Guy couldn't believe his eyes, looking around in shock. The town of Megadale... Now laid in ruins. Streets lied barren, surrounded with buildings, now looking old and abandoned. Crashed cars, debris and rubbish were littered around. The faint wind blew, making the dust that seemingly accumulated around for a few years rise up.
Guy was so shocked that he forgot about everything for a second - about aunt Agnes, about time travelling, about all of his recent adventures. He was trying to contemplate what he just saw. His mind was taken over by a lot of questions - what happened here? Why the town is like this? He took a few steps away from the museum, leaving the door wide open.
"Halt! Raise your hands so we can see them!" the strange voice sounded out of nowhere. Guy flinched and saw a group of people heading to him, having him on their blasters aim. They were wearing blueish bodysuits with metallic armor plates on and helmets with wide visors concealing their faces.
"Uuh, guys, could you..." Guy wanted to try and communicate, but the people quickly raised their guns, showing that they're not set to talk.
"No talking unless requested!" one of them shouted with a slightly computerized voice. Being held at the gunpoint made Guy gulp.
"We said, raise your hands and stand still" another one commanded, and Guy slowly did so. "And now, tell this data of yourself: identity, sector and affiliation! And don't even think of resisting! We will bring you to the Prime Leader, and he will be deciding your fate..."
"Whoah, slow down..." Guy shook his head. "What's the Prime Leader? As a hero of this town, I need to know what happened here?"
"Tell what's requested!" one of the soldiers said angrily. "There're no heroes in the town, the only order is the Prime Leader's will! And we are the honoured ambassadors of that will, so you listen to us and do what we say!"
"And if you resist and ignore the orders, the punishment will be immediate" added the other one, clicking something on his gun, and it began buzzing.
"Looks like you, guys, don't know who you're dealing with..." Guy said with a lowered voice. Shock faded in his mind, giving way back to the dark thoughts of recent happenings. "I had not the best day, so now I really feel like breaking something..."
"What are you talking about? Comrades, we have a rebel here, I think!" said the soldier. Guy suddenly put hands down, took two Boomerang Brushes and threw them at the soldiers. They hit one in the helmet, breaking through the visor. Other was more lucky, as he just had his weapon knocked from his hands.
"Fire!" he screamed, and others began to shoot, while he dialed something on his metallic bracelet. "We have an aggressive unidentified armed individual in Sector Five-M!" he shouted at the bracelet. Seemingly, there was a communicator in it. Meanwhile, Guy attacked at super speed, avoiding the shots, and took down two more soldiers. "The individual is a skilled fighter! We need backup urgently!"
Guy just kept fighting. The anger and despair he suppressed back then in the past now got the best of him, and he fought fiercely. He kicked the gun from one of the soldiers and then tackled him, throwing in his ally. He then performed the roundhouse kick on the other one. The helmet cracked and visor fell off. SheZow hit him again, making the soldier fall. Helmet flew off his head...
And Guy got yet another shock from what he saw. The soldier wasn't human - he certainly had a face of a monkey. With dark, wrinkled skin, wide nostrils, big ears and small eyes. Instead of hair there was brown fur covering his head and partially face. He was knocked out now. Guy's mind was once again flooded with questions as he sat to look at the soldier closely.
His She-Sense tingled hardly. He looked around and saw more soldiers approaching him. So he stood up, preparing to fight them. However, they surrounded him, and as soon he managed to attack one, another performed his own attack from behind. Now they weren't shooting, using simple batons instead. Two of them grabbed Guy by arms, preparing to neutralize...
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound, like an engine roar. Soldiers also turned around. Guy saw how from behind the huge pile of debris, a motorcycle jolted, flying up in the air, and then landed nearby. The rider was a cloaked figure that quickly stepped off the vehicle and began fighting the soldiers.
"It's rebel! Capture and neutralize!" shouted the soldier before being brutally smashed in the helmet and then down on the ground. The figure took one after another, until there were just those two which held SheZow left. As Guy noticed, seeing the cracked open helmets, all soldiers were monkeys. Guy took the last bits of his strength and freed himself, taking down the remaining soldiers. Then he turned to the figure.
"Thanks for the save" he said, breathing heavily. Then took out Laser Lipstick, without activating it. "Now I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you answer them. I would be mad if I don't get the answers..."
"Actually, I also have a few questions for you" the figure said. "And put the weapon away - I saved you not to be your enemy..."
"Then I hope you will be nice to listen to me" Guy said. "I witnessed death, traveled through time, and now I see my town being ruined and some weird monkey soldiers trying to capture me! So my question is clear... WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" he came closer to the figure and grabbed it by the cloak while screaming.
"Chill out, no need to scream..." the figure pushed him away. "I see you're very shocked, but you need to calm down. Follow me - I'll bring you to the hideout. There you will get all the answers, SheZow".
"Oh no, I'm not going anywhere until I know..." Guy stopped mid-phrase, realizing something. "Wait... How do you know that I'm SheZow?"
"I saw the emblem before... And the weapons... Don't you recognize me, Zow?" the figure took off the cloack, giving Guy the third shock as of this day.
It was Tara. Her suit was now torn in several places, and the uncovered body parts had bandages on. Her hair, now grayer than before, were tied in a ponytail, and she had a scar adorning her left eye. She was faintly smiling, looking at Guy.
"Are you alright?" she asked, noticing Guy's shock.
"I... You... Tara..." Guy mumbled before passing out. All that happened to him in the last few hours was too much...
