School was only a week away, and Jeff and Ada had just 
returned from there, getting Ada registered. It took a little doing 
for the paperwork -- after all, there was no entry for home planet 
or species, plus her physical age was different from her 
chronological age, do to one time she was forced to travel at 
sublight.

                       INTERESTING TIMES
                            MOVIE 2

[BGM: "Prologue" (Tenchi Muyo! In Love soundtrack, Track 1)]
	But when he saw the house, he knew something was wrong.

                  A DISTANT STAR PRODUCTION

	The front door was open, as was the side gate. He had a 
terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something horrible had 
just happened, and he wasn't there to stop it. He broke into a run, 
and Ada was quick to follow. He looked around the house -- no one 
was home, that he could see. Suddenly, it came to him what he had 
felt. He ran into his room.

           in association with KNIGHTBLADE FANFICTION

	A scream reverberated from the house.
	Ada ran into the room to see what it was, and it took but an 
instant to know. Every last comic book was gone. Felna lay on the 
floor, deactivated. She went to reactivate the bioroid, while Jeff 
began a frantic search of the house.

                   by EWEN "BLACKBIRD" CLUNEY

	"They're... gone!" he managed, once he came back into his 
room. "Who? ... how? ... WHY?!" He made his hand into a fist. 
"Whoever did this, they're gonna' pay!"
	"Jeff?"
	"I'll made them pay for what they did. Whatever it takes."

[BGM: "Big Gun" by AC/DC (Last Action Hero soundtrack, Track 1)]
	Jeff stood before Ada's armory. He'd never realized just how 
impressive it was, and he decided he'd need some serious gear for 
this. He started with body armor -- a breastplate, gauntlets, and 
armored boots. To this he added a utility belt complete with 
integral force field generator. In its holsters he put a laser 
pistol and an energy sword. He strapped a vibro-knife to each boot, 
and put some grenades along the utility belt. Over all that he put 
a black trenchcoat, in whose pockets he put a couple of ion blaster 
derringers and a needler pistol. Then he slung a massive tachyon 
rifle over his shoulder. Lastly, he put on a targeting visor, which 
would interlink with the various weapons.
	Then, he remembered one last thing. He put the throwing dice 
into his jacket pocket.
	"Let's rock."
	Ada watched as he emerged from the garage, clad in a sort of 
a cross between an Nwei warrior and the Highlander, and couldn't 
help but be impressed. As though the way he'd been at the 
convention wasn't weird enough, now he'd become a force of 
vengeance, with determination that was beyond imagination. She'd 
finally gotten Felna on-line.
	The bioroid stood up, and looked at Jeff in surprise. "Jeff?"
	"What do you remember happening?" he said flatly.
	Felna paused and thought about it. "A man dressed all in 
black. Unfortunately, I was rendered inoperable before I was able 
to collect any further information."
	He didn't need to hear anything more. He knew who it was.

	When Jeff arrived at the comics shop, Nate was startled, to 
say the least, and had already dialed 91 when he realized that it 
was Jeff.
	"Holy shift!"
	Jeff looked around the store.
	"What in the nine hells happened?"
	"Where is he?" demanded Jeff.
	Nate paused, trying to get his bearings on all this. "Wait! 
What the hell happened?"
	Jeff slammed his gauntleted hands down on the counter. 
"Someone took my comics. ALL of them. That someone is in big 
trouble when I find them."
	"And you think 'ol Inky did it?"
	"I intend to find out."
	Nate sighed; he'd hoped nothing like this would ever happen, 
but there wasn't much he could do. "I don't think he did -- he's 
not that kind of guy -- but he said he was going to return to the 
'Inklair', if that's any help."

