Watchdogs of the ARK

Eye for an Eye

Within the next 24 hours, the Black Arms arrive.

Just as Silver hoped, their mother ship, which is merely a contaminated comet, is blown to bits by the Eclipse Cannon before it can land. The blast creates a massive rumble through out the entire space colony, with the weapon having a mind of it's own, now that AI Rouge has been given so much power. Despite a predicted and perhaps instantaneous victory, Shadow is still prepared to fight. He knows Black Doom can't be defeated that easily... can he?

AI Rouge appears, in flight, hovering a few feet away from Shadow.

"Black Arms presence detected on the Highway in the Sky, exterior scan indicates a survivor," AI Rouge informs Shadow, as he and Infinite take refuge in the Control Room.

"Black Doom," Shadow concludes.

"How do you know it's Black Doom himself? It might be a minion or a straggler," Infinite suggests.

"Don't assume the best, Jackal," Shadow replies.

The lights begin to flicker. AI Rouge falls to the floor, landing hard on her stomach, seeming so real. Shadow reaches for her.

"Rouge? What's going on?"

"Power shortage, emergency generators offline," AI Rouge warns, reaching for Shadow. "The cannon... it's drained me... brace yourselves, loves!"

She sighs and slumps, as though she's died! Before they can react, she glitches out of sight.

WARP. Shadow transforms into Black Doom! Infinite gasps and steps back, summoning his attire in a flash. Furiously, he raises his sword and demands...

"Black Doom! What have you done with Shadow?!"

"Fool!" Black Doom billows. "I've traded places with him. A body displacement, a teleportation. You know all about that, don't you, Zero?"

Infinite swiftly levitates and skillfully swings his sword. Black Doom Chaos Controls, dodging the blow. Upon reappearing behind the jackal, Doom telepathically grabs Infinite by the head and fills the room with a dark energy. As though he's been shot with a sleeping dart, Infinite lets his weapon go and floats gracelessly to the floor, landing similarly to the way AI Rouge landed. He trembles, poisoned by the toxic fog, unable to produce even the smallest of sounds, including a cry for help.

Meanwhile, on the highway, AI Rouge holograms and forces herself to weakly stand before a very confused Shadow.

"What the?! Rouge!"

"Shadow! Black Doom switched spots with you! He's in the Control Room! Hurry!"

Charged with adrenaline, Shadow Chaos Controls back to the Control Room, but is unable to enter and finds himself in the hallway instead.

"Grah! Why didn't it work?! Open the door, Rouge!" he commands.

The lights go out.

"I can't!" he hears AI Rouge cry. "There's a power failure in all central sectors, I repeat, power failure in all central sectors."

"Black out," Shadow grunts, then speaks into the communicator on his wrist. "Infinite, I'm locked out of the Control Room. Chaos Control is no good. You still in there? Answer me now!"

Nothing, except for... Doom's Eye, which floats up to Shadow and stares at him, fully restored with a yellow iris.

"Shadow," it says in a demon-like whisper. "I've much to say to you."

Shadow tries to swat Doom's Eye away, but dark energy extends onto him, putting him into a trance. His eyes become wide as he slumps to his knees, staring into Doom's Eye and shivering.

"I won't kill you. I've killed other versions of you and that was for the best. You, however, I believe, suffer more by being immortal... by living on. What torture you've found in what was meant to be my gift to you. An ungrateful turncoat you turned out to be, like most of the other Shadows. Only one thing makes you memorable and that's you're longing for companionship. A sharp sidekick, is that what you always wanted? Or maybe a sweet girl to talk to at night, one with long hair that you can braid when you feel afraid? How utterly childish of you to project these desires onto a disregarded war-mutt."

Shadow tries to fight Black Doom's spell by attempting to speak.

"How... your eye..."

"Regenerated, at a price."

"What? What did you..."

"See for yourself."

Black Doom's powers continue to stall the fervent warrior, making his speed lag and his mind fog. The door opens. Shadow does his best to hurry into the Control Room, which is lit well by the rainbow of wisps still soaring outside, near the transparent outer wall. But a dark void clouds in the center of the room, and as it subsides, Shadow sees Infinite, who sits disoriented on the floor, holding his head. The door behind Shadow slides shut and locks. They're both trapped.

"Infinite, get up!" Shadow commands as he attempts to zoom to help his friend stand, but Black Doom materializes between them. In the blink of an eye, he extracts and breaks down Infinite's plasmic armor, then uses it to create an invisible barrier that repels Shadow into a corner.

The monster then lifts his creepy, three-fingered hand to telepathically manifest a series of black waves, which begin swirling around both him and Infinite. Shadow, now encapsulated, gets a good look at Black Doom. The alien's center eye is restored, with a blue iris. His starfish-like, floating self appears and gazes at Shadow. The duplicated presence Black Doom in both bodily formations flagellates the alien's doubled voice.

"Look into my eyes, Shadow. Tell me what you see."

"Screw you!" Shadow replies, pounding the glass-like blockade.

"Do it!" Black Doom roars, using dark energy to painfully stun Shadow into looking at both Doom and Doom's Eye.

"Ugh, I see a tyrant, a monster! Someone I would never align myself with, someone I hate, an evil demon from the bowels of some god-awful universe I hope never to visit."

"Of course that's what you see," Black Doom replies.

He then lifts his other hand toward Infinite, causing the mask to crumble right off the jackal's face.

"Arg, Shadow, where are you?" Infinite calls out. He looks around, unable to visually locate Shadow... or anything at all.

"I'm here, Infinite!"

Infinite tries to get up but maneuvers into a wave of darkness. Weakened, he stumbles over his fragmented helmet. Shadow's heart sinks.

"No. No, you... you blinded her," Shadow realizes.

"You blinded me!" Black Doom replies. "I only took back what you gouged."