Those who can't draw...write.  And those who can't write...draw.  And
as for those people who can't draw or write, go ask the WB for a
position as network executive.  Or you can ask a female VP for a
slightly different *position*.  Why am I writing this?  I really don't
know.  Damn subconcious.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Clash of the Titans



Somewhere outside the city, Michael flew above the scorched wasteland.
The years of war on the planet had permanently destroyed various areas,
leaving only swamps and deserts.  The cities were very well the only
livable areas left.  Still, the swamps were the homes to some very odd
creatures.

Michael dropped down onto the edge of a purple river, then surveyed the
scene.  On the opposite bank was a small forest, and sticking out of
that forest was a small cabin.  Inside the cabin was his prey.  He
calmly stepped onto the water and walked across the river like it was
a normal street.  It wouldn't be long until he had the information he
needed.


Up in the air, Spectre watched as Michael entered the cabin.  She had
been following him since he had stepped off the plain; she knew he
would lead her to the book, and subsequentially to the power that she
seeked.  She dropped to the ground beside the cabin, peeked in the
window, and prepared for a good show.

***

Inside the Epsilon Center, Eric rode around in a tour car with a small
group who kept taking photos of the place.  Upon reflection, he
supposed he should've brought a camera, so he'd look like a normal
tourist, and get some good shots of the place in the meantime.  Still,
he learned a good deal from the place just from the tour.  The hallways
were guarded by a sophisticated video surveillance system, along with
heat sensors, motion detectors, and laser protection systems.  The
rooms were protected by voice and keypad authorization, along with
blood sampling.  Whatever they were guarding in this building, it was
important.

The tour guide kept droning on about how important the Epsilon Center
was to the rest of the city, and in addition, to the entire country.
Apparently, they made everything from toys to warheads, although it was
a slight mystery about where they got their funding.  It didn't matter
to him, as long as he could figure out where the book was.

***

"Where's the book, old man?"

Michael threw the man across the room like a paper airplane, sending
him crashing through the one table in the small cabin.  His eyes turned
to the brick-laid fireplace, which was suddenly set ablaze, then went
over and picked up the man by his collar.  "Now, you can tell me where
the book is, or you can look like a piece of charcoal for the rest of
your life."

The man didn't say anything, mostly because his mouth was swollen shut.
"Okay, fine."  Michael put the man's head ever-closer to the fire, then
just before his head was all the way in the fire, he shouted "STOP!"

"Are you ready to talk?"  He kept his head near the fire, just in case.

"Yes."

"Good.  Where's the book?"

"I don't know."

"That...is not a good answer."  The hairs on his head began to singe...

"Wait!  I know where you can find out!"

"For your sake, you'd better be telling the truth."

"I am, really!  I used to work in the Epsilon Center, on a project
called Gateway.  We were trying to bring a demon into our world and put
it under our control.  I had the exact location of the book of
Ressurection in my computer!"

"And just where is this computer?"

"In the C-quarter, down the hall from the entrance, make two rights,
and take the door marked Belfram.  You can't miss it!"

"Well.  Thank you for your help.  Have a nice afterlife."  He brought
his head away from the fire, then cleanly ripped it off.  He quickly
left, then flew off toward the city.

***

"She hasn't checked in yet."

"And that is a problem, why?"

"Because she's very punctual."

Back in the city, Steph had been somewhat worried about Maggie.  She
had left on her own five hours ago, and since then, she hadn't even
contacted them.  Mewtwo didn't understand the problem, since he hadn't
been around long enough to consider it a problem.  From what he had
seen, Agents could take care of themselves.  Then again, he had no idea
what kind of dangers were here.

"Where did she say she was going?" Mewtwo asked.

"Finally.  She said she was going to check out the old abandoned
projects for mages.  They like to set up shop in the condemned
buildings.  Makes sense, since no one but the wrecking ball goes
around those areas."

"Then we should try to find her."

***

"So the computer is in the building?"

"Has to be."  Eric packed a few things into a black duffel bag,
including a small Jazz disk with a very special program on it.

"And you're sure you can get past the defenses?"

"Yep."

"Good.  And don't use the cube if you don't have to, okay?"

"Actually, I kinda lost it."

"You...what?"

"I lost it.  Some woman bumped into me, then it was gone, along with
her.  I didn't get a good look at her."

"You lost a 40-megaton explosive device?"

"I don't think she knows what it is.  She might just sell it."

"To someone who does know what it is."

"I'll look for her later.  Right now, I'm gonna get to that computer.
Besides, I'm the only one with the password to get that thing up to
40 megatons."

"For your sake, you'd better hope this city isn't a smoking crater when
I get back."

"Whatever."

***

Michael landed in a dimmed alley, far from the crowded streets of the
city.  He was about to leave for the hotel when a dirty woman in rags
stopped him.