[BGM: "wish" (NIN, Broken Track 2)]
	The "Inklair" turned out to be a large apartment. Jeff had 
ended up wandering around and asking people if they'd seen the 
Inklord -- he sort of stood out in their minds, considering, and 
when he saw the Inkmobile, a vehicle too silly for words, he knew 
he'd found his quarry.
	When he at last reached the door of the apartment, the 
Inklord opened the door without hesitation when Jeff knocked.
	"Ah, Jeff Foster, what brings you--"
	Jeff didn't waste a second. He grabbed the jerk by the 
lapels, and slammed him up against a wall. "WHERE ARE THEY?"
	"What are you talking about?"
	"WHERE. ARE. MY. COMICS."
	The Inklord looked out from his black mask, puzzled. "What? 
Did something--"
	Before the sentence could be completed, Jeff slammed him down 
on the floor. "My entire collection is gone."
	The Inklord stood up, slowly. "Jeff Foster, I didn't--"
	Jeff was not in one of his more rational states of mind, and 
thus he pulled the energy sword, activating it with a menacing 
flourish. "Just tell me where they are, and you won't get hurt."
	He breathed deeply. "I don't know, but--"
	"LIAR!"
	The Inklord, seeing no possibility of using reason, pulled 
his own lightsaber. A furious melee ensued; blows were exchanged at 
lightning speed. Neither could get any headway on the other, and so 
the blades clashed again and again, with an ominous crackling of 
electricity. Finally, the Inklord began to get some advantage, 
forcing Jeff backwards, but then he only came back with greater 
ferocity.
[BGM cuts short]
	The exchange was cut short, however, when both energy blades 
fizzled out.
	Jeff looked at the sword hilt in disbelief. "Wha-- What?" He 
checked the power cell, and found that it was totally drained. 
"Damn! I forgot to recharge it!"
	The Inklord looked at his own weapon. "...As did I. Now, 
perhaps, you'll let me speak."
	Jeff put away the sword, and nodded. "All right. This better 
be good."
	He wasn't sure what he came from, but the Inklord seemed to 
be covered by a spotlight, while the rest of the room dimmed. "I 
began collecting comics when I was but a little Inkboy. It was and 
is, that which I live for. But one day, tragedy struck -- a 
fiendish boy from the elementary school took one of my comics. From 
that day forward, I vowed that I would neither let myself fall so 
far, nor, if I could help it, let anyone else commit such crimes. 
From that day forward, I was Inklord, defender of all comics!"
[BGM: "To The Limit..." (Tenchi Universe Collection Soundtrack, 
Track 13)]
	The Inklord concluded his reverie, and faced Jeff. "You have 
always been a worthy adversary, and I hope you will continue to be; 
none has ever truly challenged me as you have. Please, let me help 
you, to avenge this wrong, to retrieve that which was stolen, and 
punish those responsible." He held out his black-gloved hand, open.
	Jeff looked at the hand, then looked into the Inklord's eyes, 
and finally, shook his hand. "All right."

	Jeff sat in the passenger seat of the Inkmobile. It was a lot 
more impressive on the inside. Actually, Batman would be jealous -- 
big time -- of the apparent sophistication. Of course, there was a 
distinct possibility that the endless sea of buttons and dials was 
just that, and had no particular function...
	The Inklord started up the engine; it was loud, and spoke of 
the incredible power beneath that hood. "Let's roll." said the 
Inklord, putting a gray CD into the stereo.
[BGM: Metallica, "Fuel" (Reload, Track 1)]
	The Inkmobile peeled out of the driveway, and onto the open 
road, somehow obeying the speed limit while looking like it was 
driving at extremely unsafe speeds. After a few minutes, Jeff 
turned to face the Inklord. "Say, um... Where the heck are we 
going?"
	The Inklord blinked -- at least, Jeff thought he had; it was 
hard to tell with that mask. "Er... I don't know. What would you 
suggest?"
	Jeff paused to think, despite the speed-metal that was 
playing in the background (as far as heavy metal goes, there are 
two types of people; those who can't stand it, and those who thrive 
on it -- fortunately, Jeff was among the latter). The rage he felt 
was clouding his judgment more than any music could, and clearly 
he'd have to think about it if he was to get his beloved comics 
back.
	"All right. Who would know something about what happened? 
Felna was there, but all she knows was that there was a man in 
black."
	The Inklord paused to think, and added, "Well, I'd ask Master 
Chen for advice."
	Jeff stopped short. "You know Mr. Chen?"
	He nodded. "Who do you think I learned martial arts from?"
	"The same guy as me... Perfectly weird and cliched. Fine. You 
know where the kwoon is."

