Confrontation

Tracie said, "Long time no see, Commander."

Cody told Araceli to stop & observe that mysterious figure. Araceli asked Cody how he knew that Tracie wouldn't be affected even if he shot her knee. And how Cody was that thorough that the big fish would appear if Cody were to retrieve those boxes. Cody answered that he would give a brief explanation later. As for now, keep in mind that Tracie and the guy who just showed up are no ordinary humans. Cody further explains in short that the mysterious figure is Edwin Miller. The former commander of **_SEARCH_**. Edwin is 30 years old. Five years ago, at the end of **_SEARCH_**, he quit Arachnid. Currently, he's with the Space Corps.

Araceli didn't know about the Space Corps. Even Dr. Chaney & Dr. Hardin didn't utter a word about it.

This little explanation came out of the blue for her. She wanted to know everything. And as her memory recalls, she knows who Edwin is. Araceli is surprised as well as in disbelief. She asked Cody to move forward and went close to them to observe closely. She was shaking. However, Cody is well aware of the situation that Araceli is facing. He asked her to sit down, observe and not to go too close to them. He declared both Tracie and Edwin monsters.

The confrontation between Edwin and that creature horde waged. Araceli noticed that the bleeding healed on Tracie's wound without first aid. Also, Edwin didn't have any Spacesuit, gear, or long-range weapon. He quipped only the uniform of Space corps, no helmets. And one single katana sword. Although, a bandana mask is covering his face. Even Cody was surprised to see that. Despite with single katana, Edwin was overwhelmingly destroying those creatures. Amid that encounter, Araceli saw Tracie fall to the ground unconsciously. She wanted to help.

Araceli asked Cody if Tracie might not be an ordinary human. But how does Tracie was even breathing if her oxygen mask shattered? Cody smirked and said, "Oh, they don't need oxygen for their blood. Their body doesn't contain pure human blood."

"It doesn't make any sense. Tracie was bleeding, and I'm certain that was human blood", Araceli shouts at Cody. He answered that it must bear a resemblance to blood, but in reality, it's Scaldris. It is a red plasma element that Arachnid discovered way before the **_SEARCH_**. How do they have it? And from where did it come? I'll explain everything later. Right now, my mission takes priority. Cody told Araceli.

Cody on the transmitter to Jasper, "How's the package progression?" Jasper transmitted the message that the progress is more than 70%. And it's headed towards Cody via drone. Araceli wondered that even Tracie and Edwin would be enough to stop that weird alien being. From what this seems, there is no way Tracie could wake up from her unconsciousness, so it's all on Edwin. Before she could speak more, Cody interrupted and told Araceli to witness the supernatural. In reality, both Edwin and that freak creature horde controlling deity are extramundane.

Minutes passed, and Edwin took those creatures down, one by one. From the point of view of Araceli, rather than Edwin breathing without oxygen, nothing was too sightful. Like a clueless person, she just stood there behind covers. Araceli does have a hard time processing that her brother knows so much about these things, yet he never mentions something that's this fascinating. Yet she was close to her brother. But, Araceli is not a kid anymore, so instead of showing disbelief and frustration, she decided to observe everything.

The alien figure with those burning yellow eyes spoke nothing, utter nothing, just levitating and waving hands in sync with those creatures. Something was odd about it. Because as soon as Edwin tried to close down to land a hit, it precisely backed off. Now, the drone landed where Cody and Araceli were taking cover. Before that, Cody ordered his men, "Leave this place now, get those guys from Pollux's site. And no matter what happens, put your lives on the line, but I need those two boxes, safe and sound inside the Excalibur. Commander and I will catch up."

The drone landed slowly near Cody. Cody asked Jasper, "How many shots for me?" Jasper replied that it depends, but better finish it in two. Cody smirked and sent the drone back. Cody opened the package, as it contained approx. 40cm long blaster and what looks like the same in the way of tech bullets. Araceli asked Cody, "What's your deal with those keychains? I never saw you have fond of collecting them. And even though why bring them here. Grow up." Cody replied to Araceli, "Oh! Shut up. Honestly, I never seem to be amazed by your innocence. But those are not only keychains. Those are the tool to take care of Supernaturals."

