Nightside 05 - Paths Not Taken

me. And it was the easiest thing in the world to reach back through the link, seize her living energy, and haul it right out of her. She cried out in shock, convulsing on her Throne as the strength flowed out of her, and back into me.
    The monsters stopped their advance at Lilith's horrified cry and looked around, confused. My back straightened and my legs grew strong again. My head cleared, and I laughed again; and something in that laugh made the monsters draw back even further. And still the power roared out of Lilith, and into me, for all her struggles. Suzie grinned at me, her single blue eye shining. Lilith cried out again, in rage and horror, and fell forward from her Throne, sprawling inelegantly on the ground before me. Her monstrous children were silent now, watching in shock at their powerful mother brought low. I smiled down at my helpless, thrashing mother, and when I spoke my voice was every bit as cold as hers.
    "One day," I said to her, "all your precious monsters will get together and turn on you, banishing you from your own creation. When that happens, do remember that I made it possible, by weakening you here and now. They'll throw you out because, deep down, the only freedom you believe in is the freedom you dispense to others. You could never allow anyone.else to be truly free, free of you, because then they might some day grow powerful enough to have authority over you ... You'll lose everything, and all because you never could play nicely with others."
    She looked up at me, with her eyes darker than the night. "I will see you again."
    "Yes, Mother," I said. "You will. But not for thousands of years. In my time, on my territory. Still, here's a little something, to remember me by."
    And I kicked her in the face. She fell backwards, and I turned my back on her. I looked at Suzie, and she grinned and pumped one fist in the air victoriously. I grinned back, and using the power I'd drained out of Lilith, I broke Time's hold on us, and we rocketed back through history, all the way back to the future-and the Nightside, where we belonged.

Epilogue

    B ack in Strangefellows, the oldest bar in the world.
    She said, "So, what do we do now?"
    I said "We put together an army of every Power and Being and major player in the whole damned Nightside, and turn them into an army I can throw at Lilith's throat. I'll use my gift to track down wherever she's hiding herself now, then... we do whatever we have to, to destroy her. Because that's all there is left, now."
    "Even though she's your mother?"
    "She was never my mother," I said. "Not in any way that mattered."
    "Even with an army to back us up, we could still lay waste to most of the Nightside, fighting to bring her down."
    "She'll do it anyway, if we don't do something," I said.
    "I've seen what will happen if we don't stop her, and anything would be better than that."
    I didn't look at her scarred face. I didn't think of her half-dead, half-mad, come back through Time to kill me, with the awful Speaking Gun grafted where her right forearm used to be.
    "What if the others don't want to get involved?"
    "I'll make them want to."
    "And end up just like your mother?"
    I sighed, and looked away. "I'm tired, Suzie. I want... I need for all this to be over."
    "It should be one hell of a battle." Shotgun Suzie tucked her thumbs under the bandoliers of bullets that crossed her chest. "I can't wait."
    I smiled at her fondly. "I'll bet you even take that shotgun to bed with you, don't you?"
    She looked at me with her cold, calm expression. "Someday, you just might find out. My love."