Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 4: Worlds Apart

Ashley rolled her neck as she took two steps forward, a menacing and malicious grin was plastered on her face as she did so. “I have to admit, I’m surprised that any of you managed to catch me by surprise like this,” she chuckled, glancing around at each of the women lying in wait, “As much as I hate to admit this, there is a part of me that is impressed by your teamwork, ladies. The fact that all of you managed to pull together is commendable, but it’s time to face reality. This is my world.”

Rebecca cut her eyes at Ashley and looked behind her at Courtney. The girl was still recovering, and she needed time if she was going to finish healing her. “Pamela,” Rebecca whispered, nodding in Courtney’s direction, “She can’t fight in this condition. One of us-”

“I know,” Pam cut her off, stepping in front of everyone, “Focus on her and healing what you can. Beth will provide cover in case she manages to slip past me. Let’s hope that the rest of our party shows up sooner rather than later.”

“You’re going to try to fight her alone?” Rebecca asked.

“Pam, I don’t think-” Beth started.

“Now is not the time to argue,” Pam interjected, “There is no smart play here. This is about buying time, not winning. Keep them safe and try to figure out a way forward.”

“Arrogance and idiocy,” Ashley scoffed, cracking her knuckles and preparing to make short work of the thorns in her side.

Pam narrowed her eyes and let her emotions run wild. Every side of her was unified in a common cause. She was furious at what Ashley had done to her beloved and her friends. At the same time, there was a sense of sorrow and regret at seeing what her home had become and what had become of Jake. She was afraid that this might be the end, and that even if they won they would be trapped here. Seeing Beth had also stirred up urges that she’d been unable to act upon since returning from cyberspace; granted that was more of a faint echo compared to everything else. 

Ashley stalked forward slowly and arrogantly, an evil smirk plastered on her face. Pam exhaled and let her power flow outward. It cascaded like a waterfall out of her and sent a wave of force billowing out from her. The gust of wind stirred up dust and stopped Ashley in her tracks. Pam’s body began to glow and wisps of straw energy rolled off of her. She was going to give everything seh had to buy her friends as much time as possible, but she knew their clock was ticking. She had to strategize while she went toe to toe with their tormentor.

Ashley didn’t take long to recover from Pam’s initial power display. She practically disappeared in the blink of an eye and appeared in front of Pam, but Pam was able to anticipate her attack. She caught the fist that was aimed at her jaw and spun around Ashley with a vicious kick aimed at the back of her knee. It brought the queen down for a fraction of a second, but Ashley was quick to recover. She let herself fall to one knee, pressed her free hand to the floor, and flipped herself forward so that her heel connected with Pam’s head. The sudden surprise attack broke Pam’s hold and caused her to stumble back.

Pam shook off her stupor after a second and extended her arms as Ashley moved in for a follow-up. Another burst of energy shot out of her hands and knocked Ashley off balance. Pam stepped back and threw an open hand downward at the ground. An ethereal chain dropped out of arm and sunk into the ground. Pam took a step back and clenched her fist  as she bent her arm to lock the chain in place. It was sent through the ground for a second it shot up behind Ashley and wrapped around her neck. It was just enough to hold her for the briefest second before she grabbed it and snapped it.

Pam frowned as Ashley raced towards her again unimpeded. Even if she could scatter her molecules to nothing, it wouldn’t do any good as long as she had her phylactery. She couldn’t afford to expend more energy than necessary because of that. She couldn’t afford to burn through whatever reserves she had left. Ashley jumped as she got close and threw two punches at Pam’s face. Pam raised her arms to block them, but Ashley dropped to a crouch and spun around with her leg extended. A sudden sweep knocked Pam off her feet, but the sorceress opened a portal to save herself before she was caught pinned on her back. 

Beth remained frozen and watched her girlfriend struggle again Ashley. She was holding her own for the moment, but she was already beginning to struggle. Every fiber of her being wanted to jump in and fight alongside her, but she had been given a command. It wasn’t her submissive side that was keeping her rooted, but the logistics of Pam’s orders were too strong to deny. Courtney needed healing, and Rebecca needed to be protected in case Ashley managed to split through Pam’s defenses. Rebecca was strong, but she needed Beth to keep her safe while she worked.

“How much longer?” Beth asked, not taking her eyes off of the fight.

