"The Penultimate Confrontation"
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Earp muttered as the Shade stared. “Alan, what are you doing?” he asked. Beside Quartermain, a small man with graying red hair gaped before he regained his composure. “Stop them!” Degaton screeched. Quartermain raised his rifle and targeted the Shade. “Die for Degaton!” he ordered as he pulled the trigger. The bullet vanished in an inky pool that formed before the Shade. “Alan, that was most unwise,” the Shade said as he started forward. “Most unwise indeed.” Earp let out a yell as an invisible fist struck him. He fired at where it had come from, only to have the bullet whiz through empty space and shatter a vase across the hall. “Where are you?” he demanded. Greystoke sniffed the air. He’d removed his jacket, tie, shirt, and shoes and was crouching like an animal. His lip curled as he caught the scent. “I have him,” he growled and ran forward, targeting the invisible man. Bette watched as Greystoke dashed down the hall, in pursuit of a man whose only location could only be detected by the sound of bare feet slapping on the tile. An Indian man in an ornate turban stepped forward. “Madame, our master has spoken. You must die.” He pulled a large sword and assumed a fencing pose. Bette snatched a sword from the wall and assumed the same pose. She was already sweating. If I ever get back home, fencing lessons are definitely in the future, she thought. Earp turned to see the hulking Mr. Hyde starting toward him. “Oh, great,” he said as he raised his pistols. “I don’t guess telling you to stop would do any good.” Hyde smiled and shook his head no. “I can’t believe I left my nice quiet gold claim for this,” he grumbled as he started firing. The Shade turned his head as the pale woman removed her veil. “Mina, not you, too,” he said. Mina Harker smiled, exposing her vampiric fangs. “Indeed, my dear Mr. Black.” Suddenly the Shade smiled. “Then I am pleased I prepared for you.” A white blur shot past him and tackled Mina, forcing her to the ground. “Hello, Mina,” the Shade’s servant said. His blond hair had come free of its ponytail and now only contributed to his wild look. “Lestat,” Mina said. “This is a surprise.” ”But a pleasant one, I’m sure,” Lestat said. He picked Mina up and threw her into the ceiling, then launched himself after her. Greystoke leaped and brought down his invisible prey. The invisible man hit the tile hard, forcing the air from his lungs. As he fought for breath, he drove a fist into Greystoke’s face. Ignoring the blood dripping from his nose, Greystoke smiled. Kneeling on his fallen foe to keep the man pinned down, Greystoke raised his head and let out a jungle yell. Still smiling, he lowered his head and looked the invisible man in the eye, almost as if he could see him. The invisible man let out a gasp as he looked down. A few drops of Greystoke’s blood had landed on his chest. He was marked. The Shade returned his attention to Alan Quartermain. “Now that little distraction is gone,” he began. “Stop this. I will not warn you again.” Quartermain responded by raising his rifle and firing again. A black pool formed before the Shade and swallowed the bullet. An arm-like extension stretched out and slapped the rifle away from Quartermain. Quartermain responded by drawing a knife and diving at the Shade. More shadowy tendrils seized Quartermain’s arms and legs. The Shade stepped forward as the knife clattered to the floor. “I don’t enjoy this, Alan,” the Shade said, looking into the rage-crazed face of his friend. “I’m not going to hurt you. My pets will simply keep you out of trouble.” Bette jumped as Nemo slashed at her legs. “You are quite talented,” he said with a slight nod (which he accomplished without taking his eyes off of her). “With some training, you might even prove to be a worthy opponent for me.” Bette smirked and thanked her lucky stars again that the Shade had managed to get her pants and shoes for this little adventure instead of the traditional dress and high-heeled shoes. “You never know,” she said. “Maybe I’ll surprise you.” “My dear,” Nemo said. “I have seen wonders of the deep you could never comprehend. I very much doubt that you can surprise me.” The swords clanged together as Bette (luckily) parried Nemo’s thrust. As the blades pressed together, Bette saw Nemo focusing on her. She quickly ducked