This shouldn't be too hard, Rhonda thought. It'll be just like when you were looking for Helga. Just home in on the largest source of evil. Just reach out with those cosmic senses of yours, and...
Contact.
A wave of utter and complete revulsion rolled over the girl. It was like someone had injected poisoned bile directly into her hearts. It felt to her like her very soul was being rotted away from within.
With a lot of effort, she forced the creeping nausea out of herself.
Great. Even the slightest contact makes me violently sick. How the heck am I supposed to find him?
How cute, thought the Dark One. She's actually trying to find me. This should be interesting.
He reached out with his own awareness. He probed for her unique life force... pure light and pure darkness in perfectly balanced coexistence.
There she was, still reeling from the last contact. What's the matter, little girl... scared of the dark? Don't you want to save the world?
Then come and find me.
I look forward to meeting you, Child of Light and Darkness.
Suddenly, she knew exactly where the Dark One was.
Israel. Somewhere southwest of Haifa. The valley of Megiddo.
Why is that familiar?
Rhonda lifted off from the torch, launching herself eastward. Accelerating, she pushed herself past MACH 1, MACH 2....
She knew this would be it. The final battle. Why? Because, with all the others up to this point, she went in with the certainty that she'd make it out. After all... she was destined to face the Dark One, right?
But this time, she really WAS about to face the Dark One. This time, there WAS no certainty.
This time, there was a big chance that she wouldn't be coming back.
Destiny really bites, she thought.
She comes.
The girl touched down in front of him. She's afraid. Good. She should be.
"So... the Child of Light and Darkness. The Dark Angel." The Dark One's semblance of a human face smirked. "I would've thought the scourge of all evil would be older."
"And I would've thought the source of all evil would've looked cooler. Like, bigger teeth, maybe some tentacles, that kind of thing..."
"Joke all you want, child. You might as well get SOME laughs before your agonizing death."
"And what makes you so sure I'm going to die?"
"The fact that deep down, you KNOW you're going to die. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, at my hands. And in THAT body."
"What about this body?"
"Oh, please. You pretend that you've adjusted, but we both know the truth. When you look in the mirror, you see a hideous freak. A grotesque monster. Something to be feared, ore hated, or pitied.
"You know, deep down, that you'll never, ever be accepted by the human race. You know that they fear your power. You're so far above them, that you could crush them all like insects. And yet, you cling to the fiction that you're their protector. You've even given yourself some ridiculous 'super-hero' name, haven't you. What is it you're calling yourself?"
"Genesis," the Child replied.
"'Genesis'. I suppose it's less absurd than 'Ultra Girl' or 'The Violet Sentinel'."
"Oh, and 'The Dark One' is soooooo creative. Isn't this the part of the speech where you tell me that we don't have to fight, and that if I join you, I'd rule the world at your side?"
"You watch far too many movies. Besides, when I'm done, there'll be nothing to rule. Do you know where we stand? The valley Megiddo. Better known as Armageddon."
Ah. She knows that name.
"Okay, I'm not particularly religious, but... shouldn't Armageddon have more angels fighting devils and stuff?"
"Oh, you're referring to THAT classic work of fiction. No, that won't be happening. But this place IS quite special. It's not only on a fault line, it's also the intersection of several key ley lines. A nexus of mystical power. An explosion of sufficient magnitude on this spot would be channeled along the entire ley line network, ripping the very earth to pieces. Say... a 300-gigaton nuclear blast."
Ah, she comprehends. "You're going to nuke the world?!"
"Going to? I triggered the launch a minute before you arrived."
"Unauthorized launch! Abort! Abort!"
At NORAD, the scene was one of total chaos as the technicians scrambled to cancel the launch. "No good!" one of them shouted. "We're locked out! None of our override codes are working!"
"Climb into the silos and shut them down manually if you have to!"
"We, uh, can't do that, sir."
"What's the target?"
"Looks like... Israel, sir."
"Why would we... sabotage. It must be."
"Sir... what should we do?"
"Pray."
Fury gripped Rhonda as she charged at the Dark One. "Shut it off! Now! Or I'll kill you!"
"Make m-" The Dark One was unable to finish as Rhonda's fists hammered at him. Again and again, she hit him with the hardest blows she could muster. Fists that could reduce marble to gravel slammed into him so fast that the sound of their impact didn't hit till seconds after the fact.
And still, he stood there, unharmed.
"My, my, is that the best you can do?" the Dark One said with a self-satisfied expression."
"No, I've got more," replied Rhonda. She fired blast after blast of energy from her hands, eye, and tail, not letting up until she felt she couldn't fire another blast.
Impossibly, he was still there. Rhonda tried everything at her disposal. She tried hurling debris at him telekinetically; she tried slashing and piercing with her claws and tail; she tried burning him with flames, or chilling him with wind... nothing had any effect.
