Carbon Copy

     Bright skies, clear air, and a fresh coating of snow on the ground. Ah, the average day of winter in central Ohio. Not enough snow to be troublesome, but just enough to hide the filth of the city. You know, a fresh start? Well, this is the story of a sharply dressed young man who'd received just that. As it was, he lived in a suburb of Dayton, and was walking home from school. His name is Artemis, and he stood out in a crowd of teenagers. Almost always donned with a dress shirt, pants, shoes, and vest in public, but renowned for his eagerness in learning.

     Many teachers loved him, even if he was the quiet type. Always polite, never unruly, and had an academic record clean as a whistle. Unfortunately, that wasn't his only side. You see, if the teachers ever caught him with what he did best, he'd probably be expelled. And what he did best was manipulate people. A little pressure here, some blackmail there, and the fact that he was guarded by the teachers due to high academic marks really pissed some people off; specifically the local bullies. Why them? Well, that's because he manipulated them the most. They preyed on those they knew they could harm, but could never rip out the thorn in their side: Artemis.

    Artemis on the other hand, greatly enjoyed playing with their minds, and even more so turning some of the rival groups against each other. In fact, just last year he'd played two gangs against each other. Now that was a sight to see. Around twenty kids total (not enough to actually be two rival gangs, but easier to say that than repeat 'groups' all the time) decided that an assembly would be the perfect time to start fighting on the gym floor. This, of course, was provoked via Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr hacks courtesy of the protagonist. You know, an insult via Twitter during a party while they were getting drunk and couldn't account for all of their actions, a Facebook post here or there that insulted the other's beliefs, installing spyware on their phones and sending phantom messages that would be deleted several minutes after being opened, etc.; nothing major, but enough to get on each other’s nerves. That was where Artemis sat back and watched as it unfolded. Tensions increased, a check into the lockers, 'accidentally' knocking books out of the others hand, and generally them trying to out-bully each other. It's all very easy when a phone is always connected to an account with not a single lock on it.

     Its fun to watch Alpha males fight for territory and pride, isn't it?

     Now, while this was enough to generate tension, it wasn't actually enough to make something like a fight occur, but it was enough to get insults thrown around freely during school. A few weeks after lighting the spark of anger between those groups, an assembly was announced to be in three days. Artemis wracked his mind for an idea. The lockers didn't have great locks, and it wouldn't take long to pry open Jeff or John's locker to plant evidence. With the safeguard secured, he moved on to how to actually set off the building stockpiles. Words would only go so far, he needed something that would really piss each other off. Something stolen perhaps... Yeah, that would work. Steal an IPod, photoshop one into a picture, send it to the other, bam. Instant "proof" that the other stole the device. Nah, forget the photoshop.

     But where's the fun just letting the two knock each other around behind the weight room? No, there would need to something more dramatic. Something that would occur at the assembly...

     Three days passed, and the assembly was almost upon the school. Jeff's IPod was decided to be stolen due to him having been in the court system before, and everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before he went to jail, leaving him the suspected instigator. Coincidentally, his birthday was two days prior to the assembly, putting him just over the age of adulthood. Artemis knew that the court systems would tear him apart, and leave him to stew on his actions. John would be the assaulted victim then.

     Then came the day of the assembly, a glorious day indeed. The day before, during Artemis' study hall, he'd broken into Jeff's locker and stole his mp3 player. Next he went back to his studyhall, and continued working on homework. It was a good thing the school hadn't caught up with the times yet, no video cameras meant no chance of getting caught. The rest of the day had passed without incident, and the two were still at it. Artemis strolled down the hall dressing in khakis and a red polo shirt, and discretely slipped the IPod into John's backpack. He'd been careful to watch Jeff on his birthday while he'd messed with his IPod in class. As you may know, the IPod has a four digit code that is really easy to memorize if you're looking over someone's shoulder when they're unlocking the device.

