Note from Author.
**WARNING**
This story is a work of fiction and does CONTAIN ADULT & VIOLENT SITUATIONS. Some of the characters USE COARSE LANGUAGE. Please be aware of that before you read this story.
Due to the very generous nature of a couple of special people, my latest endeavor has been edited. As I said I'm not a professional, I like to do this for fun.
So I would like to thank Mr. Mike Regan, Mr. Evan Mayerle, and Mr. David White for taking their time to help me make this a better story.
Thanks guys.
*Author's note: Tabitha in Eric's timeline is about 3 and Sabrina is 22 in this time line and story Tabitha is 6 and Sabrina is 25. *
****Disclaimer****
All characters that appear in this story that have appeared or have been mentioned in "Sabrina On Line the comic strip" by Eric Schwartz are the copyright of E.S. Productions & Eric Schwartz and are used with his permission.
The characters Chris Foxx and Dexter are the copyright of Chris Yost and are used with his permission.
Character Thomas Woolfe is the copyright of Michael Higgs.
Character Lee Evans copyright of Mr. Evan Mayerle.
The characters Max The Black Rabbit & Zig Zag are the copyright of Malcolm Earle and are used with his permission.
Other characters mentioned in this work of fiction are the creations, ideas and situations of the writer.
This story is based on Copyrighted characters and situations created by Mr. Eric Schwartz, Chris Yost and Malcolm Earle but is not intended to represent or be a part of the Sabrina On Line Universe Created and drawn by E.W.S. Or the Sabrina Online Story written by Chris Yost and Sabrina At Algonquin. Written and drawn by Malcolm Earle A.K.A Max The Black Rabbit.
Chapter 11: Aftermath…( What to do now? )
Ti's eyes burned with fires of hate as she tore across the room towards her quarry. Mother had no choice but to brace herself against Ti's impending collision. Mother's mind cleared of all the chaos around her and readied herself for a one on one battle. She knew her training and exceptional speed should prove superior to Ti's brute strength. However, the impact hurt more than she expected and she knew in an instant that something had broken. Ti's blow carried them both sprawling backwards into the kitchen, upsetting chairs and the dining room table. Mothers grip on her pistol loosened and it fell from her paw and out of reach. The fall, however, left her in a better position to rise than Ti and she was quick to her feet. She coughed and gagged as the skunk's spray began to affect her. With quick observation, she saw that this escapade was lost and she had to flee. She cursed her stupidity. To her right was the closest door leading outside, to a patio. She bolted towards it but Ti was hot on her trail.
Outside, Ti was only able to trip Mother, not pin her as she would have liked. Mother recovered her balance then sped away quickly, thinking that there had to be an escape route but instead running into a fenced off corner. She was about to jump it but something took over her rational thoughts; primal instincts and the smell of Ti's blood on her fur drove her to turn and face her oncoming attacker. Fury filled her senses with the spirits of her ancestors; it was a fight she was going to enjoy for she knew that only one of them would be victorious.
Ti came to a quick halt, for now she saw that Mother had turned to face her. It wasn't a good sign. A trapped animal is a very dangerous creature and now a very powerful one stood before her. The scent of blood weighed heavy in the air, her blood. Ti wasn't sure whether to flee or to stay. However the decision wasn't hers to make. Mother launched a full assault, striking hard and fast with both feet and claws. Ti immediately went on the defensive. Each strike of Mothers razor sharp talons tore and cut into Ti's tender flesh and fur. To Ti every movement was a struggle, her prior wounds were affecting her too much for her to fight effectively. Blood dripped down into Ti's eyes from a deep wound on her head, blurring her vision. Ti however got a hold of one of Mother's legs as she leapt over her. She was able to swing her around and throw Mother's surprised form against the hard wooden fence. However that didn't stop her; she rose with lightning speed to continue striking with agility that Ti didn't have. Suddenly Mother's attacks became different, Ti observed. She was now playing with her kill. She struck slowly and easily avoided Ti's clumsy and pathetic attacks. Ti now wished that she had let her go, she was no match for Mother. Her strength failing her, Ti fell to her knees, her energy depleted. She had one last desperate try in her. She only hoped she could remain conscious long enough because her vision was blurring and her heart was skipping beats. She wavered back and forth; it wasn't a good sign but it was having a beneficial side effect. Mother, who was now lost in the ecstasy of the battle, drew closer. Confident in her victory and her cautiousness forgotten but her curiosity still remained; it was her undoing.
