by Rob Buckman
Penn pushed himself up off the floor. He felt every pain in his body. His right foot felt like a lump of dead meat at the end of his leg until he tried to stand on it. A jagged, knife like pain shot up his leg and he almost fell. Staggering upright, and with one last look over his shoulder, he slowly limped down the dimly lit tunnel. Here, the statues seemed more malevolent somehow, scowling disapprovingly down at him from their stone cold, alien faces. Dead, sightless eyes following his painful progress. The nerve-wracking sound at the edge of his hearing was back, louder now, and impossible to ignore. A few yards further on, the tunnel broadened out into a huge domed chamber with two enormous alien statues flanked either side, each holding a golden staff, upright in both, four fingered hands. As he moved closer, Penn saw some kind of shimmering barrier, or screen emanate from the staffs the statues held. The extended across the room, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, with no way around, over or under. Puzzled, he approached the barrier, seeing a shadowy reflection of himself approaching from the other side. Penn slowed to a shuffle as he approached, reaching behind him for the hilt of his knife. Gradually the figure solidified into something almost human-sized. Penn stopped and so did the figure on the other side. Penn took two steps sideways, and the figure mimicked him.
“What the hell?” He muttered, taking two steps back.
Then he laughed. It wasn't a trap. The shimmering barrier acted like a mirror and the figure he saw was himself. Moving closer a blurred reflection his face came into focus, but it wasn't a face he recognized. There was something wrong with it. Penn frowned, concentrating, but the reflection didn't mirror his expression. Penn felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong. Whatever he was looking at wasn't him. The image looked like him, dressed like him, but it was missing his injuries and fatigue. Penn slowly backed away, but instead of retreating, the figure moved toward him, passing through the barrier with no resistance. Maybe for the other Penn the barrier didn't exist. What could that mean? The thought came to him quickly. Evil. That's what he saw in the other face, pure evil. A twisted version of himself. Maybe this was what he might have become under different circumstances. Maybe this was what he was capable of. The other Penn reached behind his back and drew out an identical blade to the one he carried. In that moment, it all made sense. Here was the ultimate test. To pass, all you had to do was face the biggest monster of them all, yourself.
CHAPTER - THIRTY FIVE: …When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong just remember in the winter…
Penn felt a soul deep fear, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Was this what other people saw when he came for them? Was he this soulless killing machine without compassion or mercy? Those golden eyes seemed to bore into his soul seeking, and finding his every weakness. He saw no compassion there, no love, just hatred and death. There was no way he could fight this thing. Yet he knew he had to, if not for himself then for Ellis. Now he knew why Dana was so scared to come here. Yet Dana was already evil, so what had the other Dana looked like in the mirror? Maybe he'd seen an angel instead of a psychopath. No matter what happened here now, he was trapped forever, unable to face himself to get pass these gatekeepers. In a different situation, Penn might have laughed at the realization. Dana didn't get it, and probably never would. He thought to use Penn to kill the monster, never realizing that he was looking at the polar opposite to himself. The other Dana must have been radically different if Dana hadn’t recognized himself in the image, but none of that inside helped him a bit.
“So, you have come all this way just to die for nothing?” Penn's reflection asked with a sneer. Penn was surprised it could speak.
“What are you,” Penn asked, shaking his head to clear the cobweb out of his brain.
“Me? I'm a reflection of you, sort of. Without all the damage and hang-ups, I might add.” The laugh sounded almost cruel, belittling, as if his injuries were somehow stupid. ”Look at you, the great indestructible Penn, getting himself all busted up just for a hot piece of ass.” The reflection laughed again.
“Screw you.”
“It looks as if you are the one getting screwed. She played you like the fool you are.” Penn gritted his teeth, hunching his shoulders in anger.
“That's a lie!”
“Is it? She isn't all busted up is she? You led her here, helped her through all the traps, and for what? She's going to walk off with the prize, and leave you broken and bleeding.” The other Penn laughed out loud. ”And what did you get out of it, beside being beaten to a pulp, and dying from a gangrenous leg. A roll in the hay and fuck a tight piece of ass?” Everything the other Penn said was true but twisted.
In a way, the others words calmed him. A few days ago, they might have had some power over him, but he was past that now. He'd left self-doubt and the fear of betrayal somewhere behind him. He didn't for a moment question Ellis's motives, or her loyalty, but that was the key. This other Penn, this oddly distorted version of himself was using words as he used a knife, to make his opponent's soul bleed.
“Was she worth is Penn? Was she worth a quick fuck? Bet's she's a hot little bitch when she gets going, like a ten credit dockside whore, moaning a sighing and pretending you're such hot stuff in bed.”
“You rotten piece of shit…” Penn grabbed his emotion, forcing then back down. This is what 'it' wanted him to do, lose control.
