Anthology Two Presents

Millennium Man
"Late Night Out"
by Christopher Tanforan

Michael Manly is seated off in a quiet corner, sharing a meal with an attractive, well-dressed woman. The restaurant is Reste's, the current hang out for Pacific City's seen and be-seen crowd, serving the finest German cuisine. It's comfortably full, but not crowded. Michael is attempting to have a simple evening out with Deborah Giles, whom he had met earlier in the week while filming a segment for the Manly Side. Deborah is a project manager for Idyld Films, a small, independent film studio.

"And then, once I got my degree from USC, I started an internship over at DreamWorks. My uncle Wilbur is really good friends with this guy who knew the gardener for Tom Hanks. That's how I got my reference. And DreamWorks is where I met Tony for the first time. You know Tony, right? The guy who filmed that advert for Agilent. Anyways, this was way back before Tony became the oh-so ritzy auteur that he is now. Well, at DreamWorks we worked together on..." Deborah was one of those rare individuals who did not seem to find the ordinary actions of every day life, such as breathing, drinking, or eating, in any way inhibitory to the act of talking. And the fact of the matter was, to this point in the evening so far, she had proved
perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation all by herself, needing only the barest minimum of 'oh, really's and 'you don't say!'s to hang her sentences on.

Geez, how do I get involved in these things? Michael thought to himself.

He picked at the remains of his sausage platter, idly wondering just what it was that spurred him on this date in the first place. Sure, Deborah was engagingly pretty, and certainly intelligent. But her uncanny knack for dominating a conversation was off-putting, to put it mildly. His mind began to rifle through potential excuses for cutting the evening short, something polite and escape-proof.

"I didn't actually start at Idyld until after Tony had left to return to DreamWorks, which is an amusing little tale in and of itself.
Hmm...beg your pardon, Michael?"

"I'm really, really sorry Deborah, but I'm I just remembered something which had slipped my mind. I've got this early morning shoot tomorrow down by the waterfront, and Tracy, my producer, would kill me if I didn't show up in top form. Is it okay if we call it a night after we finish up here?"

Michael hoped he was wearing a sincere expression.

"Oh, alright. If you're sure I couldn't persuade you to stay out past your bedtime just a wee bit longer! I'd swear that you're the most interesting dinner-companion I've had in weeks!"

"Sorry Deb, but duty calls." Michael tried to give her a warm smile without looking at his watch.

Without skipping a beat, Deborah slid back into the previous topic of interest.

Herself.

Forty-five minutes later, outside of Reste's. Michael is standing outside of a taxi, exchanging a brief kiss on the cheek with Deborah.

"Bye Mikey, and thanks again for the company!"

"The pleasure was all mine, Deborah." With that he shuts the cab door for her, and begins walking towards where he parked his own car. The part about the early wake-up call had been true, but a Millennium Man needs a bit less sleep than your average show host. It was barely past ten o'clock, plenty of time for a patrol over the night skies of Pacific City.

After a quick change within the confines of his car, Michael Manly took to the air in the guise of Millennium Man. The colorfully garbed figure begins a patrol sequence, working his way out from downtown (the heart and central-most region of Pacific City) towards the harbor and docks, which line the eastern ridge of the city. From here, he makes his way south and west, roughly following the outer perimeter of the city. Once Millennium Man completes his first circuit of Pacific City, he curves his flight
path inwards slightly, and repeats the process. Over the course of an hour or so, he flies a spiral pattern, slowly working his way back to the downtown area.

His senses are keyed for anything out of the ordinary, anything that might lead to an innocent soul in need. As has been the case of late, nothing happens. No would be muggers to assault, no accidental fires to help quench, no late-night heists to be foiled. Heck, not even so much as a kitten up a tree to save. Pacific City was at peace, and Millennium Man found himself at a loss. Had he been so effective these past few months as to actually stop the tide of crime that had previously been threatening to
incapacitate the city? Or was this merely a brief respite? Unbidden, his thoughts turn to the bizarre circumstances which gave
him these fantastic abilities.

My, what times! What amazing, adjective-defying, kaleidoscopic times!

Lost in his reverie while flying back towards downtown, Millennium Man almost fails to hear the sharp, cracking sound coming from the roof of a nearby building. The *CRACK* lasts for only a moment, sounding almost like a firecracker. MM rushes down to the source of the sound, focusing in on the top of the Gallery of Antiquities. There, in the center of the Gallery's roof, stand a trio of mid-sized goblin creatures.

Two are less than three feet tall, while the third is slightly taller and thicker of build. All are of a dark green hue. The taller goblin stepped forward and spoke.

"Ah, so we have a visitor, brothers. Let us give him a proper welcome!" With that, the three moved as one, beginning a complex, dance-like pattern across the roof.

Millennium Man was taken aback by the oddity of it all, and uncertain of just how to proceed.

"Just what are you...things, doing here?" his voice wavered, betraying his lack of confidence.

He had never seen anything like these goblins before, and was wary of exacerbating the situation any further. The creatures
ignored him, increasing instead the pace of their motions. Only a few moments had passed since the initial sound that had alerted him. Just as Millennium Man was about to attempt making contact with one of the goblins, he felt a cold darkness coming over his limbs. Something was paralyzing him, and he was willing to bet those bouncing creatures were involved.
With a wrenching effort, MM forced his hands up and fired a sunbolt towards the goblins.

The sunbolt fails to make contact, but the burst of light surprises the creatures, and they momentarily cease their movements. MM could feel control flowing back through his body, and prepared to fire another bolt.

"Ho brothers, it appears out guest wishes to bare his fangs! How rude. Perhaps our siblings will get a friendlier greeting."

The three goblins made a sudden, inexplicable motion with their arms, causing another loud *CRACK*. Where was once three are now nine, not identical, but obviously of the same ilk.

"Hope this is friendly enough!" MM fires a wide-beam bolt towards the center of the group. The creatures scatter, but not quickly enough.

The sun-like nature of the bolt does the trick, turning five of the nine into stone.

"Gah! He bears a beastly light, brothers! Flee where you may!"

The scattering creatures are graceless in their individual escapes, a fact MM is not shy about exploiting. The creatures quickly succumb to a steady barrage of sunbolts. The speaking goblin is the last one left, and before MM can draw a bead, the creature utters one last, cryptic statement:

"Well fought, my sun-spewing foe. But this is but the utter, barest of beginnings...the Egg is fated to hatch, and naught on this world of mortals can halt what has already begun! Now, until our paths cross once more, adieu!" With that, the goblin tapped its wrists, and blinked away into nothingness. MM stood alone amongst statuary of unearthly creatures.

Well that was certainly...odd. MM thought to himself. He slowly rose up off of the rooftop, and began searching for signs of any more goblins lurking about. Seeing and hearing nothing in the nearby vicinity, MM begins another careful search over the heart of Pacific City. Two fruitless hours are spent patrolling darkened streets and barren rooftops.

Just what was that thing muttering about, something about an egg hatching? Wonder if it was just a coincidence that they happened to be up on top of the Gallery of Antiquities...oh well, whatever they were, they're gone for now. But I've got a pretty good feeling I haven't heard the last from those little beasts. Might as well call it a night...as much fun as it is to parry about with little goblin-things, I don't really feel like being yelled at this morning by Tracy for not being bushy-tailed enough. Dawn's only a few hours away, and given how much those things hate light, I figure it's a safe bet they won't be much of a threat come day time. And at least now I have something to keep me entertained at night!