	The Inkmoblie pulled into the parking lot of Master Chen's 
Illustrious Golden Training Hall of the Thousand Hells and Twelve 
Paradises, just as Unforgiven II came to an end. Mr. Chen saw the 
pair and came out to greet them.
	"Ah, Jeff Foster and the Mysterious Inklord... What brings 
the two of you here?"
[BGM: "Messages From Earth" (Babylon 5 Soundtrack, Vol. 2, Track 
2)]
	Jeff sighed, and took a moment to compose himself. "All 
right. Someone stole my comic collection. All I know is that it was 
someone dressed all in black. I was wondering if you'd have any 
suggestions?"
	Despite his sleight frame and small stature, Mr. Chen was one 
of the most imposing figures around. No one knew how he did it, but 
even when he was simply thinking about something, you got the 
impression that he was capable to closing his fist and thereby 
crushing your very soul.
	"Tell me," he said at last, "what is the most unusual item in 
your collection?"
	"That'd be a tie between Magical Princess Larry, and Iron 
Cheese: Defender of the Cosmos..."
	"And the most valuable?"
	"That's easy; Hyperman, issue two. It's worth a small 
fortune."
	"Wait a minute," said the Inklord. "What about the Uchuu no 
Akuma?"
	It was not often that something surprised Chen, but this was 
one of those times -- he came very close to falling over. "You... 
YOU, Jeff Foster, possess the Uchuu no Akuma?!?!"
	"Well... Yeah. It's on the coffee table..."
	"WHAT?!" Chen made his hands into fists. "What do you expect? 
Do you have any conception of the significance of that manga?!"
	Jeff shook his head.
	Chen lowered his head, looking all the more ominous for it. 
"The secrets contained within those pages could threaten the entire 
world! The Blue Lotus Monks have been searching for it, in their 
quest for world dominance, for the past four hundred years! There 
can be no doubt -- it is they who have taken your precious comics, 
and if they do not have the Uchuu no Akuma, they will do whatever 
it takes to get their hands on it! AND THAT MUST NOT HAPPEN UNDER 
ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!"
	"You're serious?"
	Mr. Chen made his hand into a fist. "YES!"
	Jeff paused, and thought about what to do. "All right. Where 
do they hide out?"
[BGM cuts short]
	"I wish I knew." he replied.
	"Right. We'll find it."

	The Inkmoblie pulled up in front of Tien Tien Noodle, and the 
two of them jumped out. They strode in the narrow door; the place 
was filled with Chinese people of all descriptions, all eating 
noodles or waiting for such.
	"We're looking for the Blue Lotus Monks." said Jeff. "Do any 
of you know anything?"
	A hush came over the restraunt. There was a general chatter -
- in Mandarin. Slowly, Jeff became aware that they were glancing 
towards the back of the place, where there was a man in a blue 
trenchcoat, trying to look inconspicuous.
	The Inklord took the initiative and strode over to him, 
grabbing him by the lapels and slamming him up against the wall. 
"Ah. It looks like we were closer than we thought."
[BGM: Ozzy Osbourne, "Perry Mason" (Ozzmosis, Track 1)]
	The man -- who they could now see was also wearing one of 
their trademark masks -- trembled, and sweat beaded on his brow. 
"What the hell do you want?"
	Jeff moved in closer. "You know damn well what *I* want."
	"You! Just give us the Uchuu no Akuma, and we'll give back 
your comics! We might even let you live when we take over the 
world!"
	Jeff reached into his pocket, and pulled out the throwing 
dice -- several customers looked surprised, and a few got up to 
leave. "Very funny. Now, where are they keeping my comics?"
	"Planning some heroic adventure?! I'll never tell! You'll 
just have to find the trapdoor under the ramen place in Japan Town 
yourse-- I mean... Er..."
	The Inklord dropped him, and they strode out of the 
restraunt.
	A short while later, they strode through the doors of yet 
another noodle shop, this one populated by Japanese. The waitress 
bowed to them, then nearly fell over when she got a good look at 
them. The surprises only continued, though, when they strode right 
back into the kitchen. The chef, upon seeing them, dropped the fish 
sausage he was holding, with amusing consequences for the waiter 
who happened by at the time. The two of them split up, looking 
through the tiny back rooms.
	"Um, excuse me?" said the chef, "Are you looking for those 
monk guys or something?"
	Jeff turned, and nodded without a trace of hesitation. "Yes. 
Where are they?"
	He sighed, and opened up a crate labeled "NATTO," and 
pointed. Looking inside, Jeff could see a tunnel. He motioned to 
the Inklord, and then jumped through.
[BGM fades out.]