Tara took SheZow up and headed to her motorcycle...
When Guy woke up, his whole body was aching, not to mention his head. He felt like all his thoughts and questions slowly reemerge in his consciousness, but now they felt less intense. He didn't want to scream anymore. He half-opened his eyes, looking around. He was in dark, small room, lying on a primitive bed, and a familiar silhouette was visible nearby. Guy recognized Maz.
"Oh, you seem awake?" he said, proving that he is indeed Maz. "Are you okay?"
"Is it you, Maz?" Guy shook his head, to which the friend in the shadow nodded. "I think I am alright..." he muttered then. "I had the weird dream... There were time travels, tons of robots, and Tara... And everything was destroyed..."
"Well, don't worry, you're safe now. In Megadale, on the Rebellion base" said Maz casually. Guy's eyes widened as he perked up the bed.
"On the Rebellion base?!" he exclaimed. Maz turned on the light and Guy saw him. He looked almost as usual - same yellow-grey clothes, same shaggy hairdo, same silly smile... The only difference were that his clothes looked more worn-out, he had bandages and protective plates on, and his eyes was covered with a teal visor. Guy didn't want to ask, was it just a visor or the replacement of lost eye...
"Maz..." Guy finally spoke after the brief silence. "You look so... Big, and..." before he continued, Maz slightly blushed, smiled and flexed his arm.
"Oh, thanks, I was doing lifts. Gotta stay fit to fight all MM's troops" he smirked.
"Wait- I didn't mean-" Guy began stuttering. "Ugh, nevermind!" he said, getting off bed. Maz also got up from his chair and approached Guy.
"Now let's talk seriously, lady" he said. "Miss Tara ordered me to look after you while you were unconscious. Now, since you're awake, I must bring you to her for further ado".
"Alright..." Guy sighed, deciding not to confront anyone. "How long was I sleeping?" he asked as they left the room.
"For a day and a half" Maz replied.
They walked around the base, it was a series of interconnected caves housing a lot of people. Some were doing simple chores like washing clothes or organizing resources, others constructing robotic limbs from the fallen robots and scrapped electronics. The rest were getting ready to fight or were too wounded to keep fighting and were resting. It reminded Guy of those movies about worlds being taken over by a tyrant and small groups of people hiding like this to resist.
As they were walking, Guy noticed familiar faces. When he looked closer, he recognized the bandits from the Terra-rist gang he fought before. He reached to the belt for Laser Lipstick, but Maz stopped him with a gesture.
"Better not do this. We haven't taken away your ammunition, because Miss Tara seemed to trust you. Don't betray her, or you'll be in big trouble..." Maz narrowed his eye. "Everyone at this base is a friend, a fellow rebel that resists the MM's tyranny..."
"Who is MM?" Guy asked, but Maz hasn't answered.
"You'll know soon, Miss Tara will explain everything..."
Soon, they arrived to another door. Maz knocked, and then both entered. It was an improvised office, with little of light inside. Tara was sitting there at the table. She looked up when Maz and Guy arrived.
"I see the sleeping beauty is awake" she chuckled. "Nice to see her up and full of life..." she lowered her glance then. "Maz, please, leave us alone for a while. We need to have a talk..."
"Yes, Miss Tara" said Maz like he was a soldier and stepped out from the office. Tara looked at Guy and pointed at the chair in front of the table.
"Take a seat" she said, inviting Guy, and he sat, facing Tara. "So... Back then, at the museum, you were in total shock, asking what happened..." she was talking suspiciously calm, with eyes half-closed. "However, I have a few questions for you as well. For example, who are you?!" she stood up, glaring at Guy, and he gulped from how intimidating she was. "How did you got the SheZow ring?! I saw its holder dying, she perished right in my arms!"
"Okay, I heard you..." Guy got a confident look and adjusted himself. "I'll tell from where I got the ring. But first, explain me, what happened to Megadale?"
"Fine..." Tara growled, leaving the table. "Brief history lesson for you, since you're so curious..." she looked right at Guy. "Three years ago, original SheZow, whose ring and powers you have now, perished from the hand of a jerk Evolvo..." Tara slightly sniffed, gritting her fists. "However, none of us could know that his creation we left behind would rise up without his help..."
"W-what?" Guy muttered, putting puzzle pieces together. "The ultimate life form... The experiment that Ag-" he stuttered, realizing he almost dropped the guard. "I mean... That SheZow was about to interrupt..."
"You seem to know a lot..." Tara raised an eyebrow, but then sighed and continued. "That creature gathered its army from Evolvo's robots and attacked. Heroes were too late when they arrived. The town fell under his control. He stole people and turned them into the likenesses of him, the same ugly apes..." hatred sounded in Tara's voice. "That's right. The creature is that Prime Leader those warriors were talking about. Or how he calls himself, Mega Monkey..." suddenly, Guy let out a stupid giggle, unable to stop himself.
"What? Seriously?!" he chuckled, trying his best to not burst in laughter. He knew that the situation is not for laughs, but hearing this name couldn't cause any other reaction but this. "Mega Monkey... That sounds so silly!"
"Yeah..." Tara smirked. "He may have a super powered intelligence, but he's totally weak at names..." she sighed then. "But stupid name didn't stop him from taking over the town. Over three years, he turned Megadale into what you see. Before it was too late, people fled. Most of them at least. Only few remained - and those were imprisoned or turned into Mega Monkey's slave..." she glanced up. "But not us. We remained in town and avoided the capture. We're fighting against Mega Monkey as the Rebellion. We sabotage his plans and accumulate strength. And one day, before he's strong enough to move on and take over the res of the country, we will strike and defeat the tyrant once and for all..."
