The shoot was torturous. Nigel insisted on 10 different camera angles for each 10 seconds of the song. He was constantly screaming at the cameramen to move "just an inch to the left..no right! TOO CLOSE! Get that bald girl out of the way! No, too far, I can see wrinkles--Clarise!! More pancake..."

Ten hours had passed. Two of them was Nigel's lunch break. That and he simply HAD to go to Tower and buy the new Britney video--the one HE directed!

David was at the end of his patience, "I would gladly kill for a cigarette right now."

"It's OK, Dave," Gail muttered. "If you will, kill HIM!" nodding to Nigel, who was now screaming at a hapless PA for scuffing his Doc Martens.

Suffragette City...

"Better yet, David," the Duke lounged on his throne, Ramona draped across his lap, "I'LL kill if you don't have a cigarette!"

Zane and Dory were tied, standing up, back to back, on a stone pillar. A fishman stood by with a giant guitar-axe, ready at the Duke's command.

"Now, dahling," Ramona cooed, "it is right that we kill those two? After all, they are our forefathers."

"If it wasn't for Zane, there would be no Tin Machine. And Hunky Dory is nothing but a sappy love-letter to Lou and Bob and his baby," the Duke stuck out his tongue in disgust. "They are just rough drafts--WE," he nipped on her ear, "are the true masterpieces!"

In the dungeon...

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULTS!" Byron screamed. "We're trapped in a damp, dark, slimy dungeon--They're no circulation, my hair is already getting all frizzy..."

"OH SHUT THE F**K UP!" Leon shouted, re-bandaging his arm. "We've got bigger problems!"

"Right," Ricochet leaned against the wall, "if the Body stops smoking, Zane and Dory are done for."

"I can believe Jack turned on us," Earthling lie on the cot.

"The Duke is a powerful sorcerer," Yankee said. "Jack was probably under a spell." He shivered.

"Here, kid," Nathan offered him his trenchcoat.

"No thanks, I'm not cold..." Yankee said.

"Surprised, since ya ain't got an ounce of fat to keep yer bones warm," Nathan said.

"I was just remembering the Eternal Winter," Yankee put his chin to his knees.

Berlin said, from a corner, "Yank, you could not have really caused the Winter, right?"

"Let's just say I didn't help." Yankee sighed. "It kept me up at night. It gave me lots of time to write--otherwise I'd just keep snortin'. Wrote a whole album in a week. I didn't know..."

"You couldn't have," Ricochet said.

"I was feeding a monster," Yankee said. "I thought it was the ghost of Ziggy, but the true monster was the Duke And the Duke didn't even have a name at that point! Didn't even know he existed."

"Where's Zero?" Leon asked.

"God only knows..." Byron sighed.

"Dear God, don't sing that song again!" Leon covered his ears.

"Wherever he is," Nathan slumped against the wall, "he's a..."

"Dead man walking?" Earthling cocked an eyebrow.

"Flying is more accurate," Nathan thought he heard booming from a distance. Maybe it was the Duke again...or...

In the Square...

Zero and Jareth traded blow for nasty blow. Blade against claw--dodging and swooping, clashing and slashing, until...

The owl tore one of Zero's wings off in a devastating strike. Zero crashed to the ground in a tail-spin. Not only was one wing gone, but his back was slashed and bleeding.

Jareth turned back into human form--if you can call him human. From under his cloak, the King drew a long, wicked-looking blade. He held the hilt by two hands, aimed carefully at the wounded Zero and....

BANG!

A bullet knocked the sword out of Jareth's hands. The Goblin King howled in shock and outrage. His eyes flashed red, as he spun around...

To look into the business-end of a rifle.

Jareth's alabaster-pale face drew even paler. A visible fear swept his elfin features--black-rimmed eyes grew wide with horror.

"You...and your mad cow...cease and desist...now," Major Celliers said cooly, aiming the gun right between the eyes.

Jareth is allergic to iron. His reaction would be serious injury or death. Jareth's brow poured sweat, as he bellowed, "Minotaur, heel!"

The Minotaur, locked in deadly battle with the Spider, stopped immediately. The Spider, too, stepped back.

"Go home," Celliers made a mad kind of grin, "and don't let me catch you bothering this boy or anyone else again."

Jareth's face then grew red with anger, "Don't let me catch YOU without your gun!" Humiliated, he turned into an owl again and flew off. The Minotaur vanished.

Celliers stooped down and examined Zero's wounds.

"I...can't...feel...my legs," Zero muttered. Celliers deduced that Zero may also have some broken ribs--the former golden-statue was bleeding from the mouth and nose.

"Relax, boy," Celliers tried to soothe him, "I'll get help..."

"Let...me...die..." Zero wept. "I've...disgraced...the Bowie name. I've...*gasp*...brought nothing...but pain and embarrassment...I...*cough, cough*...Aaaah!"

"Stop it!" Celliers tried to stop the bleeding, "Self-pity never helped anyone--I should know..."

"It's because...of me...that Zane...and Dory..will die."

"What?" Celliers was puzzled. "Zero?"

Zero passed out.

"ZERO!!?? Wake up!"

Celliers suddenly felt a hand on the shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you girls to stay away," Celliers barked angrily, but turned around to see...

"Oh...I..It's you..."

To Be Continued...







Don't understand me, just love me