*Theme song: Never Surrender, by Stan Bush*

Michelle: That doesn't look right.

Reuisu: I can see that.

Michelle: I mean, it's 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Reuisu: I am well aware of that fact.

Michelle: And yet, it's pitch black outside.

Reuisu: Indeed it is.

Michelle: You know what it reminds me of?

Reuisu: I have an idea...

Michelle: It reminds me of our first year together. Also that time in Crystal Tokyo and the return of Baal...

Reuisu: I am quite aware of that.

Michelle: Think Duriel started this eclipse?

Reuisu: Probably.

Michelle: Why do you think he'd do that?

Reuisu: No idea.

Michelle: I mean, he tried it before, and we stopped it. Baal tried it and we stopped it. Duriel wouldn't be THAT stupid, would he?

Reuisu: Possibly.

Michelle: Want to go talk to the others about it?

Reuisu: Yep.

Hotaru: We're going to have to make some concessions in the Welfare Bill.

Rei: What kind of concessions?

Hotaru stood in Rei's office in Crystal Tower. It was now the next day after Neo-Queen Serenity had given her speech before the Global Education Association. The main staff of Crystal Tower was still a little bit shocked by what Neo-Queen Serenity had told them concerning her reasons for wanting to have Amara attend the political talk show Capitol Beat. The appearance was another day away, so she was talking to the communications office about how they would respond to certain arguments made by the American Senator during the television show.

Hotaru: First of all they wanted five billion dollars to research welfare needs for single parents vs. family needs.

Rei: We can live with that. What's next?

Hotaru: Another ten billion for paying off loans certain welfare distributors owe to creditors and major investors in our happy welfare system.

Rei: Something else we can live with. Anything else?

Hotaru: Unfortunately, yes. They want mandatory minimums on drug users who are on welfare systems. And this applies even if they're not using the welfare money to buy drugs.

Rei: Did you explain to them that sometimes some of these welfare cases require medicinal marijuana in some cases?

Hotaru: Aren't we against legalization of marijuana?

Rei: We're against legalization of ANY drug, Hotaru. Unfortunately, it's still legal for Doctors to give medicinal marijuana, and mandatory minimums apply to medicinal marijuana. We had hell to pay when we finally managed to make cigarettes illegal and raise the minimum drinking age globally to 24. Drug lobbyists and the medical community are going to go nuts about that part of the bill.

Hotaru: I explained that to them. Unfortunately, they say they won't give us their votes for the bill unless we include the mandatory minimums.

Rei sighed and relaxed back in her chair.

Rei: And they'll give us their votes?

Hotaru: Yeah.

Rei: Fine. We can find a way to get rid of the mandatory minimums during next year's plenary session of the Senate. Hey, Hotaru?

Hotaru: Yeah?

Rei: Aren't you currently seeing a drug lobbyist?

Hotaru winced.

Hotaru: Yeah.

Rei: Won't he be a little upset by this?

Hotaru: Probably, but I wouldn't worry about it. I'll tell him that we'll get rid of it during next year's plenary session, and we'll be fine.

Rei: Okay. Go tell the Senators that we had better see their votes on Thursday.

Reuisu: It doesn't make any sense! Why would Duriel activate another eclipse?

Tal Rasha: The only explanation I can come up with is that he believes that such an eclipse would allow him to safely leave for Kurast.

Michelle: Well, if that is the reason, we can't let him get away with it.

Tal Rasha: That is precisely what we all think. According to the mystics, we believe that this new eclipse is coming from the exact same place was it was before.

Tyrael: The Claw Viper Temple?

Tal Rasha: Exactly. This exactly works with our plans rather well. The final piece of the Horadric Staff is the Viper Amulet, and it is located within the Temple.

Reuisu: Then what are we bloody waiting for?! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can finally reunite with the other Titans!

Osmoudon: We have to reunite NOW.