Guy was contemplating the information he got just now. He quickly came to realization that everything that has happened... Was his fault. He interfered in the flow of time in his attempt to save aunt Agnes - but instead, he let the monster escape and turn the whole town into hell. Lots of people suffered because of his still reckless actions in the past. He tried to act without breaking morals from the films about time travel, but... He couldn't imagine such a chaos can occur. But... He immediately felt that despair is fading - and confidence fills him. Enough sadness - it's time to act. To find the way to fix everything. Before it really is too late...
"Are you satisfied?" Tara asked after a brief moment. "Maybe now you'll talk and give me the answers?"
"Yes, I will..." Guy replied, standing up. "I will, but I want to speak with all people available here. All those can fight. Because I have the gut feeling that this day will bring us more surprises..."
"Fine" said Tara shortly. "Then follow me - I'll bring you to the Conference Room, there the crowd may lend you its ears..."
They left the office and walked through the corridors again. Guy wasn't sure why, but deep down he felt alone. He felt how Agnes would had feel. Alone. He always had Maz and Kelly, he knew that he would be able to come how to them. And now? He was stuck on an unfamiliar place, his readiness to fight being the only thing keeping him on his toes. All Agnes had was Tara. And something deep in Guy told him that maybe Tara felt the same. Maybe...
They arrived to the big room, filled with people. In the center of the room was the big platform, like a theater stage. Tara and Guy walked up.
"Everybody!" she shouted, getting attention of the people. "Bring here the others that are able to fight. We're going to speak about important information". Some people left the room, while the others remained. They were just chatting with each other, waiting for the speech to begin.
While waiting, Guy suddenly thought about something... If three years ago, Mega Monkey swarmed Megadale with robots and took it over, then what happened to Guy's family? They received the news about aunt Agnes death long after it happened, and moved to the town roughly in a month. But in this timeline, the town's taken over. Guy concluded that in this case, his family remained in Pattersonn. And in this timeline, somewhere out there is one entirely different guy Hamdon. One unaware of his aunt's true demise, of SheZow, of Maz... Of everything that Guy has been through. Inadvertently, the boy felt kinda envious for his alternative version...
Soon, new people arrived, the room filled and Tara once again called for people, getting attention.
"I gathered you here for something important!" she said. "This pink-clad person I brought here... Is SheZow! The heroine I was friends with long ago. However..." Tara made a pause. "I am certain that my memories were never altered. And I remember how SheZow perished in my arms after the fateful fight three years ago..."
"Well, that means she's not SheZow, but a faker!" voice sounded from the crowd, and other voices supported, but Tara quickly silenced them.
"That is the point of our current meeting!" she said. "We're going to find out who this SheZow is! I saw her fighting near the museum, she certainly has her superpowers. But the question is... How did she get them? Tell us, SheZow!"
"I will" said Guy, holding onto the ring. "She-Yeah!" after he said these words, the pink flash came out, and Guy now stood before everybody in his normal attire. Everybody gasped, especially Tara.
"Wha- SheZow is a boy?! And more... It's you! The one that claimed to be my fan..." she murmured.
"Yes, I am a boy, don't be so stunned... And glad to know you remember your fans" Guy said. "My name is Guy Hamdon! I am SheZow, and I am the hero of Megadale... Or better say, I was. One day, I discovered a time machine and traveled back in time. There, I..." Guy stopped, as he wasn't sure he should say what exact intentions he had. "I... Must have done something wrong. And the present I came from changed to this. I admit it... This catastrophe is my fault..."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes. He was ready that people would feel immediate hate towards him. He heard how people begin to ramble, noise of the crowd was growing and growing. However...
"Quiet!" Tara yelled. And surprisingly, people got quiet.
"Huh?" Guy looked at Tara, not understanding her actions.
"You may triggered this all..." she said. "But I see you regret it. You said this day will bring us surprises... Well, I feel it's not all of them" she winked. Guy smiled, feeling some kind of relief.
"Yes, not all..." he said and turned back to the crowd. "Yes, it's my fault. But it's not too late to fix it all! So I will do my best to do so! With all SheZow powers!" as he said that, some people in the crowd began to cheer, approving his wish to fight. Soon, most of the people were cheering. However... Guy remembered something.
"I have more to say!" he made the crowd quiet once again. "I have been here for a while, but... I don't belong to this timeline, I must be a paradox. So.. Why haven't I disappeared yet?"
"That we can discover easily!" sounded the familiar voice and Maz emerged from the crowd, walking up the stage. "Just give me few seconds..." he grabbed Guy's arm and began to move him around. He also closed his human eye, while his visor glowed. After a few laps around guy, Maz stopped.
"I scanned you and know what is up" he said. "That's luckily in the database. So..." Maz cleared his throat. "Time travel is happening thanks to special particles called chronotones. After your time travels, you're surrounded by a thick aura of them. They are keeping you in the current time stream..." Maz stopped awkwardly. "But... Well..."
"Something is wrong, Maz?" Guy asked worriedly.
"You see, you're right. You're a paradox now, and you must just vanish. Just stop existing. But the chronotone aura is helping you remain in the time stream, prolonging your existence. But they can't stay forever and slowly disperse over time. As soon as they run out... You will disappear".
It wasn't even ironic that Guy got shocked by this info. He took a shaky breath.
"And... How much of this aura I still have?"
