair, still wet from the river, and didn't know what to think. Matt found a tiny box of bullets in his wet pants and refilled the barrel. The sun was still hot as it was that morning, and Matt started walking towards Cutter Unlimited, knowing the direction, but not knowing how far he was.
The Golden One saw this from the cave. He quickly morphed into the Darakn'a and ran through the jungle.
Matt Cutter was dirty, sweaty, and exhausted from walking. Through the brush he came across a village. Though he didn't know the tribe, Matt was able to show that he was lost and was just traveling through. An elder from the tribe brought him to the center of the village. Matt crotched down as the elder sat.
"Matt Cutter, we are glad to be of help," the elder touched Matt's bare shoulder, "You can wash up near our well and be on your way."
Matt got up and breathed a sigh of relief as he headed towards the well. He pulled up a bowl of water and poured it over his bare torso. With a piece of cloth, he wiped off his back, arms, chest, stomach, and face. Matt was just about to walk over to the elder when he heard a noise and villagers running in terror. It was the Darakn'a. Matt quickly ran in front of the creature.
"Sheena? It's me, Cutter." He said, raising his arms to reassure her.
The Darakn'a growled at Cutter and wacked him down on the dusty ground. Matt recovered and pulled out his handgun. The Darakn'a suddenly drew claws from its wrists and slashed Matt's handgun from him and nearly missed his chest. The Darakn'a jumped into the air and then fell on Matt from behind.
Matt fell onto the dusty ground again, and the Darakn'a grabbed him by the waist and threw him towards the elder's hut. Before Matt could recover, the Darakn'a grabbed Matt by the neck and held him in the air. Matt could breathe.
"Who are you?"
Just then, Sheena came out of the brush with Chris's gun and shot it at the Darakn'a.
"Drop him!"
Matt saw that this wasn't Sheena, but the Darakn'a threw Matt down on the ground again before lifting Matt from his left shoulder to his right, gripping his neck.
"I am the real Darakn'a!" It shouted before it revealed a glowing red orb and a puff of smoke encased the area before the Darakn'a and Cutter were gone.
Sheena looked scared and ran to Kali's village. Kali was helping retrieve baskets that were thrown and blown from the previous attack.
"Sheena!"
"Cutter was just kidnapped by the Darakn'a."
Kali immediately stopped what she was doing and went inside the hut.
"You are the Darakn'a. Whoever is posing as you is not the Darakn'a."
"Whoever is posing as me was able to grow claws out of the wrists. I've morphed from animals with claws before but I've never done that. Is there someone you forgotten about that might have learned about me and is using Kaya magic?"
"There was legend of the Golden One, in which the Darakn'a was born out of. But, the Kaya have been wiped out, minus you and me. That isn't to say a prophecy can still come true. Whoever is this actual Darakn'a, this person must be spoken with."
"It's possible that he is out to get me and is getting people I know to draw me in."
"Where is Chris?"
Sheena kissed Kali on the cheek and ran towards the jungle.
Matt opened his eyes to find himself at the bottom of a dirt hole in a cave. The front part of his chest was dirty and he could feel the danger from the small of his back. He got up. There was sunlight shining above him, and he could hear movement.
"Who are you?" Matt shouted. "What do you want with me?"
There wasn't a response. The Golden One rose from the ground, grabbed Matt by the throat and waistline and threw him against the wall, where he grabbed Matt's throat again.
"You look like the Darakn'a," Matt said, the Golden One's fingers starting to grip his throat, "but you aren't."
Matt looked into the eyes as he saw the Golden One change into a dark-skinned tribesman. The man growled in his teeth. Even as his claws transformed to human hands, the grip got stronger and Matt's eyes started to dilate slightly.
"I am the Darakn'a. I am the Golden One of old. It is this Sheena you speak of who is the impersonator." The Golden One threw Matt down on the ground and kicked him until Matt was able to see his full person.
"I must know everything there is to know about my impersonator, and you were the first I found. She'll come for you. But will she be Darakn'a, or be Sheena?"
Matt got up and tried charging him. The Golden One's eyes turned orange and Matt was thrown against the dirt wall. More dirt fell on him and Matt saw rope come out of the wall and tied him up.
"Now to get her husband." The Golden One disappeared from sight.
Matt looked up and saw the same sunlight. He tried moving, but to no avail.