     Timing is everything when it comes to framing someone. It also takes a great deal of patience to find the right type of person to target, and to know who would tell the least convincing truth. That was why John was such an easy target; constantly in trouble and always telling unconvincing lies to try and weasel his way out of the spotlight, the one he'd jump back into not ten minutes after being yelled at. Of course, he never got in too much trouble, but detracted enough time from class to be a nuisance to the teachers, and verbally bullied the few people dumber than him. AKA, the people with mental illnesses, who were slandered against by the rest of the student body already, and was magnified by John's behavior towards them.

     It was also where Artemis' younger sister went to school for borderline autism part of the day, and John bullying her gave Artemis the perfect excuse to rationalize what he was playing between the other two. It was an act of kindness he'd reasoned, a way to scrub the dirt off the floor, a parting gift senior year, and even more-so, a gift to turn the tables on those who had the apparent power.

     The day of the assembly passed without incident until roughly one fifteen in the afternoon. It was about sending the golf team to state again this year, and as such, nobody really paid attention. Really, who like golf besides retirees?

     "Thank you all for coming here!" The vice principal chattered on, oblivious to the silent stares of disinterest being given from the students. "As you are well aware, the swim team has come a long way since the beginning of the season. It is reflected by their hard work, perseverance, and..." At that point, Artemis began looking for John. John as a wider fellow who was on the wrestling team, and had placed ninth in districts last year, was easy to pick out in the crowd. As predicted, he was playing with the unlocked IPod he'd mysteriously acquired. He wasn't privy to a phone, seeing that he generally broke the screen in a few days, but the mp3 player still looked to be in one piece- wait, nevermind.

     Artemis looked down at his rooted Android. He tapped a few icons on the screen to bring up the spyware program, and sent a message to Jeff through John's phone. 'U missin yo ipod' It made the young man cringe that he'd had to type that, he was a bit of a grammar nazi after all, a slight side effect of having a little OCD. It wasn't anything to get worked up about, but he paid attention to stuff more because of it.

     It was one of those things that could be looked down upon, but had somehow twisted itself to working out to better his life than hinder it.

     He sent the message with a quickly subdued twinge of guilt, and looked across the gym. Scanning the crowd for the teen.

     "...on behalf of the high school, I present this award to..." The principal prattled on, none the wiser that some strings were being pulled. Artemis was growing slightly concerned though, he knew he'd seen Jeff earlier, but the man wasn't making an appearance.

     A bark of "Hey!" broke him out of his watch, and shifted his eyes down to the end of the row. There he stood, burly with dark, gelled hair. The muscled man sidestepped down the row in front of John, and stopped in front of the wiry teen. John was skinnier, and held the cracked IPod awkwardly before trying to hide it in his pocket. He knew he'd been had, but habit dies hard when you're predisposed to lying.

     "I don't have your IPod," John stammered out before regaining his composure and looking Jeff in the eye.

     "Then why is it in your pocket?"

     "Nah man, I found dis. Just showed up in my backpack."

    "'Course it did," scoffed Jeff. By now the teachers were staring, and one was making her way over to intervene before things got out of hand. "I want it back."

     "Finder's keepers'," said John matter-of-factly. He acted like that was the only rule that mattered at the moment, and it was taking Artemis all his restraint to keep from grinning maniacally and snickering. He'd noted how Jeff didn't mention getting a text, and how John couldn't conjure a counter argument.

     "That's mine!" Roared Jeff as he lunged for the pocket, accidentally shouldering John's friend, Miguel in the stomach. Miguel was the center on the football team, and towered over everyone else in the school. Jeff was on the wrestling team, and knew how to grapple better. Push came to shove, and a wild elbow caught John in the chin. There was no turning back after that, as John threw the first punch that ricocheted off Jeff's shoulder. Jeff gave him a sidelong glance, and John was scrambling over his classmates to get away from his pursuer. Unfortunately, he didn't think things through, and ran toward the center of the gym floor.