Cody continued, "What I mean to say is that they are the same kind of weapons, the one that guy Edwin is using. Want to be more surprised? Take this blaster and shoot Edwin with this. I bet you haven't lost your touch after retiring." Araceli hesitated for a moment but followed the instructions Cody had given. She aimed at Edwin, and as expected, the target was moving randomly, so getting a lock was difficult. Araceli fired the first shot. She missed one. But, they got Edwin's attention. Since Edwin failed to land the hit on it, he charged Araceli and Cody. Cody didn't panic, and he snatched away the blaster and fired the shot himself.

The shot hits the target at 100% accuracy. And as soon as it hit, Edwin vanished on the spot. Imagine a water body of human shape, losing its composure and falling all over the place. Same as that, a black plasma emerged and fell on Edwin's position. And in a quick moment, that black plasma also disappears beneath the ground. Again, it surprised Araceli but not Cody.

Cody ordered Araceli, "Hurry! We don't have much time. Pick Tracie's body, and we must get to Excalibur now. Araceli asks, "Why? Didn't you want her dead like 10 mins ago?" Cody explains, "She is unconscious and her wound healed already. I want to confirm kill and before that I want to use her for my advantage." They both rushed to pick up Tracie. Although it seems normal, the release of her supernatural abilities caused her body to be heavier than usual. Araceli said to Cody, "FFS, I knew it would be a troublesome mission. But why? Why does all of it have to turn out like this? Dad always taught us to expect the unexpected. Yet, I don't know why I'm losing my mind with these Supernaturals. Maybe it is more than my head can comprehend.

I'm telling you again. You better tell me everything from the beginning." Cody replied without words gesturing to Araceli that she should be quiet and rush it. After picking her up, Cody started reloading the blaster and told Araceli to speed up as the storm emerged nearby them.

Since Edwin chased that alien figure on the other side of the storm, Cody took advantage and rushed to Excalibur. Jasper confirmed that Cody's men successfully brought the data & those two cubes inside Excalibur. Cody told Amy and Jasper to initiate the launch sequence as their mission was complete. As instructed, Jasper fired the engine. Amy saw two small ships hovering nearby them. They received a transmission from the it.

My name is Kolden, and I am from the Space corps. And we came to know that you are in the forbidden territory of space. May I know the reason why? And please put your representative or commander on the line. Everyone except Jasper and Amy was astounded. It was like they already knew that they would come. Amy puts Cody on the line instead of Araceli. Cody told Jasper to stick to the plan. You know what to do. Just do it.

Araceli wondered about the event which occurred when Cody shot Edwin. Out of curiosity, she asked, "What was that bullet? And what happened to that guy?" Cody told Araceli that it was a simple explanation, as that guy was not the actual Edwin, and it was his substitute shadow. Which appears to be the same as Edwin's authentic body, but that is his shadow in reality. Araceli asked more about the shadow. Cody explained that it is Edwin's supernatural ability, and he can manipulate his shadow's form at his will. What makes it scarier? His shadow can detach from his body if he needs to create a clone for himself. It is hard to tell the difference because his ability is far advanced that his shadow looks exactly the same. It can also copy his attire.

Of course, according to my intel, Edwin is ambidextrous. But he is right-handed. His shadow is like a mirror image of him. Remember when observing him, I told you to witness the supernatural. I was looking for his movement to determine whether he was real or fake. That's why I used that blaster to get rid of that shadow so that he would have to come out from his cover. After all, I want to kill him.

Araceli admitted now she understands what happened when Cody shot that shadow. But if he wants to kill Edwin, they should wait there instead of rushing towards Excalibur. The storm was never in the path. That storm is unpredictable, and forecasting & assuming its path is fool's play. Araceli does know that. Besides, Cody reveals to her that he does have one ace in his hand. To use it as an advantage, they need to be nearby Excalibur. On the other hand, Jasper deliberately fired two missiles on the space corp's ship. That happened so suddenly that they couldn't dodge that and died from a blast.

