CHAPTER 3

Watching two Skyes.

Pidge walks over to the Controls. Wires were scattered everywhere, the Metalic cover looked like it was smashed by something very strong.
"Hmmm.. this'll take Days to repair!"
"Then get to it, Pidge! We need it fixed fast!" Charlie ordered. She had come instantly, after hearing the news of the Controls being sabotaged. She wasn't to happy about it. She then turns to Dusty, who was pacing around. "Stop that! It's Annoying! Anyway.. Skye couldv'e just left to get some fresh air! I know I would! But that's not important now. We have to find out who did this, and make them pay!"
Dusty looks at her commander. Lately, she's been kind of edgey. Dusty figured she was getting Jumpy because it had now been more than a week since Doom had even made contact. She was about to address her friend about the situation, when she heard a hum comming from the hallway. She turns and finds Skye, half-skipping into the Control Center.
"Hey guys, what's wrong with Nanny? I just came from the kitchen, and she just picked me up, and squeezed me in an extreamly tight bear hug. Something about me being gone for a week! Sheesh.. I wasn't that long in the study, was I? OH! One little thing.. I left a big bowl of pudding in the fridge yesterday.. and now it's gone! who took it?" Skye looks at them. Each one having a very peculiar look on thier faces.
"Skye.. we.. uh ate that pudding three days ago."
"What! Come'on, use your math. You'all couldn't have eaten it, cause I just put that bowl yesterday!"
"Uh, Skye! You were gone for a week! Remember?"
"Huh? How?"
"The Crystal?"
"What Crystal?"
Charlie looks at her. Shows the crystaline feline.
"This one!"
"Oooh, where'd ya get it?"
"You found it!"
"I did? When?"
"A WEEK AGO! Aren't you listening?"
"I would have remembered it! Why you guys acting so odd-bodkins?
"ME? You're the one acting wierd!"
"Whatever, commander, I ju.. OHMYGAWD!!! What happened to the controls?!"
"We don't know. Can you fix it?" Asks Lance, who was now helping Pidge by handing him the tools.
"Can I fix it, he says! Yeah.. let me just go get my box. You guys gotta get more sleep, you're all turning nutzoid!" Skye shakes her head and walks out to her room. A minute later Skye walks back into the Control Room.
"What's the matter? Forget something?"
Skye sits down and raises a brow at Charlie.
"What are you doing? Weren't you going to get your box to fix the controls?"
"Excuse me? I don't know what your talking about! I just came from.. OHMYGAWD! What happened to the controls?"
"Is anyone else sensing a case of Day Sha View?"
"That's Deja-Vu, princess!"
"You guys are acting very peculiar!"
"We've been through that already.. just go get your box and help okay?"
"Geeze! Calm down.. er.. Pidge.. right? Okay, okay, fine! I'll get to work on it, though I haven't touched a machine in, what, 5 years!" Skye sighs and shakes her head.. she was about to leave, when she froze right in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Right in front of her, was an exact replica of herself!
The twin also stopped in her tracks. But instead of standing there, gapemouth, like her similar, she just smiled and put down the box.
"Wow! Lotor made a clone of Me? I feel so honored!" Skye reaches behind her, and pulls out her pistol, still grinning.
Skye snaps out of it, and glares at her twin. Pulling out her blaster. The other Skye just snickers.
"Aww.. and it even mimicks me!"
Everyone else had stoped what they were doing, and was staring at the twins. For the life in them, they couldn't tell each one apart!
"I am not the clone, You are! A pretty good looking one at that!"
"Same here!"
"Except for one little flaw. Lotor made you in the image and personality of my old self! I've changed!" Skye raises her blaster higher, still keeping a close eye on the other Skye. "Believe me, I am not the same Skye everyone else here remembers! That Skye, is long gone! But, if it weren't for that Crystal, I'd still be what you might have been if you grew up! Too bad.. oh well, can't change the past!" Skye pulls the trigger, and a shoots Skye right in the chest!
