[In case you haven't read the other two movies (in which case 
you'll miss quite a few plot points), stuff in brackets is meta-
notes, as it were. Basically, though the story is in prose, it 
will occasionally have descriptions of how stuff would be was it 
a script. The most common thing, and my favorite part of writing 
these in some ways, is the soundtrack. For sequences that have 
BGM of some sort, the artist, song title, album, and track 
number will be listed. Of course, unless you happen to have my 
record collection (in which case you'd be _me_, and thus you -- 
I -- probably don't really need to read this), you probably 
don't own all of the CDs used. In fact, unless you happen listen 
to heavy metal, industrial, punk rock, AND anime soundtracks, 
it's pretty unlikely. But then, you can read it without the 
proper musical accompaniment if you so desire. Now sit back, 
relax, and wait for the lights to dim.]

                     Your Mind's Theaters
                          Previews

[The Distant Star Productions logo flashes. We see a view of a 
subway train making its way through the bowels of Tokyo.]

Narrator: In a world where light and dark once clashed...

[Images of two women, one a pale, icy beauty, the other dark, 
enshrouded in shadows, are shown opposite one another.]

Narrator: The ancient battles have begun anew.

The Queen (Voice Over): We will crush them.

[A figure, surrounded by shadows and nearly indistinguishable, 
is moving forward.]

Narrator: But in this age, the power of Justice must be held by 
the innocent.

The Queen (Voice Over): There can be no surrender.

[The figure steps into the light. It turns out to be a Japanese 
girl in her school uniform, about 10 years old. The girl 
(Haruko) looks at a locket with a heart inscribed on it, and 
then holds it high over her head. There is a burst of pinkish 
light, and she becomes a 16-year-old in an abbreviated pink 
sailor suit, complete with heart-shaped magical wand. Generic 
Action Movie Preview Music starts up. She is seen clashing 
against a fortune-teller monster, another magical girl dressed 
in black--]

Narrator: In a world overrun with magical girls and monsters,

The Queen (Voice Over): No retreat. Only victory.

[--She fires off a beam of pink energy at a giant lizard-thing 
with tentacles, cowers before a man dressed all in black holding 
a machine pistol, is joined by two other magical girls (Yoko in 
a frilly pink and white sailor fuku with pigtails, Yasuko in a 
black and violet outfit with a long braid--]

Narrator: One new recruit will make a stand.

[--A magical girl with short pigtails and an evil grin, wearing 
a violet and red outfit, fires off a thin purple energy beam, 
slicing off the arm of a woman in a red jumpsuit, a magical girl 
wearing a blue outfit with a breastplate and a magical wand with 
a pink energy sword coming out of it clashes with a man in a red 
jumpsuit wielding a red metal blade. Haruko stands defiantly 
before the Queen in her cold finery.]

The Queen: It doesn't matter. What has begun cannot be stopped.

Narrator: Against the most terrible odds.

[Haruko, amongst a battalion of magical girls marching through 
the snow, is thrown to the ground by Yoko as a fireball sails 
past, exploding and sending many magical girls flying. An icy 
blue dragon swoops down, exhaling its cold breath weapon on the 
scattering troops. Haruko & co. stand before the Dark Queen, out 
of breath. The Dark Queen smiles.]

                             FORCE OF MAGIC
                               Coming Soon

=======================================================================

                          Your Mind's Theaters
                          Feature Presentation

	It was a quiet, peaceful day in the city. The sun shone over 
the skyscrapers, casting long shadows across the landscape, and 
the pigeons, blackbirds, and sparrows flitted about on their 
usual errands, heedless of the people that wandered the streets.

                   Distant Star Productions presents

	And atop one of these buildings stood a being not quite man 
or animal. Guildenstein had been created from the genes of both 
human and skunk, but he had abilities that were not natural to 
either. The only thing he lacked was the ability to speak. He 
wore only a t-shirt, shorts, and boots, as his soft, black and 
white fur was more than sufficient to keep him warm in the 
chilly morning air. He knew his mission well, and he would enjoy 
it.

                        Interesting Times
                            Movie 3:
                             FINAL

[BGM: Bad Religion, "Hear It" (No Substance, Track 1]
	Guildenstein began to power up. A crimson aura formed around 
him as he tensed every muscle in his body. He felt the power 
rising within him -- it was a sensation beyond description, and 
he relished every moment of it. When he had gathered enough 
energy, he launched forward, soaring through the air, towards 
his target.

             Written by Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney

	Dyna-Woman, local super heroine, turned around just in time 
to see him coming towards her as she hovered in the air, looking 
for trouble. He slammed into her full force, and sent her 
flying. She was quick to recover, though, and soon sped after 
him. He shot off in a random direction, soaring in the corridor 
formed between the rows of buildings. They slammed into each 
other several times, and he could feel her electric eye blasts 
coming ever closer, but still he pressed on, firing off his own 
crimson energy bolts to cause further collateral damage.
	Seeing a parking garage, he dove downwards, watching the 
windows speed by. It was more difficult to maneuver in such 
tight quarters, but he could manage, and so could Dyna-Woman. 
They circled again and again as they ascended, and burst out 
into the open air.
	He pulled into a steep ascent, and slammed through the top 
floor window of an office building. Dyna-Woman fired off a few 
blasts at him, while he nimbly evaded her shots before blasting 
the elevator doors open to reveal the empty elevator shaft.
	Guildenstein dove into the shaft, propelling himself as fast 
as he could. She followed, trying to match his speed. The bottom 
loomed ever closer, but neither of them slowed in the least. At 
the last possible moment, he fired off a blast to destroy the 
elevator doors at the ground floor, and it took every ounce of 
effort he could manage to make a nearly 90-degee turn out the 
door. He slammed through the massive glass window in the front 
of the building, and out into the streets below.
	He risked a glance behind him, and saw her coming up on him 
fast. He paused to stick his tongue out of her, and found that 
he was moving forward a bit faster than he'd thought.
	That brick wall hurt.

	The young boy emerged from the store, his eyes shining at the 
sight of his first purchase. The owner had even been nice enough 
to throw in the plastic cover and cardboard backing for free, so 
that he could keep it safe. He opened it up, and began to read 
as he walked home. It was all there; the brave hero battling the 
darkest villain, up against the most terrible odds, all rendered 
in vibrant colors and bold lines. Then and there he resolved to 
keep reading comics for the rest of his life, no matter what.
	Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came up. So powerful was the 
blast of air that the comic book was pulled from the boy's 
grasp. He ran after it as it sailed along. Suddenly, the comic 
hit the face of an old man. The man had no hair apart from a 
white, wispy beard and his legs were folded up. The comic book 
made him jolt out of whatever weird trance he was in.
	The boy ran up to him, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thanks for 
catching my comic book, mister!" he squeaked, "I thought it was 
gone for sure!"
	Suddenly, the man stood up and stared down at the boy 
angrily. "Do you have any idea what you've just interrupted?!" 
he roared.
	Timidly, the boy shook his head. "Um... no..."
	"This interruption has been costly to me," he said carefully, 
placing his hand on the boy's head, "and so it shall be to you. 
May you live in interesting times, boy."

