Adventures in Parodyverse: Two Spirits, Part 4


    Off-Central park was a chaotic scene.  There weren’t many civilians, thankfully, because they had been cleared out by police.  But there were huge, fully grown trees lying on the ground, crowns partially crushed, like they had been ripped off of their roots and thrown.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s him again.”  the Psychic Samurai said upon her arrival in a marked police car.  She was speaking to Lara Night, who was next to her in the same car.  “The same man that crushed Hatman the last time.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you going to be okay, Jay?”  Lara whispered to Hatman’s spirit, currently sharing her body with her while his actual body was being repaired.  “This is a terrible case of deja vu.”

    I can’t believe he wasn’t caught.  Jay told Lara in her mind.  We’re going to have to remedy that this time.

    As if responding to Hatman’s thought, Chiaki quickly removed the sword from her back, gripping the handle with one hand, and the sheath with the other, prepared for action.  She ducked and took cover behind a parked police car nearby.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re a decent strategist,”  Lara said to Chiaki, “How do you think I should do this?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No matter the weight he can throw, he needs leverage,”  she guessed.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Right.  Take him off his feet.”  Lara nodded.

    It was hard to even see him through the mess of trees lying around.  Once in a while Lara could see him moving - he seemed to be wearing all black, except for something like silver lines.  He was wearing some sort of power suit, allowing him to throw around large objects.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”  Lara asked Chiaki.

    I am, Hatman responded.

    The Samurai nodded too.  “He must have a power source somewhere.  But he’s not going to let you drain it easily.”

    Lara nodded, and leapt over the hood of the car.  She could see that the man in the power suit saw her immediately, so rather than try and run toward him, she started to fly.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, don’t--”  Chiaki tried to say.  She knew the man’s suit not only gave him super-strength, but quick reactions as well.

    The man in the power suit, without speaking a word, swatted Lara Night like a fly, sending her through the air right back where she came from.  The Psychic Samurai only had a split second to vacate her hiding place before the blonde smashed into the passenger side hard enough to nearly flip the car.

    Lara then collapsed in a heap on the ground next to the car, among shattered glass and pieces of plastic.

    Lara?  Hatman’s voice asked.  Lara, are you okay?

    He knew Lara was breathing, because he was in her body too.  Her brain was okay, but had been shocked into unconsciousness.

    Wake up!  Hatman alerted her as he guessed the man in the suit was still at large, and could kill her...and him as well...if she didn’t awaken.

    Then he felt the numbness and distance from the world start to fade, and he could feel her limbs and fingers and toes.  He opened her eyes, and he could feel pain screaming from her spine and head.  No wonder she fainted.  She was hurt bad, but she healed fast - everything still seemed to be working, but was weak and sore.

    He looked up, and saw the man in the suit standing above him.  Normally he was very calm and calculated in an emergency, but there was far more at stake than ever before.  Not only had this man killed him once before, but he was about to do it again - along with poor Lara, who did nothing other than try to offer him help, at great expense to herself.

    He was angry, very angry.  He reached up with her arm, and as the man in the suit violently grabbed it, he did as Lara taught him - and unleashed all the energy that measured up to his anger.

    The Psychic Samurai screeched momentarily as the resulting explosion sent her airborne.  As she was trained, she rolled into a ball just as she landed, and tumbled.  That way much of the energy would be absorbed, and the smoking debris landed around her instead of on her.

    She looked up, and saw the smoke starting to clear.  The man in the suit was now a man in a melted suit, who would have to be treated for severe burns if he ever woke up.  Lara lay on her side a hundred yards away, unmoving.  All the grass between them was on fire, as well as several nearby trees.

    Lara’s importance that day was measured by the breadth of the entire Paradopolis Fire Department and Police Department heading to the scene.  They led a procession miles long, closing down every street between Midtown and Phantomhawk Memorial to make way for the ambulance.  She was given a police escort the entire way.

    Only this time, she awoke as the ambulance was en route to the hospital.  She looked around at the paramedic crew, and then immediately decided to make sure Hatman was okay.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Jay?”  she asked.

