“N-no…how is that even POSSIBLE?! That doesn’t make a lick of sense at all!!” Her panic attack is heard by a nosey little girl who’s been spying the whole time, but is now running away in fear herself. Duplica is left alone to face this menace.
Laughing, this pretty little mime marionette mocks this reaction. “Catherine, you’re the teacher and you need me to tell you? Did you not pay attention to what was said? There are many versions of each character throughout the various storyboards. I just happen to be the version of Arion Jekel from your storyboard. Let me tell you the tale of a little girl who tried to save her universe a millennium ago. When a group of moronic interdimensional travelers came to her storyboard, it was quickly deduced that, while this was the descendant dimension of Storyboard XI, it also served as a mirror world in several ways. That’s why you chose the name Duplica, because your start as a System Guard appeared to be a duplication of your ancestor AB, complete with your own version of the Counsel of the Solar System to fight.
“Your similarities to AB’s were so exact that he was able to help you track down my base ahead of schedule and take me out. Along the way, some of my trusted minions, including Mercury, betrayed me to join your cause. You changed her name to Mercy, and now I have to watch in disgust as her son is one of your students. I let you believe you destroyed me, and even though AB tried to warn you I was still alive, I have waited one thousand years to strike you once I was sure you’d forgotten me. I wanted to wait until a better time, but let’s just say there’s precious information in the next era that you’ll never live to see!”
Duplica tries to find the courage to face her forgotten nemesis, having never actually faced her, but rather only destroying one of her puppet minions, much like how Arion Jekel uses an army of puppets to do his bidding. Adding to Cat’s fear is the knowledge of what someone like that monster mime is capable of, along with the two rivals being in the past. What carnage this critter could have on the fabric of time and space! And how did she even get past System Guard security?!
“No, no I have to be brave. I know you feed off fear, and I’m not going to let you do that. I don’t know how you managed to come on the trip, but here you are. Now, let’s deal with you.”
The old enemies begin to fight, but this doesn’t last nearly as long as you’d expect for such a monumental figure. Grandpa has arrived.
“Don’t bother, chump. The day of Arion Jekel is done. That old news is not worth repeating.” AB signals to the others, which includes his sisters, Jo and the returning Baylors. These, together with Duplica, are able to form an assault that successfully overwhelms this villain. AB has had plenty of time to figure out Arion Jekel’s weaknesses and has no trouble dealing with this wannabe.
“Yep,” he says, “the other dimensions may have characters like Arion Jekel, but there was only one genuine snowman, and we got bored of him long ago. You just wasted your time showing up now. How sloppy.” And with that, Duplica’s age old mistake is corrected. In her defense, she tried very hard to look for this girl long ago, so let’s not blame her too much. No one was hurt.
Then again, consider the following.
“And in a matter of fifteen minutes, Tiffany is dead.” Faye’s heart sinks as she rehearses the news.
“Yeah,” Elfie hugs her in an attempt to console his friend, “but you saved everyone, Faye. If you hadn’t come running to tell us all what was going on, who knows what would’ve happened?”
She convulses as the picture gets bigger and bigger. “She was my friend, my Big Sister. I don’t care if I only knew her a day. I can’t believe I grew attached to someone so quickly. What am I talking about? My feelings are like the wind, because I’m weak like that. She betrayed me. I betrayed her. It was wrong to spy, like I always do. But it was right to tattle on her to save Lady Duplica. I betrayed Tiffany. I helped kill her.”
And as the next part comes from Faye’s mouth, she falls limp in Elfie’s arms, no longer acknowledging his presence. “I can’t even visit her in the Drawing Board. She was a genuine bad thought, so now, she no longer exists.”
Inner Man Theatre 