Swapping out the power pack in his blaster, Slade holstered it and pulled his cape into his left hand while running toward the enemy.  His sword was ready, and he hoped to put an end to this monster quickly.

A mere few feet away he crashed into a solid invisible barrier--a shield, very like the one Lauren used.  He didn’t have a laser--he knew that Lauren’s shield blocked kinetic energy, but not light energy.

“I think we might have a stalemate here,” the creature said.  “Would you care to negotiate?”

“We’re not done yet,” Slade replied.

“What?  Wait--how are you able to hit me through the shield?”

Slade suddenly wished his blank mind skill worked in this universe; he understood that Shella wasn’t throwing force attacks through the shield, but was creating them close up to the target and striking with them at close range.  He hoped his enemy wouldn’t realize it.  Still feeling the effects of the psychic slow, but hoping that they could overtax the enemy (who was at this point maintaining a slow effect, a shield, an energy dissipation, and an effort to read two minds, at least) he decided to attack the shield.  Using the dagger to probe its position, he then struck downward with the sword, shouting, “By the power of Thor I smite thee!”

The enemy shuddered; the force against the forcefield had impacted his brain.  Slade repeated it.

For an instant it seemed everything stopped--the slowing, the force field, everything.  The enemy wrapped its arms around itself.

Slade realized it was healing its injuries.  The process was probably slower than it wished, and when he realized that the shield was down, Slade rushed to land a real blow.

However, he crashed into a new shield--closer to the enemy than he was, but his hesitation had given it the chance.  This was going to be a long battle, and the question at this point might be who would wear out first.

As to the old stories that have long been here:

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