Colleen has to do battle with the most dangerous enemy she's ever faced- herself! Who will win this battle royal?
Giving a huge shout of "AKITA!!" Colleen jumped and lurched herself at her clone. Quickly the clone blocked her kick, sending Colleen to the ground on her back. Getting up, she then tried a full roundhouse kick, which the clone easily ducked. Giving a wicked grin the clone threw several punches at Colleen so fast she couldn't duck. She was thrown against the wall with the wind knocked out of her. She became aware of her nose running and wiped it with the back of her hand. She then stared at the huge smear of blood that was there. Her nose wasn't running- it was bleeding!
For a moment her horrid memory of the other time blood was on her hand came back and she felt nausiated and dizzy. Leaning against the wall, she cleared her head and caught her breath. She opened her eyes just in time to see the clone walking nanchalantly toward her.
Taking a deep breath, Colleen gave a large yell and tried and overhead kick, but the clone raised her hand and quickly blocked it easily, sending Colleen sprawling to the ground. Colleen then began to throw punch after punch easily blocked by the Clone. The clone then returned the favor by giving Colleen several roundhouse kicks, which Colleen blocked easily. She raced quickly toward the back of the clone and tried to execute a full fledged roundhouse, but the clone whirled around as if she could sense what Colleen was doing, grabbed her leg and threw her to the ground, causing her to quietly moan in pain as the clone approached her.
"Don't forget," the clone said in a perfect copy of Colleen's Cockney accent, "I'm you. You're me. I've got every single kick, punch, and block you got. By the way, thank you for that blood, it works wonders, believe me. You have no idea how helpfull it was!" The Clone then prepared to throw a humungous full fleged kick, but Colleen rolled away just in time. She scrambled to her feet and tried to attack from behind, but the Clone had her sense of timing as well as her agility and martial-arts and was able to skirt out of the way, causing Colleen to ram into the wall.
She weakly slid to the ground and lowered her head, seemingly admitting defeat as the clone came nearer to her and circled around her threateningly. "Poor little Colleen,' she said mockingly. "Look at you, ready to accept defeat already? Why, as far as I'm concerned, the bloomin' party didn't begin yet! What kind of a leader are you? So weak, TOO weak. No one here to save you now! you're on your own! LOOK at you! You're not a Leader...you're a LAUGH! What would Hunter think of you now? What WOULD he think? You're a disappointment to him, you're a disappointment to the whole team! Poor innocent little Colleen...Colleen the WEAKLING!"
"NO! Don't listen to her, Comerade!" Exile cried out from the doorway. After he and Blitz had met up with Shag and Muzzle, Shag had shown them where Colleen had gone and they just now had made their way to the room, just in time to hear the taunting of the Clone. "You're strong, Colleen! You're STRONG! You found a way into the hideout by remembering what Hunter did, you were able to lead us in defeating Groomer at the hospital and all her Cano-Mutants!"
'Ya, hunter would be proud of you!" Blitz joined in. "I know Hunter would be. You're a wonderful leader, you're a better leader than I could have ever been! You're smart enough to let Hunter guide you!"
"You let his spirit guide you," Exile said. 'You're great leader, you're tough, you're strong!!" Shag barked out encouragement too. "Don't listen , you're strong!"
"Puny...Little...Colleen," the clone said, lifting Colleen up by her collar. "Yeah, rely on Hunter…only he isn't here anymore..and in a few minutes, you won't be either, soon as you're out of the way, your life is all mine"
But the words of her teammates and the mere mention of Hunter seemed to fill Colleen with encouragement. She narrowed her eyes and growled slightly. "NO!!" She yelled, clasping her hand over the clone to try to make her gag. Dead or alive, she would NOT let Hunter down! She would not let her team down! They were counting on her…the Master was counting on her…HUNTER was counting on her! Suddenly she had an idea. If this Clone really WAS her mirror image..then she would probably hate to get dirty as much as Colleen did. Quickly she wiped her nose with the back of her hand and smeared the blood across the face of the clone.
"Eww, gross," the clone cried, releasing Colleen to wipe her face. Colleen then delivered a huge roundhouse kick to the clone, knocking her to the wall. She then used her foot to sweep across the floor, sweeping the feet of the clone out from under her. Colleen then delivered another roundhouse, and with a cry of "LIZ TAYLOR!" delivered ANOTHER roundhouse! She knocked the Clone against the wall and landed right on top of it.
"I hate to do this to such an honest face," she began, just before she slammed the clone's face onto the floor and deactivated it. The boys hesitantly clapped.
"What if that's not the real one?" Blitz whispered to Exile.
Colleen took a deep breath. "What took you so long, Fluffy?"
Blitz looked at Exile. "That's the real Colleen," they both said before Exile turned to her.
"Great job, Comerade," he praised.
Colleen smiled, but before she could respond, she became aware of something else, some other presence. her heart leaped for joy. It was Hunter! He was there, right in the building. She felt something like an invisible magnet begin to pull her forward. Great job, Colleen, I knew you could do it! I know you can find me, too! You can, you're almost there! Colleen ran off in the direction the presence was coming from- the direction she knew would lead her to her love.
"Colleen, where are you going? Colleen!"
"What is she doing? She's not supposed to leave us! Colleen!" But Colleen didn't answer, she ran off toward another dark hallway.