“It’s not even been five minutes,” Rebecca replied, trying to focus on Courtney’s injuries, “I am working as quickly as I can. We have to trust Pamela, Elizabeth.”

“She’s going to kill her,” Beth shook her head, her nerves creeping up as she watched Ashley grab Pam and throw her to the ground.

“She won’t,” Rebecca assured her, “Pamela won’t let herself fall when she’s this close to getting you back. She nearly threw myself and the rest of the party off a rooftop because we were standing in the way of her rescuing you. Hold your position. You don’t have your weapons.”

“I still have my sword,” Beth argued, watching as Pam from Ashley’s throw and tried to regain her footing, “I can help.”

“I am not questioning your ability,” Rebecca sighed, “I am simply reminding you that we each have our roles to play. For once, we are not enemies.”

“She’s right,” Courtney winced as Rebecca’s magic reset and reassembled broken bones, “If anyone can hold their own for a few minutes, it’s Pam. Your girlfriend is a hell of a fighter when she wants to be.”

Beth clenched her fist and bit back her instincts, “Fine, but hurry the hell up.”

“Patient and pleasant as ever,” Rebecca scoffed quietly.

Pam tried to block another of Ashley’s attacks, but the vampire queen was building momentum. Pam couldn’t tell if she was getting faster, or if she was simply putting more effort into their fight. Whichever it might have been, Pam was losing ground. Ashley hit her with a right cross that rattled her teeth. She stumbled back and doubled over as Ashley hit her with another punch aimed at her stomach. An elbow to the back of her neck knocked Pam down to one knee. Pam fought back tears as she tried to fight through the pain. She clapped her hands together and sent out a wave of booming thunder that pushed Ashley away before she could grab her again. It only bought her enough time to breathe and get back to her feet. 

Not far from the battleground, Ashley Bilefoot was still possessing Jake and holding him hostage in his own mind. The toxins that she’d breathed in from their run in with the alchemist were still playing tricks on her mind and giving Jake some heightened power over their shared psyche. It was taking everything she had to keep him locked away, but Jake was reaching a breaking point. Their spat was starting to spill over into something far more dangerous for them. Most recently it had been them freezing while trying to rendezvous with Pam. The infuriating Tellar girl had left them behind after a seemingly heartfelt exchange between her and this world’s Jake.

The frail and broken Jake had managed to pull enough of himself together to try to help Aslhey. Unfortunately for him, Ashley wasn’t ready to accept help from anyone, even a warped version of the man she loved. The second he tried to help by putting hands on her, Ashley lashed out and grabbed him by the throat. Impulse was taking over more as she hurled him down the path and away from her. There was no remorse in her eyes as she stomped after his rolling body.

There was a sudden crash that came from off in the distance. It was enough to give both Ashley and Pam  a slight pause in their battle. Ashley was preparing to deliver another vicious blow to Pam’s jaw, but she stopped in case another surprise interloper decided to join their fight. Ashley frowned for a moment before she spotted the silhouette of a familiar face walking out of the darkness. 

“Come to watch your friends die, Jake?” she asked, grabbing a fistful of Pam’s hair as a show of dominance, “You’re just in time for the good part, my lovely little pet. I’ll need you to be patient while I deal Pamela here, but don’t worry, I’ll be with you soon enough.”

“Pam!” Beth screamed at them as Ashley swiped a clawed hand at her throat.

“Dammit!” Ashley shrieked as Pam managed to disappear once again, “This little game is getting tiresome.”

Pam appeared out of the shadows beside Beth and the others. She was breathing heavily and was clearly struggling. “Leave them be,” Ashley exclaimed through Jake as the evil version of herself started to chase after Pam, “Is this what the great Ashley Bilefoot stands for? Chasing after echoes from another world in hopes of gaining something from a gamble?”

“Watch your tongue, Jake, before I decide to take it,” Ashley warned, turning away from the others, “You may think you’re strong now, but I can assure you that I can break you just as easily as I broke my Jake. If you’re feeling so bold, why not step forward and take their place?”

“Ash, let me out,” Jake said for the hundredth time, “We can do this together, please.”