"Sheena." Matt whispered to himself, looking up as the sun broke the sweat on his forehead.
The Golden One reappeared in front of him. A floating red orb scanned Matt's entire body.
"Thank you, Matt Cutter." The Golden One said, as he started changing into a clone-esque copy.
"It will be very easy to get her husband now," The Golden One said in Matt's voice. "Knowing what he thinks of you."
The real Matt tugged at his rooted ropes harder. He knew he had to get himself free. The Golden One laughed maniacally and vanished in a cloud of dirt, splattering it all over Matt's bare, sweating torso. He kept pulling and tugging.
Chris was driving back from the village to drop off the medical supplies. He felt horrible that the jealousy he thought he got rid of reared its ugly head again in his marriage. He loved Sheena. He respected Cutter. He knew that they were friends and that there was nothing going on between them. Yet, every time there was a crisis in the LaMistas, it did bother him that Sheena was at Matt's beck and call. He would find a way to intervene and contribute, and often times, it was finding Sheena with a shirtless Matt Cutter. By circumstance, it was due to a fight or whatever justified reason. It didn't exactly calm his fears. He knew he couldn't keep Sheena from doing her other job in protecting the LaMistas. He thought that he had nothing to be afraid of, so he decided to drive to Kali's village and try to find Sheena from there.
As he was turning the corner along the edge of the jungle, someone fell on the hood. Chris stopped driving and saw that there wasn't much damage to the car, but a man who was on the road. The man was shirtless and dirty looking, as If he spent most of his day in the jungle.
"Are you okay, man?" Chris tapped the man's shoulder to see the man was loosely knocked out. Chris turned him over and saw that it was Cutter.
"Cutter!" Chris took off his safari shirt and tore off a part of the sleeve to treat his head.
"Are you okay?" Chris asked, wiping his head with his safari cap as he stood over the person looked like Cutter.
The man opened his eyes.
"Cutter, you're alive!" Chris said, hoisting him up, "What were you doing falling from the sky like that?"
"That's where Sheena and I usually meet. She had to go find you, but we had a lovely time in the trees." Cutter's eyes glowed a deep red, but Chris didn't notice.
"But," an unsuspecting Chris responded, "all that talk about how there is nothing between you?"
"Sheena's good that way, amongst other ways." Cutter grabbed Chris by the wrists.
"Let go!" Chris said. "I don't believe what you are saying. This isn't you, Cutter."
"Isn't it?" Cutter twisted Chris's wrists and threw him down on the ground.
"No, Cutter wouldn't cheat with Sheena."
This Cutter punched Chris across the face and kicked Chris in the stomach. Cutter lifted Chris up and threw him against a tree. Chris was rebounding fine, but Cutter grabbed him by the neck and shoved him against the truck wall.
"You are right, Mr. Keegan, I am not Cutter." The Golden One transformed before Chris's eyes, and Chris looked terrified for his life. "You are coming with me."
The Golden One revealed the red orb. Chris raised his right leg and kicked the red orb away then drop kicked the Golden One. The Golden One didn't fight back but chased the red orb as it fell down into the jungle. Chris jumped on the Golden One just as he was finishing transforming back from the Cutter image, and the two rolled down into the river. The Golden One was the first to pop up, then Chris popped up after. The two fought in the river. The Golden One's hands turned to paws with claws and scrapped the shoulder area of Chris's tank top. The Golden One then picked up and threw Chris down on the ground. Chris got up soaking wet and filthy, but then charged at The Golden One.
"Chris!" Sheena shouted from hearing distance.
"Sheena!" Chris shouted back.
The Golden One turned into Cutter again, and laid out a mean punch at Chris.
"Sheena!" Chris said, "This isn't Cutter!"
The Golden One as Cutter shouted "What do you mean? He was fighting me."
"Look into his eyes!" Chris said, before taking a mean punch at Golden Cutter.
Sheena didn't know what to do.
"Stop fighting!" she hollered.
Golden Cutter retrieved the red orb. When the orb was in his hands, he transformed back to The Golden One. The orb stunned Chris and Sheena to the ground. Chris got up and charged at The Golden One. The Golden One threw fire at Chris, causing his tank top to catch fire. Chris, in a panic, took his tank top off, then lunged at The Golden One. The Golden One centered the orb and Chris lay stunned in the air.