"Mister, you look like a smart man," she said, "How'd you like to buy
a particularly rare item?"  She held up a small, silverish cube for him
to inspect.

"Where did you get that?" Michael asked suspiciously.

"I found it."  A painfully obvious lie.

"That is Agency technology, and I thank you for returning it to me."
He snatched the cube from the woman's hands, then snatched her hands
off, leaving her howling in pain as he walked away.

Around lunchtime, he went out to an outdoor restaurant, setting the
cube down on the table.  He was about to dig into his order of the
seafood platter when a street urchin ran up to his table, snatched the
cube, and ran off.  Michael just watched as he ran, popped a shrimp-
like creature into his mouth, then sped after him.

He moved faster than most people could see, but the boy had gotten a
good lead.  His chase led him down a nearby alley, then the alley
suddenly opened up into a small stone clearing.  The boy had run into
a large group of his friends, but the cube was nowhere in sight.

"Where is it?" Michael asked simply.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the kid replied.

"Then maybe your friends will tell me."  Before they could react, he
rushed forward, grabbed the boy's head, and twisted it a full 270
degrees.  The cracking sound reached into the ears of just about
everyone.  Including Spectre.


She watched from a vantage point on top of a building, along with one
of the street urchins.  "Are you sure this is valuable?" she asked the
kid.

"Sure.  Old lady Jenkins lost her hands to that guy, just for showing
it to him.  He said something about some Agency?"

Spectre smiled, something altogether new to her.  "Then it was worth
the trouble to steal it.  I thank you."

"Hey, no problem, lady.  Now, hows' about we get down to the discussion
of my payment?"

"And just what do you expect from me?"

"Standard payment."

"And that is?"

He grinned, and a bulge appeared in his pants.  "I think you know."

She smiled, but not the way he would've wanted.  "I'm sorry to say
you'll be leaving this world soon."  She put a hand on his forehead,
and his smile slowly disappeared.  "But don't fret, your energy will be
put to good use."  He almost screamed, but his mouth, along with his
face, whithered like a grape that had been left in the sun.  The color
left his hair and eyes, until all that was left was a corpse.  Spectre
took her hand away, the new energy flowing through her.  "Now, let's
just see what my dear friend Michael will provide."

She leapt off the rooftop and landed between Michael and the other
kids, much to their relief.  "Michael, is it?" she greeted.

"Of course," he replied, "And shall I presume that you are Spectre?"

"New and improved."  She ran her hands down the contours of her body
to accentuate her point.  "Now, why don't you be a good boy and die for
me, hmm?"

"I don't think so."  He rushed her and punched her, but his fist went
right through her head.

"You missed me."  She did the same, but her fist connected, sending him
flying out of the alley and back into the street.  She vanished, then
reappeared next to him and kicked him into the air.  He recovered, and
fired a blast of energy at her.  She just smiled, and vanished again.
A blast of cold hit Michael from behind, then from the front.  Ice
surrounded him, covering him from his neck down.  His lower body began
to glow red, and the ice melted in a few seconds.

Now he was mad.  His hands and feet began to glow, then they were
engulfed in white fire.  "Now let's even the score."  He moved faster
than she could see and sent a crushing blow to her face.  The sound
reverberated down the street, then came a very annoyed voice.  "That
*hurt*, you bastard!  Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a
lady?!"

Michael grinned.  "My mother tortured me, then sold me to a drug dealer
as a guinea pig."  He slammed another fist into her face, then another
and another.  Spectre was getting pounded; she needed more energy.
Bolts of electricity exploded from her and zapped Michael, stunning him
momentarily.  She took advantage of the lull in battle to leap into the
air and fly away, but Michael was close behind.

"Where're you going, bitch?" Michael yelled.

Spectre didn't answer, and instead threw a number of fireballs behind
her at him, still flying to an unknown destination.  He dodged them
easily enough, but then the fireballs grew in size and heat, and he was
having a hard time not getting barbequed.  He was about to teleport in
front of her and end this chase when she suddenly dropped out of the
sky and fell to the ground.  He followed, still unsure what the point
of this little game was.

On the ground, Spectre finally saw what she was looking for.  Michael
was superior in size, strength, and skill.  She couldn't change her
size, and strength came with victims, and skill she would soon have.
She stood outside a martial arts dojo, one that had only one member
inside.  As it happened, this member was the dojo's personal master, a
man of great fighting skill.  He was perfect.

Inside, the fighter leapt up and completed a spinning kick, landing
with a downward punch.  Then the picture window behind him exploded,
and Spectre casually walked into the room.  "Who are you?  What are you
doing here?" the man asked, very hostile.  He was already in a fighting
stance.  Spectre just smiled and disappeared.  She reappeared behind
him and put a hand to his head.  She felt the power flow through her,
the raw strength, the liquid grace, the ability to fight.