Closer, Ti prayed, for time was not on her side. Mother moved in but she was taking her time. Ti's patience had almost run out. Her time arrived; it was fast and neat. Ti put all her energy into one last blow catching Mother by complete surprise, connecting with the right side of her knee. The force of the impact shattered the leg instantly with a horrible crunching and snapping sound; then quickly continued onward to the second. Mother screamed as she fell to the ground, her legs grotesquely twisted between flesh and bone. Mother's screams echoed into the wind and continued on and on. She wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon.
However, Ti quickly forgot about Mother for she had her own problems; she was bleeding heavily. The open wounds that adorned her body had stained her bright white fur a sickening red. Ti's vision wavered; she tried to move but her body was depleted of all energy. There was a flash of something that moved across her vision; then there was silence. The screaming had suddenly stopped and now the ground was so much closer that she almost collided with it. But something, no, someone stopped her.
"Ti can you hear me?" It was Kathren.
"Mother, look out." She managed to say, her voice almost inaudible.
"That bitch isn't going anywhere, you saw to that." Kathren knew the power behind such a blow, that could shatter bone.
"I don't feel so well." Ti said in excruciating pain, she moaned and threw up. Her world began to spin faster and faster in front of her; then everything went black.
"Hang in there, girl; help is on its way." Ti's body slumped in Kathren's mighty arms. The adrenaline had run its course; now her body collapsed into unconsciousness. Kathren only hoped the paramedics arrived in time. The wounds that Ti had suffered were severe and she couldn't understand how Ti had stayed alive this long.
The others rushed out with blankets and towels. The guards had been taken care of, now completely unconscious and tied up. Kathren gently put Ti on the ground and Swallow wept at the sight. Ti's body was a mass of cuts and open wounds; she was soaked in her own blood and the sight made Swallow feel like vomiting. Mother had done this; this was Mother's doing and now Swallow was angry, horrified and sad all at once. Something came over Swallow at that moment, a feeling of surety and purpose that had been missing in her life up to that point. Never before had she felt this sure and confident, this time she knew what to do. It was time for this madness to end.
Swallow walked slowly over to the motionless body of Mother, it still lived she discovered. It was a monstrosity of genetics and Swallow hated it. She kicked at it but nothing happened; Mother felt nothing but Swallow still wanted her to suffer. She came back to Kathren's side; she was applying bandages to Ti's wounds with the help of the others.
Swallow touched Kathren on the shoulder and she looked up at her. "You must move her for me." Swallow said to Kathren in a kind but stern quiet voice.
"What?"
"Mother." She pointed, " Is much too awkward for me to move."
"Swallow I….."
"You must take Mother down to the basement." Kathren looked into Swallow's eyes and saw that this wasn't just any request; there was something else. "Do it now before the police arrive." To Kathren this wasn't a good time but she wasn't in the mood to argue, she left Ti's side and was quickly replaced by Sabrina. Kathren picked up the broken form that was once Mother. Kathren had given her a couple of punches that must have certainly smashed her rib cage into fragments. No one threatened Margrette or her family!
As they walked past Ti Swallow spoke, "Will she live?" Swallow asked with great concern.
"I don't know, she's taken a horrible beating and has lost a lot of blood, I'm unsure why she's still alive now."
Swallow sighed but kept quiet as she walked down the stairs to the basement. They tied mother up to Swallows satisfaction then hurried back upstairs.
