Reluctant Heroics
The girls streamed through the night sky over Los Angeles, their jetpack flames flickering in the wind. Sam took point and led the way to the rendezvous point, the stranger's gadget tucked away in her belt.
One shot, one chance to catch this clone or whatever the heck she is. No second chances.
Alex saw the stress on her face and eased in closer. "You worried, Sammie?"
"Just a little. This is our best chance to catch her yet. We can't blow this."
"We'll be fine. You're a great shot!"
"Thanks, but I'm still worried about the suspect. She might try something with Mandy."
Clover overheard her and edged closer. "Wow, what have we come to? Us worrying about Mandy? Oh, how the tables have turned!"
Sam smirked. "I know! Mandy's not exactly our friend, but we still have an obligation to help her. After all, we are WOOHP spies, are we not?"
"It'd be nice if it was WOOHPEM."
"WOOHPEM?"
"World Organization of Human Protection Except Mandy!"
Sam and Alex cackled, and nearly lost control of their jetpacks as a result.
Sam leveled herself out and looked around. Countless lights flickered below, and the skyscrapers jutted out of the ground like daggers and reached towards them. Sam put her goggles on and scanned the area. A pair of human-shaped heat signatures sat motionlessly atop one of the buildings.
"There's the place," she said pointing to the building. "I think that's them on the roof."
Clover and Alex looked through their own goggles. "I see two people, you sure it's them?"
"That's the right building. I recognize the plaza outside the building."
Alex huffed. "Okay, then. Let's do this."
The spies banked and swooped towards the darkened rooftop. As they landed lightly and deactivated their jetpacks, Sam reached for the gun and kept a grip on the handle.
Clover looked around and cautiously stepped forward. The rooftop seemed completely empty. Only the noisy hum of the air conditioning unit provided any ambient sound. Otherwise, the roof was deathly still. "Where is she? It's midnight, isn't it?"
"Are you sure we're at the right place, Sammie?"
Sam started having doubts. "I'm…not sure. These places always look different from the air."
"Well you'd better be sure. The last thing I want is knowing Mandy bought the farm because of me!"
A shrill whistle pierced the stillness and the spies looked up to the source. Seated atop the air conditioner with her legs crossed and wearing a confident smirk was the other Clover. "Hi, girls!" she said as she waved. "Glad you could make it!"
Sam decided to get to the point. "Where's Mandy?"
"Calm down, will ya?" She slid off the edge of the unit and landed in front of them. The first thing they noticed was that her costume was different. She now sported a vest that had a knife attached to it, as well as what appeared to be grenades. Pouches hung from her hips and appeared heavy with something. A machine gun was slung on her back. Her sleeves were rolled back past her elbows, and she wore a pair of finger gloves on her hands. "Alright, I bet you're wondering why I called you out here at this ungodly hour. Well, I have some demands to make."
"We'll listen, but first show us where Mandy is."
The other Clover sighed. "Okay, fine. I was gonna do this anyway." She snapped her fingers and glanced back to the shadows.
Out from behind the air conditioner stepped the creature. It held a still-unconscious Mandy aloft in one hand and stepped closer to the edge of the building.
"What have you done to her?"
"Relax, she's just drugged up good. She'll be fine, at least as long as I see fit."
"What do you want?"
"Your surrender."
The spies blinked. "Huh?"
"It's easy. You three surrender right now and come with us, or Mandy here gets back down the really, really fast way." The creature extended its arm and held Mandy over the edge.
"What do you want with us?" asked Alex.
"I'll explain later. Right now, I just want your cooperation; otherwise…" the creature loosened its grip on Mandy.
"Wait, hang on!" Sam protested.
"Make your minds up, girls. Time's a-wasting and I've got a tight schedule to keep."
Sam still had the gun by the handle. What she didn't expect was seeing both of these things in one place. She could probably save Mandy if she hit the creature, but the double was packing some major ordinance. On the other hand, they could probably get more answers out of the double, but then the creature would drop Mandy for sure, and then they'd have to fight it.
"Well? I'm waiting."
"How do we know you'd seriously hurt her? Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"
The other Clover tilted her head in thought. "Well, I did toy with idea of getting you to agree to come along, and then giving you her head, but I've got my orders."