"Judging by the density of the surrounding aura... About the half of the day" Maz replied, fiddling his visor. Guy was looking into the void, thinking. He certainly is in trouble - he doesn't have much time, he must act faster. Soon enough, the idea came to his head.
"Looks like I don't have much time left for me..." he said, and then turned to the crowd. "I know what to do! I was able to go to past with the help of the time machine. Now we need to get to that machine again and go to the past once again, to prevent my interference from happening! Thus, everything will be fixed!" the crowd cheered in response, but soon enough got quiet as Guy continued. "The problem is... The machine was left in the museum. So we need to set some kind of expedition there, and maybe even check if it's still there..."
"Wait, what?" Tara said. "What do you mean, 'if it's still there'?"
"I mean, what if some agents of Mega Monkey discovered it at the museum?" Guy said awkwardly.
"That would be a disaster!" Tara exclaimed. "If Mega Monkey gets access to the time machine, we're doomed! We must go as quickly as possible, before they-" suddenly, a few scouts entered the room, calling for Tara.
"Miss Tara, the scouting gang reporting!" one of them said. "Mega Monkey's forces are active in the western parts of the town. Yesterday, we spotted a squad transporting the strangely-looking mechanism from the old museum. We overheard them talking about some 'individual in pink'. Report over"
Tara looked at Guy with widened eyes. Guy was shocked as well. They're late. Machine is taken. Things are getting hotter and hotter...
"Well, what do we do now?" one of the people asked from the crowd. Guy sighed and gave Tara a look that she quickly caught the meaning of. Then she turned to the crowd, looking confidently.
"We attack" she said. "We'll strike and fight our way to the machine. If that's our chance to defeat Mega Monkey - we must use this opportunity at max. Today... The tyranny is over!"
Guy felt some kind of proud of Tara. She was a true hero...
The crowd cheered in response of her words.
The planning was quick, and soon, the squad of rebels with Tara and Guy, who transformed into SheZow again, moved out from the hideout, located on the dump, and headed to the Mega Monkey's base. The outskirts were clear, and some rebels went ahead, to approach the base from the sides. They had all they needed - weapons, blinding grenades, smoke bombs, grappling hooks to climb walls and other stuff. SheZow and Tara approached the base from the side of the main entrance.
The base was a huge, metallic tower, in the shape of the needle. Around it was a circular wall with rods coming to the tower's walls, making some kind of web. From behind the wall, lesser buildings could be seen - the base was a whole complex. However, as the spies reported not long after the heroes arrived, the machine was taken directly to the main tower.
Finally, the group that was supposed to attack from behind reported by the walkie-talkie that they entered and heading to the command center. According to the plan, they must hack into tower's security system, making the way easier for main forces. SheZow picked up Tara with her superstrength and pulled them both above the wall with her Ribbon Shooter. As they got on the other side, they quickly took down a few soldiers and began stealthily coming to the main entrance.
"Okay, according to the scout gang, cameras show that the machine is at floor ten, right wing, inventory sector..." Tara said after receiving info through the comlinks. Then she began fiddling with the code lock on the main door. "That feels like old times with Agnes... How did she find you? When she died, the ring was lost. How could you find it?"
"Maybe I'll tell you when we deal with this oversmart ape" replied Guy.
Soon, they entered the base and went to the right wing, trying to find the elevator. They were walking stealthily, watching out for guards that might roam the corridors. As the scout gang said through the comms, the cameras were hacked. Soon, they found the door and called it.
"Feels more like spy movies, not gonna lie..." said Guy with a chuckle.
"Jeez, boy, how old are you?" Tara smirked.
"Actually, twelve..." Guy replied, feeling slightly offended. The elevator arrived and they entered.
As they were riding up the floors, Guy was thinking of what he's going to do. Plan is simple - as soon as he gets to the machine, he teleports back in past again and stops himself from interfering into the battle. Thus, Tara won't come, won't distract Agnes, and she will destroy Evolvo's experiment. Everything will return to how it was...
Even Tara. That thought caused an unpleasant sinking feeling in Guy's chest. He looked at Tara and then to the ground. She was a true hero that wanted to save people. Yes, she also waned attention from them, but even without getting it, she kept her work. And now, being the leader of the rebels, she's just proving that she's a real hero. But in the time without rebellion... She's insane villain. Something broke her, causing her want of fame and envy towards SheZow get the best of her. If Guy fixes the timeline, then the town will be saved... But not the one who put everything she had to protect it.
Tara noticed Guy's suddenly saddened look.
"Hey, boy, are you alright?" she asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her and placed his own hand above hers.
"Yeah, I am... Don't worry..."
They quickly appeared at the tenth floor, but as soon as they got out of the elevator, they heard the steps - this floor was heavily guarded.
"Shoot..." Tara grumbled, unleashing her batons. "We gotta fight".
"Wait a sec, I have an idea" Guy said. "Let's see how many of them are there..."
Soon, the soldiers appeared from around the corner.
"Intruders! Capture and neutralize!" yelled one of them. SheZow saw that there were around five or six of them.
"Good..." she said. As the soldiers unleashed their guns, SheZow crossed her arms and shot ribbons, with them sticking to the floor. Then she jumped in the air and landed on the other side, behind them. There, she shot the ribbons again. Soldiers were staying in place, confused by her actions. She jumped again and pulled the ribbons, tightening them around the soldiers, and then added more, running cicrcles around them. She did it just like her aunt Agnes did back in the past. Guy remembered the actions perfectly.