Michael stepped through the newly-created portal and watched as Spectre
drained a man in a strange white robe of his energy.  After she was
done, the man crumbled to the ground, and Spectre got into a fighting
stance, just like the man before her.  "Fight me now, dear boy."

He rushed her and tried to kick her in the head, but she easily blocked
the attack, then bent down and tripped him.  Before he hit the ground
she elbowed him in the gut, then tried to stomp on his head, but he
rolled away and shot a fireball at her head.  It went through her like
she wasn't even there, which proved to be his downfall.  Spectre fired
a blast of ice at him, blowing him through the north wall and into the
air.  She moved out of the building, still firing the ice beam at him.
She directed it toward a tall building, letting him smash against the
concrete and waited till the ice completely covered everything below
his neck.  He struggled to get free, but there was more than three feet
of ice on him, so it was a little difficult.  He watched as Spectre
flew up to him, a sinister smile on her face.  "So, just how powerful
are you?"  Michael just stared at her, unconcerned.  She put a hand to
his forehead, but then a burst of power threw her back a few feet.  She
looked at him curiously.  "Just *what* are you?"

"I'm your worst nightmare," he replied.

"Hmph.  Quite clichˇ, don't you think?"  She tried again and put a hand
on his forehead, but the same thing happened as before.  "You're quite
resilient, aren't you?  Fine, then you can freeze to death on that wall
for all I care."

A burst of cold hit his face, and the ice formation around him grew,
engulfing him.  Four feet, five feet, eight feet thick, and still
growing.  His vision faded as everything around him became cold as
death.  Spectre flew a few feet backwards so she could get a good look
at her handiwork.  "Not a bad fighter, but far too arrogant," she
commented just before flying off.  It was time to get that book.
Hopefully her contacts in Ysalin could get the information out of the
female Agent before the ressurection.  Time was growing short, and she
needed more power.  The god they would bring back could make her
invincible, but not if he killed her first.  Problems, problems...


Unbeknownst to Spectre, Michael was no longer under the ice.  If a
person would look closely, they would see a black spot where Michael
had been.  The ice was too thick to break through, but the building
certainly wasn't.  Keeping his body temperature up, Michael sent a
surge of energy through the concrete, opening a hole for him to get
free.  After he was free from the ice, he blew out a window, allowing
him to get out of the building and fly away.  Now all he needed was to
find the computer, then the book.  The Epsilon Center was his next
stop, and hopefully he would run into Eric.  Then he would have a
really good time.

***

"We can't afford to delay anymore."

"I know, but I can't have the materials ready for you until tomorrow."

"Then perhaps I should go to another supplier.  Our boss is most
explicit in her deadline."

Maggie slowly opened her eyes, her vision a tad fuzzy, but it cleared
up in a few seconds.  She tried to move, but the only thing that worked
was her neck, and even that couldn't turn that well.  Either the mage's
lightning bolt had paralyzed her, or he had tied her up.  The former
was probably true, since she could still feel everything below the
neck.

Everything in her line of vision was red; then she saw a light fixture.
They must've strapped her down on a table.  She craned her neck as far
as it would go and tried to get a lock on whoever was talking at the
time.  It was the mage...and three others.  Vampires, and quite
obvious ones.  Vamps differed from world to world, and these were
the pure undead kind.  Their eyes were bloodshot, and the pupils were
dark red.  The area around their eyes were puffy and gray, like they
had to catch up on their sleep.  They stopped talking just then; most
likely they had seen she was awake.  The mage confirmed her theory.

"Well, looks like she's up."

"Good," the first vamp said, "I was beginning to think your spell had
killed her."

"I'm a professional," the mage replied haughtily, "I don't make
mistakes."

"Then why is it we don't have our demi-power?"

"That's not a regular request!  It will take some time!"

Maggie finally decided to speak.  "What...where am I?  Who the fuck are
you guys?"

The vamp smiled.  "Look at that, the bitch knows how to talk."  He
walked over to her and licked her throat, feeling her lifeblood pulsing
so close...  "She'll make a good meal."

"Kicel, we can't eat her," another vamp said, a tone of worry in his
voice.  "We need her for the ritual.  She's the closest thing we have
to a demi-power."

"Of course."  Kicel stood up and walked over to the mage.  "This
doesn't get you off the hook, you know.  She's only plan B.  Either you
get us a demi-power, or we tell Spectre you've failed her."

"No, please, no..." the mage took a step back, cowering at the threat.
"I'll...I'll find someone.  I will!"

"Good."  Kicel glanced at Maggie, his fangs bared.  "Well, at least I
can have a snack before we go."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  GODDAMNFUCKSHITBASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just watched 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' a little while ago and
saw that guy who missed the pokˇmon question for $500,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Makes me so FUCKING MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!


The Master of Eternal Darkness,

Shadow