Ashley ignored her significant other and stepped closer while simultaneously moving around the Jake from this world. The sinister version of herself canted her head to the side as she watched Jake, “There is something different about you…something that is both familiar and foreign. No matter, Jake, this is your last warning: turn around and sit down like a good boy.”

“Do not insult me!” Ash cried out as she steered Jake in an all too familiar strafing charge.

Ashley was surprised at the speed and strength that Jake displayed. He was easily the freshest amongst their group, but the attack pattern that he used was one she knew intimately well. It was what allowed her the ability to block and catch Jake’s fist, but the attack pushed her back from the force of it. She held his fist in her hand for a second before moving it to the side and staring into his eyes. That was when she saw it. His eyes were flashing with flecks of red that she’d only ever seen when looking in the mirror. 

“As I live and breathe,” Ashley chuckled, tossing his hand away and straightening up, “Do I spy myself behind those eyes?”

“She knows,” Jake breathed in the back of their mind, “Ash, we need to pull back.”

“It is, it is, indeed,” Ashley chuckled, circling two of them slowly, “This is curious, isn’t it? Hmph, I suppose this gives new meaning to the old phrase "talking to myself.”

“Shut up,” Ash warned, throwing another punch that her evil counterpart easily dodged.

“Don’t be such a spoiled sport,” Ashley grinned, “Let’s have a little chat, woman to woman. We can start by you telling me just how you wound up in possession of Jake’s body. I thought I got under Jake’s skin, but this has a whole new meaning.”

As the two Ashley’s tried to square off with words and blows, Pam sat beside Beth and the others and watched the exchange. The broken and battered Jake from this world crawled closer and out of the line of fire from Ashley and the others. Whatever facade he’d been trying to keep up and together was wearing thin in the face of being this close to his tormentor. He tripped and stumbled as he got close. With shaky hands, Jake reached behind him and pulled out Beth’s pistols. He handed them over to Pam before hurrying to nestle himself beside Courtney.

Pam shook her head and handed the guns to Beth before turning to check on Rebecca and her work. “What are we going to do?” Beth asked, checking her equipment, “You literally erased her from fucking existence and she came back.”

“That’s because of the phylactery, dear,” Rebecca sighed, “She’s indestructible unless we can find it and be rid of it. All of our efforts are going to be in vain unless we can destroy that little vile.”

“Assuming that’s what it is,” Pam added, kneeling beside Rebecca and lending her healing magic in hopes of speeding up the process, “Jake, is there anything that she’s carried with her or guarded closely since she took over?”

“I-I don’t know,” Jake admitted, trying to remember anything that might fit the description, “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anything right now.”

“It’s alright,” Courtney said, trying to calm the obvious storm of anxiety that Jake was fighting against, “We’ll figure something out, right?”

“You’re far more optimistic than myself,” Rebecca shook her head, but frowned when she felt something strange and electric in the air for a second before it disappeared.

“There has to be something we can do,” Beth shook her head.

“Keep your weapons trained on them,” Pam sighed, nodding at Jake and Ashley as they continued their face-off, “By the way, I want to know about that rather odd weapon you have there if we survive this.”

“When not if,” Beth corrected her, doing as she was told and aiming her guns at the pair.

Only a few short feet away, Ashley was enjoying herself as she continued to dodge and evade attacks from herself that was possessing Jake. “Stop this senseless fighting,” Ashley chuckled, “Look at those pathetic weaklings over there. We are better than this, you are better than this. Look at me and what I’ve managed to accomplish on my own! Imagine what we could do if we worked together. There is nothing in this world, or any world for that matter, that could stop us!”

“Ash, don’t listen to her,” Jake’s voice echoed in the back of her mind.

Ashley caught another incoming punch and kicked them away. “You don’t want to talk, fine,” Ashley scoffed, “Then listen to me, you self-righteous fool. Whatever may have happened to leave you beneath Jake like this, it doesn’t matter. Somehow, little old me is in control. Your movements are slow and predictable, which tells me that he’s still in there slowing you down. You and I are one in the same, I assure you. There is nothing that you could say otherwise that might convince me of anything less. I am you, you are me, we are one, split in two, that makes us kin. Join me and I can separate you from him; give you a body of your own again so that you can have him as the prize you rightfully deserve.”

“Ash, please,” Jake begged, feeling himself slip into the darkness and obscurity, “We can still do this together.”