	Jeff woke up on the couch in the living room. He must've 
dozed off in all the excitement. It occurred to him that he'd 
dreamed something or other, but he couldn't remember what.
	All he knew was that in a few days his life would never be 
the same.
	Oh sure, things had always been strange, it seemed, but never 
before had there been anything as radical as this. At the age of 
eighteen, he'd faced magic, superbeings, mutants, aliens, 
psychics, and just plain oddballs, but it was something at once 
mundane and bizarre that had turned his life upside-down. He'd 
known the day would arrive, but not so soon.
	Marriage. In an abstract sense, it seemed pretty nice, but 
with it looming over your head it was more like the sword of 
Damocles. The life you knew would end, and a new one would 
begin, for better or for worse. It wasn't that he disliked Ada. 
The worst anyone could say about her was that she was a little 
naive -- and she was getting better about that by the day.
	But he couldn't figure out how he felt. It was _so_ damn 
frustrating. Something _had_ happened between them. She was 
pregnant. But neither of them could remember just what had 
happened. Why was that? Why had that entity made them forget? 
Jeff had spent the past week in a blue funk, unsure of the past 
or the future.
	Part of it must've been sheer confusion. The world was 
changing faster than ever before. With the marriage, control of 
Earth would be formally shifted to the Nwei Empire, and the 
human race would get the benefits of imperial citizenship. Of 
course, he had to wonder of people were ready to become part of 
a warrior culture. These events had been on the news non-stop, 
and indeed, he'd had to stay away from the media whenever 
possible, to avoid being mobbed by reporters. Not that the 
normal people were particularly inclined to stay away either.
	Finally, he stood up, and checked the clock. It was time for 
one last visit to the comics store.
[BGM: Millencolin, "Vulcan Ears" - Life On A Plate, Track 9]
	Jeff grabbed his trench coat and Ada's holographic disguise 
imager. Activating it, he was cloaked in responsive holograms, 
which made him appear to be a 20-year-old college student. Not a 
big difference, but more than enough. He slipped out the back 
door, and hurried down the street. Along the way, he watched the 
news crews maintaining their vigil over the house, and the 
police that had taken to watching the situation as well. Passing 
by all of it, he hurried on towards his destination.
	The store was open as usual, and packed with the usual 
audience, and then some. Nate stopped him at the door. "Do you 
have a ticket?" he asked carefully.
	Jeff deactivated the imager, and was immediately greeted by a 
storm of applause. Blushing a little, he shed the trench coat, 
and examined the crowd. He quickly realized that all of his 
friends were there; Pao-Gui, Janice, Silvie, and Iggy, along 
with his sisters Amy and Anne. There was good reason, of course. 
He wasn't sure he liked the reason, though; this could easily be 
the last time. If not forever, then at least for quite a long 
time.
	He managed a smile, and waved. He'd never liked being the 
center of attention all that much, but then, he was never given 
much choice. He noticed, too late, that there was a news 
reporter and cameraman. The reporter -- he was sure he'd seen 
her before -- held out a microphone. Karen Tanaka -- that was 
her name. She was part of the local news team, and she'd covered 
Comic ConFusion. She smiled warily.
	"This is Karen Tanaka on location here at Nate's Comics and 
Stuff. Jeff Foster -- whom everyone's been talking about -- has 
finally arrived. Now all that remains is for his rival, the man 
known only as the Inklord, to arrive." she turned to him. "Jeff, 
everyone wants to know, how do you feel about your upcoming 
marriage, and its repercussions for planet Earth?"
	He sighed. He knew the eyes of the world were upon him at 
that moment. It was unnerving, to say the least. "Well, I--"
	"THE INKLORD HAS ARRIVED!" boomed an all too familiar voice. 
Jeff spun around, glad to be removed from the attempted 
interview, and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. If this 
was the last time, he was going to WIN. There was no question.
[BGM: Monster Magnet, "Space Lord" - Power Trip, Track 3]
	"I'm ready for you." he replied. It was a little silly, but 
being such devout fans of comics, they could hardly ignore 
convention. A battle was always proceeded by a bit of 
blustering.
	The Inklord grinned. "I should hope so. I pray married life 
won't make you too weak to face me."
	"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger!" he declared. 
Silently, he wished he hadn't thought of that.
	Nate grinned, and leaped over the counter. "Alright you 
guys!" He pulled down a microphone from the ceiling -- it was 
chrome plated and a little out of place here -- and shouted, 
"LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!" His shout was 
amplified by cleverly concealed speakers, to the point of being 
earsplitting.
	"You've been practicing that a lot, haven't you?" muttered 
Jeff.
	Nate grinned, covering the microphone. "You know it. Gotta' 
make this one count, after all." He returned to his shouting 
position. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IN THIS CORNER, WEIGHING IN AT 
154 POUNDS, THE INDOMITABLE JEFF FOSTER!" The cheers were 
thunderous. "AND IN THIS CORNER, WEIGHING IN AT 257 POUNDS, THE 
TRULY UNIQUE, *INKLORD*!!!!"
	In other circumstances, when forced to deal with this level 
of volume, Jeff would've covered his ears. But this wasn't the 
time or place for that sort of thing.
	"YOU KNOW THE RULES, SO LET'S GET IT _ON_!"
	An earsplitting bell rang out, and suddenly the two of them 
were in a combat mode. They circled warily, each watching for 
the other to make the first move. They knew each other's 
fighting styles a little too well, and these standoffs were all 
too common of late.
	Suddenly, both of them attacked at the same time. The melee 
that ensued was furious, and it seemed to be a review of all of 
their previous fights rolled into one. The started with fists 
and feet, then switched to Jeff's throwing dice and the 
Inklord's gadgets. There was a curious counterpoint when they 
both drew their energy blades -- Jeff's borrowed Nwei model and 
the Inklord's light saber, but the battle resumed just as 
quickly. The swords of pure light clashed again and again, 
throwing sparks every time they landed, until finally the power 
packs ran out. The crowd waited expectantly.
	The two of them exchanged glances. Both were exhausted 
already, their brows beaded with sweat. But the fight was not 
over yet. The only question left was, how to finish it? They 
both smiled in unison.
	In an effort to provide greater variety, Nate had taken to 
hiding various types of weapons all over the store. Of course, 
these couldn't be particularly dangerous ones, in case little 
kids found them, but they were there.
	Without a moment's hesitation they dashed off in opposite 
directions, and took up covered positions at opposite ends of 
the store, armed with the latest and greatest nerf weaponry 
available. The crowd watched in awe as a storm of yellow foam 
balls passed between them. The veteran fans cheered all the 
same, while the newbies were more than a little confused.
	Karasuo landed on Silvie's shoulder, and, seeing her 
confusion, smiled. "It's what they do when they run out of ideas 
for how to fight. Ever since that convention. Of course, they're 
no less serious about it for that."
	She nodded. "Y-yeah. But, I mean, NERF?"
	"Where have you been?" asked Iggy. "That stuff's been getting 
downright dangerous lately -- have you seen the Nerf Rapid-Fire 
Superelectomagnetic Rail Gun Mark V?"
	Silvie rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the fight.
	The storm of foam balls continued, interrupted only when one 
paused to reload -- using the shots of the other. This could go 
on for a long time. Suddenly, a chant rose up from the crowd. In 
any other circumstances it would've been regarded as complete, 
abject insanity. Well, it probably was here too.
	"SQUEE--KY HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY HAM-MER!" 
The tempo of the cries increased. "SQUEE--KY HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY 
HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY HAM-MER! SQUEE--KY HAM-
MER!"
	Amid that cacophonous cry, Jeff figured he had no choice. He 
whipped out his squeaky mallet -- the ultimate in silly weaponry 
-- and tucked and rolled, then jumped up, barely dodging though 
the maelstrom of yellow foam. He swung off of the cord that held 
up a row of action figures, and landed beside the Inklord.
	Inky stood up, and pulled out his own squeaky mallet.
	A storm of high-pitched squeaking noises rose through the 
store, but when it finally ended, Jeff stood victorious.
[The last notes of "Space Lord" fade out.]
	The Inklord stood up, rubbing his ears, and offered his hand. 
Jeff shook it. The Inklord smiled. "Never have you fought so 
valiantly. I will not soon forget this day; you are a comic 
collector of honor and courage, and I would call you friend."
	Jeff nodded slowly. "Friend." he said at last.
	The Inklord hugged him. It was a manly hug, to be sure, and 
Jeff had trouble breathing.

	Ada looked at herself in the wedding dress and smiled as she 
twirled around. Diane watched, taking in her soon to be 
daughter-in-law's soft, almost musical laughter. It was hard to 
believe things were changing so quickly; the world had always 
been full of surprises, but it was the one they had seen coming 
that had taken them off guard.
	Jeff, her son, her little boy, was getting married.
	The bride was an alien, but she was already a part of the 
family, and this would simply make it official. She turned to 
the tailor -- the same one who'd made her own wedding dress 
years ago. He smiled, admiring his handiwork in silence. He took 
his eyes off Ada just long enough to make eye contact with Diane 
and smile.
	"What do you think?" asked Ada. The girl was positively 
glowing. Although nearly always an optimist, and invariably 
cheerful, nothing could compare to the high she'd been on in the 
past few days, and even that paled in comparison with the 
expectant, smiling face she presented this time.
	"You look beautiful." Diane breathed.
	The tailor nodded. "I have seen a thousand brides and sewn as 
many dresses, but none were ever so radiant as you." He paused, 
and then smiled and added, "Except perhaps your future mother-
in-law."
	Diane chuckled, and watched in wonder as Ada spun around once 
more.
	Planning this whole affair had been an adventure in itself. 
By Nwei custom, when marrying into another race they observed 
that race's traditions, which meant an Earth-style ceremony. On 
the other hand, since Ada was the Second Crown Princess of the 
Nwei Empire, the ceremony was to be attended by an honor guard 
of some ten thousand Nwei troops, as well as at least as many 
humans. As though that weren't enough of a difficulty in itself, 
there was the matter of food. How on Earth (or in this case in 
space -- the ceremony was to take place aboard the Nwei 
flagship) did you produce food enough for over twenty thousand 
people? A team of bakers the likes of which the world had never 
seen before -- and would likely never see again -- was called 
together to produce the wedding cake, a massive thing made of 
white cake, decked with light cream and strawberries. It was to 
be a gargantuan version of the sort that Diane had made for each 
and every one of Jeff's birthdays since he was old enough to 
chew them.
	The other parts were a bit easier. Jeff's friend Iggy had 
been recruited as the best man, and Amy and Anne made good maids 
of honor. The ring that was to be given to Ada -- Bob had 
insisted that the family pay for it, rather than letting the 
Nwei Empire finance *everything* -- was a simple, tasteful gold 
band with a single sapphire -- to match that crystal in her 
forehead.
	Ada paused, holding her arms close to herself. "I can hardly 
wait!"
	"We leave tomorrow." Diane replied. Of course, Ada's older 
sister Ame was to be picking everyone up. A nice girl, despite 
being compulsively violent.
	The tailor nodded with satisfaction. "I wish you the best of 
luck in the future. I know it will be bright."
	Ada nodded, and looked at her reflection in the wall mirror 
once more. The white frills made her look like a delicate lily, 
not the skilled warrior she had proven herself to be. Diane 
paused. "I hate to bring up business, but the Emperor will be 
paying you afterwards."
	He shook his head and smiled. "That will hardly be necessary. 
It seems word got out about who my latest customer was, and I've 
been flooded with orders -- from all over the world. If I could 
fill all of them, I could retire today."
	Diane shrugged. "You'll have to argue that with Mr. Atak." 
She stopped short at the sound of her pager playing Fur Elise, 
and frowned. "Oh dear. I have to get going."

