Hey! I'm back, and I got a chapter that sure to please. I know most of you are probably mad at me for taking my sweat time but it was well worth it…..I hope. I just got back from Texas and a wedding and I basically wrote the whole chapter in two nights. Boy when I get in the mood to write, I sure do write a lot. Well enough of my blabbering, you're not here to read this…or are you…?

Ch.16

I was blasted hard on my cheek by Empress's dark energy engulfed fist. I stumbled backwards but recovered quickly. I tightened the grip inside my fits while white electricity swirled around them. I spit blood out of my mouth, and before it could hit the invisible ground, I charged at my enemy again. I landed an onslaught of punches it seemed to have little to no effect as she counter attacked with her own onslaught. We went on like that until we smashed out opposite charged, atomic powered fits together; causing a mass explosion. My counterpart and I were flung in opposite directions just by the sheer force of the explosion. Luckily, I landed on my feet and skidded backwards. As soon as I stopped, I regain my composure and watched as the thick smoke loomed over the battle arena.

"Don't you think this game is getting a little old?"

I shifted into my attack pose while a franticly searched for Empress in the slowly raising smoke screen.

"It's no fun playing if you hold back."

"What?"

"Of course I've been holding back too. Maybe if I gave you a taste of true power, you'll finally realize you have no hope of regain this body."

I'm starting to panic now. Every swirling cloud is hiding my destruction. Then …a dark shadow. I saw it coming but did nothing to protect myself. Empress, in her full monkey form, shot her way through the fog and hit me like a train. Her claws and teeth dug into my flesh but I didn't scream; I grained my teeth instead. I tried to force the monster off but the harder I pushed the deeper she dug into me.

"Get…off," I groaned.

The Empress didn't even acknowledge me.

"I said…get OFF!"

My body exploded with light, ejecting the animal's weapons from my body. I rushed at the Empress, punching her to the ground. About twenty punches later I began to tire; I stopped my attacks and took a few steps back to see the damage I've done.

"Heh heh heh," Empress chuckled, "Is that the best you got?"

"This isn't good."

Empress chuckled once more as she rose. "My turn."

Instead of unlashing a physical foray, my alternant personality launched black orbs of death from her monkey paws; aim straight for my head. Thank God I ducked in time. I got to keep my head for at least a few more minutes….hopefully. Empress didn't stop there though, she kept on throwing bomb after bomb at me. I ran for my dear life, even though I was partly crippled from my flesh wounds. The sounds of discharge followed me as I weaved my way from side to side; looking in vain for a safe place to hide. Then the unstoppable happened…..

….I was consumed by Empress's bomb

I was flung high into the air and landed flat on my back. It was creepy how perfect my body laid. If you didn't know any better, I looked like I was ready to go to sleep. I struggled, but my body seemed to have given up on me. I didn't blame it, I would have done the same.

"My, my, you flew quite far, didn't you?"

I heard Empress's steps gradually grow louder. I desperately tried to get up as the need for survival became my only objective.

"Come on, come on! Move already!"

"It's funny how you struggle like that. It reminds me of a bug, heh." She paused and her ears perked. "It looks like that traitorous friend of yours and those miserable robots come to aid you," She laughed softly, "Too bad they're too late."

"They…came?" I groaned.

"….taylor…"

"Yes, amazing isn't it?"

"Taylor….wake up…"

"Kapricia?" I thought as I close my eyes.

"Not that it matters thought, you're going to …."I listened as my inner demon's voice quickly faded away.

"Taylor! Please, Wake Up!"

I jolted awake, making my poor body ache even more.

"Owww…," I whimpered.

"Thank God you're alright," I heard Kapricia say with a sigh.

"If that's alright I would hate to see bad," Sparx joked.

I ignored Sparx and turned my head to look at my companion. Her soft brown eyes were red and puffy but she still look as beautiful as ever. With her cute baby like face and her dark brown, loose curled hair pulled back into a pony tail. Her somewhat pale skin gave off a soft glow that I couldn't help but smile at.

"K-Kapricia? You're…You're back to normal. But how?" I had to force the words out of my mouth.

"It's the antidote, Gibson and I perfected it," Kapricia explained.

"And in record time I might add," I heard Gibson comment.

I turned my head once more and saw the Hyper Force hovering above me.

"Hey everyone, how's it going?" I greeted with a weak smile.

"Eh you know, just saving another world from evil. Nothing new," Chiro said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crud," I answered.

"Don't worry, Gibson just gave you the antidote, So you should be feeling better soon," Nova reassured me with a warm smile.

"Thank Shruggazoom you're ok now," Otto said. "It was creepy watching you twitch and mumble all the time."

"You can say that again," Sparx added. "It was like you were some kind of broken, over grown doll."

Nova gave the two monkeys a glare that could kill, making them laugh nervously.

"Yeah well, it's even creepier fighting against myself inside my own body," I said with a weal cough.

"Come on, let's get you to the Super Robot," Chiro suggested and he and his team members, except Antauri, helped me up.