Sam recoiled.
"Ooh, that struck a nerve! It's not every day you run across someone with so little regard for others, eh?"
"You're sick." Said Clover.
"There's a great story behind that, but it'll have to wait. Now make your minds up, or Mandy makes tomorrow's obituaries."
Sam's eyes darted back and forth between the two creatures. This was a choice she didn't want to make. If they tried to capture one of them, Mandy died. If they tried to save Mandy, they'd get away and Mandy might still die. Or worse - they could blow it entirely and Mandy would drop while they had to fight both of them. It was a choice made in Hell.
The double looked to the creature. "On the count of three, drop her."
Sam's pulse skyrocketed and she started drawing the gun.
"One."
She pulled it and aimed at the creature.
'Twoooh no you don't!" The double's hand struck out in the blink of an eye and slapped the gun from Sam's hands before shoving her to the ground.
"Do it!"
"No!"
The girls watched in horror as the creature let go and Mandy began to fall.
"Alex!"
"I'm on it!" Alex dashed at the creature as its blade unfolded and swung at her. Alex ducked and rolled past its strike, and then dove off the building after Mandy. Mandy already had a good hundred-foot start, and was still unconscious. Alex ignited her jetpack and accelerated her fall to catch up with Mandy. She squinted as the wind caused her eyes to tear up and her vision blurred. She quickly caught up with Mandy and slowed down to match her speed. She righted herself and grabbed Mandy before halting their descent a mere hundred feet off the ground. Alex hovered in place for a moment and looked up. She whistled at how far they'd fallen, and then remembered whom she was holding.
"Man, me saving Mandy. Who would have guessed?" She increased the jetpack's output and began ascending to the roof.
-
After Alex disappeared over the edge, the other Clover looked down at Sam. "Don't wanna cooperate? Fine with me!" She raised her boot to stomp on Sam's head. Sam rolled out of the way and the other Clover stomped on the concrete with enough force to crack it. Sam swept the double's legs out from under her with her foot and the double fell on her back. Both of them jumped to their feet and faced each other. The double was smiling.
"Who are you?" asked Sam.
"Someone who needs your help."
"Then why didn't you just ask?"
"Because you'd never agree to what I want."
Sam looked over her opponent's shoulder at Clover. She and the creature were squaring off with one another. The creature dwarfed Clover, but she stood her ground.
She then glanced to the double's left. The stranger's gadget was lying on the concrete just behind the double. She then looked the double right in the eyes. She was smiling.
Sam shifted her weight and threw a strong roundhouse kick. The double ducked and tried to swipe Sam's feet out from under her. Sam used her momentum to jump and cartwheel into the air, landing just behind the double. The moment her feet touched the floor, she dashed towards the gun. The double saw where she was going and leaped after Sam, tackling her to the ground short of the gun. They rolled together a few times before finally kicked the double off of her. Sam got back on her feet just as the double landed on hers with one hand on the ground to steady herself.
Meanwhile, Clover was having some fun of her own. Though she was able to evade the creature's attacks, she couldn't find an opening to attack.
"Sammie!" she dodged again. "Help me!"
"I'm working on it!"
The double made her move. She grabbed Sam by the shoulders, spun around with her, and tossed her aside. As soon as she let go, she made a dash for the gun. Sam landed on the concrete and removed her bungee belt buckle. Still lying on the ground, she aimed at the double's leg and fired. The grapnel grabbed the double's ankle and Sam pulled the line. The double's foot went out from under her and she landed just short of the gun. She then turned around, grabbed the line, and pulled hard. Sam felt her stomach lurch as her own belt yanked her off the ground. Sam landed next to the double, which started reaching for the gun. Sam slapped the gun away and turned her attention to her opponent.
Sam tried to pin her down, but was immediately kicked off when she tried. They both stood up, the double still clutching Sam's line. She pulled hard and flung Sam around, forgetting they were still linked. When they both landed, the double drew her knife and cut the line. "Now, I'm mad."
-
Meanwhile, the creature had Clover cornered. Clover took stock of her situation as the monster drew closer. Sam and the other Clover were battling for control of the gun, and Alex was nowhere in sight. Where was she? Did she manage to save Mandy? And more importantly, who's gonna save me?"