Skye's nearly jumps from the noise. Then, she feels a cold trickle on her chest, she looks down, and see's her shirt is now red! The shock goes away, and now Skye sensed the pain hit the mind, and she cluches her chest, pressing against the wound. She cloapses to the ground, hypervenatlating. She looks up, and see's everyone eye-wide, and staring at her in disbelief. She couldn't sit up any longer, she lays her head down, the pain seemed to be going away. She liked that. She smiled... closed her eyes, somehow feeling a bit relaxed... then... utter, and complete peace. She was gone.
Skye just looks down at the lifless body, shruged and put away her blaster.
"Skye! You.. You killed her!"
"I know."
"But you'd never even hurt a single soul!"
"Like I said.. I've changed!" With that, Skye truns around and walks out the door.
She starts heading out to the forest, grinning as wide as she can be. Once deep in the forest, she looks around to see if no one had followed her. Good, no one had. She takes out a remote she had in her flannel pocket, and presses a series of buttons.
"Mission acomplished. Ready to return back to base." And with that, she disapears.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"They didn't have a clue, Prince Lotor! They thought me to be the Real brat! All I had to do, was grab her, stick that twirp in the Study, brainwash a bit. Do a little acting, and all was well! Oh, and while I was down there, I did a few 'adjustments' to the Control boards!"
"Excellent Work, Tammaya! You may prove to out-do Haggar yet!"
"I live to serve my Lord!"
"As it should be! Now! Tell me, what news of Arus!"
"Well, your Majesty, the one they call, "Zero" is still frozen from that wish, that former brat placed upon him. Their foolish, commander's soul is nearly taken over by the crystal. You have no idea how many things she has wished for! All in all, the plan's going according as desired!"
"Soon, I'll be taking over Arus, And I, I will become King of all the Galaxy!" Lotor stands and raises his glass, laughing wickedly.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Lance began to shiver. He felt, as if, someone had walked over his grave with cleats. He looks around the glum room. Nobody had said a word after they had taken the "supposably clone" down to the coroner's office. Dusty still couldn't believe that her best friend, and "almost" sister had done such a cruel, cold deed! Pidge didn't feel like fixing the control boards. He closed his eyes, and he'd see the "clone's" death scene over and over in his head. He tried convincing himself that it was just a clone, not a real living being. But his mind wouldn't let him. Zero was waiting until Skye returns from her little outtrip to the forest. He was growing more and more impatient to return "back to the moving". Charlie, was busy cleaning the statuette to care what the others thought. Everyone else, was still shocked from what just happened.
"I GOT IT!"
"Huh? Got what Zero? Another itch?" Said Lance, trying to lighten everyone else's mood.
"Funny. No, I got an idea as to how I'll get free! Hah! Why didn't I think of this sooner?" He attempted to slap himself on the forhead, but later dismised that motion, when he realized he still couldn't move. But it wouldn't be that way for long. "Charlie! Put the crystal in my hand!"
Charlie looks up.. grumbles a bit.. and reluctantly walks over, and carefully balances the statuette in Zero's fist.
"Crystal! I wish this from the bottom of my heart. I WISH TO BE FREE!"
The crystal begins to glow, and surrounds Zero, in a ray of light. Zero begins to tremble, and falls to the ground. Charlie catches the crystal before it hit the floor. Zero sighed. and Closed his eyes.
"It must have taken alot of energy, I guess. Let's take him back to his room." Explained Charlie. She supervised as Hunk, and Keith dragged Zero's heavy body to his room, they throw him onto the bed, and closed the door. They return back to Control Center, and see Sonja going into a fit.
"That Sigh! It was just like that Clone's! I know it!"
"Sonja, relax! How would you feel if you were standing for 12 days straight?"
Sonja looks at Keith, and nods.
"And to think.. it took him those 12 days to realize what he could done in the first place!" Lance laughed, the others laughed as well. Suddenly, Lance got that "shiver" again.
"Hey.. is it just me, or is there a draft?"
"I think it's just you!" Said Dusty, playfully wacking his arm.
"Speaking of Which! I still haven't gotten a chance to wish for something."
"What can you wish for, that a Princess doesn't already have!"
"Peace, Unity.. Freedom from Lotor."
"Those aren't wishes.. they're dreams! And you can make Dreams happen. Comeon Princess, wish for something that you can hold."