    There was a long silence, and then he spoke up in her mind.  I’m okay, he said.  We did it.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh good,”  Lara sighed, and then she closed her eyes again.


---


    Phantomhawk Memorial released Lara Night pretty quickly once they determined that she had no physical injuries - they had long since healed - and she was just sore and tired.  

    Jay Boaz, though, was another story.  While Lara kept drifting off to sleep she decided to give him control for a while to keep him busy.  The result was that he decided to hang around the Lair Mansion’s living room for a bit and chat with Dreamcatcher Foxglove.

    It was during that time that Ham-Boy showed up to talk about what happened during the Jet Starscream Gala that turned into a super-hero fight in Goth Haven.  That raised Jay’s mood and made him feel more energetic, which paid off when he hit Dream in the face with a couch pillow, kicking off a decent pillow fight.

    Once the two of them managed to flatten every single pillow in the living room, and Lara’s hair had become a complete mess from pillow impacts.  Dream finally sat on her, and among falling threads and feathers, turned the pillow fight into a tickle fight.

     In his own body, Jay would have put a stop to that instantly, but his own feelings and sensations were mixed a bit with Lara’s.  The result was that he experienced the tickle fight as someone who was ticklish, which he normally wasn’t - and it really was a lot of fun, and he hadn’t felt that way in a long while.

    Dream finally paused to ask her, “You know where a tickle fight like this leads, don’t you?”

    Her smile disappeared, but only because Jay was in control, and that wasn’t what he expected to hear.  “Can I um...talk with Lara for a minute?  It wouldn’t be fair for me to decide for her.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Sure,”  he said, gently kissing her just behind the ear before he stood and picked up the television remote.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lara,”  Jay whispered to his body-mate.  “This is your body, and I’ve been picking on up your thoughts and feelings, and--”

    You know I want to, she said.  That I’m really curious.

    He nodded.  “And I don’t want to be the only thing in the way.  Not after all you’ve already given up for me.  You really deserve some fun.  I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing you to live my life.”

    There were a few seconds of silence from Lara as she considered that.  Okay, but only if I do this for you, too.  You also deserve some fun.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I dunno,”  he said with a nervous sigh.  “It’s a little--”

    I know you’re scared.  Lara whispered sympathetically.  I am too.  It’s always a little scary with someone new.

    There was something reassuring about her saying that.  He closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they were under Lara’s control again.  He felt her take a deep breath, and that her heart raced from fear and excitement.  He imagined if it was his heart, he would feel much the same way.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“If you don’t want to continue,”  Lara whispered to him, “Feel free to stop me at any time.  I don’t want to hurt you, either.”

    Before Jay could respond, he and Lara both realized that Dream was only faking watching TV - he had been listening to the entire one-sided conversation.  As soon as he saw Lara rise to her feet, he snuck up behind her and lifted her into the air.  She squeaked a little out of surprise, and he laughed.


---


    Lara awoke lying on her side in her own bed, except with one surprise.  There was an arm across her, and there was no mystery who it was, though.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you awake?”  she whispered, barely audibly so she could speak to Jay.

    Yes.  He replied plainly and distantly.

    Lara could feel that he wasn’t angry, or upset.  He was very calm, but suddenly hard to read.  “What’s are you thinking?”  she asked.

    I don’t know, he said.  I stayed awake with you, like I promised.  I felt everything you did.  Now I feel like...like you’re me, and I’m you.  I can hear some of your thoughts before you say them.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That’s good.”  Lara whispered.  Then she tried thinking to him without speaking.  It means we’re integrating.  You’re getting more connected with the world.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, that’s not good.”  Faite warned them.  She had appeared in the room out of nowhere, simply stepped into the darkness.  Dream didn’t hear what she said because everything in the room besides herself and Lara has been frozen in suspended animation.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“We have to get you back to the ship now, and begin the return transfer.  We only have minutes,”  Faite said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Minutes?”  Lara and Jay asked at the same time.

    Faite nodded.  “After that, you two will become one person.  One intertwined spirit.  It will become impossible to separate the two of you again.”


TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2011 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin