Powered Marines

Doppleganger

“Please, Kenny, where is she?” Tara’s distraught mother says shaking Kenny outside his garage.

“I wish I knew, really my friends are looking for her, we’ll find her.”

Tears stream down the mother’s face as she holds Kenny tight, hear tears soaking into his hair.

“This feels so weird, is it because this is Tara’s body originally. It feels almost like she’s my mother two.” Kenny’s mind wanders and he cautiously wraps his arms around the older woman.

On the moon Maat yawns as she emerges from her new room, dress in a sikly golden slip of a sun dress. The cat creature rubs her eyes as she yawns again, catcking a glimpse of Jason, Trinity, Micheal, Kenny, Claire, Malcom, and herself, no the human girl Tara. But before she can get more then a glimpse they are gone.

She pads over to Selket and tugs on some of her armor to draw her attention, the human woman looking down at the small cat girl. [Maat? What’s wrong?]

[Who were those people moma? They looked familiar.]

Selket laughs lifting the child onto her shoulder, the black gauntlet seemingly gone. Her gaze drawn to a oval shaped crystal set into a black wrist guard instead beofe turning toward the balcony and the Earth beyond.

[Master Reeva has a little surprise for the marines.]

Maat yawns, [I’m sleepy moma, can I go back to bed.]

Ra turns to the girl, stroking her chin with his gauntleted finger, [Didn’t you come out here to tell us something?]

Maat yawns [Tooo sweepy, can I go back to bread?]

Selket smiles and heads off with the young girl. A worried look corsses Ra’s muzzle as he turns to Reeva. [Will she be ok mistress?]

Reeva just smiles.

The high school, Earth.

“Watch where your going,” Micheal sneared as one of the other student bumped into him.

“What crawled up your ass Micheal?” the boy shot back.

“That’s it!” Micheal swung.

The Command Center, The teens appear in a series of flashes, all minus Tara.

“Ah man, what is Reeva up to, a buch of clays in the querry and not a one of them put up much of a fight.” Micheal growled.

Malcom sighed “Let’s just get out of here, we only have one class left for the day, lets see if we can salave it.”

“Agreed,” Kenny added.

The door of Tara’s home swung open slowly, Tara’s mother’s face was puffy and red from crying. As he vision cleared she had to blink several times. Standng in the frame was her daughter, missing for a couple days now.

“Mom?” Tara said, her voice shaking.

“T…Tara.” She manged in response.

“I stopped by to tell you….I hate you, you ruined my life.” Tara screamed, her voice drawing her father into the main room. Tara growled placing her feet firmly on the ground she hammered her mother with a harsh kick sendingthe ageing woman sprawling. There was a cracking sould and the older woman coughed blood, Her husband rushing to her side as Tara slamed the door and walked off. Inside tears streamed down her mothers face while her father paniced o nthe phone for paramedics.

“My wife is hurt, I think I heard ribs crack!” the husband yelled into the phone, “Our daughter.”

Before Tara’s mother blacked out she looked into her husbands eyes. “That was not Tara.”

“But…”

And then the woman passed out of consiousness.

“Damn you woman,” he hissed as he held back tears “Allway th last word in…”

The high school, the detention room.

“Sit,” the graying faculty member said shoving Micheal into the room, his friends already there and seated.

“Micheal?” Trinity said in shock.

“What are you?” Kenny asked.

“Aparently I beat up somebody?”

“This is like totally unfair!”

“Sit down,” The teacher growled,

After a moment Micheal capitulated, a small radio sat on the teacher desk as he handed the assignment to Micheal. Something caught Jason’s ear and he raised his hand.

“Sir,” He asked.

“What is it,” the teachr said, turning to Jason.

“Can you turn up the radio?”

The man groaned, but obliged, a news report was already in progress, the marine team, ncluding Tara were tearing up downtown. The teens flinched, seeming ready to bolt for the door.

“Stay seated,” the man said “It’s downtown, were safe here.”

The teens settled in their seats, Kenny absently tapping his communicator watch. After a moment the side of the building shook, smoke rising into view of the window. The Hydro Hag burst through the door, a paninced look on her amphibian face. “Everybody out! Theirs a quantum detonator on the grounds!”

“A what!” Micheal shouted jumping to his feet!

But a moment later The Hydro Hag was swept outside in a flood of people fleeing. The teacher rose ushering the teens out. “Go, Go! Move!”

Downtown
“This is so easy.” The red marine chortled as he puppled his sword from the ruins of a compact car.

“I wonder if any of these loosers even know how to fight.”

“Their civilians, their job is to live, not fight.” The voice was definitely femine, but had a edge like steel.

Clad in desert camo and with a pistol draw, aimed at the blue marines head one of earth’s own marines stood at the ready. Mamother armored gloves around her hands dwarfed the pistol in her grip.

“And who are you?” silver knight sneered.

“You should know,” A new void added, another woman, in similar gaultlets and garb said emerging from the back of a SWAT truck.”

“You helped create us!” a 3rd voice added, this one male, but dressed the same.

“Laughable,” the blue one said.

The three human nodded.

“Procedure A14 – Red Lion” one of the women said.

“Precedure B44 – Blue Eagle” the man said.

“Precedure C99 – White Wolf’ the other woman said.

Suddenly the 3 mariens gautles eems to spread and grown until the trio were engulfed in armored core power armor. Two bore a feminie shape in red and white and all 3 had a distinctive design that maked them indicative of the 3 animals they represented. The seven charged the three, with roughly two against one. The trio were thrown back hittignthe ground haard but rose again. They each coughed but their opponents seemed non-puled by the confrontation.

“You can fool us, imposters.” The red lion growled as she charged.

The red lion ducked underthe red marines blade, bring her massive fist into the gut of the warrior. The blue eagle leapd, wings/arms flapping I nthe air holding him aloft before rockets froemd from his feet and launched him toward the blue marine.

The white wolf growled and leapt, the pink marine spinning out of the wal she delivering a devastating arrow shot as the white wolf ran past her.

The trio gathered up ready for another pass as a sudden flash of light annouched the arrival of…the silver knight and the marines?

The second blue marine looked at the first and then to the trio.

“Clones? Well that explains a few things.”

“Analyze later, the Armors need a assist.” Red two commanded.

“Right,” team two spoke in unison.

Drawing their weapons team to charged team one, the trio joinng in. Red one ducks under a sword only to meet the fist of the Red Lion. As he recovered a purple/black bolt strikes him from the pistol of black 2.

Pink one spins around dodging borht pink two and blue eagles attacks but is to slow to avode a silver mace to the skull. There is a loud crack as pink 1’s helment shatters, herface caving in like a putty sculpture. A moment later the black Axe come removing her head from her body.

Pink ones dissolves into a puddle of green sludge.

One down, six to go.

The 10 heroes focus on each of the imposters in turn, taking them in groups of three. Shortly the ground Is soakined in grey puddles.

The blue marines aproches the Red Lion ans their armor receeds into the gauntlets. The two shaking hands. “Thank you for the assist. What do you call yourselves.”

“Project H, or Project Hero, the new Champion devision of the military. Your Core Gloves are a impressive piece of technology.”

“Thanks,” Kenny says flustering. “Your Cores are impressive technologies, You sticking around?”

“As long as you need us.”