Cody and Araceli are now nearby Excalibur. They heard saw the explosions, and Araceli was unaware of that situation. In a moment, they spotted Excalibur. But now, they are interrupted by Edwin.

[Here, let's talk about Edwin's power and abilities. As Cody told Edwin can manipulate his shadow. The shadow could take a human form only of Edwin. The shape and size remain the same regardless of the presence of light or dark. The humanoid shadow can talk and have its way of thinking, but it is similar to Edwin. If the shadow's skin is covered, there is no way of telling whether it is fake or real. Edwin's shadow humanoid can fight and move according to his will or independently, depending on how far that show is from Edwin's body. At the age of 15, this power first manifested inside Edwin. The origin is still unknown. With age Edwin's power had grown gradually. To Cody's observation, the shadow is the mirror image of Edwin. If someone were to fight Edwin head-on in hand-to-hand combat, it would be like fighting the same person simultaneously on both sides.

Edwin is ambidextrous, he can take either the left or right side, and his shadow will mimic the opposite side accurately. The shadow doesn't emerge from the ground but Edwin's body. It doesn't have mass. Physical attacks won't work against the shadow, and it is of black plasma named Scaldris inside Edwin. (Different from Tracie's red plasma of Scaldris)The bullet that Cody earlier used is the eraser of Scaldris. At a time, Edwin can produce or control only one clone. That's it for now. Because supernatural abilities can grow from time to time, there is no fully detailed explanation.]

First, to Araceli, it exactly appeared as if she saw his shadow's form. But she remembered that Edwin's shadow form had one sword with him, and now it's not there. Cody took one of the keychains. As soon as he took off his gloves and touched them barehanded, that weapon took its original form. Araceli was observing that. Cody gave one to her and asked her to not lose it. Cody ordered Araceli to stand back, and he started walking toward Edwin. Slowly, Edwin is also taking his steps to close the distance.

Ignoring Cody's word, Araceli walked beside Cody. She touched the weapon, and the same phenomenon happened.

Cody asked, "Edwin, long time no see. Why are you here? What do you want?" In a deep voice, Edwin answered, "To hell with your questions, hand over those two boxes and leave. I mean no harm to you guys." Araceli sarcastically laughed and said, "No harm? What about the people (Pollux crew) here before us, as you killed all of them for god knows what things. This supernatural crap is absurd." Edwin calmly replied, "Let me repeat the words you said to me long ago. I'm not your enemy, and I never was. You have gravely mistaken the situation, and now you are missing the big picture my so-called used to be a friend."

Cody whispered to Araceli, "Do you know him?" Araceli whispered, "A long time ago, but it doesn't matter now." Araceli asks, "It's weird. I thought he might be same age. In fact, I was older than him. Why does he look so old?" Cody asks, "You are right. He is 30, but he looks like 65-70."

After that, some exchanges of insults took place between the sibling and Edwin. Later, Edwin warned, "Cody, Araceli, you were in the dark about those boxes. You don't truly understand its existence, and neither do I, but I'm sure it doesn't belong to Earth. And finally, let me say again, I didn't kill anyone here."

Araceli shouted, "Shut up! You lying scumbag. You bastard always try to get involved with people due to your selfish intentions and always ends up causing trouble for everyone. I thought you'd die a few years ago. But what I heard and see now, you are just a monster. I don't believe a single word you say."

Edwin told. You called me a liar and said that you would never believe me. You claim that I'm lying right now. So why do you think that Cody, Hardin, and others are telling you the truth? I sympathize with you for your naïve mind. It's not only about truth and lies. After all, they are only hard facts. Despite that, everyone chooses those facts in their comfort. The only certainty that is favorable to them is true. And right now, you are behaving with such similar naiveness. You seem to forget that people always judge by the decision we make as they never bother to understand what reason a person could have. Nevertheless, I'm now only an enemy to you guys, only a fool who expects that you would acknowledge it.

Araceli said, "Then shut up and get lost, you scumbag." Edwin exclaimed, "Gladly!"