"I don't get it..." she said, out of breath. "How can you still be standing?"
"How? Think, little Genesis... do you really believe that this doughy, middle-aged politician's body is the real me?"
Rhonda could only stare as the former Attorney General's body split open down the middle. A new form burst from within. It was covered with black-and-white scales, and its lower body was that of an enormous snake. It had four arms, each ending in a three-taloned hand. A pair of batlike wings unfolded from its back. Its face was a nightmare... a long muzzle filled with hundreds of needle-like teeth. It had five red eyes, three forked tongues, and a "mane" of spikes extending all the way down its back.
Well, what do you think, the creature thundered. Am I more impressive-looking now?
"I... I don't care what you look like! I'll still stop you!"
You can't. I'm impervious to anything you can hit me with. Whereas I can do quite a bit to you.
Without warning, the creature's massive tail whipped around and slammed into Rhonda, knocking her clear across the valley. She skidded to a stop several miles away.
Moving like a bullet train, the Dark One caught up with her just as she managed to stagger to her feet.
Awww... she still has some fight left in her, doesn't she?
"You... nggh... gonna ugly me to death?"
'Ugly me to death'? It seems even your wit has deserted you. You have nothing left. Nothing.
That's not too far from the truth, thought Rhonda. I've tried everything against this guy.
...almost everything, anyway.
"Hey, dumbface! Here's one you haven't seen yet!"
Focusing her remaining power, she called her spirit-sword into existence. She launched herself into the air, aiming for the beast's neck with all the force she could summon up.
It wasn't enough.
A spirit sword? That's quite advanced for a girl of your age. You've managed to impress me. However... you still haven't managed to hurt me. His two lower hands quickly grabbed hold of her, while his upper hands reached toward her back.
No... he's not going to do what I think he's going to do, is h-
Agony tore through Rhonda as the Dark One's upper hands clamped on to her wings and, with a firm yank, tore them right off her back. He then hurled her contemptuously to the ground. Her eyes blinded by tears and her mind clouded by the main, she simply lay where she fell.
Then again... perhaps you're not so impressive after all. All I've done is torn off a couple of your limbs. A true warrior would still be fighting. You're clearly no warrior.
Rhonda tried to say something back, but it only came out as a whimper.
The world has mere minutes left. I could leave you here at the epicenter of the blast. Your death would be a quick one. But why should I grant you such a mercy?
No, "Genesis"... you shall spend your last minutes in agony as you digest within my belly.
"No... not... gonna let you..." mumbled Rhonda, trying to stagger back to her feet. Weak from loss of the blood that still oozed from the ragged wounds on her back, she would still go out fighting.
Just give up. You can't even see straight, much less fight.
"Just... watch..." she managed to get out before she keeled over again.
Pathetic.
The Dark One reached down and, with one fluid move, plucked Rhonda off the ground and popped her into his mouth, swallowing her whole.
Thus, the hope of mankind perishes.
Deep within the Dark One's belly, Rhonda stirred.
The beast's stomach goo burned against her skin, and the stench was overpowering, but she realized... she was going to win now.
Once again, she brought her spirit-sword into play.
"This should get your attention," she muttered, slashing open the creature's soft stomach wall.
What an odd sensation, the Dark One's voice said to her. This sharp feeling within me is most unpleasant.
"It's called 'pain,' lizard-lips. Get used to it, 'cause it's all you're gonna feel for the few seconds you have left."
She slashed again, and again, and again. Organs were reduced to little more than unrecognizable shreds of material by her spirit-blade.
I'm dying.
I'm actually dying.
These thoughts ran through The Dark One's mind as he lay in the baking sun, his innards being frapped by the girl's spirit blade.
That tiny, insignificant whelp has actually defeated me. This world will die, but I won't be around to witness it.
Nothing has any meaning any more.
And the Dark One died with that final thought on his mind, as Rhonda's blade finally pierced his heart.
With a final push, Rhonda forced the Dark One's jaws open and crawled out into the sun.
So tired, she thought... sleep would be so good... just lie down, sleep...
The sound came to her then. A whistling, like tea was ready somewhere.
Tea. That would be nice. And sleep. I need to sleep...
No. Not tea. It was the missile.
She had to stop the missile. Then she could sleep.
But how? I can't fly...
You're still telekinetic, she told herself. You can launch yourself upward to intercept it.
Gathering her flagging strength, she forced herself upwards, away from the Earth, towards the falling missile.
This is it...
Hovering in the missile's path, she charged up for one final blast...
Energy surged from her hands, engulfing the missile...... blasting it to atoms. The force of the blast flung her Earthward, where she landed, roughly, in the wasteland.
I did it, she thought, as her consciousness fled. The world's been saved. I'm not gonna make it back home... no strength left... but I did it.
I... did... it...
THE END.
Well, that's it! Thanks for reviewing, everyone! See ya around!