This is the long-awaited conclusion to my Interesting Times series; if
you happened to miss it, it can be found on my web page
(http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/6127/fanfics/fanfic.html).
Enjoy! /^_^\

[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.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney                    blackbird@earthdome.com
Blackbird's Domain            http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/6127/
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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