Cody moved backward and stabbed Tracie with his weapon. It immediately killed unconscious Tracie. Araceli stood still in shock by Cody's action. The word doesn't come out of her mouth. In a fraction of a second, Edwin approached Araceli and knocked her unconscious. Cody yelled that they had no distraction and they could fight without interruption. Everyone back inside the Excalibur is watching all the events occurring there. Amy asked Jasper, "Don't you think Cody went too far by killing Tracie? And I feel something is off about our former commander Edwin." Jasper said, "Wanna bet. I think Cody will lose." Amy replied, "A thousand bucks on Edwin's death." They fist-bumped each other and started to watch.

Cody casually showed his handling skills of a weapon to Edwin. On the other hand, Edwin took a stance, preparing to fight. He has drawn out his sword, and the shadow emerged from his body. It's all black plasma of Scaldris, stuck closely to the main body. Cody praises Edwin, saying he never seemed to be amused by Edwin's ability. The only thing that Cody regret is that Edwin won't co-operate with him. But Cody thinks that right now, at this moment that it would be no more as Edwin must die here.

The battle begins, their weapons colliding with each other. As being supernatural, Edwin had an advantage over Cody. But Cody doesn't seem to be backing down. He exactly knew that a physical attack didn't work on Edwin's shadow but could affect Edwin. Cody forced his physical strength and fighting style to his full might.

Beating Edwin in current form seems to be a difficult job to pull off. Exchanging blows on each other, swearing, and continuously bleeding made them go insane. In addition to exceptional close combat skills, the weapon specifically manufactured to deal with the supernatural, Cody is overwhelming Edwin. Both were not ready to admit defeat as it means one's death. Cody is out for blood, and he wants to kill Edwin, whereas Edwin's sole purpose is to retrieve the boxes that are now in possession of Cody/Arachnid. Edwin's shadow abilities started to fade as they struggled to catch a breath in a fierce duel.

Cody, with his hands, made a gesture to Jasper for proceeding with the final stage of his plan. Amy noticed and told Jasper that Cody was asking for Enigma. (Enigma is one of the super level projects of Arachnid, in which they make cyberization of a human. After the failure of the **_SEARCH,_** they only managed to cyberize one. A perfect baseline for future cyberization.)

Jasper released the Enigma. Edwin and Cody were lying down on the ground. Cody got up first and said, "Hey Edwin, I got one parting gift for you as you are about to die now." The atmosphere nearby Excalibur goes cold and foggy. Struggling with a breath again, Edwin got up. The sound of rumbling by someone's walking is in Edwin's ear. That fog was actual an unusual light storm on that planet. From the mist, there emerges a moderately eight feet tall cybernetic humanoid.

Edwin fell to his knees. He is in utter disbelief by seeing the face of that cybernetic human. To Edwin, it is like he must've seen a ghost. A walking dead. In the meantime, Araceli wakes . Lying on the ground, she's the spectator again. Edwin is stuttering as he asks, "What the hell is this? How could this happen."

Edwin's whole body gets struck with numbness, and the weapon he was carrying falls to the ground. He couldn't stop weeping. That cybernetic human closed by and picked up Edwin by his hair. With the other hand, he punched Edwin in the face. After taking five to six blows, Edwin shouted, "Cody, what those guys do to him? How did Aaron end up being a puppet of that man?" Cody picked up Araceli, "So, you are not dead, c'mon get up." Araceli asked, "What happened? Now, who is this new character of this crap?" Cody told Araceli that its time to tell her everything, and right now, they should go back to the Excalibur.

After being fought against Edwin, Cody was barely able to walk appositely. Araceli saw Edwin's face covered in blood and tears. Without being bothered by that, they stood below the Excalibur.

Edwin is boiling with rage. He stood back up again. But as soon as he got up, Aaron stabbed Edwin and left the dagger inside him. Edwin collapsed to the ground without losing consciousness. And both siblings went back inside the Excalibur by stepping on Tracie's corpse. In pain, he screamed, "Cody forget about the boxes. I will kill you. Come back here."

Inside Excalibur, Cody to himself, "Are you an idiot or what? Your chapter ends here. So is my mission. Die here a meaningless death. See you in hell."