[BGM: Offspring, "Intermission", (Ixnay on the Hombre, Track 9)]
INTERMISSION
[Bob sits on his easy chair, holding a glass of orange juice.]

Bob: Howdy, folks! I'm Bob Foster, and I wanted to talk to you 
about the miracles of genetic engineering. A lot of people have 
said a lot of things about how we're using the forces of nature, 
and I want to tell you, that genetic engineering will make all of 
our lives better! Those rumors about a madman making monsters are 
completely untrue! DNA and its buddy RNA are your friends! We'll be 
able to live longer, fuller lives--

Diane: Um, Bob?

Bob: Yes dear?

Diane: Well... I think we need to get on with the movie now.

Bob: Okay-Dokey!

	Jeff and the Inklord strode down the corridor. There were a 
number of scrolls hanging there, each with calligraphic Chinese 
characters inscribed on them, though neither of them could even 
speculate as to their meanings.
	In the distance, they could hear what sounded like some kind 
of chanting.
	"What manner of evil could this be?" mused the Inklord.
	Jeff frowned. "I don't know, but we'll put a stop to it."
[BGM: Filter, "Hey Man Nice Shot" (Cable Guy Soundtrack, Track 12 -
- or I don't know what track on Short Bus...]
	They turned a corner, and saw a dozen or so of the monks, 
kneeling around  a circle inscribed in the ground, with what looked 
like an eye of sorts depicted in its center. Each and every one of 
them snapped to attention at the sound of the newcomers, and they 
were quick to take up fighting stances.
	"So, Jeff Foster, I am surprised you made it this far, past 
our deadly traps!" shouted one -- which he recognized as none other 
than Chan.
	"Traps?"
	Chan scowled, and glared at his underlings. "Don't tell me 
you FOOLS forgot to activate the security systems once again?"
	The other monks tried to look inconspicuous.
	"You're simply incompetent sometimes! First it was those 
genetic mutants coming down here, and now this! If you can at least 
put up a decent fight, I might refrain from castrating the lot of 
you!"
	The threat appeared to work, since the monks bolted to their 
feet and charged. A furious exchange of blows ensued, and Jeff put 
up the best fight he knew how, but it didn't take long for them to 
overcome him simply by superior numbers, pinning him to the floor. 
The Inklord, on the other hand, was giving them more trouble than 
that, but Chan apparently knew how to put a stop to it. He grabbed 
Jeff in a headlock, and pulled out a knife, holding it to his 
throat.
	"Stop, or he dies."
	The Inklord halted what he was doing, dropping the monk he 
was about to suplex.
	Chan smiled. "Well, it seems you have actually proved 
yourselves to be somewhat effective in combat today. Good. Now, 
we'll take them to see the Master."
	"The... Master?" gasped Jeff, not daring to move an inch.
	Chan nodded. Jeff felt something come down hard on the base 
of his neck.