The corridor outside Groomer''s room was lit only by the dim, yellowish light that was eminating from the hallway. She had retreated to her room, out of sight, until all the Clones had passed, and now she crept out to finish her work. She went by feel, rather than by sight, as she slipped a chisel into the crack between the furnace room door and the jamb. She moved the chisel up and down, after a minute she was rewarded with a click. The door opened and she looked down a steep flight of stairs into darkness. Now. Now the time had come.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her mini-computer. Pushing the right buttons, she summoned her clone, who promptly came near her. She looked into darkness again. Hunter's life had poured into her soul like blood, darkness couldn't hurt her, nothing could hurt her. Only Parvo could. But Groomer wouldn't let that stop her, she had to confront him. She had to confront the Clone waiting in the darkness for her. Only one of the two clones would emerge from the furnace room alive. Only one would triumph and earn the honor to help in the taking over of the world.
Groomer listened to the gloom, the voices were silent. Somewhere below, water dripped beating a low, steady rythem, like a death toll. In a far corner, someone was breathing softly. It was the Hunter Clone made by Parvo, she knew. He might be pretending to sleep, but Parvo never slept, Parvo was always ready. But Groomer was ready too now. She turned to the Clone next to her. "Listen now to me," she began. "There is an unwanted presence down in the furnace room, a clone of yourself. Find it, and destroy it. Do whatever means necessary, just kill it and come up when you do. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good, go now," Groomer then watched and smiled to herself as the Clone began to go slowly down the stairs. She squared her shoulders and followed it into the void.
"I am not afraid of the dark," Colleen kept whispering to herself. "I am NOT afraid of the dark!" She followed her instincts strongly. Here was where she had felt Hunter's presence the strongest, HERE was where he HAD to be! She traveled along the hallway. She could feel Hunter, and she could feel his fear intensifying. He was in the dark, but he wasn't alone. She heard a sound behind her, and whirled around, grabbing a pistol from her pocket and thrusting it out in front of her. But there was nothing there. Then she heared it again, a sharp banging noise, a noise that seemed to come directly in front of her. Hunter's presence grew stronger, overwhelmed her. He was directly in front of her. She broke into a high-speed run.
Groomer watched, holding the silencer like a challenge. She could see Parvo's perfect Hunter Clone alone in the darkness. waiting to strike. But Groomer was strong now, she would pounce first. The room was black, black with the darkness and with a horrid smell that enveloped her. A smell of filth and death, almost the kind of smell a cematery would have.
"No," she whispered silently. This was no cemetary. The faint shadows and metallic glimmers were not tombstones, just furnaces and hot-water heaters. But above their roar Groomer heard the soft breathing, growing faster. Suddenly the dark shape shifted position ahead of her. Parvo! He was controlling his Clone. "NOW!" Groomer yelled. Her Clone rushed at him. Just then she heard footsteps coming her way. Cursing, she rushed upstairs.
Groomer's Clone rushed at Parvo's with Hunter's super-speed, brandishing a knife Groomer had given him. A hand tightened on his arm, and Groomer's clone slashed downward, the blade wisping harmlessly through something soft like fabric. The hand still grabbed the arm of Groomer's Clone and he couldn't manuver the knife. He lashed out with his foot instead, kicking at what he hoped were his enimy's legs. Parvo's Clone clamped short a scream, then twisted the arm of Groomer's Clone backward, causing extreme pain. The knife fell clattering to the floor. Groomer's Clone threw himself at it's flash, but, still wrenching his arm cruelly, Parvo's Clone followed. The knife blade flashed again- this time in the hand of Parvo's Clone!
Colleen froze. From somewhere nearby came thumps and crashes- the sounds of a struggle. She turned from side to side, trying to locate its source, but the noise was all around her. She then realized something else was all around her, Hunter was there, and Hunter was in trouble. She continued where she was going, hoping nothing would stand in her way. She emerged around a corner and gasped. Across the hall, the door to the furnace room was ajar. The clamor was coming from below. "GROOMER!" She yelled, racing toward it. Suddenly a flash of red and black blocked her.
"You rang?" Groomer said evilly, brandishing a gun.
"You.." Colleen said angrily. "You horrid person, you..you murderous witch!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Groomer said happily.
"You almost killed the dog I love!" Colleen said.
"What do ya mean 'almost'?" She said quickly. "He's gone, and a fine job I think I did too. You ought to congradulate me, after all, didn't I give ya a short-term promotion?"
"You..Parvo..not too satisfied with taking over the world, are you? Now you're resorting to CLONES?"
"Well, congradulations, you figured out our secret. Too bad you're not gonna be around long enough to share it with the world. And don't worry," She said, aiming the gun toward her. "I know ya loved him. Well, you're gonna follow him real soon. "
"HIYA! DONNA KARAN!" Colleen cried. executing some massive kicks, which Groomer managed to avoid. Rolling over to face Colleen's back, she aimed the gun again.
"Follow the leader!" She taunted, cocking the gun. But Colleen whirled around and kicked the gun right out of her hands. Quickly she delivered a massive kick to Groomer's head, knocking her out cold. Colleen grabbed the mini-computer out of Groomer's hand.
"So, THAT'S her little game," she said to herself. "Exile, come in," she said on her headphones.
"Comerade, where are you? Why did you up and disappear?"
"That's not important right now. I got something else I need you to do. Go back to the control room and find the switch to the Clones."
"Do you want us to deactivate them?"
"Not as of yet," Colleen said smiling. "First let's give Parvo a lesson. Reprogram them to attack PARVO! Create some chaos."
"Ah, I get it, okie-dokie!"