“Jake, be silent,” Ash snapped, stumbling backward as she tried to keep a firm grip on the situation, “I don’t need this now.”

“There it is,” Ashley smiled as she watched herself argue with Jake’s psyche, “I can silence him for you. No longer will he be a plague on your mind. He will be compliant, complacent, and a perfect little pet for you to keep on display. All you need to do is say yes, and I can make all of your dreams a reality.”

“Don’t listen to her!” Jake shouted from Courtney’s side, “She’s a lying and manipulative monster!”

“That’s enough, Jake!” Ashley barked in his direction, “What an utter disappointment you’ve been as of late. Rejecting me was one thing, but you’re breaking what little faith and trust I had in you. Siding with these filthy rats and miscreants is the ultimate slap in the face. When I finish with these dogs, you and I will be having a long discussion about loyalties and punishment. You will learn who your master is, boy.”

“Is this what you want to be, who you want to be, Ash?!” Jake demanded from within the confines of their shared mind, “You see what she’s done to him, what she’s done to our home. Who does she sound like, hmm?!”

Ashle’s otherworldly counterpart was still berating her Jake with threats and promises of violence. She knew the comparison that Jake was making. It was  a blatant jab at her feelings towards the witch and everything she’d done to them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t argue against Jake’s point. She didn’t want to admit it or acknowledge it considering how much she loathed the witch and everything that she’d done. Was this really who she was meant to become?”

“Fine, don’t say it, but I know you know,” Jake scoffed, “I’m up here too, Ash. Don’t forget that we share a head, a mind. You’re no different than her right now.”

“Stop it,” Ash whispered, the commotion from their battle beginning to fade into obscurity.

“You can’t even tell me that I’m wrong!” Jake shouted, “You know I’m right. Everything you hated about Rebecca, everything she stood for, you’re doing the same thing.”

“I am not!” Ash defended.

“You’re locking me away in a prison of my mind,” Jake scoffed, “That is no different than what she did to us when we broke out of Hell. She locked me away so that I couldn’t argue or fight back. She threatened me, tortured me, and worse all in the name of some bullshit idea of keeping me safe! How many times did she say it was for my own good?! Search my memories, Ash, and tell me!”

“Stop it!” Ash screamed again.

“What are you so upset about?” Ashley asked, pausing her tirade directed at Jake to turn towards her counterpart, “Don’t tell me that you’re letting a mortal toy like Jake actually work your nerves. You are the superior being here. Join me and we can silence him and the others once and for all. We can rule this world and all others if you just say yes.”

“Ash, it’s not too late,” Jake said, appearing beside her again and speaking in a softer tone, “You aren’t her, not yet. You could have been, you still could be, but I know that’s not what you want. This isn’t what you want. You’re not better than me, and I’m not better than you. We can still go back to the way we were before; working together and standing against the forces of evil in this world and all the others. Please, step down and let me back in. We can do this together, but I cannot keep standing in the rearview. I need to be the one fighting back against her.”

“I can see that this is difficult for you,” Ashley sighed, flashing her fangs, “You’ll thank me for this in the long run, I know it. I can still make the hard decisions for people. One bite should push things back over the edge for you!”

“No!” Beth screamed, opening fire in hopes of keeping the psychotic vampire queen away.

Her shots worked to buy them enough time for Ash to move out of the way of Ashley’s quick attack. “Ash, it’s now or never,” Jake said as they stopped a few short feet from Ashley, “She knows your attack patterns. Let me back in the driver’s seat, and we can use your strength and speed with my fighting skills to win this together!”

Ashley weaved between Beth’s gunshots with ease. She was close when Courtney suddenly screamed, “Jake, stop, don’t!”

Ash was frozen in place when her demented counterpart closed in. She moved back in a poor attempt to stop Ashley from grabbing her, but she froze when Jake suddenly stopped between them. Ashley’s hand wrapped around Jake’s throat and she had her teeth sunk into his exposed neck within the blink of an eye. Ash knew the move all too well because she’d done it in battle many times before. It was a quick attack, a quick turn she used. However, it didn’t take long for Ashley to realize her mistake. 

Jake twitched in Ashley’s grip as she pulled back with wide eyes that turned to a glare, “You stupid, miserable, little oaf, what have you done?!”