	When Jeff came to, he couldn't see anything but darkness. 
This, he realized, was due to there being a sack over his head. He 
was lying prone, and he found that his hands and feet were bound. 
His head hurt. "Ow." he muttered.
	The sack was taken off, and he saw Chan looking down at him. 
"You're in luck. The Master will see you now."
	Jeff pulled himself to a sitting position. He was in another 
dark room, lit dimly by some barbarian movie torches. The Blue 
Lotus Monks were assembled around the walls of the room -- there 
were now something like fifty or sixty. And in the center of the 
room was a raised pedestal. Suddenly, this was surrounded by smoke, 
and when it cleared, a man stood in the center of it all. It was 
someone Jeff had seen before.
	"You're... Lord Eclipse?!"
	Eclipse smiled, and nodded. "That I am. I am also the leader 
of the Order of the Blue Lotus, and it is I who hold your beloved 
comics captive. But, if you give me the Uchuu no Akuma, you can 
have them all back, and we can forget all this."
	"Until you take over the world or whatever it is you're 
planning to do." spat Jeff.
	Lord Eclipse shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way. Your 
collection will be burned."
	Jeff scowled, and closed his eyes. He had to do something. He 
wouldn't let his collection, eleven years worth of collecting, go 
up in flames, but he couldn't let the world be taken over or 
destroyed or whatever by this clown. There had to be another 
alternative. "Okay." he said at last. "You can have the damn 
manga."
	"I knew you'd see it my way. Where is it?"
	"I've hidden it. I'll have to stop by my house for the key, 
then go to the dojo where it's locked up."
	Eclipse nodded. "Very well. Let's go." He snapped his 
fingers, and the manacles were reduced to dust. "But remember, we 
have your friend, the Inklord, and if you should try anything..."
	That, he hadn't counted on, but it was a bit too late to go 
back.
	There was an explosion of smoke, and they were standing in 
Jeff's room. "Go."
	Jeff wasted no time. He grabbed his keys, and then, with his 
trenchcoat shielding him from view, he picked  a pad of post-its -- 
and put it in his coat's inner pocket. He then walked out into the 
living room. Anne saw them and gasped.
	"This does not concern you." said Eclipse simply. "And for 
your sake, you'd best hope it stays that way."
	Jeff flicked a crumpled post-it at her just before they 
disappeared again.

	They descended directly into the middle of a beginner's class 
at Chen's martial arts school. When Chen saw Eclipse, he 
immediately took up a fighting stance. Jeff strode up to him, and 
whispered, "Not yet."
	Chen nodded. "As you wish."
	Jeff walked into one of the side rooms, and looked through 
the locker where he was to put his stuff while training. He also 
kept a couple of his Chinese-language comics here, just in case he 
got really bored.
	Jeff emerged with a manga. When Eclipse saw the cover, he 
grinned, and grabbed it. "At last! The world -- the universe! -- 
will know the true meaning of terror!"
	"Not while we're around!" shouted a voice from down the 
hallway.
	Eclipse -- and Jeff -- spun around to see the Celestial Pair 
standing there.
	"I am Pretty Sun, Defender of Love!"
	"And I am Pretty Moon, Defender of Justice!"
	"Together, we will right wrongs and triumph over evil!"
	Eclipse scowled, and pointed an outstretched hand. "SHADOW 
BLADE STORM!"
	The Celestial Pair dove out of the way as a wave of razor-
sharp black shadows raged through the locker room, cutting steel 
like so many tomatoes.
	"FACE THE VENGEANCE OF HEAVEN!" shouted yet another voice, 
this time belonging to Mr. Chen, now in Buddhist Monk mode. He 
whipped out a ward, and hurled it at Eclipse. The master of 
darkness held out his hand, and the ward was reduced to ash.
	"Foolish old man." muttered Eclipse. "It will take more than 
that to affect me."
	"PRETTY CELESTIAL ACTIVATION!" The twins raised their 
polearms in unison, and a shockwave of radiant energy spread out in 
all directions. Eclipse held up his arm to shield himself, and 
staggered back at the force of it, but was otherwise unaffected.
	"Hey!" shouted Pretty Moon, "What the hell?! That was one of 
our most powerful attacks!"
	"Let me deal with this one!" Everyone spun around to see none 
other than Dyna-Woman hovering there.
	"What is this, a superhero's convention?" muttered Eclipse.
	Amy shook her head. "No... SuperCon isn't for another four 
months, you know."
	Dyna-Woman wasted no time in swooping down and firing beams 
of lightning from her eyes, striking Eclipse squarely. He raised 
both hands over his head, and bellowed, "SHADOW TEMPEST!" At the 
sound of the words of power, a raging vortex of darkness formed 
around him, throwing the heroes against the walls. When at last it 
ended, he was nowhere to be seen.
	Pretty Sun found herself being helped up by Dyna-Woman.
	"Where'd he go?"
	Chen emerged from the rubble, clearly in a bad mood. More so 
than usual, even. "He will have returned to his lair to begin the 
ritual he has waited a hundred lifetimes to perform. I pray that 
Jeff was not so foolish as to give him that which he desires."
	Pretty Moon looked around worriedly. "Speaking of which, 
where is Jeff?"
	I-Long poked his head into the devastated room. "Er... Jeff 
left while the rest of you were fighting. Said he had to save the 
Inklord."
	"We have to help him." Dyna-Woman said firmly. "But where is 
Lord Eclipse's lair?"
	"It is the training ground of the Blue Lotus Monks, located 
deep beneath the city." replied Chen. "It is imperative that we go 
there and put a stop to this."