[BGM: Metallica, "Battery" (Master of Puppets - Track 1]
	The section of downtown over which DynaWoman floated looked 
as though Armageddon had decided to drop by a little early. 
Flaming wreckage was strewn everywhere, and nearly every window 
in every building and car had been shattered.
	An explosion rang out in the distance, and she boosted 
towards it at top speed. She'd covered barely four blocks before 
she arrived at its source.
	A platform hovered high above the ground -- about on level 
with her current altitude. It was around the size of a large 
dining table, and supported by a mass of high-tech machinery. 
Standing on it were three men. She recognized them all too well; 
they were three of the most dangerous men in the world. Dr. F, 
the evil geneticist, Dr. Krahn, the evil ninja warlord, and Dr. 
X, the evil high tech genius.
	"So good of you to join us, Dyna-Woman!" announced Dr. F. 
"I'm sure you've met my friends, Dr. Krahn and Dr. X. But now, 
at long last, I must bid you farewell."
	Dr. X grinned behind his mirrored sunglasses, and pressed a 
button on one of the hovering platform's control panels. A 
series of missiles launches, heading straight towards her. She 
had no choice but to fly for her life.
	"Have fun with my _nuclear_-propelled multi-plasma detonation 
missiles!" called Dr. X.
	"Excerrent wahk my fleinds!" said Dr. Krahn. "Dis cahrs foa a 
cerebrashon!"
	The other evil geniuses looked confused for a moment, then 
nodded in assent, only to be interrupted.
	"Hold it right there!"
	They spun around to see none other than the Celestial Pair 
waiting on the rooftop nearby. All three villains started 
cursing in foreign languages.
	"In the name of the Moon, I fight for Justice!" announced 
Pretty Moon.
	"In the name of the Sun, I fight for Love!" cried Pretty Sun.
	As one, they posed, and added, "We are the Celestial Pair!"
	"Ah, don't worry, little ones." replied Dr. F. "We have some 
lovely surprises for you as well."
	From behind the Celestial Pair, on the rooftop, approached 
Dr. F's mutants. The Raptor, Guildenstein, and Usagi-26, all 
waited menacingly.
	"This could be bad." muttered Pretty Moon, gripping her 
naginata a little tighter.
	Pretty Sun nodded. "I'm sure we'll think of something to do, 
like... RUN!"
	Pretty Moon watched in disbelief as her partner bolted, 
pursued by the same stupid Raptor. She gathered her courage, and 
made ready for an attack, even as the other two mutants came 
closer. "FINAL..."
	Suddenly, Dyna-Woman soared past, flying just over the heads 
of the evil geniuses. The missiles were not far behind. The 
three men exchanged glances, and dove off the platform mere 
seconds before it was reduced to a flaming wreck. She then 
circled back, and landed before the villains, who were just 
coming to their feet, readying their weapons.
	"Why are you doing this?!" she demanded, balling her hands 
into fists at her side.
	Dr. F let out a long, villainous, maniacal laugh. "This is 
only the beginning of the chaos we will create. You've no 
conception of the new order that is to come about."
	Dyna-Woman shook her head. "No. I do. You are the one who 
does not see what's coming, it seems."
	He shrugged. "What's it matter? We're here to fight, and 
we'll do just that!"
	"Not if Captain Kabuki has anything to say about it!"
	Everyone turned to see the quasi-Japanese superhero standing 
there, naginata in hand. Dr. Krahn grinned, and replaced his 
false hand with a very real flamethrower. "Ah, if it isn't my 
ohrd fliend! Captain Kabuki!"
	Captain Kabuki nodded and gave his polearm a twirl. "The one 
and only! For Justice and Harmony I shall defeat you!"
	All sides tensed in preparation for this battle. It was rare 
for so many to gather in one place, but the excitement was not 
unwelcome.
	Suddenly, thunderous sound exploded overhead. All eyes turned 
upwards to see what it was. A massive spacecraft, easily a mile 
long and bristling with weapons, hung over the city. Anti-
gravity generators kicked in, and the air around them became 
oddly distorted, but all was silent. The strange vessel, bearing 
the sigil of the Nwei Empire, slowed to a halt over central 
park, and its ponderous bulk gracefully lowered to the ground.
	Heroes, villains, and common people alike watched this 
spectacle in awe. A ramp lowered from the front of the ship, and 
troops began marching out. Each wore a Nwei-style military 
jumpsuit, and they formed neat ranks, at head of which were 
troops bearing banners. Each banner was identical, bearing a 
woman -- a human woman -- in flowing white robes holding a 
hexagonal blue crystal.
	"What's that symbol?" asked Captain Kabuki.
	"The symbol of Jeff... Foster and Princess Ada." Dyna-Woman 
said slowly. "It must be their honor guard..."
	The members of the evil geniuses club exchanged glances.
	"It occurs to me," announced Dr. X, "that this would be a 
very bad place to be causing a ruckus. I understand Nwei 
Soldiers -- especially imperial elites like these -- are quite 
deadly."
	The others nodded, and without another word the hover 
platform glided off. Dr. F's mutants were quick to leap onto the 
platform before it got too far.
	"See you at the reception!" called Dr. F.
	Dyna-Woman watched them go, and let out a long sigh.
	"Shouldn't we follow them, Dyna-Woman?" asked Pretty Sun.
	She shook her head, and glanced at the large clock on the 
bank nearby. "No. There'll be another time." She muttered before 
flying off.
	Pretty Sun and Pretty Moon glanced at the clock as well, and 
Pretty Sun gasped. "Oh no! We're going to be late!"
	"What do you mean?" asked Captain Kabuki, checking his watch.
	Pretty Moon scowled. "The *marriage* of a certain famous 
relative of ours? We'd better get back home, and *fast*!"

	Jeff let out a long sigh as he looked at himself in the 
mirror. He'd never worn a tuxedo -- formality just wasn't his 
thing, and if he could help it, he'd go casual almost anywhere. 
But this was one thing for which he had to make an exception. 
Probably the first of many.
	Iggy, also decked out in a tux -- though it looked even 
stranger on him than on Jeff -- stood behind him. "This is just 
too surreal, dude."
	"Tell me about it."
	Iggy smiled, then scratched at his arm -- he'd been itching 
ever since he put on the tuxedo. "Can I ask you something?"
	Jeff shrugged. "Sure."
	"Why did it take you so long, and like, what finally happened 
that you two got together?"
	"I don't know." he said simply.
	Iggy was at a loss for words.
	He sighed again. "It pisses me off more than anything -- we 
finally did. I know we did, but I can't remember any of it. The 
entire two weeks after we defeated that _thing_ that possessed 
Ada -- I forgot ALL of it. All I know for sure is, she's 
pregnant now, by me." His life had been odd, but never so 
unfair. "I can live with weirdness, with aliens dropping by and 
dimensional portals in my closet, but of all the memories 
someone had to steal from me..."
	"I don't know what to tell you." Iggy said at last. "I wish I 
did. Except... Except just remember that you still have time to 
remember. If it happened once, it can happen again. A lot of 
people fall in--"
	The door burst open; Mittens (in a very small tuxedo of his 
own) and Karasuo (in a formal kimono) were there.
	"Guys!" yelped Mittens, "We gotta' get going! The ship is 
already here!"
	Jeff shrugged, and strode out the door. In the house proper, 
everything was a flurry of activity, as everyone was getting 
ready. Amy and Anne dashed out of their room in matching dresses 
-- it was hard to say which was which, Dad was putting on a tie, 
and Mom seemed to be the only one who was completely ready. 
Cousin Rex, Grandpa Albert, Grandma Pearl, Uncle Phil, Aunt 
Jane, and all the rest were there as well, piling out the door 
and into a variety of cars. Jeff caught only the barest glimpse 
of Ada being hurried out the door by Felna and Grandma Pearl. 
Bad luck to see her before the wedding anyway, or so they said.
	Dad patted Jeff on the back. "Are you ready, son?"
	Jeff managed a nod. Everyone else cheered. The next thing he 
knew he was being shoved into a car, and driven down to central 
park, where a massive battlecruiser waited, with a legion of 
Nwei troops, bearing what would be the seal of the newest branch 
of the Nwei royal family. Each soldier, male or female, stood 
straight and proud, staring directly ahead.
[BGM: Fuel, "Bittersweet" - Sunburn, Track 2]
	Around the ship was a massive crowd. The police had seen to 
managing who was and wasn't to be at the wedding. Ten thousand 
people, in all. Mom had seen to it; in addition to all of Jeff's 
friends and the entire Foster family and all of its known 
branches, there were political leaders, people from the media, 
and more. Presidents and cameramen mingled with high school 
students and scientists in a great milling throng. And beyind 
the yellow tape and police barricades was an even greater crowd, 
assembled to watch the spectacle. Helicopters circled overhead, 
and every nearby building was filled to the brim as well.
	When Jeff got out, he found himself flanked by Nwei soldiers. 
He was escorted through the crowd, past people shouting, 
cheering, cursing -- so much noise -- and brought to what looked 
to be a raised platform of black metal. The surface of it seemed 
impossible to slip on. The escorts halted there, and a moment 
later Jeff found Ada standing next to him, in a flowing white 
wedding dress.
	She looked at him and smiled gently. There was something 
about that smile -- he'd seen it so many times, but it reminded 
him of something...
	Suddenly, the platform began to rise, high above the crowd. 
The people below grew smaller and smaller, until the platform 
began to move forward ever so slowly. It was hard to hear 
anything in the roar of the crowd, but he could see a lot. 
People. There were so many people. He'd never noticed how much 
he'd changed the world. For the better, he hoped. Many held 
signs -- some wishing them good luck, others with less pleasant 
things to say. Earth was being changed forever. Somehow his own 
life had barely been touched -- it was too weird already to get 
and more so -- but for everyone else, wondering what the aliens 
would do next...
	"What's wrong?" asked Ada. She rested a hand on his shoulder.
	Jeff looked at his feet, and sighed. He knew the eyes of the 
world were on him. His every motion watched and analyzed by the 
reporters, seen on millions of screens across the world. He had 
a right to be nervous -- most people had enough problems at a 
normal wedding. His would reshape the planet. But worse, he 
couldn't remember anything of the incident that had led to it.
	Ada looked at her belly, where, they both knew, a little boy 
was growing. The pregnancy wasn't visible -- it had been barely 
a month -- but they'd met their son, visiting from the future. 
Dan. Daniel Gin-Foster. Not a bad name, though it kind of 
spoiled the surprise to be told about it ahead of time. "It's 
all happening so quickly." she murmured. "Why is that? Why did 
that entity have to make us forget?"
	He shrugged. "I wish I knew. I wish..."
	"Don't wish." she replied. There was a hint of desperation in 
her voice. "Make it happen. Please. I want..."
	Below, Jeff could see his friends from school; they waved and 
smiled. Pao-Gui said something to Silvie, who nodded, with a 
touch of concern on her face.
	"I wish I could remember, but... I know we can..."
	Ada was crying, he realized. That was how he felt, when he 
let the emotions out, admitted it to himself. He ran his hand 
along her cheek -- it was so familiar, but so far away. Ada 
looked up at him, and forced herself to smile.
	"Jeff..."
	They passed over the rows upon rows of Nwei soldiers, all 
waiting at attention like statues, and into the bridge area. The 
platform slowly lowered and came to a rest.
[BGM fades out]
	Ame stepped out to meet them and grinned. "I'll never 
understand Earth customs. Never mind. We've got one twonking big 
day ahead of us! Follow me." And with that, she spun on her heel 
and headed deeper into the ship.