The monster closed in on Clover and prepared to gut her with a single lunge. Then it felt something tap it on the shoulder. It glanced back just in time to see a yellow boot collide with its face. It stumbled back from the unexpected blow and clutched its head. Clover took the chance to vault over it, grab its arm, and toss it over her shoulder. She looked up to see Alex hovering a few feet above.
"Where've you been?"
"I had to drop some luggage off. Need a hand?"
"And a couple of feet, if you don't mind."
"Gladly!"
-
Sam vied for the gun repeatedly, but the double was always between it and her.
"Give it up, you can't beat us."
Sam's eyes glanced at the other half of the battle. She caught her breath and said, "Your friend might say otherwise."
The double glanced across the roof. Alex and Clover were not only holding their ground, but also winning. The creature was unable to keep up with Alex's aerial acrobatics and Clover's ground assault. It repeatedly fell back to change positions, but Alex or Clover were always there to hit it from behind. It swung its blade wildly as its temper raged, and intermittently fired plasma bolts into the air.
A look of genuine concern crossed the double's face. "No."
Sam took her chance. She launched a flying kick at the distracted double and hit hard. She sent the double flying against a scaffold, bending it as she hit. She was momentarily stunned and rubbed the back of her head. Sam leaped to the side and scooped up the gun and aimed it at the double just as she started to regain her senses. She drew her Lip Balm Laser and cut the top half of the scaffold down in a single arc, collapsing it on top of the double. She looked Sam right in the eyes with a mixture of surprise and fear on her face.
Sam heard a desperate roar as she pulled the trigger. Just as a puff of compressed air blew the dart from the gun and vented into the atmosphere, the creature leaped between Sam and her intended target. The dart struck the creature and shattered. At first there was only a tiny speck on its torso. Then it started growing. Within seconds, the creature was thrashing the air as the thick foam increased exponentially. First its body was covered in the frothy substance. Then its legs and feet, and then its arms. The foam continued expanding, turning the creature into a walking mountain of whitish foam. Soon only its head and hands were visible. It tried firing its cannon, but the device shorted out. It thrashed wildly with its blade to no avail. Within moments the thick substance began hardening. First the creature's feet stuck to the ground. Its movements were quickly impeded as the foam hardened, and soon it was immobilized, though still screaming in fury.
"We got it!" Exclaimed Alex.
"Woo hoo!" Cheered Clover.
"Now for the…" Sam stopped short as the double freed herself from the wreckage. Her eyes never left the immobilized creature as she stood up and stepped away from the spies. Sam thought she could see her choking back tears.
"You'll…you'll pay for that. All of you! You'll pay!" She spun around on her heels and ran away.
"After her!"
The spies chased her across the rooftop, but the double simply leaped off the edge. The spies watched her recede into the city lights. A faintly visible thread jumped from her hand and she swung out of sight.
Alex warmed up her jetpack. "Let's go!"
Sam stayed her with a gesture. "No, we can't catch her with our equipment. Besides, we've already got a good catch!"
Alex deactivated her jetpack. "Oh yeah, that…thing."
They approached the captured creature with caution. Its eyes held a look of resignation, having finally been bested by someone. Sam called Jerry.
"Jerry, we caught the creature."
"Excellent. And the double?"
"Got away. That guy only gave us one shot with that stuff."
"I see. What about Mandy? Is she alright?"
Sam handed the Compowder to Alex. "She's fine. On the other side of the roof."
"Good work, Alex. I'll have WOOHP return her home. We'll keep an eye out for that double. I don't think she'll get too far."
"Thanks, Jer." Sam closed the Compowder. "Well, now what?"
Clover was inspecting the captured beast up close. She looked it in the eyes and drew closer. "You know, except for the eyes, this thing's really ugly. The eyes are really pretty, though."
The creature made a low, guttural noise, and spit in Clover's face.
"AAAH!"
"Clover!" exclaimed Sam and Alex as they raced to her side. Alex took a handkerchief and began frantically wiping the saliva off Clover's face as Clover did so with her hands. Sam scooped up a dollop of the viscous substance and opened her Compowder to analyze it. She placed the sample on the device and it quickly went to work.
