“Ayup. It’s me. I mean … you. Heh.” The cyborg that looked like Justice started to giggle again. He was nearly hysterical with what appeared to be pent-up energy.

“Commander!” Justice was only vaguely aware that Michaels had been attempting to get his attention. Only when the young man shouted did Justice finally look down.

“Huh!?” he grunted.

“This is a classic doppelganger situation. If you just keep it together we have protocols for this sort of thing.”

“Now you shut up, boy!” called out the other Justice. “Then there’s me. Where’s the girl, me? We like the girl. Even let her live a few times. What’s the difference, right?”

That snapped Justice, the non-cyborg one, back to reality. “Hell you say, old man!?”

And there was an element of age to the metal version of Justice. A single white streak flowed back into an exceptionally matted mop of hair and his skin was especially leathery. “Old? Oh, boy, we don’t know no age. Not any more. Now c’mon … no fussin’ this time. Take my hand.” Reaching out across the distance Metal Justice started to approach Meat Justice, his one flesh hand extending with a desperation.

“Now you stay the fuck back!” shouted Justice, swapping over to his Destabilizer pistol. “I don’t know why you want to touch me but I don’t trust this shit.”

“Aw, son, c’mon now.”

“You ain’t my daddy!”

“No, I’m you! Ain’t that a kick?

Justice nodded. “A kick in the balls, yeah. If this is my future I ain’t lookin’ forward to it.”

“No. No no no, see, I did that so you don’t have to! The Doctor! He comes back. Any time now in fact. Maybe ten minutes. Back there! Tracks me, us, to now, this point in time and space. It’s all the radiation we sucked up outside the ‘Chrono Car’, that damned thing. Blames that on his bein’ unable to go home. We fall for it, see!? But it ain’t us. It’s him. Mad scientist that he is. He made us … but we ain’t the first monster he made, boy. Oh no…”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Michaels stuttered out.

“I still don’t know who the fuck you are, boy! I know there were others when I did this first but it’s the girl. She wakes somethin’ up in us, don’t she Justice? You gotta keep her close. Feel like a protector, like we’re defendin’ somethin’ again. Family, country and then that girl…”

“Answer the question before I burn you from the inside out.” barked Justice. “How’d the Doc do all this to you–us? What other monsters?”

“Oh … last question first makes more sense. Zombies. His jump made things worse. Everybody done got ‘et up. Earth gets overrun … another one of those Outsiders gone done it, pretty sure.

“What the fuck’s a zombie, man!?” Justice was becoming animated, his prescribed medication kicking in, perhaps. “I ain’t lived that reality yet! I’m old west and random future bullshit!”

“Listen! They’re like the possessed, but stupid, and if you get bit you become one. Rotten, walkin’ corpse. Cannibal! I, you, we, we get bit a dozen fucking times, Justice. Every time another chunk cut away...”

“Fuckin’... Doc does this!?” A feeling of despair was washing over Justice.

“Yes! Yes, and I’m here to kill him. Done it a whole bunch, actually.”

“How did you get here!? I don’t get it. If you go to this … zombie Earth, how do you wind up here?”

“He dies! Doc gets us chewed up, parts chopped off, replaces the parts, then dies himself. Whole place is about to cave in, horde’s outside. I finally blast that fuckin’ little creep, Matty, then start up the console for the car and hit the button in the history for right here. It ain’t but the Dynamo and the computer now but it works.

“What? You just kill Matty? For nothin’?”

“Because he was a little asshole! He’s fifty when I do it, never stopped calling us caveman, Justice. Never!”

Looking at their surroundings Justice (the younger, saner one) had to heave a deep sigh at this point. “Y’know … I might be startin’ to get why.”

“Doesn’t matter! You’re here. The cycle continues. We gotta join before the outsider gets here. Need more power or we die.”

“You’ve lost your damned mind gettin’ chopped up like you did. I just won’t go to zombie Earth. Ever think of that?”

“Commander! I think we should run!” Whined Michaels who stood up from behind the stalagmite, moving backwards towards the exit.

“Who the fuck are you anyway!?” shrieked Metal Justice, dashing in with preternatural speed and checking Justice. The impact sent him pinwheeling through the air and a few stalagmites. Other stone points fell from above, striking dangerously near as Justice slammed into the cave wall.

“No! No! No!” screamed Michaels as Metal Justice grabbed him.

“Who are you!? Where’s the damned girl!?” he shouted.

“I’m Michaels! Please! McKinley’s with the rock man and the lizard guy outside!”