	This was the hold in which the reception was being held. It 
was massive; ten thousand humans and as many Nwei were there. 
The Nwei were, for the most part, standing rigidly, despite 
attempts by some humans to make conversation. Refreshments were 
being served by a team of human chefs who were a small army in 
their own right. Usagi-26 shook her head, and activated her 
radio.
	"It's no good." she whispered. "There are way too many Nwei 
soldiers here for us to try anything, Doctor."
	Dr. F's voice was calm, as usual. "Then we must be more 
subtle. We will move to Beta plan. Begin Phase One in thirty 
minutes."
	She nodded, and turned around just in time to see some of her 
classmates from school there. Silvie, Pao-Gui, Iggy, Amy, Anne, 
and Janice.
	"Um, hi Usagi." said Silvie. "What's up?"
	She managed a nervous shrug. One word to the Nwei, and Dr. 
F's plans would go up in smoke. "Not much. Pretty exciting, 
isn't it?"
	The group nodded and murmured in assent.
	Amy asked, "Hey, Iggy. How's Jeff doing?"
	Iggy, who was to be the best man, shrugged. "Nervous. 
_Really_ nervous." There was a troubled expression on his face, 
though Usagi wasn't sure why.
	"I don't know of anyone who wasn't nervous at their own 
wedding." added Janice. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
	Iggy nodded, though he seemed unsure. "Yeah."
	Amy grinned. "They do make a cute couple, though, don't 
they?"
	Usagi grabbed one of her long bunny ears, rubbing its soft 
fur while she tapped her foot on the deck. It was an odd nervous 
habit, but since not too many people knew much about lagomorphs, 
no one thought much of it. She had to find a way to leave 
without arousing suspicion. Dealing with people was always 
hard...
	"Oh, by the way, Usagi, your skunk friend was by here a 
little while ago." said Anne.
	Perfect. "Oh, I'd better find Guildenstein before he gets 
into any trouble."
	Usagi started off, picking her way through the crowd. She 
thought she heard them making some odd comments about her, but 
she concentrated on the task at hand. Beta plan. That involved 
guerilla tactics and, best of all, explosives.
	Along the way, she passed by a reporter who was interviewing 
some of the Nwei soldiers, and paused.
	"...And what do you think about humans, from what you've seen 
so far?" the woman asked.
	One of the soldiers glanced at his shouldered rifle, and 
shrugged. "It is odd. The majority are... 'civilians,' I think 
is the word you use. But the few humans I've met who do fight 
have been most impressive. For example, that man over there." 
The soldier pointed, and all eyes turned to see an old Chinese 
man -- Mr. Chen.
	The history teacher turned, and strode towards Usagi. "SO!" 
he barked. "I hope you are ENJOYING this celebration!"
	She managed a nod. "Um, yeah."
	Mr. Chen nodded slowly. "GOOD! I just hope you and your 
allies are not intending to undertake any activities for which I 
would have to dispense the VENGEANCE OF HEAVEN!"
	Usagi was quick to shake her head. "Of course not! I, um, 
I'll be going now."

	Ame glanced back at Ada, who still wore that odd Earth 
wedding garment, all frilly white. It looked far to restricting 
of movement for a Nwei to wear. But there were customs to be 
considered. They stood on the bridge module of the 
battlecruiser, watching the monitors of various parts of the 
ship, including the reception, where nearly 20,000 people milled 
around.
	Looking at Ada and Jeff, she couldn't help but feel a bit 
jealous. Alright so they seemed thoroughly nervous around each 
other, but at least little Ada had found someone. Ame's dates 
tended to end up in the hospital. It was that karachian noruta 
thing -- always attacking without even realizing it. If she 
could just find someone with karachian kataria, a sort of 
defensive equivalent, it would be okay. Well, closer to it, 
anyway. A masochist might do just as well...
	"You look so soft in that thing, Ada." she muttered, idly 
kicking at one of the security guards.
	Ada shrugged and sighed. "Maybe. But I think it looks nice."
	"Princess Ame," said the helmsman, "It's 3400. We're 
scheduled to take off now."
	Ame nodded. "Proceed."
	The ship slowly rose on its antigravity repulsors, hovering 
by an unseen force higher and higher above the ground.
	Before she realized it, she had him in a headlock. "Oh, and 
activate the gravitational stabilizers before the engines kick 
in. No need to scare off the guests." she added, slowly 
releasing him.
	"Um, understood, princess."
	Ame nodded, and turned her attention back to Ada. She was 
watching the floor rather intently. "What're you so worried 
about?"
	Ada shrugged and managed a forced smile. "Nothing. Really."
	She shook her head. "Sorry, but you can't fool your big 
sister." She paused, and glanced around the bridge. Everyone was 
paying attention, but rigidly pretending not to. But who could 
possibly ignore something like this? "Everyone gets... 'cold 
feet' is how the Earthers say it, though I have no idea why. 
He's a nice guy, and I know he'll treat you well."
	Ada nodded. "I know. It's not that. I have to... work it out 
myself."
	Ame shrugged. Ada was usually so open, but when she did close 
up about something there was just no way to get her to talk. It 
also meant she was really troubled. Ame let out a long sigh, and 
patted Ada on the back, barely suppressing an impulse to body 
flip her. "Alright. But remember, I'm here if you need me."
	The ship shuddered at the engines kicked in, and the great 
battlecruiser began to rise out of Earth's atmosphere, no doubt 
watched by billions of eyes.
	"We'll be ready for hyperspace travel in ten minutes." 
announced the navigator.
	Ame nodded. "Right. You have your orders, so carry on."
	"Understood."
	She paused to straighten her boots, and donned a formal 
cloak. "Well Ada, I don't know about you, but I'm going to check 
out this reception thing."
	Ada nodded distantly.
[BGM: "The Diva Dance" -- The 5th Element Soundtrack, Track 15]
	When Ame arrived, she found the reception hall to be abuzz 
with a thousand discussions of every sort imaginable. People 
milled around, sampling the food, or just standing where they 
were. Ame scanned the crowd; there were so many, but so few that 
she knew. A few were showing signs of hyperspace sickness, which 
reduced the popularity of the food considerably. One that caught 
her eye was a Nwei boy -- she couldn't recall having seen him 
before. Something about him, something familiar, led her to 
follow him. He glanced at her nervously, and hurried along, but 
she wove through the crowd, occasionally delivering a blow to 
someone she passed -- _usually_ by accident -- and finally 
cornered him by the punch bowls.
	He wore a blue Nwei-style jumpsuit, with a green Earth-style 
jacket. His forehead crystal was violet -- nothing unusual -- 
but his hair. It was brown. That was common among humans, but 
unheard of among Nwei.
	He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Um hello. Aun-- 
Princess Ame, right?"
	She nodded slowly. "That's right. What's your name?"
	"Dan." he said simply.
	"Dan What?"
	His eyes darted around, and he glanced at a watch that wasn't 
there, and announced, "Look at the time! Boy! I have to get 
going! It was nice talking to you! Bye!"
	Ame frowned, backhanding a Nwei honor guard soldier. "What 
could happen next?"
	Suddenly, the ship rocked violently. An explosion. Cursing, 
she raced in the direction of the sound. Outside of the 
reception area, alarms were going off, accompanied by yellow 
warning lights. She flipped on her communicator to find a dozen 
competing voices plaintively explaining what damage had been 
done. It sounded bad; primitive, but effective explosives had 
been set off in several parts of the ship. She listened to the 
reports, the sector numbers, then scowled. "They're targeting 
the armories."
	She dashed to the nearest one, and came to a halt when she 
saw one of the Earthers -- a female mutant of some kind -- who 
had donned an Althena-class power armor. The mutant's long, fur-
covered ears stuck awkwardly out of the helmet, but otherwise 
the suit fit her like a glove.
	Ame shook her head. "You have no idea how much I hate 
terrorists."
	The mutant shrugged. "We gotta' do what we gotta' do. I'm 
Usagi-26, by the way."
	"Ame Gin. First Crown Princess of the Nwei Empire. Let's get 
this over with."

	Guidenstein strode through the corridor, looking in every 
direction. She had to be here. She just had to be. Usagi was 
supposed to meet him here, so they could get on with the plan. 
She'd been going on about how much she liked the power armor 
she'd found, telling everyone about its features over the radio. 
He came to a halt when he saw a helmet with a cracked red visor 
laying on the ground.
[BGM: Stabbing Westward, "Torn Apart" - Darkest Days, Track 8]
	No. It couldn't be.
	He broke into a run, down the corridor, and stopped again 
when he found one of the aliens, a female with a jumpsuit and 
cloak, gripping a gun and a metal cylinder of some sort, looking 
over the remains of a power armor.
	She looked up at him, and smiled. "More mutants to fight? And 
I thought today was going to be dull."
	Barely able to contain his anger, he activated his aura 
power, feeling the crimson energy flowing around and through 
him, without a thought. The alien woman flicked a switch on that 
cylinder and a sword of luminous green energy popped out. He 
hurled himself at her, launching his energy blasts with every 
ounce of strength he had. She dodged and leaped with incredible 
skill, and he only grazed her a few times before she went on the 
attack.
	Her energy blade flashed everywhere, and her pistol fired off 
yellow energy bolts. Where the blade met the metal of the 
corridor walls, it sliced clean through, and where her shots 
hit, deep craters were left. But he pressed on, heedless of the 
danger, throwing his energy blasts where he could. Her fighting 
was almost like a dance, every step a new variation.
	Suddenly, she swung her energy blade in an overhead strike. 
Concentrating the energy around his hand to shield it from 
damage, he grabbed it. He could feel the heat, enough to cut as 
though he weren't there, but kept up the flow of energy. Blue 
sparks few in all directions.
	The alien looked on in awe. "What the?! That's impossible!"
	Guildenstein shook his head and wrenched the sword to the 
side, throwing a powerful punch at her stomach. She doubled over 
at the force of it, and he raced past her. Maybe, just maybe...
	He halted before a small room. In it sat Usagi, bruised, but 
still alive. He walked through what looked to be an open door--
	"Guildenstein, don't--!"
	And slammed into a force field. Once more he let his power 
fill him, let the energy flow around him. He motioned her to one 
side, and she quickly hugged one side of the cell. He built up 
as much energy as he could hold, and directed all of it at the 
force field.
	The opposing energies threw of sparks and light, and he 
pressed on, though the force field didn't seem to be abating in 
the least. His determination only grew, and he gave it his all.
	Out of the corner of his eye he saw the alien woman pick 
herself up. She looked at a readout on the corridor wall, and 
gasped. "Holy twonk! How can you produce so much energy? The 
force field is being overloaded!"
	Guildenstein only pressed on.
	The alien pressed frantically at the controls, cursing in 
some alien language, and finally slammed her fist down on the 
panel. The section of the corridor was sealed off by heavy metal 
doors, and the ship shook with an explosion. The force field was 
gone.
[BGM fades out]
	Usagi staggered out. "Guidenstein. You..."
	He forced the aura to fade away, and managed a smile as he 
fought for breath.
	She looked up at him with shining pink eyes. She looked like 
she was about to say something, but reconsidered, and put her 
arms around him without saying a word.