Penn shuffled forward to meet his fate. Words weren't going to resolve this, just action. The moment he moved, the other Penn danced quickly forward, his blade twinkling in the dim light as it cut a gash across his wounded leg. Penn skipped back, hissing in pain, and hobbling in a circle to his left to try and protect his right leg. They began the thrust and parry, but each movement drained more of his failing strength. His body felt slow and clumsy, with none of his usual quickness. His reflection was too much for him. Each time they disengaged, Penn was bleeding from another cut. Even when he squeezed down on his stomach muscles, his combat speed and reflexes were barely able to match his other self. In their movement back and forth, they'd moved closer to Dana and Ellis, and he realized that Dana was screaming something at him.
“Kill it Penn! Kill that thing and I'll let your bitch go!”
“Yes, kill me so you can save Ellis!” His reflection mimicked. ”Kill me so your little whore can use you again.” He laughed.
“Go to hell!” Penn yelled.
“Just think. You are going to die trying to save her. Not for the people of Earth, not for some grand ideal, simply for piece of ass. How pathetic is that.” The mirror image made what he and Ellis had sound dirty. "And, best of all, she's going to watch me slice you into dogs meat."
“What are you willing to die for?” Penn asked in retaliation.
“Me? I'm not going to die for anything. My prize is that I get to live.” Penn's reflection's face pulled into a nasty smile.
“What?”
“You are so stupid. The moment you die, I start to live. I become you… well sort of you. The galaxy is a wonderful place, and I want to explore it.”
“Not going to happen, IMPSEC and the Director will be all over you like stink of shit if you get off this rock!”
“Not a problem. I'll go to work for them, willingly this time, and reap all the benefits.” He laughed.
“But what about the…”
“The people on Earth?” The sneering contempt the other's voice cut like his blade. ”I don't give a shit about them or that pathetic planet.” He threw it in Penn's face like an insult.
It was a losing battle. This ruined Penn knew everything he did, every thought, memory, and action. With no compulsion to save, and protect the rest of humanity. Penn felt his twin's blade once more, cutting across his other thigh this time. His reflection knew everything Penn did about knife fighting. They thrust and parried, back and forth across and along the tunnel, Penn feeling his strength ebbing like an outgoing tide as he died the death of a thou
sand cuts. Soon there would be nothing left to fight with. At last, it dawned on him that his twin was toying with him, drawing the fight out when he could have ended it so many times, and getting stronger as he got weaker. He was enjoying this, enjoying cutting him to shreds, seeing the blood flow, hearing his gasps of pain as he came down wrong on his bad foot.
“You are so pathetic. You can't even protect the woman you say you love.” The reflection laughed as he danced in and cut Penn again. “Once I'm done with you, I'm going to take her from Dana, and use her myself like the whore she is.”
“You asshole!” Fury gripped Penn and he lunged into an attack. The pain forgotten, but soon his meager reserve of energy dissipated and he staggered away from the cutting blade.
“I'm going to make the bitch really moan, and show her what a real man is like.” The other Penn laughed. "After I finish with her, I'll probably slit her throat just to put her out of her misery, or maybe pimp her out doing what she’s good at, fucking for money."
He couldn't win. Even the thought of what this monster would do to Ellis drained his spirit. There has to be another way. His mind raced. This was nothing more than a trap like the others. Together, he and Ellis had found a way around, or defeated all the others, so there had to be a way to defeat this one. Fighting this other Penn wasn't the answer, so what was? Then he had it. He threw his knife to side, sending it ringing, and clattering down the tunnel.
“You win, I surrender.” Penn leaned against the base of a nearby statue, panting for breath, the pain in his gangrenous leg overwhelming his senses.
CHAPTER - THIRTY SIX:
“What?” Penn laugh sounded like a sob, as he saw the look of outrage on his reflection's face.
“I said you win. I can't beat you no matter how hard I try. You are me and I am you, so go ahead and kill me. I surrender.”
“Pick up your blade you pathetic piece of shit! We'll finish this when I say.”
“No. I won't fight you anymore.”
“You have to… I will kill you, then her if you don't…”
“So go ahead.” At that moment, he was past caring.
“Fight damn you!” The twin screamed. He leapt forward, slashing. The blade cut across Penn's chest, just enough to slice through the fabric of his shirt and skin. A burning line formed across Penn chest, but it wasn't deep, and he hardly felt it compared to the pain in his leg and soul. Dark red blood welled out of the cut and down his chest, mingling with the rest.
“Go ahead, do whatever you want, I will not fight you.” Penn's knees bucking for a moment until he pushed himself upright.
“You have to…”
“No I don't. Killing should be the last resort, not the first.”
“Then I will kill you.” The other Penn snarled, and stepped toward him.
“You might, but that doesn't frighten me. Failing does. That is the key, isn't it?”
“What?” The other Penn stopped, looking confused.
“'The only thing to fear is fear itself'.” Penn laughed, thinking of a book he'd read a long time ago. It all made sense now. “I never understand until now what that really meant. I don't really fear dying. Everyone dies. What I fear is failure. Failure to save Ellis, failure to save the people of Earth. I am just one man, and I know now that I can fail.”
“Damn you…” The other Penn spat. Penn pushed himself off the statue and took a step toward his reflection. Something else occurred to him then.
