💪Ricky💪

Wanda gasped when Ricky stumbled into her shop. He grabbed a hold of the wall to keep himself upright as the pain throughout his body intensified. She rushed over to help him, “Ricky! Oh my Gawsh you’re hurt!”

The sounds of several laser blasts, followed by the sound of Tomas laughing outside came through the door. Just like that it's over, good on you Tomas.

Ricky looked up at Wanda with the widest smile he’d ever smiled, “I’ve never felt better in my life, actually,” pain flared out from his soul and washed over his whole body. It felt like his skin was on fire and his blood was boiling. He grit his teeth, his face turned red, and his eyes bulged out of his skull.

“Ricky!” Wanda cried out, confused. Tears filled her eyes.

The soul attack subsided, “OK, heh, maybe I need to sit down for a bit,” he admitted, a smile returning to his face.

“Come,” Wanda draped his arm over her shoulder and helped him into the room. She sat him down on the chair by the table, “What happened to you?”

Ricky laughed, which quickly turned into a wince. His stomach hurt from being punched earlier, “A lot… Too much,” He looked down at the floor, thinking about how best to explain everything. Being around Wanda made him feel like an awkward teenager again.

“Do you need anything?” Her face was full of concern

He smiled, trying to set her heart at ease, “I have everything I need, right now,”

“Don't push yourself,” Wanda knelt down beside him, gripping his arm.

Ricky looked down at her, “This may shock you: I used to be a duck farmer. Heh. It was my dream to live a peaceful life selling duck eggs. This also may shock you: I came here today, to kill someone.”

Wanda gasped.

“I’m not proud of it. But it was the only way to stop them. My appearance in this room was a combination of several people's life work, a technological wonder beyond anything the world has ever seen, and literal magic. More time and effort than you can imagine was put into making this assassination possible. All that blood, sweat and tears, all those hopes resting on me. I believed I was doing the most important thing ever. Something that truly mattered.

And then I met you.

The moment I laid eyes on you, it suddenly seemed so small and meaningless. I feel… regret at spending my life hating and seeking revenge. All this time, instead of hating, I could have been loving someone instead.

Heh, in the end, I didn’t even want to pull the trigger. I let Tomas do it instead. That poor kid,” Tears rolled down Ricky’s eyes. He clutched his chest as his soul flared again, twice as painful as before. He spasmed and frothed at the mouth as pain ravaged him. He was left panting and sweating as the soul attack subsided.

“Ricky, darling, please, tell me what is happening to you. What can I do to help?” Wanda cried with Ricky.

“I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done. My soul is deteriorating. The ultimate price of my hatred. The damage can’t be undone. I am dying. I’m sorry.”

“What?! NO! Ricky, we just met! You can’t leave me! I know all about souls. Let me help!”

“I really am sorry. You must know, the soul is such a fragile thing,” He looked at the soul sitting on the table and tilted his head, “This is someone’s soul isn’t it? It is fascinating that you have removed it unharmed. Whose soul is this and how is it maintaining its shape?.” He asked, gesturing towards the jar.

“In the jar? Oh, that’s Tomas. Wait, how did you know his name earlier? Ah! The glove is what’s keeping his soul unharmed. It’s made from a special material. Maybe we can rescue your soul with it!”

Ricky went still, “If that is Tomas, then who is that outside? Who did I just give the gun to?” He looked back at the front door in a panic right as a sad howl came from outside.

The realisation hit Ricky in the stomach like a cannonball. His eyes went wide and he was about to speak again when a third wave of soul pain swept over him. It was the worst one yet, he bled from his eyes and ear. His whole body twisted and bent unnaturally, and he stopped breathing. When the pain stopped he slumped down in the chair.

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“Ricky! Ricky!” Wanda shook him.

With a gasp, he started breathing again, sitting up, “Wanda!” He gurgled through bloody teeth, “I’ve made a huge mistake. Please help me!”

“What is it?” she whispered.

“Put Tomas’ soul in my body,” Ricky croaked.

“No, anything but that!”

Ricky held up a hand to ward off her protests, “There’s no time. The fate of the world is at stake. I’m begging you, Wanda, tell Tomas to go outside, get the gun I gave to his body, and shoot the Matriarch before she recovers!”

“But what about you, Ricky?”