	Ada saw the helmsman and navigator exchange worried glances 
as she walked onto the bridge. The alarms had gone off, and Ame 
was nowhere to be found. "What's going on?"
	The security officer gestured at the readouts. "There have 
been a number of explosions around the ship. External explosive 
devices, and now a serious power overload on Deck 6. Somehow, 
terrorists got on board."
	Ada nodded, not letting her worry show through. "Will we be 
able to leave hyperspace safely?"
	The helmsman nodded. "It looks like it. The hyperspace shift 
mechanism received some minor damage, but was successfully 
repaired by the engineering crew. We should be ready to enter 
normal space in fifteen minutes. Scans show the flagship is 
already in position."
	"_However_," the security officer interrupted, "we still have 
insurgents on board; a rather sizable force, I might add. Your 
honor guard has mobilized, but the terrorists are using guerilla 
tactics, taking advantage of the close quarters on the ship."
	She nodded, and tried to think of what to do. "Who else is 
fighting the terrorists?"
	The officer glanced at his readouts. "We've had a number of 
reports of what Earthers are calling 'superheroes' fighting 
them. Even given the paranormal capabilities of these 
vigilantes, they may not be sufficient to deal with all of the 
terrorists."
	"Order the troops to cooperate with the superheroes. And make 
sure the guests are safe."
	He nodded reluctantly. "Understood, Princess."
	A holomonitor popped up by the main viewscreen. It showed the 
Celestial Pair and Captain Kabuki surrounded by a group of 
spider-like robots in the hold where the reception was being 
held.
	"What is it they want?" mused Ada. There had to be a reason 
behind all of this. Some purpose toward which the villains were 
heading. But what could it be? They might be after technology, 
or maybe even stopping the wedding, only in the latter case they 
would've targeted her or... "Jeff. Where's Jeff?"
	The security officer looked over his readouts, and tapped at 
the controls. "I am unable to locate him at this time. Visual 
scanning system is at sixty percent, and bio-scanners are 
offline, due to terrorist activities."
	How? How could they know so much about the ship? Was someone 
helping them, someone from among her own people? Ada walked over 
to the bridge's weapons locker in three bold strides, and pulled 
out a heavy tachyon rifle. "Order a squad to search for him."
	He nodded. "Understood, but... What do you intend to do?"
	"Whatever it takes."
	Ada finally had to kick off those high-heeled shoes, though 
she still feld odd stalking around the corridors in that huge 
wedding dress. Fortunately, despite complaints from the tailor, 
it had been made to impede her mobility as little as possible. 
She headed for where Jeff's party was supposed to have been. 
Alarms were still going off, and the yellow warning lights 
continued flashing. Nwei troops occasionally dashed past her, 
giving the usual ritual greeting before hurrying off to whatever 
task they'd been assigned. She had to hurry.

[BGM: Megadeth, "Prince of Darkness" - Risk, Track 2]
	Dyna-Woman and Dr. F faced off on a long, wide metal walkway 
that was suspended over the massive machinery of the 
battlecruiser. It had been a long chase; Dr. F had managed to be 
a thorn in her side for so long partly because of his 
willingness to retreat, though this time it seemed he was 
deliberately leading her somewhere. Not good. It was impossible 
to see his expression through that metal mask, but she knew his 
eyes were fixed on her. She could feel it, that calculating 
gaze, searching for any sign of weakness.
	"Your madness ends here and now, Dr. F!"
	Dr. F shook his head and chuckled. "Fool. I am the one who 
will be the victor on this day." He snapped his fingers. Below 
them, something stirred. The deck below them trembled.
	"What is that thing?"
	He was grinning under that mask, the grin of a sick madman. 
"It was very difficult to devise an organism that could be 
smuggled on board and yet have the power to crush you. I am most 
pleased with the results, however."
	What climbed over the railing looked to be a young girl, no 
more than seven years old, clothed in a white dress. But there 
was a look of emptiness in her eyes, and every step she took 
shook the deck like something twenty times the size. She plodded 
to the center of the deck, and looked at Dyna-Woman with those 
dead eyes, then flexed every muscle in her entire body at once. 
Flesh tore apart and reformed. Light and heat flooded the 
chamber in a wave.
	The creature that now stood before her was a massive, 
slavering creature, a mixture of a dozen nightmares, with jagged 
spines, claws dripping horrid ichor, and a maw full of long, 
razor-sharp teeth. Its gleaming red eyes regarded her with the 
purest hate, an unrelenting need to destroy.
	Dyna-Woman took to the air a fraction of a second before one 
of the four clawed hands slammed through the deck. She fired off 
an electric blast, but found it had no effect.
	Dr. F laughed. "Did you really think the instrument of your 
demise would ne susceptible to your electric blasts?"
	There had to be another way. She narrowly slipped out of the 
way of a barrage of spines that the thing had shot from its 
hide, and moved in closer. The crimson eyes followed her, and it 
moved in for a bite. Pulling back to a safe distance, she paused 
to consider a course of action. It moved a step closer, wicked 
foot-claws clacking on the metal deck.
	"Impressive." called Dyna-Woman. "But slow." Maybe he could 
be goaded into giving away the creature's weak spot.
	"Is she? Schnookums! Attack!"
	The monster moved with surprising speed, spines shooting, 
acid spraying, claws flailing. Dyna-Woman wove and dodged as 
best she could, shooting electricity for all it was worth. It 
seemed to ignore the voltage she put out, which would be enough 
to fell any opponent she's faced thus far. She didn't dare move 
in closer. That left only one option. One she'd hoped to avoid.
	"I see you leave me no choice. Prepare to see my final 
power."
	Dr. F waited. As Dyna-Woman knelt on the ground, the creature 
took a step back, unsure of what to do.
	She breathed deeply. This she'd only done once before, and 
regretted it. Her trump card, the last resort. Dyna-Woman shot 
upwards, surrounded by a corona of crackling white, which grew 
in intensity until it made it impossible to make out her shape. 
Machinery exploded around her and the creature took another step 
back.
	Time to end this. "PLASMA STORM!"
	She shot forward, slamming into Dr. F's creation, rebounding 
off, hitting the wall and rebounding back again and again. When 
it ended, she dropped to the deck. The monster, broken and 
bruised, fell on its back, reverting to its former shape.
	That only left Dr. F. Fighting terrible fatigue, Dyna-Woman 
strode towards her arch-nemesis. "No more mutants around." she 
said hoarsely. "You're just a man in a mask."
	He stepped back, looking for any chance of escape, and found 
none. She smiled. This was a moment she'd been waiting for far 
too long. There would be new villains, but at long last this one 
had been vanquished. But who was he really? What face was under 
that mask?
	"It's over then." he said at last.
	She nodded, and pulled off his mask.
	"Well shoot. I guess the jig is up."
	Her breath caught. This wasn't possible! After so long, so 
many battles, so many bids to take over the world thwarted, Dr. 
F was him. Even with that vile stew of conflicting emotions 
tying her stomach into knots, she pulled off her own mask.
	"D-Diane?"
	Diane and Bob Foster looked at one another for a long time. 
Finally, Diane managed to speak. "I... I don't suppose you'd 
care to explain this?"
	Glancing at the discarded metal mask, Bob let out a long 
sigh. "It's a long, long story. The short version is that 
exposure to some dangerous chemicals made me bipolar."
	Too many things were changing, too fast. Too much at stake. 
"Alright. I don't know if I can forgive you, but telling me 
what's planned would go a long way."
	He nodded slowly. "I understand, honey. We'll have to act 
quickly to stop them."

	Dan and Ace stood watch over the section of corridor.
	"What are we doing, exactly?" asked Dan, nearly falling 
asleep.
	"Tying up loose ends in the timeline." Ace replied as she 
went over data on her computer. "Our job here is small, but if 
we didn't do it... Well, suffice it to say there'd be trouble."
	He rolled his eyes and sighed. "More paradoxes?"
	"Well, yeah. If things go badly here... we never existed, 
which means we never meddled in time, and everything we've done 
is undone. Life would suck for a lot of people."
	"What about us"?
	"Not a consideration if we don't exist."
	"I'm getting a headache."
	"Look, just do what I tell you."
	"Okay. But why did you tell me to steal the chocolate 
pudding?"
	"It would've given my mother a stomach ache, causing minute 
alterations in what is now my developing fetus."
	"Doing what exactly?"
	"The events would reverberate down the timeline, making me 
decide to take up crytozoology and cryptobotany rather than 
dimensional science, so no time travel."
	"And that's the _only_ reason?"
	"Hey, you enjoyed the pudding too, didn't you?"
	"Well, yeah, but..."
	"Good. So when I tell you, destroy the third robot that comes 
by, and leave the others as they are."
	"Okay, but don't tell me why, though. I feel another headache 
coming on already, Ace."

	Jeff let out a sigh and flopped into one of the chairs. This 
was the most luxurious room on the ship, and that was because 
its chairs had padding. The table in the middle was a mess after 
four of those robots got inside and attacked. Now the door was 
locked and barricaded. One hell of a bachelor party.
	The guys were arrayed around the room -- Iggy, Mittens, 
Karasuo, and Pao-Gui -- and seemed about as nervous as he was. 
Ready to jump at the least sound. It had gotten so quiet all of 
a sudden, after the sounds of battle had raged on outside.
	"I don't get this." muttered Karasuo. "What could they be 
after?"
	Mittens paused in licking his tail -- something rather 
unnerving when he was in his human form -- and shrugged. 
"Probably technology."
	"That still doesn't make sense though." said Iggy, running a 
hand through his hair. "I mean, even if they do manage to steal 
anything, where the hell are they planning to go?"
	The PA system came to life. "Attention. All escape pods and 
shuttlecraft have now been sealed off by imperial order."
	"That must've been it." replied Pao-Gui. "Only now they're 
stuck. And it won't be long before we come out of hyperspace and 
dock with the flagship."

	Ame shook her head as she looked across the monitors. 
"Twonking Earthers." she muttered. Somehow the insurgents had 
managed to do a good job of keeping the soldiers busy. She 
herself had only just now fought her way to the bridge. Those 
mutants seemed too engrossed in each other to be much of a 
problem, but the others were a different story.
	And now the ship was ready to leave hyperspace at the 
rendezvous point. Daddy would be annoyed. And now Ada had run 
off too, looking for that fiancee of hers. One big mess. Daddy 
would be mad. He'd be--
	"Princess, we're receiving a hyperwave transmission from the 
Emperor." reported one of the bridge crew.
	Ame sighed. "Put it on."
	The face of Emperor Atak appeared on a holomonitor. He didn't 
look happy. "Ame. What is this I hear about _terrorists_?"
	He already knew, somehow. Just great. She stepped closer to 
the screen, punching the helmsman as she passed. "They came on 
board with all the Earthers. We're dealing with it now; I was 
just about to put the main force on active combat alert."
	Atak nodded. "Alright. At least you're handling the situation 
correctly. I'll see you shortly." The image winked out.
	"But Princess, you never ordered us to--"
	"I am now." she interrupted curtly. She would've said she had 
already if it weren't for the fact that the Emperor might check 
the time index records. "Do it. The terrorists are to be 
captured alive if possible."
	"Understood, Princess."