“It’s different. It can’t be different. Butterfly effect. Doc always talked about the butterfly effect! Nggahh!” Reaching back with his metal arm Metal Justice savagely struck Michaels across his face with a bloody splat.

“Michaels! No!” shouted Justice, scrambling to his feet at a stagger. His own head was pouring blood.

“Y-you said I was safe! You wouldn’t hurt me!” cried Michaels, pleading with Metal Justice. Part of the boy’s skull was exposed and he bled profusely.

“N-no. That ain’t me. You sound like the girl! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Three massive blows crushed the young Spaceman’s head, mangling it down between his shoulders just as a bright flash of light went off between them.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“No!” screamed Justice. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. This other version of himself moved so fast. Just as he was about to reach the already dead Michaels Metal Justice took off, heaving him overhead and slamming him into the ceiling high overhead with a mighty throw. First the stalactites he hit fell with him, then, with that horrible sound, dozens more fell, a massive cacophony building as the cave nearly collapsed.

Turning to face Justice Metal Justice grinned wickedly. “That. Ain’t. Me. I do what it takes to survive! I’m gonna get so strong that I can take anything! Don’t know how many of me I gotta eat but I do know … there’ll always be more!”

“Eat?” questioned Justice. “That kid … under my command. You didn’t just kill him, you destroyed him, and you did it so you could eat me?”

Metal Justice paused. “Heh. Oh. That’s good.” As before he began to laugh in what built towards hysteria. Shaking it off he continued. “Oh, no, not like that though boy. Not like a zombie. No … see, I don’t get all the laws of the universe. But I did learn one that, well, I don’t think anybody knows. When people like us touch … they collapse into one another. Two become one and that one is stronger than either was before. Somethin’ gets lost, you're not twice as strong, but it’s somethin’. Figured that out the first time by accident when I was just tryin’ to warn myself. I grabbed me, electricity! We both screamed and, me bein’ the stronger of us … I was all that was left.”

“Not sure I get it.” Justice was looking around. His own Destabilizer had gone AWOL but he noticed that Michaels’ was next to him on the cave floor. Bending, he picked it up.

“‘Course not! It’s a bunch of bull-hockey! Don’t make sense. Tried reasonin’ it out myself but, well, we ain’t never been science-types, have we? Near as I can tell since we’re the same exact person, not separated from different universes, we have the same … stuff. One copy in two places. They touch, skin-to-skin, boom, one place.” Metal Justice was taking his sweet time now. Clearly his younger self was sluggish, still stunned from getting driven into the wall.

Or so he believed. “You sure know more than I do, old man. But I know one thing you don’t.”

“What’s that now?” asked Metal Justice.

“You got a chink in your armor.” and with a snap shot Justice blasted away at the giant, black scorchmark in the center of Metal Justice’s body left when Michaels fought Metal Justice. The Destabilizer, which before only blackened the flesh, this time ripped through the stomach wall of its target and viscera spilled out through the hole amid a torrent of blood.

“My guts!” roared Metal Justice as he clutched at the wound with his flesh hand.

“Only right that Michaels’ weapon’s what killed ya!”

With a roar the old cyborg dove into Justice, slamming right through his firing stance and shattering the destabilizer. Justice tried to grapple but found himself unable to move Metal Justice. “Idjit! I’m doin’ this so we survive! The Outsiders are comin’ for every world, damn you!”

Justice shouted back as he struggled to push his opponent towards the dropoff. “I dont know what you’re talkin’ about! Oof!” Metal Justice cut him off with a blow from his metal claw, gashing him across the chin and chest.

Staggered back against a stalagmite Justice couldn’t avoid the flailing mechanical arm. “Young! The damned scientist on zombie Earth!” Slam, the claw battered Justice, slam, the bloodied soldier started to sink, dreams closer to him than reality. “You can bet there’s one here too, ya damned fool! So it’s time to fuckin’ merge and end this–huh!?” Three more blows rocked Justice but, with the fourth, a scattered tinkling sound and Metal Justice stared at the end of his mechanical arm. Now it was just a nub; the claw had broken off against Justice’s head. “How…?”

Suddenly Metal Justice hit himself, his arm shoved by the real deal Justice. “Because I’ve never fought you before! Not really! Right? “Gripping the metal arm tightly Justice Jerked his doppelganger around, ripping the servos and freely striking his opponent. “And it echoes! I remember this, Justice! I remember!” Metal Justice screamed as his cybernetic limb was ripped away. “How!? The cycle is broken! That’s how!”

