Chapter 23: Find of eternity

"When you were first taken under Black Ghost's control, your body was scanned using what is called a Electromagnetic Soulfuric Hyperbaric Scanner. It was built with the sole purpose of measuring the power of a person's soul. They found that your soul was unrecognized in the scan. That meant that you had either a very weak soul, or one that could surpass every person's who had ever lived. Black Ghost bet that you had the former, and turned you into a cyborg. He then sent you to the moon, where further tests could be done, and maybe even further improvements.

But when your transport was attacked, your pod was ejected into space. You were meant to eventually go to the Dortde as a gift of good faith, but instead you crashed into the moon. For fifty years I toiled on the body. Making adjustments to the artificial skin, increasing accelerator speeds, and turning every part of you into a robotic copy. That is what you are, a copy of your cyborg self, complete with all his abilities and then some."

"You mean, that I am not alone? That I have a clone? As powerful as I am?"

"Yes. Yes, and no. Your clone, Cyborg 0021-alpha, is more powerful than you. Black Ghost retrieved him on the return to Earth. I suspect that right now he would either be attacking your beloved base, or your girlfriends."


"What's Jedi doing out there? He's supposed to be destroying the Dortde fleet." General Redding looked to the radioman on his right. "Any contact?"

"No sir. I have tried to hail him, but he hasn't responded."

Jedi was floating in midair, just outside the main base shielding. He had quickly dispatched the Dortde infantry on his way in. He hadn't left any sign of them behind. That wasn't like him, but war did things to people. Redding knew this, and thought that maybe he had found something that he didn't know about.

"Attention occupants of the space force base. Surrender now and I will make your deaths quick and painless. If you do not surrender quietly, I will be forced to come in there and kill each one of you, slowly."

"Jedi, what's wrong with you?"

"Jedi? I am not this Jedi. According to data files, Jedi is at this moment being destroyed."

"Just who are you then, if we may ask?"

"I am...I am....my designation is....."


"Julie, the missiles are launching!!!"

"What do you mean 'the missiles are launching? I thought that you were the only one that could launch them."

"With the launch codes, yes. But when you are on the moon base, the codes can be overridden. The only problem is, that there is no one posted on the base. That was set in an international agreement many years ago. The computer is telling me that that missiles are heading for the Dortde vessels, but this doesn't feel right, if those vessels move, they would destroy the human settlements below."

"Let me go check it out. Jedi is out cold, and the others are all going to be gone for some time, thanks to the sedatives that are set up."

"Okay, you know the exit." Areanna looked back at the sensors. Without her knowing about it, she had been running scans on Julie. She was different know, something was missing from the scan. She compared both the first encounter and the latest scans to Jedi's last scan. There it was. Julie's BETH was no longer there, the unit was gone.


Jedi slashed through BETH. Both parts slumped to the floor. Jedi sheathed the sword. It was over.

"What? Giving up so soon?" Jedi looked back. Where his evil self had been, there was nothing. Across the stage he stood, as ugly as ever. "I told you that you wouldn't kill me that way. Let's try this again. This time the field will be even." As BETH spoke, another sword appeared in front of him. This one had a darkness looming around it, as though a thunderstorm was forming around the blade. "Your not the only one with a special blade."

"That may be true, but let me tell you this. You will not defeat me because I am human and you are not. I have a soul which is good and isn't afraid of evil. You, on the other hand are only bits of data. You have no soul!"

"That's what you think. I am more like you than you know. Many attempts were made to copy you. But for some reason, the scientists couldn't get your body to live. That's when the BETH was made."

"Oh, so that makes you so special!" Jedi was in disgust. This pathetic piece of crap was trying to delay for time. Unfortunately it was working. Jedi wanted to know about what had happened. Jedi prepared himself for the attack. He placed his hand on the hilt. "How about I make it so that you don't exist? Huh?"

"Don't you get it? I am what makes you tick. I am your soul. Without me you would cease to function. All of this means that I should be in control. Your consciousness was implanted into an artificial memory bank, and I allowed you to control the body for a time."

"If all this is true, then that means that I am truly a copy of the original Jedi. Then where is the original?"

"What would it matter to you? The original Jedi was only made into a Level one cyborg. He would be of no use to you. But here is something to think about though, you were the 27th clone of the original Jedi. Your designation is Android 001-omega. He is the alpha, the beginning, and you are the omega, the end. The fact that you are the last means that you are unworthy of anything that has been given to you."

Level one cyborg? What did that mean? Why would anyone want to clone a person over and over again? Jedi's mind filled with questions, but he couldn't answer any of them right now. He had to defeat BETH, even if that meant that he would be destroyed also.

"Thanks for all the chatter, but I think that we should end this now." Jedi drew the blade. It looked different now. It was translucent, with an orange tint to the material. It couldn't have been metal, at least any metal that Jedi knew of. But it felt like it belonged in his hand. The blade deserved a name, but one that would fit wasn't on Jedi's mind at the moment. BETH charged. Jedi parried his blow. With its defenses wide open, Jedi now had the time to thrust. Shifting right, he brought the sword and slammed it into the enemy's side, causing him to stumble over.

And off the stage.

"NOW STAY THERE!" Jedi yelled as he felt his right arm change. The sword that had been in his hand was now a part of his arm. As if that wasn't enough, his arm was turning into some sort of cannon. In his sight now flashed the words "Do you wish to activate 'Total Weapon Fire'?" Jedi didn't know what that meant, but he selected 'Yes.'

Panels flew off all of his limbs. Gatling guns flew out of his back and targeted BETH. The limbs were filled with multiple rocket launchers. His right arm, where the sword had been absorbed, glowed bright red. This would be the last attack.

But would he be able to live afterwards?

There was only one way to find out.

"Total weapons, fire!"