     Jeff's friends had watched Jeff confront John about his IPod, and came to his aid in cornering the ever elusive target. They had been circling around the top of the bleachers when John ran onto the gym floor. Come to think of it, he probably made the best move at the time. He gave himself room to maneuver and distanced himself from his attackers. Jeff didn't give up that easily though. He slipped out of Miguel's reach, and continued the hunt for his stolen music player. His posse on the other hand had caused quite the disruption on the gym floor, and had nearly trapped John. The teachers were pushed away from the fleeing man, and had not made any headway by the time Jeff caught him by the scruff of the neck.

     Miguel made better advances than the teachers through the wall of flesh forming the rough half circle, but still had trouble reaching John. His relationship was one of mutual interest with the beaten victim. He wanted to feel better, and so did John. Both took it out on others to relieve the stresses of home, but neither would ever admit to that. Miguel's younger brother Carlos joined the fray as well, and was able to weave between the thrashing bodies and hurled fists. His course of action finished when he made it to Jeff standing over John's fallen and bloody body, then leaped onto his back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Jeff fell onto John's battered body, and soon across it as he succumbed to the fading dark of unconsciousness.

     The teachers swarmed in soon after, and suspended all those involved. It didn't end well. Miguel, who had been trying protect a friend, was suspended for two weeks. Jeff was expelled, and John was expelled due to having an excessively stained record prior to the event. Nothing could be proven about the IPod, and that only added to John's guilt. All the while, Artemis sat back and watched. He found himself realizing the irony of the situation, that he'd become what he was trying to vanquish, but ended his turmoil with a thought, If I have to stain my hands with wrongdoing to ensure that life is better for the rest, I will do so. If being righteous involves laying down and doing nothing, then that justifies the means to the ends for me. And just like that, the knot in his stomach uncoiled. He knew he'd wronged some more than others, but knew that none of them were entirely innocent either.

One of these days, karma will catch up to me... I'll burn that bridge when I get to it, he thought stoically. Even as the scene on the floor unfolded, he had begun to realize he was at a crossroads in life, and would remember that day.

      Back to the present: a slow winter's walk down memory lane, and back from a trip to Radioshack. Artemis needed a breadboard to redo some soldering on a circuit. It wasn't that complex of a circuit, but he'd kept the soldering iron too close and ruined the silicon on the last one. Thankfully he hadn't wrecked any of the components, that would have just made a bad week worse, not that it could. Seven days ago his car brakes failed, and he had been forced to downshift and swerve over a curb to stop before an intersection. Four days ago he'd practically bee run over by the bus he was forced to take to school, twice, then once again when he went to pick up some groceries, forcing him to leap aside as the wheel ran where he had stood but a moment before. Then today the circuit board had been burnt by a clumsy mistake. It was nothing in comparison to the past week, but it still pissed him off. It was another thing on a list thing that could go wrong, and just reaffirmed that karma was getting even lately.

     Artemis blew out a sigh of frustration. He'd been looking forward to make a small coil gun, just to say that he could. The parts were easy to come by, and the only reason it was taking as long as it was was because he'd been flooded with homework lately. It wasn't bad, but enough to force the schedule between work and school to establish that he didn't have much of a chance to gather the needed breadboard. Furthermore, he'd really needed to stretch his bad leg. It had been acting up lately, and he couldn't figure out why.

     The leg encased in a brace was brought to face without a hint of disgrace, moving forward with the click clack accompanied by the to-and-fro motion of an extended knee yearning to break free from its imprisonment. His was interrupted by a buzzing in his jeans pocket. He didn't normally wear jeans, instead preferring the feeling of his black wool dress pants. Those were ruined in the last near-miss with the bus, which ruined Artemis' attitude more than being hit by the bus (the surprise wears off after the first two times, or so I'm told). The buzzing persisted, making the metallic brace resonate slightly.

     "Hello?" The teen asked in a bored tone, somewhat sad that he was being bothered when he'd lost so much of his free time already.