“You want to be me?” He asked. “Then take it all before you kill me, take my memories, take my grief for the people I lost, take my hopes and fear. Take it all!” He screamed in the other Penn's face. Penn's twin hissed through his teeth and slashed Penn across the forearm, but his knife didn't cut, instead he grabbed his own forearm, moaning in pain.
Blood welled up between his fingers and the cut meant for Penn ended up on his own arm instead. Penn took another step forward and his reflection took a step back. With each step, another cut appeared on the other Penn's body as the one on Penn's vanished. Within ten steps, the second Penn was covered in bleeding cuts, his face drawn, and haggard with fatigue. The mirror Penn had said he wanted his life, now he had it, and all the pain and suffering that went with it.
“How does it feel to be me?” Penn rolled his shoulders, feeling better. The dawning realization of what was happening slowly spread across the other Penn's face.
“Damn you! Damn you to hell! “Kill me!” He screamed, but Penn just shook his head.
“I won't. To do that would make me no better than you. Go in peace back to wherever hell you came from.”
With that, the now shrunken copy of the real Penn let out a long sob. He knew he'd lost, backing away, limping his painful way back into the shadows. As he touched the barrier, his death scream echoed down the tunnel as he vanished in a flash of light. It all made sense. The other Penn had become him, so much so that he could not pass the energy barrier. Penn turned back to Dana, confident and calm.
“So, what are you going to do now?
“What… what…? I don't understand.” Dana stammered as the frightening specter of a living Penn came limping toward him.
“I can't save you from yourself, Dana. Only you can do that.”
“There has to be another way around…” Penn shook his head. He smiled down at Ellis.
“You can stay here, go back, or face the gatekeeper.” Dana trembled, his eyes flicking this way and that.
“I don't think you have long to make up your mind, Dana.”
“Why?” Penn stood there, still in pain, but almost relaxed now, seeing what Dana hadn't. Behind him, a group of wire-thin tentacles lifted into the air, coiling back like snakeheads. Dana screamed in pain and terror as they struck, some punching into his body, other wrapping themselves around him in a deadly embrace.
Hobbled forward, Penn took the control unit from Dana's suddenly nerveless fingers, ignoring the deadly tentacles, and Dana's plea for help. Any thought of hurting Ellis vanished the moment the jet-black tentacles wrapped themselves around him.
“Penn!” He screamed at last as the tentacles tightened.
Penn eyed him dispassionately as he loosened the control collar and tossed the control unit to Ellis, doubting he could help him anyway. Like Zinary in the entryway, he probably couldn't cut the tentacles, and unlike Sartac, Dana didn't deserve mercy, remembering the sick smile on Dana's face as Sartac sank into the mud that first week. Being sucked down into the mud wasn’t Sartac’s fear, it was Dana’s wish that he die horribly for some slight or insult back in the shuttle bay. The moment the control unit skidded across the floor to her Ellis scooped it up and triggered the collar to release. Standing, she tossed it in Dena's face.
“Here asshole, you might need this.” She spat, rubbing her sore throat.
Dena's mouth opened but no sound came out. The tentacles lifted him off the floor and dragged him slowly backward, Dana couldn't even scream. The vision of that waiting for him at the other end of the tunnel froze his mouth and soul. Ellis pulled Penn into his arms, lifting and hugged him as he buried his face into her neck.
“So damn tired,” he muttered.
“Now we know what the monster was searching for.”
“Yeah, I'm so glad they found each other at last.” Arms around each other, they walked slowly toward the last barrier, hearing Dana scream at last as the monster began to devour him.
“Can't help you with this, my love.” Penn said tiredly, nodding toward at the shimmering barrier.
“I know.” Helping him over to the foot of a statue, she gave him a quick kiss. The back of her hand brushing the side of his face before stepped boldly forward to meet her fate. With a sigh, Penn sank to the floor, content to watch, fear for Ellis gone. She would face her fear, whatever it was.
CHAPTER - THIRTY SEVEN:
Ellis stood there looking at her other self beyond the barrier. After seeing what Penn went through, she wondered if she could face what she saw. Her stomach tightened in
nervous anticipation, a disconnected tentacle of fear worming its way through her brain. Unlike Penn, she didn't have a stoic acceptance of death. She wanted to live, wanted to feel Penn's arms about her, enjoy their lovemaking, walk with him in the sun, but most of all she wanted to have his children. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back from the barrier, drawing the other Ellis with her until it was on this side. To her surprise, she found the other Ellis holding a baby. They stood facing at each other, and she wondered what this copy of her thought. Probably the same thoughts as her. As Penn had found, it would know and understand what she wanted and hoped for, what she feared the most. Was this other Ellis like Penn's alter ego, evil and unfeeling? Or was she something else.
“Hello,” she said at last.
“Hello to you as well.”
“So what do we do, fight?” Ellis asked, balled her fists in anticipation.
“If that is what you want.” The other Ellis cocked her head slightly to one side before looking down at the sleeping baby, and softly stroking one pink cheek, her finger a light as thistledown.