Soldiers were tied and helpless. And Tara... Was stunned.
"What? But... How?" she exclaimed, coming closer to Guy. "How did you do that?!"
"What? It was a good trick, wasn't it?"
"This exact trick was performed by my deceased friend Agnes, the previous SheZow!" Tara exclaimed. "It can't be a coincidence that you performed it exactly the same way!"
"Yeah, you got me here..." SheZow said. "Yeah, I was there not just in the crowd. I saw Agnes performing the trick perfectly. In fact, I arrived there, back in time, also to see her..."
"Why were you so interested?" Tara asked suspiciously.
"Because... I'm her nephew" Guy replied. "My father is her younger brother..."
"Guess she somehow passed the ring to her relatives in your timeline, and that's how you've become the new hero..." Tara said, faintly smiling. Guy smiled back. "Anyways, her choice wasn't bad at all. You're a good hero, boy" Tara put her batons away and turned around. "Let's go, we gotta get to the time machine fast!"
"Yeah, sure!" said SheZow, following her. Inside her head was a literal storm. She wanted to tell the truth... But she couldn't. The truth is too painful...
The needed door was right before them. Brief moment of fiddling with a code lock - and voila! - it's open. Tara and SheZow entered the inventory room. It was filled with various machines and other pieces of technology on tables and stands. Tables were also full of tools and blueprints. However, no workers were present.
"Weird that this ape has a whole room for inventions, but no workers..." SheZow said quietly.
"His ego won't let him have them" Tara responded. "There cannot be anyone as smart as him, or even closely smart. All his servants are too dumb for inventions, being either soldiers or flunkies..." she saw the machine far in the room. "There it is. Go and get there quickly! Time to change everything back..."
"NOT SO FAST..." a gravelly voice was like a thunder, it seemed like it was coming out of the walls. "I WASN'T EXPECTING VISITORS, BUT SINCE YOU CAME... LET MY LOYAL SLAVES GREET YOU PROPERLY" the door shut close, while a few entrances appeared in the walls, releasing a horde of his soldiers. "KILL THEM!"
"You've got to be kidding me..." SheZow murmured.
The bash began. Tara unleashed her batons and began to smash the soldiers down, fighting like a tiger. SheZow unleashed her Laser Lipstick - with it, she sliced the soldiers' guns. The soldiers themselves were taken down either with a strong kick or a powerful throw. Guy was keeping loyalty to his SheZow principle of not killing living creatures. SheZow and Tara slowly fought their way to the machine.
"Quickly, get there!" Tara exclaimed, pushing away another monkey fighter. "I'll be holding them off you!"
"Got it!" SheZow said and pulled herself upwards with a ribbon shot at the ceiling. She then landed right before the time machine and got in there. She saw familiar control panel and levers. She set the date and time and was about to pull the activation trigger... But then she looked at Tara, who was slowly coming closer, fighting off the soldiers. Her hand was shaking above the lever. That she must go and fix everything was a right thing to do... But she couldn't stand a thought that Tara will go back insane. Even now, SheZow haven't told her the truth. Tara must believe that in the unaffected present, it's all fine and Agnes is alive...
"Come on, what are you waiting for?!" Tara shouted to her, getting closer. "Go and fix the timeline!"
"I... I can't! Not with what will happen if I do this!" Guy yelled, shutting his eyes in the flood of emotions.
"What are you talking about?! Nothing can be worse than this!" Tara responded. "Do it now!"
"No!" Guy screamed. "You don't know the truth! Even if I go and fix the timeline, Agnes will remain dead! You may think that she's alive and peacefully passed her duty on me? Well no! She's dead! I don't know how he managed to hide the ring in her house, but I found it there by accident!"
"Wait... W-what...?" Tara muttered, trying her best not to lose concentration on fighting off the monkeys.
"Yes, that is true! I became SheZow because aunt Agnes is dead anyways!" Guy was tearing up. "But what's worse... It's your destiny!"
"What is about me?" asked Tara with a voice full of incoming despair.
"You... You're the villain, Tara" after Guy said that, Tara's face went pale. "I don't know what happened. But something broke you back then. And when we first met in my timeline, you were insane, manic and hateful, wishing to kill me. And not me like Agnes's nephew - but like SheZow. You hated SheZow! You hated Agnes!"
"No... No! That can't be true!" Tara screamed. "I loved Agnes! With all my heart... I still love her... What could drive me that crazy?"
"I don't know!" Guy said, crying. "But it is true! And I just can't let this happen! You're a true hero, wishing to protect everybody! You don't deserve such a destiny..." Guy wiped his tears and looked at Tara with his wet eyes. She was fiercely fighting off the monkeys, but her face was full of her own thought. After she kicked down few more, she turned to Guy. She was smiling.
"Yes, I am a hero... And as a hero, I say: go and fix the timeline"
"What? But-"
"It doesn't matter what will happen to me" Tara said calmly. "I loved Agnes. And she wanted to protect the town at all costs. So do I. If the town is safe and protected by a true hero... Then it's nothing that I went insane and my love turned into hatred. That's the sacrifice we sometimes have to pay to uphold our duty as heroes..." she swung her baton, breaking another soldier's helmet. "Now go..."
Suddenly, the door opened loudly. More soldiers flushed the room, but that wasn't the biggest thing here. Guy saw him...
The Prime Leader, Mega Monkey. He was standing in the doorframe, slowly entering the room, moving like a real king of darkness. He was a humanoid monkey as well - but much taller and much more muscular than his servants. He had white fur, wrinkled lips, small ears and almost glowing orange eyes. His body was covered in a purple tunic with golden trimming and sighs shaped like triangles. He also had a golden headband with green glassy stone in the center of his forehead.