	The room had erupted into one huge brawl. Sort of. Jeff and 
Karasuo were the only ones who had anything approaching training 
that would be useful for fighting the Blue Lotus Monks who'd 
somehow managed to get through the armored doors. Iggy, Pao-Gui, 
and Mittens all hid, though Pao-Gui contributed with an 
occasional exploding test tube. They were quickly being cornered 
and overwhelmed.
	Letting out a squawk of rage, Karasuo grabbed one of the 
monks by the head and cried out "RAIJIN-HA!" The lightning bolt 
that struck Karasuo left the monk unconscious, but so was 
Karasuo.
	Jeff cursed under his breath. Nowhere to run, too many to 
fight. What now?
	As if in answer to his unspoken question, sirens started to 
go off, along with flashing blue warning lights. The whole 
universe seemed to flash blue for a moment, and the monks 
started to panic. Out of nowhere a wall of yellow light flashed 
through the room. Jeff braced himself as it hit, and was glad he 
did. His stomach turned and his head felt like a dozen knives 
had been shoved in. At least the monks weren't faring much 
better.
	Suddenly, through the demolished doors came Ada, holding a 
heavy rifle, still wearing the wedding dress. She blasted, 
punched, and kicked her way to him, and by the time she was 
done, not one of the monks was left standing.
	"What happened?" asked Jeff, rubbing his head.
	"We left hyperspace without the dampeners on, so everyone got 
a full dose of hyperspace sickness." she explained, dropping the 
gun.
	Iggy poked his head over the table and rubbed his head. "So 
why haven't you been affected?"
	Ada shrugged. "I've done it lots of times before. You get 
used to it after a while. It looks like Ame gave the order, so 
the troops should be rounding up all the terrorists in time for 
when we dock with the flagship." She paused and looked up into 
Jeff's eyes, then folded her hands and sighed. "I'll... see you 
there. I have to finish getting ready." And with that she left.
	In a daze, Jeff listened to the announcements about what to 
do for hyperspace sickness, and how the rendezvous would be in 
ten minutes. By the time they'd started down the corridor, past 
some repair crews and soldiers escorting captured crimson 
ninjas, a thunderous sound of metal on metal heralded the 
docking.
	"Hell of a way to start things off." muttered Iggy.
	Pao-Gui shrugged. "That's over now. Now it's just the 
reception and the wedding and big parties."

	Emperor Atak raised a glass of wine before the assembled 
throng of humans and Nwei. The wine was red, just dark enough to 
let only a little light through the crystal wine glass, its 
surface still. Jeff and Ada were on either side of him, and it 
was hard to say which looked more nervous; Jeff in his black 
tuxedo, or Ada in her white wedding dress.
	"Today," intoned Atak, "the blood of our worlds becomes one. 
Today Jeff Foster of Earth and Princess Ada Gin are married!"
	The applause that broke out was deafening. When at last the 
sound died down, he continued. "We stand on the threshold of a 
new era for both our peoples, as Earth at last becomes a part of 
the Nwei Empire. This will bring about a new age, as--"
	High above them the glass shattered, and a night-black figure 
descended, landing just to the left of Ada. Jeff had seen him 
before; that black mask, the cape. "Lord Eclipse." he growled.
	Eclipse grabbed Ada by the waist. She started to struggle, 
but as suddenly as she began, she slipped into unconsciousness. 
He leaped up on top of the nearest table, and raised one gloved 
fist to the sky. "_Today_ is the beginning of the time when 
Shadow shall reign supreme! Today is the beginning of the Age of 
Chaos!"
	Anger rising up like a flash flood, Jeff ran past the Nwei 
guards who were already drawing weapons, intent on Eclipse. Not 
after they'd come this far. No.
	Lord Eclipse looked directly at him and laughed. Inky 
blackness swirled around him and then disappeared, leaving no 
trace of him or Ada.
	A hush settled over the reception hall. Jeff clenched his 
hands into fists, and closed his eyes. "Why?" he whispered. 
"_Why_?"
	"Because," replied Mr. Chen, "he now has the Uchuu no Akuma. 
With that tome, he really can bring about an Age of Chaos. 
Unless you stop him."
	Jeff slowly raised his head, and opened his eyes. He felt 
something for Ada. He didn't know what. Only that he would 
protect her at any cost. _Any_ cost? "I'll find her." he said 
slowly. Yes. Any cost. "I'll save her. No matter what."
	The Emperor cursed as he activated his commlink. "Scan the 
whole ship and the surrounding sector. If there's _anything_ I 
want to know about it."
	The seconds seemed like an eternity as Jeff's thoughts went 
into a frenzy of worry and anger. He *had* to save her, but 
where to begin? Eclipse had simply disappeared. Where could he 
have gone? And what was he planning? An Age of Chaos? What could 
that possibly mean?
	Jeff barely noticed the reply on the Emperor's commlink at 
first. "...anomaly in this area of space, some kind of wormhole. 
Scanner records show a small vessel of unknown type entering a 
short time ago."
	"We follow." said the Emperor.
	"Your Highness, the wormhole is too small for anything more 
than a shuttle to get through. If these readings are correct, it 
will take some five months to reach the wormhole's destination 
via hyperspace overdrive."
	"I'll go." said Jeff. "Give me a shuttle."
	Pretty Sun and Pretty Moon stepped forward. "We'll go with 
you." they announced in unison. Pretty Sun added, "You'll need 
our help to defeat Lord Eclipse."
	"You're very brave," intoned Atak, "but who will pilot the 
shuttle?"
	Ame did a Nwei-style salute, clasping an open hand to her 
heart, and said, "I will. You won't find a better combat pilot 
within twenty parsecs."
	"This is insane." muttered the Empress.
	Ame took a deep breath -- evidently there were a few things 
even she was hesitant to do. "Mother, what other choice do we 
have?"
	Defestra looked up at the shattered ceiling. "None. Go and 
you what must be done. It seems the rest of us must wait here 
for your return."
	"We'll return alright." announced Pretty Sun.
	Ame nodded and grinned. "With Ada in hand and that Eclipse 
guy stuffed in a food storage locker."
	"May you have a safe journey." said Atak. "And may you fight 
bravely."

	The four of them were on the bridge of the shuttle, a small 
armed transport. Ame was, of course, in the pilot's seat, with 
Jeff beside her and the Celestial Pair in the seats behind. Jeff 
was glad he was out of Ame's reach; this was a bad time for her 
to accidentally hit him.
	"We're almost to the wormhole." Ame announced. He hadn't 
really gotten to know Ada's sister, bit in her eyes he could see 
the determination, the strain of facing the loss of a sister.
	What would he be losing? Ada had been a friend, an observer, 
a stranger in a strange land. And then a part of their minds was 
stolen.
	"Have you ever gone through a wormhole before?" asked Pretty 
Moon.
	Ame shook her head. "Sorry, no. I've been through one or two 
simulations, but you usually don't use these things because so 
few of them are stable."
	There didn't seem to be anything out there, though the 
readouts showed something looming closer, a whirling vortex seen 
only in a wire-frame graphic. Unable to read the Nwei language, 
he could only sit there and wait, wondering what the readouts 
meant.
	Ame took a deep breath and said, "Here we go."
	Space exploded with radiance, enveloping the tiny ship. The 
world was filled with white light.

	When Jeff came to he found himself in darkness. He picked 
himself up off the cold, featureless floor, and looked around, 
finding only blackness in all directions. Only he could see 
himself when he looked around. That was his own hand he held up, 
no doubt about it.
[BGM: Golden Earring, "Twilight Zone" - The Continuing Story of 
Radar Love, Track 12]
	"So you came. I knew you would."
	He spun around to find himself looking at a mirror.
	His reflection rolled its eyes and grinned. He didn't like 
that smile. "No, this isn't a mirror. You might not remember me; 
I'm Ffej."
	His head felt a little fuzzy, but a memory came to the 
surface. Ffej. "You're... the clone of me made by Aaino. What do 
you want? Revenge?"
	"Please. Nothing so cliche as that. It's not what I want 
anyway. They want me to do this. Don't ask me why. I don't know 
and I don't really care. Since Aaino cast me out I've had no 
purpose. Fighting you gives me one, at least."
	"Who? Who is doing this?"
	"You've met Them before."
	"Who?" he repeated. "I don't get this!"
	"Ah. I see. It's one of the many things you've forgotten." 
Ffej began to walk closer, but as he did he circled around, 
making Jeff turn around to watch his double's spiral stroll. 
"There are three holes in your memory."
	"How would you know? Did they tell you?"
	"You and I were linked from the moment I was created, a 
psychic bond that allowed me to share your memories down to the 
bone. You've forgotten. I have not."
	"Forgotten what!?"
	Ffej shook his head. "Oh, it's not that simple. They chose me 
for a reason. If you can defeat me, you can take those memories 
back. I know you want that, or why else would you be here?"
	Forgotten... "Ada! Where is she?!"
	"Not here, idiot. They don't have anything to do with it. 
What needs to be decided is if you _should_ be allowed to stop 
what's begun. Fight me. That's your only option. You do want to 
know *why* you're fighting for her, don't you?"
	Jeff took up a fighting stance and Ffej did the same.
	"Kung fu it is."
	Ffej circled closer, and they launched into a flurry of 
attacks and blocks. They were evenly matched. Perfectly so. Even 
though Ffej had been created before Jeff learned any kung fu, 
the clone knew every last move, had exactly the same abilities. 
Exactly the same? No, he had other powers besides.
	As though in response to his thought, Ffej grinned and went 
for a punch that seethed with greenish energy. Jeff blocked by 
reflex, and took a blow with ten times the force of a normal 
punch. Lying on the unseen ground, he struggled to get to his 
feet.
	"You wonder why this can't be a fair fight?" Ffej laughed. 
"I'm evil! Everything good in you has been reversed and made 
evil in me."
	Resting on one knee, Jeff said, "There there's some good in 
you too."
	"You're not as stupid as I thought. You have a little of the 
Darkness in you, like everyone else, and in me that's a tiny 
sliver of niceness. But that won't help you much. Even if I let 
you live, they still won't let you go. No matter what."
	Coming to his feet, nursing a few broken ribs -- damn but 
that hurt -- Jeff clenched his fists. There had to be a way to 
win this. It was supposed to be a test. The two of them were 
linked together, a link that would only be severed when one of 
them died. Ffej could even hear his thoughts, so trying to plan 
was useless...
	"Smarter and smarted. If I can hear what you're thinking, 
what will you do?"
	Jeff let his instincts guide him. That was the only way, to 
act without thought. There was nothing in the universe except 
for he and his opponent -- the scenery certainly didn't say 
otherwise. As he charged his double, the world became a 
seething, spinning whirlwind of fury. Fueled by anger at what 
had been taken, at what still remained to be stolen, he launched 
himself wholly into the act of defeating Ffej.
	If he had not been so wholly absorbed in the fight, he would 
have noticed Ffej's fighting becoming less and less effective, 
as though the driving force behind his punches was slowly being 
drained away. His attacks became more and more feeble, until at 
last it was he who knelt at his opponent's mercy.
	"You... I'm supposed to be the opposite, so you used it 
against me. I thought you'd figure something out. You haven't 
won just yet, but..."
	Images shot into his brain, memory came in a flood. The day 
Felna arrived. The Men In Black that watched over everything -- 
how many had he seen out of the corner of his eye? The trip to 
Arizona. The old man. Bugs, attacking, destroying. Holding on 
with every ounce of strength he had. Felna falling towards 
turbines in darkness. White light, so bright it consumed 
everything. Them. Slender silhouettes reaching into his mind, 
taking out what they thought would be harmful. Them, debating 
his destiny while he lay there, barely conscious.
	"Yes. They're the ones. They saw what you might become, saw 
the thread that you might weave, and they had to know whether it 
would brighten the tapestry or make it unravel." Ffej was on his 
feet, so very close.
	Jeff stood his ground. "I don't care about you or them. All I 
care about is... is..."
	"Go on. Say it. Even without those two weeks it was true, 
even if you forgot the most important moment of your life. You 
can't escape the past, no matter what you do. Say it!"
	"All I care about is Ada!" Jeff looked into his clone's eyes. 
"That's the one thing about you that's just the same as me, 
isn't it?"
	Ffej nodded slowly. "When what Aaino put in my mind faded 
away, there was only your reflection, and somehow that came 
thought."
	"Then how can you stand in my way?!"
	"I can't."