and drove her foot into his lower leg. Nemo’s knee buckled, throwing him off-balance for a moment. One punch later and Nemo lay on the floor. ”Very well done,” the Shade said from behind her as Bette shook her hand. “I’m going to have to remember to wear my gloves when I do that,” she muttered. “You’ve stopped Quartermain?” ”He is out of danger,” the Shade replied. “HELP!” they heard from down the hall. They turned to see Wyatt Earp throwing his empty pistols at Mr. Hyde. “If any of you have any ideas, now would be a great time!” Hyde vanished in a pool of black. “Consider him stopped,” the Shade said as he and Bette approached him. Shadow tendrils reached out from the Shade and returned Earp’s pistols to him. “Reload quickly, old friend,” the Shade said. “We have to stop Ms. Kane’s Degaton.” “What about the others?” Bette asked as they hurried down the hallway. “Lord Greystoke and Monsieur Lestat should have no problems,” the Shade said, allowing a small smile to cross his face. The Shade’s shadows threw the doors open to the royal bedroom, where Degaton stood with a pistol aimed at the drugged king’s head. “Stay back!” Degaton yelled. “This has to be done! The world will be perfect!” Bette slipped a line of cord out of her pocket and threw it. The makeshift lasso easily circled around Degaton’s wrist. Bette pulled and the pistol went off, burrowing the bullet deep into the wall above the king. “Get back!” Degaton screamed. “You can’t stop this!” ”My dear Mr. Degaton,” the Shade said in a slippery tone. “We already have.” Degaton’s eyes went wide as he heard a click beside his head. “I’d drop that if I were you,” Earp advised. Degaton dropped his pistol. Earp lowered his from the side of Degaton’s head, but still kept it aimed at him. “It appears we are victorious,” the Shade said. He turned and saw Greystoke drop a carpet with a man-shaped lump in the middle of it. “Have I missed the excitement?” Greystoke asked. “I’m afraid so,” the Shade said. “We’ve won.” Greystoke nodded. “And the king?” ”Alive, although I believe he will be most perplexed when he sees the state of his palace in the morning,” the Shade said. “What about your servant?” Bette asked. “Lestat? He’s not my servant. More like a secret weapon.” Just then the wall exploded as Mina Harker flew through it. Lestat stood on the other side. “And here he is now,” the Shade said. “Let us gather Alan’s comrades and we will return them to their magnificent ship. Then we shall adjourn as well.” Two hours later, the Shade’s team (minus Lestat, who had vanished somewhere along the way) had returned to Timothy Cratchitt’s estate. It was short work for Bette to convince Degaton to open another time portal – this one back to her proper time. After quick goodbyes to the others, the Shade stepped up to her. “Well, Ms. Kane. It appears I owe you my thanks. Will we meet again?” ”Yes,” Bette replied with a smile. “Unfortunately, it will be in the middle of one of your battles with a Ludlow.” The Shade frowned. “I had hoped that I would have had that clan wiped out, given a hundred years.” His face returned to its normal mysterious smile. “I hope that we shall encounter each other again after you return. I would like to let you see my Opal and enjoy some of its coffee.” “Count on it,” Bette said. She looked toward the time portal. “I’ll see you in about a hundred years.” The Shade kissed her hand. “I look forward to it,” he said. Then Bette pushed Degaton through the portal… …and she was back on the plane. “Ma’am?” a stewardess asked. “We’re preparing for landing. Please fasten your seat belt.” ”Sure,” Bette said. She looked around the cabin as the belt clicked shut. Degaton was gone. She smiled as she remembered where they were landing. She just hoped she could get another ticket. The Shade hurried to his front door (well, as much as he ever hurried). This was the first time in years that his doorbell had rung. Well, except for those Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he doubted they’d be brave enough to try again. He opened the door and a smile crossed his face. “Hi, Mr. Black,” Bette said. “I believe you promised me a cup of coffee.” ”Indeed I did,” the Shade said as his shadows gathered his hat, cane, and smoked glasses. “And I always keep my promises.” The two walked out of the Shade’s home into the sunshine. The End... Previous Issue | Next Issue |