	Jeff ran through the streets, towards the Tenchi Ramen Shop. 
Maybe it wasn't the smartest course of action, but it would at 
least give him some room to work in. The only problem was that once 
Eclipse discovered that he didn't have the Uchuu no Akuma, but 
rather, a copy of Violet Nightmare vol. 5, in Chinese, but with the 
*cover* from the Uchuu no Akuma on the outside. True, Jeff didn't 
actually understand Chinese, but that had never stopped him before, 
and in fact he had copies of some of his favorite series in 
virtually every language known to man.
	He had little time to lose, and all too much was at stake.  
When he reached the restraunt, he burst through the doors. The 
chef, seeing him coming through, had already opened the passageway, 
and Jeff called out his thanks as he jumped down into the 
passageway. He hit the ground running, and assessed his arsenal as 
he did so. The monks weren't totally stupid, having taken the 
precaution of removing his more obvious weapons, but they weren't 
all that smart either. He still had a couple of derringers, the 
vibro-knives, a force field generator (which he hastily activated), 
and, of course, the throwing dice. Not sure why, he chose the 
latter.
	He finally reached the central chamber, in which Eclipse 
stood, gripping the manga. The Inklord was bound and gagged, 
unconscious, to the side. "Now, the world will tremble!" he called 
out. The assembled monks chorused something in Mandarin in 
response. At first, Jeff wanted to yell out something heroic-
sounding, but he realized that that would be kind of stupid, and 
would eliminate any advantage he could garner from the element of 
surprise.
[BGM: Die Krupps, "One" (A Tribute To Metallica, Track 7)]
	Jeff scanned the room, and saw what he was looking for -- a 
pile of white cardboard boxes, unmistakably his for all the 
scribblings to the effect that those who tampered with the contents 
would suffer. He never thought he would have to make good on that 
promise, but the time had come. He crept towards the comics, and 
draped his trench coat over them. Knowing the monks, that would be 
sufficient to keep them from getting any ideas in their heads about 
harming them.
	Eclipse opened the manga.
	A cry of pure rage reverberated through the room.
	"FIND JEFF FOSTER!" yelled Eclipse.
	Jeff concentrated, and hurled the throwing dice as hard as he 
could. One struck Eclipse in the side, and one hit him in the knee, 
and the third struck his arm, each with a terrible crunching noise. 
A moment later, they rebounded, and landed in Jeff's palm. "No 
need. I'm right here."
	"YOU! You would dare such a thing!?!"
	Jeff brandished the dice, and prayed that the force field was 
strong enough. "Ordinarily, no way. But when you took my comics, 
you pushed me too hard, and now I'm going to push back, you 
bastard!"
	Eclipse didn't hesitate a second; he pointed his hand at 
Jeff, and a burst of shadow  washed over him, absorbed and 
deflected by the force field. Eclipse looked on in disbelief.
	"Modern technology." said Jeff, diving out of the way. He 
bolted to the Inklord, slicing through his bonds with one of the 
vibro-knives. The Inklord looked up at him, and grinned. Jeff 
handed him the knife. "Time to kick ass and chew bubblegum."
	Jeff summoned up the full power of the rage that had been 
growing in him ever since this had began. The monks rushed the two 
of them, but their blows came with such fury that the monks quickly 
fell to their flashing blades and flying dice.
	"This is more like it!" shouted the Inklord.
	Eclipse watched it all in distaste. Finally, he raised one 
hand skywards. The chamber was filled with a dark mist, and the 
monks, to a man, fell asleep (well, those who weren't already 
unconscious). "Impressive, but your little game ends here and now."
	Jeff and the Inklord exchanged glances. Unfortunately, this 
was the one thing that Jeff hadn't been able to figure out a way 
out of -- the final confrontation with Lord Eclipse. The Celestial 
Pair cringed when he was around. Well, Pretty Sun did, while Pretty 
Moon got pissed off. But regardless, that meant that the two of 
them didn't have much chance against his powers of darkness. "And 
now I'm worried." said Jeff.
	"Don't be! Dyna-Woman has come to the rescue!" said 
superheroine burst into the room, raining lightning on the 
unsuspecting villain, and in such a torrent that even Eclipse was 
barely able to withstand it.
	"And don't forget the Celestial Pair!" called out Pretty Sun.
	Eclipse gritted his teeth. "Very well! I see I must reveal my 
*true* power!" He tensed every muscle in his body for an instant. 
He was enshrouded in shadows, like a cocoon, and then it faded, 