The house suddenly filled with the sound of a deep thrumming sound as they entered the living room. It was coming from outside, sounding like it was in the front yard. Kathren cautiously peeked out of the front window and her eyes grew wide as she saw the spectacle unfolding outside. Three very large military helicopters were hovering in front of the house. Someone in the first of the two black vans parked on the street popped out of the side door and fired an automatic weapon at one of the black helicopters, without doing too much damage. It turned and unleashed a sustained volley of gunfire from its two Vulcan rapid-fire machineguns. The destruction and carnage was total, the vans and their occupants were reduced to a lead contaminated smoking ruin. Kathren and Swallow ran outside to the back patio and yelled for everyone to get down. Everyone hit the ground as the vans exploded, blowing a large hole in the living room wall. Seconds later a squad of commandos rushed through the hole and into the house. They quickly moved to the patio, their weapons pointed at everyone. With practiced efficiency they covered the entire house and patio in seconds. All the while the others cowered on the ground in terror.
One of the commandos had some sort of device and was searching the area. Another, a raccoon, trained his weapon on Swallow who was closest and screamed, "Where is she!?!"
Swallow shaking in terror, squeaked out, "She… escaped after we sprayed her and her guards."
The commando yelled back, "Guards? Who escaped?"
"She was going to kill us all, we sprayed and then there was a fight. Some of us are hurt bad, dying maybe. Mother escaped…" Swallow lied even with her life on the verge of being extinguished, she lied. Something had definitely changed within Swallow.
"Who the hell is Mother?" He now was confused, " We're looking for Ezmerelda Caliban. We tracked her here, where is she?"
"Ezzy?" Swallow tried to think, it was hard, the noise, the guns, it was all too much and she passed out.
The commando with the device suddenly stopped above Endora, "Lieutenant! She's over here!"
The commando was about to bend down to see to the skunk femme but turned instead and ran to Endora, his gun pointed at her head. Endora was on her belly, curled protectively over Ezzy using her body as a shield. "Don't you dare hurt her!!" she screamed.
The lieutenant suddenly stopped and looked around. He then lowered his weapon, "Stand down, secure the perimeter and get the medics in here, now!" The furs lowered their weapons and one used a radio to call in the medics. The lieutenant raccoon bent down beside Endora and set his weapon on the floor next to him. "Ma'am, we are not here to hurt her, we are here to help her." Just then a medic arrived carrying a large plastic case. He opened it up and it proved to be some sort of scaled down medical device with a cushion in the middle of it. The lieutenant placed a hand on Endora's shoulder, "Please Ma'am, let us help her."
Endora uncurled and moved to allow them access to the tiny prone form of Ezzy. The medic produced a flat board and gently moved Ezzy onto it then transferred her unconscious body to the cushion in the case. The medic, a mixed breed canine, pulled out a set of goggles and a pair of gloves and made a gesture with his hands and two tiny mechanical arms sprang from the case and hovered over Ezzy. The medic then began moving his hands and the two miniature mechanical arms moved exactly as he did. After testing them, he went in and began examining Ezzy with extreme delicacy using the arms. After doing a pulse and blood pressure check, the arms gently felt along her limbs looking for broken bones or trauma, he then inserted a microscopic needle into her arm and started an IV. The tiny arms then moved to her eyes. Endora sucked in a breath and held it as the arms carefully lifted her eyelids and shined a light into them one at a time. She exhaled when they finished and moved to complete the examination.
"That is amazing, I've never seen anything like this." Endora said as she watched. The others gathered round watching the procedure as well. Kathren picked up Swallow and took her to one of the bedrooms then returned.
"Yes, it is. Ezmerelda's father invented it. He gave it to us when we started looking for her in case she was hurt, sorry to say he was right. I'm glad we have it." The soldier went back looking at the monitors that were connected to the device.
Endora sat back a minute and looked around. Troops were everywhere she looked. From where she sat she could see into the living room and to the outside world where there used to be a wall. She covered her mouth knowing how much this damage was all going to cost. She could see the helicopters landing and troops examining the smoldering remains of Mother's vans and her well ventilated and lead poisoned goons. She turned her head and behind her see two medics were madly working on Ti trying to stabilize her. Please God don't let her die, she prayed silently then focused on the lieutenant and asked, "Who are you guys and why are you here. Is Ezzy part of the government or something? Good Lord, what is going on? How did you find her?" Endora stood up and brushed her fur to make herself presentable. Kathren who had just checked in with the medics now moved over to see if Endora was ok.