"You are coming with me."
Sheena got up and saw The Golden One grab Chris. She ran at them both.
"Fake Darakn'a, address your impersonation with me or more of your loved ones will get it!" The Golden One grabbed the stunned Chris and threw a black orb on the ground causing smoke. Chris was gone.
Cutter was struggling harder and harder, trying to loosen the robes he was tied to the wall on. He managed to slightly loosen the right one. There was an explosion of smoke that came up from the ground. Matt tried pulling the right rope during the activity. The Golden One appeared, holding the stunned Chris.
"Sheena will be coming soon!" The Golden One shouted above.
"What did you do to Chris, you monster?"
The Golden One grabbed Matt's neck.
"No, Cutter," the Golden One transformed into Cutter, except with glowing red eyes, "What did you do to Chris?"
The Golden One snapped his fingers and Chris reanimated and fell on the dirt. Chris got up and saw two Cutters in front of him.
"Chris!" Matt said, "This is the real me."
"Now, both of you know who I am, and both of you know how I will bring Sheena here."
The Golden One as Cutter punched Chris in the stomach and ascended above the ground, transforming himself back to true form. The Golden One snapped his fingers, causing the ropes to break away and Matt to fall down on the ground.
Chris got up and saw Matt, looking just as dirty and sweaty as he was. Part of him wanted to second guess and think it was the Golden One. Chris punched the real Cutter in the stomach and grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him to the ground. Matt raised his wet, dirty hand.
"Chris, I'm really Matt Cutter."
Chris still looked confused. Chris slapped Matt across the face. Matt punched Chris in the cheek and Chris fell on the ground. Matt got up from the ground.
"Chris, take my hand."
Chris shook his head as if getting out of a funk. He saw Matt again, looking as sweaty and dirty as he was. He took his hand and got up from the ground.
"Now, we just need to figure our way out of this hole."
After witnessing Chris's kidnapping, Sheena ran to Kali. Kali dropped what she was doing.
"I'm afraid the real Darakn'a is going to come after you next."
"Sheena, if this thing is just trying to get you to come forward, I doubt it."
"But he knows everyone who knows that I am the Darakn'a. Do you think he's come after Mendlesohn next?"
"Sheena what matters is that you find him before he comes after us."
"He seems to always carry an orb about him. He throws it to the ground when he disappears."
"What color is this orb?"
"I've only seen it black."
"There is a legend of a powerful orb that summons the ancients. We do not know its power, nor where it resides. It is said that it can absorb people into its power. Legend states that centuries ago, among the Kaia, this orb gave someone the power to completely shift naturally, and protect the nation. The power was deemed too much, and the orb and its owner was sent away, but the desire to protect remained strong. When the Atlantic slave trade began, it was said that Europeans encountered the black orb somehow, saw it change color, and were never heard from again."
"Kali, do you think that this Darakn'a is from the orb and is only chasing me down to re-establish his rightful place?"
"It is quite possible. Otherwise, the havoc he has received does not bode well among the descendants of the Kaia, which you and I are."
"Then, I must go."
Kali gave Sheena a hug. Sheena ran into the jungle and changed into her jungle outfit.
In the meantime, Chris held Matt up and Matt tried climbing the dirt wall of the hole they were in.
"Any luck?" Chris said.
"I think so," Matt said, feeling the drip of sweat off of his back. "I am just trying to find a rock or root." Matt found the edge of a rock and held onto it. He found another one and flung his hand out to the other side.
"Let go." Matt said.
Chris saw Matt suspended between two rocks. Matt jabbed his feet into the dirt and climbed towards his dominant hand. Matt put his weight on it, and saw another rock in the way. He raised his left hand to grab it and raised his left foot on the previous rock. Matt found another rock and continued climbing. Chris soon followed him. When he got to the top, there was Oombatu and the Golden One.
"Leaving so soon?"
The Golden One raised an explosive ray of light that sent Cutter falling down to the ground.
Chris jumped out of the hole, pulled out a knife, and threatened Oombatu's life. Cutter got up from the ground okay, but just in time to have Chris thrown from the top onto Matt. The two men got up and looked up.
"Now see if the Darakn'a saves you now." The Golden One said, seeing Matt and Chris sweating from the struggle and get up.