revealing a changed Eclipse. His eyes, once at least partly human, 
were inky black, and great demonic wings of solid darkness sprouted 
from his back.
	"This isn't good." said Pretty Sun.
	"FACE THE POWER OF DARKNESS!"
	Razor-sharp shadows flew out in all directions. Everyone 
present who knew what was good for them took cover with all speed, 
and none were able to completely avoid being cut by the powerful 
attack. Dyna-Woman was the first to recover, and surged towards 
him, her eyes crackling with electric power. Eclipse was more than 
ready, and leapt forward to meet her. A furious exchange of blows 
was followed by an even more intense contest of power, with her 
lightning and his shadow power thrown into two opposing columns, 
the balance between them shifting back and forth with each second. 
Suddenly, Eclipse unleashed a torrent of power, and Dyna-Woman was 
thrown back, slamming into a wall.
	The Celestial Pair were quick to join the attack, though, 
bringing the full force of their power to bear. "FINAL CELESTIAL 
ACTIVATION!" they shouted in unison, their twin energies 
intertwining, mixing with that of the enraged heavens above. A 
great torrent of raw celestial fury surged forward, washing over 
Lord Eclipse. When at last the display ended, Lord Eclipse 
collapsed. But so did Pretty Sun and Pretty Moon. Eclipse, however, 
stood up again.
	His transformation, whatever its nature, had been ended, and 
he looked a little winded, but it seemed that he was still ready to 
kick ass despite the tempest that he had endured. "Damn." muttered 
Eclipse. "I didn't think they'd go that far." He looked around the 
chamber, taking stock of the situation. Dyna-Woman and the 
Celestial Pair were unconscious, while the old man...
	"FACE THE VENGEANCE OF THE HEAVENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
	The monk descended on him like a demon from hell. His blows 
were a storm of martial arts fury, and Eclipse was hard pressed to 
keep up with the continual rain of punches and kicks. Finally, he 
backflipped away, putting some distance between them, and unleashed 
a shadow blast. It would've killed a mortal man, but this geezer 
just took it and kept on coming, pulling out a ward as he did so.
	"AKU RYO TAI SAN!!!!!!"
	Summoning the last of his power, Eclipse sent a shockwave of 
dark energy in all directions. Chen was thrown against a far wall, 
and he too fell.
	Eclipse sighed. This had not been a good day -- superheroes 
weren't usually this intelligent, especially the ones in this area. 
Then he noticed something -- two figures, laden with white boxes, 
were creeping out. "Ah." Jeff Foster and the Inklord; the ones 
who'd brought this about. "There you are."
	The two figures quickened their pace. Their speed was 
impressive, really, but far from adequate. Even in his weakened 
state, Lord Eclipse figured he was more than a match for them, and 
threw a relatively low-power shadow blast their direction. They 
scattered, and the blast impacted opposite them.
	"I don't think so."
	Jeff turned around. He hadn't expected Eclipse to go through 
the assembled superbeings quite so quickly, and now they were in a 
bit of trouble. "Oh. Er... Sorry about that. Won't happen again." 
Jeff frantically looked through his pockets. The Inklord acted more 
decisively, making some comment about utility belts that Jeff 
didn't quite hear, and pulling out a light saber, then activating 
it.
	"I thought your batter was dead..." muttered Jeff.
	The Inklord grinned. "That's why I have a car charger." He 
dashed forward. Eclipse formed a blade of shadow, and duked it out 
with the Inklord with his remaining strength.
	At this rate, Jeff mused, Lord Eclipse would be so worn down 
that even he could take the jerk down. And that suited him just 
fine.
	Suddenly, Eclipse delivered a final slash to the Inklord, 
throwing the defender of comics to the ground. The shadowblade 
faded, and Eclipse was breathing heavily.
	Jeff stepped forward, and grinned, holding his throwing dice 
lightly in one hand. "Too bad you used up all of your power, you 
bastard."
	Eclipse looked up a him defiantly. "What now? Are you going 
to try to kill me? That will only worsen the curse that now burdens 
you."
	Jeff raised his arm. "I figure you've already gotten more 
than enough hell for what you did to me so far, but then, you put a 
lot of other people -- some of whom are lying unconscious here now 
-- through a lot more, so I guess I have to do this." He 
concentrated, then hurled the dice with every ounce of his 
strength. They rebounded again and again, picking up more and more 
speed. Eclipse watched them with steeled eyes, even as they flew 
towards him.

