Clones

"Look at this place," Gallows told the others, "It's full of tanks. With beautiful women in each one. I think I've died and gone to heaven. Man, this place must really know what a man wants. Now then, if only I could get a date with one of these hot chicks. I don't care which one, they all look exactly alike to me."

They were in the room where Jet had previously been growing when he was still at Yggdrasil. In the cylinders, there were blond women with blue eyes. Virginia did have to agree, they were kind of pretty. But who would be growing women? If they had green eyes, she would have thought Leehalt was trying to create a woman who looked like her mother, to make it seem as if he had won the competition for her heart all of those years ago. She shrugged, Leehalt probably wouldn't have done that. He'd just complain that a clone wasn't the same as the real Ekatrina Roughnight. Leehalt was like that, he had to have it his way or nothing at all. Virginia took one more look at the women, their features didn't bear any resemblance to her mother.

"I see you have found my laboratory. Here is where I will recreate my mother, the mother I lost at a young age. But strangely enough, I can't seem to stimulate her memory, or even complete the clone," a male voice came from behind. They all turned, and saw Malik standing there with a few instruments in his hands. Virginia remembered his obsession with reviving the dead, maybe this was what he wanted to do.

She asked him, "Don't you think your mother might just be happy as she is. I loved my mother with all my heart and soul, but I'd never bring her back. I know she is free from all of the suffering she was in the day she found out that Father and I wouldn't be coming home. I spoke with her spirit, held in this world by a desire to see me once again. She knew I would be ok, wanting me to go on and never despair over what a terrible situation I might be in. I carried on, and here I am today. Everything is ok as it is at this moment."

Malik shook his head. "It will never be ok! Not until my mother is back with me. Mama is the only one who loved me, my father walked out on us because he didn't care. He just used Mother in order to get his own pleasures. Then, when she conceived his child, he left and never returned. Mama gave me all the love I needed, knowing I had no father to provide for me. She tried to find me one, but her new husband then killed her from all of the abuse. She died keeping me away from him, and I want to return the favor. Since she saved my life, it is only right that I rescue my mother from the Realms of the Dead. No one will stop me now, I am invincible!" Malik aimed his Eliminate Scanner at the girl Drifter, who blocked with her wings.

"Most impressive," Clive stated, "I never thought thy could be used like that. They are for more than just your attacks I see. It would be good if we understood more about them, maybe your father would know a thing or two." Virginia shook her head to say only she and Jet had any idea of the wings' powers. From the expression on her face, Clive figured out that she didn't even know the full extent of what she could do.

Virginia flew up into the air, and aimed at Malik from above. Since he had been hit with the Fragile and Decelerate spells, he was now pretty vulnerable. Malik tried to hit the girl again, but found he didn't have the range to attack a target high in the air. While Virginia was able to shoot at him from all directions. From her vantage point, the girl slapped him with her Gatling attack, followed by Jet's, Clive's and Gallows's.

Malik was down. He tried to get up, but found he couldn't. So he did the only thing one could do in a situation like this. The man teleported out to tend to his wounds. Gallows made a comment on how he had perverted tastes. That made everyone laugh like there was no tomorrow. Malik wasn't that perverted, he loved his mother, that's all. Virginia sure could relate to him, she wished her mother could come back to her. But there was no use to dwell on the past, only to move forward towards the bright future ahead of you.

* * *

"Leehalt, are you insane! You will only destroy the world if you call on a Demon to fight with you. It's bad enough that you've become a Demon, but to release an even worse one, that's just really messed up. If you persist in doing such things, I will have no choice but to take you out," Werner yelled to him.

Leehalt retorted, "You, take me out? That's a good one. I am all powerful now. Even with those blasted wings of your daughter's, and the powers you gave her, your side will not win. But I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, if you submit to me. I will let you evolve before the terraforming, at the expense of becoming my personal beating post. You know, take all my anger out on you, it'll be a fair payment for the things you did in the past. Like take away the girl I loved! You are a really cruel man, don't you know it?"

Virginia heard this, and was angered. "Daddy isn't a cruel man! You are Leehalt. You care so little for our world, that you'll do anything to survive. Even if it means killing off everyone else. I bet that the other people who you don't give powers to will turn into mindless monsters who you can control at your own will."

"Precisely," Leehalt replied, "I would turn the world into a den of monsters. Starting with you. If only those wings hadn't interfered, you would be halfway to transforming into a rock about now. For you wouldn't be able to breath, and would end up as still as a stone. I wonder, would they interfere with your body during the evolution process too? You might just die, thought of as only a part of Filgaia by the new planet we will create. Now then, do you want to fight me, or was this just a pleasant conversation, Ms. Virginia Maxwell?"

When he looked back, he found Werner had run off. Most likely, he'd taken the cue of the other four Drifters coming in as his signal to run on and stop Yggdrasil. That made Virginia relieved, she didn't have to worry about the machines going haywire then. All she had to do was make sure that Leehalt didn't get away with his plans. But he had a surprise. Angry at Werner for running off, Leehalt decided to follow his rival. Else he wanted to make sure that Werner never arrived at the end of the tower first. Probably some experiment there he wanted to protect. But no matter what, he left, and Janus was sent in his place.

"Oh well, another day another battle. Don't take this personally Princess, but I've got to kill you this time. Finally, we can fight to our hearts content. I'm through using the four of you, now you will die by my blade," Janus called out to them. Virginia brought up her Duel Pistols, ready for this last battle with Janus.

- - - -

Sky's Corner

Fourth chapter today, check. Getting Teefa back to normal after her binge, not yet. Slayers tape arriving in mail, the mail hasn't even come yet. Well, she's singing 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, and seems drunk on her fanfic. That's why I'll be covering the last three in her little jaunt. Nothing new, Gallows is a perv, and Virginia misses her mother.