	Jeff paused by the picture and looked at it for a long time. 
It was of Ada. She was standing by the Imperium Hotel in Las 
Vegas, wearing denim shorts and a camouflage tank top. her eyes 
and forehead jewel sparkled in the midday sun. She was so 
beautiful. She wasn't lacking in brains -- much the opposite -- 
be she was... simple. She saw straight to the truth.
	There was a knock. At the window. Jeff pulled his gaze away 
from the photo. He undid the latch and swung the window open.
	"Hi Jeff." Ada poked her head through the window, hanging 
upside-down. Somehow, the photo couldn't capture all of that 
smile.
	He couldn't help but smile too. "Hey. What's... up?"
	Her smile widened a little, and she offered a hand. "I'll 
show you." she said, and offered her hand, waiting patiently.
	He looked at the hand and hesitated. It was a normal hand, 
and it looked deceptively soft. He placed his hand in hers, and 
held on tightly as she pulled him up. The next thing he knew, he 
was on the roof. She led him to the top of the roof, and they 
sat down.
	Jeff sat there, unsure of what to say.
	"I like to come up here sometimes." Ada said slowly, looking 
up at the full moon shedding its pale light.
	"I bet you've seen more interesting skies."
	She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Some, like 
Nwei Prime or Arcturus... Earth has only one moon, but it's so 
beautiful. Living here I stopped for the first time to look at 
the starts, to just look at all the swirling stars."
	Jeff turned sideways and looked at her in the moonlight, 
afraid to speak, afraid to stay silent.
	Ada closed her eyes, lowering her head. "When I first came to 
Earth, I think I knew my life would change forever... Do you 
like me?"
	He wanted to stop and think about it, consider what to say, 
because he wasn't sure. The question was so sudden, after so 
long. Instead, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Yes. 
A lot."
	She looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the moonlight, and 
leaned a little closer. "These two years have been the most fun 
I've ever had. I made friends and had adventures, and best of 
all..." Ada trailed off, looking down at her fidgeting hands.
	Even though he wasn't really sure what to do, he reached out, 
gently brushing her cheek before resting a hand on her shoulder. 
She felt warm, and seemed to be trembling almost as much as he 
was.
	Ada closed her eyes. "There's something special about this 
planet and it's people, Jeff..."
	His heart raced. There were a million thoughts coursing 
through his mind. "Ada... I..."
	She shook her head, resting her hands on his shoulders. Don't 
talk. Jeff and the world held their breath as she drew him 
closer and closer. Their lips met, and for one perfect moment 
the world stood still.