"You can't keep us down here forever." Chris said, looking up.
"Yes, I can!" The Golden One said.
The Golden One elevated a red orb and a wave of dirt ascended from the ground and started falling along the edges and closing up the rock edges.
"We'll find a way out!" Chris said again.
The Golden One morphed into the ever flowing dirt and came down and exploded out of the dirt, throwing Matt and Chris to the walls.
"You will be down here for eternity if I have anything to say about it!" Big roots came from the dirt and tied up their wrists and ankles.
"Now, in the event you try escaping," The Golden One said, "The minute you pull on the root, mud will start pouring out of the walls.
The Golden One jumped out of the hole.
"If Sheena doesn't come, you will be good as dead."
"I'm here!" Sheena said, appearing off of a rock in the cave. "Let them go!"
"Only if you stop pretending to be me. I am the Darakn'a. I have been the Darakn'a. I will always be the Darakn'a!" The Golden One said.
"Fine, you can be the Darakn'a. I don't want it anymore." Sheena said, walking close to the Golden One.
The Golden One held two orbs in his hand, one red, and one black.
"What are those for?" Sheena said.
"They keep me alive. I came out recently and all I saw was photos and stories of my presence as if I was still here."
"I pretended to be you to keep the jungle safe, carry your traditions, I meant no harm." Sheena said.
"This is my job. It was what the elders tasked me to do."
"Let them go."
"I will let the one you love go, for you must do something to let the other one free."
"What's that?"
"Survive." The Golden One raised the black orb which turned into a fireball and threw it at Sheena.
Sheena ducked as the fireball exploded into the wall. In the hole, Chris's roots broke, but mud started gushing out of the dirt wall just as The Golden One said would happen. Chris tried running to Cutter, but Sheena, while dodging fireballs, managed to grab Chris and pull him up.
"Cutter's still down there."
Matt tugged and the mud coming from Chris's former side came in more violently. The mud was at his knees.
The Golden One threw a fireball at Chris and Sheena and the two were split by the explosion, and the dirt kept falling into the massively increasing mud lake. Oombatu charged at Chris but Chris threw him down and punched him. He saw the Golden One and Sheena attempt to fight each other out.
"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Sheena said, "I didn't do anything to hurt you by mimicking you!"
"That isn't the point!" The Golden One said, dropping the fireball from his grasp. "There can only be one of us."
The mud was just meeting Matt's chest.
The Golden One threw the black orb down on the ground and there arose a great wind. A tunnel was forming in the ever-growing mud lake Cutter was finding more and more of himself drowning in, as it was to his traps.
"Sheena!" Matt tried shouting as the mud was near to his chin.
Oombatu came up from his knock out and jumped on Chris's back. Chris threw him off, but Oombatu pushed him towards the funnel. Sheena pushed Oombatu and grabbed hold of Chris by the waist. She looked down to see Cutter's hair, and she gave Chris her knife and dove into the mud lake. She tore through the roots and got Matt up as the mud lake filled. Sheena jumped right out and lunged into the Golden One. As Matt got out of the mud, the Golden One threw a fireball his way, which he ducked out of the way. He grabbed a wad of mud from his waistline and threw it at the black orb. Chris grabbed Oombatu and threw him into the funnel just as the mud wad closed it and the black orb fell into the mud. The Golden One, feeling his powers weakening, dove immediately in to retrieve it.
Sheena grabbed the red orb and threw it down a long hole in the cave. The cave shook and all three of them went to find an escape as rocks fell down around them and covered the mud hole. Matt elbowed a way out and the three left in a pillow of rock dust.
"I hope the Golden One never returns." Chris said, his face wet from sweat.
"I hope he does not either. I think its best that we never return to this cave, now that we know where the Golden One is trapped." Sheena said.
"Good idea." Chris said.
Matt looked at the cave, and started to think of all the memories he had of having adventures with Sheena.
"Do you need a ride back?" Sheena said.
"No, I'll walk." Matt said.
Matt couldn't stop thinking about the myth of the Darakn'a and the myth of the Golden One. He wondered if Sheena meant what she said about giving up the Darakn'a. Maybe she already gave it up, as in recent adventures, she was in her jungle outfit and hadn't changed since she and Chris were married.
He turned around. Sheena and Chris were gone. He took a deep, pensive sigh, and started walking back.