     "Artemis? Is this thing working? Where are you? Why's the screen black? Can you-"

     "Mom. Mom. MOM! I'm right here. It's working," He interrupted. "Anyway, what are you calling for?"

     "Well," his mom started, "I was watching this show, and they were cooking this recipe-"

     "Mom, I'm broke. I can't go getting food right now. I'll be home in ten minutes." He cut her off once again, this time with no small amount of effort to keep the frustration out of his voice.

     "Now you listen here young man, I want to try out this recipe, and you're going to get the stuff, or you aren't eating tonight." His mom said sternly.

     "Yes Janice, see you in ten minutes," he added to spite her before going home. He couldn't figure it out though, his mom never threatened him by going without food. Something's up. She doesn't threaten me by withholding food, and I told her I was going to Radioshack.

     He continued his limp back home, wondering what was causing the distress. His sister had been acting much more 'normal' than her condition generally allowed with her last medicine change, and his dad had gotten a raise with his job promotion. Artemis couldn't figure it out. If anything, there should have been less tension, so what would have been causing her to act up?

     Deciding to chance a shortcut home, he turned down an alley that would exit near his house. The echoes of a flexing brace bounced off the walls, giving the impression of entering a cave at dusk. The shadows stood in surprisingly stark contrast to the white snow outside he walled street, making the place seem ominous and foreboding. Artemis felt a throb of pain shoot through his left knee, Damn. Overextended myself again, he mused as he removed the circuit from the plastic bag he'd been toting around. A few seconds later he'd tied the bag through his brace, and was filling it with snow as he leaned against a wall. The sound of snickering caught his ear from further down the alley. Unfortunately it was coming from the way home, giving rise to a rise of groaning from the boy. He just couldn't shake this trail of bad luck lately, could he?

     He moved down the alley regardless of the mysterious laughter. There was a reason he avoided this, but he didn't want to admit that there may be a situation he couldn't handle. A small drift of snow had collected in the gravel path and had been littered with one, two... Two pairs of distinguishable shoes prints, Artemis thought to himself. A bit of paranoia crept into the back of his mind, reminding him that he could be attacked at any moment.

     Crunch, clack, crunch, clack went the boy's unique sounding step.

     "Hey, did you hear that?" One of the voices had stopped laughing and quickly interrupted the other's giggling. Artemis continued on, ignoring the fact that there were likely two people looking for him right now. His philosophy was, "If you look like you belong there, they won't bother you." Presently, he crossed the intersection where the laughter had originated, and two adults that looked to be somewhere in their mid-twenties were staring at him. He gave them a sidelong glance, and kept walking on, not bothering to stop and observe the scene. A quiet conversation picked up behind him, reaching his ears only because of the acoustics of the alley. A scuffling could be heard, followed by a cough that was much too close for comfort for Artemis. He turned in time to lower his shoulder before a man tried attacking him, a jarring sensation ran through his legs, and something popped in his left leg. It didn't hurt, but neither did it when he first injured that leg.

     Adrenaline is a crazy thing.

     Panting heavily, and quite away that his leg was likely going to give out, Artemis shifted his weight largely to his right leg as the thug backed off. "Okay," he wheezed, trying to keep a grip on his perception of a wobbling reality, "What doya- Whoa. What do you want?"

     "Give us your wallet," demanded the one on the right. He was a greasy character. No, as in, his skin had a gleam, and his pimples had pimples. Is that what it's like to work over the grill at McDonald's all day? Inquired Artemis to himself as he took out his wallet and gave it to the thugs.

Dammit, he thought with a wince, I hope they don't steal my identity. Wait, did I...? Yeah, left my house key in the wallet pocket.

     The black fold of leather was handed over peacefully, although Artemis' scowl was now mixed between pain and frustration. Something to do with being raised in a society where mistakes are frowned upon, whether they're actions or people. Then again, being a perfectionist by nature will magnify even the smallest flaws.