"Don't let her go!" he commanded in his evil, gravelly voice, and then looked right at SheZow, smiling devilishly. "I am ultimate..." he spoke slowly.
"Go!" yelled Tara, and SheZow pulled the lever. The machine began buzzing and the familiar sparkles began to emerge. Mega Monkey looked terrified.
"No!" he exclaimed.
"Eat this, oversmart ape!" yelled Tara and then turned to SheZow. "Hey, before you disappear... Promise that you will stop me, whatever the evil plan I have".
"I will..." spoke SheZow in shaky voice. The vision went blurry - both from the time warping and from tears. Before everything vanished in the blinding light, SheZow could see Tara being abducted by monkey fighters. But she was smiling...
Guy appeared somewhere at the town's outskirts. The lab that aunt Agnes was raiding to stop Dr. Evolvo was not too far away. Not even bothering with hiding the machine, SheZow rushed at full speed to the lab.
She arrived to see how aunt Agnes was entering the lab. At that moment, the alternative SheZow must be about to come to the She-Cycle and call Tara...
After Agnes crossed the doorframe, SheZow jumped out of the bushes, right at the spot near the motorcycle. She felt how she hit something. With a thud, this "something" - or, more correctly, someone, - landed on the ground, groaning in pain. The figure began to show, as fussing on the ground shook off the Vanishing Powder. SheZow saw... another SheZow.
"What the... Who are you? And what do you-" that another SheZow stopped mid-phrase, seeing who attacked her. "Is it you, SheZap?!" she quickly stood up, unleashing Laser Lipstick. "Or is it another shapeshifter or an evil clone?"
"No, listen!" main SheZow said. "I'm not your enemy! And I'm not SheZap. I am you, but from a different timeline. You shouldn't do anything! It will make things only worse..."
"Shut the trap, liar! I'm not falling for tricks!" second SheZow shouted and rushed to attack the main SheZow. Main dodged the attack and pounced at the second one again. But this time, as soon as she touched her counterpart...
The flash emerged, and both were repelled from each other by a shockwave. They hit the ground, groaning. Main SheZow stood up slowly, rubbing her head. She saw her counterpart doing so. As the second SheZow stood up, she looked at her main counterpart with her eyes full of sorrow.
"What... What was that?" she asked, coming closer to the main one.
"I don't know, maybe some chronotone energy colliding..." started main SheZow, but second one interrupted her.
"No, I don't mean the shockwave. I mean... That events... Destroyed town, Rebellion... Is it what will happen if I do anything here to fix aunt Agnes and Tara relationships?" main SheZow sighed.
"Yes... The withered present... And I came to fix it. I am you that realized his mistakes and went to prevent the time stream interference..."
"I see... Then I won't do anything, I guess..." second SheZow murmured. "I couldn't even imagine anything like this... I'm gonna leave..." as soon as she said that, her body began to glow. Before she could spell any sound, she fell apart in sparkles. Main SheZow was confused. What just happened? But soon she concluded - the time fixed itself. It erased the paradox when everything got fixed. But why disappeared the one that was came first, and not the one that came the last? As SheZow guessed, because of the chronotone aura being stronger on the one that traveled through time more recently...
SheZow looked at the building. She was planning to leave immediately, but some teenage curiosity played up inside her. She fixed what she did - but she still was going to watch what happened...
SheZow, under the Vanishing Powder effect, arrived to the scene in time when Agnes destroyed the last robot.
"That's it, Evolvo! You lose!" Agnes said, steadily approaching the man. He was shaking in fear, frantically turning his head at SheZow, then the control panel, and then back at SheZow.
"No! No! So close! Just a brief moment..." he stuttered. As Guy recalled, at this moment Tara should've come and distract Agnes, letting Evolvo escape and injure her. But not this time...
Agnes grabbed him by the lab coat and pushed away from the console. Then she took out her Laser Lipstick and stabbed the console with its blade. Then took it out and did it again. And again.
"NO! My experiment!" Evolvo screamed. The whole console began to buzz, letting out smoke and sparkles, and then just shut down. The green capsule let out a buzz and stopped glowing. Its door opened, letting out the liquid and the lifeless body of the creature that could've become Mega Monkey.
"Like I said, you lose, Evolvo..." said Agnes, looking down at the shaking man. "Now let's be quick - I just tie you up and handle to the police" she approached him to start the procedure, but...
He suddenly rolled away, grabbing his robot's arm.
"I have a different plan, you cursed woman!" he said, shooting the blaster on the arm. Agnes couldn't dodge it...
Guy felt the old pain building up inside of his heart again. So this is how aunt Agnes died... He held himself back from crying. Evolvo threw away the blaster and ran away. Agnes tried to chase him, but as soon as she made a step, she flinched in agony. She reflexively grabbed her wounded stomach and coughed out some blood. Despite her legs being wobbly, she kept standing. She began lumping, leaning against the wall as soon as she reached it. Guy got out of the vent and followed her quietly, not dropping his guard.
Outside, Agnes was almost falling. She collapsed right before her motorcycle. Grabbing onto it, she stood up.
"I won't make it for sure... But I can't give up... Not before I do everything needed..." she groaned, leaning on her bike. She dialed some number there, Guy couldn't see from the bushes he hid in, since the rain started once again. Then Agnes... took the ring off her finger and put it into the small section on the bike that opened by the touch on the screen. The suit haven't disappeared though. After Agnes did it, she entered something on the screen and then stepped aside, collapsing on the ground. Blood leaked from her wound and mouth, but she looked relieved.