The Lieutenant knew he didn't have to tell this female anything but due to the circumstances he thought they at least owed them an explanation. "Her father implanted a tracking device in Ezzy's tail a few years ago. She is tiny and so easy to get lost or abducted, he had it put in once they were made small enough. We can track her anywhere in the world using GPS satellites." The lieutenant smiled up at Endora and continued, "No, Ezzy isn't a part of the government, she is an author."
Endora blinked at him a second, Kathren put her hands on her hips and said, "An author? You have got to be kidding, no writer would qualify for all this. Tom Clancy wouldn't rate this, let alone that young girl."
"The author of 'Soldiers of Freedom' would. You see, we are all big fans of Ezzy's series of books and when her father called and said she was in trouble, we jumped at the chance to help."
Kathren's jaw almost hit the floor, "Soldiers of Freedom? Ezzy, that tiny and fragile thing wrote that series…oh my god…"
Endora looked at Kathren, " Ok, what is Soldiers of Freedom?"
The lieutenant spoke up, "Only the best military action novel series ever written, the military had to make a lot of changes after that book came out because she had exposed a lot of weak points in the military structure and guessed right on a lot of top secret projects. It caused quite a stir and it started a lot of positive changes in the military. Needless to say we came when her father called, it is the least we could do."
"Yeah I've seen it, the guys have a lot of copies of it at the gym. I've read some of it, not bad." The lieutenant took a bit of offence but he wasn't going to argue with someone the size of Kathren. Kathren stared at Ezzy, letting the idea set in. All she could do was shake her head.
The police and the ambulance arrived soon after, no wonder, major explosions and dead people everywhere …yup that would do it. The lieutenant explained to the police about the vans and the rescue operation. Moments later the medics carried Ti out to one of the helicopters followed by Ezzy, still in the miniature examination room. They were airlifting them to Mercy General and they would follow in the rented truck. Swallow had now regain consciousness and motioned for the women to gather around while everyone else was distracted. Swallow insisted that they all keep quiet about Mother and that's exactly what they did. Once the military and the Police released them and left, they piled into the truck and headed towards the hospital, everyone save Swallow. She watched the truck pull out and saw that a police car stayed in the drive. She walked out and explained to the officer that she was going to rest down stairs. He nodded and explained that a construction crew would be by to seal up the wall temporarily. She nodded and thanked him and proceeded back to the house.
Descent
Swallow descended the stairs nervously, knowing who awaited her at the bottom. Off to her right side was a small room and in that room was Mother. She feared that Mother had some how escaped but that was not the case. Her beaten body laid exactly where Kathren had tied her. She moved apprehensively towards Mother, not knowing whether she still lived. It was hard to tell if she was breathing. She examined Mother's face closely, blood dripped from her nose and mouth. Dark and thick, it oozed out of her nostrils and onto the floor. Blood also dripped down her face from her left eye, it had swollen to obscene size. She held the head up so she could look into her tormentors face; she tried to feel pity but she couldn't. Mother's eye opened as if on cue. It startled Swallow and she jumped back releasing Mother's head. She didn't say anything; she just stared at Swallow. She spit up blood as she took in a breath of air, much to Swallows disgust.
Pain rushed in as her senses came back to her, it overwhelmed her to the point of vomiting onto the floor. The pain seemed to emanate from everywhere. The battle came back to her along with the fact she'd gotten careless; it had cost her dearly. Ti had been the one to defeat her but it was little Swallow that was here to gloat. She wasn't sure if she could speak but she gave it a shot.
"Come to watch me suffer and die?" She asked hoarsely; it was a sick thought, but sort of funny. She laughed but it hurt like hell to do so.
"I thought you had already."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but now you can sit and watch the show." She grinned as blood dripped off her teeth.