"Come on, come on!" she pleaded with the device.
"Sam, what is it? Is it harmful?" asked Alex.
"Hang on." The display began showing the results. "Okay. It's not acidic. It's not toxic. And it's not carrying any harmful substances in WOOHP's database." The display's lights all showed green. "There's nothing harmful at all. It's just-"
"GROSS!" exclaimed an irate Clover as she finally opened her eyes. She glared at the creature, who was grinning and laughing softly.
"Oh, you think that's funny, tough guy? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY does that to me! EVER!" She kicked the rock-hard foam, and immediately began hopping on one foot as she held the other in pain. The monster's mouth split open and it guffawed at Clover's plight.
"Come on, that's just plain mean!"
Sam queued up a different function. "I'm going to run a DNA test on this stuff. Let's see where this thing is from."
"Can the Compowder do that?" asked Alex.
"It has limited DNA analysis, but it'll do for now." A few seconds later, the screen displayed the results and Sam gasped.
"What is it?" asked Clover as she rubbed her toes.
It took a moment for Sam to come around. "That thing's DNA; it matches…it's…it matches yours!"
"What?" Sam showed the results to Clover. "That can't be right. That thing's not even human!"
The girls looked at the creature. Its smile had vanished. The look on its face told them they'd found something it didn't want them to.
Alex looked to the West. A WOOHP airship was approaching. "What do we do now? How are that thing and…her friend connected to Clover?"
Sam cleaned off the Compowder and shut it. Her hair streamed out behind her as the airship descended. "I don't know, but I think there is someone who might."
"Who?"
"The only person to ever mess with our DNA to this degree."
Alex thought for a moment, and then realized whom she was talking about. "Oh."
-
The girls followed a guard through the twisting corridors of the maximum-security prison. The prisoners who weren't asleep whistled and hooted at them as they walked by, but the girls ignored them. They followed the guard into an elevator, which took them several floors down.
"Remember," said the guard, "You three are personally responsible for putting most of the guys on this floor away, so don't get too close to the cells. If you have to hand him anything, use the box to the left of the glass."
"Gotcha." Replied Sam and Clover.
"What about the rest of the prisoners?" asked Alex.
"Other WOOHP agents put them away, so they won't be terribly nice to you, either."
They got off the elevator when it stopped and walked down the corridor. The girls recognized many of the faces they passed, and the prisoners recognized them as well. The girls were met with many a murderous look from their former foes, and were relieved when they reached the doors at the end of the passage. The guard inserted his card key and opened the doors. The girls found themselves in a small room, divided in two by a thick panel of Plexiglas. Three chairs waited in front of the glass.
The girls took the seats and waited. After a moment, a prisoner flanked by a pair of guards entered the other side of the room and was made to sit in the chair on the other side.
"You have twenty minutes." Said the guard. "Do not hand him anything without our consent, understood?"
"Yes." Responded the girls.
"Well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" said Macker the Cracker.
"Not long enough." said Sam. "Looks like you've seen better days."
Macker's appearance had changed. Simpler parts had replaced all of his mechanical parts. His arm and leg were now scaled-down versions of his old ones, only capable of their respective motor functions now. The metallic half of his face was more or less the same, but the eye had been exchanged for a simple one used only for seeing.
"Yes, they couldn't exactly let me keep my old body, so they gave me some new ones. So, what brings you three ladies all the way down here?"
"Some of your old toys."
"Toys? I gave them all away shortly before I became a safe cracker. Why would my old G.I. Joe bring you here?"
"We're talking about the ones you tried to knock us off with," said Alex.
Macker's eyes rolled back as he thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"We're talking about those clones you made of us and tried to frame us with," said Clover.
"Ah! Yes, I remember those! My finest work, if I do say so myself. It's quite a leap to go from safe cracking to genetic engineering. Why do you ask?"
"Have you been dabbling in genetics again?" asked Sam.
"How? They keep me locked up tight here. I can't even save a cookie for later around here."
"Then why is there a clone of Clover running around causing trouble?"
Macker raised an eyebrow. "A clone? Still free? Now that's odd."
"Why is it odd?"
"As far as I know, WOOHP rounded up every last one. Besides, I thought they'd be pretty inept without my input."