"I suppose, Hunk. Well.. Okay!" Charlie hands the crystal to Allura, smiling. Allura twirls around with the crystal a while, thinking, what could she possibly want? Hunk told her to get "something for herself". She had it. She remembers a picture she once saw when she was a very young girl. She had not yet learned to read, but when she saw the picture of that flower, she dreamed for weeks to own it. And Now she would be able to do so.
"I wish to smell, the most beautiful Flower in the entire Universe!" The crystal began to glow again. It then shoots a ray of light onto a table. Suddenly, a beatiful, luscious green flower appears. The flower was indeed the most beautiful anyone had ever seen. It had hints of gold, with a sliver streak. It had a royal purple edges on the ivory white petals. The sight, took her breath away. She giggled, and nears the flower, to inhale the fragrant aroma.
Pidge looks up, he still couldn't get that vision out of his mind, but he ignored everything when he saw the flower Allura was about to sniff out.
"NO PRINCESS! Don't!!"
But it was too late, she breaths in a long deep breath of the flower. She holds it in for a while.. but then, she starts coughing violently. She holds her throat. She felt as if something was tearing away at her lungs. Keith and the others rush to her. Pidge holds his breath, grabs the pot.. and throws it outside to the lake. He was near dizzyness when he came back.
"Pidge! What's happening to the princess?"
"Take her to the infirmary! Quick! She just smelled a Storant Red-Tieang! The most poisonous, and deadly flower, in existance! IF we don't hurry, she'll die, for certain!"
Keith, Hunk and Lance waste no time into getting her there.
"I.. I tried to tell her! But I was too late!"
"Don't blame yourself Pidge!"
"**Sigh** It's time like these, I wish I could see my parents again. They were always there for me, smilling at me. Chasing away everything that bothered my mind. **Exhales deeply** Chip and I were always close durring those times. We'd never be apart for long. They were the best times of my life. But, I'll never will, **sniff** Zarkon and his fleet killed them, blasted them out of existance, along with countless others in my planet." He pauses, and looks up, teary-eyed into Dusty's, smooth, warming eyes. "What I wouldn't give, to see them again!"
Just then, he heard a hum.. he turned around, and was blinded by a bright light... then.. nothing.
Dusty, stood there blinking. She thought it to be a trick played by her mind. But the image came over and over again. She remembered the light, then she Saw Pidge. He was being ingulfed by flames! The flames swallowed him up so quickly, that not even his ashes were left remaining. All this in what seemed to be a blink of an eye.
"Dusty! You okay?"
Dusty screamed, and jumped back. She saw Lance, standing in a defense position. Dusty shook her head, and began bawling in Lance's Arms.
"Shhh, shhh. There, there."
"**hyperventalating** Pidge.. he.. he.. was.. he was here.. and.. and then.."
"Calm down.. now.. take a deep breath.. and tell me again, what happened to Pidge?"
Dusty nodded, she kept taking in deep breaths, until she calmed down a notch.
"Pidge was telling me **sniff** on how he missed seeing his parents. Then he told me he'd give anything to see his parents once again.. and ... and.. " Dusty starts crying hystericly. She was frightened by her wit's end by the horroific sight.
"Comeon' Dusty! Tell me! What happened next?"
"Pidge was then engulfed by flames!"
Lance turns around, and see's Sonja. Her face, as white as paper.
"It was the crystal! I know it was! That crystal's evil! We autta.."
"Guys.. Zero's Dead!"
Sonja, Lance and Charlie turn to see Hunk standing on the doorway.
"What?" They all cried in unision.
"Keith and I went to wake him up, check on him. He was still there, in the same postition we left him. Keith tried shaking him. But that didn't work. Then Keith noticed he was breathing.. and.. Sorry guys."
"Oh God No!" Sonja felt sick to the stomach, and sat down. Dusty was now in complete shock. Lance just shook his head.
"We have to stop that crystal! Who know's who might be next!"
Lance goes to turn to Charlie, who was before, sitting on the couch. He turns to check on her, but he sees that she is gone, along with the crystal!

To Doom's Crystal - Four
To The Crystal Menu
To The Throne Room