Oh god looks like the Beast (Logan Muse) has woken up!! Read then review or flee to the hills and hope he don't find you!!
I don't know what it was that told me I had reached my destination, it could have been second sight, it could have been because I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it could have been the not so hollow silence that shrouded the room (which was huge and cold), I don't know it could have been anything but I *knew*.
I drew my sword ready to face whatever demons were about to come flying out at me. Nothing happened for about five minutes, it was worse than if everything had all flown out and attacked me at once but the stillness was unbearable, I wouldn't be able to take much more of it before I cracked. I just stood waiting for the blows to come, however they didn't come.
Suddenly the air became so thick it was hard to breath, so heavy it crushed me like a sponge cake under a brick. It was worse than the air outside which had become increasingly thick since we had arrived. It felt like treacle swamping my lungs, I tried to keep my cool and not panic, that was exactly what *they* wanted…whoever *they* were.
Suddenly as if from nowhere two stone-human/lizardy things jumped out of nowhere and attacked me with chains.
"Ooohhh I'm so scared!" Hell I really was but taunting people was always good. The thing is with these lizard dudes no matter how much you smashed 'em up the just put themselves together. However I smashed up one of their heads pretty badly and it seemed to stop it putting itself back together. I sliced the other ones head clean of with my sword and as its head began to spin (yes you did hear right, spin) around the floor I stabbed my sword straight into its centre causing it to shatter.
I stood up shaking slightly, ok that wasn't so hard.
"Ahh, Courage you made it here then, I have been expecting you for the last week, my final test before my intergalactic domination" The voice echoed around me
"Hey I can throw my voice to" I said more to convince myself I wasn't afraid then to prove it to him, yes it was definitely a male voice, deep booming and under other circumstances it would have sounded, you know, normal not scary.
"Ahhh, you have a sense of humour, pity your predecessor was oh so serious." The voice played with me had me dangling like a worm on a hook.
"Where are you? Why don't you show yourself so we can get this finished with?" I demanded
"Funny they said that, your very familiar to them you know, right before I pulled him into the vortex where he hoped to keep me trapped for all eternity with me, and lets just say…he is now a little on the ugly side, the exteriorly and interiorly by the way, as a matter of fact why don't I bring him into greet you?" I heard a clap of hands
Out of the shadows stepped what once must have been a tall man, but was now stooped and scaly with weird tusks jutting out of the middle of his cheeks.
"Courage 2 meet the original Courage, let's just say he hasn't eaten in a long time and he has long since lost his…" He paused for effect "…human aspect"
I looked at what, if this voice was to believed, had been the original me, if that makes sense, who was now disfigured and willing to fight for what he had once fought to eliminate.
The scaled one approached cautiously almost as if it hurt to move, teeth bared, sword drawn, face contorted into an expression of rage. But when I looked in his eyes I could see hurt, pain and regret pooled behind them.
"What have you done to him?" I asked lip trembling
"Years in a vortex can do that to some people, those who find it torture to be shrouded in dark thoughts, pain, misery and suffering. He is now completely at my bidding, and will destroy you."
I had to stall for awhile, give me time to think of a way to release this poor tortured soul.
"Are you like this too?" I looked at the ceiling hoping to find the voices source
"Some people thrive on what tortures others; I am at one with shadows. Believe me I'm not the same fool who was defeated all those hundreds of years ago, I'm stronger now." The voice grew to almost a shout "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AGAIN! ATTACK YOU SLIME BALL!"
The original courage jumped physically at the command and rushed at me sword in front, I dodged the blow however for some one who had previously moved so painfully, he jumped over me and grabbed me from behind around my neck. Luckily Logan had taught us how to get out of such situations and I slammed him onto his back. It looked up at me fear in its eyes; I felt pity and sadness settle in my stomach like lead. I pulled away
"I will not hurt you" I had to reach the man inside the tortured body
It got up and capitalised on my reluctance to finish the job by sending me flying into one of the stone walls, if I had been Rogue or Logan I would have left a dent, however it was me and god did it hurt, I assessed that I had broken at least two ribs, good going huh?
"You don't want to do this; you don't want to hurt me…" I told what was left of my predecessor as I gasped for breath like a fish stranded on land "I can help you just tell me how"
He lunged at me sword held in front of him like a spear, and that's exactly what he wanted to do to me, spear me, impale me. I had no escape I looked him square in the eyes awaiting the searing pain that was to come; I moved my head slightly to the side and shut my eyes.