Duriel sat in his private chambers, speaking into a Seeing Orb. The Seeing Orbs are ancient devices, formed from the blood of demons that could communicate telepathically. The Orbs were used only by Demons, and were primarily designed so that invading demon hordes could communicate with one another without worrying about any Angelic spies listening in on them. And now, Duriel was using one to communicate with the other Prime Evils.

Duriel: That is easier said than done. My attempts to leave Lut Gholein have failed.

Belial: But how? You have the Eternal, you can do anything-

Duriel: I'M DYING, BELIAL!

The two Demons stared at Duriel, not understanding his meaning.

Duriel: Whatever damned ritual you used to resurrect Andariel and I, it's having some effect on me after a long time! I'm deteriorating day by day, and the only time I can recharge myself is when I make direct contact with the Eternal, but that only gives me renewed strength for so long! If Andariel hadn't been slain at the hands of the Titans, I assume she would be experiencing the same things I am now! To make matters worse, when I go into Sunlight, the process increases exponentially to the point of turning me into a vampire! I've had to taint the sun alter of the Claw Viper Temple just to allow myself to travel during the day!

Osmoudon: And because the Titans have seen such an eclipse before, they shall no doubt go there to stop it. Duriel, this changes matters entirely. The mission is more important than us. Have whatever your strongest demons are travel to Kurast with the Eternal and bring it to us. Osmoudon and Belial out.

The Seeing Orb's image faded into darkness. Duriel blinked as he stared into the Orb.

Duriel: Give up the Eternal to them? I'll die first.

Angel: HAND OF DESTINY!!!

Sailor Angel flapped his wings, ascending into the vast chamber of the Claw Viper Temple. His fist glowed a bright white and gold, and it shot down a beam of light that pierced the cold, reptilian skin of a gray Claw Viper and annihilated it. The Claw Vipers themselves were either colored gray or red, and their lower bodies were that of snake tails. Their upper torso resembled more of a strong man in a circus, but their heads were shaped like large cobras. They hissed and shot out their tongues as they tried to bite the three invaders of their domain.

Moonshine: You know, these fights are really becoming redundant!

Sailor Moonshine slammed his staff against the head of a nearby Claw Viper, smashing it's skull.

Tyrael: In what way, my love?

Tyrael sliced off the torso of a red Claw Viper with Azurewrath. The torso flopped around for a bit, still trying to fight, but Tyrael then slammed his sword through it's head, killing it entirely.

Moonshine: It's always the same old thing! We need to get something or go somewhere, and there's always some weird demon in our way! I'm sick of fighting demons! Why can't we have an original enemy once in awhile?

Angel growled and slammed his Angel staff repeatedly on a Claw Viper that refused to die.

Angel: I suppose you preferred it when we were fighting another Sailor like Argent!

Moonshine: You have to admit, she was a helluva lot more interesting than these creeps!

Moonshine sent out a Moonshine Mirror out at the final Claw Viper, incinerating it with the moon's reflective light. The three breathed in deeply, recovering their strength and stamina as they looked at the room that was littered with Claw Viper bodies. In the center of the room was a large pedestal that had a single black staff sticking out of the center of it. Reuisu walked over to the Sun Alter, as it was called, and grabbed onto the black stick. He quickly shoved it out of the hole it was in, and a single beam of light shot out from it and went through a hole in the roof of the building. Within seconds, sunlight peaked through some of the cracks in the ceiling.

Angel: Good! Now where's the Viper Amulet?

The three began looking around the Alter, seeing only the orifice in the Alter.

Moonshine: I don't get it! Tal Rasha said the Amulet was imbedded right in the Altar, so where is-

Voice: Looking for this?

The three immediately turned around and saw Duriel standing by the opposite wall, a demonic grin spread across his mouth. He twirled a golden amulet shaped like a snake in his claw, laughing a little.

Duriel: For once, my dear Sailor Fools, I might just be one step ahead of you.

To Be Continued...