     Once he was finished handing over the wallet, the two alley-lurkers went back down their nook. The one who'd tried tackling him was rubbing his jaw, but seemed to have shaken off his hit pretty well. Artemis chuckled at a stray thought, Stop hitting yourself. Then he started thinking about what he'd have to do later, Cancel debit card, change the locks, get a new ID...FFFUUUU! You see, that thought reminded him that he'd have to go to the DMV, where the lines are slow and the service is shitty. I mean really, who wants to wait in line two hours just to be told they were standing in the wrong line to begin with?

     The grimace across his face showed that Artemis' condition was worsening though, largely due to the adrenaline fading from his system. A warm sensation ran through his knee, forcing Artemis to practically hop on one leg to go anywhere. An end to his agony was interrupted with a bright light. Artemis blinked in surprise twice; he didn't realize he was at the end of the alley already. A spared glance behind revealed the two thugs weren't there, and a sigh of relief was given. The last thing he needed was to be attacked again.

     Fishing his smart phone out of his pocket, he dialed his home phone number. His thoughts on having a land-line were mixed. On one hand you didn't have everyone knowing your cell phone number, but on the other they could call you in the middle of the night and you could only unplug the phone to ignore them. Regardless, his mom wasn't picking up. Odd, she called ten minutes ago, he thought as he looked at his call history after hanging up. His priority right now was finding a spot to sit down. Something was wrong with his leg if that popping had anything to say.

It may have been scar tissue. Definitely feels like a time after physical therapy. GAH! That hurts! He thought to himself while he busied himself with readjusting his brace. The snow in the plastic bag was emptied out, and fresh powder was put in. The cooling effect of the ice crystals definitely made a difference with the toleration of that damn injury.

     The walk limp home was uneventful, and mercifully close. Only two streets to the cul de sac, then a quarter mile to his house. Artemis felt a cold sweat come to be over his brow, even as his heartbeat was duly noted in his leg. The bag was torn open on his front porch, then placed in a wadded up ball as he tried to go inside. It wouldn't do him any good to drag a puddle into the house, and his mom would spaz out if she caught anything wet on the floor.

     Keyword: tried.

     Again he pressed against the door again to be sure it was locked, it was. His dad didn't believe in hiding a spare key outside the house, and it was at times like this Artemis felt the need to make a spare. (He'd meant to make one earlier, but his car went haywire.) His cellphone was once again pullet out of his pocket. He called his house and heard the ringing of the land line from within. Nobody answered. With that way in taken, he called his mom's cell phone with the same result, and his dad's, and his sister's.

     A resigned sigh greeted the air as it escaped from his lips, turning into mist as the dry air evaporated the water molecules into thin air. Artemis sat on the front porch for some time, well, enough to drain most of the battery in his phone. By that time the sun had begun its travels to the horizon, and his good leg was horribly cramped. He called the phones one last time, and found himself grabbing a rock. He headed around to the side of the garage, and smashed the rock into the lower left hand corner, where the lock was the closest.

     Darkness loomed in every corner of the garage, the only light source illuminating the person in the doorway. Shadows vanished as incandescent light bloomed forth from the flicking of a switch. Artemis made his way around his parents' cars, and entered the house. A call into the abode as the teen crossed the mantle received no responses.

     He made his way to the kitchen, deftly grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer, and put it on his leg as he reclined at the kitchen table. The apple he spied on the table sent a small rumble through his stomach, I don't suppose this would ruin dinner, would it? A smirk played across his face. It wasn't often that he had the chance to simply sit back and watch the world go round, and he felt thankful.

     Now, Artemis was not a religious man by any means, but he was raised Catholic and the teachings of the Church wore off after time. Sure, he said prayers before meals as a kid, but now he hardly gave a second thought about giving thanks.