Here Mother was at her mercy, but she didn't beg or grovel; no fear could be seen in her eye, it wasn't fair. "Why?" Swallow asked. She had asked this question many times before of Mother but she never got an answer. She hoped that on her deathbed she would tell her the meaning of her existence. "Why?" She pleaded but Mother remained silent, just watching. It seemed that Mother was going to take this secret with her to the grave; there was nothing she could do.
"Sure there is." A voice whispered in the far, far reaches of her mind.
""What?" She answered this mysterious and whispering voice.
"Make her talk!" The luring voice said.
She didn't understand. "How?"
"Pull on her legs, I'm sure a few twists and turns and she'll be begging you to stop."
"No…No..I can't."
"Yesssss you can." To Swallows horror the voice was hers. "She hates us; she tortured us." The voice grew louder. "She tried to kill us! Kill….us… Kill…us…. Kill…us!!!" The voice was now overwhelming and she held her paws over her ears. Mother watched in mystery as Swallow moved about.
"No!!! I'm not like her!!!!" Her mind screamed.
"It isn't being like her; it's revenge! We deserve justice!!!" The words pounded the sides of her head. "DO IT!!!!"
"NO!
"Do it now, while you can!"
"NO!"
"DO IT!!!!!!" The voice was thunderous as it assaulted her senses.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Swallow screamed out loud falling to her knees.
Mother watched with interest as it was obvious to her that Swallow had a major internal conflict. "Having problems are we?" She mocked.
"Shut up!" Swallow screamed.
Mother shrugged and returned to being quiet; concentrating on her predicament. The pain was agonizing and she knew she could go on for days like this. She knew she was finished, her legs were pulp and she knew she had massive internal injuries. The only one who could release her from this mortal coil and the pain of her suffering was now having a mental breakdown. There had to be a way to turn Swallow, to make her angry enough for to strike out and to end this. Then she had it, a fitting end. She began to laugh; it was indeed funny.
"Stop laughing!" Swallow commanded, but Mother continued. "Stop….Stop!!!" It grew louder, or was it her mind playing tricks. "STOOPPPPPP!!!!" She screamed and Mother did. Mother looked at her with her evil eye.
"Want to know about your birth parents?" This was so wicked she thought and the best part of it was that it was all true. She smiled for she was going to enjoy this last hurrah.
Swallow was stunned, Mother had never told her about where she had come from, only that she was a creation of hers. Her mind did and didn't want to know, she was confused and she spoke out of haste. "Go on."
Mother grinned, "gotcha" she thought, "Your birth Mother was another monstrosity such as yourself, you see…" Blood dripped to the floor as Mother used almost all her energy to speak. "It took a monster to birth a monster, a seventeen foot one to be exact with a huge distended belly. I had to cut you out of her to allow her egg to be born." Swallow's face showed a look of horror. "Ah….seems you have guessed by now that your mother was a snake, an anaconda to be precise."
"You LIE!!!!!" Swallow shouted.
"Why would I lie? Your egg shell was as tough as leather; I wasn't sure if I was going to get you out of it." Swallows mind buckled against the onslaught of truth or pseudo reality that Mother has just told her. "Oh and that's not the whole story, your gentle and sweet Ti, killed her own birth Mother by ripping her apart from the inside!"
"Stop it, you lie; it's not true!!!" She screamed for her to stop.
"The paw broke through her mothers furry distended belly all the while she screamed for it to stop, but Ti ripped her wide open and into this world she came…it was..gurgle." Mother couldn't go on for Swallow had her throat in her paw and Mother was now one grasp away from eternity. She noted that Swallow's feelings had driven her mad for sweet revenge.
"Your little game with us is over Mother!!!" She announced loudly as she stared into the cold dark eye of Mother. "And this time you lose!"
Swallow grabbed Mother's head and gave it a quick twist. There was a gruesome cracking sound then all was quiet. Swallow released the head and it drooped down loosely upon its fractured, twisted neck. She backed away and stared in disbelief at the broken and dead body of Mother. Her thoughts were wild and her heart raced but she knew what had to be done. Slowly she moved closer to the body and then began to untie the ropes.