"Why is that?"
"I installed mind-control devices in all the clones, to keep them under control. If one of them is running around still, then it must have escaped and found a way to disable the device."
"Where did WOOHP take the clones?"
Macker shrugged. "I wish I knew. They sent me here and the clones somewhere else."
"Did you have anyone else working with you?"
"At first, yes. I hired assistants to help me in the lab while I perfected the first batch of clones. Once the clones began maturing, I let the assistants go and replaced them with the clones."
"Did any of them have access to your research?"
"Not to any significant level. Most of my work was mine alone. Why?"
"Because this one's been altered."
A shadow of worry briefly passed over Macker's face. "I don't believe you. No one had access to my files until after you caught me."
"Then you think you could explain this?" Sam pressed a photo against the glass for Macker to see. Macker leaned forward and his eyes widened in surprise. "That picture, let me see it!"
Sam glanced at the guard, who nodded to her. She slipped the photo into the box and Macker picked it up and held it close to inspect it. "No, this can't be! How could they?"
The picture showed the now-captive creature, unarmed and pacing about in a cell.
Macker banged his head on the table and pounded it with his prosthetic hand. "I'm doomed, doomed, doomed!"
"Is there something we need to know?" asked Alex.
Macker looked up at her. "Yes, but even I don't know it. The researchers at WOOHP might know. Yes, they would know!"
"Know what?"
"A terrible secret. A horrible mistake I should never have made." Sweat was beading up on Macker's forehead.
"What mistake?"
Macker simply shook his head. "Take me back to my cell. I don't want any more questions." The guards held him by the shoulders and he started to stand.
"Wait," said Sam, "What do you mean? Did you recognize that creature?"
"I'd tell you more, but my life is already over, kiddo." The guards led him out of the room.
Alex sighed. "Well that got us nowhere."
"He knows something, I'm sure of it."
"That makes two of them."
The guard's radio chattered and he spoke into it and put it back. "Girls, there's a prisoner transfer going on this floor. I'm going to have to ask you to stay here while I go oversee it."
"That's fine. We need to discuss a few things anyway."
The guard left them alone in the room. Sam called Jerry.
"Hello spies. Anything new?"
"Not really. Macker seems to know something, but he refuses to tell us."
"I figured as much. No worry, we'll get it out of him eventually. In the meantime, you three still have school tomorrow."
"Right, we're on our way back." Just as Sam closed the Compowder, a crash followed by a blood-curdling scream came from the corridor Macker had just gone down.
"What was that?" said Clover.
"I don't know, but it can't be good!" Sam used her Lip Balm Laser to cut the Plexiglas away and they jumped through and ran down the corridor. When they heard voices coming from around a bend, they stopped and peeked around the corner.
The two guards lay unconscious on the floor. Macker was crawling backwards from a freshly-cut hole in the wall. A woman in an orange jumpsuit with a red vest stepped out. Her gas mask obscured her face, and a pair of daggers hung from her hips. After she stepped out, a creature similar to the one the spies had just caught stepped out of the hole, and Macker screamed in terror. This creature was wearing shimmering green armor, and appeared to be unarmed.
The woman removed her mask, and Alex nearly fainted at the sight of her standing beside the creature. The other Alex stood over Macker and smiled wickedly. "Hello, 'dad'."
"N-no! Stay back! Please, don't hurt me!"
Macker tried to run away, but the creature simply grabbed his chains and picked him up. It held him in the air by his arms and turned him to face the clone.
"Wh-wh-what do you want from me?"
"A few words, and then we'll go." She crossed her arms and began pacing in a circle. "Tell me, what were you planning to do with us?"
"What? I was going to rob-"
"I know that part!" she snapped. "After that. What were you planning to do with us after your big, fat heist?"
"I-I-I…"
"You were planning to destroy us, weren't you?"
Macker swallowed.
"You knew what was going to happen to us in time, so you were going to destroy us before it happened, right?"
"Y-yes, I knew."
"So that's it, huh?" She continued pacing back and forth. "After you were done with us, you were going to pitch us out like so much garbage."
"That's not true! You're not garbage!"