“Please! Wanda! You must hurry! Don’t let my mistake end us all! I beg you,”

Wanda hesitated, making a decision. She pulled the sunglasses off his face so she could look him in the eyes, and kissed him, “I love you. Someday, somehow, I will find you again,” she whispered and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, “I’ll do as you ask,” She rushed around the table to get her soul tongs and the remaining glove outside of the jar.

She came back and got to work immediately. She inserted the tongs into his chest. Ricky was starting to tremble as another wave of pain was starting to wash over him. Wanda kept her hand steady and pulled his soul out clean.

She let out a sob as his soul dissipated on the spot despite being within the tongs. Ricky’s body fell down onto the floor. Wanda wanted to throw herself down onto him and weep, but she pulled herself together instead; she still had a job to do.

She grabbed the mason jar off of the table and pulled the soul out with her tongs. She then shoved it into Ricky’s body. The soul entered and took control.

“Tomas?” Wanda asked.

🐙Tomas🐙

-Heyyyy Tomas! Long time no see buddy!-

“Tomas?” Wanda asked.

His consciousness returned slowly, alongside copious amounts of pain, “AHHH!” His body struggled to move, “Ouch! Oh god! Ow ow ow! Everything hurts! I thought you said it was safe!” He stopped talking. Something was wrong. Completely wrong. His voice, his body, the number of hands, and the number of clothes: all wrong. He forced open his eyes and looked down at himself.

He gasped, a burst of adrenaline gave him back full control of his body. He scrambled back along the floor, trying to escape from the huge naked body below him. Of course, he wasn’t able to because it was attached to him, or rather, the pale-skinned, abnormally muscular body was him. His voice came out in a stuttering shrill “W-W-What…??? What’s going on!? Why am I…!?” He looked up and saw he was still in Wanda’s shop, she was standing over him. She had been crying, “This isn’t my body!”

“Tomas! Get yourself together, there’s no time to explain. You have an important job to do,” Wanda snapped, “You need to go outside, get the gun from Wally, and finish the Matriarch before it’s too late!” she was not the sweet carefree lady he had met only a few moments ago.

“THE MATRIARCH?!?! SHE'S HERE?!” Tomas screamed!

“Apparently yes. You need to go get the gun from Wally and shoot her.”

“Go where? Who is Wally? What gun? If the Matriarch is here, I’ve got to escape,” whined Tomas.

Wanda reached down and picked up a stick with what looked like a human eyeball hooked on the end. She pointed it in Tomas’ direction, “I’m not asking Tomas. Get out of my shop, go get the gun, and shoot the Matriarch! Don’t come back until you’re finished!” A tear rolled down her cheek. She took a step forward and stabbed the eyeball at him.

Thomas got up and backed away, “I can’t. Seriously. She’ll eat me. Don’t make me go out there. I’m naked! Please, Wanda, I’m begging you! At least let me put on pants.”

Wanda took another step forward, jabbing the eyeball again.

“Jeez, stop it! You’re crazy!” he complained, backing up.

Wanda screamed and charged forward. Tomas screamed too, turned around and fled out the front door of the shop. He leapt through the broken door and stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Standing just outside the door, leaning back, having a smoke, was himself. Is that my body?!

“Hey!” Tomas hissed, “What are you doing?! Put that cigarette out!”

His doppelganger looked at him with one eyebrow raised, “Hey mate, back already? What’s that about my smoke?”

“You’re…” Tomas suddenly slammed his mouth shut and looked in wide-eyed terror at the Matriarch who was crouched down only a few metres away.

“Actually, while you're here, there's something I gotta tell ya. I ain’t Tomas. You just called me by his name before, so I figured I’d clear all that up.” His copy said, shifting his gaze between Tomas and the Matriarch.

Tomas shushed the man and whispered as loud as he dared, “I know you aren’t Tomas. Wanda messed up! I am Tomas!” He glanced at the Matriarch then took another step closer to the man, "Give me that body!”

“Whoa! Stay back, pervert! I don’t swing that way,” the man stepped back pulling a coat hanger out of his pants and brandishing it like a sword.

Tomas froze, feeling a strange sensation of being extremely insulted. A growl from The Matriarch shocked him out of his frozen state. She was looking upwards towards a loud buzzing noise. Tomas followed her gaze. Above all three of their heads there hovered several little flying saucers, no larger than dinner plates.

“What now?” The doppelganger whined moments before the flying saucers unleashed lightning bolts upon them. Their bodies convulsed as their visions faded. They all slumped to the ground unconscious.