"What's wrong Antauri?" Otto asked.

"I'm concerned about the evil the dwells deep within Taylor." The silver monkey replied.

"What are you talking about? My antidote eradicated the Empress beyond a doubt," Gibson protested.

"No, I sense…

I could no longer hear Antauri's deep, soothing voice.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, the Empress's drooling monkey face was smiling devilishly at me.

"Had fun? Good, because it's the last time you'll ever see them." Empress grabbed a handful of my hair and whispered into my ear. "And when I'm done with you, I'll kill you idiotic followers in the slowest, most painful way I can; one by one."

"I won't let you," I growled.

"Ha! What are you going to do? Glare at me 'til I keel over? Oh I'm so scared."

I looked into her cold, deadly eyes as I gasped for air.

"Don't you dare even look at them. Y….You can do whatever you want with me, but I-I won't let you touch them," I threatened

She pulled me off the ground by my hair and quickly smashed my face into the not-so-soft ground. Blood began to pool around my cheek as I laid there motionlessly; but from were the live giving liquid was coming from I didn't know. My vision began to blur and I knew I would soon black out.

"But I don't understand," I heard Gibson confess from far away. "The antidote should have worked."

"I was afraid this would happen. The Empress has become to powerful for any cure to work," Antauri said gravely.

"Then how can we help her?" Nova asked. "If the Empress takes over again…" the golden monkey didn't finish.

"We'll have to finish her off once and for all," Chiro said darkly.

"Isn't there anything we can do?' Otto asked hopingly.

"Taylor will have to weaken the darkness within her heart." Antauri said in a concerned voice.

"I see, if the girl cripples the parasite enough then the antidote might take affect," Gibson said thinking out loud.

"So, there's no hope?" I heard Kapricia sob.

"Yes, but it's fading quickly," Antauri said, "I sense Taylor is losing."

"What? I thought you said she can take on seven year olds," Sparx yelled angrily.

"Little kids and fighting for your life are two completely different things Sparx," Kapricia yelled back.

"Calm down you guys," Chiro said, "fighting isn't going to help us."

"There has to be something we can do though," Nova demanded.

"I'm afraid not, nova. Taylor has to defeat her inner demon by herself," Antauri answered.

"I-I….can't," I wheezed. "I'm too weak….I'm going to die a-and I…..I don't know what to do."

"Taylor? Taylor! Don't give up!" Kapricia screamed, "You can win, just believe and don't give up on yourself!"

"Kapricia….I….I'm scared," I felt warm tears well up in my eyes. "I don't want to die."

"Then fight back! I know you can win."

"I tried….she's too strong. Maybe….maybe I'm as weak as she says."

"Don't think like that, you have to be strong. You have to win!"

I groaned as I lifted my arms and placed my hands on the floor next to my shoulders. I slowly peeled my face out of the shallow crater.

"I…I have to be strong and, and I will be strong," I huffed, "and I will win. I'll win for you Kapricia, for you, mom, dad, Emily, Lauren, for the Hyper Force and for Earth." I stumbled as I rose to my feet. "I'll win, not for my sake…..but for everyone else's."

"When will you learn to stay down?" Empress complained, "I'm getting tired of teaching you."

"Heh, I was always a stubborn one. But it's your turn to learn something new Empress and I'm just the one to teach you."

I didn't even wait for an answer. I raised my bruised and bleeding hands in front of my chest and began to shoot small, white bullets at mutant. As my energy bullets pierced right though the evil monkeys body I felt frighteningly at peace with myself. A strange new confidence engulfed my entire being, giving me the strength I needed to finish the evil that live inside of me. I teleported the short distance between my target and me and began to inflict her with powerful punches and kicks without slowing down. I continued with my barrage until the mutated monster fell to her knees.

"Looks like the tables have turned," I said, cocking an eyebrow.

"You damn bitch," the she monster growled.

"Watch your moth," I hissed, posed to give the finishing blow.

But before I could send Empress on her date with destiny, sky blue lights appeared out of no where and surrounded us; as if to swallow both me and Empress.

"What's going on?" I asked alarmed.

"It looks like that stupid cure Gibson and Kapricia made is finally taking affect."

"Ok, but what's it doing?" I asked again as the light forced Empress and I closer together.

"I don't know, and I don't like it."

We both struggled against the blue phenomenon but to no avail. Soon our arms were touching but then, the unbelievable happen. Our arms fused into each other! But it didn't stop there, soon the rest of our bodies were becoming one. It was as if we were two halves being put together. The Empress and I fought with all our might to stop this strange turn of fate, but soon we were united we were one being. And as I floated there, I something came back to me.

"Neither one shall prevail."

After that, everything went black.

Phew…all done. So what do you think? Good, bad, ugly? I think it turned at quite nice and it was long too, but not too long. But of course I'm just rambling on 'cause I can, heehee. I hope most of you aren't mad at me for leaving on this cliff hanger, darn it you should be happy I updated! Well on to my next chapter, until then!