"Done..." she whispered. The motorcycle suddenly roared and left the place, riding by itself. Despite all the tragedy, Guy got confused for a second.
"This thing has an autopilot?" he thought. Suddenly, he heard another engine roar. He looked out of the bushes and saw a greenish chopper bike stopping near the building. It was Tara. She left her transport and slowly approached, but as soon as she saw the body on the ground, she rushed to it.
"W-what? Agnes!" she screamed. "Agnes, no! No! Wake up!" she held Agnes's head in her hands. "Agnes, this... This is not real! You can't be dead! Wake up! Talk to me!"
However, that was the moment when Guy stopped holding the tears back. He already knew what happened. Aunt Agnes was dead.
She managed to get the ring off and transport it to the She-Lair before she perished. That's how it ended up there. Only to get discovered three years later by Guy...
Tara was crying.
"Agnes... Why... Why did you leave me... I loved you..." Tara mumbled through tears. "Why... Why didn't you just call me? Why didn't you call me to help?" suddenly, Guy heard the menacing tones in Tara's voice. She looked like her sorrow being replaced with anger and hatred. "What prevented you from calling me?" she moved slightly away from Agnes's body. "I know... I know what... You thought you could do it without me. Yes, you thought so! You're always in the center of attention! You're the strong and great SheZow! You can manage alone, and you don't need help from some weak sidekick Tara!" Tara smashed her fists against the ground. "Now see where it brought you, Agnes! You're dead! You left me! And I thought you could love me back... No! You only love yourself! I HATE YOU!"
Guy stopped crying for a moment. The realization flowed in his head immediately. That's what broke Tara. Her insecurity about being in Agnes's shadow took the best of her. Envy overtook her. And when Agnes died, all the insecurities, along with sorrow over the loss of the one she loved, landed the blow. Tara was broken now, beyond repair, full of hate and pain...
Dark ending for a once good person.
Guy quietly left the bushes and rushed away at the super speed. He couldn't remember how he arrived to the place where his time machine waited him, but he surely remembered how he recalled his counterpart and used some super strength to bring the machine to the museum before transporting. There, he triggered the time travel. He did all he needed in the past. It's time to go home...
"Okay, so it says that these particles are allowing time warping, right?" said Maz, pointing at the piece of the text on the screen. He and Kelly dug up a lot of information about the time machine from the museum, and now, they were reading the article that the inventors made about the principles of its work.
"It looks so" replied Kelly. "They say that time is filled with particles called chronotones, and this machine is accelerates them in the special generator, creating the field that warps time and teleports the machine... That just sounds dumb!" she exclaimed, flinching back in the chair.
Suddenly, both heard the She-Lair door open. Both turned around in worry, but... They saw Guy. He slowly walked in, looking down on the ground.
"She-Yeah..." he said with a tired voice, undoing the transformation.
"GUY!" exclaimed both Maz and Kelly, leaving their places and rushing right to him.
"Guy, you idiot, do you know how afraid we were!" said Kelly, gripping his hoodie. "I barely calmed down mom and dad, lying about you being with Maz!"
"And I had to hide in the She-Lair to play along" added Maz. "What happened, dude?! We thought you're gone!"
"I... I'm sorry, really... I didn't want it..." Guy said quietly. His voice sounded exhausted. "It was... It all was..."
"Dude... Are you okay?" Maz asked worriedly. "You look like you survived the apocalypse..."
"Guy, better say everything to us, without any lies" said Kelly calmly. "We need to know what happened..."
"Don't be afraid, we're not mad at you genuinely" added Maz. "Just were worried about you... Now we're listening".
"It was something insane..." Guy said with a sigh. "The machine worked exactly like it should. It transported me through time..."
"So it's all not dumb after all..." mumbled Kelly. "Time travel is... Possible..."
"What exact period you landed in, dude?" asked Maz. "I hope not dinosaur times..."
"No, much, much later... Just few years ago..." Guy gulped, as the tears appeared on his eyes again. "At the day when... Aunt Agnes died..."
"Oh no..." Maz said, realizing what is coming.
"I feel what is about to come... Continue, please..." said Kelly, though from her shaky voice it was clear that she is very scared to hear what's next.
"I saw aunt Agnes in action, I saw her with Tara..." Guy continued. "They really were friends... No, even more, Tara loved aunt Agnes with all her heart. And aunt seemed to love her back. But they couldn't talk about it, Agnes kept the distance... Because she didn't want to put her loved ones in danger. That's why we've never seen her, Kelly - she stayed away to keep us safe..." Kelly's eyes got wet, and Maz approached her. "It was her another mission... I tried to fix her relationship with Tara and called her. Tara came, but aunt got killed. However, because Tara came, aunt Agnes haven't done an important thing, and the time was altered. When I came, the town was destroyed, taken over by the evil oversmart monkey, and Tara was the leader of the Rebellion. She was a real hero. We fought him and then I came to the past again to fix my interference. So I did... Now the time is fixed..." Guy gulped again, tears now flowing freely from his eyes. "But I stayed to watch the events... And I saw everything. Aunt Agnes was killed anyways... After she saved the day. She gave up the ring and transported it to the safe place before her death... And then Tara came. I saw the moment with my eyes... She broke. That's why she hates SheZow. Because the death of her loved one, along with her envy, caused by always ending up in aunt's shadow, took the best of her..." Guy fell on his knees. "I couldn't... Save everybody. Town is saved... But Tara fell into darkness..."