     "Pater noster qui es in coelis, (Our Father, who art in heaven,

     sanctificetur nomen tuum; hallowed be thy name;

     adveniat regnum tuum, thy kingdom come,

     fiat voluntas tua, thy will be done,

     sicut  in coelo et in terra. on earth as it is in Heaven.

     Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, Give us this day, our daily bread,

     et dimitte nobis debita nostra, and forgive us our trespasses

     sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. as we forgive those who trespass against us.

     et ne nos inducas in tentationem And lead us not into temptation,

     sed libera nos a malo. but deliver us from evil.

     Amen." Amen)

     Knowing some Latin was a skill he was happy to know. If he didn't know a word, but it had Latin structure, he might derive the meaning through context and previous knowledge. Prayer though, it made him feel connected back to the Romans. Back when the world was nearly modern...

*THUNK!*

     As he was about to bite into his apple, a large sound resounded off the second floor. The fruit was placed back into the ceramic bowl, and the chair was pushed back from table. Artemis didn't think anyone was home, no one had answered the calls. In fact, if they were going somewhere, he should have known.

     "Hello?" He called up the stairs. Nobody answered. He didn't expect a response if someone had broken into his house though, that would be ludicrous.

     Silence reigned over the house, unsettling the boy. His mask of calm, calculated odds was metaphorically donned, and he began listening. No TV, radio, footsteps... I could have sworn she wouldn't go to the store, thought Artemis to himself. Was Sonia out of medicine again? He wondered. Her symptoms had practically disappeared with her recent change in meds, leaving only a slight stutter and the occasional repeated word.

     Creaking of floorboards brought Artemis out of his thoughts, and he remained still. The movement had come from his right and up. While keeping his eyes wary of what he might find upstairs, he ascended to the second floor. His door was partially open, a state he'd never have it in unless he needed to enter or exit the area. Realizing that a person was likely in there, he decided to back off, and call the police.

     "OI! YEAH, YOU IN THE HALLWAY!" Artemis spun around, immediately regretted doing so, and slumped against the wall while facing a stranger in the doorway. The stranger looked odd, not just the disheveled hair and crooked grin on his face, but the face that his face looked to have been cut up and resewn back together from four different faces. His left eye was almond shaped, while his right was circular. A swath of black hair was missing on one side, as if he'd been repeatedly pulling against it and eventually tore a patch free, leaving an aggravated bald spot. The stranger's dress was also odd, though eccentric may be a better term. A worn black cape hung from a silver clasp, draped over a green robe. The sleeves covered most of his hands, except the calloused fingertips hanging freely at his sides and chains loosely dangling with the quiet tinkling of metal.

     The stranger moved back, as if suddenly unsure of what to do. The rattling of chain broke the strained silence, forcing Artemis to start the cogs in his mind.

     "How'd you get in? I didn't notice anything broken," he ventured, cautiously straightening up his blazer and plucking at a wrinkle in his jeans. It was all very calculated you see, a way to reassure himself through touch, and to make sure his cell phone was where he'd left it. Hopefully it made him look nervous, instead of being in control.

     "Sonia let me in. Really, such a nice girl," the green clad stranger replied, "and an excellent test subject," he added under his breath. Artemis didn't catch the last part, but he knew something was wrong. Sonia wouldn't let people in the house, and his mom had definitely been home.

     "Where is my mom?"

     "Oh, the older one? Yes, that is what you call them right? Disirregardless, she should be asleep now. I left her body in the sleeping quarters on that rectangular device. What is it, a bed?" The man gave a questioning look to the boy, the threw a hand in the air without a care in the world, and walked to the door bisecting the hall: the entrance to the master bedroom. There lay his mother, resting peacefully, with her arms clasped over her stomach in a placid fashion. In an eerie sort of way, it looked as if she were about to be encased by a coffin, ready for display at a funeral home.

