The mimic, her features a perfect replica of Blake's visage, moved through the city streets with a predator's grace. Every step, every mannerism, was a flawless mimicry of the man she had rendered unconscious in Rose's penthouse.
Her target: Rebecca Owens, the intrepid journalist whose relentless pursuit of the truth had set this entire maelstrom in motion.
Locating Becky proved to be a simple matter. Her address was a matter of public record, accessible with a few deft keystrokes and a generous application of Shelley Technologies' resources. The mimic studied the information, committing every detail to her inhuman mind.
As night fell, she made her move.
Becky's modest apartment building stood silhouetted against the city skyline, its windows dark and unassuming. The mimic slipped through the shadows, her movements silent and fluid, until she found the correct door.
A twist of the handle with unnatural force unlocked the door – an ease that would prove to be Becky's undoing. The mimic slipped inside, her senses attuned to the slightest sound or movement.
The apartment was quiet, the only sound was the faint ticking of a clock from some unseen corner. The mimic prowled through the dimly lit rooms, her eyes scanning for any sign of her prey.
There, in the bedroom, a lump beneath the covers betrayed Becky's presence. The mimic approached, her movements silent, her fingers closing around the hilt of the wicked-looking blade concealed beneath her jacket.
In one fluid motion, she drew back the covers, the blade poised to strike.
Becky's eyes flew open, her scream of terror cut short by the mimic's iron grip clamping over her mouth. She thrashed and writhed, her eyes wide with terror as she took in the familiar yet unsettling visage of her attacker.
"Blake..." she managed to gasp, her voice muffled by the mimic's hand. "What... why?"
The mimic said nothing, her expression cold and emotionless. The blade arced downward, its razor-sharp edge glinting in the dim light.
Becky's survival instincts kicked in, and she fought with every ounce of her strength. Her elbow connected with the mimic's midsection, driving the air from her lungs in a harsh wheeze.
The momentary lapse in the mimic's grip was all Becky needed. She wrenched herself free, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor as she fled towards the living room.
The mimic gave chase, her movements inhumanly swift and fluid yet tamed. It was almost as if the mimic was enjoying the chase and giving her prey the falsehood that there was any hope of survival. Or perhaps it was something else.
"You can't hide forever, Becky," it taunted, the voice now echoing from the walls. "I'll find you, and when I do, the truth will devour you."
The mimic circled, its mimicry now adopting the appearance of grotesque amalgamations of people Becky had encountered. "You think you're a hero, but you're just a pawn in a much larger game. The truth you seek will be your undoing."
Becky took off once more, barefooted on the street with only her night gown on. It was even half ripped from the earlier tossle.
She descended a stairway on the street, heading towards a subway. The the echoes of her footsteps drowned out by the mimic's sinister taunts. The pursuit was far from over, but Becky, fueled by the tenacity of a relentless journalist, vowed to face whatever horrors awaited her in the pursuit of truth.
Behind her, the mimic roared in fury, as she gave chase. But Becky had a head start, and she used it to its fullest, her legs pumping with every ounce of adrenaline-fueled strength she could muster.
She burst out onto the subway, her cries for help piercing the night air. The mimic, pursued her relentlessly, heedless of the potential witnesses.
It was a rookie officer, fresh out of the academy, who responded first to the commotion. His eyes went wide at the sight of the mimic (in Blake's visage) bearing down on the terrified woman, and he reacted on pure instinct.
"Freeze! Police!"Officer Rodriguez, fresh out of the academy, raised his weapon, his voice urgent.
The mimic, still in Blake's guise, turned toward him, a sinister grin playing on its lips. "You're too late, Officer," it hissed, its voice an unsettling mimicry of Blake's.
Rodriguez hesitated for a split second, unnerved by the unnatural echoe of the voice he heard. He was mounted at the subway as most petty crimes like purse snatched happened in the night. Seeing the knife in the Mimic's hand and the terrified look on Becky's face, the officer had added two with two together and knew what was going on.
"I said freeze!" Rodriguez ordered again.
The mimic's eyes glinted with a predatory intelligence, and then it lunged towards Becky. The officer reacted without thinking, pulling the trigger in rapid succession.
Gunshots echoed in the narrow alley, and the mimic staggered as bullets found their mark. Yet, it pressed on, undeterred by the wounds inflicted upon its borrowed form.
As other officers rushed to the scene, their weapons drawn, Rodriguez couldn't shake the surreal horror of what he had just witnessed. "What the hell is that thing?" he muttered to himself, glancing at his fellow officers, who shared his disbelief.
Sergeant Miller, a seasoned figure among them, barked orders. "Hold your positions! Aim for center mass!"