Kelly and Maz approached him. Maz helped the friend get up. Then all three hugged tightly.
Yeah... Sometimes, it's not possible to save everyone. Sometimes we sacrifice something, or even somebody, to protect the rest. The best of us fall into darkness in sake of salvation of others.
Guy felt it in his heart. And he knew Kelly and Maz understand it. Their common silence spoke better than a thousand of words.
"I'm sorry, dude..." Maz spoke quietly. "It's been a lot, I can feel it... I would feel not better if I somehow go back in time and see my parents..."
"It would be hard to keep the secret from mom and dad..." said Kelly, wiping her tears. "Dad still has some grief about her, she was his sister after all..." she sighed. "I can't believe that this all happened, all just because..." suddenly, she remembered something and turned to Sheila. "Yes, by the way... Sheila! I remember you said that when Guy comes back, you'll tell us everything!"
"Huh? She's keeping secrets again?" Guy perked up.
"It was obvious she knows something about your eyes glowing and yourself acting strangely back in the museum" explained Maz. "But she refused to tell before you're here".
"Well, I am now. So speak, Sheila, we're listening closely" Guy said, crossing his arms. The computer lady sighed.
"Yes, it's time... I held it until your arrival because you really must know it. It's the key point of your SheZow power, Guy. I heard all you said... And it's really painful. I felt like being brought back to that time... But now we're going to go even further, to the ancient times. It's the story of SheZow..."
The kids stood and listened, as the computer lady began the tale.
"Long ago, thousands of years in the past, when mankind just began building its civilization, the meteorite struck the ground. It's unknown what territory it fell on, but it was quickly discovered by primal human tribes. Under the cosmic stone was the crystal. Glowing pink crystal, filled with powerful energy. In its presence, humans fell surge of great power inside. The leaders of the tribes claimed that power their possession and got themselves the pieces of the crystal. The rest was buried and its current location remains unknown. Given great strength and other superhuman abilities, the leaders began spreading their influence. And, as it always has been, when two influences reach the same border together... They clash. And so the leaders did. They fought. Lots of their people lost their lives fighting for their leaders. And only one kept the people save. A wise woman that vowed to use the crystal for good. She got tired of seeing the other leaders constantly fighting each other and called for them, pleading to stop the confrontation and unite, to stop wasting the blessing of the power on destruction... And other leaders listened. They gave up their crystals, destroying them, and proclaimed the wise woman the only worthy leader of the united human tribes. And so the woman ruled them, using the crystal power for protection. Years passed, and upon her death, the woman passed the crystal to the one she chose to be her heir - worthy person of pure heart. Thousands of years went on, and the crystal was passed on and on. Over the years, its power grew. It wasn't just giving power - it was gathering it as well. With every passing generation, the crystal contained the experience of its possessors. In times of need, it could help the user, giving them access to that experience. As the power of the crystal grew, it began to alter the appearance of the user as well, to keep their identity secret. Coincidentally, the pink glow of the crystal got associated with femininity, and most of the users were female. Thus, the crystal eventually began to give the user feminine look. The passing of the crystal became a passing of the duty of the mankind protector, the hero. One of the users eventually gave the name to this hero - SheZow. As of now, the crystal is encased in the ring, still holding the immense power of its holders, collected in millennia..."
The kids were standing still, listening and contemplating what Sheila said.
"So, that means..." Guy said after a moment of silence.
"Yes, Guy. Because you're still not able to fully control the powers of the ring, it activates them spontaneously. You acted like this in the museum because the ring inadvertently activated the past user experience in you..." Sheila said before Guy could finish.
The boy sat down on the floor, grabbing his head. He was contemplating all he heard and felt tired. So much happened in a day... So much new info... He really needed rest.
"Because of a sudden power trigger... I almost ruined the timeline..." Guy muttered. "It's so much..."
"I'm sorry, dude..." Maz sat nearby. Kelly joined the boys too.
"But in the end, you saved it" added Sheila. Guy let go of his head and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the alarm sound broke out.
"She-mergency!" Sheila reported, showing the map and some security camera footages. "There is a breakout in the local prison. The security systems were damaged and all prisoners, including meta-humans, fled, now wrecking havoc on the territory. That includes some villains we encountered before, like Coldfinger, Terra-rist, and Tara"
Guy stood up and rubbed his eyes. Then he turned and headed to the She-Cycle.
"Guy..." Kelly said with a worry in her voice, being kinda confused that her brother just stood up and went like it was nothing.
"No worries, Kelly" he said. "I came through a lot recently... But I'm a hero after all. Like aunt Agnes. Like Tara. It's gonna be fun putting the jerks back to their cells" he smiled. "I felt like rest... Well, a good bash with creeps will make a good rest! Let's go and clean up some trash! You go girl!" he transformed and jumped onto the She-Cycle, then turned to Maz and Kelly. "But unlike aunt, I have the friends and family that I'm never letting down or pushing away. Like I learned while ago - I'm not alone. Maz, are you coming? I think a fellow sidekick won't hurt on a mission like that..."
"And I thought you'll never offer this..." said Maz happily and then jumped on the She-Cycle too. "Let's go! You're gonna be amazed by the new persona I made..."
"That's my brother..." said Kelly quietly, smiling and looking at the boys.
SheZow revved up the motorcycle, and the boys started off to their mission.