	Jeff awoke as through from a dream. As he opened his eyes to 
the dim light of the ship's cabin and the concerned faces 
looking down at him, memory came to him and stole away the 
pleasant thoughts he'd been lingering on. He rubbed his head and 
sat up.
	"Oh, Jeff!" cried Pretty Sun. "We were so worried about you!"
	"What... what happened?"
	Ame was already sitting down in the pilot's seat again. "When 
we went through the wormhole you fell unconscious, and until he 
came out the other side your pulse was going incredibly fast and 
your brainwaves were through the roof. Then we came out and you 
went into normal sleep."
	Had it all been only a vision? It seemed so _real_. The 
fight, the accusations, the holes filled in his mind. It was too 
much to be just his vicious subconscious making things up. His 
dreams were always normal, as though he used up all the 
strangeness during his waking hours. He knew what happened after 
Felna had arrived, and more importantly, he knew what had 
happened between himself and Ada, knew why he had to rescue her 
at any cost.
	But Ffej had said there were *three* holes in his memory. 
Only two were accounted for. What could the third one be?
	"Hello Jeff!" Pretty Moon said, sounding a little annoyed as 
she waved a hand in front of his eyes. "I said, do you remember 
anything from while you were blacked out?"
	Did he remember anything? He was half-tempted to laugh at 
that. "I..." What could he say? How could he explain it? "Just 
some dreams is all."
	Both of his sisters looked at him for a moment and turned 
their attention to the viewport in unison.
	"I've been scanning the area around us," Ame announced, "but 
the sensors haven't picked up anything as of yet."
	Jeff frowned. Could this have been a dead end? A trap laid by 
Eclipse. If the vaillain was smart he would've made the other 
end of the wormhole open up somewhere else when the good guys 
tried to follow. If that was so... Jeff cut off that line of 
thought right away. Not only were villains never that smart, but 
to admit that was the case would be to admit defeat, something 
he couldn't do. Not yet. Not ever. "Could he be hiding from us?"
	Ame shrugged, looking at the readouts with a grim expression. 
"A small enough ship might not be picked up on the scanners, and 
if there's some kind of stealth or cloaking device involved..." 
She shook her head. "Let's hope he wants us to find him."
	Suddenly an alarm went of and a holomonitor popped up.
	"Oh no." she muttered. "What the twonk could he be doing?"
	Jeff sprang to his feet, trying in vain to decipher the 
meaning of the readouts. "What? What is it?!"
	"A black hole." She looked at the display again and nodded. 
"No question; the gravitonic readings are off the scale."
	"Can you take us in closer?"
	Ame took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. But not too much 
closer; if we hit the event horizon we're dead, no matter what."
[BGM: Babylon 5 Soundtrack Vol. 2, Track 2]
	Ame increased thrust, carrying them closer to the back hole. 
Time seemed to slow to nothingness, and as time passed more and 
more stars winked out. Then Ame looked at the monitor and 
gasped.
	"Impossible." breathed Ame. "Something's coming out."
	Holographic monitors began popping up everywhere, all showing 
the same thing, barely discernible. A massive black sphere. 
Whatever the readings meant, they were off the scale.
	"What in the world is that?" he managed.
	"That's where we have to go." replied Pretty Moon. "I can 
feel it; Lord Eclipse is there all right."
	Ame nodded and took the controls. The shuttle sped towards 
the thing, a black marble floating in black oil. For a time 
nothing seemed to move, save the monitors' screaming flow of 
data and the sphere, growing ever larger.
	Suddenly more monitors came up, and they switched to surface 
views. All over the sphere holes were opening up to release 
smaller spheres. "This doesn't look good." Ame muttered.
	Closer and closer, the army of marbles came. When they were 
close enough, they spat beams of pure white. So many, and Ame 
seemed to enter a trance, to go into a world where there was 
only the shuttle and its foes. The shuttle turned and spun, 
firing off its proton guns  and torpedoes as the pale lances 
swung and danced around them. The battle became a blur of black 
and white, and Jeff could only wait and trust in Ame's skills.
	One of the beams hit the ship at last. Sparks flew from 
ceiling conduits, and as the beam hit a smaller, ghostly light-
blast swung across the tiny bridge, throwing Ame out of her 
seat.
	For a time the shuttle spun in space, as Ame seemed to hit 
the deck in slow motion. They looked in horror at the burn 
running down her side. Would this be it? None of them could 
pilot the shuttle, and there were so many more spheres out 
there.
	With a grimace, wincing at every least movement, Ame pulled 
herself into the seat again. Her breaths were ragged, 
determined.
	"Ame..." Jeff whispered.
	She said nothing, but kicked in the afterburners and dove 
into the maelstrom again, determined not to let it happen again. 
Warning lights flashed all over the ship, as monitors displayed 
tactical data on the spheres. The large sphere loomed ever 
closer, spitting the same white beams from its own surface, 
until Ame found an opening and dove in. [6:30]
	The interior was nothing like any could've imagined. Amid a 
corridor filled with a pulsing blue glare ribbons of red and 
violet light swirled and swam, and the shuttle drifted as though 
through a dream. Ame let out a sigh of relief and let herself 
fall to the floor.
	"Ame!" yelped Pretty Sun.
	Ame pulled out a vial and injected it into her neck. "Don't 
worry about me," she said in a weak voice. "I'm not that easy to 
kill. Besides, the medical nanites will take care of me. I'll 
just take a while. You'll have to save her." She reached out to 
Jeff and took his hand, her eyes meeting his with fierce 
intensity. "I know you can do this."
	Jeff nodded. He had no choice.
	"But whatever happens, she has to know how you feel about 
her."
	"I know." he replied. He finally knew himself. It was time to 
make things right.
	The shuttle was swallowed by darkness again, and came to a 
stop. Ame closer her eyes and was silent, save for her labored 
breathing. Jeff carefully laid her limp hand across her chest, 
and stood up. It was down to him and the Celestial Pair. He 
didn't like those odds, but it seemed they were the best he had.
	"Let's go."
	Outside of the ship was a dark corridor. With no idea of what 
they'd find at the end, they strode down its length. At the end 
was a massive domed chamber, and at the heart of that stood Lord 
Eclipse, beside him, unconscious but seemingly unharmed, lay 
Ada, clad in one of her jumpsuits.
	"So, you've shown yourselves at last." announced Eclipse. "I 
wasn't sure you'd make it."
	"I don't know what evil scheme you have this time," yelled 
Pretty Moon, "but we'll stop you!"
	"Will you?" he mused. "How can you defeat one who has the 
power of the Eye of Chaos at his command?"
	"Why are you doing this?" Jeff asked slowly. "And why does 
Ada have to be a part of it?"
	"Because, Jeff Foster, she is the one in the whole of this 
decaying cosmos fir to be a sacrifice to Lord Villion." Before 
they could ask, he answered. "Lord Villion is the herald of the 
Age of Chaos. By destroying her he will attain the power to 
destroy all, so the universe can be remade anew. If you lose 
_this_ fight, you lose everything."
[BGM: Metallica, "The God That Failed" - Metallica, Track 10]
	The Celestial Pair readied their naginatas. Eclipse gestured, 
and a fountain of blackness sprung up in the center of the 
chamber. Smiling he pulled off his mask.
	Pretty Sun and Pretty Moon gasped in unison, and nearly 
dropped their weapons. "Rick?" they said as one.
	He nodded. "I wish it could've been different, but I must 
serve my purpose. Farewell." And without another word he threw 
himself into the raging vortex  or darkness. Before they could 
move two steps, eight gray tentacles lashed out from it. Two 
wrapped themselves around the Celestial Pair, and slammed them 
into the far walls, leaving them unconscious. One nearly did the 
same to Jeff, but he was faster on his feet.
	The fountain shrunk and spun and resolved itself into what 
looked like a man, only a few years older than Jeff. His hair 
was a mix of black and white locks, his eyes were a dull, dead 
gray, and he had those eight writhing gray tentacles sprouting 
from his back. He wore a long coat half black and half white, 
with a gray shirt and pants. It was as though all the color had 
been drained from him. This was Villion.
	"And so a hero rises to face me once again." Villion gestured 
with one hand and produced a broad blade of shimmering white 
energy. "Fight me."
	Jeff drew his energy blade, a seething crimson sword, and 
threw himself at his foe. Their swords clashed again and again, 
throwing off rainbow-colored sparks with each clash. Villion's 
technique was slow and deliberate, and he swung with force that 
belied his lithe frame.
	"It's been a long time." said Villion. "So very long. You 
fight with such passion against such terrible odds." Villion 
pressed harder, his attacks growing more fierce with each 
moment. One slash made it through, drenching Jeff's shoulder in 
blood, and a gesture with the other hand sent him flying. "Do 
not think for a moment that you can defeat me."
	Words from long ago came back to him. It seemed like an 
eternity. What Grandpa Akio had said. This was what he'd meant, 
wasn't it? The sword. He picked himself up and threw himself at 
Villion, the endless clash of blades resuming.
	"You are more quiet than any of the others," mused Villion, 
"I think I like that."
	"Why?!" demanded Jeff. "Why are you doing this?"
	Villion went for an overhead strike that Jeff only barely 
managed to parry, and the two blades hung there, throwing off 
prismatic sparks. "Fool. I am not merely your foe. I *am* the 
darkness. Chaos and evil distilled, called into this place to 
tear everything apart."
	Jeff took a step back, shoving Villion's blade aside, and the 
melee resumed. Villion kept pressing, and Jeff found himself 
backing away the whole time. Was Villion holding back, waiting 
for the most entertaining time to crush an insect?
	"And yet the real irony," he said suddenly, "is that the 
thing you most treasure is what brought you here."
	"What the hell are you talking about?"
	Villion grinned and lashed out, grabbing Jeff with three of 
those tentacles, gripping his throat and chest. "I can see it in 
your eyes, in your soul. You were cursed long ago."
	Jeff blinked. The dream! The third memory! That old man, so 
long ago, had said "may you live in interesting times." And he'd 
meant it. But the worst part was, the more comics he collected, 
the worse it became. "You're wrong about one thing." he said 
firmly. "My comics aren't the thing I treasure most. Not 
anymore."
	Villion laughed and spared a glance at Ada. "Ah yes. I will 
kill her as well. Just before you die."
	Jeff tightened his grip on the energy blade and slashed, 
cutting through the tentacles that bound him. The severed parts 
became mist and new ones grew as suddenly as they'd been cut. 
Jeff fought even harder than before. Ada's life hung in the 
balance, and that was all that really mattered. Everything came 
down to this fight, it seemed. Absolutely everything. And yet 
what he really fought for was to see Ada's smile again, to feel 
her gentle touch. His mind was whole at last, but he had to win 
before it would do him any good.
[For the god that failed]
	Suddenly, he saw his opening. Villion had backed off, and was 
waiting.
[Broken is the promise]
	Jeff leaped through the air, bringing his sword down in an 
overhead strike.
[Betrayal]
	At the last possible moment a grin split Villion's face, and 
he sprang up and forward, thrusting with his own sword. When 
they met in mid-air Jeff's crimson sword slipped from his hand 
and Villion's white blade went straight through his opponent's 
chest.
[Betrayal]
	Jeff was dimly aware of Villion standing over him. The 
monster had let his energy blade vanish. It wasn't supposed to 
be this way. He was the hero. He was supposed to win. It hurt so 
much, more than anything he could've imagined. The floor under 
him was so wet.
[BGM: Yoko Kanno, "Prologue - Time of Gold Flowing" - Please 
Save My Earth Image Soundtrack, Track 1]
	He could only watch as, with slow, deliberate motion, Villion 
strode over to where Ada still lay, and reached into his coat. 
He drew a gun and closed his eyes for a moment, trembling as 
though with ecstasy. How could he take such pleasure in this? 
How? Why? This was it. The end.
	When at last the trigger was pulled, it seemed as though the 
bullet moved in slow motion, the tiny shard of metal inching 
towards Ada's delicate form. This was it. Tears welled up in 
Jeff's eyes. Everything that mattered to him ended here.
	When the bulling struck her forehead there seemed to be a 
fountain of light, radiating in all directions. Villion's gun 
dissolved, and he shielded his eyes from the radiance. Slowly, 
so very slowly, Ada's eyes opened and she stood up. Where the 
gem should've been in her forehead there was only a gentle glow.
	Suddenly she bent over, and Jeff's breath caught. Two bulges 
seemed appeared in her back, growing until they tore free of the 
jumpsuit, and continued to grow.
	Wings. Feathered wings of the purest white. She was an angel. 
It seemed an eternity before she stood straight.
	Villion's expression was pure terror as she walked over to 
Jeff, carefully picked him up, and looked into his eyes. Her 
smile was so warm and gentle. Her warmth enfolded him in that 
cold place, and with their light shining as it was, the Eye of 
Chaos flickered and ceased to be.
	They loved each other. It had taken too long to realized 
that. They loved each other and looking into her eyes he knew.
	Everything would be alright.

[Fade out. As the credits roll, "For the Moon's Prayer and 
Companions" (PSME soundtrack, Track 16) plays.]

=======================================================================

Afterword
	I sat hunched over the little palmtop into which I'd typed so 
many things before (I've sure gotten a lot of use out of it in 
five months). Kurumi smiled as she looked over my shoulder.
	"You finally did it." she whispered.
	After thinking so long and so hard about what to say when it 
was done, I sat there with the gentle music playing on the 
stereo in my room, unsure of just what I should say. Even Kurumi 
seemed to be at a loss for words.
	The story had begun as a joke, and it had ended like this, 
with love and redemption.
	"You've come a long way," said Kurumi, giving me a playful 
poke in the side. "Back then you didn't understand those 
things."
	I shrugged. "Things always change."
	"People always grow."
	I nodded. "Characters too."
	"Hey, we're people too. Sorta'." She kept smiling, but let 
out a sigh. "Are you gonna' talk to him like you planned?"
	"I owe him that much, I think."
	Jeff stood there opposite me -- his creator -- unsure of what 
to say.
	"Well, is there anything you want to ask?" I suggested.
	He mulled it over and nodded. "Well, yeah. A lot of things. 
First off... who's she?"
	"I'm his inner child." Kurumi replied matter-of-factly.
	"Something like that." I added.
	Jeff shrugged. He'd seen stranger things of course (I'd made 
sure of that). "Well, there's the question every character must 
want to know; why did you put me through all that stuff?"
	Kurumi rolled her eyes. "To tell a story, silly!"
	I nodded. "It's as simple as that. Without bad things 
happening there's no real story to tell. You can't tell me it 
wasn't worth it."
	I waited, knowing what his answer would be. "No, you're 
right, I suppose. But one last thing, which I bet the readers 
will want to know too. What the hell happened at the end?"
	Chuckling, I replied, "You know, I'm not entirely sure."
	Jeff's death-stare was priceless.
	"Well, I suspect God would tell us the same thing if 
pressed... But if you _really_ want an explanation, the breaking 
of the gem in Ada's forehead unleashed the hidden power of her 
soul (the wings were a reflection of how you saw her). With that 
she destroyed the Eye of Chaos and Villion and brought you 
home."
	"And what about my sisters?"
	"They found themselves on the shuttle. Eventually everyone 
will be reunited and the wedding will go on as planned."
	"What about the wings, though?"
	With an exasperated sigh, I added, "When you wake up they're 
gone, and you're not sure if they were real or not. When I typed 
'everything would be alright' I meant it. Anything else?"
	Jeff looked thoughtful, and said, "Then, this is the end of 
my story?"
	I nodded slowly. "For now at least. I hope we come back to it 
some day. Hell, if we get a chance we might even have it 
animated. Although that'll require a complete rewrite."
	"Nothing better than a maybe..."
	"When do we ever really have anything better? I gave you a 
happy ending. What more do you want?"
	Jeff smiled. "I want to come back some day. I'll be waiting."
	"Until next time."
	Kurumi waved. "Bye-bye!"
	Retreating back to reality, I yawned and stretched, alone in 
my cluttered room. No, it wasn't perfect, but I like to think it 
came out pretty good after all. The day had only just begun 
though.

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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!"
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