Metal Justice flipped end over end, landing in a heap on the cave floor and Justice sagged against the nearby stalagmite. Tossing the heavy metal prosthetic aside he watched for signs of life. “And I remember the Christian Soldier hymn, ya damned misanthrope. The way the world should’ve, maybe would’ve been if nobody ever came around, teachin’ me about time and space. Fuck.” Justice tapped his insignia, opening communications. “Praggin. Come in. We got us a situation.” A weird, squeaky tone was his only answer. “Praggin?” Nothing. “McKinley?” Still more nothing. “Dah … mer? Lizard Midget?” Nada.

Then that hideous laugh from before. “You tried that before, dummy.” The raggedy form of Metal Justice rose to one knee, a loop of guts dangling from the hole in his stomach. Cave’s blocked everything. Should’ve run while you had the chance!” and he charged forward, slamming Justice into the stalagmite. It was the least effective blow since the fight began but that wasn’t the problem.

Strange blue-white light was flashing between them. Metal Justice had grabbed him by the wrist and the lines between them blurred. “What the devil is this!?”

“This is why it don’t matter the zapper to the belly, boy! Or my arm breakin’! I’m the stronger Justice so I’m still gonna eat ya!” Metal Justice cackled anew as Justice hammered at his guts then took aim at his head, both with seemingly little effect. “Oof! Don’t usually take this long!”

His arm had started to shine like a blue star (or maybe like the Flex Dynamo) and his fear and desperation gave him strength. “Maybe ‘cause you ain’t the strongest no more!” They struggled on even terms.

Suddenly, distant voices could be heard. Indistinct, their tone was clear; they were searching for someone. “What!? They came looking!? They never did that before! No!”

Inspiration struck! As Metal Justice looked to the cave entrance Justice grabbed him by the back of the neck and leapt backwards and to the side, putting the metal monster headfirst through the stalagmite and creating separation.

“Dammit boy! There’s no point to this! I’m saving us! Once we’re one … you won’t even care! Or remember!” Metal Justice started to rise, then grabbed his guts, trying to push them back in while falling back to one knee.

Justice picked up the nearby metal arm. “And you start the whole damned thing over again, right!? Eat another one!” After slamming the prosthesis down across the back of Metal Justice’s head and shoulders four times the metal arm was finally shattered into pieces too small to hold onto.

Meanwhile the metal monster pulled himself up by Justice’s leg but was caught by the wrist as he regained his feet. Justice made sure to keep a rag between himself and his enemy. “Boy, listen to reason!” Finally, after all the battering, disemboweling and dismembering, Justice was the stronger of the two.

Grabbing him by the metal half of his face, Justice hauled his beaten enemy across the cave floor. At first Metal Justice tried kicking at Justice’ shins but to no avail. After that he fell and Justice simply dragged him, violently, across the stone slab and rough gravel. “Only reason I need is laying down bottom there, monster.”

By now the other Spacemen were quite near. “Justice!?” called out McKinley. “Who is that and where’s Michaels?”

“This bastard killed him! Stay back!” Dead-lifting Metal Justice up by the mass of rags draped all over him Justice moved to the edge of the dropoff, right where Michaels lay, buried in stone.

“You don’t get it! The Outsiders are comin’! The one on Zombie Earth done told me! Wait!” With that Justice hurled the murderous cyborg down to the stone below. Praggin, Derglabin and McKinley caught up with him as he recovered his original destabilizer, aiming it at a large stalactite on the ceiling. “No! No!”

Popping, bursting, gravel flying everywhere, the stalactite fell as the four of them watched. The point hit around Metal Justice’s heart, stone collapsing as it ripped him to pieces. The sensitive stalactites in the cave having already fallen, all was still.

“Commander … who was … oh, Michaels.” McKinley pointed to the arm of the former Spaceman Michaels who lay perhaps thirty feet from the other crushed corpse.

“Observation.” quipped Derglabin. “That cyborg’s organic components were very similar to your own, sir.”

“Yeah…” Justice wobbled where he stood.

“Commander, you’ve lost a lot of blood. We need to get you to sickbay.” said McKinley.

“Afraid I can’t go yet, kids. Some … uh, McKinley, I guess, you should go outside and raise the Undertaking. Tell them what happened and to send … whatever equipment is right for this situation. Shit. Praggin? Derglabin? Finish the mission. This cave’s got more rocks than I can count. Gotta be more than twenty different types in here.”

Each gave a crisp “sir” and went to their respective duties. Justice looked to the path to the back of the cave, about six feet wide and bridging the space between the cave floor and a deeper, narrower opening. “I got a doctor’s appointment to keep…”