CORY
Well, now that this invasion is over with (for now), it's back to the old grind. That means cracking cases and figuring out Slappy's next move. The only way I do that is here, at the old treehouse at night waiting for the old phone to ring like I'm a noir detective.
Soon enough, it rings again. I answer.
"Submit your story for approval."
"My name is Nan Matz." The girl on the other end says. "I've had this problem for a while now. Especially from Mortonville, Pennsylvania. I heard you'd believe me."
"What's it about? Aliens? Monsters?"
"Worse. My older brother Monty Adams." She answers. "Or at least, what's supposed to be Monty. My uncle and father figure Leo Matz is a scientist experimenting with cloning. One day, he created a clone of himself, but something was wrong. This clone was pure evil, and more aggressive. After locking the real Leo away, he began making more clones of Monty. They feel no pain and can be identified by a blue dot on their thumb, but…they slapped one on the real Monty. We couldn't tell if he was real or not. So he was shipped by Leo's college roommates to South America. He escaped when I learned a clone replaced him, and I tried to determine who was allergic to peanuts via doughnuts full of its oil. But the clone switched the doughnuts and pretended to be allergic. And he's been causing trouble ever since."
"So you moved here to get away from him?"
"Yeah, but…somehow he followed us here! He said that someone called Slappy managed to rescue his other clone brethren from South America. And Leo-Two is with him. He said he was making…MORE clones. Of MORE people…"
More people? My mind flashes back to my first encounter with the Brewer Clone, and I gasp. That's it! THAT'S how it was able to come back to life! Leo-Two simply made another clone of Dr. Brewer! But how did he get a hold of what he needed to make it?
"Your real brother was with the clones, right?" I ask. "So he must have escaped after Slappy brought them to his base. But he must be lost here. Are you asking for me to find him?"
"Well, yes." She says. "Have him go to this address. But make sure it's the REAL Monty, and not a clone."
…
After she gave the address, I got Lisa notified and we set out. Maybe Dead House has something useful. Or Monty could be hiding there. I head up the stairs and move to open the door.
It's locked.
"What the?"
I tried opening it some more. But it won't budge!
"I don't understand…" Lisa says. "It only lets us in once every night! Does it think we've already gone inside tonight before?"
It doesn't add up. But my thoughts of confusion are put aside once I spot someone moving through the woods! It's a little boy, with blonde and light-brown hair, an orange shirt, and blue eyes. Suspicion crosses my mind.
"Are you Monty Adams?" I ask. "If so, tell me something only he would know."
He only rips something off his thumb like a sticker, wincing from the pain with a little "Ow!". Once I see both the fake blue dot sticker and the pain reaction, I put it together. This is him. The real Monty.
"We heard Slappy got all the yous from South America and to Horrorland." Lisa said. "I take it you escaped."
"Yeah." He says. "Slappy somehow sensed that I wasn't a clone, so I managed to run away. And I've been trying to get the sticker off ever since."
Suddenly, Lisa and I begin sensing something else. He was followed!
A figure soon emerges into the clearing as Monty gasps. This is one of the clones, but…different. He has gray hair, red eyes, and a purple shirt. The pupil has shrunken, as if monstrously. It's almost like a Reflection…but having escaped while the real one was still in this world.
"They…didn't look like that before…"
"That's because Slappy gave us an upgrade." The Monty Clone says. "When Monster DNA is added to our very own, we become even MORE powerful than before!"
He grabs a nearby boulder with immense strength and hurls it at us, but Lisa and I armor up and I use my sword to slice through the boulder like it's wet paper. Lisa counters with a quick dash towards the clone, dodging punches before sweeping the legs and swinging her blade to decapitate the clone…which explodes in green goo.
"AW, GROSS!" She gags, brushing it off. "Bleh! It's like a bunch of snot!"
She manages to get it off, and I turn to Monty.
"200 Star Street. Your sister and uncle are waiting for you there."
Suddenly, the door to Dead House is kicked open, the lock snapping. Monty only makes a run for it as Lisa and I ready ourselves. I get it now. Dead House wasn't trying to stop us from getting in. It was trying to stop them from getting out.
They're two armored figures clad in helmets. One is a darker shade of blue like mine and masculine. The other is a darker shade of purple than Lisa and feminine. They ready their weapons, a sword and shield for the blue one, and twin blades for the purple one.
"Woah…" Lisa gasps. "It's like a Mirror Match…"
The two then charge at us, and we soon clash blades! Surprisingly, I find myself being matched step by step by the blue figure, as the purple figure easily outdances Lisa and kicks her in the gut, knocking her down. She quickly manages to crawl away just as a blade impales the ground between her legs, but the figure easily handsprings up from another sweep.
Meanwhile, the figure I face keeps bashing his shield against mine and goes for the head! I duck and counter, but we're evenly matched! Even when we switch, it's no good! Lisa is thrown while a kick to the face knocks me down!
"Man, these guys are good!" She groans. Even when I hit one really hard, they don't even flinch! Eventually, they manage to overpower us, but thankfully we manage to get in a lucky hit, as I knock the helmet off of the blue figure as the purple one easily recovers from a knockout blow.
"Well…I'd expect nothing less from you." She only says. The blue figure only gets back up as she takes off her helmet…
And we gasp. No way…
They're…US!
"I know exactly what you're thinking right now." Evil Me says. "Alternate version from another universe, timeline, or dimension? Literal dark side? Future self?"
That's when Nan's words hit me. Leo-Two was making more clones. Of more people!
"You're…clones of us?!" I ask.
"More than that." Evil Lisa says. "We've been created to be your superior in every single way possible. In fact, we have special abilities that you don't even have yet."
She then materializes a battle ax and summons a dragon! Woah, they're master mages AND master tech whizzes, as my own doppelganger readies another energy blade!
"And once you DO acquire them, we'll only get even STRONGER powers. We'll keep outclassing you no matter what."
"Why do I think they look so cool right now?" Lisa moans. Now that I think about it, the magic in their soul feels more…darker.
"And you know what else?" My dark self adds. "Thanks to Doc Leo, Slap's got clones of all the fighters you met. Even those you have yet to meet. And even IF you kill us, more will just take our place."
MORE of evil us?! Ulp…
"But enough monologuing. Time to kick butt."
For once, this deadly duo is a boss battle too OP for us low levelers to beat. In a matter of seconds, we're pummeled hard and fast. They easily read any moves we make, even when we try being unpredictable, and before I realize it, I'm left as a defeated body on the ground. And I swear, every single part of my body is in pain. Even the parts that must never be mentioned.
"Hmph. Too easy." Dark Lisa groans. "Maybe we'll wait until you're stronger than us. Which, at this rate, should be about, I dunno, never in a thousand years! Ha!"
"Looks like your little Midnight Society's met its match." Dark Cory adds. "Slappy's got a special team of his own: The Shadow Cult. And we'll be looking forward to the next time we get to beat you again."
They're teleported away by that familiar dark magic, and Lisa and I manage to recover, albeit weakened.
"Agh…I think they broke something." She moans.
"It's true what they say…" I add. "You really ARE your own worst enemy…"
How do we beat someone that doesn't feel pain?! Heck, how do we beat OURSELVES?! Man, if I don't do something about myself soon, I'm gonna be the death of me…
