Okay this is the second to last chapter and is quite long so hopefully it will (with the last chapter) keep you amused until A) I post another story or B) Update X Big Brotherhood!

My enemy looked at me head cocked to the right slightly "You are weak, you shall be easy to dispatch of"

"He's coming back to help me…he said….he promised" I fell to my knees and looked dispassionately as he gained on a me a slow carefully measured step at a time determined to enjoy this last scene before he would win.

Suddenly a beautiful white light shone from where the decapitated body lay, it flooded the room balming me in a warmth and hope I hadn't felt before.

I looked over to where the evil genius (or whatever he was) had stopped in his tracks, looking shocked.

"I knew it" I whispered as I saw a figure in white approach me.

The figure was tall and broad like that of someone in his prime. The face was an incredibly handsome one with a square jaw, and black eyes that shone with passion, courage and a steely determination, his face framed by black sideburns and thick black hair. Something was wrong however, his body was a transparent as mist and its movements were too smooth as if it was gliding.

"Let me help you" His voice was, deep and strong, he glided towards me, it was as if time around us had stopped

I nodded tears flowing faster than ever.

"I'm sorry" The voice whispered as the soul of what had been a great man and fantastic warrior entered into my body.

It was as if I now had two brains had lived two lives; I was two people in one body. I could see the first courage's, no Mordekai that was his name Mordekai's life as if it was a film in the cinema. He had been a lonely child, training for a destiny he little understood. As an adolescent he became cocky in his achievements as a warrior and had entered into a battle which had resulted in the death of a much loved and respected man, he blamed himself and the community branded him evil. Ever since that day Mordekai dedicated his life to the use of powers to good, he became a doctor where he met Antalias a.k.a knowledge. They became fast friends. The memories flowed faster now they were more hurried, he met Innocence or Rhett as was his name a young boy aged just 12, he protected him and treated him as a brother. Then the world became dark, the air became so thick that many died, strange creatures reeked havoc amongst the mainlanders. Mordekai knew that day that it was time to fufill his destiny, he held fear in his heart but stuck firm to what he felt he had to do.

I clenched my eyes shut tighter then they were before as a knowledge flooded me that made me want to scream in pain, this man in front of me trying to destroy Linslee was Mordekai's uncle. I felt as Mordekai had felt, I felt the betrayal the searing pain the man he had looked up to for most of his life was the cause of so much pain, suffering, and death, he was the reason Mordekais grandmother had died. A sob raked through me as I saw the 'final' battle and I felt how it was to see your friends, hell family for the last time.

Suddenly everything was moving again and Grimmler (that was Mordekai's uncle's last name) made his way towards me grabbing at me and sticking a large white hot pin in my neck as if from nowhere.

"Having the two of you joined up will make this much more fun" He hissed in my ear.

At that moment I heard the door fling open.

Flump Kat was here, that was the sound her hands made when she lit them.

Grimmler snapped his head up to look at the new comers.

"Your little mind games won't work with me girly." He sneered at who I assumed to be Melody "I was forged in the crucibles of fear and destruction, I *will* prevail"

I gasped for air as he pushed the spike into my neck further. Mordekai must have taken control of my body then because I moved, I got away but I had no idea what I had done to achieve this new state of release. I clutched my throat when my body was once again relinquished to my will.

Kat and Mel ran to my side.

"His power is…." I gasped I had to let them know "…he control's the shadow world and it's shadows."

Kat and Mel looked at me blankly

"He can control both the dead, from any dimension he can twist the shadows to infect your mind." I touched my neck where a slow trickle of blood was now seeping

Grimmler shot between shadow to shadow, so fast it was hard to keep track of him. ZZZZzzzzz "That should slow him down!" I hasped at the effort it took to produce such a high voltage and psionically direct the balled electricity to its target as opposed to letting it earth as it wanted to.

There was a slight frazzle as it hit him but it didn't seem to affect him at all, it slowed him down but only a little. I frowned searching deep into my mind trying to reach Mordekai.

Only I didn't have time because Grimmler made the room pitch black.

"He gets his energy from the shadows, he's going to attack us and hard." My mouth moved but it wasn't my voice, it was Mordekai's.

Kats hands, which were still alight, gave off just enough glow to be able to see Grimmler eyes shut deep in concentration.

I clutched my head "ARGHH!" the pain was intense as if my brain was being ripped out.

"ASH!" Mel screamed stooping down to where I knelt on the floor.

He was ripping Mordekai from inside me, I clung on with all my mental strength but I was just no match, I felt at that moment that we were going to lose, everything around me started to spin, I clenched my eyes shut in the effort I was using to keep Mordekai inside.

Suddenly the pain stopped as if by magic, I probed my mind quietly, tenderly.

~Are you still there Mordekai? ~ I thought

~Yes, only just though he was using his powers to control the spirits to rip me out of you, it could have left you dead you know, we're going to have to be really careful~

I looked around, what had made him stop, then I saw Mel had protected us with her barrier, a barrier it seems impenetrable even by psychics. I looked at her it took immense concentration for her to keep her shield up especially when she made it so strong.