	Ada watched them arrive in awe. Jeff, Amy, and Anne were 
riding in the Inkmobile as it pulled up in front of the house.
	"What... happened?"
	Jeff hopped out of the car. "Um... Well, we found the 
villains' secret hideout, and defeated them with the help of Dyna-
Woman, the Celestial Pair, and Mr. Chen..."
	Ada frowned. "And you didn't invite me? I coulda' helped out, 
you know!"
	When he thought about it, he realized that he really 
should've thought of that, but it was too late now. "Yeah. We 
probably wouldn't have gotten quite so trashed by him... Sorry."
	As he walked inside, she glomped him. "It's okay. But next 
time, you'd *better* let me in on the fun!"
	Jeff sighed. He had a hard time thinking of what had happened 
as fun. The words that came to mind were hellish, interesting, and 
tiring. But the important thing was, his comics were safe, and, for 
that matter, so was everyone concerned. "Don't worry. I will."
[Fade to black; the end credits roll to the tune of "Vortex" by 
Megadeth (Cryptic Writings, Track 11)]

Afterword
	Grr. I didn't like how that turned out... Of course, we might 
see what happened to Tchaikovsky (sp?) and it ending up being 
really popular... but whatever. And now I have even more CDs than 
for the last Movie, so the music will just keep getting more 
varied. Up next for Interesting Times is Part 4 -- see the fun when 
the new school year begins, with Ada in attendance, yadda yadda ya. 
After that will be what I hope will be the crowning jewel and 
conclusion of this series: Interesting Times Movie 3: FINAL, but 
more on that another time. ^_- Well... I guess I've about run out 
of things to say now. Ja ne, mina-san!

------------------------------------------------------------------
Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney                     blackbird@blackbird.nu
Blackbird's Domain                        http://www.blackbird.nu/
The Official Thrash Home Page          http://thrash.blackbird.nu/
Knight Kevlar of the Immortal Frog        Silver Knight of Mihoshi
              "Be nice to me; I might just develop 
             psychokinetic powers and destroy Tokyo!"
------------------------------------------------------------------