She snarled and threw him to the ground; forgoing her current affairs to berate her trophy. Jake winced as he tried to scoot back and away from Ashley. His skin was on fire as he felt her curse work through her veins. Ashley proceeded to kick him while he was on the ground. Jake rolled on the ground and coughed, but Ashley stomped on his hand with her boot in blind rage. “Help him!” Courtney screamed, “Please, you can’t let her-”

“We can’t, girl,” Rebecca interrupted, glancing behind her, “We need you to be ready to move, and he’s buying us time. There’s nothing we can do to stop what she’s done…I’m sorry.”

“Beth, don’t you dare move!” Pam snapped, knowing that her little girlfriend was already preparing to intervene, “I am not losing you again.”

“He needs help, Pam,” Beth argued, forcing herself to stay still, but keeping her guns trained on Ashley.

“We can’t beat her,” Pam countered with finality, “All we can do is outsmart her for now. Jake has gifted us with time that we did not have. I need you, and everyone here, to be ready to move when the time comes. Like it or not, we are going to have to run.”

“Look at what you made me do, you pathetic worm!” Ashley screamed at Jake, grinding her boot on his hand before kicking him again, “You have done nothing to warrant this sort of reward, my gift. You are a filthy traitor, but in my infinite mercy I was willing to grant you a chance for redemption. Yet you spit in my face, again!”

“Ash, look at this,” Jake said beside her while her vile double continued to abuse his weakened self, “Is this the person you want to be?”

“I am not her,” Ash whispered, unable to look away as Ashley continued to scream at the now infected Jake.

“You chose these worthless pieces of scum over me!” Ashley shrieked, stomping again on his back before he could get back to his feet, “Time and again, you continue to disappoint, Jake! Rest assured, my lovely little plaything, I will break you over the course of your now very eternal life. I’ll start by making you watch as I drain your idiotic friends!”

“Ash, you’re not her, not yet,” Jake said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Please, we are not too far gone. We can still come back from…whatever this is that’s happening. Trust me and we can do this together.”

“You can watch with a broken arm, Jake,” Ashley snarled, moving to deliver a final stomp to Jake’s elbow that would surely snap it in half.

Before she could break his arm, she was suddenly swept off her feet by a swift sweeping kick. She caught herself and flipped backwards before she hit the ground, and Ashley shot a glare at her attacker. A pair of deep brown eyes with a fire burning behind them stared back at her. “Leave him alone,” Jake said, standing up and stepping between them.

“Stand down and stay out of this,” Ashley scoffed, “Your betters are speaking, and you are little more than a puppet for another version of me.”

“Jake, we won’t be able to stop her unless we can find whatever she’s using for her phylactery,” Ash warned.

“I’m not interested in killing her,” Jake replied, speaking aloud so that everyone could hear him and walking over to one of the levers nearby, “I don’t kill, Ash, not if I can help it. She can live forever, but that doesn’t make her immune from pain.”

Jake narrowed his eyes at Ashley as he grabbed the lever and jerked his arm to break it loose. It was shorter than one of his usual staves, but it would work as an impromptu quarterstaff. He rolled his neck and shoulders before giving it a few practice spins. “Is this supposed to be some sort of a joke?” Ashley burst out in a guttural laugh, “You intend to stand against me, Jake? You see how well that’s worked out for you in this world, right? I will break you, just as I broke him.”

Jake circled around Ashley, keeping a close eye on her as he did so, “Try it, then, let’s see how far you get.”

“Arrogant little brat,” Ashley snorted, rushing forward in a burst of blinding speed.

She was shocked when she felt the cold steel of Jake’s weapon smack the back of her arm and her fingers remained empty. He’d managed to dodge her with ease. More surprising was when she felt that damned lever connect with the back of her knee and force her down. Thankfully, Ashley could sense what was coming next and she managed to catch the blunt side of the lever before it connected with her jaw. She glared at it as she tried to break it, but Jake’s foot hit her in the back of the neck and pushed her down on her face. She roared as she quickly got to her feet, but Jake was already several feet away from her and standing with his weapon poised behind his back.

Beth, Pam, Rebecca, and Courtney had all stopped to watch the exchange. It was astonishing to see their friend suddenly back in control. Admittedly, Beth was more confused as to what was happening, but Rebecca and Pam could scarcely believe that Jake was back. “She actually did it,” Rebecca breathed, unable to believe it.