"Thanks Mel" I breathed standing up. "He won't be able to keep up this shadow blanket much longer he's drained his powers too much holding it up whilst attacking my mind" Mordekai had supplied me with that knowledge

And sure enough the room was soon light again, Grimmler stood in one of the natural shadows. I knew then this was the time to attack while he was recharging his energy and thanks to Mordekai's past experience, knowledge and the power he had shared with me.

Mel lowered her shield; I stepped out into the middle of the floor.

"This ends here Grimmler, you have destroyed to many lives to just be let free" Tears slid down my face at Mordekai's memories, Mordekai continued to speak for me "I let you live last time I shan't do so again this time you shall perish"

I stood forward, drawing in all of the power I had, and what little Mordekai had had left.

"Guy's I need you to help me okay" I asked Kat and Mel, I'd never asked for their help before.

I held my sword before me.

"What can we do?" Kat asked in her small frightened voice

"Channel all of your energies, your powers into me"

"How?" Kat sounded braver than I had expected, I knew I didn't have to explain as Mel stepped forward and clamped her hands around mine on the sword, Kat quickly followed suit.

Kat gulped "Will this hurt?"

"A little, I'll try and be gentle, please concentrate." I begged quietly, there was movement in the shadows he had drawn enough energy soon our time would be lost.

Then two misty figures I recognised as Rhett and Antalias stepped forward

~The want to help too~ Mordekai told me

~Good we need all the help we can get~

And so the 6 of us channelled our energies into the sword forged of light, and using the power of all that is right that was sealed in it we killed Grimmler, he disintegrated in front of our eyes like a vampire in the sunlight. All that is good in our hearts shut him away aided by the little bits that weren't so good. After that there was a blinding white light and then darkness.

So I didn't die as I had convinced myself I would, however I was badly injured and the power of the others that had flowed through me had knocked me out for two days, when I finally came to I saw the ghost like forms of Antalias and Rhett as they headed towards the light and whatever kind of heaven they had here.

~Mordekai? ~ I probed my mind ~why haven't you gone with them? ~

I could feel him in my mind, like a small tickle in the edges of my being.

~I can't when I came to help you lost my chance to join Rhett and Antalias, ~

~I'm so sorry! ~ Tears trickled down my face

~No I'm sorry, your stuck with me until you die, when your spirit will be laid to rest mine might to~

And so he was, that day when I set his spirit free was truly the last day I could ever be just *Ashley Donovan*, don't get me wrong I don't regret the decision, I'll never regret it while I remember Mordekai's memories of the blood shed at Grimmlers hands. There is much of that day I didn't share with you here more action not necessary to the main story, a lot of stuff much to painful to ever write down. But now I feel safe in my mind lives Mordekai, he keeps quiet most of the time he lets me live my life without his interference, he lets me get through things on my own to insure my own personal growth but some days just knowing he's there inside of me is the biggest comfort. Like at night when I have a nightmare, either one of my own or his' he's there inside of my mind comforting.

When I finally awoke from my two days of unconsciousness, we made our way to Larrah where we saw my mum and a celebration was held. We stayed on in Linslee for 4 months learning of our roots and the beautiful planet, unblemished by pollution and revolution we each made special pilgrimages to memorials of our predecessor's (allowing Kat and Mel the time to get to know their home planets).  At the end of our 4th month on the planet I knew it was time to go home, no one said anything but I had heard Mel weep over Kurt in the small hours of the morning and Kat increasingly wondered whether Bobby had found somebody else, and for my part I just missed being anonymous (it had some how got out that we had saved the planet and we were treated like royalty) and the comfort that I felt shroud me in the Retribution X mansion. The biggest shock came when I went to speak about going home to my mum and she told me she was already home, and that she would stay here until the end of her time, she had grown up in Linslee she had told me and she had been away from her home for too long already and she didn't want to be away from it for even a moment for the rest of her life. It's strange but neither of us mentioned the possibility of me staying and seeing out the rest of my days in Linslee, we would see each other again we vowed as we bid each other farewell in front of the portal that would lead us back home, I would just have to wait until the portal opened again at Westchester, then I would come back and visit her. As I left the only blood family I had, the only security that had remained constant throughout my life I felt a tug at my heart but no misgivings about my decision. I waved at my mother for the last time I saw tears in her beautiful eyes, the first time I had ever seen it and I felt the familiar prickle at the back of my own green eyes. I stepped forward into the woods on the grounds of the mansion. We walked in the dusk through the woods until we were clear of the trees and we could see the mansion, when we ran and didn't stop until we had entered the kitchen of our only home, where we were met by Evelyn and Jubilee who were cooking for the new recruits (trust me anything cooked by Jubes or with Jubes help is gonna taste bad!)

Do you want more? Was it an anticlimax? Let me know I am always interested to hear your views (and it also keeps that evil muse who attacks my dog happy)