"Then what are we?" She stepped closer and looked Macker in the eye. "Playthings? Gophers? Slaves? Oh, don't tell me you were…"
Macker said nothing, and the creature tightened its grip on his arms. The other Alex's eyes flashed. She struck out at Macker and raked her nails across the human side of his face. The marks turned red and began to bleed.
"God, you're disgusting. We were just a bunch of tools to you!"
"It's not true! I swear!"
The clone backed away. "It doesn't matter anymore. Just like you were through with us, we're through with you. I've been here entirely too long anyhow." She turned her back to Macker and addressed the creature. "On the count of three, rip his arms off."
The creature grinned and prepared to tear Macker apart.
"One."
Sam, Alex, and Clover didn't let her get to two. Sam and Clover attacked the creature while Alex went for her clone. They caught the culprits off-guard and hit hard. The creature dropped Macker and stumbled back. Alex nailed her clone in the back, but she managed to cartwheel and regain her balance. The creature shook its head and reached for something on the back of its belt.
"No." said the clone, holding her hand out in front of the creature. "We don't have time for this." The creature growled something at her. "No, there's no time. Let's get out of here." They both looked hatefully at the spies, and then vanished into the hole.
"Let's go!" said Sam. They chased them into the hole and up a long, sloping tunnel. When they finally emerged, they were well outside the prison grounds and chasing after the clone and the creature. Suddenly, an aircraft materialized in midair. The Alex clone and her accomplice jumped into the open cargo door, fifteen feet up. They looked back and saw the spies running towards the plane. The spies were almost to the plane when Clover's clone appeared with her machinegun in hand. She leveled the gun at the spies and drew a line in the dirt with her bullets.
The spies stopped and watched the clones escape.
"Come any closer and you'll regret it!" said the other Clover. The aircraft began to ascend.
"Sam, they're getting away!" said Alex.
"Well, she did say not to come any closer, right?" She aimed her bungee belt at the plane. Alex and Clover did likewise and they fired. The buckles latched onto the aircraft's metal fuselage and the spies were lifted into the air after it.
Clover's clone knelt on the open door and inspected the spies' lines. She looked back at them and smiled. "Nice one, girls. But I'm afraid you get off here." She slung the machinegun on her back and drew a pistol. She aimed at Clover's line and severed it in one shot. She then aimed at Alex's line. Alex grinned sheepishly, and fell away when her line was cut. The clone then aimed at Sam's line.
"Wait! Who are you? Where did you come from?"
The clone smiled maliciously. "Why don't you ask Jerry? He can tell you all about the Legacy. Oh wait, no he won't!" She fired and severed Sam's line. Sam watched the aircraft begin to accelerate away and vanish as it cloaked. She couldn't help but think the design was familiar, but her thoughts were cut short when she realized she was still falling.
As the ground rushed up to meet her, Sam closed her eyes and prepared for a brutal impact. Instead, she landed on something very soft. She opened her eyes and found herself lying in an airbag. Red and yellow-gloved hands reached in to help her up, and Sam found Alex and Clover standing in front of Jerry.
"Jerry!"
"Hello, Sam. I guess I was right on time."
"What are you doing here?"
"I decided to come pick you up myself, as I had to tell you something."
Sam straightened her hair out. "Shoot."
"While you three were away visiting Macker, your medical records were stolen."
"Our medical records?" said Alex. "Why? Who?"
"I don't know, we're looking into it right now."
Clover brushed some mud off her spy suit. "So what do we do now?"
"You three had best get home. By the way, thank you for saving Macker. He's the best material witness we've got in this case."
"Yeah, no problem Jer. See you later!"
The girls started walking to the WOOHP helicopter. Sam gathered them in close and spoke in hushed tones.
"I finally recognized that aircraft. It's the same design as one of WOOHP's airships."
"Are you sure?" asked Clover.
"Positive."
"What did that clone say to you before she cut your line?"
"Something about a Legacy. I'm not sure what she meant."
"Guess we'll have to find out, won't we?"
"Of course." Sam grinned. "We are spies, are we not?"
Alex's eyes widened as an epiphany hit her. "Hey guys?"
"Yeah?"
"I just realized something; we saved both Mandy and Macker in the same night."
Sam and Clover sighed. "Don't remind me."