“She couldn’t stand to see what she was in danger of becoming,” Pam remarked, glancing back at Courtney, “Finish healing her while I grab Jake.”

“What is going on?” Beth asked, watching as Jake once again blocked and countered another flurry of attacks from Ashley.

“Ashley, the one from our world, was holding Jake prisoner in his mind,” Courtney answered as Rebecca returned her focus to healing, “From what I can tell, and this stuff is confusing as hell, I think she let him have his body back.”

“She can do that?” Beth asked.

“A long story, one that I’ll be happy to recount once we get to safety,” Rebecca said, “One thing at a time, Elizabeth.”

Pam opened a portal beneath the broken and infected Jake that brought him back to their group. He was shaking as Ashlely’s vampiric curse worked its way through his system. Beth looked down at him and shook her head. She knew all too well just how painful it was when the first waves of symptoms flooded the body. He was already frail and weak before now, but now he was having to deal with this as well. Pam knelt beside him and placed a glowing hand on his forehead. 

“I can’t stop the spread,” she said, “I can ease the pain, but the transition is going to happen.”

“I-I don’t want to turn,” Jake swallowed, “Please, there has to be something that you can do…”

“There is no cure short of killing the vampire that turned you, and even that may not work with what this Ashley has done to herself,” Pam sighed.

“Then kill me,” Jake said.

“No,” Courtney spoke up, “I won’t lose you a second time. I don’t care if you’re some hybrid vampire, half undead, whatever, you’re still Jake-fucking-Blackridge, and I am not going to watch you die again.”

“You don’t know me,” Jake whispered, his voice trembling.

“You’re the same man that I fell in love with in my world, don’t tell me I don’t know you,” Courtney argued, “Our paths might be different, but my Jake would have jumped in just like you did if it meant saving someone who needed it. I know your heart, Jake, and I know you are a good man. You are going to live, and I am going to make sure that you do.”

“This is sweet, but again, we need to focus on finding a way out of this mess,” Rebecca said, looking back at Pam, “Pamela, I’m open to ideas.”

“We run,” Pam sighed, earning an incredulous look from Beth, “What choice do we have? Jake can handle her while we put some distance between all of us.”

“You’d abandon him?” Beth asked.

“Of course not,” Rebecca answered before Pam could, “There are ways that we can bring him to us, Elizabeth. I may not be the all powerful witch that I once was, but between my powers and Pamela’s, we can make this work. I know that look, and so do you. He isn’t going to turn away and run after everything that’s happened.”

“Then I’m staying and fighting with him,” Beth said, standing up and reloading her pistols.

“Absolutely not,” Pam said, “I just got you back, I am not going to lose you a second time.”

“Pam, we are connected,” Beth said, “You can pull me easier than you can Jake. Put some distance between you, find the phila-thingy, or figure out a way to get us all home, but let me help him. We are stronger together, and I owe Ashley some payback for everything she’s done.”

“Phylactery,” Rebecca rolled her eyes, “Honestly, do you even try to listen?”

“She said it like that to annoy us,” Pam smiled weakly, looking over at Jake as he fended off another round of attacks from Ashley.

“The two of them almost beat me, and Jake was in a far weaker state than he is now,” Rebecca sighed, recalling the battle at the castle from so long ago, “I hate to admit it, but they are formidable together. Let her do this, and we will figure out a way to get home.”

“Promise me you’ll come back to me,” Pam said, still not liking the idea of chancing her lover to this maniac.

“There is nothing in this world, or the next, that could keep me from you,” Beth replied, “Take Courtney and Jake, and find a way out. Keep locked on me, and pull us out when you’re ready, okay?”

“Fine,” Pam sighed, looking away and fighting back the bitterness in her throat as Beth took off to join Jake.

Ashley was charging at Jake again in hopes of catching him off guard when a hail of bullets broke her stride. Jake looked over to see Beth stop ten feet away from him. “Don’t even think about it, asshat,” Beth smirked, “We still have a score to settle.”

Ashley stared at Beth for a moment before looking back at Jake who was continuing to circle her. “If you both wish to suffer together, don’t let me be the one to stop you. I will make this excruciating for each of you, this is swear!”