The pain didn't come when I expected it to so I opened my eyes only to find the point of the sword hovering in front of me, barely touching my skin but just enough to prick me and draw blood.
I looked into his eyes and saw turmoil "That's it fight it, you can stop this."
The eyes stared back at me unsure of what course of action to take next.
I lay my sword over both of my hands "See this, do you remember it? It's your sword, I'm looking after it for you, if you fight whatever's trying to push you out you can have it back and we can finish this once and for all, forever…"
He cocked his head like a spaniel and looked at the sword recognition flickering in his eyes.
He opened his mouth, then shut it again as if trying to remember how to speak; I saw the muscles in his lizard like mouth twitch. He swallowed loudly as he pushed his sword in to me harder.
I struggled to my feet "I can help you just tell me how"
"Mmnnkill meeee!" the voice came out raspy and dry, barely audible and hard to understand
"What are you waiting for kill her you waste of space" The voice which had been absent from the room spoke up again sounding slightly frenzied
"You want me to kill you?" I asked it quietly as I pushed its sword away
He nodded his Lizard head slowly eyes filling with tears
"There must be another way?" I asked eyes never wavering
The lizard head shook in a no, but maybe it was a yes you never know in cultures other than your own so I thought I'd ask him for confirmation
"Is that a no?"
"Nnnn Kill me"
I looked at him "I can't your me in a way, I don't kill the good guys, hell I don't even wanna kill the bad guys too much blood has been spilt on this land already, I don't want to be the cause of killing this planets very own living legend."
It sounded like my voice, I stood shocked when I realised it was my voice, I didn't realise that I had compassion, that I had stopped being like the robot past experiences had moulded me into. I was no longer White Lightning the fearless mutant leader of Retribution X, or Courage the saviour of a cluster of planets including this one , Linslee, I was Ashley Donovan a human, a teenager with little experience of the joys of the world but possessing emotions that until now, stood here facing the toughest decision of my life. God I had missed being just Ashley for so long, I couldn't remember a time when that was all I was, and if I had to name a time it would probably be before I came to the institute, I had brief glimmers of being just Ashley like the first night on this planet, other then that I was always trying to be something else, somebody else.
I looked unsure at the lizard man, no man stood before me.
"Realise me from this nnnnah torture" It told me voice growing stronger more sure
Hesitantly I resumed a strong grip upon my sword
"Aww isn't this sweet, it's like a family reunion, that's it you kill the weakling I have no purpose for him anyway, he will not be mourned, he was never a real human, he was bad, bad to the core like me. We are one of the same him and I" With that last statement from the shadows stepped a tall broad shouldered figure, complete with Magneto-esque cape. What was it with bad guys and capes?
I looked at the figure wavering in my resolve to kill the man in front of me, the voice that had taunted us was fitted the figure perfectly tall and powerful looking. He was a male about 45 in age with charcoal hair streaked with ebony, he certainly wasn't *ugly* as you imagine evil people, he was more human than I expected. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this man who you could easily imagine having the perfect home, with a perfect wife and two perfect children (a boy and a girl).
I looked away from him not wanting to think about anything but the remainder of a man stood in front of me.
"Kill me!" With each time he repeated this phrase it became clearer.
I nodded tears prickling my eyes, I knew then and there that I would never have to perform a more difficult task in my life, I squeezed my fingers around my sword until my knuckles were white, my mouth felt dry. Suddenly a thought hit me like a rancid smell.
"If you die I won't know how to fight this geezer, I need you and your knowledge, your experience even…" I pleaded becoming frenzied as I saw death approaching me in the form of the evil guy, whose name I did not know, like I knew nothing of this land, the people or my foe.
Courage's voice was clearer now as if becoming surer of his voice, or maybe the control he had over the body.
"Kill me now and I will help you, but first un cage me!" His eyes pleaded "I promise"
I swallowed my tongue feeling thick and like sandpaper.
"How?"
"The sword, I lived by the sword I will die by the sword, that sword *our sword*"
I shut my eyes, in an effort to stop my head from spinning, in an effort to block out that feeling.
I raised my sword up as the lizard body knelt before me and I brought it quickly down. The sword was sharp alright; it glided through the scales, muscle and bone like a hot knife through butter. I felt my stomach churn as I began to retch at the thought of what I had just done, it is one thing to kill an enemy, a monster, but some one good, your only hope, it was devastating, tears rolled down my cheeks unchecked.
Gulps Erm Logan says review!!