     Artemis turned back to the now smiling stranger. It wasn't so much that he was smiling that bothered the teen, but how his teeth were shaped. Each one had been filed to a point, giving the impression of a predatory creature waiting to strike its prey. He limped out of the room, and went to his bedroom. The place was a mess, as usual. A fine layer of dust covered most surfaces, something that was both helpful and detrimental to him. On one hand, noticing that someone had been messing with his stuff was made easier, but on the other, his dust allergy suffered from it. The only thing that was missing was a green, red, and black Toa he'd made some time ago.

     That particular model held some sentimental value, something he attributed to having paid for almost every LEGO set he owned, but he wouldn't like to admit it. Ever since they'd stopped Bionicle and began Hero Factory, he just stopped collecting the plastic figurines. Before they held a link to his childhood, to a time where he could relax and be spontaneous instead of watching every step he took. They called it being politically correct, he called it useless formalities.

     Tapping on his shoulder sent him into a minor state of shock before he regained his mask of stoicism.

     "Are you looking for this?" In a cloth covered palm rested the figure, standing just as if it were on his bookshelf.

     Gingerly, Artemis took the figure from his hand. A faint smile splayed across his face, giving rise to a pair of wrinkles running diagonally away from each eye. The memories from childhood resurfaced for another few seconds, before the situation was pushed back to the forefront of his mind. It was almost as if the stranger could read his mind thought the boy.

     "How'd you know?"

     Now it was Artemis' turn to act flustered, "Hm, what?"

     "How. Did you know. I could read your mind?" The stranger stressed each part of the sentence differently. One was in a low baritone, the next in a raspy tenor, followed by a suspicious glare and crescendo from a whisper to nearly a shout. Obviously, Artemis was somewhat taken aback. His 'guest,' was becoming stranger by the minute.

     With a hesitant step back, Artemis found himself reentering his room, the man in the hall rapidly eating away at what may have once been considered the comfort zone. The clutter on the floor didn't allow for a hasty retreat, much to Artemis' displeasure, and this was one of the few times he considered picking up his room if he got out of this alive. In a corner was his desk, and leaning against the side of that was his camping gear: backpack, sleeping bag, and all you might need if you needed to get out of town quickly.

     Proceeding forward, the stranger cornered Artemis onto his bed. With a sigh of mixed frustration and relief, the boy sat down. He hadn't won this battle, and now was going to pay for not being ready for it. The man had won, and there was only one thing left to do.

     "What's your name?"

     "Oh, OH! Heh heh, now that's a good question. It's been awhile since anybody asked, but you can call me Karzahni."

Green color scheme, black cape. Not the plant. Unstable, that's the ruler. What are the odds that a being I would know  from the Bionicle story line would show up at my house. That's right, none. Where'd you escape from you psycho?

     "Psycho?! OF ALL THE LOW BALLING THINGS YOU COULD HAVE CALLED ME, YOU CALLED ME PSYCHO?" Karzahni screamed at the the boy. "Let me tell you! You're perfect."

     That last addition sent shivers up his spine, even as Artemis desperately tried to get up, only to be flung back onto the mattress by a stray backhand. The spectacle in front of him was a dancing buffoon, and looked like a ritual dance. Nowhere had he seen something so intricate, yet simple. The movements were fluid, but looked robotic. Before Artemis knew it, his head was bobbing in rhythm, and he felt the urge to clap. The tempo died down soon enough though, and the room quieted.  The boy was lost in a thought as to discerning what he had just seen, and didn't notice the shift of a circular patch of light moving closer to his bed. It was, in a way, not light though, but a subtle shift of hue in color.

     Karzahni was looking at him expectantly, and before he knew it, he was falling backward. The circular spot had been positioned directly behind him, and should not have existed from the provided light sources. His mind reeled, even as his body fell into the black void that filled the ellipse. A startled yelp was the last thing heard from him as he fell into the pit.

     "One last thing," called the dark haired man, "Say 'hi' to your sister for me." Artemis lost consciousness as the last syllable fell from the man's lips, and the portal soon closed.