Trauma
Hours had gone by, arguments had reigned about leaving Swallow behind; but what was done was done. Their conscience bothered them; had they done the right thing?
Ezzy was examined by a physician, blood samples were taken, and they were told to keep her comfortable. Ezzy was breathing normally, so their concerns were more for Ti. Finally a doctor came out and he was shocked to see Endora.
"Mrs. Mustelidae what are you doing here?"
"It's a long story Dr. Kaldare." The Lemur was the chief surgeon at the hospital and operated on Heather, she had been with the Whites when he explained what surgery had to be performed on Heather. The Whites had felt that since Endora was her true biological Mother she should know what was going to happen to Heather. She felt honored, it wasn't really necessary but she went more or less to comfort them. "How is Ti doing?"
"It might be better if we could speak in private."
"Well everyone here is close to her, whatever you have to say they can hear too."
"Ok", He took a breath then started explaining Ti's injuries. "The wounds that she sustained on the outside of her body looked nasty but were not as bad as you would have thought. The bandages helped control the bleeding. She did however lose a lot, any other person probably would have died losing that much. It's frankly a miracle she is alive at all. The bullet wounds are the concern; well one is. The one in the shoulder was an easy repair; it's the one to the chest that has us worried. It hit her heart; this is where the miracle comes in. It punctured the heart and lodged inside the hole, if had broken loose she would had died in an instant."
Endora and all the others looked pale. "Is she going to die?" Endora asked.
The doctor sighed, "At this stage she has about a 50/50 chance. We repaired what we could of the damage but the heart is a strange thing; when damaged it does things we don't fully understand. The next 48 hours will be crucial. I'm sorry I don't have better news Mrs. Mustelidae."
"Thank you Dr Kaldare, ah…when can we see her?"
"She is in critical care; I can allow only one visitor."
"Take me to her." Endora said in a sad voice, now she had to break the news to the Kent's. This wasn't a good month.
Clear plastic sheeting surrounded Ti's body, she was still, a breathing tube covered most of her face and bandages adorned her head. Endora could see that they had shaved most of the fur off around her head. In the background a song could be heard playing from a clock radio,…. AND WHEN THE NIGHT IS CLOUDY THERE´S STILL A LIGHT THAT SHINES ON ME SHINE UNTIL TOMORROW LET IT BE….Endora wept; she couldn't stay, it was all too upsetting. She said a quick prayer and went back to the others. As Endora returned, the group saw the grief on her face and gathered round to support her. The world felt a little heavier today.
They returned to the house and for Endora that meant finding Swallow; she descended the stairs and immediately saw the still body of Swallow at the bottom of the stairs. She screamed for the others as she made her way down to her daughter. Her belly was grotesquely distended and Endora knew what she had done. Endora called her name but something was terribly wrong, Swallow's eyes were wide open but there was nothing behind them. The spirit light that was Swallow was gone. Endora screamed as she cradled Swallow in her arms.
Epilogue 1
Both Sabrina's looked at the small form lying within the bed, Ezzy's existence had caught them all by surprise. They weren't sure what to think of her; it was cool but also extremely creepy. It meant there could be others out there, more clones and that scared them.
"Sis, she sort of creeps me out!" Sabrina Johnston said to her twin.
"I think I know how you feel; I'm not sure if it's her or the fact that her existence means there could be more of us out there."
Sabrina J gulped, "You're right about that; poor thing though. Mother must have overdosed her on the tranquilizer."
"Yeah, she's out cold; I bet she's gonna have a fit when she sees us."
"I can imagine, I doubt she really understood anything that was going on for those brief moments she was awake."
"Yeah! Then getting violently shaken and thrown across the room like a toy, good thing she is so light, otherwise she could have been killed."
"Maybe it would be best if we just left her to sleep this off."
"I think your right." They both got off the bed and headed for the door, but were suddenly stopped.
"Don't go, please." Said a small voice, they both turned their heads back towards the bed. Ezmerelda was awake.